[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNr8g8dAlEo[/youtube]

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Its the end of March, which puts us squarely at the end of the first 1/4 of 2009 and I think that its a good idea to see how well am doing against my resolutions. Doing this has also allowed me to refocus on them and those items that are still outstanding will now be highlighted again.

I resolute to:

• Listen without saying anything for 20 minutes a day (Apparently, I have too little patience for stupid people and I need to listen more!) I’ve failed at this totally. It is something that I need to work on!
  
• Feed a poor child at least twice a month. I have been keeping to this resolution and will continue to do so.
  
• Help educate a poor child. I missed the cut off date to set up a scholarship, but I will make sure that I do this in time next year.
  
• Study something that aids my career. I am currently enrolled at Stellenbosch University for an MDP.
  
• Study something that adds value to my life without affecting my career. I have slacked off a bit, but I am learning Mandarin.
  
• Find a friend that I have forgotten about and catch up. Still need to do this.
  
• Stop judging the artsy fartsy type, some people are just weird. Eeerrrh… do I HAVE to do this?
  
• Fix this thing called “my health”. I’ve bought a bicycle. That’s it! :s
  
• Spend more time outside. I have tried, I swear!
  

In 2009 I will greatly reduce the intake of: (not GIVE UP, just reduce!)

• Softdrinks (That whole theory that Coke adds life, is balls!) I now drink massive amounts of water. Soft drink intake has been reduced greatly. I don’t see any results… but I guess its the right thing to do.
  
• Chocolate bars (Happens rarely anyway, so less is bonus!) Done!
  
• White bread (Wheat and Grain is the way!) Not Done!
  
• Fries (Nando’s wedges is better anyway!) Done!
  
• Chilli (I’m Indian, so just know that this isn’t as easy it may sound!) Almost Done!
  
• Energy drinks (Those things are designed for athletes and not for people who have parts that wobble when they laugh!) Done!
  

In 2009 I will greatly increase the intake of:

• Tea I have become a bloody tea ADDICT!
  
• Cucumber (lol) Not Done!
  
• Peaches Not Done!
  
• Fresh Grapes Not Done!
  
• Whole grain bread Not Done!
• Water Done!
  
• Veggies Done!
  

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Whether you’re suddenly unemployed or just looking to change up, starting out in a new career is daunting. Take our advice on how to write—and plan—your way into a new field.

Photo by Yo Spiff.

Why switch careers?

Blogger, career writer, and Brazen Careerist founder Penelope Trunk knows from jumping ship. From her own ups and downs at work, both office-based and freelance, she’s compiled a (relatively) low-stress approach to making the switch. More important: She lists reasons why you should and shouldn’t move on:

Here are some bad reasons to switch careers:
1. You hate your boss. (Switch jobs, not careers.)
2. You want more prestige. (Get a therapist – you’re having a confidence crisis, not a career crisis.)
3. You want to meet new people. (Try going to a bar, or Club Med. What you really want is to get a life. Pick up a hobby.)

Here are some good reasons to switch careers:
1. You want a role that is more creative, more analytic or more management-oriented.
2. You want to live in a location that does not accommodate your current career.
3. You want more flexibility or fewer hours.

Drafting the resume

Now that you’ve set your mind to making the big move, let’s talk text.

Alexandra Levit, career specialist and author of How’d You Score That Gig?, graciously offered to provide some guidance on writing a resume for a new career path:

• Getting past the minimum requirements: Use a functional format that lists achievements by general skill area. Most fields want your transferable skills, like project management and client relations.For example, if you spent a few years working at a toy store, but you want to get into architecture, you might highlight a project management skill and say that you managed a semi-annual special parents night, which included activities geared toward 150 regular customers. You should also focus on results you’ve achieved rather than job responsibilities—so instead of just saying that you sold infant-related toys and merchandise, you could say that you were named as the top infant toy salesperson, generating revenues of approx. $20K. By doing these things, you show that you have the right combination of talent and skills to get the job done, even if you don’t have specific experience in that industry.
• Avoid looking like a job-hopper: Hold each job for at least a year before you consider a change. Individuals who switch more often become known as chronic job jumpers, and employers either consciously or subconsciously avoid these candidates. Especially in this competitive climate, when a hiring manager sees a resume listing four jobs in three years, he won’t wait to hear your explanation. He’ll think that you can’t hold down a job, and he will move on to the next person.If you do have a history of moving around a lot, I suggest removing the months from your chronology line. For example, saying that you worked at a place from 2007-2008 sounds a lot more palatable than November 2007-March 2008. Also, if you have JUST quit a job or have been laid off, say that you have been at your last position from 2006 to present.

As for the rest of your text, we’ll recommend one of the five tactics we’ve suggested to rebuild your resume: Start with a list of reasons why you’re great, then distill it into your resume. All the other stuff—fonts, vertical bars, exact wording of “coffee-grabbing intern”—is just finesse. Start with a blank text editor or sheet of paper, and start throwing down whatever skills you have that the others don’t. By doing so, you form the basis for a punchy, concise resume, and (bonus!) you hone your talking points for your interview. Photo by emdot.

Now onto the cover letter, often as important in getitng a hiring manager’s attention:

Don’t bore your next employer with your layoff story

Cynthia Shapiro, career strategist and author of What Does Somebody Have to Do to Get a Job Around Here?, points out to the Wall Street Journal that taking the time to explain your layoff not only wastes cover letter space, but won’t win you many sympathy points these days, as there are a lot of layoff stories to be told.

When applying, avoid expressing bitterness or self-pity. Many layoff victims send cover letters that blame the economy for their job loss, says Ms. Shapiro. There’s no need to even point out the fact that you’ve been laid off. “If your last work day was in October, your résumé will say that,” she explains.

Photo by sunshinecity.

In the same article, an IBM hiring manager notes that in a crowded, competitive group of candidates for a consulting job, what helped her pick the winner was a “can-do attitude.” More importantly, that applicant didn’t make a lot of requests, requirements, or pitch themselves for an exact job doing a precise thing. Get the job first, then work your way into the working environment you dream of.

What to expect (and plan for)

Not to keep hitting on the suck-it-up nail, but crossing into an entirely new realm of experience and work probably requires a bit of sacrifice. To jump-start a stalled job search, you might have to start humble and work your way into career confidence.

Career specialist Levit explains that process in detail for us:

• Ease into a new career one foot at a time: Perhaps this means earning a paycheck at a more attainable job while doing a part-time internship in your new field, or taking an adult education class or workshop on the weekend. The only way to find out if you’re passionate about something is to try it – ideally with as little risk as you can manage.
• Remember that any progress is good progress: In the quest to uncover a source of meaningful work, your worst enemy is inertia. Make an effort to do one thing, like e-mailing a networking contact or attending an event, every morning, every day, or before you do something else—that moves you a bit closer to your big-picture goal.
• Have realistic expectations: Even if you’re lucky enough to finally get and hold a job in your dream career, there’s no such thing as the perfect work situation; dream job doesn’t mean “cushy” job. As your mom always told you, anything worth having in this world requires some effort. There will be some days you feel like shutting the alarm off and going back to sleep, especially if you’re being made to do grunt work at first, but many more ahead where you feel more energized by the prospect of work than you ever thought possible!

Your advice

If you’ve successfully gone from apples to oranges in your career, or even just from apples to different-colored, slightly sweeter apples, by all means—tell us how you got there in the comments.

[This is a repost from Lifehacker]

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2008 was a really crappy year for me. Everything that could go wrong, did! Loosing my kid brother in a car accident was certainly the low point of 2008. It did have a few high points though. My trip to see IslandChic in Beijing was certainly the highlight!

2009 snuck up on me like a taxi driver at a four way stop. But its here and its first week is already drawing to an end already.

I’ve put together a list of resolutions that I feel are worth sticking to. I’ve tried to be realistic about it and I certainly won’t be promising massive weight loss!

I resolute to:

• Listen without saying anything for 20 minutes a day (Apparently, I have too little patience for stupid people and I need to listen more!)
• Feed a poor child at least twice a month
• Help educate a poor child
  
• Study something that aids my career
• Study something that adds value to my life without affecting my career
• Find a friend that I have forgotten about and catch up
• Stop judging the artsy fartsy type, some people are just weird
• Fix this thing called “my health”
• Spend more time outside

In 2009 I will greatly reduce the intake of: (not GIVE UP, just reduce!)

• Softdrinks (That whole theory that Coke adds life, is balls!)
• Chocolate bars (Happens rarely anyway, so less is bonus!)
• White bread (Wheat and Grain is the way!)
• Fries (Nando’s wedges is better anyway!)
• Chilli (I’m Indian, so just know that this isn’t as easy it may sound!)
• Energy drinks (Those things are designed for athletes and not for people who have parts that wobble when they laugh!)

In 2009 I will greatly increase the intake of:

• Tea
• Cucumber (lol)
• Peaches
• Fresh Grapes
• Whole grain bread
• Water
• Veggies

I think thats it for me. I’d love to hear yours!

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This evening, I tried the new Vida e Caffe at Century City. I grabbed an Americano on the run. I love Vida e for the concept, for being the only “on the run” coffee franchise in SA and for the excellent branding. But oh dear is their coffee CRAP!

But I know this! I’ve known it for a while. Infact, most would agree, the coffee at Vida really doesn’t deserve to be called coffee, but more akin to dirty water with a bitter taste and a dash of milk!

I go back to their stores with this deep down hope that perhaps the refugee behind the counter with the cool personality and funky accent will by some great act of the heavens, pull off a great cup of coffee.

Kudos to the company for putting together an excellent brand identity and for a very slick experience everytime, but c’mon people…

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The circumstances have been the absolute worst, with the loss of my little brother, Kiyashan aka KeyZ, a month ago in a horrible car accident.

He was the most full of shit person I knew , never let a day pass without making me smile about something. The guy was loved by everyone and was super friendly. He impacted everyone that he met in a positive way and I am so glad that everyone has good memories of him. I am sorry that at 24yrs old, he left us so damn surprisingly!

I’m going to miss him and life just won’t be right without him.

Kiddo, if you get to read this up there, I love you!

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It’s the typical action-packed movie you’d come to expect from these two actors. Jason brings the same arrogance and violence from Transporter and Italian Job into his role here playing a FBI agent and Jet, well, what else would you expect? He plays a hired assassin and gets involved in the Chinese Triads and the Japanese Yakuza.

The movie has REALLY cool cars, with Jet driving a Spyker C8 Spyder throughout the film and Statham sporting a Mustang. There are shots of a few Lambos, Ferraris and Maseratis. The movie has a pretty cool car chase with the two of them going head to head in a decent battle. One would naturally assume the the Italian has the advantage, but the brutal muscle of the Yank gives it a run for its money in the traffic filled streets.

Lots of swords, pistols, snipers and automatic machine guns.

The movie is definitely nothing new, but it does have a fairly cool twist at the end. The action sequences are very well choreographed, and I am almost certain that John Wu himself couldn’t have done it better.

Definitely worth a watch if you like it rough!

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It was disappointingly attended, but then again Hip Hop never gets the support from Capetonians as it should.

The show was cool. Definitely nothing “WOW!”.

Ready D, the local Hip Hop god tore up the decks with a 45 minutes set that was absolutely unbelievable. He is without a doubt the best Hip Hop DJ in SA and is currently ranked in the top 20 best Hip Hop DJ’s in the world. Y’day saw him play out his best set yet, in my opinion. Better known as the guy who played for “Prophets of the City” and the pioneer behind “Brassie Van Die Kaap”, he has played next to giants like the Fuggees, Ja rule, Ice-T, Public Enemy and even featured as the regular resident DJ for the Phat Joe show on SABC a few years back! I really wish him luck and I can only imagine how hard it was for him to break through the scene and set himself up as being SA’s Hip Hop god!

Grant and Anele made an appearance next to Poppy all from 5fm. For the record I would like to say that G & A are the most annoying wannabees in the history of the great station. It is really sad to see 5fm slip into hiring such sad DJs. The next few local acts are not even worth mentioning, but I think its fit to say I really miss Red Angel! R.I.P Angel! The Hip Hop scene greatly misses you bud!

Black Violin was the first of the 3 international sets. These guys were downright brilliant!!!

They are Hip Hop violinists! I have never heard anything like it before! They whack out tracks by TI and DJ Khaled on a set of violins, so imagine! They also stand as a huge inspiration to black kids who see classical music as a looser thing! I think Black Violin really made their point when they played out a piece written by Chekovsky (I think thats how you spell it).

Fat Joe and the Terror Squad took to the stage. In true CRACK fashion, he was accompanied by loud gunshots as he walked out. He did most of his famous tracks, including Whats love?, Lean Back, New York and also did a Big Pun, B.I.G. and Tupac dedication!
Joe was honestly a disappointing act. I’m a huge fan of his, but I think he made it clear that he is a studio artist and not a performing artist. And Joe, how the hell can you can you come out in public without a cap man? What’s wrong with you?

Akon on the other hand was a great set. He is a true performer and a crowd pleaser. Besides ordering security to remove the divide between Golden Circle and the rest, he spent a lot of his time in the audience. He sang most of his latest hits and did a good job with them too. What I thought was funny though, was when Mr Senegal decided to crowd surf and someone stole his shoe . C’mon man, this is SA, what did you expect?

All in all a good show! Besides the venue selection, the organisation was good and it was really good to see these industry giants in SA!

The Terror Squad Boys have an album launch later this year, so look out for that and I truly recommend picking up Black Violin’s album!

Up next is 50 and the G Unit crew in May 2008!!!

P.S. I really hope Ready D plays again )

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I’ve made a list of five of the gadgets that have become major part of my everyday life.

• My cellphone. Cant imagine life without it actually. Running on Symbian with a Opera browser and Gmail installed, I can’t imagine a more handy ‘on the fly’ gadget!
• My optical mouse. How did we survive ball mouse again? Changing the dpi on the fly is pretty cool as well for hardcore gaming sessions…
• My Sennheisers. Its a brand of headphones for those not in the know. The noise reduction cups and amazing bass and clarity makes the fine hairs on my neck stand up!
• My iPod. 80GB of my favourite tracks and movies. Need I say more?
• My Sony HDD camera. I remember carrying around a Panasonic Camcorder way back in 1995. It was as big as a loaf of bread and weighed as much as Grade 8 text book collection. Now remove cassettes, DVDs, etc, make it the size of a cellphone, drop in a 30GB micro HDD and make sure it weighs as much as my iPod and you will figure out why I love it!

What are some of the gadgets that you can’t live without anymore?

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