A Mind of My Own

Irresponsible Recruitment Agency

WishBoNe — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:07:13 +0000

It’s my first time using this recruitment agency’s services and I must say, I’m utterly horrified, to say the least, at their business ethics. After getting me down to their office for an interview with photocopies of my NRIC, I was later informed that I was to attend an interview at the company. I went through all that without any hitches.

It was when I had submitted my time-sheet on time then I realise the horrors. The pay never came. I did react too late as the second week of delay arrived, I was called by the agent asking me for my address. I asked if she still had my photocopied NRIC and she asked if the address had changed. Goodness me! I had filled up the application form with that same address including the updated postal code! What was wrong?

I waited for the cheque to be posted and by the 3rd week, I emailed them to expedite. No reply. Not a phone call either. Eventually, my money ran out. Good grief! Without any money, how to have lunch? The stall owners aren’t giving me any charity just because I wasn’t paid!

I tried all means and although I did get them on the phone, I wasn’t satisfied with “we’re still waiting for the client to pay us so we can pay you” thing. That was when we finally verified with the manager here who informed us that the agency had sent the invoice wrong the 1st time. They only sent a 2nd invoice after 2 weeks.

My colleague and I decided to book an appointment with MOM. Apparently, the appointment would cost us $3 via EZ-Link card. The appointment would last for 30 minutes. I’m still keeping that appointment intact just in case the cheque decides to play basketball. Will have to go down personally on Tue evening to get the cheque and bank it in right away to verify its authenticity.

I’m keeping the agency’s name a secret at the moment. If my cheque for Dec 2009 is being delayed by 2 working days, I’m calling them every hour.

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New Bags in Need

WishBoNe — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:24:39 +0000

I bought a FEB 29 bag only March 2009. It’s now nearly in pieces with the man-made leather being tortured with my overloading. I really should have bought a bigger bag but that would mean my shoulders will be taking a huge beating too.

Sometimes, I really wonder how some ladies can squeeze their things into bags like the ones below.

A golden clutch from Aldo.

A really cute Mi-Ki dog bag from Fuzzy Nation.

Personally, I can’t fill in much if I were to own such bags. Hence, I’m looking at alternative bag options such as the famous Taiwan online shops: PG Mall and Sky Blue (BiGi Bags). The thing about such shops is that they are super cheap excluding the risk of lousy customer service and whether your selection will be available for delivery. Let’s not forget the risk of the items being lost either.

I’m not saying it’s a bad idea to order from them since the materials are average and the bag designs do look great, just that with my method of torturing my bags, I doubt very much that they’ll last me 5 months.

Therefore, I wanted to find an easier way to own the bags even if they can’t last me that long. I’ve decided that such bags should be small so that they can’t be tortured by me too much. I sound like a slave driver of bags.

I found the following sites that facilitates the bags delivery in Singapore dollars. Saves me a whole lot of trouble trying to convert the Taiwan dollars into Singapore dollars and some trouble understanding the Chinese (my grasp of Chinese is often in need of improvement).

PG Mall (price is a little higher than at the original site since they provide the service. Mixture of Sky Blue and PG Mall bags.)
Fashion Gateway (prices for some designs are a little steeper. I have no idea why)

For those PG Mall bag lovers, I have new bags for sale. A white and a black. I realised that I won’t be using them because they are too small for me. I have other bags for sale too.

Merry Christmas!

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Shoes That Bite

WishBoNe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:15:43 +0000

It’s never easy to find shoes that fit. It’s easier to find shoes that bite and give you blisters. I needed to buy new shoes as my old ones are falling apart literally. One had the inner sole slipping, one had the straps totally loosened, one had the leather or whatever the material was coming out in bits and pieces. The other simply bit me half the time I wore them.

Hence, I tried about 5 to 7 pairs in the shoe shop and finally decided on 2 pairs. both slip on that would be presentable for formal purposes like workplace. Pretty shoes but I now have at least 4 blisters despite waxing the edges and stomping on the shoes.

Apparently, I should have started slow; which meant that I needed to come out of the house earlier and season the shoes before I walked at my usual pace. I won’t have any seasoned shoes for the week as I had to throw away the ones that can’t be worn and the house really looked like a shoe store or garang guni’s place depending on the viewpoint.

Maybe I should have bitten the shoes before wearing them to work.

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What to Wear for Wedding or Formal Dinners?

WishBoNe — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:00:27 +0000

Sometimes, I run out of clothes to wear for attending weddings and formal functions like AD & D. If I were to wear a tube dress like the one below, I wonder if I am too outstanding.

Besides, I think I have tried a skirt with the bottom that has bubbles and I looked very odd. Perhaps, those of you who look good in the above red hot dress can look really stunning. Looks real good for Christmas and Chinese New Year too.

I love how this black and white tuxedo dress can have an instant slimming effect!

This pink summer dress doesn’t look suitable for a traditional Chinese wedding dinner but top it with a scarf and you are ready! It looks great for a Church wedding though.

I love this design as I can wear a jacket or coat over it during the office hours and take it off for a dinner after work!

What would be your favourite outfit for formal functions?

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Christmas Giveaways Coming in Dec 2009!

WishBoNe — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:48:18 +0000

With the year’s last and exciting month coming soon, I’m planning a giveaway of various stuff. I have tons of things that I don’t use with some in their original packages. Seriously, I don’t know why on earth I ever got them in the first place but buyer’s impulse can be too sly and the hand just reach into the bag for the wallet a wee bit too happily.

Anyway, the stuff for giveaway and a small number for sale will be posted at Bazaar. I’m sorting out the stuff and taking the photos as I go along. I haven’t decided if it would be a daily or hourly post yet since there are too many on hand right now. Just watch out for the items at Bazaar and grab your ideal item for Christmas! It’s my honour and pleasure to give you what you need and Santarina truly loves giving useful gifts!

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Comfortable Cushions Are Fun!

WishBoNe — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:18 +0000

I’ve always liked cushions. They are wonderful to hug after my DD, of course. Hugging a real person is way better but when one isn’t around, cushions are the next best options.

While the above pin cushions aren’t huggable, they are cute! By birdmafia

I’ve never seen a blue owl. By skullnocker

A handy suitcase pillow for those on the go. By Olive

All I can say is that the wood designs are knitted and the kid ain’t for sale. By chicsindesigndotcom

Have a great Monday!

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Wedding Dinner at Marina Mandarin

WishBoNe — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:11:52 +0000

DD’s friend was holding her wedding dinner at Marina Mandarin, the building next to Marina Square. It took us a long walk to the POSB ATM near the cinema and back to the bridge connecting CitiLink and Marina Square. We were still early, 7pm is way too early to arrive at a traditional Chinese wedding dinner.

Not to forget that it was a weekday night whereby traffic jams are normal. Eventually, it started at around 8.15pm. I love the first march in song, Canon in D Major. I think it was a violin version. Anyone playing the electric guitar version?

Obviously, the bride was looking lovely with her hair done up with lovely curls. It was the first time I saw that only the bridal photos were shown on screen. No history of the bride and groom, and no video montage of the morning activities. I guess it was good enough since dinner had started late.

The dinner was at level one, 35 tables with enough space to walk in between. I like. The wedding gown takes up space, so there must be enough space between the tables. A pillarless concept between the rooms. I like that too. The food was good. I demand more Shitake mushrooms!

After the dinner, I have gained more in weight. I still have another round in Dec 2009, Jan 2010 and July 2010! I guess it’s the time of the age whereby friends are getting married around this age.

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Stint Ends in A Week

WishBoNe — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:26:52 +0000

Travelling to work can be a tedious task if I have to board squeeze into the crowded bus along with thousands of others who are also going to the same place. I have to do the same in the evening and try to be the 1st to board since the bus driver can be too generous with sudden brakes that make everyone move with inertia towards the front while the standing ones fall like dominoes.

I’m not sure if I would like to come back for another 5 months although the money would be very useful. I just believe that things will be better in the next few months and I can finally take a breather. A long breather that will be enjoyable.

My short 2.5 months stint had been rather interesting since I would want to do it again but at another place. Meeting new people have been fun and I never had so much fun before!

I find it interesting that people often want to plan the career path for others if they find out that the person has no concrete idea in the first place. I had my career path including a family with kids planned out for me. I doubt that I want to compromise the time with my kids with work. I love my family more than my job. However, I’m spending more time at work than with my family.

I’ve seen ex-colleagues who took leaves just to make sure their young children are well again only to return to the office with their bosses telling them not to take too much leaves. I’ve seen people taking a lot of medical leaves due to their health. I’ve seen colleagues complaining about the lack of compassion by their bosses when their family members passed away.

It’s just so scary even though those are little things. However, little things lead to big results. Life is simple, it’s just complicated with people who want too many things.

As my stint here will end in 5 working days, I’m just glad that I won’t have to squeeze into the bus and pray for a seat even if it’s a 20 minute ride. It’s always good to be able to have a seat.

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Growing Stack of Books

WishBoNe — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:17:58 +0000

I love reading. Reading lets me escape from the world and fantacise in the world of Alice in Wonderland (the movie is coming), Xanth creatures and other beautitul characters with wonderful homes. For the past few months, I have been reading other books. Books that have helped me get better focus in life.

Dale Carnegie was a visionary; he knew that everyone would need help in How to Win Friends and Influence People. Long title but it impacted everyone who needed some help in the friendship area. The book isn’t just about influencing people. It’s about building good solid, sincere relationships instead of making use of people to help anyone gain in a one way traffic. Business don’t make money just on a one time sale. Such a business will go broke sooner than you can say “Donald Trump!”

Friends are treasures and real friends don’t cheat friends. Real friends help one another without thinking about whether the returns for the help is equal in value. If a friendship is based on equal values, how can it last long? It won’t even last more than a year.

As I was saying, books are my love and I have this growing stack of books that are for keeps. I also have another stack of books to be given away or sold. Go see if they might be useful for you since I won’t be reading them again as I feel that they are more useful to others.

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Taking Action For Our Climate

WishBoNe — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:56:43 +0000

We all have a role to play in helping our earth. If each one of us do a small part in helping to maintain our climate’s temperature, it will lead to a stability. Simple tasks like switching off the electronic devices and turning off all the taps when not in use are just some of the things we can do.

What I would like to see is that more solar powered panels; even powered by the lights, will be put to more usages besides street lamps. I particularly love the idea of solar powered lunch box that will keep lunch warm.

As each day passes by, the temperature seems to have risen to the point whereby the fan’s speed has to be increased to feel cooler. While efforts have been put in to reduce the energy being used, old habits die hard.

In order to put in new good habits, we should be persistant in using the new habits for 30 days consecutively. That way, we will be able to help ourselves too. I’m currently using biodegradable washing detergent and other stuff that are more friendly to our planet. I may be just a person among the billions of people on earth but I do what I can for our earth. There is only one earth.

This post was written for Blog Action Day. Have you done your part?

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