mardi, juillet 29, 2003 {*} Hi, you're a useless idiot.Well. The EDB interview went well. Second round of interviews: my task was was to prepare an impromptu presentation on the question: In light of Singapore's desire to create a knowledge-based economy, what can EDB do to ensure the availability of quality manpower in the manufacturing and manufacturing services industry? No problem; I don't think I was supposed to solve the problem in half an hour, so I did what I could, presented it within the time limit, then sat down to the interview. Bad, bad, bad. Firstly, the main guy didn't listen to my presentation. Not at all. Then, as I sat down for the interview, and it was clear right from the beginning he didn't think me suitable at all. He said that he needed people who were versatile, and who could adapt to things that they weren't familiar with. I pointed out that i was involved in the arts, more than averagely fluent in matters involving information and computing, and am now finding out more about property development because I'm working with CapitaLand. He then implied I was too broad, and didn't know what I wanted to specialise in. I pointed out that I hadn't applied for the job that I was being offered - I had applied for a position in the Media and Communications Development Cluster - but would be able to take up the Resource Development job too if it were available, specialising in telecommunication policy. Then he said I wasn't versatile enough to handle all the EDB departments. Asking about what aspect of the arts I was particularly interested in, I said, "Drama and plays." He then smirked a smarmy smile, sat back and said "You know, I'm also sitting in the council of something-or-other-by-mita. I also like the arts." He then threw me a hypothethical question - so, if I were tasked to set up a creative cluster industry, to make it into a profitable one, and had to spearhead this effort all by myself, could I do it? Of course, I said, given the right people to help me, working with MITA and NAC, I would be more than capable of doing it - all the while thinking in my head: who in his/her right mind would say no to a question like that? (And I'm not lying; I think I could handle a project like that.) He then went off into this long lecture about being versatile (doesn't my academic track record tell you anything?), and EDB having job rotations (again, same point), and blah blah blah... the only thing that I can give him credit for was for sensing that I didn't really want to work for EDB per se; any public sector job would satisfy me. (But hey, the government said not to be so picky right? Heh.) I pretty much gave up after the first five minutes, sat back, and tried to enjoy the interview after that because it was very, very clear he didn't think much of me at all, and was getting quite ticked off with HR for calling me in for the second time. It was rather amusing to see this pile of pretension sit back and congratulate himself for being such a "well-rounded man", involved in the industry, as well as sitting on the arts council's committee-for-something-or-other. My friend suggested that it might have been a game to them - they were purposely being mean and testing how I could respond to their crap - I think I can play mind games, but I don't think I want to work for an organisation which plays this particular genre of mind games. Call me idealistic, fussy, whatever. I don't want to be jaded at 23.5 years old. I left, feelings about this episode rather mixed. Little bit disappointed because of the rejection, but added with a generous dollop of relief - the mind games that they played during the job interview alone was an indication that their management styles are a little bit archaic. And the only thing good that I've heard about EDB is the contacts there that you will make with industry people. And that's only ONE person. EVERYONE ELSE has been telling me that they suck, and that I'm better off without them. This strikes me as rather odd - I had the impression that EDB was one of the better places to work at. But oh well, que cera cera. [] |
dimanche, juillet 27, 2003 {*} M-W Word of the Day, 27 Jul 2003. Did you know?Are you someone who always seems to have your head in the clouds? Do you have trouble getting down to the lowly business of earning a living? If so, you may deserve to be labeled a "luftmensch." That airy appellation is an adaptation of the Yiddish "luftmentsh," which breaks down into "luft" (a Germanic root that can be tied linguistically to the English words "loft" and "lofty"), meaning "air," plus "mentsh," meaning "human being." "Luftmensch" was first introduced to English prose in 1907, when Israel Zangwill wrote "The word 'Luftmensch' flew into Barstein's mind. Nehemiah was not an earth-man .... He was an air-man, floating on facile wings." luftmensch \LOOFT-mensh ("OO" as in "foot")\ noun : an impractical contemplative person having no definite business or income Example sentence: "The son ...," wrote American author Irving Howe, "is leaving to be a luftmensch � a starving poet, a painter without pictures, a radical leader without followers." [] |
samedi, juillet 26, 2003 {*} All AloneAnd to think I was just discussing with my mother this morning about panopticism and being alone - apparently this poor kid made a home video of himself practising lightsaber moves, but it got digitalised by people in school and distributed over the world wide network. He got teased and humiliated so much that he had to drop out of school (he's a teenager) and finish his semester in a psychiatric ward. Semi-happy ending though - a couple of webloggers raised money and bought him and iPod, and a petition to get him a role in the next Star Wars movie has been started. Read the whole story here. {*} Aging Far East Kids Here's a thought I've been meaning to post up for a while now: The last couple of times I've been to Far East Plaza I've seen a new breed of Far East Plaza-rians. These people look pretty, dress pretty pretty, are young and hip. The ladies wear their jeans on their hips with a vengeance, the men look like they just stepped out of NS. Seeing them walking together from behind, all togged out in the latest gear, you'd mistake them for a JC/Uni couple just out for a Sunday poke through the stores. Until you get to an escalator, and watch them struggle a little to get their bulky pram onto the escalator step without tipping its precious contents out onto the basement floor. Whatever happened to the 'pai kia' sort of (but not necessarily so) kids who hung out there? Aren't shops like 77th Street catered more for the neon-wearing, spike-sporting, bellybutton-piercing sort of generation? Isn't the new Level 1 of Far East Plaza supposed to cater more to these people with its Harajuku-esque flava? Or have the "I'm-so-hip-even-I-can't-believe-it" crowd moved to a different location? Far East Plaza is growing up...in my eyes at least. I'm sure there'll still be weird clothes and stuff to buy (like 2ndhand CD shops, tacky tourist souvenirs, t-shirt printing, quirky-looking shoes and clothes and pants), but perhaps the generation which grew up in it is still a patronising customer - except now they have someone else to shop for. I think this is also a sign that an era is passing. (Unless of course, Far East Plaza does a Singapore and remakes itself - it's already done that partially anyway with Level 1 - now all it needs to do it like, make the whole place more brighter and less dingy-looking.) Of course, it could all just be a sign that we're all just getting old. [] |
lundi, juillet 21, 2003 {*} Quote"No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking." - Voltaire [] |
dimanche, juillet 20, 2003 {*} Many meetings, Many thanks.Thank you to everyone who SMSed, ICQed, or dragged my sorry ass out of my house to meet me and celebrate my birthday. I am overwhelmed by the love and sentiments that came my way that day. Thanks to Cherie and Michelle for meeting me the night before for prata, and celebrating the first few moments of The Day with me. Thank you to Priscilla, Xinling, Huijun, Crystal (HB too!), Soojin, Weilong, Jonathan, Stanley, Serene, Derek and Lijie for the "surprise" at Scotts. To Weilong for tahan-ing me somemore by accompanying me to Baybeats, and running in between stages to catch the various acts. The acoustic stage (mat)rocks! To Mayee, Shao and Felice for making me stay for (body surfing) Fonzi. And to Joo Jin for staying up way past his bedtime to give me my present. Thank you, thank you, thank you. [] |
samedi, juillet 19, 2003 {*} Happy Birthday to me!Yep, like it says. Happy birthday to Yenling and Jiamin (17th July), and Crystal (18th) too! [] |
mercredi, juillet 16, 2003 {*} It's really over.Not that I had any illusions that the fun would continue throughout my life, but going through today's pathetic commencement ceremony just cemented the notion that school really is over. The atmosphere was kinda droopy, with empty seats amongst the graduates, plus a half-empty auditorium at the UCC. It certainly didn't help that helpers went around bursting the balloon drop balloons just minutes after the ceremony ended. What a way to send us a subliminal message. I am highly prepped for life now. [] |
vendredi, juillet 11, 2003 {*} Hellooooooo, I'm still alive.Yes, still alive, though barely. Am enjoying work immensely - there's something about suffering, then realising that you're being paid for all this crap. :) [] |
samedi, juillet 05, 2003 {*} Work, baby, work.One thing to be said about working life: it sucks. Another thing: it's tiring. [] |
mardi, juillet 01, 2003 {*}{*} And in other news... I'm currently working at Capitaland Towers - the place in Shenton Way which has the funny spheres in water right outside their building. One month contract work with Basskaran (for the ICM students who know him) for Capitaland Management in their Investor Relations/Corporate Communications department. Libellés : harry potter [] |
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