New Year's resolutions - Part 2

And here's what I want to work on in 2014:

1) Eat more healthily - it feels as if I haven't been properly cooking for ages.... and there have been a few too many take aways recently. This will also be combined with preparing more lunches for work which will a) save me money and b) will help with eating more healthily!

2) Get a sewing machine and use it!

3) Read more. I've made a start in 2013 but I think I can still do 'better'.

4) Be tidier. Especially at home. By the sound of it, this might have to translate to my work desk, too, as it looks as I will loose 20 cm... How on earth this will work, I really don't know. My desk is too small as it is!

5) Use the many lipglosses/lipsticks/ I have, bin those that I don't use and stop buying new ones!

6) Continue to travel.

7) Get a second tattoo. Not really a resolution. But it's nice to have something on the list that I will definitely be able to tick off! :-)

8) Ignore the assholes that occasionally pass through my life and not let them ruin my day.

9) Donate blood regularly. Once upon a time, when I was still in Germany, I used to do this. No idea why I stopped. (this might eventually clash with no 7)

MEAT

Watching Man v. food and am craving MEAT now! But only have salmon in the fridge...

Online shopping is the way to go

I very foolishly ventured out to Westfield Shopping Centre today. Of course, everyone else is also still on (school) holiday and is hitting the sales. It was crazy busy and I am surprised I lasted as long as I did... I still haven't bought a watch though as I can't decide what I want. And I am also convinced that the one I quite like will eventually go on sale in January, too. Practicing patience! :-)

All tops are from Bershka and really comfy

Need to cut off the label...

And yes, there is a theme: detailed back

I've been meaning to try on these boots for a while. The hidden wedge heel means that they make me a tiny bit taller while still being able to walk in them. Today they were on sale for just £35. Unfortunately, they didn't have them in a size 6, so I went with these in a size 5.5. They seem all right, and I hope they'll still be comfortable when worn out.

New Year's resolutions - Part 1

Here's what I set myself as targets for 2013 - and how well I managed:

• do more sports - primarily by making use of the gym that is literally a 3 minute walk from my flat and hopefully finding a pilates course which will hopefully help with my back
• not surprisingly this didn't work at all... I always had (short) phases, when I did go to the gym, but it just doesn't last 

• spend less time on the internet
• this certainly improved from about May onwards. I still occasionally spend hours in front of the laptop but I am out and about much more, too, so I think that's ok
  
• stop watching crap on telly
• see above - again significant improvement from May and certainly something I'd like to keep up. Still watching Made in Chelsea though...
  
• cook more often and try new recipes - I often feel too lazy but will try to make an effort, even when only cooking for myself; this will possibly also help with bringing my own lunches to work which is likely to save me a lot of money and will also help with eating more sensibly
• yep, this one didn't work at all which is why it goes back on the list for 2014. Thanks to my job, I do get invited to dinners loads though, which I think is an excellent and reasonable excuse for not cooking at home
  
• keep up my monthly 'treats' of massages and beauty treatments
• YES - I did manage this one and with loads of Amazon and Time Out vouchers, it didn't break the bank either
  
• go to the theatre, exhibitions etc. more often 
• YES - I've gone out much more and feel that I am making the most of living in a city like London
  
• make changes to my professional life - I'm still unclear on what I want to do and there are a number of different options I am considering. But things will have to change - at least I don't want to be in the same position this time next year!
• Nope. Still in the same job BUT I feel that my attitude has changed over the last six months or so. My job doesn't completely define my life anymore.
  
• be more patient and get less easily annoyed - especially with myself...
• big fail... But at least I've made a start on this recently. Fingers crossed, it will continue to get easier.
  
• keep the flat tidier (I don't have much hope for this one) 
• hahaha - I know myself too well! But again, given that I've tidied the place before the end of the year, it's not entirely a fail :-)

My precious

Now that I created a few empty shelves and a couple of square cm in my kitchen (thanks to tidying), I decided to reward myself with a coffee machine! I had been meaning to get one for ages, but there simply wasn't any space on my kitchen counter.

Now, I don't usually have more than one coffee a day and since moving to the UK, I've been primarily drinking instant coffee. And while it tastes all right in the office, it tastes pretty shit at home (no idea why...). I have a coffee plunger, too but that didn't really work for me either. I also have coffee filters and one of these Italian coffee/espresso makers but just the thought of assembling and THEN cleaning it, is rather off-putting (yes, I am THAT lazy!).

So, I decided to get myself an easy to use coffee machine in the sales. But when I started looking, I got rather confused. I couldn't work out what the differences where, what to look for and which brand to go with. I then asked around and one of my friends had actually recently done some research for a family present and in the end had opted for a Tassimo by Bosch machine, which was also recommended by another friend. So that was that. 

Here's the new pretty addition to my kitchen:

Just £59.99 at argos; and my first great tasting Cappuccino

Poster girl

We have a photographer at our main events who takes pictures we use on our website and for other marketing purposes. As a member organisation, the photos are generally of our members. At an event last September, we were 'trialling' a new photographer and she does take really nice photos (so does our 'old' photographer, who wasn't available at the time). And she took a picture of me in conversation with one of our members. Well, I say conversation - it shows me grinning like a slightly mad person and him smiling - and looking at somebody else. I can't remember who I was talking to, as it looks as if it's not him even though he is standing right next to me...

Anyway, a few weeks ago, our Communications Manager showed me the draft for a little publication she was producing - which included the above photo. Personally I wouldn't have picked a photo of a staff member but as people don't tend to read our marketing material (sorry, is that a bit harsh?), I wasn't particularly concerned about it.

At our Annual General Meeting a couple of weeks ago, our CEO always gives a presentation about the past year. All senior managers (that sounds more grand than it is - we are such a small organization!) had been requested to attend. And - to my utter astonishment - he used the same photo in his presentation. Apparently to demonstrate how we achieve the best results when staff and members work closely together. Not sure how the photo is an example of just that - as we were simply having a chat (or not) at a social event. Nonetheless, it did make me feel a little like being the poster girl for our society. ;-)

A much cooler picture is this one though:

team bonding in the photo booth

The day has finally come

Just got a text from my landlord, asking me to call him...

I know that I've been really lucky that he hasn't increase the rent in the four years I've lived here, so I was fully aware that the day had to come eventually. I also very stupidly transferred him £100 less in rent for the last six months - oops... No idea how that happened. And I wonder whether this reminded him that he hadn't put up the rent. Anyhow, apparently all bills have increased, so they will have to increase the rent. I'm sure it will be reasonable, but painful for me nevertheless.

I've had a quick look at other places, as this might also be a good opportunity to move somewhere more central. But just thinking about packing and moving, puts me off that idea quickly. We shall see.