Love is ....

You have to love a man who is able to read or cheer you up when you are feeling low.

So Thursday last week was a low point for me, it involves some work issues which I can't quite discuss here but basically someone was trying to boss me around and I wasn't up for it (unlike my usual feisty self) so I kept professional but it annoyed the hell out of me.

I did vent to BF, and the next day to my mentor at work but it still gets to me.

Anyways, I come back home and BF has got my flowers to cheer me up.
I am a lucky girl indeed to have someone to support me indeed.

Reminiscing the years

When I first started blogging a fair few years ago, I wanted to use it as a diary of sorts. After all, I was fresh of the plane living in another country far away from family and friends.

It was an adventure - a fresh start even as the move coincided very closely with a breakdown of a 3 1/2 yr relationship so to be honest, it allowed to me not to mull over the loss.

Years have past now, my initial 4 yr stint now looks like it will be a permanent thing. I have moved cities, been promoted, taken on new responsibilities, I bought a house, sold a house, met a wonderful guy who asked me to be his forever after (which I accepted and it has been 2 1/2 yrs being a Mrs) and now we are building a home - all this in 8 yrs.

How time flies.

But I digress. I've summarized my 8 yrs above but I have not really jotted it all down, this journey of mine. I have actually shut down a blog before. Perhaps it is time to be more active or even start doing random snippets more often. Perhaps, mayhaps.

Sometimes - it is the lil things that makes things nicer for the week:
- having someone appreciate you at work or home
- being able to wake up and be greeted by a fresh mug of coffee
- coming home and being greeted by flowers at the door
- being able to shut the laptop at 5pm instead of having to work till later
- having a lil bit of indulgence like chocolate biscuits when you know you should not!
- having a lie in on a weekend

Random thoughts

I get annoyed at times that I don't really have a definite theme to my blog. Is this suppose to be a travel blog? Or foodie blog? Work related - or cooking perhaps? Pure randomness it is... nonsense stuff that comes to my head at a whim and goes as quickly as it does really. Gee whiz, no wonder I get confused!

Living in your own lil head

Watching this program on Foxtel called "A Place in the Sun Down Under" and the episode is featuring Melbourne. Interesting really - coz one of the many phrases the host said was everyone dreams of moving to Australia... but then again, this is a UK show on Lifestyle Home.

It is the term - everyone dreams of moving that got me thinking. Does everyone really dream of living someplace else?

Travel Wish List..

So....
Was thinking of places I want to visit - not necessarily soon but definitely before I die.

Pretty sure the list will be never ending but at first thoughts - the top 3 are:

• Sao Paolo, Brazil
• Las Vegas, USA
• Marrakesh, Morocco

Where would you want to visit if money wasn't an issue?

My perfect Sunday

A good Sunday does not have to be filled with activities and drama.
A good Sunday could simply be berry picking followed by brunch and Sunday papers.

*ah bliss*

Forgot to take my camera so pics taken with my camera phone.

.......... (?).....

Me thinks it is about time I start thinking of some resolutions for next yr ...no?

Playing tourist VIC - Tesselaar Tulip Festival

Well I haven't been blogging as I have been too busy - BUSY PLAYING TOURIST!!
Lol, the problem with living someplace is that we tend to get lazy and go with the usual phrase " I'll do it next time, it is not going to run away". Unfortunately, that is not true. Seasons change, ppl change, heck, there might be a mishap * touch wood* and where does that leave us? Regrets.

I have decided that I will not take life for granted, I WILL go and try new things, I WILL go and DO new stuff ~ however mundane, trivial or silly ~ it is all for fun. After all, I am not getting younger by the day.

As such, after years of putting it off - this year Mel and I played tourist and headed to the annual tulip festival in Silvan, VIC. It runs for around 4 weeks and this yr it was on September 16th to October 17th 2010. There is a cover of $18 (Concession $15, Under 16 free). There is usually a theme run to go with the week and when we went it was the Irish Week!

The trip itself was gorgeous as Silvan is on the foot of the Dandenong ranges so it is green, leafy and calming. Silvan itself is well known for its nurseries and fruit farms so I did enjoy my mini road trip.

Will leave with pics till the next playing tourist series :)

Relationship quondrum

Image courtesy of Nataliedee.com

Am rewatching the movie " He's Just Not into You" - and after re-reading the same titled book, it had me thinking...

"If a guy really likes you, he will always make an exception to the rules"

I have been in several (long term) relationships, and 2 marriage proposals (1 which I actually accepted ...hence the current smug married status) and as cliche as it might sound - that statement is so true.

I mean, lets face facts here... unless the guy is really butt-ugly, his lil black book would be chocker full with numbers of eligible single ladies. Seeing that there are more women than men to a ratio of around 3-1, would you blame a guy for wanting to continue to be foot loose and fancy free? Go to any club or pub on a Fri or Sat night and there is no short of women on the prowl for a "soul mate" and men wanting to pick up.

Lets be honest here, it is indeed slim pickings for a women once you hit a particular age range (and before the idea gets shot down, let me explain..)

• Its coz a women usually wants to settle down with a man who can care for them and be cared for, in short - successful or earns enough so that one can live comfortably;


• Be of a particular age bracket (usually older but the recent Cougar phenomena is interesting..)


• And has to be decent looking ..you know, so that you can show him off to your friends..).

In reality, the older you get - your pool gets smaller - say you are 35.. you might want someone who is in the 30 - 40 bracket, but these same men want a younger model.. hence you are stuck with the 40-50 bracket range...

Furthermore, men in these said older bracket are more than likely have gone through a previous marriage or long term rship before .. so baggage in terms of kids, alimony, an ex-wife/partner usually comes as part and parcel. Hence, if you yourself have never been married or do not have kids, do you want to be saddled down with someone who does? Its a difficult question indeed.

I personally do not think I could handle it..

I have broken up with a guy (I wasn't into him anyways) because when we hooked up, he said he was single but I later on got the confession that he was separated (he has since divorced and remarried), and I have also broken up with a guy who wanted to get too serious too quickly. Call me picky, but I believe in gut instinct.

Yes, some might say I am still on the honeymoon stage, and it all changes when kids get into the picture but it doesn't have to when you don't want children right?

Lil things that make me go tra la la..

I know I am getting sappy but I would never have thought that I would be as happy as I am now.

Dont get me wrong, work is just as stressful. At this point 4 yrs ago, I would be getting ready to go out, putting on the face as finding something "nice" to wear. If a nice bloke came over for a chat, it would be entertained and if he decided to shout me a drink or two - hey, bonus!

Now - I have my feet up on the sofa and am watching a recorded program off the telly. BF just walked in with a mug of coffee to be had with the cheese and biscuits platter.

Ah - how one's life can change in a mere few yrs :).

Australian Interest Rates and me...

The thing about living in Australia is that - it is the great Australian Dream to own your own home. Its the mentality of "why should I pay for someone else's mortgage when I can pay my own". But then again, BF had this mentality as well so perhaps its a Caucasian thing. It is not normal in Asia to own your own property until you are well in your 30's whereelse over here, you see ppl as young as 21 getting onto the property ladder, something that still amazes me as lets be honest, at 21, I was still in uni and definitely not equipped with the tools to manage my own money ..what else thinking of getting into such a big debt to my name. Saying that though, the Gen-Y's and Gen-X's in Australia are complaining that it is getting harder to get onto the market. The median house price is Melbourne is currently around $500,000 and gets more expensive as you get closer to the CBD. I currently live 18km's from the CBD and this is actually considered close considering that any suburb within 90km's from the CBD is still considered Melbourne these days.

Yes, buying a home is no piece of cake in Melbourne.

The Australian property market unlike the other developed countries namely US and UK had a slight property dip in late 2008, early 2009 before it picked up again and then just went from strength to strength. It is the only country where the interest rate never went down lower than 2% and the official RBA rate is currently is at 4.5% and the Bank rates is anywhere between 6.5% to 7.2%! Talk about being slugged and there are talks of at least 3 to 4 more rate hikes within the next few months. On top of that, we've got really exorbitant stamp duty taxes (both Govt and state) on top. *Ouch*!

I mean, living in the city, buying OR renting really means you have the smaller apartment or less space (unless of course you are right loaded which means there would not be a problem buying into the property market in the 1st place!). At the end of the day, it is a lifestyle choice.

More on my chain of thoughts when it comes to property buying later.

Life is short

I received some really sad news on Friday night.

A colleague of mine from back in KL had passed away -and from the news I've been getting, no one saw it coming.

She was only 39 - and leaves behind a young son of 2 and a loving husband.

She has battled breast cancer and was in fact suppose to have been cured, and the whole family had just come back from Europe where her husband comes from.

F.J.K - May you rest in peace. You will be remembered.

Reflections..

I took a long hard look in the mirror the other day - and I didn't see what looked back at me.

Blame it on age, or work stress, or my general non-caring ways ~ I look - tired.

My skin has lost its natural glow, its now shallow and pale under the foundation as cover.

My eyes have bags that can be seen from a mile away.

My hair now longer has a shiny lustre, it now has a permanent fly-away effect. Using of product and conditioner does more damage than good, I don't even know why I bother.

My nails are shapeless, even though I don't bite my nails. No point getting it done for a mani/pedi - it just last for 1 hr anyways.

My legs that were once my pride and joy are now scarred and bruised, and lets not even get me talking about my rotund middle now shall we?

Many a times I've contemplated doing something about it.. head to the gym perhaps? Or book myself into a nice facial. Get my hair washed and blown every week like I used to back in KL ... but do I? No.

What is wrong with me?

Resolute Resolutions

I have been really busy over the past few weeks. Am slowly getting into the groove of work, although Australia Day break next Tue might break my routine somewhat.

Routine - that is the key I reckon to getting things done. Don't get me wrong, I have always been a strong advocate for spontaneity but when you lack motivation, some resemblance of routine does help.

As part of my - well, not NY resolution but more towards a "better" me, I am setting up a routine.

Wont get into too much detail now but lets say that its for a healthy me.

New Year Resolutions 2010

Well, hello from Tokyo, Japan...yes, my 1st blog for the yr is from the Land of the Rising Sun.. how ironic! My first 2 days for the yr has me burning the midnight oil albeit for very obvious different reasons. I wonder if this is the sign of what's to come?

Can you believe that it is the start of a decade? Where did 2009 fly off to?

Well, like all ppl - I have my string of resolutions to make (and break). Always interesting to put pen to paper (or on the blog for all to see) - for comparison purposes naturally.

I resolve to...

• Go back to gym ~ I am not at all impressed with what I see staring back at me in the mirror and my stamina is absolutely ridiculous as my recent performance on the slopes have shown me.

• Keep more active in a consistent manner ~ swimming, pole dancing classes if the classes are available on weekends, cycling, Wii Fit ~ basically not sitting on my arse 24-7.

• Buying quality, not quantity~ I have this very bad habit with purchasing items that are cheap-er. Quality leather items such are handbags and wallets from designer's are better able naturally stand the test of time compared to chain store leather goods such as Zara or MNG.

~BF has started me off with a gorgeous Cole Haan to replace my 5 yr old worn to the bone leather Next UK wallet. Don't get me wrong, the Next UK wallet has served me well, but I did get it as a quick alternative to replace my Versace wallet that was stolen in Rome and 5 yrs is a good period of time to keep a chain-store purchase.

• Look after my things - fullstop.~ This is something I am really shocking at. My trusty Speedy would be crying if it could talk. I have spilt things in it, left rotten fruit (by mistake) in it, I shove things into my bag without concern or care.. and that is just my bag. I don't have to even explain how my poor wallet looks like! Receipts and coupons everywhere - its filled to the brim with junk! My poor car is also not spared. As I live in my car, travelling between appointments - its been spilt with food and drinks and I don't even take time to give it its TLC aka vacuum... this needs to all change.

• Spend a bit more time cultivating my friendships ~ FB has made me lazy. *sigh*. Time to keep in touch with friends and not just use the "poke" function as a I think of you still shortcut.

• Travel less ~ Save more money. Travel is my major indulgence and has serious repercussions on my bank balance. 2009 saw me goto Japan twice for snowboarding trips (Japan is already rather pricey and snowboarding is not a cheap hobby), Malaysia twice (even though it was warranted, getting married and all) and Cambodia. I don't think this can be culled all that much seeing that I have already bought tix for Malaysia and Bali (same trip, different getaway) but lets see.

I'll add to this as the yr goes on but in the meantime - I'm keeping the list manageable I think...we'll see..

All work makes Jill a dull girl..

I have all these things that is playing in my mind and I do want to put it down on paper ..or on the blog but I am in want of time. It is now 10:32pm and I am still working. Yes, I might not be at the client site but I am still replying to my many numerous email correspondences that all seem to need attention like ASAP. I have been away from home for the past few weeks barr the weekends and boy aren't I glad that this is the last working week before the office shut down for the yr.

We are at the last yr to this decade *gasp!*

I am also very much looking fwd to our trip to Japan next week.. its a pure snowboarding trip, we are not spending any time in Tokyo at all, just a quick arrival into Narita, catch the train to Tokyo station and then catch the bullet train to Nagano. Then catch the bus to Shiga Kogen for 10 glorious days *whoo hoo*. Which reminds me, I need to get travel insurance.

I have my yr end performance review this Thursday. Will be interesting to see how they rate me this time around. I did very well last quarter but whose to say how they rate each person? We'll soon find out wont we?

Lots of gettogethers and parties this weekend - this Thursday is the office Kris Kringle and Xmas party, Friday is the company Xmas party and then on Sunday a mate is having a spit-roast party which he has already said will turn into a sleep-over *yay*

Ok, break finished. Back to work emails - 3 days more to go... *ohm*

The wedding after..

It is nearly 3 1/2 weeks since being in what most would call "newlywed bliss" and to be honest, things haven't changed between BF (should I call him HB now? hmmm). Have been busy busy busy with work (or the catching up of the workload after 3 weeks away) and naturally, getting into the rhythm and routine of the new place and lots of cleaning up and planning for potential D.I.Y's

Anyhow's - back to wedding day thought ...

I am blessed however to be surrounded (and loved) by great friends whom without them, the wedding would be a sedate and boring affair. My parents who live in a smallish town down south in Malaysia and I've always been a bit of a nomad. Thus I do not have any childhood memories from this town. My invite list was from all over and from all did my friends (and BF's) converge - and in a way, they were like mini-celebrities ala Paris Hilton. Oh behave!

I don't have the pics from the official photographer yet so all pics are stolen from mates.

1) Hand drawn kolum courtesy of my mum

2. Getting my mendhi drawn in for the next day.

3. Finished item

4. Of course, I had to get the rest involved! No point me being the only one.

5. Rice peacock kolum at the temple entrance

6. Hamming it up while waiting for my groom to arrive.

7. With the bridesmaids.

8. With the best mates in the world - 2 bloggers in there Kay and S.G. Aren't they all sweethearts for playing dress-up with me *mwah*

9. Well, not too many pics from the reception (we were well into the drinks by then), but I could not resist putting up the ever traditional bouquet toss pic in!

At the end of the day, I am hoping everyone had a great time and would have left with some great memories, everlasting friendship but last but not the least - left me with blessings and lots of love.

x

Bride thoughts

Seeing that I have less than a month left - hmmm.... I think if I was to have a Bridezilla moment - it would have happened a long time ago.

As of yet - no dramas yet! (my parents aka the wedding planners would beg to differ however)

1 month, 1 week from the beginning of the next step in life.

Was watching a rerun of Nottinghill on Foxtel on telly earlier this morning and you know that scene where Anna and William scale over the gate and walk down a locked up park and there is this park bench that had the inscription

"To June who loved this garden, from Joseph who always sat beside her"

Well, I found myself tearing!

God, I am turning so sappy. Maybe its because I am going to get hitched.

Despite my initial hesitations when we first started going out, (past rships had left its mark and I was truly a cynic when it comes to anything to do with l.o.v.e) - I am now well and truly committed into this rship especially seeing that next month is when we get married!

Yes, it is for keeps. 1 of the reasons why I let it off this late was because I never actually met anyone that I could see myself with for the rest of my life. Despite living here for several yrs, I still do not believe in divorces - once you get married, its for life. I still don't believe in having a soul-mate for everyone but I do believe that when you meet someone and you know, you simply do.