Well with November often comes facial hair. The time old tradition of the no shave November or also called Movember is in full bloom. I have not shave for the past 17 days and have developed a furry coating to keep my face warm. The timing is actually quite perfect because its been ridiculously cold outside as of late. I also have no real engagements that would require me to look more presentable either.
I find that some people love the beard and other despise. I ll compare a man shaving his face to a woman shaving her legs....except, well I would say in most cases, my facial hair grows faster than a woman's leg hair. And if the opposite is actually true...I shiver in disgust. I suppose if I really have a point its that I hate shaving as much as women do. The benefit of being a man though is that having a beard isnt considered gross in most cases whereas having hairy legs as a girl is super disgusting. Yeah I said.
Anyways, I plan on keeping the beard for awhile. Most likely until I get another interview or it just gets to the point where I cant stand it. I m hoping for the interview.
onsdag den 17. november 2010
mandag den 1. november 2010
A year older
Well another year has come and gone. I find myself wondering if I am wiser than I was a year ago. This past year seems to be lacking in any life lesson learning scenarios. Last Friday marked the 1 year anniversary of the completion of my thesis. Although my eventual graduation date wouldnt come for another 5 weeks or so, I officially finished my research and writing.
Really when I look back on the past year of my life, it was by far one of the most trying years I can remember. I of course had the highlight of becoming a master graduate, making a rap song and video and a couple trips around Euroupe but it had its moments of extreme frustrating with a dash of sadness. Once my degree was finished I started the battle to get my greencard. Dealing with government institutions is always a battle. I think that government officials must have the ultimate job security. I mean they make things take longer than necessary so they always have something to do. I think I d find a job somewhere in the government quite boring.
After I finally celebrated the joy of actually getting my greencard, I got news a few days later that my grandma had been in a car accident and essentially died although she was still alive on life support. She was the center of my family. She had her influence over everything and was often the safe haven where fueds and other problems were checked at the door. She had the power to bring people together. It was an amazing thing.
Pretty much the rest of my year has been consumed with the everyday struggle with unemployment. I dont think people can truly know how much of a struggle it really is until they have experienced it for an extended period of time. It has been by far the most ongoing and frustrating experience of my life. I complain about this all the time but it still drives me crazy that I have committed significant amounts of time and resources to pursue my education with not much to show for it. I went for my masters to avoid the lack of experience or qualifications stigma that I was branded with when I finished my bachelors. Of course I expect to be able to get a job with a masters degree and work experience with top global companies. Instead I ve had to deal with constant rejection. On top of this I have the stress that comes from loans that can no longer be deferred and have monthly payments that test my abilities to stretch my budget in order to avoid defaulting. My saving grace is that I am currently living abroad and have unemployment insurance. Otherwise I m sure my credit would be non existent and collection agencies would be hunting me down.
Another negative affect of being unemployed so long is that companies often look negatively on long periods of unemployment. What have you been doing since your last job...often becomes a tough question to answer. Also it has forced me into a situation where as soon as I get offered a job I will have to take it. Everything at this point is better than what I have been doing. The job may not be interesting, the pay may not be very good and my skills may be completely underutilized but its not like I have a lot of other choices.
Of course its easy to focus on the negative but I m trying to also take positives away from this past year.
I did graduate, I did get my greencard, and although my grandma died, I was able to reconnect and see family that I havent seen in years. With being unemployed I was able to focus on hobbies that I have had for years and make music. Extra time off has also allowed me to learn new skills with photoshop and after effect...programs I ve been interested in for awhile but havent had time to teach myself. I also went to a basketball tournament in Estonia and toured around Ireland for 2 weeks. My patience has only strengthened in all the trials this past year. And although I have often expressed pessimistic thoughts, really I am more optimistic that things really can only get better. Keeping a positive outlook is all I can do.
So am I wiser, I d say I am just not in the ways I thought I would be.
Really when I look back on the past year of my life, it was by far one of the most trying years I can remember. I of course had the highlight of becoming a master graduate, making a rap song and video and a couple trips around Euroupe but it had its moments of extreme frustrating with a dash of sadness. Once my degree was finished I started the battle to get my greencard. Dealing with government institutions is always a battle. I think that government officials must have the ultimate job security. I mean they make things take longer than necessary so they always have something to do. I think I d find a job somewhere in the government quite boring.
After I finally celebrated the joy of actually getting my greencard, I got news a few days later that my grandma had been in a car accident and essentially died although she was still alive on life support. She was the center of my family. She had her influence over everything and was often the safe haven where fueds and other problems were checked at the door. She had the power to bring people together. It was an amazing thing.
Pretty much the rest of my year has been consumed with the everyday struggle with unemployment. I dont think people can truly know how much of a struggle it really is until they have experienced it for an extended period of time. It has been by far the most ongoing and frustrating experience of my life. I complain about this all the time but it still drives me crazy that I have committed significant amounts of time and resources to pursue my education with not much to show for it. I went for my masters to avoid the lack of experience or qualifications stigma that I was branded with when I finished my bachelors. Of course I expect to be able to get a job with a masters degree and work experience with top global companies. Instead I ve had to deal with constant rejection. On top of this I have the stress that comes from loans that can no longer be deferred and have monthly payments that test my abilities to stretch my budget in order to avoid defaulting. My saving grace is that I am currently living abroad and have unemployment insurance. Otherwise I m sure my credit would be non existent and collection agencies would be hunting me down.
Another negative affect of being unemployed so long is that companies often look negatively on long periods of unemployment. What have you been doing since your last job...often becomes a tough question to answer. Also it has forced me into a situation where as soon as I get offered a job I will have to take it. Everything at this point is better than what I have been doing. The job may not be interesting, the pay may not be very good and my skills may be completely underutilized but its not like I have a lot of other choices.
Of course its easy to focus on the negative but I m trying to also take positives away from this past year.
I did graduate, I did get my greencard, and although my grandma died, I was able to reconnect and see family that I havent seen in years. With being unemployed I was able to focus on hobbies that I have had for years and make music. Extra time off has also allowed me to learn new skills with photoshop and after effect...programs I ve been interested in for awhile but havent had time to teach myself. I also went to a basketball tournament in Estonia and toured around Ireland for 2 weeks. My patience has only strengthened in all the trials this past year. And although I have often expressed pessimistic thoughts, really I am more optimistic that things really can only get better. Keeping a positive outlook is all I can do.
So am I wiser, I d say I am just not in the ways I thought I would be.
Abonner på:
Opslag (Atom)