I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, he said, BUT I COULD MURDER A CURRY.*

[bending_sickle]

Today was my interview for the "Science-Based Business Fundamentals" course. I've already registered, so it was just a little, "get to know the student" thing. So very much like a job interview. You can imagine how well that went. The interviewer - Al Pacino's younger, less-cheekboned brother - was nice, but his questions were really bloody hard, of the introspective type. What kind of job would you like, where do you see yourself in ten years, what are your strengths and weaknesses... Honestly, I'd love to know what I want, but I don't, and having a complete stranger press me to expand on this just...

Argh! What kind of job do I want? A fulfilling job, where I get to use my Bio-brain and my languages, where there's contact with people, where it's somewhat routine but with variation within that... Why I couldn't come up with this then, I don't know - not that this actually clarifies anything.

I could come up with a few strengths - nearly every report card from my childhood says, "conscientious" - I had trouble coming up with weaknesses. I mean, dude, I'm neat, I work well under pressure, I meet deadlines, I'm flexible, I work well with teams - either leading or obeying - these are all common weaknesses. I came up with my being shit at numbers and similar abstract concepts unless they're written down, being very visual. And the guy was like, "how's that a weakness?" I mean, I can work around in, and it doesn't impede me in any way, but sometimes I can follow an argument or explanation verbally alright but won't actually get it until I "see" it. But I'm shit at explaining that, so instead threw in that I'm shy. "What do you have to be shy about?" "Excuse me? Um, it's just a personality trait."

I got a few points for my languages, and I thank the stars I rememberd having talked to my parents about the EU, and the man also asked what my parents did for a living. But all the time I felt like I was talking like an ass, and he wasn't giving me any cues as to whether I was saying the right thing or anything. Oh, he'd scribble a few things down, but nothing really sparked his interest. "I'd like, I dunno, a normal job." "Ooh, we'll have to define normal later on." Argh!

It was a bit better when asked about hobbies, 'cause I got to say I write short-fiction (which isn't strictly a lie) and specified it was science-fiction (well, I have) and he asked me what my favorite SF novels were, and since it's been ages I couldn't really come up with anything besides Fahrenheit 451 and Brave New World, which are my personal classics. I was a bit miffed when he said it'd been years since he read any SF and what a surprise that I mention two that he actually knows. Dude, they're classics. Had I had time to think and remember - my memory takes a while to kickstart - I might've mentioned Asimov's Nemesis or Well's The Island of Doctor Moreau or, hell, The Time Traveller's Wife. (Although one main problem is that a number of these I don't think of as SF, just as books. Genres, I do them not.)

Anyway, it was finally over and I hadn't worn my finger raw from turning my ring round and round, and the other guy being interviewed with me - who often got asked after me, so was at an unfair advantage of not sounding like an idiot - commented on how weird the questions were.

So I was peeved and nervous after this, so I went home, cooked lunch, then said fuck it and went to the grocers to get a mini-bottle of wine (Supermarket brand, South Africa, fruity). I then watched two episodes of Torchwood, scribbling down notes (heavy on the "?!?") for a later post.

Then I went off to have Japanese curry at Elisa's and Laura's, and to meet Elisa's sister Marina and her friend Sarame, and to see Wulan again. (We seem to have hit it off nicely, though we've only seen each other a few times. But it's always a pleasure seeing her, and we get full of squee and giggly, so must keep in touch.) The girls were lovely, the curry was for 12 people and still entirely consumed, and the after-supper conversation was delightful as always: sexual deviations and the Red Light District being the main topic. (It's either that or deformed babies with us, honestly. Our conversations always gravitate to those topics.)


Links of the Day:
Quick games on the internet
crycrywolf's The Real Theme of Season 4 Doctor Who
YouTube: My Family - I love this show :)
YouTube: Starlings flocking to the song "Lover's Spit" - Lovely.
AC360: Roland S. Martin's Blog
bowlerhat_girl's Lost Fanfic: Gold Stars for Good Behaviour
blizzardcake shares Where the Hell is Matt (2008) - Awesome video.
Top 100 SF Books

Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.


* Death, Mort by TPratchett

Comments

[phantmgreeneyes.livejournal.com]

I went to an Indian buffet today and ate what amounted to two plates of curry.
You can never have too much curry.
Can't wait hear your thoughts on TW! And I REALLY need to watch the sing-along blog.

[blizzardcake.livejournal.com]

I hatehatehate interview-like settings with a passion :S Especially the questions about strengths and weaknesses. Congratulations for having survived it :) You totally deserve to relax and have a glass of wine!

The Sing Along Bloggggggg!!! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥33333!!!
(Act II is up: http://drhorrible.com/index.html)