How do I live (extended)(1)

How do I live (extended)(1)

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Being a personal assistant...

Emily n me: "My Public Photos"


My very first working experience was being a personal assistant. It was four years back, I was asked to go interview with my secondary school senior in a company located at Georgetown, Penang. I thought I was going to be a sales assistant. Somehow, my senior got the job while I was offered to be a personal assistant.


‘Do you have any working experience before?’ asked the manager.


‘Nope. After graduating from secondary school, this is the first job I seek for. Please give me a chance, I promise to do my best in this sales job.’ I answered.

‘A-hem… since you only have three months of working time, I don’t think the post of sales assistant will suit you. I actually need a PA to arrange my documents. Interested?’

Without thinking, I nodded. Never think of regretting it. Indeed I am proud of that. The next day after the interview, I became Emily’s personal assistant in my formal attire and high heels.

To me, being a personal assistant is one of the most challenging careers in the world. The reason is the PA workload is beyond the role of secretary or receptionist or any other administrative term that comes to mind. It really takes a thick skin and a steel resolve. Somehow, there is no specific educational or job track that leads to the role of personal assistant.

As a PA, I need to help my manager to make the best use of time by dealing with secretarial and administrative tasks because she was always running out of time until she skipped meals. Therefore she often relied heavily on me, trusting that work will be handled efficiently in her absence. To my horror, every day when I first step into the office, there will be a ‘grandmother’ list on my desk. It was so long that I even need to take some time to read them up. Every day was a hectic day. My phone was 24-hour on service as my boss would just call anytime anywhere. I must be well prepared with her PDA phone to access the information and appointment of the day; and a note pad for me to jot down any task given spontaneously.

Personal assistants often act as their manager's first point of contact with people from both inside and outside the organization. Don’t be too surprised that I worked overtime nearly every day. My typical workload include screening telephone calls, enquiries and requests, and handling them when appropriate; organizing and maintaining diaries and making appointments; dealing with incoming email, faxes and post from customers, often corresponding on behalf of the manager; taking dictation and minutes; producing documents, reports and presentations; liaising with clients, suppliers and other staff. And many more unexpected like buying meals for her when she was so stuck in the never-ending meeting, help her to pay the water bill for three consecutive months and also accompany her to attend dinner with directors.

Though I was thought to be a workaholic (in the eyes of my colleagues), I enjoyed my job instead. Emily and I have developed a trusted relationship and even after my service, we still keep in touch and hang out together. I have been so lucky to meet her and have her as my boss. I am so grateful that she led me all the way and appreciated all my effort. She always dined with me and gave me guidance for me to handle the job well. And of course, my salary is well paid. Becoming a personal assistant may be a case of being in the right place at the right time. Thanks to Emily for the opportunity given. This wonderful working experience of my first time being employed; being a personal assistant becomes part and parcel of my life. :D

Behind Holding Hands

Once in a dream,

Dreaming of us holding hands,

With the blessings of

The glistening, undulating sapphire sea;

The colourful coral reef;

The lively tropical fish;

The warm sunshine

My eyes kept closed,

The blissful feeling

Was you,

Holding tight to your hand; like never

Never let go

This piece of reminiscence,

At last,

Our love woven

To be a secret;

Unprovable

As love is beyond the reason why

Still keeping, keeping the pieces of memory

Still loving, loving the one who makes me smile

I, lost in memory.

Walls

Most people would see walls as restrictions, difficulties or maybe roadblocks in their lives. As there is abundance of examples showing this, one of them is “to have one's back to the wall” which means to be in a desperate situation. Often, walls are defined as something huge, tall, solid, standing and non-living. Somehow, I wouldn’t define walls that way. Walls are warm and provide me the security consciousness. To me, my friends are the walls; let me lean on them whenever I am tired. So, now I am going to dig out the other side of walls, the bright side. Aha, I do think that friends possess the functions of walls. Ermmm, let us see. Walls support its superstructure, e.g. the roofs and ceilings. Don’t you think that our friends also function in that way? When I lack of courage to step ahead, my friends always give me support for me to go through the doubtful stage. Walls protect, serving as a defense; a rampart; a means of protection. Just like friends protect and defend us when somebody says something bad about you. Have you done that? : ) Besides, the accompany of friends especially all those laughter and crazy memories would make me energized just like recharging my Energizer AA size, 1.2 V rechargeable battery. Walls also serve in that way with the electrical outlets mounted in them. Perhaps some of you have a question: Will the walls fall? (Will a friend betray or being disloyal?) The answer I will leave it to you all. What I can say is the friendship is like a brick wall, every single memory with your friends is a brick, over the years, and the bricks have been stacked up to form a strong wall and that so called friendship. I believe, hard times don’t last forever but true friendship does, just like the walls.So, appreciate your walls, from now on. : D

A Sweet Distance

{The answer to my very first post is the former photo. :) } There is always a distance between me and her. What I mean here is just merely the physical distance – we are in different universities in different states. We are always so far from each other yet we keep in touch closely and sincerely. The girl who was about to kiss on my cheek in this photo is my blossom friend, Ah Hei. I think how lucky I have been to meet her since I was fifteen. Ah Hei is a sunny girl, spreading brightness all around. We share our happiness and sorrow. I have no idea what keeps us in touch but I know there is nothing to keep us apart. I never knew what wonders a friend can do. Surely she can change things around me into smiles, sunshine and happiness. Last year, during my first year in USMKK, loneliness and homesick were surrounding me. My days were blue and gloomy. It’s her, serving as my rubbish bin just to listen. All my complaint. A week later, she arrived at Kelantan. That photo was taken at the bowling centre at KB mall, Kelantan. Ah Hei flew all the way from K.L. to Kelantan just to check on how I was doing. This imprinted memory makes me miss her more often. In the deep core of my heart, this is so called the sweet distance between me and her. Ah Hei, I miss you.:)

Sudden feeling

Today is the 3rd day of CONVEX...I, as one of the members of dietetics booth am still in blur condition...everyday is like a routine for me in the shift...doing the same old stuffs which include taking measurement of weight and height of a stranger to calculate BMI( Body Mass Index) and also taking measurement of waist circumference and hip circumference to calculate waist to hip ratio...After the public get their personal measurement, then we will explain the meaning behind the values...In the end, they will just nod and leave...these same old things happened, happened for two days...until today i met someone who took the photos of the information shown on board...He, a middle-aged, bald, and slightly plump man asked politely,” May I take the photos of this poster? I am going to read all the steps on how to control my weight ...one by one...” he giggled. For the first time, people really do take some time to look on the information stick on board that we have been preparing for two weeks...what can I say? Gracias:)