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.

The Moulds War

I have a new enemy and it goes by the name of moulds! They're so cunning and dark creatures that would make everything oh so ugly!!

Today's the cleaning day. I literally scrubbed each single blind's lining and the stain wouldnt come off. I bought an exit mould remover and it wouldnt come off. Then when Renee and I realised that our efforts were futile, I suddenly thought of reading the instructions at the back of the mould remover. Guess what? I have to leave it for 10 minutes. So we sprayed the blinds so eager that it seems like where firing guns to the stupid stubborn moulds. After 10 minutes moulds were substantially gone.

Fully exhausted and so hungry, we hurried to Crows Nest and grab a bite on a pizzeria! I had too much that I toke away my spare pasta for dinner. Unfortunately, I forgot to get them from Andrei's car. Shesh.. Items in the plastic bag include urgent things I need like toothbrush, comb and contact lenses solution. Far out!

Anyway, to take the misery away I clicked on my camera and got this picture of my new apartment in The Crescent!

moving out...

Sheer exhaustion is the exact word to describe yesterday and today... I've taken a half-day leave knowing that there are heaps to do in the client. As we are signing the returns soon. Waited for my boxes hired... Signed the lease... Inspected the property... Dinner with friends... And the cause of it all packing!

Today I woke a bit early to get all my packing done. It wasnt that bad at all. I actually enjoyed it. I guess my oc-ness flicked for a second and suddenly I was so into it that I actually felt ecstatic. Talk about packing for hours! Removalists arrived and funny story is that we actualy never thought that they were removalists. They look old for crying out loud! More like granpa's who you can never fathom to be carrying the lightest furniture. Everything came to a clear picture on why they charge cheaper than the other removalists. But karma crept its way and they were asking for a higher fixed price. They have good reasons though like three of 'em would help me move instead of two previously agreed. And they will set it up as well. Without further thinking and just want it to be done, I agreed. And guess what? They're fucking strong! They are like hulk hogans who could lift me up in a finger tip..

Cut the long story short, I arrived in the new apartment shocked and fully surprised. Imagine seeing your apartment in which u just recently signed a lease agreement the other day open and knowing that you have full rights to the place and finding out that there were heaps of people surveying the place. I was surprised and approached that galloot who entertained prospective tenants. Still confused, I finally asked why the hell they are having inspection when I just signed the lease. Showing the papers to them with furious temper, he said he'll explain everything after the inspection. It all became clearer when the inspection was finished and he explained that the owner is selling the place. He gave me assurance that lease will still be binding. Even if a prospective buyer will be the occupant my tenacy agreement will still supercede.

Still have the oc-ness within me. I quickly arranged my things, followed my layout plans for the furniture and folded the boxes to be returned soon. Still excited about the whole new thing, I quicky went to surrounding area in Homebush (since I already know Strathfield by heart. FYI-i'ts a borderlne of two suburbs). I was frustrated to see a lot of indian eater since I am not a big fan of. But I guess this time I could finally try to appreciate the cuisine. My heart skipped when I saw a nearby Cheesecake shop... I actually bought a slice just to feed myself as Renee promised that we'll eat in Lidcombe in a pinoy resto. Lunch turned out to be a dinner since they are also in the process of moving their stuff. I felt really good that they'd help me move some appliances and other valuable stuff that I wouldn't put in the truck. Well, everything's spic and span now. Gotta upload pictures tomorrow of my new flat.

Now I'm flat out and have to take a rest for tomorrow's gonna be a busy time cleaning my old place in Mt Waverton!

crappy work

im just blogging around and answering some random question taken from jaidy's blog. there's nothing much to do here on this client.. and im so bored!


Q: What is your salad dressing of choice?
A. italian dressing

Q: What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
A. mcies (pronounced as mackies)

Q: What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
A. any resto in darling harbour would be perfect

Q: On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
A. we dont tip here! goody!

Q: What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of it?
A: chips and chocolates!

Q: What are your pizza toppings of choice?
A. pepperoni and jalapeno. like it when its hot!

Q: What do you like to put on your toast?
A. butter, garlic and sugar

TECHNOLOGY
Q: What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A: phuket's phi phi island

Q: How many televisions are in your house?
A. just mine placed in our lounge

BIOLOGY
Q: Are you right-handed or left-handed?
A. right

Q: Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A. haha.. you wouldnt want to know

Q: What is the last heavy item you lifted?
A. client files (tons of it!)

Q: Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A. nope

BULLCRAPOLOGY
Q: If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
A. yeah

Q: If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
A. i just wanted a second name that's all.. probably ronald macintosh! haha

Q: What color do you think looks best on you?
A: blue

Q: Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
A. small seeds

Q: Have you ever saved someone’s life?
A. cant remember but im sure i did... maybe in my dream or something

Q: Has someone ever saved yours?
A. yeah.. recent one is a lifeguard in bondi.. i nearly drowned..

DAREOLOGY
Q: Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
A. just a $100? raise the stakes!

Q: Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000
A. no.. my fingers are priceless!

Q: Would you never blog again for $50,000?
A. again, its priceless!

Q: Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
A. yeah baby! but just this one time! and as long as the mag will circulate in zimbabwe..

Q: Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
A. i would but i couldnt

Q: Would you, without fear of punishment, take a humans life for $1,000,000?
A. of course not!

DUMBOLOGY
Q: What is in your left pocket?
A. nothing

Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A. its a dynamite!! u dumdum!

Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
A. carpet

Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower?
A. haha! no one sits in the shower!

Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
A. just 2~

Q: Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
A. hmm.. im with jb and friends for a dinner... swirving i guess..

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. a magician!

Q: Who is number 1 on your top 8?
A. ang labo naman ng tanong! duh duh!

FAVORITOLOGY
Q: Number?
A. 12 (its the start 0.1.2...)

Q: Season?
A: spring ~cool and crispy!

CURRENTOLOGY
Q: Missing someone?
A. my nephew and niece

Q: Mood?
A. soo bored

Q: Listening to?
A: currently snow patrol's chocolate

Q: Watching?
A. none at the moment..

Q: Worrying about?
A. my relocation this fri-sat... and bills going due! damn monthly payroll~ why cant it be fortnightly

RANDOMOLOGY
Q: First place you went this morning?
A. kitchent to cook food ~tapsilog!!

Q: What can you not wait to do?
A. go home and relax ~eat chocolate while watching reruns!

Q: What’s the last movie you saw?
A. the simpsons ~spider pig!

Q: Do you smile often?
A: yes.. sometimes people think im crazy!

Q: Are you a friendly person?
A. kinda~ it depends on the mood

I’m taking a ride off to one side
It is a personal thing.
Where?
When I can’t stand
Up in this cage I’m not regretting.

I don’t need a better thing,
I’d settle for less,
It’s another thing for me,
I just have to wander through this world
Alone.

Stop before you fall
Into the hole that I have dug here,
Rest even as you
Are starting to feel the way I used to,
I don’t need a better thing
(Just to sound confused)
Don’t talk about everyone,
I am not amused by you.

hp - comment

i forgot to mention this. but i finally finished hp book last week. it was a good one. specially the prince tales. i have to let go of the final chapter on the forest to excite me to go home and read the last one.

but i totally did not expect one thing though.. whats with the 19 years after?? how come when its good, someone has to ruin everything. i've decided to peel off the epilogue and make it a masterpiece that it should have been. anyone agrees with me? whats your two cents worth?

the last few hurdles on Mt Waverton

For the 171st time that I was climbing Waverton or what seems like to be endless steps as I reach home, I suddenly realised that I won't be here for long. I was busy with my June 2007 accounts that I haven't even mentioned on my blog that I will be moving this Saturday. Yeah, it would be on Strathfield once again. As a matter of fact, its home along the riles once again. Coincidence, I guess... But this time on a much more convenient unit. No more annoying housemates that would have never ending stories regarding their frustration as a nurse. Fat aussie who keeps on smoking, smoking and smoking inside the house. Or will I never feel like ghost in my one home. But this time the only person who would be talking to me is Me...

It seems like not long ago when I moved here. I felt certain jolt of excitement on how beautiful our apartment would be. Too intense to wait for the day that I can show some of my friends this unit and finally host a house warming party or something to that effect. But I guess now will be too late. Lease will soon be expired. I guess its time to move on... But for certain, I would not fail this time. I would set a house warming party. As I believe that somehow it has certain effect on the future aura of the flat.

Living alone. Well, I know it would sound too boring. But I know me would not make that happen. For the next coupla months I would ensure that I make it as neat as possible with a certain moderation my crazy ways. I would endeavour to make it warmer by doing lotsa activities for those who would like to join. Or just by myself... Even if it would entail being pathetic loser of sorts. But at this point, I have too much expectation on what life would be finally living alone and having a long sought serenity. I'm too amazed of that fact alone!

I just had a glimpse of the apartment. The place is superbly presentable. The unit is a total perfection. But the lease payment is way too much and I wouldn't talk about it. Here's how it looks like...

Isn't it totally astonishing? And to top it all, there's some appliances that I don't have yet like a stove and a dishwasher! And I don't have to wash does dirty dishes again!! I just wish it has a swimming pool and a gym to make it more exciting. But on second thought, I don't need the latter since this is a long walk from the train station. I reckon, I would be or should be driving by next year. Since it includes a free car space, it would be more practical if I have something to put, right? I should be getting a license. This should really give me a drive to drive! But as I was saying the rent is a bit expensive so I have to save up to have a car. Plus driving lessons here costs heaps of money. So better cut on my other luxuries.

...

Last Sunday was the first concert I've attended here in Sydney. Although I am not a fan. I surely enjoyed the event. And who could not enjoy if you see your friends happy. I went to the event to support my friend who loves Anthony so much. I can only identify 3 songs but what the hell, the guy is oozing with energy and the Britney-move. If you know what I mean?

...

By the way, Jazel if you're reading my blog. Thanks so much! Yeah know what I mean. It was superb!! I enjoyed it immensely. I know my Saturday was a bit frustrating as I have to sort my things. Went a bit sentimental on first few days that I came in Sydney. Imagine I kept all the receipts and I even balanced my money every single day. Am I a freak or what?

...

What else happened this week? Well, I guess that's it for me. I know I have to sleep in a bit. I've been working my fair share on a Financial Services client. Fair share meaning I work my ass off and still go home early. I just can't fathom how they work so hard and hardly finish everything. What's the deal being so productive rather than working late?