(Insert Theme Song Here)

This year I became an iPod user (more affectionately known as a melPod in my case). Having the ability to listen to music on random shuffle mode throughout my daily to-ing and fro-ing inevitably brings up songs that vividly remind me of certain individuals.

Sure, some of these are AIESEC songs, but for the most part these are songs which for one reason or another have been strongly embedded with memories of people in my head.

She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5 - Michael

Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely) - Pink - Kyle

Canned Heat - Jamiroquai - Eloise

I Like to Move It - Jess and James

Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne - Ausra

Don't Stop Me Now - Queen - Ralph

Xi Shua Shua - Pete

Pinoy Ako - Orange and Lemons - JM

! - Regurgitator - Robbie

Move Your Feet - Junior Senior - Jun Jet

Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson - Terri

All You Need is Love - John Lennon - Edrick

Hips Don't Lie - Shakira - Jakey and SuSu

Piano Man - Billy Joel - Lucy

Resistor - Brave Saint Saturn - Azan

I Want You Back - Jackson 5 - Penny

Love Generation - Bob Sinclair - Nicky

Oh the nostalgia of it all!

Pork and Beans

A Life Less Ordinary

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/08/12/1218306850686.html

(Thanks to Siska for bringing this to my attention - it's interesting to note just how many of these I have done! =P)

There's a birthday card that reads: "The difference between 29 and 30 is 10 years."

Turning 30 isn't the end of the world. In fact it's just the beginning of a better, wiser you. But is there anything quite like the young, dumb fun of your 20s and the growing pains that come with it?

Maybe there isn't, but the time inevitably comes for the next chapter.

Twenties are filled with almost as much angst as the teen age years. You're still figuring yourself out, finding fertile ground to stand and build on.

You work hard trying to secure a successful career. You play hard at night and maybe squeeze in more work and find sleep when you can.

As time goes on, your priorities change. Sure, you might still like video games and late-night happy hours. But other things start creeping into your mind, like preparing for the next stage: mortgage, marriage, kids.

But before those cards are dealt and real responsibilities settle in, perhaps we need to take advantage of youthful freedom while it's still for the taking. Some of us have never found the time for audacious.

Some people have their bucket lists, the things they want to do before they die: bungee jumping, continent hopping.

But it's not too late to have a list of things to get out of the way before the age of 30 - use a passport, go on a wild shopping spree, dye your hair some unforgivable colour.

We might follow the lead of Jen MacNeil, a blogger who decided to send off her 20s by doing one new thing every day until she turned 30 and documenting it (jen365.blogspot.com).

We mightn't all be as daring as Jen, but here's a list of 30 things to do before you turn 30, if you haven't already:

1. Buy a one way ticket overseas
2. Borrow your nephews and nieces or friends' kids for a weekend and take them to the zoo
3. Blow a week's wages on dinner for two at a restaurant where the prices aren't even listed on the menu
4. Have a one night stand with an attractive stranger you met at a party
5. March for a cause you believe in
6. Move out of home and live in a share house
7. Run a marathon - or if that's too daunting, do a fun run
8. Invent your own cocktail
9. Learn a language
10. Get a Brazilian wax
11. Have sex in the open air
12. Read the collected works of an author you love
13. Get a letter to the editor published in your local newspaper
14. See the Aurora Borealis.
15. Try base jumping or another extreme sport
16. Bluff your way into a glamorous job you're totally unqualified for
17. Join a political party and hand out how to vote cards on election day
18. Get involved in a team sport
19. Do a road trip with a bunch of mates in a dodgy car
20. Survive a flight on a third world airline
21. Find the love of your life
22. Lose the love of your life
23. Skinny dip in the ocean at midnight under a full moon with a group of friends
24. See the sun rise after an all night rave
25. Go to a gay bar - if you're straight
26. Go hiking in Bhutan
27. Do a ten day yoga retreat
28. Make a fool out of yourself at a karaoke bar
29. Plant a tree for the environment
30. Get fake ID saying you're 21

The Need For Innovation

People Join Organisations And Leave Their Team Leaders

The number one reason why employees leave their jobs within the first six months is because their expectations have not been met.

If you really want to attract and retain good people, here are seven key things you need to know:

1. ‘Good people’, people you can trust, are those who can meet your expectations and needs, but you need to be honest about what those are
2. Only make promise in your job ads and interviews that you can and will keep.
3. Understand the expectations and needs of the people joining your organisation. If you fail to meet them, you will break down their trust in you
4. Make sure your managers, supervisors, team leaders understand what makes and breaks down trust, they are responsible for people staying or leaving your organisation.
5. Remember that your marketing and branding make promises and create expectations in your existing and future employees’ minds
6. When you build trust with your employees, managing their expectations, meeting their needs and keeping your promises, they stay
7. When you break the trust of your employees, they leave and tell others about it, or they stay, are unproductive, and drag others down.

http://entente.com.au/

Learning About Yourself Is Often A Surprising Thing

pluck·y
–adjective

1. Having or showing pluck or courage; brave.
2. Having or showing courage and spirit in trying circumstances
3. Marked by courage and determination in the face of difficulties or danger; robust and uninhibited.
4. Showing courage.

I still find it pleasantly surprising to see how different people perceive my actions and who I am.

Just call me Plucky ^__^

I Want To Be This Kind Of Alumni!

Kudos to Sveta for this initiative!

I totally agree that being an alumni is purely a state of mind.

On Friday 25th July I Was Wicked...

Now I just need to find the soundtrack on CD.

Workplace 2012 - What Does It Mean For Employers?

Source: http://www.mercer.com.au/workplace2012

Profiling the workforce between now and 2012:

• The amount of workers aged 55+ in the labour force will increase by 14% – an extra 224,000 individuals. Growing from 1.7 million to 2 million.
• The amount of workers aged 25-54 in the labour force will increase by 5%.
• Women aged 55+ in the labour force will increase by 19% - 125,000 more individuals.
• Men aged 55+ will increase by 10% - 99,000 more individuals.
• Queensland's labour force is forecast to grow the fastest of any state.
• Tasmania's labour force is forecast to grow the slowest of any state.

Are you Workplace 2012 ready?

• Salary grades could become irrelevant and salary could be based on performance, with recruitment targets and bonuses set for every individual
• Employers will offer in-house child care options and salary sacrificing for children’s educations
• As national and global mobility of workers increases, relocation benefits may increase
• Benefits such as subsidised gym memberships will shift to lunch time personal training sessions or lunch time yoga at a department and team level
• Social networking websites will be encourages and used to build global and virtual business relationships internally and with clients
• Leave arrangements will be more flexible to met individual needs and desires such as extended holiday or travel, community involvement, sabbaticals or study.
• Flexible working arrangements will flourish to cater to various life stages or needs such as caring for young children or elderly relatives, involvement in school or community activities (such as coaching the local soccer team) and changing work conditions such as working within a global team.
• Subsidised financial advice and education will be provided by more employers, particularly around "transition to retirement" superannuation arrangements.
• Wellness will become a greater focus. The provision of health checks subsidised private health insurance and health education at work will become increasingly common.
• There will be more opportunities to up-skill at work, for example through technology workshops, and away from work, through greater subsidies and support for chosen hobbies, e.g. art classes, learning a language or golf membership.