When is it appropriate to start celebrating Christmas? It's November, but around 1 in 4 of the houses in my street already has Christmas decorations up. For me it feels way too early to start with Christmas. Christmas is a December celebration and you should wait until at least the first week in December before… Continue reading Is it too early?
Category: Behaviour
Jealousy, envy, resentment or #FOMO?
Someone tells you some great news - a promotion or a new job - and you know you should be happy for them, and you are, but you also kind of have a lump in your stomach. You know they worked hard, and that's what they deserve, but somewhere in your mind, a little voice… Continue reading Jealousy, envy, resentment or #FOMO?
Bus anger
People get unreasonably angry about ridiculously small things and it amuses and frustrates me. Last week, when we were still in the low transport volume "twixtmas" season (I hate that word by the way), I was taking the bus to the station in the morning instead of walking. Partly because it was nice to be… Continue reading Bus anger
Here we go again
Yesterday I saw a job ad for an interesting job...in Korea. The job is with an international organisation and doing something allied to what I do now, which is quite specialised, so finding a similar job is quite rare. So I did what I always do when I see a job I want to apply… Continue reading Here we go again
Time
There's never enough time, I think. If only I had more time, I think. I would be able to do so much if only these other things weren't take up so much of my time. But it's all a lie. There is enough time. I have enough time. I just need to prioritise what I… Continue reading Time
Falafel lunch
I caught up with some former work colleagues for lunch the other day. We used to work together in the same team a few years ago but everyone has moved on to other jobs in the institution, it's just me who's still in the original team. But every now and then we get a date… Continue reading Falafel lunch
Why you should be nice to cleaners
It's been nearly five years since my father died. That was a time of much reflection and spending more time with my family than I have in years. After the funeral, there was a small reception in the catering hall attached to the chapel. The woman who ran the buffet was quite rude and whisked… Continue reading Why you should be nice to cleaners
Overthinking it
What would life be like if I stopped overthinking everything? How much extra time would I have in my day if I didn't re-read every email three or four times to try and make it perfect? How much better would I feel if I just sent meeting requests when I made them, instead of looking… Continue reading Overthinking it
S.A.D.
In the wintry northern hemisphere, this is a dark time of year. Regardless of the Christmas lights, there is less daylight, and quite often when it is daylight, it's grey and overcast and not very light. Lack of light can really affect your mood, as I was reminded this week. I found myself in my… Continue reading S.A.D.
My Australian Self
Some months ago I wrote about signing up for a mentoring programme at work. I’m now rolling along with my mentor and one of the tasks she has given me is “to get back your Australian self.” This has perplexed me and raised lots of questions. What is my Australian self? What is my British… Continue reading My Australian Self