So, What Do You Do?

The tenant in my Ritze Perdana studio needed to move out so I set out to look for a new tenant. I was a bit worried about the tenant moving out before the end of the tenancy agreement and it also came at a time where I'll be busy with my wedding then going off for my honeymoon.

How will I have time to call realtors, show the unit and meet the prospective tenants?
But before I could make calls, half a dozen realtors were already contacting me, looking for vacant units. I didn't realize Ritze has become such a hot piece of property!

So after a few viewings by different people and different realtors, one girl was very interested and was willing to put the deposit down the same day. I met and interviewed her and the offer to rent was signed.

Despite everything, your job, what you do and your position says a lot about you and plays a big part in first impressions. It sure does when I look for a tenant. Since I've not met the person yet and initial negotiations are usually done over the phone, the first question I'll ask the realtor is if its a male or female. The second question is what does he or she does.

(My new tenant is a doctor).

And yes, I probably would not want to rent the studio out to a male student unless I was really desperate.

It's the same when you are out meeting people. Be it a corporate or social event, after the rounds of introductions have been made, name cards would be exchanged. Or if it was a more social event, the next question is always "So, what do you do?" And with your answer, the other person would have formed an initial impression of you which leads to how they would interact with you, be it consciously or subconsciously.

I'm trying really hard not to let my job define me but in the society we live in, it's pretty hard.

4 Questions

You know those emails where friends send them to you and you’re supposed to fill in the answers about yourself and send it back to the friend who sent it to you and also other friends?

Well, Looqy sent one such mail to me today. And I promised that I’ll reply as the poor girl is writing a 30 page for her final thesis and wants some distraction. Well at least u’ll be graduating after this, girl!

And I thought I’d post the answers here so that if such an email comes around again, I can just refer them to this post instead of writing it again. Hehe!

For you Looqy!

Four jobs I have had in my life:

I’ve probably had 10 jobs with different job scopes since I started working when I was 15 but here are some you may not know about:

1. Banquet staff at Pan Pac Hotel. My first job albeit part time. I was 15. But I quit after 3 days cos there was zero training. A guest asked for red cut chillis and when I went into the kitchen to ask where I could find chilli, they directed me to another floor and I ended up in a dark attic-like room. They didn’t even teach us the basic of serving using the big spoon and fork like how some waiters do so professionally even for slippery noodles.

2. TGIF Smiling People Greeter (Yes the acronym is SPG). I was 18 and worked there after college. But spent all by money on the cab fare there and back.

3. Tumble Tots Child Coordinator. Yes! I’m sure most people don’t know about this or if they do, they won’t believe it. Bubbles with kids and babies?!! That can’t be right. But it is. I can’t believe I lasted 3 months in the job.

4. When I was 10, I ran away to the circus and in return, I got food and lodging in a caravan. I dressed up in a fancy costume and paraded round the circus ring at the end of each show. Yes this was in Malaysia so don’t think that this only happens in western countries. Hehehe,

Four Places I have lived:

1. Malaysia. Grew up in SS2, went to school in JB, then back to KL for college, went off to uni and my year out and I’ve been back ever since.

2. Singapore. Life in JB for a teenage really isn’t much fun so I spent most of my time in Singapore every moment when I wasn’t in school. I almost studied in Ngee Ann Poly till my dad vetoed my decisions and made me do A Levels in Taylor’s College in KL.

3. London. That’s where I did my uni. Lived in Hendon but spent most of my time in Bayswater, Leicecter Square, Covent Garden, Bristol and Windsor.

4. Barbados. This is where I spent my year out. All I did was drink rum, surf, tan, drink rum, dance under the stars, drink rum, go catamaraning, drink rum ……… all year long.

Four Places I have been on vacation:

1. The UK- London. Cornwall. Lake District. Oxford. Warwick. Cardiff. Swansea. Edinburgh. Birmingham. Manchester. Bristol. Nottingham. Stoke-on-Trent. Luton. Stockton-on-Tees. York. Brighton. Blackpool. Windsor.

2. Amsterdam. This was the only place I traveled to out of the UK when I was studying. Yes it may have been cheaper to travel with London as a base but I was also a poor student. The most interesting thing found out about Amsterdam is that the green stuff that they’re so famous for, isn’t actually legal. But the cops let u do it anyway.

3. Germany. A German friend who was working in KL was going back home. So a friend and I thought we’ll send him off, all the way to Germany. And along the way, we holidays in Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich, Trier and Nuschwanstein.

4. The Middle East, in May this year to visit my mum.

Four of my favorite foods:

1. Fried rice. All types - with salted fish, petai, ikan bilis, luncheon meat, bacon, egg, garlic.

2. Bacon sandwich.

3. Deep fried fish with raw diced garlic and chilli padi along with other dishes in this coffee shop called Lucky Loke in SS3.

4. Steak in Oggi’s in the old Regent Hotel.

5. Crème Brulle in Marche in Rennaissance Hotel

Okay I know that that’s 5 but I’m Malaysian! You can expect me to choose just 4. There’s also pizza, pasta, bak kut the, hokkien mee, fried wan tan, yaw char kwai ……..

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. In bed. I’m reading 2 books now and I wanna finish both so I can start on a new one.

2. Traipsing over Europe - sipping coffee in one of their sidewalk cafes (Just like your answers Looqy!)

3. Diving and sun tanning in the Caribbean.

4. Reading a book and getting a tan in Hyde Park, London

Hope u had fun reading. Now go nail that paper girl!

PS I miss ya!