August 2005

There are no dresses in Brisbane (or I just don’t know where to look). They are either too expensive (Temperley, Alannah Hill, Wayne Cooper) or too cheap (low-quality imports flogged for designer prices) or not suited for a wedding party. I’m trying the Valley today and if all else fails… eBay!

LOL.

In the meantime I’ve been busy eating my way through my trip. Roy took me for a famous sandcrab lasagne at Il Centro the night before and we had lasagne again last night at La Dolce Vita. And I had all sorts of breakfasts and lunches and snacks in between. Being here makes me feel instantly healthier for no reason other than most menus have little coded icons that represent ‘Gluten Free’, ‘Low GI’, ‘High Protein’ or ‘Low Carb’ food items. And all the little juice bars peppered around the CBD and freshly squeezed valencia orange juices at cafes reminds me not too fondly of mamak ‘fresh orange’ juices and Sunkists bad excuse for packed OJ in KL.

So far have managed to catch up with a couple of friends while Roy and Phuong are at work (Hsin being one of them at breakfast yesterday). Had a sleepless night due to 9pm coffee consumption at Milton with Roy and Dan (rare night that they are not home playing WoW because the server is down for maintenance) so I’ve only just woken up and showered and wondering if I should play WoW.

I am bored. Forestdale is retirement retreat central with lush acreages and kookaburras so I’m moving to Roys’ tonight. It is nice, but it is also hard to tell a city girl to relax and do nothing for 24 hours. Especially after my 90-hour stint working last week. I’m not good with extremes. And I feel a tidal wave of retail therapy coming on.. hahaha!

My semi-permanent digits > 0401878903

28/8/2024

Two hours ahead

Am in Sunny Queensland now and:

a. My uncle’s place has undergone major renovation and now the new extended lounge is twice as big as the old one, there is a soundproof drum-cum-av room and a photography darkroom.
b. There is broadband wifi here now, which is a significant upgrade from dialup (hallelujah!)
c. In the frenzied rush to get my shit together 2 hours before left for the airport, I forgot to pack a dress to wear to the wedding.. although in retrospect this might be a good thing after all because I have an excuse to buy another dress…
d. The weather is abso-f*cking-lutely gorgeous (16-22 c on average)
e. A new mall just opened on Queen Street in the city
f. A new outlet mall is opening in September (which is only a couple of days away) near Brisbane Airport
g. I am trying desperately to disconnect from work (still thinking and worrying about it occasionally)
h. Am attempting to not smoke so much (which should be easy in constant company of family members)
i. Missing Nik already
j. No jetlag!

This past week has been somewhat of a blur. In between a few 3am working nights and crashing out, 9am mornings and morning coffee runs I have had no time to even think about packing. I mean, I am excited and all but it’s been so crazy at work that I’ve just been procrastinating and putting it off. Mom has been bugging me all week. I still have a couple of hours more till I have to leave for the airport. I just hope I don’t forget anything important like, you know, all the shoes I meant to pack.. or something..

If for some reason you need to contact me I will only be roaming till I get an prepaid but I will still sporadically check my Maxis line for stray SMSes.

Have a great weekend!

It finally hit me that I will be leaving for Australia in less than a week. Actually, Nik reminded me over the weekend that this is my last weekend here for a month. And all of a sudden I’m panicking - I’ve got so much work left to sort out, loose ends to tie up, friends to see, lunches and dinners and drinks, clothes to pack, essentials to buy.. I have no idea how I’m going to do all that in 5 days! OMG!

But I really am looking forward to my cousin Justin’s wedding:


Justin in Brisbane about two years ago

My earliest off-camera childhood memory of us was when our families drove to Kajang for satay. His dad had just bought a new Volvo with a sunroof, and a few of us stuck our heads out for the drive. Sunroofs were such a novelty then, even more so when you’re 7 and with a bunch of peers. Now I look back and wonder if we swallowed any bugs that night screaming on the highway.. hehhehe. I wish I had a picture of us then.. I have no recollection of the satay.

And now one of us is getting married. My only bugbear is that I have nothing to wear to the wedding!

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