Seriously. Not only is everyone coupled up and living with partners, we've also had a superfluous number of dinner parties in the past fortnight. With handmade sushi nonetheless. And colour coordinated plates and napkins. It's like we've aged 10 years in six months. And they're turning into 'couples' dinner parties! I only have three single friends left... dear Lord.
I honestly didn't think I'd feel like this until I was in my late 30s.
Monday 28 September 2009
Friday 25 September 2009
The wait it over (after interview number four.)
Was it the short hair?
Was it the slick shirt?
Or was it my ability on the day?
The truth, we'll probably never know. But one thing I do know is this: that after 2 months and a few weeks of waiting, I am finally employed.
Whatever it was, the need to make money overrides the "sacrifices" made.
Chokobo | チョコボ
Wednesday 23 September 2009
Temporary Wallowing
I can't even lie about it.
She's been gone only a few hours and I already miss her like crazy.
She'll be back in a few months for a short time, and God willing, I'll be able to fly out to see her before then.
This wallowing better had only be temporary! I swore to myself that I wouldn't get all soppy about it!
I'm sure that the both of us will be busy enough for time to fly by until we meet up again.
Until then, I hope she has a great time out there.
:-)
Chokobo | チョコボ
Friday 18 September 2009
Making the most of having fuck all to do
I would just like to point out how utterly wonderful and liberating it is to not have to do a single thing in the world. After a summer of working sixty-hour weeks for a bunch of heartless wankers (the parents, not the children), wiping kids' arses and cleaning toilets, there's a certain joy to be had in knowing that, for a few weeks at least, there is nothing pressing to be done. Of course, I could start revising some Japanese or reading the texts I'm studying this year, and I really should find some kind of job, but for now I am utterly content just to stay in bed until the early afternoon reading books, or taking two-hour baths surrounded by candles and bubbles, or catching up with all my friends that I was so cruelly separated from for five months. With a fridge stocked by the purse of Mama and Papa, and almost enough money left in my overdraft until the loan comes through, life is good.
I'm also feeling way more positive and optimistic than I was, say, six months ago. I think the time in France away from everything gave me a chance to sort out a lot of the built-up, unnecessary anger and frustration I had inside me (it really was unnecessary). Also, being in a situation where I never knew what was going to happen in the next 15 minutes (let alone the next couple of days!) and moving house and job at least three times has made me waaaay more relaxed than I was. This is a very good thing, especially for counteracting my inner (or not-so-inner) control freak. Dare I say it, I may have even become a little bit more mature! So, despite the rather large amounts of crappiness that I had to put up with as part of my au pair job and the three months in Pau-gatory, I would say that all in all France was a success for me, personally if not financially! And now I can hopefully chill the fuck out and well enjoy final year!
I'm also feeling way more positive and optimistic than I was, say, six months ago. I think the time in France away from everything gave me a chance to sort out a lot of the built-up, unnecessary anger and frustration I had inside me (it really was unnecessary). Also, being in a situation where I never knew what was going to happen in the next 15 minutes (let alone the next couple of days!) and moving house and job at least three times has made me waaaay more relaxed than I was. This is a very good thing, especially for counteracting my inner (or not-so-inner) control freak. Dare I say it, I may have even become a little bit more mature! So, despite the rather large amounts of crappiness that I had to put up with as part of my au pair job and the three months in Pau-gatory, I would say that all in all France was a success for me, personally if not financially! And now I can hopefully chill the fuck out and well enjoy final year!
Pre-final year blues.
"Sorry, I'm not a fresher."
"Sorry I'm not a fresher."
These, the words of my quick fire response to being hounded to join a society of some description, whilst I walked back through campus on my way home.
What I'm certain of are the words that I spoke.
What I'm not certain of (now) is where the emphasis lay in the utterance...
"Sorry I'm not a fresher."
These, the words of my quick fire response to being hounded to join a society of some description, whilst I walked back through campus on my way home.
What I'm certain of are the words that I spoke.
What I'm not certain of (now) is where the emphasis lay in the utterance...
Monday 14 September 2009
Lesson for life: Maybe it wasn't the hair?
So, I had my second attempt at a job interview last Thursday evening for a local pub. It wasn't exactly a traditional interview, since the first half mainly involved ice-breakers and group tasks.
Having neither pub nor bar work, I was already at a disadvantage to the vast majority of other candidates in the room. However, the fact that I had no said experience didn't stop me from getting to that stage, since this fact was clearly stated on my CV.
Anyway, so the whole group work phase of the "interview" -or 'Audition', as the whole event had been presented- consisted of picking two favourable famous people of the last decade and two unfavourable. That section seemed to go all right and I made quite an active contribution in the whole decision process. The second group work task involved picking two unusual items from a set list, and having to devise a marketing skit for them. Now I hate marketing, but I have to say, I was right on the task this time; my item of choice being "diarrhoea chocolates." I contributed to most of the points and was even enthusiastic enough to offer to present the thing.
I assumed that by being quite active during the group working phase and getting the managers in presence to notice you, this would be advantageous fr the one-to-one stage of the audition.
Since I'm sat here writing this, it clearly didn't.
As far as I can remember, the one-to-one stage went pretty fine. The interviewer was friendly enough and the questions weren't difficult; the typical team-working ones and a "why I think I should work in this pub" finale.
I most certainly had no time to waffle, as these were no more than 5 minute flash interviews. So that's not a factor and this would also mean that lack of talking or lack of ability to talk to another human being, wasn't a problem. I sure as hell didn't smell, as I had had a shower literally moments before walking through the front doors of the pub. Appearance was all right. Smart black shirt and trousers, minus the (apparently) outrageous dreadlocks I had sported for the last three years. *sniffle* Having stood up to present a marketing skit, plus happily getting on with other members of the group I was assigned to suggests that my interpersonal skills are not fail-worthy either.
The next day I didn't get a call so I thought I'd call them, to which the person I spoke to wasn't really sure about, well, anything. The day after, I gave them a call again to be told that letters were to be the method of informing, and not telephone calls- dubious. So today I thought I'd pop in and spoke to one of the three senior staff that conducted the audition. He may have faintly recognised me, I don't know. He has the same name as me which sparked up a brief topic of conversation between us on the audition night. Anyway, in his own roundabout way, he basically told me that if I haven't received a call, I probably didn't get the job, to which I kind of just shrugged and said "well, that's life." He was very apologetic; genuine or not, he needed to appear so.
So onwards I went on a long walk into the city centre, to buy a tie for my third interview of the year, which takes place in two days time. Incidentally, that long walk served the double purpose of making me avoid wallowing in disappointment any further. It did work, though something about listening to the progressive rock tunes of Muse as I made my way away from the pub, probably helped some.
I'm not sure where I've messed up in the last two. I ought to call the pub up when I finally get this letter of rejection and ask them, unlike when I got rejected from the posh supermarket, where I subsequently refused to acknowledge its existence. I most certainly am not doing anything any different from before, and it's not as if I'm lacking experience or aiming too high.
According to a certain someone who is part the network of people I have befriended during my years at university, the reason for the supermarket interview failure was not down to my hair (at the time), but down to the fact that "they probably just didn't like your personality." Well, thank you for that, bitch. That did wonders for my self-esteem. You know who you are.
Fact is, whilst I (think I) continue to mature year on year, my personality is essentially the same. So you can take your unfounded appraisal, and shove it, my dear.
It could very much be luck of the draw though. The last two jobs I've gone for had many many other applicants. So, it makes it even less likely that you'll be accepted. Pity that I wasn't good enough to stand out from the others, eh.
Working in a pub would have been a cool job and like every other "cool" job I've been hoping to work part-time; I've achieved none of them in 5 years!
I really have no desire to return to clothes retail.
Please, wish me luck with my forthcoming interview.
Lord knows I'm going to need it.
Chokobo | チョコボ
Having neither pub nor bar work, I was already at a disadvantage to the vast majority of other candidates in the room. However, the fact that I had no said experience didn't stop me from getting to that stage, since this fact was clearly stated on my CV.
Anyway, so the whole group work phase of the "interview" -or 'Audition', as the whole event had been presented- consisted of picking two favourable famous people of the last decade and two unfavourable. That section seemed to go all right and I made quite an active contribution in the whole decision process. The second group work task involved picking two unusual items from a set list, and having to devise a marketing skit for them. Now I hate marketing, but I have to say, I was right on the task this time; my item of choice being "diarrhoea chocolates." I contributed to most of the points and was even enthusiastic enough to offer to present the thing.
I assumed that by being quite active during the group working phase and getting the managers in presence to notice you, this would be advantageous fr the one-to-one stage of the audition.
Since I'm sat here writing this, it clearly didn't.
As far as I can remember, the one-to-one stage went pretty fine. The interviewer was friendly enough and the questions weren't difficult; the typical team-working ones and a "why I think I should work in this pub" finale.
I most certainly had no time to waffle, as these were no more than 5 minute flash interviews. So that's not a factor and this would also mean that lack of talking or lack of ability to talk to another human being, wasn't a problem. I sure as hell didn't smell, as I had had a shower literally moments before walking through the front doors of the pub. Appearance was all right. Smart black shirt and trousers, minus the (apparently) outrageous dreadlocks I had sported for the last three years. *sniffle* Having stood up to present a marketing skit, plus happily getting on with other members of the group I was assigned to suggests that my interpersonal skills are not fail-worthy either.
The next day I didn't get a call so I thought I'd call them, to which the person I spoke to wasn't really sure about, well, anything. The day after, I gave them a call again to be told that letters were to be the method of informing, and not telephone calls- dubious. So today I thought I'd pop in and spoke to one of the three senior staff that conducted the audition. He may have faintly recognised me, I don't know. He has the same name as me which sparked up a brief topic of conversation between us on the audition night. Anyway, in his own roundabout way, he basically told me that if I haven't received a call, I probably didn't get the job, to which I kind of just shrugged and said "well, that's life." He was very apologetic; genuine or not, he needed to appear so.
So onwards I went on a long walk into the city centre, to buy a tie for my third interview of the year, which takes place in two days time. Incidentally, that long walk served the double purpose of making me avoid wallowing in disappointment any further. It did work, though something about listening to the progressive rock tunes of Muse as I made my way away from the pub, probably helped some.
I'm not sure where I've messed up in the last two. I ought to call the pub up when I finally get this letter of rejection and ask them, unlike when I got rejected from the posh supermarket, where I subsequently refused to acknowledge its existence. I most certainly am not doing anything any different from before, and it's not as if I'm lacking experience or aiming too high.
According to a certain someone who is part the network of people I have befriended during my years at university, the reason for the supermarket interview failure was not down to my hair (at the time), but down to the fact that "they probably just didn't like your personality." Well, thank you for that, bitch. That did wonders for my self-esteem. You know who you are.
Fact is, whilst I (think I) continue to mature year on year, my personality is essentially the same. So you can take your unfounded appraisal, and shove it, my dear.
It could very much be luck of the draw though. The last two jobs I've gone for had many many other applicants. So, it makes it even less likely that you'll be accepted. Pity that I wasn't good enough to stand out from the others, eh.
Working in a pub would have been a cool job and like every other "cool" job I've been hoping to work part-time; I've achieved none of them in 5 years!
I really have no desire to return to clothes retail.
Please, wish me luck with my forthcoming interview.
Lord knows I'm going to need it.
Chokobo | チョコボ
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
