Results Day Approacheth!

Monday 22nd February sees the next lot of ACCA exam results come out.  In December last year, I re-took one exam, Corporate and Business Law (F4), and took another exam, Financial Management (F9), for the first time.

The Law exam I failed first time out, in June last year.  Certain parts of it, particularly that regarding contract and employment law, I found really interesting and thus did quite well I thought.  And this time round, I was disappointed to find there was less of it!  But I did work a lot harder for this sitting, so failure will be that bit more disappointing.

The other exam involves things like debt management and value of businesses.  This is the sort of thing the bosses and the senior staff at my firm do, so I was keen to do well in it!

Because it was my first attempt at F9, I was allowed to go on a "taught" course, down at BPP Southampton.  That, coupled with the short, but intense, studying I did pre-exam, I am hoping is enough to earn me a first time-pass!

When I came out of the exam hall in December, I honestly felt that both exams could go either way.  Thus there is a 25% chance I will pass both but, equally, the same odds of failing both!  I answered every part of every question in both exams, from what I recall... let's just hope I didn't write a pile of crap!

Currently, I am one exam ahead of my three colleagues who started the ACCA journey at the same time.  Whilst it isn't a race, I will admit to being a weensy-bit competitive.  Therefore, I really want to keep my nose in front!

My sister-in-law has recently had some mixed results from her AAT exams.  They seem to be done way differently to how I did them, years ago.  I don't miss those exams, although these ACCA exams are on a different level (despite what my colleagues think!)...

I am proud to have my AAT qualification, easy though I found it... let's see whether come Monday I am any closer to getting the next one!

On the Up in 2010?

Before the traditional "let's all look back at 2009" blog (expect that on January 1st!)... I'm looking forward to next year.  The reason is that is going to be jam packed with awesomeness!

There are birthdays and anniversaries a-plenty, and not small ones either!  My Phee will be 21 in March so that's sure to be a major event.  Nobody has any idea what we're doing for it yet, but hopefully her friends and family will come down for whatever it is!

There's birthdays and anniversaries at work too.  Two more 21sts in March and November, and some members of staff with other big celebrations.

And in December, my Dad and step-Mum will celebrate 25 years of blissful marriage!  Again... bit early for plans yet, but I'm expecting a big celebration!  At least the next twenty five years will be a lot quieter, having already raised the four of us that used to live there too!

May is going to be a massive month!
First up is my sister's wedding on Saturday 15th.  Jodes and Rob have been together for what seems like ever and have two great kids (it stills pains me that I missed Charlie's birthday).  They have been engaged for a while now too and have slowly been getting things together.  There's no way in the world I'd miss it, so we'll definitely be down in Devon for that weekend.

That said, we'll be coming back home straight from the party.  No next-day hangover pics from me!  The reason is because on Sunday 16th, Phee and I are off to Florida!  It'll be the first time I've been out of Europe and the first time either of us have been on a long haul flight.  And that scares me... I still don't understand how jumbo jets fly!  I know, I know, it's all about thrust and drag, but really... how much!?

We'll have a full seven days to visit Walt Disney World, slap bang in the middle of our fourteen days on International Drive, Orlando.  I am very much looking forward to meeting Mickey, Minnie and the gang, sharing a joke or two with the Genie and chatting up Ariel the Little Mermaid and Princess Jasmine (Phee might veto that one).

We also have a full 14-day pass to Universal Studios and a water park which will get attention during the days either side of our Disney ticket.  Plenty of time for swimming and sunbathing!  I'd also love to catch a b'ball game... Magic vs the Sonics would be good!

And straight from the plane home, we will most likely be driving straight back to Devon!  That is because my brother, Tim, and his wife, Ju, are expecting their first baby the day we leave the U.S.!  Peanut, as (s)he is currently named (after Jeff Dunham's character?), will be niece/nephew # 12 and, as Tim's my only full sibling, is the most blood related.  Not that I treat any of them differently - you can't have favourite, can you?!

After that, we'll no doubt be needing another holiday!

The other significant event of 2010 will be Phee and I properly moving in together, in June or July.  On our own.  With only me to annoy her!  Looking at the house prices around, we should be alright and have been eyeing up places in Farnham, Alton and Bentley... all on the train line to London.  We're not too fussy with what we get.  We'd prefer it to have two bedrooms, rather than one and it has to really be a house, not a flat.  This is because we need a place that is cat friendly...

... as this little (as yet un-named) cutie is hopefully going to be joining us:

Luna and Ebony are still my favourite names!  Phee doesn't agree, but is too busy with Uni to think of anything better!

Oh, and here's hoping the results of this week's exams (due in February) are positive too!  I want two out of two and stay one step ahead of the girls at work who are getting rather competitive!

Bonjour, je suis Monsieur Mo. J'aime les darts!

Another week in the life of Wulfy and the Mo!

Having calmed down somewhat since last week's road rant, it's been more business as usual.  Outside of the office itself, where I have been sporting the Day 10 Mo (to the right - I am not completely naked!), I have begun my revision for the upcoming exams I have in December.  The realisation that they are, in fact, less than four weeks away grabbed me by the metaphoric throat!  Corporate Law, my examination nemesis, is first up on Tuesday 8th, followed by Financial Management on the Thursday.

I need to pass this Law sooner rather than later or I may become disillusioned with the whole thing.  It's imperative I understand it, as it forms a vital part of being an accountant.  The Contract Law section is something I do enjoy... I can apply it in many walks of life!

The Financial Management is more important for the type of accountant I aspire to be, in that I choose to work in practice, rather than in industry as a management accountant.  It's all about debt management and working capital.  Yeah, if you're not financially minded, that probably means nothing to you.  But I find it interesting!


This weekend was not as full as it initially was, as the mighty Chawton Athletic FC had their game called off.  Apparently the Farnham College pitch was a tad wet!  It's gutting, as I was really up for that match, a win in which would have seen us draw level with our hosts, Morley Road.  Hopefully, the week off will not hinder us in trying to keep the momentum gained from the previous weekend's excellent win against Blue Bell.

I did get to play darts, after missing the previous week's game.  Before my visit to Hull, and the loss the week before, I was in the Alton Friday Night Darts League's Top 32 players list.  With that in mind, I really wanted to win in my singles game against Friday's opponents, Gentleman Jim B.  To add to the pressure, by the time I got to play my game at 11pm the team was 2-3 down in the single match (having already won the double 3-0).

I had seen my opponent (who arrived very late) in the doubles, so knew I had my work cut out!  I through first in the first leg, and managed to keep in front thanks to a few scores of 80+.  And I eventually took it after missing six darts at my favourite double-10, by hitting double-5.
The second leg didn't exactly go according to plan... scoring 9 twice in a row (different methods though!) put me well behind!  And it was a relief when the other guy finished, as it gave me time to take stock.
After again winning the toss (no going for bull in this league), I started with my first, and only, tun of the match.  We matched each other all the way down, and after struggling on double-4 and dropping down to double-2, I found the double blocked by my first two darts.  Cue a change in stance (far right, by the bar!) and bang, in it went for the 2-1 victory, my third in five games.

I have struggled with nerves over the past couple of years.  It causes my arms to feel very heavy when throwing.  But double-2 has always been kind to me.  The support of my team-mates is always appreciated, especially Scotty and his "Carlos-arriba" mexican style whooping!  I try to shut it out a little, as it can add to the pressure... but it'd be far, far worse if all I got was dead silence!  Maybe if my support looked like these fine darts players...

This week I might open my self up for more ribbing... the full blooded Mo arrived today, day 16 of Movember!  I have ditched the goatee beard on my chin, opting for just a smidgen of fluff under my bottom lip to keep Phee happy.

A poor man's Tom Selleck, I know, I have been told it makes me look French!  Well, it is one of three languages I speak (not as fluently as I once could).


I will return... I have a few things on my chest to get off.  Ranting is good for the soul.  If I believed in them.

I Hate Revision.

Really, I do. Three exams towards my ACCA qualification coming up next week. I almost didn't get in as my application was lost in the mail...

Corporate Law scares the living crap out of me. I just can't cram it all in! I'm hoping I scrape a pass, as I should be okay with Taxation and Performance Management.

Time will tell... wish me luck!

Panic Attack.

My favourite song by my favourite (one of them) bands, Dream Theater, is Panic Attack. How ironic, then, would it be to actually start suffering from them?

Ironic, maybe, but pretty bloody annoying.


Some of you will know that I have always been a very up and down person. I've never been properly diagnosed with any type of depression, but do consider myself a sufferer of it. What started out in my teens as shyness, soon turned to random bouts of depression when I left school. This was coupled by an almost over-whelming fear of rejection.


For the majority of the time I was fine, just very quiet. I've often been described as laconic... I don't speak unless I have something to say (then I talk incessantly!!). But when I started going up to Hull to stay with Sophie, things got worse...

I would get claustrophobic in the kind of places I'd usually be fine. Being surrounded by hordes of people I didn't know scared the living crap out of me. At my first "social function" as Sophie's beau, I actually felt sick. I had to go to the toilet to cool myself down, and barely spoke to anyone. I stuck out like a sore thumb... and that made me incredibly self-conscious.

This continued to happen at random. Both in Hull, Farnham (Sophie's Uni) and even in Devon. I'd never had a problem with the age gap in our relationship, but maybe I was still worried what others thought...


But things got worse in January this year. My best mate, Gofer, another friend from school, Baz, and I set up a huge party to celebrate our 30th birthdays (belated for Gofer and I!). Eighty guests in total, about eighty percent of which I knew. I was to perform a DJ set of rock/metal music at some point that night.

I was nervy from the start, but managed to talk to a few friends and family members. But the closer to my set it got, the worse I became. Then, five minutes before my time, it struck: PANIC!

I mumbled at Gofer that I couldn't do it, and fled to the stairwell. Where I stayed for all but the last half hour of the night, when I'd been coaxed back down to sit with my family. For most of the night, the only contact I had was with Sophie and Matt Feld, drummer extra-ordinaire of Sanguine. Between them, they made sure it wasn't a complete waste of my time being at my own party (thanks guys)!


The straw that broke the camel's back came three days later. Back at work, I went to the toilet, feeling a little ill. When the upset stomach continued, and some came into the Gents and asked how I was, it struck again: PANIC!

Needless to say, I swiftly went home and stayed there for three days. I went to the doctor, who referred me for psychiatric treatment (still waiting!!) and put me on tranquilisers. These didn't work, as I had another attack trying to visit my Mum in London.


Since then I have been on Cipralex, an SSRI-inhibiter anti-depressant. Things are looking back up. After a further two weeks off work (whilst the Cipralex took effect), I began to feel better. Since then I have been at work and on course consistently, visited friends and family back in Devon and managed to play football again up here.

I have also joined a website for depression and anxiety disorders, No More Panic. They have been very helpful in my recovery and offer a lot of good advice. My bosses at Wettone Matthews, have been incredibly supportive, and that has been key to my recovery.



But I do not kid myself.
I am feeling better because I am drugged up (albeit it on a reasonably low dosage). I still get the twinges of thought... the feeling it could all go wrong. But they never appear, because they are masked by medication. I still have to work hard to overcome the crux of the problem... and the shrink will hopefully help me out here! But I'm still waiting for them...

It most likely boils down to my early childhood, where I was shipped about a bit. Parents divorcing is hard on any kid, and I'm the sort of person that bottles things up. Clearly, it's come to a head. Depression also is in the genes...


I must work hard to overcome my fears. I can beat this. I can do anything when I put my mind to it...

The New Life.

So, it's been almost a year since my last blog! So much for keeping everyone up to date, eh!?


Well, the move itself went well. I had ample help from Tim, Julia, Ant and Steve and the van(s)! I didn't have much time to settle in before starting my new job at Wettone Matthews, a small firm of accountants in public practice. I'd had seven years experience in the field and so could fit in well!


The job itself has been going very well. I have made some new friends, in particular Aldershot fan John and the two younger ladies in the office, Hannah and Ellie-Grace. My bosses are quite easy going and very understanding (but more on that later). Through John, I have been able to get some vague type of social life back... playing for a few football teams.


I first joined the 5-a-side team he played for, Voyager. They played in the Basingstoke Powerleague, although we rarely won any games! I made a good impression and was soon an important member of the side. But alas, when the captain moved to Hong Kong the team soon folded!

Since them I have been playing some 5-a-side on a Wednesday night and have joined a Sunday league team, Chawton Athletic, who play in the Farnham and District Sunday League. They were short of players when I joined, and have been since. I've played on both wings and at right back so far, and been playing fairly well so hope to keep my place in the side. I've also made a good friend in George Petrie, who alternates the wings with me!


The new housemates are a mixed bag. On the one hand you have the very laid back James. He likes to chill out in his room, playing on his synthesiser and generally has a relaxed attitude to cleaning! Taras, or "The Russian" as I often refer to him, is a huge bloke who looks a little like Hagrid from Harry Potter, but without the beard! It's hard sometimes to understand each other, but having learnt two foreign languages I usually succeed. Then there are the two girls, Katie and Sidonie. One is a self-confessed arrogant rich girl who wants for nothing, the other is the most bizarre OCD-sufferer I've ever come across. And here stems a lot of the problems in the house... of which there do seem to be many. But again... those run-ins will be discussed in another post!

The house itself is old. Victorian, I believe. And it often shows. The landlord, Derrick, is quite helpful and often gets the numerous faults quickly sorted. Occasionally, he does seem to take the cheap way out, but the two rooms Phee and myself occupy seem fine now. We did have to redecorate ourselves (something I won't ever offer to do myself again!) but the rooms are now as we'd like them... albeit still very cluttered!

The bedroom is fairly simple. We have a new bed, white and metallic, and a few random furniture bits for clothes etc. The "office", as we refer to the larger room, is extremely cluttered. This is mainly due to the TWO computer desks and the quite large TV stand, complete with shiny new Xbox360! Incidentally, SabreWulf7 is my XboxLive handle!


The area around here is nice. We have been on a few walks to the Frensham Ponds and also to Waggoners Well. Basingstoke is just a half hour drive away and is our preferred destination for both shopping and entertainment, as the cinema is large and fairly cheap! Farnham itself is okay, and the Marlborough Head has footy on TV to keep me happy! Alton, where both Phee and I work is also a nice little market town.


Back home, I'm pleased to see the mighty Rockbeare Rangers finally going from strength to strength. After being accepted into the Lucozade Sport Performance League and Cup, there's a real buzz about the Club. Although there has been some managerial turmoil this season too! I'm struggling to drum up interest in the clothing range, despite the fact that the stuff MattD, Ed and I got is bloody awesome! And I miss being a part of the day-to-day stuff! But I keep myself involved by doing the website and being the PR guy. It works for me, it works for the Club. It's also nice to see that people at the Club still view my opinion and seek out my help from time to time!


Right... that's all for now. The next post (coming soon) will be documenting what's NOT right with both Phee and myself right now. That's coming soon.

Surrey Calling!

I am making a big change in my life. It is bigger than anything I have done before. I am upping sticks completely and moving to Surrey!

Sophie is at University in Farnham, at the U.C.C.A. there. She's going to (hopefully) be there for another two years. That's a hell of a long time to be travelling up and back from Devon... it's hard going more than a few days without seeing her. My solution: Move there.

First off, I wanted to find a place to live. Being a non-student (and seeking a job), I thought this might be difficult. Indeed, Sophie's first phone call involved a woman laughing at her, telling her she'd never heard of such a thing and that we'd need luck. Thankfully, the next call proved more positive!

The tenancy agreement is signed and ready to go and we will have a "two room suite" in a five bedroom shared house in Hale Road, Farnham. It will be redecorated too, and we have the opportunity to add our personal influence to the house, as the landlord is very open to what we want to do. That includes putting my dartboard up and hopefully improving my form!

As well as a house, I needed to sort a job out. How else would I be paying the rent; Sophie's loan won't cover it! I took a couple days off and had three interviews. At the second interview, for a firm in Alton, I felt right at home as soon as I sat down. Wettone Matthews' office is very similar to Easterbrooks' Sidmouth office. Thankfully, they liked me as much as I liked them and offered me the position of Trainee Accountant. I will be starting ACCA training next year and will be getting a nice pay rise!

What else in my life will change with this move?

Well, my duties with Rockbeare Rangers Football Club will reduce drastically, as they have already begun to. As of next season, I shall merely be Webmaster. And President or Non-Executive Director! I want a poncy name after being one of the Club founders! I will miss playing, especially with Ian on board to change the Club's fortunes...

Goodridge (link requires Facebook account) will also be doing without my services! They have replaced me with Johnny Beer and I guess he can do the job! I will be getting a team shirt and might play the occasional game when I'm back visiting any weekend! My testimonial will be coming up soon, hopefully against Mikey P's team.

I will not text my postcode to 66611 and neither should you. But I digress.

Darts is taking a back foot. Which it needs! Instead, I shall help Sophie improve her game. She's really keen to get better. Actually, I think she just wants to beat me!

I'm leaving my friends and family behind. It's lucky most of them are on my Facebook really! It's going to be difficult at first, knowing only Sophie's Uni mates, my new housemates and my new work colleagues. This is the only scary bit of the move really. My increasing social anxiety worries me, as I don't want to freeze among new people. First impressions mean a lot!

The move is the weekend of 19th July. My new job started on Monday 21st July. I think I'll start a Facebook group. I mean, you'll wanna know when the Leaving Do, Housewarming and other such parties are... right?

My Life in Thirty Seconds...

Which is probably how long it'll take you to read this post!

My life is far more complicated than is absolutely necessary, usually by my own doing. I take a lot on, often too much at once. I help people out, as I feel I am a naturally caring person, and this has led to me getting shafted by various people.


Rockbeare Rangers are having a mixed season. And I've certainly had my ups and downs at the Club. I've given my two penny' worth to people that have asked, but for those of you that haven't, here's the quick version:

I helped form the Club, with Mark Walters (Chairman) and Ed Haine (Club Treasurer), as a number of us fancied playing regular football in the league. Some of us had played before and weren't happy with where we were, some of us fancied a change, some of us had never played league football before.

We needed someone to take control, and given my extensive Football Manager knowledge, I thought I'd have a go. A few positive friendlies later, I fuck up the start to our season by changing formation. I wonder if it would have made a difference.

After five or so games, the so-called Player Rep decides he's taking over. No discussion with the Board, just the players. And so begins the internal war. Now, I distanced myself from the Club for a bit by spending time with Sophie in Farnham. I still went to training (was injured for one week) but I was never likely to make the first XI. I was fine with that.
But the Board as whole were becoming more and more annoyed by the players trying to run the Club we had started. And not for the right reasons. So the Manager was replaced, in the proper manner.

This Manager subsequently left for personal reasons! We have now found an experienced Coach to come in and show us what has been going wrong. And after one training session and one half time team talk, things are already being learnt! We have a tough match at home to Awliscombe United tomorrow, who beat us 1-5 at their place. The report will be on the site on Monday!

We currently sit fifth from bottom in Inter 2. We have the promise to finish higher...


Money is a real concern right now. My "friend" Codge has his Mum die in October 2006. I leant him my Credit Card to help pay for the funeral. See? A nice guy, I am.
He screws me over. I'm left having to pay £125 a month to pay off his Credit Card debt, while he gives me between nothing and £300 a month... usually nothing. This leaves me a tad short, given I have my own debts to contend with!!

In addition, my previous house has outstanding bills. One of my former housemates is rubbish with money, choosing mainly to spend his on drugs. It leaves the rest of us trying to keep the debt collectors at bay.

Help will be at hand in May, when I upgrade my o2 mobile phone account. I'm thinking of getting a Sony Ericsson k850i, the latest model in my current phone's range on Online 30 (24 month tariff) as it includes unlimited o2 to o2 calls. I shall read the small print before I do...!


My love life really couldn't be better! Sophie and I have been together for over a year now and are closer than we've ever been. I could gush about how great she is, but you may be eating so I'll direct you to my Facebook profile if you wanna know how fantastic she is. Having started as a long distance relationship (she's originally from Hull), we have gone full circle while she is away at Uni in Farnham. We spend every weekend together though and are constantly on the phone or MSN to each other.

We do make the most of our time together, and try very hard not to take it for granted. We go for drives in the country, try to visit our families (mine is easier to visit as they're closer) or just stay in and enjoy each others company. Needless to say, we have an amazing sex life! We are so in tune with each other and that makes all the difference.

Sophie is currently doing a three year university course in journalism at Farnham UCCA. If she follows the journalist route, she would need to live quite close to London. To this end, I shall be attempting to relocate to Farnham in the summer. For someone who has never lived more than 14 miles from his place of birth, this represents a huge step. This is proving rather difficult though, as changing jobs and houses at the same time is nigh on impossible sometimes. It's all very much in the mixer at the moment, nothing is definite, apart from the intent!


Darts isn't going well. As many people know, I've played darts for over half my life... and once upon a time I used to be quite good at it. I've represented my county at Under-21 level and have gotten to the second round of the National Youth Competition. I captained my own side in the Sidmouth League for many years and now loosely captain a team in the Honiton League, not by choice! But my season has been appalling. Never have I suffered from such nerves. I am confident in my ability and know I can beat a lot of players in the leagues in which I play. But recently, my nerves have cost me games and I even missed the board completely going for bull!

So I'm taking a step back. Regardless of what happens in the summer, I will not be playing league darts next season. I will practice, play for fun and teach Sophie how to play. The way it's been going, I have not been enjoying my darts. And that's despite playing with two teams of people I really gt on with (mostly). Playing for fun is the only way to get my enjoyment of the game back...!


Work is alright. We've just had a hectic January at Easterbrook Eaton Limited. But on top of that I have a few personal clients. For privacy reasons I won't go into detail, but taken on this work outside of my usual office hours has been a little stressful! I can't help that I'm so damned good at it...

If I do end up moving, I will look at what I want to do. No doubt I won't change vocations just now... but a man of my intelligence should probably put it to the best use possible. I will apply myself more!


Well, there's a short (!) look at my life. I know... it's not that bad really!