A Barista?

Well, not a qualified one, but at least I know the factors determining a good cup of short black (Espresso) and being able to differentiate between a cup of Latte, Flat White, Mocha and a Macchiato!   How's that for a start?

And I made my first cuppa Cappuccino with design... The 2 cups of Cappuccino you see above are the results of the Home Barista Class I attended last Saturday.  YES, I made them!  Hee... not that bad right?  I guess it will not be obvious to a non-coffee drinker, but to a Barista, they are actually not qualified to be served!   Ha...  You can't tell right?

It's about time...

... to start blogging again.  It's amazing how time passed, it has been close to 2 months since my last post, and believe it or not too much had happened.  During this period, I experienced how realities can affect ones mentality.

"Happiness",  "Appreciation", "Lost", "Anger",  "Hope" and ... of course "Heart break" in the end.  Guess these are all part and parcel of LIFE.   Would have gained Nirvana if one is free from all these so call "feelings".   In Chinese, we refer them as 喜怒哀樂.

Singapore (10 to 20 July, 2008)

The Home trip I was much looking forward to... It was the first time I've been back home not having to work! Nice... HOME LEAVE we call it. 

Indeed, very eventful and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, especially catching up with families and friends, not forgetting Tennis.  It was Dad's birthday we celebrated, a few days late, but at least we dined out and I believe he was delighted. 

Surprisingly, I managed to spend 2 days with my good friend and her daughters... especially Yuki.  At the age of 3, she is simply adorable! Irresistible, even my dad and nephews enjoyed her company when we took a ride on the Singapore's Flyer together.   So happy that Yiliang is blessed with 2 cute daughters and a happy family.  

The other highlight was the Concert I attended of a "Boy Band" (Old Men Band more like it) from Hong Kong, named The Wynners.   Had quite a big group attending this time, and it was fun... Does makes me miss the luxury I used to have, attending all these various "Chinese" concerts in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong of course!  The most immediate one I will be missing will be Sandy Lam's concert in August!  Well... can save some money!  :->

Short Trip (2 to 5 August, 2008)

Huiting and her friend, Rachel were in Melbourne and we went on a driving trip

over the weekend to South Australia.  Took a short break in Port Campbell and spent 1 night at one of the chalets (Clarendon Chalet) in Mount Gambier.  The journey to finding the chalet was very exciting, actually fun.   Penola, and Coonawara were the highlights of Day 2.   Two nights over at DULC Chalet, and the adventure to finally locate this place was rather memorable.  We had Steam Boat on our 1st night.   Day 3 was spent touring around the Grampian, though the weather wasn't fantastic, but 

we did manage to catch some nice sceneries.  We headed back on Day 4, Tuesday, and stopover at one of the oldest vineyards, Seppelt, along the The Great Western Highway.  It was a really nice tour and did burn a big "whole" in my pocket, with close to 5 bottles of quality Sparkling Wine!    Well worth the trip...

Dream vs Hope

What's the difference?

Dream has a higher chance of fulfilling (if we put our hearts and soul to it) than Hope.  Hope, to me.. is similar to day dreaming!  No wonder...  so, stop hoping and continue pursuing ones Dream! 

Disappointment? 

Yes and No...

Today: 7 July, 6.30am in Melbourne and obviously, 6 July, 9.30pm in London... must be one of the most upsetting moment for the All-Time Tennis Champion, Roger Federer!   He lost in Wimbledon to his nemesis, Rafeal Nadal.   At least in 5 sets, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 9-7.  http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/index.html

He got back from 1 championship point down in during the 4th set's tie break, it would have been a GREAT win if he had won ultimately, unfortunately, I believe he ran out of fuel, but he fought... and I am PROUD of him, my Hero, in Tennis.  Always the best, always gracious in giving credit to his opponent, recognizing their efforts, and applauding their success, in the mist of his greatest disappointment.  I cannot imagine the "mental" strength one need to have to endure through all these moments...

Well, he would have made history once again if he had won, but, he will still be in the history of Tennis for putting such a fight, and taking the Runner's Up title after 5 consecutive wins at the All-England Club.

At least he is not losing to Djokovic, Nadal is more deserving even though his act on court is disgusting (pulling his underwear before every serve).   Guess there always comes a time where you have to lose your glories, it is how you lose it.

.. for that, Roger's effort were commendable.   

Hope people do not overlook the fact that he has already won 5... how many people

 in history had done that?   He deserve a lot of credit for maintaining that record.

Yes, my hero lost, No he is as classy and put a great fight to defend his title, that is the Roger I want to see, hope one day, he'll clinched the French from Nadal or somebody.  

Go Roger... you are the Greatest Player in Tennis History!  You will live a Legend.

Good Luck for the rest of your season.

http://www.rogerfederer.com

Winter is finally here...

June started off with some really nice weather hovering around 12 to 15 degree...just beautiful.   But on 13 June, it dropped for the 1st time to 7 degree and COLD and rainy.  It is amazing how individual acclimatized.  I actually enjoy when the temperature is between 12 to 15 degree!    A little cold but very comfortable when one starts some physical activities.   It's perfect for tennis and golfing!  

Finally had a roun

d of Golf with Hendro!   Yes, played at Albert Park on Queens Birthday, 9 June 2008...  The weather was crappy for once, a taste of real winter... wet, and especially muddy on the course.   On top of that, the real challenging part was the fact that I played 18 holes without grip (the club didn't manage to re-grip my clubs on time)!  My palms were so sore after the game, but I didn't do that badly, especially my irons.  Won't say the same for my woods and short game though... terrible.    

Sex & The City! 

It can't get any better than this:

Watching Sex & the City (2hrs 40 mins), accompanied by a bottle of Sparkling Wine, and dessert, in a Hoyts Director's Suite (similar to Gold Class)... with Laura!  That night (Tues, June 10) we had 2 bottles of wine.  The movie was great, better than I expected, rather I didn't know what to expect, so I thoroughly enjoyed it.   The whole Director's Suites experience was just unforgettable.  The best part was, it was the perfect movie to 

go with!  Real Sex and the City feel!  Inspired by the movie, I worn my 3 inches pair of RED boot (recently acquired at a discount) to work with a black dress... :-> just wanted to feel dressed up once in a while!  The stupid part was, I really couldn't walk too much with it, else my legs will give way.

Tennis

As usual, my number ONE passion and thus, had been quite enjoyable and my confidence did increase after a few wins recently.  Besides, my games, especially volleys have improved. Really happy with my volleys during the 2 matches I played.  In the recent one, I did some nice smashes and touch volleys which obviously won us a few points.   Happy, and my serves weren't that bad, only lost 1 service game throughout the 3 sets.   

In addition, signed up for a series of  Cardio Tennis on Sunday afternoon, organized and coached by a Singaporean. The 2 sessions attended were fun and the bonus is that 

I get to meet different members from Monash Tennis Club. Intend to continue as long as time permits.

Clifton Mixed Section 4 Team, had our season end celebration, for a good season even though we didn't make it to the Semis.   It was a commendable effort, and the best part was, we worked well as a team.  The chemistry is there...we will be moving on as a team in the next season.   Unfortunately not all members were presence but we enjoyed.  That night happened to be the Women Final of the French Open.  We stayed at a pub watching

 part of it and proceeding to my place to finish watching the match, which Ana won the title.  

Imagine this...

You parked your car, and after visiting the doctor and running some errands, you returned to pick up your car BUT, it gone! 

That was what actually happened to me today... I was shocked.  First I thought my car had been stolen, later did I realize that I had parked along a "CLEAR WAY" and my car had been "cleared", basically towed away!   My immediate thought was, "what will be my damage this time?  How much more will I be contributing to the Council's fund?   I know I can retrieve my car, but it's not going to be cheap.   Not knowing where my car is, I had to check with a few passer-by for advice on how to locate my car!   Was advise to call the City of Stonnington, which I did and they provided the collection address, and etc...  Everything was perfectly organized, of course, when it comes to $$.

Took a cab to 34 Cormwell St, and that cost me A$16, sigh.. tough luck.

Signed a A$281 credit card bill in order to retrieve my car, and guess what...

I had another FINE for parking on Clear Way, which will cost me another $110.   Total damage for the day?   A$400...   

How innocent?   I should have read the sign properly... my fault, but this is a very expensive lesson!   I would rather have 4 sessions of tennis or 12 sessions of Golf coaching with that amount!  SIGH.... what to do,  not a very auspicious day for me... definitely not when it is the day when I visited a GP in Melbourne for the 1st time... and he had told me that I am suffering from minor bronchitis!     so, a bad day... 4th June 2008.

To make matter worst... realized my Foxtel is not working... 

Funny, it only allow me to watch the Tennis channel, no matter what I do.   I have been watching tennis a lot, the French Open, but, why should that happened?  What could be the problem?  All I know is, I hope it will not cost me more damage than I already incurred! 

All I can hope for now is a Better Tomorrow. 

"Ming Tian Hui Gen Hau"

A good start already... Roger Federer is in the French Open Semi-Final!   Can't wait for him to hold the Trophy, I will be soooooo thrilled.

"Do not do UNTO others what you do not want others to do UNTO you", and ... vice versa
- The Golden Rule?

How true is this?
If only everybody in this world does that...there will be nothing but Peace and Happiness.

From 19 May to 31 May, how was it?
Busy, busy, busy....
Didn't quite recover from my earlier flu, and now, coughing! First time since long time ago! Gosh... affected my activities since I couldn't really run...even playing tennis is a pain! Hate it.

BOAT SHOW?
The saga of my drive to Surfer's Paradise Marriotts was indeed very "exciting". I was lost in the middle of the night, around 11.30pm, driving on dark roads and frantically seeking help using my mobile. The Hotel was not helpful, and honestly, I was worried for awhile... as the road was dark and quiet and you never know what will happen. Fortunately, I was able to locate a "Pub Motel" and seeked direction from a lady bartender. Only made my way safely to the hotel around 12 midnight, after close to 2 hours drive for a journey which should only take 1.5 hours!

Like the saying goes, "Been there, done that..." somehow this year's boat show was more torturous for me. Those Mega luxury boats are no longer that fascinating compared to last year when I first saw them... a bit "shua gu" then.
- Met one of the retired Dealer's manager, Ian. Had a good chat, and it's like seeing an old friend. Nice.
- News of the manager (from the same dealership) is leaving, sigh... challenging, one after another. My initial response was: "Am I surprise?" Then, reality kicks in... how the hell are we supposed to be supporting our customers? This goes on and on and on... I am tired.

EXERCISE & FITNESS
Was a bit slack during the boat show week but did squeezed in abotu 2 hours of tennis with Hendro, and I guess the best part was, I played so well and I beat him! Happy with the way I played....what can I say, wished I can do that well during competition.

2 PT with Tommy during the 2 weeks, not sufficient but they were good.
Finally a session of Tennis with Travis with my bad cough, wasn't quite enjoying as I was coughing badly... the cold air doesn't help at all.

Golf - Had my 1st re-fresher training with Michelle of Burnley Golf Club. She's good, and pointed out my mistakes, and reinstate my interest in golf again. The urge to want to play well is so overwhleming and for once, I can't wait to practise my swings at a driving range!
Also played 9-Holes with Laura at Burnley... funny course but did get some practise of my swings and a feel of my standard.

FOOD and Indulgence
Well, 2 weeks and only 3 sessions of fitness, what did I do the rest of the time?
Eat, eat and entertainment!
LURE - Brisbane. A nicely decorated restaurant. Like the ambience and the food was quite good too.
SHUCK - A wonderful restaurant on Main Beach, Gold Coast. Had dinner with a few dealers' personnel there, rather pricy but the food was good.
VERGE - On Spring St, Melbourne City. LOVE the dessert! It's fusion Japanese and very classy. Had dinner with a customer there, besides the good food, we had a good time chatting away.
GOSHEN - Korean BBQ at Glen Waverly. The dinner with Laura, after a good massage and golf game was really fantastic. Food's good... and waiter, especially cute! Cannot help laughing at his rolled uo t-shirt sleeves! Obviously trying to show off his muscles! But, he's really funny and cute.
One of his funny remark was: "... I was looking at you too!" Hahaha...
FOG - Australian cuisines, on Greville Streets, Prahan. Nice ambience, and quite good food.
==> Looks like I did a lot of eating these 2 weeks! Not forgetting the fact that all these mean I spent a lot this month!

VISITORS
K G Tay and Grace Chua were in town one after another... and those were the reasons for my indulgence! Good to catch up with colleagues, especially K G, it has been awhile.

... Winter is finally here.

A Recap of the week of 11 May, 2008

Too many things happening, bit in my world and in other people's world!

- My idol in Women Tennis Justine Henin "QUIT" tennis due to "burned out"! Despite being on the No. 1 ATP top spot for 61 weeks... she still decided to quit. Her score was way beyond that of Sharapova and Jankovic...It would take them at least a few more months to catch up with her... but at her peak of her tennis career, she still chose to quit! Just how much "motivation" can influence a person's behavior? For me and her fans, it was a pity, I can no longer admire her single backhand... sigh! Well?

- Roger, dear Roger... he made it to the Final of the Hamburg Masters after his earlier Qtr Final defeat to Stephanik in the Italia Masters. However he was not able to retain his title and had to lose to Nadal once again, 5-7. 7-6, 3-6. Sigh, hope the day will come when I see him beating Nadal in the French Open... I really hope for that day.

- Cyclone in Myanmar, Earthquake in Si Chuan, China... all these news breaks my heart, especially seeing the hundreds of thousands of people homeless, lost their love ones... sigh, very disturbing. Just hope things will settle and they do find happiness one way or the other.

My Life in Melbourne?

Well, it has been an eventful week as well for me besides the above news which affected me in some way:-

- Tried a new Dim Sum Place with Alex and Laura on Mother's Day! We wanted to go to Tai Pan, but since it's Mother's Day, I wasn't able to get a reservation at the last minute, instead, I found this Red Leaf Restaurant on Burwood Highway, which had quite good review...

The picture here is one of the dishes we tried, food's

ok, not very fantastic, still so many Chinese and etc.. crowded!

- Very good sessions with Tommy, 2 this week and guess what? They are all in the morning! 7.30am on one of the weekdays and 7.45am on a weekend...one of the sessions on Abs was so effective! Gosh.. felt good.

- At work, meeting after meeting as usual since there were so many initiatives by the various segments! Wonder when I'll really clear the backlogs?

- On my tennis season, it was our last games this week for both the Women Double and the Mixed. Not a good end to the season as we lost both days! We were trying to fight for our final position in the Mixed Final, but failed, our opinion was good, at least better than us. Next season, we'll try again... this means less tennis for me during winter which sucks, and also means I will have to try to fill up my Mon, Wed and Thur! it doesn't help to know that my Monday's Rowing will also end by the end of the month! What am I gonna to do? Will probably concentrate on my Running and my Golf this winter. Maybe...

- On a side note, just wanted to share and remind myself of how expensive things are here in Melbourne, and the exchange doesn't help.

A simple hotdog bun you see here (only about 3 inches in size - above) cost me A$1.30, i.e S$1.70! Gosh, and that was my pre-tennis dinner for one of the evenings. Amazing... sigh!

Next week? Another hectic week with the Boat Show to attend and some preparation to do for the EPSA's Marine Sales Conference.

A snap shot of next week:

- I had my 1st Golf lesson in Melbourne with Michelle at Burnley Golf Course. She was great...

- Updates from the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show

11 May, Sunday... 9.30am

Another Week...

Believe it was another good week at work, not so much socially.   You can't have both can you?

What's New?

Was busy earlier of the week preparing for presentation and etc... and participated in the International Truck Show from Thur to Sat. Yes, quite an experience even though this is already my 2nd Truck Show in Australia.  

Outside of work, I continued my Rowing on Monday night, it was fun as for the first time, we had an All-Women boat!   So, it feels good with the balancing and etc...  oh and the weather was nice too. 

Gym as usual with Tommy on Monday evening and Saturday morning.   Both were tough weights session, resulting in DOS after that on my quads.  (My quads are hurting as I am writing this...)

Other than that, Tennis on Wednesday sucks big time... I only managed to hold 2 serves of the 9 service games. Gosh, utterly pissed with myself, caused that resulted in our lost of 5-6 for one of the sets!  Sigh... nonetheless, I was glad I redeemed myself during the Mixed Games where we won 4 sets to 2, and I was serving fine, only lost my 1st service game.   Picked up the momentum subsequently and had quite good 1st serve percentage.   Hweeh!   A real relief.   For the sets I played, we did 6-2, 4-6 and 6-1.   Pretty damn good...  Our aim now is to try to get to the top 4 position so that we'll qualify for the Final!  

The only major disappointment this week was the fact that Roger lost to Stephanik in Rome, which I had hope he'll win the title after his wonderful performance and form after his last game!  Well, praying hard that he'll win at least one clay court title to boost his confidence for Roland Garros.   Feel so sad for his recent performances, and the drastic change in people's opinion and confidence of him... I realised that even in most of the commentators, try tone just change and they're really doubting Roger's ability. 

Next week... will be another crazy week.   Preparing for some project Business Case, preparing for meeting with Dealers on Friday and day-to-day stuffs.

The consolation is, I'll be doing my regular activities, Rowing, Tennis and of course Gym.  My next session with Tommy is at 7.30am tomorrow (Monday) morning!   Gosh, hope I'll have no problem waking up for that. 

4 May, Sunday - Lazy Sunday

Had been a good week?  

I believe so.  So much is happening and just needed time to pen them down and share.

My apartment is in a mess, the worst since I came.  All thanks to my terrible schedule and my laziness.  Had been in and out of the apartment, leaving myself not much time to really pack.

Friday, after a wonderful tennis session with Travis in Glenroy, I had to rush back and out to meet Celine (and Simon) for a drink at the Belgium Beer Cafe (St Kilda) for the first time.  We had a good chat and was too tired by the time I get home to do anything else... results?   All my gears, bags and etc... lying around!   

My bed is in a totally bad condition leaving only enough room on one side for me to sleep on.  The rest?   Covered with clothes that I need to fold/hang  and to put aside. 

So, today, is the day when I told myself to get these straighten out.  No activity, but just to get things right.   It's a commitment.   Then again, the weather turned out to be too NICE to stay at home!   Would love to go for a jog or something... really nice weather, around 17 degree.  

Believe this is gonna be one of those few nice weekends, the weather is going get colder!

We had a cold spell on Monday, which really reminded me of how bad things can get in winter... and I hate to think about it. 

Spoke about Rowing in the rain/cold last Monday, and as much as I was looking forward to another rowing session on Saturday, 3 May, I overslept!  Damn... was disgusted with myself really... the weather was BEAUTIFUL and the lake was CALM and I was very much looking forward to the session.  Sigh, had been having problem with my sleep lately.  Too lazy and not motivated enough to get my feet on the ground!    I was awake at 6am and then 7am... but kept telling myself I needed another 10 mins to rejuvenate!  

Nonetheless, I had a pretty good workout with my trainer that morning and my arms were sore!  Had 3 

rowing interval and I was surprised to know that my rowing (in the gym) did improve after I took up rowing!   At least now, I am using my quads muscles more.. so the technique is right and with that, I was able to clock about 440 meters in 2 mins!   Tired though... I am sure I can improve that further with more training and if my fitness continues to improve.

Another amazing event I went on Sat, 3 May.  The Argonauts Trivia Night at St Kilda Town Hall... guess I felt a little awkward when I realized that the gals that I rowed with, most of them are Lesbians and ... did feel a little out of place.   It was a night with close to 200 gays and lesbians and most with their "partners".  While, I was alone of course, but really amazed by this community of nice people.  Eye Opener indeed, but it did make me wonder if I should continue my membership.  Truthfully, I like the club, they are nice people with a passion for rowing, yet not overly competitive!  

Went to the driving range with Alex on Tuesday... did ok. 

But I am determined to take up more coaching lessons for my golf... as part of my plans here. 

Had 2 phone conversations with Paul, and that were nice... we are closer to our plan to meet in late September, hopefully in Singapore to celebrate our birthday together.  I really hope that will happened and very much looking forward to seeing him again.   :-> 

Also caught up with mum this week finally... had a good chat with her and Ron.   Do miss them and thought of them very often... 

Played in 2 games this week, and won all 3 in the women's doubles, but only managed to win 1 in the Mixed Doubles,  partly due to my double faults and I hate that.  Had Travis polished my serves this week during our training.   Hope that will helped reduced my double faults.   

This coming week?  Going to be a tough one as I had to prepare for a presentation and at the same time, play host to my colleague from Singapore.   Nonetheless, I will try not to miss my rowing and my session with Tommy tomorrow.    More tennis of course.  

Time to get down to the chores I aimed to finish... I only had less than 3 hours for that before I meet my colleague later in the afternoon.

 

28 April, Monday

Amazing what TIME can do...

It has been 2 weeks since my last shitty week/post!   How time flies and how things changes, just thought it will be good for me to take a moment to recollect the good stuffs this time round.

- Rowing Experiences

 Gosh, I am beginning to enjoy rowing, I have been rowing on the lake 5 times over the past 3 weeks. Not quite there yet technically, but I am enjoying every bit of the experience.  Today, we had only 1 boat out (only 4 turn up), because it was about 10 degree and raining!   Cold, but indeed a rare experience.  Who in the right frame of mind would be rowing in the cold autumn rain?  But we did, even though we had to turn back after 30mins, it was a very enjoyable attempt!

- Horse ridding!  

When down to Mornington Peninsula with Hwee Kuan and Yonghao for horse-ridding. 

It was a pretty challenging week for me.  Arrived from Perth on Friday morning 5am ... I was dead tired, slept throughout the journey.  Took another 2 hours nap and headed out for our trip.  Couldn't wake up to meet them for breakfast as planned and I wasn't in my top condition.  Sore throat, toothache and etc... just not 100%.   We lost our way a few times and were late for the 12noon trip, however we negotiated for an 1 hour ride,  which turned out to be a blessing in disgust.  My shin would have swollen otherwise and I know I wouldn't have enjoyed as much if it was longer.  Just wished I can grasp the trotting technique better... didn't quite get it, and did had a bit of problem standing.  My feet kept coming off the pedal!   Overall a very nice especially.  

- Golf

Finally, after 13 months in Australia, I picked up my golf clubs again and on 24 April, played on the Vines golf course (Perth) with Warren Mckenzie (Goughs); Bassem; Robin; Robin's friend Typhoon; and KK of ADC.  I paired with KK on one flight and the other 4 were on another flight.  It was a beautiful afternoon, with temperature around 20 deg and partly sunny.   Perfect weather for golf, in fact, for anything!  :->  I didn't do that badly at all, and scored about 126... not bad taking into account that I have not been playing for awhile.  It all ended well, with us drinking up about 7 to 8 jugs of beer after that!  Never had so much beer in my life! A little too much unnecessary calories I must admit.

- Tennis 

Playing a lot more now... especially these few months with the Autumn season still in play.   At least 4 times a week, 1 practice session with the team, womens doubles, mixed doubles and of course 1 or 2 session with Travis (my coach).  And on a good week, I may get to play with Alex or Hendro and Lawrence since last Sunday!   It's all good, and I am seeing myself improving, still having problem holding my serves at crucial points but, I am getting there... at least better than what I used to be when I first came into Australia.

Dragged thinking about winter though cause that's where a lot of these will stopped. 

Saturday, 12 April 2008

Unnecessary Troubles

Not not a good week psychologically... maybe because the weekend before did not meet my expectation! Plan got screwed... human behaviors and etc... very much affected by it, leaving me at home the whole Sunday afternoon. Even though I managed to get my stuffs done, it is still the "dissatisfaction" that is driving me up the wall. Sigh... EXPECTATION, when will I ever get rid of that and enjoy life happily?

But physically though, it appeared to be a good week, pack my stuffs ready for our office move next week!

Unless I get rid of those dissatisfaction, I'll never b e happy. The best part is, the person(s) I was disappointed with are not even aware or do not ever bother! So, why am I doing that to myself? Having all the unnecessary expectation and then getting disappointed! Sigh.... desire, desire, is really not helping. Should I be asking: "Why do people not place any importance to the commitment they made to me" or should I be asking: "Why am I having so my expectation of people's response and behavior?" I know the later will make me happier, by not expecting too much... BUT, it is easier said then done! I try very hard giving people the benefit of doubt, but...

Today, an even more disappointing day and very moody...

- Was very much looking forward to a good hit of tennis with my coach... guess what? A big patch of DARK clouds was blowing in our direction! Decided to call it off... on a Friday evening! That was ridiculous... I was just lost and didn't know what to do. Tried Tommy to see if I can get a PT session, tried Zoran to see if he have a hit, tried Celine to see if she would like a drink... all to no avail. At that moment, I realized just why I hate to be in Melbourne alone. Was hoping that someone would sms or call and we can go out for a drink! I was still a affected by the attitude of the incident last weekend and with that, I must say it did affect our friendship for now. Anyway, I was so desperate and was willing to go for a Comedy show myself, but... I was too lazy to change... ended staying home! No reply from Tommy on my request to take his 10.15 session tomorrow as well. Guess I will try to attend the cycling at 9.30am... and see if he available. Whatever it is, I NEED to go for my workout.

The weekend ahead? Hope nothing screwed up again...

1) Forego the BBQ with Argonauts just because I don't really know these people and I need to do my workout...(2) Meeting Celine in the afternoon and (3)planning to go over to Agnes' place for dinner... believe it or not, she has been here for a week now, but I only saw them last weekend! Sigh, I seriously missed spending time with Agnes, to just chat, or even do my part of being a host.

As for Sunday... Rowing at 10am is something I look forward to very much, I do enjoy rowing if I row well. As for the afternoon, the sad truth, I still do not have any plan, or didn't dare to make any plans cause I would seriously like to spend time with Agnes and family where possible. Else, will hit some tennis balls and maybe go to the driving range.... all else failed, I will go for a jog if the weather is good. I need to treasure these days when the weather is just perfect, as this will not last. In no time, we'll be freezing, and it will be a challenge getting myself out of the apartment to jog!

SIGH, SIGH, SIGH... Life, I seriously wish sometimes that it will just end here and I don't have to be so emotionally affected by all these self-imposed ups and downs!

Thursday, 10 April 2008   2.40am

Rejuvenated 

Thought it's about time I picked up this habit of writing again.  It is amazing to know how "human" enthusiasm can be so short-term... I was so excited to want to share my experience through this blog, and what happened?   I have been in Melbourne for more than a year now, 14 months to be exact and how much have I written?

This habit had been taken over by other, more exciting activities and  by pure "laziness"! 

It's now 2.25am.  Had been sleeping past 3am these days.  Thought I jot some key thoughts before I go to bed.    

Highlights include:-

- Installed Skype and had communicated with Huiting once and Sandy about twice. It's actually quite fun.   Will have my nephews installed that in time to come so that I can call my dad! 

- Agnes and Vijay in Melbourne with the 2 kids, Anne and Ryan.   Enjoyed being with the kids, noisy but really cute.   I am seeing a different side of the kids than what I usually get in Singapore.  Unfortunate that I didn't have a chance to  spend more time with Agnes, will probably try in the next week.

- Flowers... just received another one today... I lost count,  but it must have been more than 6 now, with the previous one being a plant!  The only difference this time was, I actually brought it home, cause it is finally the flowers that I like, Lily (Bai He) and I  have been wanting to get one to decorate my apartment... so, timing is just right.  Michelle was also surprised that I actually brought it back!   I really do not know what to do, or how to react.    Funny really, always feels that he is just satisfying his own believe without sparing a thought for others.  But on the other hand, why would he keep sending?    What am supposed to do?

- Office Move.  Believe this is the most disorganized one I've seen, and I am not impressed with the way the contractor work at all!  Compare to Singapore, I really feel it is not Value for $$ at all!   

- Rowing!   Yes, I have finally attended the lesson and did rowed on Albert Park Lake just the recent Sunday.   Stressful, but really enjoyable.    Guess the key is really Teamwork and enjoying the lake.   Didn't regret joining and in fact, very much looking forward to this Sunday's second Lake session.   Had to sacrifice some jogging or tennis for that.   There will be a camp which I can't join (very much wanted to)  because of the TC Conference!  Sigh...timing.

-  Jogging.  I wanted very much to join Running Spirit again to build  my stamina and etc...  I will do so soon just so as to keep myself "active"... and hopefully to really lose some weight.  Pretty disgusted with myself now.                

- Gym cum Personal Training

Had been with Tommy for quite awhile now... and I believe will keep that going for as long as I can.  

Tired.. that will be it for now...