Photo status

Last count, I had 5193 photos scanned.  That's quite a pile of photos.  It hardly feels like I've really scanned that many.

I still have 8 photo albums to scan, which probably have 400 or so photos between them.  After that, another 100 in a flip-through set of small albums, and a packet of photos from G... I'd say maybe another 300 or so.  I'm waiting to hear from my cousins if they have any photos for me to scan... and G's parents and Mom might still have some odds and ends that I can scan.  So all in all, I'll probably reach 6000+.  Not bad!

It's about time that this comes to a close.  I'm starting to desperately crave cross-stitch, and PSP games too.  I haven't really been 'relaxing' at home (because I start quite soon after we get home), and I haven't stitched in MONTHS.  It must be doing some damage!  Golden Ice is crying out to be finished - I really want to finish the scanning and then pay total attention to him.  Still not sure where he'll be 'stabled', I'll probably put Golden Ice in Heremia's place, Heremia in Warpony's place and Warpony up on the empty hook in the bedroom.  I'd love to put a nail in the wall by the bathroom door but I kinda feel that we shouldn't add nails all over the place since we'll more than likely only be staying for another year and they already have plenty of other nails up on the walls.

What's 'disturbing' is the fact that I'm getting this 'craving' for a new cross stitch: the new, untouched threads, unmarked chart, blank fabric, everything crisp and new.  But!  Golden Ice is 'new' enough for now as I've not touched it for so long.

I've discovered a brilliant blog:  STFU, Parents.  I don't know the URL offhand, but it's google-able.  It's a very amusing site, where people post stuff that they've had inflicted on them on Facebook, or Twitter, etc.  Like constant potty-training updates or tweets during labour right up to 5mins before the baby is born... seriously!  Oh and PICTURES from 'successful' potty training... yes, people POST THAT ON FACEBOOK!!!  I'm seriously considering taking a screenshot from an ex-schoolmate's album, in which she has posted a 'black&white, for the squeemies' picture of her... well, I can't really tell (do I want to know?) but I think it's a caesarian.  Wonderful pic to pop up on my newsfeed and, seeing how FB recycles stuff (ie, you see news from 3 weeks ago), repeatedly pop up for weeks after.

Our ACS appeal letter arrived on Friday.  We got the refund from Postnet on Saturday - no hassles.  Now we're just waiting to hear from ACS.  Not sure if they're going to update the application status on their website, maybe we won't know they've even looked at it until we finally get the 2nd letter.

It is now nearly lunchtime, and I have 99 working days left for this year. 137 days left in total.  For now I'm just thrilled that I have only 99 working days left THIS WHOLE YEAR!!!  I guess it's a kinda 'pre-goal', because once I've reached the last working day of this year, I will only have 38 working days left in total!!

Saturday night we had avo sushi.  We were at the supermarket and had got everything we needed, except for salmon.  We were planning on popping to the more expensive grocery store upstairs, when our train of thought was completely disrupted by the realisation that the person who was ahead of us in the queue had left her credit card in the card slot.  I ran out to find the lady (luckily she seemed quite in a daze and wasn't far but she also couldn't recall what till she'd just been at), and we completely forgot to get the salmon.  But it was delicious with just avo.  Last night we had sushi WITH salmon, YUMMMMM!!!!!  And we watched Harry Potter 2.  Harry Potter 3 is lined up for tonight, then we're going to hire the 4th and 5th ones...

I do believe that that is all news for now... such a newsupdate this blogging thing is! :P

Postnet update

The plot thickens.

 

I kept checking DHL's website throughout the morning and afternoon.  Nothing.  At about 16:30, I phoned DHL and the lady there told me that the letter had only just been collected, at 15:55.  (Note: collected, not dropped off)

 

I immediately phoned Postnet, asked to speak to the manager, and told him that we had a slight problem.

 

Apparently the cow there told ME that the manager himself would drop off the letter at DHL that very morning, but told her MANAGER that the letter wasn't urgent and could wait til the DHL guy came to fetch stuff that afternoon!

 

WTF?!  First of all, make a STUFF UP, then promise to make amends, AND THEN not even BOTHER to follow through with a promise?  Sorry, no.

 

So on Saturday we are going to go fetch our refund!  R470, thank you very much, and no repeat business from US ever again!

 

Thankfully DHL is performing impeccably and our letter is already in Sydney, most likely being delivered tomorrow morning (their time).  YEEEHAAA

Photos!

On Sunday we popped in at G's parents' place and dropped off their photos. I finished everything they'd given me, including two VERY sticky, old albums whose photos had become glued. There aren't any more pics from them for now, which is a great relief, because that means I'm able to focus completely on the OTHER photos I got:

We went to see Mom & sis too, and Aunt+Uncle+cousin were there too. Aunt gave me her set of photo albums, plus a tin of photos from Gran.

They are INCREDIBLE! Old photos, from when Mom and her were growing up, plus a whole stack of OLDER pics, of Gran and Grampa approximately my age, and some even younger. Incredible. And more photos of Mom as a youngster. We really don't have many in our albums, so this is a great gift.

These pics have a far more profound effect on me than I thought they would because there's actually quite little I know about Gran or Grampa... REALLY know about them, not knew from grandchild's perspective but as an adult now. Seeing the pics of Grampa as a 20 year old... he looks so different from how I'd imagined he'd look. Gran too, even more different. It's incredible. This scanning has become such a journey for me, more than I'd foreseen.

It's like meeting people for the first time after hearing so much about them, except what I experienced as a child is the 'hear-say' and the photos the meeting. It has been a great revelation seeing G's parents, and his grandparents, in old photos, but this is closer to home, obviously.

I am currently scanning sis's box of photos, but I can't wait to settle in and savour the other photos. My family's photos.

Postnet

Saturday morning we dragged our sleepy asses out of bed, in order to drop off our skills assessment appeal letter at Postnet, to be collected (by DHL) on Monday to be couriered to Aus.

 

Last night, I checked DHL's track and trace, and there was no record of our parcel.  Warning bell.

 

This morning, I try again - still nothing.  I phone DHL, nope, no record of our parcel.

 

Phone Postnet.  It apparently would have been collected at 3:30 pm on Monday, and would probably only show on DHL's system FROM midnight only.  Thanks, but it should show already, right?

 

I phoned DHL - apparently the only reason they WOULDN'T have the parcel is if a) it wasn't ready at the time of collection or b) Postnet was closed when they got there.  This wouldn't be the case as Postnet has a regular agreed collection-time with DHL and wouldn't be closed at the time the DHL guy would come.

 

I phoned Postnet, the guy said he'd trace our parcel and phone me back.  1 hour goes past, I try again.  Speak to the lady we dealt with on Saturday.

 

She offers to trace the parcel for me and call me back, I say 'the guy there said he would too but an hour has passed, can I hold rather?... can you just tell me whether it was collected - can you check in your books to see what time it was collected?'

 

Not such a difficult thing to do, right?  This, somehow, was: she took 10mins to look in the book, come back to the phone and tell me that she's 'asked everyone in the whole office and it was found in the drawer, so it wasn't fetched yesterday'.

 

Yes, that is right.  DHL came yesterday to fetch the courier parcels, and our one?  Got LEFT BEHIND IN POSTNET'S BLOODY DRAWER!

 

"The manager is going to drop it off at DHL's office now this morning, it should show up on DHL's tracking tonight".

 

Guess we won't BOTHER going to Postnet again...!  R470 to 'forget' our parcel!  WTF!!!

Update!

Right now I'm scanning photos - as I have been pretty much constantly whenever I'm home without other things that I must do.

I've scanned over 4500 photos now. I still have 2 photo albums to work through (the pictures have become almost glued to the pages so I won't be able to take them out), I'm waiting on a picture box from my sis, a tin of pics from my aunt, plus any other odds and ends my mom and G's parents can find. Oh and I have a photo album of my own, and G's got a small packet of photos too. So, I'm getting there. I can't wait til it's all finished, I REALLY REALLY want to start stitching again!

And now for an update on the ACS assessment. I phoned ACS at 1:30am our time, and spoke to a very helpful lady there. Long story short, we are appealing the assessment, with a SUPER-DETAILED work reference letter backing up G's request for acknowledgment of his C#/C++/C specialisation. The whole process should take between 5 and 7 weeks (taking the week for delivery to ACS into account, but excluding postage back to us)... and hopefully we'll be A for AWAY and able to apply for the visa.

That was fun...er... not

I checked the post office track and trace site this morning, and the letter was ready for collection. During lunch I walked down and fetched it, and opened it and read it (via msn) to G. It's ... essentially useless.

The code required by the Aus govt to know that G has a critical skills list skill ... isn't right. They have the code to say he has skills but not the little set of letters in brackets that follow the code to specify which he has.

So now we start again. Make an appeal, I guess, which requires us to fork out another (70% of the application fee) pile of cash.

Yay. 12+ weeks down the drain.

Whatever.

It's NEARLY HERE!!

I just phoned our post office helpline.  Held for flippin' ages listening to a LOOPED Sarah Brightman - Deliver Me.  FFS PLEASE not a LOOP!!!  On my 3rd try I was lucky and someone answered.

 

THE LETTER IS GOING TO BE DELIVERED THIS WEEK!!!!  It's not just already in the country, it's already in the CITY!  It's so nearly here AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!

 

So we should know ASAP (before Friday, hopefully!) what the result is, AND WE CAN APPLY ASAP TOO!!!!!!!

 

OMG AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

 

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stet

"Stet" is such a smug word.

This is why I hate the word "stet":

ACS update

G and I (totally coincidentally) just simultaneously checked ACS, to find the status has changed from "with assessor" to "case finalised"!!!

 

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY  We should get the letter very soon now!!  Yay!!!!!!

Boy do I love my job

Arrghhh...

 

I tried to make changes, applied for jobs, but seeing as there (are now 151 and were at the time under 200) working days left, I thought I might stick it out here (and I didn't have any success with the applications I made).

 

It is going to be HARD.  If I manage.

 

What's got up my nose this time is the receptionist was just off sick yesterday.  Her cousin died or something and so she was 'sick' yesterday and didn't come to work.  And now she's taking FOUR days off to attend a funeral in Eastern Cape.  Ok, a day or two I can understand, for a CLOSE relative, but 4 days?  Ok maybe I'm being insensitive and stuff, but with my JOB of being BACKUP fucking receptionist, I'm pissed.  I don't think I took that many days combined when my own FATHER and then grandmother died, and I doubt I'd even get to take a day off to attend the funeral if one of my THREE (yes, only three, not 20) cousins died.

 

I hate this job.  I hate how it makes me hate people, hate things, it just makes me so hateful and... well... hardyhar, I hate it.  I know that you can apparently 'choose' how you feel about stuff, but this stupid bloody pathetic STAND IN, no *actual* job, job ... I dunno... it just pisses me off.  I don't have WORK of my OWN, so I get to have other people's stuff palmed off onto me.  If you get other people's shitty tasks palmed off onto you, you don't HAVE anything to be PROUD OF... nothing to sit back after doing and be satisfied knowing you have a JOB that you, just you, do.  It's just 'this is actually someone else's job but they're too busy/can't be bothered/don't feel like doing it because it's a shitty task, so I have to do it'.  My only 'job' is FILING YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

 

I guess this is an incoherent, overly ranty boring dull blogpost, as usual...

 

YAYYYYY  stupid pathetic excuse for a 'job'.

 

I've probably blogged before about visa news - the visa price has gone up and ACS is sending the letter soon and hopefully the visa won't take ages, etc etc and we're hoping to apply before end of July blablabla.

 

I know once we arrive in Aus, we'll have to start our whole life again... and things will be difficult and we'll have to 'vasbyt' for a while.  Probably will have to work straight away to afford stuff...

 

BUT OMG I'm so not going to be a STAND IN BLOODY RECEPTIONIST again.

 

For now, I need to keep working until we have definite progress with the visa, as we need the $.  I just hope, seriously hope, that there will be some sort of... I don't think the word is 'vindication' but some sort of payback for sitting through this.  Karmic credit... I dunno.  Just something that I can ENJOY after tolerating and enduring this.  Like post-marathon satisfied exhaustion.

News!!!!

There has been a change on the ACS status:  it is now 'with assessor' and we've been given a registered post tracking number!!  Apparently it means the letter has been posted off already - but we're going to wait until it arrives (to be sure we have the actual letter AND that it has a positive result) before we REALLY go mad with excitement.

 

THIS MEANS WE'LL BE APPLYING FOR THE VISA SOON!!!!!  HOPEFULLY BEFORE THE END OF JULY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

OMG so yay exciting WOW!!

 

So all we have to do is apply, submit all the relevant documents (we're going to do an e-application), pay the relevant visa fee, and wait.  We'll be told when to do the medicals and send through a police clearance certificate.  Ok, this all, of course, depends on the ACS RESULT... but I'm really really really optimistic now!

 

We might get the visa before MY BIRTHDAY!!  Or maybe even before I finish working here!!  So we might even be in Aus before the end of next year!!  We'll see.

 

The 'gamble' for us is when to apply for the police clearance certificates.  I think we should apply for them very soon after we actually apply for the visa, because it'll take about a month (at least) for them to do.  At the moment the Aus govt is priority-processing the visa class we're going to be applying for, so they might do ours very quickly, and would need the clearance certificates soon.  Once they are received by Aus govt, they're valid for 1 year (not the 6 months as stated on the certificate), and the entry-by-no-later-than date is (I think) the earlier of the 2 expiry dates between the medicals and the police clearance certificate. 

 

What's important though is getting the visa ASAP, because if push comes to shove, we can take a holiday (whenever NEEDed, but we can take it as a 1st anniversary holiday!!) and go to Aus to get the visas stamped in our passports.   It's not that important that we *move* straight away, but it isn't ideal not to as it's bit of a 'waste' to go there just for the visa.  BUT, we can maybe go to Aus to get the visa stamped in our passports, then return via Singapore with a week or more's stopover there for a holiday!  OR SOMETHING!  Not urgent to think about right now, more urgent is preparing to apply!

 

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

And a 1 and a 2 and a 1, 2, 3 EEEEEEEEEEEEEK

EEEEEEEEEEEEk!

 

I am so insanely bored at work today.  I have had work to do on and off, but for the most part I've been bored.  I've just been going through the pre-move checklist, which starts all the way back at 'decide which visa is best for you and your situation'.  Check!

 

All we still need in order to make the visa application is the ACS assessment!!  Apart from that we just have to fill in a character assessment document, and actually submit the visa application.

 

ACS is on track with the assessment, I hope.  Yesterday was 12 weeks since we submitted everything electronically, we still have to wait til the end of July til the 12 weeks since paper-submission is up.  I really hope that they don't take 6 months with this, else I might reach my wits' end!  It's really so exciting and actually submitting the VISA APPLICATION will be one MASSIVE step for us.  A concrete, definite step.  I know that we will wait a long time for the visa application to be processed, and will have to do other stuff in the meantime (like get medicals, etc), but that's at least... it'll be DONE, we'll have SUBMITTED it.  AND I fully understand that only once we actually GET the visa will the whole process actually START... the closing up shop and moving part. 

 

I'm probably reblogging the same thought over and over again (like a broken record), but it really is a massive, exciting thing for us.

 

This weekend we're getting new tyres for the car.  And we're going to put up 'for sale' ads for it too.  The sooner we can downgrade the better as we can settle a whole lot of things at once, which puts us in a better position to save in preparation for the move.  It will just be sad not to have the car as it really is a lovely, luxurious car.  I suppose the car we get will always be considered our 'interim' car and we won't feel very affectionate towards it.  The audi is *our* car... the next one will be the temporary car!

 

I am still very disappointed by the junk-blitz's non-happening, and the general implication it has.  I am trying to separate my emotional response to my realisations separate from my own behaviours and habits.  I don't want to knee-jerk adjust my own behaviour in an irrational bid to be 'non-cluttery' as it would catapult me straight over to the complete opposite end of the scale and cause *me* problems.  Mom's problem is not mine - what I have to deal with is my feelings about her problem.  I don't have to deal with and sort out her problem.  I can only try help her realise that she has a problem and support her (if, not when) she decides to deal with it.

 

156 working days left.  I'm so bored and restless that I am starting to wish that I could be allowed to work half-day instead.  That way they have me employed and working here and I still get to do stuff at home.  But that's a wishful thinking scenario if there ever was one!

 

Today's weather has been rather miserable, raining like mad and then the sun peeps out for a second and a half before clouding over and repeating the cycle.

 

This evening I am going to carry on scanning photos.  I took a break from photos to scan a few letters, but it takes longer than I thought it would so I've decided they can wait until the photos are done.  G's dad uncovered a whole drawer full of photo folders, so I may well have a whole consignment more to do.  I know I've taken on a colossal task, but I reckon I can beat it.  I've scanned over 2000 photos.  I'd say it's an accomplishment.  I'm over halfway through the 1st of the 3 boxes, and the 2nd box really doesn't have that much in it.  The 3rd box, however, would probably take a longer time than the first 2 put together!

 

Anyway, enough about SCANNING.  It is 'boring' (timeconsuming) but the knowledge that I will be finished with it and can go back to reading and stitching and doing other things (with no rush or deadline!) is a great comfort.  It's not as if it's a hobby I've taken up, it's just a task I've set myself.

 

It is now 3pm, 2hrs to go til HOMETIME!  And Monday, I believe, is PAYDAY!!!!

My News

Reminiscent of being in primary school, I am going to write about my news today.

I went to the dentist at 8:00 this morning, to have a filling.  I was under the impression it was just one, but it was in fact 2.  And they were more serious than my dentist had let on - this dentist (my dentist's colleague apparently whose forte it is to do white-fillings) said that he'd had to drill rather deep.  Deep enough to be right near the nerves.  If the nerves have been disturbed, they will give trouble - get inflamed, start to die, etc - and I will have to go for root canal.  OMG please no.

 

Please, just no.

 

It took close on 5 hours for the local anaesthetic to wear off completely.

 

In other news:  the car went for a scheduled service this morning.  We should have a happy car this afternoon, and I'm hoping they even give it a valet.  Kudos to Audi for pointing out that we need new tyres - apparently car service centres do not usually remark on (or even look at) the condition of the tyres as it is not within their 'jurisdiction'.  Basically it's not their responsibility to check stuff like wiperblade and tyre condition as it is your duty to check and maintain those things, not theirs.  But still, a tipped hat to Audi for going the extra 'mile' here.

 

One thing I salvaged out of the mess that is the garage at Mom's is an A4 envelope of letters.  Addressed to Dad, from his Dad, brother and sister.  Dated circa 1960.  Dad was in his late 30s/40s at that stage.  Grandpa was in his 60/70s.  I never met Grandpa+Grandma, and it has evoked such a melancholia in me, reading the letters (and not seeing Dad's reply but knowing his usual manner/writing style), learning about where they lived at that stage (not far at all from where G and I are staying - we'd be able to visit them often if they still lived there), and what their life was like.  They're not DETAILED letters, like 'this is what we eat and this is how we dress' etc, it's more day-to-day.  His sister being glad that they have moved closer to the seaside, yet the traintrip to work would require her getting up early and she'd 'just have to get used to it'.  Watching the fire on the hillside from their back porch.  Things like that.

 

It is also so evident just how catholic they were.  Loads of mentions of Father so and so, as they were evidently like family friends.  Mentions of my uncle, who was living far from them, moving back closer and 'coming back to the ways' of the church.  It makes me wonder, now, well it makes me wonder a lot, but particularly about Dad's religious views when we were small, and how they changed as he got older.  I wonder what made him rethink.  I'm of the impression that he read and learned a lot about science, and it clashed with the catholic (and indeed christian) view that the church and bible are to go unquestioned as fact and that anything found in science that contradicts it must just be ignored/denied.

 

So now I'm having a very thoughtful time, and wish that Dad was around for me to ask him things.  I would love to tell him where we are living now, and would enjoy looking at Google earth and trying to find his and his parents' homes nearby.  I wish I could see more photos of Grandpa+Grandma, to learn more about them.

 

I haven't finished reading (or scanning) all the letters, so maybe I'll learn more as I go through them all.

Freezing cold

Ok not that disastrous, but it's pretty cold here (for this part of the world at least!).  I think it's 12C or something.  Inside this building it's probably more like 3C.

This weekend was a letdown.  Not that I didn't enjoy what we did instead, but for all intents and purposes (those being to junkblitz) it was a no-show.  Mom hasn't dealt with the stuff we blitzed last time.  That was at the end of April.  1.5 months ago.  So we couldn't actually carry on, because we had made no progress and there was no space to unpack things.  I wonder if anything actually was taken away to the charity-organisation, as planned.  A whole stack of childrens' books and toys were packed into Mom's car, to be dropped off the next day, but now I'm wondering whether she didn't just unpack them and stack them somewhere (in the outside loo or shed perhaps?) as well.

It's just so... defeating.  This whole problem is worse than I'd allowed myself to acknowledge (I did know there was a problem but I was HOPING beyond hope that it wouldn't be like this).  My ex-room is now packed full of stuff, not even identifiable stuff.  It's just stuff, clutter.  There are old picture frames, ah shit I don't even want to try LIST all the stuff in there.  It's really hopeless.  It's just dreadful.

I wish that there was a simple solution, like buying her a small house, with no pool/big lawn/other troublesome 'add-ons' (because she claims to be 'busy' all the time, sorting out those things, and can't get around to sorting out the junk), but that would actually not help.  There's so much junk in the house that she wouldn't be able to move, and even if she were to get rid of everything non-vital, she'd just accumulate more.  And if you ask her about individual things, she has an answer (justification) ready.  They are 'valid' reasons, or they make SOME vague sense, but they are just so pointless that you are baffled as to why anyone would waste their energy even THINKING about doing something like that, nevermind actually DOING it.  Example:  collecting 2l ice-cream tub lids, to cut off the rims and keep the lid panel.  I ask her what on earth it's for and she points to ONE plant, in the WHOLE massive garden, that has these lids stuck into the soil around it, and says "they prevent the water from running off the soil away from the plant".  I just... it's just so depressing.

I wonder now, whether there's been 30 years of this 'accumulation' habit... I guess in the 'bigger' items (like the 30+ year old floor polisher, cot and crib), they've just never got rid of them, but now recently (not sure when it started, when Dad was sick?  After he died?), it's other things, like the ice-cream lids.  And not throwing away old things like aerosol-cream tins, which expired LAST YEAR.  Yes, I have said to her each and every time that they are OLD, and they are MOST LIKELY OFF AND GROSS (not to mention dangerous now?), and she just keeps replying 'no, I can still use the leftovers in something'.  Or has it always been like this?

I know this is a publicly viewable blog and anyone reading it can judge her and get a bad impression of her, but there are such complicated issues behind it that I don't even know about.  So reserve your judgement for the celebs and gossip-columns.  I'm blogging to put my thoughts in order and sort of exorcise them.

My sis ended up leaving very soon after we got there, because Mom started going on about how she does nothing to help (how can a person keep helping in conditions like that? but on the flipside I don't belive sis is very generous with her consideration + assistance), and we came home very soon after that too.  We ended up cleaning our own place and enjoying the quiet long weekend.  G worked on Monday, I did not.  I played Diablo 2 last night.  I'm at the end of Act 3, trying to kill Mephisto.

We are still waiting for the ACS result.

Slow

I have 162 working days left.  Yes, I'm staying with this countdown.

 

It's boring, this place is up to sh* but anyway.  I will be a persistent little train-driver (or try to be) and stick it out til the light at the end of the tunnel arrives!

 

ACS is taking their time - it's been 10 weeks since the online application, and just over 4 weeks since they got the paper application documents.  They take 12 weeks to do the assessment.  EERGH I'm so hoping they hurry up and finish it asap :D

 

Soon we should apply for our police clearance certificates, it'll take about a month to do... I've probably blogged about it in detail already but anyway.  It'll be one thing off our list!

 

We went to the dentist yesterday morning, for the usual check-up+clean... the dentist is uber-happy with my teeth except for 1.5 things... he sees on the xrays a potential cavity on one tooth and a potential filling-leak (and potential further degeneration of underlying tooth) on another tooth.  BUMMER!  So I'm going for a filling next Thursday - he says the already-filled tooth isn't as big a worry and is less urgent (not that the potential cavity-tooth is drastically urgent either).  Urgh... and I thought I was over and done with fillings etc, having had a few when I was small.

I'm busy scanning now.  It's rather boring.  I've started clearing out the other mailbox (stuff downloaded to the pc)... it's dull.  I don't feel like it now so I'm blogging.  Work has been DEATHLY boring: filing, folding drawings, more drawings, more filing.  162...it keeps me going to think that.

This weekend (I can't believe it is already upon us!) we're having the 2nd junkblitz.  Not sure what we'll tackle this time, hopefully the garage roof/rafters.  We'll see - it is only 3 days: Tuesday is a public holiday and I have taken Monday off, but G is working, so I can't junkblitz that day.  I guess it's a good thing cos I have to rest ONE day at least (ok more like:  I have to clean the fishtank this weekend so that's when I'll do it).

Ag, anyway, not much else is news.  It's not even very late, yet I want to go to bed.  Dude's all slouched tired too.

Hurl a lurl

Googling that won't bring you up any results in particular, other than hurling a url.

... I've been crying with laughter about it for a few minutes now... man I haven't had such an absurd laugh for a long time. I'm tired, it's late, I have a blogged dose (yay a cold), so I'm probably not thinking right. Anyway I thought it was funny.

It's quite an improvement on my day, really... apparently the assholes are not going to allow us to use earphones (of any sort - linked to the pc or ipod or walkman or radio) at the office. The one boss had a complete shitting-out session with colleagues who are working on a particular set of jobs that he oversees, and apparently the work quality is shit and we're all shit and everything's shit (his wife probably gave him a talking to the previous day or something, to put him in such a shit mood), so we're not allowed to listen to music. And also not allowed to use the work mail for personal stuff, nor check our personal mail during work hours, or abuse the phone (ie make personal calls), etc. So basically the asshole read a few pages of MANAGING FOR DUMMIES. So we should all become drones and die.

So my hopes of a simple countdown, given hope by the light at the end of the tunnel, have been dashed. I don't see myself lasting there WITHOUT MUSIC for another 9 fucking months. Hell, there is no way I'm going to be sitting folding drawings and doing shit filing without music... assholes.

So I've resumed my jobsearch. I dunno if I'll have any luck, I don't really care I'm just (again) ticked off with these pricks.

If they would ever find my blog - maybe they could read it and understand the world from a NOT-ONE-OF-THE-CLUB person's point of view. Why not just bloodywell block the internet? Or block sites like Facebook/youtube/etc? Why not CHECK all the PHONE RECORDS and get everyone to account for each one? Why just shit on everyone generally, and demean them and dispirit them more than they already are?

Whatever, like tossers like that would ever care anyway - it's all about their profit, their faux-'company cars', their comfort and happiness when the rest of us may as well sit in cardboard boxes and just type like monkeys.

ANWAY... enough VENOM (not even a fraction of what I feel)... for tonight. My head feels like crap and joy oh joy I'M RECEPTIONIST TOMORROW FOR THE WHOLE DAY. God I love my job.

Weekend wheeee

Thursday or Friday I started to get a scratchy throat. It behaved
itself until Sunday evening when it developed into a cold, so I'm now
sitting at work with a stuffy lopsided-feeling head. Yay.

Thankfully I wasn't too sick to go see Wayne Brady on Sunday!
Woweeee... it was a great show! That man has serious talent!

Because of my stuffy head, I can't really think of much to type into
this blogpost. I'm bored now, with nothing to do right now.

I have 169 working days left til end of Feb 2010.

Hopefully this evening I will be awake enough to play Diablo at least
a little bit.

Seeing as the visa processing time has been changing so much, we're
going to apply for the police clearance certificates this month. They
are valid for 6 months. If ACS gives the result in July, we will be
able to apply for the visa in July/August, which still leaves the
police clearance cert with 5 or so months' validity. Judging by the
processing times lately, they might assign us a case officer within
the 6 months, and even if they don't, we can apply (and pay the fee
again) for the police to send us another police clearance certificate
from the same application form, as they can do that if you ask within
6 months of first application. So, we would have 1 year's worth of
police clearance certificate! It's hardly expensive (R59), and I
reckon it's worth it having it on hand in case we get a case officer
very soon after applying for the visa. Rather be prepared! That
would just leave us with the medicals to do, which we HAVE to wait to
do because the case officer will tell us when to do them.

All in all, things seem rather straightforward.

Anyway - this is all for now, I have an email to type up and something
else to do now.

Friday AAAAAAHHHHHHHH

I AM SO BORED!!!!!!

I've been folding drawings just about the whole day yesterday and now the whole morning.  It's nearly midday.

I AM SO BORED!!

 

There are 133 days left for me.  It's given me such a burst of energy, this 'light at the end of the tunnel'!  Except now I'm more impatient... I even more badly want to go home and do stuff because work is so boring!!

 

I don't have anything wonderfully inspired to blog about.  bla bla bla bla bla

 

I'M BORED!!!!!

Scanning Sunday!

This weekend was so fun and relaxing!  Saturday, instead of going with G to the mall (it's become a regular Saturday thing due to meeting up with his parents for brunch there), I stayed home, and had a gentle start to my day.  Relaxed, unhurried breakfast, some tea and then I settled in to sort out my stuff.  Basically needed a bit of down-time to sit and figure out where I'm at:  I had a pile of paperwork to sort out, had to go through my to-do lists and prioritise things, etc.  It's given me a lot of peace of mind as there isn't that much that I *have* to do... I have to scan, I know that much!!

Apart from scanning the photos, I haven't got MUCH that I have to do... of course there still remains the mass of junk/junkblitzing to do at Mom's place, but otherwise, all I have to do is read through some Cosmo magazines (a last read before I get rid of them), and some other odds and ends but nothing MAJOR (slow, timeconsuming things like reading a pile of Cosmos or scanning photos).

The photos are still taking forever.  I'm not yet halfway through the 2nd box, and I still have 3 boxes, 1 packet and 3 albums left!!!  At least it's something 'slow' which I can double up on with doing something else which is dull:  clearing out my email box(es)!!  I won't be keeping my ISP-linked mailbox when we move so I may as well clear it out as much as I can before we leave.  And then there are LOADS of those stupid 'friendshippy' emails cluttering another mailbox (which I don't use anymore - it's just used to IM), which I have unbelievably left there for the past few years!  It's taken me ages, but I've whittled them down from 700 to 60.  My gmailbox is another story!! But, as they say in the classics, one step at a time!  I'm nearly done with clearing the friendshippy-mailbox, and then it's onto the ISP-linked one.  Yay!

Saturday evening we went out to Sis's G's birthday party/supper.  Man that was delicious food!  And we seriously overdosed on sugar!!!!!  All round a rather fun time!

That's all news for now that I can think of.

 

137 days left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday

This week has been very boring.  Work-wise, at least.  It hasn't been irritating, like last week... at least, the latter part of this week hasn't been.

I re-counted on my calendar and if I don't find anything else before the end of the year (and provided I LAST that long), I have 138 working days left.  That is, if the visa application runs smoothly and I don't work past the end of this year - it depends entirely on the visa application.  But at least it gives me a milestone to work towards.  It's already May, there are 7 months left, but only 138 WORKING days left.  That's not so bad.  I've counted down for much longer in the past (trip to India, trip to Aus, wedding), so this should go quickly - specially since it is ALREADY May!

I think 138 days... is not such a bad thing.  I cannot properly count down in weeks though as with the leave days I've put in, there are some not-full *working* weeks etc (and even a week off, if I'm lucky), so I'd have to count in calendar weeks, not working weeks.  But if anyone is wanting to know, I have 30 weeks until I'm officially free!  Days make it sound closer because I can subtract one each day - except over weekends.

YAYYYYYYYY!!!!

There have been promising 'discoveries' regarding the visa.  One of the forums I frequent has had a post - someone has put together some 'stats' regarding the application processing times etc, and it seems as if the number of people applying for the visa type we're applying for has dropped.  And they've apparently sped up with processing.  So, if we apply in (touch wood holds thumbs that ACS hurries up and gives a good assessment) say July, we might get assigned a case officer in September or so, which may even mean that we'll have the visa before mid-next year!!  I really don't know what it means for us - if all things work out superbly they might grant the visa before the end of this year but I'm not getting my hopes THAT far up!  But it'd be nice.  So, maybe my sticking it out at this co isn't all that bad, because I'll be able to 'sign off' here and PREPARE TO MOVE!!!!!!

It's just too exciting.  And, it means that I must SHAKE MY ASS and get scanning!  Eeek!  Too exciting.

Nothing much else is news for now... this weekend I want to stay at home as much as we can, and get to grips with stuff we have to do at home.  G will probably have homework to do, but that will enable me to batten down the hatches and get scanning.

Inspired

but nowhere to go.  Or unable to indulge in my inspiration.

We had a wonderful weekend - G's party on Saturday was fun... and Sunday after cleaning up we pretty much chilled: reading, relaxing, nibbling leftovers, basically taking a nice quiet break.

Because of the nice quiet break, I am now super-inspired to tackle things, like scanning those photos (I haven't for a week or 2 now)... because I WANT TO STITCH!!!!!!  Golden Ice is still in my cupboard, sulking.  I REALLY REALLY want to stitch, but at this time I really have to scan photos because we don't know how long the visa will take.

We're still waiting for the skills assessment - the website's status hasn't changed but that doesn't necessarily mean it hasn't been processed.  I'm going to keep looking in the postbox.

Once that's arrived we are SET to apply!  And because (depending on the skills assessment result) G's occupation is on their CSL list, it will hopefully be a prioritised application.  So they *might* take under a year to process it!!

WHICH MAKES SCANNING ALL THE MORE URGENT!! *trying to peptalk myself so that I SCAN and don't stitch*

Once the scanning is finished, I will have all the time in the world to stitch, read, play computer games, etc.

But of course, my IMMEDIATE problem is that I'm stuck at WORK right now, with all the energy in the world, and as usual, by the time this afternoon comes round, my energy and inspiration will have seeped into the ground and disappeared, to be replaced with tiredness by the time I get home.  Super-frustrating!!  But, I can hardly resign to go do stuff like that at home... because we don't know how long the visa processing will take, and I don't think it's wise for me to sit home for 1 year +.  It is still unlikely that I will be able to afford not to work as soon as we're in Aus, and having a gap of a year or more won't do me any favours when looking for a job!

One the 'once-in-Aus' side of things, houses are SO EXPENSIVE THERE!  A nice decent sized house costs at least about AU$400 000, which is in the region of R3m.  That would obviously be if we bought our dreamhome straight-off which isn't going to happen!  But there are some seriously awesome homes there!  I guess though that we will have to look at buying a house and paying it off - which is what everyone does - because we will be settling in Aus, not 'temporarily' residing there, which is what we're doing now while we're in SA.

I guess it'll be a large mind-set change, from everything here being considered against our limited time here, to having 'uncapped' time there to 'invest' in long-term things there.

Work is increasingly quiet here - the whole co is pretty much gearing up for 1 massive job, with all the small ones carrying on and being finished.  Hbbm's not getting anything new for now (it seems), so things are quiet.  Talking of hbbm, he's got (cancerous?) growths/sores on his nose... he says he's having chemo for it and it's from a lifetime of playing cricket in the sun without sunscreen.  Not good.

Anyway, no other news right now.  Crawling down to lunchtime and then hopefully the afternoon will go past quickly.

News

I checked the ACS website again (G and I each seem to check it daily) to see whether there's been any progress with his application.  There has been:  it now says 'in progress', where it used to say 'to be allocated'.  So!  There has been progress!!  Hopefully they RACE through it and send us the letter ASAP so we can apply THIS MONTH for the VISAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!  Yayyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!

In other news:  we bought a new fridge yesterday.  We'd decided on an updated one of ours, and the salesman asked whether we'd rather want a silver one because it was going for R500 less than the white!  Colour is no biggie (we only took the white appliances before because they were R500 cheaper than the silver ones!), but I have a feeling it'll look a little unusual - the oven, microwave and washmachine (and even kettle+toaster) are all white, and the built-in cupboards are white too!

It should be delivered on Friday, and we're seriously hopefully they do because we're going to need it well in time to prepare eats for G's birthday!

Other news:  my phone's 3G/3.5G/whatever is faulty - so I can't connect to mig or the internet to check facebook.  Great.  Now my work day is even MORE damn boring! 

Gmail's coherence - maybe a hard night's drinking last night?

An error message I encountered, while trying to get to Gmail:

 

The requested URL could not be retrieved

---

While trying to retrieve the URL: mail.google.com:443

The following error was encountered:

Unable to determine IP address from host name for

The dnsserver returned:

No Address records

This means that:

 The cache

Unsettled time

We have a "minor" setback with the visa application:

Home affairs does not have G's mom's ID number on the unabridged birth certificate.

I phoned them to find out how to get it fixed and it involves amending the birth register, which entails: a copy of G's mom's ID, R70, a particular form, and 3 to 6 MONTHS' WAIT.

Afterwards, he has to apply for a new unabridged birth certificate, which takes '6 to 8 weeks' (see previous post for comment).  So, if we are FORTUNATE, we should have his 'correct' birth certificate in JANUARY NEXT YEAR.  The soonest POSSIBLE would probably be October.

That, as you can imagine, is TERRIFIC.  We are currently waiting for G's skills assessment, which I believe is only VALID for ONE YEAR after issue, and if home affairs fucks up and takes over a year to fix this...

What we are going to do, and I sincerely hope/pray that it works, is submit the 'incorrect' birth certificate, plus a copy of the application for amendment of birth register.  That's the best we can do, I don't see how we can wait until home affairs has fixed this mess.  I just hope they don't throw out the visa application completely because of this damn birth certificate!

And I've just read on one of my regular forums that Aus Govt has reduced the number of skilled migrants they're accepting from 118 000 to 110 000.  That is EVERYone applying as a skilled applicant: people who are sponsored, people on the critical skills list (CSL), and everyone else who has an occupation they need.  I can only take comfort from the fact that the sponsored people (employer sponsored and state sponsored) and CSL applicants are prioritised (G's application would fall under the CSL category), and each state has a quota for the year of sponsored people, so hopefully we would still fit in.

Still, this home affairs setback isn't wonderful.  Hopefully, also, once this mess-up has been sorted, we will have no other need for home affairs EVER.  And to think that I was thinking that while we were waiting for the birth certificates!

In OTHER NEWS:  our fridge died on Friday afternoon.  We got home and I noticed INSTANTLY that it was wrong.  It made an unusual sound.  It gradually lost all its coldness and everything slowly started to defrost.  That night we had a sizeable supper: trying to make use of as much frozen food (from the freezer compartment) as we could - without leftovers because *drumroll* we couldn't put it back in the fridge!  Not too much of a catastrophe, we didn't lose much as the fridge/freezer wasn't very fully stocked, and all we are really missing is milk for tea/coffee.

The technician came and took a brief look at it and said 'there's been a slow leak, it ran out of gas and the motor ran dry and burnt out.  Save yourself a lot of hassle and buy a new fridge'.  A new motor = R1500, and has 3 months' guarantee.  A new fridge is maybe R2500 (not sure), but it has a 2 year guarantee.  Yay.  It wasn't even 2.5 years old!  Gone, it seems, are the days of buying appliances that last a good decade or 2.

Great timing, fridge, it's G's birthday on Friday, and we are having a party on Saturday.  I don't know that we will have a fridge in time (hold thumbs), so it's going to be interesting.

And on that dreary note I shall sign off - I'm at work, the weather is dull, I'm doing filing.  All-round dreariness it seems.  Yay for my saviour: iPod!

TAKE A FUCKING HINT!!!

I'm sitting at my desk, playing solitaire.  It is lunch time - I have my ipod going, earphones in my ears.  I'm sitting with a cup of tea and 2 slices of toast & peanut butter.  I am holding one slice aloft as I eat it.

..and yet, one dude comes and 'slots in' a printed letter with corrections NEXT TO my PLATE, WHILE hbbm is busy EXPLAINING work (thankfully for after lunch), and then shortly afterwards, another guy pops past and asks about some change in a short letter, which isn't mine = not on my pc = ask whoever else it's from (the typist)... and then comes back with a change in a letter I'd typed before lunch...

and then he phones down after I'd reprinted it, to change 2 words and reprint it

... and then another guy, while I'm eating (trying to eat) with my earphones blaring a bit extra, comes past and calls me through my earphones, to print a short letter on letterhead.

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO BE MORE OBVIOUS WITH THE FACT THAT I'M EATING?

DO I HAVE TO CHEW WITH MY MOUTH OPEN??!?!?!?

Home Affairs

Just NEED to rant for a moment:
We applied for our unabridged birth certificates at the end of Jan.  Were told that it takes 8 to 10 weeks, so I started phoning them at the beginning of April.  I have been phoning (the callcentre) AT LEAST weekly, sometimes even a few days in a row (I've been getting desperate).  I phoned Tuesday - G's is apparently ready, and has been since 3rd Feb (The fact that it took them a MONTH (since I started calling) to tell me this.... wtf????).  Mine is still lost in the system, waiting for a response from head office as to why exactly it is taking so long.

I phoned again yesterday to find out (confirm) that G's is ready - yes, and mine's still lost in the system.

This morning, I phone the branch we applied at, to make sure his is ready for collection before we go and waste hours on Sat morning.  The lady says yes it is but it's not printed yet - they will do that when we come to collect.  So, by chance (optimism beyond reality), I give her my ID no. to check.  Yes, she says, same thing - it's ready but they'll print it only when we come collect it.

?!?????????????!!!!!!!!!???????????

Waiting

The past week was successful, I'd say.  Mom seems open to the idea of getting rid of stuff, but it still is difficult.  But the whole roof-cavity is cleared out.  Next up: the garage.

I am ON THE CUSP of Act 3 in Diablo 2... I've finished Act 2 but haven't 'sailed east' yet.  I sincerely HOPE that I can buy 'mana potions' in Act 3 because I can't buy any in Act 2 or the areas in Act 1 anymore, and I haven't saved any.  It sucks because my stash is too small to store potions, gems, rings and all other things that I need to keep with me.  And I need mana potions in order not to die.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to playing more.

I'm also looking forward (haha) to getting our unabridged birth certificates.  Yay home affairs YOU SUCK!!

ACS - please hurry up with the skills assessment ;-)

No other news for now - other than YAYWOOTWHATEVER I'm back at work :-(

MAJOR PROGRESS

The past 3 days have been spent at Mom's place, sorting through stuff that has been stored in the roof cavity for the past 20 years (or so).

I think it's very reassuring to find that there isn't really that much stuff I've brought home with me. After going through MANY bags of stuff, mostly old school books and our baby/small kid clothing (why would anyone keep quite so much of this stuff I don't know)... I've picked out a few very special books and some super-special toys (not many at all). Mom really struggles with getting rid of stuff - it would seem as if every single one of our school books, from our whole school career, has been kept. And the amount of baby clothes - ok not quite HEAPS of it, but still more than I thought she'd kept. Baby-grows, small blouse-tops, basically baby clothes, and also pretty dresses, which I thought had been given away A LONG TIME AGO. But she wants to keep some special ones which translates into keeping a lot of them. I think she realises she must give up a lot of them, but it just seems a huge difficulty for her. I don't understand her attachment to the clothing, because a) we're still alive and it's not as if we've died/disappeared... b) we've grown up and it just is pointless keeping clothes we've outgrown and c) I don't see the fascination with baby clothes. Yes, they're small, maybe even cute, but to want to keep all of them simply because they're cute - to me it's like wanting to keep every cute thing I can find... just not possible or sane.

But, that's besides the point. We have cleared out the WHOLE roof cavity, so that all there is up there is 3 bags of Dad's clothes that Mom still wants to keep, 2 sponge mattresses, 4 chairs, a suitcase full of slides, Xmas decorations and a few pelmets which were up when they moved in which she wants to keep for when they move out and they take their 'nice' curtainrails with them (they've had the house for 35 years or so? I'm sure someone buying the house would not want that type of curtain-rail anymore!!!).

But... progress has been made. Next up is the garage, as there are things up there which haven't MOVED in 20 years. And my idea is to clear out those 2 major spaces, so that things which BELONG in a garage (like a gas-bottle) can GO INTO THE GARAGE, rather than be stored in the 3rd bedroom (my ex-room). Yes, things are so muddled and chaotic that there is a gas-bottle in my (ex-)bedroom. I think the garage is going to be hell because there are so many odds and ends which she is NOT going to want to throw away because they can be used to fix things. Shitty little offcuts of wood, or 3ml leftover paint in a tin, which 'can be used sometime when the money's tight, just to touch up something'... so they won't get thrown away.

After the garage, the next things to tackle will be: the outside toilet, the 2 wendyhouses/sheds, the cupboard/shelf in the bathroom, the built-in cupboards in Mom's room, my ex-bedroom, and then any other cupboards/clutter-collection-areas. Mom seriously hangs on to shit that everyone else would toss... but hopefully in freeing up space for her to put stuff that she's ORGANISED, it'll free up space so that she can organise more stuff, which will hopefully start a good cycle of organising... hopefully the organised house will get her to relax a bit and organise her thoughts too.

I have such bad allergies from all the dust... but I think it's worth it in the long run. I just wish I had a month more off from work to keep up the momentum on this junkblitz. The problem is, Mom's mind isn't logical right now... so she will waste time and energy with pointless tasks which only she sees the point of - like having many LITTLE dirtboxes/bags, which all get full and hang around, rather than 1 medium-sized dirtbox which EVERYTHING can go into and it can be taken out regularly. Her issue is that it would smell... so she divides the dirt into smelly/food stuff (which is more urgent to get taken out), boxes/containers/packaging/not smelly (not urgent to get taken out)... etc. So she ends up with subdivided rubbish which a) is a waste of goddamn energy and brainspace, and b) really is a bit pointless and it ends up never being taken out and driving my sister crazy having to deal with 'conditional dirtbins'. It's such a bizarre scenario, I can't even explain it clearly here!!

ANYWAY... time off would be nice - but isn't likely to happen. I'm just sad that this week has gone by so quickly - so much to do and so little time. Tonight we're going to M&J with sis and her G, for supper and games.

Right now, I'm going to play a bit of Diablo 2. At the moment I'm in Act 2, and I'm (if I recall right) level 21 Assassin. Yeehaaa!! I just wish that I had a bigger stash as I have already got too much gold (the limit for my level is 150 000 gold coins), and the other things I've collected have filled up my stash.

Ok, it's time for a bit of DIABLO 2!!!!

Unprogress

I have decided I'm going to phone Home Affairs daily to find out what is happening with our unabridged birth certificates.  It's been 11 weeks and counting!  This is ridiculous.  Tomorrow we are couriering the hardcopies of the ACS (skills assessment) application, and if that result arrives before the birth certificates, I will be very annoyed.  The birth certificates are the only things that we are waiting for apart from the skills assessment, and the moment the skills assessment arrives, we are supposed to be able to apply for the visa - but only if we have received our birth certificates!!!!!!!!

I've got another interview, next week.  I haven't heard from the 1st co yet, despite them telling me they'd let me know Thursday - I guess they're still going through the applications.  And the 2nd co will let me know next week whether I'm to come in for a 2nd interview.  The 3rd co is also in the city CBD, this time it's even closer to home than either of the others, or my current office!  I'm very optimistic as it seems that there are jobs out there!

Next week is BLITZ WEEK!  I hope that the weather is decent, so that we can comfortably sort through stuff.  There will be loads and loads of stuff to get rid of, I just hope mom doesn't pull everything that we've 'discarded' to one side and end up hanging onto it by not actively GETTING RID OF IT - the stuff (like toys) we want to give to a charity, for eg.

What else is news... not much.  I've been reading more up on the visa process.  It doesn't sound too confusing or difficult, it's just a case of sending our stuff through, waiting to be assigned a case officer, and then once the case officer requests the last remaining info (which we may not give until it is requested).  I think it's just the police clearance certificate, medicals, and might also be the australian values statement... might be a good-character-proof form or something else like that.  And that's it!!  And I've found out that the visa application fee is half of what we thought it was - the 2nd instalment is only for people who have less than functional English, because they would need English tuition once in the country!  Yay!!!!!!!!!  The only downside is that the actual application processing time is quite long.  I'm using 15months as a ballpark duration.

YAY it is FRIDAY TODAY!!!!!  Excellent - I can't wait to go home and CHILL!!!!!

Hiccups

I've been reading the SA2Aus forums, scrutinising the posts relevant to our application, and have found something that was momentarily disturbing.  We sent off our ACS application online at the end of March.  We did not realise that we had to courier/post them the hard copies of the documents.  So... we shall do that ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It sets our ACS application back by 3 or 4 weeks... but (still reading on the forums) ACS might take anything between 6 weeks and 6 months to assess the skills assessment application.  So 3 weeks might not make SUCH a big difference.  Specially if the Aus govt take a long time in assessing the actual visa application!  But... that all remains to be seen.

I think I shall rest (temporarily) easy once the actual VISA APPLICATION has been submitted... then after a short while (haha knowing me probably a few HOURS!), I shall be champing at the bit, wanting to go for medicals and apply for police clearance certificates etc.  I think I will truly only rest easy after we are actually in Aus and able to move forward and do things like buying a car, finding a place to stay, etc.  Maybe even after that.  I think between the visa granting date and the landing date, we will be exceptionally busy and stressed out... but SUPER-EXCITED!  There is just so much to organise and arrange.

Work is super-dull.  I sincerely hope that something changes ASAP so that I have a new situation to enjoy!

EEEEEEEKK

Super eek!!!!!!

Friday I had an interview with a recruitment agency.  The lady had phoned me on Tuesday and had a phone interview with me, and just wanted to meet me in person.  I will hear tomorrow whether they want me to come in and redo the typing/computer skills test, or whether they want me or not.  Eeek.  I believe the job is at the recruitment agency themselves, but I'm not 100% sure.

This morning I got a call, and now have another interview, 8:30 on Thursday.

On the weekend I got 2 calls about the same thing, offering me the chance work at a company which does transcription typing, mostly typing from dictaphone recordings of people who speak in British accents.  It sounds like it could be interesting for the first day or 2 and then insanely dull for the rest of the time.  I guess something for me to do if I resign (close to the time that we are going to move) and there's a delay and I need something to do to bring in more money.

So, all in all, it sounds promising.  I guess, even in recession, there is a need for a receptionist/admin assistant/secretary type person.  I will keep sending my CV out, there might just be something awesome out there.  There really is no need to mold over at the same place for 5+ years if you don't enjoy it.  I feel apprehensive (who doesn't when it comes to interviews!), but excited... anxious because of the unknown factor (what are they going to make me do, will I have to do invoices, will it be too hard, etc)... and also because of the newness of everything - getting used to a new place, new people, new rules and modus operandi, etc.  I guess it's the feeling of being thrust out from a safe routine into completely unknown, uncharted territory!

But, then, there's also the fact that something NEW will completely throw the leaves in the air and I think (hope) that it'll make the time go past quickly, so we won't notice how long it takes for the visa application to be processed.  I don't know how long it will take.  Apparently ACS can take over 6 months to do the skills assessment, but then they could take 12 weeks on the dot.  And apparently, with the new rules about the skilled independent visa, they have a STACK of those visas to process, and they've halted processing on everything apart from the state/regional sponsored applicants and those who have occupations in the critical skills list (CSL).  They're processing the CSL applications which have been backlogged since Sept 07.  Apparently they started processing the backlogged once starting from Sept 07 ones in (say) Feb 09, and had already reached June 08's applications a month later.  So, if they are hurrying everything up, we might get ours quite soon after we apply (if people applied in June 08 and got their visa in March 09 and they're speeding up with the processing).  Although, of course, one can NEVER set your watch according to ANY govt department, no matter how 1st world the country is.

On that note, we are still waiting for our unabridged birth certificates.  We submitted our applications on 26 Jan.  They only 'received' our applications on 5 Feb.  They said it'd take 8-10 weeks, it is nearly 12 weeks now since we applied.  SIGH!!!!!!!!!!!

Not much news

I got a parcel note yesterday evening, my Cardigans "Life" and A Camp "Colonia" albums have arrived.  It took 6 weeks to come from the UK.  Lovely.

I had a bit of an epiphany last night.  It finally fell into one sentence, what exactly it is that bothers me about my job (in a more broad perspective).  I do not want to be a PA.

I think that needs a little bit of elaboration:  in my 'occupation', at the start you are (for example) an admin assistant, girl friday or receptionist/switchboard operator.  Then you progress and become (say) junior secretary/senior admin assistant/senior receptionist or something.  And then, you become, after a lot of hard work and proving your ability, you become a PA, or executive secretary, personal secretary, etc.  And I don't want to become a PA.

I don't enjoy personal work like phoning to book tickets/sort out someone else's medical aid (or other personal shit like car-service/glass-replacement etc at home, stuff that THEY should be doing themselves, or their stay-at-home-wifeykins should do).  I don't particularly want to arrange meetings, take minutes, stuff like that, but that is in essence what the job entails.  So in all, I do not want to aspire to become a PA, even though I'm nearly there.  I'm essentially a very low-level PA right now despite the fact that it's not mentioned anywhere on my payslip.  I COULD become a PA - I might well take up a PA job in the interim before we move - but I have now realised that I don't enjoy it.

But, then there's the tiny little insignificant, annoying little problem of WHAT THE HELL DO I WANT TO DO!?

I don't know.

To totally sum up the situation:

 

When you devote your time and energy to doing things that you really want to do,

you will feel more confident, more valued and in control

and there will be less time to think ………

 

and that is now my problem:  I DON'T want to do it, and I'm losing confidence, feeling very unvalued and out of touch with where I want to be (apart from Aus and NOT SOUTH AFRICA).

I don't know what I want to do, so I don't know how to start and head off into that direction.  Don't know what it is to know what to study.

So yes, I've been feeling a little *low* lately.

Boredom again

Yay, boredom!  I'm currently having a quick teabreak before tackling one of the most boring jobs in this entire office - packing a job away.  It entails taking everything out of the lever arch files, replacing the file-dividers with a blue sheet of paper with the divider's title written onto it, putting a string-tie through it, making a note of it, and putting it into an apple box, and once everything is in the applebox, making a label for it, outlining the contents.  It is boring.  It takes a while.

It's great being part of a forum on a particular subject relevant to you.  I'm a member of a budgies forum and a SA->Aus forum! 

The budgies forum is (as would be expected) a forum with LOADS of 'baby' pics.  Lots of information and advice on how to look after your budgies best.

The SA->Aus forum is SO informative, also lovely and welcoming, but totally different as the members aren't KNOWLEDGEABLE like you feel like a complete n00b, they're in the same boat as you - trying to fathom out the immigration process.  By assimilating their experiences, trying to gauge how long each thing takes, it helps gather ideas and gain insight into how it all works.  I just found out that ACS is currently taking 6 months+ to do skills assessments.  That's not great.  Also, it's not recommended that we pack our stuff ourselves, as the Aus customs are apparently extremely strict and the shipping companies don't cover (with insurance) boxes that aren't packed by them.  So, this is going to be a long, boring uneventful wait.  I guess it means I can relax a bit more and actually cross-stitch at times.  Play computer games, read, chill.  I do still want to finish scanning the photos though.  At least that's a finite amount.  But damn, it's getting boring now.

I may or may not have mentioned in blog yesterday, but I have an interview on Friday - with a recruitment agency.  Hold thumbs.

The winds of change

have begun to blow...

I've been sending out my CV to job-ads... this morning I got a call from a recruitment agency - I have an interview on Friday at 07:00.  Eeeek!  So early.  But at least then I won't be too late for work that morning.  And I have received an email offering me the opportunity to send my CV - my profile on a career-resource site has obviously had a hit or two!

Other changes will happen, probably soon?  ... G's decided to sell his car.  Main reason: to save money on petrol+insurance, and by selling the car privately, he can use the selling price to settle the repayments and buy a 2nd hand smaller car.  A no-strings-attached (committment-free) car will be ideal for when we have to close up shop and leave.  No worries of settling repayments, etc.  So that'll be a significant change too.

Another change (sad)... G's grandpa passed away on Thursday night.  I'm so fortunate to have met him, and to have had him be part of our wedding.

~~

Long weekend bliss

It's LONG WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!

I've been scanning LIKE MAD since yesterday. I've finished the 1st box of photos. I really want this done and out of the way.

I've been reading up on forums, stuff about the visa application and move process. It's so exciting, but hectic and almost scary too. There is just so much waiting involved!

We have to wait until (roughly) end of June, for G's ACS skills assessment. By then, we will hopefully have received our unabridged birth certificates, and we will be able to apply for the visa. From what I've read, it'll take well over a year to get the visa. Most of that time is made up of the application just sitting in the 'in-tray'. Once it gets assigned to a case officer, it shouldn't take too long. The case officer then asks for us to get a police clearance certificate and go for medicals... and then once that's sent in they can carry on.

There's just so much info out there, but mostly speculation and people's individual experience and suggestions, about stuff like going for the medicals a few months after applying, so that there isn't much of a wait for the case officer when they request the medicals result.

Anyway, my job situation depends on the visa process. If it doesn't take very long, then there won't be much need for me to stay working past the end of the year. And, also, we will have so much to pack. YAY eeek!!

Thoughts

While on the way to work this morning, I heard the DJ on the radio saying he likes some Jewish/passover food, and that that food, and easter eggs, were the best part of this time of year for him.  Which led me to wonder, who 'judges' who may buy certain foods?  Our local supermarket has large selections of religious festival foods at the specific times of year, and although I've never had the urge to buy any religious food (like halaal dates for Ramadaan, or food for Passover), who would 'stop' me from doing it?

The ladies at the tills would.  The amount of scrutiny and discussion (in Xhosa) that our groceries get, at times, is quite perplexing and would be seriously offputting were I to buy anything 'judgeable' religious food (or condoms!).

"Ntoni le?? (what's this?)" *serious discussion between till lady and bag-packer*.  Me, defensive inner thoughts "It's NORI... um... I need it for... my fishtank!  I don't have enough um, algae in my tank and it's a.. um... for my tank!"

So, I'd probably get a nice tearing-apart by the till ladies who'd think it weird that a non-religious person* would buy stuff for a non-commercialised (ie Ramadaan/Idh/Passover as compared to Easter) religious festival!

 

* by non-religious, I mean not 'stereotypical' of that religion's followers:  ie not Jewish or Muslim 'looking'.  Yes, that's stereotypical and judgemental, but we're not in a perfect world where race has no bearing on religious group.  They are not my judgements/stereotypes.

Music!

This morning I received a pack of 3 CDs: Kelly Clarkson, Kelli Ali and Dead Can Dance.  Yayyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!

I hope this 'inspires' my other parcels to arrive.  I'm still waiting for the LR2 soundtrack, A Camp+The Cardigans CDs and The Cardigans CD/DVD.  Oh the joy of airmail.

The wedding dress and jacket are ready for collection at the drycleaners.  Funkiness!  I'm also going to pick up a copy of today's newspaper, for the job supplement.

 

I NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS FUCKING PLACE!

 

I am quite FED UP.  I need to get out of here.  The pettiness and shit, I've had enough.  I really have.  I have said so before, and I've been jobhunting.  And I still am.

 

Last night, while I scanned photos, G and I swapped RAM chips.  Mine I'd left in its box as my laptop just wouldn't accept it.  G's had no problem with his RAM, so we swapped.  Mine in his laptop seems fine.  His in mine seems fine.  I even had a bash at Diablo II, maxed out the CPU but the RAM was HAPPY!  At some stage (not while playing) I gave the laptop a couple of bangs/nudges/presses and typed very... roughly, to see if the RAM chip would move and crash the laptop.  It didn't, so hopefully it was a combination of a finicky RAM chip and a dodgy slot connection, and hopefully the RAM chip isn't as finicky and will work!

I can't wait for the weekend.  I want to sleep late.  I want to scan a shitload of photos, I'm tired of photos now and I really enjoyed Diablo II yesterday.  I want to do my own stuff now.  Stitch, read, play games.  I have 3.5 boxes of photos still, plus G's packet of holiday photos which is equal to another box.  *sigh*  And Mom has a few other photos (odds and ends) which I want to scan.  AND then my aunt has photos from Gran which I want to scan.  I think once I'm done I won't ever want to see another printed photo in my life.  And hopefully I won't really have to, cos they'll all be on CD :D

And then I can stitch.  Poor Golden Ice.  I was almost craving cross-stitch yesterday (at work) I can't remember, I think I was folding drawings *exceptionally boring*.

Fuck, I'm sick of this job.

Monday, day 1/4

This week is a 'short' week - Friday is a holiday.  And the following Monday is a holiday too - I CAN'T WAIT for this long weekend.  And, not forgetting: CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ok... now that the chocolate-thoughts are out of the way... :D

 

This weekend was rather fun.  Friday night we went to M's place - she made an entire Greek meal (starter, main course and dessert)... which was EXTREMELY delicious and EXTREMELY filling.  I couldn't eat more than a teaspoon of the dessert.  Hectic!!  It was so yum though.

Saturday morning we finally (yes, it's taken this long to get around to doing it) took the wedding dress and the jacket to drycleaners.  And we fetched my new drivers' license.  My transformation is complete!  Then, we met up with G's mom and headed out to The Old Biscuit Mill - a shopping precinct, where you can find unique jewellery, antiques, odds and ends, clothes, beads, crafts... lots of stuff.  But it's more for tourists, and well off people, as the things are seriously pricy.

This week is probably going to be fairly boring, as hbbm is away.  The other guy has left me quite a bit of filing but it won't take long to do.  I have just overheard the receptionist asking someone whether they have filing to do, so he said 'lots' so I'm sure she's going to go on walkabouts doing his filing.  Like hell... you're RECEPTIONIST, even if there is nothing else for you to do, you have a phone, front door and fax machine to oversee.  I have nothing.  Piss off and leave me to do my OWN job, thanks.  Anyway, I'm going to do this filing I have quickly and then see about helping the other guy.

 

MAN I'M AMPED FOR AUS...

Impending boredom

As I blogged previously, I'm think I'm going to be bored next week.

Today, however, has been rather busy.  Yesterday was a total pointless dumb day (the saga of that friggin' document carried on!), but today is busy so far.  I'm probably going to be madly rushed today because of the 2 people going on leave needing everything done before they go today.  There are 2 of those LOVELY invoice-batches to go out today, and hbbm is stuck in meetings the whole time starting from 12.  So I suspect a rather bleh day.

This evening we're going to M&J's place, it was her birthday yesterday and we're having a greek supper.

 

Ok after pressing "save now" and going to do work before hbbm left... I'm back.  Bored.

Nothing to blog about now.  Bored.

Slow disintegration

Depressed.  I think that's what I am feeling right now.

I'm feeling caged, but not as a tiger.  I don't have the vitality, right now, to be called a 'tiger'.  I feel more like a potato, left in the dark, back corner of the cupboard, behind everything else.

I want to go out, I want to go out this evening in fact, but I don't want it to be a FORCED outing.  I don't want to go this evening because we HAVE to go this evening because there is no other time to go.  I don't WANT to go collect my drivers' Saturday morning beCAUSE we can't go any other time.  I'm tired of this hamster-wheel.

I just heard hbbm tell someone on the phone that he's on leave next week.  Instantly, I feel a dull dread because miss madam receptionist is probably going to be in her ELEMENT saying 'if you're not busy, I just want to...' so that she can be awol.  And, because he's on leave, I WON'T be busy so I will have to shut up and stand in for her.  Fuck I hate this powerless position.

I guess I have seesawing emotions, maybe it's my piscean nature or maybe it's because I'm a girl or maybe because I'm mentally unstable or maybe I'm too sensitive to sugar-levels or light-levels or hormone-levels or whatever, but I'm THRILLED because we finally got our wedding rings!!  They took a week and 2 days to make them!  I'm so so happy with mine, and I love G's ring too.  And to our EX-jeweller I say TAKE THAT MUTHAFUGAH!!  What a loser, I'm so glad he stuffed up in a way, because it means he didn't get our business!

Anyway... I think I blogged about hbbm 'scolding' me for something he gave me to do on Thursday and I wasn't sorting it out.  Well, about 20mins ago, he completely overrode what I'd accomplished.  The lady I was dealing with was trying to get their copy of the document back from the company they'd given it to, so that it could be exchanged for the uptodate version we have.  But now, hbbm says 'this needs to be put into an email so that when people ask about this, there's a formal written record of it'.  So, he dictates an email that *I* must send (as me), to this lady, saying that only 6 pages of the document had changed, and if she would prefer, I can email her the updated pages.  This, after I'd obfuscated and told her that 'the change affects the whole document' because I did not in fact know what *had* changed, and was trying to get across the fact that we do need the documents exchanged and not just updated pages sent out.  Because I thought it was VITAL that the old one be returned to us.  No, hbbm says 'as long as the date is on the updated pages, it's 100% fine to send them out'.

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If you WANTED this whole thing done YOUR WAY, why not give me THE INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO DO IT YOUR WAY, FROM THE OUTSET!!!!

 

Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

How DUMB!!!!!

Lunchtime lethargy

GUESS WHAT!!  It is...... blog time again!

I'm bored, uninspired and frustrated, sitting at work.  I applied for 3 jobs last night, 2 have already replied saying 'sorry, but thanks for the application'.  I expect I will receive a lot of replies like that but I'll just keep trying.  It won't be easy, finding another job... but I'll persist.  I'm really fading, here.

This morning I phoned someone's PA regarding exchanging their (out of date) copy of a document (from us) with an updated one at our office... to remind her as I phoned her about it first on Thursday.  She gasps and says "I completely forgot about it... and the document has been issued" (ie given out to another company).  So, I relay the info (POINTING OUT the fact that *she* FORGOT) to hbbm.  His response?  "issued to who?  where is it?  why hasn't it been exchanged yet?  I gave this (task) to you on Thursday... just sort it out!"

Thanks.  *I'm* the one who forgot, I'M the one who is delaying the entire thing... I'm the one dawdling with this on purpose, so *I'm* the one you should rant at.

I'm really so tired of this place, tired of hbbm's responses to things, tired of MY irritability and annoyedness, which is triggered by this (yes I know I'm supposed to control things like that but damnit, I'm tired of this place), tired of the same, repeated, boring day EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Anyway, on a happier note - we should have our rings today.  Hopefully, FINALLY!

I don't know whether I've mentioned in previous blogposts, but 1 of the parcels arrived: my 2 LR CDs... I'm still waiting for the LR2 soundtrack, the Cardigans' Life, A Camp's Colonia, and the Cardigans' Super Extra Gravity (with bonus DVD).  And, I've placed an order for Kelly Clarkson's and Kelli Ali's latest albums... CAN'T WAIT!

I've nearly finished LR2.  I have to complete 1 level, get 2 map pieces to unlock the final level... and play the final level!  Other than that I have to unlock certain other things like stamp sheets, stamps, songs, etc.

No other news, right now.

Oh - forgot to add this and can't edit the previous post

... because I'm blogging via mail.

One of the MAIN reasons I'm desperate to leave this job is the fact that I am sick and tired of and fed up with the bloody receptionist.  Taking liberties, now that she herself is looking for a job.  Stuff like going to the toilet at 5 to 1, so I have to listen to the phone, when I AM GOING TO BE STANDING IN AT LUNCH FROM 1!!  Bitch, go to the toilet DURING lunch.  So, I waited for her to go to the loo, then while she was back at her desk I went to make tea so that I could have tea while sitting at the swb.  So she announces "it's 1!" and comes into the kitchen to put her cup down (so she could see I was making tea) and the PISSES OFF out the front door.  While I'm still making my tea.  Bitch.

Oh and another FUCKING REASON: I AM STILL NOT A FUCKING ACCOUNTANT!  Yes, accountant, your phoning my boss 'reminding him' to do an invoice for something, which ends up as him telling ME to make a note in MY diary to do the invoice every month... THANK you for palming off YOUR FUCKING JOB onto me.

I've done it!

I've taken a step FORWARD.

I'm reaching out, actively sending my CV out.

I'm bored, dying even, in this job, and it's time for a change, even if it IS for 1 year (approximately).

S gave me a clever suggestion: think of all the reasons for wanting to leave the job, and think of all the reasons to stay in the job.  Basically, work out why exactly it is that I'm staying.

I haven't really thought it all yet, but I did update my CV, and did a coupla jobsearches online.  I also applied for a job.

In other news:  we just need to get the copies certified (probably will do that this evening by going to the police station), and then apply online for the ACS skills assessment.  Can't wait!

Tomorrow evening L+S+C and some of L's other friends and I are going out dancing!  I've picked out a very cool top I've had for a while now (it just needs a stitch or 2 to strengthen the ties), and sandals I got a while ago to attend a wedding reception (the couple had got married secretly a while before!).  I tried the sandals on and was amazed at how comfortable they are - I'd quite forgotten!  So I spent the rest of the evening 'acquainting' my feet with those shoes - they get along quite nicely!  I'm looking forward to the outing!  Haven't seen S or L since just after the wedding - man does time fly?

In other news:  my LR2 soundtrack CD (I think it's that) has arrived - very late (it was supposed to be here by the 13th), but I am guessing customs hung onto it for an age trying to work out how much tax they can charge me on 1 CD.  Sucks.  But anyway, at least it has finally arrived!  Now I've still got the Cardigans CD/DVD to wait for, and the other 2 LR CDs.  Yay!!!!

Not much else is news... apart from the fact that I'm rather thrilled by the job application process!  I reckon it's a good idea, because I can't STAY at this job (I'm going nuts), so I can't just stick it out until we move because the visa process might take a LONG time.  And I can't just resign and stay at home until we move because the excitement and impatience for the visa would drive me batty too!  So a new job is a good idea.  Something new, and if I don't enjoy it I can look for another one.  And if I do enjoy it, I won't mind staying at it until it is time to pack for the move.  Hell, I might even learn something totally new which might open my mind to a new career path!

 

^.^

 

Happy Friday, everyone!

212 or 174

That is my dilemma, at this present time.

I am extremely bored.  I don't really have any work to do.  I am on standby... I am bored.

I've been thinking, reconsidering when I should resign.  At this rate, our ACS application will only be sent off this week soonest. Taking into consideration posting, assessment and sending out of assessment, it should arrive back in July.  Our actual visa application will probably not be in July (depends what we still need to gather before sending the application), it will probably be August.  And then, if the visa assessment takes 15+ months (rather be pessimistic with this date and be pleasantly surprised), we should get a yay/nay in October 2010.  Which gives me a little problem.

If we are only going to be moving near the END of 2010, my resigning in February 2010 won't really work out so well.  Even more so if I resign end of December 2009.

We can't really bank on the fact that because of G's skills being so desperately in demand our visa application would be prioritised and 'sped up'.  So I may have to keep on at this job past Feb 2010.

I don't think I can last that long.  Hell, I'm even considering only staying til end Dec 2009 because I'm slowly going insane (yes, I've been saying that ever since I started here!! HARHARHAR).

I desperately want a 'deadline', so that there is some finity on this boredom.  A light at the end of the tunnel.

hmm

It's 21:30, Sunday 22 March. I am busy scanning photos, I have 27 left in this particular album. I want to do them before I head to bed.

I don't know how I am going to go to work tomorrow. The thought kills me. I am so bored, uninterested, I just don't know how I can keep going there.

Resolve

I have decided, since it is often the wiser route to choose, that since I am unable to change the situation, I shall avoid it completely. The saying is something like 'realise what you can change, and change it, and realise what you cannot change, and deal with it'.

I am, therefore, going to forget that we have a garden, and it will be as if we do not have a back door at all.

That means: I will no longer water the garden, I will no longer mow the lawn, I will no longer clear the gutter in the corner.

I think I shall have incredible peace of mind doing that because I will no longer have to live with the fact that despite having a pretty little garden, WE CANNOT USE IT OR ENJOY IT IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER.

I cannot enjoy watering the plants as, more often than not, the neighbours come and smoke while I'm still busy. I will not mow because that is like an 'investment' of time to make the garden 'nice' and 'enjoyable', which is in reality A WASTE OF ENERGY.

I will no longer clear the gutter because I will not be OUTSIDE to notice that it needs clearing.

Therefore, I will have no more stress and annoyance from the garden, because it will be as if it does not exist.

Bad bad mistake

I had coffee at work this morning, for the first time in I'd say (by now) about a month. I've been avoiding coffee because it felt a bit stupid autopiloting and making coffee like a robot every single workday at 10:00. So I stopped. At first it was a small struggle, and I just told myself "TEA!". And it's not like I don't enjoy tea so it was fine. It has been fine - I think I had 2 cups of coffee, at home, in all that time.

This morning I decided that since I wasn't *feeling* like coffee, I would make coffee.

It was great. Milky coffee.

But now I feel like banging my head against my desk.

I'm exceptionally tired, having had a very late night last night (G played LocoRoco until midnight), and the previous night (we went to bed at 3am due to the horrendous fire all over the mountains near us), and very likely the nightS before. So I'm not feeling very alive right now. And the coffee is driving me crazy. Because I'm physically tired, and want to sleep, and am at work with nothing to do and with the INABILITY TO DO ANYTHING if I wanted to do anything ANYWAY. And, it is making me WANT to do stuff. Not sure what, but things at home, like scan photos, or stuff for the ACS/visa application, or packing, or ANYTHING. So I feel a bit like a tornado in a well - all the energy but nowhere to go!

Except, I'm tired, and want to sleep. I feel strange.

G's IELTS result arrived... now all he's waiting for is for his boss to sign a letter outlining G's skills/duties at the office, and then all the paperwork is to be put together (with certified copies etc) and THEN he can send it all off to ACS!

That will take about 12 weeks (add on a few weeks extra for posting it to Aus, and posting back?), so we'll only get the result in July earliest. So, our visa application is likely to happen in August. Add 15 months (approximately) and that's when we'll find out YAY OR NAY.

HOLD THUMBS!!!!!

In other news: we had a 'security breach' in the complex on Monday night. Found out yesterday morning as we were getting our gatebuzzers' codes changed that apparently our LOVELY neighbours (!*%^$&!#*^#) had left their house/car/gate keys in the doorlatch! Thank you, morons, you really are valuable members of the complex AREN'T you. For a moment (on Monday night) I felt a minor inkling of sympathy for them, what with their having just had someone almost break-in... but that soon vanished as they really don't HAVE any redeeming features. Smoking bitches, fag-hags LITERALLY! Thank you (again/still) for smoking us out in our home by smoking just outside our window, after our nearly being smoked out of the house by the MOUNTAIN FIRE.

Yah yah there I go again, rant again. I have 214 working days left here and I REALLY CANNOT WAIT until we can move, which sadly isn't a determineable date (YET).

I've been scanning a lot lately, and I have 5 photo albums left. Then I have 4 boxes of photos to scan, and then once I finally get them, I will have photos from Gran to scan. I can't wait to see them.

Can't wait to be finished scanning so I can stitch! And can start preparing/packing, too! That's a different kind of task though - it's 'closing up shop', where the scanning is a 'colossal task'.

Anyway, it's midday and I want to sleep but have another 5 hours left at the office.

YAYYYYYYYYYY*snore*

Birthday Boots!

For my birthday G gave me a 'voucher' for a pair of boots. After looking in loads of shops which had 'nearly' the right ones, I found the right ones! YAY, my very own, funky-real-leather(mmm leather smell)-boots!

Just a quick post

I was very busy at work today. But that's not the point of this blog post.

I am tired. I am irritated. I'm too hot. I'm fed up, and feel like I really am not going to last.

I'm not going to last the year+ living in this place, where we cannot enjoy the FUCKING COOL NIGHT AIR COMING IN THROUGH THE WINDOWS. I don't know whether I can last, stuck indoors like a bloody caged tiger, suffocating in the muggy, warm air because OUR BITCH NEIGHBOURS SMOKE, WITHOUT SMASHING THINGS AGAINST THE WALLS!

I don't know whether I will last the next 219 working days WITHOUT HACKING AT THE RECEPTIONIST'S FACE WITH A FUCKING STAPLE-REMOVER! Bloody busybody IRRITATING STUPID WOMAN getting up my nose doing MY WORK, on the weekend too, so that I have fuck-all to do all week long, apart from standing-in at the bloody switchboard !!!!

And I'm SICK OF HAVING A CREAKINGLY SLOW DAMN LAPTOP!! It makes checking email a test of endurance and patience which I DON'T FEEL LIKE THESE DAYS!

I'm sure I will have cheerful stuff to blog about sometime, but right now I don't. It's hot, I'm tired, it is late and I'm going to bed.

Inspiration

I was feeling a bit dejected and discouraged this afternoon.  I was thinking about our move, and what if there came a point where we'd settled in and then a feeling of "what now?" set in...

And then I realised:

I will be able to stitch until my eyes pop out...

I will be able to read, and play PSP/PC games...

I will have a terrarium, 2 aquariums (marine+freshwater), as well as a budgie cage to set up...

We will at some stage get a puppy...

And even if we already have a house, we will be busy setting up our dream computer set-up (like an integrated AV/PC set up...

And we will have an extensive furniture shopping-list too, as we will have only just moved into our own place...

We will also have a new car (either a shared car or one each?)...

We'll also have a garden that will need looking after (yay plants with flowers, maybe even fruit!)... as well as indoor plants...

And, if I ever do get bored, I can of course put my mind to work and think about something to study.  I'd love to study, but I don't know what and don't want to study just for the sake of completing something and getting a certificate (although that is, in itself, satisfying).

So, nothing to worry about.  Of course, it does all depend on our financial situation when we move, but that will just dictate how fast we can do all of the above, not WHETHER we can do all of the above!

Yay, now I'm all inspired again!