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| Progress Report Dec 08 |
| Monday, December 08, 2008 |
I will write the good stuff first and then the bad stuff, you see I'd rather look at the glass as half full than half empty ;--)
Good stuff:
Positive thinking - Doing well. Actually I am quite relaxed these days, may be its because its end of the year and things are slowing down. May be its because of the festive season. Or may be its become a habit!! :--) I am making it a point to smile at people. Deliberately. Even if they dont smile back! My point is, I hope my smile would make someone's terrible day a little better. I smile at the security guard, the cafe cashier, apart from colleagues I dont know on the floor. I try to make small talk to people I see, its been good so far.
Procastination - I had to wrap up work with Israel by a deadline and I think I did a great job converging all requirements and wrapping up things neatly, instead of hurrying things in the last minute. I did have to work over one weekend, which was inevitable due to work hours in Israel. But I think I handled it way better than I would have a few months ago. That said, I need to improve quite a bit on how I take things with no deadlines. As in set deadlines for my own self and work towards it.
Community Work - Tutoring and PCPal is going in the back ground. I was really looking to do some work this month when two things came my way. Actually three. We participated in Adopt-a-Family program, where we have to buy gifts for a family in need. I took a family with 1 adult and 1 child. I had super fun shopping for a 1 month old baby. I mean the clothes are too cute! On the same note, we also picked a request at Church, to provide a family with needs for Christmas. It is definitely sad to see such poor families, who cannot even afford clothes even for their new born. :--( It is still only monetary help, so I wasnt a 100% satisfied.
Then International Volunteer's Day happened. And our team decided to do Volunteer work as part of our Team Building Activity on that day, which is very nice of the rest of the team I think. Actually a lot of teams at work volunteered at several different places that day. So we went to the Local RAFT location and helped sort, cut, count, organize items that the organization can utilize to sell them to teachers for a very low cost. We had a lot of fun, it was time spent for a good cause, and we had more money from the budget saved for food too! Definite win-win. :--)
As a side note, I was very much impressed with the person who ran the place, he was a reitred HP employee, maintaining the whole place on his own, depending on help from volunteers like us to run the show. I would like to do something like this when I retire, instead of sitting tight on my behind, crbbing about children and complaining about boredom. You can see I really like Volunteering. :--))
Worry - I have stoped worrying, and sometimes that worries me! :--) Just kidding. Typical signs of a 'perpetual worrier turned non-worrier', I think. Whenever something starts worrying me I try to make an action plan for it, if its a task I put it on my calendar, a date and a time, and I feel much better.
Temper Control - Some testing times, I burst out, and then I stopped in time, to prevent a full blown fight, which is good. Whenever I find bad thoughts filling my head, I slow down, fill my head with good thoughts and I seem to succeed in calming down. We need to think positive before we can act positive. How true!
Self-control - Its tough. I guess the driving factor should be strong enough. I am starting with self control over food as I would really like to shed the lbs I put on when parents and in laws were here. ;--) Other thing I would like to have self control over is my mood swings. This month I guess I was not overly tested, so its been fine, till now.
Tidiness - One thing I started doing since I came back from SWE Conference, which reminds me that I totally forgot to write about it last month :--( I had too many things happening I guess. Anyway, the next time I dont have anything to write about, may be I will write about that experience. Let me say for now, that it was the most motivating experience I ever had. Anyway, I have started dressing up better to work. Yes! SK who has been going to work in jeans and tees and capris with sandals and sneakers all her work life, finally spent some money on formal clothes and formal shoes, and has been wearing pressed clothes to work three days a week!! Now that calls for a round of applause doesnt it?? I have gotten some good compliments till date, and it makes me feel more in control and organized.
Ok, things going for a toss are:
Good habits - I am reading my books, and I have started going to the gym regularly and I am also cooking food at home regularly. But my TV watching time has gone up, I sleep with TV being the last thing I see before dozing off to dreamland, which I dont quite like. DH has been saying he liked how we read for some time before retiring for the night for a month in September, I would like to go back to doing that.
Being Spiritual - To my dismay, I need to do better. I sometimes forget to read in the morning. Point noted. I will make an effort to do better.
Goals and working towards it - As I said earlier, things I started are going well, but I seem to have lost the steam. I seem to be putting long term goals off. May be its the season thats doing it. Point noted, I have to focus on my goals and get going on them with full force.
Cheap Thrill Moment of the Month:
I have been taking these classes at local college, as I said last month, and this is the second short course I am taking. We were supposed to submit a report two weeks back and I had put a lot of effort into writing it. At class during break the 'professor' was looking at our reports and I was watching him for lack of anything else to do. I watched him neatly single mine out and keep it separately. My heart only started beating faster. ;--) Once the class gathered for the second half of the session, he took my report and praised it, saying he really liked one particular thing about my report and started talking about it!! :--)
One cheap thrill moment eh.
Some other long term items I want to add to my list of improvements to be made are:
Be more enterprising, be helpful. Make an impact on people around you, in anyway possible. Develop my people skills. I heard this lady in the class say that talented doctors and engineers have no people skills whatsoever, and that they are couped up with their own work oblivious to people around them. I know and am sure am one of them, not sure about the talent bit, but sure about the zero people skills bit. I definitely want to be different.
I understand the meaning of the phrase, "Make a difference in the lives of those you meet" I guess if I die today, I can count the number of people who will be really sorry for the loss. I want to increase that number! ;--)
On the same note, improve my networking skills. Something I realized is very important, at the SWE Conference.
I would like to develop some hobbies, learn something new, and develop existing hobbies, like join the church choir. I have some ideas, but yet to put them in action.
Bah, looks like I am in ranting mode full swing.
Thanks for reading till the end!! :--))
Have a great week friends! |
posted by SK @ 5:48 PM  |
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| 7 Comments: |
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Esskay ni evala chamathu ainda varu:)
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SK, enga ponalun kalakara! All pazhaka dosham...
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Ram, Ama ama. :--) And s this Malyalam?
Adi, amam correct. :--P Nee vera man. Enga kalakkanumnu ninaikareno anga nothing happening.
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Ayyo, you write longer posts than me and wow, what an effort!
I wish I could smile more at the only person I see everyday: My husband ;)
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Err...I thought you may want to read some more ;) I added a little more by editing it!
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You know what? I thought you'll stop this progress report thingy after a while. But you seem to be going strong and seeing results!! Good for you!!
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Hey Nandini,
Welcome here :--)) Hahah smiling is tough in the beginning once it becomes a habit, you smile all the time, making everyone feel weird :--D
and hheheh not all my posts are soo long, I was in full rant mode when I wrote this! :--))
Lonestar,
LOL! THats precisely why I started writing it here, so you guys can point fingers at me and question me :--) I dont want to drop this project midway, too much at stake.
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Esskay ni evala chamathu ainda varu:)