I Am Back.....For Now.

So...... it has been more than a year since my last entry. I was too busy with my weekdays routine of 9 to 5 job and weekends plans, that I don't have the time to switch on my laptop and start blogging. I know some people do dedicate their effort & time to blog about anything of their interests. Well, I am not that dedicated person, but kudos to those who are. I admire them *smiley face*

Anyway, my life in Perth has been a tremendous awesome journey that has changed my life completely. Coming from a small hometown in Kuching, Sarawak and letting my happy feet leading the way to an outback adventure in Perth, Australia, now that is (to me) a journey of a lifetime. The 1st year of getting myself settled was not a memorable one, but everyone makes mistakes and that is how I learnt my lessons. I became stronger and smarter in making the right decision at every step. I am lucky and blessed for having a close relative to live with (my Aunt Tina). She is like a mother and guardian since I got here, and being far away from home and family, the last you need is having to depend on your own. But now, with a good stable job that pays decent salary, a car that drives me to anywhere I want, and a family that I can come home and be happy with, I am truly blessed.

This year July is my 2.5 years as a PR in Australia. I have grown to know and love this country, the state and its people, and being a resident in Perth makes it more challenging and fun. Of course my love and loyalty for my own state and country cannot be replaced by another. Who knows, one day, I might just come back home as a retiree and spend the rest of my old age with my loved ones.

I did mention in my earlier post that I have been living with my aunt and her family since I got here in December 2011. I am thankful and very much grateful to my aunt because the savings I have now is good enough for me to buy a land to build my first home. An Aussie living. How exciting!

The piece of land I have bought is big enough to build a 3-bedrooms by 2-bathrooms, and small enough for myself, and maybe a dog or a cat as my pet companion in future. It is close by to the beach, train station and shopping mall. How could I say 'NO' to that?! Again, I was lucky to get that last block of land as they were selling like hot cakes the moment they were officially release. Buying property in Perth can be a fierce competition because every buyer, especially first-home buyers like me, will have to fight and struggle to get the right property and location. 

It is definitely an exciting moment for me to start thinking of designing my own home and choosing the colors and furnitures that I want. All of these are new and exciting to me and the people that I have to meet and deal with are all professional builders and designers who will guide me through the building process.

So there you go. My busy schedule has been filled with getting my new home. A big milestone to celebrate, and speaking of which, my birthday is coming soon in a couple of weeks. I have no plans nor the intention to have a birthday party. Maybe just a warm glass of red wine and a slice of gluten free carrot cake will do just fine to celebrate my birthday on a cold winter night.

Till then...take care readers and have a great week. xoxo

Cold & Wet Winter in Perth

The last post I blogged about was 3 months ago, but it feels like ages ago. I hardly log into my facebook account, let alone blogging. But that does not mean I am not passionate about writing or expressing my thoughts into an online journal and practically have everyone in cyberspace to view and read about it *grinning*

Anyway....winter is here and it has only been 24 days of cold, wet & windy weather in Perth. Unlike other seasonal countries, we do not have snowflakes & extreme drop of temperature (minus 0 degrees) to really experience the winter season (thank goodness for that), otherwise I would have moved up to Queensland, the sunshine state, almost tropical as my hometown in Kuching.

This is my 2nd winter experience since I have migrated to Australia for good (maybe). But my heart still aches for the comfort & familiarity of my hometown; the food, culture & people. Life is all about taking chances/risk and making things happen for yourselves. It is a pedestal to stand high on your tippy-toes, look beyond the brick walls and climb over it.  Besides, I have always wanted to venture out of my comfort zone and experience new things & places.

I recalled my 1st winter was quite unexpected for someone like me, who gets easily excited with the coming seasons. It was last year winter, when at one frosty morning around 630AM, as I was about to get into my car, I'd noticed the roof of my car was fully covered with shaved-crusted looking ice. Of course, I took a picture of it with my phone camera and posted in my facebook. I just stood, stared & touched it for seconds only to realise it was freakin' cold outside. Silly me!!

Despite the awesome discovery of frost on my car roof (for the first time in my life), winter is my least favourite seasons in Perth. It is always wet & windy during the winter, and the sudden downpour of rain that lasted only a few minutes, just enough to wet the grass lawn.

There was this one time when I had to depend on the public transportation to get to work and of course, winter was my biggest hurdle. Even the strongest & biggest umbrella could not saved you from getting wet from top to bottom and your perfect hair & attire all messed up from the fierce wind. It was an unforgettable experience.

But the best part of winter is the squid season, which is the best time to catch some fresh squids at the foreshore beach. My uncle would normally go squidding with his 16 year old son, on their small boat and caught at least 30 decent size fresh squids, ready to be deep-fried or stir-fry with dried chilli & soy sauce. Delicious!!

There you go...that is my winter experience in Perth. This year winter, I am fully prepared for it.