Tell Us of a Time...

I haven't really decided if the direction of this blog is changing. Hmmm, did I have a direction to begin with? And do I really need to have a direction? These are my random musings after all, are they not? Hmmm...

Anyhoot, since my random musings lately have gotten more random, thought I'd just talk about the job interview I recently had. The job interview that's led to all these changes lately, to begin with. So, I've been doing this position since beginning of May, officially, that is. Unofficially, I've been doing it for almost a year, although at a different office. And the funny thing was for me to be in that position officially, even though I've been doing the same task already, I had to interview for the position just like everybody else...

"So, tell us of a time when you..."

(courtesy of bubblews.com, via Google images)

Don't you love that question?

One thing that most of us already know when it comes to behavioural interviewing is the STAR method. Whatever your response is, it should follow this format: 

Situation 

Task 

Action 

Result

But what did I really learn out of this experience, and from the people who were instrumental in my preparation for it?

• Because I had back-to-back interviews, I had to really prepare. As in prepare! A LOT! I spent weeknights and some weekends just to prep my notes.
• Practice, practice, practice. So practice I did. And in front of a mirror, just to make it a little bit more uncomfortable. HAH!
• In this situation, I learnt it was all about me. It's what I did and accomplished. "I did this... I led that... I presented this... (you get the gist)"
• And because this was an interview where I know the people on the other side of the interview desk, the best advice I probably received was to pretend that I didn't know those people. The devil was in the details, whether they know about it or not. After all, whether they are fully aware of my accomplishments or not, at the end of the day, they cannot rate me on something they know but I didn't say.

I'm just glad that the result was a happy one... 

The Beginning of Summer

Over the Memorial Day weekend, not that we celebrate it since we don't live in the US, I ended up making a a classic American eat to mark what people usually associate Memorial Day with, the start of summer, in addition of course to honoring the fallen soldiers, that is. So I suppose we inadvertently kinda' did anyway...

... the beginning of a juicy bacon cheese burger

And I guess you can't have burgers without...

(Garlic) Baked French Fries, my version of

Garlic Flavoring:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Butter (just a tad)
Garlic, crushed
Parmesan cheese
Parsley

(I tossed the fries right into the mixture straight from the oven, then I put it back into the oven for few more minutes to marry the flavor)

The meal did taste like summer. Now if only I can say the same about the weather...

Fashion Inspiration

As I'm getting older, the more I'm certain that I'm not really that girly-girl kinda' gal. Granted I wear dresses now more than ever but I've always felt at my most confident in menswear-inspired clothing, or I should say, clothes with some masculine touch to them. Oh wait, same diff, right?

Here are some of the women who then inspires me as I think they epitomize what I mean above.

(all images via Google images)

Emmanuelle Alt

(courtesy of nymag)

Gwyneth Paltrow

(courtesy of graziadaily.co.uk)

Jackie O

(courtesy of writingsofthegoddess.com)

Marlene Dietrich

(courtesy of last.fm)

Katherine Hepburn

(courtesy of suecarterflinn.com)

To me, these women represent(ed) strong, confident, and feminine all at once. Do you agree? Who inspires you sartorially?

The Making Of...

... a Fish Taco:)

This was inspired by this recipe that I stumbled upon on Twitter, of all sites...

Mango salsa

I made the mango salsa a tad chunkier.

Broccoli Slaw

The dish called for just a regular slaw but I didn't like how the napa cabbage looked at the market and found this broccoli slaw instead.

Cilantro dressing

There was no dressing called for in the recipe but it sounded a bit dry when I was trying to imagine the dish and since I pretty much have all the recipe already, I thought I'd just add this. I used this dressing to dress the slaw and also added a bit more when I assembled the dish.

Cilantro dressing:
Sour cream
Cilantro
Garlic
Lime juice
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
Sugar, a pinch (or agave syrup, if you have, for healthier version)

Rock fillets

The batter called for seltzer. I used club soda instead...

And voila!

Delish!!!

Even hubby, who's a picky eater, loved it. And so easy to make too!

As you can see, you can make so much variation to the dish, which is really good, especially for someone like me who doesn't like following recipes.

Anyhoot, a dish worth repeating for sure... mmm, mmm, mmm...

A New Kind of Retail Therapy (eeep!)

Like I mentioned previously, I have not been doing any "real" shopping lately, which is really good. Ever since I got my e-reader as a Christmas gift from my sisters, let's just say, I've been preoccupied hehe

I've resisted e-books for the longest time as I felt there is something nostalgic and comforting about the feel of a hardbound or paperback book. I love being able to flip thru the pages, and on few occasions, even skim thru the last few pages to kinda' give me an idea about the ending *sheepish grin* But months leading up to my receiving my gift, I've been known to have started reading books on my home PC, which was kinda' sad, I know, so I guess my sisters finally took pity on me, hence the gift...

via goodreads

This is a story of 4 women during a very specific time in Jewish history. I don't have any knowledge about this particular time of history but it didn't take away any pleasure from my reading experience at all. The story is also infused with practical magic which added a different dimension to the story, I thought. Each of the women's story describes a pivotal time in their lives that made them who they are, including loves found and lost. I admit I shed a tear or 2 over the ending. I knew it was coming and all I could do was brace myself for it. It wasn't an easy read, that's for sure, but for me, it was worth it. Ms. Hoffman can definitely write.


... The thing about e-books is, like what most women have discovered, you can pretty much fill it with anything with no one the wiser and unfortunately, I am no exception *raises eyebrows* So now, the sky has certainly become the limits. HAH!

(One of these days, I may even be brave enough to write about some of those books...maybe... hehe)

...It's A New Day, It's A New Life...

... ok not really...

I realize being away for a week from the blogosphere is like a month in real life, so imagine being AWOL for a month, let lone 5 months! A blogger might as well be gone for years, no? I guess that's just what happens when the blog world in particular has the attention of a goldfish... Not that it really makes a difference, does it?

It's been ages even I feel awkward, sheesh! What's up with that?!... Not really sure what happened. It just did, whatever it was.

Regardless, here I am, 5 months later. Reminds me of the time I used to have a journal when I was younger. Before I knew it, I'd just stop, then I'd be back a year later. It's quite an interesting read actually, only for me of course. It felt a little jarring since there would be such long gaps, but it also felt like no time has gone by, and there I was back again.

Christmas came and went, a fun time spent with family. Winter... Easter... Spring... And now here we are, here I am, and it's almost summer. Work has been really crazy busy, a major contributor to my absence here, that's for sure, but fortunately, with really happy result. I'm now in a different office, after what felt like almost a whole year of bouncing from one office to another, one task to another, one project to another, one position to another.

And I'm happy to report that my {un}retail therapy is kinda' sorta' working *insert googly eyes* Well, a tad... Since Christmas, I've been really good, I thought, up until a week ago. But hey, that's like almost 5 months! That should count for something, no?

Cynthia Rowley blouse (Winners)

Gap ballet flats

That's it, I swear... Although... (dum-duh-dum-dum) I must say yes, I have not been shopping per se, but I may have inadvertently found a new kind of retail therapy *eeep*...

Kobo Touch e-reader (Christmas gift from sisters)

... in the form of e-books! *gasp* Well, at least I'm feeding my brain, right?

On that note, will just leave you with these lovely thoughts I happen to stumble upon on my way home from work one day...

Who knows when I'd be back here again hehe... sooner rather than later, I hope...