i was working as a promoter in bugis seiyu, where the colleagues rock, bosses suck and customers blow.
lol. i hated it. but i went through it. and i DID IT!
so yea now i can share my sales experience (and listening to christmas songs nearly everyday til after xmas) with you. but not in this post.
actually i have a lot of things to complain about. I REALLY HATE THE SECURITY THERE MAN. but no more. enough.
more details. i work as a promoter for Amanda, a woman's accessories brand from Korea during the seiyu christmas women's accessories promotion fair, from dec 15 to 28. i worked only in that period.
during the time, i had to endure weird customers, irritating store managers and critics from bosses.
all they want is money. well, i learnt some important lessons from this. best not to share this here. it's bad influence to people who haven't started working yet.
but as much as i hated my job (try standing from 10 am to 10 pm), i encourage you people to try sales jobs. you'll learn a lot of things.
during the start of the promotion period, i really cried every night. i was super tired from standing, and mentally my boss was stressing me to do MORE SALES! YOU MUST PUSH THE BLOODY CUSTOMERS! damn it, i was cracking.
but as always and foreverm, God was there to give me strengh and guide me. many times i wantd to give up, i'd just start speaking in tongues. and i'll feel very soothed.
i wanna thank God also for the many friends i've made there. they'll mostly promoters working under different brands, but we stick togethr and help and look out for each other. unity was strong among everyone there, and that was one of the important factors that made me stay in the job.
well, something else kinda stirred me too. listening to this particular song (it's a christmas song) made me remember a story, and a story i would like to share today.
it's based on a true story, but i made this fiction. if i used your name sorry. it wasn't intentional. and some of you may recognise the story.
Last Christmas
by Min
"Now presenting, the secondary four prefects of 2003!" Applause rang out around the hall.
"Pssst! Hey, there little pretty! Our friend here wants to get to know you!"
Eleanor squirmed in her seat.
"Hey, hey! we're talking to you there, girl with the red hairband! Don't be shy! All Cedric wants is your number!"
"Shut up, okay! We're in the middle of prefect investiture, you know!" Eleanor snapped back. The dark boy grinned, and nudged his partner, who turned red and looked away. The people around them started giggling.
"Aw man, bro, she's rejecting you! Come on, do something!" His teeth showing under a curled, mischevious smile, Arnold nudged Cedric again.
* * *
"Damn you, that was really embarrassing, Arnold! You could have been a little more subtle!" Cedric groaned as they walked out of the school hall. "Now she'll never talk to me!"
"Hey, at least now she knows of your existence," Arnold chortled. "You should have seen your face! You went redder than her hairband!"
"Oh come on, Arnold, stop making fun of Cedric! We're supposed to be helping him!" said Yolanda. "But don't worry, Cedric. I was sitting beside Eleanor. All she said was that Arnord was a crazy nutter - speak of the devil!"
"What, am I the devil?" Eleanor had walked up to them. Cedric jumped, stepping onto Arnold's foot. "Wait, what were you saying about me, Yolanda?"
"What? Umm, nothing. What's up Eleanor?" Stammering, Yolanda managed a weak smile.
"Oh, okay. Mind if I borrow your phone? Mine's flat, and i gotta call my dad. He's supposed to be picking me up."
Arnold muttered, "There goes your chance of sending her home..."
"Oh!" exclaimed a wide-eyed Yolanda. "Mine's flat too! But you can use Cedric's phone, right, Cedric? Cedric?"
"Huh? What? My phone? But yours was fine just - OUCH! What did I do?" Yolanda had pinched him. Grabbing Cedric's phone out of his hands, she passed it to a very confused Eleanor.
"Just use it. Cedric won't mind." She gave a big smile.
"Uh, okay...I won't take long, Cedric." Glancing at him, she dialed her home number.
"That was awfully smart, Yolanda. Terribly clever." Arnold said, slighty awestruck, after Eleanor walked away. "Better save that number there, Cedric!"
"But she didn't mean to give it, I, I better not take it."
Yolanda hissed, "Hey, don't tell me I did that for nothing, okay!"
* * *
"Hello, looking for?"
"Uh, hey, Eleanor."
"Who's speaking?"
"Uh, Cedric here..."
"Oh, hey Cedric! What's up?"
"Wannchaforwhile?"
"What? Haha, Cedric, speak a little slower."
"Well...You wanna chat for awhile?"
There was a pause on the phone.
"Sure, I don't mind."
One could possibly hear the smile on Cedric's face.
* * *
Eleanor screamed. And again. There was a loud splash, and she reappeared out of the water, laughing. A huge splash came from behind again, this time causing both Yolanda and Eleanor to shriek again.
"Cedric! You didn't have to push me down the slide!" Eleanor squealed. "I was just getting ready!"
"And you didn't have to make such a big ruckus when you got off the slide, bro!" A fully drenched, spluttering Arnold appeared from under the water surface. "I think you hit my nose..."
"Come on, Arnold, change your excuse. You've used that far too many times." Cedric grinned. "Come on, enough of playing slides for the day. We better get changed, best not to stay out long in this November wind."
* * *
November changed to December, but the friendship of the four did not change. Soon, it became very obvious that Eleanor liked Cedric, and many a times did Yolanda and Arnold try to get the both of them together. But they were too shy, too shy.
"Say, that wasn't such a bad movie eh, guys? So where to now?" stepping out onto the road, the four of them looked at each other.
"Let's go look at christmas trees! Come on come on!" the girls clamoured.
* * *
December turned to a grey January 2004, and school started again. Busy with prefectorial duties and CCA, Eleanor soon left the company of the three, them being a year older.
And something happened, just within a few weeks of school reopening, that changed the course of everything...
"Hello?"
"Hey Cedric! Haven't talked to you for quite sometime, so I thought I'd call you."
"Oh, it's you, Eleanor. Uh, can I call you later? I'm kind of busy - "
"Who's that, Ced?" A voice, sharp and clear, and sounding just like a girl, issued from the background.
"Umm, Cedric?"
"Later, Eleanor."
Never once was the phone dial so depressing to hear.
* * *
*beep* "You have a new voicemail message."
"Yolanda, it's Eleanor. Hey, we haven't met up in a while. I was thinking we should, and I called Cedric, but...well anyway, could you help me ask Cedric and Arnold, since you three are in the same class? i'll be waiting for your call."
"Cedric, you jerk, finally picked up the bloody phone, did you? Eleanor has already left me 3 missed calls and a voicemail. When are you going to tell her the truth?" Yolanda practically spat the words at him. "You are the most horrible person in the world! You knew she liked you, you should have asked her, but you made her wait and now you're with Jessica! What is your problem? Wait, who's that? Ced, you're with her right now? Damn you! Cedric you better not hang up-"
The phone went dead, and Cedric sighed. He didn't want to hang up either, but...
* * *
*beep* New SMS received.
"Cedric, what's going on? Why isn't any of you three answering my calls? This is getting irritating, you know? Just tell me what happened!"
"Dammit, you should at least have the f**king courtesy to reply, Cedric!"
"Look, Cedric, I know about Jessica already, okay. I saw you guys together already. Don't mind me but you're a moron without me saying it. Just don't make it worse by telling Yolanda and Arnold to stay away from me!"
"Eleanor, I'm really sorry..."
She never stopped crying, until she fell asleep.
* * *
Another Christmas came, accompanied by the usual cold weather and Christmas carols. It played on the radio, and she turned up the volume.
"Last christmas, I gave you my heart. But the very next day, you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears, I gave it to someone special."
Eleanor smiled at Shawn, who took her hand.
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance
But you still catch my eye
Tell me baby
Do you recognize me?
Well
It's been a year
It doesn't surprise me
I wrapped it up and sent it
With a note saying "I love you"
I meant it
Now I know what a fool I've been
But if you kissed me now
I know you'd fool me again
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
A crowded room
Friends with tired eyes
I'm hiding from you
And your soul of ice
My god I thought you were
Someone to rely on
Me?
I guess I was a shoulder to cry on
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
A man under cover but you tore me apart
Now I've found a real love you'll never fool me again
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
A man under cover but you tore him apart
Maybe next year I'll give it to someone
I'll give it to someone special.
thanks very much if you read til here. enjoy the song. pics and post on prom night will be for tomorrow.
