Five things that have been keeping me busy.

Five things that I have been up to lately:

• Fending off agents (aka recruiters/headhunters/bloodsuckers) calling me about positions in the Middle East. As the economy in the UK seems to be heading into a long recession, a lot of companies are expanding their operations in the Middle East and there is a big push to recruit suitably skilled staff. It so happens that I work in one of these "niche" sectors and if I were in different phase of my life, I would be very, very tempted....but it's not the right time for me.

• Discovering a whole new world of shopping for things that I never knew existed! Who knew that there were so many different types of buggies, baby car seats, cot mattresses etc? One item that we chose fairly quickly was the buggy. There were three main requirements: I wanted the lightest one on the market, Mr K-E wanted one that he wouldn't mind pushing around and we both wanted one that could face either way. So the Bugaboo Bee it is!! (With all the accessories, of course....)

• Making long lists for all the stuff we will need in January. Our plan was to buy everything from Mothercare in one big hit and get it delivered all on the same day, thus missing the Christmas rush. Sounds pretty stress-free right? The only problem with on-line shopping is that someone has to be in the house when the stuff gets delivered. Suddenly our straightforward plan doesn't seem so straightforward afterall.

• Getting used to the idea that I won't be wearing high heels for a while :(

• Being excited / scared /happy /anxious all at the same time. So much to do; we still have to buy our new car, clear more junk out from the flat, buy Christmas presents and send Christmas cards etc. Mr KE and I are always busy at work in the run-up to Christmas (I'm actually moving office on 5th December) plus we have our NCT & NHS "parentcraft" classes to attend. And try to meet up with friends and family before Christmas. Happy times!

Five times Five

Apparently if you write down your goals you are more likely to achieve them. About a zillion management self-help books can't be wrong. I don't think it's the magical effect of writing them down that does the trick. If you actually a) have goals to write down and b) make the effort to list them, then you are probably quite a focused person anyway.

So. Where do I want to be in five years time? To be honest, I just want an extension of where I am now, just more so. (Doesn't make sense? Never mind)

So, deep breath...here we go...

Katie-Ella's five things I want five years from now

1. ..to have a happy little family: me, Mr K-E and our little mini-mes.

2. ..my parents to be worry-free and enjoying their retirement.

3. ..to be fit and active, with time for myself and the things that I enjoy doing eg reading, hanging round in bookshops for hours, wandering around museums.

4. ..to run my own team at work, with my own Clients and all the financial responsibility that brings.

5. ..to be a little less materialistic and a little more concerned about my fellow man.

I'll make that handbag list tomorrow.

Five things that I hate about London

1. Eating out is really expensive.
2. Oxford Circus on a Saturday. I avoid it like the plague.
3. It's far away from Brunei where my Mummy and Daddy live :(
4. The crazies at the bus stop. But I guess you get them in every city.
5. You do get sucked into a materialistic shopping spiral. Hmmm, not sure whether that's a love or hate thing for me?

Five things I love about London

1. No one knows or cares about my family background. In tiny Brunei, people would often ask me who my father was. Then look disappointed because I wasn't from one of the "rich and famous" Brunei-Chinese families.
2. Public transport
3. The work opportunities are great. No, really, they are. Despite my complaints.
4. Crossing the river Thames.
5. The bookshops. It's lovely to be in a city full of bookworms. I fit in!

Five things that I like to eat

Woah! A few of the brunei blogs that I normally read now need password before access. Paranoia? Or self-protection?

5 things that I really like to eat at the moment:

(in random order)

1. spaghetti and meatballs in tomato sauce
2. little plates of yumminess from Yo! Sushi
3. Seaweed and Miso flavoured crisps from Pret a Manger
4. strawberries
5. Ben and Jerry's Fossil Fuel

Hey, it's not all bad. Strawberries are healthy!