Job Hunting: The Application, The Wait and The Call and/or Rejection

1st step once you graduate, other than partying till drop dead and play and play and play, is to go for job hunting! Contributing to the surplus number of the unemployed is not a pretty sight, I admit, but that is what every single graduate have to go through.

Nowadays we are blessed with the advancement of technology and telecommunication. We don't actually need to buy a newspaper and look at the classified section to find a job or pay for an employment agency to help find a suitable job for you. All you need is to hook up to the internet and register as a job seeker under major employment service websites such as JobStreet and Monster. From there, you can start searching for suitable jobs to suit your degree and your interest. Of course when you want to apply for a job you are interested in, you need to prepare your resume and relevant documents, and in some cases, you also need to prepare a cover letter, just as a formality and it will also show how interested you are to get the job. So, with the ease that technology had provided us, there is no reason to start firing up your resume and chocolate coat it with sweet stuff that employers would love to see and then start spamming those emails and online applications!

Of course, that's not all. The worse part is not the application, but the wait. Some employers are gracious enough to reject you outright if they think you are not suitable or they already found a suitable candidate for the job. Some thou, they left you hanging for months after sending you an email stating "under consideration". And if you successfully caught the attention of the employer, congratulations, you are invited to an interview!

I made around 30 applications on JobStreet and around 20 on Monster from July till August and the rate of incoming calls for interview is low. Got invitation to few face to face interviews and bunch of phone interviews which I accepted and also a few which I rejected due to low pay and other limitations like required to own a car and must be able to speak Cantonese (yes I don't speak Cantonese!), during that period of time. In the end thou, the few interviews i accepted, I had to reject due to family issues and I must emphasize here that if you can help it, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT cancel your interviews. The employer might not accept your reason for not attending the interview and put you under black list. That happened to me, but I had no choice. So, it turned out that I am still, unemployed =/

Kuching Food Trip – 4th July 2010 to 6th July 2010

Yes, Kuching! The capital city of Sarawak but we are not here for that... we are here because it is also called the City of Food! Cheap and nice kampua, the famous pork and fish sio bee, the yummy open market beef soup noodle, icy cool ABC with belacan meehun and not to forget Kuching Laksa! We indulged ourselves all right, I mean how can we not with the "Kuching Legend" Aaron there doing the food rounds with us?

1st day there, Ian's dad and Aileen was there to fetch us. We had our breakfast 1st, having some of the Kuching Laksa (top right section of the photo above) at a coffee shop behind Cold Storage Green Heights. They said the soya bean drink and teh C is nice there but I didn't get to try those coz I ordered already. Then right after that, we headed back to Ian's house and slept, due to the very uncomfortable bus ride to Kuching.

Then afterwards, Aaron joined us for lunch. Before we went for lunch, Ian's mum made us some dragon fruit yogurt drink to rejuvenate and revive us from our fatigue. It was delicious! This reminds me I need to get a blender when I get my own place... that or a food processor. We went to have Hainan Chicken Rice for lunch that day, forgot what the place is called thou but it is really delicious! Then where else to go after that? Aaron suggested another lunch but of coz we are not as crazy as that lolz. We went to The Spring Mall, it is just behind Ian's house, and went for some window shopping and Sugarbun ice cream. Then during the evening we went for ABC and the famous local delicacy, Belacan Meehun (bottom left section of the photo above). It is a mix of belacan soup, bean sprouts, cucumber, meehun, rojak sauce and cutter-fish. The taste? To die for! For dinner we went to a place that serves korean hot pot and sizzling pan, buffet style. So we had a hell of a dinner eating all the good stuff. After dinner, of coz, comes supper. One of the famous spots for supper in Kuching is the open air market. The beef noodle (top left section of the photo above) and fish sio bee (bottom right section of the photo above) are one of the famous dishes there. The beef noodle serves the soup and bean sprout in a separate bowl from the other ingredients so you have have it wet or dry... or both at the same time. Oh yes, not to forgot, the soya bean drink there is really nice as well! Smooth and thick, like mum used to make. Then, we went for a movie, watched this lame ass movie called "Frozen", which pretty much just showed how everyone died except a girl while sitting on a chairlift on a snowy mountain at night. Yes, I just summarized the whole movie in 1 sentence.

For the 2nd day, charged up and ready for adventure, Ian's dad brought us out for breakfast. Went to a place where we can have EPIC Kuching Laksa, as Ian described. How come it is called epic? Well, it has all the good stuff and then some more... lots of big ass prawns, thick thick laksa gravy, extra meat and veges and spices, all those in an extra serving size bowl! I still fantasize about it when I am writing this sentence... Then went for a walk at the newly opening E-Mall, where they sell mostly computer peripherals and gadgets. Just opened at that time so not many shops open and not much to see. For lunch, we went for something less intimidating, went for SCR (Singapore Chicken Rice) near the mall. Well, I thought it would be less intimidating but it turned out we shared a white broiled 1/2 chicken and a roasted 1/2 chicken plus other side dishes, between the four of us. It was, once again, epicly full. The afternoons are a bit slow so we went yet again, to The Spring Mall for window shopping... and have the Sugarbun ice cream. We had dinner at a place called Courtyard at Tabuan Road, a recommendation from Jnee as she joined us for that day! The food there was nothing short of awesome and the price are quite reasonable for a slightly higher class restaurant. Most of the dishes they served have this mix of Thailand and Chinese cuisine theme, so it was a tad bit spicy. Then afterwards we went to sing K at KBOX Karaoke, The Spring Mall. The rates are quite cheap for weekday nights, RM24++.

Last day at Kuching... all good things have to come to an end. But not without having a nice breakfast first! Once again Ian's dad brought us for breakfast and we went to a nice coffee shop where its design closely resembled those of a very popular francise: Ipoh White Coffee. Food and drinks are much more normal, for a change, lolz. I had Kuching kolok mee with wantan, nothing very special. Then we sent Wu Zhang to the airport. My flight is later in the evening so we got some more time to kill. We had a normal and light lunch, then Aaron and Ian brought me sight-seeing around Kuching while waiting for the time to send me to airport. I had my dinner on the plane, although I must say Air Asia's in flight meal still sux pretty much, or maybe it was coz my expectations were higher since all I had in Kuching was all awesome. It is the City of Food after all!

The HORRIBLE Bus Trip to Kuching – 3rd July 2010 (9.00pm) to 4th July 2010 (9.00am)

Okay, actually an overnight bus trip to Kuching doesn't warrant its own blog post... unless, it is so damn horrible I am able to rant out a long stream of complaints.

So, we bought our ticket at erm, lets say company "sux", and Ian asked them if the bus is express bus all the way to Kuching. The clerk said yes. Ok, cool, then he asked if the bus for that night is old or new, the clerk said all their buses are new. Orite, that's even cooler. However, we didn't know that we are in for a hell of a ride!

The overall journey by bus will take approximately 12 hours and will take us past a few places on the way. Departing from Bintulu, we will head for Sibu first, then pass a new bridge on the Rejang river into Bintangor territory, then to Sarikei, to Sri Aman, lastly to Kuching. An overnight bus trip would mean we won't see anything on the way in the pitch blackness, so no photos for this blog post as well.

We decided to take an overnight bus trip to Kuching so that we could actually sleep on the bus, all the way to Kuching, so we can start our fun tour ASAP. But it turned out that the bus we were on was an old one. We reached the bus terminal and was deeply disappointed. Their reason? "Sorry boss, the new bus just broke down, had to take out the spare bus." One glance at the old bus... sigh, better be prepared for a not-so-fun ride. Not to discriminate old buses but this 1 really takes the cake away.

For 1, the bus is so noisy! All along the way the bus was groaning, screeching and squeaking non-stop. And as if it is not enough, the road condition all the way to Kuching was so terrible, everywhere got port holes, especially on the way to Sibu. Enough about the bus, lets talk about the interior of the bus. My seat, for example, doesn't recline... So, imagine sitting at a 90-100 degree angle for 12 hours, yeap it was hell. Ian's and Wu Zhang's seats did recline... but they had a trade off of unlimited air-con water drizzling down on them. And and!!! There is this putrid smell which I cannot really put my finger on... until I saw the "store room" compartment in front of me got cockroach coming out from the door cracks. I was like, what the hell!! And that "store room" as the sign reads, is actually a lavatory compartment, but they closed it down... and for good reason. But at least get rid of the smell and please please at least clean it.

So, we arrived exactly 12 hours later, distraught, fatigued and in extreme need of a real sleep. Hell of a way to start a new day.

Wu Zhang and Ian Tan visiting Bintulu – 2nd July 2010 to 3rd July 2010

Note: 56k friendly post - no photos coz we didn't took any... at all!

After packing everything into my car and said our goodbyes to the pang mian auntie at En Xin Cafe, Wu Zhang, Ian Tan and me, set out from Miri, heading to my home at Bintulu. The car was packed full to the brim, bearing our possessions which we collected for these few years. The drive back to Bintulu was... uneventful, as usual.

Since they are only staying 1 night at Bintulu, we have to fully utilize our time to explore the specialties here. Well, actually there aren't many places we could go here.

We had supper at Ah Kiang's, the fried chicken feet, stir fried clams and stir fried snails are one of the few popular dishes there, so we ordered all of em. The next day we went to Summer Tea, since Ian said he wanted to go look-see, and drank bubble milk tea, which was quite nice actually. Also went to have a stroll at Park City Mall, which yet again, uneventful. Then at the evening we went to the beach to try the famous Ah Pek stall to eat ABC + Milo, which is my favourite spot to have cold and delicious ABC. <--- Actually we slept at my house during that time and we cheat our friend we went to beach! Thanks to Ian for the correction :P

For dinner, we went to a place which me, myself, had never been to as well. Somewhere at Kidurung, there is a famous spot for eating wild animals, like lizards (not the house lizard, those big ones in the forest), turtles, flying fox and fruit bats. We splurged, the food is really nice!

Well, that summarized everything about their trip here... Sorry for the lack of contents and thousand apologies to Ian and Wu Zhang for being such a terrible host >.<

Last Day as a Student in Miri – 1st July 2010

1st of July 2010 is a big turning point for me. As it marks the last day as a student in my uni-life, the transition from a liability to an asset in the workforce begins,  the transition into joining an economic phenomenon known as work-life... or well, to put it more bluntly, being jobless :P

During these full 5 and half years of uni-life at Curtin University, Miri, there are highs and lows both academically and socially which I would like to call achievements. 1st I would like to say that... I FINALLY GRADUATED! And the spoils, a sad piece of paper with my name on it and a degree course name... and a logo and signature, that's about it. Can't imagine I waited on 1 year of foundation and 4 and half years of degree just to get this piece of crap which could be printed on any conventional printer. However, the process of getting the degree is filled with memories.

The last 2 months of my uni-life, I had been cramming on books, journals, software and hardware development for 16 hours per day at the IT Lab just to get my thesis done... God, that was one hell of a time.

Aside those, there are of course other things that I am quite proud of, which is being involved in a few social clubs in the university.

1st of is being a founding board member for Gamerz Club of Curtin for year 2007-2008, then joining the board members for Rotaract Club of Curtin for year 2008-2010, contributing to the Miri community and beyond.

Other than that, there's also the involvement in getting a title for Curtin Prom King 2009, however all credits go to the Emo Kidz for trying so damn hard while I just stand there and getting myself embarrassed... Yes, you guys are the "best" (sarcasm intended).

Among all those, my greatest and fondest find is getting to know my current buddies, bros and sis and some crazies, the Emo Kidz group: Poly, Chan, William, Ian Tan, Ian Chong, Jason (the hostel sleepover dudes), Aaron (a.k.a. Kuching Legend) Lee Hui, Alfred, Wu Zhang, Benny, Ah Hok, Jojo (the crazies and jokers), Ah Wen, Nelly (a.k.a. NEW), Aileen, Tracy, Joanne, Zi Wei (the ladies) and Jnee, Eling and Chloe (the sisters). Here I would like to say: "You all are the best! Thanks for a fulfilling and very happening uni-life!"

The List: Blog Topics

Okay, I will dedicate this topic only to display a list of blog posts I will commit myself to during these 2 weeks.

The list is really long; I hope I could finish it before Chinese New year!

The List: Blog Topics

1. Last Day as a Student in Miri – 1^st July 2010
   
2. Wu Zhang and Ian Tan visiting Bintulu – 2^nd July 2010 to 3^rd July 2010
   
3. The HORRIBLE Bus Trip to Kuching – 3^rd July 2010 (9.00pm) to 4^th July 2010 (9.00am)
   
4. Kuching Food Trip – 4^th July 2010 to 6^th July 2010
   
5. Job Hunting: The Application, The Wait and The Call and/or Rejection
   
6. My Mum's Abnormal Stroke and Heart Condition: The Facts and Happenings – 31^st Aug 2010
   
7. Kuching Hospital Trip: Normah Medical Specialist Centre – 5^th Sep 2010 to 13^th Sep 2010
   
8. Trip to Perth (Part 1): The Departure Flight – 23^rd Sep 2010
   
9. Trip to Perth (Part 2): The Arrival, King's Park and The Convocation + After Party – 24^th Sep 2010 to 26^th Sept 2010
   
10. Trip to Perth (Part 3): Perth Royal Show, Swan Valley: Caversham Wildlife Park, Sandboarding – 26^th Sep 2010 – 28^th Sep 2010
    
11. Trip to Perth (Part 4): The Road Trip Down South – 29^th Sep 2010 – 3^rd Oct 2010
    
12. Trip to Perth (Part 5): Last Few Day at Perth – 3^rd Oct 2010 to 5^th Oct 2010
    
13. Year End and New Year Trip to Miri – 30^th Dec 2010 to 4^th Jan 2011
    
14. Thoughts for the Year 2010 and Hopes for the Year 2011
    

 

So, on average I will need to do one blog post per day starting today. Be sure to check in daily!

The Comeback… Out of boredom!

Last Post: 27^th May 2010

Today's Date: 17^th Jan 2011

Total Offline days: 235 days

The Verdict: I shouldn't be so lazy :P

Blog Status: Revived

235 days since my last blog post… A lot had happened during these past 8 whooping months, so it had amounted to a humongous number of posts to be written… Damn, that's a really long time!

So, ladies and gentlemen, for now I will present a blog post… a list of blog topics I will be posting for the next few weeks! The actual writing will come soon, so keep your eyes peeled for it.