I found a job!!!!

Voila...In case any of you are wondering what happened to me for the past few months..I have good news to announce.. I found a job!!!....I am grateful that I managed to find a job in this poor economic situation.. I count myself lucky. I just hope the economy will get better and the job situation will improve for the jobless people out there.

This particular episode has taught me a valuable experience. I will never depend on one source of income again....I read an article in the newspaper a few days ago and I came across this quote by "do not wait till you are thirsty before you dig a well". I fully agree with that statement.

Having said that, I will put into action what I said earlier...I will be on the active lookout for other income stream. Will update you people if I find one. In the meantime, if you have any good ideas, you can email me.. : )

Btw, the stock market is getting volatile these few days....after going up for the past few weeks, it is starting to stream downwards for no reason... I am starting to think if there is a pool of investors out there who are trying to move the market. I believe the downstream will not continue for long.

Read more...

Dream Job...

Over the past few months, I started to rethink about my life. I have always wanted to have a xx job in a xx sector. It was like a dream job.
Now, my mindset has changed. Does it really matter? In life, what we need is income to feed ourselves and be financially well off. Of cos, it will be ideal if you can do something u like ..but in a job? I think most of people will agree that they do not hold a dream job.

This economic downturn has really changed lives of many. Now, I really know what I want in life .. That is a jojb that brings me income so that I don't have to worry about bills.

Read more...

Economic recovery on the way

Hurray..we are finally seeing economic recovery on the way...after 3 months of painstakingly waiting for the recession to end. The day is finally coming. Maybe it is time to jump onto the bandwagon of investing in shares again. The stock market around the world is on upward momentum this week. Finally light is filtering through the well..It is really good news that is worth celebrating.

Read more...

Hort Park, a place worth visiting

Finally got down to blogging today. Just realised that I haven't blogged for the past 2 weeks. I went to the Hort Park today. For those who haven't been there, it is a nice place. The feeling of being close to nature and breathing fresh air is refreshing. No entrance fees is required. It is a place to relax and clear your thoughts. For people out there who wishes to have some peace, this is the place to go.

Read more...

400 people vying for a job?

I just spoke to a recruiter just now. I asked her that although there are still jobs in the market but it seems that I am receiving lesser invitations for interviews. She told me that now the job market is very tight. For a particular post, sometimes she received over 400 applications...
Seems like the job market is still heading downtrend to a squeeze.

Read more...

"Man who froze had history of late utility payments"

I can't believe I am reading this on CNN. This poor man got his heater cut off because he was late in paying his electricity bills.. He froze to death as a result. They really should do something about this. Cutting off electricity supply to a heater on a winter night is equivalent to cutting off the oxygen supply to a patient laying on a hospital bed. Not being able to pay doesn't mean that he/she does not deserve to live.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/02/19/michigan.freezing.death/index.html

Thankfully, in Singapore, cutting off our electricity would just mean no lights, no hot water and no fan or no aircon..

Read more...

Bright Sunny Day

After cooping in the house for the past few days, I finally ventured out to city hall today. It was a nice feeling. Watching people busy walking around, shopping, having dinner etc...It helps me temporary forget about whatever economic crisis that we are facing now....I will try to go out more often...It is good for the mind. For anyone who is jobless, the most important thing is to free yourself of fear and heal the mind. Only with a clear mind, can your brain function and deal with whatever that comes. Put it simply, whatever will be, will be... The crisis will eventually blow over and the skies will be clear again.

I attended a free course on how to fill in application forms to broker a housing deal. My team manager conducted the free course out of goodwill.....The sceptical part of me was thinking.. would anyone want to buy in such a market? Thankfully, the answer is yes. In this world, there are always people who are rich...Even in times of economic crisis, they will not have to scrimp and worry about day to day living..and they are the ones who have the purchasing power...

Of course, how I wish I would be one of them one day..but well...that's just a dream..albeit a nice one.

Read more...

Jamie Yeo and Glenn Ong have split

Saw this article on a forum this afternoon and thought that it was just a hoax.
But now asiaone has reported that this celebrity couple is indeed splitting.

For more details, visit
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20090213-121830.html

Read more...

GST Credits Payout on Mar1

This is certainly helpful for people like me...
Any amount of additional cash at this time is certainly helpful.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20090213-121764.html

Read more...

The Job Market.

Got a contract offer a few days ago...decided to go for it so that my mind doesn't go into an idle mode. In a financial turmoil.... getting any job is good even if it is for short term. A lot of companies are downsizing and doesn't have the capacity to contract. I just pray that things will work out. To be honest, from the JD, i know that this is not an easy job...

Jobs are hard to come by...Currently, the job market are filled with mainly replacement posts and it is an employers market.

The other day, I went for an interview and the interviewer told me she had fired a few people on this post.. that's why they are hiring again. When the interviewer told me about it, she sounds nonchalent about the whole issue.. I just felt sorry for the people who suffered under her hands...

When people get retrenched, it is a recession...but when you get retrenched..it is depression. I only saw recession written on the interviewer's face...

Read more...

"Asia Stock Higher"

Asia stocks rallied strongly today!!! Despite all the negative news, stock prices rose. Hmm..we are finally seeing hope amidst the storm. I guess everyone is tired of depressing news and hopefully that things will improve soon. To be honest, I don't think any of us can wait one year for the economy to recover. The stock market crashed overnight...hopefully it will recover overnight too.


http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Money/Story/STIStory_334906.html

Read more...

"Pensioner gears up for 772nd driving test"

The following article is about a korean women who doesn't stop trying. She failed her driving license 771 times but continues to try. That's the spirit!!!!

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/05/korea.driving.license/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Read more...

"China shows recovery sign"

Finally some good news. Just read this article on the Straits times. For the sceptics, they will say that this does not mean that the worst is over. For me, I think the worst is over, we are just picking up the remains of a financial cyclone that struck.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Money/Story/STIStory_334139.html

Read more...

Self sufficiency and the Value of money

It is often said that a crisis can make or break a man. This financial crisis has shook up my senses. With a rapid shrinking job market, the only wise thing to do is to take things in my hands and start looking for things to do to generate income to pay for my bills.

Waiting haplessly by my handphone and hoping that I may land a job is a no brainer. It is time to rely on myself. In such a crisis, it is easy to lose even a new job.

During the property agent course today, I spoke to several sales people. Some were retrenched, while some were self-employed. I suddenly realised that there could be a chance that I can be self employed as well. That sense of hope really freshens my mind. To be honest, I was quite demoralised and tired over the job search. My objective now is to learn how to be self employed without spending too much vitamin M.

Read more...

Monument to Bush shoe-throwing shines at Iraqi orphanage

Just saw this news on the CNN website. It is a pretty interesting article. Worth reading.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/29/iraq.shoe.monument/index.html

Read more...

Interview with ET

Today I had another interview session. This time I had an interview with "ET" (the interviewer had big round popping eyes and a long neck). I waited more than an hour for the interview. The interviewer was late and did not even bother to apologise. I was scrutinised, questioned and berated for not staying long in each job (i.e. I stayed approximately 2 yrs for each job). Deep behind her words, she is implying that....you job hop when times are good...now that times are bad..u get it.. u deserve it..

After 20 mins of questioning. I went back home and immediately slept for 1 hr... I have never felt so demoralised before. What is demoralising is the fact that i lost my job and struggling to make a living....and what is worse is that there is this inconsiderate, insensitive inteviewer who chose to be so critical in such times. I was thinking, if that is really the case, I shouldn't have attended the interview in the first place.

Now I truly understand the meaning of ...when you laugh.. the whole world laughs with you... when you cry, you cry alone...No one wishes to be in this state. In most cases, it is not a matter of choice but of circumstances. It is difficult for anyone who is not in this state to fully understand such feelings.

Read more...

Crisis of Confidence... Are Govt banks the solution?

Looking back at the recession that unfolded for the past few months. I still couldn't understand what exactly happened that caused the economy to collapse. The US was already in recession for more than a year. Out of the blue, the banks start falling like a pack of cards and suddenly Asia is affected. The explanation given by the experts for the fallout was that the confidence was shaken. Suddenly credit lines from banks were tightened not only for the US but all over the world and trade lines stalled due to non-performing debts.

If that was the case, would the problem be alleviated if Govt banks were set up all over the world instead. Since Govt all around the world is already pumping money to save the banks. What difference does it make if Govt banks were set up instead. If Govt banks were set up instead, credit lines could be loosen and trade lines could function as normal.

Read more...

>90k Job losses worldwide...Job cuts in MNCs

Finally, it is the third day of CNY. I have never dreaded CNY till today. Having to answer my relatives' queries on my job lost was a tough one. I find it extremely difficult to answer such questions. It was a terrible feeling not being able to contribute to society.

With so many retrenchments going on...It seems that my job search will only get tougher day by day...The papers mentioned today that approximately 90k jobs were lost worldwide. This is indeed a frightening number. For now, it seems that the bad news is going on forever.

Hopefully, we have seen the worst.. no one knows for sure.. To be honest, I am fast becoming immune to such negative news....Maybe not reading it will make me feel better..Reality hurts : )

Read more...

Interview with a couch potato.....

Chinese new year is coming....This is the year of the Ox... Guess all of us will be slogging our lives this year trying to keep our heads above the water in this sluggish economy. Never the less, it is a festive season and I told myself to forget about the economy for the time being...
Life is short..no one knows what tomorrow brings...

I had a terrible interview session yesterday, the recruiter was dressed in t-shirt and seems to feel extremely at home in the office....I was grilled on each and every detail I had on my resume. After the interview session, I just felt drained and demoralised. Thankfully, after a good night sleep, I decided to pull myself up together and forget about the whole incident. Imagine yourself in my shoes, someone who is down and trying to get back on his feet, willing to work 12 hrs a day just to land a job..and there it is, a couch potatoe sitting comfortably in his seat trying his best effort to put you down. It is really a weird encounter and now I fully the meaning life is unfair.

If anyone out there is feeling down just like me, do not despair...cos there is someone just like you in another place in this world : )

Read more...

21 days rule

I read somewhere the other day that it takes 21 days to heal from the day you lose/leave a job. It is really true.....today is the 21 day for me and I have came to accept the situation and move on. As the saying goes "times heal". How true it is.

Read more...

Property Agent Talks

I have been attending the property agent talks recently. I find these talks motivating. The talks are mostly inspirational stories about rags to riches. How one ordinary worker became his own boss and no longer needs to worry about money for day to day living...The point is simple, if i can do it, why can't you?

Strangely though, it is not the inspirational stories that I find it interesting. It is the people that I meet at the course that is interesting. There are people from all walks of life.

Some are successful people who wants to be richer.. others are jobless people hoping to make ends meet just like me.

If there are people out there who is able to spend the time and money to listen to these talks. I will say it is worth the money. In times of financial difficulties, it is heartwarming to hear that there is always a way out no matter how bad the situation is. The key is to be positive and chart out a path for yourself. The presenters are people who have been hardship and survived.

Read more...

Ah...finally got the time to update my blog....you must be thinking that it is so strange that a jobless person will be so busy..hahahah..
I went for 2 interviews today... they were all around the Tuas area.... The area is long forgotten by city people but crammed with lorries, trailers and big trucks. As usual, I get the same comment from the interviewers.."you seemed like a job hopper to me" ...these words really burned like chilli...I was thinking to myself.....please.. don't rub it in...especially in such turbulent time. I job hopped for better prospects and learning..To me , the concept of loyalty to a Company just doesn't sink in...We provide a service and we get paid for it....I still remember the day when my ex boss who had worked in an organisation for donkey years got booted out due to some unknown reasons...At her age, it is unlikely she will find another employer...
She was loyal...but did the company appreciate it?
The answer is a straight no...The Company is running a business, not some charity..
I finally understood why it is so important to be financially free....Only with such freedom can I hope to find happiness. Of course, alot of people will argue that money can't buy happiness...but without money, it is difficult to be happy because we constantly worry about how to cope with the expenses....
I have came to take things one day at a time...and guess what.. .i felt much happier... I finally understood the statement "seize the day"

Read more...

Well....today is a tough day. I got a few calls from job agents and head hunters but I got no interviews so far. I went to a recruitment firm today and the lady told me that the job market is stagnant. After taking a look at my resume, she mentioned that I have changed jobs frequently over the past 8 years...so much so...that from my resume I look like a job hopper. Hmm.. well its true, for the past few jobs, I have stayed around 2 yrs for each job....Looking back, I can only say...... the past is gone, there is no point thinking about it...If I were to know that the economy crisis is looming, I would not have job hopped so often. : )

The jobless situation s pretty stressful.... I just tell myself each day not to think about it so that I don't feel so bad..I just hope things will get better...even thought I don't know how it will...hahhahaa
Now I am starting to think if there is something I can do about this so that I don't feel so bad.

Read more...

Finally, it is going to be Monday. Hope I will get some responses from the job applications that I have painstakingly sent out last week.

I attended a property agent recruitment talk last week and I was pondering over the weekend if I should sign up for the course. Sometimes, I wonder if the property companies earn more from the agents or holding such courses. The course fee itself is more than $500. After some thought, I decided to put this on hold for the moment. There was this internal struggle of thoughts within me. On one hand, my left brain was telling me......why not just go for it...there is nothing to lose...On the other hand, my right brain is sceptical.....are you sure... you could use $500 on other stuff...Well, I guess the right brain prevailed for the moment.

Read more...

Welcome 2009!!!

Having left my job on the last week of Dec, I suddendly felt lost and have tons of time on hand. I decided to built this blog to occupy my time to take away the stress of worrying about day to day expenses and move on with life. Hopefully my blog will bring cheer to the readers as well.

Hey, for starter, I found a perfect header image for my blog, a drenched twig with a reflection of a leaf, which symbolises life. To me, it symbolises a new beginning after a storm.

Read more...