i was meant to write this entry earlier but another so called 'friend's' lj entry threw me off. 

22. 
grew up more, but still hung up on A LOT. as you can see from the above sentence.

thur:   got to his car, found a huge bouquet, all purpley pink lilies, orchids & roses. <3
           dinner at sambal, malay-singaporean food near his office. best ice kachang ever.

fri:      2 chocolate bday cakes!! that he baked!!
           dinner at ainoya...a japanese restaurant in kirribilli. got a bday cake, a bday song 
           and a bday cocktail... all on the house!
           afterwards, a nice relaxing massage

sat:     shopping, eating and relaxing.
           lots of smoothies. we bought a 10kg watermelon for 29cents/kilo! 
           checked out rouse hill, a new shopping complex. had super techie parking, had 
           sensor lights on every slot. it was so easy to look for a green sensor light and 
           ta-da! easy parking, no hassles at all.  

sun:   salu salo at my place, joint bday for me & dad.  

mon:  34mos. <3 he gave me a cute card, with a lovely gingham ribbon tied on it. 
            happy tears followed suit.  

my boss left, his last day at the office fell on my bday, friday. and i had taken that day off.

on thurs he scheduled a conference room and invited the whole dept. the meeting 
agenda? 'katrina's bday party'! he brought the cake and surprised me. as well as the 
whole dept! no one else had celebrated a solo bday at work before.
so they all sang happy bday hip hip hooray. all the 40+ people that made it. 
 
later that day, at 12noon, 6 of us walked to the pie shop. and my lunch (and my boss') 
got paid for by our other workmate. best bday at work ever! i'm sad my boss is leaving, 
but he's going to qantas defence services, the military division. his dream role! i told 
him if he ever needed a P.A. ... .....
i could use that pay rise!  

this sat, having a girls night in with jamie & cel. both girls have little ones, a 6month
old and an 8week old!! so it'll be fun playing with their babies. and drinking. lol ..not a 
very good combination. but these new moms need a break. & they can rely on me, 
their baby-less friend to provide all the accoutrements for a great night in away from
the hubbies!! poor lo'. he'll be home alone for a little while.  

There's been a crime. 

2 nights ago.

Here! 
Down below us, in the 'secure' garage carpark.
17 cars, one window smashed in each. 
Including ours. Found out in the morning.
Dad was interviewed by Channel 7 news.

Surveyed the damage, found that the offenders had no interest in the money. They left the money alone! Mind you, there was still about $20 in bills and change in the car. What they did take, was my dad's swiss army knife... and... 

The garage door remote. To get back in, whenever their hardened hearts desire.

Now my poor dad has to cough up the repair money, this unforeseen expense. 
He already has a mortgage to think about. This injustice. 

To rub salt to the wound, his insurance only covers repairs after $500. And how much was it? $400. Bloody. hell.
Furthermore, to get the garage door remote replaced costs $200. BUT! Insurance doesn't cover this as well, as we didn't apply for contents insurance.

And....and! 

Our real estate has dreamed up a new 'regulation' and plans to penalize my dad an extra $240 for "leaving the garge remote inside the car, it should never be left in the car unattended". 

Oooooooh. Now when did this come about, you may wonder. 
Only when they watched the news and saw how 17 of their tenants got a window smashed in each of their cars.
Wow, how cunning. Such quick thinkers.

Good thing mum works for fair trading. Ha.

Funny that, on the night in question, mum & dad both couldn't get to sleep for some reason. They wondered. 
Should we be awake? 
Why are we awake? 
Are we supposed to be dwelling on our problems? The house, the kids, the finances? 

Little did they know, whilst they were pondering... Their car window was being smashed in, quietly, quietly. So as not to attract the attention of the owners, living up above. 

I've just woken up. I've been hibernating all winter... it was meant to have ended on the 1st of Sept, but it was only today that it finally feels like spring! The cold days lasted til yesterday, & along with it came my sluggishness... I always feel so unproductive over winter. I wanted to kickstart my system while this lovely warm weather kicks in. Get out bed KAT!! 

I was meant to write about this, but couldn't summon the energy until now. 
Sydney was granted a public holiday during the APEC summit, making all the other states jealous with rage especially Melbourne, LOL. Lo' & I thought we'd make use of the long weekend to go fly domestically using my staff travel. It's only Sydney that's been gazetted a long weekend so there's a greater chance we'll get on board. Also, I've never flown business class before and I've never flown domestically, so I wanted to test it out. We went on to choose Perth as our destination, mainly because it's the furthest (5-hour flight!) and there were lots of available seats. We scored free accomodation courtesy of Lo's parents. Turns out it was a luxury hotel, with the best made-to-order gourmet breakfast. We didn't know what was there to see in Perth, so we asked around whilst we were in Sydney. We finally shortlisted the places we wanted to visit, and my God, Perth was beautiful. The community, the scenery, the people, the transport system (mostly free or cheap!), the family-oriented places, the markets, the city, the food, the touristy stuff, even the fact that there were so many British people, everything about it was great. I wanna go back! 

Lo' put his SLR into good use, the Perth skyline view over King's Park produced some lovely panoramic shots . We have to go back to go snorkelling and see the Quokkas in Rottnest Island. It was too cold when we went. All in all, a wonderful long weekend, nothing beats cheap-ass airfare (+ upgrade!!) and free accomodation. I've been planning to go & visit JILL, MIKO & JP but I dunno if I can go without my (better)-half. Ok lang ba kung kasama sya? 
     
Work's been good, and this week marks another long weekend....1st of Oct is Labour day! My amiga Cel has given birth to her first baby-- Jayden Thomas, and we'll be attending his christening this Sunday. Lo's been asked to do the photos. 

My family's officially Aussie --- we became citizens in April, but we applied for passports yesterday. And my parents are having a house built!! They bought the land, and now they're shopping around (display homes galore) for the perfect one. I think they've found it.

Btw, Kirt's taller than my mum now. Soon he'll be taller than me.   

i <3 my new job. working with a team of aviation engineers, project planners and fleet developers make for such a intellectually stimulating environment compared to a bunch of record clerks processing maintenance checks. gah. nakaka-bobo sa dati kong trabaho. full of people who weren't willing to embrace change.

up until now, i've become complacent and closed my brain off to learning. it all became routine. but this somehow 'new' beginning encouraged me to try doing things that i've never done before, no matter how outlandish, or how menial. 

well, try new things except, driving. (yes i am a fool.) i am very uncoordinated. i'd rather you hurl me in a tank of sharks or chuck me out of a plane anyday than getting me behind the wheel. at least you get an instructor strapped onto you with the former, whereas you're a lot more accountable for the latter.

anyway. :)

coming from a country where having maids are commonplace, i've never had a chance to experience doing the even the basic household chores. but now i get to learn doing things that would've been otherwise intrinsic to the kids who grew up here. 

∙ i've tried my hand at doing the laundry. washing machine & handwash, then line-drying or using the dryer. 
∙ washing the dishes ... but haven't gotten a chance to use a dishwasher yet.
∙ cleaning, and the vacuuming, and the dusting, and the tidying up... 
∙ taking the garbage outside.
∙ gardening! this morning i picked calamansi from the bush at lo's parent's garden and started pruning the bougainvillea & guava trees. then i had to rake the leaves & prunings. (whilst dodging spiders/insects/insect eggs/webs/bird poop/etc....!)
∙ cooking, and baking. just last night, lo' & i baked a homemade pizza. (we cheated with a store-bought pizza base) but we added pizza sauce, mozzarella/parmesan/cheddar, sundried tomatoes, red bellpeppers (capsicum), roast chicken, avocado, mushrooms and it turned out soooooooooo good. never ordering pizza from domino's or pizza hut again!
∙ grocery shopping. as well as the butcher and fruit/veg market. my fave chore so far. i don't mind browsing catalogues for weekly specials.

lo' & I still haven't finalized whether we'll be buying the aparment or not but the owner came up with an offer of 295k, but i still want it lower!

p.s. have i said the why this new job of mine became vacant? the lady who used to do it passed away. she had cancer, which was really sad caused i used to liaise with her and now i'm taking on what she used to do.
R.I.P. Sheila Morrison...she died an old maid. it's sad to think she died a lonely death, with no family of her own. :( and all her siblings have already gone on before her. i think she had a niece. but that was it. 

me: jason, what do i put in cameo for this overdue component and how did you want me to fill in the serviceable label for this one? it's not letting me process the transaction.

jason, (my workmate): just do whatever you want. why do you still care anyway? by the end of the month you won't even have to know what happens.

can't believe this week will be my last week in tech records... everyone's treating me like i don't exist. i guess it's because i went under the radar and behind everyone's back and applied for a new job. . . funny how no one even smelled that i was up to something. 

the honest truth? the only reasons why i'm switching are:

anita. 
my workmate..who also happens to be the engineering general manager's daughter. which only means she'll always get preference over me. as long as i stay in the department working with her, i will never get offered a higher level unless she gets offered one first. otherwise, all she ever has to do is whine to daddy and get her supervisor fired. and no matter how hard i work or try to impress the bosses, it just won't cut it. argh. it's been a frustrating one year in that department. so long, fuckas!!

the money. is that bad? this new position is paying me $10k higher per annum.. it feels like a promotion and transfer all-in-one. too hard to pass up.... when i really need the $$$ because....

laurence and I might buy our first property soon! 

we went to wolli creek yesterday to inspect a brand new-ish 1bdrm + study apartment. there were tenants in it, so we're still considering the option of either living in it or having it as an investment property. 

today we went to megalong valley tea rooms for a nice winter lunch. it was a bit of a drive but it was worth it! didn't bother having breakfast...cause we knew we'd stuff ourselves silly. 

first sitting: steak & onion pie, chicken & mushroom pie, scones with blackberry jam & fresh cream, hot caramel malt & a hot chocolate.

then we walked around the property, looked at the birds and fish, played fetch with the dogs, and took some photos. (check out lo's picasa...i've got a link for it in my previous entry)

second sitting: another round of scones, homemade apple pie with cream & ice cream, iced chocolate, and fresh leaf rosemary & sage tea with honey. 

the drive back was a bit of a stretch, but now we're here at lo's and it's dinnertime....but we're still so full. so i think we'll just watch tv. lol

guys, who can tell me the MYMP video that Jin was in??? AYwANnNnASeEeEeeet!! 

ALSO,..................................

I got the job!!!! I'll be transferring to a new department next month. My current manager and my supervisor weren't pleased when they found out I applied for a new job (I kept it a secret til the last possible minute.) And, I was told by my soon-to-be manager to treat the transfer like a promotion cause I'll be offered a higher salary to go with the new role. :-) 

My new title will be: Documentation Coordinator for Aircraft Commercial Projects and Fleet Development. This new department is so much more interesting than the one I'm in, cause I'll be working with Principal Engineers, and not just record-keepers. These engineers are the ones responsible for reconfiguring aircraft, like determining and designing whether the plane will be for freight or for commercial or for private use...how the seats will be spread out, and how many coffeemakers or toilets there will be....things like that. Or how the fleet can be developed to expand from a domestic to an international carrier....etc. Pretty exciting. But, I'll be more in charge of the documentation part of the department...making sure that the engineering documents comply with regulatory approvals and certifications. And to develop databases, archiving techniques, formatting, distribution, storage, of these approved documents.

Anyway, Laurence & I are off to inspect a 2-bedroom apartment near my work. My tita Pinky (Yes Jill, ate apple, kenneth, and cookie's mom--- you remember her right?) is referring me to one of her amigas who is a property agent. We'll see if it's worth to bargain for. If I do get it, I might live there and walk to work, instead of taking the train and bus every single time. 

It's wintertime here, and its getting colder and colder.... Lo' bought me some african violets which I repotted to keep indoors, but some of the flowers look like their wilting. Haay. Are any green thumbs reading this? Help.

GUYS, tell me the name of MYMP's video with Jin in it!!!!
 

  

Been up all night writing a CV because I'm thinking of applying for an internal vacancy in Qantas, & thought i'd update my LJ whilst I've got my barely used laptop a.k.a. very expensive paperweight (that's all it seems to be functioning as these days as I'm too lazy to even turn it on) haaaay.  

2 years. Yep!
And a very late update, courtesy of my laziness. 

Easter weekend (anniv weekend!)
Went to Port Macquarie, 5-6 hours drive from Sydney to celebrate. Accomodation free-of-charge courtesy of Lo's mum & dad.. Stayed at Wyndham Resort, in a studio apartment complete with kitchen & laundry area, went sightseeing, went grocery shopping in the local town mall, cooked jamie oliver's recipe for roast chicken with lemon & rosemary, drank wine, visited the Lighthouse & Flynn's beach, took photos, swam in the pool, lounged in the outdoor jacuzzi & at the sauna, went camel riding by the beach (i tell you, those animals are majestic--- but they certainly give you a sore bum after the ride), ate crepes & pancakes at Pancake Place (thrice! yes we are going mad), walked on the trail along the water's edge to relieve our overfed tummies,and slept in!! 

These days I've been spending heaps of time with my family & Lo's family...  just staying home, watching dvds (The 300, Heroes, Grey's Anatomy) and occasionally playing badminton at the leisure centre near our place. Oh, and we're looking at real estate. 

Kase my parents & Lo's parents (especially Lo's parents) are asking "what our plans are". Hmmmm..... ;) do i smell a hint in there somewhere??? 


apologies for typos and whatnot it's pass my bedtime and i have work tomorrow! ahhhh!


  

i'm trying to post pics but to no avail.

went to calaruega after we visited sonya's garden for lunch and a massage. :)
mom, kev, tita lydia & jin's mum were with us as well....

so yes, the trip to manila went through & lemme just say that 2 weeks just wasn't enough!! we stayed at oakwood in makati for the whole 2 weeks & unfortunately.....only got to meet up with childhood & uni friends. didn't get contacts for csa friends. :( 
i miss them! dunno how they would 'welcome' me back though...it's been too long, i don't know how i stand with them anymore. *worry*

it was 2 glorious weeks of shopping, eating, nights out, & massages every other day!! my idea of a great 21st. (ooh! plus we got haircuts at toni & guy  --- thanks for the referral, 

artofvalidation

I am going home to Manila early next year!! 

which means....

• i may be home in time for artofvalidation's exhibit. YAY!
• i apologize to my U.S.-based amigos & amigas, mainly _jillybean_, girlmeetsgod, & pierrealbert  for not being able to sched a trip like i had hoped. mahal kase eh...  punta nalang kayo dito sa Sydney for 2008's world youth day. Or let's meet up sa Pinas!
• And to add insult to injury, may i mention that it only costs me less than US$260 for return airfare to Manila!! You gotta admit, that's bloody cheap, mate. Crikey!
• I'm keen to celebrate my 21st birthday someplace where I can afford to spoil myself..... and not end up being broke broke. just broke. *scratches head*
• My heart aches for the motherland.
• & lastly, the whole pamily plus d boypren is coming along too. So, like i said. Don't wanna be broke broke.

We're flying in on the 27th of January '07, fingers crossed. On Qantas Airlines, of course. ;) 
Gotta keep that plane flying or I lose my job. *sniggers*