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Browsing category: Uncategorized

  • July 23, 2010

    Why I went back to glasses

    Once upon a time, there was a little girl with a secret. For years, she walked around in a blur, and eventually grew to think it was normal. She did horribly in maths, because she couldn’t see the equations on the board. And when she was finally told she needed glasses, her mother said she wouldn’t be pretty anymore.

    Now, for a reasonably cute kid – who had haircuts done by her mum and wore lots of secondhand stuff – being forced to wear huge round frames filled with thick, heavy glass lenses pretty much marked the end of her life.

    The day she got contacts just after graduating high school was the biggest confidence boost she’d ever had. For two years, she wore them religiously, and let her poor, scratched, abused glasses languish in a dark corner somewhere.

    Then her eyes rebelled. They dried out, they scratched, and refused to move with the lenses. She found a wicked funky pair of frames, shelled out nearly $500 for them (okay, mostly subsidised by her employer, thank goodness).

    Switching back to glasses meant an end to so many costs: contact solution, lens cases, eyedrops, and of course the lenses themselves. It meant less time getting ready in the morning. And it meant no need to wear eye makeup – another bonus.

    Anyway! I would like your opinion: Glasses, or contacts? (This feels a bit scary. Not so much the swing away from the quasi-anonymous thing – I’ve posted a face pics in the past around graduation/February’s wardrobe challenge – but the fact that I am, essentially asking for your opinion on how I look. So…Be nice.)

  • July 22, 2010

    Things that grind my gears: Communication fails

    You might have seen my tweet earlier this week: “This is the third time I’ve gone to do a mystery shop and the damn place has closed down.”

    Someone promptly replied, saying that I should get paid nontheless.

    And it’s fair enough. I DO still get paid my fee (or most of it. And if it were simply a straight shop with fee, as opposed to an assignment where the key draw is the generous reimbursements, I wouldn’t be missing out on anything).

    But that’s not the point. On one level, it’s incredibly unprofessional of the companies involved. Seriously. Can you not keep up with which of your outlets are actually in business?

    Secondly, these assignments are food and drink related. I’m actually not doing them for the money. That’s nice, but what I get out of it is a meal out and, basically, a free date night for the two of us. And although I try to schedule assignments that slot easily into my schedule (ie, I don’t have to go out of my way to do them), it doesn’t always happen. This time, we spent ages walking around trying to locate the place, only to find it closed.It was, cold, dark and I was still somewhat sick that week. Had I known ahead of time, I’d have gone home to bed instead! This meant we had to do something else about dinner, which I had not bargained for, and was a waste of time and gas (which at least the $15 fee makes up for).

    Yes, I am aware that complaining about not getting $60 of free beer and food after all makes me an ass. But I’m a planner. And planners despise it when others’ failures derail their plans.

    My new plan of attack is to actually call the outlet before leaving to check they’re actually open. You’d think I’d have thought of this before…but, what can I say? For a smart person, I’m not the quickest off the mark.

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  • July 21, 2010

    Porirua Girls

    I confess: this is one of my guilty pleasures.

    But today I came across this cranking parody through Twitter. Might not mean much to non-NZers, but trust me, it’s right on target throughout the country (like a true Jafa, if you asked me where Porirua was, I’d venture a tentative “Near Wellington?”).

    Unlike so many kiwi videos, it’s not completely cringeworthy. At least in my books.

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  • July 21, 2010

    Dreams. It’s funny how they change

    I used to want to write a book. A great teenage fiction novel. I used to want to write (and play my own songs). I used to want to be famous – not Lady Gaga style famous, but a name known in households nonetheless.

    I don’t want any of those things anymore. I have no interest in reading books about being in high school, and subsequently, no interest in writing for the genre. I love karaoke and SingStar, but have a decidedly mediocre voice and terrible stage fright; short of donning a Slipknot-style mask, performing would be the death of me. I suppose I wouldn’t object to being a “name”, but seeing my byline on published pieces is enough of a thrill.

    I don’t feel like I’m giving up on these dreams; they just don’t compel me anymore. I don’t have an interest in pursuing my hobbies to a high level – it may sound like I’m downgrading my ambitions, and I guess in a way, the things I want are much more simple now. I want to live comfortably, financially speaking. I want to enjoy my work, to throw dinner parties, have board game nights, the occasional night on the town. To play entire songs again on guitar. To travel and see things I’ve only heard or read about. To feel the sun on my back on the beach, and the crisp, chilly air and crunching leaves underfoot. To eat cheese, prosciutto, and other amazing foods without worrying about the price tag. To live in a house with my name on the title and eventually, a couple of little people running around in it.

    Do you dream big? Or are your aspirations more geared towards the simple pleasures?

    {Photo}

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  • July 20, 2010

    Review: The Ivy Chronicles

    Although I’ve outgrown my generic chick-lit phase, I’m still a sucker for chick-lit with intelligence, wit and preferably a twist. If that describes you, the Ivy Chronicles is worth a read – it ticks all the boxes, and even better, is based on author Karen Quinn’s real life experiences advising rich families on how to get their precious sons and daughters into the most elite preschools.

    Oh yes, and if that’s your kind of thing, it’s also very Jewish (chopped liver features prominently throughout – something I didn’t realise was a traditional Jewish dish. Then again, I don’t know a whole lot about being Jewish, apart from what little I learned in the Bible back in the days.)

    Here’s the basic gist: Ivy gets managed out of her corporate banking job, catches her husband cheating on her, moves to a tiny downmarket apartment and moves her daughters into public school. Once she thought she could sink no further – auditioning for a reality TV makeover – her best friend suggests starting up a service to help feckless parents ensure their children get into the best schools that they can. (There’s also a bit of fun along the way as you try to guess which of her two love interests will end up being THE ONE.)

    Conversational, smart and wildly unrealistic, it’s pure escapism – and best of all, it doesn’t suffer from poor editing as many other inferior books in the genre do. It’s only the series of unlikely events that drive the plotline that are right out of left field. The amounts of cash being thrown around, on the other hand, are no doubt on the money.

    In chapter two, Ivy dismally surveys her expenses and comes up with the conclusion that it’s all “boring but necessary” stuff. The paragraph takes up half a page; highlights include a $120k mortgage, $50k private school fees, $25k to charity, $22k birthday parties, $50k clothes, $12k hair, $74k servants…get the idea?

    The scary thing is, I assume New York’s well-heeled actually spend in this kind of fashion! Otherwise, it’s a hilarious look at life for the privileged Manhattan set. Best of all, I didn’t get hung up on financial envy; it’s just part of the parcel, and there’s much, much more to the book than that.

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  • July 19, 2010

    Where to from here?

    The very word networking scares me. Talking to strangers scares me. Working a room is an alien concept to me.

    Helping out other people and genuinely taking an interest in them, now that I can do. If it’s in my power to help someone, I naturally do all I can to facilitate that, even if I don’t know them very well. (The other part of networking – approaching people further along the career line than you, isn’t so much in my nature.)

    I had a really good chat to someone who’s currently doing the same course I did; one year ago, I was in exactly the same place she was. (Incidentally, they’ve changed a lot about the teaching and paper structures -most notably, separating out the third year bachelors and post-grad students. Apparently the PGs are doing better on their own…presumably, not being dragged down by the more immature bachelors? Is it along the lines of how girls supposedly perform better in single sex schools while boys thrive in mixed ones – two formulae that cannot reconcile?)

    The thing about attempting to dish out advice is you invariably get the hard questions about your own career and where you’re going next. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about this in the few months since my official elevation in title. I guess like Amanda, I find it hard to just be content for long.

    For the last six months, my goal has been to get to where I am now. And now that I’m where I want to be…I’m not sure what the next step is. (I don’t anticipate it being for years yet, but it’s never too early to start thinking about it). Logically, it would be to get better hours without taking too much of a pay cut. Beyond that, I really couldn’t say. This isn’t an industry that’s very linear – in other professions, it’s a pretty straight rise up the ladder. In media, people move laterally into magazines, print, trade publications, freelancing, subbing, writing, PR…the list goes on.

    The funny thing is, since I first started writing the draft of this post, a possible new opportunity has revealed itself. At this stage it’s nothing more than talk, and probably (hopefully) will remain that way for a while yet. While initially I dismissed the idea, the more I consider it, the more I’m intrigued.

    But whatever happens, we musn’t get complacent.

    [Photo]

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  • July 18, 2010

    The bean conundrum

    So this is kind of an awkward post to write. I’ve been eating more beans and chickpeas, and especially trying to incorporate them into my lunches. The idea is to fill me up and keep me going, with healthy and frugal foods.

    Which is all very well and good. Except I have quite a sensitive stomach (I used to think I had a mild case of IBS, but eating better, more home cooking, getting more sleep and reducing stress seems to have sorted me out) and my body is reacting pretty strongly to the beans. In short: they’re making me super gassy, which is uncomfortable and awkward at work.

    Vegetarians, how do you do it?!

    [Photo]

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  • July 17, 2010

    An ode to food

    When T and I first moved in together – in the dark days before budgeting and saving – we bought anything and everything at the supermarket. At the local Foodtown, no less – one of the most expensive chains around. Result: our bills veered crazily, anywhere between $100 and $200, and kept ballooning.

    We have a grip on grocery shopping now, but it’s not as fun. A static spend means we eat a lot of the same foods over and over. Now that his mother kindly gifted us a slow cooker, he’s been experimenting with crockpot stews and soups (oxtail anyone?), but I still dream of being about to buy seafood and fish, cheese, good quality oils, berries, chorizo, dressings, and really good steak on a regular basis. And I’m sure there’s more divine yet expensive ingredients that I’ve forgotten. (For a country full of sheep and cows, our dairy products are NOT cheap. But at least they’re of good quality. Cheese should never be orange, IMO…)

    (Photo credit)

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  • July 17, 2010

    Link love (Powered by scarves and hot water bottles)

    (From now, I will split these posts into categories to make them a little more organised. Let me know if you love it/hate it/have a better idea!)

    MONEY
    Sense blogs about work expenses – just how much should employees be expected to shoulder in costs?

    J Money wonders if coupon and deal sites are really worth it. While I can see how it would be tempting to spend on stuff you don’t normally buy, but I’m generally looking to maximise our discretionary spending money (in terms of places to eat and things to do) and this is one way to do it.

    Financial Samurai is getting closer to launching yakezie.com!  And he’s looking for people to step up as leaders.

    LIFE
    Not That Kind Of Girl becomes an early-morning runner, and survives.

    PR Working Girl goes to her 10 year reunion and regrets it.

    Rae has a great post on menstrual cups (always nice to hear from someone else who actually knows how inconvenient bad periods can be). I’m slowly gathering the courage to try them at some point.

    Amber and her boyfriend are taking a leap of faith – he’s moving to her town without a job a lined up. I wish you both the best of luck.

    A super simple mayonnaise recipe at Stone Soup that I really want to try once we get a blender/processor.

    Revanche moves in with her other half (or more accurately, finally blogs about it after who knows how long :P)

    Kara is househunting. I’m trying not to be jealous. (Surprisingly, it’s kind of working. Does that mean I’m becoming a better person?)

    Airam reviews the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc). I am definitely intrigued. Speaking of books, I finally read the Lovely Bones. It was AMAZING.

    Molly continues the retelling of her birth story. I was simultaneously intrigued yet repulsed.

    Marian goes to prison (actually a detainment centre, but that doesn’t rhyme nearly as well).

    Not So Ex Grad Student on compromise in relationships. “I don’t want to wake up one day ‘unsatisfied,’ assume that this feeling is an indication that something is wrong with the relationship itself (rather than recognizing life’s ebb and flow of happiness), convince myself I’m compromising, and walk away from it. I don’t want to blame any lacking I feel on my relationship when there simply are times when I will not have what I want, when I want it,” she says.

    WORK

    Speaking of compromise, Brunette on a Budget’s husband is turning down a major job offer in hope of one that will give them better work-life balance. Go and read it.

    Also, don’t miss her post on the perfect day job for a writer – a job which she got, and accepted, by the way! “It doesn’t have to centre around writing full-time – in fact, I would actually prefer it didn’t. In an ideal world I would preserve my writing juice for other, more personal projects (like blogging, I say!)… The occasional article/column/blog post (with byline) at work would make me happy,” she writes. That is EXACTLY my thinking. I don’t know how or when Crystal crawled into my headspace. Also, I used to think ghostwriting (well-paid, of course) sounded tolerable, but her experience has made me rethink that view…

    On a more practical note, FB presents some great Pre-Presentation Preparations.

    And Rachel has six Powerpoint tips for young professionals. What are some of yours?

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  • July 16, 2010

    Time vs money

    I once read somewhere that while you’re young, you should make the most of your time and put it towards earning money. The older you get, the less time you have, and thus, your priorities shift accordingly.

    That time vs money balance, for me, is very skewed. I work some wacky hours – I haven’t had a weekend off since February. I do it because a) the money is good and b) professionally, the experience is invaluable, and I signed up to do it anyway, before the money factor came in. I know I wouldn’t want to do this for more than a year or two, but for now, well…

    BF, of course, has time in spades. If he was on a solid financial footing, this would be the ideal time for us to take off and travel. It’s not peak season, and there are still some great deals to be had as the tourism industry fights its way out of the GFC. Not to mention the fact that it eliminates entirely the issue of the two of us trying to coordinate paid leave from work.

    I would love to go on a big road trip this summer. However, if T doesn’t get work before then and manage to put some money away, it’s not going to happen. And if that’s how it turns out, c’est la vie. It would probably be better to go at the start of autumn or later, anyway, because what’s the point of hitting Queenstown and not going skiing?

    {Photo credit}

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