What THE HECK Am I?

     Jobs. Yeah, I have been working. Yeah, it's not fun to work while you're currently on a 'break' off school and studies, but I just had to. Especially when I needed the money, ever since my family's been busy with moving and paying off my brother's broken phone-slash-phone bill debt. So, I had to find jobs for myself, so I can use the money for MY debt.

     Maybe a lot of people knew, but I telling again. I've been working at a hotel. Yeah, it sounds grand and exciting. But believe me, you would not want to work in my shoes. I worked for 13 days(to be exact) in the laundry department. Do you know how much pain and sweat I've been through while working there? Do you know why I wished I've never even applied for the job? Uh, humans. When they were blinded by fake futures and riches, they'd do anything to make it come true. Believe me, I was one of them humans.

     I remember the very first day I applied for the job. I was actually supposed to look for jobs with Syamil. But he stood me up, saying he had headaches and couldn't join me. So, there I was, walking around KLIA, testing lipsticks, perfumes and shoes by the shops in the main terminal. Then I went to my mum's office. She said to check out the hotel, whether they have jobs for me or not. So, I did. I walked by feet to the hotel, called as Sama-Sama Hotel.

Too bored at my mum's office

     As cool and chilled air washes my face as I walked into the lobby, I asked for the HR office. I was brought by a person from the front desk and he told me to wait there. So, I sat by the sofa, and an HR officer asked what was I doing there. So, I stood up from the sofa and asked her about jobs in the hotel. Quickly, she gave me a blank form and told me to fill it. Immediately, the manager for the kitchen came to the office. He was kind enough to ask me if I had restrictions in handling alcohol. Well, duh. Of course I have restrictions in handling alcohol. So, he said maybe I should ask other departments.

     Then another manager came by the office. She, who was named, Kak Intan, asked me if I was able to handle heat and pressure. I assuringly said yes, right away. She said she'd put me in the laundry department. She asked if I could start the day after today, after the interview ended. Confidently, I said yes. So, there I was, in my black slacks, black shoes, black veil, I came in the laundry office and greeted the people in the office the next day. I immediately got attached to the people there.

The humongous ironer I handled with, that shoots out high temp dry air and steam.

     They were very kind to me and helpful in telling me in what to do. But when I got my first weekly pay on Friday, I think my world of dreams was falling apart. My pay was deducted, unlike what I was told about. I had been working for 7 days straight, I got back my elbow pains, I couldn't even stand properly, and my cheap pay was deducted. I asked everyone who worked there longer than me about it. They said it was deducted due to EPF(Employee Provident Fund or KWSP in Malay). I said, that can't be. I haven't even registered.

    By that very moment, I knew my working life will end quick. Even my mum said so. You know your mum is right when it comes to instincts. Long story short, I was doing too much brown nosing about my pay, asking this and that at the HR office, so I got terminated(after 13 days of work) due to under-ageness. I could blame everybody there for my loss, but it was worthless. They won't respect my sweat, so, I left them be. I was terminated, and so was others who were under-age just like me.

     I was a bit hurt to hear 'rumours' about their loss was to be blamed at the laundry kid who was poking her nose into the hotel's financing management. I heard it when I was picking up my remaining pay, and the gossipers were BEHIND ME. I quickly took my money, signed the papers and ran off. It wasn't my fault at the first place. It was the HR's fault for not telling me that there was a law on age eligibility. It was also their fault for giving me the job application form so quickly before asking me my age, which was the most important rule.

Got drunk with this after getting my remaining pay.. *sigh*

      Oh well, I just hope my case becomes a reminder for the people above(majikan), to not take advantage of the workers there and also to not underestimate the power of knowledge of a teenager. Because my mum said, that they(the hotel) were taking advantage of the kids who worked part-time there, deducting their pay for their own purposes, under the kids notice. They're not even registering the workers' names into EPF, and saying that the deducted pay was going into EPF, which were pure lies. So, I felt lied and cheated on, on that very day. I didn't even cry, even though I was dejected, because I know I only did the right thing and nothing else. I was only demanding for the money, worth of my pain and sweat. They can't just easily take MY money just because I was a part-timer and I was a young kid who knows 'nothing'. But oh boy, they were so very wrong.

    To be honest, I was proud of what I did. My parents are proud of me, and for the first time, my abah praises me for my action, which was touching and to me was a great achievement. I guess dreaming of holding a baby(with 'Johan') in my dreams really was a sign of rezeki. Because recently I went to a job interview and I was immediately accepted. To be exact, I'm starting work on Monday. Concluding my new job, I will be working as a clerk in a law firm office. It will be intense to be working in a professional office, so I'm hoping you guys wish me luck with my new work and not to be scolded so easily with a strict lawyer. Damn, she's scary!

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