Still Walking

It's been three weeks into my new job... and I'm still alive!

So far, so good...although I have already got a list of pet hates, (mostly about letterboxes!) a few blisters and very sore feet.  I've quickly learned not to underestimate the number of stairs a building can have and how quickly I'm expected to get up and down them, I've met some lovely dogs as well as some slightly evil ones and been warned about a few 'attack' cats.

Definitely the hardest part is the walking.  I know that sounds crazy, I'm fairly fit and it's only walking (albeit with a pretty heavy bag) but the distances covered day after day are pretty high...here's a view of my September so far...and I'm not quite doing a full route yet!

Spot the days off...

It's pretty grueling but I'm feeling like I'm slowly getting used to it so I think I'll survive.

Barbie take steps to a reformed life

I posted a while ago about leaving my job.  I took voluntary redundancy from a role that I initially loved but had grown to despise a little over the years. 

I've had a few months off, I've travelled, relaxed and enjoyed myself but now it's time to get back to a little bit of reality so I needed to find a job. 

During this time off I realised that the world of high power executive work, stuck in an office for 8+ (usually 10!) hours a day isn't right for me.  My physical and mental health was suffering and all in the name of bringing home decent money each month...money that I never really got to enjoy because I was too tired from work to do anything else. 

So, in my recent work search I applied for jobs that were a bit different from what I had been doing and the one that excited me the most was the complete opposite to my usual type of role... and that was the one that I got too!

So, next month I will be starting my new job, pounding the streets for up to 6 hours a day delivering mail.  I know that it sounds like hell to most people, but I've never felt better than when I'm getting large amounts of exercise on a regular basis.  No hassles about my personal style, no need to worry about how to fit in regular exercise and I get to come home every afternoon at a decent time and actually have time to myself.  I'm so excited that even writing this is bringing me close to tears!

I know that my first few weeks will be a challenge, my body will ache and I will have to get used to working outside in all weathers - especially the infamous Scottish sideways-falling rain - but I'm still really looking forward to it. 

I'll let you know how I get on! 

Ready for the next adventure!

Before I post about Japan, I have other news...One Wednesday a few weeks ago, my workplace announced redundancies, my job was one no longer included in the company after the proposed restructure so by the following Friday I had already put in my application for voluntary redundancy.

Also by that Friday, the information of which jobs were placed at risk had leaked out and people started giving me the side-head "I'm sorry" speeches. It was a bit awkward because I'm really not unhappy about it so I responded with a cheeky grin and an explanation that I view this as the universe simply giving me a nudge to go and move on to my next adventure.

I feel like I have the whole world at my feet right now and honestly, that's quite exciting. I know that I'm lucky, I have very few commitments, so this is a great freedom for me whilst I understand that for others it could certainly feel like their world is crumbling.

A few days before I left for Japan I got called into the boss' office and they gave me the best news - My application was being accepted and I was being put on garden leave from the following Tuesday (I needed to come in and see my direct boss before I could officially go anywhere and she was off on leave).  I admit that I didn't do anything from there onward that might have constituted work for the next few days.  My team were shocked at the speed of the process (from announcement to final decision in less than a week) but it was far better for me not to have it drag on.

So now, I'm free....

I'm feeling a little odd about it, if for no other reason than I've not been unemployed since I was a teenager. 

I often said that in this situation I might consider starting my own business - I still might - I've not even started to decide yet. At the moment, I'm planning on taking a few months off and going on a couple of trips with Mr B before I really start to think about getting back to the grind. 

Conspiracy Barbie

I love a good conspiracy theory.  A GOOD one, not the Avril Lavigne one or flat earthers (They're just crazy people ;) )

Today sparked a bit of conspiracy in my mind though, everyone was complaining about being tired, like they hadn't slept well last night.  It's a pattern I've noticed a fair bit recently too.

Obviously, my brain went straight to aliens...maybe all of my work colleagues are being abducted....maybe there's a government test going on at night that disturbs your sleep in the area....maybe we all just had a heavy weekend....maybe it's just Monday...but it could still be the aliens.

Barbie has a productive day

I have quite an odd job.  I do love it, but it can be a little strange sometimes. Other than the fun travel, I'm often stuck in an office looking after my staff, but even in the office I get to do some odd shit sometimes.  One of my priorities for today was this:

I made a postbox! 

Yup, I made a postbox...and I don't work with small children.  We have a staff away day tomorrow so it is part of a bigger plan.  I'm just proud of my postbox!  The ducks are just photo-bombing, they're not coming to the day.

If you're wondering what the boxes are, I've edited out the contact details so I don't get spammed at work ;)

2018. What happened?

Wow.  It's July in 2018 already.  Holy Cow! Where has the time gone? 

In short, I've been working. Mostly, and that doesn't really give me much to say (that I can say on the open web without getting my ass fired anyway!). 

Part of my work is a great deal of fun, I get to travel to cool and exciting places - we will get to that later - but it is also dreadfully boring on the day to day for anyone not involved so it spawns less posts (and takes up my time). 

So, since my trip to Japan, where have I been?  New Delhi, Chennai, Fuertaventura, Berlin(twice), London, Dublin, a second trip to Chennai, and Hong Kong...Phew! now I'm out of breath, that's some miles!

My family have given up on trying to work out where I am at any one time and a friend recently called and his first question was to ask if I was in Scotland...I have lived in Scotland for 13 years but he thought he should check first before driving the 500 or so miles to come see me.  

As you could guess I have tonnes of photos from all of these locations - except Berlin - Here's a whistle-stop tour...

The only two photos(publishable!) I have from two trips to Berlin...

Danish training buddies in Berlin

The Berlin Wall - it is there, honestly!

Chennai

Henna hand

Love my sari...how does it go on again?

Delhi

Big palace (it has a Name, I just can't remember!)

Fuertaventura

Dolphins from below

My new little friend

Hong Kong 

Glass bottomed cable car

Dancing lions

Hong Kong at night

See? that's a lot of travel...

I know I promise to start posting again at some point soon, maybe 2018 is the year for it huh?

Travelling Barbie

I've never been much of a traveller.  When I was very young my parents took me to the states a couple fo times but other than that I dont remember any other family holidays.  This last year has kinda made up for that though!

At the end of august I went to Colombo in Sri Lanka.  It was pretty amazing, and I hope that I get to return at some point and see a bit more than I did this time.  It was a work expedition so time off was pretty minimal, but I managed to make the most of it anyway.   I get rather spoiled when I'm away with work as its all posh hotels and high class restaurants (not that I'm complaining at all!) but it does mean that you can get an slightly skewed perspective of a place, so I try to get out and see a little for myself too.

View from a hotel walkway...

Rainy season wasn't quite what I expected...10-20 mins of heavy downpour and then back to wonderful sunshine

My Uncle asked me to visit a temple for him...this one.  apparently it was a favourite of my grandads when he was in sri lanka...(I never knew about this until he asked me to go.  It felt kinda special to follow in the footsteps of my grandad like that)

It was a big temple!  Unfortunately closed when I went but work the hours walk anyway, I got to see a lot of local culture during that trip!

Sickening isn't it? this was the view from my hotel room iteself

The hotel gardens were beautiful too..

and I love these trees...I took more photos of trees that anything else!

I took a trip out in a tuk-tuk round some local temples, the driver took me round as a guide and it made for a really nice afternoon, one of my only real touristy moments!

The baby elephant kept at the temple was in Kandy, but they have the old one still there for prosperity...(it was stuffed but still a tad daunting as you can probably tell by the look on my face!)

This is one of my favourite photos from the trip...on the way home I decided to open the window blind when we were somewhere over the middle east and was greeted by this amazing sight

Negative...positive...negative?

I stumbled across this article online tonight.  Its titled: 10 jobs you can get with just your GCSEs.  I read it out of interest as I am one of the (seemingly unusual) people who has a brain but no degree - you may remember me talking about this is a previous post - I was hoping that someone was trying to show some positive news for those of us without this magic piece of paper...but alas, wrong again...the article basically reinforces the idea that in order to get a decent job you need a degree.  The jobs they list are:

Accounts Clerks
Receptionist
Medical Secretary
Customer Service Assistant
Waiting Staff
Engineering Maintenance Fitter
Fitness Instructor
Sales Representative
Care Assistants

Whilst this may dispel any concept that you must have a degree to even be considered for any job, these probably aren't the best selection to make someone really confident...they are only a step away from listing Binman and Street Sweeper (both of which probably pay equal or more than those they have listed!)


Yet again, MSN article authors must try harder!

Barbie goes a'travelling

I've never been much of a traveller.  Don't get me wrong I do enjoy it and I love seeing different places but I've never really had much of a chance.  I've been lucky this year so far though as I got sent to India for a week for work in January!  (I know, everyone now wants my job...you can get to the back of the queue!)

I wasn't really looking forward to the 11 hour flight but I discovered that flying business class seems to be a very good way of getting over my fear of flying...I think was the glass of champagne that you get handed as you board that helped most. 

Then we arrived...oh. wow.  I was working all week, so sightseeing wasn't really high on the to-do list but we had managed to fit a day off into the schedule and several evening dinners that we had to attend so we did get to see a bit of Kolkata (Calcutta) and we were staying in the plushest hotel I've ever even seen (never mind stayed in!)

I've never stayed in a hotel with palm trees inside before...

My Humungous room!

the turn down service tray left every night 

Obviously I was a bit messy for the housekeepers...everytime I went out I'd come back to find more of my things neatly sorted and laid out on white cloths...My colleague even returned one day to find her earrings neatly sorted into pairs instead of heaped in a pile as she'd left them!

This was a downfall...every day fresh chocolates, fruit and wine left in my room..my waistline did not thank me!

Is this the biggest windchine ever?..(It reached down 5 floors)

 The small flower display in the lift foyer..

So, I think you get the idea that the hotel was huge and lovely, I found it difficult to be treated like such a VIP by the staff, but it certainly made for an enjoyable stay.

One our day off we did a little bit of sightseeing.  Kolkata isn't a highly tourist based area but that doesn;'t mean theres not an amazing number of things to see...

We went to the Birla Mandir Hindu Temple, made of the same marble as the Taj Mahal..No photos are allowed inside, but heres a taste of outside...

Then we went to Parshwanath Jain Temple, where we became a tourist attraction ourselves as people came up and asked to have their photos taken with us.  It was a lovely calm place and we unwittingly arrived on an important day so there were a large number of visitors

Yes...he is cutting the grass with scissors...He turned around so we could get a better shot of him!

 I think they knew I was coming.. the colour scheme was very barbie!

Then to finish off the sights we went to Mother Theresas Tomb.  It was an odd yet lovely experience, and one I could appreciate even though I have no affitiation to the catholic church.  Photos were only allowed in the tomb itself, but there was a small museum and up some steep stairs you could go and see the room she lived in as it's been preserved the way it was left. 

 The tomb itself..

  Fresh flowers are laid out every day.  A small pot of them was left on the windowsill from the day before that were left there so people could take them home as souveneirs

We disovered that we were visiting during the wedding season, two of the dinners we were invited to also conincided with weddings being held in the same venue so I saw some amazing clothes and highly extravagant parties. 

This does make Kolkata sound like a very happy and lovely place...and it is, for some...I thought I was prepared for what I was going to see while I was there, we see pictures on TV of the poverty in countries like India all the time, but trust me, they don't.  I can't even start to describe how conditions I saw people living in, at every point in every street was someones living space, whether they were lucky enough to have a tarpaulin strapped across two trees or whether they just sat in the street with a candle.  It puts a whole different perspective on what we in the UK class as poverty and what we consider as "having nothing".  This side of India certainly leaves a lasting impression, but it also helped in many ways to make this an amazing trip, and I'd certainly be pleased if I got the opportunity to go again. 

Loving what??

I work (partly) in a lovely historic building which also houses a museum. The guestbook in this museum is always worth a flick through during times of boredom and yesterday I spotted the most fantastic comment yet....

Monday, Monday

I'm not the type of person who spends her whole weekend dreading the coming Monday. Unusually I enjoy my job and get satisfaction from it, so its not a dread-filled thing for me.

Today however can be best be summed up by this...




Its Tuesday tomorrow...It can only get better!

What goes around comes around

I know, its a cliché, but today a 'good deed' from last Friday paid off.

On Friday, I was helping run an exam at work where some local paramedics were helping out. Whilst they were waiting they asked if they could look around in the museum they were to be working in so I got the keys (and permission of course!) from the staff and let them through.

Today I had a day off and decided to pop across to the local shopping centre - mainly so there was something in the house to eat other than cat food! - It didn't dawn on me until after I'd finished shopping that I had maybe overestimated how much I could carry....However, with B-Man being at work I had little choice, so started my struggle across the car park. I got less than halfway before having to stop and re-adjust the bags (twice!) when a car pulled up and one of the paramedics from Fridays visit popped her head out of the window and asked if I wanted a hand. She recognised me because of the red flash in my hair! (I knew it would be a useful look!) The lovely lady popped all my shopping in the boot and gave me a lift home. I think I may have still been walking across the road now if it weren't for her!

There you have it, further evidence that being nice to others pays off :)

Oooh Missis!

I spotted this wonderful numberplate on an Edinburgh Taxi today. I apologise for the bad shot but the bus was about to start pulling way...Presenting.....Kinky Taxi!


More amusing than this, when I downloaded this photo off my phone and zoomed in I noticed a girl sitting at the back of the bus in front of the taxi who had spotted me, and looks rather indignant about having her photo taken! (Ooops!)

Poisoned? call us...

No Its not a possibly life saving advert... I read an article in a magazine about a lady who had an allergic reaction to her new boots (I feel her pain! new boots!) and at the end they ran this ad...


Poisoned by an everyday item...like rat poison? or maybe arsenic?

This is pizza

I had run out of things to take to work for lunch last week, so in a quandary I grabbed an individual pizza from the freezer once I remembered that you could pop them in the microwave from frozen. A good plan, I thought... until I saw the end product. The cheese had tried desperately to escape from the top of the pizza, but only got as far as the plate...

Take it up....Take it down♦

There are lots of little shops near my work, one of them recently opened up as a Tailors. I think they have an odd idea of what Tailors do judging from the signs in their window...


Are they going to take things up and down repeatedly?