So I haven’t posted anything on here since November…life has been busy, but so far all is swell. I decided in the new year that running would be a big part of my exercise regime. One, because its free, and two because I find it a great stress reliever.
I’ve been working on running consistently throughout a week since the beginning of the year, and I’m hoping it pays off as I’ll be doing my first 10k in May, and last week I joined the masses to sign up to the Royal Parks Half Marathon in October. Despite the site going down (am still secretly convinced that MJ is joining the rest of us on the big day), I was successful in getting a place for my very first attempt of doing a half marathon.
Running around my local area is a very different thing to running around the parks of London, but I’m determined to stick to this, despite questioning my sanity!
November 11, 2008 at 9:53 pm · Filed under General
Just recently I’ve been getting back into reading books (and I don’t just mean the technical kind!).
After all, there is only so much a person can take in reading the previous evening’s news in the morning Metro, and then the day’s summary of celebrity gossip in the London Lite, and London Paper…I skim through the papers in a good 10 minutes, which still leaves me with a remaining 40 minutes to occupy myself on the tube…
The problem is that the rate in which I’m going through books, and the cost in which books are these days on Amazon (and lack of variety in the local charity shop), along with the credit crunchness of the current economic climate, I could do with as much help as I could get with fueling my demand for literature without costing too much.
Yes there is the option of the library, but I’m the sort who likes to own books…as well as acquire books that I know will just gather dust…so it was thanks to a dear friend that I was recently introduced to the site Read It Swap It.
The concept is simple…you read a book, and you either keep it for yourself, or add it to your profile as books you like to swap with other readers. You create a wishlist of books (or simply search for books) you like, and initiate a swap. All it costs is postage (which can be around £1), and that is it!
Recycling, and gaining books you want to read, in exchange for books you no longer want. Sheer brilliance!
So get out there people, and join the read it swap it phenomenon..
Recently I’ve been delving into the use of Jquery over other library files. Primarily because it seemed easier to use, lightweight, and documentation on it seemed more readily available.
I’ve not had a chance to use it so much but having just read Dave Shea’s addition to A List Apart, it seems like a sure fire way to merge this library file, with web standards and css sprites perfectly.
I’m not what you would say a regular theatre goer, but if a show comes along that interests me, then I’ll go and watch it.
Into the hoods has been showing in London town for a number of months, with rave reviews. I’ve always preferred watching dance shows than anything else; and had been to watch a few in the Sadler’s Wells venue in Islington; but I’d heard so much about this street dance West End musical, that I had to check it out for myself.
I’d only remembered about it a few months ago when I went to a yoga class. One of the new girls was a dancer, and she’d mentioned the show. It was only when I googled for tickets that I realised the girl at yoga was in fact the woman behind the whole production.
Into the Hoods is based on the classic Into the Woods, but with a street twist (Cinderella=Spinderella; Little Red Riding Hood=Lil Red; Jack (from Jack in the beanstalk)=Jaxx who lives in a basement; Rapunzel = Rap-on-zel). I’ve never been to a show where there are crowds standing outside queuing to get in. The dancers were fantastic, the storyline entertaining, and the music enough to get you up on your feet and cheering the cast on.
The best thing for me was that even though the storyline was entertaining, the show was about the dancing! All the dialogue was pre-recorded and played over the soundsystem, and the cast just danced their way through the show. The group of us that went to see it were buzzing once we got out. We didn’t want it to end, and were raving on about joining Pineapple studios to take a few classes (even if we were all in our mid to late 20s).
If you haven’t seen this show already, then go for it. Its on until the end of August, and to be honest, I’d pay to see it again…and for the full price (rather than the lastminute.com offer) because it was THAT good!!
Its been a very long time indeed since I last updated this blog, and since the time that I was rambling on about how fantastic Bikram Yoga is, many things have changed.
I have been to the Philippines to vist my family, and see my cousin get married. I have become “established” by entering into my 30s, and I have completed what I was set out to do in my job.
Just within the last week, I left my role as front end developer at QVC. It was the longest time I had worked for one company (excluding the student days of waitressing god awful shifts at a pizza restaurant), and to not be there now seems very strange indeed.
When I had joined, the site itself was very different. It was built using framesets (YES that’s right…you read that correctly), and everything was laid out in tables, which were built using various wysiwyg software. Web standards was not something that was a priority in developers heads, accessibility was not too much of an issue, and search engine optimisation was but a dream.
I knew I had my work cut out for me, but I embraced the challenge to help try and modernise the website. I went on workshops and courses, I attended events specifically for front end development, and I generally learned a lot about how things should be done to improve a website on all front end levels. I persisted in what I thought was the way to go; I would often come across walls which would make me lose my motivation, but I kept going.
Two and a half years later, I’m proud to say that the site and the team working to maintain and improve the website, are in a much better place; and I would hope that I have helped be part of that. I know that any replacement developer will do just as good a job, but I hope that the legacy I have left for maintaining web standards, building for accessibility and SEO, and continuously learning more about front end development will remain.
During this time I gained a lot out of this job, both professionally and personally! How to approach the way projects continuously change; how to work with people that are both technically minded and business minded; how to keep a sense of humour when things are bad; how to be patient when things aren’t going my way; how to stop moaning, and get on with things; how to not let things phase you; and how to try and inspire people as much as they inspire me.
Its always a strange thing to be with your colleagues 5 days a week, 7 hours a day, and suddenly adjust to not being around them anymore. My last week was very surreal, hearing from colleagues in the US that I didn’t have regular contact with to say goodbye, finishing up the handover period, clearing my desk. I have to say that working at QVC certainly had its challenges, but I left with a good feeling about what I had been part of, who I had worked with, and where things are heading for both myself in my career, and for the company.
Now, I’m adjusting to being the new girl again, in a completely different place. Fitting into the new group dynamics, getting a feel for what the work is like, learning the ropes, and forgetting it all within the first week. I’m confident that I’ll be able to contribute my pennies worth, and progress further in what I want to do, but can’t help but feel a bit out of my depth, and a fish out of water at the moment.
For now, I would like to say, thanks to the guys at QVC. I’ve teamed up with a variety of individuals in the past, but have to say that I have worked with some amazing and talented individuals during my time there. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve pulled my hair out, but I know I’ve left with a great sense of achievement, and a good number of friends. The new guys I’m working with, will have a lot to live up to.
A chapter closes, and a new one begins…so here’s to a clean slate and fresh start.
