Graduating - again

I ummed and ahhed about attending my graduation for the postgraduate studies I did. But my mother who is quite proud of the fact that I'm about the only person in the family stupid enough to return to University, insisted I go. So really, the whole ceremony thing was for her. I did enjoy going though as my undergraduate graduation ceremony was a bit of a blur. This one was nice and short. I have been to four other graduation ceremonies apart from my own and each one I was there out of obligation. Each time I felt that watching a slug squirm through salt more bearable.

Although what I did find interesting were the PhD students. Each with an thesis topic more obscure than the last. Where do people find such inspiration?

Postcards

A new "important person" in my life (you may be hearing more about him, but I promised I won't mention his name on my blog so will be referred to as The BFG -in reference to one of my favourite Roald Dahl books!!), mentioned that he liked receiving postcards. I like receiving them too but never really know what I should do with them afterwards. Whilst I like receiving them, I'm terrible at sending them. Each time I go overseas, I'd buy postcards with the intention of sending them as soon as I've written on them but never really find the chance to. The recipient usually gets the postcard after I've returned home. Or when I went to the States in 2003, a postcard I bought in Los Angeles didn't get sent till I was across the other side of the country in New York.

So this week, I found myself at lunch in a coffee shop with no knitting and nothing to read. So I decided to send The BFG a postcard:



There has been a lot written about the lost art of writing letters. I don't think my issue is with writing the letter but more about getting my ass to the post office to post it. Anyway, I've decided to try to do this more often. So if you receive one from me out of the blue, it's because I thought of you and chances are, when I was thinking of you, I was sitting alone somewhere and needed something to make me not look like a complete loser with no friends.

A happy coincidence

It's been a bit chilly this week to do much knitting in the Botanical Gardens. But one day last week, there was just enough sunshine to grab a coffee and the current purple project and get out of the office.



Although the sun was out, it was still a bit cold and so I brought the wrap that I normally keep in the office with me. I realised that I must have looked like some strange batty woman with so much purple around. Not only is my current project purple, the knit picks cable, my wrap and coffee cup were all the same shade. I was also sitting near a bush with purple flowers.

Making Contact

You know how people come into and out of your life? Sometimes they stay around and become a part of your life or you lose contact and they belong in your past. Today I tried to meet up with someone I had met a couple of years ago through work (who is also a knitter) but bad communication on my part meant we missed each other. However, while waiting for her, I came across someone who I very nearly became sister-in-law to. So I was quite pleased that he approached me and suggested we have lunch sometime.

Thinking that was the end of my "connections", I got a phone call from a friend who had bumped into someone I used to work with and gave me her details. It was a Manager I absolutely loved. I called her straight away and talking to her brought back so many memories for me. When I finished uni,I worked 2 jobs. One was my full time job with a publishing company, and then I would work Thursday nights, Saturdays and Sundays with this Manager in a retail shop. Apart from work, I didn't have much spare time to do anything else. But I never really noticed it. My second job was more like my social life because I really enjoyed the company of the people I worked with. So while I no longer miss the crazy hectic schedule of rushing from job to job (weekends are bliss now), I did miss their friendship.

So while I'm extremely thrilled at hearing from people I haven't seen in quite a number of years, I doubt I will be joining schoolfriends.com to find people I went to school with. That can stay in the past as far as I'm concerned. The movie, Romy and Michelle's high school reunion comes to mind whenever I hear about up coming school reunions.

Good luck ahead

Some days when I walk down the street, I just want to be invisible. By this I mean, I wish charity workers would leave me alone (most of them work on commission which I'm totally against and why would I be offering my bank details to someone on the street anyway?), cameras outside my work wouldn't be pointing in my direction, people dressed in bear outfits wouldn't approach me, etc - you know, everyday stuff.

So while waiting to cross a set of lights today, this strange man stares at me and starts talking. Seriously, this is the bit I HATE!! I believe that I'm a fairly sociable person, but for some reason, I hate it when I get approached by random strangers. This is why I never ask lost-looking tourists if they need help (although I appreciate it when other people ask me when I'm lost in a foreign city).

Anyway, what riveting and insightful piece of information did this guy have to share with me while we both waited for the traffic lights to turn that one shade of green?

"You're going to have good luck in the next two months"

Umm.. not what I expected and no further explanation. And why in the next two months? Why not now?? When I got back to work, I checked my diary to see what could possibly happen in the next two months that could bring me good fortune. The only thing I could see was a day trip to Melbourne for work (which means a 4.30am start for 6.30am flight - how is that good fortune??), and my graduation in May (I'm still paying for my post grad studies so in effect I'm not ahead on this one) and then basically, nothing.

My recent windfall has been to score some free corporate box seat tickets to the Celine Dion concert (but I've already got those) so not exactly happening in the next two months. I'll wait and see... but probably won't hold my breath.

I may have mentioned before that I absolutely loathe cooking, although I don't mind baking and making desserts - the fun stuff. Bad things always happen to me when I'm in the kitchen and generally avoid it if I can. I have some scars to prove it. My sister (the one I live with) cooks for me and makes most of my meals. She loves to eat and can't bear the idea of a boring meal (whereas I don't cook so try not to be so picky and just eat whatever).

Anyway, to combine her love of food and cooking (I think she genuinely enjoys it so I feel that each time I let her cook for me, I'm contributing to her happiness), she has started a food blog. Here is the link to her blog: One chopstick cook.

Running short

I feel like I've had so much time off!! First Christmas, then the extra two weeks, the few days between jobs and now a long long weekend! I feel like I've hardly worked at all! But this has been a pretty productive weekend. Firstly, two days in Goulburn with the parents and siblings and some friends. Apart from the showing the friends around town, we also explored some new territory. My mother goes to English classes at the local TAFE (she has been trying to "better" her English for years on and off) and has met a lot of friends there. Some of whom were originally from Thailand. One particular friend volunteers at the Sunnataram Forest Monastery which is in Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands. I'm not particularly religious but my mother is and she has wanted to go back for a while, so we took her and she packed the car full of vegies from the farm to donate to the monastery. It was absolutely beautiful out there. The monastery is set on 100 acres and the day we went, it was all misty and very spiritual. I liked how the people there were extremely welcoming. I found out that you can actually stay there for a few days for meditation, etc at no cost! This is so unlike a lot of Chinese Buddhist temples where I feel as if it's all about making money. When we arrived, they provided us with this fantastic Thai vegetarian lunch. One of our friends who were visiting with us is vegetarian, so she was happy.



We also went to visit the Goulburn Brewery which was having a market day. This place was another surprise find - so quaint! They still brew their own beer to sell on premises.


What my parents failed to tell me before I left Sydney on Saturday morning was how cold it had become in Goulburn. Considering I was still wearing a sleeveless top to work on Thursday, I didn't expect it to get so cold in the country (and being only 2 hours out of Sydney - how could the weather pattern be so different??). Luckily I brought my knitting along (but even that didn't keep me warm):


It's the lace ribbon scarf from the latest Knitty. I'm using the two skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca sport weight which my brother in law bought for me on their trip to Washington DC last year. In the picture, that is already one skein. The problem? It's going to be too short and so it's certainly not going to look like the one in Knitty and will not go around my neck several times. Oh well... I'm hoping that when I block it, I can squeeze an extra 10cm out of it.

At work, I've been feeling very productive. In my last post I said that I haven't worked so continuous in so long!! Well my knitting has been the same. Here are some FO's (okay - one of them is an old one but I finally sewed in the ends and blocked it so it can be worn!!). So here I present - the fruits of my recent labour:


Rusted Root by Zephyr Style in Cotton Fleece.

Lace panel
I finished Rusted Root quite a while ago but I keep losing my wool needle and never got around to sewing in the ends. I finally bought another set and ta-da - completed!

Completed - Jaywalkers

I recently went to the French Film festival with a couple of friends and I was frantically trying to finish Verity so that I can wear it and look the part. Unfortunately I'm really not that fast a knitter and couldn't finish this in one night. But I did manage to complete it over three days (including train and lunch time knitting). When I finished it, I realised that I actually look really bad in hats and now that I've cut my hair quite short, it looks even worse so I asked Lucille to model it for me.

Verity by Ysolda in some Bendigo Woolen Mills yarn (not sure what it is as there were no ball bands)

It still needs a button. I'll need to visit the one in The Rocks to pick a nice vintage-y one.

Seems like quite a busy weekend? But wait there's more. I also went to the Easter show with Katie and did our usual rounds of the Knitting competition, saw the dogs, alpacas, and mohair goats. Because I still felt like I had more energy to burn, I also went and did the Bay run (although we just walked it) this afternoon in the hope that the one hour walk will burn off all the chocolate and hot cross buns I've been stuffing myself with all weekend.

Settling in

I haven't been to the Rubi and Lana knitting group for a while. Apparently at the last meeting, everyone asked Elaine how her new job was. There was a bit of an identity mix-up. But that can be understandable as even I have trouble identifying Asians.

So how is my new job going? I have one word for it - intense. I don't think I've worked so continuously for a long time. But I actually enjoy it. The research is the type I like to do - very specific requests. I have to say I'm not such a fan of vague research requests. An example of this is "Can you find me some information on the thingumy jig thing industry? A client of ours is interested in moving into this market". Ummmm.. it would be okay if the industry was the size of Rio Tinto, but trying to find information on something which perhaps two people in the world have an interest in? Very difficult, if not impossible. To top it off, for some bizarre reason, people who ask for these sorts of things can't take no for an answer. "But there must be something out there!!"

I think I've finally found my way around the office and more specifically to the office. Whilst the building I work in is quite a well known one in Sydney, the first couple of days, I was still getting lost trying to find it.

In my old job, to while away the lunch hour, I would spend time at a nearby cafe (and when extremely desperate for quiet - Starbucks) and knit. I've been trying to find a similar place where people won't stare (they do anyway) and it's away from the mad rush of lunch hour. So to my surprise (although you would think that growing up in Sydney - I'd know) I found out how close my new office is to the Botanical Gardens. What an absolute oasis in the city!! Armed with my skim latte and my Jaywalkers, I spent today's lunch hour in the rose garden. I'm happy now.


Second Jaywalker in progress


A sneak peak of the Harbour Bridge from the Botanical Gardens

Whilst getting back into the swing of things, I have started to increase my running again. Since moving into the new place with this killer hill, I have been rather slack with the running program. My walks to the train station every morning and most evenings (4km each way taking me about half an hour), has been giving me excuses not to go running. Seeing as I feel a bit more settled into the new job (another excuse again), I have started to increase the intensity of my runs (as in I've moved beyond week 3 of the Couch to 5K program). Tonight I did session 3 of week 5 (one long 20 minute run). Although I had previously completed the program, re-doing it again has been a bit of a killer. I don't actually have any goals in mind except to finish the program again although a few people I know are planning on doing the Sydney to Surf. I don't have such aspirations. I might enter and just walk it but who am I kidding? I have never been the athletic type and I don't really plan to start now!!

From the beginning

Today is Day 3 in my new job and Day 1 of having a new internet connection! I put off getting one for ages as I was trying to find a cheap way of "getting connected" without having to get a phone line.

I finally had to get one due to the fact that my new job has restricted access to a lot of websites. This means no checking of personal emails, blogs and Ravelry.

Starting a new job is always quite nerve racking. A series of questions goes through my head and generally have nothing to do with the job itself. These include the following:

• What if nobody talks to me?
  
• Can I live with crappy stationery?
  
• Can I trust putting my food in the fridge?
  
• Where to get a good coffee?
  

It's all these little things which I will have to sort out - the job itself is the least of my worries.

The new workplace is on Level 48. Lucky I'm not afraid of heights but seriously, I wonder what they do during fire drills. I'm not sure I can cope with walking down 48 flights of stairs.

I've been budgeting in lift time because it takes so long to get to the top. Remember my desk from my last job. Well I've lost the water view and am now back in a "cubicle" along with 99% of other office workers. I can see the window from where I am but can only see the sky because we're so high up.

I'm also extremely far from the bathroom and the kitchen. So no more sneaking away for another cup of coffee.

I also find it difficult to find my way around. I think this company likes to hide everything behind doors. And every door looks the same. I have trouble picking the right door to get to the corridor which will take me to the toilets. The kitchen is also hidden behind a door which looks like the same door that takes you to the corridor that takes you to the toilet. Did you get that?