HELP!!!
I'm going BERSERK!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
I dunno what to say...
The past 2 days had been a mad spin of interviews and surprises. Everything still feels a bit surreal to me. There are so many stories to tell I think I gotta split them into sections to avoid confusion.
SIA Interview on Sunday - 10 June 2007
Shyan gave me a ride to Concorde Hotel for my 1010 hour appointment. I hated it cos we had an argument when we left the house. What a great start to my interview! He was grumpy because he played computer games till the wee hours of the morning with his friends and had to wake up early to send me out. I wanted to get there by myself initially but he suggested giving a ride to me. Oh well, I was lazy to take the bus anyway, so I asked him for a ride in the end. But why must he give it to me with a black face since he suggested it himself? Sometimes I really feel like throwing a punch into his face!
Fortunately, the unpleasant drama in the morning took a turn and things began to look up. When I reached there, the girls attending the 10.10 am appointment were already lining up to register. It was so unlike the first and second time I was there - it used to take an hour to just wait til your turn, i.e. if your appointment is 9.30am, you will only be registered at 10.30am. Then wait for another 5 minutes to get your measurements done and another 5 before you are ushered to the interview room.
Anyway, it was pretty swift this time. By 10.30am, me and the other 9 girls were already in the interview room and began introducing ourselves one by one. 5 outta 10 girls in my group were selected. We proceeded to a counter to get our certificates verified and waited another 10 minutes for the kebaya fitting test. I was eliminated during that round in my last attempt. Thus, I was a bit nervous about my posture.
I walked as naturally as I could and tried to slow my paces. Then we were whisked outside to wait for the results once more. 6 of us went in for the test and ALL of us passed! What a joy!
Then we waited ultra-long for the one-to-one interview. It seems that the longer you wait, the more nervous you'll become! To make matters worse, the male middle-aged interviewer did not look friendly at all! He looked austere and strict, to be precise.
Finally, it was my turn and I went in with a blank mind. The interviewer tried to lighten the mood with small talks and I did my part as well by joking that my name sounded like teddy bear. It seemed to work because he gave an amused chuckle.
Why do you want to make a sudden career switch? What is good customer service to you? How much do you know about being a cabin crew? What do you know about our new airbus? When you encounter a problem, how do you solve it (very general)? When you are working in a team, are you always in the leader or follower position? Which position do you prefer? How long do you plan to fly?
Those were the questions I was asked during the 1-to-1. Luckily I could answer all of it reasonably. Phew!
When the interviewer finally jot down my name on the sorta like permit allowing me to proceed to the next round, I breathed a sigh of relief and actually couldn't really make out what he was saying at the time! Thank God he didn't fail me after all!
I had a break of 2 hours until the water confidence test so I swung around to McD for a bite. I was starving because I had forgo my brekkie. Never have much of an appetite too early in the morning. I returned to the hotel at 3.30pm. They gave everyone a life jacket regardless of your swimming abilities. We went into the pool 5 by 5. The guys went first.
After getting outta the pool, you'd be required walk in a straight line toward the interviewers to allow them to observe your posture. You have to held out your hands when you reach them to be examined for any visible scars. Finally, you turn around to check for any flaws on your back and walk back to the first position you started with.
We all waited in the meeting room once again after the test. The result was read to us shortly after. The final interview will be held 2 weeks later and they will give us further notice for that.
By the way, a few girls from the Emirates interview also turned up for this one. Really, the more you attend these interviews, the more familiar those faces become! Most of them made it through the water confidence test too.
After I got home, Kathryn informed me she had received the rejection email from Emirates. After I finished all my chores at home, I went to the cyber cafe to check my email with a thumping heart. Thankfully, I did not get it at all. But I was still scared and decided to keep on checking.
Junior Copywriter Interview - 11 June 2007
The next day, I took an MC from my job in order to attend the eCosway interview. I wouldn't had been there if the guys from Paprika had called me last week. Since they didn't call, I thought maybe it was a goner and pushed it outta my mind.
The interview with eCosway was a half-hearted one. I wished for it to end as soon as possible so I could go home and rest.
* * * * * * *
I noticed a missed call on my cell from Andrew (Paprika) on my way back and called him back immediately.
It seemed they had decided to take me in after all. On top of that, they'll buy me out for 1 month outta my 2 months notice so I could join them sooner. But as always, there are T&C attached. I was required to stay with the company for at least a year. Upon hearing this, I was thinking, "What if I'm accepted by Emirates? How am I gonna get myself outta this?!?" So I calmly asked him what is the compensation scheme if I breach the contract. He said I would be required to pay them 2 months worth of my salary then. But I'm still not sure about that though.
They were gonna mail me an offer letter first. I advised them to send by normal mail instead of registered since there won't be anyone at home to receive it during office hours. Moreover, it will buy me some time while waiting for EK's reply. They will only prepare the contract after I have accepted their offer. I certainly hope all these will take up a lot of time before I sign the contract because hell, I still didn't know EK's result!
The Surprise...
With a heavy heart, I took a nap beside Shyan. Yeah he MC again because he played computer games with his buddies again till 3am the night before so he couldn't get up for work. And he even cold-shouldered me for asking him to come home early! The nerve!
Don't get me wrong though. He's usually a great guy. He loves me more than I love him and almost always takes great care of me. But sometimes I really don't understand why he does the things he does!
So anyway, I woke up bleary eyed when my cellphone rang. No number was indicated on the screen. I thought it was my sister calling from Hong Kong and answered the phone.
A pleasant and slightly accented male voice came from the other end. He said something more for a while before I could make sense of what he was talking about. It seemed he was calling from Emirates. Ok. Wait. Emirates? Emirates! EMIRATES!!!
Finally, he said, "Actually, I'm calling to inform you that you've been selected for our final....(I couldn't catch what he was saying). He went on to elaborate the details to me and told me to expect an email with all the instructions and relevant documents attached. He even gave me a joining date!
I asked him for his contact details in case of any queries and he ended the conversation by wishing me good luck for my medical. It was pleasant talking to him because he sounded to be smiling constantly! But I had to strain a bit to make out what he was saying through his middle-eastern accent. It was all good though.
* * * * * * *
Now I'm still waiting for the email to proceed with the medical checkup. Please please let me have it soon cos I'm really running outta time with all the stuff chasing after my back! I'm truly thanking God for all these great opportunities but I also need a sign for me to sort them out.
Sincerely praying for your help and guidance, God.
Amen.
SIA Interview on Sunday - 10 June 2007
Shyan gave me a ride to Concorde Hotel for my 1010 hour appointment. I hated it cos we had an argument when we left the house. What a great start to my interview! He was grumpy because he played computer games till the wee hours of the morning with his friends and had to wake up early to send me out. I wanted to get there by myself initially but he suggested giving a ride to me. Oh well, I was lazy to take the bus anyway, so I asked him for a ride in the end. But why must he give it to me with a black face since he suggested it himself? Sometimes I really feel like throwing a punch into his face!
Fortunately, the unpleasant drama in the morning took a turn and things began to look up. When I reached there, the girls attending the 10.10 am appointment were already lining up to register. It was so unlike the first and second time I was there - it used to take an hour to just wait til your turn, i.e. if your appointment is 9.30am, you will only be registered at 10.30am. Then wait for another 5 minutes to get your measurements done and another 5 before you are ushered to the interview room.
Anyway, it was pretty swift this time. By 10.30am, me and the other 9 girls were already in the interview room and began introducing ourselves one by one. 5 outta 10 girls in my group were selected. We proceeded to a counter to get our certificates verified and waited another 10 minutes for the kebaya fitting test. I was eliminated during that round in my last attempt. Thus, I was a bit nervous about my posture.
I walked as naturally as I could and tried to slow my paces. Then we were whisked outside to wait for the results once more. 6 of us went in for the test and ALL of us passed! What a joy!
Then we waited ultra-long for the one-to-one interview. It seems that the longer you wait, the more nervous you'll become! To make matters worse, the male middle-aged interviewer did not look friendly at all! He looked austere and strict, to be precise.
Finally, it was my turn and I went in with a blank mind. The interviewer tried to lighten the mood with small talks and I did my part as well by joking that my name sounded like teddy bear. It seemed to work because he gave an amused chuckle.
Why do you want to make a sudden career switch? What is good customer service to you? How much do you know about being a cabin crew? What do you know about our new airbus? When you encounter a problem, how do you solve it (very general)? When you are working in a team, are you always in the leader or follower position? Which position do you prefer? How long do you plan to fly?
Those were the questions I was asked during the 1-to-1. Luckily I could answer all of it reasonably. Phew!
When the interviewer finally jot down my name on the sorta like permit allowing me to proceed to the next round, I breathed a sigh of relief and actually couldn't really make out what he was saying at the time! Thank God he didn't fail me after all!
I had a break of 2 hours until the water confidence test so I swung around to McD for a bite. I was starving because I had forgo my brekkie. Never have much of an appetite too early in the morning. I returned to the hotel at 3.30pm. They gave everyone a life jacket regardless of your swimming abilities. We went into the pool 5 by 5. The guys went first.
After getting outta the pool, you'd be required walk in a straight line toward the interviewers to allow them to observe your posture. You have to held out your hands when you reach them to be examined for any visible scars. Finally, you turn around to check for any flaws on your back and walk back to the first position you started with.
We all waited in the meeting room once again after the test. The result was read to us shortly after. The final interview will be held 2 weeks later and they will give us further notice for that.
By the way, a few girls from the Emirates interview also turned up for this one. Really, the more you attend these interviews, the more familiar those faces become! Most of them made it through the water confidence test too.
After I got home, Kathryn informed me she had received the rejection email from Emirates. After I finished all my chores at home, I went to the cyber cafe to check my email with a thumping heart. Thankfully, I did not get it at all. But I was still scared and decided to keep on checking.
Junior Copywriter Interview - 11 June 2007
The next day, I took an MC from my job in order to attend the eCosway interview. I wouldn't had been there if the guys from Paprika had called me last week. Since they didn't call, I thought maybe it was a goner and pushed it outta my mind.
The interview with eCosway was a half-hearted one. I wished for it to end as soon as possible so I could go home and rest.
* * * * * * *
I noticed a missed call on my cell from Andrew (Paprika) on my way back and called him back immediately.
It seemed they had decided to take me in after all. On top of that, they'll buy me out for 1 month outta my 2 months notice so I could join them sooner. But as always, there are T&C attached. I was required to stay with the company for at least a year. Upon hearing this, I was thinking, "What if I'm accepted by Emirates? How am I gonna get myself outta this?!?" So I calmly asked him what is the compensation scheme if I breach the contract. He said I would be required to pay them 2 months worth of my salary then. But I'm still not sure about that though.
They were gonna mail me an offer letter first. I advised them to send by normal mail instead of registered since there won't be anyone at home to receive it during office hours. Moreover, it will buy me some time while waiting for EK's reply. They will only prepare the contract after I have accepted their offer. I certainly hope all these will take up a lot of time before I sign the contract because hell, I still didn't know EK's result!
The Surprise...
With a heavy heart, I took a nap beside Shyan. Yeah he MC again because he played computer games with his buddies again till 3am the night before so he couldn't get up for work. And he even cold-shouldered me for asking him to come home early! The nerve!
Don't get me wrong though. He's usually a great guy. He loves me more than I love him and almost always takes great care of me. But sometimes I really don't understand why he does the things he does!
So anyway, I woke up bleary eyed when my cellphone rang. No number was indicated on the screen. I thought it was my sister calling from Hong Kong and answered the phone.
A pleasant and slightly accented male voice came from the other end. He said something more for a while before I could make sense of what he was talking about. It seemed he was calling from Emirates. Ok. Wait. Emirates? Emirates! EMIRATES!!!
Finally, he said, "Actually, I'm calling to inform you that you've been selected for our final....(I couldn't catch what he was saying). He went on to elaborate the details to me and told me to expect an email with all the instructions and relevant documents attached. He even gave me a joining date!
I asked him for his contact details in case of any queries and he ended the conversation by wishing me good luck for my medical. It was pleasant talking to him because he sounded to be smiling constantly! But I had to strain a bit to make out what he was saying through his middle-eastern accent. It was all good though.
* * * * * * *
Now I'm still waiting for the email to proceed with the medical checkup. Please please let me have it soon cos I'm really running outta time with all the stuff chasing after my back! I'm truly thanking God for all these great opportunities but I also need a sign for me to sort them out.
Sincerely praying for your help and guidance, God.
Amen.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Transition
I took a half day off and went to another copywriter job interview yesterday. The company's Paprika Global this time. It's a real advertising agency but I'm not that excited, what's with all the things pending in my life - my resignation from my current job (which requires a bloody 2 MONTHS notice!), Emirates interview result, my next job, Taiwan trip. And all these are inter-related i.e. if I get a new job before August, I might not be able to go to Taiwan. This is truly a period of transition, hopefully for the better.
Anyway, I was interviewed by Andrew and Jermyn. Jermyn is actually the MD but he has a huge tattoo on his right arm, which I think is real cool. It was peeking out from under his polo shirt. Everyone in the office was really casual with jeans and tee, which was expected since it's an agency.
They asked me about the books I read and honestly, I've left it pretty much on the backseat since high school. Books are rather expensive here in Malaysia. But I've been trying to pick up what's left of my English through reading a coupla books. I think my English is sinking like the Titanic and to prevent it from vanishing completely from the face of Earth, that's why I'm making the switch from designer to copywriter. I wanna find the old Shakespeare in me!
Anyways, I told them I read Enid Blyton in primary school and Jermyn was like extremely surprised because he said Enid's for the 70s kids, like himself. Now it was my turn to be surprised because my circle of friends back then were mad for Enid. Andrew gave a look of doubt to Jermyn because he didn't think it weird for children to read Enid Blyton. Then I found out that Jermyn is from Singapore so I said probably Malaysia is slower than Singapore in the reading field. Unsatisfied with that, Jermyn asked whether I knew Aesop Fables. Hell yeah...Tortoise and the Hare. He exclaimed with a satisfied grin and turned to Andrew,"See! She knows! 13 years difference and she knows!"
I was like,"Huh?" But I was happy that I surprised them there haha. However, I still don't understand what's so strange about me reading Enid Blyton's books?
I went on to cite Christopher Pike and Francine Pascal as my influences. On my most recent read, it was Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. And they checked it out on the Internet straightaway because a laptop was conveniently in the room! That felt a bit scary. Jermyn asked,"You didn't read it because it was an NY bestseller?" I replied No. In fact, I didn't even know it was a bestseller until recently.
Then we proceeded to talk about advertising and they inspected the copywriting works I've done. I answered their questions as honestly as possible and to the best of my ability. Since I wasn't expecting much from this interview, I wasn't the least bit nervous so I was able to treat it like a normal chit-chat. After all, I understand that with my lack of experience, getting into a proper agency like that would be quite difficult.
I also presented to them the 2 advertising campaigns I was required to prepared, so as to tell them about my opinions on the ads. For the overseas ad, I chose Pepsi. This is really fun, go watch it. I'm rather surprised that Coke didn't take legal action against Pepsi for this. Or was it banned altogether? But thank God we lucky mortals still get to see it on the Net!
As for my favourite local campaign, it's gotta be DiGi's Yellow Guy Campaign! That's just one of them back there, you can go here to check out the rest.
The overall comment about me was:
1. English command
According to Jermyn, advertising agencies are divided into 3 tiers. Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, Naga DDB and the likes are easily Tier 1. Tier 3 is similar to the company I'm currently working for. Paprika is Tier 2. And I'm glad to announce that he categorized me into Tier 2 copywriter because of my writing style. By the way, prior to the interview, I had to do a copy test of coming up with a headline, body text and an action line based on the pictures they gave us. I had to choose 3 outta the 5 pictures. They would only invite potential candidates to the interview based on the test result. However, my English command is slightly not up to par. So I still have plenty of rooms for improvement, which is true, that's why I was there.
2. Experience
Well, what can I say...
3. Background
My background as a graphic designer is probably the biggest plus point because I'd be able to help out the design department if I'm done with the writing part. Will that make me a slave? I think that depends on the employer.
I should have thanked him for the advices but I didn't find the opportunity to! That's my biggest regret for the interview.
So anyway, now I'm in for a wait. But I'd rather forget all about it because the chances of getting it is slimmer than Twiggy.
On another note, I heard from Jaku that the last time her friend applied for Emirates, she was rejected 2 weeks (sharp) after her final interview! Today is exactly a fortnight after my final with them so I'm getting a bit nervous. Hope I don't receive any rejection emails any time soon! According to Jaku, no news is good news! Hope the news is a good one when it finally comes!
Speaking of airline interviews, this Sunday will be my third attempt with Singapore Airlines. Just received their invitation yesterday. Unlike during my 1st and 2nd attempts, now I don't feel nervous about it at all. Whatever will be, will be. Attending these interviews really mature me in a short span of time! I would strongly suggest anyone wanting to grow up fast to go to these interviews! LOL!
Anyway, I was interviewed by Andrew and Jermyn. Jermyn is actually the MD but he has a huge tattoo on his right arm, which I think is real cool. It was peeking out from under his polo shirt. Everyone in the office was really casual with jeans and tee, which was expected since it's an agency.
They asked me about the books I read and honestly, I've left it pretty much on the backseat since high school. Books are rather expensive here in Malaysia. But I've been trying to pick up what's left of my English through reading a coupla books. I think my English is sinking like the Titanic and to prevent it from vanishing completely from the face of Earth, that's why I'm making the switch from designer to copywriter. I wanna find the old Shakespeare in me!
Anyways, I told them I read Enid Blyton in primary school and Jermyn was like extremely surprised because he said Enid's for the 70s kids, like himself. Now it was my turn to be surprised because my circle of friends back then were mad for Enid. Andrew gave a look of doubt to Jermyn because he didn't think it weird for children to read Enid Blyton. Then I found out that Jermyn is from Singapore so I said probably Malaysia is slower than Singapore in the reading field. Unsatisfied with that, Jermyn asked whether I knew Aesop Fables. Hell yeah...Tortoise and the Hare. He exclaimed with a satisfied grin and turned to Andrew,"See! She knows! 13 years difference and she knows!"
I was like,"Huh?" But I was happy that I surprised them there haha. However, I still don't understand what's so strange about me reading Enid Blyton's books?
I went on to cite Christopher Pike and Francine Pascal as my influences. On my most recent read, it was Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. And they checked it out on the Internet straightaway because a laptop was conveniently in the room! That felt a bit scary. Jermyn asked,"You didn't read it because it was an NY bestseller?" I replied No. In fact, I didn't even know it was a bestseller until recently.
Then we proceeded to talk about advertising and they inspected the copywriting works I've done. I answered their questions as honestly as possible and to the best of my ability. Since I wasn't expecting much from this interview, I wasn't the least bit nervous so I was able to treat it like a normal chit-chat. After all, I understand that with my lack of experience, getting into a proper agency like that would be quite difficult.
I also presented to them the 2 advertising campaigns I was required to prepared, so as to tell them about my opinions on the ads. For the overseas ad, I chose Pepsi. This is really fun, go watch it. I'm rather surprised that Coke didn't take legal action against Pepsi for this. Or was it banned altogether? But thank God we lucky mortals still get to see it on the Net!
As for my favourite local campaign, it's gotta be DiGi's Yellow Guy Campaign! That's just one of them back there, you can go here to check out the rest.
The overall comment about me was:
1. English command
According to Jermyn, advertising agencies are divided into 3 tiers. Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, Naga DDB and the likes are easily Tier 1. Tier 3 is similar to the company I'm currently working for. Paprika is Tier 2. And I'm glad to announce that he categorized me into Tier 2 copywriter because of my writing style. By the way, prior to the interview, I had to do a copy test of coming up with a headline, body text and an action line based on the pictures they gave us. I had to choose 3 outta the 5 pictures. They would only invite potential candidates to the interview based on the test result. However, my English command is slightly not up to par. So I still have plenty of rooms for improvement, which is true, that's why I was there.
2. Experience
Well, what can I say...
3. Background
My background as a graphic designer is probably the biggest plus point because I'd be able to help out the design department if I'm done with the writing part. Will that make me a slave? I think that depends on the employer.
I should have thanked him for the advices but I didn't find the opportunity to! That's my biggest regret for the interview.
So anyway, now I'm in for a wait. But I'd rather forget all about it because the chances of getting it is slimmer than Twiggy.
On another note, I heard from Jaku that the last time her friend applied for Emirates, she was rejected 2 weeks (sharp) after her final interview! Today is exactly a fortnight after my final with them so I'm getting a bit nervous. Hope I don't receive any rejection emails any time soon! According to Jaku, no news is good news! Hope the news is a good one when it finally comes!
Speaking of airline interviews, this Sunday will be my third attempt with Singapore Airlines. Just received their invitation yesterday. Unlike during my 1st and 2nd attempts, now I don't feel nervous about it at all. Whatever will be, will be. Attending these interviews really mature me in a short span of time! I would strongly suggest anyone wanting to grow up fast to go to these interviews! LOL!
Monday, June 04, 2007
Violent? ME?!?
I've always been a bit intimidated by Shyan's mom. I'm not normally not worried about meet-the-parents session. Even if I do, I think I always do a pretty good job covering it up. But well, there had been some misunderstanding between me and the lady, which thankfully had been sorted out so I've tried to be extremely courteous ever since.
Anyways, the Mom was here in KL from Kuching last week. So me and my boy took her around the 1 Utama area for makan and shopping. Everything went well until we made a trip down to Petaling Street. The weather had begun to turn bleaky and rainy starting late afternoon.
I was sharing the umbrella with Shyan's mom and everything was going smoothly albeit in a helter-skelter way. The Mom was just about to step into a shelter made up of food stalls when she suddenly turned and her cheekbone right under the eye smacked against the curved handle of the brolly I was holding.
I was so damn scared because I thought I had given her a black eye! Imagine a run-in like that with your possible future mother-in-law! I started apologizing profusely and kept asking her if she was alright. It was truly a relief that she was very understanding and didn't seem to mind about it so much.
Shyan's teasing remarks about the whole incident certainly didn't help either. I guess he just loves making fun of me...in a good-natured way of course. As the happy-go-lucky person I am, I also begin to think that it's really not a big deal after all.
Know what, I've hit a female trainee teacher in the face during secondary school too! Before you start yellin' at me for being a freak with violent tendencies, let me explain that it wasn't done in purpose too of course!
I was scribbling feverishly across the blackboard trying to solve a difficult Maths question and was pausing to shake my right hand a lil' bit because of the sore caused by the brisk scribble. So I was shaking my hand with all my might when suddenly I felt that I've hit something. And that something turned out to be the poor teacher's forehead or somewhere I can remember. It seemed that she appeared out of nowhere and I was too engrossed with solving the question to notice her. But thank God she didn't make a big deal out of it and just laughed it off.
So there you go, I am a clumsy elephant sometimes and I'm certainly not proud of it but those do make the funniest memories to remember!
Anyways, the Mom was here in KL from Kuching last week. So me and my boy took her around the 1 Utama area for makan and shopping. Everything went well until we made a trip down to Petaling Street. The weather had begun to turn bleaky and rainy starting late afternoon.
I was sharing the umbrella with Shyan's mom and everything was going smoothly albeit in a helter-skelter way. The Mom was just about to step into a shelter made up of food stalls when she suddenly turned and her cheekbone right under the eye smacked against the curved handle of the brolly I was holding.
I was so damn scared because I thought I had given her a black eye! Imagine a run-in like that with your possible future mother-in-law! I started apologizing profusely and kept asking her if she was alright. It was truly a relief that she was very understanding and didn't seem to mind about it so much.
Shyan's teasing remarks about the whole incident certainly didn't help either. I guess he just loves making fun of me...in a good-natured way of course. As the happy-go-lucky person I am, I also begin to think that it's really not a big deal after all.
Know what, I've hit a female trainee teacher in the face during secondary school too! Before you start yellin' at me for being a freak with violent tendencies, let me explain that it wasn't done in purpose too of course!
I was scribbling feverishly across the blackboard trying to solve a difficult Maths question and was pausing to shake my right hand a lil' bit because of the sore caused by the brisk scribble. So I was shaking my hand with all my might when suddenly I felt that I've hit something. And that something turned out to be the poor teacher's forehead or somewhere I can remember. It seemed that she appeared out of nowhere and I was too engrossed with solving the question to notice her. But thank God she didn't make a big deal out of it and just laughed it off.
So there you go, I am a clumsy elephant sometimes and I'm certainly not proud of it but those do make the funniest memories to remember!
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