Weekend Reflections- Doing a year end review

Dominique Thoughts

As 2010 draws to a close it’s time to reflect on the happenings of this year.  It has overall been a good year.  The kids are in relatively good health and are on good terms with one another. R is doing well in his job and I managed to hold out and endure in my  highly stressed job till Sept.

We will be sitting down an doing a review of the family budget and finance for the year.  It’s time for the yearly family audit with our in house auditor. We will have to be more financially prudent next year as I will be on leave to take care of the kids.

The new year is approaching fast and I will have to start on spring cleaning the house. It is time again to pack away the clothes that the kids have outgrown and discard those which can’t be worn anymore. I too need to spruce out my wardrobe and put in a few more stylish pieces. ( However I’ll wait out till I get nearer my ideal weight to do new purchases or else that garment won’t be long lasting for me.)

I need to clear out a corner for Ryan as he will be entering elementary school next year. He needs to have more cupboard space for his school books and related items.

It is getting more challenging as I have deal with 3 ” I need your full attention” kids. However  I am confident that I am able to handle whatever challenges they may send my way. I’ll be setting up a new weekly timetable for all of them so that we will be able to utilize time more efficiently each day.

How has your year been?

Writer’s Workshop: Getting additional qualifications

Dominique Thoughts

There are certain things that shouldn’t be put of a long time  till the  last minute.  Sometimes when you put it off  for too long the chance for obtaining it is gone.  I had been contemplating getting a diploma in music or a Masters after completing my degree.

However with getting married, having kids and having a highly stressed job there had been little time and energy to follow up on these aspirations.  Each time I take a break from work to care for the newborn I get so tempted to throw in the towel and not return to the job after my childcare leave.

The job scope has gotten worst throughout the 10 years I joined this profession.  The  unofficial working hours has gotten longer and there are countless new tasks and jobs to be done. It hasn’t been easy balancing work, home and kids. Most of the time the home and household chores are what I shift to the last on the list to be completed.

Even if I do have more then 23 hrs a day it is still impossible to finish everything on the to-do-list. Workload has increase significantly and the bosses expect you to behave like robot in efficiency and attitude. It really wears me out and make me more disillusion about why I took the job in the first place.

If I had been disciplined and hardworking enough back then more options may be opened up to me today.  It would be great to have these additional qualifications as it would make it easier for me to transit from the existing job that I have to a more flexi-hour one which is more fulfilling.

No point regretting and pondering about what if’s. It’s time to do something and move on.

Enough of being overworked and under appreciated. Most of my colleagues are like me- Jaded and wish to be freed from the “monster system” that we have to suffer under.

As if the management really cared about our well being. It’s time to take action for ourselves if we want to have a more balance lifestyle and time for the ones who are the most important in our lives.

There is still time to get out of the rat-race and get myself a better deal.