Lazy Mondays – New Beginnings, Goodbyes, and Small Worlds

Hi everyone. It is currently Monday in the late afternoon, and I finally have a moment to breathe and take a break. All my work projects have been completed, leaving me waiting for the next piece of work to come my way.

Right now (other than writing to all of you), I’m leaning back in my chair while listening to the sounds of the office. I can hear the roar of computers, some typing away in the next section, the clicking of a mouse nearby, and the sound of a passing car by the window. I noticed that you never really observe these small subtleties until you take the time to put Life on pause and do so.

Well, in the past two weeks, I have been busy proofing the majority of the time (see previous entry), and when I wasn’t, I was flipping back between answering emails, making newsletters, and sending out official Acceptance and Thank You letters. Let’s just say, it was a very busy week. One highlight, however, in all the craziness, was my supervisor bought me a cake (Black Forest Cake to be precise) in celebration of my birthday. It was very sweet of her, and I found myself taking two slices ;). Also, her birthday was very close to mine, so the entire office celebrated with cake and ice cream. It was a very tasty and eventful afternoon.

Now, comes the “small world” part of this entry. I was scrolling through old emails and organizing them, when I noticed a familiar name in one of the emails. Funnily enough, this “familiar name” belonged to one of my old childhood friends from elementary school. I asked around the office, and sure enough, I found out my old friend had worked here a couple years before me in a very similar position. I laughed at the coincidence and learned that many coincidences in this office has happened (eg. a past employee’s sister was another employee’s friend). This world of 6 billion people can be very small indeed.

Before I forget, I want to wish one of my co-workers a big “Congratulations!” on finding out she is going to have a beautiful baby girl. Furthermore, I want to wish a warm welcome to IASTED’s two new employees who have just joined the team. I also want to say “Good luck” to four of my co-workers who have left/are leaving IASTED Calgary to pursue other studies and careers. The four of you have made me feel welcome at IASTED, and I have had such a great time with all of you. I will remember the laughs, memories, and conversations. Thanks and best wishes for things to come!

Just a quick note, this might be my last entry for quite a bit of time. I am taking some time off to enjoy the summer sun I have been (as most of you know) yearning for.

Workplace Survival 101 Tip: If you need time off, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Just approach your supervisor/boss/higher being in the workplace, and even though you might be a bit timid asking for it, you should express that you need time to yourself sometimes as well.

For the pictures, I give all credit to the generous photographers at stock.xchng. Truly beautiful pictures, thank you!

Well, that’s about it, over and out,


-Poppy.

Communication is Key

So, I unfortunately do not have much time to blog. I have gotten a large load of work mainly consisting of proofing, proofing, and more proofing. Did I mention proofing?

Anyways, my main (and I would like to think “short”) entry today is about a basic but very important aspect when working anywhere: Communication.

When I say communication, I am talking of all forms, from word-of-mouth to responding to emails or even texting. The better the communication, the less confusion and the more productivity (since you don’t waste time asking each other back and forth what is going on).

A perfect example happened last week. I had e-mailed a request to change something on a cover page to our graphic designer. She emailed me back with the changes and said that if I needed anything else to email her. I thought that the cover was perfect, so did not email her back. A few days later, she sent me a message and said that she likes confirmation when she emails. She asked me whether or not I received her email. I felt bad that I didn’t email her back, and emailed her right away and told her that the cover was just fine.

The lesson (and Workplace Survival 101 Tip) here? Communication is key. I could have saved my graphic designer stress and time if I had just replied to her.

Well, there we go. That’s it for now, back to –well, more proofing.

Yours, tired and working,


-Poppy.