Spent my whole day doing spring-cleaning. Not that my room's in such a mess that i need the whole day, but rather i'm trying to find space in preparation for the 2 boxes of stuff arriving from Japan soon. So i had to go thru my stuff more thoroughly, tried to get rid of as much stuff as i can....
Doing spring-cleaning is a gd chance to walk down memory lane ~ I found many things that i didn't know i have..... and face memories that i tried to put away, e.g. memories of the 2 guys in my life then.... i read the letter from my ex when we parted & looked through the cards he had given me.... he really loved me then.... yet i chose to give him up.... I still can't bear to throw these stuff, but did dump away most of our photos....
As for memories of that jerk, it's in the rubbish bin now except for a really old photo of his.... just keeping it to remind myself not to fall for such a jerk again!I found the letters of my Korean penpal ~ it's been almost 6 years since our last correspondence. And also found letters from CK, my JC pal. That guy really took lots of effort to make birthday & christmas cards for me.... found cards from my primary & secondary school friends as well..... I thot of using this period of free time I have at home to write to them.....to find out how everyone's doing.... It's kind of silly to write when everyone's in Spore & calling is faster, but i thot writing is more fun....
Found my file on SMP & it brought back memories of the years i served as a volunteer there.... hmm.... maybe i should organize a gathering to get the Queenstown SMP together....So many things i want to do.... all related to resuming contact with old friends....I've been back for 2 weeks, but only met up with Jaycee & Pris. Not really enthusiastic about meeting up with friends..... still very much in my own world....
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Monday, December 27, 2004
Life is so unpredictable
The loss of lives and damage caused by the devastating earthquake & tsunami never quite affected me when i read the news in the morning. Was rushing off to interview, too engrossed with my own thots on my future. What happened to my neighbouring countries isn't really any concern of mine.....very indifferent...heartless some might say....but that's me sometimes. But the deaths....it got me thinking about the meaning of life & death again...
Bought the book "The Pianist" today. Saw the film in Japan recently (dubbed), and watched it again few days ago. Couldn't resist and started reading it the moment i bought it. Reading it, relating it to scenes in the film.....the scenes of how the Jews were brutally murdered in cold-blood, the lives of the people being affected.... Halfway thru the book...i just couldn't continue on with it.....
Just saw on news the damage caused by the earthquake. The scene of a woman carrying her dead infant crying for help, the bodies lined on the ground..... read online news of the deathtoll of 23,000 ~ thot i had saw the number wrongly. Imagine happily walking along the beach with your loved ones, and the next moment everyone's dead. Or doing your daily chores & be dead the next moment....
Life is so unpredictable ~ we do not know when Death will come to claim us.....We should live life to the fullest now....go for our dreams now.....why plan for the future when we don't even know whether we can live to see the future that we visioned for ourselves?But what if we do live long enough to live the future we visioned, and realise to our horror that we've been ill-prepared for it in the past?And that brings up the question of the meaning of life ~ to live for now or for the future? and what's the purpose of living? I never quite found the answer to the purpose of life ~ and i guess i'd never will. And nope, i'd not turn to religion to find my answers....
Job Hunt blues...
Went for 2 interviews with job agencies today. I’m getting quite sick of these interviews tho it’s an opportunity for me to practice Jap conversational skills ;p Most tell me the same thing ~ “it’s year end, not much hiring now.” “limited positions in HR that requires Jap speaking skills, unless at managerial level”
The first interview today was relaxing & we discussed the job market.It seems that Jap-speaking positions here are generally categorized into 4 groups: technical skills (IT/Engineering), secretarial & admin, translation, and sales. I’m not into sales, and don’t have the technical skills. So that leaves me with admin & translation, of which I’m not that keen on translation coz it doesn’t give me the opportunity to speak the language. I’m not sure if I would enjoy working as a secretary to some mgr / MD, or admin clerk supporting the sales team. My previous job had some element of secretarial/admin work in it, but what kept me there was the opportunity to interact with almost everyone in the company, and doing something related to my HR studies.
I’ve to make a choice between a Jap-speaking job & a HR job. And it doesn’t help that I am still waiting for the outcome of my application for the ALT position. All these are driving me crazy ~ how do I proceed from here?I toyed around with the idea of WWOOFing ~ it’s what I had thought of doing when I was back in Japan then. It’s like a home-stay programme, with an added clause of work in exchange for food & lodging. A very interesting concept that gives me the opportunity to learn some new skills, experience the Jap culture and speak Japanese.
I briefly mentioned it to dad & bro. At first they seemed rather excited & supportive, thinking that it’s some internship in a Jap company in Japan. But once I told them it’s probably farm work or restaurant....could see that they aren’t that supportive, but didn’t raise any objections tho....It’s a crazy idea ~ abandoning the relatively luxurious lifestyle I have here for a harsher environment in a foreign land, working on farms or in restaurants / pension houses. But it’s only for a short period of time (less than 3 mths), and I believe strongly that no matter how it turns out to be, it’d serve to be a very good experience for me.
If I really decide to go for this, I’d prob take up a contract position that lasts till April, then go WWOOFing in May for a month or 2. If I get the ALT position, I’ve to go to Japan in July. If not, I’d probably stop bumming around and settle down to a boring perm job. Or I might just continue with my idea of working a few months, then go travel / wwoofing (if my initial stint turns out well).Sigh....what should I do? :(
The first interview today was relaxing & we discussed the job market.It seems that Jap-speaking positions here are generally categorized into 4 groups: technical skills (IT/Engineering), secretarial & admin, translation, and sales. I’m not into sales, and don’t have the technical skills. So that leaves me with admin & translation, of which I’m not that keen on translation coz it doesn’t give me the opportunity to speak the language. I’m not sure if I would enjoy working as a secretary to some mgr / MD, or admin clerk supporting the sales team. My previous job had some element of secretarial/admin work in it, but what kept me there was the opportunity to interact with almost everyone in the company, and doing something related to my HR studies.
I’ve to make a choice between a Jap-speaking job & a HR job. And it doesn’t help that I am still waiting for the outcome of my application for the ALT position. All these are driving me crazy ~ how do I proceed from here?I toyed around with the idea of WWOOFing ~ it’s what I had thought of doing when I was back in Japan then. It’s like a home-stay programme, with an added clause of work in exchange for food & lodging. A very interesting concept that gives me the opportunity to learn some new skills, experience the Jap culture and speak Japanese.
I briefly mentioned it to dad & bro. At first they seemed rather excited & supportive, thinking that it’s some internship in a Jap company in Japan. But once I told them it’s probably farm work or restaurant....could see that they aren’t that supportive, but didn’t raise any objections tho....It’s a crazy idea ~ abandoning the relatively luxurious lifestyle I have here for a harsher environment in a foreign land, working on farms or in restaurants / pension houses. But it’s only for a short period of time (less than 3 mths), and I believe strongly that no matter how it turns out to be, it’d serve to be a very good experience for me.
If I really decide to go for this, I’d prob take up a contract position that lasts till April, then go WWOOFing in May for a month or 2. If I get the ALT position, I’ve to go to Japan in July. If not, I’d probably stop bumming around and settle down to a boring perm job. Or I might just continue with my idea of working a few months, then go travel / wwoofing (if my initial stint turns out well).Sigh....what should I do? :(
Merry Christmas!
This year’s x’mas was much more bz than previous years. I had planned to send greeting cards / presents to friends in Japan, and all these had to be done within 2 days of me being back in Singapore, considering the 5-7 days taken for the cards/gifts to reach Japan on time for xmas. Choosing the gifts was fun & meaningful ~ I spent a fair bit of time at the DFS shop, checking out the many interesting souvenirs from Singapore.
My sis & I went to shop at Meida-ya @Liang court on xmas eve. It’s apparently the only Jap supermarket in Spore. I was really excited to see many familiar favorites in Japan being sold here. But everything’s expensive. However if I were to convert it back to yen, it’s almost the same. How did I survive those prices in Japan then?
Jaycee came over for dinner. We feasted on mum’s fried beehoon & chicken wings & lots of other food. Pris came over later. We talked about the office politics at Jaycee’s workplace, looked at their Japan photos & stories, and exchanged xmas gifts. Our bitching session lasted till 2am ~ been ages since we last stayed up so late together. Probably meet them soon to view their video taken in Japan.
I’m a free thinker but nevertheless celebrate this season of giving & sharing. It’s nice to be with family & friends on this day. Last year’s xmas was in Japan. I still remember it vividly, thanks to the videos taken then. What was meant to be a small celebration with Evelyn then, ended up with Asep & KJ joining the fun unexpectedly. We had a little cake & a bottle of sparkling wine for the occasion. And with acapella xmas songs playing in the background ~ perfect setting for a xmas gathering :)
On the xmas day, I stayed at home to rot. No place to go to, or rather, too lazy to go out. Opening my xmas gift left under the xmas tree was fun :) Received a very cute pig backrest from my bro & Alice. Spent the rest of my day at home watching VCD, tidying up my room, replying emails.....
My sis & I went to shop at Meida-ya @Liang court on xmas eve. It’s apparently the only Jap supermarket in Spore. I was really excited to see many familiar favorites in Japan being sold here. But everything’s expensive. However if I were to convert it back to yen, it’s almost the same. How did I survive those prices in Japan then?
Jaycee came over for dinner. We feasted on mum’s fried beehoon & chicken wings & lots of other food. Pris came over later. We talked about the office politics at Jaycee’s workplace, looked at their Japan photos & stories, and exchanged xmas gifts. Our bitching session lasted till 2am ~ been ages since we last stayed up so late together. Probably meet them soon to view their video taken in Japan.
I’m a free thinker but nevertheless celebrate this season of giving & sharing. It’s nice to be with family & friends on this day. Last year’s xmas was in Japan. I still remember it vividly, thanks to the videos taken then. What was meant to be a small celebration with Evelyn then, ended up with Asep & KJ joining the fun unexpectedly. We had a little cake & a bottle of sparkling wine for the occasion. And with acapella xmas songs playing in the background ~ perfect setting for a xmas gathering :)
On the xmas day, I stayed at home to rot. No place to go to, or rather, too lazy to go out. Opening my xmas gift left under the xmas tree was fun :) Received a very cute pig backrest from my bro & Alice. Spent the rest of my day at home watching VCD, tidying up my room, replying emails.....
Thursday, December 23, 2004
I hate interviews
Yesterday's interview was a waste of my time! but ok lah, treat it as a rehearsal for future interviews to come... The job scope seem quite interesting, but there's limited exposure to Japanese. I only need to do translation of documents from Jap to Eng occasionally & there isn't any opportunities to speak/listen to Jap in the department of non-Jap speaking staff. If i want to do HR w/o chance of using Jap, I'd rather go for an American MNC ~ better exposure. My only reason for going for a Jap MNC is to keep in touch with the Jap lang. Besides the job scope, the manager has serious attitude problem. I couldn't connect with her, so doubt i can work with her. Well, she probably wouldn't shortlist me for the 2nd round anyway....
Went home after the interview.....super bored.... so played the piano for 1.5hrs... sort of like exercise for my hands & fingers ;p Still can't master the piece from the Jap drama "Story of the last symphony".... disappointed :( Played "I Believe".....haiz....brought back memories of the time i taught KJ how to play it.... wonder how he's doing now.....
Dad collected his new car yesterday. 2 doors only....super squashed at the back. Really live up to its nickname of "Gow zhai wai" (cantonese ~ seats for dogs). But otherwise the design's nice... ML & I squeezed into the back & went for a car-ride to Woodlands....Rushed back on time to watch my HK drama "Crimson Sabre", followed by "The Amazing Race", then "ER". I miss those shows sooo much!! The teams were heading for Hungary yesterday...very interesting. But what i liked most was the unexpected scene from "ER' ~ Dr Robert's arm was sliced off by the helicopter. Was so sudden! Duno why, no mood to watch my collection of Jap anime & dramas....
Went home after the interview.....super bored.... so played the piano for 1.5hrs... sort of like exercise for my hands & fingers ;p Still can't master the piece from the Jap drama "Story of the last symphony".... disappointed :( Played "I Believe".....haiz....brought back memories of the time i taught KJ how to play it.... wonder how he's doing now.....
Dad collected his new car yesterday. 2 doors only....super squashed at the back. Really live up to its nickname of "Gow zhai wai" (cantonese ~ seats for dogs). But otherwise the design's nice... ML & I squeezed into the back & went for a car-ride to Woodlands....Rushed back on time to watch my HK drama "Crimson Sabre", followed by "The Amazing Race", then "ER". I miss those shows sooo much!! The teams were heading for Hungary yesterday...very interesting. But what i liked most was the unexpected scene from "ER' ~ Dr Robert's arm was sliced off by the helicopter. Was so sudden! Duno why, no mood to watch my collection of Jap anime & dramas....
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