Pettiness level: 100

Here's a short story of how I can be really petty, but I kind of think it's justified. This involves a few colleagues and friends, so I'll indicate them by ABCs.

So... my colleague A, her Mom passed away a couple days ago. So the office has decided to come together and send her sympathy wreaths, or what we just call flower baskets. A few colleagues can't do it because it's their birthday month (some complicated Chinese custom that if you have a "Happy Occassion" you shan't take part in "Sad Occassions", and vice versa). But, one of them is the admin manager of the office (I use the term "admin manager" very very loosely) and she (I'll call her colleague B) volunteered to assist all the Bosses on the floor to arrange. She has conveniently forgotten about my Boss, which is fine. I wouldn't want her to touch anything of my Boss' things.

So with half of the office "small fry" (admins and assistants) out of service, that left me with colleague C to pool together for the "small fry basket" as I call it LOL. B was arranging for everyone. Then I informed my friend-colleague, let's call her colleague D, and she said she wanted to pitch in.

So as B had "arranged" that the small fry basket is worth $800, it meant C and I would each pitch in $400. On that note, I told B to please arrange one more person, D, to be on our basket. We don't mind if it is $1,200, so each of the 3 of us would pitch in $400.

B said no, it can't be done, because the Group Basket of A's Boss with A's team was $1,200. We can't give a more expensive basket than A's Boss.

So I suggested, in that case please make our basket $900 so that it's more easily divisible between 3 persons. B insists that no. It's $800, and we can do whatever we want to do. WTF.

Then there was some slight panic of not having the obituary so we don't have the funeral details to inform the florist about. I then remembered that A'sDad had just passed away this March (or maybe it was May, I don't recall exactly), and we had made such a group order as well. So I referred to some past photos, and voila, I found my records, found her Mom's name, and... back then, there was no "boss group" order. B had arranged for each boss to individually have a $2,000 basket, and at that time, I made the same $2,000 basket for my boss.

Well. Far be it for me to not refer to past records. So since my Boss gave a $2,000 basket last time, he would give a $2,000 basket this time. It being more expensive than A's Boss' team's $1,200.

If B had willingly made our small fry basket $1,200 or even just $900 like I requested, I wouldn't be so petty. I would have made a $1,000 basket for my Boss. *sniff* If she goes on any snit, I'd just say "It was $2,000 when it was her Dad, so I made the same $2,000 for her Mom."

Heck, when they were all panicking about the obituary, what they really wanted was just her Mom's name. Which if they thought about it and searched a bit, they would have found their own records. And then they would have seen they arranged all Bosses $2,000.

Petulantly petty. That's me!

Smugness level 1000

So…. Following my last post of being petty, I’m also feeling pretty smug.

There hast no fury like that of a scorned woman LOL.

I’ve once detailed the story of how I flunked my MBA program. It was more I made a choice not to pursue it due to lots of BS.

Today I have my last laugh. Finally!

So some guy contacted me via my most hated subordinate, to invite my boss to be part of a judging panel for an event, but I was thinking, it’s good for my Boss’ exposure, so I accepted the referral and asked my Boss. He was interested in the whole thing too, so we said yes.

Then, I receive an email from this one person that I never wanted to deal with ever again, it was someone from that MBA school. He was the new rector when my situation went to hell back then. He also did not help with my situation. In fact, he made it worse by contacting me via Facebook (how more unprofessional can you be?) trying to coax me back to get back into the program, because they needed to up the successful graduation rate.

Meh. What a small world, I thought. But work is work, I have to put away my shame and embarrassment, and more important, my annoyance aside.

Fast forward a month, and it was obvious my Boss wouldn’t make it in time back into town, I replied them saying as much. It’s like they never received my missive, and they come back to me asking if my Boss confirms. So I reply again and say yes but he’s out town. The first coordinator had mentioned they will make an online stream option, so I ask if they will do it.

They say yes, so I wait. Event is then postponed a week. But no changes on their website. Then finally, I receive the official invitation…. 4 days before the event.

I’m quick to reply that… there’s no web streaming instructions, and since it’s a judging panel, what’s the rundown, abstracts of all the contestants, scorecard samples, scoring objectives, and the like.

Ex-rector replies they will send everything before Friday.

It’s now Friday 20:40, work day over, event is tomorrow at 9am, and still nothing. Absolutely nothing. I called the contact number they provided for 3 days, but no one ever answered. I sent an email this morning to remind them, and just before I closed for the day and weekend (Monday and Tuesday off!), I shot them another email, very diplomatic, politically neutral, polite, but basically dissing them that they are the ones who failed.

“I have yet to receive the briefing pack, and without the web streaming details at this time of the day, I’m afraid if [my Boss] encounters any technical issue tomorrow there is no on-site IT technician on [my Boss]’s side to provide assistance.”

It’s basically the same thing that led to my deciding to not pursue my MBA. This time though, I “attacked” them.

Ah. I feel smug.

Mini-not-quite-revenge is sweet.