2013 comes to an end

First up, the resolutions. Two out of three achieved. 

Managed to buy a house and lose 5kg. Didnt get the splits for two reasons. One reason was because Steve and i moved into the new house! We did major renovations on the kitchen.

Before

And after $12,000 of work, labour and material

Pretty pleased =) We did a lot from sourcing the appliances, floor tiles, contractors - electrician and plumber who were good and plasterer who wasnt so good, got Steve's colleague to help us take down a wall to open up the living area and the tiling for the floor. Got the cabinets and benchtop purchased and Steve did the installation and finally the red tile splashback. Its home, i love it.

Steve and i celebrated our 1st Year Anniversary together

At the same cafe we went to for our first date. Just a simple one.

The next major thing to happen is my dislocated shoulder injury at silks in September. This is the second reason i didnt work on my splits.

Made good friends with the girls in class and i joined them for a night out the day after my injury

Me in my sling with the strong girls. Many outings since then

It was tough for me, to attend the cabaret and watch the other girls perform the routine i practiced so hard for before i had my injury. It nearly brought me to tears seeing five silks, and only 4 girls. The fifth was meant for me. The healing process was a character building exercise.

Me and our teacher Vanessa in front of the girls after the cabaret performance. One thing i learned is that if u want to be in a photo u have to run in on ur own. Never wait for others to call you to join in with a photo. That's what i did with this one, they were welcoming and Hazel captioned this photo "with recovering artist" =)

Also i realised i tend to overeat when i was doing pole and silks, which caused my weight to jump from 59kg about Sep 2011 to 64kg by Jan 2013. During my injury, i went a little easier with meal sizes and throughout spring i walked 30minutes during lunch on average 3 days a week and once or twice a week in the evenings. Back to 59kg by November 2013. Aiming to lose another 5kg in 2014. I figured it will help me in pole and silks, the less i weigh, the less strain i will put on my joints when lifting myself up.

My cousin Shereen came to Aust to study in April, met Tun around July or August and by December they got married! LOL.

My first time as bridesmaid and first time giving a speech! All the adults and Steve said i was good, Steve said i sounded posh. Yay! Family in Melbourne is getting bigger and bigger!

The last big thing to happen in 2013 came as a little Feather Baby, a noisy miner bird Steve and i adopted. 12 short days filled with love and chirps. We were devastated when it died one extremely hot afternoon. Burying it was painful and every time another couple refers to their dog as their child or to themselves as parents of a cat, i felt that life can be unfair and cruel...

Sums up my 2013. Eventful with a mixture of ups and very trying downs. 

Feather Baby

Steve was waiting for me in the car while i ran some errands. As he sat, he saw this little bird flapping and trying to climb up a tree



He realised it fell out of its nest. We couldnt see how high the nest was, and he argued that if we left it there it would die.

 

Lots of people on social media have been calling their dogs their #Furkid, so i posted a picture and said #Featherkid.

 

Instead of feather kid, somewhere along the way the name evolved. Steve and i have been calling it Feather Baby =) Not a real baby but one with feathers.

Absolutely adore our little Feather Baby



It is attached to us too =)11days so far

Hosting my first family dinner!

The house i bought was a deceased estate. Which means the previous owner has passed away. I was a bit scared at first and asked aunty if she knew anyone who could bless the house.

Forgot about that, moved in, few months later aunty asked me if i still wanted to do the blessing. I said its not necessary at first (its been peaceful) but i have been meaning to have a dinner at mine for family, i just said yes.

Everyone in the photo is family or a plus one except for the pastor and wife =) M & E were running late and are not in the photo.

So i had the dishes to cook all planned out on one of the bus rides home from work about a month. Roast chicken because it is easy. BBQ pork using the oven because it is easy too and seafood tom yum soup cuz its good. Veggie n rice. Easy.

Or so i thought! Hosting my first dinner for 13 people was a big experience!

For a Saturday dinner, i began getting the groceries on Friday after work and a few new items. Got it cleaned and cooked dinner for Friday night and thats my Friday gone.

After breakfast, ran out to get the seafood i couldnt get on Friday and picked up a parcel for a friend. Cut pork and marinated it. Had lunch, we cleaned up the house and i began preparing the vegetables.

The worst part of it was at 3.45pm. I almost broke down. I couldnt choose what to cook first, second and so on. To make things worse, it was a really hot day at 26 degrees, the afternoon sun shines through my kitchen and living room and it was going to be baking hot! I needed the oven to run at 200degrees for two dishes in a row, about 2 hours straight! Plus i had to cook the soup on the stove! The thought of the heat made me worry!

Steve saved the day by pulling down the blinds! Glad my house is in good condition.

I decided to cook the pork first and then the chicken, watching it cook in the oven while preparing the soup.

Once i've got started, things start to move along. Worked out pretty well. I was still cooking the prawns for the soup when my guests started arriving at 6.30pm though. Not too bad

Steve was a charmer with my cousins and he was good chatter with the adults. Proud of him =)

Just as we were about to start eating, i looked at my rice and i said "Can i take a picture??". Hahaha and that is the only picture i have of the whole evening! Always running around playing hostess.

Pretty pleased with my first dinner for 13. Home cooked everything. My aunty contributed a tofu/veggie dish, M & E brought fruits and S & T brought their usual ice cream cake. No ghosts in house... =)

Failures, Miscarriages and Injuries

These are three things people dont really talk about. I wanted to write about a couple of my failures last month but didnt get around to it. I've never had a miscarriage but i've heard its a lot more common that it appears to be.

I've always been lucky to be healthy and well, lucky. I've never had any major injuries, never been to the hospital other than to visit a patient. Until early this month!

My extreme sports has finally gotten to me. On Thursday night, I was attempting to do the aerial silks hip lock when i felt my weaker arm the right arm crack and a sharp pain in the biceps and triceps! Thankfully, along with a million other things i have to be thankful for, i was low enough to the ground to make a safe descend.

I didnt let go, i didnt crash, i landed on my feet. I didnt even fall. The other girls who were watching said i descended slowly and in control. I was panic mode, the pain was strong and unusual.

Everyone panicked too, they stopped the music and everyone was around me, the teacher, Vanessa got her boss to come to me and he told me they have to call an ambulance.

I must have looked like a deer in headlight looking up n around at the other girls, i was shell shocked and i said i'll just wait 5-10mins. Someone got me an icepack, everything was blurry, i was trying to determine exactly where the pain is and what happened.

I didnt feel any pain in my shoulder surprisingly. All i felt was a terrible strong pull in my biceps and slight numbness in the triceps. Hazel iced me and Vanessa called Steve to come pick me up. For a moment i just starred cluelessly as she she determined i cant drive.

They insisted i should see a dr and i had to agree. While waiting for Steve the whole class accompanied me and kept me positive, i felt bad disrupting the class!

Over 40minutes later, the pain was still consistent. I started to feel anxious. Steve arrived and the girls helped me pack up and we quickly left. Went straight to the hospital.

The journey was hell. Everytime Steve accelerated at green traffic lights, i felt the impact magnified in my arm. I had to direct him to the hospital.

Got myself registered and another level of hell began. The waiting. It felt forever and at the same time time flew. It was agonising. It drove me insane.

My arm was numb and the consistent pain was there for hours. I jumped to conclusions, i worried over losing my dominant arm, my writing arm, the thought of not writing and the thought of never doing pole or silks again could be liken to being stabbed. I had to know what was wrong! I needed a doctor. I missed Malaysia where my parents would bring me to private hospital in a blink of the eye, I missed my parents!

After 3.5 hours since the injury, at midnight, a doctor called "Sue", i jumped up happily like a school kid wanting to answer a question to get a prize. That action shot a wave of pain through my arm but i was so shit happy. I thanked him for calling me.

He was nice and with just one look at my bare shoulder he told me i dislocated it! I needed a n X-Ray. Got it done, the lady was nice and said that i was doing well, though i felt like an absolutely difficult patient. Then i had to wait for a bed.

In the mean time. Dr told me i'll need 6 weeks rest. He told me he wanted me to move my arm as little as possible. He doesnt want me to drive or comb my hair or brush my teeth with my injured arm. I was like OMG!!! Couldnt believe it.

A bed became available. Honestly it took more time getting me seated and taking off my long sleeved top than it did to pop my arm back in place.

All i remembered was starring at the ground as he held my injured arm a certain way with one hand and placed the other arm on my back. He asked the nurse to get another dr and tried a different movement. I braced myself. Before I could ask him if it was going to hurt, i felt a pop and my arm instantly felt better!!!! I said i felt it. He said he felt my arm pop too!!! Like a cheap romance novel! LOL.

When the nurse came back with another dr, it was already all done. The two drs spoke about me in jargons i have no clue what is, as doctors do. Was monitored in the hospital bed for a bit, and then they told me I could wait in the waiting area... which I sat at for not very long and then I could go home!

I glanced at the clock at it was 12.45pm. The end of my ordeal and the beginning of recovery.

New Shoes!!

Action speaks louder than words and from my lack of blogging, its like i dont love blogging anymore.

May not mean much but here i am, making sure i blog at least once a month. Last minute but better late than never? =)

Check out my new shoes!!!!

These are the most expensive non-genuine leather, non-boots, made-in-China pair of shoes i have ever bought! Justification: They are suitable for Pole dancing and no one else has them yet. Hahaha! And its also the very first pair of shoes i ever bought online! Wore them today, they bite my big toes but i still love them, they will stretch!

Miss those days where i blog all about my shoes... click here and here.

What have i been up to in July? 

- Started a new term of aerial silks. Its my third term.

- Got back into working on my left and right front splits (i took 1.5months off after moving)

- Got a bit more of the kitchen renovations done. We can finally cook at home! Ohhh!! Thats the kitchen tiles in the background of the picture with my shoes. Sooo pretty! Both the shoes and the floor! Hahaha

- Started a Diploma in Financial Advice with the focus on Self Managed Superannuation Funds =) Its been almost 3 years since i took any exam so why not? Company paid for it too

- Went clubbing. Its not really something i normally do, if you read my blog posts written in University. I am just more comfortable in my own skin. In February Steve and i went clubbing for a friend's birthday and it was pretty good too. Before this year i always avoided clubbing, pleased that i allowed him to take me time =) This time in July he was the one who wanted to go and so clubbing we went.

Impressed Myself

Did Level 5 for the third time.

 

I still need to work on my dance but my tricks are getting better!

 

I was also surprised and really happy when a Canadian blog reader, whom i now call my friend Mrs White featured me in her blog post titled Inspired to Dance. She has also started pole dancing!

A few months ago i also saw a Facebook status asking for volunteers to do a flexibility experiment and i scored myself a spot! I'm featured on Get Flexible!! I am almost there with my splits and need to stop using the move to new house as an excuse! Hahah

Bought a House!

=)

Renovation is hard work. Couple that with 2 months and counting of no internet, equals no blog posts! =(

Bullying

Instead of a picture post tonight, i'll put up my thoughts.

In an anti-bullying campaign on the radio, the DJ said that it is hard for kids these days because when the victim goes home from school, the bullying doesnt end. Bullying continues on social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Blogger too, i've had my fair share of flamers.

I had a bit of first hand experience with how bullying can continue online. A and S are grown men who had a falling out. S is my bf, if you didnt instantly guess! Haha!

A had deleted (and blocked?) S from Facebook but not me.

Me being me who almost never deletes anyone, i remained Facebook friends with A.

S posted a picture and tagged J in it. J's gf and i liked the photo. I commented "Boy time. Hahaha".

Few hours later, S tells me i need to delete and block A.

If you know me well, i have never been one to condone relationships where one party dictates who the other can be friends with. However, in this instance, i deleted and blocked A immediately.

S says that A can see the photo because i liked it. He told me that A was swearing in the comments of the photo!!

It got me thinking. How effective is the security settings on Facebook? We are grown adults, yes some adults can be childish, but as adults, S and i are able to not let it affect us too much. But kids, how would they deal with online bullying? It worries me.

Oh, striking resemblance. 8 years ago, my then bf and i fell out with a guy friend with the initial A and gf! Recently, my current bf and i fell out with a friend with the initial A and gf!

That's not where the resemblances end. There is one more striking similarity that i noticed earlier but shall not mention. Other than the fact that both A's are alpha male wannabes...

Back then, 8 years ago, i sobbed and sobbed over the lost friendships. Back then i couldnt understand it and wished for forgiveness. Wished things would go back to the way it was.

This time around, not a single tear shed. Not a single tear shed!

I have grown =)

Sydney 2012

Bought this dress 10minutes before the Forever New shop at Habour Town closes on Boxing Day sales!

Last one, in my size! Its a steal!

Wore it in my Sydney trip and made the boyfriend take pictures for me!

Back in July 2012, at the very beginning of our relationship, Steve said he wanted me to join him and his cousin for a trip to Sydney on New Years Eve. At that point i was so pleased, that he was thinking of me in his future 6 months ahead.

Said yes i'll join them! Now that trip was over 2 months ago! Time flies and flies!

I posted some of these pictures on Facebook and in a comment to the above picture he wrote "Who's that pretty girl?" Awwwww =) 

Stephen and i =)

Level 5 at Pole

This term i learned The Angel

Love this move! Apparently I managed to do the Extended Angel once today, i couldnt really see myself in the mirror but my teacher said "Thats it!"

Once upon a time, i couldn't even do the basic invert. Now u can see the muscles in my thigh! Whoooo! Toned, yeah!

The Pike

In the past i dont get it when i was told to use the armpits to grip. Look at me now! Armpit grip!

Watch me go from the Pike to the Angel in a combo


I actually messed up after the Pike and spun too fast but decided to salvage it and do the Angel anyway. Not bad =) Couldnt do the Siren exit

Last picture, what Pole Princess calls the Sideways Nasty Girl.

I know its a little obscene, both the name and the trick. But its almost a split!!!! My legs are so straight in this picture, they look so long! My toes are so pointy! I'm smiling and i dont look like i'm struggling- i wasn't struggling! I'm surprised at how much i love this picture! How can i resist, had to upload =)

Instinct

Steve had an appointment last Saturday morning. I slept in. Shortly after Steve left, his housemate banged on the door and asked me if i was using my car that day. I said i was "not sure, why?"

I heard sniffing and opened my eyes. Even without my spectacles, with my bad vision, i could see The Housemate wipe his eyes.

The Housemate mumbled go to parent's house or something, i didnt quite catch it but on instinct i got up to get him the keys to my car.

I dont think i even said "its okay, you can take my car", i just said let me get some stuff out.

I asked what happened and The Housemate mumbled. I had to make him repeat it two times before i managed to get the words "Mom called", "collapse" and "trying to revive him". He thanked me for the car and went off.

After that i looked at the clock, 8.45am. I started thinking. Why didn't he borrow the other housemate's car. Why not just take a cab? And then i got worried, what if The Housemate was too emotional and gets into an accident in my car and totally ruins it? How am I to go to work?

I just prayed everything will be okay for The Housemate and my car. After all, he never asked to borrow my car or Steve's before this.

That night my car was returned safely. The Housemate's girlfriend thanked me for the car on his behalf and she gave me a summary of the day.

The Housemate's father had passed away at 8.35am. The Housemate didnt make it on time, but he was there to be with the mother at that crucial moment.

I felt so sad for the The Housemate. We are the same age. I kept thinking of it that night and the next morning. I am so thankful that i have my parents. This is not the first friend my age to have a parent pass away. Especially after my father's head operation.

It was a little bit of a hassle that day, Steve had to drive me around and back and forth in between his own schedule but I was also so relieved that my instinct was so strong, that i gave up my car without hesitation, without a second thought.

I was relieved that the bitchy thoughts came too late, he already took the car and i couldnt change my mind.

What i did was right, my instincts told me what to do and i am happy i listened. I would have had a hard time forgiving myself if i didnt do what i did.

Happy New Year!

Only two set resolutions this year. One of them is to be able to do the splits.

Took a 10 week course in aerial silks! I love it soooo much! Unfortunately i dont think i can continue this term. Too busy, can u can tell by my lack of blogging! The other resolution is a secret till its achieved =)

I'm going to do a 30minute post. Where i'll just type to my heart's content within 30minutes!

2012 has been a good year... every year just keeps getting better and better from 2009 onwards. When i got my freedom in the form of a drivers license and a little white car at 18, life was really good. Then I feel like i stopped living for two years 2008 and most of 2009 when i was working in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 Upon getting my Australian Permanent Residence, i took a gap year in 2010! Good times, 2011 was also good though i cried a lot and in 2012 i cried less! =P 2011 was hard breaking into the Australian job market, plus my love life was non existent.

2012 I met my Stephen =) And also i got qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Two of my resolutions met! Yay! Hahah. Getting qualified had its stressful and shocking days! Stephen just walked into my life. He and his ex-housemate were very late for the rock climbing Meet Up i organised. Most of us were about to leave but i decided to be a good host and just speak to them for a bit and i intended to leave.

Surprised that i could talk to the both of them and because they dont drive i ended up offering to bring them for dinner. During dinner, i mentioned i wanted to get my rock climbing gear - a harness and a pair of shoes. Stephen used that as an excuse to 'help me' and said he must take my phone number.

Because it was late i sent them back home. Yeah, i know, its like i am the man and they are the ladies! Hahah. Watched a couple of episodes of some British series, during the show, Stephen was helping me research for rock climbing gear. After the end of the second episode, i excused myself. Steve walked me to the table where i placed my handbag and asked me for my number again =) I didnt think much of it at that point and just gave it to him.

I went home. Took a shower and went to bed. The next day, a Saturday he texted me. We chat for a bit till the conversation slowed down. I was busy that weekend, went for a birthday dinner... Not sure what happened next... but somewhere along the way he said that the sale for the harness ends that weekend. I was busy on Sunday as well - a friend is visitng Melb and so i cheekily asked if Steve would get the harness for me! Hahahaha.

And he did! I found out later that he went all the way to the city JUST to get it for me! =) That night i called him to thank him and he just wouldnt stop talking to me! Probably a 2 hour phone call. And we talked every night that week! Went out on Friday and again on Sunday when asked me "Will u be my girlfriend" on the 1st of July =)

Smiling like an idiot writing that =)

In May 2012 a colleague went on maternity leave and i vowed to be in a new job by the time she gets back in September. The Australian football season was also on and would end in October. I vowed by the end of the footy season i'll be in a new job. These two thoughts that crossed my mind stuck. Because i managed to achieve it!

I started the job hunt by registering with recruitment agents. I went for a couple of meetings, they were promising but not fruitful. The talk with them and another few over the phone did help warm me up for questions in interviews.

I scored myself 3 interviews. It is a world of difference having Australian experience. The last interview is the one i accepted and love at the moment =)