Showing posts with label learning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label learning. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Why would you TELL me that?
I was just checking the forecast when I noticed something:
Isn't that the most depressing stat?
Saturday, October 26, 2013
What's in a name - part 2
On the Saturday before our Malaysian wedding reception, all of Malcolm's aunts and uncles poured into the house to greet us, to eat, and to start the celebrations early. With Malcolm's mom being the eldest of eight siblings, and with many children and grandchildren running around already, there were a LOT of new faces to meet.
As they all arrived in a steady stream of bodies, I passed some helpful advice to Brodder that I'd learned myself the previous two times this had happened to me. It was a great survival tip and he appreciated it. Later, Like-a-boss-Lee asked Brodder if the evening had been overwhelming with all of that new family. He gave away the secret tip:
"Actually, once melody told me not to worry about the names and just to call everyone 'Auntie' or 'Uncle,' it was okay."
As they all arrived in a steady stream of bodies, I passed some helpful advice to Brodder that I'd learned myself the previous two times this had happened to me. It was a great survival tip and he appreciated it. Later, Like-a-boss-Lee asked Brodder if the evening had been overwhelming with all of that new family. He gave away the secret tip:
"Actually, once melody told me not to worry about the names and just to call everyone 'Auntie' or 'Uncle,' it was okay."
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
From A to B
I've a crazy stressful 2 days at work. I've been trying to do an internal launch of a new product that is joined to a contest to encourage employees to read and participate in this effort. Translations were running behind, programming wasn't working out, I was trying to source a contact list to populate my contest with in order to invite participants but it was going to take longer than expected to extract this list, then the testing would run long, but we really wanted to launch this week, but all of the main subject area experts were away and then somehow some VPs got involved and it was all just crashing down on me.
And then, Gillian.
She called me because she had had to field some questions on my behalf. She listened to my problem, she heard what I was trying to do, and then after gathering all of that information, she solved it for me as illustrated below:
Why didn't I think of that?
And then I took the solution back to my team and the response was the same: why didn't we think of that?
Today, I *heart* Gillian. Thank you for thinking of that.
...
Update - 4:30 pm
I shared my infographic with Gillian...she loved it. :)
And then, Gillian.
She called me because she had had to field some questions on my behalf. She listened to my problem, she heard what I was trying to do, and then after gathering all of that information, she solved it for me as illustrated below:
Why didn't I think of that?
And then I took the solution back to my team and the response was the same: why didn't we think of that?
Today, I *heart* Gillian. Thank you for thinking of that.
...
Update - 4:30 pm
I shared my infographic with Gillian...she loved it. :)
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Too much velocity-raptor
We have a chat/messenger program at work. The Intern used to send me the best gifs to accent some of our conversations and it was rare that I could find the right occasions to use them again in my chats with other colleagues. Today I found a "right" occasion.
I complained to my supervisor that I still wasn't receiving meeting invites and had not been invited to the quarterly department meeting again. She checked all of her settings, but couldn't figure why I wouldn't have received it. I figured out why shortly after and sent her an IM to tell her.
"Never mind - I WAS invited to the event on Monday - it helps when you check the right month."
And then I sent the "right" gif.
I love that Raptor.
I complained to my supervisor that I still wasn't receiving meeting invites and had not been invited to the quarterly department meeting again. She checked all of her settings, but couldn't figure why I wouldn't have received it. I figured out why shortly after and sent her an IM to tell her.
"Never mind - I WAS invited to the event on Monday - it helps when you check the right month."
And then I sent the "right" gif.
I love that Raptor.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Nerbs
At work last Friday and again this Friday, we got to discussing great nouns that have evolved (some officially, some unofficially) into verbs. There were some good ones. I've noticed that all of the ones off the top of my head evolved not just from nouns, but from proper nouns. Perhaps that indicates that if you do something and you do something well, "maybe they'll create a nerb after you." I think that beats a building.
The best:
to google: to perform a search [using a search engine] for something on the internet
e.g. I'll have to go home and google what a nerb is later when I get to my computer.
to tetris: to manipulate objects in a tight space, ensuring maximum efficiency of space usage
e.g. Man, we tetrised that stuff into the trunk really well - I can't believe it all fit!
to macgyver: to create an extremely useful object under pressure, using only the materials on hand at any given moment
e.g. I couldn't find a spoon, so I macgyvered one out of this cup and fork.
to frankenstein: to create one whole object out of the best parts of other different, yet similar objects
e.g. I finished writing the communication faster by frankensteining it out of previous memos.
to multimedia: to bombard another person [their inbox, or your chat window] with link after link of videos, songs, or other mediums of entertainment.
e.g. Heartbreak? Don't worry, I'll multimedia you back to life.
...
Update - September 28, 2012, 2:55pm
My supervisor was giving me advice on how the final draught of my document was probably going to look like after submitting it for review.
"They'll probably look at the different versions, frankenstein some from each, and then tetris it all together."
Love it. She's probably secretly been reading my blog. :)
The best:
to google: to perform a search [using a search engine] for something on the internet
e.g. I'll have to go home and google what a nerb is later when I get to my computer.
to tetris: to manipulate objects in a tight space, ensuring maximum efficiency of space usage
e.g. Man, we tetrised that stuff into the trunk really well - I can't believe it all fit!
to macgyver: to create an extremely useful object under pressure, using only the materials on hand at any given moment
e.g. I couldn't find a spoon, so I macgyvered one out of this cup and fork.
to frankenstein: to create one whole object out of the best parts of other different, yet similar objects
e.g. I finished writing the communication faster by frankensteining it out of previous memos.
to multimedia: to bombard another person [their inbox, or your chat window] with link after link of videos, songs, or other mediums of entertainment.
e.g. Heartbreak? Don't worry, I'll multimedia you back to life.
...
Update - September 28, 2012, 2:55pm
My supervisor was giving me advice on how the final draught of my document was probably going to look like after submitting it for review.
"They'll probably look at the different versions, frankenstein some from each, and then tetris it all together."
Love it. She's probably secretly been reading my blog. :)
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Sparing myself some change
I was feeling in a bit of a funk today so to distract myself, I thought I'd take the time to finally type out my travel posts that I meticulously recorded by hand while across the globe, but then one thing led to another and suddenly, I had a new blog layout. Welcome to my distraction.
What better way to deal with uncontrollable change than with some controllable change? I've saved a copy of the old layout, but for now, it's in with the new.
We had good times, didn't we?
What better way to deal with uncontrollable change than with some controllable change? I've saved a copy of the old layout, but for now, it's in with the new.
We had good times, didn't we?
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Internally uninitiated
I have a summer intern as my cubicle-mate. He’s excruciatingly young and the fact that he’s got SUCH a baby face look to him doesn’t help at all. While I have to give him credit for knowing his business stuff (and hip-hop/rap history, juxtaposedly enough) his lack of knowledge elsewhere just kills me, reminding me just how old mature I am, and how sheltered he is.
City Vocabulary
Having been raised and reared in the distant suburb of Vaughan, the Intern is not very familiar with Toronto streets, places, or pronunciations.
“Hey, Intern, where’s the Frank Ocean concert tonight?”
“Oh yeah, I’m so pumped! It’s at the ‘Cool Hoss.’”
“The what…where? You mean at ‘Kool Haus.’”
“No, it says it’s…”
“Trust me, Intern, it’s ‘Kool Haus.’”
“Oh.”
Later that same day, he also learned that he was meeting his friends on “Queen’s Quay,” not “Queen’s Kway.”
Life Vocabulary
Then, on Friday after the sign-up sheet was posted, Intern finally learned what those regular family gatherings for dinners were called by others.
“So, Intern, when your family gets together and everyone brings a dish to share, what do you call that?”
“A family dinner. I’ve never called it a ‘pot-luck’ before today.”
Poor boy.
Keyboard etymology
Finally, while making review comments on a document regarding formatting, Intern kept making notes to “delete the extra enters.” A few more comments later, I realized he meant to delete the extra “hard returns.” I called over the cube wall to verify with him that that was what he meant. He called back,
“What’s a hard return?”
Oh man.
City Vocabulary
Having been raised and reared in the distant suburb of Vaughan, the Intern is not very familiar with Toronto streets, places, or pronunciations.
“Hey, Intern, where’s the Frank Ocean concert tonight?”
“Oh yeah, I’m so pumped! It’s at the ‘Cool Hoss.’”
“The what…where? You mean at ‘Kool Haus.’”
“No, it says it’s…”
“Trust me, Intern, it’s ‘Kool Haus.’”
“Oh.”
Later that same day, he also learned that he was meeting his friends on “Queen’s Quay,” not “Queen’s Kway.”
Life Vocabulary
Then, on Friday after the sign-up sheet was posted, Intern finally learned what those regular family gatherings for dinners were called by others.
“So, Intern, when your family gets together and everyone brings a dish to share, what do you call that?”
“A family dinner. I’ve never called it a ‘pot-luck’ before today.”
Poor boy.
Keyboard etymology
Finally, while making review comments on a document regarding formatting, Intern kept making notes to “delete the extra enters.” A few more comments later, I realized he meant to delete the extra “hard returns.” I called over the cube wall to verify with him that that was what he meant. He called back,
“What’s a hard return?”
Oh man.
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
Quote of the moment
"Oh, she's a milk-first kind of girl."
--English Etiquette, during a meeting on how to drink tea properly
...
We had a marketing meeting last week where as one of the learning activities, we were taught a crash course on proper tea etiquette (which seguewayed seamlessly into a course on proper meeting etiquette). One of the notes that stuck out was that you were not supposed to add milk to your cup before pouring the tea into it first. To do so was considered to be a low-class sort of action, hence, the excellent snooty quote.
--English Etiquette, during a meeting on how to drink tea properly
...
We had a marketing meeting last week where as one of the learning activities, we were taught a crash course on proper tea etiquette (which seguewayed seamlessly into a course on proper meeting etiquette). One of the notes that stuck out was that you were not supposed to add milk to your cup before pouring the tea into it first. To do so was considered to be a low-class sort of action, hence, the excellent snooty quote.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Nailing it
It's a North American stereotype that nail salons are staffed by Asian manicurists/pedicurists, typically Korean or Vietnamese - and stereotype or not, they're good at what they do. With Vietnam on our itinerary, you can bet your ass I was going to get a mani/pedi straight from the source.
Now, for the uninitiated, North American standards for nail salons are as follows:
Hygiene:
NA is HUGE on this. All instruments involved in the process are sterilized before each use, if they're not brand new to begin with. Surfaces and sinks are disinfected between each client's use. Floors are constantly being swept and towels come freshly bleached and laundered from an unending supply as is mandatory.
The process:
Now, while this varies from salon to salon or spa to spa, the typical procedure usually begins with the hands/feet being soaked in tubs of warm water for some time. Then the hands/feet are washed and a quick application of moisturizer ensues which sometimes includes a hand/foot massage. Nails are clipped and shaped, dead skin/cuticles are removed, and polish is applied. You'd then go and sit for ten minutes with your nails under a dryer and voilà - there is your typical mani/pedi.
Needing a bit of de-stressing in Ho Chi Minh City, I figured a pedicure would not only be a perfect option, but it was my chance to put the Asian mani/pedi talent/stereotype to the test. While I left my selected salon with perfectly soft feet and prettily polished toes, it was a tale to tell in itself.
After pointing assertively at my choice of JUST a pedicure on their menu of services, I was directed to my seat in a row of other in-progress pedicure clients. It wasn't the giant massage chair with an attached foot spa in front, but it wasn't NA afterall - it was a back alley in HCMC. A moment later, my soaker tub appeared; it was a stainless steel mixing bowl (like the ones I use for making salads in), filled with lukewarm water. Okay, fine - hot water seemed to come at a premium in South East Asia, and what's a container? Mom soaked dad's feet in a plastic bucket at home - why judge?
When I'd been thoroughly soaked, my pedicurist came by and dried my feet with a towel that she tossed on the floor after. She started looking for something, and after not finding it, she picked up that same towel again and spread it over her lap to begin on my nails - I gathered she'd been looking for a new towel, but not finding one, just re-used my original one. Okay, fine - five second rule, right?
Feet dry and perched on the slightly used towel on her lap, it was time to get my nails clipped. But we didn't start right away - we were waiting for something. After watching my girl wait a while, chatting with her other salonist friends, it became apparent what we were waiting for. We were waiting for her friend two seats down to finish with the one set of nail clippers on another client before they could be slide down across the floor to be passed to my pedicurist to be used immediately on me, as was their process with the cuticle trimmers, nail files, heel files, and skin scrapers (which cost me extra, btw). Oooooookay, fine - it's not like I sterilize my stuff at home and I share it all with Malcolm or family anyway...
An (embarrassingly long) hour later, my feet were clean, my toenails clipped, and my heels were smooth again - after some extensive travelling in the wrong flipflops, I'd acquired myself some epically dirty, scaly, and cracked heels - it was gross. Then it was time for my foot massage. While the woman went at it vigorously enough, the only thing I could think of was how when she went to massage my calves, she rested my feet right up against her boobs - sometimes inadvertently (I hope) manoeuvring a toe inside her shirt as she massaged - as she rubbed me, I was rubbing her...I was mortified, while she didn't even seem to notice.
Polish (their home brand was no OPI by far) and I was finally good to go. Well, after she personally sat and fanned my nails dry in lieu of any electric dryers.
The prices?
50,000 VND for the pedicure (nail clipping)
50,000 VND for the heel scraping
20,000 for painting my nails
for a whopping total of 120,000 VND.
As I originally walked in for the 50,000 pedicure which turned out to not include all that I expected from a pedicure at home, I was ready to squawk. But then the conversion of VND to CAD in my head convinced me otherwise and I tipped my girl generously (I'd thought my feet would never be smooth again) and left.
For what I'd usually pay $35 for at home, I'd just paid $6. Sure I had to give up a few things (massage chair, hot water, sterilized/new equipment, all inclusive pricing, un-molesting massages, quality nail polish, electric dryers), but for $6, it was pretty damned worth it.
Now, for the uninitiated, North American standards for nail salons are as follows:
Hygiene:
NA is HUGE on this. All instruments involved in the process are sterilized before each use, if they're not brand new to begin with. Surfaces and sinks are disinfected between each client's use. Floors are constantly being swept and towels come freshly bleached and laundered from an unending supply as is mandatory.
The process:
Now, while this varies from salon to salon or spa to spa, the typical procedure usually begins with the hands/feet being soaked in tubs of warm water for some time. Then the hands/feet are washed and a quick application of moisturizer ensues which sometimes includes a hand/foot massage. Nails are clipped and shaped, dead skin/cuticles are removed, and polish is applied. You'd then go and sit for ten minutes with your nails under a dryer and voilà - there is your typical mani/pedi.
Needing a bit of de-stressing in Ho Chi Minh City, I figured a pedicure would not only be a perfect option, but it was my chance to put the Asian mani/pedi talent/stereotype to the test. While I left my selected salon with perfectly soft feet and prettily polished toes, it was a tale to tell in itself.
After pointing assertively at my choice of JUST a pedicure on their menu of services, I was directed to my seat in a row of other in-progress pedicure clients. It wasn't the giant massage chair with an attached foot spa in front, but it wasn't NA afterall - it was a back alley in HCMC. A moment later, my soaker tub appeared; it was a stainless steel mixing bowl (like the ones I use for making salads in), filled with lukewarm water. Okay, fine - hot water seemed to come at a premium in South East Asia, and what's a container? Mom soaked dad's feet in a plastic bucket at home - why judge?
When I'd been thoroughly soaked, my pedicurist came by and dried my feet with a towel that she tossed on the floor after. She started looking for something, and after not finding it, she picked up that same towel again and spread it over her lap to begin on my nails - I gathered she'd been looking for a new towel, but not finding one, just re-used my original one. Okay, fine - five second rule, right?
Feet dry and perched on the slightly used towel on her lap, it was time to get my nails clipped. But we didn't start right away - we were waiting for something. After watching my girl wait a while, chatting with her other salonist friends, it became apparent what we were waiting for. We were waiting for her friend two seats down to finish with the one set of nail clippers on another client before they could be slide down across the floor to be passed to my pedicurist to be used immediately on me, as was their process with the cuticle trimmers, nail files, heel files, and skin scrapers (which cost me extra, btw). Oooooookay, fine - it's not like I sterilize my stuff at home and I share it all with Malcolm or family anyway...
An (embarrassingly long) hour later, my feet were clean, my toenails clipped, and my heels were smooth again - after some extensive travelling in the wrong flipflops, I'd acquired myself some epically dirty, scaly, and cracked heels - it was gross. Then it was time for my foot massage. While the woman went at it vigorously enough, the only thing I could think of was how when she went to massage my calves, she rested my feet right up against her boobs - sometimes inadvertently (I hope) manoeuvring a toe inside her shirt as she massaged - as she rubbed me, I was rubbing her...I was mortified, while she didn't even seem to notice.
Polish (their home brand was no OPI by far) and I was finally good to go. Well, after she personally sat and fanned my nails dry in lieu of any electric dryers.
The prices?
50,000 VND for the pedicure (nail clipping)
50,000 VND for the heel scraping
20,000 for painting my nails
for a whopping total of 120,000 VND.
As I originally walked in for the 50,000 pedicure which turned out to not include all that I expected from a pedicure at home, I was ready to squawk. But then the conversion of VND to CAD in my head convinced me otherwise and I tipped my girl generously (I'd thought my feet would never be smooth again) and left.
For what I'd usually pay $35 for at home, I'd just paid $6. Sure I had to give up a few things (massage chair, hot water, sterilized/new equipment, all inclusive pricing, un-molesting massages, quality nail polish, electric dryers), but for $6, it was pretty damned worth it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)