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surrexi · 1 month ago

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so about five months ago, my evil ayn rand-loving boss left the company because the previous vice president in charge of our sector of the company retired and her replacement looked at my boss' extremely unhealthy work habits (he regularly worked like... 16+ hour days) and complete disregard for budgets or the actual scope of our project's contract or the policies of our company regarding billable/unbillable hours and how an employee's time should be designated across projects and immediately was like "no, this has to change." and evil ayn rand-loving boss arranged for both himself and his favorite employee to get job offers at a different company. which was a godsend to me because i literally had my family, friends, and therapist all asking me if i was in a position where i could leave my job because of how just-shy-of-actionably awful said evil boss was to me.

(i don't have anything in particular to work on today and i'm annoyed a couple of my coworkers over a meeting this morning so i'm gonna rant about it here to avoid being tempted to rant at someone who actually works at my company, lol)

one of the things evil boss did that he shouldn't have been allowed to do was create a little group of tech-savvy employees that he gave their own cheesy acronym name that were 50% designated for the actual project he was the director of and 50% designated for... well, nothing officially, because his cheesy acronym group isn't an actual billable project or corporate operations unit. i don't want to type "cheesy acronym group" every time i mention it so i'm gonna tell y'all the actual name - "Virtual Innovation in Communication & Engagement," or the VICE Squad, because in addition to being evil he also thinks he's funnier than he is. (true story: the name might be changed bc people in the company have expressed that they think it's inappropriate/that it doesn't do a good job of expressing why we could be helpful to them.)

because my company is a research company that does contract work, employees are supposed to have 100% of their time officially designated for a particular project or corporate operations task. so like, 50% project a, 30% project b, 10% project c, 10% project d. or if you work for like, HR or as an office manager or in the corporate graphics or document services unit etc., then you might work like 15% on some project that needed your direct expertise and the other 85% might get charged to corporate operations but that's because you were specifically designated to do that work. in terms of the actual hours you work it's expected you'll occasionally use the corporate "unit ops" time codes when you're doing generic tasks, working on business development, doing HR trainings, attending corporate meetings, etc. but if you were hired for a full-time job in a non-corporate-support role, then in theory every week some combination of billable projects should have a claim on all 40 hours of your work time.

so anyway, when boss hired me and a couple of my coworkers, he designated our time as 50% the actual project he was director of (we administer a grant and provide training for grantees providing afterschool programming in texas), and 50% "VICE." the problem with that is that the vice squad is not a billable project or an official corporate entity, so he shouldn't have been allowed to do that. but the prior sector vp just let him do whatever he wanted. including completely ignoring the actual budget of the project. so like. one of my coworkers was charging half her time to the project and half her time to corporate unit ops even though she was doing 100% of her work on the project. which she shouldn't have been doing. and then myself and the other coworker were actually doing some work on other billable projects, but whenever it didn't take up a full 50% of our time, we just worked on the main project and charged all our time there, which was also bad because there was nowhere near enough money in the project budget for that. the only vice squad team member whose time is actually assigned (i assume) roughly correctly is someone who saw the work someone from the team did on a project and was like "hey, i have some time i can free up for this, let me be on the vice squad and give me projects." so like, he already had a bunch of projects he was assigned and just carved out whatever percentage for whatever projects he picked up through vice.

anyway, boss just didn't want to have to go through the corporate graphics team or document prep team etc., so he just hired some people who could do graphic design/desktop publishing/video editing/etc. and then basically just used the vice squad ~branding~ to get some of our time taken off the main project balance sheet by finding other projects within our sector who needed people to host/record/edit zoom meetings, hybrid conferences, podcasts, etc.

once evil boss left, the new project director (J), the associate VP whose business line the project was moved into (K), and the new sector VP (D) had to sort out all of this by talking to US, because evil boss did not leave them any explanations or anything. and i swear every time i told anyone else about how the whole thing was set up they were like ".................... that should not have been allowed." and i would be like *shrug emoji* "it did seem strange."

when evil boss left i also got a new "personnel supervisor" (or PSUP), which is the person who does things like career mentoring/your annual employee evaluation/etc. since lots of people work on multiple projects your PSUP isn't automatically the project director of a project you work on, although evil boss had kept almost everyone who worked on the project under his thumb (which other people in the company ALSO THINK WAS WEIRD). my new psup (A) is working in coordination with J and K to sort out my time allotment and even got special permission from D for me to charge any time over 20 hrs/week that isn't already for billable non-main-project projects to the corporate unit ops timecode while they find me other projects to work on. throughout this process i've been learning a lot about how things at my company are supposed to run administratively speaking and also seeing that a lot of the stuff that initially appealed to me about the company that i was disappointed not to see reflected in evil boss are actually reflected in most of the other people in the company i've worked with. it's been so rewarding to find that after evil boss did his best to make me miserable and also screw me over in terms of job security with him gone, the women who took over from him were like "no, you're clearly an asset to this company and you've been through hell, we're going to fight for you."

perhaps because i clearly had an opinion of evil boss that could sink no lower no matter what anyone told me about the administrative mess he left, J and K have been a tad bit more open with me than they might have been otherwise about said mess. and as a result of that, i have ended up with a more concrete understanding of the myriad ways evil boss was flouting rules/norms/budgets than anyone else who isn't involved in the actual leadership/project management side of the project.

which brings me to this morning's ~vice squad~ meeting. the vice squad as it stands now includes me, coworker L who doesn't do graphic design/video editing/etc but got lumped in with vice because she was also officially only 50% on main project (she manages the san antonio office and does a lot of admin/logistics stuff for the project, plus she handles posting to the facebook/insta accounts we have for a conference we put on as part of the project), coworker Z who is also 50% main project/50% vice but managed to hold on to enough "vice" projects that he probably actually has his 50% non-main-project time filled with billable hours anyway, and coworker R who is the one who already had his own projects when he "joined" the vice squad. R has worked for our company for like 15 years, and joined the vice squad on his limited basis a few years ago. Z worked for one of the afterschool programs that receives the grant our project administers and i gather evil boss recruited him to join our company a year and a half ago or so. L has been with the company only a few months longer than me, and I joined at the end of January of this year.

before evil boss left, he made a bunch of pronouncements about who would "lead" which project tasks after he left, even though he didn't really have the authority to do that. (i genuinely believe he was trying to sow as much chaos as possible to make the transition as difficult as he could for D, K, and J.) one of these pronouncements was that Z was going to "lead" the vice squad. one problem with that is that there is no actual vice squad task as far as the company is concerned. but another is that D and K looked at how the vice squad was arranged wrt time allotment etc and were both like "well this has to change" plus there's the name issue and like... i don't know what they told Z about his authority level but no one has told me that he has any particular authority over me or the vice squad. he just... arranged bi-weekly meetings and "leads" them. (these meetings could absolutely be an email btw.) anyway regardless of what Z has been told about his authority level, he definitely seems to have taken evil boss' pronouncement that Z is "in charge" of the vice squad to heart.

initially the person in the org chart who was responsible for coordinating the administrative aspects of the vice squad was J. a month or so ago K officially took managing/supervising the vice squad off J's plate, because she had way too much on it just trying to get main project to run smoothly according to the scope of the contract and within the budget. K scheduled a meeting with me to talk about the scope of the vice squad and what the vice team members hopes were for it going forward as well as what D is thinking we might be able to do with it. i assume she at least met with Z as well at that time, and she meets with L regularly because she's L's psup. i don't know if she's talked with R. five months ago when we were in the most chaotic part of the post-evil boss transition, i worked up a document based on (a) extant docs evil boss/his fave employee had created before the rest of us joined the team and (b) my own experience in seeing what things the vice squad did for the projects we worked on. i've shown that at least to J and K and i thought i had shared it with the rest of the team but i might not have.

anyway today during our bi-weekly this-could-have-been-an-email vice squad check-in meeting, the conversation shifted to the future of the vice squad, with Z and R talking about all this stuff they wanted to do to contact other projects to drum up more work for vice, create documents explaining what we do, etc. and i was like "whoa whoa whoa have you talked to K about this?" and "we should coordinate with K before we spend a lot of time on this" and they were just steamrolling me, and at least some of what they were saying was at odds with things K had told me about how she and D are thinking about rebranding/repackaging the vice squad going forward in order to allow it to continue to exist in a way that is within company policies and more widely useful to our sector of the company.

so i said to myself "i want it documented that i said this" and i put in the chat for the meeting "i strongly suggest coordinating with [K] if you do this." and then because R had said something like "if you don't have time i can do it" when i'd been trying to slow their roll, i added "it's not that i don't have time it's that it's not billable hours."

and R and Z were like "we've done it like this before" and i was like "yeah but that was when [evil boss] was here and [prior VP] let him do whatever he wanted even if it was against company policy" and they were just like "[prior VP] was the best" and ignored anything i said about billable hours, showed that in five months they still haven't learned K's name (i cannot fathom this tbh), and generally weren't listening to me. then i shared in the vice squad teams chat the document i prepared for K and J back in july and Z was like "okay thanks i see that" and was still going "yeah we should make [thing like the doc i just shared with a few additional categories of info]." then R sends a different doc to the chat which was something evil boss made several years ago that FRANKLY doesn't do what my document does nearly as efficiently or effectively given what info project directors we're trying to sell our services to need AND doesn't have the additional info Z was saying my document needed and Z goes "R this is perfect, this is great, we just need to change the logo!" (to the new logo that I MADE BY THE WAY, assuming our name doesn't change).

and i was like SO DONE WITH THESE FUCKING MEN, ugh. they never listen to me, i stg. i am trying to thread the impossible needle and be assertive towards them without them doing the man thing and deciding i'm being rude.

anyway like an hour after the meeting ended, J sends me a message on teams. she is still in the vice squad teams chat and invited to the vice squad bi-weekly meeting even though she doesn't attend and technically isn't even responsible for the vice squad anymore, so she could see the chats. after she asked how i am doing handling my dog dying suddenly and said some nice things about how she's been thinking about me and how grief sucks etc, she's like "in the vice meeting today, what was the topic where you mentioned coordinating with [K]?"

so i told her it was about the future of the vice squad and that i mentioned coordinating with K because she'd taken it over and then i was like "if that's changed i'm sorry for causing any confusion". and J was like "not at all. i really appreciate you drawing the line on unbillable hours."

so. i'm fucking right and these dumb men need to listen to me.

then i was like "i'm trying! it is... sometimes hard to get people to listen to me about it though" and she sends back "change is hard. and previous personnel sometimes operated differently than [company] policy suggests"

so yeah she is still verrrrrry salty about the mess evil boss left her to clean up but hey at least my willingness to jettison things evil boss did and advocate for us to actually follow company policies is endearing me to new boss. and also good job recent-past-me for deciding to at least have my advice to coordinate with K in writing in the meeting chat if nothing else.

#this has been a post #work stuff #rants

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gizkasparadise · 5 years ago

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cdrama rec/review: le coup de foudre

KDRAMA AND CDRAMA MASTER LIST OF REVIEWS

Series: le coup de foudre / love at first sight / i don’t like this world, i only like you Episodes: 35 w/ a special Genres: then & now, slice of life, high school to adult life, romance, reunion/getting back together, working with the ex Spoilers in the Rec: for set-up/light ones for character backgrounds If You Like, You’ll Like: the reply series, sad-looking dogs that are loved very much, because this is my first life (VERY similar male lead), sibling love, my sunshine but if people were nicer and had significantly better hair, multiple couples that are all a lot of fun

Rank: 10/10

PREMISE

flashback to 6-8 years ago (because the OP here can’t remember lol): it’s desk selection day in qiao yi’s classroom! a very dramatic moment for all high schoolers, qia yi has to select who she sits next to. because she’s at the bottom of the class ranking, she gets last pick, which essentially narrows down her choices to that creepy kid who writes love poetry to every female student in the class and yan mo, the scary genius student who has placed 1st in their class since...forever.

taking a gamble, qiao yi goes with yan mo. yan mo eventually agrees to tutoring qiao yi outside of class and they become friends. then...friends? if you know what i mean. it’s very sweet and cute. only problem is that yan mo is both a genius and from a Family of Means, and so is already planning on attending cambridge (yeah, fucking cambridge) after graduation. not wanting to separate, yan mo asks qiao yi to come with him and she agrees to study hard so she can get accepted to a university in the UK, too.

but then, well, bad shit happened.

qiao yi ended up staying in their home town, yan mo left for cambridge, and we got two v heartbroken teenagers on our hands.

4 years later, yan mo returns after studying in the uk, and by chance they end up bumping into each other. angry because qiao yi hurt him, yan mo puts up an ALOOF AND COLD AND I DONT CARE AT ALL front that she sadly buys. but after he leaves for the big city to pursue a business opportunity, qiao yi harnesses some amazing big dick energy to go after him, in a sort of inverse DONT LET HER GET ON THAT PLANE! move. very abba.

the plot bounces between their (and their friends’) high school years, their lives as reunited adults, and their future lives as married folks. i love it very, very much.

MAIN CHARACTERS

zhao qiao yi

as a high schooler, qiao yi was a quiet girl with low self-esteem, who consistently ranked at the bottom of her class and was always attempting to retreat into her school tracksuit like a turtle. despite this, qiao yi has some solid friends and is always kind if somewhat shy or uncomfortable in certain situations. as a adult, qiao yi works as a television producer and is clearly more confident.

she buys truly awful graphic t-shirts as thank you gifts that one feels obligated to wear. falls for scams easily. will help you fold 1000 paper stars for your boyfriend even if she hates your boyfriend because she’s ride or die like that. look at how cute she is no one is allowed to be mean to someone as cute as this.

yan mo / “frank”

if you liked se hee in because this is my first life, you’re in luck because here is a 10% angrier version. at first, yan mo seems cold, aloof, snobbish, pretentious, arrogant...

okay, but he’s ALSO got a lot of feelings and will help people out. well, at the start of the show, he’ll help two people out. but that expands to like 10. so, progress! in high school, he falls for qiao yi in the typical Cannot Spit It Out fashion, buying her sentimental cans of coke, PUTTING IN ONE EARBUD SO SHE CAN LISTEN TO THE BEATLES WITH HIM, feeling Weird about her tying his tie, and single-handedly ruining a for-profit afterschool tutoring business in about 30 seconds, because they weren’t teaching qiao yi anything, and he knew he could do it better. tbh he completely fucking destroys a lot of things and people in under a minute. #ruthless

he’s very protective of qiao yi and rather than explain it, here is a clip from the special episode where yan mo confronts another student who left a love confession meant for qiao yi in his desk by mistake (subtitles have to be selected under settings, but it’s subbed in english):

youtube

zhao guan chao

zhao qiao yi’s twin brother, who has always placed 2nd in their classes after yan mo. despite his high grades, he comes off as a laidback teen heartthrob and has a reputation for being a flake and a playboy. BUT he’s legit a chill dude and clearly popular for a reason--he gets along with (almost) everyone. he loves his sister and is extremely protective of her, especially since she’s so shy and has low self-esteem for Reasons That Will Be Explained in the Tragic Backstory. he’s such a good brother. the best brother. also looks out for qiao yi’s best friend, wu yi. understands the value of shoes.

hao wu yi

qiao yi’s best friend, and another classmate of The Crew. i say this with so, so much love, but she’s got a lot of chaotic dumbass energy. struggling along the bottom ranks with qiao yi during high school. she has the worst taste in men as a teenager, falling for the guy who literally bullied her in like. ep 2. thankfully she’s got qiao yi and guanchao.

the trio are close, and that doesn’t change as they grow up. wu yi ends up becoming a novelist who writes pop and steamy romance novels and has a significant teenage girl fanbase. it’s amazing.

fei da chuan

my boy. another classmate, he, qiao yi, and wu yi make up the official Dumbass Trio of their high school class and have adorable adventures + solidarity in it. he’s also yan mo’s uncle. somehow. because rich people families are wild. while he’s got a place to live, he more often than not crashes at yan mo’s, who Does Not Like It. but da chuan does not notice or care.

abrasive but 100% sincere about everything and toward everyone. people will think he’s an asshole or a gangster but then he’s secretly feeding abandoned kittens in the corner or something. as an adult, has the best business casual outfits. serves as a big brother figure to a lot of people, but qiao yi in particular. cannot, cannot fucking do math.

SUPPORTING

“alicia” / cheng youmei. an old family friend of yan mo’s who is very posh and rich and dignified. studied abroad with him at cambridge, and is cold toward qiao yi after arriving back in china. cosplays B)

teacher gao. everyone’s high school teacher who later owns a bar that seems to be there only for dispensing advice. seriously. there is no way this bar is economically sound as the only customers you ever see are gao’s students coming in one at a time for Wisdom and you never see them pay for anything. also the bar has no fucking roof and is directly above traintracks. i have hang-ups about this bar

lin shu. yan mo’s mother. very sweet and pretty and a ballernia turned program director. is almost never home but clearly loves her son. du chaun’s sister. somehow.

zhao suyin. qiao yi and guan chao’s mother. one of her kinks is roleplaying condor heroes characters? okay okay okay

tian weimin. qiao yi and guan chao’s stepfather who works as police officer. best dad award. he’s so sweet and corny and peak dad humor. he loves them kids & they love him back

grandpa. yan mo’s dog in high school. a very old basset hound with sad eyes:

dollar or d. i cant tell you anything about him, other than he used to be a stray and yan mo says he’s ugly, which, rude.

DRAWBACKS

plot...hm. there’s SOME plot, but this is about characters + romance + friendship + family. if you’re looking for scheming mothers-in-law or tragic car accidents or secret destinies this isn’t the one for you. similar in vibe to Reply 1988 (they even watch the show in the show :’D / make references to it)

OKAY SO every plot summary i’ve seen says that yan mo is in a relationship with someone else when he gets back to china. no he is not. i say this because it was a huge turn off for me/initially put me off watching the series. he is definitely a one-and-only type. there’s no cheating in this show. lmao, hell, neither of the mains are even interested in anyone else but each other

i liked du chuan and his love interest a lot, but they definitely didn’t get as much screen time as the others

while it’s clear qiao yi + yan mo are the mains, another couple gets a lot of screen time as well. this might be a skip if you don’t like multiple couples/secondary relationships in a show

i surprisingly enjoyed the high school storyline a lot more than the adult one? which is super weird for me, but idk i was sad when it was over because it was so cute.

some...weird technical decisions. every once in a while, the camera will have like a nostalgia filter and then it disappears and then the edges get a bit blurry and idk it feels very film school 101 to show that what’s on screen is a ~memory. the soundtrack/music is sometimes also too loud--to the point where it can drown out the actors (particularly janice wu in the high school arc, since qiao yi is soft-spoken)

REASONS TO WATCH

the lead actors (janice wu + zhang yujian) are legit two of my favorites and they have great/easy chemistry. all the actors are amazing. everyone’s loveable

SIBLING GOALS the zhao twins are amazing and they’re both each other’s biggest fans. gaunchao had some really heartwarming brother moments

i love love lmao. this spoke to a lot of my favorite dynamics: exes reunited/having to work together, childhood sweethearts reuniting as adults, “gangster” and princess, childhood friends turned lovers, bickering couples, cold man who actually has a lot of feelings, lots of people being overprotective, idk. everything was just great. 0 complaints on any of the ships.

i genuinely liked every character other than that one piece of shit poppa zhao. even alicia, who’s put into the stereotypical rich bitch role, was actually really fun and subverted a lot of expectations for this trope

it’s just. real cute y’all. probably my favorite cdrama and definitely in my top 10 (maybe 5?) dramas overall.

FINAL THOUGHTS

i love them ;;

#le coup de foudre #janice wu #zhang yujian #eden zhao #ma li #cdrama #gizka does kdrama #!my post #why yes i am procrastinating please have another in this trying time #this one's my favoriiiiiiiiiiiiiiite

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