Accommodation

In our previous trip, we have been staying at an apartment with complete kitchen and dining facilities.  I couldn't get hold of their office a week before our trip so I decided to look for accommodation somewhere else.  

I checked the hotel that my friend recommended and it looks okay.  Affordable, free breakfast, fee wifi,close to the location that we know.  All good.  Plus we are only staying for a couple days only.

The moment we stepped in our room, we couldn't help comparing it with the apartment that we stayed before.  As Mcj said, this hotel makes the apartment look a lot better.  And that's saying a lot.  The apartment is an old building but the amenities and facilities are all in good quality and condition.  

Let it be known that, we are not going to be repeat customers here.  The only good thing going for us here is it has transport service to and from the airport, which mind you is not free but just the convenience of having a service readily available is good.

Let me say that this hotel is not something to write home to. 

Sewing

My MIL bought me a sewing when I was pregnant.  The purpose of which was I can sew some things for my coming baby.  I was not working then so I had time to sew.  And I was pregnant.  I was able to sew some baby stuff, not much though.  The most that I have used my sewing machine was for mending or for hemming.  

We moved houses, so I packed my sewing machine.  It had not been unpacked for several years now.  What a shame really.  Sometimes, I get the urge or inclination to unpack it and some thing but as soon as I get home, I am just too tired and can't be bothered.

I own a sewing kit though.  Lookie, lookie.  Pretty, I'd say.  Do ata cases look like this?  

Mind you, I bought this from Aldi and this is from the Philippines, my birth country.  I like it very much as it can hold all of my supplies.  I have more supplies but if they don't fit here, then I don't need them, I reckon.

Fun and Reunion

This years overseas trip has been planned for a year or so.  Then middle of this year, my friend from Adelaide booked their own trip back home.  And guess what, they only paid 500 pesos return for their fare (plus fuel and other charges, of course).  But 500?  It's cheaper than one way domestic flight in the Philippines.  

We hatched a plan to meet up with our college classmates.  We have a slight problem though.  As we will be arriving a few days before we leave and they're all weekdays, it's so hard to get people to decide if they can attend or not.  Some volunteered to take a day off from work but it's a hard ask.  

My friend is now in the Philippines for almost a week.  We'll be flying home in less than three weeks time.  We have not received any confirmation of who will be attending.  Oh well, hopefully this get together will push-through.  Either way, I'll have to meet my college friends and it will have to be on a weekend.  

I just hope we'll have lots of fun jamming, catching up and just be with each other to reminisce the old times. I do hope there are guitars with most sizes that can accommodate all of us.

*****

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Cut Flower Week 2

This weeks flowers are pink carnations.  

I didn't see any reduced price flowers when I got to Woolies today.  I was resigned to the fact that I will not be getting fresh flowers this week.  Then when I got to the self-checkout, there's a trolly full of reduced price flowers.  I stuck to my budget of 5 bucks and it got me these beauties.  Hopefully, it will last longer than the previous week. 

Ribbon Plant

We have been meaning to re-pot this baby as it has out-grown its pot.  But it was supposed to be a bonsai so I am sure, it's not minding that the pot is too small.  

One of these days, you'll be in your proper home.

With our OS trip looming, my weekends are full.  I had almost a year to plan for this trip and although I am a fairly organised person, I am nowhere near ready.  So far I have packed one suitcase and I need to pack six.  I have planned what to pack in each suitcase so it's almost a quarter of the job done.  There are hotels to book but the usual hotel that we stayed in to doesn't accept booking way ahead of time.  I have scheduled to call a week before we get there.  I just hope that there are vacancies then.  But we are repeat business and we are familiar with the staff from the guards to the receptionist, I feel positive that we'll get a room.  

Cut Flowers

So last week, I read in MindBodyGreen website something about fengshui.  Really, I can't remember what it was about but one thing stick to me was about buying fresh flowers every week.  I buy fresh flowers but not that often, mainly because I have no where to put the vase that is out of reach of our little climber, jumper and just ruin-everything friend.  He's attacked most of my indoor plants almost to death now.  And glass vase is just a no-no. 

Anyway, last weekend I rearranged furnitures and put a small desk (not sure of the term) leading to the hallway.  It's agains the wall and she has nothing to climb or jump onto to get to the flowers.  Plus, I found a copper vase which my my MIL's.  

Problem solved, voila.

Online Selling

I bit the bullet yesterday.  We have stuff lying around the house that can fetch a bit of cash of sold or can be given to charity.  In the past, I have been giving them to lifeline.  Then, Mcj suggested to advertise them in gumtree.  If they don't get sold, I can always take them to Lifeline later.  

So I read a bit about gumtree and created an account.  Yesterday, I posted 4 ads for personal items like shoes and books.  There have been views but not nibbles yet.  I might have put the price too high but they are negotiable.  

Here's a sample of my ads.

 

Cat in a Bucket

yes, not in a hat.  

I did a bit of cleaning up and sorting of the toys around the house today.  There are just too much toys that the Tatapilla can't let go.  Or me.  It's hard to sort them.

Anyway, I freed up one green bucket and lo and behold, out little girl jumped into it.  

Cooler Bag

I have been using cooler bags when shopping for quite sometime now.  Those small bags from woolies or the supermarket can't sustain for such a long time.  I have discarded a lot and it also makes my pantry messy.  

Anyhoo, in came Costco.  I bought one when we first became a member.  It's big, durable and handy. I even got questions from the super market about it.  I don't often go to Costco but it's handy anywhere.

I bought another last week.  For 10 bucks, I reckon, it will last years and years as long as it is kept away from the element.

Hibiscus

Look at my new babies?  They don't last long but when they bloom, pretty!

I'm green-thumb into action.  This is one of the plants that I grew from cuttings.  Really, easy.

I'm quite happy with the result.  I think, I'll grow more of these.

Flood at Work

These are not really good photos but will give you an idea the state of my office for the past week.  Due to hail storm, the office got flooded.  We've been working from home since last week.  Hopefully, not too much destruction will occur. 

Sorting and Culling

this is just a reminder for me.  I have lined up a lot of things to sort and cull around the house.  We are accummulating a lot of stuff and junk and nothing is ever going out.  It should be in and out but there's more in than out.  

I have made mental notes and rules I am not buying anything for the house until I've gone through everything - sort and cull, etc.  The first on my list are the toys.  It has gone massive for the last year that they are getting out of control.  

I reckon, these tubs from bunnings will be good.  I own one and might need to buy more but that just defeats the purpose isn't it?  I need to get on it very soon.

Coffee and RF

Okay, I was wandering at the kitchen essential isle at Costco looking for a sandwich press (ours gave up a month ago, maybe).  And what do you know?  The first thing I saw was RF.  I have been a fan and I thought because he is getting old now (bad of me to say that), I'll move on to more recent talent. But really, once a fan will always be a fan.  I didn't buy this item though.  No room in my kitchen. 

Time Pieces

For some reason, I like clocks.  Wall clocks basically.  I have one for each room.  I currently have two in the common areas.  

I had a blank wall (the painting kept on falling off that I don't want to put it back-up anymore).  I bought this one a few months ago.

Yellow, indeed.  I am not sure that it is my favourite colour but I just want something that is bright.  

Then, yesterday at the shops.. this was on special.  Not bad for 10 bucks.  I have not put it up yet so I don't know if works.  

Hopefully, it does or else I will really be disappointed.  Now, thought I have a dilemna.  I don't know where to put this one up.  Have to remove the yellow one and hang it somewhere I think. 

Good Deal on Toaster

So our toaster conked a few weeks ago.  We have been without and been using the griller to toast bread.  I was really determined to buy a good brand and good price.  I was not prepared to buy one over 50 bucks.  I checked junk mail catalogues and online catalogues and the cheapest was around 30 bucks.  Fine by me but the problem was, they were out of stock.  

I was at Target just window shopping (for shoes, of course) and I happen to see that they have a good deal, 50 bucks for 4 slots.  Not bad.  But they didn't have anything left other than the display item.  Oh well, I got it.  For 24.50.. not bad I'd say.  It didn't come with a manual but who needs a manual to operate a toaster? 

Freebies and Ibooks

so, i have owned an iphone for over 5 years now and guess what?  I have only recently utilised ibooks. How weird and opportunities lost.  For freebies books that is.  I have just discovered that I dont need to really buy books because there are so many freebies that I can hardly catch-up.  There seems to be new freebies every week.  Yay me!  That's from one of the books I read, by the way.

Now, my library is getting extensive.  But if I don't really like the book, I delete it after reading.  I only retain books that I bought and freebies that I will read again.

But yeah, happy me! It beats going to the library.  But I still have to for my little boy. 

My Favourite Thongs

at the moment.  I don't really own a lot of thongs, four to five pairs I think.  My shoes are everywhere around the house so if I don't see them, they don't get used.

These were on sale at Harris Scarf a few months ago.  I bought 4 pairs, not just all for myself of course.  They're for presents when we go to the Philippines.  

It feels like summer here although it's just the start of spring.  It's thongs and shorts weather already.  

From My Garden

One of my many interests or hobbies of you may call them, are plants or gardening.  I don't really have a green thumb but I have not killed all my plants yet, so there's hope for me. 

Winter is a slow season for the plant growth but some of my plants are promising.  Here are some of them.

The hanging plant, the old man's beard or spannish moss.  So many names but so easy to grow.  It was a small little thing when I bought it from Bunnings and it's been getting massive. 

I was told, this one is a weed.  You can't kill it even if you try.  Just my favourite plant, I'd say. Another one from Bunnings.

My four crotons (again from Bunnings) and the hibiscus from a cutting that I took from our bigger plant.  

This jade has been with the family for more than a decade, I'd say.  I have more with similar history. 

My poinsettia, just sprouted flowers in the recent months.  Been with us for three years or so.

Paid Surveys

I am sure you all have heard about paid surveys.  some of you may have tried them?  any success?  I mean by success, you didn't need to go through all hoops like lots and lots of surveys to answer, spam mails in your inbox or sometimes spam phone call.  

We'll I have certainly tried some if not all.  It was when I didn't work for two years when I first came in Australia - getting preggers and you know, waiting until The Tatapilla was 13 months to go to work.  I can't say, I have any success at all.

But then, out of the blue I realised that indeed there's a credible survey site that pays me 5 bucks for every survey.  It's not often, I am not sure but probably every month.  And their questions are realistic.  It's all about family spending and eating habits.  

If you are interested, please go to www.dbyresearch.com and enter the code 82216.  You would ask, what's in it for me?  I get paid 3$ for every person that will sign-up using my code.  Not bad isn't it.  Come on, try it.  The survey is not long at all and you can pause it when you don't have enough time too finish in one sitting.

Trip to Sydney

This week I was sent to Sydney to one of our customers there.  It was planned late the week before last, say around Thursday.  The customer wanted some help and ASAP, so off I went.  

I didn't have to be onsite until 9AM but guess what?  You may think that I was excited as I chose a 6am flight for a 1.5 hours fly time.  But it all end up well.  I had time to grab a cuppa and I didn't have to be harried and hurried.  

I got home late though.  And it was a start of a very long week for me.

  

Harley Next To Me

While waiting for dinner and doing some blogging/writing, this Harley parked next to me.  Nothing about it.. but just worth mentioning.  Oh, it has a sidecar with single seat.

New and News

A lot has been going on and made us busy.

For now, I am back with lots of news.

New tablet that I am primping up to make it comfortable for blogging.  Still getting used to it.

More to come.