terror.

I WANT TO MOVE HOUSE!!!

On a separate note, I don't think Dad is gonna be too pleased when he sees the electricity bills for this month.

My house is haunted

The Ghost-O-Meter (if there is one) would probably be at an alarming blinking red state this Seventh Month.

Worse thing is that as though there aren't enough ghosts in my house already, the Chinese ghost festival has just laid out a red carpet to welcome more into my home.

Needless to say, the spiritual encounters in our house has reached an all-time high.

So, I was sleeping last night, when I was awoken by a faint knocking sound. Two knocking sounds at my door. I awoke with a start, my eyelids flicking open, only to be greeted with a deafening silence, a vast difference from the faint thumping of my heart.

Knock. Knock.

Again. Knock. Knock.

There's only so much you can blame it on the wind, you know? Especially when the weather outside is relatively peaceful and all our doors and windows are tightly shut. Once, when my sister alerted me to this, I brushed it off with disregard.

'It's probably just the wind hitting against the door or something.
I hear it all the freaking time.'

To which, my sister stoutly replied:

'It's not! It's the sound of someone trying to get in.'

And, yesterday, (not for the first time, mind you) I heard it. It was the sound of someone trying to get in. It's the exact same sound of someone banging their fists against the door, and it continues with an astounding repetitive mode, that the wind is not capable of.

Did I also mention the time when I heard the door knob turned, and when I finally opened the door, there was no one outside?

Oh, it's probably just your sister trying to play a prank on you.

You think?

My sister was fast asleep in the other room, and it took me quite a hell lot of effort (which basically involved vigorous shaking on my part) to wake her up. And, my parents swore that it wasn't them.

So, again and again, the knocking persisted as I lay frozen in my bed, listening to the precise rhythm of knocking on my bedroom door.

The terror that resided inside me was very real. There was someone at the door. And, whatever it was, it wasn't human.

After a while, I decided to try out a little experiment. Our good buddies from the netherworld are afraid of light, aren't they? I know, because I watch TV.

As swiftly as I could, I reached into the dark and flicked the lights on. The bright buttery yellow light that poured into my room was a welcome respite.

And, miraculously...

THE KNOCKING STOPPED.

I spent the rest of the night sleeping with the lights ON.

Some of the more trite horror stories happening right in my home, (which may I add, is a breeding ground for buddies from the other world) include footsteps in the middle of the night (no prizes for guessing whose; hint: It wasn't human), a baby's cries in the middle of the night, feelings of extra 'presences' in the room (for example, AS I'M TYPING THIS), strange knocking sounds IN the room at 3am in the morning, ETC ETC.

And, just to pooh-poohed anyone's claims that ghosts only emerge when dusks falls (Come on, professionals have confirmed that they are all around you in the morning as well), here is another hair-raising story.

Just this morning at 6am, my sister was in the bathroom when she FELT A FINGER TOUCH HER TWICE. ONCE ON THE ARM. AND ANOTHER TRAILING DOWN HER BACK.

Who says miracles don't happen?

The fact that I haven't moved house yet IS a miracle.

I flunked the interview

OK. Right.

Take a deep breath.

So, I wasn't really expecting such a grand setting. No big deal, right? RIGHT? RIGHT?!!

As I sat down at the area I was being escorted to, I saw all these huge meeting rooms with very professional-looking people inside them. And, I saw not one feet, or two feet, but omg...it looks like a whole room full of people! Gee, I wasn't expecting such a grand interview...

'Hi, are you here for the interview?'

I swerved my head round, and a lady in black overalls was peeking her head out of the room. A much smaller room. Phew.

So, I walked in, and saw not one, not two, but three women. Gosh. What had I expected? I don't know, maybe a two-year old toddler interviewing me?

This is what I think of today's interview. I think I did pretty well, I demonstrated my passion aptly, and I managed to answer most of the questions with a breeze of confidence and flamboyant grandstanding. In short, I don't think they are going to hire me.

So, I was preparing myself for all the grand and outstanding questions, which was why I totally didn't see 'What is your favourite Channel 8 drama?' coming my way. AT. ALL. And, I only managed to retain the bare minimum of dignity during the interview. Which is not good. At. All.

The key point I would like to make about today's interview is

WHY DIDN'T I WATCH MORE CH 5 AND CH 8 DRAMAS!!!!!!!!!

Here are some highlights of the interview questions and of course, my dumb answers as well.

Do you watch Ch 5 and Ch 8 dramas?
Yes. (OS: Just don't ask me to name any)

So, what is your favourite Ch 5 and Ch 8 dramas?
(Oh, shit, oh shit, oh shit!!! WHY DIDN'T I WATCH MORE TV!!!!) Erm...erm...(after a very very long pause) My favourite Ch 5 drama would be the one with Adrian Pang and....
(OK, don't panic. Don't panic. What's her name?) Jessica...Huang.
(looks up to see blank faces)...(OK, I KNOW the name of this show. I watched every single episode of it on Crunchyroll. Damn it! What is the name of that show?!!)

Oh, Parental Guidance!
Ahh, yes yes! (Smiles) (Never thought Crunchyroll would be so useful for an interview) (Swears to watch more dramas on Crunchyroll)

So, you watched Ch 8 dramas too?
Ah..yes. (PLEASE PLEASE DON'T ASK ME TO NAME MY FAVOURITE SHOW!!! ONCE IS ENOUGH!!)

So, what is your favourite Ch 8 drama?
(I'm dead meat. Why didn't I watch my Fann Wong show!!!!!! ARGHHH!!!) Erm....erm....(after a very very very long pause, finally) Stepping Out.

Why is it your favourite show?
Because it has a good script, and very strong casts. I think a good storyline and good actors and actresses are what makes a show successful.

Do you have an idol?
(Okay, I have no idea why they asked me this but I swear it is NOT because I couldn't stop talking about my worship of idols during the interview) Er, yes, I have many.

Like...?
Elva Hsiao. And, if you're talking about local artistes, it would be Fann Wong.

Who do you think would make a good interviewee currently?
Quan Yifeng. I think that for an interviewee, she gives very newsworthy answers. Because she doesn't really keep her private affairs out of the public eye.

Why would Quan Yifeng talk to you rather than say, an experienced reporter from XXX?
Simple, she wouldn't. Well, of course a reporter from XXX is more experienced, whereas for a newbie like me... (OK, this is not going the way I want it to be)...(Quickly changing track) I think the most important thing for me to do would be to put her at ease-

How would you put her at ease?
Well, before I even begin on the actual interview, I would just chat with her normal and routine everyday things.

As you know, there is a rampant paparazzi culture in Hong Kong. Do you think Singapore's paparazzi culture would match up to theirs?
Well, I do think there is a paparazzi culture locally. For example, reporters recently staked out overnight at Fann Wong's house, and they even took pictures of where she lived...but of course, the local media don't go to such a far extent compared to the paparazzi in Hong Kong.

If I were to ask you to stake out three nights over at Fann Wong's house, would you be willing to take up such an assignment?
(OMG OMG YES, YES! I WOULD LOVE TO!!!) Well, er...yes. That would be very exciting.

(Eyeing me suspiciously) Have you done that before?
(quickly) Huh..no, no, of course not. (Tsk tsk, what gave them the idea? Surely it CANNOT be that my worship of idols is SO evident?!!)

How would you get scoops on celebs?
Firstly, I would do my background research on them, maybe find out more about them from fellow journalists? (Interviewee OS: Then, why would we even need you in the first place?) Get info on the places they usually hang out at, filming schedules etc etc. And, then, I don't know, maybe like what you suggested, stake out overnight at their houses? (HA. HA. I AM SO FUNNY.)

hitting the bull's eye

After sending out a thousand job application forms, I finally got a reply yesterday, replying to my query on whether a job position I applied for was still available. That is, after three whole months. The editor must be really busy or something. I've even given up any hope of him ever replying.

Less than 48 hours after sending out my resume, I got a call today, requesting me to come down for an interview on Friday morning.

Interview. Right. Which also means that I'm not gonna get the job. MY DREAM JOB.

Not my pessimistic thinking working its magic, rather, it's a common fact that I am not verbally equipped enough to ace an interview.

And, even though I put 'Excellent' on my online application form under the column, 'English - Spoken', those who know me know that I can't even pronounce correctly.

What I do know is that I must not be late this time round. Because, at my last interview, I was just a little over two hours late. Which was probably why I never got into my dream school. Damn.

And, even though I've been aiming to get into Sept '07 intake, IF BY SOME GENIUS STROKE OF LUCK, I get this job, well all I can say is: Even if the world beckons, I'm staying put, right here on this sunny little island.

Too Wordy, No Pictures, Too Personal, Can't Be Bothered To Read More Than The First Two Sentences...

...Blah Blah Blah and all the ad naseum comments I've received about my blog.

Yadda yadda, I know my blog is wordy and you usually can't bring yourself to read past the first two paragraphs, or words, whatever. Then go over to some site where the blogger is a narcissist camera whore that has pictures galore to appeal to your visceral gratification.

Seriously, have anyone of you assholes out there ever considered? The reason why I do this is because I set up this blog to write, damnit, not cater to your viscerous instinct!

Yeah, sometimes I do want to give my readers a treat, other times I do think that pictures would actually enhance the attractiveness quotient be of some use to whatever text I'm writing, and so I spend THREE freaking hours posting up pictures after pictures on my blog.

And, then, I ask myself, all these for what?

For your three minutes scanning pleasure? For three minutes of your pleasant perusal?

It's so easy to fall into the trap of counting the number of hits your blog gets a day. Has my blog's ranking on Technorati moved up? Did this entry of mine containing a truckload of my bigass pictures actually attracted more chee ko peks readers than usual? Hmm...maybe I should post up more pictures of myself the next time round.

It's so easy to attract readers to your blog, damnit. The more convenient ones are leaving comments on other more popular bloggers' sites, or posting some comment in some widly popular forum or website.

The second way is by posting on some popular subject matter, like some mass shooting taking place in a school or Britney Spears attempting to go on a party night out sans underwear, so when people google those keywords, -Voila!- it leads to your site! Yay! More readers! If I keep this up, maybe advertisers will come knocking on my door blog.

I've seen SO MANY bloggers do that, but I don't.

How is this little seemingly inconsequential fact actually vital to the point I'm trying to make? From what I've typed above, I think it is fairly obvious I DON'T CARE WHETHER YOU LIKE READING WHATEVER I POST IN MY BLOG. IF YOU DO, THEN FINE. IF YOU DON'T, THEN PLEASE DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR OF NOT VISITING MY BLOG. EVER. AGAIN.

I don't see why I have to cater to your needs and what you like to read, when THIS IS MY BLOG!

At least, I very well know that I have friends out there who like absoutely love what they are reading in my blog.

Ok, let's talk about the criticism, shall we?

The one that has me truly nonplussed to the max is the one that says my blog is too personal. Hello? Excuse me?! How can that be?!

From my POV (fairly subjective, I know) a blog has to have two components:

(1) Personal components. This can mean two things: personal experiences or personal opinions towards a subject matter. I don't want to read some text that has been CUT, COPY AND PASTE from some other website, and vomited regurgitated out on your blog, to pass off as your blog contents. Sorry, that isn't your blog contents, that is some contents you got from some other website just to fill up the column space on your blog.

HELLO. RIDICULOUS CAN. HOW CAN A BLOG BE CONSIDERED A BLOG IF IT IS NOT ABOUT PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OR PERSONAL OPINION PIECES? THIS IS SUPER RIDICULOUS! IF IT IS ABOUT WORDLY ISSUES OR SOME GOSSIP COLUMN, THEN IT IS A BLOG SPECIALLY DEDICATED TO THESE WORDLY ISSUES OR GOSSIPS. MY BLOG IS NEITHER. THANK YOU.

(2) I find it laughable that someone even mentioned to me that my blog is too personal. You know what I think too personal is?

[At this point, if I want to create more hits for my blog, I will paste some links to some wildly popular too personal websites, and when these popular bloggers goggle their name and it leads to my blog, you know what that means, don't you?]

Too personal, in my dictionary is when someone posts up random stuff about themselves NO ONE IS INTERESTED IN READING. AND WHEN I SAY NO ONE IS INTERESTED IN READING, IT MEANS NO ONE IS INTERESTED IN WHAT TIME YOU GOT UP THIS MORNING, WHAT YOU ATE FOR BREAKFAST, WHETHER YOU WALKED YOUR DOG OR NOT, WHAT YOU WORE TO WORK THIS MORNING, ETC ETC.

Exception:

[Unless this is mentioned in a one-liner, especially to paint a picture in the readers' minds (Sometimes, minutiae details add flavour to the overall story) and NOT crucial to the entire blog post, and does not go on and on and on for the whole blog entry!)

If it is a breakup with a boyfriend, then I think the sadist curiosity in everyone will be very interested to know all the gory details. (If you managed to read this blog entry all the way until here, then I think it proves my point. Everyone loves a delicious morsel of gossip or discontentment, don't they?)

Oh god, I don't really want to offend anyone, but in defending myself, I think I might have accidentally on-purpose step on some toes. But, don't worry, if you are my friend, I will be immensely interested in what you did during the day, and what you had for breakfast this morning. (:

So, if you have ever criticised my blog by any of the words you see in the title post, I hereby issue you the license to start feeling guilty. Now.

Online Scam or Legal Money-Making Business?

Home Typist/Data Entry

Earn up to $300 -$500 per week!

The above words screamed out to me from my computer monitor. Now to a jobless person like myself, this is a job offer that is worth salivating over. Which I did.

The lure of 'working in the comfort of my home', having something to do to occupy my time and earn some income while waiting for my dream job to drop into my laps (if ever) was too strong an offer to resist.

So, immediately I replied, expressing my strong interest in taking up the job. Almost immediately, I received a reply, stating that I had to first pay $25 for the training materials before I can start on my job.

Of course, I was skeptical! I may be a dumbass, but not a dumbass with zero common sense (I have maybe like 35% common sense).

But, what convinced me finally was the rational behind having to pay $25 first to begin. It states that no business can afford to provide free training materials to any tom, dick and harry who decides to enquire about this job offer. (If you read on, you will later realize that this is a scam! Well, in a way!) And, so I paid the full amount. Now, that explains the 35% common sense.

And, so, I received the training materials the following day, and was excited to begin on my new job! Home Typist/Data Entry? Bullshit!

What this job actually is is an ad placement job. What it requires me to do is to post up the exact same job posting that I chanced upon on numerous free job placement sites. Which creates a pyramid-like sort of money-making scam legal business.

If you are really curious, they did include some clause fished out from the law book, down to the very numerical digit and clause page no, which means that this is a totally legit money-making business.

I say this for the millionth time, my brain works at the speed of a snail, so any thoughts of scam was brushed out of the window and my mind very quickly adjusted to pleasant thoughts to 'Oh! Such a clever money-making business strategy!'

And, so I quickly post up numerous job postings on numerous free job posting sites. I worked very very hard. Basically, I was lazy and slacked a lot and ended up working maybe four hours over three days. It states that if one were to work part-time, one could earn up to $200-$300 a week, and $400-$500 if one is working full-time. I was neither here or there. At the end of one week, I had posted in over twenty websites and received over twenty replies.

Well, just to give you a rough idea, a normal email reply to an interested applicant goes something like this:

[Heavily Edited; the actual email is actually much longer than this]

This job is great for anyone who wishes to work in the comfort of your own home! There is no calling or selling. And, this is legal way to make money! All you need is a computer, and possess basic skills like typing and know your way round the internet.

The amount of money you earn depends on the number of orders you process. To begin, you must transfer a sum of $25 to XXX, which is the cost of the training materials It states that no business can afford to provide free training materials to anyone who decides to enquire about this job offer.

Then, this morning I received a scathing email to my shock. (Well, to be totally honest, I saw it coming.)

[Original Email; Unedited]

As much as I wanted a job, like the one you posted, I can't afford to pay you no matter how "small" the amount can be. I am looking for an honest extra income and not spend money over something I am not even earning yet. If you based the sincerity of my interest in your job posting through the SGD $25, I am hurt. I hope you understand.

I was furious, so I sent her back a reply email:

As much as I'm not obliged to reply to you, I am. To be honest with you, this is an ad posting legal money-making business. This means like you, I was once the receiving end of such an email that I sent you previously. And, upon sending the money, I receive the set of instructions, in which I post the ad up to make money. There, I have given you the 'secret' of this business even though I'm not supposed to. This means you don't even have to pay me the $25 and you can start making money by posting the ad up. Sounds great? (:

Have a nice day and wish you luck in making money!

p.s/ This is an honest money-making business. As much as I hate to measure the sincerity of your interest through the SGD $25, it's the only way I make money. Just like you. Which also means that you wouldn't want to use this method to make money now, would you? Otherwise you would have just labelled yourself as a dishonest businesswoman, when really, you are 'just looking for an honest extra income'.

cheers.

To be honest, I felt a tinge of guilt after sending this email, but I struggled to retain my own dignity, which was slowly dissolving in the midst of accepting this job and then seeking to regain back the original sum I paid.

Was what I was doing legal? Moral-free? Somehow, accepting this job was like buying something with a GST price tag, and the GST was the guilty conscience that came with it.

I discussed this with a friend of mine. And, she stated clearly that this was not a REAL job, this was merely a vicious cycle, people are not getting paid to do any REAL work, but getting paid for 'cheating' others.

Perhaps, I knew this inside me all along, but I just needed someone to come out and just tell me honestly that this is not the right way to do things. ]

I guess I just wanted to make back the $25 I lost, but now upon retrospective, I would rather forego making back that sum of money and retain my own dignity and conscience.

I wouldn't want a fellow human being to suffer the same fate as me of having to question and perhaps a feeling of getting cheated, since the actual job was nothing close to what was stated.

It's so ironic. By, being honest with that lady who sent me the 'hurt' email, I was trying to retain my diginity. Not, knowing that I had already lost it all.

When I got back home, it was with trepidation that I checked my email. I was half expecting to receive an email from the lady scolding me after my very frank admission. To my amazement, this was what was awaiting me in my inbox.

Thank you for your honesty and the information you just provided. It's not that I doubt the legitimacy of your business. It's just that I was disappointed knowing I had to spend money before earning any. There are many people, just like me, who want to earn extra money, for whatever purposes they may have, only to find out they have to invest first. I hope you get what I meant. Anyway, I still thank you for the information and honesty. As for your method of making money, I think I'll pass. I'm sure I still would find home-based/work from home jobs.

So, as you can see, she appreciates my honesty, but doesn't agree with my 'method of making money'. To be honest, I also don't agree to my method of making money.

With the lady's email and my friend's reply in place, I knew just what I had to do. Up till now, I had received ONE very, very interested applicant J who was willing to fork out the $25 for the job, not knowing that she was like a lamb sent for the slaughter.

I sent J this email:

Dear J,

I regret to inform you that the position for Home Based Typist/Data Entry has been filled.

If you have already transferred the funds, please do not worry as I will return the full sum to you thru funds transfer. Please acknowlegde receipt of this email.

Thank you for your interest and have a nice day! (:

Immediately after sending this email, I received a few more enquiries on this job post. My email changed from as above to this:

Hi, thank you for your interest in Home Typist/Data Entry. I regret to inform you that the position has been filled. Thanks.

Even though I lost $25, my heart is at peace. It was a small price to pay for a valuable lesson. I now officially conclude that my common sense has gone up by one percent. (: