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I bought my new computer yesterday! It’s a Packard Bell iXtreme 2969. We did have a problem setting it all up though. After connecting all the cables, I switched the computer and monitor on, and the Windows XP screen came up, but then the screen went completely black. I tried switching it off and re-starting it several times, but the same thing kept happening. Eventually I had to call the technical support line. The first time I called I was told to run the Recovery Program by pressing F11 just before the Windows screen appears. That didn’t solve the problem, so I had to call again. In the end, it turned out that one of the cables (the DVI-D cable) shouldn’t be connected. Once we took that out, everything worked fine. And I was so relieved, as otherwise we would have had to take it back to the shop.

So it was midnight by the time we got everything up and running. The computer has 2gb of memory, so it’s really fast. Also, I have a flat screen monitor, which doesn’t take up as much room as the old one. It’s also got some good software pre-installed, such as Google Desktop. On the keyboard there’s even a fingerprint recognition device – this is one of the most unusual features, and it’s designed so that people don’t need to key in a password every time they log on. It seems a bit awkward to use though, as every time I swipe my finger across the scanning device, it says that the fingerprint isn’t clear enough. So I haven’t activated it, and I’ll be sticking with passwords for the moment.

Overall, I’m really pleased with my new computer. The only annoying thing is that it didn’t come with any speakers. We were told this when I bought it, but I didn’t buy any speakers separately because I assumed I’d be able to use the ones from my old computer. But it turns out that the connectors are different, so they can’t be used, which is surprising considering my old computer was a Packard Bell as well. I will have to buy some new speakers one evening this week, as it seems really weird not being able to listen to music or watch videos with sound.

At work my secondment to the IT testing project is going well. It was put through on the system last week, and has been backdated to the beginning of the month. Being put on formal secondment terms and conditions means I will receive an allowance to compensate for the fact I am doing a higher level job than my old role. This means that, despite what happened in December, I have effectively got my promotion now. Well, for the time-being, this is the next best thing to a promotion, anyway. It’s a promotion in all but name. If I hadn’t have asked for this, I wouldn’t have got it. This shows that even though what happened 6 weeks ago in December was terrible news at the time, I have been able to work with my managers to find a resolution which is acceptable for both parties. It has taken a long time (6 weeks) and meant struggling through a lot of bureaucracy, and there have been times when I thought it wouldn’t happen, but I’m so glad I’ve finally got there.

Today I went with my Mum to see the film Flushed Away. We were going to go with my nieces, but it turned out they were going somewhere else today, so we decided to go on our own. Afterwards we had a meal at Frankie & Benny’s. I really like their garlic bread, and I had a hamburger and fries for my main course.

We’re barely a month into the new year, but I already think that 2007 is better than 2006. I feel a lot happier day to day now. Last year I kept notes of the things that from time to time used to upset or irritate me. Now I look back at those notes, and some of the things sound trivial and I wonder why they ever bothered me that much! As for the more serious things, a recurring theme is how I felt in my old job, particularly the stress of the re-structure, and how I fitted in with the rest of the team. I feel happier in my new job; it is less stressful, and as the vast majority of the team members are much older than me, I feel less pressure to “fit in”; therefore I feel more at ease. All the people in the new team seem friendly and so far I have got on well with everyone I have spoken to. I feel that I will be able to progress more easily in this new team, as the work is more technically-orientated, with slightly less emphasis on “stakeholder management” and other soft-skills. However, I still really miss the people in my old team, and I still keep in touch with them.

Since I started my secondment, I’m now on a fortnightly rota at work. This means that for the first week I work Monday to Friday, and the following week I work either Saturday or Sunday, but with a day off during the week. And it alternates like that. I had today (Tuesday) off, but I will be working this Saturday instead. I’m enjoying the secondment so far.

Over the weekend I heard the news that my Dad and Stepmum have had their new baby girl. They have named her Layla. I now have 4 sisters! As I have mentioned in previous posts, my family just can’t seem to produce boys, for some reason. She weighed 2.7 kilos (just under 6 pounds). She had to stay in hospital for a couple of days because of breathing problems, but she’s fine now. I will be able to see Layla, and the rest of the family, when I visit them in Thailand in March.

I haven’t done a lot over the last couple of weeks, as the weather has been bad. However, it’s only about a month until my birthday, so I’ve got that to look forward to, as well as my holiday. I had been hoping to go somewhere today, for my day off (eg the cinema), but all my family and friends were working, so I ended up staying in.

So it’s time to do my review of the year again. This year has gone even more quickly than 2005! In several ways, 2006 has been a difficult and tumultous year for me. I tend not to like too much change happening in a short period of time. If 2005 was the year in which I grew in confidence, 2006 was the year which tested my resilience and flexibility towards change. Even though overall I don’t think 2006 was as good as 2005, there were still several good things which happened, such as going on holidays to Ibiza and the Peak District.

Right, I’ll start off by listing the reasons why 2006 has been a more tumultous year than usual. No, I don’t want this whole review to sound like one big grumble, it’s just that I want to get it all out of my system before 2007 officially starts. Even though 1 or 2 of these issues still haven’t been fully resolved, I don’t want any apathetic or disappointed feelings to spill over into the New Year. I want it to be a fresh start.

One of the most major things which affected me this year was the re-structure at work, and the associated feelings of uncertainty which lingered for many months. The consequences and bureaucracy of the re-structure meant that I couldn’t be promoted as expected. But at least my job is still relatively secure. During the early stages of the re-structure, none of the people in my team were 100% sure whether we would even be able to keep our jobs, let alone be promoted. One person left the team to move to another job in the company, however we still get to see her fairly often, as the department she’s in is fairly closely linked to ours. Another person decided to go for a 6-month secondment in another department, and I missed her as I always got on very well with her. I used to email her every so often in order to keep in touch. However, she came back to our team about 3 weeks ago, and our friendship is now better than it was beforehand!

Another major thing was my Dad, Stepmum and baby sister Jasmine moving to Thailand in April. Even though they had been planning to do this for a long time, I was very upset as I have never been away from either of my parents for an extended period of time. I thought they might not come back for many years, but we keep in touch on MSN Messenger quite often, and my Dad said they probably will come back to England when Jasmine reaches school-age (about a couple of years’ time).

Early in the year, both of the companies where my Mum works were taken over. The Townhouse restaurant was taken under new ownership, and the owners of the company where Mum does a typing job decided to retire, meaning the company was merged into a slightly larger business. The new company is more technologically advanced, which meant for the first time Mum had to learn to use a computer. In the old company, she used to type letters and invoices on an electric typewriter! This caused quite a bit of uncertainty at the time, as Mum didn’t know whether she would be kept on in either of the jobs. However, she was kept on, and so she enrolled on computer classes at the local Learndirect centre. I had to help her quite a bit, as she finds it difficult to follow written instructions, especially as she is a total beginner. She is gradually getting used to using the computer at work.

In the second half of the year, I lost contact with my friend Kay. Ever since she found a boyfriend in early 2005, she has had less contact with me and others in my circle of friends. She came to my 22nd birthday party in February, and I had been hoping things would get back to normal again (we used to go out together nearly every fortnight), but then I didn’t see her again until she spotted me in the street one lunchtime in July. In that brief encounter, she seemed happy and said that she was planning a big birthday party later that month, and that I would be invited. Sadly, this party never happened – neither me nor my friends heard anything more about it. I haven’t heard any more from her since that day, and as I don’t know her address or even her phone number, there isn’t much I can do.

Other major changes – these are all happy things for once

In May my cousin Caroline got married. In June I heard the news that my step-mum is pregnant with another baby girl. In July my eldest sister Sarah bought a new house in Lowestoft where she works. My friend Naomi got engaged to her boyfriend – they plan to get married sometime in 2008. In September my sister Suzanne gave up her job at the sorting office and now works full-time at a clothes shop called Outfit. She also found a new boyfriend who has since moved in with her. Early in the year we had our kitchen fully re-furbished. In December I was offered a mini-secondment at work, testing the new IT system, which I’m enjoying so far.

Main events of the year, as they happened

On New Year’s Day we had our traditional family feast. This time it was even busier than normal, since many of Terry’s relatives came as well. In January I had my first ever appraisal at work, since I was made permanent in November 2005. I was pleased with the outcome, as my managers said they were very happy with most things – it was just my communication skills which needed improvement. I also booked my holiday in Ibiza, with my sisters Sarah and Suzanne and nieces Anya and Emily.

In February, it seemed like everybody was ill. I caught my second cold in the space of 6 weeks – I was even sent home from work because of it! February also saw my 22nd birthday party – we had a meal at the Townhouse restaurant where Mum works, and then went 10-pin bowling. My main birthday present was a Creative Zen Nano MP3 player. At work I helped to write training guides for new staff-members; this was actually more challenging than expected, although it was a good experience.

Nothing noteworthy happened during March. Over the Easter holidays in April I went on holiday to Butlins holiday camp in Skegness with my friend Naomi and her sister Sarah. I had a really good time. April also marked Mum and Terry’s first wedding anniversary, so we all went out for a meal at the Townhouse restaurant to celebrate.

In May I started applying for internal vacancies at work, upon the advice of my supervisor. I was lucky in that I was invited to interview for all 3 of the jobs I applied for, however I was rejected for 2 of them and the third was withdrawn. I wasn’t surprised about being rejected for those 2, because they were in fact 2 levels higher than my current rank within the company. To be honest, I was shocked to even get inteviews for either of them. So, I decided to stay put.

In June, the summer well and truly began and the temperature soared. A couple of relatives held a barbecue and a hog roast for the family.
In July it was my holiday in Ibiza, which was one of my best ever holidays. Just a month later, I was on holiday in the Peak District with Mum and Terry. It did feel strange to have 2 holidays in such a short period of time! September was a fairly uneventful month. In October I bought a new DVD player and several DVDs. I also helped deliver a Microsoft Excel training course at work, which was a big milestone for me.

In November we went to a local firework display to celebrate Bonfire Night. I also went with my Aunt and Uncle to book my holiday to Thailand to see my Dad – it’s booked for March 2007.

December saw Christmas and the parties with my work colleagues. My main present was a new mobile phone, and I had time off work to spend time with my relatives. On New Year’s Eve, my nieces came round to stay the night, as my sister Suzanne went to a party. We watched the countdown to midnight and the fireworks display on TV, which was really good.

As the clock struck midnight, I remembered my determination to be happier in 2007, and to try not to worry too much about things. We are now a day in to the new year, and it’s been a happy day. I went with my Mum and nieces to the cinema to see Night At The Museum. It was a hilarious film, one of the best I have seen in a long time. We also had a meal at Frankie & Benny’s restaurant – I had a hamburger and fries. In the cinema I had vanilla Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

Happy new year everybody!