When I have kids, you can bet that they will be a good few years apart in age.

T and I spent Anzac Day with his three nieces and one nephew. The older two are in double digits, just, and the younger two around 1 and 2. The littlest is EXHAUSTING. He runs absolutely everywhere and doesn’t seem to tire; most of our excursion to Western Springs (a park surrounding a giant pond/lake filled with ducks, swans, eels and other aquatic life) was spent chasing his speedy little person as he hurtled toward the water. His sister is about a year older, and, thankfully, a little calmer. One adventurous pair of pattering legs is tiring enough to keep up with.

My brother and I were six years apart, which I think was too much. I have to admit, I was kind of a bad sister. I had (and still have) pretty much no experience with younger children. And I was horrible to him; for the most part, I didn’t want anything to do with him at all. I remember lots of yelling and hitting, though for the life of me now I couldn’t tell you what one of those fights was about. So every time T berated one of the older girls for not helping out with their siblings, I couldn’t help but feel guilty for how selfish I was back in the day.

CARNIVALS THIS WEEK

Thanks KNS Financial for hosting last week’s Yakezie carnival! He included my post on employment and independence.

And Jacob at My Personal Finance Journey hosted the Totally Money carnival, along with my post ruminating on how winning the lottery (even though I don’t play) would change my life.

LINKS

Scary, sobering, craziness over Klout. *smh*

Lindy at Minting Nickels shares some lessons on buying a new car.

A sweet chili chicken rice bowl from Closet Cooking.

Poor Girl Eats Well shares a recipe for spicy Thai basil beef.

Smitten Kitchen whips up some classic ice cream sandwiches.

Finally…

I was approached by Alan Akina of Hawaii’s 101 Financial this month, who’s launching an e-book on personal finance for the working middle-class. It’s short, digestible and comes with worksheets and links to videos (warning: there is, IMO, excessive life-storying to wade through before the practical stuff kicks in, if you want to skip the narrative). It’s very much for beginners looking to get the basics down and nudge their finances into shape. I do like his top five money principles: money in, money out, money we owe, money to grow and money to share. Snappy, huh? You can grab a copy for free on May 1 at SuperDuperSimpleBooks.com.

And in other news, I cracked 100,000 all-time blog views this week!

Thanks so much for reading along; I appreciate each and every new subscriber, follower and commenter. If you’re a lurker, why not choose today to de-lurk and say hi? 🙂

Today I’m over at Cordelia Calls It Quits, with a guest post on blogging jealousies and dealing to the green-eyed monster – getting back in touch with what I love about blogging and saying fuck it to the endless game of numbers.

I’m ALSO featured at Girl with the Red Hair, where Amber interviewed me about what I do for a living.

These are two of my favourite blogs, so be sure to head on over and have a peek round.

To new readers, greetings! Hope you’ll stick around for a while.

By way of introduction, I’m a 2o-something from New Zealand. As an introvert in the creative industries, a blog was a natural outlet (seeing as I’ve been messing around on the internet for over a decade and writing for publication for a little less than that) occasionally (okay, once) sharing cool things I’ve worked on elsewhere.

I blog about money, careers, relationships, travel and all the other spices of 20-something life (with frequent forays into recipes I’ve tried or books I’ve read) and you can check out some of my top posts here. While I have a particular passion for personal finance, money isn’t everything; I’m trying to live for today while saving for tomorrow, finding some balance while still getting ahead. Right now, I’m dabbling in a spot of wedding planning, but my eye is on the bigger prize – travel and eventually buying a house.

Enjoy!

You know the great thing about conferences these days?

If you can’t afford to make it, there, these days you can soak up most of the talks for free afterward. Lately, I’ve been catching up on SxSW podcasts and Webstock presentations.

At one of the events I was at recently, David Lawee, a VP at Google, talked a bit about the early days of the internet industry. That took me right back to my early days of running a website, submitting it to Lycos, Altavista, and all the others for indexing – meta tagging, and other primitive SEO.

Yep, back when Google just had a funny name and it seemed the search game was overcrowded. So when exactly did it all consolidate and how did Google overtake all the others? I don’t personally recall – I just know that at some point, Google became the default for me and everyone else I knew. (Anybody remember this period more clearly?) Those guys really had a clear dream – that information is everything, and that organising it could do great things for humanity.  Another speaker, Dev Paitnaik, recounted a great anecdote in which Sergey Brin told the story of a person who managed to save his father’s life (the dude had a heart attack) by quickly Googling CPR and clicking I’m Feeling Lucky. What a powerful, persuasive argument.

But as corporations do, it seems Google is losing its way, and Gizmodo had a great piece on why this is.

You know what else occurred to me?

At these kinds of seminars, you hear about the power of storytelling – that we forget how to tell stories and have to relearn it as adults. I’m fortunate that I get to do that every day. And you hear all about how to be a better leader, inspire a workforce, etc. Conscious capitalism. Social responsibility. Ethical business. All the buzzwords, and more.

But really. Is it so hard to act decently? So hard to be human? Do we so quickly forget? Corporate douchebaggery, as I alluded to the other day, is pervasive. Surely it seems obvious to any sane person that we treat others how we want to be treated. Business shouldn’t be any different.

That said, I’m optimistic. Companies as old as IBM are getting into social innovation. Gen Y is entrepreneurial and effecting change from the ground up. Eventually, the old guard will fade out – and, hopefully, responsible, ethical, sustainable business will be the norm, not the exception.

To the links!

Thanks to Money Q&A for featuring my post on finding meaning in your work in the latest Yakezie Carnival.

How many financial ‘ladders’ do you have? Via Bucksome Boomer.

Aloysa at My Broken Coin reckons Pinterest could help you save money.

Miss T offers up some down to earth advice on networking.

How freelancers can keep in touch with professional contacts, from Dollars and Deadlines.

At Ms Career Girl, three tips for figuring out when it’s time to quit the ‘dream’ job.

And Zen Habits has a ‘do what you love’ guide.

Thinking of entering a helping profession? A guest post at So Over Debt explains what you need to know.

Brazen Careerist has four mistakes we often make in changing jobs.

Yes and Yes features a financial dominatrix (something I’d never heard of before) and also explains how to get a job with a liberal arts degree.

Ever feel overwhelmed by all the good things happening to you? Jess at Makeunder My Life does.

Suba at Wealth Informatics explains how to use a Not-To-Do list to get more done.

Excellent advice for sensitive types at Smart, Pretty Awkward (and if you have any tips on learning not to sweat the small stuff, please let me know!)

This is the first 9-5 job I’ve had where the office shuts on holidays, and because of something some of my American Twitter buddies said last week, I thought we only had a three-day weekend. Then a Kiwi Twitter friend tweeted about Monday being the real sloth day, which then prompted me to actually Google and discover that yes, Easter = four days off! Two short weeks in a row!

And what’s more, the weather turned it up. It was like the summer we never had.

But we didn’t do ANYTHING for it. This frustrated me. T spent a bunch of time mucking around doing stuff for some friends, who then became our (unwanted) house guests for most of the weekend. Normal people hang out with friends and go home at the end of the day. These peeps hang out here for days on end and sleep on the couch because their home lives suck. (Let’s not even get into addressing that or even the idea of fixing it.)

In short, it took a PMS-y me having a mini breakdown over my broken phone/not doing anything and making most of the beautiful weather/interlopers to get through to him. Did I mention my  iPhone stopped charging? I was phoneless from Saturday night through to Thursday night, when I finally picked up a $39 cheapie to get me through. This week, hopefully, will be the week to get it fixed. I mostly miss being able to catch up on the day’s news in bed in the morning/check social media and email on the go/be able to jot down blog and work ideas while walking home/use my awesome supermarket shopping checklist app. Analogue life is quaint indeed.

A short roundup this week:

The Totally Money blog carnival at Stupid Cents included my post, Life planning on crack.

Bridget lays out how to live on no money after graduation.

Meg meets someone with a very different perspective on money and an aversion to wealth despite enjoying its trappings.

Some sane advice for wannabe travel writers. Heck, any writers at all. Writing makes for a better hobby than career. So you better darn well love it.

Untemplater lists the pros and cons of train travel.

Here’s Cate on making time for reading (something I never have trouble with, except for my university days when I barely had enough time even to sleep and eat).

And finally, a post on blending culture and customs when it comes to marriage and weddings. I was stoked to see this. Another Chinese chick from Malaysia! There are plenty of us around, but none I’ve found in the bloggy world.

Anyway, this post really got my wheels turning. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that race and culture are not major elements in our relationship. (Part of that comes down to the fact that while my parents were more tiger than Western, they’re definitely not as strait-laced as many Chinese parents are. And I am pretty much a walking banana.)

More than anything, class differences are what stand out to me. In my world, prison, tattoos, drugs and drinking problems are foreign. Babies are special, planned for, cherished; not popped out without a second thought. Houses are bought, not rented and trashed.

At our engagement party, one corner engaged in an animated discussion reminiscing about visiting incarcerated family members. The rest of us looked on and listened awkwardly. I can’t relate to discussions about cousins in rehab or being investigated for welfare fraud or taking off with the kids for the umpteenth time after another argument with their partner.

What are your thoughts on culture or class colliding in relationships?

Some weird shit has been happening in the blogging world.

First, WordPress and Google’s Blogger stopped playing nice with each other. Despite putting in the correct Captcha codes, I could not post comments on Blogger blogs using my WordPress credentials. I had to use either my Google account or Name/URL (if the latter option was even available).

Then I noticed a few blogs recently go to partial RSS all of a sudden, apparently through nothing they’d done.

(I’m curious, by the way. How do you keep up with blogs? Email? RSS? Bookmarks? Something else?)

Now WordPress isn’t playing nice, either – if you’re using an email that’s ever been associated with a WordPress or Gravatar, apparently, it will ask you to log in. Either that, or you gotta use Facebook/Twitter. Lame.

I checked my commenting settings. For wordpress.com users, there are two:

Comment author must fill out name and e-mail – When this setting is on, anyone leaving a comment will be forced to leave a name and a valid email address. If the setting is off, visitors can leave anonymous comments.

Users must be registered and logged in to comment – If this box is checked, only logged in WordPress.com users will be allowed to leave comments. If it is not checked, any visitor can leave a comment.

As per this thread, I checked, and I already had the second unselected, but now I’ve also deselected the first in an effort to make the process easier.

If you were having issues but can now comment, I’d really appreciate feedback – even just a Yes or a smiley face! Otherwise, well, perhaps it’s time to figure out my branding and consider going self-hosted…

WORK

At Fast Company, my favourite publication,we have both 8 reasons to choose a startup over a corporate, and 9 reasons to do the opposite.

Similarly, Susannah Breslin defends working for the man in her latest column.

The 99 Percent talks to some lifestyle design types (shudder) about how to do great work while travelling the world.

Five stories of graduates whose student loan debt determined their careers, via The Grindstone.

At Publishing Trendsetter: the things you enjoy may not have the broadest appeal – it’s the things others enjoy that will make you money.

Like me, Her Every Cent Counts doesn’t want to move into management.

Budgets are Sexy features a guest who moonlights as a bouncer (T has done it a couple of times, but obviously, the hours are rather crap)

So Over Debt lists 10 things that suck about job hunting.

Krystal asks: would you relocate for a better job?

How much money would it take for you to clean somebody else’s bathroom? Via She Bloggs.

The ultimate post-layoff to-do list, at Sense to Dollars.

Financial Samurai has a kickass post on what it’s like to be unemployed.

MONEY

Some tips for handling freeloading friends and family, via You Have More Than You Think.

It’s not about just increasing income or cutting costs – it’s about maximising that gap in between, says Fabulously Broke.

Budgets Are Sexy on using daily deals to make dating more fun.

Making money isn’t glamorous, says Afford Anything. Ain’t that the truth…

FOOD

Raspberry coconut macaroons. How good do those sound? At Smitten Kitchen.

Double berry oat muffins, by the Joy of Caking.

Okay, Perks of Being a Jap has convinced me to make these peanut butter cup cookies.

Chocolate peanut butter ice cream! Also, raspberry coconut loaf, both from Hungry and Frozen.

LIFE

Shannon from According to Me reflects on the then and now of her relationship.

Like Ashley, I have a complex inner life. And like her, I have trouble expressing it. I often feel like there’s no possible way I can ever be the full me, project the full me, in the real world.

I love Redhead Writing’s take on life – it’s all about filling in the blanks.

Chelsea reminds us that it’s OKAY to ask for what we want – and what we need.

In a rut? It’s okay, embrace your 20s – this is actually the most free and least stuck you’ll ever be. A rockin’ post at Thought Catalog.

Fun with search terms that brought people here!

i don’t care

Good for you! Keep up the attitude.

as you know shorthand outline

I’d write it like this. I also had a stab at writing it all in one phrasing on the right, but word groups were never my forte.

flatting with friends

That can go either way. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend it, but I’m horrendously antisocial and consider home a place to get away from everyone I know. It works for lots of other (normal?) people. At the very least, choose friends responsible with money who aren’t likely to do drugs or bring random one night stands home.

eating in vs eating out

Eating in is definitely cheaper. But I’m a fan of mixing it up.

why do people flaunt money

To feel good about themselves?

how to flaunt your money

Buy lots of crap. Preferably showy, expensive and outrageous crap. Designer clothes, vehicles, electronics, etc. And buy all the rounds at the bar.

why is the first step the hardest

Buggered if I know. I just know it is.

introverts eye contact energy conservation

YES. This is what I’m going to use in the future – I’m not looking at you, I need to conserve energy.

what to give a woman turning 23

Think less about the age and more about the person.

paying bills when strapped for money

I’m assuming you have no financial safety net. That leaves you with finding a way to quickly bring in some extra money, or borrow it. Whatever you do, please build up an emergency fund once you’re over the hump.

my fiances family is a mess

i hear you. Stay out of it as much as possible and don’t get sucked in.

i have a degree in communications now what

Hopefully you got some internships and work experience under your belt along the way, because experience (and who you know) is what counts. If you were stupid, well, it’s not too late. But seriously. I’m assuming you don’t actually know what you want to do (something you’d ideally have figured out earlier, but oh well). If you can afford to, then do lots of experience at different organisations. If you need to start bringing in money, then you’re stuck taking the first decent job that comes your way, aren’t you? But seriously, all companies need to communicate with customers, stakeholders, the media, etc. I elaborate more on career pathways in communications here.

And on that note…

WORK

Hee hee. Open letter from an English major to marketing majors, at McSweeneys.

A guide for introverts in ad agencies, but applicable to other workplaces…

In Bullish this week: Career killers you might not know are killing you.

10 reasons to have a side business going, by Thousandaire.

And … Quote of the week. Word.

“That’s the bargain with interns. Sometimes you invest a bunch of time in them teaching them how to do things that more experienced journalists already know and they give you nothing in return except a headache. If they were employees, you’d fire them, but since they’re not, you just wait to be rid of them. Sometimes they turn out to be brilliant, require minimal oversight and actually help you do your job.” From Forbes.

LIFE

At A Practical Wedding: when your husband isn’t your best friend. T and I hung out for a while briefly before we got together, and I’m sure we’d get along just fine at parties and whatnot today if we weren’t, but I don’t think we would be bonafide friends as such. Definitely agree that shared values are key. And I probably would consider him my best friend too, today.

Be a better person. Here’s how you can change the world, writes Hannah Katy.

Here are Iowa Girl’s 10 ways to spring clean your life.

How to prepare ahead of time for when you get sick, via Get Rich Slowly. Too true. We always seem to be out of soup, noodles and Panadol whenever I come down with something.

Cordelia Calls It Quits on the one and only cure for Mondayitis.

Is university worth it? You Have More Than You Think has done a pretty huge blogger survey on this topic and presents the results.

If you ever plan to go on a Serengeti safari, read this post by Moneymate Kate first.

FOOD

Lamb meatballs with lemon sauce, at $120 Food Challenge.

And Swedish Visiting Cake, via Just a Titch.

Lastly, head over to this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance, hosted by Marissa! This week I share how we make it work as a one car household.