JLPT 2....Here I come!!....

Registered for the JLPT 2 exam last week. $30, plus a dollar for the application form. I was so blur that I forgot to write my chinese name on both the application form and on the test voucher (at least its consistent). Its inconsequential though, since only my english name will be on the certificate (thats assuming that I pass). "Strawberry" and "instant mee" are quite skeptical of passing the exam, especially since by the time of the exam, we would be have been detached from Japanese classes by a full 7 months. I am quite confident of passing though, and I believe that as long as we revise our jap 5 notes & the white & green books, its pass-able.
There were 2 ladies manning the reception. One was quite friendly and consumer-oriented, the other was..ahem..(just as "Miss Tan" puts it, typical Singaporean customer service)(Note: Its singaporean, not singapore) There's no prep course for JLPT 1 & when I asked her about the advance classes (there are 3 degree of advance courses), she replied with a cold 'all full' I wanted to know in the event I got JLPT 2, which class I should register for next year. She gave a vague & nonchalent reply, which was barely audible. Forget it la, she doesnt seem to have much interest & knowledge in her 'products', which greatly puts me off. She had just turned away a potential customer...

好朋友

Met up with "gambler" for dinner last night. Sometimes, I dont really understand the defition of " good friends" and " friends". Good friends can mean anything from 暧昧to the "we are good friends" in a common rejection statement. To me, good friends are friends whom I am not only close (an ambiguous term) to, but also someone who understands me, and most importantly, we must be comfortable with each other be it talking on the phone or meeting up for a chat or meal.
I remembered very clearly on one occasion which was the saddest day of my life. I had an argument with someone whom really matters a lot to me and I wanted to talk to a close friend who understands "the situation". "Strawberry" was out with her friends and I only managed to talk to her after midnight. She makes me feel a lot better and even though she is tired, she still made sure I am alright before hanging uo. She is a true good friend indeed.
Compare it to this scenario. You saw a "friend". "Hey! Havent seen you for quite some time. How are you?" "Fine. And you?" "I am fine too". Then, there's a bit of awkward silence. "Sorry, I am in a rush, chat with you some other time". You may most probably never meet that "friend" again, and even if you do, the situation repeats itself. Hamster labelled them "Hi bye friends".
Back in my NUS days (it seems like centuries ago), I have great difficulty in finding lunch kakis. Its not just me, social butterfly like "Miss Tan" and "Hamster" are also forced to eat alone at times. Maybe its hard to find a common lunchtime which we are free to meet. I feels it more of a "want to meet" rather than "can meet". Take me & "Hamster" for an example. Even though we are in Arts, our major & timetable & modules are completely different. We have our own share of project meetings, make-up lectures or whatever interruptions that could arise. But (surprisingly) we always manage to meet for a chat & lunch no matter how "busy" we are. Perhaps this is an exception rather than the norm.
To me, being "busy" is a very invalid excuse. Be it handling in assignments late to not being attached, "busy" is an over-used & convenient excuse. It really depends on how one manage their time. Yes, yes, I know some people are busy to the extent of having no time for meals & lack of sleep. But if you were to tell me that you cannot spare even 3 minutes or so replying to me SMS, or during the vacation period you cant even spare at most 3 hours to meet this "friend" of yours for a meal, it really says volume. I really dont want to lose friends due to "busy-ness", especially those whom I really cherish their friendship. "Capuccino" & "instant mee", I am really starting to feel we are drifting apart, apart & apart.....

Steamboat

Organised a steamboat gathering with the people in the Jap 5 Class. Its such a nice feeling to meet up with them and chat with them. The people in the Class can be seen as the ingredients in a steamboat, all of us so different in character and mentality, only to be bonded together by a common theme. (is that a very apt description???) Thats why i feel very happy and glad that we can gel together and they took the effort to come for this outing.kokoro kara kansha shimasu!....especially to "baggy pants" and "capuccino" whose reply makes me feel very appreciated..Some thoughts and words I would like to say to some friends, but i lack the opportunity and conversation-starter to do so..

Bittergould...I was (not am) rather disappointed that you changed your mind about coming. I really feel that with you around, our conversations will be much more interesting and exciting. You told me that you had something on, but according to "rubbish bin" u told him u decided not to come because ' u are not close to the people coming'. The same people who went for a similar one 3 months back, with the exception of "princess"..I really thought u got along quite well with "baggy pants", "rubbish bin" and maybe me..maybe i am wrong.. Perhaps u were (are) upset that we (I) didnt attend the outing that u organised and hence feel discouraged....

"Strawberry"...Thanx a lot for the advice u had given me...especially the one telling me to be more patient in dealing with matters (esp in r/s matters).... Hope you made a right choice in going into teaching... Can I call u 'Mrs Ang' soon...hehe..

"Capuccino"... First and foremost I would like to apologise to u for some wierd and nonsenical sms i sent to u..got misled(a safer word would be 'told') by someone that you have a bf..SORRY!...But I do hope u get a bf soon..so that u can experience the joy and happiness of having someone beloved to love u and care for u...

I am not ALONE in this predicament

I used to wonder if I am taking too long to get a job ( I am STILL unemployed)...especially since "instant mee" and "strawberry" have got theirs. But after what I saw/heard/felt yesterday, I think its the NORM to be STILL unemployed, hence no cause for worries ("instant mee" has been reasurring me that I confirm will be able to get a job I like soon..Thanx a lot!I appreciate it)
This is what I found out yesterday. I was short-listed for a briefing cum discussion by a Japanese Bank for their graduate training programme. The HR personnel told us that we are among the 60 selected out of near 900 applicants (I have serious doubts that the '900' figure is inflated)..I saw one guy who had a certificate stating he was on the dean's list. It seems that those shortlisted are from the 3 universities and are majoring in finance, accounting or economics. Chatted with some people, and realised that everyone is facing the same problem of not being able to get a job. Actually, I dont understand why the bank short-listed me, when everyone there obviously have better qualifications than me (Maybe i am the cut-off point)( I only have 5 certificates, others file theirs in clear-folders). Perhaps to some extent, my JLPT certificate helps.

An interesting observation

Went for another interview this morning. Its chaired by the Executive Director and 2 other personnel, which seems more formal. I think I "performed" much better than the first interview. The questions they asked are not really that easy, and they keep emphasising on excellent spoken and written english which I think I do not possess. But I am very glad and happy at the way I answered their questions. It showed something : I can think during interviews.
I saw 2 girls over there who are applying for the same job as me. One was an E-lang & E-Lit graduate. She seems to fit the bill of having excellent communication skills. The other one was a gentle, sweet-looking gal. Do looks matter when applying for jobs? I think so, to some extent.
I was asked one particular question which struck me deeply. He asked me why I did not apply for a job in a bank, given that I major in economics, and choose something which is related to social work (I didnt prepare at all for this question). I answered that I no doubt like working in a bank, but I prefer the experience of interacting with the heartlanders and people of all level rather than solely with corporations and institutions. Furthermore, I would like to do my part for the society (its true!) and this job provides me with the opportunity to do so. (Then why on earth did I choose to major in Econs than in Social Work??)
Another thing was that I told him that I rate my English as 'good', not 'excellent'. This might prove to be a real disadvantage. Imagine my horror when I heard the following statement by a graduate "I want to get something that shows that I am a graduate"....

a glimmer of rainbow

The rainbow always appear after a heavy downpour. And those who are patient enough to wait for the rain to stop, will be able to appreciate the beauty of the rainbow. In real life, this tells us as long as we never give up amidst the pain and hardship, we will be able to enjoy the benefits.
Much thanks to "instant mee" and "starfruit" , i (finally) managed to sort out my thinkings. I saw a job posting on the newspaper which is the type she was looking for, and sms-ed her about it. She replied that she will be "doing honours" and thanked me for letting her know. I guess we are still friends...
Went for an interview yesterday. 2 guys, 4 gals applying for 2 vacancies. The gals wore quite casually though, something which i dont really understand why for the same job application guys are supposed to wear so formally. Same thing as the mock-interview in Japanese 4, my brain went dead the moment i entered the interview room. The good thing is i can still reply to whatever that was being asked (though my english and sentence structure are kinda suspect). Then all of a sudden, the interviewer started asking me in chinese. My mandarin isnt that bad, but i have problems answering her (simple) questions. This is where I started mixing mandarin with english....OMG!!... And i am sure I didnt get the job...

I am wierd???

A week has passed since my last blogging, and still there is nothing to show for in my job-hunting. Its kinda difficult, I understand, since many companies prefer to employ people with experience. Nevertheless, i will continue to try my best and search for a job that I like.
Someone replied to my sms last night, asking (thats a very polite word.. a better word would be 'demanding', but somehow it seems too strong) me to 'find a job to keep myself buzy then my mind wouldnt be so sensitive yah'.. somehow, i cant establish a link between finding a job and being sensitive.
She (yes its a her, and a pretty gal) said that ' i like to send her wierd messages' and its 'scary sia..i tired need to sleep'... For the records, I only said that I treasure the friendship and hope that we are still friends despite whatever unhappy stuffs that might had happened in..(in a city that starts with T and ends with O) Am i wrong to ask for a confirmation about that??? Probably 'Strawberry' is right. Our reactions to many things are very different, hence its too easy to misunderstand each other. But come on, at least talk things through in an amicable manner right..why get so defensive..I really really dont understand...Can my friends who are reading this please comment...let me know if i over-reacted or like what she had said...I am wierd...Thanx...