Lil' Bitch

I haven't been blogging for a while because lately, there hasn't really been much to blog about, work was fine the past few months, didn't really have much to complaint about, the Chinese New Year break was a long time coming, it really gave me some time to not have to think about work on a daily basis and I also got my paycheck after a year of working in the company.



It is a hefty amount to receive at one go, a small 5 figure, but if I were to divide it equally into 12 months, then I am receiving the same amount the army was giving me 5 to 6 years ago, which is not good.




But I am blogging again today because it's my birthday and also more importantly, I got shit I need to get off my chest.




So recently, this customer I blogged about in the last post has slowly started to show his mean streak. Even before he sign the contract to engage me as his Interior Designer, I could already sense a meanness in him, that pettiness he exhibits when the security guard for the condo doesn't let him through, the names he would give to a certain contractor because her service is slightly more expensive than he thought and the complaints he would share in the group chat about how his neighbor is a dick. I was hoping to not be the subject of his petty behavior, but my hopes were dashed because he has finally transformed into that little bitch and is slowly but surely starting to become a real piece of shit.




Like I have written in my previous post. I was never interested in his renovation, everything that happened happen because they misconstrued my intentions during my email exchanges with them. Well, now I am bearing the grunt of that mistake.



Not too long ago, I spotted a small issue with their toilet and decided to bring it up to their (him and his wife) attention, everything was fine and it really isn't a problem caused by my side, it was just an issue that limited my client's toilet bowl selection.



To give a bit of context, when one actually purchases a toilet bowl for their toilet, there are certain measurements that they need to take note of before actually making a purchase, measurements that the toilet bowl supplier will ask you before they sell you the toilet bowl.



Now, when I found out about this issue, my client did not call me up prior to ask me about those measurements, so I was under the assumption that they haven't bought the toilet bowl yet. I then brought this issue up in the group chat, thinking they will respond with...

"Noted! Thanks for the information!"

....or maybe ask me why their options have been limited and then end the conversation with some sort of gratitude for learning something new from me like...

"Oh, didn't know that! Thanks for letting us know!"

 ... so imagine my surprise when the husband actually responded with...

"Remind me why the Interior Designer isn't doing this?"

... Doing WHAT exactly ? 



WHAT THE FUCK AM NOT DOING?



Buying the toilet bowl for you?
Do you want me to buy your furniture for you as well?
While I am at it, why not let me decide what TV you should get.
I'm sure your wife doesn't want to do the washing of the clothes by hand, so why don't I also go to the departmental store and get you guys a washing machine on your behalf.
Assuming you guys are up to date with the latest technology, let me help you sign up for a Netflix account as well.
Your kids are starting Primary School soon? Hey, let me go apply a position for them as well!
You need to take a shit, hey, let me stick my finger up your butt to encourage your bowels to release the supper you had last night.
As an Interior Designer, I guess it is also my job to help you wipe you butt, since you are taking a shit in your house, and anything that is even remotely related to your house is part of my job scope, RIGHT?



Gosh, what a horrible Interior Designer I am for not treating you like a brain dead individual who can't do shit himself!

It was a little ridiculous because all my other clients have never expected me to buy a toilet bowl for them on their behalf. Why, because I got no fucking clue if you would prefer a rectangular bowl or a circular one, do you want me to sit on the toilet bowl and than write a 1000 word review about each one in the Whatsapp group chat so you can slowly read through, imagine yourself on the bowl and then decide decades years later after you have moved in to the house and made it a habit to shit in a bag because there isn't a toilet bowl for you to use because you are too fucking lazy to actually go to a sanitary shop to test out the bowls for yourself!




NO! 



So I explained to him why I don't do that as calmly as I could, and I ended the message with a smiley face to make it appear like I am not actually pissed off at his stupid comment.



He then responds with...

"Already bought the toilet bowl, will be delivered by the end of the month."

.... so I assumed wrong, they did went to buy a toilet bowl without the proper measurement, curious as to why they would do something so stupid, I ask them why the shopkeeper didn't ask them for the measurements, to which the husband simply responded with....

"They did ask us for the measurement."

....and? They did ask you for the measurement, you didn't have the measurement, and? Continue your story about how you came to that stupid fucking decision of buying a toilet bowl without having the necessary measurements.




I was getting really annoyed by the stupidity at this point, so I just ask them for the toilet bowl model and started doing my own research to check if the toilet bowl can fit. No prize for guessing that it wasn't a right fit because no one is going to give you a million dollar for guessing that ice is cold.



I then ask them to ask for an exchange because it is not going to fit, so they did and luckily for them, the shopkeeper was willing to do the exchange, so far I haven't got an update from them about the exchange, really wish I didn't have to care to be honest, but if shit goes wrong, blame will be on me, so I have to give a shit.



Problem solved, right?



Nope, well technically that problem was solved, but then today, another one arise. I wouldn't really call it a problem, but an additional renovation work that I had to bring to their attention and it has to do with the repair of the parquet floor.




I have already brought this issue up to the husband before and I even went as far to tell him that I will bear 60% of the cost for the repair because it was a oversight on my part and he was agreeable to it, he knew the price and so when my worker started work on the parquet this morning, I decided to update him and his wife of the repair work in progress, to which the husband actually replied with...

"Upseller. What is the cost?"

... really? "Upseller". I have a name, use it, if you don't want to use it, then just start your message with the question, no fucking need for you to be so unnecessarily rude to me. Don't want me to be calling you Asshat in the group chat would you, Asshat?





So after a bit of exchange back on forth about the progress of the work and what not, with me being extremely professional about it may I add, he suddenly goes...

"Just let me know how much the extra works will cost, I don't want you to absorb too much and lower your profit margin."

... which confused the fuck out of me. So are you not happy with my work or are you worried that I am not going to make any profit from your project? Because you have managed to piss me off like no customer ever did and you are suddenly concern that I might not earn much? What the fuck is with this inconsistency, suffering from DID or something?




Has Asshat gone to sleep and someone else from the many personalities in your mind re-emerge to back track and repair all the damages Asshat did?




It's like a sudden 180 degree change from fucking asshole to concern client, so I have no idea if calling me "Upseller" was meant as a dig at me or as a joke, but that name calling really sullied my impression of him.

Just Ramblings

My Company's Annual Dinner happened last night and I have to say, it wasn't as enjoyable as I had anticipated.




The first time I went for my Company's Annual Dinner, I had only joined the company for 3 days, so I didn't know anyone there and the whole experience was just extremely uncomfortable, but since then, a year has passed and I have grown closer to some of my colleagues as well as some of the contractors that were also invited to the event, so I knew for sure the experience now won't be as bad as it was then.




I reach the venue relatively early and was having small talk with those who were there as well, not really having any insightful or deep conversation, but at least I was chatting with people and not awkwardly standing at one corner trying to avoid everyone.




As the minutes went by, more and more people started coming in and that was when things got worse for me. I am not someone who flourishes in crowded gatherings, in fact, when thrown in such surroundings, I will automatically become reclusive and avoid the area where the crowd is gathering, which resulted in me sitting at a corner of the gathering/mingling space and looking through my Social Media, hoping that the Dining Banquet Hall will quickly open and finally allow us to enter.





So for the seating arrangements, there are a total of 16 tables, 3 of which are VIP tables reserved for the staff of my company and the other 13 are just regular tables for the contractors and suppliers. When I was told to sign in, I have to admit, it was honestly kinda shit to notice that due to the lack of seating available in the 3 VIP table, I was relegated to the regular table with all the other suppliers,  but not just me, 4 other colleagues were also bumped down to the Non-VIP area, one being a new guy I did not speak to the entire night because I am awkward like that.





Now, if everyone in the VIP table had a high sales track record or some sort of seniority in the company, then fine, I will admit my sales figure are horrendous and if the seating arrangements are based on how much one has contributed to the company, I really have nothing to say, but the fact that one girl who had only joined the company less than 2 weeks ago, who hasn't racked in any sales, was actually seated in the VIP section over the 5 of us in the non-VIP section, 4 of whom are more senior and have higher sales record than her, it just doesn't feel like a justified arrangement.




I mean I get why she is seated there, she is friends with one of my senior colleague, so the person-in-charge of the seating probably wanted to get friends to sit with one another and I am sure they have no ill will when they decided to bump me down to non-VIP, but the sodium crystal is real, I am a little salty about it.



But otherwise, the dinner itself was alright, I was really bored at one point to be honest because even though I was seated with a colleague I have no problem starting a conversation with, the giant speakers that were situated right behind where I was seating just killed any mood I had for conversation, to be competing with the emcee,who, on top of having a mic, is still projecting her voice, I just can't deal with the potential...

"Huh?"

"What?"  

....from my colleague, to the eventual...


"Mmm hmmm" followed by a patronizing smile, which is when the person just gives up trying to catch what you are saying and just assume everything you are saying is a rhetorical question or some kind of funny comment.




I went thinking things will be different, was actually looking forward to it a little, got disappointed when I realize I'm just not someone who will be able to enjoy such event, stayed for the lucky draw, won the small prize, then had no choice but to stay until everything was over and was probably the very first person in my company to leave the event.





Honestly am not sure if I will still be working in the company till the next Annual Dinner, I mean I really enjoy my work schedule now, or at least I don't hate it, still can't stand it when customers start messaging me at night or really at anytime of the day to complaint about their renovation progress, but I have grown fond of some of my colleagues' company and most importantly, I enjoy not having to report to work at a specific time every weekday, that is the best part about this job, but with that flexibility comes a severe lack of income.



I have completed a few projects and only recently decided to have the finance accountant tabulate the bills and calculate the total commission, so I will be expecting to get a total commission of hopefully $8,700 very soon, if I have not miscalculated that is, would be great to get it before Chinese New Year, add that to the red packets I will be receiving, hopefully my savings account will revert back to the amount I had a year ago.




A little over a year and I only made a total of $10,000. This is almost like I am back in the army and drawing an allowance, it's not even really considered a pay. That being said, I am looking forward to the month of June, hopefully I will be able to draw another $10,000 in commission then, should all my projects run smoothly without any hiccup, running smoothly would be a huge overstatement though, so far most of my projects have brought me nothing but anxiety and it seems to get worse.


Every time I think...

"The next project can't be as difficult as this one."

... BAM! I get a never heard before, not really a problem, bullshit issue I have to deal with.



It is very disconcerting to have worked for a year and see the numbers in my savings account slowly dwindle away, had I stayed and worked for my Dad, I'm sure my savings would have probably doubled by now, but then I wouldn't have gotten any legit work experience, so there is a give and take in this situation I suppose.




Would love to look for a new job, but I really do not enjoy discussing it with anyone at this point because I am still legit confuse as to what I would actually do should I decide to no longer dabble in the line of sales. I mean I for sure am not going to be in this line forever, this career is just not right for me, evident from my lack of a paycheck, it's just a matter of when I will leave.



Every time my Mum ask me...

"Has the company paid you yet"

... it's sort of like a wake up call for me, that this is a job, that I am suppose to be earning an income, but for some reason, 1 year into the job and I am still not making a single cent, aside from that $1000 I did earn from a small project.



I really am waiting for all my projects to end before I really start looking for a new job, complete all my projects, receive my pay, relax in the company for another month whilst looking for a new career and once I have found the right one, finally say my goodbyes and leave the company and this line for good.



It's hard to really quit thought, I was honestly not expecting anymore new projects for myself after the last one I got in December, but then I was suddenly inform by another customer that they wanted to engage me for their renovation. It honestly baffles me when a client decides they want me to run their project for them, I mean I appreciate the fact that trust me enough to run the project for them, but I just really don't get why they would pick me as a designer, it's odd, especially for this particular client because I really didn't put in any extra effort in their initial proposal or actively contacted them regularly to beg them to hire me, the reason why they finally decided to engage me was actually due to a misinterpretation they had of me in an email I had replied to them, answering a few questions they had for me regarding the renovation.




According to the husband, he had actually shortlisted me and another designer from another company, and he send both emails to that designer and myself. Since I didn't really want to run the project for them, I actually did not bother responding, thinking that that should be enough of a hint for them, but then the wife started texting me for, asking me if the email was ready, so I responded and answered their questions in the email without really bothering to let them know if what they had requested was feasible or not.



Well, apparently, instead of giving direct answers back to my client, the other designer replied with even more questions of his own, I didn't ask my clients exactly what the other designer asked, but it was enough to turn them off , so I am not sure if  that designer was asking legit questions about the feasibility of their requirements, or if he or she was just plain annoyed and wanted nothing to do with my clients.



At the end of the day, I would say no one really won.


1. I got a project I didn't want.

2. My client got a designer who wasn't interested in their project.

3. If the other designer had asked those questions out of legitimate concern and my client completely overlooked it, I would honestly feel really sorry for my clients.



But if I were to be optimistic, then....


1. I got a new project!


2. They got an inexperienced designer, that means there's a chance for the quotation to be miscalculated, leading them to actually save more money. And as someone who doesn't really like to charge my customer for any additional renovation works, they will potentially be saving even more money, which once again proves why I am not cut out for this line of work.


3. The other designer legitimately didn't want to run the project and he got what he wished for.



Well, the new project is slated to start next week, already applied for the permits and everything, but my clients are really bad at replying to my messages so I am not sure exactly how smooth this renovation is going to go.

Mutually Exclusive

Getting a customer who has a very tight budget can sometimes be a little challenging to deal with and a lot of times, I get that a new homeowner won't really know how much the renovation will cost, so they just throw in an amount they are most comfortable with as their budget and then just try their luck and hope that the budget will be feasible, but as someone who has seen a dozen different homeowners and know how much it actually cost, I can't help but get a little annoyed.





Well, I met one such customer yesterday and so the first thing I asked him was how he actually got to that minuscule figure for his budget, $20,000 to renovate a 5 Room Flat, $20,000 that's also meant to include doing tiles for the entire living room and 3 bedroom, that's very very low, he laughs at my question and then tells me...

"I understand the budget is a little low, so I am willing to go up to $35,000, but really nothing higher than that."

... when a customer tells me he doesn't want to go higher than a certain amount, I just find it really fascinating that they would tell me that, because how high the renovation figure will go really depends on how extensive your renovation requirements are, I am not someone who will charge an exuberant amount for the renovation works, all my projects have dangerously low profit margins, so telling me you want to keep within a budget won't equate to me charging you lower because I already charge lower than most of my colleagues.



But anyways, the consultation starts and having told him that his budget is very tight, I was under the assumption that he will hold back on his requirements and just do the bare minimum, so when we were discussing about the layout of the kitchen,which is the first area I always ask my clients about, I was pleasantly surprised when he told me...

"I want to do kitchen cabinets on just one side, we will leave the other side untouched."

....I thought, well, this guy is being realistic and really going for just the bare minimum, maybe his budget will work, definitely not the $20,000, but $35,000 feels really possible.





And then everything went to shit when he goes...

"I plan to hack the wall on the other side of the kitchen, just a half height hack and do a folding glass door, and then introduce a counter top for dining."

... that was when I realize he is anything but realistic, and his unrealistic ideas doesn't stop there because after the kitchen is done, he proceeds to the living area and starts requesting for a butt load of carpentry that only customers with a generous budget will opt for, and it was honestly just completely mindblowing hearing him go on and on about how he wants to do this and do that, it is insane just how far he thinks his $35,000 can stretch.




When the living room was done, and I know for a fact that his requirements have already gone WAYYYY over budget, he brings me to his master bedroom and tells me...

"I want to do a walk in wardrobe area, but I want it to be completely enclosed in glass, so it will be like a separate room."

...I don't know why, but I was just getting really annoyed after a while because it feels like he is wasting my time requesting for items he won't be able to afford, like AT ALL. So I just told him ...

"Honestly speaking, the items you have requested has already exceeded your original budget."

... like are you serious about the glass walk-in wardrobe right now?  Have some sense, please, and he goes...

"Yeah, but I would like to know how much all this items will cost, so later I can see which items I want to remove and move on from there."

... Well, I have calculated his final figure and not surprisingly, it has exceeded his budget by at least 2 folds.




Needless to say, seeing how he has such unrealistic standards, scheduling a second appointment with him just feels really pointless, in the end, he is just going to takeaway EVERYTHING and then stick to the bare necessities, I really don't see myself running his project for him and if budget is really his main concern, than it is safe to say that I won't be one of the designers that he will shortlist.


I charge a low price, but my contractors are not cheap, so in the end, even though I don't earn much, my quote is still not the lowest in the market, which is a pity, but it also eliminates really cheap homeowners, which I guess is a good thing.



When he told me he would be willing to pay more if the design is good, I can just tell it's complete bullshit, when he tells me he is willing to pay more, I don't think he knows how much "more" actually refers to.



Design and a Tight Budget are not requirements that go together, if you want design, you better be prepared to pay more, otherwise, settle for the basic if budget is really an issue for you.



When I see the requirements as...

"Design Centric, Cost Effective."

.... it automatically gets labeled as a waste of time in my books. I will still meet them if they request for it, but I won't take them seriously, like this client, I couldn't even be bothered to scale the floorplan, just created a quote base on estimated measurements because there's just no point putting in so much effort for a client with so little potential.

Pompous

I recently met a client that I just don't really understand and I actually met him and his wife twice.



Normally when I meet a client that I do not like or just find to be a little odd and could potentially spell trouble and cause a lot of renovation anxiety for me in the future, I won't bother following up, much less actually agree for a second appointment, but this client is different.



During the very first meet up,  I asked them a simple question I ask all my clients before we actually start the consultation...

"Do you have a floorplan with you?"

...this is the very basic and vital item you will need when you actually visit an Interior Designer for a consultation, and I will always get responses like...

"Yes, here you go!"

or 

"I only have the soft-copy, maybe I can email it to you and you can print it out?"

...  but every once in a while, I will get a customer who will tell me...

"Oh, I do not actually have it with me right now."

...and then they will leave after 15 minutes because the consultation is completely pointless if there isn't any floorplan for us to discuss.




Even when they do not have a floorplan, they are aware, upon hearing my request for it, that it is very important for them to provide the designer with the floorplan.




Well, this particular client, let's call him Bill, not only did not have a floor plan with him, he actually had the cheek to tell me, straight to my face...

"I will not provide a floorplan for you, the floorplan will be prepared by you for us once we have confirm our services with you."

... upon hearing that ridiculous statement, I was honestly starting to get really irritated by how misconstrued his statement was and just how there was this air of pompousness when he was saying that to me.




No one wanted to serve him and his wife when they walked into the shop, I only did so because I had no choice as everyone else had a legit reason, so to have to serve a walk-in customer so begrudgingly and then to know right from the get go how unpleasant one of them was, I can't help but just feel annoyed.




Needless to say, the consultation was a complete waste of time but during the supposed "consultation", Bill and his wife were constantly sharing ideas with me, talking about how they wanted to shift the bed outwards into the dining room, how they wanted to knock a few walls down and remove the air-con unit because it was damage, I had no idea what they were talking about because there is no fucking floorplan, so it was still a very very pointless session.




The wife did showed me a video she took of the house and it helped a little, but there really wasn't much I could do because I needed a floorplan to play around with the space planning, I can't just do the space planning in my head through a video.




So knowing for sure that I was not interested in their project, especially after how the husband responded to my request for a floorplan, I decided to be very honest with them and told them I was not very familiar with their apartment type because I have never done it before, thinking that using my lack of experience was going to be sufficient at scaring them off, it did work for a little, but then it didn't because Bill went...

"I do not want to offend you, we would actually prefer a more experienced designer, but maybe you should drop by our house to take a look, get a proper feel of the home and have a better idea of the space once you are there in our unit."

... I really wanted to say no, but I didn't know how to say no, so I agreed begrudgingly and sent them on their way out.

Fast forward to today, I dropped by their unit in the afternoon and was greeted by the wife, Bill soon came out from the bedroom and greeted me as well and I just asked them straightaway...

"Have you guys decided on EXACTLY what you want to renovate because I honestly wasn't very clear what you guys wanted to do during the first consultation."

... Bill and his wife looked at each other for a while, and they started to repeat what they told me during the first consultation, to move the bedroom outwards, to knock the walls down etc etc, and then Bill starts talking about wanting to install a curtain partition between the dining room and the living area. 

I do not have any supplier that does the curtain partition he was talking about, so I ask him if he knew of any suppliers, that maybe he can get his own supplier to install those partition for him, to which he replies in a rather annoyed tone...

"I do not want to manage the renovation on my own. You are the designer, you should be the one managing the site for us. We don't want to be dealing with any of the contractors, if the contractors do a bad job, then we will find you directly, and we will beat up up."

....the way he said what he said really rubbed me the wrong way, like it would to anyone, but I just laughed it off and told him that I do not have any suppliers that does the curtain partition, to which he replies...

"You are the designer, you should be sourcing the suppliers for us."

All I wanted him to do was tell me if he had his own contacts, if he knew of a shop that could do that for him, just requesting for him to source for ONE supplier on his own and he makes it sound like I am making him do all the work, I wasn't asking him to source for his own carpenter, his own electrician, his own ceiling contractor, etc, I have a list of suppliers that are necessary for all home renovation,  but if you have a very specific renovation requirement, like curtain partitions (not the normal curtain but the heavy duty ones) or let's say a door for pets, don't expect every design firm to have the contacts for this items that will only only requested by a very niche group of customer.

But what really got me when I actually ask him if he knew of any supplier was the fact that he actually told me afterwards...

"Even if I did have the contact information of the supplier, I won't be sharing it with you. It is your job as the designer to source out this suppliers for us. And I also don't think it will be fair if I shared the contact with you because I did not share it with the other designer we met."

... HUH!!?!?!?!?! 

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

I really do not understand what upper-hand I would actually get should I be given the contact of the supplier.


Isn't the end goal to have a supplier install the fucking curtain partition for you?


Do you NOT want to receive the quotation as soon as possible? 


Do you NOT want to confirm with a designer as soon as possible?


Just what is the point of making things so difficult for the designers during the early stages when you haven't even paid us a single cent yet?


What the fuck does being fair have to do with the actual renovation?


Why is it so important for both designers to source out the supplier for the curtain partition themselves ?

This whole thing is just so bloody fucking unnecessary.

We are not getting paid to source the suppliers for you! I am not getting any monetary incentive to put extra effort into your fucking proposal. I don't even want to run the fucking project, the only reason I even showed up was at the flat today was out of goodwill.




I was honestly contemplating on being a complete no-show until the wife actually texted me in the morning to confirm the appointment.

I told them that it will take me 2 weeks to come up with the proposal and quotation, but it normally only takes me a day or two. I just have no interest to run the project for them because of how pompous Bill was coming across as a client, I just do not want to deal with that self-righteous, entitled attitude of his for the next 3 months. 

And another thing that Bill kept on saying that really really grated on my nerve was...

"This is not my problem, you are the designer, so it's your problem." 

....Whenever I pointed out certain issues that might arise. I fucking hate when customers tell me "it's not my problem, it's your problem", honestly, go fuck yourself.




 IT'S YOUR FUCKING HOUSE! So it is as much your problem as it will be mine, should I be desperate enough to actually close a deal with clients like these.

If I could reach out to the other Interior Designer they looked for, I would like to congratulate him in advance for getting this project because I am not interested AT ALL. So there really isn't any point in Bill wanting this to be a fair fight between the other Designer and me because I know for sure this is a project I won't be taking on.

Thoughtless Gift.

About a week ago, my company had a little Christmas party planned for everyone and one of the event was a Christmas Gift Exchange.



The way it works is everyone will get a gift valued at roughly $20 dollar, leave it under the Christmas Tree, and when the time comes, each gift will be numbered, so everyone will pick a random number from a little box like a lucky draw and they will get the present with the corresponding number.



Since it wasn't really the traditional Secret Santa where the giver will actually know who they will be gifting, I decided it would only be right to get a gift that would be fitting for both guys and girls, so I went out and got a Bluetooth Speaker that was valued at $22. It was something I would be happy to get for a present, so I thought it will make for a great gift.




Well, turns out not everyone had the same ideas as I did when it came to selecting a gift because during the gift exchange, I actually got myself a necklace that was meant to be worn by a girl.



Why though?




Why would you go get a gift that was meant for a girl when you know the person who might end up getting the gift be a guy. I mean it just feels really badly thought out and I am sure it must have felt like a bummer when the person who bought the gift realize a guy actually got it.




I know who got the gift because that person ended up getting mine out of sheer coincidence and I also heard that the necklace actually originally cost $60 but was on a discount, but it's still a huge waste of money because I can't appreciate it.



My colleague who got the gift told me I could give it to a girl I know, but it really just defeats the purpose of it being a present that was meant for me if the intention was for the gift to be re-gifted to a girl if a guy ended up receiving it.




So I got a really badly thought out gift.I would have preferred like $20 worth of chocolate over female jewelry because at least I could eat the chocolates, what the fuck am I suppose to do with a necklace aside from wearing it and be judged by my family, friends and the public?

Buh! Bye!

After my last blog post lamenting about not getting any new projects to run, I was finally able to get a new project over the weekend.



It is a relatively small scale one, and from what I have heard from my friends who have run similar projects before, it is going to be a lot easier than the ones I have been running in the past.



I was really not looking forward to getting any new projects to run after I came to realize that the clients from my fourth project will potentially be a huge pain in the ass. The husband actually got angry at me over text after I had a bit of miscommunication with him and his wife, he didn't curse at me or anything, but I could sense from the way he wrote the text that it was meant to be a confrontational "I've had enough of this crap" tone. I honestly wasn't having any of it, so I also didn't bother coming across extra friendly or extra apologetic in text after he pulled that shit on me, I did apologize for the miscommunication begrudgingly, because they are paying me for my services, but I wish I could have told them to go fuck themselves.




So that exchange with them really affected my drive to sign more new projects in the weeks to come, but out of all the customers I had the pleasure of getting in the weeks following, there was only one couple I was quite interested in, so I put in the effort for their proposal and they decided to engage me for my services a few weeks later.





Unlike all the other customers I have had so far, these couple's main focus was design, and they are actually willing to pay more for it, and when they are willing to spend more, I am also willing to put in more effort for the proposal.





We signed, I was happy that I manage to finally get a new project after months, and then I just stopped wanting to get anymore because every time I think about the fourth renovation project, it's like a motivational killer.





And then in the very same week, two of my follow up customers decided they wanted to meet me again to confirm my services. I haven't met these 2 different sets of customers for weeks and I was not particularly fond of one of their projects because the requirements were a complete mess.



That mess of a project actually belongs to the parents of one of my existing clients, had these couple met me with no prior connections, I wouldn't even have entertained the thought of meeting them a second time.



They are the kind of customers who think they know what they want, but when they share their ideas with me and I actually apply it to the space planning, it just becomes this whole cluster fuck of very bad and contradictory ideas.


For example, in the beginning, they will tell me they want to do an open concept kitchen, to knock the kitchen walls down completely, but then 5 minutes later, the husband will tell me he wants to keep the kitchen door because it was only recently installed by the previous owner.




Open Concept Kitchen = No Doors




...and it isn't just once, both the husband and the wife will constantly tell me they want to retain the doors, even though they have requested for the walls to to be demolished, it's fucking frustrating.

And aside from their contradicting request, their ideas were just extremely questionable, like knocking down a wall between a service yard and a study room, so those 2 rooms can be combined into a bedroom for their guest, the service yard is where the rubbish chute is located and they want to introduce that disgusting chute into the guest room. I told them it was a bad idea, but they just kept telling me it was alright, that they won't be using the rubbish chute often enough for it to become a concern.





The problem here isn't really about convenience....

... it just feels a little rude to be putting your guest in a room where you also go to throw the thrash.




Sometimes, I would tell them something was not possible, but they will forget about it and then ask me 5 minutes later if that impossible task was possible or not, its fucking annoying and I really want to scold them, but my client is sitting right beside them, so all I can do is pretend I find their forgetfulness endearing.

Lastly, because they are on a very tight budget, like so tight that the renovation shouldn't even be financially possible, the wife decided to take my quotation and pick out the items that she wants to do, so she actually took the time to slowly took the items from my quotation and created her own version of it, which reduced the total project cost, but when she was shortlisting what she wanted to do, there were a few necessary renovation works that were not included, so when she came to me last week and showed me what she had prepared, the final figure was just completely off and I ended up having to redo the entire quotation based on what she had prepared, needless to say, the figure was way too low because there were a lot of items she had failed to include in her own quotation, additional and necessary items that amounted to an additional $10,000.




She told me she stayed until 3 am to consolidate what I had prepared for her, like it's something I should be impressed about. I just find it hard to be impressed about something that will end up giving me more work to do.



When I prepare a quotation, there is a certain format that I follow to ensure that everything is accounted for, to make sure that I am not missing any items because I really do not enjoy charging my customers for additional items in the future, so when she came to me with her own version, everything was just completely wrong, the order completely threw me off and I had to spend more time that I normally would trying to come up with my version of her quotation, which was an experience I did not enjoy at all.





Because I honestly have zero patience to deal with them and also zero interest to run their project because it's just a fucking mess, I had to find a way to break the news to my existing client, hoping he can convey the message to his parents, so I dropped him a text a few days ago telling him that I will be busy over the next few months, that I can only start his parents renovation in March, a delay which I am very certain his parents won't be agreeable to, and well, he didn't respond. He told me his parents were actually planning to confirm my services that week, but fortunately, they did not show up, which means my client did convey the message to them, but he just didn't bother updating me about his parent's decision.





If a project is a little difficult to run, but I am able to earn a substantial amount, then fine, maybe I will consider running it, and it is a huge maybe because if the clients are going to such a mess to deal with, that will also affect my interest in the project. This project is not worth the time, it's not worth the effort and it's definitely not worth the measly amount I will actually earn from it.




So fuck it and good riddance to that project. Shitty thing is I still have to deal with him in the future once his project actually starts and I have no idea if he is upset at me or not about rejecting his parent's project.

Referrals Away~!

I haven't been getting any new projects for a while now and I don't really know how to feel about it.




About a month back, one of my existing customer actually referred his friend who was looking for an Interior Designer to me, and I honestly felt like this referral had tremendous potential to actually engage me for my services, so thinking this was almost a done deal for me, I decided it would only be right to go the extra mile and prepare a 3D drawing for them for their first consultation.




I thought we hit it off really well and I was able to schedule a second meeting about a week later, showed them the quotation and adjusted the changes they have requested on the spot for them, I knew they were not going to engage my services without first looking through the quotation and think over it for a few days, so they left.



About a week later, I receive a text message from them, requesting to view one of my ongoing projects, they wanted to see the workmanship of my contractor and since I had one that was almost completed, I granted their request. They came, I showed them around the unit, we spoke, they even met the owner, which was not planned, and then they left, but before they left, I told them to update me about their decision soon.





Well, they did just that this morning and it wasn't what I had anticipated.




They decided to go with another Interior Designer.





I honestly don't know what went wrong, because I thought everything went well. Normally when I feel like a customer has the potential to engage me, chances are very likely they will, especially after meeting them 3 times, so I am honestly really confuse what went wrong. That being said, I do feel a sense of relief that they decided not to engage me.





When they actually do get the keys for their home and proceed with the renovation, it will start around the same time as their friends' a.k.a my client, and it is going to be extremely stressful when they inevitably decide to start comparing with each other their renovation progress, which will then lead to questions like...

"Are you sure this is acceptable workmanship, I did not see this issue from my friend's site."

"This problem right here can be fixed, I know for a fact because you were able to rectify it for my friend."

"Why are you only charging him this amount for this item, but you are charging me almost double the price for mine?"

... I can't deal with this kind of issue, dealing with one difficult customer is already hard enough, just the thought of having to deal with 2 potentially difficult customers who actually know one another?

So I am actually more glad they decided not to engage my services than I am sad that they have rejected me.




One thing I do find extremely odd is how they were telling me in the rejection text that they will be sure to recommend me to their friends who are also looking for an Interior Designer.

Not going to be a very convincing recommendation, I mean you are recommending to them an Interior Designer you decided not to engage in the end, unless the Interior Designer they have chosen to engage really fucks them over, their friends are not going to settle for what is essentially  second best.



I mean settling for second best in terms of food or drinks is alright, if I can't find a KOI nearby, then I will settle for LiHo, they are both good, except KOI is obviously better because it's KOI. It's a few dollars a cup, and I can always afford to have KOI another day, but settling for second best for your home renovation, that's at least a $20,000, ain't no first time home owners gonna settle for second best when $20,000 is on the line.



Second Best. If a couple rejected me because I didn't bother to follow up with them, then I have nothing to say about it, I deserve it for not putting in any effort, but if I did and they still are not impressed by it, it is really quite demoralizing. So if you are going to be telling your friends...

"You can look for Tim, he was able to prepare quite a few proposals and even came up with a 3D rendering for us before we even paid for anything, and he's really nice about it, so don't feel bad about it if in the end you don't feel comfortable engaging him."

a.k.a

"We wasted so much of him time and effort and you should too!"

Please. Go Away.

The rejection stings, but I'm sure I will get over it within a week and that sting will soon be replaced by a greater sense of relief. And by get over I mean it won't be at the top of my head, but it will still be constantly at the back of my bitter bitter mind and I am sure this experience will appear occasionally throughout my future blog post.



Evidently, I am not good at handling rejection.



Last month, I also had a potential customer slip out of my hands, but that was more my fault because I didn't really follow up with him after our second meeting, he was nice enough to update me of his decision though, so that was actually great, and really rare of customers these day.



I feel like I have on hand a few customers with potential, but a part of me just doesn't really want to bother getting more new projects.



The only reason why I want to get new projects is so I don't feel so stressed out about not having any new projects. The moment my next 2 projects are done, I am going to really consider making a career switch and get a job with a stable salary because right now, this career is just not cutting it for me financially, my savings has been on a steady decline and the amount I will be making from these few projects I will be closing soon will only be enough to cover what I have spend over the last 11 months.




The current stream of customers I have been receiving are pretty much a waste of time, I don't sense any sort of potential from them, either because I have no interest to run their projects or because it is painfully obvious that their only intention is to get a free quotation.



That being said, I think the biggest issue with this career is myself. I am just way too picky with the customers I want to work with.




Gawd! I really need a new job. Right now I am being tied down to the company because I have 2 more projects that have yet to begin, if by the time those end and I still have no new projects to run, it really doesn't take a genius to know that it is time to leave, which means by the end of March next year, I might be working in a different company, or be in the midst of looking for a new job.