Creative Meanderings

This is the last weekend of the course I was taking for the past six weeks. Now, I will have to focus on readings related to my doctorate again, but I’m up for it.

One of the good things about taking the online course is that by procrastinating on my tasks, I got a lot of other things done around the house.

For some time now I’ve been wanting to rearrange a couple of the rooms in the apartment. It just felt time for a little bit of change. The white walls are starting to get to me as well, but first I thought I’d adjust the furniture….

Living/Dining room BEFORE

View at Picasa 23-Jun-2011 22:58, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 800

View at Picasa The open space living/dining rooms and kitchen23-Jun-2011 22:57, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 160

View at Picasa 23-Jun-2011 22:57, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 800

Living/Dining room AFTER

View at Picasa Living room makeover 219-May-2012 13:05, Apple iPhone 4S, 2.4, 4.28mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa Living room makeover19-May-2012 13:05, Apple iPhone 4S, 2.4, 4.28mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100

Office BEFORE

View at Picasa The office - we are still working on the drapery issue...23-Jun-2011 23:00, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 800

Office AFTER

View at Picasa Office makeover19-May-2012 13:06, Apple iPhone 4S, 2.4, 4.28mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 64

I have become interested in open space layouts lately, so this is where these arrangements stem from.

My gardening has focused mostly on ensuring the tomato plants survive as other vegetables seem to not be conducive to my gardening methods, but I am still trying:

View at Picasa Tomato corner19-May-2012 13:05, Apple iPhone 4S, 2.4, 4.28mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 64

View at Picasa Trying other plants still...19-May-2012 13:05, Apple iPhone 4S, 2.4, 4.28mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 64

So, this is what has been keeping me busy – on top of cleaning house, shopping and the other mundane weekend activities!

-T

ON NOT FINDING THE PHONE AND CONTACTING POLICE

Well, on April 25th I posted about my iPhone being stolen. It was a sad and frustrating day on the 24th. While I had hoped that eventually my phone would be returned to me, I waited a few days to no avail.

Finally, I called and cancelled the SIM card to ensure I didn’t get charged for any random calls. People wanted me to go to the police, but I wanted to give it enough time before going through that hassle. So, when I had finally given up hope, I went to the Khalifa City Police Station on Wednesday, May 9th only to find that I had to bring the original box. (Good thing I hadn’t thrown that away!). Thus, I went back on Thursday, May 10th and completed the police report. It is apparently illegal to provide a copy of the police report, so I am suppose to take their word for it and wait until someone contacts me at some unknown time in the future…gotta love ambiguity!

In any case, I’ve done as much as I can at this point and must accept that the phone is gone.

ON TRYING TO GET A NEW PHONE

Despite my attempt to last with my old Nokia phone, I found that I’m much too spoiled by the iPhone to live long without it. So, I went to Etisalat to find out how to get a new one.

Turns out that because I am still on contract with the stolen phone, I cannot:

*pay to end the contract early without having to wait until the contract period comes to a close (June 19th)

*start a new or different contract with a new phone while I am still paying for a phone on another contract

Therefore, either way, I have to complete my payments for the rest of the contract and then I will be eligible to get a new phone while renewing my contract. Complicated!

So, R was kind enough to lend me back my old 3G iPhone until I became eligible for the new phone next month. The plan was to wait it out – despite it’s slowness compared to my 4G.

View at Picasa 15-May-2012 07:41, Apple iPhone 4S, 2.4, 4.28mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 80

View at Picasa 15-May-2012 07:41, Apple iPhone 4S, 2.4, 4.28mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 80

MY NEW BABY!

A week or so ago a friend mentioned that Apple now sells iPhones unlocked in the States. She had obtained one that allows her to use Facetime with her family and friends since it came from the States.

Of course, I had to check it out! Sure enough, they were easily available and much much cheaper than buying one here even under the contract (as you pay monthly for the device). Therefore, I ordered the 64GB White iPhone 4S, which is an upgrade in capacity and model from the stolen phone. Although waiting for it to be delivered here was a bit of a test of patience, – I do love new toys! – it arrived with basically no difficulty, minimal shipping and customs costs and now I’m a happy camper again!!!

View at Picasa

This one will NEVER leave my sight!!!

-T

After my post yesterday, I thought perhaps I should seem more positive. So, this morning I am thinking of the good points of life and the day:

*It’s Thursday, which means the weekend starts after just two more classes.

*I’m going to eat Korean food tomorrow as I catch up with a friend/colleague, which will be nice.

*I love my bf, bff, family and lifestyle.

*There are only 43 days left of work until a 2-month summer holiday.

*My data collection is moving forward now that I’ve finally gotten my butt in gear again.

*In another week I’ll be finished with another online course through TESOL, which will pad my CV and has given me motivation, resources and contacts in my professional world.

So, there’s plenty to truly smile and be happy about! Just gotta refocus my attentions on what really matters!

-T

I’ll attempt to keep this all theoretical and as objective as possible, but it may be hard.

One of the reasons that I started doing my dissertation on the topic of leadership development and training is because of working with so many leaders or people who want to leaders who don’t have the basics in leadership skills. Of course, there’s the argument of is a leader born or made? There’s also a discussion on whether anyone can be a leader or not. Most importantly, there’s a divide between management and leadership. This distinction is often confused and blurred, but there is a distinction.

Not all managers are good leaders. Not all leaders are good managers. One who can do both is a diamond in the rough and rare. Most people assume that if they are good managers (ie can organize schedules, run meetings, make photocopies, etc.), then they are effective leaders. However, I would guess that most who are good leaders do not necessarily care about being a good manager (unless they are the diamond).

Leadership is as the name suggests, about leading. Leading means modeling professional behavior (in a work environment), initiating new ideas grounded in sound theory and pedagogy (in the world of education) and being a person who inspires. Of course, some may argue these characteristics, but let’s just let me have my way for the time being.

So, a leader should be proactive, not reactive nor deactive (which is not a real word in this form, but serves its purpose for now…). However, how often do you see people in managerial/leadership positions who undertake the latter behavioral patterns rather than the former? When people are proactive it creates an environment of activity and positiveness. The others contribute to a negative environment based on fear and subjugation. In our heart of hearts, we all know that we would rather be and work in a proactive environment and yet it is so amazingly rare to find one in reality. WHY?

In any case, you can come to your own conclusions about who or what I am referencing here. However, if you are a leader or want to be one, please take a moment to step back and really asses what kind of environment you are working in and what can you do make it more proactive!

-T