Today is my wonderful mother's birthday. I am over eight thousand kilometres from her at home, but my thoughts have been on her all day. She's an utter inspiration. She's taught me so much, continually encourages me to follow my dreams and supports me in every decision I make. She's never once prevented me from [...]
Tag: Home life
Valentine’s Day… (this is not a rant)
This Valentines Day, I had planned an evening at home with the people that I love, but my evening soon went tits-up when we realised we couldn’t find the cat. Her owner, who had just received her engagement ring in the post and was heading out to show it to her fiancé who hadn't seen [...]
The hellish job interview I bailed on (but should’ve bailed earlier)
It’s taken a long time for me to write this down, but I hope I can do it justice: this was the worst job interview of my life. It’s laughable now, but at the time, I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. The experience shook my confidence and undermined my faith in humanity (just [...]
If only I had…
The potential to miss our biggest and best opportunities is part and parcel of life. It's finite nature, our mortality, is what makes life worth living to the absolute full. Knowing I have missed past opportunities, and could let future chances pass me by, fuels my ambition and makes me work harder to achieve the [...]
Beating back the Christmas Blues
A few weeks ago, I had a Bridget Jones moment. I know you know what I mean; we all have them. Those times when all you want to do is sit in front of the telly wrapped up in your duvet, while you eat ice cream and drink far too much wine. Not exactly a [...]
New Year: Older, wiser, newly improved you
I’ve reached the end of the year feeling a little lost. I’ve let myself get comfortable in what I am doing right now, which is unfamiliar territory for me and therefore a little unnerving. It’s times like these we need a reminder of what we’ve achieved, what we’ve weathered and what we’ve enjoyed. Looking over [...]
Take what you can get: my graduate jobsearch
When I graduated - with a first class degree I might add - I hadn't really pictured myself working in a big corporate office. But neither had I intended to work full-time at an empty pub, spend several weeks on jobseeker's allowance and attend a series of godawful interviews. But that's life - you take [...]
Hippie Food
One thing I readily appreciated about living at home, is the food. I mean home cooked food, which is full of fresh vegetables and healthy grains. Most of all the expensive things that I couldn't afford as a student. I have been feeling a lot healthier for eating so well over the past six or seven [...]
Home life: returning home
When I began writing this blog I described myself as something akin to nomadic. I hadn't had stayed in a permanent "home" - rented or otherwise - for a matter of months. I was living on the bare minimum of belongings without many luxuries between early June and late August, reducing what I carried every [...]
Zhēn de Gender 