Last week of Sept 2025

 Only have less than 10 mins to quickly jot down some of my thoughts. We're 6 days before the end of September and although this month I've had an interview and some call-backs, but overall personal development progress is lackluster. After being rejected by Little Smiles I've stopped sending out applications, not due to fear or anything, just a general lack of motivation; same can be said for my workout routine, which has been put on pause since I got back from my trip despite very occasional running. Currently I'm back to 66.95kg. And savings aren't looking swell, either. My urge to impulse shop has slowed down quite a bit, mostly because I'm not missing any necessities at this point and that dopamine doesn't excite me as it did, but my I haven't been keeping up with my pre-planned saving goal. As for the smallest romantic fling from work, that's is also dying out, mutually, cuz I realized how different we are and he probably realized I'm not a sweet, gentle girl as he thought. The only progress is probably in health - countless appointments with the NP and dentist and one trip to the urgent centre fixing my health issues... Think it was last year around November when I started living 'mindfully' and now it feels like I'm closing in on a circle back to the lazy lifestyle before. Alarming. I should quickly pick myself back up and resume my focus. 

Interview notes

 Little Smiles Interview reflection: 

🌟 Reflections & Improvements

Match the Interviewer’s Energy. If they’re old-fashioned or rigid, don’t fight the vibe.

Act like a good student answering a teacher’s questions — respectful, composed, deferential. Make them feel the authority and control, rather than coming across as challenging.

Use Safe, Cliché Language

Even if you find words like “hardworking” or “team player” outdated, use them anyway. For rigid interviewers, clichés signal reliability and predictability — qualities they often prioritize.

Overt Praise

Prepare compliments about their office, services, or professional reputation (from your research). Sprinkle these in naturally during the conversation to show admiration and respect. This creates positive reinforcement and can offset the stiffness of a textbook Q&A.

✅ Key Notes to Keep

In rigid interviews, don’t try to steer the conversation — follow their formula.

Keep answers safe, structured, cliché-friendly to reassure them.

Compliment company visuals, service, and establishment history to build rapport.

Holt's notes

 Shift #1: 

Warmth over Rigidity

Even though Holt is high-end, being seamless and elegant doesn’t mean being stiff. Show warmth and approachability in your role, while still looking polished and fabulous.

Dual Audiences to Impress

When you work Holt shifts, technically you’re on the café’s payroll but serving a vendor brand. That means you need to impress both: The vendor (brand clients you serve directly). The Holt supervisors/managers (the ones you report to).

Balance your rapport and helpfulness with both sides to build reputation.

Shift #2: 

Role perception

- Vendors may assume you’re a Holt Café employee or representing Holt.

Instead of clarifying “I’m agency staff,” take the role and respond as though you’re part of the café team. This prevents them from feeling awkward or caught off guard, and keeps the experience seamless.

- Building rapport with vendors

Take opportunities to compliment or praise vendors during/after seminars, even if you’re not the target audience. Small acknowledgments (“You looked fantastic up there” / “Great job on that demo”) boost morale.

Positive energy tends to circle back — in this case, you noticed it reflected in better tips.

Note to self, Sep 1 2025

 When rough times hit, only focus on the solutions, not emotions, not the problem itself. 

Keep the present self as physically comfortable as possible, ie: shower, creams, hydration, music, sleep. Then counteract the obstacles with strong focus --- then let it pass. 

After tackling the issues, move on quickly to the next project/event/item/person... ,etc. 

*Reward self when these 7 stressors are dealt with: The fly. The hand. The teeth. The glasses. The humidity. The job. The man.