Archive for January, 2006

My first steak!

Monday, January 30th, 2006
I have cooked my 1st ever steak last weekend
I was surprise how easy it is to cook, at first, I worried that I might ruin the lovely piece of filet steak!
Because it’s so fresh I don’t need much ingredients, all I’ve used was a knob of butter, freshly ground pepper and salt, voila!
I served it with chucky potato chips and carrot chips which I cooked with olive oil, again, sprinkled with a pinch of pepper and salt, complete with steamed asparagus and sugar snaps, it’s just delicious!
Mike is really pleased with it too but it’s a shame we can’t have it all the times, we would probably go bankrupt if we do :)

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Realisation part 2 - bring back the fun!

Tuesday, January 24th, 2006
Aii.. just when I think things wouldn’t get any worse..
Everyday coming into work only to find more issues or problems having to deal with, no wonder I’m getting more and more grey hair!!
Another thing I need to do being 29 and all, is to review my pension. I’m quite proud with the fact the I have started saving for my retirement since I started working. But as I’m getting older and retirement drawing closer, with just another 36 years worth of saving! I seriously need to look into a better or an alternative pension/saving option.
I have started doing some research but the sheer volume of pension providers and the different types of pension policies available it’s almost impossible to work out which would be the most suitable pension (god, I need some help!)
The government is currently looking at pension reform (once again) and it’s hard to predict what will happen to the state second pension in future. My view its that by the time our generation reaches our retirement the state pension or second state pension will no longer exist, is it still worth paying into the scheme when I have the option to opt out? It seems an obvious choice to contract out and put it into my own pot instead?
I really don’t know, there are so many factors I need to consider, and also need to take into account of the future investment return and interest rate… arrgg!! I hate being a grown-up, it’s all money orientated - mortgage, pension, saving, ISA, money, money money.. bring back the fun!!

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Realisation

Monday, January 23rd, 2006
Strangely, I’m only just coming to terms with the fact that I am already 29 years old! and soon to be 30!!
Not that I mind being old (well yeah I do a little bit) but I would like to have achieved more by the age of 30.
Mentally, I’m like a 25 years old I wish I’m more intelligent more opinionated and have a better interest in other areas,  say, politics, rather than just drinking, exercising, buying shoes and moaning about work.
Have better rewarded career, being a high fly jet-setter, own a holiday home somewhere in the Caribbean (or at least Spain), fluent in at least one other European language….. the list goes on.. making me feel sad that I don’t have any of these things, am I beginning to suffer from ‘mid-life crisis’?
One thing I have learned though through the 29 years of my life, is that no matter what happens, you have to appreciate what you have. Dreams are the motivations but it’s also important to be realistic about life.

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Moped and a mobile phone…

Friday, January 20th, 2006

Something really makes me chuckle today..

Our chinese factory workers get offered a free moped and a mobile phone to trade in their New Year holiday, how bizarre! Basically, they would only get two weeks off instead of a month.

Just think, these Chinese workers only get one holiday in a year but they are willing to give it up for a moped and mobile??

As a joke, my boss offered the same if I get in at 7.30 every monring, I said I want a SLK, he laughed and walked away. Ok.. I take it as a ‘yes’ then.

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New Year resolution

Wednesday, January 18th, 2006
I do wonder how many of you are actually going to stick to your New Year resolutions?
Bit annoyed that my usual spin class is full last night I haven’t been able to get on it, the class is never full under normal circumstance but because everyone is trying to lose weight after too much turkey or pudding they had over Christmas! I personally think it’s good intention that people join the gym or do any form of exercise but what’s the point if they don’t stick to it? exercise is not only for after x’mas celebration it’s for life! I bet you anything that these new gym go-ers will be all disappeared by mid-Feb.
Okay, enough moaning.
So what about me?
resolution number 1 - cut down on alcohol
I have done well so far and my bottle of wine lasted three evenings last weekend, before, I can easily finish a whole bottle of wine in an evening.
So a big improvement.
Resolution number 2 - not get stress at work
We have a temp in to help out and majority of the time she’s working alongside me, I’ve been given her all the jobs that I hate to do to free myself some time so I can have an hour lunch, update my blog etc..
Although she’s the slowest person I have ever worked with, took her 3 days to do a task that would normally takes me half a day to complete, but some help is better than no help.
My tactic is to keep her under enough pressure and keep checking on the progress every couple of hours or so.. ‘have you done that yet’ ‘can you do that first it’s urgent’ hee hee..
It’s incredibly difficult not to get stress working under such stressful environment, so this is not so easy to stick to… But I found that going to the gym after work help me to de-stress, it’s a scientific fact that exercise produces ‘happy’ chemical in your brain to makes you happy and stay positive!
Was doing a New Year Resolution quiz last night with Mike - my score indicates that my new plans would last only up to 6 months!! It can’t be right?!

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I’m a good cook afterall!

Thursday, January 12th, 2006
Been neglecting my journal but I blame work, as usual!
We are extremely extremely busy (when I said ‘we’ it only just applies to my department, the design team seems to be busy with the ‘Lost’ ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ gossips more than anything else)
January and February are always the worse months for us as nearly all our orders are made in China, and Chinese workers go back home to their village for a whole month for Chinese New Year, so our productions all need to be rushed out before the factories close, we are desperately trying to meet the deadline hence we are all running around like headless chicken.
Really not looking forward to tomorrow, it’s Friday the 13th for starter and I have a three hours long meeting arranged with my ‘favorite’ client…  joy!
Anyway, enough about boring work.
I have started doing some cooking lately, although it’s only simple fish or pasta dishes but for someone like me who never cooked and absolutely hate cooking, it’s such a huge improvement, but most importantly, Mike is really impressed with my cooking, (quote from last night ‘the salmon is cooked to prefection’) hee hee.. I’m sure it’s one of his trick to get me to cook more…
The good thing about me doing the cook though.. because I tend to make less mess so less washing up to do aswell afterwards :)

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Happy 2006!

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2006

Happy New Year to you all!

3 days into 2006.. feeling happy and positive which is a good sign.

Everything now back to normal, have to drag myself back to the gym tonight having had a fortnight ‘excerise free’ break over the Christmas/New Year period, I had a entire new gym kit as X’mas gift so there’s no excuse, plus the gym has just been renovated so everything should be nice and new!

Right, new year resolutions besides cut down on alcohol is to take a different approach to work - take it easy and slow things down!

I really don’t see why I need to be so efficient and responsible all the times! doesn’t do me any good, I only end up getting stressed out and being miserable and unhappy…

Like… almost everyone’s left work (being the 1st day back and all.. bla bla bla)why am I still here???? why??

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