Eleven friends for a weekend of sun, surf, fun and sheer abject terror.
The tag line for a new hollywood slasher flick? No, its my weekend holiday experience.
My engineer friends and I went to a lovely quiet coastal town called Shoal Bay. Its within the Port Stephans area. This long weekend started hilariously with the car trip up. Five guys stuck in traffic and the rain on what became a 4 hour journey. Boredom quickly strikes when you are stuck in a car, but my particular group is funny to travel with.
So whilst we are driving along, we start hiring this regular thump. At first we ignored it, but then it became more insistent. It turned out that the windscreen wiper rubber blade was slowly but surely slipping off and striking the car as we kept driving along. So here we are going at 110km/h in pouring rain without a windscreen wiper. Its all good, we can SORTA see the car in front...
We made multiple stops and made attempts to fix it. We stuck a woodchip inside to block the blade. About 30seconds into the drive, it flew off. We had more success with a tiny stone, which as far as I know is still holding that blade.
We arrived in Shoal Bay around 7pm and then hung out with Nish, Dennis and Neha. For entertainment we hired Batman Begins/Coach Carter & The family man which we watched over the next few days. We waited for Sonia and co. to arrive at 1am. Of course instead of doing the smart thing as soon they came and sleeping, we played poker until 4:30am. This appears to be a common theme on all our holidays.
Day 2
So its overcast, and grey, but its NOT raining. Good enough for us, we decided to go and get some beach on! The good thing is, not many people were on the beach so we had all of it to ourselves. So us girls and guys got some beach cricket, beach volleyball and swimming in on a day where most people would have stayed inside and grumbled. I was tremendously of our group.
We even hired some kayaks and did crazy things in the bay. I've still got a cramp in my knee from holding three kayaks together with my thighs alone for the ultimate dragonboat AS well as operating rudder.
We had lunch at good old Aussie Bobs (a tradition after 5 trips). Speaking of tradition, I dropped by the old Golding house where Rosy and the remains of the Fishery were having their annual holiday as well. It was nice to see them and there was no animosity amongst us, which was great considering they didn't invite me. Bastards! :P
So you ask, James where is this sheer terror you speak of. It is coming.
We had a bbq for dinner. Whilst the idea of us cooking is scary, its not really that which is the problem. After we watched Coach Carter, we congregated in Nish's room and just had a chat whilst people were trying to sleep. For some unknown reason, we decided to talk about a movie. Wolf Creek.
I shall not elaborate here, but this movie was described in a disturbing manner by Jessie, who didn't waste time on the gore factor, but on the psychologically disturbing feel of this film. Needless to say the entire room was silent and disturbed after this and retired to bed soon after.
Around 3:20 AM, I woke to the sound of the most terrifying scream I've ever heard. I was shocked awake, then I heard cries for help, then someone yelling, "the lights are cut!". With no street lamps in the area, it was PITCH black in the room. With a combination of all these, and the unfamilarity of the room, I was effectively paralyzed until someone managed to get a light activated which bought some sense back to me. After a desperate scrabble to find my glasses, I ran out of the room to find the others also coming down in a state of terror. Jessie and Louis both claimed to hear footsteps just before the scream and we all heard the scream. Louis was the one yelling for help after the initial scream until someone switched the light on. We ran into the main living room and huddled together in this unfamilar house which had massive windows with few curtains, which lead us feeling exposed. We had no idea what happened and to this day still do not really know. Did someone have a really bad nightmare and scream out in their dreams? Was it inside the house, or was it outside. We called the cops, who never came, but eventually around 5am, from sheer exhaustion and fright we all crashed into bed. Most of us were petrified, so we bunked closer together instead of separate rooms where we could.
So it wasn't really the best way to spend the night, but outside of that, it was a enjoyable weekend.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The Receptionist Followup
So someone suggested doing a follow-up article to The Receptionist which I posted several months back, and I went, that's a great idea!
This is mainly because things have changed so much in that time. So for everyone who didn't catch the first part of the story, read the above link. This article is partly self-reflection, but its also to clear up a few misconceptions people have.
In order to keep things anonymous and so I don't need to keep typing The Receptionist lets name our receptionist Rachel.
Now despite my utter fear during the time of the first article, I managed the day after that article, to say hello and introduce myself, thus starting a long and odd friendship.
Rachel is a lovely girl, very bubbly, easy to get along with and surprisingly easy to hold a conversation with for someone who has no knowledge/interest in IT. She's attractive, but she doesn't flaunt it which is a huge plus point. (Okay that said, she could be flaunting and I might be just ignorant of it). Shes actually quite young at 20, so really a baby compared to the age of most of the people at our work. Shes got a boyfriend whose moved in with her. Hes a nice bloke, but my opinion of him took a massive nose dive when I realised he was a smoker and a real estate agent. (Bad experiences have made me realize Real estate agents are the scum of the universe.)
Shes on the way to the coke machine so I often get to talk to her. Its a silently (or in Mr R's case, not silently) accepted fact that the coke run is really a 'Chat with Kylie' run. I don't think anyone minds.
Contrary to popular opinion, I'm not really that attracted to her in that way. I like to make other people think I do, and sometimes I even try and convince myself I do like her in that way. But she simply just doesn't measure up to my ex, who despite her severe parental issues is still the most awesome girl in the world for me. That said, I really enjoy hanging around Rachel regularly because shes just got that awesome friendly vibe. She doesn't expect you to be witty, or intelligent, you can just be yourself. There is also something else... I think Sam de Brito's article's article on how to avoid a Princess said it best when he said
"Deep down, I think men are actually quite flattered when a princess chooses them because ... doesn't that make you a prince?"
So being friends with a Princess doesn't make you a prince, but hell at least you're a courtier or someone the Princess hangs with. Outside of the normal commoners. Shes also the only chick besides Katherine who I can talk non-work related issues with, so that's a big bonus. Shock! I do actually like talking femme things on occasion, as terribly gay as that sounds.
Rachel is a slight pain in the ass to get a lunch date with however, and I'm not entirely sure why. She often says for example, lets do Thursday and then shes like fully busy on that day. This could well be because shes busy, as shes often the only one holding down the fort. I'm also likely to believe its because she doesn't want to lead me on and give off the wrong signals. Which is admirable, because one should always be faithful to their partner. But its also hard to tell a chick that you're not interested in them without them bringing it up, since its effectively saying that you ARE interested in them, which leads me to quite a quandary.
Why do I keep asking if I keep getting turned down? Well a) shes not saying no, and b) well I'm annoyingly persistent. You know the saying about a dog with a bone...
This is mainly because things have changed so much in that time. So for everyone who didn't catch the first part of the story, read the above link. This article is partly self-reflection, but its also to clear up a few misconceptions people have.
In order to keep things anonymous and so I don't need to keep typing The Receptionist lets name our receptionist Rachel.
Now despite my utter fear during the time of the first article, I managed the day after that article, to say hello and introduce myself, thus starting a long and odd friendship.
Rachel is a lovely girl, very bubbly, easy to get along with and surprisingly easy to hold a conversation with for someone who has no knowledge/interest in IT. She's attractive, but she doesn't flaunt it which is a huge plus point. (Okay that said, she could be flaunting and I might be just ignorant of it). Shes actually quite young at 20, so really a baby compared to the age of most of the people at our work. Shes got a boyfriend whose moved in with her. Hes a nice bloke, but my opinion of him took a massive nose dive when I realised he was a smoker and a real estate agent. (Bad experiences have made me realize Real estate agents are the scum of the universe.)
Shes on the way to the coke machine so I often get to talk to her. Its a silently (or in Mr R's case, not silently) accepted fact that the coke run is really a 'Chat with Kylie' run. I don't think anyone minds.
Contrary to popular opinion, I'm not really that attracted to her in that way. I like to make other people think I do, and sometimes I even try and convince myself I do like her in that way. But she simply just doesn't measure up to my ex, who despite her severe parental issues is still the most awesome girl in the world for me. That said, I really enjoy hanging around Rachel regularly because shes just got that awesome friendly vibe. She doesn't expect you to be witty, or intelligent, you can just be yourself. There is also something else... I think Sam de Brito's article's article on how to avoid a Princess said it best when he said
"Deep down, I think men are actually quite flattered when a princess chooses them because ... doesn't that make you a prince?"
So being friends with a Princess doesn't make you a prince, but hell at least you're a courtier or someone the Princess hangs with. Outside of the normal commoners. Shes also the only chick besides Katherine who I can talk non-work related issues with, so that's a big bonus. Shock! I do actually like talking femme things on occasion, as terribly gay as that sounds.
Rachel is a slight pain in the ass to get a lunch date with however, and I'm not entirely sure why. She often says for example, lets do Thursday and then shes like fully busy on that day. This could well be because shes busy, as shes often the only one holding down the fort. I'm also likely to believe its because she doesn't want to lead me on and give off the wrong signals. Which is admirable, because one should always be faithful to their partner. But its also hard to tell a chick that you're not interested in them without them bringing it up, since its effectively saying that you ARE interested in them, which leads me to quite a quandary.
Why do I keep asking if I keep getting turned down? Well a) shes not saying no, and b) well I'm annoyingly persistent. You know the saying about a dog with a bone...
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Burning Out
I'll be speaking today about something thats close to my heart at the moment.
And before any of you smartasses say anything, no its not our resident darling receptionist.
Its about career burnout.
Its been my first year of work, and I think we've all felt it to some extent regardless of how long we've been working. Its that feeling you get when you just don't get anything out of going to work anymore. You can still feel ok at work and maybe even fine about going to work in the morning.
Doesn't mean you're not burnt out.
Okay just answer this honestly.
Have you felt in the last few months that your work is underappreciated and underpaid, that you're not getting to where you want to be, you question if you're better off somewhere else or that you just don't feel satisfied that you're getting what you want out of work anymore.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you're probably burning out.
And this is ok. Really it is. We're all prone to it, I don't think anyone is 'weak' because they are burning out. Its a byproduct of our society that we're all more likely then ever to burn out. We've got such high expectations of ourselves and our families/friends reckon we're able to do more then what we really can do.
I've read this fascinating article on burnout, and I'll summarize it a bit. There are so many misconceptions about burning out that its worth clearing them out. First and foremost, burnout is less about overwork and more about Expectation to Reward. If you have high expectations (like most high achievers out of university), you're almost guaranteed to burnout. Sometimes you get lucky and do something that rewards you, with promotions, money or gratitude, but most of the time you'll work your butt into the ground and at the end of it you'll go... thats it? Thats all I get?
And I think you need this shock to the system. Everyone of us do. For its at this point that the crucial decision happens. You do one of three things, 1) quit, 2) keep going unhappy or 3) re-prioritize your life. As obvious as it looks, no.3 is the way to go.
Corporations are really quite daft in a way. They like the idea of people who are committed to the job and where their work is the most important thing in their life. What they don't realise is, this is one the primary reason they either lose said individuals when they burn out, or get suddenly a far less effective worker. By working too hard, you can actually get poorer quality workers.
One of the other misconceptions is you can love your job and still burnout in the process. So never think, I'm in the wrong place because you don't like what you do anymore. Think about WHY you don't don't like your job anymore.
Most likely its because you're not feeling appreciated anymore, or the work has become too much of the same. You need to chat with your boss/coach and let them know whats going on with you. If you do and they don't do anything, you're probably in a company who doesn't care about you. This is a good time to start looking elsewhere. Not only are you getting out of dodge, but its a chance to find new challenges.
And before any of you smartasses say anything, no its not our resident darling receptionist.
Its about career burnout.
Its been my first year of work, and I think we've all felt it to some extent regardless of how long we've been working. Its that feeling you get when you just don't get anything out of going to work anymore. You can still feel ok at work and maybe even fine about going to work in the morning.
Doesn't mean you're not burnt out.
Okay just answer this honestly.
Have you felt in the last few months that your work is underappreciated and underpaid, that you're not getting to where you want to be, you question if you're better off somewhere else or that you just don't feel satisfied that you're getting what you want out of work anymore.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you're probably burning out.
And this is ok. Really it is. We're all prone to it, I don't think anyone is 'weak' because they are burning out. Its a byproduct of our society that we're all more likely then ever to burn out. We've got such high expectations of ourselves and our families/friends reckon we're able to do more then what we really can do.
I've read this fascinating article on burnout, and I'll summarize it a bit. There are so many misconceptions about burning out that its worth clearing them out. First and foremost, burnout is less about overwork and more about Expectation to Reward. If you have high expectations (like most high achievers out of university), you're almost guaranteed to burnout. Sometimes you get lucky and do something that rewards you, with promotions, money or gratitude, but most of the time you'll work your butt into the ground and at the end of it you'll go... thats it? Thats all I get?
And I think you need this shock to the system. Everyone of us do. For its at this point that the crucial decision happens. You do one of three things, 1) quit, 2) keep going unhappy or 3) re-prioritize your life. As obvious as it looks, no.3 is the way to go.
Corporations are really quite daft in a way. They like the idea of people who are committed to the job and where their work is the most important thing in their life. What they don't realise is, this is one the primary reason they either lose said individuals when they burn out, or get suddenly a far less effective worker. By working too hard, you can actually get poorer quality workers.
One of the other misconceptions is you can love your job and still burnout in the process. So never think, I'm in the wrong place because you don't like what you do anymore. Think about WHY you don't don't like your job anymore.
Most likely its because you're not feeling appreciated anymore, or the work has become too much of the same. You need to chat with your boss/coach and let them know whats going on with you. If you do and they don't do anything, you're probably in a company who doesn't care about you. This is a good time to start looking elsewhere. Not only are you getting out of dodge, but its a chance to find new challenges.
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