Getting started

It's amazing what inspires a person to get cracking on the keyboard and churn out a few words. I've actually been wanting to start this blog of mine for quite some time now, in fact its been a time frame that has encompassed the tendering of my resignation with my current agency, the pre-launch hype and excitement of Empire Total War, the corrupt and downright EVIL crossings of the three PR assemblypersons Osman, Radzi and Hee (why are they still alive?!) to BN, the ridiculous decision of the sultan of Perak (obviously no one in Perak knows what a guillotine is....hrmm...) blablabla with regards to constitutionalism (Let me just say that the constitution is the pillar from which all other laws in this country are derived from...so if you piss on the constitution tell me why,oh WHY should'nt I just go out and murder you since there technically really isn't any law that remains valid!!!??), oh and the disappointment which engulfed my SOUL once I actually got Empire Total War and rather than the glorious re-enactment of a gentlemanly conduct of war, complete with intermittent cup's of Earl Grey tea as one EXPECTS from the 18th century....I find myself in possession of a bug ridden charlatan to the Total War series!!!!

But yea...rants aside what has actually gotten me psyched up to blog a bit, was an interview that I just had today with Text 100....

Well started out with a little "What do you know about PR punk?" exercise sheet. Basic stuff really, key messaging, pr strategy, story angles etc etc. At this point I was quite comfortable actually because I was doing things that I knew how to do and yea...I've always prided myself on coming up with strategy, and I reckoned at that point that I would be able to dish it out in a pretty kick ass manner when it came down to presenting it (The intro sheet promised that it would be a "fun" exercise!!)

Anyway, finished up the exercise feeling all smug and on top of things as I step into the interview room proper at which point Mei Ling (my interviewer.. promptly goes through work, ticks a few lines, throws a "hmm,hum" here and there...and tosses it aside.Where was the fun exercise they promised?!! :( 

Long story short the interview turned into a "Who are you, what are you about" session, as is usual... cept that in this interview, my flaws somehow became very apparent to myself. When I left FH, I felt on top of the world. I knew I was kickass at my job and had the credentials to prove it! And then I fell into one of the worst working experiences of my life...and I stayed there for 9 months :( 

Text.. I see it as more than just a job right now. It really is a chance at redemption. Chance to see if I still have what it takes to do some good under hard core PROFESSIONAL circumstances...and frankly, while I was proud of the fact that I managed to get things done and happening by and large on my own over the past nine months, I am really looking forward to getting some mentorship going :S Its funny. A year ago I would have said I could take on my own accounts no problem. And I could. In the MALAYSIAN context. Which honestly is plain  shameful.

Well in anycase overall the interview went well...i reckon. Mei Ling even went out and said that she liked me and that was a pretty positive note. I gotta say that I was quite impressed by Mei Ling herself as well. I guess I'm lucky that she's had her own experiences with GLC's because she seemed to totally appreciate where I was coming from on that front...and also, unlike my previous bosses, she seemed able to appreciate what I was saying rather than just hear what I was saying... then again you know, could just be my mind playing tricks on me...after all she is a professional communicator and as Sashi once wisely told me "Everyone of em is a snake" (A tad harsh I felt at the time...but sadly, more and more I tend to find it to also be the truth on many occasions.... :S )

But at the same time, my fear is actually that my own self doubts will be what ultimately screws up my chances. I realized that for all that I thought I had accomplished in the past nine months, it really did'nt count for anything because the bar that was set was just too low. Unfortunately it also became very apparent to me that realizing that, and making the decision to leave it behind...was the easiest part of the whole saga....the real challenge will be to prove that I can still hack it in the big league...if I can that is :S

But by the lords of kobol I bloody do hope I bloody get that chance!

(Post interview dinner... first time in years where I just did'nt have the appetite to finish me food tres freaky :S )