Saturday 31 December 2005

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everybody! I hope you all had a safe beginning to the New Year.

This is the year I have been dreading most... I will be turning 30!

Oh, it seems so long ago when I turned 18, then 21, then 25, and now 30! At least it's not until the middle of the year, and my best friend Mel will be 30 before me, at least by a couple of days. (*evil grin*)

Too Close For Comfort

We had a close call today with a bush fire coming way too close to home for my liking!

We had police blocking off the bottom of our street: it runs in a big "U" shape where part of it is parallel with Wanneroo Road, and over the other side of Wanneroo Road is Yellagonga National Park, which is where the fire was.

It actually jumped Wanneroo Road & came up to within a few metres of the houses at the bottom of our street, so it was within 100-200 metres of our house.

Thank god the wind was not blowing in the opposite direction otherwise it might have been a different story!

Wednesday 28 December 2005

Book Review: Memoirs Of A Geisha

This type of book is not something I would normally read, however, I do want to see the movie when it comes out and I would like to have a fair understanding of the storyline.

I have only read a couple of chapters, but already I am engrossed!

Road Blitz

The police were saying that over the Christmas/New Year's period there would be a strong presence in force with radar's and booze buses.

I'd just like to say that is a crock!

I drove from Joondalup to Port Kennedy and back during the Christmas break and did not go through one radar nor booze bus or even see one police car the entire trip!

Nor have I seen them when I have been out doing my (very) last minute shopping every late night shopping day since last week. I think I have only seen maybe 3 police cars since Thursday when the "official" Christmas period started.

I was almost side-swiped on my way home from Port Kennedy because some idiot didn't have enough room to pull in front of me to overtake a car with a trailer. Luckily I guessed that he was going to try to squeeze between the two of us, so disaster avoided (narrowly!).

A strong police presence? I think not.


Sunday 25 December 2005

Return To Sender

I received a Christmas card from someone I've lost touch with in recent years, wanting to catch up over coffee. I would like to, however, they did not put their return address on the card or the envelope!

I only hope that the mobile phone number I have for them is still valid!

Did this person not learn how to address and write a letter when they were at school? Maybe I am showing my age a bit here, but I was taught when you send a letter or a card, you should always have the senders (your) address on the back of the envelope.



Friday 23 December 2005

Christmas Shopping Success!

I have done it! I have finished my Christmas present shopping! (*happy claps*)

I managed to get my Kris Kringle present on Wednesday night which was a huge relief!

The only down side was that my step father didn't know what to get my mum. I suggested a jewellery box (since I was buying her earrings). I ended up having to buy the present for her for him (are you following?)

I had a budget of $50 that I had to stick to - now trying to find a nice, reasonably sized, wooden jewellery box for that price is asking a lot - but I managed it! I was really killing 2 birds with one stone because I was going to jewellery stores anyway looking for earrings.

Now all I have to do is my food shopping on Saturday, Christmas Eve, notoriously THE WORST day to hit the shops. (*cringe*)

Will I ever learn?


Wednesday 21 December 2005

Dental Work

I've just been back to the dentist for some more fillings (see post Medical Forms), because the last time I went, he told me that I needed some done before Christmas; otherwise I would have ended up with a massive toothache or worse, needing a root canal!

I had the dreaded needle, but honestly, this guy is good because I didn't feel a thing. The only thing I don't like is how half your face is numb for a good couple of hours. Even my ear was numb! Now that was a very strange sensation trying to scratch inside my ear!

It's also really weird when the anesthetic starts to wear off, not to mention you start to feel the pain in your jaw. My whole chin/lower lip were itching like mad for the good part of an hour.

The best thing is, I've still got 2 more filling filled visits before my treatment is completed! That will teach me to have regular checkups (not every 2-3 years)!

Now I'll just pop some painkillers & head off to bed. Hopefully I will be able to eat solid food tomorrow!

Tuesday 20 December 2005

Christmas Shopping Chaos

I say it every year... I will get my Christmas Shopping done early. Does this happen? No!

I have only 2 presents that I need to get; something for my Kris Kringle at work, and the other, my mum's present.

Kris Kringle is easy because we are given a list of 3 items to choose from (as elected by the person), so that should pose no problem. Wrong again! I need to go to Dusk. This is a great shop and I would personally buy (if I had the money) at least 1 of everything in the store, but it is a small shop with not a lot of room to move around. Everyone else seems to have the same thought: I have no idea what to get "insert name here"! I'll get them something from Dusk.

It took ages to figure out what to get my mum because she is so hard to shop for. It is pretty simple - earrings! Again, jewellery stores are not the best place to try shopping in at the moment. People see jewellery as the last resort too.

I am going to make an early New Year's resolution - to finish my Christmas shopping for next year before December.

Will that happen? You'll have to stay tuned to find out...

Saturday 17 December 2005

Women's Change Rooms Chatter

You hear the most amazing things in women's changing rooms!

I was trying on some clothes, obviously, when I overheard a couple of girls in the cubicle next to mine. To get the full picture you need to understand that I was in a lingerie shop...

One of the girls must have had a big night planned because she was saying she wanted something sexy, but easy to remove. At this I started to get the giggles. (*grin*)

A Good Investment Opportunity

I was searching ebay when I came across this. It would be a good investment for the future.

What Age Do You Act?




You Are 24 Years Old



20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.




Great! That was one of the best years of my life! Click the link above to find out your age!

Wednesday 14 December 2005

Christmas Melancholy

This will be my second Christmas since my Grandmother died from cancer, and it is affecting me more this year than it did last year. I think it's because I actually hated her for a while after she died because of the way she treated my mother towards the end, and so didn't affect me last year, but time is healing those feelings.

We didn't have the best relationship when I was younger; in fact she despised me almost as much as she despised my father. Thankfully this changed after my uncle intervened and we became closer.

I find myself constantly thinking of her at odd moments and wondering what she would make of the things happening in my life and what advice she would give me.

Saturday 10 December 2005

Work Christmas Party Shenanigans

I had an excellent time at my floor's Christmas party after work on Friday night! I had quite a number of drinks and even acquired a "husband".

The story starts with a colleague "Ace". From the moment he arrived, he had a young woman hanging around him, wanting his attention. He had told her that he was married with children, but this did not seem to deter her at all. At one point he and I were sitting, watching everyone else when she came over and started chatting to him again, wanting him to go on the dancefloor with her. He then introduced me as his "wife". Again, this did not deter her, and she continued trying to get him on to the dance floor.

He turned to me and asked, "Is it okay for me to go on the dance floor honey?" Not one to miss a trick, I responded, "Sure you can, sweetie." I was happy for him to go, but no, he dragged me along as well! Some time after this, I was on the dance floor with other colleagues - you know the feeling when you get the "evil eye"? Well, I was getting it from this girl, BIG TIME!

Again, later in the evening we were again sitting down when she came and joined us and must have asked him if he had proposed on bended knee. He responded that he had and that I didn't give him an answer for a week, after which he begged for an answer.

Now, I found this all highly amusing (*evil grin*) and found it hard to keep the smile off my face. My cheeks were sore from trying not to smile! Kudos to Ace!!

Thursday 8 December 2005

Medical Forms

I went to the dentist today. I'll admit it has been a while since I've been (a couple of years - bad Dette!) As it was a dentist I had not been to before, I had to fill out some forms. It asked the standard questions: name, address, phone number, date of birth, allergies, medications and medical conditions.

This was okay but then it asked for my occupation, name of employer, employer's address and phone number and also wanted to know which health fund I belong to! It's none of their business who I work for, it is not my employer paying for my dental work and it shouldn't make any difference which health fund I am with!

It seems that big brother is definietly watching!

Random Facts

I thought I would share a few of these with you:

  1. Because of the rotation of the earth, an object can be thrown further if it is thrown West.
  2. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up to the sky.
  3. A polar bear's skin is black, it's fur is not white but actually clear.
  4. Leonardo da Vinci invented scissors.
  5. Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.
  6. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.
  7. The average human body contains enough fat to make seven bars of soap.
  8. The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after only 38 minutes.
  9. Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2-6 years of age.
  10. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

Tuesday 6 December 2005

Things That Tick Me Off

  1. People who can't pronounce my name correctly after I have repeated it numerous times. (I want to slap you!)
  2. People who talk during movies. (especially teenage girls)
  3. People who chew food while talking to them on the phone.
  4. People who stand in the middle of the aisle/walkway so that you can not get around them.
  5. People who don't let you exit the train/lift before pushing their way in.
  6. Trains that should get you to work with plenty of time, stopping for over 10minutes because the train in front has yet to leave the platform.

I could go on and on, but thought I should limit myself, lest I end up on someone's blog as one of the things that ticks them off! :)

Sunday 4 December 2005

An Extra Long Weekend

I've been off work since Thursday, just so I could see the latest Harry Potter film. Sad isn't it? My logic was that I was always going to have the Thursday off to see it, so I may as well have the Friday off too.

I loved the film, but was disappointed that they weren't more true to the book about some things which I think will be important for the rest of the series. But that is just me.

Friday I partook in some retail therapy before coming home and dashing out for my work's building Christmas party (make sense?). The theme was Las Vegas, and boy, there were some brave women there! I was greeted in our basement by 3 lovely showgirls wearing full regalia (think Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality 2 in the Mini) and a full size roulette table.

I only stayed for 15 minutes until I could track down my workmate whom I'd planned on going with. It turns out that she was at the train station, just about to go home because I was running late (damn train). We ended up walking through David Jones & Myer to check out their Christmas displays - Myer wins hands down - on our way home.

On my way home I decided to treat myself to some Baskin Robbins ice-cream. I sat in my car at my local regional park and watched the kangaroos coming out to feed at dusk. It was extremely relaxing.

On Sunday I caught up with a friend for a pub lunch and a movie - Flightplan. Predictable, but good. I loved the previews! I want to see Memoirs of a Geisha and Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I think I'd like to read the books for both first before seeing them.
So, that was my weekend! Now I have to work up the enthusiasm for work tomorrow - yay work!

Saturday 3 December 2005

Starsign Versus Astrological Sign

Can anyone tell me the difference?

I've always believed that I am a Cancerian but Blogger is telling me that I am a Virgo. My birthday doesn't fall on the cusp, so I am confused.

Maybe it can sense my other personalities?

Wednesday 30 November 2005

Bouncy Castles Are Not Just For Children

I attended a workmate's 21st birthday on the weekend. I've been to a couple of their parties and they are always good fun. This year, she decided she wanted to have a bouncy castle.

It was good fun, being the sober and responsible one, watching all these people who were steadily increasing their alcohol consumption, jumping around on the castle. I had said from the beginning that I would not go on, considering I was wearing a skirt (albeit a long one), which I considered a smart move.

Later in the evening, I decided to sit on the bouncy castle as nobody else was on it, so I could sit on it in peace and not have people jumping around. This was all well and good for about 5 minutes. Everybody decided they wanted to get on, which was okay because I was sitting in the middle against the wall in a perfectly safe position, or so I thought...

After some time, everyone on the castle decided they wanted to be on my side. This caused the side I was sitting on to sink, becoming a black hole which you could not get out of and for other people to land on top of you, thus getting tangled legs and bodies. Remember, I was wearing a skirt!

One of the girls trapped next to me ended up with her knees either side of her head, and I was trying to help her but couldn't, because I was weak with laughter. Finally the people evened out to the other side of the castle and I was able to make my escape, never to return.

All in all it was a great night. Especially as I was stone cold sober and everybody else was, er, not. Plus I did not get home until 2.30am which I haven't done in ages.