KiwiBelma becomes an Aussie (again)

Here I am, writing my blog post from Sydney. Yep, just moved across the ditch and loving every minute of it.

When we first arrived though, we had to be in self-isolation for two weeks. Then we got so used to it, we just carried on staying home and basically ordered everything online to be delivered (and still do). So why the big move, you might ask? Of course there are many reasons and the decision to move was not done over night. Uprooting a family, selling most of the belongings and rushing to get across the ditch the day before they closed the borders…well, it’s not so straight forward. But our family managed it and here we are.

One of the major reasons was the offer of a Learning Designer position at UTS. I still cannot believe it! It’s almost a homecoming for me as I was a student and a part-time library assistant at UTS when I left for Auckland many years ago. It feels like I never left! I’m in a different department but I’m already looking at the post-graduate programs to enrol into. We’ll see. A vide link was released from the Postgraduate.futures team but I’m not able to embed the link here. But you can copy & paste the link externally –  https://vimeo.com/419757181

I’m privileged to be part of this team. I haven’t met the team in person yet as we’re all working remotely but already they’ve been so welcoming and supportive, as I said, I still can’t believe it!

This is me on my first day at work. I only went in to collect the laptop and sign some docs. It’s been nearly two months now and all is going well. I”m learning heaps, picking up neat tricks and becoming a ‘real designer’, which is a nice change from writing and evaluating assessment rubrics. I’ve even purchased a copy of ‘The Universal Principles of Design’ pocket guide, by Lidwell et al. and watching the videos on LinkedIn Learning. I’d highly recommended.

It’s hard to ignore the recent incident, which has paused my time at my new job as I was hospitalised due to SAH – Subarachnoid hemorrhage. Makes an interesting read if you google it. I’ve survived to tell the tale. But the pain is indescribable! I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. The cause was unknown, according to the medical staff. I think mostly because there’re many causes and it can be any one or all of them. I’ve concluded that it was due to stress. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I was panicking about our move, our finances, and all while trying to avoid catching the damn virus! I can’t say ‘avoid stress’ as it can’t be avoided. But I can say to look out for clues as to when and why you’re under stress. Be aware of it. Then, try to tell yourself that you’ll deal with it one step at a time. We’re only human and can’t take on too much! The body, in my case, the brain eventually lets you know that you can’t cope. Im glad mine didn’t just shut down.

Where to from now? Back to what I love doing – being a Learning Designer, and being with those I love! We’ve arranged a picnic with my parents this weekend as I haven’t seen them nor hugged them since our arrival in Sydney. I hope the weather holds off and stays sunny.

Watch this space – as I’ll be posting more on Learning Design, coding, drawing and all the things I’m planning to do in Sydney. The restrictions will be eased on 1st June so I might even write a post form a cafe! Who would’ve thought cafes would close…or that we’d be sitting 2 meters apart from the others? Such is life. You never know what it’ll throw at you. Stay safe and give those you love a big hug – they need it!

 

I learnt how to bake blueberry muffins last summer!

Sample Blog Post 1

Hmm, I think it was around the start of summer season last year that I was introduced to blueberry muffins! They were yummy! Here’s a recipe that I’d like to share with you: https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/blueberrymuffins_67846

Hope you like them as much as I did! I highly recommend it to everyone!

 

 

 

Sample Blog Post 2

Well, what can I say!? What do you think of when you see a blueberry muffin? Straight out of the oven? Mmmm, that freshly-baked smell, with blueberries melting in your mouth as you take that first bight! Don’t get em wrong, last summer was not the first time I’ve ever tasted blueberry muffins, but it was the first time I ever baked them! Yes, some of my followers, who know me well, will be gasping as they read these lines because they know I can’t cook to save my life let alone bake blueberry muffins! And let me add at this point that keeping the blueberries in-tact whilst baking the muffins at 280 degrees Celsius is almost impossible – yeah, Mission: Impossible!

Anyway, I had to get over my fear of the hot oven – I bought myself really good pair of oven mittens by the way – and off I went! At the time I was listening to the top songs of summer and one of those songs was playing whilst I was battling the flour in the kitchen. and it somehow got stuck in my head! But, every time I bake bluberry muffins, that’s the song I play in my head!

What is your ‘blueberry muffins’ song?

Here’s the link to the song that I listen to whilst baking blueberry muffins!

Technical Writing Resources

via Technical Writing Resources

Ascilite 2017 Product Backlog

Ascilite 2017 Backlog Draft 2

Here ’tis! This is the big picture, aka the high level requirements, with designated dates for completion. Errors were spotted as soon as Draft 1 was created, hence the Draft 2.

What’s your purpose?

I would like to apply for a job

No, no, I’m perfectly happy with current my job! In fact, I’m living the dream – got my dream job, in a dream location with my very real family! It is a dream come true! My role involves assisting others to achieve their dream jobs.

Sample Post for DES501 Assessment 1

I must admit I wasn’t really sure how to start this assessment task so I did what most people would do – googled it! When I entered the search phrase “IT Companies” I came up with over 1 billion returns!

I had to refine my search a bit, e.g. “IT companies in NZ” or “IT companies in Nelson” Bingo!

I actually heard good things about BlueBerryIT, which incidentally came on top of my Google search. I decided to follow it up, so used LinkedIn and FB Pages to find out more about the company.

Wehn I had enough to go on, I decided to something I never had the nerve to do before! I actually gave them a call! Well, I thought this is my great opportunity to have an excuse to call, introduce myself and find out a bit more about the company. I couldn’t see the organisational structure on the web site so I thought I’d ask.

It paid off big time! They were very helpful and gave me a good half an hour on the phone to describe the company, how they operate and deliver their products. One of the discoveries from our phone conversation was that they have a matrix organisation structure, rather than a functional one. They explained the difference, which I can’t remember, but since I like the movie Matrix, I’m sure to remember the term for many years to come!

Grand Designs

Ok, the title is not my own but from one of my favourite TV programmes. I try to watch all of the versions from UK, Australia and New Zealand. All versions are in English language, and yet can vary so much in the content, offering different insights, style and delivery, which makes it all the more fascinating to watch.

Nil by mouth

The last few months have definitely thrown a spanner (or wrench) in the works for me. I’ve had 4 visits to the hospital, 3 of them involving the operating theatre, many trips to the X-ray/ultra sound/ MRI clinic, endless visits to my GP & the neighbouring pharmacy, and the numerous clicks on medical websites via Google! The last number of visits being the worst so I think I’ll stop surfing the medical sites from now on 🙂

TED’s secret to great public speaking

https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_anderson_teds_secret_to_great_public_speaking