We have our first guests. Real guests, not family. Family is not counted.

Mr.T’s work colleague will be flying down with his little family, on their virgin holiday. As Mr.T won’t be free to take them around, I have given them a few suggestions where they could go, for day trips. One of which was of course, the snow mountains! There is a little snow mountain just 2 1/2 hours drive away, and I know that they’d love the experience. I told them that we have everything, from snow jackets to snow boots, so they didn’t have to worry about bringing anything!

Others include, seeing native Aussie animals and of course, visiting the gorgeous parks. It’s Spring now, so, there’ll be lots of gorgeous flowers everywhere! It would be a real experience for them.

Can’t wait.. only 4 more days to go!

Then, I realised it was the emergence of spring that’s probably causing it. The pollens in Australia is so strong, that it is actually visible if you’re up in the sky. It is like another cloud, when you look down onto the land.

While I love looking at the gorgeous sakuras (and there are so many colours!), it stings my eyes, and it stuffs up my nose.

Sigh.. for now, looking at photos is good enough. Thankfully, I took the time to take these really quickly..(which is quite the opposite of what I meant to say..but that is for another post).

(This bloom is dedicated to Lisa W, a fighter right to the end. The onset of Spring will forever be etched in my memory because of this brave, courageous, inspirational spirit)

This was , am glad to see nature inspired this.

Recently, there was some development on an abandoned lot, and I could see that they were constructing one of those steel buildings. What irked me was that these inconsiderate builders decided to block a little lane, to the kinder. More often than not, I’m driving right through this lane, before I see the blockage and I have to slowly reverse out into the busy road, to go around it.

I don’t understand why they can’t put up a sign right before one turns into the lane? Or at least station one of those “stop” lollipop men there!

Now, after 2 years, she managed to work her way up in the same company and is now a private banker. She did whinge alot when she started off initially… but I’m sure when she reflects back on the choices she made, I don’t think she’ll regret it. She had to start off somewhere… and no matter where you start off as, one always inevitably gains good work experience.

I mean, when you first graduate from Uni, you think you’re some hot-shot..and think everyone in the industry wants to hire you. It’s a huge wakeup call, when all you get is some scum-of-the-earth job. Unless you’re very very very very good, that’s the reality of it. You just need to stick your foot into the door, wedge it open, wider and wider, and soon your whole body will go through this huge door of opportunity. It just needs time, and work experience.

As I promised, I did go hunting around for another bank. A bank that I would be comfortable with. As I spoke to Bank Officer A, he mentioned something about internet banking and that they offered international bank transfers. He said it would cost less..and would be more convenient for me.

Now, why did I (ms. online all the time), think about that?

When I got home, I checked out my other bank’s online services..and found that while it was cheaper, it only would send out if the min amount was $500. Which was abit too much for me.

I logged onto Westpac..and lo behold, all greatness…they had that very same service. Thanks to online googling, I had the IBAN and SWIFT codes right in front of my face. And it cost $10 cheaper.

Sometimes, I wonder why I have to take the longer route, to find that the answer is always just right in front of my face?

But I still think their people services suck.

One, because it’s free! Yipppeekaiyayyyyyy!!!

Ok, I’ll be honest with you. It’s my sister-in-law’s car. Remember the car that front got totalled, and how she skipped happily to buy another car, before fixing the first one. Well, her car is finally all shiny and trust me, it looks real new. We made her buy brand new batteries..and we’ll definitely have to service it and love it back to health.

Not bad for a second car, eh? I think it would be worthed at least AUD9,999.

But, if we were to sell it..probably only AUD5k. Which is not bad..for a free car. Oh well…at the very least, it will help our guests, whenever they come over for a holiday..the savings off a rental!

Not with this Bank. For some reason, they’ve decided that all their officers are to have a meeting at 9-9.30am. Which is super ridiculous to me, because, if your bank opens at 9am, all your staff should be ready for business at 9am. I don’t want to have to wait for 9.30am. I wanna be out and home by 9.30am. That’s why I go early, to avoid the crowd.

Then, early in the year, they revamped their interior. They’ve created ‘rooms’ to meet with their customers, set up appointment books so that they get a personalised relationship with the customers. When I go to a bank, ANY BANK, I don’t really care who I speak to. All I know is, you represent the Bank, and that’s good enough for me. I don’t want to know if you’ve lost your voice, or if you have grandkids and how many. I seriously just wanna get in, complete my transaction and get out.

Don’t go asking me to make an appointment with Barbra. I don’t know her. I don’t care who you make my appointment with, just make sure it’s the one person that can see through my transaction from A to Z.

The old concept, was when they had tables right in front, you could actually see people waiting in a line, and you could see the officers serving them. I could see the turnover, and I could always know when it would be my turn. That’s what I want. The knowledge that I’m next in line.

Now, there’s a huge waiting area. You get called in like you’re seeing a doctor. Hey.. if I was there first, why can’t I get to see the officer, first? Why did that person who walked in 10 minutes after me, get to see someone first. When they first introduced this new concept… no one told me anything. I had assume I would get to see someone, anyone. But, not without an appointment apparently.

Geezelouise!

I have never experienced this with any other bank. Other banks just steer me to the next available staff. Which is what I want. I don’t really want to know the Barbra’s in Westpac. I don’t!

The last straw was today. I had wanted to transfer some money, internationally. The teller looks at me and asks for a SWIFT code. I looked at her and said, “You work in a bank, I don’t. Can’t you find out?”. She looks at me and says, “No, we can’t. You’ll have to find out yourself”.

I WAS REALLY FREAKING PISSED AT THAT POINT. I told her, “I can’t believe in your system, there is NO list of SWIFT CODES. I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!”. At that point, she says, she’ll try to help…but I was really so annoyed, I told her..not to bother.

Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the banks in other countries. Even though I’m not a “priority customer”, they know their stuff, especially SWIFT codes, and will assist in any way possible. I’ve never had a bad experience with other banks, except Citibank - another sucky bank.

Well.. good bye Westpac, the Barbra ‘A’ Bank. I’m going hunting for another bank.

Here’s how Westpac inspired Barbra..

C’mon. You can tell me off, I don’t mind. Don’t deny that it wasn’t what you were thinking.

Well, the ‘junk food’ wasn’t so much junk food, but I call it junk, because it was processed. My junk food consists of home-made cookies, cake or microwaved popcorn, or his favourite, cheese crackers. I don’t normally let my kids eat them, well, because it’s processed. He loves eating them because they’re either on the sweetish or saltish side. Yup, not the blandish side.

Ok, that was just me trying to clarify myself.

Now, let’s see… I find myself, as I age, my level of patience dropping way below the level of a 2 year old. I find my kids are even more patient than me. Especially, when I’m growling, “WAIT!”. The other day, I saw a Panasonic Lumix Camera Giveaway by Nuffnang (Australia). Many prolific Aussie bloggers wrote their camera reviews on their own sites, and all one had to do was just to drop in a comment or email.

My question was, how on earth will anyone win just 1 of 2 Panasonic cameras…with so many blogs, and even more comments? While it seemed ridiculous, it obviously didn’t stop me from commenting. So, there I was busy travelling from one blog to another, commenting away, while growling “Wait”, to my ever-hungry kids, who were whining for dinner.

My 2 year old, after seeing his “Fruit Salad” song being sung by the Wiggles, decided there and then to eat ONE B-NANA. He ‘ordered’ me to get him ONE B-NANA or all hell would break loose. I wanted to finish commenting because I really wanted to win that camera, so I could get on with making dinner..and there, this lil monster screaming for ONE B-NANA just because the Wiggles commanded him to have one.

Patience? Nay, I did not have any. Hell? Everyone got a bit of Hell at that point of time.

Sigh…

The next morning, when he woke up, he came bouncing like a happy bunny, greeting me quite happily. I thought warily, this is my son? He declared to me solemnly that he won’t be eating junk food anymore. I just nodded my head, knowing full well that this would be a very hard promise to keep. One that I can’t even keep.

Well, he wasn’t affected by the lack of food, whatsoever. Bear in mind, this is a scally-wag of a boy, a skinny-minny. He wasn’t ravenous. He ate his breakfast in his fashionably slow manner.

Instead, what happened was that he went through a detoxifying process. Yup. My dear lil boy had a really really really big poo. Ok.. many poos. All big.

I’m thinking to myself now.. maybe he needs this. This minus-one meal, once in a while, to cleanse his toxic body. I can almost hear child-support staff breaking down my door now. Heh.

I have never done that in my life. Just like I’ve never done atv riding, in my life. It all started a few days ago. This grumpiness of mine. I warned my kids, don’t make me grumpy..because I get really really grumpy. For some reason..it doesn’t seem to register in their head. And so I get grumpy..and have been for the past few days.

Amazing, these kids. No matter how many times, you repeat yourself, they don’t catch on. Trust me, I’ve tried every creative way to remind them of certain things. And the thing is, when they don’t do it..you yell at them..and they get mad at you for yelling at them. HEY! Who didn’t listen in the first place?

Well, No.2 has always been asked to eat his lunch first, then his treat. Or his fruit (good food) then his treat (junk food). He has been coming back with lunchboxes with good food. NOT GOOD.

He always knows he’s in trouble, because right as he hands me the containers, he’ll look sheepishly into my eyes.

Well, this time, I told him if you want to eat junk, you can have it. I’m really tired of telling you this every single time. I gave him junk for tea. I gave him junk for dinner. Both of which he refused.

And he just didn’t have his dinner. Just like that. He didn’t complain or cry. Only cried when I told him I won’t be reading any stories to him, because I was in a super foul mood.

Was I going too far? No. I’ve told him several times that if he doesn’t eat his good food, he gets no dinner, but this is the first time, I’ve actually gone through with it.

I know he won’t suffer badly…I just know he’ll be super hungry for breakfast tomorrow..and he’ll have his junk for breakfast waiting. I’m serious. That’s how foul a mood I am in.