Life, Friendship and Hobby

Life

I was deeply disappointed when I received HR's email today, claiming that my sick leave on the previous Monday was taken without prior approval and deducting one day from my annual leave. This was despite the fact that I had informed them I was unwell, with a severe cough, and worked from home that day. I attended all my meetings, actively participated, and even answered questions during the discussions.

HR was fully aware of my condition as she privately messaged me last Thursday asking about my healtIt’s disheartening to see how they’ve treated me since I entered my notice period. It feels like a deliberate effort to push me out sooner than my notice period ends.

Initially, I was upset and angry about the situation. Now that I’ve had time to reflect, I mostly feel sorry for them—the people working for a company that treats employees this way and the executives who devalue their staff. I hope they can sleep well at night, though I believe their lack of empathy will eventually catch up with them.

Money

I’ve realised I have trust issues when it comes to money, partly because I tend to trust people too easily.

Today someone asked for money exchange(ChineseRMB to Pound) with me but didn’t pay the full amount, promising to settle later—which she still hasn’t done.

Another “friend” took over a month to repay a loan and is already asking to borrow more. And asked me today wants to borrow more...

It’s unsettling how borrowers seem to hold more power than lenders. As lenders, we worry about whether they’ll pay back and even feel bad about chasing them for repayment.

My employer has also delayed salary payments multiple times, and each month, as payday approaches, I feel anxious about whether they’ll pay on time or delay again. Even when they’ve delayed salaries in the past, there seem to be no legal consequences. This highlights a broader issue—there’s often no effective policy or law to truly protect people’s money or property.

I recently saw a YouTube video explaining how someone could legally occupy an empty house for years and claim ownership. It’s scary to think about how the world is evolving in ways that seem to protect exploitative behaviors over fairness.

My Podcast

My podcast has been a passion project I’ve taken on alone, and I just uploaded the fourth episode yesterday. Today, I reached 50 followers—a milestone I’m proud of! Despite this, I haven’t been featured by the platform’s official team, even after appealing and explaining how my topics align with their highlighted themes.

I have two more episodes lined up, but I’m already anticipating a challenge next month: finding new guests and fresh topics. I’m considering reorganizing and retargeting my podcast to better align with my audience and platform preferences.

After talking with other podcast hosts, I feel optimistic. The platform I’m using, which caters to a Chinese-speaking audience, seems more inclined to promote local creators rather than overseas IPs. I still need to work on expanding my podcast’s reach by posting on larger platforms and actively promoting it on social media. Hopefully, I can reach a certain audience by the end of this year!