Haiku

A Haiku is an unrhymed verse form, conveying a complete image or feeling in three lines of syllables, and are usually about nature or natural things. The haiku is a very simple form of writing. So think many poets exposed to this verse for the first time. The more perceptive of them soon realise that it can in reality be rather difficult. Haiku are traditionally written in three lines of 5-7-5 syllables.

For the beginner, it is probably best, at first, to stick to the 17-syllable rule. In general an English syllable is much longer than a Japanese syllable, and so, strictly speaking, 17 English syllables is too long for a Japanese haiku.

Steps to writing Haiku poems

Haiku format. A haiku contains three lines. The first line contains five syllables, the second has seven, and the last has five. This is usually extremely strict, especially in the original Japanese.

Topic. Haiku usually focus around imagery, namely nature or that involving nature. If your having trouble with seasons, also try using a holiday as a topic. Haiku does not tell stories or involve people's actions. Haiku conveys an abstract concept which is normally an emotion.

Which Season. Since practically all haiku focus is on nature, consider which season you will use as imagery. With only so many words, choose simple phrases like "cherry blossoms" or "falling leaves". They can create vivid scenes, while also reflecting the tone of the verse.

Suggestions

Spring

New love, infatuation or beginning

Elements - blossoms, warm rains and pastel colors

Summer

Vitality, love, anger, enticement and attraction. General summer phrases include allusions Elements could include blue skies, beaches, heat or romance.

Autumn

Closing, paranormal or saying good-bye.

Elements could be falling leaves, autumn colors or even pumpkins

Winter

Burden, cold, sadness, hunger, tranquility, peace, freezing and wintry.

Consider elements of winter such as snow, ice, dead tree, icicles

Contrast - Several haiku will present one idea for the first two lines and then switch quite abruptly to something else or do the same with the first line and last two. Contrasts can be the hardest part. The haiku needs a ideal channel to spark the right emotional note. It can be anything from one color to another or one season to anther. In the English version, the contrast is often emphasized by punctuation between the two lines, although this is not necessary.

Tips

To become motivated, try reading the ancient works of famous haiku poets.

Write what you feel, not what you see.

Don't read haiku as other poems. Haiku are written to capture a feeling and image.

Open your mind and try to feel what the haiku writer was trying to get across.

Haiku is a great way to relieve stress or get inspired about something.

Written Japanese is a visual language; it uses ideograms to represent ideas visually rather than characters to represent ideas audibly. Haiku is really a Japanese specific form of poetry. Simply copying the syllable pattern in a sound-based language like English is an interesting adaptation, but not haiku in the original sense. They’re haiku inspired.

If you enjoy Haiku, you may be interested in learning more about what Museum Publications Editor Writers do as a career.

http://www.career-opportunities.net/MuseumPublicationsEditorWriter

Office Acronyms

1. A2O (Apples to Oranges): A comparison of opposite things. "I think we should ignore Gruberman’s suggestion; the analysis is totally A2O."

2. B2B (Business to Business): Marketing speak for a business supplying another business, as opposed to consumers or government. "They're strictly B2B, so you won't find their products in retail stores."

3. BHNC (Big Hat, No Cattle): Adapted from cowboy parlance. Used to describe someone who is all talk and no action. Has also been used to describe someone who is full of self importance, and/or a poser. "She brags about her 'fabulous' job all the time, but she's BHNC."

4. CLM (Career Limiting Move): A move that blocks your career path, or gets you fired, as in: "Wow, he made a real CLM when he showed up an hour late for the big pitch meeting."

5. CTD (Circling the Drain): Something that is on its last breath and about to die. This term is possibly related to disposing of a dead pet goldfish. "We all know the project is CTD, so most of us have started looking for new jobs."

6. FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt): A marketing tactic used by companies (often computer related), FUD is used to scare consumers into staying with their product instead of trying the competitor's new product. "You could go with Company B, but their servers might crash on you."

7. MEGO (My Eyes Glazed Over): A sign of extreme boredom. "I had a serious case of MEGO after that accounting presentation."

8. PEBCAK (Problem Exists Between Chair and Keyboard): Tech speak used when the problem is the user not the equipment. "I took a look at her machine and it's clearly a PEBCAK situation," said technician.

9. PURE (Previously Undiscovered Recruiting Error): A new employee who isn't working out as well as expected; an employee who looked good on paper but isn't cutting it on the job. "The new assistant buyer is definitely PURE. Her qualifications are stellar, but she's so rude!"

10. WIIFM (What's In It for Me?): A key question in communication. People aren't going to be interested in hearing your pitch if they can't see what's in it for them. "Jones completely failed to sell the new PR campaign. The client just didn't see the WIIFM factor in his pitch."

There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A joyful life is an individual creation that cannot be copied from a recipe.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, 1990

Information Technology Vogue Again?

Bill Gates says US is not supplying enough Information Technology talent.

I remember not so long ago when various acquaintances of mine were living champagne careers and could ask for the salary of their choice in addition to benefit packages. I also remember recruiters asking me to try to lure my acquaintances to their clients with the promise of $1000 finder's fee if they stayed with the company for a minimum of 6 months. My acquaintances got up to $5,000 hiring bonus.

However, the balloon burst and bye bye bonuses and champagne careers. I read news stories regarding former IT employees who couldn't find work as Help Desk Representatives and eventually ended up homeless. Others had to go as far as waiting in line with 20 other former IT employees for bar waiters and waitresses positions because their unemployment benefits ran out. I fell into the IT craze late and had only a few glorious months of lofty per hour paychecks. After several months of being passed by for far more experienced IT personnel applying for positions that were 5 years beneath them, I ended up applying at fast food places after my unemployment was used up. I finally went back to what I knew best - Administrative & Managerial Assistance.

It's five yeas later and a stream has made its way through the wasteland rocks of the Information Technology industry. On November 7th, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, designated Darth Vader guiding the imperial IT Storm Troopers into a Microsoft shiny technology advanced future, said that US is not supplying enough Information Technology talent.

Hua? Is he serious? Once bitten, twice shy. After the fall from IT glory I know I'm no where's near ready to go back to flipping hamburgers and asking if customers would like to super size their meal. But when Bill Gates talk people do tend to listen and follow and I'm at least listening.

At the 2006 Microsoft Business Forum in Moscow on Tuesday, Bill Gates said a shortage of information technology graduates from Western universities is leading companies to call on developing countries to meet IT demand.

Read the rest of the article here

http://www.career-opportunities.net/InformationTechnologyVogueAgainBillGatesSpeech

Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.

Og Mandino
(1923 - 1996)

There is no old age. There is, as there always was, just you.

Carol Matthau, O Magazine, October 2003

Massage Therapy

One of the more rapidly growing professions in the healing arts is proving to be massage therapy, a specific type of treatment that helps patients suffering from medical conditions such as sciatica, whiplash, migraines, and chronic pain. Headaches, stress and muscle reconditioning are among the common types of ailments massage therapists encounter on the job. The treatment works so well, in fact, that Massage therapists are being sought out at an ever-growing rate. As a result, massage therapy programs throughout the country have been filling up annually. In the US alone there are more than a thousand massage therapy schools and training courses. Prospective students training as massage practitioners for both therapeutic and relaxation techniques can expect to learn up to 200 different types of massage, which helps them secure employment in the health care field as well as the flourishing healing arts movements.

Massage Therapy is an alternative approach to medicine that is being used more and more frequently by patients seeking alternative forms of physical therapy. Unlike relaxation massage, therapeutic massage works on specific ailments over time, utilizing over 200 different types of treatment. Massage therapy has been known to alleviate lower back pain and arthritis, and can even help with heart disease, head injury and cerebral palsy. Studies have revealed that the nurturing human touch alone not only reduces stress and depression but can alleviate pain while strengthening the immune system. Employment in the massage therapy field is projected to double over the next year as more and more healthy-minded individuals turn to therapeutic body massage services.

The first step in choosing a massage therapy program that’s right for you is figuring out what kind of practice you envision for yourself and what kind of training it requires. There are a variety of types of massage to suit every potential massage therapist. Do you want to focus on medical massage? Sports-specific muscle or injury therapy? Pregnancy massage, energy work, rehabilitation, pain relief or relaxation? What kind of person you are and what kinds of patients you want to work with will also influence what kind of training you should seek. Begin by thinking about which state you might want to practice massage therapy. The internet is the best place to start, as most programs in massage therapy now have their own informative website. Find out what your state requires to become a certified massage practitioner. Once you find the program that best suits you ask yourself some basic questions. Is this massage therapy school accredited and recognized by the Federal Department of Education? How soon do graduates begin working as massage therapists? How large are the classes? Look at their course curriculum and decide if their massage therapy program suits your own schedule. Do you prefer an accelerated program or one that allow you more time to complete the necessary hours? Most of these questions can be answered on the school’s website and if not, there are always informative counselors ready to answer any additional questions you might have.