WHEN Diane and I went to the TNS, we attended a short briefing session with James, one of the supervisors there. It was at that moment that I finally understood what TNS was and the meaning of the 'Interviewer' Diane had mentioned to me earlier at Dr Love's cafe. TNS Research International turned out to be a global marketing research company. Honestly, I had no idea such a company even existed.
Unlike traditional companies that sell physical products, TNS was hired by other companies to conduct marketing research for them. Their goal was to help these companies develop better marketing strategies. Before starting their research, the TNS team would first come up with a research concept and a set of questionnaires related to the current marketing trends. Then, the interviewers would go out into the field, armed with these questionnaires, to interview the public and gather all the necessary data for the research.
These interviews took place both indoors and outdoors. For indoor interviews, they used phone interviews, while face-to-face interviews were conducted for the outdoor sessions.
In this job, interviewers would be compensated based on the number of questionnaires they completed. The pay rate ranged from RM 6 to RM 20 per set. The best part is that applicants didn't need any fancy certifications to apply. All they had to do was communicate effectively and use proper language during the interviews. Personally, I found both indoor and outdoor interviewing options appealing, so I was initially torn about which one to choose.
After chatting with Diane, I made up my mind to become an indoor interviewer. Initially, I thought working outdoors would be more liberating and enjoyable, not to mention the higher pay. But then I realised there were other important factors to consider, like my safety and transportation. So, I took the plunge and signed on to work at TNS.
Every morning, I'd head over to the TNS Interviewing Centre on the 32nd floor. Once I got there, I would touch base with Mary or James, who would assign me projects on different topics. I would then focus on that particular segment until it was done. It could be anything from car services to fast food joints or insurance providers.
To be honest, it was pretty tough for me to fit in at the beginning. However, after a few weeks of working there, I started to gain better control over what I was doing. The stress I experienced while working with La Nona was nothing compared to this new place. I didn't have to sell anything, deal with mind-boggling data, and best of all, I didn't have to bring my work home.
But there were times when I felt like choking some people with my bare hands - those who rudely rejected my interview calls. Even though I couldn't see their faces, they still managed to affect me in some way. As they say, words can hurt more than a physical blow.
However, I was super lucky to have the awesome people at the office who always came to the rescue when things got tough. Rani, Sosila, James, Rohani, and Mary - who totally rocked the Anna Wintour hairdo - were my closest friends at work. They never failed to calm me down and put a big smile on my face. I was beyond thrilled to have them in my life.
Day after day, this new job and my new friends slowly pulled me out of my old world. I wasn't getting all caught up in the bad stuff that happened to me anymore. The image of Norman and all the dark memories at La Nona were slowly fading away. Well, not completely, but I was just so happy with what I had and I knew the best days were yet to come.
Even better, being friends with these awesome people who were mostly older and more experienced than me, I hit the jackpot. They kept me grounded and reminded me that as long as I stayed positive, there was still hope for me.
I noticed that I had been spending a lot of time at Dr. Love lately, more than ever before. And as always, Ally and I would have conversations about so many things. It was still fresh in my mind when I was feeling incredibly sad and discouraged with my progress at TNS. I remembered that day when Mary assigned me to conduct a lengthy interview on fast food restaurants. I called numerous people, but only one person actually made it through the entire interview. And for that, I earned a measly RM 20. But I knew that finding someone willing to commit to a 40-minute-long questionnaire was nearly impossible. Plus, the questions were sometimes repetitive and boring, which made people drop out of the session in various ways.
Back then, it had been a solid five months since I first joined TNS as their staff. And it wasn't the first time I had been earning peanuts after countless failed interviews. Just the day before, I managed to rake in a whopping RM 120 for completing ten interviews at a vehicle service centre. So naturally, I thought I would make just as much for this fast-food restaurant research gig. But I was wrong. It seemed like luck wasn't on my side that day.
After that, I decided to tone down my ambitions a bit and set a target of only scoring RM 60 per day, as Ally suggested. Speaking of Ally, he and I had some pretty interesting conversations. No matter what we talked about, it always ended up being deep and thought-provoking. Like, when I vented about my work situation, we would dive into discussions about how to solve complicated problems or at least simplify them. We both believed that there was always a way out of every problem, as long as you had patience, hope, and prayer. Every hardship or challenge would pass, and a brighter future would be waiting for us. All we had to do was stay strong and never give up.
My conversations with Ally injected me with so much positivity and faith that I knew I could survive and get through this confusing phase. It wasn't about winning or losing when facing challenges; it was about pushing through until the end.
Sometimes we were in control of the situation, but more often than not, we lost our way and the situation conquered us. This reminded me of Rohani and the story I had shared with Ally before.
About a week ago, Rani, Rohani, Sosila, and I went to the cinema and later had dinner at the Flamming Steamboat near Sunway Pyramid. That night, we talked about many things, especially our lives. It was during this conversation that I learned about Rohani's tragic life, which was both shocking and eye-opening for me.
Rohani was a mother to two kids. She got married at a young age while still in college. Unfortunately, her husband was brutally murdered right before her eyes about a year ago. It was by some burglar who broke into their house one night. The burglar was trying to attack her, and her husband, who came to the rescue, got shot while fighting the guy. I was completely shocked hearing her story, and there wasn't a dry eye as she shared her struggles after that incident.
No one would have ever guessed that behind Rohani's smiles, she carried a deep scar from such a tragic and traumatic experience. Rohani just finished her studies last year, and like any other graduate, she faced a ton of challenges ahead. Finding the right job, improving her financial situation, dealing with student loan debt, meeting her own needs, taking care of her family, and just dealing with people in general, among other things. But on top of all that, she had two kids to look after.
Sometimes, I would try to put myself in Rohani's shoes. I would imagine how incredibly difficult it must be to bear the full weight of parental responsibility on my own. I tried to grasp what it feels like to have to beg for help, to feel trapped and powerless in tough times or any situation, really. It seemed like she was at the mercy of her circumstances, rather than being in control of them. Her life was dictated by the situation as soon as she opened her eyes each morning.
Ever since I learned about Rohani's life, not a single day goes by without me pausing to think before complaining about anything in my own life. I realised that I am living a much better life and should be grateful for it, instead of the opposite. My daily struggles, which are far less troublesome than hers, have actually given me a greater sense of control over my own life. For instance, I don't have to wake up every morning worrying about how to feed my two children. I just have to hold onto the belief that good things will come if we keep trying and hoping.
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The Sphere
Chick-LitMarina was trying to search for herself and began to question her life and her passion after what had happened to her love life and career. Many things to think about. How to choose? And how to make sure she was not left feeling bitter? It was time...
