New Apartment, New Home

Hi everyone!

It's been a while since my last post! So much has happened since then. My husband and I have now moved into our very own flat - the first "home" we will be sharing. We spent Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th of February moving our belongings over from our old place and I spent the following Monday to Thursday (20th - 23rd) cleaning the house. Part of the lack of posts was also due to the fact that we didn't have internet until the Thursday (23rd)

We have been searching for furniture as well over the past week. I never new that starting a new home can be so much of a mission. Furniture is expensive in the first place and then to find something that we both like, will use, and can fit into the flat can be somewhat of a nightmare... But I like to think that me and my wee hubby are doing just fine :)

Plus, the first significant piece of furniture my hubby bought was a TV!! (since he knows how much I like to watch TV :D)

The other thing I have learnt in the past week is that starting a family is also something very hard. Changing old habits are very hard and for some reason I'm finding it extremely hard. I have some really bad habits - shopping ones in particular - that desperately need to be changed to make my new life, as well as the life of my husband's easier. however, while I know this, I am still often consumed by the vicious sin of greed. The biggest wake up call for this came on Saturday the 25th where my husband and I got into a big argument over it. Although we didn't yelling at each other, seeing the look on my husband's face, that helplessness, in trying to make me understand that I need to change my demands and habits because there has been a change in circumstances was heartbreaking - I will never forget it. Therefore, Hubby, if you are reading this, I would like to say again that I am very sorry. I know that I am not the best wife in the world and I am slow in changing my habits but please be patient with me. I promise I will try harder to break (or at least limit to a great extent) this bad habit of mine. I hope that you will be there to help me along the way and say "no" to me to keep me on track.

Lesson: It is ok to want things and think about them but unless it is a necessity think about it once, then drop it. You don't need it and life would be so much brighter if you just move on with eyes set ahead instead of turning around to look again.

Thunderstorms

Auckland's weather forecast for today (according to Metservice) is thunderstorms. This may sound odd but possibly due to the rarity of being caught in a thunderstorm, I find them very interesting and exciting. There's just something about the day turning into night and hearing the thunder rumble followed by a flash of lightning that's almost attractive. Despite not being a "rain person", to me, a thunderstorm can be as exciting as snow (only it's not as fun to be outside).

However, I have yet to see the sky completely darken. Apart from a little spitting before, there is not a drop of rain and from what I can see from my window, the sky is clearing up, the sun is out and you can hear the cicadas chirping.

Oh well, you can't have something just because you want it (and that applies to many aspects of life).

Until the next thunderstorm. Perhaps it'll come tonight? Hmmm lets see...

Jobs

After days of applying to jobs, I've finally got a reply and just like last time, it's another rejection - and the rejection comes not from the firm but from the company who is advertising for them. SIGH.

Hmmm I'm starting to consider that Starbucks jobs quite seriously now. Even if it's not a long term job and it's not related to the career I want, at least it is a job and it'll at least bring in a little money so I don't have to sit and watch my savings continually decrease. Plus the perk of it is that it is sort of close to where my hubby works and maybe there'll be a chance that he'll walk in and grab a coffee :) hahahaha think all this job hunting is finally starting to make me go crazy.

People keep telling me that it took them a really long time and endless job applications for them to get their job but there only appears to be 1-2 new jobs that I found since I first started this active-everyday-job-hunt. I'm slowly getting to the point where I'll just have to sit and wait for replies...

Well let's hope that tomorrow will be a better day.

Money

There's a Chinese saying that goes 有钱不是万能 (having money doesn't make everything possible). However, if a person does not have money, then there are many more things that are not possible (沒钱就万万不能).

Such is life. Money doesn't make the world go round but it does give that push to kick start it off.

For the last few weeks I've been looking for a job although admittedly it's really been these few days in which I have been extra active and to date I have applied to 1 dozen jobs. Of these, I got one interview and now, three weeks after the interview, there is still no contact. I also got one rejection since the firm has already found someone by the time I sent in my application. With the rest of the applications, there has been no contact at all. not even an email to say that the firm has received my application.

The thing is, I don't mind being rejected. But the fact that the firm does not even put in the effort to reject is depressing. It makes me ask myself why I am even still applying for jobs when it just seems like I'm wasting my time and effort.

Last night I saw that a Starbucks was hiring. With the luck I'd been having with my job applications, it made me wonder if Starbucks would actually reply sooner than these 'professionals' that I'm sending my CV to.

To add to the matter, my hubby and I just found a flat of our own and will be moving out in the coming week but having been staying at a fully furnished place, moving to the new place means that there are many essentials that we'll need to buy. This brings us right back to the issue of money, or the lack of it.

Very honestly, there has been times when I think about taking my chances at the casino or buying a Lotto ticket but the fact is, every time those thoughts come along, I can hear my conscience asking me if I actually want to throw away my hard earned money to people who have created these games where the odds are so against me that the chances of me winning anything is next to nothing.

Oh well.

Lesson of the day: keep your head down and keep applying for jobs. As William Edward Hickson once said: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again". There is nothing for free in this world, everything comes at a price. Therefore, rather than waste your money on gambling, create money the old fashioned way - work for it and earn it.

Valentines Day

Today is Valentines day.

I remember when I was little and whenever Valentines day came around I used to wish that I had someone special to give me flowers. A single red rose just seemed so romantic. Then there was one Valentines day while we were in Primary school and my older brother received a valentines gift - flowers - from an old lady who used to come by our shop. That made me think twice about receiving flowers. Hahaha

Nevertheless, a single red rose can bring a big smile to any girl's face, no matter how it is presented. My first rose is from my current husband which he gave me on the first Valentines after we met and he presented it to me while it was still budding, in a half drunk can of Lift Plus. Although I laughed at the sight of it, it made me delighted to have received it nonetheless.

Happy Valentines Day everyone :)