On the market

So why the sudden outburst of blog posts, you ask...

It's week 2 of unemployment, and blogging makes me feel like I'm working. And it's a good distraction from the not so fun job hunting.

It's been more of a holiday, as the initial weeks usually are. I've been trying to be constructive with my time which was going very well until this week where I allowed myself to indulge in lounging-around-in-pjs sort of behavior.

So far, I have been exercising every single day (bar yesterday, and possibly today). I've even started swimming... I bought a skipping rope with weights on the handle, which is very cool. And I tried the running thing, but nah, I'm not a runner. Squash is still a weekly activity, and I sampled a boot camp which highlighted how badly I need to wake my abs up.

I even have a TASK LIST. Every time I think of something that needs to be completed, from housework, to admin, to researching, or calling home.. I whack it on my list. Helps me stay focused. My list is going strong, for every item I tick off, there's always more to add. I'm scrubbing the bath tub today. And packing for the weekend in Montreal. Perhaps I will get around to picking up my library book. See, I'm feeling constructive already, thinking about all this.

All in all, it's been good so far, no complaints yet. Except for the fact that I have not heard a peep from any of the resumes that I have submitted.

I did meet a recruiter yesterday though, and he seems promising, even if the market doesn't. This guy called me consistently throughout last year, but my contract always got extended. So now that I need work, I finally get to meet him. He's prob one of the best recruiters I've met so far (although I do reserve the judgment till he gets me a job).
- First up, he gave me an agenda - never have I been given a meeting agenda by a recruiter.
- He gave me history on the company.
- He asked me for my interests and preferences. Where I want to go in life. It's unbelievable the number of recruiters who do not even ask if you are interested in a job - they just assume they are a god-send for calling, and you want to lick up everything they dish out at you.
- He seems to know the difference between various types of BAs, and didn't lump us in the same pool, which is very refreshing. So many recruiters try to whack me in a Reporting BA role, or a System BA role... when I tell them I'm a Process BA. They clearly don't understand that the role of a BA is as clear as mud, as is the role of a Consultant.
- He appreciates the significance of the projects I've worked on, even when I didn't play it up. This is when I know that they actually understand the project environment and complexities.
- And he gave me some fantastic tips for turning an interview around. I think I do ok at interviews (except the time I had an argument with a KPMG Director), but he had some great tips that I am keen to try out next time. I'll let you know if it works.

The only negative is that, after 2 hours of talking, he doesn't have any opportunities for me just yet! He seems keen to place me though, so we'll see.

So anyways, if you haven't noticed yet, being unemployed and alone most of the day makes me very talkative. Just be thankful you're not on the other side of the phone coz I was able to call you at whim!

Blogging for a cause

I came across this this other day in the papers, and thought it was an absolute brilliant idea! I found your camera, is a blog dedicated to cameras that have been lost and found. If you find a camera, you can email some of the photos on the memory to this blogger, who will post them weekly in the hope that someone will recognize the photos, or the people in the photos.

Quite nifty, I say. I have never lost a camera, but would be in tears for sure if I did. I was in tears when I accidentally deleted all my photos when in Prague. But that was due to stupidity, and a beer... I doubt there is a blogger out there who can save that.

What the???

I am terrible with languages. The only subject I was ever stressed about in school was Japanese, because it's all memory work.

When traveling, phrase books do not help, G always laughs at my pronunciation in English, I doubt I will be better in Spanish. I try not being one of those loud mouth, ignorant tourists that refuse to speak anything but their own language, but I am... sort of, in a very apologetic way. I smile, look guilty... and I get by.

So thank goodness when they have English translation on the menus:

The new sky dive

Because I have been sharing my scooter woes of late, I hope you don't mind me sharing my latest achievement. I rode to the mall today!! Not just the grocery store that is within walking distance, but a real mall! My scooter and I are starting to go places! *grin*

That road - Eglington, that I was trying to cross when the SUV ran the red lights... I actually rode on it today, which is a huge achievement for me because I was terrified of traffic, let alone ride on a major road. I've never ridden at 60kms before, nor on a 3 lane road each way. The roads were seriously bumpy, so I was a bit wobbly at first, but I gritted my teeth and kept going.

When I got there in one piece and parked, I forgot to congratulate myself. Instead, I was walking around with a knot in my stomach, just thinking of the ride home. The last time I felt so sick in the stomach, was when I jumped out of a plane sky diving.

To encourage myself (yea right), I bought a pretty little top from Anthropologie, my new fave store. I did my miniature grocery run (the eggs did not crack in my bumpy ride), and made it home!

Next major destination - downtown! I think my stomach will plead for a break. We'll leave it for another day.

Back in the drivers seat

Thanks for the emails after my little scooter incident. I feel loved, even though it's a few time zones away!

Just to assure you, I hopped back on the scooter the following day, even if it was for a small spin to get lunch. I thought it was important not to let it get to me. Whatever doesn't kill me will make me stronger!

I have a back log of stories and places to share. Now that I am unemployed, I'll have more time to share them! They'll be much lighter I promise.

Green means Go

I just got back from riding my Vespa. I have started riding on the roads now, because figure eights in a car park is no fun. Still not very confident, I'm just riding around the neighborhood... we live in a nice young family type of area, drivers in their fancy cars and baby seats are generally polite, so I feel relatively safe.

Today, I decide to expand my territory - it's only the third time I've taken the Vespa out on my own. I haven't really crossed any main roads yet, and today I was feeling adventurous. I mapped out my route so I don't have to be indecisive or get lost. I was feeling good.

I was at a set of traffic lights, waiting to cross Eglington, one of the major roads in the area. I was a little worried about the lights not changing. Yesterday, I was sitting at a set of lights and I missed three changes because my Vespa and I aren't heavy enough to trigger the sensors. I didn't want to have to park my Vespa, run to the pedestrian crossing to manually trigger it, so I was very pleased that an Audi TT approached the lights on the other side of Eglington. It was going to turn left onto Eglington. I had right of way.

The lights changed green, I notice the TT was indeed respecting my street presence. A young mother and her nanny started gathering their pram and bags to cross Eglington. I throttled, and started crossing the intersection. The first little mental obstacle on my carefully planned route. Tick.

It was not until I was in the middle of the intersection, did the pat-on-the-back get thrust away by a heavy lurch in the stomach. Words can't describe the feeling when you are on a scooter, fully exposed, and a mother of a SUV is speeding through a red light, right at you.

The few times I have been close to a major collision I have felt a wave of calm pass over me. Not sure if it is just the mind being numb, the body expecting the worse, or a sense of resignation. In that split second, somehow, instinct gripped the throttle, thank god, thank god I did not slam on the brakes.. because I kept crossing, and the SUV kept sliding, missing the back of my scooter about a metre or so. I'm not sure, and I wasn't about to stop and check. I was in such shock I had to drive a few hundred meters away before I was willing to stop the Vespa and take a deep breath. I have never, never felt so lucky in my life. That dick of a SUV driver has never been so lucky in his/her life. I would have been toast for sure if they had hit me. The young mother, her nanny and young child would have been toast if they didn't paused a few seconds to gather their stuff before crossing the road. At least four lives would have bee wasted because of some reckless driver.

I continued riding, coz I was determined not to let a freak near-accident waiver my confidence and deter me from riding. But in the end I cut it short. Petrol was running low and I didn't have the stomach to venture onto more main roads to fill the tank.

It was only until I got home, parked the scooter, then it hit me hard. The thought of what would have happened if I had slammed on the brakes. The thought that I had so much ahead of me, and how close I was to losing it.

I called a friend coz G doesn't answer his phone when he's working. She calmed me down, but even as a write this I'm still crying. I don't know, I guess it's incidents like this that makes me want my family and close friends. What if? Would they have flown over? Would they even know? Does life go on? I am sure it does. But what if?

Anyways, I feel a bit better now, getting it all out. I wish I had a shoulder to cry on though, coz my t-shirt is taking a soaking.

And I'm going be pissed if I can't put my new leather riding jacket to good use. My low scooter confidence has taken a beating, but I'm hoping tomorrow is another day. I'm not ready to tap out, yet.