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.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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!!!

more photos

our first gifts: a tea set from my ofc mate George and a wrapped gift all the way from New Zealand from Lawrence (my EQ is so high, i havent opened this gift yet, hehe)

the ring, the invite and the guestbook

the rings and invites

Im back!!!

Seven months after my last post, im back in the cyberworld. I've been busy with studies (i've passed my CPA first module, yahoo!), wedding preps (only a few items left unticked in my To Do list), lipat-bahay and so much more.

Anyway, in three weeks time we'll be in Manila na. Im excited to be home after almost two years here and I cant wait to see my family and friends. Most of all, im excited as the BIG Day is coming soon!!!

Updates on my preps:

Rings - Got it from Matus Jewellry pero masyadong malaki ang size ng ring - my fault :(
Invites - sent out to Manila and overseas friends. Simple yet elegant ang comment. Yahoo! hirap kaya pag overseas ang communications mo sa printer, buti na lang Printlane was so easy to talk to, bilis pa gumawa!
Guestbook - ordered it from Blurb.com. Im so proud of this kasi ako gumawa nito.
Dress - sana nasimulan na ni Benjie, hehe.
Shoes - Got it from Nine West which was 70% off the original price. Baka mapalitan ko pa sya when I go to Manila kasi baka di mag match sa gown ko. We'll buy Agie's shoes in Manila at sana naka sale ang Florsheim, hehe.
Give aways - So glad Papemelroti has an online shop, di na ako nahirapan sa logistics and they delivered it on time too.

I've paid the Caterer, church, photo and video (down payment). Kulang ko na lang is my make up, florist, cake and program. Kaya n to pag uwi namin!!!

I only got two photos to show. Im so tamad these days, dont even know how to use my new-ish camera, haaay. Di bale, sisipagin din ako soon.

Fiddling with the manual functions of the cam using the ring, invite and an oil tanker.

Front and back cover of the guestbook i ordered online at Blurb.com. The photo didnt do justice to the actual photobook!!!

Agie's in Melbourne (for three weeks) and I will be spending my weekend with him, can't wait!!! :D

Bye for now, hopefully, I can upload more wedding stuff soon.

Wedding Prep Updates

So, Agie and I got engaged last December 07, but because we're both in Oz, and the wedding is in Bukidnon, all the preps will be done online. I rely mostly on my cousin, family and friends to help me in booking suppliers, designs, concepts, ideas, etc etc. I would have wanted to be hands on in everything but I just can't do it, with the CPA exam coming up, i need to study more and surf the net less. =)

As of today, we have booked our photo/video, church and reception and have sent our Save the Date cards (our labour of love). Yes, this is a DIY project. I surfed the net for some designs. As we are having the wedding in the province, we opted to send the Save the Date cards to those in Manila and overseas so they can prepare/ plan in advance and give us heads up if they will be attending the wedding or not. Since this involves travelling for most of our guests, we came up with the idea of sending Boarding Pass STD (weird, STD, hahaha).

I surf the net for the lay-out, bought printer and stationery, some paints (a last minute addition since after we have printed the envelope, we realized the front cover is too-wedding-y that we need to "ërase" it with a paint") and started the project.

I did the lay-out and the printing while Agie did most of the cutting. We both help in the painting. It looks so amateurish but we are proud of what we did. I hope those who received them (we printed only 20 and sent it in the mail while the rest will be receiving electronic versions of it) will appreciate it even if it was not professionally made.

different cover designs... ewan ko if you can still see what we 'erased'

Monastery and the Map to Malaybalay

Boarding Pass 1

Boarding Pass 2

Boarding Pass 3

I'm in the middle of doing the lay-out for our give-aways, sana ma send na ni Bryan ang pix na hinihingi ko. :-)

yun lang, back to reading my cpa materials. :-)

My life in GOOGLE

I got this from Ellyn. All you have to do is google the answers to the following questions and choose any images you like as your answer. Pretty cool ey?





1. Name of a pet.

2. My nickname.

3. A bad habit of mine.

4. Where I live.

5. Where I like to travel.

6. My last name:

7. Fave cartoon character.

8. My name

9. My middle name

10. Age on my next bday.



11. My first job.

12. Favorite color.

13. My birthplace.

14. My favorite food (which I miss dearly!!!)
15. Love of my life.

A little too late post

Its been a while since my last post. I'm a busybee these past few days. I have to juggle work, school (yes, i enrolled in the CPA program and need to read a lot of materials for my exam) and wedding preps.

Im getting married!!! Yes, Agie did finally popped the question last Dec 28 and I, without hesitation, said Yes. La na nako sya gipalisod-lisod kaybasin mag change ang mind, hahaha. He was a bit nervous when he asked me to open the gift he had for me (on the pretense that I gave him lots of pressies for his bday and xmas that he felt he need to give me more!).

Ang sweet ni Agers. And he bought me a ring that he placed in the tea set I was eyeing at Victoria Basement. Since he bought the ring in an Aussie Jewelry shop, the size fits Aussie women too. And that being said, the ring is too large for my dainty finger. We had to have the ring resized. And since andun na kami, I asked Agie if we can exchange the ring na rin coz what he bought was more of an anniversary/wedding ring rather than an engagement ring. He reasoned he likes it more than a solitaire, hehe. Sabi ko na lang, similar ring na lang for our wedding ring and solitaire for my engagement ring, buti pumayag. :D

dinner at Sydney revolving resto where he popped the question

according to my ofc mates, the ring is so me! small and simple. i want kc something na pede gamitin everyday

We didnt tell anyone yet that we got engaged on that day until masabi namin sa parents namin. When my turn to tell my Mom, she was a little bit shocked pero my Dad was happy coz he thought di na ako mag aasawa,hehehe. After nag sink in na magpapakasal na ako, they are excited na to do the preps.

I wanted a simple wedding pero pinagtatawanan ako ni Agie coz ang dami ko na daw ka artehang nalalaman na hindi na daw simple ang gusto ko,hahahaha. Yan ang nagagawa ng too much surfing at reading emails from w@wie.

Mahirap ang preparation kasi overseas kami dalawa and once lang kami uuwi, 3 weeks before our wedding date. But, with the help of friends and family, we can pull this off.

Yun lang. im at loss for words... sa susunod dami pa ako i-k-kwento. sana di ma preempt ang invites ko,hehehe.

yun lang.

love you Agie and cheers to our new life together! :D

...now back to reading Module 4 of CPA 108, haaay buhay estudyante nga naman.

Christmas in Oz

My first Christmas in Oz was celebrated in style (Filipino Style that is).

At around 8pm, Cherry and I invited a few friends over for a Noche Buena at our new place in Chatswood. Everyone brought their own food--- Noemi, Jun and Gabbie brought yummy grilled chicken, Mike and Lanie brought grilled Tilapia (yum, yum, yum), Agie made sinuglaw (sinugba and kinilaw with pinakurat), Sally brought wine from Hunter Valley, I cooked kare kare and Cherry bought kutsinta from the Filipino store. Pinoy foods we were really craving...




At 12 midnight, we went to hear the misa de gallo and i was quiet surprised to see the church full-packed. I thought Aussies were not into traditional christmas celebration but i was wrong. i saw people of all ages and nationalities (well, i saw some Chinese, Koreans and a few Africans that flocked the Church). I guess being a Catholic school, the tradition of having a midnight mass is being taught too.

On Christmas Day, Agie and I went to the City and had our picture taken at some Christamassy sights ----

Sydney Town Hall adorned with lights

Different lighting of Sydney Town Hall
Hyde Park

We also went to Queen Victoria Building where a christmas tree was adorned with Swarovski crystals was on display; and Martin Place where the Christmas Tree was placed.

The day after, Dec 26, was a holiday in Australia. It was Boxing Day (just look it up, was supposed to be the day that people give gifts or something). And during boxing day, there's a huge sale going on in the City. Myers (a very big Department store) opened its doors at 6am, while the rival David Jones (these are high end shops like Shangrila, Rustans) opened theirs at 6:50 am... Normal shopping day in Australia is like shopping on a weekday in Rockwell, not too many people, no queue in the dressing room nor in the cashier. But come Boxing Day, its like Divisoria!!! Where did these people came from??? There was a queue just going inside the store and people are just everywhere. I had the below shot taken when I was on the elevator at Myers.

It was unbelievable!!! Just so we wont feel that we wasted our time, we just bought a nice China made bowl at 30% discount and some lotion that was sold at half the price. Even on sale, some itmes are still expensive compared to Manila prices. That being said, i cant wait to go home and shop!!!

So that's how I celebrated Christmas this year. Next year would be different, really different! And I cant wait for 2008 to come!!!

Happy New Year!

(nakakatamad mag post at magkwento)

Thanks 2007

2007 has been a good year for me --- no, make it a GREAT year for me. I have so much to be thankful for, so many bessings that came my way. :-)

Jan - migrated to Sydney. Had a safe flight. Was able to navigate the City without getting lost. Got a job.
Feb - moved to a new apt with cherry.
March - started with my work at GWF --- lovin it!!!
April - Easter Show, so many gift bags, yipee. :-)
May - My Birthday and my Bebe is finally here with me. Offered a permanent position at GWF.
June - Got my grade in Tax --- Distinction.
July - Snowy Mountains (dream come true na makahawak ng snow? hehe)
August - generally a good month, no major drama (short of saying I cant remember what I did this month, hehehe).
Sep - went Canberra with Lanie, Mike and Agie
Oct - Got my CPAA positive assessment for Tax, Law and Finance.
Nov - Transferred to Central Accounting. ;-)
Dec - moved to a new unit. Celebrated Xmas with friends.

I'm wishing that 2008 will still be a good year for me. :-)


Tom, we'll be having Xmas dinner with Lanie, Mike, Noemi, Jun, Gabbie and Sally. This is our noche-buena Aussie version. We'll go to mass at 12 midnight too!!!

taken last Friday, 19 Oct 07

this was at Circular Quay. Si Agie parang wala sa sarili habang todo pose ako, hehehe.

ang taba taba ko na!!! look at my bulging tummy, hahahaha. dapat di na ako kain ng rice pero ang tanong, kaya ko kaya? ;-)

Pinoy Food

I went to the Filipino shop (aptly called Manila Sari Sari Store) in Chatswood last week to see if they have red chippy. I have been craving this ultimate comfort-food (for me that is) for some time now and it's always out of stock. Well, it must have been my lucky day coz not only did I get to buy my red chippy, I also got ----



Pinakurat!!! - who would have thought this vinegar would make its way here in Oz. Highway robbery nga lang ang price at $6.00 pero care ko, binili ko na dahil masarap etong sawasawan.

Manggang hilaw! yum! this was not from the Filo store but rather sa suking vegetable stall namin sa Chatswood. This is proudly Australian produce (ayaw nila mag export) and was labelled "cooking mango". Cooking daw? hehehe. Kinain ko na at naglalaway na ako.

And of course, the reason why I went to the store --- my red chippy (and vinegar on the side). Ang sarap... kaya di ko pa masyado na mi-miss ang Pinas kasi dami Filipino food dito.

At ang iba ko pang nabili sa store: Mama Sita Kare Kare mix (yep, nag kare kare kami last Saturday), Menudo mix, Knorr Toyomansi, Ding dong atbp...

I love food and I love to eat (kaya tumataba na din ako, haaay). :-)

Spring has Sprung (but Summer is already making its presence felt)

Flowers are everywhere (in Canberra, at least). Our eyes feasted on Tulips of different colors when we visited Floriade 2007. See more at http://www.gracymae.multiply.com/.

On another note, Summer is making its presence felt here in Sydney. Bush fires are everywhere, temperature of 32 degrees was recorded today, a very rare occurrence in spring (Climate change na ba eto???) and FLIES (as in langaw) are everywhere na din! Gosh, pano na lang kaya sa Perth? hehe.

May exam ako next next week, ayaw ko na mag aral, gusto ko nalang mag internet lagi. :-)