Wanted to talk about 2 related ideas today: maslow's hierarchy of needs, and decision-making under trying circumstances. maslow's hierarchy is complicated enough that i won't be able to do it justice here, but the basic idea is that humans have different kinds/levels of needs, and the more basic ones have to be fulfilled first before the higher-level ones. it's often represented as a pyramid, and the tiers from lowest (most basic/essential) to highest go: physiological -> safety -> belonging and love -> esteem -> self-actualization. i've never had to worry about being homeless or hungry. admittedly, i still don't now. if push came to shove, i could shell out for a few nights in a hotel. but i can't do that forever, which is why the issue of settling my next accommodations is kind of stressing me out. lesson learnt: book an initial place for at least 2 weeks. i booked mine for 6 days, and it's barely enough. as for safety, i feel ok. it's been good so far. not exactly on tenterhooks, but i don't feel particularly inclined to wander about outside when it's dark. brief sidetrack to say how surprised i was when my phone clock showed 9pm and the sky was still bright! no, i didn't forget to change timezones. just that it's summer now, and the days are longer. i'm not even going to think about the remaining tiers of needs until i secure housing and a job.
idea #2 is about decision-making. i forgot the exact details, but a study showed that people experiencing poverty don't make good decisions. i think the clickbait tagline/short summary of it was "poverty reduces your IQ by 20 points". personally, i think it's not limited to decision-making, but it extends to your overall thought processes in general. those 2 things combined together have led me to question some of the things i'm doing. again, i'm not broke, but the mindset of wanting to save as much as possible and stretch every dollar as far as possible really wears on you. i honestly can't tell you how many times the thought of just going back to singapore, where i have guaranteed housing, has come to mind even though it's only in the middle of my first week here. to be fair though, i remember my first night in kochi being miserable as well - having just said goodbye to the singapore JETs earlier in the day after our quarantine ended, boarding the plane to kochi alone, landing and immediately being rushed all over town to get the moving-in procedures done. to add on to the misery, i realized i'd neglected to pack a towel, so i had to use a combination of toilet paper and used clothes to dry off after that first shower...in winter! but even then, it wasn't all that bad because my supervisor and superintendent were at the airport to welcome me, plus the discord server that we (the JETs) had was really active, and i knew that at least 10 other people were going through it at the same time as i was. i am 100% solo here, which is not reassuring at all.
for perspective though, there are things i've been enjoying in the UK. the biggest upside is the weather. although it's summer now, it's cool enough that hoodies are needed in the mornings and evenings. i've actually seen some guys walking around shirtless! first thought: 'how?', second thought: 'nice!'. i can walk about all day without breaking a sweat. on the social side, i've had several pleasant interactions with random people in shops and on the train, which is not something that regularly happens in singapore. of course, it could be because of the time of the day or the locations that i'm visiting...just that i've never seen crowd density build up to singapore levels, with only morning rush hour coming close.
on to job updates, i have...many job applications pending. i actually lost count! my best guess is 4 in the UK, 4 in new zealand, 1 in singapore. not placing too high hopes on NZ, actually...visa sponsorship issues still seem to be a thing for jobs there. the singapore job looks good, but i'm up against about 140 other applicants, no joke. i expect the universities in the UK will get back to me around august so as to have prep time before the semester starts in september. i also had an interview with an IP firm just yesterday. it went well enough; as usual there are things that i could have done better, but what's done is done. i understand that they're interviewing 3 candidates (me included) for 1 or 2 positions, so odds look good. still, i don't want to assume anything until after i've signed the offer letter. i think my visa situation will put me at a disadvantage, because after my 3 years on this visa are up (or if we agree to swap sooner), they'll have to sponsor me for a work visa. and my understanding is that they don't have a sponsor license now, so that will be an additional cost to them.
about this IP firm...they were very upfront in telling me that if i joined them, most of the work i'd be doing wouldn't be chemical in nature. strangely, i found myself to be ok with that. i mean, patent attorney qualification is the same regardless of the discipline, as long as it's STEM-related. all candidates take the same courses and exams. scientists actually have a slight disadvantage vs. engineers because the drafting paper will be about something mechanical. after all, not everyone will have specialized chemical/biological knowledge, but everyone knows what a lever or wedge or simple mechanical device is and the principles behind their operation. i also know that there's a success story already - one of the firm's partners is trained in chemistry, but he hasn't been doing much chemical work. they mentioned that i should know the outcome early in the following week, so fingers crossed.
on a larger scale, i wonder if this is the beginning of the end for my affinity with chemistry. all the way from secondary school to grad school, i'd always envisioned myself using chemistry in the workplace. even if it's not necessarily a lab-based role, i thought that i'd still interact with chemistry in some way, eg. using my chemical knowledge when dealing with patent applications in the accursed IP firm. but now, with the possibility of landing this mostly non-chemical IP job, and my cousin's search fund suggestion, leaving chemistry behind doesn't seem like such a stretch any more. but it's ok. after all, a university degree is just proof that you know how to learn. it doesn't say anything about the area in which you use that ability. having said that though, i will still apply to some chemical companies both in the UK and in singapore. i figure that i owe myself that much for all the effort and time i put into taking chemistry as a major.
by the way, this potential IP firm is located in essex, just north-eastish of london. i've been to the town it's in, and i quite like the vibe there. they have an LGBT support centre called the OUThouse, the name of which i think is quite witty. also, there appears to be a decent asian community there - i've seen chinese restaurants, a bubble tea shop, even an asian grocery store! ironic that despite being further away from south-east asia, i can get south-east asian food and ingredients here more readily than i could in japan.
so, the current plan is: i will move to that city regardless of whether the IP firm offers me a job or not. if they do, then i'll work there with the goal of qualifying as a patent attorney in 3 to 4 years. i'll have to complete the grad certificate before my current visa runs out though, unless they swap me to a work visa. in my spare time, i want to slowly integrate into the community by volunteering and other stuff, focusing on LGBT things. if the IP firm doesn't offer me the job, i'll job-hunt using the city as a base while doing some part-time work and maybe volunteering if my heart/mind can handle it. hopefully i won't have to move too far, but that's out of my control.
now comes the hard-to-mention part: i'm thinking that in a worst-case scenario, i will bring forward my departure from the UK. i mentioned that i thought about going back to singapore, right? to tell the truth, i already went to look at air ticket prices. the way i see it is, if my job hunt yields no results by the end of august (and if a nice, cute guy who will take me in and provide for me doesn't come along either), then i'll start making plans to go back. i saw that for the whole month of october, the airfare for a london to singapore flight is cheapest on my birthday...perhaps it's a sign. i'm not about to book it right this instant, but it will be something to consider around late-august if really nothing comes along by then. however if at least one of my singapore applications comes through, then i'll really have to consider next steps very carefully. applying now would mean getting a response by september-ish at the latest, so there's still time. and who knows? maybe the job market will get better later in the year. i have some insider information that some places might hire towards year-end.
one belief i've always had is that the universe (you might say "god" if you're religious) never gives us a greater challenge than we can handle. everything that's happened so far is still within my threshold. the main thing i should focus on is taking one small step at a time, and building the momentum up. easier said than done, but it is doable. and hey - if nothing else, this will add to my life experience and story bank! already, i think one lesson i'm learning is to appreciate the familiarity of singapore and more importantly, the comfort of having people you can rely on be in close proximity.
in the immediate future, i've got to settle my next housing. the landlord is supposed to get back to me tomorrow, which is cutting it closer than i'd like. at the worst case i'll have to book myself a hotel/airbnb for a few days to a week. not the best use of funds, but i don't really have a choice. wish i could extend my stay at this current place, but someone's due to check in on the same day as when i check out. well...i'll find a way somehow. just hoping it's not too expensive.
idea #2 is about decision-making. i forgot the exact details, but a study showed that people experiencing poverty don't make good decisions. i think the clickbait tagline/short summary of it was "poverty reduces your IQ by 20 points". personally, i think it's not limited to decision-making, but it extends to your overall thought processes in general. those 2 things combined together have led me to question some of the things i'm doing. again, i'm not broke, but the mindset of wanting to save as much as possible and stretch every dollar as far as possible really wears on you. i honestly can't tell you how many times the thought of just going back to singapore, where i have guaranteed housing, has come to mind even though it's only in the middle of my first week here. to be fair though, i remember my first night in kochi being miserable as well - having just said goodbye to the singapore JETs earlier in the day after our quarantine ended, boarding the plane to kochi alone, landing and immediately being rushed all over town to get the moving-in procedures done. to add on to the misery, i realized i'd neglected to pack a towel, so i had to use a combination of toilet paper and used clothes to dry off after that first shower...in winter! but even then, it wasn't all that bad because my supervisor and superintendent were at the airport to welcome me, plus the discord server that we (the JETs) had was really active, and i knew that at least 10 other people were going through it at the same time as i was. i am 100% solo here, which is not reassuring at all.
for perspective though, there are things i've been enjoying in the UK. the biggest upside is the weather. although it's summer now, it's cool enough that hoodies are needed in the mornings and evenings. i've actually seen some guys walking around shirtless! first thought: 'how?', second thought: 'nice!'. i can walk about all day without breaking a sweat. on the social side, i've had several pleasant interactions with random people in shops and on the train, which is not something that regularly happens in singapore. of course, it could be because of the time of the day or the locations that i'm visiting...just that i've never seen crowd density build up to singapore levels, with only morning rush hour coming close.
on to job updates, i have...many job applications pending. i actually lost count! my best guess is 4 in the UK, 4 in new zealand, 1 in singapore. not placing too high hopes on NZ, actually...visa sponsorship issues still seem to be a thing for jobs there. the singapore job looks good, but i'm up against about 140 other applicants, no joke. i expect the universities in the UK will get back to me around august so as to have prep time before the semester starts in september. i also had an interview with an IP firm just yesterday. it went well enough; as usual there are things that i could have done better, but what's done is done. i understand that they're interviewing 3 candidates (me included) for 1 or 2 positions, so odds look good. still, i don't want to assume anything until after i've signed the offer letter. i think my visa situation will put me at a disadvantage, because after my 3 years on this visa are up (or if we agree to swap sooner), they'll have to sponsor me for a work visa. and my understanding is that they don't have a sponsor license now, so that will be an additional cost to them.
about this IP firm...they were very upfront in telling me that if i joined them, most of the work i'd be doing wouldn't be chemical in nature. strangely, i found myself to be ok with that. i mean, patent attorney qualification is the same regardless of the discipline, as long as it's STEM-related. all candidates take the same courses and exams. scientists actually have a slight disadvantage vs. engineers because the drafting paper will be about something mechanical. after all, not everyone will have specialized chemical/biological knowledge, but everyone knows what a lever or wedge or simple mechanical device is and the principles behind their operation. i also know that there's a success story already - one of the firm's partners is trained in chemistry, but he hasn't been doing much chemical work. they mentioned that i should know the outcome early in the following week, so fingers crossed.
on a larger scale, i wonder if this is the beginning of the end for my affinity with chemistry. all the way from secondary school to grad school, i'd always envisioned myself using chemistry in the workplace. even if it's not necessarily a lab-based role, i thought that i'd still interact with chemistry in some way, eg. using my chemical knowledge when dealing with patent applications in the accursed IP firm. but now, with the possibility of landing this mostly non-chemical IP job, and my cousin's search fund suggestion, leaving chemistry behind doesn't seem like such a stretch any more. but it's ok. after all, a university degree is just proof that you know how to learn. it doesn't say anything about the area in which you use that ability. having said that though, i will still apply to some chemical companies both in the UK and in singapore. i figure that i owe myself that much for all the effort and time i put into taking chemistry as a major.
by the way, this potential IP firm is located in essex, just north-eastish of london. i've been to the town it's in, and i quite like the vibe there. they have an LGBT support centre called the OUThouse, the name of which i think is quite witty. also, there appears to be a decent asian community there - i've seen chinese restaurants, a bubble tea shop, even an asian grocery store! ironic that despite being further away from south-east asia, i can get south-east asian food and ingredients here more readily than i could in japan.
so, the current plan is: i will move to that city regardless of whether the IP firm offers me a job or not. if they do, then i'll work there with the goal of qualifying as a patent attorney in 3 to 4 years. i'll have to complete the grad certificate before my current visa runs out though, unless they swap me to a work visa. in my spare time, i want to slowly integrate into the community by volunteering and other stuff, focusing on LGBT things. if the IP firm doesn't offer me the job, i'll job-hunt using the city as a base while doing some part-time work and maybe volunteering if my heart/mind can handle it. hopefully i won't have to move too far, but that's out of my control.
now comes the hard-to-mention part: i'm thinking that in a worst-case scenario, i will bring forward my departure from the UK. i mentioned that i thought about going back to singapore, right? to tell the truth, i already went to look at air ticket prices. the way i see it is, if my job hunt yields no results by the end of august (and if a nice, cute guy who will take me in and provide for me doesn't come along either), then i'll start making plans to go back. i saw that for the whole month of october, the airfare for a london to singapore flight is cheapest on my birthday...perhaps it's a sign. i'm not about to book it right this instant, but it will be something to consider around late-august if really nothing comes along by then. however if at least one of my singapore applications comes through, then i'll really have to consider next steps very carefully. applying now would mean getting a response by september-ish at the latest, so there's still time. and who knows? maybe the job market will get better later in the year. i have some insider information that some places might hire towards year-end.
one belief i've always had is that the universe (you might say "god" if you're religious) never gives us a greater challenge than we can handle. everything that's happened so far is still within my threshold. the main thing i should focus on is taking one small step at a time, and building the momentum up. easier said than done, but it is doable. and hey - if nothing else, this will add to my life experience and story bank! already, i think one lesson i'm learning is to appreciate the familiarity of singapore and more importantly, the comfort of having people you can rely on be in close proximity.
in the immediate future, i've got to settle my next housing. the landlord is supposed to get back to me tomorrow, which is cutting it closer than i'd like. at the worst case i'll have to book myself a hotel/airbnb for a few days to a week. not the best use of funds, but i don't really have a choice. wish i could extend my stay at this current place, but someone's due to check in on the same day as when i check out. well...i'll find a way somehow. just hoping it's not too expensive.
-random thought of the day: All will be well.-
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