Saturday, February 25, 2012

Dead Sea antics

Hi Anna!!

One week later after arriving back from Jordan I've finally sorted through some of my photos.

These are my favourite from the Dead Sea.
Exhilaration!
I LOVE YOU BUOYANCY!
Someone tell me, am I the first ever to plank in the Dead Sea?

If reading/ planking is not for you, try a circle formation and chant for five minutes OR er.... stand up?

Or if you're silly enough to come to the Dead Sea and not even get into it, you could try this!  For 3 JDR= 5 AUD cover yourself in Dead Sea mud!

But make sure you cover yourself as well as these Indian guys or you might look like you're wearing a turtle neck. They sure know what they were doing! Ridiculously funny every time I look at it.
I managed to get some water in my eye and it stung like mad!!! Not to mention the taste of the water, it was incredibly bitter. I imagine this was from all the salts and minerals. Lauren laughed at me the rest of the day because I didn't rinse my hair (thanks to freezing cold showers) and there was salt dandruff all over my hair. No one complained of having a bland tasting lunch otherwise I would've volunteered to shake my saltdruff over their meal :)


PS. You look GORGEOUS in the feather pics! I love it! Can't stop telling you that :p

PPS. Good luck with your new job :D

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Second last day at work

Hey Chia!

It's been a while!

Today is my second last day at my current firm. I woke up this morning feeling... Well I am unsure of what I was feeling. However, there was the refreshing thought of 'Hrm... Should I go for a run today? Or should I not?'

I was quite happy that I wasn't stressing about what I needed to do at work.

After looking through Instagram (ps thanks for blogging about it, because now I am positively hooked!) I decided to run. The past few months have been good, but now with the sun rising later, it's getting quite dark out there, and there are no lights where I run!

I find that when running in the morning these days, I get this little burst of fear of the dark that pops in my chest (I start getting anxious about every jaded shadow or silhouette). I am always pleasantly surprised to see other early risers on my path. It makes me feel like I am not alone, and that nothing had will happen.

For some reason when I am half asleep, I start believing in thing that I don't normally believe in. My head knows its not possible, however, my fear and emotions do the opposite. For an example, this morning as I ran down what my Dad calls 'appetite hill' I saw the errie sillhuettes of the bushes in the sand dunes all around me and the windy path that stretched out in front of me, and for some reason, I started freaking out that just around the corner, some random evil creature (let's say the devil) would be standing there waiting for me.

Geez. I'm getting the willies just remembering! But lucky for me, I saw a nice couple walking their dog in the distance, and all that fear went away. Haha. Silly feelings!

After my run, I got ready and drove to Kev's place. I was able to find two happy things there! First one was this:







It was a bush outside Kev's place, next to where I usually park my car. I've never taken any notice of it previously. However, since I have wanted to try and notice the happy small things life more, I naturally had my 'happy-small-things-in-life' goggles on. The bush looks like every other bush, but this flower caught my eye! :)

The second thing I saw, was also pointed out by Kev:







It has been hazy in Perth because of some fires. Nevertheless, this clouds and haze made this shot possible!

Now I am at work... Enjoying my second last day here. Four years have passed. Can you believe it?!

P.S I blogged off my iphone just then. I think the application is finally working!  :)

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Snowing in the middle of summer!

Hey Chia!

How is Jordan?! I know you're probably having a marvelous time there!

Back here, we have experienced some unusual weather.

It is the middle of the Australian summer, however, last night I was able to experience a beautiful fluffy white 'snow' fall on the streets of of the City.

When I say snow, I say feather snow!

As part of the annual arts festival, a French performing arts company provided a free show called "Place des Anges".

Throughout the week when I was in the office, I saw these cables being put up on the top of the buildings in the city. I then saw people on these cables, not knowing what was going on- it intrigued me. So after a work mate of mine explained to me why these cables were being put up, I asked Kev if he would like to go.

So... we arrived in the city approximately 2 hours prior to the show. I ended up making us sit on the curb of St Georges Terrace. It amused me as this street is usually jammed packed full of traffic, buses and people, and here we were sitting on the curb!

Sitting on the curb


Right where the buses would normally drive by



Waiting, and bored...
The show finally started at 8pm... with light-hearted music setting the mood.

The kids were all gasping in delight when they saw the angels descend from the building tops to dance across the sky.

An angel

Giant angel v tiny angel!
 It was magical.

There was something about their white figures twirling across the black skyline that caught the imagination. They started off with a small amount of feathers which the ever present breeze blew to the left of us. It was still beautiful, but after a while I started getting anxious that we would not get any feathers fall on us.

I was wrong.

Dead wrong.

The French performers released almost 2 tons of feathers last night. So many feathers that by the end of the night, Kev and I were walking in feathers that were knee high!
Feathers!!!!

It's snowing!

Snow ball!
Here are some videos!




We left the CBD with feathers EVERYWHERE. They were stuck in Kev's polo shirt, and were hidden in my handbag and hair.

This afternoon, Kev's parents asked us what happened, as they saw these 'random' white feathers sprinkled around the garage door. They thought that perhaps a stray cat had gotten a bird and had taken it into the garage. After we told them where we had gone, it was as if a light had clicked, and they mentioned that they were confused about the 'random' feathers that they saw on their walk this morning in East Perth. =P

The feathers have escaped!

Free souvenirs or stowaways?

Friday, February 10, 2012

I will follow you...

Chia!

Sorry for not posting. I've been busy with work (a trial) and just generally busy with wrapping things up  before I leave my current employer to start working at a new firm. It's been stressful and exciting all at the same time. 

I can't wait to hear about your time in Petra! I wish I was going with you!

You know what? As soon as I read that you got the instagram app, I got it too. I've seen a lot of people use it, and since you recommended it, I thought why not! So I will follow you! If you give me your user details? :)

Here is my first instagram:


And Bali after London?! Sounds awesome! Why Bali? A holiday that never ends? =)

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Random sentences

Anna!

I'm doing my first blog from my iPhone!

Only two more sleeps until I'm off to Jordan!
Random sentences as I one finger punch.

I made amazing Indian from a jar.
I bought a new dress with lots of mini hearts, polka dots and a Peter pan like collar.
I like the instagram app and I want some followers.
My younger brother sent me odd photos of our backyard, pipi and my parent's backs whilst they were having dinner and they all made me smile.
I am meeting a guy from online tomorrow night. He's been to Australia but of course only the east side.
I think I'm going to live in Bali after London.

Miss what's been going on with you :(

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The men in London

Hi Anna!

Sounds like you had a wondeful CNY! Unfortunately mines wasn't that festive and on the actual day I totally forgot about it until I was at the checkout in the supermarket and the checkout lady wished me Happy New Year. I was thinking, jee it's a bit late for that, and then it clicked that she meant the Chinese New Year! Oh dear :/ I didn't do anything at all, no ang paos no nothing :( but I invited Lauren over later on the week and I made some sort of stirfry from a jar :(

On top of that, I couldn't figure out why there were helium hearts on a stick while I was waiting in queue in Tesco (it's like a supermarket chain) until I got home and realised that it's St Valentine's Day coming up! Oh dear! Well bad news is that I haven't got anyone to celebrate it with. Besides it's just commercial garbage right? (So I tell myself. I hope that it doesn't become a tradition, it's my 3rd year running for being single this time of the year)  Good news is on that day, Lauren and I will be leaving Amman, Jordan and spending half they day swimming in the Dead Sea and making our way to Petra.

Anyway I was telling Lauren last night about my internet dating adventures. I'm always thinking of ideas for writing a book. Mainly ideas for children's books but then I thought maybe I could start with blogging about the random men that I meet up with over coffee/ drinks. I'm sure there's probably millions of books written about it out there.

My latest would be last Wednesday night. It was too cold to venture out and he agreed to meet at the tube station near my place. This guy is 36. Lives in Mayfair. Banking for 12 years. Runs his own business. Owns various property around London and in Spain... are your ears making the $$$ che-ching noises? Well mines were when I found all this out. Anyway, I don't know about you but people grow on me. I can't really connect with someone straight away. I have this thing where I'll meet them and I don't really do a follow up. They'll have to be the ones that contact me and then I'll agree on a second date if I have nothing much to d. It definitely takes more than just one date to decide though. I haven't heard from him since so perhaps he's not interested. Although he did say that he would teach me how to make an awesome dahl. If I don't meet anyone special in the long run, at least let me say that the one thing I got out of it is learning how to make dahl! haha! Will keep you posted.

 This week is stressful re work. Actually, let's not talk about it. I can't wait until Tuesday night when the stress is all over. It's noon and I might go outside and take some pictures and wander through the shops but I'm going to be taking it easy since I'm still recovering from my week long cold.

Random pics from shopping two weekends ago.

A dress that I got from Forever21 yet to be worn
These leopard print  heels are yet to be worn too! Ignore veiny feet
I'm suppose to go out and look for a cabin size suitcase today but because of the snow, I've decided to not bother and to use this foldaway XL Longchamp bag that was a present from HW! She has inspired me to travel light You'd think by now I'd figure there is no better way.  I just can't help myself packing everything and anything for every single situation. This will be an exciting challenge!


I'm liking the instagram app on the iphone! Outside my bedroom window on a snowy Sunday morning
 Miss you! Send some sunshine this way would be nice :P The cold has made me feel like a pudgy little mole burrowed away deep down underground.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Happy Chinese New Year!

Hey Chia!

Happy New Year! Gong xi fa chai! Gong hay fat choi! Xin nian kuai le!

I wish you the best luck this year.
I wish you super health.
I wish you happiness.

The two weeks of Chinese new year is coming to an end, and I look back on how awesome it was this year as I had 4 dinners this year! =) My first dinner was with my birth father and his family. It was my first, well... 'family' CNY dinner, and I was super happy that they thought of inviting me.

For me, CNY was always something so foreign. I was never raised on this. The only thing I celebrated was Christmas. So I was always stuck feeling like a fraud as I looked the part, but never understood or knew about it. I only experienced CNY when I entered uni and all of a sudden all my friends just happened to be Asian. As time has gone by, I have learned more and more about the Chinese culture through friends, boyfriends and actively trying to learn about the Chinese culture and language. This year came in full circle as I finally felt comfortable with this celebration.

Hong Bao- I used to feel really awkward receiving hong baos. I actually cried one year because I felt guilty taking these red packets with money inside of them from people I didn't know. My own parents stopped giving me pocket money once I started university.

I also had dinner with a huge group of friends at Dragon Palace where we saw a lion dance, and I even fed a lion this time! First time ever!

This lion has LED lights!
They told me to stand on a chair to make the lion work for it. It was pretty fun and intimating with all the loud drums banging and the lion being so big and moving so quickly. You just don't know what is going on half the time.  However, I believe that feeding the lion is good luck, and I am feeling lucky at the moment.

On the 7th day Shaz invited us over her house where she made this awesomely big yee sung and we had steam boat! YUM!

Finally, last night Kev and I had our last CNY dinner with the uni crew; Clem, Terry, Vanni, Chrissy, Drew, Katie, Alicia and Michael, at Regal on Roe. Unfortunately, I didn't get a group photo this year  =(

Were you able have to have a CNY dinner?