Monday 28th December 2020
Myer 9 am - 2 pm only today ( Boxing Day Public Holiday) . New shift added to Kronos 18th December 2020. Checked Kronos 19th & 20th December 20 no changes to shift.
Nothing much happened today except one lady I served looked a bit sick but was the only poerson in the queue that wasn't wearing a mask. He looked like she had a bit of a cough and was in a hurry to get out of the store - hopefully she just forgot her mask rather then refused to wear one and only coughed and looked in a hurry to get out of the store because she didn't want to contract COVID from not wearing a mask. If so she should not be out shopping either way regardless! Some people just have no consideration for others. Imagine all the people she could spread COVID to just by not wearing a mask and leaving self isolation. I hope she is not COVID positive.
I did wash my hands change my mask and spray disinfectant after contact with the customer. Wearing just a surgical mask does absolutely nothing over long periods of time as demonstrated on 2 kids I saw where they were wearing their surgical masks but they were so wet from their saliva and food they had around the mouth area they were so gross to look at and I felt like handing them s new mask.
I did not hang around Warringah Mall after my shift.I punched out at 2.02 pm and waited for the next 280 bus at 2.30 pm to Chatswood.
There are now 122 cases of COVID in the Northern Beaches. No one is allowed into the CBD without a permit for NYE firework with even frontline workers previously promised front row spots on the harbour foreshore to watch the midnight fireworks for their services throughout the COVID pandemic retracted and you can't travel anywhere interstate so I am wishing everyone "A Not So Happy New Year" this year. The world is growing worse by the day there is now news of a possible world war against China.
So as soon as I arrive at Chatswood I do quite a bit of shopping. First stop Typo for any Christmas ornaments left. I purchase a very cute quite well made polar bear and seal for $2 each and a roll of Christmas tape. Onto my next stop Uniquo to purchase a replacement pair of black jeggings for work, the identical ones destroyed whilst doing stock (they got caught on something at work and pulled a thread which turned into a hole that then turned into a larger and larger hole the more I wore them at work doing stock). I purchased them eventhough they were not on sale. Onto Priceline to purchase a bottle of vitamin oil for my skin before going to the Coles Local to do a small grocery shop before finally walking down to Guzman y Gomez to get some dinner - the regular spicy chicken burrito with chimi mayo on the side but this time I added a purchase of a $3 taco to try. The was a 15% public holiday surcharge today as well but that's ok or was it? I found 2 "hairs" of some sort in my chicken burrito ( I hope they were not rat hairs as they were really coarse and short) and what did I think of the $3 beef taco? No wonder it was $3 - it was tiny! A small taco the size of an oversized corn chip ( smaller then the ones available at the supermarket) heavily seasoned ie far too salty for my liking with a spoonful of beef mince in the bottom of it topped with rather small amount of limp lettuce and sprinkled with chredded cheese wrapped in a large piece of foil and boxed in a large cardboard takeaway container. Rating 4/10 something I will not have again. I have never been a fan of tacos but this $3 reinforced my dislike of tacos. Very disappointed with it's taste and size.
Home to eat my dinner on the 144 bus via a stop off at Woolworths Metro. There is a yellow sign up near the baskets advising customers again of the reinstated purchase limit of 2 packets of toilet paper and 2 packets of paper towels per customer. I think only Woolworths has reinstated this purchase limit I have not seen Coles in Chatswood advise customers of this purchase limit.
Bed early as I am again suffering from vertigo and it is getting worse caused from my blocked ears again.
Tuesday 29th December 2020
Day off
Text message just received via Whats App Group Chat to check Kronos for changes to shift daily due to COVID. Nothing new even before the COVID cluster it was constantly changing.
A sleep in today but I need to update my diary with my shifts.
I need to go to the post office to earn and return my bottles recharge my opal card take my rubbish out and do a proper grocery shop. I just can't be bothered to return my Christmas tree to my off-site storage or check my PO Box all the way in the Eastern suburbs today. Then there is laundry.
Maybe I'll do some of this after lunch.
Oh dear I just watched the "I want to dance with somebody" dance routine in preparation for participating in the Sydney Festival event happening via Zoom on the 23rd January at 11 am on YouTube and it is not too good. I am pretty sure that I will have my own interpretation of the routine! It is very much a teenie bopper routine. There is a bit of twerking which I will probably leave out and what's with all the spider finger movements over the upper body and face. A little bit on the weird side for me. I think tgere is a lot of interpretive dance going on!
5.30 pm and I'm still not feeling the best so haven't ventured out. My ears are still really blocked and I still have vertigo if I lay down flat and get up.
Just got a text message to start at 8 am tomorrow. Well I better get ready. Should pack my lunch but can't be bothered.
Bed early.
Wednesday 30th December 2020
Myer 9 am - 2.30 pm new shift added to Kronos 18th December 20. Checked Kronos 19th & 20th December 20 shift changed to 12 noon - 5.30 pm. Checked Kronos again 25th December 20 no change to shift .
Checked Kronos again 29th December 2020. Shift changed back to 9 am - 2.30 pm for today.
Changed again via text message yesterday for today 8 am - 2 pm stock - not wearing my expensive $100 dress to work today! Just a skivvie and jeans. If only my old ripped pair was not in the laundry pile! Hope this pair does not get destroyed as well.
The morning was spent serving in between folding towels. I didn't get very far but did manage to put an order through for a customer! The customer actually received the wrong click & collect item so this was returned and refunded and a new order put through for the customer.
The rest of my half day at work was re merchandising the napery and serving customers in between.
The back counter was full of returns so I tried to clear it as much as possible. There are always the customers who try to return womens wear upstairs to Homewares which should not be allowed.
Punched out at 2.10 pm. Looked at my phone at the time and it was 2.05 pm and I had not had a break. I am owed so much overtime it's not funny but it will never be paid.
Waiting for the 2.30 pm bus back to Chatswood. First stop the post office to send the 2 Lindt chocolate bears in a box off to the aged care facility for my letter writing buddy. Then grocery shopping at Aldi and Coles again. All done - well most of it as I can only carry so much and mot everything on my shopping list is available.
Home on the 144 and sleep as I am working again tomorrow! I wish I didn't have to work as I am constantly thinking of how I am going to get home tomorrow. Am I going to be stranded again as it is NYE and buses and trains do not run beyond North Sydney with alternative routes after 3 pm. I finish at 2 pm. By the time I finish it will be 2.30 pm. Will the 280 to Chatswood show up today as it will be NYE?
The next story I am writing about I will name "Do you believe in Santa?" because it is just bizarre. I took out my rubbish to the garbage area outside the apartment block and decided to open the mail box and possibly clear it out as it just gets full of junk mail. I never get mail delivered to this mail box only to an off site po box located kms away for security purposed and which only gets emptied out every 4 - 6 months currently. So I didn't end up clearing out the mail box outside out as there wasn't much junk mail in it for once but I did find a dark blue envelope. However it was a very strange envelope. You will see why when you look at it . At first I thought it may have conained a Christmas card but no it was not a Christmas card but I recognised the blue envelope it was from a witing paper set I had given a resident living alone at an aged care facility as a gift . Inside was a half printed half hand written letter 3 pages long dated 5th December 2020 . So what was strange about it?
1. the letter was very bizarre itself and did make any sense. It is difficult to describe so I'll just post a photo of what was inside the blue envelope or maybe not as it is just too bizzare. The letter was hand written on the bottom of some printed religious sermon with dates and places they were held and continues onto the back of it and onto another separate piece of ruled paper. There were bits of paper inside the envelope, scratched out words and sticky tape patching up the pages and envelope. It looked as if it was written by a person with an unsound mind - was this person on death row when they were writing this letter to me - you know similiar to when you start hallucinating ? They didn't even write about what they had been upto or thank me for the gifts I sent to them ( I know tgey received them). I didn't exactly write back to them to ask them to keep their religious beliefs to themselves instead I reminded them that I am not religious or Christian and to write to me about what they have been upto instead - diplomatic aren't I?
2. the blue envelope looks like it had been tampered with as if it had been ripped open and retaped. Was something missing from the letter before I opened it?
Thursday 31st December 2020
Myer 9 am - 2 pm new shift added to Kronos 18th December 2020. Checked Kronos 19th 20th & 25th December 2020 no changes to shift.
Checked Kronos 29th December 2020 no changes to shift.
More shift changes for after new year! I was told by the customer service manager and the assistant store manager today to ensure I knew about them! So let me get this straight - if my shift is 8 am - 4 pm I'm on stock all day however if my shift starts at 8.30 am it means 30 mi utes stock before the store opens then from 9 am I'm on the floor the rest of the day. I don't want to be on stock! Just because I'm good at it does not mean I like doing it! I'd rather spend more time with quality customer service.
I finished a little late today 2.20 pm to be exact when I should have finished at 2 pm. There was just so much to do today.
On the 2.30 pm bus to Chatswood which I made just in time. Next was to post my letter to my writing buddy I volunteer for at the aged care facility. Yes another letter to the elderly resident that lives alone at the aged care facility..
Next return my 9 empty bottles for 90 cents cash refund.
Next a shop for bits and pieces for my solo mid night charcuterie platter. Including a visit to this bakery Vina - I haven't purchased anything from this really established bakery for a very long time and they were having there 50% off happy hour table full of day old breads and pastries. I didn't go for any of these opting for instead a hot mushroom quiche and a pear almond tart. I ate the hot creamy mushroom quiche immediately and saved the almond tart for my "midnight feast" ( I couldn't wait it was eaten when I arrived home) . Loved the quiche and no lactose intolerance from it but did not love the almond pear tart - it was ok but nothing like the quiche. There is just something about their French Vietnamese style quiches. A good quiche is a good quiche and this one was nice but not the best one I've tasted just close. Rating 8/10 for the mushroom quiche & 7/10 for the almond pear tart . Must try their pies and spinach rolls next time.
Photos below
I have absolutely no plans tonight for NYE. I had looked into a rather expensive charter flight to Antarctica which cost at least $2K for no allocated window views then thought about a 3 night minimum stay at Sydney Harbour YHA in a double ensuite room and a balcony ticket to see the fireworks but could only get a room but balcony tickets had sold out which would have cost about a quarter of the flight finally I thought about a last minute ticket to the special NYE event at Luna Park to view the fireworks which were still available as of yesterday but was having trouble purchasing them on line which only cost a quarter of the YHA stay but have abandoned all of these possible activities.
Just as well it is cold and wet and I just want to lie in bed and sleep through NYE! I have no plans after all. The 9 pm family fireworks are cancelled and the midnight fireworks will only be 7 minutes long. Why fight public transport that terminates at North Sydney both ways, the crowds ( not that there will be many due to a lockdown around the green zones of the CBD and Northern Sydney area that are prime vantage points), getting a permit just to an attend an event in the lockdown zones that is only 7 minutes long and possibly having to walk all the way home - oh and I forget to mention the risk of contracting COVID or getting soaking wet just for 7 minutes of midnight fireworks.
Usually I am overseas and most years when there are no fireworks organised I am in a cinema watching s movie that runs over midnight but in Sydney all cinemas closed around 10 pm with the last movie screening around 7 pm.
I wanted to light sparklers but there were none left unless I wanted a number 9 sparkler. Loads of glow sticks available though but it's just not the same. I should have purchased some earlier.
OK so I purchased myself a lotto ticket for Saturday night's draw from a newsagency. I have no idea how to play but instead of a mystery or auto pick ticket I decided to pick my own numbers 6 each box with 4 boxes to complete. All for around $3.50. The numbers I picked were
4 8 9 13 20 24
20 29 31 38 42 44
8 13 20 32 36 45
7 8 13 19 26 32
Postscript : not even a single number in any of the numbers I selected above were included in the Saturday night draw. I never have any luck in anything I do and am always left off lists, taken advantage of, ignored , forgotten about and no matter how hard I try and even if I am the best at something am always 2nd best and never selected . considered for, promoted or advanced to in anything I do - always pipped at the post, not given the same opportunities as others that may not be the most suitable - people can't even get my name correct - this has been my life from as far as I can remember and still is as I was born on the 4th and that means death if not life long bad luck in Asian culture - so true! I should not have selected any number containing a "4" in it but I did base my numbers bases on people's birthdays or reverse of them.
Next what I plan to have at my solo midnight feast. Cheeses, lavosh crackers, fresh mixed fruits, fried figs, maybe some chicken wings, salmon dip, corn chips, nuts, tim tams and maybe something alcoholic. We'll have to see. There won't be anything left if I keep eating everything!
Sorry no midnight feast as most of it was eaten before I went to sleep at around 8.30 pm. I was woken up by the sound of the fireworks which I can clearly hear and even feel from where I live but can't see at all as I live too far North from Sydney. I watched them on ABC tv instead. The buses are running outside to get people home I can hear. 7 minutes is not a long time. Instead I sent messages to all my acquaintances around the world to wish them a happy new year not a general message but individually. I hope tgey are all safe and well and apologies to anyone I missed!
1.15 am on 1st January 2021 and I'm still up blogging. The traffic outside is quite heavy.
I'm going back to sleep now?! Maybe a little later.
🍾 🥂 🍾 🥂 🍾 🥂 🍾 🥂 🍾 🥂🍾 🥂 🍾 🥂 🍾 🥂
I wish all my readers a very Happy New Year! May 2021 be a much better year for us all. Keep safe and well.
🎉🎈 🎉🎈 🎉 🎈🎉 🎈🎉 🎈🎉 🎈🎉🎈 🎉 🎈🎉
Friday 1st January 2021
Day off New Years Day Public Holiday
Take the rubbish out Tomorrow Done
Pay the Rent Done
Clean the apartment Part Done
Do the laundry wash & dry Tomorrow Done
Log into Myer Metrics & read Mcoms on scan count coming up Whenever! Done
Don't forget to lodge leave request dates Done!
Take care of any other life admin stuff that needs to be done.
SBS Food chanbel is on repeat so I resort to YouTube and receing messages from 2 international acquaintances who are still in Australia. One is possible stranded and can't get back to Canada but she has family in Sydney, the other is still on a student visa which I am surprised about as she has been in Sydney for probably 2 years now and I thought she was only on a working holiday visa and thought she had returned to South Korea. She would like to catch up but the feeling is mutual we are both too scared to do so. I advised her to wait until maybe Feb or Mar 2021.
What 12.08 am and i'm still awake blogging. Time to go to bed! Did not venture out at all today as I still have vertigo - it's my right ear causing it . I am hoping to venture out tomorrow.
It's still wet outside . The rest of the world is now in 2021 so Happy New Year to the rest of the world and goodnight!
Saturday 2nd January 2021
Myer 9 am - 2 pm new shift added 18th December 2020. Checked Kronos 25th December 20 no changes to shift.
Checked Kronos 29th December 2020. Shift cancelled for today .
Thank goodness I don't have to work today!
I think that Myer is taking advantage of casual works by not allowing them to take leave when requested and constantly changing shifts at the last minute. I am unsure how to deal with this as I need to find out if this is actually legal for an employer to do so. I am going to make an inquiry to the department of fair trading.
11 am & it has just been announced on the news that masks are now mandatory from tomorrow in shopping centres on public transport and areas where there is community contact. Masks should have been made mandatory from the beginning of the pandemic and continued upto now! People are now asking why now? Yes why now and tge response from NSW Health was that they had been considering it for months now. That does not answer the question.
I just applied for a job at Muji online. I have been job hunting but it is not easy with all the constant last minute changes to my shifts. If I have to attend interviews Myer will make it difficult for me to do so. I have beern making it clear that I am not happy working for Myer ( yes working for not working at there is a difference they own you once you are an employee with them) . I am rather sick of tge constant last minute changes to my shifts, the early starts and how I spend all my time on stock and not serving customers. When team members start to think I've been with Myer for years when I've just been with them for under 6 months, when team members think that I am part of the VM department and not Homewares, when team members start to question why I am always on stock and they never seeing me on the POS at the counter serving customers, when I get tired of spending all my time having to log into Myer Metrics, read Mcoms, Check my payslips constantly for wage theft , check messages via whats app team group chat and constantly checking for last minute changes to shifts as well as travelling upto 2 hours in order to get to work on time so I don't get locked out from the staff entrance exit limited opening times as well as store managers not being able to get my name correct after 6 months - It's time to leave and find a new job.
I turned my whats app off as it is my days off and I don't want to be bombarded with shit from Myer on my days off like check you M coms etc.
Still getting messages from around the world and photos are popping up on Facebook even from HK my old friends in HK which is good to see as they haven't posted anything on Facebook for so long.
I can't be bothered going out again or doing my laundry but I did clean the apartment a bit today. The food channel is still full of old repeats so I am blogging and watching stuff on YouTube.
I do have one product review which I forgot to write about and it is so cute. Monkey Pops by the Jolie brand. Looks so much like a real banana right down to the brown plastic tip made of silicon perfect for making a deconstructed banana dessert pop. Rating 8/10
Photo below
Now I can make my own ice blocks that are lactose free. I am thinking virgin pina colada made with pineapple coconut milk a dash of mint and lime juice or maybe a banana coconut milk and cocao powder or mango and coconut milk. We'll have to see. Done in the freezer.
Sunday 3rd January 2021
Day off
Finally a weekend free not that I can go anywhere due to borders being closed international travel banned and regional lock downs.
More cases of COVID in NSW VIC and even in QLD I believe.
So today I ventured out after lunch to go for a skate at Macquarie Ice Rink. It is $25 flat rate for a "mega skate" today with a session from 10.45 am - 4.15 pm. It was a rather expensive skate unless you skate for the entire session which not many people do. I only skated from 1.50 pm - 3.10 pm. The ice had to be resurfaced before 2 pm so I lost 15 minutes or so of the skate session when I arrived.
Mistaken identity by one of the ice skating coaches who came up to me and said "Happy New Year!" I said to him "Do I know you?" I know of him but never had him as a coach and said it was probably my sister you are thinking of although she knew of him as well but I don't think he was ever her coach as well. He apologised and said that he could not recognise me with a mask on ( all Asians look alike again!). However sitting on the bench across from me with her carer and taking her skates off to leave was a special needs teenager who I was pretty sure was an ex work colleague's daughter I know and have met and this was actually her coach. I didn't say hello to her though in case I was caught out for mistaken identity and she wasn't wearing her glasses she has to wear all the time so it could have been someone else.
I travelled to Macquarie Shopping Centre by bus then Metro train but did not stay at Macquarie Shopping Centre to go grocery shopping instead travelled stright back to Chatswood to do a very quick shop at Woolworths Metro as well as recharge my Opal card before heading home on the next bus.
I need to prepare for work tomorrow and pack my lunch. So glad my laundry is done!
I wonder if my monkey banana pops are ready?
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