Thursday, January 17, 2008

Hiatus

No words are necessary anymore.

This blog will cease until further notice.

Posted by Jo at 8:44 AM

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Staying faithful

As promised, after months of code-talk and silly analogies, I’m revealing all…Pretty cool for the first entry of 08.

Four months ago, I was chatting with a schoolmate at a friend’s wedding. That was when she told me about a feature writer position at a certain publication in SPH. As much as it enticed me (it's my dream magazine to write for!), I brushed it aside and continued with life because I was finishing up my final semester in school and I also wanted to stay put for my year-end bonus.

Then, two weeks later, I bumped into that same schoolmate in Paragon and she reminded me about the job opening, egging me to give it a shot. This time round, I couldn’t resist the offer and took it as a divine sign to send in my CV. I happen to know the editor and when she received my resume, she immediately called me down for an interview, much to my delight.

Deep blue sea (11 Sept)
“…the call is too overwhelming to ignore. So I said a prayer, took a deep breath and stepped out of the boat...”

The interview went well and I left the place feeling confident of my standing. To make things better, I received an sms from the editor who told me to go for the mandatory SPH writing test so that we can “move on to the next level”. Two weeks later, I took the writing test which was rather easy breezy, I thought. In my whole academic life, I hardly failed any writing test, let alone an English one, so I was certain that this was no exception. Ha, you see where this is going?

10 ways to prepare for the test (27 Sept)
“…Do a google search for "S _ _ writing test". It's amazing the sort of stuff you can find online…”

A part of me was trying to delay the process so that I could get my year-end bonus first, but a part of me was hoping to get the job fast.

Melodrama on prime-time (25 Oct)
“…My head tells me to take matters into my own hands and pave my own future. My heart tells me to let Him lead and simply follow…”

It was end October when I received an email from the editor telling me that they’re keen to hire me but my writing test results were not ideal. They gave me a freelance assignment to write in order to appease HR and assess my writing skills again. After I returned from Bali, I spent time writing and submitted my article at the end of November. It was a case of perfect timing really.

What a difference a bath makes (29 Nov)
“…Tomorrow's a significant day for me. Well, not exactly, but I guess it's the start of an exciting beginning or the beginning of the end…”

Mid December, the editor emailed me to say that the article's well written. Period. She didn’t mention if I’ve gotten the job whatsoever, so I waited, and waited. Christmas came and left. Then, on 26 Dec, I was flipping through the Jan issue of the magazine when I saw the unfamiliar name of a new features writer…

Initially, I was shocked and in denial. I couldn’t believe that they didn’t give me the job and didn't bother informing me. Everything only sank in the next morning and I was forced to slowly and painfully come to terms with reality.

It's like dating a guy for years, getting a proposal and after months of preparations, he ditches you at the altar. Imagine watching all your dreams of happily-ever-after crash and burn right in front of your eyes. And worst of all, he didn't even bother telling you. The heartache is as real as it gets.

The uncanny thing is that, in the face of darkness, I actually trusted God. When I stepped out of that boat months ago, I placed my heart in His hand and till today, it's still remains there. Silently, I knew that He would take care of me and give me what's best. If He can deprive me of this dream job of mine, I could only imagine what He has in stored for me.

It took me about 24 hours to grieve over my dying dream. I spent 27 Dec mindlessly packing my room, thinking of the things-I-could-have-done-better, and being half tempted to barge into the SPH office to beat up the editor. Lucky for her, it was raining that day.

I went to sleep that night with puffy eyes, a runny nose and vouched to virtually burn down my blog and never write again. But the next day, i.e. the 4th day of Christmas, I woke up with a renewed sense of hope. I was lying in bed when I suddenly recalled a certain magazine that was looking for a writer. Incidentally, I know the editor too so I jumped out of bed to email him.

Within an hour, he replied to commend me on the good timing as he was about to place an ad in the newspapers the following day.
Within a day, I secured an interview with him.
Within a week, he offered me the job and I quit from my current workplace, after taking my bonus of cos...

Looking back, I can only stand in awe as I recount the rollercoaster ride which God has led me through. By planting the seed of desire in me in the first place, He dangled a piece of carrot to distract and keep me interested. Then, He removed it, broke my heart and left me with nothing – a test of my faith and trust in Him. After that, He rewarded me with a dream that exceeds my expectations by heaps and bounds.

Things are certainly working out for the best, and although I can't fully describe the awesomeness of my new job or reveal the identity of my new company, I hope that this entry has been a living testimony of how real God is and how everything happens perfectly in His time. Indeed, “God remains faithful to those who are faithful to Him”.

Posted by Jo at 9:20 PM