Marks & Spencer Job Interview

With nothing much to do except being online almost 24/7, life's really a bore. What's worse is being too poor to go out to have some fun.


Yesterday, I just went for the job interview for the temporary sales associate at Marks & Spencer (M&S) Centrepoint Outlet. Although I was there at exactly 2pm (which was supposedly the starting time), there were already a lot of people there filling up their application forms and waiting for the face to face interview. The wait was approximately one and a half hours and it was very uneventful.


During that time I constantly scanned the ground, eyeing people with potential to be selected.


Apparently for the ladies (which numbered close to a hundred), there were some that seemed suitable for the job. They were well groomed, pleasant looking and spoke eloquently when interviewed. There were a few that seemed very young (Approx 16 to 17), but hey, the recruitment advertisement specified age 16 and above. There was one lady that looked to be in her 60s and when she was interviewed, the staff (seemed like an area manager) politely told her that her age deemed her unsuitable. Almost instantly, the old lady's shoulders shrunk as she stood up and left the room with an audible sigh. Somehow, I feel pity for her. But, this is the service line, where age, appearance and figure are heavily scrutinized.


For the male applicants, there were much fewer (perhaps it's a lady's thing?). However, there were a handful of them that sounded very eloquent and "sophisticated"... and a bit weird in their behavior. Seriously, I don't know how to describe the way they carry themselves. While waiting, I overheard a conversation between two male applicants sitting behind me. They were engaged in idle chatting, talking about ACS Independent and Barker Road, talking about contemporary music, about classical musical instruments. Can't stand it... They are too "Ang Mor" and it kinda irks me. I also managed to catch a glimpse of one of them being interview. Jia Lat... behavioral problem... There were other male applicants too, that looked funny, dressed funny, had very short hair and somewhat seemed out-of-place if they were successful in their application. The ultimate one I saw was this Malay chap that looks to be in his late 20s or early 30s. One thing, he was fat. The other thing was that he behaved like a sissy, chatting up a lady in her 40s and exhibiting all those sissy hand gestures with that cheesy smile on his face! I can still remember that smiling visage with curly and oily hair! What's most outstanding is that he was carrying a shoulder-slung bag with a graphic of "Little Miss Annoying" printed on it! Whoa!!! Indeed a lady's best friend!

Door to Door Sales Isn't My Forte

Yeah, it's definitely not my cup of tea. There were several reason why I decided not to do the job any more.


First, on the day of the interview, I was told by the boss that there will be transport provided to the site of work. That's fine with me. However, just now when I left the office with the person I was attached to (Ironically his name was Kelvin), I asked him where will we be taking the transport to the place (Yishun). He told me that we will be taking Bus 285 to the MRT station and later, a train to Yishun. I was a bit taken aback. Then I asked him about what the boss told me. Then he said the boss did not told him about such stuffs. I was like "well, ok... I'll carry on and see how's it like"


Second, it is pure 100% door to door sales. Whoa, I must admit that talking to strangers and advertising a product or service which I do not patronise is kinda hard. I need to conjure some lies or put on an acting mask to so-called "cheat" people into making the purchase from me. I just... dunno... I can't seem to do it. If I was told to do such stuffs on the roads or perhaps at a shopping centre, that, yes, I might consider. If it's pure door to door, then forget it. I don't like doing such kind of stuffs.


Third, which is in conjunction with the first, is that the transportation fees is quite unpredictable. This particular job requires it's staff to move around different parts of Singapore to carry out sales. Sometimes it requires us to go to places such as Yishun or Tampines, which is like damned far for me. Cost of transport is one thing. The other factor is the time I take to travel to and from the places. If the job gets lengthy, I might even miss the last bus or last train and would resort to taking a cab back home. It will cost a bomb! And also, it would definitely eat into my daily pay. What I'd bring home would be peanuts!


So, ya, I've just sms'ed Aunt June to help me ask if weather SGH has any more vacancies available. Hope to get a favourable reply from her in a day or two. Else, it's back to the Classified section of the Straits Times.

The last time when I viewed my savings account, I saw $2.38 remaining! Pathetic... It simply sucks when I don't have any money on me. And it also sucks when I just can't find a job which I enjoy doing. Later in the day about 5pm, I'll be heading off to work for the first day. Actually, I'm a bit apprehensive about this job as usually I'd be picking those jobs that have the least amount of contact with people. I just hope I don't make a big mistake going into the sales line. Nevertheless, the boss had told me the other day that if I found that doing such a job makes me feel uncomfortable, I'm allowed to back up; no hard feelings. I was told that I should be able to commit for at least 3 months. That, I feel wouldn't be a problem except for the many important events that dot my April to August calender (IPPT-RT, Uncle Huat's wedding dinner in Indonesia, 2nd ICT, Poly Graduation Ceremony, and many more unforeseen events).


Maple maple maple... my buddy Loyalknightz wanted to organize a Malaysia Boss VIP run to earn mesos during the June holidays. But I seriously don't know if I can commit so much time to that. I still got many things to do. And even so, if I were to back out now, would it be too late. Somehow, I think I shouldn't have agreed to his idea. Maybe he should look for another Nightlord instead of finding me. Priority wise, there are so many things to do in there. Need to earn mesos, need to level my Nightlord, need to train a HB mule for Ting to spam. Should I forsake training my level and level the HB mule instead? Also, will there be enough time to utilize it to leech-spam my main? *Sigh*.... work 1st work 1st...


Right, I think I'm going to sleep now. Hope after I wake up later, the day will be brighter!

University at last...

The moment I flipped open the letter and saw the word "Congratulations" in bold, I exploded with delight (On the inside). I just got accepted into NTU! Finally after 3 years in poly, my dream was realized and luckily I did not go back to my old lazy ways. I guess, if I can do it for the 3 years I spent in poly, I should be able to keep up the focus for my upcoming university education.

Mommy seem pleased (though she kinda expected it). Pa was like asking me if my course was relevant to the studies I undertook in Poly and I said "Yes of course". He just grunted and kinda murmured to me "Very good, carry on..". I grunted too, and took the letter to my room. Inside me, I was god-damned elated as my own father vocally praised me for the 1st time in my life!

I'm just so speechless now... somebody put some words into my mouth please!

Tawau 110309 to 240309 Part 6 (Final)

Above: You know, the eight horn clam actually tastes great!
Below: Yeah, I will be back pretty soon!

Below: The mountain range shaped in a lady lying face up.

Below: Ting pointing to the Welcome sign (Huan Ying Guang Lin)

Below: The Semporna Ocean Tourism Resort. Picturesque view!

220309 - Everyone got up early that Sunday. We went to the weekend market near the main road ( in front of Eastern Plaza), auntie wanted to find for frog legs (because I wanted to eat :( ). There were all sorts of stuffs being sold there, notably those fake leather goods, fake watches, fake perfume etc. For me, I bought a Levi's Wallet for only SGD$5.48 (from RM18 discounted to RM13) and a Hugo Boss perfume for the same price. After auntie got her stuffs, including a dalab, we went to a nearby coffeeshop for breakfast (I ate Hor Fun). I still remembered the coffeeshop boss being a hardworking and courteous person.


Once home, we leave the stuffs and we all took an hour and a half's drive to Semporna. I remember on the journey I slept for about half an hour as I was tired!


Semporna seems much hotter than Tawau. The streets are literally crawling with people. From the crowd, I couldn't identify anyone that looks Chinese. I was told by Uncle that most of the Semporna inhabitants were Bugis, with a huge number of other Indonesian races and Filipinos (many of them illegal immigrants).


At one of the gift shop, I bought several seashells for myself and my bros and cousins. Ting bought a few for herself to add to her existing seashell collection. After that, we had lunch at a chinese coffeeshop. Then, we toured the Jetty that caters rides to the nearby Sipadan Islands. Once again, beautiful scenery, especially that of the nearby Mermaid Island. The mountain ridge is shaped in a figure of a lady lying face up. The waters were almost crystal-clear (cept' for some litter in the water). At certain spots, I could see the bottom of the shallows. There was also a seafood restaurant there. Another interesting thing I saw was the wash basins, it is actually a very huge sea clam that was made into a basin! After the trip, we headed down to a nearby wet market as auntie wanted to buy some eight horn clams. And after that, we were on our way home. Before reaching home, uncle took a detour to the sea side near Tawau to show me how it looks like. I wasn't really interested in going down for a look (perhaps next time!), but still, the view impresses me!


Back home, uncle prepared the BBQ pit while auntie got all the raw food prepared. Chicken wings, Sausages, pork slices and stuffs. Ting's bro also invited many of his friends there. And at that night, I experienced blackout! So this is how it is when Ting's house is in a blackout! Guess I'd count myself lucky that Singapore doesn't have any of them!


230309 - It's the end of the 1 week school break, and back to school for Ting. It also serves as a reminder to me that my stay in Tawau is almost up. That thought made me kinda sad... I went round Ting's house taking photos of the garden, back-alley, porch and other places to serve as a reminder of how her house looked.


In the morning, after sending Ting to school, I followed uncle to his office to check out his workplace. It's just a simple office where uncle drafts building designs for clients. A really meticulous work and I really admire Uncle for his profession and skill. at 12.30, we fetched Ting from school and headed back home for lunch. Later, me and Ting got changed and we headed down to Eastern Plaza again to do some last-minute shopping. I had mentioned that I wanted a nice belt. So I got an Armani and a Versace belt. Both for RM20 only! Wonder, when will I ever go out with Ting again?... Once back home, I had my last dinner at their house.


Ting had mentioned that she did not want to go to school the following day as she had wanted to personally send me off.


240309 - Woke up pretty early to finalize preparations. Had breakfast at town and headed back home to collect my luggage. When the car rolled out and moved down Taman Melody, I took 1 last long look at Ting's House. "When" is the question... "When" will I ever come back to visit Ting? The road to the airport seemed long, I tried my best to be happy, but deep inside, I feel sad that I had to leave...


Once at the airport, I checked in and after that, we loitered around the airport vicinity for some time before the call for my flight. Well, it's time for me to say goodbye. Uncle and Auntie handed me an Ang Pao (Touched T__T) and wished me well for my future. I was so sad, but I kept myself smiling. I shook Uncle's hand warmly and gave Auntie and Ting a hug each... as I passed the security checkpoint, I turned around and gave them one final wave. I don't want to go home yet, really... 2 weeks just flew by and I really enjoyed my stay at Tawau. I enjoyed Uncle's and Auntie's hospitality and Ting's company.


After waiting for an eternity, flight boarding was announced. I dragged myself into the plane and plopped into my seat... The plane positioned itself on the runway and stayed stationary for a while. Then, there was this accelerated rush as the plane rapidly gained speed. I watched as trees flicker past me, then, Tawau Airport, then, it was up into the sky and slowly, Tawau's macro landscape becomes so distant...

Tawau 110309 to 240309 Part 5

Above: Ting's 172 Seashells. Antique!
Below: I was sweating like a dog just to do that!

Below: The Fei Luo (Flying Clam) before they were "processed".

Below: At least I took home one of Auntie's recipe!

Below: A couple and A couple of bears

190308 - Early in the morning, Auntie brought us to Sabindo to have Dim Sum breakfast. After that, we went back home. For the rest of the morning and early afternoon, Ting and I were online mapling. Later the both of us went down to Eastern Plaza for shopping and a little stroll. I bought a pair of key-chains in the shape of a bear. And it so happened that the chains comes from Auntie's friends shop! There was one point in time when she teased Ting about me! I was so paiseh till I didn't know what to say! Overall, it was an enjoyable chat with Auntie's friend! Hope business flourishes soon! During the night, it was maple time again lol! This time during x2 drop rate, I got an overall int 60% as well as an overall luk 60% while Ting stared wide eyed at me!


200308 - Auntie taught me one of the recipes that she had. It was Egg-rolled Fishball Paste! First up, beat a couple of eggs and fry them in a non-stick pan. What you'll get is a uniform circular egg (Much the same as the popiah skin). Next up, just spread a uniform layer of fishball paste and roll it up like popiah! Then place in in a plate and steam the dish. There it is! Egg-rolled Fishball Paste! Actually, the name of the dish was coined by myself because I don't know it's actual name. Buddha Jump Over The Wall?

Auntie decided that we should eat Fei Luo soon. But this time, it will be her cooking! So, she actually got a couple of Kg of Fei Luo and I volunteered to clean the meat! I was a total NOOB! And, I needed Ting to show me how to do the cleaning. For the first few clams, I was very slow. But after that, I kinda got the hang of it and we managed to finish everything in about an hour and a half... My god, all the effort for a moderate bowl of clams?

Later in the night, Uncle took out Ting's beloved collection of 172 seashells to show me. Ting had kept those shells for almost 10 years. And at those times, a lot of shells were not bought. Instead it was uncle who picked it up from the sand debris that he collected when he was working. Uncle also told me that we will be heading down to Semporna this coming Sunday. Can't wait man...!

210309 - It's the second saturday of my trip and again, Ting and I couldn't had enough of BBQ seafood buffet! Gobbled up more Clams this time!

Tawau 110309 to 240309 Part 4

Above: On the way back, we had Hum Chim Peng to quell our hunger.
Below: The bridge that spans over the green waters in the Sandakan Crocodile Farm.

Below: Partial view of Sandakan Town and the Sulu Sea beyond it.

Below: Namo Amitabha!

Below: Standing in front of the well erm... brazer... I took an inspirational shot of the Sulu Sea!

180309 - It was second day in Sandakan, and I woke up in bed, frozen like a frozen tuna! It's all because Ting's older brother snatched the blanket away from me when I was sleeping! Subconsciously, I told myself to make do with no cover! Nevertheless I took a shower and was shivering like bone-fletcher! (I admit I am skinny ok?).


We drove down to the market place in search for that illusive Shiu Mai that Ting wanted to eat. We went from market to market, coffee shop to coffee shop, yet there wasn't any Shiu Mai around. Alas, we settled for the market overlooking the Sulu sea. Brilliant sight in the morning.


After breakfast, Uncle went to deliver a package to one of the factories in the area. And after that, we drove up to the mountain to the Pu Ji Shi Temple. The view up there just simply took my breath away. The temple resided on the right spot and at just the right height; overlooking Sandakan Town as well as the vast expense of the sea.


Later we rushed back to the hotel to check out before 12pm. And after that, we headed out to our next destination, which was the Sandakan Crocodile Farm. Uncle and Auntie had visited the place before and didn't want to go in. Instead, Auntie opted to stay outside to purchase some crocodile meat (RM30 per kilo!). So it was left Me, Ting and her older bro to go in to take a view.


Lunch was the next order. Ting and I had wanton at a roadside coffee shop while uncle and auntie settled for simpler food. The weather was extremely hot and I was sweating eventhough I finished my glass of Kopi Peng. Finally, business settled in Sandakan, and we were on our way home!


Along the way, I took a short nap. I believe the others (except for Uncle!) doze off at some point or two! But once we were outside of Sandakan and somewhere near Lahad Datu, Ting and I became trigger-happy with the camera. We took many beautiful scenery. The roads, the hills, the plantations, the Bird's Nest Mountain again... but one thing we kinda missed was the view of the sea with many islands dotting its fringes! Pity...


By the time we reached Tawau, it was already nightfall. We went to the mini market at 3rd mile there for dinner. I had Flying Clam, 8 Horn Shell Clam and Stingray for dinner! Delicious! Woots! After a satisfying dinner, we were home!


I was SOOO excited to know my results the moment I got back. Couple of nights ago, I dreamt I got 3.891 for my final semester! Could it be the work of the Sifu??? Nevertheless, I was on the school website and I covered my laptop screen to prolong the air of excitement (siao me!). Alas... 3.70! I missed by almost 0.2! Well the dream did not come through. But at least...

Network Protocols - A


Digital Comms - A


Mobile Communications - B+


Technopreneurship - B+


Final Year Project - B+

Tawau 110309 to 240309 Part 3

Above: The halfway stop between Tawau and Sandakan. The beautiful Guan Ying Temple!
Below: The exit of the Sancturary. Hope one day I can come pay those monkeys a visit again!

Below: Ahhh Ahhh, don't naughty ah!

Below: Wee Hee! Monkieee! lols haha =X

Below: No, that is not a monkey! That's just Ting being cute!

160309 - Hooray it's a Monday! And I am Hurrah'ing for a good reason... coz it's the 1 week school holidays for Ting! I got up early and wanted to prepare for breakfast for everyone. Hard-boiled 3 eggs and mashed it. Add in a heaped tablespoon of butter and enough mayo and there it is! Auntie helped me chop the salad (as I wasn't very proficient at chopping fine veggie!). Initially I had wanted to add hotdogs, but then again... not... because Auntie is a vegetarian. So, might as well cook something which everyone can enjoy! Mashed Eggs with salad! A pity that Uncle wasn't around to have breakfast with us as he was out having breakfast with that guest speaker from Singapore, Doris Ang. For most of the day, I spent time chilling at home and preparing my stuffs for the trip to Sandakan on the following day.

170309 - (Happy 28th Month Anniversary) Everyone woke up extremely early and had an early breakfast! By about 9.30am, we hit the roads. The duration of the journey is estimated to be about 5.5 to 6 hours! But... it seems okay as we were rather chatty on the journey! I remember at one point of the journey when Uncle suddenly told us to look at a bunch of monkeys at the roadside. Apparently there were 6 of them. 4 of them were behaving normally while the remainder 2 (one male and one female) were doing doggy-style on the road!! That made everyone ROAR with laughter! I could feel my tears coming out then! HAHA! Aside from that, there were many beautiful sights to be seen such as the famous Bird's Nest Mountain near to Lahad Datu, the sea view from the top of the mountains as well as the Guan Ying Temple facing the sea! After passing the temple, we stopped for lunch. Finally I had something that had so much chilli in a week! Fried Thai Prawn rice with Chilli Padi! Haha! Hot! LOL!

I remembered we were joking about the beautiful statues at the roundabout in Sandakan... The statues were shaped in animals that are found in Sandakan. Example, the Orangutan, the Phoboscis Monkey, the Crocodiles, the eagles. Apparently, they have hands and they point in the direction of the corresponding tourist attraction! I was laughing loudly when I saw the statue of the crocodile!

The first stop was at the Poboscis Monkey Sancturary. It was the first time I got up close to monkeys. The blackie monkey (Dont' know what species) is soooo cute! It snatched my long beans! T_T I remember there was one mother with her baby clinging to her belly! Another of the monkeys had long beans going into it's mouth and Pee and Shit coming out from the butt! For Ting, she was absolutely extatic when she saw the Male Monkey! So much so her face was flushed with red! HAHAHA!

During the evening, Uncle booked a hotel room for all of us to spend the night in. Then after that, we went to a coffee shop near the hotel to have dinner. I had my first taste of the Fei Luo (Flying Clam), tastes great!