A sneak peek to where I have been this weekend

Amiens, France - Sept 2014

Where in the world is Mirebella??

Have not blogged in a while. Been meaning to.. Seriously!!  A lot has happened but for the moment - am away  on the other side of the world - no, not Dubai but in Europe!

More stories to come. x

It has been a while

Goddamit - nearly mid year and I havent been actively blogging.

So many things has happened, and I am getting more jaded with work (lots of ongoing projects) -  this girl needs her sleep!

Mini green thumb project - garlic

Valentine's 2014

Valentine Day flowers - lilies - from BF. He has always given me lilies. 

As I have said here before, the first flowers he got me was Christmas lilies, and I also carried Calla lilies on our wedding day. 

Now that we are parents to a toddler (yes, SZ is no longer considered a baby!!), - Valentines could be considered just another day but we don't want to turn to 'one of those' parents.  So it's going to be a quiet Valentine but instead of 2, there will be 2 1/2 instead!

Happy Valentines Day!!

Milestone - survived the baby stages

Ah ... An overdue post. 

So the lil man turned 1 on 31/1. No longer a baby, now a toddler. 

I have so much to say but I don't think words alone can express this feeling so I won't for the moment. 

We threw a small gathering for friends to celebrate his milestone age. Nothing flash, just food, drinks and lots of laughter. 

Melbourne Heat Wave

Let's face it, anything over 26' is hot - but you have 5 days of over 30' days - it's just madness. 

2014 Goals - staying healthy

Like every other person I am sure, I have my list of things I want to achieve. Some are tiny, small are most probably achievable - but the hardest thing for me has always been eating healthy. 

You see - I have a sweet tooth of sorts. When I was carrying SZ, I lost all inclination for junk food. This included chocolates, crisp, chips and most carbs. Now that it is a yr on - all of these things are hitting me full on and I have to be fairly careful otherwise I am going to turn into your typical 'married ma'am' who has let herself once she has her man and popped a bub - I don't want to be that! 

So keeping in line to eating less junk, 1 of the things I am trying to do is to raid pantry less, and make an effort of actually staying 'clean'. This includes less easy access stuff like instant noodles and chocolates and more fruit  

So, over the past week I have been making lassi or yogurt smoothies as an alternate meal and it's not been to hard. I must admit tho, there is this craving to munch into things rather than drink. 

Wish me luck! 

Denby Beach - Brighton

Last day before we go back to work tmr and fortunately, it turned out to be a lovely day so we drove to Brighton to enjoy the sun, sand and surf. 

2014

Well well well ... It is already 2014.
Decided to take it easy on the 1st day of the yr. Was initially planning on heading to the beach but the weather was rather blah so opted to stay in and watch 2 movies, play Wii and indulge in some smelly cheese and port wine instead.

As all new year entries do - what happened for me in 2013?

1) After 42 weeks, BF and I are now parents to a gorgeous lil man (SZ) on 31st January. It was a lifestyle change and getting into a routine where you have to put someone else's need as priority when this someone isn't able to fend for himself was a journey, it is something we are still adapting to but everyday is different and the reward of smiles and hugs is well worth the sacrifice of sleepless nights, dirty nappies and a messy house. 

2) Went back to work full time after 24 weeks in June - and loving it. SZ went to full time care in Sept. 

3) Made new friends, and dropped a few along the way. As the yrs go on, I am getting fussier to whom I want to let into the circle.

4) Cut down on international holiday travel, but went to Malaysia twice and a mini break to Penang and HK in April and November. SZ has had more passport stamps in his 10 months then by time I was 18!

5) Did some domestic travel, Brisbane with mum in Aug and Sydney with BF, SZ and the in laws in Dec.

6) Cut down work related travel to the bare minimum with lots more daily trips rather than overnighters. Fortunately, my promotion last yr has given me the chance to be selective with my travel and having a supportive manager helps as well.

7) My team won an award at work in Dec. This was unexpected but long overdue but seeing the hard work being recognised is an achievement which I am proud to be a contributor.

8) Welcomed another addition to the family in the form of a lil girl who is my niece in May. My parents are now proud grandparents to a set or grandkids (after yrs of nagging esp to me)

9) Went back to celebrate Diwali in Nov for the first time in 10 yrs. Having the whole family together for this auspicious occasion def was one of the highlights for my parents - Dad especially.

10) Celebrating Christmas as a family as my in laws are visiting for 6 weeks. Having family during the holidays is always fun plus it means SZ will know his English side of his family.


11) Moved in into our new home. It was a journey of over 15 months but after several mind changes over builders and design options - we finally got our keys and moved in in May. We are still settling in with a long way off esp to the back yard but we have settled in and it is nice to be in our own place again. 

In short, 2013 was a good yr for me. Am hoping 2014 would be filled with happy moments as '13 was.

Good bye 2013!

Looking forward to the experiences, challenges and excitement that 2014 will bring.

Happy New Years everyone.

As we come to the year end ...

Boxing Day 2013

I should be blogging about Christmas Day but instead - a short picture update about Boxing Day BBQ (done from leftovers from the Christmas Day lunch BBQ).

Snags, prawns which I had marinated with mango and chili flakes and chicken drumsticks which I had marinated with a blended mix that consist of coconut, onions, curry powder, lemon grass and tamarind.

An easy peasy dinner!

Family & Love

I never really put much consideration to the concept of love before I had Super Z (LM). I mean, you know you love your family, but the concept of adult love is very different from the unconditional love of a lil person.

I am lucky enough to have a small but close knit family who love us. Both BF and I don't have any immediate family support here as all of our families still live overseas but this yr, BF's family is here to spend the Christmas holidays with Super Z and us so it's a rather pleasant change having family around.

This was also the reason why the decided to take the mini getaway to Sydney this weekend. BF's parents went ahead a few days before us to visit family while we went up for the weekend.

Exhausted, but nothing like family bonding.

Christmas Down Under

Oh boy! It's already Dec and I haven't blogged in months!

Time has just flown - wait - zoomed by this year. I feel like I have been on a whirlwind of a ride and with no brakes.

Today it the last day of work - with the 2 week shutdown for the year end. The in-laws have flown in for Christmas to meet lil Z so this weekend we are in Sydney for a mini getaway as a family.

It is actually rather pleasant - Melbourne has been having a cold spell except for yday and there is a different vibe here - more hustle and bustle. I'm not too bothered tho - just being away is nice - esp when it is not work related.

Was walking around Darling Harbour as saw this cute installation of Santa's - and it is a nice contrast with the city scape behind.

Hopefully more updates to come!

My life in Pictures

Ah ... How life has changed.
Doing my hair at 1 am because it is the only time I have some 'me time' while the lil man and BF are asleep. Plus I do have to look presentable for work.

Between full time work and home, I find that I just do not have the time or the energy most times to do anything else!! Have been slacking off on the friends part as well. At this rate, I might not have any friends left at the end of this.

**Milestone** Being Sick

LM has meet his Kryptonite for the first time. Kept on waking up every hour by the hour and finally at around 630am couldn't settle. His temp was high so had to give him elixir  to make him get better. 

He threw up on me first time but held it in the second time along and is feeling and looks better. 

There you go - his first illness a few days shy of 6 months. 

Sent from my iPhone

Celebrating a milestone - Sleeping In!

For the first time in nearly 6 months of the lil man's life - he has given his mum and dad a little lie in.

Bed time at 9pm
Woke up at 520am for a change and feed!

He usually wakes up twice a night for a feed at around midnight and 3am so it was a very pleasant surprise indeed only waking up at 5am.

:)

Sneak peek - adventures in my back yard

Can you see what I see?