I despise feeling like this.
So much so in fact, that I am legitimately upset with myself for letting this happen.
Which, in turn, makes me feel that much worse.

I can’t seem to get anything right.
I feel like I’m failing at everything.
(And in all actuality, I am failing some things.)
I don’t think I can keep going.

I used to be so secure in everything.
I used to know what I wanted to.
I knew who I was.
I understood my limitations.
I don’t know what happened.

I want to go back.
I want to be that person again.
I want to be the person who understood her place in the world and was content.

I hate who I am now.
Someone who can’t seem to get anything right.
Someone who can’t find peace and contentment.
Someone who is continuously unhappy.

Just let me go back to when everything was adequate.

Apparently I have enough time to update my post tag list, nothing new in the land of N yet, trying to figure out how I’m going to interlink all of my story’s into movuies and stuff.

Deputy Interior Minister Bashir Abdi said that international donors need to fulfill their financial pledges…. From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: gum recession. The blog is also related to: recession stocks.

As with any kind of management, implementing a sales program involves motivating and directing the behavior of other people—the members of the sales force. To be effective, the sales manager must understand why the people in his or her sales force behave the way they do. Then policies and procedures can be designed to direct their behavior toward the desired objectives.

The model of the activities involved in implementing a sales program suggests that five factors influence a sales rep’s job behavior and performance:

1. Environmental variables: Regardless of how highly motivated or competent salespeople are, their ability to achieve a particular level of job performance is influenced—and sometimes constrained—by environmental factors. The ability to reach a given sales volume, for instance, can be affected by such things as the market demand for the product being sold, the number and aggressiveness of competitors, and the health of the economy. Similarly other elements of a firm’s marketing mix, such as the quality of its products and the effectiveness of its advertising, can affect a salesperson’s ability to reach a high level of sales performance.
2. Role perceptions: To perform adequately, a salesperson must understand what the job entails and how it is supposed to be performed. The activities and behaviors associated with a particular job are defined largely by the expectations and demands of other people, both inside and outside the organization. Thus, a salesperson’s job (or role) is defined by the expectations and desires of the customers, sales manager, other company executives, and family members. The salesperson’s ability to do the job well is partly determined by how clearly the sales rep understands those role expectations. Also, the salesperson may sometimes face conflicting demands, as when customer wants a lower price but company management refuses to negotiate. The salesperson’s ability to resolve such conflicts helps determine success or failure on the job.
3. Aptitude: A salesperson’s ability to perform the activities of the job is also influenced by the individual’s personal characteristics, such as personality traits, intelligence, and analytical ability. No matter how hard they try, some people are never successful at selling because they do not have the aptitude for the job. Of course, different kinds of sales jobs involve different tasks and activities, so a person with certain characteristics may be unsuited for one selling job but tremendously successful at another one.
4. Skill levels: Evan when salespeople have the aptitude to do their jobs and an understanding of what they are expected to do, they must have the skills necessary to carry out the required tasks.
5. Motivation level: A salesperson cannot achieve a high level of job performance unless motivated to expend the necessary effort. A person’s motivation is determined by the kind of rewards expected for achieving a given level of performance and by the perceived attractiveness of those anticipated rewards.

A sales manager can use several policies and procedures to influence the aptitude, skill levels, role perceptions, and motivation of the sales force. Implementing a sales program involves designing those policies and procedures so that the job behavior and performance of each salesperson are shaped and directed toward the specified objectives and performance levels.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, Lectures, Line of Sight

In our Welcome Back to School Letter from Principal Pretty, we found out we would have a lesson plan template to turn in this year instead of photocopying our plan books. I was a little leery when I first heard about it, because I really like the way I do lesson plans (time-consuming as they are). But they are thorough and helpful to me. But, I had no idea what to expect so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. Of course she explained it on the Friday I took off. (Which she knew I was taking off, so why didn’t she make our grade-level meeting with her on Thursday afternoon? Who says you have to meet with the grades in number order?) So I come back the next week and don’t see the lesson plan anywhere. After a few days, I asked Fashionista about it. She said it was in my mailbox, and when I looked confused, she helped me go through the pile of crap papers we had amassed over the previous week (really, why do we have to kill so many trees every September?), and there it was: A two-sided paper with a half-page of boxes on each side.

That’s it?

I did not understand. How was this supposed to be a lesson plan? Okay, so the reading anchors are listed on the top half of the reading side, and the math ones are on the math side. (And she even did them by grade level, woo-hoo.) But the boxes have like no space to write. On the reading side, there is a column for whole group, reading groups, writing, and science/research lab with five rows for the days of the week. The math side is worse; the lesson plan half is just five lines with the days of the week. (When I showed it to Principal Friend, because I wanted to know if all the principals were doing it, or if this was another one of Pretty’s fabulous creations, Friend said, “I guess she doesn’t want your Power Teaching plans?” I laughed, and she said, “I don’t know, Pretty…”) Fashionista said we are just supposed to write a few words about what we are doing, that Pretty doesn’t want a lot of details. (Obviously.) But I still didn’t get it. So I asked the emotional support teacher when we were in the copy room. She said the same thing, but added that we could put page numbers if we want to, or the title of the story and leveled reading books. Still confused.

At this point I started to feel dumb. Like really dense. This “chart” is not a lesson plan. What was the point of filling it out? I started to get angry about having to do double work. Was it really too hard for Pretty to read all of our lesson plans? (Considering I got March plans returned in June, I’m going to say “Yes”.) But deep down I knew I was angry because I still didn’t understand what she wanted!

And then it hit me. There IS a reason why I don’t like this “lesson plan”: it is like doing the bare minimum. Half-assed. Adequate, even.

ad·e·quate /ˈædɪkwɪt/ [ad-i-kwit] –adjective
1. as much or as good as necessary for some requirement or purpose; fully sufficient, suitable, or fit (often fol. by to or for): This car is adequate to our needs. Adequate food for fifty people.
2. barely sufficient or suitable: Being adequate is not good enough.

from dictionary.com

“Barely sufficient” – that is exactly how I feel. How can this “lesson plan” possibly be good enough?

It’s like how the PDE 426 forms say “adequate” – to get satisfactory, you just have to be adequate. I remember the first time I saw it, I said, “Adequate?! I don’t want to be ‘adequate’, I want to be spectacular!” It’s like bare minimum, scraping by with a D-. I said they should add a third column – unsatisfactory, satisfactory, and outstanding.

That lesson plan is “adequate”.

The traditional branching tree control structure within an organization is simply not designed to cope with the ever changing management requirements dictated by the life-cycle changes within a large project. The fact that various input and output measures vary over the project’s life suggests that project management must focus on universal project dimensions such as cost, time and performance (quality).

As an example of how interface problems vary over the life of a project, consider the two functions of R&D and production over the life-cycle of a given product. Before the introduction of the product, R&D must be closely matched with production. R&D may be doing reliability tests which will lead to engineering changes. Production will be doing production design and process planning, which may be affected seriously by engineering changes. Thus, good communication is essential to avoid wasted resources in production.

On the other hand, in the growth phase R&D is likely to be focusing on developing the next product, while production will be ramping up production and producing long runs to avoid production losses due to setups. Thus, there will be relatively little explicit conflict between R&D and production at this phase.

In the decline phase, R&D will be in the design phase on the new product and will withdraw all R&D from the declining product. Production will be heavily involved in cost control. Again there will tend to be no apparent conflict, but good managers will make sure production is adequately consulted on the new design.

It is clear from the example that a full project management structure which focuses on future products as well as current products can help R&D to interact in a more useful fashion.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, Line of Sight

Anger rushes through my body
The Fire bursts out from within
Shooting from my bloodshot eyes
Violently escaping from my screaming mouth
I want to burn the whole of Africa
And boil the seas between us
That the water might touch you
And sting you with its heat
That you might remember:
I am here!
On this Earth.
Do not forsake me!

But the only thing that escapes my mouth
Is the acid in my stomach
As the home-cooked Chinese food
And the two cups of sugar and milk with coffee
Attempt to reckon with my empty bowels.
And my eyes stare at the computer screen
Hours into the night;
Waiting at the wrong time,
Wanting in the wrong place.

Neither of us are perfect,
Nor adequate to give.

I feel as if I’m waiting for life to start.

Make it easy to transfer new skills and behavior from the training site to the job site:

1. maximize the similiarity between the training situation and the work situation.
2. provide adequate practice.
3. label or identify each feature of the machine and/or step in the process.
4. direct the trainees’ attention, to important aspects of the job. For example, if you’re training customer service representatives how to handle incoming calls, first explain the different types of calls they will encounter and how to recognize such calls.
5. provide “heads up,” prepatory information. For example, trainee learning to become first-line supervisors often face stressful conditions, high workload, and difficult subordinates back on the job. Studies suggest you can reduce the negative impact of such events by letting trainees know they might happen.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, Line of Sight

I’ve been in a mood all day.  Lazy, intractable.  Slept through yoga class.  Dawdled about my tasks.  Spent a lot of time sulking.  Don’t blame me! Blame Flannery O’Connor.  Eating (1a) anchovy paste off stale crackers & (1b) lying under the bed (2b) reading God is Always with Us would probably make anyone feel sullen & childish. 

I could only find a can of anchovies so I mashed them into a paste myself.  I hope that counts.  It does.

I managed to get all my sentences out in the least imaginative ways: (1c) “Here’s the change” while shopping.  (2c) “Tell me what happened today” in a voicemail.  & lastly (3c) “That’s a collector’s item” re: my upcoming Week 3 while on the phone with a friend.  (2a) Gingerale &  (3a) oranges for breakfast, as you know if you follow me on Twitter.  (3b) Wiping one’s nose on one’s sleeve is a surprisingly addictive bad habit.  I was scratching more than wiping, but still.

Ptolemy suggested in a comment on my last post that this project owes a lot to BDSM.  Hum.  Well, though I’m not particularly experienced in the lifestyle, I do know a lot about it!   I don’t want to offend anyone in the S&M community by saying that I think my project is more complicated/difficult, but I do think what I’m doing requires as great, if not greater, personal discipline. & much greater flexibility! While I skulked around the house (& under the bed) I realized that what makes this project so difficult is the total lack of consequences if I neglect to complete an assignment.   I only wish I had helpful taskmasters to hit me with sticks!    Also, there’s no reward for success except the reward of not failing– there’s not even the emotional reward of a “master’s” approval since, privately, I don’t really care one way or another about the approval of most of my participants. Basically, there’s no carrot & no stick… just me, the untethered donkey with a list of suggestions.  Kind of like real life. 

More interesting though. Worth living, at least.

The best thing that happened to me today was waking up & seeing Chance sleeping INSIDE A Good Man is Hard to Find.  He’s the best little familiar I’ve ever had.

Anyway, for tomorrow I’m living Salinger’s “Teddy.”

I’ll say:

• “One of these days, you’re going to have a tragic, tragic heart attack”
• “This is quite interesting”
• “She’s adequately covered”

I’ll eat/drink:

• whiskey
• marshmellows
• apple

I’ll make sure to:

• predict the date of my own death
• write in a journal
• carry a vase of long stemmed red roses

That gives me an excuse to buy flowers for myself.

Also, I forgot to mention earlier that I was allowed to drink today & so I am.

Enjoying a glass of white wine.

Closing note: Today, God is always with me.  Even under the bed.  He’s probably always with you too.

***

p.s. somebody said I was being mean to Ptolemy when I said his week was getting easy?  I’m no Meg Tilly when it comes to apologies… but this should suffice.

His week is very hard.  It’s the hardest I’ve ever seen.

In a turbulent environment, cash returns are important, if not more important, than reported profit returns. Cash returns lead to liquidity, and liquidity is a top priority consideration whenever risks and uncertainties surround a business situation, as they do in so many cases today. Cash and liquidity put any company in a better position to withstand a surprise blow, adapt to sudden changes, and capitalize on the narrower windows of opportunity that are commonplace in a turbulent environment.

This doesn’t mean that profits and profit growth are not important. The whole purpose of any business enterprise is to maximize profits and profit growth, but this objective will  not be achieved if business unit managers do not focus more time and attention on managing their cash and liquidity. Any entrepreneur that has lived through a start-up knows the importance of cash and liquidity. The entrepreneur knows from experience that a business can go bankrupt even while it is reporting profits. But it will never go bankrupt as long as its cash and liquidity positions are strong. Most corporate executives understand this point also, but many do not follow through to make sure it is sufficiently stressed or understood at the operating level. This is where the problem lies. Most business unit managers who operate under a corporate umbrella tend to overlook the importance of managing their own cash and liquidity and look instead to the corporation as a never ending source of funds.

The results are apparent in most corporations. Capital expenditure proposals tend to be a “wish list” often justified on project volume gains or cost savings that never occur. Working capital is allowed to build without adequate regard for carrying costs on the cash commitment. In short, overinvestment in plant and equipment, and working capital often serves as a buffer to cover sloppy business practices and control. These are practices that inevitably lead to an investment base that is too big for the business and to marginal profit returns.

Many operating managers in a corporation are not even aware of the costs incurred while excess capital is tied up in the business. This is not an exaggeration. Just ask any four or five business unit managers how much it costs to carry their inventory. Most of them will acknowledge an interest cost of, say 7—8 percent, but few will recognize that total carrying costs, which include storage, taxes, obsolescence, and shrink, actually run closer to 30 percent in today’s environment. We would also bet that none of them have such charges against their earnings, even though it is a very legitimate cost of doing business.

Not every company operates this way. Most corporate executives are not tough minded or rigorous enough in challenging cash commitments, and most business unit managers have more cash tied up in their business than required.

Ideally, every manager should think like a small business entrepreneur with his or her own money at risk. If this were the case, we would not see so many companies with bloated balance sheets and marginal returns. Left on their own, most business unit managers do not think this way, however. Life is not easier when you can draw almost at will on coroprate resources to meet the payroll, build inventories, and buy supplies, tooling and a lot of equipment. Under such conditions you don’t have to worry very much about how to make ends meet.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, Line of Sight

A successful change effort requires: a) adequate appreciation and planning, b) sufficient support by employees, c) competent execution by managers, and d) change managers with appropriate skill sets and capabilities. Less than one-third of all organizational change efforts are successful in producing anticipated results. There are eight reasons for this low success rate. Organizations that fail to produce results after undertaking change do so because managers in these organizations do not:

1. establish a sense of urgency among employees;
2. form a powerful guiding coalition for implementing change;
3. create a powerful vision to energize employees;
4. communicate their vision effectively to employees;
5. empower employees to act on their vision;
6. plan for and create short-term wins;
7. consolidate improvements and produce still more change; and
8. institutionalize new approaches.

The first four reasons deal with appreciating change and mobilizing support and the last reason relates to creating capability for change. Remaining three reasons concern the implementation of change. There are three prerequisites to effective execution of change, relating to empowerment, motivation, and consolidation.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, Line of Sight

There are a number of changes being made to the citizenship test. The key changes are:                                                                                                   

• the test questions will be rewritten in plain English
• the test will not contain any mandatory questions
• the current pass mark will increase from 60 per cent to 75 per cent
• the test will be based on the Pledge of Commitment that new Australians make when becoming citizens.

The new citizenship test is planned to begin in late September 2009. The revised citizenship test resource book, which will contain all the information needed to prepare for the test, will be available from late August 2009.

You will be able to sit the new citizenship test in the same locations as with the current test including all 13 department offices, 30 Medicare offices and 4 Centrelink offices across Australia.

Will the new test be easier?

No. The test will continue to assess whether clients have an adequate knowledge of Australia and of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship and possess a basic level of English.

Will the test only be in English?

Yes. The government is committed to the citizenship test being delivered in plain English.

If I have already passed a test will I have to sit another one if there are any changes?

No. You will not have to sit another test if you have already passed a test.

Can I make a booking to sit the new test now?

No. Appointments for the new test will not be available until the revised resource book is released in late August 2009.

Can I get a copy of the new test questions?

No. As with the current test questions, the new test questions will be confidential. However, practice questions will be available in the revised resource book and on this website.

Will assistance to complete the test still be available?

Yes. If you have difficulty reading or are unable to operate a computer you will be able to request help from a Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) officer during a standard 45 minute test. The department officer will be able to assist you by reading aloud the test questions and answers or by operating the computer. Please ensure you request assistance at the time you make your test booking.

Source  :  http://www.citizenship.gov.au/test/changes/

If you haven’t read the post below this one, i’d encourage you to read that one 1st – its short & sweet & will help you understand this post.  Here’s my counter-point from what i said below – Jesus gives us what we need, when we need it;  nothing less or late.  There was a season in my life when i would’ve argued this point & there are times when i still find myself not so happy w His choices for me.  Nevertheless, i still believe this is true:  Jesus gives us what we need, when we need it. 

Now here’s some of my thinking:  there are times when we’ve asked Jesus to do something & He hasn’t done what we asked.  In some ways, this relieves me because it gives me confidence in Him that He’s going to make decisions for me outside of my preferences.  This is comforting to me because i think this is what all good parents do.  If i gave my kids everything they wanted, they would have some serious struggles.  Furthermore, i have confidence in God that He makes better decisions for my life, than i do (He’s got more wisdom, insight, understanding, etc).  Now i’m not advocating that we dismiss prayer as futile.  But i’d encourage you to view prayer from a conversation perspective moreso than a request perspective.  While i think that the Bible encourages us to make our requests to be made known to God (Philip 4), be careful not to get pouty if you don’t get your way – i’m speaking mostly to myself here.

verse 5: “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.”

Look throughout the Bible at the lives of kings and rulers over Israel, and you’ll notice something. Those rulers that acknowledged and followed God, and led the nation in following God, were blessed and given much. Those that didn’t follow and acknowledge God, utterly failed miserably and would lead the country down to ruinous times. Do you think Solomon was as wise as he was on his own? No, God gave him that wisdom. Think Moses was a superhero with the power to part the Red Sea? Nope, that was God…Moses was just a tool in God’s hand.

I think about this when I look back at the Carpenters for Christ mission trips I’ve been on, and all that was accomplished due to God. I count it a blessing to be a tool in His hands!

We need to remember in this materialistic society that we live in today, that God owns it all. The old phrase “you can’t take it with you” is true; when we die, all the material “stuff” stays here. Paul is telling the Corinthians, “our adequacy is from God”. The next time you’re tempted to say “look what I did” or “look who I am”…point the way to God and say, “looked what God did” and “look who He is!”

Have a blessed day in Him!

Song of the day: Geek In The Pink

“We could be the talk across the town
Don’t judge it by the color, confuse it for another
You might regret what you let slip away”

News highlight: 9 deaths confirmed in Washington’s Metro crash

27.1

So… something got in my way this morning. Was it good? Hmmm, I don’t know. Good, yeah, but enough? No no no no way.

Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. This is one of the philosophies that I have always believed in. A person, no matter how good he is should not think that there is no more room for improvement.

Adequate doesn’t always mean enough.

27.2

I started watching Being Erica, a TV Series, last week and I totally loved it! I can see myself in her, sort of. But I never would want to go back to change things. I just want experience them all over again. I really miss my high school years.

27.3

R-A-I-N!

Most people ayaw ng ulan dahil mahirap magtravel and all. But I don’t, I love the rain sooo much! I love it when it’s cold.

Sunny days sometimes, oh well most of the time, puts me into a bad mood. Super init. Nakakatamad lumabas ng bahay.

27.4

The sad news caught me a while ago. My aunt and cousin will soon be leaving for Singapore. And what’s worse is that they’ll be leaving two days before my 21^st birthday. Can you imagine how painful would that be?! It totally sucks man! I mean really!

Paris based illustrator/graphic designer Thomas Kim just launched his new portfolio.
adequate1.com

Most managers believe they must have authority to accomplish their jobs. They believe it is their superior’s responsibility to see that they have adequate authority in the areas for which they are held responsible and accountable. But a manager who either misuses or oversas his authority to get his subordinates to carry out their tasks may be inviting trouble. This is why it is important for the manager to understand the various sources of authority and power and the differences among them.

 Most people who have worked in the business world have seen a situation in which subordinates have “fired” their boss. By dragging their feet on assignments by cauing the organizations to do a relatively poor job, and by directing criticisms to appropriate ears, a unified group of subordinates can cause such trouble that their boss’s superiors may question his ability to handle his work group. Under these conditions the subordinates may sometimes be shown the door; but occasionally the boss is fired. That this can and does happen illustrates that managers are dependent, in part, on their work groups, just as their work groups are dependent, in part, on the managers. Although the manager has formal sanctions to back up his authority, the work group has informal sources of power it can utilize. The manager who relies only on his formal authority to direct the efforts of others may, therefore, not achieve the best results. It is desirable that he also be a leader; in short, he should be able to influence his subordinates as well as give them orders.

 Managers are often “caught in the middle”between the values, orders, and expectations of their superiors and the values, needs, and expectations of their subordinates. The manager usually needs to retain the support of both his superior and his subordinates, and the dilemma he feels when there is conflict between the two can create intensely uncomfortable feelings. The pressure is  compounded when the values and expectations of his peers are also involved, as they frequently are. Different managers resolve these internal dissonances in a variety of ways. Some ignore, or pay less attention to, either the subordinates or the superior, usually the former. Others try to find compromises that satisfy both, at least enough to avoid undue problems. But however thay handle them, most managers experience the discomfort of man-in-the-middle problems.

 My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, Line of Sight