Free Spirit.
Monday, February 04, 2008
I'm a convert
7 Habits puts a lot of emphasis on saying no to small things and delegating them. After a few years I finally realized why it wasn't working for me, I don't have any power to say no to my boss nor do I have anyone to delegate to! The only person who is under me is the cleaning auntie, and even she has more powers than me!!! ("Auntie, I want green tea" "Mei You!!" sob sob!!)
The whole premise of Getting Things Done by David Allen is that until your mind knows that you will do a certain task (by writing it down in a trusted list) it will continually remind you randomly thus making your thoughts muddy. It also reminds you about the million scenarios attached to that task, making you overwhelmed and tempting you to forget about it all together. But your mind is also smart enough to prioritize things so you don't need to keep much than lists of "To Dos". Best thing is, you don't have to purchase any super expensive custom tailored organizer... in fact David Allen himself mentioned that he is very happy with his standard issued palm organizer.
Really really, I think this is the best for overly worked analyst (office low lives) with minimal budget for fancy organizers!
Really really, I think this is the best for overly worked analyst (office low lives) with minimal budget for fancy organizers!
ps: Obviously I am only mentioning basic premises on which GTD is best. The book has lots of good handy tips and it has been drafted into my permanent best-books section on my shelf.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Tips on creating your blogger template
I had a few criteria for my new blog skin
Ok gotta go to work now.
- It has to be WIDE... I don't like those tiny columns running down the center of the page. In fact, I wanted a wide one page blog which gives plenty of creative room like the one dodyg.org use. But...
- I need a 2nd column for my favorite links. Like friends, 43things.com, Nomadlife and my Kiva banner
- I want to use soothing colors that don't strain my eyes. I think the basic white on black background is the best
- But I also want that dash of color cause what's life if not colorful? I chose orange here because it's fun, fresh and works with black really nice.
- Lastly, I don't like too much graphics but I want just that touch of sweet happy feeling. Of course it has to be orange just like my borders..... finally I found a great graphics exchange site called sxc.hu. The one I used featuring orange gerberas on black background should be credited to Lynne Lancaster from the UK.
- Because I host my blog in another FTP site, I can't really use the fancy templates so it should just be basic html.
Ok gotta go to work now.
RDA Singapore
I don't have that many goals in life, it's bad, i know. But one thing I've always wanted was my own horse. Of course, I can't afford one yet... so I looked for ways to be around them for free.
That's how I got myself into volunteering at the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) every Saturday afternoon 3:45pm. The RDA provides free, therapeutic horse riding lessons to children and adults with disabilities.
Every week, I volunteer as a side walker for their beginners class. There are about 6 children in one class with 6 horses, 3 instructors, 6 leaders and 6-12 sidewalkers. The Instructor plans the lessons, the Leaders are responsible for the horses and the Sidewalkers communicates basic instruction to the riders. Each rider has a special condition. My rider, Ashwin, is Autistic.
Ashwin has a hard time concentrating and is frequently pre-occupied with his own thought. But slowly, through his RDA lessons, he learns to concentrate better with voice commands. On some days it's hard to get through to him, but on some days (like yesterday) he's such an angel that you wouldn't think there is anything wrong with him. Oh and he also likes to see himself in mirror which is always cute to watch.
To be honest, I volunteered because I can be around horses. But those little kids' smiles are fast becoming my Saturday afternoon miracles.
That's how I got myself into volunteering at the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) every Saturday afternoon 3:45pm. The RDA provides free, therapeutic horse riding lessons to children and adults with disabilities.
Every week, I volunteer as a side walker for their beginners class. There are about 6 children in one class with 6 horses, 3 instructors, 6 leaders and 6-12 sidewalkers. The Instructor plans the lessons, the Leaders are responsible for the horses and the Sidewalkers communicates basic instruction to the riders. Each rider has a special condition. My rider, Ashwin, is Autistic.
Ashwin has a hard time concentrating and is frequently pre-occupied with his own thought. But slowly, through his RDA lessons, he learns to concentrate better with voice commands. On some days it's hard to get through to him, but on some days (like yesterday) he's such an angel that you wouldn't think there is anything wrong with him. Oh and he also likes to see himself in mirror which is always cute to watch.
To be honest, I volunteered because I can be around horses. But those little kids' smiles are fast becoming my Saturday afternoon miracles.
About Me
I'm fida
From Farrer Park, Singapore
Goals
I'm a Lender