Life in General on Sonia Cuff

#CloudAdvocateLife ? Work update (Mar 2019)

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 19:37:23 +0000

OK let’s not mention how long it has been since I’ve blogged. Just sit back and enjoy my website refresh and let’s move on ….

Amongst the craziness of my life now I’m full-time at Microsoft, I tweet the occasional #CloudAdvocateLife moment to give you some insight into the highs and lows of my day. Here I can expand a little more on the work I’ve been doing and how I maintain my work/life balance and my mental health. Today, let me catch you up on how the Cloud Advocate role has unfolded so far.

Get Ready QLD! Preparing for storm season � unofficial tips & tricks.

Sun, 20 Oct 2013 06:26:50 +0000

We�re heading into that time of year again in Queensland, where the conditions become perfect for severe weather events. Being sub-tropical, the heat of spring brings moist air currents, electrical storms, cyclones & flooding. While 2013-2014 is not expected to bring the heavy deluges of rain seen previously (eg Nov 2011), we�re still bracing for impressive electrical storms & their damaging winds plus the possibility of cyclones in the north of the state. I won�t go into the weather patterns that produce these, other than to say we are in a �neutral� phase (neither La Nina or El Nino).

The effect of the Jolie Effect

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:37:07 +0000

Social media lit up with the news � Angelina Jolie had written her story about having a double mastectomy.
Journalists clambered to find a local source with the same story, to air a piece on the evening news that was a little more relevant than just retelling Hollywood news. They were quick to label �the Jolie Effect� � where thousands of women will now consider this procedure if they find that they too carry a defective gene because they are now aware that it�s a viable option.

So I cried at my daughter�s cross-country, before she raced.

Tue, 07 May 2013 06:38:11 +0000

Yup, that�s a big heart on my sleeve title right there. It may even come as a surprise to my loving husband who was standing right next to me. Gotta love sunglasses.

My daughter is 7. Cross country running (or any running or even walking for that matter) is not her favourite thing. She takes after her mother like that. But she loves to dance. I have no idea where that came from. So we went along to support her, cheer her on as she faced a 750m running race with all of the other Yr 2 girls.

Truths from the campfire

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:52:47 +0000

Delete Candy Crush. It�s a time-wasting distraction.
Social media is very anti-social. It�s ok to embrace a community of like-minded people in cyberspace, but not at the expense of the people who are actually in the same room with you.
Use Facebook & Twitter for sharing life moments with and engaging people, not for living every moment alongside.
Your phone has the ability to turn the data connection off. Use it.
Fresh air is underrated. Go outside more.
Campfires are hypnotic, calming & warming.
BE WHERE YOU ARE.
Live your life with purpose & a plan, but roll with the punches too.
Stop just wishing.
Play with your kids.
Food is fuel.

-SCuffy

On going backwards and forwards, and things that are free.

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 06:53:37 +0000

I can�t say that today was the best & the worst of days. I�ve had better (read: wedding day, birth of two healthy girls etc), so it wasn�t really a red letter day in that respect. And I�ve had worse (money, rental stress, money, dog dying, money), so it wasn�t really a day to cry either. But it certainly did ride a roller coaster. I�m hoping this is a sign that it ended happily & I got off the ride safely, because I�m here writing a blog post & listening to Florence + The Machine (MTV Unplugged 2012) in glorious Logitech quality.

Customer Service � you are doing it right!

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 06:57:52 +0000

Wow, another chance to write a non-ranty blog post! I love it!

With Miss 7 at home on school holidays, I�ve been running some errands with her in tow. Today I had two great examples of customer service from the most unlikely of places � the Family Assistance Office and Westpac bank!

1 � Insider tips from the Family Assistance Office

After submitting a Medicare refund claim in person, I popped across the room to talk to someone about a Family Assistance claim I�d submitted a month ago. The actual submit process was great � it was all done online and, �as I�m already a client, they�ve got all of my details on file already. No need to visit a service centre. But while I was in the neighbourhood, I just thought I�d check up on it. Robyn at Strathpine confirmed that it was in the system waiting for someone at their end to action it, and I didn�t need to do anything else. She said if I hadn�t heard within 2 weeks, to phone them. And then she leaned forward and gave me an inside tip �Phone the call centre & leave your mobile number for a callback, don�t sit on hold in the queue. Don�t let your phone leave your side for the next 24-48hrs. When you see a Blocked number calling, answer it. Our number is always blocked & we don�t call back a second time if you miss us. That will save you having to come back in here on the school holidays with your daughter.�

A new start, because it�s Wednesday

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 06:59:06 +0000

The Easter long weekend makes Tuesday feel like Monday. Except this Tuesday was the last day with Tony�s parents visiting AND both of our girls at home. So now Wednesday feels like Monday. The good news is that Friday is now only 2 sleeps away! Why can�t weeks�work�like this more often?

The alarm went off before 6am this morning, because I chose to set it for that time. Circa 1998 me would be horrified at that concept. But my morning walk was rewarded with the most beautiful pink sky sunrise and a feeling that everything was fresh, new, unblemished. The day started, full of possibilities and choices and events and actions and reactions and emotions and �. nothing. For 40mins, just nothing. Nothing but me and the pink sky.

When Breastfeeding becomes your PR disaster

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 07:10:41 +0000

OK, this one is a �mini-post� to �get the subject off my chest� � yes, pardon the pun.

On the news yesterday we heard of a mother who was approached by a staff member at a council-run public swimming pool, because another swimmer was uncomfortable with this lady breastfeeding her baby at the poolside. The mother was embarrassed & humiliated and chose to leave the pool. To her defence, she stated that she was supervising her other children who were still in the pool. It�a also against the law to discriminate against breastfeeding mothers in public places.

Our �sleepless hero� culture

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 07:11:37 +0000

Well, I did promise timely blogging of my opinion on current events,�so with this topic rattling around in my brain, it seemed like a good start.

The recent bushfires�across�Australia have been horrific. While fire is a natural part of the bush�s life, it�s a fearsome beast when it comes close to our homes, our friends and our families. And when it does�literally come breathing down our necks, our heroic firefighters don their gear and stare it in the face. The Queensland Rural Fire Service are true heroes in every sense of the word, especially the volunteers who don�t even get paid for such�dangerous work.

Don�t get too excited now �

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:12:41 +0000

New name, new theme, new blog?

Umm, sort of. Part of me wants to yell �Yes, 2013 is the year I finally write to my heart�s content and attract a following of thousands and tidy income stream�. The other part of me thinks �I have a marketing piece to finish, the kids are due home, I have to cook dinner tonight & there�s a pile of ironing to do once the kids are in bed.� Hmm.

Lost September .. and how your passion follows you.

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 07:18:29 +0000

17 Aug, seriously? That was my last update and it�s now 26 Sept. Bad, bad blogger.

Actually, that explains a lot. This isn�t a �blog� in the �always updated, one million followers, ads everywhere and monetised to the teeth� sense. This is my spot on the net for random ramblings when I feel like it, with no pressure. Which is why it will never make me a millionaire. Oh well.

Bliss

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 07:19:16 +0000

Ah, talk about being blog absent. Not going to blame it on the new job, being sick etc etc. It just hasn�t happened lately.

But tonight I found myself in the zone, in that sweet spot of pure bliss. And I was cooking dinner on a Friday night.

By Friday night I�ve usually run out of enthusiasm and am throwing together pizza at home or toasted sandwiches, just something easy. Tonight I didn�t get home until 4:30pm & the leftovers were scotch fillet, corn on the cob, roast pumpkin & potato bake. Far from being a planned gourmet dinner, it was actually �what do I have left in the freezer, what�s dying in the fridge & how can I make 4 tiny spuds feed a family without having to go to the supermarket.�

Blessed are the flexible

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 07:20:07 +0000

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

In general, I�m a pretty �go with the flow� individual, I think. Except when it comes to planning my day. I like to know what�s on the horizon for at least the next four hours. If something new comes up during then, that�s cool. I get more frustrated when something in my mental picture of the future is cancelled, especially at the last minute. I know it�s rarely the end of the world, but I just get these expectations that sometimes don�t pan out.

A new chapter

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 07:20:51 +0000

Gosh, where do I start this one. How about a pearl of wisdom? I don�t believe that a change in direction is indicative of failure. I believe it takes a strong person to change their circumstances.

I�ve been involved in small business for 13 years. It�s rewarding and it�s hard. Under the guidance of some great people it enabled me to firstly dip my toes into management and then plunge into total business ownership with my husband, as the sole income source for our family. It enabled me to work through two pregnancies and raise two gorgeous little girls. On the upside, I saw all of their first moments and kept up to date with the changes in my industry at the same time. On the downside, I�ve never had a maternity break, I�ve always worked when my kids slept and I�ve lost sleep worrying about clients and money.

The warrior spirit when germs attack.

Fri, 18 May 2012 07:25:28 +0000

I�m sick. Technically, a doctor would announce that a germ of some description has entered my body and that my immune system is in full response mode.�I�m pretty sure it�s your common garden variety cold or flu-type bug, that inhabited my 2 year old the week before.

She got lots of mummy & daddy cuddles and one day off childcare. Today, I ran errands, braved the school uniform shop, did the school run, tamed my Inbox, visited my parents & wrangled the kids into bed by myself. Then I happily collapsed on the couch to watch some recorded TV. That 40mins was as still as I�d been the whole day and I was quite happy to not be washing, tidying or even �social mediaing�. Until this blog post started to fester and here I am now in my study at 9:30pm to get it out of my head.

The only thing that�s constant, is change.

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:37:02 +0000

Before you go and get all excited, it is not a New Year�s Resolution of mine to write more blog posts, even if it should be.� After housework, mummy duties and work, I occassionally like to spend an hour doing nothing but watching mindless TV, but that rarely happens, so my blog posting is waaay down in the priorities list.� Not to mention that I�ve discovered the time black hole that is Pinterest.� Saying that, I had to chuckle at someone else on Twitter who moaned that her brain is full of writing ideas UNTIL she sits down at her computer for some allocated writing time.� I often feel like that.� So tonight I�m foregoing an early (pre 10am) night in bed, to get some thoughts out of my brain.� Here�s hoping that will make for a better night�s sleep, instead of a night of processing what I�ve just written.

�Fitting� Rooms

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 07:40:12 +0000

Today, Kerr Alexandra (@Kerr_alexandra) tweeted �Probably my most favorite fitting room sign ever!�, with a pic that referenced makeup and fake tans. I�m guessing this is the bane of many retailers, who end up with smudged and stained goods back on their racks that nobody wants to buy. I�m also guessing that model�s makeup scarves hanging in the fitting room may be lost on most of the general public too, though they are intended for the express purpose of keeping ones makeup on one and not on one�s new clothes when changing outfits.

My love/hate relationship with Monday

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:45:34 +0000

After having dinner, getting the kids to bed & doing the dishes, I forced myself to go back into the office and finish today�s bookwork before I wrote this post. I did get it finished too, apart from one bill I have to yell at Sensis about. �My aim is to have the books up-to-date each Monday and I didn�t want to start Tuesday with that hanging over me. �All I really wanted to do though was write. �The term is �eating frogs� � referring to doing what you don�t want to do, first, then enjoying your pleasant task afterwards. �Frog eaten, commence writing (it�s 21:41). Oh the life of a Work at Home Mum.