Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Birthday Boogie...

Today I turned 27 and I had a great day.

Miss Tiny got me charming little cupcakes. They're so pretty and romantic- I almost can't bear to eat them!



Then my sister sent me a life size Elmo balloon carrying a life size Loony Tunes Tassie Devil, along with a colourful bouquet of balloons. The whole arrangement would take up half a train carriage, so Elmo and Tassie D have been left back at the office to safeguard my desk from the Cookie Monster and Porky Pig.


I can't believe I'm TWENTY - SEVEN!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Paris is calling...


Miss EBae and I are like bumchums. Sweet peas in a pod. Bananas in Pyjamas.

We're Korean, wear the same geometric glasses, sport similar hair cuts (until recently), and share a penchant for eating, markets and happy snapping.

With Miss EBae, there's no need for the requisite "two weeks notice, let's pencil it in" when it comes to catching up. She'll text on a Friday morning for a Friday dinner. I'll call on a late Saturday morning, for a Saturday adventure. It's spontaneous, relaxed and easy.

We've known each other on and off since we were 8 years old (our big sisters went to the same tutoring-- hey, we're Asian, our parents started the study thing early!), attended the same high school but mingled in different crowds, before serendipitously reconnecting at the Canadian Embassy for our 5 month stint in Canada. While we were there, I would cook and occasionally keep Miss EBae financially afloat when her funds ran dry. Meanwhile, she would keep things unpredictable and funny- forcing me to take breaks from the surprisingly intense Canadian study regime, making us hike Gatineau Park on a frosty, frosty day, helping my direction-challenged brain find its way amongst familiar but confusing streets, and devising the ingenious plan to roll our suitcases all the way to the grocery store (6 blocks away) because the shopping load was huge and a car was nowhere to be found.

We're different but same, and the different works because of the underlying same-- if you get me.

Yesterday, Miss EBae left for a 6 month Parisian Voyage. She's set off to explore, learn French and become a jack of all trades (Nanny/English teacher/Frenchie Waitress).

Alas, this means no more spontaneous catch ups and Saturdays. On the plus side, I'm going to see her in less than a months' time and we're going to have HEAPS AND HEAPS OF FUN!

I'll miss you Miss EBae!!! xoxoxo

[Miss EBae, Grr and I in Flemington for some Pho:]

[Miss MJ, Miss Daria, Miss SmileyEyes and Miss EBae with the Croquembouche made by the masterful Miss MJ:]


[Bon voyage Miss EBae!]

[High school buddies:]


Thursday, July 14, 2011

It's time to divide and conquer...

Okay, okay- lesson learnt. I keep a blog because I want to keep things current. Therefore, I update. Usually. Generally. Okay, so I try. Unfortunately, circumstances outside my control in recent weeks (ummmm what were they again?) meant that my blog fell by the wayside. To be honest, it was fundamentally funtastic. I indulged in books, trips, farewell dinners and gave myself a new name: The Blogcrastinator. Hor hor hor-- clever pun! I hear you crow.

The upside was, life without updating was a nod to the olden days when 80% of life wasn't spent in front of the computer. The downside is that now I'm scratching my head and furrowing my eyebrows because like seriously, when did that happen again? Dates on photos clearly assist, but seriously cease and desist from believing that one day, one big update is going to do momentous occasions justice!-- I try and knock some sense into myself.

On that note, did you miss me?

Work-wise, it's been a time of enormous change. The following people have departed, moving onto top tier law firms, in-house counsel roles and child rearing honours (I think Miss Priya's gonna have a baby girl-- you read it here first, watch this space, mark my words, *insert other cliche equivalent phase because this is really really psychic quality stuff*):
  1. Abzashack: his final day was 1 July 2011

  2. Miss Priya: her final day was also 1 July 2011

  3. Miss K Kaif: her final day was 8 July 2011
[Abzashack and all of us:]


[Miss K Kaif and Miss DB:]


[Miss Priya and I:]

It's been sad, but I'm really excited for them all. After all, change is so refreshing and invigorating.

In addition, Miss K Kaif got engaged in glamorous style while in-- where else? Las Vegas (!!!) and returned from her holiday with a giant sparkly rock. I kid you not, it was the biggest rock I've ever seen. Special kudos to her Man for the incredible choice and classy design. I'm going to have to find a new pseudonym for Miss K Kaif now that she's going to be a Mussus!


[Miss LondonLook, Miss CarrieBradshaw and Mr Russia:]

[Such a precarious group shot- quads were feeling the burn at this point:]

As a result of these departures, we've had a few new people start. Among them is Miss Irish Eyepatch. I call her this because: (a) she's quintessentially Irish and (b) in her second week, she got attacked by a minor bird as she walked down the street. Literally. I know. Just like Alfred Hitchcock's movie.

The result: A scraped cornea and a fabulous eye patch to garner admiration and sympathy from me, the Daphinator and the entire world. She kept Ahrrrr!-ing appropriately like a pirate and on the Daphinator's and my (ever so helpful) advice, fashioned a super realistic replacement eye with the help of make-up, artistry and a steady hand:

[Miss Irish Eyepatch and her Magic Eye:]

Her week was then made significantly better when her mysterious admirer (He's just a friend with a really similar name to me! insists Miss Irish Eyepatch) sent a single red rose to bid her farewell on her two week voyage back to Ireland for her sister's wedding:

In the midst of all this work frivolity, there was a bit of relaxation and leisure on the side.

One Saturday, Miss Tiny and I went to a half day photography course at the Raffles College of Design and Commerce. It was really interesting and our tutor (he had a really artsy name like "Stak") plopped ice cubes in coloured water and beamed as we marveled at our reflexes and the pictures that we produced-- cue: scores and scores of photos of ice and water shooting out from a glass left, right and centre. Miss Tiny also doubled as our fashion model as we practised taking pictures involving movement (i.e. Miss Tiny's hair whizzing around in sync with her floaty floral skirt) and poses.

[Lunch after a fun morning of photography:]


Then, last weekend, I shipped myself off to Melbourne where Man from Mars and I made the most of my 30 hour stay. It was meant to be 40 hours, but my flight for Friday got cancelled. By all accounts, it was a fortunate twist of fate, because I got to go to Miss K Kaif's farewell and Melbourne as well! I took some funny photos of weird and wacky things you only see in Melbourne-- because they are a weird and wacky bunch:

[Clouds from the plane, before all the weird and wacky stuff started:]

[Seriously, I get the toilet's out of order. You don't have to make it even more out of order]:

[Dreamy drive in the earliest hours of Saturday morning and that was literally the colour of the sky (it was sunny)- the sun was making everything all grayscale:]

[Michael went a bit loopy on Brunetti's hot Italian chocolate as we waited to watch Love Never Dies at the theatre:]

[And, last but not least, because Melbourne weather really is that bad that their headlights need little wipers:]


Well, it's nearing the end of another week and man alive do I feel good- kinda like that feeling you get when you've shaved your legs at the end of a loooong winter (unless you're different to me and don't hide behind trackies and tights and do shave your legs all winter). Up to date, news offloaded, and ready to rock and roll into another weekend.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

To do list...

Quit procrastinating and update your blog! I told myself firmly after I'd finished dinner.

Then I promptly crawled into bed, turned on Channel 7, got swept away by Australia's Got Talent and Winners and Losers and doing my tax return.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, is gonna be the mother of all updates.