another plain day for plain Clare and when books are called products....

I have been trying to settle into the daily grind of a day job and off-hours spent researching and writing up my dissertation. Hence the lack of posts. However, I am please to announce that I have gotten at least half of my dissertation done, with another half to go. Phew. I must say that having to discipline myself for work has helped in disciplining me when it comes to writing. I have never worked as fast in the past 6 months, since July last year, when it comes to anything to do with my dissertation. This could perhaps stem from the desire to get it done with and to move on with my life.

There isn't much to blog about work since I am still under training, with another 6 days to go. Perhaps I will have more interesting stories about work-place antics, deadlines, schedules and the various people I work with once I actually start working properly. When I look back, I realise that my life has changed so much from the time I was a pre-University students, doing things I never thought I would end up doing. I haven't achieved my dreams completely, but I do intend to head towards that direction. The only difficulty is in determining which dream I want to achieve, since I have so many different ambitions that go down so different routes. :P


On a different note, I am glad that I have done of the things I chose to do, though I sometimes regret the things I did not do. Yet, it has been a great life, challenging and always giving me something different, and many exciting things had happened to me these past few years . I am sure not everyone has the privilege to say that about themselves, since most complain that their lives are so dull. But I believe that it is up to you to make or break your own life.

Even though I am working in publishing now, it is not the kind of publishing that I see myself doing long-term. Firstly, this is quite entry-level (even if they do hire some more senior members of the press for this position), the products are of little interest to me (beyond the need to know a few things in order to get my life in order), and the work, from the sound of it, is pretty repetitious, mechanical and almost lifeless. Not only that, we are basically hired to put some poor souls from the first world out of work, as part of the cost-cutting enterprise. I doubt I need to expound on the merits of 'cheap' labour. But, I see it as a way of breaking into what I plan to do in the long run, as well as giving myself work experience. At least I can say that I have worked a number of years (inclusive of freelance, part-time and full-time positions) by the time I get my MA. (;

On a lighter note, reading this guy's blog reminds me so much of the work I am 'trained' to do. Welcome to the publishing sweatshop! Basically, my end of publishing would be the 'sharks' referred to.

http://11d.typepad.com/blog/2004/12/publishing.html

Cheerios