First Electrical Appliance

We bought our very first electrical appliance this week! It is quite an exhilarating experience making a decision like this, our very first, as a couple, to pay several hundreds for.........










A WASHING MACHINE!




Hahaha... you must think me odd for the added drama about this. But I must tell you having to do this is really quite alien to me, having not stayed anywhere that required me to buy something so 'anchoring' - if thats the right expression for it. It is a significant purchase, the first of the many baby steps we will be taking to build our own home.

Having to be responsible for our finances as a couple is so new. I'm so used to spending my money however I like knowing that its quite impossible to run out of it because I stay with my parents. Now everything is different. R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y. Not that I didn't have any before, just that this is of a different sort.

We have been looking around the shops for bargains and I have been told by multiple parties that ours is a real bargain. Its a front loading, 7kg wash load, fully automatic, LG washing machine. We got it with a whopping $200 discount off its usual price because it was on sale and it comes with 12kgs worth of concentrated wash powder free! That is enough for a year long wash! Do I sound like a house wife or what? :) Hahaha...



In Aus, saving energy and saving water is a huge concern and a big factor to choosing an electrical appliance. Out of a 5 star rating, ours rates 4 stars for each category! Which means less to pay for electricity and water. Whoopee!

Such excitement over a washing machine. Cheryl, cheryl, finally becoming a woman :p ... Coming up, a fridge and a microwave!



cheryl

Engagement Party

We had good fun on Sunday evening with us meeting up with Alex's friends some of whom I have met before, Aaron & Erica and others, Annie and Timothy which I had to pleasure of making acquaintance with. We are looking forward to meeting again on some other nights for dinner. It was a night of good laughs and many times the noise level peaked at an unbearable pitch :)

Photos of us. From left: Me, Annie, Timothy, Kristy, Erica, Aaron, Alex.


We received many nice gifts that night. Thanks guys!

Annie gave us very nice mugs. Our first for our new home. Its a set of 4 mugs with accompanying cookie plates. Perfect for tea! Alex insists he won't touch the pink ones. Haha. He'll have the beige ones.

Aaron & Erica gave us electronic salt and pepper mills. So posh! I will feel so much like a top notch cool chef when using them :) The question at the table that night was if we could use these to grind coffee beans. Anyone know?


Tim and Kristy gave us flowers. It's sitting nicely on the dining room table now.

Wonder what other gifts are in store for us *rubbing hands with greedy glee* Hehe..

cheryl

A Full Week On..

Today is Sunday. And as our usual routine on Sundays go, we wake up and head to church. There was a slight change to our routine today as we decided to leave a little earlier and pop by the fresh produce market before arriving for service. I saw some interesting names for stalls there.

There was "Spuds 4 You.."

And there was the "Happy Apple Stand" :)

The Happy Apple Stand made me so happy I decided to buy myself some apples.

Haha. No, I actually wanted to go to the fresh produce market because I wanted to get the 'Pink Lady' apples which are currently in season. I love those so much! They are really crunchy and this variety is a combination of sweet and sour. I know I won't be able to get these in a couple of months when the season ends so I must make the most of it now. Where else but at the fresh produce market where they don't use insecticides?

So we bought a bag and saw a honey stand but decided to give that a pass.

Church was up next and we went to the Canberra Baptist Church. This is Alex's family church and I was duely introduced to the Minister who will be conducting our marriage counseling. The church is very traditional and has retained much of its original facade. It really is a beautiful church. The pictures below will speak of its beauty without further elaboration.

The front and courtyard of Canberra Baptist Church.

The altar / stagefront of the church.

I took a random shot of the ceiling that shows the elaborate handwork of steel and plaster.

The pipe organ in the church. I couldn't edit this shot hence its a little dark but its no less beautiful.

And finally, the most beautiful shot of all... stained glass windows. These line the sides of the church hall. I believe there are a total of 12 stained glass windows. Could be 14. It is really priceless having stained glass windows that were done with such detail.

So that was the end of the first half of the day. We did a lot today but I will only update the rest in the next few entries. Its a whole new week and I expect to be staying home most of the time again.

Come back soon..

cheryl

Day 5 - Snap happy

So today I got to go around town a bit. Alex had the first half of the day off so we had some time to drive around. The sky was really blue today and the trees looked great against it.

Brown, yellow, orange, red... such warm colours in such a cold environment.

We headed to the banks, medicare center to get my stuff done and into the Civic - city centre, where we walked the shops for a bit and I took some shots of some metal artwork/sculptures. I don't recall me taking pictures of these when I was studying here.

Don't ask me why the sheep has a rag on top its body. Anyone notice it? I myself didn't notice it until I was posting this picture. The sun was glaringly bright and I didn't have my sunnies so I didn't really take a good look before snapping the shot. This sculpture is actually part one of a two-part sculpture. The other part was of another sheep which I found to be too vulgar to have its picture taken as it had its privates up in the air. Kinda like when your dog rolls over with four of its legs in the air? Yeah, not exactly pleasant. I don't know what the sculpture was supposed to mean. Maybe I'll go back for a second look the next time I pass it.

Back home, I ventured out into the garden to take pictures of Alex's dads chilli plants. So I won't be deprived of spice after all! Hoorah! I like the 'freshly cut chilli' kind of spice. Bottled chilli sauce or chilli in oil just doesn't deliver the same effect. Jalapeno, tabasco and hotsauce however falls into a completely different category. Anyway, he has told me that the chilli he grows isn't too spicy. Now if only I can find someone who has the seeds of the extra spicy 'birds eye chilli'...

cheryl

Tallest Building in Canberra

I kid you not.

Telstra communication tower not included, this white building is supposedly the tallest building in Canberra. Unless of course Alex is giving me backdated information.

I bet some of you are gonna count the number of floors this building has :)


cheryl

Day 3 - Of Chattering Teeth and Knocking Bones

I know I shouldn't whinge and whine about the cold but really I can't help it :) Its so cold here! I'm very much a sunshine kinda girl. Even back in Malaysia I like sunny days better than I like rainy ones. I complain whenever it rains. Dry and warm - best combinations. My fingers have not ceased being constantly cold ever since I landed :(

We were told that our house will be vacated by June and that we can check out the place next weekend. So exciting! We went by the house today so I could take pictures and post them on the blog. Here is a shot of the roundabout. It is the first thing that hits your line of sight the moment you turn into our street. Quite welcoming isn't it?



Our home to be looks like this out front. There is the garage out back with a direct entrance to the basement of the house. This should look more homey once we get in and maybe plant some colored, small petaled flowers on the balcony. We expect to be doing some painting, cleaning and lots of moving before settling in. So thats going to take a couple of weeks at the very least.


Our home in 6 weeks - No.32 :)





cheryl

Photos

I just received the pictures taken at the airport on the day of my departure. Thanks Pin! :)


Dear parents and I..... Who do you think I resemble? Mom or Dad? 50-50?

Dear friends and I.... Mace and EuniceO and of course Pin, who was holding the camera.





cheryl

Day 2 - Much to do

I spent most of today sorting out stuff in Alex's room. Now that I am here, he has had to vacate his room and move into another until we get married and move into our own place. I get the his queen sized bed and he has to move into a single bed. Hehe..

We also checked out some electrical appliances for our new place, noting the prices of each brand and how much electricity each one consumes. The electricity factor is a huge influence on our purchase.

We went for a quick walk near the house after our visits to the shops as I insisted I had to take a picture so I can post something nice on the blog today. I couldn't really take many shots as the sun had set even though it was only 5.20pm. The shot above is of the moon. It's full moon tonight and the reason I took this photo was because the moon was really huge and pretty to the naked eye. Unfortunately this photo doesn't do it justice.

Hopefully I get to go out a bit more in the days to come. Alex is swamped with work and assignments so we can't do much yet. The cold is also making me want to stay in...

cheryl

Day 1 - Arriving

This will be a short entry since I didn't have the camera on me and hence couldn't take any pictures.

Landing in Canberra refreshed my memories of this place 4 years ago. Even though I have been back here a few times during those years, the last time I was here in Autumn was 4 years go. The moment I walked out the airport doors, I was hit by the light smell of rusty brown leaves, cold and dry air. The sky was stark bright blue without a cloud in the sky. And the wind was blowing as it did years ago. Just like that I was brought back to my memories when I studied here.

One big thing I forgot to do... I forgot my sunnies. Fancy forgetting my sunnies in a land where its occupants are very concerned about sunburn and skin cancer. That says something about the sun here doesn't it? It is my opinion that the sun here is extra bright than in Malaysia. I squint a whole lot more.

Its cold here even though its only Autumn. Lowest is -1 degrees Celcius while highest is 15 degrees. With the wind constantly blowing, the chill factor is much higher. Oh well, winter is around the corner. More icycles then... I need my body to adjust! Real quick!

cheryl

Leaving on a Jet Plane

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go....

I want to post a short entry to thank those who sent me off at the airport. :) Chatting with you guys there really did relieve the pent up emotions and the need to cry. Haha... I know you were all anticipating me to bawl and I even requested you all to bring extra packs of tissue in case I ran out of them but ha.. your presence there actually helped me NOT cry.

So yes, no crying.

Thanks for being there you guys. Gonna miss you all till July! After that, I'll miss you all again when I leave for the second time :)

As for those who had the intentions to come send me off but couldnt make it, its ok. You can still send me off in July! Hahaha...

I was so tired I fell into deep sleep on the Penang-KL flight. I'm just waiting for the next flight to be called now so I decided to post. Next one will be from a different continent in a different time zone!

Keep reading..

Missing home already,
cheryl

Dealing with Stress

Through the stressful few days that I recently had, I was reminded of Gods grace and His blessings on my life. The song below clearly words the prayer which I have in my heart.

All that I am, all that I have
I lay them down before You O Lord
All my regrets, all my acclaim
The joy and the pain, I'm making them Yours

Lord I offer my life to You
Everything I've been through
Use it for Your glory
Lord I offer my days to You
Lifting my praise to You
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer You my life

Things in the past, things yet unseen
Wishes and dreams that are yet to come true
All of my hopes, all of my plans
My heart and my hands are lifted to You

My future in the coming months and years is unknown. I will be stepping into unfamiliar territory, having to pave my own path. New country, new culture, new everything. In Malaysia, I know what people are like, I know where I am and know what to expect. I dont like uncertainty.

But one thing I do know is that I can trust in God to guide my ways, to guide my days. Who else knows what tomorrow brings?

I chanced across this verse before this crazy week and I felt like it was meant for me even though at that time I did not know how much frustration I would have within myself this week so I kept it in mind. Sharing it here now on this blog.

Isaiah 26:3 - You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because He trusts in You.

Do keep this verse in mind for yourself, in any stressful situation.

cheryl

24hours to go.. Countdown begins

There is 24 hours to go before I leave Penang. People ask me what are my thoughts, how do I feel...etc. Honestly, I'm feeling 50-50. It's very difficult to explain how my emotions are swinging at the moment but the below will appropriately summarize the feeling.
50% Elation
50% Sadness

The past week has sorely tested my patience what with the mounting thoughts of missing home, packing worries and frequent internet disconnections (I only have 3 minutes of being connected at any time before I'm kicked off the net and forced to sign on again!) The crux of my worries happened on Friday when I dropped my hard disc. After the fall, it refused to work and I was on the verge of yanking my hair out because all my important details were on it. I had not yet had time to backup my hard disc so any loss would have been permanent. I spent Friday night berating myself and the next morning I rushed to the hardware store and to have them look at it. I was holding on to the little bit of hope that they would be able to restore my data for me, if not all then partial would suffice.

To my joy, the hard disc was not a loss! I was so happy with that bit of news and I could once again focus my attention on packing. About packing, I had initially completed packing my stuff but only realized my limit was 20kg and not 25kg hence I had to unpack and decide which items to pick out. That took a long time because for some reason I could not concentrate and make the decisions needed to remove stuff.

For the past few nights my average amount of sleep was 5hours each night. For those of you who know me, you know I dont function well if that happens for a day and imagine this was for the past 4 nights! My eyes have dark circles and I am really tired. Anyhow, this will all end tomorrow when I fly. Hopefully I get some sleep on the plane. If not, I shall replenish my lack only in Australia.

cheryl

Bridal Shower 2

From left: Ai Tee, Ai Hong, Me, Li Foong

Last Saturday I was given another bridal shower (lucky me!) by my work friends, Li Foong, Ai Tee and Ai Hong. Short of tooting our own horn, us girls are quite recognizable at work since we always move around in numbers of 4. Breakfast, lunch, tea... etc. These 3 girls are my bestest friends at work and together we do make Intel Kulim a bit more interesting a place to work in. Hahaha.. .Ok I did say I won’t toot our horn too much :p Well, with my resignation from work, our numbers will now shrink to 3.

The day started off with us girls meeting up at Gurney to do our ‘girly’ things. We started with a karaoke session. We sang, yelled, jumped around, bounced around and shouted till our voices were hoarse in that tiny little room. It was loads of fun singing everything from Christmas songs, oldies, ballads, rock songs and action songs.

After that we caught the chick flick, ‘What happened in Vegas’ starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher. Those two made a good on screen match as they can both be goofy and look believable while at it. The show was a big laugh, a good flick to catch for a girls’ day out.

It was on to a quick dinner after that before we headed up to check into Holiday Inn, a beach hotel. It was a quick check in before we rushed down to get some DVDs. Li Foong is an avid DVD collector (she is our unofficial supplier of every TV series you can think of) so we got some and then returned to the room for a night of chit chatting.

Our room for the night - Holiday Inn

Ai Tee brought some Chivas and Coca Cola while I brought us some Baileys with milk. We were meant to drink till we were a little woozy but that never happened. We chatted way into the night, sat on the balcony enjoying the cool night breeze while listening to the sound of distant waves rolling onto the beach and gazing into the dark night sky lit beautifully with small stars. Doesn’t it sound wonderful? It was a really nice way to spend the night.

We all fell asleep at around 3am and the next morning Ai Tee and I woke at 730am for the buffet breakfast spread. It was nice sitting by the pool enjoying our toasts with coffee and tea. The spread included the usual omelettes, fresh fruit, cereal, yogurt, congee, nasi lemak, cold cuts, sausages and waffles. In case you are wondering how come only the 2 of us were having breakfast, well, Li Foong was still curled up in bed while Ai Hong didn’t join us for the night.

After our very filling breakfast, Ai Tee and I headed down to the beach and dug our toes in the sand for a bit. It wasn’t very sunny hence it wasn’t hot. It was a really nice morning actually. After returning to our room, we all agreed that the stay would have been perfect if we could extend it for another day. Unfortunately, the next day was a Monday and work beckons.

The view of the beach and Holiday Inn

Left: Me attempting an 'Ai Tee pose' Right: Ai Tee with the 'Ai Tee pose'

I’m going to miss the girls when I leave. I will miss our usual ‘gathering in one cubicle’ to chit chat, have our giggles and our silly hunts through the office (you girls know what we hunted for-hehe) It can sometimes be difficult to find people we can mesh with at the office and we were blessed to have each other. We have such different characters but when put together, we had so much fun.

Thank you girls for the wonderful day. Will miss you all!

XOXO

cheryl

6 days and counting...

Well... I'm down to 6 days before Cheryl arrives in the land of Oz. 6 days before I know she'll be quite emotional at the Bayan Lepas International Airport Penang. What's been happening from this end? Not much. I have been doing some cleaning and her room is as clean as it can be for the time being. Just gotta get some Cheryl Yu touches in there and it'll be fine!

The wedding preparations are well underway from this end. I have a minister constantly asking me when she'll be arriving more because he wants to meet her and start the marital counselling. I have friends who just want to take Cheryl out and do 'girly' things, whatever that means. I have a group of friends wanting to ask Cheryl, "Why?" as in "Why Alex?" :P There is excitement in the air as we count the days down before Cheryl arrives in Canberra. Still heaps, amazingly a LOT to do before our day in July.

I think once Cheryl has arrived it will really sink in that I am getting married. To this day while I know that I am engaged it hasn't really sunk in. This is possibly because I have been kept exceedingly busy. Uni work is keeping me occupied very nicely. 15 pieces of assessment in 15 days is not pleasant!

To my sweety... I know it's going to be a big move but trust me. The support team you have from Canberra is just waiting to provide that support, from mothers (including my one) to friends and even grandmas (you know which one I'm talking about...) It's a big move. And this is not a time to be strong and not cry. Good to cry at the airport because then at least you won't be crying on the plane when you're trying to watch the entertainment on the PTV's of MAS. :) Most importantly, I will give you the support and love that you always want from me! :P

So this is a quick blog entry from Canberra with 6 days to go. 6 days of freedom left, I have been told. :P 6 days of trying to frantically arrange all those 'other' girlfriends and tell them they only have days left to call me to get that final date! :P I'm just kidding. 6 days to go before I realise that all this work we have put in since September is getting close to being done.



Alex.

Saying goodbye to the kids

Just early this year I realized that I have been teaching the kids at our church for a long time.

And that was only because a Pastor at our church in one of our conversations casually asked me, "So how long have you been teaching Sunday School?"

For a moment I was stumped because I couldn't provide an answer off the top of my head and I had to count. I surprised myself there because I had always thought that I had only recently begun to teach. Upon counting, it dawned on me that it has been 9 whole years! Imagine that! Where has time gone? 9 years!

I have been teaching the 9-12 year olds and one week each month I lead worship for the kids. Over the years I have seen kids join my class and leave my class when they hit 13 years. Some are teenagers now. Some are now in turn helping out in Childrens Church. And some are taller than I am!

A fortnight ago, the kids and some teachers prepared some cake and snacks as part of a birthday celebration plus farewell for me and I had forgotten to bring my camera along hence I told the kids I would return the following Sunday with my camera to take pictures with them.

Last Sunday I kept my word and went down to bid them farewell and have some shots taken. I was really touched by their excitement and sincerity in wishing me well. Innocence in kids is such a precious thing. You can see the hope shining in their eyes and the truth in each word coming from their hearts. I will really miss them. It was during the farewell that I saw a glimmer of the fruits of my teaching those kids. I could see that they will really miss me and that I had left some impact in their lives. I do hope that which I have taught, will stick with them and the lessons learnt will guide them as they mature.

They were all really sweet, one kid especially because he got me a farewell card. I was told, later on by his mom that he, upon knowing that I was going return a week later to take pictures, insisted that his parents took him to buy a card and he was to choose it himself with no help from his parents. Isn't that sweet?

Thank you little Keith :) I will keep the card with me to remind me of what a blessing it has been to me, to be able to teach you and the kids. In the past 9 years, I have learnt much from teaching children. Every child has different talents, learning abilities and unique character. As such, teachers have to relate to each kid at a different level using different communication styles to bring out their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. From the children I have learnt patience, love, firm discipline, the importance of holding true to your word and getting the children interested in listening to lessons. Most of all, it has prepared me for the kids that I will have in the future too. God has truly blessed me and I was at the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. For 9 years, that door was opened for me for a reason and I thank God for it.

Any guesses which kid is Keith? :)

cheryl

The beginning of tears

Today was my last day at work. The day went by in a blink of an eye with me rushing around getting the final bits done before handing in my laptop to the IT department and returning my badge. Just like that, the 4 years I spent in Intel was over.

Returning the laptop felt like I was losing a limb. Lost a part of me. It was my extra arm, my extra foot. Everything I did at work and even at home revolved around it. I didnt realize my dependence on that slim black machine until the moment it was taken away from me. It felt like I was cut loose, afloat in a world with an endless need for photo storage, net surfing, blog reading and etc. Without my lifesaver.

Quite dramatic huh.

I will also miss the nice drive into work. When I first started out at Kulim, the 45 minute drive into work seemed so long. 90kms a day, 180kms return, felt like such a long trip. But over the years I have learnt to appreciate the peaceful drive. The views of green paddy fields and the light morning mist hovering just above the tree tops gives just the right amount of serenity for me to organize my thoughts before I begin my day. Driving in alone, I get to spend time singing and praying. It was good.

As I left the office for the last time that day, tears started to fall. And as it did, I realised it was the beginning of tears. I will soon be leaving more behind. As much as I look forward to a whole new beginning, I know I will miss the 20++ years I have spent in this country. My experiences, my friends, my life.

Its the beginning of tears.


cheryl

All k-n-u-c-k-l-e-d up

If anyone says getting invites done is a breeze, that person probably hasn't had to fold their own invites, address them and hand them out. It took me a total of 8 hours over the course of 3 days to fold the cards. Folding isn't easy, you've got to get the ruler right down the middle and it can't be any plastic ruler. It has to be a metal one because those dont bend hence keeping the fold line straight. Then you very carefully inch the fold up or you may get multiple fold lines which could then bug the most picky of wedding card readers. Ok.. ok. So maybe that picky reader is just me. But come on... there are more of you out there! Admit it!

Apart from folding them, mom and I decided to add a little silver string to the card to bring out the 'posh-ness'... haha... so that added on the to detailed work I had to do. Tying the string isn't as simple as you think. You got to hold the string tight, knot it right at the edge so there isn't moving space for the string to slip right off the card. And it has to be 'right over left and left over right'. Followed by 2 'D' knots. I can't remember the names of those knots. Learnt them back in school as a guide. Mom helped tie some and I noticed her knots were different. Couldn't help myself but untie some and had them redone. Unfortunately I couldn't redo all so... sigh....

Writing the cards was no easy feat either. I didnt want to assume and address anyone incorrectly. That took me a total of 10 hours over the course of 5 days to complete. But I must say it took me that long cos I had to color code all those I had already addressed and check each name with my parents prior to penning them down.

My knuckles were really sore after all the folding and knot tying. Cramping the fingers to hold the card and string together was a toughie. I'm glad its 80% done.

cheryl

I need TIME to slow down

Today is the 9th of May. The past 3 weeks has passed by in a blur. To those who have checked in, I apologize for my lack of posts. From the start, I thought I had much of my list check marked but obviously I was wrong because I have been falling behind and unnecessarily getting myself stressed from all the details I missed out. Even my 'facialist' told me I must be stressed because it was showing on my face!

Anyways, I will be backdating these posts. I meant to post some over the past few days but yeah... Well happy reading! :)

cheryl