Securitise your life

Modern day – everything is now said to be more secure, you have to enter passwords for this, this, and this. Its quite contradicting. While we create the need for more passwords, yet why does it feel our privacy is being restricted in every possible way? At work, we're being watched for everything, our emails are filtered, where we surf, what we read, what we google, the blogs we read, the number of times we log on to our banking - everything is being monitored. (think George Orwell's 1984!)

I have to admit, I'm just hopeless when it comes to passwords. For work, the (many) systems prompts us to change our password each month. Oh gawd, and we're constantly warned not to write down our passwords. Every so often, I find myself ringing someone, helpdesk or the system provider going.. "Sorry to be a pest, but I've locked myself out.. again!" I shouldn't be sorry, I know. Its not my fault I have to memorise the million passwords I have to enter just to start my day at work.

Even for my personal life, I've got another million passwords to remember, and Grumpy's too (he doesn't know how Internet banking works).

I was at a bank recently with a close friend during lunch.

Jules: Hi! I'm here to notify a change of address

Bank Officer: Certainly. Do you have your ATM card?

Jules: Nope. I lost it.

Bank Officer: Its OK. That's fine. We'll need some ID.

Jules: Oh, can you send me a new ATM card? And reset all my passwords?

Bank Officer: Reset all yr passwords?

Jules: Yes, reset my ATM pin, I can't remember what it is. Reset my Internet banking password too, I can't remember that too. And.. I can't remember the answers to the 2 security questions.

Jules' friend: Jules, ARE YOU REALLY JULES?!

Hehehe… A new thing now, is that NOT only have you got to memorise a password, but there's a few security questions as well. So in case you forget your password, you try answering your 2 security questions (which you're meant to set up yourself). If you can answer them, they'll send you the password electronically.

I locked myself out of the payroll system at work recently. Emailed HR. The HR person calls me back going "How about answering your security question?" she says "Your question is 'when is my anniversary?' Don't you know when your anniversary is, jules?!" I DO! I SWEAR I DO! But I don't know the format.. did I put the answer is dd-mm-yyyy? Or d-m-yy? I can't remember. So I got locked out of the security question stage too. My friend who accompanied me to the bank that day was cracking up as she overheard me on the phone with HR.

And last night, I tried to log on to my Internet banking (the one which recently reset everything for me). TOTALLY FORGOT my password. So I went to the security question stage. 1^st question "when is my dog's birthday?" First thing through my head… "OMG, which dog? I've got 2 dogs!" Guess what? I've been locked out again. Too many incorrect attempts, apparently. CRAP! I have to go back to the bank on Monday. ARRGGGHHH!!!

Feeling a bit under the weather

I have been feeling a bit crook for the past week or so. I was down with a cold and flu last week. But that didn't stop me from going to work, and going out with the girls. Just a sniffle or two.

On Tuesday, all of us girls went out for dinner and a movie because it was Tight Arse Tuesdays. We watched Premonition. I shouldn't have worn my contacts because it was such a long day. We went for the movie straight after work. But I was OK. Movie was rather boring but Julian McMahon was gorgeous! Hehehe

On Wednesday, I shoudn't have worn my contacts to work. I wasn't going to, but because my glasses didn't match the outfit I was wearing… I wore it anyways. During the arvo, some friends pointed out my red eye. Uh-oh!

Thursday, woke up with 1 red eye and 1 pink eye. Didn't make it to work.

Today, I was actually looking forward for work as it was the first official day we start Casual Fridays. My colleagues were texting me "Yes JULES, you can wear your Tsubi's to work tomorrow!" We've been fighting to have Casual Fridays for ages.. finally it's gotten the green light. We can wear jeans, but no runners. Whatever that means.. but I woke up with both my eyes still a little pink, and a massive migraine. I threw up, and Grumpy took the day off to bring me to the doctors. I started getting SMS-es saying "Its ok Jules, you can wear your Tsubi's next Friday!" Dopey's organised dinner and a movie tonight with some friends. We're gonna be watching the Simpsons movie – and I'll be wearing my nerdy glasses. Damn! Thank gawd there's no events this weekend. No way I'll be caught dead clubbing, in my glasses. hahaha

presents

I haven't had a chance to blog for a couple of weeks. Reason being our broadband connection wasn't working. Then the house phone connection died on us. And… we still don't have TV. Yeap, I have not watched TV for more than a month now. I asked Grumpy, no TV, no home phone, no Internet.. will I lose my water and electricity soon? Hehehe he took it quite offensively from me. Anyways, Internet and phone has been restored. But TV – when the cows come home! We were notified that we couldn't receive Foxtel in our home. Bummer.

A few friends dropped by to see the place. We haven't had the official house warming party as yet… only because we've ordered some furniture and we'll only get it mid August. But here's some house warming gifts I've received from friends.

From Dopey's friends… "you are too kind!"

My first fern. Its quite low maintenance. After my friend left the house, she texted me and said "don't kill it, Jules!" Yes, got that.

And this flower plant. I don't know.. suddenly the flowers haven't been looking too happy. I've been caring for it. This is from an ex-colleague. She even brought a bottle of champagne… champagne, champagne for EVERYONE!!! And biscuits for the dog.

On a different note, I went out last Friday night to this place called Baroq House to celebrate a friends birthday. Had an awesome time. I always enjoy my girls night out.

Nice place. The loo's are pretty cool.

There's even this coin operated hair straightener here in the toilet. 2 dollars for 2 minutes or something like that. How convenient!

Psychobabble Part II

When we received news that the property settled OK, I was ecstatic. To top it off, BFF Little Miss Drinkalot had a work event in Melb… so she flew from Sydney and we were able to catch up and celebrate my new place!

Here we are at the Melb Supper Club. It was the last weekend which we could smoke indoors before the state govt kicked off the ban on indoor smoking. Yea, we huffed and we puffed…

A friend of mine pointed out that once the ban is in place, when we club, we'll only be smelling people's alcohol breath and bad B.O. *yucks*

It was a short 'catch up' trip with Little Miss Drinkalot. But it was good – miss you already darls!

Back to the house, we went furniture shopping most of the time. Mum wants to turn my place into an English cottage. Jeez..

Please.. spare me!! I've had enough. I don't want to see any more furniture for about 6 months or a year…


But look, hell yeahhhh a new Supre store on Bourke St mall! This is what you call 'excitement'!

*jules can't wait*

New crib

Quick updates from me - we've already moved to our new place. Such a stressful ordeal. Lets not go there again.
Broadband was disconnected early by Grumpy - he deserves a slap on the wrist. Now we're on dial-up while they connect us at the new place.
Foxtel - takes about 4-5 weeks to be connected. No Foxtel = no TV because the plasma TV doesn't come with a TV tuner. Again, slap on the wrist for Grumpy.
Apart from the bare necessities, we're doing well. The new place is fantastic. Feels very suburban which I dread, but ... its all done (lets not go there too!)
The new neighbours have been lovely. Which is a change, for the first time. We've always had difficult neighbours. I told Grumpy I wanted to collect all of my dog's poop and leave them at my lesbo ex-neighbour's (at our old place) front door as a farewell present.
Our close friends are excited about our new place. Which is fantastic. House warming? When's house warming? Yes, soon, we promise!