TGIF

What’s your Friday routine like? My Friday routine:

Plan work-stuff for Monday
Write down accomplished goals for the week
Set goals for next week
Clear desk/desktop/email inbox
Get into weekend mode

Have a good weekend!

Don’t Skirt the Issue

I was barely 20 and it was my first “real” job. After receiving the letter of appointment, I had to read a set of company rules I had to adhere to, one of which outlined the acceptable dress code for women.

Me: “I have an issue with one of the rules written here. It says here that all women should wear skirts.”
Mr. Manager: “Well, we’ve always had that rule. Just follow it.”

At that point in time, I really, really needed the job, so i didn’t argue. The problem was, I only had two office-worthy skirts then — a poorly-cut tulip skirt that made my bum look big and a frumpy brown pleated one that will make anyone‘s bum look big.

I didn’t have enough money to get a new wardrobe, so I worked out a schedule of sorts — I’d only wear skirts on days where I had to go on a meeting with the big bosses.

This went pretty well and the numerous times I got “caught with my pants on” were non-issues with the heads, all of whom were males (well, except for one lady who was rarely in the office) so after awhile, I stopped my skirt timetable altogether. Some of my longer-serving female colleagues initially questioned my brazen non-skirt-wearing attitude but then went into an “I wish I could wear trousers too” mode.

A few months after I started work there, the company appointed a new HR director. One of his first exercises was to talk to each and every employee.

Mr. HR Director: “… anything else you’d like to clarify?”
Me:”Um, there is this small thing… about wearing skirts. I don’t see why I have to conform to it.”
Mr. HR Director: “And I don’t see why you should!”

That dress code was apparently written when the company was formed in the 60s or 70s. And since no one had raised concern over it, it remained on the list 30 years later. Mr. HR Director said he’d see to the abolishment of the dress code (for both men and women) and though I didn’t really believe him then, I was quite happy to finally be able to talk to someone who wasn’t from the Dark Ages.

Weeks after that, one of my female colleagues was seen in a smart pair of slacks excitedly announcing that “it’s okay for women to wear trousers in the office now.” Well, well.

Dream Job Titles

I was watching tv the other day when I came across the words “professional traveller” on the travel channel. What an interesting-sounding occupation! Though the idea of travelling to exotic locations and getting paid for it sounds like the perfect job description, I’ve never thought of travel writing or hosting a travel show as dream jobs. A professional traveller, on the other hand sounds like an enviable job. Wait a minute, a travel writer/host is a professional traveller. Perhaps, the right title that makes a job more desirable?

What I am doing now can sound quite impressive, if correctly worded:

Online Publisher
Freelance Traveler
Master Artist in Training
Junk Food Connoisseur
Home-Based Feline Social Worker
Non-Competitive Part-Time Athlete (this one’s pushing it a little)
Benevolent World Domination Mastermind

What’s your job title?

Hello, Remember Me?

Hello everyone! I’ve not updated this blog for a week. It’s been a long time, eh? A whole week — that’s like 2 months in Internet reckoning?

I had been under the weather for some time and finally succumbed to the flu last Monday. I took a few days off work (and blogging) to rest and recover and got better mid-week. However, I have amassed a 50-layer work-pancake , which I’m still trying to slowly crawl out of today. :O

But…it’s good to be back! Thank you everyone for the get well wishes and for sticking around! :D

You’ve Got To Find What You Love
Steve Jobs on Hindsight, Love, Loss and Death

On June 12, 2005, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios delivered an uplifting speech about connecting the dots, love, getting fired by the company he created and death at his Stanford University Commencement address [Read more....]

Getting Work Started
A Tip for Procrastinators

Good Monday everyone!

For most of us, it is the start of another week day. The procrastinator in some of us may still cling on the hems of Sunday’s lazy, comfortable sheets but listen, no matter how adept you are at putting off work, you have to do work eventually because that is what you are being paid to do. But a tiny voice in your head says, “but the deadline is still 2 days away!” Listen to this little guy and before you knew it’s Wednesday and you haven’t done a thing.

Yes, there are deadlines for work. But there’s also a deadline for when to start work. The difference is – you get to define it. The problem? Most of us do not clearly define our “start work deadline”.

[Read more....]