For qamar

Beginning

1) What time do you usually get up? Do you need an alarm? Do you have difficulty getting up?
Between 5:30 and 6:30, depending on the day. Definitely need an alarm, yet on weekends seem to manage 6:30 quite unprompted! Some mornings are difficult but I am a morning person so am usually ready to go once I get myself out of bed

2) What are three things you usually do before you get to work?
gym or swimming, eat brekky, shower

3) What do you enjoy at the start of your day?
Bright sunshine beaming through my window! Setting the alarm on “snooze” and snuggling zen_cat for an extra 10 minutes before getting up.

4) Describe your typical work-outfit.
Currently, jeans and long-sleeved T’s. About to get a little more formal though.

5) Where do you have to go for work? How do you get there? Describe the journey.
Melbourne University. I walk or tram, depending which house I’m coming from. On the tram I read – when I’m not sick that’s often my only reading time. When walking I enjoy looking at the trees and the green grass of Princes Park, and all the other people out and about, either going to work or uni, or jogging and exercising.

Mid-morning

1) What are three typical morning tasks (not email)?
resetting passwords, allocating more print credit, explaining the account creation process to students.

2) Do you snack? If so, what do you snack on?
Sometimes, if I remember to bring apples. I always have water though.

3) Who do you have the most personal interaction with? Do you enjoy it?
Students, and yes I enjoy it. It’s not as fulfilling as teaching was, but I still get a kick out of helping students.

4) What are three interesting facts about your workspace?
Students often think we have to have funny coloured hair to work here (they see either me or kitling)
There are lots and lots of Tiggrr newspaper cuttings behind the desk, courtesy kitling.
It’s in one of the oldest buildings on campus.

5) How many days a week do you do work? How many hours do you work each day?
As of this week, I am working Mon-Fri, 9-5. Ah, sweet normalcy! So this is how many people live… *looks around in wonderment*

Lunch

1) What is your typical lunch? Salad from Big Harvest or foccacia or Indian wrap from campus.

2) Do you do any exercise? If so, what is it? During work hours: I walk to big Harvest to get lunch. If I pack lunch, then I eat it earlier and use my lunch break to go for a walk. Outside of work, I’ve been walking a lot more places, plus going to the gym or going swimming in the mornings.

3) Do you seek companionship or alone-time at lunch?
Generally alone time. A half hour break is rarely enough time to meet someone for lunch.

4) Describe the landscape around your workplace.
Inside, I am surrounded by computers – I face three big printers and three computers and have another big printer to my right. Outside there are grassed areas surrounding neighbouring buildings, and a gorgeous huge gum tree.

5) What drugs (if any) do you use to get through your day? (include caffeine, pain killers etc…)
Occasionally Nurofen Plus or Eve if I have bad headache or period cramps. Amazing to look back at starting this job when I was still taking liquid morphine to get through my days!

Afternoon

1) What’s something unusual about your work?
The fact that I’m doing it! I am seriously just not a tech geek person at all and I still have moments of dreading what unfathomable computer-related question a student is about to ask. However it has been great for learning new stuff and for becoming slightly more geeky than I was. And now as of next week I will be moving downstairs into a role less geeky and more me-suited.

2) What are three typical afternoon tasks?
Filling the printers, settling the EFTPOS, kicking students out of the labs.

3) What’s your favourite work to do?
Here: there’s no favourite aspect of my current job. Outside of uni, definitely something photography related. I’m happiest doing that, but work and other life priorities get in the way a lot. I’m working towards that not being the case and look forward to when I can concentrate full-time on an actual photographic business. It feels this year like I’ve been saying that a lot and not doing anything about it, but at least I know how hard I worked at it in japan so I have some small comfort that I’m not just constantly making up excuses to not do what will challenge me the most but also bring the most reward.

4) What do you dislike most about working?
Feeling like after money-bringing work, pursuing photographic goals, and continuing with rehab and fitness goals there is very little time left over for spending time with friends. And now we’re about to add slowly renovating a house into the mix!

5) If you could change three things in your working environment, what would they be?
Better desk/computer arrangement so I don’t get uncomfortable and restless.
less air-conditioning
taller chairs or shorter table in the staff room.
… of course all this is about to change when I move downstairs.

Evening

1) What do you do straight after work?
Go home

2) Is your commute home the same as your commute to work? Depends again which home I’m going back to. If I’m walking back to zen_cat‘s, then I sometimes alter which roads and paths I walk down.

3) Who do you see on work evenings?
Mostly zen_cat Occasionally other friends.

4) What do you do inside the home?
Read, prepare dinner, eat dinner, pack, unpack, talk and relax with zen_cat, clean, watch dvds… it’s all a hodge podge really, especially given I haven’t yet developed a full routine even now. Within the next few months, once moving is done, again (!), I intend to devote most home time to doing photographic projects.

5) What do you do outside the home?
On weeknights, not that much, maybe go for a walk. However, again, once moving and unpacking is done I intend to pick up dancing again, Belly and Swing to start with. Next year I’ll be trying out tai chi and kung fu as well and continuing with them if I click with them.

Ending

1) What do you wish you had more time to do
Photographic projects, explore Victoria with zen_cat, have real time with friends rather than brief catch ups at social occasions, settle into new places without work and dizzy-afflictions getting in the way!

2) How do you relax?
By reading, dancing, watching dvds, walking, spending time by water, preferably the ocean, spending time with zen_cat, meditating, soaking in a bath whilst listening to a chant.

3) What brings you peace? zen_cat, the ocean, cats, meditation, journey work, the smell of my incense, tea ceremony, chants.

4) What are three things you do before bed?
Brush my teeth, instigate, or defend from, tickle fights with zen_cat, rearrange my pillows.

5) What time do you usually get to sleep? Do you have difficulty getting to sleep?
Between 10 and 11. No trouble at all – except for the two weeks just past when I had to sleep on two or more pillows on my back. It was utter bliss last night to be able to go to sleep on my side again!`