This is it. I've got to learn how to update my blog more frequently. It just feels like I've got more of a life now, hence the lack of updates. Either that, or I'm just too busy farming on farmville.
Yes I admit it, I am an avid player. I love farmville. haha!
That aside,
nothing much's been going on. Just working....packing hampers. As auntie as it sounds, it's actually quite enjoyable to a certain degree. It's exactly what I need right now, seeing as how it's a temp job and I need the money for my yearly trip to my second favourite place in the world. Australia!
Seeing as how I lived in Perth for 5 years and never ventured to the other states, I have decided to make it a point this year, to travel to Sydney as well. So hopefully, I will have packed enough hampers to pay for my trip. it's sad and exciting living from pay cheque to pay cheque. Risky business but somebody's gotta do it.
Ok so I know nobody has to do it, but it does make me feel better by viewing myself as the self sacrifical martyr. Haha!
Other than this hamper packing business, I have no idea what to do once I'm back from Australia. I have been applying for jobs religiously, but nothing is happening. No replies, no interviews, no offers. And on top of that, my wallet that I bought with my first pay ever, has decided to pop. Like literally, I have no wallet to put my non-existant money in. BRILLIANT!
And just when I think that my life really sucks, my iPhone reminds me that all is well. That when you walk along the streets of London, you can no longer say that you're lonely.
It's a play on songs people! Get with the programme!
♥;
Monday, November 23, 2009
1:38 AM
come january 1st 2010, i will be officially unemployed. my boss has decided to pack up and resettle in the wonderful land of new zealand, where sheep outnumber people. yippee for him. and him leaving has coincidentally coincided with my quarter life crisis. brilliant ain't it? absolutely brilliant.
FML.
♥;
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
3:45 AM
yours truly has had an epiphany. she has suddenly discovered a love for writing. so recently, she was approached by a friend to free-lance for a magazine, and so she accepted. her first article was to be about how to give a good presentation.
here it is:
There comes a point in all our lives where we have to face the dreaded P’s. PRESENTATIONS! I remember the day I lost my presentation virginity. It is true when they say you never forget your first time. It was awkward. Enough said.
Hundreds of presentations later, I proudly proclaim that I am THE guru of presentations. Microsoft power point and I are on a first name basis. Yes, we are that tight. Believe me, this relationship I have with Mr. Power point can be experienced by anybody, as long as they master the basic skills required in giving an excellent and engaging presentation.
I have sat through my fair share of soporific presentations. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have to literally stuff toothpicks under my eyelids to keep them open.
First and foremost, making your presentation slides. I cannot emphasize enough the need to make brief points. You are only required to give a brief outline of whatever you are presenting. So I beg you, please do not overwhelm your audience with an overload of information by copying and pasting the entire text. There is something called paraphrasing and dot points. Use it!
In addition to making these points brief, ensure that the slides are structured. Just imagine the human body or any body for that matter, whatever floats your boat, it all begins with the head, body and ends with the feet. Same idea applies to your presentation, introduction, body and conclusion. When deciding what background you should use for your slides, be practical. Choose one that displays your work clearly and one that does not make your audience feel like they are staring at some psychedelic poster art.
Once you are done with the preparation of your slideshow, rehearse it. Just because you prepared it, does not mean that you will ace it when presenting it verbally. Now is not the time to be cocky. Come back down to earth and do what normal, hardworking people do. Rehearse. I know it sounds almost impossible, but if I being the biggest procrastinator in the world am able to find the will to overcome my laziness, I am pretty sure you will have the courage to do so too. You just have to look deep within you. That courage is there.
While rehearsing for your presentation, it would really help if you could convince someone who loves you enough to sit through this practice session. It should preferably be someone who has little or no knowledge in the field that you are presenting. Once you are done, get feedback. If they looked dazed and confused and had absolutely no idea what you were talking about, review your presentation and simplify it. If this does not help in their understanding of the subject, then I suggest you get someone who is not a dimwit.
The whole idea is to engage your audience. This window of opportunity is only open for the first 30-45 seconds. The minute you begin your presentation, start it with such a bang that your audience immediately snaps into attention and is enthralled by you. So do not dawdle. Sometimes it pays to be quick. This is one of those times. But for all the men out there, please do not quote me when you are quick at other things that you should not be quick at.
Ensure that you give a thorough verbal explanation of the brief points. However, keep in mind that when explaining these points, the speaker should have a steady flow of eye contact with the audience. I have sat through presentations where the speaker spent the entire 20 minutes staring up at the screen, with her back facing the audience and reading WORD for WORD off the slideshow. It was mind-numbingly dull and impersonal. Look at the person you are giving the presentation to. It shows respect and confidence.
Another thing that annoys me is what I previously mentioned, when people read word for word. This is not story telling for children. We are not illiterate, we know how to read. What you need to do is to engage the audience. Give them examples that are not on the slide. If you are presenting a slideshow based on an article, refrain from exposing everything said in the article. Expand on the brief points by quoting and explaining all relevant materials in the article.
When I say expand, I mean speak at a speed that can be understood by the human race. Here is where the Goldilocks theory comes into play. It is called, JUST NICE! Do not prattle on like you are a victim of verbal diarrhoea. And refrain from speaking so slowly that your audience can go out and grab a cup of coffee, come back and you are still in between words. Calm down and articulate.
Giving a presentation is like your 15 minutes of fame. It is a performance. You need to convince your audience that you know what you are talking about, even if you do not. Use words and body language that will engage your audience. Pull them in and make them trust you. Steer them in the direction you want to go. Take the upper hand! Be in control.
I am guilty of acting my way through a presentation. I have walked out of a meeting room after giving a presentation with people praising me and saying, “Wow! You really knew what you were talking about!” I did not. As long as your have a respectable amount of knowledge in the field of your presentation, you can act your way to the status of an expert.
Last but not least, for those who suffer from stage fright, picture your audience in their underwear. Think granny panties and yam coloured underwear with compromised elastic. However, this will not bode well if your audience are children. Unfortunately, if the underwear scenario is not doing anything to calm your nerves, remember that each one of your audiences has had awkward presentation moments. They may not even know that you are nervous and screaming madly for peace in your head. Be aplomb. Act like your life depended on winning that Golden Globe.
♥;
Sunday, November 15, 2009
6:15 AM
a really momentous event happened on the 14th of November at approximatly 2345hrs, i beat my boy at an arcade game. and not just any arcade game, the dragon ball arcade game. the one with the joysticks and numerous buttons that only work to confuse me. yes, i did. i whipped him out of the water. i bamboozled him. i am THE champion.
please don't get me wrong. i am not gloating. i am just basking in the glory that is mine. i won not just one game. i won.....wait for it......4 out of 6 games! and how you might ask did he beat me at the two games thereby leaving me angry and frustrated that i did not hit the lucky 6 streak. that cheater bug stole my technique and used it against me. although this does come to show that i am not entirely the master of my own technique, it does prove that my techniques are (pardon my french) kick ass.
i am hereby announcing that i am going to write an epic poem out of this win and his defeat. i am going to enjoy this. i am going to reign supreme in the dragon ball arcade game world against my boy. so fear me people, fear me. for in this dragon ball arcade game world, i am soon to be, unbeatable.
♥;
Saturday, October 10, 2009
12:15 AM
so i haven't updated my blog in 120902 years.
a lot has happened since my whimsical adventures in the land down under.
i'm probably just updating this right, so i don't go crazy from all various emotions bouncing around my body, mind and soul.
i went to watch (500) days of summer, and let's just say, i believe someone has been spying on my life and made a whole lot of profit by making it into a film. hi, i'm tom.
btw, i also went to see a palm reader a week ago. he was freakishly accurate. on top of all the other accurate things he said, he proclaimed, "your love life sucks." so true uncle, so true.
also, i am having a 1/4 life crisis. i need a change in occupation. i am not happy in research.
