Riding above the level of mediocrity

A "duffshot" is an improperly planted sapling, planted too shallow in scree and not deep enough to reach the life giving top soil. It is usually a sign of laziness and means having to replant an entire plot. It is a reminder to me of doing things with integrity.

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Location: Calgary, Canada
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Friday, May 27, 2005

MAY COMING TO AN END

Well, I've got lots on the go and am starting to get quite drained by it all. I'm uncertain as to where my place is in EPCOR moving forward, although I will have a clearer idea by next Friday when we are supposed to get our "letters". Most are hoping for big severance packages. I'm hoping for a fairly long transition period (till the end of the year). I have been looking at some internal postings and the thought of relocating has been on my mind. It would most likely be to the Calgary office where there are some merchant and business development openings. Moving over from an established operations role means that I will probably have to start at the bottom rung, but that's part of building up new experience and I'm up for it. In many ways, I would welcome the change in life style: less to no traffic jams, proximity to many of nature's destinations (although I may have to pull back my addiction to snowboarding), lower tax rates, etc. Had a good chat with the Sr. VP of the Ontario office today, but he didn't give any indication of what long term Ontario role there is for me. We'll see.

I have been doing a lot of packing as the closing of the condo is coming up fast. A strange thought came to me during all this: it's like playing a grown up version of house. Basically I was packing everything that is needed to play a complete game of house: dishes, table settings, towels, linen, little trinkets and ornaments for decoration, and even candles. It's as if Mom had just called down that it was time for dinner and to put the toys away. So, I basically packed everything away, as if there was going to be another occassion to put out this stuff to play again. But, as a kid, you don't think about it that way. You'd quickly push everything aside to give the illusion of having cleaned up and then rush upstairs to dive into the next thing that has your attention: food. You barely give any thought to the activity that may have just occupied the past few hours. Although I felt the waves of grief trying to overwhelm me, I deflected it, even when I packed away all the wedding things (which includes a 16 x 20 canvas of the two of us posing outside a building on Main Street, Unionville). But it's draining to have to fight that, so that's probably why I'm feeling so tired right now. Can't wait until this move is done and the paperwork finally completed for the closing of this place.

At the same time, I'm also trying to find a place to live. That has been going slow. Although I've seen lots of places, most are either too small (and I'm not a person that really needs a lot of space, so this description speak volumes to minimal) or too overpriced or both. I had dinner with some friends last night that have put in an offer for a house that is about 5 minutes away from where I work. This house has a separate basement which is ideal to rent out to a tenant. So, they asked me to consider being their tenant, should they be successful in their bid. I've been thinking a lot lately about shared accomodations and how that fits into the idea of community and communal living. This would be an even better fit as I would be communing with a fellow family in Christ AND I would be helping them out by contributing to their mortgage payments.

I also purchased a condo. What? Having just sold one (and having gone through all the emotional grief around it), why would I do this? Well, it was really my aunt's idea; she does real estate on the side. One of the benefits of being an agent is that you often have access to pre-releases which are usually priced a bit lower than when the project is opened to the public. This condo project won't be completed until at least December 2007, so it's not a big financial burden to prospect this development. Being located to a major destination (Scarborough Town Centre) , a public transit hub, the first of three phases and a containing desirable layout all contributed to the conclusion that this is a good decision. I don't plan on living here so it can also be used as a rental property.

Tying up loose ends with this move, continuing my training for the triathlon, some special out of town guests that I'd love to get together with, cheering on a friend who is running in the RunTO race is making this weekend quite a busy one. I'm looking forward to next weekend when most of these things will have been resolved.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

GIVE ME A BREAK!

I finally became irritated enough by the fact that none of my pants fit anymore. Even my trusty belt is no longer cooperating, so I'm walking around like Kris Kross, pants nearly down at my knees. And it's not like I haven't had good use out of my current set of dress pants - bought them back in 1998 when I first started with the music school. As my parents are away on vacation, I decided to bring these pants to the cleaners to have them altered. The elderly man who received them took my measurements, asked me if I wanted them with cuffs or not, and told me that it was going to be $8. I went back a couple of days later to pick them up. When they rang up the total, it was $32 for 4 pairs. Aiya! $8 PER pant. Man, that's like another pair of pants. Goes to show that I should've waited for Mom...

So, now is the time to see if I truly can live up to the words I speak. In a previous post, I mentioned the sudden departure of three colleauges, due to corporate restructuring. Well, we found out today that our current business has been sold.
Click Here. EPCOR is totally moving in a different direction and were fortunate enough to find someone to buy the remaining customers of a business that they had already decided to exit. Ironically, this book of customers is only as attractive as it is today because we worked hard to get the house in order. Prior to our taking it over, it was handled very sloppily. But now that we have restored it to a well-oiled machine, we may be out of work. What kind of screwed up logic is that! Needless to say, many were shocked and upset. But, to put things in perspective, it's not like we're out of work today. Transitioning such a large block of customers takes time, anywhere from 4 to 7 months. So, some of us will be around for that, some of us may be re-deployed. Some will be offered packages. I'm still feeling optimistic about this company and today's revelation has not altered my loyalty nor my perspective. It just means that I may not be answering customer calls anymore!

Sunday, May 15, 2005

FROM BUTTS TO BIRDS TO BACH TO BYE-BYE'S

ON THE HUNT
Well, the hunt for a place of my own is on! I’m hoping for a place that is relatively close to work, close to the subway line so I can get around the city without a car and a place that will take care of itself (I barely have enough time to take care of myself!) I seem to be gravitating towards the Yonge and Sheppard/Finch area where there is a plethora of condo apartments that are relatively young. I have a list of 15 potential places and now it’s just a matter of setting appointments to view them. Kind of a pain in the butt...

SMASHING THE BIRD
…Speaking of pains in the butt, I am REALLY sore (in the butt area) from playing badminton this past weekend. My aunt and uncle are part of a badminton club, so, they invited me to join them. It’s been a while since I wielded my badminton racquet, so it felt a little foreign to me. Being more used to tennis, my timing was terribly off. Despite all that, I had a great time! We played for a good 3 or 4 hours and I was just drenched in sweat at the end of it. I am surprised by how long it took for the pain to hit (almost a day and a half later) and how long it’s taking me to recover; I am getting old…

BACH TO LIFE, BACH TO REALITY
…But never too old to help out. The Toronto chapter of Habitat For Humanity organized a fundraising concert in partnership with the Pia Bouman School of Ballet and Creative Movement. The concert was held at Eglinton St. George’s United Church, a beautiful stain glass church that had amazing acoustics. I put on a few hats that night, from greeting people at the door, selling drink tickets for the intermission, collecting tickets and handing out programs. I met another volunteer from Habitat named Anna. She has a very interesting story. She shared with me her struggle for the past 15 years with a physical debilitation. She has chronic fatigue syndrome, yet that didn’t stop her from being a build volunteer. One time, she was at a site and they hoisted her to the roof so that she could do some work up there! She was also at the Keith Jarrett concert that I attended this past winter with Debbie and Ze’ev. She actually went backstage to meet this very famous pianist. By some fluke, Keith happened to not be surrounded by tons of people and Anna and her friend approached Keith. Before long, they were talking about chronic fatigue syndrome, which Keith is also suffering from. So, they traded remedies and solutions, and now Anna is trying a new rehab regiment that Keith had suggested…

FIRST OF THE 3 MUSKETEERS TO GO
…Back in September 2002, myself and 2 others were hired to work in Regulatory Affairs at my current company. Though the marketplace has changed drastically over the past 3 years and though we all have migrated into different roles, we still maintained a rapport that is unique due to our common history. Well, Chris recently announced that she was offered a position at the Ontario Energy Board. She is returning back to her “roots” and will be working in Regulatory Affairs once more. This time, instead of ensuring that a company will be operating in compliance to certain policies, she will be the one enforcing the policy. So, this is rather sentimental because I still recall our first week together, trekking down to the door-to-door sales agent meeting, getting all set up with our own back-to-back cubicles at the call centre, and the many meals at Congee Wong (where she knows more of the menu than I do even though she’s not Chinese!) Still, it’s good to know that she’s still in the industry and that I will inevitably run into her in our regular business dealings.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

LOTS ON THE GO

Having just launched: www.timinnz05.blogspot.com , I can now turn back to this blog. In fact, as I was feverishly getting the awareness campaign for my New Zealand trip out, many things have happened. Thus, this lengthy entry will try to capture it all:

BYE BYE
HARBOUR SQUARE
After being listed for more than a year, the condo has finally sold. In some respects, I will miss living by the lake, being so close to downtown and the water at the same time. I’ve put in a lot of mileage pounding the pavement between Queen’s Quay and Mr. Christie in past 4 years! At the same time, there is a lot of emotional baggage that comes with that place, knowing that it symbolizes a failed attempt at marriage. The commute from my parents’ place in Mississauga to work everyday has been quite draining, so it’s about time that I start looking for a place of my own. Not having to continue carrying the expenses for the condo certainly makes this search easier to begin.

MEETING WITH THE MEETING HOUSE LEADERSHIP
I had a chance to meet with
The Meeting House leadership to speak specifically about my current marital situation. One attribute of good leadership that I picked up in the last issue of Harvard Business Review is the appropriate use of analogies. One analogy that was shared with me, that I thought was meaningfully appropriate, is likening my marriage to that of an unplanned pregnancy. No matter how invalid you claim your state of mind was at the time of choice or how much you question the legitimacy of the resulting consequence, you have to acknowledge the fact that YOU ARE NOW A PARENT. It is incorrect to say, "well fine, I did the right thing and didn't get an abortion," but end up raising the child neglected and in spite. Covenant is very sacred and that it should really take a life time to fulfill. God chose Israel to be His bride and how many times did she turn to love someone else, not think of Him, not listen to Him, not LOVE HIM. Yet, He held true to His covenant, never giving up on her. Yes, He did not just let her have her way without recourse, but He never severed the tie to her either. And I don't think that the bride is necessarily just Israel or the church. It's us. So many times we turn away from Him but He is there patiently waiting for us to return. As before, He won't let us just have our own way without recourse, but that it because He is reaching out to guide us (the one He loves) back to Him. Normally, hearing something like this would be discouraging to me, because it could interpreted as counsel to return to the place where this relationship was broken in the first place. But I can sense some discernment here. It's not focusing on doing the right thing just "because I didn't get an abortion", but through the honouring of covenant with God.

AMBROSIA NATURAL FOODS EXPERIENCE
Having been introduced to
Clif Bars when I went camping in Frontenac Park last fall, I wanted to pick some up for an upcoming hiking course. These bars are nutritious like Power Bars but taste much yummier! My office is nowhere near MEC, so I located a closer retailer: Ambrosia Natural Foods. When I walked in, I was blown away! Its layout was exactly like that of a supermarket: aisles and aisles of food stuff faced you as you walked in. (Mind you, the illusion is briefly shattered as you are greeted by a small table that is asking you to sign a petition, something about new legislation limiting your choice natural drugs). There is a bulk food section, a fresh produce section and even a wall of freezers for frozen foods. Of course, there is what I had initially thought would be the only thing inside: shelves upon shelves of natural drugs, pills and supplements. As I was walking up and down each aisle, I found myself in awe and amusement. Labels claiming “whole grain”, “non-hydrogenated”, “non-enriched”, “certified organic” – all buzz words that have entered my vocabulary through Thursday night small group and the recent exploration of better nutrition to support my training. And the variety of foodstuff that you can purchase here? Whole chickens, cereal, rice, snacks, half loaves of bread, soda pop, all sorts of fruits and vegetables, jams, and even ice cream! All have somehow qualified to make the limited retail shelf space. And the prices weren’t that far off from a typical chain supermarket's, even less in some cases.

I’M NOW A CERTIFIED HIKE LEADER!

Frontenac Park is one of the few provincial parks in this province that offers training courses. Clinton and I signed up for the Hike Leader Certification course. Most of it was common sense and the key thing to organizing a hike is to take the MacGyver approach: always expect the best but plan for the worst, deal with people issues in a non-aggressive way and always carry a Swiss Army knife (or a Leatherman, in my case). Met a lot of cool people on this course; a lot of teachers who want to implement an outdoor leadership course into their curriculum and some people who are on the verge of retiring, wanting to make trailblazing a regular part of their routine. After we came back from this course, Clinton and I played a couple hours of “pong”. I haven’t picked up my table tennis bat in quite some time now, so it was nice getting back into it. Do you know what MacGyver’s first name is?

NZ05 BLOG LAUNCHED
Ever since I went live with the
NZ site, I’ve been getting feedback from family and friends to support me. I’m just so touched by how many people want to take this on as their own cause. Training for the triathlon has been going well – I’m swimming at least 3 times a week and I’m getting my bike tuned up this Friday. My left Achilles tendon is doing something wonky, though. I think tennis is irritating it and preventing it from healing, so I’ve pushed off playing with Kevin for a week. It’s weird: every time I flex or extend my left foot, like when I’m using the clutch, my foot “squeaks”.

GOODBYE ANIS, PHIL, AND ZAHIDA
I came back from lunch today and proceeded to punch in the door code to get in. The first time failed, but I wrote it off for going too fast. I tried it again, this time slower. STILL LOCKED OUT! After the third, more deliberate, unsuccessful time, I got worried. Oh oh. Usually, the door code is changed for 2 reasons: once every 3 months to keep the codes fresh (but they usually inform you by email) OR once you’ve let someone go. Luckily, one of my colleagues was just walking by and she opened it for me. She also told me that a meeting was about to start in the main board room. Instead of going into the board room right away, I ran back to my desk to check email. I just wanted to confirm that it wasn’t me being let go. After not seeing any such emails, I went to the meeting, where they announced that 3 of our colleagues were let go today due to the “strategic direction that our company is moving in”, their jobs being somewhat redundant in light of recent restructuring. I am sad to see them go, considering we had just celebrated one of their birthdays yesterday. I’m not worried that this is one of those indicators that one should take notice of when contemplating their careers. Even if it was me who they let go, I don't think that I would be too rattled, for I feel pretty good about the skills and leadership that I could bring to any setting. The attributes that are always in demand. Plus, I had a really good chat with the Senior VP of our office last week. It was one of those talks where you feel like you’ve been validated, that someone who has the power to make or break your career actually took notice of what you’re doing in a good way. So, although our company is going through a time of finding its identity, I still feel very good about what they’re doing and hopeful that I will fit in.