Awkward Alzheimer's *Update

She knows my name! eek! I couldn't wipe the grin off my face the other night when my Ah Ma said: 

"I-Shen, lai chiak"

(I-Shen, come eat)

I think I was stunned into silence for awhile.

so I guess chinese is a useful language after all!

don't know what I'm on about? click here.

dollar days

Hmm.. it's a rainy rainy night  in melbourne. Flicking through the internet, a thought pops into my mind. What happened to the Kony campaign? What's changed in the world as a result of Kony? Not much I think. That's the thing about massive campaigns the seem really cool for a moment. It makes social justice way too easy for those of us who are willing to pay for fair trade coffee and wear a bracelet to make poverty history. 

Easy come, easy go. Just as quickly as everyone was happy to hop on the bandwagon, the crowds have fallen silent very quickly and continued on with their lives.. they've done their bit for child soldiers.. they shared a video on Facebook! Don't you know? Clicking "like" on photos now cures health issues too! 

That being said, I think it's good to educate the masses. A genuine "Well Done", heaps of people now know about the issue of child soldiers, but I just wished that the solution offered was more than just wearing a bracelet or putting up posters (this goes for any other campaign). 

So here is the challenge that I'm putting out, that I'm taking on as well. If I spend money on non essential items on myself, I'm donating half of what I spent towards social justice causes. This way, I constantly remind myself to only buy what I need. On the other hand, if I choose to buy it anyway, surely I can spend a couple of dollars to better someone else's life. Given I'm a bit of a shopaholic, I think I might make the world a better place in my own little way after all.

what is love..

sometimes, we forget. Hollywood feeds us misconceptions about love. what is love to me? when i forget to call for days because i'm drowning and i feel guilty, wondering if you felt like i didn't care. love is when you send me a message after the storm telling me you love me like no other...

i talk, i always talk.. but you always listen

loveispatient

what is love? when we went out one night whilst i was on the verge of a breakdown. we walked on the beach, talking about what massive dreams we have. then you took me out for cake.

i love that you got me flowers to keep me going and when i needed them most even though you didn't know it.

loveiskind

to miss t, the big g and mr b. i could not do life without you both.

mucho amore

4 days too late..

so, thus begins the final year of my epic struggle with uni. according to statistics 90% of this(context) affects the reader more than the 10% which makes up the layout. I learnt this at my 4 day intensive last week. I also learnt a lot about people and the people around me. Its sad, to think that in those 4 days we as a group connected so much more on such an intimate level than we ever have in our

3 years at uni. I've learnt a lot about life and it amazes me how dedicated M is with her kids. And the fact that she is still so up there with uni work. How M.A and N make what's been happening in egypt so much more real. I love that i slip into my hideous malaysian slang with the girls in the back and we have a good laugh about it. How L made me laugh when i really needed it. How X had to deal with my wolf child and that A makes the perfect clinician. And i lov

e that for a few days we saw into each other, past the faces and saw what lay behind. So, to the Feb block of ECP, thanks for those 4 days.

For once in those 3 years,

i loved uni.

to mr. b

i'd do anything- oliver twist cover

lazy bed days

i've spent the last 2 days curled up in the warmth of my bed... ultimate BLISS! and then studying.. which explains my return to the blogging world. my escape! my sanctuary! its really cause i can pretend i'm working but i'm not. anyway, getting to the point

. friends, there are so many different kinds.. there are the ones who you see often but don't talk much when you're apart, the see often and talk to heaps, the see sometimes and barely talk, and see sometime and talk a lot. and then the ultimate treasure.. the barely see, but are apart of you, and they listen alot.. and talk alot too. i have a few of these, and i know that across time and seas and what not, i can call on them. One such friend used to climb trees with me, we were both young, naive, hated wearing skirts cause they got in the way of climbing things, and hated boys (because at 7, boys are gross, except a boy called brian chan, who is now... reallly gross). She inspires and amazes me, she has a quiet assertiveness to

her, and grace like no other. she'll be coming soon.. i can't wait to catch up on lost time. we'll climb trees once more maybe.. but boys aren't gross anymore.. and i do love a dress or two.

also..

happy 21st birthday beautiful!

who said he would love me even if i had a mustache.

(what a hunk)

nanna dates and my new "must have"

so i've just finished sort of cleaning my room cause der fuhrer has threatened to take away Lola{car} rude much? anyway, i'm finished and i've been googling my newest and latest obsession.. maybe i will get mr. b to help me source and renovate one in the future to match with my currently non existent vintage holden.. i'm raving about vintage caravans! they are so extraordinarily cute. if i got one of these i reckon i've probably died and gone to motoring enthusiast

heaven. here are some photos.

so lately i've been spending more time with my nan. at 89 she is still fiercely independent and hates having to have anyone do anything for her. she still does all the cookin

g at home and what not. anyway i took her out for lunch on friday which was nice. i liked that for after 21 years of caring for me i was looking after her and not the other way round. we went shopping, which she hasn't done a while cause her silly nerves are acting up. she was terribly cute the other day when mr.b asked about her to tell him about what happened with her during the war era. haha she started herstory from when she was a baby. she's filled with lovely stories. like the other day when i was helping her clean up her room and we found a hat and she proceeded to tell me how she bought it in adelaide and how it was really clever cause it had 2 sides but then she said : i think i will give it away.

So, we decided to take a photo of her and the lovely hat so on day we'll remember this story.

*89 yrs old and she still goes to uni.*

in other news here are some photos of some goodies i have made and bought and received. miss t bought me the cutest book ever. the miggy tree it is called.

*inside of the miggy tree book from miss t*

*L-R clockwise from the top: the frightened wolf(op-shop), embroidery stitches book no.2 by needlework (inherited), woman's own transfer book (inherited, miggy tree (miss t), bertie's escapade by kenneth grahame (op-shop)*

*lovebirds*

*strawberry cheesecake cupcakes with surprise strawberries in the middle*

*durian cuppycakes! not for the fainthearted*

morning runs

i'm not a morning person at all but there is nothing more exhilarating then waking up in the wee hours of a winters morning where the sun is beginning to shrug off the blankets of darkness and begins to cast a dim glow over the barely waking city. When everything is still that gray blue and the light begins to dance in the morning dew, climbing into the car with the heater on low and having the windows down so that icy coldness numbs your nose and awakens you. Being soothed by the tunes of zee avi in her mellowed voice.

shennanigans seannanigans

mr b: okay, i'll try and visit for half an hour after work? but if i do you have to let me go half an hour after i get there.
miss i: can we make it like half an hour and 5 minutes?

mr b: i need my sleep though, so yes, but that includes saying goodbye at the car window.
miss i: okaaaaay, oh, well you can only leave at... a multiple of 5? okay? so like you can leave at 25 or 30 but not 33 or 21 okay?
mr b: okay, but its rounded like money so if i get there at 22 past its 20 past and 23 past is 25 past and it goes by my phone and the time you answer the door.
miss i: okay, and i think we should synchronize out watches and i feel the need to tell you, if you get an envelope it will probably more than likely
self destruct in 5 seconds.



true story!


today is pick a pretty colour for your font day!
i lie, i just like the colour.

yummy dans mon estomac

so given that my life is all together a little boring... and the most interesting events all happen on the weekend (generally) i decided i'd write a review of sorts. Everyone seems fairly busy of late so it leaves more time for me and the fella.. actually, i think he just feels compelled to join me on my adventures because well... thats what boys are supposed to do? no, he's been very nice about it all... so the little secret for today is....

Ripe.

Ripe is an amazing little gem I stumbled upon awhilst ago in Sassafrass. Meals are well priced and sumptuous. They ALWAYS do a reallllly good salmon dish but it depends when you go. They have a consistent menu of baguettes but have an ever changing specials menu. But the loveliest thing about Ripe are the cakes and the hot chocolates. Oh, to have a taste of the rocky road cheesecake. Its a lovely balance of flavours and

textures really, where the chunks of chocolate and cherry are generous and surprising. The ambience is altogether cosy (the bathroom is pretty cute too), we sat by the roaring fire last sunday, it was raining when we got out of the car and it kept raining, so i'm glad we had a nice warm fire to sit next to. Make a booking if you can, otherwise you might get stuck sharing a table (okay for some, not okay for others).

So we shared a meal of fillet steak with beans and mash. It was nice, abit salty but nice.

For drinks, mr. b had a dark lindt hot chocolate which was amazing cause it was the perfect balance of bitter and sweet and milky. I opted for an earl grey which was really fragrant and light and smelt reallly pretty.

Dessert was the rocky road cheesecake. Words cannot describe the awesomeness that this cake is.. we are definitely going there again..

Anyway so it continued to rain but we weren

't quite ready to go home so we decided to walk around and maybe buy an umbrella (we didn't find a cute enough one so we ended getting an umbrella). The first stop was at the tea shop. This is where we bought our french earl grey from.. this has to be the most amazing tea ever.. Next we headed off to Geppetto's workshop to play with the wooden toys and puppets.. so immature.. i know.. doesn't matter though it was an excellent day overall and we're already planning out next trip there.

boo no photos of ripe. i leave you with this..

dinner at margots

*mush alert*

2nd of April : First official proper sit down for dinner date.

prior to this we had discussed perhaps not doing anything for our 1 month but my girly side caved so of course mr. b politely humoured my request..(because he is nothing short of amazing) although we're both on tight budgets.

so the night began with me running late as i had previously been repainting the walls of our new house. mr.b arrived a little early ( 6:30, was the agreed time) as usual, knowing that he might have to wait for me to get ready. He did end up waiting... maybe 20 minutes or so. After another 2-3 minutes of picking the right shoes to match my dress we were off. Offering me his arm we walked down the garden path to Lola (my car). To be honest I was feeling extremely excited but I was

a bit worried.. what if we couldn't hold a proper conversation and could talk about nothing other than sweet nothings? No, we couldn't possibly be like that could we? Anyway we set off... and soon got lost somewhere in the city looking for the carpark to Crown( i cannot be held responsible this time)... many a U-turns later we arrived at our destination.. then it was rushing through the hustle and bustle of the crown casino to margot's. Finallly, we were seated. We shared a few giggles whilst we people watched. The girl who sounded like she'd had inhaled waaay too much helium and the cohort of waiters

who all arrived to the scene of a fallen, broken ,beer glasss was all very entertaining ( the latter seemed a bit more dramatic ). Looking at the menu we decided to go straight to mains.. I let him order for me, he knew what i would like anyway. And he did a very good job of ordering an eye fillet, medium rare with mushroom sauce. I was extremely excited at the prospect of steak... i know, very un-ladylike, i should have gone for a salad. As the night wound down we headed over to south yarra and then to lygon for a catch up over chocolate desserts with a few friends. On the way home. I put my hand in his and thanked him for a lovely dinner ( the deal is one

person pays for the mains, the other drives, pays for parking and the drinks ). To be brutally honest, the food was mediocre. The company, exquisite. We had an amazing time,no, a funderful time just being friends and then some.

To mr b. my best friend and love, happy one month beautiful. Here's to many many more

"explaining the very important technique of wearing a lens cap as a monocle"

oh love..

now, i know i haven't been blogging much or at all really but i've been a busy little bee trying to get my life in order. the past few months have been a rollercoaster ride of emotions. in chronological order

- i met my niece for the very first time. she is, for those of you that don't know, singlehandedly one of the most beautiful beings on earth. so much so that i won't be posting any photos because the web is filled with scary people.

- i fell in love with my family in perth all over again. i spent an incredible 5 days with my uncles, aunts, cousins and my granny. yeah, she couldn't remember me sometimes, but i know she still loves me regardless.. i spent more time then i ever have with my cousin em and her hubby mike, and it was just so good to reconnect. unfortunately i didn't get to spend as much time with leish as i would have liked to.. and i didn't get to see james.. at all :(

or dan for that matter.

the beautiful yanchep lagoon. roadtrip with my uncle richard

- a certain boy and i are "official", it has been an incredible 5 years in the making and he still amazes me, which is no simple task because i get distracted and i'm so easily bored.. *i know, typical of my generation, constantly needing to be entertained* more to come on this later. maybe.

master.b & miss.i

-i've been through a extreme rough patch with my walk with God. being hurt by certain people at church really made me question a lot of things and i began to take several steps back from everything to do with christianity bringing me to an all new spiritual low. Of late, things have begun to change and God has reached out to me and revealed his amazing amazing heart to me despite my circumstances and my doubting and everything that went on. ah the mercies and grace of a wonderful saviour is astounding.

*capital letters are over-rated.. seriously.

what i've been up to...

merry belated christmas to all! and an early new years... i probably won't be writing before then. Maybe! I just finished uploading a whole heap. I've been busy baking and sewing and have come up with 2 items of clothing and a whole bunch of
cookie. lots and lots of things reallllly. Also.. i DO have to do a re-sit sometime in january so i will be a busy little bee until then.. but for now.. here are some of the adventures i've been up to.

little creature on brunswick :delish

hehe hey sam.. nice jug

success!! -fully retarded

ah assassin's creed II

mollases cookies

and now we learn to breathe once more

"its over! its well and truly over!" i exclaimed happily over the phone. i left out the bits about the fact that i will probably have to do a resit.. but i don't care too much. i'm free to bask in the sun, and take pretty pretty pictures, and bake and perhaps if i'm reallly good, i may just exercise. also, my beautiful niece has arrived. this makes me extremely extremely happy and excited... the "kick your feet with excitement" sort of happiness.

cardi beads& shoes: opshop

top: one piece swimsuit from grade 4

jeans: jay jays

ah summer

today i'm sitting in the lounge with the doors to the deck open and the smell of jasmine wafting in through the large timber frames. There's a slight breeze coming thorough and the sky has turned into its lovely purple haze and i sit back and wish i didn't have to study for an exam and i didn't have to go in to uni tomorrow and i could just sit on the deck and play with the silly bounding heap outside otherwise known as Ruby the basset. I have plenty of things to write about.. but i haven't had much time to sit and recollect my thoughts or go out the the field down the road and lie down on the cricket pitch and ponder... I also need to remind myself to meet up with clara and ali cause i haven't had a good sit down with these ladies in a fair while.. and i do miss them so..anyway it's back to work and it's another sunny day tomorrow!

bring on the picnic baskets and gingham rugs

p.s i love you

maladresse

as promised the first sketch. oh woe, tis the exam season soon. it's really not the nicest time of the year. cash is running verrry low. things aren't quite working out at the moment. but thats okay. : ) i have liddle bits of life that make everything okay. like when it's been hailing and raining and you get a good spot of sun. i'm very much looking forward to the next 5 years. i think it'll be rather splendid. Oh Mao's last dance is MUST see. 500 days of summer? not impressed... it was okay. but thats all it was.

letters in the mail

.the ability to communicate.

.to write letters.

.to put the effort into all the little tiny things that make relationships extra special.

i got a letter in the mail today.

i usually only get letters from uni and the bank.

boring, paperwork stuff.

my uncle had sent me a note telling me he loved me very much and he was heading to china for a missions trip.

he'll be gone for two weeks so he sent me all of his petrol fuel vouchers.

strange.

but lovely.

i love my family

and if one day you wake up

and find that you're missing me....

have you ever lost a friend momentarily for whatever reason only to rekindle it again and find what it was that made you fall in love with them in the first place? its happened a fair few times in the last few weeks and if i could draw/film the images that i can see in my head i would be able to show you exactly how it makes me feel... it's like a drop of paint splashing into your soul, livening up nooks and crannies you forgot existed. And they'd grow outwards and fizzle off into every other part of you. Or like someone playing an instrument and you find yourself unfathomably happy when you hear a once familiar tune.. oh the wonders of rediscovered friendship...

also.. i found the cutest cafe.. 

which also makes me very happy

not as happy as you

the many faces of ruby

in other news..

i'm terribly excited! i'm going to be an aunty! 

heck i'm gonna be the best aunty every.. 

eek i think i will start sewing a toy for my new nephew/niece.. 

oh gosh, i think i'm gonna get so clucky.

i'm gonna smother the kid with love.