Well, it's Sunday again and as yesterday was spent on my arse watching movies and not even going out of the house once, today meant there were no excuses so it goes without saying much at all. I went out on my usual Sunday walk, except perhaps just a little reluctantly. The reason for my slow start was on account of frost. When I woke and looked out the window cars parked outside the house had this white frost on their roofs. It meant it was cold out and yesterday was bad enough feeling cold most of the day stuck in the house. If I was going to get cold then it would not be avoided. I put on clothes had a good hearty breakfast and with ruck sack on headed off.
Not far into my walk it is necessary to go over a footbridge. I could go an alternate route but this is the quickest way to get across a railway line. It's quite a long foot bridge as well because it basically links up to a historical woodland area with old ruins. Except the thing with this bridge is there are times when it does not drain water away well. At the mid way point I saw this large puddle. Now the usual strategy is to choose a side to the puddle and hope it is the side which is shallowest. This is not difficult either, well most times it's not. However, on account it had been pretty cold the night before I could help but notice how a lot of water seemed to also have a lot of slosh in it. Someone else had come to the same puddle and walked on ice in order to get across but the ice was not solid. There I stood for a moment looking at the puddle and wondering. Being a bridge there was no way around it there was only one route and it had to be through the puddle. It was about 30 plus feet long or 10 metres. All I had to do was get across and take one step after the other, hopefully if I had selected the shallow side then it might not be so bad. I therefore placed one foot, toes and ball of foot first into the puddle. My foot sank down to the bottom which was somewhat deeper than expected. I pulled it out the water easily seeped into the trainer. It was obvious, if I crossed this puddle both feet would be completely soaked I would then have another two and a half hour walk with cold soaking feet. Trainers and feet were not going to dry out. At which I had visions of pneumonia and being laid up in hospital all for the sake of stepping into a puddle which could lead to severe health issues. There was only one choice in reality.
I thought back to a book I am reading which says you should make your obstacles the way, which is to take advantage of them. I thought about getting some Wellington boots standing on one side and offering to give people a piggy back over to the other side, all for a small cost. Then realised I don't have rubber boots. I didn't have the ability to walk on water because my trainer was soaking, I didn't want to get ill and still needed to get some exercise. The one alternative was to head back, get new socks another pair of trainers on and continue via the alternate route. This puddle was the obstacle which was not going to be overcome in any other way. I even considered briefly the notion of getting a broom and trying to sweep some of the water away. Which would of likely been a diversionary task taking as long as my walk would of.
So the moral is, sensibility will win over stupidity.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Dumb, stoic, dumber, more stoic and headless chickens
I'm reading this book about being stoic and seeing things differently. Or rather it is about learning not to see things through your own perceptions. It's OK for the author to think so but I can hardly run away from myself, as for these feeling things which flood out at times they certainly are not the easiest of things to take control over. It is true we all have different tinted spectacles from which we view the world. Which makes it difficult to get to what is actually going on. It's about being dispassionate and seeing objectively. Of course this is a continuous challenge, and in my mind probably one of the greatest challenges for all of humanity. It's about the way we react as individuals, about anxiety, distress, worry and turning something on it's head. Turning it around.
People don't like change. People don't like having to do things they know nothing about. I am one of these people as well. The worst of this happens in workplaces, when the people above in a hierarchy seem to make decisions and give little information out as to what to do. It is like they can have a secret society, behind closed doors decisions are made and those under them are treated worse than animals. At least animals are fed and petted during the day. In the workplace instead an email is issued, the email become a decree and must be obeyed except the thing is the email is in Swahili. This is the normal management way of giving information as a directive but not taking into account what it is working with. There is a problem, they want it fixed but then they give exceptionally little information about the problem, the hurdles which may have to be jumped or the interpretation of what the problem actually is. Often the question rises, what planet are these people on? How on earth did they get to become managers? Usually they became managers years ago because there is a dead man's shoe progression in the management.system. The order staff are given is in many respects an objective served up by headless chickens. Staff then react, hence an instance of seeing things from a certain self centred perspective, just as the decree was in itself a self centred decree because no talking or discussion took place. In fact at times the entire work place can become a chicken factory or rather a chicken slaughter factory. All what is needed is a large freezer then the carcasses can be kept fresh and sold on.
When one person reacts and doesn't think it in turn leads to yet another reactive set of actions. It results in counter forces which push back. This is the nature of human beings. So it goes being stoic is difficult to say the least. I know when a directive comes to me with an exceedingly short deadline and how I react. I don't like being a headless chicken, my headless chicken impressions make me feel stressed and I have to find a way of shaking my head and covertly thinking how dumb can the dumb become? Yes they actually can become dumber and make the film Dumb and Dumber seem like a Mensa drama. So one way to deal with something like this is not to react and try to find a calm and think. I can't help but think I don't actually care if the decree sent downwards will be actioned, in fact given all the priorities in the world and given yet another priority job to do, I don't mind so much if it fails if the whole system explodes, because it would be a result of poor management. It is like the decree does not take into account it is dealing with human beings, so I don't mind. What will be will be and my role becomes one of not handling the objectives but one of handling the people who are doing headless chicken impersonations. Ultimately the pressures of a work environment can lead many employees to the brink of or actual mental breakdowns, especially where there are chickens involved. At this point the stoicism does kick in.
The moral of the story, don't lose your head be stoic instead. Nice that, it rhymes.
People don't like change. People don't like having to do things they know nothing about. I am one of these people as well. The worst of this happens in workplaces, when the people above in a hierarchy seem to make decisions and give little information out as to what to do. It is like they can have a secret society, behind closed doors decisions are made and those under them are treated worse than animals. At least animals are fed and petted during the day. In the workplace instead an email is issued, the email become a decree and must be obeyed except the thing is the email is in Swahili. This is the normal management way of giving information as a directive but not taking into account what it is working with. There is a problem, they want it fixed but then they give exceptionally little information about the problem, the hurdles which may have to be jumped or the interpretation of what the problem actually is. Often the question rises, what planet are these people on? How on earth did they get to become managers? Usually they became managers years ago because there is a dead man's shoe progression in the management.system. The order staff are given is in many respects an objective served up by headless chickens. Staff then react, hence an instance of seeing things from a certain self centred perspective, just as the decree was in itself a self centred decree because no talking or discussion took place. In fact at times the entire work place can become a chicken factory or rather a chicken slaughter factory. All what is needed is a large freezer then the carcasses can be kept fresh and sold on.
When one person reacts and doesn't think it in turn leads to yet another reactive set of actions. It results in counter forces which push back. This is the nature of human beings. So it goes being stoic is difficult to say the least. I know when a directive comes to me with an exceedingly short deadline and how I react. I don't like being a headless chicken, my headless chicken impressions make me feel stressed and I have to find a way of shaking my head and covertly thinking how dumb can the dumb become? Yes they actually can become dumber and make the film Dumb and Dumber seem like a Mensa drama. So one way to deal with something like this is not to react and try to find a calm and think. I can't help but think I don't actually care if the decree sent downwards will be actioned, in fact given all the priorities in the world and given yet another priority job to do, I don't mind so much if it fails if the whole system explodes, because it would be a result of poor management. It is like the decree does not take into account it is dealing with human beings, so I don't mind. What will be will be and my role becomes one of not handling the objectives but one of handling the people who are doing headless chicken impersonations. Ultimately the pressures of a work environment can lead many employees to the brink of or actual mental breakdowns, especially where there are chickens involved. At this point the stoicism does kick in.
The moral of the story, don't lose your head be stoic instead. Nice that, it rhymes.
Friday, February 20, 2015
An out of date IQ test
When I was in my 20s I took an IQ test set up by Mensa. Thinking I was smart and would get in. Before I took the test I went and had a chinese meal, which later on I thought was a mistake. On account of as your body digests food blood flows to the stomach rather than the brain. So I completed the test and an appropriate time later got my score. It was 133, I was disappointed because it was not enough to join Mensa, even though it was quite high. I also recall the test I sat was about twenty years old at the time. So contributed my lower score to two factors. Being stupid and eating a large meal before I did the test and it most likely being out of date. Because when you think about it, questions set two decades ago are going to be different from the current day's relevant questions. The result was I didn't get into Mensa. So what. This became a minor chip on my shoulder because in part I wanted to join an elite group who think they are better than other people. A little like rich people might feel. Fortunatley the socialist part of me now thinks I am glad I'm not one of them, because as it turns out the odd person I did meet who was in Mensa in my opinion was a bit nutty. Sometimes nuttier than a fruit cake at Christmas. So to a certain extent it was fortunate, I'm not as smart as I think I am and do have a bit of humility. Or I hope so.
Therefore the moral of the story is, don't be a smart ass because nobody likes self ingratiated idiots who have a few screws loose.
Therefore the moral of the story is, don't be a smart ass because nobody likes self ingratiated idiots who have a few screws loose.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Preparing for an interview
Sparkling Eyes knows me so well, she said:
This is from someone who knows my propensity to procrastinate. To put of what should be done in order to advance a situation by doing something else less important and perhaps more leisurely. For example watching movies or TV programmes online when I should be getting prepared for a possible job interview. It has been nearly 5 years since I last had an interview so I should prepare. To be said if anyone is serious about a job there should be a degree of preparation, preparation to be taken with diligence and insight. Putting yourself in a situation where you are being judged by other people as to what your worth is, you have to pass their standards not your own. The difficulty is trying to think as though in someone else's shoes. At times I can barely get into the mind of Sparkling Eyes and I know her pretty well, for once in a while she will do or say something which will completely throw me off guard. It is a purposeful thing, she likes to get a red hot poker of dilemma and shove it hard in my direction, she's looking for a response, a response which would put me into trouble and then it gives her a chance to chastise me or to see how I skilfully dance around the issue, which I must admit to having a good ability to do. The kind of question which would have a black and white answer and by going either way you hang yourself, I know how to play hopscotch with. Maybe this will help me in the interview arena, maybe not. The thing is, interviewers are looking for key items to be said, items which mean something important to them, items which should also be elaborated on to show understanding. And if possible a full and complete answer to the question with just maybe an answer which includes something they have not thought about, something which is valid and they haven't heard from anyone else but also worthy of a bonus point or two.
For at the end of the day, as Bruce Forsythe said "points make prizes" this is so with interviews. Those people or persons sitting usually behind a desk will be looking to tally up points for a set of questions which will be asked of multiple interviewees. If it is a private company I would guess it is not just answers to interview questions being asked but something just as important they will be asking themselves "do I like this person?" it is not marked on the tally sheet put it is a thing they may have there more so in small companies where each person is likely to come into contact with the other person. Something memorable, something which makes you human rather than a candidate on a list of many is needing to come out. The problem is there are many people in this world and all these people in this world will be in the same situation. It could be like speed dating, where one of the most important things in the world finding a partner is highly unlikely to happen. Finding a partner or "a keeper" takes a long time and takes effort. It is sad for individuals who lead fast hectic lives who think a two minute discussion with a stranger could lead to a life long relationship. I know for one if I was on a speed dating night out, which isn't going to happen at all ever in my life, that I would very unlikely impress Sparkling Eyes. I would get the oh he was nice but nothing special. To find that special ingredient it takes a lot of time and effort. Sparkling says I make her laugh and I don't realise I am funny at the time. So she clearly sees something I can't put on a CV or discuss at an interview.
So the research begins. First look at the organization you want to be part of, do a lot of checking on the internet about them, what do they do? What are their goals? Get into their mind's but as noted above, with a caveat of it being subjective. Get inside knowledge where possible, and then start writing up as many details as possible to questions which may be asked. All the usual questions, noting the first questions may well be warmer uppers and no points are scored. I've had that before. Get over interview anxiety, this is something extroverts may do very well at because they can naturally come across as sociable, however it does not mean they know how to do a job. For those introverts this may be a traumatic thing to overcome. Put it another way, you have to psychoanalyse yourself to the point you understand life doesn't rely on this interview it will go on when you walk out the door and catch the bus home. My worse interviews have been for those jobs where I have put pressure on myself and got stressed and anxious, I failed myself but also the interview panel failed to succeed in getting the best out of me as well. However, you could say from their point of view if I can't answer questions in an interview how will I perform in a real situation. It is a matter of understanding interviews are imperfect and there is a degree of luck. However there is a saying which comes to mind in respect of this phenomenon called luck. It is:
Being positive and get yourself prepared is the key to the whole process, just as Sparkling's wonderful little saying comes home to hit me in the face, because she knows I am a procrastinator. Even now this very moment I should be getting on with research and question writing down and question answers, but instead I'm here doing this shit when I should be doing some other shit. Well the day is not over, things to do, places to visit, investigations to undergo, hopefully not too probing just enough to get the answers to some questions. So the question is, what is the questioning going to be?
"Don't be fannying about with shit you shouldn't be doing when you
should be doing shit".
This is from someone who knows my propensity to procrastinate. To put of what should be done in order to advance a situation by doing something else less important and perhaps more leisurely. For example watching movies or TV programmes online when I should be getting prepared for a possible job interview. It has been nearly 5 years since I last had an interview so I should prepare. To be said if anyone is serious about a job there should be a degree of preparation, preparation to be taken with diligence and insight. Putting yourself in a situation where you are being judged by other people as to what your worth is, you have to pass their standards not your own. The difficulty is trying to think as though in someone else's shoes. At times I can barely get into the mind of Sparkling Eyes and I know her pretty well, for once in a while she will do or say something which will completely throw me off guard. It is a purposeful thing, she likes to get a red hot poker of dilemma and shove it hard in my direction, she's looking for a response, a response which would put me into trouble and then it gives her a chance to chastise me or to see how I skilfully dance around the issue, which I must admit to having a good ability to do. The kind of question which would have a black and white answer and by going either way you hang yourself, I know how to play hopscotch with. Maybe this will help me in the interview arena, maybe not. The thing is, interviewers are looking for key items to be said, items which mean something important to them, items which should also be elaborated on to show understanding. And if possible a full and complete answer to the question with just maybe an answer which includes something they have not thought about, something which is valid and they haven't heard from anyone else but also worthy of a bonus point or two.
For at the end of the day, as Bruce Forsythe said "points make prizes" this is so with interviews. Those people or persons sitting usually behind a desk will be looking to tally up points for a set of questions which will be asked of multiple interviewees. If it is a private company I would guess it is not just answers to interview questions being asked but something just as important they will be asking themselves "do I like this person?" it is not marked on the tally sheet put it is a thing they may have there more so in small companies where each person is likely to come into contact with the other person. Something memorable, something which makes you human rather than a candidate on a list of many is needing to come out. The problem is there are many people in this world and all these people in this world will be in the same situation. It could be like speed dating, where one of the most important things in the world finding a partner is highly unlikely to happen. Finding a partner or "a keeper" takes a long time and takes effort. It is sad for individuals who lead fast hectic lives who think a two minute discussion with a stranger could lead to a life long relationship. I know for one if I was on a speed dating night out, which isn't going to happen at all ever in my life, that I would very unlikely impress Sparkling Eyes. I would get the oh he was nice but nothing special. To find that special ingredient it takes a lot of time and effort. Sparkling says I make her laugh and I don't realise I am funny at the time. So she clearly sees something I can't put on a CV or discuss at an interview.
So the research begins. First look at the organization you want to be part of, do a lot of checking on the internet about them, what do they do? What are their goals? Get into their mind's but as noted above, with a caveat of it being subjective. Get inside knowledge where possible, and then start writing up as many details as possible to questions which may be asked. All the usual questions, noting the first questions may well be warmer uppers and no points are scored. I've had that before. Get over interview anxiety, this is something extroverts may do very well at because they can naturally come across as sociable, however it does not mean they know how to do a job. For those introverts this may be a traumatic thing to overcome. Put it another way, you have to psychoanalyse yourself to the point you understand life doesn't rely on this interview it will go on when you walk out the door and catch the bus home. My worse interviews have been for those jobs where I have put pressure on myself and got stressed and anxious, I failed myself but also the interview panel failed to succeed in getting the best out of me as well. However, you could say from their point of view if I can't answer questions in an interview how will I perform in a real situation. It is a matter of understanding interviews are imperfect and there is a degree of luck. However there is a saying which comes to mind in respect of this phenomenon called luck. It is:
"Luck is where opportunity meets preparation."
Being positive and get yourself prepared is the key to the whole process, just as Sparkling's wonderful little saying comes home to hit me in the face, because she knows I am a procrastinator. Even now this very moment I should be getting on with research and question writing down and question answers, but instead I'm here doing this shit when I should be doing some other shit. Well the day is not over, things to do, places to visit, investigations to undergo, hopefully not too probing just enough to get the answers to some questions. So the question is, what is the questioning going to be?
Friday, February 06, 2015
Perez is booted
Just before Perez was booted Anthony Kavanagh a has been singer who had his lime light once and has gone past his sell by date who gets verbally abusive when he drinks too much vodka. The Devil's juice Kav called it. But Perez was fantastic, when he attacked it was because he was provoked. When he said bad things about other house mates it was because they had said bad things about him. There are only two days left and one thing is for sure it will be somewhat stilted without Perez fooling about.Other complete bores are Michelle Visage, Keith Chegwin and Katie Price has also been a complete unevent. Perez's arch nemeis Katie Hopkins has the appeal of a Tory turd and again of little interest. In terms of winning I don't know but I can say, none of those left are worthy of winning they have no appeal. The real winner has unfortunately been booted, Perez mate you were brill. Thanks for your part in this show. Which should as we know, been called the Perez Show.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)