So, my hubby just got word this morning that he’ll be laid off, for the second time this year, on the 31st.  Talk about a sucky day, Christmas, and New Year.

I’m angry because we moved up here (now we’ll have to move again), my husband is too depressed to apply for new jobs, and because we can’t ever seem to catch a break.

I’m also angry at God–how many trials do we have to go through?  I mean, I just want to have a nice life.  Is there something wrong with that?

I wish I had words of wisdom or something like “Oh, we’ll get through this” and “Oh, we’ll find something else” but nothing seems quite adequate right now.

I’m just glad that my kids are still too young to grasp any of this.  This sucks though–royally.

To adopt a more “positive outlook on life” (shut the fuck up), I’ve decided to share An Awesome Thing From This Week ™. This week:

My cowworker (you read right. It isn’t a typo. She’s a fucking cow.) wrote a poem about our place of employment and left it on the table in the breakroom. 

Yep.  

A poem.

A motherfucking poem.  Jumpin’ jesus on a pogo stick. I can’t make this shit up. 

And yep. My phone doesn’t have a camera so I have no way of getting it out into the world, where it ought to be, save for texting a line of it every day to my bff, with the hopes that she will transcribe in careful calligraphy strokes onto handmade parchment in purple ink crushed from the shells of rare snails.  

Because the poem is seriously. Just. That. Good. 

Stay tuned, faithful readers. All 5 of you. 

PS: Also this week, a 9 year-old told me her dream in life is to sew clothes and give them away to poor people, and that this is a plan she and her friends discussed. OMG. Seriously, my heart grew like 100x like that scene from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas because this fucking kid made my day. 

But whatevs, I know the 5 of you don’t read to hear what fucking makes me happy.

Beginning of this year, I have set handful resolutions/goals for this 2009. I wanted to really engage in all of my goals, but I lost my job not too long after the New Year’s and had some really depressed time until another job came around in April. Nonetheless, this year has been really interesting to me – I feel like I have matured a lot just by going through some difficult times in this year.

I just read through my 2009 goals post back in January and I set some tough goals that I just can’t remember why I decided to do so. But here are the results from my goals of 2009:

1. Read 12 books
I nailed this hard. I’ve been very active with readings throughout the year. It took me off really hard when I moved down to Washington DC and take metro to work. It gave me time and place to read books. I should have kept the list of books I read and how long they took me, but I’m definitely sure that I have read at least 12 books this year. Success.

2. Max out Roth IRA
Another easy one. I kept my money in very tight control and able to contribute throughout the year. I’m really proud of myself for doing this and the market soared this year from 2008’s meltdown. Roth IRA was one of few things that made me happy this year. Success!

3. Study GMAT
This one was bit tough. I did study for GMAT but never took an exam. I was very on/off about the studying and never got consistent on this task. To be honest, I should have studied real hard during my non-job period of 3 months or so and take the exam when things were very down, but emotional trouble was too much. I did apply for graduate school and admitted in January, so I wouldn’t call this a total failure but the task was GMAT so it’s no success.

4. Learn Spanish
Wow, where do I begin? I have never got started on this task. A major fail for me. I set this task because one of my good friends and I talked about a two-week long trip down to South America by this time but never really engaged because he had to go China to visit his family. Spanish will always be on back of my mind but we’ll see when I’ll have time to actually dive-in this task. Perhaps after my graduate school. Epic fail.

5. Learn Photography
This is similar to task 3. I never really fully got into this one until November this year when I purchased my very first DSLR camera. I’ve been playing with the camera for last two weeks but never really took this into action. I will try to find a book on photography (it’s bit too late to do in last 12 days of 2009) but I’ll continue to put this as my challenging until I’m comfortable enough with my camera. Semi-fail.

6. Launch my own dot-com.
Hah. No word on this one. I’ve always wanted to have my own domain but gosh, this was total fail for me. Never got started. Embarrassment.

7. Join a non-profit organization
Maybe in 2010. Sorry, I’ve been selfish.

8. Re-learn guitar
I bought a cheap guitar and have been practicing it whenever I had some down-time. It’s bit frustrating to see that I can’t really play smoothly the songs I used to be able to do so back in 2003. I really need to commit to this and get back into shape.

Final results: 3 success, 2 semi-success, and 3 failure. It’s probably grade C for the year. I had some major crash this year with jobs and money, I hope I won’t have to deal with them in 2010 and focus on my goals (I will post them up shortly).

How about you? Did you set certain goals back in January? how have you done this year? did you forget them totally? successfully achieved all of your goals?

Art by mollycakes via flickr

Some women go through relationships like shoes; I go through men like jobs. I’ve had 29 jobs since I started working when I was 16. I’m not even going to try counting the guys I’ve had crushes on, dated, or hooked up with. My longest job lasted a year and a half; my longest relationship approximately four months.

These days it seems whenever I get together with my friends, they need a review: “Where are you working now? Which guy is this you’re dating?”

Breaking up with the last guy who found such shortcomings in my job insecurity has induced me to muse upon the connections between my work and my love live.

Every new job and every new relationship forces introspection. When people ask me what I do, I tell them the exact description of the jobs I’m currently working. Lately, those jobs have included special education aide, tutor, English as a Foreign Language teacher and grant writing consultant. So, I was struck when my new boss-to-be looked at my resume and observed that I’d been teaching six years. It was longer than I thought.

Maybe this is why I dislike statistics. I know some people find comfort in the rules of math, the seeming hard facts that digits provide, but like so many aspects of life I find this data a matter of perspective. I’ve had almost as many jobs as I’ve had years on this planet, which at first glance makes me think, “What’s wrong with me?”

A closer look, however, reveals that many of those jobs were simultaneous. In the 13 years I’ve been working, I’ve been unemployed a mere three months. Those are statistics I find soothing.

My love life is an equally nonsensical set of digits to manipulate. One guy I dated one month, but have been friends with for almost 10 years and acquainted with longer. In the last month, I began developing feelings for a guy I’ve known 15 months and dated only one time, 12 months ago. The only time I’ve been in love was with a guy I had known for only two weeks.

Dating statistics are often only a fraction of  the real relationship. Thus, numbers alone are insignificant, only the stories behind them bring meaning and understanding.

The seeming instability in hopping from job to job and guy to guy has taught me so much about who I am, how I love and the world at large. One of the patterns I’ve noticed about both is that first, I’m nervous and excited. As I get to know the new person or new position, I’m enthusiastic to learn everything I can and to succeed.

Gradually, I get more comfortable, fall into a routine and the shine starts to wear off. Sometimes the fantastic boss turns out not to be the amazing leader I deified in the beginning. Or the vast differences between me and the new guy don’t seem quite so complementary anymore. Employment and relationships end for so many reasons, but saying good-bye doesn’t get any better.

The hardest jobs to get over were the teaching positions in which I didn’t have a back-up plan, usually because I was so busy working and really didn’t want to leave. I often hope that somehow everything will work out for the best.

The most difficult lesson in life is the discovery that a job or relationship I thought was meant to be—because it seemed so perfect and to fit so well, I was certain it had to be ordained by the heavens—could crumble just as easily as that which I didn’t believe so deeply in. I’ve come to realize that I can’t rely on predestination or fate or some divine sign, but instead have to fight tooth and nail for everything I love and desire in this world.

I’ve learned to deal with the hard knocks of love and work life by adapting and trying to prepare for the eventual outcome. When the season, work year, numbers or money start to wane or end, the time comes to look for the next adventure. When the guy I am seeing becomes distant or undesirable, I keep my heart open for new opportunities.

With each new endeavor and romance, I must bend and adapt like branches of the willow tree, while my core continues to stand strong, confident that even without a distinct job or person by my side, I can survive any storm.

Reading through my previous blogs, I realised how long it has been since I’ve blogged, from 74 days till Christmas to just 5 sleeps.  Life goes on, even without blogging, and in the 69 days since I last blogged, a septic person in my life as thankfully slipped away and to this moment has not been heard from.  I’ve retaken and subsequently re failed at least one exam, so am currently in the middle of a total career rethink, which will mean I can justify being in Poole for at least another year, maybe longer, who knows.  A new person has also firmly imprinted their handprint on my life and I thank them for everything they have done for me and I can’t wait to continue into 2010 with them, who knows one day they might even get their own blog.  I’m starting to consider new years resolutions….I have somewhat fallen off the diet bandwagon, something i will be firmly riding from January 1st…..so healthy eating, exercise, blogging, new job on a final note, rage against the machine for christmas number one? yes please :)

ahem… so its 930 in the morning and i have already drank 3 cups of coffee and a protein shake. i am 10 minutes to being out the door to my second to last glowbal shift ever. this is met with mixed feelings. i will miss all the lovely, hilarious and gorgeous people and glowbal. goddam were we a good looking team (that place is about to get a lot less sexy once i walk my fine ass outta there). it was such a great oppurtunity to serve beside the best servers i have ever met (crystal, russel, chris n) and have learned a lot. number one lesson? ask for what you want and don’t put up with shit.

my resignation was met with much resistance (obviously…) and it was a very difficult decision. in the end i decided that the best decision was no decision and if glowbal wanted to keep me so bad they would be flexible and let me work the hours i want not the other way around. turns out all i had to do was ask. so now i have three jobs HAHAHA… i’m super excited about Preston’s. now i can use all the restaurant knowledge and experience i have to better/improve things rather than biting my tongue.

life is good. for once i’m not really stressed about money. with being full time at Preston’s as well as working part time at my other two jobs i should be set. debt free here i come.

in other news my dear old pops is home safe and sound and on the long road to recovery. i’ve talked to him a few times though and he seems happy (could be the drugs). i’ll be home in less then a week so all you pg kids (if any) that are reading this prepare your livers for the thunderdome. its on bitchez.

not getting enough danny in this blog? check out my blogs of yore page at the top. the myspace one is a good read i just went through it the other day.

lots of love and christmas joy to all my friends/family. if you are reading this, i probably love you. how bout some comments people?

I will be publishing posts covering a variety of subjects that will be of interest to anyone looking for a new job or career. There are a number of ways that you can impress a prospective employer or recruiter that will get your resume seen, read and increase the chances that you will get that opportunity for an interview.

In upcoming posts, we will cover such subjects as:

• How to find companies that are hiring…even during recessionary times.
• Create an effective resume…one that sells you, your skill set and experience
• Effective strategies and tactics for contacting companies.
• Resources available to research the companies and industries you would like to work for

We will also cover personal networking and interview in future posts as well.

Let me know if you have any suggestions about what you would like to see covered in the future.

I am currently married, though not very happily. What is it with men that when you are finally married they think all the work is done? It’s been 16  years and I’m about ready to move to another city.  So, I applied for an oracle programming job in Miami and I got called regarding a project management job instead. How exciting! They heard my salary requirement and never heard back. I called every day this week until I finally got the HR lady on the phone to tell me. So I tried to negotiate the salary to put myself back in the running. I hope it worked.

Meanwhile, I spoke with my new friend I met in the Turks & Caicos in November. This was quite the interesting phone call, I enjoyed it very much! Then I went to my dance lessons where I’m learning cha-cha, merengue, rumba, and salsa. I LOVE cha-cha!!

So I totally dropped the ball here….This is supposed to be “first 100 days” not “blog twice a week”. I really want to make an effort here to be sure I at least get a few words in each day.

The week felt very long, but also went by in a blur. Print deadlines, broadcast emails, reworking logos and my most important order of business – working up a master project calendar. My manager’s function within the department (Marketing) is fairly new (4 months) so there is no big picture of projects, deadlines, etc in existance. So I get to create one! It’s a huge undertaking definitely and I think I am on the right track. I just need to get my master excel skills warmed up.

I don’t want to admit it but I do feel a bit overwhelmed in the AMOUNT there is to do. I know I have the skills to accomplish all of the projects in my queue, it’s just figuring out where to start. I don’t want to start rambling so I’ll just leave you with this:

Moment today I felt the dumbest: Client called at 1:30 and I was the only one in the dept to answer her question. Did not know the answer so I told her I’d find out and get back to her that afternoon. 4pm she calls back again RANTING that no one called her back. I gave her the information, but she did not let up. I wondered how she would react if she was really dealing with life vs. death and she did not get the desired result.

Moment today I felt I really knew what I was doing – My manager called me into the middle of one of her meetings to ask me to mock up some changes to a stationary header (print and electronic) for one of our programs they received back from a vendor. I took 20 mins and popped a few things into a mock up and BAM I was considered a genius.

I also spent a considerable amount of time today consulting with one of my former co-workers on creating a broadcast email (which I used to do for them). Not that I should, but I do feel bad that they don’t have someone in the office that knows how to do those types of things anymore. This is probably more of a topic for one of the weekend “backstories” I am planning, but I just want to put down in words that I did LOVE my co-workers I had to leave behind, but professionally it was the right choice to move on. ‘Tis life I s’pose

so I received my confirmation letter for my new job next year!!! fuckin yeeeaaahhhh!!!

THANK YOU GOD!

man I tell u, it pays to be patient, to listen to your mother and to go to church… definitely a winning combo.

buhbye small public org with wankers for general managers and toffs for managers… hello giant evil private conglomerate where I will be the toff of a manager.

am so happy. thank you god thank you mummy for praying for me… and thank you current evil manager for 3 more days for showing me how not to manage people, that eating & drinking excessively will make u fat and that karma always comes back to bite your big ass.

****so happy*****

Well hello there from Heidelberg!

Sorry for the lack of recent updates– I’ve been trying to settle in, dealing with german bureaucracy, celebrating holidays, starting a new job, and adjusting to the time change.

Here’s my thyroid cancer update:

Here, just to fill you all in: I went to the ENT surgeon before I left Pittsburgh, he took a look at my throat and told me that he believed I have “silent” acid reflux, perhaps even secondary to the surgery.  He said that my muscles are in constant spasm and that the membranes are irritated by the acid.  I now have some medication for it, I haven’t exactly been taking very diligently– but after a few very uncomfortable days (the past three), I think I will try the drug and hope to hell it works.

I am now two days into my 175mcg dose… and feeling pretty special.  I’ve been progressively getting more heart palpitations and my appetite is scarily decreased.  I’ve resorted to setting events in my calendar with alarms saying “eat”.

It is very cold here– and the chill hurts my scar– but it’s kind of an unavoidable event because, due to the cold, it is uncomfortable if I wear something that touches my scar (like a scarf), but because I’m not wearing anything on top of it, my scar gets dried and painful.  I’ve been putting lots of cocoa butter on it in the morning, to try to avoid letting it dry out completely.

Moving everything in to my new place almost a week ago really strained my body– I’ve been trying to keep heat on my neck at all times (I bought the world’s most amazing scarf! It has pockets and microwavable inserts!), and allow my body to stretch out.  Two mornings ago I woke up with a completely frozen shoulder.  I put the last of my Bengay on it after an excruciatingly hot shower and lots of ibuprofen… I finally regained some movement back in it around midday, and by the evening I could move it quite well.

I also have to make an appointment with my endocrinologist here– I meant to do it today, but when I finally got home after hours of trying to find the right person to talk to about a university issue, I fell fast asleep for a few hours, and when I awoke, I had definitely missed my window of opportunity to call.

I’ll post a scupdate later– right now I think I’ll continue to watch some snow fall out in my garden, through my new big bedroom window and fall asleep.

Well, another semester done, one more to go….I hope this year I invested in Specs will eventually pay off, I hope I will finally be able to make the big bucks doing freelance, after this its just finalizing the steps of my innovation company…then I will just need to wait for the jobs to come in, I will have alot of good things to put in my portfolio considering I have been in the industry since the age of seventeen. I do know one thing though, this class has taught me so many things I did not know about the web. and It was all useful

Interview questions can be hard or easy.  I have been on a few interviews lately and have found a few questions that were difficult for me to answer.  The first two questions were for a grocery store position and the last one is for a virtual assistant position.

1.  Why should we hire you?

2.  Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

3.  Tell me about yourself — tell me what your friends, neighbors would say about you?

On the first question I just went over my qualifications for the position (stumbling through it).  I wish I had prepared for  a question like this and could have had a smoother answer.  Just answering hard worker, team player, dependable, blah, blah, blah just didn’t seem enough.  A week after I was asked that question I ran across a video of how to answer the question.  I was close.  You do go back over your qualifications for the position.  It’s like a 30 second advertisement for yourself.

In all honesty on the second question the first thought that came to my mind was retired and on the beach.  I knew that wasn’t a good answer so I stalled by saying I had never been asked that question.  Guess I need to have a game plan of where I want to be in 5 years.  The job I was interviewing for wasn’t like a career job so I answered that I hoped to be moving up in the company and taking on more responsibilities.  Any advice on how to answer that one?  I would truly appreciate it.

The last question was a little hard as I wasn’t sure exactly how to answer it.  The interview was for a virtual position so the interviewer was trying to find out a little more about me and what I’m about seeing that they could not see me as we were talking on the phone.  At first I answered (stumbled actually) with some work qualities.  Later the interviewer asked me again to tell me what my neighbors, friends, enemies would say about me.  There I gave a more personal answer of how I’m friendly and helpful and normally cheerful.  I’m left wondering how better to answer this question.

Interviews are all very different.  You never know what you will be asked so it is hard to prepare for what to say.  I know that I will do a good job at no matter what job I get.   Learning how to get the message across on why I am the best candidate for the position and that they won’t regret hiring me is the hurdle I have to get over.  I do believe some pondering on how to answer these questions better will help me in the future.

I didn’t get the grocery store position but I think I did pretty well on the virtual assistant interview.  I will know more in the next two weeks as to what the outcome for that position is.  Wish me luck!

The question is will it be permanent … do I still have it? Oh and what is ‘it’ anyway!

Could it be the ‘Christmas Miracle’ I was hoping for?

Starting Monday, January 4th I am happy and relieved to announce that I will be back on TV again … however at first on a ‘trial basis’, hey its a buyers market for TV talent, but I am confident I can deliver.

I am still nervous about releasing all of the details, but I will say this; it is an area I’ve worked in before and that all shows are streamed on the Internet … and the stream looks pretty good too!

Sunday night the 3rd, I’ll post the name of the station and the URL so if you’ve missed me on TV, and my ego hopes you have, you’ll be able to again have me in your house beginning on the 4th and I get to talk even more than at WHSV because the show is even longer!

Thank you so much for all you have done for me and keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I try to turn this temporary job into a permanent position!

Have a GREAT Holiday Season … and for my friends that hate ‘PC’, OK … Merry Christmas!

I have the most insane timing of anyone I know. Things that I’ve given up on always seem to show up as soon as I’ve moved onto something else. The most recent example of this is my job situation.

Last week, I started a temporary assignment as an administrative assistant/office manager for a well-known non-profit organization. I got tired of not working, I need a way to support myself for the next several years as I go through grad school, and I’m the super-organized-multi-tasking type, so it’s a good fit. I also really enjoy it when my efforts go towards helping people. That’s probably why medical facilities were my favorite projects as an interior designer. Basically, I had decided to forget about finding a design job in this economy and switch careers.

Alas, exactly one hour after I had started work at my new position, an interior design firm that I sent my resume to about 6 weeks ago called me to schedule an interview. The designer in one of their offices left, and they desperately need someone to replace her. Well, I rocked the interview of course. I’m up against a handful of other experienced designers though, so we shall see. I also have to decide if I want to pick up and move again, which this job would involve. Stay tuned.

I do have the craziest timing.

Well its hump day, and Im glad that its almost over.  Its definitely been a tough climb this week.  Its mostly my own attitude.  Im having a little bit of a tough time starting the new job.  The feeling out of place, the not knowing what Im doing, the having to ask a million questions… Im so not used to this.  Im really trying to remain positive.  This week everyone has been so busy that Ive been a tad neglected, so not much work for me to do.  So its busy work.  I fucking hate busy work.  Hey, take these 20 pages of contact info and type it into excel.  UGH.  Fucking hate it.  I think that when I am actually in a groove of doing the actual job it will be better.  But right now, its still a lot of waiting around for people to send me stuff to do and send it back to them for review.  I want to feel like I am contributing… but Im really feeling like I am in the way. 

Sigh.  Enough of that.  There are adjustments and growing pains to everything.  I know that.  Cant wait for them to be over though.

But in some good news we got a pack out date the other day.  Its set for May 25th.  I am excited and nervous all at the same time.  I cannot wait to live in San Diego.  But Im stressed about renting out our house.  We think we have it figured out.  A friend and my BIL are supposed to rent it out together.  But D and I are a little concerned that his brother might not be able to afford his half.  He is living in our basement right now, but we only charge him $150 a month to cover the cost of having him here.  And if he cant afford it, our friend cant afford to stay here by himself.  So… we are keeping our fingers crossed that it doesnt fall through.  But if it does… we need to figure out what we are going to do.  And we were checking out what some homes in our neighborhood sold for online last night… yeah… it’s definitely gotten even worse in the past 6 months.  There are houses just like ours selling for less than HALF what we paid for ours 3 years ago.  Sigh.  So selling isnt even an option. 

But we are checking out places in San Diego and I am getting excited about moving there.  We have found some areas that we like, and are hoping they will have some availability June 1st.  Yikes.  In just six months we will be living across the country.  And in just three weeks my husband will be 10 hours away for 4+ months.  I am not excited about that. 

But, I finally got a task to do – yippee!

I haven’t blogged in way too long. Have been super busy with a new job. I’m currently being followed by a blind man on the streets of the town where I work. I say blind; he has a white stick but still manages to find me wherever I am. He loves to make small talk about the rain, how great the meat van at the market is and once told me he’d recognise the sound of my shoes anywhere. Ahhh blind man.

Let’s try to go in sort of sequential order since I last posted.

I’m two days away from my move to Uptown, and I’ve bought all of ONE thing I was thinking about buying. I went with the flat-screen, because my old TV would make my new apartment look lame cluttered. Plus I got a deal. I went on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and ended up with a $1400 Samsung 46-inch LCD for $860something – including tax! I’m still trying to decide on the laptop. I’m test driving my mom’s new Dell Inspiron. I hate the keyboard… and the jury’s still out on Windows 7. I’m leaning more and more toward a Macbook.

Speaking of the move to Uptown — I suck at math, and it’s a good thing. When I worked out my monthly budget, I took too many taxes out of my paycheck. I now have a little extra to play with each month — or put away for savings/vacation/laptop/grad school.

Yes, grad school. (Nice subject flow there, right?) I’m still trying to decide what I might be interested in outside of news. I’m still at a place where I’m unsure if this is IT. I like what I do. I like writing, I like the constant deadlines. I like being able to learn something new each day. But I also know I don’t want to work a crazy schedule forever, and odds of getting a 9-5ish job are slim. I’m thinking about Political Science or Communication. If I’m being honest, I’d like to be a speechwriter or work on campaigns, but I really don’t know how all of that works. I’ve only wanted to do one thing since I was 15 — work in news.

Speaking of working in news, I’m less enthralled by my new job. It’s not that I don’t like it. I just think the shiny new-ness wore off after 4 months. Which is perfectly normal. I still like the people I work with — and while I’m still getting used to Tiger Woods and Balloon Boy being breaking news instead of shootings and police impersonators, it’s a fun change. Except for the hours. I never sleep. Almost. I get about 2 to 4 hours each night. My body is drained, but my mind just won’t stop going. I’ve tried Unisom, Tyleonol PM, blackout blinds and a sleep mask. It’s not happening.

But the lack of sleep, combined with making less than half the McDonald’s/Wendy’s/Burger King/Cane’s/ Chick-fil-a/Sonic/Exxon trips I did in Shreveport, helped me drop my first-job 15. I was flipping through Facebook pictures the other day. Man I got a little chunky. Happily though, I’ve discovered the elliptical (occasionally) and kitchen: Spinach & feta salads, pasta & pesto and spinach, feta & artichoke Egg-Beater White omlettes. I even mix things up occasionally by tossing a can of low-sodium tomato soup on the stove, and adding oregano, rosemary, a little olive oil and a garlic clove. Not the super-healthiest thing ever — but a lot better than a 12-piece McNugget meal. (Admittedly, I still hit the drive-thru more than I should… Do I smell a second New Year’s resolution?) I’m even back to my pre-21 weight. That is an accomplishment.

I made a few trips to Austin. One of them resulted in an outcome I expected, but nonetheless was disappointed with. Maybe next time though — I’m only 23 and I’ve got plenty of time ahead of me. Boyfriend and I are still dating (if you can 3 hours apart, phone calls on the way to and from my midnight – 8 am shift “dating”.) He’s helping me move this weekend. Good Boyfriend, right?

I went to New York to visit my sister… and fell in love with the city (cliché much?). I want to work there. Unfortunately, I realize I can in no way afford it, until I can get a good job there. So, I’ll work toward it and eventually get there.

I started to type up what I did on the trip — but I think it would just make this a gargantuan mess. So lets leave the obligatory boring, introsepective catch-up post here, and give New York it’s own fun.

Ya Allah…

Alhamdulillah
Alhamdulillah
Alhamdulillah

Baru aja dapet telp dari koordinator editor di kantor lama, to the point ajah mereka butuh orang untuk kerja lagi jadi editor..mudah2an untuk jangka waktu yang lama, jadi saya bisa ikut saving money buat dimasukin ke wedding budget..ga henti2nya saya mengucap syukur alhamdulillah. setelah hampir tiga bulan ga ada kabar, akhirnya panggilan kerja itu datang juga…

Y allah..tolong mudahkanlah rejekiku

Amiiin Y Rabbal’alamiiin

We’re almost at the start of the New Year and you know what that means, right? New goals… new diet…  new exercise program…. new job?

If you’re unsatisfied in your current work situation, or even if you’re just wondering if there’s something better out there, pick up a copy of New Job, New You by Alexandra Levit. You may know Alexandra from her previous works They Don’t Teach Corporate in College or How’d You Score That Gig?

This time, Levit is tackling career change. New Job, New You is designed to help you discover what’s really driving your career choices, so you can channel those motivations into a more satisfying job and, ultimately, a more satisfying life.

The book gets to the heart of what makes people switch careers, using some of the more common reasons as a framework for the discussion. In Levit’s words, these are:

Family: When true work/life balance becomes a necessity

Independence: When you’ve been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug

Learning: When your bookish, curious side takes over

Money: When an increase in earning potential is on the horizon

Passion: When you yearn to do what you love

Setback: When one door closes, another one opens

Talent: When you’re too good at something not to give it a shot

If any of these strike a chord, New Job, New You could serve as the inspiration for your own career change in 2010 or beyond. But the book does more than help you identify why you may want to move in a new direction, it provides guidance on how that is specific to each section. Levit does a nice job of helping you think through options – listing steps to get your financial house in order before making the leap as an entrepreneur for example – so you can make informed choices as a result.  

If – like me – you find that New Job, New You helps you identify what you want out of your career – or even if it leads you to search for greener pastures, you will find plenty of inspiration from others who came before. Since the moment when you take a deep breath and decide to start a new career can be terrifying (yet incredibly liberating), each section features interviews with others who have successfully transitioned from one job to another.

There’s also a forward by Stephen Covey (Hey Alexandra, how’d you score THAT gig?!) that rightly points out this is no longer the age of a hierarchical career model where organizations have all the control. We – as talented employees – have real choices in how, where, and when we work….sometimes we just need a little encouragement to make it happen. Consider this book your paperback “kick in the pants” to get moving.

New Job, New You will be released December 29^th and is available for pre-order now on Amazon.

Have you ever applied to a job posting, interviewed for the position, and then got the job, only to wonder later what you would actually be doing on a day to day basis? Or, have you gone into a new position expecting one thing, and then realized that the job was totally different than your expectations? Why does this seem to happen? Is this a common issue for people? I have been fortunate enough to have not had to deal with this type of situation, however I have heard many horror stories. I could see how this would be frustrating to someone who left one position for another, only for it to turn out differently than they expected and now they have to try to return to the previous position or look elsewhere. Do job postings need to be improved, or does more communication from both parties need to take place during the interview process?

hello everybody lots of people have been asking me how my first day of work went! havent got time to blog so far so here it is now!!!

firstly its SUPER DUPER FUN hahaha so happy that i had fun i was so happy that i didnt really realise how tired my legs were for five hours straight!! haha.

its quite alot of stuff to learn at one shot but im quite proud of myself cos i think i managed quite well HAHA but i was scared at first but its really fun to take orders (: but must remember all the short forms and stuff to write on the cup gosh.

i tried my hand at the mix in part only once cos desiree had to teach me and i still dont really know how to haha. then the CASH register gosh my maths is so horrible i think i told joy helu and cheryl so far HAHA so lazy to type out my horrible cash register experience here but i kinda embarrassed myself in front of the customer and desiree cos i cant count ten bucks minus 4.70 hahhaa. OKAY ENOUGH

so anws first day was  okay! more like first night actually plus their clock is SLOW so we close later than 7 on most people’s watches then must clean up the shop. anddddd cos you have to sign up yourself on the roster and its super filled to the brim (dont know why they keep hiring) so my next job’s on 19th but pls dont visit me yet cos i wont be able to mix in yr ice cream cos dont know how hahahahah but im trying to work day shifts which will be 4th and 5th jan yay NEXT YEAR hahaha shows how packed the roster is la.

BUT HALLELUJAH RYNA IS COMING TO JOIN ME AT WORK YAY I HOPE WE GET TO WORK TGT SOON COS everyone knows everyone there then its quite weird when there’s no customers cos they’ll all huddle tgt and talk but their friendly la (:

OKAY ENOUGH ABT JOB YAY

this week is officially sports week cos im gg rollerblading TWICE and HIKING YAYYYY CANT WAIT HAHAHAHA

and im kinda sad cos i cant attend saap’s christmas party cos my dad’s back ):

on a happier note PAEPLE is meeting on wed yay but sorry im coming for the BRUNCH instead of breakfast haha cant wait to cya guys!

and my dear helu im glad i saw you today take care okay (: