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Month: July 2011

  • July 9, 2011

    June goal checkin

    • Save 40 per cent of income. I guess so, seeing as I got all my leave paid out after my last day. Big boost for the travel fund!
    • Keep eating out to $160 a month. Haha, nope. Let a little bit loose with socialising after last month!
    • Donate to charity every month. Done!
    • Text one friend a week. I haven’t been keeping track, but think I did okay on this one.
    • Learn to confidently use full manual settings on my dSLR. Absolutely no progress this month.
    • Read 100 books. Got through six in June – see recaps here and here.
    • Continue running at least once a week. I believe I missed one week. One thing about my old schedule – shifts definitely made it easier to fit in runs on days off and before work

    How did your goals go last month?

  • July 8, 2011

    100 in ’11: Sittenfeld, Shreve and Kumar

    Testimony – Anita Shreve

    Summary: A night of drunken debauchery caught on video has devastating consequences for a boarding school, and not just for the students involved.

    Enjoyable, well-paced, the storyline unfolds nicely. It’s told from several different characters’ viewpoints, and while the differing timelines were a little jarring, they were not too difficult to follow. It’s a scary reminder of how one small choice can affect so many people, and how the consequences of actions can snowball far beyond any you could initially have imagined for even the smartest and brightest of kids. Much like We Need To Talk About Kevin, it might make you think twice about parenting.

    Prep – Curtis Sittenfeld

    Summary: Working-class Midwestern girl has to fight to survive four years in a New England prep school where she stands out like dog’s balls.

    Another boarding school book, but in an entirely different vein. I have to admit, I’ve forgotten so much about high school life, but Sittenfeld captures the overthinking and the angst perfectly. Yet it also feels somewhat hollow. I understand this was essentially a slice of life – a window into Lee’s world, one which she is ambiguous about – but it’s a little frustrating coming away and seeing that she still hadn’t found happiness despite her journey of self-discovery.

    Imported Bride – Ranjula Kumar

    Summary: Naive Fijian bride arrives in New Zealand, only to find life taking her in a different direction than she had expected.

    I was intrigued by the premise of this book, looking forward to getting stuck in and getting an insight into life as a fresh immigrant in an arranged marriage. Threads involving her distant and cold father, her failed first love and various childhood incidents added interesting diversions. Disappointingly, the writing was not particularly sophisticated, was poorly edited and its characters failed to grip (in fact, they were rather one-dimensional. Or two-dimensional, as Bones would correct me.)

     

  • July 7, 2011

    Not a girl, not yet a woman (or, turning 23 > turning 13)

    Yes, I just quoted a horrendous, no-good, very bad Britney song. No, I’m not apologising.

    • I am the girl who feels that the label “fiancee” finally conveys the gravity of her relationship, but doesn’t feel old enough to be a “wife”
    • I am the woman for whom packs of schoolgirls call “make way for the lady!” when running past, sweaty and out of breath
    • The girl who who never have been voted MVP, but could have made MVTP
    • The woman who wears heels maybe twice a year (a choice validated everytime she’s forced to stand on the bus)
    • The girl who should never read long books, because she’ll make herself sick reading on the bus, trip over her feet while walking and reading, and be a zombie the next day at work after staying up to finish said book
    • The woman who prefers discussing people to ideas, even if that makes her small-minded. there’s nothing more fascinating than the human psychology, and what’s an idea without people to dream them up and execute them?
    • The girl who’s still a little afraid of the dark
    • The woman who likes very little music pre-1970 or post-2000

    Turning 23 has made me think long and hard about a lot of things. In particular, looking back at where I’ve come from. Ten years ago, I was obsessed with:

    1. wanting my knees to NOT knock together when I ran
    2. wanting to be the kind of girl who went out every Friday and Saturday night
    3. wanting long curly lashes
    4. wanting a thin nose
    5. wanting curly hair
    6. wanting better skin
    7. wanting a boyfriend (not necessarily in that order. Probably in reverse, actually)

    (Dude, for a nerd I was incredibly shallow.)

    I was convinced life would be so much better if only these things could happen. Of course, it all seems perfectly ridiculous now with a decade of wisdom to draw on (har de har har).

    Turning 23 > turning 13.

  • July 4, 2011

    Big pond or small pond?

    backyard pond

    Image by massdistraction via Flickr

    As I settle into my new role, the days continue to race by. In a good way.

    I suppose I can now, professionally speaking, tick off “taking a career risk” on this list. I took a few risks on this. Trading a degree of job stability, betting that I would thrive in a smaller environment. Swapping some straight financial benefits for not strictly monetary ones. Giving up an amazing team, but thankfully joining a similarly awesome group of colleagues.

    It’s funny how quickly you adjust to an entirely new situation. My old position is now being advertised for, and thinking back just a month ago, it feels like a distant dream.

    I once asked my (rather wise) mother whether she thought it was better to work at a large corp, or a smaller, more tightly knit company. Which one would you get more out of?  (I am aware these are not the only two career options in existence, but striking out on your own can be a topic for another day.)  Obviously, it depends on your priorities. But I’m talking generalities here, and Mum’s take was that it’s often better to start out in a big organisation and learn all you can, then take your skills somewhere smaller. Be a cog, learn the basics of the business, then go somewhere where you hopefully can make more of a difference, become better-rounded, enjoy more flexibility. Incidentally, that’s exactly the same sentiment echoed in a business advice column I read not long ago.

    Where do you fall on the spectrum – and what have your experiences been?

     

  • July 3, 2011

    Link love (Powered by lemons and flying turtles)

    As a media professional, it hurts me to see wannabe professional writers/bloggers writing for content mills (and bragging about it). Look, I know we all have to start somewhere, but content mills are not the place to stay. Instead, look to Carol Tice’s blog for ideas on getting better-paying work (she’s a great resource for freelance writers).

    Over at Give Me Back My Five Bucks, Krystal explains how she got her first job post-graduation.

    My Pretty Pennies says life is like a game of snakes and ladders.

    Here is a great example of prose (bonus, it’s a love story).

    No guilt. Read what makes you feel good, via Baking and Books.

    Happiness takes both effort and planning, writes First Gen American.

    Eat Move Write takes on  the topic of interracial relationships

    And finally, Perfectly Cursed Life compares (in table form!) what we thought adulthood would be like, vs the reality.

     

     

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