Update

Instead of posting about the rest of my trip I'll just write a quick update in light of recent events. On the day that we first heard about the earth quake, we couldn't believe that it had happened. It either failed to set in or we just didn't want to believe that our dream holiday would be over.

It's now a few days later and the death toll from the Tsunami and quake has risen to 22,000. CNN reports of the loss and devastation and shows graphic pictures of bodies floating in the water yet to be collected. The Chinese newspapers are just as graphic posting faces of the dead.

We are very grateful that we weren't in Phuket when it happened but can't help feeling disappointed. We are planning to cancel the rest of the trip to Bangkok, Malaysia and Phuket but will need to confirm that our travel insurance will cover all the costs. The staff at STA travel have been absolute dickheads – basically telling us it's not their problem when we went to try change our flights. For each enquiry we wanted them to make on our behalf would cost us $100.00 AUD and take 4 days.

It's not the best time for us right now, but our relatives are keeping our spirits up.

Emily & Jacky in Tokyo

The post about Japan has been moved to my Travel Blog.

http://pickostravels.blogspot.com/

Up, Up and Away...

Hi all I'm at work right now, I stayed back till 8:00pm last night and feel like I haven't been home. I haven't had time to pack and have to be at the airport by 7:30 -8:00pm tonight my stress levels are through the roof and I'm still trying to close deals with my clients.

I doubt that I will be blogging over the next 4 weeks so a big thanks to all who visit my blog. Have a very Merry Christmas and a even better new year!

Japan, Hong kong, China, Bangkok, Malaysia, Phuket here I comeeee!

Hudson Christmas 2004

The 2004 Hudson Christmas Party was held at Cruise Bar Circular Quay. The Theme this year was Carnivale`!! Last year we had a cabret show, this year we had Brazilian Dancers in skimpy costumes and a capoeira dance performance.

The Costumes were excellent!! the alcohol was free and unlimited and the location was fantastic! I had the best night!! those who know me will also know that I rarely drink but when you work so hard you also play a bit harder.

I apologise to those who received weird phone calls from me late at night….I assure you that I wasn’t drunk (ok maybe I was)….but from what I gather I gave everyone a good laugh, and most of you won’t let me forget it any time soon. Fortunately there were no major dramas and I made it home safely in one piece (thanks for the lift Dazza).

I paid for it the next morning when I woke up with the worse hang over – I hadn’t experienced anything like this since back in the ‘Schoolies’ days. The light hurt my eyes and the room kept spinning even as I stood still. As a result I had to cancel my 10:30am appointment as there was no way that I could have driven myself there. I also became aware of the blisters on my feet, some had popped and it hurt. I hadn't noticed or felt them the night before, and had managed to dance the night away all in a brand new pair of high heels....yes...alcohol is an evil substance.

My head was still throbbing when I hobbled to work at the Sass and Bide warehouse sale later that afternoon. Despite the aching legs and arms, it was a great deal. For 5 and a half hours of folding, cleaning up and moving things around; I got 100 bucks and any 2 items of Sass and Bide clothing, cans of red bull and pizza for dinner.

Baku was really hectic today, the store was busy and the air con was pumping out warm air. Some of the customers smelt a bit funny and we ran out of packaging! I can’t believe that tomorrow is Monday; I haven’t even recovered from last week! Enough blogging I think I’ll go have a lie down now and catch up on the episodes of the Apprentice. Enjoy the photos!!

Ready to Drop

Hi Everyone,

I know it’s been ages since my last post but I’ve just been flat out! Work has really picked up and instead of a quiet wind down to 2004 I’ll be working right till I fly out. So here is what I have been up to/scheduled to do.

26/11/04 - Business Women’s Breakfast (Crown Plaza)
26/11/04 - Jacky’s mums birthday dinner
27/11/04 – Paula’s surprise party (engagement)
29/11/04 – KK Christmas dinner with the girls at Wildfire

3/12/04 Hudson X'mas Party 2004 @ Cruise Bar
04/12/04 – Working at the Sass and Bide warehouse sale
05/12/04 - Sarah’s farewell dinner
10/12/04 – Team X’mas lunch

12/12/04 - Dinner with Alex?
17/12/04 – Office X’mas lunch at Putney Park
17/12/04 – Fly out to Japan

Some of my recent highlights have included our Annual Kris Kringle Dinner at Wildfire in Circular Quay. We each had a budget of $100 -$150 but it was pretty obvious that everyone spent a lot more than that. There were some great gifts that were exchanged, handbags, swimsuits, shoes, jewellery and beautiful underwear sets. The location was lovely and it was great to finally try out such a famous restaurant. So what did I get? Well Lisa was my KK and I received a Hot Pink Sachi fold over clutch bag, a pink top and ceramic and teflon curling iron (which I later put to great use).

Also a Big Congratulations to Paula (who some of you may remember as my former assistant). Her Boyfriend Darren proposed in a Hot Air Balloon just over the Hunter Valley *how sweeet*.

2004

I worked a shift at Baku with a girl who I hadn’t seen for many months. When she saw me on Sunday she said that in 1 year I had ‘matured a lot’ and that I was different. I’d have to agree. Reading Matty’s recount of 2004 provoked a lot of thought about my own year.

I’d have to say this has probably been one of the toughest years to date. While I was still at uni, my biggest worry was finding a good job with decent pay. I’d whinge about life at Baku and watch TV all day long…..in retrospect life was pretty good.

2004 saw me propelled into the corporate world working for a large company, where deals are made quickly and you either succeed or fall flat on your face; there’s no in between and there’s no second chances. After a lot of hard work June proved to be a great month as I managed to bring in over $40k for the company. The managers were my best friend and the general manager congratulated me on a ‘sterling effort’. But when you do well, the bar is raised and higher expectations follow. How quickly managers change.

In the months that followed, I had to deal with clients that were racist, sexist, obnoxious and just plain rude. In the worst case scenario I had a client tell me that he ‘didn't want an Asian woman working for him’, his excuse? He didn’t want to offend their traditional Chinese values… funny, when the candidate wasn’t even Chinese.

Just when you think clients are bad you meet candidates who have quite possibly escaped from the mental asylum. Not showing up for interviews, pretending to have cancer and calling me at 2am in the morning to see if I received their resume. After telling one candidate to wear her best suit when meeting my client she turned up to the interview wearing pink ugg boots…go figure.

And just because you work your arse off to find jobs for people, doesn’t mean they appreciate it. Candidates use me to get pay rises off their boss and pull out on my role at the last minute; but hey, that’s all in a days work.

I am different. I don’t tolerate incompetence and I don’t trust people as easily. When I look in the mirror I feel like I have aged 40 years, I feel sad that I’m not as naive as I used to be. Ignorance is bliss.

I hit budget again last month and December is looking good. To be honest I’m over it! I’m tired, I really need a break. I need to find myself again and have a bit of fun.

Thank you for listening.

Happy Birthday to me...again

Got a nice suprise from the girls tonight, a big thank you for my birthday present! I love it!! I know it's a bit belated (seeing that my b'days in August) but you sure made up for it.

To the person who is my KK don't worry about buying me the bikini as i've ordered one in for myself. And to my KK a nice suprise will be coming your way soon....

Destiny's Child

The First time that they came I was in Hong Kong so I couldn't go. This time I'll be in Melbourne, and no I can't watch the show there because they fly into Melbourne the day I leave......spewin.

Idol Mania

TICKET CONFIRMATION

"Congratulations, your request for tickets to 'The McDonalds Unforgettable Outdoor Concert' to be held on the steps of the Sydney Opera House on 21st November 2004 has been successful.

Tickets and all relevant information will be forwarded to you today via Australia Post to the address you nominated on your application"

Won tickets to idol, not sure if I can go....

The Day After

The corporate challenge went really well yesterday, I made an effort to enjoy myself and power walked the 5.6km race in just under 55 minutes. Not bad considering that I’m a self confessed lazy ass. After the race I went to check out Patrick Rafter and hunt for food. My friend Betty took an extra wrist band from work and got me into the JP Morgan Marquee which was way better than ours. It didn't matter that I didn't know anyone because I kept myself busy by scoffing down their sandwiches, sushi, pizza and spring rolls.

There was an awkward moment when Betty pulled some big Aussie guy over and said ‘Hey Emily remember Doug from uni??’ I looked at him blankly and it was obvious that neither of us had a clue who the other was despite spending 3 years in the same classes.

Jacky being the Prince Charming that he is, picked us all up and gave us a lift home leaving us to live happily ever after ….. That was until I woke up this morning … it hurt to roll over in bed and I experienced pain and aches in places I didn't know I had muscles. I wish I brought my camera but my company might release some pics at a later date.

My Hi Fi broke. This is Jacky’s attempt to fix it, it’s been sitting on my desk for 2 weeks.

My latest ebay purchase -More Lancome Juicy Tubes, I love this stuff!

Congrats to Luke who bought his first property last night!!

Don't stop till you drop

I’m doing the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge today, a 5km run (or slow jog in my case) with all the proceeds going to Patrick Rafter’s Cherish the Children Foundation. Why I signed up I’m not too sure… I never exercise and I’m rather lazy. It may have been the incentive to get off work early, doing a good deed for charity, or Betty’s threats to inflict great pain on me if I didn’t do it.

While I’m running my thoughts will definitely be with my work buddy Luke, who is going to an auction to buy his first property. He’s only 23 and has travelled all over Europe, lived in Norway for a year, has nearly completed his degree and has managed to save enough to buy his own place. The auction starts at 7pm - fingers crossed.

In other exciting news my Assistant Emma has gotten engaged to her long term boyfriend Darren, Congratulations Emma!!

I know this post is all over the place, but i'll fix it up when I get home.

Vote!

Hi peoples need a new bikini for Thailand and came across this Paul Frank one, help me decide between the dark pink or the blue? Vote in the comments below.

Shall we dance?

After work yesterday a few of the girls and myself met up at Betty & Lisa’s house to Brain storm for a certain some ones farewell gift. Roula dropped by looking stunning as usual making me aware of how frumpy I was looking these days (note to self - must do something about that).

I was some how later dragged to the cinemas to watch Shall we Dance? starring Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon. I found the movie to be really cheesy and cringed when Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon started making out. The other girls seemed to enjoy it, but I wouldn’t recommend paying $14.50 to see it – just wait for the DVD.

------------------------------

So who’s the woman/man of your dreams? – I got Brad Pitt!

http://www.magnum7sins.com/theSun/ddate.html

------------------------------

An interesting breakdown of the results of the US election, note the IQ levels. http://img125.exs.cx/img125/6640/2004election_by_iq.jpg

Getting to know me

I was reading back on some old emails and came across a survey that my friend had sent to me ages ago. I'm sure that you have all filled one out one time or another, here goes...

1. What time is it? Thursday 8:30pm

2. Name as it appears on your birth certificate? It’s actually all written in Chinese.

3. Nicknames: in primary school it was ‘M&Ms’, high school ‘EmChong’ and these days I seem to be known around the office as ‘Chongie’. On the net I tend to go by the nick of PiCkLeS or Pickos it all started off as a bit of a joke but stuck.

4. Parent's names: Daisy and Phillip

5. Number of candles that appeared on your last Birthday cake? Actually I think that everyone forgot to buy candles so I had like 1? But to answer the question I’m 23 this year.

6. Date that you regularly blow them out: 28th August

7. Pets: I don’t currently have any due to the hours I spend at work, but I have been seriously thinking about buying a goldfish! I’m a big animal lover and in my life time I’ve had 6 guniea pigs. If I ever move to a house I’ll but a dog.

8. Height: I haven’t actually measured myself in years, but from memory I’m just under 170cm.

9. Eye colour: dark brown

10. Hair colour: black

11. National Heritage: Born in Hong Kong and came to Australia when I was about 2.

12. Tattoos: I’ve actually always wanted one but mum would get really upset.

13. How much do you love your job?

Hudson – it’s a tough job and I’ve really had to step out of my comfort zone and grow balls. Despite the hard times I really like what I do, but I wish the hours weren’t so long.

Baku - I get to design jewellery and get nice discounts, my boss pretty much lets me do what I want.

14. Birthplace: Ngau Tau Kok (HK)

15. Hometown: Sydney, Australia

16. Current Residence: ditto

17. where would you like to live? New York or Canada

18. Where have you visited?

Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Vegas, LA, New York, Toronto, Ottawa, Niagara Falls, London, Paris, Bangkok, Pattaya. This year I’ll be adding Tokyo, Malaysia and Phuket to my list.

19. Where would you really like to go? Other parts of Europe

20. Been drunk? Twice

21. What’s something that we don’t know about you?

I’m very good at scrap booking! But it’s very time consuming so I don’t get the chance to do it much these days. It’s been over a year since graduation and I still haven’t done the album.

22. Been in a car crash? Yes

23. Croutons or Bacon bits: Croutons I guess

24. Coke or Pepsi? Coke

25. 2 doors or 4 (on a car): my car has 2 but I don’t really care.

26. Coffee or Coffee Ice cream: coffee gives me a good caffeine fix in the mornings.

27. Blanket or Stuffed Animal: My old dressing gown

28. Dumper or Dumped: neither

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE....

29. Salad Dressing: Paul Newman’s Balsamic Vinegar

30. Colour: Blue!

31. Number: 8 – not because it’s the Asian thing but I was Born on the 28/08/81 and it seems to pop up in my life a lot.

32. Movie: gosh that’s a hard one, I can’t possibly choose.

33. Quote: it's stuck on my desk at work - I don't know it off by heart.

34. Favourite Holiday: Christmas – although any time off is a bonus

35. Foods: anything that isn't low fat or diet!

36. Day of the week: Saturdays!!

37. TV show: I love all the Crime shows! CSI, Law and Order, The real world and Sex in the City.

38. Word or phrase: A really high pitched “Brilliant”

39. Toothpaste: I really I don’t care

40. Restaurant: depends on the weather and my mood

41. Least Favourite Subject: I didn't really like maths in highschool

42. Alcoholic Drink: Cocktails or Baileys and milk

43. Sport to watch: Basketball and Swimming

44. Type of Ice: frozen's always good

45. Zoo Exhibit: I love the zoo - I don't like the snakes

46. Sesame Street Character: Ernie

47. Fast Food Restaurant: KFC

RANDOM QUESTIONS

48. When was your last hospital visit? Don’t recall

49. Favourite drink? Lemon lime bitters (if non alcoholic)

50. What colour is your bedroom's carpet? Grey

51. What do you think of Ouija boards? Hehhehe we had our fun

52. Where do you see yourself in 10 yrs? I would like to get really good at what I do, have a house and most probably married with great abs.

53. Obsessions: ebay

54. What time is it now? 10:00pm

Melbourne Cup

I just lost all my money!
Placed a bet for Vinnie Roe to win due to the wet weather - lost my money there.
Placed a bet for Distinction to win (no idea why) - lost my money there.
Got Roman Arch in the office sweepstake (lucky draw) - didn't turn out to be very lucky.

Oh well, got to be in it to win it!

Almustafa

I found myself back at Almustafa's last night and had an even better night than the first time. It turned out that we knew the son of the owner of the Restaurant and didn't have to pay for any of the drinks - bonus!

I'm still waiting for my 3 purchases off ebay to arrive - the waiting makes me nervous, I hope it arrives this week.

Chinese Whispers Gone Wrong

It’s amazing what a bit of positive thinking can do; I can either keep feeling sorry for myself or make the best out of a bad situation. The weather has played a big part in my turn around - summer is well and truly here and in 2 months time Jacky and I will be flying out for our second adventure.

I can honestly say that I am bursting with excitement and anticipation. Unlike last time I know exactly what to expect and the nerves and anxiousness that I felt leading up to my first world trip is non-existent. This time round the Australian dollar is a lot stronger and unlike last time we are going to live it up a little. At Phuket we have decided to stay at a 5 star day spa resort, it’s costing an arm and leg but a nice reward after working so hard. The itinerary is now:

Japan (Tokyo)--> Hong Kong -->China --> Bangkok --> Malaysia --> Phuket

Depending on Jacky’s work situation next year we might go to the States and Canada again or possibly visit other parts of Europe.

In other news, I had the strangest conversation with my friend today. My very excited friend congratulated me on my recent engagement! This was a big surprise, as I didn’t even know that I was engaged. I took another look at my finger and sure enough my wedding finger was still pretty empty looking – with no big rock in sight.

I questioned my friend on where she had heard this bizarre news and apparently ‘everyone knows!’ – the gossip had originated from a friend of mine who had heard it from a friend of a friend of Jacky’s? I assured my friend that NO I was not engaged, and that there were NO wedding bells in sight! if there were any, she would be one of the first people to know.

She then proceeded to panic thinking that she had spoilt a surprise that Jacky may have planned, I then had to reassure her that Jacky could hardly pay for the trip not to mention an engagement ring; to which she responded ‘What if he won lotto!?!’ Now if Jacky had won lotto, he wouldn’t still be working 2 jobs and waking up at 4am to go to work.

So for the record – NO I am not engaged, I have never been engaged and to those people who were offended that I didn’t inform them of my engagement – Don’t be!

How good was Anthony on idol tonight!!

Deana's Farewell

Dee's parents own an apartment at the toaster right on the water over looking the Bridge the view is amazing! It's empty most of the time, it's there in case anyone has to stay out late in the city or have drunken too much to drive home.

It's also a great place for parties! Seeing that Dee is taking a career break to travel around Europe and Chris and Nat are being sent to the States (paid for by the Uni for their PhD research) we all got together to have a big girls night in. This comprised of many Jelly shots, fairy bread, chips, pizza, lollies and DVDs.

Here's to a great night!

Bells are in the air

I haven’t posted in a while; there’s always so much I want to tell but after sitting in front of a computer at work all day the last thing that I want to do when I get home is to sit at the computer some more. I’ve also been feeling a bit embarrassed, it’s probably really silly but it was brought on when I noticed people commenting on my blogs – people that I didn't know. I started worrying that people would laugh at what a boring life I lead or at the ‘childish’ manner in which I write. But at the same time I do feel flattered that people would even bother visiting this site and taking time to read what I have to say.

On a totally different note it would seem that everyone is getting married! In my office 3 people have tied the knot in the past few weeks and my cousin is getting married in a week and a half. I'm so disappointed that I'll miss out on going- I LOVE weddings! he lives & works in HK but with my trip at the end of the year I don't have annual leave to spare. It’s such an exciting time, but the stress that you watch them go through makes you wonder at times. One girl had 600 people at her reception….600 people at $100 per head - over half the people she didn't know.

time for CSI gotta run!

And then!??!

So what did I end up doing?

Well I felt pretty lousy for the rest of the day so I sent over an email apologising – it had sounded worse than I had intended. and never meant to hurt her feelings. Due to my outlook tracking function, I knew that she read my email at 11:45am but did not reply and pretty much ignored me for the rest of the day.

I felt horrible! Guilty, and was distracted for the rest of the day. The people from my team said I've never said a bad word about anyone and that really the other manager should just get over it, after all I was just being honest. They were totally against me approaching her to apologise any further. But I was genuinely sorry; if I were in her shoes I’d be very hurt with what I said and I didn’t want things to be awkward.

After work I waited till most people left and went up to apologise in person. As expected she put on a big (possibly fake) smile and said that it was perfectly alright and that she had forgotten already. She said that she saw my email and had meant to reply but forgot.

To get an idea of what she is like, she can be described as the eccentric type. She’s Australian with bright orange hair and married to a Malaysian. She speaks fluent Hindi and is convinced that she was Indian in her past life, thus regular trips back to India to be in touch with her 'heritage'. She really looks out for her team and is not as nice to those that aren’t in her team. but hey I’m just glad things are sorted…so I hope.

*Choke* *Choke*

You know those moments where you wished you could dig a hole and jump in and die! Well if I could right now I would!

One of the girls came by and said – “someone’s painted the office toilets pink and green over the weekend and it looks really bad, go have a look”. I went to have a look and yes it was really bad.

So I came back out and I said to my friend, “Omg it looks so tacky that I could have done a better job!” thinking that we had paid professional people to do this.

As I sat back down at my desk I get emails from the office support team telling me that their manager who sat next to my friend had come in on the weekend and painted the toilets herself (who does that!). I feel so terrible; I’m trying to work out what to do now because I know she heard me, and that she’s upset (as you would be). I quickly rang my manager for advice who tells me to go say sorry in person. Whilst people from office support said that confronting her in person is a definite no no. They said it would be much better to write an email of apology so as to not blow things up unnecessarily. Not sure what to do yet.

Digging Holes

I was discussing an issue with my manager Reena when my work phone rings – on the end of the other line was my Head Manager Neil who whispers to me ‘when are you going to get the cake and flowers??’ I had a moment where I panicked a bit, thinking that I had forgotten to organise cake and flowers for someone.

I looked over to Neil’s desk and said ‘sorry I don’t know what you are talking about’ …long pause...Neil then replies ‘Sorry I was meant to call Emma’ (Emma is my secretary).

It finally hit me that Neil had called Emma to organise cake and flowers for me for my birthday but had called the wrong ‘Em’ and ruined the surprise! Boy did my team members give it to him!

Hip Hip Hoorayyyy

I must say Birthdays are always fun especially when it’s your own. Whilst my actual birth day was yesterday the celebrations had begun a few days before. On Thursday my team took me to lunch at La Bella Vista where a man with the biggest harp I’ve ever seen serenaded me with ‘A song for lovers’ – what this had to do with my birthday I’m not too sure, but it was very nice all the same.

Later that night I met up with Caroline, Jill and Rodna for some fresh Italian Pizza. Caroline and Jill just came back from a 2 week ski trip to New Zealand and had some great stories to share. Rodna on the other hand is about to leave for Europe and we all wished that we were going with her too.

I just wanted to give a big thank you to everyone that sent me sms messages, emails and well wishes. You all made my day great and I’m just really lucky to have such a supportive and loyal bunch of friends. To those that were at Signatures last night, don’t forget to check out the pics.

Things could be worse..

Just when things get tough you hear about something horrible happening and you realise how lucky you are. I received an email from my friend who wanted to let me know that my friend B* was very upset. She explained:

‘B* was on a work cruise with the social committee at JP Morgan. She was with a group from work which included this guy from Pakistan. Anyhow just b4 the boat docked the people working on the boat opened the door at the side and the boat was all rocky....B* and her group were standing near the door and the Paki guy fell out. They couldn't find his body for 1 hr....he drowned...B* had to give statements and stuff. She was freaked all weekend because she watched as he fell and he was looking right at her trying to grab on to something......he was 26 and his family are back in Pakistan!!’

How horrible…………..

_____________________________________________________

Some one broke into our offices last night, they stole all the petty cash, the money from the poor box and went through everyones draws. I came into work this morning and my desk was all messy (but then again that’s how it always looks =P). I think they may have taken my movie vouchers but I forgot about them till now. You feel so invaded.

Thinking the worst

In order to save $12 each day I meet up with two of my work buddies at a free car park and we walk together to work. I generally get there first and I’ll sit there listening to the radio until everyone else arrives.

This morning this guy parks opposite me and kept staring at me for ages, making me feel really uncomfortable. I just assumed he was another weirdo and must have given him the biggest dirties. Not knowing where to look, I pretended to play with my digital camera and was scared half to death when he came right up to my car and started knocking on my window.

Turns out that he wanted to let me know that I had left my headlights on; I thanked him for telling me and wished him a good day. It was such a nice thing for a total stranger to do, and I felt so horrible for thinking the worst of him.

Oldie but a Goodie

A man takes his Rottweiler to the vet and says, "My dog's cross-eyed,

is there anything you can do for him? "

"Well," says the vet, "let's have a look at him"

So he picks the dog up and examines his eyes, then checks his teeth.

Finally, he says "I'm going to have to put him down."

"What? Because he's cross-eyed?"

"No, because he's really heavy"

Bliss

I was really really spoilt today! For my birthday last year Alex bought me a voucher for a 1 hour full body massage and pedicure at Escape Day Spa in Bondi. It was just fantastic! I’ve never been so pampered and I now have the cutest looking toes in ‘Moulin Rouge Pink’.

I was a bit nervous at first because you have to remove all clothing except your undies. You are put in this really nice room where the lights are dimmed lavender oil is burning and relaxation music is playing in the background. Once they lifted the towel off my back I felt extremely exposed – but slowly the masseuse worked her magic.

Big thanks to Alex for such a great present! Also to Jacky for taking me there and sitting in the car outside and waiting for me for 2 hours.

I am a lucky girl...

Idol Mania

I’m a very big fan of idol Australian Idol, American Idol, I even download all the episodes of Canadian Idol. Last nights episode was fantastic! And it’s a pity that some of them will have to go. My pick for the night Courtney, Chanel and then a toss up between Prinnie and Anthony.

Queer Eye for Emily Would be Nice

This is only one section all my dolls, I have so many I don't know what to do with them all. I can't bear to part with them but I don't think that my room reflects how I feel at this point in time. Jacky is band from buying me any dolls/toys, I'm in need of a room make over!

Too many toys

Quote of the Week

'My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others. That is nice but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success'.

- Helen Hayes -

Beer for lunch

I’ve just returned from the farewell lunch – had a few drinks and I feel a bit light headed and happy. I hope no one notices me for the rest of the afternoon.

Sheer Vanity

It’s only Tuesday and I am just really over this week, it must be the gloomy weather. Everyone has returned from the weekend with a new and crazy haircut, one lady’s hair went from dark brown to fire engine red.

On another note, for those who watched big brother recently you may have noticed Monica’s fluoro teeth. She had mentioned that she achieved this result by using the White strips you stick on your teeth. So, out or boredom or sheer insanity Jacky and I went out to buy a box each.  It’s a 2-week program where you leave the strips on twice a day for half an hour. After the two weeks your teeth may be lightened by up to 5 shades!
 It’s my second day today – it tastes horrible and I leave it on while I drive to work. I have yet to see any dramatic difference but it is still early days. I will keep you posted.

-=BoOst=-

It was 'Emily' day at Boost Juice today, I got my free smoothie and I am a happy girl!

Travel Blog

Hello Everyone!

 

I was deleting a lot of my old emails over the weekend and noticed that I had sent out alot of emails detailing my trip while I was away. In addition I would often just write diary entries in my email and save them as drafts. It seemed like such a pity to have them sit in my inbox all this time with no one to share them with.

 

So if anyone is interested, feel free to take a look at my travel blog (I think that I originally got this idea from Christine - thanks Christine) . I've also incuded some recent emails sent to me by my friends while they are overseas.

 

Be warned that I have posted the entries exactly as they were written so please excuse the childish language from the earlier posts.

 

http://pickostravels.blogspot.com

 

Happy Reading

 

Em

Cook Up

Some international make up artists for Laura Mercier were doing some make up consultations at Myer at Bondi. So Betty booked us in for a bit of fun. For those who know me, I don’t usually use much make up and I have always held the opinion that non-asians can not do Asian make up as well. After the consultation I came home with eyebrows that were 1 inch thick X_x overall my friends seemed to think that I looked really good and that the look was for me…but if I needed to spend that long each day to achieve ‘the look’ – no thanks.

We spent the rest of the day food shopping and buying what we needed for the night. Check out the pics here

A weekend of good byes..

This week was a rather sad week filled with good byes and well wishes. My secretary Paula resign and will be starting as the national training coordinator for a major pharmaceutical company. I knew that this was something that she wanted for a long time and I feel so happy that she finally got it. But the selfish me is absolutely devastated! I have no idea what I will do without her. Not only am I losing an extremely valuable team member I’m losing a really good friend.

Thankyou so much Paula for everything that you have done for me, your help, patience, support and friendship has been greatly appreciated.




I also went to the farewell party of my good mates Sam and Vivian; they are off to travel around Europe and to live in London for at least 2 years. I’m going to miss Sam so much! Back in high school we did the same subjects and in uni we studied the same degree and dreamt the same dreams. At parties we would rock up wearing exactly the same thing. We even joked that one day we would end up working for the same company.

But she’s off in just under a week and I’m so excited for her. Having travelled to London and parts of Europe myself my heart longs to do the same. It so funny to see how everyone has grown up and the choices we all make. She’s going to have a great time and I can’t wait till I start hearing about her adventures.

Drink up

Went to my friend’s graduation dinner at the Lowenbrau Keller at the Rocks and managed to catch up with old friends. The restaurant is great fun and the beers are huge, a great night was enjoyed by all. Congrats Nico!

Minties Moment

I was at my friend’s dad’s 50th so you can imagine it was a room full of older people. I fill my plate up with food and park my bum on a seat nearby ready to eat the night away. The guy next to me decides to be friendly and strikes up a conversation with me:

Guy next to me: “So what do you do for a living?”

Me: “Well on weekends I manage a chain of jewellery shops and on week days I work for Hudson”.

Guy next to me: “Hudson aye… are you enjoying it?”

Me: “Well I recruit Accountants and you know what THAT’S like, with Accountants being the most interesting people on earth” *rolling my eyes sarcastically*

Guy next to me: “So you must know Alana, she’s from your city office?.. She placed me in my current role at Westpac; I’m an Accounting analyst there. Alana’s always calling me up to see if I need staff”.

Great! He was an Accountant and a client – if my fist could fit into my mouth I would have eaten it.

Mirror Mirror on the wall..

I’ve been itching to see this particular fortune teller. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an extremely superstitious person but a few of my friends and workmates went to see her in December last year and I have slowly seen her predictions fall into place. All a bit of a coincidence? Quiet possibly …but one has just got to wonder sometimes.

The last time I had my fortune told was in Paris 2003, not by a fortune teller but by a family friend who believed that she had psychic abilities. She predicted that I would find a good job, that Jacky and I will end up together and that I would have one child somewhere down the track. Upon hearing this I was rather upset, I’ve always wanted at least two kids because one just seems so little. I’ve always loved having heaps of cousins and visiting family, watching families shrink is rather sad.

She told me that having that child will be such a strain on me physically that it may be dangerous to have another. If I really wanted more, it would be up to me now to exercise and build my strength – this I have taken to heart.

Other predictions that did not quiet come true was that I would reconnect with an old friend who would be the one to find me my job? And that I had to be very careful of someone close to me as they were jealous of the relationship that Jacky and I had and they would hurt me in some way. I just refuse to believe that bit, if I let a person close to me it’s because I trust them completely and they have earned my trust. I just feel so blessed with the group of friends that I have now, that I couldn’t imagine begin suspicious or thinking ill of them.

I guess fortune telling can be a dangerous thing, as much as you say that you won’t take things to heart I think subconsciously when things aren’t going well and your morale is low you find something to blame it on.

So, shall I? Or shall I not?

Hubba Hubba

Finally went to see Troy – I just can’t get over how sexy Brad Pitt is!! Poor Jacky, he’s been stuck with me going on and on and on about Brad Pitt since the car ride home.

Dramas

When I was younger I was in a bad car accident so ever since then I had no particular desire to learn how to drive and avoided having to get my license till it became absolutely necessary. I also met Jacky when I was just turned 17 and for the next 5 yrs he would drop me off and pick me up to where ever I had to go.

It wasn’t till last month at age 22 that I finally decided to go for my license - I hate driving and I only drive because I have to visit clients. Some people see getting their license as independence, but I would be quite content to just be driven around forever (I wish!).

So I’m the first to admit that I’m not the most confident driver in the world and a pretty appalling parker, which leads to the story that I am about to tell.

There I was at 7:45am attempting to reverse park into this really tight space, the alternative was to pay $12 for parking in the car park next door. Everything seemed to be going well until I hear this ‘scrappppppe’, my heart sank – the kerb had popped out, out of nowhere and crashed into me! … ok that’s not quite how it happened and I really only scratched one of my rims.

But when you do something like scratch your car it hurts; so after finishing the park I came out to inspect the damage, it wasn’t too bad but I know it’s there. The worst moment was when I looked into the coffee shop window across the street and what do I see? 2 cops absolutely pissing themselves laughing and pointing at me! It was one of those ‘dig a hole and bury yourself in it’ moments.

Back at the office my colleague Michael asks me what was with my glum face to which i explain that I was laughed and pointed at by two policemen. It just so happens that Michael was in the coffee shop and had heard the policeman laughing and telling the rest of the coffee shop to have a look. One of the policemen was actually the deputy police commissioner.

*hmpf!*

I actually had more to add to this particular entry, but while writing this up at home last night my suburb blacked out and my computer shut down. When the power came back on 2 hours later I hear a ‘Poof!’ noise and see smoke coming out of my computer tower. In a state of panic and shock I realised that my tower was on fire, I frantically pulled the cords out of the tower as throwing water around electrical cords was not really an option.

So Jacky’s going come check the damage tonight, I pray that it’s not a total loss and that my hard drives were resilient. Otherwise I stand to lose 7 years of accumulated stuff and my new 120 gig hard drive that was installed the day before.

Signed and Sealed

Trip has been booked, deposit paid.

Japan --> Hong Kong --> China --> Bangkok --> Phuket --> Bangkok --> Sydney

Freeze!

I’m at work at Baku right now and I just caught a robber! Well sort of…
I popped out of the store to buy a bottle of water and left the new girl there for no more than 3mins. When I came back there was this big lebbo guy looking at our earrings which is all fine, but I could have sworn that at some point he had 3 pairs of earrings in his hand only to see his hands empty when he turned around.

So as he was leaving the store I asked him whether he was going to pay for the earrings that he had just placed in his pocket? He just stood there and looked at me stumped! When he finally managed to process that he had actually been caught he grabbed them out of his pocket threw them at me and ran off.

So I went down to the security office to give a description of the guy incase he went to other stores, only to be told off for not pressing the panic button. The last time anyone tried that method security took too long to get here…just picture the Baywatch run but of guys in security suits trying to look important – the culprit was long gone.

So that’s my bit of excitement for a Sunday – oOOoOOo just saw some security guy running past my store looking very important with his hand on his ear piece…think I will go have a sticky beak.

Hello All..

It’s a funny thing with blogs, if you don’t write everyday then you begin to lose track of what you want to say. So much happens and you reach a stage where you don’t know where to start.

It’s been 1 month since I last blogged and doesn’t time fly, it’s been 4 weeks of extreme highs and extreme lows. My lowest point saw me suffering from emotional burn out - 2 jobs, long hours and managers who push and push. I found my self sitting in the car after work one night where I just cried and cried …..I’m glad I got that out of my system, on with life it is.

I’ve never been one to shy away from hard work, I’m extremely goal orientated and I have a lot that I want to achieve before I reach 25. But when you suddenly find that your whole life evolves around work and things like eating properly take second place, you know its time to take a step back. It’s so hard for me to tell myself that its ok to slow down (and by the way if you know of any good A+ assistant accountants, let me know).

I’m blessed to have such a great relationship with Jacky. He’s my rock when everything is a buzz, we compliment each other well. We celebrated our 5 year and 11 month anniversary yesterday, he surprised me by driving all the way out to have lunch with me, a neatly wrapped present in his hand...I’m a lucky girl.

-----------------------------------------------

Although the Sass&Bide warehouse sale starts today, I managed to get my name on the VIP list for last night and walked into a war zone!

I was in shock in the communal change room as I had never seen so many semi naked people in my life! It was quite funny to watch girls walk around in g-strings trying to cram their bottoms into jeans that are obviously one size too small. However I did score myself a new pair of jeans for half the price! – I shall make this an annual event.

Busy as a Bee

This week was one of endings and new beginnings, after an 18 yr relationship with the Commonwealth bank I went in today and closed my award saver, my savings and my credit card accounts. Ever since I stopped studying the bank has just hit me with bank fee after bank fee and is also changing their award point structure for their credit cards, there’s simply just better deals elsewhere. Makes me kind of sad though I think I opened the account with $1 and was given a Dollarmite pencil case and money box.... ahhh the good old days..
--------------------------------------------

When I first started with Hudson there were 3 others that started around the same time as me. My 3 month probation ended at the beginning of March and I didn’t really think much about it. On Wednesday night one of the other new starters had to meet with the managers for their 3 month review. While he was in the meeting the rest of the team was pulled into a room for a ‘meeting’ we later found out that my colleague had been given the sack – while he was a great guy he just wasn’t cut out for recruitment. As we were being told this news he was at his desk gathering his things and was given the dignity to not have to look us all in the eye.

Once he had left we were allowed back to the office, it was such a sad day for the team. It was so sudden, one minute he was there and next he wasn’t without any goodbyes. I’ve never seen this happen before (I mean sure we lost Baku girls all the time, but retail is really quite different) and it makes you feel weird and empty in the stomach. There is probably no easy way to do something like this, but ‘great guy’ aside it I must say I agree with my manager’s decision

The worst of it was when I was told to follow up on all the things he had been working on. I wasn’t even over losing him yet to have to go through all his notes and desk. He left so much of his stuff…I wanted to pack it all up to give back to him, but then thought maybe he didn’t want it.

---------------------------------------------
A lot of people ask me ‘So what do you do Emily?’ and they have no idea what recruitment specialists do. But here is an example of a run down of my day…

7:50am – I usually rock up at work at about this time, grab some breakfast from the kitchen and log into my outlook and Epro to check my events and messages for the day. My mail box is usually flooded with messages of people to call people back, and updated resumes of candidates which I have to screen and send back out to the database people in the city.

8:00 - 8:30am – I call a few of my potential candidates and attempt to catch them before they head off to work, while simultaneously surfing competitors websites and Seek to suss out any opportunities that may be out there.

8:30 – 9:00am – Meeting with the non-exec team to discuss market information and talk about great candidates we have interviewed recently. We go through what jobs we have on, and discuss a plan of attack for the day.

9:00 – 11:00am – A big part of my job is to maintain and build on relationships that I have with existing and new clients. I spend this time making my relationship calls to check on their needs and tell them of great candidates that have come onto the market place. I also find companies which I would like to target and do business with, and find out relevant contacts within that company. I may drop off information packs, get my secretary to send out mailers, or I may drive out to drop off stress balls and Easter eggs.

11:00 – 11:15am – Leaving to go on a client visit out at Boral in 15 minutes, I have a few jobs on and need to send out a shortlist to my client by this afternoon. I send the resumes over to my Team co-ordinator and tell her to have them done for me by 2pm. In the meantime I research the company that I am visiting and see who they have dealt with in the past…off I run.

11:15 – 12:30pm – Client visit at Boral, got lost on the way…thank goodness for my company mobile! (or my phone bill would sky rocket) I ring my secretary for directions. Arrive at Boral, get a tour of their offices; met with my client and got the names of other potential contacts. Managed to get a real feel for the company and made a mental note of the type of people that would fit in well in this type of working environment. Stopped to say hi to the people that we have placed there, made sure that all is going well.

12:30 – 1:30pm – Lunch time is any time between 12 and 2, if I have time I will take it, if not I will grab something from the shop and eat it at my desk and have the people from office support tell me off for not having lunch with them again. Over lunch I try reply to some of my emails, do some candidate calls and leave messages for others. I take a look at the ad response for my Assistant accountant job that I put up on the internet and action the ones that I think are not suitable. I find a few good resumes and give them a call to touch base. I arrange interviews for the ones that I think are good.

1:45 -2:30pm – Have to interview a candidate that I booked in a few days ago, looks good on paper and had some good systems experience. Will see how they present in person and manage their expectations as the price that they are aiming for is a bit unrealistic for the market today – interview complete will put them on excel and data entry testing.

2:30 – 3:00pm – Come back to my desk tell my team that I have met a great candidate, arrange for my colleagues to meet with them when they have finished their testing. In the meantime I email the accounting teams in our other offices to let them know this candidate is on the market. I type up my interview notes and add my personal comments then post it to our database. Will also put a time in my diary to remind my self to reference check this person.

3:00 – 4:00pm – Back at my desk my TC has finished the candidate reports, I have to finish writing my recommendations and draft an email to my client…. eEek! It’s 4pm and I haven’t sent the shortlist yet, I panic a bit a run to my colleague Reena to ask for advice. My client is a difficult one and I feel a bit intimidated by her. Reena (my mentor) who use to be a lawyer for PWC tells me to relax and coaches me on what to say. She makes a few calls to difficult clients herself and I regain my confidence as I watch her do her magic.

4:00 - 4:30pm – Send out my shortlist and call my client to see what she thought of the previous candidates and whether she wants to interview any of them herself. She is quite adamant that the person she wants must be degree qualified. I advise that for that price it’s hard to attract candidates at that level, she agrees to up the salary to $50, 000….score!

4:30 – 5:00pm - Most businesses close at 5pm so I make more client calls to arrange visits for the next couple of months. I get rejected a few times but I will persist.

5:00-6:00pm – I search on the database for suitable candidates around the $50k mark; I also have a few other jobs on and will need to find people to shortlist and make more candidate calls to see if they are available.

6:00 pm – make a run for the train!! (or if my managers around I will scab a lift to the city).

So yeh, that’s an example of one of my days at work, no two days are ever the same…if I want to be out of the office I will arrange more visits. I work with and meet the greatest people! I am challenged every day and as you can imagine things can get pretty hetic! But professionally and personally I have developed a great deal and I feel so confident in my ability…that if I were to walk away from this job tomorrow I would have learnt enough from this experience to see it all as a positive.

After the Easter holidays the company is sending me to do some course that teaches me the skills to handle different people and to believe in what I do for a living…. Should be good… I also met with HR recently who said that the company would pay for my Masters if I chose to do so, but I don’t even have time to sleep at the moment, I don’t really think I have a desire or time to do my Masters.
After all...I aspire to be a house wife oneday! =P

Athens 2004

I can’t bear to watch the swimming! every time I see it I just remember that Ian Thorpe isn’t going to be swimming to defend his 400m title at the Olympics. Yes I know rules are rules but it’s that sick feeling you get in the pit of your stomach.

Ian Thorpe actually lives down my way and I use to see him at Lonestar now and then but I always felt too rude to go ask for an autograph. I would then watch and follow him on TV and ended up feeling like I knew the guy! Silly isn’t it.

Went out with a bunch of friends to have dinner last night and had the best time, with everyone working full time now,it’s a great opportunity to all catch up. We finished the night off at Sarah’s house and we baked her mum a birthday cake, looked and tasted pretty nice!

Counting Down

Happy 5 years and 9 months anniversary Jacky!

Good Morning Hudson this is Emily Speaking..

These last two weeks has been a big turning point in my work life and it's been extremely productive. We’ve had a city manager come in to fill my manager’s position while he’s he gone on the mass recruitment drive for our company in the UK. Her presence has made a world of a difference and has given me a lot more structure and direction. I’ve come to realise that I really need to create the opportunities for myself and not worry about what everyone else is doing. Work has suddenly become that much more interesting and challenging.

……………………………….

On Saturday we all went to Mythos at Leichart for Kat’s birthday. That restaurant is absolutely crazy!! We had the wildest time, belly dancers, brazilian dancers in g-strings not to mention a room filled with good looking people! The food was alright too, it’s a set menu and is probably a bit pricy but the atmosphere is well worth it. Everyone has been asking me for the picture and I promise to get them up as soon as I get the chance.

Oh just wanted to throw in...Alex you're a dogass...

Tick Tock..

This week was extremely hectic! I’m at a point where I’m mentally and physically drained. Client visits, interviews, active jobs and the Hudson report to top it all off. However I am please to announce that I’ve placed my first internet ad (it appears on all the major job search sites), I’m sure the novelty of it will wear off once it becomes a common thing but I was rather excited all the same.

Life has really changed and I value my time so much more, simply because it seems to fly right by. I never seem to have enough time to pursue my own hobbies or to just relax. So I began to break up my week and see how my time was spent:

In 1 week we have 168 hours
57 hours I spend at work (Hudson and Baku)
13.5 hours is spent travelling to my work places.
3 hours is spent getting ready for work (takes me about half an hour each day)
56 hours on average I spend sleeping (I try to get 8 hours, although some days is less)

So I am left with 38.5 hours which includes Saturday (it is my only day off) to do my own things. If I minus the hours from Saturday, then each day I’m left with about 4.4 hours of personal time. Within these 4.4 hours I must eat dinner, have a shower, clean my room (yes I am a clean freak) and find time for family, friends and Jacky.

No wonder I feel a little burnt out! I’d love to have Sundays off too, but I really want to save for a house deposit and go on a 2nd world trip, it’s a sacrifice I am willing to make. Jacky’s been very supportive as usual he’s my rock in a world of uncertainty.

I have this voucher to a day spa in Bondi that was kindly given to me by my pal Alex for my 22nd birthday. It’s for a full body massage and a pedicure; I’ve been saving it for a time where I felt totally exhausted …think now would be good.

YuMmMMmMm............

If any of you spoke to me last night you would have realised that I was feeling a bit shitfaced due to my excess consumption of alcohol. But I had the best time! My work team went to Almustafa’s at Glebe, dined on Lebanese cuisine and had belly dancers for entertainment. It was a surprise party that we threw for my manager who’s leaving.

I’d never thought that I would like Lebanese food so much, but going to a proper restaurant made a big difference! You all have to try it some time!



The picture below was at the party that we threw for my manager last week, what can I say we're party people.



Oh by the way Happy 5 yrs and 8 months anniversary Jacky!!! *HuGz*

My Valentine

Jacky’s so sweet! With all our anniversaries and birthdays Valentines Day was always just another day. So I didn’t really expect anything more than a card or a night out to dinner.

But there he was first thing in the morning with red roses and a platter of seafood. Jacky had woken up extra early that morning, drove out to the fish markets and made it back just as I woke up….*sigh*…I’m such a lucky girl!

Happy Valentines baby!

Winner is.......

Woohoo I entered some competition in Cosmo magazine a while back and I got sent a prize today - a $40 tube of Loreal stretch mark eraser. This is about as useful as the last prize I won...a box of blonde hair dye.

Ouch!

At work now, just interviewed this candidate - when she shook my hand she gripped it so hard that she cracked my knuckles and embedded the print of my ring on to my finger.

Weirdo

With Fairfax being one of our major clients and we being one of theirs, our company along with Fairfax have a special training tour for all the new people who join Hudson. We begin the day in their beautiful city office at Darling Park and then head out to their print facility out at Chullora.

When I walked into the building my breath was stuck in my chest; it reminded me of Vegas! With the little lights in the roof, the big stairwell and antique furniture; the desire to be back in Vegas was overwhelming. If I can afford it I think I’ll go there again in 2005 and shout mum a trip while I am at it.

The printing plant is massive and noisy! It’s all done by machines and it’s really fascinating watching them refer to the robots as if they were human. To be honest I never really cared or thought about how newspapers were produced, but the tour really opened my eyes and I have a new found respect for the whole process. And as usual they finished off the tour with the most amazing lunch platters! I wanted to be really Asian and take home a piece of cake for Jacky…but that’s rather sad.

……..

It was 4pm and the sky was already dark, the clouds outside looked scary and then the thunder and lightening hit. Great! I didn’t have an umbrella, forgot to bring a change of shoes and had to make it back in time for New Years dinner; all on the day that I didn’t drive to work!

6:30pm – Stood on a crowded platform at Parramatta station with the board showing that the train would be half an hour late. The city rail guy suddenly announces that the train will now depart from platform 3. When things like this happen people suddenly become animals as they push and shove to get there first.

7:00pm – Arrived at Redfern station, there were no trains to Allawah and the next train to Hurstville was running half an hour late…just my luck…the station was rather empty and some big weirdo plonked himself right next to me when there were free seats everywhere! When we finally got on the train he sat next to me again and stared at me for the next half hour, I just thought it was another loser an ignored him.

7:50 – Finally get to Hurstville, have to get off and catch it back home. I walk to the opposite platform and who follows?? But the weirdo…ok starting to get a bit weird now…So my train comes and weirdo gets in the same carriage as me …yikes!

Comes up to me and begins telling me how attractive he finds me …and how at Redfern it wasn’t his train, but he saw me get on and followed me. Asked me what I did and introduced himself as Gabriell. He then pulled out some old business card that looked like it had been sitting in his wallet for the past 20 yrs….wrote his number down and said that we should ‘get together’ *puke* I said that I had a boyfriend and he made some ‘awww’ noise and told me ‘don’t worry forget about him!’.

The freakiest bit was when he put his arm on my shoulder pushed me back and said something like ‘oh your so beautiful..’ I flung his arm off and said ‘oh it’s my stop’ and got off the train….before the doors closed I heard him yelling out for me to call him…what a loser!

This is definitely worse than the Westfield incident 2 weeks ago…I swear I’m driving to work from now on!

The Price of Beauty

In the 2nd round interviews for the Hudson job I had to do a presentation about ‘The Price of Beauty’. I discussed things like plastic surgery, liposuction and when things go wrong…think Michael Jackson. I also brought up the issue of ‘fad’ diets and extreme dieting, even by the most intelligent of people; all for the price of beauty.

Looking back the whole speech has turned into a bit of an irony. I work with people who I admire for their intelligence and quick wit. Who are all financially successful with most living in the Eastern Suburbs. Yet almost everyone in my office is on a detox program or a diet, with most of them in my opinion being on extremely unhealthy ones.

In the past I have always stayed away from the topic of diets, because as you know I have been blessed with a fast metabolism. If I were to ever comment that they didn’t need to diet, I am often told ‘what would you know? You’re a stick!’ But the situation at work is just ridiculous.

I do not have a problem with people dieting...as in eating healthier, drinking more water and doing a bit of exercise; it’s something we should all aim to do. However I do have a problem when my Manager sitting next to me is on a ‘grapes only diet’. She explained to me that she found this diet in a magazine, and so for the past two weeks I have observed her eating grapes and sultanas only; for breakfast, lunch and dinner…on one rare occasion she was allowed to add 4 cashew nuts for dinner.

In a period of two weeks she went from a bubbly person to someone who looked drained, tired and snapped at people easily. So I confronted her about this one lunch time, saying that if she deprived her body of ‘normal’ food it’s only going to make her crave it. If she were to eat normally again it would be a shock to her body, and the weight would come on even quicker…which is why she should just eat in moderation. She then told me she had lost 5kgs and she thinks the diet is great! Her menu is now watermelon, so for the next 3 weeks it’s watermelon only… then back to grapes, this is to create ‘variety’ in the diet. O_o

The HR team from the city came to pay our office a visit on Thursday; during morning tea I offered some fruit to one of our visitors who’s this gorgeous British girl with the looks and figure to die for! She looked at me with absolute shock and announced that she was detoxing! She’s not allowed fruit, only string beans and water for 2weeks. Any diet that makes fruit a bad thing is a bit of a worry I think.

But no, it’s not just the women in my office it’s also the men. I don’t think I will get started on them. The funny thing is, watching my friends go on these roller coaster diets, many lose the weight and not feel any better about themselves because they failed to address the underlying problems in the first place. Diet and exercise should go hand in hand because you want to improve your overall health, if losing weight comes as a result then that’s an added bonus.

(Title goes here)

Surprisingly A lot more people actually read my blogs than I thought. I was really happy to run into an old high school friend who I had not seen in ages. So here I was ready to tell them the dramatic changes in my life and see what they had been up to since we last spoke...when instead they gave me a hug and congratulated me on my new job....needless to say that I was shocked that they knew. This same situation happened to me 4 times in a 2 week period (thanks for spreading the word Rodna! ahha). So I thought I really should make an effort to update my blogs for those who are nice enough to show an interest in me.

So I’m happy to report that work is still going great! I mean it's tough, but all jobs come with its pros and cons and for the most part I really can’t complain. I've finally been given my own portfolio so that's been a bit of a highlight to my week, you really get out of it what you put in. I have to work pretty hard, and I think I prefer it that way if I did nothing I would die of boredom, though some days can be really trying.

Went into work today thinking it was going to be rather dull, because the day was allocated to updating our own client relationship Matrix's. Walked in, and as a morale booster the company had set up this terrific breakfast for us...fruit platters, chocolate filled croissants, different pastries, bacon and egg muffins....there was heaps of stuff and it was just the best start to the morning; I was pleasantly surprised! And there was more food for me since every man and his dog is on a diet where I work (I shall share my views on this in my next blog) .

I’m not sure whether I’m allowed to take my annual leave all at once, but I have my fingers crossed. I have itchy feet again and we’ve still got our free frequent flyer tickets to use up. So...if all goes according to plan I might be heading off to Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand at the end of 2004. I love travelling; I kinda wished I had the guts to take a whole year off to do it the last time I went. But it’s cool… Jacky and I said that the next time we go, we’re going to do it in style!! So the only way that’s going to happen is a bit of hard work now.

And yes I’m still at Baku on Sunday’s, my boss made me an offer that I would be stupid to refuse it puts a lot of extra money in my pockets too! So yeh if you’re shopping in the city on a Sunday don’t forget to drop by!

Anyway really need some sleep…till next time

Emz

Welcoming 2004

After spending the last New Year in Times Square New York everything else just seemed quite mundane. However we still wanted to make the most of it and not end up staying home and regretting it. We headed out to Circular Quay to watch the fireworks, but while driving out it started sprinkling. Waiting for about 6hrs I could tolerate but getting wet while waiting I couldn't so we decided to go to our friend's who has an apartment on the top floors of the Summit on George St.

We spent the first few hours making cocktails and playing drinking games when the fireworks started we all headed up to the roof top to watch it from there. Since we didn't have the security swipe card to get to the upper floors we had to quietly climb 12 levels of stairs on the fire escape. These stairs were narrow and steep; I don't remember the last time I had such a work out!

Now no one is actually allowed up on the roof top, not even if you have an apartment. But my friend whose apartment it was had been up there many times before as the door can be easily flicked open with a pocket knife. The view from the top was just breath taking and well worth the effort. You can see everything from up there from Darling Harbour right round to Circular Quay. (Click here to check out the photos if you are interested).

Little did we know that security had decided that they wanted to come up to watch the fireworks too (best view in town). They had the biggest shock when the door opened and they found us all up there! I think most of us were too happy to bother about getting in trouble and after 50 000 questions about how we got the door open we simply told them it was unlocked. They didn't believe us of course and he was convinced one of us had a secret key. When he tried to kick us off we all cried out 'it's New Years!!' so he let us stay till it finished!

It's so fun to act like an idiot again! Don't forget to check out the pics on my website if you were there!