Job Interview Update

Got a letter Saturday morning informing me that I am "through to the next stage of the interview process".

Next interview is this Thursday at 3:45pm.

** UPDATE ** 14th December

Still hadn't heard anything after my second interview so phoned them yesterday. They aren't sending out any letters of job offers (or otherwise) until after Christmas.

Feeling Thankful

So today is Thanksgiving in America (I remembered this year cos I was speaking to my brother who lives in Ohio - he reminded me. I usually forget).

So I got to thinking this morning - "What am I thankful for ?"

I am thankful:

* that I serve a God who knows me & has called me by name

* that I serve a God who is with me in the pain, questions & struggles I face

* that I have these wonderful people in my life who I'm privileged to know - who have molded me & shaped me into the person I am today (I hope you know who you are - thank you)

* that I am blessed with wonderful friends who I can agree or disagree with and still call them friends

* that I have friends all over the world

* for my family

* that I have a roof over my head, a job to go to & clothes on my back

I have so much to be thankful for & yet don't often take the time to stop & define what (and who) I appreciate. Even tho I'm not American, I can learn from the tradition of Thanksgiving & be thankful for the blessings in my life.

What are you thankful for ?

Job Interviews & Keeping Calm

I had a job interview this morning for a job I really really really would quite like to get. Did I mention I'd like to get this job ? It's not that I don't like my current job (I do), I think it's just time for something new.

So, was half way thru giving my answer to question one & a voice comes over the tannoy "We shall now conduct our weekly test of the fire alarm system, if you cannot hear it, please report this to security". The alarm sounded.

First off, if you can't hear the alarm, I assume you won't hear the annoucement, so how would one know to report it ??

And second off, it kinda threw me a bit. Especially when the alarm finished & the panel asked me to pick up where I left off..... couldn't really remember what I'd said & what I hadn't.

On to question two. Again, giving my answer & a voice comes over the tannoy "thank you for participating in the weekly fire alarm test."

Hmmmmmm at least it gave me opportunity to show my cool calm & collected persona under pressure.

Needless to say can't remember much about the rest of the interview.

Working Hard ?

May I never work in a place like this where I could be dead 5 days before someone would notice ! This just proves that relationships, chats & cups of coffee are important in the workplace.

The Sound of Silence

First they came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.
-- Rev. Martin Niemoller

Have been thinking about advocacy vs. silence for a few days now & figured it was time to post something to discuss.

Things have been all over the place in my life of late. Work has been crazy & things have been difficult in my faith community & circle of friends due to a number of circumstances.

In my job, I often find myself taking on an advocacy role for the young people I work with & trying to stand up for them/ argue their point of view or for their rights with other professionals. As a friend commented to me last week it seems to be about me taking a stand against 'injustice'.

Over the past few weeks within my faith community I've found myself trying to come to terms with what i believe to be 'injustice' and how I begin to make my voice heard. I'll admit for several weeks I kept my head down & steered clear of everyone. But now I find myself questionning my actions - does my silence mean that people perceive that I agree with their actions ? Someone once said -

"Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted."

But maybe in some cases silence being misquoted is not a good thing as it may mean it is interpreted as agreement (when it's not). I guess it comes down to how we express our views opinions etc etc - we must take time to think about what & how we say things - everyone has a right to a voice - but when we speak we need to be careful how we phrase our viewpoint so as not to cause more hurt/ misunderstanding. I guess it's important not just to be heard, but to be understood.

In good conversation, people can hear each other, understand & come away with an opportunity for more conversation (thanks Davey !!)

So when is silence a good thing ? When is it not ? I'm not quite sure. But I know that standing up for the rights of the marginalised & speaking out against injustice is important to me. Maybe it's time I should start speaking up more.

U2 and Greenday

Two of my 2 fav bands have done a collaboration.

"The Saints Are Coming...."



check it out

Christ

Someone sent me this picture this week. I kinda like it - the more times I look at it, the more pictures I see of Christ within it. Have a look, see what you think.

Nothing Much To Say

A couple of months ago I made a list of things I wanted to do over the coming months. One of them was to blog regularly & maybe post something once or twice a week. Except I haven't had time the past week or so to think about anything - hence the silence on the blog (don't think anyone reads this anyway !!). Work has been crazy busy. Hopefully it'll quieten down soon....... then, maybe I'll have time to blog !