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 =)