OK....I'M BORED

I'm soooooooo bored in the office today that I had to google up the word BORED on Google Image. And guess what I found? Heaps of bored bunch doing bored things.

ZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

And all of a sudden, outta nowhere, boss comes in my room and suggested me the 'fun-est' thing to do in the office....playing house! I get to reshuffle everything in my packed office before the new boss comes in.....to maximise the available space so that I don't look too cramped...and bored in a supposedly-big-but-cramped-up-small room...YIPPIEEEEEEEE!!!

All the circled RED stuffs has gotta go!!

As you can see....I'm surrounded by rows and piles of files and documents and fax machine and printer.....I think if the file above me all topple over....I'm gonna be burried alive underneath there. And there is soooo many space behind my desk!! So so save me, my boss has asked if I wanna shuffle it ard....and the best thing about it is we've got 'removalists' living just next door!! Now you know what firies do when they are not putting out fire.....kekeekekekek......

Enuff about office shuffling project.....it will take some time to think where to put those piling-up files and documents and finding the perfect spot to dwell upon 7 hrs a day!

We ordered the sushi platter from Makota last Friday. Been in Sydney 4 years now and how shameful to say I have not tried Makoto Sushi before.....The platter cost like $39.90 and trust me, its really worth it....it's like equivalent to 16 plates of individual sushis and yum they were YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!



I'm not only bored at work, I get bored at home too....I went and bought those miso soup bowls with cover (as seen above) just so that I can have more fun when making miso soup at home....

Haha....drooling already?? I am....

(pause)

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(still pause)

Mmmmm....alrite, I'm still bored....back to work now....

FINGERS CROSSED

Sorry for the absence the past week. I had been getting my hands full on preparing for interview and more interview. 2 down.....and a weekend to relax now. I think I did well in the 2nd interview.....couldn't have asked for me. So the only thing I can do now is to keep my fingers crossed....for luck that I'll get the job.

I was very happy with my performance in the interview yesterday, not that I say I will definitely get the job but at least I had no regrets of not doing this or not saying that by the time I walked out of the office. So as a form of encouragement to myself, I am treating myself a lil gift as an 'encouragement'. Keke....there's always a million reason to spoil yourself!

And what's the best gift to present yourself other than a watch?

And what's better than buying yourself a BREIL? (ok lar...I know there's tag heuer lar...but dun forget I am only just starting to work. Breil's the best I could afford)

I walked past the shop at QVB yesterday and fell in love with this red leather strap number. I refrained myself from buying it on the spot, just in case it was a case of impulsive spending. I waited till this morning and decided I still want it.

Ok....I'm not good with leather strap watches. Simply because I treat any watch I have as if it's a super durable army watch or something. I even wear my watch to swim last time....and have a bad habit of banging my watch to the railings on stairways. I know I am a freak but I like to sound of the metal strap against the metal railing....

But think about it, I want a watch to wear to work actually. I dunno what job I will be getting but I think I could do with a decent nice watch to wear to work. The one I am wearing now, it's been with me since I was like at Form 2 or something....11 years! And the fact it's more of a sentimental value now, I'll still wear it whenever I can. Just that wearing a Breil looks more professional. =) So....splurge a bit lar. I think I deserve it.

And dun play play....Charlize Theron is the spokesperson for Breil. Ooooo...and RED.....red leather strap BREIL....stricking yet distinctive......

BREIL....DON'T TOUCH MY BREIL.......

COMMITMENT ISSUES

I am beginning to realise I have commitment issues. And it extents to the point where career hunting can be a too-much-to-handle situation for me.....

The situation is: I've been doing contract jobs and temp positions, meaning I go to work everyday like everybody else.....work the same amount of time, do the same amount of work and go home. Just that the major difference is I am not considered an employee for that company. I don't get leave loading and if I don't come in to work, I don't get paid. As simple as that.

And I am beginning to feel too comfortable with this idea. Well, at least I don't have to hand in my leave application months before the actual date itself nor do I need to give any notice prior to leaving the company. Whenever I have exams or anything, I could just tell my superior one day prior and that's it, I get my day off. I love the idea that I don't need to be tied down by work contracts or agreements. I love the idea of being a freelancer.

Now that I am in the middle of hunting for a permanent job, it suddenly hit me that eventually I will belong somewhere, be tied down by contracts and work agreements. I will be subjected to everything the company says or instruct. I will be officially TIED DOWN!

Get the big 'YES', sign the papers and *BaM* I am officially hired! sold!

So now, its kinda a dilemma whenever I am being called for an interview. In a way I wanna get a job offer but in the other way, I wish I could remain in whatever position I am in now.....

Gosh...I am beginning to feel like Gulliver in Gullivers' Travel....being tied down by many many tiny people....I feel choked, I feel heavy......

I am suffocating............

Gosh....I sound like a man being forced into an arranged marriage!

BUSY! BUSY! BUSY!

I'm extremely busy today...too busy to even stop to replenish my low energy level. Hop outta bed at 6:30 this morning, just in time to reach work at 8:00am SHARP. Been running ard the office since!

Burning 15 CDs on the other room, so running there every now & then to change CD

Editing some letter templates and printing them

Photocopy my drafts into letterheads

Making calls to chase up some queries

Compiling those SLM packs to be HAND DELIVERED!
Accounts to be paid

And I've got till 2pm to juggle them around so I can leave on time. It's C's graduation big day today & I gotta rush to the city to get E's pressie for her, rush home to bring Rooney for a short walk, freshen up my make up, rush out back to the city again in time to meet up with C...

So its RUSH, RUSH & MORE RUSH THROUGHOUT THE DAY!
And I can't wait for dinner at Meat & Wine Co. tonite.....perfect end to a busy day!

Meanwhile......

***Happy Graduation my Dear Friend!***

TMTH = Too Much to Handle

Alright, before I begin, let me first warn you that this entry is gonna be gloomy....too gloomy that if there are gonna be pictures in it, the pictures will be gloomy as well. Gloomier than the gloomy Sweeney Todd. In fact, it's so gloomy that up to this stage, there is already 6 'gloomy's in my sentence...opps, latest count, 7!

Let's begin with something more cheerful lar....sweet first before the bitter part mah. BN won election (yesss lar, it's not something new lar) but for the first first first time in history, for as long as I was born, this is the ever first time they won the election without 2/3 majority! How historic it is for us, the Malaysians! It's not that I enjoy seeing the downfall of Barisan National but it's nice to finally have a decent number of oppositions too. Too much power breeds evil. So it's a great, magnificent, super duper good good news to Malaysian citizens because finally we could say we live in a democratic country.

I don't have any preference as of which party wins, be it DAP or BN. Because I know whoever leads the country will tend to have evil thinkings like corruption, manipulation, biasness etc...etc... It's just normal in the world of politics. But the fact that now no party is winning by a lot, everyone gets a say in every bill tabled at the Parliament. That's true democracy! Well done, Malaysians! And for once ever since I decided to start my life in Sydney, I kinda think that maybe it might not be such a bad idea to go back to Malaysia after all. We shall see how the politics goes in another few years time. Don't be too fast to celebrate.

Ok, big deal, Malaysia achieved true democracy. To be frank, still doesn't have direct impact on me because:

• I live in Sydney
• I earn in Aussie dollar
• I spend in the Aussie market
• I function in the Aussie economy

So, I could only be happy for the Malaysians back in M'sia, or those intending to go back to Malaysia. But, my mood isn't right for celebration at this point of time....

(arrrggghhh....here comes the GLOOMY part)

I am at the verge of losing my job as a bar tender. I loved that job and to lose it is kinda big deal for me. Alrite, to be honest, I am quite sick of that place because I have been with them for 2 years plus! But I love what I do, I love the drinks I serve, I love the shots I layer, I love the money it brought me. One 5 hour shift a week could earn me an extra of $120 plus whatever tips we shared upon. That's not a lot of money but to be having fun while earning, priceless. Plus, without this job, my 2008 NY resolution of 'saving as much as I could' will be going to the drain because my full time job earns me just enough to cover my posh rental and my moderate living expenses.

Imagine...$150 a week (pay + tips) extra gives me an additional $600 a month which comes up to a whooping $7200 a year! It's just March now, and to know that I won't be achieving that at such early stage of the year is just a heart ache!

Not to mention to endure the first ever time I am fired in my whole life...FIRED, that's a big word, TMTH. I haven't exactly been a model employee but I have been one of the few to be 'looked up' by my manager, in most of the job I did. Any busy shift, call Nicola; Any stuffed up situations, get Nicola; Too far away, Nicola don't mine travelling. And really, most of the time I don't really mind except if I had made plans prior or had classes to attend, I would say NO. If not, I am always happy to oblige. That is why, occasionally, if there are small errors in my till or times when I took extended leave during the Christmas period to go back Malaysia to care of a sick Mum was always a no-problem event to my hotel manager. At times when I realise my mum had cancer, he assured me to take all the time I need to care for her and my job will still be right here when I return. In events when I mis-handled the gaming machine causing a discrepancy of $113, he bailed me out and I got to keep my job. I owe him a lot for all that. Literally it wasn't the hotel that save me during those hard times, it was this particular manager who saved my ass.

It's a sad thing now he's no longer there. The new manager had little understanding of me. So, I am not surprised at all if he fired me. The sad thing is not only losing the job, it's losing a good employer-employee relationship we had over the 2 years period and the hostile treatment I got last Saturday from two duty managers that I'd always loved and without good reference, I probably had to give up doing bar jobs forever.

Even if I was, say, given just a warning letter this time, I had kinda decided to not returning there after my April break which I intend to take regardless to concentrate on my studies. I was put-off by the hostility I got last Saturday, and simply devastating that the trust isn't there anymore.....

I told ya it's gloomy....so gloomy that I don't even feel like putting up anything colorful to make it less gloomy. So no motivational pictures, no colored fonts.

I just lost a whooping $7,200....of course there isn't gonna be any sunshine now....at least for the time being.

%#@*GLOOMY*%#@*

9-5 Office Life....

The day I left hairdressing was the day I went into Julia Ross Human Resources in hope of seeking temporary office jobs which (*fingers crossed*) will eventually lead me to my permanent office job in the future. It's been like 2 weeks since I've been wif them and I can totally say I am sooooo satisfied with them!! The first week I was with them, they had already found me this temporary job with a conference-organising company doing data entry and making calls to update into the database. It was fun....and I was happy I am finally into 9-5 jobs...where ppl start work at 8:30 sharp in the morning, have 1 hour break whenever I wanted and say "Have a Nice Weekend..." once the clock strike 5:30....*sweet*. Since last year when I joined Shark Hotel till my days in hairdressing, I had to work at days when people were busy having fun like thursday nites (late nite shopping), friday & saturday.....It was totally different now that I am in office work....I work when people are working and have fun when people are too.....

My office.....

Partial view from my office...imagine 180 degrees of sea view.....



Since that job ended last wednesday, immediately my agent called me and arrange a job in Miller's Point for the rest of the week....how efficient. It made me think for a while that there are so many opportunities out there....it kinda gave hope for me and it kinda felt good after what happened with RAW. And one more good thing was, I felt I was important and I was part of the company when I work in the office. Everyone is so nice to you and treated you as part of them. Miller's Point job was fantastic....imagine 10-5 work, office facing breath-taking sea view of Darling Harbour to Circular Quay, kitchen with everything you need including a 42 in flat screen TV and a fridge full of beer, sparkling mineral water, soft drink and juice that you can take anytime you want......And at the end of the job, people actually appreciate the work you completed for them.....that is the best part....the feeling of accomplishment!

Today is Monday again....and when I did not get any call at 10:30 am, I assume there is no task for me...just as I was about to plan my unemployed day, another agent called me, telling me that she has arrange an interview for me with an international life insurance and financial services company in Australia Square. I met the agent at 2:30, went in the company for interview at 3:00 pm. Everything went smooth.....but one problem...they wanted people to start tomorrow but I told them I can't and wanted to start on Thursday instead. No....I'm not lazy, but I need to go to the airport to pick up my parent's friends who are here for holiday. I need not to do that, but out of courtesy and I am really really worried they might get lost, I decided to go meet them tomorrow n e way. I had organised their trip from the beginning and really wanted to help them up to the end. Say I am overly helpful or whatever, I dunno if I was too helpful that I'm dumb or I'm really nice for being helpful. I did not get back a call from my agent after the interview....meaning there is a chance that I did not get the job. Is it because I wasn't able to start immediately? Or because I really screwed the interview? I was quite confident when I left the office because I tot I had scored it....what was the problem then? Or will they call me back tomorrow instead? One thing I knew I screwed was the results of my data entry and typing test which I overly stated the figure. My agent had told me earlier that they wanted people with 10,000 ksph and my agent told me I had that speed. I was pretty sure I had only 7,000+ ksph but when the interviewer asked me about it, in the midst of really wanting the job, I told her I think I did 9,000 ksph but wasn't sure if that was the correct results and had told her to call my agent to confirm that. I know I lied but I really wanted the job. Maybe the interviewer called the agent and indeed realise I lied?? Gosh...i wasn't as worried before I slept just now....but now that I'm fully recharged and sober, I realise I'm so worried I had made the wrong decision....

Anyhow, I hope I get a good news tomorrow morning...meanwhile I'll keep my fingers crossed!

On a separate issue, I took some funny pics of Rooney with his new toy, Froggy....



Interrupted playtime for a pic....


"I'll continue playing if you dun mind...."


Rooney on his bed of TOYS....

Bye-bye RAW

Finally after like 3 weeks of work, I've decided to give up my job as an apprentice hairdresser. It's been the most shittiest week of my life that I have called soooo many people to complain about it....that last night I just cried everything out and recalled what my boss, David, had said to me the day they offered me the job:

"Always remember it's your choice that you wanna be here. It's your choice that you choose to work with us. In the future you might have days where you might feel shitty and feel like you wanna leave. At those moments, always remind yourself that it's your choice to be here....."

And I've decided that I wanna exercise my right of making my choice: I don't even wanna be there one more day in my life...that I wanna quit right away. After making up my mind, I can seriously say that last nite I had the best sleep I ever had since I started working there.....I slept at 9 last nite and did not have nightmare the whole nite and only woke up at 11:30 this morning..feeling totally relieved.

This week itself, ever since I had been picked on at work, there have been 2 consecutive nites where I kept dreaming about things regarding to death. No...not I dream of myself wanting to die....I dream of buying paper made stuffs that you burn for the dead ones and seeing a gal dropping down a building....yesss...I know I sound scary here...but it kinda freaked me out a lil' when I woke up that few mornings.....And last nite....enuff was enuff....I will not tolerate one more day being with them because this is the first ever job that depressed me soooo much. Not only I made myself feel bad, I affected my parents too. My mum was soooo heart broken after hearing all the bad things my colleague did to me that she felt bad the whole time last nite.....I called her just now and told her my biggest Mother's Day pressie I could give here now is to quit the job and quit being mistreated by people there. I hope she felt more relieved right now....knowing her daughter at least still have some self-esteem to spare.

And right here, right now....I just wanna type everything out and totally get it outta my system. Sorry to those I called to bug and whine about it...and thanks for being such good listener as well.....I will blurt everything out here finally and say bye-bye to this nightmare.........

My so-called team leader, Ash, hid my phone on friday because I kept my phone in the kitchen. I left it on silent mode and FYI, I realise some apprentice keeps their phone there as well so I tot it was alrite to do so. And not to say I will talk on the phone (like some of them) while working or constantly check my phone for missed calls or sms-es. I just kept there so that I need to go all the way to the 4th floor to my locker to get my phone during break time. So, at lunchtime, I walk in to the kitchen, opened the drawer, only to realise my phone went missing. I went totally ballistic and asked another senior about it. He just smiled and didn't answer my question of how i could get my phone back.....it drove me totally CRAZY! I finally found my phone back on the dining table, underneath some pile of capes. I mean, pls act like adults for God's sake. There is no need to hide my phone......just confront me or give me a warning letter or something. I'm no kid any more.....f*ck that biatch! And, even if you were to hide my phone, at least put it in a safe place like your locker or something. Not just leave it on the table....what if it goes missing? Are you gonna pay for it?

After lunch time, she came up to me and say:
Ash: So, you found your phone back?
Me : Yes I have.
Ash: You are not suppose to keep your phone there. The next time I see it again, I will take it up to Anthony's office and you will get a warning letter, understand?
Me : Buttttt....(angry)....ahhh...forget it...just forget it....(wanted to tell her other people was doing the same and she should act like adults and not hiding phones like kids and if hide, at least hide it in a safe place...not leave it on the table or something....but realise I just lost the effort to fight back because I am way more matured than fighting back with retarded people)
Ash: But what? You seen other people doing it?
Me: Yessss....i've seen other people doing it and I tot it's ok.
Ash: No...it's not ok for you to do it....

F*ck her....you know what, the next day (Saturday), I found her phone there laying inside the drawer at the kitchen. I so wanted to just dump her phone into the bin!

And....the same day, after Ash confronted me about my phone which drove me absolutely nuts, Anthony came and ask me to the balcony because he wanted to talk to me.....and guess what the talk was about....he wasn't happy of my taking sick leave the day before. He said he cannot have me telling him i'm down with stomach cramp every month during my period days and that my sick leave had brought the business down. I told him it doesn't happen all the time but he just ask me to go see the doc and get some medication to stop the pain and get back to work. Again FYI, that day I took sick leave, another senior apprentice took a day off as well giving the excuse that his house keys were inside the car and the gf took the car key to work so he cannot lock the house, hence, cannot come to work. And he did not get that 'talk' I got from Anthony. I mean...pleassssseeeeee....whose excuse is more lame here? I'm just a junior with no chance of servicing a client while that senior have clients and when I don't turn up to work because I am sick, I'm being blame for bringing the business down while nothing happened to him???? Wat the hell!?!?!?!?!?!?

And the most terrible one: I was walking down the stairs one evening and bump into Ash. She just pushed me hardly and shouted angrily at me, "Shut up!!" and ran up the stairs.....WTF!!!! I did not do anything to her and I got this!?!?!?!? Later I realise she was running up to the office to get the results whether she is in the FAME team or out (she joined this competition with her hair collection and IF she gets in, she will be travelling around the world doing hair)....but then, it's still not a good excuse to push me!! So....serve her right that she did not get into the team!

Dammit Ash! She is just such a sucker to Anthony and a bloody hell 'bodek' queen of all time.....Everyday in the salon, you'll always hear her calling, "Anthony, Anthonnyyyyy" here and there in a attentive, very 'teh' voice....YUCKSSSS!!! And when serving clients at the basin area, she just talks with them so loudly that it affects the peace of other clients....hate her man! Such a bitch that thinks she is hella great because she puts in sooo much effort in doing hairdressing and that she thinks she is a celebrity or something. She is just a bodek queen that sucked up so much on Anthony and backstab almost everyone as far as I have noticed during my 3 week work there. Never admits her mistake and puts the blame on her juniors when things go wrong! Team leader attitude that is!?!??!! PUITTT!!!

Many other things happened as well that I just don't wanna mention anymore. It's simply heartbreaking that I'd rather forget about it. Not to say I cannot tolerate being a junior there, but the fact I'm doing lots of cleaning around the salon and Anthony's private stuffs instead of hairdressing and still need to be picked on by evil seniors that hurt me. I went in with so much expectation only to realise that every single expectation was a disappointment. I entered a prestigious salon because I wanted to learn their way of hairdressing and make it big. But all I have got is...entering a big salon means cleaning every single part of the salon including your bosses' toilet and taking care of his pooches' pee and poo while all I got at the end of the day is....nothing. Amanda always warn me "Better clean the toilets properly because Anthony is very particular about the toilet." I would like to say here that if you are so particular about your toilet, clean them yourself. It's your private home use toilet anyway and it's already an extra when the apprentice cleans it for you....so dun ask for more! If you want it your way, you do it YOUR way YOURSELF!

So, I'm determined to call David tomorrow and go back to the salon, pack my belongings, hand back my locker keys and say Bye-bye! I really wanted to at least work next week for them as well since Emily will be away for holiday and they will be in need of people but I'm sorry that I cannot bring my self-esteem to go back there and get all those treatment from them again. I'm sick of being pushed around by young gals who think they are big shots. Even seeing their logo now make me wanna puke!

So....BYE BYE RAW! RAW is WAR? I say RAW is SORE!

P/S....Thanks for everyone who helped me pulled through this bad week...thanks Edward and Cynthia for being such good listener whenever I needed to talk.....and soooo sorry that I broke my parents' heart with all those incidents.....

RAW.......is WAR

This would be the BIGGEST OMG of the week....Anthony Nader, winner of the Australian Hairdresser of the Year 2006 just called me, and the best thing is....he offered me a tryout in his salon in Darlinghurst for a week! OMG, OMG,OMG....i was soooo happy when my phone rang and then a sleek voice sounded,

"Hi,is this Nicola? This is Anthony Nader calling from RAW...."

I just wanted to jump up and down the moment I hear his voice. I've finally scored it! After like 3 weeks unemployed, I scored myself a job....not just an average job, it's the job with the best in town!

For those who might not know Anthony, let me introduce to you my new boss.


Anthony Nader is the winner of the Australian Hairdresser of the Year 2006 and most recently the Best Hairdresser in NSW. His famous clientele includes Cate Blanchett, Hugh Jackman, Jackie O, Sonia Kruger and Tom Williams. Besides doing celebrities' hair, he is also frequently involved in magazine shoots and TV programs like the Australian Next Top Model as well as fashion shows like the Mercedes Fashion Week.

His salon, RAW Anthony Nader, is located at 30 Burton Street, Darlinghurst (Few shops down The Gaff Bar). It's a 4 level salon and the best level is the basement, with dimmed lights and tranquil music playing. It's the basin area where clients get their hair washed while sitting on a heated massaging chair....how brilliant! Besides, he also has his own product line, RAW which smells sooo good and can be purchased at an affordable price of only $12.95 for the shampoo!

Its like the dark cloud over my head is beginning to fade right now....and not only that, I guess I need to really pull myself together to build myself inside the team as it is rough inside there with heaps of training and presentation. I just told my mum the other day that IF i got the job in there, they have presentation every 9 weeks which requires me to bring in my own model and do their hair in front of the panel of judges....it makes me feel like I'm in Project Runway or something. So, I really need to poison of the lazy worm inside me and plan my future. God has already gave me a pathway and its up to me to decide if I wanna walk it over no matter how rough the road can be while making a few falls along the way or be like what I like to do in the past....quit when its getting too rough.

I wanna really do my best now since I'm being given the best opportunity of a lifetime.....meantime, I'll give my lazy worm a final break for these few days before I poison him away from my system after that.....