Blackberry Addiction

Have you got annoyed by someone you know keep checking their blackberry while spending time with you and talking to you?

Have picking a vacation destination without internet connection and mobile connection part of the requirement?

Blackberry gave me a lot of flexibility and convenience so I don't have to be glued to my desk and my computer all the time.  However, when it gets into your personal life too far and you don't know how to draw the line between your personal time and work, you got a huge issue.  Does blackberry enhance communication or impair communication?  Has it interfere with your personal life?

I'm who I'm.

May be I have lived in a bubble until now.  It is so important for people around me to all like me.  I care how people think of me.  

Recently realized this adds unnecessary pressure to myself of something I cannot control. There're so many things on my plate.  Having to satisfy and getting everyone to like me means I'm don't have my own thoughts.  Pleasing everyone means you are doing what everyone want you to do but not doing things you think you should do?

I'm learning "I'm who I'm.  It is too bad you don't like it".  That way, at the very least, I have my own point-of-view and have character.

Remember that Job is just a Trade

Relationship of employee and employer has changed 180 degree compare to my Grandpa's time.  It used to be the employer at certain level looking out for their employee.  Both ends are looking for a long term relationship and loyalty was the key to a good employer-and-employee relationship.


It is no longer that.  Number is the key to the employer.  Living through a few lay-offs at work, I witness that.  It is not good nor bad.  It is a change.  Unfortunately, I found this to be less human.  The human factor of a employee-and-employer relationship seems to diminished through the years.  Employment is just an exchange of benefit.  


Employer tries to put some level of humanness into this relationship by adding Engagement because people are people.  They need the human factor to motivate them in certain level.  Employer cannot offer it all, so they provided a discounted humanness instead to keep the relationship from falling apart.  However, the trust is no longer there.  


Employee asks, "Why is my team not engaged and motivated when I've already have done so much for them."  Is this what people are looking for?  May be to motivate is just as simple as behaving in a way to look out for your employee.  With action to show you care and appreciate their loyalty.  Trust needs to be built for engagement and motivation to harvest.  Short sighted decision in exchange for a temporary boost on the balance sheet is a costly price to pay.  


Remember, "What you pay is what you get."  


I grew a little older realizing this, haven't I?

Fears of Heading Toward 30s

I fear of.....


* Having babies over 35 and my baby have increased chance of Dawn Syndrome
* Still being clueless at work when I'm over 30s and people think I'm an idiot
* Loosing my friends due to sickness and accident
* My first grey hair
* My first wrinkle
* No one ask for my ID anymore
* Being too experienced and losing my ability to dream 
* Loosing my silliness and impulsiveness
* Work wearing me down
* Accepting the world is the way it is
* Reality wearing out hope

"You will understand when you grew up." is true!!!!

Sounds familiar?  At some point in your early life, someone must of told you that.  At least, a few people did to me.  It is true!


I thought there will be dramatic events or changes to me that would make me understand these things that made no sense to me when I was a child.  Nope.  Just one day, one minor thing happen, perhaps a cumulative of small events that had happened and this minor incident push me over the tipping point that I've all of a sudden get it.  That's it.  That's how it happen.


One day recently, I suddenly change.  I realize that I don't have the time of the world anymore like all children, teenagers and early 20s think they do.  Just like that.  Another sign of aging unfortunately or fortunately.  We'll see.

A friend of mine in her early 20s, who just got her first job, asked me what she needs to buy for her new wardrobe.  It bought back a lot of memories how difficult it was to start a work wardrobe.  

Being the youngest generation in the work force sometime can be very difficult.  I remember I have to purposely put on my glasses, choose my make-up carefully, and always dress professionally to make myself appear more mature.  Because I'm (I was) so young, how I carry myself in the workforce is so important.  I'm green, inexperience, if I appear to be like a school kid, it would be very difficult for others at work to take me seriously.

Though my work place is very casual, I always dress professionally.  You think I don't want to pull on my hoodie and jeans to work?

Just this year, I feel that I can relax a bit in my appearance.  Does it mean that I am getting old and appearing older so I no longer need to dress young?  Yikes.

Below - adapted from Professional Dress Code tips by D. Burleson

When things go wrong, you do your best to make amends!

Everyone make mistakes in life.  It was shocking to find out my parents aren't perfect saints when I was a kid.  Growing up, everyone tells me to be a good kid, study hard and listen to your parents.  There's always guidelines and rules to follow when I was a kid and even part of my teenage period.  Slowly growing up, the guideline became blurry.  More "it depends" creeps up.  There's no more set rules what's right and wrong.  You kind of have to trial and error to find out sometimes.  I made mistakes more often.  

I always thought growing up that if you make a boo boo, the boo boo stays forever.  In the past 5 years, I realize that's not true.  It doesn't matter that you have made mistake (well...may be not like murder that kind of mistake.  I mean the regular day-to-day mess up).  What's matter is when things go wrong, you do your best to make amends and learn your lesson not to do it again.  There's no point to hold grudge and to torture yourself with guilt.  What's important is learn the lesson and learn not make the same boo boo again.  Life is a series of experience.  Mistakes make our life more rich.  Usually people learn more from wrongs than rights.

What's An Economical Way to Bond with New Co-workers?

Have you feel the pain from the accumulated here and there small bill from the day-to-day lunch and coffee each month? Even I don't drink specialty coffee, $2 in the morning, $2 in the afternoon and then $7-10 or more lunch here and there really adds up.

 I like to bring my own lunch and even coffee.  It is more healthy and economical.  I have been doing this the past 3 years that I've been working.  Recently I changed jobs then my perspective changed a bit.  It is so important to build a good relationship with your new team - get to know them.  My company has branches all over different cities across Canada.  Everyone's on the phone all the time in conference call.  The only arrangable opportunity to get to know the team is lunch time and coffee time.  It feels so anti-social not to tag along but lunch in downtown really hurts if you go out often.  And I tend to eat more eating out and then spending the rest of the afternoon sitting at my cubicle really promote the growth of my mid-session.  It hurts!

Is there an alternative to bond with co-workers but not hurt your wallet?

 

Pic - adopted from onlineacademics.org