A week without my debit card - how do I cope?

This blog is to document how I 'survive' without my debit card for a week. This situation occurred because my bank (don't ask, won't tell) has sent my replacement card to Australia (where I used to live). To make things worse, my current debit card expires today, 30th April. I thought I would have until the end of today (12 midnight) to use my debit card. No, it has been deactivated already. While I have ordered a new replacement card, it will take around 4 to 6 working days to arrive. Hence, I need to live 'creatively' without my debit card for a week. I need to find alternative means or ways to pay for things like my phone bill, train tickets, groceries etc. This situation makes me realise that, perhaps, I can live without my debit card for a week or longer. Perhaps, you can live without your debit (or credit) card for a week or longer. We, as consumers, seem to have become so dependent on our bank (or credit) cards and we forgot that people (like our great grandparents) in early days used to live without any card. No debit card, no Visa card, no Master card, no Amex card etc. Another reason that triggers me to write this blog is to keep a record of my spending behaviours. I would like to know if I would spend less without my debit card. I would not label myself as a shopaholic, at least, not a 'serious' shopaholic who spends hundreds of pounds each week on clothes, shoes, skin care products etc. Maybe, I am more like a 'benign' shopaholic who spends £20 to £50 per fortnight. Everyone needs a hobby, right? One of my many hobbies is shopping. From today onwards, I will document how I cope with my daily life without my debit card for a week.

30th April - I visited the TK Maxx in Guildford. It is a brand new store as it was only opened last Monday. The official opening is tomorrow, 1st May. I spotted a brief case and knitwear that I like so I decided to buy them. I used my 'about to expire' debit card to pay, but it was declined. At this moment, I realised that my debit card has been deactivated. I was not panic. I used the cash I had in my wallet to pay for my purchases. Luckily my purchases were not that 'costly'. The total price was merely around £40. While I was leaving TK Maxx, I realised that I had a phone bill to pay this week, otherwise I would get a penalty. Without a debit card, I was not sure how I could do that. So I rang my telecoms provider and asked for advice. The customer service officer suggested me to use a friend's card or go to a branch of my bank to pay for the bill. She gave me the sort code and account number of her employer (i.e. the telecoms company). With this information, I found out that I could actually pay my bill online. With some cash and the internet, I managed to cope with the day.

Spring = 'ultra-mini'skirts?

I feel that I have to write this blog to reflect an interesting observation from last night. I finished my swimming lesson at around 10ish. Instead of walking home in the dark, I decided to take a bus. The bus departed from the sports centre (Surrey Sports Park) and went through the typical university route i.e. Manor Park (university accommodation) - University - Town Centre. At Manor Park, the bus driver picked up a group of 4 young girls, obviously university students, aged between 18 to 20 years. All of them were wearing stiletto and ‘ultra-mini’ skirts. What I mean by ‘ultra-mini' is the skirt length is just enough to cover the 'front-bits' and 'back bits'. Then, at the University, the bus driver picked up another group of young girls, around 5 or 6 of them. Interestingly, all of them were, again, wearing stiletto and ultra-mini skirts. Not that I was eavesdropping (at least, not intentionally), but I did overhear them saying that 'I told you that we are going to wear skirts' or something like that. It was apparent that these two groups of young girls know each. It also seemed that they had coordinated their outfits for the night out. Right at this moment, a question popped up in my head, 'is it a girl thing that they like to coordinate their outfits for a night out?' I cannot imagine a group of guys will do that, unless they were going out for a buck's party (I have seen a group of guys dressing up like golfers on a buck's night out). This coordination of outfits for a night out highlights an interesting, albeit not new, social phenomenon, namely group identity. This group of young girls seemed to feel the need to conform to the identity of their 'sisterhood' (the social group) by collectively wearing ultra-mini skirts. Obviously, peer pressure is a key factor for the conformation to group identity. Another factor can be self-confidence. I hypothesise that if you are confident about yourself, you are less likely to feel the need to conform to your sister- or brotherhood. I am sure some well-known scholars would have researched on this area. I am just too lazy to look up at the library databases. How about age? Do you think young people (e.g. teenagers) are more likely to succumb to group identity than 'mature' people (e.g. middle-aged or senior people)? I use the word 'mature' to signify life experiences, not necessarily old age. This question is based on my many observations at shopping centres. I have noticed that young people tend to wear the similar outfits as their friends as compared to ‘mature’ people. Maybe, I am wrong. I think group identity will be a very interesting research topic. Anyway, it's time for me to dash as I have some study to do before my day out with my flatmate. Maybe, I should coordinate with my flatmate and have ‘ultra-mini skirt’ day out?

A 'nippy' night out in Guildford

After living in Guildford for a year, I am still a novice of the nightlife in Guildford. I have not explored Guildford much at night. Maybe, I was being lazy. Maybe, I didn't have anyone to go out with. Maybe, I didn't want to bump into my students while I was getting drunk and silly (I laugh a lot when I am drunk). There are a lot of maybe. The point is I don't go out much at night in Guildford. Last night, I decided to break the mole and went out with my flatmate for a drink and a meal. Honestly and sadly, we only had one drink. Our night out was brief. We would love to stay longer and had more drinks, but it was freezing in the pub (White House) or, at least, at where we were siting. We were sitting inside, but facing the outdoor area. The partition separating the indoor and outdoor areas was wide open. While it is now spring, the temperature at night can still feel like winter i.e. freezing. Because of where we were sitting, we were constantly being 'attacked' by the winter-like draught. We couldn’t migrate to another table as the pub as pretty jam packed. It was Saturday night after all. As much as we tried to be 'tough' (we were wearing our jackets), we could not bear anymore of the 'cold attack'. Having cold beer in a cold environment was too cold to handle. After an hour at the pub, we decided to call it the night. Although our night out was brief and cold, we had a good time. We had a nice meal and a huge glass of Peroni (an Italian beer). Therefore, it was 'nippy' (speedy and cold) night out in Guildford.

Sunrise - a sign of hope

Try this: If you ever feel that your life is going pear-shape, feeling frustrated with your study (that's how I am feeling at the moment), feeling overwhelmed with your workload (that's how my flatmate is feeling at the moment), feeling that you don't seem to have a life (that's how my flatmate and I are feeling at the moment), STOP! Stop feeling that the world is grey and that your life is crap! It is not!

Instead of whining or whinging, why not try a more constructive, cheerful approach? Let say, why not wake up 6 o'clock in the morning (that's what I did this morning), go to your rear garden (provided you have one, if not, front garden is fine), look up at the sky and smile at the sun. Stand still, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and enjoy the golden sunlight reflecting on your face, while listening to the birdies chirping. I can assure you that you will feel much better after this constructive activity. Oh, I forgot to mention that you need to say this to yourself, either out loud or in your head, 'I am grateful of everyday I have'. If this constructive approach, for whatever reasons, does not work for you, there is no money back guarantee. In case you wonder what my rear garden looks like, I have attached some pictures for your 'pleasure'.

A sense of tranquillity

Just finished my 2km run, I went back to the Guildford Cathedral to warm down. Luckily, there was no silly girl to shake or push me this time. Nevertheless, there was a group of young teenagers (3-4 of them) playing scoccer and mucking around. I was standing on the rear side of the Cathedral, overseeing the Guildford countryside. It was amazing. The sun was glazing on the houses and the green field. I felt so calm and relaxed. I just wished-I know it was a wishful thinking-that I had wings. So that I could fly up to the sky, circling around the countryside and enjoying the sunshine in the sky. Won't it be nice to be able to do that? So that you can experience the sense of tranquillity that I had enjoyed at the Cathedral, please see the video.

I want to fly away...

Have you ever fantasised jumping into a hot air balloon and fly away? Fly away from your daily problems or issues? Fly away from your daily routines? Be direction-less and just let the hot air balloon floats in the air (senselessly)? You will land wherever the wind will take you?
Some of you may think I am a 'nutcase' and living in a 'la la land'. Some of you may think I am a 'coward' as I am running away from the problems or issues instead of facing them upfront. Maybe, I am a bit of both. But, sometimes I just want to run away or escape. I want to be free and spontaneous. I want to be free from thinking of my PhD, work, money etc. Of all these issues, I definitely want to be 'free' from my PhD.
I have been doing my PhD for a while now (don't ask, won't tell). In late March, I thought I was nearly close to complete and submit my PhD. Out of the blue, my supervisor gave me a new conceptual model to analyse, and major revisions on my results and literature review chapters. Do not get me wrong. I am not objecting to these major changes. I am sure she just wanted to make sure that I produced a high-quality thesis. But, why the last-minute notice? Did she realise the adverse, both mental and emotional, impact on me? Yes, I nearly went mental as well. I felt so de-motivated and upset. I acknowledge that I may not be as smart as her. But, I do work hard and learn fast.

My first swim at Surrey Sports Park

Woke up at 6am, walked and arrived at the Surrey Sports Park by 7am. Surrey Sports Park is a new gym in Guildford, which is developed by the University of Surrey. Today is the official opening day of the gym. I had a half-an-hour induction and, then, off I went for my first swim at the swimming pool. Overall, I think the gym is pretty impressive with a massive 50m, 6-lane pool, a massive workout area equipped with fancy workout machines (e.g. weight machines which tell you if you are lifting your weights properly or treadmills which you can watch free-view TV programs or plug in your iPod and watch your music videos), a gigantic basketball court (which can also be used for badminton, netball and indoor soccer), a huge indoor climbing wall etc. I was annoyed with one thing though, as I did not get to finish my 2km swim in the pool. It closes from 8am to 8.30am for pool division. In other words, the pool is being divided into two 25m pools. I will probably go back to the pool to finish my swim. Some of you may think I am persistent, and some of you may think I am a nutcase. Anyway, I may as well enjoy it while it is new! I will get bored with it eventually.

Push a jogger - it's funny?

Visualise this: You have just finished a 3km run. You are warming down on the top of a cathedral, overseeing the (Guildford) town centre. You are trying to have some tranquillity. To warm down, you are stretching one leg (backward) and standing on another leg. You are trying to manage your body balance. At this moment, two young girls (aged between 18-24 years) are walking past. Suddenly, one of them is trying to shake you and saying that 'Stay balance and don't fall down' or something like that. Will you be annoyed by her behaviour? I would be. In fact, I was extremely annoyed by her behaviour. I frowned, stared at her and asked 'Why do you do that?'. She looked at me strangely and casually replied 'I am just trying to be funny'. Sorry, I did not think it was funny at all. The two girls giggled and, then, walked away. Since when it is socially acceptable to shake or push a stranger while he or she is warming down? If I were to repeat this behaviour to a female jogger, she might shout 'sexual harassment' or, worse still, she might give me a slap on my face. If I were to repeat this behaviour to a male jogger, he might give me a punch (not a fruit punch for sure). What was the young girl thinking? What fun did she get out of it? If she wanted to have fun, go for a run, go to a movie or gossip with her girlfriends. Shaking a jogger who is warming down is, definitely, not a fun thing to do. Young girls out there who are reading this blog, please DO NOT push a jogger while he or she is warming down. It is not funny, I can assure you that!

Why do I finally choose to be a blogger?

After all these years, I have finally set up a blog account. I never thought of blogging because I used to think blogging was for people with plenty of (disposable) time on their hands. Obviously, I was wrong. Sorry, my blogging fellows. Now I am putting my blogging prejudice aside and ready to embrace this technology. I am aiming to use blogging to improve my writing skill and thinking process. Being an academic, I need to write constantly, either a research proposal, a conference paper or a journal paper. Every time I try to write, I feel frustrated and fear. I feel frustrated about writing because it always takes me longer to say what I want to say, maybe, it is because English is not my native language. My mother tongue is Cantonese. I am fear of writing because I always scared of writing the 'wrong' things, using the 'wrong' words and presenting the 'wrong' arguments. These frustration and fear have constantly hindered my writing process. I am determined to be a better writer, a more eloquent writer! So, if any of you is reading my blog and has some goods tips on how to write eloquently, I would love to hear from you.