Hired

I am the proud owner of a job at Fossil!

yayyyYYYYYYYYyyY :D


Note: Internet courtesy of miss LC as the one at my place is down til Weds.

Turned down.

EB just called, I didn't get the job.

Needless to say, I am not very fond of Australia at this very moment.

------------

Illegitimis non carborundum (no, nothing to do with carbonara) -- don't let the bastards grind you down.

I read the posts I've written since stepping foot in Sydney, and it seems to be a downward spiral that is dead set on contradicting the laws of physics (what goes up must come down and vice versa).

I keep on self-pepping (is this a word?) myself, "come on, it can't possibly get any worst", but it does.

Life feeds me a little hope and lets me think I've got a chance, and then follows it up with an astoundingly polite "I'm sorry but your application has been unsuccessful. We thank you for taking time out for coming for the interview."

I can't even tell myself that I'm better off without it because the people there are so goddamn nice.

I wonder what this studying abroad experience is going to turn me into.

Will I be a suicidal nut job with lipstick on her face and weed in her hair at the end of it all?

This is me, being tragic.

A 'Big Issue' man outside Queen Victoria's Building, Aug 23, 2008.

-------------------

I'm feeling quite alone here.

Asides from the occasional class discussion and required pleasantries, I don't really talk to people anymore. Not for the lack of trying either.

I don't know what their plans are this weekend, if they read (Facebook does NOT count), or if they're a coffee or tea person.

If not for Moobs and Merv, Em and some others on MSN, I think I might go dotty quite soon.

This reminds me of my early days in primary school when no one wanted to talk or play with me for years. Those were the worst years of my life (At 26 years old this year, I believe I've 'lived' quite substantially to do the whole 'my life' thing).

I don't understand why it happened then, and I most certainly don't now.

Have I done something wrong?

-------------------------

Edit:

I spent most of the night crying because a classmate reacted badly to a comment I put on a class blog (this prompted the whining up there).

It's silly, I know. What does one person matter right? I know that it is impossible to please everyone, or have everyone agree with you.

It got to me because I've been trying really hard to just get along with people, and that hasn't really worked out, and this negative comment was just another slap in the face to show that I don't fit in. I'm a social outcast and I don't even have leprosy.

Look at me, 26 and succumbing to peer pressure.

If I wasn't involved in this kafuffle, this would be a very laughable situation indeed.

Hah.

On the bright side, just got back from a job interview and I think it went well (downed a can of energy drink which tasted like liquid panadol just so I could look bright eyed - had like three hours sleep only).

Fingers, toes and legs crossed I'll get a call on Monday.

Two job interviews

in a week.

I'm outdoing myself. This is as good as it gets.

I hope not.

Went for an interview with Fossil (yes! the watches/ accessories store) and I hope hope hope pray pray pray that I get it but the nice lady there said she'll have to talk to her manager who'll call me back in the next few days for a second interview. Maybe.

And just before I went off for that one, EB Games (Electronic Boutique, sells video games, consoles etc) called and they want me in this Friday morning for a group interview.

Which is why I spent THREE hours playing Bioshock last night -- because I told them I did over the phone when they asked me about my gaming experience.

Well, I have played. Just that Moob's hands were on the controller and I was controlling them with my mind. Hehe.

But I truly love the dystopian (a word I learnt yesterday!) story though, although for the first two hours I was pretty ready to pee in my pants everytime I heard a crazy person in the room or got ghostly flashes. *shudders*

The ala 1950s setting, gorgeous set design with Sinatra songs playing in the background, such a stark juxtaposition to the eerie, bloodied atmosphere (corpses lying everywhere, crazy people lurching at you with knives every half minute).

If this game was a book, I would read it. Nuff said.

Anyhow, here's hoping to getting one of the jobs. I don't care which one, I just need to do something or else I'm gonna go mad with all the "they don't know what they're missing", "you're talented and you will get a job soon" pep talks in my head.

As if there wasn't enough rubbish going on in there :P

--------------------

I know I've been whining a lot, but this doesn't mean that I don't like being here (although good kuih and asam laksa maggi mee is impossible to find).

There are so many quirky little things happening everywhere, all the time. Just need to concentrate on not concentrating on your feet (referring to the playing pavement games blog post) and you'll see them naturally.

Here's one of my favourite "stumbles" when I was out job hunting/ grocery shopping.

Photos taken on Aug 26, 2008

Yes we can, yes we can.

Not that I'm American in any way at all or that I am voting, but this music video by will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas (I explain where he's from because I didn't know where he's from and I assume there are others who are as similarly disinterested) for Barack Obama has got to be the best campaign ad I've seen.

Makes me wish I was American so I could vote Obama.

Not to mention he's quite good looking too (yup, I am shallow and know nothing of his policies).

---------------

In Malaysian politics: Ministers not happy with mainstream press (Malaysian Insider)

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Some Cabinet ministers are stumped, and upset. Not by the bashing the administration is receiving in blogs and Internet websites over policies but by the tone and the coverage in mainstream newspapers especially the English-language dailies.

At a meeting last week chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and attended by a string of senior ministers including Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, one of the topics discussed was the reporting on the Budget and other announcements on the economy.

The consensus was that the mainstream newspapers, all owned by Barisan Nasional political parties or politically-connected businessmen, seemed quick to highlight criticisms of the Budget, instead of highlighting its positive aspects.

Read more here.

Oh boo hoo. Are we (because I was part of the mainstream media just three months ago) supposed to give you a pat on the back for not doing your job all these years?

I suppose being criticised publicly is not something they're used to.

-------------------

When I was little and would get an A in Maths (one of my worst subjects), I would show my dad and he would brush it off and say, "It's not 100%".

And when I did, he would say: "So?".

Hard to please, that man (and I say this with affection).

I've always thought that this attitude of thinking it's not good enough, there's always more you can do or learn, was a catalyst to do better.

But the 'I know nothing' speech I give myself is turning out to be a bit of a problem.

I worry that even after studying here and completing my Masters, I will still be the same - average. And that's all I'll ever be.

That's why, I reason, I can't get a job here. Because they know (through some form of voodoo and mind reading) I'm average and a waste of time to hire.

That's why, even after the whole fuss of coming here, the only prospects I see are the exact same ones that were open to me before I left.

I know that doing a postgraduate degree doesn't naturally make one a genius; I've edited postgrad essays before as a college student, but there should be some kind of change, right?

I need more doors opening, damnit. Not the same ones.

Moobs says the problem with me is that I am too self-deprecating (not self-defecating like a certain beauty pageant contestant, haha), and that no matter how much I achieve, it will never be enough.

"Any praise you get will never last long. You're too down to earth, if there's even such a thing."

If that's really all there is to it, a psychological problem instead of my questionable worthiness, then I hope he's right.



(I realise that I've been hoping that other people are right and I'm wrong quite a bit in this blog. But it's just easier to blame someone else. Look at me, such a shining example of responsibility.)

E is for Egg

From The Nut Graph, this, er, film? was produced by Amir Muhammad (who made Lelaki Komunis Terakhir).

Watch it! Only two minutes!




Text accompanying this video:

EVERY egg is sacred.
Every egg is great.
If an egg is wasted,
God gets quite irate.


The direct link to this story on TNG's site can be found here.

Pretty food

From The Journal of a Girl who loves to Cook:




I wish I could make food look this good but I don't have:

1. the patience
2. the skill
3. deft fingers

If the stuff I baked didn't look like a total volcano I count myself lucky.

Looking down when I walk

Gets me home faster.

I find that if I stare at the pavement and play games with it (i.e. only two steps allowed within each cement slab), the walk isn't 15 minutes.

Same thing happens when I walk to uni, but instead of pavement games it's Hamish and Andy on the radio. But there's a risk of looking retarded when I listen to them on my 30 minute walk to uni.

If you drive down Cleveland St going towards City Road, and see a stumpy Asian girl, with messy hair, a bright fuschia scarf, grinning at the pavement -- that's me.

-----------------

Going in for the gold, this is our flatmate's
cat Turtle doing a tuck and dive.

------------------

I didn't feel like an idiot today in my political journalism class.

We read everyone's political commentaries, mine was about Anwar (what else could there be?!) and I received some criticism on mine in terms of certain choice of words, but they loved it.

And that is important to me.

For once, I didn't feel like a such a f.o.b (fresh of the boat) alien who looked like she was from China but is actually Malaysian but you can't call her Malay, because that's not what she is.

At least for today, it didn't read 'oh poor thing, she's fumbling up her English words' in their eyes.

Most prolly cause I didn't though.

Haha.

True story :)

M-Fest Damn Fail.

Now that I've put some Malaysian English on this post (refer to blog title thank you) to commemorate my country's 51st Independence Day (Aug 31), one which was spent like every other day because that was just what it was, I shall proceed with a boring run down of what I did over the weekend.

I can't remember what I did on Saturday, but I think most of it was spent moping because I had a horrid dream about family members dying.

Now I am not that superstitious a person, but I think it might have something to do with it being the Hungry Ghost Festival month thing now. At least I think it's still going on.

Every. Damn. Night those stupid ghosts or whatever plague my sleep and give me weird psychadelical (is this a word even?) whatever the word is for that kind of trippy dream dream. Pisses me off. They have no right.

I WANT MANGO STICKY RICE GODDAMNIT.

Or Kuih Salad, you know, the Malay kuih where the top bit is this sticky green pandan taste thingy and the bottom bit is glutinous rice?

Oooh. I would sell Moobs for some of that.

But there wasn't any at kuih at all at the Malaysia Fest at Tumbalong Park on Sunday. All the stalls sold roti canai and nasi lemak and satay* - as if that was all there is to Malaysian food. Such an insult.

And chicken wings? Where does chicken wings come in in Malaysian culture? If anything, kuih pervades every single race. And keropok too. There wasn't any keropok or lekur at M-Fest either.

Here are pictures of the damn fail M-Fest, only three because my phone committed suicide at the lack of food prospects and refused to be part of the abomination of a festival.

Major crowding and insanely long queues for Malaysian food that
you can get at Malaysian restaurants anywhere in Sydney.
Don't understand what the fuss is all about.

Ayam brand stall selling Ayam brand canned food.

AUD$5 for bloody ice kacang that costs, what, RM2 for a special in Malaysia?
(yes, I know that that isn't the point, I'm just bitter that the ringgit is so crap)

Okay, I admit I was being a bit harsh considering this whole thingy was put together by Malaysian student bodies from various unis (which I am not a part of because you have to pay an exorbitant fee just to help them do work- where is the sense in that, honestly).

But I was hungry (still am) and I was having a hankering for Malaysian kuih (still do). And you know what they say about hungry Malaysians - unreasonable, rude and bitchy.

And I am proud to say, in that instance, that I'm 100% made in Malaysia.




*Ok, because I'm a trained journo and must be honest, there was Malaccan chicken rice balls and ice kacang. But i didn't fancy either at the moment they didn't count as food items.