Becoming me

It's that time of the year again when one starts to reflect on the year that has passed and the one that's about to come and start drawing resolutions that never quite seem to get accomplished. At least that's how it is usually for me. Guess my forte is in planning and not exactly in execution.

I don't think I made any specific resolutions this year but I did put out a list of 'long term' ones.

Family
"I will make effort to plan for a family trip at least once a year and cook one healthy meal once a week."

Friends
"I will make time to catch up and connect with my friends at least once a month."

Finances
"I will stay focused on working towards financial independence by saving $xxxx/mth." 

Fitness
"I will care for my body so that I can continue to feel the pleasure of being fit and fully alive as I grow older. Thus, I need to continue with my exercise and watch what I eat."

Career
"I'll find a job or activity that feeds my soul and uses my talents to help others."

Looking at them now, I think I've managed to do some of them. There are a few I'd need to work harder at but at least it's not just NATO.

Next year, there are some plans on the family and fitness front on what I'd want to do such as aiming for a trip to Europe and completing a full marathon amongst others. As for finances, friends and career, I can only hope I'd be able to have the good fortune and opportunity to do what I hope to do, and that more good things will come my way in the year of the dragon.

Happy 2012, everyone.

Girl, Domesticated. Kitchen Affairs: Episode #2

I did it again. After a long 'hiatus' after my first kitchen affair, I'm back.

Inspired by a dish I ate when in US on a road trip, I googled and experimented the receipe and will try my best to replicate it. Tom Yam pasta.

Last attempt was a few weeks back which got the thumbs up from the folks at home, and today, I will try it yet again to feed my fellow runners.

Hope it'd turn out well and they'd like it.

Calling for the inner chef in me, don't be shy today and come out and play...

When we're done with our job...

slogan for the field marketers to use to promote ourselves to field sales.

When we're done with our job, you'll be all sold out.

Day 13 of more to lose

Seems like plan is working. 3kg loss in 3 weeks.

Hope the trend and determination continues.

3 more kg to go...

Day 2 of more to lose

Still hungry.... but I think I found a way to... er... distract myself. Arrange for lunch hour conference calls. Yesterday, I had near back to back calls from 10am all the way to 2pm. Not much chance to eat.

Did a quick weigh-in at night when I got back home and it seems like I did lose some weight already in just 2 days' time.

Guess eating way minimally and not sleeping well has some effect.

Day 1 of more to lose

So hungry!!! It's a torture to see a spread and yet one can't eat them all like how I'd use to - no holds barred.

It's sad but true. I'm going to become one of those who barely eats and nitpick on their food from now on. I hate it!

But this is a doctor's advice I can't exactly ignore. To lose weight.

The only consolation was the fun social event tonight to hang out with the girls. It was good to catch up and hopefully all the laughing made me feel more full.

Let's see how tomorrow will go.

The importance of being RASCI....

I didn't realize how important one of the trainings I had attended in Juniper some years ago, would and could actually help me not only in my work but its applicability to many other situations outside of work.

If practiced correctly, it can really help people in getting clarity on what they need to do and become a lot more effective in their various roles.

R = Responsible - owns the problem / project

Responsible - these people are the “doers” of the work. They must complete the task or objective or make the decision. Several people can be jointly responsible.

This is the person, or group, who is responsible for performing a task. Bear in mind the old adage that when nobody is responsible for getting something done then nothing gets done. Also, a similar situation can occur when too many people are potentially responsible with little to no coordination and oversight to ensure that the task is completed. Another issue to consider is when a person has lots of “R’s”. Are they doing too much?

A = to whom "R" is Accountable - who must sign off (Approve) on work before it is effective

Accountable - this person is the “owner” of the work. He or she must sign off or approve when the task, objective or decision is complete. This person must make sure that responsibilities are assigned in the matrix for all related activities. There is only one person accountable, which means that “the buck stops there.”

This is the person who is held accountable for the task being complete. In some cases, risks can be managed by segregating the responsible and accountable roles. In general, one person should be accountable for a task being performed. At the same time, if a person is accountable for most of the steps in a procedure, one must consider if there is a segregation of duties issue wherein the person(s) control an excessive amount of the procedure.

( S = can be Supportive ) - can provide resources or can play a supporting role in implementation

Some groups add this in as a fifth responsibility. “S” identifies a person or group who provide resources for a task to be completed. When charts include this category, they are referred to as “RASCI charts” but otherwise are identical to RACI charts.

C = to be Consulted - has information and/or capability necessary to complete the work

Consulted - these are the people who need to give input before the work can be done and signed-off on. These people are “in the loop” and active participants.

These are the people communicated with prior to a task being performed. Essentially, their input is sought after and factored in prior to action taking place. As the number of parties consulted with increases, the speed with which action can be taken decreases. Conversely, too few and improper decisions may be made

I = to be Informed - must be notified of results, but need not be consulted

Informed - these people need to be kept “in the picture.” They need updates on progress or decision, but they do not need to be formally consulted, nor do they contribute directly to the task or decision.

These are the parties who are notified about a task after it has been performed. If the correct parties aren’t informed in some situations, then incidents can arise from groups wondering what changed. At the same time, if there are lots of people being informed, is it necessary?