Ten years ago today was my last days of employment. After thirty seven years of working for “the man” (and an occasional woman), I was cast aside onto the scrapheap of humanity. Made redundant, discarded, unemployed; after so many years of faithful service.
To be fair, my employer of more than thirty years did ask me whereabouts in the world I would like to work once I had finished in Bangkok. Unfortunately most of the options seemed to indicate either Holland or, perish the thought, the UK. And after living in Thailand, anywhere else seemed a bit of a let-down, even if it did involve a salary. So, ever the dedicated employee, my immediate answer was “redundancy please”; or as it was known in company myth, “the package”.
“The package” was something you were given when the company didn’t want you any more and they were prepared to let you go via a very generous arrangement. Five years added to service when calculating pension entitlement, an immediate pension, and a lump sum of such bewildering complexity that I never really understood where it all came from; but suffice to say it was enough to take away the pain. Those who received the package were looked upon with an envy bordering on resentment.
Where are going next Spike?
I have been given the package and will stay in Thailand.
Bastard!
Amazing to think that it has been ten years since I walked out of the office, but I can still recall the sense of relief and freedom I felt the following Monday when I didn’t have to go to work. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t busy. For the first month or so I spent hours every day sending emails to ex-colleagues telling them I was sat on my balcony drinking coffee, and what were they doing? Their responses hinted at jealousy.
Hard to define exactly what I have done in the ten years since that day. Not a lot, and nothing substantial, that’s for sure. Perhaps the most obvious change is the drastic increase in the quantities of photographic equipment I have acquired. When I retired, I was the slightly disinterested owner of a Canon 300D and a kit lens. And now….
A lot of camera gear, a couple of hundred thousand photos, and Pattaya Days. Not quite Gandhi; but it’s better than working. Enjoy your weekend, it’ll soon be Monday.
Comments 🔗
2014-02-28| Larry saysStarting my third year of retirement for the same reason.
2014-02-28| Andrew saysBastard!
2014-02-28| Andrew saysThough I’m sure those of us still slaving away will be curing cancer, having a show at the Met and lunch with Bill Gates when we are finally done with this dastardly treadmill…unlike you who have whittled yours days away on Ebay…..:-)
2014-02-28| Andrew saysAlthough I can wonder what “Amsterdam Days " blog would have looked like…lots of bicycles and canals and ( cough ) coffee shops…
2014-03-01| Spike saysI tried the product of a coffee shop when I lived in Holland. It did not end well.
2014-03-01| mart says
2014-03-02| Spike saysI would like to say you have been missed….
You can have the old look (sort of) by using: http://www.pattayadays.com/blog/
Bigger photos, no sidebar, same crap.
2014-03-02| mart saysไม่คิดถึงจริงๆหรอ
Erm… Actually I meant the design with the pic of the bay and a black background, the original one.
2014-03-04| Andrew saysWell that’s 2 people who are saying Dutch coffee is bad…that place is out for me…
2014-03-04| Andrew saysAlthough I hear you can smoke in the coffee shops there…maybe it’s back in…