The wait...for the big question.

Okay so let me be completely honest here. One of the things I'm waiting on is.... a proposal. Yeah it's no major surprise. My bf and I have talked about it in rather great lengths - not the proposal itself but marriage. It will not come as a major major surprise when he decides to pop the question (althou he may be lucky and catch me off guard!!) and I guess it's different for every gal. Some are shocked beyond belief and never saw it coming while others have already shopped for their engagement ring and wearing it before he has even officially asked for her hand in marriage (hv read blogs abt this in the US). Better yet are some of the Singaporean proposals which culturally come in the form of "will u buy a HDB flat with me?" (hehe! this happened to my gf & at the time, I was still learning to embrace much of e Sporean culture so i wasn't too impressed and boy did I have words with the bf...haha! But in the end, he did follow up with a very romantic proposal in HK - sweet.)

Anyhow for those out there who may find themselves in similar shoes to moi.... it's just the most funny, wierd, limbo feeling...rite?!? Talking about something that's going to happen but not knowing quite when and having absolutely no control over it. This is what "waiting" is all about. hehe!

While life goes on and I'm multi-tasking other things in my life, there are also certain things like moving out into a house of our own, designing and renovating a nice big master bedroom...which we've talked so much about but I just can't get on with it yet! I'm a little of two minds - wanting it to happen so that I move into the next stage of life (& enjoy the renovated pad hehe!) and at the same time, kinda happy to wait and not rush into the many new responsibilities that married life will throw on me.

For now, I shall be content with my existing bedroom, where the books sit in piles on the floor instead of book shelves, minimal furnishings and DIY bathroom shelving..... And I wait... until it's time to move on. There is indeed a time for everything :)

Productive Sunday

Human beings are pretty adaptive if they need to be. In Brunei, you will find no Bunnings and no Ikea. So a girl has no choice but to resort to some home DIY. We had some pieces of wood chopped up for us (a plank to be precise) and brought it home to construct together. Jin drilled and I painted (aka stained the wood so it looked slightly better). What a team!

And then it was left on our balcony to dry (not before we nearly made our housemate high from the paint thou haha!) Voila...the finished product in my bathroom....more storage now :)

Well the boy has gone home tonight so it's a quiet Sunday night to myself. It's been awhile :P The candles are lit and I'm tossing up between starting a new novel or maybe a new season of ANTM? Decisions... decisions. Hope it's been a good weekend for all. Busy week ahead so am soaking up the last of the weekend now. Think a touch of port will help too....

Domestic Goddess wannabe

Man! Why do we have so many chores to do and why are they so not fun?!?! I get my good days and bad days - some days I just cannot get motivated to do anything. But once the motivation kicks in - I can be super efficient...thank God! During those times, it takes less than 5 mins to fold and put away my laundry and yet I can leave a pile sitting there (calling my name) for days and days and days. hehe! Just terrible! Not sure any household can function at the mercy of me...waiting til I feel like doing the chores. yikes! I best not think about it and will pray that I grow to like my chores more and grow supernatural powers to conquer them when I need to. hehe!

Living in Asia really does spoil me in not having to iron my own clothes or mop/vacuum the floor - these are my most dreaded chores EVA! Being able to afford some help is bliss and I know....that when I eventually move back to Oz, it will be self-torture cos by default, I'm choosing to go "without help". oh boy!

It's taken me sometime to get used to having maids around thou. I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of them cleaning around me while I'm sitting on my butt reading and drinking my coffee. The guilt is just horrible! I just feel so bad, and it's hard to switch it off. Having to also manage a maid as part of your household and allowing them into your home is another huge challenge - I'm observing my friends move outta their parents place and hire their own maid and setting the ground rules, the huge trust issues and the humanity factor - how should they be treated??!?

Ultimately I'm not there yet. I would just get walked all ova...cos I'd end up being too nice to them (which for me is just about treating them like another human being - which u can't!!!). So until I get first hand experience in managing them and living with them - the verdict is out. That's why I just wanna be at peace with my chores for now. hehe! And hope hope hope that the um "cleaning" inspiration (they come is such fleeting short bursts) will come so much more frequently. It's really about being house-proud and that I know...I have. I love making my home look and feel nice and warm.

Reviewing Home Security.

Is it possible to actually feel a tad chilly? Gosh I've turned soft while living near the Equator! The dark clouds are rolling in fast this morning and even while sitting under the fan, I feel a chill. Don't know how I'm gonna survive when I move back to a country that has 4 seasons. The heater will be on 24/7. hehe!

Anyway we've officially had our first break-in. Our LPG tank got stolen over the weekend. It was nearly empty which made it easy to carry away. Plus we don't have neighbours on one side of our house, so it's doubly easy to get in thru the semi-jungle/empty plot of land next to us. Just as Jin's dad was nagging at us to put a chain on it before it gets nicked! Too late!

Overall Brunei is still pretty safe but I guess there's always that side you don't see as it turns dark. We are surrounded by foreign workers who don't get paid all that much, and live in pretty poor conditions and a LPG tank is worth $100 bucks - so that's easy money for sure! Now we gotta re-look our home security. I feel slightly violated! Not a good feeling knowing it was that easy to come into our backyard and take stuff. We don't leave "a lot" out there, but my clothes are always left hanging out there to dry - what if they went missing too?! I'd be in tears!

And if that wasn't enough, we have a new pest in the neighbourhood. A black cat literally jumped up through our kitchen window grills and into our house the other day! I freaked! We had nothing to keep the cat OUT. They are agile creatures! So a trip to the hardware store is in order...to get some mesh wire to drape across the window. Keep out mozzies and cats while keeping the kitchen well ventilated. hehe! Honestly - u just don't get these kinds of problems back in Spore :P

Un...inspired

Maybe it's cos I just got back from Spore & it usually takes a little while to adjust....but am feeling pretty SLUGGISH! The contrast is huge - from mad, hectic, divine meals with so many close friends to now simply creating my own schedule of gym, addictive dvds & lotsa online reading.

Every trip is different even thou it's the same place & same faces. I managed to catch up wif 35 of my closest frens in just 4 days. Not a bad effort. The best part - listening to different life issues - from havin to work their way thru skooL which is so rare in Spore & awesome, to honourin parents as they tried to maintain some control ova ur "adult" life...definitely tricky!

Anyway how's this for a summary of the trip.. "chicken 2-ways washed down with a couple of martinis." hehe!

And a face you just can't resist. He's just growing more and more adorable each time I see him. Right now he's just the purrrrfect 'bolster' to hug! hehe! My fave toy to play wif. And my dear friend has made a huge decision to quit her job to look after tis little one. Kudos! I guess kids really do change ur life huh. I just hope I can handle it one day. I call them "toys" for a reason - purely cos they can be passed around, & put away when u get bored hehe!