Lockdown perks

 I'm darn proud of myself, really.

Over the course of 2020 and this year, I've picked up new skills. Well, random skills, really. Skills nonetheless. Thought of penning them down. Achievements, you know.

• Refreshing VBA skills. This isnt much, though. I'm happy to look at this once in a while, just coz I love Excel, heh. Did an easy template for the previous company before they made me redundant, so I felt great about it. Doing something no one could in that company.
• Knitting. Well, this is no new news. Beanies have been a joy to start and complete. Still amazed at how a ball of strings can tangle together to form fabric, take shape, and fit on my big head beautifully. I loved that I got into this hobby. Currently still knitting a beanie, for Fen. A couple of his beanies have holes/are bitten by Ash/shrank because I threw it in the washing machine.
• Sewing. How crazy. Never would I have thought I'd touch a sewing machine, much less make an entire dress out of it. It was pure fun. Did not enjoy the pinning and cutting, and these take up 70% of the time to make the garment. Pfft.
• Running and cycling. Fen and I are currently trying to get in the habit of running 2x a week, or getting a 10km run. It's just little goals we give ourselves while in lockdown. I'm making the most of lockdown, because it got boring to mope around doing nothing. Not that I really moped about it though! LOL. Just really wanted to make the time matter. We have mapped out the 10km route, have done the cycling around it to confirm. It's now just waiting to make it happen!! Running is not new to us too, but we certainly have gotten quite out of touch. It's just a lotta walking these days.
  And with cycling, we both totally forgot how AWESOME it is to go long distances. We did a 34km one Sunday, and that was so liberating! We told ourselves to go further and set a destination to reach the city when lockdown lifts. Cant wait!!
• Learning Japanese. I literally just got the textbooks last Friday. I've actually got into learning Japanese in 2019, when working as a receptionist. It was a very boring job with a lot of time on hand, and I didnt wanna become stupid, and there are free resources online. I was in and out of it until now (that's 2 years!), because I plateaued at learning Kanji, so decided to pay for this journey to officially and properly grasp the language! Really excited, because I will level up from bilingual to multilingual!!! Woohoo!! I have my last 2 years of learning Hiragana Katakana Kanji to thank for, because I'm familiar with them and can quickly move on to sentence structures and grammer now. We'll see!
• Baking. Lol. Back in SG, I have NEVER nailed baking. Short of burning myself, my creations were always a flop. Always. And now! Baking is one of my ways to relieve stress. We bake and we give to our friends. It was great to hear feedback and perfect a recipe. As usual, I only deal with easy recipes! Burnt basque cheesecake is my top favourite, and everyone loves it =D

That should be about it. I havent been this upbeat in a while, reckon it calls for a celebration eh.

Lockdown

It's another year of persistent lockdowns - certainly not complaining!

Everyday I try to find something to be thankful and grateful for, whether it's a stable job, food in the fridge, heater that works to keep our hands and feet warm in this cold winter season, healthy cats, able body to go running and do workouts..

So the past 2 months, Fen and I have been kickstarting running again, which felt good. I was feeling some pain in my left sole and right heel (wear and tear), so really happy to have them gone after resting for many weeks.

Gyms are closed, so HIIT has become something I'm getting back on. Really dreading the huffs and puffs though! But the aches are SO GOOOOD. I started only able to complete 2 rounds, finally can complete 3 rounds this week. Hopefully 4 - 5 rounds will feel normal soon! I'm such a firm believer that the body works in a 'use it or lose it' logic. So I fear losing the use of my body and the pain that will limit me in my daily life.

I was stress-baking quite a bit in Jun-Jul period, mostly to clear whatever flour is left in the pantry, and now it's back to knitting, mostly because I bought so much yarn last year lol. We've just recently packed the queen room that was piling up with stuff we bought for the move (which we dont know when), disassembled the guest bed, and kept extra kitchen cutlery away (since we cant have guests over in the near future).

At a friend's suggestion, we also bought storage drawers to tidy up the wardrobe. Had left our clothes just piling on the floor for the last 3.5yrs, and now the wardrobe looks better and presentable.

We are clocking 4 years in 1.5 months time. Cant say I'm not disappointed that we still havent found a trusty friend. By trusty friend, I'm benchmarking my lifelong friends in SG. It's a very high expectation, so I guess it's normal I'm still searching. It's extremely rare if we get to meet one true friend anyway.

We changed our connect group last month, and already are thinking of going back to Nane, who's still the best connect leader for us. From her we learnt so much about love, about Jesus, about faith. She's a person I respect a lot, even though she doesnt have all the answers she's got such a good heart. We told her we were leaving because a friend was going to start a connect and needed our support. It looks now like they can handle it without us and we're keen to go back and learn more from Nane.

Fen is still waiting on God's prompt to start his own connect group. Maybe it'll happen, maybe it wont. Till then, we still want to learn and grow in God.

Indo granny passed away in June, Mum managed to get the permit to go back Indo and spend time with granny in her last days. Glad she got back safely and went through her 14-day quarantine without a hitch.

I bought more Le Creuset cooking gear during the EOFY sale, super stoked with using them because I enjoyed using them so much. Also got back on my facial regime after my chin started flaking horrifically this cold winter.

Okay, that's my boring life. I'm sure there was more to it, but I have a writer's block now.

Winter 2021

 Hi folks~

Month end just ended, so I'm taking it easy, clearing work email queries one by one. And thought I'll share some updates.

I'm doing well in my new job, and for that I'm thankful for God's grace and favour. I do hope he graces and favours Fen more too, seeing he's been trying to look for a better paying role for 3 years now...

Found out I was pregnant in late March, and then miscarried 2 weeks ago. A missed miscarriage, growth stopped at 6 weeks, but I only finally bled at 13 weeks. The wait was annoying, because I wanted to get over it and move on as soon as we found out there was no heartbeat and growth at week 8.

Had another ultrasound and blood test this morning to make sure the womb is all cleaned out and ready for baby making again =) I feel my energy coming back after the miscarriage, and getting back to workouts slowly. Currently sore from the weekend's simple short workout at home =/

My ex boss that I respected and enjoyed working with in 2019/2020 contacted me last month, wanted me to work for him in his current company. I went for 2 interviews and nailed them, and was offered the job. Slightly better pay, commercial and practical learning opportunities, foreseeable stress and heavy workload. I accepted the offer, and turned it down after reading the contract. It didnt offer employer-funded paid parental leave (what a mouthful).

Yes, you read that right. Paid parental leave is not a given, you people from Singapore, or Canada, or wherever country that your government mandates such welfare and benefits.

So obviously, it was shocking to me. Me, who never gave a hoot about parental leave, maternity leave, childcare leave, etc. You get it. Because I never thought I'll have children. Until we started thinking we want to have one. And now those benefits are like sacredly prioritised and valued and must haves.

I felt bad for so many reasons. Being an asshole if I left my current job in less than 3 months, my ex boss who went all out to have me hired for the job. At the end of the day, we have to think of ourselves... because no one will. And being a working mum that is being valued and supported by my company somehow is a very important element for my job.

I also felt that my current company wants to support me. So I guess there isnt a push factor to leave, nor a pull factor to entice me to join my ex-boss. Was so stressed out making up my mind to stay or leave that eventful week. Pfft.

We changed church campus. From Hillsong West to Hillsong Greater West. Felt that was where we were needed, in terms of volunteering. And we made friends! Specifically a Korean couple, and it's been pretty amazing to find out commonalities and similar mindsets. It's been great so far, and praying for God to bless this friendship to last.

Victoria is back in another lockdown, 2nd week now. Doesnt bother me and Fen much, we enjoy our routine and working from home.

Sending love to you who's reading =)

Times

So. I was made redundant last month.

O right. Happy New Year, 2021. And yes, Happy Lunar New Year, today.

Dont get too upset now, I expected my redundancy since the company merged early last year. And hence why I worked really hard to 'prove' myself valuable to the company. I think the company tried too, to create room for me. They just didnt value what I can offer, though.

So really, there was closure and relief, when I was told my position is redundant. I had a small payout too, which I used to satisfy a luxurious want (yesterday, kekeke), so I guess it isnt that bad. You'll find out soon *mysterious smile

In all honesty, after all the worry and anxiety for half of 2020, I was pretty calm by this time, more like fed up and resigned. Even was going to start looking for jobs in 2021. So.. knowing I was going to be jobless in a week, I left it all to God, my troubles and my worries. Even Fen was pretty taken aback by how calm I was. Although, yes I am very hurt by the company's decision and my new boss' promises that I was very much needed in the company *rolls eyes

In the 3 years I've been in Oz, I've had 6 jobs. In the 10 years of my Singapore career, I've had 3 jobs. Go figure. So yes, it is very disturbing for me that I cant find a workplace to settle in. Then again, I'm in a different country. So I got over it.

Before you start feeling sorry for me.

The recruitment agency that placed me in my last 2 jobs was VERY speedy to help me get back into the workforce. Within a week from my last day, I already had 2 decent job offers. Hurhurhur. Are they good or am I good, lol. But no.

GOD IS GOOD.

I mean it. The lessons learnt these last 3 years have been hard, so I'm saying it again. A job does not define me. Hence I chose not to worry. Not to be put down. Not to be depressed. Yes, I was sad because I put in effort in my job, only to be rejected. Knowing that it was not the culture for me.

So the whole episode was timely, was planned and in God's timing.

The last 2 weeks were just me resting, catching up with a few friends, hiking, shopping spreeing, and lotsa lame funny videos laughing my heart out. T'was perfect and refreshing.

P/s: Victoria just announced a Stage 4 lockdown reintroduction from midnight tonight. Again, perfect timing and I'm just thankful for God. My heart is full and I'm at peace.

Pp/s: I got a shitty haircut last week. Lost my thick blunt cut and have an overly layered head now. Worst thing was the styling after, made me look like a 50yo aunty. My face was speechless.

Ppp/s: I'm on a roll watching Chinese dramas. Shocking, but they're mostly wuxia ones, so brought back tons of childhood memories!

Anyway, hope you guys are doing well yourselves, take care. God bless!

Our Earth. You, yes you, can save it.

I'm back! Did not expect to be absent for this long, really. Life caught up for a bit, and I was just immersing in it.

Let's see, what has happened since March this year?

Duh. Covid-19. I suppose it was a blessing I managed to catch up with my family in SG in Jan, and Grace and Sharon in Melbourne when they were holidaying in Feb, right before things got worse and companies started working from home.

It's now 7 months since working from home. I should be relishing every moment of it while it lasts, but am already dreading going back to the overcrowded city bustling with people, noise, chaos. After all, I did come here for the space and quiet. And I do really, really love the idea of not squishing with people on the train, not spending 3 hours commuting, not paying $180/mth for the Myki pass. It's also very environmentally friendly, not commuting! Public or private transport.

I arranged for my haircut in Aug, only to have it postponed to Sept and then postponed again until further notice when Stage 4 lockdown kicked in. This week, since the 5km restrictions are lifted and hair salons are allowed to reopen, I got a call from my hairdresser to reschedule my hair appointment. That was such a joyous moment! So excited for this Friday =)

Online shopping has been great. Other than the super delayed shipping if we ordered from USA, we pretty much get our stuff within the week.

The mask culture didnt really bother me too, I've been loving masks since travelling to Taiwan and picking up their love for masks. I'm not keen on wearing masks to gyms when they reopen though. Working out is a huff and puff business, masks seem a bit impractical that way..

Also, just celebrated Fen's birthday. It was quiet and beautiful, with a few surprise Uber Eats delivered to our place from friends! We took leave from work the next day (which is technically yesterday, lol) and took advantage of the lifted restrictions to travel further out and explore Point Cook Saltwater Coast. Figured the car needed to stretch the legs wheels, too.

A few things I picked up this season:

• I cut Fen's hair better now. Thank you, YouTube. Got rid of his 3 year old man bun, and gave him a BTS look (so says everybody)
• Knitting beanies. I was knitting scarves sometime in 2018, but stashed it aside until this winter, when I decided I've had enough of small beanies that look atrocious on me. On my 7th beanie now, as we speak
• More Asian dishes. Pretty expert at glutinous rice, wantons, carrot/yam cake, fried fish soup with evaporated milk now~
• Must have baked basque burnt cheesecake three thousand times now.
• Running 6km once a week

Must have bought at least 5 new cat beds for the cats. Time spent with them is never enough, but I count my blessings, anyway. They're doing well, I managed to get their dental cleaning rescheduled, and we've been home so much there hasnt been too much drama between Ash and Pitch, so they've stayed safe and well. We did panic a little bit when supermarkets were imposing limits to chicken, because we bulk cook and freeze their meals. Luckily that restriction didnt last too long.

I wrote this entry today not really to recap this pandemic life, actually.
Just finished watching David Attenborough's A Life On Our Planet on Netflix. This entry might sound like my last, not intended but necessary.

A person as famous as David Attenborough had repeated over and over again about how we are destroying our natural world. Has mankind listened? Really listened and do something about it? Maybe, perhaps not enough.

I keep asking myself, what else can I do as an individual? What more can I help? Other than being educated and aware of the world around us, the products and where they come from, I need to ACT.
So should you. Please, we have to do something. Anything.

As a matter of fact, since my last post, I've already begun to reduce meat intake. Fen has been soooo supportive, agreeing to eat lesser beef himself. Our meat varieties are turkey, chicken, seafood, with the occasional duck when they're on sale (hoho~). He's big on morning fruit smoothies, which is a great plus!

Even our body wash, dishwashing liquid and hand wash are eco-friendly now. The plans for our house now are not just installing solar panels, but also perhaps keep bees and plant more native plants, and grow our own vegetables. The ideas are endless, the options are endless, we shouldnt stop trying to save Mother Earth.

I cannot stress enough. We must do something. We can make a difference. Let's not be conformists, let's do something good in this world. Please.

You can.

Eco-friendly journey

I am going to list a number of changes I've made in efforts to do my part to be kinder to the environment.

And remember, anything is better than nothing. I'm not a saint, so dont be saying unkind lame shit like "o you dont drink cow's milk anymore, but you still eat cheese..?"

• A lotta Oz homes are installed with solar panels for hot water. It's pretty neat, and works to save bills and tap on available energy =) If I ever have my own place, I'd defo install me some solar panels.
• Switched to natural hair shampoo. I get mine from Hairstory, and there are definitely cheaper options out there. The shampoo has no suds, and my hair health has even impressed hairdressers. The point is, the soap we use washes down the drain and into sewage, and eventually, the ocean. What we do matters. I only wish natural is the way to go as a normal lifestyle, but brands these days market natural and chemical-free like it's a royalty and prestige. Our body washes are now also sulfate-free as we try to reduce our contribution to pollution.
• Stopped drinking cow's milk. The production of cow's milk is now commercialised on a large scale. Google 'cow's milk industry' and read up all you want. Simple fact: Cows need to give birth in order to lactate. To get that much milk you need to make cows give birth and deprive the calves from their mothers' milk because, well, humans wanna drink it.
• I've recently also stopped drinking soy milk. Was on it for 2 years after eliminating cow's milk, but I think soy milk is not ideal for my skin. I couldnt explain the millions of bumps on my face for 2 years until I started to pen down the changes I've made to my lifestyle, soy milk being one of them. It's only been a month, so I'm going to keep up with this to confirm my theory.
• Saying no to plastic bags when we buy stuff. That being said, we need trash bags, so.. we buy eco bags for our trash. There are however controversies over how eco the eco bags are, so.. I am just trying to do what I can, and if I have a better alternative, I will do my research and act on what I'm best informed of.
• Carrying our glass water bottles and reusable coffee cups everywhere we go. There was this time I went to a cafe to grab coffee, and it was like 4 out of 5 orders were in a reusable cup. This really comforts me, knowing how many disposable cups are reduced with everyone's combined efforts =)
• Even at my workplace, I'm constantly asking if there is a need to print. Where I can do digital copies or signatures or set up excel templates to do the exact same activity, I would. It's getting the team on board that's the challenge.
• Switching from plastic clingwrap to beeswax wrap. You can even make it yourself if you feel adventurous. Food wraps are pretty essential, and I find that a beeswax wrap does the job. It doesnt even have to be beeswax, as long as we use reusable ones that can reduce our garbage. Anything we can do on our part. Or finish our food every time so we never have to clingwrap any leftovers. Anything goes.
• Menstrual cup. I cant even stop raving about it. I got mine from Woolworths, DivaCup. Packaging says biodegradable silicone, which I really hope it's true. Truth be told, I am not a tampon user, had a bad experience when I didnt know how to use it for the first time (I was prolly 20 years old), and never touched tampons again. So this menstrual cup... Is weird. Every time I insert or take out, it just feels like.. I'm fingering myself. I know how it sounds.
  But it works, and I'm pleased with its function. So... I've put it to test:
  - Overnight 5hrs 1900-0120
  - Church on Day 2 6hrs 0900-1500
  - Hiking on Day 4 7hrs 0900-1600
  - Full day at work Day 5 8hrs 0700-1500
  Interestingly I didnt trust it enough for gym on Day 3, and used a pad which in turn ironically stained my pants after =/ 
  I will however recommend wearing a period underwear because in between changes, there will be a bit of blood spillage/leakage. It feels so good though, to have a clean bum (because, pad). Unless you use in and out of shower where you can thoroughly clean and wash the nether region, it wont be blood-free for sure.
• Latest switch: reusable cotton pads. I have, for many years, looked at the disposable cotton pads I'm using and wonder if it adds to the landfill in a negative way. I dont know what took me so long to search up reusable cotton pads, but I'm just thankful for whoever came up with it. 

I hope this is helpful to any of you looking to take some baby steps to change your lifestyle to a more eco-friendly one.

I think I can prolly do more on my part, and off the top of my head, compost is something I'd be interested to start, takes some work and research. This will further reduce the trash we take out. Currently we'd have 3 bags of general trash per week and a pretty full load for recyclables per fortnight. I'd just really like my own place to set up the compost though, coz you cant exactly move it about =/

Blink; it's 2020

Happy New Year everyone!

Despite being MIA for over half a year, can I just say, the last 10 days have been soooooooo packed. It's amazing how Fen and I could still find a day to sleep in till 1300 in the arvo, and still gym 2 times the past 2 weeks! Okay you think 2x in the last 2 weeks is weak. But I went with a Grade 3 full ligament rupture and avulsion fracture, so.. beat that.

As Fen and I were reflecting 2019, he said it was more eventful for me than for him. Well, so I began to recollect the events of the last 12 months:

• Learning (still) to have 3 cats in the house as we welcomed Ash the highly likely Abyssinian-mixed into the family. It hasnt been the easiest, but we do love all 3 furries so very much. Our cats have very different personalities, and as we embrace all of them, we continually pray for them to accept one another and co-exist to be happy and healthy. Not quite there yet, but we'll keep trying..
• Jobless for 1st 2 months of the year; constant crying, feeling sorry for myself, dwelling in past glory days, stressing Fen out with my suicidal thoughts of unworthiness and uselessness in the world.
• Got into serious rock climbing - Fen bought us the climbing shoes and gear so we can now hop around climbing gyms and just pay entrance fees. Love climbing with my boy =)
• A church friend threw a crumb for a casual job as a Receptionist; grabbed it immediately, got the role, and started to mingle with humans again, after a very very bad 10 months of my 1st job in Melbourne being assigned a janitor's room as my office. What a breath of fresh air. And did I mention the job was in the city?! I was stuck in the West since we touched down in Oct 17, so having a daily commute to the city was definitely welcomed. In the 3 months I was in the role, as I started processing with my qualifications and experience, that the best job I could get was a casual Receptionist, negative thoughts started to crawl back to my head.
  That's when Fen told me to get off IG for 3 weeks to be more mindful of my reality and not get caught up with all the social media and their superficial 'perfect' posts.
• Made new friends at church and finally could be ourselves with like-minded and open-minded people. Really was quite liberating when we find ourselves some good friends =)
• Started doing more and longer hikes. Went camping! Love all the experiences ^^
• And then Daniel fast. Felt really good with clean food. Lost 6kg. Had a breakthrough with a recruitment agency and aced the interview and finally landed my first ever accountant job. Albeit still a casual role. But finally getting the local experience that is soooooo required in this country. Yes, every company asks for a local experience without FIRST giving you that experience. Go figure.
• Got tired of the city commute HA. Didnt take that long. Have thoughts of relocating to regional areas, still thinking about it =/
• Bought our 2nd second hand car (lol). Bit dramatic during the purchase process really (then again, when am I not putting myself in dramatic situations *rolls eyes), but really thankful for this sturdy reliable vehicle now. Fifi had done us great great service for almost 2 years, and we're ready to have an upgrade and start exploring this country with longer road trips =)
• Celebrated Fen's birthday with our close friends at our rental place. So much laughter, so much love, a home away from home <3
• Finally landed a permanent job. After 2 FULL years in Melbourne. A very awakening journey. Taught me so much. "A job does not define me." "I did not move to Melbourne to get back the exact same life as I had in SG." "Happiness does NOT come from just having financial stability."
• Signed up for a gym membership with Fen. Fen researched intensively, and we literally tried/inquired 5 different gyms before settling with Crunch Fitness. And we've been enjoying it so far!
• Sprained my ankle and tore a ligament. You know, just to celebrate the closure of a dramatic year. Jazz up this year further~

The last 10 days of the year were definitely fun and packed. Lunches and dinners (non-stop feasting) at friends', cherry picking (cutting it real close coz the season is almost over!), beach day, not forgetting to gym regularly, hiking (with that ankle yes), still remembered to save lives and donate plasma at red cross lol, movie night with friends, sleeping in with Fen, catching up with laundry and ironing (!), spending quality time with furries.

O my, I enjoyed the break so much. Although I definitely wouldnt mind a quiet peaceful time spending Christmas and New Year. Spending it surrounded by friends is a bonus =)

So I'm just thinking up a list of prayers for 2020. Getting the Australia bush fires to stop will be a good start. A very painful lesson for the nation, dont know how the people directly impacted can recover. Let's not stop praying and doing every bit we can =*

I'll check in again, hopefully soon!

Take care, have a very blessed 2020, thanks for reading =)

Q2 2019

It has been a hot minute since I blogged here! I do have many topics to talk about, just never got around to doing it. Perhaps it's lack of time, motivation, creativity, or just really plain lazy.

I had a fantastic birthday spent with Fen, he was such a darling. We are hooked on indoor rock climbing for a couple of months now, so he bought me climbing gear for our future climbs =) It was such a great day spent climbing with him. Weather held up so well too, as we hopped around the city~

My prayer came to pass as I also managed to get a job and started working in March. It's not the best job I can get, but for now I'm just happy to bring in some dough. It has been a rough year, and things are looking up. I know I should be counting my blessings, and sometimes it's just so easy to sink back into self-pity. Fen has been a great support system, and church friends are reaffirming that and all encouraging.

Our hiking days are going strong, and now it's bumped up to camping! Had a overnight car camping experience during the Easter holiday weekend. It wasnt like, superb, but it was nice. Nice enough for us to wanna plan for the next one. In 3 weeks. Lol.

So our camping gear were fully sponsored by Fen's colleagues, who were more than excited to encourage him to go camping. He kept refusing to go when our church friends invited us, but I managed to convince him at the last minute. Still, we were under prepared for this trip, it got really cold and felt colder because we were in the nature and not the urban jungle. I also had too much Vietnamese coffee to drink, which didnt help my tummy. On top of it all, we kept getting lost and losing sight of the camp lead while on the road. Add-on, there were 4 cars altogether (12 campers) and maybe only 3 had Telstra network. It was bad. Nonetheless, the experience and company was really good.

Fen and I got excited enough to want to get our own camping gear. So when we say camping gear, it should have basic things like these..:

• tent
• sleeping bags
• mattress and air pump
• light/lamp
• camping chairs
• all-wheel drive (lol)

So, we've got ourselves a really good 2-man tent, and 2 really decent sleeping bags. We've got a well-battled Fifi, and the rest will have to come from China, unfortunately. But it's all good, I cant actually foresee myself being a regular camper, but I'm happy to be doing outdoorsy stuff like hiking, climbing, camping! Nothing too cray cray~

Cats. Pitch. Since my last post, she has given me a least 8 very deep puncture wounds, and on 2 occasions have sent me to the doctor's. She's still not cool with Ash, but Ash is getting cooler and cooler with her. So I guess there is some progress..

Fen and I are thinking of going on a Daniel fast for 3 weeks to pray for a new car. Doing some research now, and will need to work out our daily meal plans. We've been thinking about a new car for a year now, and while Fifi has been doing very well the last 2 months, we're thinking of going for longer and longer day trips and with her 325Ks mileage, we are just that bit concerned about making those trips safely.

Lastly, can I just quickly talk about Endgame!!! Sigh, a mega blockbuster, and the highlight from it all is fat jokes on Thor. The scene that stood out for me was the part when Thor's mum commented that 'the future hasnt been too nice' to Thor. Life is so hard for Thor.
Sure, the entire story is bizzare, but if I break up each character and what they've gone through, o man, such losses they suffered. Sigh. I'm a sucker for good character building stories.
Having said that, I'm definitely not a fan of time travel stories. Opens up tooooooooo many cans of worms that are very difficult to wrap and account for.

So yea, nothing exceptionally interesting in our lives now, but the days are good for us. Thanks for popping by to read!

Happy Lunar New Year 2019!

Okay, so I ended still paying the $161 fine, because the government needed the money *rolls eyes

Pitch still not friendly towards Ash, and has been aggressive and violent and rough to the point she broke her 5 nails trying to claw her way to Ash. Also, she behaves savagely around Ash and has given me puncture wounds that needed a tetanus jab and antibiotics. Sigh. She is now on medication for her paws to avoid infection and relieve pain. She's chirpier today than the past 3 days, when she was on the cone of shame and feeling miserable.

Did a record breaking 19km hike with church friends and Fen's colleagues at Lorne (150km out of metro Melbourne). It was brutal, good, satisfying, love it! The more west I travel, the more beauty in the suburbs I see. No longer the city girl I once was.

CNY came, no feels much. Celebrated it with lou hei with SG friends here. It's also the 2nd CNY that I'm not celebrating in SG. Not sure if I like it, since I never really enjoyed large social gatherings much.

Swung by Fen's work place yesterday! His colleagues are such friendly people. Spent the rest of the day in the city, walking, shopping. And I was so drained.. from that many people, that much noise, that much sun, that much hustle. Clocked 20k steps in total! Amazing~

I actually have many topics to talk about, but everytime I start blogging, the thoughts and words disappear. Pfft.

I also cannot wait for the weather to be cooler (I seem to have forgotten how annoyed I was with winter). This summer has so many 40s, I feel bad to even head to shopping malls and leave my furries in the warm house. Tolerating the heat indoors at 30s is not a lotta fun. Cold showers were joyful, but fleeting. Ooh, I was outside during one drastic cool change the other day. It suddenly poured heavily and the strong winds turned the temperature down 8 degrees in 5minutes (length of 1 song that was playing in the car), from 31 to 23.

I'm also working on editing plenty photos that are a year overdue.

2nd summer

Happy 2019 everyone! I've had a happening month, hope your year is starting off great too~

Fen had a 2 week year end break, and we spent it at the beach with friends, hiking in heatwaves, cooking, church events, getting piercings and tattoos, test driving cars, met up with NP friend, and best of all, a 3rd fluff!

New year was quiet, as Fen wanted some peace from the outdoor activities. It was nice, like last year. Called up our mums and family, although they are 3 hours behind 2019 =)

And for the past 2 weeks, more beach, more hiking, more cooking, rock climbing, cycling, and hitched a $161 parking fine -_-

Just wrote in this morning to appeal, Yaga's 2011 reference email came in soooo handy~ Hope it works..

Summer is hot, and I am wondering why even complain about the cold. Which I'll be doing in a couple months..

Got ourselves another cat at the end of 2018~ Ash is our 3rd fluff, and Pitch has not been very friendly to him. But Ash has already dropped off dry free feeding and is willing to take Pitch's/Ginger's food mixed with canned food. I'll need to book him in for a checkup, give him his first ever shower, formulate his diet and continue integrating him with Pitch.

Beaches in the west are better than the east, like Brighton. Brighton is so overrated, the sand is so coarse and painful, but the waters are calm clear and cool~

Why am I a beach person?! I thought those days are long past.

We've hiked in the cold, in the heatwave, in drizzling rain, and in good weather. All were good fun~ Still got lots more hiking places to do though!

Fen got himself a cross ink on his forearm, and I did 4 piercings. Just cannot wait to change earrings now!!!

Fifi

This poor 2009 Forester.

In the one year since we've been driving it, so much drama has happened.

• Hit by a van from the back. Because we were insured, we got Fifi fixed up easily at no cost.
• Battery died. We thought it was just a one-time thing after a kind person helped us work it up again, so we bought a jump start car kit to help ourselves. Then we realised the battery is legit dead, so we had to spend $200 to replace it.
• Coolant. Was a fucked up job done by a coward. Initially thought highly of and was immensely grateful to the coward who offered to help us at no charge, but when something went wrong and we asked him about it, he ran away with tail tucked under. Eventually changed out the whole coolant system along with pipes, damage of $1,000.
• Transmission. This Fen boy. Wanted to have the brightest blinding car lights installed. So he changed every single light in/on the car to LEDs. Bought from cheapass China.. Which burnt the electric board and tripped the car. Fixing his good intentions turned bad, $800.
• Full fledged servicing. Thought it was high time Fifi got a proper servicing done, you know, to make sure it can still run decent. $200.
• Wrong sized tyres. Welp. Everyone is selfish. Even more so when trying to sell off a car. We got Fifi without realising its tyres were the wrong size and a really lousy brand, so we had to buy a new set of tyres for the car to run efficiently. $700.
• Ignition leads and spark plug causing the car's engine to misfire. Plain wear and tear. $500.

Every time a problem surfaced, we will be stranded. Crippled. It's not anything major or serious enough like stuck in the middle of nowhere on a 1,000km road trip, but it definitely is deterring us from planning a long road trip for sure.

Honestly, I just needed a car to work. Like, how hard is that?

The Drowning Man

A man was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help.

Soon a man in a rowboat came by and shouted to the the man on the roof, "Jump in, I can save you."

The stranded man shouted back, "No, it's okay, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me."

So the rowboat went on.

Then a motorboat came by. The man in the motorboat shouted, "Jump in, I can save you." To this the stranded man said, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith."

So the motorboat went on.

Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted out, "Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety." The stranded man again replied, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me."

So the helicopter flew away.

Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to heaven. He finally got a chance to discuss the whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, "I had faith in you but you didnt save me and let me drown! I dont understand why!"

To this God replied, "I sent you a rowboat, a motorboat and a helicopter. What more did you expect?"

I may very well be this foolish man now.

Spring

Spring has come, and furries have emerged out from under the sheets all day =) They're so active now, always triggering up the cameras in the house =)

Also took this time to wash all the down and thicker jackets, now that the sun is staying out longer =)

Fen and I cant believe how we survived winter, just like that. Perhaps it was overrated, with people warning us how cold it will get, and how bad we were gonna suffer. Eh, it really wasnt crazy, the worst morning was -0.1°C, which I only donned on a thick pullover @.@ Maybe our tolerance for cold just went up =) We had quite a bit of fun huffing and puffing out smoke though lol (noob)~

I've also had my fair share of wardrobe mistakes which I kept making on cold days. Wore too short, too thin, too under-layered, wrong jacket, but I survived. Heh.

Hiking has proven so fun for us, I reckon Mum would love the hikes here. O, I caught up with Mum and Sis' family 2 months earlier in Bali for a couple days. It was nice to see them and hug them again. My baby niece is like a cartoon character baby Moana, she's so funny, but so needy for her mummy, argh.

Recently did furries' checkup at the vet, seeing that they've been on their homemade diet for some 3 months now. The last time I took BOTH furries to the vet MYSELF, was in 2014, when each furry had a crate. We only got 1 crate here (not the big ass flight crate of coz), and so I had to makeshift Pitch's carrier, put her in her cozy cat cave, and place the cat cave in our grocery chiller bag so that I can zip her up inside. Hahaha. They behaved like champs as usual, always making me proud.

Both furries now weigh the same at 5.3kg o.O" Ginger looking suave as usual, but Pitch still has to down to 5kg =/ But they're doing so well!!! Gotta update the nutritionist!!

I finally went for facial. Zomg. About damn time. And I was told I have dry skin! Woah woah, all my life I was told to avoid nourishing moisturisers coz they're too rich, and just go for hydrating water based gels and creams. For the first time ever, I'm using rich oil serums and moisturisers for dry skin. And boy my face feels rather good~

Fen's facial went so much better than mine. He cant stop raving about how good this country is doing to him, inside and out.

It is coming 1 year of our journey here. How we know is because the bills are all due and sent us reminders. Car rego, car insurance, RACV, ambulance coverage, etc.. Hard life. But yea, what a journey it has been. I am so glad we've made the 4 seasons, the ups and downs. We're still so uncertain, but we havent lost hope. There's still a roof over our heads, we can still put food on the table. There is just so much to appreciate. Yes, no one will ever stop wanting more, yet everyday, dont stop to think about just how good life has already been.

I may just sound like I'm ready to die, but every single waking day is already a gift. To feel no pain, to feel able, to have strong legs to walk on, to have appetite to eat every meal. The simplest things can be so awesome, really.

Going back to SG for a short while soon. I havent told too many people, coz Fen and I cant meet that many people and our schedule is already full. We are going to bring back more stuff from our house too, and already wrote a list of foods we're gonna stuff our mouths with ^^

And I think I'm finally sick of cooking fried bee hoon, so it's now hor fun time! We're trying to stick to a more ketogenic diet as well, whenever possible (yes hor fun or bee hoon is not ketogenic).

I also finally finished a knitted scarf. It turned out like shit, mostly because I did not leave enough yarn needed to close off, and was too unbothered to go buy back the same colour yarn, and went to close with a contrasting colour yarn that I had on hand. So, basically, that last few stitches at the tail end ruined the entire look of the scarf. Hurhur. I was also very eager to start the next scarf, because I wanted to try a different stitch pattern. It is looking so good~~ Could prolly finish in the next couple days!!

I have aplenty pictures to post, but I am too lazy to edit, and I have standards for my pictures, so that's why it's just words now. Lalala.

Lastly, I bought a weighing scale!!! LOL what trivial update is this. But yea, hoping to stay motivated to lose weight =/

WINTER

O my, did i not blog last month? Who's reading anyway *rolls eyes

Winter. Winter, winter, winter. I reluctantly confess I dont do very well in winter. Mucus literally flows down my nose. Scalp is flaking. Flesh on finger splitting. Chilblains on feet and toes.

Unfortunately, weather is like this 9 months throughout the year. I needa adjust man.

Hair is a bob now, yays~ Until I can manage long unkempt hair, I'm better off keeping it short for now.

Pitch had her dental surgery and blood tests. Urine tests were inconclusive, and I'm supposed to catch her pee at home to rerun the test. Easier said than done. She treasures her privacy in the loo so much.

I'm working out at home more regularly now. Winter is making me wanna warm my body up. Plus always on a mission to. Lose. That. Weight. My pushups are looking more and more awesome, and I finally believe that hard work for exercising pays off. Most of the time I just give up after not seeing results. Now, chasing after perfect form is what drives me, not so much looking at weighing scales (we have no weighing scale anyway). Most of my plyo moves look ridiculous and clumsy, hope it gets more effortless soon =)

Fen and I are also hitting the gym weekly, and to my joy he is enjoying it so much. On rare occasions he would do HIIT at home with me too! Since the gym allows casual entries, there are no commitments, and we mostly head for the weights, which we dont have at home ^^ I'm doing 30kg barbell for deadlifts now! Did massive research for workout sets, and have this tiny book to refer to when in gym hehehe.

Which is also why I'm literally in workout clothes all the time. And still buying more. Omg. Moved on from Aloyoga to Gymshark now. Lol, Oz makes online shopping too easy, I think it's a crime =/

I tendered at NP, and that was pretty emotional. A little fearful of the unknown now, trying to look for a new job, hitting dead ends, self-doubting, feeling worthless. Looking to sermons and staying as faithful as I can now..

I am more thankful than I've ever been, that the journey so far has been so good and blessed, not all smooth-sailing but we werent expecting smooth-sailing anyway. We fell, we learnt, we got up and kept walking. Happy to have Fen with me, to have a roof over our heads, to have furries to cuddle.

Life

Life.

Sometimes it passes so fast, sometimes so slow.

Almost 7 months since we're in Oz. Pitch has gone for a general checkup, trying to set up her blood test, urine test, and dental cleaning now. A lotta money ($$$) so waiting for a while first. And it's not exactly super urgent, seeing that she's not throwing up ever since I dropped her off dry food, and pacing her food intake over a couple hours daily.

Ginger is doing well with homemade diet for a month now, and I've sent his medical reports to Massey Uni for  a complete analysis to determine his balanced diet, which I know is not yet. Deliberating whether to buy a grinder ($$$) to grind turkey bones for his calcium needs. And he's also due for another checkup just to make sure the homemade diet is not giving him problems.

As the weather has dropped a lot over the past 2 weeks (highest in the day is 15°C), so furries are behaving a little differently. Pitch has up her food intake from 2 cans to 5 cans (!)/day, I try to keep within 4.. Ginger is however eating lesser than his usual 150g/day.

The electrician guy came over this morning to fix the house downlights that were not working. He changed a total of 5 transformers, and since he was taking a while, we chatted a bit. He was lamenting how expensive it is to stay in Oz, how the government cant/doesnt do much to help the locals, and how A$2k/week is just enough only.

In fact, I've been speaking to all the tradies who always come by the house to fix stuff, and they all lament. Some say Aussies just like to whinge, some say Aussies are lazy.

Truth be told, Aussies are just people. People are just like that everywhere in the world. Nothing's really that different, and nothing is really that easy. If life is hard in SG, it's also hard in Oz, and pretty much anywhere else.

Fen and I are blessed. We've heard stories from people, from friends. So much drama, so much unhappiness. Life is not easy for us either, but it's manageable. We're contented. We dont have a lot, but we have just enough. We would like more, but that's not up to us either. We're not starving, we're not freezing, we're not at a dead end.

Maybe we're truly living the quote - when life gives you lemons, make lemonade =)
O yes, Fen found a job. He loves his job, and I'm so thrilled for him~

We've moved to a new rental this month, and it's so much better than the last. Same 3 room-2 bathroom-1 garage house, but this place is a tad smaller, and not as long. I swear the last rental is like 30m long, and we only used 10m of the place. I wouldnt even use the backyard coz it was just too far away to get to. Now, the backyard is just out the kitchen/back door, where I do my outdoor workouts and line clothes for some sun. Fen can easily do his gardening too, everything is just together and convenient. The place is also a lot quieter, peaceful. First few months in Oz, the silence was deafening, anyone from SG would not be comfortable with it. Now, I wouldnt be able to stand the constant humming background noise we hear everyday in SG! Lol.

Anyway, with the new place, we got ourselves a rice cooker, this mighty food processor, and Nutribullet. The non-stick pot does a lousy job of cooking rice, so we had to get the cooker. We were tired of mincing up garlic and onions with knives, so the food processor finally came into the list. It's so mighty, I've made butternut squash puree soup, almond butter, and mayonnaise with it! Looovvve it so much, what took me so long to buy this!?

Initially we wanted to bring our Philips glass blender (S$120) from SG to Oz. I love blenders, use it to make soups and smoothies. We decided it was silly to bring a heavy electrical appliance when blenders are sold everywhere. We first got this KMart glass blender (A$30?) urgently because of Ginger's prescribed liquid food fed via o-tube. It isnt powerful, but it did make mushroom soups and smoothies for us. I'm now thinking of chucking it, so in come food processor and Nutribullet.

Nutribullet. What a highly raved popular product. First and probably only con. It is LOUD af. Okie, I'm not thrilled it's not glass either, but something's gotta give for the affordable price point. I am happy with how easy it is to clean up though, because I can get Fen's smoothie done in 10min tops, including cleaning, before he leaves for work. High speed blenders are quite scary though, I admit. Whenever I operate it, I just wanna keep a safe distance away..

We are always keeping our eyes on Philips Airfryer. It was our holy grail in SG, and how we missed it so. We have been using the oven toaster (A$39) from KMart (again. Just know KMart =  cheapo), and now contemplating if it needs chucking.. And that Dyson V10 (A$999) just popped into the market, so we've turned our eyes from V8 to V10.... Even though we own a SG Dyson big ball animal pro..

As you can see, I've just spent 3 paragraphs talking about nothing but household products. And I'm mostly blaming the fact that we have more room space now, to get sucked into all these consumerism blabla. Remembering SG.. everytime we wanna buy something, first question, "does the house have space???"

Just booked my first flight ticket since being in Oz. Will be a family overseas trip with Mum, Sis and her family. Fen wont be joining, and will be taking care of furries =)

This week is exciting, bought a few stuff over the net, waiting for their deliveries due this couple days! From Amazon (OMFG the shipping is rocket high), furries' toothbrushes, cost only $20, but shipping is $60 (muthafucker). Also bought back Cleansui tap filter, heard that Oz tap water is hard (yea, there's a thing called hard water, who knew), and yes we have a a filtered flask, but this is mostly for furries ^^" the things I do for my furballs..

Also bought this shampoo called New Wash. I actually forgot how I chanced upon this, but had been deliberating on it for months. Again, because Oz tap water is hard, it doesnt do well for hair. My hair has been a wreck, really, hard to tame and style. I've tried buying Lush products, but really only H'suan Wen Hua calms it enough. Also by the way, Lush products are cheap here! If you know better quality hair products, help a lady out here!

I really wanna cut a bob, but Fen is certain I'll whinge =/

Anyway, New Wash is from HairStory, very confident of their product's performance, currently only does online sales, so yep, finally did it and bought it. Only sold in US and a few other countries (not SG) though, for now =)

I am still crazy for Air Max, just cant see the need to buy it, so everytime I walk into stores to ogle at them, I still come out empty handed. Proud of myself, heh.

Mums

Fen's mum and aunt came over in the 3rd week of March, and Fen was busy entertaining them. When they left, he cried buckets, this mama's boy =)

While they were here, they shared plenty of recipes with us. They cooked daily for us too, and we went to beds full and satisfied.

List of food recipes they imparted:

• 年糕 (sticky new year's cake, fried in flour)
• 黑糯米 (black glutinous rice)
• chicken curry, asian style
• various vege dishes, stir-fried
• dark soy sauce chicken rice, claypot style
• bak kut teh
• wuxiang (I literally dont know how to translate this)
• muah chee
• perfected fried pork lard
• fried small onions and its oil

We're glad they were comfortable and relaxed during their stay, and brought them to places they enjoyed. Mostly markets, a couple of malls, Werribee Zoo, Philip Island, gardens, and local cafes and eateries =)

Fen also stayed up late to listen to their life stories, the hardship of their times.

I'm actually very excited about our new 6L thermopot. Bought it in SG from Tangs, online. The mums shipped it over, and I christened it last Saturday. Sooo happy!! I actually wanted to buy here in Oz, but wasnt so sure of the brands and quality, so stuck back with Zojirushi. It's stainless steel and hardy, big enough for 2 dinners (both Fen and I), possibly 3, if I may say so. Just havent gone crazy with cooking batches that big yet.

Fen and I are super stoked to be moving to our new place this month. We went for about 10 inspections in 1 day, mostly just out of fun, because we only applied for 1 in the end. Hahaha! And woohoo, we gottit! All thanks to God and his blessings. But we rejected it. Lol. Even though it's the perfect place for us and furries, well maintained with love by the landlord. We had a chat with the landlord by chance, and turns out he really likes us! 

We actually took over 2 weeks to decide after the agent offered, and eventually let it pass.
We really are excited and thankful for all happenings that have laid out according to God's plans, and trust that something better will come around in His time.

Pitch has been consistently throwing up the last 2 weeks, and it's irking and worrying me so much. Finally booked an appointment for her this Saturday, hopefully it's nothing that cannot be corrected. I want my babies healthy af.
On the other hand, I've been reading extensively on homemade cat food (catinfo.org and catnutrition.org). Lotsa stuff to buy on iHerb to go with the turkey meat. Still a debate of cooked or raw (currently it's 70% oven baked) and ground or not (current chunky meat). Ginger has taken it with minimal fuss! So super happy~ Gotta get updates from vet to clear both furries' health this month though, including confirming Ginger's renal insufficiency/pancreatitis recovery and Pitch's puking problem, and other general well-being plus any allergies plus dental and mouth conditions.
Busy!

Still much uncertainty in the coming months, and praying for life to stablilise here in Oz =)

hiatus

Okay, I've been procrastinating.

Bike's tyre was punctured one day, and I had to push it home. Literally walked 100 minutes, but t'was a beautiful evening, so I'm thankful~ The bike store apologised for pumping lower psi, which caused the tube to pinch and puncture. Pfft.

CNY came and left. We did steamboat and 3 rounds of yusheng with friends, and in the last round of louhei, I must say that I've never tasted yusheng so fresh and yummy!!

Place to go if asian chinese craving is strong

Fen bought a pot of roses, knowing I dont like bouquets, that sweet. It flowered in time for V-Day, hehee. Our other gardening doesnt seem to be doing very well, some pesky insects have invaded and are destroying them. Welp.

Fen and I have been running around. Other than him being obsessed with bleaching/colouring our hair that can take up hours(!), we've visited a couple of weekend markets. He loves flea markets, 2nd hand buys, cheap deals, homemade stuff. We have started attending connect groups too, and as a first timer for me, I did find it kinda nice and cozy.

And well, we've been cooking. Our mushroom soup is spectacular, if I may boldly say so myself. Our clam chowder needs more work, currently quite unsure if the problem is with the clams or milk, hahaa.

Clam chowder tastes fine, but not clam-y enough!

Perhaps I should start a list of dishes we are cooking regularly, like we did before in SG.

• Steak with broccoli
• Mushroom soup
• BCM
• Shakshuka
• Lamb shanks
• Baked rice
• Oyster omelette (耗煎)
• Taiwan oyster mee sua (台湾蚵仔面线)
• Japchae
• Chicken soup
• Smoothies and juices

Received a package from Sharon last week. This sweet sweet angel. I do feel loved by people, even if it's just a few. Have always known that life isnt about popularity and a huge network of acquaintances, but the few precious gems of people you meet, that you hold dear and close.

Didnt lug my tumbler from SG, but it's okie! Hail Hello Kitty!

Fen also surprised me on my birthday. He took half day off, and cooked me Taiwanese oyster mee sua. It was so yummy. I also requested for the oyster omelette, and he nailed it the first try.

Yummier than it looks!!

Recipe from Meatmen

Fen. This man of many talents. So hidden and obscured, why I dont know. I pray for God to shine him to greatness, he's so capable of many things. All he needs is a chance to prove his worth..

In other news, Pitch also celebrated her birthday. She's 5 now! ilovehersomuch

This needy ball of fur =*

Summer

I'm eager for summer to end, as I took my cold shower this evening.

Mostly because seeing Nigel sleeping right outside the door makes me sad. And the weird confusion over whether I'm hungry or not. Not to forget the heat is somehow melting our gardening.

Watched a couple of movies this weekend, since our car is in the workshop for repairs, after a van hit us from behind, as our car was stationary waiting to filter out. Quite a clear case, so we claimed in full without excess. Nobody was hurt, thank god.

I'd say I've got a movie overdose, mind is whirling and shacked but body is just so restless.

But perhaps the movie that got me most intrigued is The Man From Earth (2007). A small budget film, 10 years old, shot entirely in an enclosed room, with 8 characters tops. Built entirely on intellectual conversations. Left me baffled and wanting more. Lol. Questioning. Wishing. Desiring to walk the 14,000 years together as an observer. It's weird. It's strange and abnormal but so possible. Full of science and philosophy and ideology and privilege.

Tagline: Anything is possible. A real good storyline.

Sci-fi movies these days are boggling too. Life (2017), been a while since I watched horror films with dreadful endings. Hahaa. Space is some scary shit. And we, we are so damn bloody small.

Cycled on the roads this week, due to lack of vehicle transport. Scary to think about it, sucha thrill to be doing it. The subconscious involuntary smile plastered on my face while I'm back on the bicycle. Even though I was nowhere ready to be on unfamiliar roads, absolutely not confident making right turns, and riding a bike that is 2 sizes too big for me.

It's the long weekend, Australia Day just passed and we bought 24 bottles of beer to celebrate. How timely to carry 20kg of glass bottled beer  when we are crippled without a car. How very smart. Feels great to be young and strong =)

Shipment from SG

Finally got our 2 boxes in today. My makeup stash is COMPLETE.

What I brought over

With shipment, altogether now! *2 more pouches were forgotten in another corner, oopz.

Packed compact neat and tidy~

Someday I should probably do a detailed write up and stocktake of my makeup huh. Interested?

No breakages for all fragile glassware, kudos to Fen for the fantastic wrapping and packing!! As usual, movers cannot give 2 hoots about keeping the boxes right side up, so I had some leakages from my toner bottles and nail cleansers. No biggie, didnt lose much liquid there.

Fen and I wanted to wait for our boxes which had certain essentials instead of buying, but some things couldnt wait.

Our cookware, for one. Just. Couldnt. Wait. We got a set of 4 cookware here eventually, stone pots and pans. And we use them every day. So, couldnt wait. We knew we could buy here, so why ship? Well, because our SG pots and pans are from Le Creuset and Visions. Well, Oz has those products too, but too bad we got that long ago in SG, so... Shipping them. And now we just might have one too many cookware ^^"

Coldwear. Couldnt wait too, the weather here fluctuates too much. I planned for summer, but was proven wrong by the strong cold winds. But of coz, I never complain having too much outerwear =)

Well! Other than that, we did manage to persevere till our stuff came! My hair styling equipment, nails equipment, workout equipment, accessories, rest of my makeup, all happily with me now. And our extra bags, and the awesome Hurom slow juicer!

I must say though, if we could do so far and so well without those things, does it mean we can continue to survive without those things? Food for thought, we really dont need that much in life.

So happy to finally have our ice cream scoop and cherry pitter, we were soooo tempted to buy. So proud we didnt. Now we can finally scoop ice cream properly and I can buy cherries! Cheap thrill, lol~ 

I see now that the more important things we really needed, are very inconsequential and possibly cheap, but very necessary and perhaps cant be found in Oz. Furries have their elevanted anti-ant tray, they no longer need to crouch to eat, and the tray keeps ants away!

It is also awesome that Fen is TB king, we got our bedsheets from TB, smoothest fabric ever. The cheapo bedsheets from Big W? A$50, and gives my delicate skin some massive abrasion! We've brought in 4 TB shipments so far, and it's saved us so much.

I did wish we brought more of our SG stuff though. I really miss my Philips glass blender. We actually needed to use it. It's funny on hindsight, though, the very first use for the blender was to blend Ginger's prescribed food, in order to tube-feed him when he was just discharged, hahaa..

I mean, we have a glass blender now, it works fine.. Cost a quarter of my Philips glass blender.. And I wonder why I'm using a lower quality product while having my awesome blender collecting dust back home.

And then, I realise again, we dont need the best things in life, as long as it works. We dont need the best car, the most expensive clothes, the most branded bag. As long as the vehicle gets us places, clothes fit us well, bag carries our valuables.

We also dont need too many of the same thing. If I had just brought my blender over, then I wouldnt need to buy another one, and leave one unused and wasted. If you really like something, you dont really have to buy for "stock up". Unless we're talking about perishables like food or makeup or underwear. You know what I mean, lah. Because I've seen the perishables go bad, and basically threw my money out the window.

A shipping transaction taught me so much. To plan ahead what to bring, what we can forgo and buy instead, to manage expectation, to be patient, and even whether we need those things at all.

heavy

During service last Sunday, I was tearing up a lot. In my head ran through all the plights of cats and dogs I know that are suffering/have suffered. Last week I found out my SG yoga instructor's dog passed away due to cancer. Skylar, a cat in Jo's cattery has a growth in his head that's pushing against one eye, and it's getting worse. Her latest post says blood spurts everywhere when he sneezes. Nigel, the neighbour's outdoor cat is at our door 3 to 5 times a day. He wants affection, food, to make friends with our furries, I dont know. I know he's out there, in the heat, in the cold, no real home, no real love. And I dont know how to walk up to my neighbour and tell them to love their cat more. Love is different to everybody.

It wasnt easy to bring furries over to Oz. Not easy at all. So many risks. So much money. So much to fear. I still shudder when I thought about the whole process of exporting them over, the last moment I saw them in SG, the despair when I learned about Ginger falling ill, the unsettling worry and fear right till we reached quarantine facility and hospital.. It was so much drama and trauma. I would not ever wanna go through that again.
I hug my furballs everyday, thinking of what they've gone through. I love them with my everything. I learn so much from them, every single day. How it's okay to not be the same as others. How it's okay to have imperfections. How it's okay to be alone sometimes. How it's okay to show love and affection. How it's okay when things dont go your way. 

It's okay. Life goes on.

Not a day goes by that I dont think about them leaving me. It's always on my mind. Things come and go. One moment, you're so caught up with a trend, a food, an obsession, a person. Next moment you wonder how those years went by when you were so infatuated with that. I dont wanna miss my furries' beautiful faces. Their innocent love, their individual character. Their body warmth, their headbutts, their unique purrs.

Some people refuse to think/talk about death. Avoid it like the plague. Deal with it when it comes. I've seen enough deaths over the last few years to know that running away from the topic brings more pain. I still cry buckets when I think about my furries leaving me. I just try to cherish them more now. Give them all the attention they need and want.

Okay, done with furry banter. Where am I going with this?
Keep your loved ones close, they're irreplaceable.