Of arrows & bullseyes

Just signed my offer letter todayyy!!!! Whheeeeee!!!

At the tail-end of my artsy sabbatical, I began my jobhunt in Jan 2013. With numerous recruitment firms mushrooming in this region, I had no choice but had many encounters with these middlemen. I've only met one or two really professional ones who thoroughly do their homework on the client, the industry as well as on the candidates... I'm strictly sticking to those few only from now on.

Unfortunately, majority are just looking for a quick buck approaching candidates just to obtain as many arrows as possible to shoot randomly at the targets which is their client... hoping that one, will hit the the bullseye. I've even had one who submitted my name to the client after I had declined to do so, even without my CV. Collect, collect, collect.... shoot, shoot, shoot.

The client

They'd approach the candidates... entice them with money, fancy titles and  name-drop a few big companies in the relevant industry to get them on the hook. Then plonk the candidates' credentials in their own standard templates. Then line them all up and present to their client. If the client is in AAA industry, looking for a BBB position to fill... they'd make sure their line up are all from AAA industry, currently a BBB for their current employer. So, every single candidate will look like the right fit. Arrows are launched... if each candidate has a 10% chance of hitting and they have 10 candidates, statistically it's 100% chance in securing that commission, right?

How they perceive and present the candidates

Wrong! In reality, every candidate is different... they have different interests, strengths & weaknesses, ambitions and motivations. Not every candidate are just looking for a way out of their current frustrations and would settle for anything and everything just for a couple of hundred bucks raise. Especially not the good ones. The good ones, want to continue to challenge themselves, learn new things, venture out of their comfort zones or seek a job in their area of passion. I have a friend who's an excellent marketeer in pharmaceuticals who tried to venture into FMCG or consumer industry, and a friend who's an excellent sales/marketing person in medical devices eager to venture into commercial training. They are both great candidates, but they were stuck in the old rut for ages because these headhunters do not want the hassle to fight for or promote the candidates that are different from that standard template they have.

What candidates are actually like

As for me, I am an even more abnormal candidate; idealistic, passionate but has super specific interests, struggling (but surviving) artist... who's looking for a corporate job. I'm a species they have never represented and do not know how to sell to their clients. I have but only gotten a direct interview with the client via a headhunter once, in my entire lifetime. Once! The odds are against me. :(

Me

I've only gotten interviews through people I have previously worked with, they are such a blessing! ♥ Unlike headhunters who are armed with a gazillion arrows, I only have one arrow. Abnormal as I may be, I can only shoot this one arrow. I have but one chance with each target so I must choose and aim very very carefully. With my super specific interest in marketing of chronic diseases, it makes my target even more nanoscopic and harder to hit. Statistically, I am a disaster, right?

Miraculously, after several attempts and much tenacity, I have hit the bullseye: marketing, chronic-disease, emotionally compelling, for a good cause, and a boss who accepts my passion in theatre!! To throw in a bonus, the office is less 10km from my house, church & cellgroup! Praise God!!! Whheeeeeeeee!!!! :)

The only teeny weeny thing I am totally unhappy about is that the headhunter who submitted my CV for a completely different position some months ago, who never followed up with me or the client on anything... for months. But will be getting a commission for my joining the company. My friend who referred me, who actually did all the follow up for me, will get zilch. Just because my CV from the headhunter reached them first. Sad :-( I shall treat him a big makan when I see him instead.

I am thankful to those who have faith in me, and is willing to take a risk on this abnormal arrow. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I look forward to my return to corporate, all refueled, recharged and reinspired!!! Looking forward to next month. :D :D

On Air

Tune in to Capital FM 88.9 from 7.45am onwards on Monday, 11th March 2013:

I will be On Air, for the very first time. Exciting stuff, hehehe. Will be promoting our super awesome fundraising event: The Unexpected Guest. Get to meet celebrity DJ Xandria Ooi. And see the super awesome girl power radio station, where ma favourite colour pink is in, out and all around!! LIKE!!!

Tune in ya? Jangan tak tune in ;-)

The Non-Profit Way of Life

The beauty of having a super diversified life is that whenever you feel down about 1 part of your life, you still have other stuff to bring you up!!! In life, look hard enough and you'll find things to be thankful for. (It's also true on the flipside, look hard enough for negativity and grouses, you'll find it too.)

These last few months as StART has been the best training ground to build the sense of gratitude. In a non-profit organization, you learn that in profit-making organizations, you have wayyyyy tooo much to be thankful for. But it is that heightened sense of entitlement that hinders people from seeing the blessings in their lives.

In a non-profit organization, you depend on the kindness, favour and generosity of others to get things done. You cannot afford to just buy services, things and favours because you have little means and resources. For example, my baby: The Unexpected Guest.

my maiden CSR project!

Writing it was the easiest part because I get to do that myself without having to be at the mercy of others. It was after the writing, the challenges started.

Look for a venue sponsor > > Set a tentative date for event > > Look for a director and a team of cast (for free) > > Venue sponsors pull out > > Look for new venue sponsor > > New venue available on new date > > Revert to director and cast > > Team cannot make it on the new date > >  Look for new director and cast > > Arrange rehearsals > > Do PR and marketing > > Find sponsors > > Invite important influential people > > Sponsors agree to help > > Accommodate sponsors' requests > > > > > > > > > > > 

Yes, it is overwhelming... truly like trying to eat a whole cow!!

In profit-making organizations, they always say you cannot please everyone... but here... erm, you really kind of have to please everyone. Remember, they are not obligated to help you in any way.

Another important learning is that, "if you don't ask, the answer is always no." You can and should never ever judge a person's kindness or generousity before approaching them. That's the non-profit philosophy of muka-tembok-ism. ;-) Seeking sponsors, inviting press/media and inviting VVIP guests... all require this handy little philosophy. 

I hope she comes!! fingers & toes crossed! :) :)

Thankfully, after all the craziness... we now have The Star and Hot Magazine as our official media partner, gadget freebies & loans from Samsung, data-lines from Maxis, partial venue sponsorship from PJ Hilton, our marketing material design & printing from Tang's Art, a whole bunch of volunteers, and more exciting stuff from kind & generous folks from all walks of life. How bout that to be thankful for?? Exciting no?? :) :) :)

Next week, is the press conference... wish me luck!! @.@

Rock, paper, scissors

Just followed up on a job I really wanted this morning, although not finalized, the sub-text (yes, benefits of being in acting, you are better at reading human emotions: sub-text, intention, etc ;) ) of the phone conversation feels like that I could be their second choice. I guess if Miss First Choice accepts, I'm out. :( I have not followed up on my first offer; although lucrative, is not a chronic disease, not a long-term treatment, not emotionally compelling.

Spoke to my sis about it...and she said what if, just what if... this first choice girl is the second choice for my first offer company and is awaiting that company to offer her, that company is waiting for me to answer before offering her, I am waiting for this company to answer me, and this company is waiting for her to accept them?? Confused yet? Rock, paper, scissors... life is a cycle and everything is connected. Hahaha!! Unlikely to be the situation but it would be funny if it were true. Yes, creativity runs in the family. ;)

Ok, jokes aside... is it a big problem that I have too specific an interest? Specialty chronic disease + emotionally compelling + marketing. Not all companies have such disease treatment, and among those, not all have emotionally compelling strategic directions, and the few left which do, may not have openings for marketing. Bleh. I'm just wondering, IS having a specific passion such a bad thing?? Wouldn't a person who wants something so badly appreciate it more and do a better job? Or does the world view this intense passion as desperation? If I was desperate, I would have just applied to any Tom, Dick & Harry company, in any Tom, Dick & Harry disease (gosh, that doesn't even make any sense). I would have accepted my first offer just to get a job, any job. But I don't want just any job. :( :(

Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something? Maybe God is trying to tell me something?? May be I should open up my options beyond my area of interest?? But I can't help but to want what I want and love what I love. But should I?

Perhaps, some day I will understand why all this is happening... Just like what Steve Jobs said

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

Dots oh, dots! Please • connect • yourselves • soon •

Hit the ground running!

Finally, I have registered for the 2013 Standard Chartered KL Marathon!!!!

Mampus... some crazy voice inside my head told me to do that and I don't know why I listened. I already have knee problems and I have just turned 35. If I live to 70, this is exactly midpoint. Yes, may be that crazy voice in my head has a name: mid-life crisis. First, I took an artsy sabbatical, now I wanna run 42.195 kilometres around KL.

While I'm at it... I might as well give myself a reason behind this crazy torturous journey. Please help me motivate myself by supporting The National Autism Society of Malaysia by going to my Runner's Profile page. Ta-da!!

Then, please click on this nice big blue "donate" button on that Runner's Profile page to donate:

Registration and the motivation behind it are just the beginning of the torture journey... now comes the training.

The crazy training calendar

I've already gotten a headstart and pre-train before I flag-off my training.
Week -2: total 7.5 km only.
Week -1: total 22 km only.

Next week will be Week 1... when the sweat, tears and blood begins! Look on the bright side, at least I can eat mother-loads of carbs and not get fat. ;-)

I'd better hit the ground running, wish me luck & support my cause!!!! :D :D

The Unexpected Guest

I'm super duper uber excited about my upcoming project, and it's all for a good cause too! Do it for the less fortunate children, or just do it to be entertained... but do come join us! =)

Presenting!!! *drumrolls*

The Unexpected Guest

Welcome to a night of enthralling mystery, scandals, and eureka moments. Welcome to a place where fiction and reality has little separation. Welcome to a theatrical performance where YOU unwittingly become part of the cast.

Special Appearance:
Marina Mahathir (Guest of Honour)
Carey Ng (Miss Universe Malaysia 2012)
Asha Gill
Emily Lim
Liang

Date: 20 – 21st April 2013, Saturday and Sunday
Time: 7pm – 11pm
Venue: Hilton Petaling Jaya, Kristal Ballroom 1 & 2, 1st Floor, West Wing

Tickets: RM200 per pax or RM2,000 per table

For more information please contact StART Society at: 03 7954 5423 | 016 336 8185 | startsociety.info@gmail.com

Venue Sponsor: Hilton Petaling Jaya
A Fundraising Project for StART Society, where talent is unearthed and nurtured. 

Directed by: Freddy Tan
Winner of Best Director for The Geongxi Is A Vamp (winner of Best Overall Production) in Short & Sweet Musical 2012. Director for Corporal PUNishment in 2012 (klpac). Winner of Festival Director’s Award in Short & Sweet Theatre 2011. Writer/Lyricist for Oriental Takeout (winner of Best Overall Production) in Short & Sweet Musical 2011. Performed in INDICINELIVE! in KL, Penang, Kuching and Singapore.

Written by: Karynn Tan
Composer/Lyricist for The Geongxi Is a Vamp (winner of Best Overall Production) in Short & Sweet Musical 2012, Winner of Best Lead Actress in Oriental Takeout (winner of Best Overall Production) in Short & Sweet Musical 2011, Performed in Dama Orchestra’s Empress Wu and klpac’s Malaysian Girls.

Executive Producer: StART Society

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

CNY is a time of reunions both with family and with friends. A happy Lunar New Year to all!!

The Stamp Tramp

I just totally totally totally LOVE "How I Met Your Mother". I iz a BIG FAN!!! It's so hilarious in a really witty way. They really amplify things that happens in our day to day lives and make normal stuff so super uber lol rofl hilarious. Clever gilababs! An example from this season is the Stamp Tramp ie. Marshall. Who gives his stamp of approval to anything and everything because he is just too too nice. While Lily, only gives her approval Stamp if something is truly worth her Stamp.

Marshall giving himself an approval stamp ;)

In real life too we all have the Marshalls and the Lilys amongst our friends. As positive and nice the Marshalls are, in the end we trust the Lily Stamps more anyway.

Have you encountered a Stamp Tramp? I definitely have. But that story, deserves a whole post. ;)

Should I?

Coming sooooon, jeng-jeng-jeng!!

Should I attempt the full marathon this time?? People say the biggest obstacle is your own mind... I think my mind is in pretty good shape!!! Not that sure about my legs though... :p

For Good

As I embark on my job-hunt, these interviews really help you reflect. A popular question "What are some of your areas of improvement?" Nice way to say weaknesses... er, I am only human, sure plenty, kan??

I don't know about corporate flers, but art practitioners crave to get feedback. We'd open the newspapers the day after opening night to read reviews, we stay back after shows for our director's notes. Was our singing off pitch? Intentions unclear? Bad diction? The very next day, we will try our best to fix whatever comment the best we can, be extra vigilant on those areas of improvement.

Feeding on criticism, of course, can go beyond just the arts... if we would only endure the occasional burst of ego-bubble from critics with good intent, those who are honest enough and care enough to help us grow.

Critic 1: Anish

Remember how he got me to my cheese? Well, in the process of finding the cheese & all ... he too gave me 2 distinct criticisms that I can recall: I was too risk-averse & low sense of urgency. At the time, whatever ideas I had, stayed ideas in my head. "no guts to implement? maybe now is not the time yet? maybe I shouldn't fix what is not broken?" Yup, I was like that... but I tried to fix it. Not overnight but little by little, I got a bit braver, more adventurous, and as a result, I was much faster too. If you asked my team in my most recent job in Abbott, I was a feisty, gutsy, out-of-the-box, high sense of urgency person... & will drive them up the wall (or vice versa hehe) if they were conventional or slow. The biggest risk in my career? Taking this sabbatical to pursue the arts; Will I get back the kind of job I like? Can I start back where I left off? Or will I have to make sacrifices & rebuild my corporate reputation from scratch? I still keep Anish's whatsapp message "I know you'll do well, keep following your heart"!! :)

Critic 2: Ai-Hong

My favourite boss, mentor, friend in my entire corporate career. Her critique? You need to be more sharp with numbers. I was indeed quite often careless with numbers but she was super sharp & meticulous. I may have been a math-whiz way back in school but after graduation, after deciding to give an engineering career a miss, I got too lazy to practice it anymore. Use it or lose it. So, it was time to revive the engineer in me. I gotta check and recheck all my data constantly. Then guess what? A few years down the road, I got a distinction in my Finance module in my MBA. Finance! @.@ Sure boh? *blink hard hard* Look at my transcript again, yup! And most recently, I was offered a business analyst job. Huh? Miss artsy fartsy? An analyst? No lar... it's just a part of my mentor which was left behind in me, among all the other amazing stuff that she taught me.

Critic 3: Kerry-Ann

She was the first ever choreographer I had to work with, in my first every production back in 2009. The first person I ever knew who had a Bachelors Degree in Dance!! I remember struggling to understand what she wants... "you need to be in character! what does your character want? what does she feel?" Huh? I thought dancing meant, 5-6-7-8 step here, turn there, fling out an arm, turn to the right, etc etc. What's all this inside-out thing she's talking about? I didn't get her, she didn't get why I didn't get it. She shouted until I cried one day. But after that, little by little, I understood her a little more. Not entirely but just a little more each day. Eh, eh... she stopped shouting. "Now we're getting somewhere" was probably in both our minds. In the end, the choreography was what stole the show. Suddenly I was enlightened that dance, was way beyond what was just physical and mechanical. We've been great friends ever since!

Critic 4: Kai Loon

My very first epic musical, first time having a serious role, first time working with Dama Orchestra. Nerves and anxiety got the best of me. During rehearsals, Kai Loon repeatedly said that I kept looking "lost" on stage, my intentions either unclear or complete blank. Yikes! First production with them, I really really didn't want to screw things up. I tried & I tried, but to no avail... he still repeated I looked lost. Lost? What did that even mean? I wanted to badly to do well and I didn't know what to do about it... I just woke up one morning & cried to hubby. Then I asked for a private rehearsal session with Kai Loon, I wrote down my sub-texts for every single phrase spoken while I was on stage. Went through each and every scene with him. Finally, progress. Yippee! After every nights performance, he would email us his super long and detailed director's notes in the wee hours of the morning. I keep refreshing my gmail... refresh, refresh, until I fell asleep. First thing I do when my phone alarm-clock goes off in the morning, refresh gmail! Everyday, each performance, I dread to see in my email "Lady Liu looks lost"... but opening night, don't have, 2nd show, don't have, 5th show, none, 10th show, still none, 20th, none, none, none. Yayyy!!!!!

God know I still have more stuff to work on... am definitely not gonna publish them here on a public blog. :p Well, God sends help in the form of other people to slap me into realization. Sometimes I just can't see these things myself & need people in my life to be my third-eye.

This song below is dedicated to all you people in my life ♫ ♬ "who has helped me most to grow, ♫ because I knew you, ♩ I have been changed... for good"♬ ♩.

I am eternally grateful to you... I love you guys!! Hugz! =)