Now This IS an Official Record

For the past 5 years anyway...

Recruitment officially ended for AIESEC QUT today, and as the person who in the end would have been solely responsible for it if it failed - I am incredibly happy, relieved and proud.

In a campus environment where getting 50 financial members is usually a feat in itself, the official number stands at 116.

This beats the last known record of 106 set by the 'legendary' HR director Zara Lauder in 2004. She's now completing a term on the Norwegian MC.

For the record, we had around 65 go through induction.

Today we held our selection day from 10am - 3pm. 39 people attended, 4 sent their apologies.

Back in November the LC set a target to be a 30 member LC by state conference in April (just a few weeks away). We currently have 13 selected members. We have a pool of 43 to select 13 more.

Hows that for Culture of Excellence?

An incredibly contented Azz.

Some Sort of a Record

This has to be a first. Me blogging for the second time within a week - haven't done that since I set up my blog!

This week has been spent in 'professional business attire' in a room at level 10, 260 Queen Street Brisbane. A 25 floor corporate building, home to WESTPAC's QLD head office. Here I have been processing mock bank transactions in preparation for the 'real' work which starts next week. It's been so far 4 9 hour days in a air conditioned room with a NAZI facilitator who has had it in for me from day one (I believe I pissed her off by not wearing a tie). Being a bank teller is actually a huge responsibility and a big challenge, I am however happy to say that in my class of 12 people, ranging from high school and uni drop outs to ex childcare workers, I am doing quite well. Day one was boring, day two successful, day three a wake up call and today was a confidence boost.

Wednesday night saw AIESEC QUT's first Induction meeting for 2007 where 35 people turned up (a huge improvement on 11 from last year), and we had another one today where I am unsure about the numbers. I am hoping all up that we get 60 people through induction. The LC's sights now shift to firmly be set upon awards at July conference.

I want a new mp3 player that fits every song I own on it.

University this semester will be a 'struggle' in a sense I am pretty sure there will be a lot of cramming at end of semester. I am missing most Tuesday classes at the moment and will be behind in quite a few classes as of right now.

I saw some photos today from the National Leadership Team Meeting for 2004, which was held in Sydney in May 2004. AIESEC Australia's outgoing MCP was Robin Goel whom I remember at this conference he told me off for not paying attention to a dry, boring finance session he was running at 8pm when all everyone wanted to do was get to the pub. Incoming president Taco Bosman looks so young in the photos, and I see people from AIESEC circles who I use to love spending time with such is the AIESEC world (at times it can be so small), but they have drifted, gotten on with their own lives and I just don't see them often enough or at all! Interesting that this was the conference where I pretty much decided I wanted to be a part of our Member Committee (which since then I have decided and then overturned my decision on several times).
I am at the moment trying desperately to not think about next year. I don't know what it will hold for me, I know my goal by the end of 2007 is to be in a 'good financial position', so I can do the things I want to do in years to come, but what those things are I am reluctant to decide based on previous history with my personal decision making.

Lots of fun to come. Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone - planning quite a bender.

Azz H.

The Morning After the Night Before

Last night was AIESEC Queensland's traditional after LDS pub crawl, and as per usual I drank way too much too early, spent too much money and found out that when it comes down to it, the knowledge gained from previous experiences doesn't mean a lot to most people. Besides this, I am not nursing the predicted hangover but rather feeling quite satisfied after a successful recruitment at AIESEC QUT, looking forward to actually earning some cash and a lot of new skills at my new job at WESTPAC, and generally getting back into 'the zone' that I love about combining AIESEC, uni and work. The zone where you are so damn busy that personal issues aren't going to be dealt with in a hurry - which yes is the easy way out but for the moment, thats the way it's gonna be.

On AIESEC QUT:
This week is a sweet and sour week as far as my beloved LC goes. We mourn the loss of a member to another LC (despite my best efforts), Jess Erhart decided that her PBOX is best run out of UQ rather than QUT, despite the challenges of getting results at QUT being a far smaller one than the challenge of dealing with UQ's EB (in my view).

On the other hand I am confident that by Wednesday's first induction session at AIESEC QUT, we will have had 100 financial members and we are still on track to have 15 people apply for exchange and a total of 60 to go through selection in a few weeks time. Something I can't remember having happened at AIESEC QUT (and I've been in the organisation since 2003).

On WESTPAC:
Whilst I never thought I would work in a bank or a financial institution, I did always see myself playing a part in some way shape or form in a company that holds CSR very close to it's values. WESTPAC is the worlds best bank and had been for the last 5 years as far as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index goes and I am pretty happy to start work for them tomorrow. Three weeks of 40 hours a week means I will have $$ but not a lot of sleep. All part of it.

On Life in General:
Not exercising enough, drinking too much. I am hitting way too many roadblocks when it comes to getting healthier - perhaps I lack discipline, but a small victory would help. I am hoping with my extremely hectic three weeks ahead I shall be able to get my arse into gear and do everything I need to do in the small amount of time I have to do it, including exercising and eating better. The saving also starts this month as I consolidate all my debt into WESTPAC accounts and have the cash go straight onto them, not into my pocket first.

Things I would like to save up for:
- Cash for flights to Adelaide (something like three weddings, my bro's 18th), Melbourne in July, NLTM's in May (Sydney), Potentially SPM in Sydney in September (might need to sort out what next year holds for me this time around)
- A new MP3 player
- A new bed
- A new laptop
- Internship over summer (Central or Eastern Europe)

For now, thats about it. I know I ain't the most vigilant blogger anyway - but I am trying but be wary for the next few weeks. I won't be around.

Azz H.

Contrary to popular belief...

I am in fact still alive, kicking, screaming and generally being myself.

It's been damn busy in Queensland, in my little corner of Toowong and in my little corner of AIESEC QUT. For the past 7 weeks I have lived, eaten, breathed recruitment at AIESEC QUT - with some results showing. I;m not complaining, I am fucking happy I am experiencing time in the closest to one portfolio I have ever experienced since joining AIESEC in 2003.

Been a strange time for my head though, thought I would attempt to lay it all out on my blog just so you all can rest assured my head is still as funked up as usual.

Thought about someone I haven't thought about or seen in just on 5 years, someone who back in high school for a period of around a year was incredibly close to me, so close that I haven't been fortunate enough to have been as close to someone else since. It's a rather weird feeling thinking about someone who, when I was last in contact with them, my life was in such a different state and now I am on the opposite end of the country. Chances of me seeing this person again are slim to nil, and unfortunately all I can put that down to is the inefficiency of Australia Post.

I guess that has been an interesting distraction to the stupour that is recruitment during semester 1 at QUT, however I haven't had much time to think about it seriously.

I start work at my new job in a week, WESTPAC, Australia's first bank has been named the world's best bank by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the past 5 years running. I shall be a bank teller and will be endeavoring to find some cool contacts for AIESEC while involved. I am looking forward to it but increasingly agreeing with the belief that recruitment agencies are unprofessional and disorganised.

Uni for 2007 has started also with me getting through most lectures this week unscathed and actually managing to enjoy some of them. Tutorials start next week so it will be interesting to see how we last through those.

Haven't done nearly enough sport since recruitment really got into full swing. That ends tomorrow with riding to tennis with Kezz. Will be fun just need to keep it up and then go to the doctor about my inability to erode the weight I have.

Aight, better go to bed all. Me love you long time.

Azz