I passed!

I've been putting off posting. This blog is part of ashtangi.net, and this week (last Sunday) the Guruji of Ashtanga Yoga passed away.

I've kind of been at an impasse, not quite knowing what to say about it all but feeling that I needed to. I feel a bit on the edge/side of the Ashtanga community. I never had the opportunity to study with him - the one time he came to Australia and I was signed up to attend his classes I came down with a bad case of Giardia and had to cancel.

But, although I can't say I'm a very 'good' practitioner, Ashtanga Yoga has been a big part of my life for about 9 years. Since I started practicing it I've learnt and developed so much, and have had no desire to do any other kind of yoga - ashtanga just 'got me'! So I'm really grateful to Pattabhi Jois for teaching this practice to Westerners, and bringing it to the West. And I feel confident he can rest in peace, knowing he's left it in safe hands with his grandson Sharath having pretty much taken over in the past couple of years.

...

Now I've said that, I can go back to my previous post, and the title of this one! Yes, I did it! I took the ITIL exam again on Tuesday and I passed! Got 77% ... I was so thrilled and excited - it meant much more than if I'd passed the original exam! Probably partly because of the extra effort I had to put into studying all the concepts/theories/terminology again and somehow fixing it all in my head! I spent most of the weekend doing that, plus reading the manuals on the bus to and from work each day for the previous week! What a relief all of that's over!!

Now I've got a peaceful weekend ahead of me - and I'll dedicate my yoga practice this weekend to the memory of Guruji Pattabhi Jois.

ITIL certification course

Last week was exhausting! It was a short week - the Monday had been a public holiday. But Wednesday to Friday I was on a 3-day course - ITIL Foundation certification. Basically this is all about processes that are (or should be) used within the IT industry, and in my new department (ITS) they like all staff to get certification. It's all theory and really hard to cram into your head! I was completely wiped out by it. We had an official exam on the Friday afternoon ... We'd done 2 trials (previous exam papers) and I passed both of them. But I failed the official one! I was so upset on Friday evening. I knew it was stupid but I'd put an awful lot of effort into it, and the fact that I'd passed the two trial ones easily - it was infuriating! I've decided I'm going to have to do the exam again - and if/when I pass, then I can let it all drop out of my mind and probably won't remember much of it at all.

Sigh ... I don't know why I've got so wound up about this - everyone at work dreads this course and there was lots of eye-rolling when I said I was going to it. I guess I'm not actually used to failing(!), and having put so much effort into trying to understand the concepts, and learn which processes went with which service - failing really got to me! I had to make a big effort not to have it cloud my whole weekend - ridiculous I know!

Feeling better now - it's Sunday afternoon and I've just been planting some potatoes in the veggie garden I dug over a week or two ago. I went to yoga yesterday afternoon - bit of a slog coz I was feeling weak and stiff, but I'm very glad I went (as usual!) Tomorrow morning bright and early (6am) I'm off to the hospital to have an IV-IG infusion. I need to get a CT scan organisied for the next month or so. If I don't catch my doctor (when he comes up to the ward to do his rounds) then I'll have to make an appointment to see him and get the forms. This (CT scan) is my yearly check-up ... :) Feeling fine about it now but I know I won't be sleeping too well the night or two beforehand. Ah well - cross that bridge when I come to it!