Goals

So, I’ve been working at Microsoft for 4 weeks now. I am still in the training phase, but this week I may start doing real work! Yay! I can only handle so much training before it gets boring and I want to start applying it.

Dublin is feeling more and more like home. Despite the fact that we can’t get all the same foods as we could in Canada, we are starting to adapt to what is available here. For example, in Canada, brewed coffee (the kind where you put coffee grind through a paper strainer and let the water slowly pass through) is everywhere. But in Ireland you can’t find brewed coffee anywhere. Everyone makes espresso style coffee then mix it with water or milk to make Americanos, Cappuccinos, Lattes, etc. But, I found a simple contraption that makes brewed coffee that tastes like home. It doesn’t use a paper strainer though, you simply pour boiling water in with the grinds, let it sit, then use a steel strainer to strain out the grinds. All of that is built into one small contraption.

Although, that being said, I have also started to appreciate a good Americano or Latte.

While I am on that subject, you can’t find waffles anywhere in the whole city. I miss waffles with fruit sauce on top. I haven’t found pancakes either, but I hear they are available somewhere.

But, we have come up with some great new meals. We eat a lot more bread here. We usually dip the bread in a bit of oil and balsamic vinegar, but there are tons of dipping sauces we are learning about… each one more tasty and exotic than the other.

Another neat thing I have seen in a few houses in Europe is something called an Electric shower. Most people only turn their hot water heaters on for 1 hour intervals at a time in Ireland. They have very small hot water heaters but they heat up fairly quickly. However, we don’t turn our hot water heater on at all. The Electric shower heats the water up instantly just before you use it to shower. I think we are likely saving good money by not turning our water heater on at all and using this electric shower. We just wash our clothes in cold water – it works perfectly fine.

I am really enjoying public transportation. It’s cheap, good for the environment, and I can read while I ride to work. I am now plowing through books by just reading for an hour a day on the train. I hope to also learn Spanish by listening to an audio program (and some classes) on my ride to and from work.

Since writing down my goals proved so effective in my last blog entry, I have come up with my goals for the next year. I may make small adjustments but these seem pretty solid. Please feel free to hold me accountable to these. Here they are:




Goals to be completed by September 2009. (Written Aug 24, 2008)



1. Get maximum performance bonus from Microsoft for doing outstanding work. Work towards a management position.
· Ask your way to the top – talk to top execs
· Work hard and smart – develop tools and systems to speed up work
· Learn everything you can about how MS works
· Learn how to best manage the vendors

2. Learn Spanish
· Understand more than 80% of all Spanish on the 8 CD MP3 set
· Take and pass level 1 & 2 Spanish in a classroom course.

3. Have no retail debt (Canadian or Euros) and have 10,000 Euros in the bank or in stocks.

4. Take a 3 week, action packed, trip to Thailand
· Take time to plan every detail that you want

5. (sorry, #5 is private)

6. Play soccer and/or Gaelic football twice or more per week

7. Visit Family (including Ted & Aba) for 2 weeks around Christmas

8. Reward yourself with an awesome smart phone and service when Goal #3 is completed

9. Work from home at least 2 days per week.

10. Read at least 3 books per month

11. Create & maintain friendships while doing all of the above.