i'm wif DBS/POSB now.. n due the its involvement wif FOTC, i'm gonna close my account wif it, and join another bank..

but now.. deciding which 1..

HSBC, OCBC or citibank?

looking at the savings acct, but got forums telling mi, savings acct is almost equal to putting money @ home, lest the security.

n other banks got those esavings etc acct...

wah... issit time to chk out the diff accts available for mi.. n decide which is better??

i'll wan an acct to store my salary, an acct to issue cheques, n maybe an acct to keep money for convenience of withdrawals..

it seems like.. last nite was the worst normal nite i ever had?

i made an online purchase of the cd.. n it came over ytd.. i was ALL SO EXCITED to hear it!!!

i even left office abt 10 mins earlier to get home n hear it..

but having reached home by 630... it kinda proved.. too long a nite for mi to stay awake till the lovely 1am..

abt 10+pm, i was oredi getting exhausted.. n although i can think of wat i can do to kill time, i was uninterested in all of them..

i wanna watch the fri nite japan serial drama... but i went to lie on the bed, knowing deep inside mi, i'm bound to doze off n sleep...

yeah.. i'm blabbering again..

wif tis new job, n the ending of my facial treatment instalment, i somehow feel tat i'm entering a new financial phase..

now tat i'm footing the household bills, i nid to b double careful of my spending... i nid to really start saving up.. curbing my spending n increasing my savings..

hope i can keep to tat!! lol

until some time back... i had pretty much a good temporary memory.. ie, once i see something, i can "snap" a shot of it, n rmb how it looked for a short while..

but nowadays, i've not been able to do tat.. not even remembering some simple things..

but ytd, out of the blue, i was looking at the bus directory at a bus stop, n somehow managed to capture it again... n i cld oso rmb most of the details in it... haah...

nah.. jus blabbering..

i got a promo call from yun nan hair care, getting mi to go for a trial consultation... i have some hair prob, so took it up.. din really do any research.. hahah.. nw tat i jus did.. den i realised, i din really get a good deal... lol... cos their trial consultation oredi got wat i was enjoying...

the oni diff seems tat, i got some hair care products given to mi, as part of signing up for a package..

lol.. anyway, those r my grouses after doing my research, 1 wk after signing up lol...

n the purpose of my post is.. to grumble abt the pressure sales tactic..

last wk, i went for a consultation @ yun nam, n in the hope of curing my hair prob, i was ready to sign up for a pkg.. but.. the consultation is oredi pretty stretching the time, so i din get the free treatment after the consultation.. so the lady recomm some treatment pkg for mi.. n i nid the treatment on almost a bi-weekly basis. i fought for a smaller pkg n took tat up.. i guess i sounded my finance is pretty tight, so she recomm mi to take up the instalment of either 2 or 3 yrs.. but hor.. i thot abt it.. tat, since the pkg has to be used up very quickly (6 mths?), no point spanning the instalment over yrs.

i paid the whole sum instantly.. the free treatment will be used when i visit again..

den.. ytd, i went over again for the treatment.. n after tat, the lady.. came to mi again.. asking mi to buy more products... tis is when the game started.

she suggested i get 20 bottles of a coloring agent.. as tis can improve my scalp condition.. n a huge discount was given. i bought her pov on its effects, but din wish to purchase..

she den got aggressive, n asked y the disinterest... i simply told her, i understand abt my prob, but really have no wish to buy..

she den insisted tat if i dun buy, my hair will not get much better. n she had the best of my interests n nothing to do wif earning profits.

n tat, if i really wanted my hair to get better.. i shld get the products. at this point, i was oredi wondering.. issit 'cos last wk i paid the whole sum, so she thot i'm actually more financially able than she thot.. tat y she tried very hard to sell?

n when i still din not want to buy, she asked mi to wait while she tried to get her manager in.. i was oredi pretty tired wif it.. at the pressure tactic.. den when she came back, asking mi to wait, i told her, i dun ahve time anymore.. she asked mi to wait for jus 1 more min.. lol... aiyo, the 1 min later surely can become 5 n later 10 mins.. i cannot tahan ler.. n took a strong stance in asking to exit..

i chanced upon a site that carried a photo of the city harvest i went to..

check out their size!! (see the picture!)

anyway, his trip aside.. i was really thinking whether i shld switch school for my singing classes...

n, boy, was i lucky!

someone on my msn list volunteered (for a token coach fee) to teach mi personally!!! a private lesson at a cost even lower than a group lesson!! wow!!

den... abt my new job, i really have to warm myself up.. as in, read up more n prepare myself better for the new challenge.. my current place is really slowing my thinking process.. lol

unexpectedly..the singing class tat i've been taking has been cancelled, due to extreme low turn up rate gradually.

thus, the remaining 4 of us have been moved to a saturday class..

den.. SURPRISINGLY, when i went for the first class after the move, oni mi turned up.. the other 3 missed the lesson, 1 of them reported having met an accident..

so i was there... n to my goodness surprise, the whole class is like a market.. 7 teen gers n 1 teen guy.. i was soooo taken aback.. n i reverted to my meek nature..

having to join tis new class, the surprisingly low turn up rate made mi tink 3 times abt whether i shld look for other classes.. n in my opinion, the learning is kinda slow?

Hi all,

To anyone reads this, kindly pass the message around, to assist in this case.

dun watch this show, Blood: The Last Vampire, cos it sucks to the core!

poor story line, poor flow.. poor effect!!!

can u imagine, when ppl get killed, the blood splashes out on dots, n not a flow of liquid??

a old man who had his joints stabbed by knives n had his hands cut off, and yet still able to bear the pain, n hold on to a perfectly healthy guy?

a supposedly vampire slayer is able to do gymnastic stunts n jump n fly around freely?

the great demoness was lying on the floor of a hut, fending off attack by something tat's weaker than her, n ends up on the losing side when the hut suddenly collapsed??

argh!!! i wan my money back!!!

watching The Greed of Man with mum.. den saw how a family found back a long-lost kin, but had trouble getting him to return home.. n they were really desperate...

it somehow made mi think of mi n mummy...

recently, i bought a few volumes of old hk drama which she mentioned mths ago.. tat she misses a lot.. they r now delivered to us oredi..

i bought for her, so tat she at least can watch those shows n rmb those good old times of hers.. in her free time

den later on, she somehow hurt her fingers @ work.. n had to recuperate at home..

at the same time, i arranged a massage session for her n aunt (her sis).. to let her enjoy time.. n even asked aunt to convince her to sign up for more pkgs so tat she can continue to enjoy such perks.. of cos, i'll pay for those.. but she din sign up..

den now.. i'm having difficulties in switching jobs.. n once again, she's all up in arms (in religious terms) to pray for better luck..

it makes mi wonder.. abt karma... did she owe mi more, or did i owe her more in our previous lives... sighzz.. the interconnection..

umm... have i actually expended on my good luck..?

earlier on, i was trying to sell my cali gym mship.. den 1 offer came along.. but i thot of holding it for better offers... in the end, tat offer blew off, n now i'm trying hard to find other offers..

den now... the job offers.. it's so tiring...

now i even wonder if i'm getting into a state of depression.. as the direction of my career is not wat i'm looking forward to.. hope things get better..

Hi all,

I'm selling my cali gym membership. lasting till Jul 2011 inclusive, and can access all clubs all day.

Selling @ 45 x mths left = total sum.

Pls sms mi @ 8268 0320 for further details.

it's oredi 2 days after my 2nd interview wif the mnc...

tis morn, i got pious n offered incense to ancestors n Buddha.. for the first time ever, i saw benevolence in the statue's eyes..

the feel was so different! that i thot i saw hope!!

but well.. til end of the day, the mnc has not called..

it's another company tat called.. tis company arranged a last min interview ytd.. n was really cool in its location choice: they came to my office area!

den today, they called, to say a 2nd interview has been arranged.. by rite, i shld oso b happy abt the interview..

but.. there will b a short test oso.. n from experience, tis is the part where i often fail miserably.. cos of lack of practise n exposure.. i cna oni wish for the best.. n prolly.. expect no increment in salary..

2nd interview was on tues.. den wed.. i was expecting them to call.. to confm tat i'm WANTED.. i was so sensitive to the vibration/sound from my phone!! but for the whole day, there were oni msg alerts..

in the morn, the agency called.. but tat's cos she forgot the interview was shifted to the day b4.. i thot the call was news, saying tat i'm hired!!

later, i got anxious abt getting the job.. n kept looking for her.. when i finally got to her ,she was amused.. she told mi.. no news form them yet.. n likely to have an update latest by mon.. i thot.. tat's was a tactic to mean there's little hope..

but.. having spoke to chrishansenhome  and my sis, it seems like i'm really too impatient, as they nid to decide who are the better candidates to take up the job.. n nid time to figure it out..

haiz.. i was even pretty despondent.. tat i din get a call at all.. cos.. for my other offers in the past, they called pretty soon after the interview..

i shall b patient.. but i oredi thot of ler.. if this time i really can't move on, i'll have to take heart.. n explore within the company..

today's 2nd interview wif the mnc is my best to date!!

the discussion went on smoothly.. except for 1 careless mis-ans.. they oso asked when i can start.. n told mi where i'll b working, n who are the involved partners.. n tis proj.. is diff from the first interview.. it will not b in dsta anymore.. it'll b commercial proj... n will b on core programming again.. i'm kinda disappointed wif it.. cos i will not be touching on the advanced topics.. but well, wat matters now is i get to switch my job... i can build my profile at the new place.. n see wat the future holds..

umm.. i rmb.. the first interview was in late noon.. den the nex morn.. or noon time.. i got a call informing mi of 2nd interview.. tat was so fast!!

den.. tdy's 2nd interview.. was held in morn.. n 1 of the interviewers is having some.. seminar or meeting after seeing mi.. so i guess.. latest by tmr.. ko timing will have news ler.. if not, it's BAD.. cos tis is the place i've the highest confidence of getting in..

den after tat 2nd interview, i oso went to another interview.. which i left disappointed a great deal..

now i realise.. how great the contrast was.. when i left crimson last yr.. i was SO highly sought after.. calls here n there.. (perhaps the economies played a part here too) so many companies asking to interview mi.. n i fared so well in their interviews n tests.. but right now, i'm failing so miserably.. regardless of the interviews or tests..

if this time, i fail to move on.. i really have to make alternate plans? cos.. this place is almost.. really not making mi happy..

in case i mess up the 2nd interview (wah, my blogs these days all abt interviews!! so strezzzed!), by not having the relevant details at the back of my hand, i decided.. to memorise them.. as though i'm taking exam..

i originally intended to keep repeating them to myself, so tat i'll have an idea of wat to say.. but in case, nothing comes to my mind, i tink i better memorise them..

i jus chk'ed my mail..

after the interview wif the mnc, i chk my contract details, n emailed the agency my findings. den, tat nite.. late into the nite, the agent replied.. saying she'll let the mnc knw. n mentioned tat, since i haven met the mgr, very likely, i'll be going for 2nd interview..

umm.. but anyway, i'll still nid to show my appreciation to them both.. the mgr n HR..

and while i was preparing for my 2nd chance on tues, i really find tat i mis-positioned myself tat day.. ok,, in every job tat u r abt to leave, u're likely to tell wat u've been doing in the current job.. wat u've learnt.. n y u r leaving..

i was using tis same technique..

but tis time, it's wrong.

'cos in tis current place, i'm totally not leveraging on wat i've learnt previously.. i was so focussed on the above 3 parts, i missed out.. selling myself.. based on wat i'm made of.. wat i have lost.. wat i wish to re-pick/learn..

ie, my exp gained in my prev job..

after a day of recapping on wat i'd done in the prev job, i really find tat, i learnt a great deal during my 2 yrs stint.. i recalled wat i learnt / did / experienced back then.. i was basically kinda proud of myself looking at how much i managed to do!! but i did not manage to mentioned all those!

i hoped i had kinda positioned myself back to the time when i was abt to leave the prev job.. so tat i can once again tok abt the stuff i had done back then.. in order to tell them, i'm not worth nothing!

for the last interview, the agency mentioned tat, the HR ger n the proj mgr will b there.. n likely to have oni 1 interview to determine the employability of the person. but when i arrived, the mgr had an urgent meeting.. so oni the HR met up wif mi. she was (tactfully) sharp in her words, but helpful oso.. as she did not jus put down my lack of full-preparation for interviews, but oso suggested on how i shld have made my resume better.. (which i agree.. but, how come no one else mentioned?)

b4 the meeting ended, she told mi, there may b a 2nd interview, if needed... i've no hopes on tis, but i'm still optimistic. since it's never good to b pessi.

den today, the agency called again.. telling mi there's a 2nd interview!!!!!

i was so happy (forgot wat other variations can be used to describe my feelings)!! i felt tat i was given a 2nd chance!!!!

my thots were.. (pessimistic this time) 'cos i din do well in my technical test.. plus i din manage to focus on my selling points (not fully-prepared, tat's why), n merely roughly summarised wat i did during my 2 yrs stint in prev company.

1 of my worst interviews, since i started work after army..

but.. i sounded very positive, and very earnestly asking for a 2nd chance to prove my mettle (or worth?) n was able to tok abt my strong n weak points, n share how my prev work exp as helpdesk wld help in being a senior.. n oso, to roughly draft out verbally my planned career path. n shared my undying love for (java) programming. so.. the mgr prolly decided to chk mi out him/herself.. to decide if i have wat it takes to join the team..

roughly, i tink wat i nid to prepare for the 2nd interview (oh ya, i got another.. company interviewing mi on tues.. first interview) wll be as follows:

1) wat technologies had i used back in crimson.. n how i used them
2) wat did i exactly do/learn in crimson
3) how deeply interested am i in getting involved in the proj

n oso to brush up on my theoretical knowledge on the technical subjects.. such as
1) wat's struts/j2ee
2) how's the framework like
3) how is ejb invoked
4) from app server, how is a db connection established..

n oso.. i think it'll be appreciation on tat day, to thank them for giving mi a 2nd interview, n oso the HR ger for putting in good words for mi.. it shld b alright.. hor?

i jus came back from interview.. wif an mnc..

HR lady interviewed mi.. she commented tat, i'm not very ready for interviews.. n tat, although i'm into my 3rd yr as programmer, the time spent at the current job is wasting my time, and does not help in pushing mi forward...

cos.. all the while @ the interview i did not sell myself well at all.. i din not emphasize or focus on hwo i can be an asset to the company.. n wat i did in previous company tat will be beneficial to selling my skills..

personally, i was oni prepared to ans qns like "y did i leave the prev place", "why am i leaving the current job", "wat i do hope to do in the new place"... i'm totally prepared to tell them, or convince, i'm ready to slog my life for them.. but well, she preferred (naturally) to hear abt the asset thing..

n from the way she say it, i'm.. unpleasantly surprised tat.. she spoke some words tat i shld b using... i mean, some phrases can be better summarised in a couple of words.. like..

"i learn how to speak better, so tat i can minimise the use of negative words...." (tactful)
"... learn more from outside, so tat when i return, i can have more skills to.. " (contribute more)

how i wish i can be tat good once again wif my words.. which will mean "business and professional spoken english"..

when i heard someone spurt a line "i don't want put her in a fix".. i immediately thot of the past.. when my spoken english was equally good..

n the worse ting is.. my contract states.. within 2 yrs of resignation, i can't work for companies tat has business tat conflicts wif the current company's.. gosh..

how wide is the repercussion?

tis is my first interview since i started sending out resumes.. the face-face interview sounded hopeful.. wif her having noted tat i've not done coding for ages.. but when she sees the technical test ans, i wonder if she'll faint.. my asking salary is abt 1.1 times. if i can get out of tis place, i dun mind even if there's no change in salary!!

==============

as i calm down... come to tink of it.. although tis mnc is big here, i oso got 1 more interview wif another company. tis tues. jus see how things go... shld stay optimistic