Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Signing Off -- For now anyway..

These 'not so' daily ramblings about my life posts are slowly slowing to a halt.

I think I've lost the original reason behind why I started blogging in the first place.

Part of it was to vent about my relationship problems -- Which has now ended.

The rest was about work and life in general -- Which is probably the main reason behind why I have stopped blogging.

Last night I was stuck at work until 10pm. I guess when you are starring at a computer screen for more than 15 hrs a day, the last thing you want to be doing is to stare at it a bit longer to blog on a new post.

I'm not sure if I do want to keep this going. For a while I really wanted to start something that just contains posts from my cooking adventures.

What ever I end up deciding... I just want to say... Thanks for all the love.. :) Siyonara !!

Thursday, October 02, 2008

36hrs Straight

Things I learnt from having to work 36 hrs straight in my office:

  • In an 'green' environmentally friendly office, when all the lights go off finally for the last time, you can't turn them back on.
  • This includes the lights in the toilets
  • A mobile phone light is not enough to illuminate a toilet cubical
  • I don't know how to bring Coffee machines out of standby mode. However, I do know the genius that programmed it, set it to go on standby from the hours of 12am-5am
  • The same genius probably figured out that since the coffee machine can automatically grind coffee beans, they don't need to stock any Instant coffee.
  • 12am - 5am are the hours people would need coffee the most, if they were pulling an all-nighter
  • Lights out is at 7pm - after this the lights are activated by sensors. At least until 12am. (see point 1).
  • Sensor activated lights do not detect a person typing away at a their desk or when they are talking on their phone.
  • They will however detect something, if that person starts frantically waving a sheet of A4 paper in the air.
  • Aircon shuts off at 7pm and does not go back on until 5am.
I do know once thing for sure though, the next time I'm looking at pulling another all-nighter, I'll be pulling out this post, and asking if all of the above have been resolved. Else I'm going to go and work on it from home.

Gdnite all.. :)

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Perspective

There was once a time when I told a friend of mine that she was wasting a good bottle of Nobel One (a really yummy bottle of sweet wine), because she was using it as a cooking wine.

I actually told her I would have never brought her that bottle if I knew she was going to cook with it.

Good wine is for drinking not cooking.

-- I get like that with alcohol sometimes --

I used to anyway. Yesterday, I flavored my cardamom mushroom cream sauce with a couple of tablespoons of Hennessy VSOP Cognac.

Funny how somethings change over time.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Customised Ringtone for iPhone 3G

The iPhone is great. Its more than just a phone, its an iPod with a some-what-ok camera and a game console all in one. But the real downside I found with the iPhone is the ability to set your own customised ringtone.

The 20 odd or so, that comes with the phone really doesn't do much for me. $0.99 a ringtone isn't expensive. But if I wanted to set a funky Cantonese pop song on it, I haven't seen any available.

So here is how I've been able to add customised ring tones via iTunes (without having to download some 3rd party app).

This is for a iPhone 3G on iTunes 7.7.1.11

  1. Go to iTunes
  2. Go to Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Importing -- Make sure 'Import Using' is set to AAC Encoder.
  3. Select the song you want to make into a ringtone
  4. Right click on the song list, and select 'get info' -> Options
  5. Under Options, input a start time and stop time with an interval of 30secs.
  6. Click on ok to close the tab
  7. Right click on the file again, and select 'Convert Selection to AAC'. (this creates a 30sec clip)
  8. Sort the songs list by Time (click on the column header). And your new song should appear with a time of 0:30.
  9. Right click on the song list with 0:30 and select 'Show in Windows Explorer'
  10. The song clip should appear in .m4a format.
  11. Rename the file to .m4r (note: icon should still be the iTunes icon)
  12. In iTunes delete the song list referring to the 0:30 sound clip. Make sure you remove the reference link only and not the file.
  13. Close iTunes
  14. Connect iPhone
  15. Double click on the .m4r file. This should open iTunes and show the file in the 'ringtone' section if your iPhone is connected.
  16. Sync iPhone
  17. New Ringtone will appear under the 'Custom' Heading in Settings -> Sounds.

Important Notes:

Point 3 - You don't have to start at 0:00. But your ringtone clip cannot be more than 30 secs

I'm not the first one to come up with these instructions (I believe many have done so before me). This is what I put together after a couple of google searches and playing around on the iPhone at home. This is works for me on my version of iTunes on the iPhone 3G.

Surprisingly most of the links that came up in my initial search on Google for ways to get free ringtones on the iPhone is for the pre-3G version. Most also put updates in their posts that it no longer works with the later patches that apple have rolled out.

For now, this does still seem to work for me and I guess they will until the next updated patch when Apple decides to fix this.

Enjoy :)

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Things I must have when I travel

I've been doing quite a bit of traveling around lately. Every time I have to jet off somewhere the next day, I usually leave my packing till about a couple of hours before I have to make my way to the airport (don't ask.. i don't know why i don't do it earlier). So it usually ends up to be a bit of a last minute frenzy and in most cases I almost always have left something behind. The last time, we were 1/2 way to the airport, before I told Pete to turn around as I had forgotten something.

I could almost still hear the groaning. "Arghh ?! Not again...%*#@"

Its a good thing I only live 10 mins away from the airport. :)

Pete requested I come up with a list of things I must pack (and made sure that I have packed it) before we leave the apartment.

So here is my list (and reasons why):
  • My Toothbrush and Colgate Toothpaste - There is a good reason for this. They aren't available at most hotels. The last time I forgotten mine, I had to fork out $25 for a new toothbrush and toothpaste at some $#@%@ hotel's lobby shop.
  • My Ceramic Hair Straightener - Most people don't know this, but I have natural curls. In a bad way. My hair gets so curly and frizzy its practically out of control. This is what I made Pete drive back home for the last time. I could probably survive 2-3 days without it, but not 2-3 weeks.
  • Shampoo & Conditioner - Ok. There are only a couple of shampoo & conditioners that work for me, and a lot which don't work for me. My curls are sensitive and have a mind of their own (see above). Lets just leave it at that.
  • Thongs - I mean 'feet wear' thongs. I used to come back with a new pair of slippers or thongs after every trip. I'm not good on heels if I have to walk in them for over 4 hrs a day. I usually just give up, pop into the first footwear shop I can find, and buy a new pair of thongs and wear them around instead. Instant relief for my flat feet. On last count I have 5 pairs of thongs which I've to store away because I don't wear them anymore (And so Bunny doesn't start chewing on them). Therefore, to prevent further additions to my collection, I have to remember to bring a pair along.
  • DS + Charger - Nintendo DS ~~! I can't survive a 30 min train ride without my DS, so there is no way I could survive a 13+ hr flight without it by my side. On one of my last flights back home, the entertainment system died, which meant no movies. There is no way I'm even going to risk it.
  • Phone Charger - I have accumulated 4 phone changers at home, one in the office and another one at home with a 'Singaporean' plug. See the last sentence on my note about Thongs above.
  • Cold & Flu Tablets - Preferably something that contains Pseudoethedrine. I couldn't get my hands on any of this stuff at Walgreen in the States (was actually told it was illegal ?!).. BTW, I actually did have the flu. And I had no idea what it was in Japanese when I was in Japan with the flu again.
Thats about all I can come up with. Everything else, I believe I could buy (at a reasonable price). Anybody able to think of any other must-need-to-pack necessities ?

Sunday, July 06, 2008

hey web dude..

Its sad how I can relate to everything in this video..



But its the funniest thing I've seen for ages. Even if it is scripted. Enjoy ~ ! :)

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Yummy Potato & Leek Soup

Last night, I found some leek (possibly about 1+ weeks old) and potatoes (god knows how long) left over in my fridge. I usually only find time to go grocery shopping once every fortnight. So my fridge tends to be stocked with rather old veggies most the time.

It was however, enough to make my fav Potato & Leek soup. Perfect for these freezing winter nights. Here is the recipe. . .

Potato & Leek Soup
--------------------

4 large potatos (peeled, sliced thinly)
1 leek (washed, white and light green parts sliced thinly - discard the rest)
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 peice of bacon (sliced & chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (smashed and chopped finely)
2 Cups of Chicken Stock (just enough to cover the potatoes)
1/2 Cup of Thickening Cream
Fresh Herbs (Optional - But I had some chives leftover)
Butter & Olive Oil
Cayenne Pepper (for seasoning)
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In a soup pot, melt butter in olive oil over medium heat. Add Garlic, Bacon, Onions then Leeks. Sauté until onions are soft and starting to brown. Be careful not to over cook the leeks.

2. Add the potatoes and pour in enough stock to cover the potatoes. Add water if necessary. Continue cooking over medium heat until potatoes become transparent and soft. Use a potato masher to break up the potatoes slices.

3. Remove half the contents of the pot to a blender and process until desired consistency. Reduce to low heat.

4. Add the processed contents back into the pot and mix together. Add Cream and stir.

5. Stir in Chives and add salt & pepper to taste.

6. Serve soup and season with some cayenne pepper.


Enjoy ~ !

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

coffee coffee ...

Having refused to enter the first Starbucks shop I encountered, I moved on to find a real cafe. Real coffee.

I ended up spending the next two hours in the Mall hunting around for cafe. Nothing. Not one shop in the food court made coffee.

I ended up going back to Starbucks. *sigh.

Coffee shops are everywhere back home. I guess I've just taken it for granted that I can get coffee everywhere. And good coffee as well. From 3 cups a day, now I'm down to about 1 cup of really bad coffee a day. *sigh

I found this while googling for some coffee places around my area (yes.. I am that desperate)...

Caffeine is my shepherd; I shall not doze.
It maketh me productive in wee hours:
It leadeth me beyond the yawing masses.
It restoreth my buzz:
It leadeth me in the paths of consciousness for its name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of addiction,
I will fear no Equal™:
For thou art with me; thy cream and thy sugar they comfort me.
Thou preparest a carafe before me in the presence of The Starbucks®:
Thou anointest my day with pep; my mug runneth over.
Surely richness and taste shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the House of Juan Valdez forever.

Amen

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

hotel living

There is something about staying in a hotel for an extended period of time. Don't get me wrong, I've stayed in hotels for long periods of time while overseas on holiday. But this time its different. This time I'm in the middle of nowhere.

I'm stuck in Sunnyvale, CA for the next 2 weeks or so for work. And when I mean stuck. I do mean stuck. There isn't much around here (apart from a lot of IT companies). And since I don't drive much in Sydney, I didn't think I should drive in the US. (wrong side of the road etc...)

Here are some things I have encountered during my hotel stay so far:

  • When there is a spider the size of a door knob in your bathroom, screaming does not make it go away.
    -- 5 mins later I see a commercial for RIDDEX on the tv (a pest control device)..!??!

  • It costs $2.93 USD (pre-tax & pre-tip) to send 1 piece of my underwear to the hotel laundry.
  • It cost less than $10 USD to buy a set of 3 new panties.
  • Eating alone is really quite boring.
  • Star Trek Voyager is on from 10pm, followed by DS9
  • The closest Walgreen is nearly 3 miles away -- its not walking distance. (therefore no detergent).
Somehow the idea of having someone else wash your underwear really isn't that appealing.

Looks like I'm going to have to get some new underwear soon.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Crap...

The expiry date on my SPF15+ moisturiser says 03/2007....

Monday, May 26, 2008

they start them out young

A little toddler caught my eye this morning while I was on my way to the train station.

Not because she was unsteadily wobbling along about 5 metres in front of me. And not because of the frilly pink dress she was wearing. But because of the handbag she was sporting.

It was a LV..... a freaking Louis Vuitton..!!!!

The kid couldn't even walk properly and she was carrying a LV...?!?

They sure start them out young now days.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Cough and More Coughs

I've been officially labeled as the 'Tissue Thief' in my team. For the past week or so, I've been raiding my team's tissue boxes. After my own one has been depleted obviously.

I came into work today with shopping bag full of tissue boxes. One for each person. So they can at least stop complaining.

Which by the way, Kleenex has now got Anti-Viral tissues which... "Kills 99% of cold and flu viruses in the tissue".

I had to get those. Especially now that the whole team has my flu.

Every minute or so someone will go off on another coughing fit.

Which reminds me, does alcohol make coughs and sore throats go worse ? Its Friday today and I've had a horrible working week. I'm not going to be able to survive next week without drinks on Fridays.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

help + desk = ?

A helpdesk is supposed to be helpful. After all, it does contain the word 'help'.

A helpdesk should not reject and send back forms that require a user to fill in everything again and again.

Once... fine

Twice... if its for a legitimate reason. (Which somehow wasn't picked up the first time.. also fine).

But 4 times ? Not including the first two forms I was requested to filled out, actually turned out to be the wrong form !!

Not only does he want individual forms filled out for each user request. He now wants me to highlight which ones are existing rules on the firewall (We are talking about an IT change request). And which ones will be new additional rules to the firewall.

Riigghhtt...Hang on a moment there. I DO NOT OWN \ HAVE ACCESS TO THE FIREWALL.

If I did... wouldn't I just do this myself ??? And save myself from all this pain ?!??

And since I do not. Just how do I know which rules exist on the firewall ?!????

Psychically remote into the firewall, take note and match up all the rules with the ones I'm requesting ???

Fooking peanut.

Helpdesk IT support is supposed to make your working life easier. Not harder.

I work in the IT industry too. If I did this to any of my customers, I wouldn't have a job anymore.

Btw.. for those who are thinking, at least you have someone attending to your requests. I lodged this request over a month ago.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

bite-me-not

Like any one else that likes to go out for drinks, I go out to have a good time.

But, there is always a fine line between getting close and getting too close. Atleast I think I still do so while reasonably sober.

I've been joining my colleagues for drinks for a while now. And while its all good clean fun, you do run into some weirdos once in a while.

This one guy, who I had met once before at another colleague's farewell joined us for drinks as well. I could tell he was reasonably dosed up when he arrived. He asked to swapped seats with another one of my colleagues to sit next to me and we chatted for about a couple of minutes. I turned my attention back to my colleagues when I realised he wasn't making much sense.

Then out of nowhere.. He bit me.

Somehow it occurred to him, it might just be a good idea to try and take a piece out of my left shoulder.

After a few stunned seconds, I asked my colleague to swap seats with me. After I finished my drink, I asked some of the regulars if they wanted to move on to another pub. They had sensed something was wrong when I had asked to swap seats and left straight away with me.

I felt a lot more at ease after we had left him behind.

After we reached the next pub, I told them what that weirdo did. Although most of them were appalled, we did have a good laugh over it. A lot of laughing accompanied by various chomping sounds.

One of the guys commented on how 'thats what 10 years of system administration will do to you'.

*sigh.. One weirdo and the whole industry gets a bad name.

I still have the bite marks on my shoulder.

However, he was drunk. And drunk people do stupid things. So I will let this go.

But I swear.. if he ever comes close to me again, I will punch his lights out.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

The beginning of the end

He took me out to dinner last night.

I can't actually remember the last time we had a proper going out alone dinner.

But this one marked the start to new beginnings. We talked about work, when I was going to buy my own apartment and him moving out to a 1 bedroom or studio apartment. How we were going to split our pets and other assets. When the bill arrived, he realised he was $20 short, so I told him we'll just split it and I'll pay for my part. Some things never change.

There was no 'Maybe-we-can-work-this-out' talk.

We got home, said good night and both went back to our own bedrooms.

It was so civil, it actually felt normal. Like thats how we always were.

Its still funny how we manage to keep up appearances with our mutual friends. Last week one of his close friends I bumped into at a bar came up to talk to me. His first words were...

'Normally, I only say this to the boys... but don't you f*** this up, Pete is a really nice guy'.

My only reply was just to laugh and buy him a drink.

I guess after we do move out separately, all of our friends will eventually figure it out.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

can they really still grow ?

Ok. Firstly, I'm not delusional.

But over the past few months my boobies have decided to go to the next cup size.

Not that I'm complaining (I've always wanted them to be bigger). But I'm just a bit curious.. Are they still supposed to grow after puberty ???

Last week I went to buy my first bra in the new cup size. I was actually pretty amazed that it fitted nicely. By the way, why does any bra that doesn't look like something my mother would own all cost way over $50 ?? Its fooking daylight robbery!

If they do decide to stay this size, then I'm going to have to replace my current lingerie wardrobe. I wonder if this is only a temporary thing ? I would hate to go spend all this money, then find out a month later they've gone back to normal.

My credit card still hasn't recovered from my last retail therapy session. :(

Monday, March 17, 2008

For better or worse

For better or worse, I have always tried to put in 100% effort in to my relationships. ('Tried' is the keyword here). I'm not perfect, but I always believed that if I didn't give it 100%, then I can't expect 100% in return. In my current relationship, I'm at the end of my 100% of giving.

When my friend over MSN asked me today if I still loved him. I couldn't answer him anymore.

Love is such a strong word.

I know that I am comfortable around him. I like coming back home to him. Trying out new cooking recipes on him. Watching old movies with him.

But that that spark is gone. And its been gone for a long time.

My friend asked me whats stopping me from moving out. Because according to him, that would be the next thing to do. But after living together for 1 year plus, I'm not even sure how to start moving out. How should we can split our pets..? Actually, I think our pets is the least of our worries. The whole 'moving out alone' concept scares me. And this from the girl that moved alone from Perth to Singapore then to Melbourne then drove up to Sydney herself. Ha !

I guess I have grown too dependent on him.

He isn't ignorant of this. He knows we have issues and problems that cannot be resolved. We both care about each other. I know I always will. However, one thing we both know, is that we have grown too accustomed to each other. That is what makes breaking up hard.

Monday, March 10, 2008

3rd Day in SG

Just witnessed one of the simplest sweetest weddings I have even been to.

If I had to find any fault in the day, it would be that it was held in Singapore -- Thus the groom was sweating like ****. And I mean seriously sweating. Full suits with tie and Kwa (The Bride's Chinese sytled wedding gown), for that matter really isn't made for the Singaporean weather.

But like it said before, it was one of the sweetest, simplest and smoothest running weddings I have ever been to.

Wishing the happy couple all the best. :)

Thursday, February 28, 2008

4am ??

During my trip to Orlando, I probably went to bed about 4am every night. (For some reason, I just got more and more awake after drinking - the same issue does not exist when I go drinking in Sydney).

But for the last 3 nights since I have been back home, I have been waking up at 4am sharp EVERY-SINGLE-BLOODY-NIGHT ~~!!

It is driving me peanuts !

And I don't think this has anything to do with jet lag.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Things I learnt during my trip to the States

I was over in Orlando, Florida for the past 8 or so days. Here are somethings I've found out..

  • Look Left !! - People in the U.S. drive on the other side of the road. Too many times have I looked on the wrong side and thought there was no cars approaching and when I went to cross the road, I nearly ended up walking into a oncoming vehicle.
  • Carry your ID everywhere - If you want to be able to buy alcohol that is. On the first few nights out after my conference dinner had finished, we hit the bars. Me being way over 21, didn't think for one moment that I had to go back upstairs to my hotel room to pickup my ID. No ID = No Alcohol (apparently, if you looked under 21). Although I enjoyed the flattery, I had to hang around some seriously old guys and beg them to buy me alcohol the whole night.

  • On the subject of Alcohol - they had my favorite tequila - 1800 - at every bar I went to. Even the Ale House next to the hotel. Its not even available in most pubs over in Australia. Sweeet... :)

  • I'm a size 4 - Whooot !!! U.S sizes range from 0-20 (Someone correct me if I'm wrong).Enough said.

  • Always ask for Aisle Seat - My flight over to the States was 14.5 hrs then an addition 5 hrs from LA to Orlando. For the 1st leg of my flight I was put into the window seat, with the two seats beside me occupied by a rather large elderly couple. They both required extension seat belts attachments (normal ones did not fit) and their tray table couldn't even come down properly. I ended up offering 1/2 of my tray table, so they could place drinks on it. For most of the 14 hrs of flying I was stuck against the window, sitting on about 2/3 of my seat. I also decided against consuming any liquids as getting out of the row to get to a toilet would be rather troublesome, if not - um.. impossible. On the 2nd leg, I was put next to an elderly lady who was wheelchair bound. Not much better. And forget asking for a exit row seat, you aren't going to get it.

  • When in doubt.. Always Tip - For the first few days, this was the hard one to remember. I really didn't know when or when not to tip. Holding money out for someone was quite a weird concept for me. But then when you realise the minimum wage over there is $3.50 an hour, you realise the necessity for having to tip for everything.

  • Security checkpoints at airports - Require you to take off your shoes !! And if you didn't know it beforehand, security personnel will just be really pissed off with you. Its like you are expected to know their rules. The next time I fly, I'm just going to be wearing my slippers.

  • The venues serving alcohol closes at 2am - And thats 2am sharp ! So at 1.30am order a lot of alcohol, drink it all up and hope that the last order you made is able to satisfy you throughout the night.

  • No one seems to Walk - Everyone drives. When we walked from one Mall to another Mall and asked Information on how to get to the next shopping mall we wanted to find. The guy replies... 'its about 5 mins from here straight down this road'. 'Oh.. 5 mins walk is not too bad'... someone replies. 'You mean you walked here ??????' *Information guy cracks up laughing*. . . 'Ummm.. yeah.. we are Australian'... We were then told to catch a taxi and forget about walking.

  • On the subject of Cars - I was able to find Drive-through ATMs everywhere, but no actual ATMs in the wall of buildings. On one of the days I had run out of cash, I had to walk up to a drive-through ATM and withdraw cash out of that instead.
Thats about it for now. I had heaps of fun throughout my trip. Hopefully will be able to see everyone again next year. For now, I'm still suffering from my major jet lag... time to go snooze a bit. Gdnite !

Monday, February 04, 2008

too many coffee cups

I have a bad habit of leaving my old coffee cups on my desk. Then once I've accumulated enough (ie. when desk is running out of room), I'll collect my tower of coffee cups and drop them off in the kitchen bin.

On average I drink about 3-4 coffees a day. (I know.. its bad).

This morning, I came in with my coffee. Check Emails. Reply emails. Drink more coffee.

Then to my utter shock and horror, I felt small lumps from a rather cold coffee going down my throat.

Small lumps of fermented milk\coffee (I think.. or hope).

I had picked up the wrong coffee cup. OMFG ~ !

Given today is a Monday, I can only hope its one of Friday's cups.

ARgghghhhh... I feel sick.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Old numbers and address books

One day after Pete flies to Perth for 3 weeks, and I get a call from some mysterious guy who I 'supposingly' had one date with -- about 6-7 years ago. Which by the way, wasn't really a date... we only went out for ice cream.

I don't remember his name, what he looks like... nothing.

And least of all do I recall how he got my number. He doesn't either. He was just going through his old address book when he came across my number and decided to give a try anyway.

The call lasted for quite a bit. Until my mobile ran out of battery.

I can't remember the last time I've talked to someone over the phone for that long (conference calls from work are not included).

Or possibily even had such a long conversation with another person.

It has been a long while...

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Highlights of 2007

In terms of life, health, work ... 2007 for me was a great year. Love on the other hand.. well.. you win some and you lose some. :)

I remember this time last year, I was sitting here typing out a Post declaring my New Years Resolutions for 2007. Drink Less, exercise more, spend less and try wearing skirts\dresses more often.

I doubt I achieved any of the above. Except maybe the skirt wearing part. I now proudly own 5 skirts. And these don't include the numerous bridesmaid dresses I've accumulated over this year. :)

Anyway, my highlights for 2007:

  • Giving up World of Warcraft.....

    Yes, I don't know how I actually managed to do this cold turkey. However, I must give thanks to Telstra, they screwed up my Internet for 2 weeks, and by the end of the two weeks when I had finally switched ISPs (and after biting off all my fingernails and visiting every friend's house who had decent Internet connection), I finally realised I was no longer hooked to it. I just don't have that urge to go Raid anymore. And when my credit card expired, I just let my account lapse. Weird thing is that most of my Real life friends have started playing now, and are begging me to go back. *sigh...
  • Masters Graduation.....

    I finally completed my Masters. And my mummy decided to come to my graduation. I wasn't actually going to go. But since she flew over from Perth, I had to attend my graduation. This was back in March, 35oC heat, that big black gown..... You can actually see the sweat on my forehead in some of the photos we took that day.
  • Joined a New company.....

    In June 2007, I joined a new company. My first 'pure IT' Vendor company. All of my other jobs had been at corporates working within their IT departments. So far it has been great, I'm learning heaps, and doing things I love.

  • Brought my first pair of Glasses.....

    This one I knew was coming for a long time. I had my eyes tested the year before, but was that even though I may need glasses, it was up to me. As the optometrist put it "Some people don't mind that things far away are a bit blurry". Rightttt.... So I put off getting glasses back then. However, this year, I realised at most meetings when I wasn't sitting in the front row, I had to squint to be able to make out the projection slides. This either made me get bad headaches or I would just give up and end up falling asleep in the meetings. So about a month ago, I brought my first pair of specs. Now I look even more like a nerd. :(

  • Being asked to be Maid-Of-Honor.....

    Twice in one year ! I'm really happy to be asked by my two friends, although organising for the Hen's parties was really about to do my head in. For the first one I organised, I found it near impossible to find a male stripper. Everywhere I looked.. yellow pages, google, classifieds, white pages ... it was all FEMALES !!! I spent a whole month going through all the ads in the classifieds at the back of every newspaper I could get my hands on. Pete thought I had gone loony. Worst case was when I was at Maccas with Pete and his friends, and there was a section of classifieds left on one of the tables. I instinctively grabbed it and flipped to the 'Discreet Services' section, and starting going though the ads, all the while muttering.. "why is there no male ones???". His friends were extremely quiet throughout the meal, until I explained that the only reason why I was going through this section of the classifieds was because I'm looking for a Male stripper for a Hen's Night.

  • Trip to Japan.....

    My trip to Japan was amazing. I loved it there and want to go back. Despite the circumstances, it was probably one of the better holidays I've had for a long time. The trip itself also made me realise somethings about my relationship, things that I had probably known for a while, but didn't want to face. But now I am.

For 2008, I'm going to take it easy. Concentrate on work. Get my certifications done. And for once try to keep to my new years resolutions. At least the "Drink Less" one anyway. :)