a typical recruit ad in local newspapers reads:
fluent in english and mandarin
i can safely say about 60% of the jobs advertised require or prefer (false hopes really) a prerequisite of a substantially sound command of the chinese language. until i pick up language courses (not enough with my basic 3 languages), looks like i will remain pretty free for my next few months of vacation, awaiting results.
either that, or i'll stoop to lower levels, and compete (with ease i bet) (oh wait i don't speak mandarin) with lower qualified kids who, despite their youth are seeking for work experience a bit too early. unless perhaps they have already reached financial freedom, otherwise, get out of my way, kids! (i went through rain and pffft telling myself that i must make it through this interview to make the sacrifices worth but only to find out i'm up against the wits of les enfants who barely speak good english and to think that i actually retracted my steps and changed my mind about attending the interview in the first place and hey forget the rain and wet heels!)
either that, or i'll just apply and accept a (confirmed, almost) journalist post with the local malay press. but i'm not ready to run about seeking news. firstly, i don't drive. and secondly, i don't drive. that's just plain inconvenience. plus the politics that run in there. then again, it's the same everywhere, no?
so maybe i do have choices in my sincere desire for work experience. it's about dealing with the trade-offs.
i quote a recent conversation:
____ says: fairuz says: ____ says: ____ says: ____ says: ____ says: ____ says: ____ says: fairuz says: ____ says:
but maybe it's this "joblessness" that's filling in my perceptions of The Real World. now that's "(no) work experience" for you, bitch!
I have a long way to go. But will update by personality. And will keep updating this entry. So watch this space!
Gusti Puteri Raden Adjeng Retno Dumilah
Tiara Jacquelina
Her presence could almost be felt. But I fear it’s more of a “OMG it’s Tiara Jacquelina, the one I see on TV and read in the papers about,” more than the “OMG it’s the Gusti Puteri Raden Adjeng Retno Dumilah, how radiant is she!” Surely there’s nothing wrong with that, in fact, does that not make Tiara’s charisma even more truly accentuated? Sure it does, but not the Puteri’s though. To each, her own. It’s largely up to her personal objective, really: whether to be loved as herself in her true virtue or awe the theatre audience with a Puteri’s allure. Either way, one thing’s for sure: Tiara speaks better than she sings. Her speaking voice is yes drop dead gorgeous. It has the wisp and the air of a strong woman beneath, making her performance by far, very sincere. However, while she fortunately didn’t go to the extent of croaking, she did leave me in momentary fear spans, praying that she won’t miss the key. But she does deserve credit for trying. It was very good effort on her part. And no, she’s not a terribly poor singer after all. Well, it is this very fact that made most of the audience, well for me at least, wondering if the scenes after the intermission were really played by Tiara. Or was it her understudy? For one, this girl can sing, beautifully. (At one point, I felt I was in Kris Dayanti’s concert instead of a musical.) And, she appeared way younger than Tiara. Hence, the apprehension. Then, there was also rumour (khabar hanyalah khabar…thank goodness for surtitles!) that the witch was played by Tiara (however true that is!). It will then make sense that those later scenes were actually played Tiara AND her understudy. No matter, her understudy had better chemistry with Tuah. I wasn’t quite touched/moved/enchanted by Tiara’s earlier love scenes. It seemed as though both Tuah and Puteri were outstanding, but individually.
I loved it you’re Tiara.
I loved it your tiara.
November 19, 2006 – November 25, 2006
Sun Nov 19
Vivo City with the Family!
Got new phone: LG Chocolate
Got new connection up: MaxOnline
Final Eid Visiting: The Abdats
Mon Nov 20
Celebrate Freedom with Naomin
TCC @ Bugis
Discovered the Bluetooth Experience
Tue Nov 21
Final Day of Syawal
Swim @ Hillbrooks with the Ghanis
Wed Nov 22
Discovered VOX
Discovered 1 new Neighbour
Thu Nov 23
Celebrate Freedom with Faqeehah & Nafisah
Spotlight @ Plaza Singapura
Discovered "Made with Love"
Marina Square
Esplanade (OLDIES! Wayang Kulit!)
Fri Nov 24
East Coast Park Picnic with The Mambangs
Puteri Gunung Ledang the Musical
Beautiful Coincidence: Aneeta, Debbie, Sheila
Sat Nov 25
Nazri Hadi Saparin's Wedding
Revisit Memories at Aisyah's
“And remember the Name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him with a complete devotion.”
(Al-Muzzammil: 8)
Daughters of A Better Age
Filiae Melioris Aevi
col·lide [ kə līd ]
1. crash into something: to hit a person or object moving toward you or a person or object you are moving toward
2. come into conflict with somebody: to come into conflict with somebody else or another group
perhaps "collide" is not the right word to describe the fusion of society and religion. true enough, religion does organise society in such a way that different groups of people are able to coexist harmoniously (or otherwise). because religion in its most general sense classifies people, we are able to identify with others of the like beliefs. or in less peaceful cases, instigate ill feelings about others'. either way, religion to me is but a word that is way overused to be the cause of conflicts, whether within a society or beyond. it is often an easy scapegoat in our search for solutions.
when Man sees a problem, it is easiest to blame it on something virtual as his basic hypothesis.
issues on society and religion (un)fortunately come hand in hand. while some see religion as an institutionalized or personal system of beliefs and practices relating to the divine, i'd rather see it as one's basic set of strongly-held beliefs, values, and attitudes that one lives by. you do not have to belong to a particular identified religion per se, to be able to live the way you do, to do things the way you do, to eat the things you eat. you can almost say that religion is just a formal word for: way of life.
religion is to way of life, just as, cuisine is to style of cooking.
at this juncture, i am beginning to see how it falls into place. it is the essence of the lack of a strong foothold in life, hence shaking, or least making one's "religion" vulnerable, that maketh one's role in society one of uncertainty. as a result, what follows is a mere life devoid of dreams and ambitions that place emphasis on society, for his/her role in one is undefined. it becomes a life of emptiness, worth gone by, not lived. it is a dilemma between life and living.
that is why foundations are called foundations: they supposedly have strong grips on the grounds of society.
in enabling one to live life and not let life go by, there certainly needs to be guiding principles to lead one to the desired path, whether or not it is The Right one. for me, i personally seek Islamic guidance as a torch to my desired path, for its ideals make most sense and are in line with my personal beliefs. no doubt parental influence could have had its (effective) impact. but i know that this is my right path and am i glad to have had the privilege to be introduced to it early. saying that it is The Right One is not advisable here so as to protect others' beliefs. at the personal level, i think that having that particular set of principles, no matter which Book of God (or otherwise) it was derived from, is a prerequisite for one to live life.
it is about having something to hold on to, about believing in Hope, the very least.
question is, how do we drill that so-called foothold in life, amongst 15-year-olds at least, who are still out there seeking the truth about life and living? should they not, by then, have found the desired path so that they are able to couple their dreams with their academic efforts in order to achieve and later on impact society?
it is a question left unanswered. there are late bloomers. you cannot impose ambitions.
you cannot impose maturity.
it's a Catch 22 15 situation.
