Browsing tag: blogging

You’ve probably already seen the 7 Links project on a few blogs. It’s all pretty self-explanatory, really. I get to look back over my writing and alternately cringe or smile; you get to hopefully read something awesome you missed first time around.

My most beautiful post

Oh dear, already so indecisive. Okay, I’m going with this: My first love was a practice run. This was one of those beauties that just flowed from my fingers – I was in the zone. It’s also one of my more honest posts; opening up online always makes me a teensy bit nervous as to how readers will react. An honourable mention goes to this one: On choices, mortality and nearly losing it all – a bit of prose that again came from a burst of nervous inspiration.

My most popular post

For some reason, my most viewed post is Loving my iPod: a potted history of my relationship with music. As to the one which elicited the most responses, I think my most commented-on post is the proposal post. But it’s mainly about Wellington. Seriously.

My most controversial post

The most polarising post to date has definitely got to be The job-you-wake-up-excited-for propaganda. So much of the rhetoric online is about burning with passion for your work, ditching the 9-5, and nomadic travel/lifestyle design. I don’t agree with all of that.

My most helpful post

I don’t really tend to do how-tos. Maybe my basic guide, How to get the most out of mystery shopping, would fit the bill.

A surprisingly successful post

Definitely one of my early ones, I’m not gonna try to be a superchef – among my top five most viewed. Also Demystifying the introvert from last month, which got Stumbled.

A post that didn’t get the attention it deserved

I did get quite a bit of reaction to That money mentality, but not as much as I anticipated. I think that’s because a) I don’t have a hardcore PF base and money is still taboo for polite discussions and b) probably not many can relate personally.

A post I’m proud of

I’m still sarcastic and prickly, but I’m no longer a total downer, as I detailed in this Reverb10 post on the best decision I ever made. I also have a soft spot for this little post, Dreams. It’s funny how they change.

Screw tagging. Do it if you want to, or not!

I really don’t have a lot to preface this with, except…WHY DOES MY IPHONE KEEP SAYING THAT THE ACCESSORY IS NOT OPTIMISED FOR THIS IPHONE? And there is NOTHING plugged into it at all. I don’t know what it’s talking about.

WORK

At Prolific Living, the secrets to staying motivated in a corporate job.

Accountant By Day asks if your side hustle is interfering with your day gig.

The importance of playing to your strengths, at Get Rich Slowly.

Jasmine on the lessons she’s learned about work and career to date.

Thousandaire explains what to do when you hate your job.

Having just returned from a trip, Yes and Yes’ profile of a flight attendant really intrigued me.

When do you stop working for free? Rachel Hills chimes in.

Some resume-writing tips, courtesy of Publishing Trendsetter.

MONEY

Ever heard of negative budgeting? Via Get Rich Slowly.

Young and Thrifty explains how to avoid frugal fatigue.

LIFE

Finding time for fitting in all your hobbies, via Peace and Projects.

Amber shares some milestones on her quest to find balance.

Financial Samurai on increasing motivation and the will to succeed.

Stephany offers some tips on downsizing your living space.

Interesting post on the gay man-straight man friendship, via Blue Milk.

Some love isn’t meant to last forever, says NYC Love Addict.

Little Miss Moneybags talks wardrobe building.

Zen Habits writes about effortless decision-making.

Hilarious and true: Good Wife Bad Wife, by Newlyweds on a Budget.

FOOD

Two gorgeous and separate dinner bowls, at Dinner: A Love Story.

One of my fave recipes for asparagus parallels this bean recipe from Just a Titch.

Closet Cooking’s version of butter chicken.

 

SO glad this week was over. I resorted to a half glass of wine on Friday. Yeah, you know that shiz is serious when I’m dipping into the vino (luckily there was chard available, which I can almost stomach).

On the bright side, I managed to get Foo Fighters tickets (YEAH! Now I just need the Chilis to come back and I’ll die happy), made my first designer purchase (an everything under $150 sale – was a little intimidating in there, but I got in and got out and spent $60 on a dress instead of the original $149), and yep, we splashed out and bought Guitar Hero. One pack was $149, the other a mere $29. STEAL. Not that I really need another reason to procrastinate from picking up my actual guitar, or the mostly-for-decoration ukulele we bought in Raro. (I cannot figure out the tuning; it sounds basically like the EADG guitar tuning rather than the standard uke tuning most sites throw up. What gives?)

Speaking of work-appropriate clothing, is there any such attire that DOES NOT require handwashing – or worse, drycleaning? GAH.

LIFE

Opposites attract: Geek in Heels is in basically the same relationship as me! She also tackles parenting and the thorny topic of physical discipline.

“One of my biggest struggles has always been reconciling who I am with who I want to be.” Always love Clare at Never Niche.

“Here’s to resilience, to the power of choice, and to making the most of every precious moment we’re given.” Ditto Emily Jane.

Ambition is a double-edged sword, says Krystal.

Manda gets stuck into the patriarchal aspect of Chinese culture.

Give yourself permission to relax, via Nicole is Better.

And a few tips for flathunting, at Totally Money.

MONEY

Great title! When the overdraft is overrated, at Minting Nickels.

Walking in Heels says sometimes it pays to focus on the big picture to enjoy small pleasures.

Financial Samurai reviews his midyear goals.

WORK

A Lotta Lettuce shares the story of how she landed her first job.

There are costs involved with almost any job – quite a lot if you’re a teacher, as Ninja’s wife writes.

Some thoughts by Nicole and Maggie on being a woman in the workforce.

Marian explains everything you’d ever need to know about using Help a Reporter Out.

FOOD

Kyla Roma whips up leeks, blue cheese and bruschetta on toast.

Hungry and Frozen tackles a chocolate fudge pie.

Lastly, a raspberry coffee cake courtesy of The Joy of Caking.

As a media professional, it hurts me to see wannabe professional writers/bloggers writing for content mills (and bragging about it). Look, I know we all have to start somewhere, but content mills are not the place to stay. Instead, look to Carol Tice’s blog for ideas on getting better-paying work (she’s a great resource for freelance writers).

Over at Give Me Back My Five Bucks, Krystal explains how she got her first job post-graduation.

My Pretty Pennies says life is like a game of snakes and ladders.

Here is a great example of prose (bonus, it’s a love story).

No guilt. Read what makes you feel good, via Baking and Books.

Happiness takes both effort and planning, writes First Gen American.

Eat Move Write takes on  the topic of interracial relationships

And finally, Perfectly Cursed Life compares (in table form!) what we thought adulthood would be like, vs the reality.

 

 

I have had Buffy‘s last three seasons on DVD for about six months.I have only just finished one of those seasons. While my generous friend is very patient and polite, I feel he thinks I’m taking an unreasonable amount of time to get through them.

What can I say? Clearly Buffy is not a priority for me as much as I want to finish the series. These are my first few actual weekends off, and they’re being spent catching up with friends, couple time, long overdue errands and general life/house keeping. I’ve still not yet been to the dentist (planning to wait till after our holiday, though this damn ash cloud is casting doubt over that!!!), the farmer’s market, made bread, or even picked up my guitar. I want to do everything. I also know that this is impossible. I think learning CSS will have to wait (I thought the new job was a perfect impetus to get going on that but if I have many more weeks like this, there just aren’t enough hours to do this properly) and photography will also have to go on the back burner for sure.

However, I appreciate what I have. Despite having to listen to various interns talk about their six-week semester break, having also seen a couple of people lose their jobs recently (the reality is I could very well be made redundant at least once in this industry), I realise I would rather have too little free time than too much at this stage.

Also, thanks to Stupid Cents for hosting this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance! Yours truly is in there with this cautionary tale explaning how your credit is like your virginity.

MONEY

Love this highly motivational post on reframing the way you think about money. “Look at it this way – there is someone in your field who makes ten to twenty times as much as you do, and she does this using skills that are better – but not actually ten to twenty times better – than yours. That woman was born a drooling, incontinent baby just like everyone else. So, there’s nothing she’s done that you can’t. But you won’t become her if you keep doing the same damn thing for the same damn amount of money all the damn time.” (I like how Jen also puts paid to the “finish your plate because there are starving kids in the world” argument.)

Young and Thrifty ties in the Vancouver riots with her take on why she’d rather not grow up wealthy.

Lessons learned from the NFL lockout, via You Have More Than You Think.

New homeowner Tracey asks how long it took before your newly-mortgaged budget loosened up a little.

A Lotta Lettuce kicks off her series on planning a wedding on a budget.

WORK

Amanda argues at some point, it’s time to settle down and pick a career path for practical reasons.

What do you do when work invades your dreams? Also, see “how to manage your boss“.

Yes, yes and yes! Just because it’s a hobby doesn’t make it a career path (via After Graduation).

At Get Rich Slowly: Hourly or salary – which do you prefer?

As someone who also sits at a desk for most of her working day, I enjoyed Funny About Money’s post on standing desks and slow death.

LIFE

Fellow lifelong readers, you should read Amanda’s loving homage to books – it really does sadden me to come across people who don’t enjoy reading at all.

Jasmine and I apparently share many of the same problems which hinder us making new girlfriend bonds (Seriously, I think I could have written that post).

Also see this from Amanda at Stratejoy on engineering your own happiness (which you might have seen me tweet about).

FOOD

Cate shares another vegetarian goodie: falafel patties! I just bought a food processor, so I’ll be trying this.

From Iowa Girl Eats, a bright and colourful summer salad including bacon.

Make your own curry powder with this Ten Ingredient Project recipe.

Here’s a question for ya: What numbers do you know by heart? Your phone number, obviously (well, unless you are also known by the title of eemusings’ fiance). Your age. Your total of serious relationships. But do you know your bank account number? Your credit card number? Your IRD (or social security) number? You driver’s licence number?

I have all of those, except the last, stowed away in my brain. They’re pretty handy to have on hand; I even used to know T’s bank details by heart, but haven’t had to bust that knowledge out for a while. I even used to know the number of my eftpos card, because it’s what’s used to verify you when you call up my bank on the phone, but I so rarely use phone banking and those cards are so flimsy that I’ve been through too many since high school to keep up. Heck, I used to call up the ASB line in my telemarketing days when I wanted to look busy but couldn’t deal with actually making a call. Yep, I was a model employee. And now I think back and realise they probably were monitoring our dialled numbers on a screen in the back office. Whoops.

MONEY

Bigger isn’t always better – Ninja lists a few instances when the opposite is true.

Newlyweds on a Budget blogs about facing up to her own debt.

Fabulously Broke shares the five stupid things she wastes money on.

WORK

Walk away if you want to love your job. Via MML.

Kevin walks us through acing an interview by making the most of your seemingly unrelated experience.

Rachel Hills on finding a mentor in the media industry.

Cheryl Yeoh compares the SF and NY areas and explains why she chose not to base her startup in Silicon Valley.

And a nice read on finding your path in publishing.

LIFE

YES. “There’s such a fine line between being happy with what you have and striving for continuous improvement.” Like me, Laura at Stratejoy has trouble toeing that line.

Stephany recounts a darker side of high school.

Couldn’t agree more. Donna Freedman reminds us why it pays to check your spam.

When is it appropriate to lie to kids? At Perfectly Cursed Life.

If you have any experience with PCOS, you should talk to Caroline, who just got diagnosed.

FOOD

It’s no secret that salads aren’t top of my list, but this Mediterranean version from Lisa is tempting my tastebuds.

Zucchini lasagne, courtesy of Not Eating Out in NY, sounds intriguing.

And finally, Cate shares a scrummy looking recipe for tomato parmesan risotto.

This week, I really needed a dishwasher. And a dryer. After a brief welcome-to-winter heat spell, we reclaimed the title of rainiest city. (Perhaps it’s foolhardy not to fork out for a dryer, but it’s such a big expense and environmentally unfriendly.)

And for those who asked, I was previously working at a news website (hence the shift work; although I will miss that buzz and the feeling of being part of something larger and more important than myself – the news waits for no one) and am now at a magazine publisher.

FOOD

An easy-peasy butter chicken recipe courtesy of Fru-girl.

Mmmm. Vegetable deep dish pizza, at Lisa’s Foods on the Move.

Wandering Food Lover presents a refreshing summer chicken salad.

Someone please try Poor Girl Eat Well’s fruity ice cream and report back!

Peanut butter and chocolate is one of my favourite combinations ever (think PB cups and buckeyes). And now, Iowa Girl’s crispy choc/PB cups.

WORK/MONEY

Some interesting thoughts on interviewing and how to get people to talk to you, at Business Journalism.

We all have those moments of financial panic, writes After Graduation.

Should Funny About Money buy a new car?

Pretty Young Professional’s sage advice on choosing between job offers.

LIFE

Cordelia outlines her plan for her summer of “free Fridays”.

Geek in Heels wonders if perhaps she peaked too early (I can certainly relate).

Drug tests for beneficiaries – are you for or against? Via Serendipity Smalls.

Pushing Thirtyy talks reunions and the roles we play in each other’s lives.

Trashy family with hearts of gold, vs snobbish to-be-in-laws? Who is this doppelganger of mine? I knew I had to read this week’s APW Ask Team Practical.

Hello Sunday. I’ve got nothing left, guys. Here it is!

WORK

Me in Millions is doing a 30 Days on the Job series – here’s the first installment. Join in!

Pretty Young Professional explains exactly how to ask contacts to help with job searching.

Via Business for Good, not Evil: Should salaries be public?

LIFE

FrGal has tips on where to spend and where to splurge on skincare.

A little hate is healthy, writes LivItLuvIt.

Laura ponders getting a PhD in the current state of academia.

FOOD

Mexican black bean pizza, courtesy of Cate.

It’s the wrong season for me, but perhaps you could try this berry cheesecake tart?

This is more like it for winter. Potato and cauliflower curry

I love salmon, but T finds it tasteless…I should probably make Iowa Girl’s recipe sometime when it’s just me.

So, somewhere along the way I missed my milestone 1000th post. Oops. It might have been the hot mess that was jury duty. The brief reappearance of my ex best friend in my life, which made me yearn for days gone by. The reappearance of my heinous ex-flatmate (the one who owes me nearly $1000), and who plays a similar role (ex best friend) in T’s life, who managed to leave me phoneless (permanently) and keyless (temporarily) this week. Don’t even ask. Or T driving out to his sister’s at 10pm on a Tuesday night so she could use the car to go food shopping once she got paid, and coming home with a smashed window and stolen GPS (yes, the GPS I bought for our summer road trip) and MP3 player. Pardon me, but FOR FUCK’S SAKE. When does it stop?

I also attended an industry event this week (one I’ve always wanted to go to) which left me with sore feet and a sore head. The thing you notice at these kinds of functions is the lifetime achievement types they honour are always old, white men. Much like how the upper echelons of management, I suppose. Having a multicultural group of friends and having come from a very diverse school, it was a big shock to me when I embarked on my degree and found myself in a very, very small minority among mostly blonde, tanned, coiffed, affluent girls. And ever since, in the professional world, I’ve been surrounded almost entirely by Anglo faces. I had gotten so used to this that last night it suddenly occurred to me that aside from myself, pretty much the only other ethnic types in sight were the waitstaff (incidentally, I’m more used to being on that side of the table, having worked in event hospitality – and I always go to great lengths to make life easier for them and give them easy access to the table). One day, I hope we’ll see more diversity being applauded up on stage for their life’s work.

Anywho, for all my rambling, it’s pretty short and sweet this week. Heck, I’m not even going to bother with categories. Enjoy!

Some people get married for college money; Kevin at Thousandaire asks, would you?

Ms Career Girl dishes out some advice about transitioning into an entirely new field.

Neurotic Workaholic blogs on the economic realities of working in academia.

Bri at Stratejoy shares some day-before-the-wedding insights.

And as Heather Rae says, sometimes everything has to fall apart before you can move forward.