I'm legal...finally!

I'm finally legally living in New Zealand once again...due to the situation created by my then current visa expiring while waiting for renewal...but now I get to work for unspecified hours, for an unspecified employer. Yay! :) but that's just half of my trouble, now I have to find a job within my field of study in order to attain a residence visa, which I would like to have so that I can freely travel to my home country and back as I wish. Things haven't been the best for me in this "foreign" land. I know now what many immigrants feel when they decide to move to the greener grass (allegedly) on the other side. Moving to a new location creates a hole in your social life that cannot be immediately filled with friends that are of a different culture and social structure.To successfully settle in my new environment, I have had to observe the seeming weird (at first) way that the local people live out their busy lives. I also had to watch alot of local TV and that was just to learn the little words and phrases that locals use to express themselves....like "hard" I'd like to think I am...it was used in a context of agreement which sounded weird to me but HEY! when in Rome.......

I haven't picked up the kiwi accent yet but....I am hoping not to. I am happy with the way I speak but I feel like it draws too much attention and curiosity from many people.....so I find myself mixing things up....so I sound like a total goofball! I just want to sound like myself...my cultural identity crisis continues.....

I have been desperately trying to secure a job interview.....which was annoyingly difficult given the way employers discriminate, yes they do, despite what many people believe, employers have to discriminate in order to fit the right person into a job role.I had learned these facts from an IT workshop I attended a few weeks ago....I've been so lazy with my blog....partly because I've been hard on myself in other areas like.....finding a job! lol

Yes I can LOL in my blog..lol! :D I read in the listener a local magazine,that it helps to write a professional blog if you want to increase your chances of scoring yourself a job. I also realized the reality of the situation here which is a major factor in my difficulties in finding employment.....it is not JUST ME! :P haha talk about being so self-centered....yes other people can't find jobs too....but this is far from reassuring for me."One hundred and thirty-eight thousand New Zealanders are now trapped in the awful reality of unemployment, up 48,000 in the year to June. That's 6% of the workforce. Maori and Pasifika peoples are being hit even harder, with unemployment running at almost 13%. In each week in August, 1000 people more signed on for the unemployment benefit." While I don't qualify for any type of UB here since I am not a resident...this does more to strengthen my resolve since I have to compete with 138,000 locals who are unemployed! Shocking and sobering statistics...but I remain positive about my chances even as an immigrant. but it is not all doom and gloom as the forecast for people like me...I continue to annoy employers about how good I can be if I worked for them..eventually they shall give up and surrender a job to me! my evil plan should work :P

Seek New Zealand general manager Annemarie Duff says,"Job seekers have had to completely change their attitude to the way they go after jobs. They've had to be more focused, and they've had to think about what they have to offer to businesses." Now there are tentative signs the job market could be turning. "We are definitely starting to see a pickup in the last three weeks. We are starting to see an increase in the number of jobs advertised. It's early days, but it's a good sign," she says.

Oh well apart from that....I have not had too many issues with my personal life.....met a nice Canadian woman..but I have become somewhat disconnected with any type of relationship...so ends another chapter of my unattainable love life. I don't mind being a loner because if I find a job it may take me around the country...it is then a wise move not to be involved or as some of my friends put it "chained" to a certain area. I hardly consider being in a relationship chained or restricted...rather it is a freedom to enjoy specific attention from someone you care about.

I am still alive but....trying much harder to stay that way. I am just hoping that some New Zealand employer would see my value and potential and hire me....Since I don't qualify for unemployment benefits I have been working on an online store that I will launch soon with the help of my business partner Allen. I will keep everyone posted on the progress and hopefully....the pieces of the puzzle of my life end up falling in the right place :)

To all my dear friends...thanks for the support!