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ohh-kaye · 2 years ago

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2023 Resolutions

Not gonna lie. I failed miserably this year.

I don't know if I should retire this because I honestly just cannot be bothered.

EDIT: this reloaded and deleted all my progress. i will actually un-alive myself right now.

what a fucking mess

let’s review this nonsense. this is going to be extra extra salty because i can’t believe i have to fucking write all this bullshit again.

2022 Resolutions

1. Manage my finances (NO)

i didn’t even try at this. i made an excel sheet for the first payslip that i received and i didn’t even progress after that. i don’t know if i’ll ever be good at this because i can barely look at my bank account without retracting into myself. maybe i’ll use an app next time?

2. Weekly IG dumps (YES)

I love that I did this. It was a good challenge because I actually had force myself to document something. I had to find something interesting that happened that day. I stopped taking photos of myself years ago because i couldn’t stand to exist in my life. I still don’t but I’m trying to be better at appreciating myself. I’m also easing myself back into social media without it manifesting itself into a toxic beast. i think i’m getting better at it.

there were days that i forgot to post on the friday so i would post the day after and my captions became less and less well thought out but i’m glad that i pushed myself to be out there a little bit.

3. New Instrument A Month (BAAHAHAAHAHAHAHA no)

I opened this tab of drumming basics. Did I open that tab at any point after january??? nope. to quote my brother “It’s impossible to learn a new instrument a month. That’s 12 instruments in total”. When he put it into perspective like that, I knew this goal was unachievable.

It’s okay though. I’m not super cut about this.

4. HelloFresh? Or any healthy food service? (NO)

I was highly considering this but in hindsight, there’s no practical way for this to be a applicable because there’s no space in the fridge. And my eating times have changed drastically this year. Mostly I’d be eating just lunch and dinner. Sometimes breakfast and lunch. Sometimes just breakfast. Sometimes just lunch. Sometimes just dinner. Rarely all three at the same time. And I’d eat at random points throughout the day. It’s a mess so I didn’t really think that this was that viable of an option to eat healthier.

5. 18 or more books (YES!)

This was only on here so that I could at least pass one thing. I read 19 books. I was aiming for 20 but I sadly didn’t make it. This challenge will present a lot harder in the next coming years because I’m averaging 18 ort 19 books a year. I really need to be better. Maybe write those long-ass reviews a bit quicker.

Honestly though the reviews take longer than necessary.

6. GET BANGS? or a new hairstyle? (YES!)

These were my COVID bangs. I think everyone will cut their bangs at one point or another and mine just happened to be during COVID when I was bored out of my mind.

7. Pass the GAMSAT? (let’s stop the nonsense)

what a mess. what do you think???

YES - 3

NO - 4

oof.

2023 Resolutions.

1. Read 20 books!

My Goodreads says 19. Tumblr says 20. Maybe this is just to push myself. I really want to read more books to prepare myself for my last challenge of 24 books in a year. So far it’s not possible but if I try hard enough. Maybe???

2. Book a hair appointment

nothing. AND I MEAN NOTHING has traumatised me more than that time when i was 10 years old and my mum took me to nail salon to have my hair cut into a boy cut as punishment because i didn’t brush my hair properly. NOTHING HAS TRAUMATISED ME MORE. I haven’t been into a hair salon in 9 years. that’s because i refuse for people to touch it unless they have consent. my cousin was allowed to bleach it (but now she isn’t) and i sometimes as my brothers to cut an inch off every few months or so. but otherwise, no one is allowed to touch it. i will threaten to shave my head it anyone tries.

but i’m feeling brave in that i may book a curl appointment? maybe commemorate my near decade of hair salon trauma by having someone cut my bangs properly and have my hair shorter??? why not.

3. Go to the gym at least once a week?

Anytime Fitness has emailed me recently asking why I haven’t been to the gym for weeks. this is not good.

i may have been forced to get a gym membership for discount purposes but i still need to make use of the stupid amount of money i pay.

maybe i’ll be extra brave and use something other than the stair master.

4. Learn a new instrument/ Learn a new song

This is a double because I probably just want to either learn a new instrument or learn something new on my ukulele. for the longest time i had avoided picking up a new instrument or any instrument for that matter because of maybe jealousy of my brother because he is a good guitarist and maybe lack of time because of the transition from high school to uni to job. it’s too hard. maybe it’s mainly my lack of motivation. but perhaps now that i have to keep myself accountable, i may push myself?

5. Vlog?

I did this challenge in 2022 on IG that i would post weekly posts. it’s one photo a day. i really enjoyed that. I don’t know it straight up vlogging is good because it seems like such a tall hurdle but maybe i can do what i did last year but it in reels??? it’s a mini vlog? maybe? something? anything. i didn’t think this through. i just bought a camera and hoped for the best.

6. Manage my finances

let’s try this again. i maybe will start by putting away a portion of my savings. maybe open a separate account and chuck a little bit in there and i don’t touch that unless needed. let’s start small.

7. GAMSAT

we will keep this goal on here until i have means to delete it.

i’ll be nice to myself this year and only do that much. let’s not drag this. odd numbers will make it easier to know if i succeeded.

reflection time!

i think i’ve improved a little but. not drastically though. I’m 25 now. i’m closer to 26. in 2024, i would’ve been in australia for 10 years and i have nothing to show for it.

if i dwell on this for too long then it’ll make me sad and i don’t really want to do that anymore. it’s wasteful.

i’ve improved my confidence a little bit. i’ve made friends at work. i was invited to a christmas party which was nice. i’ve stood up for myself against my family during that america trip we had. i travelled overseas this year without my parents and with planning that was done independent of them. i take photos of myself now. i’m trying to be better with my physical health by going to the gym and making sure i keep my steps up, and my mental health but not necessarily caring too much about how i look, and what i eat. maybe nonchalance is good for me.

i just hope that this year is better.

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blinder-secrets · 6 years ago

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#2 & #9 - Tommy

‘come dance with me.’ & ‘you’re blushing.’

prompt list

When you reach the Garrison, the lights are off; the door is shut, locked, and very fucking unwelcoming. Brilliant. You check your watch - it’s barely 8pm, and this is what you’re faced with. A quiet street and an empty pub. You try the handle again, out of sheer desperation, only stopping when you hear someone calling out to you.

‘You lost, love?’

You turn to the voice with a sigh, already knowing who it belongs to. Tommy stands a few feet away, smoking, and staring at you with something close to amusement. You gesture to the pub. ‘You’re closed?’

He nods. ‘Arthur’s in London.’

Groaning, you lean back on the door, tilting your face to the dull sky. All you want is a drink. Just one drink to end an already dire day.

‘Here.’ There’s a small chink of metal on metal, and when you look down again, he’s waving you aside with a key in his hand. ‘Just one, ey?’

You offer him a weak smile. ‘Thank-you, Tommy.’

He leads you into the Garrison, and tells you to lock the door behind you. You comply, feeling somewhat at ease now that you’re inside, and everything else is outside. You can pretend it doesn’t exist that way.

‘I haven’t seen you in a while,’ you comment, watching as he settles himself behind the bar. His cap sits on the top, his cigarette between his fingers, smoke twisting up and around his forearm. ‘But then, I haven’t been in town much.’

He doesn’t say anything, he just tilts his head slightly as if to say, there you go then.

Sighing, you pull the stool back and slump yourself into it. You can’t help yourself, your body is as tired as your brain feels: exhausted and miserable from the failure of the day. You’re so glad to be sitting, that you almost forget he’s stood in front of you, waiting for some sort of instruction, or order.

He clears his throat. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing.’

‘We don’t have anything for nothing.’

You pull your chin from the bar to look at him. He’s waiting for you to answer, eyes blue and bored like always. ‘Fine.’ There’s no reason to lie to him; he knows everything about everyone, he might as well hear this from you. ‘I got fired today.’

‘Ah.’ He takes a drag of his cigarette, exhaling as he turns from you. ‘That, I can fix.’ He pulls two glasses from the shelves behind, brings a bottle from beneath the bar, and pours you both an ample serving of gin. Perfect.

‘Cheers,’ you say, touching your glass to his. He watches as you take it to your lips, matching the movement until you’re drinking in sync, and then it’s gone; stinging and cool in your throat. Exactly what you needed.

‘Did you enjoy it?’ he asks, having had just a sip, his glass hanging loosely in his hand.

‘The gin?’

‘The job.’

‘Oh.’ You laugh lightly, before shaking your head. ‘No, not really. But it pays the rent.’

It paid the rent. Now, you've got nothing but half a payslip in your savings, and a handful of experience to get you something else. It’s been a long time since you’ve been this out of your depth.

‘God.’ You push your glass away and put your face into folded arms. You mutter grimly, to yourself, not to him, and he just lets you. ‘Fucking stupid. Five years and I get fired over that. It’s a fucking joke.’

When you look up again, Tommy’s stood on the other side of the room, by the record player. You hadn’t heard him move from behind the bar, but there he is. He takes another swig from his glass, abandons it on the nearest table, then fixes the pin to the vinyl. The song that plays isn’t one you know, but from the way it relaxes his shoulders you can assume it’s a good one.

‘Come on.’ He gestures for you to join him, tilting his head in your direction.

‘What?’

‘Come dance with me.’

‘Tommy, I...’ you attempt to find an excuse, but there isn’t much you can say. There’s no one else there, nothing to be embarrassed of - if he's trying to cheer you up, you may as well let him. ‘Alright, but I’m not much of a dancer.’

‘Neither am I,’ he says, the corners of his lips pulling into an almost smile.

‘I find that hard to believe.’

You slide from the stool and cross the room to him, ignoring the increase in your heartbeat as you draw close. He extends his hand for you, and you find your own fits quite nicely into his palm.

‘Is this how you solve all problems, Tommy?’ His arms wraps around your waist, hand resting on the lowest part of your back. ‘Gin and dancing?’

‘Only when I know it’ll work,’ he replies, speaking around the cigarette in his mouth.

‘Am I that easy to read?’

With his face so close to yours, you can’t stand to watch the thing bobbing between you, so you pull it from his lips and press it into the ash tray closest. He doesn’t complain, though; he just pulls you closer to him and turns, following the music as it croons through the tables.

‘I know pubs,’ he says, ‘I know the people in ‘em.’

‘And that includes me?’

He nods.

‘I don’t believe you,’ you say, letting him turn you again. ‘I think you just know misery too well. Not many people can stay blue when they’re dancing.’

You expect him to recoil, but he holds your gaze, his lips still somewhere between a smile and a line of indifference. ‘We all know misery, love.’

‘I suppose we do.’

He squeezes your hand slightly, noticing the dull note in your voice. ‘There’ll be something better,’ he says. ‘The next job will treat you right.’

You nod, though you hardly believe him, and smile. ‘Thank-you.’ The song is coming to an end, and yet neither of you are showing any will to pull apart again. The music could go on for hours and you wouldn’t complain.

Tommy sighs, looking at you through his lashes. ‘So you were lying before, ey? When you said you couldn’t dance.’

You tut and roll your eyes. If this was his attempt at charming, it was weak at best. ‘We’re hardly moving It’s more walking than dancing.’

‘You’re blushing.’

‘It’s the gin,’ you lie. You will your cheeks to cool, will your mind to ignore where his hand sits on your back.

‘The gin, ey?’ He’s finally smirking, and it was definitely worth the wait. ‘Must be very strong, that gin.’

You hum in agreement, relieved that he’s at least pretending to believe you. If he was to tease you anymore, you’d just about keel over from embarrassment. He had you blushing like he was the first to ever compliment you.

Pulling back, you face him with a smile and ask, ‘Don’t you think we should have another?’

This isn’t how you planned for your evening to go; it’s much, much, better than that.

#tommy shelby x reader #peaky blinders imagines #peaky blinders fanfic #tommy shelby #tommy x reader #prompt fic #whY CAN I NOT WRITE SHORT THINGS

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badmousestuff-blog · 6 years ago

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Is TAXATION THEFT

(SHOTS OF ME OPENING A LETTER)

Mmm Money. Oh hello there, Badmouse, I was just enjoying the sweet sweet smell of the British Payslip, nah its pretty bland, this one here’s from a job I had about 2 years ago, ah memories, memories, memories…. (Sees Tax) I’ve been stolen from.

£50 taken from me! Money that I don’t even get to decide how it gets spent, 1 vote every 5 years out of 2 preselected jerks every 5 years I wouldn’t call a great turnaround. We don’t tolerate thieves coming into our houses and stealing our prized possessions, why do we allow the Federal government to do the same?

(British Mouse appears) We don’t have a Federal Government in Britain, you poser twat.

Rational Mouse: Maybe I can be of assistance.

Its not really ‘THEFT’ though is it? Its a lot less of this “Gimmie your money, of you’ll die!” And a lot more of this “Gimme your money, and I’ll give you, Mrs Piggy Winkle.

IrM: Still Theft Buddy! If one man steals from you, is that Theft? What about 5? What if they buy the man a hamburger and give him a vote? Is that not still the…

MYOPIA ———————————————

RM: This is Myopic and Archaic guff dude

(Irrational Mouse Gasps)

This isn’t how the form of governance we now inhabit came to be anyway, its like that Who will Pick the Cotton without slaves analogy when you compare it to Roads.

Its conflating a systemic transport basis, to a generalised commodity thats sold many times over. They’re not the same thing, theres a very obvious reason why business prefers state run roads the same way industrialised economies prefer state run schools. You’re sort of neglecting why these things came to emerge in the first place. Is it it any coincidence that most of the toll roads started being gutted when Feudalism came to a close?

IrM: Who even are you?

RM: Oh, I’m RATIONAL MOUSE

IrM: So that means I’m…

(RM does the Jack Nicolson eyebrows)

IRRATIONAL MOUSE… Well thats not fair is it?

RM: Look just read the script bud, y’know how it ends

IrM: Fucking writers, you don’t do anything…

RM: Excuse me

IrM: The state has been showcased to be an incredibly inefficient, bureaucratic nightmare, that can never innovate like the market can, it wastes too much of its money, I mean have you seen the state’s attempts to be cool, they couldn’t even make a Millennium Dome profitable.

EFFICIENCY ———————————————

RM: Well you’re right on profits but apart from that its pretty much all Chicago School taft

(IrM gasps)

So many of us have a distrust for the public sector these days, its really no wonder seeing as for the past 40 years men in suits have done an active push of erasing the private sector defects by blaming the state. Quite interestingly, and surprisingly for a lot of leftists, the state sector is actually very efficient, especially when it comes to R&D.

IrM: Blow me

RM: No, I’m serious, wide spread free at the point of use services benefit amazingly from economics of scale. https://newint.org/features/2015/12/01/private-public-sector http://www.psiru.org/sites/default/files/2014-07-EWGHT-efficiency.pdf

Let me put it this way, what seems more efficient to you. Have 10 businesses all competing to not to make the best product, but to win them over to you, you can’t just ask them. In order to do that you’ve gotta come up with some snazzy designs, aesthetically pleasing logos, a funky marketing gimmick, before long you’re spending so much dough in marketing you’re not even interested in helping people, just getting yourself seen. Or You could just have one org that does all of that stuff, it doesn’t need to compete. Sounds to me like a lot of hands that could be spend doing R&D.

IrM: Thats investment not waste, besides R&D is the definition of the private sector … Yea?

RM: No. The private sector utilises R&D a lot, but effectively every piece of GPT was created in the public sector. Yes Samsung made this phone, but who made the battery that goes in it? Why is the state sector significant? TIME. Companies flock new models of these out every year to keep the money train rolling, and most importantly keep faith with their shareholders. Makes them flimsy, crappy, liable to break. But GPT takes decades not years to bring it up to commercial satisfaction. Do you really think that shareholders are gonna give you investment with the tagline of “Coming this summer. 2047”

Fact remains, we’ve had plenty of time to analyse the effects of the free-market and what we find is theres hardly any greater efficiency.

IrM: You’re really getting off topic here, okay fine businesses want roads, the market isn’t as efficient as I thought, it doesn’t mean that taxes are moral.

WHY BASE AN IDEOLOGY AROUND IT? —————————————————————

Fair enough, the government sure as hell does take my money through a warm gun doesn’t it?

But for the vast majority of us… its really small, like in my pay check I only lost 1/20th of my monthly income, and sure its annoying not being able to spend that on the latest gamer game or a lush soap but I am getting free healthcare, an education, a polli… I’m getting firemen, ROADS, libraries, Society. If thats worth £50 a month then fuck me daddy I’m ready.

(BRITISH MOUSE gasps)

Point here is, you’ve got no semblance basing your entire ideology around something so insignificant, especially when the majority of us will not be owners we’ll be workers and buyers. Now I’m no normie, I know that a lot of this just goes on corporate warfare, IMF loans, and bailouts. But I recognise that thats part of the system we live in and sadly we have to hang on to what we’ve got whilst the very government I am under is selling it all off to the highest bidder. Don’t want things getting worse do I?

IrM: Yeahh its not a significant thing to base your ideology around, but you’re not getting the point, Taxation is still THEFT!

RM: Ok.

IrM: (Puzzled) eh… No, Taxation is Theft.

RM: Well at this point does anyone care about the views of an An-cap. Come back to reality dude.

(Blinding light)

IrM: The right of a man to own his own own property is a right ordained by common natural law prerequisite to our beings here on earth, through the self-ownership of a person’s own oneself, by natural exclusivity to the creation of ethics and rule of law, as prescribed in first principles, to disagree is literal rape and medieval iceland an…

RM: Alright I get it, you want a wibbly wobbly philosophical answer. Look I could the Positive/Negative rights shit if you want, Kant and Moral hierarchies if we want, I really don’t think folks give a damn about that right now, besides theres probably better people who could do that job than me (Olly)

I think when the dust has settled it all comes down to taxes being negligible compared to what you defend.

IrM: Huh?

RM: Exploited Labour

IrM: Huh, there is no exploitation, if I want someone to pick my potatoes…

EXPLOITATION IN 45 SECONDS

A man has £10 worth of Capital, he uses this to buy raw materials. He pays a wood turner to turn this wood into a chair worth £50. For this he pays the labourer £10. The turner therefore has to make 5 chairs in this arrangement in order to buy 1 of them for himself. You don’t gotta be a genius to see theres a disconnect going on here…

Remember my old pay check? I made about £1000 a month, Now as you…

IrM: Why do you keep leaving? I’m in here?

RM: I got £1000 a month, in an average day we made £1500 worth of goods, generally there were 3 people there each day. Divided by all of us thats £500 each. Now I’m gonna be super generous and say that only half of that is profit, that brings us up to a daily average of £250, but I only saw £60. Whats going on here?

IrM: You decided to take that job…

RM: No I didn’t it beats eating ass omelettes for a living.

I’m not denying its very liberal estimate it is, but £190 is a lot of money that I literally get no say in how its spent, I’m sure a lot of it would of have to have gone back into my employment or taken out as more taxes, but its not the specific amount I’m interested in, the point is I get no say my labour power, I don’t even get a vote, best I can do is fuck my boss. If we drag this out to a month, thats £3000, I’m getting screwed. And this, this small little number, is what we consider… THEFTTTTTTTTTTTT. Those Chicago boys were good.

IrM: You can… You can start your own business…

RM: Majority will always be workers not owners.

IrM: Not if everyone decided to save up their money and open one

RM: Nobody’s going to buy your cigars if they’ve quit smoking to sell you cigars.

PAUSE

And don’t think I’d stop there, I’d consider RENT theft too, think of all the money we spend so just existing in buildings, somehow I don’t think it costs half our pay checks to have personal washing machine fixers.

IrM: But its their property

RM: O RLY?

IrM: Yes, if they weren’t allowed to do that then they wouldn’t bother, nobody would be able to find anywhere to rent

RM: And maybe if jesus had been hanged we’d all be kneeling over a fucking gibbet.

IrM: Wa.httt??

RM: Theres a reason I think why we call them American Libertarians. See if you pick up a copy of Adam Smiths stuff you’ll notice that he’s not the pastiche we think of him as. Check this out… “The landlords like any other men, love to reap where they never sowed, and demand a rent even from its nature produce” Now I’m not saying BOOM Smith’s a lefty, the point is he didn’t view Capitalism as great just because, he was looking at it based in his experience of the system as it existed in Britain.

But America has a very different history to us Anglos, the entire nation was founded upon a certain hatred of taxes, and tea.

BM: Actually it never really was about the taxes, they just wanted to own the slaves whole sale, didn’t want old money controlling the colonies so they could …

And when you take the views of this man, and throw it into the melting pot of Exceptionalism and Capital, you get all sorts of zany concepts, like the Self-Made man, The U-turned addict, the Noble Christian, and above all the cult of the founders. They’re dead, they’re not going to sleep with you, I’m sorry.

So what of it? Is Taxation theft? Sure, but its not worth basing your life around it. We all think the Capitalist process is just the general flow of life but its very recent, Medieval Ireland and Iceland don’t compare guys, and at the heart of that system is Exploitation, something that we all as a class deal with on a daily basis, and gain nothing from. One might argue, Taxes on business are a trade off for what they get from us.

I know when you first get into politics its juicy to claim theft over a little bite out of your salary, but we only see it that way because its… literally right in front of us, there isn’t a spare column that counts your total labour value. We shouldn’t get so pissed off over the pennies scraped off instead of the huge overhead.

IrM: Well, guess you got me there.

RM: The circle is complete

BM: I must say it really is a very American thing this whole Taxation, not good business isn’t it rather? RM: Well at least we don’t live in a socialist country… like FRANCE!

Yeah thats like 2, 3, 4 personas in 1 video, I could start an extended universe.

BOOM RAWRRRRRRRR

Oh what now?

I’M THE LATE FOR TRENDS GUY, FEMINISM IS CANCER!

nope nope.

WAIT, STOP, SOMEONE GIVE ME AN OPINION!

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ketso · 3 years ago

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Episode 52

Luthando

“Luthando, it is so late and you are sitting alone in the darkness. What’s wrong with you?”

My mom walks into the TV room where I am sitting on a three-seater couch in my pyjamas, enjoying the silence and darkness of 2:30am.

“Mama, I thought you were fast asleep.”

“And I thought you were resting. You were complaining about a headache not too long ago.”

“Yeah. But I can’t sleep a wink. My mind is all over the place.”

“Let me make us some tea and we can maybe talk?”

I smile her. She is such a sweetie-pie.

“Let me make you the tea, my mommy.”

I get up from the couch and make my way to the kitchen. Mama starts cutting some chocolate cake while I make us some coffee. Once the tea is ready and there is cake on side plates, mama and I settle around the table in the kitchen and enjoy our early morning snack.

“So, what’s bothering you?” She asks me.

“I just miss my husband, mama. I miss him so much. I hate that I cannot even see him. What is this punishment that he’s on that no one can go see him for three months? Three months yonke, mama?”

“Luthando -

“And at work, mama… Something is off about all these benefits that I have. No one else has these benefits where the company pays for their children’s fees. I’m the only one.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because mama, employees complain about everything. They complain about remuneration and benefits all the time. If there ever was an ungrateful race in this world, it would be the human race. If this was a benefit for all employees, someone would have found something to complain about regarding this benefit.”

“Well, George has always been proud of taking care of you financially. He would never keep that a secret.”

“Exactly mama. Which means there might be something fishy about where the money is coming from that he doesn’t want me to know about.”

“Has your husband ever made money legally or ethically? Come on, Luthando.”

A silence arises between us.

“So, why don’t you ask HR? HR knows everything. Or check your payslip and ask HR to take you through how the benefits are allocated on your payslip.” My mom suggests.

I nod my head in agreement.

“Mama, if George can arrange to still take care of us from behind bars… does that sound like someone who could be punished in prison to the extent of not having visiting or cellphone privileges? Something doesn’t add up here.”

“Why don’t you phone the correctional services and ask? They’ll give you information. You are his wife, so I’m sure they’ll be able to tell you something.” My mom says.

I nod my head again.

“You have bigger things to worry about, Luthando. UBuhle and uSlindokuhle are dating rich old men who bring them home in very expensive cars.” My mom tells me.

What?

“Excuse me?”

“I’m telling you, Luthando. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. These girls are seeking attention. They need you to be present in their lives now more than ever. I’m worried about your girls.”

“Yaz, I don’t need this in my life. I really don’t.”

“It’s the same trauma you put me through. Nawe you were like this when you met George. That’s more reason why only you can get through to them. If there’s anyone who can sort them out and help them through whatever they are going through, it’s you.”

…

I have decided to make breakfast for my kids this morning. I need to talk to these kids of mine. Bonke is the first person to come into the kitchen and he runs to hug me. My son is my favourite child at the moment. His two sisters on the other hand…

“Good morning, my boy.”

“Good morning, mommy. It smells nice in here. What are you making?”

“A full English breakfast and some pancakes.”

“Yum! We must hurry up and eat because I don’t want to eat in the car when we go to Gold Reef City”.

Now that he mentions it, he is quite dressed up.

“Who are you going to Gold Reed City with instead of spending the Saturday with your mommy?”

“My sisters.” He says.

“And whose car are you using to get there?”

“I’m not allowed to tell.” He says.

“So you keep secrets from your mommy now?”

“I’m not allowed to tell, mommy. I made a promise to my sisters. Please don’t make me tell.”

I see.

“Nobuhle! Slindokuhle! Come here, now!” I yell.

Silence.

“Nobuhle!”

“Mah, I’m coming.”

“Slindokuhle!”

“I’m here mommy”.

My daughters walk in looking like models of note. I look at them. I study them from head to toe.

“Hlalani phansi”, I say.

They sit down and dig into the breakfast.

“Kuyiwaphi?” I ask.

“Gold Reef City”, Slindo tells me.

“With who?” I ask.

They both look at Bonke.

“I didn’t tell!” Bonke defends himself.

“Your grandmother tells me that you have people coming to fetch you and drop you off after school? Care to explain?”

“They are friends, mama.”

“Friends?”

“Yes mom.”

“I’d like to meet them.”

They stare at me in shock.

“You clearly spend a lot of time with them and I would like to meet them and perhaps meet their parents.” I say.

They mumble something under their breaths.

“Excuse me?” I grab their attention.

“Nothing mah”. Slindo.

“Then there is no Gold Reef City”, I say.

There is protest - even from Bonke. I look at them, unfazed.

“Call your friends. They have thirty minutes to get here.”

After thirty minutes, two white men walk into my mom’s kitchen. One of them looks like he is about my age and the other looks - off. They give me a weird vibe. I don’t like them.

“I’m Lutha, Buhle’s and Slindo’s mother.” I extend my hand to shake their hand.

“I’m Kique Aguero”, one says to me, accepting my hand. Then he continues to say, “And I have very good intentions with your daughter, Mrs M. I love Boosh-le very much.”

I look at Buhle who we now apparently refer to as Boosh-le. She already knows that I am not impressed. He has a very strong accent as well. He sounds Spanish like Sergio.

I look at the other man in the room, extend my hand towards him and say, “And you must be?”

“I am Christopher Smith. I am best friends with Kique, so we all spend a lot of time together.” He sounds very British. I suddenly appreciate the Zakhele character that I met as Slindo’s boyfriend. I have never wished, more than right now, that he just shows up unannounced and makes whatever is about to happen not happen.

“I believe you are headed out with my kids?” I ask these gentlemen.

“Yes ma’am. It’s really for Bonke. We want him to have some fun, so we will be making this a family outing. You are welcome to join us if you wish.” Kique says.

“No thank you. Please just have my kids home no later than 7pm. I’d really appreciate that.”

They agree and leave.

I am a mother. I have teenage daughters dating men who are a bit suspicious, so I go to the one person who can help me now that my husband is in prison and thus resulting in me being a single mother.

I asked Sydney, my boss, to please meet me at the office because I really need his help. So I have just arrived in the office today to meet with him. He is already here waiting for me when I arrive. Taxis are not as quick over weekends.

“Are you alright?” He asks me as I settle in one of the chairs in his office.

“I need your help, Mr Ramagoshi. Please.”

“Okay?”

I take a sip of water.

“My daughters are dating.”

He chuckles.

“But not teenage dating. Like, they are dating people I believe are too old for them and slightly dangerous for my liking.”

He looks at me.

“I’m on my own here. I haven’t spoken to George in a very long time. I was turned away from seeing him in prison, told that he is not allowed visitors for three months. I’m not coping and I thank you for the role that you are playing in paying for my children’s fees. I know it’s not a company benefit. Thank you for that.”

He is just looking at me now, as if feeling sorry for me.

“I’ll be fine. I just need you to get rid of these boys before they send my kids to hell.”

“You haven’t spoken to George?”

I shake my head. He nods his head.

“Do you want to see him?”

I nod, getting emotional.

“I’ll make a plan. Who are these boys I need to chase away?”

“Kique, Zakhele and Christopher.”

The shock on his face!

“Kique Aguero, Zakhele Mthiyane and Christopher Smith?”

I nod my head in hesitation. I don’t know Zakhele’s surname, so I hope I’m not submitting the wrong identification here.

“I’ll sort it out. Come on, let me take you home.”

He gets his driver to drive me home. Thank God for his friendship with George. I’m so thankful. For the first time ever, I don’t feel alone.

…

George

I had another session with Sindi today and I will not lie, she keeps me alive. She makes my stay here hopeful and she gives me something to look forward to. I miss my Lutha. But she is not built like Sindi. She is soft. I’m not in a position to give her hope and strengthen her. I need to be given hope and be strengthened myself. She has her mother and unemployed family members that will help her. She will be okay.

I’m lying on my bed and SMS chatting with Sindi when my door opens and Ramagoshi walks in. I get up to shake his hand and accept him when he punches me back to my bed and sees my lip bleeding.

What the hell?

“When was the last time you spoke to your wife?” He asks me - shouts at me actually.

“What’s it to you?” I bark back because business partners or not, my wife is none of his business.

“What’s it to me?! What’s it to me?! Your daughters are running around with Kique Aguero, Zakhele Mthiyane and Christopher Smith. She has to come to me to help her parent these kids because you are more concerned about fucking Sindi instead of being a fucken husband! She’s down for you. She is worried sick about you and dealing with raising your kids! Wena you are here being a deadbeat and douche bag, fucking your residential slut!” As he shouts this, I’m falling to my bed and hanging my head in shame. My daughters are what? With who?

“Phone your wife!” He says to me.

I look at him. I’m just…

“We gave you that phone so you can still be a fucken man, not a senseless whore. You can do what you want with Sindi, but don’t you dare let Lutha suffer in exchange for whatever deal you have with your whore. Phone Luthando right now and for once in your fucken life, ask her how she’s holding up. Ask her how her day was. And actually co-parent with her!”

I am silent. I feel like crying, but him doing this to me while I’m locked up has already emasculated me.

“Next week, I’m bringing her here to see you. This shit stops now. Do you understand me?”

I just nod my head.

He leaves.

It is 10pm. I call my wife. It rings unanswered. I try again, she still doesn’t answer. Then the third time…

“Hello?” She sounds like she has been asleep.

“Mkami”, I say to her.

She is silent.

“Baby?” Is she still there?

She starts sobbing.

“Don’t do that, Luthando. Come on, my love.” This is exactly what I did not want. This is exactly why I kept her away. I cannot deal with her falling apart right now.

“Can you come and see me?”

She is still crying.

“Lutha… Mrs Maluleke, I love you. Please come and see me and come alone, okay?”

“Okay. I love you, George.” She says to me.

“Lala kahle, Mkami. I love you, baby.”

“Good night myeni wami.”

0 notes

shieldsmusic92 · 4 years ago

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So it started in my GCSE years so year 10/11. I originally wanted to be an electrician for some reason! The only reason why I would think I wanted to be an electrician is because I was told that Trade jobs are the best to have as you get paid well and it's a safe industry. By this, I don't mean I was pushed towards it as my family/people around me never pushed anything on me. I guess I didn't know what I wanted to do and just chose that, I remember my Grandad saying to me to be a decorater which I honestly could not think of anything worse.

So anyway I chose to do Electronics as one of my GCSE's which looking back, well no even then I knew it was a waste of time. The teacher did not seem to care and the only thing I remember is making a pencil holder which had little L.E.D Lights, I remember drawing up a design, I wanted it to light up and spin, my teacher said that it was possible to do and got my hopes up to then tell me half way down the line that it wasn't possible. I just think he couldn't be bothered to show me how to do it...

I don't remember the exact moment I realised I didn't want to be an electrician anymore but during my time doing my GCSE's I started listening to a lot more music and thus began my deep interest in music. I started playing guitar, going to gigs and playing in bands.

The end of GCSE's came and I went into sixth form where I studied Music Technology, I didn't know what I wanted to do career wise in Music but I just knew I wanted to be in the music industry. Learnt so much in the 2 years of studying with a great teacher. I learnt about all the technical side so how to record music but also I learnt the theory side of music like composing etc. I really wish I had started music from a young age so I could have learnt more theory based stuff about music.

After Sixth Form I went to University, Leeds Metropolitan University, where I studied Music Technology. I finally knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a sound engineer for Theatre, I am a major musical theatre fan, me and my family love going to see shows on the West End in London so this career would be perfect for me. I have to say University wasn't for me, I believe it is a hell of a lot of money and I unfortunately know a lot of people who are in the music industry who haven't studied at University. Although I developed some skills at University and learnt very few new things, I really think it was a waste of time. I did not make the most of University to be honest, I didn't have the typical student life but at least I got a degree out of it.

My first job was at Debenhams, I worked there as a part time sales advisor for 4-5 years but during University I left and started at New Look (fashion retailer) still part time but just wanted something new. I graduated from University and was set free into the real world! I worked more hours at New Look while I decided what to do with my life. I was in bands and was gigging and my dream was and still is to be in a big touring band full time so I decided against the sound engineer for theatre career as it would take up my evenings when I could be gigging but that didn't matter anyway because shit was about to go down.

I met my ex girlfriend through JoinMyBand in my final year of University, I joined her band at the time. We started dating and I stupidly moved in with her after a few months, she didn't work due to health issues and she had a child who I loved, all fine until she got worse and I quit my job to look after her full time!

Let's skip ahead 2 years because that story is for a different time maybe, maybe not.

We broke up on Christmas day 2016. I was jobless but bloody happy to be out of there.

February 2017 I started my job at New Look again except this time in a different store, luckily my old deputy heard what happened and offered me a job as she was Store Manager in the store which I worked at for about 2 years, I was so grateful to her and still am! It was here where I basically realised shit I need to get my life together now, I worked so hard and decided I would try and make it in retail, I wanted to get to the top! I progressed to Supervisor, step 1 complete. I also would like to mention that I met my beautiful wife to be here so that's another step of getting my life together complete.

After 2 years, I moved stores as working in different stores helps to progress in retail. This store was the White Rose store which I worked in after Debenhams so it was nice to be back there again. I was eager to progress but I didn't seem to be getting anywhere, October came and a position came up in York for Deputy Store Manager just Maternity Cover so I took it which was the best decision ever, as stressful as it was, I learnt so much from it.

The maternity cover contract came to an end in February and by this time COVID19 had started unfortunately cutting my time short at my next maternity cover deputy Store manager position at Doncaster, I worked there for 3 weeks then we went in to the dreaded first lockdown!

Lockdown ended and so did my maternity cover at Doncaster so I was unfortunately forced to go back to White Rose as a Supervisor but I owned it, my demeanor had changed and I had a name for myself.

Another lockdown was on the way during the Christmas period of 2020 I progressed to Sales Manager (promotion from supervisor) but only because our Sales Manager was off sick. It was all good, I was on good money and doing well for myself. Lockdown 2 came and I had a feeling that I would be stepped back down to Supervisor during this time, my January wage came through and my payslip said I was getting Supervisor wage again! Knew it...

Therefore I knew this was my time to start looking for a new job. I had done all I can at New Look I did so much for them, worked in many different stores, worked so hard but there just wasn't a higher position for me anywhere and I want to successful and just think New Look would not have been able to give me a position for a very long time especially in the current climate.

I started looking for jobs on Indeed. I applied to at least 100 jobs! I still wanted a Customer Service job as I'm good at it. I came across a job that was for a company called JHS which is a music instrument/accessory distributer, I thought oh this would be cool as its customer service based and its on music so everything I love! So obviously I applied.

We come to an end of my blog, this is what this blog is about, I went to an interview for this job, it was my first interview in a very long time....

I got the job! I officially start tomorrow, I have left retail and I am finally working in the music Industry, no it isn't the sound engineer career but to me it's better. It's Monday-Friday 9-5 all to do with music. My life now literally revolves around music and I wouldnt have it any other way!

Thanks for reading, wish me luck!

#Career #Job #Music industry #JHS #New Look #Fashion #Retail #New career #New job #Life

0 notes

mattyunijourneybrief13 · 4 years ago

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An Investigation into Potential Job Roles & Agencies - Part 1

Geographically, I would like to stay in the area of Leeds and Manchester. My family are in this area and I get homesick so at this moment in time it is not negotiable.

In terms of a dream career if I wasn’t tied down anywhere, working for Apple in California would be the ultimate aim but for now I would like to stay in England.

I also enjoy working from home; this pandemic has made me realise that it isn’t necessary to rush into an office 5 days a week, however I would like to have a mix to stay sane! I understand that at first this may not be possible however once I am established in my career this is my goal.

What would my perfect job look like?

To get a feel for what my perfect job would look like I decided to collate some imagery and create a list of what I’d like to do (I’m aware life isn’t like this but I can dream! and it will help me in my job search).

1. Laid-back office

I love laid back offices where people are dressed in their own clothes, with an aesthetically pleasing office space. Being creative helps when you are in a creative environment with art on the walls and comfy furniture, rather than offices which make you feel like a number on a payslip rather than an employee who is cared for. It is vital to get some down time and to not feel like work is na chore, so an office with a table tennis or snooker table in for example would be fantastic.

I am aware however that this is unrealistic at the moment.

2. Enthusiastic employees who are on the same page as me

I know this is asking for the virtually impossible, but I love the feeling of being in an environment with other like-minded creatives. It helps to bring everyones creativeness out of them. It would also be nice to make some new friends and socialise with them outside of work and in work too.

3. Fun UX design projects to get my teeth into

I love doing projects I love. I mean that sounds obvious, right? What I mean by that is I love doing a project on a subject that I care for or I’m interested in, or that means a great deal to people.

For example, I love the app called Be My Eyes. It is an app that has enabled blind people to get help from volunteers to ‘borrow’ their eyes and be assisted when trying to read something. For example I helped a blind person who was trying to read what was on a can. That simple gesture by me costed nothing and it helped that person. To work on a project like that would be a dream come true.

There needs to be a desire to design for someone otherwise there is no point in being a designer.

4. I want to get to the point where I don’t mind Mondays

Life is too short and living for the weekend is not what I would like to do.

5. Most if not all of the jobs I find need to be an entry level/junior role

I want to do the best job possible and I don’t feel like I am ready to take a regular role just yet due to my coding skills.

Job Role Investigation

To gain a bigger understanding the career path I can go down, I will investigate existing job roles using various websites.

1. UX/UI Designer

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/ux-designer

UX Design stands for User Experience Design, and UI Design stands for User Interface Design. UX/UI Designers are responsible for the design and development of digital applications such as smartphone applications or websites. The experience that the user has when interacting with the product is down to you. As a user of many apps, I always strive for better experiences, and I get frustrated when applications don’t deliver.

UX Designers work alongside UX researchers, who look into target users and their needs and frustrations, which the UX Designer uses to mould the experience. UX researcher is a job role that doesn’t interest me, as I like to focus on the design of the products rather than solely the research side by going out to speak to users. I would compare it to being a football referee; as a big football fan I could never become one as the urge to kick the ball would be too great for me to handle!

UX Designers work as part of a team, with their own digital team and the wider business to ensure that their products meet the needs of the clients.

Digital products are part of our everyday life now, and I would like to create services that benefit lives in some way, even if it is to save someone 10 minutes of their day by tapping on their screen instead of physically having to do something. That 10 minutes saved in their day could end up being time for them to spend doing more meaningful tasks or spending quality time with family.

UX Designers can also work with User Interface Designers, who are responsible for the design of the visual graphic user interface and its elements, such as menus, tabs and widgets. UX designers however are usually responsible for both jobs, so it comes under the same bracket.

The positive aspect of becoming a UX Designer is that coding isn’t a requirement sometimes, however it can be necessary in the long run as a lot of employers prefer their UX designers to have coding experience. The fact that I plan to learn how to code alongside my UX design job if and when I get one will work in my favour as I can start without knowing how to code as of yet.

Responsibilities

meet with clients to gather information about their requirements

propose and sketch out a range of visual concepts both on paper and using software applications

create user personas, user journeys and site maps

translate concepts into wireframes, prototypes and user flows using specialist tools such as Axure, InVision, Marvel, OmniGraffle, Visio and Sketch, as well as the Adobe product suite

work on cross-platform applications to develop user experiences covering mobile phones, tablets and computers

work collaboratively with other designers, product design and development teams, business analysts, engineers and project managers

liaise regularly with clients to ensure that designs meet their requirements and core business objectives

attend meetings to discuss and review progress on the project

run workshops for clients and internal stakeholders

work with the research team to plan and conduct remote and on-site user research and usability testing with real users to ensure the end-product design provides users with the optimum experience in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and engagement

write reports and communicate the results of your work

identify areas for improvement

redesign websites to make them more responsive

redesign or create mobile apps that are easy to use and configured appropriately for smartphones and tablets

keep up to date with technological innovations and new tools.

In a senior role that I could aim for in the future, I will need to:

ensure design standards, guidelines and best practices are adhered to

oversee research and insight projects to understand user needs

manage, mentor and support more junior members of the UX design team

ensure that all colleagues in the organisation have an understanding of UX design practices.

Salary

Starting salaries for graduate junior UX designers are typically between £19,000 and £25,000, depending on your experience and location.

Experienced UX designers can earn between £30,000 and £50,000.

Senior UX designers and consultants can earn salaries of £40,000 to £65,000 or more.

Salaries can vary depending on the sector of work, the type of employer (e.g. public or private sector), skills and experience, and the location. Salaries in London and the surrounding areas are usually higher, due to the higher cost of living there.

Salary at this moment in time is not much of an issue to me, as long as I can live from it. My main aim at this moment is to gain work experience and move up the ladder.

Working hours

The working week is (like many jobs) usually 37 to 39 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Occasionally, I will be required to work evenings and weekends to attend events, or when working on a special project with short deadlines.

Skills

To become a UX Designer, you need to have:

excellent problem-solving skills

to be a concept thinker with a keen visual awareness and willingness to learn specialist programmes

an interest in, and knowledge of, coding and design principles

effective communication skills to liaise with team members and clients to ensure that high quality end-user designs meet customer requirements

empathy with the customer so that you can understand what they want from the website/app

excellent written communication skills, with an eye for detail

design and spatial skills to gauge the usability of the website or application

an aptitude for using a logical, step-by-step approach to ensure designs are user friendly and simple for end users

a high level of concentration and resilience to stay focused on a project to the end and meet client deadlines

an open, flexible and adaptable mindset to cope with a rapidly changing set of tasks in an area of emerging, new technologies

the ability to relate well to other professionals and work in a specialist team

a willingness to keep up to date with software applications and new techniques in a rapidly changing profession.

Qualifications

Usually, to become a UX Designer I will need a degree, as well as a strong interest in the subject.

Relevant degree subjects include:

computer science

digital design/media

digital marketing

graphic design

media technology

web design.

However, having a degree isn't the only path into this field of work. It is possible to self-teach yourself the skills needed and the relevant software. It would still be beneficial and the best option for me to have a degree, though.

Career prospects

To begin, I will start as a junior, trainee or graduate UX designer. Hopefully, I can expect to be promoted to UX designer roles within two years.

After around five years' experience, I should be eligible for a role as a senior UX designer. Something I could do in the future is relocate to enhance my work opportunities, as UX is a worldwide career. For now though, I would like to stay in England.

2. Graphic Designer

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/graphic-designer

If I can not find a UX or UI design job, I have experience as a graphic designer and currently have a job as one, so this is something that I can fall back on hopefully.

A graphic designer is responsible for creating digital and printed visuals for clients. Work can vary from layout design such as posters, magazines, websites etc. to branding, illustration, packaging design etc.

A designer works to a brief set by the client, and will have set deadlines to meet. The job responsibilities will involve making more than one idea for the client to choose from. The job demands someone with creative talent that can come up with a design instantly, as well as being organised by sticking to deadlines.

Responsibilities

meeting clients or account managers to discuss the business objectives and requirements of the job

estimating the time required to complete a job and providing quotes for clients

developing design briefs that suit the client's purpose

thinking creatively to produce new ideas and concepts and developing interactive design

using innovation to redefine a design brief within time and cost constraints

presenting finalised ideas and concepts to clients or account managers

working with a range of media, including computer-aided design (CAD), and keeping up to date with emerging technologies

proofreading to produce accurate and high-quality work

demonstrating illustrative skills with rough sketches and working on layouts ready for print

commissioning illustrators and photographers

working as part of a team with printers, copywriters, photographers, stylists, illustrators, other designers, account executives, web developers and marketing specialists.

Salary

Starting salaries for junior graphic designers are in the region of £15,000 to £19,000. Once you've gained some experience, salaries can rise to £27,000.

At a middle level, you can expect to earn £25,000 to £35,000.

Salaries for senior graphic designers or creative leads range from £35,000 to £55,000. A creative director can make £60,000+.

As a freelancer, you can earn between £200 and £400 a day with experience. You'll be able to charge more once you have an impressive track record and recommendations.

Again, salary doesn’t mean much to me at this stage, however looking at my long term future, I would be better off becoming a UX Designer as that is what I am aiming to do.

Working hours

Working hours are typically 37 hours a week, usually with some flexibility around start and finish times. Like most design jobs, I would have to work extra hours when deadlines are approaching. This isn’t a problem, as I am interested in design so I would most likely be doing something design related at home anyway.

What to expect

It's likely you'll be based in a shared studio as some jobs involve working in teams, although you may also work alone on occasions. If you're a freelancer you could share offices, rent studio space or work from home.

Design work often involves sitting and working at a computer for long periods of time.

Job satisfaction comes from creating high-quality artwork and building a reputation.

Jobs are available in major cities and towns, with advertising agencies predominantly based in London, the South East, Manchester and Leeds. There's also a demand for British graphic designers internationally with opportunities in Europe, Japan, Australia and the USA, but it's advisable to work in the UK for a year before seeking work abroad.

Although work is mostly studio-based, travel within the working day to meet clients may be required. Working away is rare.

Qualifications

Relevant subjects for graphic design work include those that involve visual arts. In particular, a degree or HND in the following subjects may increase your chances:

3D design

communication design

film and television

fine art

graphic design

illustration

photography

visual art.

A large majority of graphic designers have degrees, so it is beneficial to have one. It isn’t essential however it is better to have one in terms of getting your foot in the door with agencies.

Skills

passion and enthusiasm for design, with a creative flair

a flexible approach when working in a team

excellent communication skills to interpret and negotiate briefs with clients

good presentation skills and the confidence to explain and sell ideas to clients and colleagues

time management skills and the ability to cope with several projects at once

accuracy and attention to detail when finalising designs

being open to feedback and willing to make changes to your designs

effective networking skills to build contacts.

Work experience

When starting out in Graphic Design, an internship or work placement experience is really useful. It can give you the experience you need to then move onto a paid job, as well as gathering a reference who can recommend you to future employers.

Career prospects

Initial progression from a junior graphic designer usually happens in two or three years. You can progress if you network and grow your reputation through your social media channels and your portfolio.

I may be eligible to apply for a senior design position after three to five years. Another positive of this career is that with my design degree and design experience, I will be able to transfer between graphic and UX Design if needed/possible as the two career paths are linked.

To gain more insight into how to become a UX Designer, I looked at a case study that I found interesting:

UX Design Case Study: Senior UX Designer, Polly Fullerton

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/case-studies/senior-ux-designer-polly-fullerton

Polly studied English Language at University, which is interesting as it shows there is another route that can be taken; you don’t necessarily have to study the subject at university.

Her degree benefitted her by giving her the communication skills needed to meet designers. Combined with independent learning, she moved into UX Design.

Her path began at a company called THG as an SEO manager. She began this job after graduating, and after 6 months she decided that she didn’t want to continue, and instead become a UX Designer.

Luckily for her, she was inside a company so she had the opportunity to move within it. It is crucial to get your foot in the door somewhere; everything gets easier once that first step is made.

To learn UX, she used online courses and went to meet-ups to improve her design skills and climb up the ladder. Once she got up to speed, she made a pitch to the UX manager at her company, and she was taken on as a junior UX designer. Since then, she has gone on to work for comparethemarket.com, firstly as a mid-weight UX designer and now as a senior UX designer.

She says that her typical work day is starting at 8:30am, and finishing at 5pm. However, her company is flexible with deciding work hours or working from home. Usually her day consists of design work such as sketching and making prototypes, as well as being in stakeholder meetings and design reviews.

Her degree is relevant because using clear language is crucial in UX design, when presenting to stakeholders and clients.

Her role as a junior and mid-weight designer consisted of her supporting more senior team members on their projects. As a senior designer she now takes on her own projects, which makes sense as a natural progression. Being a senior designer she says brings more responsibility but more freedom.

Here is the advice she has given to others who want to get into UX design:

Don't be put off if you don't have a technical background - some of the most brilliant UX designers I know transitioned into the industry from something totally different.

Make the most of free UX resources before committing to a paid course - it's amazing what you can learn on your own.

Try and get in touch with established UX designers, especially via local meet-ups

I will ensure that I (when possible) can engage in meet-ups, as this is what I feel I personally lack; I am quite a shy person so I need to get out there and network.

Job Opportunities & Design Agencies I like the look of

1. UX Design Graduate Trainee Scheme

https://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/trainee-schemes-and-apprenticeships/trainee-schemes/ux-design

This opportunity sounds perfect for me, as although I feel confident enough in designing user experiences, I don’t know a coding language and the fact that this role is a trainee scheme I feel like I can network as well as work at such a reputable institution as the BBC. If they don’t offer coding help however, I will still have the time to use a Udemy course outside of work to gain the skillset that way.

First of all, the location is perfect. I like the professionalism and aesthetic of MediaCity; it is an attractive place to work. The scheme starts in September 2021 which I am accustomed to after doing 3 years of university so it would give me a summer break which I would like to have to rest mentally and prepare.

I would like to join a team of people like me who are just starting out in their UX career, rather than with more experienced people and being the only one who is beginning their journey. What I mean by that is that there will be more than one trainee there (it looks like a group of 6 from their instagram account) so I can work alongside them as well as with the more experienced people at the BBC, rather than jumping in at the deep end.

I like to work in teams of people who are just as passionate as me in the subject, and I don’t feel like there is a better opportunity than to work at the BBC. The BBC as an institution is seen as the pinnacle in the UK amongst many British people, so I am aware it will be tough to gain a place. However, I am optimistic and I believe in my ability to get where I want to get to, whether that be at the BBC on this trainee scheme or another pathway.

The UX Design Graduate Trainee Scheme is a one year programme, where on successful completion you will automatically move into a role in the UX&D team.

They like people who are:

enthusiastic about what they do, and a delight to work with

motivated and full of ideas

geeky about design

geeky about technology

I tick every box!

The job involves rotating across a range of products – from iPlayer to News, from Sport to CBeebies.

I will be working on real projects with senior members of UX, as well as technical and editorial teams from across the BBC. Along the way I will gain unparalleled experience with user research, information architecture, content analysis, interaction design, visual design, prototyping and much more.

The job application requires a portfolio as will every other design job, so I will need to make sure mine is the best it can possibly be.

2. Bolser Design Agency

https://bolser.co.uk

Bolser are a digital design agency based in Leeds that have been in business since 2001. They have developed from a direct-response marketing business to a digital agency.

They build websites, apps and content management systems for clients such as Microsoft, Xbox, McDonald’s, EE, Discovery, AIG, Taco Bell, Jet2, Battersea Power Station and KFC.

What I like about Bolser is that their ethos is putting the customer first. I know that sounds simple but when I design the user is the most important person.

Also, the perks are incredible. It sounds like a close-knit team environment:

The office itself looks industrial and spacey which is what I like too:

My favourite projects of theirs are:

McDonald’s App

Bolser helped to increase awareness and utilisation of the My McDonald’s app in the UK, through app store optimisation. In a three month period they were able to impact massively on the utilisation of the app.

App Store ratings for the app increased from 3 stars to 4.8 stars.

EE App Redesign

They used the latest usability software, including eye tracking. They also removed any unnecessary content, creating a visual hierarchy that mapped with the user priorities.

Sadly they don’t have any jobs at this moment in time but they will be hearing from me in the future there is no doubt about that. As it says in the text below, they want to hear from enthusiastic digital people, and I certainly would class myself as that. It is better to try than not to try. The fact that it is in the heart of Leeds is hugely attractive to me, as Leeds is my home where I grew up.

3. Lucky Duck

To look for some more agencies in and around the Leeds area, I looked at a website called clutch:

https://clutch.co/uk/agencies/ui-ux/leeds

I like the fact that they include service focus, and put percentages to show you if the role you want to do is important to them. For example, Lucky Duck are an agency that have full focus on UI/UX Design, which would be ideal for me.

I decided to look at Lucky Duck first, and the website was fantastic on first viewing. The user experience was slick and easy to use.

If an agency has a sufficient website it tells me that they are a serious agency that has high standards, which is attractive to me as a designer and potential future employee.

I love the simple layout of their portfolio. The main reason I love it so much is the simple fact that the work is parallel to each other but lower on the right hand side, as we read from left to right. This is a something I would like to add in my own personal portfolio. It may seem like a small difference, but it really helps me when I am reading each piece of work.

The project that stuck out to me was the app they did for SOLUS+. They were responsible for creating the user experience for a smart heating mobile companion app, and the design and build of an eCommerce store.

The app includes a lot of smart features, which helps the user to manage their heating more effectively, and to save money as well as reducing their impact on the environment, which is a very important aspect of life in 2020.

Like many agencies, jobs are hard to come by, but they have a contact us page that looks simple and friendly. I will certainly get in touch in the near future for a job opportunity whenever one comes available.

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homeandsunsets · 7 years ago

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You saw someone you know graduated with a latin honor, she/he posted it and it got hundreds of likes and comments of praises

you saw someone you know, posting lots of fancy travel photos, going here and there every year

then there’s an acquaintance, looking good in his/her corporate clothes, looking all professional and successful, itsurang big time

then you saw someone you know, who just bought an expensive stuff: a bag, shoes or a car

then there’s a girl who got a slim body, rocking her different OOTD’s

and there’s a classmate who does everything she/he wants bec his/her parents support it morally and financially

or you saw a friend who just got married, finally that friend found the one, they seem happy and beautiful together

then you saw someone who’s starting to have kids

then there’s this someone who seems to be so talented and active, who’s in his/her IG posts, has been into a lot of sports and work outs lately

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH THESE THINGS. Ok. haha I’m writing this not bec people with positive things happening in their lives should be put into a bad light. This is for friends who are in constant battle with thoughts of “not being enough”

Watching people, observing through social media and even looking into my own heart, we all crave for acceptance and value aren’t we? And we often look for our worth on things like our education, honors awards, academic grades, career, salary and relationships. After seeing these people’s lives, we question our value, we compare what they have to what we have. Sometimes, we are the biggest bullies to our own selves, when other people seems to be winning in life, we tell ourselves that we are the losers here. When the reality is, WE. ARE. NOT. IN. A. COMPETITION.

When we see good things from others, we want to have that too, and when we can’t have it, we feel depressed and inadequate. But the surprising part here is, when we finally get what other people have, do we feel satisfied? The sad answer is NO. That’s when it becomes tiring. It’s like we’re putting ourselves in an unending competition. Plus we fix our eyes on getting adoration and importance too much that we forget all the good things that we have. And by seeking these things, the pleasure and value that we get is short-lived. Temporary and shallow. That’s why when ugly things happen, like failure or rejection, we can’t handle it well.

Seeing this kind of growing culture and norm, I’m not surprise with the number of people suffering from depression and insecurity. Though it’s not a surprise, it still bothers me every time. So i’ll try to start helping through my own little way here :D

Income

Education

Awards

Job title

Appearance

Relationships

The truth is, these are all changing and these things doesn’t and shouldn’t define us. These things should’t be the reason of our inner joy and satisfaction.

If these things are the things that’s keeping us happy, indeed, we have a problem. Why? For example, making your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse's love for you as your source of life and joy is going to be really tiring. Because people are flawed. Even if they love you, they are not perfect, therefore, in some ways, they’ll hurt you even when it’s not their intention, they’ll have shortcomings, just like you do.

“If I have a good career and high paying job, that’s when I’ll finally feel happy and secure. I’ll shout it loud and clear for the world to know. And I’ll feel good about myself. ” What if that dream job and salary never comes? Or what if it happen after 10 to 20 years from now, are you going to waste 10 to 20 years of your life being depressed and insecure?

“I should be the number one pupil in my class. I can’t afford to fail that goal bec if I do, I’ll feel stupid and worthless.” And then you graduated and fell at the top 3 spot. Paano na? Then you graduated and faced even bigger dilemma than being the best in class. You’ll discover that in the corporate world, grades will only matter during your application, but your worth to the company is going to be another story. You’ll need to prove yourself, again and again and again.

We shouldn’t make our world revolve on worldly things. It can never, ever, satisfy our heart and our soul. Sometimes, even when we get things that we want, that empty feeling will still come. We would never feel satisfied.

1 John 2:15: Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Am I saying that we shouldn’t dream to have a better life? No. I myself have dreams that I pray for. Material things, achievements, titles and relationships are God’s blessings. All good things come from Him and should be offered to Him. He is a generous God. And He is not just generous, He is also the creator of everything that is in this world, there is nothing that He CAN’T give.

Psalm 84:11: For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Good things on earth are all blessings. And these blessings, such as beautiful relationships, career, income, education, or even appearances, these are gifts, these ARE NOT MADE TO BE WORSHIPED. When it becomes our world, when it becomes to be the MOST WORTHY thing for our heart and mind, when we exert our most effort and we give so much thoughts about these things more than what we give to God, that becomes idolatry and that also create problems.

As mentioned in Psalm 84:11, favor and God’s promises are for those who obey His will. Because aside from the fact that God is love and generous, He is also Holy and Just. We have to do what we ought to do (That’s why reading the Bible IS VERY IMPORTANT! We shouldn’t just rely on our church leaders for our spiritual food)

And here’s one of my most favorite verses in the Bible that I would like to share with you, it’s in John 1:12, it says:

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

What a privilege! I hope from here, we’ll be informed and reminded of WHO WE ARE and of where we should put our importance once we receive Jesus in our hearts. Our worth and purpose is not found from anything or anyone else, but in Jesus. When we finally grasped God’s sovereignty and great love, it’s liberating.

As John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

If that isn’t love, so what it is?? Parang kanta lang. Haha. Accepting God’s love through Jesus, will finally free us from the changing and tiring world because we now have an unchanging and reliable God, who sees us as a precious child, we are valuable to Him, whatever status it is that we have, whatever amount we have on that payslip, even we’re an average student, even if we’re not an achiever, even if we are simple and shy type person, EVEN IF WE SEE OURSELVES AS WORTHLESS it doesn’t change how God sees us, to Him WE ARE WORTHY. He loves us beyond our flaws, our sins and shortcomings. He LOVES us all the same, we are beautiful in His eyes for we are His creation. Our possession or title on earth won’t stop Him from wanting us to know Him and be with Him. Isn’t that beautiful and securing? To have someone so dependable and someone who loves us UNCONDITIONALLY ♥

And since He loves us so much, we should also understand that He wants our highest good, that’s why we experience struggles, trials and discipline. Whatever it is that’s happening, beautiful or ugly, take heart and let’s fix our eyes on Jesus and what He did on the cross. He never promised a pain and hardship free life, but He promises to be our strength and joy and peace. That’s more than enough! Because all of us experience hardships and imperfections, that is common and inevitable to us all, but where we draw our hope and strength is what makes us different.

So it’s definitely not going to be a smooth sailing all the time, that’s why we need Jesus who can sustain us. The joy and peace that comes from Him is a kind that we can never get in the world.

John 15:9-11: As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

I hope that whenever you feel empty, unworthy, undesirable, unwanted, or not good enough, you’ll seek God more and His grace. Your worth and my worth is in His hands. Even if the world thinks that we are not worthy, we have a powerful back-up up there in heaven, a loving father who thinks otherwise. He wouldn’t sacrifice His only son, if we’re not worth it right? He wouldn’t do such a big sacrifice if He doesn’t love you and me. And it’s time to accept and embrace that love. From there, little by little, we’ll understand Him and He’ll reveal himself to us more and more each day. God’s miracles are endless! ♥

#spilled words #scripture #depression

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5llowance · 5 years ago

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It's been a year since I left China (as a Software Engineer) via /r/China

It's been a year since I left China (as a Software Engineer)

Hey there all,

I've posted my China experience here .

I just wanted to explain how my life changed and I also would like to inspire some of you who are looking for an exit strategy.

What I did after leaving China?

I traveled. I honestly needed some time to relax and cleanse my mind. I mostly traveled in Asia. Pretty much all the East Asia + South East Asia (with exception of some remote countries like Timor Leste; but I've even been to Brunei). I'd also say this, after traveling in Asia; I had to go back to China to de-register my residence permit and collect my social insurance money. Instead of waiting for that in Shenzhen, I "illegally" checked out from my hotel and took a flight to Shanghai with my passport being held in Shenzhen Police.

My insurance money was worth about 1.5 months of my salary (after working for about a little longer than a year). So if you're working in a decent company, where you're contributing to Social insurance. Do not forget to claim your money back! Unfortunately it comes with a delay, so you need to claim it at least a month later than your last payslip; otherwise you won't be able to get your last salary's social insurance contribution.

Anyway, I visited Shanghai with no passport, aside from one hotel refusing to accept my official Passport Receipt as a valid ID (which is what I used to travel in a plane + train); I had no problems. I liked Shanghai, I think it's the best city in China. They even this system where you can put your name on some sort of "foreigner list" and they allow free flowing vodka + bourbon all night long (although they say it's fake *cough cough*). Regardless, I found their taxis dirtier and more expensive; accommodation is even more expensive, but quality of life seemed higher than Shenzhen. The food is definitely much better. I remember buying a beef BBQ skewer for 10 RMB and for the first time it felt like a tender juicy beef. When I went back to Shenzhen to collect my passport and leave China for good I've met with a friend and she told me maybe if I stayed in Shanghai, I would've liked China more and still stayed. Maybe... Who knows, but hey; keep this in mind. If you're definitely moving to China, make sure it's Shanghai, not Shenzhen! Do read the letters carefully and don't mix them up!

Moving on, after some travel. I decided that the easiest option would be to try US out. This time I knew for sure what I was going to do. First travel in the US, go to the cities based on my research, and how likely that I'd like them. I was also hunting jobs on LinkedIn. I basically changed my location on LinkedIn and ticked "let recruiters know that I'm looking for an opportunity" button somewhere.

I traveled to NYC area (inc NJ side); Texas state and California state. I already knew Washington state and didn't really like there that much. Totally I've been to 5 tech cities (NYC, Austin, SF Bay Area, LA and San Diego). I liked NYC and LA the most. The others not so much. But when I was in those cities I'd change my location on LinkedIn and see how many messages I'd receive. SF Bay area, was exceptionally the winner. Some days I'd just get 5-6 messages, and most of them would at least want to schedule a phone interview. Funnily, even before arrival to SF, I've changed my location to SF and got a recruiter contacting me. I've scheduled the phone interview a week prior my arrival to SF and they wanted to see me in person. I've met with them when I was in SF and the next day they handed me an offer! Paying USD 150k per year + %20 annual bonus, in total $180k Total Comp.

I've still had LA and SD to visit at the time. But It got me thinking, I was able to get $15k USD a month job by interviewing only for 2 weeks; comparing to China where I could only get 35k RMB a month job from Alibaba by interviewing for...ever(seriously i think it took like 4 months).

Anyway, at the end of my trip; I decided SF Bay Area. I actually still arranged an interview for NJ area (Hoboken was a nice area). Because the company was nice, and the salary was comparable to the Bay Area; but without an offer it meant nothing. The reason why I chose the Bay Area was, because it'd be easier to get a good offer in a quick time, so that I wouldn't spend more time on other cities trying to look for a job. The next thing was, despite reading all the negative stuff about the Bay area, it wasn't too bad. Coming from Shenzhen, I knew what truly meant an expensive housing was (relative to your salary). The food was expensive, but not as expensive as Hong Kong. Still groceries were relatively similar pricing to other US states (well to be frank Texas was really cheap; I'd say it's much cheaper to live in Austin than Shenzhen). Plus if I get a good paying job it'd be easier for me to negotiate higher salary on cheaper cities.

So I decided to stay in Airbnb on 10-15 day basis; while interviewing like crazy. Yes, my LinkedIn was full of messages. Everyday I'd arrange phone interviews. In 2 weeks time, I scheduled all of my phone interviews and some days I'd literally be on the phone interviewing 9 to 5. I also took a 5 hour flight to NJ too to interview.

Here I want to add this, I've actually found that living in China somewhat made me a "cool person" during my interviews. Most companies I've interviewed had at least one Chinese person interviewing me and wanting to know more about my experience (some also found it weird, worded it like; I left my country for a better life; but you went there for a worse life?). Also non Chinese people also found it interesting, it's not like the other dude who lived in the UK. Some wanted to hear "terrifying" stories, some wanted to hear "positive" stories; but regardless of all. No-one really said "meh, just another guy who came from China". So I cannot stress the fact that, you living in China was indeed an invaluable experience, and you can definitely sell this in the US.

At the end it was around thanksgiving and I was receiving my offers. I think I've got about 6 offers at the end. I won't be listing all of the offers but I'll just post two of them that I was seriously considering of.

One of them was in the Bay Area, paying approximately $275k with stock options and paying another $85k signing bonus. I repeat this again $85k signing bonus is 600k RMB. This amount is paid to me just signing my employment contract. In China I couldn't even get a job paying 600k RMB, yet here; I am getting $85k for just signing a contract.

The other one was in NJ, nice Hoboken area. I really liked the area; it was cheaper place to live, much better lifestyle. I mean you could get a metro ride to Manhattan in 10 minutes. It was paying $225k with stock options; and paying another $20k signing bonus. They actually offered that, they're willing to increase the numbers when I told them I'm going with the other company. So I'd say they could easily go $240k with stock options and increase signing to $40k.

So here I am, sitting with an offer paying me $30k USD per month in the US; yet my worthiness was only 35k RMB per month in China.

Sure thing, I pay more taxes here but remember 1 USD is 7 RMB. Here I can buy a mango for 1 USD, unlike in China for 5-6 RMB. Here I can buy half a kilo of bananas for 40-50 cents. In China they're 4 RMB. So from fruit&vegetables; they cost similar. Beef, milk, cheese and yogurt is definitely cheaper here.

Eating out is more expensive here for the dollar value. That's for sure. But comparing that with your purchasing power, here is definitely cheaper. In China, I'd think twice to eat that Xibei franchise beef with bones, cause it'd cost me 120-130 RMB to eat. Here I can just go to some random Mexican restaurant and order beef bistec, or carne asada plate for $14-15; add taxes and tips that's $20 final bill. If I'd go to SF I could always go to some Vietnamese restaurant and eat some nice filling real beef salad with tips+taxes for $17-18. Sure these are the lower end stuff. I've also tried a bit fancier stuff for $40-50. Like once I went on a date and we paid around $50 per head.

I think the limit here is, or the like for like comparison is; going to a random Western restaurant on Friday night in China would be equivalent to going to a Michelin star restaurant here. Which I did and it cost me $220 for a 7-8 course meal (including sprinkled gold flaked wagyu beef).

Here I pay $2500/month for the rent, that's my biggest expense. After bills it's around $2800 per month. I'd say the location is much better here than Shenzhen, at least I'm 15 minutes drive away from my office. In Shenzhen, if I wanted 15 minute commute I'd pay around 7500 for the rent + extras 8000 RMB per month.

So aside from the rent difference (1150 USD vs 2800 USD approx 2.5 times more) I barely spend anything that significantly different on regular basis.

I also want to say my quality of life has drastically increased. I feel like I leveled up in life. I never worry about what I'm spending money to and can still save more money than my whole salary in China.

I know that we have a recession within a following month or two; but once the US recovers, I think it wouldn't harm to give it a go and get an offer here.

The worst case for me was to take that $180k offer (which only took me 2 weeks to get it); which is half of my salary. It still offers much better lifestyle than what I've got in China.

I hope I can inspire some of you who are stuck in China and unsure about the exit strategy.

Peace out& stay safe.

Submitted May 03, 2020 at 02:55AM by sarp_kaya via reddit https://ift.tt/3bUy1vo

#IFTTT #reddit

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brownsugar-k · 5 years ago

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UNO:

>>> When I graduated, I just decided to rest for a week & while taking a break I was sending resumes online already. Hence, bestfriend ko si Mareng Lina ng Jobstreet & JobsDB that time. I was so ambitious, hence I told myself that my first work should be in Makati so I can experience the real deal of Ayala Avenue. And because I needed money that time, I actually tried to apply first in a call center. Booming kasi either Nurse at Call Center when I graduated last 2009, kaya I took a gamble to apply in a call center company kahit hindi ako magaling mag-english talaga at mahiyain pa ako nun. But, God has His ways talaga to have me experience it. Oo, experience lang kasi six (6) months lang ang tinagal ko sa kumpanyang iyon. Why? Because to be honest, when I graduated I am not aware that call centers has two (2) types either: LEGAL companies or ILLEGAL companies -- yung tipong fly by night ang datingan. Unfortunately, and I am not proud but I got hired in an ILLEGAL CALL CENTER as my first job. At first, I didn't noticed anything because everything is fresh and new to me. My shift was 3AM (hinahatid pa ako ng tatay ko sa labas ng subdivision kasi madaming asong gala) till 12NN to cater USA clients. Training was normal for me that time hence they taught me to speak in an American accent & know American ways about life. My training only lasted for a month then we are asked to go on board already. I can remember my first day in the floor, I was holding my notes and xerox copies of spiels plus my headset. It was an outbound account, so we are calling out clients in states to cater grants & help them out to apply then they need to pay a ONE-TIME amount so we can send them a package. For 6 months it was easy with me, thus we do not have any quota daily hence I believe that I can help by talking to them. So, that time it was a good start for me and my boss is starting to notice me because everyday he can hear me say 'is it a Visa or a Mastercard' --- boom which means SALES! Then my pay that time is good & I used to tell my friends in college to try it to earn more. Thus, as a chismosa I am, I noticed in my payslips there are NO DEDUCTIONS at all and I already thought that there's something going on this company. I went to HR --- only too find out that our HR is only three (3) people which I dont know how they handle us. But I came to them to ask why I dont have any tax deductions (oo, masama akong tao pero mabait ako sa bansa ko). Then the HR guy answered, "wala talaga yan, lahat naman kami wala". I am a business graduate and in my thesis wayback college we processed SEC and tax so I know there should be tax deductions. So, I let it go. On my sixth (6th) month, I spoke to a client (using old leads) which I caught him in his hospital room. Bakit alam ko na nasa hospital siya? Kasi I can hear that aparato na may toot-toot ba un for the pulse, basta yun plus the guy admitted that his in the hospital when I called him. As far as I know, I handled the call very well because yung TL ko nag-barge in na sa call ko to help me out. So, I asked muna if its ok na tumawag ako sakanya then the guy said 'ok' then he asked why am I calling daw. Then I explained that Im from so-and-so company to help him out in applying grants specially his in the hospital right now, so medical assistance from the government can help him that time. I explained it well plus the payment deduction then he said 'ok I will do it', so BOOM another SALE! I processed his payment & assured him that he will be receiving his package within 3-5 business days so he can start in applying for grants for his medical needs. He was so nice to me & he said thank you for helping him out. After the call, my boss shouted that I have a sale from a garbage leads to motivate others to have sale too. I was so happy that time because I know that I helped him out. Then at the end of my shift, I asked my boss to kindly monitor my sale to check if the package was delivered to him, until my boss answered "no need to ffup, kasi wala naman sila marereceive ang importante satin is ma-swipe natin yung cards nila na automatic na 6months subscription at hindi one-time payment --- so dont worry & give me more sale" then he tapped my head after saying those. When I heard those words, nag-susuper siyan na yung loob ko sa galit. My Mum died recently hence Im sensitive about illness and all I said to the nice guy was all a LIE then I cannot understand whats going on. I talked to one of my close colleague to explain to me everything. Because when the product was introduced to me during training was: GRANTS is for every American citizen who needs a personal, car, home or medical loans. For them to be able to get that loan they need to apply so thats the time we come in to help them out. We should be the one who will send them a package to teach them how to apply with steps and how to convince a grant approval officer to approve their applications & etc. Yet, that afternoon after shift I went home crying and that same day I sent my resignation to my boss as immediate because I dont want to be part of an illegal company. And my boss approved it. After I got my backpay I never heard anything from them -- thus all I heard from my old OM (friends kasi kami sa FB) that they are still operational pero pa-iba iba nalang ng name para hindi mahuli. But all I know madaming na-raraid sa may Rufino Makati (near Lyceum). Oh ayan, sinabi ko na kung saan kaya if you are applying for a job do not go to Rufino side. Kidding.

TAKE AWAY - yes, malaki ang bayad sa call center pero double or triple check if the company is legal or illegal before anything else.

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kerahlekung · 5 years ago

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Din nak kembali ke UMNO...

Din nak kembali ke UMNO....

Menurut Tun Mahathir, apa yang mahu dilakukannya ialah mendapatkan kembali parti Bersatu yang dirasakannya telah dirampas daripada beliau melalui penipuan dan pengkhianatan. “Dan apa yang Tun mahu lakukan selepas berjaya dapatkan semula (Bersatu)?” tanya Khalid Samad lagi kerana melihat kesungguhan Tun Mahathir mahu melaksanakan usaha tersebut. “Adakah Tun ingin Bersatu kekal dalam PN (Perikatan Nasional) atau menyertai kembali PH (Pakatan Harapan)?” Tun Mahathir kemudian menjawab: “Kembali kepada PH”. Dengan pendirian berterus-terang Tun Mahathir itu bermakna, pemilihan Bersatu yang bakal diadakan selepas 30 Jun nanti sudah pasti merupakan “pertembungan hidup dan mati” antara beliau dengan Muhyiddin Yassin. Berikutan Tun Mahathir sudah diisytiharkan menang tanpa bertanding sebagai Pengerusi Bersatu dan Muhyiddin pula bakal dicabar oleh Mukhriz Mahathir bagi jawatan Presiden, ini bermakna memenangkan anaknya dalam persaingan tersebut adalah fardu wajib dan kemestian bagi tujuan beliau dapat menguasai kembali parti itu. Tidak cukup dengan itu, untuk menguasai kembali Bersatu juga, kalau pun pasukannya tidak mampu memenangi kesemua jawatan yang dipertandingkan, setidak-tidaknya penguasaan secara majoriti kerusi MPT adalah sangat perlu. Kalau tidak, hasrat Tun Mahathir untuk mengusai kembali Bersatu tidak akan berjaya dan sia-sia.

Sekaligus, dengan hasrat Tun Mahathir mahu menguasai semula Bersatu dan membawanya kembali menyertai PH, tugas berat juga sedang menanti Muhyiddin dan pasukannya dalam pemilihan parti nanti. Kalau Muhyiddin menang berlawan dengan Mukhriz dan pasukannya dapat memenangi majoriti jawatan yang dipertandingkan, barangkali tidak ada apa-apa akan berlaku kepada Bersatu, kedudukannya sebagai Perdana Menteri dan status parti itu dalam PN. Paling-paling pun Tun Mahathir akan terus membuat bising dan melakukan gangguan kepada Muhyiddin dan PN seperti mana yang dilakukannya sekarang. Tetapi, bagaimana jika Muhyiddin tewas dan pasukan Tun Mahathir dapat menguasai kembali Bersatu? Kalau itu berlaku dan Tun Mahathir akhirnya membawa semula Bersatu menyertai PH, manakala Muhyiddin pastinya tidak setuju dengan tindakan tersebut, pilihannya baginya ialah keluar parti dan menjadi Ahli Parlimen Bebas. Tidak pelikkah, khususnya di mata UMNO yang memiliki jumlah Ahli Parlimen paling banyak, seseorang yang tanpa parti terus menjadi Perdana Menteri? Maka, ke mana arah tuju Muhyiddin selepas itu? Adakah bellau akan memilih untuk menyertai UMNO? Dan jika ditakdirkan Zahid Hamidi dan Najib Razak akan menghuni penjara kemudiannya atas kes masing-masing yang sedang dibicarakan, apakah Muhyiddin akhirnya akan menjadi Presiden UMNO dalam pemilihan parti itu tahun 2021 nanti? - ShahbudinHusin

Ekonomi Telur Retak Dan Beras Kilo...

Bila PM kata dia benarkan pengeluaran KWSP selama setahun untuk atasi masalah kewangan sebab Covid-19, bagi saja ia adalah satu penyelesaian band-aid. Yang betul-betul backup tindakan PM itu dan rasa ia satu tindakan yang bijak ia nya hanya membenarkan statistik dari Pakar Ekonomi yang kata 9 dari 10 rakyat Malaysia tiada walaupun RM 1000 dalam simpanan tu yang mereka rasa seronok\lega boleh keluar duit simpanan masa tua sendiri. Tapi itu okay lagi, bila boleh keluarkan KWSP walaupun kurang dari 10K, masih ada juga duit. Yang tak ada KWSP macam mana? Yang berkerja dengan majikan konon2 Islamic, tapi socso, kwsp, insuran dia lepas tangan, hangpa nak cekau duit mana? Tu belum masuk yang kerja gaji hari atau berniaga tak ada simpanan? Makan pun based on duit rolling berniaga. Ni kalau 2 minggu tak berniaga nak makan duit rolling apa? Tu sebab yang hak ada KWSP ini depa bukan cakna bab orang yang lagi susah dari depa; janji ada payslip boleh cagar wat beli Y15 kan? Hangpa tahu tak ada satu herarki masyarakat paling bawah yang beli telur yang dah retak, beli beras pun sekilo untuk sekali masak? Yang pakai air tapis bayar RM 20 sen satu liter padahal mesin tu tak pernah service bertahun dan potensi nak dapat sakit lagi tinggi dari minum direct dari paip? Masyarakat macam ni yang kena bantu bagi duit cash/voucher makanan, kalau tak mereka akan kelaparan dan anak-anak mereka akan stunting. Tapi buat apa nak sibuk hal orang lain kan? Biar nafsi nasfi (diri sendiri) lah kan? Cuma jangan harap lah golongan macam ini untuk mendapat pembelaan untuk kerajaan sekarang, kalau yang atas pun duk sibuk mengatur ghanimah sesama mereka. Mereka hanya di perlukan ketika meraih undi, di hasut dengan politik perkauman sepanjang tahun, di kata bangsa lain yang curi rezeki mereka, lalu di campak tulang untuk di rebut beramai-ramai. Yang kat atas dah selesa ratah daging. Macam pernah dengar? - Mohd Mukhlis Mohd Sharif

After Screwed Up PM Din Will Give

Free Masks, Bought Only At RM1.18...

Some ignorant people say even at RM2 for a piece of face mask, the proposed 150% price hike by the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry was still cheaper than other countries. Perhaps they should explain why a Honda Accord costs only US$26,000 in the U.S. while the same car would cost you an arm and a leg in Malaysia – RM185,000. China is a wizard in the global manufacturing sector. In fact, China is the world’s manufacturing superpower. The country now makes 200 million face masks a day – more than 20 times the amount it made at the start of February when it was seriously hit with the Coronavirus outbreak. Therefore, the price can actually fluctuate beyond imagination. Hence, it was seen as a daylight robbery when the Muhyiddin government suddenly announced the price of 3-layer or three-ply face mask will be increased to RM2 from RM0.80 a pop – a whopping 150% jump. Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi claimed that the price of face masks needed to be increased due to higher cost of production materials. However, the previous government Pakatan Harapan (PH) had revealed that in their previous discussions with local manufacturers to boost the stocks to ensure sufficient supply of masks within the country, the government was supposed to purchase the face mask at only RM0.60 a piece. So far, the incompetent backdoor government of Muhyddin has neither denied nor rubbished the PH’s claims. That was in essence an admission that the local manufacturers had indeed agreed to sell the 3-layer face mask at RM0.60 to the then-Pakatan Harapan government, which has since collapsed after Muhyiddin’s recent coup. And today (March 23), coming from the horse’s mouth, the prime minister announced that the government will purchase and give away face masks to all Malaysians – FOC.

Yes, after 3 weeks of insisting – like a broken record – that the country had sufficient face masks for everyone, PM Muhyiddin now indirectly admits for the first time that he had been lying after all. He said – “I have agreed and would like to announce that when it (face masks) reaches (Malaysia), we will distribute it for free to all Malaysians who need it. This is the contribution of the government during times of crisis.” More importantly, the clueless prime minister, whose leadership is being questioned, has revealed that the masks will be purchased at around RM1.18 per piece. The cost of purchase will be absorbed by the government. Malay Mail reported that instructions have been given to the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) to expedite the order and shipment. The revelation was as good as an admission that his government had unethically and shamelessly tried to profit from the ordinary people in times of Coronavirus pandemic. Even at RM1.18 a piece, the profit margin is close to 70% if the ceiling price of RM2 is enforced. Interestingly, the prime minister only gives away the candies after the proposed price hike triggered heavy criticism. Had the people kept quiet despite the 150% price hike, chances are the corrupt Perikatan Nasional government would have proceeded in fleecing the people. Of course, giving away free masks now is nothing but an attempt to pacify angry folks, as well as to score some political brownie points after questions have been consistently raised as to why neighbouring Singapore can give free masks but not Malaysia. However, this new orders is reportedly different from the 10-million face masks to be imported from China, which Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong had shamelessly taken credit after he claimed it was him who had recommended to PM Muhyiddin for the abolishment of the 20% import duty and 10% sales tax of the masks. The tax breaks were negotiated during the previous PH administration.

It’s believed that the 10-million imported face masks will be “parked” under Pharmaniaga, who is not only the sole concessionaire holder but also acts as a middleman of drugs and medical supply to public hospitals in the country. Pharmaniaga Bhd Group managing director Farshila Emran said on Monday (March 23) that it would not be able to spare any of the 10-million face masks for the public. The statement from Pharmaniaga’s boss was not only arrogant but also irresponsible and short-sighted in the times of hardship when the people are left defenseless – they can’t buy any mask even at the inflated price of RM2 a piece. While 10-million face masks might not sound a lot, it actually translates to one third (30%) of Malaysia’s 32-million populations. Hence, it sparks a burning question – why can’t the incompetent Muhyiddin government order Pharmaniaga to allocate, says 5-million face masks, to be distributed free to the public first while waiting for the new shipment of 10-million masks to arrive, after which the 5-million distributed masks can be reimbursed back into the inventory? Why can’t the masks be efficiently distributed? Surely 5-million face masks are sufficient for medical frontliners in the immediate short term. The public is equally vulnerable and they are not pariah. Pharmaniaga MD Farshila claimed that the company had no intention to sell the masks but to distribute them as part of their corporate social responsibility. The company also boasted that they don’t take advantage of the pandemic to make money. If that’s true, why can’t the company be flexible in the distribution of the face masks to protect both the medical frontliners and the public at the same time – parallel multitasking? Regardless, Muhyiddin Yassin must explain why the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry was allowed to raise the price of face mask to RM2 when the commodity could be imported for just RM1.18 a piece. - FT

Man infected with Covid-19 dies after trying Trump-recommended medicine...

Last week, President Trump told reporters that a "very powerful" drug was approved to treat coronavirus. But health officials are warning that it could be deadly. The drug in question, chloroquine, is typically used to treat malaria, and contrary to Trump’s proclamation, it has not been approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19. However, a Phoenix man and his wife self-medicated with chloroquine as a precaution against coronavirus and, according to Arizona’s Banner Health, the treatment killed the man and hospitalized his wife in critical condition. The hospital is now warning others not to try the same thing. “Given the uncertainty around COVID-19, we understand that people are trying to find new ways to prevent or treat this virus, but self-medicating is not the way to do so,” said Dr. Daniel Brooks, Banner Poison and Drug Information Center medical director.

“The last thing that we want right now is to inundate our emergency departments with patients who believe they found a vague and risky solution that could potentially jeopardize their health.” It’s crucial that people with coronavirus are aware of the dangers surrounding chloroquine, because Trump’s enthusiastic and incorrect endorsement of the drug caused a surge in interest worldwide. “It’s been around for a long time, so we know that if it—if things don’t go as planned, it’s not going to kill anybody,” Trump said, erroneously. After his talk with reporters, the FDA had to release a statement correcting the record, noting that they’re still investigating whether or not chloroquine could be a suitable treatment option for coronavirus. “There are no FDA-approved therapeutics or drugs to treat, cure or prevent COVID-19,” the agency said. - Daily News

Story kat sini... Hangpa nilai sendiri...

cheers.

Sumber asal: Din nak kembali ke UMNO... Baca selebihnya di Din nak kembali ke UMNO...

#Blogger

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best-reviews · 5 years ago

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5 Simple Tips to Help You Make a Budget for the Holidays

Planning the holidays budget

The holiday season is that time of the year when everyone wants to give the best gifts. This can only happen if you spend some money and this can be a little tricky for some of us. This season of giving is basically the season of spending and this article should come in handy for helping you make a budget. We need to organize our finances in order to please others, but also ourselves. It can become quite difficult to choose the best gift, but there are several ways to take the stress out of the holidays. Decide to make the budget for the holidays ahead of time. You can start out no later than November, as this is a sure way to let go of stress during this time of the year. Apart from lessening your stress, it will prevent overspending and making other debts this holiday season. Understanding what a budget is One way to describe it is that it represents a powerful tool. Better said, it can become one if you understand how to use it in your own best interest. We all know that the holiday season can come with many temptations. We might be willing to spend more than we can afford just to keep that jolly vibe going on. However, remember that what you seed now, you’ll harvest in the future. Nobody wants to borrow money now and make a lot of efforts later. Deciding to create a budget for holidays is an essential step in the process of understanding where your money goes this holiday season. It’s also a way of improving your financial situation, even though this time of the year almost begs for more spending than usual. So a budget can be understood as an overview of your income versus your holiday expenses. It’s a plan that anybody needs in order to be aware of how you get to spend your finances on various gifts, for instance. In this context, a budget can help you not forsake your finances. It can give a hand in helping you achieve your money goals, even thought this time is a time of giving. Nevertheless, it can be also a time of enough caution so that you don’t have to ‘suffer’ later on in January. How can you make a budget plan? There are many ways to go about how to make a budget for the holidays season. We believe that the most important idea to keep in mind is to really go to the core of what the key elements of the budgeting process are all about. These are techniques that anybody can implement and they can do wonders. Once you get to master them, at least at a basic level, you will be able to put them into practice. So, a stepping stone for creating a budget for the holiday season is becoming aware of your spending habits. Be honest and put on paper what you spend most money on. Ask yourself if this really helps improve your life. If not, then that is something you need to work on. However, this is only a small part of the simple, yet meaningful process of budgeting for the holidays. Keep on reading to learn more about our 5 simple steps. Anyone can use them, but it’s all about having the will to do so. Step 1: understanding your income A first thing you need to do is to list all your income sources. Do it on a monthly basis, after taxes are paid. We recommend that you start with a monthly overview, which is easier because many bills take place once a month. You can break it into smaller chunks afterwards. Now, there are people who work on a regular schedule, without having any other side hustles. Such employees get paid monthly with the same amount of money, leaving aside any possible bonuses. For them, just a look at their bank account or payslip can help them understand their monthly income. For freelancer, on the other hand, things are different. They may have a lot of work this month, but the next can be emptier. These irregular work and payment patterns can complicate things. A good method to look at your freelancing finances is to account for your average income over the last 6 to 12 months. It all depends on how seasonal your work is. This step helps a lot in understanding how much money you are able to spend, knowing where they come from and in what amount. Step 2: list all your bills It’s very important to be aware of all the money you spend on bills. Making a list of your regularly occurring expenses for each month plays a major role in making a holiday budget. For instance, write down how much of your income goes for rent, mortgage payment, utilities, phone bills, transport, food, fitness, and other stuff you monthly spend on. If you have a pet, there must be a monthly amount of money that you spend for food or other health related needs. For some, clearly knowing how much money are spent for each category can be hard. A good way to know for sure is to check your last three months of bank and credit card statements. Moreover, there are many bank apps that help with breaking down automatically your expenses by category. Well, talk about the perks of living in these days… Step 3: do the math! Once you know how much money you spend on bills and other similar monthly expenses, it’s time to do some math. Just a little, don’t worry! What you’ll need to do is to extract your income from your regularly expenses. This way, you’ll get an overview of how much money you’re left each month. Remember: any money you’re left over with at the end of the month can be put aside for your holiday budget. This reminder is especially important for those that have a lower income than their expenses. For those lucky ones, who are left with more after paying bills and the like, they can breathe a sigh of relief. Step 4: readjusting expenses If you are one of those that are left with not much at the end of the month, then it’s time for a serious readjustment. You can go check again your expenses and give up those that really don’t help you. Maybe you can find a way to cut some of them of. Be honest and try to understand that if you are spending more than you earn, this should be a sign. Living beyond your means is not helping on a long term and it’s definitely not helping you create a holiday budget. Some drastic changes might be required, but it’s for a good cause, don’t you think? You deserve to have the best holidays! Now, as you are ready to make a change, ask yourself these questions: Is it enough the amount I’m saving?Is more money going on things that I don’t really need, like eating out?Do I intentionally spend my money? Once you have answered these questions, make a list of all the people you want to gift these holidays. Also, you should know exactly what you will buy for each. The most important part of this is to stick to your list. Don’t make any impulse or last-minute additions. This can seriously put a dent in your budget, no matter how much time you put into making it. Just stay true to your list and your budget for each gift. In the end, all that matters is the gesture, right? Step 5: try the 24-hour rule We did mention to stick to your list of gifts, but if any adjustments are still to be made, try this 24-hour rule. For some people you might think that an expensive gift will suffice, but what if you’d sleep on it? Better said, what if you’d sleep on the entire list you made? Just take some time and think it over. For instance, maybe you see an expensive product that could really please one of your loved ones. However, don’t jump right on buying it on the spot! Let some 24 hours go by before you decide that it’s really worth your money. The same goes for online shopping. Put in the shopping cart all the items you prefer and leave them there for a day, but don’t check out. Make your final decision the next day, after you’ve given it some thought. Who knows, maybe this wait is worth it, as you may get a good deal or sale with some of your chosen items. This whole process boils down to the idea that any initial excitement about a certain product wears off. You might even realize that you don’t really want to spend money on it afterall. Just understand that anyone who truly cares about you, won’t expect you to break the bank for them. Maybe something less expensive, but more thoughtful will do the job, don’t you think? Conclusions Holidays are a time of joy and love, of giving and receiving. Never assume that an expensive gift is more entitled to be called a gift than a cheaper one. What matters most is to know how much money you have access to and always put thoughtfulness first, before any brand names or other such superficial criteria in choosing the gifts. Read the full article

#budgetforholidays #createabudgetforholidays #createbudgetforholidays #creatingabudgetfortheholiday #holidaysbudget #makeholidaysbudget #Planningtheholidaysbudget

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dcshadow · 7 years ago

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I had a job interview on Wednesday and I was wondering if I could get some objective advice. Sorry in advance for this being long af.

For the last year and 4 months I’ve been in a steady job where I get the money I need to pay my current bills and expenses and still have a few hundred to put into my savings each month. I’m also highly valued as a team member and love working with my colleagues, but there isn’t many progression opportunities and the hours you get each week vary on how busy it’s going to be thus so do your payslips. Since I’m good at my job I usually get 25-30 hrs a week, but it’s also not the most rewarding role in the way that the public talks down to you a lot, it can be a very stressful environment and at the end of the day, it’s a zero-hour contract in an entry-level setting. Plus, even if you get to manager level (the only salaried position on the ladder) the pay is dismal. Recently I’ve been looking for new job opportunities because I wish to move out with my boyfriend and possibly do other adult things like get a car or maybe apply for a mortgage (that’s fucking scary to type). Unfortunately not many companies respond positively to 3 month’s admin experience in 2015 and a year and a half position in a cinema, no matter how nicely you word your applicable experience in cover letters. Because of this problem I’ve been stuck getting nowhere for a long time, both in my job and in my personal life. The interview I had came about when Marston’s (yes, the brewery) HR devision called me and said they’d received my application for a HR Assistant role and wondered if I’d like to interview for a full time Customer Service Advisor role instead, since my experience seemed more applicable. Obviously I went for it and the interview I had was probably my best one yet. It was with a panel of 2 interviewers and we got on so well it was ridiculous. They were also impressed with my research into the company and my achievements in my current job, so I’m pretty sure I’ll get a call back since they said there’s multiple openings. The only issue with this whole situation is, even though it’s full time and 9-5, is that the employment starts off as a 12-month contract, which they failed to mention until I asked. I also asked about progression in the interview and they said there’s lots of opportunities all the time to move around the business into different departments, and training if they feel like you need some help to get where you want to be. They also said that very often they take on their contract employees full time, and they’ve even had it where temporary staff of 3 months have applied within and moved up to stay within the company. It would also look better on my CV, cut my commute in half, and I could save more money in that year at least. And, if worse came to worse and it didn’t work out, it might make it easier to find jobs afterwards? My boyfriend doesn’t think so and thinks I should stick with the less-risky option, still desperately applying for jobs and probably not getting anything. I understand where he’s coming from and I agree that it might be safer, but being comfortable won’t help me push my way into a good company’s infrastructure. He also got lucky with his full time job (1 job application and interview and he got it no problem) so maybe he thinks it’s easier than it is. I didn’t have much chance to talk about it with him because then he got attacked by a dragon and had to hang up. If you bothered to read all this then damn, thanks, and I hope you leave your opinion on the situation because I DON’T FUCKING KNOW and I’d rather be prepared and not get offered the job then get offered it and fuck it up by not being able to say yes or no.

#k thx #bye

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tandem-nz-blog · 6 years ago

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Business Process Automation – The Hottest Thing In Business Now

Business Process Automation, or BPA, is the hottest structure to hit businesses across industries now.

In fact, according to the research firm, Gleanster, almost 80 per cent of all top-performing companies are driving marketing strategy and cutting down on repetitive and time-consuming tasks by using business automation system. Whether it’s in the form of automated emailers, automated chat responses, automated exchange of information between two APIs, automated communication between your business and any Kiwi bank or IRD, it all works out for the best and is sure to speed up conversions for your business.

Consider this – A potential customer or client contacted you via email or chat (if you use any), but you are not available at the moment. Maybe you’re in a different time zone altogether. In this case, you may be late to respond to the potential buyer. But with an automated system, we can set it up to immediately send an introductory email from you to your potential customer. This makes it appear as if you leapt into action almost immediately upon hearing your customer’s call/message. Leaving them impressed with your speedy service. Whereas, the old-fashioned way of handling everything on your own means that this potential customer would’ve lost interest, forgotten about you, and moved on. You’ve lost a lead right there.

FACT

According to a study by Experian Marketing Services, welcome emails have an open rate of nearly 58 per cent. That percentage jumps to 88 per cent if the welcome email is sent within a few seconds. Whereas, promotional emails have an open rate of less than 15 per cent.

A different response can be set up for different scenario depending on what the customer clicks, or the keywords used in the chat system. Each case can be tailor-made to answer a customer’s enquiry as if it were you. And all you had to do is follow the conversations via your phone if you want to. You only have to personally respond when you deem it necessary.

Nearly all big corporations use automated system – think UBER, pizza orders, online ticket booking – but, business automation isn’t reserved just for big large companies. Small companies with even just about 2-3 employees too, can incorporate automation.

In one of our cases, we found that, in connecting a client with Inland Revenue, we’ve eradicated the need to import spreadsheets between Excel and Google Sheets eight times a day by simply automating this process.

But of course, some tasks simply should not be automated. These include creative thinking, content creation, design process, and most problem-solving material involving complex algorithm, coding, HTML development, and even testing. A human-touch is still needed for these aspects of a business in order for it to function properly, and possibly with a certain appeal.

With our experience in this field, Business Process Automation can be done in a very short time, but, it’s okay to start small and expand it in time.

So how is it done?

Most software comes with detailed API documentation, and some, even with examples of how to integrate these APIs. In layman’s terms, “make them talk to each other”.

While in some cases, it is possible to complete API integration within a very short time, in other’s, one may need a higher and more expertise developer in finding a solution – in these cases, the developer may have to rewrite the code before integration.

This is where companies like Tandem NZ steps in, get one of our professional software developers to come up with a solution and fix the issue. Your platform will be stable and with increased efficiency.

What exactly is API?

Let’s break it down to simple terms.

Imagine you stepped into a restaurant, ready to order from the menu, but the kitchen is the “system” where your order is made. So how do you place an order without having to step into the kitchen yourself? Simple. You call upon a waiter who will take your order, head into the kitchen, and come back out with your exact order. That waiter is the link between you and the system. In other words, that waiter is your API.

That is what we specialize in, integrating different APIs – between your business and the other businesses, between your organization and the banking system all over, between your company and IRD. Of course, this also includes integrating other software such as MYOB, XERO, and more into your platform, if that is your business requirement.

Do you want your website to give its users an option to sign up immediately via Facebook or Google? Hence skipping the long process of filing up forms? We can set it up by integrating both side’s APIs and simplifying the registration process.

That sounds simple. Can I do it on my own?

While the answer to that is “yes, you can”, you ought to keep in mind that most APIs nowadays need some security to keep it safe from bugs, crashing and malware. You basically need an API key, which can be bought, but some need to be developed from scratch, which we have the solutions for.

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF INTEGRATING AUTOMATION WITH OUR CLIENT’S BUSINESSES:

Not all kinds of integration are called API. Depending on their function, they may be named differently, but let’s leave those technical details aside. Their end result is the same – Business Process Automation.

Customer Portal

Integrated ERP – This type of integration typically involves running big organizations. Its automation involves handling Project Management Systems, Human Resource Management Systems, and Employee Management Systems to name them broadly.

Vehicle check

Integrated HPI – This integration helps the user check the registration number of a vehicle and gives them a complete history of its use, past accidents involved in, mileage used, and more.

Online Payroll

Integrated API – This integration enables automatic communication between the company owner and IRD. It can link employees & employers, make payments and send out payslips automatically, and a lot more. It also communicates with all banking systems so the employer can directly make payments.

SAAS Accounting system

Integrated API – Almost similar to Your Payroll above, but the communication is more with IRD platform such as registering the business, filing and paying taxes, filing tax returns directly, assigning tax codes to employees which are then hooked on to IRD’s platform.

Vehicle Check in the Netherlands

Integrated HPI – Vehicle history and ownership check for the Netherlands.

Loyalty apps for POS supplier

Integrated POS – machines for making payment via card. Besides the above, most of our online work have integrations such as – Bank Payment Express, Social Media Plugins, Live Chat, Address Finder, Graph Plugin, as well as automated, scheduled and triggered email systems.

As a signing off, your business should not end with the customer making a purchase. That is actually just the start. Using BPA, after the first series of welcome emails to make them feel special, staying in touch is also important – whether it is to provide offers or business alerts, showing off new products/services, or just to give them information about your product or service, it all helps as a gentle nudge, a quick reminder. It is as effortless as blinking once the emailer is set up. Any activity or a purchase or just an enquiry will trigger the relevant email.

This allows you to keep in touch without remembering to do so, and while making you look like you’re an expert who’s on top of your game.

FACT

The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60 to 70 percent—compared with 5 to 20 per cent for a new prospect, according to the authors of Marketing Metrics.

Tandem NZ can help you to get your business process automated and increase revenue growth by cutting down manual work and processes. Contact us now. For more details on business process automation and web integration services, please visit our site right now.

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#BPA Solutions #Tandemnz #web development

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bonduniversity · 6 years ago

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A semester in Paris

Renee Jackson (Bachelor of International Relations/Bachelor of Laws) shares an honest account of her 2018 Exchange to University Pantheon-Sorbonne Paris 1, France.

“Wow, Paris! I am so jealous,” was the typical response I received from family, friends and even strangers when I told them where I was heading for my semester abroad experience.

While Paris has an idealistic representation across the world, there is a significant amount of planning to be done for Exchange and doing it from the other side of the world can often be hard, so I thought I would share all the lessons I learnt along the way!

After learning French all throughout high school and loving it, I had considered the idea of heading to a Francophone country to do a semester abroad. When the Bond Exchange page popped up on my Facebook, I began researching and narrowing down my options, leaving me with Panthéon-Sorbonne Paris 1 Université. The internal Bond application process is easy, and even the first steps for Paris 1 are too. After filling out the forms and being accepted, I began planning more in depth for my Exchange experience including thoroughly research the visa requirements and the type of visa I needed to meet all requirements.

I began with looking at the university dates and aligning these with accommodation. Living costs in Paris are notoriously expensive, so if you are considering taking a semester here, also expect the high living prices that come with Paris. I looked at various different websites, from agencies to more casual sub-letting advertisements. However, I settled with an agency and accepted paying the agency fee and extra security costs so that I could be reassured that everything would be organised and well-arranged when I arrived. Many people also have temporary living arrangements when they arrive in Paris and then commence their apartment hunting.

When choosing your arrondissement, think about the kind of area you want to live in. The main buildings of the university are spread among multiple arrondissements (Pantheon & Sorbonne in the 5th, René Cassin in the 13th, PMF at Tolbiac), so unless you are choosing your accommodation after picking classes, I wouldn’t base it off building location. I chose to stay in the 16th, because it was more quiet and reserved yet still close enough to everything that I wanted. The 3rd is a lot more lively and trendy, the 5th too. Do some research about the arrondissements and then align that with your preference of living area. I personally wouldn’t choose the 18th, as it is far from the majority of things and in certain areas can be unsafe. The same rule applies around buildings close to the main train stations. However, use common sense and caution and you will not have any problems in Paris!

A few tips for accommodation in Paris:

Most Parisian landlords require you to have a French dossier with numerous documents, and documents that you can often not provide. This is why an agency may be helpful as they can be more lenient in what documents must be provided.

The dossier document often feels invasive. As I did not have a French guarantor, I had to provide my passport, my parents passports and payslips and multiple other documents. This is common practice in France.

Accommodation is expensive, but even more expensive when you choose to book through an agency. Personally, I utilised Lodgis and had nothing but a positive experience – however also be aware that every agency also has as many negative reviews as positive. I was lucky and had a landlord that was incredibly kind and helpful, even inviting me into her home and I have now created a lifelong friend.

Paris 1 does not offer student accommodation in the same manner that Bond does. It is run through Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris. However, as an Australian student, you are highly unlikely to be able to obtain a position here. They generally are provided for European Union students, and the majority are also for Master level (French equivalent) students. If you are lucky enough to receive a position, I had a friend who stayed here, and she had a room with a double bed, tiny bathroom, an eating space in her room and a communal kitchen and laundry room.

Accommodation is small. I lived in 17m2 but knew people who lived in a fully functioning apartment that was both 14m2 and 11m2. Many people often find larger apartments and share them with other exchange students too.

Arriving in Paris

When booking my flights, I left two weeks prior to my studies to settle in and one week after the scheduled exam timetable free to travel or relax at the end. The Integration Week that Paris 1 offers starts a week before classes do and is helpful in determining the classes you may want to take, updating/refreshing your vocabulary on legal subjects as well as teaching you the basics of the legal system in France, which is very different to that of Australia. Each student isn’t guaranteed a position in the Week, so just be conscious of that fact. At the end of the week, they have a presentation from the Exchange Office of Paris 1, which provides you with all of the basic information about your enrolment and classes, etc. If you do not get offered a place to the Integration Week, still go to this presentation.

As a basic rule, don’t expect much on the organisation front from the University. Take everything that you receive prior to the Integration Week with a grain of salt. We did not receive the available courses until the Friday before classes commenced on Monday. The level of organisation is vastly different to that at Bond, however this is all in the ‘charm’ of the French experience, so try not to stress too much about it and embrace it. Before my departure, I had decided to try and create a timetable with the least amount of contact time to allow myself more time to travel and see whatever I desired without too many restrictions. However, the classes I thought I was going to take prior to departing carried a completely different timetable and subsequently I changed most of my subjects.

The process of picking subjects requires you to choose the classes you wish, fill out your Learning Agreement, make an appointment with your delegated officer, take it to your officer who will read over it and check it (often asking you questions if you are prepared for the workload of that subject, however mine didn’t even look twice and signed it) and then you submit that to the Exchange Office. Your enrolment into TDs (tutorials) happens in a completely different building in a completely different arrondissement (suburb). To obtain your student card and Certificat de Scolarité, this also takes place in a different building, also in a different arrondissement. The French are not fussed about making things easy or simple, so take a deep breath and schedule your days around which area you have meetings that day. Once you pick subjects, they will provide you a deadline for changing your enrolment and after this date, you will not be able to sit the exams (or obtain credit points) for any new subjects.

Subject selection and study load

As I had previously completed a Student for a Semester at Bond, I chose to only take the equivalent of three Bond subjects while overseas to minimise the workload as much as possible. Note: 10 Bond credits = 7.5 ECTS. Unlike Bond, many subjects at Paris 1 can be taken without tutorials, and it is completely your choice as to whether you choose to enrol in a TD or not. As a rule of thumb, in the Integration Week they advise everyone to take a maximum of ONE TD in the first semester and to increase this to two if you stay for two semesters. TDs are generally worth 8 ECTs and subjects without TDs are 4 ECTs. I chose to take three subjects without and one with. While the TD wasn’t incredibly difficult, there are additional exams, debates in front of the class and it requires following along in a fast-paced environment where you are often the only (or one of the few) exchange students there. In saying this, the TD was an interesting experience for me and allowed me to overcome different challenges and learn the application of the law rather than just the theory. While it may be nerve-wracking, it is an experience I would definitely recommend as it generally equates to one less final exam.

In general, the subjects are much more hands-off than that at Bond and some people may struggle with the less interactive way of learning. This is worth keeping in mind, as is the speed that some lecturers talk, and the competency required for certain subjects. When taking any subject past an L1 (L1 = first year, L2 = second year, L3 = third year, Master level), there is a certain level of assumed knowledge about the legal systems and the style in which they complete exams and the type of assessment they do. I, as well as many others on Exchange, sometimes found it challenging to know what the lecturer wanted from us. They aren’t liberal with their information, so you will have to pry to find out more about even the most basic of things (exams, dates, style of writing etc.).

If you need to return to Bond before the commencement of the next semester, you are often able to personally organise different exams before the Christmas break to allow for your earlier return (however don’t count on it).

The verdict and final tips

Overall, my experience at Paris 1 was wonderful (dampened only by the initial lack of organisation, which I promise you will laugh about only weeks later!) Upon reflection of my experience there (and as I sit on a train between Venice and Rome), my main tips for travelling to Paris 1 would be:

Find (or at least have a very clear idea) of accommodation and the area you want to live in when you arrive. Do your research if you aren’t already familiar with the area and be cautious about people trying to scam you!

Keep in contact with friends but don’t depend on speaking to them every day.

Start speaking the language and gain familiarity with it again (if it has been a while) as soon as possible; don’t be shy.

Go to the Integration Week and speak with people, making friends can be hard in Paris as most French people already have solid friendship groups and aren’t interested in being friends with exchange students.

As soon as you arrive, or even before (if you know your address etc.,) apply for your ‘Imagine R’ student travel card. It is cheaper with this option for 5 months. However, if you miss the date and will only have a travel card for 4 months, your ‘Navigo’ card will be your best friend. It is around 75 euro for the month and allows unlimited travel within the 5 zones of Paris (including to CDG and Disneyland).

Setting up bank accounts and phone numbers can be a difficult process, as they both generally require the other, making it incredibly frustrating to get them sorted out. However, I used BNP Paribas and had no problems using my Australian phone number as a preliminary number and then changed it when I received my French one.

Use your Paris 1 student card to get in to most of the Paris (and French) attractions at a reduced rate (Louvre, Chateau de Versailles, Chateau de Fontainebleau etc.). Using this card will demonstrate that you are a resident of Paris and they are mostly free for EU residents.

Organise your visa early and the sooner the process is complete, the better. As you have to travel to Sydney to organise it, be fully prepared and ensure you have every document with you when you go.

Travel as much as you can while there because you are SO close to everything, but don’t neglect Paris. There is more to do there than you could ever fit in during one semester, so see as much as you can!

Bon séjour à Paris!

Exchange is an experience that will stay with you forever. Find out more about Exchange opportunities at Bond University.

#Renee Jackson #Exchange #France #Paris #Paris 1 #Pantheon-Sorbonne #Law Exchange #Bond University

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