Another year over...

So...a week into 2013, yet 2012 seems so long ago...

I had a fabulous Christmas, celebrating it in Hong Kong for the first time with the family. It was a very short but sweet trip.

One big difference I noticed was that unlike in the UK, people were not out in shopping centres in their hordes, madly looking for bargains in the sales, because there were no sales.

I also went to a shopping centre the day after Boxing Day and it was...virtually void of people, a first for me!

Another first was nearly missing my connecting transfer back to the UK - running through Zurich airport and being the last one on the plane! Phew!

So what's new for this year? I don't know really. I haven't made any resolutions, but I guess I will 'resolve' to do / not do stuff at some point.  I don't seem to have a lot of motivation at the moment so the year hasn't started with me invigorated - I think I'm suffering from jet lag and lack of exercise has made me feel lethargic!

Looking after the pennies I guess will be a big factor, as I have another trip planned soon so I can see me being in  Skintsville for the first half of the year at least. All my utility bills have gone up, or rather, all the direct debit payments have increased - bummer.

Since I've pretty much been to all the gigs I want to go to over the last few years, I guess I could save there (ie not go to any), although going to Leeds again is still on the cards, depending on who's headlining.

Keeping up this blog? I don't know that I'm ready to definitely call it a day yet but we'll see how inclined I am to update this. Maybe give this another year, dunno.

I'm still playing WoW but not so much these days. Must be starting to lose interest as I started to play another game recently, The Secret World, another MMORPG but which has no subscription fees.

Top voice characterisation (although the 'Londoners' speak like bad extras off 'Eastenders' or from 'Mary Poppins'), fantastic storyline and creepy music means I get kinda scared playing it (and there are zombies to kill), so I'm only playing it for short periods at a time (or during the day at weekends lol - I'm such a scaredy cat!)



Anyway, all the best to all for 2013!

And so...

...hope you enjoyed the new year celebrations? Another quiet one for me, at home with a bottle of wine. Boom's mum has taken a turn for the worse - I don't know how serious though... :-(

Anyway, was kinda glad to see the back of 2010 - wasn't a great year, though had its good points as well as the bad.

The Bad - my mum's illness and subsequent operation; my car accident; my teeth and the expense of sorting them out; feeling out of control at work, generally not being appreciated; not seeing Boom as much as I'd like to

The Good - my mum making a good recovery and getting on with her life; Little Sis getting married and becoming Mrs Smith (!); various gigs and shows over the year; a relaxing beach holiday on my little ownsome; getting to see Boom at all.

New Year Resolutions?

Kept to most of the ones I made last year - I'll make the usual personal/private ones but my others are:

a) - Not to buy any reading books*
b) - Make a start on sorting out my 'Financial Project' by the first quarter
c) - Not get too stressed out by b)!
d) - Gym workout twice a month, as well as my usual biweekly aerobics sessions

* Ok, you may wonder how I can keep to this resolution with my new Kindle? Well, I'll be getting Amazon vouchers from this TopCashBack scheme.  As long as I only get books using these vouchers, I'm not technically 'buying' them, am I? Or am I kidding myself, lol? Ah well, we'll see!

2009 - will things be fine...?

2007 was rather turbulent for me; I looked forward to 2008, yet was also pretty apprehensive about starting a new year as a singleton. I needn't have worried really.

Things started off well - I'd set myself new goals, achieved some of the short-term ones and felt good about myself. But as the economy nose-dived and the credit crunch took hold, things went a bit pear-shaped at work (as they have done for many other people.) I didn't get the pay rise I asked for and the axe swung over my head, only for me to get a reprieve. Good or bad? I dunno yet.

Still, I had a fabulous holiday with my best friend, had the odd pleasant distraction and the year ended a little better than I thought it would.

So, how do I face 2009? I know for a fact that it will be a bad year on the whole (financially, workwise and also, personally...), therefore I face it without fear of the unknown - I shall make the most of the good things in my life and grasp at the few opportunities that swing by. Things will be bad but they can only get better.

Thought about new year resolutions, was going to set myself some really challenging ones but the year will be challenging enough methinks, so these are the ones I've decided on (some are the same ones as last year):

Short Term:
- No buying alcohol for personal consumption at home until April (I'm sure the 2.5 litres of gin, plus other bottles of stuff will keep me going until then...)

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 and read the books gathering dust on the shelves at home

- De-clutter at least once a month - get rid of stuff on ebay/charity shops

- Be more organised with paperwork at home

- Don't get distracted at work; by this I mean the internet

Again, I've set a couple of personal goals which I shan't divulge here - they won't be easy to achieve but hey, life is a challenge or it'd be boring, right?

Anyway, amidst the doom and gloom, all the best to all for 2009 - we shall survive as there is light at the end of the long dark tunnel.

Willpower of Steel...

Primark
Debenhams
TKMaxx
Miss Selfridge
Marks & Spencers

What do these stores all have in common?

That's right, they all have brilliant sales on yet I walked right past them without stopping or buying anything!

Might not be an achievement to some but it was for me. I didn't spend anything yesterday, only used up some Boots Advantage points and I still have more to use up - yay!

A nice relaxing weekend anyway - my back is still a bit twingey from some overstretching earlier last week but that didn't stop me from meeting up with the glamorous C at the gym for some quick exercise and sauna session. We did undo some of the gym-goodness by having a curry afterwards but it was the weekend and I've been good all week!

Had a good laugh as usual and have my fingers crossed for her for some pending job contracts that she's negotiating - I know she's not really that bored with being a lady of leisure but she feels that she should be working now!

In Motion

Yesterday, I set one of my personal resolutions/goals in motion earlier than planned.

Just marking the event, nothing sinister or even remotely interesting really.

Move along now...

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?

Ho Ho Ho

Morale is still pretty low across the various departments at work but the company is trying its best to get people into the festive spirit.

There's a mini quiz every day with prizes (presented by volunteers dressed as elves), today is the Christmas lunch, which is usually good, and there's also a competition for the most festively decorated desk. This desk of a cosy fireplace is the favourite to win...


This Friday, it's the company Christmas Party but I won't be attending as our departmental Christmas Party is on the Saturday and there's no way I can attend both because:

1. I only have one outfit and no, I can’t wear a dress worn to a previous do!


2. I can't drink like that anymore!

Next week, we’ll be doing our Secret Santa, (actually Secret Satan…will post on this later), our Christmas buffet and our Christmas Quiz, which includes my annual picture quiz.

For once, I’ve done all my Christmas shopping ahead of time, bar something little for one of my neighbours who brings my wheelie bin in for me every week.

Need to think about New Year resolutions – go for easy ones that I know I won’t break or some life-changing ones??

Escape

Well, I've now broken two of my new year's resolutions - not been around to sell ebay stuff and bought a couple of books for holiday reading... The third resolution is still kinda going strong surprisingly.

Anyway, a nightmare of a day. How was it that I sent a mail last week warning people that I was going to be out of the office so of course today, I'm bombarded with calls and emails to get things done last minute!

Well, I did as much as I could, the boss acknowledged this and I left the office on time - I really wasn't in the mood for hanging around.

This time tomorrow, I'll be in sunny Kefalonia in Greece - can't wait, need a sunny break to get away from it all.

It took a few attempts to pack my suitcase - I'm thinking of turfing stuff before I come back but I bet I won't!

See you soon!

Thursday Thirteen stuff

Got this via Pretty Cunning - not copied the proper Thursday Thirteen software cos I doubt I'd be able to keep this up every week, but here's 13 current 'things' about me:

1. I leave the house for work around 7am and I get back home around 7pm
2. I'm reading a book for the third time in 5 years - yeah, it's pretty good
3. I weigh 7 stone
4. I am not anorexic
5. I try not to drink alcohol during the week
6. I don't always succeed with the above point
7. Most nights, I don't bother switching on the television
8. My latest 'toy' is a Kensington Pico FM transmitter for my ipod Nano
9. I have half a dozen small items listed on eBay to sell
10. I haven't broken any of my New Year's resolutions yet
11. I'm finding it hard to sleep at night
12. I am mega tired in the mornings
13. I'm skint and don't get paid for another 21 days

Well that's me, barely got it in for Thursday. Had some other stuff to post about but it's nearly time for bed.

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...

Två vecken*

Ok, I've done two weeks now of working 3 days in Stockholm, 1 day in Manchester (1 day lost travelling...)

I'm knackered.

Workwise, I have a huge mountain to climb - the challenge is exciting but I hope I'm not flagging already. I can see that I've already made some headway but I've only chipped at the surface really.

Hours have been 8am - 8pm, although I did stay in the office one night until 10.15pm. Some people are used to working hours like these - I'm not. Well, not yet anyway.

I've seen nothing of Stockholm but frankly, I've just wanted to get back to the hotel room to rest.

No news still of how long this assignment is going to last but it's going to be more than a few weeks and today, I got a brand new company mobile phone, so that indicates some sort of longterm-ness I guess.

The bf is getting fed up already of me being away, even more so as I'm flying out on Sunday to get an extra day's work in.

And I've broken one of my NY resolutions already because I'm too tired to go to the gym this week.

Bummer.

* = Two weeks

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...

Blown It Already!

What a bummer - I spoke too soon and I've broken one of my NY resolutions already, that of going to the gym twice a week! :(

Last night, was about to set off for the gym after work when my mobile phone rang. It was my parents' next door neighbour. The burglar alarm was ringing....

As no one's home, I had to drive there immediately to check up on the house. Fortunately, it was a false alarm - the recent galeforce winds must have set it off.

Still, that leaves me with a broken NY resolution! Yet it was an emergency and I did have every intention of going to the gym.

Perhaps this will be the only instance where I break it. Ah well!

No chance of me breaking my second one...don't have any money to break it...LOL!

New Year...Bring it On!

Happy New Year everyone! Did you make a resolution? I made two:

1. Not to buy any novels until all the unread ones I have in the house have been read (same resolution as last year - still about a dozen or so unread though!)

2. Go to the gym twice a week

Resolution 1 should be relatively easy to keep to, resolution 2...well, we'll see how long I can keep that one going for! I have already bought some new gym gear in anticipation though!

I hope the new year brings hope to all those affected by the Tsunami disaster.

On a personal note, I hope this year will be better for me and the boyfriend. I hope he finds another job and I hope I can clear some of my debts. The year of the Rooster - hopefully a good one for us!