You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December 2009.
We went for a karaoke session as a send-off for Zane who has left for Melbourne with his GF Tilly 
This was taken quite a while ago already – a month? – but anyways. I thought I’d just upload a few of the nicer ones
So here I am, away from my family during the festive season, with my sister visiting from the US for the first time in 3 years, and I’m not even there to be with her and the rest of the Ariffin family 
I always love celebrating Christmas with them because even though everyone gets stressed out, there’s bickering, people get their feelings hurt, and someone always gets a little disappointed during gift-giving time… (come on, it’s FAMILY, isn’t that normal?) heheh… I DO miss that tradition of spending this time of year with my family. Because at the end of the day we are always able to set aside our grievances and appreciate being together on Christmas. Of course, once the magic of the season wears off it’s back to normal again! 
Even though I’m away from family and friends, my Christmas of 2009 wasn’t too bad – in fact it was pretty good
I was working on Christmas eve – half-day til noon – and there was a BBQ lunch at the office afterwards. It was really pleasant and I honestly didn’t expect anything, but I got so many presents from the people at work, they were really very nice to me. I got two bouquets of flowers (including some really pretty, deep pink lillies) loads of chocolates (I mean, LOADS), a bottle of wine, a stuffed teddy and even a Christmas ham! hahaha… I’m giving the last item to Jason and Michael though Plus I got a card from my aunt in Germany which was really nice and thoughtful of her. I didn’t manage to send one to her (I feel really bad about it), but I will send her a letter soon letting her know what I’ve been up to. I could email her, she checks her mail often, but I think a card and a letter (maybe a photo or two?) would be a nice little something to send her.
Also, on Christmas day I had lunch at Ryan’s parents’ house. It was really lovely, I met his gorgeous little 8-month-old niece Sienna who is the cutest little girl ever, as well as 7-year-old Caitlin, her older half-sister, who was just a sweetheart. It was a really relaxing, fun afternoon. Ryan’s parents are the most wonderful people, and his sister and brother and really sweet, too. I’ve always thought highly of the Albrey family and Ryan’s mum’s food was so yummy – there was turkey, potatoes, pumpkin, cauliflower and broccoli cheesebake – I was so stuffed~! Played some games with Caitlin and held Sienna – such a happy, smiley baby! It made me feel a little clucky myself. Haha, lately I keep seeing cute kids all around me and it makes me a tad clucky. But then I go home and get to be completely selfish and not worry about a baby needing my attention and I am super glad of that. heh.
I’m happy I had a nice Christmas and it didn’t make me feel too homesick – though I still missed my folks, Danu, Jamie, and all my other friends back home… but at least I had The Bison with me
A compilation of what life is like in Perth right now, in Summer 09/10:
- It is freaking hot. We’re talking 35-37 degrees Celcius on a daily basis. If you’re lucky, at night it is cool and breezy, if not – good luck trying to sleep while you sweat in your sheets uncomfortably.
- Flies are out in full force. Attacking your face – especially the eyes and mouth – is their favourite summertime activity. Do not attempt to carry on a conversation with anyone when you’re outdoors or you might accidentally swallow a fly – or two – as they make kamikaze-style dives at your mouth and down your throat. (Did not happen to me, but happened to a friend of mine in ’05. LOL)
- Sweating buckets just sitting here at my desk typing this out. I know, I should probably see about assembling that pedestal fan I bought the day I arrived here. Which is nearly 2 months ago.
- When cycling, apply copious amounts of sunscreen or you’ll get burnt to a crisp. Also drink lotssss of water or your throat will be so dry, if you try and talk it’ll just crack and dust would come out of your mouth (probably). At the very least, your throat will hurt like king-hell.
- Apply copious amounts of sunscreen whenever you venture outdoors to avoid skin cancer, but go around looking like a greasy monkey and when you take photos it looks really gross but what can you do if you don’t want your skin to age prematurely / you don’t wanna get skin cancer?
- Pay a small fortune whenever you eat out, because eating out here is just. so. bloody. expensive. And you don’t always have time/food at home to cook and eat.
* This is just a sweaty rant. I will follow up with more pleasant experiences soon
Some photos have been missing from my blogs, I realise… so here’s a post with photos of a few Perth-related things
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- Cute Missy – half Maltese, half Jack Russel terrier, hyper doggie. She’s a sweetie, less than a year old.
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- Faith No More??? I wanna goooooo…….
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- Looks worse no thanks to my dry skin
First row (l-r): Missy the dog, Missy again, Missy.
Second row: Missy, my Xmas Lush Loot, Boost juice
Third row: A music festival I would LOVE to go to (any takers??) and my horribly bruised knee.
I have this bad habit of writing a few blog posts in one go and posting them up on the same day, and then…..nothing. For ages. I know. I can’t help it. I’m too busy during the week and stuff keeps happening, that it just accumulates.
Also, at times even on the weekends, I’m just too busy doing stuff or hanging around the house in my pajamas.And when you get in the mood, you REALLY get in the mood. It doesn’t happen for me often enough so I like to take advantage of my writing moods when they come upon me
The other day at work, Joe asked me why I wasn’t married yet. And the reply I gave him was my auto-responder type of reply that I’d been using for the last 8 years every time someone asked me that.
“I’m too young to be married!” I chirped.
Pause.
“Really…? At 26?” he asked me, not unkindly.
I pause, realise what I just said and that I am, in fact, NOT too young to be married anymore *sob!*
“Well… you’re right. Heh. Nah, I don’t know why I’m not married yet,” I say, while making a mental note to find a new auto-responder for that dreaded question.
Well, Joe finds it for me. “You just haven’t met Prince Charming yet, have you?”
I laugh. “Yep, that’s it. I just haven’t found Prince Charming yet.”
Thanks Joe.
One of the best things about being in Australia is being able to buy Lush products. I know, it’s incredibly shallow, unless you know what Lush is about – natural, preservative free, eco-friendly, vegetarian/vegan products, sustainable, fair-trade, etc etc… when you buy Lush, not only do you smell good and look good… you feel good inside and out
New products I am trying this year (all the Xmas ones) – Santa’s Rice Porridge face mask. Looks damnnnn good. Has cranberries in it, OMG! Can’t wait to slather it on my face (tonight).
Let Them Eat Cake lip balm smells heavenly, with notes of Sherry Oil in it -yummy!
Snow Fairy shower gel, as usual every Xmas is a HOT seller
A new massage bar in the shape of a Gingerbread man called Sexy Boy – looks freaking awesome!!
I can’t wait til I earn more dough so I can buy the AU$99,95 moisturiser ‘Gorgeous’. In the history of moisturisers, it truly is the best that I’ve used on my skin. Really. Better than Dermalogica. Better than Biotherm.
The best.
I went to the new Lush store in the city yesterday – yay! They finally opened a store in the city. Booragoon is a bit far for me now. And I love the people there. Customers and sales assistants alike, you know they’re fun, happy people with a passion for making the world a better place… or maybe that’s just me haha
But as I was waiting for the sales assistant to cut my piece of soap for me, this guy was checking out the blocks of soap and I told him Figs and Leaves was my favourite, it smells divine. He smelt it and admired it, then checked out the others as well. Finally he came back to Figs and Leaves, smiled at me and said he’ll buy that one 
I told him whoever he’s buying it for will be so happy, because it’s a gorgeous soap. He said he thought so too – was buying it for his wife (aww!). Then he also went on to say how great a shop Lush was and we both gushed about it for a while before it was my turn to pay.
I love the people at Lush, you can always find someone who understands the utter addiction and mania you have for the stuff heheh maybe it’s just ME.
I would LOVE to work for Lush again one day!!! *sigh*
I’ve always wondered what it would be like to get hit by a car.
Well, not really.
But it’s one of those things I would wonder vaguely from time to time – like sometimes I wonder how it would feel to drown or to hang yourself. I guess I can have pretty morbid thoughts, but it’s not like I want to kill myself anymore.
I remember watching an episode of Jackass where Johnny Knoxville gets hit by a car on purpose (at least I think it was Knoxville). And I would think, maybe I should try that. The thought would leave my head as soon as it materialised in its fully matured form. Ok I think I’m just babbling and avoiding the main point of this post which is to talk about what it actually feels like to get hit by a car.
My own unique experience starts on a Monday morning.
At roughly 830am I get my bike from the garage and get ready to (wearily) cycle to work. I say ‘cycle to work’ to actually refer to a journey that has 3 parts: the first leg is about 20-25 minutes on the bike to the train station, then a 4-minute train ride (2 stops) before the final leg which is another 15 minutes on the bike to my office. Let’s just call this ‘cycling to work’.
I was cycling to work when, really not very far from the house, let’s say less than 3 mins by bike, I spot a car reversing out of a driveway about 15 metres ahead. I slow down and ride slower. The car reverses fully out and drives off. It is a white sedan. Anyways, I am still cycling relatively slowly, approaching the house the car just left. I am cycling not on the main road but on the pedestrian/cyclist path. As I am reaching the house, I realise (too late) a toyota prado (big one) is reversing out quite fast. I brake but it’s too late (even though I’m going pretty slowly).
Everything happens kind of in slow motion. The car keeps coming. My mouth automatically opens and a strangled scream escapes. I am aware that I am airborne and crash-land a couple of metres away, into the sand in front of a tree that lines the sidewalk/path. The wind is knocked out of me. I can’t really hear anything, which is why I am not aware that I am groaning til a few seconds later when the driver of the vehicle is talking to me. So far, the only thought in my mind is “shit, I’ve been hit, I’ve fallen, I hope I didn’t chip a tooth!!”
Driver: “Are you okay?? Oh my god I’m so sorry! Are you okay??”
Me: “Ahh…. ahh….”
Driver: “Can you hear me, are you okay? I’m so sorry!!”
Me: *stops groaning and struggles to get up*
He helps me up and I can’t really remember anything much between the time I get up and when he races into the house to get me a chair and a bag of ice for my knee. I don’t even feel the pain yet. It looks a little swollen already. In my head I am thinking how lucky I was to be wearing my helmet. It’s required by law here of course but Ive seen loads of cyclists without helmets. Then I see my fingernails are caked in dirt. As is most of my body really. I had applied sunscreen before leaving the house so the sand sticks to my legs and arms and in my cleavage.
Helping me onto the chair and propping my leg up, the driver helps to put the ice on my knee, smashing the bag on the ground a few times to break up the ice. He is nervous as hell. He apologises a million times more and asks me if I need a ride somewhere. He doesn’t strictly offer to take me to the doctor, I notice, but he does offer me a ride and shit. My bike is lying in a heap under the car, but he retrieves it and it seems fine, undamaged. He props it up against the wall. He asks me if I’m ok.
“I’m ok,” I croak, realising that there’s sand in my mouth and throat, making my teeth crunch together when I speak. Without thinking I spit the sand out of my mouth. “It’s ok, I’m ok. My knee hurts.”
He tells me he and the wife just had a fight and he was just taking his baby daughter (I spot her in the baby seat in his car) to the doctor. He tells me he really didn’t see me and that he’s sorry. And then he tells m his car is insured and gives me all his details, driver’s license, registration number etc, in case I need to claim anything. I numbly take my notebook out of my backpack and write it all down. He asks me if I’m at Uni, and I tell him I’m on my way to work, that I’m a technical writer for a mining fabrication company. He works at the Water Corporation, is a public servant apparently.
Finally I tell him I just want to go home. He asks me if I would like a lift there. I tell him no my house is really nearby and I just want to go home. He asks me if I want a damp cloth. I realise I am still covered in sand and can’t very well go anywhere with a shitload of sand inside my shirt and cleavage. He goes and gets me a towel with one end party soaked. I clean myself up, and I don’t care that I’m outside and everyone can see me including him, I basically dig the sand out from between my boobs and wipe my cleavage clean.
It seemed like an eternity but finally I tell him thanks and bye and he apologises again and I hobble with my bike in the direction of home. Halfway home I wonder if I should just go to work because I can still walk and it doesn’t hurt TOO much. But then I tell myself not to be stupid and start wondering how I’ll get myself to the doctor.
At the traffic lights where I’m about to cross, it’s the same driver who stops and rolls down the window, asking me again if I want a lift. I say no I am going home, it’s ok, thanks.
I really just don’t know what to do or think in that situation.
Once I cross, a lady on a bicycle stops and asks me if I was the girl who got knocked off her bike just now. I say yeah. She asks me if I’m okay. I say I am. She tells me to go to the doctor and take care of myself. I thank her and continue on.
When I reach home, thank heavens, Michael is outside. Just about to leave for work. In a wobbly voice I call out to him. He looks at me as if he doesn’t recognise me (I’m dirty). I say, “Michael, you won’t believe what happened to me – I got hit by a car.”
“Oh my God! Are you okay? Do you want me to take you to the doctor?”
I tell him yes, yes please take me to the doctor. He calls work to let them know he’ll be late, we go inside, I change clothes and clean myself up a bit, put ice on my knee, have a coffee, then he takes me to the doctor.
Long story short, there’s nothing seriously wrong with my knee, it;s just bruised and swollen, but the doc says if it doesn’t get better/gets worse in 2-3 days I have to come back for an x-ray. That was on Monday, today is Saturday and my knee is painful but much better. I can walk without hobbling and the swelling has gone down a lot. It feels a bit funny and when I poke a certain part of it, i leaves a dent. But i hope it’s just the fluid or whatever that’s down there. In any case it doesn’t hurt TOO much. I did get a tetanus shot though, that hurt a LOT and my arm was swollen for 3 days.
Now, post-crash, there are a few things that make me realise how lucky I am.
1. When I was hit, I didn’t land on the road. I landed in the sand. Soft, cushiony sand. And I didn’t crash into the tree which I could have done if I had been cycling a little bit faster. I could have crashed into it headfirst. I didn’t even land on the brick path which would have hurt even more. I have a few small scrapes, and a major bruise, that’s all.
2. Michael was there to take me to the doctor pretty much straight away. If he hadn’t been there, I’m not sure I would have gone, honestly.
3. I called in sick to work, and at the same time cursed myself because I won’t be able to send my timesheet in time and thus wouldn’t get paid til next week. Quite a substantial pay packet and now I’d have to wait an extra week for it. Well, turns out the kind people at work sent in the timesheet for me (they weren’t sure of my hours so they just filled it in and signed it and told me to adjust the following timesheet as necessary). They overpaid me by an hour, heh, so for this week’s hours I subtracted an hour. But what that means was that I got paid anyways as I usually do and I am so grateful for that.
4. My bike was totally, completely, UNDAMAGED. In fact, I rode it to work on Wednesday and Thursday without incident – save for me wincing and breaking out in a cold sweat when I passed the scene of the crash.
5. The support and kind words of most people here and back home made me realise I should really be grateful for what I have… and that I didn’t get killed or suffer broken bones and major injuries.
Call me crazy but I jut felt LUCKY.
Last night, I walk into work at the pizza place and my boss SB turns to me excitedly, saying, “Naya, get ready to scream!”
Me: “oh ok, why?”
SB: “Green Day ordered 14 family pizzas from us to be delivered to them after their show tonight at 11pm!”
Me: (Mouth hanging open) “What…?”
Green Day performed at the Burswood Dome yesterday night, and even though I would have loved to go, I had no dough to buy the tickets to their show. (See how I made it all rhyme? anyway.)
Apparently my boss SB has a friend whose job it is to take care of artistes when they come to town, and he was so impressed by the pizzas from Pizza Express that he asked her if she could make 14 pizzas for the band. (and their entourage I assume).
So we got excited a little, saying “oh my god”at least 10 times, and jumping around a little at the shop. Imagine that – Green Day would be eating pizzas made by US at the little shop in Riverton in a few hours’ time!! OMG OMG OMG
What they ordered: 4 Cheese Pizzas
4 Double Cheese Double Pepperoni Pizzas
4 American Pizzas
2 Pepperoni and Italian Sausage Pizzas
We started making them around 10.15pm (I think so anyway cuz I was so busy and excited I forgot the exact time). SB and John prepared them and shoved them in the oven while I took them out and cut them – ME! I cut pizzas for Billi Joe, Mike and Tre!!! OMG!!! And labelled the boxes in MY handwriting. They saw my handwriting and ate pizzas that I hand-cut!!
SB playfully accused me of writing my phone number on one of the boxes (maybe I should have), then she thoughtfully added, “They must be really fat, ordering such pizzas.”
Billie Joe isn’t fat!!! hehehe.
Andrew came to pick up the massive order of 14 family-sized pizzas and drive them to the band. He didn’t get to see them but apparently the friend of SB’s said that everyone was very happy with the Pizzas.
This is hands-down one of the coolest things to happen at work.
So yeah.
So I’ve been cycling about 40 minutes every day to get to and from work… oh hang on, it;s actually 80 minutes (2 ways)… wow! Does that mean I get to eat all the Tim Tams I want?? haha
Anyways. It’s been YEARS since I rode a bike regularly. In fact, the last time I got on a bike before this was in March when I came to Perth to see Ryan – we went for a bike ride in Sorrento near Hillary’s Boat Harbour which was really nice – but we only rode for… I dunno, 40 mins or less? and ONCE only.
Now, I’m riding Monday to Friday, 40 mins each way, and it’s taking its, er, toll on my butt.
After Day 1 of riding to work I felt GREAT (read prev. post). After only Day 2, not so much. Day 3 rolled around and getting on the bike felt like I was being abused by it. LOL.
I know it just takes some getting used to.Yesterday (Friday) when I rode the bike it felt better than it did on Day 3, but maybe that’s because I nearly collapsed from exhaustion on Thursday (what was supposed to be Day 4) and called in sick to work. I also have been having a tension-type headache where my forehead feels like I’ve got a super-tight sweatband on. Yikes. Hope it goes away soon. Anyway so Day 4 was rest day for me and my butt, and Friday was pretty good.
Every time I cycle I make sure I ‘stand’ a little when going over bumpy surfaces which is fine, cuz otherwise my butt would really get pounded (pardon the word choices). My ‘sit bones’ (as they call them on cycling websites) are bound to take a beating initially until I fall into a good cycling rhythm/routine and they also get used to it. Well I can feel them getting used to it now which is great. Cycling is awesome. I sweat a LOT and basically change at work (after wiping myself off with paper towels and Dettol antibacterial wipes). So far, so good… I haven’t had any issued with smelling of sweat or whatever.. but then again it’s just started getting REALLY hot here in Perth (Friday was a realllyyyyy hot ride, I felt so completely burnt to a crisp).
I’m worried I won’t be able to take it.. riding in the morning at 730am is fine. At 5pm in the afternoon…not so much. I put sunscreen on and everything but my dorky ‘farmer’s tan’ I got from my wetsuit when I went diving (it was a shortie so I had short sleeves and all) is coming back, and well, my forearms are a totally different colour from, say, my butt. LOL.
Also, here’s a quick update on what’s been happening with me lately:
Not So Nice things:
- I bumped my knee into my bike so I have a huge bruise. Not surprising cuz I’m so clumsy.
- Got on the wrong train on Day 2 and was late to work I was in such a hurry I didn’t realise I was getting onto the Thornlie train rather than the Armadale one.
- Got chased by a dog when I was like 50 metres away from work. I was lost in my thoughts when suddenly YAP YAP YAP and this small annoying dog was running at top speed – I bet it would have bitten me if it could!! I kinda screamed and swerved my bike a little and heard its owner calling out to it so I yelled “STUPID DOG!!” hoping the dumb owner would hear. (Joe told me to get a cattle prod, or fill a water gun with vinegar and shoot the dog, LOL)
- When cycling, some drivers can be so inconsiderate and block the crossing when I want to get from one side of the road to the other. Luckily, most of them move or don’t even block the way.
- Also, I’m still so new at figuring out how and where I can ride that OCCASIONALLY I get in some driver’s way and they honk angrily at me once I was so ‘gelabah’ and afraid I had visions of being hit by a car… LOL.
Good Things
- At work, Joe asked me my age and didn’t believe I was 26. He said he didn’t think I could be older than 21 and asked me what I ate for breakfast so he could start having whatever I was having heheh. charmer.
- Saw the cute guy with blue eyes again – twice – but only smiled at him and didn’t say anything. Meh, I’m over it. Too tired working and trying to save up money, and if he can’t come and say hi or talk to me or something then TOO BAD. Haha or maybe he’s just too busy himself and isn’t interested. Well I’m over it. But he is cute.
- Joe was telling me that whenever I knock off work and cycle away, the guys at the workshop like staring after me and fanning themselves. HAHAHA. Thanks for making me smile Joe.
- Working at Pizza Express is still fun and I love meeting all the cool people working there… don’t get me wrong it’s still work and I do get tired but somehow I enjoy it more than the office job.. cuz the office job is lovely and cushy but SOMETIMES i am SO bored there, the people are really nice but MUCH older than me (except for the people in the workshop that I NEVER see) and other than Joe I don’t really talk to people there much… though there’s the senior draftsman that I talk to sometimes, Rod, he’s pretty smart and interesting too.. but if ONLY they were my age and not married / getting married? Then I’d feel a lil’ more excited. LOL.
Well… at the end of the day, I think I have it pretty good here. 2 jobs, a nice place to stay, and a lot of good friends here.. not to mention good food that I’ve been missing out on (like healthy yogurts, muesli, fruits, and of course… TIM TAMS!! hehe).
But I do miss Malaysia – I miss my family and my friends!!
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