The Year That Was 2010

As 2010 is nearing its end, I’d like to look back, reminisce and hopefully put into perspective how this year unfolded for me.

January – My husband and I welcomed the New Year in Hong Kong. We arrived there New Year’s eve and stayed until my husband’s birthday, 5 January. It was a different experience altogether - one that I will fondly remember always. After Hong Kong, we flew back to Manila, spent a week there before flying to Singapore with my family. Another holiday I will cherish. After four days we went back to Sydney, back to reality.

February – I was supposed to have surgery this month but it was postponed because my husband was assigned to work in a project in Tamworth, NSW. Tamworth is the country’s Country Music Capital, about 400km or 5.5hours from Sydney. We were apprehensive at first because we were so used to living in the city but we chose to look at it as a blessing in disguise. And indeed it is a blessing, in more ways than one.

March – I celebrated another milestone in life, I turned 30! My husband and I normally celebrate my birthday with a holiday but we chose to forego that tradition this year. Instead, we celebrated with a simple dinner at home. Greetings from family and friends made my day more special. I felt loved and blessed.

April – We went on a 5-day holiday to Coffs Harbour at the beginning of the month, in time for Holy Week. It was our first time to go there and we weren’t disappointed. We didn’t have any plans or itinerary going there but we had heaps of fun! Great food and great place = happy us. We vowed to go back soon. Before the month ended, we went on another holiday, a short one, to Hunter Valley. It was also our first time to go there. Heaps of firsts this month!

May-June-July-August – Not much happened during this stretch. We spent several weekends in Sydney. Most notable was my husband’s fraternity’s anniversary in August. Good food and great company are always a treat to enjoy.

September – My husband and I celebrated our 11^th Anniversary/5^th Wedding Anniversary on the 30^th of the month. We had a simple dinner at my favourite Italian restaurant here in Tamworth. Again, I marvel at the fact that I have been with the same person for more than a third of my life. Amazing!

October – I had surgery in Sydney on the 8^th. I had hysteroscopy and laparoscopy, my first two operations EVER! I was so nervous! Thankfully, everything went well. Thanks to my very good anaesthetist and specialist, another hurdle on our TTC (trying-to-conceive) journey taken care of. Excited, hopeful and positive about the possibilities!

November – My husband was told that his next project will be in Sydney. This means that we won’t need to go back to Tamworth after our holiday. Yay! As I’m writing this entry, we only have 5 days left before we fly back to Manila. I am so happy, ecstatic even! To be able to celebrate Christmas with my family is indeed a blessing I am thankful for.

December – Holiday season will be spent with family and friends!!!  Plus, we’re going back to Hong Kong. Two HK holidays this year. Yay!

Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

 How was your year?

What Are You Thankful For?

I was watching the show Ellen this morning and that very same question popped on the telly. I guess because it’s almost Thanksgiving that’s why. It made me think, even though we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Australia, likewise in the Philippines. I have a lot of blessings I am thankful for. I can’t even begin to name all but here are some:

-          I am thankful for my husband; ever loving, ever reliable and ever understanding. He is my rock, my best friend in the truest sense. I am thankful that we are both healthy and that my husband has a good job which can support both of us without me having to work. (Note: I well and truly intend to look for a job as soon as we’re settled back in Sydney.)

-          I am thankful for my family in Manila. Despite the distance between us, I feel loved, always. I am thankful that my parents and grandmother are all relatively healthy, same with my brothers and sisters.

-          I am thankful that my operation last October went well. Now we are hopeful that we will be blessed with an addition to our family soon.

-          I am thankful for the opportunity to spend the coming holiday season with family and friends. Time spent with them are truly precious, something no amount of money can buy.

These are just some of the things that come to mind right now. I’m sure I’ve forgotten heaps but you get the picture.

Now it’s your turn. What are you thankful for?

Updates

Just a few updates before I actually forget to write about them. :)

~ I had surgery (laparoscopy & hysteroscopy) last 8th October at the North Shore Specialist Day Surgery. I was scheduled for 7:15am but my husband and I went there early just to be on the safe side. I filled out some forms for admission. We didn't pay for the hospital expenses because it was covered by my health insurance. We were told that the doctors' fee (specialist and anaesthetist) will just be mailed to us. By about half past 7 I was prepped and ready to go into the theatre. Everything happened so fast. It took less than 10 seconds after I was asked to inhale the anaesthesia for me to be knocked out. I guess it was a good thing. :)

When I woke up, the first two questions I asked the nurse were 'Is it over?' and 'Where's my husband?'. When asked how I was feeling, I answered 'hungry'. Hehe. I can't help it. I was famished because I was asked to fast from the night before. Not even water. Not long after I woke up I was transferred to a recovery pod where I was deposited in a very comfortable la-z-boy. Soon my husband joined me in the pod. I was so happy to see him. I guess we were both relieved that it's over. I was given some snacks, which I asked my husband to finish. Hehe. My specialist came over and told me that his suspicions of me having endometriosis were confirmed and that it has been taken care of. He said he will ring me because I probably wouldn't remember anything he said. Bear in mind that I was still under general anaesthesia at that time. :)

By midday, I was discharged and we were on our way 'home'.

~ My specialist rang me on the 14th of October, explaining that the surgery should have increased my chances of getting pregnant by 100%! I don't know if he's just saying that or what but I believe him. I have faith that in God's time I will fall pregnant. He asked if I already had my stitches taken out. I said no because I was waiting for his instructions. My husband and I thought we needed to go back to Sydney for the specialist to take them out and at the same time have the follow up check up. Apparently we didn't need to see him and that I could have the stitches taken out already. So I rang my husband from work and asked him t take me to Tamworth Base Hospital. Good thing they were not busy at that time and I was immediately attended to. The specialist said to give it 3-4 months for me to fall pregnant. If not, we need to go back to him. I'm hoping and praying that it doesn't come to that. :)

~ There are only 38 days left before our holiday. Yay!!! I'm so excited. I can hardly wait to see my family. My homecoming is extra special because for the first time in I don't know how long, the family is complete. My brother who is a seafarer is also home. I will not miss the opportunity to have a family picture taken! :)

~ We are going back to Sydney on the 30th of October. We need to send a box full of goodies to Manila. We were originally planning on putting everything in our luggage but it was too heavy. Too much Cadbury chocolates if you ask me. Hehe. We don't want to risk having excess luggage because it's too expensive so we decided to just send a box ahead of us. We're also attending the baby shower/birthday party of a friend. Can't wait!

Too many things to look forward to. Thank you, Lord for all the blessings you continually bestow upon us.

Ready As I'll Ever Be

As my Facebook status says, I'm packing for a trip I'm not really excited about. Unlike our past Sydney trips when we went just to see and be with friends, this one's different. But I guess I don't really have a choice. If this is what it takes for our TTC journey to be successful, so be it. I'll be asleep anyway. :)

I'm comforted with the thought that I have a wonderful husband and loving family and friends who pray for my well-being, regardless of their location. As the saying goes, this, too shall pass.

11th!

Thank you, my dear husband for 11 (and counting!) wonderful years of togetherness, friendship and love! You are truly God's gift to me.

 

Happy Anniversary. i ♥ u!

 

 

Booked!

No, not the kind that can be read. Not even remotely close to that, because I enjoy books. I am (tentatively) booked for a day surgery on the 8th of October. Just a brief history: my husband and I found out that I have endometriosis December of last year. Our specialist wanted to operate immediately but at that time we were flying out to Manila for our holiday. We agreed that I would have the operation once we get back from our hols. As fate would have it the operation was postponed (again) because when we got back to Sydney my husband was told that he was being assigned to Tamworth. It all happened so fast, next thing we knew we weren't Sydneysiders anymore. Sad!

Anyway, we finally decided to have the surgery scheduled two weeks from now. It just a day surgery which means I get to go 'home' the same day. We're planning to leave Tamworth on the 7th, stay for 3 nights at a hotel close to the surgery venue then go back to Tamworth on Sunday the 10th.

I would be lying if I say that I'm not scared. Heck, I've been scared ever since we found out that I need to have the operation. I've never had something like this happen to me ever. The closest I got to being in a hospital was a 4-hour stay at the emergency room because I was having ulcer attacks and no amount of pain killer could numb the pain. I had to be injected with morphine just so I could sleep and not feel anything. But this one's different. Somebody is going to cut into my body! Thank God I would be put under general anaesthesia so I won't feel a thing during the surgery. It's the 'after the surgery' that I'm afraid of. Amidst all my apprehensions and fear, I have faith that God will always look after me. :)

Currently Watching: Friends Season 4

I loved watching Friends during the 90's. I've seen most of the episodes but I reckon I still missed heaps. So when I saw the Friends Season 4 DVD from the library, I immediately borrowed it. I wanted to start with Season 1 but I couldn't find it in the shelves, the same with Seasons  2 and 3. They were either on loan or in another branch of the library so I just placed reservations for them. There are four discs in Season 4, each with 6 episodes. I'm still not done watching disc 1! Hehe. Today I received notice from the library that Season 3 is now available for me to pick up. I'll probably do so on Saturday. I've been busy ever since I joined the library. So many books to read and so many DVDs to watch, So little time! :)

Books and Whatnots

I <3 books! I love reading about anything and everything under the sun. It's probably why I've such bad eyesight now. Hehe. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I finally went to the local library here in Tamworth and joined. I've been contemplating about doing this for a long time and now I want to kick myself for not doing so earlier. I could have joined the day we got here! Well as the saying goes, there's no use crying over spilled milk.

I love the atmosphere and energy of the library. I also love the fact that I can borrow not just books but magazines and DVDs as well. The first time I went there I ended up borrowing 5 books and 3 DVDs. Hehe. Such fun, and it's free,too! :)

Holidays Within A Holiday

Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

When we went back to Manila for a holiday last year we decided to have mini-holidays on the side. We figured it's much easier (and cheaper!) to go to other countries from Manila than Sydney. So it resulted to us going to Hong Kong (where we spent New Year 2010 and Ochok's birthday), Macau and finally Singapore before returning to Sydney. Using my husband's words, that holiday was like Amazing Race. Hehe. In total we only spent two weeks in Manila, that meant just two weeks spent with family and friends. I only realized that fact when we were back in Sydney and felt like I didn't spend enough time with them as much as I should have. I must say though that my family was with us in Singapore. Still, I felt like time went by so fast.

St Paul Ruins, Macau

Merlion, Singapore

For our holiday this year, we still have mini-holidays but not as long/hectic as before. We've learnt our lesson the hard way. As I mentioned in a previous post, we're scheduled for a family holiday to Coron. I can't wait for that trip. I reckon we'll have heaps of (mis)adventures! All the tours are already organized, we just need to fly there. Then just last week my husband and I booked tickets to go to Hong Kong (again). Just for 4 days this time. I'm still on the process of doing our itinerary, searching for new things to do and new places to see. We might skip Disneyland this time. We're still debating about Ocean Park though because there were heaps of renovations last time. We're thinking maybe they have new attractions to offer now. 

So far those are the mini-holidays confirmed for this year. I'm thinking of not adding to it anymore. I want to spend more time in Manila, more time with family. I'm looking forward to having quiet days at home. We'll see if I can stick to the plan. :)

Back In Sydney's Arms...For Now

Current location: Sydney

Sydney Opera House, Australia Day 2009

We are spending the weekend here in Sydney. Yay! We left Tamworth at 7 this morning, arrived at around half past 12. Our first stop was the Filo store in Marrickville to replenish our 'supplies'. Then off we went to the storage. Next destination was Newtown where we ate lunch and I had my eyebrows waxed. Then we checked into our 'home' for the weekend, Formule 1 @ Enfield. We immediately proceeded to DFO in Homebush, where we only had a little over an hour to shop before the stores  closed. Bitin sobra! Hopefully we could go back on Monday if we still have time.

I'm looking forward to BE's 81st anniversary celebration tomorrow. We are having a picnic lunch and I'm sure we'll share not just food but heaps of stories as well. :)

Back here at the hotel room, we're catching up on our favourite TV series, Entourage and White Collar. I love how fast the connection of my wireless internet is here in Sydney. We don't get a good signal in Tamworth so sometimes it takes ages to download one episode, it makes me wanna cry! So I'm taking advantage right now.

It's our third time to go back here since my husband was assigned in Tamworth. Hopefully the next time we do it'll be for good.

Good night!

Product Review: Cuisintec Mini Deep Fryer

compared to a 780g jar

We had a dilemma cooking fried chicken a couple of weeks ago. We were pan frying the chicken but no matter how long we cook them the meat closest to the bone still came out raw. We came to the conclusion that we needed a deep fryer to do the job for us. The deep fryers that we've looked at were either too big or too expensive. We weren’t prepared to buy an expensive one and we're only cooking for ourselves thus the need for a mini deep fryer. I recently purchased one online for about $34 (including shipping & handling). It is so tiny, just one litre capacity. Its size is just perfect for us. 

We used it cook a new batch of fried chicken last night. Success! The chicken pieces are now sarap to the bones (borrowed from Max's!). It is now our 'gadget of the moment'! :)

Travel Bites

 I've decided to list the places (outside of the Philippines) that we've been to since I discovered the 'love' for traveling. I know it's only a handful and as some acquaintance aptly put it we 'haven't done much traveling' at all. So many places to see, not enough time and money. If only we have an unlimited supply of money I'd travel the world several times over. In the mean time, I'd have to be content with these places.

• Singapore (September 2006 and January 2010)
• Malaysia - Johor Bahru (September 2006)
• We have been residents of Australia since June 2008 and so far these are some of the cities/places we've been to: Sydney, Canberra, Blue Mountains, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Melbourne, Tamworth, Coffs Harbour, Hunter Valley
• Hong Kong (December 2009-January 2010)
• Macau (January 2010)

We're going back to Manila on November 2010 and we're staying until January 2011. We might do sidetrips to Hong Kong (again) and/or Bangkok. *fingers crossed*

After we get our citizenship in 2012 we're planning to go to Europe and America. Most likely we'll do the European holiday first, just because! :)

100 Days

Yay! It's only 100 days before our Philippine holiday.

I've been keeping myself busy by doing the prerequisite research before each holiday. As of writing this post, we have already booked our accommodation and island hopping tours for Coron. The only detail left for me to sort is food/meals whilst not on the said tours. You see, the tours that we availed of include food. Based on what I've read about Coron, we wouldn't have problems in terms of food because restaurants and cafeterias are abundant. We just have to choose which ones would suit our budget.

This is my first time to plan a holiday for a group of 11 people. That's a fairly big group for me. I only ever planned for holidays for two people -- my husband and I, so it was always straight forward. So when faced with the task of organizing our Coron holiday I was worried at first, especially since I'm not in Manila. But thanks to my sister Aina and the trusted websites I frequent before each holiday (GIRLTalk and Pinoy Exchange), all is now well and truly good.
 

I'm still on the lookout for cheap flights to Hong Kong and Bangkok. My husband wants to bring his god-daughter Dana to HK Disneyland. The problem is she doesn't have a passport yet. We've been bugging her mum since last year to get her one. Dana was supposed to be with us when we went to HK last December but because of the passport issue she was left behind. I'm afraid history will repeat itself this year. I hope not. Also, I was hoping I could cross Bangkok off my travel list but the matter is still under 'negotiation' with my husband.

I can hardly wait to go home and be with my family. *excited*

Winter Is Almost Over

Tamworth CBD

When we arrived here in Tamworth last February it was Autumn. My husband was told that we would only be here for three months, maximum four. So we expected to be back in Sydney by June, which was the start of Winter. It never happened. We're still here and Winter is almost over. I'm not complaining (okay, I am, a little). I'm thankful that my husband has work and that his salary can support both of us without me having to work. It's just that when people say something, you expect them to deliver. Anyway, as I was saying Spring is approaching fast. And it's my favourite season! No more bulky clothes, no more freezing toes. Yay! :)

Product Review: Envirosax

Whenever we do our shopping we make it a point to bring our own reusable bags and would ask for our groceries/purchases to be put in them. This way we wouldn't have heaps of plastic bags after, which is our own little way of helping the environment.

The reusable bags that we have are plain black. Boring. In my search for cute and colorful reusable shopping bags, I came across Envirosax. I was instantly smitten! I was tempted to order heaps in one go but decided against it. I ordered three bags first, to 'test the waters' so to speak. I got Candy Bag 3, Candy Bag 5 and Botanica Bag 3.

They are lovely. I used my Botanica Bag 3 when we shopped last weekend. It did not disappoint. It is sturdy and it folds up real small so I can always put it in my bag. I'm planning to buy heaps more and give them as gifts. I'm excited to give them to my family members in Manila and introduce them to using reusable shopping bags. :)

Happy August!

Hey everyone! I’m sorry I haven’t been able to update this blog for ages. It’s now August which means there’s only month left of Winter before Spring comes. Spring is probably my favourite season because it’s neither too cold nor too warm. Just the right balance, I think.

Anyway, here are some updates since I last blogged:

~ My husband and I went back to Sydney on 12-14 June.  We took some supplies from the storage, as well as some winter clothes. While in Sydney we also met up with my husband’s fraternity brothers. It’s always good seeing these people. They’re like our ‘family’ here. As usual, we stayed with the Balintec’s, who are always so gracious and hospitable hosts.

~ My husband heard word from his boss that we ‘might be going back to Sydney’ by September or October. Judging by how things are going, I’m banking on October. That is, ‘if we get lucky’. But I’ve learned my lesson; I’m not keeping my hopes high. Que sera sera.

~ WE ARE GOING HOME TO MANILA IN NOVEMBER! Yes, you read it right. Some people might think it’s too soon because we were just there last December until January of this year. I say I don’t care. I’d rather spend Christmas and New Year with my family. There was a good enough fare from Qantas so we grabbed it. Our tickets have already been paid so it’s confirmed. We’re leaving from Sydney on 27 November and returning on 3 January 2011. That’s more than 5 weeks of holiday! I’m so excited and I can hardly wait.

~ We chose to leave Australia on the 27^th of November because my whole family is scheduled to go to Coron, Palawan on 28 November-1 December. I’m just hoping that we wouldn’t be too tired to enjoy the trip because we’ll be arriving in Manila on the evening of the 27^th then an early flight to Coron the next day. At the moment 11 people have confirmed flights but I wouldn’t be surprised if the number goes up. It will be the first time we’re all going to be in the same flight. How fun! It will also be Dana’s first flight EVER so we’re pretty excited to be with her. See how she reacts.

   Ever since our flights to Manila and Coron have been confirmed I’ve started a list of things that we needed to buy. On the top of my list was an underwater camera. I figured we would do heaps of water activities in Coron as it’s a group of islands so I better invest in a waterproof camera. I’ve been eyeing the Canon Powershot D10 since it came out last year. At that time we found it too expensive plus our digital camera was still fairly new so I just admired it from afar. After attending mass yesterday I asked my husband if we could go to Harvey Norman and just look around. I think it was a blessing that we went there because we saw the D10 on sale! Original price was $599.95 but it was on sale at $297. That’s a little more than 50% off. It’s was already a great deal right? But it got better. We asked for the best price and the attendant said if we pay in cash he can give the camera to us for $250. Yay! But we didn’t have any cash so we hurriedly went back to the town centre, withdrew money and went back to Harvey Norman. Whew! We are now proud owners of a Canon D10. We also bought a 4gb memory for half price, it was $39.95 but we got it for $20. Thank you Harvey Norman for the great deals. =)

   My husband wants to go back to Hong Kong with Dana after Christmas. I’m checking out flights and hotels to see if it would be possible. Otherwise, I’d rather go to Bangkok because we’ve never been there. But nothing’s definite yet except for the Coron trip. I’m trying not to make our upcoming Philippine holiday as hectic as our last. Fingers crossed!

~ We’re going to see Inception tomorrow, see what all the fuss is about. =)

These are all the updates that I have for now. Cheers!

Back from Hiatus

Hello! I just realized that it's now the 1st of June, coincidentally the start of Winter season here in Australia, and I have not written anything at all the whole May. The whole month went in a blur. We didn't do anything out of ordinary so I had nothing interesting to write about.
 

We are nearing our fourth month here in Tamworth and there's still no word from my husband's employer if/when we can go back to Sydney. I didn't bring any winter clothes here because I thought we would only be here until the second week of June. Boy, was I mistaken! So we've decided to go back to Sydney next weekend to get clothes and supplies from the storage. I will also send the balikbayan box to the Phils. It's not full yet, I still need to buy a few things from Ikea. I can hardly wait! :)

Hunter Valley Getaway

Border Garden

We spent the Anzac long weekend in Hunter Valley. It was a last minute decision. So last minute that I was only able to book our accommodations the night before we left. So Friday night I was frantically searching for things to see and do for the weekend. We left Tamworth later than expected last Saturday because we overslept. We went straight to the Hunter Valley Gardens. There were heaps of gardens inside like Oriental Garden, Formal Garden, Border Garden. They even have a Sunken Garden. My favourite is the Storybook Garden. I swear you'll feel like a little kid again. :)

Oriental Garden

A Mad Tea Party @ Storybook Garden

Sunken Garden

It rained on Sunday so we decided to just stay in our villa and chillax. We left Hunter at around half past 9 on Monday and in 3 hours we were back in Tamworth. It was a very relaxing holiday. I enjoyed a lot even though it seems we didn't do anything. :)

Foodblog: Itlog na Maalat Follow Up

After soaking the eggs in the brine solution for 30 days (I know I may have overdone it!), I finally boiled all four of them yesterday. Here's what two of the eggs looked like with diced tomatoes:

The eggs were yummy but a tad too salty. Hehe. I'm going to make another batch later today. I'll probably soak this batch for just about 24 days. I've learned my lesson! ;)

BIG Things Australia - Muswellbrook, NSW and Pokolbin, NSW

Location: Nulkaba, Hunter Valley, NSW

I was able to book accommodations for us last night. It was so last minute, so not me. So here I am, writing this post from the villa where we are staying at. I love holidays! I’ll make a separate post about our holiday later.

On our way to Hunter Valley this morning, we stopped by the Muswellbrook Information Centre where a Big Thing is located. It is home to The Big Blue Heeler.

This afternoon, we saw another Big Thing at the Hunter Valley Gardens Village. We’re on a roll! Hehe. Here are photos of The Big Wine Bottle.

Our relaxing weekend is just beginning and I’m already invigorated. I love it! Later peeps. :)

Why Marry an Engineer?

Got this from my inbox. Somebody sent it to me ages ago. This is so FUNNY coz I AM MARRIED TO AN ENGINEER!

Why A Girl Should Marry An Engineer When Choosing A Mate
Compare These Other Professionals To Engineers

DOCTORS

Supposedly, all women are after a Doctor, so don't expect your relationship to last more than 5 years. Eventually, he'll run off with  some nurse from his office, or one of his young women patients that is pretending to be sick. He'll wait until you are stuck with a few kids to do this. This is not a problem with your Engineer husband. He had a hard enough time meeting you. It is unlikely he'll ever meet another woman in his profession.

LAWYER

Do you seriously expect an honest, trustingrelationship with someone who gets paid for lying? Once again, this is not a problem with your Engineer spouse. He doesn't have enough social skills to lie convincingly. An additional drawback to marrying a lawyer is when the divorce happens you will get nothing.

SALESMAN
 
See honesty segment under Lawyer. Plus, he will be traveling to trade shows, etc.where he will be in the company of other equally trustworthy individuals. Don't be surprised when you get the invitation to show up on the Ricki Lake show. The company that your Engineer husband works at will keep him in a cage, often called a cubicle, until he is ready to go home to you.

TEACHER

The only reason he entered this profession is so that he could be surrounded by newly post-pubescent girls who idolize him.He'll be in jail soon, and then you'll have to look for another man.

HAZARDOUS PROFESSIONS, I.E. FIREFIGHTER,CONSTRUCTION WORKER, ETC.

Your husband, if he is not dead by some accident, will likely be crippled with a back injury, etc. just about the time you are at your sexual peak. The only hazards that your Engineer husband will face is losing his eyesight by staring at the computer terminal for too long.
This hazard actually has some benefits. For one, he will not notice that you are getting older, since you will be a blur. He will remember you as when he first met you, because the memory will still be sharp.And If you think he is looking at another woman, and you ask "Honey, were you looking at her?", he'll honestly be able to say that he didn't even see her.

TOP TEN REASONS TO DATE AN ENGINEER

10. The world does revolve around us... we chose the coordinate system.

9. No "couple" enjoys a better "moment".
 
8. We know how to handle stress and strain in a relationship.

7. We have significant figures.

6. We have taken a course on the motion of rigid bodies.

5. Projectile motion... need we say more?

4. Engineers do it according to specification.

3. According to Newton, if two bodies interact, their forces are equal and opposite.

2. We know it's not the length of the vector that counts, but how you apply the force.

1. We know the Right Hand Rule.

 Need we say more ...

Updates

Happy Earth Day! :)

It's been a while since I posted anything. Here are some things that happened/are happening:

~ I've finished reading books 3 and 4 of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian. Although there were some dragging parts, in all of the books, all in all, the series was an enjoyable read. Somehow, I got the feeling that there will be more books added to the series. I hope so.

~ There are  some addition to my balikbayan box: Brita Water Filter System. I bought a jug and a box of 6 Filter Cartridges. The water bottle is a freebie. Brita is also sold in Manila, I just don't know if it's cheaper here. Oh well, it doesn't matter. I already bought it for them. The box is coming along pretty well. Though I can't send it yet. I have to wait til we get back to Sydney.

~ Another Blackberry was delivered this morning because we weren't satisfied with the first  phone delivered last week. The screen looks like it might fall off. So my husband rang and ask for a replacement. Hopefully this one's ok so he can finally have it activated. I can't wait to pay with it!

~ Another long weekend is coming up, the Anzac long weekend in commemoration of Anzac Day on April 25th. Here's what I found in wikipedia:

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army  Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga.

Surprise, surprise. I still don't have anything planned. I'm madly searching the net right now for places we could go to. It's already Thursday. I hope I could come up with something or else we're staying in for three days.

That's all for now. Ciao!

Delivered

The parcel that I was talking about in my last post was actually delivered, as it said in Australia Post’s tracking system, to our neighbour’s house, NOT ours. The said neighbour knocked on our door yesterday and gave me the parcel. I was annoyed because he had already opened the package. He said he thought it was his because he ordered something from eBay. I wanted to point out to him that the parcel had my name on it but decided against it. No point in arguing with him. At least he returned the parcel to me. I was also annoyed with AusPost for delivering the parcel to the wrong address. The parcel even said ‘signature required upon delivery’. Whose signature did they get? Oh well, at least my parcel is here now, safe and sound.

It’s a cookset for my mum which I’m actually going to send to the Philippines in June. I’m still filling the (balikbayan) box. We’ve been sending a box full of goodies to our families in the Philippines every six months since we’ve arrived here. It’s fun shopping for them. The cool thing is they also shop for me! If I want something in Manila I just call or SMS them and they try and get it for me.

I received another parcel this morning.

My husband ordered a BlackBerry over the phone on Tuesday night. He was told to expect the delivery by Thursday or Friday so I was surprised when the parcel was delivered this morning. Now I’m jealous. I want a BlackBerry, too! Haha. I still have seven months left in my current contract before I get to have a new phone. Bummer! I’ll just ‘borrow’ DH’s BlackBerry sometimes. Or should I just swap my iPhone for his BlackBerry? I’m just not sure if he’ll agree. :)