tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206473662012-01-18T16:08:36.216+08:00There's no escaping Hong Kong. First it was Shanghai, but we came back. Then we thought Melbourne was it, but we still came back! Let's see how long we will last this time.Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.comBlogger2071100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-10338693114633979182011-12-12T21:27:00.000+08:002011-12-12T21:27:04.352+08:00

So our continued frustration with Cheung Kong lingers on. At this point we are just glad we do not own this place. Our landlord sent us a copy of the letter the developer mailed her in response to her claim for compensation. Its hilarious how they say the falling bricks did not affect our occupation of this unit. All I can say is that they are friggin lucky we were not hurt when the bricks were

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-32117238329232749822011-11-23T22:18:00.001+08:002011-11-23T22:19:10.977+08:00

Two weeks ago I went to Taiwan for 2 days. I had to renew my Taiwan ID in Kaoshiung and help my folks do some banking in Taipei. The last time I was in Taiwan was more than a decade ago. I don't even remember when was the last time I was in Kaoshiung, where I was born. My mom met me at Tao Yuan Airport, which is an hour out of Taipei. We immediately hopped on a taxi and went to the railway to

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-54046701196771790882011-11-21T21:16:00.000+08:002011-11-21T21:16:14.530+08:00

For the past few evenings, whenever I walk past Poseidon's bedroom door, I can hear him softly talking to himself. Just a few minutes ago when I was changing, I heard him again and noticed it had already been more than 30 minutes since I put him down for bedtime. It is one of these evenings when I kiss the ground of the people who introduced sleep training. When we were in the States back in

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-55030049725655880202011-10-14T18:26:00.001+08:002011-10-26T17:45:17.960+08:00

After raving about our magnificent balcony and awesome facilities at Celestial Heights earlier this year, I am now totally eating my words. During the typhoon in April while we were away on holidays in Melbourne, our helper told us bricks started falling into our back balcony. She showed me the pieces and we had management come over to take pictures and scratch their heads as to why it was

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-26089657277615414962011-09-22T15:23:00.000+08:002011-09-22T15:23:38.435+08:00

Before we went to watch Georgie in Denmark, Hubby and I took a 2 day detour to Prague. Hubby went there on business a few years ago and really wanted to share the beauty he remembers of the city with me. At first I was hesitant because there are no direct flights to Prague from Hong Kong. We would have to land at Frankfurt, then take another flight to Prague. After Prague, we would have to take

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-43612231234757531712011-09-01T21:35:00.001+08:002011-09-01T22:43:24.842+08:00

Hubby and I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Prague and Denmark over the weekend. The main purpose of our trip was to finally introduce Hubby to my other man George Michael who was kicking off his Symphonica Tour in Europe. We missed the pre-sale ticket opportunity for his first performance at Prague, so caught his second concert of the tour at Herning, Denmark. It finally paid off to be a

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-59545256895604650142011-08-09T13:43:00.000+08:002011-08-09T13:43:20.078+08:00

While on holidays in the States this July, we went to my grandmother's grave to visit. We make it a point to pay tribute to her whenever someone comes back to the Bay Area for a visit. My aunt was also visiting from Michigan, so it was a good time to go. I also used the opportunity to give the kids some very basic ideas about heaven and what happens when someone dies. The cemetery is located in

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-76846834970623628792011-07-01T16:34:00.000+08:002011-07-01T16:34:45.058+08:00

I mentioned on my FB status a month or so ago that I was thinking of quitting. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a love-hate relationship with FB. And like all things for us humans, we always dwell on the negative more than the positives. I've told myself many times that I should just take the negatives with all the wonderful positives that have come out of reconnecting with people I have

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-1742580850498822412011-05-22T18:11:00.000+08:002011-05-22T18:11:12.949+08:00

I have little patience when it comes to my kids, more so yours. Don't get me wrong, if anyone hurts or picks on any of my friends' kids, I will come after you, but don't expect me to be patient with them either. This world has enough brats and spoiled kids. Sadly the One Child Policy in China is churning them out too quickly. I expect my kids to behave and treat other kids with respect and I

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-8534132067388681492011-05-19T22:02:00.002+08:002011-05-21T19:26:15.242+08:00

There is a certain website in HK where I sometimes post items we don't need anymore to sell. When we moved to Melbourne on '08, I was able to sell a number of our furniture and even met some nice and really interesting people on these transactions. But today, I am reminded that there are just as many idiots out there. This morning, I posted a baby mattress on the site and below is the actual ad

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-57958824754315814182011-05-14T20:46:00.001+08:002011-05-23T11:23:42.315+08:00

Greatly inspired by my friend B in Melbourne over the Easter holiday, (which I still need to post about) I tried my hand at making Boy Wonder's birthday cake again this year. B's creations in fondant were SO good I just had to try it myself. And besides, no cake shop in town had what I was looking for. Boy Wonder and most kids at his age at the moment are all into Super Mario, so I started

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-86612042533144977582011-04-01T11:02:00.000+08:002011-04-01T11:02:53.575+08:00

Sorry for the silence! After coming back from our holidays at the end of January, I resumed our desperate hunt for a new place. After getting totally depressed at how shocking rent is in Hong Kong and wearing my friend/novice real estate agent Mayapapaya to the ground, we finally found a new place in the "dark side". It's the first time since living in HK that we have moved to the Kowloon area,

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-81840001868136276252011-02-12T20:47:00.000+08:002011-02-12T20:47:14.684+08:00

A friend of mine recently announced she got the all clear from her doctors about her breast cancer. Although I seemed calm, I was jumping for joy at her great news. You always hear about those that passed away from cancer, but don't often hear about those who beat it. I've blogged twice about 2 of our really close family friends that passed away from cancer here and here. Both of them died from

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-25060957392253700182011-01-02T19:09:00.001+08:002011-01-02T19:10:40.813+08:00

Hubby has taken Boy Wonder and Nachos out for a walk and while Poseidon is taking a nap I can do a quickie update. It had been a bit of a shock to the system after we arrived in Melbourne. Hubby and I were going to Qualia for a 3 day break on our own, so I had to wean and sleep train Poseidon while we were all still a bit jet lagged. It was rough the first few days, but after Poseidon started

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-71861107750299051372010-12-30T15:38:00.000+08:002010-12-30T15:38:27.728+08:00

On December 28 we celebrated Nacho's 4th birthday. Although I was completely exhausted from the Christmas celebrations which didn't seem to end beginning from Christmas Eve, I had to make sure Nachos felt her birthday was not just part of Christmas. I was able to buy a butterfly puzzle cake mold during the Boxing Day sale and my friend who was an Avon Lady was able to magically speed up my order

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-75403971477499333132010-12-07T20:03:00.000+08:002010-12-07T20:03:30.343+08:00

The TV series "The Walking Dead" started a few days ago. I've always been interested in scary movies, but too chicken to actually watch any. So when the series started, I looked it up online and read the synopsis. It didn't sound too scary so when it showed on FX and the kids weren't around, I watched a few minutes of it. Now I totally regret doing it. I've always liked scary shows, more for the

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-28911141410230051932010-11-29T17:49:00.000+08:002010-11-29T17:49:27.066+08:00

I got this really good deal on Twangoo a month ago for unlimited yoga sessions for a month. I told myself I would go at least 3 times a week for the whole month. So far I've been 3 times and its been 2 weeks now since the last time I went. I told myself I will go last Saturday morning since we had nothing planned. Hubby and my folks were home so there really wasn't a good excuse for me to flake

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-19537111380170552372010-11-25T19:30:00.000+08:002010-11-25T19:30:57.876+08:00

One of the things I truly cannot stand about people in Hong Kong is the way they use elevators/lifts. Most people here press the down or up button with no clue as to what they are for. They think you press down because they see the lift needs to come down for them to get on. And if the lift does not show where it is while you are waiting, they just press both buttons! And most of the time, a

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-78104990715602737652010-11-20T10:51:00.000+08:002010-11-20T10:51:48.507+08:00

The yummy food continues again this week with me documenting my mom's scallion pies. My earlier memories of what my mom calls a Chinese Pizza dates back to when I attended Days With The Lord back in highschool. After an extremely emotion weekend stuck in school, we all sat down to a shared meal that turned out to be food brought over by all the families of the attendants. When Chinese Pizza was

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-10711670667734519952010-11-14T22:14:00.001+08:002010-11-15T13:51:07.962+08:00

With the arrival of my parents come my mom's home cooked meals again. We made dumplings from scratch today and since I don't know how to make the wrapper, I've documented it. The dough is simply made from all purpose flour and water. After mixed well, it is kneaded until slightly firm. The dough is then formed into a giant donut around 2cm in thickness, then cut and straightened.  It is then cut

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-38101255894905337362010-10-17T21:41:00.000+08:002010-10-17T21:41:53.684+08:00

I've been whinging a lot lately about how tough life has been. I complained about Poseidon not sleeping well and thus I've been lacking sleep. I thought things would be easy since I have a full time helper, but so far my 3 kids have been a force more powerful than 2 grown ups can handle without sweating profusely. Whenever I see Ernie and Bert wish each other good night in their beds while

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-76426802590106444702010-10-02T22:05:00.003+08:002010-10-02T22:20:25.114+08:00

Just wanted to happily announce Poseidon turned 3 months today!Poseidon at 1 monthPoseidon at 2 monthsPoseidon at 3 monthsAlthough he still doesn't have a set schedule, he seems to be more settled now. I am crossing my fingers he'll get his body clock set into a more predictable schedule in the next few weeks so it's easier to schedule around his nap times.He's recently discovered his hands and

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-84282101006175357652010-08-28T22:01:00.004+08:002010-08-28T22:40:59.301+08:00

It is 10 pm and I am torn between making the most of this rare quiet time by watching Glee uninterrupted or go to bed because I am so sleep deprived. It's Sunday tomorrow and our helper will be on her day off. Hubby is on a business trip. I know if I don't force myself to go to bed now, I'll be regretting it in the morning. But then again, when I passed Poseidon to our helper this morning so that

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-64524548784787703062010-08-08T15:52:00.003+08:002010-08-08T16:03:08.646+08:00

I was just watching some TV while Poseidon is sleeping in his rocker. It's Sunday so our helper is on her day off. Hubby, Boy Wonder and Nachos are in Melbourne so its been extremely quiet. I was just sitting there when I was reminded how this was what it was like when we first had Boy Wonder. How time flies.We were living in South Horizons then and we didn't have a helper. Hubby was always at

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-21912588792543364522010-07-24T22:03:00.003+08:002010-07-24T22:31:55.469+08:00

Poseidon arrived safely on July 2, 2010 at 2:18pm. The anesthesiologist was a bit excited about the fact that 18 is a lucky number.I'll go into further details about how much it sucks to have a C-section and how I think women that choose to have one instead of giving birth naturally are crazy another day.In the meantime here are some pics we have taken the last few weeks of his life. Poseidon is

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-75910752223714704372010-06-23T18:59:00.003+08:002010-06-23T19:20:53.102+08:00

Today was Nachos' last day at K1. She went to school in a dress and I was able to take some pictures of her in class.I can still remember the few weeks of school when we had to pry her off my arms on the odd occasion when she didn't want me to leave her there. But during the last 2 weeks of school, she had been sending me on my way and asking me to go even before she entered her class area. I am

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-11734589182185084672010-06-15T17:48:00.002+08:002010-06-15T18:14:39.441+08:00

Last Saturday, we made an impromptu trip to Lower Cheung Sha Beach on Lantau Island. Armed with our new car, Hubby decided to take a punt and go on an adventure drive to anywhere on Lantau. We drove past a sign that said Cheung Sha beach and went for it. There was one parking spot left! How fortuitous.Once we got out of the car, we saw the restaurants the spilled onto the beach and knew it would

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-30816642326581872892010-06-08T21:01:00.004+08:002010-06-08T21:32:16.164+08:00

Nothing solidifies the reality of living somewhere than when a car is purchased. Although I'm scared of driving in HK, I actually gave in and agreed when Hubby asked if we should buy a car. And so as of yesterday, we are proud owners of a second-hand Toyota Picnic.One of the major reasons why we wanted to get a car was to eliminate the stress of catching a cab every morning to take Boy Wonder to

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-3269996597675775982010-06-02T16:57:00.005+08:002010-06-02T18:00:27.135+08:00

Yesterday was my joint baby shower with M. She's expecting twins! We're only 3 days apart in our pregnancy. When I was trying to get pregnant with Nachos a few years ago, M and I were in the same boat. Although its taken these many years more for her to get pregnant, just the coincidence of getting pregnant at pretty much the same time this time is amazing! I couldn't be happier for her.The

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-650427093196581162010-05-23T09:32:00.005+08:002010-05-25T16:51:38.910+08:00

So it had to happen... my former helper E called me a few days ago and bailed on me! She called me and was crying on the phone saying her present employer gave her a major guilt trip so she gave in and agreed to renew her contract with them. Although my initial reaction was anger, I contained myself and tried to get a better picture of what happened.She told me her employer had been really good

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-77932397072880893382010-05-21T16:23:00.004+08:002010-05-21T16:47:32.258+08:00

How time flies. Last weekend we celebrated Boy Wonder's 6th birthday. Although it was a last minute rush job, we were able to secure Pizza Express and held a pizza making party for Boy Wonder and his friends.Now our hands are clean, let's start making some pizza!First we start with the pizza sauce.Now where's the cheese?We were amazed that out of 23 classmates, only 3 were not able to make it. It

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-48674432071695032752010-05-13T09:18:00.003+08:002010-05-13T10:14:56.580+08:00

I'm about to delve into a topic that is a bit controversial to those who have not grown up in Asia. It is a part of everyday life here to a large number of people. It can be a great privilege if you find someone wonderful, but a nightmare if you're unlucky. I think I'm somewhere in the middle.Our temporary helper from the mainland arrived to start work for us over the weekend. We had to hire her

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-56534312712539292352010-04-29T21:16:00.003+08:002010-04-29T21:44:21.492+08:00

So our stuff finally arrived on Monday. I was impressed at how punctual they were! And even more amazing was that they were all done in 2 hours!At around 9am Monday morning, while I was having breakfast with Nachos, the movers arrived. They immediately lay down protective cardboard on the floor and on the walls. The list of all the numbered boxes were handed to me and they immediately started

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-14638257212450440292010-04-22T21:21:00.003+08:002010-04-22T21:37:00.040+08:00

This week brought 2 milestones in Boy Wonder's life. He started school at the Australian International School Hong Kong and he lost his first tooth!It was a bit of a struggle to get Boy Wonder up Tuesday morning. He and Hubby had to be out of the house by 715am, so getting up before 7am was a bit of a shocker to the system. Although I didn't feel like I should, I ended up dressing him while he

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-79066875559327760192010-04-18T12:16:00.004+08:002010-04-18T12:54:01.058+08:00

We've pretty much moved out of the serviced apartment and are living a minimal existence at our proper apartment. The phone company guy is at our apartment now connecting our phone line and internet. But I found out last night that we have free wifi in this building! The cable guy will come later today so thankfully the kids will stop bugging each other with some Disney channel to keep them

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-32758718135193833712010-04-10T10:14:00.003+08:002010-04-10T11:00:11.824+08:00

Its been about a week and a half now since we arrived in HK. We're living in a tiny serviced apartment in Central, extremely close to Hubby's work. The kids are on holiday mode and not having too much structure to each day is starting to make them go a bit nutty. In addition to the excitement of being in a new place, Gong-gong and Puo-puo (my parents) were also here the first 4 days to add to the

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-59524523923561837512010-04-03T15:14:00.004+08:002010-04-03T15:56:14.536+08:00

Although we have arrived in HK, I still have tons to update on our last week in Melbourne.March 28 was Pop's 60th birthday. Hubby flew back from HK to help me pack up and be at Pop's surprise party on the 27th. Grandma had booked a private room at Donovan's and invited close friends and relatives months in advanced. She also got tickets for Pop's sister Dianne and her husband whom he had not seen

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-71269660172062730972010-03-26T06:29:00.002+08:002010-03-26T06:53:57.777+08:00

Hormones and the last day of anything don't mix. I dropped both kids off school this morning and got really emotional and teary eyed. Both kids seemed fine, so why am I so lame?I have been overwhelmed by the response Boy Wonder's school and classmates have given him this last week at school. On Wednesday during morning assembly, 10 of his classmates went to the front of the Prep to Year 5 boys to

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-11246487747329232332010-03-18T18:13:00.005+08:002010-03-23T07:27:44.292+08:00

While Hubby was here, there was an open day at the Newport Rail Workshop. Pop used to work there, so we weren't missing the opportunity to see a bit of family history and see some trains up close!Pop showed us where he used to work. He used to be a boiler maker and do all sorts of other stuff. There is part of a train engine in the background in the pictures. You can also see Pop's old locker in

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-28067849245455556542010-03-13T14:23:00.005+08:002010-03-15T05:40:37.020+08:00

Last weekend Hubby made an unscheduled visit home to surprise the kids. It was wonderful having him home because over a month of absence would not have been good!I told the kids what was going to happen the night before he was arriving. I said there's a surprise for them and when I told them it's that Baba was coming home the next morning, they looked at me blankly and said: No, really, what is

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-88017030086031314262010-03-08T13:11:00.005+08:002010-03-08T14:13:59.281+08:00

On March 3, 2010, I went to the Etihad Stadium here in Melbourne to watch my third George Michael concert. I've been calling them dates with George because just like the other 2 concerts I attended, it has just been me and George.I got to Etihad Stadium by tram after a quick dinner with the kids and Grandma and Pop. I was nervous as usual on the way there because I wasn't sure where I was getting

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-15496786522405028842010-03-02T15:57:00.007+08:002010-03-02T18:23:53.152+08:00

I went to see George Michael in action over the weekend in Sydney. Meels was kind enough to go with me which made the trip more interesting. In addition to the concert, there were a few extra surprises which made our trip all the more worthwhile.Although our flight was delayed (surprise, surprise) in taking off, we still got there with plenty of time to get to Sheraton On The Park. Good thing we

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-89350342284679659422010-02-23T14:30:00.005+08:002010-02-23T17:29:09.470+08:00

When I returned to Manila from the States in 1996, it took me awhile to find my place again amongst my friends. I had a few falling outs, some big dramas and finally when the dust settled, I was able to see who my real friends were. By then not many remained, but I am glad that they are still my close friends to this day.I couldn't figure out why I wasn't as thrilled as I thought I would be when

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-16215105873454442362010-02-14T07:01:00.005+08:002010-02-14T08:49:29.699+08:00

Hubby has been asked to start work a week early. So instead of leaving in 2 weeks, he'll be gone in 1! I've been pretty calm about the whole moving back situation, but with the reality of Hubby already leaving so soon, I'm starting to freak out.I've been finding excuses not to get my butt into gear. At the moment I have to say I am still semi-frozen in shock at the thought of moving back to Hong

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-60453108866530294992010-02-13T14:56:00.007+08:002010-02-13T16:46:25.587+08:00

We decided to have a quick holiday to Fiji last week before Hubby started his new job in HK at the end of this month. We decided to stay at the Outrigger On the Lagoon since it was rated the best resort to stay for families. We invited Grandma and Pop to join us and it was a great trip, albeit a few set backs.We left on an 11pm flight on Friday which got to Fiji at 5:40am. We barely got any sleep

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-85659304942337030112010-02-01T18:17:00.003+08:002010-02-01T18:31:49.638+08:00

It was Nachos' first day of school today. Here she is in her uniform without her shoes yet. I was really worried it would be a full on melt down or cry fest the moment I dropped her off, but she did better than I expected!My worries began early this morning when I started telling the kids to quickly finish their breakfast or they'll be late for school. The first thing Nachos says is that she

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-87011402372961343802010-01-27T18:00:00.003+08:002010-01-27T18:23:00.522+08:00

Here's what I got on-line about what Australia Day is: January 26 has traditionally marked the landing of Captain Arthur Phillip at Port Jackson in present-day Sydney, thereby claiming Australia for the British Empire. Early settlers, perhaps naturally, marked the anniversary.But for Australia today, it seems to have morphed into the day most sick days are taken and the grill gets fired up for

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-33823555897240966912010-01-22T13:38:00.005+08:002010-01-25T18:19:01.766+08:00

It's funny how life turns out sometimes. Just 14 months into our new life in Australia, Hubby was presented with a great job offer... in Hong Kong! After a few heartfelt discussions, he decided to accept the offer and thus we are moving back by the end of March!I have to lay the blame on this unexpected turn of events in our lives as to why I've been so quiet. It was a shock to my system having

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-41088457123480227232009-12-29T07:29:00.006+08:002009-12-29T08:20:53.989+08:00

Thank goodness the holiday season is almost over. Its been a crazy few days of presents, food and driving everywhere. Laundry has been piling up, dishes are only finally being washed and we can almost see the true color of our floor after finding some time to vacuum.Christmas dinner was at Auntie Faye's this year. Although it was a long drive to Broadford, I knew the food was going to be well

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-16232199150693371442009-12-24T16:12:00.003+08:002009-12-24T16:29:16.498+08:00

One thing I find extremely frustrating living here is fueling up at the petrol station (I get funny looks when I say gas station). When I was living in the Philippines there was always someone to do it for you. And in the States, you simply swipe your credit card at the pump, punch in your zip code and you're set. Here in provincial Melbourne, you need to go into the store, line up at the

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-12717821466214164892009-12-21T11:49:00.003+08:002009-12-21T12:29:15.483+08:00

I love it! Well, not the ones that flood your inbox but the kind you eat. I've been eating a lot of Turkey Spam and have even gotten Hubby into it.I've never really been into spam, but when all this whole day sickness and nausea started all I could think of was Spam! I saw it doing some grocery shopping one day. The regular spam looked good, but when I saw the turkey spam I thought it would be a

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-3288220050020427462009-12-15T13:46:00.007+08:002009-12-16T13:17:35.179+08:00

Sorry I've been so quiet. The last time I was this silent was before I announced the coming of Nachos. And so this time, I am happy to announce the coming of Poseidon!Its been a stressful and tiring last few months. As I had blogged about my journey in getting pregnant in the past, you would understand why it was so. And also with the scare we had last year, I've been on edge, thinking its a

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-77858205589162834972009-11-17T14:20:00.005+08:002009-11-18T05:06:51.500+08:00

Sorry for the extended silence again. But I take a break from the silence to announce the coming of my nephews Mochi and Yogi. They were delivered via c-section on November 12 at 6:31pm and 6:32pm. Their real names are still being decided by my brother and sister-in-law.My parents have 4 grandkids now, they must be thrilled. I wonder though if my dad might be happier because the new additions

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-50419841161528422352009-10-13T11:04:00.002+08:002009-10-13T11:07:47.552+08:00

After 5 whole days, I finally have my MacBook back! They changed the optical drive and took my Eli Stone DVD out. I'm so happy!Now I will have to stop being so lazy and post about the second half of our trip to Hawaii and Tokyo.I love how they cleaned my screen and keyboard too.

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-88625961455727387952009-10-07T17:14:00.004+08:002009-10-07T18:04:39.216+08:00

We've been back from Hawaii since Friday. It's all been a blur since then trying to get back into the swing of things. But I have to admit, I did not help myself in this situation by diving into the complete first season of Eli Stone. I finished the last DVD last night and am yearning for the second season! Why do they always cancel shows that I really like!? First it was Veronica Mars and now

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-50588445026010390122009-09-15T17:23:00.016+08:002009-09-17T04:18:58.169+08:00

The fun continues in Hawaii! On Friday we drove around the whole island of Oahu. Started off at Pali Lookout. It was a breathtaking view. It also had a bloody past, quite literally.Can you tell it was a very windy day?It was here that the natives used to throw opposing tribes off the cliff at war.Next stop was Laie Point where you can supposedly jump off the rocks. But since the waves were so

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-91105543884556471332009-09-11T15:18:00.006+08:002009-09-11T16:46:42.296+08:00

Aloha! Greetings from sunny, partly cloudy and a bit muggy Oahu! We arrived here on Wednesday and are having a great time at the beach and pool side.It was a LONG trip to get here. We left Tuesday afternoon and got to Sydney first. Because we took Japan Airlines, we had to stay in Sydney for the night to catch an early flight to Tokyo the next day. And since we had 2 kids, we couldn't stay in one

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-39245570010640228702009-09-08T07:49:00.005+08:002009-09-08T07:57:47.928+08:00

We went to a house contents auction on Sunday. The house very close by had tons of paintings by well known local artists, antiques, furniture, jewellery and old bank notes. This is the second time I've been to one and I was so happy I went! I checked it out on a viewing day just out of curiiousity, but then, tucked in the walk-in wardrobe was this beautiful painting! I knew I had to get it. This

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-55438752416208835242009-09-04T07:48:00.002+08:002009-09-04T07:52:41.501+08:00

Me: Please put your socks in the laundry basket.Boy Wonder: You're bossy mum.Me: That's because I am the boss!

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-49825474940740933582009-09-02T07:04:00.007+08:002009-09-02T09:18:24.154+08:00

2 weeks ago I had my first official guests from the Philippines stay with us. Although it took me awhile to get the house into tip top shape, Hubby said he'd never seen the house so clean since we first moved in. It also sucked that I had to wake up super early to pick them up at the airport, but seeing them come out of customs with big smiles on their faces was definitely worth it.They said

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-16441237398043713612009-08-29T13:15:00.005+08:002009-08-30T14:21:41.548+08:00

I was chatting with my friend P today on Facebook and she reminded me again of how grateful she is of the day I persuaded her to audition for a play. She says that moment really made an impact on her life and she's glad she didn't chicken out on the opportunity. After chatting with her it made me think about some of the missed opportunities in my past and what regrets I have.Just this past week

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-2857477179922909542009-08-16T20:03:00.009+08:002009-08-18T12:34:30.820+08:00

Our annual trip to the US is set. We are meeting up with my parents and brother in Hawaii in September. Instead of going to California where they all live, we decided to make everyone meet half way. Good thing my brother's in-laws own a time share-type condo so that is where we will all be staying. Although I'm thrilled we're all going to spend some quality time together in Hawaii, its also made

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-3027260689678490952009-08-10T20:57:00.015+08:002009-08-12T16:16:11.144+08:00

I read this article in our local Progress Leader recently. While the whole story was warm and fuzzy, I just couldn't get over how much this woman spent on her dogs! Holy shmolly, over $50K, sold all her stuff and cashed in on her retirement fund. I really like animals. I grew up with pets galore, but for me there is a limit.Growing up in the Philippines, we had stray animals everywhere. I picked

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-66625350054327516782009-08-06T19:04:00.006+08:002009-08-08T19:44:47.952+08:00

Not everything has been rosy since moving here. I've never really liked driving. I used to get completely stressed out whenever I had to drive into San Francisco. And when I moved back to Manila, I had ulcer attacks whenever I had to drive to work. So you can imagine the stress level I was in when I had to finally start driving here.When we used to come here just for holidays, it was always Hubby

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-83387689563331503392009-08-04T19:27:00.005+08:002009-08-08T19:47:00.963+08:00

I recently heard that a girl from my old high school has separated from her husband and is currently living with her children overseas. I'm pretty sure at this point some of my readers will wonder what is so special about this news and others would be ablaze with questions.Had I heard this news a few years ago, my first thought would be how could someone from my old high school be separated? I

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-62616157971948927492009-07-29T11:44:00.006+08:002009-07-31T12:26:31.148+08:00

Another thing I've grown to love about living here are the tons of birthday party venues available! Since Boy Wonder started school, we have been to 6 or 7 birthday parties of his classmates'. None have held them at a restaurant and there have been no repeats.A few have held them at indoor play/amusement centers. These places have tons of toys, slides, rides and a not too crappy dining area for

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-18975318711062566912009-07-25T08:52:00.002+08:002009-07-25T09:15:58.731+08:00

Have you ever asked a question that sparked a discussion or even ruffled some feathers? Its amazing how asking the right question can sometimes cause even more emotion than a bold statement.I've been a "lurker" in a few blogsites. I often visit the usual foodblogs and entertainment sites. I enjoy reading them and although I never really have much to comment about, there are some topics that pop

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-81106591693178985292009-07-22T20:45:00.003+08:002009-07-22T21:11:42.557+08:00

I was cooking dinner a few nights ago and Pop was really amused at how I was multi-tasking and took this picture. Cooking dinner has definitely become not so mundane now that I have my Macbook with me. The radio playing in the background doesn't hurt either. The only disadvantage at the moment is sometimes I get so distracted with either one that my food gets burnt or I loose my train of thought

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-48747985610862284122009-07-17T20:00:00.005+08:002009-07-19T21:35:22.647+08:00

So, one of the reasons why I went on a trip earlier this month was to attend the wedding of my ex. While in Manila, I stayed with one of my closest friends who is married to my first boy friend. I also caught up with another friend who is the ex-fiance of my ex whose wedding I attended. If that isn't enough to confuse anyone, I don't know what will.I seem to stand alone on this, but I'm a

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-65422259723601111042009-07-14T17:58:00.004+08:002009-07-14T18:13:24.404+08:00

I think birthdays started becoming more of a non-event after I turned 25. I seriously had to ask myself just how old I turned on my birthday this past Sunday. Unlike the Jolie-Pitt twins who turned 1 on Sunday, I turned 37. Only 3 more years until I reach my 40's! I made a note to myself that I better have a big bash on my 39th to commemorate the last year in my 30's.We had a nice, relaxing day

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-53256801822255623302009-07-09T19:13:00.004+08:002009-07-10T13:59:42.355+08:00

I can't do it! There's no way I can do it. These were all comments I heard while vacationing this past week. I've realized people in Asia are plagued with this attitude. And sadly, I saw it amongst some of my friends during this trip. It also made me realize that was exactly how I was growing up. And I can clearly see why living in a "privileged" lifestyle breeds this type of self-depreciation.I

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-58783666074783347342009-07-09T18:57:00.003+08:002009-07-09T19:13:28.967+08:00

So I've been pretty lazy with blogging the past few months. I came to a point wherein blogging after the kids have gone to bed or sneaking away from them to blog was just too much of a hassle. I wanted to vegge in front of the tv after 8pm and was getting too guilty sneaking away just to use the computer. I mentioned to Hubby it would be so much better if I had a laptop instead, specifically a

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-30402952846845075892009-04-22T18:20:00.003+08:002009-04-22T18:28:28.082+08:00

Grandma and Pop moved out of their Gisborne house today and into their new one. Today marks another new beginning for one of the Betts families.Here are a few pictures we took last week. It was the last time we had dinner there and the kids had a good play in the big backyard. I didn't post pictures of the house itself, because like what Grandma said, its really the people in the house that makes

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-36411056697393254212009-03-06T14:14:00.001+08:002009-03-06T19:49:23.655+08:00

Augh! Everytime I tell myself I should write something at least once a week, somethings happen and I end up sitting my arse down a month later! So, lot's has happened in the past month.I threw a baby shower for Nat, Uncle Andrew's wife on Valentines Day. I thought I'd do it then because I was leaving for HK the following weekend. And good thing I did because she had the twins 5 days later while I

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-72670337640109496552009-02-12T11:46:00.003+08:002009-02-12T12:01:59.633+08:00

Boy Wonder started school at Camberwell Grammar this month. He's enrolled in their 4 year old pre-prep program and we are planning on letting him continue at this school until he reaches year 12. This means he will be at Camberwell until 2022. Oh my goodness!In addition to his uniform, he wears a sun hat everyday. He also takes a lunchbox and by next week when he starts the full day he will take

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-51377180833223358402009-02-08T17:21:00.004+08:002009-02-08T17:56:14.407+08:00

The state of Victoria had just had its hottest day on record and also the worst fire outbreak. As of today, 76 are confirmed dead and the numbers are expected to hit 3 digits as more towns are reached by fire fighters. I thought we had gone through the worse heat wave last week, but yesterday was shocking.Thank goodness we stayed at Grandma and Pop's last night because they had air conditioning.

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-1870295376276113202009-02-02T20:13:00.005+08:002009-02-03T12:08:24.230+08:00

I've been heartbroken the last few weeks. Grandma and Pop have sold their house!A family came to see their house last month and their kid liked the place so much she didn't want to leave. Even after they were told there is no negotiating on the price, they came back soon after and gave the deposit. I was in shock when they told me the news. I know I was suppose to be happy for them but I couldn't

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-10973330857065325752009-01-22T19:43:00.004+08:002009-01-24T19:45:57.779+08:00

So in addition to all the previous items I've acquired to anchor me more to Australia, I have now received my first traffic violation! Instead of being pulled over by a cop, my speeding ticket was mailed to me. Damn those speed cameras! Apparently they're hidden everywhere. And apparently I was going 67 at a 60 mile zone. Crap.Unlike the US where I could go to traffic school and erase this

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-5219599308965132962009-01-18T17:06:00.002+08:002009-01-18T17:29:16.427+08:00

So, I've finally gotten my act together enough to sit down and enter a blog entry. It's been crazy since we moved in and I'm just glad I'm still sane and functioning.There has been endless dramas going on since we officially moved into our new house on December 10. I think the only thing that worked out was being able to move in on the 10th. Everything we thought we had scheduled properly did not

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-25130029078597838862008-12-22T20:12:00.004+08:002008-12-22T20:26:40.985+08:00

So things have been pretty crazy still in our new house. I haven't had the chance to organize and fully download all my pictures yet. But in the meantime, something has aspired in the past few weeks which is worth blogging about. Grandma and Pop are selling their house!Grandma and Pop's HouseI can't believe it. The For Sale sign was put up in front of their property over the weekend, so it is

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-59352457697881636052008-12-07T18:03:00.009+08:002008-12-07T19:41:45.098+08:00

So life continues at Gisborne while the floors in our house gets done. Before we officially move in on the 10th, the kids are still making the most of it at Grandma and Pop's wonderland. Oh, but by now the grandparents have realized there is much to gain from a little bit of child labor. Haha!I can't lift the shovel, but I can do it one pebble at a time Pop!A reward well earnedAnother interesting

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-34288877934233895792008-12-04T18:03:00.008+08:002008-12-04T19:40:18.579+08:00

It has been a whirlwind of credit card swiping, lousy customer service and trying to get anything done before the Christmas break this past week. It seemed like time switched to hyper mode the moment we received the keys to our house on Saturday. We are thrilled to be official home owners, but overwhelmed with just how much work is up ahead.Although the house is officially done, we have opted to

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-85464129111138684172008-11-23T12:52:00.007+08:002008-11-23T14:14:42.220+08:00

I'm continuing to experience uniquely Australian practices. Last week we started a fire to burn up all the garden waste like dried up tree branches and leaves. We also took this opportunity to burn up all the wood that was used to box up our furniture which arrived from Thailand. Neither I or the kids have seen anyone use fire as a means to get rid of garden waste, so it was a fun experience as

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-30375446741582469002008-11-14T19:09:00.016+08:002008-11-15T17:58:23.393+08:00

So as the weeks go past in our life here in Gisborne, I've had to look for more ways to entertain the kids. Last week while Hubby and Pop were in the US on a week long tour, Grandma and I took the kids to Collingwood Children's Farm. I got the opportunity to drive somewhat into the city and the kids had alot of fun getting to know some farm animals.They had chickens and peacocks roaming the farm

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-72874495836955625392008-11-04T19:37:00.003+08:002008-11-04T20:47:52.313+08:00

One of the biggest lifestyle changes since moving to Australia has been the way we use water in our day to day lives. While living in HK, we never thought about conserving water. We always felt the sting of the electricity bill, but the water bill was always an insignificant amount compared to anything else. The only worry we ever had about the water in HK was whether it was safe enough to drink.

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-58134302649392644592008-10-30T17:45:00.004+08:002008-10-30T18:55:44.686+08:00

Grandma has been volunteering at Jacob's school reading stories to kids the last couple of months. The last time she went, she brought a few eggs the chickens in the backyard had laid for the kids to see. She said many of the kids didn't know eggs came in different shapes, sizes and colors. At first I was surprised to hear that, because living in Gisborne which is almost an hour away from the

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-64239814807855259292008-10-23T12:47:00.004+08:002008-10-23T17:54:51.765+08:00

So in addition to our car, I've now acquired a few more items which bind me or us to Australia even more.On Tuesday, I went and got my Australian driver's license. Thank goodness I had a California Driver's license, so I didn't have to take any tests. All I had to do was show up at the scheduled time, have Hubby sign a piece of paper stating I live here with him, pay, take a picture and PING! I

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-80119084120365387192008-10-17T10:09:00.015+08:002008-10-19T09:31:57.005+08:00

Its been 2 weeks since we arrived and we've settled into sort of a routine. Here's a glimpse into what our days are like...We usually get up between 730-8am. It all depends on our 2 alarm clocks, mainly Boy Wonder and Nachos. On some weeks, like this one, cousin Jacob stays with us. Today was Pirate Day at school for Jacob and Grandma dressed up with him and went along. Grandma made most of their

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-45514706340558462962008-10-11T19:25:00.002+08:002008-10-11T19:59:47.539+08:00

Its been a week since we moved to Australia and somehow I feel like it's been more than that. My mother in law asked me this evening why I don't seem to be excited and just seem to be blah about everything. I know I'm not totally myself since we got here, but just haven't bothered to figure out what's wrong.We've been to look at our house a few times now. It was really exciting when I saw it for

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-31708913844565851772008-10-09T07:21:00.002+08:002008-10-09T08:32:35.317+08:00

I think in addition to a house, nothing says you've arrived and will be settling down in a specific place more than buying a car.After looking at all sorts of cars online, we finally decided on the Mazda CX-9. We were supposed to get a second hard car we saw online, but after checking out a new one at the dealer, we realized a new one wasn't much more than the used one. We also decided to get a

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-50827183929261208592008-10-06T13:09:00.003+08:002008-10-06T13:48:51.145+08:00

We arrived in Melbourne Saturday evening. We left San Francisco on an early Friday, 1:20 am flight, arrived in HK around 6:40am HK time, then left again on a 9:20am flight, arriving at Melbourne around 6:30pm. We traveled for over 25 hours to get from San Francisco to Melbourne. We are NEVER going to travel that route again. After loosing over a full day traveling, we lost one more hour due to

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-9598128144167747062008-09-12T20:54:00.000+08:002008-09-13T11:08:26.410+08:00

To the Thursday group, words are not enough to express how I feel. I hope these pictures and song will.I May Be Miles AwayBut This Is Where My Heart Will StayWith YouMy Friends With You

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-59640183644754159132008-09-05T16:38:00.006+08:002008-09-05T17:29:20.894+08:00

One more thing that has recently brought home the fact that we're leaving is that the Thursday Group plus a few other friends gave me a collage of letters, pictures and more pictures in CD's as a going away present. Its one of the best presents I have ever received. I cried when I looked through it the first time.Ragamuffin Girl took the lead and spent god knows how many hours cutting up

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-65479532435329418842008-09-02T12:55:00.004+08:002008-09-02T13:40:28.654+08:00

We decided to go to Bangkok on August 23 with the kids as a last family trip before leaving HK. A typhoon had just passed the day before, so we felt our flight should be fine by the time we traveled. We got to the airport that evening a full 2 hours before our flight. When we received our boarding passes, there was no gate mentioned. We asked if that meant our flight will be delayed, but the lady

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-514598735699050062008-08-16T16:08:00.003+08:002008-08-16T16:38:34.437+08:00

Another thing that adds to the fact that we are leaving Hong Kong, is that yesterday was my last day teaching a jewellery making class. I can now pack away all my tools and beads like the numerous times I had done so in the past and wait for the day to take them all out again. This time I wonder how long its going to take before I get to use them all again.I started teaching jewellery making last

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-89453192329724266342008-08-14T16:59:00.004+08:002008-08-14T17:28:43.333+08:00

I haven't posted about this yet because it's just so hard to accept it... We're leaving Hong Kong! I have exactly 30 days left before I take the kids and fly off. We're going to the US first to visit my family while Hubby attends a meeting and a conference elsewhere before we all meet up in San Jose then fly to Melbourne.Our house is currently under construction, so we'll be staying with Hubby's

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-37345963920700704482008-08-13T18:12:00.008+08:002008-08-13T18:54:05.594+08:00

My grandfather celebrated his 90th birthday over the weekend in the States. Most of our relatives made it except for 2 other cousins, their dad and me. It's events like these that make me sorely miss living in the same country as my family.The last time my grandfather had a big celebration was when he turned 80. He and my grandmother had a double celebration and I made it that time. This year was

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-48691591932193248742008-08-09T08:43:00.002+08:002008-08-09T09:50:43.136+08:00

So we stayed up until midnight last night to watch the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Hubby needed ALOT of alcohol to get through the whole thing. And I only stayed up because Hubby got me interested to see who will be lighting the final flame. I wanted to know if China could come up with someone more historical and symbolic than Mohammad Ali. Then the moment came and of course they

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-31700635018268310392008-08-04T09:46:00.002+08:002008-08-04T10:08:09.284+08:00

So Facebook is all the rage nowadays. And nothing more can prove that point than the fact that even Hubby has an account. Sometimes I think he's more into it than me. I like it more than Friendster now because sadly Friendster has turned into a flashing ad board the few times I've logged on this year. But although Facebook is reuniting me with lot's of old friends, I've realized its also a gauge

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20647366.post-45723865714635826192008-07-19T19:11:00.007+08:002008-12-09T23:33:30.088+08:00

On July 13, 2008 I finally watched George Michael in concert. I flew to San Francisco on my birthday. I even flogged the fact that it was birthday when I checked in hoping my charms would get me an upgrade. Unfortunately it was a full flight so back with the rest of the cattle I remained. The rest of the trip wasn't as smooth sailing as I would have hoped either.Our flight was delayed so I missed

Bandithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04801241943146329849noreply@blogger.com3