Oh for the love of me!

St Ali Coffee

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:00:00 +0000

The housemate and I went out for lunch last Friday, and then headed for coffee at this place which he recommended, St Ali, at South Melbourne. I don't believe I've drank that much coffee in my life before I came to Australia. This country is like Mecca for coffee or something.

Anyway, the cappuccino I had was a lot smoother than most caps I've drunk, which was good. Oh, and it came like this:

The artwork I normally see on other coffee tops were never that clear and precise. Thanks to the massive amount of chocolate they placed on the foam, they managed to come up with a very beautiful leaf. I was very impressed.

I've seen how the "drawing" of the leaf was done, and it didn't look very difficult. Very gently pour the milk in, swish left to right and back several times, and then pour a straight line from the top to the bottom to form the 'stem'. And all this while, I thought these baristas used a template or something. St Ali's blog has some lovely photos of how it's done.

Of course, if I were to attempt this, I'd end up with an awful mess. Methinks I'll just stick to my usual 3-in-1 coffee for now.

Another Scarf Done

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:38:00 +0000

Thanks to Geekchic, I've been bitten by the knitting bug once more. Have been knitting on and off for a bit (mostly off), but when you have a knitting buddy, it's very easy to get on the wagon once more.

I bought this beautiful wool-alpaca yarn from Morris and Sons, and with just one ball, I finished this, using the stockinette stitch, in probably a total of 3 hours. Slow by the knitting people's standards, I'm sure, but for a rookie like me, it's my fastest record thus far.

It's really soft, and the yarn's just gorgeous. Unfortunately, I cannot wear this with my black coat as it sheds like crazy. Oh well, can't win 'em all. It's also the most expensive piece of yarn I've bought so far. Thank goodness at 37 bucks per ball, I only need one to make a scarf.

'Tis a pity I didn't leave enough yarn to make pom poms at the end. That would complete the look.

*hugging the soft scarf*

Turning Twenty Nine

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:08:00 +0000

Note: Thanks for all the warm birthday wishes on my birthday via phone calls, text messages, Twitter and Facebook. You guys really made my day :)

I turned 29 six days ago. After my rants on how incredibly low I felt when I turned 27 and that one should shoot me when I hit the big 3-0, this year's birthday actually turned out to be the best I've had in years. To risk sounding like a complete sap, it was all thanks to the husband. Awww.

It all started when my parents were in Melbourne for a visit. On the day they were going to leave Australia, Tim came home from work with a cake. I thought we were going to celebrate a belated Mother's Day with my mum, but it was actually a birthday cake. He thought it would be nice to have the family celebrate my birthday together, albeit a little early, before my parents left. It was a very sweet gesture as I hadn't celebrated my birthday with the parents in a long time.

June 1 - Tim and I decided to head out to dinner. As he was on call on Saturday, I thought we could do date night on Monday instead after he was back from work. He told me he'd think of a place. Evening came, and he told me we'd be trying out this new Italian place that we've never been to before. I love Italian food, so yeah, I was definitely up for it. When we entered the restaurant, for some reason, I never thought it weird that we were heading to a bigger table instead of a table for two. Come to think about it, I wasn't even looking where I was going!

Lo and behold, over at the bigger table, were all my close friends. May, Geekchic Jen, Dom and Flo. To say I was surprised was an understatement. For someone who's never had a surprise party before, I was utterly dumbstruck. Tim had planned all that behind my back, and I didn't know how to react. After the initial confusion, I was really excited and happy (and super flushed during the evening. My cheeks were hot!). Nothing like the company of dear friends to celebrate your big day together.

Flowers (my fave!) from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law in Sydney, and a cute towel 'cake' from May

She made this for me. Gorgeous cowl scarf. Me heart!

Lovely L'occitane goodies from my girlfriends in Malaysia, MC and Hester, yummy Koko Black choccies from Dom and Flo, and a beautiful birthday card and facial mask from Hui Xin.

June 6 - Tim and I headed out on a day trip to Baw Baw Country, which was a two-hour drive from Melbourne. The scenery we encountered during the drive was absolutely gorgeous. Even though the day was slightly marred by the fact that I was experiencing really bad cramps, I had a wonderful time.

June 8 - Queen's Birthday. After watching Masterchef for a month now (very addicted to the show; will write a post just on that soon), I've been really keen on trying out The Press Club, which belonged to one of the judges in the show, George Calombaris. Little did I know that a week before, Tim had already made reservations for dinner on the Queen's Birthday. Wheee!!

Dinner was absolutely scrumptious. I was actually, and I'm a little embarrassed to say, starstruck when I saw George Calombaris working in the kitchen. An hour into our dinner, Gordon Ramsay walked into the restaurant. At that time, I didn't know about his sexist remarks about Tracy Grimshaw (If I did, I would have probably thrown an egg to his face, that arrogant bastard). All I can say is that he's a head taller than George, and that he has a very crinkly face. Kinda like a Shar Pei :P

It had been an awesome week. And although I didn't actually get anything tangible from the husband for my birthday (hee hee), all his efforts throughout the week were more than enough. I felt really touched. And loved :)

At the end of the day, turning 29 is just another day, another number. The way I see it, it's just closer to the big 3-0 than anything else. Now that, THAT is going to be something.

But I'm pretty sure it wouldn't involved me wanting to jump off a bridge.

My Herb Bucket

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:14:00 +0000

Living in an apartment does not grant me the privilege of a garden.

Before you start thinking that I've completely done a 180 degrees change in personality, no, I do not enjoy gardening or have a green thumb for that matter.

In my cooking, many a time I'd require a selection of herbs. Even though I have bottles of dried herbs, using fresh herbs in my dishes really gives them a better punch of flavour compared to the dried ones. Unfortunately, buying packets of fresh herbs from the supermarket is expensive, especially since I do not use them in every meal. Yes, I can freeze them, but it dries them up, which makes it hardly any difference from using dried herbs from a bottle. After a while, the herbs rot, and I have to chuck them. It's a waste of money.

In the end, I've decided to buy pots of herbs and keep it on my balcony instead. During a visit to a friend's home, I saw how she potted the herbs into a large bucket, which gave me the idea to do the same as well. A trip to The Reject Shop to get the bucket, and to Bunnings to get pots of herbs and potting mix, I was on my way to have my own little herb "garden".

I originally wanted to grow coriander, as that's the herb I use the most in my cooking (on fish, curry, etc). However, after doing plenty of research on the Internet, I found out that coriander is pretty difficult to maintain. It is best that I stick to the easier herbs for now, before I venture into the less hardy plants.

Basil (not looking good, I'm afraid)

Italian parsley

Pink rosemary

I potted these two months ago. Of the three herbs, the Italian parsley thrived the best. They taste great too!

Next up, I'm going to try my hand at growing chilli and capsicum. They're incredibly pretty in their pots, with the vibrant red and yellow against the green.

Dear 16-Year Old Tine

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:16:00 +0000

If I were to meet you face to face, I'd see a fresh-faced young girl, in her blue pinafore, bad hair, braces in her teeth, and a wide and engaging smile. I'd see someone happy, eager and ready to face whatever the world has to offer (world being Form 4).

I'd see me.

At sixteen, you weren't sure what the year would bring you. You've read enough teenage love stories to know about what it's like for a girl when she turns sweet sixteen, but you didn't have that feeling. You didn't have boyfriends or go to parties. You just lived the way you did.

At sixteen, you experienced, for the first time, what failing in your studies was like. Three times, in fact, in getting an F in Physics and Chemistry. These were never your strong points to begin with, but oddly enough, you ended up being an engineer. That's irony for you.

At sixteen, you became best of friends with two girls who ended up being your bridesmaids at your wedding. It was wonderful, by the way, the wedding. You married someone you met in the UK, whom you never thought would end up spending the rest of your life with. And he loves you dearly. Well, not 16-year old you, obviously. And you're still keeping in touch with the girls, who have both grown up to be fine ladies.

At sixteen, you hadn't a care in the world, and why would you? It was simply those carefree days in which you grew up with books and telephones, not computers and mobile phones. And you lived it well without those.

At sixteen, you were painfully shy around boys. Till now, I cannot tell you why it was so that you couldn't speak to boys without getting red and tongue-tied then. Not to worry though, as you grow older, you'll find that many of your close friends will be boys.

At sixteen, you hardly went out. You had (still have, by the way) overprotective parents who would not allow you to parties and overnight stays with friends. They would call you every 15 minutes past 10.30pm if you weren't back home by then. And all these happened when you didn't even have a mobile phone (they'd call your friends). You were embarrassed, humiliated and angry at them for the restrictions. You rebelled every chance you could by sneaking away to places they wouldn't allow you to. It would only be much later in life that you finally understood why they did what they did.

You have changed, you know. Not immensely, but enough for you to recognise that change if you were to meet your 29-year old self today. For someone who barely understood sarcasm, you're now cynical. Not to the point where you're incredibly jaded to the world, but enough to know that life is not a bed of roses. Believe it or not, it is a good change.

I'm not going to tell you what life for you is going to be after sixteen. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and for that, everything you are about to experience will make you the person you are today. It's not going to be an easy road to travel on, but walk it you must.

A few hints of what life will be for you as you enter your twenties: you'll fall in love at a tender age. You'll live in the UK for a few years, and those will be some of the best years of your life. You'll make some very bad decisions in your twenties; those bad decisions and consequences will be etched in your memory as long as you live. You'll finally understand how painful it can be when your heart breaks. You'll also realise that during that time, your family is the rock in which you will cling to, for they love you with all their hearts no matter what. You'll find happiness once more, and know what it means to really love.

Don't be too hasty to grow up. Enjoy those years of school, where you'd have nothing to worry about except getting good grades and sailing through SPM. You'll have plenty of time to experience what life overseas would be like. What the working world like like. What falling in love is like. What intense heartbreak is like. What life really is like.

Have fun. Laugh, cry, study hard and build friendships. There's plenty of time to conquer the world later.

Love,
~29 Year Old Tine~
30 May 2009

The Weekend Beckons

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:28:00 +0000

The weekend approaches. I've got nothing planned. The idea of chilling out with a book sounds just about the ticket. Tim's on call tomorrow, so I'll be on my own. I've thought of heading to the city, but the thought of cramming in a train full of people, especially during the swine flu season, freaked me out a little.

Speaking of which, Victoria now has 98 confirmed cases at the time of writing, whereas the rest of the states are not that badly affected. It's scary, is what it is. When I first heard on the news to stock up on food and necessities, I went out and bought quite a bit of canned food and loo paper. Oh yeah, the latter is a necessity. Imagine stuck in a loo without loo paper. Gulp.

Anyways.

What's up for the weekend with you?

016 No More

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:47:00 +0000

Dad emailed me yesterday, and told me that my Malaysian mobile phone number has finally bitten the dust. I've been maintaining that number ever since I came to Australia with Dad's help in sending RM2 to my phone every 3 months just to keep the number activated. I completely forgot about it when I left Malaysia after Chinese New Year this year, thus forgetting to remind him to send that RM2 to the phone. Calls of plea to DiGi did not help. Apparently, when it's dead, it's dead.

Can't believe I don't have that phone number anymore. I've had it for six years, and now that it's gone, I'm pretty sad about it. Sigh.

So people, if you have my Malaysian 016-xxx number, you can feel free to delete that from your address book as it's no longer valid. When I'm back in Malaysia, I'll have to get a new one.

*sniff*

Spam Makes Me Laugh Sometimes

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:03:00 +0000

I hate spam. Not the luncheon meat, mind you (now that's something else), but the junk emails I get. Thank goodness for Gmail, whom I think does the best job in filtering out spam from regular emails. Although once in a while, I do get a kick out of checking out the spam I get.

This would be what I'd call a WTF subject.

Lo and Behold

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Tue, 05 May 2009 01:39:00 +0000

Yep, I finally passed my driving test.

I was a nervous wreck on test day. When I met up with my driving instructor (I used her car during the test, and she came along as well), Gayle, I had to run back home twice because I've forgotten to bring extra cash for the test, and also forgotten my passport and proof of address. By the time I got back to the car, I was already sweating, even though it was a cold and crisp day.

In retrospect, I was really glad to have Gayle with me the whole time, even though she couldn't help or talk to me during the test. Thank God for a gentle lady examiner too, who gave me very clear instructions without having to bark them out. The only critical error I made was when I completed the test and headed back to Vicroads. By then, the examiner decided to let me off the hook.

So yep, I'm now a holder of a full Victorian driver's license. No more L-lesen for me. Whee!

Now, more importantly, what car shall I get?

Linguine Bolognese

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Mon, 04 May 2009 11:39:00 +0000

I've always loved pasta bolognese. Spaghetti bolognese was the first Italian dish I've ever eaten, thanks to mum's recommendation many, many years ago.

For years I've been cooking bolognese sauce from jars (Dolmio seemed to be quite a favourite). When I came to Australia, I decided to learn how to make the sauce from scratch once and for all. This has been tried and tested for quite some time now, and I'm glad to say that I no longer make pasta dishes from jars. The husband and I thoroughly enjoy this dish, and I hope you do too.

Ingredients:
200g pork mince
200g beef mince
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1/2 can of button mushrooms (you can use fresh mushrooms if you like)
1 cup of beef stock (or 1 cube of beef bullion mixed in 1 cup of hot water)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp basil (or 1/2 tsp of dried basil)
1 tsp rosemary (or 1/2 tsp of dried rosemary)
1 tsp thyme (or 1/2 tsp of dried thyme)
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf
1 cup white wine
Linguine (I used linguine just for fun; you can always stick to classic spaghetti)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Parsley and shaved parmesan to serve

Method:
1. Heat oil in a large sauce pan.
2. Saute onions and garlic until soft.
3. Add beef and pork mince and brown over high heat, stirring constantly to break lumps.
4. Add diced carrot, celery and mushrooms. Stir and fry for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the can of chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, herbs, and seasoning. Bring to boil.
6. Turn heat down to LOW and simmer for 30 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and sauce is thick.
7. Remove bay leaf from sauce before serving.
8. Boil and drain pasta as per packet directions. Toss with a dash of olive oil and ground black pepper.
9. Pour sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.

Mixing the pork mince with the beef mince gives the sauce more flavour. Mushrooms are not part of a classic bolognese recipe, but I love them, so I just threw them in for added chunks.

I didn't add any cheese to this dish as I ran out and forgot to buy any. To be honest, I'm not too keen on having cheese on my sauce, but that's just me.

Enjoy!

The Little Things In Life

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Fri, 01 May 2009 23:46:00 +0000

That bring me joy.

Sharing a 50-cent Macca's soft serve scoop ice-cream with the hubs.
Breathing in the scent of new books at a bookstore, and old musty smells in an secondhand bookstore.
Receiving handmade gifts from family or friends. No matter how simple the gift it.
Surprises in the mail. Not red letters, mind you, but parcels from family and friends, which I weren't expecting.
Flowers from the hubs.
Freshly baked bread.
A good movie that puts a smile on my face when it's over.
A personally handwritten card or letter.
And many more.

What's yours?

Upcoming Driving Test

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0000

After 11 years of driving in Malaysia, it feels a tad funny to have to take a driving test again to be able to drive here.

I have never driven anywhere outside Malaysia. I didn't have the opportunity to drive when I was in the UK, and I wasn't allowed to drive when in Japan. It's about time that I get a full driver's license instead of just sticking to a learner's permit, so I arranged for a driving test, which is this Wednesday.

To make sure I learn the test routes properly, I decided to engage a few driving lessons with RACV. I thought perhaps a couple of lessons would suffice, as hey, it can't be that different from driving in Malaysia, eh?

Two lessons soon became five. My driving instructor, Gayle, bless her, was incredibly patient with me even though I couldn't do a good reverse parallel park, forget to do exaggerated mirror checks and often drive over the speed limit. Driving at 50-60 kph (and making sure I never go further than that on roads that have that speed limit) is torture, when other cars seemed to be zooming past me like there's no tomorrow. I'm not a reckless driver in Malaysia, but I don't think I've ever been that cautious about my speed limits than I am over here. Exceeding the speed limit over here is an immediate FAIL. Many a time, Gayle would comment that I'm too cautious when on the road, and that makes me a hazard. Over-cautious, imagine that!

So many bad driving habits to overturn, so little time and practice. I can't practise driving Tim's car as it's on a manual transmission (I'm getting the auto license), and it's turbo-charged. Today, I rented a car to practise on. Five hours of non-stop driving was simply exhausting.

So wish me luck this Wednesday, for I sure am nervous. 'Tis pity there's no such thing as 'kopi lesen' here.

I might, for the first time in my life, actually need it.

Happy Easter

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:19:00 +0000

Heading out for a day trip with the hubs tomorrow. Hoping to catch a ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento. We did that when I came to Melbourne to visit him a couple of years back, and it was lovely catching the sunset on the ferry. Oooh I can't wait!

The long Easter weekend reminds me of the usual Hari Raya or Chinese New Year seasons in Malaysia. Massive traffic from people doing the balik kampung, and the place turns into a ghost town. Most, if not all, of the shops are closed. Everyone's at home eating (chocolates, that is).

Have a lovely Easter, people. Watch that intake of chocolate eggs, and drive safe. I'll be getting my share after the season's over, when shops slash prices to clear the chocs :P

If You Don't Know Me

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:32:00 +0000

Sometimes I wish I held absolute anonymity on my blog, and that no one, not even my family, knew who I was on the Internet. There's so much I want to say, like in a diary, but can't. I can't go about bitching about a relative without serious repercussions, I can't vent my frustrations regarding a certain company without the fear of getting sued for libel, etc.

I used to have an anonymous blog. Nobody knew about the existence of that blog, and I remembered dishing out a lot of angst when I was going through a bad relationship. After it crashed and burned, I recovered from it, and had closure by deleting it.

Not that I want to bring that up again, but I can't help but wonder if no one knew who I was at all, under another nom de plume, would I still be able to write what I really wanted to write?

Do you feel this way too? That if no one knew who you were, would you pour out your heart to the world?

Just Because

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:33:00 +0000

The doorbell buzzed.

Him: Baby, go answer the door.

Me: You go answer the door lah.

Him: Aiyah, you go answer the door lah.

I left the apartment, muttering under my breath on how difficult was it for him to answer the door and all that, and went to the main door.

Lady: Hi, are you Tine?

Me: Yep that's me.

Lady: (handing me a big and long box with a green ribbon tied around it, and the words Roses Only printed at the top) Here you go, you lucky girl.

The hubs surprised me with 18 long-stemmed yellow roses! It also came with a box of Lindt choccies. It was such a lovely surprise. The yellow roses were just about to bloom its best, and the colour was simply vibrant. I asked him what the occasion was, and he uttered one word.

"Saja" (just because).

Oooops. I take back all that I muttered under my breath :P

On Having Children

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:09:00 +0000

I'm torn when it comes to having kids. There are times when I'm broody. That would come when I see a cute baby in a stroller, a mother bouncing a little girl on her knee, or reading mummy blogs. Those are the times where my broody, maternal instincts would come so strong, that I would immediately feel a surge of longing for one of my own. My insides turn to mush when I see cute baby clothes on sale. Show me a tiny bootie, and my voice turns incoherent.

But other times (and this happens a lot more), where I don't want children. When they're screaming, crying, fretting and yelling for goodness-knows-what. See, for me, when someone actually hands me their baby to carry, I'm stumped. I just don't know what to do with them. Put me in a room with children, and I want to run to the nearest exit. My husband's great with kids; he knows what to do with them, how to make them laugh, keep them occupied. I just look at them and go "Errr ... what now?".

I also happen to be in a country where disciplining children the way my mother disciplined me is absolutely not accepted. No rotan, or else they'll call child services. Oh boy.

People tell me that when the time comes, I'll know. I'll know what to do, and I'll do it well. When I put the wee bootie back on the rack and my voice goes back to normal, I know one thing.

I know that the time isn't now.

Interesting Characters On The Train

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:40:00 +0000

A guy standing on the link between carriages, in the open. Very dangerous, methinks, but he preferred to stand there than stay in the carriage. I was scared for him, I really was.

Unibrow man with the most gorgeous long eyelashes I've ever seen. Too much hair growing in the wrong places, mate. Wax off the middle of your brows, and give me your eyelashes, dammit!

An old, unkempt man who, after losing his balance on the moving train, stumbled a bit, and started stamping his feet and shaking his fists, gesturing to no one in a train full of people. He got off his seat, stomped the train whilst uttering goodness-knows-what, shaking his fists, went to the door, kicked and lashed out, and got back in. Those sitting around him quickly got off their seats and sat somewhere else. This continued until we stopped at Caulfield Station. Two Connex fellas came in looking for him, and that was when he quickly got out and left. The look of relief on the passengers was a sight indeed.

All this on the Cranbourne/Pakenham line. Who needs an iPod when you've got these to keep you entertained?

Trouble In Paradise

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:44:00 +0000

It's been a rough couple of weeks. There is, indeed, trouble in paradise.

Not something I'd freely share here, but suffice to say, it really hadn't been easy. Not easy when you and your partner cannot come to a compromise without either party developing resentment towards the other and not when you cannot even agree to disagree. So what are you going to do when both sides can't even back down?

It's all hell break loose.

I'm putting this aside for now; I'm letting it go. It's not something that can be resolved immediately, but I definitely cannot go on like this. We cannot go on like this.

I need a good pick-me-up. Thank goodness I'm meeting up with the girls this evening, even if it's only going to be a short while. I need me a drink, and fast.

Moviefone Downgraded

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:46:00 +0000

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person who finds TV dramatisation really stupid. You know, the bits where the network/channel promotes the next episode of a following drama series with voice prompts such as these.

*in a dramatic, moviefone voice*

"The episode that shocked all of America. What did the doctor do to get such a reaction from the rest?" (referring to an episode on Grey's Anatomy where Dr Hunt stabs a pig in front of the doctors. Come on. Really? It shocked ALL of America?)

"In the most exciting episode ever on 'insert-drama-name'" (apparently, every single episode is exciting)

It's bloody annoying, I tell you. I get it if it's a movie in the cinema that they're promoting, but just for Neighbours?

NEXT!

To Migrate Or Not To Migrate?

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:19:00 +0000

I've been contemplating for a long time on whether to migrate this blog to Wordpress. In fact, I'm still on a limbo here. It would be good to finally move on to another platform which I know will be better, but I've had this template for years now, and I can't seem to let it go.

Decisions, decisions.

On a unrelated postscript, I have to stop reading mummy blogs. It's making me broody, which I shouldn't be at the moment. Gah.

Fire Weather Shocker Ahead

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:03:00 +0000

More crazy winds and unpredictable weather come Monday night to Tuesday. Gale-force winds of up to 150km/h is just madness.

Sigh. When will this end? I've never been more eager for rain to come than now.

Joy Comes In A Cone

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 02:57:00 +0000

'Tis so easy to put me in a good mood after a relatively PMS-y morning.

A 50-cent Maccas soft scoop from the drive through (the other's for hubs) just melts the blues away.

I Wish For Days When

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:15:00 +0000

I had something to look forward to come a new day.

I did not have to rely on the Internet for just about anything.

I was not judged on what I chose to do.

Things were less complicated when they were more.

It was just the two of us.

I had more things to blog about because I've run out of juice.

One Year Today

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:59:00 +0000

Today marks the first anniversary of my uprooting my life in Malaysia and moving to Australia. It's not a big deal to others, but it is to me.

It was difficult at first, that I'll tell you. With hardly any friends in tow, loneliness set in fairly quickly. But God is faithful. It wasn't long when I started to settle in properly and make new friends. Good friends.

I'm also in the process of switching careers. Goodbye engineering, hello ... well, something else. We don't have a place of our own yet, but we're getting there.

Slowly but surely, it's all coming together.

I'm home.

With Disasters, Come Idiots

sweetcontemplation@gmail.com (Tine) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:39:00 +0000

The devastating fires are bad enough. The carnage is bad enough. People losing lives and homes and everything they own is bad enough.

We do not need lectures about climate change, global warming and why the authorities didn't see this coming. Not now. Bloody morons.

By now you've probably heard of the terrible bushfire the state of Victoria is having. If you'd like to do your part, do go to Australian Red Cross for more information. I've been calling but not getting through (line was busy). Guess this means that people are calling in to donate as well, which is a good thing.