dias

I need to watch RocknRolla again for the 5 time. I love almost all the Guy Ritchie movies. I love the humor, it's so British. Mark Strong plays the coolest underboss ever. Well, he is half Italian, it makes sense. "I was trying to use initiative" "what is this a tennis match Arch" "he never went to school" "you cut them or you pay them but you keep the receipts because this ain't the mafia" Those four lines in the above scene always get me.

A start-up based in London reached out today. They said they offer remote working. I am not leaving the consultancy but it's easy to get tempted when they reach out with good offers. Now, my problem with getting a better job is that it does not solve the problem. Building your own successful start-up only solves it. I am at a stage in my life where I want and need permanent solutions on every level: job, women, location. I can't keep going with short-term fixes to long-term problems. I just can't.

Usually you don't get taxed on your income when it comes to the first 10K as a Greek resident. However, I am still a UK resident meaning this doesn't apply to me and I have to pay 700 euros. Next year it would be 1000 euros. Not only Greece has higher taxes than the UK (big difference believe me), I also have to pay because I am not a Greek resident (I mean from a tax perspective). Tax return -1K. Just great. Everything is going great these days.

A project manager is ignoring my messages these days. He was supposed to give me an update since the client is letting me go. He was supposed to tell me this in the first place, not the client. I get very irritated when people ignore me for no reason. When they want something they are lovely, when they don't they ignore you. He pinged me a week ago that he is searching for another project with the same client, I believe he said it just to say something which was not necessary. This irritates me the most, saying something just to say something. Don't f*cking say it. I am searching for new client anyways but I wanted to get a clear answer from him. Clear answer...Ha...in this world... what am I thinking...

Lol that's the typical a bit above average ***y looking girl that thinks the world owns her. Personally, I don't like that style so I have never approached in my life this type of girls (I get irritated even looking at this gal on the video lol), kudos to the guys who have the guts to feel humiliated. Having said that, this attitude is learned and can be un-learned very fast with something like this

Definitely watching this in the cinema! Brass knuckles are so cool, cooler than guns!

On a different subject, I have deleted the dating apps which is nice as they are distractions and time-wasters but now the dating pool is even smaller. I tried to start a conversation with the gal at the reception at the gym as she glanced a few times, I asked about memberships and the playlists etc, she was polite but that was that. I didn't ask her to get a coffee because I knew the answer. Well, the streets are difficult no doubt. Without dating apps, either you have big groups of friends where everyone is bringing other people and you meet gals this way or then it's the hard way. The only good thing about the hard way is that you go talk to the ones you like but otherwise it's a mountain to climb. It's exactly like trying to find a very good job without knowing anyone. Since I have been doing it years now and I know the process well, it's very difficult. Even with experience I send thousands of CVs and have double digit number of interviews before I land a job. And it was only two times in my life I got the job I wanted. Not easy at all. Of course some people naturally have it easier. They don't need to approach 100 girls to get one positive answer and they don't have to apply to 100 jobs to get one. We all know life is unfair and we would like to be like them but doesn't happen for everyone. I remember when I was promoting my mobile app in Liverpool years ago. I remember I sent thousands of marking campaigns to stores and business angels and nothing. So I had to do it the old school way. Designed and printed flyers, prepared sales-pitches (that didn't really work lol) and visited all the retail stores/restaurants/pubs in Liverpool. That was so old school. I remember the reactions of people, some didn't care even to listen to me, some closed the door in my face, some listened but where not interested, some listened and they told me to come again another time, some threw my flyers to the bin in front of me (that hurt because I designed and paid for the flyers myself), some already had a similar app, some "mocked" me etc. I counted the number of stores I visited to see when someone would say yes. It took about 80 stores. Eventually, 3 popular restaurants and 3 pubs singed in the app (which was free anyway). Then covid hit and everything shut down. But I remember the feeling of getting rejected so many times and so rudely, it's not nice at all. People say that you shouldn't get influenced by that. Yeah, right, in a parallel universe maybe. Constant rejection is going to affect you (at least most people), it makes you question your self-worth. Yes, you should continue doing it until you get a positive answer but it's way easier said than done. Of course, when I got my first client, my adrenaline level skyrocketed. Certainly one of the key moments of my life. I don't think I have ever been more excited than that day. Now, aside from Covid there was no actual business plan behind so it wouldn't work anyway but achieving only 0.5% of what could be a life-long journey was no small feat. Certainly my proudest moment in life. Wow, I digressed with the Liverpool memories. Anyway, approaching women the old school way is equally hard at least for me. You get the same reactions and although I know the game and it does not affect me that much, it is still not easy to beat the numbers game and it's not enjoyable getting rejected. There is no other way for me since I don't have groups of friends. I am really paying the price of being a loner. In the next life I wish I would be a peoples person.

Maybe it's good they booted me now because I don't like the new team/project anyways. I don't learn anything new, the tasks are boring and I don't mix well with the people. There are not *ssholes or anything, we just have different communication styles and completely different way of working so they end up irritating me (probably I irritate them too). Two weeks left and I have to start applying for new projects. There is always pressure to find another client as soon as possible because if you sit without a project for long eventually they will boot you from the consultancy. Wouldn't be nice making a proper salary from the Youtube channel or having my own consultancy so I wouldn't care? Ah, that would be awesome. Giving them a nice middle finger! Now I have to care despite the fact I am not in the mood of going through stupid interviews again, re-iterating the same b*ll*** and taking stupid coding tests.

You exceeded our expectations that's why we put you below expectations. Hahaha Hahahahaha

I think I would feel stressed. I don't. And I don't understand why. I am scratching my head. Just dropping the worries as I am getting older? Dunno. Let's see what the future brings.

Very interesting day today, I had a new experience. The head of the department from the client's side scheduled an impromptu (for me) call. I thought she wanted to get feedback about the project. She started with "unfortunately I have some bad news"! ok I thought here we go! The client is running out of budget so someone had to be booted lol Now this is the nature of the business since I am working at a consultancy so it was not something I didn't expect but I didn't expect it now. Last week the project manager from our side told me everything is going great etc etc. Strangely I found it a bit comical, just calling you out of the blue and telling you ok you were good bye bye now. Like in the movies lol. I didn't like the project so I took it pretty well to be honest, however, I was planning to have a pleasant summer and then search for another client. This turned my plans for the summer upside down. I need to update my CV again, prepare for interviews, revise code etc etc which is a pain in the rear and I wasn't in the mood to do that now. We have the performance in July in the dance school and I wanted to focus there more but hey sh*t happen and work is the more important.

Well, we all look. It really depends on how he did it and for how long. Was it like the popular meme? Was it a couple of seconds where he turned his head? Furtive glance is ok, a second or two, it's instinctive really (how do you think car accidents happen?), it does not mean anything. If he was like the guy in the pic and yes that's disrespectful. Everyone has different boundaries, it's up to you.

Send some here, I would gladly take it 🙂

I was discussing an interesting topic with a childhood friend of mine (the only real friend I have) the other day. He studied Physical Therapy and did a master's degree in the UK for kids with disabilities as he didn't want to become a personal trainer. He didn't actually work on his field whilst in the UK, he worked in retail. When he came back to Greece he tried to work on his field and he did for a while but he didn't like job and the money was sh*t. He was unemployed for quite a bit until there was no other solution than to find a job. He got a job in a warehouse, he got promoted to assistant store manager recently but obviously the money is still not enough. He is pretty good in a structured environment which wasn't the same with the field he studied since you need to be a self-starter and chase it alone if you want to make something out of it. Anyway, he thinks it was very bad that his parents raised him to do whatever he likes. He said his father should have told him what to study that is actually something practical and that allows you to have a decent income. The reality is, doing "what you like" is 95%+ not practical. Yes there is a small percentage of people who can pursue what they like and make money (we are talking about a normal salary not 6 figures+). Most of the people from my high school work in retail or something similar. Many of those studied at good universities but never pursued what they studied. The only person relatively successful from our class was a guy who his mother "beat him up" to study hard to become a doctor. Eventually he became a doctor (like he had an option lol). I see young guys and gals about 20-23 in the dance school and they don't want to pursue what they studied. They want to figure out what they like first. Sometimes I chuckle nowadays. As a person who would have preferred not to study at the university as it wasn't for me and would have liked to do something on my own, I can see both sides. I tried to do my own thing with side hustles and so far nothing. With the exception of my Youtube channel everything else didn't work. I have also changed 7 companies and I have been in the workforce 8 years until I found something I liked and also deserved given my qualifications. Still, I don't do what I like. It's very difficult to do something you like and make a living if this something is not one of the most foolproof choices. Even as an engineer it took me many years to earn a good salary. Imagine something else. Thing is, unless someone shows you the way and you have to figure it out alone, it's extremely difficult. 99% of the cases this someone is your parents. Now the problem is, your parents know only up to the level they have reached themselves. My father is an engineer, my mother was an officer in the Navy so they pushed me each to his/her domain. It was either engineer or the Navy for me and my brother. It was not that we couldn't pick something else but what the heck do you know at 16-17 when you were raised in a protected environment. You know less than nothing. What decisions can you make when you know less than nothing? Every decision would be like spinning the roulette wheel. At 32 I can say I have figured it out to a good extend (this process would never stop obviously) but I have tried and experienced so many different things which came with a price. It's true, it's about working smart not hard. Working smart includes so many intangible skills which is no small feat to reach that level to begin with. My father instilled in me the typical "if you work hard you will get ahead in life". I mean, now, I think if someone says something like this either he wants you to suffer for no reason or he is plain stupid. Sometimes I want to go to the local school, barge in the classroom and tell the kids to never listen to their teachers or parents because they know sh*t most of them. Back to my friend, he was raised to do whatever he likes, it didn't go very well. I was raised with a father who wanted me to become an engineer and work in the corporate world which I hate, it didn't go that well either. Apparently, it also depends on the personalities, I might have done better with his parents and he might have done better with my parents. Hmm, I guess people are never happy either way lol

Well, if you can have 12 relationships a year maybe it's not that bad! Happy life!