memory gap

so it's been 5 months. and i am now a regular employee.
yes, the grueling 3-month probationary period is over.
i can now work harder as the coming months look to be more grueling.

today i finally made an acquaintance with someone working in the same building aside from my officemates.
"the name's john, by the way."
i hope i won't forget.

watching the tennis

movie buff that i am, i missed a lot of good ones.
i might have been so young, or i might have not enough funds.
last night was silence of the lambs.
thankful for second chances.

ogenki desu

i'd always say i don't miss japan at all, not even after living there for 8 months in 2007.
i was wrong. i would often find myself craving for ramen, maki-sushi, udon and somen.
and i just love ocha and genmaicha. the list goes on.

yesterday was buffet lunch at yutaka restaurant in bathurst street.
thankful for cravings. even more thankful for cravings satisfied.

72% Cocoa - Dark Ghana

then there are days that i am not up to anything:
my brain refuses to cooperate and i need to work and earn my keep.
my mood is swinging from right to left , up and down.

thankful i can write about these too.

basking in the smell of rain

ever notice how some smell transports you several years back to remind you of a place or food or somebody?
i have those moments and they stop me on my tracks.
i wallow in them, i think through which object i associate the scent to.
only when i finally decided i have pinned down the one that i go on my merry way.

funny that scents i remember are always comforting and good and happy memories.
i thank God for selective amnesia.

3B pencil

being here at sydney, there are many things that takes getting used to:

some mirrors in public toilets only reflect my forehead.
there are some items that are not available in the shop, until i look 3 levels higher up the display shelf.
or being asked for an id before being admitted to a restaurant that serves alcohol.
then there's being bumped into without being noticed.

thankful i can speak english.

dessert after breakfast

for someone who's been trying to choose to be selfless each opportunity, i am one hypocritical gal.
i mix so many things up. and i make quite a mess, a subtle mess at times, to those i profess to love.

but hey, i am loved. despite. and loved deeply, unconditionally, faithfully and with full of hope.
grace in action. i am thankful.

flies are meant to fly

days without planned activities are very hard to come by for me.
maybe because i bump into things i want to do or places i want to see all too often.
but they do come by and today is such a day.

i spent my morning ironing clothes while watching tv --
there's alicia keys in london, then ellen's show then oprah.
that's the arts, comedy and financial advice one after the other.
after chewing on these potato chips, i'll be moving my butt
and find a decent callcard - i want to hear my shobe's voice.

i am thankful God gave me hands, really.

homecoming

thankful for the water
that washes clean
that refreshes and quenches
that's ever giving
no thought to taking

i have much to learn.

Christmas

thankful our God is full of grace and truth.
thankful too He has been very faithful in providing us our needs and generous in giving us our wants.

windows

must be named such because they let the wind in.
i am thankful for the big windows at our place.
our table is beside them, so i look forward to mealtimes.
blinds, unblinded and tucked to the center --
allowing sunlight and cool wind to come through.
ah the joys of al fresco living, in a condo.

lucky me

George, the landlord, comes by the building almost everyday this week.
Since the other company moved, he has been very busy with fixing stuff around the building.
George has a dog named Lucky who goes wherever George goes.

So Lucky's here. In the building. And he drops by my place every once in a while.
He must have figured I fancy him. He lets me pat him, pick him up and he sits on my lap.

I miss my doggies back home all the more.
TJ was almost a mom. She gave birth to a puppy boy, but it died.
Guess I have to wait some to be a grandmom.

barefoot liberation

i have always wondered why sydneysiders are so fond of going around barefoot.
today, i stopped wondering:
i wandered about without my slippers on.
rode the bus, went to bondi beach and even shopped for bread barefoot.
and oh, today's my first time to swim at an aussie beach.

butter and bread pudding

thankful for the ride around the eastern suburbs.
thankful for conversation with friends.
thankful for good food.
thankful for the walk along the beach.
thankful i am reunited with my yellow chuckies.

no to anti-ageing cream

i thank God for laughter and the laugh lines that go with it.
but i say yes to sunscreen.