From my phone

Testing, testing 1 2 3

Now

So i'm now officially un-employed, atleast for the next short while, i pray.  I'm already at my wits end, i always want to have time off but never really know what to do with myself when i'm finally off...usually by day two i'm like ok...so what else can i do.  I don't even know what i'm going to do especially since i will have no internet access.  Actually i dont know when this will be restored because i have a feeling the next work issue laptop i get will not be able to access the internet, oh well, i guess we'll just have to wait and see.

 
 

Officially starting running again tomorrow.  Its been awhile since i last abandoned it.  But this time i'm going to stick with it, firstly because i'm putting on too much weight and in all the wrong places too and secondly because i've been threatened with grevious bodily harm is i abandon my running partner whom i've actually convinced to start running so that i can have company.  Because I think that was part of the problem last time, the fact that i used to get bored when running and also scared.  Our goal is to run this, and when we sucessfully run that, we shall buy ourselves some funky outfits

I thank God for...

...the fact that quitting my job actually went very well.

...my bosses who didn't ask where i was going and who were only to glad to give me the letter of release.

...the promotion i got even though i had to turn it down in the end.

...i know and believe that the application for my work permit will be quick and painless and will be granted.

...my operation that will also go well in His name.

Thinking

...it is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all....

Rant

I have just been watching a program about the brain drain that African countries and in this case specifically Malawi are suffering on their health professionals. It struck some cords with me...i have always believed that doctors should not be allowed to charge for their services, yes, i know that's naive and all, but really the right to medical attention in my opinion should be one of the basic human rights..so whether one is poor or rich, on should have these services available to them. But in Africa today, you get only the medical services you can pay for, since the government run medical facilities are all run-down and suffering under the strain of too few facilities/health professionals and just too many people. Only the more affluent people can afford to pay medical aid and/or more expensive doctors in private facilities. Therefore, if doctors did not charge for their services, then all people would receive this basic human right and the best of it. So you're probably wondering how the professionals would survive, this should be the governments' responsibility to provide and provide adequately for them. This would also sort out the problem of the brain drain, according to those doctors who were interviewed on the program that i watched...the main reason they leave to go and work in the western countries is because of the better lives they would be making for themselves and their families from the salaries that sometimes come to more than 200-300 times what they earn when they remain in Africa. None of them mentioned going overseas because the quality of life was better for them their...infact i think given a choice, most of them would return home in a flash to be close to their extended families and just generally enjoy the kind of life they grew up in. In this way 2 birds will be killed with the reversal of the brain drain and not having 1 doctor serving approximately 50000 patients as is the case in Malawi.

Another thing, i think its morally wrong that these media houses like cnn, bbc, et al purely go in and film the suffering of people on their various news stories and don't make any attempt to help them. These companies are definitely making money from airing these programs, increasing their ratings and stuff..but what reward do these people get from having their suffering televised for all and sundry to see? NOTHING!!! I think it is about time someone put a stop to this

Two good things that happened to me this week

1. My SA Police clearance finally came through this week just when i was beginning to think that the lady was a con-woman. I was getting worried coz it was well after the 7 – 12 days that had been forecasted and also after i spoke to a friend who said that the amount i paid to get it was way too low. Just goes to show, that sometimes one just has to trust their instincts.
   
2. I finally handed in all my supporting documents and re-signed my new work contract. I guess now i'm on the clock, or does that start when i actually quit?
   

   The day my police clearance came through i had a really nostalgic moment for my current employer. But i guess its just coz i'm leaving my current posting when i've only just started to become really friendly with my colleagues..and i guess it will be sometime before that happens at my new job and i will miss that. But apart from that...bring it on..i'm sooo ready for this new job!!!

Wooohooo for Kampala

It's not often that Kampala gets listed as amongst the top anything cities of the world. We're not among the top cleanest, most populated and we're most certainly not amongst the richest 100 cities in the world. If anything, Kampala is most likely to be listed among the top corrupt, as having the most people with HIV/AIDs, as the city with the most dark day, etc. You get the drift.

So you can imagine my delight at finding this. Scroll down to #14 and read for yourselves. Who knew?

Dream Job

What would my dream job be? It would be a job where I got paid bucket loads of money which I saved all/a lot of, it would involve loads of travel to exotic and interesting locations, living in hotels while earning copious amounts of per diem and of course it goes without saying that it would involve me doing what I loved doing.

This suits all my requirements and even some things I didn't know I would requireJ. Can anyone venture a guess as to which company that is? I just want to put it on here so that I remember what I'm working towards. Of course in 3-4 years if I'm still responsible only for my own self, then I soooo want to get a job like this one:

Are you interested in building a successful career with one of the world's largest and most recognisable companies? Do you also enjoy travelling & have a desire to see the world in style?? Then this could be the perfect match for you.

We are currently working with the leading manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of non-alcoholic beverages worldwide for International Audit positions with global exposure. Based out of the corporate headquarters and with international travel to local operations in over 200 countries around the world, the role will involve 100% travel.

Although this team are officially based out of Atlanta USA, realistically you may only spend a few weeks a year on - site. You will spend your time moving from one audit engagement to another working in a team of internal auditors with financial, operational & IT backgrounds. Each audit assignment will take 6 weeks or longer and on completion your team will move onto the next assignment – often in a new country!

The company acknowledge that over an extended period this much travel becomes tiring and after 3 years you will be in a position to move into an exciting role within the division of your choice.

Examples of roles people have been promoted into during the last year; -
o Mergers & Acquisitions – Atlanta
o Regional Finance Manager – Australia
o Commercial Finance Manager – Argentina
o Special Project (confidential) – Germany
o Special Project (dealing with an acquisition) – Philippines

The salary offered in this department will be competitive and negotiable based on experience. The base salary for a Senior Auditor is expected to fall between US$60K - US$70k. Most auditors in this department typically provide feedback that almost the entire salary can be saved as the company provide international quality hotels / apartments along with a generous per diem allowance to all living expenses.

We are interested in speaking to Auditors and IT Auditors (CA, ACCA, CPA, CISA or Equivalent) with at least 3-4 years experience gained in a Big 4 / Top 10 Public Accounting firm or Multinational Audit team

Please do not hesitate to contact us if these roles sound of interest or if you would like further information on any of the roles we have worldwide

2008

So 2007 has come and gone. A bit lazy of me to be making another post exactly a month after my last one, but whatever, my blog, I do what I want. The holidays have come and gone, and this will go down as one of the most memorable holidays for me. Thanks to all (bar one) my family for graciously accepting my invitation and coming to see my humble abode, the place I call home for now....you guys will never know how much this meant to me, I will carry these memories with me for a long time to come. I enjoyed having each and every one of you and my house will NEVER be the same again. We should do it again soon J

I am definitely glad that we're in a New Year, although I am always scared of the New Year coz I am always fearful as I don't know what it's going to bring. I'm not very good with change and the whole change to a New Year thing just blows my mind. While people celebrate and shout the New Year in, I always do participate but that's just a front, inside I'm just all pensive and musing over all the bad things that could possibly happen. I'm very pessimistic so as you can imagine all the things I imagine the New Year bringing, none of them is ever good. I have always maintained that I rather hope for the worst and then get pleasantly surprised when good things happen, but I've come to believe that is not good for my psyche, because maybe by expecting the worst, I don't know maybe it does come to pass or something like that. But this new year, I was actually very happy, maybe this is also because this is the year I'm determined to be happy, to find inner peace and to accept the person that I am, accept those parts of me that I cannot change and change those that I can because I want to change them and not because its either expected of me or because I'm trying to keep up with a Khumalo somewhere. I know that there may be bad things that could happen this year, but worrying about them or being scared of them in advance will not prevent them from happening, so worrying about them in advance is quite silly actually. If they do happen, the fact that I've been worrying in advance will not make it any easier for me to bear...I know that makes sense in my head, I just hope it does when I write it down. (MS-Word just re-started itself, I sooo wasn't looking forward to loosing this post after I've typed all this!!!).

I will not miss 2007. It was a tough year for me, what with my intense dislike for my current job situation, intense home-sickness and other circumstances. It's amazing how much having a job one doesn't enjoy can affect one's whole perspective and almost all other aspects of one's life. If there's one thing that I've learnt it's that it doesn't matter if you earn all the money in the world (not that I do), but if you don't like your job, all that money ceases to matter. It got so bad I actually applied for jobs which paid half the money I currently earn and which didn't bother me in the least as long as I was gone from this job. Apart from that this was one year where I missed home so much and of course that lead other circumstances to be so much bigger and devastating. But anyway it wasn't entirely bad, 2007 also brought lots of good things; my sister's graduation, being together with the entire family in the same house again for the first time in too long, my family coming to visit me, to name the biggest highlights.

2008 is here and if 2007 is anything to go by, we'll be at the end of it before too long. Already quite a lot has happened in these last 18 days, both very good (J) and extra bad (the whole Kenya situation...who would have thought!!!??). I don't generally ever make any resolutions coz I always break them anyway before the end of actual day I make them, but this year, there are some things that I would like to achieve....though I will not beat myself over the head if I don't. They are:

- Actively pursue happiness (as I've said above – remember the times I've been happiest, remember the happy feelings and re-live them!!!)

- Exercise (running, here I come back)

- Drink more water – at least 2L per day as I'd started then stopped

- Work extra hard in my new job (partner by 35 here I comeJ, this is more long term I guess, but I have to put in the work annually if I'm to achieve it)

- Try to read my bible and pray daily or even more than once daily in pursuit of building a better relationship with God.

- Make more meaningful female friends

- Cleanse my face nightly

- Wear T-shirts less and dressy tops more.

- Wear high heels at least 4 times a week.

- Watch a play every 3 months.

- Finally get off mainland Africa (Seychelles/Mauritius here I come...woooohooooo)

- Write a professional exam.

Some of them are quite frivolous/superficial (I can't be serious all the time now can I?), but it's what I've been thinking about off the top of my head and I pray that I will be able to achieve as much of this as possible come 2009