the ultimate

called this the ultimate cos this is the very essence of my holiday back home... 

country road...

two days ago i was in pangasinan. i know this is long overdue blog but i have to tell you about this nonetheless. spent most of my time just resting, lying on the nipa hut in our beach. it doesn't get simpler than this... really had a nice time to reflect and rest. i'll blog more and attach some pictures after the holiday rush..

christmas rush...

as usual, i never thought i would be doing it again yet i did it. procrastinating again and doing the last-minute christmas gift shopping. i did my annual "giplis" (my slang for gift list) just this morning. spent 4 consecutive hours thinking what to buy as i roamed around SM and Rustan's in Makati. i concluded my shopping with a taste of UCC while waiting for gifts to be wrapped. the waiting wasn't bad after all. maybe people got tired of buying at the last minute.. i reckon!

noche buena...

here it goes. one minute before its officially christmas. i'm wishing everyone a happy christmas! cheers! gotta open my gifts now and enjoy the food. ciao...

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

can i have more time please...

less than two weeks to go and I'm going back to Sydney. i know its really -- really fast. i look back and it seems i haven't accomplished much. still have tons of things i wanted to do but i have a hard time determining what they are. for one, i haven't even bought presents yet. 

I'm counting the hours before we go to Pangasinan (rural town where my mom was born). quite excited as i haven't been there for ages. the last time i can remember was when i passed the board exams...

this past few days I've been having this terrible dry cough and my schedule is also suffering. i tried to squeeze in reunions, shopping, coffee quest for Starbucks' planner, etc. Half of the day is spent watching 'Dragon Ball Z' series and reminiscing through my childhood most favorite anime´

as i realise that i am indeed losing the days so quickly, i should plan ahead. maybe it is a great idea to go to this trip to think about what else i would want to do on the remaining days before i face the ultimate busy season. 

first week back home

its funny how hectic my 28-day vacation can get. i don't even have a minute to jot some splash of thoughts on my poor blogzter. here are 10 random thoughts on how its been going so far:

1. continuously dripping faucet of money

i have spent so much money on buying clothes to wear even my undies although its such a treat that you know you can charge everything on my overused card! and other expended purchase of things that i want to have.

2. joy of being with family

i realised that you can earn a lot overseas. spend your money to whatever your heart desires but at the end of the day you will always feel unsatisfied. being with my mom & dad - though its only 2 hours shopping cos they get tired easily - is ultimately priceless. having the expertise of my brother in flooding myself with endless gadgets can eventually quench my thirst for spending!

3. mall hopping and the calvary of taking public transport

feels like there is a need to conquer all shopping malls before i go back to sydney. there is always something in our shopping malls that i always long for. probably the thought of reaping the sacrifices you've made in sydney. the thought of you not scratching your itching fingers to spend more in sydney. or plainly, you know that you're back home and almost everything is cheaper here. public transport is another story. just now i realised how terrible buses, jeepney and tricycle are but for unknown reasons i love the commute!

4. meeting up friends and catching up with the old times (plus new chismax! LOL)

it always thrills me to meet up friends whom you've known for ages or some friends that made a significant impact in your life. you know that even though you usually have a chance to chat online there's still the longing of seeing them in person and just having a cup of coffee or a nice meal. good times, indeed. 

5. pressure of making everyone happy

i would always think of making everyone happy by giving them the best give-aways or even a bar of chocolate to let them think that you remember them and that they are important. i feel the pressure while i was distributing some things i bought for them. it gives me a small rupture of joy whenever you put a smile on their faces. 

6. sharing photos and endless story about your blooper experiences

i am anxious to share photos i have back in oz to my family and friends. so far i've let them view it from my mac. i reckon i should do it the old fashion way of putting it in a tangible photo album. sharing some blooper experiences such as my first few days of unthinkable stupidity that made me look back and laugh at it.

7. text message and the damn phone

i just realised that i should have unlocked both my mobile phones from 3 mobile. my damn N95 seems to be broken as battery is depleting faster by the minute. i rarely use it to call since text message is often used here and i miss leaving voicemails and my usual greeting (my aussie accent as well)

8. drunken nights

i miss drunken saturday nights and major gimik in sydney but nothing can compare to how we do it here. its more of a bonding session - talking about frustrations, aspirations, gossip, experiences and endless recollections. 

9. serenity

for once i have attained serenity that i have always been yearning for. just by sitting on our balcony and looking at the changes that happened since you last saw the place. you realise that it brings you to a deep reverie and pondering on random ideas and its ramifications.

10. how can i forget - filipino food!!

burger machine. jollibee. my mom's dishes. kfc (now with rice and gravy!!! - plus the utensils). sisig. lumpia. sinigang. mangang hilaw with bagoong (depending on the mood but generally i don't eat bagoong). taho. sardinas. sotanghon. a definite treat!

and i reckon it is just the beginning. i still have to go to the province. i really should do something in prolonging my stay til 6 january 2008... there's still heaps of activities in-stored for me.

this is it...

here goes. after no efforts of being able to sleep (which i initially thought i would have to drag myself to sleep) here i am... wide awake and have all the zest in the world. my body clock seemed to be working whenever there's something urgent. 4.30 and i'm up. i already made my check-in online. good thing i'm on SQ. i don't have to go to the airport at this crazy early hour. 

so howt do i feel? pretty much excited i guess. but i long for 'the rest' more than anything. my mind have been in certain amount of pressure this past months and this is something that delights my very soul. i just wish i would have this 4-week vacation play in a slow-motion pace. make this go on forever! anything an OFW would want. gesh, i hope i wouldn't have sampaguita on me when i land on NAIA... 

got me by jeff de bruges

my french boss was very appreciative of my work and though i've been ranting a lot of things the past few days about how stressed i am, she just gave me a present that have uplifted me. for one, its the gesture that counts. secondly, its belgian chocolate by french chocolatier for pete's sake. i am a choco-loco maniac and call me mababaw but chocolate is just the way to my heart hahaha ;p

sleepless in sydney

its 3.41 am and still wide awake. got so many things in my head. prolly is it because im finally going back home or too many things to turnover in the office. jeez, tomorrow is just 24 hours worth to do all my procrastination. minus 4 hours wasted time just staring on the ceiling. minus another 2 hours of sleep *fingers crossed*... i just pray that i can pass through this day without too much stress from myself. i reckon its just me causing all this stupidities and insanities.

best things in life are free

the phrase that would always be true no matter what the circumstances be. i guess i had never appreciated how simple things can make you happy. just passing time and sitting around Darling Harbour at night as you watch people share laughter and enjoy the zest in life. it would never be the same if i chose to live back home. stress is how i defined my life back there. although i have my own stress here but still weekend usually belongs to me here. something that pissed me off this morning as my manager called me at 1.46pm and i didn't pick up the phone as it would ruin the one thing that was left for me. sunday - rest day... went for shopping this afternoon and i found it amazing as i brush my way to department stores. christmas is all around me. then, mass at St. Mary's Cathedral on the first week of advent... and a quiet and delightful dinner in front of Cockle Bay Wharf. it defined my last few days in sydney this 2007. and to add, got a taste of kangaroo meat, which is not that bad after all as opposed to what i hear from others...

im more afraid than excited as hours are counting down until I my flight. for unknown reasons, i feel the uneasiness. sort of some irrational mindset that made me think of what they would be expecting from me after one year overseas. i definitely am sure that there's no savings. i lived my life independently of which i am proud. but then again, there is a big cloud rolling on my life as i don't know what i wanted to do at this point. its such a pointless discussion i suppose but i just wanted to say how crazy every moment feels like this past few days.

i know endless tasks can never be finished. i tried my best and i deserve to have this vacation. good thing its my training tomorrow morning which would be on delegation. i probably need this one as i would be pushing all unprocessed tasks to someone. hopefully, i can pack my things tomorrow afternoon. i just realised that my flight is early morning. I originally thought it is at 1.00pm. and now its stressing me...

but what the hell, all i know is that its time to enjoy-

!#@$!

the worst time in my stay here in Australia happened this week. all the pressure from work has drained everything in me. all my friends went back home and to think Thursday is shopping day, Friday is nice dinner day... at least one of my wish was granted. i had a beer and pizza for dinner with my staff. and it wasnt that bad after all.

still cant comprehend how stressed and how disorganised i am at the moment. i havent touched my cooking pans for crying out loud. hopefully i can break free tomorrow and monday... gesh, such a bad week definitely!

looking forward now to my saturday night drinking sessions! haha

untitled

ran out of things to say, i guess i will just talk about the jolt of excitement that keeps on rushing in whenever the thought of finally going back home pass my mind. two weeks to go. i started buying stuff for friends and relatives. my credit card application has finally been accepted. that's perfect for shopping back home. i know that its heaps expensive to buy things here. so i will spend my holiday shopping and traveling. i hope i could go to places i never been before (i.e., palawan, baguio, iloilo). i hope i could also go to ilocos too.

just finished my IELTS finally. feeling confused if i should push through with my residency here. the thing is i can't say that i have made a firm decision of staying. its still 50-50. what are the factors to consider? for one, i wouldn't want to work crazy hours in my previous job. quality of life is good here but who to spend it with? yeah i have my friends here but they still haven't fully decided to stay either. i am definitely enjoying my job. it seems that the only consideration is it really really doesn't feel like home. i know that i've been here for more than a year but it just hard to fully adjust your thoughts on settling in.

hopefully, the idea of going home for a month would help me think about if i can really make it. i wish i could. i reckon i should. but still i am opening possibilities of another career too. lets just see what happens...

expat bbq event -

beer. bitter in most countries like czech but still it all sums up to good times! tried mahou from spain and sagres from portugal. good thing most expats really liked the taste of san miguel. they cant even describe it!! they say its unique..

i reckon eating it with suchada's chicken wings and loreto's chorizo makes it all gooood. then taste some pastries from portugal and some german lollies to finish it all up! had a wonderful time. too bad im not into footy.. but when im in the mood ill try to join u guys!

analyse me?

Fun to be with.Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people's feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

dropped the bomb and dreaming away

After tedious process of client scrutinising our report, finally its finished. I've dropped the bomb to Paris. I feeeeel so happy... fulfilled... relieved...and I just want to celebrate all week long!

We went to a Malaysian resto awhile ago (just cant remember the name) but its on top of bars in Darling Harbour. The dinner was fabulous. Then we ended up dessert in Lindt Chocolate Cafe. As usual I had a scoop of 70% splendid ice cream. The last time I recall I had it when Renee was still around. Damn, I miss those times. We don't have money to spend for shopping much so we just have this scoop of ice cream. With $4.50, problems solved!

Time flies so fast and the rain is pouring heavily. Its 1am and surprisingly I am not drunk. But lets see about it tomorrow. Its seems like its beginning to be become a saturday night habit but its worth it. Never had so much fun before! Its gonna be wild, I reckon. wohoo!

Tomorrow's gonna be an Expat BBQ event (in mid-afternoon) - I think I have to buy heaps of San Mig for my colleagues to have a taste of the best beer we can offer! i also have tons of things to buy. Endless shopping list for my giveaways when I go back home after less than a month from now. So I may need to go to DFO in the morning. - a really hectic weekend for me!

Can't help but think of how I'm gonna spend my time when I go home. But its gonna be so fast that I would end up worrying about going back to reality once I'm there. But then again, I have to accomplish what my purpose is. I have to save! save! save! then probably, travel! travel! travel!!!! hahaha

Awhile ago I was talking with my manager originally from Portugal. And I am amazed by her stories of her European tour. How I wish I could taste what different countries would offer in terms of cuisine and tours. Know more about the Western history. And of course deplete my savings (for which I still need to establish). I was also thinking of going to Japan for a secondment. hopefully we are entitled to it. Arrgggh... So much things boggling my mind at this time!

Prolly just need to doze of... and I'll just dream my dreams.

a good deed

right when i left my apartment to go to church, i saw a wallet in the hallway. picked it up and placed it inside my apartment. and when i returned from church i was having a hard time devising a way on how to give it back to the owner. identification is there but there's no contact number. since i found it just in front of another unit, i decided to knock on that unit but there was no answer. i decided to ring the unit instead. someone picked up and told me that the person is not there at the moment, i told him what happened and decided to meet him and give him back the wallet. it felt good doing the right thing. i felt like a hero...

anyway, today i feel that i really lost an hour because of the DST thingey. although my friend told me that one hour is not a bigga deal i reckon with the busy times we're facing... every minute counts! so the moment i woke up this morning, i decided to make this day a productive one. it was a success. did all my laundry and dishes. i had my haircut and bought a contact lenses as well. now im going to cook my dinner and work a bit.

buying contact lenses here in australia is really a nightmare. with all the prescription before you buy it.. unlike back home where you can buy it just like a lollipop. u cant even change brands because that was what have been prescrbed by the optometrician. and to add to the horror, most of them do not keep stock so i have to wait for bloody whole week before i can get my contacts. good thing i checked it with other stores. now i can clearly see the world and wear a smile on the marvelous things surrounding me. :)

nice and sunny...

contrary to what the week's been, its all nice and sunny this weekend. With these, although I rented 3 DVDs I went to the city and watched movie with my pibedoka friends. We watched a very sexually graphic comedy movie - good luck chuck. definitely took away all the negative vibes i had for the whole week. certainly it should also be sunny tomorrow. im planning to join emie and friends' spit walk to manly.

after a year here in sydney, i guess i have my share of ups and downs. although the latter has some magnetic charm with me lately... i still think i have some better things in-stored for me for the next few weeks before i go on my vacation back home. suddenly, i felt all alone in my house and i can feel the misery creeping in. the thought that i will be back home seems to come under my skin. i cant help but feel the excitement already and have a hard time focusing on my work lately.

such a saturday night should not be spent at home but sometimes i have the feeling that i should be on my apartment to guard it against the bad phantom of strata. and incidents keep on coming but what the hell - i bought a kensington cable to guard my macbook.

anyway i guess i would just plunge on my dvd watching for a while.. tomorrows gonna be a busy day for me...

name game

Get Your Sexy Name

This is what my name stands for?? I thought my mom got it from a burger? or it means a wise power. or maybe from the previous president of the US. but is it just offering naughty arousing lustful delights... and Im not even romeo!

my new bud

Even though I still have the post-traumatic effects of the breaking-in, I can say that to some degree it wasn't that bad than I ever expected it to be. Just because I have my new bud to cheer me up. Its my new MacBook (though its freaking hard if you've been using Windows ever since). But still its really exciting.

I was too preoccupied the whole weekend exploring what it can do. And it can do soo many things. Because of him I wasn't able to start my work anytime over the weekend. And now I am procrastinating...

break in...

the moment i entered my pad i realised that something isn't right. i looked back at the front door to ensure that it is properly locked. for unknown reasons, i searched initially for my laptop. can't seem to find it and i was trembling to look at the sliding door from my bedroom to the balcony and was really freaking surprised to see that it is unlocked. i quickly realised that the incident that happened to my neighbour just happened to me. so foolish that i never checked that all doors are secured just because i am really late for work. i began calling my friends just to gain comfort and to bring back sanity in me. still made me tremble a lot when i looked at the bar and found out that two piggy bank cans that were almost filled were also taken from me. they even took my australian flag for crying out loud. imagine that that is a priceless thing i got when i was released from the hospital early this year.

got me thinking that for what its worth my laptop is almost close to breaking down. lot of virus coming from downloading all sorts of crap. call the thief stupid cos he didnt even stole the adapter for the laptop.

despite these things being stolen, i realised i am lucky they didnt break-in while i am still here or it might cause severe damage to me. i am also happy that it give me a bit of excitement as i will be looking for a new laptop tomorrow. but still, the trauma is the worst part of them all. i feel like the thief is just around the corner. as my friends would say, it was indeed a really unlucky week... thanks guys for being there in times that i need someone for comfort.

working at school...

im back again on my favorite client - which is a school. and to say that im terrified with Ms Minchin is the highlight of this week's events. as i am doing an audit, i got used to dealing with all sorts of people. i never thought that i would be dealing with her. it turns out that i have to ask her some relevant info regarding maintenance of student accounts. she looks like the terrible woman on the 101 dalmatians... and she's really that strict and i was shaking as i shoot away with my questions.

anyway, good thing with this audit is that i can leave at 4pm everyday. but today i felt it was terribly late leaving at 5.20pm. plus i have free lunches -

Blog Action Day

Today is blog action day. Bloggers that want to make a difference. The ones who are concerned about the environment. As some advertisements here in Australia would put it, "I can do that".. There are certain things we can do to preserve energy and to save our environment for a greener tomorrow.

There are risks to climate change such as bushfires, heatwaves, droughts and flood. We all know this as we are experiencing some of them here in Australia. It's never too late to be informed of what we can do to combat this emerging threat to our environment.

Action?

Petrol - I remember my client is pushing for petrol with 10% ethanol component. Replacing gas with ethanol blends will reduce greenhouse gases and help the fight against global warming

Energy efficiency and water conservation tips:

- change light bulbs to energy efficient white light

- be conscious with appliances you purchase and you may see some star ratings on how water or electricity efficient they are (i.e., washing machine, dryer, etc.)

- instead of using dryer, use the natural way of drying things *under the sun*

- make most of natural sunny light rather than opening your lights in the afternoon.

- use of appliances efficiently (full loads of washing clothes or washing dishes)

- report leaking faucet and avoid wasting water

Of course you can always plant a tree, the greener the world the better place for us to live!

I am leaving you with a quote i got from suzuki foundation c/o big switch organisation:

"Using less energy isn’t about making drastic lifestyle changes or sacrifices. Conservation and efficiency measures can be as simple as improving the standards for new buildings so that they use less energy for heating and cooling, replacing an old refrigerator…or adjusting the thermostat before leaving home.”

nite out

this is the best nite out ever! if you know what i mean. *grins* haha...

anyway, got tremendously drunk again (almost 10 bottles of double ice) and felt the hangover hit me all day long. that's fine since i was asleep most of the day. woke up at 5pm since i arrived at 5am -

dont know how i find all the energy to still do my laundry and dry em up, i was able to cook breakfast and do the dishes before finally sleeping at 6.30 in the morning -

a way to spend after busy season for june 07 clients and now i will have to stretch again and focus on this painful 6 weeks (5 equally tough clients) as i reach end of november. then il go to melbourne for short audit and then do some training and IELTS exam. then i can finally go back home. wohoo! its more than a year and i am eagerly anticipating.

sydneyversary

I wanna wish myself a very happy Sydneyversary! Time flies so fast.. and can u imagine I survived my first year in a foreign land? I wanna take this opportunity to thank my friends (work, high school, friend of friends, college, kapitbahay at kung sinu-sino pa...) for being there in times of homesickness. We battled it together and for which I am grateful. Not so long ago, I can recall that I've arrived at Sydney - exactly 10am - and I was not admitted to my hotel accom since check-in time is @ 2pm. I wandered through the city and got myself lost. I quickly went to a mini park not knowing that this park is just beside World Square (which EY is situated). I was totally naive about the lifestyle here. Unaware of how life would be without my family and the friends that I've known all my life. Yet I have conquered the race. I was able to live on my own. Though without much savings I am totally happy.

To celebrate this day, I had mini dinner with Jaydee and Cynthia. I also bought some classic DVDs. And on my way to home, I got myself one slice of GJ cake before I was reached by the big harsh droplets of rain!

And after one year of using my E61 I have a new toy - N95! Now I can never lose directions ever again...

Here are some compilations of pictures I've taken of:

- some great view (if I'm alone)

- some solo pictures taken by others (when I have the guts to ask a complete stranger to take my pictures)

- some various pictures with my friends

- pictures around Australia - including Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, Gold Coast and of course Sydney...

(powered by slide.com) -

untitled

my mind is in a deep reverie other than those dark thoughts that made my day in such a miserable position. dreaming about a very unusual trip with lotsa snow sucking up my body to the unknown. maybe it only means i should cut more on my trips and i wont go to floriade this sat. i resume my activities on 26th with my friends - spit to manly walk. that should be good. i will also resume sports (i just hope emily would bring volleyball to our manly trip!).

i was too engrossed with alcohol last night that i now swore not to have another taste of liquor ever again. or maybe as long as i am with my pibedoka friends. anyway, andrei's leaving so no one would crave for alcohol anyway -

i remember a movie called the one hour photo, in which Robin Williams' character collects different segment of people's memory and compiles it when they die. i hope i could peep in to my memory hole and just look at this one tiny event if it really transpired.

this weekend such a very unproductive one. i should have gone home yesterday instead. no laundry, no grocery, no food to bring to office tomorrow.

im flushed at the moment. dont ask why. i guess one thing would make me happy-im gonna watch reruns again!!!

animo!

just received an sms from franc -dlsu is the champ! great! i just cant help but think about the time when i was still in uni - patiently waiting to get a ticket at 5.30 in the morning. exciting and something that keep as all lasallians together fighting for the known reputation of our Alma mater. i reckon there's a major celebration and even a holiday in school-

mr grumpy shirt

Just bought my mr grumpy shirt from birkenhead point. I will wear it today. Nuff about stupid pointless nonsense arguments. So preposterous and absurd to even dwell on it. Shesh...

gold coast vacation

i've been itching to blog for days. i have some backlog work that i've focused on and i didn't find time to write about how my long weekend went about. so here goes -


whenever i think about the night before the flight, i imagine a totally rushed packing and figuring out how the hell i can finish all the work before we can go to the airport. i never felt excited all throughout the day since i kept on thinking about deadlines and the things i needed to accomplish before we go on for the long weekend. at last, its time to go...


i remember we hurried out to the train station to catch our plane knowing that we have enough time before we check-in. good thing i have a very well organised team leader *ghie*... i felt a sudden rush of excitement as we wait for the flight. i brought a book with me but i can't seem to concentrate as i was thinking about the fun i was about to experience. imagine a totally free 3 days and 2 nights not thinking about work and just enjoying the sunny weather in Gold Coast.

we landed just alright and we hurried to Raddison - our sanctuary for the whole duration of the vacation. planned how we are going to spend the next coupla days. and again, i felt another rush of excitement as we looked into the site and discovered the awesome rides we are about to hop on...

i guess i dont need to elaborate further on what we did. i will let the pictures speak for themselves. to sum it up, i had the greatest time on the theme parks - movie world, dream world, sea world and white water world. also enjoyed the sunny weather and a bit of swimming in the beach and our pool. plus i spend an enormous time hanging out with the best people who literally know the meaning of FUN!

- cheers mates! i guess will be reunited in our next journey - new zealand!!!

GOING TO GOLD COAST AND RADDISON RESORT

MOVIE WORLD

SEA WORLD
SURFERS PARADISE
DREAM WORLD
WHITE WATER WORLD

delayed gc flight...

Grrrr... Im so in the mood to be in gc now.. But its 10 mins delayed... Anyway time to board...

stucked in a damned traffic..

An hour passed and so is my 50 bucks. Stucked in traffic and its all because of my laziness to take the train just because i have a luggage. It now ruined my day. Created a headache. And im so late. It would be hard going to the office with my huge bag unnoticed. Far out!

long conversation with fam

i was just on the phone talking to with my family for about two hours. i realised a lot of stuff is developing at home and im quite happy about it. too excited to go home this december to see it for myself. my mom's opening a bakery. my dad's opening a warehouse of some sorts. and they are keen in developing the beach resort before i go home. that'll be something to look forward to.. my brother's studying IT and this would be a great thing so that he could fix my blasted laptop who is so slow and its really annoying me most of the time.

i also have spoken with my nephew and he relayed to me that he just ate McChicken and that he wanted to go to Australia to visit me. Such a sweet boy. And to add, he must have the cute looks from his Uncle Rondzkee. It is what other people are saying (not just me) ;)

Now, I've got no time to do some chores as it is past midnight. I got to sleep and its another week before i go to GC! wohoo...

last day at wollongong - holiday at GC - a love story

its just a day away and i will finish the audit of this Wollongong client. imagine going to a client for 2.5 hours drive. fully exhausted. and to describe our work area. imagine working in the couch of the director with loads of paper and files. grumpy grampy client. doing activities 1-10 (with controls reliance) in just two weeks. crappy last years files. i am really happy it would finally be over..

talk about my happiest day - which was yesterday when i came back to Sydney and slept on my missed room. i cooked a blognese spaghetti with red wine and corned beef. side dish is Doritos! isn't it great!

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i just bought a camera and thanks for ghie for financing it. i will pay you as soon as you demand it. cost is about $350 (including 2GB memory card). it would be a great gadget to bring on my gold coast holiday this coming 27 September. can't wait to see the theme parks and the finest beach in Australia.

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last weekend I went to Mt. Druitt where A Love Story was shown. I went with Emie, Jaytee and Sheila. Though I'm not an avid Filipino movie goer, I was a bit curious as to the big noice the film was making back home. It was certainly something but I guess I have so much high hopes for the story line. It ended a bit strange and not as I would want it to end. Angelica's dramatic dialogue was just put to waste. She said something about never trusting Aga anymore and I quickly remember how she felt while she was laying down to give birth and all she can see is Aga's reaction on Maricel's nonchalant reaction on their feelings. He was still in love with her!And the scene suddenly turned into a totally different tone. Angelica, Aga and their son were running in the beach shore. The drastic change of events just made me realise that its just a typical movie wherein the producers of the movie would just like to make a happy ending and would want to preserve the family values. Practically speaking, this wouldn't happen in a real world as it would make it difficult for a couple to let the love survive. Wala lang, I was just not used to Maricel not having a strong personality.

But still, its worth the watch. This is the only time I saw heaps of Pinoy queueing towards the cinema's gate. The locals were actually surprise to see a big group of Pinoy people. Whats the blockbuster movie? Anyway, I was also happy to see the radiance of the masa in the movie house. It feels like watching in SM Cinemas. Side comments here. Hiyawan.

Or maybe I just have been really missing home.

duckilicious

Had the best dinner at crown restaurant in wollongong. Their duck main course is really freaking awesome. Its the best meal i had here. Though its pricey (around $34) it thest sauce i've tasted. Its a nice treat after working my ass off with this client. I think i deserve a nice bath salt bath later.. :p

a long audit

Im spending some time on the road today going to albone park rail which is really far... Its hard to work after coming back from a long break. and now a long journey... But lets see what we can do. Need to finish activities 1 to 10 of GAM by two weeks. Good luck to me.

the perfect gift!

i just celebrated my birthday few days ago. i got the perfect gift from everyone. just by simply attending my party is already enough but still for those who gave me awesome gifts thanks so much! thanks jazel for bringing me a cake even though u cant come. thanks for 5-dock team for the echo, grisham and oroton! it makes the every aspect of being rondzter a lot happier. thanks to ruby and lito for providing the drinks! thanks to renee and andrei for being at my place and making it more fun. thanks to bevs which i feel special cos she went home a bit late and have to ride a cab. thanks to sheila and family for bringing me a cake on the next day. thanks to emie for organising the rat movie (its so hard to spell out), it made me realise not to discriminate rats cos some of them have talents too. also have to thank her for accompanying me on the snow patrol concert. and of course, thanks to snow patrol for the awesome concert and making my bday wish come true! you've sang all my favourite songs (too bad you didn't sing the clock is ticking but still its an absolute treat!).. thanks apec for making friday a holiday. thanks E&Y for granting my reward day. thanks for my family back in the philippines for the short chat. i hope you could get the pc fixed so that we can talk longer. thanks to the weather that it didnt quite rained as much as i expected it. thanks to cityrail for the free pass on my way home.

some pictures...

waiting for snow

Still waiting for snow patrol act and very excited abt it. Im actually wearing a snow patrol shirt now! Im with emie and we hv the best seats! Two rows frm the front!

reward day - birthday leave

i picked this day as my reward day and it was such a nice feeling waking up with no stress at all! i woke up with the heavy feeling of sickness. is it because i just turned 25. i also dreamt a very bizzaire dream that it was snowing heavily and i can't get to my apartment (which looks weirdly unsimilar). i pushed myself in despite the snow blocking every where so i have to shovel it with my hands. people are lined up to budge in as well. the funny thing is i saw a lot of my high school friends and they were helping me go to the next level by jumping from one floor to another. this is because the lifts are not working (due to the blizzard). I was speaking to another person (again its weird because i can't remember the face) asking about career stuff but decided not to. its a dream that i totally can't put the pieces together and interpret. as i said, i woke up feeling sick and puzzled.

anyway, at this exact moment i was born. can't help but think about 25 years... how did i spend my life? one setback of living alone is that there's no one you can talk to in times like this. so i cant really help but feel sentimental. i just hope i wont lose my sanity. 25 years is a lot. i mean i am already existing quarter of a century. what good have i done in this world? maybe the mission is yet to come!

cutting edge, thai tempered and the woozy experience

i woke up yesterday with a jumpy feeling knowing that the adventure on ice is few hours away. i dont know why i highly anticipated that event. maybe its been ages since i've last skated. and when we've finally set foot on ice it was really awesome that my feet suddenly made its move. it has a life of its own and started to move and slope to every direction.

im with ghie, dith, rubyd, rubyg, renee and andrei. i hope they've enjoyed it as enormously as i did. well with the exception of the few fall that made my butt temporarily numb. but other than everything was splendid. chuck in some chorizos and dvds i bought made me even happier.

had coffee after that and the girls hearing wedding bells chit-chat. i just cant help but feel curious about the way their emotions get them. i mean its an unwritten rule that girls would fancy big wedding and the intricacies of its preparation. it captured an hour talking about those stuff. for awhile i literally felt a thorn in the roses and i have to crawl myself to their conversation.

we head out to the official entertainment quarter - five dock flat. we sang like there's no tomorrow. had a dinner at a thai resto (king something's the name) in which the crying tiger instantly became a hit to me. though its hot it left the thai tempered over my head which erupted when the waitress hurried to catch us for allegedly not paying the bill. far out!

we then went back to "EQ-five dock" to continue our drinking and singing. i ended up being woozy as ghie would describe it. at least i had a 69 - i mean thats my score! my highest for my hit single "i will surive". i guess needs bit more talent to finally reach 70... i thought of sleeping at their house but decided i need to go home for the call of laundry. as i speak my soiled clothes are all lined up to get all washed up!

the garbage maker and his excellency - 70%

to let out my impulsive shopaholic self not get my pockets in trouble, I purchased two things that made me tremendously happy and not big on the budget...

a book to complete my collection and a CD to bind all my fave selection

... and to indulge more to what my tastebud wanted, I had a scoop of Lindt's 70% excellence at its finest! a way to say winter's finally over 'cos ice cream just took over.

canberra sightings and my crowned sanctuary

CANBERRA SIGHTINGS

the memorial ball, a park which is just a walking distance

from the hotel and also close to the closed shops

(imagine! they close at 4pm during weekdays)

Canberra Centre - as mentioned from above

this is closed most of the time :)

CROWNE PLAZA

may hallway and am watching Australian idol!

my bed.. still untouched! like a virgin!

twin bed. whats the purpose? pm - i sleep on the right
side and at the strike of ami move to the other side of
the bed.. so that no one gets lonely!

question - why is my laptop on top of the iron board?
answer - power surge happened when i plugged it on
the table. reception told me to plug it near the TV outlet.
that's the best solution! :)

wow dessert! 4 bowls of vanilla ice cream
and a nice coconut / chocolate / strawberry whatever
given for free... actually it came from a friend (who is working
for crowne) of a friend (my street mate long long time ago)..
in short, pinuslit niya for us... iba ang pinoy! hehe :)

Though I have but few pictures to share

Each one has its priceless moments i bear

This three days are short and hectic

But all I can say my friends made it terrific

prison break!

Just had a prison break! Well I am all done with my work here in Canberra and decided I can just go back to Sydney an hour early. My alibi for the great escape is that I am going to have a meeting. Not that it is totally untrue but it will actually eventuate (found this word in some work papers and I am now using it!). I am still considering if I will indeed attend and it all depends on how well the flight will be.

Just this morning I woke up quite differently because I dreamt about losing all my teeth! Whew... I know about the urban legend that it should be first narrated to a tree rather than a person. Because if you tell someone that person will die because of the negative vibes. Though its highly preposterous I still followed it just to be sure. We might not fully know what evils and jinxes we have in this world.

Good thing I brought a John Grisham book here in Canberra. I am currently reading King of Torts and the plot just started to thicken.. Anyway, I guess I am boarding in 5 minutes. Just felt a bit frustrated that there's no souvenir shops around. I was hoping to buy even just some keychains for my friends. I will just give them the joy that I didn't have during my stay in Canberra.

pleasurable dinner as a prisoner of azzkaban!

if you're looking at your watch consistently time seems to fly forever! the moment i started working on this client i long for it to finish. maybe i feel like im in azzkaban (with the crappy QA work we're doing). maybe because the protocol makes us prisoners by secluding us in an area were we should have an escort whenever we need to go to another place (i.e., bathroom, kitchen, buy lunch, etc). also getting sick of revising QA papers were doing which seems to be hard but in reality is just summarising the audit performed. how hard can that be? endless comments and review points have been given. demanding managers who wanted to squeeze the crappy files we've got. arrgggh!

just when 5.15pm arrived i was anxious of getting my parole but wait... i have to wait for my manager who seemed to went away at 4.30pm. then, i decided to get outta prison and just have my pleasurable meal with my friends from my neighbourhood in pleasure street. in the middle of our dinner, she suddenly rang me and asked questions in which she could have asked before. or probably letting me know that she expects me to work extended period. i didn't even receive a fucking notice of overtime. how should i know that everything should have been done if she never sets out her expectations.

anyway, i went to my friends house after dinner. their place is really really amazing! it was so quiet in the neighbourhood and it is near the lake as well. houses have been placed neatly without any fence that makes it a very homey feeling of a friendly pleasantville society. i hurried going back to the hotel just to check the email that my manager sent me and frustratingly knowing that she sent a forwarded email without any attachments but a picture of the zip file. what the hell? i called her, left her a voicemail and even emailed her. So demanding that she wanted everything be done outright. She didn't even made sure she sent the file. And to top it all, she ruined my evening! Far out!

the moon seems to cooperate with my mood since there was a blood-coloured moon due to the lunar eclipse. never seen the beautiful sky just now. canberra is such a nice place without much pollution that covers the sky. stars are scattered althroughout plus the moon was such a magnificent view tonight.

Banana Leaf Dinner

Im already here at canberra. A bit too stressed awhile ago. This is how we work with the government. Every move is monitored. Going to the toilet... Going to the kitchen to get water. Cant even have my yb. Add to the misery is my pranses superior. So fucking demanding.

Anyway was able to breathe after 6pm. Good thing about having an interstate client besides being booked in a great hotel is the $55-dinner individual allowance. Was a bit exhausted looking for the nicest place to dine. Am actually looking for the most expensive resto. But I ended up having dinner at Banana Leaf. Sri lankan cuisine. Ordered: Entree - Chicken crepe; Main - Barramundi something; Dessert - Mango Melba. Food's satisfying but not that so amusing. I plan to research for my tomorrow's dinner. Too bad my pranses superior will be here to put more pressure.

I enjoyed wondering through the streets of Canberra. Its not as cold as I expected. Last week's temperature is as low as 1 degrees. Now its only 7 degrees, which is tolerable. The city is really quiet but still fantastic. Especially the surrounding artistic monuments and different artifacts. Too bad its too weird to get pictures at night alone. I just wish I have someone from Sydney to help me out and to accompany me.

The team is made of almost dozen people from Melbourne and I'm the only one from Sydney office. That's why I ended up alone staying in Crowne Plaza Hotel. But what the heck. I'll enjoy this night!

physical memory arse dump!

arggh.. its bad enough that I have to work on Sunday but what's more annoying is my laptop wont cooperate! blue screen. beginning physical memory dump! whoa! what's gonna happen?

everything is on my laptop and I haven't had any backups at all. even my contact in Canberra is there. good thing is that the helpdesk is 24/7. but hasn't returned my call yet. im really furious about what's gonna happen.

anyway, had an enormous time chatting with my friends last night. talk about techy stuff! we talked using webcam. it was fun since all of them has webcam on their computers. i've seen dyosa ng indonesia. she looks really good. i've seen karla as well with her ma-alindog look.

great news! just received a call from helpdesk and they've fixed the problem! i can now start working, isn't that a treat? :p

thredbo ski adventure!

lets just say that it takes awhile to get the pictures developed like the old-fashioned film... anyway, better late than never posting it. please find below some snowy wacky pictures!!!

Below are pictures of a well-made snow man and my tiny-cute-snow boy.

playing with snow...



and we depart...

christmas day and abrupt flight...

Ur wondering what chrismtas day is all about. its our code for today where we can use our toil transferring overtime charges to day off. Not that its illegal or something but its something that the manager has agreed that we deserve a time off from the hardwork two weeks ago where I went home past 11pm.

I got a call from our resource coordinator asking me if I wanted to be seconded to Canberra from tomorrow until Wednesday. That'll be fun right? Doing Department of Defense audit and at the same time spending weekend on a place I totally am not familiar with. I've been there before when we went to our snow trip. But this time I've got a chance to see the Parliament House upclose.

Still waiting for my Senior Manager to give me instructions before I book a flight and accomodation. Anyway, I should probably clean my house as it would be inspected on Saturday. I'll also do my laundry. Ciao for now...

Drunk in Sophie's World

Weekend full of fun! Starting with my house warming with some close EY-friends... Chicken and pizza... Beer and Vodka flavoured drinks... And most of all, karaoke! I was even happier when I got 66 and beaten Jazel's 53...


Next day I went to Ikea and bought some kitchen wares plus I got myself a tabo (an item pinoy couldn't leave without)... Waited for my friends to come over on my place and we head out to GK777's A Nite for a Cause. It was a great night though I wasn't able to finish it as I have to meet up my friend who came all over to Perth. I planned to leave before 9pm but I was captured by the voice of this last band. She was oozing with energy! Totally enjoyed that one.

I then head out to Rydges to meet my friends. We then went to Oxford St, which is known for its loud and crowded night life. I can say that they still uphold their reputation of lets-get-drunk-and-get-crazy notion. I was so drunk by 4am. Enjoyed the dance and a lot of hot people all over the place. At 10pm I was surprised to see few people coming but at the strike of midnight the dance floor was jampacked. Sadly, two of my friends went home by 2am and I stayed so dead drunk and hungry until 6am. I ended up sleeping all day long. I woke up with a heavy feeling and that's where Sophie came along...

My dishwasher is a mess!!! Soap all over the surface and spilled on the floor. I think I had too much drink when putting the liquid which caused endless production of soap.. I dealt with my hangover wiping the floor and getting the soap out from all the surfaces of my kitchen. Anyway, I think I should be going now as I badly need a strong coffee!

re: cliente

This is my blog response for Ghie's cliente. Hehehe nainggit sa blog ni Ghie...

I just realised that the next round is about to happen. I mean the client that I've started with when I first came to Sydney is about to have TPE next month. So I will be celebrating my first anniversary in Sydney soon.

Thales is a key partner of navies worldwide, supplying equipment and systems, acting as prime contractor or systems integrator, providing a full range of support and services.
TCE Audit team: Garry (Partner), Yolaine (Senior Manager), Omar (Accountant), Shejuti (Accountant), Johnny (Vacationer)

ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact.
Audit team: Colleen (Partner), Megan (Principal), Caroline (Manager), Dana(Accountant)

Beiersdorf Australia and New Zealand works within the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) industry and is a closely aligned key affiliate of the leading international branded goods company, Beiersdorf AG (Germany). We compete across various branded goods categories including skincare, first aid, wound care and sports medicine.
Audit team: Rob (Partner), Ralph (Manager), Ales (Senior), Johnny (Vacationer), Lou (Vacationer)



Lincoln Electric is a non-union company based in the United States that manufactures arc welding equipment. They are a worldwide leader in production of welding equipment and have subsidiary companies around the globe.
Audit team: Colleen (Partner), Maribel (Manager), Joan (Accountant), Sophia (Vacationer), Clare (Vacationer), Bona (Trainee)

The company was a local family business founded by Mr. Savino Del Bene in the heart of Florence at the beginning of the 20th century dedicated to freight forwarding. Today Savino del Bene is a worldwide corporate network also specialized in logistics and supply chain management, its headquarters being located in a historic building in the suburbs of Florence
Audit team: Trent (Partner), Derek (Manager), Jeff (Accountant), David (Accountant, Keisha (Vacationer)

Cranbrook School is one of the leading Australian school committed to nurturing the growth of individual boys from childhood to adulthood.
Audit team: Rob (Partner), Caroline (Manager), Grant (Accountant), Liz (Trainee)

EnerSys is the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications. We complement our extensive line of motive power, reserve power, aerospace/defense and specialty batteries with a full range of integrated services and systems.
Audit team: Brian (Partner), Eric (Manager), Ricki (Accountant), Siobhan (Accountant)

Visy is the world's largest privately owned packaging and recycling company. Visy consists of six major divisions including: Visy Recycling, Visy Pulp & Paper, Visy Board, Visy Specialties, Visy Industrial Packaging and Visy Beverage and Visy Food.
Audit team: Brian (Partner), Eric/Yolaine/Patricia (Managers), Marina/Stephen/Robin/Gary/Christine/Grant/Ricki/Raajeev/Louise (Accountants)

SITA Environmental Solutions (SITA) is one of Australia's leading recycling and waste management companies.
Due diligence team: Craig (Partner), Yolaine (Manager), Alice (Senior)

American Power Conversion, based in West Kingston, Rhode Island, is a maker of AC and DC-based back-up power products and services. APC is best known for their manufacture of uninterruptible power supplies, mostly used as a backup power system for servers. Their current product line includes electrical power products, server racks, server cooling products, and other datacenter products.
Due diligence team: Colin (Partner), Christophe (Senior Manager), Christine(Accountant)

Gallagher Bassett Services offer a comprehensive menu of risk management services, including claims management, information management, risk control consulting, medical cost containment, and appraisal services.
FS Audit team: Paul (Partner), Sanan (Senior Manager), Chris (Manager), Alison/Anastasia(Accountants)

Which one is the best? Which one is horrible? Well, all of them has their own share of happy-sad moment in the client! Torture from managers? I guess this is common. I'm quite happy with my client portfolio but it will change this year though.. Too bad, they wont have rondzkee to do the audit.