Come Come Paradise

Home is a recurring topic on my blog for a few reasons. Since I left for Singapore, I have learned to appreciate the things I used to take for granted in my hometown. This post is to remind myself about these things.

Rooms
I've never really had my own room; I've always shared a bedroom with someone. When I was little, I slept in my parents' bedroom. Then when my brother was old enough, he and I shared a bedroom which I grew to dislike. And when my grandmother moved in with us, we started sleeping on a mattress laid on the floor in her room because it was air-conditioned (I know, I know... sleeping in my grandmother's room is weird. I get that all the time). And right up to before I left Singapore, it remained that way.

And when I got my first job in Singapore, I had to find myself a place to stay. A whole apartment would have cost me my entire salary, so the next best thing would be to rent a room. That room cost me $350 a month until my brother graduated and moved in with me in the same room. The rent was adjusted to $400 a month and so I was only paying $200 a month. When my girlfriend came to Singapore, I moved in with her for a short period of time, until we were forced to move out because the housemates figured they deserved the whole place to themselves and that they had the right to kick us out of the house despite the fact that they're tenants sharing half the house; the only difference is that they pay a majority of the rent because they rented the master bedroom (I know, that's unreasonable and all but we didn't exactly have a choice; the bitch refused to surrender the landlady's number to discuss the matter for obvious reasons). So we had to move in with a family in Tampines, and we've been staying in this room for exactly a year now at the rate of $670 a month ($335 per person). That translates to approximately RM1,620 a month at the time of this entry. And we're not staying in a luxury apartment or a condominium; we're paying for a common room with no attached toilet in a HDB flat.

And what does this $670 room provide? It has 2 closets; one for each of us, and a permanently installed rack. They provided a mattress, pillows, and a bolster. And that was it. $670 includes internet access, water and electricity. Our landlords were kind enough to provide some space in the fridge (which we hardly use), and we are allowed to use the washing machine about once a week. Since there is no attached toilet, we share the toilet with the maid which is fucking annoying because she talks on the phone in the toilet and stall our baths, laundry and shit (quite literally). And that's about it.

Now $670 may seem steep to some of you but at the time we signed the contract, it was the best deal we could find. Our landlords are kind people, and we're thankful for it. But like most Malaysians working in Singapore, I cannot help but to compare. RM1,620 for a room in a pathetic flat every month is fucking absurd!

I asked a friend earlier today about his rent. His room was rented out for RM250 a month. That's at least 6 times cheaper than in Singapore. MORE THAN SIX FUCKING TIMES CHEAPER! He shares the room with a roommate, which means he pays half that amount for rent. That's RM125. It's not inclusive of utility bills, but he pays a little more than his other housemates for having air-conditioning in his room. How much does his utility bills average at? RM50. That's a total of RM175 a month for him. This room is housed in a double-storey terrace house. And he gets to park his car in the porch. No landlords, so no issue there.

RM175 vs RM810 a month. That's RM635 more every month. RM7,620 more every year excluding the 1 month's worth of rent I have to pay to the property agent. Sure I earn Singapore Dollars but I don't earn 4-5 times more than any of my peers do. And I sure as hell am not getting a better deal.

Today I spent a little more time in my room than I usually do and I noticed a few things. I sleep better. My room is bigger. I now have a proper bed with a big mattress. I get to blast my speakers without disturbing my neighbours. I get to sing in my room; something I don't do regardless of where I am in Singapore. I also sing when I drive alone but that's a different matter... I get to stick stuff on the wall. I get to use the bathroom ALL the time. It's less dusty and more spacious. I get to buy my own desk and other furniture without having to worry about moving every year. And the best of all, I don't have to pay a single cent.

Little things that I have never thought would matter. Yet it makes a huge difference.

PS: I have moved into 3 different places in less than 2 years, and our landlords are moving again so we obviously have to move, too.

I got a job offer from a reputable company today; that's the best news I've had in a while!

Someone said that this is the turning point for me, and I hope that it's true. I'll work hard, and I'll make things better for everyone dear to me for sure! This is a promise to myself.

I can't believe my luck. Or there lack of...

I have worked for 2 dishonest employers in a row. I left my last job at XXX Design Partnership; and now I'm told to leave Cub*z; supposedly because they don't like my work. The question is, why hire me in the first place? The portfolio serves a purpose; To gauge what kind of work a person produces. "I hired you because I thought I should give it a try"?... What kind of excuse is that? Okay, so shit happens; some employers may hire someone only to discover that they don't like the work produced. But that doesn't give any employer the right to breach the contract that they drafted themselves!

I was told to leave the company after only 10 days of "evaluation", despite the fact that the contract stated that they'll come to a decision after 3 months of probation. And I'm not going to be paid for the whole 3 months. In fact I'm not even going to be paid for the remainder of the month.

Why is it so difficult to find just ONE decent company?

Putting alllllll that shit aside, I need to find out if my work really sucks as much as they imply because I don't think it's a good idea to do something that I suck at for a living. Also, I'm seriously considering MBA in the UK; but due to cost constraints, I need to think through it carefully before I come to a final decision.

December 2008
Began freelancing at Raindance Corporate Design. They're fun people. Down to earth. Finally, humble people in Singapore! Turns out that most of their clients were on leave, so I was very idle. I was looking to obtain a full-time position at Raindance, by proving that I can contribute. Bad timing, I guess... But on the bright side, I had plenty of time after work. I could play World of Warcraft every night.

Christmas came, and I bought a Product RED iPod Nano for my girlfriend. It was a surprise gift. I actually bought World of Warcraft and the expansions for her as decoy Christmas gifts, just to distract her so that she doesn't try to guess what gift she's gonna get. She, in return, bought me a Tucano bag for my Macbook. Happy times

We returned to Melaka for a short break. Had a Christmas gathering with my relatives, too.

January 2009
Clients were still on leave; Chinese New Year was just around the corner. But at least work was coming in. Not getting what I asked for before I joined Raindance, but I can't really blame them; there's hardly any work. How much can I ask for when I'm idle most of the time?

Then I got a phone call from a guy who owns an interior design company. He wanted to see me; he needs a marketing guy. No harm, so I went to see him that evening after work. He described the work to me and although I wasn't entirely convinced by his expensive shirt and luxury car, I decided that I had nothing to lose by giving it a try. Commission rates were good; tricky part was getting the deal sealed.

So I broke the news to the people at Raindance, telling them that I got a better offer. I was quite sad, actually; I've been trying to prove that there were design houses out there that didn't slave-drive and Raindance seemed like that sort of place. But I left, and returned to Melaka to celebrate Chinese New Year with my family and friends. 10 days back in Melaka. Felt really good to be home...

February 2009
Back in Singapore. Started working at XXX Design Partnership as Business Development Manager/Marketing Director. Did not enjoy it one bit, although most of the time I was at home looking for leads.

Sent lots of e-mails, contacted several agents to introduce myself. Felt really stupid. Here's how a typical phone conversation with a property agent sounded like.

Property Agent: Hello?
Me: Hi, I'm calling from XXX Design Partnership. My name is Thye Shin; just to let you know that I'm the new Marketing Director, and this is my number.
Property Agent: Uh... XXX Design Partnership? What's that? How can I help you?
Me: Errr... we're an interior design company located in Siglap. Don't you remember? Perhaps you know my boss, L***s...
Property Agent: Uh... not really. Anyway I already have contacts for interior design, thanks anyway. Bye! *click*

See how fucking stupid that was? How was I supposed to convince myself that I was headed in the right direction? Why was I introducing myself to people who didn't even remember the company I was working for? How am I going to secure deals with people who try to avoid you? Plus, I fucking hate the idea of cold-calling. I expected to call people who were closely in touch with the company, but what I was doing was as good as telemarketing. Fuck. What have I gotten myself into?

I knew I was going to quit from XXX Design Partnership unless I sealed a few deals. So I gave it my best for a month. Did everything that I thought would work, instead of just blindly calling people up and getting hung up on. But nope. It didn't work out. Not a single deal signed. So much for getting a job that would give me time to work on VORT3X.

March 2009
I left my position. Told him that I'd finish whatever I started, but that was just about all I could do. I'd be better off doing all that part-time and having a proper full-time job.

So now I'm looking for a job once again. Sometimes I wish I had enough money so that I could just concentrate on doing VORT3X without worrying about paying my bills. But that's not the case. I have everything I need but time and money. I'm gonna have to pave my way through this shit. This is not going to be an easy journey.

But at least now I'm not doing what I hate. I'm still in control. That's one thing I like about myself; no matter what kind of shit I'm in, I never let work or idiots push me around. As of right now, I'm earning from freelance projects. I'm not sure how long I can keep doing this, but it will have to do for now. I'm not panicking. I don't blame anyone for what's happening; I put myself in this position. It's better than saying "Times are bad; I better stick to my job and lick my boss' balls to survive".

The only debt I have to pay is my stupid university study loan. I don't have a negative value in my bank. Good. I have to keep it that way.

And until I find myself a full-time position at a company that doesn't slave-drive and can pay me what I'm asking for, I'm not giving up. Things would have been a lot easier in Melaka but I'm not looking back; not yet.

</drama>

Hi everyone,

I am currently recruiting volunteers for Project VORT3X.

Project VORT3X will be a closed, crew-only project until its launch, which will take place only as soon as it's ready for it. Everyone involved will become part of an art community, and every crew member will play a role and help build it. Designers and art-lovers are my target audience, but knowledge on design is not a requirement.

Although everyone is welcome to volunteer, I'm afraid that we will be selective of who will be part of the crew and who will not.

Those interested will have to be part of the Facebook community.

Add me on Facebook if you haven't done so already and search for my group named Project VORT3X. You will be required to take up at least one role, such as flash & web developer, copywriter, sales & marketing, event committee, legal advisor, public speaker, silkscreen print specialist, supplier, sponsor, treasurer, secretary, and the list goes on.

Remember, your recruitment into the team is NOT guaranteed, but your enthusiasm will be appreciated nonetheless. Anyone will be free to become part of the VORT3X art community upon its launch. No launch date has been set; we believe in doing the best we can do, even if it takes a little longer.

Thank you, and look forward to it!

PS: This 'personal project' has gotten bigger than I had originally anticipated. Which is probably a good thing!