A Chapter with 2 Sections

Section No. 1: Job and Job Hunt Woes 

Many of my friends are going through the stage of not being able to find a job - rejections after rejections; no responses; jobs needing 2 or more years of related work experience but they are all fresh grads so they won't have any.... I totally feel for them, but I have no idea how I can advise them. It's just because I am also in this big shit myself right now.

Though not as deep just as yet since I've only been back and job hunting for 2 weeks, so it hasn't been all that terrible for me yet. But I've been through this phase before so I can totally feel what they are going through. It's a nightmare! Unlike lucky people who are determined jobs straight out of university, we have to go through all the pain to get ourselves a job. Plus, for some friends and I, we haven't gotten our PR yet, which just adds on to the difficulties of securing a good job. Many people ended up doing something which is totally unrelated to their fields (but they have no choice but to do it for a living). Other luckier ones landed up in jobs that is somewhat related, but not totally related (but it's good enough since they can then navigate their way to their correct career path after gaining some experience). I simply HATE the rate that Australian immigrations are going with the processing of our PR applications. They are seriously just wasting our times. Other than making it a whole lot more difficult for us to get a job here, we can't even go out of the country elsewhere to venture (since we can't leave the country for more than 3 months). So it's either you take it (and wait, waste your time, and be disappointed), or leave it (and get a job elsewhere, but you can't take up Aussie PR anymore). What is it that we really want? What is it that I want?? 


I have actually answered this question to my friends over coffee. Honestly, I DO want to stay here. One, I have come this far and spent this much money to get my PR, there is no point giving it up now and go elsewhere. Two, in certain aspects I DO like working in Australia - lesser stress, more benefits, higher pay, more equality, and it doesn't matter if you are handicapped or getting older. You can still get a job even if you are 40 years old. You can still get a job if you are handicapped. You get taxed a lot, but you get a lot of benefits too, more than you can ever get anywhere else in Asia. And as much as I want to go back to SG now, I have refrained my thoughts since I have friends who regretted going back home and wished so much that they have stayed in Australia instead (even though they found a job in no time, but they couldn't stand the working culture back home, including everything else like money, treatment, benefit, stress... you get the gist). The friends I've talked to are in the same plight, and have the same sentiments. The only solution now that they have proposed is to work very hard and give our best in job hunting, and something will definitely come up sooner or later. We just cannot lose hope or give up at any point. 

Conflicting ideas that I have are also making my head bloat: I want a full time, that's for sure. But at the same time I want to travel again. At least another 2-3 times. But then with a full-time I can't travel that much. So I am perhaps happy with 2 part-times - the restaurant plus another job which can be sales, cafe, part time in the office etc. Therefore I am looking for BOTH full time jobs and also part-time jobs, and see which comes up first. If a full-time comes up first, I will have to give up my traveling plans, which I am OK with, but it will be a pity. If I have find another part-time, I will be able to travel and I will be able to save more money since I will earn more money too. I really have a personality that is both confusing and contradicting..... -_-;;; 

At the same time, I am seriously sick of working at Sozai. It's been too long now, and the bosses are being really difficult and annoying. Plus, that ONE staff whom most people didn't like is still there making a lot of trouble for us (but the bosses support her). On top of them, they are seriously unfair to the senior staff (unless you are Japanese). The more I look at it, the more faults I find. Where are our benefits? Where are our fair treatment?Where are our recognition for our efforts? NONE. I want to leave, but I can't leave because at the moment this is my ONLY job and I need the cash. Until someone responds to my job applications (be it part-time or full-time; related to my field or unrelated), I have to stay at Sozai. I should be considered lucky I am still employed, whether I like it or not. But I really really want to escape! >.<

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Section No. 2: Incorporate FUN with Stress & Woes 

So, as the day draws closer, I try to hang out a little more with Jay before she leaves for Queensland. She is going off next Saturday, and may not be coming by Melbourne anymore. The next time we get to meet, will probably be in Korea. Sad, but I am accepting it. She is my good friend, and no matter where she is, we will still be good friends. I will miss her terribly though!!

On Monday, we had yumcha with the some of the peeps from Sozai. Yumcha on a Monday sounds kinda weird, but then at least we didn't have to book beforehand. 

Yumcha @ the newly renovated Dragon Boat in Chinatown

Went to Seven Seeds Cafe afterwards. But the cafe was so difficult to locate since it was very well hidden and 'camouflaged'. One can easily walk past it (if the doors are closed) and not realize that there is a cafe there~

Last weekend, Jay and I headed to Balaclava for lunch @ BATCH. After lunch we went to St. Kilda, walked along the coast, and settled in Republica for a cup of coffee before heading to work. 

Jay outside Luna Park... 

St. Kilda beach 

Working lunch with the older boss, Nisan, will most likely mean that we will receive a good lunch. There's usually sashimi, and then Peter, our head chef, will cook some really delicious dishes too~ Love his Thai-style cooking (he's Thai, anyway). 

I usually eat a lot after lunch shifts - 1) I AM hungry cuz I didn't have breakfast; 2) The food's good, and it's free

On Saturday I was lucky enough to get a day off. So met up with Ryo and Jay for a fun day at Brighton Beach. First we had lunch at Bossy Boots, and then we went down to the beach for a day of fun and relaxation.... 

Lunch at Bossy Boots
I had eggplant parmigiana with a Chinese chicken salad. Pretty yummy
Ryo had a chicken, mushroom and leek crepe, and cauliflower salad
Jay had banana cakes with raspberry cream.  

We built a kingdom at Brighton Beach.
Unfortunately we didn't have any bucket or spades to build something really grand... like a sandcastle. SO we made moulds and little mountains, dug deep to make roads and tunnels. Plus used seaweeds and twigs for trees. The end effect wasn't that bad! We even attracted people at the beach who took photos of us and our 'masterpiece' :P

For some reason I really like this photo even though we can't really see Jay's face, and I made a face~

Trio @ Brighton Beach
Always fun to hang out with them. 

Felt sad that we had to leave our kingdom eventually. Poor Jay has got to work at 4.30pm (though she decided that she will have to go late cuz we had too much fun). Ryo had to go home to his assignment due on Monday. And I had plans to meet more friends in the city afterwards. 

It was still early to meet upon arriving in the city so I walked around by myself. Ended up buying a dress which was on discount at The Basement. It was like $89.99 before discount, and it was $60 marked on the tag. Went to try it on, fitted nicely, and I liked it on me. So I decided that I will buy it. Went to the counter to pay, and the scanner scanned in a different price - only $42 now. Elated! Half price off~ I was lucky.

Met Yongshan and Shu Yea at Melbourne Central's Borders. Dinner was at EZ Claypot where I had Hainanese chicken rice and a mango sago drink. Afterwards we chit-chatted and chilled at Max Brenner. Ahhhh love their Chocolate with waffle balls drinks. I want more now!

Yongshan and I.... I like this pic~

Liked the effect of this photo so much I used it as my Facebook profile pic

Drinks..... @ Max Brenner

This week will be our long Easter holidays..... Doesn't really affect the F&B industry, but then our restaurant will be shut for 2 days - Friday and Saturday. So I will get 2 days off (only). Other companies have Friday to next Tuesday off. For those 2 days, I've already made plans. Hopefully there will be heaps of fun... 

Right now, I can only pray that some time soon, a job offer will come knocking on my door and tell me that I have been employed.... Full time, part-time, it all doesn't matter.