So the other day when I got into the elevator in my flat the other day (I know, I usually take the stairs but I had a load of stuff for my party and wimped out) I noticed the max capacity sign and had a giggle.
In England the sign says:
Max Cap 8 persons/630kg
In India the sign said:
Max Cap 10 persons/630kg
Can someone check an American or Canadian elevator? I'm curious to see which country's lifts can hold the most folks.
Hosted a small but fab party last night. Many photos. Will post some on the weekend. Note: Sangria, although seeming like a great idea is WRONG.
Oh and we are now live in eight countries...wooohoooo! [UK, US, Australia, Spain, Ecuador, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and the Philippines!]
Friday, November 30, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
November 23 - Trip to Paris (oh and Pilot time)
Me again.
- The Musee D'Orsay
- The Pantheon (particularly the pendulum)
- The food (aside from the barfing :$)
Last weekend I headed off to Paris to 1) see Sarena who is working there right now and 2) to hang out with my bro (Chris) and his wife (Cat) who were on va
cay there.
cay there. 
I think my head may still be spinning from all the stuff I did (or maybe from the stomach nasty that I picked up) but I LOVED Paris. So jealous of Sas for living there!
Highlights included:
- Napoleans Tomb
- The Musee D'Orsay - The Pantheon (particularly the pendulum) - The food (aside from the barfing :$)Boo on the Metro workers for being on strike but all in all a great time.
Busy week here at work as we prepare to go live in 8 countries on monday. Things are going well and I think we have a Go! decision so that's great. Will probably be working on the weekend but at least this time I'll have company...I know...that's cruel...but what can I say.
Happy Thanksgiving to the Americans!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
November 10 - Woking Beer Festival?
Okay I know I am going back in time but bear with me. I need to give you all a couple of updates and catch up. I'll get back to the present soon enough promise.
I even met the mayor of Woking!
On November 9th I witnessed quite a spectacle...the Woking Beer Festival. For those of you in the O-dot you may be thinking "that's like the Wine and Food Show isn't it?". Well, no.
Picture you local community centre gym filled along one side with scaffolding full of kegs of beer, on the other with a stage with a sad cover band, in the back with a man named Len playing the Whirlitzer Organ and filled with a sea of beer-bellied, greying men some in Hawaiian shirts. Seriously!
It was a totally stellar event! (my coat was the last one out of coat check)
Tickets are sold out months in advance and the place was PACKED. I went with a bunch of folks from work who go every year so they showed me the ropes luckily. You enter and get a pint glass. You can go around to all the different stations and try 1/2 or full pints of beer for super cheap. I tried light and dark beers. Beers that tasted like banana bread and beers that tasted like beef jerky. Some great and some horrible.
It was a totally stellar event! (my coat was the last one out of coat check)Tickets are sold out months in advance and the place was PACKED. I went with a bunch of folks from work who go every year so they showed me the ropes luckily. You enter and get a pint glass. You can go around to all the different stations and try 1/2 or full pints of beer for super cheap. I tried light and dark beers. Beers that tasted like banana bread and beers that tasted like beef jerky. Some great and some horrible. Later on in the evening there was even a sing-song with the organ. There were even songsheets and tunes ranging from Abba to the Beatles and of course Rule Britannia.
I even met the mayor of Woking!When asked if I would return next year ... I just giggled.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
November 4 - Implementation...hmmm..
So tomorrow the ChildData system goes 'live' in five countries. As I sit here alone in the office trying to improve the setup of the system I wonder...who cares? If this were an Accenture project either 1) no one would have left the office on Friday until it was ready or 2) I would have a lot of over-tired giddy friends with me right now...perhaps a few take-out cartons and many empty Starbucks cups.
The people around here think I work too hard/much. I think they don't work enough. Acutally that's not fair. I think they are very good at letting work go. I am not. (ya, you can all laugh now...cause you know it's true).
Someone asked me why I work so hard/much. Especially those who know that I am getting only 50% of my salary. It's not the big bucks, that's clear. The money has never been much of a motivator for me mostly because I don't really have a good sense of it. I am horrible with money. I don't realize what I need it for and what having a lot of it around could do for me.
It's not the appreciation from my team/colleagues (there's very little of that aside from my boss who herself deserves millions more accolades). I think I work really hard for two reasons;
I know if everything here on this project goes to pot the finger will be pointed in my direction. Clearly it won't be my fault but it's easier for people to blame the consultant. I suppose I am overly sensitive when people slag consultants. It makes me want to work harder to prove them wrong. Hence a viscious circle.
They will also blame my boss who has worked so hard to get this project to where it is (in my opinion the most successful development project Plan has ever had). She doesn't deserve any of the blame but she'll get and take it personally. And so I sit here on Sunday afternoon...
I was out with a friend on Friday who left the crazy project management world a few years back for many reasons. As we walked by his old office building he said he really misses it. That was quite shocking for me to hear but makes total sense.
Some days all I want to do is walk away from this stress and chaos but I never do and wonder why. It makes me stressed, exhausted, sick and often a sobbing mess so why not leave? Clearly that's the correct response. I think, like him, I would miss it. Glutton for punishment? maybe.
Okay I am babbling and need to get back to finding lost users and posting random documents so I can go and enjoy the fall colours before dark. Just wanted to get that out of my system.
I should also mention that I had a bit of a reunion with friends I met in Sierra Leone on friday. It was great to see Anna, Laura and Quirien again. Just like old times we did ridiculous things. There were no random glass-eating men nor beverage distribution little people but it was fun none-the-less. :-)
The people around here think I work too hard/much. I think they don't work enough. Acutally that's not fair. I think they are very good at letting work go. I am not. (ya, you can all laugh now...cause you know it's true).
Someone asked me why I work so hard/much. Especially those who know that I am getting only 50% of my salary. It's not the big bucks, that's clear. The money has never been much of a motivator for me mostly because I don't really have a good sense of it. I am horrible with money. I don't realize what I need it for and what having a lot of it around could do for me.
It's not the appreciation from my team/colleagues (there's very little of that aside from my boss who herself deserves millions more accolades). I think I work really hard for two reasons;
- I am a perfectionist. It's clearly a personality flaw. I am one of those people who think the only way to do something right is to do it yourself. baaaaaaaaaaaad news
- I have this odd sense of pride in my reputation.
I know if everything here on this project goes to pot the finger will be pointed in my direction. Clearly it won't be my fault but it's easier for people to blame the consultant. I suppose I am overly sensitive when people slag consultants. It makes me want to work harder to prove them wrong. Hence a viscious circle.
They will also blame my boss who has worked so hard to get this project to where it is (in my opinion the most successful development project Plan has ever had). She doesn't deserve any of the blame but she'll get and take it personally. And so I sit here on Sunday afternoon...
I was out with a friend on Friday who left the crazy project management world a few years back for many reasons. As we walked by his old office building he said he really misses it. That was quite shocking for me to hear but makes total sense.
Some days all I want to do is walk away from this stress and chaos but I never do and wonder why. It makes me stressed, exhausted, sick and often a sobbing mess so why not leave? Clearly that's the correct response. I think, like him, I would miss it. Glutton for punishment? maybe.
Okay I am babbling and need to get back to finding lost users and posting random documents so I can go and enjoy the fall colours before dark. Just wanted to get that out of my system.
I should also mention that I had a bit of a reunion with friends I met in Sierra Leone on friday. It was great to see Anna, Laura and Quirien again. Just like old times we did ridiculous things. There were no random glass-eating men nor beverage distribution little people but it was fun none-the-less. :-)
Back to work for me. Just over 40 days left. Only 100 or so more countries to go live in...should be exciting times! Keep the Christmas Starbucks cups and Festive Specials warm for me!
Congrats to Tim and Shannon and welcome to their weee one Thatcher (great name btw) and a Happy Happy B-day to Xenia-on-a-top (you know who you are!)!!!! Oh and welcome home Ms Parks! I hear you do a wicked Johnny W...can't wait to see it! :P
cheers!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
October 24 - Visits, UAT and a Countdown
Hey folks! 
Nerds at the museum of Natural History:
Can you believe that in 59 days I will be back in good ol Canada!?!?!? I am both excited and sad about this adventure coming to an end but enough about that.
UAT went very well. I don't want to brag but I am positive that this is the best set of user testing this organization has ever been through. I'm proud of my team and the testers. Here's a pic:
(L-R: Front, Leonard (Ghana), Meike (Germany), Monica (Spain), Joan (Canada), Kabir (Bangladesh), Back, Helen (Ethiopia), Me, Nicki (ChildData Team) and Conor (doing the Blue Steel face as usual)
After my crazy visit from Sarena I was visited by Christie for nearly a week! It was amazing that everyone we saw (including the testers and the receptionist) all pointed out that we looked like sisters! We did the touristy thing up royally and I know feel satisfied that I could leave the UK satisfied with my site-seeing. Check out the photos:
Double-decker bus tour (seriously it was great!)
Haming it up at Buckingham Palace:
Nerds at the museum of Natural History:What trip to London with Tina is complete without a musical?!?!?
And perhaps watching Rugby in a random pub?
And the addition of another 'world wonder' to my list for this trip...Stonehenge!
All with beautiful weather and great company! Thanks Christie!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
October 16 - Sarena visit and GMT
Just a quick update that I had a terrific visit from Sarena this weekend. I showed her nightlife in Woking (I'll let her post her own judgement on that one) and we shopped up a storm. It was FANTASTIC. I think she took one or two photos so maybe I'll post one of those.
I also learned a new international phrase this week. Feel free to borrow it: GMT, meaning Ghana Maybe Time. It's an indicator that something might get done eventually if someone feels like doing it...just like most things in Ghana. hee hee
I'm still at work at 9:30 so should just finish my stinkin work and go home but I had to be a bit distracted don't I?
I also learned a new international phrase this week. Feel free to borrow it: GMT, meaning Ghana Maybe Time. It's an indicator that something might get done eventually if someone feels like doing it...just like most things in Ghana. hee hee
I'm still at work at 9:30 so should just finish my stinkin work and go home but I had to be a bit distracted don't I?
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
October 9 - Let the User Acceptance Begin!
Day two of User Acceptance Testing and so far so good. The team looks like they will do well and we have quite the international bunch including:
- Joan from Canada (clearly my favourite)
- Monica from Spain
- Meike from Germany
- Leonard from Ghana
- Hasinil from Bangladesh
- Helen from Ethiopia, and
- Amy from the UK
Looks like the system is ready to go so it should be a busy two weeks. Looking forward to Sarena's visit on the weekend to break it up.
A couple of congrats are due to Jen and Darren on wee baby Catriona and to Dave and Megan on their engagement. :-) So much happy news for my favourite Smiths!
- Joan from Canada (clearly my favourite)
- Monica from Spain
- Meike from Germany
- Leonard from Ghana
- Hasinil from Bangladesh
- Helen from Ethiopia, and
- Amy from the UK
Looks like the system is ready to go so it should be a busy two weeks. Looking forward to Sarena's visit on the weekend to break it up.
A couple of congrats are due to Jen and Darren on wee baby Catriona and to Dave and Megan on their engagement. :-) So much happy news for my favourite Smiths!
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