To New Beginnings

So, here we are. Have you noticed how I seem to start almost all my blogs with the exact same four words? Nothing new in this one then.  A few weeks ago I wrote a rather serious blog as opposed to my usual humour. There were no jokes about current affairs and no pictures, bar one. This current edition is also going to be pretty much along those same lines.

Quite a fair bit has happened in the last few weeks since ‘Stay Foolish, Stay Hungry’ Most notably, the man I took that quote from, Steve Jobs, passed away as a result of the pancreatic cancer that has plagued him these past few years. A friend of mine was quite right when he said “Three apples changed the world. The first tempted Eve, the second landed on Newton’s head and the third was the one that Jobs gave the world.”  If there is one icon that will define the early 21^st Century, it’s the bitten into apple on the iconic iPod with its distinct white earphones.

Steve Jobs, Thank you. May you rest in peace!

Moving on now... As I said, a fair bit has happened in the few weeks since the last entry. It’s not an event or occurrence that is significant to the rest of the world, and very few people will even care, but to me personally, it’s a huge change. I have finally left my studies at the University of Greenwich. I am no longer a student at this fine institute and as a result, at the end of this month, I will no longer be a member of the student staff team at the Enquiry Unit. That means no more answering the phones, no more standing at Mary Seacole reception on Avery Hill Open Days telling potential students that the Open Day was last week or has been cancelled on that day (Although I think Jess will be glad of that last one ... I don’t think she has had a complaint about it yet and I don’t plan on getting one on my last Open Day).

I am moving my studies to the University of Portsmouth where I am studying a program more suited to the line of work that I will be doing next year and BSc Multimedia Technology, although it is an interesting subject, it is not one that I have particularly enjoyed and am quite happy to leave. Having said that, if Greenwich University were running the program then I would very much like to have stayed here. I have enjoyed my time at this institute as a student, and also have enjoyed my time in the Enquiry Unit. This is my last blog as a student here. I do plan to keep writing so you can follow my future exploits if you wish, but for now, this is my farewell.

Having said that, I can honestly say that I have learnt that this job is not for me. I definitely cannot stand being in an office for 9-5:30 at a computer answering the phone. I can’t say I will be sad to leave this job. The people here, however, I will be sad to leave behind. I’ve only worked here one day a week for the most part of the year, but since early July I have worked pretty much full time and have gotten to know some pretty decent people. The full time staff here are some of the most pleasant people I have had the pleasure of working with and they will be missed. Some I have spent more time with than others, specifically Uzma, and Laura as they were my Team Leaders for Clearing 2010/2011 and had to put up with my constant moaning and complaining about the most pointless of rubbish. I would like to thank the members of the student team that I have worked with. Too many names to mention, but all of you have left me with some good memories to take away from the Enquiry Unit. Remco’s joking about will be something that I won’t be forgetting any time soon, with him trying to make prank calls during clearing and me and Sonia getting our own back on him later that morning. Winning ‘Theme Your Team’ in 2010 was a pretty good moment. (Although we did have help from a UK Police Force)

Thank You to all those who have been (silently) following my rants every month. I know you people exist, Uzma showed me, there are people viewing this blog all over the world. Even on the Moon. All I ask of you is to officially follow my rants on here or to once in a while post a line or two about who you are, where you’re from and what you like or dislike about what I write.

Lastly I would like to thank our fearless leader, Jess for giving me the opportunity to work in such a great place with some great people. Especially in recent months, she has been very understanding of my situations, what with riots in London and leaving work early so I could go and help my fellow police officers deal with the carnage that ensued, to finding space for me to work the few extra days that I do each week as I won’t be having a job three weeks from now.

I have not always left jobs on the best of terms with managers in the past, but this will be one of those times when I do.

Thanks ... And Goodbye

... For now