A group of middle-aged women sitting around the table, talking about middle-aged people topics. I'm sitting there trying to be polite, smile, and offer a word or two every five minutes to seem engaged. It's an awkward situation, yet such a common encounter for me.
Whenever I go on an assignment, I meet new people. And most of the time, people I meet have been working in the industry for years, as compared to myself, a fresh graduate trying to get a grip of what she's doing two months after graduation in a completely new environment. Besides having to put up with the agony of apologizing every time I ask for a name card and don't give out any in exchange, I also have to learn middle-aged women talk.
Usually, the best time to network is during lunchtime, where the tables are always arranged in circles, and you're sitting with ten other people you've never met. The next best thing to do after finishing the small talk and meal, is to exchange name cards.
Then when the conversation moves from cosmetics to picking on fresh grads who have little or no experience in the job, I am supposed to continue looking professional and knowledgeable in front of them and smile, nodding my head when clearly, I belong to the same category as the people they are referring to. At this moment of the conversation, I usually start avoiding eye contact, because the next question that will come flying towards me is "how long have you been with bla bla bla company?" and at that moment, the truth reveals, and I'm officially an outcast.
So you see, having to deal with people on a professional level is one thing, but it's a skill to know how to act accordingly and avoid running into dead-end questions thrown at you - which will often give you less credibility.
I'm still learning.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
my reason.
You know why I don't blog that often? Because I just can't seem to blog about what I've been doing or where I've been going online. It's dangerous. Anyone could be reading my blog, and if I type common words like "the Curve" or "1 Utama" (both popular shopping malls in PJ) it would be detected in searches, and random people will discover my blog. With this place being such a dangerous place and anything being possible (stalkers especially) I just don't feel safe sharing my whereabouts and putting a million pictures and writing about them here. So if you know me and want to know more about my personal life, please make the effort to at least send me a message on facebook. That way, we can keep in touch and I'll update you.
Oh, and if you think I'm paranoid, that's your problem not mine.
Oh, and if you think I'm paranoid, that's your problem not mine.
Monday, October 6, 2008
KL driving isn't really just about driving.
Knowing how to drive is one thing. Actually getting to the destination is another.
After about a month living back in Malaysia, I've sort of absorbed the culture here. But one thing that's just going to need more time are the roads.
In KL, you've gotta learn how to use flyovers. There are flyovers on every highway - not one but multiple, with four different lanes to take depending on where you want to end up. And the best bit is the fact that sign boards only exist at the exit point, when it's too late to change your mind. So you have to know where you're going, or you're pretty much doomed.
I've gotten lost a few times, taken the wrong turn and panicked. Thanks to Bluetooth and my phone, and of course the person on the other end of the line directing me like a GPS navigator, I managed to get home safely all of those times. Admittedly, I've had to pay toll twice, but it's a learning experience.
Maps are useful but only to a certain extent. It gives you a rough idea of where places are, but you can't rely on it fully to get there because while the roads may be there, they don't necessarily take you to your desired destination because well, on the map, you can't draw a flyover. This is where the saying "so close yet so far" truly comes to life.
So a lesson learnt: ALWAYS ask for familiar landmarks and better still, ask which lane to keep to at certain points.
I seriously wonder whether these flyovers are doing us any good. Maybe if they improved the signboards it would. After all, we are internationally recognized for our good road planning, and our massive flyovers have made an impression to foreign countries.
After about a month living back in Malaysia, I've sort of absorbed the culture here. But one thing that's just going to need more time are the roads.
In KL, you've gotta learn how to use flyovers. There are flyovers on every highway - not one but multiple, with four different lanes to take depending on where you want to end up. And the best bit is the fact that sign boards only exist at the exit point, when it's too late to change your mind. So you have to know where you're going, or you're pretty much doomed.
I've gotten lost a few times, taken the wrong turn and panicked. Thanks to Bluetooth and my phone, and of course the person on the other end of the line directing me like a GPS navigator, I managed to get home safely all of those times. Admittedly, I've had to pay toll twice, but it's a learning experience.
Maps are useful but only to a certain extent. It gives you a rough idea of where places are, but you can't rely on it fully to get there because while the roads may be there, they don't necessarily take you to your desired destination because well, on the map, you can't draw a flyover. This is where the saying "so close yet so far" truly comes to life.
So a lesson learnt: ALWAYS ask for familiar landmarks and better still, ask which lane to keep to at certain points.
I seriously wonder whether these flyovers are doing us any good. Maybe if they improved the signboards it would. After all, we are internationally recognized for our good road planning, and our massive flyovers have made an impression to foreign countries.
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