Carpe Diem

Careers V

Turning two months, I’m enjoying a good level of ease with my work. Somehow, I’ve never developed complacency as I am constantly looking for ways to see my personal contribution with my work. Because I belong to the subjective literary world, I strive to bring my work to the terse–yet objective–world of technical writing as it should be.

I’ve developed time management strategies which gives me “rewards” when I knew that I finished a number of tasks within the time block I’ve set for it. I’m starting to like this method because I don’t feel guilty leaving the office at exactly 5pm. Slowly, I’m beginning to understand how some of my colleagues would step out of the office at exactly 5pm and leave without a tinge of guilt.

This is one of the reasons perhaps why the walk home is more pleasant now. More stories to come folks. I checked my blog stats earlier, and am happy that the site traffic is picking up, but I never have a clue who my readers are. Would be nice to hear from you too.

Cheers

Last Friday, I completed my first month of work, which I secretly (and collaterally) celebrated at Hon’s restaurant together with my colleagues. Unlike my other work before, the adjustment period is taking longer than it should. There isn’t much that comes to mind, really, but every morning–before coming to work– I would always think, “How can I do better today?” At first, it sounded like a desperate cry of a sorry new hire. Days turned to weeks, I still ask the same question but this time it’s close to becoming my mantra. I am convinced that the earlier I commit my mistakes, the sooner I learn and hopefully give a shot at success.

The disarming experience of adopting new work practice and standard heightens my constant need for affirmation. It’s not something like I getting the usual pat on the back at the end the day—as I now realized that my work before involved a bigger audience who would applaud at my “public speaking”, which I call work. Right now, I only have audience who can be my coach and my executioner.

To be continued…

Opportunity never comes late; she arrives precisely at the time she wishes to. She is often elusive to people who needs her most. In that, she need to be teased to reveal her real beauty and appeal.

A couple of months ago, I mentioned about joining a job workshop and getting job leads from it. I found Opportunity there. She was sitting behind my case manager, who pointed me to more job leads and resources, and still reluctant to speak up. I tried to catch up with with my fellow classmates in that workshop, while I busy filling my personal directory of contacts. I knew that she was just tailing me, but each time I turn, she would sprint like a gazelle. Because I journal all of my job applications–keeping the contact details, people I spoke to on the phone and even some side notes about how the receptionist sounded like–I tried to look for her there, but she’s hardly ever there. Looking at my resume (nth version), there’s not much I can do just for her to open doors for me, she is an ill-mannered drama queen who loves unsuspecting victims of sudden fate twists. Rumours has it that she and Fate are sisters?

My job search was turning into a cheap melodrama of an ill-fated immigrant who was snagged by false dreams, and now treads the long mile of scratching a living from placement agencie’s pittance. I nearly raised my white flag when I phoned my friend Rico. She appeared from a cloud of ambiguity anon!

“Dex, our company has been looking for a Technical Writer for quite sometime now.”

“I can match my qualification and experience. I’ll give it a try.”

To be continued…

I have yet to decide if I will go back to school and earn a bachelor’s degree here in Canada, or should I go for certificates or diplomas to get me a better chance on landing specific jobs. Whilst a bachelor’s degree is always preferred, most high paying jobs around Canada belong to the trades. Take for example a licensed practical nurse (LPN) who are raking $24/hr as compared to an office assistant, who most prolly is a degree holder, but only $13/hr. What would it merit me then to have a Canadian bachelor’s degree?

Two days ago, I was discussing with my friend Frank on skills-upgrading options and how it would impact on successfully landing an arguably decent paying job in relation to our qualification. A couple of things came out: (a) is an unemployed person running away from the problem if s/he decides to go back to school? (b) will skills-upgrading give any assurance about faster absorption into the mainstream labour market?

After about 3 months of pondering over these issues, I’ve come to a realization that qualifications, in itself, is not a guarantee for employment. The interplay between the applicant’s plea to the company’s prevailing selection process and the society’s observed founded principles on job recruitment. Despite having the legit credentials and formidable qualifications, one cannot demand to be accepted in a company. On the other hand, the company has to exercise fair, non-discriminatory recruitment practice. The applicant is often caught in the void between these two concepts, like a stale mate in a chess match. By the way the recruitment process operates, it is neither flawed nor too exhaustive and perhaps the only way to look at the situation is by considering a third element called “networking”.

To be continued…

My mind is riddled with options, which I fear would lead to a cul-de-sac. To frame my thinking right now, I throw you this:

Proposition 1: At the height of my teaching career, I thought it was my passion.

Proposition 2: At the height of my teaching job–which I’m passionate about–I thought it was my career.

Believe me, I could run a lengthy argument on proving and disproving both prepositions with a simple play of words and twisting them to create an entirely different meaning. I could relate to the second preposition though.

…but this is not I wish to share with you today.

I’m beginning to wonder what a “career path” truly means for me, if I’m charting my destiny. When I look back at my trail, can I actually tell that every step was deliberate and with purpose?

Lately, the approach for job hunting has been a sporadic and desperate attempt to be the productive person that I am; it’s when putting on a positive attitude until it feels like compromising standards and pruning one’s self-esteem; it’s when to ’sleep over it’ wouldn’t actually change a single bit of what’s yet to come.

I guess Robert Frost perfectly captured my state of mind and how it is bent on the idea of living the consequences when he said “how way leads on to way”.

To be continued…

I’ve written quite a long essay on this one, and this is the 4th time that I was booted out of Blog.com and all I wrote were erased. This is not good.

From now on, I’ll not compose here. In fact, I may not post in blog.com anymore. This is just too much.

At the end of the workshop, Wilbert, my new friend, and I would see to it that we accomplish something for that day. It was a sunny afternoon when Wilbert and I went to the public library to have his library card. He was busy with the Internet, prolly sending emails to his wife, while I was browsing the net for Mosaic Building Blocks Vancouver (www.mosaicbc.org) after hearing from the Indian professor Sharanjit who was generous enough to share to the class about this free credential assessment, in comparison to the Russian surgeon Andrey who paid C$400 to International Credential Evaluation Service or ICES (www.bcit.ca/ices) to have his school records evaluated. That same day, he showed me the place where he and his family would be staying for May. There was no profound effect on me for that one, maybe because I’ve been with my other friend Rico in his search for a 3-bedroom apartment for his family as well.

As I write now, I feel lighter to have been removed from the worry of finding a new place apart from the one I have. It appears to be even better that there’s less pressure and less responsibility. I guess Rico was right when he said about my complacency in all these stuff that I’ve been doing here in Vancouver. He was just too modest to really tell me what was on his mind, and I know I would have answered with a loud laugh if he mustered the courage to spit it out.

On my second month here in Vancouver, I’ve come to learn a few things in life…that humility, when paired with persisting patience and honesty to one’s self, is the first step to finding success.

It wasn’t until my friend got his first job as a database administrator that I’ve decided to get serious with my job search. The fear of not landing a job has slowly seeped through my senses, and I was gripped by a sudden panic when I realised that I’m back to walking in the cold streets again by myself. I always knew that I would regain strength to brave Canada, but to some extent the courage has diminished. I still manage to wear my chin up, walk around downtown like a commoner and not feel a tinge of pity for myself, but my face cannot lie. 

I got a call from the Bamboo Network one time about an upcoming job search workshop. Didn’t have second thoughts about joining, but a little embarrassed for someone who is believed to have good qualifications yet still not able to find one. It was like “The Ground Hog Day” movie where one wakes up to an insanely the same day; when waking up in the morning is nothing more than waking up from a deep sleep.

Joining the workshop was a thresher of emotions, a vent for my experience. I was happy to have joined it and to have met a buddy and friend apart from meeting some more friends. I felt wickedly happy for knowing that I’m not alone with the same situation, and it was really sick to get consolation from the realisation that the successful people I’ve met in that workshop might share the same fate as me. It was my support group, and I tried to learn as much as I could.

(to be continued)

As a rice eater all my life, relying on pasta has been a feat for me.

I started with beef and pasta. I cooked two rolls of linguini pasta and mixed it with pesto sauce and added some beef sirloin steak slices which I marinated in onion gravy. It was heavenly, and since then, I’ve been into introducing pasta in my diet.

The second attempt was still beef and pasta, but this time I tried to make some beef stroganoff, which turned out okay except that it lacked the needed herbs and some spices.

Third attempt was about mixing steamed broccoli florets with pasta. I knew it should have been carbonara, but again, my kitchen is incomplete of the needed ingredients. I pursued by using broccoli soup base. After shoving two twirls of pasta into my mouth, I’ve never insulted my prepared meals until this one. And the taste? You don’t wanna know.

Fourth attempt was with the help of my aunt. I told her about the pasta con broccoli disaster so she demonstrated to me one night in her kitchen how to make a rue. This was basically an unflavoured white sauce made out of melting butter over low heat, adding sifted flour (about 3 parts for every 1 part of butter), and milk (5 parts for every 1 part of butter). The rue was angelic but yesterday, it turned out to be another devil served on the dish. I added some ham cold cuts, added salt and pepper to taste and added parmesan cheese–but it was beyond salvation.

So tonight, I cooked myself my favourite pork adobo, and I’m still enjoying its taste in my mouth right now.

Sigh. So what’s next on the menu? 

Rain showers, breezy and I can still see my breath when i speak. Coat dripping, face and hands cold. After collecting my PR card, I phoned up my uncle to inform about my coming to Guildford Town Centre. Today is Sunday, so I thought why not visit them for dinner. I called up my cousin to arrange for my pick-up. Moments later, I received a voice message. It was my uncle, calling in sick. His body was sore, perhaps due to his golf tourney yesterday. I got off at Guildford Town Centre mall, only to find it closed, and it was only 6:15pm. There was one other who was there, and like me, she was unaware of the mall’s closing time. A young guy, prolly in his late teens was swaggering towards the mall’s entrance and sticking out a cig from his pocket. He was with me in the bus; we boarded the bus together at Gateway station and he was kicking anything that he fancies from time to time. Two teenage girls were chasing him, asking if he had some sticks.

I phoned my uncle to thank, only to be received by my cousin. In the middle of our conversation, a teenage girl approached me and butted in. She was twirling the cig with her fingers and asking if I had some light. I shook my head. Wow, that was weird. Then I stood there for a while, figuring out where to get a bus that will take me to Surrey Central station. A woman about my age was clutching her black sorry umbrella–I could see her knuckles with blisters–and offered to show me where Bay 2 is. Just before I could say thank you, she was asking for loose change to which I said, ”Sorry, got none except for my fare saver pass” Walking away from the mall, I said to myself “What the f*ck is wrong with these people?”

To shake off what just happened, I got my earphones and listened to some music. During the 50-minute travel time from Surrey to my place, I thought, these creeps are better off at home.