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So I woke up twice in the morning to puke my guts out coz of those irritating dry coughs that make me heave. Finally gave up on sleep and woke up at 9.30am and self-medicate with dad's cough syrup. Worked for a while and felt pleasantly buzzed and sleepy by mid-afternoon and most of the evening.
Mom came home and at the mention of wanting to get coconuts to help with my sore throat, she felt my forehead, did the mom thing and nagged at me to go see a doctor. Since, y'know, I'm going to Malaysia tomorrow and they'll never let me get pass the customs with my 37.6 Celsius fever and my hacking my pharynx out. So I did the daughter thing and stalled as long as I could, popped some Panadol Extra and told her they're just gonna prescribe paracetamol for my fever anyway. Still, mom-thing >>> daughter-thing and at the urging of my mom, dad and grandma, I went to see the family doctor (who--during my last visit earlier this year--commented that I haven't been to his clinic in "quite a while". That is doctor-speak for "years". What can I say, effective self-medication and a baka-fortitude keeps me away from docs.)
I ended up in the clinic at 8.30pm, the last patient of the night. Damn there's a lot of sick people today. And lo! Paracetamol for fever. Gee... Another few buncha pills for sore throat, stuffed nose and cough. =__= I could've told her that and saved myself 1.5 hours of waiting... No wait, I did. =_____________="
When I exited the back door of the clinic coz I'm the last person and all, mom and dad were in front of the clinic. Mom was freaking out and saying (screaming) how I didn't take my phone out with me and how they can't find me and all that. I was like, I'm charging my phone so I took James' and she turned her arrowhead to the bro. "That boy! I went in and asked him to call me if you called me and he didn't think to mention that you've got his phone?!?!!?" Lol...
She's got my grandma all worried and my aunt wanting to push out her bike and do the neighborhood patrol. Dad quietly mentioned how she'd almost called the cops to file for missing persons. Like they'll bother with someone missing for 1.5hrs. They don't even bother about people missing for 23 hours. =__=" Gee...
So what does this teach us kids?
$27 can buy you 4 types of drugs (including paracetamol for fever), 1.5 hours of precious wasted time and a truckload of worry from 3 different matriarchal heads.
1 shots
So I was offered a chance to go for the face-to-face interview for TAPS program with EDB & Genentech coz someone couldn't make it for the interview today. (see Genentech post)
I couldn't quite remember what they asked and what I said but they did asked a lot of behavioral interview questions. I realized that I don't have much experience in a lot of things. Lol... I've never had some major problem that could showcase my problem-solving skills. Or maybe there are problems but I don't think they are really problems at all and therefore I can't really describe said problem in proper details.
Really... Thinking back now, I don't think I've had any major setbacks to talk about. Lol... Lucky me aye?
So they called me at a bit after 5pm to tell me that I wasn't selected for the program. Dad was all like "I knew this was gonna happen coz they called you in as backup coz someone canceled and they're afraid they don't get enough people" and mom's like "you can take DSTA now that they don't want you in USA anymore", secretly pleased with my being bound to Singapore and in her control I suppose. Aunt was like "Man... you're too uptight coz it mattered too much to you. You should've let go and go through the interview like it doesn't matter... like with DSTA". Coz the last time I went for an interview that mattered (see SGH post), I didn't make the cut either.
Oh well... sadness muchly. I kept sighing and moaning and groaning and bro was irritated by it. Haha... I guess I'll just hafta sleep it off and wake up to a better tomorrow.
Sleep = Reset
0 shots
1. Of chances missed
When I'm free, they don't call me. When I'm busy, they decided to pick that period of time to call.
Last month, because I ran out of money to spend and got scolded for holing up at home to stop myself from going out and spending money I don't have, I decided to take a part time job with DHL as their temp admin assistant, doing the usual data entry and stuff. Boy, was it exhausting.
So on the first day, to avoid making a bad impression, I turned my phone to silent and left it alone since y'know, no one calls or sms me much anyways. So! Here's the killer.
The phone rang. Because the number that called me came from an area near DSO, I thought it was them and kept calling them back every hour for the next few days to see if I can reach them again. I only got through to them during lunch time a week later. T_T It was from NUH asking me to go down for an interview. The HR girl said she'll help me get another appointment scheduled but it's a month and still no word.
Guess my not picking up the phone the first time made them think I wasn't interested.
~~~~~
2. Of chances rejected
My first proper interview was for a totally unrelated-to-my-course-of-studies job as a Logistics Trainee with Kinokuniya and after half an hour of talk-cock session, I left their office feeling rather jolly even though I know I have very little chance at getting it.
Happily thinking that if that's what interviews are, I would do ok for the others to come. Hopefully even ace the one after this, which would be SGH's biomedical engineer.
Few weeks later, a letter came and told me that they regret to inform me of my not being chosen by them for the job. Oh well. Never really wanted that one much anyway. Just trying my luck if no one really wanna hire me.
~~~~~
3. Of chances lost
Thinking that I would do just fine for the SGH interview, I went in there brimming with confidence since, y'know, I *had* studied for it for a good 6 years of my life.
And I meet my match.
Out of the 3 interviewers, 1 of the guy intimidated me and kept snorting at my answers. Peeved and feeling crushed, I fumbled and didn't display my usual level of confidence. Didn't answer their question as well as I should've and went out of the interview room totally crushed. I can literally see my chances go down the drain.
I think I sealed my fate when I couldn't answer the standard interview question of "why should the company hire you?". The intimidating snorting jerk asked me why should they consider me when there are tons of people out there with more experience than a fresh grad like me. I should've acted like the jerk he is and answer him "if you don't hire me, I where got experience??" or at least "if you don't hire me, you wouldn't know what I can do for you." *sighs*
Consolation from friends was that SGH only wants to hire people with experience but that brought me little comfort.
~~~~~
4. Of chances wasted
I also applied for the EDB-Genentech training scheme where if selected, I will get to go to Genentech's HQ in USA for a 12-18 month training and a 2 year bond back in Singapore. Great deal right?
I had completely pushed it out of my mind until one fine day, the HR girl emailed and called me all the way from USA to tell me I'm selected for the preliminary phone interview. I jumped and said yes of course. IMO, I didn't do very well during my phone interview conducted on a Saturday morning.
They asked scenario-based questions like "describe a scenario where you do not agree with the group and what you did to help the group despite of it" and "tell me about a major setback and how you solve it". Truth be told, I couldn't think of any major problems or setbacks in my life coz really, the probs I'd met, I either solve it very quickly or I got around the problem.
They also asked technical questions like "what is a protein?" and "if the flowrate is 10l/min, how much water will there be in an hour?". I got so stunned by the protein question coz the last time I had to remember the definition of a protein, it was 6 years ago during Biochemistry.
So thinking I probably didn't make it, I went about my days as usual and then, I got another email saying I'm selected for the 2nd round of interviews! OMG YAY! I rejoiced.
...Until I found out that the first module of my part time degree ends on 14 Nov and the training program starts on 1st Nov. And since I'd already paid for the admission application and the first module of the course, that means mom wouldn't let me cancel the module and I wouldn't be able to make it for the training program. And therefore, they had to canceled my 2nd interview and placed me on the backup list--which is code for chances slim to none.
I didn't even get to know if I had a shot in USA or not.
~~~~~
5. Of chances pondered
At the prompting from Chee Siong (he says people there are gonna quit once they get their 13th month bonus in August), I went to see if there's an opening in DSTA and applied online. Got called back a few days later--literally few days seeing as I applied for the post like 3 days before. Then again, they could've called me back from the previous time I applied for DSTA. I kept applying for the same stuff at the same companies so much I couldn't keep track anymore. No matter, I was happily stunned and went for it.
I got through the interview ok... Didn't feel as uncomfortable as I did during the SGH one. One of the interviewer was real talkative and our session overran for about half an hour. The guy before me also overran so I got in later than my scheduled time.
They asked why do I apply for a non-biomed engineering job when I major in biomed engineering. (Why do companies like to ask that? Biomed companies ask why I didn't apply for other engineering jobs and non-biomed companies ask why I didn't apply for biomed jobs...) I told them biomed is a very specialized company and the people who are in there don't wanna come out so there isn't much chance for people who are fresh grads to go in. And that even if they are hiring, they'll want people with experience. I told them about how most of my friends from poly are working in the biomed sector already but they are holding lower rank and lower paying positions--which prompted them to smile and comment on how I'm overqualified. Which I hafta agree, really.
They asked me if I would do something non-biomed related and I'm thinking "I wouldn't apply for the job if I minded, would I?? O_O" but I said some of my friends from the same (biomedical) major in NTU EEE are holding jobs that aren't biomed related either and I gave some examples of companies they work for.
They asked me a lot about my attachment work too. And I told them about the stuffs I had to do. Along the same line, they also tried to deter me by saying that the testing would require me to go on-site and crawl all over the place and I'm like "yea yea... attachment also testing..." and they're like "but testing inside aircon mah" and I'm like "no lor... it's hot. The baggage area of the airport is at the back and it's got no aircon". They also say I might hafta get myself dirty and I'm like "no problem. We had to crawl down tiny dark dirty tunnels to follow the baggage conveyor lines."
Also, when they mentioned that there might be testing on-site and on-site means at the airplane or if the ship or submarine sails, I might be out to sea for a week or so and my inner voice gave a little whoop of joy. XD Happiness! Haha...
And here comes the pondering.
If I take this, I'll be stuck in DSTA for 3 whole years. 3 whole years to complete most of my part time deg modules and no relevant biomed work experience. But if I don't take this, I'll be stuck in DHL for another 2 months. I could, however, wait to see if I take the place of some poor sucker who dropped out of the EDB-Genentech program.
Choices choices...
0 shots