Arrggghhh!!! : The Sequel ...

Don't you just hate it when people you know can be so unscrupulous and twist and turn your words to try and get you in trouble? Well, I do and I would absolutely hate that person from that day forth.

I've just had my first scandal befall me at work. No, and it's not that kind of scandal mind you. I've worked in this new office, well I can't really say new since I've been here for close to four months now. And so far, I've enjoyed working here though there has been its ups and downs work wise but on the whole, it's been an okay four months.

Now, there is this guy, a friend of my boss who uses the office for his own needs. He makes the place like his own, uses the fax machines, the phones and equipment here. I have no issues with that. That's between my boss and him. In fact I know the guy from way back too. He happened to be one of the first suppliers I knew when I first started work in the advertising industry. I didn't like him too well back then and I don't like him too well now either.

Even my boss complains to me sometimes that he takes advantage of the friendship by making the place his own without paying a single cent for anything. I was brutally honest and told my boss to tell him off. But my boss being the kind of aloof and friendly person that he is just said never mind. So I left it at that.

Now, a couple of days ago, this fellow comes up to me quietly when my boss in not in and asks me if I was willing to do some freelance POS (point of sale) artwork for him. Though I work in client service, I started out in this industry as a desktop graphic artist eons ago and this guy knows I can still do creative work. He asks me if I was willing to do freelance for him. And then he said something that shocked me. He told me not to tell my boss I was doing work for him!

I was appalled by this. I've done freelance work numerous times before but nothing in conflict with my place of work. I have this rule that I strictly adhere too. NEVER bite the hand that feeds you and that means don't do anything against the policies of the place you work. And I told him I was uncomfortable with that idea and why not just ask us (the company) to do it for him. I'm sure my boss would have not charged him too much.

He kept on insisting that I do the work for him. He said he's even willing to pay me as high as RM40 for a bunting design. Good grief mister, on average I charge between RM500-RM2,500 for a creative concept and you want to pay me RM40? And then have the cheek to ask me not to tell my boss even! So, I told him no, I don't have the time and it's not my policy to do work against my company. I thought it would end at that and the moment my boss came in I related the incident to him. He laughed and said,

'Nick, that fellow is like that with everyone. He thinks I doesn't know that he tries asking the designers here to do work for him behind my back. It's a good thing you said no cos he won't pay. That's why I don't even do work for him.'

Ok, that explains him approaching me on the sly. Like I said, I thought it would end at that. But the guy keeps on calling and messaging me to do his bunting. I ignored him and again told my boss who lost his normal cool and messaged him back asking him to stop harassing me. And you know what his reply was? I was flabbergasted! He messaged back saying that I'm a lazy bum who didn't want to do his work even though I agreed to do it freelance and that I was the one who told him not to tell my boss I was doing work for him!

My boss called me and was laughing away on the phone when he relayed the reply to me. I wasn't amused though. I was pissed at the way he changed his story and twisted his words to make me sound like a crook when he is the real crook here. Good thing I told my boss about it immediately that day otherwise it would have been my word against his. But I was still fuming all the same.

How can anyone be so darn crooked? Just because I don't want to do a bloody freelance job for you, which in the first place is against my principles, and when you get questioned for it, you turn around and try to make me the bad guy here. Geez, how do you sleep at nights? Oh, wait a minutes, morons like these have no conscience! My boss told me to just forget about it and ignore him but I've half a mind to wallop the bum from here to kingdom come! I haven't seen him around the office today and I'm seriously waiting for him to turn up cos he's going to get the eye from me like I've never given the eye to anyone before.

And just in case you do happen to stumble over this blog I'd like to let you know that as evil as I may be, I do have scruples and don't try to cheat my friends, even though he's my boss. And secondly, I do have standards when it comes to designing something. A mere 40 bucks is just not going to cut it my friend. At least offer me more la ... hahaha ...
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