Why Staffing Agencies Should Consider Boot Camp Part of Their Training

As a starting point, I want to put it out there that I work part-time as a Food and Beverage Attendant a few nights per week for two staffing agencies. I was also a Girl Scout for nine years (an officer for the last three) and attended one year military training as part of our high school program. There came too many occasions at work to which I think some military discipline would help with efficiency. Here's why!

1. Cooount OFF!

There are events where clients grab 50-100 from an agency(football games, graduation formals) and during on location, would separate staff into teams for section allocations. I've seen it too many times when the manager has to recount everyone over and over again from the moment we all clock-in to when we've separated into teams. People just won't stay still and the manager keeps losing count. 

In military / scouting, members can "count off" by saying the number out loud.

2. Assembly

Just a whistle signal and in 10 seconds, everyone in the radius sitting, standing, drinking and doing-what-so-ever will be assembled in front of the commanding officer in neat appropriate lines - with equal spacing. No more snail-walking to the call point like zombies. 

3. Lines

This is one thing I don't understand. Did we not all learn to line up since kindergarten? And if you didn't learn it at school, you surely would've learned it in real life. (Hello, fast food chains and cinemas?) A line is a line. No random circles popping. You don't sit down while the line is moving. You don't cut the line because you saw your friend in the middle of it. You just don't. It's moving, don't push because it doesn't make it any faster. *sigh*

4. Uniform

I do not understand how people keep getting their uniforms wrong or with something missing. I remember how we made sure of our polished shoes and gravely panicked if someone forgot the standard black belt or a pin. A little disciplinary training goes a long way. We were never physically tormented as some cliche shows might present,  it was just a matter of installing a state of mentality.

5. Posture

Plenty of times, we'd be on our feet running around doing this and that and sometimes there's simply nothing left to do but stand and wait for orders. "Stand" as they might call it but it seems to look a bit too much like a sad bunch of prank-shop-slime where its structure basically goes where gravity takes it. Leaning here and there, crowding kitchen halls and slouching while sneakily going on mobile phones. Back in the days, we had "At Ease" or "Parade Rest" position(both are similar but has minimal differences and varies worldwide in details of what is allowed or not) where we crossed our hands at the back, sometimes front, feet apart for relaxed balance and head to the front. It's a comfortable position and looks so much nicer and way less awkward. 


I'm not saying our managers should come in with a thorny whip nor am I pro-closed minded work environments. For me, it's not much about being running a tight ship, but more about being in a ship and actually knowing nobody will accidentally put a huge hole through it because they were playing with the cannon ball launcher. 



For my few, if not inexistent, return readers: Sorry for the long gap in posting! I have lots of finished written posts but I do like to add personal images and wanted to wait until I have some to throw in before posting. =\ I shall try to schedule my posts now for more consistency!

The Controversial Four-Letter L-Word: How bad is it to be LATE?

I spent 12 years of my life growing up right next to my school. 

It took me exactly six minutes to walk from the moment I shut my door to setting my backpack onto my class seat - including four flights of stairs downwards and three upwards. Saying this, I was accustomed to leaving everything to the last minute and never worrying about time-on-commute. People didn't care if I was a few minutes off arriving in class since I was just next door. 

Sadly, once I graduated high school, my techniques didn't work anymore. 

It took me a long time to adapt, and even when I kicked off bad habits, I am just the queen of bad luck. 

I have gotten too often on the wrong side of the train, 

missed my bus which arrived 5 minutes too early, 

riden a bus moving inch-by-inch because there was an Eminem concert in town, 

gotten lost in Labyrinth streets with my GPS going mental and believe it or not, having my skirt rip right at the center to my bottom. 

Right in the middle of the city. 

While walking. 

Yes.

My main fix-it technique I now use is adding another 30 minutes to my calculated commute time for unforeseen events - which works so far - so good! Yay! 

But now let's roll back a bit. This is not about preventing lateness. You've done your best, and for some act of God, you're running late! How bad is it going to be? In saying the following, I assume you're not late all the time, did the right thing and called them before the actual meeting time and gave an accurate time of arrival. Specially for work-related, I call even when I'm running only 5 minutes late.

Personal Friends / Casual Meet-ups

They'll get pissed but most friends will forgive you and you have to suck it up if they decided to do their thing without you. Unless people are expecting you on the meet-ups, they'll pretty much not care and go on without you. 

Interview

After letting them know, given your estimated time of arrival - lateness factored in, they'll say whether you should still come in or not. They'll normally say not to come in anymore if they have something to do after your scheduled time and if they're really tight - you'll never hear from them again. Most of the time, they'll appreciate you calling in and will see you when you arrive - if they're still free, or just reschedule on the spot. This is, of course, assuming you didn't just say you're going to be late for 2 hours. 

Work - One of Many

If your job is something all 20 of you employees doing the same, it's not much of a loss from the company, you'll get a slap on the wrist and a mumbling curse from the person whose shift you're supposed to takeover.  Do it too often, forget that job.

Work - One of a Kind

If you're part of a team where each of you does something different, you're dead. No kidding. I was once participating in a location shoot for a magazine where we were told to meet in front of XXX Gas Station located at a highway. It was set up for 6am and I arrived 30 minutes early. I called and said I was there and waiting, only to find out there were two of the same gas stations on opposite ends of the highway - almost 2 hours apart. Horrible. They called another make-up artist located nearby. I was very relieved. I'd rather they not have waited for me and mentally cursed at me the entire time. It was an honest mistake which could happen to anyone and I did hear from them again. (Whew!) 

On the other hand, I once had a busy day lined up and because a model was over an hour late, I had to cancel two following very important meetings. Think of this: you ruined everyone's day and plans, incurred extra charges for the client in terms of staff and location hours. Technically, you should pay for losses.

Work - You and Your Job are Awesome

This is exceptional. My sister, programmer and consultant, is awesome, and aside from scheduled meetings, she can pretty much arrive two hours late as long as she finishes what she have to do. Which is ironic because she was the only one out of us five who was never late a minute for school and now she gets the late benefits. Life is rewarding if you work hard. 

So that's my two cents on L-A-T-E. 

Never forget to respect everyone's time, 

call if you're going to be late BEFORE THE ACTUAL TIME, 

don't wait until they're looking for you, 

and there's always the risk you'll never hear from them again. 

To be nice or not to be nice

"Every person who you meet once, you'll meet again." I have heard the phrase too many times before, rephrased in many ways and from professionals of various fields.

Weeks ago, I was in correspondence with a photographer for her project and exhibit and we've scheduled to work together for one of her shoots. I've noticed and mentioned to her I  found her name very familiar as thought we've talked before one way or another in a vague memory. 

When I went to her Facebook Page to view her portfolio, I realised I've already "Liked" it, confirming my suspicions. 
This drove me crazy. 
I wanted and needed to know where I've dealt with her. 
So, I dug up old messages. 
It turns out, almost two years ago when I was looking to restart a local portfolio, she was one of the photographers I contacted for TFP. She turned me down sweetly, saying she was buried in backlogs of photos needing to be processed on top of work and school. I found this nice and very professional. Plenty of working professionals will simply ignore enquiries to which they know they won't partake in nor benefit from. 

Thus said, the other day, I received a message from her asking if I was able to join her shoot for the same night and she was on a hunting mission for a make-up artist(MUA) as her MUA cancelled on her. Now, this day was already so long and tiring for me and if I were to jump on board, it was going to get longer. I could say no and there will be no harm on my part. On the other hand, I remember how nice and professional she was to me before and decided I would love to work with this person.

Sure, I'm no bigwig to be in a position to say "Hah! See, you HAVE to be nice to me!" but in the end, I was in a position to make her day or keep her hunting stressfully. Baby Food for Creatives writes on how you should be nice to EVERYONE, no matter of what career position they're in. Here's also a story and example from her.

For me, being nice should be just plain instinct and part of personality. Regardless of whether it's for your career or not, why not be nice?

I'm no Pope and I do have my complaints and secret-mental-cursing about people but doesn't mean I'll use it as a reason to be rude and obnoxious. Express these things to a loved one, a sibling, maybe your lover, maybe your teddy bear. Someone you trust and knows you're not saying these things out of spite and backstabbing but mostly to release your frustrations. 

Even when working with someone whose output makes you want to pull out your hair, there is what we call constructive criticism. There's no need to go mental and be on a psychotic killing spree. I believe there is nothing wrong with sitting down and telling someone what they're doing wrong, how they've offended you or pissed you off. 

Of course, if the person in question of being nice to is someone who randomly grabbed your bottom, then forget niceness and feel free to fully unleash the kraken. I'd do this because I know there is no way in my life I would have any desire to work with this kind of person nor actually want to purr my way into his favor even if he turns out to be the king of the world. 

How to Look Totally Ridiculous in Business Attire

I went to an interview for a casual F&B Attendant position the other day and was told to come in black business pants / slacks and black leather shoes. When the interviewer was checking my outfit, she said "Oh! Thank you! You're wearing black socks! Bless you!" 

Huh? 

I looked at the other applicants and discovered a lot wearing white and coloured socks with their black slacks and shoes, amongst many other things. I realised then and there, some people like to look ridiculous in business attire. So here I am, giving some pointers on how to successfully look totally ridiculous!

1. Non-Black Socks with Black Shoes and Slacks

Yes, because it's awesome to look like Jackie Chan in his old movies, right? Like, totally going for the Kung Fu look there. You know, because the white/other-colour socks puts a discontinuity of colours, making the pants look shorter than it should be. Forget the fact it was old-school-countryside China and this is formal business wear. Go Jackie Chan!

2. Short Socks with Black Shoes and Slacks

Back in university, it is common protocol to wear business attire whenever we have to present. I remember my marketing professor telling one guy "I bet your mom didn't see you before coming to school. No mother in their right mind would let you out of the house looking like that!" as his socks ended just at his ankles. So yes! We don't want to look like our moms approve of our outfit! That's, like, totally lame.

3. Put Shirt Collar ABOVE Suit Lapel

YES! Because John Travolta did it in Saturday Night Fever, we MUST do it too! Never mind that suits today has a collar 20 times smaller than he did then and the fact that it is a different era: plus points to looking absolutely ridiculous!

4. Do Not Take Off Suit Jacket When Sitting Down

Why bother? Such a waste of time when one has to put it back on right after standing. Ugh! So, keep it on and enjoy looking totally awkward with stiff movements and having your suit jacket folding below your hips. 

5. Do Not Button Suit Jacket

There is a soft rule called "Sometimes, Always, Never" referring to suit bottons. From top to down, sometimes close the top, always the middle, never botton the last. On the other hand, a lot of formal rules would stick to buttoning up all of them to look more formal. 
So confusing, right? So don't bother! Yay to looking totally clueless!

5. Wear Shoes That Will Make You Look Constipated

Choose your most painful, high-heeled, tight-toed shoes for that perfect sweaty forehead, grumpy face and can-barely-walk waddle. Mmmhmm, that's the way to finish the look and convince possible employers or colleagues you revel in looking totally ridiculous. 


Note: If  one cannot detect the sarcasm and humor in my tone, I hereby then put in writing that the intention of this post is to state what to avoid and not to do. 

I'll get MY LUCK at the 13TH Bizarre Bazaar

There was a time when everyone at campus was suddenly sporting Raybans and my mom asked if I wanted a decent pair. I said "No way!" Why would I want shades that looks like everyone else's? My sunnies collection consisted of my dad's old heavy-duty fishing shades plus those I dugged through and chosen at garage sales. 

Now, I don't need to dig through anyone's used clothing to find  unique fashion pieces. 

I(Neither could you!) couldn't get any more luck with a shopping mission than going to the 13th Bizarre Bazaar. It's a pop-up market with the tastiest mix of upcoming and accomplished local designers, I'm assured with quality unique pieces. Their team works closely with establishments, the Sydney City Council and Art & About Sydney, making it the most up-to-date, bigwig artsy fartsy fashion community gathering to look forward to every two months - but doesn't mean I'll set aside going this time for waiting another two months. Every season offers something different!


This spring, Bizarre Bazaar brings glazing-magazines labels such as Kirsty Irwin, Faddoul, KAHLO, Sasha-Rose (Oh my, as seen in Project Runway?!) and many more. Stall after stall, one fashion dimension after another, I'll never get bored...but I will definitely get hungry. That's why it's superb
 to know Eat Art Truck will just be parked right there, ready to serve yummy, modern fusion street food - at its best. You can't go wrong with their chefs being Stuart Mcgill and Brenton Balicki - former chefs of Tetsuya's and Quay. I also definitely won't forget to check out what's the new always-fresh art is on their truck this time!


What I can't believe is the bazaar is only 4 hours long. No time for games ladies, leave the heels behind and get ready to pounce on some goodies with our sneakers!

Here's the dynamite trigger: globally rockin' Guerilla Gigs will throw in a live truck performance from indie rock quartet Little Napier.
What's a live truck performance, one may ask?
A live performance on a truck. Duh.
We got to understand this, Bizarre Bazaar never gets complicated, 
what we see is what we get.
And in this 13th Bizarre Bazaar, we will get the good stuff.
NO tricks!
NO commercialised-I-see-in-every-corner clothes!
NO unnecessary entrance fees!
NO kidding!

Shooting for the moon, fake Scotch and Aerosmith tickets

I was doing some Facebook browsing the other day and bumped into someone's Favorite Quote saying:

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land at the stars."

Suddenly, there were flags popping up in my brain  saying "Uhm, NOT!" "FAIL!" "No factoring way!" The moon's like, what, almost half a million kilometers away?  While the nearest stars are lightyears away! If you miss the moon, the stars will still be forever away.

Upon Google search, it appears to be a famous life saying. That made me sad and also want to hunt down and punch whoever-made-this-up's face.

Am I over-reacting? I personally am a Science enthusiast so it could be making me a bit more sensitive. But if they put it the other way around (Reach for the stars, even if you miss you'll land at the moon), I wouldn't have minded with what all the improbabilities are (Like, you won't land at the moon, you'll just be floating around!) as it is obviously just a metaphor and not for nitpicking geeky details. However, this existing metaphor is definitely nothing to live by! It's basically a metaphor to situations like "I bought a ticket to an Aerosmith concert and it turned out to be a Miley Cyrus one." or "I knew I have an exam for the next day so I studied my biology and found out in class it was a geometry test."

While I was doing whiskey tasting in the airport, it happened too often that I offered help to an aged man who would grumpily answer "I'm fine! I know my Scotch!" It is a given that some people would assume that I, being a 20-something blonde girl, know nothing about whiskey.  I 've accepted this long ago but the sad part is when the gentleman picks up something like Jameson. (Jameson is an Irish whiskey which is not, obviously, Scotch. Scotch has to come from Scotland.)  

This is sad because this man has spent years of his life drinking his "Scotch" which is not Scotch. 
He would be the behind-the-back laughing stock of drinking sessions. 
He did not accept help because he assumed he already knows his stuff. 
He did not open his mind to possibilities. 

I don't want to grow up like this. 
I don't want to charge into battle without the right information at hand. 
If I don't die during the battle, the king would probably have me decapitated for losing it for him. 
Or captured as a slave by the enemies. 

I am always one for impulsive choices, but my point is we have to know the facts as well. 
For example:
I impulsively bought an Aerosmith concert ticket. 
I knew, while ordering it, it was the right ticket for the right venue and date.
I double-checked what was written on my ticket.

My Chuck Norris Makeover

There's that universal encouragement speech you'll hear to be received advice memories of politicians (and villains) from their mommas.

It goes:


"You can be anything you want to be. Why, you can be president of the United States!" 

Well, I don't want to be the president of the United States.
I want to be Chuck Norris.






OK, ok. So I gave myself a Chuck Norris makeover. (Likey-likey?)

It all began when I was talking to Filipino blogger Bella Morcen of Mamibells (Diary of a 22 Year Old Mom) last night and she was telling me to do a make-up tutorial. While I'm shy to do so and wasn't, we went through the makeover works of YouTube-celebrity MUAs. I was intrigued in how far can I challenge my face and decided to give it a go. 

Then, I was, like, stupid-evil-face mode!

I was raised sitting on my nanny's lap while my parents watched Macgyver, Die Hard(s), Terminator(s), WWF(known as WWE today) and the likes. So to me, being Chuck Norris is super duper awesome! (I considered to do Bruce Willis too) 

Everyone does Jolie, Kardashian, Beckham, Bieber, et cetera makeovers. What's up with that? Go be the REAL idols!

For the look, aside from make-up, I stuffed tissue in my jaw to lengthen my face and put scotch tape on my eyelids for the added fold. 

As one can guess, this post is as random as it could get. 

Life's like that, the way you can't predict pigeon droppings. 

xoxo 

Lizette 

Why You Should Never Work for Free

Make-up artists(MUAs), photographers, writers, stylists and so on and so forth are always asking the question "Should I work for free?" My answer? Never.

I, myself, have gone through plenty of  TFP(trade for pictures) and apprenticeships when starting out as a MUA and still did when the shoot had a too-awesome concept or when it was for a publication.  But truth of the matter is, I never did any of this for free. Sure, I didn't get paid. And when I was given product vouchers / certificates(Magazines love to do these! Yay, free stuff!) or food / transportation allowance, I consider these gifts, not payment. 

Rewind back to the beginning. Why did I want to do TFP and apprenticeships to begin with? 

To learn. 

To widen my portfolio. 

To get publicised. 

Sounds pretty much self-benefiting to me! Plenty of people think success in the industry strongly relies on having strong connections to begin with. I never knew anyone from the industry but by working as an apprentice, I was shoulder-to-shoulder with people I needed to know and would never had any working relation with in any other circumstances. So you don't have current connections? Then make connections. Prove yourself. TFP and apprenticeship is the perfect way to do this! Getting publicised is an awesome deal. Ever since my name started to get printed on magazines, I've received streams of bookings, compliments and word-of-mouth with the sorts of "I know this MUA who was does work for ***** magazine! Let me hook you up." That, my dear, is priceless PR. 

You can decide to stop doing TFP if the work is redundant to you. But whenever you find yourself asking should you accept another TFP, ask yourself if the project will benefit you in any way. 

Is the concept something you really want to do? 

Will it be in a different publication where you can tap into a different market? 

Will I be working with someone who's got great techniques for me to pick-up?

or even as basic as: Will I have fun?

My only exception where I could say that I really will work for free is when it's for a good cause I believe in. For example, me and some colleagues did a confidence-boosting seminar for young rape victims. The photos isn't any unique addition to my portfolio nor did I learn any new trade techniques. However, I did go home with a warm fuzzy feeling which is pretty priceless! 

As Avenue Q goes "When you help someone, you can't help helping yourself". All of the circumstances of which I've worked as an apprentice or for TFP was beneficial to me(Hail to evolution's mutualism!). Kick out the "I'm getting ripped off" mentality. This mentality is the poison of your work. I've seen this happen to many times. 

Artist thinks it's work for free.

Artist slacks off, not taking it seriously.

Results of project crappy.

Artist unhappy, can't use project in portfolio.

Artist curses working for free.

Approach every project, regardless of paid or not, as you would professionally. Arrange pegs, research the concept, clean your products and so on and so forth. If you can't bring yourself up to do it, then don't even bother. Nobody wants to work with a sad sack!

Also, here's an awesome Should-I-Work-For-Free chart who does the deciding for you! (by Jessica Hische)

Click here for the full-size no-need-for-mutant-eyes-to-be-able-to-read image!

When life gives you lemons, refuse to make lemonade.

The saying "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" is supposed to be an encouragement to do your best when you hit a sour patch. Seriously though, why would you want to make lemonade? It's the most expected, common, unimaginative thing you could do with lemons. Why would you want to do something simply because it's expected of you and very predictable? I don't want to make damn lemonade, why not a 3-tier lemon souffle cake? Or even, I want to make my own lemon castle and charge people to visit!

My point is that one should not just choose to pass the wind but rather take the option to "WOW" one's self and everyone else. (In a good way. No streaking through your internship building, please.) Go the extra mile and surprise yourself. 

There's this 16-year-old who solved a mathematical equation from Isaac Newton when no one could for the past 300++ years, get this, while working on a school project. When I read that in the newspapers, I just wanted to stand right up in my train seat and clap. It's more than just the fact that he could very much be a genius, it's the idea that he jumped into it for a school project without knowing if he could do it or not. He could've easily picked something mathematically complicated but still be sure of the results and yet he didn't. Isn't that just fun? 

Our lives' achievements which we could be most proud of are those of when we take a risk. I want to keep this lemonade deal my mantra, open new doors for myself, learn and produce more than what is expected of me. So I'd say, when life gives you lemons, refuse to make lemonades. Unless that lemonade is for your lemon castle's moat, of course.

Interview Must Brings!

So you've done your company research, ironed your outfit and think you're ready to rock that job interview. I have had too many misfits and examples of what-could-go-wrong-will-definitely-go-wrong stories to go to battle unprepared. Here is a list of what I would consider necessary armoury and why.

1. GPS or decent print out of area street  map

You've Googled up the location saying it's "7 minutes walk from Central Station" and you've been to the area plenty of times so the place would be fairly easy to get to. Unless you've walked all those streets everyday, it would be a fair bet you don't even know half of the streets in that suburb. Don't let yourself be late because you couldn't figure out whether you should go left or right.

2. Hair Pins and / or hair products (gel, spray, wax - whatever you like best to use)

You may have done all your prep back in your bathroom, but when mother nature strikes, be happy to know you won't be licking your palm to flatten your hair. (When I do my prep, I like to put a soft hair mousse then hot blow-drying my hair in place so when the wind messes it up, my hair will pretty much easily mould back to its "setting".)

3. A little bottle of mouthwash

Maybe you were too nervous during the train ride and salivated too much with your mouth shut, maybe you had a cigarette and then your mouth is starting to get too stale or maybe you popped a sugar-rich candy. Toothbrush in a public toilet is a bit too much (it is, here in Sydney, anyway) so mouthwash is your best bet and pretty much easy to use. Literally takes less than 10 seconds to gargle, spit, run the water to rinse the sink. As for mints, a lot of menthol candy are filled with sugar so when you're already sporting a stale breath, the sugar messes it up some more. Oh, yes, you know what I'm talking about.

P.S. use the public-access toilet where you got off from your commute...I've found it hard to find one between public transport and private offices. And you don't want to be gargling at your interviewer's toilet. Just a bit too tacky!

4. Band-aids

Most people I know will sport their best pair of shoes when heading to an interview. Unfortunately, our prettiest shoes rarely are the most comfortable ones. Also, if you've never been to where your interview is going to be, you're not sure how long you're going to walk nor how much uphill-downhill you'd trek through(specially in Sydney!). Prior to wearing the shoes, slap on those band-aids where the shoes get mean and bring spare ones with you in case they come loose or you have to double-layer 'em up. If they're brand new, you're not really sure where they're going to hurt so better grab a handful. When I have more space in my bag, I even bring spare flats or slippers for after the interview. (Not before! You're not sure if you'd have the opportunity to change into your pretty ones before you get there! Some areas, it's hard to find a toilet. Play safe.) 

5. Tissue

Back in the Philippines, every other person has a small pack of tissue with them(this could be due to the inexistent tissue on tissue holders in public toilets). But half the time, we use them for emergencies outside the lavatory and I only realised this after I stopped carrying tissue here in Sydney. Heat / nervousness making you sweat too much or even getting you to grease up, sudden wind making you sneeze, stepping on a wet puddle(or getting splashed by someone else!), I can go on and on! Tissue is one of the world's cruel products which you can't find any when you need it the most. So, as we used to say in the Girl Scouts, always be prepared!

The Infamous Gut Feeling

Of course, I can't speak for everyone when it comes to listening to their gut feeling but when you have a track record of having your gut right too many times, never ignore that calling. On the other hand, if your gut feeling calls you to abduct people and disect them, I say bury that gut and call for some professional mental help.

Back in my high school sophomore year, I was part of the Computer Club. Aside from normal nerdy computer thingamajigs, the club was also given the responsibility to receive and host photography-related activities for the school, should any arise. There was no photography club back then and it was certainly not a time when every other person had a DLSR slung over their neck as the Gen Y code for bling bling the same way a gangster wear thick gold chains. One time, our advisor told us there was a national photo essay competition and "feel free to participate". I have known essay competitions but have not heard of the term "Photo Essay". This was a time when if you want to research something, the word Google does not come to mind. Research meant hours of reading in the library, more hours searching the Dewey Decimal System and asking reliable resources. After getting a clearer understanding of "Photo Essay", I spent rolls and rolls of negatives, (I used a point and shoot camera, of course. No parent in their right mind during that era would spend thousands of dollars for their kid's camera.) and brought my goods to the next club meeting.

It was not a happy meeting. Everyone brought their essays. Pages and pages of hard hours slaved on writing. Needless to say, I was the only one without a written essay and I did not bother showing what I have done(as I only had photos, no written essay), embarrassed to show stupid Lizette who made a boo-boo.

I went home wondering to myself where I went wrong and partially cried for the money spent on film - weeks and weeks of my allowance. I could not be bothered nor did I have the heart to write a whole essay anymore and right then and there, I did not care. I thought I did everything right, I researched my material, worked hard on it and there was no way in the world was I going to allow that to go to waste. I mailed my photos out of impulse.

Weeks later I received third place in a national competition along with a 50,000Php(roughly a little over $1000) scholarship in a computer media school. I did it right. (More than just right, I did it awesomely right!)

That was ages ago. Let's come back to present day Sydney. I have been job hunting for some time already, and when a dear friend heard about this, he told me to apply where he was working. It was casual hospitality work and I was happy to start having cash inflow again. I was told to go to their office, let them know I was his friend and drop off my resume. My gut feeling told me that in a big staffing agency, my resume would get lost and I would be forgotten. But this was his instruction, he was the one working there and who was I to contest that? So this I did(minus telling them I was his friend...I am never one to use the I-know-somebody-so-gimme-some-love system. Let the CV speak for itself! Hail! Hail!). I never heard from them again.

About 2 months later, I bumped into the company's website once again and decided to email them my resume. I got a callback in less than a week.

I would say that when our gut feeling tells us something, it is mostly recalling what you have learned from previous experiences in life. It is not a supernatural nor superstitious being that one should ignore, believing it is just reckless impulsiveness. But like I said, I cannot speak for everybody so I'm curious, what do other people's gut feelings tell them?

What Not to Say Over Facebook and Twitter

When I read articles from recruiters or ask someone working in Human Resources, most of the time, they say they look up applicants' Twitter, Facebook, etc. This made me spend the past few days cleaning up the content of my accounts and cringed at some regrettable-what-was-I-thinking statements / photos. (Some stuff I was reluctant to get rid off as they hold great memories and believe I would love to look back and laugh at. So these I kept in my private accounts which are not visible to potential employers.)

The difference with typing and actually saying it is that type has taken out the tone which you might have had in mind. Jokes may be taken as sarcasm, sweetness maybe understood as clinginess and so on. Now I want to take the time, as a reminder to myself and a warning to whoever reads this, to create a guideline when posting things. 

Keep your dirty mouth away from the keyboard.

Cursing always sound different from when you say it in person. An innocent "fuck you" to a friend may sound totally innocent in your head but when someone reads it, it puts a negative pull at the back of one's head. For example, one along the street might hear someone talking like this: "Oh that fuckin' chicken tasted totally fuckin' retarded. Don't screw with me, bitches!" But when you just read it, it feels a bit offensive, doesn't it? Even if it was not directed to you!

The Internet world may be your stage, but keep your drama out of it.

Unless your drama is your line of business or you are seriously asking for help(i.e. donations for a loved one's illness, posting lost pets), refrain from weeping all your woes publicly or participating in cyber-wars. It is the same as seeing an eye-scratching-stiletto-cat-fight in the street: people will look for their amusement but will not want to get close.  It shows that you're the type of person who likes to make a public spectacle of all the wrong things. Your accounts are representations of yourself, it is your very own advertisement. Use it wisely. Call a friend. Talk to someone, personally.

Do not post EVERY SINGLE THING in your life.

Have you ever looked at an A2 cork board in a cafe with 500 flyers on it? You'll skim your eyes over it for a while but won't bother to remember anything about any of it. (Also, it opens a door to potential burglars if you're too detailed with your personal life but that's a different topic on its own) I'm not saying don't get personal, but do control what you release. For example, it is ok to share which movies or books you've just finished then add some opinion. This shows your personality. But here is an example of too much, too useless:

• Going to the movies. Can't decide what to watch.
• Decided to watch Toy Story.
• Eating a scone from Starbucks before going to watch Toy Story. Still got time.
• In line to buy popcorn at the movies. Horrendously long.
• It is time to turn off my phone because the movie's about to start. See you later!
• Just finished watching Toy Story. Someone in the cinema laughed too loud!
• I think Toy Story was cute and sweet. I'm a child-at-heart forever.
• The other day I watched Toy Story with Jane Doe and now I want a Buzz Lightyear.

Speak English or any other real language, for that matter of fact.

This could be just a personal stickler with me but I cannot tolerate looking at badly spelt statements with no sense of grammar. Typographical errors, on one hand, (except when your text is job-application-oriented) are acceptable in the right amount as they can be honest mistakes and I am guilty of some every now and then. An entire phrase with words which are not real words and using numbers / symbols for letters is simply gibberish. And nobody worth knowing likes to talk to someone responding in gibberish. So unless you're sending a telegram during war, don't make up your own fake language.

Reread before hitting "Post", specially feeling TOO passionate about posting it.

Especially if it is a rant or complaint: get up, grab some tea, find a way to relax then come back. Our emotions get the best of us and what we may find totally proper to say at an emotional outburst will sound absolutely ridiculous, even to yourself once you settle down in normal state-of-mind. 

Sydney International Student, Banana English and Lucky Breaks

When I decided to come over Sydney as an international student, I had unmatchable excitement and optimism.  I was excited to start in a new school which was pretty well-known for the course I was taking then (Pre-press and Graphic Arts) and believed the mix of my fashion, arts, corporate and leadership background and experience was a great head start for a career in a country reputably so full of fresh opportunities.

A lot of optimism there was definitely let down.

Firstly, a lot of my experience came from freelance work. 

As a lot of make-up artists, stylists, writers or events organiser could say for themselves too. Freelance barely counts for anything in this country, or when moving to another country, for that matter. Freelance cannot be credited as official skills in most systems, some people whom I handed my resume to gave me a "Bull shit, yea right." face while skimming, and most of all, nobody can refer you to anybody as nobody knows you at all.

Secondly, "school" was horribly disappointing. 

I don't know how it got to this point, but because Australia offers a huge doorway for immigrants (compared to other first-world dream destination countries such as US of A, UK) it has a huge influx of international students, a lot with hopes  of being eventually absorbed as citizens. This resulted into schools lowering their standards of acceptance so they can accomodate more international students. Why? Simple: it's a multi-billion-dollar industry. For plenty of universities / colleges, the money they get from international students covers 20-90% of their total revenue. I can say I have not seen a single Aussie citizen in class for both schools I've been in.

A basic example of what taints the quality is the acceptance level of English fluency. The Department of Immigration and most schools require an IELTS exam result of their specified minimum score. However, if an applicant's English level (pardon the language as I believe it is the best word to use) sucks, they can alternatively take a short English course which the school itself will offer or has an affiliate school who does the English classes.

I have passed by a few of these classes and for what I can say, picture a teacher holding a banana with BANANA written on the blackboard then repetitively saying "Ba-na-na. Ba-na-na. Ba-na-na." Thus said, your chances of learning proper, or even just grasp an understanding of, English is not much farther as it is if you eat an entire copy of Merriam-Webster's latest dictionary edition.

School lessons over a span of a week, you can learn within 2 hours on your own time if you have a working understanding of English. This is my case with schools who simplify things. On the other hand, some schools will teach as they will, and let those who can't understand flow like seeds in the wind. I have met too plenty undergraduate students on their graduating year and still has no idea what they have just studied for the past years.

Lastly(for now), I cannot seem to get a break.

Without local experience in my desired occupations, it appears that nobody wants to give me a go. Every interview always asks about local experience, local experience and local experience. (Seriously though, how will I get any local experience if everybody wants local experience?) I am even very willing to work for free in internships to get a grasp of an Australian working experience and learn a lot from within the industry. However, most of the decent ones want you to be in a graduating year from a chosen few(and expensive) universities. Then, once in a while, I get some false hope in getting a better position with start-up business guys but the case happens is that I feel like I was doing the teaching than learning. Also, being on a student visa restricts your working hours and flexibility, making most employers put you in the bottom of the picking.

I have heard too many stories such as some guy from the UK coming here and claiming to be DJ (but actually has no experience of being one at all) and now has an awesome DJ career or the girl who worked as a kitchen hand then in one occasion had a conversation with some company big gun, wowed him, then got a great job offer. I think these are exaggerated versions of people who got some break in a career, worked hard in it, and are now in a good position. (Not that I don't believe these stories. They could be very true!) 

The point is not that I am hoping for a CEO position offer(not that I would turn one down), but all we need is a break. A break to prove how hard we can work and show what an asset we can be rather than being reduced to doing dead-end jobs when we have more to offer.

My blog post about my blog post: Just A Waitress

A loop of some sort. 
To post as a blog with regards the blog post itself. 
Indeed, consider this as a declaration of which presets my future blog posts.
After all, this is THE blog post about THE blog post. 

I have not blogged for a while now, as there was a floating thought in my head that always asked “What for?”.  I never really said this thought out loud nor was I truly conscious of actually thinking it. (the same way of which everyone can be familiar with, like having a dream that you remember but not really remember at all) 

I am just a waitress here in Sydney, after all.  An unemployed one, now, even!

No longer am I some top-private-university overachiever double major Economics / Marketing student leader.
Gone are the days of event VIP passes.
It’s been two years since I’ve called myself a professional make-up artist / stylist / writer.

I am just a waitress, it seems not the very best of being one, even!

Who will read my blog?
Who cares about my blog?
What good will my blog do?

And, by jove! In those questions lay the answers themselves!

Why, it is MY blog! 
I will read it!
I care about it!
I know that writing does me a good deal of good!

So there.

I am just a waitress, but I have no plans of being one for ever.
Now, I shall say, I am NOT just a waitress.
For, behold, I am a waitress with a blog.