NEVER REALLY THOUGHT WHAT I GOT MYSELF INTO UNTIL.... - Cover Girls & Headliners: The Aftermath
Not only did I have a new appreciation of models shooting on location (see previous post on Cover Girls & Headliners); I also had a taste of what it's like to be interviewed and be paranoid for days of what exactly was gonna come out in print. I was quite thorough with details of our home life as well as with my views on the demands of my job which have taken their toll on the quantity AND quality of time I spend at home, particularly with Cerise... prompting me to reassess my priorities, make plans on negotiating my work hours and even consider getting a new job - something I have not had the chance to discuss with my boss! I seemed to have forgotten that I was being interviewed by a reporter from MY company and every word I spoke was for public consumption. As soon as I got my hands on The Aucklander, I nervously read the article about us. Overall, I thought the article was well written - concise, accurate, straightforward and most important of all, Sandra left out the "sensitive" components. Relief! Paranoia over. I now feel for celebrities whose lives are falsely depicted in tabloids. I would have been a wreck if something was wrong or controversial in the article. Then again, did they really have to mention our age gap??????
Something else I found bizarre was the uncomfortable feeling of being "naked", if you like. It is a practice in the office that all current front covers of our various publications get posted on the walls everywhere in the building, The Aucklander's doesn't get replaced for a week! The one place that got me ill at ease was inside the biggest lift where two copies of The Aucklander front cover hung. Everyone takes that lift several times a day. It can accommodate maybe 30 to 40 people at a time. It is where employees from different departments meet new employees or catch up with old ones. Sadly, it isn't the fastest lift in the world! So you can imagine how much gossip and current events get talked about in it, on top of what everyone thinks about the weather. It is also this lift that showed me one of the most awkward moments you can find yourself in --- that is, work mates gathering in front of a VERY VERY slow lift, waiting for it to get to where you are and finally open. Don't you hate it when you get stuck with people you may or may not know and you can't decide whether or not it's a good time for small talks, let alone figure out what can be interesting to chat about?
Anyway, moving right along....everytime I entered that lift, seeing my picture made me uneasy. Watching people look at my picture, consequently making me and my family the topic of conversation every freaking time was embarrassing. It was nice for work colleagues, even those I rarely speak to, and top management even, to come up to me for compliments but it was the funny thought running through my mind that bothered me. I almost always saw the i-know-what-you-did-last-summer look in their faces; as if they could see through me and knew me inside out! Eerie.
Getting recognized in public was something that never crossed my mind. But it did happen to all 3 of us! Numerous times! Even well after two weeks! At the clinic, the gasoline station, hair salon, the mall, coffee shop! Amazing! The Aucklander publisher should be happy to know that people do read the paper! Hehehe.
Probably the strangest thing of all was when Edwin and I got each a phone call. MY caller claimed she'd seen our picture and story in The Aucklander and thought it was really nice and inspirational blah-blah-blah, yada yada yada. I listened and wondered where exactly the conversation was leading to. And wouldn't you know it? She then introduced some cleaning products that I could be interested to buy or even sell, considering I have a wee one who should have bacteria-free surroundings! My thought: "white pages listing and The Aucklander cover story combined and you get a telemarketer haunting you! How tragic is that? Can I not get a phone call from a talent agent instead?" Edwin's caller on the other hand wasn't so clear about his intentions or how he got Edwin's contact details. He did ask Edwin if he was content just working from home (he obviously read The Aucklander) and it sounded like the guy had some business proposition. Those who know Edwin don't even need my elaboration on how quickly he dismissed that caller.
Something else I found bizarre was the uncomfortable feeling of being "naked", if you like. It is a practice in the office that all current front covers of our various publications get posted on the walls everywhere in the building, The Aucklander's doesn't get replaced for a week! The one place that got me ill at ease was inside the biggest lift where two copies of The Aucklander front cover hung. Everyone takes that lift several times a day. It can accommodate maybe 30 to 40 people at a time. It is where employees from different departments meet new employees or catch up with old ones. Sadly, it isn't the fastest lift in the world! So you can imagine how much gossip and current events get talked about in it, on top of what everyone thinks about the weather. It is also this lift that showed me one of the most awkward moments you can find yourself in --- that is, work mates gathering in front of a VERY VERY slow lift, waiting for it to get to where you are and finally open. Don't you hate it when you get stuck with people you may or may not know and you can't decide whether or not it's a good time for small talks, let alone figure out what can be interesting to chat about?
Anyway, moving right along....everytime I entered that lift, seeing my picture made me uneasy. Watching people look at my picture, consequently making me and my family the topic of conversation every freaking time was embarrassing. It was nice for work colleagues, even those I rarely speak to, and top management even, to come up to me for compliments but it was the funny thought running through my mind that bothered me. I almost always saw the i-know-what-you-did-last-summer look in their faces; as if they could see through me and knew me inside out! Eerie.
Getting recognized in public was something that never crossed my mind. But it did happen to all 3 of us! Numerous times! Even well after two weeks! At the clinic, the gasoline station, hair salon, the mall, coffee shop! Amazing! The Aucklander publisher should be happy to know that people do read the paper! Hehehe.
Probably the strangest thing of all was when Edwin and I got each a phone call. MY caller claimed she'd seen our picture and story in The Aucklander and thought it was really nice and inspirational blah-blah-blah, yada yada yada. I listened and wondered where exactly the conversation was leading to. And wouldn't you know it? She then introduced some cleaning products that I could be interested to buy or even sell, considering I have a wee one who should have bacteria-free surroundings! My thought: "white pages listing and The Aucklander cover story combined and you get a telemarketer haunting you! How tragic is that? Can I not get a phone call from a talent agent instead?" Edwin's caller on the other hand wasn't so clear about his intentions or how he got Edwin's contact details. He did ask Edwin if he was content just working from home (he obviously read The Aucklander) and it sounded like the guy had some business proposition. Those who know Edwin don't even need my elaboration on how quickly he dismissed that caller.
I must say, this entire experience was just fascinating and strange at the same time.
posted by a cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee cup @ Saturday, July 30, 2005
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