O' Alberta

Oh, province of great beauty -- not one bit the same
From North to South; Prairies to the Rockies
Diverse wealth from fertile soils and fossil fuels

Sweet home, Alberta...

- Cynnie, September 30, 2012

(This is my very first acrylic medium. My only exposure was a brief introduction to mixing basic acrylic colours when I was volunteering for Artist on the Ward at the university hospital.)

How to Survive a Job Hunt

Scenario A:
So, it is your final year in university or college. The intensity of team assignments and fast-looming deadlines is increasing the need for Tums to settle your poor stressed stomach. Living on very little sleep after possibly a lot of instant junk foods and cans of energy drinks, job hunting could be far from your mind right now....

Scenario B:
You are working in what appears to be a dead-end job where you've learned everything you could. You want to move out or up. You want a career. How do you transition from a job into a career?

PLAN FOR SURVIVAL (Think Effectiveness and Efficiency)
In either scenario, you will need a plan. Not just a plan to write a general resume, hit "send" to 50 jobs and hope to hear back from 3 recruiting managers. No, unless you are applying for general help at restaurants, retail stores and the like, spending 15 minutes in total on a resume and cover letter is simply not enough. Personally, each resume takes me at least 3 to 6 hours to write. Have someone who has recruiting experience to proof-read your application and give you honest feedback. Plan to stand out from the crowd.

There are some common grounds between dating and job hunting.
1. 1 Husband and 4 wives: WHO? WHAT?! WHY? WHERE? HOW?!
Take some time to visualize yourself in 5 years from now. What do you want to achieve in your personal life? Now, what do you want to be in a professional life?
Nag line: RESEARCH! RESEARCH! DO YOUR RESEARCH and evaluate yourself!

What are your personal values?
- This will ensure we set our conflicting priorities right. It could be work-life balance or having time to enjoy our hobbies. Once we become aware of what we want in the long term, we can filter through endless job postings that do not fit our personal goals and values.

Which company (WHO) do you want to work for? What industry is it in? What is the corporate culture of the company you are applying to?
- It is important to know our targeted audience. How we go about networking depends on which industry we want to get into. If it's design and marketing oriented, a cardboard sign that says "Hire Me! Recent grad" may not be memorable. Also, have we got a portfolio ready?
If the job requires proof that you have registered for a professional designation (say accounting), make sure you include your program's transcripts in your application.

What are the company's vision and mission statement? (Often found on the company's About link on its website)

Does the company's corporate culture and value(s) relate to your own personal values? (Now, we do not want to date a person that does not believe in recycling and being environmentally friendly, do we?!)

- Or would you prefer to work for yourself? In that case, do a 5 year business plan and extensive market research, as well as a 5 year financial forecast analysis.

2. There is no "I" in team:
So, you are sitting at a table on your first date, you are trying to have a balanced conversation to get to know each other. 20 minutes have passed and all you have heard is, "I love football! The other day, I scored big by breaking my personal best running speed record. Oh, by the way, my best asset is my 'smile'. I am a super easy-going guy, you will like me. I will treat you ridiculously nice. Why don't I become 0your boyfriend?"
Okay, slow down. If your cover letter sounds like that, chances are that you will have the recruiters scratching their heads going, "That's nice. So what?" How can you bring value(s) to the company you are hiring for? How can you show that you will be a good 'fit' for the team you want to be part of?

3. Relevance! Read the job description carefully. Preparing your resume and cover letter thoroughly also prepares you for the (behavioural) interview
"I have got no time" is not a good excuse. When you are job hunting, you have to leave your victim attitude behind. Remember, you are trying to stand out from the crowd and away from the "Why not pick me?" mentality.
In a recessive economy, it is important to be aware that employers are looking for efficiency and effectiveness. This means possessing the ability to handle multiple conflicting priorities, eliminate any unnecessary work and make suggestions to improve specific processes.
Read the job description carefully; highlight keywords. Use as much keywords as possible and be honest, so that a software could move your resume closer towards the Most-Likely-Yes pile.
Why do I spend 6 hours on a resume? It takes time to really understand what kind of ideal candidate they are looking for. Also, it takes time to edit my past job experiences (from a different industry) relevant to the job. If there is an ideal job I really want but lack experiences, I save the job description and plan to fulfill the skills required to further progress in my career.
Also, depending on the industry, use common fonts: Arial or Times New Roman font no smaller than size 11. Triple check for spelling and grammatical errors. Pay closely to see if your document looks uniform and well-put together. It shows attention to details, so if such attribute is in your resume but there is a spelling error. It shows you are lying.

4. Get Organized!
I cannot stress the importance of keeping track of all your applications. Save the date and name of the job and company you've applied for. There is nothing worse than picking up a phone call and wonder, "What job did I apply for?"
Yep, true story. I made that error when I was 18 or 19, looking for office administration positions. I went into an interview whereby the recruiter had to tell me what the job is about. Recruiter's only comment was "Really nice resume." Her reason for rejecting me was silently obvious. My answers lacked weights how I am going to be of value to the company at the job.

5. I ain't no gold digger!
If you want to get rich fast quick, forget about working for a company. Go marry a rich sugar momma or sugar daddy and sign a pre-nup.
Here comes the dreaded question: What are your salary expectations?
Again, research the country's industry average. If you are asking for $100,000.00, your resume will go towards the bottom pile.

6. Dress to Impress
If you are wondering what to wear for an interview, think conservative black/grey/white/tan colours, with accents of colour underneath your blazer. Wear minimal jewelry. Iron your shirt
 or blouse if it's wrinkled. Minor details matter because it will bring you confidence!

In a nutshell, your resume and cover letter tell the recruiting manager your:
- Ability to communicate effectively
- Detailed orientation

Your interview could test your:
- Analytical skills
-Technical skills (They might ask you to sit in front of an equipment and perform a highly skilled task)
- personal approach to possible obstacles and/or challenges

Good luck! Do keep in mind that this is a difficult selection process on the recruiting side as well -- it is nothing personal when we do not hear any news. Job-hunting is an ongoing learning process; do remember to thank your interviewers for the opportunity.

Unplugged Happiness

While taking a two year hiatus on blogging on the Cynful Wire, I have been reflecting on the pursuit of happiness. If writing keeps me happy, what should I write (other than poetry)? Every day of the year seemed to be playing endlessly on repeat.... Having to bargain my way with every day mindless hum drum -- unpleasant road-raged drivers or commuters too eager to plop their faces onto a smartphone screen to take notice of anything else. This is my typical every day bus commute: a man taking two seats on a full bus, blissfully oblivious playing a game on his smartphone; he must have paid double fare for the seat of his backpack while an elderly lady hangs onto the rail for dear life. A mere "hello, excuse me" elicited no acknowledgement out of this gentlemanly stranger.

Try this point challenge, especially if you take public transit. Count how many people (including ourselves) have their eyes glued onto an electronic device screen. One point per bus passenger. Add 10 points if you see a driver texting and driving.

It has been three weeks since I have de-activated my Facebook. Since then, I have been able to focus on my studying a whole lot better -- rather than spending time on writing updates on studying. Laughable, isn't it?!

Unplugging from Facebook can seem terrifying at first -- but then, I remember how exhausting it is to keep up with up-to-the-minute details on my family, friends and acquaintances' lives. It has been amazing how much my stress levels has dropped -- without realizing how I unhappy I was, comparing my busy uneventful life with that of others. It also stopped me from living vicariously through others and having to worry about "being watched" closely -- or if a post would portray me as a narcissist. Quitting Facebook doesn't mean I am turning anti-social; if anything, it allows more face time. (Ironic, isn't it?) If anyone wanted to keep in touch, I'm only a phone call or an email away. Even better, I am finding the time to write thoughtful snail mails --things that only seem possible in times before the era of social media.

Another unplugging challenge is obvious: cellphone use. Figure out how much your smartphone usage is costing you on an annual basis. Factor the 3% average annual inflation cost -- so, multiply the cost of your annual cellphone bill by 1.03. If you are in a cellphone contract, multiply that number by the total number of years. Say, without including how much the cellphone costed, here's a rough estimate: an average of $55 per month x 12 months x 3 years x 1.03 x 1.03 x 1.03. That cellphone will eat away at least $2,163.41 over the span of 3 years -- $680.00 annually that could grow slowly at 1.20% in a tax-free savings account. Now, include the initial cost of your cellphone minus what you could sell it for -- does keeping in contact with everyone has to cost us our limb? Then, note how many impulse purchases we make from having convenient access to the Internet. Can we differentiate needs from wants?

Being plugged in kind of reminds me of a scene in the Pixar movie Wall-E. It is the part where humans would sit comfortably obese in their chairs, doing everything through a screen, oblivious to the existence of a swimming pool.

Once we start looking beyond our personalized bubbles, then, we can be more aware of how our actions can impact others and ourselves. To do good as a eco-global citizen requires more than liking an environmental or activist group -- it requires our genuine passion and planned action. We have to be good loving neighbours to be respectful citizens. Go ahead -- be fearless, unplug and be happy!

PSA: Facebook Places

Facecrook... beg your puddin', Facebook is getting cleverer each time with each new launch of a platform or an application. Just over a week ago, Facebook Places was just briefly talked about in the newspapers. I just found out today that I had to play with privacy settings YET once again.

What is Facebook Places? In a nutshell, it's a genius viral marketing tool. Your friend checks you in or you decidedly to "check-in" at your favourite location(s). Marketers understand the N-generation far too well: N-geners are far more technical savvy and more easily influenced by their peers. However, is this method ethical if privacy issues were taken into consideration? Facebook seems to have lengthy and complicated opt-out processes if you do not wish friends to "stalk" you. Facebook Places deserves this:

Now, to effectively opt-out of Facecrook Places, there are four steps.

1. Privacy settings > Applications/games/websites > Information accessible through friends > Uncheck Places

2. Privacy settings > customise settings > set "Places I check in" to "ONLY ME"

3. Privacy settings > customise settings >Friends can check me in to places > select disable
   

4. Account settings > Notifications >turn Notifications off for Facebook Places.

See, it's a lengthy opt-out process.

Easy Recipes

I am starting a food blog despite the fact that I'm not a talented food photographer. It is basically a compilation of recipes that are a) easy to make, b) won't break your budget, c) healthy.

Some of my favourite online recipe sites are such:
www.allrecipes.com
www.makantime.com (for authentic Southeast Asian cuisine)
Then, to (shamelessly) promote my food blog, here it is: http://cynniebuns.wordpress.com

Earth and a Sea of Roses

(image source; perhaps a painting/drawing might ensue)

I'm sailing on a sea of roses
Scent of spring is in the air
It's the land of happy pill doses
Love and humility everywhere

If that is how heaven is ---
That kind of quiet soothing blissfulness
But earth is crying;
She's used, abused for the comfort of living
Stripped of her beautiful birds and trees
Cellular signals confuse the bees
Why can't we see more empathy? We can take some responsibilities
Recycle and reuse; make earth feel and look pretty
Live life in humility

This is heaven; what goes up will still come down
It saddens me when nobody gives a damn 'til they hear the sound
of thunder crashing, of earth shaking
Grieved and hurt, heaven's turning to hell
Tainted love, she's got to ring the death bell

I'm on a ship that sails on the sea of roses
It doesn't sink when the thorns encloses over us
Storms and beasts are some of life's happy feasts
Drunk with love from fermented yeast

That is how heaven is ---
That kind of joyful lovingness
But greed and hate
seems to be Earth Mother's fate
Raped of her precious metals and fuel fossils
Acid rain on rose petals and wastes from paper mills
Why aren't we ashamed? We are all to blame
Money doesn't buy true beauty
Life life in humility

This is heaven; we live what we make it to be
It's a huge garden for thousands of species to roam free
It's not just for you and for me
For the future, heaven can be better
For the past, we can treasure what has last

Love heaven, love earth
Rose buds of hope and a new birth
Love heaven, love earth
On a sea of roses, we will surf


- Cynthia C., written March 29, 2009

Cynful Indulgence presents: Where to eat or dine in Edmonton?

You might be surprised to hear that you don't have to travel any further than Edmonton for fine variety of restaurants. Sure, you could go to the Taste of Edmonton to indulge your taste buds for sample size portions. Alternatively, you could pick up a SEE or VUE magazine and browse through reviews. Or, you could look at these suggestions and use google to find what other reviewers have to say about them. Sorry, food photography isn't really my thing when it ought to land on my taste buds first.

Fast bites for breakfast/lunch
A. Shine Cafe
If you work in downtown, a notable cafe with delectable choices for breakfast and sandwiches/salad for lunch is neatly tucked right along the walkway to Canada Place. So far, I have tried an egg, havarti cheese, spinach English muffin at $2.95. At first I was skeptical -- the near-by affordable breakfast places I have frequented up to that point were just OK.
It is quite the priviledge to be served by the chef himself; he is the owner of the cafe. He went to culinary school at SAIT. You might want to read his work biography if you do decide to pop by the cafe. When I took my first bite at my office desk, I was in breakfast heaven sans bacon.

B. Pho King
Okay, don't laugh at the name. Decent prices and amazingly delicious Vietnamese food. The owner's sister-in-law is an amazing cook. Don't fancy pho or vermicelli? There's breakfast all day! Furthermore, they have Happy Hour for a certain time after 3 pm.

C. Handy Bakery
It is ALWAYS dangerous to carry your debit or credit card there. Mouth-watering pastries and various variety of fresh bread.... If they have this on the menu: "lasagna, garlic toast and caesar salad" and if they still have some available, it is worth a try. Caution though, you might get hooked and would look forward to the next time it's on the menu. It was always a good day at work when the indulgence of cream horns and custard tarts from this bakery are being shared at work. Oh, hope you won't be counting calories. After all, letting yourself indulge DOES involve burning some calories.

CULINARY TREASURES: The journey around the world in Edmonton
A. Ethiopian: Blue Nile
Yes, there are restaurants that serve sheesha. Co-Co Di was a popular spot until it got burnt down. The Blue Nile offers both exotic food (on the main floor) and sheesha (in the basement). Do not be turned off by using your hands to eat. The food is delicious; it is actually quite fun to tear a piece of this sour-dough wrap/flat-bread and eat it with meats and/or vegetable.

On a side note, Sabzy Cafe (Persian cafe on Whyte Ave) also offers sheesha. Reviews would be unavailable for this cafe since I haven't tried it yet.

B. Chinese:
There are plenty in the city. It depends on what you want or your location within the city.
Dim Sum
For chinese breakfast ("dim sum"), there are a few in the south-side. "Beijing Beijing" is a great note-worthy place for dim sum, with quite reasonable prices. It is very busy in the weekends; after a certain time in the morning, you would have to wait for spots.
Mirama and Century Dynasty are good for dim sum too; it's not difficult to find a dim sum place in Chinatown. Fast service, good food. Likewise, Good Buddy at Northgate is a great place for dim sum as well.

Dinner -- dining with a group of people
Great seafood!
You might want to learn how to use the chopsticks properly before the peaches and shrimp arrives on the lazy susan at Wok King. (Or save one and put it in your spare bowl!) This restaurant is two stores away from the Garden Bakery in Chinatown. Even though not known by many people, it is often packed on big occasions such as Chinese New Year.
Great hot-pot!
A great way to enjoy food and company is to bond while cooking fresh ingredients. Tantalizing sauces to dip your food in: peanut sauce, satay sauce, and so on. The broth is always amazing closer to the end of the meal. The hot pot restaurant to indulge at is Spice Kitchen. It serves barbecue grill and other entrees as well if you do not have enough people to share hot pot with. Spice Kitchen is a seafood lover's heaven! Fresh mussels, shrimp, scallops, fish.... Reminiscing the food they have got there is making me hungry!

C. Korean:
Bow down to Bul-go-gi House. Located close to Faculte St. Jean, this family restaurant offers a great selection of authentic foods at reasonable prices. You would have to try the way they prepare their beef. Every thing there is to die for... even their deep fried won tons.

All you can eat buffet barbecue at Korean Village. Keep in mind, however, that over-eating brings discomfort. Please enjoy responsibly.


Wait, there are even more note-worthy eateries/restaurants in Edmonton, but I shan't spill it all. The best part of indulging while eating out is the process of discovery and be pleasantly surprised by it all. Just take a walk or drive around the University of Alberta campus, Whyte Ave, 109 st, 99 st (two German restaurants can be found here) for a start. Well, the rest usually depends on the experiences of whom you know. Or, even better, join the Taste of U tour if you can. (It is a lot cheaper than the Taste of Edmonton -- it's free! Plus, you get to shed calories walking from cafe to cafe. A risk-free way of trying new places.)

Bon Appetit!