>> WhingeWhingeWhingeWhingeWhinge!!!

I think anyone dumb can figure this out from 10,000 miles away. It's been a good day in general. Apart from my itchy throat and the headache I woke up with, everything was JUST perfect.

So I still have some sort of flu hangover and at the moment I'm pretty much coughing non-stop plus I have this awful gas-y feeling where I either can't breathe and have to burp but can't burp. Probably had too much Strepsils. But they're not even minty! And so I'm having some tea. I'll be downing a few big mugfuls, really. Hoping to calm down whatever bug I caught and hopefully be back to my normal hectic lifestyle by sunrise.

Had lunch with Joy prior to work. It was short but sweet. Always nice to catch up with these lovely people. I couldn't speak properly though cos of my phlegm infested throat. Sounds icky.

My shift was a-ok. I felt really productive trying to clean the whole store for a seemingly pedantic inspector. We have a new store manager. I don't really know if he's gonna be our long-term store manager. I know him from my years at work. He's excellent but really strict. Anyhoo, I gave the close my best shot today.

Sririn and Al came by to visit and I was working with Ewa. Had to get too much stuff from Damo in the neighborhood. He's working with this new kid, Adrian who happens to be cute. Like a cute 18 year old boy. Good eye treatment. How long will he last? Hmmm.... We'll see about that.

We're still gonna campaign for Amanda to stay put at Wynyard so I have to fix Al's overly eloquent composition. Big job. No definite deadline, though.

I have a big writing assignment. It's like creative writing class in a sense with no rules whatsoever except that I cannot write about Miyazaki because somebody else is already doing that. This entails a whole heap of research and movie time. I don't even know my deadline. I probably don't have one. I feel rather lost in a system-less environment. Is that good or bad? I guess I'll have to device my own strategy.

BURP!

Sydney Dance Company Timetable

http://sydneydancecompany.com/studios/index.shtml

Dreams and Fairytales

Ecstatic. I finally finally got my business cards! It's sooo coool! Could have been better if it said 'Section Editor' instead of 'Writer'. Well, well. We'll get there! It's still better than nothing! Which reminds me, I have to check my Concierge mail...

I got another writing stint and they pay heaps more, which is good. But a lot of research needs to be done because they're pretty much untapped territory for me. Asian films.

I'm feeling better now. It's just the coughing that's annoying me and probably the people around me. Oooops! I finished my Finance midterms so it's good good!

I was still taking a million naps trying to recover from whatever ailment I have. I had funny dreams that made me really wake up. This morning it was because I thought something in my dream was too ridiculous and I just thought I must be dreaming and I better wake up. And then siesta time it happened cos I thought my jaw was totally dislocated and I kinda panicked. I was so relieved to find my jaw in place. Too much steak. Still craving for it.

Heard from Lloyd and Narlyn today. They've come face to face with life. Soon it will be my turn.

A dose of opium for Sunday

I'm still sick so I am confined at home attending to myself. I have to study big time and I have to eat, take my tablets and so on. I bet I'll be a-ok tomorrow. Managed to get rid of my Sunday and Monday shifts despite my want for additional moolah. Some things do change.

I feel the need to scream just because of the little annoyances of life. I've tried to live with the fact that there are these minor unpleasantries that I have to sit through and endure until who knows when. Sometimes I wonder if they are all that minor because every now and then, I swear that they tend to drive me to the verge of insanity. Does it really help to voice out and complain when other people are involved or is it always better to just flex and change one's own perspective?

Life is beautiful. Mom said that to me the other day. That I already know but I never expected mom to tell me that. She added that one should just know how to live life. These are choices. Nobody should be confined to eternal damnation against one's will. But then again, I guess there's a big difference between living life and all it's wonders within one's comfort zone and going out of the boundaries being a tad adventurous. It's all about choices.

Jonathan's message yesterday was a bit of a re-run from last week. I have no idea as to how the church programs the messages and the speakers but last week I went on a Sunday morning and yesterday on a Saturday night. It was not exactly a re-run but it was pretty much 90% the same thing. It was about living on the edge and all that stuff. It was very empowering in the sense that it inspires you to move away from the norm and whatever is comfortable.

It made a lot of sense and I felt the message being aimed at me. Other than the fact that there was emphasis, being a semi re-run, I wouldn't have gone to church (because Iw as sick) if not for my pre-arranged meeting with Syd, the TV guy.

It's amazing how things would sometimes just fall into the right places.

~ sick as a dog ~

I probably had too much dehydrating drinks Thursday night and not enough water. I felt absolutely crap when I woke up Friday morning. I got to sleep in a bit so it was wonderful that I didn't have to work. I had another attempt at reading my finance book and then I was off to the city to meet up with Pitter and help him shop.

I just felt the urgency and so I dragged myself out to the world and yeah I really don't like staying home too much. It was kinda difficult looking for what Pitter exactly wanted so it took us about 2 hours to find the right necklace and all. But all was good in the end.

I had like 3 phone calls throughout, one of them being a 15-minute phone interview. Amazing how my stuffed up mobile phone battery did not even twitch a single time. It was a good interview. Promising but I know once they find out I'm on student visa, they'll drop me like a hot hot potato. But it's still a good experience to be interviewed. I am not a fan of these things hence my need for a bit of practice.

I decided to head home and probably squeeze in a 20 minute power nap prior to meeting up with the lovely people I work with. It is really cool how all of us are pretty much friends at work. That is in such contrast to the Balmain crew. I love them but to a certain extent. I guess it's the similarities that draw us together here at Wynyard/Transport House. It's just nice and wonderful.

I felt so sick last night so I ended up missing the numero uno social event of the century. Okay maybe that's an exaggeration but yeah it won't be the same next time cos some of the partners are going off to other stores. We're just happy they decided to keep Transport House open. It's more like my second home than anything.

I have a fever when I woke up today so I felt really awful because I have to go to church tonight and meet Syd, the TV Crew boss or something similar. I took my tablets and went to sleep some more. My throat is bugging me like crazy and my head feels a bit funny. But yeah I think I'll be fine by 4pm.

Maybe it's time for another nap. I'm pretty much halfway through finance. I'm being very optimistic.

In every sense of the word.

Here's to another attempt at reading my Finance book. Have a half-mark test coming up. It's not quite a midsession exam but hey it's pretty much that.

Sydney-Dubai (+ Lloyd's last Sydney day)
I was meant to meet up with Lloyd right before he left but he got so caught up doing his last minute thingamajigs in the arvo that we had to postpone it til after 9pm. So I was just hanging around work, studying and kinda helping them fix the rosters at the same time. The work-related bit is kinda frustrating. I decided to be uninvolved but I led them to the right direction anyway.

I dragged Al to my Company Law class cos she's having the undergrad version the exact same time and it was relatively as boring. I sat through most of the lecture without having my mind wander around which is a big plus for me.

Decided to really head home afterwards. I kinda got over my sadness fairly quickly anyway. I have more concrete justifications on the matter, really which I need not announce.

Intended to ring Lloyd prior to his flight yesterday morning but Sririn accidentally slept in so I opened the store on my own anyway and got kinda busy that I didn't get the chance to grab my phone and ring. Oh well.

Central-St. Leonards
So I caught my train from Central. I don't really like that place but the first bus from uni was from Central so I took it cos I wanted to get home quicker. Got on the train and accumulated a collection of eccentric personalities prior to crossing the Harbour Bridge.

Asian dude sat on my side of the long bench after this lady got off and he soooo reeked of Rugby! The Rugby we have back home that these poor homeless kids get addicted to! It was that awful overpowering varnish-like smell that would just not stop intruding your senses! Good thing that dude decided to aim for a 'better' spot.

I wasn't sure if the Rugby was coming from him but he seemed to have brought it on to our spot and as he left I was still trying to snort out the funky smell from my nostrils. I saw this lady on the other end of my bench and she had a weird look on her face which made me assume she was thinking along the same lines as me.

And poor lady, this weirdness of an old man across from her decided to comment upon her obvious discomfort and dubbed her "uptight." Mr. weird old man started preaching to her about religion and all sorts of stuff that she couldn't help but smile in a rather awkward manner. Guys sitting across me were grinning themselves. Poor lady must have had one of the weirdest train rides ever.

There's just funny people everywhere.

Wynyard-Kensington-Maroubra
Yesterday's class was pretty boring. I was happy to be sitting in front of a rather talkative Alex. He woke me up every now and again. I had to barge out of the class during the break cos Al needed help to get home.

It was like winning a trip to Maroubra. Her place was far out there although I have to admit the neighborhood is nice. Nicer if you have a car, though. The granny house was equally charming.

Maroubra-Town Hall
Had a nice night out with Jenny to cap the day off. We hung out for like 4 hours originally intending to watch a movie and decided against it. We engaged in like 3 series of mind baffling discussions about life and everything else in it. It was fun. We drank so much as we went from the Jap resto to Starbucks and then on to another cafe.

I call that a sign of getting old. We'd rather sit down and talk rather than do something active. We walked a fair bit from one place to another though. Last night was late night shopping but we didn't really remember until 9pm, which is when the shops close!

Oh well, maybe next time!

trying to make better blogs

Tired. What's new now? Anyways I feel like it's the end of the week rather than the beginning. Yesterday, I quit my accounting job. I gave careful thought to it over Sunday night and well it's mainly to save me and them a whole fleet of future awkward scenarios and the like. I just didn't want the emotional downs. They were cool with it, gave me $60 for the 4 hours I spent there the previous week.

I sent out another job application though. It might take a while for processing as that was via snail mail. How slow can that be? We'll never really know.

I still worked last night. Expecting a rather tiring day plus a weird night to cap it off. Didn't turn out that way. Ended up coming home, chatting with Na til the wee hours. Was nice to just catch up. I get so tired from hearing people whinge and brag all day. It was just good to chill and whinge meself.

Planned on getting up at the crack of dawn for a morning walk. Oh well, my attempt failed.

I feel sad about all these people leaving. Was speakaing with Lloyd like a few hours ago. I was actually afraid I was gonna cry! Cos yeah I might not see him ever again.

I'm crossing my fingers for my TV experience and my publishing career. They're headed for the right direction. I should just be a tad proactive on a few things.

Gotta chat with real people now.

Dance!

Just got back from The Opera House (yeah I'm ecstatic to be where I am). Went to see Held with Na, Bernee and a couple of her friends. It was very contemporary dance with a bit more art involved and mixed media cos photography, film and of course music are involved. A lot of lighting work, too. It was excellent and interesting at the same time. It reminded me how much I love dance although I'm crap at it. =)

Today's kind of a lazy day but at the back of my mind is always my list of other things to do but it doesn't bother me that much anymore. I had a bit of a chat with Rene, my ex manager cos I want to put her down as my referee for another job application. She told me to put down Adam, our district manager as well as he had a lot of good things to say. That was too encouraging.

On a sightly different note, Balmain needs more part time baristas in case some of my lovely friends from Transport House are willing to fly to Balmain to work or she said I can also transfer. Adam did tell me Rene wants me to go back to Balmain. It was a bit of an ego boost. Haha! I so needed that.

Busy day tomorrow. Not exactly looking forward to it.

Time's fleeting. I can hear the clock ticking.

TIME-OFF!

Abigail goes back to sunny Cali on Monday.
Lloyd heads home to Dubai sometime next week.
James leaves for NYC mid-September!

We had a nice farewell for Abigail last night. I met up with Rosa, Casey and Al at Transport House then Amanda came and picked us up. Headed off to this Thai place in Newtown which is 5 minutes from Abi's. It was a very yummy dinner where they specially made pineapple fried rice for us when it's not on the menu. That's cos all of us practically threw tantrums begging them to make it!

Got gelatos for dessert and had to walk like 15 minutes for them cos the Thai place was at the not very lively part of Newtown. The gelatos were ultra sweet. I'd say sickening cos they were too artificial judging from the neon green look of the kiwi-flavored one.

The dinner was kinda last minute so not everyone could make it but having another night out for everyone's birthdays next Friday which should be a blast!

Today's kinda bludgy but then again I still feel tired from my hectic week.

three-job life

This is busy busy week. I've done much already and I don't know where to start now. I have half an hour before I have to head off to class. It's not enough to read through my chapters but a bit too long for just doing nothing and staring at space. Tempting as it may seem, I resorted to being a tad productive. Yahoo just won't work here at uni. Oh well.

I finally met up with Lloyd and Pitter after one semester of hiatus from the old crew. It was good. I can probably say more if I blogged earlier. It was a good catch up session. They're the same old friends that I've known ever since. Lloyd's leaving soon, which is sad. I know I haven't really hung out with them for yonks but there's just a tendency for anyone to take the really significant things for granted.

Had dinner with Al and her friend last night. Kind of like a pre-birthday dinner for Al. Finally tried this jap restaurant that everyone's been raving about. They lived up to their reputation. Went home afterwards and spoke to mom for an hour on the phone.

The past two days had been rainy. Somewhat reminiscent of Asian monsoon season. Hopefully it helps for the betterment of the environment. That's pretty much the only upside to it.

I've worked at the accounting firm for those days. Couple of hours each time. Not really my cup of tea. I'm just hanging in there for the mean time. See what's really in store for me in this so-called life. I had to speak to mom about that. I'm really much calmer now.

Not sure what's going on over at my publishing job. It was almost non-existent and I haven't received my business card yet. I'm still counting on it, though. I believe you really have to try different things to know what you do not want and then later on just know exactly what you want. That way you have responses to the why's and just make logical choices as you go along.

I'm wore myself out already. Haven't spent much time at home even to tidy things up. I can't even find my course notes. I'm living on the fast lane again.

cleaning the slate

The crossroad confronts me once again. Took a sickie today. I really felt sick and couldn't get up due to physical and emotional strains. I was still a tad considerate. Another supervisor was opening anyway and it's a Monday (read: less traffic).

I got up at my own pace, checked up on the Wynyard crew to find Al unhappy about being called in. Saying no can be handy, really but it's the people, not the work, that is the main concern of most. Did a bit of phone-training there. Oh well.

Brought my 2-week twin to the airport. Fab times' end. It was weird being left there alone after having said goodbye to someone dear. I refuse to take a stand on a non-neutral perspective. Somehow, I love the airport shops. It was in a sense a comforting abode where I usually find myself amused and somewhat engrossed just looking around the merchandise. The long 400 bus trip to Bondi Junction is as calming despite being such a lengthy detour to the city. I alloted time for that anyway.

Met up with Minie after having gone around the Bondi Junction shops a bit. Bondi's earning a place in my heart now. Had to run Minie through some accounting stuff. She called me of all people. It was strange. I lent her the dunnies book I previously used.

Did my Starbucks girl routine. Helped Al with the ordering, had a good chat with Pauline at Transport House and with Joey in his suit and runners. Pretty amusing sight.

Came home and had dinner plus a bit of a chat with my lovely flatmate whom I haven't really spent much time with. We just had our separate things to do. She's been good whereas I have a lot of catching up to do.

Got a phone call from a prospective employer. I'm back to my individualistic busy life. Inhale... Exhale... It was good to have Cham around for a bit. It was some sort of a reality check for me. It's time to go back to reality and alter a few things. That bit of a break from my daily grind plus Robert Ferguson's sermon. They go together better than bread and butter.

I need to do a bit of "housekeeping."

emotional check

It was good to feel "back to normal" after having talked things out with concerned parties and the plainly concerned. There is still the need to stretch but I guess the deal with it head on approach is still the best. Some things have been so Dawson's Creek. I don't really watch that anymore but I was just reminded of it. *smirk*

Cham leaves on Monday. That's sad. I guess I have to re-enjoy my own company after getting used to having a twin. Amy comes back the Monday after which is pretty cool. I wonder what sorta wacko stuff she's been up to. Hmmm.... Amy and KL. Anything can happen there.

Mom, dad and bro are coming end of the year and possibly Josc and Sharon. Everyone's bunking here at St. L's unless dad objects. Told bro to try and stay longer so I can bring him around and stuff. He wouldn't mind all the hikes. Haven't really spoken to him in ages. Oh well, that day will come.

Refocusing

Ok, so the hot water taps are a-ok now. The real estate agent called the plumber after I rang and left a message. I was expecting a call back from John but I got a plumber calling me. That's pretty impressive. The old receptionist was bad. She never passed on the message.

I'm shifting a bit career-wise. Went to the accounting firm interview. Brought Cham along partly because I was in the middle of showing her around and partly because I was afraid it's gonna be a whole dodgy scenario again. But it was all cool. The company's smaller than I imagined and the accountants were pretty cool. Friendly in my book and willing to train people although possibly not as generous as I was hoping.

Gave them a call today to book my slot. So I'm in and I'm getting a slightly lower rate than Starbucks but I gain a lot of intangibles. My schedule with them is pretty much set. So I'm doing minimal Starbucks shifts but will continue to thrive therein. The change is nerve wracking in a sense but hey change is good.

Still nothing from my ed-in-chief. On a different note, my bank account gained a bit of weight. I am hoping for some more nutirents in the week to come.

Had a rather productive day although we didn't head out til midday. Had a fab seafood lunch at the Fish Market, went to Paddy's for Cham's souvenir shopping, over to Darling Harbour for a possible IMAX treat but ended up having ice cream on the other side of the Harbour, had a picturesque stroll around the Opera House and then caught the ferry to Milson's Point and so on til we got to St. L.

Had a lot of laughs along the way. I'm definitely slowing down bit by bit. Which is good because I'm concerned about having a nervous breakdown one day. Paranoid me at work there.

Tomorrow's visit the Aussie capital day. Should be fun.

the kettle business

Hot water's not working for the third day. We didn't have that luxury over the whole weekend. It was a challenge to shower especially this time of the year! It's winter down under for goodness' sake!

Currently boiling water for my bath. Almost there...

Oh yeah, I didn't really miss my laptop when I was in Queensland. I just didn't have time to think about work.

Tax is underway. Have my fingers crossed and hope I get my moolah back. I need them now.

I am looking at getting a bit of work experience in a more proper field. No more hospitality work for the moment. I need a break from that. Kinda tired from it all. My world has been revolving around it for a while now.

Want to talk to mom. Oh well. Will get there sooner or later.

Progress is found in not being pissed off anymore. No more burdenous mountain to bear. I currently find my self just slightly off track. Whew.

End of holidays

Perhaps I should mourn the coming end of my holidays as I can sense the awful longing for a more significant hiatus from my daily grind.

My long weekend away was fab. Filled with all hosts of new things from exploring relatively new grounds to meeting new people to mainly having a bunch of firsts in the realm of adventure.

Brisbane is pretty much as how I knew it from before. I was there for like a day and if ever I'll go back there again, I'd be exploring the culture that thrives in that city. The malls do not tell you anything.

Stayed overnight in the country just at the border of NSW and Queensland. It's pretty cool because it's more of a village scene than an actual country town in the middle of the absolute nowhere.

Finally went to Dreamworld and Sea World. It was awesome having to go around fab theme parks and having the time of your life doing all things silly. Rode the roller coaster two days in a row.

We were faced with having nowhere to go during our first night in the Gold Coast. We could have gone back to Tweed Heads but it is such a pain having to squeeze in with our new friends as it is such a hassle. It worked out and we checked into a really spacious apartment in the midst of Surfers Paradise.

We kept a tight schedule in Surfers but we did tons of stuff. I was happy to fly back to Sydney and into all things familiar at the end of it all.

Was greeted with a very pleasant surprise when I entered our home. Narlyn's here for the second time! She went back home yesterday and I shed a tiny tear just because I feel for her and I really want her to stay.

It's nice to show Cham around the city and stuff and get her to meet these lovely people around as well. Al got back from Europe and she's got a whole heap of stories to tell but still as stressed and wacko.

Amy flew home mid-week so I'll be making at least a couple of trips to the airport in the coming weeks, sending Cham off and welcoming Amy back.

I am still on holidays from work but I had to cover a tiny shift today for Amanda. I have to admit I am so not into the mood of working anymore. I probably need a longer holiday or maybe an absolute time off. But for some reason I keep visiting work because I've grown attached to those guys.

My publishing career's pretty much on track. I was ecstatic having found that out. =) I got an e-mail account and my business card's coming in the mail soon!

Wonder where my tax return has gone, though.