This is a digitization effort to preserve a 15-week physical record of my Industry Based Learning (IBL) journal. The original content was part of one of my first website efforts – hosted on the now defunct DezzaNet ISPs personal home page platform. View the journal index on my main Coles Myer (IBL) page.
Monday 16 July, 2001
The second week at CML began as if it was just another normal working week – I turned up just before 8:00am and spent the morning improving the presentation. I also began to think about the other projects/tasks on my Inbox – one on sorting out and organising the team’s magazine and CD collections. I also attended a meeting on the charging arrangements for another project on Coles Call Traffic Analysis.
2017 reflection: When considering my exposure to voice traffic and telephony charging, it is interesting that some 7-8 years later I would join Telstra in their Consumer Mobility Product Engineering group, and get involved with the mobile charging & mediation platform upgrade. It is somewhat thematic but equally unplanned that over all these years, telecommunication has been an underlying area for my experience to develop,
Tuesday 17 July, 2001
Today, for a change of program and work style, I concentrated majority of my time to organising the magazine and CD library. In between, I acquired some useful skills in using the binding machine – it’s actually not hard – seeing the Monash University Information Desk attendants using their machine also helped! At the end of the day, the library job stands unfinished, because I need some stationary supplies to complete the job – due in Friday week…
2017 reflection: Whilst it has been a considerable number of years now since touching a binding machine, I have always had an appreciation for the paper-based stationary equipment in offices. In today’s 21st century world, is knowing how to operate a binding machine useful? Maybe… less valuable nowadays, but still handy. Partly, it remains true that the change in work mode operation, from staring at a screen constantly, to using your hands to operate the basics of a binding machine, helps to break up an otherwise routine lifestyle/work style.
Wednesday 18 July, 2001
Another 8:00am day spent on making improvements to the presentation project. Today, I was also required to spend time researching the case study of Sears and their success at implementing Interactive Voice Recognition technology. As it turns out – in the US, the term IVR (interactive voice technology) is “translated” into VR (voice recognition) and IVR means something else here in Australia!
2017 reflection: Literally, just days ago at work in our current 2017 timeframe, we discussed IVR technology. Such a throw-back… I’m sure actual IVR technology has evolved a lot in the last 15 years+…
Thursday 19 July, 2001
Thursday was a quiet day, with no urgent tasks on hand. I spent the day working on the research and the resultant report. I tried out the food at the Bistro – run by CML for the employees – food was satisfactory. My lack of sleep (days of 6am to 12am were starting to take a toll) was beginning to wear me down – I didn’t feel too fresh after lunch… as such, that evening, I went to bed early at 9:00pm to sleep it off and recover.
2017 reflection: It is interesting that initially I crashed after 1.5 weeks of early starts. The topic of energy levels and the ability to cope with a lifestyle of 6-hours of sleep has become second nature to me. Definitely, for the last 12 years, the lifestyle of sleeping 6 hours each day is something I have become accustom to. Having said that, I do enjoy the ability to sleep in on selected Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. To sleep at 9pm nowadays would be a sign of a sickness/illness, and even then, a severe one at that!
Friday 20 July, 2001
For the second time since starting work, I began the day at 9am. The train ride in an hour later was so different to what I had become accustom to – so noisy with school kids on board the 8:00am – unlike the peace and quiet of the normal 7:06am. Had to stand as well!
Finishing off the research report, as requested, within 30 minutes, I then approached other team members – trying to fill the hour or so before my supervisor was due to arrive. I ended up editing an agreement/contract which was due to be sent out by the afternoon – the morning was filled in quite nicely and I felt very productive and useful. The afternoon was spent reviewing other work. I stayed in until 5:00pm – which was an hour later – to make up for arriving an hour later – and headed off to the Southbank to join up with the other IBL’s. I eventually joined my family for a quiet dinner at New Royal Garden (NRG) before retiring to bed early again.
2017 reflection: The formation of my work ethic and lifestyle of waking up early was beginning to solidify. I suspect this was a proving ground to myself, since I would return to the university campus lifestyle in mid 2002, and the need to wake up at 6am would not arise until I commenced work in 2003~2004.
