Ring around a rosie

I am so sad..

Lol - well, maybe not "sad" in the truest sense of word but my blog- world pretty much revolves around:

1. My work trips
2. My holidays a.k.a travels
3. Everyday reflections

Anyone who reads this (for the 3 random readers who pop by occasionally) would think that I don't do much with life!

Up and Down the hill she went..

So its happens.

BF and I went to Mt Buller as we did last yr but the rush feeling just isn't there anymore. I blame it on being "spoilt" by Hakuba Japan. The snow fields didn't feel as fluffy - instead it felt more like boarding on a sheet of ice.

Furthermore, any falls simply sets the bones a-jarring and I came out with a sprained wrist and a slight neck-ache after taking a rather nasty spill on the simplest run there was! Blame it on whats-so-not, I fare better on the intermediate runs than on the easier runs where newbies try their luck.

I don't think we will be going back to Buller, at least not for this season - or the next either. We are planning a weekend trip some time in Aug with some mates up to Falls Creek which ought to be fun but depending on how things pan-out, we might head back to Japan - to Shiga Kogen this time.

For now, my board and snowboots are put up to dry and into storage.

Whirlwind courtship

In one of our more relaxed weekends chilling in front of the telly and with a nice cuppa mocha + Baileys in front of us, I mentioned to BF that ours is a whirlwind courtship.

All in all, BF and I have started dating, moved in together and are getting married all in a span of less that 3 yrs. Breakdown being

Met BF - Jan 2007
Inform our respective parents of each others existence - May 2007
BF ask me to move in - July 2007
I unofficially move in i.e I spend most of my time at his but keep my things at my own place - Aug 2007
I move in with BF - Nov 2007
BF meets my parents (officially and face to face; not by phone or Skyped) - Dec 2007
BF ask my parents for my permission to ask for my hand - Jan 2008
ENGAGED - Jan 2008
I meet BF's first relatives - Feb 2008
I meet BF's parents (officially) - Nov 2008
SET THE DATE - Nov 2008

It is now less than 3 1/2 months before we do actually get married and the fact is, BF and I are already like married. I wouldnt really condone the whole living with someone before getting married thing, well - not in Asia where it would be very frowned upon anyways but BF and I had discussions way before and it was with a very strong understanding that our rship was to head somewhere that I moved into his in the first place. Moving in with someone was a very big step for me ~ as much as I claim to be Westernised, I still am quite the Asian at heart - and I hold these same Asian values dearly the more I get and live here.

The thing is, here I planning to say my vows of commitment and forever-after.
The thing is, I've been a nearly-wed - being with a someone long for so long that ppl think that you are bound for the alter - and enough that you yourself think you will be with the person - but at the last minute, it never materialises and you are left in the lurch and trying to pick up the pieces of a broken relationship.

In less that 3 1/2 months, I will be with someone who does want to be with me.
And for that, I am thankful.

p/s: Yes, this is a sappy blogpost - but I am entitled to these moods occasionally.

Racism in this country

I know that most of my blog post has always been very me-centred ~ after all, the purpose of my blogs has been in part to be like a diary of sorts - a place for me to pen down my thoughts for the moment and perhaps when I am much much older, a place for me to come back to and reflect on what has been said.

This is my first ever post of a somewhat political nature and is a result of the recent spate of incidences in the country that the media are portraying as racial or hate inspired.

It is because of this

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFTER INDIANS, SRI LANKAN STUDENTS ATTACKED IN AUSTRALIA
Fri at 5:54pm


MELBOURNE, June 12 (NNN-PTI): After Indians, a group of students from Sri Lanka have been allegedly attacked in Australia, with three men smashing the windows of their home and taunting them with "racist insults" in capital Canberra.
Police are investigating allegations of attacks against a group of Sri Lankan students at their home, ABC News reported.

It is alleged that three men smashed the front windows of the students' house in Macquarie in north Canberra after an unsuccessful attempt to crash a party.

The students said a car window has also been broken and that they have been taunted with "racist insults".

One of the students, Dijula Wijesuriya, said he has been threatened with a knife. "This guy comes up and takes out a knife and says 'get out of our streets'," he said.

Wijesuriya said they have been living in fear, especially considering the recent violence against Indian students in Sydney and Melbourne.

"We really didn't go anywhere else, we just stayed at home, just go to uni and come back home straight away and lock the doors and stay inside." India Australia Association of Canberra president Madhu Kalia said she is surprised by the incidents.

"So far Canberra, it has been alright, there have been no attacks on students," she said.

Police said they have investigated several incidents but have not received any reports that they have been racially motivated.

-NNN-PTI

--------------------------------------------------------------
My 2 cents worth is that - They, the attackers most prob mistook the Sri Lankan students as Indians.

From a non-bias opinion tho, the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. Racism is prevalent in every country.

The funny part is, Australia is a country of migrants. the most recent case of a spat was between the Lebanese Aussies - and the Indians. And all these cries to get the Indians out cause they are not assimilating. Well, there are heaps of Italian and Greek Aussies esp of the older generation that still can't speak decent english.

Assimilation? But of course! It IS however an easier said thing that done. One catch-cry commonly heard here is "If you don't like it, then leave" - doesn't this sound familiar? Hell yeah! We hear it often enough in countries that "pride" itself in its multi-cultralism. Any country that has at one point encouraged or encourages migration is bound to have this problem. The issue is, how deep does this racism and ignorance go to?


And at the end of the day, if all these migrants left Australia - whose left? This is a convict nation .. Get rid of the English, Greeks, Italians, Russians, Chinese, South Americans, South Africans etc migrants and whose left?

On a more personal note, I've not felt any tinge of racism and if I am to compare Australia and Malaysia, well..lets just not go there shall we.

$$$ blues

Have been feeling blue re: my current state of finances.

I get logged online to check my account balances and it is just too bloody depressing!

Am just wondering where is the cash trickling to? Its been quite a while since I've shopped (last major spree was back in KL during the Easter break) and most of my larger spend goes on the CC - so where does it go???

Its been that bad that I am resorting to jotting down every single cash spend so I get to know where it goes - sigh.

So far, my cash spend has indicated that the cash goes to:

1. My occasional cuppa mocha/skinny latte on the days I work from the office
2. Hot chocolate fixes during weekends

Thus, nothing fancy really... so WHAT THE???

On top of that, I have both the rego and yearly car insurance due early next month so there goes a big chunk of this months salary. There is also the other bills that I offered to pay this last month (as opposed to going halves) as BF has home content insurance and the body corporate fees this month.. I also have to transfer money home as my CC bill in due - it just keeps getting better doesn't it - not!

Maybe the reality that I am now paying mortgage is still sinking in. Yes, I am renting my place out now but the rent is not covering my full mortgage and I am still paying 30% of the mortgage and that is taking a chunk of what was savings.

BF sensed my doom and gloom and cheered me up buy getting me a pair of Calvin Klein jeans when we headed down to Chadstone last weekend and I got myself my tried and true Levi's (the mid-year sales are on now and we were just doing our bit for the economy - all on the CC of course) but that was only a temporary perk up and its starting to hit me yet again.

With the wedding looming, an impending house move on the same month and the expenses to keep the house in tip-top condition as we are selling our current place - it doesn't seem like I am going to see any substantial increase to my bank account anytime soon. :(

Winter weather is here!

Now that winter is here... I am ever so wanting a good pair of UGG boots to keep the tootsies warm and cozy (wool socks simply don't hack it am afraid and my current choice of indoor footwear has been with me for eons thus needs a change!).

I was browsing through blogs and guess what I do see? A write-up on what looks like a GORGEOUS set of UGG boots that looks toasty warm and fashionable as well (is there such a thing when in comes to in-house footwear?)

Anyways - its my current want on my list now.. lol. :)

Stuck...STUck...stUCk...StUCK.. sTUCk

• Having to catch the red-eye to Adelaide at 7am - bleh!
• Having to wake up at 530 am to jump onto a cab at 6 am to get to the airport at 630 am for the 7am flight - double bleh!
• Seeing your flight being marked at CANCELLED when you arrive at the airport at 620am for the 7am flight - triple bleh!!
• Being told that the best available flight they can put you on is the 100am - quadruple bleh!
• Being stuck at the airport for 4 hrs (when you are suppose to be at the clients at 9am) - infinity bleh!

Can the day get any worse???