Lucky Us

Last night, we drove to the crowded Alfred's Kitchen & was so lucky to get the last remaining lot. All other cars that came after us had to drive out & find parking elsewhere. When we approached the counter, we saw the sign that says, "Sorry, no eftpos. Cash only." We went, "Oh shit!" We each opened our wallet & I found $75 in mine. Heng ah! I don't usually keep cash in my wallet after the time my money got stolen at work when I was still in Sg. I don't even remember when I had withdrawn the money. So it must have been sitting in my wallet for a long time. It was more than enough for orders for 4.

We brought my parents to Swan Valley this morning, followed by lunch at Fremantle. We arrived at 1 pm, right smacked in the middle of lunch hour. The carparks were absolutely packed with many cars circling round & round. At the 3rd carpark, we came to the last remaining lot once again. After we pulled in, a middle aged couple came to get their car which was parked right beside us. They gave us their parking ticket which had 1 hr 15 mins left on it. Let's pass on the kindness next time round. As we had previously tried Kaili's, we decided to go to Cicerello's instead. Honestly, I can't tell which is better. I think they're pretty much on par. After lunch, we had half an hour left on the parking. We took a stroll along the beach, enjoying the sea breeze. Then it was back home.

I developed a badass blister on my fatass finger (thumb). Thumb doesn't rhyme. It was flat when I went to bed last night. When I woke up this morning, the blister was full of pus. It usually contains a clear serous fluid but mine was obviously infected. Then it became so filled with pus that it simply burst, like a balloon inflated past its stretching point. I squeezed out all the pus & continued my day. By evening, the puncture point had sealed & it was filled with pus once again, though not as robust as the 1st time round. (Pictures are from 2nd emptying of pus.) This time, I pierced it with a needle & squeezed out the pus again. When both thumbs are placed side by side, it's obvious my right thumb is swollen. My 1st time with an infected blister. Interesting.

I just enjoyed views of fireworks from the backyard. I think it was for some footy club. The noise caused all dogs in the neighbourhood to start barking, Ton included. But thankfully, he stopped when I asked him to. I think about all these experiences & writing them down means 1 day I'll be able to refer back & remember these memories. :)

After all the chocolate, ice cream, nougat & sinful food, I really need to get back on my diet when I get back from Sg. New place & renewed motivation for weight loss. Can't wait.

A Day Well Spent

After my bout of insomnia, I finally fell asleep shortly after my last post. Despite the late night, I woke up at 6 am naturally as usual. My sore throat had dissipated, with the potential to bring good or bad tidings. It either means I've recovered or the virus has gone further down my respiratory tract. In my case, it was the latter. My throat felt weird & scratchy, causing me to cough. Having nothing planned for the day except moving some of the more portable items to the new place, I decided to start tidying up the exterior.

Hub's work is physically demanding. So I thought if I can take these chores out of his hands, it'll be great. We bought the cheapest lawn mower available in Bunnings months & months back. Of course, it comes with a price. Also, the grass is long, requiring me to go over the same area countless times to cut them down. Before long, I started developing blisters on my hands from the effort. That's after only 3 horizontal strips of the back lawn. So I put on hub's boxing gloves for the padding & continued working. Sweat ran into my eyes & my hair was drenched. Finally, after just under 3 hours, I got it as close to perfection as possible. At this point, my fitbit vibrated, signalling that I had achieved my 10k steps for the day.

As I was mowing the lawn, a scene from our favourite romantic comedy came to mind. I don't watch such movies but this particular movie was something hubs enjoyed & had introduced to me. It's The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds. SB came across RR's grandmother in the forest, performing some pagan ritual & was invited to give thanks to mother earth. She started out awkward but it turned into a dance cum rap. There's this sentence that appropriately describe my circumstances at that point of time if I indeed have balls. It goes, "Sweat drip down my balls." I was covered in sweat, my top was totally wet & sweat dripped down the ends of my hair.

I then trimmed the edges that the mower couldn't reach with a pair of garden shears. Next, I sawed off the branch that had spilt in half & my dad helped saw it into smaller pieces for easy disposal. The word branch may give the wrong impression that it is small. But when we threw the cut up pieces into our bin, it filled it up 3/4 of the way. I dug up the dead rheos in the garden bed along the outside of the kitchen in preparation for new ones to go in. Then I raked dead leaves from the garden beds in front of the house.

I was deadbeat by 12 noon. Having done all of the above, I took a shower, prepared lunch & proceeded to load my boot with the packed items. We finally got home at 2.30 pm after 2 trips to the new house. I collapsed in bed & didn't get up till hubs got home from work at 3.30 pm. My whole body was aching, either from the viral infection or the physical work, probably from the latter. Hubs was tired so he took a nap before we head out for dinner.

It was starting to get dark when I woke hubs up at 6.20 pm. We left for Alfred's Kitchen which supposedly serves the best burgers in Australia. We were super lucky to get the last remaining lot in the carpark. The place was absolutely crowded. We left my parents sitting on a bench while we placed the order & waited for collection. When we got back to the bench, I was horrified to see that my mom had done the Singaporean thing. She placed her bag on the other half of the bench to "chope" the seats for us. I nearly fainted. If there's anything I'm ashamed of about Sg, it's this choping of seats.

When we 1st got here, people were raving about Pea & Ham soup. We tried the canned version but I wasn't impressed. But I must say the canned version did it a great injustice for the one served at Alfred's Kitchen is way better. The burgers were fantastic too. But then I'm not a good judge of food for I'm super chin chye. I know people who will throw away the entire packet of rice just becoz the fish has got 鱼腥味 or chuck the entire serving of noodles away becoz it's been sitting in the soup for too long & has turned soggy.

The fire was burning away on gigantic charcoal chunks. I love the smell of burning charcoal. As we were driving back, I told hubs that the only thing missing is something sweet to finish off. It's ok, we'll do it tomorrow when we head down to the chocolate factory. Hee...

I Worry

Hubs started off as the 2nd extra in his current company. When the 1st extra went back to his country, hubs continued to work. Then, the work slowed. 1st extra was not asked to come back & instead, hubs worked in his place. The lady boss made no secret that she preferred the 1st extra coz they're from the same country, constantly badgering the manager why hubs was allowed to work & that the 1st extra should take his place instead.

Call me bias, but I know hubs is a better worker. If anything, Singaporeans are conscientious workers. Well, most of us anyway. He's never called in sick in all the years he's been working. He went back to work even after his ingrown toe nail removal procedure. Though not academically inclined, he's smart in a different sort of way. He easily picked up the rational behind the things that need to be done when workers with several years experience fail to realise or question. He's never picky about his work & never gives excuses when being asked to do something. Therefore, he knows much more than the others.

Now, it's our turn to be absent. Work has picked up again & 1st extra is asked to come back as an extra hand. When we get back from Sg, it'll be hub's turn not be allowed to go back to work. I know we cannot afford to lose his income or we'll be in deep shit. But with the job market so bad right now, chances of landing another job is close to nil. I can only pray that he'll have the good fortune to get something else in the event he loses this job.

Now, regarding Centre Link, I know if he loses his only source of income, we'll probably be eligible to make claims. I know some people have an income from their country, have houses to collect rent from & therefore don't need to work. Yet they make claims from Centre Link, claiming unemployment. It's not so much of an ego issue but 有手有脚 he rather work than ask for hand outs. He's a man of principle.

Of course, he has his faults. His temper, omg. I need not say more. He may seem aloof, especially when he hasn't warmed up to you. But once you get to know him, he's actually quite apt at talking cock. 对朋友更不用说了。Treat him well & he return it doubly. Cross him & you'll be sure to get it. But I hope his decency, combined with whatever good, no matter how little that we've done will bring us good karma & see us through this. I'm a worry wort. Perhaps he won't even lose his job & I'm worrying for nothing. Reminder to myself: always have faith. There's always a way.

Me = Bad Patient

This is the price I have to pay for an afternoon nap. Insomnia. Otherwise you'll not find me still awake beyond 10 pm. Hence, the spamming of my blog.

I may have caught a bug from Sg. The day we were due to fly back, I developed a sore throat. Yesterday was its 4th day of tormenting me with no signs of easing. In between, I'll develop body aches, a symptom very indicative of a viral infection. It goes away after a night's sleep only to come back every other day. Drinking lots of water doesn't really help much. It's like my body is fighting a battle it can't win but yet won't lose. Of course, it'll eventually win the battle but in the meantime, swallowing will remain a painful ordeal.

I'm a firm believer of natural healing despite being a nurse myself. Medicines only masks the symptoms but doesn't solve the underlying problem. 治标不治本。You won't find me popping panadols just becoz I have a headache or cramps or backache to the disdain of my colleagues. The only time I'll take it is when I'm running a fever which I haven't for many years. Actually,  since 14 & that's more than 15 years ago.

I prefer to boost my immunity with natural resources whenever I'm unwell so my body can win the battle. Drinking adequate water & having sufficient sleep is often the best remedy you'll ever need.

Since we're on the topic of medicine, I'll like to add that I find a lot of people are  confusing allergies & side effects. An allergic reaction gives you rashes, swelling of eyes or lips & at its worse, an anaphylatic shock. If a drug gives you tummy upset, diarrhea, or as patients like to say "makes me unwell", it is not an allergy. It is a side effect. For an allergy to be an allergy, it has to manifest symptoms listed above. If you any old how tell the medical team that you're allergic when you're in reality just having side effects, you'll end up not getting the treatment best for you.

Of course, it is your choice whether you want to take the medicine or not. It is the patient's right to refuse treatment. Like analgesics, especially NSAIDS, give me diarrhea. I avoid taking it but I don't tell the doctor I'm allergic to it becoz I'm not.

By now, everyone should know that common flu is caused by virus. Hence, asking for antibiotics is of no use & will only increases the likelihood of drug resistence. Antibiotic kills off your flora & gives rise to secondary infections. I should know coz a few years back, after a course of prolonged antibiotics (by prolonged I mean 7 days as usual course is for 5), I developed thrush, both orally & in my female bits. It wasn't itchy but the pain was another thing. I told myself, never again will I take antibiotics unless it's for life saving purposes. It is also why some people get diarrhea with antibiotics. It kills off your flora, allowing the bad bacteria to multiply & flourish. Of course, it is totally my choice. I'm not asking people not to heed the advice of their doctors.

I usually chuck my medications aside after seeing the doctor & rely solely on rest to recover. The side effects from medicine often makes me feel worse than I actually am. That's why there's this saying that nurses make the worst patients. We rarely listen to the doctor when it comes to our own health. Lol.

I shall try to sleep once again or I'll never recover from this almost flu.

It's Not Over

It must be their life aspiration to benefit themselves to the utmost end at the expense of everyone else. I have to constantly remind myself to keep my cool & chill. 2 more weeks to go. 眼看就要结束了, 不能现在出差错。

On vacating a rental place, all you have to do is to return it as close to the original as possible. The only exception listed in the contract states that I, on my part have to treat the house for fleas, even if my dog doesn't have any. Cleanliness wise, you can choose to do it yourself or engage vacate cleaners to do it. However, they have demanded that we hire professionals to do it & show receipt as evidence. I was furious. When they handed over the house to us, did they not clean the house themselves? The floor was dusty & dirty but did I demand they clean it up?

We've discussed the issue at hand & hubs wanted to go ahead with the hiring of vacate cleaners. He reasoned that if we don't do it law by law, how can we argue law by law at the end of the entire fiasco? That way, they'll have no excuse to swallow our entire bond, perhaps just deduct a little for the remaining bald patches on the lawn.

百忍能成金。But I feel like a pressure cooker without venting holes. When the pressure gets too high, it'll explode outwards with devastating force. Still, I know in my heart this is not the way to be. 待人处事之道岂能说说而已? I have to walk the talk. As quickly as the anger came, it went. We all reap what we sowed. I hope that by sowing seeds of good that I 1 day will be able to reap good as well.

Singapore Through A Different Set Of Eyes

Immediately, I felt something is missing as I went through the door after dropping off Ah Ton at D&J's. 少了我的跟屁虫确实很不习惯。There was no excited whining, followed by the scattering of paw steps to greet me. I sat alone at the edge of the bed, waiting. Just earlier this week, I was explaining my itinerary to my colleagues about going back to Sg to fetch my parents over for a week then sending them back to Sg before coming home. Yes, those are my exact words. Coming home. 不知不觉, 珀斯已成为家。

You know you're among Singaporeans when you arrive at the departure gate to find absolutely no seats. Not that they were occupied by people. The seats were "choped" by owners leaving bags on them. 新加坡人就是改不掉这个坏习惯。On every single previous flights, I've tried taking melatonin shots meant for aiding sleep to no avail. I actually fell asleep on the plane this time round without even trying even if it was a fitful 1 due to crying kids. The saying is true: never say never. 

Sg is both familiar & yet unfamiliar at the same time. I could no longer get used to the Sg style of driving. As we were exiting BKE from PIE, I was surprised to find that there are now 3 lanes on the BKE, 1 up from when we left. I told hubs that they took only 9 months to finish the upgrading works whereas upgrading works on Gnangara Road started before we arrived & till now, hardly any work has been completed. I finished the statement by saying that efficiency comes at a cost. We were surprised to find that both 190 & 972, the high volume bus services that run from Bukit Panjang to the city are now double decked. It's about time man even if we don't get to enjoy the rewards.

I slept for the 1st time in 10 months, the bed which made me cry on our last night in Sg last May all becoz hubs said that it was our last time sleeping on it. We were so emotional during those last few days in Sg. We had lunch at my MIL's place who wanted to meet us again 2 weeks later. Then, we went home & had steamboat dinner with my parents. But before that, we bought the ingredients at the neighbouring NTUC. Gosh, I had forgotten how crowded it could be. Every direction I turned, I was in someone's face. I have been taking the wide aisles in Perth's supermarkets for granted. The next day, I met up with Dolly & Sharon for lunch. It was as if no time had passed between us. The conversations flowed ceaselessly & easily. I felt so sad when it was time to part. But we made arrangements to have dinner before Dolly leaves for her holiday in a fortnight's time. 

Once again on the flight back to Perth, I slept quite easily even though it was an afternoon flight. Once again, I was woken up but this time by the middle aged ang moh couple sitting behind us. They were complaining loudly about the choices of drinks: coke or green tea, which according to them were both horrible drinks. They gave the steward a hard time, then complain about it between themselves, then complained to their friends who came over from another row, then threatened to write a formal complain to the airline to the poor steward. (You can preorder the meals online or order it on the flight itself. But the meals all come with either coke or green tea & you're not allowed to swap it for juice or hot drinks. If you want to, you can purchase them for additional cost.) 只是小事一桩, 又何必? We can't expect full carrier service on a budget airline, can we? 

Both are home. But Sg is rapidly becoming foreign to me. It's to be expected since I'm no longer living there. It did make me appreciate how advance Sg is. LKY passed away in the morning on the day we were due to fly back to Perth. I did see on FB people celebrating his death. In fairness, I'll like to say this. We can not agree with the policies he implemented but human to human, we shouldn't wish for or cheer another's death. Outside of politics, he was somebody's son, somebody's father & somebody's grandfather. I mourn his death not becoz he was a great leader. I mourn his death for the loss of a life.

Lawn Update

Yesterday, for the 1st time this year, I had to switch on my headlights for both the drive to work & back home. It was a wet & gray morning, just the way I like it. On days like these, I don't desire to stay snuggled up in bed. Rather, I want to be outside, taking in the sights. The wet road, leaves hanging limp from the moisture, lights from the cars. I'm such a weirdo.

I've been working late for the past 2 weeks, arriving home past 7 pm almost everyday. I've been combating that by keeping to my 8 hours of sleep. It'll be another fortnight of madness as we head back for a visit, having my parents over & getting ready to move. There'll be lots of packing, lots of cleaning & probably lots of chucking.

The lawn, though not perfect, is looking great. Last Sat, as usual, I woke up at 6 am. A still sleepy hubs volunteered to drive me to Bunnings when he woke up to see me getting dressed & ready to head out. I heard many good testimonies about using manure as a fertiliser so I wanted to make a last ditch effort for the lawn. I think he probably regretted it for the stench filled his car & winding down the windows didn't help much. Lol.

Before the storm came in, I mixed up sheep & chicken manure in a bucket & applied it to the front lawn which is still patchy. It attracted a lot of flies & I could smell it from far away. But once the rain came down, the smell was gone. Might be my wishful thinking, but I thought the grass looked better than pre-manure already. I'll apply it to the back lawn (& probably another application to the front lawn as well) early next week so it'll have 2 weeks to work its magic. 3 more weeks to go. Be good & stay green & healthy. I want my bond back. It's such a waste though. All that effort & money making it look good & I can't take it with me when I move. Oh well, at least I rode the ride & gave it my best shot.

28th Jan 2015. Front lawn. Taken after getting pest control to spray the lawn for lawn beetles. This was the extend of the damage caused by the beetles.

15th March 2015. Front lawn. Taken just before I applied the mixed manure. Organic 1 somemore ok? Don't play play.

19th March 2015. Front lawn. Taken just today, 4 days after application of manure. Yellow areas have greened up & the gaps closed up even more.

28th Jan 2015. Back lawn. Same as front lawn, taken just after the lawn was sprayed for beetles. Not only have I got multiple brown patches, I've got huge bald areas too.

19th March 2015. No manure applied yet but will do so either tomorrow or early next week. Lawn mowed by gardener Nix & gardener hubs. Lol. Brown patches gone, bald patches have shrunk tremendously due to regrowth of grass.










Nah. Evidence that I really bought & applied organic shit to the lawn. 

Being More

“The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as we have defined it.” ~ David Orr

I don't spend a lot of time on FB, mostly due to the fact that I work "late" & sleep early. By late, I mean arriving home around 7ish pm. I try my best to be in bed by 9 pm as I've got to wake up at 5 am, giving myself as close to 8 hours of sleep as possible. From 7 to 9 pm, I've got to have dinner, shower, let Ah Ton out, feed him & do a little bit of reading even if it means 1 page only. Even on non-working days, I find that I can barely keep my eyes open past 10 pm the latest. Similarly, I wake up naturally between 5 to 6 am no matter how I wish I can sleep in.

Despite that, I managed to come across this video & accompanying post about this man who verbally abused the taxi uncle who picked him up. Yep, internet trolling at its best. It reminds me once again how desperately we need more of people who are kind & hence this quote by David Orr came to mind. What comes out is a reflection of what's inside. Obviously, this guy is a very unhappy person. There's no hiding it. When you're happy, you exude happiness & are more tolerant of others. When you're unhappy, it expresses itself in speech & action. You're more likely to be critical & condescending when you're unhappy. Perhaps some people thrive on the feeling of superiority over others. But that only means that they feel inferior deep inside. 

It's really an egg & chicken question. Are you happy so you're kind or are you kind & therefore happy? I think you start with being kind. If you're kind becoz you're happy, then won't that mean that once the feeling of happiness dissipates, you'll be unkind in your words & actions once again? We all know that happiness is relative, nothing but a mirage. So how do we attain absolute happiness? It's an inner work & ultimately, tracing back to gratitude. Be thankful that you can see out of your eyes to take in the beautiful sights the world has to offer. Be thankful that your legs work fine so they can take you wherever you want to go. Be thankful that you're alive so you can help others in this journey call life. Let us start with being kind. It need not be some gigantic feat. Don't underestimate the power of words of encouragement. Sometimes, that's all it takes to change someone's life.

Credit: Quotes by Daisaku Ikeda taken from www.ikedaquotes.org.

Laser Theatre

I scrubbed in the Laser Theatre for the 1st time this week. Most of the cases are what most people will be familiar with: Lasik. Though it includes other treatments requiring the use of laser. I've always wanted to see how Lasik is done & I finally got my chance. I also got to know the staff working in Laser coz although our theatres are side by side, we're often too busy to chat. My ex-manager who've retired didn't want me to be trained in Laser, fearing that I'll be poached away. My current manager feels the same way but she didn't have a choice. The surgeon added a case last minute & all the Laser staff are away save for 1. So yesterday morning, I was working with them to sort of orientate myself to that environment. This morning surgeon is a different 1 with a different procedure. But it certainly helped for me to get used to the drapes & instruments.

So this Laser staff working with me today is from Sg as well. We got to talking while getting the theatre ready & waiting for patient to turn up. She was 1 of the lucky ones as 1 of the hospitals here went to Sg to recruit nurses 10 years ago. She went for the interview & 6 months later, she came here. So she was guaranteed a job from the get go. We talked about the reasons why we left. She shared with me that when she was resigning, her DON tried to dissuade her. She didn't want to end up like her DON, with a failing marriage & kids are not close to her due to long hours at work. Since coming here, she managed to be there for her kids & she enjoys a much closer relationship with her family now.

Something she said struck a cord in me. We should enjoy the good things about Australia but at the same time, retain what's good in our heritage, that we shouldn't lose who we are. A polymate who migrated to the US many years back said something to the same effect. She refused to pick up their accent becoz she's an Asian & "so I should speak like 1." Our children may be Ozzified but we'll always remember our roots.

Being True To Yourself

I'm not a saint. Never have been & probably never will be. Being away from the stresses of Sg, I'm better at being good. But somehow, I feel it's not a true reflection of myself. I feel that I am truly good only if I can be kind despite being in the most horrendous circumstances. We're humans so I guess we will forever be  a work in progress.

My impending trip to Sg. I made arrangement with friends (ex-colleagues) to meet up. There is someone we're not sure we should include, for the fact that we're not exactly close. Not that we're prejudiced against her, just that the things she do at work... To put it mildly, she's not well liked by majority of the staff, save for the small clique she hangs out with. But we all joined the company around the same time & have always celebrated birthdays together. The entire incident is our fault. We're the fakes 1st. We worried that she'll be unhappy if we met up without asking her along. Hence we did & she agreed to come with no indication something is amiss.

When the topic came up when they were at work, she told Jus that I'm only an acquaintance, meaning actually she's not all that keen. Was it her intention for Jus to pass the message along? I don't know. But surely she knows that it will reach my ears? Then another colleague chipped in with something not so nice. Worse is, we're of the same faith. I know she's like that so I'm not exactly surprised. Just that I thought having made such progress spiritually means others will have too. Besides, it's been more than a year since I left. But I guess we're the only ones who can choose to let go. Sharon who heard about what transpired "cancelled" the meet up. She told me not to feel lousy & we should just spare thoughts for people who are more worth it. Jus asked if I'm angry. Honestly, I'm not. I just felt lousy. So instead, I asked myself, what will my mentors do in the same situation? The answer came back almost immediately & with it a sense of peace. They will pray for the other person & that's exactly what I did. It's alright. It just have to start from me.

Cleaning Sunday

I wake up at 5 am every weekday morning by alarm. It's a norm for me to wake up at 6 am naturally on the weekends either even without the alarm for my body has already accustomed itself to waking early. Finding myself with an abundance of time & nothing to do (hubs won't wake till midday), I decided to give dirty green a long overdue wash. The rims required 2 times of scrubbing before I managed to wash away the brake dust accumulated since the time we got this car (9 months! Gasp!). So yeah, now I have a clean car to drive to work.

After that, I made tacos for lunch. Nothing fanciful, just used the meal packs I bought from Coles. 1st time we're having Mexican. I must say I prefer the soft tacos to the hard ones. But then, I've always preferred tortilla wraps. I tried my best keeping it as healthy as I could by using extra lean minced beef even though it costs double the price of normal minced beef. I also used light sour cream & light shredded cheese. For veg, we had the superfood salad (kale, beetroot, carrot, organic quinoa, coconut chips, cranberries, currants, pine nuts & balsamic vinegar) I brought to a gathering yesterday which nobody touched. Lol. Guess health food is not for everybody. I fed some of the salad to Ton as well as his daily veg ration.

3 pm, the house is like an oven. This rental is East West facing. So in the morning, we'll get sun shinning into the living area & by 2 pm, the master bedroom & front living area gets the evening sun. Even with the block out curtains, the inside of the house gets hotter than the outside ambiance temperature. Time to shower Ton Ton. I always shower him in the patio. I left him to "la liang" after towel drying him while I water the lawn before bringing him in to blow dry with the hair dryer. By then, the only parts of him still wet were his legs & beard.

Since we'll be moving soon, I did some minor packing. All in all, a rather productive day by my standards. (I usually nua around at home during the weekeend.) Now it's time to rest up for a busy week ahead.

Milestone: 10 Months & The Arrival Of Autumn

We survived our 1st summer! Well, almost. By astronomical definition, autumn is marked by the day of autumn equinox which falls on 20th March this year. We've been told by everyone that this is by far the most mild summer they've ever encountered. Absent this year were the 10 day stretches of temperatures above 40. Already, the daily maximum temperatures are in the low 30s & nights are chilly enough to warrant the use of the flat sheet I use as a blanket.

Hubs just reminded me of the fact that we should be expecting Masterchef Australia to be screening soon as the 1st episode for last year aired on 3rd May. Without realising it, we're just 2 months away from our 1st anniversary here. It is today that I finally got my hands on the adult Groot bobble head figurine & therefore, completed my "collection". Like many others who watched Guardians Of The Galaxy, I found Groot really cute in the scene where he smashed a dozen or so enemies against the wall then turn around to give his team a cheesy grin, or right at the end where baby Groot was dancing to the tune of Jackson 5's I Want You Back. But Groot holds a deeper meaning for me. Groot is the embodiment of what I've learnt. He said at the end of the movie that, "We are groot." Meaning that we, regardless of race or religion are one & same, that we are all interconnected. He was smashed into smithereens for protecting his comrades but he didn't perish. Rocket stuck a branch into a pot & from it baby Groot grew, dancing & smiling away. That's the way we should approach life.

I told hubs about this plan I have to tour the countryside. Going away for days at a go is complicated by the fact that we have a dog. Boarding costs a bomb here. Sure, we can leave Ton Ton with friends but we really don't want to impose on others as far as we can help it. Driving hundreds & hundreds of kilometers in our less than road worthy cars is not exactly smart. Renting 1 means additional cost. If we choose to bring Ton Ton on the trip, we'll have to find accommodations that allow dogs. So I came up with this idea of renting a camper van. I did a search & they have a variety of sizes & types. A trailing caravan means we need to have a vehicle to tow it along. But they have the types we see in movies where the back compartment of the van is the "living quarters" itself. So we can bring Ton Ton along & spend nights in caravan parks. Immediately, hubs asked me, "So when are we leaving?" Probably the next long weekend or my next plotted leave. Guess I better start planning.