See you soon, mates!

When I started writing this message, all I can ever think about is that for the past five years of my stay at my former company, I've had a lot of good and fulfilling moments. So, it somehow saddens me to bid goodbye like this.

I know I've already sent a parting letter to you, my work colleagues, but I realized that I have more to say. So yeah, please bear with me being melodramatic on a freakin' Friday night.

Brian McKnight's 6, 8, 12 asks in its bridge, 'Where is the good in goodbye?' After hearing this line again after a long while, I can't help but just stop, and ponder. What could be the answer that could give comfort both to the one leaving and to the one being left behind? I've mentioned this to some of my closest friends already, but I feel I'm in the break-up phase again. Looking back, I've spent most of my time building, maintaining and developing relationships in the office. I've gained not just workmates, but also friends and family who have been my greatest source of strength during difficult moments. I've become 'workaholic' and felt a sense of pride not just by being able to do my job well, but also by seeing the fruits of my labor through the success of my colleagues, mostly my trainees. With this, I've deliberately stayed in the office for longer hours either before or after my shift. I've come to a point where my happiness was greatly from the people in what I've considered my second home.

I looked forward to the time I'd be able to steal glances or have quick chats with my former trainees in the middle of working or whenever we come across each other. I even found joy during meetings with the Management Team, as we usually joke around on simple things being brought up. I appreciated the engagement activities that One Team (which I've also been a part of) had conducted, from the simple Bingo games, different booths during Valentine's Day, birthday brunches, to Christmas parties and company outings. I yearned to see your faces either with a smile or a frown, which was then followed by me asking you if you're okay, listening to your struggles both work and non-work related, and so much more. If I have to scribble down all the things that brought me happiness during my time with y'all, I might end up documenting everything from the 9th of February 2016.

Anyway, just like any moving on process, I'll cherish the bright moments and learn from the gloomy ones. While there is pain in my heart with the thought of being let go in this pandemic, I still have more reasons to be grateful to the company and of course to the people in it. I am sincerely thankful for the opportunities and the growth I've gained from being a Broadcast Monitor, Team Leader to being the Training Officer.

To my Manager, who has given me countless times to further improve and even learn from my shortcomings, I'm sincerely grateful. Thank you as well for your faith in me up to the very end.

To our supervisors, whom I consider as the pillars of the Content Hub, thank you for always going above and beyond the call of service.

To my colleagues in the Management Team, who made the daily work hustle bearable because of the teamwork we put in, I have nothing but love for all of you.

To the Recruitment Team, who always made sure I'll have trainees weekly or whenever needed, thank you.

To my first batch of trainees, who also became my closest friends, you know how much I treasure our friendship. Thank you for keeping in touch with me even when you got transferred to a different department.

To the friend I gained through our same love for K-pop, I'll definitely miss waiting for you to finish your work and asking you out for some drinks or food. I hope I made your grueling payroll tasks a bit more manageable with the DTR and Team Schedule files I've been sending you.

To my Phase 1 friends, I'm grateful for the moments we shared during our early days as monitors. Even though we haven't had much time together since we all got promoted from being BMs, I am happy that we've had the chance to spend good moments through small talks during breaks at the pantry.

To my trainees-turned-BMs and of course whom I've become friends with, you taught me so much about patience, understanding and being firm and constructive when giving feedback. I have so much love for all of you, regardless of your progress in training or even after you got endorsed. You've never failed to make me feel so much appreciated and loved, from the simple post-it notes at the pantry bulletin board, the Shooting Star nominations, to the catch-ups we always try to have whenever we bump into each other at the office. Thank you so much for everything, my beloved.

To everyone who'll be taking a new path like me, let's cherish all that we've learned into whichever road we'll be treading next. I wish all of us the strength to survive the anxieties and uncertainties. I hope we'll make it through.

To those whom we can't tag along in our new journey, I sincerely hope you'll be able to continue providing a significant service to the company without compromising your own selves too. Prioritize your wellness and take a break if you must.

And so, 'Where's the good in goodbye?'

Let's just say that this is not goodbye, just see you the soonest then.

Writer's note: This is an edited version of my original post in my personal Facebook account dated August 28, 2020.

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