Nostalgia

In some ways, I'm a nostalgic. This is apparent when I look at old buildings, almost anything predating the 2nd World War. There's just something inexplicable in a building made of solid stone that says, "hey there, look at me! I've been built to last".

Nowadays so many buildings of the glass and steel sort have been constructed with cost being the primary concern. To me a building such as the Grand Central Station in New York, St Pancras Station in London or some of the less opulent, more classical buildings will look great in 100 years time. Whereas it's questionable whether some of the newer ones will age well.

I guess time will tell, but meanwhile have a look at the following video I watched today:


Unfortunately, I cannot embed it for some reason (any help would be appreciated!). But there's something beautiful about the time this video was taken and the surroundings (especially the buildings)  that are depicted. Such a difference to what London looks like today.
Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/7638752# 

Feel guilty about enjoying yourself?

Maybe this is a somewhat weird title, but it fully captures what I want to discuss.

Whilst I was a student, I could easily divide my time into two:

1) "I'm spending a lot of time doing research, writing essays or just generally doing something worthwhile for the academic component of my degree"

2) "I'm meant to be doing something to further develop and aid the academic component of my degree"

I'm sure those of you who have been to university or in a similar environment studying for a qualification know what I'm referring to. It's the thought, that every spare minute and moment you have needs to be dedicated to this qualification. Otherwise, one procrastinates and feels 'guilty' about having had a few moments of fun.

I believe this kind of thinking is probably wrong and most likely harmful, if this is practised over a significant period of time.

In the weeks leading up to the final exams, I enjoyed getting up early and getting to the library before other people did. Not only would I get my favourite seat, but I would also get a kick out of starting my studies at a time, when most other students were still sleeping. However, it struck me that often I wasn't the first one there and I would find people sleeping at their desks, probably because they had been there all night. Unbelievable!
I never understood how some people do not even leave the library to go home to sleep.

To me, the work life balance has to be right. I can get myself into a zone where I can study/work some pretty solid hours for a few days in a row. But then I need a break.
Conversely I can also only do fun and games for so long, before I yearn for some intellectual challenges (not counting that sometimes fun and games can be intellectually challenging too :).

After work, most of the time I feel like I need to do something useful..  to develop myself. Not all the time, but often enough. Other times I just want to relax and watch a good movie or do something fun with friends. For me THAT is a good work life balance.

Now, what if the work you are doing is actually not fulfilling? You actually don't think you can justify the time you spend on it (be it your job, uni degree, qualification etc). What actually makes your work fulfilling? I'll explore this premise in the next post.

P.S.: Just wanted to make sure you know that what I'm writing here is what I believe. This is my own personal opinion which stems from my personal experiences. You may agree or disagree. And please post your comments if you do or don't. Discussion is encouraged :)

Thoughts of working life

Since graduating from university last June (almost 11 months ago!), I've slowly adapted to what one calls the "working life".
This working life consists of getting up early on weekdays, going to work, working, coming home to relax afterwards and repeating the process the very next day. It is the schedule that the majority of us in the are stuck in, whether we like it or not. Many view this weekday routine as a necessity in order to pay the bills and support your(/your family's) lifestyle.
Of those people that I speak to, there are very few that actually enjoy this routine and what ultimately happens is that we end up battling through the week to reach the highly anticipated Friday afternoon. Where the weekend comes knocking on your door, offering a whole two days of bliss and relaxation.

I really ask myself whether this is really what I have signed up for? Do I really want to spend years "living for the weekend"?

When I first started the job, I relished that fact that I had the evenings and weekends off. To me, it was a time to switch off from work, read a book, chat to or meet up with friends or watch a show or movie on TV.  But as I have become accustomed to post-uni life, I have increasingly questioned this notion of time off work, being described as such. Does your day job really have to be that bad that you need time off? Why can't work be enjoyable?

To me it seems like this is where the underlying resentment towards work is uncovered. One cannot quit work as one needs it to survive (or more commonly put: pay the bills).

I have asked a lot of questions here that I'd prefer to answer throughout a few posts, rather than bore you to death with an extended answer (which quite frankly, I would find too strenuous writing and fleshing out :).

Testing this out

Test..test..test

So I've decided to start a blog. I never thought I would, after seeing other people read the most pointless ones out there. But then, there are some decent and interesting ones too.
Hopefully, you'll find this one interesting. But as stated above, this is only a test post. To explore the blog and how everything comes together, how it looks and reads.
Looking forward to expressing some of my views, thoughts and experiences on here.

Til later this week,

Doofus