Lawn Bowling (The Gracy Way)

For our 2009 GWF Christmas Party, we went to Hunters Hill Club for a day of Lawn Bowling.
Not my kind of game (boring IMO) though and it was sooo hot during the day. I didnt enjoy the food and is ready to call it a day by 4pm. I didn't even go to the afterparty in Woolwich Hotel! But I did enjoy taking photos of my ofc mates with my newish Canon cam. :-)

anovah, may fimfle ako!!!

Gracy ready to bowl.

roll it from the side Gracy!

Yey! I think I got it close to the little white ball. :-)

My new Sunnies

Agie and I went to have oral prophylaxis in Ashfield today because our entitlements from our health insurance will expire by the end of the year. We also dropped by the Optometrist to get our glasses.

Getting a prescription shades is too expensive and I don't need another transition lenses right now. But I do want a nice sunglasses!!! I asked (very subtly, of course, hahaha) the Chinese guy there if I can get a regular shades instead of a prescription one. He was hesitant at first (bawal nga kasi!) but in the end, he relented.

So, I went home with a new Burberry Sunnies. :D

Happy Birthday Agie!!!

Today is your birthday, Happy Birthday Bebe!

This is the 5th year we celebrated your birthday together and I just want to have a quick look back what happened the last five years. :-)

4 Dec 2005 - Our first official date together. We went to Baywalk to have dinner and stayed there until 4 (or was it 5?) am. I was a bit angry with you during dinner because you're always checking your phone!!! I should be the center of your attention pero you're always answering your friends' text to you, hmmp, hahaha.

4 Dec 2006 - I can't remember what we did and what my gift for you was on this day. Where did we go? Powerplant or Gateway? Please refresh my memory coz I have a memory gap na, wehehehe.

4 Dec 2007 - you're first birthday here in Oz. We had a little celebration at your place in Ellis St. Mike cooked pansit and I had pizza delivered. We didn't have any photos taken on that day, too bad. :(

4 Dec 2008 - Its our flight back to the Philippines. Before we flew, I cooked pansit for you and bought you the Twilight Series. There's also a yummy cake from the Korean shop in Macquarie. After we 'celebrated' your birthday at home, we went to sleep and got ready for our flight back home. At the airport, I tried to ask for an upgrade from Cathay Pacific because its your birthday and the guy gave us the Exit Row seat with a very big leg room, yey!

4 Dec 2009 - There will be no celebration for you today because you're working late. :( But I don't want you to miss you birthday so I woke up early and cooked pansit! (kaso lang you were so nosy, waiting for me to come back from taking a bath, then realizing there's no one in the bathroom, you wen to the kitchen and caught me preparing the pnasit, haha). I also bought a little cake from the Korean shop so you can blow your candles while eating your birthday breakfast. :-) I wanted to buy your Macbook yesterday from Myer because it was on sale but there's a 10day wait period, so instead of a Macbook, I bought you a book ---- Dan Brown's Lost Symbol. I just realized that books are my staple gift to you on your birthday. hehehe. I thought of something else but I couldn't find it so book na lang. :D

On this special day, my wishes for my bebe are:
: good health - no more tummy aches and liver problems and bad cholesterol.
: great career - no more late nights in audit
: excellent family life - baby to come next year. :-)

God has been so good to us in 2009 and I know 2010 will be better. Continue to believe in Him bebe and He'll give you what you desire as long as it is in accordance with His plan.

I love you so so much my bebe and I'm hoping to add as many years in this timeline as possible.

Have a great day in the office today bebe and we'll have a post-birthday celebration for you tomorrow.

Hugs and kisses,
Wifey Gracy. xoxoxo

I got a D!!!

For my third CPA subject, I got another Distinction, yahoo!!! For the second subject, i deferred it to next term thus the grade of Did Not Seat (DNS). Three down, three more to go!

Happy day today. =)

Finance End of Year Party

For the past two years, GWF always have an uber-cool end of year Finance Party. Last year's Amazing Race saw us running, eating, sweating and having so much fun (with our competitive spirits really coming out) around Sydney CBD. The Pink Team (that's us) won last year's event.

Go Pink Team!

This year, the committee had a different take on FUN. We went to Double Bay Marina Yacht Club for a day of cooking demo and skills testing. Yep! a chef was there to show us how to prepare an entree, main and three desserts!

Everyone enjoyed the cooking (and the eating afterwards). Too bad we didn't win the best presentation. :( I loved the Ocean Trout with Salsa Verde that I cooked it the next day at home (but i forgot to take a photo of my masterpiece, sayang!).

Finance Team and the food we cooked.

My Lunch Mates =)

I made this Tiramisu! I was the Dessert Girl for our Team.

Chocolate Liqueur with Caramelized Walnuts

What could be next? :=)

My New Toy

Eversince I've booked our US holidays, I've been meaning to buy myself a point and shoot camera because my SLR is just too bulky to bring around. Agie agreed to me buying it because I told him that I will use my Amex points to pay off the camera.

I'm really partial to Canon (mainly because that's the brand of my SLR which I still dont know how to use, haha) so I just shopped around for a good deal. I went to Dick Smith in Chatswood in early November but the sales assistant told me to come back in 3 weeks time because prices will be slashed by then to get rid of their stocks as they are moving to a new location. This will also work in my favor because I can claim the GST paid if I show it to Customs when I travel to the US in December. The only requirement for GST refund is that receipt amount should be at least $300 and the purchase date is no later than 30 days before travel date.

Fast forward to the third week.
I went to Dick Smith yesterday, excited to buy the camera (the ticket price in November was $357, down from $396) and hoping for a good discount. When I went to the camera sections, the stand is absolutely empty!!! I asked the sales assistant where all the Powershot went and he said they have already moved it to their new store which is opening in 3 weeks time! Hmm, not good. I went to their smaller store in Westfield and found the same camera now priced at $377.
:(

It's just too expensive for me, considering I need to buy a camera pouch and a spare SD card so I went to JB Hifi to see if they have better prices than Dick Smith. I saw the camera I was after and it was marked down to $345! Not bad considering I was ready to spend $350 for it. Then i looked for a pouch and found one for $25. I told the sales assistant if she can give me a deal if I buy the camera and the pouch together. She did some calculations and told me she can give the camera for $321 but no discount on the pouch. I didn't think twice and bought the camera then and there. The camera would've cost $396 but with the discount and the GST refund (around $32), it now only cost me $289 and if I'll deduct the cost of the Travel Photography book that comes with the camera, the final price would go down to $255. Not bad hey? My AMEX points can very much cover my camera puchase. hehehe.

I had a post-birthday dinner with Perla today and of course we tested my new Powershot 120IS. Aren't we gorgeous???

I can't wait to document our US trip. :-)

Late Train, again!

I do not like the new timetables! My train has been cancelled today again! I have to wait for 30 mins for the next (running late) train. I wish we could all go back to the old timetable --- when the Epping to Chatswood link was not yet integrated to the Sydney network. Because it operated on its own, any delays happening in the network will not affect the on time running of the train and thus making it more reliable. And its not as crowded as it is now and the trains were new and very well maintained.

With the new timetable, my travel time became longer, trains were replaced with the old ones and if we do get the newer ones, it's become filthy!!!

Can we all go back to the old ways please??? A 3 minute improvement in the journey time of some lines is not significant at all!

Boo City Rail. :(

The Blue Wall

And the renovations started!

I am not too sure if I can pull off a feature wall considering I already got a chocoloate-brown lounge. But what the heck, I can always repaint the wall to another color if this one will not match. :-)

the transformation from this...

to this!

color: Bristol Paint's Faraway Sky.

We ended up hiring someone to do the painting of the entire house as we realized we don't have time to do it ourselves.

Next on the list is the carpet installation which I have booked for Saturyday, 21st of Nov. But I think I have a big problem --- I just read the Terms of Conditions that we need to inform the Body Corporate 21 days in advance if we plan to do floor covering renovation. Oh no!!! I need to call them tom and advise them of my plan (and to make drama drama daw nga I didnt know about the 21 days advance info). If they will not allow the installation, I have no choice but to postpone it. :(

Hopefully, everything will go smoothly so we can move on the 6th of Dec, otherwise, gahol na sa oras and might move na lang next year.

Fingers crossed that they will allow an earlier installation though...

The new Aussies

we are one but we are many

and from all the lands on earth we come,

we share a dream, and sing with one voice.

I am, you are, we are Australian.

After a long wait, Agie and I finally took our Citizenship pledge and got our Citizenship certificates on November 12 at Ryde Civic Centre. It amazed me to know that there were 25 countries represented in the ceremony, just another proof that everyone wants to live in Australia! :D The councilor who read the names apologized in advance for any pronunciation errors, and quiet a few were really tongue-twister type of names. hehe.


Temperature was a very hot 30 degrees in the afternoon! We don't want to be late so we booked a cab to fetch us at 6:10 but it did not come!!! and suddenly, there was a heavy downpour. We decided to commute to the venue (train and bus) and in 30 minutes, we were filling out our Electoral Forms at the Civic Centre. At around 8:45, the ceremony was over and we went for a celebratory dinner in an Italian Resto. Pasta was blah, but they had a very nice pizza.

Thanks to Cesar for coming with us and for being our official photographer. Di bale, pag ikaw na ang mag-o-Oath, sa masarap na restaurant na tayo kakain, hehehe. Too bad we didn't get have any photos together, anuvah!

Commuter Tale # 2

City rail announcer during this morning's travel at Epping underground station:

"Do not run into an incoming train, you might trip over and break your neck. And that can ruin your weekend!"

Very well said City Rail! First time I heard people laughing while waiting for the train.

Best.Announcement.Ever.

its all about love

my horoscope from yesterday's mx:




im optimistic.
work, money, health.
come my way.
you're all very much welcome. :D

Holiday Booked!

Yahoo, after one week of checking flights, and VLs applied, I have now booked our US holidays. Even if December's fare is sooo expensive, I still went and booked it because I knew that we won't be able to go overseas for a long time (with mortgage and all, we need to be very prudent with our spending)!

I can spend Christmas with my Aunt and see my nephew, yahoo!!!
I can attend Bambi's wedding on the 27th, yahoo!!!
Its our wedding anniversary on the 27th too, more yahoo!!!

Sabi nga ni Cherry: 'aanhin ang pera if sa banko lang nakikita'? hahahaha... so maski konti lang ang pera, bakasyon pa din. Its our reward for working hard this year. :D

Maloloka kaya ako sa shopping dun? hahaha.

The Road to Valeria

It was late 2008 when a friend offered us a townhouse in Quakers Hill. It was a 2 bedroom, 25 yo townhouse which is near a freeway and a 7 minute walk to the station. Back then, we were busy with our wedding preparation so we said we'll consider looking for a house next year.

Fast forward to 2009.

Domain.com.au and realestate.com.au became my favorite internet sites. I told hubby that we should buy at least a 3 bedroom townhouse (just because I want a small piece of land) and location should be accesible to public transport (becasue we don't drive yet).

Then we started looking.

Meadowbank, West Ryde and surrounds - very very expensive!
Liberty Grove - expensive and a good 15 mins walk to either Concord West or Rhodes station
Eastwood, Denistone and North Strathfield - prices are beyond our reach, no townhouses only old units. After a few weeks of looking, we decided to expand the area and also started looking for 2 bedroom units (as 3 bedroom units/ townhouse are very rare in the areas I was initially eyeing.)

Pennant Hills, Thornleigh - Units are very close to Pennant Hills road. Being a very busy road, it gets noisy and dusty inside the units.
Carlingford - viewed a new property development. Price for a 2-bedder was still cheap at $390K, only downside is, we waited for almost an hour to go back to Epping so hubby said we are not going back to Carlingford.
Hornsby - Those near the station is expensive and strata is almost $1000/ quarter. Went down further to College Crescent and the units are a bit small and a 10 min walk everyday, uphill is not really very enticing.
Waitara - very close to the station, prices are within reach but the hallway leading to some units makes me claustrophobic. Also, strata/water/council rates is around $1200/ quarter so we gave it a miss.

After a few months of looking around the North area, it hit us - we cannot afford living in the North! Some units were within our range but something is always not right about it - the cupboards, the noise, the strata, the location, etc. etc. etc. With this, I slowly accepted the fact that I will be looking for a house in the West and eventually live there.

Homebush West - affordable units, mostly two bedrooms. Made an offer on one units we both liked. Offer not accepted. Negotiated, again not accepted. Viewed the unit a second time before making another offer then found out that the current tenant is keeping a dog and its poo is all around the balcony, ieewww. Did not make another offer.
Quakers Hill - affordable but too far away. Saw a very nice townhouse - 3 bedroom and around 10min walk to station for $400K. Made an offer (which is very low). Offer was not accepted. hahaha
Kellyville Ridge - New Australand development. Walked 20 mins from the bus stop to the site. Very far! Bus fare is expensive (not to mention the long train ride to Blacktown). Sales Agent looks like he doesn't want to sell us the Terrace Home (after telling him that our budget is $500K max, still not good enough for him, hmmp). Houses were very nice. Community looks nice but its just sooooooo far away.
Wentworthville - The Townhouse we viewed is a bit old with only one toilet and needs major renovation. Saw a 2-year old villa with no strata but its a fair bit of walk from the station.

Toongabbie - Cesar mentioned that his friend is moving out because the owner wants to sell the 3 bedroom townhouse. He told us that the only problem is the lounge --- its too small. So we went to the open house, viewed the property: 3 bedroom, 2 toilets and bath, 1 guest toilet, underground car park, one guest carprk. Less than 5 minutes from station. And yes, the lounge and dining is very small. But we liked the property, and we liked Toongabbie. We don't need a big lounge and dining for now because there's only two of us!

The town house was to be Auctioned. We made an offer and told the Agent that we are not willing to go to auction. After a few negotiations, and another inspection, we signed the contract and paid 0.25% deposit... that was 12 September 2009.

And the timeline for Valeria St started:
12/09/09 - signed the contract, paid 0.25% dep
15/09/09 - solicitor received the contract. cooling off period is until 22/9/09
21/09/09 - bank valued the property 22/09/09 - requested for an extension of the cooling off period
23/09/09 - strata and land inspections 23/09/09 - bank valuation came back - $356K same as our offer! 25/09/09 - received unconditional approval from the bank
29/09/09 - paid the 10% deposit
29/09/09 - contracts exchanged 30/09/09 - loan agreements, FHOG and Stamp Duty exemption signed 16/10/09 - First Home Owners Grant Approved, money will be available at settlement date
26/10/09 - settlement date

I'll be picking up the keys from the real estate agent tomorrow. =)

Oh how time flies. Seems like it was just yesterday when we did all the house hunting and now, we actually are new home owners. A few things to do to the townhouse but it will be our new abode in the weeks to come.

Thank you Cesar the tip.

Thank you Lord for the guidance and for giving us what is best for us. As always, I cannot thank You enough.

Final Inspection

Just came back from our final inspection of the townhouse. Nothing new to see really. I just measured the smallish lounge and I resigned to the fact that my current lounge and tv will not be in synch, meaning the chaise will be facing the stairs (not the tv). I am not giving up my lounge so I have to make some adjustments on how to decorate our new home. By the way, settlement will be on Monday afternoon, after that I can now get the keys from the real estate agent (and I will have a mortgage na din, hahaha).

Below are the photos of the lounge (see how small it is?), kitchen and stairs. When we move in, I will post photos of the 'after renovation'. We need to be creative on how to make the lounge appear big!!! I guess a mirror is a must and minimalist would be the theme of our new nest.

The carpet needs to go, but I am thinking if floorboard and tiles go together, if not, then we'll have to do with a new carpet. Cant wait!!!

random things

Tomorrow afternoon is my cpa exam, finally! This is my third and 3 more to go before I can be a full-fledged CPA.

Today (or tonight), Agers will be home after 18 days in NZ. He'll spend the weekend here and will fly back on Monday for another 2 weeks. I wish I can go with him but because my passport will expire in January (and getting a new one is too complicated for now), I cannot. Hopefully, we'll be back there together not for work but for a REAL holiday.

My solicitor gave me a call that settlement will be on Monday and I can get the keys after! Oh my, I can't believe we are almost there. I've also scheduled the final inspection on Saturday. :-)

On Sunday, it'll be Elijah's christening and Agers is the Ninong this time. Can't wait to catch up with my North Shore mates....

December is almost here and I can't wait what's instore for me in the last two months of the year. 2009 so far has been so good to me, i'm very thankful!...

(Agers is here na, hahahaha, will try to update this later)....

Coming Soon

my not-so-fun sunday

i went to mass at 10am today, then to Village Grocers to buy vegies for lunch.
i cooked choysum with bits of chicken and finished the entire dish alone! :-)

Seeing the dirty, sticky kitchen, I decided to do some cleaning. Its so nice to see the grease and grime of the stove top all wiped clean.

Our room is also a mess, with falling hair all over, so I did a quick vacuum. Its not yet that tidy but its getting there. :-)

After three hours, I check my phone and there it was --- hubby sent a message that he was online and waiting for me! So i missed our quality internet time together but not to worry coz he's coming home soon. I can't wait for Thursday. :-)

Snail Mail

Mr Postie is very good to me, delivering unexpected surprises in the mail.

Today, i got this from my Bebe. How I wish I'm with him now, exploring New Zealand...
We'll be back Bebe, don't worry! :D

Don't you just love snail mails? I mean, with technology, everything is so reachable just by clicking our fingers. Exchanging stories with friends meant leaving messages in YM, Facebook, Friendster and sending emails. But I still love the anticipation of actually opening an envelope, reading and re-reading the message, not to mention the stamp that comes with the letter. Amidst all the electronic things flying around, wouldn't it be nice to hold something tangible?

I do hope that Stamp Collection wouldn't be an extinct hobby in the future... so people, let's all revert back to snail mail!!!

Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi (amost...)

Got a letter from the mail today:


Yahoo, finally we have our oath schedule.

I am eligible for citizenship since Feb but I wanted to take the oath with hubby so I deferred it and only applied when he is already eligible too. This posed a tiny problem on my part because i didnt realized my Phil passport will expire in Jan 2010, and overseas trip is not possible as of the moment. I missed the NZ trip with hubby, but looking at the bigger picture, i think was a blessing in disguise coz I now have time to study for my upcoming exam (which I have been putting off for a long time, hahaha).

Anyhow, its finally here. Another milestone, another step in fulfilling our Australian dream.

Thank you Lord for all the blessings, we can never thank you enough.

New CityRail Timetable

its the first day of the new train time table and i am not liking it! first, they removed my 7:18 train from Meadowbank to Epping, so I need to catch the later one at 7:28. Then, my waiting time at Epping is 10 mins!!! And Platform 6 is way too crowded today despite it being a school holiday. I don't know how congested it would be come Monday. From a previous travel time of 18 mins, my morning train ride is now 26 mins. :(

Going home is even worst! They changed the time 8 minutes early than the normal one! There's no way I can catch the 4:37 train, unless I leave the ofc at 4:25!!! Next train comes at 4:52 but the connection is better I guess. It allows me almost 3 minutes to change platform....but still, I want my old train schedule back!!!

God help us commuters on Monday when the school reopens again.


~~~~
my cpa exam is coming up. it'll be on the 23rd of Oct. After my exam, there's so much more to do... im excited!!!

Morning Tea with International Flavor

The Central Finance in GWF is a team of 12 different nationalities:
1 - true blue Aussie with a Russian ex-hubby
1 - Slovak origin with an Aussie hubby
2 - Filipinos
2 - Fijian Indians
1 - Indian
1 - Armenian
1 - Kenyan
2 - Chinese
1 - Korean

With this diverse culture, we decided to have a morning tea with each one bringing a dish from their own country... and here are what we had last Wednesday (too bad I didn't get the name of the food, hehehe)

Leche Flan from Pinas (from the Filipino Store, hehehe)

From India (the round one is spicy but oily)

From the Fijian Indian - with almonds and ginger. this is sweet

Flossy sweet food from India. I can taste ginger.

tasted cinnamon on this one from Kenya

yummy pastry filled with sugar and butter (cholesterol!!!) from Armenia

Didn't have a photo of the Scone (Oz), Spring Rolls (China), Fried Rice (China), Curry Chips (India) and Choco Cookie (Korea).

I ate almost everything. Im getting fat!!!

:-)

ps... they LOVED the leche flan... creme brulee but not as sweet. :-)

Sandstorm in Sydney

Sydneysiders woke up to a sandstorm and orange/red sky today, 23 September 2009.

view from our balcony @ 7am in the morning








another angle

on my way to the office, outside the train station @ 7:35am

along Lane Cove Road @ 7:40 am.

New Name

I was complaining to my lunchmates how incompetent our receptionists were because it took them so long to order my new name plate. Its been three months since I sent the email and until today, i haven't received it yet. And before we even finished lunch, the HR lady handed me my old name plate saying maybe I wanted it as a memorabilia. :-)

I spoke to soon. hahaha. sorry dear receptionist.



ps... the flower below my name was from my previous seatmate Catherine. When I moved from Trade Spend to GL, I also moved seats. And when I was cleaning my new desk and putting on my things, everyone commented how empty my wall looks like coz I dont have any photos nor paper on it. So, she drew these two flowers on a post it note and sticky taped it to my wall. hehehe. so cute of her.

Hanap Bahay

hirap maghanap ng bahay!!!

simple lang naman gusto ko --- mura, may train, 3 rooms, may konting backyard...

pero bakit wala? meron ngang malapit sa train, pero di kagandahan. meron maganda, pero malayo. meron maganda, malapit, 3 rooms pero ang mahal naman.

haayyy.

ilang sabado naba kami nag h-house viewing? ay, ang tanong pala dapat ay ilang buwan na ba kaming nag h-house viewing? Gusto ko na sumigaw "I want my Saturdays back!!!".

sabi nila, ganyan daw talaga. tyaga. pasensya. at dasal. madaming madaming dasal.

pero kahit na wala pa din kaming nahahanap, kahit na minsan gusto ko na mag give-up, sige pa din, hanap pa din ng hanap. malay mo, isang araw, pag gising mo, yung matagal mo nang hinahanap, andyan na, ibibigay na ni Lord sayo.

Mabait si Lord. Alam nya kelan ang tamang panahon na magkabahay kayo. Di bale nang bumaba ang First HOme Owners Grant sa Sept 30. May December 30 pa naman. May next year. Malay mo, bumaba din ang presyo ng mga bahay. At yung minimithi mong mura, malapit sa tren, tatlong kwarto at may konting back yard ay abot kamay mo na. :-)

Sana lang, wag akong makatagpo ng swapang na Property Agent.

Sana, sana, sana.

The Hanna Kids

I've been following the story of the Hanna Kids since they were featured in http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/.

When their parents were still alive, a family friend sent a letter to ACA and asked for help, maybe for rent assistance for the family or money to pay medical bills. The Mom has breast cancer while the Dad has prostate cancer. A lot of people donated money and soon they have enough to cover the house rent for the entire year. But sadly, the Mom died and the Dad followed six days later, leaving the Hannas orphaned. Dad's dying wish was for the kids to have their own home.

The story touched a lot of Australians, and in true spirit of mateship, everyone contributed money, time and talent to make the the Dad's wish come true.

Almost half a million were deposited to the Hannas bank account, enough for them to buy their own place... but it did not end there! The house was renovated by volunteers, furnished by good samaritan so that the 5 kids, aged 5 to 18, can have a fresh start.

They aired the house renovation yesterday (it took them 10 days to do a renovation which would normally take 4 months!) and the first glimpse of the family today and I just can't stop crying. Truly, there are still good people around. I am so proud to be living in this country...

Full story here: http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=447883&showcomments=true

--- im still crying while making this entry ----

you know you're fat when

your colleague ask you if you are pregnant in a shocked voice because the swollen tummy is soo visible all of a sudden!

... and this actually happened to me today! its really time to get serious in my exercise!!! can i blame winter for making me crave food every minute? on the contrary, i would be very happy if indeed I am preggers, hehehehe...

The One

i thought i could tick off one more item from my to do list but it was not meant to be.

how can a negotiation be called as such if only one party is doing the negotiating while the other jut won't budge?!?
if you're property has been in the market for over a month, and no one is offering the $ you wanted, it only means its overpriced.

im still hopeful... there's one in there waiting to be found, the one that is suited for us, the one the He reserved for us.

Only now did I realized how elusive that ONE is... :D

mood: i-ka-career ko na ang paghahanap sa DA WAN. hahahahaha

not a millionaire... for now. :D

so i didnt win Oz lotto last Tuesday. The prize, which went up to $106M, was shared by two people from Adelaide and Gold Coast. Oh well, the money is too big for me anyway, musakit lang daw akong ulo ug huna-huna what to do with the prize, hahaha.

there'll be more lotto draws to come, hahaha.

by the way, i ate like a pig this week. Thursday was our lunch out for Duncan who will join Speedibake. I ate seafood fetuccini and Santorini Pasta and it was sooooo filling!!! Dinner was at Pancake on the Rocks as we officially welcome Tanya S here in Sydney. I had my favorite Mexicana Crepe. I was bloating by the time I arrived home. We had morning tea for Duncan this morning and I ate spring rolls, cake, cheese and some vegie sticks. Then Friday night drinks followed at 4pm... And this is not the end of my pig out week... tom, we are heading to Chatswood for Noemie's baby shower and I bet there'll be overflowing food again. I seriously need to burn all these calories. Agie, lets jooogggg/ runnnnnnnnn, and I mean really go out and sweat it out, let's not fake it by doing the running in Wii, hehehe. Pero, another note, pag super lamig pa din sa Sunday, mag wii Fitness coach na lang ulit tayo. :D

mood: heavily bloated (if there is such a term as "heavily bloated")

I got a D!

Got our CPA exam results two weeks ago and I got a grade of Distinction, yey for me!

This got me excited to enrol in two subjects this term and hopeful advance to CPA status by next year.

now, if only I'll win that lotto, i need not study na gyud! hahahaha. ma bore naman kko pag di na ko mag study so para dili sila makabalo nga millionaire nako puhon, mag study lang japun ko, hehehe. dream na lang permi Gracy! :D

Money money money

What would you do with AUD$90M?

http://livenews.com.au/news/oz-lotto-jackpot-reaches-record-90-million/2009/6/24/210962

This Tuesday, Oz lotto jackpot hit $90M, the biggest so far in history. And, judging by the long queues in any news agency, Im thinking the prize would eventually be more than $100M! Now, that's a lot of money.

If I would win this lotto, i've already promised that 10% would go to the church (Hubby and I agreed to split it between our parishes in Bukidnon and Bohol). Now, the rest of the money would go to buying a house, buying investment properties, touring US and Europe etc etc. The list could go on and on.

We can all dream big and this one is something I wouldn't leave to dreaming alone but I actually went out to buy a ticket for myself. Now, along with millions of Australians, I am hoping and praying to win. Its okay to share the prize with 90 other Aussies, or even hundreds, as long as its the jackpot we're sharing.

Im keeping my fingers crosses and asking my lucky angels to be by my side come Tuesday night for the draw. :-)


Mood: Hopeful.

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How far is Manila???

This photo was taken at Berry, NSW, in the Southern Coast. Its a very pretty town with interesting buildings. We passed by a restaurant with this sign post. I just have to take a photo of it coz it has the names of cities and their distance from Berry. Nevermind that Manila was spelled with double "L" (same as how they spell Manila Paper), so long as its there I'm happy. :D

By the way, its my birthday tom so happy birthday to me! yey!!! Agie is not here (missing him na) coz he's in Manila but i'll be having lunch and dinner with friends -- awesome!

Exam After Thoughts

I just finished my CPA exam and it was so-so. I was able to locate 50% of the answers from my reading materials but guessed the other 50. Hopefully, i'll pass that one. 2 down, 4 more to go...

After my exam, i have heaps of things to do which I should start doing pronto!!! Might as well write it down here, lest I forget. :D

1. Finalize my super overdue photos for the album and for distribution to family and friends. Grabe, til now haven't chosen pa gyud uy!

2. Look for a house. (Dear God, please help us find the perfect house for us. Must be near a station in a safe sub-urb (Meadowbank or West Ryde, hehe), affordable and within our budget, preferably a villa but a 3 bedder apt unit is also ok. I know dear God that You will help us in our search. Thank you. Amen.)

3. Study for my Learners Driver License.

4. After getting the Learners, do the practical exam.

5. Pass the driving test (after doing the compulsory 120 hours of driving lesson) within the year!

6. Save for my planned US trip.

7. Save for my parents trip here.

8. Study for my next CPA subject. Try to finish 2 more next term.

9. Do my wii workout regularly.

10. Did i say look for a house na? hehe

11. Study Fotografia! make use of the SLR camera I bought a few months back. ;-)


The list is quiet long and daunting but I know, one by one, i can delete this from my To Do List and transfer to my Done List with God's guidance and of course with the help of my Agers. We'll do all these together and I can't wait to see the fruition of our dreams.

oh, and the last on my list but definitely the most important ----

12. To have a baby!!!

o sya, nood muna ng Wolverine. :P

House Arrest (but not because of Swine Flu)

I'll be staying at home for two days, not because of swine flu but because I need to cram big time for my studies!!! I am not as confident as I was last year. I should have lessened my facebook and wii time but I can't help it.

I can't wait for Thursday pm --- shopping time and of course my exam will be finished by then. But for now, i need to look at my study materials again.

same company, new job

so i got the job.
they gave me a teeny-weeny increase in salary.
i hope i will be doing more in this role than my previous one. or i think, i should follow my colleague's advise: don't work too fast, otherwise you'll end up doing nothing for the rest of the week! i don't know, im just so used to being a fast worker but at the same time, i'm a big-time procrastinator. if i dislike doing something, i put it off to the last minute until i don't have a choice but to actually do it --- translation: deadline's fast approaching, do your work or you're a dead meat.
i've been working here for two years and im loving the pressure-free environment, the people i work with and the company in general. but if they pay me more, will love them more too! hahahaha. As long as I can leave the office at 4:30 on the dot, im happy to stay here.

on another note, my cpa exam is fast approaching and i just finished all my readings. Should have done this two weeks ago but everytime i turn on my computer, im more inclined to play games in Facebook ---scramble and bejewelled - than study my materials. I should have given up facebook during lent but just couldn't do it. gave up wii instead. haha. so much for my sacrifice. but, in my defense, i made good of my promise of not playing wii. now, im back to it, even bought an extra remote so agie and I can play tennis against each other. its a fun game. almost all of our Sundays are spent at home, playing wii. but i haven't progressed much in my studies, waaaaahhhh...

barely 3 weeks left, i need to focus now (or should i say cram???).

Horoscope

In today's MX paper, my horoscope reads:

Fundamental shifts are happening in the realms of work, authority and career. They are appropriate shifts that are worth understanding. Look beyond the surface to the creative changes that are being brought to fruition in you.

How true this is! I'm loving my current work but sometimes it gets so boring since I don't have much to do. But last Monday, my colleague talked to me about some changes in the team and that our manager specifically told him to let me know that the changes will be good for me (why she didn't tell me herself, i do not know --- i took sickie last Friday so that might be the reason).

Though I'm not a believer of horoscopes, this one is just too real to ignore. :D I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

New Life (Lives)

BABY BOOM IN OZ!!!

All my married friends in Chatswood are having a baby - Ruthie is due to give birth anytime soon... then Noemie is on her 3rd month, and I just learned that Lanie too is preggy! I hope i'll be next, hahaha.

Back home, my elder sister had a miscarriage last year. It would have been her second baby after nine long years but sadly, we lost the little angel (gi wak-wak daw, i dunno). My younger sister also had a miscarriage last weekend. She has been so busy with her thesis in the last couple of weeks. She needed to do some revisions, had to travel to Cagayan de Oro and she's back at work too that her body just didn't cope with the stress level she's experiencing. Sad thing is, she didn't know she was pregnant! She bled on the bus on the way home and thought its her normal period but when tummy ache just didnt go away, they had to admit her to the hospital. After some tests, they said she lost the baby... sad, sad.

But its not all bad news. I also learned last weekend that my sister-in-law, who lives in Butuan, is also pregnant!!! Its her third time but the first two, she also lost it. The first one was due to a miscarriage on her first trimester, the second one, didn't develop well inside the tummy. They did everything they could, went through the pregnancy even if they knew from the ultrasound that the baby only have one arm and one leg and have a weak heart. But during the 8th month, the baby didn't survive. Our little Atasha was born dead and is now in heaven praying for all of us. My sis-in-law is still experiencing difficult pregnancy but she's coping well. They've been waiting for this baby for 5 years and we are all praying for the health of both the baby and the mommy. We all know our little Angels in heaven are looking after the life growing inside Jen's tummy and I just knew that this time around, it'll be perfect. But I still continue to pray for her everyday...

I hope im next in line... :D

Commuter Tale #1

Since I don't drive, I'm a slave of the public transport. I take the train or bus to work and sometimes take the ferry to go sightseeing. But unlike other people who whinge on how inefficient the transport system is, I, on the other hand, love my daily travel with Cityrail (that's the company who operates the public transport here in Sydney). I have my highs and lows, but I don't complain because I enjoyed my journey... and that's what makes it different.

I realized that there are so many stories worth telling about my journey so I decided to come up with my Commuter Tales. I will try to write about my train/bus travel experiences that i find exciting, and hopefully will be able to have enough material for my very own book, nyahahaha. Anyway, here goes the first one:


Commuter Tale 1: Being First Doesn't Mean You Always Get the Best Prize

26Feb 09, 4:45 pm train from Macquarie Park to Epping, then change from Epping for a service to Meadowbank.

(photos courtesy of CityRail)

At exactly 4:30, I packed my bag, said my goodbyes to my ofcmates and was rushing at the door. I need to be at Macquarie Station before 4:45 to catch my train. Its around 6 minutes walk from the office but I want to be there earlier, so I can claim my spot at the first carriage, right by the left side door. So the train came, and i sneakily went to my spot even though a lot of people were there before me (well, the transit officers were there but they got off the next station so I just moved a bit closer to the door).

I need to change train at Epping, which is about 7 minutes away. My connecting train leaves Epping at 4:54, giving me barely 2 minutes to run from the underground station up to the first level. There were three of us waiting for the door to open and as soon as it did, we sprinted (yes, literally sprinted from door to escalator - and to the next platform. I was about to give up the chase (since I heard the line "door closing") but the man behind me kept running, so I continued. As soon as I stepped on the train, i know I got on the wrong one. The two people inside the carriage commented that the three of us who made inside the train were like Olympians who got the gold, silver and bronze. And of course I got the gold medal! I just smiled, trying to catch my breath, and silently praying for the train to stop at the next station. But of course it didn't! It was an intercity train, stopping at the next major station 10 minutes later.

The train I was supposed to catch is due to arrive as soon as the other train left.

Oh well. I had to change train again, went the same way back and arrived at Meadowbank at 5:12pm. Had I stopped and looked at the timetable, I would have been home by 5:02,hahaha.

Lesson Learned: Magbasa ng train schedule! :D

Finally!!!

Finally, after a year of preparation, Agie and I got married.

The day went by pretty quickly, and before i knew it, we're back at the hotel as Mr. and Mrs. :-)

It rained during the day (our was an afternoon wedding) but by the time I arrived at the Monastery of the Transfiguration, the rain stopped!!! I was able to walk down the (extended) aisle as slowly as I possibly can. :D

As I look back, there were glitches during the day (guests not showing up, cake not to my liking, etc etc) but I still think ours was a very nice wedding. Our families and friends were there to witness the start of our new life together and that what matters most.

Thanks to our family and friends who helped us in preparation and for travelling miles away to be with us on that day. You all ROCKED!!!

Photos are uploaded at: http://gracymae.multiply.com/photos

Video can be found at: http://vimeo.com/2876468

Monastery of the Transfiguration

My Mom and Dad

outside the church

the compulsory jump shot!

we're married, yey!!!