fuchsia fragments

But i finally watched the first part of the hobbit in full today. #achievementaccomplished.

Almost there, almost there... but what is it this year that I am looking/waiting/wishing for?

I'm am unsure myself...

It did feel like a holiday weekend just past despite having work this morning (and tomorrow!).

Caught up with Amanda and Janice for some pancakes, and then came home to prepare for a BBQ FEAST with the extended family. I can't ever recall being so buggered from a family event but kids have limitless amounts of energy that it's kind of scary.

Hilarious to see them falling on their bums cause they can't pull the christmas crackers on their own and the smiles of their faces when they opened their christmas presents... even if baby justin opened his 5th Thomas for the year. HAHAHA!

Loved roasting marshmallows over a real coal fire. And even took part for a bit in the good old fashion (albeit very slow) HK-style BBQ. Was fun. But i like the Aussie one more - especially when I don't have to cook it. But chicken wings and fish balls don't taste the same unless you do it yourself and slather on that honey just prior to eating. nomnomnom.

Got some much needed RnR on sunday by dragging ms Li with me to the beach. After having a late lunch (and a little pricey) ... 'fisherman's basket'. Have to admit, it was quite crispy and tasty. But needed salad.

Stayed at La Perouse for a couple of hours. I think I got a tan. Still deciding...

Then went home. Ate leftovers for dinner and literally went to sleep straight after. I have no idea what happened. But i was like... Okay. It's hot, the air con is on, I will just lie down for a bit. And zzz... fell asleep and got up the next day. Wholla!

Another 2013 weekend gone by...

Amazingly, doesn't quite feel like we're running on fumes but its been another hectic yet so fulfilling week, capped off with one awesome Christmas party with boardgames, laughter, more laughter, screaming, good and not-so-good sports and fun times.

First off this week, time to deliver (or start delivering) our Christmas goodies. By post to special friends interstate and in the west (Greystanes). And also squeezing in so local and not-so-local (North Sydney) catch ups. So thankful to have been able to do so. Each and every one of you have made me a better person in your own unique way. <3 p="">
Went grocery shopping at Westfield on Thursday night. HUGE mistake. I hate crowds. And it was crowded. And there was nothing left. So it wasn't much fun. Managed to get out of there ini about 90 minutes. Any longer and I think I would have cried.

Friday was another big day. Guess I spoke too soon when I was laughing at someone else's expense for being hungover only to have one big Friday night myself (free of any baking worries for a few hours at least) and having a bottle of wine and a vodka. Woo... gowings is nice though. And Uccello would have been if there wasn't some MASSIVE (and I mean MASSIVE) pool party raging on outside.

Made it through though and got to Saturday morning. Had to force myself to get up at 6. To make the cake and do all the prepping for our Christmas Lunch.

Awesome day. It was so epic and fun and well, so touched that everyone came. *tear*

But seriously, thank you to Mandy, you helped big time today in the kitchen. And also the Joyce, who as usual did things her way. Thanks to my sister who 'lives here' and thanks Donna and Cherry... for taking 2 hours to make a snowman, fake snow, the table decorations, serviettes, tinsel and being your usual selves. Thanks to our carving men, Harry & Darryl. This could not have happened without you all. And thanks to EVERYONE for eating, taking away, eating, drinking and being merry. YAY!!!

We had a pretty epic battle in the evening with FOUR boardgames. It was tiring. Laughed too much. Argued too much. Got way too competitive. And HAHAHA beat Adam in "his" game of Scattergories in the first round. Yeah... that felt gooooooooood.

Pancakes after and then home, sleep, and another day. Another assignment!

#LOVINGmylife.

Leads to sleep deprivation but its the only time of the year that you have to soldier on. So many lives and people to make happy. And it's the silly season, the one period where you can bake till your heart's content and them some.

Today was more christmas baking and very fortunate to have had the help of one D. Li. Even if her piping does needs work ;)

But awesome teamwork - pumped out all my fondant sugar cookies in a couple of hours which saves me heaps of time. Oh and also made her white chocolate cheesecake with lemon mousse and scorched meringue. it smelt so good. I'm also such a good friend because i baked her a baby sized to take home. that's more than love. <3 p="">
Built my city of gingerbread houses. 11 buildings in total. Mega awesome, so proud. And would love to see the look on their faces when they demolish it!

Another day in the kitchen tomorrow. it's made me realise something though; I feel a little detached from the real world and in my own world. so when i crawl back to my room and to my gadgets, i feel like facebook helps me reconnect. its like the social column of the SMH. oh no... am i becoming dependant??

Been baking since 2 p.m. yesterday afternoon. Yep, that's like 24 hours or baking, no kidding. And i'm tired! Please to say that we are on-track, if not ahead - I would even dare to say I'm up in the Christmas baking timetable. The wedding cake has been dirty iced. The gift boxes to be posted overseas have been made. . . just a matter of putting together the rest.

I am so excited for the coming weekend already because its GINGERBREAD HOUSE TIME!!! I have only ever made one gingerbread house a year... it goes on display in our living room and it is then disposed of after Christmas. I'm evidently feeling ambitious this year as I want to assemble houses as Christmas gifts. Last year I did gingerbread trees. I want to do houses and mini drum 3D cookies this year. Wish me luck. And that the gingerbread fairy is watching over me...

We had brunch at Kepos St Kitchen yesterday. And I think we overstayed our welcome..... not to mention they seemed a bit reluctant to accept my entertainment book card. But the food was pretty good (soft baked eggs, need to do at home...), coffee amazing (thanks to the grounds) and well, can't get much better company (cherry did something to her braces though :()...than that! ;)

Time for some shut eye.

I got through last week. And I'm managing to get through this week. And if i can get through next week, I can definitely get through till the end of the year. I think starting Monday will be the challenge. Early mornings and late nights will ensue.

Looking forward to the year end like never before. I always seem to get myself into a frenzy this time of year work-wise, baking-wise, and trying to catch up with everyone before the year's out. It's stressful and tiring. But so worth it...

~ we thought we were going to be the last to arrive. turns out one of liane's cousins from NZ arrived literally with just over an hour before the ceremony.

~ we were at dinner where I was only 1 of 2 aussies on the table. and where the girls all sad on one half of the table and watched the other half where the guys were drinking beer and eating tons. lols.

~ it was called the "kids" table. but everyone bar me was over 30. this is how far our family connections go back. i think one of the guys called it the "limbo" table. because back in NZ, they have the 'adults' table, the 'still single' table and the 'grandkids' table.

~ we all ended up renting white cars and aunty mary's car is white too so made the procession easier to recognise

~ we all ended up staying AT THE SAME HOTEL. that is freaky coincidence considering that there were so many to choose from.

 ~ michael (liane's brother) seems to think i will deliver baked goods free to brisbane just cause i brought some to cairns. nice try, come visit me in sydney and we'll talk. and don't steal all the peanut butter cookies i made for your mum!!!

~ Michael trying to teach his 10 year old to eat on a paleo diet. "Does a duck grow on a tree?"

~ perhaps NZ on the cards next year...?

It sometimes heartbreaking see a grown man cry. And even harder for a cousin / brother to say goodbye to the youngest in their generation. So many tears shed yet so many laughs as well.

Sad times and happy times bring extended families together. And got to witness that today as well as (finally, after hearing so many stories) meeting people who have touched my life in ways I can't even start to imagine. If only it were under happier circumstances.

A beautiful ceremony and thoughtful and loving memories. Thankful to have had to chance to be here and say goodbye.

Gone too soon... rip liane xx

Psychologists call it classical conditioning when one associates a noise or a smell with a certain type of reaction or behavior from an individual. And whilst not completely in sync here, I will forever remember Liane as a fighter and inspiration to those who have battled cancer their whole life, just like the fighter in Katy Perry's Roar.

WHERE IS THE TIME GOING...
WHERE IS THIS YEAR GOING...
WHAT HAVE I ACHIEVED?!?!?!

okay, the year is nearing its end (some may say peak, i won't argue with that). And i feel that i've achieved... enough. some things turned out really well, some were placed on the back burner a few too many times.

 off the top of my head... awesomes included USA. NEW JOB. FSS. GOING TO THE HILLS MORE THAN 3 TIMES...

not so great... putting markets on hold, not as much BD as i would have liked, BEING SICK @ HIGH TEA! 

But still a long way till the end of the year and finding it a bit hard to jam pack everything in!

Been another mega busy week at work, and with the weeknights filled with catching up with people, makes a pretty tiring week. Chill time catching up with tv shows... so excited SUITS is back!!!!

I'm either blogging every second day, or not blogging at all...

In my defence i got sick (refer to previous post thinking it was hayfever: guess not huh?), and sicker before getting slightly better. went to the doctor to be told that it was allergies causing all these symptoms and there was actually nothing wrong with me. even though had a cough, blocked nose and body aches. wasn't prescribed with any medication and was told to continue taking over-the-counter (non-working) drugs! and he gave me a sample of this hayfever nasal spray... when i am pretty sure it wasn't hayfever. hahaha what a funny doctor...

in between or just before, i hosted my 3rd annual high tea (by hosted i mean lay on the couch for half the afternoon whilst every one else enjoyed themselves), had lots of baking to do and life in general.

was feeling slightly better by tuesday and was planning to work from home in the afternoon only to get onto a role in the office and stayed the whole day. which paved the road for full days of work for the rest of the week. guess i survived.

CFO gave me a overly-ripe banana on friday afternoon, said to me 'don't say i'm not good to you!' and then massively hinted that i needed to bake banana bread for monday. HA HA funny.

spent a good portion of my weekend in the kitchen making sugar flowers and cakes and burning my hands whilst trying to do some fancy pansy stuff with toffee (like build a croquembouche, read about it on my other blog). and silly me being silly like to pop the blisters that protect the burn so it hurts even more. have three so far and they're pretty painful!

went for a drive to donnas and beyond last night. thought castle hill was far. beaumont hills is another 10 kms from her place. that makes it very very very far from my place. huge ass houses out there but not about to make that trek any time soon... at all!!! but nice to just sit and donnas and drink tea and eat her eucalyptus drops, thanks dude!

went to chris' (work colleague) place for dinner last night with other work people. had hot pot and then played a bit of mahjong whilst watching mr and mrs smith on tv. left just after midnight and no joke, it was 1:15 by the time i was home. even in no traffic, it's a long drive!

think i'm ready to let this weekend go, feels like i've achieved a fair bit so rather content!

only 10 a.m. and my nose is on struggle street. and i can feel that tickling and sore feeling in the back of my throat. i think its hayfever and not that i am actually coming down with something. At least, i hope not. i have too much to do, namely, pull off my third (wow, three years already) annual high tea!!

so speaking to mama wynwyn this morning and decided that i will probably get the majority of the groceries on saturday. which means i wont be sleeping in on saturday. boo. i think i'm getting helpers though - although their definition of 'early' and my definition of 'early' is probably significantly different.

i got a (sort of) sleep in this morning. well, i went to the gym later than usual and went to work later than usual... its really quiet in the office today. and i have a conference call that ends at 7:30 pm. long day, wishing it was friday already! i want to bake!!

im no psychologist. i deal with numbers and variances. not the woulda, coulda, shoulda.

but i reckon there's a pattern to my spending habits. i go really really well for a long time without spending much and then boom. one day, i wake up and decide that i need a new phone, a new keyboard, new shoes, new hair dryer, and the list goes on. literally things just pop up and i don't rest until i have it, get it, buy it.

next on my radar although i have suppressed this for a long long time. new bed, new drawers and new table. but i reason with myself that if i move out within 2 years time, then i will not get the return so deserving of new furniture. lol. its working. for now.

the reason why i don't usually got out on mondays: because it then feels like it is towards the end of the week when it is the beginning. and the trek home makes it feel even later. and then have to psych myself for the remaining 4 days!

but it was great to finally catch up with tarjay girls and receive another wedding invitation! How exciting for Mon although it was a very long time coming.

ichi-ban & max brennar. nom.

11th day of the month.

for those of you who don't know me, i really really limit my spending and usually i put all my expenses including transport and going out on my CC for the month. it usually is around the same amount.

there's something wrong with me this month.

i have already spent over 1.5 times my monthly "limit" excluding the visit to Hong Kong.

2 big cake supply orders and a new phone will do that to you... but a lot of 'incidentals' too. stop me...

Most of you can probably tell, i love tapas. its my go-to kind of meal when eating out whether small groups or larger parties. its the atmosphere, the fact that you can taste bits of everything and because you can always enjoy with wine!

Last night, caught up with Sarah and we went to the new Tapavino around the Quay area. Ironically, we had to walk past our old workplace *shudder*... But in this little alleyway off a main street is where the dual-level wine bar was located and it was gorgeous. And almost felt like something out of Europe, complete with the little al-fresco tables on the sidewalk and cobble stones.

The bar smelt AMAZING inside of cured meats (jamon). And we were seated upstairs. Pretty attentive waiters and a really really really good wine list. I had the white wine with melon and citrus flavours. It was really refreshing although 2 glasses did give me a slight headache the morning after. Strange, considering on the weekend, had a lot more than 2 glasses at Cherry's reception. I did feel a little warm after too. Maybe it was because we didn't have too much to eat.

We shared 3 tapas and 2 of them i can rave on about for days. The eggplant toscado with goats curd is really fresh and crispy. And the Mushroom and Black truffle tart with jamon is to die for. Next time, I'm having one of those for myself - not sharing!! Word of advice though, give the lamb sweetbreads a miss! The short ribs and avocado and crab toscado looked amazing too. So did a few of their saladas! Yes, i really want to go back!!!

Pretty early night for us, have to admit that i was probably still feeling a little weary adjusting to daylight savings time! I should have worked from home today - there is literally no one in the office :-(

Hong Kong is always fun in short bursts. But it is nothing compared to home.

Always knew there would be no problems getting there, got two biz seats to myself (but still not my preferences in dining!). Thoroughly enjoyed the flight to HK. Caught a couple of winks and some good movies that I hadn't previously had the chance to watch. Dad dropped me off at the airport pretty early so had time to check my emails for a bit too.

Cleared HK customs and all that stuff by 6 so had to wait for my ride. Then went to dinner at the local Japanese place near my uncle's place and then not to waste any time, hit the shops right away until closing time! And for my ice cream mochi on the way home.

Knew i wouldn't have that much time to shop so pretty much was buying everything that I wanted as i saw it. So Friday morning and early afternoon was dedicated purely to shopping. It was good. I got all this stuff from Uniqlo, Zara & H&M. I was pretty much done after that!

Then went home to get ready for Cherry and Johnson's Reception. One of the better receptions I've been to in HK. Good activities/games. And HAHA her parents, especially her dad is so so funny. More funny when drunk. Their family isn't normal!!!


Crash at val's for the night (and night after). then went to brunch and shopping on saturday. LOL @ valerie almost dying from the crowds of people and actually have to walk through shops with donna and i. we really do appreciate it! and the hairy crabs we picked up and steamed were awesome.

Had the best meal of my trip at another Japanese place - they sold those BBQ skewer thingys. I can't remember what it's actually called but it was really really good. Especially the foie gras. Cholesterol attack on a plate but i think it was so worth it. Nom nom nom. And then cocktails and vodka sodas at the bar downstairs from vals. Where we helped her friend (who is also the owner) write a letter to a hotel requesting a free upgrade for their honeymoon trip. LOL... he was like, not sure how empathetic an accountant and lawyer can be. It took us so long to write too.

Sunday came, had breakfast with val and then time to say byes. :(

A couple of last minute items to pick up and had to go back to uncles to pack. And OMG i had no idea you can buy so much in 4 days. We had so much stuff??? (I think it's actually safe to say this time that mum had more than me!). All if my stuff fit in my suitcase... hahaha. we even bought back a box of nissan noodles.

It was a very very anxious wait at the airport though. I have never, ever, ever had to wait so long or felt so anxious at HK before. In the end, and like 20 minutes before the plane was due to take off, we got on the Melbourne flight. P H E W. We made it!!! Had to literally run for the gate, but we got on board and the captain was like... we have been delayed due to the last bags being loaded into our cargo hold. LOLs. They would have been our bags. Sweet as that i got an exit row seat too. I was totally totally not expecting that - just wanted to get home!

Pretty funny customer service manager. He was like, 'I will be dimming the cabin lights for take off. This is to enhance the appearance of your flight attendant.' Lols.

Then there was a medical emergency on board... that wasn't good. It surprises me that there were 3 doctors on board though. Lucky girl.


Turns out the guy i was sitting next to was also trying to get back to Sydney, but that flight was mega-full. Seems a lot of people had to transfer... who knew HK was so popular? And who knows when i'll be back?

The office literally buzzes when its the last day of the quarter. Contracts and sitting there frantically trying to ensure everything is signed before the end of the day. The Sales guys are frantic closing their deals and finance are headless chooks trying to close and reconcile everything on time. CRAZY!

Everyone was still glued to their desks at 6:30 p.m! At least we get fed... pizza and cheese and goodness!

Anyways... i just gave away a few of my cookies.. and legitly, CFO AND COO WEREN'T AT THEIR DESKS SO I OFFERED TO OTHER PEOPLE... and then we got reprimanded (me, my boss and their EA). LOLOLOL. Got the whole 'I am SO disappointed speech...'

If only one of the girls didn't leave her cookie lying around on her desk!! Our CFO was literally licking their crumbs off anyone's desk. HAHA so he stole half of hers..

gg.

/ sarcasm

Although to be fair, it has been a very very long week! I have (for once), started work BEFORE 9 everyday this week and have been in the office since before 8 today!! Reminds me of those recruiting days...

The reason for being so early is that we have colleagues from Singapore over for training and analysis. pretty full on days but glad my involvement was minimal and mainly restricted to the first two!

So last night, the team were taken out to dinner by global (this is a very rare occasion so we took the chance while we could). We went to this local teppanyaki place. It was actually quite fun even though it was a massive rip off. Masuya was 100 times better and costed less per person!

And now in the office before 8 cause the guys have to complete this survey thing that i dont as a C-user. But i got invited for breakfast so why not??? LOL.

Not sure if its worth it though! Could have slept in another hour... humm....

It's been a big week for me. Emotionally and physically and the wine fairy this afternoon could not have come sooner!

Finally get a few minutes this weekend to sit down with my laptop and just chill.

Brunch with two of my favorites in one of my favorite locations in sydney. Surry Hills! Chur & Rueben Hills. Was good although felt a little bit strange to be dressed up in such a low-key haunt. Don't think the coffee @ Rueben was all that great. Missing the one from Le Monde. Salted Caramel Milkshake and Milo Milkshake from Chur was yummy albeit a touch expensive. I still think the beef burger is the best at Chur. Although maybe next time (won't be for a while), might give the lamb one a go. Mmm. Have some new places on my list to go to!


Yesterday was Amanda & Andrew's wedding. Expected it to be a bit bigger... but it was quite a small wedding. Personally, I would never pick a place where it is in such a public location that people can just walk, sit, picnic, sunbathe, cycle and run in the background and around. Kind of ruins the moment. Not to mention the ferry horns, trains on the bridge and (just our luck) a helicopter flying over. Made it difficult to hear the vows. Nonetheless, it was definitely a beautiful backdrop and a lovely ceremony. Thank goodness it was short and sweet.


That left us with enough time to slowly make our way to the reception. We stopped at mega-tourist-ripoff Guylian cafe on the way (Janice's choice, not mine as I think I still prefer Lindt). $4.80 for a coffee? $10 for a milkshake? $16 for a tart? Come on please... the only decent and not overly expensive looking thing on the menu was this Iced Caramel Long Black. It was actually not too bad. Wasn't sweet at all... and well-priced at $5.50.

When you don't talk about something, and it doesn't cross your mind then nothing happens.

But as soon as it comes up in conversation, its like the wavelengths or something communicate with each other and things begin to happen.

Occurrence Number 1: Recruitment
I haven't had a recruiter call me for months now. And was just discussing this last night and whether we should be updating or maintaining our linkedin profiles, talking about which are the better recruiters etc. And what do you know? I get a call from a recruiter today to see 'where i was at'. Pfft. Only when it suits them. Where were YOU when i was looking for a role?

Occurrence Number 2: Business Development
So, safe to say that this is something that is actually within my control. I get that if nothing happens, that's more than likely my fault. But it only takes one phone call, one email or one conversation to change your path. Again, we were just talking about it last night not just for myself on how to get my name out there but also for PR and nick since they both also had ABNs for different reasons (here also was the conversation about loss-loss or made-losss). That conversation happening this afternoon. One of the EAs had a pretty difficult time sourcing some goodies for afternoon tea. Ended up paying $80 for 18 cupcakes and she wasn't happy that they tried to charge her for a bag (plus that she had to go pick them up, etc). And i and my boss were like... i could do it!!! Whipped out the iPad with my photos and BAM!! Done deal! with BOTH EA's. Yep, that's how you do deals.

Feeling like I have taken a step in a positive direction! I'm going to Myer to celebrate by buying myself 2 baking books this afternoon!

The hottest new Greek restaurant to hit Sydney. Lovely ambience, service was either rushed or we were ignored. Awesome wine list and great menu and food was pretty good at very affordable prices (think Jamie's, Fratelli Fresh or Belgian Beer Cafe).

Who knew melting moments and a giant slice if Japonaise cake could get me another fairy godmother. Feeling so loved when my boss was like, make sure you introduce any potential boyfriends to me so I can check that they pass muster first! HAHAHA. Too bad baking is a domestic skill that you don't really discuss?

Anyways, glad got to share it with people at work.

Long day today too... 6 p.m. conference call... but I guess people on the other side of the world had to wake up super early too. All part of being in the global network.

Just finished watching the last episode of TITSII... does anyone else think it was rushed??? A lot of holes in the story that I think they glossed over!

It's been a few months coming, and can't really say it was something that I was really looking forward to doing. Especially when it meant I had to get up as early as a weekday and travel to Ultimo for a TAFE course. One that I had initially enrolled to do online but was told that it didn't meet NSW Authority requirements unfortunately... a little surprised that the class size was limited to 15. Since it was a theory-based class, thought they'd easily accommodate more (and therefore, I could have done this in the August class instead since that was full). The instructor was quite funny - but I think a lot of the people didn't get her rather awkward jokes. But it made the day a little more bearable.

What was horrible was that there were no trains and I hadn't even thought about driving. MISTAKE! It was fine in the morning since no one goes to the city at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday but it was horrible in the afternoon. It was warm as well so people stunk. There were a lot of people at Central waiting for a bus and it was literally like the end of the world the way people were pushing and shoving against each other. I ended up having to stand the whole way and the guy in front of me reeked. :-( There wasn't any aircon and the windows were all sealed so it was really really painful.

That pretty much sucked my energy for the day (kudos to the single origin roaster coffee from Mecca across the road from TAFE in the morning). Although the cuppa was more than my daily $3 and it wasn't as good, it made my day. So did Donna and the picture of her holding a Giant Whisk looking thing the way King Triton held his trident.



Had always wanted to do a bit of personal baking this weekend. Today was the perfect day for it. . . have been asked by colleagues to make a cake which, despite its name, is actually from France. Japonaise Cake. Basically layers of meringue with light and fluffy coffee buttercream layers and finished off with toasted flaked almonds. Its actually quite fiddly and time consuming but it comes up really yummy. I think my meringue layers are still super crunchy so hopefully they'll soften up a little to become more chewy before people taste-test!

I also have for the longest time wanted to make melting moments but by piping them through a bag rather than just rolling and squishing. They look infinitely better piped! Mine were probably on the edge of over-golden but I think the thickness was perfect, not too thick and not too thin. Made Passionfruit with a hint of Lemon Buttercream to sandwich them together. And I even put a few on them in a nice box for gifts. :)

The next time I have an afternoon free (maybe next next time since I need to really think about doing my tax return now...), I'm gonna have a crack at making Salted Caramel Banoffee Pie... FROM SCRATCH. Like I do everything else. But who will eat it?

Read this article that was on all medias this morning about a guy and a girl who were kidnapped in Somalia and held captive for 15 months. I couldn't help but this how stupid, naive and unprepared they were to think that they could become 'famous' by seeking new stories from one of the most dangerous places in the world. But hey... YOLO??!! Not my kind of adventure... although I would love to read their memoirs.

Last weekend of August and winter and HELLO SPRINGTIME!

I spent Saturday in the west. Not like inner-west but the west-west. Even drove past the new Wet n Wild theme park being built. All the way to Blacktown. It's pretty far! Especially with the traffic through Homebush. :-( So I told the guys that they'd used up their/my Blacktown quota for the year. HAHAHAHAHA. But i feel touched that they wanted to come back all the way to Bevo to have dinner. That new Japanese BBQ Manmaruya restaurant... shit. Expensive and expensive.

Pancakes on the Rocks? FREAKING AWESOME!! Did not have to wait long at all despite the line outside.

Then we were tossing up between movie and drinks. Drinks at the one and only Bevo hotel. LoL. Drinks won only because Prince Chris had to go home to pack for his HK trip in the morning. And we couldn't agree on a movie. So watched them play some pool and chatted a bit.

Sunday was family day with Dad at IKEA. Okay, so I wanted to go to IKEA to get new draws for my wardrobe. But me and my awesome measuring skills (or lack thereof) meant that the draws don't fit front ways. FAIL. So they're in sideways which is a bit of a bitch to get stuff but it beats the old draws that use to always fall on my feet. And these have wheels which is pretty cool. So spent a good few hours spring cleaning my wardrobe. YAY. But still have the same amount of stuff in there...

Also bought Dad a tabletop for Father's Day. WHOOHOO cheapest Father's Day Gift ever!!!

I've never worked in a workplace where upon resignation, the senior executives genuinely wishes one well for their future endeavors. Until today.

Great day today. I made a cheesecake for the office (didn't know there were so many people on leavel 3 until morning tea!). Another lady made pavlova and we had morning tea. Then a team lunch and this afternoon, we had our monthly Friday drinks.

Our CFO made some really funny notes about my colleague leaving (going to recruitment ironically). And Ace returned in kind, with some very funny words of his own. Even daring to tell the whole office how shit our current contracting company is. And that he would give us a great deal if we moved to his new company. HA HA HA even got a laugh out of our MD!

Friday drinks wasn't really for Ace. It was our monthly drinks and also we had a raffle to help raise some money for a colleague who needs implants in both ears. Unfortunately, she isn't able to work at the moment and has no income.

We (the whole Sydney office) maanged to raise over $32,000 in 3 days. Which is genuinely inspiring on its own. But then MD made a speech and the company has decided to match our efforts!!! And then, for a bit of fun, they 'live auctioned' off a bottle of sparking wine... for $370!!! That was really really cool. We've definitely got some great personalities in the office. Very good vibe in the office this afternoon. I haven't seen anything like this before and it just makes your heart melt.

We had a couple of more drinks in the pub and wished Ace well. And he told me to always remember that it is yourself you look after first. And at the end of the day, it doesn't mean anything if you can't find a home somewhere where you want to be long term.

A couple of the guys and I had dinner at Mamak in the city after. And we went to capitol randomly where Andrew managed to claw THREE soft toys (a whole set basically) of these little good luck charm stuffed things... he's really good at it! Which he gave to me. lols. random but fun. we caused a fair bit of commotion tonight...

Was at work yesterday, actually had a pretty good day until the afternoon...

~ sleeping in
~ cleaning room
~ business admin
~ napping/sleeping in the sun

and so much other stuff i should be doing. like my tax return. cbf..

went to costco today to renew membership and switch to a business one. what i didn't expect was to get a full refund for my current membership? an example of great customer service.

went to tapas in bondi last night. not as good as the places in the city but really nice atmosphere. it was a little bit too fresh by the time we finished for the beach but we went back to queens park where sarah was housesitting and looking after her boyfriend's french bulldog. those dogs breathe so loudly! and apparently they snore!!! funny as...

pretty tiring day as had to finish off 3 cakes in the morning and didn't get to sleep in today either!

Whoever said getting paid fortnightly would mean cashflow would be more manageable? I feel poorer than ever before . . . ??!!?!?!

Living off my last $42 in my bank account until next pay with $5 in my wallet. go me...

It doesn't help that i got a haircut today, bought a $30 stamp and have groceries to buy. i also have almost maxed out my credit card (because was paying for sisters' uni fees and haven't transferred money back, not because i was actually reckless and spent a few grand).

Continuing on with our brunch series today. Vivian and Donna and I went to Kitchen by Mike in Rosebery. A bit pricey. And coffee was smooth and a little different but lovely atmosphere complete with courtyard and adjacent heck-expensive homewares shop. And a little market-style corner with a KISSING BOOTH!! lol..

I got jerk chicken with baby carrots and cucumber mirin salad. was good. clean, subtle flavours. Donna had a quiche and roasted sweet potato. and we each had 2 coffees. teehee.

Viv, with her very limited diet had sweet potato sans coconut yoghurt and this really nice tea.

Then we checked out another factory outlet place (just like grounds @ alexandria) but no purchases.

To do something beachy next time! and Kepos St Kitchen amongst other places!

You read a book or watch a movie or TV show, and they use euphemisms that you can totally relate to... makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside sometimes. Suits is back and Harvey & Mike are back together. Like when they refer to themselves as "Butch & Sundance" or TITSII "Batman & Robin". awww....

Wasn't planning on doing anything admin-y or business-related tonight but for some random reason, i got like emails to respond to?? and all for August. HAHAH. I really cbf right now... but i will because i have stuff to do tomorrow and the weekend. Didn't expect August to be so busy. Its my first month-end on my own too! *breathes deeply*

Did I mention that my senior acctant who i am supposed to work with also just quit for a perm role... in recruitment??! No wonder he was full asking me questions about it. Happy for him though... will be interesting for him i think. Similar but not the same. I just don't think I'd ever go back. Too small an industry. Reminds me of my fleet days but a lot worse. At least I loved the people in fleet.

Can't believe it's AUGUST??? VALERIE'S HOME (AGAIN), BAKING, ORDERS, BIRTHDAYS, DRINKS, MORE DRINKS, FAREWELLS, CATCH UPS, SURPRISE BIRTHDAYS, IT KEEPS ON COMING!!!

Finally some time to clear some stuff off my desk at home!

Yesterday, went for a drive - literally - to Newcastle and back. Was very lucky to not be caught by the highway patrol. Lovely day for a drive though, beautiful weather and a bit of a family thing. But nothing exciting. Got stuck in massive amounts of traffic before hitting the highway. Stopped at maccas and got a minion toy (lol) and drove some more to newcastle. Didn't even stop by the waterfront or anything. Was dropping off my cousins brother-in-law to his new homestay for uni. Twas all.

Today, had hot pot at carl's new place. Jayden is so cute! Anyways was really good to just sit around. 

Got home around 4.. and have been spending the afternoon catching up on doing all those mundane tasks that well, need doing. Still not up to my tax return yet though... haha. that might be another few weeks away.

My hayfever seems to get worse and worse every year. My nose is always runny / blocked and makes me feel so dazed. Can't. handle. it. Am pretty sure the over-the-counter antihistamines aren't working too well. Not even spring yet! :(

Organising my time for the next couple of months. Weekends seem to be filling up quick!

Catherine and I planned our latest foodie date lonnnnng before SMH decided to publish this article on Chur! GoodFoodUnder30...

Anyways, turns out we got there awesome timing because they ran out of burgers! Haha, it seems that whereever we go, people tend to follow.

It was a really awesome night.

We got to sit at the bar right in front of the kitchen where they were making all the food and got to watch first hand how they run the kitchen (tiny space that it was) and how they all worked together. amazing stuff. would love to do it one day? Except we kept looking at the guy who must have been like an apprentice chef, and he kept doing stuff wrong. hehehehehe. cute.

Got to see Warren in action too. That was pretty cool. He even personally served our scallop and mussel fritters. Soooooo good. So was the burger. And the macadamia tart with whiskey ice cream. Yes, it works together well! Sweet potato fries were a little soggy though. I think it's quite hard to get right.

Anyways, was an amazing dining experience. That little corner has gone through a lot. Assiette was great, affordable fine dining. But Chur Burger...? I WILL BE BACK!

i also tried out the italian meringue recipe for macarons. they worked really well in the oven! but the shells were really crispy and i'm not sure if its supposed to be like that or not... i know that they soften up in the fridge over 24-48 hours but never have had shells that hard before! will have to keep trying. and testing. which means more samples...


Another super fast weekend over. What's happening to time??

So finally getting some time in with the person who is supposed to be training me. But I think it was more so because he got a massive kick up the back side from the higher higher order. CFO and FC and his new controller had a meeting today. Yep.. it was serious.

I think also because he is taking 2 weeks that wasn't initially planned off. Some are lucky just to jet off to Paris but I think its because his father is sick so not great news for him.

However, I don't exactly appreciate being told he's staying an additional week in sydney and his wife and daughter are flying out first because he has to be "here to train me". Not once did I say anything along those lines. If this is a business decision made by the higher order, then so be it but kind of unfair to let that unleash on me.

Lucky he's fairly easy to have a conversation with. Although he is very very nosy and wants to know about every conversation I've had with all our other colleagues. Err, what?

I'm going to assume he means well but maybe things are getting lost in translation...

Week 2 in North Sydney... check! It's still as boring as can be. Although did go for a walk one lunch this week... the area is so steep!

Had a pretty easy week to be honest. Everyone was extremely busy with quarter-end (headless chickens...) and well, didn't get as much training time as I wanted. So will have to be extra diligent next week.

Tonight was grandma's 95th birthday dinner! We went to our new-usual in Caringbah. But again, the food took its time coming... almost 4 hours tonight before we finished. Had the usual suspects... pipis, lobster, fish and this awesome fried tofu thing. so good. Perfect for those on a no-carb diet!

Dessert was like a full meal it itself. I think we had a 4-course dessert! So there was my lovely green tea and red bean mousse cake (to which to waiters were like.. "where'd you buy that??"), special birthday steamed buns with lotus paste, fruit and red bean soup. But I couldn't have any of it.

:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

I did sneak in a taste of the cake though. It was really good if everyone around me says so. hahaha. modest... the waiters even kept a few pieces for themselves!! (Cause it was a big cake and a few of us didn't make it tonight)

Pretty good night - got to watch the lions vs. wallabies game at the same time. Disappointing finish but can't have everything...

I have to get up early tomorrow. WHO GETS UP EARLY ON A SUNDAY??! To paint the ceiling in my apartment. Why why why why why. Can't hack this being a landlord shiattttt.... hahaha. Would someone rent the place already!!!

Not great that it was wet weather all week for my first week.

But first week went well. Beginning to settle in and starting to learn some new things which is awesome. Not overly full on and taking it step by step.

And it has made me appreciate the last 30 months more so that I did previously. As much as it was frustrating, that environment and having full control and free reign of the finance process enabled limitless learning and hands on learning and somewhere where you could take on the complete function without barriers and levels upon level of approvals.

Something that I have and have not missed. Deadline here must definitely be met and abide by - they have a soft close however once a ledger has been closed, it is completely and officially closed for the month. No exceptions! Something that probably is more relaxed in a smaller company.

Anyways, very cool company culture. Hot desks if you want to, open plan layout, juice, soda and mineral water in the fridge, nespresso machines, zoo passes, CASUAL FRIDAYS!, 9 am starts, 5 pm finish... happy days. Pizza fridays, evening drinks, yoga, boxing, people who actually clean the kitchen, awesome meeting rooms... yeah, I'm pretty excited!

Rain has made today one of the most boring days in a while. :( No baking...

One more sleep!

Can't say I'm pleased about this wet weather but it was wet weather when I interviewed. Maybe it's a sign...

Anyways, so today marks the end of my two week break. I did quite a bit. Probably (always) could do more.

Pretty much chillaxed today. Went to visit the organic market in Marrickville today. Seems like there is already someone else selling baked goods but we will see. Que sera sera. But wet weather isn't the best for market research...

I got my new Ikea shelf installed pretty much all by myself. My sister helped in the initial stages but faded away. Who says girls can't assemble things. Matches perfectly with my existing ones which is awesome and there was just enough space next to the corner near the stairs for it. Woohoo! Now if only I could get rid of what I see as "rubbish" but obviously someone else's "treasure" and that space would be perfect.

At least, for the time being, i can say that there is enough space to store everything. Neatly, organised and labelled. Yay for being organised!

Brain wanders when its not working full time and I get to dream a little. I spent a lot of time today "researching" market stalls and what it would be like, how I would do it, what I would need, the time, money, etc etc.

Its one of those things I think i want to do in the new financial year (yes, I have a list and it is growing significantly).

I will also need a lot of help so would need to see who would be able to help out and what not.

But I have to admit that it does sound quite exciting! Have always loved those sorts of challenges on Masterchef and holding little stalls and things so definitely up for it. Have even sussed out a couple of potential places where I'd like to try and sell!

OKay, so a fair bit can happen in 5 days.

I have knocked over pretty much every exciting bit of my to do list whilst on hiatus. there are a couple of boring bits left however, i am almost ready to become part of the employed workforce again methinks.

I went to Melbourne on the weekend for 2 days. Short, sweet and perfect. Mum loved it. and I loved it because I got a fair bit of shopping done. Winners all around. It was also perfect because I got to catch up with one of my mates Dee and we got to reminiscence of the evil that we once worked at. Haha! He and his wife also own a Florist and Cafe now. It is so rustic and beautiful and I wish that they lived in Sydney or vice versa because I would absolutely stock my goods on their counter!

Just some of the other knick knacks that his wifey handmade and sells. So talented!


I think yesterday was my 3rd or possibly 4th day of baking on break. To be honest, its getting a little tiny bit tiring (well, the cleaning and washing up part anyway). It always makes me happy to give to others something that I cant eat myself.

I make kickass Chocolate hazelnut fudge cookies yesterday. And they literally went like hot cakes. Wendie was like - make sure you save heaps for me this time. Also made macarons (again!).  And pandan chiffon cake. with real pandan essence from leaves this time. Need to master that bit! So a little baked out at the moment (a monetary incentive does always motivate one that little bit more...)

Felt a little like a delivery girl today meeting all these peeps in the city and cherry at uni! carl, PR, mandy, anna and nick. ohhh i am going to miss working in the city so much. :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

Had offers of meeting them for lunch all around. so i had to decline all of them to be fair (that's a lie, i said no because im on a protein diet so pretty much can't eat jack).

i get to see the girls often and easy enough so wasn't too hassled by not speaking to them that much. but it meant a lot to see mr masters in baby sitting and my fairy godmother and knight in shining armour. oh, we need to stop joking that this is whole catching up thing is going to end. :( PR mentioned that she remembers my birthday... oh-oh.. so there may be a catch up then! I said to her, I am pretty sure her birthday preceeds mine!!! she's a sneaky one..

timing today was awesome. despite the 2 major accidents blocking the m5. dropped wendie off at her exam and ambled around the city and got back in time to pick her up. winner.

I can't believe its almost been a week since unemployment (termed loosely here!). I feel like I am not making the most of it. Well, ok, pretty much I have crossed off ONE thing on my 'to do' list. Time to get a move on...

Made myself brunch today complete with poached eggs and homemade hollandaise. I think I added a touch too much lemon juice. But it was still really really good. Didn't have traditional smoked salmon but found a fillet of terriyaki smoked salmon in the fridge which I flaked and reheated. A little salty but worked. The sauce thickened pretty quickly so had to reheat for Wendie when she finally got up.

So been doing a bit of research online. And I have found a few others like me who have started their own online cake business.

And are probs more successful!!

Coincidental that they are also professionals. So far, one was a lawyer and one works in finance and built their business on a website, facebook, word of mouth etc. Then progressed to markets, catering, dessert bars, high teas etc.

There's this girl in rockdale who does it. I'm so impressed and at the same time think that i can do it too! Her cakes are pretty expensive now too! But she has taken it on full time. And sells other things online like teas and accompaniments and hires out a lot of cake stands and decorations.

I am not ready to do that yet! But do want to build my customer base.

Whoever said the last week of your notice was easy. They were dead set WRONG.

Longest week that I have ever had in the history of my tenure/role/nightmare. And so many things are annoying me. :(

Have my support group going ...

"3 more days"
"3 more days"
"3 more days"
"3 more days"

ha ha. deep breaths.

Welcome to the second day of winter.... and more rain!

Invited Catherine over today for a baking sess. Warmed the house up with spice from our apple pies. Justin and Carmen caught on and brought Messina Ice Cream around 4. Yum yum yum. So we had afternoon tea and then they took away. As usual!

We made macarons too...

Earl Grey
Blueberry White Chocolate
Pandan Coconut
Malt

The malt ones were really really good. Going to add that to my list of flavours!

Weekend has gone by way too quickly for my liking.

Here's how mine went down...

Saturday pretty much slept the day away. Literally. Woke up at noon, was in bed by 10. HAHA i did go grocery shopping and baked a few batches of cookies in between. As well as making one awesome paella for dinner.

Sunday was a little sleep in following by a 6 hour baking session. A very indoor-sy kind of day. Rain, wind and cold. So glad the oven was warm and the smell was rustic. Love freshly baked pie.

5 days to go~

I went for a fourth interview at Aon today. I didn't actually expect a call back considering I had said that I already had a job offer (did not mention that i had already signed a contract). Again though, glad i did. Was expecting a call back this afternoon. Hasn't happened yet.

I am also now going to add 'Recruiter' to my resume! No kidding, its a tough job. We put an ad up for a junior level version of me (so potentially a grad). Within the first hour, my director had received over 100 applications. W T F.

And they were all useless. Not one was outstanding. I phoned about 10 today and...

I couldn't understand them.
They were either Chinese or from another country.
They are all doing some Masters of Accounting in a second-rate University.
They don't have pure accounting experience.
They don't have a CA/CPA yet they are studying for a masters.
They don't have the eloquence needed for a refined resume.
They all say they have advanced excel skills. WTF WTF WTF. Even I don't have that in my resume!!!

And another funny thing that happened today was this guy that was previously my recruiter (when i was an AA) called me up to ask if we needed help with the recruitment process! Knew that I was moving on and that Nick had moved on also. I was like.. how do you know that? Small world. People talk. I knew it from the beginning. Glad i got out.

And there goes my friday.

It's going to be a new chapter for the history books on Monday. New finance team pretty much. I'm so happy ive 5 days left. I haven't figured how much it wears me down until now.

No one wants to brunch with me tomorrows so wendie said she'll cook me brunch instead. mmmm poached eggs, spinach and mushrooms.

Someone once said to me, not so long ago...

When it rains, it pours.

And i say...

When the fog clears, its sunshine and happy days!!!

Apparently, it applies to the good, the bad and the weather... literally!

Monday was a mixed day. Found out more about my tenant - he tried to commit suicide... we'll leave it at that.

An offer came through from SAP. *cheers* YEAAAAAHHHHHH! So I was very excited... and I didn't know what to do because I was still waiting for another call back from another company.

So decided to get some career advice from two people who have nurtured and spoilt and seen me grow professionally over the past 15 months.. and who will always have my best interests at heart... It was supposed to be a quick conversation. Ended up meeting Nick for a drink after work and pretty much dumped my whole emotional sob story on him from beginning to end. He was like, i've only got an hour or so and i'm like... no, this will take longer. And he's like oh geez... HAHAHA and yes, it was funny because apparently we had this conversation that went totally beyond me and over my head (and if you know me, this never ever happens).

So told him about work, about how we're going backwards now that he's left, about how i am doing freakin everyone's job, etc. Told him about my job offer (he was happier than i was!). Told him about my tenant. Had a little rant about admin. Not too much though - since the woman still texts him and her life story (at least I keep it short, simple and light). Told him how I don't gossip like she does!

Anyway, we had this conversation about work and the what ifs and worse-case scenarios. And by this time, my brain wasn't functioning. and he was in one of those "you need to think long and hard about this, i'm not going to spoon feed you" moods... and i was literally *blank face* I can't even recall what i said exactly but when we left it was pouring and well... a bit like a "to be continued" i suppose.

Decided that I was going to resign on Tuesday. And Tuesday came by... and oh freaking shit. Someone was already in the "fish bowl" meeting room first thing in the morning. Could only mean one thing! So i went downstairs for a coffee and to wait for my contract - which came through. Phew. And then went back upstairs to face the music. It was pretty ugly...

Told Poh and Nick straight afterwards... and he kept pressuring me to tell admin witch. I said no. Why should I? And he wouldn't let up which was strange for him since he usually gives up after a bit. So i did after lunch. And witch and I had a chat... seems like she wants to move on too. Hah but i beat her and so if she resigns in the next week or so, spotlight won't be on me! But she's asking for way too much money??!?!

So i said to him, how come you didn't tell me about erin? and he's like...

 "... i did. last night"

"when?"

"when i asked you, what would be worse thing that could happen to you there and you said reporting to her. and i said, no, think about it on a higher level. who would everyone turn to if she wasn't there?"

 *lightbulb flickers, silver spoon moment*

I pretty much went off on a tangent after that. I think something in my head clicked then, and i was like you were stringing me along this whole time (since he knew about erin and didn't say anything - even when i asked him if she was looking for a job) and it was his turn to be completely confused. but literally, I think we both just weren't understanding each other for the rest of the day...

It didn't help that Dee decided to pipe up and prank call me pretending to be someone from my new company. AHHHHHHH it was totally hilarious. He had me going for a good 5 or so minutes. I think I'm going to visit him in my time off. excited!

And it was super awesome when i met sarah and madison for dinner last night. went to the new mexican place again. it was better than last time! again, they were more happy than i was.

Anyways, i've made it official... i signed my contract today and returned it. Here's to a new chapter, long awaited and very much welcomed!

Now that I don't have to study and not actively looking for another job... what to do with my time?

Tenant. Problems. Paramedics. Police. Roof. Damaged property. Ongoing Saga. #Time to kick them out.

And here I was all ready and settled and winding down my weekend.

Let's start from the beginning.

Saturdays have turned into a bit of a baking day recently. This time in was mini cupcakes and ANZACS (just a whole month late...). More so for enjoyment than anything else.

Made ANZACs with dried pawpaw and white chooclate this time. They were really good. Golden. Crunchy on the outside and chewy inside. Nomnomnom. And pleased to say that Carmen and Justin helped this time... i only had to supervise! Great team effort I think. So I as usual, let them take away. HAHAH.

Saturday evening was supposed to be a catch up in the shire with amanda. but hey as expected, a cancellation. So went to burwood to hang with janice for a bit. Finally watched Iron Man 3 and tried out the new pho place on burwood road. We haven't done this in a while and it was good to just... be. Nothing too deep and nothing too argumentative. ;) I've missed that. And Star Trek was better for the record.

I spent the day with Mandy exploring the rocks and having devonshire tea. It was really good and relaxing and laidback. Went through the rocks markets, made our way to pitt st mall for a little bit of shopping and then headed to market city as well. I bought a new Oroton Umbrella. Because everyone said it was a good idea to do so.

Feet were a little weary by the end of the day but something we should do more often.

So I guess to sum my weekend, it was a weekend of catching up with those that I don't see as often anymore. Sometimes, life just gets in the way.

Came home to find that my sister had taken over my room. Grr... so went to play with maxxie and nessie. it was hilarious. Dad was fixing one of the doors and maxxie kept coming inside. And nessie was too good so she stayed outside but got jealous when he came in. So kept having to carry him back outside and he kept coming in. then they played pretty rough on the grass. a little scary to watch but at least my puppies don't eat live chickens!!

Anyways, I am sure I will find out more information tomorrow. But in a nutshell... one of my tenants, crazy idiot, tried to get around/climb/scale the gated-fence on the rooftop to get to the off-limits area. Why? Don't ask me. No idea. And he fell or somehow managed to get himself unconscious. Police and paramedics called. Gate had to be dismantled. Paramedic paraphernalia left everywhere... what the hell goes on on the weekends? Extremely annoyed. . . . . .