mja blog

Author: Melissa

  • Housework haiku

    I think I have just found my philosophy on housekeeping!

    I don’t do windows because …
    I love birds
    and don’t want one to run into a clean window
    and get hurt.

    I don’t wax floors because …
    I am terrified a guest
    will slip and get hurt
    then I’ll feel terrible
    (plus they may sue me.)

    I don’t mind the dust bunnies because …
    They are very good company,
    I have named most of them,
    and they agree with everything I say.

    I don’t disturb cobwebs because …
    I want every creature
    to have a home of their own.

    I don’t Spring Clean because …
    I love all the seasons
    and don’t want the others
    to get jealous
    and get hurt.

    I don’t pull weeds …
    in the garden because
    I don’t want to get
    in God’s way,
    He is an excellent designer!

    I don’t put things away because …
    My husband
    will never be able
    to find them again.

    I don’t do gourmet meals
    when I entertain because
    I don’t want my guests
    to stress out over what
    to make when
    they invite me
    over for dinner.

    I don’t iron because
    I choose to believe them
    when they say “Permanent Press”.

    I don’t stress much on anything because
    “A Type” personalities
    die young
    and I want to stick around
    and become a wrinkled up crusty ol’ woman!!!!

    From www.allforwomen.com.au

    Household tasks are easier and quicker when they are done by somebody else. – James Thorpe

  • Positive Thinking

    Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.

    – Pope John XXIII

  • Search results by gender, age

    I was checking out Ansearch.com.au today, it used to be one of the bigger search sites in Australia but like many others is now hidden in the gigantic shadow cast by Google. It was several years since I’d last been there, I was quite surprised at the transformation of the site – from complex portal to Google simplicity. Then I noticed some rather different options next to the search box – you can select gender and age range. What the?!

    So apparently it is to help you locate results which are more relevant to you. It is an interesting way to go about it. Some of the examples given by the site include:

    • A 19 year old male purchasing a car for the first time may focus on plasma lights, speakers and Nitro Boost whereas a professional female in her 30s is likely to consider decent boot space, heated seats and leather interior;
    • Young girls under the age of 17 will be more interested in locating music performed by Britney Spears than Frank Sinatra which would be of more interest to females over 55 years;
    • Holiday locations and preferences will differ between the 18-24 and 35-44 age group;
    • ‘Education’ will vary in meaning between youths accessing primary school websites and adults with a desire to further their education.

    I suppose it is sensible, but it is very consumer focussed and I wonder if it is really all that useful. I mean wouldn’t people who were looking for Britney Spears music just type the singers name?

  • City Homicide

    This new Aussie drama series on channel 7 features an experienced cast of Australian actors including Noni Hazlehurst, Shane Bourne, Nadine Garner and Aaron Pederson. And it looks like there will be a further array of familiar faces trotted out for guest appearances in upcoming episodes.

    The first story was a little bit out there – a rogue cop, a crazed but devious psychiatrist and innocent children burnt alive in deliberately lit house fires. In one scene the detectives are investigating the vacated flat of a suspect, the landlady comments on the smell caused by ‘damp’ – next thing a very damp and rotting corpse falls out of the ceiling. It was like something out of a B grade horror movie.

    At headquarters the storyline is a little more sophisticated, with the power play of office politics. Nadine Garner has an interesting role as a smart female detective having to work harder to prove herself so she is not forever relegated to the coffee pot.

    Lets hope the storylines get better, and perhaps City Homicide will join the list of classic Australian police drama – Homicide, Division Four, Matlock Police, Cop Shop, and Blue Heelers.

  • Drawspace A07 – Viewfinder frame

    What is a viewfinder frame? it is an adjustable see-through frame which allows you to examine a potential drawing subject from different viewpoints. It helps you compose your drawing by removing distracting clutter from view. It reminded me of filmmaker characters I’ve seen on TV, who use a “finger frame” (thumb and forefinger on each hand joined into a rectangle) to picture a scene from different angles.

    Composition is an important element of drawing – it is the arrangement of various facets of your subject within the drawing space. A strong composition brings the attention of the viewer to what you consider to be the most important elements in your drawing. You can see how an adjustable viewfinder frame would be useful in helping you determine what makes a strong composition.

    The process is very simple – cut two identical L-shaped cardboard pieces and join with paperclips to create a square or rectangular frame. Small frames are ideal for drawing from photographs, while larger frames are generally used for drawing subjects from life.

    In this exercise Brenda draws from a photograph, and demonstrates how she uses a frame to help compose the subject, and a grid to help her keep track of where she is working as she draws. She also reduces some of the shading values in her drawing to lessen the distraction from the focal point in her drawing (in this case, a child’s face).

    I shall see if I can find a suitable photo and have a go at this myself.

    Next lesson is B01 – Positive and Negative Spaces
    http://www.drawspace.com/lessons/lesson.php?id=b01

    Jo and I are doing this online drawing course together. It is located at Drawspace.com and produced from lessons created by Brenda Hoddinott.

  • My journey with Salesforce

    Ok well it all started a few weeks ago when I found the job ad on Seek.com.au. I put in an application not expecting much really. I got an email the next day inviting me to sit an online skills assessment test. I was told that I’d passed, and to expect a phone call.

    Couple of days later, this nice guy Rod called and asked me some questions – my background, why I wanted to do this kind of work, that sort of thing. He said I’d be getting another call.

    The following week Rebecca called, she told me more about the job, who I’d be working for and asked pretty much the same questions Rod had asked. She said I’d be getting an email with further instructions.

    Didn’t hear anything for about a week, then got a text message on my mobile – to get my work contract faxed down to their office by close of business that day. Slight hitch – I hadn’t received any contract! Had no luck getting hold of anyone, left messages but didn’t hear anything so gave up and put it down to bad luck.

    Then a few days ago I got another call from Rebecca, asking if I was still interested in the job. Told her yes, only I’d never received any contract. So she emailed it again, this time I got it. Signed it, faxed it down to her the next day.

    Since then I’ve been getting all these emails with logins and forms and instructions. I have to whip through an online accreditation course this weekend, Rebecca says I’ll be contacted again either Monday or Tuesday to see if I’m ready to start taking on work. So that’s the story so far..

    Our newest solution/delivery model is SalesForce@Home – a revolutionary idea which not only offers traditional SalesForce excellence, but eliminates the costs and environmental impacts of building infrastructure and commuting. By decentralising the call centre team into agent homes and providing sophisticated connection capabilities, decentralised agents are provided with identical functionality to those located in a centralised facility.

    The call centre industry is probably the first example of how large-scale decentralisation is now possible through advances in technological development – self-starting individuals will now be able to work for mainstream Australian public companies from home.

    (from Salesforce@Home online introductory material, 2007)