It’s been a long hiatus, about 12 years since I last updated this site (2004)…I’ll try to be a bit more regular from now on 😉
When I started this site I was working in the City of London alongside some excellent people in technology for a Japanese banking entity. I no longer know what it’s called but I don’t think it matters anymore, it was investment banking from 2000 to 2004. A strange time for many…
Working in the finance sector was all in all, an awful experience for me. The few good people I did meet and became friends with all had to cope with overt racism, sexism and homophobia whilst working to pay the mortgage, the stress was immense. As techies in a bank I felt as if you were pretty much the lowest of the low…cameras point at you every second of the day, at your desk, walking to the toilet, everywhere…People shouted at you when you were trying to make them understand simple technological concepts because they felt insecure and it was a very alpha male environment.
There was a manager there who’s sole purpose seemed to be to add stress to your day. He would pace the open plan office walking behind people’s chairs, perpetually, eyes swiveling to either side.
If you weren’t constantly and furiously typing he would lean over your shoulder and say “Not enough work for you today?” He never smiled when he said this.
They let you know in no uncertain terms that everyone was expendable.
I really enjoyed socialising in bars at that time, so coped with the stress by going out every night till the wee hours, like many others. I kept a spare set of clothes in my desk drawer!
After one particularly long night which, as I remember involved Chinese Karaoke, I rushed to work after putting my contact lenses in but I didn’t realise I hadn’t taken the previous ones out. Imagine those googly eyes on furry pencil cases in school…
Luckily, the etiquette in Japanese banks means that during meetings making eye contact is forbidden. You can spend hours never knowing who is actually talking to who if even when you’re not hungover.
I fell asleep in that meeting and no one noticed 🙂 I left not long after that…
Anyways, that was then and a lot has happened since…hope you enjoy the journey as I add more ramblings.
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