@Jan A’s Member Spotlight: ‘Be unpredictable: they hate that!’
- Replies 10
It’s time for another member spotlight! Today, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to member @Jan A. She’s a long-time member who you will have seen around the forum offering compassionate advice, kind comments, useful recommendations and beautiful photos!
Without further ado, here’s member @Jan A!
‘When invited to give some background on myself, I think the most interesting things are probably what I find entertaining. I have always been a science fiction fan, whether it’s films, TV, or books. What is striking is that some of the science fiction of yesteryear has become the fact of today.’
‘On the flip side, I am fascinated by ancient history, particularly Egyptian history, and am a member of the Macquarie University Egyptology Society. One of the majors in my Bachelor of Arts degree at Melbourne University was in history, including ancient history. Subsequently, I did an adult education course through Sydney University, learning to read basic ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, a handy skill when visiting museums and exhibitions.
‘My first career was as a secretary, after which I moved into a long-term role as an executive manager in the federal public service, including team leading, delivering training and providing written advice to the public.
‘Having a keying speed of about 200 words per minute was extremely helpful in managing the public service computer technology.’
‘At the same time, I studied psychology at Sydney University and have been a qualified psychologist for the past 20 years.’
‘Shortly after becoming registered as a psychologist, I left the public service and became a contractor under Medicare, working in medical centres. COVID-19 brought about online medical and allied health services.
‘I now work exclusively online from home. I see clients referred to me by doctors from clinics where I used to work in person, as well as doctors from various other parts of NSW. With online technology, clients have been able to attend from home or work and can continue their sessions even when away interstate or overseas.
‘I found the Seniors Discount Club when doing some online surfing in August 2022. What a lovely discovery! I particularly like the photos section, and I enjoy contributing to it.
Note from the Editor: You can view some of Jan's recent photography here.
‘Many of the contributions from SDC members are at an amazingly professional level. Some depict rare wildlife moments, while others display the beauty of heritage towns and vast landscapes. There is always something unexpected amongst the contributions.
‘It is such a pleasure to look through them and admire the skill involved in capturing such stunning images.’
‘One cheeky piece of advice that I learnt from reading Harpo Speaks, the autobiography of Harpo Marx (from the Marx Brothers), is "Be unpredictable: they hate that!” Predictability is boring. It also opens you to manipulation by others, whether you realise it or not! Express yourself by doing different things rather than the same thing. Great advice for a fun life. Beam me up, Scotty!’
From the Editor:
We hope you enjoyed learning about member @Jan A as much as we did at the SDC HQ! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being such a wonderful member of the SDC community.
P.S. I wish I could read Egyptian hieroglyphs! That is definitely my favourite fun fact I've learnt this week.
Love seeing @Jan A's photos or comments on the forum? Comment below!
Without further ado, here’s member @Jan A!
‘When invited to give some background on myself, I think the most interesting things are probably what I find entertaining. I have always been a science fiction fan, whether it’s films, TV, or books. What is striking is that some of the science fiction of yesteryear has become the fact of today.’
‘On the flip side, I am fascinated by ancient history, particularly Egyptian history, and am a member of the Macquarie University Egyptology Society. One of the majors in my Bachelor of Arts degree at Melbourne University was in history, including ancient history. Subsequently, I did an adult education course through Sydney University, learning to read basic ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, a handy skill when visiting museums and exhibitions.
‘My first career was as a secretary, after which I moved into a long-term role as an executive manager in the federal public service, including team leading, delivering training and providing written advice to the public.
‘Having a keying speed of about 200 words per minute was extremely helpful in managing the public service computer technology.’
‘At the same time, I studied psychology at Sydney University and have been a qualified psychologist for the past 20 years.’
‘Shortly after becoming registered as a psychologist, I left the public service and became a contractor under Medicare, working in medical centres. COVID-19 brought about online medical and allied health services.
‘I now work exclusively online from home. I see clients referred to me by doctors from clinics where I used to work in person, as well as doctors from various other parts of NSW. With online technology, clients have been able to attend from home or work and can continue their sessions even when away interstate or overseas.
‘I found the Seniors Discount Club when doing some online surfing in August 2022. What a lovely discovery! I particularly like the photos section, and I enjoy contributing to it.
Note from the Editor: You can view some of Jan's recent photography here.
‘Many of the contributions from SDC members are at an amazingly professional level. Some depict rare wildlife moments, while others display the beauty of heritage towns and vast landscapes. There is always something unexpected amongst the contributions.
‘It is such a pleasure to look through them and admire the skill involved in capturing such stunning images.’
‘One cheeky piece of advice that I learnt from reading Harpo Speaks, the autobiography of Harpo Marx (from the Marx Brothers), is "Be unpredictable: they hate that!” Predictability is boring. It also opens you to manipulation by others, whether you realise it or not! Express yourself by doing different things rather than the same thing. Great advice for a fun life. Beam me up, Scotty!’
From the Editor:
We hope you enjoyed learning about member @Jan A as much as we did at the SDC HQ! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being such a wonderful member of the SDC community.
P.S. I wish I could read Egyptian hieroglyphs! That is definitely my favourite fun fact I've learnt this week.
Love seeing @Jan A's photos or comments on the forum? Comment below!
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