Tim's Journal
|
Entries
7th Nov 2005 9th Nov 2005 14th Nov 2005 11th Dec 2005 |
Welcome to Tim's Journal, where you get the opportunity to read all the amazing (alias boring) stuff I've been up to lately. In reality, I'll probably be the only person to ever read this, but if you do care to have a look, enjoy!
7th Nov 2005 - Catch up!
Well, I really have been letting my website's fan base by not updating yet. Sorry to both of you ;)
It is good to be home and it has been a very hectic last week trying to catch up with people, get into looking for work and get things organised. Once I get some of the more important life adminstration tasks out of the way, I'll be able to focus more on updating the site and relaxing. I want to have a job by the end of the month, so that should give me plenty of time to get things settled and up-to-date.
This page is far too long (and even too wide!) for a start ...
9th Nov 2005 - Slow Progress
So I managed to start arranging the journal from the last few months in a better way. I also uploaded the Spain/Portugal photos.
Click here for Spain and Portugal photos.
14th Nov 2005 - Still plugging away
It was great to catch up with so many people over the last couple of weeks; it has been wonderful to see family and friends who I have missed dearly. It is hard to believe that we have been back in this beautiful city for a fortnight. Time passes quickly.
I got straight into cricket upon return, joining the mighty A2s Forest Killarney squad. This team consists of local Forry mates, a few buddies from soccer, a former B4s teammate, Age (Adrian) and a few other blokes I have just met. This competition is a few steps up in grade, however, this suits me as I am eager to reach a century and perhaps a more serious environment will help motivate me. The largest battle is the mental struggle. I now have the objective … do I have the ability? One thing I sorely missed while abroad was the companionship that accompanies sport and going out after the game on Saturday was lots of fun, even if we did drink far too much for no apparrent reason!
I also joined some former B4s cricket friends in an indoor cricket match last Monday. That was fun. I think I may play the odd game for them if required. Fairly good batting practice.
I feel just about the trimmest and fittest I have felt for years (although, still working on my stamina). Joining a local gym was nearly the first thing I did on arrival! Two months traveling without sport or regular fitness showed through loss of body weight and muscle. However, the hours of walking we did almost made up for the copious amounts of delicious food we enjoyed.
It was Haley’s birthday yesterday and we celebrated it at Sydney’s Opera bar. This is a fantastic bar with a beer garden boasting perhaps the best view of the best city in the world. Together with the jazz band and funky atmosphere, it is possible one of the city's prominent hotspots and I can see myself frequenting this place comfortably. A few left with sunburn injuries and one particular bird was extremely amusing - the combination of sun and wine did not boad well for her. To the amusement of the crowd, she was removed after performing some entertaining moves, including trying to obtain the singers phone number mid-song and repeatedly attempting to consume drinks while being escorted from the premises.
The job search is painful, as it was before Hornbill. This time I have a little more experience to take into it which is a positive. I may not know exactly the role I desire, however, I know things I do not like and that seems to rule out some positions and help in interviews. Money is not the only factor, actually, it probably isn’t the strongest pull. People, fun, seriousness yet enjoyable, ethical, location (both distance from home and watering holes) and future reference are just some of the factors.
At this stage, I am retaining my confidence. I have meet with a handful of recruiters, applied for various roles and had an interview that is perhaps not a position I am looking for. I guess I am being a little fussy, but I still have weeks to find something.
I have added two new photo albums today and I am still working on uploading the albums from the trip and typing up my travel diaries.
11th Dec 2005 - Finally Uploaded Photos and I am employeed
I lost interest in the journal over the last month. I have been so bored at times that I just haven't felt much like doing anything. I have done a lot of sitting around the house reading, watching cricket and movies. I have done a few things like catch up with various mates for lunches, after work drinks and sitting on the beach. I suppose it has given me the opportunity to go to the gym regularly, too.
I got a second interview with Ericsson a couple of weeks ago and eventually got the job. I start tomorrow. Thank god I no longer have to look for work. That is a painful process involving the tedious and repeditive daily tasks of searching the job websites for new opportunities, applying with a tweaked cover letter, chasing the recruiters to ensure they receive your application (and get your name fresh in their minds), chase the recruiters that you spoke to yeserday and chase the every recruiter you have spoken to.
Persistence is the key and the job I got is a good example. The contact on the job advistisement (Karen) had ceased employment at the recruitment agency. After requesting to speak to someone else regarding the role, I passed on my details to be called back. The next day, still without a call, I chased. Spoke to a different and friendly bloke (Kariem) who I sent my CV to. Two days later, still no call. Chased again. I was put through to another bloke (Phil) who promised to review my CV and get back to me. I rang him again the next day and after some more discussion, we planned for me to come in to discuss a opportunity. This is the job I eventually took - a full time project management position with Ericsson based in St Leonards for the initial 3 months.
| OTHER JOURNAL ENTRIES |
|
Current September to October, 2005 July to August, 2005 May to July, 2005 March to April, 2005 February to March, 2005 January, 2005 November to December, 2004 |
You can email me at tjcrouch@hotmail.com