things that I find are rude

There are a numberbof things that I find rude in relation to my work:
* complaining about having to eat FREE duck for dinner while drinking FREE wine and participating in FREE education which is required by your profession;
* complaint about having to pay for parking while eating your FREE dinner, drinking your FREE wine and participating in FREE education which is required by your profession;
* billing people for your time, which you haven't provided, and then failing to show up to facilitate an event - which you were meant to - without any explanation (that being said, I hope that there hasn't been an accident or anything);
* registering to attend events (that cost money to put on, usually at s per head cost) and then not arriving or providing any explanation. I actually love the people who cancel on the days of an event, because at least they're cancelling!!!
* people who have no skill or knowledge being charged to run projects - they obviously fail, they frustrate the people who do know what they're doing, they end up getting praise for other people's work and it's just plain annoying!

Things that I appreciate in relation to my work:
* presenters who are so lovely that they don't make an issue of the fact that the facilitator has failed to arrive;
* members who recognize that you must be doing a lot of work, and they tell you they appreciate it;
* people who call to see if there are any places available on the day of the event, rather than those who just arrive without registering.

After having a facilitator not showing up to an event, which I really didn't want to be at either but I still went to, I just had to vent. I work with general practitioners and they seriously think that they are gods - but they're not!!!

fight for your right to....work?

At the moment I am feeling as though I have to fight to do my job. Not in the sense that I'm being discriminated against for being a woman, but in the sense that everyone else seems to think that they can do my job better than me and so they go ahead and do it!

It's very frustrating when you go to do something that is meant to be your responsibility only to find it has already been done - and not because I took too long to do it, but because the other person just decided to do it themselves.

I also think that I'm going to need to say to a work mate "I sometimes feel that you think I'm stupid with the tone you use to talk to me. I have a university degree and fairly high intelligence level (proof of which can be found in the fact that I understand things more quickly and more concisely than you do) so I don't need things explained to me as though I'm retarded".

But then I run the risk of offending this person because she's highly strung.

And then I think that the more highly strung you are and high maintenance you are the more support you receive from management here. Which is a bit annoying, because I can't be bothered making a fuss for no reason, but without that fuss I don't get any recognition!
Ugh!

end of business

I have decided to officially 'close' my business. In 2009 I left my job without another job to go to (due to working in the car industry with horrible people!) and I decided to start my own event management business. I have had a total of 1 paying job, and that was from a friend. I have not had any enquiries or anything. True, I haven't done a lot to promote my business. I advertised in the Canberra Wedding Guide (for about $1,000 and got no response), and I was interviewed for an article on weddings in the CBD and I thought that might generate some interest, but no.

So I have just requested that my website close at the end of this month, and I will throw out most of my 1,000 business cards that I had printed (yes, I was a little over-zealous). I think I'll keep the letter head that I bought, I can use that for scrap paper and it was only about 500 pages.

I will box up all of my business related stuff and store it just in case it's needed for tax purposes, or I decide to start it all over again.

The frustrating thing is that with events people think that anyone can organise them. And I guess that is true to some extent, if you want a crappy event and a stressed out organiser. If people hired me to plan their event, they would get a great event and be able to enjoy it!

it's your choice

The way that you react to certain situations is entirely your choice.

If your workplace posts a motivational sign, for whatever reasons, it is your choice to read it. It is your choice to react to it. I have one of these signs directly in front of me, and after I've read it once I barely notice it.

So it's your choice.

Do you want to look like this:

or like this:

brrr...it's cold in here

In my office at the moment it is only 16 degrees, while outside it is actually 28 degrees. I'm all for a nicely air conditioned building, especially when it's warm outside, but I do feel that 16 degrees is a bit too much!

There are arguments raging in my workplace about whether it is too cold, too hot, just right. Should we complain about it and make something happen or should we just shut up and take it. Personally, I refuse to sacrifice myself on the alter of faulty air conditioning. I have been sick for weeks and I can't get over it because it is bloody freezing inside and bloody hot outside. A nice 22 to 24 degrees would be appreciated.

I don't mind too much if it is cold in winter because then you can rug up in cute winter clothes. At the moment I am wearing a winter beanie, a dress with stockings and a cardigan, as well as a winter wrap! I also have my heater on under my desk. I feel like a bit of a freak, and I feel feverish quite often.

I'm not allowed to whinge about it to my workmates any more, so I have decided to whinge on my blog. This is what it is for I suppose. And if you get sick of my whinging you can just take a break and not read it!!

pink lunchboxes and paperclips

The other day I was in a complete funk for no reason in particular. Actually that is a lie. There was a reason. My doona was at the bottom of my doona cover leaving about 20cm at the top of just empty doona cover - it upset me greatly!
Anyway, I was there in my funk and my friend said to me "you can't be miserable when there are still good things in the world", to which I replied "really, like what!?" (I may have been a little aggressive). Then she gave me the answer of the ages "like Pink Lunchboxes!"
It's so true - life can't be too bad when there are still Pink Lunchboxes.
Then a couple of days later we left work to go and get some lunch from "the van" when I saw my next happy-go-lucky thing. At the top of the driveway going in to work there was a pile of paperclips, and not a small pile either! It was huge! Like someone had just dumped a box of paperclips there. I exclaimed "Oh look, paperclips!" and I thought it was the most amazing thing in the world. Simple things!

heatwave

It has been so long since I've blogged! To be honest with you I don't know if I have very much to say at the moment, so this is really a blog for blogs sake!
It is hot! Summer has finally come, and it has come with a vengeance! But I doubt it will stay. Last week we were have 15 degree days, today it is 30 degrees!! And our air conditioning in the office is broken, so inside it is 28 degrees!

I had to laugh, one of my colleagues asked if I'm the type of person who gets grumpier as it gets hotter. I replied with "aren't I quite grumpy throughout the year? I'm not sure the weather really has much impact!!". But that isn't the case with some of my work mates who do seem to be getting grumpier as the weather gets warmer!!

Luckily tomorrow is a day off. Technically it is "Family & Community Day", but in reality it is Melbourne Cup day, which is so much more better!!

And on Thursday it is Crown Oaks Day, and at work we're having an Oaks Day Ladies Luncheon (organised by me) to celebrate Fashions on the Field! Which means that tomorrow I will spend the day working on my fascinator!!

vintage dress

Today I wore my vintage dress, that I have made, to work.

It is from a fabulous vintage pattern that I bought off Ebay (people selling their dead grandma's patterns, I love it!), and fabric that was on sale, $8 per meter, at Spotlight.

The dress took me probably 12 hours to make, and I had to alter the top of the dress to suit my figure and style, which also meant I had to alter the sleeves (well straps really) quit significantly.

All in all though, a successful effort and I'm looking forward to my next dress!

60 years of death

Today marks the 60th Anniversary of the Communist Regime in China.
There is a Chinese guy who works in my office, and he has put up a picture of Chairman Mao and is celebrating this anniversary. I am sure that this regime did a great deal for the country but I can't help to think of the consequences, just as Hitler brought Germany back from the depression and was a successful statesman until he started killing Jews. 60 years of communism in China represents over 40 million people killed by the Chinese government. It represents the destruction of the holy country of Tibet and the peace-loving people who lived there. It represents the oppression of free speech and even free thought.
News articles (where you can find them, news.com and ninemsn seem oddly quiet) have made mention of the efforts scientists are going to to ensure that there are no clouds in the sky and it doesn't rain on the celebration parade. The Chinese regime are oppressing the natural functions of the weather, just as they oppress the natural aspirations of their people.

I cannot celebrate a country who killed hundreds of students who were staging a peaceful protest.
I cannot celebrate a country who have exiled the Dali Lama from his country.
I cannot celebrate a country who enact the toughest censorship laws in the world.
I just can't do it.

scowl

Lately I find myself scowling or pulling strange faces. I'm completely aware that I'm doing it (although I'm not doing it on purpose), and it makes me worry that I will develop horrible wrinkles and require botox...which makes me scowl even more!
I'm not sure why I'm scowling. I have a lot of my mind, and at times I'm resenting a lot of the stuff that I'm doing. I'm finding that certain things, which are meant to be fun, are not always fun they can be just plain annoying.
I would love to be able to sit at home and read or do my sewing, or just clean my house. But instead I'm at work, or doing work at home for Girls on the Move, or sorting out Tupperware crap. It's all just really annoying and I don't really want to do any of it.
But I have no 'legitimate' reason to not do this stuff, as I have found that people don't really accept "I just don't want to". But sometimes I just don't want to. I hate being really busy, I'd just like to relax, and when I'm busy I start resenting my friends because they take up even more of my time! And that's not a good way to be.
So I think my scowl might stick around for a while yet. But hopefully not long enough to make any permanent wrinkles!

morning tea

Every Thursday at my work we have Morning Tea. There is a Morning Tea roster and it is up to one person, each week, to provide morning tea for our section (which has about 20 people in it).
These morning teas usually consist of a few staples:
- mini sausage rolls
- cake of some kind
- dip and biscuits
Some people put on fabulous morning teas, while some people put on less than fabulous morning teas. Case in point: this morning we had about 4 loaves of bread (assorted types) and 4 dips (the cheapest ones you can find in the supermarket). Seriously. What a load of crap!
I know I probably shouldn't judge, but I'm very judgemental and I judge someone who is more than happy to enjoy other peoples efforts, but then provide the crappest morning tea ever!
I mean seriously! I'm already planning a menu for my morning tea, which will consist of zuchinni slice, mini crossaints, cup cakes, savory muffins, etc., but now I'm thinking maybe I will buy a packet of Jatz and one pot of dip and see how everyone takes it.

time

I am a big fan of time moving slowly, especially on weekends. You know those weekends when you get your house work done, catch up with a friend, and still have time to watch a couple of episode of Sex and the City. It's lovely. You feel like you have all the time in the world and there is no rush.
I am not a fan, however, of time moving slowly when I am at work. You know those days when you get to work, you do your first task or two and then look at the clock...and it's not even 10am yet! That's just plain upsetting.

Why is it when you are happy for the day to fly it often crawls along, whereas when you're in Melbourne for the weekend hanging out with your sister, the time flys!
I know they say "time flys when you're having fun", but there are days at work when the day does go quickly. It's just that they are few and far between.

Is there something that can be done to make time move more quickly when you're at work, and then slow down considerably when you're not? Maybe it's because I don't enjoy my work, and this morning I came in and not even one person replied to my "Good Morning" - not that that is anything new!

Hmmm....if only I could win Lotto and spend my time doing crafts and selling them on Etsy!!

etsy

A couple of months ago one of my friends was talking about this website she found where people sell handmade products. She bought a wonderful little clutch purse, and I think she also got a couple of things for her sisters and friends. Well it may have taken me a while to catch on, but I'm now in love with Etsy.com!
Not only do I think this website is great because of all of the wonderful things available to buy on it, but I'm also intrigued by the possibilities of selling things on it.
I think I will start small with some aprons or a couple of tote-bags, but then I might start making and selling more things.
Firstly I should focus on making things for Christmas, and the couple of dresses that I'd like to make. But the temptation of getting paid to do something that I enjoy is pretty great. I'd love to be able to quit my day job and just spend time writing and creating. But I suppose that if I was forced to make things every day I would probably tire of it pretty quickly.

green with envy

I envy people who are able to get paid doing something they love.
I envy people who have thorough and devoted support networks to help them and look after them.
I envy people who are truly happy.
I envy people who have true companionship.

I work in a not always positive environment where there are sometimes bitchy, or at least not very nice, comments thrown my way. My work is un-stimulating and slightly frustrating. And most times if you walk into my section it is dead silent. People in other sections refer to it as The Morgue.

I have a pile of washing up to do, a pile of ironing to do, I need to clean my bath, wash my bike, and generally try and keep my house clean. There are many people who don't have to do all of this on their own. Some people don't have to do any of it because they have wives or husbands (or maids) who do it for them. I often wish I had some help.

Sometimes I feel happy, and other times I don't feel happy. Are there people in the world who are truly happy? Or does that only exist in Disney? I often wish that I was in a Disney film, although admittedly the heroes and heroines in those films aren't always happy. Even when they do get to live happily ever after they've usually gone through a fair amount of heartache to get there (Snow White: poisoned; Sleeping Beauty: pricked her finger; Cinderella: locked up; Jasmine: held captive; Belle: attacked by wolves; Ariel: almost drowned; Pocahontas: causes a friends death; Mulan: gets attacked by Huns...you get the idea).

True companionship - humph! I can barely get my cat to stay in my apartment with me. I haven't had a decent date in almost two years, and I've never had an 'official' boyfriend. So yes, I envy those who are fortunate enough to have a true companion. Someone to share joys and sorrows with, someone to walk along the path that is life with.

I envy.

a thousand years

I don't know what it is, but I sometimes feel as though I could sleep for a thousand years.

Recently my cat has started waking me up at 6:30am so that he can go outside, and from then I really should pull my lazy butt out of bed and start my day, but I just can't bring myself to do it.

Today I would have happily slept until 10am at least! But no, I pulled myself out of bed at 7:15am and came in to work. It is a lovely day outside, but I think there are a few other people at work who would rather be in bed. It's really rather morgue like at my work sometimes. Very quiet, everyone either working hard or pretending they are working hard. Laughter is rare, as are conversations between staff. There is no music, no background noise, if you take a phone call everyone can listen to your conversation. People walk in to our section and I think it freaks them out a little bit that we're always just sitting at our desks not interacting with each other.

It freaks me out.

internet revolution

This morning at work the internal network was down and no one could access the programs requried for us to do our work. It made me wonder "what did people do before the internet?". So much of the work in my organisation is internet based. We look online at international qualifications and accords, direct people to our website when they need more information, and email people letting them know that they haven't certified their documents properly.

Apparently in the 'olden days' instead of the internet that had heaps of books and folders with information in them, and everything would have been done by snail-mail and the phone. But it is really quite amazing. The internet has taken over our lives, and even the parts where we still did things the old fashioned way (in particular I'm thinking of invitations) you can now do online. Paperless Post do lovely online invitations that come with an envelope and everything! It's a great concept, and is quicker than hand making 50 invitations...but does it take away that personal touch?

Has the internet changed things for the better or taken away personal communication and put a computer in between us all?

How many of you would rather email or text than actually call someone?

When was the last time you hand wrote someone a letter?

vivacious

Of all the words in the English language the one I really love is "vivacious". I love the way it sounds, the way it is used, and what it implies.
In Gone with the Wind when the other Southern Belles are being mean about Scarlett O'Hara behind her back Melanie Hamilton (soon to be Mrs Ashley Wilkes) says that Scarlett is "just high spirited and vivacious". My sister and I will often use this line in describing each other as it is really quite perfect for almost any situation.

On Monday I had a job interview and I received the rejection email that afternoon. I wasn't too crushed because the two women I interviewed with were wearing this horrible ill-fitting grey suits and I was worried that it was some kind of uniform, and I just don't do ill-fitting grey suits! Anyway, when I sent out a group text to tell some of my friends that I had the interview and didn't get the job (probably beacuse I'm too stylish) one of my friends wrote back "You're to vivacious to work at that place". Isn't that a lovely thing to say. And she's probably correct. I had on a lovely blue and purple Cue dress, vintage black boots, and my auburn hair half pulled back with ringlets falling. While the women who interviewed me were wearing pale pastel colours shirts with their ill-fitting grey suits, and had boring hair. I definitely would have stood out in that office.
I stand out in most offices - that sounds conceited, but I'm just "high spirited and vivacious!"