This sums up how I’ve felt since I left school, and especially lately:
“Only when the last tree has died,
the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught,
will we realize that we can’t eat money.”
– Cree proverb
And my input: does nobody else think it is sick, morally unjust and hypocritical of todays so-called “advanced” “civilised” and “democratic” society, full of so-called “free-speech” and “choices”, that we as human’s don’t have the basic option to choose to live our lives without money? To live our lives fully and as we want to, without the bullshit propoganda of so-called “success” in working 9-5 every day for 45 years of your fucking life. 45 years, that’s if you’re lucky! Let’s generously assume that the average man working a 9-5 job is earning £32k a year, with 28 days of holiday, an hour for lunch every day and weekends off. £8-9k of that will be spent on income tax alone, let alone bills, transport costs, maintenance, gifts, items for yourself, VAT tax on mostly everything at 15-17.5%. You’re waking up at 7 or 8 every day, driving your car to work, getting stressed after 7 hours of work, coming home at 5:30-6, cooking your food and eating it, by which point it’s at least 7PM, now you finally have about 3 hours to do what you want with your life, before you must finish up for the night, make sure everything is right, and go to bed, ready to continue the cycle. Three hours a day. You’re being taxed nearly half your wage, you’ve got bills coming out of your ass, and you’re spending the rest of your money on other people or shit you don’t really need (that has its own tax associated with it). You’re working 140 hours a month and maybe 60 of those, if not more, are for nothing. You’re working for fuck all, you’re working those hours for absolutely fuck all as far as you are concerned. You’ve got just 3 hours a day to yourself and 60 or more hours of your month are wasted on an in-denial, oppressive government system. Money is a corrupt system, why can’t I just have the right to choose and live life my own way? Why isn’t it a viable option to simply live without money? The people who would want to do this would, for the most part, have the right idea and mindset to make it work, so why is it not seen as a legitimate lifestyle? Sure, people do it, but it’s only a hardcore few who go against the grain, not a solid choice in life that everyone gets, of “Yes, I’ll live soullessly for money to buy inanimate objects” or “No, I’ll live for something money can’t buy: my life, youth and happiness. Because once they are gone, I can’t get them back. I can’t afford to waste a moment.”. It’s a rhetorical question of course; I know the answer. It’s money. Greed. The desire for power. The problem is money, and somewhat fittingly, it causes people to force the lifestyle of hollow need for money on others.
Current Weight: 287.5
Short term goal: 258.8
Target: 165
… yes that is a long way to go, but as the saying says “the longest journey starts with one step” You know… now that I type that, that is kind of a funny quote. Of course the longest journey starts with one step, every journey starts with a step (or tail switch or wing flap for our swimmers and flyers)… this is like the advice that you’ll find what you’re looking for in the last place… you always do, because you stop looking… at least I assume you stop looking… maybe you have multiple items you are looking for, so the search continues… however at that point, isn’t it a new search??
Regardless, this seems as good of a time as any to try a weight loss regiment again…. the most appropriate reason is I’m working on cooking more… if I’m going to learn new cooking skills and recipes, I might as well learn healthy ones to eat. Also, since I’ll be cooking more, thats less eating out, less difficulty measuring portions, and less temptation to splurge. If I have to cook most of my food, that means everything requires effort, and if I get used to that, I think it’ll help me with portion control, because I’ll want me cooking effort to last as long as possible…
It also just seems like now is a good time for changes in general… most things are pretty stable… or I have recovery options. I switched positions at my job twice this year which meant there was a lot of change… but i’ve been in the current position for about 6 months now, so I think the rate of ‘organizational’ change is decreasing… I’m hoping to do some change of my own but I think I’m past the worst of new-in-the-job overwhelmedness…. or maybe thats the holiday restfulness talking. No relationship changes in the upcoming future, so that helps too… the last time I was on a good weight loss grove, it seemed to shake up around the same time I moved in with husband.
So, now that I think the world is done changing on me, its time for me to change myself… or maybe even the world too?
“Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown” well this idiom holds true in the current world also. Jobs of executives are with the work load of a king. The executives have to deal with various administrative issues with a cool head and lots of patience. So if you are willing to apply for managerial jobs then here are some tips for you when you appear for interview.
Generally, when the interviews are for the manager posts a panel of interviewers conducts the interview. This is the cliché of these interviews, here you are expected to be calm and answer the questions as though you are answering only one. Here you have to make sure that the answers are directed to each person present on the panel. Be enthusiastic, and answer the questions with energy. There are chances that questions could be repetitive. If this happens, then remember that possibly they have not heard your answer. This could also mean that they want to check your ability to stick to your principles. The panel is also testing your ability to handle pressure. You could be asked questions that deal with real-life situation. Answer such questions with grace and calm attitude. Avoid getting provoked. (some events are known that the panel maintains silence, avoid fidgeting if this happens to you)
Mostly these interviews last for a day or so. The panel that evaluates you could be of managers from unrelated departments or co-workers or supervisors. Depending on the domain of the company or the department you are applying for (especially in training fields) chances are that you could be asked to address class or deliver a presentation. This is not to be taken casually. This could be one way of evaluating you. At times lunches are also a part of the event. Remember to be very formal during this. Follow the lead of the panel. If discussions happen at such lunches remember to keep it formal (unless the panel starts on an informal topic). At times if you are interrupted by someone then don’t take it as an insult, complete your statements later.
Interviews often include a group discussion or a brainstorming session. During this session the interviewer is mostly an audience. Here they evaluate your skills to connect with a group. Pick up signs of the closure of your interview. At times the interviewer may thank you for your time and leave. Remember to keep up your spirit and end the interview from your side with the enthusiasm as you had begun it. Now that you are familiar with the tact to appear for the interviews, all you have to do is appear for some.
To search for jobs in the executive grade log on to Save My System for your job search. We at Save My system also offer services in Web designs and SEO services.
To be a successful writer and get noticed, being good often isn’t good enough. You have to shine. You have to have something that puts you above all others. Of course though, nobody is perfect. Everyone has faults and flaws. But everyone has talents and abilities too. What’s your talent?
Find your talent and focus on it. Develop it. Showcase it in your writing so it really shines through. Remember, one thing that stands out is far easier to notice than ten things that are good, but not great. Make sure your best skill stands out.
Stacey’s Story: Start With Something Special
I had my breakthrough while taking a break from writing. I was watching the movie Bring it On and decided to watch the bonus features. One of them was an interview with the director and he talked about how the screenplay got noticed because it opened with the cheer song. That stood out, that got their attention, that made them want to read the rest. I decided to take the same approach. I took chances with the start. I started with a letter, a poem, a snippet from a diary. It must have made the difference because with that one change, a manuscript that had been rejected 14 times got purchased. –Stacey, Novelist
Carmen’s Story: Use Your Strengths
I was told by my teachers and by readers that my dialogue was really strong. So I decided to stop hiding it away and I put it right out front. I made the first chapter of my novel almost all dialogue. It got the attention of an agent, who has since told me that the individuality of the first chapter told him that he had found a new writer with a clear sense of style. He took me on and is now trying to sell that sense of style to publishers. Even better for me, he’s not just trying to sell my first book, he’s trying to sell me as the next new thing, a young writer to look out for! –Carmen, Novelist
Editor Says: “Forget Modesty”
Writing is not a business where you can afford to be modest. You have to get in there and show what you’ve got. Whatever you do better than everyone else, show it off. Build your work around your best skill. Otherwise, you’re going to be lumped in with the rest of the writers that are good, but don’t stand out. –James, Editor
Editor Says: “I’m Looking for One Thing”
Many writers make the mistake of trying to show me everything they do well. Forget it. I’m glancing at hundreds of manuscripts a day. To catch my attention, you have to hit me between the eyes with one strong point that I can’t not notice. There will be time later to show me your other strengths. For the first contact, focus on making one clear point about yourself and make it a good one.
–Darryn, Editor
Susan’s Story: Is it Really a Flaw?
In the early days of Susan’s career, everyone advised her that she relied on dialogue too much. So she cut out the dialogue. She kept writing but found her work lacked energy. Years later, she decided to ignore all the advice. The novel came naturally to her and it was almost all dialogue. The book reviews praised her unique style and voice. Susan learned her lesson—never suppress what comes naturally to you. Remember, what comes naturally to you might be your greatest gift, not your greatest flaw.
Top Six Ways to Find Your Strength
1. Ask other people what stands out about your work.
2. Read some of your best work and make a list of what makes it good.
3. Read through the contents of a book about writing and ask yourself if there is an area you are good at.
4. Think about what other people have said about your work. Are there any comments that keep being repeated?
5. Ask yourself what you care about when you write.
6. What do you like about other people’s work? Often the things you notice in other people’s work are also the things that you are good at.
New Years is a holiday with a heck-of-a lot of hype. All these incredible expectations for new beginnings, a take-your-breath-away kiss when the clock ticks twelve, the strength to not eat chocolate for a year. Puh-leeze. No pressure of that sort should be on one day. habits take 21 days to break/build I hear and I doubt that the dropping a sparkly ball is the magic potion to allow you to now achieve your dreams. Am I New Years scrooge? No way. I just think that this holiday is an excuse to vow with false hope all the things you didn’t have strength to do in the previous year. How about, instead of crashing on January 13th with unfulfilled resolutions…we take the time to acknowledge all the great happenings in the year and then gain an appreciation for the future year and all the possibilities that are within reach.
Im not preaching. I just don’t really think I’ve ever met someone whose life has been changed by wishing upon a ball in Times Square. The ball drops. You drop the ball. Resolutions die. I was pondering what I wanted to accomplish in the year of twenty-ten and where I wanted to be this time next year when it hit me…I think it is far more appropriate to point out all the incredible things that happened to me in 2009. It has been one of the best years of my life (strong statement, but I totally believe it) and it would be a shame to only focus on the days to come without giving thanks for the days behind me.
A list will do it. How about 9 things I want to remember/give thanks/take with me into 2010.
{ and how bout some of my favorite photos from 2009 }
February. The month of my birth. I had a stand-out birthday celebration at the crazy can-can down in the underground of Pike Place Market. Although it was a fantastic birthday, that’s not where my arrow is pointing. I spent it with 14 girls. I have absolutely been blessed with incredible women in my life. Great friends and a set of extended sisters that make me a better person. I love them and they will join me in 2010, even if some have moved away.
May. A trip to the hot-lands. I flew down to meet up with my family in Arizona. They relocated to another land. A land of cactuses and blistering hot asphalt. It’s not the pool-side relaxation that made this a favorite but the fact that when seeing your family becomes sparse…the moments become far more precious. Time with family is a favorite, despite any sarcastic comment I make about Spokane or leaving Seattle.
June. I hung out at Safeco Field for a few hours wearing a gown. This is also known as my graduation celebration from Seattle Pacific University. I completed my education, although I have not stopped taking in life lessons and learning my strengths and skills since then and arguably a far better experience than any I know. 4 years there gave me so much. For that I will always be grateful.
June. a pretty memorable trip to the Seattle Aquarium. my sister took off malachi’s sweatshirt and it said, “Finally, I’m a big brother.” Meaning, she was with child. A pretty good graduation surpsise. Better her, than me. (: She is due in February (my month!)…I showed her on HERE a few days ago.
July-August. Aside from the fact that I was living at work. I had a fantastic care-free, no homework, slurpie sippin summer and spent time under the sun. First summer of true freedom, meeting new friends, and spending plenty of time with the girls. Loved it.
August – 29th. I was given – on lend – my first Digital SLR Canon camera. Oh how I didn’t even know that this lend would change my career. Future. Passion. A great gift. One I wont forget.
September. The month that LITERALLY changed my life. A month alone. abroad. awake in my senses and ability to see new beauty. I embraced friends I never thought I would see again in a land I never thought I would get to. Sweden. I sat with new friends, champagne, and no worries under a sparkling Eiffel Tower. Seriously a scene people dream of. Unforgettable. I walked city streets that you see in movies. I learned how to invest in people, take-in the unplanned routed spontaneity each day brought, and was refreshed, renewed and rejuvenated. Sounds all-together incredible, and it was. I will always hold this trip close to my heart and as one of my favorite memories.
October 2nd to be exact. I sent out this tweet: “ i CANNOT believe @QuinnPina is ENGAGED! …and I’m all the way in London. I need someone to celebrate & scream with! “That’s right, my first girlfriend, sister, best friend got engaged. A very memorable moment as I read her note to me while on a London couch. And also a memorable engagement shoot HERE.
November 20th. A month I came to the stark realization that my career was definitely in photography. I posted THIS POST that was more a diary entry than a blog write-up and since then hundreds of people have read my the confessions…so i better live up to em. In that very fact, I am completely blown away and blessed by what this blog has brought to me. I had no idea that 6 months ago when I created it, that it would bring so much encouragement, random emails, messages and words of affirmation, future business, and become a sounding board for me to release thoughts, passion….and then somehow inspiring some others to go after their dream career, goals, and see the beauty in everyday things. Sounds like a silly thing – ita a blog – a virtual diary, but really…it has been a big blessing in 2009. Since June, 14,000 people have flipped through this site…which is crazy but keeps me writing and coming up with new things to talk about. please, i never want to become stale.
All of these rolled into one pretty much sums up my most prized lesson learned from 2009…the biggest blessings have come from an absolute unexpected place. And that goes for far more than what I have seen through my lens. Relationships. Meetings. Jobs opportunities. 2009 has been absolutely a life-changing year. I couldn’t be more excited for the year of 2010.
And that’s not in reference to Emma Butt last time I worked!
In fact, she could have come closer and I never would have complained. We had great fun together doing a bukkake shoot to start the night. Then she did something I don’t think has ever been done before with a Mars bar. I doubt it’ll ever be done again. She left us speechless… (except for a ‘thank God he wasn’t diabetic!’)
But what is too close for comfort is my pics on the club website being un-blurred for this month. Not least because my fiance’s dad has already looked at the site once lately, and may just pop back to have a look again. I am sure they will say, ‘well, now you’ve got movies online, what’s the problem?’
But the problem is I showed a group of people at a party this week the movie and half of them wouldn’t believe that it really was me who was that porn star there… where as photos on a club website with dates that coincide with the dates I have to find excuse after excuse to be away from home for really won’t help. Especially because the club locates me to exactly the city I tell my parents I’m off out clubbing with friends in.
So I’ve texted the managers asking them to act asap to go back to the blurred pics. But at the rate that the website gets updated, I now have quite a few days to worry about. Not good.
[Update]
The owner has just texted me very apologetically saying that he’ll sort it asap. I know what his ‘asap’ is like, but it’s better than nothing.
There are some who say I should write my life’s story. I have funny and strange incidents to be sure, but I’m not certain everyone would be interested in them. My life is really pretty average, with bumps of craziness. Perhaps if I can keep my promise of blogging every day this year, I might just have a basis upon which to build.
Having already missed the New Year’s Day blog entry, I’m already behind.
So, here’s what’s up for the year. These are not resolutions per se. Resolutions are a joke. They are promises we make to ourselves that every knows can – even should – be broken. No, my goals for the year are set in stone. I must not get to 2011 without achieving them.
They are as follows:
1) Get Sonny into a decent high school. My daughters have already sullied the family name at the neighborhood high school. Examples include:
A) Winter 2006: Grace, having received the supporting lead in the school musical as a freshman, decides she should have been Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” and decides to start a MySpace page called “Freshman Against Channtelle,” the senior who did get the lead. It is my first encounter with the school Vice Principal, whose many subsequent calls on a variety of issues lead me to use caller ID to simply pick up the phone and say “Hi Jim. Who did what now and how many days suspension will it be?” Grace is forced to apologize to the cast, and specifically to Channtelle, and is allowed to play the role of the Wicked Witch. In hindsight, it is considered typecasting.
B) Fall 2007: Faith, now a freshman, and Grace, now a junior, get into a fist fight – with each other! Five days suspension are levied as punishment. It doesn’t help.
C) Later Fall 2007 through June 2009: Faith is bullied mercilessly – including being told on Facebook that she should “…just go and kill herself…” – lashes out physically. In one instance, when told her father (my husband – yup – an intact family – barely) is coming to pick her up after being suspended, she yells about an incident a year earlier where he uses her as a mop to clean up spilled milk. Child family services become involved, but Fred is exonerated. I, thankfully, was never accused! The torment ends with Faith clocking a student with a lacrosse stick in gym class. She is whisked off to a local mental institution and spends a week in-patient, five weeks out patient, getting her anger under control.
D) Jan. 2008: One of Faith’s tormenters dies of natural causes (an undetected heart issue), and Faith faces guilt along with additional tormenting from the dead girls friends, who believe Faith put a curse on them. The school is contacted, but is, as usual, useless.
Okay, you get the picture. No local high school for Sonny.
2) Finish my graduate degree. Seems like an easy one, since I have only two courses to go. Unfortunately, one of those courses is a capstone project that needs to be completed by May and it isn’t started.
3) Find a new job. Don’t get me wrong – I love my job. But the term ends on December 31, 2010, and I need to find something sooner. Something in the six-figure range would be ideal!
4) Keep Faith on-track. Now a junior (we think), Faith is at a school for emotionally disabled (call it what it is folks – emotionally disturbed!) kids. She is even having trouble there!
5) Get a divorce. Admittedly, this is more of a resolution, as I say it every year, and yet I’m still married to my first husband. Going on 20 years, he doesn’t smoke or do drugs. He doesn’t drink to excess and brings home a decent paycheck on a regular basis. He also doesn’t believe people should have feelings other than anger, and that there is no need for sex at our advanced ages. At 47 (next Wednesday), I happen to disagree. Marriage counseling enters its fifth year shortly.
