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!

Chocolate cake is good

Everyone from work was up til late last night baking a cake. We had a cake 'bake off' competition this morning! I signed up to be one of the contestants a few weeks ago. Our bosses even took part (and quite a number of boys).

It was a long 3 weeks of googling recipes, arguments of WHAT constitutes a cake, etc. The organiser was slightly annoyed to the point she sent an email to all contestants the Wikipedia definition of a cake. Some argued a cookie is a cake. A tart is a cake. A brownie is a cake.. endless! There were 3 categories – best tasting, best looking and best effort. Hell, I wanted to win all 3. It was made clear that we have to make the cakes from scratch, and there should be no HELP (NONE AT ALL) from our partners/wives/husbands/boyfriends/girlfriends/mum/dad/sisters/brothers/friends, etc.

I decided to make a flourless chocolate cake. It is the one of the few cakes I can bake. Way to go Jules!

Had to melt the butter and chocolate.

I like to prepare all my ingredients accordingly.

Whisked the egg whites.

And the best part of baking – the washing up.

My most loyal supporter. He sat by my feet the entire time. Praying for some chocolate to fall to the ground.

Then I popped it in the oven. And voila – an ugly looking cake was born!

Whateverrrr, you turn it the other way round, and you have a nice flat looking cake.

And now for the decorations. As ambitious as I try to be, I had to be practical. I have to hand-carry this freaking cake all the way to work, in a train which is overcrowded by Monday morning disgruntled passengers. While a friend suggested I make flower petals out of marshmallows, I just ended up lining them up around the cake.

And to make it complete, a nice little smiley figurine!

10.40pm, it will do. I have to go to bed soon.

Made it to work in one piece. Thank gawd. But when I saw the other cakes (about 20 other cakes), my cake was no contender.

Then we heard news about shootings in the city. 8.30am! OMG, 3 shot, 1 dead. Flinders Lane! That's the back entrance of our building.

YEA Whatever! Back to the cakes. French girl said "There is a shooting in Melbourne, and nobody cares?"

Come ON! The show must go on!!!! Cake cake cake cake cake! Give me the cake!

Results were announced at 10.40am. I didn't win. Disappointed? Not really…I'm proud of my cake.

I should've taken pictures before. But everyone was too quick to dig in.

Here's a pic of the many cakes. See my Mr Smiley! Guarding my cake topped with pink & white marshmallows. Hey, there's barely any left. Yes, a lot of my team members had a piece of MY cake – out of obligation. Haha.. "Its nice Jules, very moist" Yes OK, sure..

These 2 cakes were actually winners. The gorilla cake (pic of one of our colleagues) with banana lollies on the tray – won Best Effort. It was done by my male boss!
The other cake won Best Looking. It was actually a pink carousel with paper horses around it, it looked sooo pretty. But the top part was removed by the time I took a pic.
It was a good event. I'll end this post with the cake recipe – worth a try.

Chocolate Cake
4eggs separated (large)
125g butter
125g dark cooking chocolate (suggests - Nestle Plaistowe)

125g almond meal
125g castor sugar

• Melt choc &butter in mixing bowl over boiling water
  
• Lift off heat & cool slightly
  
• Whisk egg yolk lightly & add to butter & choc stirring vigorously
  
• Add almond meal & sugar, stir well
  
• Fold in whisked egg white (soft peak)
  
• Bake in moderate oven at 180° for 40-55 mins
  
• Check with skewer to ensure cooked
  

Furniture shopping is not for the faint-hearted

Dopey and I went furniture shopping on Saturday. We drove to the 'West Sideeee' by ourselves to look for this place called Homemaker at Highpoint. Its like a place where you can find everything you need for a home. Dopey is such an idiot with the map. We were lost for about 30 mins at Highpoint, looking for Homemaker. Finally we found it. Dopey needs a new bed for his 'neo-retro-bobo' room at our new house. I was to look for a new dining table (compliments of Dad). As much as I hate to admit it, I'm no fan of furniture shopping. I find it boring, I hate being hassled by sales people, its boring.. and its boring.

We actually need a new sofa too (although our existing sofa is still OK). I'd rather buy a 3 seater on its own. Then have a 2 seater or just a unique 1 seater next to it. But Grumpy insists on getting a sofa with a chaise and an ottoman. I swear I never knew what a chaise & ottoman were until recently. To me, a sofa's a 'sofa'. Chaise is like the name of a band and ottoman is like an animal… (I'm thinking of the otter).

I found this 3+2 sofa for a mere $1200. I thought it looks ok. Showed this pic to Grumpy, and he goes "NO!!!" ARGhhh whatever you BIG baby, you pay for it yourself then.

How about a sofa with a nice tray to put your drinks? And a built-in fridge inside! Hahaha..

Or even a bar and a jukebox? (On second thought, Grumpy's drinking habits are a bit worrying at times.. maybe the bar is a no-no)

A grandfather clock? It would be funny… to have the chime sequence play every hour, driving the dog insane coz he's locked in the house all day.

And maybe this Blues Brothers figurine? I thought we could put this in front of the house. Scare the living crap out of the neighbours! Haha

OK, while Grumpy wasn't pleased by the outcome of my trip to Homemaker because I did not even take a picture of a dining table for him to see… I'm sure we'll find something soon… there's always Ikea, right?