And just when I thought that I couldn't do it anylonger and I was completely exhausted and tired of reading my CV and making job applications..... only then, I found a job!!
The search has been long but worth it. The market at the moment is in a funny place. There are lots of jobs out there and apparently not many good candidates. It seems like people don't want to be moving at the moment due to the economic situation.
On the other hand, my experience after talking to recruitment agencies is that the jobs might desappear as fast as they appear, companies are rethinking their internal needs and deciding whether they really need that position or if maybe it can be covered internally and therefore save themselves some pounds.
Recruitment is definitely an area that is joining the credit crunch economic situation. I think we will see more of it, as companies have more pressures and need to meet financial objectives.
For the time being.... I have a job!! and I shall enjoy it while it lasts!
Friday 20 June 2008
Tuesday 3 June 2008
Beauty and the Geek
Have you seen it or heard about it?
Beauty and the Geek, the ultimate social experiment has been on TV for the past weeks, and I just couldn't have enough of it!
Piers and I watched season 3.... apparently in the US they are already on season 5, and like in Big Brother every time they change the formula a little bit, trying new things. In season 4 they added a couple where the boy was the beauty and the girl was the geek.
If you still don't know what I'm talking about, Wikipedia will tell you all about it.
So what did I like about the show?
1- The mix of people. We are naturally drawn to people that have similar taste to us or look similar and will make us feel welcome and at ease. So here we have the "gorgeous" girls having to pair with the rather excentric boys. And I think that it works. Take all of them out of their normal environment and put them in a house together, they don't have any other choice but to talk to each other. And this is how they find out that we are all people and they can be interesting if only they forget about the looks and start seeing what is inside each of them.
2- The clicks. I find these type of programmes fascinating because they are about human behaviour, and i was really surprise to see that the first confrontation was not between boys and girls, but between the girls: blonds vs. brunettes! The blonds won, I guess it was a number thing. The boys on the other hand got on really well.
3- The learnings. It was interesting to see the dumb blonds not being so dumb when they had to study and remember names and concepts to be able to win their tasks and survive in the elimination room. I thought some of these tasks were quite difficult! I also enjoyed the transformation in most of them and how they were more open minded about other people, reading and life in general. I guess they just haven't been abroad much and need to see a bit more of the world! That I would recommend to everyone, I think it would make the world a better place.
So now I'm left with an empty space in my diary as I can't foresee more Beauty and the Geek on TV in the short term. It is interesting to see how you get to know them and understand them and even shout at them (or at the TV)! Next time you see Beauty and the Geek on your TV guide, considering watching it, if only because of the social experiment it is.
Beauty and the Geek, the ultimate social experiment has been on TV for the past weeks, and I just couldn't have enough of it!
Piers and I watched season 3.... apparently in the US they are already on season 5, and like in Big Brother every time they change the formula a little bit, trying new things. In season 4 they added a couple where the boy was the beauty and the girl was the geek.
If you still don't know what I'm talking about, Wikipedia will tell you all about it.
So what did I like about the show?
1- The mix of people. We are naturally drawn to people that have similar taste to us or look similar and will make us feel welcome and at ease. So here we have the "gorgeous" girls having to pair with the rather excentric boys. And I think that it works. Take all of them out of their normal environment and put them in a house together, they don't have any other choice but to talk to each other. And this is how they find out that we are all people and they can be interesting if only they forget about the looks and start seeing what is inside each of them.
2- The clicks. I find these type of programmes fascinating because they are about human behaviour, and i was really surprise to see that the first confrontation was not between boys and girls, but between the girls: blonds vs. brunettes! The blonds won, I guess it was a number thing. The boys on the other hand got on really well.
3- The learnings. It was interesting to see the dumb blonds not being so dumb when they had to study and remember names and concepts to be able to win their tasks and survive in the elimination room. I thought some of these tasks were quite difficult! I also enjoyed the transformation in most of them and how they were more open minded about other people, reading and life in general. I guess they just haven't been abroad much and need to see a bit more of the world! That I would recommend to everyone, I think it would make the world a better place.
So now I'm left with an empty space in my diary as I can't foresee more Beauty and the Geek on TV in the short term. It is interesting to see how you get to know them and understand them and even shout at them (or at the TV)! Next time you see Beauty and the Geek on your TV guide, considering watching it, if only because of the social experiment it is.
Saturday 31 May 2008
SATC
Yes! I did it! I went to watch the Sex and the City movie last night, and.... I loved it!
It made laugh and it made me cry. It was like watching a long episode of the TV series. But better. And even though it goes a bit bitter in the middle it has a happy ending which is what I was hoping for the most.
It is to no surprise that the cinema was full of ladies and the only men around were with their girlfriends. The 1 to 20 ratio I first predicted possibly became a 1 to 80 by the time the cinema was full (completely full, to the last seat). Shame that there weren't more men, since I think the movie would give them a good insight into women's mind....... isn't that what they are after?
Stop reading now if you don't want spoilers......
I love the start of the movie, going through the lives of each of the 4 girls and remembering where they left it at in series 6, after Carrie comes back from Paris with Mr. Big.
Samantha is now living in California, but she doesn't seem to be very happy. It is not her life and the cute neighbour, Dante, who seems to have an awful amount of sex is torturing her. The amazing thing is that she is faithful because she is now in a relationship. A woman of principles!
Charlotte shows a bit of an unrealistic side of life. She says a few times how happy she is with her life and her husband, and how she is happy every day and she just has this super perfect life that somehow I can't relate to. On the other hand she also shows how when you have it all then you are afraid that you might loose it, instead of just enjoying it!
Miranda learns that a marriage is hard work and is a twosome, and you need to put a lot of work on it. And that when her husband hurts her, maybe there is another side to the story and she pushed him into it. No one is perfect and maybe the other person can see more faults in us that we can see in ourselves. I think the whole excuse behind is to go back to Manhattan and to run away from Brooklyn!
Carrie goes through a whole journey in which she is very self-centred and only thinking on what she wants. And through this journey she discovers where it went wrong and the importance of knowing what the basics are... in this case: LOVE. It doesn't matter to have a huge apartment or a big wedding, a great and fabulous wardrobe full of shoes and clothes. The important thing is to know who your friends are and that they will always be there for you, and to find the one who thinks that life will be complete just by being with you. Big is really sweet all through the movie and really shows how much he loves Carrie...... and even though some people might argue that he is to be hated, I think you need to understand his side. How can you get excited about a big wedding when it is your 3rd marriage?
The rest of the casting is great, just as in the series, it is fantastic that they got the same people. And the new faces, such as Carrie's assistant, complete the movie perfectly.
Of course I can't forget the dresses..... some of them to die for other ones to be kicked out of the wardrobe. The handbags, the shoes, the accessories. It is definitely a huge part of the movie. Who can ever forget Carrie's Manolos!
The stories are good, the running themes of love and friendship are treated very well. It doesn't give you a missleading idea of love, not everyone ends up with their partner, as we see with Samantha breaking up with Smith; and not all is easy. Forgiveness is the third theme in the movie. We see how Miranda can't bring herself to forgive Steve, and then learns what happens when you are on the other side as she begs for forgiveness to Carrie.
You might think that you already know all that happens....... not really! There is a lot more that happens and some great funny and tragic moments. If you still haven't seen it, get together with one of your girlfriends, or boyfriend, and go to the cinema. It will be 2 and a half hours very well spent. And then, let me know what you think!
It made laugh and it made me cry. It was like watching a long episode of the TV series. But better. And even though it goes a bit bitter in the middle it has a happy ending which is what I was hoping for the most.
It is to no surprise that the cinema was full of ladies and the only men around were with their girlfriends. The 1 to 20 ratio I first predicted possibly became a 1 to 80 by the time the cinema was full (completely full, to the last seat). Shame that there weren't more men, since I think the movie would give them a good insight into women's mind....... isn't that what they are after?
Stop reading now if you don't want spoilers......
I love the start of the movie, going through the lives of each of the 4 girls and remembering where they left it at in series 6, after Carrie comes back from Paris with Mr. Big.
Samantha is now living in California, but she doesn't seem to be very happy. It is not her life and the cute neighbour, Dante, who seems to have an awful amount of sex is torturing her. The amazing thing is that she is faithful because she is now in a relationship. A woman of principles!
Charlotte shows a bit of an unrealistic side of life. She says a few times how happy she is with her life and her husband, and how she is happy every day and she just has this super perfect life that somehow I can't relate to. On the other hand she also shows how when you have it all then you are afraid that you might loose it, instead of just enjoying it!
Miranda learns that a marriage is hard work and is a twosome, and you need to put a lot of work on it. And that when her husband hurts her, maybe there is another side to the story and she pushed him into it. No one is perfect and maybe the other person can see more faults in us that we can see in ourselves. I think the whole excuse behind is to go back to Manhattan and to run away from Brooklyn!
Carrie goes through a whole journey in which she is very self-centred and only thinking on what she wants. And through this journey she discovers where it went wrong and the importance of knowing what the basics are... in this case: LOVE. It doesn't matter to have a huge apartment or a big wedding, a great and fabulous wardrobe full of shoes and clothes. The important thing is to know who your friends are and that they will always be there for you, and to find the one who thinks that life will be complete just by being with you. Big is really sweet all through the movie and really shows how much he loves Carrie...... and even though some people might argue that he is to be hated, I think you need to understand his side. How can you get excited about a big wedding when it is your 3rd marriage?
The rest of the casting is great, just as in the series, it is fantastic that they got the same people. And the new faces, such as Carrie's assistant, complete the movie perfectly.
Of course I can't forget the dresses..... some of them to die for other ones to be kicked out of the wardrobe. The handbags, the shoes, the accessories. It is definitely a huge part of the movie. Who can ever forget Carrie's Manolos!
The stories are good, the running themes of love and friendship are treated very well. It doesn't give you a missleading idea of love, not everyone ends up with their partner, as we see with Samantha breaking up with Smith; and not all is easy. Forgiveness is the third theme in the movie. We see how Miranda can't bring herself to forgive Steve, and then learns what happens when you are on the other side as she begs for forgiveness to Carrie.
You might think that you already know all that happens....... not really! There is a lot more that happens and some great funny and tragic moments. If you still haven't seen it, get together with one of your girlfriends, or boyfriend, and go to the cinema. It will be 2 and a half hours very well spent. And then, let me know what you think!
Wednesday 21 May 2008
A new type of card
I was reading the online BBC news and i came across a very unusual article. A controversial new "right to die" card is being offered to the public that allows anyone to refuse treatment in a medical emergency: it's the Advanced Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT) card
Full article
I have never had clear views about euthanasia (which essentially that's what the card is), possibly because I have never been in a position where I had to make such a decision, or maybe because of my naive way of seeing life, i don't understand why someone would want to end it.
So basically if something happens to you and you are carrying one of these cards, it tells doctors that they should not do anything in case you have had an accident or have an illness. It makes me wonder if this is just an easy escape. What if all you are doing is cutting your chances of living longer? What if doctors could do something to make you OK?
As I write these lines, it makes me think of Jane Tomlinson who after being diagnosed with cancer decided to fight for life until the end and in the process raised lots of money for cancer research, run more marathons than I will ever run in my life and showed that living is worth fighting for.
So I decide that I choose life. I believe it is worth living and fighting for life. I don't think you will see me carrying one of those new cards. I want to believe that if a doctor finds me, they will do all they can to make me live and that they will also choose life.
Full article
I have never had clear views about euthanasia (which essentially that's what the card is), possibly because I have never been in a position where I had to make such a decision, or maybe because of my naive way of seeing life, i don't understand why someone would want to end it.
So basically if something happens to you and you are carrying one of these cards, it tells doctors that they should not do anything in case you have had an accident or have an illness. It makes me wonder if this is just an easy escape. What if all you are doing is cutting your chances of living longer? What if doctors could do something to make you OK?
As I write these lines, it makes me think of Jane Tomlinson who after being diagnosed with cancer decided to fight for life until the end and in the process raised lots of money for cancer research, run more marathons than I will ever run in my life and showed that living is worth fighting for.
So I decide that I choose life. I believe it is worth living and fighting for life. I don't think you will see me carrying one of those new cards. I want to believe that if a doctor finds me, they will do all they can to make me live and that they will also choose life.
Thursday 15 May 2008
Been made redundant?
I have been made redundant....
There used to be a lot of stigma around the word "redundant" and people used to make up stories to explain their situation without using the word. Unfortunately, in today's world and considering the economic situation we have, this is now part of our daily lifes.
Who doesn't know anyone that has been made redundant? It seems that companies are trying to reduce their costs by letting people go. The interesting part is that a lot of these positions will be covered by temporary staff or contracts, all to show a lower headcount number and decreased expenses. In the process the company has probably lost a wealth of knowledge.
In my quest of looking for a new job, I have been through a 3 stages (so far, maybe more to come!) that I would think are quite common.... Let me know if you don't agree with this.
1- Shock. I was not particularly happy in the company I was working for, yet the news came as a shock to me. It was not the right time, I wanted to leave on my own terms, I saw it coming and still I was shocked when it happened. Aparently this is quite normal.
2- Realisation. It took me a good month to get out of the shock and started to realise that it was real and I better start looking for another job. Mainly because I had not been paid lots of money with the redundancy, so I still need to pay my bills.
3- Action. After another few weeks of thinking that I really had to look for a job, I finally went into action mode. I had done bits here and there, and posted my CV in all the websites that came my way, applied for a few jobs. It is not until I had a good idea of the type of job that I was looking for that things started clicking.
No, I still don't have a job, but I'm getting closer. At least things are happening, and having some activity in terms of interviews and calls from recruiters helps a lot. It allows me to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and as the search continues, I have no doubt that there is a job out there for me, somewhere!
There used to be a lot of stigma around the word "redundant" and people used to make up stories to explain their situation without using the word. Unfortunately, in today's world and considering the economic situation we have, this is now part of our daily lifes.
Who doesn't know anyone that has been made redundant? It seems that companies are trying to reduce their costs by letting people go. The interesting part is that a lot of these positions will be covered by temporary staff or contracts, all to show a lower headcount number and decreased expenses. In the process the company has probably lost a wealth of knowledge.
In my quest of looking for a new job, I have been through a 3 stages (so far, maybe more to come!) that I would think are quite common.... Let me know if you don't agree with this.
1- Shock. I was not particularly happy in the company I was working for, yet the news came as a shock to me. It was not the right time, I wanted to leave on my own terms, I saw it coming and still I was shocked when it happened. Aparently this is quite normal.
2- Realisation. It took me a good month to get out of the shock and started to realise that it was real and I better start looking for another job. Mainly because I had not been paid lots of money with the redundancy, so I still need to pay my bills.
3- Action. After another few weeks of thinking that I really had to look for a job, I finally went into action mode. I had done bits here and there, and posted my CV in all the websites that came my way, applied for a few jobs. It is not until I had a good idea of the type of job that I was looking for that things started clicking.
No, I still don't have a job, but I'm getting closer. At least things are happening, and having some activity in terms of interviews and calls from recruiters helps a lot. It allows me to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and as the search continues, I have no doubt that there is a job out there for me, somewhere!
Awareness campaign
This is the link to the French promotional campaign video about the problem with AIDS.
It is really amazing how the ad has been done and how striking it is.... Have a look!
http://www.lepoison.com/sidaction/
It is really amazing how the ad has been done and how striking it is.... Have a look!
http://www.lepoison.com/sidaction/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
