Easter Show

A tiring, expensive but fun day --- sadly I only have a few pix to share. :(

Are we all set?

Am I enjoying this?

My eyes are close!!!

what a lovely day.

wasn't able to ride the ferris wheel...

Blog break

I have so many things to blog about:

1. Good Friday @ St. Mary's Cathedral
2. Easter Show@ Sydney Olympic Park
3. Night out with friends
4. Walking in Bondi with Chad Peralta's mom
5. Staying at Chad Peralta's house --- Ellyn, chaddik na ba ako?hahaha

plus a lot more...
dami ko pa pix di na u-upload, here or sa Multiply site ko.
Kaso, i have an exam coming up this Thursday and im way way behind from my readings. Had to say no to our dinner tonight with some College friends, a bbq for lunch for Jake's bday and a planned gimik on Anzac day. Haaay... bakit pa ba ako nag aral?hahaha. If not for the uber-expensive na tuition, di ko na sana itutuloy eto pero well, i dont have a choice... sige na nga aral na.

Sorry

I am such an insensitive person.
I, through my actions, unknowingly hurt the person that is so dear to me.
What I did was wrong and I hope that you have forgiven me now.
It cannot be undone but I will try to make up for it.

Sorry
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.
.
.
.
.
.
sana may hug pa din ako pagdating mo dito...

What a day

Today was a scheduled shopping day for me, Lynn, Vien and Vans. We have been wanting to visit a factory outlet in Parramatta that sells winter clothes at a much cheaper price, almost 50% off the rack price.

Joyride
Parammatta is a suburb West of Sydney, and going there, I can either take the bus, train or ferry. I was looking forward to the ferry ride but the trip that will go direct to Parramatta from the City leaves after 12 noon, and I will be too late for my 1pm appointment with my friends. I ended up taking the bus --- it took me all of one hour and twenty minutes from Chatswood to Parramatta but I enjoyed the view. I got to see Macquarie University, the beautiful houses along the streets, great scenery, weird and funny people and so much more. It was my first time to travel that route and I would love to do it again. Too bad I didn’t have the camera with me.

Bargain
The Factory Outlet Building we went to was noticeably empty --- not a good sign. Most of the shops are close while those who have goods to sell are not really selling them at dirt-cheap prices. To top it all, Paddington Coat Factory is nowhere to be found!!! It was really a sad day for us coz we were so looking forward to our Winter shopping but we went home empty handed…almost.

There was an athletic store that had a vast inventory of shoes and other athletic gadgets that we chanced upon. I went directly to the pile of “1 for $3 or 2 for $5” shoes. I saw a size 5 Sketcher shoes in the pile but when I saw the price, it was marked down to $15 from the original $50 price. Since I am unsure of the exact price (if it was $15 or $3), I asked the cashier and he informed me it was for $3. Without hesitation, I gave him three dollars pronto to pay off the shoes. After punching the sale, he then told me that it was really a $15 shoes but he gave it to me for $3 --- “thank you Mr. Cashier!”, you made my day!

my $3 Sketchers

Near Accident
We concluded our shopping at around 5pm coz all stores are now closing (this is the downside here in Oz, shops close early… weekdays, shops close at 6pm, except for Thursday, which is a shopping night, where operating hours are until 9pm. Saturdays they trade until 5 pm, while Sunday is the worst when shopping is over by 4pm --- made me miss Manila where Midnight Madness happens every so often).

Going home, I took the train since it would be faster (took me about an hour) and safer as well.

When I alighted at Artarmon, I noticed that the train is a little far from the pathway, creating a gap. As I was walking towards the exit, a man suddenly shouted “No! No!” and another one started running towards the middle shouting “Stop! Stop!” --- signaling the conductor not to close the doors, lest the train will start moving. Another person run towards the driver and said stop. In all the commotion, I thought that someone must have fainted or tripped while alighting the train but it was worse than that --- a little girl, around 4 or 5 years old, actually fell down the train tracks. Good thing her father was quick enough to shout that people reacted and helped in notifying the train persons. The father scooped the girl from the tracks and she was just crying her heart out, her father just hugged her and everyone helped them to safety. I couldn’t imagine what could have happened to the girl if the train moved so quickly or if no one helped or if the father’s reflexes were not that good. I shudder at the thought… I felt really sad and teary eyed thinking of the worst case scenarios… The train, which normally departs a minute after arrival, departed after around 5 minutes. I just hope the little girl is now okay.

Earth Hour

Today, at 7:30 pm, we participated in 60 minutes of total darkness -- well not really total darkness coz my computer was turned on. :-)

At 7:30 pm on 31 March 2007, we are inviting Sydney to turn off its lights for just one hour - Earth Hour -to show that it's possible to take action on global warming.

WWF-Australia and The Sydney Morning Herald are asking all of Sydney - its companies, government departments, individuals and families - to turn off their lights for just one hour. It's a simple action if everyone takes aprt, sending a powerful message that we care about the future of the planet. Click http://earthhour.smh.com.au to read the rest of the story.

We took part in it and hope our little contribution will go a long way.

What a nice activity to wrap up my day. :-)

Travel Expo

Vans, Lianne and I went to the Sydney Convention Center earlier today for the Sydney Travel Expo. There was a $12 entrance fee but we went in anyway just to check out the exhibitors and the exciting places they offer.

At the entrance, we were given bags where we can chuck in the brochures we were going to get inside, and boy it was so many (the brochures) that I ended up buying a bag at a steal price of $12.

I got almost all brochures being offered (and the bag that came along with it) and was really excited to see the vacation getaways in Queensland, Canberra and other Australian states which I would like to visit with Wombat soon. :-)

I went home with a bag full of brochures and plenty of shopping bags (not the green ones anymore, yey!!!).

By the way, had a caricature of myself made at the “Incredible India”. But I was not too happy with the result, doesn’t look like me and I look old!!!


My Baguio caricature was way better, but then again, I would have wanted a not so obvious double-chin, hehe.

Overall, it was a fun bonding day with friends. Next week it would be Paddington shopping with the Ashfield girls, can't wait for it. :-)

Comfort Zone

Today is my second day at George Weston and I can't get over how good a company it is.

They have nice office, spacious pantry, freebies (bread and fruits), they use SAP and many more.

I actually did the posting for all cheques today... ang galing, and no training really. Nagamit ko ang natutunan ko sa Shell and I am eager to learn more specially SAP. Got to attend a meeting also, whcih I will be leading in the next few weeks. I want to be hired on a permanent basis here so magpapakitang gilas talaga ako,hehe.

I am so blessed, really... Thank God talaga.

On another note, i joined the thousands of people who walked the Harbour Bridge last Sunday --- taking part of history baga. I can't upload my pix kasi bagal internet ko, ieew.

Sa multiply ko na lang sa Friday. :-)

Yun lang...

My First Two Months

I’ve been in Australia for two months now, how time flies really, didn’t even realized that it was two months already since I boarded that Qantas flight from Manila to Sydney, two months since I carried the almost 50Kg of luggage with me from the airport to Martin Place Station, hahaha.

I will try to summarize all things I did in those two months:

Number of Days unemployed (Jan 12 not included as it is my arrival date): 2 days
Number of Employers: 2 (will be three starting Monday,hehe)
Number of Agencies registered : 3 (New job, new agent )
Number of interviews with possible employer: 4

Modes of transport to office (including time spent traveled):
First job: Walk to office (10 - 15 minutes leisure walking)
Second job: Train to City (20 minutes train ride)
Third job: Train and Bus to North Ryde (2 minutes train ride, 20 minutes bus ride)

Number of attractions visited: 3 --- Botanical Gardens, Sydney Opera House, Aquarium
Number of Events watched/attended: 3 --- Queen Mary II visit, Australian Day Celebration, Mardi Gras Parade (but this Sunday, I will join the Sydney Harbour Bridge walk and the Hill Song Recording concert, ---something to look forward to).

Number of Barbecue’s attended: 0
Number of Picnics joined: 0
Number of Beers drank every Friday: 0

So, judging from above, it seems that I haven’t toured much of Sydney yet!!! Well, I have my reasons: I am waiting for Wombat and I really don’t have the time to go visit the wonderful places I read in the travel book that I bought. My first three Saturdays was spent looking for a house, the next Saturdays were spent packing/unpacking things, assembling things, preparing for the housewarming etc… Now, I am going to Uni so not much time left to do all the “tourist-y” stuff. I would have toured Sydney had I not found a job so quickly but I am not complaining, it is very rare that a migrant like me is this successful in finding a job. Yes, I turned down a lot of offers simply because I do not want the job being offered or the pay is not that big. But in my new role come Monday, I hope it is what I expected it to be. It’s a very large organization, a big manufacturing company, an Australian icon. I hope I can make it there.

:-)


p.s. this Sunday, I will be attending two events and I will be uploading lots of pix next week, magbabago na finally ang pictures ko sa Friendster at Multiply,hehehe.

Untitled

Im not feeling well these days, palagi ako nakakaramdam ng lungkot--- siguro kasi i-na-anticipate ko ang pagdating ni Wombat. At siguro rin, masyado ko iniisip ang work ko (or the lack of it come Monday).

I really would want a job where i can make use of what i learned back in the Phils...

Haay, stressed out na ako sa dami ng calls and interviews pero at the same time, ayaw ko din ng mapapasubo ako into something i really dont like...

basta lam ko si God na bahala sa akin... I know He has plans for me and all I need to do is trust in Him.:-)

63 days

Haven't posted any of my recent stories here, our internet is soooooo slow. We used up our allotted Gigs due to heavy download in Feb. We'll have faster connection next week, yippee.

Anyway, just a run down of what i've been up to:
1. started my new job last Tuesday;
2. Called my Agent last Wednesday saying I dont like the job
3. Went to Uni for my tax subject;
4. Requested by client to stay in the job until i get another job (planning to stay only on or before 16 Mar, with or without a job,hehe); and
5. WOMBATS GOT A VISA NA, yipeeeeeee.

Can't wait to see him here... 63 days to go... [big grin on Gracy's face,hehe]....

Estudyante na naman

Ang impulsive ko talaga. Kanina lang, mga 3pm, habang nasa trabaho ako at kakatapos lamang makatanggap ng mejo madami-daming tawag mula sa aking Agent, naisipan kong mag enrol sa Unibersidad. Naisip ko kasi na sayang din ang tumatakbong oras, wala naman akong gagawin, di rin naman ako makakagala kasi wala akong kasama. Kaso, mejo may kamahalaan ang tuition, AUD1,100. Wala akong pera ngayon at wala na akong trabaho sa Lunes pero napagisip isip ko, kakayanin ko pa naman mabuhay at mag aral, nga lang di ko muna mababayaran ang Daddy ko...

Ang enrolment ay nagsimula na noong Enero pa, pero ayon sa aking kaibigan, di daw mag sasara hanggat di nagsisimula ang klase. Tumawag ako sa Sydney Uni at nagtanong kung pede pa ako mag enrol. Ayun, sabi sa akin, pwede pa daw.

Pag uwi ko ng bahay, nag log agad ako sa internet at nag enrol.

Estudyante na ulit ako.
Im poorer by AUD1,100 pero lam ko mababawi ko din eto balang araw. Eto ang paraan para masabi ko ka aking resume na "studying towards CPA" na ako.
Simula ang aral sa a-Otso ng Marso --- sa isang linggo na pala yun. =)

Sa kabilang banda, dami na naman offers sa akin para sa panibagong trabaho, kaso parang ayaw ko muna, pahinga muna ako ng isang linggo. Pero kung yung trabaho ay nasa City, tatanggapin ko na kasi mas malapit sa akin yun pag punta ko ng skul...

Yun lang. :-)

phone calls galore

I received at least 5 calls from my Agents today for possible job placement but the person who handled ANZ didnt call me, waaaaaaaahhhhhh.

Well, maybe something better will come along. I got another offer f0r another bank i used to worked back in the Phils but I am still thinking since the system we use then and the work itself is very custom made for that Japanese bank. I will have to sleep this one over before deciding tomorrow. This is only a 2 month contract job but in the financial industry --- loan processing. A shift from my AR role, something which I am trying to avoid now. I also have another offer for a permanent role but the pay is quiet low and it involves AR, so I let it pass for now.

I hope something better will come along. :-)

Dami talga jobs here, as in kaw na susuko, hehehe.

Interview

I have started updating my resume and visited 2 agents these week in time for a new job (hopefully) after finishing up my stint in Ella Bache. I had one interview with ANZ earlier and I really like the job. I hope they will pick me, i don't know how many were interviewed for that position but i want it, want it, want it!!!

I hope i'll get a positive call tom. If they want me to start Wednesday, yes, i will start Wednesday, basta makapasok lang ako sa ANZ. :-)

Pray mo ako ha?

yun lang... nga pala, here's a pix of me taken mid January when we went to Church in Maroubra, South of Sydney.

Missing my friend

i miss someone today.
we just had our house warming today, lots of people came.
I met new friends. I ate a lot, but it would have been nice to share the day with Wombat. He would have love to see my place as well and of course eat the food i prepared,hehe.

I know he will be here soon...

Valentines Day in Oz

I went to the office early today since today is my replacement's fisrt day. I trained her on all things i learned so far in Ella Bache. It was a tiring afternoon, calls after calls after calls without any luck.

At around 3pm, i got a call from someone asking where 2 Lambs road is, i told him the direction and that the ofc's entrance is actually at Punch St. I was wondering why the call went to me when he could have asked the reception for the direction, but whatever, i got work to do so I did not really think much about the call.

A few minutes later, i got this nice flowers from our receptionist, and instantly, i knew its Agie who sent it. It was so sweet of him to send this from miles away, had it not been for the person i am training, i would have cried and called him.

Thanks myAgers, you made my day. I miss you na and hope to see you soon. Thanks for making me feel special today.

Sorry, di ko alam ayusin ang pix, magulo, waaaah... pero ok lang, basta maka post,hehe.

Sydney - my new home

I arrived in Sydney last Jan 12, i travelled alone, and since its a Friday work day, no one is available to pick me up. Together with my 40K bag, my 8 kg pink carry-on bag, laptop in a back pack and shoulder bag, i went to the City alone, via the airport link (train) and thankfully arrived in one piece.

I left my things at my friends ofc and went around the City while waiting for my other friend to finish her work. I will be "squatting"in her room until I find a place, or until we find a place near her workplace.

It was a tiring but fruitful first weekend in my future home.

Come Monday, I had an interview with my agent, because of an urgent requirement in one their clients, I got offered a job in less than 4 hours. I accepted the offer just to get the local experience. I am giving myself a month or two in the job before considering other options. I am one lucky girl since I didn't have any difficulty finding a job. Its more difficult to look for a house here!

And speaking of house, C (and I) live in Ashfield, west of Sydney but works in the North Shore. We had to travel an hour to and from work, and during rush hour, we had to endure the crowded train. We decided to look for a house last weekend and spent the entire Saturday walking around North Shore, viewing units for lease. Over the week, my new pastime was to check domain.com.au and realestate.com to see if there are new units posted for lease. Just today, Saturday, there were a number of open houses listed in the Net but when we get there almost all our choices were taken and leased out.

We walked around the area, heat and all, but was not lucky to get a good unit. Finding a house here in Sydney is more difficult than finding a job!!!

My former office mates were telling me that I would memorize every inch of Sydney in no time at all but sad to say, i can't still go around without a map at hand. I wasnt able to be a "tourist" in Sydney since I need to report for work on my 3rd day here (not counting the weekend).

During Oz day (jan 26), I met my 2 friends in the City and they toured me to St. Mary's Cathedral (i will hear mass there one Sunday this Feb), watched the Automobile exhibit and went inside the Musem (i forgot what Museum it was and the only reason we went in was that they waived the fee for the day in celebration of the Oz day). I told my friends that I have no decent picture of Sydney yet so we decided to go to Botanic Gardens and looked for Mrs Maquaries Chair (where the view of Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge is stunning). And i got my first Sydney pix here!!!

To celebrate Oz day, we went back to Ashfield, had Pizza, chix and Salad along with the ever famous Magic SIng. I even sang Annie Batungbakal, ieeeewwww...

So far, that's the summary of what my 2 weeks in Oz had been. I would be writing more as soon as I am settled in my new home, and all my clothes are shipped here. I just realized that I only had 2 weeks worth of clothes and need some badly. I need to ask Yen to buy me all the new blouses (short sleeved and long sleeved) in Meg for Agers to include in my shipment.

Shopping list coming soon,hehehe.

Missing someone so bad today. :-(

exam jitters

Wombat's exam is scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday, and he confided to me yesterday that he suddenly felt the pressure. That is normal I suppose, after all the hardwork, the review classes and late-night studying, here you are feeling as if you haven't studied a single topic. But come exam day, all things you learned before will come rushing back again. I do hope you'll make it to the top, I believe in you. ;-)

A simple prayer for you, to help you get thru the 2-day exam...

O wise God, I pray that Wombat’s mind be rested, his body energized, and his spirit inspired for the exam he must take tomorrow.

Grant him peace and assurance so that he may do as best as he is able, regardless of what that might be.

Be with his fellow examinees and that he may be a good example to them, offering reassurance and confidence regardless of how he feels.

May he be honest and insightful, and be able to give a true record of what he have learned. In the end, may any disappointment be born with grace, and any joy accompanied with humility.

This I pray thru Christ our Lord Amen...

God Bless...

socialites, starbucks etc etc

I’m done with my 7hour driving lessons at Socialites. I am still a struggling driver, but at least I know now how to step on the gas, how to use the gears (I drove a manual car, hehe) and all that stuff. However, I need to practice more!!! I’ll be doing that next week, in Bukidnon --- yep, I am going home for a week to spend time with my family (and then go home again come Christmas for my last bonding session before I move to Oz).

Starbucks planner…
It’s the time of the year! It’s Starbucks overload for me until I can collect the 21 stickers to have a free planner. I am not really a planner person but what the heck, their planner looks nice and the freebies that went with it is just nice as well, hehe. I’m on my 13th sticker now (the 8 others were courtesy of Lolo Joseph who treated us last Thursday).

I hope I can complete my card and have the planner before the 15th of Dec...

My passion for shoes

I’m a sucker for cute, not so expensive, but definitely good shoes… or should I say sandals. I lost count on how many pairs I had since I started working (and my purchasing power increased so to speak.. ;-)

The latest addition to my sandals collection is this cute brown pair from CMG, my most expensive pair so far, despite the fact that it was sold at 50% discount.

here's a cute fuschia pair from Franceso, a bargain at 70% off the price

bought this black stilleto from Le Donne

I want two pairs, not ONE!!! ;-)

this last one is great buy from the 'ukay" shops at home

I am far from being Imeldific, but buying shoes really perks up my gloomy day. I think I'll be buying one pair from Janylin soon. ;-)

Food, friends and lights

I had a great week-end last week. I went out with my roomies at MoA and ate at La Mesa. The food was delicious, thanks to Bambi who paid for our bill. :-)

1516B Ladies outside La Mesa

Another La Mesa pix

This was taken at Baywalk

"simod" effect :-)

By the way, I started emailing job hunters based in Sydney last week. I got a few rejection letters and a 3 call backs, almost. Three of the headhunters emailed back and said that I should contact them if I am in Sydney already as the jobs advertised are for immediate employment. Well, its a good sign since I have 3 possible job interviews lined up this early. Can't wait for January 2007... :-)

Sydney or Melbourne

When I was still waiting for my Visa, I was consciously checking out Melbourne. I stayed there for two months in 2005 and I love the place. Maybe it helped that I was there during springtime, weather was manageable (not crazy, have not experienced the ‘four season in one day’ thing), great transportation system, CBD not too crowded, and not mention a very multicultural place.

Now that I got my Visa, I am suddenly having second thoughts in going to Melbourne. Maybe it’s because of the colder winter, availability of jobs and limited friends who settled there. However, I’m also hesitant to go to Sydney because I am not familiar with the place. When I’m browsing for jobs online, I cannot picture how far the place is from the CBD and if it is accessible to public transportation (I can’t afford a car since I’m going there with limited budget). Most of my friends went to Sydney and everyone got a job as soon as they landed. That thought gives me hope that in Sydney I will be employed without a hitch. This alone is telling me that I should go to Sydney, but I am not convinced…

I need to decide soon. I need to buy my ticket. I need to organize my life!!!Well, at least I have enrolled in Driving School, one To Do already done. :-)