Say ‘Good night!’ and Go

Whoa! Been away for some time and today.com has changed! I’m liking it…

 Yes, I am still alive. I haven’t updated because there hasn’t been anything new  to talk about. I am still jobless. Got rejected from a resort for being too highly-qualified (with my IT degree), eventhough I made it clear that I was more interested in a Customer Service-type position. I guess being Employee of the Year ‘95 (Most Guest Compliments) doesn’t count for anything these days.

I know the job situation is dire right now. Imagine, the government is telling their sponsored students overseas to remain where they are and find jobs there after graduation. They do not want them coming back here to fight for the limited positions available. What hope is there for an average student like me who has a degree from a little-known (then) university college? And I didn’t even mention the F that tarnished the last phase of my final year project (which wasn’t even my doing!) .  Suffice to say, I dare not apply for an IT job.

 Went to the photo studio to get my passport photo done. No, I am not going anywhere. There’s this photography site that sells photos that have been submitted by their members and the only way I can start selling my photos is to verify my identification using a passport scan. That’s RM300 for a 32-page passport. My last passport expired in 2003. In that passport, I only had two immigration stamps (besides the stamps from the Malaysian Immigration Dept) from two countries - the US and Canada. I doubt if I’ll get any stamps in this new passport. But hopefully, it may mean getting some money for my photos (if they are good enough). I think it’s $0.25 per photo purchased. And I will only get a cheque if the amount has reached $100, I think. It’s my only hope of an income right now. I’ve tried Adsense and Amazon and they both haven’t earned me anything (nobody clicks and nobody buys).

 The only reason I’m planning to sell my photos is because my three submitted photos at Interfacelift have been downloaded more than 31,000 times since June 2006. Okay, perhaps the fact that they were free had something to do with it. I’m not counting money I haven’t got yet. It might take me years to earn enough to get a cheque. *sigh*

During the orientation at the training centre for that second scheme, a speaker mentioned that it might be easier for us to apply for jobs overseas, such  as Australia. But with a degree like mine? I don’t think so. I checked with the New Zealand immigration website and my qualification isn’t recognized. I only have a three-year degree and it’s from an unrecognized uni. Without experience to strengthen my qualification, I don’t meet the requirements to apply for that work permit/visa. So it doesn’t matter if IT is in the Skill Shortage List. And if I got a job offer from a NZ employer, they would have to prove to the NZ govt that the position cannot be filled by a New Zealander.

And it’s just my luck that the NZ govt has made an agreement with the Thai govt to allow Thai workers in NZ to work on vineyards. I could stomp grapes.

 I chatted with him again last night since my last post about the whole drama thing. We talked like we used to, and he got me laughing and smiling again. This time, I wasn’t the loyal puppy begging for attention. When I saw him log on to YM, I simply made myself visible. I didn’t attempt to initiate contact like I used to. He said that he wanted to say ‘hi’ and see how I was doing. I am glad that we are still friends. He made a bad decision (using ‘grandkids’ in that letter) and didn’t realize that my feelings (which I tried to control) would snowball into something I couldn’t handle. Thank goodness there weren’t any bunnies to boil. 

I also told him that I didn’t take down his parents address. I had just checked it out online last year. And he explained that it had changed and the address was no longer in use. He didn’t sound freaked out or angry, and I suppose it was also due to my not being angry or argumentative. Or maybe he was just being patient.

It’s late. Time for bed. I hope you’re happy I updated, Steve.

p/s: How many blogs on Today are there? How come my blog is listed among the popular blogs on today.com? Hmmm…

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