..and the tide turns

So many a times, i have made wrong turns, found myself in situations seemingly hopeless - only to have life bail me out. And it has happened so many times that i have begun to think i can breeze through life. That no matter how many wrong turns i take, i will find a way out, one way or the other. Which is stupid.

You would think anyone with a little common sense would know better than to chuck a job without having another one safely tucked away in the pocket. The big big boss of my previous company even made me an offer to take unpaid leave and go onsite while they tried to find a suitable project for me here - with his personal guarantee that if i found another job in the meantime, i could always leave without any fuss. And yours truly turned down his offer - yes, i am that dumb.

After about two weeks of diligently applying for jobs online - i think i am done with my share of applying for jobs this lifetime - sending out CVs and not getting even a squeak in reply, i gave up. i am that persistent! i stop surfing jobsites, ignored mails from jobsites. Just shut shop and turned to other things more productive like sleeping and watching TV.

Then, out of the blue, while i was bitching with my sister on the phone, my mobile rang. A female voice asked me if i had applied for so and so position in so and so company. "i don't recall--i might have" -- talk about making a good first impression! She asked me if i was interested in coming down to their office for an interview. Since this was the first time anyone was even remotely interested in checking me out, i said yes. The office was in a place i have never heard of - but then i have not heard of 99% of the places here.

Then started the process of trying to find the place and how to reach it. It is almost 2 hrs from where i stay. And since he would not be able to chaperon me, he tried to work out the train and bus route for me. i am geographically handicapped. i cannot tell my right from my left - forget about east and west and other such complicated directions. i think i was more interested in getting to the place safely than the interview. He dictated and i copied down the directions from
google maps - though none of the intructions made sense to me, get off the train, go to the bus station, turn northeast and walk towards this and that. Northeast?? Which direction is that?

On the day of the interview, i woke up with a sinking feeling - knowing i would get lost - and he told me i didn't have to go if i didn't want to. But in life, facing your fears is the only way to get rid of them. So i went. i just didn't care about the interview - only to get there and come back. Somehow, i found the place - it was tucked away in a quiet place with not a soul in sight. Imagine getting lost there. i would not have been happier if i had found the lost city of El Dorado!

The interview- after having being on the other side of the table it was fun to be other side getting grilled rather than grilling! They asked me the questions i have asked those poor souls once upon a time. i was so confident i would not get the job that i treated it like a fun outing. i said some things that made them exchange looks with each other! It was so so fun. i told them that i nag people a lot, that i am stubborn, impatient, politically incorrect and blunt. i just love highlighting my negative points. One of the guys thought maybe i was vocabulary challenged and he suggested that maybe i meant i was persistent, not stubborn. i looked at him and said "no, i am too stubborn to be called persistent"! Don't you just love the way i am so good at self promotion!

They told me the standard " we would be interviewing some more candidates and will let you know after a few days.". And i left confident that i would not be hearing from them again.

So it came as a big surprise when they mailed me that i have been shortlisted and they would have a second interview. There was no way i was going for another round so i did not reply.

And then after a week, the lady called up again and what do you know, they thought i was the best candidate and could i join the next week if possible? What?! Life never ceases to amaze.