Vacant Mind

Working with others

I’m not sure about the whole team work thing, I’ve had a horrid couple of weeks trying to get a group together to get a project started and running. Everything I have tired hasn’t worked and they just aren’t motivated.

I don’t know how to motivate zombies, is it even possible. Uni has all been about ‘working with others’ and you will never work along and always in a group. This is true and while didn’t really doubt this I am now only realising how hard it is working with those that do not want to work.

I could always pick up the slack in Uni groups when those that did nothing but now I’ve got enough to do myself that I don’t have the time or energy to pick up that slack.

I did find out that I’m a bit to soft to be leading people at this stage, I tried to be a bit tougher but I think that I’m a little afraid of offending people. Something that I’m going to try to develop over the coming year, which adds to the ever growing list.

It might be little to late but I’ve had enough of trying to save face while the end goal suffers, I will have to live with the fact that I might not be the most popular person when I start make people responsible and that they are litting the whole team down.

I guess that I just care too much what others think of me, I will have to get over that.

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Working Hard

I have become aware of the proper defination of ‘hard working’ or ‘working hard’ I suppose I always thought that the harder that you work, the more that gets done. But this is not the case as I have found out.

There is so much more to it other than just putting your head down and working. There are the relationships that are built but also your perception as a worker can also be dependent on how you fit in with the team.

I kept my head down and worked, because that’s the way I know now to get things done, how to complete projects and produce results. Consequently it was also another way to loose sleep and stress more. Maybe in another time or another company being tired would be a badge of honor but these days I doubt that.

I have quickly learned that being tired = non-productive, so instead of trying to hammer out that report at the end of the day I’m going home getting rest and coming in early the next day and doing a better job.

While I’m an advocate of the ‘head down bum up’ work ethic, I’m becoming aware that it might not be percieved as the best method. I occasionaly put in the odd 10 - 12 hour day, this might be fine in some cases but I wouldn’t want my peers to think that I’m incompetent and have to work long hours to keep up.

My two big reasons for changing my attitude towards work hours and how I work.

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Corporate Life

Many things have changed over the course of this year.

• I now have more of a spine
• I have realised that I’m not as intelligent as I thought I was
• That people are the most variable factor is anything that you do
• Face to Face conversations are more important
• Integrity doesn’t win you friends
• You are judged, not matter what you do

How did I learn all of this…my new corporate life. It is amazing how the prioites in my life have changed, work now is the major factor that I consider when making decisions on what to do during the week or weekend. Since having a full-time salary now means that I have started looking for a new place to live and buying the ’stuff’ that fills our houses to fill the new one.

Since the majority of my time is taken up by work and possibly a few other minor activities, that is mostly what I’ll be posting about.

I hope that it won’t be too boring.

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Obsession with Japan

It seems that my obsession with Japan is set to continue, since returning I was thinking of starting up Taiko (Japanese Drumming)  & learning japense as well.

Now there is something else that I might be set to attend. The Japan Festival is being held in the later part of May and is set to showcase a lot of popular culture about Japan.

The only question that I have is why the Japan Club of Victoria would only have their website in Japanese and not English, does a Victorian club not want others (besides Japanese) to join. Do I sound annoyed…well I am. I suppose that it’s typically Japanese but I feel a bit hindered to join because I don’t feel welcome - a bit much from just reading a website.

Either way I’m going and have a great time!

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The story of 3 train lines

I have had the fortunate ability to have traveled on 3 (possibly 5) different train lines.

Glen Waverley
Belgrave/Lilydale
Carnbourne/Packenham

They are listed by the way in order of the one that I want to travel. I have always used the Glen Waverley line because it was closet to home, but recently I’ve had the chance to house sit closer to two different train lines.

Our train systems really are a mess, when at 6.30am there should be a minimal number of people it was standing room only. I know which line I won’ t be eventually living near (Carnbourne/Packenham) I thought that it was hard on the Glen Waverley, hardly ever express, doesn’t come often though and over crowding on somedays.

I have previously heard of the Public Transport User Association,  but now I’m seriously considering joining and helping where I can. I know that Connex has started to bring in changes I just hope that they will work as effectively as Melbourne desperately needs the change.

I can’t tell you the tension in the train some morning (actually most of you might know what I’m talking about) and it would be great to have a normal train ride one day.

Posted in melbourne | 1 Comment »

Traveling Buddies

One of my most enjoyed benefits from my recent trip is the number of friends that I had made along the way. The different experiences that they have brought from their lives into mine has added to the stories that I have in my head and to the experiences that I had overseas.

After I left them overseas I was certain that I would never see them again, but I was wrong. They have followed me home, and it’s been great! To hear what they have been up to since we last departed, the adventures, parties & people. All the while I’m truding through my 9-5 job trying to repay debt and save money to buy a house.

So far I have had dinner with a few people that I travelled with, it’s been both a blessing and a curse to hear about what they have been up to and I have failed to interest or impress them on what I had been up to since we parted. It has caused me to pay more attention to other travels and help them out when I see that I think they look lost, except for when I see them with portable GPS devices.

It has started me back on the track of taking photos, because it was one of the most enjoyable parts of traveling, capuring the moments that I know I want to remember. Now I try to take photos of the parts and moments of Melbourne that I love and want to remember.

The travel buddies have moved on, and we shared and laughed in one night as we had in a month. They too now love Melbourne as much as I do (I told them they would) and I hope that they will come back

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Evil Corporation

Working for a corporation tends to egnite some emotions that I don’t generally like, the most common of them seem to be. “What’s it like working for a evil company?”

The general perception that big public financial institutions are evil because they steal money from the public and finance unethical practices isn’t far wrong. In the past they have always gone where the money is, which has often meant funding projects or companies that provided profit without consideration of the impact of the other person down the line.

But how do you justify your position within this organisation without the expense of your soul? I don’t know yet, I haven’t found out how to do it.

But what I have noticed that they are (the big companies) are starting to notice (finally!) what the public are thinking of them. To the extent that they are starting marketing campaigns against the perception. Case in point the Commonwealth Bank ad on T.V promoting the “different” side of the bank while at the same time rising interest rates.

The move into ethical investing my many fund managers (even though some don’t exist - opes prime)

It is nice to be able to say in an interview that the reason I was attracted to your company was the importance placed on social responsibility, so the tide is changing, but as with everything it changes slowly.

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Favourites from week 13 of 2008

favorite podcasts at Five Public Opinions

Top 10 Ways to Build Muscle Mass Fast at Ririan Project

From BFS to ZFS: past, present, and future of file systems at Ars Technica

How to Stay Healthy While Sitting At Your Desk All Day at Diet Hack

Posted in Geek, Web | No Comments »

Joint Account

Do you have one? Was it an easy decision? Mine wasn’t.

The more people that I tell the more that they caution me that it’s one of the big steps and to look out she will be asking for a ring next (I’ve already encountered that one)

My hesitation isn’t complex, it’s quite simple - I didn’t want to be held accountable.
I’m great when I need to save for a goal I’ve got no problems putting money away when I need to.
When I do have money I enjoy spending it, on nights out, on my new crumpler bag or looking forward to new camera lens.

I never saw the problem in spending money if I had saved for it, I had made the conscious decision to buy something  and months ago started saving and months later still want it. But now I am no longer justified in buying said item - the logic doesn’t make sense to me. The rational does, “well now that you have saved the money you might as well not spend it and save it for something more useful’ I was astonished to say the least.

This is why I have still kept my original account and will continue to be paid into that for as long as I can, because I think that why I have saved I have the right to spend.

Posted in Life | 2 Comments »

The Sorry Debate

I’m not going to weight to much into the debate about the stolen generation or about sorry day.  I don’t think that I am qualified enough even though I do have feelings about the situation. I am posting this picture of an article that I found int he MX, because it really got me thinking about arguments from both sides of the fence.

I hope that you get something out of it as well.

Posted in Australia, Wondering Mind | No Comments »