Friday is here at last and I know the presentation and the hype surrounding it has been buzzing around all week. After yesterday's dry run sessions, all of us went home and re-did our presentations. But I guess you can never be TOO certain with presenting, as there are different personalities to appeal to.
We started a lil later than was planned and that just "ruined" the flow of things. Nevertheless we bounced back and before we knew it the presentations were flowing. Rayno set the tone for the day with his lovely presentation which helped all of us relax! Thanks boet :-)
I was next; nervous as hell still, but I managed to take two deep breaths and it really worked to my advantage. Things got a bit "messy" though when I added a video clip activity which was a bit inappropriate. I'm glad we have a second chance on monday, because I can now improve on blunders like that one.
The presentations that followed all went well and we will all learn from our mistakes and benefit from the feedback given by both Wesley and Carel. I think it wil be a busy weekend for us all and Monday morning when we hit the "board room" it will be time for action.
So let the good times roll everyone.
Lets smile and keep learning!
Out
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Mid-week blues
Today was a very productive day, I managed to finalise the powerpoint slide aspect of my presentation, have added all the necessary finishing touches with the help of Oom Carel.
Wim has also sent me some recommended videos, which have helped me a lot.
I just need to run through the presentation a couple of time to ensure that I'm ready.
I'm pretty excited about the presentation even though the nerves are kicking in now.
Out
Wim has also sent me some recommended videos, which have helped me a lot.
I just need to run through the presentation a couple of time to ensure that I'm ready.
I'm pretty excited about the presentation even though the nerves are kicking in now.
Out
Monday, January 26, 2009
Green Monday
This is the first week we are not seated in a "lecture" set-up and being engrossed by the many concepts surrounding RISK CONTROL. So we need to adjust accordingly. I must admit we were pretty successful.
The day began on a beautiful note, with the sun shining ever-so brightly. I know that is all I need to get me going. Everyone seems to have had a well-deserved, relaxed weekend and we were all ready for the task ahead. We wasted no time and in no time our fingers were tapping and ideas were buzzing. It was rather tricky getting the presentation off the ground due to the amount of research we needed to do. I imposed a strategy on how I'm going to go about completing the presentation. Like a wise man once articulated - "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". So I placed emphasis on the planning phase of my presentation. It took a bit longer than expected but I'm sure it will pay off.
It's gonna be a busy week and we will all need to remain focused in order to get through it.
Out
The day began on a beautiful note, with the sun shining ever-so brightly. I know that is all I need to get me going. Everyone seems to have had a well-deserved, relaxed weekend and we were all ready for the task ahead. We wasted no time and in no time our fingers were tapping and ideas were buzzing. It was rather tricky getting the presentation off the ground due to the amount of research we needed to do. I imposed a strategy on how I'm going to go about completing the presentation. Like a wise man once articulated - "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". So I placed emphasis on the planning phase of my presentation. It took a bit longer than expected but I'm sure it will pay off.
It's gonna be a busy week and we will all need to remain focused in order to get through it.
Out
Friday, January 23, 2009
The beginning of a long journey...
What a week! Shew!
The week kicked off on a very busy yet pleasant note. A lenghty journey began down RISKMAQ PART 1 road. I honestly thought we would be trained and taughted by a big mean shark who would require 1000% of our attention but to my surprise our trainer was IRCA's very own "dumb lawyer", Mark Andersen. Once all that was cleared, I took a deep breath and new that this would undoubtedly be a phenomenal week ( and that it was).
Monday was an overwhelming experience for all those who attended the course. The muffins, lunch, different personalities, course introduction and ofcourse Mark himself. Everyone was excited and very eager to learn. As the week progressed and things became more intense, everyone calmed down and all we could converse about was the homework exercises awaiting us. The homework kept us very busy in the evenings and for many of us served as a great substitute for TV time. Nevertheless doing the homework was probably the greatest thing we did, because as Mark hinted, that's all the prep we needed for the exam.
So the week went by, with heavy eyelids after the filling lunch we had every blessed day and a few chuckles here and there. One thing I admire about everyone I met this week is the dedication and willingness to learn, that was truly inspiring. What a wonderful bunch. Wish all of them the best in their respective careers...
Though we were on IRCA property all week, it really felt like we had neglected our IRCA colleagues (excluding the catering staff ofcourse) and duties. It was all within reason though, as the course kept us very occupied and hence no time could be spared in the afternoons.
All in all, it was a pleasant week and I had a great time learning. Can't wait for next week
The week kicked off on a very busy yet pleasant note. A lenghty journey began down RISKMAQ PART 1 road. I honestly thought we would be trained and taughted by a big mean shark who would require 1000% of our attention but to my surprise our trainer was IRCA's very own "dumb lawyer", Mark Andersen. Once all that was cleared, I took a deep breath and new that this would undoubtedly be a phenomenal week ( and that it was).
Monday was an overwhelming experience for all those who attended the course. The muffins, lunch, different personalities, course introduction and ofcourse Mark himself. Everyone was excited and very eager to learn. As the week progressed and things became more intense, everyone calmed down and all we could converse about was the homework exercises awaiting us. The homework kept us very busy in the evenings and for many of us served as a great substitute for TV time. Nevertheless doing the homework was probably the greatest thing we did, because as Mark hinted, that's all the prep we needed for the exam.
So the week went by, with heavy eyelids after the filling lunch we had every blessed day and a few chuckles here and there. One thing I admire about everyone I met this week is the dedication and willingness to learn, that was truly inspiring. What a wonderful bunch. Wish all of them the best in their respective careers...
Though we were on IRCA property all week, it really felt like we had neglected our IRCA colleagues (excluding the catering staff ofcourse) and duties. It was all within reason though, as the course kept us very occupied and hence no time could be spared in the afternoons.
All in all, it was a pleasant week and I had a great time learning. Can't wait for next week
Friday, January 16, 2009
The cherry on top!
Finally, friday has come and the test is over and done with! (sigh of relief) Fortunately for me there was an improvement from last week's mark and yes I got that cum laude :-), the sweet taste of success. Maintance is the name of the game from now on and when the time comes then 100% it will be... Everyone did very well and honestly speaking if it wasn't for Oom Pieter's wisdom and guidance, we would be telling a different tale.
Now that that's over and donw with, I can reflect on the whole week. When MOurNDAY (monday) came I really thought I was going to drown because everyone around us was emphasizing the importance of the course. Though I felt capable, there was a certain amount of pressure planted on us. Nevertheless, the week started and to my surprise the course was pure bliss! The homework exercises compelled us to read every evening and though it was a bit time-consuming, the results show that it payed off.
The course content was very manageable and comprehensive. The work load, however, was heavy and quantitative. I enjoyed my week and feel prepared for the RISKMAQ Part 1. Well not content wise but time management wise.
On the lighter side, Oom Pieter is a wonderful coach and educator, I would really love to work with him later on. He really brought some light into my life, both personally and on the work front. Dankie al weer Oom :-)
That however is not the end of the week, the party goes on. We have presentations lined up for 2 weeks time as well as health and safety assessments, so our full concentration and focus is required. We have being allocated time to complete these tasks and I'm currently doing reasearch. Hope it will all come together over the next week and a half.
We had a fruitful week but I'm officially signing off now... Weekend time!
Out
Now that that's over and donw with, I can reflect on the whole week. When MOurNDAY (monday) came I really thought I was going to drown because everyone around us was emphasizing the importance of the course. Though I felt capable, there was a certain amount of pressure planted on us. Nevertheless, the week started and to my surprise the course was pure bliss! The homework exercises compelled us to read every evening and though it was a bit time-consuming, the results show that it payed off.
The course content was very manageable and comprehensive. The work load, however, was heavy and quantitative. I enjoyed my week and feel prepared for the RISKMAQ Part 1. Well not content wise but time management wise.
On the lighter side, Oom Pieter is a wonderful coach and educator, I would really love to work with him later on. He really brought some light into my life, both personally and on the work front. Dankie al weer Oom :-)
That however is not the end of the week, the party goes on. We have presentations lined up for 2 weeks time as well as health and safety assessments, so our full concentration and focus is required. We have being allocated time to complete these tasks and I'm currently doing reasearch. Hope it will all come together over the next week and a half.
We had a fruitful week but I'm officially signing off now... Weekend time!
Out
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Oh happy day
The sun is finally shining down on us today and yes it has brought some light into our lives. Though people are smiling because Friday is near, we all wait in anticipation of the BIG BAD TEST.
We have managed to cover Tab 13: Managing Critical Tasks, which is the tab I’m presenting in less than two weeks, so I was literally glued to the projector screen and Pieter was guaranteed my full attention. We did a practical exercise on The Causation Model and it opened a lot of doors for everyone and gave us insight on the practical plane. It was interesting learning about the exact happenings of the Challenger Shuttle. We were informed that IRCA will be compiling a formal document on the incident and we were the first to kick-start the whole application.
The buzz word on everyone’s mind this afternoon is the test, for obvious reasons. I personally feel we will all survive this assessment as we are well informed and taught. THANKS OOM PIETER :-)
We have managed to cover Tab 13: Managing Critical Tasks, which is the tab I’m presenting in less than two weeks, so I was literally glued to the projector screen and Pieter was guaranteed my full attention. We did a practical exercise on The Causation Model and it opened a lot of doors for everyone and gave us insight on the practical plane. It was interesting learning about the exact happenings of the Challenger Shuttle. We were informed that IRCA will be compiling a formal document on the incident and we were the first to kick-start the whole application.
The buzz word on everyone’s mind this afternoon is the test, for obvious reasons. I personally feel we will all survive this assessment as we are well informed and taught. THANKS OOM PIETER :-)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Mid-week fever
The day started off on a rather shakey note this morning with the back to school fever, but still made it to work on time... yay!
The course is going very well, have been focused and am hoping it pays off. Have finally decided which tab I will be presenting and I'm actually very satisfied with my decision. Managing Critical Tasks is very appealing to me and I'm looking forward to the presentation.
We have covered all that we needed to for todays session. It feels good cos the afternoon is a bit more relaxed. I have however started doing my homework already... :-)
Nando's hot quarter chicken meal helped make the day a bit smoother... LOL
Out
The course is going very well, have been focused and am hoping it pays off. Have finally decided which tab I will be presenting and I'm actually very satisfied with my decision. Managing Critical Tasks is very appealing to me and I'm looking forward to the presentation.
We have covered all that we needed to for todays session. It feels good cos the afternoon is a bit more relaxed. I have however started doing my homework already... :-)
Nando's hot quarter chicken meal helped make the day a bit smoother... LOL
Out
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Cloudy Tuesday
Nothing beats being well prepared, though it meant limited family time, it still feels good.
Got to work today ready and energised. Had a question to get more clarity on and that was accomplished. I also did some pre-reading before class, so following today is not as tedious as it was yesterday. (I suppose that’s a risk assessment at its best.)
Class is going fairly well today. Mxolisi absence is felt though. Hope he wrote well. I’m realising more and more what great people are surrounding me. Michael is very helpful and he is constantly sharing his experiences and thus giving us insight on all the “nitty-gritty” stuff.
Rayno has a remarkable way with words, he literally constructs sentences directly from ideas we have in mind. Abram takes us one level above and gets us to keep an open mind. Trudie is such a great motivation all through her dedication. We all need to stay motivated!
Mxolisi is the little yet big fish. He is very modest yet helps create a pleasant working environment. And myself... well... they should know!
The weather is still acting up but not even that can bring any of us down.
Our practical assessment has been postponed to the last week of January, which gives us more time to produce quality work... Yepee! Now I will really give it my all. I can now focus on one thing, thats getting that cum laude!
Great day all in all
Got to work today ready and energised. Had a question to get more clarity on and that was accomplished. I also did some pre-reading before class, so following today is not as tedious as it was yesterday. (I suppose that’s a risk assessment at its best.)
Class is going fairly well today. Mxolisi absence is felt though. Hope he wrote well. I’m realising more and more what great people are surrounding me. Michael is very helpful and he is constantly sharing his experiences and thus giving us insight on all the “nitty-gritty” stuff.
Rayno has a remarkable way with words, he literally constructs sentences directly from ideas we have in mind. Abram takes us one level above and gets us to keep an open mind. Trudie is such a great motivation all through her dedication. We all need to stay motivated!
Mxolisi is the little yet big fish. He is very modest yet helps create a pleasant working environment. And myself... well... they should know!
The weather is still acting up but not even that can bring any of us down.
Our practical assessment has been postponed to the last week of January, which gives us more time to produce quality work... Yepee! Now I will really give it my all. I can now focus on one thing, thats getting that cum laude!
Great day all in all
Monday, January 12, 2009
Blue monday
The weather is a bit cranky today and everyone is in slow mo. We started with the MSRM course and it seems very informative yet we’re moving at a slow pace. We’ve covered the first few tabs of the “big” file. Hopefully the reading of the tabs will give a much more detailed perspective on the topics covered today.
We also received the results of our mentoring assignment, for the first submission I was satisfied with my results but the third part was not very satisfactory. I hope to be given another opportunity to improve on the marks. I think my biggest problem is avoiding redundancy and giving too much detail and in this case it did not work to my advantage, I tried to keep my work quality-based and not quantity-based.
All in all it was a very long day and we did not learn a lot of new concepts, but I’m sure tomorrow we will cover more.
We also received the results of our mentoring assignment, for the first submission I was satisfied with my results but the third part was not very satisfactory. I hope to be given another opportunity to improve on the marks. I think my biggest problem is avoiding redundancy and giving too much detail and in this case it did not work to my advantage, I tried to keep my work quality-based and not quantity-based.
All in all it was a very long day and we did not learn a lot of new concepts, but I’m sure tomorrow we will cover more.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Great day indeed
First test! Not bad at all... There were some trick questions but I survived, 86% is not bad at all (a “near miss” though)
That was the main act of the day and I’m actually relieved cos now I know the standards and can climb the ladder with the correct “protective equipment. I’m inspired, now more than ever, and am truly looking forward to next week and the weeks (months and years!)
Time to show these guys who’s boss! And yes, when it comes to the wheel it’s me!
That was the main act of the day and I’m actually relieved cos now I know the standards and can climb the ladder with the correct “protective equipment. I’m inspired, now more than ever, and am truly looking forward to next week and the weeks (months and years!)
Time to show these guys who’s boss! And yes, when it comes to the wheel it’s me!
Great day indeed
First test! Not bad at all... There were some trick questions but I survived, 86% is not bad at all (a “near miss” though)
That was the main act of the day and I’m actually relieved cos now I know the standards and can climb the ladder with the correct “protective equipment. I’m inspired, now more than ever, and am truly looking forward to next week and the weeks (months and years!)
Time to show these guys who’s boss! And yes, when it comes to the wheel it’s me!
That was the main act of the day and I’m actually relieved cos now I know the standards and can climb the ladder with the correct “protective equipment. I’m inspired, now more than ever, and am truly looking forward to next week and the weeks (months and years!)
Time to show these guys who’s boss! And yes, when it comes to the wheel it’s me!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
"Amper daar"
Today was pretty casual and informal, as the tabs of the course were shorter and slightly easier to understand. Watching videos in-between and having the informal discussions, made absorbtion of material acceptable.
The second last day of the week (for some it's phuza thursday) and yet I wish it was Tuesday again cos time is really passing by.
I'm learning a lot and adapting well to my surroundings, so yep it's smiles all the way!
Woza friday! "Spoken like a true young adult, which I am!"
The second last day of the week (for some it's phuza thursday) and yet I wish it was Tuesday again cos time is really passing by.
I'm learning a lot and adapting well to my surroundings, so yep it's smiles all the way!
Woza friday! "Spoken like a true young adult, which I am!"
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Official day 1
It's funny how much there is to learn out there...
I actually feel enriched, though we didn't cover too much and what we did get through was not very explicit, I still appreciate the effort invested in it. (Sounding very typical!)
I'm in action mode and loving it. Yet the reality of reading and those extra hours is kicking slowly. The course is very informative and intense, but my full concentration is guaranteed.
Looking forward to the rest of the course and funny enough the idea of an assessment is exciting!
Out
I actually feel enriched, though we didn't cover too much and what we did get through was not very explicit, I still appreciate the effort invested in it. (Sounding very typical!)
I'm in action mode and loving it. Yet the reality of reading and those extra hours is kicking slowly. The course is very informative and intense, but my full concentration is guaranteed.
Looking forward to the rest of the course and funny enough the idea of an assessment is exciting!
Out
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
A very comfortable and relaxed day. We got very technical with our digital mechanisms which was in fact quite fun.
On the learning front we covered more in terms of mentoring and I picked up a tip or four on goal setting, expectations and assessments. It all seems very legitimate now and I hope to maintain consistency throughout the programme.
Everyone is a bit relaxed but I can tell that noone is willing to give less of themselves, which serves as an ext ra bonus because that way everyone will stay focused. I like the group members and hope to get along with everyone.
On the learning front we covered more in terms of mentoring and I picked up a tip or four on goal setting, expectations and assessments. It all seems very legitimate now and I hope to maintain consistency throughout the programme.
Everyone is a bit relaxed but I can tell that noone is willing to give less of themselves, which serves as an ext ra bonus because that way everyone will stay focused. I like the group members and hope to get along with everyone.
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