On the way to rock n roll....

Or maybe just to master the basic chords first....

Ushering in the Year of the Pig with

A feast....
Cranium with some dodgy antics from Bri and Dan...
A fashion show (in an attempt to promote the culture?)...

And more in line with tradition...dragon and lion dances...

One of many blessings....

I am blessed to have such supportive colleagues and bosses to shape my career. After a few months of unsettlement, I was honest assessing myself at the recent appraisal. I expected my Partner, whom I admire for her (exceptionally) high standards and fairness, to sigh with relief that I had brought up the flaws instead of her having to bring me back to reality. I was surprised (and rather reassured) when she actually offered excuses on my behalf. Perhaps stupidly, I was honest and told her I really shouldn't use those excuses. She suggested that it is ok for now but they would expect me to go back to maintaining high standards, especially being on the leadership programme (and apparently the normal 'meets high expectations' are not enough!).

Another Partner took time out at the end of a very late day to reassure me (news do travel fast) that I should sometimes just let things happen. That it's ok to relax for a bit, as long as it's not forever, instead of continuously reaching for the stars. That I really shouldn't try and project manage my life to the nth degree in the way I manage work. That I shouldn't review my life with the microscope in which I review work. Perhaps he is right. It is worse when you're in a trough to then realise how disappointed you are in yourself, thus making the situation even worse.

I'm glad I'm now out of the 'unsettlement' and stopped feeling disappointed in myself. The silver lining in this was knowing that there are people at the top who genuinely (or at least seem to) care. It is so encouraging. I don't think I can ask for more.

Project Managing One's Life

Am I glad I don't have to review my life in project mode. Well, I guess I could but that probably wouldn't make a happy review. If I had to map my life on a project plan, there would be so many red dots on the RAG status.

Some goals and ambitions are two years late due to personal choices. Instead of persisting with one of my goals, I chose to put it on hold to pursue a backup option. It was upsetting initially when the backup option became more of a reality however this option has been the best! It opened up so many opportunities. Introduced me to new prospects and great people. Ironically, whilst I may be late in delivering the main objective, I have been early in achieving milestones in the backup option. Looking back, I am glad for how things have turned out. And I know this can only be His doing.

My project plan would have been such a mess with ever-changing deliverables, milestones and stakeholders. I'm glad that He is my life project manager. I still look to achieve my goals and ambitions but there are other priorities. I now accept that some will not be achievable. But I look at the alternatives that would deliver so much more. Because I now know that it's not really my life project plan, but His plan for me. And it makes it all the more exciting knowing that this is in His hands and will be for His glory!

Mr Snowman 24 hours later

Still going strong with a fresh blanket of snow piling some on his hat and his nose falling off.

Ugly

People who attribute bad attitude solely to one's upbringing should read this book. Constance Briscoe recounts her childhood - one filled with physical and mental abuse by her mother. Every Christmas, she received the same two presents - her doll (which her mother took from her before Xmas) and a spinning top. She gratefully receives them. In her early teens, she took a part time job on Saturday, which when her mother found out, took to mean that she could afford to pay rent for staying in the house. And stopped providing her with food, gas and electricity. Soon, she was unable to support herself so took on two other jobs to supplement her income to allow her to eat (occasionally) and have sufficient gas and electricty to be able to do her homework. All this while she was still going to school full time. She was constantly beaten and pinched by her mother. Referred to as Ugly, Pissabed (because she wet her bed until she reached her teens and was no longer under the control of her mother) and made to feel guilty for being born in the first place, Constance lost her hair because of the stress and went through an operation to remove lumps from her breasts (when she was 12) which were initially thought to be cancer but turned out to be caused by her mother's pinching.

So did Constance sit back, lament on her pitiful upbringing and hold out her hand to get benefits? No. She was ambitious and studied hard at school so she can realise her dream to become a barrister. For most of her teenage years, she supported herself through her multiple jobs to pay rent, food and bills. She put herself through university, despite her mother's attempt to sabotage that by tearing up her grant form which led to a year's delay to enter university. But she did it by working the extra year to get enough money to declare herself self-sufficient on the grant form.

Constance showed that persistence, ambition, hope and hard work can bring success even in the toughest conditions. And who had the last laugh? It ain't her mother, that's for sure. Constance became one of the first female black judges in UK. How about that for success?

I love snow!!!!

Woke up this morning to a white surroundings! Lovely lovely lovely! And it continued snowing throughout the day! Only downside was having to be in work while watching the snow fall....

View from my wing mirror.

Enjoying a lunchtime snowball fight.

Mr Snowman.

Jo making a snow angel.

27th Bday

Pressies!