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
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.
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.
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 : )
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 : )
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...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.
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"
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.
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.
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.
