Tag: holiday

Pivot

Zaigh's3 Comments
This was likely the first thing you thought of when you read the title
(that’s what came to mine…)

“Your job isn’t to know the how, it’s to know the what and to be open to discovering, and receiving, the how.”

Jen Sincero

At this point, I’ve applied to over 200 job postings.

  1. Office Jobs: Reception, Mail & Courier, Admin Assistant, Office Assistant, Personal Assistant, Marketing Assistant, Marketing Coordinator
  2. Non-Profit Jobs: Donor Relations, Fundraising Assistant, Corporate Sponsorships
  3. Hospitality Jobs: Events Assistant, Event Coordinator, Banquet Lead, Concierge

I don’t even remember what companies I’ve applied to at this point, but I’ve never seen so many notifications in my inbox.

I read the posting, look at the qualifications, and I apply.

And a few days later I get a response along the lines of:

“Dear Mr. Punzalan – we have reviewed your application thoroughly and while we are impressed with your experience and qualifications, we feel as though there are other applicants that meet a certain set of criteria set for the role. We’ll keep your application on hand and if something comes up, we’ll be in contact. All the best with your job search. Warm regards.”

Back to the drawing boards.

It has taken a toll on my pride.

My days consisted of: Gym, Breakfast, Job Boards, Snack, Job Boards, Lunch, Job Boards, NAP, Job Board, Snack, Job Boards, Dinner, Job Boards.

Somewhere in between, I would read my book (you HAVE to read it) or binge watch a Netflix original series (I’ve done three).

The only times I left my house was to go to the gym or to go grocery shopping.

There was one day where I walked into the the washroom and just stared at the mirror. My hair was a tangled, my facial hair was a mess, I was wearing the same sweats I wore for the last few days and something just *clicked*.

This was not me!

YOU are a BADASS
How to stop doubting your greatness and start living an awesome life
by: Jen Sincero
It’s a must read!

So, I made a deal with myself:

  1. I’m only allowed to apply for jobs at night, when I come home from being out all day
  2. If I do stay at home, I have to at least get dressed and walk around the block – no more lounging in my sweats all day.

I decided it was time to change my mindset, I had to pivot from the path I was going down and onto a more positive one.

I mean, c’mon …

I’M IN AUSTRALIA!

So, I do what I always do when I need to reset: I went to the beach.

Cronulla, NSW
July 25, 2019

I walked around and realized how much I was missing by sitting at home all day.

It is “winter” in Australia. I laugh at this season because even though it’s winter, you still need sunglasses because of how sunny it gets. Even though it’s super windy these days, there is not a drop of rain; it’s basically Vancouver during October/November.

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

One of the things we started doing at F45 Engadine is this 8 Week Challenge. You work out five days a week and stick to this super strict meal plan (measuring, portioning, weighing food, meal prep). You also cut out bread, potatoes, and alcohol (UGH).

I came all this way to a new country, and now I’m on a diet?

Sigh.

So, I’ve been trying to find ways to make it fun, I mean there’s only four more weeks left on this program (I really can’t afford to stay at this gym – they charge $65 a week, yikes).

Last Saturday, I went into the city for the first time in weeks.

There are so many tempting things to do when you visit the city, my favourites are day drinking and eating at every single bar that I visit.

It’s a great way to meet new people. I usually sit at the bar, someone comes up and while they wait for their drink you just turn over, say hello and make conversation.

Since the challenge started, I made it an excuse not to go out.

However, I’ve been killing this challenge so, and I felt as though I could handle going into the city and not be tempted with food.

I went, I overcame temptation; I crushed it.

Darlinghurst, NSW
August 3, 2019

Here’s how crazy the evening went!

I was walking around the city, enjoying the usual night life that is a Saturday. One of the best spots to go is Darling Harbour, they have so many cafe’s, restaurants, and buskers.

While I was walking in the area, I took my headphones out and I heard my name being called.

I looked around, quite confused. I’ve never heard of another Zaighum before, so someone was obviously calling me. It was strange though, because I don’t really have any friends here and who would know me?!

I looked behind me, and it was an Australian local who was on a Working Holiday Visa back in Vancouver back in 2016!

We met at Oakridge Centre in Vancouver at the David’sTea.

We caught up for a bit then went our separate ways – what a random event!

Hillsong Waterloo
Waterloo, NSW
August 4, 2019

During one of my first workouts at F45, I was paired with this fire cracker Italian woman who lifted heavier weights than I was lifting and simply walked to next station while I basically crawled.

At the end of the session, Pina introduced herself and we started to chat in the parking lot after class. During our conversation, she asked me what my weeks used to look like back in Canada. I spoke about my job and the work I did during the week and then spoke about the Church I went to on Sunday’s.

She lit up when I brought up Church, and she didn’t miss a beat by inviting me to hers.

I’ve only been to one church since coming to Australia, and I was trying to figure out what the next Church I wanted to visit would be.

Pina then revealed she was a Pastor for Hillsong City Campus, Waterloo.

I was taken aback for a moment.

I was working out with a Hillsong Pastor; crazy!

I found a Sunday I was freed up, and decided to go.

It’s quite a distance to go to Hillsong from where I live. I walk 15 Minutes to get to the train station which leaves every 30 Minutes and goes into the city which takes about 45 Minutes depending on which line you take to Central Station. They have a Community Shuttle that leaves the station 45 Minutes before the service starts (which of course, I missed). I thought about walking, but I was getting close to the start of the service. So, I hailed an Uber which ended up picking someone else and took them to church, oh and I still had to pay for it (I got my refund the next day, but it was a pain to get). The second Uber came and I arrived at the church about 15 Minutes after the service started (I really dislike being late).

When I walked into the church, it was everything I had expected. There was a cafe, a gift shop, lounges, foosball, and Hillsong branded signage just about everywhere. Oh, and there was even a Basketball Court (yup, a Basketball Court).

I walked into the Worship Centre and was quickly greeted by an usher and asked to sit on the “inside of the row”. I almost said no because I am a back row, isle seat person … but I should’ve came earlier, SO I sat where I was told to sit.

The room was dark with a full light show on stage. There were photographers, videographers, producers, and of course the full band, worship leaders, and a choir.

Yup, I was at Hillsong.

It was the first Sunday of the month which meant they were going to take up communion and they ended up doing What a Beautiful Name.

This song gets me every time and I found myself absolutely undone (you can replay the bridge over and over, it’s quite something).

Once worship was over, the message was delivered via Live Feed from the other Hillsong City Campus, Alexandria.

The pastor spoke about how sometimes our plans change, no matter how much we want to be in control. How sometimes we have this vision of where we want to go and we continue to hit roadblocks and setbacks. Sometimes these occurrences aren’t in place to tell you to “ditch the dream” and give up. Instead, they are in place for you to go down a different route to reach your goal.

God isn’t telling you to completely go off your path to reach your goal, He’s just telling you to pivot onto a different path to get there!

I had a goal of working in Australia to fund my Radical Sabbatical and was negotiating with the company I had served for almost six years to help me out. Unfortunately, I had learned that week that they did not have anything available and could not accommodate me; a devastating conversation and outcome I had prepared for but still stung nonetheless.

The path I had planned on going down was no longer an option and I needed to accept the outcome and pivot onto a different path.

The following Tuesday, I was staying true to my commitment to myself and headed into the city for a day of wandering. As I was out and about, I received a phone call from an Agency that came across my application and asked me if I was open to interviewing for a one week placement in the city as an Administration/Events Assistant for a Conference Speaker/Coach who facilitates corporate events for up to 150 professionals in a four-day session.

Being a Temp has its perks:

  1. You get paid weekly
  2. You have flexibility to say yes or no to contracts
  3. No week is the same (depending on the length of your contract)
  4. You meet new people
  5. You are exposed to new companies/industries
View this post on Instagram

I was putting on my blazer today and stood still for a few moments while I stared at myself in the mirror. . I haven’t worn a blazer since I left my job in Canada. . I needed to wipe the tears that fell down my face as I stared at my empty lapel. . Every morning, I used to open up a box that sat on my dresser and pick one of the many pins that I had collected over the years to place on my lapel. . I would walk into every community event or agency meeting, reach out my hand and say, “Hello, my name is Zaighum and I’m with McDonald’s.” . My identity was in the brand I proudly represented and wore on my lapel for all to see. . Today, I’m walking into a boardroom of strangers and for the first time, I will reach out my hand and will just say, “Hello, my name is Zaighum.” . And that’s okay. . #zpsradicalsabbatical #zptakesstraya #interview #newbeginnings #freshstart #restart #lettinggo #letgo #unemployed #funemployed #movingon

A post shared by Zaigh's (@zaighum_punzalan) on

Sydney, Australia
August 7, 2019
My first job interview since 2013

I walked the twenty minutes from Central Station in the city and met with the Recruitment Consultant who gave me the run down of the company and job.

He spoke to me about my qualifications and asked me if I was okay taking on a one week placement, knowing I would be back to the (f)unemployed life once it has completed.

I am more than fine with it.

After my meeting, I went to my interview with the company who showed interest in me.

It was nerve-racking as I followed my GPS, the thirty minute walk felt like forever.

I walked into the office, it was a office shared space – I love these models, beautiful community can come out of it.

I was ushered into the boardroom to wait for the HR Manager and other members to interview me.

As everyone came in, I stood up, reached out my hand for the hand shake (as you read in the Instagram Post above, it was one of the moments I had to prepare for) and then sat opposite the HR Manager.

My interview began and instead of the scripted questions that were on their computers, we began to speak on my entire Radical Sabbatical journey and what it has been like to find work.

There was a lot of laughter and comforting from the team; we both agreed this could be my foot in the door to the workforce – opening the doors for other opportunities once employers see that I have worked in this country.

At the end of the interview, we parted with a hug (handshakes are overrated anyway) and I was on my way.

The next day, I was informed by the Agency that the team wanted me to join them for the week, calling my interview “genuine and unforgettable”.

I am going back to work tomorrow!

The moment I chose to accept how things were going and pivot from my previous path and go down another, things began to fall into place.

The same day, I received another phone call from another Agency in the city saying they were impressed with my background and wanted to interview me the week after my placement completed.

It’s only up from here, I’m going to be just fine.

“You have to change you thinking first, and then the evidence appears. Our big mistake is that we do it the other way around, we demand to see the evidence before we believe it to be true.”

Jen Sincero

So, friends.

Are you on a path to reach your goals and you are continuing to experience road blocks and setbacks?

Don’t scrap the goal, just pivot onto a different path and see where it leads.

It might be a small change with a big result.

Can’t wait to let you know how the week goes.

Onwards,

-Zaighum

This is my “New Normal”

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Royal National Park
NSW, Australia
(June 22, 2019)

“If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” – Dolly Parton

Nothing is normal as I wrap up my first week in Australia.

For example, I have a the flu.

I do not get sick very often, this isn’t normal.

Today, I’ve been laying in bed with a bin full of kleenex on the floor beside me, bundled under the sheets, coughing and shaking, and lathered in every Filipino’s favourite remedy; Vicks (Biks) Vapour Rub.

Flu vs. Zaighum
Flu: 1 | Zaighum: 0

Evenings are getting as low as six degrees celsius in Sydney.

I’ve noticed that homes in Australia do a great job letting out the heat in the summer, but are not built for insulation in the winter.

I haven’t experienced an Australian winter since 2003, and I was only ten years old; I didn’t really pay attention to the temperature back then.

I’m currently sleeping under a sheet, a duvet, and two additional blankets.

I remember packing clothes in my suit cases and saying to myself, “Flannel? In Straya? I’ll leave this at home.”

Regret.

For someone who is (f)unemployed and on a Working Holiday, I have been quite busy. It’s been go-go-go since I landed, I really haven’t given myself a “day off”. While the home that I live in is absolutely beautiful, I’ve never enjoyed being cooped up inside. Now I’ve been forced to do the very thing I don’t like doing. This isn’t normal.

On Wednesday, I went out to the shops to buy some sweaters, windbreakers, and shoes. Everything was on sale (and of course I went to K-Mart for the cheap stuff).

I even bought interview friendly clothing. A pair of black shoes, some slacks, and a purple and blue button down.

It’s time to start looking for work, something I haven’t had to do since 2012.

I’m not looking for anything specific, doesn’t need to be full time, doesn’t need to be in my field. Just needs to be something to do; I really need a social life and meet people.

I’ve sat in front of my computer looking through job postings on LinkedIn, scrolling through the hundreds of jobs that sound interesting and that meet my skill-set.

I really don’t know what I’m going to do.

Here’s the thing about being on a Working Holiday Visa in Australia:

  1. You can work for any company for a maximum of six months
  2. You cannot accept a Government job or work at a bank
  3. IF you want to stay an additional year, you must do specified work in a rural area of the country; usually some type of agriculture job

Now let’s be real here.

Can you imagine me working on some farm in the middle of nowhere?

If you saw the episode of Schitts Creek where the Amish basically begged David’s family to take him back; that would be me if I had to do specified work.

Schitts Creek
Season 2, Episode 1
Finding David

I love being in Australia, I don’t love it that much.

Not a lot of companies want to hire someone, train them, integrate them into their system, then have them leave in six months.

I don’t blame them; but I wish they would give me a chance.

A lot of people have asked me why I would be stupid enough to move to the other side of the world without a job.

It’s a valid question, at times I ask myself the same thing.

I’ve been asked time and again why I didn’t try and arrange a job with my previous employer.

It’s not that easy.

You see, I’ve wanted to come to Australia since 2015 but one of the things stopping me was my love for my job.

So I used to hold onto this idea of living in the country I loved and work for the company that I loved.

You know the saying, “have your cake and eat it too”; that’s what I had hoped for.

I worked hard to build my network, I visited our Australia office in 2015, 2016 and 2018. I turned “LinkedIn Connections” into friends.

My colleagues in Australia encouraged me to pursue this dream. They would tell me, “you need to move to Australia already, there will always be work here,”

It wasn’t a promise for work, or a commitment in any way/shape/form. It was a possibility, a glimmer of hope; and it was the push I needed to pursue my dream.

So, I wrote some thank you cards to some of my old colleagues who are now my “mates” (their word, not mine; you’ll never hear me call someone “mate”. I prefer “friend” or “pal”) to simply say “thank you” for giving me the hope that I needed to pursue my radical sabbatical. Regardless of their decision, I couldn’t have gotten here without them.

McDonald’s Australia (Maccas) National Office
Thornleigh, NSW, Australia
(June 21, 2019)

Now, enough about the rant of my work struggles, let me tell you what I’ve been up to!

I finally went for a run this week, I need to find a new way to stay active while I’m here. I did 5km in my neighbourhood, it was glorious. I’m training for a 1/2 Marathon in Vancouver when I come back in 2020, I need to start training now. There’s an 11km run coming up called the Sutherland 2 Surf, all the locals have been telling me about it. I think I’m going to do it, it looks like a lot of fun. I might as well do something with all the free time that I have, right?

I did the usual tourist thing in the city. I went down to Circular Quay to see the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. I can’t even count how many times I’ve visited the area just to look at both sites; they continue to take my breath away.

  • Sydney Harbour Bridge
    (June 21, 2019)
  • Sydney Opera House
    (June 21, 2019)

I went for a hike on Saturday with my cousin, Mahrck (Bubz to all of us). We went to Royal National Park. I’m very fortunate that it’s really just around the corner from where I live down in Engadine. You gotta look at this post I made on Instagram, the video of the water crashing along the rocks literally brought me to tears; I still cannot believe I live here!

  • Royal National Park
    (June 22, 2019)
  • Royal National Park
    (June 22, 2019)

This is my new normal. I am letting go of the obsession of being in control and instead, face my radical sabbatical day-by-day. In doing this, I feel like I’m stranded in the rain (and it’s actually supposed to rain all week, sigh). Nothing is working out the way I had planned:

  1. No job (not that I can even start till after July 1st)
  2. Haven’t determined my running route (I know the beach route, need to figure out the neighbourhood root); I really need to get active once again
  3. No social life; I need some hobbies (that’ll come with work and getting out of the house more often)
  4. Wasted an entire day in my home due to the flu

I need to stop planning, and instead live in the present; truly embrace “Carpe Diem” – seize the day.

So, as I sit on the couch, bundled under a blanket with the rugby game playing in the background, I am reminding myself of two VERY important realities:

  1. I am on a Working Holiday Visa, emphasis on the HOLIDAY part. I’m here because I was burnt out from my life in Vancouver and needed to completely disrupt my reality.
  2. I JUST got here. I have 51 more weeks in this country and I can make it up as I go. It’s not all going to be figured out in one week and it may not be figured out until I leave.

I catch myself saying, “Zaighum, you need to be kind to yourself.” Try that sometimes, we are our own worst critic after all.

Are you in the midst of your own excessive rain fall? The torrential down pour can be frustrating, especially where you don’t see the sun breaking through the clouds. Sometimes we try and find shelter in things that still let the rain in or get completely blown away in the storm.

Don’t lose hope.

The rain will pass. The clouds will break. The sun will shine.

Your rainbow is coming.

Can’t wait to tell you what happens in Week 2, I think I’m going on a road trip…

Onwards,
Zaighum

I Don’t Know What I’m Doing, and That’s Okay.

Zaigh's2 Comments
This picture was taken shortly after our Captain said, “Ladies & Gentlemen, we are making our final descent into Sydney”

“It’s better to look back on life and say, ‘I can’t believe I did that,’ than to look back and say, ‘I wish I did that.'” – Unknown

Jet lagged.

I woke up yesterday morning at 2am, then 4am, then 5am, then finally wide awake at 8am.

Sydney, Australia is 17 hours ahead from Vancouver, Canada.

I rolled out of bed and made my way into the kitchen. The kettle was already on, Mark (my cousin’s fiancé) was on the computer a few steps away, and it was time for breakfast. A cup of tea and some toast with honey and peanut butter was my chosen meal. I walked onto the deck and sat at the bottom of the steps. It was hitting me, I was actually here.

I live in Engadine, a suburb in Southern Sydney. Engadine is located about 45 minutes (by train) from the Sydney CBD (Central Business District) in the local government area of the area I grew up in, Sutherland Shire.

Mark’s home is at the end of his street. He put his heart and soul into building it. It’s has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a massive kitchen with a centre island, and a large living/dining area. The windows allow for the natural light to shine in when there’s sun. The deck looks over the backyard which has swimming pool, granny flat (a rental unit) with private gazebo, and greenery as far as the eye can see. Beside the swimming pool, there is an outdoor kitchen area which Mark and my cousin Lovella call “Banksia Bar”, which has a built in BBQ, full service bar and kitchen, plenty of seating, and even a washroom.

When I opened the cupboard, this was the only mug available. How fitting? It takes a lot of strength to completely disrupt your routine and move to the other side of the world to follow a dream. It’s an accomplishment.
(I need to keep reminding myself that it is an accomplishment)

Once you arrive in Australia, there are two things you need to get in order:

  1. Lodge a request for a Tax File Number (TFN)
  2. Open up a Bank Account

I finished the application for the TFN in a few minutes and was informed I would receive it within 28 Days.

If you do a Working Holiday in Australia, you should open a bank account with nab (National Australia Bank). All you need to open your account is:

  1. Passport
  2. Boarding Pass (from your flight into Australia)
  3. Drivers License
  4. Working Holiday Visa Grant Number
  5. A phone number

Sounds like a simple process, right?

Of course not, because I have to do it.

First, I walked out of the train station and wandered up and down the streets looking for the bank. Google Maps failed to tell me that the bank was inside the mall (sigh). Once I got into the mall, the directory made no sense to me and I wandered the halls for about fifteen minutes. When I finally found the bank, they were lined out the door. Once it got to my turn, I was told the next available appointment with an account manager wouldn’t be for another two hours.

After killing time shopping (which is always dangerous when you do not have a source of income), I went back to the bank for my appointment.

I met James, one of the account manager’s. He was awesome, super personable; kindest guy you’ll ever meet. He recently got married, and him and his wife will be doing a one month trip in South America.

As he was setting up my account, he asked me what I planned to do while in Australia?

He was the first local to ask me that question.

I sat there in front of him and stared at the table between us; the small funds I had brought over with me, my travel documents, and papers to sign scattered across the top.

I looked up at him, unsure what to say.

You see, I have a series of well calculated and politically correct responses to this question. I’ve been giving variations for the last two weeks, perhaps you’ve heard them:

  1. I’m going to go on adventures
  2. Find work that relates to my field of study
  3. Looking to expand my personal and professional life experience
  4. It’s my “eat, pray, love” year
  5. Following my dream of living abroad

The pressure of always having these carefully thought out responses has been exhausting.

I smiled at him. James doesn’t know me. We just met and we will likely never see each other again. I am one of the hundreds of clients he will meet over the next six months, so I had nothing to lose by speaking my truth.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, and that’s okay.”

I paused waiting to see what his reaction was going to be.

“That’s so inspiring, I’m so excited for you!”, he exclaimed.

It was?

Relocating to the other side of the world with a heart full of dreams and nothing lined up is inspiring?

Alright.

I need to allow myself to be okay with where I am at right now.

I cannot start work till July because that marks a new tax year for Australians. I need to revamp my resume and cover letter and begin reaching out to the network that I have built over the last four years to inquire about employment opportunities. I have to read over job opportunities, research the company, prepare questions, and go through an entire application/interview process. I need to be prepared for rejection; one of my biggest fears both personally and professionally.

I need to accept two things: I may not get the jobs that I have hoped for and I may need to settle for the serving job at the local cafe.

These are okay things.

I’ve already broken the traditional narrative that has been laid out for millennial’s to follow:

  1. Get a degree
  2. Get a job
  3. Build your career
  4. Start a family
  5. Buy a house
  6. Plan for retirement

No where in that narrative does it say: go and live.

My friend Somi called me before I flew out and said, “Zaighum, you are a human being, not a human doing.“

So I finished my day in my favourite spot in Sutherland Shire, Cronulla Beach. I did my usual routine, walk along the boardwalk and just sit for awhile and just be.

Cronulla Beach, NSW, Australia
(June 18, 2019)

I was walking back to the train after my time of reflection and received a message through Instagram from a colleague I went to College with.

Here’s what she said:

“Hey Zaighum! I know we haven’t talked since our one class at Douglas (which was over five years ago) but I just wanted to say I’m so, so excited for you and this new chapter in your life. I have been following your updates vicariously and I felt the same excitement you felt when I decided to move to Thailand for a year. I know for a fact that you will learn so much about yourself, make life long memories, but more important, meet people that will inspire you. It’s going to be a crazy ride but it will be so worth it in the end. Best of luck, stay safe and simply be in the moment.”

By the moment I got to the end of the message I sat on a park bench with my face in my hands.

I’m not only going to be fine, I’m going to thrive.

So, if you are in a place in your life where you are not sure what the heck you’re doing, please accept these words:

That’s okay.

Onwards,
-Zaighum