And it is the day...

Live not one's life as though one had a thousand years, but live each day as the last. - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

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Introducing....

For now that I have more time in my hand to play with... I have more chances and pleasure of taking photos.

I am sooo new in this photography thing but I am eager to further my vague idea about it - probably one step at a time.

Instead of littering my shots in the web by uploading them to various sites, which we all know some has limits, I decided to create a photo blog.

Check my passion here. I just started to configure it this afternoon and it is a construction in progress.

I have yet lots to learn... so pleeaaaseee... don't expect big, fab and super nice shots. I will try to get better as I grow older.. if not taller. Hehehe!

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The Work

The Business Activity Statement is due for submission to ATO on October 28th and today, I was tasked to do some accounting work without the coaching of Hubs. The statement should be ready on Wednesday the latest, giving ample time for it to be mailed. Hubs had been teaching me for quite a few weeks already and I reckon, I can now do it on my own so, last night I volunteered to stay today to do the bank reconciliation, entering payments from customers, entering purchases and what-have-yous, to at least lighten his load if not finishing it for him. I don't really much worry that I might make mistakes in any of them given the complication of the taxation system here as, this task is perfectly inline to what I was doing at work then. Discount the fact that we have an entirely different accounting system here compared to what I was accustomed to use and play with. But it's a bonus that MYOB is really user-friendly just like Oracle Financials. And being the system administrator and the user, we can configure all the options available to our own comfort and benefit. Buti na lang! We can edit or delete any record that was entered erroneously without being asked to explain and worst summoned by the "high and mighty" for an investigation and interrogation. Hehehe.

Yes, this can be a common scenario in a corporate world especially if the figure concerned is humongous that would attract everybody's attention. When you are given a superuser access to the system, which means security does not apply to you and put in a scenario where somebody would asked you a favor to do some checking and approval on behalf of her boss and very persistent, insistent and annoying at that, you're sometimes kind enough to accomodate the request. Add the fact that her boss is an absentee and the monthly closing of books is at hand. They leave you no choice. And before you noticed it, you have been emailed by your boss to explain why you are the last person to touch the transaction. Worst is if the request from the user was just verbal and you don't have any proof to support your deed. You're indeed, dead! Hehehe! Mahabang paliwanagan lang naman ang mangyayari with a tail of a sermon or reprimand. Hayyyy! It's funny to reminisce memories such as this.

Anyway, talking of system, I don't really have an idea what MYOB stands for until I met Hubs and told me that it is just "mind your own business". Sure I have heard of this system before. A friend was an accountant for a company that used this system but he never mentioned to me what it is, or maybe he had but I was just not attentive to his rumblings on the phone then.

In our last minute wrap-up last night of what would be on my plate today, I really proved that I have outgrow the classroom student in me. I can say that I have been an attentive student in the class before, reason mainly was, I don't want to go through my notes over and over again when I reached home just like a normal student would do. I have to understand the lesson at once at school with the teacher where I can raise a question or I should never understand it at all and on my own. Now, there is a vast difference that, you can attribute to the fact that I realized right on my first month at work which is, lessons in school were way difficult and complicated than the real work scenario. I don't regret it nor blame the curriculum or the teacher. I understand they were part of the training so whatever scenario I might went through at work will be handled smoothly and with grace. ;)) I owe it to them infact. I can never be a classroom student at work these days. I don't want to listen to lengthy explanation how things are done or the step by step procedure. It just makes me bored and divert my thinking to something else. I reckon, learning for me should not be that way. Some would call me, know-it-all-wart but I learn from my mistakes and successes. It is much sweeter for me if I have done it wrong the first time, I'll learn from it, then I can go on doing the same thing commiting minor mistake if there is. I should learn something first hand or the information supplied to me will just be floating in the air and who knows when am I going to pick it up and use it. Some things are only understood if you ask questions. Questions that were based and raised from experiment. For me, less information told to me, more actual practice and experiment, more personal research will lead to a lifelong etched knowledge.

Anyway, I am nearly finished with my task and have a partial idea how much are we going to pay ATO. I hope there are no mushroom purchases to be recorded in the last minute but so far, I have covered everything that I can think and see.

I am happy for this exercise as it gets me to use my brain.. hehehe. I have not been working for almost two months now and I sometimes think that the part of my brain that process my work before is getting stagnant. So far, I am proved otherwise. ;))

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The Card

*this post is quite late nonetheless, worth sharing

On the last day prior to Hubs birthday, I finally made a card for him. I have been planning to do so but with so little time in my hand during the days that we stayed home, it is becoming bleak to make it happen. Come Wednesday, he announced that it was our day-off the road because of the on-going project in the nursery. Well, he just made it possible for me to make the card. I made it in the afternoon but before doing so, I warned him not to come near the room. Hehehe. He is off limit. Hubs was just mindless in his surroundings and just barged in while I was in the middle of sticking out cut letters. Hummmpppp! Spoiler. Hehehe. Since, I cant do anything more while he's beside me, I just wait til after dinner to make the envelope and yes, I did. But I forgot to write my dedication and wishes, blah blah blah to the card, which all the more spoiled the surprises and sweetness of my endeavor. You see, I planned on giving the card to him right after mid-night but even so if I had write something on the card, I could have not gave it to him as I feel asleep early before 12AM. Waaaaaa!

Another funny side was, two weeks ago I meticulously encoded the birthdays of the persons close to my heart in my mobile phone and for it to alarm me during the day. Well, Hubs' is one of them. When the alarm went off the very early morning of his birthday, I was even grumpy to get up and put the alarm off. The alarm tune was not familiar and while trying to get out of the sheets and looking for my slippers with only one eye slightly open, I was silently cursing it "what in name is that sound for?". But was thankful that I had put the alarm on for his birthday or I may not be the very first person to greet him on his birthday. Hehehe. But still I was not able to hand him the card that I made. I had then after I scribbled some non-sense in it, that was an hour after we had breakfast. It's not late though but I feel it is gross negligence to hand in the card late. ;(( Awwww! Big non-sense. Hehehe! We just make it a habit to be the first person to greet each other on special occasions so don't shoot me. ;)

The card is just very simple but it's from the bottom of my stomach to my heart. Hehehe.



*yup, Honeypie is my latest endearment to Hubs. Came out one day when I was being playful and saying, Honeypie, sweetiepie, bukopie, pinapie, tinapay. Hehehe. He just loves it but doesn't want to be called that in public. Men!

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For the first time

I don't know how to cook. I think, I've said that more than a couple of times in my blog. But I think, I do love doing that chores. The reason why I don't is pretty simple. I don't know the knick knacks of what goes with a certain recipe. Yup, I can easily refer to a cookbook or simply download one from the web but I don't also understand some of the stuff written on them. Hehehe. Pretty lame but true. I am dumb in this department. I reckon, I can cook if everything is laid out on the cooking table and I just had to follow the cooking steps. Laid out means, all the ingredients are peeled, cut, mashed, and whats-the-name if they need to be.

I have been wanting to cook something for two weeks now. That something is a leche flan. We had plenty of eggs and I thought, I could use some for a dessert but I just didn't use up any of the eggs at all. Hubs said he needs to be at my side holding the fire extinguisher while I am cooking (big time insult for me - hehehe) and he doesn't have the time. So, I just forget the idea then.

But last night, I reckon, it's about time to do something new so, I took a bigger leap. I cooked "patyam", if you know what I mean. There was minced beef thawed on the sink so, I just thought what would go with it that the result can be called a meal. Veggies would be first on the list, I suppose. So I took out 2 potatoes, a carrot, frozen cut-beans and some "pechay".

The cooking that I know of, usually starts from sauteing the beef with garlic, tomato and onions. I have some cherry tomatoes and found onions but the garlic is nowhere in sight. Hubs later found one in a bottle. Well, I just thought I have to look for garlic clover not bottle of minced garlic. So the saute went without it as expected.

I sauteed the beef in a shallow pan and later saw that all the ingredients won't fit in, so I had to shift it to a bigger pan. Pretty clever, not! Hehehe! I poured three glasses of water to soften the beef and turned out that the dish is too soupy which should not be. I then threw in the veggies lot. I tried to overcooked the potato to thicken the soup but it didn't absorbed all the excess water. Well, it won't hurt to have some soup in the meal. I sprinkled salt and grind some pepper to enhance the taste.

The outcome! Yummy (no photos as it was served and feasted on right away)! Well, that is for me. It trully tasted asian and Hubs reckon it can go with his "square meal". That means, not bad at all.

I learned two lessons in my cooking though:

1. When peeling potato, carrots or sweet potato, position the peeler on the far end of the veg and peel it towards yourself. It is faster than the other way around but be careful not to peel your fingers.

2. Use flour to thicken the soup. I know this is common but I haven't thought about it while cooking. :))

Watch out for more updates to come from E's cooking adventures! :))

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My Do

First off, I want to thank those who have commented, complemeted and noticed my new look.

Yup, my new do has been here for quite a while now and I haven't got the time to write about it until now. I just felt like trash at the end of the day that I finished primping this blog that I left it, "just like that". Imagine, I spent 8 straight hours infront of the computer? I never did experience that when I was still working. Hummm, maybe because I was paid then. Hahaha!

Anyways, I had changed my template for an overnight before though. I like it because of the color, blue. But Hubs said, it didnt have any personal touch in it, so I was so accomodating to revert it back to what it was until I had the time in my hand to play with the html codes. You see, I only have vague idea on html codes and most of them are just guesses. I was then in dire streets understanding all the html codes in my blog. I had to label each code (paragraph) as to what part of the blog it was for. And the end of it all, I made it.

The looks of the my blog is exactly just what I want. But I am sure, knowing me, I have to primp it more in the future.

And yes, I owe a lot to photoshop. I did explore a bit to come up with my header photo. I want to do more but I need to shop for more enthusiasm. For now, I just want to be a couch potato.

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Meme for Weirdos (I Suppose)

Been tagged by Jean and it took me a while to figure out my eccentricities. I think, I am not really weird as I find them scarse in my memory. Hehehe. At least I only have to put up to 5. But holy thanks, it includes our pet. Here it goes:

Foodies
I am not so into sweets, I can't eat the whole drumstick ice cream at once. But I can eat sweets before and after meal. And I can finish a whole bar of chocolate or packet of scorched almond if I will eat it alternately with something sour or salty. Imagine me eating salt and vinegar potato chips or green mango in between bites of chocolates or cakes.

Digger
I am so preoccupied with digging anything in my or somebody's (I adore) flesh. It gave me satisfaction to dig ingrown nails, splinters and even ear wax. I think, it boils down to my curiousity of what's really down there. ;))

Babies
I adore lovely and cute babies. But I also like to see them bowl. Am I a sadist? Hehehe. Not really. Babies look cute and funny when they're crying and most certainly when they put on faces they're popular for. So when mummies are not looking, I pinched them or just simply annoy the wit out of them. Hehehe. Don't worry mummies, I just do it with my nephews.

Books
I love reading but I am partial to some authors only. Some of my favorite authors were added to my list when I discovered their talents personally. And when I do so, I get addicted to their piece that I have a tendency of buying all the available books though I don't have the fancy to read them. I think, it is called collection, weird way that is.

Place
My fave place next to bedroom is the toilet. Don't ask me why. :))


Do you think, I am weird enough?

I am tagging:

Dangkin
Mama Jenn
Mich
Gracita
She

It's just simple, with these rules:
* List 5 weird things about yourself or your pets.
* Tag 5 friends and list them.
* Those people need to write on their blogs about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people.

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The Beauty of Spring

Life is boring (without blogging - Hubs said.. hehehe) without a few dip to my passion.

A few photos every now and then to feed my wanting.

Spring is still here and I relish the beauty and fascination that it brings.

Cool wind, sun bright and shiny, beautiful flowers, green grass, luscious fruit.. name it and the nature have it.

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Small Things

Yesterday, I was left here at home all day. I am on red flag and I want to be comfortable as I can. Comfy means staying at home. So that was it. I didn't get bored though as I was, literally speaking, infront of the computer all day. Got breaks for lunch and shower. It was already dark time when I let my hands and eyes rest for the day.

Hubs arrived a little after six pm and of course, I greeted him outside. He then, threw to my way, a flavor lover packet of potato chips from the shops. Isn't he sweet and thoughtful? I feel like a kid again. Since, I arrived here, Hub is trying to form a bond between me and Lucky, by tasking me to feed our cat every night. So, he asked if I had fed the baby with a side comment that, I should be good else, he won't give me the surprise. Hummm, I am not good at waiting for suprises, I don't have much patience. But I've guessed what the surprise was. Strawberries! Yup! I am enjoying and seizing every moment and everyday that strawberries are lavishly available here.

But what I really want to write about here is the thoughtfulness of my husband. Small things that he does for me mean a lot. He can give me whopping stuff but if that is without a thought or just for the sake of giving it because I would feel happy, it already deviates its purpose. I am a very hard to please woman, but pleasing me doesn't mean dear gifts, extravagant and outrageous spending, although, I would enjoy it as well, but for me, spur of the moment thoughtfulness and little unconventional surprises substantially count. It was those moments that I was caught off guard or the least that I expect to happen that linger and were inked in my memory. I think, it is the romantic and idealistic in me working.

On the food front, being a bum is not good for me. I am always thinking of food, food, food, food. Whether I am reading, doing some tapestry, watching telly, or even typing here, a part of my mind is really working on food. Hehehe. I am fortunate, yeah, because I can't and I don't cook. I can't imagine myself looking like a walking barrel for over-eating if I can cook and cook food that I want to eat. I guess, this is the upshot of my pallete yearning for some exotic Pinoy food. Hence, I just fed on chips (without MSG), chocolate biscuits, nuts and nuts and nuts, and whats-the-name junk. And cola sometimes. I am not eating crap all the time though. I have healthy breakie, lunch and dinner. Still, I miss lutong bahay. (*mouth-watering*)

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Pretty Flowers

Beautiful morning, sun just peeking from the clouds, cool morning breeze.. and these heaven sent joy of my heart. FLOWERS! Way to start my day!

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And It Is Final

Due to the multiple entry visa that was granted to me, I have to exit OZ for at least 24 hours when the three month period is due. We haven't decided where am I going on my exit until middle of last week. Yep, we've made up our mind that I am just going back to the Philippines for now as we don't have the luxury of time to process for the visitor's visa to NZ. Things to do are just getting piled up for us that we hardly have break on week-ends. It is a blessing that Hubs and I are together most of the days that we didn't have to catch-up with each other on some lost time ;o). We'll just plan the NZ trip when we have the time in our hands to play with.

Going back, we decided this bit early as we want to book a cheap airfare, which doesn't sound cheap at all in Qantas. Hubs is just very loyal to the airline company plus the fact that we earn frequent flyer points for the miles traveled. These and the little comfort and amenities on board are the pretexts why we're always flying with Q aside from the One World side trip I had to Hongkong via Cathay Pacific, which by the way, gave me the experience of flying with other courier and the gauge to measure and compare how nice and comfy flying with Q is.

Speaking of frequent flyer points, my return flights on this trip was an award booking which save us the airfare. But the award flights have some rigid rules and rare availability. I booked my return flight way earlier as it is the only date available and then we decided to move it on next year and instead pay the return flights for my trip back to Manila. There is a fee for the revalidation and it was so fortunate NOT, that I don't have available points to cover it. Hubs can't transfer the points to me as it is only allowed once a year and we did it early on. We can't either purchase the top up points since the trip has already commenced. Cancelation of the flight is not an option then. Things that make you hummm. It really was a catch 22 situation. We don't have a choice but for me to go back to Manila early than should be and the saddest part is, it is on my birthday. Hah! I really am lucky! Hehehe! But Hubs had a brilliant idea. We will request a return favor from his sister to sell us the points needed for the fee. Fair enough, she transferred the points right there and then. Whew! And you think, award flights are free. Yeah, free fare but not hassle free.

And so it is final. I am going back to Manila on the last week of November and come back here four days later. Pretty quick holiday, huh! Yep, and I am really happy. True that I have settled here fairly quick but it is still nice to be back to the place that you used to live. I miss Filipino food and my friends and family. People here in OZ are nice and amiable but I haven't made any friend just like what I have back there. The closest I've got are my in-laws. I have also been making a mental note of food that I will eat and pack. Hehehe. My pallete is looking for an authentic pinoy food.

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Big Night

Before I have set foot in OZ, I have only heard the sport Rugby. I only have vague idea how it is played and that is, just some sort of soccer. The soccer that I knew of was when the players kick the ball up to their goal and they don on clothes with pads bigger than their shoes.

Now, I know more than that but not entirely the whole game rules or the sport jargons. But I was picking up bits and pieces in every game that we watched. If I can't understand the referee's call, there is always Hubs to educate me. Thanks to him.

And not just the game I am becoming fond of. I have the team to cheer on. The Brisbane Broncos.

I only came to know and watch the game of BB in the semi-finals of the 2006 National Rugby Leage. And I instantly became their fan. I've seen some of the boys in several TV commercials but I can't put name to faces or otherwise. Hubs was just soo patient to point out to me who are they.

Last night was the Grand Final with BB playing on against the Melbourne Storm. The Testra Stadium was packed of 82,000 fans of both teams. It was quite exciting and tense to watch the game on telly and it must have been more thrilling and nerve-racking to be in that big a crowd. I was even rooting so loud that Hubs had to hush me. ;o)

BB bring home the bacon. The premiership was even more special to the team as Shane Webcke is retiring this year. He had a perfect send off. Coach, Wayne Benett was named the best coach in the NRL, winning six premiership in the grand final out of seven.

Emotions were overflowing in the stadium as well as in our house. Hehehe. I found myself in tears watching the players and their families enjoy their triumph and the fans rejoicing.

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