Birthdays...

So, today I hit the grand old age of 32. I know it's not that old but it's another year down the track of life.

While I was driving back from work today (yes, I was working today. HIGHLY unimpressed at this) I was thinking about this birthday compared to my 30th. When I turned 30 I was living in my own flat (albeit rented, not bought), it was nicely furnished, I had a boyfriend, a decent job that paid well, I had almost no debt and drove a car I loved. Two years later I'm living in a shared house, single, driving a car I'm not overly-excited about to a job I hate and get paid half of what I used to.

As you can imagine, this started to depress me. Okay, I know I've had lots of lovely experiences in the last couple of years, but honestly I never thought I'd be here, in this situation, right now. To be honest I had planned to be in the Cook Islands for this birthday, but oh well, that didn't happen.

Anyway, it's not all bad. At least I have a job and some income coming in that affords me a reasonable lifestyle. I'm also a lot fitter and healthier than I was a couple of years ago.
All I need now is the boyfriend, my own place and a dog and I'll be set ;)

Hello from Bognor...

So, it's the Sunday before I start my new job and as I write this I'm sitting by the sea at Bognor Regis.

It's been a funny old week. A week with a couple of highs but a few lows too.

High's - well they've been getting my new car and moving down south. I got a Mazda 6, not a car I or,ally would have went for but got a great deal on it from the garage and it only had 22k on the clock when I bought it so was quite impressed. It's not a car I'll have forever but definitely a useful car for now and can swallow most things that are thrown at it. I still feel it's too big for me but I'm sure I'll get over that soon enough.
Moving south has been great. I'm not in my final home yet, but Southampton is a great stepping stone for now. I'm a lot closer to all my friends and already looking forward to nights out and weekends away.

Low's - unfortunately there are more of these than the highs.

Abu Dhabi - as you know (if you've read my other blog postings) I was applying for a job in AD. It all seemed to be going well and then for nearly a month the process stalled. I kept being promised an interview date but nothing materialised. Finally they called this week and offered me an interview date for Monday, the same day I start my new job. Told the agency it wasn't possible and then had a go at them for mucking me around so much. I really didn't appreciate it at all. So the AD job is dead. Let's just hope the Basingstoke job is okay.

Budget realisations - so, I sat the other night and realised my life as I knew it before travelling was going to have to stay consigned to history, at least for the short to medium term. Not only do things cost more than they used to but also I'm basically on half the salary I used to earn. I know I'll get back to where I used to be and I'll find a role that pays well one day, but for now belts need to be tightened and cloth needs to be cut. Tis realisation was quite depressing.

Man I liked being a bit of a cock - basically I met a bloke the other weekend when I was in London and he's turned out to be somewhat of a player and an utter arse. The less said about him the better, but let's just say I don't see me seeing him again.

Leaving Benji - oh I was nearly in tears when I left on Friday morning. Not cause I'll miss my family, but because I'll miss our dog. He's such a little character but he's been there almost every day since I've been back and his unconditional love was just immense. All you had to do was love him back, which I did in spades. Anyway, I'll get used to not seeing him everyday soon enough, although I know my life will be that little bit more empty without him.

So that's my week in a nutshell. How's yours been?

Bit of an update...

So, it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted and I thought it best to keep you up to date with what's going on with me.

Now only a week until I start my new job. I'm looking forward to getting back to work although I'm a wee bit apprehensive too, but I suppose that's to be expected.

I've finally found a car. Spend a few weeks looking at lots of dross out there. Then, last Thursday I went with my dad to test drive a Civic. It wasn't anywhere near as good as the ones I test drove before Xmas and even had rattles. My dad then suggested we pop along to the Ford and Vauxhall garages just to see what they had. Well, as we pull up at the Ford garage there was a Mazda 6 sitting in the used car lot. Had a look at it, it looked in good shape and when we spoke to the salesman it only had 22,000 miles on the clock. He showed us the service paperwork to prove the low mileage. I took the car for a test drive and it was nice. It's a big car, well much bigger than I'm used to considering the biggest I've ever owned was a Golf and I'm currently using my mum's Nissan Note. However, it was a good price so I said yes to it. It's not my forever car, but it'll do for 18 mth or so until I can afford to get what I want.

So, that arrives on Wednesday.

I went and bought a new suit on Friday, turns out I've dropped 3 chest sizes and about 5 trouser sizes. Well chuffed at that! The salesman even recommended a more fitted shape as it looked better on me. I only got the one suit as I don't want to invest in loads of clothes that I'll be changing again in a few months.

I can't believe that I have only 5 more sleeps until I move down south and 8 more sleeps until I start my new job. It's all starting to become very real!

Oh, nearly forgot to say, was in London last weekend and might have met someone. Still early days but so far, so good :-)

The contract has come…

So, at long last my contract for my new job has come. I’m not going to say who the company is cause this is the internet and I don’t want to be burned for highlighting the company name, but suffice to say it’s not a great contract and I’m not totally happy with it but there isn’t a lot I can do.

Two key gripes for me are that I get no sick pay (only entitled to SSP) and that I have to buy a car with my car allowance. I wouldn’t mind if I had chosen to take the allowance, but as the company doesn’t offer a lease car I don’t see why I HAVE to buy a car. My preference would have been to use public transport for the time being.

Anyway, I’ve signed it and decided to try and overlook the bad parts and just focus on the fact I have a job. I start at the end of the month so still a few weeks of leisure left. Oh, and car shopping too…

Happy New Year!

Hello 2012! Wow, can you believe it’s another start of a new year. So much has happened in the last twelve months. Hard to believe that this time last year I was prepping to go travelling.

The festive period didn’t quite go to plan. As you know I wasn’t meant to be here this year so all the plans I had basically went out the window. My best mate and her fella still went to Oz and had a great time over there, but just without me in tow.

New Year was spent at my friend Amanda’s. She wasn’t meant to be in the UK either. Her NYE was meant to be spent in California, but it didn’t happen so we decided that we’d spend NYE together and oh my what a great time we had. I got there mid afternoon and we had a bit of a catch up before we started making the dinner for that night. Once her girls came over (both lovely, btw) we went to the pub for an hour or so then came home, tried setting off Chinese lanterns (one of which looked like it was going to set a hay barn on fire it flew so low) and once the girls had gone to bed we ate a lovely meal and saw the new year in next to a log fire drinking gin.

New years day was spent having a late breakfast followed by a lovely walk in the countryside and then late afternoon I drove back to Newcastle.

I’m finding the older I get the more I enjoy new years at home and like them less when spent in a noisy club. Just another sign I’m getting old, but I’m okay with it.

Where has all the Christmas gone from the shops?

So, it’s coming up to Christmas and like many of you I’ve been out shopping for gifts for the last few weeks. While I’ve been shopping the one thing I’ve noticed with some horror is the lack of Christmas cheer and greetings from the shop staff.

Now, I know it’s been over a decade since I worked in retail, and yes I did work for Disney who are renowned for their over-the-top chirpiness, but even then every store pretty much gave a salutation of ‘merry Christmas’ as you entered or left their premises. I have noticed over the years that this happens less and less but this year when I went to the Disney Store I got nothing, and there wasn’t even any Disney Christmas music playing.

There are lots of shops with tinsel and tacky Christmas decorations up but to be honest it’s the personal interaction that makes a store Christmassy for me. The staff enjoying themselves, maybe wear a santa hat, wishing you seasons greetings etc. With out it, it all seems a little half-hearted and if I’m honest, fake and money-grabbing.

Bring back the festive cheer. Bring back Christmas music, bring back smiling shop assistants and bring back cheesy Christmas salutations. It’s this that makes the season, not the red, green and gold decorations you’ve put up to make us feel like we HAVE to be separated from our money.

I have a job...

It's true! I am now the proud owner of a job. After weeks of hunting and searching for one, I eventually got one.

I'm still awaiting the full details on the package and start date, but I expect to start in January and the money should be okay. In the meantime I'm still keeping my options open with two other roles, one in Dubai and the other in Abu Dhabi.

I had the second interview for the Dubai role this morning and it seemed to go okay, and right now I'm waiting for the manager from the AD role to call me for my first interview. He was meant to call me last week but their phone system went down and so it was rescheduled to today. However, last week he was 30 mins late calling then I found out it was postponed. Today he's 25 mins late and still no call so I hope I'm not being messed around here.

My preference would be the middle east jobs over the role in the South of England mainly because I'd make a lot more money and be able to save a lot more of my salary. There are drawbacks to the middle east such as missing all my family and friends and not being able to be out as it can land you in jail, but if I can stick it out even for a couple of years it means I'll have a nice little nest egg to help towards buying my own home or putting towards my pension plan.

Urgh, just had a call from the agency (after I dropped him a line asking what was going on) to say the interview has been postponed again. Not impressed. Waiting to hear if they can do a call on Wednesday with me.

Any way, come what may, I have a job and I'm excited that I'll be starting work soon :))