Caught In A Whirlwind...

Hello all..
Aaaalll riiiiggtt... In my previous post I told you guys that I landed an interview at Sutera Harbour but have not heard from them in a while right? I had quite forgotten about it until yesterday. I was at UiTM KK (where I must add, I was 'bounced' from one building to another like a ball trying to find the person that can actually certify true copy my Diploma) when my friend told me that I had 2 missed calls (my phone was in the car). I decided to call back and found out that it was from Sutera Harbour. Terkejut.. Taaaarrriiikk nafas panjang2..

I hung up and called up Miss T from MarCom. Excited pun ada, takut pun ada. This conversation took place between my heart and mind:

Heart: YAAAAaaayyyyy!!!!
Mind: Shhhhhh!!! Diam2 la! Lu excited lebih ni apahal?
Heart: Mesti la excited, manatau dapat tu ker.. *Belum abis cakap*
Mind: Aaaaahhhhh, teda! Jan lebih2. Manatau dia mo bagitau yang ko inda dapat. Neh, neh, neh...
Heart: Ah ko ni geng, negatif betul... *Mulut muncung sedepa duduk diam2 di corner. Merajuk*

So what really happened is that I was referred to Miss F from HR and she informed me that I got the job and was I able to start on the 1st of October 2012? Ter'nganga' sy sekejap tengo handphone sy. Seriously? I told her that I would swing by at Sutera to discuss the matter with her because during the interview Madam M did not inform me anything about the salary, benefits, etc.

I applied for a Level 5 position but was given a level 4 position instead. I couldn't believe my ears. I STILL can't believe it up to this moment actually. Sampai tahap sy fikir,"Entah2 dia silap cakap kali tu kan kemarin?". Part of me felt excited and happy while on the other hand I'm petrified.. I don't know the first thing about what a MarCom Executive actually does. I know Marcom interacts with the media and manages the hotel's online social ones but surely it's more than just updating Twitter and Facebook status.

Miss F told me that 'at my level' I'm in charge of 'all 3 properties' (I guess maybe that means Magellan, Pacific & Marina/Golf). It's overwhelming. Umpama sy ni baru pandai floating dalam bath tub, kira mo belajar berenang dalam swimming pool tapi kena humban dalam laut dalam dan kena suruh berenang. Self-doubts crept into my conciousness, bulih kah sy ni? Silap2 Coordinator sy lagi ada experienced dari sy. I'd look like a fool! Tambahan lagi sy ni pemalu tau tau tau. Directors tanya soalan "How are you?" pun sy bulih stumble over my words. So tell me, how can I not feel doomed?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. It's just a case of the jitters I guess. As I said before I'm happy and honoured to get this opportunity. I know there must be a reason why I got this job eventhough at each stage it didn't seem like I had a chance. I mean can you blame me? Look at the odds:

I had absolutely no experience in S&M (not of the kinky kind, sorry) let alone in MarCom.
I had no one to recommend me, I just sashayed *okay tipu* suka2 over to the HR department and handed over my resume.
Madam M said herself during the interview that she was hesitant in giving me the job because I am a single mother.

Yet,

I was called for an interview on the day that I had already applied leave for Sophie's appointment.
I was out of the office when I was called about the job offer yesterday so I was able to swing by and to to Miss F about the benefits and what not.
I was inspired to forward one of my blog post to Madam M in my final attempt to get this job. Iya lah, interview sudah hancur, tunjuk hasil kerja jak la.

Dipermudahkan segalanya. Macam meant to be kan? Macam lah.. Now my dilemma is to resign while fulfiling a month's notice or not? Sy rasa bersalah sama my FC if I resign without a month's notice. Then again, SH pun mau sy start kerja ASAP. Pening kepala sy.

Well, I guess this is all for now. Working time! Cheers peeps. Will keep you posted.

Love,
Phoebe

A Rant At Lunch Hour..

Hi peeps..
One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to work is people calling the office at lunch hour. The sound is so irritating and magnified by the silence, it's all I can do not to cut the wires with a scissor just to shut it up. The calling part I can still take, but the part that really irks me is that when you tell the caller that the person he/she is looking for is not around, they sound surprised, irritated and/or angry.

I'm like, what the *tuuuuttt* man? Where are you from, outer space? Don't you understand the meaning of lunch hour? It the hour when all employers and employees alike get away from the office to rest and eat. If you still can't comprehend that, please Google 'L-U-N-C-H H-O-U-R'. I'm sure they have a trillion definitions that could make your puny brain grasp the concept and meaning.

Sometimes I would not answer the phone especially if it's not my department's line. What for? I walk so far just to tell that the person they are looking for is unavailable? That's just wasted effort. They would know soon enough when nobody answers the phone. Bad employee? Bad Phy? Unethical Phy? So sue me. Go and answer your office phone at lunch if you want. I'll just sit here and do something beneficial with my time thank you very much, such as updating my blog. Wahahahaha... Evil laugh.

If any of my future employers read this, well, the cat is out of the bag. I'm not being lazy, I'm just being practical. If you still want to call it lazy and have doubts employing me, let me just remind you that you will be losing a very smart, capable and efficient, not to mention hardworking, employee just because of the matter above. Sy tengo tempat dan masa juga bah. Kalo office hour sy jawab la. Kalo mood sy charitable sy jawab juga time lunch hour, regardless of whether if it's my department or not. I'm not so bad leh..

Do you have this pet peeve too or do you looovveee to pick up the phone during lunch hour?

Love,
Phoebe

Ramblings Of A Bored Phy...

Hi there..
Sy benci la, bila sy ada idea mo blog, tiada pula masa sy mo type. Maka sudah reka2 ayat fantastic, witty and funny (blearrrgghh..) lg tu in my head. Siap dengan tajuk yang menarik lagi. By the time sya ada masa sudah mo type sy tiatau sudah apa topic sy yang sy mo cerita awal tadi. Mulau betul. Apakan daya, otak sy sudah kena culik alien. Serious cepat lupa sekarang ni. Susah hati sy tau..

As I was saying, sekarang ni sy menaip, sebenarnya sy tiatau apa mo cerita tapi sy mo type juga sebab lama nda update blog. Hm, cerita sikit pasal si Sophia la. (Cue groans and click 'x' button. Lol. What to do la, kawan kamu si Phy ni sudah jadi a besotted parent like any other). Nda bah, sy mo meluah sikit baini pasal betapa cepatnya si Sophie ni tiba2 membesar. Sy rasa macam dia mencapai milestones dia bertubi2 ni. Mula2 sy rasa lambat tau. Especially waktu dia baru mo belajar tiarap. It took her 2 weeks to a month ni to achieve flipping on her tummy. Sempat lagi sy susah hati (hobby seorang ibu), bulih kah si Sophie tiarap ni? Macam payah betul.

Sekali sekarang pula bukan saja dia sudah pandai duduk and merangkak, after only a week of achieving these 2 things, she moves on to trying to stand pula. Adoi, baby don't grow so fast! Dia pandai sudah gigit2, grasp barang, show emotion and preference, etc. She also recognises people. The only thing yang sy rasa ada lambat sikit is tumbuh gigi. When I was a baby my teeth started to pop out at 5 months. Tapi tiapa lah juga sebab sensara bah baby (and parent(s)) bila diorang tumbuh gigi. Demam, diarrhea, lack of appetite, grumpy, etc. Imagine having to go throught that about 28 times (milk teeth 28 batang bah kan? Correct me if I'm wrong. Malas mo Google. Lol..). Pingsan kah tidak?

Okay, apa lagi mo cerita? Pasal kerja la.. Sy boring ohhh (whiny tone) buat keja finance ni. Sy bosan sudah tengo figures, package size, tengo PO, berurusan dengan orang yang babal lagi membabalkan, etc. Bukan mo cakap dalam keja finance jak ada orang babal, keja lain pun ada juga. Sigh.. Sy mo bah try keja lain. Part of me takut juga cause I have only ever worked in finance kan tapi that's is the very reason why I should try something new. So that I won't be rooted to only one field. To be honest belum lagi sy master everything in Finance. Jauh panggang dari api. Tapi sy boring sudah. Betul2 boring. There is something comforting about doing something that you are familiar with but it so.. Entah la.. Bosan la bah..

Sy tengo calendar sy and planning2 sudah bila sy mo cuti apa suma, does that mean that I am unconciously prepared to stay here at MGH for a while yet? Maybe la kan. I do have an idea though. Why not try to apply at travel agencies? I can still be in the tourism industry but with a different twist kan? Pick a big International travel agency, learn a new language and go to the country of the language I learnt. Korea maybe? Not impossible, aye?

Ada 4 hari lagi mo tunggu sebelum gaji. Sigh. Kenapa lah sy keja sama company dari China? Orang lain gaji kamarin lagi. Jeles tau tau tau tau... Sejak kebelakangan ni sy teringat2 juga masa sy keja Kerajaan dulu. Sy paling rindu di Puterajaya. Keja okay, gaji okay, colleagues okay, rumah and housemate pun okay. Just nice I think. Walaupun tinggal di Puterajaya kadang2 macam tinggal dalam fishbowl, tapi a least Alamanda ada. Bulih juga tengo wayang. Am I regretting my decision to leave the Government? Yes and no. I miss the things I said above but I don't miss the work nor the culture. I still think I didn't learn as much things or as fast as I am doing now in the private sector. Apa boleh buat, we can't have our cake and eat it to can we?

 Bah, okay lah. My lunch hour is nearly over. Need to get back to work (urgh!). Have a nice day. Cheers!


Love,
Phoebe

September Updates..

Hello hello..
How are you? Again long time no see.. Since I am sure by now you are done with my apologies and such, let me just cut to the chase on my updates.

First, I got a job interview at the Pacific Sutera Hotel for the position of MarCom Coordinator. Went into the hotel lobby and waited for the director to meet me when I looked down and saw that I had on my Ah Soh's comfy shoes instead of the pointy-toed, stylish kitten heeled I planned on wearing. Good thing she took her time coming, I managed to call boo and make the switch (the shoes were in his car). I am sure the doorman laughed at me but had the decency not to show it.

Did I get the job? Doubt it. The director expressed her hesitancy to giving me the position since it was time consuming, fast-paced, etc. and since I had a 6 moth old baby and am a single mom, she didn't think that it was the job for me. She did say that she would keep my resume and recommend me if there were any other vacancies on the property in the future. Right. Went to the car, cried and was depressed for a few days but got over it. Have yet to apply elsewhere but will do in due time.

Secondly, I am planning to finally take up a makeup course. Since I have an unhealthy obsession for cosmetics, I might as well acquire the skill needed to use them and make moolah. I have been cutting back because I'm short on dough and Sophie has now started to eat. Ah, but buying cosmetics is just so thrilling. I miss it. I have a feeling that If I buy something now, it would be like water bursting through a dam. Buy! buy! buy!. I come, I see, I buy. The Marilyn Monroe collection from MAC is coming out soon. If Malaysia carries it I am so gonna die. But the collection that I am really looking forward to is the Archie's Girls  Collection.

Some Sophie updates. My wee little minikin can now sit on her own and crawl. When once upon a time a fortress of pillows can keep her safe, she now just climbs over them. She has mood swings now, smiling and happy for a few hours then being quiet and grumpy the next. I think (and hope) that this is due to her teething. She can also grip things better now, picking things up instead of just grabbing at things being given to her. I bought her a set of rubber duckies to distract her since she loves to grab at her washcloth during her bath time. She has begun to show preference in her meals and toys now. Ah, mama's baby is growing up so fast.. Will definitely miss her toothless grin..

 This is all for now folks. Cheers!

Hello peeps..
Again, it has been a while since my last post. I sincerely apologise for my long hiatus. Most of the time I would have an idea or a exciting story to tell, but would not have the energy or time to create a post. There were also times when I would have no idea on what to write about but have the time. Sigh! I'm here now though and my do I have so much to tell that I hardly know where to begin! Brace yourself for a long post.

Hm, okay so lets start with my favorite subject, Baby Sophia Mikhayla.. Tee hee hee.. Are you green yet with my never ending updates on her? If you are, feel free to skip this paragraph. Last Thursday morning I brought her to Klinik Kesihatan Petagas to get her immunized. It was the last one until she is one year old and was a double whammy with a jab to both her arm and leg. Usually Sophie would cry for literally only five seconds when she gets her jab but this time she started crying before the needle pierced her skin. I guess she knows that someting was up because I held her tightly. Blessed with strong lungs, she cried the roof down. What really broke my heart was that she had hardly calmed down before she was given her second shot. She looked at the nurse with such a hurt expression that even the other nurse in the room commented on it. I'm so glad that it would be another six months before she gets immunized again because for the first time I am officialy traumatized.

After Sophia's clinic appointment I went over to one of the 5-star hotels (from henceforth will be referred to as ABC) in KK for an interview. Now before I tell you about how it went, I'd like to tell you about the interesting events that lead up to the interview. You know how it is when you're in school and if you're good at English, EVERYONE says that you should be an English teacher and if you're good at crunching numbers, you should be a Math teacher or work in Accounts, etc? Well, Math and English has always been my strong subjects. I graduated with a Diploma in Business Studies and as becoming an English teacher was out of the question, I started my career in Accounts. From the start I found it to be boring and dry but I stuck with it. After almost three years I finally had to admit that a career in Accounts was not for me. I wanted to switch but I didn't know how or what to take up. I was still determined to deviate lest I get stuck due to fear of change or because future employers would find my experience too limited to entrust me with a job other than Finance.

After being out of work for a while and having Sophie, I didn't have the luxury of waiting for the right job. I needed money and I needed it fast so I just used my experience to get employed. Everyday I feel like a part of me dies a slow and painful death. During my orientation, the HR Trainer told us about all the Departments and what they do. That was the first time I heard about Marketing Communications or MarCom for short and I became excited. Proof-reading? I'm no expert but I have been doing that for my friends since primary school. Promoting the hotel throung social networks? I'm sure it is different than updating my own Facebook status, Tweet or Blog but hey, I can learn. Hosting? When I was in Guest Relations once upon a time, within one month of working I was entrusted to host a family over my more senior colleagues. I can speak well and write well in English and while all this does not make me a star MarCom Coordinator, it's a start. So I became wistful. If only I can get a job in MarCom, wouldn't that be great? *Daydreaming while smilling to self*

Aside from my stint in the Government for two years, I have only ever worked in hotels because I love it so much and I can't imagine working in any other industry. A few years back, ABC was quite infamous for certain problems which I won't disclose. However, starting two months ago at least three people told me that ABC no longer had such problems and that I should apply. Eventhough I didn't immediately called ABC, it was always at the back of my mind, more so when people mentioned it to me one after the other.. One day, I decided to bite the bullet and called up ABC's Human Resources Department (from henceforth will be referred to as HRD). Guess what? They had a vacancy in MarCom! As a Coordinator too! I stood hiding in the corner outside my office looking at my cell phone in shock. Could this be the Law of Attraction that everyone had been talking about? I submitted my cover letter and resume not only by email but also by handing it in to the HR Department personally. I know, it's neurotic but I want the job, period.

I was informed that I should expect a call from the MarCom Department by the following week and so the waiting game began. After two weeks went by I figured that maybe I should consider looking into other places as well. It was a Tuesday and just as I was looking at my profile in Jobstreet my phone rang. It was from them! What made it even more fantastic was that I had applied for leave on Thursday for Sophie's clinic appointmen and Miss T asked," Are you able to come for an interview this Thursday?". Once again my jaw dropped in shock. I felt like Lady Luck was giving me the biggest smile ever. I wanted to scream and dance for joy but as that would bring the wrath of my current boss on my head and not to mention risk me being deemed crazy by Miss T who was still on the phone I merely agreed to the interview with as much dignity as I could muster.

Okay, so back to how the interview went. After calming Sophie down and wiping her tears, I rushed over to ABC. I was to expect Madam M in the lobby where I would be interviewed. During the interview Madam M expressed her concern of how the demands of the job would have on my time with Sophie. It is a lot of hard work and very fast-paced and perhaps this is not the job for you at this point as your daughter needs you she said. When she told me that it involved hosting the media, both International and local, my heart soared. I can do that. I have a lot to learn but I know I could do it. At the same time my heart plummeted at the thought of not having much time for my Sophie. I became a bit out of focus and unable to elaborate on my answers much because the reels in my head were turning at top speed. Should I? Should I not? The end of the interview came and Madam M admitted that she was hesitant to give me the job because of my circumstances. She did say that she would hold on to my resume in case anything fitting came along in other departments.

I numbly walked to my car and as I opened the car door, Sophie sat there in her baby car seat, welcoming me with a sweet smile. All the sign given seemed so clear, the Universe implied to having heard my heart's deepest longing. As a person who believed in Allah and know that nothing happens coincidentally, it was hard to swallow that after being given so many positive sign along the way the job was not going to be mine. Then again I thought, for all I know I was meant to get the job next time when Sophie was bigger or maybe I was meant to do something else. Perhaps I was just meant to meet Madam M. So many maybe's.