Thursday, June 26, 2008

Ladybugs

Wendy's been keeping me busy since yesterday. She's been handing me online banners to proof, which was okay. Today, she gave me two sets of banners to proofread. A little while later, she had me searching for royalty-free photos of ladybugs from Getty Images and First Light for a client.

It was a welcome break. The colourful pictures of the ladybugs reminded me of my graphic designing days and how much I wanted to do some graphic design work. Of course, I also wanted to be an advertising copywriter. I can dream, can't I?

I also wanted to work in an advertising firm. Look where I ended up?

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Strange But True

Yesterday, something weird happened to the juice bottle I was drinking from.

It was the regular 450-mL Minute Maid plastic bottle with the glued-on plastic label. I was drinking from it every now and then while watching the last few minutes of 3:10 to Yuma online. Since the movie was almost done, I decided to finish my drink in several gulps.

During the last few swigs, I noticed something unusual with the bottle: the label mysteriously disappeared! It was there when I grabbed the bottle from the fridge, and all that was left of the label was the hardened glue.

I recall seeing the juice bottle with its label when I stocked the fridge with pop and juice in the morning. There was nothing wrong with it at all.

I searched for the label on my desk, on the floor and even on me. It was nowhere to be found. Isn't that strange?

Racking Up Minutes

Finally, I began putting some billable hours on my timesheet. So far, I worked on five online banners, a print ad and a copy deck for a brochure.

However, I've got a long way to go. I only have 2½ hours of client chargeables as of 1:40 p.m.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Quiet Tuesday

The morning was literally quiet. Wendy and I were the only ones in the office as the suits were out supervising a recording session for a client's radio ad.

I tried to keep my sanity by making myself busy. Thank God, I was on kitchen duty today. Plus, Wendy asked me something about online banners that she needed to see. At least, that's 15 minutes' worth of work.

I also did my daily job search. So far, there was nothing out there for me, not even a freelance gig.

This afternoon, I'm thinking of watching the last parts of 3:10 to Yuma. I can't wait for this week to be over because I'm on vacation next week.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Another Monday Wasted

It's 3:30 p.m. and I still haven't done anything yet. I used to look forward to Mondays; I dread them now and every day of the week because I've got nothing to do. It's been like this for weeks!

And with Rob on vacation until tomorrow, my Tuesday is going to be boring. This is driving me nuts!

Last Week's Double Whammy

I finally heard from the guys at BCLC and LDB. The former's hiring manager sent me a rejection e-mail late Wednesday night, way past 10 p.m. She said that they found someone who had more experience for the position. Well, I didn't like to work there anyway even if she offered me the job.

On the other hand, the latter's hiring manager, through their HR, sent me a scanned rejection letter signed on Thursday and sent Friday, saying that I didn't make it — and so was everyone who was shortlisted. This was very disappointing because I really, really would love to work there.

Damn, I should have gone for the kill during my interview! The work was challenging but exciting, great people and much bigger pay (at least an $11,000 difference from my gross pay.) So, there goes my big-screen TV, sofa, bed, car and digs.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Movie Friday

Today is a slow one. It's past 2 p.m. and I haven't done anything that's work related. Not even a single official e-mail.

I spent the entire morning watching a streaming video of 3:10 to Yuma from PeekVid. Unfortunately, it wasn't clear. So, I tried looking for another alternative to tv-links.co.uk — and I found it in tv-links.cc, which was said to be a spitting image of the original.

I searched its extensive collection and found a sharper 3:10, but it unexpectedly stopped half way through the movie. I tried to reload it, but it still won't go past the 59th minute. Fortunately, there were other links that provided the title. These weren't as sharp as the first, but they kept me entertained, especially on a slow day like this.

And Jennifer had this wonderful idea to let everyone go home early as soon as each had finished his or her work. I didn't do much that day except for Nina's two online banners that required quick proofreading. As soon as I was done with them, I headed home.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Getting Paranoid Again

Wendy was in Julita's office late this morning and they were talking in a very low voice. Although the door was open, I could feel that whatever they were discussing was hush-hush.

I hope they weren't planning to reduce my hours or, worse, lay me off. But I swear I saw Julita looked at me during their conversation. I hope she just happened to glance my way because I was in her line of sight. Or she could be checking me out and probably wondering if I had any idea what would be happening to me soon.

Damn this paranoia!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

PeekVid

It was another slow day at work. So, what's a bored proofreader to do besides blogging, checking e-mails constantly and visiting websites on action figures? Watch movies online, of course!

I was so listless yesterday that I decided to search for alternatives to tv-links.co.uk, a website that provided links to other sites where one can watch movies, documentaries and TV shows on line, which was shut down by authorities last year because of alleged video piracy. Anyway, I found one at PeekVid (www.peekvid.com).

PeekVid isn't as extensive as tv-links' collection, but it's okay. Yesterday, I watched the first 30 minutes of Appleseed and decided that I'd rent the DVD instead. This morning, I checked out Part 2 of A&E's The Andromeda Strain. I already had taped the first part at home, but I wasn't able to record the second because I thought Part 2 would be aired soon after Part 1 was over. It didn't; instead, they replayed Part 1. So, I was left hanging.

I only watched the first few minutes of the show because it was dragging. Now, I'm checking out the other movies in the roster and see what attracts my attention. Good times!

Work, at Last (Albeit Short)!

Yesterday, I temporarily got my mind off checking e- and voice mails for LDB's job offer, thanks to Nina, who gave me some translation files to work on. I was busy for 2½ hours in the afternoon.

I tried to work slower so I could extend it until the end of the day; but no matter how I hard I tried, I still ended up completing the task in time. I guess my worker instinct to work smarter and not harder kicked in again, especially when the project is repetitive and boring.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Office Server

I don't know whose brilliant idea was this, but transferring our company files to the server in our Minneapolis office was a bad move. The simple act of opening, saving and closing a Word file on the server takes minutes. Just imagine how long Rob's InDesign files take!

My day is already slow and working on the server directly makes it even slower. The solution was to save the files from the server to the desktop and work from there. Then save them back to the server once done. That's such a hassle.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Friday Musings

It's Friday and I haven't heard a thing yet from LDB. It's still early anyway (and I checked my voice mail at home). And lately I've been telling myself that since it's a government office, it may take a while for the decision to pass through the bureaucratic red tape. Of course, there's always the possibility that I didn't get the job, which means I won't be hearing anything from them at all. So, I guess it's down to BC Hydro and Best Buy/Future Shop.

But until then, I'll keep myself useful and busy here in the company — and be thankful that I still have a job and a regular income. (Besides, we're having drinks at 3 p.m. today and head home at 4.)

Thursday, June 12, 2008

BOHICA

It's almost a half hour past two and I have nothing to show on today's timesheet except for a 15-minute proofreading task. So, I took the time to send a résumé to Best Buy/Futureshop. They are looking for an advertising proofreader; so, if they know experience and professionalism when they see them, then they ought to give me a call and pencil me in for an interview.

After screwing up yesterday's interview at BCLC and not hearing from LDB until now, I believe it is better for me to move on and look for other employment opportunities. I just feel too bad that these are high-paying jobs with excellent benefits and I blew it again.

Nothing at All

I'm back at work after taking a day off for a job interview. It seems I didn't miss a thing. No important e-mails, except the one from IT that our servers were temporarily down. No rush jobs. In fact, no jobs at all.

I was hoping that Rob left some job bags on my desk yesterday for me to work on today, but my rack was empty — not even a piece of paper! My timesheet this week is going to look bad.

Concerning my interview, I didn't do well. I don't know what happened. My mind just went blank. I had difficulty explaining stuff. And to think that I was mentally and physically prepared for that, unlike my latest interview. I'm not expecting to hear from them anytime soon.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Just Wondering

It's the second day of the Big Week and I've been wondering what could have happened if I went in for the kill in the dying moments of my interview with the guys at LDB and delivered this speech:
"I’m extremely interested. Although I’m looking at a couple of opportunities right now, this appears to be the one I could make the biggest contribution. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the perfect position for me. There may be candidates who have heftier résumés than I do, but no one will give you more passion, more integrity and more professionalism."
Well, it worked before (with this company), but I didn't use it because I never got to internalize this line. I'll never know now. However, I still have another big interview tomorrow and I'm going to use it like my career depended on it.

It still is Tuesday anyway and they're probably deliberating on it. I'm giving them until Friday to decide.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Big Week Ahead

This is the week the guys from LDB are making the decision whether I'm Publications Manager material. I hope they call my references and I hope my references will put in a good word for me. I continue to keep my fingers crossed.

However, I do hope that they call soon so I will know where I stand because I have another interview to go to this Wednesday. It's almost for the same position, but they call it Publications Editor/Associate.

As for client-related work, I don't see anything or much at all. This morning's WIP doesn't have much to offer me, but there's always the possibility that things might get busy later this week.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Updates

On Wednesday afternoon, we closed the office early for a team outing to a design exhibition at the Vancouver Museum. Rob was kind enough to give Charlene, Nina and me to the venue. Julita and Shelley were already there when we got there. Wendy wasn't able to make it and so was Jennifer, who had to make another business call.

After checking out the exhibits, Rob and the ladies proceeded to a watering hole five minutes from the museum. I didn't go with them because I wasn't feeling well. I thought I was coming down with intestinal flu. Besides, I had to leave right away because I had to prepare for my interview the next day.

I wasn't planning to actually get sick; just fake it, call in sick and go to the interview. However, I was already having some tummy trouble early Wednesday morning. In fact, I had to go to the toilet three times. The first was at home and it felt normal. The second was as soon as I got to the office. I just felt this strong urge to go to the washroom. Man, what a rush!

The third was in the afternoon and it was loose. In fact, it was so loose that I had to take a double dose of Imodium. It's been a while since I crapped like that. And I felt like crap the next morning, which posed a problem because I had a big interview and I wanted to make a good first impression.

In spite of what I felt, I soldiered on. I practised my answers to the interview questions, which were actually e-mailed to me a day in advance. Rehearsing my responses, I lost track of the time and had to take a quick shower. I already chose the suit, the shirt and the shoes that I was going to wear the night before. I didn't wear a tie this time because I didn't know how to do a Windsor knot. Nevertheless, I still looked professional.

I believe the interview went well. I learned from them that I scored the highest in their assessment exam and that was the reason why they invited me for an interview. On my way out, they asked for my list of references and wondered when could I start working for them if I get hired. These were definite signs that they wanted me in fast or they could be simply going through the motions. Anyway, they also said that they still had several candidates to interview, but they would be making a decision next week.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's my ticket out of here.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

One Secretive Guy

Even though Rob and I are the only men in the office, we don't talk to each other much. However, he opens up once in a while, like when I asked him how his son was doing (he has a hearing defect) or his opinions on the latest video games. I found out he enjoys playing Rock Band, Gears of War and Grand Theft Auto IV.

But when it comes to more personal matters, such as job interviews, he's silent about it. Like one time, he came late to the office. Though he normally wears black Adidas runners with his black jeans and black shirt and carries a black backpack, he was wearing black Doc Martens and lugging a soft-side briefcase (which was black, too). I knew somehow from the day before that he was going to an interview.

Yesterday, he left an hour early, saying that he had to pick up his amplifier from a repair shop. However, he was wearing the same attire as above and carrying the same bag, inside of which was his portfolio. (I knew it was his portfolio because he showed it to me once.)

I didn't bother asking him today how was his amp because I didn't want him to lie to me. Of course, my observations could be wrong; but it made me realize that when Rob leaves before I do, I will be in a very precarious position. There's always the possibility that the company can move all the productive and creative work to Toronto, leaving me jobless.

I'm trying to avoid that situation.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Off to a Good Start — Almost

During the WIP meeting, Jennifer mentioned that this was going to be a busy week. I felt optimistic. Finally, I would get to spend my days working and not pretending to be working.

I was off to a good start when Charlene dropped by to have me edit a PDF containing online banners. It was only good for 30 minutes though. Then she asked me for my input on an ad.

But the most I did today was for her client's DM campaign. I hope I could get more than two hours' worth of work out of it. Still, it wouldn't be enough.

Still Hoping

I was still hoping after all this time that the guys from LDB would call me for an interview. So, with fingers crossed, I have been remotely checking my voice mail at home since last week, wishing that they would.

And every time I hear this message, "You've got one new message," my heart jumps for joy. But when I hear that it's from a telemarketer or a wrong number, I just roll my eyes in frustration. Of course, there are days when there are simply no messages, which even add to my frustration.

However, I continue to convince myself that probably the hiring manager is on vacation or too busy to pick candidates. Either way, I'm hoping against hope.