two days ago it was my last day at the bookshop.
on the penultimate day, i was just so furious. i let the person whom i couldn’t stand get to me. i was angry at the person but i didn’t let my frustrations out at first. when i couldn’t find my car keys in my tote bag i just snapped. started throwing things out of the bag, cursing at the person while still looking for my car keys and the other colleagues staring at me in shock and fright.
thankfully, the next day made up for all that frustration. i was still in a foul mood for the first few hours. then i eventually lightened up. then i received a really nice surprise.
first, a couple of colleagues gave me a pair of earrings. pink purplish discs with sakura-like flowers. i immediately wore them. then later on, they gave me two envelopes. one was a card in which they wrote their farewell wishes. the other was filled with vouchers from the various bookstores around the city. that truly surprised me! they all gathered around to watch me open the presents. i wasn’t sure if they expected me to cry, haha. i was touched nonetheless. i didn’t expect gifts from everybody and such great gifts at that. then one other colleague gave me a slice of cake from the bakery store in the mall.
then another colleague gave me a whole box of chocolate cupcakes – and she made them herself! that was so incredibly sweet. i went around sharing the cupcakes with other colleagues, and even some people around the mall whom i’ve gotten acquainted with, such as the guy who works at famous amos. i went through a brownie phase and used to buy brownies there, like, three times a week. he always gave me free cookies whenever i pass by to say hi to him, so i thought it would be nice to give him something in return. then he told me to pick a gelato; it was his treat. gosh… my colleagues teased me non-stop when i came back showing off my free gelato.
for the first time ever, i felt cherished at work. i’m really happy that i left on a good note with the colleagues. even the ones i didn’t get along with before, we somehow managed to solve our differences and are cordial with each other if anything.
to be in the centre of attention for a day was something i’m not used to. but i’m so not complaining! third time’s the charm, as they say, and in my third job i do feel as if i made a difference here, even though i’ve only worked for ten months.
despite the shit i had to go through, this job remains one of my most memorable and probably most fulfilling one.
bloggerdygook 
Comments on: "over and out; bittersweet" (14)
I agree… its wonderful to leave on a good note … hope your new job is also as rewarding and fun as the last one…
thank you, aathira. 🙂 i somehow doubt it will be fun for the first few months as i learn and grasp the intricacies of the work culture and its system, but i’ll try to keep an open mind!
Finally, read all your old posts. Am kinda slow to get to reader these days. Work and Twitter.
You seem to have had a great last day at work, something most people would envy. 🙂 Good to know you have two weeks of break before you join next job. Make most of it.
And it is also great to see that I am still on your blogroll after all that ‘weeding’ 😉 Keep on blogging, you are gradually catching on to your previous pace. You personality does come out very well through your blogging. Keep on!
i now understand when people say they are too busy with work. when i was in college, i thought it was just another excuse!
i’m not satisfied with the blogroll, i need to add and remove some links. finally changed the blog’s theme, though!
thank you, as someone who likes to write that is a great compliment!
Awww…I know what it feels like to leave a place you’ve been satisfied at. What prompts you to take that decision amy be loads of irritation and ‘i cant take this anymore’ and all that. But wen you actually leave…sigh!
Here’s how I left (and felt): http://alphabetworld.wordpress.com/2008/08/01/im-already-missing-it-all/
I also got a big bag full of small small gifts…somce scented, gel candles, diff types of crayons (yey!!), a bag, a card with everyone’s msg, a beau bouquet…
Damn! After a year and half, I still miss that place!
you described my feelings perfectly! just read your post, wow, you had an awesome farewell! i know i miss my colleagues, but not the workload! thankfully i can visit them whenever i want, since it’s a bookshop. 🙂
Unexpected gifts are the best kind! It doesn’t even matter if they are just small or inexpensive. It really is the thought that counts. One gift I received was this little tiny clip on tie, no bigger than my thumb. I kept that until it got lost in a move. I still remember that tie and laugh about how much enjoyment I received wearing it!
indeed. i love my book voucher gifts, probably the best i’ve ever received. 😀 staked two bookstores already and came out with two books i’ve been wanting. i have two more to go!
[…] double-edged fire. recently i lost my temper a few times. one incident happened on my penultimate day at my previous job. another happened […]
I too have left a job when I could not stand another moment of it and it was in a bookstore too. No kidding! . I was in college and I was worn right out as I had two part-time jobs and studying and attending classes to cope with. I did my job but ended up doing the boss’s daughter’s job too while she filed her nails and painted them at her desk, instead of helping customers. The minute her father was not looking or went out to the bank, etc. she went on vacation while at work … arraggghh! ! After 3 months of covering both her job and mine I could stand not a single minute more. I walked into the boss’s office and quit and I told him why. in no uncertain terms. His daughter was lazy and ignore4d customers. She need to find other work if he wanted his business to succeed. He paid me on the spot and sent me a bonus of $100. in the mail with a lovely note. I was amazed and, of course, sent him a thank you card.
Here’s the weird part. A couple of weeks after I left the job I heard through the grapevine that my former boss and fired his daughter. I cruised into the bookstore a couple of times and didn’t see her but her dad (my former boss) was very friendly to me. On the second visit he asked me if I’d like to work weekends only. I considered it for a couple of days and then decided ‘no’ because she had him wrapped around her finger and I sensed he would cave in and give her a job again.
Well, a couple of weeks after that I checked out the bookstore and sure enough there she was yapping on the phone at her old desk while 3 customer’s stood in line waiting.
I had completely forgotten about this until I read your post. And, I’m glad to hear your colleagues came through for you and you felt cherished. 🙂
so you’ve worked in a bookshop too! bad experiences aside, did you like the job itself? i did… and thank goodness i had good colleagues who made me look forward to work.
even though the daughter bit sucks, fortunately the dad aka your boss was understanding enough!
Yes I have worked in two bookshops years ago and I did love the job. In both cases the boss had a relative working in the shop who drove me up the wall. I described the lazy nail painter and the other was a nonstop blabber mouth, who not only had no personal boundaries but also did not know when to put a sock in it.
I went through it too; we all have! sometimes it’s just a bunch of mixed feelings to leave a job. good for you though! Enjoy the next chapter!
thanks. enjoying the next chapter very much indeed. 🙂