Friday, December 28, 2012

Gardeners and florist 'UK's happiest workers'

Gardeners and florists are among the happiest workers in the UK, a survey suggests.

Those working in these jobs are at the top of qualifications provider City & Guilds' index of career happiness, with many citing autonomy over their day as a boost to job satisfaction.
Those in banking and finance said they were the least happy.
The online survey of 2,200 workers paints a picture of workers looking for flexibility and control.
The City & Guilds survey suggests almost nine in 10 (87%) florists and gardeneners said they were happy in their job.
'Job satisfaction' Some 80% said it was because they were able to manage their own workload and have autonomy over their schedule and daily tasks.
And 82% agreed that being able to use and hone their skills every day helped to boost their job satisfaction.
Those who ranked lowest on happiness index were bankers, with just 44% reporting they were happy.
IT and data processors came in second from bottom, with 48% saying they were happy.
Despite the presumption that these professions are often well-paid, these largely desk-based, high-pressure jobs do not appear to provide workers with fulfilment, the survey said.
Some 50% of people earning more than £60,000 a year said they had a good work life balance. This compared to 65% of those earning £20,000 to £25,000 a year.
The panel were also asked whether they felt the work they did was worthwhile. And three-quarters of those earning less than £15,000 a year said they thought they did. This compared to 64% of those who earn £60,000 or more a year.
'Career ladder' Nick Bradley, group director at City & Guilds, said: "At a time when both happiness and employment are high on the government agenda, we wanted to link the two areas and look into what affects levels of happiness at work and in life.
"Most people spend half of their time working, so we wanted to find out what makes people happy at work and how that differs by job role.
"It's particularly interesting to see that those who have taken the vocational route are happiest and feel the most pride in their work; there's certainly something to be said from learning specific skills and working your way up the career ladder."
The findings were released to mark the opening of The Skills Show 2012, at the NEC in Birmingham.

- BBC News

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

A surprise visitor - the dandelion

For some people it might be an unwanted wild grass, but I rather enjoy it's presence, it will dance beautifully in the breeze and let some small little umbrella seeds flying away... symbols of hope

Hydrangea

After 1 failure, finally have this wanted list flower plant bloomed second time during this long rainy season at the balcony. flower is small. Planing to move it to a bigger pot, from a small branch to this little tree took about few months.

Friday, November 2, 2012

have funs looking at plants

how to have fun looking at plants?

. Sitting at a kopitiam outdoor table with a view of big trees and meadow.
. Cycling,
. Jungle Tracking,
. Wandering around in a nice neighborhood...but safety comes first!
. Visiting big plant nursery time to time - get surprised by rare species.

Horticultural Therapy

What is Horticultural Therapy?

Horticultural Therapy has been defined as "the use of plants and gardens for human healing and rehabilitation". It is an ancient practice, but a rather new profession. In the early 19th century, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, observed and documented the benefits of working with plants for his patients at his Philadelphia clinic. Horticultural Therapy programs are now commonplace at many different facilities in this country and abroad.
An increasingly large body of research attests to the unique values of horticulture as a therapy for people with physical, mental, emotional, and social disabilities. As plants are non-discriminating and non-threatening, anyone can be successful. It doesn't matter how old or intelligent a person is; their race, religion, and IQ don't matter either. Plants will respond to anyone providing care. Studies show that success with plants can lead to successes in other aspects of our lives. This is important for individuals whose disabilities or limitations might hinder their accomplishments in other pursuits.
young man planting flowers