Battle with the biscuit barrel

I have been doing pretty well with the whole healthy eating thing for the past about 6 months. I mainly stick to the CSIRO diet, but still eat out about once a week and what not. One of the main things I have done is try to cut out snacking, except for things like fruit and yogurt. Then I started this new job. Not only is it currently taking me about a hour to get here (which I'm fine with, I'm even getting some study done), but there is a biscuit barrel. It has good biscuits. Yesterday there were Iced Vo-vos. Today there are freakin' TIM TAMS! There is an endless supply of shapes. I am trying not to crack under the pressure and grab one with my cup of tea (and then another one, and another one)....but it is VERY HARD!!!

 

:) Renee

Advantages to being a dickhead

Getting close to two months ago I made my first purchase from online bookshop Amazon- a father's day present for Dad (obviously) about one of his current fave topics- woodfired pizza ovens. It was way cheaper to pay $20 postage than get it at the only bookshop I could find stocking it, so I punched in my credit card details, and it should have arrived 2 weeks later.

 

Well about 6 weeks later I visited Adelaide, and Dad mentioned that the book was yet to arrive. It was then I realised (here is the dickhead part) I'd put in the wrong address...

 

So I emailed Amazon, and they refunded me, fully (even though really they have incurred a $20+ postage cost due to my stupidity).

 

Now because the purchase price was in $USD and the rate changed a bit between transactions I actually came out ahead because of this mistake. By 90 cents. Oh yeah!

Trakkies - the height of fashion

My new morning transport schedule is a 20-25 minutes tram into the city, if I am early enough- grab a takeaway coffee, and then a 40 minute tram ride out to the suburb where I work. Now this 40 minute tram ride should be used for something productive perhaps, like studying, and I think I am going to start doing this, but instead it has currently been utilised by listening to the radio or my alternative-to-the-ipod-which-seems-to-be-taking-over-the-world, and people watching. I grew up in Alice Springs, which had 4 highschools, 2 of which didn't have uniforms. On my tram line there must be at least 10 highschools, all with different uniforms, which for some reason I find interesting. Anyway, that's a tangent.

 

This morning I was witness to a cultural phenomenon. Now it is my opinion that highschool girls (about grades 11 and 12) are the ones to watch for hot fashion tips. These girls definitely have more expensive haircuts that me (and the price has gone up to $30!), wear (what I thought were) trendier and more expensive clothes, and generally seem to have a higher disposable income (and I think I'm getting paid pretty well).

 

So what is the hot new fashion tip? Those tight skinny jeans that I have a love/hate relationship (ie- love, but could never wear, because someone with my hips and thighs doesn't need to highlight these attributes any further), aviator sunglasses, clear bra straps??? No. The humble trakkie pant is the height of fashion it seems. At least three quarters of the 30 or so girls riding the tram were wearing: trakkie pants (the daggier the better it seems, pull out your pair where the elastic is going) with full makeup, fash hair, and a trendy as t-shirt with haviannas to finish it off.

 

So it would seem that my usual gym outfit is actually the height of fashion...although minus the full hair and make-up like I am going clubbing.

 

That is my full east-side suburban fashion report for today.

East Side of town

If my posts are going to continue to be so mundane I think I better at least start taking some photos to spice things up a bit eh?

 

Well life in the world of Renee looks to be going okay. I am 3.5 days into this new job, and (I know I said similar things about my last job, which turned out to be a bit of a disaster) things look good. I am somewhat embarrassed to say it (because of the huge stigma attached) but I am enjoying the whole being a stereotypical accountant thing, and I think I can for some time yet ( i.e. 5-10 years-ish)...debits, credits, trial balances and tax returns, oh yeah.

 

My visit back to Adelaide was great. Four days of literally nothing except hanging out with the Fam (short of Maree keeping the seat warm back here in Melbournia) and a few drinks with Hayley and Luce. Spa, spa, spa, eat, drive around, spa, eat, go drinking with Lucy and Hayley, spa, eat, spa, drive to airport. That was pretty much to order of things. We had awesome Thai for dinner, I visited the markets again, and generally revelled in being in Adelaide (one of Australia's best kept secrets I think, I really do appreciate it even more after living in Melbourne for a while). Only downside was I had an attack of either stress to the max or the flu, or a combination of both, and spent some downtime napping through some of the worst headaches I have had.

 

So at the moment I am just busy getting used to a new routine, trying to figure out how to fit my new travel to work, gym, etc into a routine. This weekend is going to be mega-study time, because I have been pretty slack this last week or so...I enjoyed the break, but I have to get back into it with my group-assignment deadline and another tutorial (complete with Multiple choice test) looming.

 

The bad news therefore, is that I will not be able to generate any exciting posts for the next couple of weeks. Will try my best though :)

Hooray

The world of Renee is finally taking a bit of a turn, hopefully all for the better.

After about 5 or more weeks of looking looking looking for a new position, then getting 4 different opportunities in one week, and having to go away and have a good hard think about what I wanted, I have got a new position, and resigned from my old one. This most stressful time is nearly behind me. My new firm is out of the city in Balwyn (I am totally going to be able to pop in for a cuppa after work Mishie) and I will be doing business services (not audit) for small to medium type companies (business services for those non-accountants is the more, I guess, traditional side of accounting: tax returns and accounts). I am really happy with my decision, and looking forward to this new job.

I am also squeezing in a few days in Adelaide to soak up the awesomeness between jobs (the only downside to this is that I had to book over my The Grates ticket for Friday the 13th of October, so if you're in Melbourne and want it, please let me know because I don't want it going to waste.

But just before I head of to Adelaide I am having my first tutorial for the CA, and I will be happy to get one under my belt, meet the group I am doing my assignment with, and compare notes with other people about what they are doing.

So stay tuned for my adventures on the East side!