I turned 31 last Friday, March 11th. The same day Japan experienced the devastating earthquake and tsunami. I reckon it was a day not to be happy about. :(
I'm not really into celebrating my birthday I always feel sad and emotional on the day. I can't exactly explain why. Maybe it has something to do with growing old, or not. I just stayed home, watched the news about Japan and my husband and I had a KFC dinner. It was that simple.
Kiama Lighthouse
We were supposed to go to Canberra last weekend but it was postponed so we decided to go on a short road trip instead. I love road trips! We decided to head somewhere south, where we've never been to -- Kiama! It's an hour and 45 minute drive from our house. Mr V had a go in the rockpool. I, on the other hand, was contented at watching him do so. After, we had fish and chips for lunch and ice cream for dessert. Yum!
I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. =)
I'm turning 31 in 10 days!!! It's insane. I want to be stuck at 30 forever if I could. Haha! Seriously, I've never been excited about my birthday. I'm weird that way. =P
hubby & 1-week old Violet
Speaking of birthdays, our car, Violet (yes I gave it a name, so what?!), turned 2 last February 22. She still feels brand new to me, especially her interior but the dents and bumps that she's experienced in the last two years would say otherwise. Hehe. The latest 'episode' happened on Australia Day (26 January). My husband and I wanted to have a go at the automatic car wash near our place. BIG mistake. It was my husband's first time to drive into one and he bumped into a pole on our way in. The result: a hole (we call it a dimple) on Violet's left front bar. We've already asked around and a new front bar costs about $630. We're still contemplating if we want to have it fixed or not. But the way our finances are going, we figured we'll just have it fixed later. She's our first car and all but at the end of the day she's just a car. She has a dimple right now, so what? No biggie as long as she's still driveable. :)
I'm so sorry I haven't been updating lately. I don't have any excuse, well except that I'm lazy! Haha! Anyway, I promised you some pictures of our not-so-new place. Here they are:
dining/kitchen
lounge
Poang chair & Klippan sofa from Ikea
No, I'm not going to post pictures of the bedrooms or toilets. Leave something for the imagination. Hehe. As you can see, we have HEAPS of spaces left but we're a bit skeptical about buying more furniture/home stuff. You see, in my husband's line of work (he's an Engineer), we tend to be assigned to different projects all over. Just like what happened when we moved to Tamworth for 9 months last year. Right now we only buy things as the need for them arise.
On other news, I've started to look for a job, albeit online. I've been sending my resume on online job sites. Hopefully something turns up soon. I'm beginning to feel restless staying at home, all alone and I'm running out of things to do. In fact I've resorted to experimenting on different toppings for vanilla ice cream! So far I've only tried lingonberry jam and fresh rock melon. Yummy!
For news back home, one of my brothers got involved in an accident two weeks ago. He was on his way home from a night out with friends when he (while riding on his motorcycle) was hit by a tricycle. The driver did not even stop to help him. Good thing a good Samaritan did. He was rushed to the hospital where they found out he had dislocated his right shoulder. Apart from that he had heaps of wounds and bruises. Thank God he did not sustain more serious injuries. I felt sad and helpless when I found out about the accident through a text message from one of my sisters. He's recovering nicely and he went back to work a couple of days ago.
On a lighter note, my birthday is just two weeks away. I don't want to turn 31! I want to be stuck at 30 forever. Haha! If only! I still haven't decided on what we're doing. Either have a small get together/house warming here at home OR go on a road trip to Canberra to visit friends.
We have a new house! It's not technically ours because we are just renting but you get the picture. It's been a week today since we moved in. The house is pretty nice (considering we didn't get to inspect/see it 'til the day we got the keys and moved in!). It's still pretty much bare, no furniture yet. Our bed frame, mattress, dining set and TV stand are all still in storage. We have yet to buy a sofa, coffee table and whatnots. We still sleep on the floor, in the lounge where the telly is. Hehe. We bought a washing machine (thank God!) and a fridge, which is pretty much empty save for water. There are still heaps of things to buy, I get a headache just thinking about it. MOVING IS REALLY STRESSFUL! Hopefully this is our last move before buying a house of our own.
I'm still not used to the place but I like it here. I just noticed that every time we move houses, we move to a bigger one. Our first rental was just a teeny-tiny studio near the city. Then we moved into a one-bedroom unit in Tamworth. Finally this one, which is a two-bedroom unit. I am now wishing we get to buy a three-bedroom villa or townhouse in the near future. :)
P.S. I will post some pictures as soon as possible.
I'm back!!! So sorry for the long absence/non-blogging. Anyway, we've been back in Sydney since Tuesday. We've been going to house inspections because we need a house SOON! My husband starts work again this Monday. I can't believe the number of people looking for a rental property right now. Is there a shortage or what? Forgive me if this post is beginning to sound like a rant. A lady told us that the hardest part of going on a holiday is that YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO COME BACK. Very true, indeed. But I won't let negativity affect me anymore. Fact is WE HAD AN AWESOME HOLIDAY!!! Time spent with family and friends is truly precious, no amount of money can buy.
I'd like to enumerate first some of the places we went to and the things we did. Then I'll elaborate in later posts. Here it goes:
~ Coron, Palawan --> island holiday with my family, non-stop swimming, snorkeling and of course, picture taking/camwhoring
~ Tarlac --> saw my godchild, spent the day with friends
~ Hong Kong --> wandered aimlessly but still had a great time, HK is <3
~ UP --> ate at Rodic's, saw half of Maskipaps and friends from Beta Epsilon
~ Tagaytay --> zipline baby!, lunch @ Dencio's
~ Daet, Camarines Norte --> visited my husband's family ~ Manaoag, Pangasinan & Camiling, Tarlac --> attended mass @ Our Lady of Manaoag, visited relatives in Tarlac
These are just some of the places/things that come to mind right now. I'm sure I missed heaps that if I check all our holiday pictures, all the memories will come rushing back. :)
One of things I enjoyed the most was our family photo shoot. I'm glad I got to share it with each and every member of the family. <3
As 2010 is nearing its end, I’d like to look back, reminisce and hopefully put into perspective how this year unfolded for me.
January – My husband and I welcomed the New Year in Hong Kong. We arrived there New Year’s eve and stayed until my husband’s birthday, 5 January. It was a different experience altogether - one that I will fondly remember always. After Hong Kong, we flew back to Manila, spent a week there before flying to Singapore with my family. Another holiday I will cherish. After four days we went back to Sydney, back to reality.
February – I was supposed to have surgery this month but it was postponed because my husband was assigned to work in a project in Tamworth, NSW. Tamworth is the country’s Country Music Capital, about 400km or 5.5hours from Sydney. We were apprehensive at first because we were so used to living in the city but we chose to look at it as a blessing in disguise. And indeed it is a blessing, in more ways than one.
March – I celebrated another milestone in life, I turned 30! My husband and I normally celebrate my birthday with a holiday but we chose to forego that tradition this year. Instead, we celebrated with a simple dinner at home. Greetings from family and friends made my day more special. I felt loved and blessed.
April – We went on a 5-day holiday to Coffs Harbour at the beginning of the month, in time for Holy Week. It was our first time to go there and we weren’t disappointed. We didn’t have any plans or itinerary going there but we had heaps of fun! Great food and great place = happy us. We vowed to go back soon. Before the month ended, we went on another holiday, a short one, to Hunter Valley. It was also our first time to go there. Heaps of firsts this month!
May-June-July-August – Not much happened during this stretch. We spent several weekends in Sydney. Most notable was my husband’s fraternity’s anniversary in August. Good food and great company are always a treat to enjoy.
September – My husband and I celebrated our 11th Anniversary/5th Wedding Anniversary on the 30th of the month. We had a simple dinner at my favourite Italian restaurant here in Tamworth. Again, I marvel at the fact that I have been with the same person for more than a third of my life. Amazing!
October – I had surgery in Sydney on the 8th. I had hysteroscopy and laparoscopy, my first two operations EVER! I was so nervous! Thankfully, everything went well. Thanks to my very good anaesthetist and specialist, another hurdle on our TTC (trying-to-conceive) journey taken care of. Excited, hopeful and positive about the possibilities!
November – My husband was told that his next project will be in Sydney. This means that we won’t need to go back to Tamworth after our holiday. Yay! As I’m writing this entry, we only have 5 days left before we fly back to Manila. I am so happy, ecstatic even! To be able to celebrate Christmas with my family is indeed a blessing I am thankful for.
December – Holiday season will be spent with family and friends!!! Plus, we’re going back to Hong Kong. Two HK holidays this year. Yay!
I was watching the show Ellen this morning and that very same question popped on the telly. I guess because it’s almost Thanksgiving that’s why. It made me think, even though we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Australia, likewise in the Philippines. I have a lot of blessings I am thankful for. I can’t even begin to name all but here are some:
-I am thankful for my husband; ever loving, ever reliable and ever understanding. He is my rock, my best friend in the truest sense. I am thankful that we are both healthy and that my husband has a good job which can support both of us without me having to work. (Note: I well and truly intend to look for a job as soon as we’re settled back in Sydney.)
-I am thankful for my family in Manila. Despite the distance between us, I feel loved, always. I am thankful that my parents and grandmother are all relatively healthy, same with my brothers and sisters.
-I am thankful that my operation last October went well. Now we are hopeful that we will be blessed with an addition to our family soon.
-I am thankful for the opportunity to spend the coming holiday season with family and friends. Time spent with them are truly precious, something no amount of money can buy.
These are just some of the things that come to mind right now. I’m sure I’ve forgotten heaps but you get the picture.
