Thursday 18 March 2010

Go, brain drain, go!

I can't help but be surprised by the amount of positions available in SA's business capital for someone with a pretty standard Windows development skill set that can be at best described as an intermediate developer.

I had a technical interview (test, really) yesterday and have been invited back for a panel interview next week despite not finishing all the questions. I have another technical test tomorrow and another late next week. That's just from two recruiters who have had my CV for about a week. The one especially has sent me a list of over 10 companies they think I should interview at.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled! Scared of the technical tests but thrilled. Face to face stuff I know I can do, bigmouth that I am :-)

I'm going for contract positions at the moment, I'm just not sure yet what I want to do in the long run and we're thinking of starting a family, too. I don't want to be someone who can look a prospective permanent employer in the eye and lie about how long I'm likely to be useful to them.

The other benefit of course being an excuse to go out shopping; what a great time for Woolworths* to have their anual Quality Sale ;-) Most of my grown-up clothes are still in boxes so I need to spend some money to look the part.

Wish me luck!



* nothing like the UK Woolworths, our version of M&S.

Monday 15 March 2010

Christian stuff ;-)

If you don't want to read some spiritual thoughts and testimony, this post is not for you. I would love it if you did but I'm giving you fair warning.

I think it's about time I acknowledged publicly how good God has been to me.

Wow, I can't believe how much The Enemy doesn't want me to type this post, I just can't seem to get going with it. So forgive me if it rambles, I'm just going to start typing and leave the rest to Him.

I had looked long and hard for a church in England. I got to a point where I was not stagnating as a Christian but actually going backward and I felt I desperately needed a place that could support me and where I could learn and grow. I went to church after church, not feeling at home, until one Monday morning, after a Sunday evening spent crying about it to Him, He directed me to the website of an Afrikaans church in England that had a congregation on my doorstep. I really grew there and made good friends and when it was time to go, I did a silly thing. I forgot how faithful God is and started fretting about how I'd ever fit in so nicely here. I feared the inter-denominational drama that is prevalent in Afrikaans churches. I wondered if I'd be expected to go back to my family's church, although I felt I'd grown apart from some of their convictions.

And then we walked into Leigh's house and there was a Bible verse up on the wall. I'd been so used to living in a country where you just assume someone's an atheist because usually you'd be right, and I never expected her to be a Christian. Silly, I know. But she was, and we shared a lot and ministered to each other. God absolutely brought us into each other's lives and we each had a message to bring into the other's. Then she invited me to her church and her home cell (or home Bible study) group and God proved again that I needn't worry about where _I_ will find a church; I just have to stop trying to do it myself and just ask: God, where do I need to be?

He's since used Bryanstone Bible Church to achieve some amazing growth in me; even more than at SA Gemeente in England. I've received prayer and messages about so much that I was bound up by last year - guilt about depression ("if you believe you shouldn't need pills, you obviously don't have enough faith that God will cure you from it"); an eating disorder (they don't really seem to have proper names when you're fat rather than tiny thin, but I definitely had a screwed up relationship with food, mentally); and generally not knowing how to re-connect with God. Have you ever known you should really call a friend but the longer you put it off the harder it seems to know where you'd even start the conversation?

Well thanks to one amazing evening's prayer with two amazing people, I finally saw those bonds for what they were and I am so grateful to be free of them. Honestly; I've eaten for comfort and self-punishment (it's weird and complicated) for as long as I can remember. I don't anymore. And I didn't do anything to stop. I just didn't have to anymore.

And I've had confirmation from so many sources about this whole grace thing. That nothing we could do could save our own souls anyway, but it's ok, because Jesus has done it already. So you can pine in your own shortcomings forever if you like, and give the Evil One lots of ammunition to use against you, whispering things to you in the more difficult hours until you believe them; or you can accept the Grace offered to you and realise that through Jesus' blood God sees you as perfect, as beautiful, as the prodigal child who comes back after doing unthinkable things and doesn't care, just wraps you in his best robes and is glad you're there.

I cannot tell you how freeing that's been. My "line" to God has never been more open and easy, and I don't need to just pray for or about things anymore, either; I can sometimes just enjoy His presence. As Pastor Ross said yesterday: can you believe we get to pray? Not "we have to pray", but we GET to pray?? The creator of the universe wants to communicate with us! How awesome is that.

I've been going through ups and downs recently (more about that another time) but I thank God because the downs are an opportunity to lean on His strength when I can't find mine, and to draw closer to Him.

Let me just end by saying: I love God; He has made me his beloved daughter and co-heir with the Prince of the Universe, and doesn't afraid of anything!

Sunday 7 March 2010

Slowly rejoining the technologically advanced world

We bought a TV, yay! And a satellite decoder, yay!! And even some sofas to sit on and watch them (yay!!!).

We watched a movie last night for the first time on a screen larger than a laptop screen, it was so nice. We still did it on my sister's old sofas that are a bit worn and far too small for this big room but 2 of our 3 new sofas should be delivered tomorrow (Monday). We got them at an amazing deal too, which always makes things seem even nicer.

The TV is a 32" full HD LED, which will do very nicely until the big TV comes in the ship (which is a whole other sad story). After that we'll move it to the bedroom or guest cottage or something.

Huh, I think that's very exciting but I can't think of much more to say about it.

Oh Steve's birthday braai went lovely, the rain even stopped in time.

Tuesday 2 March 2010

Happy birthday, dear husband; happy birthday to you! [UPDATED]

UPDATE:
Aaaah crap it's raining. The patio is covered so I'm still hoping for the best. But :-p at Mother Nature.


ORIGINAL POST:
You may or may not be able to guess from the obscure post title, but today is Steve's birthday. Yay Steve!

I can safely give away my plans on here because he never reads my blog (and if you decide to today of all days, stop now ok?).

We finally found a patio set we like - and it's pretty cool. It's that new plasticy wicker stuff that lasts forever outside (like this). It has a square table, and then four chairs that fit in underneath the corners of the table so when they're pushed in, it looks like a little cube. So cute! BUT WAIT, there's more! Each chair has a little cube underneath it that pushes out so you can either use it as a footstoole, or as a seat. So it sits eight and still "folds up" into a cube. Me likey :) We also bought a two-seater sofa in the same style for maximum chillaxing with friends by the pool.

I'm off now to go find him a kick ass-barbeque for his present. I bought free range, 28 day mature beef rump for us for dinner (and I even remembered the charcoal and fire lighters). I am making roomaartappels (potatoes dauphinoise) and creamed spinach. He should approve. Oh, and ice cream tiramisu for desert. And assorted snacky things for starters (we better have room for desert!).

He's having a poopy day so I hope it cheers him up.

OK that's all for now, I better get going, I have no idea where to find a good barbeque (braai).