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The Last Day...

Hey hey~

I was about to put the heading as "The Last Day in the Office" but then I realised that this isn't just my last day in the office, it's also my last day in Sydney! Freaky!

As usual there are a million things going through my head and heart which I am definitely going to take time to figure out and put into context.

Of course I feel a tinge of sadness as I leave this wonderful city that has been my home for the past five years. But in understanding this feeling I remember what my mum always says in situations like these, that it is okay to feel sad when something comes to an end because it means that this experience meant something to you, which is important and special, and it's true - though I probably can't explain it all right now.


We had our team closure day yesterday which was really lovely. We took over the boardroom (the NSW RB was in the courtyard and the elects were confined to doing a conference run through in the corework office), which was nice because I don't feel I've actually spent proper team time in their since transition began.

365 Days
Over 7000 hours
7 individuals

AIESEC Australia 2006-2007 - What has been my contribution?

Peter Ivett told us to anchor what we collectively as leaders have achieved over the past year because what we have had is very special. So I guess this is what this posting is about - recognising this moment and what it means to me.

*hugz*

MelMel

T-6 Days...

Hey hey~

Sometimes I feel really lucky to have a team leader who is eloquent enough to be able to articulate exactly how you are feeling.

*hugz*

MelMel

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Goodbye AIESEC Australia, and Thank you!

22 June , 2007

All good things must come to an end...

Dearest AIESEC Australia,

There are no words to describe how we feel as an MC team looking back on our year. The experience has been more powerful than anything we could have anticipated, more challenging than anything we have ever known, more fulfilling than we ever dared to dream. We have been truly blessed to have had such a year behind us, one that we hope will be remembered for the way we ALL pushed AIESEC Australia forward.

I say all, because while we played a role in the success we saw this year, we know that that role was small. It was not the MC that made AIESEC Australia grow this year- it was you. It was you that recruited, selected and inducted over 350 high quality members this year, it was you who facilitated over 60 exchanges, it was you that expanded our organisation to four new campuses, it was you that selected and drove our national themes for the year, it was you who registered over 230 members to come to July National Conference 2007, it was you that took AIESEC Australia to a new level, it was you that brought the pride and confidence back. As our slogan says, it was up to you, and you did it.

Every MC team hopes at the beginning of their term that they can leave the organisation in a better way than when they first began to lead it. My team and I are proud to say that we know the organisation is better and stronger now than it has been for a number of years. We are proud of this legacy, and we are excited to see what success will emerge from it over the coming years.

And with this great year behind us and this amazing organisation thriving the way that it is, it is time for us, the MC team of 2006-2007, to say our farewells.

On behalf of my team I would like to thank each and every one of you for the work that you have done this year. The success that we have seen in LCs has been nothing short of inspiring. We have seen LCs come from disbandment to full member status, we have seen first year members raise exchanges, we have seen Victoria working to put together an incredible national conference, we have seen recruitment teams around the country execute the most successful recruitment in the organisation's recent history. For all of these things and a thousand more, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your work and success have been the biggest source of motivation for us this past year.

I would especially like to thank the members of the National Leadership Team. The leadership that you have provided your LCs this past year has been captivating to observe. Each of you is the sort of leader that our organisation is striving to create. Be proud of yourselves for what you have done. Thank you all.

Finally, I would like to wish the incoming MC team the very best of luck for the coming year. AIESEC Australia, you are all damn lucky to have such an amazing group of people to lead you for this next year. Having worked with this team for the past two months, I cant help but think how much MORE they are capable of than we ever were; how smart their ideas are, how deep their understanding is, how inspiring their leadership is, how driven, passionate and committed they all are. We have every confidence that they will take AIESEC Australia to greater heights than ever before.

So with a heart heavy with pride, excitement, gratitude and a hint of sadness, we wish you all the very best of luck for the coming year. Remember that our organisation is one of the most important in the world. Without AIESEC, the world would be a shade bleaker. We carry with us the promise of a better future, and we all have a responsibility to carry that promise in the best possible way. Work hard, live with passion, enjoy yourself and never forget what we are trying to do here- change the world, one person at a time.

Signing off,

Member Committee Team 2006-2007

T-7 Days...

*HOT OFF THE PRESS-HOT OFF THE PRESS-HOT OFF THE PRESS*

Hey hey~

So after yesterday's downtime I was extremely pleased to discover the final registrations count for July Conference:

Western Australia - 20
Queensland - 46
New South Wales - 46
South Australia - 38
Victoria - 62
Internationals - 10
Member Comittee - 14

For those who a mathematically challenged like myself that makes a grand total of 236 delegates!

OH-MY-GOSH!!!

Before Christmas Ralph always told me that when we have a large increase of members into our organisation we will feel it - we will see it in our results, in our leadership team, in our culture, but most importantly that the size of our national association is measured by the number of people that attend our conferences. Since I joined AIESEC this has been a figure that has continued to decrease over the years, to the point that when I started my term last July Conference we probably only had around 130 delegates.

To be honest, I think I have never truly been convinced by the success of our recruitment, induction and selection this semester until now. Sure the initial numbers and the momentum generated coming out of January seemed to imply that this year the country had taken substantial steps to grow our membership base - but what would it have mattered that we had selected all of these top talented individuals if we only had another 130 delegates rock up in Melbourne in July?

This is the biggest National Conference that AIESEC Australia has seen in five years.

HOLY CRAP!!

*hugz*

MelMel

T-8 Days...

T-9 Days...

Hey hey~

So today marks one of the longest epic days I've had in a while.

5:05am: Stumble out of bed and try to find the shower in pitch dark

5:50am: The Merry Men (a.k.a Kyle, Michael, Ruth and myself) pile into the car to leave for work while it is still dark

6:20am: Arrive at the office and begin preparation for company interview while drinking hot tea trying to warm up

6:25am: Check national conference registration numbers

6:55am: Sun starts to rise

7:00am: Office central heating turns on

7:30am: Kate enters office

7:46am: Train to the city is canceled without any explanation

8:30am: Interview in the city starts

9:45am: Back in the office - quick phone call conversation with Murad

10:00am: MC strategy allocation meeting

10:40am: LCD cell meeting

12:00pm: Start working on conference sessions only to realise that I am starving from eating breakfast at like 5am!

12:30pm: Check and try to reply to emails

1:00pm: Check national conference registrations numbers

1:25pm: Email company with updated resume as requested

1:30pm: Continue to work on conference sessions with various interruptions from different people in office (namely Michael on MSN telling me to make me tea - "Go make your own tea Michael - YEAH Chena!!!)

2:00pm: Check national conference registrations numbers - harrass people online to register for conference

2:30pm: Run through of PD conference sessions with Daz

3:00pm: Final NSW regional transition with Kristina

4:00pm: Check national conference registrations numbers and reply to messages on Facebook - continue to work on PD sessions

4:27pm: Receive text message from Robbie and Laura referring to me as MelCon

5:00pm: Enter into discussion with Lucy and Daz about the purpose of their session and how to make it work

5:36pm: Receive email from job interview stating that I have now passed onto the third phase of selection which will take place in Melbourne sometime in the next 2 weeks

5:40:pm Begin to lose plot as it dawns upon me how many hours I have been in the office for

6:10pm: Leave office

7:30pm: Dinner

8:10pm: Curl up in bed with hot cup of tea and my lappy - Check national conference registration numbers - sign out from dot net

Talk about an epic day - and to think it is ONLY Tuesday!

*hugz*

MelMel

The Final Count Down...

Hey hey~

So Ralphy sent around an email to the outgoing team confirming the details of our final team day together.

I realise that have 7 more days in the MC Office and only 10 more days left in Sydney.

I must admit it is quite a surreal feeling as you come full circle in your term and are no longer receiving transition but actually delivering in - you know answers to things that you didn't realise you would but you still have questions that only future teams will be able to figure out - you're excited about the upcoming direction of the organisation but realise you won't be around to make it happen - you see the next generation stepping up and you remember when you were there when you recruited them and first introduced them to the AIESEC - you look at your team mates and imagine where they will all be in 20 years - you wonder whether or not you will ever have this same experience ever again - I think this is the one part of your MC journey that nothing else can really prepare you for.

Here's to making the most of the next few weeks: May it be filled with many more moments of laughter and tears, much self reflection, and enjoying the remaining time with my team and the people in this organisation who mean so much to me.

*hugz*

MelMel

Purple Things That Amuse MelMel #6

Hey hey~

I realise it has been a while since I've posted one of these.

Name: Heffalump
Nicknames: Heff, Heffer-de-Lump
Position: MC House Pet 06-07
City of Birth: Melbourne
City of Residence: Sydney
Likes: Making hot cuppa teas, being snuggled while watching DVDs
Dislikes: "Heffalump Splat" and "Heffalump Flash" (despite what Ruth and Michael say) and also the weird looks Ausra always gives him


*hugz*

MelMel

3 More Weeks In the Office

I Grew Up In Australia (Well, Actually New Zealand) In The 90s

Hey hey~

Shortly after my post about remembering the 1980s I received an email about growing up in Australia in the 1990s. Okay, so I technically grew up in New Zealand (and partially Hong Kong too for that matter) in the 1990s but the points raised in the list still make me feel nostalgic!

Top 15 "I Grew Up in the 1990s" List:

1. You made worms by squeezing your Vegemite or peanut butter crackers together
2. The best parties always had fairy bread
3. Doing research for school projects by going to the library or looking up an encyclopaedia rather than using the internet
4. "Don t push me, push a push pop!"
5. Watching Captain Planet and then driving your parents mad by always singing the song.
6. "That's so funny, I forgot to laugh"
7. You decorated your room with glow-in-the-dark stickers
8. Feeling sad when your Tamagotchi died
9. Blowing on the Nintendo cartridge before putting it in the console to make sure it worked properly
10. Giving a friend a backage in the canteen line. If it was your best friend, you gave them a frontage
11. Watching The Lion King and feeling Simba s pain when Mufasa died. Disney just doesn't make them like that anymore.
12. Downloading music from Napster
13. Chatting with your friends on ICQ
14. Wolfenstein, Doom and Duke Nukem
15. Playing handball with Ace, King, Queen and Dunce and making up stupid rules as you went along
    

Same as before, drop me an email if you are interested in reading the entire list!

*hugz*

MelMel

Blackle!

Hey hey~

I received this in my inbox today from Sharan - believe it or not!

*hugz*

MelMel

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Blackle is Nothing But a Black Version of Google
A few months ago, TreeHugger Mark Ontkush wrote a post on his blog EcoIron titled Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year. The post lays out the following train of thought.

"An all white web page uses about 74 watts to display, while an all black page uses only 59 watts." Google, which has a white background and gets about "200 million queries a day" could reduce global energy use by 750 Megawatt-hours a year by simply changing the color of its homepage to black.

In response to this post a black version of Google emerged called Blackle.com. According to Blackle's homepage at publication time, 4,408.917 Watt hours have been saved by . Nice ideas.

But how does the search measure up? Very well indeed. Give it a whirl yourself and start saving energy one search at a time. ::Blackle.com

I recommend you all to use this as your home page or default search engine. Kindly pass this on to people you know and spread the word.

Sing Us A Song, You're The Piano Man....

Hey hey~

What a delightful way to celebrate a birthday celebration by capping off the night with a trip to Minskys!

Thanks to all who joined in the fun and sung their hearts out!

*hugz*

MelMel