Irony...

I spent most of my childhood dreaming and fantasizing about what it would be like to live anywhere but where I lived. I wished we would move, anywhere. To an apartment, a bigger house, even a shophouse just to experience the difference. I remember enjoying trips to visit my cousin when she was working in Tanjung Karang. I looked forward to those trips for 2 reasons, she lived in a shophouse( which to me ranked number 2 on the best place to live list) and the great seafood lunch that always was a part of the trip.

Ever since I got married, I have moved 4 times and now is move number 5. I moved from my parents home, to my in-laws home. From there to our own cosy lovely home. (Lots of wonderful memories here). Then came the BIG move, to Australia, and to BH's cousin's house. This was hard. Moving from our own 2 room apartment to a tiny room was very difficult for me. Needless to say, I was miserable and regretting the decision.

Quickly came the move out of the room to a slightly bigger place, where we are now. Its a tiny 2 bed ONE bath apartment on the 2nd floor. The move was hard work, moving stuff up the stairs and still comparing it to our own home. It fell way short. One year here passed quickly. We built new and mostly good memories here. Both sets of parents visited, it was nice to have them around, but sharing ONE bathroom was a logistic and personal space nightmare. This is also where err...baby Wong was err..made...hehe...Thankfully neither BH or I are like the Beckams, we wont be having any kid named Princes, Port,Melbourne, Victor/Victoria or 15.

Any now, we are moving. I'm tired of moving. It's stressful for me. This time though BH is in full charge of the move...and we are moving out of the city. To a bigger place we will go. 3 rooms, 2 baths, a study, living, kitchen, dining, garage, yard and best of all a huge park right off our doorstep. I will miss the convenience of public transport and the closeness of the city but I hope we build more happy memories here...

Quick update

After a full day of patients, finally the last one is a no show..which is pretty good considering I get tired really quickly now. The belly is showing itself, hehehe...plus the kid just wants me to feed it all the time (excuse for increase in apetite). Ah, part of it, so they say. Like I said before, I'm no longer in control of my body...

Well, we are almost all packed up. Moving house this weekend. Off to Point Cook we will go. A proper house, with a yard and a huge park in front awaits..just have to make sure I don't get stressed. That's BH's job. So far, he's been so good. Packing, cooking, cleaning, catering to my whims and fancies..heh. First pregnancy mah... It's also nice to have his "tight" tee's that fit me just fine. It seems I'm gaining the weight he's losing!

Christmas is next week!!! 5 days off...whee!!!!! Can't wait to sleep in and sleep all day and eat and do nothing..

I'm so excited...

and I just can't hide it. I'm about to lose control and I think I like it...heh! Gimme a break, first kid, sure excited lah.

In 3 weeks: We celebrate Christmas and maybe a new home. In the midst of trying to move. Rent's going up, we gotta move out..

In 1 month: We get to see the little one at 17 weeks...;) Hopefully not sleeping this time. But being BH's child, probably will be.

In 2 months: Flying to Perth for second most important exam of life. Excited and worried about this one..gonna be HUGE by then. Can I even fit into the operators chair? I bet the belly would end up bumping into the patients head..hehehe

In 3 months: Home for CNY!!!!!!! Can't wait to see my good friends, Mr. Char Siew, Mr. Chicken Rice, Mr. Banana leaf Rice and Ms. Nasi Lemak..oh, and you other flers whom I count as friends lah.

In 4 months: Back at work? Can't think that far ahead...heh.

Right now: Feeling like a whale, apparently the kid is only 6 cm long, but there's massive space to roam in there man. Enough to do laps even... Runny nose still bugging me. Not allowed meds for this. Have to just bare with it lor....

The weight gain

4 kilo's, thats how much weight I've gained. My tummy is no longer flat (the six pack loooooong gone lah), my bum is wider, my legs, chunkier. In fact, my belly is round, almost like a mini beer belly. And I now have a hint of a muffin top.

But, am I worried? Am I flabbergasted? Nope. Why? Because my body is doing exactly what it's supposed to and BH loves the curves anyway. ( Not that he has the freedom to complain). See, its all normal for a 13 week pregnancy. Yup! BH and I have a tiny little kid growing in my belly. Our lifetime commitment, half BH, half me, 100% ours and suku indian.

We count everyday as a blessing to have the little one! And its time to feed me...cos I'M HUNGRY!!!!

Homesick

It's funny how after more than a year here, I'm feeling homesick again. I'm not homesick for the home I lived in for 31 years of my life. Nor am I homesick for the home I spent 6 months in as a married woman with her in-laws. I'm homesick for the tiny apartment that we bought together as husband and wife in which we spent a mere 3 months living in. I really miss our home and its true, home really is where the heart is. I guess my heart is there for now.

Those were the happiest times of my life, other than my childhood of course. But being able to live on our own for the very first time, in a home that we both purchased together and playing the whole nesting thing was fun. I guess I miss that a lot because these days we live in houses/ apartments that are rented, not our own. And its not home..not really.

I hope someday my kids get to see our home, some day....

Oh on an exciting note, BH and I made a life long commitment 3 months ago...heh

Time..

It is now 4.13 pm, on a working day, with no patient...that means, it's time to blog! Having left the blog idle for a good while, it's time to start typing on the olde keyboard again, don't you think?

It seems almost inevitable for almost anyone who decides to sign up with blogger or wordpress or whatever. You lose interest and blog less until eventually you blog no more.(Oi Shades, what happened????)

Unless of course you are one of those super-duper- always-got-stuff-to-say-people-who-just-can't-shut-up-and-have-to-blog-like-every-day-kinda-person la. Well, I tend to blog when I want to....emotional=me ;) Even more so now..the weight gain has caused a flurry of hormones..or maybe its the other way round? Either way..I'm either emotionless or full or emotion. Heh.And I blog WHEN I WANT TO.;)

Anyways, ain't got no pictures, cos the nice ones went "missing" and the food ones aren't nice. Am not nor will ever post pictures of fat me unless I have to under duress, which is most likely never. So sorry, no pics...unless my emotions decide otherwise. See what I mean?I'm hot and cold at the same time.

Have not been sleeping well lately either..funny dreams with Japanese anime characters don't help. Neither does 34 degree DRY heat, a stuffed nose, indigestion and the need to pee 10 million times a night. My body is no longer mine. It now has a mind(and emotions) of its own. All I can do is sit back and deal with it..oh and try to get back to the gym of course. That might help, hopefully. But I'm just soooo freaking tired all the time ( and lazy). Change...it is also time to change

Spring Cleaning

It's finally happened, after a year of being here. My clothes don't fit anymore. My jeans and most of my pants can't zip up.Too tight! My summer dresses which I brought back from KL, can't fit pass my urm...chest. Geez...I've gone fat.Flabby arms, wobbly tummy, jiggly bum...you name it, I got it!

Had to get some spring cleaning done..into storage the clothes have gone. Perhaps someday they will see the light of day again. There's always hope. What to do? Food here is good, classes, not so much. Too busy to work out, too sick(excuse) to as well..

Oh well,gives me a real good reason to shop! Weeeeee.......

Spring's been bad, with that horrid cold that as not gone away...sigh. On the bright side, my pandan chiffon cake finally worked out ok. Hence the weight gain also la.Baking experiments. On hindsight, BH is bearing the brunt of my baking, he finishes it off most the time! Needless to say, we have both been urm...sihat walafiat..

Gonna be a fat lady soon, but this fat lady ain't singing any final songs.

Spring cleaning...now to clean up the abode before the parental units arrive...and hope I don't look too shocking then!

Before blogger disables my blog

Last update was July 25th..3 months ago. Whoops. Time flies when one is too lazy to blog.Well, nothing much has been happening, hence the lack of updates.

So,we've moved down under, settled in and the routine normalcy of life has kicked in. It's almost sedentary. But then hor, as usual, when this happens, I'm itching to start something new and do something new. And so I am. Starting something new that is.

With exams around the corner, visits from parents, we have much to look forward to. If only I could shake off this darn malaise I have at the moment. I'm so sleepy I could fall asleep typing right now...Geez...

Until the next burst of blogging energy..

Christmas in July

Winter here is in July, but unlike what we normally associate with winter, ie snow, Christmas, dead dry trees, we have something different.

It's not bitterly cold and we actually have plants blooming in winter! No snow down here, but tonnes of it up in the mountains. No eggnog or Christmas turkeys, but we do have toy sales ..and its not just for the kids.

Stuff we bought for the kids, ie drum set for nephew, beads for nieces, magic fabric for err...the kid called wendikaa, uno spin for the kids who play twister, who somehow end up being thrown into pools.For ourselves, well...

BH busy with is PS3.....

And me... with my new toy...my brand spanking new apple green stand mixer from Kitcen Aid..complete wit the rotor slicer and extra stainless steel bowl. What does one make with a green mixer?

Why green pandan chiffon cake of course!!!! Yes, I've turned domestic...Merry Christmas in July!!!

Guess who's coming home?

Number one on my wish list for 2009 is come back for a visit, so...

I thought initially I'd be back in December, but since the flights then are expensive and we will probably be in the midst of moving, have decided to come back in August!!!! Flights cheaper, sales on, and I miss everyone! And the food of course..so..

Back on the 21st till the 28th,can't wait to hit online pub, so kudikarans, you know where to find me..I so need a facial, decent haircut , new threds, new phone..gonna come back with an empty bag (except for Pods for Nut and a bottle for the drunkards) and happily fill it up for the trip back! Yipppeee!

Funny sense of humour

Recently read Bel's post on dreams. I have to confess Bel, have not been reading your blog in a while since that post, will read after this. But anyway, Bel's post made me think about my dreams.. some days I think I don't have any.

And then the lottery jackpot goes to 90 million and I dream again. But then, even with all the money in the world, if I can't figure out what I'm passionate about, I can't spend it pursuing my passion, now can I? Sure, paying off the mortgages and buying new stuff is fun, but then what?

So really, I began to think about what my dreams and passions are. I am not exactly passionate about anything at the moment.Sure, the work is getting better, I'm doing a whole lot more than what I used to do. I'm also a lot more confident and doing stuff I would never have attempted before. But I'm not exactly passionate about my chosen profession. I occasionally enjoy it, but I don't jump out of bed saying "What a beautiful day and I'm so glad I'm off to work".

It's funny though, in the midst of questioning myself and asking for answers, prayer has worked. Yes anneh, as unlikely as it seemed, I have discovered God. And I've come to discover that God has a funny sense of humour.

You see, just when I was wondering what the heck makes me happy and grin like an idiot, the answer was given to me. I was not sitting about and praying/reflecting and hoping for an answer. I did pray, but the answer was also not immediately given. It happened when I least expected it and while I was actually doing something that actually made me feel good, happy and excited all over again.

I think God has presented me with this opportunity before, which I managed to pursue halfway before getting distracted. And now, the opportunity is open again. So, why do I think God has a funny sense of humour?

Well, the opportunity happened on the very same day I spent 598 AUD on textbooks for an exam(which costs me 6000AUD to sit for and the cost is likely to rise still) which I have to pass to stay on. And the opportunity is going to be a distraction from this exam.

So yet again, I have to chose between pursuing something that makes me happy or bucking down and studying super hard for my chosen profession. Or maybe I should just do both? Bh is not quite happy about me going off on this minor tangent either.He feels I might end up not spending enough time with him I think.

So what is this opportunity? Take a wild guess..what makes me grin, smile and look like I thoroughly enjoy myself, while executing martial arts moves to music? Heh..yeah..I am passionate about that, always have been, I just forgot.

So, do I pursue my passion?

The Queen's Birthday

And before you even go there, no, I'm not talking about you, Nut. I'm talking about the real Queen. Besides, there are a few others who refer to themselves as Queen here..

Anyway, it's a public holiday tomorrow to commemorate this and since it's a Saturday tomorrow, we get Monday off! Boss gave me Tuesday as an ADO (Accrued day off), so, I've got a 4 day weekend!!!!! Whee!

So, what does one do with 4 free days? Sleep in for one, must remember to turn the alarm off. 6.30 is an ungodly hour, no matter where in the world you are.
Other than that, I'm stumped..maybe I shuld spend some time reflecting. Hmmmm

So, things I've learnt so far..

1) Current notebook is crap, te "H" button doesn't work well. Do you know ow many words tere are in te englis language that as a "h" in it? Correcting the spelling on the "h"'s tat don't appear is a nigtmare.

2) I don't feel cold anymore. I used to shiver at 20 degrees, now it can be 16 and I call it a beautiful day!

3) I know what a chicken feels like when it's being roasted in the oven. That day in the summer when it hit 40 degrees with hot,dry air blowing was enough.. I doubt I'll be complaining about winter.

4) I actually am starting to enjoy my job. The druggies/loonies/weirdos that we see on a regular basis just adds flavour..heh.Of course there are really nice people out there.. mostly the people I work with.

5) I will always miss my parents, family,friends (esp the kudikarans, you know who you all are),dog,nasi lemak in banana leaf. Oh, and drunken poolside parties. Also not forgetting Xavier,Colin, Raymond and Lawrence at Online..I miss those pork ribs. This will bring me to number 6.

6) I miss pork..Aussie pork is smelly, like really smelly.. eeeyyerrr.. cannot tahan.

7) Have yet to find really good Guinness..have not explored pubs here yet. Have discovered apple,strawberry,cherry and pomegranate flavoured Belgian beer though. Oh and something called Muscato..might never explore pubs at this rate.

8) Trying to be fruitful is harder than first thought..and there I was thinking it's just plain shoot and score.

9) Have discovered God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit..amazing, ain't it? Yes, I can hear your eyes rolling Edward ( and Iben).

10) Have not been home in 8 months and won't be for maybe another 8 months..oh boy! Never knew I could survive so far from Mommy..oh wait..I WANT MY MOMMY NOW!!!!!!

11) Ozzies can be funny and Victorians don't have a heavy accent..thankfully. But I'll never understand Vegemite. Sue me, I'm Aa-SIAN!

12) Things are affordable here..I can start dreaming of my Z4 now..ok, maybe not YET.Facials are expensive, but skincare is not.. heh. We get more for each dollar.

13) I can cook... edible food. Who knew? Certainly not my brother who claims I can burn water..well, it was just that ONE time.

And last but not least...

14) It really does take a new job,a new country and a new life to change a boring dull routine. I'm glad we came here, just for the adventure..

The soppy one about the marriage..

It's been 3 years since our first date, a year and a half since we were legally married and coming to a year since the church vows. But to me, it seems like the blink of an eye. Time flies when you're having a good time so I must be having a good time.

We still feel like we just can't get enough of each other, that feeling where we just have to spend every single moment with each other, you know, that feeling of affection that you have in a new relationship? The fact that he works weekends and I work weekdays probably makes it even more cherished, those few days when our days collide and we actually get to spend time together.

It's funny how once I never imagined that I'd ever feel like this, but yet here I am, 3 years later and feeling all these wonderful feelings. After the first time we knew how we felt about each other, I thought it could only go downhill. Before long, that magical spark, that thrill everytime the phone rang, would be gone. I've had relationships that went stale way before the one year mark, so why would this be different? I was wrong. This is different.

It's not happily ever after, there are the downs that come with the ups, but it is happy. Even with the tiny apartment we live in, the fact that sometimes we do push each other's wrong buttons,we do argue, we do annoy each other and we do disagree. Hopefully 3 years from now, 30 years from now, we'll still feel like we do now, feeling like we have to be close to each other, even with all the differences. Sometimes being so close, we read each other's minds, finishing each other's sentences, understanding each other's nuances when no one else does. I get him and he gets me. Sometimes he gets me more than I get me and vice versa

I can't explain it. All I can say is, I got lucky. Or maybe the Lord had this all planned out for His own reasons. You can call it fate..but for all this, I am truly thankful for His blessings, knowing that it won't always be rosy, it wont always be wonderful. But it is good.

So, for those of you about to get into the same situation as me..go for it! For the couple who just did..you'll know what I'm talking about.For those who have gone through this a long time ago, you know more than me, don't spoil the suspense. For those of you who are looking for it, don't lose heart.

Yea, this was a soppy one, wasn't it?

La La La...

So much has happened in the last month. With Easter just around the corner, even more stuff is gonna happen.

The folks were down, making both BH and I super duper busy, so busy we missed out on another friend coming here (sorry Shirlyn) and a friend who suffered a great loss. Anneh, really sorry, didn't know until just a few days ago.My heart goes out to you.

As for us, well, we finally got to go to church together yesterday, which was good. Good to be reminded of what Easter means, what church means, what Jesus means to us. Good to be reminded that we may be in a foreign country but yet there are people who hardly know us who pray for us. Good to know that God is always there, always in the know of whats going on. Good to know....

We also got to go marketing together. Strangely something I enjoy doing with company, either BH, Mum or Iben the terrible...most so with mum, whom I miss. I'm such a mummy's girl..heh.
Oh, and cook together..the chiken bak kut teh turned out very well, as did the stir fried bendi (okra).

But now it's Monday again..another long week to a go-go!

Here's hoping your week ahead is good.

Tassie...more pics

Tassie...also home of the Rock Lobster...

The Lenna of Hobart, our home for 4 days



Freycinet National Park...we climbed up to the Wineglass Bay lookout, a good 45 minute hike, to see the view of wineglass bay.

Click on the link to see what its supposed to look like, all we got was this AMAZING ONCE IN A LIFETIME, NOT MANY PEOPLE GET, VIEW...

Of fog, which came in just as we got to the lookout and covered the entire bay!!!!What's the likelihood of fog on a beautiful sunny day?

Artsy shot of fog from sunglass refelction..

All wasn't lost...we did chance upon a wild wallaby that decided to hop out and say hello.


Tassie was fun, the plane ride home was not. We flew into massive clouds on landing...it was scary, the plane dipped a few hundred feet a few times..not fun.

It was nice to be able to spend 2 weeks with the folks, but it was hard sending them home. For someone who has never been this far and this long apart from the parental units ever, it's not easy. I guess I'm lucky to have a special bond with my folks, but it makes separation difficult.I miss them and home.

k

Tassie

For the benefit of Eric..better get this out of the way. Here's the cute keeper, who was holding the cute wombat in the last post. For the rest of us, 4 cute Tassie Devils in the den, which was BH's focus, hence the keeper being out of focus.

Fresh oysters..BH never had so many..no digestive problems after either

Yeay! The Cadbury factory!!!!!!

The view from our room...an artsy shot ler

Mount Wellington

More pics next post..

5 months...the last 15 days..eh, 6 months oredi!!!

The folks came down for a visit... Colour coordinated in BH's favourite colour..



So, we all went for a holiday...... where? Take a quick guess from this series of cute cuddly creatures. All pics credit to BH..isn't he talented?

Koala..forever sleeping on gum tree

Kangaroo with Joey who really is big enough to move out!!!

Cuddly wombat...oh, the keeper was cute too.

He's not a ferocious as the WB cartoon character.So, where do you think we went?

5 months,photos,part 2

What's Australia without a trip to a Lavender Farm?

Must have a pic of food lar...Irish Lamb stew with Guiness, made by BH.

Our new time share pet..Mr. Tuxedo! Ok, is real name is Socks, but he responds to our name for him. He's actually a neigbour's cat, but he's adopted us, occasionally trying to sneak into our home..heh.

Satisfying my kudikaran husband's need for alcohol...a trip to the vineyards...and the cheese platter that comes with it!

And no Anneh, no mini BH's on the way. Been hiding my tummy cos I haven't been to the gym. Yea, I'll admit some weight gained, cis! But heck I can still fit under some bloody raintree ok, Gobi????

Nothing much

Since moving here 5 months ago, BH and I have slowly gotten used to the place and it's rather erratic weather. Occasionally pangs of homesickness hit, more so with me, wanting to go back to the way things were before.

Somedays I wish I never took this challenge. Right now, I could be happily blogging every other day, going to the gym everyday, doing nothing much at work..you know, the life that seems more like a dream, only more boring?

But then, I took the red pill (or is it the blue). And here I am. Getting challenged every single darn day. Oh, have I mentioned the weather? One day it's 45, the nexy, 25..ah Melbourne

5 monts in photos part 1

In no particular order.... what's been keeping us busy


Who are you and why are you living with us? Are you gonna just stand there or are you gonna play with me?Meet Toby..one of 3 Poms who were our housemates for the first month .

Yum Char with the other crazies who work ar Barwon health.

Yeap..cherry on the tree....

Our first anniversary, at Markov's

Our first chirstmas tree!

Moving into our own place, October 27t 2008

Spirit of Tasmania...5 minutes walk from home...basically if we wanted to, we can just walk there, take the ferry and in 8 short hours, arrive in Tassie.

15 dollar cupcakes from Lethemeatcake, South Melbourne...for the benefit of Bel..

Planes, trains and automobiles..ok, maybe just trains and automobiles

It took 3 train rides, a journey of over 100km, but guess who's got a new ride?

Yup, finally went to pick up my car. Got off work early (yippee), took the train from Geelong into Melbourne, a trip over 80 KM. Then another 20km train ride and a 10 minute walk to the dealership and FINALLY I am mobile again! No complaints about the trams or trains here, public transport is so good. But once you're used to driving, the trams just don't cut it la.

Now I have to worry about petrol and service and maintenance and scratches and accidents and all that jazz...but at least, I have a CAR!!!

What should I name her? It feels like a her anyway...WUBbles? Her rego is WUB 882...heeehe. Open for suggestion guys.

Chinese New Year

No Merv, won't be back this year. Kinda hard to ask for leave so soon, plus BH is starting a new job soon..oh well, I guess we escape all the kiddies with outstretched hands asking for ang pows!Hehehehe..but then hor, have to deal with the "kids" here..sigh unmarried people ah.

It's been over a month since I last blogged, BH, even longer. Basically we have yet to get internet at home..everything moves so bloody slow here. Also, well, busy ler.

Anyway, Happy Chinese New Year of the Ox! Don't ask me for angpow, I ain't gonna mail it over..you want, you come here and get it lah!