Home
pretzel_knot
22 June 2008 @ 03:06 pm
WORK HAS FINALLY ENDED.

Everybody congratulate me please. I survived the one month there. I don't want to abuse myself so I decided not to continue with the second month. And who knows, SF might have meetings...right? -nudges Kat- HAHAHAHA. But okay, being a typical Sagittarian, I zhao the first chance I get since I'm not enjoying it.  I tolerated for one month, but enough is enough.

During this one month working at a call centre:

- I gained weight. (This is too bloody obvious.)
- I broke down twice in public because I really felt very 委屈. (Damn embarrassing I tell you.)
- I realised I should be nicer the next time I get calls from strangers.
- I saw how rude some Singaporeans can be.
- I saw how nice some Singaporeans can be.
- I saw how ungrateful some Singaporeans can be.
- I saw how thankful some Singaporeans can be.
- I learnt how to deal with nasty customers on the phone by being in control of the calls.
- I learnt not to let nasty customers saying very nasty stuff get to me.
- I now know that I cannot stand companies with illogical rules that everyone else around me is following blindly.

Now I've got one more month before school reopens, don't know how I'm going to spend my time. I don't really want to rot at home, but it would be difficult to find a job for just one month. (I did thought of this problem when I quitted my job at the call centre, but I think the desire to leave that place won me over.)

Looking forward to next week though! (:


"理论的世界还真是愚蠢, 不过好像越愚蠢的事, 人们往往越容易被蒙蔽."
- 桐岛 (MARS, 战神)
Tags: ,
 
 
Current Mood: jubilant
Current Music: Dishwalla- Angels Or Devils
 
 
pretzel_knot
11 June 2008 @ 11:13 pm
Sometimes, I think we're not thankful enough. We complain too much, we don't say enough thank yous.. (Yes I admit it. My blog is like the best proof of my complaints. HAHAHA.) I don't know, are we taking things for granted?

Like, in the million phone calls that I made everyday, I can safely conclude that more than half would complain about Singtel's service/coverage/plans/offers/promotions. Among that portion, more than half would compare Singtel to Starhub and M1. I understand why they want to compare; of course we all want the best deals. But to put Singtel down as if it is the suckiest provider is a little too much right? Since every provider has its pros and cons? And during those phone calls I can't help but think "Got offer better than nothing right." Then they will start badgering me to give a better offer, to which I can do absolutely nothing about because hello, this is not the marketing team or whatever calling you up, this is a part-timer.

And then yesterday, this lady thanked me profusely when I asked if she would like to take up an offer. I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised. It then struck me that  she seemed to be the only one who sounded as if I was doing her a great favour instead of the other way round, throughout the entire conversation. And unlike some people who act as if offers are a definite given (and question why the offer is so little), this lady was just grateful that Singtel wanted to offer her a promotion. And when I told her for the promotion she cannot terminate her line for 2 years since it's a contract, she was all scandalised that I can even suggest that. "Oh no! Definitely not! Why would I want to terminate my line from Singtel?!" I felt really happy for Singtel at that phone call though I'm not even using Singtel. LOL.

So I should probably be thankful about my job as well (even though pay is like shit and I don't enjoy it) because I did learnt some stuff from this experience afterall. Definitely not something I would want to do again, but at least I've tried it and learnt things.

(I was telling Nat and Belle that I can now add telemarketer to the list of odd jobs that I've done so far: waitressing, admin, recept, sales assistant for a day, sold the $2 tickets for "charity" for a day, roadshows, tuition. LOL.)

Oh and I forgot to update about my results. Mediocre as always. I've always been average at everything, and my results reflected that exactly. A string of Bs and Bpluses. Was quite bummed out actually. 'Cause it seems like I can never break out of my 'B' zone. Then I recalled that I seriously thought I would fail a few modules, especially HL103 (the one that I couldn't write on any quotes given because I didn't study), and I'm grateful for my B. HL105 was a horror too, so I'm happy with my B+ for that too. I guess this is what I deserved for not studying till the very last minute. Okay now for the statement that I say for every sem: I must study hard next semester! LOL. Though whether it really happens or not we shall see. But judging from how I need twice the amount of time people need to study because I tend to dream/stone a little too much when I study, yes I do need to study hard. Hmm seriously, I'm just waiting to see if this will really happen. Haha.

7 more days to go!
 
 
Current Mood: grateful
 
 
pretzel_knot
05 June 2008 @ 12:05 am
I AM SERIOUSLY DAMN TIRED.

And I need to bitch about work. Again, it has to be locked. Just in case. Though today was considered a good day; no nasty customers. Instead, my patience is wearing thin with the company's strict (and ridiculous, in my opinion) rules. And my level of tolerance is considered pretty high...I think. Hahaha. You're allowed to disagree. I won't beat you up. (:

Okay I am really super tired, so I'll just update another time.

12 days till I quit! (: I can't believe I'm counting down.
Tags:
 
 
Current Mood: exhausted
 
 
pretzel_knot
30 December 2007 @ 05:11 pm
My job has ended officially! (: I'm so happy because I can finally sleep in for a week before school starts on the 7th. It was a good working experience, and I had an incredibly nice boss and collegues. I'm also better friends with Microsoft Excel now. Haha. I'm quite glad I took on the job, minus the fact that travelling time was way too long so I had to wake up early every morning.


2008 will be here soon! *We wish you a Merry Christmas...And a HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

P.S: There is somthing baffling me. What is it with guys' dressing nowadays? They are dressing like girls! And I'm refering to those guys in bright-coloured skinny jeans and equally blinding cardigans. ?! Its fine if they like what the girls are wearing, but it is so not okay if they are taking it too far by having the bright-coloured skinny jeans clash with the cardigan. And to these clones, someone should seriously give them a few fashion tips in order not to cause visual harrassment to others. 

Since I'm not a fashionista, I only have 2 very-DUH-but-obviously-overlooked pieces of advice to these homogenous kids: 
1) Please see if your various articles of clothing clash with each other before you leave the house
2) If you're ultra skinny, can you please don't wear skinny jeans? Unless you like your legs to look like toothpicks. But...why would a normal guy want to look like a toothpick?? And if that pair of jeans is too tight for comfort, erm, maybe a bigger size or straight cuts would be better? (: I trust that you have enough sense to not want strangers wincing at the sight of you in severely "breath-taking" skinny jeans.

Seriously.
 
 
Current Mood: refreshed
Current Music: 元卫觉醒- 分手礼
 
 
pretzel_knot
22 December 2007 @ 02:08 pm
Cyanide and Happiness, a daily webcomic
Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

Yes Christmas is just round the corner! (: I can't wait! Hmm I just realised I haven't even finish writing my Christmas cards. Haha!

I haven't updated in...almost 2 weeks? I've been busy working, aka earning money! Whoo. I hope to get my pay soon, because I'm really broke. And so for the 2 weeks that I've been working, my schedule everyday goes something like this: wake up at 6.30, reach my workplace at Jurong East by 9, finish work at 5.30/6pm, go out with friends/go home for dinner and then slack a bit, and then sleep at about 12 because I'll need to wake up early the next morning. You can see what this means, don't you. It means I can't be online for long hours! Its only on rare nights that I go home straight after work that I squeeze out some time to youtube. 

BUT. I've managed to watch 恶作剧2吻, the first episode! It was funny and interesting, a great first episode. (: However, after what happened with 公主小妹 and 樱野3+1, I shall not get my hopes up again in case it disappoints. After all, I heard there's going to be 28 episodes! Hopefully, it doesn't get draggy. I really liked 恶作剧之吻. Its one of the few tw dramas that I really really liked, along with 王子变青蛙 and 战神. And maybe 1 or 2 others that I can't recall now. Haha. Surprising right, that I only like a few out of so many that I've watched. But seriously, there are some that I watch just for the sake of having something to watch. And a few that I didn't even finish the whole series.

Oh I went to The Singapore Science Centre on Thursday! (: No wait, I'm sorry. I meant, The Science Centre, Singapore. Haha! It was super fun! It was to celebrate Serene's birthday, and I think all of us really enjoyed ourselves. Serene, hope you enjoyed your birthday! It was memorable, yeah? Not many people celebrate their birthdays at the Science Centre. LOL. Everybody should go to the Science Centre again! Since everyone's last time there was during primary school right? (: Anyway, the Science Centre trip will be another post, so that I can promote its goodness to all of you. LOL. And also because it deserves an entry on its own. Plus the fact that XJ haven't send me the pictures. ):

So, I guess this entry is actually pretty pointless except to show that I haven't disappear off the face of the earth. Hahaha.

And I can't wait to watch Warlords! The trailer is darn tempting.

Oh yeah I almost forgot to add that ANTM Cycle 9 has ended! It was quite obvious that Saleisha would be the winner. I can't help but think that Saleisha would have some real competition if Jenah was one of the final two with her. I like Chantal, really. But I felt that Jenah was a stronger competitor than her. Oh well. YAY for Saleisha anyway! (:
 
 
Current Mood: hungry
Current Music: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus- Face Down
 
 
pretzel_knot
29 September 2007 @ 06:51 pm

Yesterday's work at Red Dot Gallery was simply horrible. Next time I should ask what's the function like first. And next time, I will not do this for even $9/hr. It is not very worth it, in my opinion. 

It was like working in a clubbing scene lah. At first we had to go around with drinks on our trays. It was so damn packed that it is madness trying to walk through the crowd while holding a tray of champagne glasses. And everyone should know that champagne glasses are thin and tall, with a small base, so its not easy to balance them. But that was still okay, because those people there were only chatting, so if I said 'excuse me', they'll try to stand aside to let me pass. The only thing is we had to keep serving because those people drink like mad. And for those standing really far away from the bar, it is just TOO BAD. Some of them tried to get me to serve some drinks to them, but by the time I make my way to them, the drinks all got taken on the way. I was trained in a 5-star hotel, so its not in my nature to refuse a guest when they want a drink, even if the drink has been ordered by someone else. HAHAHA! (Okay that didn't sound very nice, but usually those guests who ask me to get drinks sort of like ORDERED me to do so, so I'm not too sorry about not being able to serve them quickly.)

Later on, when they all moved out to a larger area, the organiser started to let more people in to the function. The guests would get their own drinks too, so we only had to clear the glasses. I thought it would be easier, because now we don't have to serve them. BUT I WAS WRONG. Because all they wanted was to have a good time already. So the thumping music started (they even had a DJ please.), and the flashing lights, and then the mass of moving bodies. And they drank non-stop. So we had to clear non-stop. It was bad because now even when I shouted 'excuse me!', they just ignore me! Then it was super packed. I started to get cranky. Time was passing so slowly, and I was very tempted to just quit and leave. Yes it was that bad.

The people working there were not super nice and friendly either. I only had Robyn and her friend, Janice (i think) to talk to. A few of them drank until they got drunk lah. And they were supposed to be working? One of the bartenders got so drunk that he couldn't even talk properly, like got some speech problem. LOL. I felt like laughing when he was talking to me but I decided that it wasn't very nice. He was like slurring his words so badly that I couldn't understand half of whatever he was saying man.

And by the end of the function, a lot of the guests were like wasted already. Oh and there seemed to be quite a lot of gays at the function! Haha. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against homosexuals. Just that I'm too suaku already, never see so many of them in one place before. LOL. I overhead someone saying to his friend, "Eh there seems to be some kind of gay vibe here right?" And then there was this other guy who had his arm around a girl's waist, introducing the girl to his friends. One of his friends went like, "Oie please lah! Don't act straight leh!"

So anyway, I held on until 2am, and I was super tired by the time I reached home. And I was supposed to go to the PL funfair with Robyn, Nat and Janesa today. But I was so tired I couldn't wake up in time. /: Sorry guys, but I'm sure my absence didn't make much difference. (:  

Tags:
 
 
Current Mood: refreshed
 
 
pretzel_knot
16 September 2007 @ 01:03 am
I have plenty of readings to do, and I am so far behind, I'm actually worried. I have to finish reading my Sociology stuff by Monday, as there's a midterm exam. I'm hoping I can finish The Great Gatsby by Tuesday's tutorial, but it seems impossible. I really got to catch up on Texts and Contexts, as well as read Heart of Darkness again because I speed read through it the first time. As for the texts in my Norton Anthology, yes I will get to it someday, hopefully soon. (: Not forgetting the abstract that has to be handed up (oh no I don't know when!) for HL104, and the stupid essay (on a topic "What do I want to be?" or something like that) for HW101 by Thursday. I am so screwed. I guess it will be a mugging week. To start off, my entire Sunday will be devoted to Sociology, I hope I don't spend too much time online or just idling my time away. I seemed to be quite pro at doing that.

And I actually went to work just now, that's how much I needed extra cash. LOL. It was super tiring, my goodness. After not working for 2 months, I am so out of shape. It was a function by Temasek Club, with the guest-of-honour being our Minister of Defence, Mr Teo Chee Hean. The cocktail reception was crazy please. The foyer was so packed that I can hardly walk through with my tray. And cocktail went on for like, 1 hour?! But I think I served a few cute guys, whom I suspect are from SAF. Hahaha. The dinner was nuts too. I did 4 tables, which by right should be okay, but because I haven't work for so long, and they drank really heavily (chinese tea + red wine + soft drink), I almost died on the spot. I was hoping that the program would be fun, so that it can take my mind off my aching feet, but the emcee was boring. It was rather amusing that the audience was a really unresponsive bunch; he kept addressing them but everybody couldn't be bothered and just kept eating. LOL. Oh and entertainment on the stage was alright, not super interesting but still can make it. The highlights got to be Selena Tan from Dim Sum Dollies and Sebastian Tan from Broadway Beng. Sebastian Tan was quite funny, but maybe it was just all the hokkien. They sang and did a short stand-up (separately of course). So then it ended quite early, and now I'm left with aching arms and legs. ):   

And HAPPY BELATED 19TH BIRTHDAY, KAI YIM! (: I'm sorry this is belated, but I didn't realise today was the 15th already. I msged you the moment I realised today was the 15th. Okay, actually its the 16th now at this moment, but you know what I mean. Haha. I hope you had a great birthday! *HUGS AND KISSES* (:
 
 
Current Mood: drained
 
 
pretzel_knot
25 July 2007 @ 01:54 pm
So, I went back to work again yesterday, despite constantly telling others that I'm not working anymore. Well, banquet office said they needed people, and since I don't have an excuse of having something on yesterday, I decided to help them. Haha. Not that I was of much help; too long never work and I've never worked at stamford meeting rooms before. Yes, I worked for 2 yrs there yet I was never put at stamford meeting rooms before. Unbelievable right?! But I really prefer working at big functions. More people working together, more fun! (: Somemore if you work at small meeting rooms with people that you are not very comfortable with, even worse. Like yesterday. ugggh. It took me all I had to hold my temper in. And to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Plus to keep my sarcastic/unkind comments to myself. So anyway, I thought I was more of a hindrance yesterday instead.

I don't know why I keep returning there. Its like, all the people that I enjoy working with are gone please. And we're not being paid big bucks, its just $6 an hour. And frankly speaking, I think we deserve more than $6. haha! Hello, the things that we have to put up with?! The service industry is definitley not a beautiful place to work in. Why do I say so? Its unbelievably hypocritical okay. Some guests can be demanding and unreasonable. And yes, good service means we're paid to smile sweetly and say something like, "Certainly, Mdm! I'll get it for you immediately." If that particular waiter/waitress is not very busy, he/she will of course get whatever the guest wants, willingly. After all, its our job. But if the waitress is rushing, yet the guest can't wait, I can gurantee you that right after she turns away from the guest, the first thing would be to roll her eyes and reluctantly take what the guest wants, and then proceed to bitch around with other co-workers about the guest. If you're the guest, and you accidentally hear comments like "wa lao eh, so busy already still need to go and take (insert item that we have to walk very far to take) for the guest. cannot wait somemore. ask 2 times already leh. think i serving her only ah?!", it is probably nothing personal. We have 4 tables to serve after all (in general lah). Tempers can be a bit short at the start when we're rushing to make sure every guest has his/her drink when seated. (: I almost forgot to add that, with all the shit that we put up with, i must say that when we meet guests who appreciate our service, it really makes my day. (: Its like all the shit previously is worth it. LOL.
 
Quite some time ago, there was a discussion on Singapore's service industry. Complaints from the public included how our standard of service is bad, some also said stuff like caucasians were getting better service. All I have to say is, it takes two hands to clap, as cliched as it may sound. Of course, some might have encountered really bad service, that's entirely the problem of the service staff. I have been caught in some situations that I want to complain to the manager  too. Yet there are times when you, as a customer/guest, know its your own fault. You walk into a shop as if your grandfather owns it, and talk to the salesgirls like they're lesser beings than you. Can you blame them for trying, and failing miserably, to give good service to you? And as for the point that our local service staff treat the caucasians better, I think its quite rubbish. As a waitress I will try to provide equally good service to everybody. But if that particular guest was nicer, more polite, and more appreciative of what I'm doing, its just human nature to be even nicer to him/her. And from experience, I dare say that I've met more caucasians who are truly grateful when you get them what they want, and show their appreciation more outwardly. And by that, I mean that they will smile when I smile at them, and thank yous come more easily from them. Some non-caucasians have been really nice guests too, I'm just saying that from my experience, I think I've met more caucasians who treat their wait staff as equals. So people might misunderstand that the reciprocation is due to the fact that they're ang mohs. No, its not like that. -.- For me at least. Unless you're a cute and nice ang moh. hahaha!


okay i'm like trying to pass time here. so now that I've got things to do, I'm off!
 
 
Current Mood: bored
 
 
pretzel_knot
01 July 2007 @ 12:57 am
after various incidents/situations and 'stuff' that happened, i realise i need an outlet to organise my thoughts and most definitely to rant when i need to, to nobody in particular. so, i finally got a blog! (: i hope livejournal is easy to use, i think i'm quite a noob when it comes to this kind of stuff. just see how my blog looks and you will know. okay at least its not too ugly, just that its not nice either. can someone teach me how to make this look better?! but wait, i don't think anybody's going to read this. pffft. i'm not making much sense, i need to sleep.

oh and finally we booked air tickets to hong kong! and this is after countless trips down to people's park complex, such that every time we step into ASA Holidays (a grand total of 3 times), i will ask Janesa if those people that we previously asked about the fares to malaysia and taiwan are there at that time. i seriously hope there will still be available rooms in either of the 2 hotels that we can stay at, or we will have to pay more to switch to a 4-star hotel. and what if 4-star hotel got no available rooms also?! touch wood, man.

ok i really think i should go and sleep now. i'm so tired from work! and i wasn't even assigned to like, 5 tables. it was a boring function, so its the kind of exhaustion where you were too bored and time is really crawling by? MAS should really spend more money to have better entertainment on stage please. the only reason i didn't fall asleep standing was because of the band. the band was not too bad. other than that, i can't even recall what the hell they were doing on stage. and i suddenly thought of Robyn after the band played 'Here Without You'! i can't really remember why though. i miss that girl, i think i haven't seen her for months. same goes for some of the A1 girls too. tsk. i wonder what happen to the bbq that KY said she will organise. hahaha. i hope it materializes soon. or it would be years before we meet again i suppose. at someone's wedding or something. LOL. 
 
 
Current Mood: tired