pride & prejudice

A mutual friend is in town for the weekend with his family (read: wife & three boisterous kids) & the hubby is planning to invite them over for lunch tomorrow. This entourage will have an appendage of his sis-in-law whom I am not too fond of actually. Don't ask me why, I am prejudiced like that (well actually I have my reasons of which I shall not go into here).

You know how they say that women have their intuition about things like when their significant other is looking to scratch the seven-year-itch or up to no good. Well, I haven't had my spidey sense tingling when it comes to the hubby; but I do have 'sixth sense' when it comes to people. I don't warm up easily to people - it takes me a while to decide if I like you. Yeah, I have been said to be cocky, stuck-up, unapproachable, bitchy, etc... but I guess I would rather have quality friends over quantity any day.

In most cases I have been right about people whom I have little regard for. Like yonks ago when I was working in the HR department in my last employment, the company decided to hire an Assistant IT Manager. So it came down to the final few who were being short-listed for the position. I got one of the assisstants to call the candidates in for an interview with the boss. After her call with one of the candidates (who finally got recruited & we shall call him Poopsie), she was grumbling about how rude he was. Apparently he was insulted that he was being called for interview for the assistant position as our friend mistook the position as a managerial position. Well, was it really our fault that he blurred out on the assistant part??

So he came in for the interview anyways... the minute he walked into the office, I didn't like him (probably the knowledge that he was obnoxious & clueless contributed to my dislike). When the bosses announced that Poopsie would be joining the company soon during one our the department's morning briefs, I made it known that I didn't think hiring him was a good idea. But it seems he apologised for his rudeness & the bosses were very impressed saying "Oh, he's the bigger person for acknowledging & apologizing" (can't blame the bosses really, them being the lesser beings are very impressed with simpletons).

Poopsie comes in, does what others thinks he does best & no, I still didn't like him. But yes, I am the adult here & I tried to have a good working relationship with him and thank heavens they were the limited few. And whaddaya know, down the line a couple of months later, he starts misbehaving & actually made me work - remember it's very important to work smart not hard & always give the impression that you are busy when in fact you are busy doing nothing :-)

Anyways, after extending his probation period one times too many, the bosses thought enough was enough & the instruction from the supreme being was "I don't know how you are gonna do it, but I want him out of this company" (yes people I am giving out HR secrets here!!). My skills of drafting show-cause & warnings letters were put to good use & I was in overdrive churning out all these documents. I tell you, I have never worked so hard in my life....

To cut a long story short, we finally got rid of him (cruel yes?) & I couldn't resist telling the short one (the boss lah) 'I told you so'... and I guess that's when HE developed that sixth sense that he didn't like me as much as he thought he did...