Reaching Out

Pools are reopening, and it looks like the Holiday Villa pool has also reopened. They had a Facebook post about how people need to call 24 hours beforehand to book a slot to use the pool, which I guess is their new crowd control SOP. I'll call tomorrow to find out what other measures they're taking, and see if I can book multiple visits a week beforehand. It's a little weird to think about it, but I think it'll make me more disciplined in going regularly.

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I've been leaning forward at the screen squinting a LOT. Either I need glasses, or I need a new monitor, because this 15" screen is no longer cutting it. If it was actually on my lap it's bearable, but I haven't been writing like that for some time. I have a wireless keyboard and mouse, because I hate the up-down keys on my laptop and it just isn't efficient. But using the keyboard means the screen is further from my face.

SO! My dad got a new computer recently, one of those All-in-One types. (It's also where my current keyboard/mouse are from). So he didn't need his old monitor and had offered it to my brother. And my brother just got a new rig to game on (he called me over to show me how his CPU lights up, it's very pretty) so he doesn't need a new monitor either (he's got a new big one that's also bendy which is hilarious).

Therefore I claimed the monitor for myself, got myself an HDMI cable, and WOW checking PDF changes is SO MUCH EASIER with a second screen than moving back and forth between windows, and it was faster to work like this. Before I'd have to have so many breaks because my eyes were tired from squinting so much, and my shoudlers are stiff from hunching over.

Considering getting a new computer completely, with a mini-tower, so I can have TWO big monitors instead, like a true nerd.

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I am falling back on bad habits in getting so distracted I'm not getting as much work done though, and I don't... really know what to do about that. I'm so anxious I can't get to sleep properly, and then so tired during the day I can't work properly, augh!!! I can't even focus enough for my longhand writing.

Peter says:
so I just figured out what the eighties-est thing is!
Jha @ werk says:
oh?

Jha @ werk says:
do you even remember the eighties?
Peter says:
No! I was only alive for the very end of it.
Peter says:
This is of purely historical interest.
Jha @ werk says:
right
Jha @ werk says:
go on then!
Peter says:
Jem and the Holograms.
Peter says:
pretty much sums it up : o
Jha @ werk says:
okay
Jha @ werk says:
that made me snort out loud and i'm still in the office

We ended the Sales Summit agenda for today earlier because our British rep insisted on catching the Arsenal vs. Manchester United game. Which meant that I left the office around 3pm. Caught the bus home, washed my face, walked downtown to the pub.

I didn't realize the CEO was wearing a Man U shirt all day until I got to the pub.

It was fun, watching the game with other people. During FIFA World Cup 2008, I was glued to my TV because I knew I'd have someone to talk to about the game in the Epic class I was taking that summer. I heard my neighbours shout and I knew there'd been a victory. How weird it is that I spend so much of my time alone in my apartment and I can't even stand the idea of being around people for too long, and yet I still crave these moments of socializing where I feel comfortable.

The Sales Summit has been really eye-opening in telling me just what kind of company I'm working for, and it makes me all the more glad to have the job I have. Too often, I sees sales jobs as pushing products on people, making them buy, moving money from the consumer to the seller, and product from the seller to the consumer.

Of course, making a sale IS important, because that's what allows the company to keep giving us the money we need to make a living. But usually selling is, "here's the product. It's awesome. Take it or leave it. But seriously, here's why it's awesome, so take it, take it, take it."

Our product, however, is one of many in an industry which deals with human lives. It's also a technological product. As such, our product always has the potential to improve, and it's necessary that we try to cater to the customer's needs the best we can, because to help them is to help other people.

My CEO explained it to us: "If there is a customization work we can do for a customer, we'll have a look at it, and if we feel that it benefits the entire customer base, we'll make it part of the product. We won't change the product for just one customer, although we can do minor custom work for them, but if there's something they want that we think can benefit all, we'll make sure it goes out to benefit everyone else."

Which only makes a bloody lot of sense. There're things we can do to make our own lives better, and then there're things we can do to make our own lives better and other people's lives better, too. Especially with stuff that's so deeply connected to other people. Our product can't afford to be alienated from the customer base, because our product has a direct effect on the customer base's goal: helping save other people's lives.

What I got out of it, then, is that creating and improving a product should be for the benefit of the commonwealth of customers that are or will be buying from us.

And that's certainly a philosophy I could use during life in general.

So, I don't have Facebook, but it was rather important that I leave my co-worker Mitchell a birthday message, so another co-worker helped me out by letting me use her account.

The original message was going to read:

jaymee says happy birthday

And I fixed it.

jaymee says hapi birfdai

Co-worker adds:

jaymee says hapi birfdai and greetings

To which I fix:

jaymee says hapi birfdai and griitins

Co-workers writes:

jaymee says hapi birfdai and grietins from the writing centre

And I HAD to fix "writing centre"... you know I have to.

Final message:

Jaymee says Hapi Birfdai and grietins from the righting centaur.