Remember this???
Well so far… it has been totally accurate. I sure did enjoy my ONE WEEK of summer this year in Sydney. It really was nice to see the sun for 7 whole days. Ok, ok… lets be fair, since summer started in December I’ve probably seen 3 weeks of sun, not 1! So I really enjoyed the 21 days of warm weather. it was great. Now, back to the rain. Good Ol PIECE OF SHIT rain.
I know I’ve posted about the greatness of Citibank… but I take it all back.
The reason I joined was that I could withdraw money from ANY citibank ATM in the world=- free of charge (useful when I live in another country). Well, not anymore. Just checked my statement and it had charges. I was pissed- mostly because I always drive out of the freaking way to actually FIND a citibank ATM that has cash in it to avoid fees (sometimes I drive a long way and I still can’t even find one with cash!)
The kicker is that I called stupid outsourced customer service… these outsorced agents (citibank, quickbooks) are ALWAYS fuckwits who can’t help me. Ok- so this chick tells me they’ve always charged foreign fees. Um no- reminder… that’s WHY I joined… NO FOREIGN FEES!!! So, I said “NO YOU HAVEN’T” – trust me, I’ve been doing this in Australia since September and I’ve never been charged for using a CITIBANK ATM (and that’s WHY I joined)” I told her to check my previous statements that clearly show where I withdrew from the EXACT ATM and I was not charged. I even asked to speak to someone who knew the rules/policies, etc. better and she assured me she had been trained and knew the rules… sure she did. That’s why she thinks they’ve always charged!
While the dumb chick was consulting her peeps, I go browsing online for anything relating to foreign fees and I find this:
“Effective January 26th, 2008 we will impose a fee equal to 2% of the transaction amount (including credits or reversals) on all ATM and/or POS Debit Card transactions (U.S. or foreign currency) that you conduct outside the 50 United States or Puerto Rico. This fee will apply to transactions made at Citibank and non-Citibank ATMs.”
Ugh! So annoying. Yet, while this is annoying- what is MORE annoying is that dumb chick on the phone DIDN’T know this and I was able to find this in 1 minute on google.
She got back on the phone and told me the fees would be waived but that I will be charged in the future. Whatever- I’m quitting citibank when I go home in March so she can suck moldy ass.
Just for fun I decided to point out to her the info above that the policy changed on 1/26 (just to educate her). She then proceeds to point out that I was charged foreign fees for a withdraw in December. “YEAH that WASN’T a Citibank ATM- that was at the airport”
Her response…”Oh yeah that’s right” – she was obviously trying to prove a point… but failed miserably. How is it that I always manage to know more about companies from searching google than their own freaking employees do?! I bet Quickbooks and Citibank use the same customer service people.
IDIOTS!
When I switch banks (I think I have one other option for free banking) I plan on telling them that the # 1 reason for changing is because of their poor customer service every time I call and the fact that they keep changing their policies on me (2nd time since I joined in Sept)! They no longer have any appeal to me whatsoever!
This is one time in my life where I wish LOTS of people read my blog. I really would love to give some bad publicity to this company. They’ve changed the ONE thing that was good about them. I hope they lose lots of customers.
Citibank sucks… pass it on.
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Evidently I was in Sydney for a memorable, historical event today. But, I didn’t really get what the big deal was. Did any of you hear about the big boats passing by each other in Sydney Harbour today??
By big boats I mean the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Queen Victoria cruise ships. This was the last visit to Sydney for the QE2 before it turns into a floating hotel in Dubai…and the first (maiden voyage) for Queen Victora. They passed by in the harbor and honked their horns or whatever boats do. So I thought… hmm I guess this is special- but I still don’t see what the big deal is.
Do you know how many people were there to watch this?? I swear all of Sydney. Cruise boats come into Long Beach harbor every week and it’s no biggy. But for some reason, these ships are special and the fact that they passed each other in the harbor was very significant.Again… I don’t see the big deal.
Additionally, people kept saying “It’s the biggest cruise ship in the world.” (“oooh ahhh”) and while it did look big, I think I’d have to see it next to a carnival cruise ship to appreciate the size. Well, even that novelty was shot down when I came home and found out that the Queen Victoria is just 2/3 the size of the Queen Mary 2.
Anyways, here’s a picture of the Queen Victoria. When I left the Rocks and passed over the bridge on my way home today, I did catch a glimpse of the Queen Victoria leaving and the QE2 entering the harbor. Still… didn’t really see the big deal. I’m glad some people found it very special though. I only found it somewhat amusing because the rest of the city was so intrigued by it all.
Other than that, it was a BEAUTIFUL day! Much needed after the crap rain we’ve had for months. I spent the day with some friends from YDU and we all had a nice time. Andrew even came for part of it! We went bowling and walked around Darling Harbour and then of course headed to the rocks… to see the boats 
I know SOMEONE will get annoyed with me for calling the cruise ships “boats” but I don’t care!
Remember this post??
Yeah… well, it could get a lot louder very soon. When I got home from my wine tasting class, I got this note on our door:
To all Residents of 93 Avenue Rd
The proposed relocation of the Avenue Road Bus Stop to 93 Avenue Rd. (and loss of street parking)
Mosman council are having a Traffic Committe Meeting
10:00am Wednesday 20
February 2008.
Ok… maybe it’s not clear right away to all of you, so I’ll point it out. I live on 93 Avenue, they want to move the bus stop to 93 Avenue! Yes, that means they want to move it RIGHT in front of my apt. Our apt. faces the street. It is already RIDICULOUSLY LOUD!! Busses are loud enough, but when they stop and have to start up again at a bus stop- they are even LOUDER.
AND LOSING PARKING?? So I guess it will be louder and we’ll have to park a mile away.
Oh… and Wednesday Feb 20th… Um thanks for the notice!!! I wish I didn’t have to work, you could guarantee I’d be there bitching and moaning! Luckily Andrew doesn’t- maybe I can convince him to go fight to keep our parking. And honestly, I don’t think I can handle this place being any louder. Can you break leases for changes like this?
So back home in the good ol’ US of A they have this little thing called Separation of Church and State. While I see the point of it (different people are from different religious backgrounds, so it is only fair) I also think it is sad when people take it too far and start crying and flipping out about every little mention of religion in a school, mall or even on a soda can.
I honestly think Americans are becoming the whineyist (yes, that’s a word) bunch of people on earth. People seriously need to get over themselves, live their OWN lives and just stop worrying about the preferences of others. I give the following examples to back up my statement:
Now, I must say, I’m not complaining about other religions or anything, but seriously Pepsi even omitted the word “God” from their patriotic can awhile back because people threw a fit! I’m SOOOOO over whiney over-dramatic people. It’s like people got this freedom and they say times are changing and now all they want to do is bitch and moan about every little thing. Honestly, was anyone REALLY REALLY bothered that Pepsi had the pledge of allegiance on it’s can? If so… GET OVER IT!!! Drink Coke in protest! But seriously, just shut the hell up! If Coke started putting the Jewish star on their cans around Hanukkah, I wouldn’t care ONE bit. Seriously… who gives a shit!?!
Sometimes I feel like a high-stress person, but I realize I must be incredibly calm if other people on this earth are getting all hot and bothered about some of the lamest things.
America was obviously originally inhabited by Native Americans and then the Christian English people came over. They had their own views and as new people and religions landed on US soil, the country became more diverse. The problem is, all religions are different, people are different. You can’t please everyone- so instead of dealing with a few whiney people who bitch about the word God being on a Pepsi can, Pepsi chooses to take it off. I bet they lost more sales due to the people they pissed off by changing the pledge!
I bring all this up due to a speech I saw today. It was the Prime Minister of Australia giving a speech apologizing to the Aboriginals of Australia. The speech wasn’t what got to me. It was the fact that not only did the parliament hearing start off with a little blessing… but the blessing was then followed by the full Lord’s Prayer! You know, “Our Father, who art in Heaven…”
It seriously shocked me to see this kind of prayer in a government meeting. Andrew has explained to me that this country was built on Christian beliefs and people know when they come here that they can follow their own religions, but Australia as a nation is Christian. People don’t whine and moan about it because they knew that when they came here and they CHOSE to come here. People don’t HAVE to come here or to the US. They make a choice. He also said that the government has basically stated to people that English is spoken in Australia so if you want to come here- learn English. In the US, our government is too afraid to call English our official language.
OK, I must point out that I’m not criticizing any religion. Religion actually has nothing to do with my point if you read it clearly enough. It’s just a matter of people bitching and moaning about every tiny thing that doesn’t work exaclty how they want it in THEIR lives. They just don’t care about what anyone else thinks or believes.
I wish people would all live their own lives and stop making such a fuss over such trivial unimportant things. I just want to shake people and tell them to GET OVER IT!!
Ok I’m ready for people and their opinionated comments here telling me I’m being one sided, blah blah. I’m only stating these things because I’ve come to see how different the US and Australia are and it really puts things into perspective for me.
End of Rant.
I just had to come write about my experience at the gym today… and the effects of that gym visit. I decided to do a class called “Body Pump” after my 25 minute cardio session. I’m trying out all the classes… something I never did at 24 hour for some reason. But in this gym, the appeal to try these classes is much higher. It’s just all new to me, I’m sure the excitement will fade.
So, body Pump consists of sets of weight routine thingys set to music. Whatever… it’s lifting a crapload of weights for an hour… that’s all you really need to know.
Things I cannot do now:
Lift my spoon of soup to my mouth without spilling some because my arm is so shakey
Move my arms while typing
Walk down stairs without feeling like my legs are going to collapse and I’m just going to eat shit
Walk up the stairs… period. Well, ok I can- but it’s not easy.
Lift my hand above my head without it shaking
And the best part of all…
It’s going to be 10 times harder to do all this stuff tomorrow!
Aww the joys (and pains) of working out. I was on a roll this week. 4 days in a row with some pretty hard (long) workouts. It’s freed me from boredom and I’m happy that I don’t just sit on the couch all day. I was planning to go tomorrow as well… but I’m going to guess that I might need a day off. We’ll see.
PS… How many of you got “Blame it on the Rain” stuck in your head forever after reading my post from the other day?? I know I did!
This blog has no point other than to mention some things I’ve thought about or experienced in the last week or so.
1. I pretty much like any dough/batter better than the actual baked end-result. But usually the end result is quite delish as well. Just check out my latest lemon glazed flower cupcakes that I made the other day (from scratch). They tasted as good as they look My thighs and ass have decided that I’m not allowed to bake anymore. ever.
PS… that’s lime zest for decoration if you were wondering why there is green shit all over the plate. It was beautiful.
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2. I still recite “righty tighty, lefty loosey” in my head every time I need to open something.
3. I’m worthless at math. 1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs. Yet when I go to the gym and the machine asks me to enter my weight- I have no clue what to put.
4. Speaking of the gym… I LOVE the treadmills that have their very own built-in fans! Sorry Kent, I gotta knock our 24 hour because this equipment at my new gym is just so much better! (however; I think I’d rather go back to lower prices and lower quality).
5. Andrew’s brother Paul is staying at my house in California for the next few days. It’s weird that he gets to see my family, house, dog, etc. and I’m not there. Thanks to my dearest friends and family who are going out of their way to hang with him while he’s there!
6. I want a new camera. A nice one. I tried to take a picture of a purrrty Rainbow Lorikeet on my balcony the other day. My camera was so slow that I missed a perfectly good shot and was left with two shitty ones. Every time I tried to get one with his head up, my camera would lag and wouldn’t get the shot until mr. birdy moved. Ugh. Then he finally flew away. Stupid slow camera.
I’d like to point out that I think it is very cool that people have to go to the Long Beach Aquarium to see exhibits of these beautiful (yet horribly loud and annoying) birds and they just fly over to my balcony to say g’day to me.
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9. I’m afraid to admit that I’m hooked on Gossip Girl. It’s practically the only show that didn’t get cut off in the strike. So over the last month I’ve downloaded the whole season. Doing this caused us to go over our gay Australian download limit and now my internet is slow until the month re-starts tomorrow. I should go download a crapload of stuff today so that it doesnt eat into next months retarded limit.
Yup… Milli Vanilli were right! I’m just going to blame it on the rain!
I finally gave in and got myself an ultra-expensive, ridiculously overpriced gym membership. Our eliptical machine broke last week and due to the NEVER ENDING SHITTY SHITTY RAIN, I am unable to get outside much to go for walks/jogs/etc.
Sooo in order to actually exercise regularly- I decided to cave and pay the price for fitness and health. The ironic thing is- I still have to walk TO the gym… so if it’s raining- I still have to walk in the rain to get there, but it’s only 10-15 minutes each way and I CAN take a bus if need be. If I have to walk in the rain to get TO a location, it’s not as bad as if I’m walking in the rain for exercise!
I feel better already. I feel like I can really exercise like I used to! The club is pretty nice! Much newer, nicer equipment than the shit at 24 Hour Fitness. The TVs actually work and you can plug your headset in to your machine to hear the TVs. THere are 9 to choose from- all playing different shows. I appreciate this since I come from 24 hour where they have about 15 TVs with 2-3 shitty shows to choose from (and that’s IF they even work).
It’s also got a lot of little private-ish areas to work out in that are more mellow and not so crowded. I think I’ll go take a yoga class tomorrow.
It’s good to know that there may be ONE week of sun this month.
FREAKIN HELL! So much for summer. Might as well bring on winter and get it over with!
January and February have gotten off to a good start! I felt like I was in this boredom slump for a few weeks when I got back from California, but then things started happening and I’m feeling better now. Here are a few things I’ve been up to lately.
1. After my Master Cleanse, I have been back to eating normally. Some people asked how it went and if it was worth it. Well, it was fine- very challenging but good. I can’t say I’d really recommend it personally because I didn’t have any amazing results like some people do! The best part about it was that I lost 7 lbs… but I’m sorry to say that I’ve gained about 5 back now. It’s amazing how I can have such INCREDIBLE self control for 10 days and then it all flies out the window and I’m back to my usual eating. Not that I eat poorly, I just definitely eat TOO much.
2. Since Jen and James got engaged I’ve been working with our friends to plan her bachelorette party and shower. I’m happy to say that it only took about 3 days to plan, book and coordinate her entire bachelorette party! We’re still working on the shower but it’s going well so far. It gives me stuff to do while I’m here so far away from all the excitement.
3. I started taking a wine appreciation class. The first class was last night and it’s at an adult college type thing- like GWC. It’s literally a 5 minute walk which makes me very happy. So far so good. I’m excited for future classes. Last night was an intro and next week we are learning all about white wines. Then in 2 weeks it’s Red night. Yay wine!
4. We pet-sat a goldfish this week. I think a fish is about the only pet I ever care to have. So easy to take care of, you don’t have to play with it, and best of all, it makes a nice decoration for our dining room table. I actually kept it alive all week which isn’t always easy to do with fish. We gave it back today so I decided to find something else to attempt to keep alive… sooo…
5. I bought my first plants ever. The only thing I’ve ever attempted to keep alive was my bamboo plant. Seriously- bamboo is the easiest thing EVER. I water it once every 3 months and it just lives and grows and never dies! Well, this time around I bought things that are actually a little harder to take care of. I picked up some Basil and Lemongrass and I may invest in some cilantro/corriander later this week. I’ve already learned that you should plant mint with your basil to keep the bugs away- so I did that. I just bought all these plants today and got some pots and dirt and watered them. Now if it would actually get SUNNY in this dang country- they might actually have a chance of living. Let’s just hope it stops raining soon!
5. Weddings weddings galore. We’ve already been to two weddings in the last month and a half and we have 2 more to go to before I come home in March…although I think Andrew only can only get off work for one of them. Then I have Jens wedding at the end of March. Not to mention the 2 other weddings later this year. It’s marriage maddness!
6. Oh yeah… speaking of coming home- did you all know I’m coming home? I’m sure you all know that since my BFF is getting married but I’ll be home roughly March 13 thru April 1.
Off to go cook din din now. Andrew’s friend Alex is coming over tonight for dinner and Sinead and Mas are coming tomorrow. I love cooking. Woohoo.
