Judgement Day of Job Hunting Training

Today was the day that we had to dress up all nice in what we'd wear to an interview, and have our peers judge us again ... at least because we all took a little extra time when getting dressed, the reviews were far more positive.

We proved that we can dress the part for interviews.

Hooray us!

So what's next?

Discussing interview techniques and appropriate questions, of course.

But discussing all this is well and good in theory. But there's no way in knowing if we have actually picked up anything.

CVGT had thought of that.

Someone else who doesn't have any appointments gets sent in to hold mock interviews.

The perfect way to find out if we have been paying attention.

And I must say, my mock interview went very well. The bloke actually interviewd me for a call centre job he talked to me about before I applied for it. He's still pretty good mates with the recruiting person at the call centre. So I'm kind of hoping he puts in a good word for me when gets me pushed to the front of the applicant list.

So now that we've covered interview techniques, I have no idea what the last two days are meant to be for ... actually final day for our little group. We get Good Friday off.

Maybe if I bothered doing my homework, I'd find out.

And Just to be Different, Job Hunting Training and the Retardedness of Internet Explorer

This week in the course we're looking at interview techniques.

So far we've covered appearances and body language (which probably goes under appearances).

No surprises so far ... except for that activity where we had to judge the appearance of the person sitting next to us. I don't think anyone was pleased about being judged. It's not like anyone dressed to be judged today. That's what tomorrow is for.

But covering all that took about 30 minutes, tops. And since we're supposed to be in there "learning" for at least an hour and a half, we were sent to the computers to apply for some more jobs and/or print off proof of our job searching activities yesterday.

Printing off proof really shouldn't have taken more than five minutes, since I was just printing the auto sent emails I recieved after each application. But the CVGT computers are retarded and use Internet Explorer, which defies description in how retarded that program is;

It took me about five minutes per email to print off, because every time I pressed print, IE would freeze on me and not respond, and there was nothing I could do. I had six emails to print off.

I was feeling very homicidal.

I was more than ready to smash the damn computer before throwing it out the window, and then run around screaming in rage.

The damn thing better work for me tomorrow.

Once Again, I'm Talking About Job Finding Training

It's what has been filling my days, so what else to you expect from me?

And I do have to make a concession on this topic. I have found the last couple of days helpful.

Yeah, that's right, I have gotten something out of it.

I have always suspected that there was the possibility that my resume might not be impressive enough to land me an interview after applying.

Can't say for sure whether or not I was correct or not yet. But I can tell you that my new jazzed up resume certainly looks better than the previous one.

I've also suspected that my cover letters, when I've actually bothered with one, might also be letting me down.

No questions there.

They were.

Turns out that the way I was writing them were too negative sounding, and therefore unimpressive.

That has been fixed (since I use one cover letter and tailor it to the job I'm applying for).

Now all I have to do is apply for a shitload of jobs, and wait to hear back from potential bosses. Or so I'm led to believe in training.

I just don't know what we're supposed to be doing all next week.

Probably interview techniques.

I don't think I need training for that. I know where I go wrong in interviews: over thinking responses and then choking.

But that's what I thought about this week. So there's a chance that I might pick something up other than "don't over think it."

Job Training. Again

So, once again, I had to attend that stupid job finding course. And once again, it was a complete waste of time.

Ok, admittedly, I did improve the look of my resume. But that's something I could've just done in an appointment.

I didn't need to go in, get my name marked off, and look for work under supervision. I could've just gone in for an appointment with proof that I've been looking for work.

But that would be too easy.

Instead, I had to go in and pretend to be busy while a couple of people struggled to use Word to actually make up their resumes.

They actually had to have help using Word!

One of them was only a year or two older than me. I thought my generation grew up on the computer, and using them was like second nature to us.

Apparently I was wrong.

I mean granted, Word can be a little tricky sometimes. But not for resume making. No one should struggle with making resumes on Word.

Just wish I didn't have to hang around for over an hour trying to pretend to be busy.

Job Training

So as part of my many obligations to Centre Link, I have to attend a job finding course to help me find a job since I haven't already done so.

I don't think that anyone realizes that there is almost no jobs going, otherwise everyone in my course would've gotten jobs just to avoid the course.

And it's not even all that interesting. I'm not looking forward to the next couple of weeks. Yesterday and day was all about building self esteem and how to deal with stress ... two things that I don't really have any problems with ... and also two things that were covered everyday in the office when I was selling Austar; and it was far more interesting and fun than the course.

Although, because most of the people in the course seem to have good techniques dealing with stress, we weren't at it for all that long. We spent most of the time looking for jobs online. Something I could've done in the comfort of my own house.

But I still have the lame homework that I have to do. I have to make a timeline of my day today. It's supposed to help with time management or something. I don't particuarly care all that much. It's super lame.

And it's too bad that most of today's job hunting activity begins after 5pm (the time the timeline ends).

I'm going to look super slack tomorrow when I go back in for the resume writing part of the course.

But at least the person running the course is young and doesn't make us talk about everything like some of the others usually do (my housemate's have done this course in the past). That would be intolerable.

I'll keep you posted as it goes, because I know you really do care about this.

I Blame Tara

This last week I've been suffering insomnia a lot worse than normal. I don't think I've ever stayed up all night in a month as I have this week. It hasn't been fun.

I really didn't think anything of it at first. I've gone a night without sleep in the past. Even if it hasn't been to the same extent as this week. Usually, I'd be so tired and worn out from the one sleepless night, the for the rest of the week I'd be able to get some sleep.

Not this week.

And after reading Tara's last email to me, I think I have found out why this week I just haven't been able to sleep.

Tara put some kind of voodoo magic spell on me to prevent me from sleeping.

You've read her email to me. And you'll probably agree with me that she sounded offended that I hadn't reached back to her.

Well, I did just that and read her readings on me. It was just the usual psychic mumbo jumbo trying to tempt me to buy a proper reading from her by appealing to my hopes, fears and greed. But she also explained why she was reaching out to me; she heard my cry for help on the Astral plain, and that when she went over a list of names (what the hell is she doing with a list of random people's names?), she was instantly drawn to my name (and what the hell is my name doing on her list?).

So, I can only conclude my cries for help on the Astral plain have been keeping her awake at night. And out of frustration she has cursed me to not sleep anymore so that she can sleep peacefully.

Hopefully that changes soon.

I reached out to her.

I read her initial readings on me.

I was even prepared to get her free greater horoscope for me until I realized that I was going to have to pay for it.

From her readings, she should know better than anyone else that I can't afford to pay for a greater horoscope reading.

My Hurt Psychic Inbox Spammer

So I've been recieving spam emails from this pyschic called Tara. I have no idea how the hell she managed to get my email address. All I know is that she did, and she has been busy spamming my inbox.

Until today, I have just ignored her emails and deleted them straight away.

But today I saw an email from her with the subject line, "I'm very worried about you, Emma."

This was too much for my curiosity. I just had to read what she had to say.

This is what she wrote;

I don’t understand your silence, Emma. Faced with what is certainly the chance of a lifetime, you still haven’t reacted. And yet I know you’re someone who faces up to your problems and never stops fighting.

You proved that many times in the past, and even today you’re bravely trying to deal with things in your life.
But all that is in the process of changing, Emma.

You’re caught in a spider’s web, and the more you struggle the more entangled you become. You can’t resolve things by yourself, but even as I stretch out my helping hand, you refuse to take hold of it.

Believe me, Emma, what I saw about your future leaves no doubt. Together we can get rid of the negative veil that is ruining your life. Then you’ll be able grasp all the wonderful gifts the cosmic forces have reserved for you with both hands, and finally attain the happiness you deserve.

I beg you, Emma, before it’s too late, act now!

Important: I won’t write you again about this, Emma. This is your last chance!

What do you think?

I think she's actually a little offended and hurt that I haven't reached back and taken her hand. And it certainly gave me a laugh when I read it ... it's still giving me a laugh.

But I guess it has also achieved her purpose. It has caught my attention, and now I'm intrigued about what she has say about what's in store for me ... and how I can untangle myself from these evils.

I might just reach back to her just for laughs.

Unless I'm required to pay. I'm nowhere interested enough to pay to hear all about my doom unless I do something (that will most likely be super expensive as well) to change my fate, if fate can be changed at all.

About Writing Tips for Writers

I haven't been able to go to sleep tonight. So I've given up hope of that, and kept myself busy blogs on writing tips for writers (as opposed to writing tips for mathematicians), and I have to say that most of it seems like common sense to me.

Most of the stuff I've read has been about basic grammar and believable characters and dialogue.

Ok, I'll admit creating believable characters is hard, and takes real skill. That's why most of my characters are horrible people. I hope their horribleness will make them more believable.

But grammar and believable dialogue?

Those two things should really be second nature to any writer, since I assume that most writers are also massive readers. So naturally, writers should pick up necessary grammar and believable dialogue creating skills from the books they've read. So by the time they get around to writing, these things should come instinctively to them.

Having to explain the importance of something like the comma and the full stop to a person who wants to be a writer is like explaining the difference between upper and lower case to them. And having to explain to them what is wrong with the following dialogue shouldn't be necessary unless they're like five;

"Good morning, John." Said Sally.

"Good morning. How are you, Sally?" Asked John.

"I am good, John. How are you?" Asked Sally.

"I am well, thank you." Said John.

"How is your daughter, Kimmy?" Asked Sally.

"Kimmy is also well." Said John.

They should already know this.

Or they really need to rethink their dreams (as horrible as that is to say)

Time to Move?

I think it might be time to move.

It seems that the intersection next to my house is getting way to dangerous. Not to mention that explosion that happened a couple of blocks away ... although that was probably a once off thing and has absolutely nothing to do with the damn intersection.

The intersection has always been a hotspot for hoons. But they've never hooned around it as much as they have been lately. Or if they have and I just haven't notice, they haven't caused any damage.

Yesterday there was the driver who somehow collided with the "keep left" sign and

lost half his front fender thing (I'm not a car person, so I'm guessing the term), and didn't even bother stopping despite leaving a fair amount of his car behind. And he wasn't even turning when he hit the sign!

Today it was the hoon who did a burn out while crossing the road, and then went down the street sideways. Normally I'd say the driver was drifting. But the car was facing the wrong way for that. So either the driver was trying to be cool, or he had lost control and luckily didn't crash (although the world would be a better place without him in it).

There's also the drunks who like to do burn outs and who knows what else in the small hours of the morning on Saturday and Sundays. One of them even does it during the day; we can hear him coming up the street.

Yeah, he's so cool that he has to start burning out 200 meters from the intersection.

The streets in front of and next to the house are lined with the black tyre marks from these cool legends.

But it's not also the fast paced, burning out hoons. There's also danger from the old, slow drivers as I found out today;

This morning I was outside smoking, when I saw a car just roll through the intersection. If it hadn't have been for the curb, I'm pretty sure that the car would've only come to a stop in the Indian restaurant. It's lucky that there was no other traffic at the time, otherwise I'm pretty sure that there would've been an accident.

So I'm thinking it's time to move to a house that's not on a corner, let alone at an intersection. I have no idea how a car hasn't already ended up in our yard/house. But with the way people drive through that intersection, it's only a matter of time.

Procrastination

Today I had a big day planned.

Actually, it may not be all that big. But I'm lazy (I admit it), so to me it's a big day.

I was going to get up nice and early, find out if I do indeed have a cert III in Writing and Editing (my Tafe coordinator says I do, but I don't beleive her), and apply for a copy of the certificate to be sent to me if I do. Then I was going to walk up to CVGT and get them to photo copy my VCE statement of results, before filling out my Army application form and finding out where the Defense Force information night night is going to be held on Wednesday night.

I reluctantly dragged myself from bed at 1:30pm, and haven't moved from my laptop since (except when I showered).

The most productive thing I've done today is make myself many cups of tea.

Otherwise I've just been procrastinating by tweeting (on both my and my cat's behalf), playing bejeweled and mucking around on Experience Project.

I haven't even attempted to write something today, which is what I usually do on days like this.

The Creepy Old Abandoned Factory

I don't know about the rest of the world, but people in Ballarat will know which factory I'm talking about; the one in Ballarat East where the boiler exploded yesterday.

If you're not aware look it up.

Now that you're familiar with the creepy old abandoned factory I'm talking about, I can continue with my story.

I was about to describe the factory further. But I think what I've said about it is apt. Although I cannot stress just how creepy it is enough. There's some serious creepiness with that factory.

serious creepiness.

As in most likely haunted creepy.

Or, more likely, the den of murderers and rapists creepy.

Although the weird sounds that come from within there at night fits both theories. So whatever.

It's bad enough walking past that place during the day. At night it's even worse. Especially when the door/gate thing opens of its own free will, and a wail issues out.

I try and walk on the opposite side of the road during the day if I have to walk past it. At night I need some liquid courage and a posse with me before I even think about going near the place ... this is a challange at times when Gravy Spot is calling.

But I don't want to end up another victim of whatever lurks in that creepy old abandoned factory ... it's nearly as bad as the periodic zombie invasion that the Ballarat bravely endure.

Home Sickness

I just went out for a smoke, and for some reason the falling acorns made me home sick.

Home sick?

I don't know know if home sick is the correct word, seeing as how the farm hasn't been my home for many years now.

But I guess it'll do.

The sound of the falling acorns made me think of the farm, and the fuzzy, warm, sunny memories of when I was little and living on the farm, and the sound of the figs falling on the gazebo were all I heard at night.

I don't know why. I wasn't particuarly happy as a kid on the farm. My parents argued all the time, and my dad was (and probably still is) a massive alcoholic. I've blocked most of my early childhood memories from that time.

Most of what I do remember are mum and dad arguing.

But there's also a few blurry memories of happiness ... most of them are very sunny, and don't have much to do with falling figs on the gazebo roof.

And my later memories of visiting dad and his new wife on the farm aren't all that good. Not bad. But not happy either. Just blah. They're there.

So I don't know why the falling acorns transported me back to a happy place that I'm pretty sure never existed, and made me feel home sick for it.