July: turning point.

I feel like a whole bunch of big things happened in one month and I ran out of resilience! 

First, some little highlights. I am super into candles so I treated myself to buying a few at TK Maxx. They are so cheap! And I really enjoy hunting down evocative smells. These ones have cardamom, rosemary, patchouli, oud, things like that. 

 

I cracked out the new unopened flanelette sheets!

This is Sweep in a yellow jumper matching the walls. 

I tried to paint my front door but there was oil paint under my primer!!!!! I borrowed a friend's sander and removed as much primer as I could. Back to square one.

Here are some fun times! I went to Kickin Inn Cajun Seafood with R and Sh, it was tasty and fun, but expensive and messy. Maybe not an experience I would repeat but very glad to do it!

There were many birthdays! This was a document burning fire for Dad's birthday. JK had trivia. Johnny turned one, but I missed that one.

The first half of the month featured my job application. The process went for weeks. There was for example a video app that recorded your answers to preset questions, you had a few chances to re-record it but the whole thing had a time limit so it was intimidating. I knew that there were over 200 people applied for my job, so I was getting more and more anxious just about not messing up and looking stupid compared to all the potentially amazing other candidates. 

I highly recommend this podcast. It helped me prepare for the interview and gave me the confidence to sell myself.

I think this is my interview outfit. I actually dressed a little more professionally and wore makeup a lot in the leadup, partly to subliminally impress everyone with my professional looks lol, but partly to give myself that power. Now I've totally forgotten about it. 

This is where I did my interview on Teams, I had my laptop there, a whole lot of notes and my resume, a glass of water and a box of tissues. Prepared. I felt OK at the end, I definitely finished strongly, but I spent DAYS afterwards rethinking everything I said in painful regretful detail.

I bought myself a new pair of pilates socks as a reward!

JK moved out! It happened rather suddenly. I noticed a fb post from one of her old housemates, she caught up with her a few times and talked about things and thought about things, and then it was decided! I had mixed feelings, it is a positive move, a real turning point and an end of the "cocoon and recover" era, but it is a big change for both of us too. The move went very smoothly overall. 

We have been having the exteriors of the units repainted. Not a lot of work for me but just another big thing going on, involving a bit of logistics.

Parents went away and I added Banjo breakfast and dinner to my routine for a week.

I went to a Dr appointment in Newcastle on the wrong day, so I instead bought some goat cheese at Harris Farm and walked along Bar Beach.

I took a day off and went to Sydney to play the hymns for D's mum's funeral. I woke up with a sore throat.

I really hit the wall this week. All the anxiety of the job application kind of switched into some of my work projects and into managing the logistics of everything that was happening with the house, the dog feeding etc. So I was actually glad to get sick and take some days off work. I didn't quite do it properly, I always feel like a throat infection isn't really the same as a cold or flu because I'm not sneezing or snotty, so while I rested a lot, I also moved furniture, went to the movies, and went to church. I tried to go bak to work on MOnday, which I also had my carpets steam cleaned in the morning, but ended up sleeping in the afternoon and then sleeping on Tuesday too. I had coldsores. It was really an exhaustion situation.

This is an example of the furniture moving and junk sorting I undertook, because the carpets needed a clean after 9 years of me and 18 months of a puppy, and with a lot of empty space after the move out it was the perfect time to declutter, move furniture and get the carpets cleaned. It was terrible timing for my health, but I am very happy it is done! The house is so fresh now. More on that next month.

This is me having lunch with a throat infection at my parents house for the last Sunday lunch before they move house.

Anyway, being sick ended up being a very helpful circuit breaker and reset. Some guilt-free days to rest, and letting go of work stress. My motto for the rest of the year is now 'slow and steady'.

June jaunts and job.

June has been a good month! I had some busy weekends and two trips to Sydney but I also had lots of time to sit in the sunny spots of the back yard and read, and I have read about 6 books this year which is a great number! 

  

R and me went along to the local production of Little Women the musical. We know one of the leads. The singing was great, the musical itself is not memorable but it has it's poignant moments. I checked out the orchestra while I was there as it is my hope to join them, and I sat next to someone and struck up a conversation with them and she knew all about the orchestra, the time commitment and what they do each year so that was great information. 

I pruned my roses which was 2 green bins worth of wood waste. I'm treating one for scale and white aphid things.

And I tackled one of the scariest jobs I've ever done! I cut and unravelled the sleeves on the cardigan mum knit me last year, and wove the cuffs back on, making them 4 inches shorter. I did this at mums house with the support of mum and heather just in case it went badly. I am SUPER PROUD OF THIS. I do a lot of crafts, and the youtube videos were quite clear about how to do it, but it still feels like a miracle achievement.

I was dreading one of the trips to Sydney because I'm nervous about driving into the CBD and getting into unfamiliar car parks. I drove down with a colleage, dropped her in the city for a meeting on monday evening and got my car and myself parked at darling harbour. Then I was heaps more relaxed! I enjoyed walking over to Myer, over the beautiful pyrmont bridge, and I tried on some jeans I'd seen online. I concluded that they looked like dad jeans on me and I will not rush to straight or wide leg jeans. Then I met G for dinner and we had shanghai dumplings at Darling sq and I burnt my tongue on the soup inside the dumpling, which I am not unfamiliar with but I sucked it right into my mouth and my tongue hurt for 2 days. Then we walked up the goods line and back, had some kurtosh for dessert, and had an early night.

Tuesday and Wednesday I spent at a workplace wellness conference, learning a lot about managing workplace mental health, HR, latest trends and free coffees. It was quite a lot for the brain so it was tiring. 

We left a bit early on wednesday afternoon so I ended up getting home at 6.30 and then back to work on Thursday.

I received an update on my job application and had to make time to record some video responses, so I took thursday arvo off to do that, and then on the weekend I uploaded some requested samples of work. I have my interview via Teams on Thursday 6 July and then this ordeal will be over. I know I have an advantage in getting my existing job, but I also know there is a lot of good competition and I also have the most to lose! So I am looking forward to when this is all over.

My second trip to Sydney was for pleasure, I left work Monday arvo and drove down for the Getty Sing! Australia events, the first one at Castle Hill on Monday night, and the second on Tuesday night at the Opera house. I enjoyed both, the music was excellent both but Monday had a sprinkle of short topical talks, on the songwriting, singing with kids, the place of music in suffering, the ministries Getty and City Alight are involved in.

I stayed with R and her mum, and Tuesday we went out for lunch at a Filipino restaurant, delicious BBQ skewers and I had to have a pandan dessert. 

R and I met Heather at Central, we enjoyed the Railway Brass Band while we waited!

It was R first time inside the Opera House! And I was excited to see the new acoustic renovations too. It was a great night of music--irish, bluegrass, gospel, a choir and audience singing. Immaculate sound. 

And now on to the second half of 2023! My parents are moving house in August, which is huge news for the family. They haven't moved in 25 years so there's lots to deal with, and it's a bit of a shame they haven't enjoyed the renovations very long, but the new place is nice and has a lot less mowing so it's a good change. 

Minimal May

I don't have much mojo for blogging this year, but it seems I'm committed. Thankfully this month I have hardly any photos. Probably good, after the hugeness that was April. 

I made sure I took it very easy after being sick, and avoided pilates for a while. I worked in the book area of the Field Days tent, and I wasn't running the whole show this year, so it was much more of a cruise and I enjoyed it. 

We spent a nice morning at Taste and watched the cooking demos. I have notes on how to make almond croissants, and I cooked a sri lankan cauliflower curry the next day which was AMAZING. Should actually add it to the regular rotation now I think of it. I put fish in it because I had some very discounted fish in the freezer.

I've been getting focused on tidying up and using up. Combing through parts of the house and dusting, organising, culling, and finding things that are very old and should be used. I'm working on skin care type stuff, foods like jars of jam and lemon butter and spices, things that end up just hanging around for 10 years for no reason.

I also had a bit of a sort through clothes and culled the oldest stuff into rags. I am aiming to use those rags up in regular cleaning, haha! 

I have been upping my effort in getting dressed. Trying to look put together. I'm obsessed with the Articles of Interest podcast ep https://www.articlesofinterest.co/podcast/episode/3791f4fb/how-to-dress . I am aiming to elevate my look with my existing clothes, wearing my nicer things I don't wear much, wearing more white, and also straightening my hair and wearing a bit of makeup. To use up the makeup as well.

I fixed the broken leg on this storage shelves by replacing with wheels. I had the wheels to fix it for a year but it was annoying to unpack, but eventually it was messy and dusty and needed to be organised anyway. I had to go out and buy longer screws halfway but it was worth it to get it all fixed and repacked in one afternoon.

I've also rotated my bed back to the other wall, so under the bed is all vacuumed.

A hospitality goal achieved, we had Matt and Ginny over for dinner. I decided to make Recipe Tin Eats 12 hour lamb shoulder, which I woke up early to do. Well I woke up early because anxious, so it was a win. A great recipe, more convenient to make for lunch than dinner though.

THE BIG anxiety is my job application. (Role upgrade has to be publicly advertised and I compete for it). I have known this was coming up for months and months, yet I did nothing. Then suddenly it was advertised and I had 2 weekends to do a cover letter, resume and portfolio which I hadn't updated in 9 years. And also those weekends were not empty. But thankfully I got enough chunks of time to focus on it and got it in. I need to start preparing for the interview next.

I have recently discovered I might actually be becoming less irritable and more charitable towards others. I had a little mantra "people are stupid" which was reinforced whenever someone was unreliable or didn't perform to my standard. I have been trying instead to offer good customer service, good manners, good examples, good teaching, stuff like that. Forcing myself to write "Hope you are having a great day!" in emails. And I haven't said or thought "people are stupid" in ages, which I'm not sure if that is some spiritual transformation, or I'm surrounded by fewer unreliable or stupid people. Fingers crossed it's me that changed.

My sister brought the kids to my work to see the cows. I showed them my office and then we did a long walk over to see cows. So nice!

 

April: wedding and travel!

The first half of April was apparently nothing worth taking a photo of! It was busy with work, pilates, getting pre travel jabs and so on. Easter, with its long weekend and special church services — my 6pm band did music for Praise and Passover so that was a load of work too.

And then finally it all started! 

Thursday night was Ginny's hens, with actual handbag making. A great idea, notwithstanding issues with the instruction videos. Heather and I finished ours on our trip, I used mine at the HK reception!

Friday night was a catch up dinner for any family in town at the Yacht Club, which was lovely, and we met some of the other side.

Saturday was a pretty casual day, all the travel stuff was really done by then, so we had all day to get ready for the wedding! It was in the afternoon at Medowie I think, a golf club.

It was a lovely ceremony, and a fun casual reception.

The speeches were great, I always enjoy good speeches.

The holiday photos won't be in order or fully represent the trip, it was all in my instagram and there are too many photos to sort through again!

One unfortunate thing was I had 4 bad nights sleep in a row, either stomach cramps or hip nerves. So by the weekend I was already sleep deprived, and my hip woke me up at 4am on Sunday morning well before the airport alarm. So I was headachy and exhausted for travel day. I drove us to Sydney, we left my car in a carpark and they shuttled us to the terminal, we were nice and early all smooth. As soon as we were on the plane I put on my mask and collapsed. We were delayed on the tarmac but I didn't care because at least I could close my eyes. The rest of the day was just about resting as much as possible, and then at the other end it was Heather's job to get us through Seoul to the hotel by midnight.

So we ate our packed lunches on the plane, and landed in Seoul, H helped me get a Tmoney card, the AREX was not running much because it was so late so we caught the regular train, but Heather was very confident and we made it to Seoul Station and then to MeyongDong, where Elsie met us with gimbap sushi for dinner. It was super late at night but we made it!

Our first day we took it slow. Had an unexciting breakfast, got cash out, went makeup shopping, had a sleep. Might have then gone to the shopping district with the buskers that night too. We realised that Korea doesn't have a lot of fruit and veg. But the street food markets near our hotel were cheap and tasty. And the strawberries were delicious, Korea is into strawberries.

Our second day we went to a palace with a garden. It was rainy and cold but that didn't matter much.

We then went to the Insadong area, found somewhere downstairs to have a hot lunch and warm up, we had beef hot pot Bulgogi, and a fish called pollock. 

We bought some cute hats and I really liked the shops in this area, they were less tacky stuff more cool stuff. We had afternoon tea of cake and drinks in this upstairs cafe with hammocks!

We picked the best weather day to go North to the Odusan Unification Tower and look over the river at north Korea. We caught the bus, then walked 23 min uphill, then walked through the small museum in tribute to the hope of unified north and south Korea one day, then looked through the binoculars, to my delight you can see tiny people. Remy later said its a fake village which makes sense because some of the apartments had no roof.

We had a sleep at the hotel, then went to Dongdaemun, unfortunatly too late to see many shops open at the fabric market, but we walked around it anyway. We had a drink where you buy a cup of ice and a sachet and mix the together, sitting in hillside garden below a section of old city wall. There is an original gate below, right at a busy city intersection. The contrast is fascinating.

We had fried chicken dinner on a rooftop with Hs Korean friend Grace, she ordered for us because the menu had no pictures or english. It was TASTY!! Another goal achieved for the holiday.

Then Thursday we did our hike up Inwangsan, which follows the city wall up and over. A great walk, really challenging though. We started from the city so it was interesting to see the houses and electricity lines.

 

We were super tired after that, and we had vague idea to see a comedy show called Nanta, but that seemed too much, so we didn't end up going. But we did see Remy! And she took us to a cat cafe. 

For our last dinner we spent the last of our cash on all the tasty food we hadn't yet tried at the street food market!

Then Friday was another travel day, H and I caught the trains back to the airport, and by the way we timed it pretty well with our Tmoney cards too! Then we flew HK Express to HK, which was a super organised and efficient flight, left on time to the minute. Check in at the hotel was hectic because apparently there was an EXPO of some sort, so we were numbered and called in groups, took us 45 min total. Then our room stank of cigarettes. Amazing views, 35 floor, but unbreathable. STRESS. Decided we needed dinner and then face the desk queue again about it. We had KFC, which was a lame choice but at least it was foreign KFC, with rice instead of chips or mash. Then I asked for a room swap and we got moved to 16th floor, and it smelled clean and we had a great time in that room. The beds were firm, and my hip stopped waking me up!

Saturday was another rest day. We walked around Tseun Wan to find money exchange and a supermarket. We got lost twice but eventually we were oriented. The supermarket had some good staples so we could set up our room with meusli, milk, bread, cheese and ham, and 2 minute noodles, which is both cheap and restful when you're travelling, to just eat in hotel and not always be looking around at foreign shops making decisions what to eat. Noodles in your PJs is a big energy saver.

We stayed in bed in the arvo and sewed our bags and read books. Then we went down a few floors to the reception! We had good chats with some of Ginny's fam who speak English, and have interesting jobs and such, and with Jason and Irene, and Maya and Mel. I took part in the tea ceremony as Matt's older sister! But was unprepared with gold gifts.

The night was basically a long family photo shoot, with 5 dresses for Ginny, and a 12 course banquet, we had a great time!

Sunday we all met for buffet breakfast and filled up! Then Heather and I went to St Andrews church, we loved it. A warm meeting, singing, communion, Romans, felt at home. Then we met the others up at the street markets, the puppies and kittens and fish in bags for sale, and the everything on the street. Then we went and explored a mall which was much more chill, and a japanese supermarket, and we had a late lunch of snacks and food court drinks.

H and I went back to hotel for a rest before meeting at the taxi rank to go out west for seafood dinner with Ginny's parents and the other Australians. Ginny's mum picked out the seafood at the live market downstairs and then it was all cooked for us in the restaurant. Some of it was sashimi style, some was battered, some was in sauce. Amazing experience!

The next day H and I went to the Palace museum, which has a lot of things from the Forbidden City. I enjoyed the history of ceramics, seeing the craft develop from earthenware jugs 2500 BC, to amazing coloured glazes and fine porcelains. The royal courts placed great value on design and craft, pride in creating better and better designs. 

We had hotel dinner but added some KFC egg tarts.

Wednesday H and I walked up the peak and met Matt and Ginny at the top. It was a nice bushwalk, but obviously much uphill. I have lost some weight after so much walking! Due to the rain and fog, no views, but it was cool at least for the walk. At the top, there was a shopping mall! We bought some gizmos and gifts, and had a nice lunch of wonton soup and noodles. 

We went back down on the tram, and then walked to the ferry, and took the ferry.

We explored the shopping mall at Harbourside, enjoying expensive Godiva ice cream, and gawking at the luxury shops that had ropes in the doors to stop the povvos going in.

Thursday morning H and I checked out and caught the trains to Disney! We checked in, and were entering the park at 10.45 or so, shortly after it opened and it was already crowded!

We had a lovely day. The weather was perfect! Sunny, low humidity, comfortable. Being mid week the queues were relatively OK, 15-20 minutes at most. We did queue 30 min for the lion king show to make sure we got good seats, but we only stood 15 min then we sat. in fact the queues were all very well planned so you moved fast, had things to look at, they set the scene. We did all the good rides, the 3D theatre ones, the roller coasters, the river cruise we did in the day with chinese guide and at night with the english language guide. We had packed sandwiches for lunch, but bought pork and rice for dinner. We stayed for the 8.30 fireworks and it only took us 30 min to walk and shuttle back to our hotel, where our bags were already in our room.

Explorers hotel was super comfortable and so much fun design! It was a shame we couldn't stay longer. The next morning we had a quick walk along the coast, snooped on the other hotels a bit, and then bought a souvineer for Julia and got Uber to the airport.

Then I spent all day at the Airport, half outside the checkin half inside the check in. I broke up the day well though, I read, went to bathroom, instagrammed, had lunch, sat around again, bathroom again, sat around more, finally checked in. Meanwhile my throat got sore. I did a rat, negative, and I bought cold and flu things at the chemist, so I wouln't be snotty on the plane. My early check in meant I got a recliner at the gate! Then J and I found me and we boarded a bit delayed, I got an exit row (I paid $25 for a window seat at the front and luckily it was exit row) and had an interesting chat with other passenger and the stewards. 

Then I rested, it was qantas so it was more comfortable then jetstar, but throat meant not really sleep, then we got out of the airport eventually, our bags were last on the carousel, then I got the shuttle back to my car and drove home. Park and fly worked well.

And JK had made soup, and sweep was happy to see me! I slept and unpacked and washed and slept and unpacked, and luckily my cold isn't too bad and I did another negative rat, so it isn't likely covid. 

A really wonderful 2 weeks, the joy of the wedding and the adventure of travel!