Goodbye 2007, Welcome 2008 Part 2

I was suppose to continue writing about 2007 yesterday but i could not because I was helping Charlyn, Pia and Gagan to move house and they had to clean their house because they had to hand in the keys to the owner by today, 2pm so I was up until 1 in the morning to help them clean and move their stuff into their new house. The amount of stuff that Pia and Charlyn have is absolutely amazing, I also cannot explain. Haih, they are girls mar, what else can i say?

I was talking about my PR and my job in Part 1 so i shall talk about the people that have impacted my life in 2007. There are so many people that have impacted my life in 2007 that I don't know where to begin. I guess the main ones are my PASSION cell group in sem 1 and sem 2 because both of these cell groups have just brought out something different in me.

My sem 1 cell group was amazing because Joel, my cell leader was just such an amazing teacher. I learnt a lot from this brother of mine in terms of Christ because his knowledge about the bible is just so huge. He is like a walking Bible dictionary man, ask him almost any question in the bible and I am sure he can answer them.

Even if he cannot answer them, I am sure he can point you towards the right direction. The rest of my cell members in sem 1, well the best highlight of the semester was the amount of laughter that we all had. Katherine is the main person to start all the jokes and laughter, she is just so funny and I am already missing her actually. She is now in Brunei working because she could not apply for Australian PR.

So sad for her because she was telling me how much she wanted to stay in Perth. My cell group in semester 2 was equally amazing as well because everyone contributed so much to the cell group and the fellowship that all of us had in the cell was simply mind blowing. all of us fitted in so well even though most of us were from different cell groups the semester before so ya, it was great fun! I was also worried for Rungano because she was the only black in my cell group but she blended in very well with the rest of us who were mainly from Singapore or Malaysia.

She is from Zimbabwe and a very lovely and sweet girl. I would always remember the times when I talk to her on the phone and she would go like : Hello, how are you? in the most nicest and sincere voice that I have ever heard. awwwwwwwwww, she is just such an amazing girl man!

The year 2007 has also been great because i got to know more people from different cultures who were non Asians. Examples are people like Julia, Peter, Olu and Mojo because we always have bible study every Saturday night at someones house and boy do i really miss those times. We not only learn about God's word but it made me bond with those people that i just mentioned more and more and it was such a blessing because i got to know them as a person and their interests, hobbies, beliefs and cultures so ya awesome guys, you guys are the best!

I also got closer in my relationships with the so called "Mars Angels" which is none either than Miss Pia (P), Miss Charlyn (Char Char the babe) and Miss Gagan (G). i did go to their house quite often in semester 1 so ya got to know the 3 girls much much better. It was interesting to hear about their experiences in life and what their dreams and ambitions are. oh man, that's what I love so much about people! amazing amazing! I was also given the title "Official PR of the Mars Angels" by the 3 of them, hahahahaha.

There are so many other people that I can write about but it would just be too long. Maybe I write it some other time when I am free. It is just 5 more hours before we all welcome the year 2008. Gosh I cannot believe it man, i cannot believe it! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY WHERE EVER YOU ARE IN THE WORLD! WELCOME 2008, GOODBYE 2007! will continue part 3 tomorrow.

Goodbye 2007, Welcome 2008 Part 1

As i am sitting down writing on my blog, the time is 9.26p.m. on the 29th of December 2007 and lets see we are all just 2 days away before the new year arrives. I myself cannot believe how time flies and how quickly this year has gone by seriously. I just felt that ever since I came to Perth 4 years ago back in 2004, the time here in Perth has gone by so much faster than back home in Kuala Lumpur.

I don't know what is the cause of it but i can say being busy must be one of the main factors. I meant ever since I arrived here in Perth I had to be more independent and do things on my own. I had to wash my own clothes, iron them, wash dishes, clean the house, tidy up my room. gosh doing all those things already takes up like most of my time so ya that means i rarely have time for myself.

However, having said that I guess its a good learning experience for me because I learned to take up more responsibility in the things that I do. okay enough said about that. Since the end of the year is just a few days away, I would be reflecting on 2007 and how it has impacted my life. I have decided to break it up into 3 parts because I got too much to write that I don't want to cram all of them into one day.

2007, oh 2007. what a year it has been for me. I got so much to write that I don't even know where to begin. Well, I think i will start of with my Australian Permanent Residency and my first full time job here in Australia because those 2 would be the highlight of my year. The thing about my Australian PR that I am so blessed about is the fact that I got my PR sooner than expected. I got it within 5 months which to me is considered good already because I know people who wait like one year or more to get their PR. that is an awful long time to me because its just too long to wait.

I mean for me its good in a way that I don't have to worry about my PR anymore once I got it. I had a slight minor problem with my case officer which I wrote on my blog during April or May. gosh what a relief for me man seriously, the fact is that I always wanted to stay in Australia because I fell in love with this country when I first came with my family for holiday especially Perth which was back in 1996 if I can recall correctly.

Australia is definitely a nice place to stay and live because the quality of living here is so so much better than staying in Malaysia in my opinion. so after getting my PR, what next? A full time job? Not just a full time job but a full time job in an accounting firm. that was what i wanted to start of my career in since I studied a degree in accounting and finance double major. why not give a shot in accounting?

guess what? I got an accounting job in a medium size firm doing taxation. it took me 7 months man, 7 months to get the job but i got the job and that's all that matters to me. It was not an easy journey for me to get where I am today man. I had to fight off my dad who kept on persisting that I go back to KL and work in Ernst & Young doing audit. I mean i know he wants what is best for me, doesn't every parent want whats best for their children? Of course they do but I feel its that time of my life that I make my own decisions and stand up for my own self.

And that's what I did. I kept on telling my dad that I wanted to stay here and find a job. He was not happy, i know that, I mean i was jobless for 3 months, I started my first job working in Nando's because i needed the money to support myself. After working in Nando's for 1 month, I became a bookkeeper for a transport company doing their accounts payable and receivables for 1 month and then I moved on to work in Nutrition Systems as their accounts payable officer for 1 month before I got my current job which of course I have to thank En because he got me the job.

So ya, what a ride it has been for me this year. I thank God because he made all of these things possible for me even though i was going through a tough time and trying to hang in there. I shall continue part 2 tomorrow. Till then I shall leave you with a movie trailer of Alien Vs Predator : Requiem which came out during Boxing Day. Enjoy!

Perth's Record Christmas Heat

Today was a record in Perth Temperature. Guess how much was the temperature? It was 44.2C shortly before 1.30pm in the afternoon on Boxing Day. how hot was that man? Gosh, when i went out of my house it was really like an oven man and boy I am not joking. I was in Perth during last summer but I never came across anything like this before. Just so super hot man. It makes you feel like burning inside for some reason.

Had a pot bless for Boxing day in the afternoon. Just invited my summer cell group people. There were mocktail, kebab sticks, roasted pork loin, pasta, pizza and lots more. It was more than enough for us to eat. We all watched a movie after that called The Last Holiday starring Queen Latifah. it was alright but some parts of the movie is like super lame man.

Well I got about one week left before I get back to work, feels kinda weird not working because I have been working for quite a while now and it just feels so strange not to work. well the heat is not helping me either so what can I do? Just have to bear with the heat i guess. The air cond is going to be my best friend this summer! hahahahhaha.

Below is the movie trailer for The Last Holiday, enjoy!

Merry Christmas Everybody

Santa Claus down the chimney waiting to deliver those presents on Christmas day? Rudolph the red nose reindeer? jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way? so, what is Christmas all about? is it about santa and his presents?Is it about the Christmas tree? or is it about the Christmas decorations?

Well, all those things are significant because they play an important part on Christmas day but the most significant of them all is the birth of Jesus Christ. That is the main reason why we celebrate Christmas every year. Christmas is a time of peace, joy and happiness as we all come together to spread the cheer with our loved ones. Christmas is also a time of giving and blessing people by showing them how much we care. There are so many people out there who do not have the chance to celebrate Christmas with their loved ones because they may be away from family or are just not so lucky as we are.

Christmas is also a time for us to reflect back on our year and see what we can do to improve on the things that we did throughout the year in terms of the good and the bad. Well, that is how I would celebrate my Christmas day.

Anyways, I would just like to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas, may the joy of Christmas be with each and everyone of you. Let us all just enjoy this glorious and wonderful day.

The Art Of Punctuality

Punctuality, punctuality. yes yes, that is not a new word to me because I have been struggling to be punctual since I came to Perth 4 years ago. I finally got a wake up call this morning when I went to work. My supervisor En told me that I have been late for the past one week and yes he said its not good because one of the directors in my company has been watching me and he does not like it.

I don't blame him seriously because if my working hours are from 8.30am - 5pm Monday to Friday, I should arrive on time to work and I know its so important because I somehow seem to forget that I am still on probation period which ends at the end of this month.

Therefore, I am still in danger because if I continue to do what I am doing which is being late, I maybe shown the exit door. Of course I would not like that to happen so if I do not want that to happen, I have to tell myself to sleep early and wake up early. No excuses anymore Thomas Chua! you just have to do it!

I always struggle being on time. When I am suppose to fetch people at a specific time lets say 7.30 on a Friday night for cell group, I always rock up at around 7.40 till 7.45 which is like 10 - 15 minutes late. Thats not good because it made me realise that I need to honor people's time as well.

All of us live busy lives, no doubt about that. so how do we honor people's time? By being punctual! thats a good reason to give right? oh well, i know i need to change and yes I will make an effort to change. enough of the bad habits already man!

Christmas is just around the corner, gosh I cannot believe its already coming to Christmas and I have not even done my Christmas shopping yet! hahahaha. no plans for Christmas yet but I am sure I will rock up with something. Can't wait till Friday because my office will be close for 10 days, from the 21st of December till the 1st of January. wooohoooo!

Below is the trailer of Alien Vs Predator-Requiem which is out during Christmas, should be a good movie i presume. enjoy!

The Power Of Nice

the power of nice? are you sure the book is called the power of nice? When i first saw that book in the Dymocks bookstore in Carousel, i was asking myself a question :" Does a book like that ever exist in this world?". Well, obviously the answer is yes, there is such a book in this world. The title of the book struck me so much that I decided to buy it in the end and read it because the front cover is already interesting.

I reckon this world needs nice people, don't you think so? We all live in a self centered world where people always think about themselves one. Me,me,me, its all about me. Having nice people in this world really can make a difference in someone's life.

A good example I can give is one of the stories from the book where Frank, a security guard who worked with the author's group in the same building actually won a bank account for the group just by being warm and friendly when Richard Davis, the COO and president of U.S. Bank came to visit the group at their office building. Now thats the power of nice! The group won the bank account because the security guard was being warm and friendly. how cool is that man? just by being warm and friendly.

I recommend everyone should read the book because it is a very interesting book to read, you never know how much you can learn just by reading the book.

Summer Is Here In Perth

summer summer summer. when i come across that word in my mind the first thing i always think of is hot, hot, hot!. all you people who stay in Perth for summer last year or years back would know how it is, the temperature can reach 40 degrees one and my room is no exception as well. Every time I step into my room, I can straight away feel the heat and its like a sauna man seriously. You can straight away feel the heat in your body.

Thats the reason I have decided to sleep downstairs in the living room, can switch on the air conditioner. ahhhhhhhh, its going to be such a relief man. I have been so tired this whole week reason being have been sleeping late i guess. Been meeting up with my friends before they left because most of them left already this week to Malaysia for summer holidays. Its going to be really quiet this summer because most of my friends would not be around which includes my brother who left on Thursday. I slept for 9 hours last night and boy what a feeling, i just feel so much refreshed right now. whew!

Its actually good for me because it gives me more time to read which is what I should be doing. I know i have not really been reading books since I was young and its not good because reading gives you knowledge and if i don't discipline myself, I am going to be left behind man. people are going to be more knowledgeable than me and thats a scary thing.

Therefore I have decided to pick up a book and read for at least 10 minutes a day for a start, should make it a habit or else i would be lazy. I went for Pia's fashion show on the 24th Of November 2007 and boy was it good. It was my first fashion show that I have ever attended to in my life and I really loved her designs, I reckon she can be a very successful fashion designer in the future. The clothes that she designed were just absolutely stunning, fabulous, very nice.

I shall post both the videos that I took at the fashion show from my Kodak digital camera below so enjoy the videos people. do leave comments if you find the video is not good quality or needs improvement whatever, I always appreciate feedback.

England Out Of Euro 2008

yes thats right, England is out of Euro 2008! It actually came as a shock to me because for a country like England with so many star players like David Beckham and Wayne Rooney, they still could not qualify for Euro 2008. I just feel so sorry for all the fans and people who supported England because if you think about it, they only needed a draw to qualify and they lost!.

I reckon most of the players were just too over confident and thought they could win the match easily. I do feel for Steve McClaren as well because its not easy being the manager for England. There are too many people in the squad who are just too good until the manager dont know who to choose. ah well better luck for england in the future.

Here is the video highlights of the England and Croatia game played last Wednesday that decided Englands fate for Euro 2008, enjoy! :-

How Do We Discipline Ourselves?

discipline, when i first came across that word in my mind I was telling myself what does it actually mean? Discipline is something that I have been struggling for a while now because I just cannot seem to discipline myself to accomplish things.

This was the topic that I was discussing with my YA cell members last Wednesday during cell group and yes we all agreed that being able to discipline ourselves is not an easy thing. In the busy world that we live in today, we all get so easily distracted by the internet, the television, the handphone and so many things. You just name it man and before you know it the whole day is gone and we did not accomplish anything for that particular day.

Therefore the question is "How do we discipline ourselves?". You say you have the confidence to overcome all the distractions and can do what you want to do but its just so hard. We get distracted too easily and it would go on and on and on until it becomes a habit of ours.

Well, to me one way we can discipline ourselves is to get someone that we are close with to monitor how we are doing and to motivate us as well. It is good in a way because that particular friend of ours would just give us the motivation and encouragement that we need. That could be one possible way. There are other ways as well so for all you people who are reading my blog, what do you guys think?

Maybe you guys can leave some comments on what ways we all can do to discipline ourselves? I reckon its important hey because it would really really benefit all of us in the long run. Having discipline is important in our daily lives, it is one way to make us successful in life and our future.

Below are 2 videos of Donnie Yen. Since you guys all voted on my poll and think I do really look like Donnie Yen, I dedicate these 2 videos to him, hahahaha. The first video is the staff fight he had with Jet Li in Once Upon A Time In China 2 and the second video is one of his best fight scenes from one of his movies. enjoy the video clips!.

Do I Look Like Donnie Yen?

"Doesn't he look like Donnie Yen?". That was the question Yee Fang was asking her housemates one fine day. Yi Jia and Jia Huei responded :"Hmmmm, ya hor, he does look like Donnie Yen,". I was stunned for a second because first of all I don't even know who Donnie Yen is. I don't watch many Hong Kong or Chinese series so I would not have a slightest clue on what they are talking about at first.

However, after seeing his photo I actually told myself: Hey maybe I do look like Donnie Yen after all." Kinda cool huh? He suppose to be this superstar Hong Kong actor or something so hey that shows my other "half" brother is famous. Wow, cool man, cool! Above are 2 photos of him and I want you guys to vote on my poll and tell me the answer: " Do I really look like Donnie Yen?. cheers people.

2 Awesome Soccer Matches

thats right people, the 2 soccer matches I am referring to are Liverpool Vs Arsenal and Arsenal Vs Manchester United. absolutely mind blowing and breath taking. those 2 matches were just so entertaining and enjoyable to watch that I could just watch it over and over again. i would be posting the match highlights below so have fun watching.

Liverpool Vs Arsenal 1-1 (Gerrard and Fabregas the goalscorers)



Arsenal Vs Manchester United 2-2 (Gallas Own Goal and Ronaldo for MU, Fabregas and Gallas for Arsenal)

Happy 21st Birthday My Dear Brother

Surprise!!!!! That was the very one word that made my brother's day last Saturday, 3rd of November 2007. Hopefully it would be one day that he would remember for a very very long time. I actually took the time to plan his surprise birthday party and video because I wanted to bless him. Going back to the first time he came to Perth back in 2005, I remembered the time he came and stayed with me. I just felt so happy because he could have gone to Melbourne to study but he decided to come to Perth instead and one of the reasons is because I am here in Perth.

A very wise decision indeed my brother, look at us now, closer than before. Even though we do not entirely agree on everything because we have our different views on life and issues, I still felt it was good because I learnt something from you and you learnt something from me.

I reckon he had an awesome time last Saturday and you guys should see the expression on his face man when he first found out, he was like totally blown away man seriously. I could say that I was lucky because there were one or two people who saw him before the surprise party and said to him :"Hey David, see you on Saturday ya". Of course he would get suspicious right? common, wont he be curious to know what is happening on Saturday? I am sure he would but thank God he forgot about it. Therefore the plan was executed to perfection.

I would like to thank everyone who helped me out for the party: Jason for the games, hey man you did a great job, Da Yong for helping me with the projections part, Kiew for helping me with the video because we had kinda like a major problem with the video but somehow Kiew managed to fix it on time so way a go whiz kid! Oh ya before I forget the 3 lovely girls from Vickery house helped me with deco, really awesome and I liked it . I just think they look amazing in the Zion Centre. Those 3 girls are Jia Huei, Yee Fang and Cheah Yen. Thank you so much ya to all of you, really made my brother's day.

I was totally flat out and burned out last week, was late for work and also did not really get that much sleep but you know what? It was all worth it because I love my brother so much. Happy 21st Birthday once again and hope it was a memorable one!

Raffles Bar And Restaurant In Applecross

It somehow feels like I have been posting too many words on my blog so I decided to do something different today. I am just going to put up photos of food instead and the food that I have chosen to upload on my blog are from the Raffles Bar And Restaurant in Applecross. I went there 3 weeks ago for Debby's farewell dinner. Food is not too bad but pricey and small quantity. Gosh, what am I talking about, its a fine dining place, sure to expect food like that.

Enjoy the pictures even though I cannot remember what are the names of each and every one of them. getting kinda forgetful lately.

My New Nokia 1112 Phone

woohooo, after 5 years, yes thats right people 5 years!!!! I finally got a new phone, its not a fancy super duper high tech phone but a simple phone that I can just use to text message, answer or make calls to people. I kinda like the colour, its red and its awesome because its a striking colour to me. It also has a feature where there is a speaker alarm. What it does is that it will not only ring but it will also say the time repeatedly. hahahhaha, kinda cool huh?

I actually used my old phone which was the Nokia 3100 series for 5 years. Unfortunately the phone battery keeps switching off by itself so often that I just got so fed up that I decided to buy a new phone. I bought the phone in 2002 so ya, I really like Nokia phones. They are so user friendly and the battery really lasts long. The battery in my new phone so far has been good, the battery bar is still full after one day so thats good. I also bought the phone for a reasonable price, AUD 59 dollars which is pretty good. Yay, i got a new toy to play with, I am always so excited whenever I buy a new phone or any gadget.

Have not written anything on my blog for the past one week due to the fact that I was so stressed at my work. One of my colleagues resigned one week ago and I had to do his work that he left and my gosh I tell you, he really messed up the accounts that he was doing for the company. Common dude, I just arrived not too long ago, its like my third week at Stirling Partners and you have to leave a mountain of work for me to do.

Its sounds like I am complaining, well in a way I am. I am just trying to say it in a nice way because I was still trying to get use to the company's software and refreshing on all my accounts work because I have not touched my accounting for one and a half years now. Therefore, I am trying to read and catch up on my tax as well because there is just so much reading to do. What I am trying to say is that he could have been more helpful by not leaving his work in a mess, it makes my work and life much more easier. It just gets frustrating you know? anyways, alls good lar after an awesome weekend with my cell members especially lunch at Spencer's Village on a Sunday afternoon.

All of us had a great time laughing and me being childish, just trying to go back to my childhood days by doing silly things. I don't know why I do it also, I just enjoy doing it because I feel all of us have to laugh once in a while you know. Since most of us are so serious at work, its good to chill and laugh during the weekends. I enjoy seeing people laugh and being happy because it makes me feel happy as well.

Maximum Impact

one week has passed already, so fast. To me right it just felt like yesterday i only started work. 2 weeks only working at Stirling Partners and I am actually beginning to enjoy it because it is so interesting, I get to discover and learn new things in terms of tax and accounting so its all good, really enjoying myself.

I have a friendly and nice boss, there is also Mr Ern who is my supervisor who is teaching me new things to do everyday and my colleagues who are all so warm and friendly people. What more can I ask for seriously? working environment also not too bad, my office very near supermarket and cafes so can grab food easily and do not have to walk that far away.

I went for this simulcast on Saturday by John C Maxwell and his team which comprised of so many amazing and powerful people like Malcolm Gladwell, Mark Sanborn, Terry Bradshaw and a whole other team of motivated people. It really blew me away because I was just so touched by the amount of knowledge and wealth of experience that they all shared with us who went. It just made me so pumped up and made me see and realise so many things that I also do not know what to think of.

It was really worth the money as well because a lot of people would pay AUD500-AUD1000 just to go and see John C Maxwell and his team speak at conferences so it was a very good deal. More information can be found at his website which is at www.maximumimpact.com. I was really impacted indeed by the simulcast.

Below are some photos of me, Yee Fang, Jia Huei and Xin Ying being stuck inside Wesley College on Sunday after badminton 2 weeks ago because the guy just locked us in from the inside when we were about to leave the premises. I happened to be the last to leave that night because I was talking on the phone with my brother and it took me a while longer than expected to get out of the place and when we drove towards the gate, we realised that it was locked.

We manage to find some cleaners who were cleaning inside the premises and they then called the security guard for us to come and open the gate. When he came the security gueard was like " Next time you better leave at 8 sharp because thats when the person on duty would just lock the gate and i was like okay man, we would not do it again".

It was actually a good experience for me because can't seem to recall the day I got locked inside a compound before. Anyways, below are the pictures, some of them are super funny. Cheers!

My First Week At Stirling Partners

yes, one week has gone by so quickly and I was so excited during my first day at my new job. I am so excited because everything is so new to me, I would be doing tax which a lot of people know how much reading you have to do and how much you have to know because its just so different, so many things to know like whats deductible and whats not. Its also my first time working in a public practice firm so have to write letters to clients and also learn time billing.

Apparently the job that i am doing is billed to the clients depending on how much time I spent to do the tax returns for clients so ya pretty cool hey. Well, so far the one week has been great, oh actually 4 days because last Monday was a public holiday so yup, four days of work only last week. Been doing lots of individual tax return and also started to do reconciliation of figures for trusts. something different because Stirling Partners dont just do tax but business services as well. therefore, it would not be so boring after all because there are indeed so many things to learn and do.

I just realised that this month is a crazy month because got so many peoples birthday. My brother, my sister, my church friends, my housemate, gosh so many man. Thats one of the reason i should be saving up right now or else if i don't, I am really going to be broke by the end of the month.

I also realised that during the past one week, a lot of my colleagues actually bring food from home which is good because they all are trying to save up money and I guess it is a wise choice indeed to do that but for me personally, if i do not bring
food from home and keep buying food outside, I am really going to be broke man.

However, I am just so lazy to cook my own food from home and I know thats not good because if i want to save up on food i have to do it. Below are 2 photos taken by my friend Yee Fang when we were at Araluen last month, they are 2 cool photos because its a picture of me and Yee Fang jumping in the air, how cool is that? I don't know about you but i absolutely love those 2 photos man. enjoy!

Switching Jobs For The Past Few Months

first week at my new job? yes thats right, i started afresh again, my new job last Tuesday. Its kinda funny how I actually look at it and the thought just suddenly crossed my mind, I have been switching jobs quite a fair bit for the past few months. huh? come to think about it, its actually quite interesting because I have never switched jobs in quick transition before so ya, I found it kinda cool.

Let me recap on my job status here in Perth this year. well lets see, I graduated in February, was jobless for 3 months, worked in Nandos Belmont to support myself after 3 months because money was running low. I had to thank my friend Herman because he helped me get the job, he was one of the managers at that time so ya it was awesome man. very grateful for the job brother.

worked in Nandos for one month, got a job as a bookkeeper in a Transport company called Adam's Coachline and worked there for 2 months until i got fired in a way because my boss told me i was no longer needed for my services at the company. After that worked in Nutrition Systems for one month as an accounts payable officer and then now doing tax and business services at Stirling Partners so ya its been one ride man, working here and there. actually quite fun to move around also. it is kinda boring if just stuck with one job for too long.

i shall write about my first week at my new job, Stirling Partners tomorrow because I am getting kinda sleepy already. "yawn" "yawn". off to bed, ciao ciao!

Starting Another New Job Tomorrow

Stirling Partners Chartered Accountants, thats the name of my new company that I am going to be working for from tomorrow onwards. How did I get the job and the position in the company? Well, till today I also cannot believe that i got the job because I have been trying to apply to this kind of firms ever since I graduated in February but all of them have been unsuccessful. I guess a lot of people have been telling me:"hey thomas, how can you dont get an accounting job in perth?" " There are so many accounting jobs out there and accounting is also in demand in Australia so how can it be?" I told these people "Look, i have been really trying to apply for accounting jobs especially in accounting firms and i guess my lack of work experience really does make a huge difference".

Indeed, that is very true because I must remember that I am not the only one applying for accounting jobs you know, so many people are studying accounting these days that it is becoming so much harder to get a job in Australia because so many people want to apply for their Permanent Residency. I seriously dont blame them because to me I love Australia and I reckon Australia is a lovely place to stay and work. Pay is good, standard of living is good, what else can you ask for man?. I must thank Ern because he was the one who got the ball rolling to get me this job. He called me on Monday morning and told me there was a graduate position opening in his firm and asked me to send in my resume and just give it a try.

I sent my resume in and his boss had a look at it and was impressed with my resume so I was called in for an interview the next day. The interview went well and the job was basically mine for the taking but Ern's boss or should I say my boss now wanted to be absolutely sure that I wanted the job so he told me to think about it overnight and that was what I did. I told my boss at Nutrition Systems the next day about my new job and surprisingly he took it very well. I was surprised because I taught he would be mad at me or something, I have only been working in Nutrition Systems for one month and then I am just going to leave just like that? So i thought he would be angry but surprisingly he was not seriously.

He said to me " Thomas, these things happen, people always leave the firm if they have a better job offer elsewhere". I didnt know what to say, I just thanked him for being so understanding. where can you find a boss like him man? it is so rare nowadays to find bosses who are so nice and understanding towards their employees. I also like to thank Henry and Andy, my two colleagues and senior to me because they have been working in the accounts department for quite sometime and have been training me up to take over the accounts payable role, especially Henry because that was what he was doing before I joined the company. All the staff at Nutrition Systems are friendly and nice, I felt so at home even though I was there for only one month but it was just so awesome man I tell you. I wont forget the wonderful experience I had at Nutrition Systems.

Well, you could say that I am so looking forward to my new job starting tomorrow because this is the kind of job that I always wanted to do, tax and business services. those two accounting areas are something that is so new to me but hey I am always willing to give it a shot man, its always worth doing something new. Besides Ern, Ivy and Ming from my church are working there so I am sure I would fit in well, they are all nice and awesome people so should not be a problem for me.

I would try to update my blog regularly because it would be wasteful if i dont. I love my blog because i get to express my thoughts and feelings. I love it man, I just love my blog. I went for the Snow Patrol Concert At The Burswood Dome On Saturday, the 22nd Of September and it was really awesome, I dont really know many of their songs but I do know their most famous song Chasing Cars.

My sister bought me a ticket for their concert as a birthday present, awwww how sweet of her, thats why I love her so much. She is a huge fan of Snow Patrol apparently and just love their songs. Anyways, I took a few video clips from my Sony Ericsson phone, the video quality not too good though but do enjoy the clips and watch out for one of the clips where there is a huge word which says "Now", it was their opening act before they came out to play.

Best Birthday Celebration By Far

I celebrated my 24th birthday last Tuesday which was the 18th of September and boy it would be one birthday celebration that I would not forget for a long long time to come. I was just blown away on that day because I really did not expect surprises and also lots of birthday cakes.

The past 3 years when I was in Perth I never had a birthday surprise because what usually happens is that I would go out for dinner with my cell group members and that was it. However, this year has just been so different because I got so many wonderful friends who has just been such an inspiration and blessing in my life.

Firstly I had an early birthday celebration the Friday before my actual birthday from my cell group which I really did not expect and then there was a surprise waiting for me outside my room door at 12 midnight on my birthday. Okay, I must admit that was not really a surprise to me because someone knocked on my door when I just came out of the shower and there was no answer when I asked who it was so I thought hmmmmmmm, this does not sound right. At that very moment I knew something was not right and my instinct came true when I heard the sound of candles outside my door. aha, that was when i knew that there were people waiting outside and true enough there were indeed the 5 awesome friends that were waiting outside my room.

They were Jia Huei, Jaclyn, Yee Fang, Cheah Yen and Dai Yong. My sister and brother were also there of course. it was really funny because i still remembered when I opened the door Dai Yong was like saying to me " what took you so long?" as if he knew i was expecting it already in a way. I found it rather amusing. Then there was another surprise waiting for me when I came back from dinner that day at around 9pm. Pia, Cindy, Jason, Peter, Joel and Mojo were all waiting inside the house when the door opened they said surprise but the funny thing was it wasn't me but my brother. However, i was just behind him so i also in a way was surprised. Oh all you guys are just so awesome, I was so speechless at that moment that I really did not know what to say.

Every single one of you have just been a blessing in my life since I got to know you people and I really thank God for having you all in my life. I especially have to thank Jia Huei and Pia because they were the main organisers for both the surprises that I had and I know God will pour more blessings on both these 2 sisters of mine. If you guys have been keeping up with me till this point, I already had 3 birthday cakes and the fourth one is with my YA cell group when we went out for dinner the Sunday before my birthday. They celebrated for me and Chui Lin because her birthday was 4 days before me.

My colleagues at my workplace also had a belated birthday celebration for me on Friday. there was no cake but there were plenty of fruits, carrot cakes and muffins.
I also had a few surprising birthday sms from people that I never thought would wish me and one of them would be my dad. I have never recalled a moment during my birthday where my dad would actually message me using his own handphone to wish me Happy Birthday because it would have always been my mum. she would always text me saying love from mum and dad so she would be in a way representing my dad but this time around that was not the case.

My dad actually texted me to wish me happy birthday for the first time and I just felt so touched that I wanted to cry because my dad actually texted me to wish me Happy Birthday. how surprising is that seriously? gosh, i am just so overwhelmed with joy right now that I can go on all day thanking everyone who made my birthday
these year one of the best birthdays I ever had in my life so far.

Thank you everyone very much from deep down in my heart, feeling so emotional right now. sorry i just cant help it. anyways below are the photos i took with Jia Huei and the rest when they came over to surprise me on Tuesday midnight. I was in my sleeping attire and wearing my specs, gosh how embarrassing is that?. haha.

Zion Praise Harvest 10th Anniversary Ball

zion praise harvest, my lovely church. you turned 10 years old last saturday. it was truly an awesome evening. there were bright lights, band music, glamorous girls all dressed up in their lovely gowns, oh it was just a wonderful evening. I thank God for bringing me to this wonderful church. I always feel the warm hospitality when i enter the church and also the people there have just been such a blessing in my life.

Zion is celebrsting its 10th Anniversary and they richly deserve it. god has definitely transformesd the church and poured down its grace on Zion Praise Harvest.

I had an evening of fun because of the pictures that i took below and also having fun talking to people and seeing the choir and dance doing their hip hop and ballroom dancing just made me so excited and really made my evening.

I shall be posting some Grace Ball photos below so that all you lovely people out there can enjoy. I shall upload the rest on my photo blog so sit back relax and enjoy the ride!

Araluen Botanic Park Trip

30 of us went to Araluen Botanic Park to see the tulips because it is already considered the start of spring and this is the best time to see the tulips because they just blossomed and its so lovely. All of us met up in Hungry Jacks Carousel at 10 in the morning and had Hungry Jacks for breakfast. We left at 11 and reached Araluen at around 11.40am.

I really love going to this kind of places because of the environment and the natural beauty of nature which just makes it so relaxing. We took a lot of photos, one of my friend actually took 400 over shots during our trip. wow that is a lot indeed. I took about 100 shots which is already a lot man, a lot.

I shall post some of the photos I took up on my blog while the others will be posted on my photo blog, the link is on the right hand side of my blog. enjoy people!

Breakfast At Mandurah

breakfast? yes thats right, i had a good breakfast after quite a long time and I had it in Mandurah. Darrel and me joined Vipps and Ming Choon's cell group to have breakfast in Mandurah because they just thought of doing something different and i said to myself why not? considering the fact that church service was on Saturday not Sunday because of Curtin Open Day so i decided to join them go.

We had breakfast at this place called Nino's Seafood. we arrived at the restaurant at 10am and the majority of us were waiting to order the seafood so a few of us only had their breakky which was pretty good actually. I took some shots of the food and will display them below.

Started my first day of my new job at Nutrition Systems last Thursday and boy was it awesome. the people there are just so amazing and friendly and helpful. I like the working environment as well, very nice. My senior Henry and Andy taught me a few things to learn about accounting and doing a bit of bank reconciliation. ya it has been good, all good. very happy now because i got an awesome job.