I feel like an imposter by self-proclaiming the honorific "sempai", but it's how my old friend Katie(now Coco) used to refer to me as, and given "Xinsan" wasn't free, I took the slightly more egotistical alternative.

Least it's not "sama", I guess!

All right, here we go. A list of all the pros and cons of working at Coles at this present moment. The end result of this post may result in my resignation, but we will see.

Reasons for staying:
-It's simple, enjoyable work (when I'm free to work at my own pace).
-Sam and Tom have been good friends to me.
-My wage just rose a few dollars so I'm earning more for the same effort.
-It gives me space to listen to podcasts of Ajahn Brahm, so it's a kind of opportunity to soak up Buddhist wisdom.
-I'm casual, so I can turn down hours if I don't want them (but it's very difficult to do this when someone is essentially begging you).
-It would be the right thing to do to stick by the store until after Christmas, especially given the strain on the remaining staff as is.
-I get 5% off from the Coles stores/branches while I'm their employee.
-It's convenient because the system is already in place, so it's easy to continue working in a familiar environment where I already have all the skills.
-Even if I don't have need of the money now, I should start saving so I have it in more difficult times to come.


Reasons for quitting:
-My evenings and half my weekends are full, limiting my time for leisure.
-A lot of staff have left this year, leaving only a handful to pick up the slack. This means huge pressure on the remaining workers to try and do the work that normally twice as many people were doing.
-I don't like the capitalist system, valuing production over the work itself. It doesn't align with my personal values.
-I'm slightly scared of the manager. He's always on the look out for whenever you're not working (e.g. talking, getting a drink etc.) and (though he generally leaves me to myself) he never smiles and is quick to criticise.
-Sam's under huge pressure and will likely push everyone harder to try and get the work done. Yes that's reasonable, but Coles should have employed more people.
-I'll barely be able to work over the next three or four weeks, what with going to Rottness, planning for/going to Margaret River, looking after Bethwyn when she gets her wisdom teeth out and my regular karate training. In particular for that last one, they've just restarted weapons training on Saturday mornings, which I won't be able to attend if I keep working.
-If I earn under $11000 Mum gets a $2000 lump sum benefit from Centrelink, which she'll give to me. If I keep working at this rate I'll earn way over the threshold. Work less = more money.
-I'm almost certain to have another job at Curtin library lined up by the start of next semester, so I'd only be unemployed for about three months. (Though I could always get another job meanwhile.)
-I don't want to get stuck at Coles. It's not going anywhere.
-I don't think money relates to happiness, and it comes and goes so quickly anyway. A life lived around earning money is a gamble, and doesn't always end happily.



The arguments just about weigh each other out. The right thing to do would be to stay until after Christmas, but I really want more time to be with Bethwyn. I guess I'll take as much time off as I can bear and stay with them until new year, where, like Alyssea, I'll just hand in my resignation and not come back. That is, once again, the plan for now. I just have to weigh up whether my regard for same is greater than my will to do the things I love.

Scrub everything I said from that last entry. My iPhone arrived today, just THREE DAYS after the deal was made. So much for 1-4 weeks, not that I'm complaining. I'm SO HAPPY.
About as happy as I was to receive my awesome new Swatch watch. Funnily enough, just a few days ago I was looking at a picture of a Swatch watch I designed in Year 8. The universe really does conspire.
I'm only slightly less delighted by an incredible duo of t-shirts which make me laugh every time I see a mirror. Ohhh that naughty fireman. Ohhh that voracious pirhanna plant. Life is good today my friends.

You know Bert? I think you were right. All the effort for such a valuable reward. My faith in the universe has been restored.

Hooray iPhone!

Hey peeps, this is just a rant about the problems I've encountered since I decided to get an iPhone yesterday.

So this morning Mum pressured me into looking around for various deals and packages for the iphone. I found out there are 3 types and 2 colours, looked at four different plans and compared them all based on my phone use and decided (due to a hairpin advantage) that Optus was the way to go. My contract with them Vodafone on the 16th, so I called up asking what happened on the 17th. The short version is that I'm no longer on a contract but they'll keep charging me $79 a month (my current rate) until I cancel. So I organised to cancel that so I could start with Optus, but (as true of all good capitalists), Vodafone offered me a special deal on the iphone so I wouldn't change providers. I weighed it up and went with it, as the hairpin decision flipped the other way. So I organised all the details of the new contract but it was still in Dad's name because he was the account owner when I began the contract with them in 2007. I thought I'd change this, but it's no so simple as "Could the account be in my name?" I had to go into a Vodafone store and meet an income test to see whether the account could be held in my name. I gave them last year's income (~$7200) but I was rejected. The assistant said you usually need $12000 to satisfy the test. Unfortunately, I estimate my income for this year to be around that much but you can only sit the test once a month, so unfortunately it's going to have to stay in Dad's name until I can be bothered next going into a store.

So I called back the guy who was offering me the special deal but he's apparently gone home for the day. I forgot about day light savings, so someone else took over. It was quite confusing and a little repetetive. During this second attempt at finalising the contract, it was uncovered that Bethwyn's not with Vodafone so I can't do the special rates where I can call her (or any other Vodafone numbers) for free. That was a kick in the nuts, but still bearable. I sorted that out and tried to finalise it, but Dad was well and truly late for work by the time he needed to confirm everything. I caught him as he was in the car about to start the engine. The guy on the phone was explaining the terms of the contract to him but Dad was impatient and late and couldn't hear him so he swore and handed me the phone, started the engine and left. I took the phone back and cut the guy off apologetically, explaining what had happened. The poor guy sounded confused and a little miffed (rightly so) for not having an extra minute or two.

So, after all that hell, this is the plan. I like Vodafone. I'll call Stephen, during hours where he should still be working. I'll explain about the problems with the transfer of ownership so that it can remain in Dad's name. I'll finalise the contract for the third time and try and get a free case out of it, though that's looking doubtful. Dad will be awake and in a patient enough mood to agree with everything Stephen says for two minutes. I'll receive an iphone within 10 days. There will be celebrations.

So that is my rant! I just wish all this crap would be over with, it's getting me so uncharacteristically frustrated. I've spent most of the day trying to sort it out and I've gotten nowhere. Pah. Hopefully tomorrow, ne?


EDIT: More crap with the iPhone. Stephen called me at 6:25am to which I groggily asked if he could call back in two hours. It's been about 4 hours 15 minutes now and I'm calling back for the second time. Mum and Dad said they were going out so I wouldn't be able to call because Dad needs to finalise the contract. But after 20 minutes they still haven't left so I'm calling anyway. Stephen's apparently been on the phone for four hours so hell, I'll just talk to anyone who can help me, get it done, and then forget about it.

DOUBLE EDIT: Turns out the deal Stephen offered me on the iPhone can't be made by anyone else so I need to speak to him directly. The shit continues to unravel.

 

TRIPLE EDIT: Hoorah! At last it's done! There's a little confusion about whether it's insured for postage and handling or not, but we're pretty sure it is. Should be receiving the phone next week or the week after, though I'll try not to get my hopes up. Yaaaaaaaay!

Just an old post which I really wanted to share, especially with Craig (who I feel will understand).

Monday, 8th of June 2009.


I feel a considerable hollowness within me.

Yesterday, instead of studying Law like I planned to or Statutory Social Work like I should have done (my exam was today), I played Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II for seven or eight hours. I played it again for an hour when I woke up, and played it some three or four hours when I got home. But unlike the previously satisfying 30 hours or so of gameplay, I've become unsettled. Rather than fill the time with enjoyment and pleasure and satisfaction, I'm troubled and disturbed. First Korriban, where the last jedi master was dead, then the hidden tomb where I faced nightmares and was challenged to the core of my beliefs in my faith in the jedi. Then the masters themselves were "lifeless, worse than death. Their bodies were drained of the force". Kreia had no apparent motivation except the possibility of being a sith mistress. When I returned to Telos, the Last of the Handmaidens, my favourite character in the game, was apparently killed by her mistress who also turned out to be sith-inclined. Kreia's gone off to create a rift in the Force and end all life everywhere unless I go to  her, so I'm the second-last jedi left (aside from my padawans- thankfully the Handmaiden lives) and the person who told me to trust her above all else is bringing about an end to everything.

This game freaking sucks. I don't get what all the hype is about the wars, and the more I play it the more I doubt the jedi, myself and my beliefs, and why I'm playing the damn thing. I spent the whole game looking for the masters only to have them killed instantly. Telos is fucked because the game apparently glitched and I can't tell Lieutenant Grenn about the new fuel source Votta has available, so there goes the future of the republic... And why is it that I unlocked the last few characters in the last few worlds when I didn't get a chance to use them? Not to mention Swoop Racing is freaking ridiculous.

So, after an exam I thought I'd play for a little while. And that little while turned out to be a long while. And that long while got progressively worse. I am in no way satisfied and must settle with the idea that KotOR II is a stupid game. I will play on in the morning (when I have access to the computer) and try not to spend any more time thinking about it.

Oh, and Eugene's lost the powercord to the laptop and hasn't looked for it in the week he's known it's missing. For decent reasons, admitted, but it still cheeses me that I use the main computer which Dad has claimed as his own (literally). Makes studying (and apparently gaming) difficult.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
John, the Evangelist from the Bible.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
A long while ago.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
It's not perfect but I like it enough.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Cheese :)

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Nay.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Super best friends.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Depends on who I'm around. We're all social actors, I'll have you know! But no, not usually.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
I hope so!

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
I'm tempted to say yes, but like Sanyu, I don't know if I'd step off when the moment came.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Probably Milo, which is the unhealthiest of them all. Maybe that Green Hat stuff Beth and I had at Ocean City?

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
About half the time.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Conoisseur. Excellent taste, Sanyu-chan!

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their power level.

...

Nah I'm not that cool. Whether they're a threat, maybe, but I don't generally notice anything about the people around me (unless, I'm ashamed to say, they're wearing a low-cut top).

15. RED OR PINK?
Probably red.

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My selfishness. Very vague ^^

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Bethwyn, always.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
No, please, save yourself the trouble. I did this because Bethwyn was sure no one would ^^

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Jeans and socks.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The Bunny Invasion: Easter opening song. I'll jump on that once I finish this.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
I like to think I'd be the white one. Used only for writing secret messages.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Freshly baked bread/pastries, Bethwyn, Impulse, Bratz deod (I'm also ashamed to say), vanilla, chai.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Bethwyn, about five minutes ago.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
You can't imagine how much. Well... I guess you kinda can. I don't exactly hide it.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
I'm thinking Ninjutsu.

27. FAVORITE HAIR COLOR?
Red (i.e. orange). It makes me smile for reasons I don't understand.

28. FAVORITE EYE COLOR?
Blue, as a generic, but I love people who have intricate, multi-coloured eyes with tiny patterns in them, like blue surrounded by hazel, or blue with lines of black.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
I tried once, but the optometrist couldn't get them in, even the small ones. I'm hardcore Asian, man!

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Pizza.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings. I love thriller, hate horror.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I still think about it several times a day.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
White.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer. I like warm. I like sun. I can deal with the consequences.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Hugs.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Craig, though that's dubious at best.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Hatt, I'd say.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Nothing at the moment. I like to read video game instruction manuals in my spare time though ^^

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
I don't think ANYBODY has one these days, and if they did, I'm sure there'd only be a mouse on it.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Don't watch TV.

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S):
Bethwyn, Aurora yawning, people laughing, Evanescence, the sound of a gun cocking or a sword unsheathing, the rustle of clothes in the wind.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Eh. Beatles?

44. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Thailand, I think.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I can kick your arse three times before you hit the ground.

46 WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Bentley.

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
No one in particular.

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
Through Jack. My dear friend Jack. Ahhhh thank you >.<

I know it's immature to counter flames with a blog post, but it just makes me sad. Why can't people find better things to do with their time than flame people's suggestions in the library? :(

http://apps.library.curtin.edu.au/blogs/public/index.php/2009/06/08/germs#comments

Maybe I'm a little bit of a hypochondriac, but something about a sealed room with half a dozen people sniffing and sneezing in it during exams doesn't seem healthy to me. I'm glad at least there's ventillation, but everything and everyone's probably covered with germs anyway...

I'm having a surprisingly good bonding session with my brother. We've both been up late and up early working on assignments to the point where we're sick of what we're writing about and no longer fully know what the crap it means. It's quite a curious, overwhelming kind of thing to celebrate.

A thousand words to go. Little less maybe. Cannot WAIT to hand this sucker in and bust out some video games/Bethwyn time.

I'd just like to post this for my own benefit.

I've written my fair share of high-stress rants so I don't like doing it, but I'm going to, just so I don't asplode.

So I got the court report in on time, that was great. I handed in my Mental Health assignment early, too. Fantastic. But two weeks after the court report was due, the major assignment is due. That's just shit timing. Yes, I probably (definitely) should have done the report earlier, but come on, give a guy a break. Law is an area I know so little about, it confuses the hell out of me and I'm getting so stressed with my own incompetency even though I know this assignment is easier than I'm putting it up to be. It confuses and terrifies me- the databases of potentially relevent information is nigh limitless and I don't understand most of it but have to somehow turn it into an assignment.

Sigh. Maybe I should have started this earlier, but I'm glad at least it's not entirely my fault this time. So for the next 8 days, expect me to be in a state of uber high stress at all times. I can't see any other way I'll get it done, but logical, well reasoned suggestions are more than welcome.

PS: Because I work night-fill, I generally don't have time to study in the evenings. To make matters slightly crueller, I could really use the money too. Guess I'll just have to soldier on...

I'd like to apologise for that earlier post. It seems a habit of mine to rant about something to clear my mind and then apologise for it later. It was basically born of stress and exhaustion, a state I've been in for a few days now. I'm feeling a little better but could use a good sleep and some time to relax. Should be okay within a couple of days. Thanks for everyone's support/care.