Di's Reflections

Japanese Cheesecake (Soft and Fluffy)

2011-04-23T13:25:00.001+10:00

Ingredients:

250ml milk
250 gm cream cheese, cubed and softened at room temperature
60 gm butter, softened at room temperature
6 egg yolks
55 gm cake flour
20 gm corn flour
1 lemon zest
6 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
130 gm caster sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150C (302F).
2. Use a large bowl, pour in milk. Place the bowl over simmering water. Don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Add cream cheese, stir occasionally, until completely dissolved and the mixture turns smooth. Stir in butter, till dissolved. Remove from heat. Let cool down a bit, then add the egg yolks and combine well. (Note: Make sure the mixture is not too hot, as you don’t want to cook the egg yolks at this stage.)
3. Combine cake flour and corn flour. Sift in the flours into the cream cheese mixture, a small amount at a time. Mix well between every addition, and make sure there aren’t any flour lumps. Stir in freshly grated zest. Set aside.
Place egg whites in a large clean bowl. (Note: Make sure there’s no oil or water in the bowl at all.)
4. Use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites for 3 minutes, then add cream of tartar and blend again. Pour sugar in the egg whites and blend until very stiff peaks form. (Please refer to this video: How To Beat Egg Whites.)
5. Fold-in the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture gently with a rubber spatula just until all ingredients are incorporated. Do not stir or beat. For a better result, fold in egg whites with a small amount at a time, at least for 3 times. (Please refer to this post with video: How To Fold-in Egg Whites).
6. Pour the mixture into the two baking pans. Place the pans into another larger baking tray. Add hot water in the tray up to half way. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes. Test with a needle or skewer that comes out clean.
7. Turn off the oven. Leave the oven door ajar for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove from the pans. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Chill in a fridge for about 3 hours. Enjoy!

2011-04-23T13:22:00.001+10:00

It's been a while since i've blogged because i've been so lazy!
I've been trying new recipes lately and i've decided i'm going to use my blog like a recipe blog - recipes of food i've tried to cook and I would like to keep (just in case the user closes their websites). These are recipes that I would definitely cook/bake again :)

2 weeks till Christmas

2010-12-13T13:59:00.002+11:00

Only today, I've realised that I haven't blogged in a very long time. Sorry I've been so lazy!!

A horoscope reading for Oscar

2010-10-17T10:58:00.002+11:00

I was recommended by a friend who does Tarot Reading to do a reading for Oscar on this website. When she studied Tarot, she was given this site to use as an indication to ensure her readings were correct so she believes this is a very accurate site.

The report was generated with the following birth data: Male, born on 24th August 2010 at xxx pm in Sydney, Australia.

Your sun sign is Virgo. This is the sign in which the Sun is in your birth chart. Your Ascendant, the rising sign, is in Capricorn, and your Moon is in Aquarius.

Capricorn Rising

A practical person, you are reserved but also ambitious. You want to achieve something of significance in this world, and you are willing to work to achieve it.

It isn't easy for you to just relax and play, and as you get older, this will be even more of a problem.

Your parents are very important to you, especially your father, and a good relationship with them will bring out the best in you. Oddly enough, people with Capricorn rising have a very good sense of humor, in fact they are able to make fun of themselves.

Sun in Virgo

You are very careful in everything you do, and you put a high value on neatness. You expect others to live up to those same high standards, and you are easily disappointed if they do not. When you see something wrong in someone or something, you don't hesitate to point it out. But you will have to learn to be considerate when you do this, because criticizing others creates bad feelings.

You are very interested in learning as much as possible about the world. In whatever you make or do, you apply the same standards of perfection that you want other people to live up to.

You like to help others because being useful makes you feel good. You are able to put off what you want for yourself in order to help someone you love do what he or she wants. Others will respect you for this.

Sun in the Eighth House

A serious person, you know that you will have to go through many important changes as you grow. You are attracted to mysteries and to finding out about the deepest aspects of life.

While you are young you may not be able to distinguish between what is yours and what belongs to others. As an adult, however, you will probably make a career of handling other people's property or money; if you learned the lessons of your youth, you will be unusually responsible about handling possessions - yours as well as others'.

Moon in Aquarius

You value your freedom very highly and demand the right to do whatever you want at all times.

You like to be with a group of people, especially your friends, because your own ways and desires have more meaning if you can share them with others.

Once you get to the point of feeling at ease with your emotions, you will reveal them quite spontaneously to others, and you may even get impatient with those who try to hide their feelings. You must learn to be tolerant of these and other emotional differences between yourself and other people.

Moon in the Second House

You have a strong need for emotional security, which is reflected by the desire to own things. But you should be careful not to attach too much importance to what you own, because you may become selfish and possessive, especially if you feel insecure and afraid.

If you feel very positive and secure, you may be generous and giving, but when you feel rash and impulsive, you tend to waste money or whatever else you have.

In relationships you form strong attachments to other people, which may make you feel possessive of them. If you are willing to run the risk of losing your friends, you will actually find it easier to keep them.

Venus in Libra

You are a friendly, outgoing person who likes to have fun with others. You don't like to be alone, because you feel lonely very easily. Fortunately, people usually like you, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding company. In your efforts to get someone to like you, you should be yourself, not what you think the other person is looking for.

You like beautiful, graceful objects and fine clothing.

You may not enjoy doing hard work. But you will have to overcome this as you grow older, because everyone has to meet life's demands. You may try to get others to do your dirty work for you, but this would be a poor use of this energy. Instead, use your talent to make life beautiful for yourself and the people around you.

Venus in the Tenth House

This usually means that you have a warm relationship with your father, or with your mother if she has taken a fatherly role in your life. In either case, that parent teaches you about the world in such a warm and loving manner that you learn to think of the world as beautiful and friendly.

When you are older, the career you choose is likely to reflect your lighthearted feeling about the world. If you are a more serious person, your career may involve working with people in some way. You should be good at that, for you have the makings of a natural diplomat.

Venus Conjunct Midheaven

At its best, this placement means that you are full of love and affection for others, but at the same time you can follow your own path and attract only those who are able to go along with you.

Certainly you enjoy and appreciate beauty, and you are able to bring beauty into your everyday life.

You enjoy peace and harmony, and you get along very well with others. The key element in your ability to get along is that you are true to yourself as well as fair to others.

In any career, your ability to get along easily with people will be an important part of your success.

Mars in Libra

This placement of Mars can have two quite different effects. Probably you prefer to work with another person, for you have a strong sense of cooperation. Your desire to have your own way is modified by your need to get along with others.

But on the other hand, some persons with this placement are very competitive. In that case, you think of every meeting with someone else as a chance to compete, either in a friendly or an unfriendly spirit.

You have a strong sense of fairness and hate to see anyone treated unjustly.

Mars in the Tenth House

You want to get ahead in life, and you will work very hard to get there.

However, while you are still in the learning stage, you should be careful how you treat authority figures. You don't automatically respect all adults, because you have very high standards for others as well as for yourself.

You should probably look for a career in which you can be self-employed or else have a great deal of independent authority. This position of Mars suggests several kinds of jobs, especially those that require a lot of physical energy or hard work.

Mars Conjunct Midheaven

Very early in life, you will develop a firm determination to do everything your own way. You decide upon a course of action quite quickly, and you usually know just what you want to accomplish.

If someone questions your moves, you take it very personally. You must realize that you are more than the sum of your actions and that when someone challenges your decisions, it does not mean they are challenging you personally.

This aspect indicates that when you are older you should choose a career in which you can have a great deal of independence and expend a lot of physical energy.

If you would like to try for your kids, here is the link: Astro

My new life

2010-10-13T16:54:00.005+11:00

My new life started after giving birth to my baby boy. It's amazing watching him grow. Feeling his weight increase when I breastfeed him gives me the best satisfaction ever!! Realising that he's outgrowing his clothes makes me wonder how quick it is before he becomes a toddler, start to talk, give me hugs to giving me attitude, learning to talk back, and being naughty. Time is going to go by so quickly so i'm trying to capture every moment with my precious prince!

Sometimes I say that I would prefer to go back to work, only so that I can get a full nights sleep. But then I realised that even if I do go back to work, it doesn't mean I don't have to get up when Oscar calls for me.

I was asked yesterday whether I have ever thrown a tantrum at Oscar. I never have. I never would. The only thing i've done is ask him why he is crying when he has been crying non - stop for the last 2 hours!! Of course, I get no response but more crying. I guess since it's his only way of communicating to me, he's forgiven :P

Oscar is 6 weeks old and is onto his 7th week this week. This week, he's been more interactive than the past few weeks. He can see alot further, so he likes to stare at the mobile that is hung on his cot. He uses his hands to play with the toys hanging from his bouncer and he would make some cooing noises. I often talk to him and think he is responding because for some reason, when I talk to him and ask him questions, he somehow manages to make sounds to respond to me.

I can't wait to see his progression for the next few weeks!! .... and hopefully, i'll soon be able to fit back into my pre-preggy clothes !!!

Milo

2010-09-22T11:34:00.004+10:00

I never knew drinking milk tea would have such an affect on Oscar.

There was 3 days in a row that I drank milk tea with my breakfast. Those few days was the worst days and nights because Oscar refused to sleep. He would be really tired & sleep in my arms but when I put him down, he would be really unsettled. I got cranky and upset with myself because at first I didn't know why he was behaving the way he did.

Yesterday the same thing happened. All day he refuse to sleep. His eyes were rolling and wide awake. Everytime I put him in his cot with his music, he would cry and cry... he was that that all last night as well.

As I held him tight in my arms last night trying to settle him, I thought, why is he behaving this way? Is it his stomach, did he do a poo? Wind? I thought of everything but I couldn't work it out. Then I realised, I had a big glass of Milo for breakfast. For those that know me, I don't put in teaspoons of Milo, I put in 5-6 tablespoons. I think this is what gave Oscar his energy boost, which caused me to have a sleepless night. I am so tired today. I only had 3 hrs of broken sleep last night.

Lesson learnt : No milo or caffinated drinks for the rest of my breastfeeding period.

Fear

2010-09-09T19:42:00.002+10:00

Last night my wound started to bleed abit after having a shower. I rang up RPA and they asked me to go to emergency to have it checked out.

It's been a while since i've been to Emergency. Counting back, it's now 7 years.

The fears all came back and it felt like it only happened yesterday. I thought that I am alot stronger now but I still have that weak spot in my heart. As I walked into the emergency reception, my heart was beating.. I was staring at the ambulances, remembering that one night, 7 years ago when I was driving behind the ambulance. I felt like crying. I felt really sad. I felt so fragile and so weak, I just needed a great big hug to tell me everything is ok.

The hospital beds and seeing people with drips scare me. I don't dare to look at others. My eyes focused on myself, and the ground. I avoided eye contact with the other people.

I hope one day I can overcome this barrier.

Introducing my baby boy Oscar

2010-09-08T19:20:00.002+10:00

My birthing experience

2010-09-03T21:19:00.002+10:00

I gave birth to my precious baby boy on 24.8.10. The birth of my boy was not as I expected.

I had to say, for the duration of my pregnancy, I had it quite easy. I had no morning sickness, mushrooms was the only food I was put off by but after 1 month, I was happily eating it again. My belly was not huge so I was able to run around. I wasn't very tired, I had a great appetite, I worked as normal. The last month was abit tiring as my tummy got heavy, sleeping was abit more difficult and uncomfortable. My lower back started to ache, but that was about it.

At week 35, was when things started to get abit tough. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, meaning I had to make weekly visits to the hospital and get my fingers pricked (for the first time!! ).
At week 36, I was told I had a breech baby. My baby was heads up, bums down.
I was offered an ECV - this is where they put me on a Ventolin drip, monitor my blood pressure, have a heart machine and monitor on the baby and in case of fetal distress, an emergency cesearean would be needed. This is where the doctor manually tries to turn the baby by using his hands and forcing the baby to move. The success rate of this is 40% only. The Ventolin is used to relax my uterus so they put a cactus (a 1mm thick needle) into my arm. This needle is very very very painful and left a big bruise on my arm. Having a breech baby meant I cannot have a normal labour, I would have to have a cesearean.

I was devastated. Having a cesearean had never crossed my mind. I was always planning to have a natural birth. I never liked the after pain of the wound. I was really upset and depressed for a few days. I eventually, after many discussions with my husband, mum and BFF booked to do the ECV, where the doctor would manually turn the baby. I was super scared that it would hurt too much, but then I didn't want to have a cesearean. However, it was unsuccessful. Baby refused to turn, meaning that I had to book in for a cesearean.

At this time, when I had my blood pressure tested, it was very elevated. I was around 160/100. I've never had high blood pressure before either, which made everything more depressing.

All of a sudden, I had gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, plus a breech baby and will be having a cesearean.

I did a lot of research on all of the above and the more I read about it the more upset I got but after 2 weeks, at week 38, I accepted the fact I had to have a cesearean. I booked in to do the cesearean at the beginning of week 40, 30th August.

I had a blood pressure monitoring appointment on the 23rd. This is where I get admitted into day surgery and sit there for 4 hours and they monitor my blood pressure over 4 hours. My appointment was at 8am. That morning, I got into the shower & saw some bleeding. I was home alone. I rang the hospital immediately and because I wasn't having contractions, they just told me to go into the hospital. I asked the midwives if I can drive and they said I can.. so I finished my shower, grabbed my hospital bag (just in case) and drove to RPAH.

I got to the hospital and I was put onto a monitor to have my contractions monitored. I was 1cm dialated. I was told that I had to stay overnight to be monitored.

On the 24th, around 12noon, my water broke while the doctor came in to do their routine checkup. I was told I had to do an emergency cesearean straight away, so I was booked in for 1.30pm. I had to call Ray and my mum and they both rushed to the hospital. My baby was brought to this world at 2.35pm.

Following the birth, I had to stay in hospital for 5 days. Every morning I had to have blood tests, every 4 hours my blood pressure was to be checked. I was taking 20 - 25 tablets per day including painkillers for the pain from the wound. Not to mention, each morning my fingers were getting pricked. I had the dietician come in to talk about the diet for having diabetes, a special doctor (I can't remember the name now) for my high blood pressure and the midwives. It was very exhausting and very depressing. At the same time, the painkillers was making me very drowsy, so when I was feeding, I was seeing multiple babies. After a while, they reduced my dosage, making me feel the pain more.

During the 5 days I was in the hospital, I had 2 good midwives and 2 very bad ones. Ones that are rude and rough with my baby. Others were really helpful and offered assistance to more than they should have. One offered to look after my baby for 3 hours while I take a nap. Others just pick up my baby like it was a doll, and dropped him back into the basket without holding his head, and some just simply had really bad attitude. I was dying to go home!!

Anyways, before this birth experience, I wanted to have 2 children. Now after this, I don't want another child. It's staring at my baby's peaceful look when he is sleeping that has kept me going. Holding, hugging and kissing him. I hope one day soon I will change my mind because I really want to have 2.

Creation of Love

2010-08-11T16:01:00.002+10:00

Since being pregnant, I haven't been able to express how I felt having a baby inside me. I know it is a baby created by Ray and myself.

It's a pity that only us females get to experience this feeling and not the males. I think their feeling of the creation is very different to what we feel.

I was watching a TVB drama and a lady that was quite maturely aged fell pregnant. She described her falling pregnant as the creation of their love for one another. When I heard that, I realised it very well sums up how I have been feeling and how I feel with the new addition to our lives.

Not long to go, 3 weeks left and and our creation will see this beautiful world :)

1 week of work left

2010-07-26T14:06:00.002+10:00

This is my final week of work before I start my maternity leave. It still hasn't quite hit me that I will be taking 12 months off. 12 months off work seems so long, I wonder if I will get bored.

I feel very tired and exhausted from work. I really want to have a break but then is this really a break? I have a feeling that i'll be more tired looking after a baby than being at work!!

Ray and I have finished our antenatal classes. The classes were very good. It's given me reassurance and a better understanding of everything. The good thing is, it's also prepared Ray for the birth of our child too and how he can help me :P

This week at work, i'll be doing nothing but sitting around, emailing and surfing the internet. Pretty boring :(

Steak Pie

2010-07-23T20:38:00.002+10:00

I get abit lost sometimes when I need to think of what to cook for dinner. Thank you Alice for giving me these lovely ideas :)

Steak pie with carrots & mushrooms with mash :)

Dinner for one

2010-07-16T18:52:00.003+10:00

Ray's last day at work today so he's gone out to have dinner & drinks with his collegues.

I decided to have a light and healthy meal tonight so I made a salad :)

Mixed leaves with avocado, tomato, beetroot, parmesan & balsamic vinegar.

Penelope & Madeline Wong

2010-07-10T15:52:00.003+10:00

Latest update of Penny & Maddy :D

Ray's Birthday

2010-07-01T18:30:00.004+10:00

It's hubby's birthday today and originally I suggested to take him out to a nice dinner, but being the family man that he is, he preferred to have a quiet dinner at home with me so we decided to buy some high quality grade Wagyu to have at home :)

We figured that the best way to have a Wagyu was not in steak form, but to cut them into little bite sized pieces, fry them quickly in the pan on both sides and dipped in soy sauce so is tender and juicy. It's soooo yummm :)

The Ring

2010-06-30T18:58:00.003+10:00

A recent conversation I had with a male friend was quite interesting. Well, I thought it was quite interesting.

He is currently living with his girlfriend of 4 years. They bought a house together and have been living there for about 1 year now. Since they bought the house, they have joint accounts. Both their income goes into the offset account and they just use money from the one account. It seems like these days that's the best way to save money and reduce the amount of interest you pay on your home loan. They both don't have any "secret" money of their own.

He is planning to propose to her in December this year. He is saving money to buy her ring. Now, here's the key part, he plans to use "their" savings from "their" offset account to buy the ring. Does that sound unfair or is that the norm nowadays? When he mentioned he was saving up for the ring, and a bell started ringing in my head.. huh? that sounds weird. I don't think I would like my boyfriend to propose to me with a ring bought with "our" money. Call me old fashion, but it just doesn't sound right.

So if that's the case, here's the next question, is it really simply better get engaged before you commit to buying a house with your partner? Obviously all the savings would go towards the deposit of the home. Would you point out to him to leave some savings for the ring?? But what if that 20% deposit you needed was everything you had? What would you do? What do people do? Or by that time, the ring doesn't matter that much anymore?

I'm truely old fashion. My boyfriend needs to buy me to ring, needs a romantic/sweet or at least "a thought put into" the proposal process and of course, last but not least, a bunch of roses. I think that is the way it should be. :)

Noodles with a smile

2010-06-25T22:24:00.003+10:00

Tonight I made instant noodles with a smile for my hubby.

He's been working very hard lately and has been quite stressed, so I thought i'd make him smile by putting something different in his instant noodles hehehe :)

Failed attempt 1: Earl grey tea chiffon cake

2010-06-19T23:31:00.003+10:00

I've finally gotten back into baking. I made a little change to Poh's Recipe for her Orange Chiffon Cake and used Earl Grey tea as substitute. I LOVE Pandan Chiffon cakes that you can get at Asian grocery stores so after seeing a friend make it with Earl Grey tea and saying it's very yummy, I decided to try making it myself. It gives a very nice tea aroma, but I think I could of made the tea abit more condensed. Will try that next time.

Unfortunately, my cake deflated :( - BUT even though it deflated, it's still very tasty and very yummy. I made my cake around 4pm and its 11.30pm now and there's only a 1/4 left!

Masterchef Dinner

2010-06-18T08:51:00.002+10:00

Mike had a day off yesterday so he decided to cook up a 3 course meal - of course, being influenced my Masterchef Australia. After knowing his menu for the night, Ray and I volunteered ourselves to join the dinner :P
Since, I had already planned to make a risotto for dinner, I brought the ingredients along to my mums place and made it over there. It was a really really nice dinner :)

Entree: Avocado, Cherry Tomato and Red Onion with parsley and spinach puree bruschetta.

Main 1: My own mushroom and spinach risotto

Main 2: Roast lamb with Mint Pea Puree, Mash and Salad

Dessert: Peaches and Vanilla Icecream Mille Feuille

Malaysian Bee Hive Cake

2010-06-11T22:23:00.002+10:00

I tried this cake when I was in Taiwan and I LOVED it!! It's a brown sugar version of our chinese "bart tong go". I found this recipe and it's a "must try"!!
The cake turned out very nice. I thought it would be abit thicker, but it's quite thin.
I think next time I make this cake, i'll try using honey and rock sugar. The flavour would be stronger than using brown sugar. mmh... I'm back into my baking mood.. la la laaala...

Siw bak at his 2nd home for the first time!!

2010-06-10T18:02:00.004+10:00

On the weekend, we brought Siw bak over to Rays place for the first time. We want to try to bring him over on Friday afternoon so that he can stay with us for Saturday and Sunday and we'll bring him back to my mum's place on Sunday afternoon. That way, we can take him easily for a walk at the Olympic Park and I can spend more time with him.

Unfortunately, we haven't had very good weather on the weekends and sometimes we have plans for both Sat and Sun, so we don't want to bring him over and leave him at home alone because I don't know if he'll bark, wee and poo and I don't want to put him just outside on the balcony.

So this is the first time we brought him over. He was such a good boy and I was so happy. He stood and stared at the front door when he needed to go to the toilet (and he did it a few times!!) so we just put his leash back on and take him outside. That was one thing I was very worried about, that he wouldn't know where the front door is in the new environment. It's very different having a dog in a unit compared to a house.

I've never had a dog in a unit before because i've always felt it was slack to have a dog in such a small space (as well as i've never lived in a unit here in Sydney) - hence, we're only bringing him over during the weekends when we know we will be at home.

We took him for a tour around the house and upstairs into our bedroom. We brought his mat over so he was quite comfortable, however, he found Rays carpet more comfy so he marked his spot on Rays green carpet. He was so cute!! We spent the day watching DVDs and hugging Siw bak. It was soooo nice.

The bad thing is that when people walk down the hallway outside, Siw bak will start to bark. I'm abit worried because i'm not sure this is a pet friendly block of units, even though i've seen people bring dogs in and out of the building. I'll have to slowly train Siw bak to not bark.

I can't wait till I start my maternity leave! I can bring Siw bak over & we can go for walks together :)

Counting down

2010-06-09T09:18:00.002+10:00

Less than 3 months to go now till i'm due, till there's a new addition in our family. It's a very exciting time for us, yet, last night I got scared.

Scared because I am not sure how I'm going to be as a mother.
Scared because I don't know if i can cope.
Scared because I want to give my child the best and teach it the best.
Scared because I can feel my patience level deteriorating.
Scared just because i'm scared.

Deep inside, I know that I'll be ok. I'll have the help of my hubby and my mum but it's the next stage of our lives we are about to step into.

I hope things will be ok.

Parmesan baked fish

2010-05-26T19:00:00.003+10:00

My first time in making baked fish with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Suprisingly yummy :)

A great change

2010-05-26T17:00:00.002+10:00

It's been a while since we've been talking about opening our own business. We've gone to look at businesses for sale, taken their business plan, read it and put it aside. So it's always been a "look" & "talk" approach. It's been like that for the last few years.

We've finally taken the big step and put a deposit on a Cafe in North Sydney. It's a big change for my family as it's changed some of our plans which included buying a house. Our house will now need to wait for a little while :)

I can't believe i'm going to be a mum and a business owner at the same time. It's very very exciting!!

@ 22 weeks

2010-05-05T19:04:00.005+10:00

For my friends that have been asking for a photo of what I look like at 22 weeks, here you go :)

Oyakodon for dinner tonight

2010-05-05T18:20:00.003+10:00

Another idea from Alice, and suprisingly, my first go wasn't too bad :)

I've never been a cook at all, and I have absolutely no idea of what sauces I can and can't mix together. In the past, I've been very lucky that my mum cooks for us, and doesn't require our help except washing veges or cutting up mushrooms. When it gets to the cooking stage, she wants us ALL out of the kitchen, so the things I can cook are very limited. Thanks to food blogs and Alice's blog, i'm getting ideas :)

This is Rays bowl

and mine (smaller of course) :)

Duck & preserved veges rice noodles

2010-05-05T18:12:00.005+10:00

Alice a & I have been sharing cooking & food ideas, as well as looking at different food recipes. I saw that she made this on her blog and I suddenly have a craving for it, so I asked Ray to get half a duck. I haven't made this for ages and it's the first time i've used duck bone to make a broth and using it to cook the rice noodles. It was really tasty andyum and we finished it in 1 day - plus packed lunch for the next day for both of us :)

Three months into married life

2010-04-29T13:19:00.005+10:00

Many of my friends have asked me how married life is. I've asked my friends who have recently married, how they feel married life is. I got many of the same responses, which is: "Not much, just an extra piece of jewellery."

I don't feel that way, I feel alot more than that. I feel very very happy to be able to share the rest of my life with someone that I love. Someone that I care about and someone that cares about me.

I often feel quite spoilt, in that my husband will go and check my car to make sure I have enough petrol, and if i only have half or 1/4 left, he would take my car out and fill in petrol for me.

Every morning, I will see my 2 sets of keys (house & car) next to my mobile phone which he'll always put next to my handbag. Thinking about small little things like this make me smile and remind me how lucky I am. I know i'm being taken care of. We've been through alot to be where we are now, the ride hasn't been easy. It was very tough.

I love going home after work to hang out with him, even though we don't do much but cook and watch TV. Our unit is very small, yet cosy.

I've been learning how to cook to make different and yummy dinners for him. I get tired after work but I love cooking for my husband. Watching him eat 3 bowls of rice and 1 big bowl of soup makes me feel so happy. What makes me even happier is watching him pack his lunch for the next day :)

I giggle as I watch his waistline go a little wider. I giggle when he tries to do sit ups to get his sixpack back and I giggle when I see a small muffin top when he puts on his pants.

I'm loving every day we spend together. I love the laughs that we have. It's very special :)

Online shopping - Part 2

2010-04-29T13:11:00.002+10:00

How I love online shopping. I received my items in 3 working days.

I love the suspense of waiting for my shopping delivery at work and checking EMS every day to see where my shipment is at.

The part I enjoy the most is unwrapping. Unwrapping a package with my new clothes, all individually wrapped with clear plastic. The feeling reminds me of when I was a little girl and waiting for the clock to tick past 12am on the 24th December so I can open my Christmas presents that sit very nicely under the Christmas tree. It reminds me of the feeling of happily waiting anxiously for good news to come my way :)

Yesterday, as soon as I got home, I rushed upstairs to my bedroom, made sure I had enough room space on the floor, picked up my pair of scissors and cut the package apart. Taking each piece by piece, trying them on and having them fit & look good, it's was such a happy feeling :)

Online shopping

2010-04-23T11:06:00.002+10:00

Arrrggghhhh.. i've gone crazy doing online shopping!!!!
It's soooo addictive!!!
Can't wait to receive my new goodies :)

QQ

2010-04-11T10:16:00.004+10:00

Yesterday marked a very important date for me. It was the day we found out that our baby is healthy. Everything is going to plan. It's height, kidneys, heart, lungs, brain & lips were all very good. To the expected delivery date it's only one day out. I'm getting very excited. I also asked to find out if it was a girl or boy. The doctor told me, and my baby was sooo co-operative. It's legs were just sitting wide apart, so it's genitals could be seen very very clearly. I'm glad I had a cup of milk tea before I went in for my ultrasound. It made QQ alot more active and I saw it smile :)

I asked the doctor whether the gender was just 80% accurate but it was so clear, that she said it was 100%. It doesn't matter whether it's a girl or a boy, as long as it's happy and healthy.

Now, it's made it even easier for Ray and I to do our baby shopping, and it's naming time!!!

Wontons for dinner

2010-04-05T19:48:00.003+10:00

We were orgininally going to steam boat and then Ray decided to make his famous Wontons for dinner instead. It has ginger and bak choi. It's very tasty.
I also made chicken & melon soup for dinner to go along with his wontons and invited my mum and brother over for dinner. I think I ended up eating 20!!

Mini Chicken Pies

2010-04-03T18:21:00.003+11:00

There's been alot of talk about the unhealthy-ness of frozen meat & chicken pies. Ray loves eating pies for breakfast - simply because it's convenient for him to microwave at work, so I decided to try out Addy's recipe for making mini chicken pies this Easter holiday. It didn't take as long as I expected, but it turned out very very yummy. They are freezable, so he can take them and microwave them at work for breakfast.
They are alot healthier without all the added preservatives :)

The End.

2010-03-25T15:57:00.001+11:00

I never thought our friendship would of ended the way it did. I guess sometimes things are meant to be. As people always say.. " Everything happens for a reason."
What has happened in the last few days, has just re-confirmed my right decisions.
I have never met someone so stubborn, immature and selfish.
You said that you treat your friends with respect and expect the same (or something along those lines) but the things you did to me, did you think you respected me?
Do you know the hurt that you have put me through? I still don't think you do.
The last message to you, I mentioned Ray. I only put that in to see how you would act. And as expected, you blamed your own misbehaviours on him. That is even more childish & immature, especially for an over 30 year old.
Your definition of a friend is very different to mine.
But I think you have crossed the line.
You certainly don't know how to prioritise your friends and work out who are your true friends are, who are people you've met over the internet, or acquaintances. Being nosy and butting into other people's business is what you have done.

Because you don't know, i've copied the below from Wiki:

Some examples are as follows:
Best friend (or close friend): a person(s) with whom someone shares extremely strong interpersonal ties with as a friend.
Acquaintance: a friend, but sharing of emotional ties isn't present. An example would be a coworker with whom you enjoy eating lunch or having coffee, but would not look to for emotional support.
Soulmate: the name given to someone who is considered the ultimate, true, and eternal half of the other's soul, in which the two are now and forever meant to be together.
Pen pal: people who have a relationship via postal correspondence. They may or may not have met each other in person and may share either love, friendship, or simply an acquaintance between each other.
Internet friendship: a form of friendship or romance which takes place over the Internet.
Roommate: a person who shares a room or apartment (flat) with another person and do not share a familial or romantic relationship.

I didn't expect things to turn out the way it has, but our friendship has now ended.

I haven't felt the way I've felt in ages!!

2010-03-21T18:45:00.002+11:00

After months of not exercising from injuring my arm and then preparing for my wedding. Today, I finally got to play a game of badminton for 1.5 hours with my hubby. It never felt so good to exercise and work out a sweat. I miss this feeling!! I love it :)

History: The Past

2010-03-18T11:30:00.002+11:00

I've had many people come up to me in the last 2 weeks who have asked me a question which was asked by a dear friend of mine B, about 5 months ago. It didn't click to me that people were asking the same question until I sat and thought about it last night.** B, if you're reading this, yes, it's probably what you are thinking.** For the people who don't know, then you might want to stop reading here, as you might get bored. For those who think they know, you're free to read on.

When my friends see me and see how happy I am now, they wonder why I made certain decisions in the past. I was questioned, like "Are/Were you stupid? What were you doing back then?", and when I was questioned, I answered myself in my heart.

In a lifetime, you meet so many different types of people. You meet ones that come and go, ones that you have a relationship with, that don't work out, or that does work out. You also meet ones that stay your friends a lifetime, no matter where in the world they are, or as busy as they are with their lives right now, you know that when you pick up the phone to chat, you can chat like you've only seen each other yesterday, when in fact, you probably saw each other 6-8 months ago.

You can meet people that are boring, that are exciting *LEO's* or people that are totally opposite to the way you are. I've realised that boring people, or people who don't have much happiness or liveliness in them, the more reserved type, arn't remembered by people much. Some, their name can't even be remembered.

The moral of my babbling on today is: I know my reason, and I answered the question that was posed to me 5 months ago with a hand over my heart. Now, I can remove that hand and answer it with 100% confidence knowing that my answer is what my heart is telling me.

My 2010 resolutions

2010-03-04T13:46:00.003+11:00

I have been so so busy from the end of last year, 2009 till now, that I've forgotten to think about my new year resolutions. It's something that I do every year, without fail.

From Jan 2010 till now, I seem to have fulfilled a few of my hearted wishes. One that also came up very unexpectedly too :P

I know that I won't be doing any exercise this year... so that's taken one of my usual NY resolutions of my list.

I've finally enrolled in my CFP 5 - the subject i've been dreading in the last 5 years. Unfortunately, this year is the last year I can complete it, otherwise I lose my CFP qualifications.
So.... the next 3 months will be assignment time and study for me.

Other than that, I'm just going to enjoy happy married life and learn to be a better cook for my hubby :)

2010

2010-02-26T23:19:00.002+11:00

A fresh new year brings me alot of happiness.

My lovely wedding celebrated with lots of loved family and friends from Sydney and across the world. I cannot express how happy and how lucky I feel to have these family and friends who have been part of my life. It brings tears and emotion to my eyes when I think of the many relatives and friends who came to my wedding from overseas. I thank them dearly from the bottom of my heart. And of course, my friends that attended my wedding from Sydney :)

My honeymoon to Hong Kong, Macau, Ju Hoi and Japan was one of the most enjoyable trips of my life. My first year giving red pockets felt weird. People calling my hubby my "husband" or my "sin san" felt weird. BUT, i'm getting used to it now :)

A very emotional and memoriable moment for me while we were on our honeymoon is when Ray and I was crossing the border from Ju Hoi to Macau one morning. There was lots of people in the queue we were lining up. There was more than 40 people in front of us.
An officer opened the counter next to us, and he looked at Ray and I and told us to walk forward to start a new queue. As we walked forward, a lady in front of me must have seen the officer wave his hand for us to walk forward, so she walked in front of me. Then a man with a big back pack walked in front of me and pushed me abit. Ray got really upset and grabbed the guys bag from behind and asked him what he was doing. The man (typical china man) said he was walking to start a new line and the lady that walked forward, was his wife. Ray said to the man that he pushed his wife (me) very loudly and the man politely apologised. I was touched, so touched that it bought a tear to my eye. I never thought that anyone would do that for me. Usually guys try to avoid trouble and don't say anything. I'm glad my man stood up for me!!

Now, i'm back from my honeymoon, have settled back in at my new home. I've heard some good news and a possible promotion from my boss who have left me a message to call him as soon as I land back in Sydney.

I'm looking forward to a great Tiger year!!

An inch closer

2009-11-06T15:46:00.003+11:00

My new journey began a few months ago when he knelt down and proposed to me with a huge diamond ring. I was both shocked and suprised. I couldn't believe things can happen so quickly.

I'm now sitting here, watching Gossip Girl S2 ep 16, crossing off things that need to be done from my "To Do" list. As I inch closer to more lines across words, it's starting to hit me. A big bang.

Excitement slowly creeps to me as I inch closer, as my invitations are nearly ready to be distributed, thank you to my dear friend K. As we slowly hand one by one out, I realise that there's not long to go.

Our first set of photos turned out really well, and i'm looking forward to taking our next set next month. I'm also looking forward to our first counselling session tonight. I hope it will be a useful learning session for us :)

Azuma

2009-10-16T23:32:00.004+11:00

The green tea rolled cake was the BEST :)

Azuma's at Chifley is a must go again !!!

Dodgy Asians

2009-10-12T18:48:00.002+11:00

As much as I am an asian myself, I have to say, there's some very dodgy asians out there.

I'm so fustrated but i'm sticking to my principles and i'm not budging one bit.

I don't care what people think and what people say. I am not going to do things against my own principles.. especially dodgy stuff :(

I feel sad, annoyed and pressured ...

Animal Communication

2009-09-25T20:06:00.005+10:00

On Wednesday, Siw Bak ran away from our new place. I had searched from 2pm till 6pm running along the streets, knocking on every door, asking every single person that I crossed paths with, whether they have seen a little white dog. No one saw him.

We drove around the area, screaming his name until my voice had gone coarse. While I was driving, I was also looking on the road. My heart throbbed just thinking he may of been run over :(

We called the Hornsby Council, Parramatta City Council, all the vets in the area and all the dog pounds. Lucky Siw Bak is chipped, but then I was worried someone may have seen how cute he was and kept him.

At 6pm, we decided to take a rest and I logged onto MSN and that's when my cousin in Hong Kong messaged me. She said she can help me find Siw Bak because she knows animal communication and can talk to animals by looking at their eye. I sent her a picture of Siw Bak straight away and she communicated with him straight away.

She told me Siw Bak is very happy and he just wants to play. When he is hungry, he will come home. She said he knows his way home.

This is a letter that Siw Bak wrote to me that made me cry...

He drew a map to tell me where he was. This is the map.

I looked at the above map and I couldn't figure where it was... so I told my cousin to ask him to draw a clearer map. She told him I wanted to go to play with him and draw a clearer map of his location. This is the final map he drew.

I'm amazed because it's the first time I've ever heard of Animal Communication.
It's facinated me and i'm looking into learning more about it.

Here is my cousins website and a few drawings she's had with her beautiful poodle:
http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/mk_tsemaggie/article?mid=35258

And here's a link to where you can read more about Animal Communication.
http://rosina.wordpress.com/

My first experience with it and it's an eye opener. Makes me want to learn it too :)

At around 7pm, we started to search again. We ended up finding Siw Bak at 11pm on Pennant Hills Road. I am so glad we found him. I don't know what I would do if I lost him.

Feeling weird

2009-09-21T21:17:00.002+10:00

It's suppose to be a happy feeling yet i'm not feeling the way I should be feeling.
I'm not used to the environment that i'm in now, yet i'm not sure how I should feel.
It's a weird kind of a feeling.

2009-09-08T21:26:00.002+10:00

I'm soo HAPPY!! It took me ages to be able to learn how to put a photo as the background picture on my blog !! I finally found out how to do it !!! YAY!!

Bringing back 1994/1995

2009-09-07T09:12:00.002+10:00

Over the weekend, I was doing some packing and I found my 1994/1995 diary entries. I started to read through it and it was quite funny.

My thinking was so simple back then. It seemed like my life revolved around what to bring for lunch, my mum and dad, who's my best friend at school, how long I was allowed to talk on the phone for, my curfews, which group to hang around with and the boys that surrounded me.

Reading back, I wasn't sure if I was to laugh or to cry.

I read back when I first dated my very first boyfriend. Somehow, he had a connection with some girls at Kalee's high school. When he and I broke up after 3 months, he called Kalee and told her off for telling me gossip about him. Apparently my reason back then for breaking up with him was that he called me to much and I was scared one day he would break up with me because he was too bored and we would have nothing to talk about.

Sitting there yesterday reading my diary was so funny. Coincidently, his surname was Yau.

I read about who to invite to my Year 10 formal, and the guys who I had crushes on, who had to ask another girl to call to say he couldn't be my partner. (This was a hot aussie dude who taught me Hap Ki Do). The dilemmas on who to choose and reasons why i'm choosing this guy and not another. I was bursting with giggles and tears.

I'm so glad that I've had a history of diary writing. It's these moments and we cherish and we smile at, and ones that we'll never forget :)

Relationship Sadness

2009-09-04T14:03:00.003+10:00

About a month ago, I read in my friends blog about how she feels upset when she hears someone go through a tough time in their relationship.

These few days, i've been feeling a sadness for a very good friend of mine because of her relationship. The happiness, the sadness, all the crying and all the laughing. When I see their photos, I can feel genuine happiness but as everyone says, nothing is perfect.

I wonder whether it's not the right timing, or whether it's fate. Or perhaps they both haven't tried enough. In today's conversation with her, I brought up the topic that generally people take the easy way out and give up. Is that the way it's suppose to be?

I honestly don't know. All i'm wishing for is happiness to my friend who is very sad and i'm sure one day you will think back today and smile back at what you have been through with happy memories :)

30 & 21 days

2009-08-18T22:20:00.004+10:00

I've recently turned 30, and when I think back, my 29th year of life has been somewhat interesting. I've learnt alot, climbed up another step in the corporate ladder, been in and out of a relationship and a big suprise just before my 30th birthday.

We've sold and bought a new house, had my first garage sale, which we ended up having to call the police because we were worried these guys who tried to rip us off was going to pour some deadly liquids onto our car, resulting in that night, our "for sale" sign being lit on fire. At 2am, the door bell was ringing non stop, a nice neigbour came to tell us, so at 2am, my brother and I were outside trying to hose down the fire.

I'm looking to move into a new environment, a new lifestyle and looking forward to lots of new experiences. Packing my belongings is tough. I still have my HSC texts books, my first year uni computer science text books and my Year 12 creative writing piece which i got 20/20 for my related english trials. Lots of old photos, lots of memories from previous relationships, handwritten letters and diaries. I also have about 5 money boxes full of gold coins. I didn't realise I had a money box collection, until now.

Going through my clothes is the hardest. Things i've put at the back of my wardrobe, each time I do a spring clean, I fold it back neatly into place and tuck it back in the back of my wardrobe. Funny enough, year by year, it just sits there, and every spring clean, I look at it, and think I may wear it one day. This time, i'm donating it. At least it's going somewhere where it will get better use than the back of my wardrobe.

I've packed 2 suitcases, plus 2 large red/white/blue bags. Suprisingly, I had a whole suitcase full of "home clothes". Would I ever wear that many home clothes?? haha.. I don't think so. So, i've taken it out and put it in a bag to donate as well :)

New start, new beginning, new clothes and a new home. My new home :)

Beautiful

2009-08-16T22:15:00.002+10:00

Beautiful sunshine, beautiful company and beautiful food.

What else can I ask for ?

I've had a super fantastic weekend !!

Pain

2009-08-06T08:45:00.002+10:00

I've been going through alot of pain and emotions in the last month. Lots and lots of thinking. It's not easy but the pain in very painful.

Will this pain ever go away??

A suprise

2009-07-27T22:57:00.003+10:00

A very pleasant suprise. Today marks a beginning to a new journey :)

My home

2009-07-19T13:53:00.003+10:00

Whenever I move houses, it feels like it's a beginning to a new journey. A house represents a warm, loving home. Security that no matter what happens in the outside world, that the people that live under the same roof as me love and care for me.

I have lived in this house for over 10 years and the start of my uni years. It feels like it has been so long ago, so when I sit here and think about what I have been through in the house, I miss it.
So many family and friends who have stayed over here. So many arguments and cries. So many laughs and giggles. So many parties and steam boat with friends. And lots and lots of baking.

I'm going to miss waking up, running to the bathroom for a shower, change, go in the study to put on my makeup. Having a big house lets me be able to put my things anywhere I want. I'm going to miss my "jacket" wardrobe in the study. I'll need to change my habits now :)

I'm no longer going to be able to take siw bak for a walk around the block and play in the doggy park. I'm no longer going to be able to run in the park behind my house. When I have a coffee craving, i'm no longer going to be able to walk 7 minutes and be able to go and grab a Gloria Jeans Coffee. When my best friend comes over, she can no longer park at my house and we walk down to grab lunch and coffee anymore.

I once questioned why my dad chose to move to this suburb. Now I know why :)

I'm missing this house alot already, yet, i'm looking forward to a change. A change that may bring me to a happier home, a better environment and possibly a bigger built - in wardrobe to put my personal belongings :)

Honestly..

2009-07-08T20:19:00.003+10:00

If you ask me if I am ok, I can tell you i'm not. It's not easy and the decision was a very hard decision to make as well. My heart is filled with pain but I know that with time it will heal.

Memories of conversations make me cry when I am driving to work. The thoughts of our special hugs, our chats and our many chats over lovely dinners make me cry. The things we use to do to make each other laugh, and the things that we say to each other when we miss each other alot makes my eyes watery, and of course along with many other things.

One day we'll both think back and smile at these lovely moments.

I know things will get better. I'm thinking positive :)

A new experience

2009-06-28T10:27:00.002+10:00

I went to a Taoist home for my first jim qwar experience. In the past, I've had one Tarot reading and one "Life" reading, of which I thought was very interesting. Today, I had my first jim qwar experience.

The home was very warm and the people there were exceptionally friendly. The Master was super nice and was very genuine. He talked to us like he was our friends and we had known each other for many years.

I never knew that there was so many different types of fortune reading. This one is different in that you ask the question you want to know the answer to, and the Master will help you answer your question. Without knowing anything about me, he was able to accurately tell me my present situation and analyse the pros and cons to what I want, and don't want to do.

I asked him 3 questions, all of which he helped me answer. It was really good.

The Master does things from the heart and doesn't expect anything in return. He doesn't force people to believe what he believes. He only wants people to go to his shop and be available for when people need help.

We spent 5 hours there and he also explained how Taoism started. He told me there was different Taoism cults and ways they try to get people into their religion and to stay away.

It was definitely an eye opener for me.

Strings

2009-06-23T16:29:00.002+10:00

Imagine:

Lots of colourful strings. Red, pink, purple, green, blue, orange, white, black & brown.

All the strings crossing one another;

Equals the amount of things running around in my head, in all different directions.

When would it all go in a smooth line?

What it's all about

2009-06-21T21:21:00.003+10:00

It's all about what I want and what is the best for me.

When it comes to the crunch in making a very important decision, I tend to neglect myself and consider my surroundings. It makes it quite hard to put my foot down. I think too much about how others would feel, how it would affect them, and what they want. I tend to neglect what I want and what makes me happy.

I've made some very important and crucial decisions in my life and I know there's along way to go. Life is full of decision making and changes. It can be as complex as to whether to keep a life support on someone who you dearly love, but know that they are suffering every day to as simple as what you want to eat for lunch.

As we get older, every day is changing. We as humans are changing. We need to adapt to change and deal with the risks involved.

Mr Chows at The Rocks

2009-06-21T20:25:00.005+10:00

The second time in 1 month we've been to Mr Chows in The Rocks. The food never disappoints me. Always as yummy. I love it's salted egg prawns!! YUMMMM.

A day at Hunter Valley

2009-06-21T19:58:00.005+10:00

A few friends decided to go to the Hunter for a day. We booked a nice lunch at Esca inside Bimbadgen Estate. The view from the restaurant was really nice. We were very thankful that the weather stayed clear for us while we were there. The weather kept rotating from sunshine to rain every 15-20 minutes we were driving up. We had lost count how many times it rotated :P

June 09

2009-06-19T17:13:00.004+10:00

It's been a while since I've blogged. I realised nothing much has been happening and there hasn't been anything interesting to share. It's been quiet.

Works it's usual self, slightly busy due to EFY. I can't believe we're halfway through the year and when I ask myself what I have accomplished so far, not much.

There was so many things I wanted to do in the beginning of the year, but I've been so lazy that I haven't done anything. I've stopped going to the gym. The only thing that has been consistant is my rock climbing.

I've been very indecisive.

Since the beginning of the year, I've wanted to cut my hair. I still haven't.

My camera stopped working for a while, but it's temporarily working again. Looking for a new camera gives me a headache. There's so much to choose from, so many new gadgets, all these specs, I still haven't made up my mind.

My manager has asked me if I want to keep my work car, I still haven't decided.

I feel like i'm in the middle point of a "Y". How can I decide which way to go?

Vivid @ Sydney

2009-06-06T16:48:00.001+10:00

A lesson learnt

2009-05-12T22:36:00.004+10:00

Part of my job is to build trust between my collegues. As with any trust, it takes time to build. With a certain middle aged collegue, I had to spend just abit more time, to prove to him i'm not full of crap, i'm capable to doing my job and deliver on my promises.

It's not hard for people to undeliver. One of the many things I always make sure I do, is deliver on the promises I make. If I don't have time, I'll honestly say I don't have time.

During the past 12 months of my job, I've worked very hard to build a good communication, trust and respect with my referring peers. I have tried very hard not to let them down.

This certain middle aged collegue, took alot of my time to build trust. He initially didn't trust me at all and he expressed his concerns with financial planners very openly. I didn't talk myself up to be on his good side, I just told him that I can prove to him that I am capable and I can successfully do my job. Talking is rubbish, actions will show for itself.

I managed to do that, which lead him to send me a referral of great opportunities. An opportunity to assist a department of our bank who were getting made redundant, because their role was moving to India.

What I did wrong was ask my boss for support, because instead of being supportive, he took the opportunity away from me and gave it to some other collegues in the city because apparently the city is too far for me.

Just because the City planners are not meeting their targets and not busy, it really doesn't mean he can do that.

Respect is one of the most important things to me, whether it's at work or my private life. He didn't ask whether it was ok with me, he just did it. It really annoyed the s**t out of me, made me really really fustrated. Mainly because i've also disappointed the certain middle aged man. He passed me the referral because he trusted me and he knew that I would talk to the clients with care. Now, it's going to be dealt with by staff he doesn't even know.

Thank goodness his 20 years plus in the bank and his 5 years working with my boss, he knows my boss better than I. Instead of me apologising to him, he actually called to comfort me, said he knew that I would be feeling bad and told me I don't need to apologise.

It shows that one, my efforts and my hard work is evident, and secondly, i've learnt to keep my mouth shut and deal with situation between my collegues rather than letting my boss know.
Not the usual way of doing things but maybe that will be better.

I've learnt my lesson.

Useless

2009-05-11T09:07:00.003+10:00

I've never met a man more of a loser and he can be. I'm definitely not mentioning any names here BUT i'm sure some of you "might" be able to guess who he is.

So, this is what happened during a yumcha catch up with my girlfriend, her hubby, bb, A & I.

I got there first, sat down and got a table.

Girlfriend & family come. She sits down, says hi and sorts out her daughter. Her husband sit down and says nothing.

G: Have you said hi to Diana?

Hubby: silence...

a few mins later

G: Say jor hi mei ar ?

Hubby: a wave and a "hello" that you could barely hear

Then A who came about 10 minutes late appeared, sat down and said Hi to everyone. No response from Hubby.

G: Did you say hi to A ?

Hubby: huh?

G: Tong jor A say hi mei ar ? - a little impatient

Hubby: orh.. hello and a tincy little smile

Throughout the whole lunch, Hubby didn't talk. Just looked around and ate in silence. No expression. The type that even if you tickle him, he wouldn't smile.

Then later.. bb needs to go to the toilet. She looks at her baba and says "shoo shoo". Ba ba didn't react. He just sat there. Then she said it again, and he pushed her to her mum and said "She needs to go to the toilet". Not helpful at all, particularly since he wasn't doing anything at all, but after some nagging, and realising his daughter DID want him to take her to the toilet, he went very unwillingly.

Then, when we have finished lunch. My girlfriend forgot to bring a plastic bag to put her daughters dirty plates. She goes "hubby, can you ask for a plastic bag?" ... he looks around. No action.

5 mins later, "hubby, ask for a plastic bag will you?"

Hubby: Later sin... (but how later can you get when we've just paid the bill)

So I said to A, can you ask the waiters for a plastic bag. A waved his hand in the air, a waiter came in a spilt second and we got the plastic bag in 2 seconds. How hard was that ??

I said to my girlfriend "your hubby's pretty quiet and not very responsive, you talk to him like a baby" and her reply was simply "yeah, he is always like that. Even at home he is like that".

Boy.. I'm glad that my boyfriend isn't like that and I hope that my husband will not be like that either.

Counter Burger - Crows Nest

2009-05-07T15:47:00.004+10:00

The burgers here are huge!!! It's fun because you get to choose your own toppings and add in abit of creativity with your burger. Personally, I find it abit too big. I like holding my burgers and biting it from top to bottom. Not a big fan of using a knife and fork to eat a burger.

However.. we ordered a Appie Pie Malt and it's divine!! It's sooo yummy and you can actually taste the appie pieces of an apple pie in it. If you don't go for the burgers (because it can end up being pretty pricey) definitely try their milkshakes.
If they added a touch of cinnamon, it would of been perfect, for me :)

Prayer to forgive those that hurt us

2009-05-04T21:18:00.002+10:00

Almighty God,
You have listened patiently to my concerns and consoled me in times of hardship. Let me remember Your presence and love for me when I am called upon to forgive another person for an unkind word or action. You have shown me how to act, what to say, what to do, and yet I sometimes react in anger and find it difficult to forgive others as You so often have forgiven me. Grant that I may recognize this failing in myself and remember Your words and example whenever I have need of a forgiving spirit.
Amen

One Year.

2009-05-02T22:05:00.003+10:00

Today marks our one year anniversary. I can't believe how quickly the year has gone. It doesn't seem that long ago when I met Roy at our friends birthday dinner. At that time, I had just come back from Hong Kong and still trying to catch up with old friends. Not expecting to meet anyone, but like people say, things happen unexpected.

For me, it doesn't seem that long, but when Roy and I talked about it today, he said it seems long because we've been through alot. I agreed... we have been through alot.

So back to today. Roy spent alot of time organising today. The day started off with these beautiful pink roses and tulips. I love roses and tulips. Then we headed off to Avenue Cafe for breakfast in Mosman. The cafe was really nice. Really yummy breakfast and really nice coffee.

After breakfast, we went to Zenzara for a 3 hour massage and facial. It was the first time we've had a hot stone massage. It was really good. Before the massage, we went into a rose spa. It was really really relaxing and our skin was super soft afterwards :)

It was such a lovely loving and relaxing day. After the massage, they provided us with a Japanese lunch. Tempura with rice. The serving was so big that Roy and I couldn't finish it but we ate as much as we could.

PRESENT TIME!!

This is from Roy to me :) **note the charms that is dangling** He is so sweet!

And a beanie from me to him to keep his head warm during cold winter months :)

and my first attempt in making Roy's favourite trifle dessert. A lemon trifle.

Today we both had a really nice day. Very sweet. very happy and very romantic :)

Thank you hunnie for making today so special and so memoriable!!

Match Making

2009-04-19T20:40:00.002+10:00

It's the first time i've ever match made any of my friends. It wasn't "very" intentional as well.

What happened was:

A guy collegue asked me to join his farewell drinks at Priv one Friday night. He wanted to introduce some of his friends to me and insisted I must go - because it was his farewell.

I asked if I could bring along a few girlfriends to keep me company and of course, he said it was fine. I asked a few but only one could make it. Coincidently, one of her friends were going to be there on the same night too. And later in the night, we found out it was the same group of friends as my collegues.

So, the Friday night at Priv, under the super noisy and dark atmosphere, I introduced and they started chatting. I talked to my collegue (now ex collegue's) assistant while the 2 chatted.

After a few drinks, my girlfriend and I left for dinner. The others stayed on at Priv.

The next day, comments were:

"She is hot !! " and she was like "He's quite nice and outgoing"

They added each other on facebook. They started chatting on facebook, meeting up for lunch, meeting up after works for drinks, then having Saturday brunch, movies etc etc...

And today, I was told they are officially together. I'm so happy for them :)

I hope everything works out for them !!

Jervis Bay

2009-04-17T17:56:00.002+10:00

I've been wanting to go to Jervis Bay for ages and I finally went this Easter long weekend. I've heard alot about the amazing white sand beach (Hyam Beach) and all the fun things that you can do there.

My friends often tell me how good places to go are and where to eat. I would always go and try but I would never set any expectations. If i do, I know I will be disappointed. I rather not set any expectations, enjoy and have a really great time, thinking it was wonderful.

I did the same with Jervis Bay. Many of my friends that have been have raved about how great it is. I've been looking forward to go for a long time. I wasn't disappointed. The beach was amazingly beautiful. The white sand was alot whiter than the sand in Sydney beaches, and alot softer. The perfect sunny weather helped of course but it was gorgeous.

Roy and I sat on the beach for a few hours in and out of the sun, just lying on our beach mats, snacking on chips and poppers, reading a book and chatting. We also jogged up and down the beach, watching dogs play in the water. It was truely relaxing.

We also went horseriding. It was my first remembering experience. It was great. I really enjoyed it. The 1 hour trail ride was really good. Sitting on the horse, bobbing up and down, looking up in the crystal blue sky, smelling hay and the greens from stems, looking at the stems and stalks of dry plants and feeling the warm of the sun was alot of fun, despite my nervous sweating hands holding on to the rope. I never thought that I would enjoy looking a dry long stem trees but it was nice. I'm glad I wore long pants and a long sleeve top, otherwise I would of gotten lots of scratches.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast which was really nice too. They had 4 rooms and the people there were quite nice. There, we met a lovely couple from Melbourne. It was a really nice and cosy environment. When we came home, we were greeted by other people who stayed. In the morning when we got up to go out to the kitchen for breakfast, we were greeted by "Good Morning" by the other guests there and have a quick chat about each others day plans. It felt very warm. The feeling was definitely not like staying in a hotel where you'd just ignore the guests and they ignore you.

The b&b was only a 3 min walk from the beach and they had good facilities. They had a chess board on the coffee table, and I was taught to play a game of chess. Lost, because I was cornered, but alot of fun :)

On one of the nights, we just stood outside, looking up the dark sky, looking at the glowing shining stars. There was so many. Like Roy said, a view that we wouldn't be able to get in Sydney.

The trip to Jervis Bay was really relaxing, very romantic, very memorable and alot of fun. Just what both Roy and I needed. A wonderful 3 day break.

Typhoon

2009-04-15T23:35:00.003+10:00

Disappointed because I knew that problems and issues were coming my way soon. I didn't realise it would be this soon.

Expected was another month before a typhoon came my way. It's come alot sooner than expected. Maybe it's just better not to set any expectations and hope.

Pinky Restaurant

2009-04-05T19:40:00.004+10:00

Roy and I went to Pink Salt in celebration of our 11 months. It was a really nice restaurant and the atmosphere was really relaxing. They had a pink menu, pink flowers, pink cushions and pink cloths on chairs. The food was pretty average, but we had a really good time. The lounges were really comfortable :)

Introducing Madeline

2009-03-29T21:50:00.003+11:00

Today I went to Royal Hospital for Womens to visit Kalee and Madeline, Maddy.

Maddy is so cute :) She has alot of hair compared to when Penny was a baby. She has big eyes and pointy chin. They say she looks like Don, but I don't think so. Maybe another few more weeks and her features will be more defined.

Mummy & bub are well :)

Stupid theories

2009-03-28T01:05:00.003+11:00

I don't believe in Saturns Return. I don't believe in mid life crisis. What you make of your life at 30 is what you've made of it. Why blame it on some myth from the past?

When people say that they've lost direction in their career, is it because they haven't planned it well enough in the past?

When they feel pressure from the workload at work, is it because they do not have good time management skills?

When they feel they don't have enough time for themselves, is it because they have not properly allocated time to themselves. Setting things to do every evening after work. Not prioritising what is important. What events you can say yes to and what events you can benefit from not going to? Just because someone asks you to go somewhere, or do something, doesn't mean you have to say yes.

Because of this non properly organising time, you've put on extra pressure on yourself.

Is spending 2-3 times a week with your partner too much to ask? Do you realise that how you are would affect your partner as well?

Why can't you just be like everyone else and be normal? Why can't you reduce your sporting activities so you would have more time to yourself?

Because you've jam packed yourself, you now realise you don't have time for yourself and want time out. Is this really the way it should be? I seriously don't think so.

These things can be fixed. It's a matter of whether you want to fix it or not. If you don't, this is just going to be a routine. A not good routine. I seriously hope you will do something about it.

Boring Fridays

2009-03-27T13:45:00.003+11:00

Fridays are always such a bore!! I just sit here in the office wondering what I should do, even though I have a few files I need to fix and file away. Browing through smh, facebook, emails... surfing the net till I have nothing else to look up...

And with the gloomy weather, I just want to go home and sleep. Anything but work on my files.
Still have another 4 hours of struggle...

I now have something to look forward to when I go home from work.
I now have something that replaces my gym committments after work.
Even just sitting here, I wish I can go home to watch My Queen.
His smile is sooo sweet. I feel like I'm in high school again. Thinking of his smile, I smile too :)

2009-03-25T18:13:00.000+11:00

“To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.”

Learn to love yourself

2009-03-25T17:51:00.002+11:00

Make a List of Things you Like About Yourself
Sometimes we focus so much on what we’d like to change about ourselves that we actually forget there’s a lot to like as well. So take a few minutes and remind yourself of the positives you can be proud of. Think of physical attributes, mental or emotional strengths, successes you’ve experienced, the way you support your friends, or anything else. Make your list as long as possible, and then keep adding to it.

Ask Others to add to your List
Go to the people you trust—a friend, a romantic partner, a therapist, a family member—and ask them what they’d list as your most positive characteristics. You may be surprised to find out that people see a lot more of your strengths than you realize.

Treat yourself like a Best Friend
You know how you treat someone you really care about? The way you love and support that person and treat him or her with kindness and respect? Do that for yourself. And just as you’d challenge a close friend who’s making bad decisions with his or her life, challenge yourself as well. Just as you would for a good friend, remind yourself over and over again of your immense worth as an individual and that you deserve great things in your life.

Pay Attention to your Needs and Desires
This may sound a bit silly, but some people really don’t know what they want and need. They can go through their entire adult lives living only for others without stopping to ask the question “What do I want here?” or “What’s best for me?” One of the best ways to love yourself is simply to pay attention to what it is that you want and need—in your job, in your relationships, in your friendships, and in your whole life.

Listen to your Self-Talk
Repeatedly calling yourself an idiot or a loser is one of the least loving things you can do for yourself. So today, right now, commit to making your self-talk positive. Maybe take the list of things you like about yourself and repeat some of those attributes as you move through the day. When you do make a mistake, be generous with yourself, and instead of telling yourself how stupid you were to lose your keys, just say, “Oh, well. It happens. Everyone loses things from time to time.” As you talk to yourself, don’t say anything you wouldn’t say to someone else you love.

Take care of your Body
You don’t have to become a marathoner or a supermodel. But do your best to be healthy. Few of us eat exactly as we should or exercise as much as we ought to, so there’s no reason to beat yourself up over not being perfect. But taking small steps to take care of yourself physically is one of the best ways to show yourself love. By treating our bodies well, we send ourselves the message that we deserve good things.

Take Care of your Inner Life
Don’t neglect your spirit. Slow down from time to time and pay attention to what’s going on within yourself, where you’ll find all kinds of reserves to draw on when you need strength and support. Taking the time to pray, meditate, connect with others, and read meaningful books can nourish our love for ourselves and enrich our lives in many ways.

Show yourself Compassion
Be willing to forgive yourself, and be patient as you grow. All of us make mistakes, and we all have certain shortcomings that make it easy for us to get down on ourselves. But remind yourself that you’re only human. There’s no reason to expect perfection. When you make a mistake or notice something about yourself that you don’t like, don’t judge or harshly criticize yourself. Instead, be compassionate and remind yourself that you’re doing your best.

Live in the Now
This isn’t always easy to do, but one powerful way to love yourself is to focus your energy and attention on the present moment. Don’t dwell on the past, with all the painful regrets that might exist there. And let go of the future, with all its crippling concerns and anxieties. Then invest yourself in appreciating all the good in your life right now; pour yourself into the present moment and make the most of who you are right now.

Keep in mind that loving yourself isn’t selfish. Think of the heart, which pumps blood to itself first before sending blood out to the rest of the body.

When you get right down to it, love’s not a feeling, it’s a decision. So make a choice right now to love yourself and to work on loving yourself more fully day after day.

Blythe

2009-03-23T21:59:00.002+11:00

Eating weekend :)

2009-03-22T19:47:00.006+11:00

I had a very busy an stressful week at work this week. On top of that, felt abit dull but then the great weekend has made me feel jolly happy again :)

My eating weekend started on Thursday night when the climbing girls went out to Foveaux in Surry Hills for dinner. Yummy cocktails and a nice girly dinner :)

I had a clover leaf cocktail and it was yumm. I chose it because it had egg white in it. Good for the skin! Then we decided to have degustation. The degustation there was pretty average, a few pictures to show.

On Saturday night, we went to Ainoya in Kirribilli for Jap. It's a really nice restaurant.

These are there yummiest dishes

Then Saturday, we went to Andrews house for BBQ. He bought so much food :)

It was also Roy's first time chinese BBQing. Sooo yummy!! We were all so full.

Secrets

2009-03-20T00:24:00.002+11:00

I feel awful today because I accidently slipped out someone else's secrets. I'm usually very good with keeping my friends secrets. I rarely, in very rare instances, do I accidently blurt out someones secrets. Today I did. I'm so sorry. I feel awful. I felt awful from the moment I said it -I realised I should of kept my mouth shut. I feel so so bad. Really bad. I feel like crying but I know it will do no good. Hope you'll forgive me.

Touched by Bec's entry

2009-03-17T13:34:00.002+11:00

A dear girlfriend recently posted up a post which I felt touched. I strongly agree with her comments - giving freely to others, not expecting returns. But one day, when in need, the return comes unexpectedly and it's a magnificent feeling. That is how I feel, how I think and what I do - expressed in an even better way :)

http://tocca.blogspot.com/2009/03/helping-others-to-help-me.html

Sel - fish - ness

2009-03-12T17:34:00.002+11:00

I have a hate for selfish people. People that live in this world, thinking the world revolves around them. No one else matters but them. All they think about is themselves. It's all about them.

Inconsiderate, selfish, self centred, I would say.

I meet so many people in my job, that it's quite easy to tell when one is selfish. I can tell who is greedy, who is stingy, who is lazy, who is hardworking, who "tries" to show that they are smart, in fact, they have no common sense at all, and those who are truely smart and talented. I tend to analyse and categorise people alot more than I used to.

I'm just fed up with people who thinks the world of themselves and think of no one else. Why are there such selfish people out there?

Pure selfishness.

Connection

2009-03-11T19:42:00.003+11:00

My Latte is my precious baby.

For some reason, I can sense and feel when he is:

upset with something, or upset with me
happy
hungry
wants to play
or sick...

When he is not feeling well, I feel uneasy too.

The attachment is like two strings tied together. I don't think I can cope if I lost him.

Attempt 2 - because I miss blogging

2009-03-08T18:48:00.002+11:00

In the last few weeks, I've realised that I really miss blogging. It's become a hobby of mine. Things have happened where I want to write, to vent out fustration, to share happiness, or just to talk about crap.

I didn't do as I thought I would - write in a journal. I looked back at how many pages I actually wrote - 1 page, no photos, and my handwriting is disgusting!!

It started of pretty and neat and as I write more, it got messy and ugly. I guess we're just being spoilt with doing everything on the computer and we just don't need to write as much on paper.

and also because of certain friends who's being asking about my blog - i've decided to re-open it.

Triple YAY for blogging again :)

The end of blogging

2009-01-28T22:07:00.003+11:00

I've noticed my blog entries are not as regular as they used to be. I've sat down and thought about why and realised I don't have as much joy and excitement updating my blog anymore.

My blog was for me, was a stress relief. I love writing and sharing my thoughts, but I realised lately that i've been wanting to write but somethings been stopping me. Certain situations may involve certain people and my true inner feelings and now those certain people may be reading my blog. I realise I cannot post wholeheartedly anymore. I can't write what I truely want to write so I rather not write. I feel restricted to what I can and can't write. I've thought of protecting it by putting a password, but I feel that's quite pointless. .

I use my blog as a place to share my thoughts, update my family and friends around the world with what is going on with my life. However, now there's facebook :)

I used to keep a journal. I have many journals. I like journals because they are totally confidential. I can hide it where ever I want. Having my fun of blogging, i've now decided to resort back to a journal. During my blogging, i'm so used to posting pictures up. Now, i'm going to try a scrapbook journal. I'm going to print the photos and stick them on.

I'm going to delete my URL too, but I just thought i'd give you guys some notice before it's gone.

Happy Year of the Ox

2009-01-27T22:34:00.003+11:00

And our our new shoes for CNY :)

I've been tested again

2009-01-27T15:19:00.002+11:00

My patience has been tested again. I've always thought that i'm quite patient. My tolerance for patience is quite high. You'd be really really getting on my nerves for me to feel the way I do.

I often wonder whether it's good to have a really high level of tolerance. It just means that you can tolerate more crap from people and people can take advantage of you because they know that you're patient and they try to push you to your max?

Lately, I've often felt like being in an unopened bottle of Champagne. One that's been shaken and shaken, and when it pops, all the liquids come ooozing out.
Or perhaps a rubber band. One that has been pulled by bratty little kids. Pulled and stretched in every single direction. No longer the same size as it was before. It's now loose and shatty.

Saturn Return

2009-01-07T10:23:00.007+11:00

I was listening to the radio this morning and a very interesting topic caught my attention. They were talking about Saturns Return and how it affects an individual.

A very interesting article I found describes Saturns Return:

Many of us approach our thirtieth birthdays with anxiety, even dread. We start looking for gray hairs and paying attention to ads for wrinkle creams. We question whether we are climbing the career ladder quickly enough. We hear the biological clock ticking loudly and worry that soon we will be too old to bear children.

For most of us, ending a phase of life that is familiar and embarking on one that is new and untried is unsettling, even painful. Few people describe Saturn Return as a pleasant period. While undergoing your Saturn Return you may find yourself turning inward and reflecting on your individual destiny. You examine your true needs and desires and the role you want to play on the world's stage. You may feel lonely and alienated from those around you, while family and friends think you are shutting them out. But this is a necessary period of consolidation, when you must retreat from the distractions of the outer world and focus on yourself at your most fundamental level. The Saturn Return is every individual's search for the Holy Grail.

The first Saturn Return marks the end of youth and the beginning of the productive adult years. It is now that you truly become an adult--not at eighteen or twenty-one. You realize your need to define yourself as an individual within society and to demonstrate what you've learned.

This transition into adulthood is often accompanied by a sense of urgency, a feeling that you must try to accomplish everything you've ever wanted or planned to do now. Goals start to come sharply into focus. If you have not settled into a definite career, or have been pursuing one that is inappropriate for you, you'll experience a strong push to establish yourself in a more fulfilling occupation. Sometimes this means a complete change. During his first Saturn Return Vincent Van Gogh decided to be a painter rather than a minister. More frequently it means a new direction or specialization within your chosen field.

Saturn strips away illusions and points out limitations, allowing you to view yourself in a harsh, often unflattering light. At the same time, it endows you with prudence, practicality, and the perseverance to work hard toward achieving your purposes. Consequently, this is a good time to rearrange your career or lay the foundation for a new one.

Saturn Return almost always requires some major adjustments in lifestyle, attitudes, and relationships. Anything you have outgrown, or have tolerated but not found satisfying, must end now or be altered to meet your emerging needs. According to Hand, "Consciously or unconsciously, you are pruning your life of everything that is not relevant to what you really are as a human being."

"Saturn. . . is never easy to deal with because his function is that of promoting growth," explains astrologer Liz Greene, author of Saturn: A New Look at an Old Devil, "and it is only frustration and pain which at present are sufficient goads to get a human being moving." This frustration and pain have given Saturn a bad reputation. But the planet's often misunderstood value lies in its very ability to evoke pain. Like the pain of an illness, it warns that something is wrong. Saturn doesn't create the problems, it merely illuminates them.

Growth is often accompanied by trepidation and turmoil. As the old self is pushed aside to make room for the new, you may feel weak and vulnerable. You want to move ahead, yet are frustrated by a fear of doing so, torn between a compelling urge to throw off everything connected with your past and an equally frantic need to cling to the familiar rather than brave the great unknown.

Even if your external world seems to be in order, your internal structure may feel as though it's being assaulted with a battering ram. Nervous conditions, irritability, depression, insomnia, and feelings of insecurity are common. Most people go through some sort of identity crisis.

Even though your Saturn Return may be disturbing, ultimately it reveals what you truly want and sweeps away the clutter that may have been impeding your progress. Your Saturn Return is a personal spring cleaning. No matter how difficult it seems to let go of inappropriate people and things, the first Saturn Return is the time to do it. For if lessons are not learned, the problems will come knocking again during your second Saturn Return at about age fifty-eight, when you are more set in your ways. Once the conflict is confronted, the tension usually subsides. You feel stronger and more capable of moving ahead.

Saturn Return is one of the most crucial turning points you ever experience, when you assume the greatest responsibility of all: responsibility for your own life.

Here are some tips to remember:

Don't give away your authority (literally authorship of your life).

Refuse to be ruled by guilt, fear or shame.

Remember that limits create freedom.

Give up your grudges.

Stay humble and use every grain of time to cultivate wisdom.

A wish

2008-12-31T01:30:00.002+11:00

It's that time of the year again when I really wish you were here. I wish you can be here to see what is going on in each of our lifes. I know you are here with us, but I wish you were physically here. I wish you were here to meet our aunty, uncle and Amy from San Franciso who are here on a holiday. Today, I looked back at our last family holiday pictures in 2000. We went to LA, visited Universal Studios, Disneyland, Canada and San Franciso. It was the happiest holiday ever! We were so happy as a family and it's brought tears in my eyes.

The smiles in our photos are so happy. The photos of when you hug mum are so sweet. Photos with the four of us are gold. Precious moments of us with reunited with direct and extended family members are special.

I really really miss you.

Roll through it

2008-12-28T16:22:00.003+11:00

Life is like a rollercoaster, can life be plain and simple?
Why do things appear so difficult?
Will I ever see light at the end of the tunnel?

Dessert Suprise

2008-12-21T18:56:00.004+11:00

I feel very spoilt by Roy :)

I love looking and eating desserts. They make me so happy. I'm so easily satisfied. They bring me big smiles :)

Sean's Kitchen

2008-12-21T18:48:00.002+11:00

In celebration for Roy's performance review at work, we decided to go to Sean's Kitchen. It's such a lovely restaurant :)

We had a really great & happy night. I can once again confirm nothing beats great company, lot's of laughter, smiles and great conversations.

After dinner, we spoilt ourselves by going for a massage. It was sooo good!!!

What I will remember about 2008

2008-12-19T13:47:00.002+11:00

0. My decision to move back from Hong Kong back home.
1. Going on a holiday to Taiwan with my mum and close family friends.
2. Meeting my boyfriend, Roy.
3. The start of my career with ANZ.
4. The ASX dropping over 50% in a year. What goes up, sometimes comes down.. and will eventually go up again!!
5. The global phenomenon of bank nationalisation - it happened all so quick!!
6. The Australian dollar dropping close to 40% in a matter of weeks!!
7. Being with Latte and being able to spend a full year with him.
8. Learning how to be patient (more patient than I already am) with work, relationships and family.
9. To be very forgiving in certain situations.
10. Looking at ANZ's restructuring and making over 800 people redundant.
11. Dealt with the MOST difficult, horrible, annoying, not understanding, not listening, un co-operative client ever. One of my collegues said that we usually only meet one of these clients in 5-6 years. I hope I don't get another one of these clients until then!!
12. I joined the gym - however, I have been extremely lazy in the last 2-3 months. I need to motivate myself, and YES!! It's going to be on the list of my New Year Resolutions!!
13. Tuesdays at rockclimbing - which is now a sport that Roy and I do, as well as Addy, who climbs abit later.
14. Plenty of new lovely restaurants i've been indulging myself to: Maitre Karl, Lucio's, Bilsons, Waqu, Criniti's.. the list goes on and on and on :)

mm... what else? Plenty more delightful memories but it's so hard to write each down every one of them down. Here's my top 10, with an extra 4 !! :)

Financial Crisis

2008-12-07T10:53:00.002+11:00

This is the worst crisis i've seen and experienced. Today I was reading a newspaper article about ANZ cutting another 400 staff. In the past 2 weeks, I've seen 4 people in my team get made redundant. Senior to middle management level. 4 very extrememly hard working and loyal staff. Staff who has put their whole hearts into their jobs. Made sacrafices with their families for their jobs. Ones that have been with the bank for 20 or so years.

A good friend of mine in Private Bank have also been asked to leave in a very harsh and mean way. Another 3 people from Business Bank, who I speak to on a day to day basis, whether it's just a greeting when we're walking past each other, or bumping into each other in the kitchen, or just sitting around talking about our weekends.

In the past 5 months I've been at ANZ, I've met alot of very nice collegues. Collegues who I would like going to work to, seeing and chatting to. Smart, talented, cheerful and ones not afraid to share their successes and experiences. People who I can call "Quality". People who knows the ins and outs of the bank. People who are just one phone call away and can answer any questions I have within 5 seconds. It's very sad to hear that they need to leave. Seeing them in tears and packing their personal belongings and having work related items sent back into Martin Place through internal mail is a very heartbreaking experience.

I was told my position was safe, but I am curious. With certain merges that are happening within Business Bank, I'm curious as to how safe my job is. I guess I just need to keep my head down and just keep working.

A moment of reflection

2008-11-24T20:10:00.003+11:00

I've been slacking off blogging alot - facebook. It seems like i'm updating my most recent pics and what's going on in my life on facebook so i've been very lazy.

Last week was a very busy week for me. With lots of appointments, along with a new risk system training, our PD day, and our award and recognition night at Hilton (our early Christmas party).

In our PD day, there was lots to learn. One speaker that attended, which I felt was really really good is a guy who talked about success. He then flipped up a slide and told us to spend 5 mins to answer these questions and share it with the person next to you. It made me think...

Take a moment to have a think. You'd be suprised at what you come out with and happy that you spared that 5 mins just to have a think and jot some notes down.

What crossroads are you faced with at this point in time?

What promise am I prepared to make that constitutes a risk for me?

What price and I willing to pay to keep my committment... or fail in my committments?

What declaration of possibility can you make that has the power to inspire you, your collegues and your clients?

好眼淚壞眼淚 good tears bad tears

2008-11-09T13:33:00.003+11:00

A very touching and sad song..

我曾認真深愛著一個人他給我幸福的可能

我等我問未來何時發生他只是給我一個吻

快樂我哭是因為你的手曾答應帶我向前走

難過我哭是因為我的手找不到你說的以後

好眼淚壞眼淚我都曾為你流感動和悲傷都是理由

只不過在你不再愛我了以後剩壞的眼淚慢慢流

快樂我哭是因為我付出得到你溫柔的答覆

難過我哭是因為我認輸你的心永遠留不住

好眼淚壞眼淚我都曾為你流感動和悲傷都是理由

只希望在我不再想你了之後有好的眼淚慢慢流

好眼淚壞眼淚我都曾為你流感動和悲傷都是理由

只希望在我不再想你了之後

有好的眼淚慢慢流有好的笑容陪著我

Floriade long weekend

2008-10-06T19:49:00.007+11:00

Roy and I went to the Floriade this weekend. It was very relaxing for the both of us.

Pink & Purple tulips is my favourite =)

This is my second favourite!!

hehe.. when we were leaving the Floriade to go and pick up our car..

With my favourite yellow tulips :-P

After we finished at the Floriade, we went to C & T's place to stay the night. T had planned to take us to a couple of different places and show Roy and I around Canberra. It was such a beautiful day. I like Canberra. There's so much greenery and the lakes are so pretty. I don't think I would mind living there =)

Saturday@balmoral

2008-09-27T23:47:00.003+10:00

Roy and I had a very happy day today. We went to Balmoral for lunch. We were starving when we got there. We ordered a fishermans basket to share. Took it away and ate along the beach but after we finished it, we still weren't full, so we went back to the Fish & Chip shop ordered a crumbed fish with chips. We were pretty much holding our tummy's when we finished it. ;P

Trying to be artistic..hehe

After spending the day at Balmoral, we went back to my place. Took my car for a wash at a self - serve carwash up in Dural. Then came back, had dinner, and I did a facial for Roy, using my Jurlique Mask. Now his skin is super soft :)

Today was a super nice and relaxing day!!

Fly me to the moon

2008-09-24T19:38:00.003+10:00

Last night, Roy and I went to watch the Imax movie "Fly me to the Moon". It's such a cute and funny movie, and a movie that will make me think twice when trying to kill or smack a fly :P

Recommended to watch: FLYMETOTHEMOON

I had a pretty stressful morning at work and watching it just made me laugh and relax and forget everything that's happened in the morning. =)

Thanks Hunnie ~

Spring

2008-09-21T23:01:00.002+10:00

I love Spring!! I love the warm sunny weather!!
Can't wait for daylight savings!!

A little boo boo

2008-09-16T23:33:00.004+10:00

Today was a very funny day =)

Roy had booked tickets to watch "Fly me to the Moon" at IMAX. I thought it was booked for today, the 16th. I told Roy it was for the 16th, and he put that into his calendar. Roy didn't check the date on the tickets, assumed it was today. When we got to IMAX for a 6pm movie, the guy at the counter told us it was for the 23rd, next Tuesday. We both couldn't stop smiling how we made such a boo boo hehe

We ended up sitting in Darling Harbour, chatting and watching the sky go from light to dark. From Darling Harbour, we walked to Argyle Hotel. It was a really nice and pleasant walk as well as building up our appetites for a yummy dinner.

It's the first time I've been to Argyle Hotel. It's very nice and cosy and has very comfy & relaxing lounges. We had dinner there and Roy recommended the 1kg pot of spicy chicken wings and their deep fried prawn ceasar salad. It was yummmm. The spicy chicken wings were freshly fried, crunchy, juicy and steaming hot.

The ceasar salad was yumm tooo ~ Great recommendations Roy =)

After our dinner, we had 3 options. Walk back to Sussex Street to pick up our car, bus it, or cab it. We decided to cab it, but we saw a bus, it dropped us off outside World Square, so we quickly jumped on the bus. It's the first time Roy and I caught the bus together. It felt like we were doing a tour of the city =)

It was such a great night !!

And yes, I did bring my camera this time, and yes, it was charged too :P

Our yummy prawn ceasar salad

mmh.. does this pot look like a mussell pot?? Abit misleading hey? hehe

Ta-da !!! Yummmmy chicken wings - Better than wicked wings, I'd say :P

Satisfaction

2008-09-05T13:36:00.003+10:00

I had a meeting with my boss yesterday afternoon. I was very happy because:
1. He was very happy with my performance and praised me for my efforts.
2. He mentioned a possible promotion in March 09.
3. I have met my quarterly targets & in bonus territory now.

I feel a high level of satisfaction in my job.

I feel happy when I am able to help people with their finances.
I'm happy when I can help them protect themselves and their families.
I'm happy when I can help them with Estate Planning so it would give them a peace of mind that everything is under control.
I'm happy when I can help clients work towards achieving a desired target at retirement.
I'm happy when I help clients with their investments.
I'm happy when I can train and educate my staff to understand more about Financial Planning.

The greatest reward is getting praises from collegues who pass on their clients to me to meet, from my boss and most importantly, my own clients.

6 months back in Sydney

2008-08-31T17:37:00.003+10:00

I was reminded by Roy that I haven't blogged in a while... and yes, it has been a couple of weeks. He suggested that perhaps I was happy, that's why I haven't blogged. When he first said that, I thought ".. no, I would blog when I'm happy.." but then I realised what he said was partly true.

I have been feeling quite happy lately. I've been back to Sydney for 6 months now. I've settled very well. Sometimes it feel's like I haven't left. I feel like i'm back into routine... back into climbing (with Roy climbing with me too!), i've joined the gym, which i've been trying my very best to go 2-3 times a week. Works very smooth **touchwood**, of course, it has it up and downs but generally it's very smooth.

Sometimes I do miss Hong Kong... miss it alot. I miss the eating and shopping and my friends there. Sometimes, I feel like going back , I miss my freedom and living on my own. But I know I won't. =)

I feel like i'm working hard and enjoying life at the same time. Going to movies, spending time with Roy, our families and friends. Going to see musicals, nice romantic dinners and watching plays.

On Saturday night, we watched Saturn's Return. A very nice play. Very different, yet very enjoyable. Roy booked dinner at The Wharf Restaurant. It was such a nice restaurant, that over looks the water and the harbour bridge. We had white wine mussells and salt and pepper squid. It was very nice!! We also had a passionfruit creme caramel, tangy and soury, and a chocolate hazelnut mud cake with ice cream. The mud cake was yumm..it was warm, and melted as it touched your tongue. Unfortunately, Roy forgot his camera, I remembered to bring mine, but it had no battery, so we didn't take any pics. I'll have to remember to keep my camera charged all the time =)

Family Fun

2008-08-11T20:58:00.002+10:00

Today is a super happy special day for me.

Today my mum, Mike & I went to the gym together at Fitness First. We went on the treadmill next to each other. Mike on one side of me and my mum on the other side. I was in the middle. The feeling of family happiness and family warmth, family togetherness made me feel so happy.

As my brother ran, I couldn't stop smiling. He would look over at me and smile and ask me what I was smiling at. For the whole 30 mins, I couldn't help but smile. I had a silly smile pasted on my face the whole time I was on the treadmill. hehe =)

Afterwards, we went for a sauna and we had the whole room to ourselves. Talking and laughing and sweating heaps. It was sooo much fun. =)

I wish we can do this more often!!!! I am super happy today!!