Tag Archives: Application

I’m Fried…

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I’ve disappeared from the surface and didn’t respond to any emails due to a deadline that I had before 20.00 today. I’ve been in my insane work-all-thru-the-night-mode again since yesterday and didn’t get much sleep at all, about three hours this morning when I went to bed at about 06.00. I’ve been working non-stop for days, my brain is fried at the moment so I can’t think much but I will try to explain why I have been up all night and invisible last week.

While the economy is getting worse things are getting more uncertain for a lot of people, including myself. I’m still living in a place due to circumstances with the ex where I don’t want to be, although we’re friends: I want to move on… And fact is that I’m getting more and more work in, but it’s not enough to be able to move out and pay all possible expenses. London is number two on the World list of most expensive cities to live after Moscow and I feel it, trust me!

Last week, I accidentally found a most appealing opportunity to change the situation for the best. Yes I need stability in my life, especially with all the chaos going on around me I need a center point of calmness and certainty. That said, I knew I had to leave an impression so the creativity started to flow all week last week. But it felt wrong somehow and although I asked some if they liked my ideas and my creation [which they did] it still didn’t feel right to me…

So last night I realised at the last moment that I shouldn’t do what I’d planned to do. Indecisiveness is what it boils down to, I just couldn’t make up my mind and the pressure was there big time. I couldn’t afford to take unnecessary risks, I mean it looks really nice but it didn’t feel right for the occasion. By the time I actually trusted my gut feeling it was already midnight and I needed a change in strategy so in the end simplicity won over complex beautiful design.

I’d planned to send it off yesterday but that was before I changed my mind. I had less than six hours to adjust a letter, CV, add extra pages to my portfolios and export it all to an acceptable pdf format which was the tough bit. I need a good book about making pdfs: no it’s not at all simple to produce a high-in-quality but low-in-bit-size pdf, there are just way too many options and way too many unsatisfying results. Or am I too much of a perfectionist?

At the moment I don’t really care, I had my panic attack right after I sent my email with attachment. The ‘what ifs’ started to bug me big time and I can’t remember how long ago it was where I felt this insecure about things but I guarantee it was at least 15 years ago. Insecure… only because I really really want this position. It means a way out for me, a way to fly and spread my wings. A way to start afresh again and face exciting new challenges.

To my surprise I got an email in, an hour after I had sent mine. It said that they had received several hundred of applications and that they would get back to me at the beginning of next week. They’d done an initial check of applications as they came in which mine had passed and they’d be actively considering mine. I’m happy I listened to my gut feeling, tonight I can finally relax after a hectic week! Below a few details of my design that I didn’t use in the end.

I’m sure I will one day on a different project, these are drawings that I did using Illustrator but they weren’t meant to be, not today…

Details of my illustrations

Mac Stamps

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Living abroad means having to adapt to customs of the host country, which could lead to either total frustration or bliss. I think each expat out there has got some silly story to tell about their host country. Mine started off as a frustration and changed into bliss, literally over night. Last night I was busy burning a CD for CH. with pictures of the wedding. I have been a bad girl and been postponing it for weeks ignoring her request to send it to her asap *sorry about that dear*. I told her my reason for postponing was not the fact that I had to burn a CD, that takes only 2 minutes but the fact that I had to sort out the stamps… I know… it sounds lame but it actually became a major annoyance!

So last night when I had finally written some postcards and finished CH.’s parcel [even though it’s flat and smaller than a postcard envelop it is still considered a parcel], I started the dreadful journey online in search of the right stamp… 80

Let me explain the system over here…There are seven different ways of sending off mail overseas: Airsure, International Signed For, International parcels, Airmail, Surface mail, HM Forces Mail and HM Forces Special Delivery. Then within the UK there is: First Class mail and Second Class mail, Standard Parcels and Recorded Signed For. First Class mail is supposed to be delivered the next day [not over the weekend though] and Second Class will take two to three days, within the UK that is. Then there is Recorded Signed For mail, within the UK and there is Recorded Signed For mail, outside the UK. Both are different issues and require a different form to be filled out which you will be given at the post office; orange for within the UK and blue for outside the UK. I had to send out eight parcels over xMas last year with valuables therefore needed ‘signed on delivery’, it took two weeks to arrive in the Lowlands, you want to know why?

Because some idiot had given me the orange sticker forms instead of the blue while I specifically had mentioned the destination… A nice Indian man at my local post office took time to explain it to me a while ago when I asked for orange forms, he kindly told me that I needed the blue ones instead. He is actually the only person at that post office who really enjoys his job and it’s showing! I remember -in December- I was suprised to hear that for £9,- I had sent off, eight parcels, CS. was there with me to help me fill out those annoying forms. In hindsight I guess they were just arsing about at that particular post office [Lakeside Mall].

Anyway… Postage depends on weight, size and destination. There are pricing tables to be found online so once you know how much it weighs you can look up how much postage is needed to send it off. So far so good, I mean it still takes forever to sort out how you would like to send stuff since there are too many options but my major annoyance is the fact that there is no amount mentioned on the new stamps… It just says First Class or Second Class… So the other day when I was at my local post office the Indian gentleman gave me these First Class stamps called First Class Stamps for Large Letters, meant to be used for large sized envelopes within the UK. According to him I could also use these for postcards outside the UK, he again explained it very well and took time to help me out.

I ended up searching for images of stamps last night just to see how much one stamp was worth since I needed to put 69p on one envelope [parcel I mean]. 50 x Large Letter 1st Class Stamp Sheet = £24.00 so one stamp is 48p… Then I still needed 21p and again ended up looking online to find the price of one small First Class Stamp and ended up paying 13p extra because I didn’t have the 21p only 34p stamps. This is how they make huge profits each year… But… While I was searching I found out that you can now print your own postage online… They had the same system in the Lowlands but only for PC. Everything seems to be developed for PC users only most of the time so to my surprise I found out that it works for Mac as well!

I really don’t understand the ways of this country at times, they have fitted carpet in their airport corridors *yuk*, above ground telephone and internet wires that stop working when there is a slight thunderstorm, but they have a brilliant online postage system for ta da: Mac!

I think I’ll stay a bit longer :P

Noticeable Oddities of the Day:

Run out of stamps? Don’t panic, print your postage from your PC or Mac. Print your postage online directly from your PC or Mac. The service is free (you just pay the normal postage price), easy to use and, because you can print your postage whenever you need it, you’ll never run out again. Use Online Postage to buy and print postage straight onto envelopes, labels or plain paper.

-No need for complicated software or equipment – all you need is a computer and a printer

-Print postage and an address directly onto labels, envelopes or paper

-Select the right postage using the ‘Quick links’ below or with our Price Finder

-Make secure payments online using your prepay account, credit card (or debit card for purchases over £3.50).