Days of No Internet

My Internet connection at home is stuffed.

No Internet means no checking emails... no blog surfing... no blogging (at home that is)...no news updates and most importantly of all - No Warcraft.

As I was pretty sure that it wasn't something wrong with my modem. I called Telstra to lodge a line fault. Not able to withstand another day without Internet, I woke up at 7am in the morning to call the Tech Support line.

As a tech support person myself, I hate having to talk with people who are "Techies". It just makes the situation worse. We would usually end up arguing over something rather than actually solving the problem. I would much rather having a "Dumb User" on the other end of the receiver.

So I played the part of a "Dumb User" when I called. Hoping that it would make the Tech's troubleshooting more effective. But I could not be more wrong. He ran through his script asking me if I had tried a different phone line, turned the modem off and back on, if I had changed the filter and if there were other phones in the apartment.

I told him I had changed everything. I even unplugged the only phone in my apartment and connected my modem to the socket without the filter. To which he replied .. "No, you can't do that, you have to use a filter.. without the filter you could make the phone line faulty".

Uh ?!?! This was the first time I've heard someone tell me that.

Anyway, I let it go, and told him it was only to test if there was something wrong with the line and filter.

I also told him that the Internet only works when I am using the phone line. Like when I am talking to him right now. Once I get off the phone however, the Internet will cut off.

To all this he just said.. "Hmmm... Strange... But I can see your modem is out of warranty, it could actually be faulty".

"My modem is not faulty, how could it be faulty when I am able to get Online when I'm talking on the phone ? It has nothing to do with my modem".

"I'm just letting you know first. Because if I lodge a call for someone to go take a look at your line and it turns out you have a faulty filter or phone line, we will charge you $99 for the call out fee".

I had to stop playing my part as the dumb user.

"Look, I have swapped phone lines and filters. I can ping the modem, so there is nothing wrong with my network cable. Also tried directly connecting without the filter. The problem started last friday night and I am 100 % sure nothing has changed on my side. The Internet is only Online when I am using the phone. The phone line LED on my modem flashes amber then disappears, when I hang up. I'm pretty sure there is nothing wrong with the filter or the modem. Can you go ahead and lodge the call please".

The good news is that someone from Telstra is going to go to my place to check the exchange and my line.

Bad news is that I have to be home from 8am till 12pm on that day, and it is a weekday.

Right. If only I didn't have to work during those times...

My Johari & Nohari Window

I saw this in my buddy's blog. Being the good friend I am, I submitted my 5 words I associate with her. Then went on to setup my own... :)

The Johari Window was invented by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in the 1950s as a model for mapping personality awareness.

Click on the link below to tell me all the good words you can associate with me:

http://kevan.org/johari?name=astrogir1

But I guess I am more interested in the Nohari Window. Its the opposite of the Johari Window. It looks at the Dark Side of people. Oooooohh... :P

The Nohari Window is a challenging inversion of the Johari Window, using antonyms of the original words. By describing your failings from a fixed list of adjectives, then asking your friends and colleagues to describe you from the same list, a grid of perceived and unrecognised weaknesses can be explored.

I've already put in my 5 words which I can associate with myself.

Irresponsible : Just because I think I am (the majority of the time)... :P
Childish : Its a mental thing. Lets say we leave it at that.
Chaotic : Have one look at my room and you'll know what I mean.
Impatient : Why can't everyone around you move at your pace ?!
Loud : If you are quiet then how can people hear you ?!?

So com'on guys... do your worst !

http://kevan.org/nohari?name=astrogir1

Reason for Gain

A woman's relationship acts as a barometer for her weight gain according to new research revealing how a woman's body shape changes through life. Here are the 5 stages outlined by the research disclosing how weight is gained or lost :

Stage 1

"The honeymoon period" during which the average woman drops about 3.9kg to impress her new man.

Stage 2

"the comfy zone'' era where takeaway and nights snuggled up on the couch encourages a weight gain of 5kg.

Stage 3

Most women will lose about 4.1kg for "The Big Day", with one in 20 women shedding more than 12kg for their wedding day.

Stage 4

But weight bounces back for stage 4 - the Baby Boom, when women put on about 7.2kg.

Stage 5

The Reinvention when the children are older and a midlife makeover jump-starts women to the gym, causing them to lose more than 7kg.

OMG... :(

Stage 2..... 5 kg weight gain. I've actually gained about 5 - 6 kgs since I've been in my comfy zone. The only problem is that I didn't actually lose any weight at all when I was in my 'so-called' honeymoon period. Dammit !

All gain.. and no losses.

Riiightt... Must head back to the gym this weekend !

You Are Your Choice Of Elixir

What you drink says a lot about you... (courtesy of Mr Brown via Insaintly Yours)

The original post was posted under the title of "You Are Your Choice Of Poison", but since I will never refer to alcohol as poison, as I would only ever refer to it as my "Elixir of Life", hence the title change... :)

If Women drink...

Beer

Personality:Casual, low maintenance; down to earth.
Approach:Challenge her to a game of pool.

Cocktails or Blender drinks with umbrella

Personality:Flaky, annoying, dizzy, and a pain in the ass.
Approach:Avoid her, unless you want to be her cabin boy.

Mixed drinks - no umbrellas e.g.; Gin and tonic / Scotch and soda

Personality:Mature, has picky taste; knows what she wants
Approach:If she wants you, she'll send YOU a drink.

Water

Personality:Pretentious and is looking for a serious relationship.
Approach:Don't.

Wine - (bottled, not 4 litre cask)

Personality:Conservative and classy, sophisticated.
Approach:Try and weave Paris and clothing into the conversation.

Bacardi Breezer, Red Square, Archers Cooler, Smirnoff Ice, Mudshake etc.

Personality:Easy; thinks she is trendy and sophisticated actually has no clue.
Approach:Make her feel smarter than she is... and you're in.

Cape Velvet

Personality:Annoying voice, bit of a tart.
Approach:Stand close and mention the alley next to the pub.

Shots and Slammers (Tequila, Vodka, Aftershock etc.)

Personality:Hangs around with male work pals or looking to get drunk...and naked.
Approach:Easiest hit in the pub, Nothing to do but wait.......


If Men Drink...

Cider

He's probably under-aged and wants to get laid.

Cheap Domestic Beer

He's poor / student and wants to get laid.

Castle Lager Beer

He likes good beer and wants to get laid.

Imported Beer

He's old; he likes good beer and wants to get laid.

Guinness

The man is a rapist and will get laid one way or another.

Water

He just threw up and is trying to wash the taste out of his mouth so that he can still get laid

Wine

He's hoping that the wine thing will give him a sophisticated image and help him get laid.

Vodka or Brandy

Extremely horny hound, would shag a warm scarf. Desperate to get laid.

Port

Thinks he's sophisticated, secretly likes men and wants to get laid.

Whisky

He doesn't give two shits about anything and will hit anyone who will get in his way of getting laid.

Jack Daniels

Not as masculine as the whisky drinker, knows all about feminine activities (knitting, crochet etc.) to weasel himself into getting laid.

Rum or Tequila

Likes fighting almost as much as getting laid.

Bacardi Breezer, Red Square, Archers Cooler, Smirnoff Ice, etc

He's gay (blatantly) - don't turn your back or pick up any dropped change.

---------------------------------

On my usual nights out, I'll start with Beer and will work my way to Scotch n drys and will eventually progress to Shooters (usually Tequila or B52s).

Which according to this article will mean that I'm...

Low maintenance, down to earth but have a picky taste. And I hang around with male work pals or looking to get drunk...and naked ?!!

humm... might have to start laying off the Tequilas during after work drinks with my colleagues from now on....

Omega @ Sydney

Last night I meet up with my Only-Eat-Expensive-Food friend (to protect his identity I shall just refer to him as Mr M) for dinner after my work drinking session. Tonz (my Warcraft buddy), Pete and his friend also decided to join us for dinner. Mr M suggested to go to Omega (the much-talked-about Best New Restaurant in the 2005 Good Food Guide) as he wanted to try the Greek food there.

To my surprise Pete didn't object. At first I thought he should know better than to think Mr M would suggest to go to a average priced restaurant. As our last encounter with him had left each of us with $120 less in our wallets. And Pete grumbling all the way to the car.

But this time, Pete seemed genuinely wanting to try out that restaurant Mr M had suggested. I knew Greek food is one of Pete's favorites. But still I felt something was not quite right. It wasn't until we reach the restaurant that I realised he has had 4 bottles of beer already (during his own after work drink session). His limit is usually around 2-3 standard drinks. Going over that limit would explain why he would be so agreeable to everything. As we walked downstairs, I wondered if he was drunk enough to pay for my share as well.

The restaurant itself was stylish and classy. I recognized the chairs they used were once on display in SPACE furniture.

As the bread and houmous dips were placed on the table, Pete asked the waiter if they had any Tarama (A Traditional Greek dip made from fish roe). But the waiter didn't actually know what it was. Moments later the same waiter emerged from the kitchen to let us know that they didn't have Tarama. But he also pointed out (in a stern voice) to Pete that he had pronounced it wrong. It was Ta-ra-ma instead of what Pete had said which sounded more like Da-ra-ma. To my amazement Pete nicely replied that it is actually pronounced more like Da-ra-ma in Greek. The waiter didn't make a reply to that, but let us know that the Moussaka has Taramosalata which is made from Tarama and walked away.

I wouldn't know which one is the correct pronunciation. Frankly, I wouldn't care either. But I would hate to be told that I had pronounced it wrong. Especially by someone with that kind of tone in their voice. It left a sour taste our mouth, and we haven't even ordered yet.

All of us actually sat in silence after the waiter's comment. If Pete had gotten up to go I think I would have followed him.

But he didn't, so we continue to browse through the menu and ordered our meals.

I had the Moussaka (eggplant with scallops) for my entree. And it was perfect. The scallops were done just right. The yellow fin tuna that followed for my main was slightly cold and rather tasteless. The Snapper with blue swimmer crab, that Tonz gave me a piece of, was a lot better. (Should have ordered the Snapper). I had the Halva chocolate for dessert. But I found it was too bitter for my taste. Mr M also commented that his lamb was only just passable.

The service was cold and pretentious all the way through the night. Especially since we had got off on a wrong foot from the beginning.

As expected, the mains were priced around the $40-50 mark. Which was rather pricey for the quality and quantity of food served.

I would definitely go back for the Moussaka, but I doubt Pete would be stepping foot into that place anytime soon again.

For the record, we split the bill accordingly. Turns out he wasn't as 'high' as I thought he was.

Happy Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone !!

Ok, I know Valentines is nothing more than just another Hallmark holiday. But its still nice when your loved one showers you with flowers and chocolates once in a while.

Only I have one slight problem with flowers. I have Chronic Hayfever. Which means I am extremely allergic to pollen. In other words, I am allergic to flowers.

So I spent last night with a really stuffy nose, having bursts of uncontrollable sneezing and itchy watery eyes.

But still I enjoyed receiving my box of white roses (I hate red ones) and chocolates.

I did ask him if he remembered that I was allergic to flowers. He replied "Yes, I remember. But it's Valentines, wouldn't you be unhappy if I didn't get you any flowers?".

Humm... The man has a point.

Valentines

I got a fish for Pete as his Valentines present.

Yes, I know. I got him a fish. Mind you, it wasn't just any fish. It was a yellow melon Discus. And it set me back $130. (Yes, I know.. I was slightly out of my mind).

$130 for a fish. (what is this world coming to ?!)

At least I know it would be something that he would like. And also that now when he gets up in the morning and goes to stare at his fish, he would at least be staring at a fish that I brought him. Then maybe he would remember that I got him that fish.. and then maybe he might remember that he should be spending more time with me than staring at the fish.

Or would that just be wishful thinking ?

Wise Words

The wisest words I’ve ever seen…


"In wine there is wisdom. In beer there is strength. In water there is bacteria" ...

I'm heading out to the bar to increase my wisdom and strength now... :)

Some people bite

Lately, I've learnt that there are only two kinds of people in the world. There are those who try to make life easier for others, and then there are those who are just bent on making life easier only for themselves. The later of the two, inadvertently (or deliberately) in the process ends up making life harder for everyone else.

No prizes for picking out which type of person I am ranting on about.

Last week at after work drinks, He strikes again.

On my way out of the bar, He caught my eye and waved me over to join him and a couple of other guys who looked familiar, but I could not recall their names. He probably figured from the way I was walking towards him that I've had more than my fair share of beer. When I reached the table, he introduces me as the "IT girl". (I have always hated that). The he asked me if I knew who the other two guys where. I laughed and told him I had no freaking idea.

He: You don't know him ? Surely you have seen him around, how about this guy ?

Me: Sorry.. you both do look familiar.. but I really can't remember who you are

Guy1: (laughs) That's ok. I don't expect everyone in the company to know everyone else.

He: How long have you been working with us now ? 1 year ?

Me: Yeah.. just over a year... Hang on, (points to Guy2) you're the guy with the weird hat at the xmas party last year !

Guy2: *coughs* yes.. that was me.

About 2 minutes later, both the guys introduce themselves to me. It turns out they are two of the many Managing Executives in my company. Perfect. I feel like I've just been setup and betrayed to be fed to the lions. And also extremely embarrassed.

But is everyone in a big company expected to know all their Executives ?!

And is it a death sentance if you don't ?!

Couldn't he have just done introductions the same way everyone else does them ?

"Hi, this is [insert guy1 name] and [insert guy2 name] .. Guys, meet [insert my name] who works in our IT department".

Simple.

But no... that would of been too nice and easy for him.

This guy was bent on everyone's life miserable and not only just mine. After the first month of working at this company, I had already learnt to steer clear of him. I have always been warned by my other colleagues that he bites. I guess I am lucky that he isn't my direct manager. Otherwise I would of just quit ages ago.

Today I ran into him in the lift. Only to have him look at me, sneer and mutter "weird hat" and gave himself a little laugh as he walked out of the lift.

I am a firm believer of what goes around comes around.

One of these days I will bite back. But, I guess for the moment now, I'll just have to unleash my manager on him.

Coles Shopping Moment

I saw this while doing my grocery shopping last night.

1 x Indo Mee Noodle Packet = 39c

A Packet of 5 Indo Mee Noodles = $2.49 (?!?)

You go do the maths.....


N.B: All Indo Mee packets in the 5 pack were of the same size and packaging as the single packs.

Weekend Blues..

I struggled to sleep through the night. I knew I should of laid off the cold drinks and beer on Friday night. But it was after work drinks. And with any after work drinking session, you just can't stand there and not drink.

If only you could get an Epidural for period pain.

My cousin came over at 9.30am the next morning to drag my sorry ass off to a gym session. They, thinking I was trying to squirm my way out of gym again. Gave me the Oh-Don't-Be-Such-A-Party-Pooper look and proceeded to pack my gym bag for me.

I mouthed the 'It's-That-Time-Of-The-Month', and gave her the look. But it was useless. There was no way that her boyfriend would of understood.

For argument sake, how do you make guys understand in a situation like this ?

To make things worse, David, (my friend from Hong Kong, the one who didn't tell me he was coming back to Sydney until he arrived at the airport) had left again yesterday. But not before pulling me out for a final game of pool. My last encounter with him had resulted in both of us passing out on my couch.

Not wanting to see a repeat of that fate again. I used my "On-Call" status for work as an excuse to not drink anything for the night. But still he insisted that having one drink wouldn't hurt (oh, the irony!). And that I must at least consume some alcohol, because somehow he thought that unless I drink, I wasn't playing to my full ability.

Nevertheless, I whipped his butt. And left him speechless with his tail between his legs all the way back to Hong Kong.

So now I'm high on Naprogesic.. and will probably O/D if I take anymore...

Conversations with a couch potato

Ever get that feeling that the guy you are now in a relationship with is not the same guy as when you first met him ? His interests gradually change. Behavior changes. He likes to stay home more. He hardly even goes out with his friends. He doesn't like drinking anymore. He has literally become my couch potato.

He is ... Domesticated.

Here is my attempt to drag my domesticated boyfriend back into the outside world. We obviously have very different ideas of 'having fun'. But he wasn't like this when I met him. God, we met in a night club ! The last time I remember going to a night club with him was about 1 month after we started going out. And that was 8 months ago.

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"Com'on.. just go out with your friends... ok ? Have drinks after work. It won't make you tired. It's actually relaxing."

"You can go out if you want. Just call me when you are done."

"I know that, and I already do go out. Thats not the point. You weren't like this when I first met you"

"That's because I've already met you. If I go out, I'll met chicks. Probably start smoking again. And its a waste of money"

"Ok... Chicks... if you think its worth it.. go for it. Smoking.. you're the one thats playing more basketball now, its your body.. you should have some self control...so you think about it. I can't stop you. Money... I'll give you $50 if you go out with your friends for after work drinks tomorrow."

"$50?"

"$50 and dinner. We'll have drinks with each of our own friends. Meet up after drinks. Have dinner. I'll promise not to go clubbing. And then we'll go home. ok?"

"humm.. ok .. I'll think about it".

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*Sigh... The things I have to do to make a guy go out with his friends.

City Parking

Trying to get a parking spot in the city is like trying to do Mission Impossible. Of all the cities I have been to in Australia, Sydney has to be one of the worst. Traffic is bad, parking is worse.

So the moment when we had seen an empty space, we had zoomed into it. We couldn't believe our luck. Usually we would be circling around the city for ages. But this was only our first round. Parking signs were valid. I was actually going to be on time for my dinner booking. It was almost too good to be true.

And it was.

When I went to pay at the parking meter, it read "No Coins, Card Only". wtf ?!

I'm not sure about you, but personally I have something against paying for my parking with my credit card (especially when it's side street parking). It just doesn't seem right. Especially since the guy next to me doesn't even have a credit card, which would mean I would have to pay for it.

Reluctantly, we got back into the car and found another parking spot about 400m down the road. And yet another "Card only" parking meter. I looked at some of the parked cars around us and noticed that only 2 had tickets. The rest didn't have anything displayed. Although one guy had "Machine out of order" displayed on his panel.

Not wanting to be liable for a $150 parking fine, I called up the Faults Reporting number displayed on the meter. The operator told me that, if I didn't have a credit card, then I would just have to find another parking spot.

But the whole freaking street was "Card Only". And what happens to those people who really don't have a credit card ?!

I pulled out a pen and wrote "Machine out of order" on a piece of paper, put it on the panel and closed the door. I was too hungry to get back into the car to find another parking spot. Third time lucky would just be too far away from the restaurant.

"If I get a parking fine, you're paying for it", was all my supportive and understanding boyfriend said.

"If you do get a parking fine, I'll take it to the courts".

Fat chance I was going to pay for that.