Synergy

What is synergy? How do we achieve it?

Synergy is derived from the Greek word, syn, meaning together, and energy. Synergy is the special energy which is created when people work together effectively on a project or problem. This energy is usually stronger and more powerful than the energy created by individuals working alone. The secret to synergy is how people work together. The model below illustrates how teams develop synergy:

In my previous training course we did a group activity with the objective that we reach team synergy in the end. We followed this book called the Black Bear. It goes by a scenario that starts something like this:

We’re a group of hikers on the Appalachian Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, when our Scout Leader gets attacked by a bear. He is bleeding steadily from deep laceratations on his chest,arms,and back from the bears claws, but does not appear to have broken bones.

The trip had turned into a disaster. Some of us are concerned that the Scout Leader is going into shock. All of us fear that he won’t survive unless he reaches proper medical help in within the next  hours. There is also a fog coming.

So what to do?

We have to look at the strategy alternatives and see what should be the best way to go about the situation but first we need to look at the strategies as per:

1. Individual Choice
2. Team Choice

So as individuals we have to work out the best way to get us back to safety and have medical help for our Scout Leader, we were given several choices. Once we established it based on our opinion alone, we work it out as a team and come up with one final solution. We were given a time limit as well to complete this exercise.

Once we’ve done that we need to check our score and see if we used team synergy to come up with the correct solution. The lower the score the better. In my case my individual score was less than the team score(2/6 including me got that result), it should be the opposite. This means that only two of us came up with the most logical decision. But being the introverts in the group we kept quiet most of the time and didn’t voice out our opinions like we should have. So we learned that in order to make decisions under pressure as a team we have to:

It is difficult to practice all the team member actions in the model, even under the best circumstances. Decision-making under pressure makes practicing these behaviours even more challenging. But in high-pressure situations, use of good decision-making techniques become crucial. With practice, I believe these seven actions can help us improve  our team’s ability to make effective decisions, regardless of stress and pressure:)

A Little Christmas Heaven

Hello World!

I know I’m a little behind on my christmas baking I ‘ve just been so busy and this cake in particular needs some free time, I’d love you to try its soo good, does take longer than a regular cake but its worth it:)

Note: You’ll need a weighing scale used for food because I’m measuring everything in grams:

140 grams currants(zante currants are yummy)

170 grams raisins

55 grams maraschino cherries(or mixed glazed fruits)

170 grams butter

200 grams dark-brown sugar(I use Whitworths dark brown soft cane sugar)

2 eggs

200 grams flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinammon

2 tsp  ground ginger

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon milk

115 grams walnuts

1/2 cup of OJ(Orange Juice)

 1. Take all dried fruit and soak in OJ and blast in microwave for 1 min

2. Preheat oven to 150 deg celcius(Gas 2)

3. Beat butter and sugar together in mixer until fluffy, then beat in eggs one at a time

4. Turn off mixer and add flour, baking powder and spices and mix in with spoon(or with hands)

5.  Add honey and milk to fruit and OJ

6. Mix in fruit with the dough

7. Add nuts

8. Place in oven and cover with foil for 30 mins, then remove and leave for 1.5 hours or so.

Cake tips:

• I used nothing LOW FAT its christmas and a little guity indulgence is permitted:)
• Blast the honey and milk in the microwave for 1-2 mins so the honey will dissolve and thus mix in well with the fruit
• Fresh OJ is always a plus
• You can add some white/dark choco chips to the mix if you are a choco nut:)

 

A Belated Merry Christmas Everyone! God Bless You All:)

A Fluff Problem?

My cat mouse is a ball of fluff. Since I’m at work most of the day I usually come home exhausted and want nothing but to lie down and relax on my bed, only to find a layer of cat fur on my duvet!! Eww. 

Ever heard of a bedskirt?

Bedskirts may have come into vogue to camouflage storage areas beneath the bed,or a more practical purpose for the bedskirt may also be to reduce dust directly beneath the bed, and thus reducing the proximity of dust mites to the bedding itself. In my case I wanna prevent what goes ON my bed not what goes underneath it:)

Bedskirts can be found in a variety of places in Kuwait. Try Sears, Centerpoint or True Value.

So before you leave the house to go anywhere or when you wake up in the morning to go to work, make your bed, cover it with a bed skirt and your cat can stay in your bed all he wants, except this time you won’t find any fur on your duvet:). They also are very easy to  wash so you can wash them every 1-2 weeks.

Washing bedskirt

If you have pets my standard cycle would be:

1. Cycle of water and Dettol

2. Cycle of water and soap

3. Cycle of water, soap, and fabric softener

And if you are environmentally friendly like my sis, here is an alternative way to washing your laundry:)

Happy Cleaning!!!:) 

Luna’s Ultimate Baked Potato Soup

Hello,

I love potatoes, I like potatoes in salad, mashed, Au gratin, soup, baked, fried, scalloped…etc. They make great side dishes, main dishes…. you name it!

I would like to share with you my famous baked potato soup recipe, anyone who savored it loved it, it can be served as a main dish because its so filling and flavorful. It’s simple to make as well, try it:):

Ingredients:

If you’re cooking for two:

Potatoes (2 large potatoes)
Turkey or beef bacon(3-4 strips)
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Half a stick of butter (or low fat margarine)
Veggie oil (I prefer Canola oil)-for frying the bacon
2/3 tablespoons of flour
Milk (full cream-2 cups)

Begin by dicing the potatoes into little ½ inch cubes and boiling it in water for 15-20 mins with a little salt
Slice the bacon into little squares, fry in a little oil and set aside
5 mins before draining the potatoes make your soupy sauce:
Melt the butter until it sizzles (do NOT let it
colour)
Add the flour and start to whisk- do that for about 2
minutes to ‘cook out’ the flour taste
Add milk a little at a time, until you get the smooth,
velvety texture that you want.
Keep whisking (DO NOT let it get chunky)
At this point, you can add a pinch of salt, pepper or powdered garlic
Drain potatoes and add to mixture
Keep stirring for about 3 mins
Serve soup and sprinkle bacon on top first, then add parsley and grated cheddar cheese, anything you can make it into!

PS. In case you haven’t noticed, the ingredients for the sauce is relatively similar to Alfredo sauce used for pasta and ravioli, I’ve always favoured Alfredo to Marinara (i.e people know them as white and red sauce), I figured it could work as a soup too, so I tried it out and came up with good results:)