Pre-Assesment and Worst Case Scenario

As some of you may be aware, my company may be sold in the next few months. There is still a possibility that it will not be. Either way, my boss is prepared to take his next course of action.

As for me, the next hurdle is the Assesment. The company who will perform the assesment has scheduled a three hour meeting with me tomorrow. On Sunday night, I completed a pre-assesment test online.

I just want this over with.

When I wrote this post some time ago, an Unknown Reader posted the following comment:

"When I'm making a major decision or facing a big change I do what a counselor taught me 20 yrs ago: think carefully and write down The Worst Case Senario/s from this impending change. Write as many 'cases' as you'd like (perhaps you do not get this job offer and/or you are unemployed for a few months and/or you never work again), dig deep into your fears but also be realistic. For each case you then write up what might happen and how you may deal with it. Once you have a plan for your fears you'll feel more in control"

Thanking my Unknown commenter, I have decided to write down the worst case scenario:

Job Loss / No other possibility for a new job by January 2018:

I have adjusted my budget and cash flow Excel Sheet in line with this scenario and happily saw that, even if this happens, I will still be able to stay afloat unless this does not couple with a major health disaster. I have enough passive income to cover my expenses every month.

I cannot imagine taking long and expensive vacations or going abroad but I can have a fairly comfortable life with a small nest egg.

If I move to Ankara and rent out my primary residence, I can even save some money and have some more wiggle room in my budget.

I can also go back to consulting for earning some money to cover the costs of some vacations and needs around the home.

So, there is really nothing to worry about. 

Guess who is Santa's wife? Well, you could never guess...

As a family we made a decision that we no longer want to give gifts for special occassions since, it is such a hassle and everybody has everything that they want so, gifts are totally unnecessary. I do not agree with this but I went with the majority's vote. I like receiving and giving gifts.

So, last year I decided that I wanted to buy gifts for the children of our security guards, gardener, secretary and our office boy for the New Year.

We are not Christian so, we do not celebrate Christmas but somehow Santa or rather "Noel Baba" (Father Noel) in our case brings gifts to the children for the New Year on 31st of January. Many people reject and frown upon this idea and do not even celebrate the New Year thinking that it is a Christian thing but I disagree. Besides, I love Christmas and all the festivities.

We even decorate a tree at our office.

Anyway, I bought gifts for all the children during my lunch break and coming back to the office put the gift for the 4 year old son of our secretary under the tree him without seeing it. He was at the office that day because the nanny was sick.

I then pretended that I was talking to Noel Baba on the phone and asked his mother if there was a little boy named let's say Jim around here and when she confirmed that it was her son, I said: Yes Noel Baba, he is here at the office right now. A gift for him under the tree? Yes, yes sure, I will tell him. Thank You! Bye!"

I told the little guy that Noel Baba left a gift for him under our office tree. Since he has a 9 year old brother, he was not very sure if there actually was a Noel Baba. I pulled up a picture of an American friend of mine posted on Facebook. He had dressed as Santa one year for a charity organization. I told him, Noel baba was my special friend. Well, I am serious, I am his mother's boss so, I must be telling the truth right? He totally bought it! :)

Our secretary told me today that he was talking to his cousin over the weekend about Noel Baba and the little girl her age was completely rejecting the idea that there was such a person. Our secretary heard her son saying to his cousin: "No! You are so wrong. There is Aunt T'Pol at my mother's work and she is Noel Baba's wife. She showed me his picture!"

He got his facts a bit jumbled but I got such a kick out of the story that I am still smiling as I type this.

Random Stuff

Last week I decided to straighten out the studio apartment.

I cleared out all the drawers, the closet and looked at the clothing items, folded them, re-arranged spaces, gathered stuff that I will not be using over the winter to take home, vacuumed the place and by the time I was done, I was very exhausted. How much work could that be? Lol!

I finally put together all of the exercise items. This is important because, I like to wash them after one single wear and when I do not know where the next sweat pants are, I tend to wash small loads. That is a waste of energy, water and detergent.

As I started, I was thinking may be I needed some more storage space but, I realized that it was not a real need. I use the place only during the week and I have plenty clothing items to shuffle. If I get bored, I can always take some home and bring others.

There is one drawer left to clean up. I will be taking some books home. I also need to arrange the shoes. I do not need a whole lot of shoes anyway.

The weekend was over very quickly because, I went to the funeral on Saturday and hung around with the family and with my colleagues after the funeral. Due to teh distances, that took all my day.

Before going home, I was able to purchase various school supplies to donate to a school in need.

I need to pack them at work and ship them. Money well spent.

On Sunday, the cleaning lady came and I made sure, my bedroom was cleaned throughly of dust. I had a good night's sleep yesterday night.

My closet at my primary home is in desperate need of re-organization and my be this coming weekend, I will feel like doing it.

Loss of a Colleague

About two months ago, our Senior Account Manager had a heart attack. He was at his summer place and was rushed to the hospital. He stayed at that hospital for a while but they have also found out that he had a stroke too. So, he has been air lifted to a very prominent hsopital in Istanbul and put in the care of a very good ICU doctor.

He had shown some stabilization and had been transferred from the ICU to a regular hospital room. However, lately he started to show signs of heart failure and this morning hours after being re-transferred to the ICU, he passed.

We knew that he would not recover deep down but we kept hoping. He has a 15 year old daughter. So sad.

This has been a very difficult day. The funeral is tomorrow.

Gold in this part of the World

I have written about keeping gold coins for unexpected bad situations where money may lose it's value significantly or when you cannot access your funds like it happened in Greece few years ago.

I like to keep a very small percentage of my portfolio in gold just in case.

It is also customary to gift newly weds and new babies gold coins.

I prefer to buy cold coins or bars. There are bars as small as 1 gr. Here is what they look like.

I like to buy the three kinds at the top row on the right. The ones on the left are too big. The second row is a bit lighter than the ones at the top row and those are mostly used for gifting purposes. I do not buy any of the third row. Bars are good too.

In rural areas women prefer to buy 22 ca. gold bracelets with minimal workmanship. They dress modestly and they can actually hide the bracelets in their sleeves thinking that it is a good way of safekeeping. Not! Some like to show their bracelets of during weddings, get togethers and other family occassions. They look like these and those:

The heart of gold is the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul and here is a typical jewelry shop window:

Here is a picture of the gifts of a bride from a very rural, very rich wedding. This is very rare obviously. Besides, I would not wear most of that stuff if I had been gifted them. Too rural for my taste. 

Hope you enjoyed this shiny post :)

End of year savings goals...

I had mentioned that the savings goals I had set at the beginning of the year will not happen. I am going to be off by 2-3%.

I have looked at my cash outflow and realized that the fluctuation is due to two things:

1. I did not anticipate that I would need work clothes due to the fluctuation in my weight.
2. The USD exchange rate fluctuation.

I will be better prepared for the wardrobe items this year. However, the exchange rate is out of my control. Lol! Too bad:)

Here is a tally of the USD/TL parity at the end of every month this year.

31/1/17	28/2/17	31/3/17	30/4/17	31/5/17	28/6/17	31/7/17	31/8/17	30/9/17
3.7875	3.6978	3.6362	3.5504	3.5312	3.5211	3.5226	3.4410	3.5521

As you can see the difference between the beginning of the year and the end of third quarter is about 6.6%. So, it is difficult to estimate this correctly in Turkish Liras.

This year I am going to separate my TL goals from USD goals. 

My savings are in TL, USD and in Gold. You may ask why Gold? Well, this part of the world is not all that peaceful. God forbid, if s..t hits the fan, one may have difficulty in accessing her/his funds. Gold coins are always worth money. So, I like to keep a healthy number of small coins. As a matter of fact, I shall be purchasing some more when I get paid next month. (We get paid monthly). 

I shall be setting next year's goals in December.

Spoke to the Coach

Yesterday I had dinner with my friend who is a coach and told him about the assessment and about my Technical Team Manager.

He gave me many clues and when I asked him, if he would have lunch with my Technical Team Manager to give him those clues in person, he happily agreed. I am blessed with such wonderful friends. His wife and I used to be co-workers and then I got to know him and we have been good friends ever since.

Meanwhile, I have two books that talk about Change Management which I would like to go back and refresh my memory.

Some interesting times ahead of us!

The Meeting

The Meeting went well. He told me a little about the assesment but, he said that I am a critical asset at least five times. He also signaled that the result of the assesment is not all that important.

It looks like they need me and I am happy to stay unless the new CEO is a total jerk lol!

He also told me that my Technical Team Manager will also be assessed. Now that worries me. He is an incredible smart guy, self-motivated, devoted to his job. However as I have been informed, this particular assessor is a bit aggresive and very direct. My guy operates on a somewhat short fuse. I do not want him to flunk this.

I have a friend who is a coach and I am going to visit him tonight to seek his help and pick his brains. May be if he has time, he can sit down with my Technical Team Manager and give him some clues as to have to handle the assesment.

I feel like I am responsible for all of the current staff and that it is my duty to keep them well informed, motivated and also to keep them from being mistreated in terms of salaries and benefits in the new organization. Since this is a major change, the current staff needs to be encouraged and motivated to embrace this change and turn it into something that benefits them. They are good people.

What a challenge this is gonna be! Unless the new CEO is a total jerk (I am a bit old school and have a problem with big egos. I like to be respectfully treated).

Walking!

Whenever I walked, I had some back pain which would keep me from walking in the past. Then I went to a doctor to see if I had some real issues. She is an old friend of mine and she told me, my back was not worse than hers. She told me my real problem was a muscle spasm and gave me a shot and I felt 100% better.

Then I really did not walk much because it was so hot, because I felt so tired, because I did not feel like walking, you know all sorts of excuses... I also had convinced myself that I were unable to walk due to my weight.

When I went on vacation I had to walk enormous distances. On the day we went to see the Freedom tower, we walked more than 15,000 steps! In some other days, I walked more than 12,000. So, obviously I was able to walk! What a revelation!

As soon as I came back from vacation and settled down, I decided to start eating healthy and exercise.

Within 6 weeks, I lost 4.3 kg, 9.47 pounds. Some of that might have been water weight but still, even if half of it is real loss, I am content. I have been eating very healthy food and have been almost consistently walking. Some days, it is hard. Yesterday, my back acted up again and I am sitting here writing all this with a patch on my back. Today, I will only use dumbbells to work my arms.

I am using a MiFit Band II and it's app along with a couple of other apps on my phone to track my progress. Believe me, this was such an eye opener. I have discovered that, I was not literally walking even 1,000 steps some days. OMG! Such a couch potato!

I am now taking a short walk at noon right before lunch. About, 2,000-2,500 steps. After work, every other day, I go for a walk for at least an hour. Some days I walk faster, some days I walk slower but the point is I do walk! 

I have the muscle spasm back again but I know how to fight it off. I will apply Tiger Balm or Ben-Gay or something similar before I go out. 

I am terrible during the weekends so, now that is my new thing to work on. I should be more active during the weekends.

I made a promise to myself: I will spend at least an hour each day exposing myself to the elements. Snow, rain or shine, I will spend time outdoors. Working on it.

I have also found out something about myself: I must make something a bit of an obsession so that I can make it a healthy habit. For instance, I had been obsessed about my finances, financial independence and all that. I control my accounts, payments on a regular basis. I have charts to see my progress and to analyze if ı am doing the right things. My financial situation is at a good place now. If I had not been so diligent about that, I do not think, I would have saved as much as I did.

So, tracking progress, checking the count of my steps, my pulse and becoming a bit obsessed about these will help me in the long run and assure my success. Obsession is a negative word but there is a healthy dose of that. 

What do you think?

An assesment? Nervously waiting...

The head of the project team from the investment company who is buying our company wanted to have a coffee meeting with me on Friday this coming week. I agreed and we shall be meeting.

He sent a message to my boss saying that he fixed a meeting with me and wants to discuss the process, the new organization chart and that they regard me as a critical asset and that there will be an assessment within this month. He is meeting me to tell me about this and support me. Now I am thinking what assessment? Do we just go through my CV? Do they administer personality tests? What do you think?

I just want these things over with.

I have been very happy in this job. I just wish things had stayed the same for another two years. It is not happening. So now what?

People generally have issues with big changes. Up until now, I have always considered myself as a more adaptive person to change than many others. But may be I am not? Why am I worried?

I can certainly walk away from my job come January and be still OK financially. However, I would like to be at a much better spot than simply be OK. Another two years will make a tremendous difference and I want that. Otherwise, I will most probably go back to consulting for may be at least five more years, if I can.

Here is what I want: I want to keep my current job for another two years and then slow down, taking only some select consulting jobs or not working at all.

I am wondering what is going to happen?  I am so nervous! I do not want to discuss these with anyone around me so, this blog is the only outlet that I have. When people ask me about what will happen to me I just shrug it off and say that I am not expecting much change. Playing cool. I am far from cool.

I just want these things over with!

How do you define a "NEED"?

I caught myself searching for a small Microwave Oven the other day. I thought I needed one. I quickly gave myself a shake and asked "In all of 50 years, you did not need one, use one; how come it is a need now?"

My logical self stepped in and took control and I gave up the search. I truly do not need a microwave. I heat my lunch at work and for dinners, I have been using the stove forever. I have small pots and pans that I use to heat up food.

The money I would have spent on a microwave is now working hard for me in my savings account. All is good!

Sometimes people say they need a new pair of shoes when they already have 20 pairs, they need a new TV set for a spare room, they need this or that which really are not needs.

If I said I needed a new pair of pants, that would not be true. I probably own less than most women but still, that would be a want.

All I need nowadays is groceries just for the weekend because, I have started getting the calorie controlled packages during the week again. I also started a new walking routine.

When I was in the US, for a couple of days I thought I NEEDED a Fitbit Charge 2. I have a much cheaper device which is working just fine and which actually does not require to be charged as frequently as a Fitbit. Thankfully, I came to my senses before I made that purchase.

I must constantly remind myself that I do not need a single item of clothing or shoes for the winter. I do not need gadgets or a new cell phone. I actually need a big "purge".

I only need a couple of mats for the entrance of my home and my kitchen at my primary residence but even those are not urgent needs. Also, I need a couple of "good"pillows.

I MUST not spend my money in an unwise manner. I should save as much as possible till the end of the year when the company is going to change hands. It is not 100% yet, but the likelihood of that happening is pretty high.

Photos of Part 3

Magnolia Plantation

Magnolia Plantation PettingZoo

Swamp! There are alligators too!

Old Slave Quarters

An old tree

Typical Charleston Home

Charleston, SC

Charleston, SC

Vacation Part 3- Charleston, SC Unexpected Loooong Drive

My friend living in NY dropped me off at the airport for my flight to Charleston, SC. The friends I were going to visit used to live in Danbury, CT but after retirement they moved South for tax and climate purposes.

I went to the gate and started to wait for my flight. I couldn't help but notice that the aircraft was a small one, kind of like a bus. Well, I do not like those. As I was sitting there, they postponed the flight to three hours later. So, I walked up to the gentleman at the counter to ask why, because the aircraft was at the gate already. He told me it was due to a mechanical failure. Uh!Oh! I became quiet nervous and decided that I would not fly. I immediately cancelled my flight and got reimbursed for it. Apparently Delta is very gentle about nervous fliers.

I rented a car at JFK to drop off at Charleston International Aİrport the next day and headed South. I left the airport at 2:15 p.m.

Meanwhile my friends in SC were nervous wrecks because, it is a 14-15 hour drive. I assured them that I would definitely check-in to a hotel at night and rest.

I drove until 11:00 p.m. with 2-3 short stops and checked in to a hotel north of North Carolina. Next morning I woke up at 6:00 a.m., had a shower and a good breakfast at the hotel. I was at the Charleston Airport by 1:00 p.m.

I actually like to drive in the US so, next time, I will definitely do this with better planning so that I will not feel rushed.

My friends and I had a very nice time in SC. We visited the Magnolia Plantation and Charleston. Most of the time we just sat and chatted because it had been two years since we had seen each other and although we keep in touch via whatsapp, face-to-face time is important.

Photos will follow in the next post!