Hello,
It’s been some time that I’ve sent a message on here. The past few months have been quite eventful. But I have some good news to share with you. When I first started this What If blog I had a certain idea in mind— what if I were to write my third book as a blog. I ran the idea by a good friend and she was very excited. So I thought OK I will make it official. So in considering what I would blog about that would be worthy of one day becoming a book, the idea came to me— I should blog about various what if scenarios, especially since at the time I was using the expression so much, as you will see if you have been following this blog, or if you now purchase the book.
The book is not identical to the blog. I’m sure you’re wondering that by now. You’re probably asking yourself “why would I buy a book that has all the same details that’s on a blog that I can read for free?” But no, the book goes a step further than the blog. The blog has a lot of humor and touches on some inspirational themes, but the book digs deeper and gets into even a little bit of controversy. It asks the tough questions that have never been published on this blog, questions such as “what if God did not exist?” It gives you commentary from historical figures such as former president Robert Kennedy and former French Writer Voltaire. So if you’re looking for a book that raises tough questions on matters where the answers rest within your imagination, then this is the book for you to read.
This eBook costs only 99 cents, so it is quite affordable, less than a dollar. You can access it at this link What If.. All You Can Imagine. It will make you laugh and it will make you wonder. Use it as a base for coming up with your own what if questions. We live in a big world, and it’s a big universe. Surely there are endless questions we can ask ourselves and rely on our great imagination to suggest the answers.
Of all the earthquakes I’ve experienced, none of them has ever occurred while I was at home. The very first one I experienced was when I was in high school, and all the others happened while I was at work.
Whenever the earthquake came it was always one massive panic and scramble. The very first one I went through was back in around 1992 when I was in 2nd form (grade 8). In all the commotion one of my classmates jumped from upstairs a two story building to the ground. Fortunately she wasn’t hurt. I guess it was just one of those moments that took us all off guard.
In the work setting me and my co-workers often found ourselves pushing through the exit and running down the stairs. These days we are advised to just get under our desk when an earthquake comes. So I wonder, what if an earthquake catches you by surprise as usual, but this time you need to pee real badly?
You were in the middle of typing an important response back to a client and was just about to hit ‘send’ when there comes this big rumbling and shaking. You can’t rush to the bathroom because your earthquake survival training taught you to take cover under your desk. So what do you do? How about you just pee on yourself? Sounds like a good idea, but what would happen if it was just a small earthquake, no buildings falling down, no damage period? What happens then?
So the quake is all over now, you come from under your desk and it’s quite obvious to everyone what just went on with you. What do you do? Tell them you knocked your water over on you just as you were about to run under your desk. It could happen ;-).
I guess the moral in all of this is don’t hold your pee so long that by the time you need to go you have to race to get to the toilet and risk peeing on yourself in the process. And while you’re pondering that, you may want to put some additional planning into your earthquake survival preparation. Don’t overlook these basic things.
By whatifsometimeslifehappen
|
Posted in Blogs
|
Also tagged buildings falling down, desk, earthquake survival, panic, pee, planning, scramble, shaking, the office, toilet, water
|
Just slightly more than a year ago I decided to go to Toronto, Canada to pursue a Graduate Certificate in Technical Communication, as a back-up plan to secure my family’s future. Despite the sacrifices I would have to make, and the uncertainties that would follow, I still wanted to go so that I would not look back one day and wonder “what if”. Well, ironically, now that I’ve returned to Grand Cayman and am job searching, I’m left wondering — what if I never went to Canada and studied Technical Communication? What if my Technical Communication qualification has now set me back with career in advancement in Cayman?
While living in Toronto, I found that employers in the financial services sector were interested in me. Even when interviewing for a technical writer role I was told that my client serving background would give me an advantage. In the end it didn’t, but the bottom line is that my client serving experience was being acknowledged in the context of a technical writer role. I was amazed. If only the reverse could be true in Cayman.
As I prepared to move back to Cayman I wondered if the financial services sector there would find my technical communication background to be of any relevance. I didn’t think so. I contacted a couple recruiters who pretty much made me feel that a technical communication career in Cayman was next to impossible for me; because I didn’t have a computer science degree and I didn’t have the required years of technical writing experience. I tried to express that I wasn’t seeking anything particularly technical that would require me having a computer science degree. Instead, I just wanted a role that would allow me to utilize my ‘documentation’ skill set. I don’t think I was able to get that across to recruiters. Or somehow they just didn’t see me getting any such role. So I wondered, what have I done? Surely I can’t just discard one whole year of technical communication experience from my resume, but if employers don’t care for it in Cayman, then what? Either way, I couldn’t help but wonder what if I had stayed in Cayman? By now I would completed at least one qualifying course toward my ICSA designation in Offshore Finance and Administration.
One day I picked up the newspaper and to my surprise there was a job ad titled “Document Specialist”. I thought no way. Are you kidding me? As I read through the description I saw a need for basic experience with “InDesign” and knowledge of “Styles”. Again, I thought no way this is crazy, I just learnt those in Toronto. As I got down to the salary though I saw where it was way too low for me. Nonetheless, my thoughts were now modified wondering what if my technical communication training and experience are what would now shape my destiny to have a documentation role within the financial services sector? What if the opportunity in fact existed for me to have a role that combined client relations and technical communication? Naw, I didn’t want to get my hopes up at first. But then a few days later I saw a job advertised in the newspaper for a Document Controller/Investment Clerk. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I wondered what if there’s hope for me after all. Time will tell. I guess no matter what, I will always be left wondering “what if…”
By whatifsometimeslifehappen
|
Posted in Uncategorized
|
Also tagged Cayman, Certificate, client relations, communication, designation, document, Document Controller, Graduate, ICSA, InDesign, Investment, job, Styles, technical, Toronto
|
Growing up I’d hear kids say “what if your nose was a door post, where would you put the hinges?” It was a bit of an upsetting query because surely there’s no way my nose would ever transform into a door post, so why on earth would I wonder about that? Well the same thing could be said about more realistic things in life that we spend our time wondering about. I’m 100 % guilty of always reflecting and thinking if I had just, or what if were to do this or that. It gets a bit frustrating at times. But one day I thought, you know what I’ll just get my frustrations out in writing, as I always do. So I decided, I’ll write a book about it. Maybe that will get it out of my system. I started writing what I thought would become my third book, but then of course, I wondered, what if I were to do this is a blog? I wonder what kind of “what if” stories other people may have. I’d love to hear their stories and share mine with them, and voila, that’s how this blog began.
There’s so much I think back on in my life about and wish things had gone differently, if I had just had a different attitude, if I had just been a bit more patient, and the list goes on. But despite all my should have, would have, could have, whatever was ever meant to happen, happened, and one day it just finally hit me, sometimes life just happens. So get over whining and pining already. We may think we ought to have full control because we are in the driver’s seat of our lives, but sometimes we don’t have full control of the situation; there are circumstances often beyond our foresight and beyond our control. Even if we feel bad about certain outcomes, we just never saw those end-results coming so we didn’t know how to stop them. And we don’t have all the keys to the future either. I know, easier said than done, it’s like a drug. So why not have some fun with it? Let’s see how often in our lives we get caught up with this ‘what if’. I know a common ‘what if’ facing most of us right now is ‘what if I were to win the lottery?’ Well all I can tell you is that if you don’t have a ticket you don’t stand a chance. I bought a pick 3 ticket recently with the numbers 2,7,3 but just my luck the winning numbers were 3,7,1. So I almost won the lottery, but almost doesn’t count. If I had just played a 1 instead of a 2. But you know what, sometimes life just happens.
whatifsometimeslifehappen 