working for my bowl of laksa

ever since i left the artshop, i've become an odd-job labourer of sorts. for some reason, my application for a "real" job (read: something that a typical Asian parent would readily approve of and will happily boast to the relatives/neighbours about..) has not come through even after a puzzling three weeks. Though i'm not a great fan of Carl Jung (and hence of his theory of "reading the signs"), i do have a nagging feeling that there is perhaps something else i am supposed to (a) think about, or (b) work on, before the greater powers give me a hint on what is the best way forward in terms of my career. with this thought in mind, i became open to watching for "signs"..

and this is what i got over so far: a motley stream of seemingly random consigned and personal projects coming my way, and from equally diverse sources... in the past month or so, i have been given a chance to write an article for a magazine, to write an article for a website, to design a website for a small retail store, to come up with a proposal for customer service training for a local boutique chain, to paint glassware, to teach art to children, and to provide relief teaching in a secondary school in the East.. Inspired (rightfully or mistakenly) by these small "successes", i popped down to the national library today and got myself the "Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Money in Freelancing" thinking... maybe i was cut out to be a freelancer!

i found a checklist which gave me some (rather vague) clues. anyway, my answers are in brackets next to the questions (which were written in such a "Idiot's Guide"-style that i couldn't stop smiling when i read them..)

If you answer "True" to any of the following items, think twice before you pursue a career as a freelancer.

1. You crave companionship. In a pinch, you'll talk to the gerbil. [hahaha.. no lah]
2. You take rejection personally. Really personally. [False]
3. You think a note that says "Not suited to our current needs" means you're fat, stupid and ugly. [i know i am not fat,stupid and ugly :)]
4. You'd rather be flayed alives than move back with the Parental Units. [i do stay with my parents]
5. You're too proud (or shy or well brought up) to sell yourself. [i haven't found a bigger ego-tripper.. hahaha..]
6. You didn't go to college for four years so you could work as a temp when money gets tight. [I'm an odd-job labourer now.. whatdoyouexpect??]
7. If you can't play tennis every Wednesday at noon, you pout and stamp your well-shod foot. [i used to work really really odd hours in retail, so.. False again]
8. You refuse to buy anything off the rack. [False]
9. Your self-esteem fluctuates with your bank account. [hahaha.. False]
10. You think "freelancing" means never having to miss an episode of your favourite TV programme. [ I don't watch TV, so I'm ok]

hey! i could be a free-lancer!!