Sweet Success

My castmates and I performed to more than 200 audiences in town, over 3 performances this weekend, beginning from Friday, our opening night. This is a culmination of over 2 months worth of rehearsals, anxiety, and time spent memorising our lines. The 6 of us are involved in the play, "Big Bill". At every performance, 2 one-act plays are performed - the first is "Scones" followed by "Big Bill".

Scones is set against a country fete organised by the country women association (CWA) and how a new city dweller who has just moved to the country upset their routine. In the process, she upset one prominent CWA lady who puts her in her place. The city lass then plots her revenge but later learns how everything works in the country and works out the misunderstanding she had.

In Big Bill, I play the part of a country policewoman (haha! have I seen a Chinese policewoman here? No. Anyway, i think I'm not strong or tall enough to really be a copper.) and am supposed to be on holiday with my boyfriend (played by my colleague, Steve). However, trouble starts when we try to share a communal bbq and are kicked off by Big Bill and his lackey, Merv. I then plot my revenge when I find out a secret that Big Bill has not told anyone. Later though, I learnt my lesson when I realised Big Bill is just a good family man and try to make amends.

Both are humourous plays that have received very good response from the audiences, who are generous with their laughter. I think the strong lights on stage helps calm our nerves down cos we can't see the audiences very well at all.

Phill, my parents-in-law and family friends watched me on opening night and gave me flowers - how sweet! They enjoyed the play and said I was good. It was so encouraging! And quite a few people came up to me, even some at the local supermarket, to say that I did well. I'm on cloud nine.

Maybe I should contemplate going to NIDA (Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art). Alas, I'm too old and I don't think I'm good enough tho I wish I am.

ANZAC Day dawn service

Both Phill and I woke up early this morning to attend the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day dawn service at 6am, my first dawn service. To get to the memorial gates where the service was held is only a less 5 mins drive away. It was however a really cold morning.

I told my editor I would cover the service for our paper in time for it to hit the streets later today so that our news will be the latest.

I was surprised when I saw so many people at the service. It was a solemn and memorable service with one elderly serviceman playing the "Last Post" on the bugle, something that never fails to stir an emotion in me and brings tears to my eyes as I remember the soldiers who fought and are still fighting in wars.

When we arrived home about 6.15am, I asked Phill how many people he thought there was as I needed to write my article. I reckon it was about 100 but he said it's closer to 200. His reasoning?
"You're too short, you couldn't see all the people that were there,"

I decided to take his word and mine, and put the figure down to 150.

Baby Miki

One of the things that is under my portfolio is taking pics of newborn babies at the hospital (one assignment that always lifts my spirits, if I'm down). Today, I took a photo of the 2nd child a daughter named Miki, born to a Japanese lady and her Ausssie husband. Her first child, a daughter, Maya, was also there as well as her brother who was visiting from Japan.

Initially, when I arrived, they were looking for her brother cos he went for a short walk and they were keen to have him in the pic. I told them I could wait and offered to wait outside the room. They offered me a seat instead in her room and we started talking about how I came to be living in Mansfield. She asked if I would give up my citizenship and I said no, and she nodded. Then I said I'll want my kids to have dual citizenship when I have kids, and she said both her kids have dual citizenship but they will have to choose either Aussie or Japanese citizenship when they turn 22.

It was nice to be able to speak to someone who have gone through the process and which I have some questions about. I hope I have the chance to meet her again. She seems nice and her kids were cute, esp the newborn, who slept right through even though we were talking fairly loudly. And you won't be able to tell she just gave birth. She was so slim!

Easter weekend

I've been quite busy this Easter weekend taking pics of an art exhibition, the bushmarket (the Easter one is the best - lots of things to see, eat and buy!!!) and morning tea at one of the local churches. There were so many people over the past few days that there was a traffic jam driving into the main street. There was a long line of cars, which is really unusual here. Anyway, best to let the pics taken at the bushmarket tell the story.

Name a political party

That was one of the quiz questions Phill had posed to his kids prior to their Canberra camp this week. Since parliament house is at Canberra, he thought it'll be a good idea for his kids to have some inkling of the country's capital before going on camp.

However, when he asked that question, his kids were all staring right back at him, speechless... until one brave girl put up her hand to answer.

Her reply?

Birthday Party!

This cracked me up no end...at least she tried though.

Sniff!

I drove Phill to school this morning and we left home at 5.45am and we arrived at his school at 6.30am. He's going on a 4-day camp with his kids to Canberra. It should be fun. I wished I was going. But when it came to saying "bye", I couldn't help feeling sad and the tears just flowed.....after a few hugs, I reluctantly let him go and drove home....sniff!

Evacuated from heavy snowfall

Some students from a private school in Bendigo (in the state of Victoria but I think several hours drive from us) had to be evacuated from their camping/ hiking trip to Mt Howitt yesterday.

This was cos overnight on Wed nite, heavy snowfall and strong winds caused some of their tents to collapse and the cold conditions didn't look like it'll improve. I interviewed 2 students, spoke to a police inspector and called the deputy head today.

To me, it was one of those rare story opportunity since the school had never had to call off a camp in its 20 year history. The students had also never experienced such drastic weather change before.

And I only knew the story cos I noticed quite a few cameramen standing outside one of our town's popular hotel and was asking what they were filming and they said some students were stranded at the mountains. They weren't exactly, just evacuated with 6 troop carriers, a police 4 wheel drive and an ambulance 4 wheel drive. Fortunately, everyone was safe and sound.

A Love Pie

I bought a pie to eat and when I peeled the brown paper to eat it, I saw a heart shape imprinted on it. I was surprised cos I've never seen it before, a heart shape on a pie? I squeal a lil in delight at this discovery until my colleague burst my bubble by saying they had to do it to distinguish different types of pies.... =P

Gal who got the job

I told one of my colleagues, S, that I didn't get a job interview and she told me who got the job. Someone within the organisation. I knew the gal who got the job had made life tough for the previous gal who had the job. And S told me that the gal who got the job had a dubious reputation.

After that, I didn't feel as bad about not getting the job cos (1) I realised they probably had someone lined up already for the job but legally, they still had to advertise (which I think is a dumb rule as it wastes outsiders' time since they have no chance of getting the job) and (2) I'm not prepared to go as far as what I've been told this gal is to get to the top.

Rejected

I applied for a job about 2 weeks ago. The pay was about 60-70% more than what I'm getting. Although it was strange since they only needed someone who had graduated from their equivalent of an 'A' level but was paying what I thought was graduate pay.

The letter said my credentials were impressive, but they had found other applicants who closely matched their requirements. I reckon the impressive credentials is just standard spiel. I was very disappointed and sad. Nearly cried when I read it cos I thought at least I'll get an interview. I also wanted and needed the pay very much. I think I wanted the pay more than the job. =P

At Alex

Phill and I went to Alexandra (about 1 hour's drive from Mansfield) this afternoon to spend some time with my in laws who are helping the family friends house-sit while they are away on a 3-week holiday. I haven't been there since more than a year ago, when they just moved to the place.

I hadn't seen the garden all set up and everything and when we arrived, I thought it was really beautiful. But I know I couldn't have a similar garden myself cos of the work involved and I'm just so lazy and not a green thumb either. I need sturdy plants that can survive my forgetfulness and all, maybe a cactus....hahahah!

For dinner, we bought three large pizzas, surpreme, hawaiian and chicken, but Phill and I didn't think they were that great except for the chicken, which was yum!

We spent the afternoon and evening there watching the Commonwealth Games high jump and running events. Felt sad for an Australian athlete, Craig Mottram, who looked like he had a chance of getting a medal, perhaps even a gold, when he was tripped up by an English athlete and never regained his position. I felt so sad for him.

I was frustrated though at not getting any replays of Singapore's table tennis players winning their medals!!! Arrrgghhhh!

Our dinner party

I invited a couple of my friends over for dinner at our place today since we never had any of them over since we moved in late Oct last year. Lynn and her husband, Steve, Di and her family, husband David and daughter Chele came and they brought pavlova, chocolates, pink roses, wine, soft drinks. I was surprised at the large supply of food and drinks we had. Nice!

Andphill was the one responsible for cleaning up the house and getting it all ready for the party as well as cooking dinner cos he is on school holidays and I'm working.... =P

Look at how clean the house looks!

We had banana chicken curry which Phill made, and it was yum! And for dessert, Phill made a non-bake cheesecake and that was delicious too. Lynn's husband went for seconds too which made Phill happy - testament of how yummy his cheesecake is (they weren't just being polite)!

We had good conversations talking about work, personalities, events, history, the Commonwealth Games and all too soon, it was past 10pm and they decided I need to have an early night for work the next day.

I enjoyed the dinner and the company and look forward to the next party!!!

Australia (not Commonwealth) Games!

The tv station broadcasting the Commonwealth Games have been receiving criticism in the media for only broadcasting medal presentations and action of Aussie athletes, which led to the question if the Games was the Australia Games, and not the Commonwealth Games.

To think that the audience only want shots of Australia athletes is myopic. If that's all they want, why not educate them on the fact that other countries' athletes are just as good in certain sports, and that Australian athletes have been beaten to the gold medals too. Otherwise, in some minds, although proven by the current medal tally, they think only the world of Australia. They are also insulting those viewers who are interested to find out more about the winners (Aussie or not) and about the entire action.

I was peeved about the little table tennis coverage I get, except when the Singapore gals were playing the Aussie gals. Almost like crumbs off a table.....arrrgghhhh! I wanted to track the Singapore table tennis players progress!!!!!! So glad about Singapore's gold medal at the table tennis though - yipppeeee!

Can't put this down

I love it when I get a book that I can't put down. I bought this book, "Mixed Blessings" by Deborah Lee, about foster caring. Deborah has been a foster carer for close to 30 years and cos she can't have her own children, adopted 3 Australian Chinese kids. It was a fascinating, heartbreaking and funny book. It was so addictive, I found myself struggling between going to bed or just reading another page. Highly recommended!

It struck a personal chord with me cos Phill and I had discussed previously that if we couldn't have our own kids naturally, we'll adopt. But I'm also tempted to be a foster carer which I've been told can be heartbreaking when you have to return the kid. There's just so many kids out there who can do with alot of love. Phill is not keen though and I'm wondering maybe I should work on him and convince him for us to be foster carers. Anyway, there is respite foster care, where you take them for only a weekend or two each month. That should be okay and a nice initiation into foster care. But, we'll see how it goes. It won't work if only one person wants to do it. And perhaps when we have kids, I might be too busy and have changed my mind.... =P

A milestone

Phill and I had dinner at the Mansfield Hotel, to celebrate our 10th anniversary of officially being together (dating), which happens to be St Patrick's Day.

When we arrived at the hotel, thinking we didn't have to book, we were greeted by a crowd of customers who were already seated and a long line of customers waiting to place their orders. Undeterred, we were shown to our seats, which looked like the only ones left, and I quickly placed my order for a steak (any kind as long as it's not T-bone) and Phill went off to queue.

We waited for about 45 mins before we were served and although I was hungry before we even arrived, my hunger was placated by the appetiser - garlic bread. Yum!

It was a really good meal. Phill had chicken schnitzel and he liked it. I still love my steak.

Even though there were no anniversary cards, pressies or snaps (I better not ask for them after I bought those boots too) to remember this milestone, I carry with me a memory of what Phill said to me yesterday when we were in Melbourne.

"To think 10 years ago to this day, we were not whole."

Boots

I took leave today and tomorrow to spend time with Phill cos he's on 2 weeks of school holidays and cos tomorrow is our 10th anniversary of officially being together/ dating.

We went to Melbourne today and had a great time. We both bought a couple of books. I bought one on a woman's experience fostering kids for 30 years, Mixed Blessings by Deborah Lee, and another on punctuation, Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. Phill bought his military tank modelling books.

For lunch, Phill and I had dim sum at Shark's Fin restaurant (one of the more popular ones in Melbourne to have dim sum) and we had 8 little dim sum dishes. They were all yum, especially the century egg porridge, sticky rice and char siew pau (phill really love the latter two dishes). The char siew paus are very delicious and they use lean meat, no fat in sight. Yum, yum, yum!

And I also got my hands on a pair of boots I wanted very much. I don't have a pair of boots to wear during winter and wanted a really nice one and comfortable that I can wear for ages. I first saw it on the camper website but then it was sold out everywhere I looked on the internet until I called the melbourne store and they had it!!!! *jumping with glee* Before we went into the store, Phill said cos I am short, the boots may not look right. But when I wore it, we both agreed it was beautiful (but we disagreed on how much we would pay for a pair of boots). After a day's walking around and contemplation, I finally got it!!!! So happy and now, I can't wait to wear it!

Blue Belt!

After the grading last Wednesday, Phill (back row, 3rd from rt) along with his other karate mates, received their blue belts!!! Yeah!!! Happy for him, especially after seeing how tired and exhausted he was last Wed.

Here's him with his mates after being awarded their blue belts with their certificates. Their instructor is Gary Jackson on the front row, extreme right - really nice guy!

Bush Market and Rodeo

Phill and I went to the Mansfield Bush Market during the Harvest Festival weekend followed by a trip out to Merrijig for the rodeo.

There wasn't very much to see at the bush market but probably cos it was so spaced out at the Botanic Park. And Phill overheard a man saying to his family, "let's get out of this hell hole". I suppose the really hot, sweltering weather didn't help it either. We stayed for close to an hour and spend nearly half of the time watching several young performers doing a Pacific Island dance to celebrate the cultures of the three Commonwealth nations we adopted - Niue, Tuvalu and Kiribati (pronounced Kirbaas).

A pic of a chainsaw artist at the bushmarket.
















In the afternoon, after unsuccessfully wating 45 minutes for the shuttle bus, Phill drove to Merrijig (about 10 mins away) to the rodeo. We didn't stay long either, about an hour, cos we were so tired and sapped of our energy due to the day's heat. But whatever we saw - the ladies barrel races, the bull rides and the break away roping was good. Cos I was standing near the barricades separating the arena and the audience seating area, I was quite scared when one of the bulls came charging in my direction after throwing off his rider. It was a big, black and fierce bull that didn't quietly and easily go into its pen. It circled the arena, huffed and puffed and took some time before it went to its pen. It really did put on a performance. The other bulls weren't as scary.

Curtains down

The journalist from the other paper and I interviewed the cinema owner today, before the final screening next Saturday of an Aussie movie, "The Man from Snowy River", which was filmed in our district.

It was sad really but I'm glad our town managed to hang on for so long even at a time when not many country towns can boast of having our own cinema. The owner said cinema audiences are down with average turnout at 12 people. Sometimes, she gets no show, and other times, just 2. It's a really old style cinema and the seats are classic. But cos it has asbestos, the new owner is planning to pull it down and put in a commercial complex.

The cinema owner gave us a little tour of the projectionist room which I've never been before and she explained how the reels (which last only 20 mins) are fed and how the carbode (spelling?) rods are burnt to get the projection unit going. It was such a great lesson and yet, sad! I enjoyed just being in that room and soaking in a little moment of history that was heading to dust. The owner pointed to a part on the wall where many a projectionist had left their hand print while resting their hand on the wall, waiting to feed the next reel of film.



















*Ahem* I probably look abit too happy at this sad impending occasion but I was so thrilled to be in the projectionist room!

I had a dream....

I recently wrote to a friend to tell her I recently dreamt of her being 9 months pregnant and looking absolutely gorgeous and radiant and I was sooo jealous. And it was then she told me she was indeed pregnant, almost 3 months! What wonderful news - and a dream come true!!! I can't wait to see pictures now!

Congratulations!!!

Cartoon

US President Bush travelled to India recently followed closely by Aussie President Howard. This is the political satire that came out of a Herald Sun (Aussie newspaper) cartoonist's pen, "riding" (no pun intended) on the success of Brokeback Mountain:

Campdraft

I made a detour before heading to church this morning by going to the Mansfield Showgrounds to take photo of the Campdraft. Didn't really know what campdraft is all about. From what I know with colleagues explaining to me and this campdraft website, it involves a horse rider showing to a panel of judges that he has control over a beast (usually cattle) and when he is ready, he signals for a gate to be opened and guides the beast through those gates.

I didn't stay very long but sufficient enough to be impressed at the hobbies some people have and the passion and pleasure they derive from it.

Some pics I took:

Gloss please...

Recently, after buying these 2 Lancome lip glosses online from Strawberry Net, I've been fairly crazy about them. Preferring to wear them over lipsticks. The one on the left is lychee which is pinkish and the one on the right is Fraise and it's red. I like the way it looks and the sparkles in the lip gloss. Nice! Nothing like shopping to make a girl happy, if only temporarily.... =P

Boy from Oz

Even though Mondays are usually crazy for us, today was different cos I had to somehow make time at 9am sharp to book 2 tickets for the musical, "Boy from Oz", starring my very favourite and yummy-licious Hugh Jackman!!!! Aaahhhhh!

And I did get the tickets at 9am sharp and good seats too for our section. But we could only afford the cheapest tickets on offer which was still expensive - $99!!! The most expensive were VIP tickets at $499!!!!

I can't wait!!! Yeah! *does imaginery cartwheels*

Farewell dinner

Phill and I went to the farewell dinner the group of us at the office organised for Lynn. We went to the Mansfield hotel for dinner and I had a great meal - eye fillet! Yummy! Phill had porterhouse steak but it wasn't that great at all. We (Lynn, her hubby Steve, my colleague, Steve, Ken, Elise, Dianne, Phill and I) enjoyed the conversation and all too soon, it was 10.50pm and time for us to head home. Fortunately, Phill has a training course tomorrow so he can sleep in a little and doesn't need to leave home as early as he usually does.

Queen's Baton Relay

This was a photo my colleague, Sian, took of me when the Queen's Baton (part of Commonwealth Games) came through our town, Mansfield, today for less than an hour. She had a better camera and was running on the footpaths trying to catch the action. I was at the back of the media vehicle. It was fun but look at the pissy little camera I was holding compared to the other two big, powerful and appropriate cameras the other 2 gals by my side were wielding. I felt embarassed. And although I still wasn't feeling well, it was fun sitting there and waving to the crowds and the people I knew who were lining the streets. Perhaps something to tell the grandkids even though I wasn't one of the runners carrying aloft the baton... ;O)

Saw the doctor

I was starting to feel unwell on Saturday so I decided to see the doctor and just get well really quickly.

Anyway, I saw a lady doctor and she said I had a cold and that it was going to get worse. I said my throat really feels raw and sore and she prescribed a painkiller, Nurofen, that I could buy from the counter.

I've been told before going to this doctor that she likes to prescribe Nurofen and she doesn't prescribe anything else....arrrgghhhh!

I hope the medicine works...

Feeling miserable about having to work even though I am not feeling that great.....but its okay, it just so happens that today, our part-time journalist is also busy.

Scones

I tried making scones today using a recipe book I bought which I love for all the good, yummy recipes it has.

Turned out the scones were abit hard but the inside were soft and fluffy enough. I may have cut the scone size abit too big. I didn't have a cookie cutter so I used the rim of a glass to cut out circles of dough to bake into scones. And I thought I was being innovative until Phill told me my mum-in-law does that too cos she doesn't use a cookie cutter.

Phill had his scones with apricot jam while I have mine with strawberry jam....YUM!

The McGuigans

Phill and I met his long-time friend, Anita and her husband, Mark McGuigan earlier today. We had such fun talking even though it was for 1 hour 15 mins. They had come up to Kevington (about 45 mins from Mansfield) from Port Fairy (8 hours drive away) for a wedding yesterday and so when i read that in the papers a week ago, I emailed Anita and arranged to meet up. Their kids are so gorgeous, Matisse, Sasha and Isaac, and very well-behaved. I hope it won't be too long before we meet the next time. We saw them about 6 years ago, at their wedding.
















***
Later in the afternoon, we took my dad-in-law to a cinema at Swanpool (about 30 mins drive from Mansfield, and 10 mins drive where my in laws live). We watched a documentary on Gallipolli and a short film, "My mother India", about the filmmaker's Aussie mum and how she adapted living in India, going through the troubled times of the 1980s and even having to give up her Aussie citizenship which saddened her. It was a really good film.

Feeling clucky

Lately, I've been feeling cluckier than usual. Usually, it just comes and goes. I'm not sure if its cos my friends seem to either be starting to have kids or having their next kid. Or cos I see quite a few cute babies in my line of work - usually, I have to go to the hospital and take baby photos and some info on the baby and family for the newspaper.

And then I worry about juggling work and having a baby. And how it seems so bad of me to leave my baby at a childcare centre at 1, when my maternity leave is up and I have to return to work.

The way I feel now, I want to work but then again, I have these worries about missing my child's first words, steps, etc.

When I told phill that, he said," don't worry...when we hear our kid say his/ her first words, that'll be their first words. Whatever else they said before are all gibberish." I had to laugh at his reasoning but it sure was comforting. Phill says the notion of hearing your kid's first words is very hallmark/ hollywood. I suppose they could possibly say their first words on their own and no-one to hear it.

But I've got some travel plans for September next year (we hope to go to China with my parents) and before then, don't plan to have babies. But, as I've been told, babies have their own sense of timing.

I investigated private health insurance today and the way it works, you'll have to be a full-paying member for a year first before you can claim on your policy so we've got to decide shortly which policy and sign it up first. The wonderful thing about private health insurance is that it includes IVF treatments, but only for 3 rounds and after that, its not covered. I pray we won't have to go for IVF.

Then again this morning, waking up at 6am, I wondered if I am ready to wake up early to feed/ placate the baby. Selfishly, I don't think so. I'll still like to be able to sleep in.

Chicken Avocado Melt

I had Chicken Avocado Melt for lunch today. My car tyre blew last night after my play rehearsal so I thought I'll buy takeaway lunch instead of walking home for lunch. Its also one of the few times I feel like indulging myself. So off I went to Tarts Cafe (one of the more reasonable cafes in town. Lunch can sometimes cost more than $10 if I go to the wrong shop.) in the main street and bot my lunch. It was yummy. Had to be for $8.50 but perhaps it was more than enough for lunch. But cos it was so tasty, I finished it all and had a cappuccino with it too. Yum! Satisfying and hit a spot!

Rehearsals

I went for my play rehearsal earlier.

We had 2 readings of the script and boy, the other actors were very good, the way they emote and enunciate. I have heaps more to learn and go. I hope I don't let the team down. The director is a pretty much straightforward, funny and direct kinda person.

She said in the course of doing the play, we may fall in love with our co-stars and she assured us its natural cos she fell in love with her co-stars too and once, when it was even a lady playing the other part.

I said I won't fall for Steve (who plays my boyfriend in the play) cos in the play, I'm supposed to be mad at him....hahaha!

Everything went well and I enjoyed myself until I had to drive out of the high school's car park and all the way home, abt 5 mins drive, I keep hearing this really loud noise and thought I had scrapped my undercarriage. When I drove home, I asked Phill to help me check it out. He backed it out of our driveway and then drove it back, alighted, and then saw my punctured tyre. Aarrggghhh! Another unexpected expense.

Women's talk

Steve was on leave today so it was just D (who left the office already but is filling in for Lynn who is on vacation), Sian (pronounced "Shan"...its a Welsh name) and I. And with the afternoon to ourselves, we talked about many things - love, our past, gossip.

One of the things that was queried was: do you think there's a brothel or working girl here in Mansfield?
Then Sian said most country towns do. I commented that Phill had joked with me previously when we saw this particular house with different cars on some days that there's a working girl in there. Sian laughed and said they're probably having a party.

Then it was onto men and relationships...
Sian told us how her first few boyfriends cheated on her and she didn't even know. D told us about how she had to plan her getaway for nearly a year before she could eventually leave her husband. And how she once successfully picked up her son at his kindergarten before her ex could get to him cos he hadn't paid maintenance and then when he saw her driving out of the school, he chased her all around Melbourne, which freaked her out. Her ex was abusive and an alcoholic and she couldn't see herself being with him. She thought he was a bad influence on the son too.

It's nice just the 3 of us in the office and sharing our lives....

Back to school

It was back to school for most schoolchildren yesterday. However, the preps (usually 5-6 year olds) only started today at Phill's school.

When he arrived home, I asked him how was their first day since he told me the day usually begins with the preps bawling their eyes out and their parents quieting sobbing away.

Surprisingly, he told me the preps didn't cry but the grade ones (primary 1) did. But...but...they have already had a year at the school so what were they crying about?

I reckon its cos nobody cried so they decided a long held tradition cannot be broken and the floodgates were opened....(hey, did that rhyme or did it?....hahaha.)

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year to one and all! May this year bring you your heart's desires, good health, sanity (haha!), peace, fun, love, joy, and God's blessings!

I miss my mum's pineapple tarts and gathering with family members (some I only see once a year), especially the little kids....sniff! sniff!

I think Phill miss (misses??) his bak kwa.

I hope we have an opportunity to celebrate Chinese New Year next year in Singapore!

Our Dining Table!

When we came back home after the Singapore trip, Phill and I went and made arrangements to have our dining table delivered. However, its a ready to assemble piece and Phill spent a few hours every day, for the past 2 days, fixing it up. Some of the chairs seem more difficult and some of them took more than an hour each to assemble. The table, Phill said, was easier.

Some pics of Phill hard at work, for evidence:
















And so we had our first meal - dinner of japanese curry - at our new dining table. Divine! I love the table and can envisage our family (kids) having dinner together.


















As we were eating, I told Phill, "I can imagine our kids will dirty this dining table in future."
P: "No, we'll just put plastic wrap over it."
V: "Ok." (actually, i was thinking "what??!!!" so ugly!)

Pancakes!!!

I made Phill pancakes for breakfast. We slept in and only woke up at like 10am and by the time I got things ready, set the mixture aside for 20mins as recommended in the recipe, we had our pancakes at like 11am. We both enjoyed it.....yum!

I like mine with maple syrup, Phill likes it with sugar and lemon.
I told him he has a weird taste. I tried some of his with sugar and lemon and still take mine with maple syrup anyday!

Australia Day and Mini Grand Prix in town

There was an Australia Day ceremony in the morning which I covered, for work. Very poignant and there were speeches of what it means to be Australian. I feel like an outsider cos I feel more Singaporean than anything.

As 2 residents took the pledge to become Australia citizens, I was thinking how I probably will never take that step cos I still want my Singapore citizenship. The day Singapore allows dual citizenship, I'll take up Aussie citizenship. Unless my kids in future are affected in any way, I can't forsee myself giving up my Singapore citizenship.

Later in the afternoon, there was a classic cars sprint, a local cycling race and then the qualifying race for the Porsche Mount Buller Sprint. Phill met me at 12.45pm at work and we made our way to the grandstands (cost: a min of $50 each, which my company paid for) to "chope" seats for the race.

When we were there, we found no-one else. I turned to Phill and said," eh, Aussies not very kiasu hor". He replied,"nope, but we're Singaporeans....heehee!".....hahaha! How true....our Singaporean kiasu-ness came out.

It was scorching hot though....over 40 degrees but we applied sunblock so we're well-protected from the heat. But I didn't have a hat and after 30 mins of sitting in the heat, I told Phill I needed to get a hat so I went off wanting to look for the merchandise shop but couldn't find it and got myself a red hat from one of the shops in the main street instead. I quite like it although with my glasses and all, I look like I'm a Mainland Chinese gal... =P

Some pics from that day:

Mum-in-law's birthday

Phill and I celebrated my mum-in-law's birthday today. She is 67.

For dinner, we brought my parents-in-law to a steak restaurant in town, called Mingo's. Both Phill and I had an eye fillet each and my parents-in-law had lamb chops. Yum!!!

And we gave my mum-in-law a photo frame with 6 little slots of our wedding photos. She loved it. She looked really happy.

We then proceeded back to our place for some ice-cream....slurp! slurp!

I was so glad both Phill and I pulled it off and made it a great day for her.

Becoming an actress

Before I left for Singapore about a month ago, I sms-d a lady, Cathie, from the local theatre group to say I was interested in being a part of the productions they will stage this year.

Anyway, when I came back from work after my Christmas holidays, I saw a script on my desk and asked Steve about it. He said Cathie dropped it off while I was away for me to take a look. Apparently, she has suggested I take the role of Jackie, a country cop in her 20s, very fiesty. But.....the thing is, Steve was also offered a part, that of my boyfriend!!!! Another country cop! hahahahaha! What a laugh! I reckon it'll be quite awkward but fun though! Fortunately, we don't have to kiss, hug or whatever. The script is funny and serious but has a good ending. And it also has me arguing with Steve most of the time, so that's good, rather than intimate scenes.

The difference though was that Steve was offered the part but I had to audition. So I was still quite nervous about whether I'll get the part.

Anyway, Cathie came in today and asked if I liked the script and I said "yes" and she said "okay, just come for rehearsals next week". And that was it. I got the part! Smooth....=O)

Now, I'm nervous and excited!!! Yiippeeee! I hope I remember all my lines. Nothing like forgetting your lines on stage......arrrgghhhh!

Hotel Rwanda

Phill and I watched it over the weekend. Loved it. So sad though. Cried and angry at the injustice of it all. The western countries only help poorer countries when there's something in it for them, like oil. Otherwise, they're happy for the people to slash each other to death.

I highly recommend watching Hotel Rwanda. Made me sit up and notice that we can make a difference by getting our governments to do something to help the poorer nations and their people, rather than switch a channel and continue eating my dinner. Made me want to be an activist and carry placards and go on strike.....

Started Work

I started work today and sure wasn't in the mood.

I couldn't sleep too even though I tried and fell into a light sleep only at about 4am.

There wasn't too much work except for 2 interviews which kept me occupied but not so busy I feel I'm going insane. Thank God!

p.s. And everyone at work commented positively about my dyed hair. Red!!!! lalalalala! Happy! =P

Back home in Australia

Our last day in Singapore was quite frenzy, as it usually is. I managed to drop by at the arts council to say hi to friends who were still there but every time I'm there, there are fewer people I know. And got some CDs which I wanted - INXS, Nickelback, Rene Liu, Lisa Ono, Shakira, Robbie Williams, Foo Fighters.

When we arrived home in the late afternoon, I had a short nap which I really needed. I was starting not to sound coherent cos I was so tired and I wondered why since I had a really good sleep the night before.

When I woke up, it was 5pm and Phill and I started packing until past 7pm. We were exasperated, worried, and abit tense cos we were trying our best to fit our shopping in our luggage and hopefully, not exceed the limit.

I had a chance to take a break from the packing and have some durian my mum bought for me. Yum! My first taste of durian since I was back.

And then we were off to the airport at about 8pm. Our 2 luggages weighed 52kg so it went through without a problem. Phew!

After that, I was trying to locate the kopitiam which had nice kaya toast the last time I was there. I couldn't believe how many changes the airport has made since I was last there 6 months ago. I wanted my kaya toast! Then I realised, after settling for Polar (not as nice), that it was at Terminal 1. Duh! No time to go there now.

When it was time to say goodbye, I couldn't help but shed tears. My mum and I had our fair share of disagreements and arguing even though i was at home for only abt 3 weeks but I accept that its a normal mother-daughter relationship, and we do love each other very much. As I was leaving, I couldn't believe how little I see of my parents. Just 2-3 weeks a year. That kept my tears flowing...

There were also many friends and family I hadn't seen on this trip. Maybe I wasn't organised enough...I hope I'm more organised in my next trip.

The drive back from the airport to our home in Mansfield took about 2.5 hours. I slept for 40 mins mid-way through the trip and tried to stay awake the rest of the way so that I could help keep Phill awake by chatting to him. I remembered my dad told me the role of the front passenger is not to fall asleep but help to keep the driver awake. I must admit I was successful only sometime.

Today, Phill looked real tired as he was driving us home...

We arrived home at about 12.30pm. It was nice to be home but I still miss Singapore!

A day I love

Nearing the end of our trip in Singapore, one of the things I love on this trip was an opportunity to have lunch with my brother. I hadn't really seen much of him so far in this trip. Today, for lunch, he brought Phill and I went to have wan tan mee (a noodle dish) at Peace Centre. It was yum, especially the fried dumplings which had a special sweet sauce. Then Phill went to his tank modelling shop at Sunshine Plaza and then we did abit of last minute shopping.

For dinner, Phill and I took my parents and Gary to have seafood at Melben (at Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, the coffeeshop opposite Ai Tong Primary School). We arrived there at 8pm and after taking our order (surprisingly, we got a table really quick cos a family in front of us vacated their table just as we started standing there), she said we'll have to wait 1 hour.

I was already very hungry and didn't think I could wait that long. So, we had some chicken wings and in 20 minutes, the first dish arrived. Happy, happy, joy, joy! I asked why did they say it was 1 hour when it was only 20 mins and Gary said they wanted to under-promise and over-deliver to make their customers happy.

We had chilli and butter crabs, vegetables (dou miao), yam and vegetables dish, fried buns, cereal prawns....in all, about 7 dishes! There were so many of them, we had trouble fitting them on the table. And we loved every bit of them, especially Phill and I since we don't eat seafood in Australia cos its expensive, except for the usual fish and chips.















After that, we went to ah yi's house at past 10pm and talked to her friends, sang karaoke, ate, drank, and had coconut jelly which was yum! Even Phill who normally doesn't like coconut liked it. It was great to hang out!

Any day with family and friends is a wonderful one!

Our Muar trip

For the past 3 days, since Jan 31, we have been in Mt Ophir and Muar on a short holiday trip together with my parents. We went with a choir group from Singapore and were invited to join them because having more people on the trip drives down the costs.

The waterfall at Mt Ophir was interesting but the part where we walked up to, took us about 35 minutes, it wasn't that impressive. And there was lots of rubbish around even though there were plenty of bins. Don't look like anyone was using them. When we returned to Singapore, we read a report that 3.5 tonnes or 3,500kg of rubbish are collected everyday at Mt Ophir! WOW!

Yesterday, we went to a palm plantation near the Mt Ophir resort we were staying at. And that was interesting seeing how the leaves from a palm tree were cut down, how the buffalo transports them and all. We went to an orchard too and a mini zoo but the animals look abit sad and not very well-kept, like the ostriches who had pulled their own feathers out.

To ring in the new year, we attended a party organised by the resort owner. But we spent 2 hours from 9pm listening to this rock band who unfortunately looked like they were caught up in a jamming session than a performance because intially, they were facing the audience and playing their music but as it got on, they were just facing each other and jamming away. That was when it got boring. By 11pm, Phill and I were tired and went to the room to watch tv (which mostly had channels broadcasting Malay programs). Come midnight, there were fireworks which went on for a while and we just looked at it from our room.

Last night, we went to Muar (which is about an hour's trip) to listen to the choir performance by the Singapore group and one from Muar. We were put on this very old bus which was quite dirty and the seats reclined to 70degrees when the bus was moving. Everything looked like it was falling apart. Even we could see parts of the road cos the floorboards moved. I was abit concerned we were going to be on the ground anytime. The performance was interesting and Phill was interviewed by a Muar newspaper reporter who wondered why there was a Caucasian audience member. He basically asked why Phill was there and if he enjoyed the performance (Phill said yes).

In all, it was a good trip although I had to keep in mind it was really a economical and budget trip and though I was disappointed with the resort room cos it was perhaps better described as a chalet style room, the food at the resort was good. I enjoyed it even though an ex-colleague had warned me it wasn't good. What I couldn't put up with, unfortunately, was the state of the toilets in the entire trip (except the ones in the resort). Some were enough to make me lose my appetite but I'm sure there's worse, like the ones in China.....*shudder*

Meeting friends

The past few days have been somewhat a blur. We've anticipated this trip for a while and now, where do we begin? It's like being in front of a buffet table and wondering which dish to start with.

We've had quite a number of good food - japanese food at tamako (casuarina road), mee rebus, carrot cake....yum!

And we watched a movie, Merry Christmas, which I liked and Phill did too. Except he said it was a half-truth in that it showed as if it was only that particular German, English and French unit who had a ceasefire and celebrated together. In fact, there were many units down the line who celebrated because the war was so unreal to them having only entered it several months prior. The following year though, their superiors made sure there was no ceasefire by keeping up with the bombing raids.

One of the things I really look forward to in this trip was catching up with friends and tonight, we did. Xiujuan, Christina, Shir Ee and I met and ate at the hawker centre at the Youth Park in Orchard. The quality of food was okay but the conversations were great. I realised, sitting there, that I miss having friends when I'm in Australia. Friends who know you, your bad and good side, and love you anyway. Friends whom you can be yourself. We talked/ gossiped quite abit about our lives, our opinions the state of art in Singapore (erm, very intellectual, yah), and our future plans. Then it was time to head home and it was almost midnight...

Heading Home

Phill and I were fairly early at the Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne waiting for our flight to Singapore. As we passed through customs, suddenly, the lights all went off. So instead of walking through the shops like I'd like to, we ended up sitting at some seats waiting for the lights to come on. Perhaps, it was more me than Phill since he was happy just sitting and reading. In the meantime, a lady came up to me to ask for my comments about the airport. Phill had the same experience when we were in Hongkong and someone asked for his feedback on Hongkong and the airport. We gave good reviews. For Melbourne, I thought of good things to say about the airport which was abit difficult when I was tempted to say how could a blackout happened for so long, that I've never experienced such an incident when I'm at Changi Airport.

About 45 mins-1 hour later, the power came back on and Phill and I went to browse the books at the only bookshop there. When we boarded the flight, we were pleased to see that we were leaving 5 mins earlier than scheduled. That's the difference between SIA and other airlines, at least there's a chance of arriving earlier. For most other airlines I've been on, its only fortunate if they're not too late by 20-30 minutes.

However, I'm not sure if its the plane or the weather, once we took off, the plane was shaking pretty hard and I had to grip Phill's hands fairly tightly. I sure was glad he was on the flight with me. I was worried cos I've never experienced turbulence that bad. It made everything shake from side to side instead of up and down, which would have made me want to throw up. That took place for about an hour or more.

Finally, it settled and we watched some movies, tried to sleep and the last 4 hours went by slowly for me. I think I get restless after about 3 hours of being in the air. Finally, we were on Singapore soil and it was good to see my parents again. I even noticed my mum lost weight!

Phill's Christmas Party

Phill and I attended his school's Christmas party earlier this evening at one of his colleague's house in Glenrowan (around the Wangaratta area). We got lost though cos Phill forgot to bring the map. He thought he did but I searched his bag and didn't find it. He almost wanted to give up and head home (after driving from home for 75 mins) when he decided to try a certain route and we finally found the place - phew!

When we arrived, we realised there was not going to be a bbq. Phill thought it was going to be one and we had brought sausages but fortunately, we brought KFC coleslaw and a teacake too. It was actually sort of potluck and everyone brought either a main dish, appetiser or dessert. Everyone made something though, except us. We brought take away....hahaha!

Initially, I was feeling a little out of place cos I didn't really know many of his colleagues but 2 of them made the effort to talk to me, Rebecca and Steve, and his wife, Tania. After we had our meal, a few of us sat around and talked and that was good. And we had a tour of the one-acre block of garden the house sat on and then an internal house tour later on. The house is in an odd-shape but unusual and nice. The garden was huge and I told Phill later on there was no way I could manage such a big space. We laughed about it and admitted we had problems tidying up our little house at the moment, much less a garden!

We finally left the place at about 10.15pm, all full and happy, but tired. Towards the end of the car trip, I was getting really sleepy. And it was cold. Suppose to be summer but it was freezing. And then by the time we arrived home, I was real grumpy. As soon as I hit the pillow, I was dead to the world.

Hail?!

I know its supposed to be summer here but boy, the spate of rain and hail for about 15 minutes at 12.45pm today made me feel like it was winter.

Just look at the pictures here of what happened:
















Now, I have an idea of what it must be like to have a white Christmas!!!!

COLD!!! brrrrrr....... =O)

What?!

I bought some Santa hats from a local shop today and at the end of the transaction, wished the lady a Merry Christmas. Instead, she waved her hand and said, "I'm not going to say anything about that". Reason being, some people in Australia don't celebrate Christmas. However, even if you don't celebrate, others do, so what's wrong with wishing someone Merry Christmas? As my friend says, she makes enough money from Christmas products even though she doesn't celebrate it.

This behaviour has gone crazy to the point that some people don't celebrate it cos they are afraid it will offend others. And as it has been in successive years, Christmas is no longer remembered as a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Redeemer who loved us so much, he came to earth to forgive our sins, die for us, rise again and in turn, give us hope and eternal life.

Even some Christians are afraid of celebrating Christmas, it seems. People are more cautious about wishing each other Merry Christmas, preferring to wish each other happy holidays and calling the Christmas tree a holiday tree. That's fine but it'll be no different than wishing each other happy holidays when its some other public holidays or when they go off on a vacation. So if you only wish each other happy holidays during Christmas, why can't you say Merry Christmas instead? Why not call a spade a spade?

Violet Town Market

My in-laws, phill and I went to the Violet Town market today. It's the last one for this year and supposedly, the best. There were definitely more stalls there than usual but most were of the same thing. The only difference were the variety of food stalls there.

Phill and I had a banana smoothie and a sausage and we were quite satisfied. We bought some garden tools for my dad in law and also a bed for my brother's dog whom we love, altho I think Phill loves her more than I do. We spent about an hour there - there were so many people! - and made the trip back home.

Aaaah! A fulfilling day! =O)

Company's Christmas Party

Phill and I went for my company's Christmas Party at Wangaratta earlier. We arrived at 7pm, thinking we were really late. However, the speeches that were supposed to kick off at 7pm didn't happen til about 7.45pm. In the meantime, we kept ourselves busy with appetisers such as oysters (didn't eat them), prawns, salad, and bread. It was yum!

I didn't know very many people there since they were all from head office although the few I knew did come over to my table and say hi. And I sat with some of them I've worked with previously so that was nice.

I saw Steve and his girlfriend there too and we ended spending the rest of the evening talking to each other. His girlfriend is really nice.

Our dinner was a buffet one of roast beef, pork, salads, spaghetti salad, more bread, and all you can drink beer, soft drink and wine. Dessert was a fruity cheesecake and the food was yum, yum, yum!

Phill said at least my company provides a nice Christmas meal for their staff cos his school's Christmas party which we're going to next Saturday is BYO (bring your own). But I guess being a country school, they don't have a budget for such activities.

Phill and I finally left at 10pm and we arrived home at about 11.10pm, exhausted. I didn't have to drive though but Phill has done quite abit of driving today - to school, from school, to party and back home.

Trip to the doctor's

I had to see the doctor today and was reading in the waiting room when my doctor came out to call for the next patient. When she called out my name, a little gal that had just walked into the clinic, raised her hand, jumping up and down and said "me, me". I had to laugh. The doctor told her gently that it was someone else she was calling out for as I had walked towards the doctor by then. Anyway, it was the little gal's mother that was seeing the doc, not her.

BBQ at the in-laws

We had a BBQ dinner at my in laws place today. It was fun, especially when someone else does the cooking, and in this case, it was Phill. My in laws' old bbq worked well and we had a yummy and hot dinner. One thing I love about cooking steaks or meat over the bbq in Australia is that you don't need sauces to draw out some taste in the meat. They generally have a good taste on its own unless you've got a tomato sauce addiction like I do. =P
















And yes, we had the bbq at the shed but then we were civilised and actually did our eating indoors, in the dining room.... =P

Nguyen

Van Thuong Nguyen was hanged today.

When I first knew of this case, I didn't pay very much attention to it, thinking it was another foolish act by another Australian. I only felt for his mother who sacrificed and worked so hard to bring him up.

In the weeks leading up to his execution date, the Australia media bombarded us with so much news of him.

At the end of it, I am still supportive of the death penalty and am disappointed with some very public critical comments by some people who I suspect don't know Singapore very well at all. Some people held the opinion that the death penalty does not lower the rates of drug trafficking. One conclusion that may be drawn from it is that there are still people willing to take the risk. It is difficult to collate statistics whether the penalty does deter or does not. No one is going to publicly say, for statistical purposes, that they initially thought of drug trafficking and then decided not to, cos of the death penalty. What we know is that drug trafficking still exists but the conclusions that can be drawn from there, are many.

Singapore is a very safe place. I can still walk on the streets after a midnight movie and still feel safe. I can't say the same here in Australia. Usually in the cities, the advice is not to go out when it's dark or after 8pm. Tough laws in Singapore keep the streets safe. The same can't be said about Australia when certain rulings made in murder/ rape/ violent cases makes one wonder if life is so cheap. Becos the convicted can only be jailed for a couple of years for murdering someone.

The only issue I have from this case is the ban on physical contact between Nguyen and his family. They were eventually allowed to hold hands. But Shamugan's mother didn't even get that chance. At least, give the family and the convicted person a day or a few days to spend a good part of the day to embrace. They will not be seeing each other for a long time. I think that's the least that can be done. Those on death row should be treated differently than those imprisoned because for the latter, there is an expiry date and a chance to see and hug family members at a future date.

As I sat and watched the evening news, I couldn't help but cry a little. Nguyen sounds like a pretty decent bloke who made one serious mistake that cost him his life. He was only 25 years old.

A wonderful day!

I received a call this morning from a recently retired local doctor whom I had interview several weeks ago about the spread of noxious weeds, Paterson's Curse, in our area. She said it showed through my article that I had done research on the subject and it was a well-written article. I was glowing from that call. But that was not the end of it.

Later in the morning, Steve showed me a letter written by the chairperson of Mansfield's Relay for Life event which I covered recently. She had addressed the letter to my group editor and said that my articles were well-written, timely, and accurate, something not seen in the local papers for the past few years. She also said I always had a smile wherever I went. What a letter!

And I asked Steve if I could photocopy that letter so I could pull it out to encourage myself on a bad day. He laughed and said I could have the original letter after he faxed it to my group editor.

Later that day, I also realised I hadn't thank Steve for his good feedback on my work that prompted my bosses to move me up to 2nd year cadet. His reply was that I should take 100% credit for it because of my approach to work and quality articles. I thought that was very nice of him!

What a wonderful and encouraging day! I was on a high for the entire day!

Singapore!!!

As Phill was sitting on the sofa this evening after dinner, he suddenly said, "are you excited about going to Singapore? I am!" That made me laugh. I was too tired to think about it today but yes, it's something we think about constantly and we've been discussing what our first meal in Singapore will be.

My 1st meal will have to be real spicy so either laksa or mee siam but Phill prefers carrot cake or hokkien mee or char kway teow. I'm thinking of eating the minute I touch down in Singapore but he thinks he'll be too full from the inflight meal.

What I do know is that both of us will definitely put on weight, a couple of kgs, by the time we return to Melbourne. Ahhhh....the joys of eating the food in Singapore! =O)

BBQ

After coming back from church today, Phill and I went to my church friend's (Iain and Linda)property about 15 mins drive from where we are, for a bbq. Surprisingly, nearly all my church members were there too. I say, surprisingly, cos most of them live in Benalla and beyond so it'll take them at least an hour to reach the place.

We had a great time and Iain and Linda's property is beautiful. They have a huge dam and a little jetty and many fruit trees - nectarine, lemons, apricot, apples, and many different type of flowers and also a huge area for their cows cos both of them are cattle farmers.

I couldn't get over how fast time went and though we were there at about 1.15pm, we left at 4pm. We had such a good time!



Look at the bag of lemons we plucked from Iain and Linda's lemon tree that was bulging from the weight and size of the lemons. They were HUGE!It was unbelievable and so unreal! They were nice enough to let us pluck them. Linda said for us to help ourselves.... =O)

Crash - the Movie

I rented the movie Crash last evening and we needed to watch it by today so we could return it in time. After Phill's afternoon nap and as we were eating our dinner, we watched the movie.

It was a very good movie, one that I felt has alot more depth than most Hollywood movies. Focusing on racial discrimination, it leads the viewer to what sometimes appear to be black and white scenarios but then turn out to be really grey areas. And that a person can be really racist but then show his true self when it really matters. Very compelling and worth watching more than once!

p.s. there are more than one Crash movies around so just ask for the one that stars Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Thandie Newton, Don Cheadle.

Lunch on a Saturday!

I cooked ginger chicken porridge for Phill for lunch today and he loved it! So did I! Yum! =O)

Entrance to our rented house

I feel funny calling the house we're living in, "our house", since its not really our house. We don't own it. We rent it.

But anyway, I realised I haven't posted pics of the place so here goes, just one pic of the entrance to the house, and my car (red) can be seen towards the right of the pic. The house, I think, doesn't look that flash from the outside. But we both love it on the inside. Its well laid out and organised.















I can't post pics of how the house looks like inside cos its quite messy. We've got papers strewn all around. I told Phill judging by the amt of newspapers we have lying around, we look like an intellectual couple.

Maybe I will post more pics after this weekend, when Phill and I have tidied it up.

Erm....abt the car

Phill brought my car into the smash repairs at Benalla to have them take a look at it. At the end of the day, they had the car hoisted up and the guy, Chris, pointed to Phill where the damage was. Apparently, it's more to do with the little screws that fell out and although external damage is not bad, it's the internal that's affected. And Chris said that fortunately, the ground which I ran into was wet. Had it been dry, my car would have flipped.

When Phill told me that, I froze for abit and really thank God for what I thought was an awful outcome. Now that I know its indeed a good outcome that I failed to see earlier, I'm glad I'm alright, especially since I've not signed up to Medicare (government medical program for all residents) yet.

Strike!!!

Phill went on strike today, by not going to work/ school. It's the national day of protest against the federal government's industrial reforms which amongst other things will also take away my cherished privilege of not needing an MC for sick leave that's not more than 2 days. He tried to arrange to go to Melbourne for the protest but there is no-one arranging for that and basically, each individual make their own arrangements.

But cos he was on camp last week, he only knew about it when he returned to work on Friday and he had to quickly get everything organised but by then, it was too late to hitch a ride on anyone's car to go to Melbourne.

He stayed at home and relax instead. However, he lost a day's pay. But as we discussed abt it last week, I said its worth standing up for it cos its a matter of principle.

Japanese Curry....yum!

One of the things that we've enjoyed having, although we only had it once before is japanese curry made from a sauce packet we bought in Melbourne the last time we were there. There were only medium hot and hot flavours so I got 2 each.

The first time we had the hot japanese curry and today, we had medium hot together with chicken, potatoes and carrots and Phill loves it! He says the next time we go to Melbourne, we gotta buy more, more! I've surprised how similar the taste is to when I eat them at the better restaurants. For all I know, they may use the same sauce packet too....hahaha!

I've liked japanese curry for some time now but recommend the restaurant at Causurina Road called Tamako. I enjoy the curry there the most. I've tasted some bad japanese curry in other restaurants *bleah*.

Princess and the Pea

Our king-size mattress was delivered today. It was HUGE! I don't think I've ever seen a bed that HUGE! And cos I gotta run off to cover an event, phill offered to fix up our bed. When I came home, I saw it and had to laugh. The bed was not only huge, it was very high, which made me think of the story of Princess and the Pea.

Phill said I probably need a step ladder to get up and a parachute to get out of it...haha! very funny! =P

And poor him, after fixing the bed, he had quite alot of cuts to his fingers, and they were pretty deep.

What a way to look at it...

I told my friend, Derek, abt my accident 2 days ago. And his question was, "how come? The fence was moving too fast for you?" And he said the same thing happened to his sister too. And I asked what happened. He said, "the pillar in the underground carpark was moving too fast for her".

hahahahah! That made me laugh and eased the tension I've felt since that accident. Thank God for funny friends!

Amy

Amy from the head office at Wangaratta came over since yesterday to help me with the work here. I first knew her in April when I was at HQ working for 2 weeks.

She's heading back home in the afternoon today after helping me over 2 days and she's been great. We talked and laughed quite abit and she was funny, committeed and dedicated. There was an emergency exercise yesterday and she stayed til abt 7pm to make sure she got photos of the "victims" wheeled into the hospital. Fantastic!

And I told her yesterday how I accidentally hit a duck cos it was flying across my car and suddenly, slowed down and slammed against my windscreen and prior to seeing that duck, I had seen 6 little ducklings at the side of the road. So when she had to go to the vet for a story, she told him I hit a duck! hahaha! He said during this season, alot of magpies and some ducks and birds get hit. Amy said I don't see why anyone will care magpies are hit cos they're notorious for causing injuries to humans during their hatching season in September. Some have died because of those injuries.

Another accident

It pains me to write this post but I had another accident this evening when I was driving to an unfamiliar place to cover an emergency exercise. I nearly became an emergency case myself.

I knew I had to turn left to a country road but didn't know where, so in a 100km/h road, I slowed down to 80km/h, looking for the left turn the whole time. And then I saw what looked like the correct road to turn to, braked and turn my steering wheel but cos I didn't slow down fast enough, my car did make the turn but then swerve to the right of that road. As I was in the car, I felt like the world was spinning around me and after my car scrapped the fence and stopped, it went into a ditch and was covered with mud and manure. Yucks! And the cows on the other side of the fence was moo-ing their heads off. Anyway, I imagined the worse, that my car was smashed in on the right side when I came out of the car. Fortunately, it was not.

I was shocked, beyond belief that I had another accident??!!! What's wrong with me???

Cos the emergency exercise was taking place soon, I drove my car another 500m, parked it and then walked to the field about 200m away. After I finished covering the event, I quickly went home and tried to wash the mud and manure off my car. I was so heartbroken and devastated. It wasn't that clean but better than before.

Phill is away at a school camp tonight and he'll be back tomorrow. I dread to tell him the news.

Frantic Monday

Mondays are usually frantic for us here in the office, whether we're editorial, advertising or the production sections.

But today, the first working day that Steve is away, I feel like a headless chicken running around. It's crazily busy but with the stress and all, it gets my adrenalin pumping and I'm raring to go. Whoeeee!

What a weekend!

Steve is on leave for 7 days and so from this weekend, its just me on my own. I tried calling a part-time journalist to see if she could help me cover some weekend events but she couldn't and our photographer has a wedding to photograph too. So, I'm basically on my own.

Yesterday, I went to Barjarg (about 10 mins drive away), a jewellery store opening and took pics of a cricket match at the cricket ground, Lords Reserve, just behind where I'm living.

Today, I feel as if my cold and cough is returning and I feel lousy but there's heaps to do. I have a children's concert to cover and I drag my feet there. However, once I saw the cute kids, I didn't feel as sick anymore and I perked up. They're so cute!!! Some had really tight curls and others wore sunglasses! So cute! And I saw 2 chinese kids which I believe were adopted by 2 separate Aussie families. So sweet!

There was a lil gal, prob about 3-4 years old, who was dancing away as soon as the concert started. She was such a natural star that I asked her parents if I could take her pic. She froze when she saw me and didn't dance anymore but after a while, she was alright and went back to dancing.

I stayed only for first half of the show, spent the interval taking more pics of kids and then went home to have a rest and type out the rest of my articles.

This weekend doesn't feel like one. I feel like I've worked all 7 days. *breathless*

Simon Gerrans

Earlier this evening, I attended a talk by Simon Gerrans, he's a local guy, grew up in our district and is now part of a French cycling team, Ag2R Provoyance. He competed in this year's Tour de France and was 3rd in stage 17 and recently won the Herald Sun Tour. The talk went well and he was really funny too. Someone asked what his typical day was when he was competing in Tour de France and he said breakfast, then arriving at the site and then talk to the podium girls, get ready, compete and then talk to the podium girls. Funny!

Here's a pic of him although I did take other pics of him at the talk but cos its with children, I can't show it cos it was for work and the subjects didn't agree to it being on my blog. And the climate here is that strangers shouldn't take pics of children, otherwise you're a suspect paedophile, unless you ask their parents first.

Bye, Bye Di! *sob*

A couple of us at work went out to dinner with Di as a farewell meal for her last day with us....sob!

We went to eat at an old style Aussie pub called the Maindample pub. And being thursdays, its seafood night! Yum!

Turned out each of our girlfriend/ husbands had something on (Phill had an after-work meeting with the school committee) so it was just 6 of us.

I had fisherman's basket which had squid, fish, prawns, scallops, chips and salad. It was yum! And I ordered a basket of garlic bread and herb bread too for appetiser.

We had a good time chatting about anything and everything.

Our photographer, Ken, was also there and one of the things we talked about which I thought was rather poignant was the amount of work wives did. Ken said that it was only after his wife died that he realised how much work she did for him and how he should have appreciated her more. Di said the same thing too about how her dad felt when her mum died. Ken mentioned that some husbands return home after a day's work and say to their wives, "So, what've you been doing the whole time" but in a tone that suggested they didn't do much. Ken said if only husbands knew. Well the same can be said of wives, it can also be said of husbands who do alot. I know how in some households husbands do as much or more than wives, but unfortunately, that tends to be the exception rather than the norm. Averagely, wives still do far more.

At the end of the dinner, we left at about 10.15pm, we literally had to be kicked out, or almost anyway, we agreed we'll do regular meals together at least once in 2 months. I really enjoyed the conversations.

Melbourne/ Mansfield Cup Day

It's the Melbourne Cup Day as well as the Mansfield Cup Day today. Cos I've moved from an editorial assistant to a 2nd year cadet, my annual leave is increased from 4 weeks to 6 weeks but that means I have to work on public holidays. However, I found out yesterday that it means my pay was going to decrease by $100 a week!!! I've written to my group editor to request that the company pay me at my current rate rather than to follow the government's recommended base rate. As it is, my group editor commented to last Friday when he gave me the contract that my current pay wasn't really much at all when I asked if my pay will be reduced with the new position.

So I came to work today prepared that I'll have to work the entire day and cover the Mansfield Cup races. But after working for 2 hours, my chief editor told us to take the rest of the day off by claiming our time-in-lieu and if we were to go to the races, we can take some pics (on our own time) for the paper. Steve was going to the races so I said I wasn't going to go.

I was really glad about how it all worked out! Phill has been on a 4-day Melbourne Cup holiday since Sat and I was hoping I could spend today with him. Now I can!

At mid-day, we went to my in laws place to bring more stuff over and spent the afternoon watching the Melbourne Cup with them.

Makybe Diva won anyway, making it her third Melbourne Cup in a row - a history breaking event! And her owner announced she'll be retired so she can live in a lap of luxury although I wonder how true since she'll have to now focus on breeding winners!