Home -- My CV -- My websites -- Contact/e-mail -- My links
Well, this is not a conventional CV (if you're interested in my work CV please contact me, also visit my LinkedIn Profile) , more a collection of various points about what I did in my life so far as well as what I plan to do. Only a part of my whole life, some too personal events you won't find here and never will.
What I'm planning to do, what I would like to do, kind of a "to do before I die" list. Perpetually incomplete. Ever changing. In no particular order for the various periods.
- Make a will, postulating that my body will be cremated and the ashes thrown into the sea (if possible at Machir Bay, Islay)
- Celebrate my 100th birthday with a wee dram of Islay single malt (from my own cask)
- Retire to an island or somewhere at the coast, so that I can look out over the sea and enjoy the sunset
- Keep fit, stay healthy
- Really decide if, how and where I want to settle down
- Figure out a possible move to Islay
- Experience the midnight sun
- Keep fit, stay healthy
- Read all the books I've bought
- Own a cask of Islay single malt
- Continue being successful in my job
- Take even more and better pictures; continue improving webwriting
- Avoid too much clutter, try to keep things simple
My life so far in various aspects. Work, study, personal and other key events in my life.
- In December I launch my Islay Pictures - Pictures from the Isle of Islay, Scotland photoblog. Daily pictures from the Isle of Islay, nothing else.
- On the evening of my 40th birthday my mother passes away after a long battle against pancreatic cancer. I didn't get the chance to say good bye to her in person, at the same time we had said our good byes over the more than 18 months since she was diagnosed in late 2006. She fought until the end yet also enjoyed the time she had left.
- In early April I start to move from Swindon to Aldermaston Wharf, more than halving my daily commute to work in Reading
- Adding it all together I spend 4 weeks (i.e. a month) on Islay this year, including a week with the whole family: My parents and my sister.
- The new year brings new and interesting challenges: Moving into Reseller Channel Operations (RCO) to work on Reporting and Business Management while keeping a foot in CBO to help improving the communication between the departments. An interesting year with a number of successes.
- Time for a more radical job change: This time I move out of the Finance world into Customer Business Operations (CBO). An opportunity to learn much more about supply chain management, customer service and sales. Not to forget about the different markets, in particular the emerging markets. A challenging move, but soon everything falls into place and I'm glad that I made the move.
- After various other places and incarnations my weblog finds a home at the Ministry of Propaganda. My playground to practice writing, communicate some of my thoughts and collect interesting links.
- Nothing of my first attempts survives (apart from what can still be found on archive.org), but I start dabbling with blogging. Blogging was something I was going to do quite a lot in the following years.
- Back to the UK (still with Intel). I move into the Financial Services group, first as Content Expert Group Manager responsible for Accounts Payables and Intel Inside®, later as EMEA Intel Inside® Program Operations Manager
- My first website goes live mainly with holiday pictures (and is still going strong). Webwriting was going to become one of my main hobbies over the years.
- My first visit to the Isle of Islay. Many more were to follow.
- I move back to Germany, although further south to Munich. Still working for Intel, where I provide Operations Finance support for European Corporate Marketing, European PR, iA Marketing and Content Group. An interesting time where I learn a lot about marketing.
- My first rotation: I move into Intel Inside® Program Operations, where I work as Financial Analyst. First experiences in supervising (mainly interns) as well as learning about co-operative marketing programs.
- I complete my first (and so far only) parachute jump. A fantastic experience!
- Moved to the UK to start working for Intel. My first position is in accounting, where I'm responsible for revenue and intercompany commission. I also drive the development and successful implementation of a new intercompany commission system.
- Graduate as "Diplom-Kaufmann (Universität)" with grade "gut" (equivalent to a UK 2.1) in January. Obtain a 1.7 (best grade of good) for my thesis about contractual relationships in the tourism industry.
- Visits to the Golden Gate Bridge, Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park and various other places in the south west of the USA. Several places on my "to visit before I die list" ticked off.
- I move to the US for an 8 month internship with AmericanTours International, a tour operator based in Los Angeles, CA.
- I join AIESEC, an international association of business students in particular for trainee exchange programs. A move which probably influenced my future career and life a lot, working and learning with students from all over the world, giving me a very international outlook. Over the three years I'm a member I visit various international conferences and hold various positions including president of the local committee.
- After receiving the "Vordiplom" in my business studies course it's time to obtain some work experience, I complete an intership at Vereinigte CeWe Colorbetriebe GmbH & Co KG. At Europe's largest photofinisher I work in the marketing and accounts payables departments.
- I move to Oldenburg to start a business degree (Betriebswirtschaftslehre mit juristischem Schwerpunkt / Business Studies with a major in law studies) at the Carl-von-Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg.
- After 15 months military service is finally over. I can grow my hair again.
- Join the army for the mandatory military service (Wehrdienst). I learn valuable things like how to fold a shirt into A4 format and cleaning keyholes from the inside.
- After 13 years I leave school with the Abitur. Reasonably good results: A 2.4 (good, not sure what an international equivalent would be) despite losing interest in chemistry during the course. Good results in English and Maths though.
- My aunt gives me my first proper camera, the start to my photography "career". I've been taking pictures for most of the time since then, only short lulls before the bug caught me again.
- On a Sunday afternoon my father takes me to various sailing clubs around Bremen after I had expressed an interest in learning to sail. Sailing (Laser dinghies mainly) was going to be one of my main interests for the next 8 or so years, taking me all over Germany as well as to Sweden, France, Monaco and Netherlands.
- My first visit to the UK, a self-organised exchange with the Morgan family near Stockport, Cheshire. Probably a lasting influence on my life, as I returned to live in the UK years later.
- Time for education: My school career begins at the Grundschule Horn. My mother teaches here, we manage to avoid each other for most of the four years at the school. No complicated situations in the classroom saying mum to the teacher.
- I'm not an only child any more, my sister Imke is born.
- I'm born on the 22nd of April at 12:10 in Bremen, Germany. I weigh 3,500g and am 51cm tall. I don't remember anything of it, but my mother told me it was an unusually warm spring and the chestnut trees were in full bloom already.