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Browsing category: Uncategorized

  • December 23, 2009

    Yes. I’m spoiled


    I just realised something: I haven’t made dinner for as long as I can remember. How lucky am I?

    T gets home before me everyday (including, obviously on days he doesn’t work). And for weeks now, he’s had dinner ready or in the works by the time I get home. All I have to do is eat it and then clean up the kitchen. It’s a far cry from two years ago when I would be in class all day, get home at 9 and find that I had to make food because he hadn’t bothered to – or worse, was out with his friends. Not that I’m saying that he shouldn’t have a life, or anything, but couldn’t he have hung out with them on the days that I didn’t work late instead?!

    Honestly, I also get kind of a strange kick out of having a boyfriend who kicks my ass at cooking. Is that weird?

  • December 22, 2009

    Leaving the big lights

    Our class of 2009 has done well. There’s a fair number of us with jobs – in our chosen field, no less – but for every one of those, there’s another who’s moved back with their parents, jobless.

    This weekend I caught up up with one of my classmates, who was tossing up between going on a planned overseas trip, and staying here in case she gets a particular job. Basically, it’s a toss up between a holiday, and the possibility of a stable, FT position – one that she’s applied for, but won’t hear back from until after she leaves the country. And it has an immediate start, so carrying on with the trip would disqualify her assuming she’s successful. It’s about as sucky as a choice can get.

    I found myself telling her even if she does go, it’s not the last job in the world. There’s plenty of opportunities – just in the last few weeks I’ve seen a handful of entry level PRINT reporting jobs advertised, and who knew those still existed? But she was adamant she didn’t want to leave Auckland, and after all, she still lives at home.

    It’s definitely got me thinking, though. Am I a hypocrite? Here I am, telling others there are jobs around if only they were open to leaving Auckland. But how would I react if I was offered my dream job – IF it meant moving to the middle of nowhere? (Unlikely, but I’m trying to make a point here..)

    Right now, if T was given a great opportunity almost anywhere, I think I would happily relocate without much of a struggle. Today it really hit me that I could be out of a job in a month or two. Once this project is over, there really is no place for me anymore. It’s unlikely that I’m going to be able to move up into the kind of position I want, and my current role is somewhat redundant.

    But if I was to move (and especially, move by myself) I’d have to get a car. And learn to drive it properly. I’d be away from everyone I know, and be making trips back home to Auckland. I’d be cooking for myself again (ugh) and possibly still be helping out T (although things are picking up – theirs is a seasonal job for sure).

    I suppose I’d have to give thought to it, but it wouldn’t be a decision to be made lightly. Obviously. Financially, it would be really hard, combined with the fact that I’m more likely than not to take a pay cut should I move to a small town. Rent would be cheaper, I guess, but the second car would kill us. Honestly, at this point I think I’d be better off staying here, working freelance or in an admin job, whatever, until the right opportunity. Things have already started picking up in the last few months, going by the number of job listings around, and hopefully the new year will bring more.

  • December 20, 2009

    Just for laughs

    Because we know how much language can vary from country to country! (Cheers to Rae for the idea)

    WHAT DO YOU CALL:

    1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.
    Creek
    2. What the thing you push around the grocery store is called.
    Trolley
    3. A metal container to carry a meal in.
    Thermos
    4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in.
    Frypan
    5. The piece of furniture that seats three people.
    Couch. Or sofa
    6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof.
    Drain? Gutter?
    7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.
    Deck/courtyard/verandah
    8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages.
    Fizzy/soft drink
    9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup.
    Pancakes
    10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself.
    Sub(way) 😛
    11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach.
    Well, it really depends, there are so many options! Togs, boardies/board shorts, or if you’re talking Speedos, well, there’s also speedos.
    12. Shoes worn for sports.
    Running shoes? Trainers, or maybe sneakers.
    13. Putting a room in order.
    Tidying up
    14. A flying insect that glows in the dark.
    A what?
    15. The little insect that curls up into a ball.
    Pass, again
    16. The children’s playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down.
    Seesaw
    17. How do you eat your pizza?
    Quickly. Using my hands
    18. What’s it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
    Garage sale
    19. What’s the evening meal?
    Dinner. Or tea in some houses
    20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?
    Never seen one with a furnace, but basement
    21. What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places?
    Fountain/tap

    Your turn!

  • December 19, 2009

    Kicking the addiction

    Fact: I have a weakness for money management software. Kind of like how some people have a thing for shoes, but way dorkier.

    I’ve tried numerous budgeting programs, most recently Pocketsmith and Budgetpulse, and given up. (Don’t talk to me about Excel. I have a pathological fear of spreadsheets.) Whether they have too many bells and whistles, a lack of flexibility to organise things weekly rather than monthly, or a system that I just can’t figure out, none of them have ever clicked with me.

    I’m just not dedicated enough to get that deep into it. And now that I know and accept that I’m not cut out for detailed tracking tools, I’m going to instigate a selfimposed ban on myself. No longer will I be seduced by colourful charts and promises of fancy whizbang dashboards and integrated calculators.

    I’m sticking with planning my spending with SimpleD, and breaking it down monthly with my online banking transaction tracker. It’s a rather haphazard way to run things (the same could be said for, well, everything else in my life) but it seems to work for me.

    What do you use to manage your money?

  • December 16, 2009

    New resolution

    Like Kyla and Amber, I moved in with T at a really young age. One of the reasons for that was getting hassle from housemates (may sound silly, but if you’ve been there you know what it’s like) but I think we would have done so sooner or later. And I’ve never looked back – I mean, he’s a mega cook, is handy around the house (and to a lesser extent, the car), drives, and lets me warm my cold feet on him.

    The one drawback is that it’s so easy to retreat into ourselves – we both enjoy the comforts of home and when faced with the choice of getting dressed and going out vs lounging around in PJs, well, it’s a tough one. And our flatmates aren’t super social themselves (although for some reason, they do like to hit town on a Thursday night – god only knows why. T sometimes goes with them, but Thursday is when I put together the weekly newsletter for my side job, which chews up three to four hours.)

    So my resolution is for us to get out and do one thing every weekend: be it rockclimbing, bowling, a picnic, tandem biking, swimming or just a nice meal out. The cheaper the better, like driving to Cornwall Park and letting him loose on all the fitness bars. And the museum is promoting free entry for the summer, so that’s next on our list!

    (Tomorrow’s post is protected. Hit me up at eemusings[at]gmail.com)

  • December 15, 2009

    Bits and bobs

    Kiwisaver – deductions have NOT started – sigh. I did get a letter from Huljich confirming my application…and wrongly assumed deductions would start asap!

    Graduation – I received $100 Australian dollars from my rellies, who were in town last weekend after a trip around the South Island. I spent about half on a nice dinner out with T and saved the rest.  I even wrote them a thankyou note; something I’m stupidly proud of, that I’ve never actually done before!

    My parents gave me a very generous thousand dollars. I always feel strange about accepting things from them. Not so much things like food and other random bits and pieces, but certainly hard cash. I understand they want to help out, and in this case acknowledge/reward what I’ve achieved. But it’s a struggle – I  swing between envying others I know who have a lot of financial support from their families, to fiercely wanting to make it entirely on my own, without any help at all. I try to remember that being independent doesn’t have to mean forsaking gifts, and to accept graciously.

    I’m also happy that I’ve been able to bump up the amount I put away weekly for utilities to $80.

    Finally, I started a travel fund with my first paycheck from my side job – $355 in all, which I’m hoping will pay for a midweek mini holiday to Waiheke later this summer. And they’re dealing with me as an employee, not a contractor, so that cuts out tax dramas!

    (I’m also featured in the Carnival of 20something Finances over at My Beauty and Fashion this week!)

  • December 13, 2009

    What a week!

    I’m back! Back from what, you ask? A lovely couple of days off in the Coromandel, relaxing, swimming and getting a tan. Followed by graduation – the culmination of the last three years, the last time where we get together and cut loose and congratulate ourselves for making it through.

    From guest speaker Tessa Duder (legendary Kiwi children’s author) to our ‘doffing’ of hats to acknowledge our friends and family, it was interminably long, and by the time we’d finished with all the communications grads and moved on to the engineers, we were exhausted. I simply couldn’t clap anymore.

    I have to admit, I got caught up in the whole ceremony, from the crazy ugly regalia, to standing up for one of our tutors who received her PhD, to singing the national anthem (I got a lump in my throat). I managed not to trip, or miss my cue; I knew I’d be called out under the legal name that I’m not used to hearing. I’m just so proud of all of us for making it through.

    Now, to catch up on my google reader, laundry (there’s sand EVERYWHERE) and most excitingly, Perfect Fifths!

  • December 10, 2009

    Dear Santa

    Ten years ago, my Dear Santa letter might have gone something like this:

    A pushup bra
    Cellphone
    Guitar
    A boyfriend
    Clear skin

    Now it looks more like:

    Boots
    Summerweight jacket
    Shoe/wardrobe organiser
    A good knife set (including steak knives)
    A night in a deluxe spa room at the Duxton
    An apprenticeship for T

    Ah, how things change. Is this growing up?

  • December 9, 2009

    XXL shopping

    People always say that men spend less than women, especially on clothes. But that so isn’t true! Krystal hit it right on the head when she says that the way guys shop isn’t conducive to saving. They get in and get out. They go for one thing. And then they leave.

    It’s difficult enough to shop secondhand for guys, let alone in extreme sizes. Outlet stores are also usually out of the extra big sizes. Which leaves T (who’s 6’3, stocky and maybe 120kg) just SOL most of the time. He really hates shopping, and although I love to stalk stores waiting for a bargain, that’s his version of hell. He also really hates to wait for stuff (no delayed gratification here), not to mention that it’s hard enough to find things that fit him, so instead of thinking “let’s wait till that goes on clearance” it’s “quick, snap it up before all the big sizes go!”

    Did I mention he is also really hard on his clothes? He’s the typical boys’ boy, likes to mess around with cars, wrestle, roll around in the mud etc. (Kidding about the last one…sort of). He’s either vegging out being a couch potato, or being super active. Clothing never lasts long – it stretches, rips, gets irreversibly stained, etc.

    His sturdy Dickies are finally giving out, and I’m dreading shopping for him. No $20 pants for this boy, not like me. And he needs a dress shirt or two. And a light jacket. And jeans.

    Anyone got great tips for shopping for an extra large person?

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