I went to the same ticket booth at the trainstation this morning to get the same ticket for the same fare as yesterday.
I came across the same ticket booth attendant.
I said "Good Morning!"
And he grinned from ear to ear and told me "Good Morning!"
I asked for the same ticket and he enquired if i had a weekly ticket? I actually bought a ticket from the beginning of the year until my last working day before i fly to Europe. Thats about 8 months worth of fare...
For the sake of conversation, i told him, yes i had a City weekly and i was going to a training course in Nth Sydney today (as i did yesterday).
He said to me - "Oh, then you should keep today's ticket and yesterday's as a receipt. So, you can claim back on tax!"
God bless him.
(lit: part two...)
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Et j'ai dit bonjour...
It was probably a quarter past 7 in the mornin'...I went up to the ticket counter and asked for a ticket connecting Wynyard and North Sydney, but before making my request i opened with a "Hello!" which seemed to make his day.
Its funny how a simple 'Hello' with a smile can make the world a difference.
He was so cheerful towards me after that, that i started to think if he had a spare million $$$ to hand over, he would have gladly done so.
How sweet it is to be able to turn someone's day around like that!
I should endeavour to remember in future how little the effort it is to say hello and smile to reap the benefits of making someone else happy.
I had to go to Nth Syd today for MS Project training course! Yes, i asked my company to send me to do this course because i'm stuck doing schedules for my projects and i realise that i am doing certain things that are deemed "bad practice"...so this course is righting the wrongs i have picked up fumbling my way through, trying to use the application.
Its for 2 days and already i feel really good about attending. The trainer is a perky Swedish lady, who is soo clever - i am glad to be a student in her class. She knows so much and quite frankly, she bends over backwards to ensure that the whole class is up to speed.
Highlight of the day for me was learning all these nifty short cuts and learning from the trainer the proper methods of organising relationships and constraints for my tasks...and i got a chance to explain to someone in the group about the purpose of baselining schedules (in which the trainer didnt quite understand where this person's question was coming from). I felt quite knowledgeable...how cool is that?
I go back to work on Friday for more training on a new application that is being brought into the company due to our close working relationship with our major client. Then the following week i have another training session for some new PM tool being intro'd for our project services group...reportedly, eliminating our project checklists, issues & risk registers, incorporating SAP financials, and supposedly shorten our project reporting because all the details will be encapsulated in this one tool.
I highly doubt it will make any of my work easier...i forsee my workload doubling...geez, i hate being psychic!
;p
(lit: And i said hello...)
Its funny how a simple 'Hello' with a smile can make the world a difference.
He was so cheerful towards me after that, that i started to think if he had a spare million $$$ to hand over, he would have gladly done so.
How sweet it is to be able to turn someone's day around like that!
I should endeavour to remember in future how little the effort it is to say hello and smile to reap the benefits of making someone else happy.
I had to go to Nth Syd today for MS Project training course! Yes, i asked my company to send me to do this course because i'm stuck doing schedules for my projects and i realise that i am doing certain things that are deemed "bad practice"...so this course is righting the wrongs i have picked up fumbling my way through, trying to use the application.
Its for 2 days and already i feel really good about attending. The trainer is a perky Swedish lady, who is soo clever - i am glad to be a student in her class. She knows so much and quite frankly, she bends over backwards to ensure that the whole class is up to speed.
Highlight of the day for me was learning all these nifty short cuts and learning from the trainer the proper methods of organising relationships and constraints for my tasks...and i got a chance to explain to someone in the group about the purpose of baselining schedules (in which the trainer didnt quite understand where this person's question was coming from). I felt quite knowledgeable...how cool is that?
I go back to work on Friday for more training on a new application that is being brought into the company due to our close working relationship with our major client. Then the following week i have another training session for some new PM tool being intro'd for our project services group...reportedly, eliminating our project checklists, issues & risk registers, incorporating SAP financials, and supposedly shorten our project reporting because all the details will be encapsulated in this one tool.
I highly doubt it will make any of my work easier...i forsee my workload doubling...geez, i hate being psychic!
;p
(lit: And i said hello...)
Friday, July 06, 2007
Rapports...
Its really uplifting to see & hear about your workmates and their partners getting along really well. Yes, they probably have issues to deal with, but its obvious that they know how to deal with the issues and to hear that they are both working at it together shows me that it is possible to be in a relationship that has longevity.
I have friends who are in long term relationships, but its not the same as my workmates who have been married for 15 years+. And its not that i dont believe that they can last that long, its more that that would mean i was looking into the future, while my workmates relationships is currently the present...and that view holds more weight currently.
I wish i could say that my parents married and had a blissful marriage right in front of me, to look up to, and hope that one day I would be part of such a relationship...but i cant.
Theirs is not horrendous, but it wasnt coming up roses either.
So, i guess thats why i look to others for that sense of hope...and my workmates who have gotten the relationships right, would be good examples for observation and inspiration.
(lit: Relationships...)
I have friends who are in long term relationships, but its not the same as my workmates who have been married for 15 years+. And its not that i dont believe that they can last that long, its more that that would mean i was looking into the future, while my workmates relationships is currently the present...and that view holds more weight currently.
I wish i could say that my parents married and had a blissful marriage right in front of me, to look up to, and hope that one day I would be part of such a relationship...but i cant.
Theirs is not horrendous, but it wasnt coming up roses either.
So, i guess thats why i look to others for that sense of hope...and my workmates who have gotten the relationships right, would be good examples for observation and inspiration.
(lit: Relationships...)
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Bonjour, nous sommes en Italie!
I know it should really be: "Ciao, siamo in Italia!", but i thought i should keep with my French theme.
Last night was one of those oddly well-coordinated nights. I seemed to have gotten everything done in a timely fashion, and there was one last thing to do...return my alterna-date's missed call.
So, i returned his call about the DSLR he bought from the JB-HiFi my brother works at.
Normally, i put my mobile back in my bag so that i dont forget to bring it to work the next day. I mean, i wake up so early, the last thing i want to do at 6am is scramble to find my missing mobile, because i accidentally misplaced it somewhere the night before.
But i did leave my phone in my room last night, on top of the cardi i planned on wearing today.
And of all nights (it was in fact morning - but it was pitch black, so i'll stick with night), L&E decide to start those prank calls from Europe. I get a call at 5:15am from an unknown number...and stoopid me, i answered the call!
The instant i picked up they started the ranting and raving...and i recognised their voices...and i also recognised the "we just landed and we already got screwed...why did you pick up?!??!?"
I knew that they should have landed in Italy sometime yesterday...i just didnt know what time. I know the drill. Turn my voicemail on...well, don't turn voicemail off, as it is usually on for work purposes...so that they can leave drunken messages at 3am or "crank" calls of the cranky "we just got screwed and its all your fault" variety.
Every holiday they have together, i get a number of voicemails left on my mobile messaging service, and quite frankly its the highlight of my morning to hear them on the line. *LoL*
(1) I know that although they suffered mishaps from being screwed by the locals...that they are in fact safe & fine, and laughing their heads off after it.
(2) I get my daily dose of laughter and get an ab workout.
(3) It gives me material to tell my workmates about my crazy friends currently in Europe!
Now, i need to practice leaving my phone on silent or turning it off at night...because there's like 4-5 weeks of these calls. It doesnt happen every night, so its always a surprise and well worth it!
***
I've realised that i take my friends for granted...and im sure most people are the same...they dont intentionally do so and perhaps dont realise. But with the way things are: whether you are busy because of your new relationship with your partner, you're busy with family, you're busy studying, etc...especially if they are your good friends...you expect them to be around and the same goes for you...they might expect you to always be around.
And then at some point you realise that you should really make an effort to keep the friendship going.
I'm trying to make the effort and become a better daughter, sister, and friend.
I realised that I should really be grateful for my life and current situation.
It might not be as charming as others. And i might not have scored a hat trick, being: love/health/career...but 1.5 out of the 3 is 50% and thats an underestimation. But life isnt all that bad. I'm going to Europe in less than 2 months time. I should be able to go to SG/KL in December...and when my review occurs at the end of this year, I will know if should be able to get to Japan in April...which is pending on my payrise and hopefully promotion.
So, i really cant complain.
And if i do ever complain, dear friends...please pinch me.
(lit: Hello, we are in Italy!)
Last night was one of those oddly well-coordinated nights. I seemed to have gotten everything done in a timely fashion, and there was one last thing to do...return my alterna-date's missed call.
So, i returned his call about the DSLR he bought from the JB-HiFi my brother works at.
Normally, i put my mobile back in my bag so that i dont forget to bring it to work the next day. I mean, i wake up so early, the last thing i want to do at 6am is scramble to find my missing mobile, because i accidentally misplaced it somewhere the night before.
But i did leave my phone in my room last night, on top of the cardi i planned on wearing today.
And of all nights (it was in fact morning - but it was pitch black, so i'll stick with night), L&E decide to start those prank calls from Europe. I get a call at 5:15am from an unknown number...and stoopid me, i answered the call!
The instant i picked up they started the ranting and raving...and i recognised their voices...and i also recognised the "we just landed and we already got screwed...why did you pick up?!??!?"
I knew that they should have landed in Italy sometime yesterday...i just didnt know what time. I know the drill. Turn my voicemail on...well, don't turn voicemail off, as it is usually on for work purposes...so that they can leave drunken messages at 3am or "crank" calls of the cranky "we just got screwed and its all your fault" variety.
Every holiday they have together, i get a number of voicemails left on my mobile messaging service, and quite frankly its the highlight of my morning to hear them on the line. *LoL*
(1) I know that although they suffered mishaps from being screwed by the locals...that they are in fact safe & fine, and laughing their heads off after it.
(2) I get my daily dose of laughter and get an ab workout.
(3) It gives me material to tell my workmates about my crazy friends currently in Europe!
Now, i need to practice leaving my phone on silent or turning it off at night...because there's like 4-5 weeks of these calls. It doesnt happen every night, so its always a surprise and well worth it!
I've realised that i take my friends for granted...and im sure most people are the same...they dont intentionally do so and perhaps dont realise. But with the way things are: whether you are busy because of your new relationship with your partner, you're busy with family, you're busy studying, etc...especially if they are your good friends...you expect them to be around and the same goes for you...they might expect you to always be around.
And then at some point you realise that you should really make an effort to keep the friendship going.
I'm trying to make the effort and become a better daughter, sister, and friend.
I realised that I should really be grateful for my life and current situation.
It might not be as charming as others. And i might not have scored a hat trick, being: love/health/career...but 1.5 out of the 3 is 50% and thats an underestimation. But life isnt all that bad. I'm going to Europe in less than 2 months time. I should be able to go to SG/KL in December...and when my review occurs at the end of this year, I will know if should be able to get to Japan in April...which is pending on my payrise and hopefully promotion.
So, i really cant complain.
And if i do ever complain, dear friends...please pinch me.
(lit: Hello, we are in Italy!)
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Mise à jour...
I submitted my letter of confirmation from my Program Manager basically saying that I have been "managing" some projects for the last 6 months. I also submitted my CV.
I asked if that was it. He confirmed - "that's it!"
So, basically in July when my company renews my membership to AIPM, they will also be upgrading my registration from a QPP to a RPM.
At the end of the day, a good project manager is developed through practice of managing projects. To me, its like common sense. So, this piece of paper I will be receiving through the mail doesn't really indicate to anyone how good or how bad a project manager I am. It just shows that I am aware of the "best practiced methodologies"...
Fortunately, I have been working in an environment that is highly process driven, which is part of good practice. The company is ISO9001 compliant.
The piece of paper basically makes me one of the "skilled" employees, that Australia seems to be lacking.
Like my degree, on its own...the paper isn't of much value, its the implication of the words written on it that carries the value. For me, personally, the degree, the diploma, and the registration as a RPM means that I can command more $$$. And so, those 3 pieces of paper actually means a lot to me & my future.
I will be given more responsibilities. Better (harder) projects to manage. It will provide me with more opportunities. I will grow.
(lit: Update)
I asked if that was it. He confirmed - "that's it!"
So, basically in July when my company renews my membership to AIPM, they will also be upgrading my registration from a QPP to a RPM.
At the end of the day, a good project manager is developed through practice of managing projects. To me, its like common sense. So, this piece of paper I will be receiving through the mail doesn't really indicate to anyone how good or how bad a project manager I am. It just shows that I am aware of the "best practiced methodologies"...
Fortunately, I have been working in an environment that is highly process driven, which is part of good practice. The company is ISO9001 compliant.
The piece of paper basically makes me one of the "skilled" employees, that Australia seems to be lacking.
Like my degree, on its own...the paper isn't of much value, its the implication of the words written on it that carries the value. For me, personally, the degree, the diploma, and the registration as a RPM means that I can command more $$$. And so, those 3 pieces of paper actually means a lot to me & my future.
I will be given more responsibilities. Better (harder) projects to manage. It will provide me with more opportunities. I will grow.
(lit: Update)
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Dépression, au delà de bleu...
I believe that i am very susceptible to falling into depression...or maybe i'm exaggerating and depression is the more stronger sense of what i have felt before.
I'm the middle child of my family and sometimes i do get forgotten, or perhaps i just view myself as being forgotten...
I have felt lonely. I have felt helpless. I have felt like being swallowed up by a gapping hole in the floor. I have wanted to just fade into the walls and disappear. I have felt the despair. I have felt worthless. I have wanted my life to end.
That was when i was younger.
Is that what depression is? Because the thing is, i have always managed to pull myself out of it without help from anyone...well, not direct help of knowing that i actually felt the way i did back then.
I envision depression to be something so great that it is sooo hard to knock back. An addiction that is too hard to kick without proper intervention.
A friend once told me that i was resilient. I didnt believe him at the time. My heart was in the process of being bruised. But he was right. I am a tough girl.
Maybe it comes from being a cynic. I'm very skeptical of most things in life. I still hope that there is some good out there, but i'm more inclined to assume the worst of anything until i am proven wrong. It is my armour in facing the world. I see it as a glass half empty and I prevent myself from getting hurt or disappointed. So, i am extremely organised and prevent the worse from happening to me.
I believe that this is why i am good at what i do for a living. If i stay organised, i stay in control. I account for issues and risks, but its assessed and i know that i can handle them if they pop up. On the rare occasion something i cant handle will appear, but i know that i can still handle it.
If what i went through, in those years before was depression...when the first time it happened, something must have pulled me through without my knowing. I'm not sure if it was the perfectionist in me that said "wake up and smell the stench of impending failure looming"..."perfectionists dont end the game, they win the game"...? Who knows...but all the other times when i was feeling hopeless, i know i got myself out. And i think it all comes back to taking control.
I manage to bounce back, because i know that i am the one in control of my actions.
That knowledge is empowering. To know that you make the decision to get out of it. Slap yourself if you have to, but you are the one in control. Take stock, life is will always have waves of challenges rolling in to shore to knock you off your balance.
Balance.
From practicing yoga and pilates and seeing my physio, i have learnt that balance is the key to keeping my joints and muscles feeling fine after any strenuous workout.
I strongly believe that balance is the key for life.
I may have felt dire at times and then flipped to being ecstatic at other times, but i always come back aligned to my equilibrium. I actually do balance on one leg for 70 seconds or more, then alternate. I do this each and every day. Thats for the physical side of things. In terms of mentally and emotionally, i laugh.
I like working with a bunch of guys. They either make me laugh with a joke or two, or alternatively they bring me down to earth by making me find something to laugh about within myself.
For those who do and are suffering from depression, i hope that you do see the light - you can get beyond it. Find your inner strength. It is hard. But there is hope. Just think about how blue the sky can be after a storm. The wonder of your eyes getting tricked to see rainbows - colours, even. The joys of hearing the sound of laughter...
It helps me, to think about awe inspiring, naturally beautiful things. Maybe it can help you too.
(lit: Depression, beyond blue)
I'm the middle child of my family and sometimes i do get forgotten, or perhaps i just view myself as being forgotten...
I have felt lonely. I have felt helpless. I have felt like being swallowed up by a gapping hole in the floor. I have wanted to just fade into the walls and disappear. I have felt the despair. I have felt worthless. I have wanted my life to end.
That was when i was younger.
Is that what depression is? Because the thing is, i have always managed to pull myself out of it without help from anyone...well, not direct help of knowing that i actually felt the way i did back then.
I envision depression to be something so great that it is sooo hard to knock back. An addiction that is too hard to kick without proper intervention.
A friend once told me that i was resilient. I didnt believe him at the time. My heart was in the process of being bruised. But he was right. I am a tough girl.
Maybe it comes from being a cynic. I'm very skeptical of most things in life. I still hope that there is some good out there, but i'm more inclined to assume the worst of anything until i am proven wrong. It is my armour in facing the world. I see it as a glass half empty and I prevent myself from getting hurt or disappointed. So, i am extremely organised and prevent the worse from happening to me.
I believe that this is why i am good at what i do for a living. If i stay organised, i stay in control. I account for issues and risks, but its assessed and i know that i can handle them if they pop up. On the rare occasion something i cant handle will appear, but i know that i can still handle it.
If what i went through, in those years before was depression...when the first time it happened, something must have pulled me through without my knowing. I'm not sure if it was the perfectionist in me that said "wake up and smell the stench of impending failure looming"..."perfectionists dont end the game, they win the game"...? Who knows...but all the other times when i was feeling hopeless, i know i got myself out. And i think it all comes back to taking control.
I manage to bounce back, because i know that i am the one in control of my actions.
That knowledge is empowering. To know that you make the decision to get out of it. Slap yourself if you have to, but you are the one in control. Take stock, life is will always have waves of challenges rolling in to shore to knock you off your balance.
Balance.
From practicing yoga and pilates and seeing my physio, i have learnt that balance is the key to keeping my joints and muscles feeling fine after any strenuous workout.
I strongly believe that balance is the key for life.
I may have felt dire at times and then flipped to being ecstatic at other times, but i always come back aligned to my equilibrium. I actually do balance on one leg for 70 seconds or more, then alternate. I do this each and every day. Thats for the physical side of things. In terms of mentally and emotionally, i laugh.
I like working with a bunch of guys. They either make me laugh with a joke or two, or alternatively they bring me down to earth by making me find something to laugh about within myself.
For those who do and are suffering from depression, i hope that you do see the light - you can get beyond it. Find your inner strength. It is hard. But there is hope. Just think about how blue the sky can be after a storm. The wonder of your eyes getting tricked to see rainbows - colours, even. The joys of hearing the sound of laughter...
It helps me, to think about awe inspiring, naturally beautiful things. Maybe it can help you too.
(lit: Depression, beyond blue)
Monday, June 25, 2007
télévision...
Last night, i watched Michael Buble on Rove.
"T!t-humper"...if you watched it, you will know what im talking about...
I enjoyed the interview and decided that I will skip half the day of work today to be in the audience for Enough Rope with Andrew Denton.
My alterna-date was invited to be in the audience and asked if i wanted to go last Friday? I told him that that was a dumb question. That it was a no brainer...and then i realised that it started at 1:15pm and ending at 6pm.
I told my manager that i scored tix to be in the audience and that i had to go. He said he'd think about it.
This morning after i decided last night, i told him when he walked through the door that i was most definitely going.
12:40pm I left my office to go to ABC building on Harris Street.
The process of getting into the studio was a pain in the behind. We didnt get seated until over an hour later.
The first guest was a man named Lincoln Hall (?) who basically died while climbing Everest, but came back from the dead to tell his tale. It was an interesting story to tell and the interview was engaging at times, but i was getting sleepy and i wondered how it would look in the play back if they glazed over the audience and caught me snoring???
=T
Anyhoo...I was getting impatient as the interview with Lincoln was dragging, not because of the lack of trying...i think it was just his voice that droned on. I was waiting for Michael and i really just wanted the first interview to end.
And end, it finally did.
Next in line, i thought it was going to be someone other than Michael...from Andrew Denton's hints before the filming began, it sounded like Michael would be last in the 3 guest line up. But to my surprise, Michael was next.
He is really charming and enthusiastic and funny. And i adore him.
This episode being filmed today was for Enough Rope's new season. I would like to reveal some funny things that happened on stage, but i dont know what will make the cut or which part will end up on the cutting room floor. But if you do watch Enough Rope and catch this episode and hear a girl laughing pretty heartily during the Michael Buble interview, you can be sure it was in fact moi! But i sat in the back row and i dont believe they filmed any shots of me...thankfully!
*LoL*
After the episode is aired and i remember to, i will write another post and reveal some parts they had cut out.
Did you know that they film the audience applauding and smiling and laughing, and then edit it into the actual interview with the guests?
I didnt until today.
(lit: television)
"T!t-humper"...if you watched it, you will know what im talking about...
I enjoyed the interview and decided that I will skip half the day of work today to be in the audience for Enough Rope with Andrew Denton.
My alterna-date was invited to be in the audience and asked if i wanted to go last Friday? I told him that that was a dumb question. That it was a no brainer...and then i realised that it started at 1:15pm and ending at 6pm.
I told my manager that i scored tix to be in the audience and that i had to go. He said he'd think about it.
This morning after i decided last night, i told him when he walked through the door that i was most definitely going.
12:40pm I left my office to go to ABC building on Harris Street.
The process of getting into the studio was a pain in the behind. We didnt get seated until over an hour later.
The first guest was a man named Lincoln Hall (?) who basically died while climbing Everest, but came back from the dead to tell his tale. It was an interesting story to tell and the interview was engaging at times, but i was getting sleepy and i wondered how it would look in the play back if they glazed over the audience and caught me snoring???
=T
Anyhoo...I was getting impatient as the interview with Lincoln was dragging, not because of the lack of trying...i think it was just his voice that droned on. I was waiting for Michael and i really just wanted the first interview to end.
And end, it finally did.
Next in line, i thought it was going to be someone other than Michael...from Andrew Denton's hints before the filming began, it sounded like Michael would be last in the 3 guest line up. But to my surprise, Michael was next.
He is really charming and enthusiastic and funny. And i adore him.
This episode being filmed today was for Enough Rope's new season. I would like to reveal some funny things that happened on stage, but i dont know what will make the cut or which part will end up on the cutting room floor. But if you do watch Enough Rope and catch this episode and hear a girl laughing pretty heartily during the Michael Buble interview, you can be sure it was in fact moi! But i sat in the back row and i dont believe they filmed any shots of me...thankfully!
*LoL*
After the episode is aired and i remember to, i will write another post and reveal some parts they had cut out.
Did you know that they film the audience applauding and smiling and laughing, and then edit it into the actual interview with the guests?
I didnt until today.
(lit: television)
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Comédie allemand...
I watched a German movie last night. The first German movie I had ever seen.
I always considered going to the German Film Fest, but never quite made it.
I was actually watching Iron Chef and in between I saw the commercial for "Kebab Connection". I giggled because it was pretty funny (the ad) and it got me curious.
So, when Iron Chef finished I stayed with SBS and watched this movie. It was about a Turkish boy knocking up a German girl and his family disowning him for getting a German girl preggers. She is an aspiring actress, he an aspiring director with an obsession to make the first German Kung Fu movie (totally Bruce Lee inspired action).
I laughed quite loudly, and my laughter must have shook the house.
It reminded me of E (the boy and his obsession with film directing) and his family (all the crazy things that happened in between). It got me wondering whether this "craziness" was a cultural thing. I mean, all the stories E had told me about his family...they were portrayed in the movie in one way or another. I always thought it was just E and his family, but if the theme is carried out in a German movie about a Turkish boy...hehehe...
(lit: German Comedy)
I always considered going to the German Film Fest, but never quite made it.
I was actually watching Iron Chef and in between I saw the commercial for "Kebab Connection". I giggled because it was pretty funny (the ad) and it got me curious.
So, when Iron Chef finished I stayed with SBS and watched this movie. It was about a Turkish boy knocking up a German girl and his family disowning him for getting a German girl preggers. She is an aspiring actress, he an aspiring director with an obsession to make the first German Kung Fu movie (totally Bruce Lee inspired action).
I laughed quite loudly, and my laughter must have shook the house.
It reminded me of E (the boy and his obsession with film directing) and his family (all the crazy things that happened in between). It got me wondering whether this "craziness" was a cultural thing. I mean, all the stories E had told me about his family...they were portrayed in the movie in one way or another. I always thought it was just E and his family, but if the theme is carried out in a German movie about a Turkish boy...hehehe...
(lit: German Comedy)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Anniversaire de 2 ans...
Its 2 years with my company and its exactly the same amount of time working with the same client.
Its also just a little over 2 months before i fly to Europe.
And ironically, it will be 2 years tomorrow, since i broke my left ankle.
Life is hectic, but interesting right now. In terms of work. In terms of social stuff. In terms of thoughts running through my head.
In terms of work...I'm working on some summaries in support of gaining my RegPM (Level 5 registration). If successful, i shall be a registered PM by the end of Financial year.
In terms of social stuff...I'm meeting a number of people since moving to the Glebe office and i quite like these new people. Its really funny, there is this one guy who purrs when he walks past my desk - he does so as a joke to me...i havent quite pinned what the purring is actually for or what it actually means...but it makes me laugh...so i guess its worth it!
There is a local cafe we go to and i keep seeing Yumi from Channel V...she brought in her daughter today while the guys and i were having our morning coffee. Her daughter is a little cutie. The guy at the cafe who makes our drinks, he is really funny. He knows just how much to stretch when he teases various people and when to stop. And he just makes me laugh and really yummy soy hot chocs.
I bought Miss Saigon tix for October at the Lyric Theatre today. L, V, M&D, Mon and i are going. I ended up with 3rd row tix...close to the centre...im so chuffed! I can't wait!!!
I went to Eiger Swiss restaurant last Saturday and had cheese fondue, air dried beef, seasoned mushrooms, veal schnitzel, roesti, choc fondue, and chestnut vermicelle...basically i stuffed myself with a whole variety of comfort food. The owner, Alain, is rather eccentric, but since he said i that i am a beautiful girl...i forgive him from being a tad pushy at times. I went to Eiger with my workmates and their spouses and it was fun.
I'm going to drinks and dinner with other workmates this Friday and i'm sure that i will enjoy Friday night too, as much as i did last Saturday. I dont usually "hang out" with my workmates...only a select one or two. But the people i have met are really nice, so i figure why not? It cant hurt me and i sooo need to branch out more.
(lit: 2 year anniversary)
Its also just a little over 2 months before i fly to Europe.
And ironically, it will be 2 years tomorrow, since i broke my left ankle.
Life is hectic, but interesting right now. In terms of work. In terms of social stuff. In terms of thoughts running through my head.
In terms of work...I'm working on some summaries in support of gaining my RegPM (Level 5 registration). If successful, i shall be a registered PM by the end of Financial year.
In terms of social stuff...I'm meeting a number of people since moving to the Glebe office and i quite like these new people. Its really funny, there is this one guy who purrs when he walks past my desk - he does so as a joke to me...i havent quite pinned what the purring is actually for or what it actually means...but it makes me laugh...so i guess its worth it!
There is a local cafe we go to and i keep seeing Yumi from Channel V...she brought in her daughter today while the guys and i were having our morning coffee. Her daughter is a little cutie. The guy at the cafe who makes our drinks, he is really funny. He knows just how much to stretch when he teases various people and when to stop. And he just makes me laugh and really yummy soy hot chocs.
I bought Miss Saigon tix for October at the Lyric Theatre today. L, V, M&D, Mon and i are going. I ended up with 3rd row tix...close to the centre...im so chuffed! I can't wait!!!
I went to Eiger Swiss restaurant last Saturday and had cheese fondue, air dried beef, seasoned mushrooms, veal schnitzel, roesti, choc fondue, and chestnut vermicelle...basically i stuffed myself with a whole variety of comfort food. The owner, Alain, is rather eccentric, but since he said i that i am a beautiful girl...i forgive him from being a tad pushy at times. I went to Eiger with my workmates and their spouses and it was fun.
I'm going to drinks and dinner with other workmates this Friday and i'm sure that i will enjoy Friday night too, as much as i did last Saturday. I dont usually "hang out" with my workmates...only a select one or two. But the people i have met are really nice, so i figure why not? It cant hurt me and i sooo need to branch out more.
(lit: 2 year anniversary)
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
controversé...
I have a lot of opinions on controversial topics, but i usually dont voice them because i know that my opinions are based on very limited information...and therefore i shut up and prevent myself from being a fool in public.
Because i graduated from USYD i get their quarterly "Sydney Alumni" magazine and when i have the time i try to read it. This Winter edition has an article about Stem cell research which i found quite interesting.
Not like we all havent heard a lot about it in the news. So, its not like its all new. There has been so much debate about it all over the world. But there was something written in the article that presented an idea that i had never considered until now. Which i basically found thought provoking...
"Enchantment with our own uniqueness remains central to the Western imagination of the self. Therapeutic cloning not only shakes that idea; it also confronts our notion of ourselves as circumscribed individuals both spatially and temporally.
...
'Stem cell technologies involve a reorganisation of boundaries and elements of the human body. Bodies become materially implicated in each other,' says Prof Waldby. Through an indefinite fusing of bodies, what disappears are the safe, certain lines where our body stops and another begins." --Immortal lines, written by Dr Kate Rossmanith
I didn't think about it that way...the fusing of another's cells in one's body. I saw it more from the idea of using "babies" and "cloning"...in some ways my concerns were fears of Frankenstein-esque monsters being created and man becoming power hungry and wanting to play God...like i said, i dont know much about stem cell research, so i usually keep my mouth shut on the topic.
I have been against the idea, because i didnt and still dont know enough about it. And thats the thing I have learnt by reading the article. That most of the scientists dont know enough about it either, that all research done so far is only scratching the surface and that more needs to be done. They can not definitively advise that it can be used therapeutically in a clinical environment. It looks promising, but the truth is that there are years of research left to be done to know for sure.
I guess i should wait and read more before i can really say that im for or against it...i wonder if a decade is enough?
(lit: controversial)
Because i graduated from USYD i get their quarterly "Sydney Alumni" magazine and when i have the time i try to read it. This Winter edition has an article about Stem cell research which i found quite interesting.
Not like we all havent heard a lot about it in the news. So, its not like its all new. There has been so much debate about it all over the world. But there was something written in the article that presented an idea that i had never considered until now. Which i basically found thought provoking...
"Enchantment with our own uniqueness remains central to the Western imagination of the self. Therapeutic cloning not only shakes that idea; it also confronts our notion of ourselves as circumscribed individuals both spatially and temporally.
...
'Stem cell technologies involve a reorganisation of boundaries and elements of the human body. Bodies become materially implicated in each other,' says Prof Waldby. Through an indefinite fusing of bodies, what disappears are the safe, certain lines where our body stops and another begins." --Immortal lines, written by Dr Kate Rossmanith
I didn't think about it that way...the fusing of another's cells in one's body. I saw it more from the idea of using "babies" and "cloning"...in some ways my concerns were fears of Frankenstein-esque monsters being created and man becoming power hungry and wanting to play God...like i said, i dont know much about stem cell research, so i usually keep my mouth shut on the topic.
I have been against the idea, because i didnt and still dont know enough about it. And thats the thing I have learnt by reading the article. That most of the scientists dont know enough about it either, that all research done so far is only scratching the surface and that more needs to be done. They can not definitively advise that it can be used therapeutically in a clinical environment. It looks promising, but the truth is that there are years of research left to be done to know for sure.
I guess i should wait and read more before i can really say that im for or against it...i wonder if a decade is enough?
(lit: controversial)
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Je ne suis pas asthmatique.
I hopped on the train and chose my seat.
Next stop.
A girl hopped on and sat down next to me. She was coughing a lot and i thought to myself "uh-oh...i'm going to come down with yet another thing"...
As the train ride progressed, she pulled out her inhaler. I had forgotten that she was asthmatic. You see, i had often seen her on this train and she has on a number of occasions taken a puff from her inhaler, especially in the colder months.
How could i be so unsympathetic? I know how bad it is to be sick and not wanting to go to work, but having to go because you are sick, but not that sick. Sounds like torture when you put it down in writing, but some people are unable to work from home or they just can't afford not to work even if they are sick.
I use to have really bad asthma. I've taken it for granted that I have overcome it and that I am no longer a slave to my Ventolin.
But it wasnt like it was easy to overcome. Often it felt like I was running an uphill battle and the funny thing is - that is exactly how i overcame it.
I ran.
I exercised. I exerted my lungs and my heart to a point where my organs got use to the exertion. They started to switch on and function as per normal without the drugs. And then, I stopped coughing and wheezing and feeling as though my lungs were going to explode.
It was a slow process in reducing the amount of Ventolin I was taking, as I was increasing my cardio exercise. I started out taking a puff before, during and after exercising. Then I slowly dropped it down to a puff before and during (if needed). As my cardio increased, then just a puff before my exercising. And one day...I just decided to forgo the single puff before starting.
It was tricky to deal with at this stage. And I think if I was ever wheezing, it was happening out of anxiety and the fear of having an attack, when in fact I was really fine.
I stopped using my Ventolin when I was about 19-20, there abouts. I carried it around in my handbag where ever I went, but I didn't have to use it for about a year or so. And then I stopped carrying it and it has been a good number of years now.
I have also stopped ticking the box which says "Asthma"? on the various forms I fill out.
Sometimes, when I do my interval training on the treadmill, or when I run outside and the air is really crisp, I still wheeze a little. But its nothing unbearable and I can jog it off. I think its more from being unfit than an onset of adult asthma.
Well, I hope.
(lit: I do not have asthma)
Next stop.
A girl hopped on and sat down next to me. She was coughing a lot and i thought to myself "uh-oh...i'm going to come down with yet another thing"...
As the train ride progressed, she pulled out her inhaler. I had forgotten that she was asthmatic. You see, i had often seen her on this train and she has on a number of occasions taken a puff from her inhaler, especially in the colder months.
How could i be so unsympathetic? I know how bad it is to be sick and not wanting to go to work, but having to go because you are sick, but not that sick. Sounds like torture when you put it down in writing, but some people are unable to work from home or they just can't afford not to work even if they are sick.
I use to have really bad asthma. I've taken it for granted that I have overcome it and that I am no longer a slave to my Ventolin.
But it wasnt like it was easy to overcome. Often it felt like I was running an uphill battle and the funny thing is - that is exactly how i overcame it.
I ran.
I exercised. I exerted my lungs and my heart to a point where my organs got use to the exertion. They started to switch on and function as per normal without the drugs. And then, I stopped coughing and wheezing and feeling as though my lungs were going to explode.
It was a slow process in reducing the amount of Ventolin I was taking, as I was increasing my cardio exercise. I started out taking a puff before, during and after exercising. Then I slowly dropped it down to a puff before and during (if needed). As my cardio increased, then just a puff before my exercising. And one day...I just decided to forgo the single puff before starting.
It was tricky to deal with at this stage. And I think if I was ever wheezing, it was happening out of anxiety and the fear of having an attack, when in fact I was really fine.
I stopped using my Ventolin when I was about 19-20, there abouts. I carried it around in my handbag where ever I went, but I didn't have to use it for about a year or so. And then I stopped carrying it and it has been a good number of years now.
I have also stopped ticking the box which says "Asthma"? on the various forms I fill out.
Sometimes, when I do my interval training on the treadmill, or when I run outside and the air is really crisp, I still wheeze a little. But its nothing unbearable and I can jog it off. I think its more from being unfit than an onset of adult asthma.
Well, I hope.
(lit: I do not have asthma)
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Se faire aimer Napoleon Dynamite...
When Napoleon Dynamite was released in the cinemas in 2004, i had really wanted to watch it. I don't know what got in the way, but i didn't end up catching it in the cinemas...and i didn't even get to watch it on dvd...that was until this weekend.
It is soooo geeky, the movie, as much as Napoleon is, which makes this movie so endearing!
I had chuckled throughout the movie, and my friends were right. I was totally missing out!
Recently, i had borrowed a selection of dvds from G and this was one of them. I'm so glad that he had let me borrow this gem of a movie. My alterna-date was telling me that this was one of his favourite movies and he was surprised that i hadnt watched it until now.
I have to agree...this is now one of my favourite movies.
Highlights of the movie:
* Vote for Pedro - I now get it!
* Kip changing into a homie with the help of his "soulmate" LaFawnduh...hehehe...
* Jamiroquai's - Canned Heat (Synkronized 1999)
(trans: The endearing Napoleon Dynamite)
It is soooo geeky, the movie, as much as Napoleon is, which makes this movie so endearing!
I had chuckled throughout the movie, and my friends were right. I was totally missing out!
Recently, i had borrowed a selection of dvds from G and this was one of them. I'm so glad that he had let me borrow this gem of a movie. My alterna-date was telling me that this was one of his favourite movies and he was surprised that i hadnt watched it until now.
I have to agree...this is now one of my favourite movies.
Highlights of the movie:
* Vote for Pedro - I now get it!
* Kip changing into a homie with the help of his "soulmate" LaFawnduh...hehehe...
* Jamiroquai's - Canned Heat (Synkronized 1999)
(trans: The endearing Napoleon Dynamite)
Monday, June 11, 2007
Mon meilleur ami...
My alterna date and i were talking about how many people we would consider to be our best friends...the type of friend that you could call at 3am or in an emergency, knowing that they would come to your rescue - guaranteed...and also, that they lived in a 5Km radius.
We had eachother. I could add D...but i actually feel funny if i imposed on him with an emergency call at 3am.
If M still lived in the area, i would put her down. If E was closer by 5Km...then i would put him down...and that is the same for K, L, G and V.
We spoke about this on Saturday, prior to watching "Mon meilleur ami - My best friend" on Sunday at the Palace Twin Cinemas.
And it was funny that our topic of conversation was the exact premise of the movie.
I was hoping that the movie would be more funny...but I found it dramatic and serious...perhaps, it is because it touches on the topic of alone & loneliness, and I obviously have an affinity with being alone.
Irrespective of the serious underlying tone of the movie, i still enjoyed it. After all it is a story about being a true best friend.
But if you had to watch one French flick this year, I would suggest vehemently, that you go watch "Prête-moi ta main - I do". It was part of the French Film Fest 2007, but I missed it by watching Priceless and OSS-117.
I think it speaks for itself that it was part of the Fest and now its actually showing in cinemas as general release.
G got a free double pass to the advanced screening of "I do" and asked me to go with him - as I obviously have this thing with foreign movies, lest to say French flicks.
And it was the BEST French film I had seen for the year. It was FUNNY!!! If anyone said that the French don't know how to do comedy, they should really see "I do". I couldnt stop laughing and i thoroughly enjoyed it.
***
Over the long weekend, i slept in and i went shopping - lots of shopping!!!
I didnt buy anything really expensive, but i bought a lot of inexpensive things...which in the end broke my budget for this month anyway.
Shame on me.
>_<"
We had eachother. I could add D...but i actually feel funny if i imposed on him with an emergency call at 3am.
If M still lived in the area, i would put her down. If E was closer by 5Km...then i would put him down...and that is the same for K, L, G and V.
We spoke about this on Saturday, prior to watching "Mon meilleur ami - My best friend" on Sunday at the Palace Twin Cinemas.
And it was funny that our topic of conversation was the exact premise of the movie.
I was hoping that the movie would be more funny...but I found it dramatic and serious...perhaps, it is because it touches on the topic of alone & loneliness, and I obviously have an affinity with being alone.
Irrespective of the serious underlying tone of the movie, i still enjoyed it. After all it is a story about being a true best friend.
But if you had to watch one French flick this year, I would suggest vehemently, that you go watch "Prête-moi ta main - I do". It was part of the French Film Fest 2007, but I missed it by watching Priceless and OSS-117.
I think it speaks for itself that it was part of the Fest and now its actually showing in cinemas as general release.
G got a free double pass to the advanced screening of "I do" and asked me to go with him - as I obviously have this thing with foreign movies, lest to say French flicks.
And it was the BEST French film I had seen for the year. It was FUNNY!!! If anyone said that the French don't know how to do comedy, they should really see "I do". I couldnt stop laughing and i thoroughly enjoyed it.
Over the long weekend, i slept in and i went shopping - lots of shopping!!!
I didnt buy anything really expensive, but i bought a lot of inexpensive things...which in the end broke my budget for this month anyway.
Shame on me.
>_<"
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Je suis ici de passage.
(Pronounciation: zher swee zee.see der pa.sazh)
The audit is almost over...and i wasnt one of the lucky people to be selected...
^_^
But all the hard work in catching up took its toll. And then all of a sudden it turned into an anti-climax...because today...in anticipation of the auditor arriving there was a buzz in the office and then he left. He didn't question my team. Didn't enquire what we did all day...just pretty much walked past us.
It was good and bad.
I closed a project today! *woohoo* I also saved the company a couple of grand...except, i think it was by accident...not because i managed the budget well. Ha!
I think im over the panic attack...and just going with the flow. Finally.
Plans for the weekend...I'm going to work from home on Friday...catching another french flick "My best friend" and was going to walk the markets and go for a bike ride...but i believe the weather will be working against me.
(lit: I'm in transit)
The audit is almost over...and i wasnt one of the lucky people to be selected...
^_^
But all the hard work in catching up took its toll. And then all of a sudden it turned into an anti-climax...because today...in anticipation of the auditor arriving there was a buzz in the office and then he left. He didn't question my team. Didn't enquire what we did all day...just pretty much walked past us.
It was good and bad.
I closed a project today! *woohoo* I also saved the company a couple of grand...except, i think it was by accident...not because i managed the budget well. Ha!
I think im over the panic attack...and just going with the flow. Finally.
Plans for the weekend...I'm going to work from home on Friday...catching another french flick "My best friend" and was going to walk the markets and go for a bike ride...but i believe the weather will be working against me.
(lit: I'm in transit)
Saturday, June 02, 2007
travailler à vivre...
Work has been crazy lately. Stress levels have been really high. Energy levels have been waning. A workmate and i had to stay back on Thursday night and it wasn't fun...even though i have started to laugh hysterically - it isnt actually funny.
I have noticed that since moving to the Glebe office, i barely have time to think about anything except work. I don't respond to emails, unless its from the customers or something urgent from a manager. Everything else is low priority.
My workmates have noticed that it is Glebe. We have other things that could potentially make us feel "fast & furious", but essentially we would not have been so hard hit if we were still in the CBD.
I have started to pick up bad habits like taking 10 minute lunches at my desk...mind you the unhealthy part is that i sit on a level (in the building) that is enclosed by 4 walls and only 2 smaill windows that are tinted so that you cant look to the outside. So, its really just blank walls. (Highly secured area).
I've also started to continue working, even though i have left for the day, even while on my train ride home. I'm following up with workmates on requests, phone calls to customers, managers, et al. I'm like "this" close to carrying my laptop and wireless around to work on the train...how sad is that?
I've always said that "I work to live, NOT live to work", but it seems to me that work is starting to take over my life...and its what i wanted to prevent. 95% of the managers i know have a balance of about 75-85% work, 25-15% life ratio. They aren't 'failing' from the lack of trying to create a 50-50 ratio...its just the nature of working in the project environment.
But to their credit, they are either in a long term relationship, married, &/or with kids...and their better halves are understanding. So, they are obviously getting some things right.
My workmate and i, who are both single females, and are developing our careers in this industry have realised that we are basically screwed (apologies for the lack of finding any other word that would define it more eloquently). We both have been trying to avoid this impending moment...and now we have to look straight into the eye of the monster.
I had a panic attack last night. I called 3 friends in Sydney, who didn't pick up their phones, so that i could panic with a rational voice on the other line to talk some sense into me...but as that was lacking, i sent an sms to E, who is currently in Istanbul.
He responded in a couple of minutes, and that calmed me down a little. Funny how the person who is miles away across some oceans can respond in a couple of beats.
It was my father's birthday yesterday, so i was actually panicking while sitting in my car waiting for my family to arrive at the restaurant. And since it was Dad's birthday, i didnt want to alarm the family, so i abstained from talking to Mum about the fear that was in me.
So instead, after dinner i drove to A's place to catch up with some friends and watch Shrek 3 on A's new big ass plasma, in his new pretty, pretty apartment.
I barely took my boots off when i broke down in front of the girls in the hallway.
Its shameful, but they understood my concerns...at least that means im not over reacting too much.
I think i alluded in my last post about wanting to pay off my mortgage, building my nest egg, and potentially that now is the time to start planning if not acting.
So, im sort of stuck with a connundrum...my catch 22...
At 26, work my way to become a fully fledged project manager, my registration is 6 months (tops) from being awarded. Get flogged with work and have no social life for the next 4 years...reach 30 and have another panic attack realising that the last 4 years i should have been socialising instead of working my butt off...at this point in time have no friends, because i haven't had the time to make the effort to keep in touch, and therefore everything spirals out of control and i die lonely!!!
Have i ever told you that one of my biggest fears is dying lonely?
Its not like i can avoid work. And its seems natural to get promoted to project manager and the promotion means i get paid more...which helps me pay off my mortgage faster, and on a projet manager's rate i will have money to start building my nest egg.
So, do i choose the pending career which would free me financially or the life i currently dont even have but would like?
(lit: to work to live)
I have noticed that since moving to the Glebe office, i barely have time to think about anything except work. I don't respond to emails, unless its from the customers or something urgent from a manager. Everything else is low priority.
My workmates have noticed that it is Glebe. We have other things that could potentially make us feel "fast & furious", but essentially we would not have been so hard hit if we were still in the CBD.
I have started to pick up bad habits like taking 10 minute lunches at my desk...mind you the unhealthy part is that i sit on a level (in the building) that is enclosed by 4 walls and only 2 smaill windows that are tinted so that you cant look to the outside. So, its really just blank walls. (Highly secured area).
I've also started to continue working, even though i have left for the day, even while on my train ride home. I'm following up with workmates on requests, phone calls to customers, managers, et al. I'm like "this" close to carrying my laptop and wireless around to work on the train...how sad is that?
I've always said that "I work to live, NOT live to work", but it seems to me that work is starting to take over my life...and its what i wanted to prevent. 95% of the managers i know have a balance of about 75-85% work, 25-15% life ratio. They aren't 'failing' from the lack of trying to create a 50-50 ratio...its just the nature of working in the project environment.
But to their credit, they are either in a long term relationship, married, &/or with kids...and their better halves are understanding. So, they are obviously getting some things right.
My workmate and i, who are both single females, and are developing our careers in this industry have realised that we are basically screwed (apologies for the lack of finding any other word that would define it more eloquently). We both have been trying to avoid this impending moment...and now we have to look straight into the eye of the monster.
I had a panic attack last night. I called 3 friends in Sydney, who didn't pick up their phones, so that i could panic with a rational voice on the other line to talk some sense into me...but as that was lacking, i sent an sms to E, who is currently in Istanbul.
He responded in a couple of minutes, and that calmed me down a little. Funny how the person who is miles away across some oceans can respond in a couple of beats.
It was my father's birthday yesterday, so i was actually panicking while sitting in my car waiting for my family to arrive at the restaurant. And since it was Dad's birthday, i didnt want to alarm the family, so i abstained from talking to Mum about the fear that was in me.
So instead, after dinner i drove to A's place to catch up with some friends and watch Shrek 3 on A's new big ass plasma, in his new pretty, pretty apartment.
I barely took my boots off when i broke down in front of the girls in the hallway.
Its shameful, but they understood my concerns...at least that means im not over reacting too much.
I think i alluded in my last post about wanting to pay off my mortgage, building my nest egg, and potentially that now is the time to start planning if not acting.
So, im sort of stuck with a connundrum...my catch 22...
At 26, work my way to become a fully fledged project manager, my registration is 6 months (tops) from being awarded. Get flogged with work and have no social life for the next 4 years...reach 30 and have another panic attack realising that the last 4 years i should have been socialising instead of working my butt off...at this point in time have no friends, because i haven't had the time to make the effort to keep in touch, and therefore everything spirals out of control and i die lonely!!!
Have i ever told you that one of my biggest fears is dying lonely?
Its not like i can avoid work. And its seems natural to get promoted to project manager and the promotion means i get paid more...which helps me pay off my mortgage faster, and on a projet manager's rate i will have money to start building my nest egg.
So, do i choose the pending career which would free me financially or the life i currently dont even have but would like?
(lit: to work to live)
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
progrès...?
Its been a while since i last wrote...i think i was sick...and then i got sick but in a different way and during that time i was thinking and considering my next career move.
The possibilities out there are abundant right now. And i am getting heaps of positive feedback. Quite frankly, i'm being offered interviews on a weekly basis...
I'm just being awfully selective. I'm comfy where i am right now. I'm going to Europe in about 3 months time...some companies dont want to deal with that right now...I fully understand...which is why im turning down interviews more than attending them.
I went to an interview...only 1 of about 6 I actually even considered...but it really got me thinking.
The opportunity is actually fantastic. The money and perks being offered is ideal. He was willing to consider bringing in a temp to fill up my 5 weeks of leave - if the Programme Mgr's Manager was cool with the idea. I was offered a second round interview right after the first interview...
When i went home, i started to really think about my career...where do i really want to go with it? How am i going to do it? Am i going to take the shortest but surest route to get there? Or can i prolong it by 6 - 12 more months and achieve it in a bit of a roundabout way, and still get there in the end? Should i take the one offering more money...? I mean, reality check...I have a mortgage to my name that i would like to pay off ASAP.
I spoke to Mum about it. I spoke with a couple of friends. E really put things into perspective for me. It was short and simple. Go with the place that pays for the highest accreditation you can get...as soon as you can get it! In the end, after the accreditation...i will be able to ask for more anyway...and i was leaning towards this all along...but the change...the money!
So, i decided to stay with my current employer.
The interview was a good experience none the less. I now know that i am perfectly comfortable in selling myself as a PM. I know that i can impress the people worth impressing under such circumstances. Which at the end of the day, is a good skill to have - who knows when you will be made redundant or decide to leave and look for something new?
My managers (client side) know about the interviews...well the ones i have asked to be my referees.
They are all wishing me bad luck or that i fail...or that the company that im interviewing for, fails in my eyes. They dont want to lose me, but they know the reality of having a mortgage...most have their own...and the fact that theirs is with their wives and mine is on my lonesome...they understand the need for me to make more money.
And its not that money is everything. If i didnt have the mortgage...i wouldnt be too fussed, because i would be comfortable. With the mortgage...its not as comfortable as you would imagine.
Like, come on...i have to start thinking about my future. Who else will do it for me?
I'm not in a position to marry someone in the near future or the luxury to think of a different path to where i am headed.
I'm single. I'm independent. I need to grow my own wealth for my own future. How else will i retire comfortably? If i continue the way i am now, its not like i will have kids to rely on in my old age. And i wouldnt want to rely on my children. Even when i am old and grey, i would like to retain my independence.
So, right now...i have to look at things strategically and objectively. I want to maximise the opportunities that are presented to me and use them to my advantage. The choices i have to make from now on, must be of a benefit - otherwise its not worth making.
I received a long overdue email from a manager who was made redundant at the client side in January this year. It came on a Monday...(about a week ago)...and i replied before 8:30am that day. He called me back...we arranged for a coffee at 11am...I sat down with him and he basically advised me that at the new company he currently resides with...they are restructuring the company and he will be able to build his own team in a couple months time. He was advising me this because he basically wants me to join him when the time comes.
I have never worked with this manager - ever. We spoke to each other on a personal level on a day to day basis. He would make fun of me, really, and i would take the p!ss out of him. He didnt say to me "I want you to be part of my team in a couple months time"...but he asked me where i was at in this point in time...i told him about the interview i just had...he asked me where i wanted to be in 2 years...what i would like to earn in 5 years...and basically advised me what he could offer if i joined "their" company.
This colleague has been a deep well of knowledge and advice. I'm in debted to him for a lot of defining moments (career wise). We are both USYD Alumni and we joke about it too. I asked him why me? We have never worked with one another. He said he could tell that i was very good at what i do. He had heard me on teleconferences at my desk...on phone calls with clients...basically it was the way i held myself...im bright...ambitious, but willing to work for what i want to achieve...he said that he didnt have to work with me to know that he wanted me on his team.
You know, a couple months time is a good schedule for me to follow...Europe will be over by then...i should be a fully accredited RPM by then too.
So, i wont be making any swifts move for now. But there are a couple of plans that may come to fruition by the end of this year.
(lit: progress...?)
The possibilities out there are abundant right now. And i am getting heaps of positive feedback. Quite frankly, i'm being offered interviews on a weekly basis...
I'm just being awfully selective. I'm comfy where i am right now. I'm going to Europe in about 3 months time...some companies dont want to deal with that right now...I fully understand...which is why im turning down interviews more than attending them.
I went to an interview...only 1 of about 6 I actually even considered...but it really got me thinking.
The opportunity is actually fantastic. The money and perks being offered is ideal. He was willing to consider bringing in a temp to fill up my 5 weeks of leave - if the Programme Mgr's Manager was cool with the idea. I was offered a second round interview right after the first interview...
When i went home, i started to really think about my career...where do i really want to go with it? How am i going to do it? Am i going to take the shortest but surest route to get there? Or can i prolong it by 6 - 12 more months and achieve it in a bit of a roundabout way, and still get there in the end? Should i take the one offering more money...? I mean, reality check...I have a mortgage to my name that i would like to pay off ASAP.
I spoke to Mum about it. I spoke with a couple of friends. E really put things into perspective for me. It was short and simple. Go with the place that pays for the highest accreditation you can get...as soon as you can get it! In the end, after the accreditation...i will be able to ask for more anyway...and i was leaning towards this all along...but the change...the money!
So, i decided to stay with my current employer.
The interview was a good experience none the less. I now know that i am perfectly comfortable in selling myself as a PM. I know that i can impress the people worth impressing under such circumstances. Which at the end of the day, is a good skill to have - who knows when you will be made redundant or decide to leave and look for something new?
My managers (client side) know about the interviews...well the ones i have asked to be my referees.
They are all wishing me bad luck or that i fail...or that the company that im interviewing for, fails in my eyes. They dont want to lose me, but they know the reality of having a mortgage...most have their own...and the fact that theirs is with their wives and mine is on my lonesome...they understand the need for me to make more money.
And its not that money is everything. If i didnt have the mortgage...i wouldnt be too fussed, because i would be comfortable. With the mortgage...its not as comfortable as you would imagine.
Like, come on...i have to start thinking about my future. Who else will do it for me?
I'm not in a position to marry someone in the near future or the luxury to think of a different path to where i am headed.
I'm single. I'm independent. I need to grow my own wealth for my own future. How else will i retire comfortably? If i continue the way i am now, its not like i will have kids to rely on in my old age. And i wouldnt want to rely on my children. Even when i am old and grey, i would like to retain my independence.
So, right now...i have to look at things strategically and objectively. I want to maximise the opportunities that are presented to me and use them to my advantage. The choices i have to make from now on, must be of a benefit - otherwise its not worth making.
I received a long overdue email from a manager who was made redundant at the client side in January this year. It came on a Monday...(about a week ago)...and i replied before 8:30am that day. He called me back...we arranged for a coffee at 11am...I sat down with him and he basically advised me that at the new company he currently resides with...they are restructuring the company and he will be able to build his own team in a couple months time. He was advising me this because he basically wants me to join him when the time comes.
I have never worked with this manager - ever. We spoke to each other on a personal level on a day to day basis. He would make fun of me, really, and i would take the p!ss out of him. He didnt say to me "I want you to be part of my team in a couple months time"...but he asked me where i was at in this point in time...i told him about the interview i just had...he asked me where i wanted to be in 2 years...what i would like to earn in 5 years...and basically advised me what he could offer if i joined "their" company.
This colleague has been a deep well of knowledge and advice. I'm in debted to him for a lot of defining moments (career wise). We are both USYD Alumni and we joke about it too. I asked him why me? We have never worked with one another. He said he could tell that i was very good at what i do. He had heard me on teleconferences at my desk...on phone calls with clients...basically it was the way i held myself...im bright...ambitious, but willing to work for what i want to achieve...he said that he didnt have to work with me to know that he wanted me on his team.
You know, a couple months time is a good schedule for me to follow...Europe will be over by then...i should be a fully accredited RPM by then too.
So, i wont be making any swifts move for now. But there are a couple of plans that may come to fruition by the end of this year.
(lit: progress...?)
Monday, May 14, 2007
Je veux essayer...
A while ago, i wrote about wanting to find my passion, but i didnt know where to find it.
This year is jam packed and im limited in my budget to try something new because of all the travelling i want to do...ie, all the money i need to save so that i can spend while im travelling abroad.
But while thinking about what i love, as opposed to things i just want to try for the heck of it, i discovered some things that might make me feel passionate about something - dare i say, anything...
I love the sound of a trumpet. I get goosebumps listening to the opening of My Funny Valentine - live by Michael Buble at some concert hall in South Africa. The trumpet being played is sensual and provocative.
I've watched doco's about Miles Davies. I swoon over Miles Davies - the music, not Miles Davies - the man. BUT, I have to appreciate that there would be no music, if it wasnt for the man's talent.
So, i have decided that i want to try and learn to play the trumpet.
This could be another hare brained idea of mine...but who knows...unless i try it out.
I also want to, and this i will definitely try out, is learn various dances. I want to learn the flamenco, tango, mambo, samba, and especially the lindy hop - so i can swing.
I want to take up some art classes too. One for drawing and one for painting.
I think i figured myself out a bit more. If you look at the list above, its pretty obvious that im actually a creatively minded individual.
I've always loved music...always loved dancing...and always loved art.
(lit: I want to test /try)
This year is jam packed and im limited in my budget to try something new because of all the travelling i want to do...ie, all the money i need to save so that i can spend while im travelling abroad.
But while thinking about what i love, as opposed to things i just want to try for the heck of it, i discovered some things that might make me feel passionate about something - dare i say, anything...
I love the sound of a trumpet. I get goosebumps listening to the opening of My Funny Valentine - live by Michael Buble at some concert hall in South Africa. The trumpet being played is sensual and provocative.
I've watched doco's about Miles Davies. I swoon over Miles Davies - the music, not Miles Davies - the man. BUT, I have to appreciate that there would be no music, if it wasnt for the man's talent.
So, i have decided that i want to try and learn to play the trumpet.
This could be another hare brained idea of mine...but who knows...unless i try it out.
I also want to, and this i will definitely try out, is learn various dances. I want to learn the flamenco, tango, mambo, samba, and especially the lindy hop - so i can swing.
I want to take up some art classes too. One for drawing and one for painting.
I think i figured myself out a bit more. If you look at the list above, its pretty obvious that im actually a creatively minded individual.
I've always loved music...always loved dancing...and always loved art.
(lit: I want to test /try)
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Aliéné...
I'm under the weather to say the least...i felt it coming on on Friday with the sore throat and cloudy head...so i went home to rest and did so for the weekend.
I went in to work on Monday morning, left at lunch...took Tuesday off and rolled back into work feeling crappola on Wednesday. Luckily i was in the office...the projects im looking after evolved into nasty and my manager needed me back on board.
I should really have stayed at home again today...head is still cloudy and the acid reflux in the back of my throat is hovering around. I haven't eaten much and it is still there...even now as i type. How disgusting is that?
Another manager sitting beside me, informed me that the amount of flows has more than doubled for one of the projects. I am wayyy out of my depth on this one. The delivery date is insane!!! The schedule is soo tight - its touch and go...im not even sure we should bother with one.
*ugh*
(lit: Insane...)
I went in to work on Monday morning, left at lunch...took Tuesday off and rolled back into work feeling crappola on Wednesday. Luckily i was in the office...the projects im looking after evolved into nasty and my manager needed me back on board.
I should really have stayed at home again today...head is still cloudy and the acid reflux in the back of my throat is hovering around. I haven't eaten much and it is still there...even now as i type. How disgusting is that?
Another manager sitting beside me, informed me that the amount of flows has more than doubled for one of the projects. I am wayyy out of my depth on this one. The delivery date is insane!!! The schedule is soo tight - its touch and go...im not even sure we should bother with one.
*ugh*
(lit: Insane...)
Friday, May 04, 2007
Je suis perdue...
(Pronounciation: Zher swee pair.dew...)
I don't think i can really call myself a good samaritan.
I've always had a soft spot in protecting children or the older more frail.
But of late, i've noticed the helpless more often and i find myself wanting to reach out and help.
During my lunch break on Thursday, i was walking with a gf to Pitt Street to check out some pens at the Mont Blanc store (sis-in-law wants to buy a pen for my brother, who got promoted on Tuesday to a head position). Along the way, from the corner of my eye i saw a women slumped on a bench. She was semi upright with her head slightly leaning on her shoulder...slightly leaning on her chest.
My gf was oblivious to her and only turned to look when i said aloud "i wonder if she is okay?"
I wasnt sure if she was homeless...although she didnt quite look like it. She dressed neatly and had a handbag tucked under the crook of her arm and looked like an old lady who just got really tired and dozed off.
My second thought was "i wonder if she is dead?" and i really should have taken a closer look, or at least taken a moment to notice whether or not her chest was inflating and then deflating to know whether she was breathing.
But i didnt and had continued to walk away.
I wrote that i wanted to reach out and help, but i havent.
I cant really say what fear grips me and prevents me from being a "good samaritan"...because the intention to protect and help is there...its just that no action amounts from the intentions.
I wonder if that makes me a bad person. The fact that i dont act. I just wonder.
(lit: I'm lost...)
I don't think i can really call myself a good samaritan.
I've always had a soft spot in protecting children or the older more frail.
But of late, i've noticed the helpless more often and i find myself wanting to reach out and help.
During my lunch break on Thursday, i was walking with a gf to Pitt Street to check out some pens at the Mont Blanc store (sis-in-law wants to buy a pen for my brother, who got promoted on Tuesday to a head position). Along the way, from the corner of my eye i saw a women slumped on a bench. She was semi upright with her head slightly leaning on her shoulder...slightly leaning on her chest.
My gf was oblivious to her and only turned to look when i said aloud "i wonder if she is okay?"
I wasnt sure if she was homeless...although she didnt quite look like it. She dressed neatly and had a handbag tucked under the crook of her arm and looked like an old lady who just got really tired and dozed off.
My second thought was "i wonder if she is dead?" and i really should have taken a closer look, or at least taken a moment to notice whether or not her chest was inflating and then deflating to know whether she was breathing.
But i didnt and had continued to walk away.
I wrote that i wanted to reach out and help, but i havent.
I cant really say what fear grips me and prevents me from being a "good samaritan"...because the intention to protect and help is there...its just that no action amounts from the intentions.
I wonder if that makes me a bad person. The fact that i dont act. I just wonder.
(lit: I'm lost...)
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Singe effronté...
I came home on Sunday after going to a house warming in the afternoon and Chloe was at the table having dinner.
She said to me:
"Aunty, i have another party to go to. Its for my friend Isabelle and its far away AND I WANT YOU to take me. If you want a lolly from my lolly bag...you.will.have.to.deal.with.ME!"
(1) Her mother was shocked, because she is free to take Chloe on this occasion, but Chloe had never asked her mother to take her to the party.
(2) Chloe and i did a pinky swear before the first birthday party i chapperoned. If i took her to these parties, i would get to pick 1 lolly from her lolly bag before she demolished it. That was the pact, which is why she said what she had said.
(3) I'm shocked that she is "re-negotiating" the terms and conditions with me. What a cheeky bugger...and she is only 5 y/o!!!
(lit: monkey cheeky)
She said to me:
"Aunty, i have another party to go to. Its for my friend Isabelle and its far away AND I WANT YOU to take me. If you want a lolly from my lolly bag...you.will.have.to.deal.with.ME!"
(1) Her mother was shocked, because she is free to take Chloe on this occasion, but Chloe had never asked her mother to take her to the party.
(2) Chloe and i did a pinky swear before the first birthday party i chapperoned. If i took her to these parties, i would get to pick 1 lolly from her lolly bag before she demolished it. That was the pact, which is why she said what she had said.
(3) I'm shocked that she is "re-negotiating" the terms and conditions with me. What a cheeky bugger...and she is only 5 y/o!!!
(lit: monkey cheeky)
