fbpx

Browsing category: Uncategorized

  • March 2, 2010

    You can’t fight genetics

    Geek in Heels had a great blog post about ‘genetic gifts’ the other day, and whether your partner’s traits (that would presumably be passed on to your children) would be a factor in the relationship. Oh man, that brought up some memories, I tell you.

    See, my parents HATED my first serious boyfriend. I’m not really sure why. I mean, yes, he was often a bit of a douchebag to others, but never to me. He was never rude to my family, but they were very hostile to him, and he didn’t really know how to act around them (not only are they a little weird, but there was definitely culture clash going on as well). Not only was I threatened to be cut from the family will if I didn’t choose my partner wisely….along with a lecture on ‘leading boys on’ because I wanted to travel in the future, and had I disclosed that to all potential boyfriends? Ya, don’t ask me how their brains worked on this one…and of course, the infamous, unforgettable lecture I got at the age of 16.

    Apparently, I shouldn’t even THINK of marrying someone until we both had genetic tests. Just in case he happened to have bad genes, or tendencies for certain disabilities/diseases/syndromes…I don’t know, whatever. I was STUNNED. There I was standing awkwardly in their bedroom, shifting from foot to foot and wondering what on earth I’d done to deserve such wackjobs for parents. I actually could not believe what they were saying, and I asked them if they’d done this test themselves.

    “But of course,” they said.

    I should have known better than to ask, really.

    If my genes are anything to go by, my kids are screwed. I am nearly blind. I’m weak, clumsy, awkward (both physically and socially) and prone to skin conditions and allergies. On the other hand, I can eat as much as I want and not gain weight. And I did pretty well in school, although I’m not sure that counts as intelligence.

    On the other hand T is tall, muscly, sporty, smart and has perfect vision (we had a very random but fun discussion last night about how we would’ve fared in American high school, from what we know through pop culture 😛 I would’ve probably been bullied being a geek, and he would probably have been a quarterback and gone to university on a sports scholarship). I’m hoping most of his genes overpower mine when the time comes…

  • March 2, 2010

    By the numbers

    Some interesting numbers in this week’s Sunday paper:

    The latest wage figures in Australia show those across the Tasman earn an average NZ$1574 a week – an increase of 5.9 per cent over the year. In New Zealand, the average wage is $955.

    That is a MASSIVE disparity. And I doubt their cost of living is that much higher. Then again, our media does love those ‘you’d be so much better off in Aussie” stories.

    The “average” Kiwi male is getting older, marrying later or not at all and isn’t thinking about babies until the early 30 mark. He’s 35 years old, earns $681 a week, gets married at 29 and dies at 78.

    The typical Kiwi woman is a little older than him at 37, earns $430 a week, marries at 28 and is likely to have two children.

    Again, a pretty big gap there between the “average” (what a baited word) male and female wages. Seriously, $430 a week? Even after tax, that’s pretty dismal. I assume though, that takes into account all the nonworking and part-time workers, of which there’d be a lot more women than men.

  • March 1, 2010

    Our weekend on Waiheke

    Last week we escaped the city for the tranquillity of Waiheke – the island known for its beaches and vineyards (pity I detest wine).

    We…

    lounged on the beach and went for numerous swims, and a snorkel

    …went on little adventures around all the rocks and cliffs at each beach

    … did heaps of driving around – I love the fact that you never have to go far before catching a glimpse of the ocean, although some of the best views are now held on private property :S
    …

    ….enjoyed a spa at the lodge, along with homemade afternoon teas – slices, biscuits, and scones with fresh cream and jam, not to mention fresh muffins every morning


    ….ate breakfast for lunch, along with a very pretty flat white, at the Lazy Lounge cafe

    …had fish and chips for dinner on the beach, where a seagull proceeded to crap on me
    …made a new friend, Tom (aka T’s brother’s GPS, who proved invaluable in getting around the island) …saw an old, naked guy on the beach
    … used a longdrop public toilet
    …watched Up, which had us both in tears
    … and finally, I read A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman. Beautifully written and absolutely heartbreaking. Worth a read.

    Cost: $365 for two nights at Punga Lodge – HIGHLY recommend it – including breakfasts and afternoon teas.

    Just under $140 for all our other meals and snacks (two lunches, three dinners) plus an overpriced tube of sunblock ($20!!!)

    And approximately $30, or a half tank of gas.

    I don’t think I’ve ever come back from holiday feeling so good about the cost!

  • February 28, 2010

    Spot the lie

    In one of my first classes last year, we all went around the group and said three things about ourselves. Two were true, one was a lie.

    Anyway, as a couple of other bloggers have done this as a post, I’m jumping on the bandwagon!

    #1 – My dad has something like 9 or 10 (even I don’t know) siblings.

    #2 – I still don’t have my full driver’s licence.

    #3 – I once broke my ankle after falling into a drain.

  • February 27, 2010

    Househunting. Ugh

    We are officially house hunting. Our lease is up soon, and we definitely want to live on our own.

    I really didn’t want to end up going through a property agent, because I didn’t want to pay their ridiculous letting fees – a week’s rent PLUS GST, for crying out loud.

    But I figured, if that is what we have to do to secure a nice place, so be it.

    Unfortunately, I have been let down. The day before we left for Waiheke, I spoke to one property manager about viewing a house. He never got back to me about arranging a time, despite me leaving both my numbers and email. We got back on Tuesday evening, and I logged on to TradeMe only to see that a viewing time had been added to the listing, and that viewing time was ending RIGHT ABOUT THEN. Literally. Yeah, thanks for nothing.

    Then I left a message with another agent for another house. The reply: How would 3.15 on Thursday suit you?

    Well, what do you think? How well does 3.15 on Thursday suit ANYONE?

    But apparently they only do open homes M-F, 9-4.30. No weekends. WTF.

    Yet open homes for houses on SALE are always held on Saturday and Sunday.

    Maybe PMs get paid salary rather than commission, and therefore don’t give a crap about actually being helpful to prospective tenants.

    I’d welcome being proved wrong, though. Anyone want to step up?

    Anyway, I’ve decided to forget about that place. Had the PM done their job and actually provided photos of the important stuff – kitchen and bathroom – I would be able to decide whether we really wanted the place, and whether it would be worth trying to rearrange my schedule to make it to a viewing. But she didn’t. Too bad.

    I am now even more determined to find a place with a private landlord.

    And while I’m on the topic, it never ceases to amaze me how low the quality of housing – ESPECIALLY for smaller dwellings – is around here. I want a nice one/two bedroom place with insulation, a full kitchen (stove and oven), mixer taps (not , off street parking and preferably without concrete block walls, for up to $300 a week. But that, apparently, is a tall order in Auckland. The market is so ridiculous that people are prepared to live in absolute holes sometimes.

  • February 26, 2010

    All in the family

    Odd but true: I have a bunch of relatives I’ve never met before. Cousins and uncles. I couldn’t even tell you their names or where they live, but it’s somewhere in Australia (and both lots could live on opposite sides of the country for all I know).

    I’d like to think it’s not completely weird, because there are something like 10 siblings on my paternal side. And at least I’m pretty sure I’ve met all the ones who reside in Malaysia. What IS weird for me is the fact that our extended family isn’t close at all, and weren’t even when we still lived there. It makes me a little sad that my kids won’t grow up with heaps of cousins to play with. T’s nieces will be way older than our kids, although his younger brothers – and mine, I guess – might come through 😛

    Hopefully they’ll get to grow up alongside my friends’ offspring (although that is an incredibly strange thought. I wonder how us all getting married and procreating one day will change things?) If they don’t have a big, loud extended family, it’d be nice if they at least had friends who were like part of the family.*

    * Something I, again, never had. Is my bitterness really obvious?

  • February 25, 2010

    There are no gains without risk

    “I’ve lost $8k in the market this year.”

    So says an acquaintance of mine, who’s been in the police force for a couple of years and benefited from their wicked super scheme. Something along the lines of 7.5%, matched by the employer. It’s okay, though – he still has a hefty amount left, enough for a new car, at least, and more than I’ve ever known anyone my age to have invested.

    We don’t see each other often, but the conversation always turns to work and money. I don’t know if it’s because we’re the odd ones out in our crowd, working fulltime, or perhaps he likes to compare where he’s at relative to me (and it’s pretty much always going to beat me, guaranteed!).

    Then another guest at the party chimed in with disbelief that people would put their money into something that could potentially LOSE what they put in. Imagine! Madness!

    I tried to explain to him that if you’re going to be investing anyway, why wouldn’t you join Kiwisaver? If you’re going to be investing your money, why the hell wouldn’t you want to accept free money from your company and from the state while you’re at it? It’s about freaking time we got some sort of organised retirement scheme in place, and yet, so many are wary of it.

    But there is no other way to get ahead. Keeping your money in the bank won’t keep you ahead of inflation. Property, as much as Kiwis love brick and mortar, can drop in value just like the markets can. THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES. Except the fact that NOT investing will guarantee that you won’t beat inflation in the long run. And that’s why we put our money into managed funds, or invest directly into the market, because over the long run we’re likely to make bigger returns.

    Personally, I think joining KS is a no-brainer. But I understand that a lot of people don’t know about investing. Maybe their parents didn’t invest, or even save, and they go their whole lives repeating that pattern. All you can really say to them is, do you want to rely on the government in your old age? Do you trust them to look after you, and do you think superannuation is going to let you live a comfortable life?

  • February 24, 2010

    Blog awards and second thoughts

    Hey, guess what? I’ve been nominated for best personal finance international blog in the Plutus Awards – talk about a nice surprise to come back to after a weekend away (blog post on that coming soon)!

    I have no doubt that Man vs Debt will take it out (he kicks some blogging ass) but I’m honoured to have been mentioned at all.

    Fittingly, I’m actually talking finances today. To be specific, I’m rethinking my choice of Kiwisaver fund. If you’re in NZ, no doubt you’ve seen stories about how Peter Huljich put some of his own money into the fund, apparently to compensate for what he felt were some poor investment decisions.

    I don’t pretend to understand what it all means, but it seems to me that their reported returns were boosted by the cash injections. There’s a disclaimer in the latest Morningstar report, discounting their figures, as a result of this. (Oh, and last year there was also news about pushy Huljich salespeople going door to door, which is illegal. Nothing to do with the fund’s performance, but it’s a personal thing – I don’t like people pushing things in my face, and I disagree with that tactic.)

    The reason I originally chose Huljich, despite their higher fees, was their performance to date. Right now, I’m not sure whether it’s best to wait and see (although I believe T’s account is already with them, mine is still with the IRD and won’t be transferred to Huljich for a couple of months yet) or switch now to another fund – probably sticking with one of the bigger names this time. Ugh…not looking forward to combing through all the prospectuses (prospectii?) again!

    (I’m not a financial professional nor certified to give advice; I’m just a twentysomething trying to navigate through the grownup world.)

  • February 20, 2010

    Review: The Dominion

    I am positive that pretty much every time I do a mystery shop at a bar, I’m spotted. After all, who asks for an itemised receipt at a place like that?

    But anyway. We recently paid a visit to the Dominion on Dominion Road (formerly GPK, I think) and were really impressed.

    Our meals were immaculately presented and although mine wasn’t mindblowing – chicken breast with pancetta, olives, and barely any pancetta, on rocket and fried potatoes – T’s eye fillet was a SYMPHONY. It came with mushrooms, glaze and mashed potatoes…and oh my lord, it was perfection. The ingredients were in just the right proportions, and tasted amazing together. Perfectly cooked too. I only wish there had been more, especially for the price ($59 for both dishes).

    The ambience isn’t too shabby either – it’s spacious, airy and not too noisy, with both inside and outside seats. And Thursday night is “loyalty” night with $5 drinks – can’t go wrong!

    Eye fillet - still not quite sure what that tall yellow thing was, but it tasted okay

    Chicken breast

    • Previous
    Next