NORMAL LIFE: Dr Jeckyl & Mrs Hyde

Remember the moral, treat others as you would like to be treated? Well, isn't it hard when the person you sit next to everyday barely says a word to you? It's now four days since my miserable-as-hell colleague returned from her summer holiday and she hasn't even said hello, although she has spoken to everyone else. While the others in my team have been courteous to welcome me to the company, she's just made it so clear that she doesn't want me here!

Or so I thought. You see, this woman in her early 30s is a complex case. When I was in Chicago recently, I confided in a colleague who told me that, before I started, she was the one who was ignored by the miserable so-and-so. And there was also someone else before her. So, my colleague clearly has an issue with new people. During the same visit, however, I learned from another colleague that I was actually the miserable one's first choice out of all the candidates interviewed.

Does she now regret the decision, I wonder? While she seems totally oblivious to the fact that I exist, every time our American boss comes to visit, she's the first to offer help and assistance. God, hypocrisy is one thing I cannot stand. Nobody likes an arse-licker, do they? The thing is, I feel sorry for the girl because, when my boss recently promoted me, she told me that she'd heard about the girl's behaviour and asked if it was affecting my work. Of course, her ignorance wasn't affecting my work (I've handled worse before, believe me!), but clearly the girl is being 'watched', something I certainly don't envy.

There's so many problems in the world that sometimes I wonder why can't people just get on? If anything, I've certainly met a real life Dr Jeckyl /Mrs Hyde!