a month of posts - day twenty

The weather changed dramatically in the last few days and it has been freezing... alright perhaps not freezing just yet but it has been very cold. As I was lying in bed last night trying to stay warm I thought of the clothes I would most likely be seen wearing this year in anticipation of the cold weather:
- long cardigans
- beanie
- scarves
- tights
- hoodies
- trackiedaks
- polar fleece blanket

a month of posts - day nineteen

Adjusting to living in another person's house knowing you will only be there for just over a week is certainly a bit of an adventure. I am currently house sitting a friend's house who only three weeks ago moved into the place and had some major renovations done to it... when I arrived I found myself in faced with lots of boxes yet to be unpacked and paint fumes. Luckily a couple other friends came over on the weekend and helped unpack more stuff and reorganise some of the furniture to make room for lots more livable space. Aside from the minor issues ie fume poisoning (just kidding)... I totally love the place as it overlooks the foreshore so I get to check out the lush grass and lake before the swan river, plus the Perth city scape... pretty spectacular... plus it's much closer to the city.

Anyway here is a list of bare essentials I conjured up as I moved stuff over for the house sitting stint:
- clothes
- toiletries
- fresh food (I decided instant noodles just were not going to cut it)
- books... I'm currently reading Emma
- laptop (but I don't have one.... sigh! so the broadband connection is just sitting there wasting away)
Have I missed out anything?

a month of posts - day eighteen

It's mom's birthday today. I was able to have the day off today and got to spend some time with her. The siblings and I took mom out to Tarts Cafe for brunch. The lunches there are good but I'm still a big fan of their breakfast menu. Nat and Moses brought along a marble cake... yummo!!! Mom actually thought it was a priviledge to go out with all of us kids as it is such a rarity... normally dad and or gong gong is out with us. Pics from Sarah's camera to come.

The Young Adult Retreat is happening with weekend at Serpentine. I'm helping with the music team tonight and tomorrow night, it should be lots of fun. Sigh I'm not longer in the 18-25 age bracket, but I'm glad that I can help out. Did I mention that I've been feeling old these days? Recently bought myself an eye cream... I'm not too convinced it can eliminate the dark circles under my eyes and iron out my wrinkles but it's a bit of a consolation haha.

a month of posts - day seventeen

Just a short note... I will be house sitting at a friend's house for just over a week but I don't know if I will be able to get internet access.... Hmmm I'll have to see if this daily posting is still able to happen. But I'm looking forward to be away from home this coming week... spend some time by myself, away from family (it's been a while since I've had time away from them).

a month of posts - day sixteen

I've decided I'm going to buy a new camera. Dad's going back to Hong Kong for a few days (meetings, meetings and more meetings), but he said he could get me a camera... yippee. But I'm still deciding whether or not it's better to purchase the camera within Australia... the prices look relatively competitive.... online purchasing that is... Decisions!!! I also have to make my mind up on what to get! Choices! I am looking for a compact digital camera that can just point and shoot.
Here are my choices so far:
- Canon IXUS 80 IS
- Canon IXUS 70
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX36
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T2
- Olympus Tough Lite 850SW

a month of posts - day fifteen

We had our first Youth Choir audition for the year. As the new choir director I think I was more nervous beforehand than some of the people auditioning. I was definitely fretting about making sure people knew what they had to sing, if they received my emails etc etc etc. It all worked out really well and we now have five new choir members... which is really terrific... considering we had to put choir on hold last year as there just weren't enough people able to attend.

some images taken this afternoon at church

And I am really loving the company and friendship between my connect group members. It was Kiwi Ben aka Bin's birthday today. Leonie and I found out about it on Sunday and decided that a birthday celebration for him was in order (especially cuz he wasn't going to celebrate it). A bunch of us ended up at Alfred's Kitchen (sorry Amanda... my mistake... not James' Kitchen) in Guildford for an outdoorsy dinner next to a huge fire. Celeste heard how much Bin loved his carrot cake with pineapple pieces and decided to make him one for his birthday. We chowed on the decadent dessert then headed down to the Guildford Hotel for a drink... Such good times!!!

click on the images to view more pics from the birthday shindig

a month of posts - day fourteen

It was ten years ago that I started uni and lived at halls. In the past week, a few of my ex dorm mates had celebrated their birthdays... it's been great getting back in contact with most of them through facebook.com. It made me look back and reminisce on the different things that happened in 1998 (yes it was a while ago... and I did have to have a little help with the trusty Google)

• The Clinton - Lewinsky scandal
• Titanic the movie won lots and lots of hits... until we got so sick of the song and quoting the lines
• iMac was introduced
• The Hong Kong International Airport opened in Chep Lap Kok
• Google was founded and became the biggest search engine
• Goo Goo Dolls - Iris was a huge hit
• Brandy and Monica's hit 'This Boy Is Mine'... I still love that track
• Other artists that had huge hits... well some of them anyway - 'Baby One More Time' - Britney Spears, 'One Week' - Barenaked Ladies, 'Torn' - Natalie Imbruglia, 'Doo Wop (That Thing)' - Lauryn Hill
• I met Wen Dee Liew and Katina Tan the first 2 people I met when I first arrived at Halls and who helped me get my suitcases up to my dorm... these girls were my angels while I was at uni... I reckon without them I would have been doomed
• And I lived with the best group of people ever... ah bless Deakin Hall 1998... with the famous SNAV wall outside the first floor toilets which got updated every week with the latest SNAVs.

I was going to attach photos to this post... but then realised the photos taken back in the days were not digital and I haven't quite figured out how to use my scanner with the mac yet... so no pics :)

a month of posts - day thirteen

Here are some vocabulary that I've been familiarising with recently...

• filthy - the word to describe everything and anyone amazing and good looking (according to my colleague Megan)
• vex - to make someone annoyed, frustrated, worried esp over trivial matters (an underused word these days... rediscovered the word whilst reading Persuasion)
• surgeon - a medical practitioner who treats wounds and fractures (also from Persuasion... this definition of the word has definitely evolved in the last two centuries)
• ascetic - a person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons (new word to me)
• olanzapine - an antipsychotic medication used to treat first episodes of schizophrenia (I learnt the word from Sarah who's been memorising lists and lists of drugs for her nursing course)
• aduh - an Indonesian word for 'ouch' (it's used as an exclaimation and my sisterinlaw uses is all the time!)

a month of posts - day twelve

This is going to be a very short post... a few random thoughts from today's happenings:
- I know I'm getting older when I get really excited about getting carded (tonight when my colleagues and I went to Burswood aka casino for dinner and drinks and I was asked for my ID) Well I think my colleagues were stoked too that one of us got asked! It just makes us all feel that much younger
- Does one really tend to hibernate when the weather gets colder I just have not been successful getting out of bed lately... my doona has been very very toasty (overslept and was late to go shopping with Larissa... I did make up for it by buying lots of stuff)
- Why am I so intolerant of alcohol? (went bright red after a caipirinha tonight)
- Do eye creams really work? (I really hope so... the dark circles underneath my eyes are getting a little out of control)
- Why can you never find what you want when you want them and you end up buying everything else but the item? (Larissa and I were on a lookout for a couple specific items of clothing and we ended up with one item that was specifically what we were looking for, and we ended up purchasing all these other bits and bobs which wasn't the original plan)

a month of posts - day eleven

It was my team's big moving day today. We had a huge area last year which included over 40 computers/ laptops, desks, lever arch files and other bits and bobs. Today we moved into a much smaller spot. I can't believe the amount of paper that came out of the files and desks, I reckon I have easily filled up more than four wheelie bins full of paper... and there's still more culling to do next week as we can't fit everything from the old area into the new area without looking all cramped. I just can't get over the amount of stuff that has been accumulated over one year. Think that it's just not in human nature to change... yet accumulating things is quite alright?! weird. Anyway it was definitely really interesting to see everyone reluctant to move, only moving at the last minute when the removalists came over to. By 4pm, I was simply pooped out... we had gone back and fourth throughout the entire day carrying boxes and moving them into the new area. Guess it has been very good exercise... but still super tired. My desk has not yet been organised... will need to move that on Monday. It's a challenge!

Random thought: what sort of things can you use/ do with scrap paper? (now that we've cleared that 4 bins full... just curious as to what and how others use scrap paper)
- fold a million and one paper cranes?
- shred it and use it to line the spaces for the pet rabbit?
- make daisy chains?

a month of posts - day ten

Recently on the weekends I have found myself often having breakfasts with friends. I'm not normally one to wake up early on the weekend, let alone have breakfast... anyway I have discovered however that I do quite enjoy the activity.

Breakfast recommendations (in Perth):
- The Old Swan Brewery - the view is magnificent
- John St Cafe - gotta try the hash brown and organic toast
- Tart - love the outdoor setting
- Golden Century - yum cha... need I justify anymore... definitely need a good strong brew of pu'er tea 普洱.

If anyone else has got some other places for recommendation, please let me know... I'm all for checking out new places. And if someone knows of a good 粥粉麵shop in Perth? I'm really craving 牛力酥 and a good glass of soy bean milk 豆漿. Hmm come to think of it, I'm also missing the HKD$20 HK cafe breakfast meals 茶餐廳.

some older pics: Karen outside the Old Swan Brewery, Bonnie and Amanda at Tart, Mom slipping into local mode in our HK/China trip in 2005

a month of posts - day nine

As I was walking to catch my train at Perth train station yesterday, I couldn't help but overhear a passing comment made by three middle-aged ladies (who were probably asking for directions or advice of some sort) to a transit officer. The ladies were obviously satisfied with the response they got from the officer, and in return, one of them said, 'You're a sweetie!' As I continued walking I was just smiling and thinking about the comment, wondering how the guy may have taken that comment... is that a macho compliment? Do guys like being called a sweetie?

That then led me to think of the whole debate about guys wearing the colour pink. Why is pink associated as a 'girlie' colour? Is it because of what the colour often represents (ie babies, barbie, bubblegum, gay pride) that makes it 'un-manly'? I don't know, but I quite like pink (fuschia being my favourite) And I think pink is a very complimentary colour and some guys look great in pink (even look hot), especially dress shirts... well it looks much better than bland blue which often makes one look really pale and pasty. I know some guys who just detest the colour... is it really that bad? It's quite hilarious that there are so many websites, forums etc that have discussions and articles about this topic... is it a really big deal?

a month of posts - day eight

Does technology really make life better or does it create an illusion that everything is better? I am asking this question from a communication point of view... just something I have been thinking about lately. I heard from someone that emails have slowed productivity by up to three times. Have we made more work for ourselves? Recently I have discovered my emails piling up and I have been unable to respond in time. Sometimes the emails are one-liners and sent by my colleagues that sit four pods down from me... go figure! Then again, I sometimes wonder how long should a paper trail be to be enough for documentation evidence if ever needed. Are we using technology for communication well? My latest observation is that every team in my department is all about setting up their own website. But what is the purpose of that when the information is more useful pooled into one news feed? Do we understand the full functionality and capacity of a website? We are living in a society of increasing information overload. Do we know how to revert back to the good old days of using paper and pen? Does saving everything we've ever typed help with anything? Sometimes I just think it makes the folders look great, but how much stuff do you end up throwing out because it isn't relevant? Sometimes I think we're just using technology in order to keep up with the times but not comprehending the complexity of some of these bits of technologies and how they can be used and affect our lives. I'd like to go to a tutorial that tells me how to deal with my email overloads...

Anyway... just thought I'd post some pics of Sarah and I from Chinese New Year... they are some of my fave candid pics of us.

a month of posts - day seven

Just found out today that my dad will be heading to Hong Kong at the end of this month. I've already warned him about packing light and bringing back a whole heap of HK goodies to Perth. So far he seems to embrace the idea... haha we'll see. (I'm also planning a trip back to HK myself at the end of the year but it's yet to be confirmed) I am really missing HK... haven't been back in 3 years, which is a really long time.

Things I'm currently missing about HK:
- my friends
- mango drinks from 許留山
- hawker food ie 咖哩魚蛋 curried fish balls, 燒賣 siu mai on a stick, 雞蛋仔 waffles
- the huge range of trainers... my trainers have decided to conk out on me, the soles are beginning to peel off
- 講廣東話 speaking in Cantonese... although I have to say my Cantonese is now extremely rusty
- the convenience of public transport
- 茶餐廳 HK cafes
- 餛飩麵 wonton noodles
- the techno gadgets... I desperately need a new camera... mine was stolen when my car was broken into... I feel weird not having my camera around me... may give my dad some money so he can buy one for me
- dried mango Filipino style... not enjoying the ones they have here in Perth, they taste gross.

Ok I love my food... what can I say... I grew up in HK eating!

a month of posts - day six

Summer has faded away, I reckon Easter took it away. Autumn is setting in now... It's starting to rain more, and the duvet aka doona is more and more comforting making waking up much harder. Coffee is not just a morning pep up, it's also for keeping warm. the quintessential pashmina is no longer just a fashion accessory that hangs off your bag or draped across the office chair, but it's constantly wrapped around the neck and shoulders to ward off the chills. Am I seriously supposed to wake up and go to work... but the sun's not up yet?!

Things to try as autumn is setting in:
- Reading... I'm getting into the classics that I haven't yet read
- Bringing gardening indoors by planting a selection of herbs in the kitchen... main aim is not to kill the plants
- Have dinner parties at home... bonus if you actually cook the meal
- Buy a more heavy duty moisturizer... I'm still a big fan of Cetaphil, whereas my sister likes Kenkay the hospital grade sorbolene.

a month of posts - day five

Last night at Youth we had a quiz night after the service. Some of the questions were so old school the kids just had no clue... I guess it just emphasises how old I am in comparison to them... There were questions like, 'Which television series did Kylie Minogue play a character called Charlene?', 'What was the name of the boy band Justin Timberlake was originally in?'... Honestly, you may think those questions are simple to answer, but kids these days don't often know the answers to them. I did sit with a table of smarty pants and we ended up becoming the winners of the quiz night! Yippee!

You know you're definitely getting older (and maybe sometimes wiser) when you:
- Start using the phrase, "back in the good old days..."
- Realise what you once thought were huge fashion faux pas are now in fashion and worn by young people thinking they are a new trend ie leggings and anything fluoro
- Start saving for a long term investment such as property
- Discover wrinkles, wrinkles and more wrinkles

a month of posts - day four

As I've been looking for new job openings recently, I have discovered that quite a few of my friends are also in the same predicament. It seems more and more prevalent these days that one does not stay in the same career for the rest of their lives, whereas back even 15-20 years ago it was more so the case. These days the life span of a job tend to only be about 3-5 years long. Makes me wonder if we are becoming more dispensable as a work force? Or that the infrastructure within an organisation these days are more temporal as it is constantly under review, and with review, new re-structuring etc? Or we are always reporting and assessing our workflow that we are not getting enough nitty gritty work done? And I guess as an employer, jobs these days are often considered a learning ground, a time for upskilling... then you move on, try new things, expand work experience. But what I find interesting is that we're constantly trying to improve yet it is actually against our nature to desire change. A prime example is my current work place... my team has been told to move out of our area, but we have pretty much been kicking and screaming, ok maybe not that bad, but been pretty resistant with re-locating to a different part of the building. I'm sure my team will be alright after we've moved... but for now we're wallowing in our sorrows by digging into the snake pit (our stash of gummi snakes)

Random thought of the day:
Why does it seem to always rain right after you've washed your car?

a month of posts - day three

I've been feeling rather nostalgic in the past week or so... perhaps sprung on to the fact I know I'm definitely going to be doing a little traveling around the world at the end of the year to visit my friends in different places. And perhaps because it clicked not too long ago that it's been ten years since I first started uni... oh so many treasured memories! but it also makes me feel old. Anyway thought I'd just highlight some of my friends that I have known for a very long time, who have started their own businesses... I'm really proud of them!

• Kelly Kan - My high school bestie... she's been into designing her own jewelery for as long as I've known her. After a brief stint with broadcast journalism, she decided to start her own jewelery business Electric Lollipop. When we catch up we have milk and cookies just like back in the good old days (listening to Boys II Men)
• Joe Tringali - Joe co-founded 5TH Cell a game developing company... the company developed Drawn To Life which was a Nintendo DS bestseller. This guy loves his Thai curries, and makes a mean dish of homemade pasta... and he's super humble!
• Petina Watkins - I've known her since primary school... Tina left HK for Melbourne in high school, and I got reconnected with her when I was living in Melbourne. She's opened up a boutique called Curious Eidolon which sells some amazing clothes, accessories and toys. Each time I go back to Melbourne I have to pop in for a visit.
• Joshua Wong - I only got to know Joshua after I finished uni and moved back to HK, but our parents go way back. This guy is an extremely gifted designer and editor, he's created some pretty incredible videos... plus he's a great photographer and musician... I think the creative arts just runs through his veins. He recently started his own company Pentopixel Designs, check out the showreel on facebook.

a month of posts - day two

Ever have days when you feel like your head is just going to implode and you can't seem to think straight? It was just one of those days at work for me today. Perhaps my coffee wasn't strong enough this morning... or the fact that my workload seems to have piled up again... or I had too big a lunch... or just cuz I wanted to go home... the list of excuses roll on haha

Anyway here are some new happenings/discoveries that happened today:
- My brother and sisterinlaw moved into their new unit
- I mapped out and organised where my team will be moving to... we have to move out of our existing location by next week
- Found out I'm not too shabby at demolition work with a hammer
- Totally digging sweet potato and cashew dip... yummo

a month of posts - day one

I decided that I should give my posting skills a bit of a workout, so I've challenged myself to post each day for the month of April. Well here I go...

On Sunday, a bunch of us had the opportunity to visit my friend Brendan's workplace... RAAF Pearce. It was pretty exciting as we got to check out an air show (which was estimated to have been AUD$200,000 for the display) and had our personal tour guide take us around the squadron introducing us to the flight simulator, hangar, hawks, parachutes, life saving equipment, ear plugs dispenser, webbing etc. Borrowed Sarah's camera for the day so I was able to capture some moments (still feel rather lost without my camera). Click on the image for more pics.

Currently loving:
- Char siu chicken and kailan
- Persuasion by Jane Austen
- Skinny flat whites
- Knowing that I can travel again (sorted out my passport and visa issues)
- Daydreaming about traveling
- The beginning of autumn