Obsession Compulsion

I love a good thriller, 1 that keeps me guessing till the end. I don't know many who reads. None, I mean seriously, none of my friends read at all. The only person I know of who reads like I do in Perth is P. Several weeks ago, he handed me some novels for my reading pleasure. At the same time, he recounted his trip to the library to loan out a novel by S J Watson that has received superb reviews. He suggested I check that out the next time I go to the library.

By then, I had forgotten the title of the novel. Surely, Watson has written more than 1. But there was only 1 on the shelf & even if it was the wrong 1, how wrong can it be? A brilliant author will produce brilliant novels. I don't know why but I kept thinking Watson is female. It wasn't until minutes ago, when I did a search that I realised Watson is a man. He has written in total, 3 novels & the 1 I grabbed, titled Before I Go To Sleep is his 1st.

Obsession & compulsion drove me to flip page after page incessantly. I did nothing else but read the moment I got in after work. I couldn't wait to find out what indeed had happened to her. But at the same time, I wanted to draw out the time it took to finish the book so I could savour it. It should have been an easy guess. But yet, I was caught by surprise. Hubs probably could get it right early on in the novel. Only he hates reading, wants nothing to do with it.

He's asked me before, "What is it about reading that you enjoy it so much?" He very much rather watch a movie. They do the same thing: tell a tale. But a novel covers so much more details. I've read adeptations before. Or rather, I've watched movies adepted from best selling novels. I can tell you the book is always more enjoyable than the movie. You turn the words into scenes, chain them up into a movie in your head. You notice the smallest details just as they've been described in the novel. You make a guess & just a tiny tinge of annoyance when you get the murderer wrong. Yet you feel annoyed if you do get it right becoz it has been too easy for you. No way to really satisfy me. But I rather be wrong coz then I marvel at the genius of the way the author thought out the story.

I've just finished James Patterson's Invisible that I started on late last evening. I definitely have been deceived by his deceptions. People are surprised that I read. I'm surprised that they don't.

That Humble Raisin Loaf

In just 2 more days, we will have fulfilled our minimum stay requirement to be eligible for a Resident Return Visa. Only 2 years, yet it feels like I've spent a lifetime here. Perhaps I have. It was the start of a different life, 1 in which we had no idea where it would lead us. 

No job, no money, not much hope left best describes our situation in the early days. For some reasons, raisin loaves are always on half price, even as of now, 2 years on. This humble $2.50 loaf would feed us breakfast for a few days, coupled with $2 Woolworth's home brand instant noodles. To make it go a longer way, we would share a single pack of noodles for dinner. That was all we ate a day, everyday. A slice of raisin toast with half a pack of instant noodles. I've not bought another raisin loaf since I landed my job. I am that sick of it. But I thought it was time to revisit those humble beginnings. So on our grocery shopping last night, I grabbed a loaf of raisin toast which will serve as breakfast today. 

The reason why we fight so much, is becoz we have too much. We let greed, pride, envy get to our head. There is this growing inability to let things/comments slide. Nobody is better than the other. All our lives are worth the same. We all 1 day have to die anyway. Terrorism. No such nonsense in the caveman age. They were too busy trying to survive 1 day to the next. Better economy, better technology have made our lives better, easier. But have we, as humankind grow our humanity as well? Not so much, isn't it?

There was a time when I was much younger, that I resent the fact that my parents aren't financially well off. I envied peers born with gold spoons in their mouths. But now I know my life is meant to be this way. The spiritual growth fueled by sweat, blood & tears is unrivaled. Of course, the soul must be willing. So on this 2 years mark, I shall have raisin toast. It is time to remind myself again of our humble beginnings here in Perth. Let this is be my silent reflection for our 2 year anniversary.

悟

Received the very sad news that a friend is unlikely to survive from cancer this morning. Diagnosed in Nov, it's only been 5 months since diagnosis. Such is cancer. Silent & aggressive. There is nothing I can do except to continue praying for her & send intensive distant reiki to her. I was worried that I won't know what to say. But "coincidently" (for we know there is no such thing as coincidence, only what's meant to be), while scrolling through FB, there was a post on how to relate to cancer patients. You don't have to say anything. Just being there is enough.

I was very upset upon receiving the news. I cried even as I chanted for her. We met at her place almost 2 years ago when we 1st got here. Since then, we've been going over fairly regularly for discussion meetings. We've shared initial teething problems in Perth, then issues with work colleagues & of course, discussions on Buddhism. She looked well & nothing seemed amiss when we last met her in Oct.

At the end of life, everything becomes insignificant. All the petty arguments, were they even worth your time & effort? The only thing worth striving for is making the world a better place. By keeping peace, by promoting it. Just as Andy Lau so aptly put it in "悟":

为何君视而不见规矩定方圆?
种颗善因陪你走好每一天。

Manager On Leave

My manager went on a 8 days leave. Before she left, she gave me the run down on what I needed to do while she was away. Basically, I had to collect all the time sheets, make sure everyone signed their column & make sure I have everybody's time sheets or someone wouldn't get paid. I also have to send the billing (of the patients) every other day. As I don't have the access to the other building where the finance department is housed, I had to leave all these paperwork in the finance pigeon hole & call the respective staff for collection. On Wed, I had to remember to bring out the empty bottles so they could get replaced & we'll continue to have fresh, cold water for consumption. At the end of the week, I had to order the consignment lenses that we've used over the week. This is easier as I just had to stick the labels on the order form & email it to the respective company's customer service.

I also have to chase after the chosen lenses for surgeries in the near future. If we don't have the lens in stock, I'll have to order them. I've been doing this for a while now so no learning curve there. The only tough thing was that I had to do all these on top of scrubbing & scouting. Also, sometimes, the surgeons choose the lens just the day before surgery. If we don't have it, it's a mad rush to call Sydney for overnight delivery. Becoz of the time difference, I must place the order before 3 pm or they'll be closed for the day. But I had a really good colleague in recovery who would help me "chase" the lenses list.

Of course, there's always Murphy's Law. The 1st day my manager was away, we arrived at work to find the dining area completely flooded. Maintenance staff was called & apparently, the air con duct was blocked or choked, causing a back flow & thus a major leak. That was most major incident that happened while my manager was away. Thank goodness!

I was pretty stressed but I was being hard on myself. If someone places their trust in me, I have very high expectations of myself. Even if there's no such thing as perfection, I try my best to strive towards it. I also can't leave mess for my manager to come back to. But all is good. My manager had returned to work on Tues & I've gladly handed back all the work. :P

Blue Jazz Has Shiny New Ass

If there's 1 medical check I hate the most, it has to be PAP smear. But I'm overdue & as much as I hate it, it has to be done. So I made an appointment for PAP smear on Friday morning (which now feels like a lifetime ago). After that, hubs drove me to the hirer in Osborne Park to return the Outlander before being driven back to the repairer in Balcatta via taxi. Blue Jazz came out, sporting a new shiny ass. Beauty!

I told hubs that the only thing I like about the Outlander is the pickup. I feel that Jazz's handling is much better. Which was why I asked him to drive the Outlander back to the hirer to have a feel of it. Then I asked him to drive shiny ass Jazz back home so he could make the comparison. (I've never allowed him to drive Jazz coz I prefer the way I drive. :P) He agreed with me that the handling is much better on the Jazz & the only flaw is its lack of power. Hmm... maybe they can produce 2L Jazz but then the fuel consumption won't be as good. Jazz is now consuming an average of 5.3L/100 km unless I'm stuck in a few jams over consecutive days which will ramp that up to 5.8 - 6.0L/100 km depending on how bad the jam is.

I know there're people who drive for decades without ever being in an accident. Hopefully I've met my quota & stay accident free from now on. Having said that, I was driving Jazz out to Coles earlier & this lady who was travelling in the other direction was texting while driving & her car was headed directly towards me. People, it doesn't kill to pull over or wait till you reach your destination to text. Don't text & drive at the same time! Not even at a red light.

Jazz Is In

After changing the appointment for Jazz's repairs 3 times, I finally successfully brought it in on Friday after work. The repairer only opens Mondays to Fridays, 8 am to 4 pm. I just couldn't make it. Not with the hours I put in. After dropping off Jazz, they arranged for a complimentary taxi trip to the car hirer.

After some paper work, the lady pointed out the window & told me that will be my car for the next 1 week. Immediately, I thought, "Holy sh*t!" I couldn't tell from inside what car it was as I could only see the roof, only that it was tall & long. I went out & discovered that they had given me a Mitsubishi Outlander. It had these big ass side mirrors which didn't occur to me that they would be a problem until later.

I adjusted the rear view & side mirrors, pulled the seat all the way forward so I could reach the paddles. Feeling somewhat stressed, I drove off. It was an unfamiliar car & I didn't know the route home. I had to watch the road, sneak peaks at the GPS & make sure I kept the car in the dead center of the lane. I discovered the problem when I came to the 1st roundabout. I realised that the big ass side mirror was completely blocking my entire view & I couldn't check for traffic coming from the right. Somehow, I managed to get home safely. Once parked safely in front of the house, I had a look & found the lever to jack the seat higher up. I made sure my line of sight is completely above the side mirror.

I thought it would take a while to get used to a bigger car. But surprisingly, it came naturally. I'll just need to drive it for another 4 days before I get Jazz back. Can't wait to see the "finished product".

Elizabeth Quay

I hate driving in the city. The roads are often confusing & change into turning lanes without warning. Parking is expensive & the lots tiny if you can even get 1. So it was my bright idea to take the train instead. My colleagues were talking about the pop up Night Noodle Market in Elizabeth Quay & it ends tomorrow. So after work yesterday, we drove to Guildford Station, the station closest to us. Attempting to buy the ticket was hard enough. I thought I only had to select my destination & the price will be calculated for us. But I had to select the number of zones I wanted to travel. I looked around & found the zone table. We were travelling 2 zones which cost us $4.50 per person. Ticket bought, waited for the train. Train came, err... why aren't the doors opening? I finally realised that we had to press the button to open the door 2 seconds before the train departed. So the train left & we lost 25 mins waiting for the next 1. Duh!

We had another problem when we got to Perth Station. So where do we switch to the Mandurah Line to get to Elizabeth Quay? I couldn't find the signs & ended up asking a staff member. Turned out we had to take 2 escalators down, before there'll be signs telling you where to go. We finally arrived at Elizabeth Quay & not knowing where to go, we followed the smoke. Lol. There was a long queue to enter & we had to show some kind of identification to be allowed entry. We showed our Driver's License. I'm not sure why though.

It was super crowded. Food was alright but not super fantastic, probably due to cooking for so many people. We tried food from as many stalls as possible. I think we really contributed to the economy. Haha. After stuffing ourselves silly, we walked along the Quay. It was a nice night out. I'll return to see what special stuff they sell in the city. I haven't been away from Sg long enough to miss the city life though.

Ribs, Pad Thai, Sakura Burger, Assorted Buns, Peking Duck Fries, Chicken Skewers, Waffle On A Stick

Night view of the city.

"Camping" Trip In Wongan Hills

For the 2nd long weekend in March, I had already booked a powered tent site in this caravan park in Wongan Hills. It was supposed to be a camping trip with the dogs. But after the absolutely awful farmstay, I decided to send the dogs for boarding. The look they (especially Basil) gave me as I left was 1 of panic & sorrow. Of course I knew I would go back for them but they didn't. They thought I was abandoning them. But I had no choice. Perhaps another man would have been more accommodating. But not hubs. So I'll probably just do day trips from now on where I can be home with the dogs in the evening.

Since we were without dogs, I upgraded us to a cabin due to the forecast that it was going to pour. & pour it did. I did the driving & the scenery was magnificent. I don't think I'll enjoy living in these country towns but it's good to visit every now & then. The 2 surrounding towns, Cadoux & Ballidu, we visited were "ghost" towns. Apparently, everybody leaves for the coast during long weekends.

View from Mt O'Brien.

Our 1st stop upon arrival was Mt O'Brien lookout. It was warm & I wanted to go closer to sunset. But the sky really didn't look good so I decided to leave earlier. I forced Jazz to handle the unpaved road & at 1 point, the incline was at least 45 degrees. I didn't think Jazz would have made it but engine raving at 4k rpm, we managed to scale that "mountain". By the time we got back to the cabin, the rain was really coming down. With nothing opened & nothing to do, we watched Food Network the entire evening.

It was obvious that the roads had been flooded from the downpour when we drove to Cadoux & Ballidu the next day. The roads were filled with debris, branches & sand/soil. Some parts of the road were even still submerged in water. Approaching from afar, I saw this brownish black longish thing that looked like a branch on the road. I wouldn't avoid it if it was a small branch. When I got really close, I realised that it was a reptilian lizard trying to cross the road. Both of us went, "Arghhhhhhh!!!". I swerved & when I looked in the rear mirror, saw it nonchalantly continued crossing the road. That was close! I'm glad to say I haven't had a roadkill till date. Flying insects excluded.

No cars, no human.

There wasn't much in Cadoux & Ballidu as well. All the shops were closed, not a single soul to be seen. I wanted to park & walk around to take in the town. But hubs didn't. So we drove back to the cabin & continued watching Food Network. I love nature & I will love to do hikes. Perhaps when the weather cools down even more, I can bring the dogs by myself & hike in the regional parks.

We drove back to civilization the next day & picked up the dogs on the way home. They were so excited to see us. I had a pet hammock over the backseats but somehow, Ton managed to get under the hammock, went down onto the floor of the backseat & climbed to the front through the gap between the driver & passenger. Smart dog. He loves his shotgun seat. Not-so-smart-in-this-aspect Basil kept trying to climb over the hammock. Thank goodness he isn't so smart. We can't have 2 dogs in the front. That will be too dangerous.

1st Ever Farmstay

I've lagged behind on blogging. Long hours coupled with lotsa-places-to-go weekends contributed to that. For the 1st long weekend in March, I planned this farmstay in York. I suspect I would have enjoyed it more if they were more flexible about their "dog friendly" policy. Dogs are not allowed inside the house unsupervised. So when we wanted to join the farm animals feeding session, I had to put Basil & Ton inside the car. The session ran for over an hour. Just as well it wasn't super hot. We were there for 2 nights. I would have love to do the animal feeding again on the 2nd day becoz essentially that was what we paid for. But the thought of leaving the dogs inside the car again put me off. That also meant our plan to visit attractions went down the drain too. We couldn't leave the dogs, not even in the alfresco area of the bungalow, dogs are not allowed in museums & what nots, & I'm not going to leave the dogs in a hot car while we enjoy the attractions. So basically, we spent 2 days mostly inside the bungalow. Money could have been better spent elsewhere.

I suspect it would have been interesting to visit the old motor museum but we were "grounded". When we visited the towns, I wanted to eat at this restaurant that had outside sitting. I'll always ask even though most restaurants are alright. But they told me I had to tie my dogs to the lamp post just by the road & there wasn't even shade. So they wanted my dogs to sit or lie under the hot sun, on hot gravel road for 1 hour while we eat? Are you serious? So I brought my business to the cafe next door who were alright with the dogs sitting with us in the shade.

I didn't enjoy myself at all. Hubs was grumpy & snappish the entire 3 days & it just ruined my holiday mood. So much for "dog friendly". Then I told myself, next time, I either stop planning these trips, or send the dogs to boarding. I know they'll be well looked after. But the thing is, their lives are short. I already work long hours. I want to bring them along & create memories & just spend time together. Why is it so hard?