About Bo

Dog lover. Runner. Although very slowly. Keeping up with the stresses of running and life...

Falling…

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Bo

Being a huge fan of documentaries, I recently watched “The Falling Man”. It’s the story of the search for the identify of a man who jumped from the burning World Trade Centre Towers during 9/11. (Confession: I’m a little obsessed with doccies on 9/11).

What struck me is the connection I felt with no one knowing who this man was. The guesses and the media interference amid all the confusion was quite familiar to me.

A problem that I have struggled with for too long now is the fact that my role has not been clearly defined or even understood by my team at work. I get asked the oddest questions. I get pulled in to meetings which have nothing to do with me. But worst of all is that I get left out of projects where I could add the most value.

Gate crashing of meetings, emails and ‘profiling’ of myself has made very little impact. So whilst watching the documentary and seeing this man falling, I acknowledged that I have been feeling the same way for far too long now. I’ve been falling. Faster and faster. I’ve been walking around the office appearing calm and peaceful yet inside, filled with anxiety and frustration.

It’s inevitable. Unless you are adding real value where you work and unless you are fulfilled with having found your purpose, you will always be falling to a most certain death.

I’m so relieved that a couple of months ago I admitted to myself that I needed to do something about it and took action. It has taken a while to get off the ground, but I am moving my career in a different direction – something I’m super excited about! <watch this blog!>

By the way. They found the man’s identity in the end. It was a sign to me that I’m making a good move forward.

Running through my weeks…

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Bo

1. Beautiful gift from Conrad. 2. Vida e loyalty card. 3. Brave little Mini spotted at Hyde Park. 4. The Spur. 5. Nespresso in the mornings. 6. Breakfast at Junipa’s. 7. Baking my own gluten-free bread. 8. Flowers from my sister. 9. My morning commute into the office.

The empty desk

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Bo

The ‘Old Man in the office’ has retired. Most of us thought this day would never arrive as he seemed to re-invent himself and move to different teams every time his retirement date drew near. He delayed his departure for a couple of years until he finally made the decision to leave for good.

On his last day at work, he walked the floor and said his goodbyes (taking full advantage of the hugs from all the ladies). As he neared my desk and I watched his face, I saw real sadness. I guess after working at a place for so many years, you do form a bond and a strong connection with both people and everything around you. It becomes your world. Saying goodbye is hard.

I always lecture myself about work life balance and ensuring I am not too ‘attached’ to work. But I saw this quote the other day and it kind of made some sense to me.

Yes, work life balance is important but I’m surrounded by some individuals who give it 110% every single day. There’s a passion and a drive about them that’s highly contagious. It keeps me coming back for more, thirsty for that next challenge.

I’m going to miss the Old Man, especially his terribly ~~rude~~ corny jokes he used to tell. I’m going to miss hearing him complain on the phone and getting upset in meetings when people talked at the same time. I’m going to miss him asking what I’ve got in my lunchbox. I’m going to miss tweeting about his silly mannerisms. In a weird way, I’m even going to miss him asking me, “Brony, would you like some coffee, tea or me?” Awkward.

Goodbye Old Man.

Halleluyah! I’ve lost weight!

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Bo

I’ve been nervous to blog about it. Hesitant that perhaps things will change and I’ll look stupid. I’ve been worried that it’s a phase so I kinda down play it a lot. I keep thinking it’s a dream…

I’ve always been a ‘healthy’ eater. But the frustration of eating salads, fruit & veggies, cutting out carbs and training / running 5 times a week did nothing to budge my weight. Frustrated, bloated and irritated, on the 5^th March, I decided to stop listening to everyone and give the Dukan Diet (which I had scoffed at before) a bash.

Dukanning was interesting. It gave me a framework and some guidelines on how to restrict certain foods. But it was only after reading Gary Taubes’ book called, “Why we get fat” , that I started to analyse what I was putting in my mouth.

So I stopped the Dukan Diet and started experimenting with foods. I realized that almost everything I was eating was loaded with sugar, especially the loads of fruit that I was eating daily. Suddenly, just by changing what I ate, the weight started to drop off. Rapidly!

I have never had so much energy before, especially when it comes to my running! (Love him or hate him, but Dr Tim Noakes is right!) I also have no bloating. I’ll repeat that. I am not bloated anymore! I have suffered with Ulcerative Colitis since 1998 and this is the first time I have felt healthy. I don’t stress when I eat out and I’m enjoying my food.

I feel as if I finally have control over my weight. I understand what food does to my body and I know how to make good food choices. So yes, I’m finally admitting it.

I’ve lost weight.

A lot of weight in such a short time. I’m wondering if 9kgs lighter will help me run faster? It’s worth a shot, right? I’m still too nervous to post before and after pics. Maybe one day!