I'm Alive - A short run in my live in 180 days

I can't say 2007 hasn't been kind to me.
I have grown richer the last 180 days - the wealth that cannot be taken away from me.
In the last 180 days I have experienced the many many emotions a human can have.
To have this experience gives me the ability as a human to have empathy, and really mean it when I do say "I know how you feel", or being able to relate - and have the humanity touch when I reach out to others.

The experiences of one....
* Blissful 5 day pure relaxation at an Asian holiday resort luxury that felt like a 2 months of indulgence
* Followed by the most amazing time absorbing the cultural, historical and geographical sights of the country
* A scarred memory of being held up by a monkey for a big of chips is still there.
* The ability to make multiple tasting dishes with only spices and ingredients of less than 10.
* To have mourn for the loss of a cat and to have him found.
* To be absorbed in the turmoil of job hunting and hoping the decision made was right
* To feel the hurt and learn to let go
* To have realised the paths I choose are not the easy ones, but the enriching ones
* To realise mistakes and choices in life one makes can be painful and costly
* To know no regrets, but decisions made at point in time was based on best known information
* To have pride in humility
* To have learned the ability to listen to myself before I speak
* To learn of a dear friend's engagement and feel joy
* To learn to live one day at a time and live every moment to its fullest
* To cherish the people who are part of your life, because the moment can pass too quickly

Don't get caught up with pretences and materialism.
Live Life to the fullest, enrich everyday.

Growing Grass

With a house, comes a garden.
All the lifestyle programs of landscaped gardens with retaining walls, water fountains, Bali-themed garden...
That's what we don't have.

What we inherited was an overgrown, unmaintained garden.
Put it this way - just imagine a scene from Jurassic Park - and you get the picture of the dinosaur-sized plants surrounding the house.

Bit by bit - we chipped away - first ripping the house clinging Ivy.. and notorious weed-like trees, chain-saw some 2m high philedendrons. And most recently Mother-In-Law turned up and the amazing gardener in her unearthed plants, uprooted plants, de-weeded the place and we have a pile about 3 cubic metres waiting to be removed.

All the clutter and crap are gone.. and being the people who are just starting out with a garden and unsure how we are going to landscape the place;
Ben and I decided - we are going to start off by growing grass.

Don't Laugh... Grass is one of the hardest thing to grow.. especially to keep the one variety and make sure no weeds take over. Weeds can be so territorial.
In the garden, we have a variety of Kikuyu, Baby-Couch and Buffalo.
Right now, I'm leaning towards keeping the Baby-Couch -
I don't think its the real name "Baby Couch", but it is a smaller version of the Couch. And the grass doesn't seem to grow as quick, it keeps short.
Low maintenance - gotta have that.

Won't be long before I stop envying lawns of luscious green, just like Dick & Jane:)

A week in 2007

A week has been and gone in 2007.
And eek! I haven't even done my resolution lists....
But what I have done is calendars, diaries, planners...
World is getting organised around me.

What I should really be doing is living every day to its fullest.
Moments and minutes that ticks by - think beautiful thoughts even as I sit in the traffic jam going to work. Life's not about growing old, its about cherishing what we have & learning something new.

I was watching this show the other day - the population in Japan is ageing and this Doctor/GP is on a vocation to pass his philosophy to these ageing men and women on how to rejuvenate their youth - learning new skills, making new friends, at the age of 75 - is when new skill sets can be found again. And needless to say, he himself is an enviable example - at the age of 95, he is still consulting as a GP and encouraging youth-ism in a group of no less than 75 year olds. Oh yes, and he was doing some push ups too.

There is so much positivenss in the world - we should all embrace it as we enter the year 2007. To all you cynics - keep your pessimism in your pocket.

The Flesh is Weak

I have come admit to my case of the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak.

The festive season has been filled with family and friends gathering, with all the work we put into the house - we hardly get to catch up with friends and family.
Since the Friday evening of 22nd Dec hit - Ben & I have been with a family and/or friend occassion once to twice a day , everyday or every other day and will be till NYE.

Middle of this festive catch ups - there you have it - body breaks down - it says .... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
you cant cope anymore and I am putting brakes on and forcing you to be sick. Its one of the most inconvinient thing the body does to you.
And what bugs me most, I'm a hit the bed & asleep - but this doesnt happen when I'm sick & body in most need of rest.
Ai ya ya.

I will continue with me feeling sorry for me.....while still partying away :)

Life in the new house - 1

Ben & I have officially moved into our home for a few weeks now...
I have never felt like I worked so much around the house to make it into a home.
There is always something to do, setting up, finding homes for things around the house, its an enormous task.
Amongst that - Ben & I have found ourselves a pet to call our own :D
A neighbour's cat who comes around 80% of the time we are there.
He's also here when we drive into our driveway.. lazing or sitting pretty on our porch; or happily trotting across the road when we get out of our car to greet us and stay.
Appears to be a 2 way relationship - We enjoy his company and him ours.

Have we put up Christmas Tree at our place?
Ahem... how about a compromise, we put up christmas lights in a shape of a tree. :)
Ben doesn't think much of it and probably cringes everytime he sees it or when its brought up - he can be such a perfectionist.

While we enjoy this Christmas time of the year... we'll have next year to look forward again to renovate the rest of the place... Never Ending story.. like they say, a house is a life long project :)

That 70s Christmas Party

That 70s Christmas Party at Arena Stadium..
It has been many years since I had been to a dress up company party. It was a 70s Christmas Party too.

Where does the line cross between a Hippy Convention and a 70s party? It looked more like Hippy convention :)
Bob Marley hair do, lots of peace signs, blings and hanky in the hair. Our Managing Director turned up as the queen because the Queen came to Sydney for the opening of Opera House.

For me - I wanted to come in my toddler clothes.. That was what I wore in the 70s, but going topless would have been career limiting.
I also wanted to wear a hanky in the hair, put it on and asked Ben's opinion - he said - dont you think you look like a cancer patient who had chemo?
Ok threw that out, just went with a conservative flare pants and frilly top.

Setting the scene, the room was colours were psycadelic, about 40 round tables, alcohol flowing, before long the queue for a sumptous meal (not of the 70s - thank goodness - would've been mouldy by now :)) but of the modern Australian buffett - Mediterranean Antipasto, Honey Soy Chicken, Rice, Salads Galore, Prawns, Octopus..
Good Quality food - in good company, followed by wicked desserts -chocolate truffles, brownies, fruit flan tartlets etc.
And not before long, music starting kicking away.. those 70s music and mixed in with communal dances kicking off with the all time favourite Nut Bush.

Its great to have a company wide party - meet new faces, catch up and say hi to people you hardly see during the year.
And me - 2 glasses of white and I started to speak like a different person and was in the company of girls dancing the night away.
That's that 70s Party.

New Age Food

Sitting in reflection of the food selection in cafes, grocery shops - plentiful is the word.

Looking at the array from Organics to Gluten-free, to contains no nuts, and contain no dairy products makes you really wonder about our new age food - and allergies bodies have to certain foods.

With that - the question could be asked - Is our bodies really able to handle technologically enhanced products?
Food preparation these days have come a long way from slaving in the kitchen to instant sauces, instant ingredients take away foods.
But do you ever stop once to think exactly are in the foods?

There has been 2 issues that really question foods and my personal preference of home preparation compared to outside / pre-prepared meals.
A Conference in Canberra back in May on Health & Welfare Statistics - Point a: An increasing number of diabetes (Type 2) on the rise and forecast an ever increasing number in the future
Point b: Studies have shown diabetes is in direct correlation to either people moving from the rural areas to urban areas or from a city area to a mega city area.

There has not been any conclusive reason for Type 2 Diabetes, but the implication is the diet of urban living has encouraged the staggering number of Type 2 Diabetics.

Whilst you may think it is a conspiracy theory, I believe there is a direct correlation between New Age Food (Quick & Easy sauces, packet spices, etc) and Diabetes.

I love short cuts and things that make life easier - New Age Food - I can't bring myself to use the quick & easy ingredients. The knowledge that preservatives are present in them just make it a turn off. Making food from scratch is what I do best.

This keeps me happy for now, until theories start me on Organic Food. Somehow - that wouldn't be me.
Just looking at Organic Water has made me question the sanity of Organics - Heck - wouldn't Organic Water be just water flushed from the toilet or water dripping off the gutter?