warning: long post. here is a blow-by-blow account of what transpired today.
today, sundeep and i were supposed to go to the orchid garden, which i didn't know existed in Singapore botanical gardens, for some bodning time before he flies off to mauritius on sunday. we were supposed to meet at 1:30pm. by 'meet', what i had in mind was the two of us already bathed and dressed and ready to go. i found out that his 'meet' was indeed just to see each other as he was still fiddling with his newly bought 5 mega-pixel, 8x-optical zoom, 4x digital zoom konica minolta digital camera when i knocked on his door. upon seeing him still wearing what he had worn the night before, i told him i'll go do something else first while he gets ready. so i left, went back to the hall lobby to return the temporary room access card since i already found my matric card, and read today's paper. ok, i flipped through the classified ads right away to hunt for possible summer jobs.
right then and there i phoned Tanglin Club to inquire about the waitress position.
Korinna: Hello good afternoon, I found an ad in the paper about a job position for waitress, do you accept students?
Lady: No.
Korinna: Oh ok, thank you.
another waitress job, this time in a pub and disco in cairnhill place.
Korinna:Hello good afternoon, I found an ad in the paper about a job vacancy for waitress, do you accept students on vacation?
Man: Students on what?
Korinna: Students on vacation..
Man: uh-hum. poly student issit?
Korinna: uh no, NUS
Man: uh-hum. uh-hum. just come for the walk-in interview.
Korinna: ok thank you
whee! then i found another ad, another waitress position in raffles town club. no phone number so i didn't call, but i took note of the details as im also hgoing for the walk-in interview. the other ads specified they only wanted singaporeans or permanent residents (PR), or they didn't want students, or only malays are welcome to apply, or that one qualification is to be bilingual (english and mandarin), so i didn't bother with them anymore.
when i felt i've done enough job hunting on the classified ads, i went back to sundeep's room to chck whether we'll be going in 5 minutes or in 10 years. when i opened the door, LO AND BEHOLD! a sense of deja vu rushed through my veins as i saw him fiddling with his digicam in the same position as i saw him minutes ago, and still wearing the same clothes. so i sweetly told him if he's too tired to go, it's ok, since i also felt a sudden sense of urgency and determination to go look for a job today. he said he was about to go and get dressed when i barged in, but if i really want to go job hunting then it's ok. so off i went. *sweet nothings deleted*
before i went out, i passed by joseph's room first to see if i can drag him along with me. cannot, the OC and american idol more important. haha kidding. i understand, really. i also just practically popped out of nowhere so it is understandable that it is not in his itinerary to go job hunting today. before going back to my room to change my orchid garden outfit to a job interview one, i bought milo from the vendo machine first to 'energize my day', as i haven't eaten any meal yet.
i had to make sure that i look presentable. go figure.
first stop was raffles town club. gee, i didn't expect it to exude such a retro-ish, elegant, classical appeal that made me want to wish i'd get the job so i could be there everyday. but as it turns out, they didn't want any foreigners. *raffles town club slated off my list.*
next was the pub and disco in cairnhill road. according to streetdirectory.com, i should board bus 186 from whitley road bus stop to get to balestier road, walk a few meters to the bus stop opposite thomson medical centre, then board bus 143 to get to tang plaza in orchard road, and finally walk a few meters to cainhill road. it should be noted that at this time of the year, singapore is turning into an aesthetically-enhanced oven whereby one would always feel stuffy and sticky and sweaty. i was patiently waiting for bus 186 while enduring the humidity, beads of sweat trickling down my face. i thought i didn't have a facial tissue with me, but alas i found one inside my bag. so as i was wiping my sweat and saying hello to my reflection in my pink pocket mirror, bus 186 came and went...without me in it. geez, i missed the bus. so i waited and waited again until the seed accidently thrown on the patch of soil near the pavement turned into a full-grown sequoia tree.
finally i was able to board another bus 186. according to streetdirectory.com, i should alight at the fifth bus stop. and i did. ok,maybe it was the sixth one, coz i cannot find thomson medical centre anywhere in the vicinity. so i backtracked one bus stop. two bus stops. three bus stops. then a fork in the road. the fourth one, the bus stop opposite thomson medical centre wasn't in the route of bus 186, and it wasn't anywhere NEAR the fifth bus stop from where i boarded bus 186. good thing it was just in front of 711 so i was able to buy myslef a slurpee to quench my dehydrated throat.
i boarded bus 143 and alighted prematurely. so i had to walk to tang plaza...again. but people, people....the highlight of my day comes here. as i was briskly walking along scotts road...
LADY: hey excuse me, sorry for disturbing you...
Korinna:( kept on walking and thinks 'oh no, she's gonna ask me some survey questions').
LADY: are you with any modelling agency right now?
Korinna:(stopped dead on her tracks. DUH? ME? lady you got my attention now alright.)
ok, so i forgot the rest of our dialogue because i was utterly disoriented. i remember spelling out my name as she was writing it in her notepad, and then giving her my contact number. than she gave me a calling card, and told me she'll call me. hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. yeah right.
but still, woooo hooooo! someone in singapore thinks i can be a model. that's enough to brighten up my day and to make me think that this trip outside campus is worth the trouble.
so all the way to cairnhill place, i was smiling. when i saw the building, my smile faded. it was a boring building made up of square tiles. and the pub&disco sign was dirty too. working there might be full of occupational hazards so i didn't proceed anymore.
anyway i was really determined to find a job, so i retraced my steps and went inside marriot hotel. maybe they have any job vacancy for foreign students. the person behind the concierge counter was a nice burly man, and he regretted to tell me that the HR department handling such qeuries is already closed. when i checked my watch, yep, already 6 pm. so off i went.
the grand hyatt hotel is also just somewhere the vicinity so i wanted to go there too. before reaching there, i passed by this posh mall (i forgot what), and entered to let my eyes feast on all the cosmetics i'll be helping to make in the future. and plainly because i'm a girl so i am lured towards those pretty things i cannot afford. anyway, when i entered the mall, the scent reminded me of mama, as they were also selling perfumes along with cosmetics. then i was suddenly missing her.
when i reached the grand hyatt hotel, i held my head up high and walked casually inside, like i really have a business in there. i knew i also didn't look out of place by the clothes i wore, i made sure of that. so anyway, i went straight to the toilet. haha! i couldn't find the reception area right away and i didn't want to look lost, so i just pretended i knew where i was going and the path i took ended on their posh lobby toilet. after that, i just went to the bellboy counter and told them the same lines i've been uttering for the upteenth time today. as expected, they didn't have any concrete details to give me coz their HR department is also already closed.
my feet were already very tired, but i wanted to check out clark quay first. maybe i can find a job in the pubs there. so i rode the mrt and walked leisurely along the riverside. i was also able to take a closer look on the singapore bungy, which i'm planning to ride one of these days. i walked the whole stretch of clark quay and back, and i found the place to be fun, fun, fun! maybe because i like colors a lot and the place is, well, colorful. yeah yeah i know, working in pubs may have a lot of occupational hazards as what karen said, but that's where the big bucks are and big bucks are what i need. and that's why i also have to make sure that if ever i'm working in clark quay or anywhere that requires night shift, i'll be with joseph and/or ferron, or nothing. i didn't approach any bar owners to inquire because joseph and ferron were not with me. and because i looked out of place.
finally i went to harbourfront. i went inside the mall and passed by yoshinoya. joseph is keen on working in yoshinoya because of the free japanese food. hehe=) anyway, they seem to lack people. i went inside thick-faced, ready to talk to the lady who seems to be the manager. it turns out that there's actually a poster inside advertising for full-time/ part-time crew. it gave me more confidence to ask for a job. i was asked to fill out a form, and then the real manager (who turned out to be a guy) interviewed me. he just confirmed what i had written in the form, told me about the salary range (3.5-3.8 bucks an hour for starters, *enthusiasm level declined*), and some small talk. he's actually a nice person. everything went well, except that i am holding a student's pass, which is a critical factor since it is explicitely stated that the holder should not be engaged in any form of employment for the whole duration of his/her stay unless with consent from this certain government agency. so for yoshinoya, if they were to hire me, they would have to do some paperworks too. just like the other establishments that rejected me for being a foreign student with a student's pass. anyway, for being the nice person that he is, he is going to forward my application form to their office. and if they call back next week, good. if not, he's very sorry.
so there. finally i went back to my hall, packed my dinner, and blogged my fascinating day.
tomorrow would be another fun day, coz the beach babe and her guy with army haircut are going to sentosa!
today, sundeep and i were supposed to go to the orchid garden, which i didn't know existed in Singapore botanical gardens, for some bodning time before he flies off to mauritius on sunday. we were supposed to meet at 1:30pm. by 'meet', what i had in mind was the two of us already bathed and dressed and ready to go. i found out that his 'meet' was indeed just to see each other as he was still fiddling with his newly bought 5 mega-pixel, 8x-optical zoom, 4x digital zoom konica minolta digital camera when i knocked on his door. upon seeing him still wearing what he had worn the night before, i told him i'll go do something else first while he gets ready. so i left, went back to the hall lobby to return the temporary room access card since i already found my matric card, and read today's paper. ok, i flipped through the classified ads right away to hunt for possible summer jobs.
right then and there i phoned Tanglin Club to inquire about the waitress position.
Korinna: Hello good afternoon, I found an ad in the paper about a job position for waitress, do you accept students?
Lady: No.
Korinna: Oh ok, thank you.
another waitress job, this time in a pub and disco in cairnhill place.
Korinna:Hello good afternoon, I found an ad in the paper about a job vacancy for waitress, do you accept students on vacation?
Man: Students on what?
Korinna: Students on vacation..
Man: uh-hum. poly student issit?
Korinna: uh no, NUS
Man: uh-hum. uh-hum. just come for the walk-in interview.
Korinna: ok thank you
whee! then i found another ad, another waitress position in raffles town club. no phone number so i didn't call, but i took note of the details as im also hgoing for the walk-in interview. the other ads specified they only wanted singaporeans or permanent residents (PR), or they didn't want students, or only malays are welcome to apply, or that one qualification is to be bilingual (english and mandarin), so i didn't bother with them anymore.
when i felt i've done enough job hunting on the classified ads, i went back to sundeep's room to chck whether we'll be going in 5 minutes or in 10 years. when i opened the door, LO AND BEHOLD! a sense of deja vu rushed through my veins as i saw him fiddling with his digicam in the same position as i saw him minutes ago, and still wearing the same clothes. so i sweetly told him if he's too tired to go, it's ok, since i also felt a sudden sense of urgency and determination to go look for a job today. he said he was about to go and get dressed when i barged in, but if i really want to go job hunting then it's ok. so off i went. *sweet nothings deleted*
before i went out, i passed by joseph's room first to see if i can drag him along with me. cannot, the OC and american idol more important. haha kidding. i understand, really. i also just practically popped out of nowhere so it is understandable that it is not in his itinerary to go job hunting today. before going back to my room to change my orchid garden outfit to a job interview one, i bought milo from the vendo machine first to 'energize my day', as i haven't eaten any meal yet.
i had to make sure that i look presentable. go figure.
first stop was raffles town club. gee, i didn't expect it to exude such a retro-ish, elegant, classical appeal that made me want to wish i'd get the job so i could be there everyday. but as it turns out, they didn't want any foreigners. *raffles town club slated off my list.*
next was the pub and disco in cairnhill road. according to streetdirectory.com, i should board bus 186 from whitley road bus stop to get to balestier road, walk a few meters to the bus stop opposite thomson medical centre, then board bus 143 to get to tang plaza in orchard road, and finally walk a few meters to cainhill road. it should be noted that at this time of the year, singapore is turning into an aesthetically-enhanced oven whereby one would always feel stuffy and sticky and sweaty. i was patiently waiting for bus 186 while enduring the humidity, beads of sweat trickling down my face. i thought i didn't have a facial tissue with me, but alas i found one inside my bag. so as i was wiping my sweat and saying hello to my reflection in my pink pocket mirror, bus 186 came and went...without me in it. geez, i missed the bus. so i waited and waited again until the seed accidently thrown on the patch of soil near the pavement turned into a full-grown sequoia tree.
finally i was able to board another bus 186. according to streetdirectory.com, i should alight at the fifth bus stop. and i did. ok,maybe it was the sixth one, coz i cannot find thomson medical centre anywhere in the vicinity. so i backtracked one bus stop. two bus stops. three bus stops. then a fork in the road. the fourth one, the bus stop opposite thomson medical centre wasn't in the route of bus 186, and it wasn't anywhere NEAR the fifth bus stop from where i boarded bus 186. good thing it was just in front of 711 so i was able to buy myslef a slurpee to quench my dehydrated throat.
i boarded bus 143 and alighted prematurely. so i had to walk to tang plaza...again. but people, people....the highlight of my day comes here. as i was briskly walking along scotts road...
LADY: hey excuse me, sorry for disturbing you...
Korinna:( kept on walking and thinks 'oh no, she's gonna ask me some survey questions').
LADY: are you with any modelling agency right now?
Korinna:(stopped dead on her tracks. DUH? ME? lady you got my attention now alright.)
ok, so i forgot the rest of our dialogue because i was utterly disoriented. i remember spelling out my name as she was writing it in her notepad, and then giving her my contact number. than she gave me a calling card, and told me she'll call me. hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. yeah right.
but still, woooo hooooo! someone in singapore thinks i can be a model. that's enough to brighten up my day and to make me think that this trip outside campus is worth the trouble.
so all the way to cairnhill place, i was smiling. when i saw the building, my smile faded. it was a boring building made up of square tiles. and the pub&disco sign was dirty too. working there might be full of occupational hazards so i didn't proceed anymore.
anyway i was really determined to find a job, so i retraced my steps and went inside marriot hotel. maybe they have any job vacancy for foreign students. the person behind the concierge counter was a nice burly man, and he regretted to tell me that the HR department handling such qeuries is already closed. when i checked my watch, yep, already 6 pm. so off i went.
the grand hyatt hotel is also just somewhere the vicinity so i wanted to go there too. before reaching there, i passed by this posh mall (i forgot what), and entered to let my eyes feast on all the cosmetics i'll be helping to make in the future. and plainly because i'm a girl so i am lured towards those pretty things i cannot afford. anyway, when i entered the mall, the scent reminded me of mama, as they were also selling perfumes along with cosmetics. then i was suddenly missing her.
when i reached the grand hyatt hotel, i held my head up high and walked casually inside, like i really have a business in there. i knew i also didn't look out of place by the clothes i wore, i made sure of that. so anyway, i went straight to the toilet. haha! i couldn't find the reception area right away and i didn't want to look lost, so i just pretended i knew where i was going and the path i took ended on their posh lobby toilet. after that, i just went to the bellboy counter and told them the same lines i've been uttering for the upteenth time today. as expected, they didn't have any concrete details to give me coz their HR department is also already closed.
my feet were already very tired, but i wanted to check out clark quay first. maybe i can find a job in the pubs there. so i rode the mrt and walked leisurely along the riverside. i was also able to take a closer look on the singapore bungy, which i'm planning to ride one of these days. i walked the whole stretch of clark quay and back, and i found the place to be fun, fun, fun! maybe because i like colors a lot and the place is, well, colorful. yeah yeah i know, working in pubs may have a lot of occupational hazards as what karen said, but that's where the big bucks are and big bucks are what i need. and that's why i also have to make sure that if ever i'm working in clark quay or anywhere that requires night shift, i'll be with joseph and/or ferron, or nothing. i didn't approach any bar owners to inquire because joseph and ferron were not with me. and because i looked out of place.
finally i went to harbourfront. i went inside the mall and passed by yoshinoya. joseph is keen on working in yoshinoya because of the free japanese food. hehe=) anyway, they seem to lack people. i went inside thick-faced, ready to talk to the lady who seems to be the manager. it turns out that there's actually a poster inside advertising for full-time/ part-time crew. it gave me more confidence to ask for a job. i was asked to fill out a form, and then the real manager (who turned out to be a guy) interviewed me. he just confirmed what i had written in the form, told me about the salary range (3.5-3.8 bucks an hour for starters, *enthusiasm level declined*), and some small talk. he's actually a nice person. everything went well, except that i am holding a student's pass, which is a critical factor since it is explicitely stated that the holder should not be engaged in any form of employment for the whole duration of his/her stay unless with consent from this certain government agency. so for yoshinoya, if they were to hire me, they would have to do some paperworks too. just like the other establishments that rejected me for being a foreign student with a student's pass. anyway, for being the nice person that he is, he is going to forward my application form to their office. and if they call back next week, good. if not, he's very sorry.
so there. finally i went back to my hall, packed my dinner, and blogged my fascinating day.
tomorrow would be another fun day, coz the beach babe and her guy with army haircut are going to sentosa!
0 Comment(s):
Post a Comment
<< Home