Jumping into the blogging bandwagon

Everybody has a blog these days! It’s scary yet exciting at the same time to find people you least expected to have a blog to jump on the bandwagon to express themselves online. It’s definitely easier to keep yourself updated with the ongoing of your own friends’ life but in an awkwardly funny way, it seems to cut down on the real contact you may have with your friend.

I found out today that one of my best friends started a blog a few months back. Thing is, she didn’t tell me about it. I stumbled upon it by accident, really. Maybe I’m just being sensitive about the whole thing but I actually have mix feelings about it. For one, I’m glad that she has a blog now as I hardly see her or talk to her and her blog will be a great way for me to update myself on her life. Yet, I can’t help but feel a bit hurt that she did not tell me that she has a blog. I’ve been feeling for the longest time that the both of us have grown apart so much, so much that I feel an awkward silence between the both of us when we do finally get together (the few measly time that we ACTUALLY get together).

I keep asking myself the same questions over and over again. What happen between the both of us? Have we both changed so much that there’s no strand of similarity anymore? What happen to the 20 years of friendship we had? Where is the girl I love so much like my own sister? Am I not doing enough as a friend? Do I not make an effort enough? Why am I the one who is always the first to take the initiative to make contact?

The bf has said time and again that I should cherish those who really care about me, the ones who makes an effort to be a part of my life. The rest? Keep them close but don’t put too much hope in them. Continue investing the love and time in them but it’s best to reduce the investment if there’s not much return. I hate how business-like the whole thing sounds but I guess it’s kind of true to a certain extent.

Hmm…now I wonder if this bestie of mine knows about my blog? I guess it’s very hypocritical of me to get upset with her for not letting me know about her blog when I don’t inform her myself, no? Jeez…life is complicated. I want to keep my blog out of the radar as much as possible and here I am, complaining about not being informed of a friend’s new blog.

*sigh*

Why is the word ‘potatoes’ spelled with ‘es’ at the end?

Had dinner with the bf last night and after we finished our meal, the both of us still feel that our stomachs were not filled up right. Just a quick explanation to everybody, I usually wouldn’t be able to finish my food unless I’m famished. I guess I must be feeling famished last night. Oh, well. Back to the story-telling. The bf suggested to go for dessert but the both of us had no idea where to go next as we were having dinner in one of the ‘warungs’ in Kelana Jaya and didn’t want to go too far.

I was hankering for some ‘cendol’ but the bf pointed out that it will be tough looking for it since it’s 9+pm. The alternative is getting some doughnuts from Big Apple in NZX but we’re both kind of sick of having doughnuts so soon again. The bf was craving for some ice-cream and suggested that we go to Swensen’s and it was my turn to point out to him that Swensen’s is an overkill cause the both of us will end up feeling too full. As we ding-dong ideas around, the bf’s friend, S, called and wanted to meet for drinks. When the bf told him that we want to have dessert and have no idea where to go, S suggested McD’s sundaes. Bless him for making that suggestion because McD’s sundaes have always been heavenly and you never feel that it’s too much for the tummy.

There we were, enjoying our sundaes and catching up with S when the bf suddenly pointed to a poster with potatoes and fries. Both S and the bf were asking why the word “potatoes” is spelled with “es” in the end and why the word “tomatoes” is spelled with only “s” in the end (note that I spelled tomatoes with “es” in the end because it’s the correct spelling, though I was tired and blur last night, that’s why the lack of attention). It was then that I got into my “moment”.

Now, my “moments” does not appear all the time. It’s few and far in between. Yet, when it does make an appearance, it can leave the people around me in stitches, especially the bf. Anyway. My “moment”.

I started explaining to both S and the bf about how when a potato is left alone, especially in a damp, dark place, it will start growing shoots out of it. And those shoots look like toes. And that’s the reason why “potatoes” are spelled with “es” in the end. S looked at me with dumbfounded look for a few seconds before asking me what I’m on. He thinks that I’m high on something! After all of us had finished laughing (and my face had stopped turning a funny shade of red), S asked me about the missing toenails on the potatoes “toes”. To which I answered that potatoes are special, so they do not have nails growing on their toes.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, that is the reason WHY “potatoes” is spelled with “es” at the end of it.

Moving on in the career track

I can’t believe I took this long to blog about changing jobs. Then again, what’s new with me? My posts are always late and I doubt much people visit this page much anymore.

Anyways, months before the new manager joined the company, I was playing around with the idea of changing jobs sooner than planned. That was back in March or April. Back when I first graduated, I had a plan. A plan to stick with my first job for at least 2 years, building up the experience and learning the ropes before I move on to a new job with better pay and perks. Boy, did that plan evolved quite a bit.

After being bullied and attacked on my quality of work by a Senior Management staff due to personal reasons that only she knows, I’ve felt really miserable staying in the company. The misery lessen considerably when she left the company and things did get better for me work-environment wise. But, there was still no manager in my division and my colleague and I both practically had to keep the division afloat. I got to learn a great many things during that duration, making the learning curve quite high. Yet, the restless feeling of staying cooped up in the office the whole day long and doing in-house PR is gradually wearing me down. I told myself that I’d stay a few more months until the new manager comes in before I abandon ship. I was seriously considering changing industry to experience different things. I still want to work in a media-related field but something different from PR for a change. I knew I had to take the risk and learn the ups and downs while I’m still able to.

I started looking for jobs during that few months before the new manager of my division comes in. I sent resumes to jobs that interest me but without much care if they were interested in me immediately. I started talking to friends about wanting to change jobs and before long, a friend recommended me to her boss, which turns out to be my new boss currently. Anyway, I was just looking around casually for a new job while keeping things running in the old office. All those time, I was just waiting for a new manager to fill in the position and take the lead. Even when we finally found someone to fill in that position, I was telling myself that I’d give it another month or two before I aggressively start looking for a new job.

The new manager only joined the company for 2 weeks before I decided that I NEED to throw in the towel and call it quits. The new manager’s behaviour and work ethics were just something that I could not accept and though I tried as hard as I could, I just cannot find within myself to work with her without resent or contempt. She was the main catalyst for my wanting to leave the job ASAP. It was also around the same time that my friend informed me that her boss would like to meet with me (read that as interview) on possibly working for her in her creative content development house.

So. I met my friend’s boss. There were two positions available and she left it up to me to choose which position I feel more comfortable and prefer working in. One was to be a marketing executive and the other was to be her Executive Assistant. After a week of sleeping on the idea, I opted for the latter position. The marketing executive position does have a high learning curve where I would be able to gather experience of working under an ex-CNN staff and getting regional exposure. However, the role of an Executive Assistant will allow me to learn everything from A to Z – from the conceptualisation of an idea to the final product. After deciding on which position to take up, it was just a matter of discussing contracts and agreeing on the dates for me to begin work.

We agreed that I’d start work in early August. Considering that I only need to give 10 working days’ notice to leave my job, I tendered in my resignation in mid-July. My last day of work was on 23rd July. And boy, was I happy to get a whole load of weight and job lifted away from me. Can you believe it? The manager was still dumping work assignments on me on my last day of work when I should be concentrating on completing any pending tasks and hand-over list! Even at the eleventh hour, she was still asking me to liaise and coordinate a few things with suppliers – things that she should start taking over because it was my last day of work and I wouldn’t be around to handle those tasks anymore. That woman was just being impossible!

Despite the misery and impracticality that the new manager showers on me, I was pleasantly surprise to find out that there were people in the old team together with some of the entrepreneurs I’ve liaised with, who find it hard to let me go. I received many emails telling me that I will be missed and that it’s a great loss to the company for letting me go. Some entrepreneurs even wrote thank you emails to me for getting them the media attention that they so rightly deserved. And there were some partners who mentioned that we should keep in touch and meet up one of these days – as friends. I didn’t know that people actually appreciated the work and effort I’ve put in in the last 10 months. It just gives off a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing that my work has not gone down the drain at all.

Although I still feel very deeply about my work in the company, although I still care about the progress of the entrepreneurs in the development of their project, life must go on. I need to do this for my own sake. For my own career purposes. And I’m glad I did. LoL. Not quite sure if I’d still feel the same way a few weeks down the road as there’s already a long list of things to do and complete within the next 8 months. Still. I’m here mainly to learn and gain experience. To explore my own capabilities. To carve a pathway for my career. Let’s see how things go after the end of the first quarter of next year, eh?