Hello? Mumbai Calling!

Have any of you seen the new show Mumbai Calling? It's like a call center version of The Office based in India. I can't say that the people on the show seem to really enjoy their jobs but they do seem to like each other and know how to have fun--which is where I find myself.

I just started working this week as a telemarketer for Sheer Cover Cosmetics. Luckily, we don't have to do any cold calling but it's still a pain sometimes. And like the show, I'm having fun with my colleagues. I started with three other girls--Annie, Zarah and Christine. They are so much fun. All of them are around 20 or 19 years old which makes me feel like I'm a bit younger. Sometimes we get strange looks from other people in the office because we're always having so much fun laughing about our calls and hanging out. The training was really good which is a huge blessing because I'm not sure I could have done this job if they had just plunked me right in to the lines. So yay for a job, an impending paycheck and new friends! The best part about the position though is that I won't have to work nights and I can come home in time to meet Jeremy and share a dinner together.

His job is going well too. He's still getting to know his coworkers but I had lunch there with him earlier this week and met some of them--they seem really nice. We had the most lovely picnic! There is a cute little park just a couple blocks away from his work that sits on top of a cliff and over looks the city and the harbour bridge! It was so sweet. Everyday I fall more in love with this guy. :)

As for our apartment, it's coming along well. Of course, we were a little disappointed that four lightbulbs burned out within the first two weeks living there and that we had to have a plumber come out to tighten a leaky pipe, but it's a cosy place. And as soon as we get some internet I'll post some pictures. Speaking of internet, Australia has one messed up system and we're having some complications with getting ours hooked up. If you thought WalMart was the perpetrator of the evil empire, then you've never heard of Telstra...

So, I just thought I'd duck into in the internet cafe real quick and give you guys an update. This weekend we're going to try and get a few people to come over for Settlers of Catan and pizza. And then.... More unpacking. :)

Have a good weekend everyone!

A Beautiful Day

I think button shops are lovely. While traveling in Turkey I came across one and took a picture of it just because I love them. Walls--entire walls--covered with little drawers full of buttons. It reminds me of when I was a little girl and would sort my grandma's jewellry in a similar box with drawers, sorting it by size, color, type, and sparkle. A few years later, my mom gave me her spare button tins and I would play, and play, and play in the buttons, always sticking my fingers deep inside the piles, squishing the buttons between them like a handful of mud. And I would sort. And they always made me smile. I think buttons are one of the secret loves of my life--a guilty pleasure of the not-so-guilty kind.

And today I have a reason to visit the button shop.

A couple days ago, just as I walked in the door, a button popped off my winter coat and upon inspection I realized it was the hook that broke, not the thread. With most things still in boxes, I realized there was probably no chance I'd ever find the spare. And though I'm thankful for all the spare buttons that come with my nice clothes, I'm truely grateful to have lost one because now I can visit the button shop which just happens to be nearby. Oh, the adventures that await me there! And if I don't find a match, I'm sure the trip will still be worth my while.

I hope you all can enjoy a button today (whatever you button may be).

Where has the time gone?

Not only is this my 407th blog post, it's also my first post from my new home: Sydney.

The last three weeks have flown by. We were stuck for about two weeks in Sydney waiting to get in to our new apartment with nothing better to do than scout out all the best prices for home stuff. Well, we found lots of good prices but the majority of it ended up being out of stock and we ended up paying twice as much for a lot of things. What a pain. That has really taken a chunk out of our monthly budget and now we won't be able to get internet hooked up for another month. Luckily Jeremy's parents loaned us plenty of "bridging money" so we wouldn't starve and could fill our place with basic things like a bed, microwave and vaccuum. It's coming together slowly but until we get internet hooked up in our place, it seems unlikely that I'll be posting photos.

What's life like in Sydney? It's pretty good, I must say. Saturday night, Jeremy's parents brought down all our stuff and helped us get set up. It was such a blessing to have an extra set of hands! And afterward, we sat down for a real feast with Thai Pothong--a local restaurant that was voted Best Thai in Australia 3 years in a row. Yeah, it's hard living in our neighborhood. If you're familiar with Sydney, we're living just on the edge of Newtown--Sydney's hottest and hippest suburb--where there are plenty of bands, coffee shops, dog parks, and Thai scented wind. (Yes, there are SO MANY Thai restaurants in the area that the wind REALLY does smell like Thai food.) We have excellent public transportation with a train station 10 minutes in one direction and a bus stop 10 minutes in the other. We're not super close to a grocery store but perhaps that will keep me remembering that not only will I have to wear those Tim Tams on my hips, I'll also have to lug it back on foot. (Tim Tams are Australian chocolate biscuit/cookies. Seriously, packaged in heaven.) There is cheap pool and gym about a mile away (nice bike ride) and we're right next door to Sydney University. The movie theatre is about 5 blocks away too. I feel like I'm living the glamorous life--finally! I heard that Sydney is one of the top 5 most expensive cities to live in in the world (aside NY, London, Paris, and Tokyo). And for now, living in Sydney feels like living in Paris... Well, almost. :)

However, until I get a job, I won't be enjoying many of those wonderful things.

Jeremy on the other hand, has started work. It's been a little hectic this week for him though. They have them doing exercises all week on short deadlines which means he's a bit stressed. This morning he left the house at 6:30 AM so he could make it to work and finish editting something before deadline. I know it won't be like this always but he's exhausted. It seems like the people he works with are nice though and things should be slower once he gets through the training week. (How does that happen? I thought training week was supposed to be the easy part?) One great part about his job is that the new head of his department is the Australian equivilant of a former Supreme Court Justice and hopefully--HOPEFULLY!--this will turn out to be the most amazing referee he will ever--could ever!--get on his resume. That would surely get him a second glance in any future law job application! Let's hope all things work out.

Me, on the other hand, I am starting the job hunt today. I've made a list of temp agencies and hopefully I can get hired and start working sometime next week. I've signed up for a library membership (thus my current internet connection) which is luckily free (it's odd to me that local library memberships might not be free--strange Australians...) and can print and fax here as well. I'm thinking of it as my personal office space.

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I'll type more later.