fbpx

Browsing category: Uncategorized

  • January 3, 2014

    My 2014 goals: Two small resolutions for a happier life

    nzmuse goals for 20142013 was a biggie. I got married (though I still can’t bring myself to use the terms ‘husband’ and ‘wife’. They leave a gross aftertaste in my mouth). Took six months off work. Backpacked around the world. In short, it was a year of YOLO.

    They say nobody ever wishes on their deathbed they’d spent more time at the office. Sure, but I would definitely feel bummed if I didn’t achieve some sort of professional satisfaction, some measure of happiness in work and my achievements, over a lifetime. I’ve written some things I’m proud of, for myself and for wider public consumption, and came very close last year to being able to plonk “award-winning” in front of my name (alas, an almost-award doesn’t really afford me that luxury. Highly commended is all well and good, but nobody ever remembers the runner up). A small change at work should make my job even more awesome starting from day one back (though raises the stakes for sure), so I’m amped to see what 2014 brings.

    As much as my work matters to me, people and experiences absolutely come first. It blows my mind how much we did in 2013. The places we saw, the people we met, the meals we ate… I whimper a little to think what it cost (full tally coming up VERY SHORTLY) but it was truly a priceless adventure. How could I ever forget biking through the fiery forests of Vermont (nearly falling asleep and falling off the back post-lunch)? Feasting on lamb and wine at sunset in Santorini? Gliding through Venice’s waterways, blotting sweat from my face, mesmerised by every new alleyway? Marvelling at the raw thunderstorms pounding down on the plains of Cambodia? Being enthralled by the sheer scale of the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Gulfoss?

    For all that, I’m glad to be home. I’m reminded of the beauty that’s all around me everytime I go hiking out west with them (Mokoroa Falls is heartstoppingly fabulous, and I can’t believe I’d never seen it before). We may not be going abroad again anytime soon, but there’s plenty to explore in our own backyard.

    This year, I resolve to get out more – on weekends, after work – even if petrol costs are insane and our crappy car chews gas. 

    I’ve also realised how amazing my friends and family are. I was terrible about keeping in touch with them while we were away, but after all, I knew we were coming back in November. But we’re all getting older, time is passing quicker, some are moving away, and some of us are moving into the next logical phase of our adult lives. And for all my past grievances with my parents, none are egregious enough to hold a grudge about forever – Buzzfeed is right, I’ve come full circle to realise how awesome they are in many ways and embrace all the traits they’ve passed down to me.

    I’ve been aware for a long time that I’m basically never the instigator when it comes to these things – I’ll always respond, but I never initiate contact. I often find a text an annoying interruption to the workday, which is kinda messed up. My last day at work, I noticed a text and went to unlock my phone – yet somehow between that and actually opening up my inbox, I got totally distracted with something and wound up entirely forgetting to go back to my phone. T wound up calling me an hour later instead.

    This year, I resolve to make more of an effort – to reach out to at least one person a week – by text, email, or (shudder) Facebook chat/message. I emailed a dear friend overseas just before Christmas for a long overdue catchup on our lives, and I can’t tell you how freaking GOOD that felt.

    going to die doing the things i love nzmuse

    I’m not going to set any financial goals since that side of things is still uncertain. I’m naturally a saver anyway, so I’m going to be trying to bank as much as possible. The long-term play is still to save up for a house. Overall, 2014 is about the small things – balancing work and play, finding a happy medium in life. What more could one ask for?

  • January 1, 2014

    A mantra for 2014 (and beyond)

    Here’s my formula for happiness this year. It’s pretty simple. Heck, make this my mantra for life overall.

    Words to live by. A mantra for the year ahead

     

    Eat real food.

    Exercise once in a while.

    Sleep as much as you need to.

    Earn more than you spend.

    Save as much as you can.

    Be honest with yourself, and with others.

    Make time for your loved ones.

    These basic principles aside, you can do whatever you want.

    You don’t have to start your own business.

    You don’t have to be a corporate cog.

    You don’t have to give up sugar, or gluten, or meat.

    You don’t have to train for a marathon.

    You don’t have to quit your job and travel the world.

    You don’t have to avoid all the tourist spots, or stick only to tourist spots.

    You don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to.

    This year, make your happiness a priority. Never apologise for it. Just be you. Loudly, quietly, colourfully, unashamedly, grumpily, you. 

  • December 24, 2013

    Link love (Powered by girl talk and opshopping)

    nzmuse link loveFREEDOM!

    Just kidding. I have a ton of things on my to-do list for this two-week break. But I did sleep in till 10.30 this morning, so don’t worry, I’m making the most of it.

    I’ll be taking a bit of a blogging break, but I may republish some older posts that some of you might have missed.

    Have a supercalifragilistic Christmas, and New Year’s, and we’ll see you in 2014.

    Last links for the year:

    First things first: thanks to Save Spend Splurge for including my post on investing in a new bed in the latest carnival of personal finance!

    Her Every Cent Counts vocalises something that bugs me as a PF blogger – my conflicting desires to get ahead financially while so many others struggle around me

    Kate of Greatest Escapist on finding happiness, unexpectedly

    A peek into the secret life of a food blogger

    Jen at Bullish goes into great detail about how to think up moneymaking ideas

    Tales from the Trenches asks: Where are the women?

    Finally, I’m a sucker for letters to younger selves, and Michelle Minkoff’s one is a goodie.

  • December 20, 2013

    Investing in furniture: is an expensive bed worth the money?

    sealy posturepedic bed nz

    I always thought that buying a house would be my catalyst for buying grownup furnishings. Quality kitchenware, a lounge set that cost more than $10 … and a new bed. (Everything else – the aesthetic stuff – I could take or leave.)

    See, our old bed was actually a secondhand bed. I bought it back in 2006, when I thought I would only need it for a few months. The plan was to move into the student dorms when I started uni in 2007, which would be fully furnished. But then I changed my mind, stayed in the suburbs, and kept that old bed. Fast forward to the current day, and I’ve had that bed for seven years … and I’m not sure how old it was before that. (For what it’s worth, it’s a Sealy, which is about as good as it gets brand-wise.)

    After six months in a garage, that old bed wasn’t really in the best shape. Rather than waiting until we buy a house, it seemed like a good time to replace it. Plus, my mother had given me $2000 just before we left (ostensibly a wedding present – she told me to spend it on a new bed).

    Now, there are plenty of beds going for about $600/700. I’ve even seen bedroom packages for the same price, with dresser included. Heck, I actually saw a queen size bed advertised for the tiny sum of $250. But at some point, frugal becomes cheap (we didn’t go to check out that one as the retailer was really far away and T was skeptical that a $250 bed could possibly be any good).

    We ended up buying a new queen size Sealy. The damage: $1000 (ouch) down from an original price of $1700 (yay!). Expensive bedroom furniture, TICK.

    Personally, I can sleep on anything. I mean, I don’t love sleeping on the gap between two mattresses (which I had to do far too often in Europe, where a double bed is usually code for two singles pushed together), but I cope. I can sleep on couches, floors, hard beds, soft beds, in cars, on trains … you name it.

    On the other hand, T likes a firm mattress, and has chronic back pain, though it’s eased a lot since he stopped working hardcore trade jobs. Our nightly ritual usually consists of him muttering about how he can’t find a comfortable position and eventually sinking into a fitful sleep, while I halfheartedly scratch his back for a few minutes before being overtaken by a wave of glorious unconsciousness.

    If it wasn’t for him, I would probably have gone way cheaper. WAY cheaper. But his comfort is important, and a bed is not a purchase to be made lightly. Also, our new mattress is so darn cute – though I don’t get the point of putting fun prints on mattresses, since you’re never going to see them! There’s that fleeting moment when you change the sheets, but I’m generally concerned with getting that tedious task over as quickly as possible more than anything else.

    ETA in 2016: Okay, so glad we splurged back then. I GET IT NOW. Expensive mattresses are totally worth it. Or I’m getting old. Or both.

    What’s the most expensive item of furniture you’ve ever purchased?

  • December 19, 2013

    Contemplating a future in which I work from home

    One of the good things about renting is that it’s affordable for us to live in a fairly central location. We’re two minutes’ walk from a bus stop, two minutes’ drive to a mall and supermarket, and about five minutes from both of our families.

    Buying a house would force us further out, which in turn would mean a longer and more expensive public transport commute for me, and/or necessitate buying a second car – especially if we have kids.

    But a job posting that happened across my Twitter stream recently got me thinking. What if I were able to work remotely, full time?

    It’s not something I ever really thought possible. After all, I don’t want to freelance full time. And my industry is not one that really lends itself to working from home when you have a staff job. But as I move further away from it, the opportunity does open itself up…

    This particular listing wasn’t one I would apply for – at least not at this stage, it’s a bit beyond me. I’m happy where I am and plan to stay put for a while longer. But it’s the kind of thing I might well want to do in a couple of years, either for a corporate or a cool startup … and the startup route could well lend itself to working from home (as all the staff at this one do).

    The next logical question would be “would I enjoy working from home?”

    Well…

    • I enjoy the serendipitous interactions with coworkers I get throughout the day – in just-small-enough doses that I fulfil my need for adult human interaction and get to feel like a competent person, but not enough to overload my introvert’s bucket
    • But god damn, I hate the ‘good morning’ / ‘how are you’ / ‘I’m good, how are you’ / ‘Good thanks’ back and forth

     

    • I love the frequent and spontaneous freebies – cake, pie, cheese, books, skincare, and other goodies – that are often randomly available
    • But I truly hate the interruptions that inevitably come with being in an office environment (an open one, not that I’ve ever worked in anything but)

     

    • I appreciate that it forces me to leave the house, as I have quite strong hermit tendencies
    • But commuting is annoying, especially when it rains

    Ditching the office paradigm doesn’t have to be an either/or, of course. People work from cafes, coworking spaces, etc.

    In all honesty, while face time is valuable in its own right, as someone who deals much better in limited doses of interaction, especially online, I think the benefits of working from home would win out for me.

    I’d just need to force myself to step outside at least every other day and put on real clothes as much as possible.

  • December 18, 2013

    Tuesday Tunes: My life soundtrack

    One of the best investments we made while travelling was a Spotify subscription (see what else we couldn’t do without here). Road trips require music, and Spotify provided our soundtrack to the USA.

    We rolled across the country in a pure time warp – one heavy on the 90s grunge, pop and not-so-gangsta rap (Will Smith, yo). Listening to tracks that I hadn’t heard in years stirred up all sorts of memories, reminding me how powerfully evocative music can be, and how strongly I associate some songs with certain people or periods of time.

    The soundtrack to my life would have to include:

    Recall: Long hours lying on my bed, caught up in the rapture that is John Frusciante’s effortless golden licks and Anthony Kiedis’ smooth vocals, combined into one sublime package.

    Inextricably linked with Year 8 school camp – forest walks, French toast, canned spaghetti and evening team games.

    Basically sums up every one of my childhood crushes ever.
    So I look in your direction/but you pay me no attention/do you?

    The perfect song to listen to on repeat when trying to get over one of those painful crushes.

    My ex introduced me to Blue Oyster Cult, for which I am very grateful. (And T introduced me to this related SNL skit, which is entertaining in a stupid, slapstick way.)



    One of my good friends back in the early years of high school and I bonded over our love of music. She adored both of these songs, and everytime I hear either track, she instantly springs to mind. She was a performer, while I was more of a supporting act. I was so shy that when we were discussing ideas for what we could do for the school talent quest, I couldn’t even play the song I’d written in front of her. I recorded it at home, handed her the CD the next day, and then basically ran in the opposite direction. (She liked it, we played it, and it was freaking magic, if I say so myself.)


    Calls to mind another of my good high school friends (whom I would dearly like to reconnect with; alas the friendship failed to survive the tumult of teenage hormones, jealousy, and general boy-girl related misery. Friendships of the opposite sex can work marvellously – but this crashed and burned spectacularly). In particular, one text message: ‘What the fuck is even flow about. Don’t get it’. Because that’s the kind of text we used to send each other.


    One of my best friends is big on Pearl Jam, though I couldn’t say why I associate Black in particular with him. But damn if this isn’t as close to a perfect song as you can get. The subtle guitar work. Vedder’s tortured voice. That final line: ‘I know you’ll be a star in somebody else’s sky/But why, why, why can’t it be, can’t it be mine?’ gets me every single time. (Smooth is also pretty close to perfection, though I think it’s a little too abstract.)


    The song T and I listened to non-stop (for some inexplicable reason, we just couldn’t get enough of it) the summer we first started to spend time together.


    The song I listened to nonstop while working weekend shifts at my first full-time job.

    Best movie love story ever. THAT IS ALL.

  • December 14, 2013

    Confession: Our finances are a mess right now (and I’m okay with that)

    I haven’t felt on top of our finances for at least a couple of months – a feeling that I don’t usually like, but have come to a weird sort of peace with for now.

    First, our iPhone died randomly in California, taking with it all our US spending data (I tracked all our spending with Trail Wallet, and since we hadn’t backed up the phone in awhile, all our info was lost within the app). I have a pretty good handle on our average daily spend though, so at some point (hopefully over the Christmas break) I can finally tally up the total cost of our entire trip.

    Then we got home, where I went straight back to work and T started job hunting. We stayed with my parents for a few weeks, which saved us tons (shelter, food, even some transport). But then we found a place and moved in, which meant shelling out a bunch of money, plus more spending on replacing a few household things we badly needed. With all the upheaval, plus a lot of busy weekday evenings for various reasons, we spent more than we should’ve on eating out.

    With T not working, funds were tight and I dipped into our emergency fund, since my first paycheck was eaten up by all the moving expenses.

    Then this week he got a job (!!!) which I will elaborate on later down the track, once he’s started and has a few weeks under his belt, and when we have a clearer idea of how it’s going. This means that we have to go shopping for basically a whole new wardrobe for him this weekend, which I imagine will cost about $1000. Ouch.

    Also, my glasses broke in a Cheech and Chong-esque incident (where we literally butted heads) and will need replacing – that’s probably another $500 or so because I’m blind as a bat and need to buy the thinnest, most bankrupty lenses available so that my face can actually support my specs without collapsing in on itself.

    Basically, money has been OUT OF CONTROL and I haven’t been tracking any of it. When things are in flux, it’s always terrible for our finances. But I’m okay with our slight overspending, for sanity’s sake

    I’m hoping to get on top of things over the holidays, assess where we’re at and make a plan for 2014.

    Going forward, my income will be the only steady one and T’s will be entirely variable, which is something entirely new for us.

    Action plan: once I finish work for the year, it’s time to stop being an ostrich about things and take stock! I’m quite excited about that, nerdy as it sounds. Fresh starts always feel good.

  • December 13, 2013

    The best hostels in the world (according to me)

    Out of the dozen or so hostels we stayed at during our journey, each will be remembered for its own quirks. The non-lockable doors, the faint stench of socks, the naked guy … But the two hostels that really stand out – in a good way – were:

    Best rooms

    Sunflower Hostel, Berlin

    Hands down, the best room we stayed in was at the Sunflower Hostel in Berlin. This arty hostel is buzzing with life, with colourful murals on every flat surface, from the familiar – Bert and Ernie – to random (e.g. marine theme). Our six-bed dorm was the Tintin room, warm and bright with timber bunks and an outdoor balcony.

    sunflower hostel east berlin tintin dorm room

    Best common facilities

    Belford Hostel, Edinburgh

    The best hostel common facilities were definitely at Belford Hostel in Edinburgh. It’s housed in an ancient, drafty, gothic church. Atmosphere in spades. But more importantly, there’s a huge fully equipped kitchen, even a communal cupboard with some cooking basics and free fruit; beautiful bathrooms; a TV/game room; pool table; and bar.

    Belford Hostel, in an old church in Edinburgh

    Looking to book a hostel? Check out Booking.com.

    What’s the best hostel you’ve ever stayed in? Please share!

    The form you have selected does not exist.

    • Previous
    Next