2023 Week 26: I Tried Some Part-Time Jobs So You Don't Have To

I've been plagued by both insomnia and job-seeking activities this week. Coincidence?

On Monday I was fagged from lack of sleep so decided to skip yoga and walk to Ang Mo Kio for lunch instead. I don't think I can keep up the long walks from our stay in the UK. It's not just the weather - though yes the heat certainly makes one wilt. I find the tarmac paths here very hard on the feet, and it's just unpleasant to walk around concrete, traffic, and construction sites all emitting and steaming and roiling in the heat. The air is foul. Also:

Sign found at construction site that ate up the ENTIRE sidewalk at AMK, requiring pedestrians to locate unreasonably circuitous temporary footpath route. Typical hypocritical rhetoric in Singapore. If human life is so fucking important then why not cordon off one of the traffic lanes for people to walk on?! It's a 4-lane road. I'm sure we can spare 1 measly lane. 

Tuesday we went to my grandma's house to eat lunch and hang out with family. Skipped yoga again due to tiredness; went home and had a nap instead. 

For dinner we celebrated Jon's mom's birthday at Hai Di Lao. The staff at HDL are simply amazing. So positive and helpful, yet not fake or obsequious. You have to wonder how much they get paid. Our meal wasn't too expensive either. We didn't order much for the steamboat because the $4 condiment buffet was so good, plus they showered us with all manner of freebies.

Wednesday and Thursday I worked at the bookstore. I have been bringing elaborate lunches to work:

On Friday I finally got round to writing my long-delayed UK reflections post. I loved writing for a few solid hours in the morning, then having a break for brown toast and baked beans (my current favourite food, especially topped with a fried egg or cut-up sausage), and then having the afternoon free for a wander. Unfortunately I spent the afternoon on a new part-time job trial instead - more on that later.

On Saturday we worked on the house. Jon and I have been upgrading our rooms. My room is a mess - I've been sorting out a lot of books to give away - I need to get rid of my pretentious philosophy books and doorstopper fantasy novels. Then we went to Dhoby Ghaut to eat dinner and to look at what people were doing on the weekend.

Sunday (today) I've been writing while Jon is busy with rewiring things around the house. I think we'll go to Books Without Borders later.

OK, now the jobs bit! This week I was busy with applying and taking exams for...

1. Library Officer: It's a full-time job but I don't mind because I really want to work at my local library. I thought my chances were pretty good since I have the exact same job scope at Kino, but I got rejected. BTW, I have been applying for library jobs since I graduated from uni and have been rejected every single time!

2. Assoc Lecturer: Since I went to the trouble of making a Careers@Gov profile I applied for this (rare) part-time lecturing job at a local polytechnic. I was rejected instantly so no idea what the hours or pay is like. 

3. Personalized Internet Assessor: This is a remote, part-time job with a vast internet company for something like US$13.50/hour. I don't know how many hours it is but I reckon not more than 10 a week. You have to sit through a 3-stage exam to get the job, which I didn't pass because I couldn't be arsed to do it properly. It is tedious work - you have to look at many websites (including porn) and assess them for appropriateness for search engine queries - basically you're helping AI get smarter. I am not sure I want to directly contribute to the singularity for US$13.50/hour. But maybe it's a case of sour grapes, you know?

4. Art Teacher: Part-time job at children's art enrichment centre. (This is the only time I've ever benefitted economically from my diploma in fashion design. Art or design diploma holders get paid more - $21 per class - than those without art training - $18!) 

I went in with vague ideas of spending pleasant afternoons drawing and painting with innocent children. Oh, how wrong I was! People are nothing more than commodities in the human resource marketplcae, therefore the classes are run as extra-curricular upskilling for 6-year-olds. Children must learn art techniques in each day's lesson plan as quickly as possible or be left behind in the arms race. After class, teachers report to parents on what the child excelled in and which bits "need work".

But what is the point of equipping children with skills and achievements at such a young age? Is it to create deeply stressed adults who can then contribute to GDP by buying colouring books and attending adult doodling classes? For my part, I'm not sure if I can in good conscience expose children to late capitalism values at such tender ages.