creamed-coconut.org

So, it’s the final day of 2005. And it’s time for me to write my review of the year. I have been trawling through my blog archives of the past 12 months, picking out any major events to mention in this review. Before I start on the details, I have to say that, at the end of 2004, I thought 2004 was a good year, and gave it 4 out of 5. But now that 2005 is complete, I believe that this year was much better than 2004, and when I look back on my archives for 2004, it seems quite mundane in comparison to this year.

2005 was the year in which I grew in confidence and I learnt more about myself and what I want to do in the future. The major highlights of this year were: my 21st birthday in February, Mum and Terry’s wedding in April, going for a weekend break in Sheringham in May after my exams had finished, finding a full-time job in June, my graduation ceremony in July, going to the Lake District in August, and then in November gaining a permanent contract for my job and officially becoming what they call an Adviser. So it’s been a packed year, bursting at the seams with happy events!

And to think that, exactly a year ago today, on the 31st December 2004, I was sitting in the lounge staring at the Christmas decorations, dreading the impending arrival of 2005, as I had no idea what would be in store for me. I was mainly worried about what would happen to me once I graduated from university in July – would I be able to find a job quickly? I hate any kind of uncertainty like that. Also in the back of my mind was the fact that I would have to write my dissertation and complete my final exams in the Spring.

In the early part of 2005, I was still obsessed with the idea of becoming a web designer/developer on graduation. In January, I sent out 26 speculative letters to various local web design companies. Half of them didn’t reply, and of the ones who did reply, they said they had no vacancies (for a new graduate with no commercial experience). However, one of the companies did sound more optimistic, saying they may well be willing to speak to me in the summer as long as I have learnt some more PHP and MySQL by then.

January was a fairly bad month, as I had a severe sickness bug which forced me to miss one of my lectures, although luckily the lecturer did send me the notes so I could catch up. But I felt ill and drained of energy for days, and I hardly felt like eating anything for the rest of that week. I think maybe my nervousness about my studies and exams made it worse, but when I looked at some past exam papers and saw they weren’t as difficult as I expected, I started to feel more confident.

And later in January was the great SparkleBlog fiasco. Late in 2004, I had written and distributed a PHP blogging script named SparkleBlog. I promoted it on several PHP script sites as a free and open-source script. It was downloaded and used by several people on their websites, and I even had 2 or 3 people willing to collaborate with me on writing the script. But then in January someone (a self-confessed security expert) started spreading rumours all over the internet claiming that SparkleBlog was potentially dangerous and insecure. Even now, if you key in the word SparkleBlog on Google, you will get many thousands of results, all for security websites with this man’s message on saying the script is insecure. The thing which irritated me at the time was that the man was happy to spend time emailing all these security websites, but he did nothing at all to help fix the bugs he said he had found in the script. (As it was an open source script, he could have fixed the bugs if he really wanted to). A few weeks later, I stopped promoting the SparkleBlog script, and suspended further development on it, although it is still available on my site for people who know where to look for it. It seems that some other websites are still distributing the script too, even though I didn’t ask them to do so.

Towards the end of January, things started looking up as I spent my Dad’s Christmas money on a new webcam for my computer, and a couple of IT books.

February the 15th saw my 21st birthday, although I had to hold the party on the 10th as that was the only day when all my friends were available. We had a meal in the Old Orleans restaurant on Riverside, then went ten-pin bowling and nightclubbing. My main present was a digital camera and new printer.

Throughout the Spring term, I was very pre-occupied with my studies, with constant coursework, presentations, revision and project work to do. Then in March I fell ill for the 3rd time since the start of the year – at least that time it was just a cold, and no sickness!

Then came the Easter holidays, although I still had loads of studying to do (as the exams come straight after Easter). I did go out some days to places like the cinema and other local attractions, in order to take my mind off it. In April was Mum and Terry’s wedding, which was really good, and the reception was held at Caistor Hall where we had a 3 course meal.

May was the daunting month, as all my final exams were held then, and all my project work had to be handed in. We had a weekend break at a hotel in Sheringham, which was a good way to relax after all the exams had finished, and to contemplate what I wanted to do next.

Once that was over, I started looking in the local JobSearch newspaper for jobs to apply for. It was then that I trashed the idea of becoming a web designer – I thought it’s simply not worth it any more, as it’s the sort of thing you can only do if you are exceptional in your field. I thought back to January when I had sent out 26 letters, and only received one reply that was even remotely positive. Most of the web design studios in this city are very small companies – virtually all of them have less than 10 employees, with the exception of one or two slightly larger companies. Then I thought I’d better get a normal job, such as in the insurance industry (Norwich’s main industry and where I am now), and forget any wacky web-design pipe dreams.

I applied for loads of jobs, for a wide variety of local companies and roles, and I also registered at several agencies. I was offered several interviews (I was quite pleased with the response rate), but cancelled them all when I was offered my current job. My job was initially a temporary agency job when it began in June, but in November I was taken on permanently as a Process Control Adviser, so I was thrilled to bits!

It was also in June that I found out my degree results, and learned that I had achieved a 2:1 grade, which is the second highest banding. I wasn’t sure if I’d make it into that banding, or whether I would fall into the middle banding, so I was really pleased. The graduation ceremony took place on July 14th, which was a very hot and sunny day. All my family were there to watch. Afterwards, we had a meal at the Townhouse restaurant to celebrate.

In July, I decided to abandon SparkleBlog as my blogging software and move onto WordPress, which contains many more features and produce a site which is easier to maintain. This was important, as when I started full time work I had less time to spend on my site. Even though I have been working Monday to Friday, we still find time to go out at the weekends. In late July, my mobile phone was possibly possessed by spirits after attending a party at a haunted hall. Then in the last weekend of July, it was one of my best friend’s 21st birthday parties. It was a brilliant night, except for one grumpy guest whom I call Lombard who did not speak to us all evening, presumably because he was jealous of my degree result being higher than his (he studied Computing Science too, but he graduated a year earlier than me because he’s a year older). When he did speak to anyone, it was only to brag about his money and about constantly getting drunk. And then he left without saying goodbye, much to our annoyance. But, oh well, it was still a really good night, and fortunately I have not met Lombard since then. Yippee! I had met him a few times before, but have never known him to be so irritating!

In August we had our holiday in the Lake District ( click here for pictures. In September my niece Anya moved up to high school; she has settled in well and is continuing with her dance classes. In October I had my bedroom redecorated, and now it looks much more modern and stylish: pictures. In November I found out that I had been made permanent in my job after a nailbiting week-long wait to hear the outcome of my interview, see this and this.

At the beginning of December, I was feeling a little down because I thought I had lost contact with my friends – in the end it turned out that 2 of them were busy, and I did eventually manage to see them earlier this week, but there is still no sign of one of my other friends (see previous entry). From mid-December, things started to get much more busy and exciting, as there were several outings and parties organised by my workplace.

All in all, it’s been a very good year, and I’d give it a score of 4.5 out of 5!

I had my final day of work on Friday. For Christmas day, we went round my sister Suzanne’s house, where we had our turkey meal. On Sunday morning I opened my presents, and I was delighted when I saw that my main present was a digital camcorder (which can be used by the whole family). I haven’t used it yet, because there were no tapes included, so we will have to buy one tomorrow.

Other presents I received were: a new black top, a new blue pair of pyjamas, silver hooped earrings, perfume, bodyspray, a bracelet, 3 new CDs and lots of chocolate and a few toiletries.

On Boxing Day we all went round my Aunt’s house where we had a buffet meal. Yesterday I went out with my friends Gemma, Naomi and Sarah for a drink and a talk. Although there was no meal, it was good to see them again. The only bad thing is that we have all lost contact with our friend Kay – She moved in with her boyfriend (whom I have met) at the beginning of this year, and I have not seen or heard from her since we went to a concert way back in August. No-one knows exactly where they live – I know which estate it is, but that’s all. I tried to send her a text message three weeks ago, but she didn’t reply. I sent a card to her mother’s address, but never received one back. My other friends haven’t seen her for ages too – when Gemma tried to phone Kay’s mother, the mother said that even she didn’t know Kay’s precise address! So now it makes me wonder whether her boyfriend doesn’t want her to be contacted at the moment. I hope this is only a temporary thing, as I do really miss her, and I want everything to be back to normal again.

Soon it will be time for me to write my review of the year 2005, and in spite of what I mentioned above, this year has still been better than 2004, taking everything into consideration. More about that later. Until then, Happy New Year for 2006! (I can’t believe the years have gone so fast; it doesn’t seem that long since the millennium!)

The last week or so has been very busy – I have been out to several different Christmas parties and events. Last Wednesday was our works party (just for members of our team), and we had a traditional Christmas lunch. Afterwards we went to a couple of bars and ended up in a nightclub, where we stayed until 1am. So, in total, we were out for 13 hours! I was exhausted by the end of it, and I still had to go to work the next morning. A lot of the others had booked the day off in advance, but I didn’t realise the party would go on so long (I thought it would be just a meal and a drink and that’s it) so I agreed to work the Thursday and it was too late to change my mind.

But then, by Thursday evening, I fell really ill – I had a bad cold and fever. I’m not sure if this was related to the long day out, or whether it would have happened anyway, but it certainly couldn’t have done me much good. By the time Friday morning arrived, I still felt awful, so I had to take the whole day off work and phone in ill. I was feeling better by Saturday evening though.

Then on Sunday evening we went to an Indian restaurant with everyone on my Dad’s side of the family. This time I tried something different, instead of a chicken korma (which I have nearly every time) I had a chicken moglai, which contains lychees and pineapple.

Yesterday evening was our departmental Christmas party, where we had (another!) meal and a disco. It was really good, and luckily this time I had the foresight to book the following day (which is today) off work as a holiday.

Today I went with my sister and my two nieces to see the new Harry Potter film, The Goblet of Fire. It was good, but it went on for quite a long time – nearly 2 and a half hours. I think the third film is still my favourite.

On Thursday and Friday I am back at work, and then that’s it! Like most of my colleagues, I’ve booked the whole of next week off. I’m so excited!

So far, this week has been a bit better than last week. Yesterday I went with my Mum, Terry and Grandmother for a Sunday roast at a local restaurant called The Cottage. It was really good – in fact it was like a Christmas meal, with turkey and stuffing.

I now have my own desk at work, so I won’t have to “hotdesk” any more. My new desk is also in a much warmer and cosier part of the office, so I’m really pleased.

At the end of last week, I received a text message from my friend Naomi saying that her sister Sarah had to go into hospital to have her appendix removed. Fortunately, she is back at home now, but I sent a “get well soon” card. Also, I’ve heard that Naomi is looking for a new catering job, and if she gets it, it will be at a bakery not too far from where I work, so I would probably be able to visit her at lunchtimes. So maybe we will be closer in the future after all.

I still haven’t been able to go to the cinema with my friend Naomi, most likely due to our incompatible working patterns. I work 9 to 5 Monday to Friday, while she works irregular shifts, and she never knows when she might be called in. One evening last week she sent me a message saying “Are you free tomorrow evening?” so I replied saying yes, and that she could meet me outside my office at 5pm. But then the next day, she sent me another message apologising that she couldn’t meet me after all. It’s so sad; I seldom get to see my friends ever since we left college.
As for my other best friend Kay, I haven’t seen her since we went to a concert together way back in August. We used to go clubbing together every fortnight or so, but ever since she found a boyfriend at the beginning of this year, she rarely seems to go out any more. Of course, that’s her own choice, but I do still miss her.
My other friend Gemma studies at a school many miles away, so I only get to see her a few times a year too.

This brings me to my next subject. At work last week we had our fortnightly team meeting, where we all share updates on our current work. Our manager decided to invite 5 extra people from another team, as we will be working more closely with them in 2006, and he thought it would be good if we could get to know each other. At these team meetings, we always have to talk for a couple of minutes about major projects we’re currently working on, so I am always prepared for that. But as there were 5 extra people, our manager decided to go round the table asking everyone to say their name and one thing about themselves (other than work). I wasn’t really prepared for that, and there were only 3 or 4 people who went in front of me, and so by the time it was my turn to say something, I still hadn’t managed to think of anything. So I just blurted out, “I am Victoria, and I, err, like using computers!” Immediately, one of my colleagues burst out laughing. Our manager also laughed, and then my direct supervisor turned to me and joked, “You really need to get out more!”

Of course, they were only joking, and they didn’t mean it in a nasty way, as we often tease and joke with each other at work anyway. I think I get on well with everyone in the team. Sometimes we do have social events within the team, and I usually go as well. But the thing is, if only it was possible for me to go out more with my friends, then I would. It’s not me that doesn’t want to go out, it’s my friends who don’t or can’t go out. At the moment, the only people I seem to go out with are my family and my work colleagues. I am happy with that, but if anyone thinks I haven’t got a life, then I suppose I can understand why they may feel that way!

This week has been quite a turbulent time at work, in which we saw one colleague leave our team and a new one join from another department. The colleague who left was a temporary contractor (just like I used to be, before being made permanent) and he didn’t apply for any of the permanent vacancies like I did, because he wanted to move on, possibly to another department. He had been working in our team since April, 2 months before I joined. I had known for a long time that he didn’t really want to stay, but it was still sad on Monday when he announced he would be leaving at the end of the day. We bought him a big leaving card and also some gifts.
But on Monday a new girl joined our team, as a permanent member of staff. She actually went to the same high school as me, although I don’t really remember her, as she is a year older than me. We seem to be getting on fine.

And my contract is all sorted out now. There were quite a few forms to fill in, but it’s done now.