2008 - Worth The Wait?

Good riddance 2007, hello 2008!

Last year wasn't an easy one, with some major lows but fortunately some highs too, which kept me sane! Hopefully there will be more highs this year for me.

I welcomed in the new year quietly - in fact, I was driving as the clock struck midnight so it was the first time I was sober on New Year's Eve for a loooong time!

I thought long and hard about making resolutions (teetotalism was considered but what's the point in making a resolution if you know you're gonna break it!?) and eventually had to split them into groups:

Short Term:
- No chocolate until Easter (I'm not a chocolate person but I think I ate too much last year)
- No clothes shopping until April - I have nothing to wear but....


Long Term:
- Budget - in a major way, watch my spending
- No buying books aside from two books from a charity shop for holiday purposes - use library
- No buying CDs - use library
- No buying stuff on Ebay - try to sell a couple of items a month

I've also set a couple of personal goals for myself which I don't want to share here - not yet anyway.

Are they life-changing? To me, perhaps they are or will be - I dunno.

Anyone else bother making resolutions?

Too Fast

After a really tough week at work, the weekend seems to have just flown by, in the blink of an eye.

Still, I've managed to catch up on some sleep, had a bit of time to do some reading, sold some stuff on Ebay and posted it out, even did a little housework and made a start on organising my paperwork. But it's the evening already and then the working week begins all over again. I need to book a day off soon.

I've missed the glamorous C not being around - her chatting about what she gets up to in her life distracts me from work and my own problems. Otherwise I just end up dwelling and brooding on stuff and this is sad but I had dreams about work last week and woke up thinking about work too. Hmmm. Anyway, she's back next week (I think) so it'll be good to catch up.

Not blogged about the rabbit in a while - little Casper is all grown up now and is still such a cute bunny. It's quite therapeutic having him running around in the kitchen (he's house-trained) although you can't be cooking or anything as he just gets under your feet.

Anyway, gonna try and chill for the rest of the evening - hope everyone had a good one!

Shop Shop Shop

Nine more days before I get paid and my bank account is looking seriously grim.

But that didn't stop me going for one last look at the sales in the shops - I went on a spending splurge towards the end of last year and am finding it hard to stop.

I did pick up some bargains and they were all kinda things that I 'needed' - a pair of boots (the ankle variety), a memory card for my digital camera, calendar for work, sports skirt, Christmas cards for next year (nowt like a bit of forward planning...).

I really could do with new work clothes but that's it, no shopping now for a couple of months... at least until I get my finances a little straighter.

I'd better include online/ebay shopping too - too easy to get carried away when things can be yours at the click of a mouse button!

Hello 2007!

Happy New Year to you all!

My New Year's Resolutions:

1. To not buy any books for myself until I've read all my unread books in the house.

2. To sell at least two items per month on Ebay - need to get rid of stuff...

3. To be more organised with my paperwork at home.

The last one is the tough one. Don't even know where to start...

Is It Nearly Over Yet?

Bah Humbug, etc!


With our Xmas buffet and the Secret Santa at work over and done with (I got some nice toiletries from my Secret Santa, which was far more desirable and a lot less embarrassing than the Ann Summers nipple tassles that one of the girls got as a present...and yes, she did give us a twirl, fully clothed of course!), have a nice long weekend to relax, and then I'm back in the office next week.


I'm actually looking forward to it in a perverse kinda way - no traffic on the roads and time to catch up on my backlog of work. Well that's the plan anyway.

Ventured into Manchester City Centre today briefly and strangely, it wasn't as busy as I thought it would be - perhaps most of the people of Manchester haven't left all their shopping til the last minute. Although there could be a mad rush tomorrow?

Anyway, around this time last year, I bought my pink mobile phone. I didn't think I would want to upgrade it but a year later, I couldn't resist so I now have a very nice Motorola Krzr K1. Bigger memory, better camera, screen is smaller but sharper, and not as ubiquitous as the Razr. Shame I lost a lot of my archived texts when I transferred the sim card - could have done with being warned beforehand that that would happen.

Well, the day is fast approaching - I hope it will be Ho Ho Ho and not Boo Hoo Hoo...bah humbug!

Resolute about Resolutions

My New Year Resolutions for 2006:

1. Do at least two lots of exercise per week, which must include at least one gym session.

2. Diligently use my filofax (newly acquired in the sales) to attempt to make my life more organised and less haphazard.

3. Sell at least two items on Ebay per month and buy no more than one item per month -I'm trying to get rid of stuff, not accumulate more...

Of the three, I think No.2 will be the easiest one to stick to but let's see if I can make it to the first quarter of the year without breaking any...

10

Ten things that have happened since I last blogged on Boxing Day (in no particular order):

1. I drove down to Surrey - probably the furthest south (of England) that I've ever driven to
2. I went to see the musical 'Fame' - bit different from the old tv show but was good anyway
3. I bought a Denby teapot for my sis as a housewarming gift
4. Liverpool notched up 10 straight Premiership wins with clean sheets
5. I braved the sales on Oxford Street in London
6. I ate at 'Yo Sushi' in Selfridges - how can raw fish taste so good?
7. I did some gardening - a first and last for me this year
8. I put two items for sale on Ebay
9. I didn't check my bank balance once as I knew it wouldn't look pretty
10. The boyfriend got laid off work.... :(

And on that note, I hope 2006 will be a better year for all!

Easy Time

I'm one of those people who, when the battery runs out in my watch, I never get round to replacing it. I have been without a watch for nearly two years.

This week, I suddenly got fed up - maybe it was cos I couldn't find my mobile phone to see what the time was - so I went to Google and typed in "cheap watch".

The first link on the search was Ebay. The second one was surprisingly EasyWatch.com. Is there anything Easy don't do??

Today, two days later, I got a new watch (water resistant to 50m, fact fans) for £9.95, postage free.

Sorted!

* * Happy Birthday to Me! * *

Yes, I'm a year older today - was that an extra wrinkle I spotted as I looked in the mirror this morning? Another grey hair? EEK! I don't look too bad for my age I suppose.

As it's the boyfriend's birthday tomorrow, we had a little joint celebration last night - we were going to eat at our fave Mexican restaurant, but it was fully booked, so we ended up in Pizza Hut. Had a yummy "low-fat" pizza and then we went to the cinema to see 'Kingdom of Heaven', which was alright. Realistic fighting/gore, nice lead in Orlando Bloom, though he wasn't very believable as a blacksmith, being a little on the skinny side! Strange how religion was so bloody in those days and it still is now...nothing has changed.

Couldn't book the day off work today so I just brought in a load of chocolate goodies (for both my old and new dept). Me, I just nibbled on two biscuits, avoided all the chocs. All the Indian members of the team came up to shake my hand and wish me 'Happy Birthday', which was very nice. Had various text messages and overseas calls too.

Presents? Well, my main present is my iRiver mp3 player (separate post on that, when I get it out of the box!) from my sisters. New swanky designer purse, also from one of the sisters. Got the 'Alias' DVD season 2 , plus puzzle book and a posh yoga mat (and bag) from the boyfriend. Am planning to do at least one session of yoga at home each week....

Also coincidentally, my Liverpool v AC Milan football programme that I won on eBay arrived today. Didn't pay too much over the odds for it, so I'm well chuffed!

Near-Mint...for collectors!

Came across Near-Mint recently, a new online collectible auctions site.

Here's the blurb taken straight from the site:

"What is Near Mint? Near Mint is more than an online auction company - Near Mint supports the collectible scene. It offers dealers and collectors a space in which to trade in the style they have become accustomed through other sites but in a more tailored, focused and uncluttered environment. "

Having bought and sold over eBay for nearly 5 years, I've found that the experience is getting more difficult and less enjoyable as there's now too much for sale, loads of dodgy/copied stuff (especially from Far East sellers, who are listed as being in the UK but always seem to ship from Hong Kong or Singapore...)

Ok, so the Near-Mint listings are far from cluttered...some might say a little sparse at the moment, with little activity. But given time and support, I think this could work.

I for one will list some stuff on there in the near future, taking advantage of the v low listing costs (in fact, mostly free!).

A great bit of the Near-Mint site is its encyclopedia section - all you wanted to know about collectible stuff, from comics, trading cards, through to computer gaming and autographs.

Check it out!

New Mobile Phone...soon!

Woohoo, I ordered my new mobile phone online - it's a Motorola V620 and should be arriving later this week. Once I've checked everything's ok, then I'll have to wrap it up, cos it's a Christmas present from me to me! :D

It looks so cool, I can't wait. Will be better model than the boyfriend's phone - hehe! ;)

Hurray!

But BOOOOO! Noticed today that the company firewall no longer allows access to eBay any more - spoil sports!

Meant that I ended up browsing Amazon and spending more money!

Ebay rant...

eBay used to be great - I still love buying and selling things on there but me and the boyfriend are more wary now as we have come across more and more idiots who don't have a clue what they are doing. There's newbies and there's idiots...it's the idiots that pi** me off.

My sis asked me to sell a pc game for her, so I took a photo of it and put it on eBay. The game was Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, starting price £4.99, Buy Now price of £8.99 - a bargain if I say so myself! Unfortunately for me, an idiot bought it with the Buy Now option and then mailed me saying that she'd just noticed that I didn't accept PayPal and that she wasn't going to buy it as she only paid via PayPal. The idiot should have read my auction details before bidding!

Not wanting any hassle, I decided to allow her to pay by PayPal, even though this meant that I would be losing out due to PayPal fees which you now cannot pass onto the buyer. Two weeks later still no payment - I mailed the idiot, she said her PayPal account was under review and she would contact me once it was sorted. Another week later, I mailed her and she said it wasn't sorted so I said that she had to send me a payment via other means, cheque or postal order.

A month after she had won my auction, the idiot sent me a cheque, which was put into my bank the following day. Out of courtesy, I mailed her to confirm that I'd received her payment. She mailed me back asking me to send her the game immediately and I replied saying that I needed to wait for her cheque to clear in a few days before I did so. The idiot didn't understand and said that cheques didn't take so long to clear and that she would report me to eBay. I replied that it took her a month to send me any payment so I had shown her more than a little patience, she should show me some too. The idiot replied that she hoped she didn't have to give negative feedback.. OUTRAGEOUS! If she were in front of me now, I would have slapped some sense in to her idiotic face!

The cheque cleared and I sent the game out by Recorded Delivery - again, out of courtesy, I emailed her the tracking number.

Several days later, out of curiosity, I wondered what would happen if I keyed the tracking number into the Royal Mail website. I got the following message:

"We have tried to deliver your item from our PORTSMOUTH Delivery Office before 14:00 on 17/11/04 and we have left a while you were out card. "

I hope the idiot remembers to collect the game within a week otherwise it will returned to me. What really annoys me is that I am entitled to give this idiot negative feedback, but know for a fact that she will leave one back for me in spite, when I will not have deserved one.

AARGGHH! :(

Gripped by the Force...

After playing our first Star Wars miniature battle, the boyfriend and I were gripped by some powerful unseeing force that compelled us to scan Google to see where we could buy more miniatures!

Needless to say we found an American site and ended up ordering $4o worth of miniatures (about a dozen characters), which will include an ultra rare Han Solo for me! The bf has gone for a "big" miniature (if that exists) of a sandtrooper on top of some beastie...

It was way past bedtime by the time we finished ordering, hence I'm knackered today and deffo had trouble getting out of bed!

Would be interesting to see if MR's Andy is collecting them/playing the game, but she hasn't replied to my last email - mebbe she's still mad at what happened at the school reunion but it's daft to let something like this spoil our friendship that has lasted over 20 years!?

The bf phoned me in the afternoon to say that he's just won 3 Star Wars Rebel Force booster packs - omigod, he's got it bad! Told him that was enough, otherwise we could go the same way we did with Magic the Gathering and spend a fortune on cards...

What's in the parcel?

The boyfriend called me - said I had a parcel! Ooh ooh - will it be my Star Wars Miniature game, or my Pure digitial radio I won off eBay?? Can't wait to get home to see which it is! In a way, I hope it's the game, so we can have a go this evening.

Didn't go to the pub for lunch - AM only had half an hour for lunch and J was still in a meeting. Had a healthy salad for lunch.

4 hours to go til hometime! Woohoo!

Bloated

It's a colleague's birthday today and she brought some cakes in. I just had to tuck into a fresh cream doughnut and now I feel ill and bloated.... serves me right! :( God knows how many steps I'll have to do to get rid of all those calories! Just as well I'm just having soup for tea tonight. Will have to make sure I have a really good gym session this week.

Tweaked the blog side column, adding the AuctionSniper icon and link. I won my Battle of the Planets DVD Boxset using the Sniper, so I think it's great, although probably really annoying for people who don't use them and keep losing out on eBay in the dying seconds of the auction.

The boyfriend is at hospital today - hope all's ok, although he didn't know if it was an appointment for his eye or his stomach! Will find out later.

Applied for the Wimbledon tennis public ballot - hope I'll be lucky again.

Monday Monday...

My least favourite day came and went...quickly...woo hoo! :)

MR emailed me...she's not happy; said Andy had hurt his wrist, that the boyfriend shouldn't have done anything and that we should have just ignored the whole situation. Thing is...how long do you have to "ignore " before the intimidation and bullying stops? It's been going on since school and now continues into adult life?? I didn't say anything more but just apologised and said I hoped everything was ok.

Showed my reunion fotos to colleagues - they too noticed that some people looked a LOT older than I did - they also pointed out that a lot of the woman were BIG!

The bf cooked tea - some indian ready meals - yummy! :) I am just so full now...

Checked online for a portable digital radio - meant to buy one for my birthday (a present from the sibs in HK) but never got round to it. Am looking for a Pure one and am watching one on eBay. See if I can pick it up for around £80, which is an ok price.

Steps today - 2951 - not bad, need to get it up to at least 3000 a day for starters I think.

Stuff on eBay

The morning's whizzed by really quickly, not really achieved much either. At lunchtime, in between checking out Friends Reunited, put on a few things for sale on eBay - the Sheep game for the Gameboy Advance and also the Wormwood book. Think I will start doing this more, ie sell my books after I've read them, if I don't plan to re-read them or pass them to my sis to read. Even if I just get 99p for them, then it gets the book out of the house and perhaps a good rating for my ebay ID.

Slow Start to the Day

Hmm...I'd meant to get up early and get loads of stuff done, but it's 11.52am and I'm still in my dressing gown, drinking a mug of tea and sorting out some Phoenix turns. I'd woken up around 9am and stayed in bed to finish Wormwood by GP Taylor. Must say that I really enjoyed it, it was well written, with a touch of horror and religion, mixed in with magic. The ending came suddenly and I hope there will be another installment, as I'd love to know what happens next.

Also, my Lian Hearn books have sold on eBay, so I'll need to get those packaged off.

Guess I'd better get moving as I know I'll be in a rush later as we get ready to go to Wales. I sent a text to MR telling her what time we'd be arriving - no reply, hope she hasn't changed her mind as I'll be well pissed off!

Oh yeah, my updated driving licence has arrived and woohoo, they've put a new photo in that actually looks like me and looks ok! My passport also arrived yesterday, so all is not lost for the Royal Mail!

Anyway, best get moving, got a wash to put in, washing up to do, shopping in Tescos, clothes to iron and need time to make myself beautiful - a lot of time...LOL! ;)