Snowed under..

I don't know why I do this to myself.

You would think by now that I would be an expert and self-disciplined enough to not get myself all snowed under. Apparently the skills I learnt through high school and university went out the window when it comes down to post-graduate studies.

Lucky for me this is the last assignment for the unit (unfortunately it is not the last assignment for the course.. that's another 3 units away..).

The other most exciting thing is that I started my new job. -- Another stressor. Upside to this place is that they have nepresso pods. YAY for awesome $1 coffee (contribution to the fund of having these said pods).
Must bring a mug to drink said coffee. They also surprisingly have awesome free hot chocolate.

Downside --- I miss my friends from work... second family all gone.. *cries* ..
-- I will get used to this -- I will make new friends -- sounding rather hopeless... seriously though it's like starting a at whole new school.. and you spend more time at work then you do at home with your family so you need good friends there..

Anyway.. promise posts to come..

here are a few sneak peeks..

I also have a very small surprise as well.. not that it's really anything too exciting...

Until then.. thank you for your support and for reading/looking.. all comments are welcomed and I am more then happy to help out those who would like recommendations on where to dine out in Perth. Just drop me a comment or an email.

Busy week

I have been meaning to share with all of you the wonderful dinner I had at Tom Randolph's new fine dining restaurant No. 4 Blake street, in North Perth. It was absolutely wonderful for him to have invited me and my boy. But alas, I have been swamped with family commitments since I had the dinner ONE and a HALF weeks ago and I am never behind with reviewing places I have been kindly invited too.

It's just with Chinese New Year and the lovely visit of my Uncle, Aunty and cousin from UK it has been a whirl-wind of late nights, along with the usual chaos of work!

In fact, I really should be sleeping instead of updating this on my phone. I have work tomorrow and it starts at 730am!!

So, I leave you with the Chinese New Year Massive dinner that is celebrated by my immediate family (no uncles, aunties, grandparents involved - that came on Tuesday and Wednesday that just went..).

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I hope to post tomorrow or Sunday! promise!

Like I said the immediate dinner celebrations for Chinese New Year was a banquet! Cooked by my Mum and Dad. It was lovely. The strawberry sorbet was the perfect cleanser after the massive meal. I love Weis.

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Here's to the new year and to the year of the snake!

Weight loss

Ok, so I'm not complaining that I lost weight. In fact I'm so glad that all my hard yard at the gym and every few months my ability to watch what I eat (for at least a couple months) has meant that in the last 2 years I have lost 10cm of my waist and close to 10kg of weight. Slow and steady. This isn't bad considering the fact that I did it the healthy way and as you all know by now I love to eat, and you can tell that hasn't stopped. No fad diets - just portion control, calorie counting and healthy choices (which I am still yet to fully control, because you see I love to snack and have a weakness for hot chips and chocolate!).

Anyway, the upside of losing weight is that I'm healthier, fitter, and probably looking the best I have been in ages. Very much happy. Also I love to exercise now and if I don't I feel a little BLAH.

The downsize is that I

can't fit into half my clothes. The other half I can because they were previously a little on the tight size or they were clothes for when I was smaller. This is a real fiancial burden! My work shirts are huge they don't sit the way they ought to at all, but I really don't have the money to overhurgh my whole wardrobe. Partly because I don't want to throw out all my clothes nor do I want to keep it all.

Usually I would give it to Saint Vinnies, but because I'm a little strapped for cash, thanks to having a mortgage and I really want to go to USA/Canada at the end of the year, so I'm dipping back into eBay. But I'm going to start of with just one item to test the waters.

So I decided to sell and part with a dress I don't wear so much anymore - there is nothing wrong with it, and it's not really outdated either! It's just a waste of a perfectly pretty dress to be hiding at the back of my wardrobe. It's a Wayne By Wayne Cooper strapless dress.

If you like check out the eBay listing here. If this is sold I will be posting more of my preloved and very well looked after clothing. I mean come on, a barely worn (I swear I have only worn it about 3 times!) Wayne Cooper dress for $9.99 it's a bloody bargain!

Anyway, wish me luck! Otherwise it's off to the swapmeets I go! Downside to swapmeets is waking up at an ungodly hour to get a place to start up!

Happy new year

It's a day late but doesn't change what I hope you all will achieve!

Happy 2013!

Mantra for the new year

The following is my mantra to try and follow in the new year.. Wonder how I will fair..

I should also add that I will try to be as organized as possible in my life and keep my room and life free of clutter.

What's on your list for 2013?

breathe

These shadows wont budge.

Doubts enter my mind.

Eyes adjust to the darkness.

Heart holds onto faith.

 keep calm and carry on.

explore

If only I had the guts to just give up everything and take the plunge.

Draw of memories

I have a drawer filled with memories, diaries filled with teenage angst, letters that were passed in class between girlfriends, birthday wishes and kisses and wishful whimsical tales.

Oh how rose coloured they were! How I wish cynicism didn't creep up on me.

新年快樂... Xīnniánkuàilè

新年快樂! Happy Chinese New Year (I realise it started on Monday) but it's also a 10 days celebration so technically I'm not late in sending out the wishes!

I wish you pockets an buckets loads of good health, prosperity, and magical year of the dragon!

painting the road..

Listening to the radio - the morning talk shows rumbling about yet another superficial thing.

Steering along the same road, dodging cars, changing lanes, knowing exactly which lane will be faster - then - knowing how to get back onto the right path, such routine can be done with eyes closed.

As I drove down Mounts Bay, the same road, I see a familiar car, whom I swear drives down with me every morning, a driver rushing to their day jobs.

I look to the sky, same route, but the colours of the sky today is different - in fact everyday is different.

It gives me hope that even if I'm sticking to the same path, I can still break free and paint the colours of my road every colour of the ever changing sky. I just need to take the chance, slow down and paint.

nothing fixes routine and dullness like a trip to the hairdressers

I feel fat.
exercise.
done.
lose weight.
accomplished, sort of, half way to ideal weight.

feeling unfashionable.
nothing in wardrobe.
get haircut.

just a small change in colour, trim hair, get new side fringe.
some unexplainable reason my clothes look better. there is new lease on old outfits and looks.

NOTHING is a better mood uplifter than a trip to the hairdressers. Think every make-over scene of almost every Hollywood movies.

Explainable Hiatus

I've been a little absent from the here mainly because I've been recovering, and having recovered and all I've been unable to blog about things because for some unexplainable reason my phone's camera is able to take photos but all the photos that gets saved on the phone are all saved in an file that is crypted and can't be seen - no idea how that happened considering that none of the settings has changed. Secondly I can't find the charger to my camera so the battery is flat. As a result, all the inspirational things I've been seeing, buying, tasting, smelling, the aromas of life has not been accounted, this has lead to me being quite uninspired to write. I guess the other main reason is I've been exhausted. Work is tiring and seems to be taking over slightly. It's only after my flu that I've been able to get back onto balancing my life. It's been toppled for a while.

I shall be writing again very soon.

Amour...Je t'aime

With each passing year the couples that I've known have cemented their commitment to each other and have profused their love by celebrating the wonderful ceremony that is marriage or are going to anyway (although I realise that having said that there will be a group of people who would strong object to marriage - whatever your views keep it to yourself because that's not the point of this post).

I'm a romantic at heart, regardless of all my cynicisms and my questioning of "how do you know if he/she is who you want to be with forever?". I believe there is true love. I love hearing people's stories of how they met, how they got together and of course how they got proposed to/how they asked their girls to marry them. It just gives me such joy and happiness to see love between the couples it makes me believe that there is love in this world. I love hearing their stories because I'm so excited and happy for them and just hearing it makes me feel even more excited and my smile couldn't be bigger.

------------------

A good collegue of mine went home from work one Tuesday afternoon. She's just recently moved into her house and on the front steps to her door she's found a note written on what was once a wall of a cardboard box "I hope you've had a good day". As she opened the door to her house the second wall of a cardboard box read "I think you're pretty". She put her keys down on the dining table, only to have her gaze find another note, "You're beautiful", then another "I really like you", and another "You're amazing" all placed in various parts of the house. Finally, after collecting all the notes, the last one read "Check the freezer". There she found a bottle of Moet champagne. She turned around to find her boyfriend of many years on one knee with a ring and with a nervous smile asked her to marry him.

-------------------------------

One of my friends got whisked away on a boat one weekend, her boyfriend has convinced her that she'll be learning to sail. The skipper took them out to sea, yet not to far that they couldn't see the sandy shoreline there the skipper left them alone while he prepared the morning tea. Before she knew it, her boyfriend was on one knee with the ring clutched around his hand. It took her by surprise and she was lost for words for a least, well, what she claims to be about 30 minutes before saying yes.

-----------------

Another one of my friends returned to her messy new house on a Sunday afternoon. They have just moved in that morning and when she got home she found rose petals all over the hall way then a treasure hunt of notes and postcards written all over the house, before she was finally led to the front mailbox with the final postcard written with the words "Will you marry me?" and there her boyfriend stood behind her with a ring. She said yes, of course.

----------------------------

My cousin on the other hand got whisked away to a fancy dinner which was then followed by a nice surprise, they were staying at the penthouse of a  5-star hotel in the center of the city. The room's hallway was covered in rose petals, there were tea-lights lit along the way and on the balcony with a bottle of Moet and Chandon champagne. Her now-finace had also bought 12 beautiful long stemmed roses which were packed in a box and inside the card was a ring. She cried and he was knelt on the floor and the rest of history.

---------------

... I would never get sick of hearing the stories.

open letters and kisses...

As I get older, as my friends get older, as times change, as priorities shift and games that were played at parties such as the donut string game, the chocolate dice, the apple bopping, the made up games of Captain Planet, the chaseys and hide-and-go-seek disappear and turn into one of sipping coffees in a quaint cafe, of having dinner somewhere local.

It's good to know however that despite all that when we meet there is always laughter, each of us trying to out talk each other just from pure excitement of not having to see each for a while, the jibes that only we can give to one another, the support and shoulders that we provide, the friendship that we've maintained over the last 10 years is still there no matter how life and time change, no matter how long it takes for us to organise a catch up over good coffee.

For that I'm grateful.

I've never been more happy to know that I have true friends. If I take away anything from this life, it's understanding and being grateful for knowing and experiencing all the things I have with the people I know and love.

Here's to many more decades and many more adventures.

I just realised that we haven't had a nice candid group photo for too long. Must start collecting that agains.

The VERY BEST of 2010..

What a year! I feel as though I went through 4 years in one year. In a way it was so long, in other ways it few by so quickly. I probably felt like there were some many years that made up 2010 mainly because so many changes occurred, so many beginnings so many endings, that the endings may have actually been beginnings and vice versa. It went like a blur.

January 

January saw me enjoy the height of my summer and probably my last every official summer holidays without even a hint of travel (just plans and talk, and something that didn't lift off due to friends being unable to travel/just not a good time for them/no travel buddy resulting in my parents saying a BIG FAT NO!). Apart from that..

I was no longer a Big Day Out virgin (which undoubtly I couldn't be bothered writing about!). It was a sold out crowd on the hottest day in January (and possible all of summer). It was tiring but it was fantastic.

January also saw me rediscover mum's vintage sunglasses, bought my first playsuit all done on Australia Day's housewarming party at Lulu's.

It was also the month that saw me take a trip to the zoo and took my Chiro for a spin.
Along with discovering the quirky burger place that is Novambar's Cafe (which would then become an obessession amongst my friends, fierce competition to achieve eating the impossible yummy burgers).

February

February was the start of my 6 day working week, learning important lessons about working as a real professional and discovering that I'm rather good with getting things done well ahead of the deadline. February was the start of many self-discoveries.

I also enjoyed winning a bet, which saw me dine at Lamont in East Perth with Orange.

March

End of March saw me take a quick and spontaneous escape from Perth and fly to Melbourne with S, where we went nuts with shopping, hit the bars, went to a wineray and ate our hearts out. The food critic in me went nuts on this trip. IT was just fantastic being able to eat at Vue De Monde.

And of course March was the month where there was that freak hail storm, where I drove through crazy rain that I couldn't even see where I was driving (worst decision of my life!). It was also the month where I received a flower from one of my patients.  It was also the month where Mum, brother and I watched Chicago the musical at Burswood.

April

April saw us spend the first week or so in Melbourne before returning to Perth where I spent shopping, eating and just having fun (this is of course in amongst working for a few weeks as a locum). It was also the time where I met and spended more time with someone who is now my bf. 

It was also the time that I went on a short road trip with JT and S to Lancelin. Rode my first Monster Truck, went sandboarding and spent a few hours along WA's beautiful coast. 

Above photos are from the beachside area between Lancelin and Moore River

Below are photos of Moore River.

 All this was taken on our 12 hours roadtrip to Lancelin.

Moore River, where the river meets the Indian Ocean. 

Has awesome views and places where you can canoe, kayake and of course swim.

May

20th of May to be exact was when bf and I officially became a couple. I can safely say that it has gotten better and of course like all relationships requires work, communication, compromise and lots of understanding. It was also the month of many golf sessions, from driving ranges to supagolf. Something that I must admit I've started to enjoy, even if I can't play to save my life!

On a personal note, my family celebrated my Mum's birthday in style by going to Grand Palace Restaurant at the Esplanade.

June

Trip to Sydney was taken in June. Just a short weekend trip with S. We were on top of the world during our Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, where it actually started to rain, it was amazing to watch the sunset and the lights of the Sydney city come on. We also went whale watching. Watch the soccer World Cup at the FIFA Fanfest at 4am in the morning. The atmosphere was electric so it kept the chill at bay (that and the weather was actually warmer than what the temperature was in Perth). Had a degustation at Aria. Ate fresh seafood at the Sydney Fish Markets. Met up with Al. Went to Bondi. Shopped. But because it was only 4 days, the trip flew by us. It was also the trip where I forgot my camera, so no photos except from the ones on the Bridge. I really should grab the photos of S.

Us on the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge

the photos below are all from S's camera.  

 

Sydney at sunset

 

On the Sydney Ferries

 

Whales!

The Whales go sooo close to the boat, it was only like 5m away at times!

 

Sydney behind an angry cloud

 

With the massive seafood platter at Sydney Fish Markets

At the Fifa Fanfest before the game!

Apart from the trip, I got cultured by going to the state museum and watching/exploring the pompeii exhibit.  Which included a 3D animation at the beginning. Hence the funny huge glasses pictured below!

 

July

July saw me dress up as the other half of twaddledee (or was i twaddledum?) at M's 23rd Disney themed party. It also result in watching Mamma Mia at Burswood Theatre. Got cultured at the Art Gallery by seeing Patricia Piccinini's work. I also managed to bake greentea cupcakes. On top of all that, I attend On the Bright Side Festival where Angus and Julia Stone, The Strokes, Art vs. Science and many more performed. 

August

August, my family celebrated my Dad's birthday with an epic amounts of food/dishes at home. It was fabulous. I also participated in my first City to Surf event (and hopefully in 2011 I'll be doing more than just walking). Levis also invented the best pair of jeans, ones that actually fit me perfectly and make me feel HOT. The Curve I.d. is just brilliant (i'm serious!). I also started a fulltime job at this place which was really full on. However, it was just the stepping stone to a pot of luck that was just around the corner. The pot of luck is currently the job I'm at. But the place I was at for 5 weeks taught me so much.

September

Oh September brought more changes, the end of September saw me work at the current workplace I am at. It took me 9 months to get to where I want to be with so many obstacles placed in my path. Even now as I write this, whether I want to give this position a go with all my heart or pursue something I've wanted to achieve but haven't gotten it is something I really have to think about. Choice is never an easy thing. 

I also went to my first Vintage Charity sales at Mt. Hawthorn. It was an interesting event and I scored a few items of value (well I thought was rather good find). My appreciation for art took me to the Perth Fashion Festival in September, in particular to the Outskirts on William. There I saw interesting comtemporary artworks at PICA, creativity being unleashed in up and coming designers at Popsicle and of course my favourite, awesome photographic works, in particular by Amy Vinicombe. 

October

October saw my friends and I participate in raising awareness of cancer by Relaying for Life for the Cancer Council at UWA. It was also the month I started learning to sail and got my Barista license to make coffees. The end of October saw me take a short weekend away to Rottnest Island with a group of friends. A wine tour/Spring in the Valley took place in October, as did Jojo's engagement party and of course, the annual Royal Show. S also celebrated her birthday at Jackson's Restaurant, which much to my dismay didn't live up to its reputation. Perhaps, it was having a bad night.

 

November

November saw me turn a year older. I celebrated by aving a beach picnic on the actual day of my birthday, going to High Tea at The George the day after and having a buffet dinner at Hyatt with my family. It was also bf and my six month anniversay. We went to the C restaurant. I was spoilt rotten by everyone, I've never felt so much love. I saw how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends and family around me.  

December

The month of December brought my demons back. My dissatisfaction with where I am in life combined with the frustration of feeling like I'm stuck seemed to have taken hold of me. The festive season came by a bit too quickly, something of a shock in a way, but definately a welcome break. I didn't have time to review, reflect and meditate to prepare for the Christmas Season. There was the Bon Jovi and U2 concerts, as well as the epic Christmas dinner at JJ's and of course the family dinners.

Overall the year went by in a blur. There are so many things and places I've been too and have failed to mention. 

I've managed to achieve 3 and a half of my new years resolution made at the start of 2010. The half was for the use of my camera. I didn't do too badly with that one, but I was still using auto-mode. This year will be the same resolutions but with less whinging and more action being done.