26 January 2010

I'm back!

Haven't put thoughts to keyboard for a couple of week.  Since I sold my car really.  Hmm... something has gone wrong with my hit counter. The last time I saw it was 6504, but this evening it has reset to 0007!  Huh?  Ack, who cares!  It's just a counter.  Not all that important when I come to think of it.  Just a way to track how many times people have visited my page.  So in a way, the rise in numbers would indicate how popular my page is.  However, I think I'll just take a look and no record anymore.  Just a weblog at the end of the day.

Anyway, I should go to bed real soon.  Aiming for another six am start tomorrow to head to the gym before work.  I went to Body Pump this morning for the 7am class.  The three-quarter hour class went by quite quickly, though I found myself struggling through the second set of legs workout when there was a combo of squats and lunges.  Must decrease my weight next time.  Also for the shoulders, will take it down to 5kgs each side rather than 7.5kgs.  Morning gym sessions are good as they leave you refreshed before you start work.  There were about fifteen people at Body Pump this morning and more people using the general gym.  Lots of fitness freaks getting their hit to kick start their day :)  I wanna go for my own biceps and triceps workout tomorrow.  :)

Worked three hours overtime at the office today.  It got really busy and hectic with three absences in my team, one of which was my manager.  So therefore I had to do a lot more work than usual and had to train two of the five Polish girls as well in a monthly payroll process.  By 3:15pm I was feeling very very ratty and hungry, but had to keep all the emotions inside as the outside I remember I am an advert of Jesus Christ.  I have to smile, I have to show peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control etc.  Once I got in the house I had to stuff my face asap and satisfy that big void in my stomach that increased in size with every minute passed my usual 1pm feeding time!!  =O

I ate quite unhealthily at the EM Retreat last weekend.  Started the weekend off with Burger King BEFORE I reached the campsite.  Then had bread and butter pudding once I got there.  I don't think I will have any more fast foods for a long while.  Initially I had planned to have my last fast food meal at Burger King in the end of December, then had KFC.  This year I have had a McDonald's visit as well as a Burger King visit.  ALSO Pizza Hut delivery at Jackie's bday party. Ooooh!  Although I want to bulk up, I don't think I should be doing it with junk. More like eat more carbs and protein.  Load up in that rather than fats from junk food!  Excess carbs can store up and be broken down using exercise.  Excess fat takes much longer to burn off.

Ok, better sleep now.

Oh yeah, I am planning to hand in my notice to my HR job next Monday, 1st Feb, then use the four weeks to properly take on as many pupils as I can and fill up my diary and then I will completely focus on driving tuition rather than have my mind and attention split between the both.  :)

p.s. I miss you

16 January 2010

Ode to my (former) car



From the day I took you home,
Not even one year old.
I was proud to take you around,
I am sad that you are now sold.

You have seen my laughters,
You have seen my tears.
You've taken me to church camps,
shopping trips and even IKEA.

Skye was the further place we've been,
Six hours was long enough.
Never once suffered a breakdown,
For this I thank Him above.

My sidekick when serving in church,
The bearer of all the weight.
Never had it let me down,
Sometimes more reliable than a mate.

So here we have it,
It is time to say goodbye.
I will remember all the good times,
And I promise not to cry.

I hope they keep you nice and clean,
With polish and wax applied.
Don't forget to toot the horn
Whenever you pass me by.

(6504)

14 January 2010

The ball is rolling!

Finally!  There is a genuine interest for my -03 Ford Focus and the process of selling has now started.

Back in 11th December a person called "J" texted me asking for my final asking price of the car.  I said £3500 and she said it was too high but would discuss with her daughter.  On 31st December "J" came back and offered me £2800.  I said minimum of £3000 before I will let the car go because I had spent so much money on it already AND had taxed the vehicle until May 2010 recently and had not added it onto the price.  A few days later, 3rd January, "J" said they could not go any higher than £2950.  At this point I literally laughed out, cos I felt they were trying to haggle with me and keep the price low.  Fair enough if you were buying from a dealer, or even if the car was a bad condition in any shape or form, but those who know me would know I looked after my car very well.  It had only done 28,300miles in it's lifetime and the body work is mint condition, brand new tyres put on them and the engine is ever so reliable.  So for me to sell it at £3000 only it really hurt my wallet.  I was def making a loss.  But hey, I had put it down from £3500 to £3200 on my ads due to the current finacial climate, knowing that it was hard for anybody to come up a high amount of money at this time of the year.  Also, having the car parked on the street each day would decrease it's value whilst increasing the chances of it getting vandalised or damaged in any way.  As long as the car goes into safe hands I am willing to let it go.  "J" must have been local and must have caught sight of my car and the A4 ads I had up on the rear windows.

So... on Tuesday (12th Jan) "J" texted out of the blue saying they could offer £3000 if that's ok and they'll make arrangements for a mechanic to have a look at it.  Of course I said it was fine.  After all, I had nothing to hide.  I called "J" in the evening and it turned out to be a mother who was looking for a car for her daughter.  She passed the phone to her husband who is called John.  I introduced myself and told him a bit more about the car.  He told me about a bum deal their daughter got on an Alfa Romeo from a dealer and that case is now involving Trading Standards and lawyers etc.  So they want a reliable car.  I reassured him realiable is something they can expect off me and off the car.  I have had no troubles with it at all.  We made arragements for a test drive and chat the following day.

Yesterday (13th Jan) I met with John at 1:30pm.  Had the chance to give the car a wash at Foam n Away before drying off some parts and got all my lever arch of paperwork and receipts and even brought the original Ford radio cassette unit down with me.  I drove to Forge Shopping Centre carpark and along the way I told John about the car and that the reason I was selling it was cos I had a driving school car to drive so there was no point in taxing and insuring two cars at the one time.  Letting him know I was a driving instructor and giving him the real reason for selling my car helped to reassure him of my genuine-ness and it started winning his trust.  He had a shot of the car around the big car park as well as driven it back to our meeting place.  He loved it!  The deal is 90% done and all that was left was this mechanical check at Gordon's Garage which is local to me.

I took the car up to Gordon's Garage at 1pm today and took it back at 2pm.  The mechanic commented on how "minted" this car is, absolutely not issues with it, good new tyres on it, looks great etc.  He did note that the starter motor seemed a bit weak to him.  I said I feel a slight one or two second delay occasionally in the recent cold weather and it might have been to do with the car being parked unused for prolonged periods.  He said he wasn't sure that was the case, but the starter might go in a few day or in a few years, it's impossible to tell.  I told him I'd pass that message on to John and that John would call him anyway.  This evening before the gym I spoke to John who was delighted with the report and was not concerned with the starter motor concern.  I assured him it has NEVER given me any trouble at all in the time I've had it.  He said he trusts me and won't be play me around either.  I told him that I am messing him around either.

So, two genuine people with a common point of interest - the Ford Focus.  We're going to seal the deal on Saturday.  I suggested we meet at our local library where we have tables we can use to look through paperwork and to fill out the V5 registeration document.  Also I asked him to bring ID with him as I need to know if the car will be registered to him or to his daughter.  He should know by tomorrow night he said.  Ah, one thing I forgot to ask him about is insurance.  Will he have sorted out insurance for the Focus before driving it away?  Hmm...

The deal is 95% completed until Saturday when I get cash in hand :)

(6468)

08 January 2010

Coldness

This blogging business is not an easy thing to keep up.  Effort is required to put thoughts into writing words and how to chain those words into sentences that make sense.  Have been busy this week but here I am wanting to blog again and say Hi to everyone.  =)

Have been thinking just few moments ago, "why am I blogging?"  Do I blog for myself?  Or is it for other people?  Is it cos I know there are people reading from around the world?  It is cos there have been 6332 hits on my page since it was created at the end of 2008?  Hmm... I think it is a mixture of both.  Cos I initially started this blog as a "diary" sort of thing.  I remember pre-warning everyone there might be words of honest that might shock you or upset you, but I'll write what I want.  But at the same time, whenever I type up a post I do use the backspace button quite a lot.  Not just for spelling mistakes or grammar, but to remove stuff that I don't think "appropriate" to display to the world.  But then again Gordon, who are you afraid of?  And why?  Ack, I don't know. I think it's am image thing.  The fear of destroying that "good guy" image of myself.  The fear of giving a bad impression being a Christian man, or that of a driving instructor.  Yes, at the end of the day, I do consider how people think about me.

Isn't it sad?  I think it is a little.  I mean, sometimes I wish I could say and do whatever I want.  However, there are always other things that I consider too.  How will people feel if I said this?  What would they do if I did that?  I try to make sure people around me are happy.  I try to look out for those who are alone or needing attention, but might be too shy to ask etc.  When I can make people happy, then I am happy.  It gives me a sense of "accomplishment".  In other words, I put people first very often.  A good thing perhaps.  However, at the same time I find that I deny myself very often too.  Many a times I feel one way, but say another just to help ease a situation.  Many a times I want to do one thing, but do something else just to help someone or make sure someone is safe.  Classic example - I hate complaints.  Repetitive complaints from repetitive patterns of behaviour that has the same outcome.  In my laymen terms it is described as "you reap what you sow!"  For example: A - "I am so tired!  It is making me soo moody!".  B - "Oh, why?  Did you not get enough sleep?".  A - "No, I didn't get to bed till X time cos I was out (*doing something useless*)".  B - "Did you forget you had work/ uni today?". A - "No, I didn't forget.  Just didn't feel like sleeping/ Just had so much fun!"  Well, well, person A, in all honesty, you chose not to sleep for work or study the next day.  It comes as no surprise sleeplessness can cause irritation as it affects concentration and reactions etc.  So you should be aware of your own actions and even if you are in a bad mood because of your own decisions, other people have not done anything against you, so should NOT be feeling the wrath of your mood swings.  So bite your tongue (not literally), and just smile and get on with what you're supposed to do.  Then look at the source of your problem (lack of sleep) and look to solve it - Get more sleep!  Simple!  Am I just being a typical guy here who sees a problem and tries to solve it?

It's the same with bitching and stuff.  I mean, girls complain more than guys, it's true.  They have bitching sessions too!  Whereas when guys get together it's more of a positive thing - guys watch movies or play on the games consoles or talk about cars, or does some DIY etc.  Maybe on the odd occasion they will talk about girls and have a laugh.  However, bitching and gossiping?  What's the point?  I really don't get it. Just be honest with the person you have a problem with - get any issues out in the open and sort it out.  Some personalities don't get a long.  Some don't have the chance to get along.  Fine. That's life.  But if there are clashes, then at least solve the immediate problem then try to avoid clashing again.  Maybe easier said than done, but certainly sounds less complicated than holding on to "issues" in your heart all the time.  It's tough you know.  Free you heart of these unwanted issues.  Learn to forgive.  Learn to take the first step.  Life is for living!  Not for harvesting negative thoughts and wrong-doings etc.  God has forgiven us, so we can forgive other people too, right?

Anyway the title of my blog..."Coldness" just describes the past two weeks.  This morning the air temperature was -8C again according to my car's trip computer. I so didn't want to get up, but having a driving lesson at 11am meant I couldn't sleep in too long as I had to get up and shower and shave as well as have breakfast and brief myself of the Springburn area.  The showering and shaving part is just part of my ordinary day's routine, however, with FROZEN PIPES in parts of my building it meant there was NO WATER supply for the kitchen side and since our hot water tank is in the kitchen it meant no hot water through the bathroom taps!  Fortunately the electric shower produced hot water for bathing and, well for shaving too.  Made the task more challenging of course.  The pipes were frozen since yesterday morning, but thank GOD the water came back this afternoon after a neighbour called the Factor out for a visit. So that made preparation of dinner much easier tonight.  Whereas yesterday mum and I had Asia Style takeaway so to avoid cooking and washing up.  Also so much could get a well-deserved rest after work =)

Another thing about this coldness is how it affects the roads for drivers and pedestrians alike.  Sigh!!  Wonder when this "cold snap" would be over.  C'mon!!  If I weren't a self-employed driving instructor I would not be affected so much.  But even in this below freezing weather where lessons are cancelled and driving tests are postponed, I still have to pay the same franchise fee!  Argh!!  Ok, don't worry Gordon.  God will provide.  He will take care of you  =)

Ok, off to read the latest edition of Men's Health magazine now.  =)

(6332)

04 January 2010

Autoglass


Went to Autoglass in the early afternoon in hope of getting the stone chip repaired, but when the technician came out to examine the "damage" he found it hard to find the dot.  Then upon close inspection he told me there wasn't any need to do anything to the mark.  A mark was what it was, just a scratch on the windscreen with no impact point and the mark has not gone through the top layer of the windscreen.  I was assured there was no danger of the mark getting any worse and it would not be dangerous to drive with it.  Ok, cool.  Glad that is sorted now =)

Though the streets were still very icy, and I slipped and fell when I left work this afternoon (ouch!), the roads were clear and safe enough to drive on.  There was no need to put into practice the discussion of skidding of the car.  =)  After the lesson I went to the gym and worked on the chest and back muscles, and a bit of core towards the end too.  I heard from Vince yesterday that someone is thinking of joining a new gym after his exams in Feb (you know who you are!) and I think it would be a good idea if you came and joined Greens.  It is a really nice gym and is definitely a big step up from the Glasgow Uni gym mate =D

(6282)

03 January 2010

Stones!!




This is what I had for dinner today after church and after a shopping trip to Tesco with mummy =9  Was so yummy!  The lobster was from Lidl.  It defrosted throughout the day yesterday so by this evening it was totally ready to be demolished (is that the right word?) by me!  Rrrrooar!!  And there was also the Tesco southern fried chicken pasta (more carbs than protein) and a Tesco chicken, bacon, lettuce sandwich (mix of carbs, fat and protein).  Felt so full after eating all that, PLUS as a bonus I had a crumpet with raisins.  Nice and soft, also from Tesco.  Must have been baked today =)

I went to the gym this morning, between 0915hrs-1100hrs.  Worked hard on my shoulders and core!  Went to church in the afternoon.  Got in late though, first time in like aaaaaages since I arrived at church late.  Reason being I was busy with making phone calls to places to arrange for the windscreen of my tuition to get repaired as it suffered stone chipping damage whilst on the motorway this morning.  I was driving 50mph (within speed limit at that part of the M8) when suddenly a black stone the size of my thumbnail flew across from the left somewhere and HIT my windscreen.  The impact left a small tiny dent in the windscreen, positioned just above the top of my steering wheel level, and below my line of vision.  It is not dangerous now, but if I don't get it repaired now it might get worse as time goes on, through vibrations of the car, through ice, further impact etc etc.  So yeah... you can imagine I was a bit distracted during service at EM today.

Anyway, have made arrangements with Autoglass tomorrow 1400hrs to get it repaired as it won't need replaced.  Hope it doesn't take more than an hour as I have had to reschedule a driving lesson already for it.  Fortunately the work will be carried out under account as it is covered by my AA franchise fee and insurance.  I won't have to pay anything for it.  Hope I can get back on the road soon =)

Oh, I have not done my devotions yet.  =(

(6262)

02 January 2010

My "Daily Three"




 Here's the devotional book that Cat bought me for my Christmas / New Year.  It is called "The Excellent Way" and contains 365 readings from R.T. Kendall's works which are used as daily devotionals for a whole year.  As I look into the new year, I aim to success in three "New Year Resolutions"

1) To do better in my career
2) To improve my body
3) To improve my walk with God

You have all heard of your "daily five" in terms of having five portions of fruit etc.  However, this my "daily three" that I will "do".  So each day I hope to "do" something driving-related:  may it be give a lesson, read an article, study a journal, access some online materials etc.  I will also hope to "do" something to good towards my fitness goals: gym visit, pressups at home, core exercises etc.  And of course, I will want to spend some time with God on a daily basis too.  Saying grace before my meals do not count towards that - that's just an easy cop-out excuse.  Much rather, it would be quality time spent reading the Bible and praying which really gets us closer to God.  I must admit it is this last point which is the most difficult.  I have no idea why.  Maybe because I would have to make more effort and the time to spend with God and stick with it.  Though it is hard, I will try =)

I hope I can assess my progress through the year and manage to fulfil these "targets" or resolutions of mine =)

(6250)

01 January 2010

Happy New Year!!


Happy New Year everyone!!  Wishing all my readers a very happy new year and I truly hope that 2010 is a year of amazing blessings for each and every one of you.  I received a text message from a colleague which read: "Happy new year!  May the best you've seen in 2009 be the worse you see in 2010" and I thought that was really nice.  It took me two reads before I understood what it meant, but yeah, can you imagine that?  The best thing that happened to you in 2009 is the "worse" thing in 2010 meaning what you graded as 10/10 in 2009 will be graded 1/10 in 2010.  That would mean, for example, passing my instructor exam (the highlight of my year!) would be graded 1/10 as there is something else greater and better yet to come!!  Whoo-hoo!!!  =D  So that is what I wish for all you guys out here!  All the very best in your endeavours.  May it be studies, careers, health and fitness or relationships, or all of the above!  =D  God is great and by His grace we have seen through another year.  And my gosh, what a quick year 2009 now was eh?  Does anybody else think so?

The above picture was taken in Kilmarnock, at James' parents' house where I was invited over for New Year's dinner and for Jessica's 21st birthday.  Both mum and Cat could not join us this year, so I attended myself from Glasgow, representing the So family!  Hahaha!  Had a good laugh through the night.  Dinner table conversations included how Lin looks a bit like Cat, how to find the right life partner and witnessing fights on a train journey.  Lol!  Had fun on Singstar as well as playing Big 2 with some new faces.  Overall another good new year dinner - Thanks to the Chung family!!  =D

(6240)