Coming to the end

Now that I'm about 2 months away from the end of no-pay leave, there is this whole big mixed bag of feelings starting to churn...

First, the missing begins. Uneventful (in terms of social/entertainment/makan scene) as this temporary home capital may be, the quiet calm, safe surrounds and rugged natural scenery, with its relaxed pace of life and friendly neighbourliness bring a certain sense of stability. Weekend drives to explore nearby towns and vineyards, short getaways to Sydney, evening strolls by big lakes, afternoon hikes up vast nature reserves... these, I'd miss. Our first car, house (albeit rented), friends made here, even the once-a-week rubbish and recyle collection, will be fondly remembered.

Then, there is the stressing. Readjustment to good ole Sg. Its humidity and weather aside, the space (or lack thereof), the guardedness, the competition, the presence of an increasing no. of non-citizens who may not appreciate similar norms...? Work resumption - happy to be earning some moolah again but worried if I'd still be in form and on the ball. How the husband will adapt, how our schedules will plan out, how this move will shape our future plans are questions that wait to be answered.

For sure, I'm excited to come home to family and friends, and to the amazing range of super-accessible, good cheap local eats. Am also looking forward to visiting the much-talked about Gardens by the Bay. Just can't deny though, that the anticipation comes bundled with a bag of apprehension.

Good luck (to us).      

Saved from the Noose

It has been abt 9mths since I last logged in. Flirted (momentarily) with the thought of closing this blog down, since I'm pretty sure no one pops by anymore. Then, I immediately recalled - this blog was first set up as a channel for me to unload my own thoughts and feelings, so who cares if no one else drops in??? Anyways, I went on and had a good browse through my past posts, esp those of the earlier years. Brought back a deluge of priceless memories. Memories that are too precious to be erased and locked down. So stay, it will, whatever the next wave of social media may bring.

Post-wedding

Back in Spore since 2.5wks ago. The temperature (and humidity) change is stark. But so are the makan and social scenes - am not complaining about these though. =)

Finally, our traditional wedding ceremony was completed - all the nitty gritty of gown choosing, photo layout, emcee/bridesmaid/receptionist selection, the sensitive trivalities of who to place where during dinner, and when to do what during tea ceremony and in the morning when the groom comes over to fetch the bride... customary things that seem minor but are totally capable of causing tension and conflict in otherwise harmonious relationship(s)... are done with. Already, ours is a much toned-down and relatively fuss-free event, and already my husband has openly declared that he'd only get married once as he cannot fanthom being subjected to all these again.

To all married friends (and who have stayed married after going through these wedding prep), bravo for the sweat, time and patience you've put in. For those planning to get married, good luck and have fun (some parts of it are actually really quite fun and memorable if both of you take it in stride and in the right spirit e.g. pre-wedding shoot, food tasting, the groom taking down the zillions of pins stuck in the highly-sprayed hairdo of the bride at midnight....)

Cheers!

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

Approximately 45min drive away from city center. A place where emus, kangeroos, koalas, water birds, wombats, wallabies, reptiles (plus other animals that I can't recognize) freely roam. More than 20 different walking trails, stretching from 15min to 8hr ones, from easy to difficult. We bought an annual pass. And we were fortunate enough to spot a couple of emus, kangeroos, kookerburras, a koala and a furry rodent-like creature on our first visit last weekend. In Terminator's words - we'd be back. Soon.

Oven Hot, Icy Cold

Have been keeping up with baking on a weekly basis. As a form of pursuit of personal interest, as a way to lavish love through offering homemade sweets, and erhm, I guess as a way of killing time too. So after the brownies, there were the peanut butter cookies, the berry yoghurt muffins, and the double choc chip fudge cookies. Somehow, the chocolate treats were always better received. Tomorrow, I may attempt a savoury product - beer batter bread, maybe?

And in abt 3wks time, I'd be back on red dot island for a visit. Will stay for a while, to escape the impending winter over here - brrrr... it's still Autumn, but temps are already wintry, staying well between minus 3 to 10deg. Hibernation time. At least until I can officially get to use those brains, do some work and earn some dough.

Do you feel it yet??!

Election Fever!!!

Argh, how I wish I could be there to attend some of those red-hot rallies!! To feel the energy of the masses, to hear the impassioned speeches of the brave and to decide for myself if the opposition is worth the vote or just letting loose hot air! This must be one of the most exciting times in the island's modern politics yet. OMG.

What a shame I have to miss out on the action.

The Easter Long Weekend

The Easter long weekend was just over, and we had it further extended coz Anzac day coincided with it. So all in all, we've got 5 days off. And during this time, my sis-in-law flew over for a visit with her friend. So away we go, on long roadtrips and walking trails up mountains and around falls, interspersed with huge spreads of yum cha, turkish pide, steamboat, zi-cha, aussie burgers, fish & chips... Burp.

Eat and Walk

One of the best things to do is to stroll the musuems, lakes and parks after a heavy brunch and when the weather still permits. Picture-perfect, especially when the sun's setting. And nowadays, that happens abt 5pm.

 

Oven Baking

The brownie is next. Anything that can be done without the use of electrical mixer goes first. The result – pretty fudgy and not too sweet. Perfect with ice-cream and strawberries from the fresh food market, as an after-dinner dessert in the cold of the night at 12deg. Grrrr...

Return of the Baking Aunty

A pity the food processor here can’t work. Got to resort to the primitive rub-in method to make these chocolate chip cookies. Thank goodness I didn’t have to dump my first re-entry baking product. They actually looked and tasted decent. Hope to start on some cakes soon. Wonder if I should ask my relative to help bring over my trusty blending machine from sunny isle...

Re-starting the Engine

Just bought myself a neat 27pc backware set the past weekend - has got non-stick bakeware, cooling rack, cookie cutters, measuring gadgets and other relevant utensils, all at a very affordable price at this hypermarket that's a little like Carrefour. Yippee (excited to be re-starting baking soon) with some apprehension (don't know how it'd all turn out after such a long hiatus). Good luck to myself, and to whoever's sampling my first re-entry products.  

Black & White

The battle between logic and sentimentality, between privacy and openness, between ambition and contentment, and between man and woman. Intriguing yet frustrating.

I would think I am a sentimentally logical, privately open, and contentedly ambitious woman.

Never mind if none of these makes sense. You are your own man (or woman for that matter).

Potato Me

What a let-down. The consequence of not referencing from some tried-and-tested recipes when attempting a dish for the first time. Oh well, as a faithful fan of several cooking shows while over here, I guess I must have momentarily imagined myself to be a Masterchef. Had initially wanted to make mini potato mince patties (with potato - of course, pork mince, peas, carrots, corn, onion, breadcrumbs), only to have it turn out as one big potato mince cake. Floppy and soft, even when the surface had been pan-fried till golden brown. The seasoning was right on the mark but the texture was way off. Sighz, I guess I should have thrown in an egg and some tens of grams of flour... And now, to clean up the oily stove top and then eat up my potato cake. =(

Update

Had wanted to create an original entry for this update, but heck, the grey matter decides to go on strike, so here's an extract from an email that I just sent out:

"Coming to the end of my 3rd week in Canberra, some kind of routine has been established. We’d be up by abt 7am every morning, and be in bed latest by 11pm – at least 8hrs of sleep everyday. Strolls by the lake and in the parks, and visits to fresh food markets would usually happen during the weekends, as with the checking out of depot/factory outlet stores.

Weekday meals would be prepared by myself and on weekends, we would both be in the kitchen whipping up dishes. Breakfast is quick, fuss-free and nutritious, usually cereals with milk and/or multi-grain bread with jam, washed down with coffee. Lunch and dinner are usually 2 to 3 dishes affairs, with veggies, meat and potato/carrot/egg/seafood, accompanied with steaming hot jasmine rice. Sometimes, we’d do western spaghetti and grill, and almost once a week, we’d head out to the pizza parlours and take-out thin-crusted yummy pizzas to munch in front of the tv. Our cabinets are stocked with spices, sauces and pre-mixes (Chinese and Indian), and there will always be fruits and milk in the fridge.

Daily commute to and fro JM’s workplace takes between 20-45min, depending on how dreadful traffic conditions are. But driving here is definitely less stressful than in Spore as drivers are generally more polite, less likely to speed, and much more willing to give way even though there are no yellow boxes. Add to that, the vast greenland alongside most of the roads makes driving (especially on quiet afternoons) a joy for both the eye and the mind.

Weather here has become more rainy, with drizzles that sometimes last the whole day. Leaves are starting to turn a shade golden, signalling our entry into the autumn season. Last weekend, together with thousands of others, we caught a 20min display of ‘Skyfire’ (aka fireworks) by the lake – a yearly Canberra affair, and also hosted some friends to a BBQ at our place , bonding over grilled chicken, sausages, sambal-marinated seafood, corn, sweet potatoes, salads, apple crumble, beers and wine. This week, I’d need to start exercising, or at least begin to think about exercising. The last I checked (2min ago), my weight hasn’t changed since the day I left Spore, but feedback from Skype conversations with relatives has been consistent – my face somehow looks visibly rounder now. Oh well."

Till the next update.

Of my first week in Canberra

One week into new phase of life in Aust, the feeling is almost surreal. I mean, the transition has been generally smooth, probably because I’ve already started my no-pay while in Spore, so it’s a matter of changing the location where I’m spending time. But of course, not everything is the same, for now, a lot more time is spent on really housewifey stuff e.g. cleaning, laundry, meal preparation, chauffeuring, gardening, reading, grocery-shopping etc; and a lot more time is spent in close proximity with ‘the chosen one’ – a vast difference from our LDR days.

In the past week, we had acquired a new car (Honda Jazz), cleaned our rented house (3 bedroom in peaceful suburb), done gardening (lawn mowing & weed-pulling), shopped several supermarts (asian and western), visited Sunday markets, walked a park and clocked several tens of kilometres on our trusty little Honda (driving here is definitely much less stressful than back in Spore, except for the many roundabouts they have here).

Weather here is generally cool, hovering between 8 to 28deg during this current autumn season. Occasional showers aside, the sky is usually blue and fluffed with soft, white clouds. In the evenings when the sun is almost setting, one can also spot some kangeroos while driving alongside vast grasslands.

Safely cloistered up in our suburban home, we catch up on news (yes, we are currently following updates of that really unfortunate, massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan), and keep in touch with family and friends through the net. Bless the people who advanced telecommunications, for without them we would be as distant as 10hrs of flight time away (yes, that’s the approximate air-time, including transit, btw Spore and Canberra).

Feel free to write me if you like (btw, we are 3hrs ahead of Spore). Otherwise, just watch for updates on this blog then. =)