Four years ago, fresh out of university, I was anxious to dive into what I referred to as 'real life'.
Though university was fun, I knew that the world outside was a much bigger place. A place I had yet to discover. I wrote a poem just before I went for my first few job
interviews:
"I want to sweat the sweat of good honest labour
I want to sleep the sleep of a body tired from work"
I was bored out of my head staying in my hometown. So I needed to get out. When I got my first job I stayed with a friend in Bangi. I travelled every day from Bangi to Jalan Ipoh to work in direct selling. It was the craziest experience ever. But
being the very adventurous person that I am, I was willing to experiment. See how far I could go. I only lasted a week. I worked Mondays through Saturdays from 8.30am to about 8pm.
Work was tiring. I had no time to relax. On the day I quit, instead of heading for work, I headed for the cineplex to watch Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
My second job was at McDonald's, working the grill, frying McChicken paties, cleaning the floor. You should see this photo my friend took of me in my uniform. I looked like hell, dude!
The job lasted two months. I also took up acting classes at the Actor's Studio during that time. It was just an OK experience. I wasn't the most outstanding student in class. There were moments where I felt I was very tiny.
My third job was as translator for an internet company. My job was, according to what my superiors briefed me, was to translate texts from English to Bahasa Melayu. The company wanted to create a translating software. That job lasted one day. After the first day, I called up my supervisor and told her that I wasn't interested in the job. Thankfully I hadn't signed any contract at that point. So I was off the hook.
My parents were so pissed off. It was the tail end of 2002.
Then I took up an offer to stay with two college friends. Our three-room apartment was in Setapak. It had a fresh-coat of paint when we moved into it. I spent my time watching VCDs (not yet DVDs, mind you) and going out late at night.
During the first month at the Setapak apartment I went for my current job's interview. There were four interviewers and three of them were quite tough on me. They asked me questions on local politics. It was a simple question. But being the
ignorant person I was back then, I didn't know the answer. They saw in my resume that I had taken acting lessons and that I was into theatre. They questioned my priorities if I took up the job. Of course I said I placed work above any pastime.
Four months later I began my first 'real world' job. And now, three years later, I'm still here.
Though university was fun, I knew that the world outside was a much bigger place. A place I had yet to discover. I wrote a poem just before I went for my first few job
interviews:
"I want to sweat the sweat of good honest labour
I want to sleep the sleep of a body tired from work"
I was bored out of my head staying in my hometown. So I needed to get out. When I got my first job I stayed with a friend in Bangi. I travelled every day from Bangi to Jalan Ipoh to work in direct selling. It was the craziest experience ever. But
being the very adventurous person that I am, I was willing to experiment. See how far I could go. I only lasted a week. I worked Mondays through Saturdays from 8.30am to about 8pm.
Work was tiring. I had no time to relax. On the day I quit, instead of heading for work, I headed for the cineplex to watch Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
My second job was at McDonald's, working the grill, frying McChicken paties, cleaning the floor. You should see this photo my friend took of me in my uniform. I looked like hell, dude!
The job lasted two months. I also took up acting classes at the Actor's Studio during that time. It was just an OK experience. I wasn't the most outstanding student in class. There were moments where I felt I was very tiny.
My third job was as translator for an internet company. My job was, according to what my superiors briefed me, was to translate texts from English to Bahasa Melayu. The company wanted to create a translating software. That job lasted one day. After the first day, I called up my supervisor and told her that I wasn't interested in the job. Thankfully I hadn't signed any contract at that point. So I was off the hook.
My parents were so pissed off. It was the tail end of 2002.
Then I took up an offer to stay with two college friends. Our three-room apartment was in Setapak. It had a fresh-coat of paint when we moved into it. I spent my time watching VCDs (not yet DVDs, mind you) and going out late at night.
During the first month at the Setapak apartment I went for my current job's interview. There were four interviewers and three of them were quite tough on me. They asked me questions on local politics. It was a simple question. But being the
ignorant person I was back then, I didn't know the answer. They saw in my resume that I had taken acting lessons and that I was into theatre. They questioned my priorities if I took up the job. Of course I said I placed work above any pastime.
Four months later I began my first 'real world' job. And now, three years later, I'm still here.
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