Category Archives: Employment

Career and opportunities

F1: December 19, 2009

Posted on by
Reply

Mmmk… It has been a whirlwind of a past couple of weeks. I drudged through fall term finals, poked my head up for breath in the first few days of winter break, and am again slammed with busyness.

  • I began my two-and-a-half-ish weeks of seasonal employment back at the Tualatin Haggen Service Deli. It wasn’t difficult or terribly stressful coming back to work after two-and-a-half months of absence. Though, after completion of my first shift, I was really having withdrawals from my winter break freedoms. I was kind of bummed – I kept wondering if it was a mistake to return to the working world, if only for a couple of weeks. I kept touching base on the idea that this is my vacation from school – the biggest break of the school year… and I’m working my butt off? Yeah. I would love to go on vacation somewhere – anywhere, but the best choice is to earn as much money as I can to pay off rent and utilities. I’m feeling better now, and seeing more of the positives rather than the negatives in this process.
  • Change in academic plans? A bit. I’m beginning to see more and more how difficult the broadcast/journalism industry currently stands as. First of all, you’re lucky to even get a job. Second of all, your starting pay likely sucks. Third and finally, you could get canned unexpectedly. This is why I’m starting to take some time to consider alternatives in the technology/media/writing/communications options. What could I do in this world that would pay well and be my ideal job? I was thinking about technology and communications in health systems – like how hospitals operate their databases and communicate from organization to organization. Maybe there’s a need out there for them to enhance in the digital world… I keep coming back to the likings of Twitter. There’s something about Twitter than leads me to believe a greater, more efficient, more powerful form of “new media” is out there – where I will be at the head of the game and be skilled and informed very well enough to be a solid asset to a company. I am left with this question… “What technological form of communication is on the forefront, and how is it a perfect match for health systems?”
  • By the way, Twitter was hacked the other day. Our world’s involvement with new media communications is definitely evolving.
  • Charles Gibson signed off one last time on ABC’s World News. He is retiring, and my fascination with news media was a bit damaged as I was at work and could not watch it on television. Other signs of my broadcast love: KATU, 9/11 coverage, YouTube’ing old ABC promo packages, Wikipedia’ing journalists, and Peter Jennings’ passing away. There’s a love for the news, but I just don’t know if I can act upon it. Diane Sawyer, another one of my idolized journalist, begins hosting World News on Monday. Watch out Katy Couric.
  • In other news… My diet and weight loss is in a holding pattern. I eat Mom’s cooking – again props for how amazing and delicious it is – and how thankful I am for her love and care. But I need to counterbalance this new level of food ingestion. I never ate like this in Corvallis. I eat just enough to get me by – and healthy items at that. I come home to an Italian-style home of cooking. Dangerous. I got a free 21-day guest pass at 24 Hour Fitness. In my first few days of winter break, I could easily take advantage of its 8am-8pm workout time restrictions. But now with work, I find it so difficult to visit the club. But the weight has only risen slightly, something that I know I will get back down ASAP.

F1: November 19, 2009

Posted on by
Reply

Finally, an update! It has been a couple of busy weeks – either that, or just so drab that there’s nothing worth posting. I don’t know; I don’t want to stop and think about it really. Anyway, here is the latest scoop:

  • I have been working on the final, big assignment for my Writing for Media class. Our task is to interview someone and portray them in our writing, using quotations and observations. Several weeks ago when we were just being introduced to the project, I sat in the desk and tried to think about who I would interview. I was pretty nervous, pondering whether I should choose to converse with my current math professor (who I don’t like). It didn’t seem like a good idea. I’ve learned that great writing comes from a subject you enjoy covering. So… I went a while without any idea who I would talk with. But then I let my brain talk to me, and I began to consider someone I have a lot of respect for – who works in an industry and at a news station that has held my interest for years – who has achieved very high educational standards – who is friendly, thought-provoking and helpful, all the while balancing business and personal life. I talked with my writing professor about my ambitious thoughts, and after some procrastination, I finally sent off a request-for-interview email. About two weeks later, here I sit having not only worked through my second interview ever, but also having got to meet someone I consider my idol in broadcasting. Anita Kissee of KATU-TV in Portland was a joy to converse with and made my day.
    • To our advantage, there was also a great casual media event called Media Circus! that was open to the public which took place in downtown. We set to rendezvous at Invasion, the hosting location of the event, about 45 minutes prior so that we could talk without distractions. We headed to the local Java Man coffeehouse where we began our chat over a cup of coffee. It worked out perfect. I got to ask many questions about Kissee and KATU that I just couldn’t have ever achieved through Twitter, Oregon Media Central (OMC), the internet, or anything at all. There’s nothing like meeting someone face-to-face. About an hour later, we walked one block down the road and arrived at the event where we got to talk with some radio and unemployed folk. It was a solid time.
      • Funny story: I walk into Invasion which is the hosting location of the media event, and since the event was free, the employees really encourage and sort of hustle you to purchase a drink. Keep in mind this place is a cafe by day, a nightclub and lounge by night, so when I nervously ask what they’ve got (since there was no menu), the guy gestures to the 10-foot hight wall of alcohol. My mind kind of stuttered – I was thinking, “Holy crap – FINALLY my appearances pass me as 21!” I politely declined to purchase a drink, and good thing I didn’t say I was a minor. Later, on an OMC Media Circus! follow-up blog posting, I read that a woman with her kids was not allowed to attend the event because, it turns out, the OLCC changed the liquor rules just days prior to the event changing Invasion to a full-time no-minors location… What a good day it was.
    • The profile assignment is due on the 30th of this month, and I have about half of my draft done that’s due tomorrow. Yes, three hours at Starbucks equals half a rough draft…

Anita Kissée

  • The end of fall term 2009 is really closing in fast. Half of next week is Thanksgiving break, and when we come back to class we’re amidst dead-week (the week prior to finals). One week after that and it’s winter break for three weeks!
    • I have talked with Haggen and will be working during the big break… It will be fun.
  • Last but not least… I hate being relied upon as a chauffeur. One can try to barter, trade, or compensate for the travel, but when it comes down to it, I am being used as a service, and any form of reimbursement won’t make up for the act itself. A car for transportation is a luxury that I ante-up for and pay to provide myself with as my own service. The costs of the vehicle and just the ability to have it here is more than just gas. There are a variety of risks and other factors that I must afford and endure, such as insurance while the car is away from the home location, the increase of miles on the odometer, the risk of damage or theft, and the overall maintenance to keep the car up-to-date and running. There are already a pinch-full a minor fixes that should be addressed that no one else will cover but myself, let alone if my prize possession decides to even conk out on me. Splitting gas? A temporary offering which works for the most part and for the time being, but surely doesn’t justify these four wheels as a mutual and fair ride for all ages.
  • Party tomorrow? Yeah, maybe. Just let this week be over.

Traveler’s Fever: Relapse

Posted on by
Reply

I helped a guest today at the deli – I could tell she kind of wanted to share some sort of story, as while I was preparing some sandwich meats for her, she somewhat randomly, yet quietly exclaimed, “Oh it’s so nice to be home!” So, politely I inquired about where she had been. Turns out, just hours prior she had flewn back from Venice, Italy. Holy crap I was so thrilled! I know – I didn’t even go there, but just the thought that there are people everywhere traveling everywhere all the time is really amazing. I am really happy when I get to help these individuals at the deli. It truly gives me a great chance to do both my job efficiently, yet thoughtfully socialize and converse over a topic I find so intruiging. She explained how there are no cars – just gondolas, and that the seven-day duration of their trip concluded with a red-eye departure, yet midday arrival at PDX the day prior due to global time, and finally an entanglement with moderate stress and confusion during the layover in New York. She compelled her delight to be home to comfortable food and a home she loves. And she said, “Travel at a young age… ‘Cause you just don’t get a lot of chances down the road.” What she explained meant a lot to me, and we departed with my giving thanks for her sharing of an inspiring story.

Venice, Dubai, London, Istanbul, New York, San Francisco?

The world awaits…

Carry That Weight

Posted on by
Reply

Tualatin Haggen Service Deli is a relief in contrast to my prior position as courtesy clerk. I am no longer zonked-out tired by the end of my shift – all I need to do is freshen up a bit and I’m good to go. Plus, pay is 33% higher. Tomorrow I learn how to operate and close the “back” of the deli. Responsibilities are generally dishes, hot food and rotisserie chicken shutdown and cleaning, fryer shutdown and filtering, chicken de-boning, and a lot more cleaning. But, I’m sure there’s a lot more than I even imagined. New challenge… GO!

But for some reason I’m fascinated by one popular, caffeine powerhouse called Starbucks. The small little store snuggled in the entrance of Haggen seems perfect. An acquaintance of mine, who also works as checker for Haggen, picks up the rest of her time as a Barista – and she says it’s awesome. Starbucks really is this social beat, and I have this desire to get in the circle. The Baristas seem to get along so well, and I sometimes feel I’m stranded in no-man’s land back in the Service Deli. Don’t get me wrong… My coworkers are overall nice, helpful, and easy to work with, but I think I would enjoy being in the social crave working as a Barista. If I wasn’t going back to Corvallis in the fall, I think I would most definitely try to get my foot in the door and work out a scheduling deal between both employers.

Hmmm… I’m torn. I want to stay true to my words and be “liv’n it up” as much as possible – follow my intuition – go for my goals… But perhaps I’m just not ready to carry that weight. It’s easy to be glorified by another’s simple-seeming job-hopping, but fulfilling the line of duty may take a little more desperation. I should enjoy the time I have off of work.

I’m picking blueberries at 8am – I have easily eaten about 9lbs. over the past three weeks and this will be our third time returning to the Nodaway Blues farm. I also look forward to hitting up Starbucks for my morning jolt – which reminds me!… My friend at Starbucks in Haggen… She made me this kicker of a drink custom-named Black and White Toffee Nut Doubleshot Mocha. Prior to having that venti-of-love, I was feeling pretty under-the-weather. The beverage fixed everything.

Need my sleep.

Out.

Liv’n It Up!

Posted on by
Reply

On these welcomed summer days, I starkly find a moment’s opening to thoughtfully blog – it always comes to just an update, like this one. But despite this, I find it surely enjoyable to be able to blog on my iPhone and unglued from the computer.

As I write, the family and I are relishing Tualatin’s outstandingly comfortable 82 degree temperature outdoors at Zao Noodle Bar in iconically summer Bridgeport Village.

Yesterday, I got called into work to hold down a smaller four hour guest service shift for today. 9:30am to 1:30pm and I’m surprisingly exhausted. I’ve never opened that early, so I learned some new material. When it comes down to it all, I’m thankful for more experience. But because I worked today, by Saturday I will have worked a sixth day, meaning overtime! I’ve been given 10 more work hours than usual this week because several coworkers are on vacation. What I’m saying is that 37.5 hours this week – and 6.5 of those hours are going to be counted as overtime, I’m so excited for the next paycheck!

Anyway, by now I’ve finished this post and my Dan Dan Noodles with Chicken. Yum!… Balanced healthiness and enjoyement, with a side of perfect weather – can’t say much more than I’m liv’n it up!

Posted from my iPhone 3G.

Scribble23: A Thoroughly Blended Update… Enjoy!

Posted on by
Reply

Hey devoted visitors and blog stumblers… Thought I’d give a blog update on life and summer happenings.

Let’s see… Still looking for housing with my roommate for this coming fall. We are pretty much in regular text messaging contact, regardless of the fact that we are a couple of states away. We have some ideas and very draft plans, but it’s looking a bit better than originally forcasted.

Working at Tualatin Haggen Food & Pharmacy Service Deli is going well. I’m pretty much used to it, with a few quirky times now and then I have to deal with – haven’t had to directly deal with food orders yet – especially over the phone (most difficult thing ever for me). Let’s hope that time doesn’t come quickly. Yesterday I just felt so out of it the last two hours. I had just gotten back from my lunch break and all I had eaten prior to that was a donut in the morning. Ugh! I think a lot of blood rushed to my stomach to process the food I had eaten. All day I was feeling a bit achy, but after lunch I thought I would be better… But it wasn’t. The rest of the shift I just felt so sunken in my mind – like I was on autopilot. I wasn’t bubbly like I usually am – I would snap out of it from time to time and realize how drone-like I was. It was all really strange.

Traveling has been on my mind (cue this post). I need to figure out if/when I can swing on down to San Francisco this summer – needing an escape from this enjoyable but monotonous routine and scenery. It is kind of important to get my Request Time Off (RTO) form in ASAP. Also, I still have aspirations to travel the world some day. Really, if I were to win the lottery, the first thing I’d do probably would not be to purchase some disposable item like a new car or some tech device – it would be a classy itinerary for places I’d be experiencing around this globe… Back in real life, I must note that each day seems to fizzle by faster and faster. Today I looked at the clock to expect it to read probably around 2 or 3pm… 6:15! Wow. What is going on?… Anyway, just got back from Busch Garden (a Japanese restaurant (nothing like Sushi Groove in SF)) just down the road. They have pretty good sushi and various other Japanese entrees compared to other locations in Tualatin (by the way… never get Washington Square shopping mall sushi or pre-packaged sushi sold in marketplaces… bleh!).

I’m working tomorrow morning again – all day 11am to 6pm!… But my schedule is really twisted this week. I then get Monday off, but work Tuesday. After that, I have Wednesday off, then work (although just the shorter closing shift) Thursday and Friday, but get Saturday off. Seriously… A household member providing for a whole family could probably not deal with it. But I like what I do, and don’t really mind the schedule fluctuating so much – I kinda think it’s fun.

Hmmm… Anything else?… I’m thinking…

56 days until Hawaii – that’s something to look forward to – really looking forward to doing some fantastic photography. I’m bringing my tripod, remote shutter release, and all that jazz – I’m stoked. Most likely (hopefully!) my roommate and I have a place to call home by then. Then, my parents and I return from the islands, I pack up, move in to the new place in Corvallis, and get ready for school. I think I’m pretty excited for this next school year – really looking forward to all the new things it can offer with new people. Sometimes I wonder how come other people are so successful with the formation of best friends – I’m talking about the kiddos that you see on Facebook, and although are wealthy, invite their friend on vacation with them, and party and forget boundaries. My emphasis is not on the money part, but rather on the idea that this extremely strong friendship can almost make you like family, and you couldnt really imagine living without this buddy anymore – and despite perhaps attending school apart, the quality and duration of that connection never fades. I never grew up like that. What/who do I blame?… My parents for sheltering me?… No one because we relocated from San Jose, California to Lake Oswego, Oregon and then to Tualatin, Oregon, or myself because I failed to take a chance outside the bubble created by my loving family? I mean… I had pretty good friends in Lake Oswego – two of my besties moved away, but there were still others. I sometimes stop and think what’d it be like if I never left. It seems that the longer you’ve known your best friend (especially from birth or a very young age like before double-digit years) the more exclusive, personal, and established the bond is. I recently found several elementary school friends from Lake O. on Facebook – all grown up they are! I even found my #1 bestie – he’s one of those jock types now (*jealous). But now that I look at the past, I see that if we still lived in the same town and still were the greatest friends, today we would be one of those permanent best friends – the never-ending #1′s. LOL… Then suddenly he stopped talking to me on the social networking site within a day of becoming friends. He never replied to my wall post, and even thereafter I asked him a simple question about one of our shared besties – no answer. Screw him… But I miss those times. We were exclusive best friends – something that hasn’t existed in the past 10 years. It’s a bummer.

On a lighter note… I really want to see Bruno in theatres. It looks hilarious – who can deny that?!

Going to try not to splurge on things to buy for the next school year. I had way too much stuff in the dorm this last freshman year. I think I’m going to be packing light, and adding as I need it. Although, I am considering an LCD TV – don’t know what yet or even if. I don’t know if I really need it – it all depends on if I can get a stupid DTV signal in Benton County. On the official DTV map for Oregon, the northwest portion of the state is covered very well… all the way until Benton County. Then it just stops. Sad day! I could not get a signal in the dorms, but my roommate could receive channels loud and clear – perhaps it’s his TV’s built in tuner. I really don’t know. Could it have to do with him being on the opposite side of the brick and concrete building as me? Clueless…

Just bought Battlefield 1943 – an Xbox 360 Arcade game – I really like it so far, but have to get used to the controls a bit. At first glance, I’ll just say it’s superb for an arcade game, which are usually dinky little puzzle-like games or strategy stuff. I think I’ll go play now.

That is all for the dialy dose…

Out.

Proofread and edited on my iPhone 3G.