上班时，一休突然打来电话，问我家门钥匙呢？？？难道不在我的包包里吗？......一头雾水。故事是这样发生的：昨天晚上我到家开门，忘拔钥匙；今天早上出门，关上家门，但还是没有注意到悬挂在门锁上的钥匙....直到一休上班，锁门时突然发现一套钥匙挂在那......于是脑子里开始联想：邻居是不是也看到了那套挂在门外的钥匙？他们会不会取下配一套？或者晚上他们曾经光顾我家？.......哎，我只能说，我可能提早进入老年痴呆了。Now I am trying to have an appointment request for an operation with hospital, maybe should I change department first for treatment for senile dementia? LOL!

In the past 2 weeks, I nearly have finished watching 3 pieces Chinese series acted by Sun Hong Lei and one of them is close to be ended up, each of them has about 30 episodes, all of them are related to stories happened prior to China's liberation and some about espionage. You would find it is absolutely cliché to mention about watching DVDs in my blog. Yep, I have been always hopeless crush on Chinese DVDs as far as I get from somewhere, so having zero chance to devote myself to other interests if I start watching, no blog updating, no internet browsing, no talking online, no shopping, no bushwalking......all that I have solely done at leisure time makes me look like a crusty and old lady who has nothing to fancy except some bloody Chinese series. Definitely, my indulgence on Chinese DVDs is far out imagination. If it goes on, I will probably be accelerating step into aging in mentally. :-)  Should I temporally give up waving the white flag to Chinese DVDs? Should I convert my energy to something else before I become a sofa potato? Should I go back estranged normal life like most of others are doing such as attending some activities at free time, regularly going out with friends, caring about latest worldwide news, going to gym termly?....absolutely it is hard to do lately, so there is no a glimmer of hope to get myself out of current situation until all of DVDs in my hands have been watched, then I will open eyes to seek something interesting around afterwards. What a really crazy DVD lover!

But you would be curious why I suddenly post it since I am so busy in watching DVDs, I must squeeze time to let my family acknowledge I am surviving. You know, that's the main way that my family know how I am going on. Perhaps, you, a Chinese whose family are in China but you settle down overseas, usually call up your family everyday, every second day, or every week, every two weeks.... I am not, invariably I catch up with my family every month or longer. Hey, I am nothing compare with your habit, I am not that unfilial, I am very concerned about my family even overly relying on my mum spiritedly and my mum always follows up my though pattern, but my family are busier than me, they don't need me to contact with them by phone quite often, so principal means that my family know about my daily life is through my blog. Telling what I have done or what I am doing in the personal space is supposed to cheer up my family and leave them more information about me. It is my dear sister’s responsibility to collect my juicy news and pass on to my mum and dad. Haha, that's unwritten rule in my family, also a way of saving time, isn’t it?

 

Excuse me, I am going to watch Qian Fu la.

刚才和好友聊天，希望她来看我，可有些困难，说到她老公不能办理因私护照。WHY?她说，你看过《潜伏》吗，我说，真巧，正在看DVD呢，她说，就是那工作性质。天啊，原来那样的“英雄”就在自己生活中。呵呵！

Shopping: Generally there is no shop would be open on Easter Friday, but Jing and I insisted we might happen to meet some particular shops which could open the door for us and manage to sell out more stuff on public holiday as the economic crisis bites everywhere. No wonder, we got disappointed anyway, only Market City keeps its all-along habit not to cease running business no matter that is Easter. So we had to loiter in that building and try to dig out some on sale. Through our relentless efforts, finally I got a yellow singlet for matching my black cardigan to add in my wardrobe. That’s all. It doesn’t matter as today we didn’t aim to buy something particular except a birthday gift that was basically locked in Swarovski shop after a few minute pick-up. Where is our next stop for shopping?.....Under Jing’s suggestion, we decided to go forward to Darling Harbour where has a mall that mainly attracts visitors, so it is likely to be open on public holiday. Yep, we are right and couldn’t restrain our excitement to enter in the mall. Actually, we didn’t care whether we could buy something but kill time to wait 4:00PM movie. Time was going on and on….

 

Lunch at Darling Harbour: We were starving and initially went to Pancakes restaurant in the mall but backed off as we saw many people line up over there, then turn to Hurricane’s Grill upstairs where has wan allegedly good recommendation. With very high expectations, we promptly seated at the window table with fantastic view of the harbour. The decoration and ambience of the place is great it feels quite trendy but not overly flattering. There is no doubt we ordered steak and half-rack rips as main deal since we sat in a western-style restaurant. Entree mixed salad was served firstly, but to be honest, it is pretty average. Woow! We widely opened the mouths when the main courses were severed, they are such two huge plates. Okay, let us start. I would say rips are the best but steak is too overdone, then we shared the foods to make the most of it first try in this restaurant. BTW, I didn’t miss snapping photos as usual as I got to a new place, although I was several called by Phil old-fashion Japanese with a camera hanging in front. Not the view is simply great but does food looks so tempting, which make me feel like I am having an extraordinary lunch. That was over an-hour struggle with steak and rips. Why? Have you had rips in restaurant? If yes, you would understand it totally. There is a kinda cloth provided to prevent customer getting dirty when eating, but we refused it, then we got really embarrassed, I got stain on white top, so humiliating! Our hands got so dirty that we were shamed to raise heads to look around. We couldn’t help laughing and laughingJ Messy to eat but so worth it. We did have an impressively fun-and-delicious lunch.   

 

Movie Duplicity: Today before I started out, I already planned to go to cinema to watch new movie---Duplicity acted by Julia Roberts who is my favourite actress. Ending up our lovely lunch in a hurry at 3:50 PM, we rushed to cinema to catch 4:00PM film shown in Greater Union at George ST. You know what? We called up another girlfriend Yao to let her join us when she just finished her hair dressing in city. running, running and running…OMG! Its past 4:00PM but we were still on the way….luckily there is 20 mins advertisement time before film, otherwise we had to catch next one. So it was just in time when we sat in the cinema. Haha, how come we got so rushing, cos of that lunch? who knows? The role of Clair acted by Julia Roberts, a former CIA operative playing espionage game in the highly competitive world of soap companies, ostensibly cooperate with Ray in a war of getting a formula for a product that will bring a fortune between two rival multinational corporations. During the tricky secret, they really fall in love although they finally realised they were cheated by their bosses. The film is a nimble, witty whirligig of a caper. In the devious rival, snatch the spotlight from the pretty people every chance they get. Anyway I would say this film provides ample opportunity for Roberts to show off her fun and sexy.

 

Easter Friday finished. It is really a perky day that both Jing and I admit that we got massive fun and laughter. FAB!

It was certainly terrible when I heard that a lot of closely previous colleagues will be unemployed soon. I used to work in a not-private recruitment agent where has totally 29 sites in Sydney metropolitan but 26 out of 29 sites will be closed off by July, that means there will be more than 200 persons that are going to be thrown into flat labour marketing to survive. It was definitely bombshell announcement for those friends because they never expected their company would be shut down as the company has been increasingly improved in the past 3 years and was just ranked 4.5 star (top one is 5 star) by government. Cruel, cruel, cruel! Some of them just bought new property, some just had baby, some just got pregnant, some just had family financial issue......How couldn't you feel so sorry for those girls and boys who are persons that we used to be in a same trench to contribute to the company's rampant growth. But now everything will be finished, no matter that they won, trophy, awards and rounds of applause from high-level management.....Jogging my memory and going back to beautiful time with them, our laughter, our practical jokes, our hilarious Friday lunches, our birthday celebration, our farewell binge, our endless fun....Actually you could see how stunning period we walked through from posted year 06-07 in my blog. A string of good memory couldn't be brushed off and our friendship will ever exist. By now, I got to say, dear friends, I am so sorry to hear you got life-threatening redundancy and but I know you are the best and you will find your new positions that would be better than current one, what you gain will outweigh what you will lose. You are in a pretty pickle, I can't help you out but I wish God always with you. I love you more than I can say.

It is said some industries, such as FINANCE, RECRUITMENT and IT, would be likely to endure the worst trauma in this economic recession. Unless you were in a coma for the last 8-9 months, you've heard this term bandied around lately. I personally have already felt it, not in our company, but also previous company; not these areas, but there is no other industry could escape from serious perviousness. Having it, look like we don't have pre-defence at all, just take it unavoidably. But yesterday I told one of girl friend who also worked in that company it is not bad thing to experience tough time nowadays, which could possibly enrich ourselves and benefit for our spirit strength. I believe we will realise what we are badly going across could turn to constructive experience in the future. Meanwhile, this rigorous situation makes me more and more think whether I should learn something to get ready for uncertainty possible hereafter. Maximising your skills maximises your marketability, doesn't it?

By writing up to here, all of sudden, I sense that I am really twittering in my blog, talking about most of what happens on me or around me, e.g. my headache, what I bought, what I ate, where I went….. heaps of petty things, now is about my old colleagues, I am really not tight-lipped, huh? :-) To be honest, I am a little startled how talkative I become.

This early morning I was again waken up by massive migraine despite I had two tablets of Panadol before I went to bed. Actually I was awake several times last night as it hurt like hell. This chronic migraine has been with me for too long time and I have mentioned it more than once in my blog especially some times that I was hit badly. Looking at clock, it was just 7:00AM around as it is the first day of daylight saving finished, so we can get one more hour in sleeping, but I got to get up to have another Chinese pain killer when Panadol doesn’t work out my headache. Although numberless friends told me how terrible it is to have that sort of pill recurrently, you would understand my feeling if I say I would rather have die pill or stay in coffin than undo it.

 

That headache has been relieving after I took a tablet of Chinese pain killer, then I manage to do something that could make me feel ease. You know, suffering this headache always makes me feel very depressive and weak even sulky, so I must turn about this body situation right away.

 

1.  Prepare to boil my favourite congee: put red beans, lotus seeds and 薏米 into water to dip in for a few hours, then I will boil them adding up with yellow maize kibbled and rice to make congee in the afternoon. It has been my necessary weekend staple food and I know I will be happy with it.

 

2. Access link that is about Emily’s updated recipes: there is a new recipe about how to make leek pancake. It is undoubtedly tantalizing smell of cooking as you see the picture she posted. But I notice I need an electric blender to help me get leek leaf liquidised, should I buy a blender just for it? Let me think about is as I don’t get used to making food made of dough. Okay, go on searching her other recipes which could be easily done….Whatever, seeing photos of those dainty food, I can’t help feeling a tingle of excitement and happiness. So, food might bring you pleasure. :-)

 

3. Walk into some friends’ blogs: there are many friends who constantly uploading their lives feature in their personal space, most stories are related to their refreshing experiences or pleasant scenario happened in the last days. From words, I can see how optimistic they are facing their boring Australian lives. I also can find some interesting things I can refer to in the future. I am not saying I am pessimistic to my current life, but hoping my life can be more colourful by their funny activity’s elicitation.

Through that I am doing, I suddenly have a question---How to make you optimistic when you have headache or trouble? Friends or people surrounding play crucial influence on you, doesn’t it? Compare with glum people, those who are happy more likely to be surrounded by other happy people--even friends of happy people's friends' friends (who might be complete strangers) tended to be happy. That means, your close friends are optimistic, you would be optimistic or gradually tum to optimistic from pessimistic if you are always with them. Besides, YOUSELF is most vital sector for your optimism. You can get yourself involved in upset for a while but you can't cocoon yourself in sadness for too long and you must get over yourself to jump out of headache or trouble. e.g. I am in headache, but I can’t think I am sick, on the contrary, I’d better give myself positive mental implication that I will be alright soon. Positive self-suggestion should be better than negative one. Perhaps, there is no certain link between heal the migraine and make you optimistic, but I hope you know what I am saying.

 

BTW, most people would define optimism as being eternally hopeful, endlessly happy, with a glass that's perpetually half full. But that's exactly the kind of deluded cheerfulness that positive psychologist wouldn't recommend. It doesn't certainly mean being pollyannaish and thinking everything is great and wonderful. I would say realistic optimistic is more significative. But it is not bad if you are with lots of practice to become more realistic optimistic, take heart, so can you.

 

Excuse me, maybe I don’t stick to what I originally wanted to say and drag the topic to somewhere, please understand it is caused by sleep deprivation and also I am a kind of person who always start with a small subject but end with a comprehensive one. J

 

It is not the first time that my colleague worries diabetes or other disease will come to me some day or other. Why? I have too much sugar everyday. Maybe you can’t believe a box of candy with half of kilogram will be gone with a few days. Please note there is no other person to help me. Remember my colleague Vince bought a box of nut candy for me, but another colleague found empty box when she tried to take some a couple of days later. Her hideous face and her urgent advice about aloofness of much sugar intake are still in my mind. Definitely, there is few girls would like to have candy, cake or chocolate currently when they are afraid of weight gain after sugar eating, but I am in a exceptional group who are extremely addicted to sweet and can’t repel those sugar temptation. I can’t have rice porridge without sugar, I can’t forget to add sugar when I am cooking, I can’t keep chocolate out of me over a very few days, I can’t miss visiting cake shop regularly….Luckily, I haven’t got obesity and high level of blood sugar, but doctor already reminded me not to be ecstatic for it because my health will be at stake if I keep this habit until in 40s.

 

I would say all of positive advice no matter from who is colleague or doctor can’t be unaffected on me. I know the amount of sugar intake is closely related to possibility of having diabetes or other syndrome of disordered metabolism, so getting rid of excessive sugar eating will be my next daily target. Action would rather be taken sooner than later. Anyway, I am very picky candy, cake, chocolate and ice cream I have, not all of brands are in my list, only focus on some certain of brands which satisfy my tastes:-).

 

Wednesday morning, heavy rain was pouring down and it was definitely umbrella blossoming day. I couldn't get to office later than 9:15AM as my colleague and I booked a cab to pick us up to go to meet up with a freight forwarder at 10:00AM in Matraville. We started to worry that we would probably be delayed when we just sat in the cab because news about nasty traffic being spread in Sydney was broadcasting on the air, then we had to ring up F/F to inform them that we would perhaps get to their office around 10:30AM. As the schedule, we, as a potential customer, were about to see some high-level managers and to be presented their company introduction. To be honest, it was the first time that I went to somewhere to face such an official company presentation since I came to Australia, although I was accustomed to this kind of presentation in BJ, a bit blithe mood came to me on the way as it was for the first time in Australia. More interesting, I experienced a heart-throbbing visit. Haha, maybe this description is a little bit exaggeration. You will further understand why I say that if you know how we were treated. Here you go.

1.cabcharge: Arriving at the destination, the immediate thing we did was to rush into reception to get cabcharge credit card and took it to taxi driver to pay the bill. It was whopping $90 one way. Was it so far and expensive? Plus returning fee, how much will they pay? See, I was truly unsophisticated and easier to be surprised by the amount of tax bill and this company’s generosity :-). Somehow, it was none of my business. To win customer, basic financial contribution is substantially necessary as well as effective activities to have customer satisfaction.

2. look-around: subsequently we were led by national E-business development manger to look around, including office area and their huge warehouse where is taking inbound and outbound goods everyday. In their 3-floor building, I could see spacious and rational office distribution, tidy tables, comfortable canteen, even a gym with a variety of fitness equipment inside. Guess what? This first impression was very good, I could see element of a big company from office design and layout. Each employee looked very professional and working-hard. They looked busy but well organised and methodical. OMG! Their warehouse is far bigger than ours, which can take more than 2k pallets. I don't mean their warehouse should be smaller than ours, I mean our company is manufacturer company so it is fair enough to have a bigger warehouse, but F/F doesn’t have own products and production line just having goods in and out. I really couldn't believe that as being likely. Anyway, when we were sticking around in their warehouse, we were required to put on high visibility luminous security vest. I was amazed by not only their sense of security defense but the first try of that shiny vest.

3. presentation: national sales manager, national E-business development manager and chief operating officer joined the meeting whilst national sales manager hosted the presentation and kicked off the first part of presentation about their company introduction, then other two managers respectively showed their parts. I would say their introduction was not long but precisely pointed out what strength the company has globally. I had to say, they knew how to attract customer's eyeballs to drag them to the point where they were trying to direct. Their $250 million turnover annually, their perfect KPI management, their service to provide their high-profile customer LV, their customised website..... Additionally, it was jaw-dropping that they are using SAP but they are only a freight forward company while SAP is normally used for worldwide companies with multi-products or complicated solution providers. You know, a perfect system is the most important in a company running, generally system plays a vital role if a company is supposed to be a good and big company. With the business growing up, company can't rely on a person's management, more depending on a good system. From this point, I can see it would be developed F/F corporation and will have more promising future.

 

In conclusion, I admit it was a flipping awesome visit with fantastic impression.