I want to wake up each morning knowing that I am leaving the house with a greater purpose, for a greater cause. I realise that I can’t keep on pretending to be what I’m not. And even if I end up walking away from it all, at least I knew I was true to myself.

So it’s time to pack up ‘em bags and get onto the road less travelled. It’s scary, it sure is, but I know it’s going to be one helluva ride. Stay tuned.

Last night’s trip, however, saw us trawling the floors of DJ for some gorgeous bedlinen and dining ware. We managed to pick up a silver tray for Mom, a new 600-threadcount quilt cover (pure luxury!), new pillowcases, and had our eyes set on a Monique Lhuillier dinner setting that we’ll buy for ourselves (it’s going to be our couple set) once we’ve moved into our new pad.

We’re only 1 month away from our wedding. Time is just going to pass us by so quickly! Although seriously, I’m more interested in this home improvement thing.

Life has been, as usual after a long silence, hectic to say the least. Endless task lists, people to catch up with, errands to run, and…*insert drum roll here* the upcoming wedding!

Apart from that, I have had the pleasure (or misfortune) of indulging my shopaholic senses. It’s June and tis the season for all sorts of mid-year clearances, stocktakes, GSS…you name it, it’s there. I’m now looking forward to heading back to Singapore in three weeks to partake in the whirlpool of Singaporean consumerism.

While trawling the shops today, I walked into L’Occitane after receiving an email alert this morning that they were having a 50% sale. As with my entire L’Occitane collection, this is the ONE time I go nuts in the store and stock up on all sorts of delicious body scrubs, baths, perfumes, masks and so on. There is something unmistakeably pampering about lathering up in deliciously-scented crushed grape bath soap and slathering on cherry-blossom moisturizer after, then going to bed smelling like a fruit tree that’s gone all schizo.

So here are my purchases for today…

I also bought a tube of anti-water-retention body cream for goodness knows what reason but heck, it was ten bucks and I couldn’t resist.

I traded in my fun-filled girls’ day out for a quiet stroll around Williamstown. It was hauntingly quiet and refreshingly beautiful. We sat out at the pier and listened to the water gently caress the wooden stilts on which the pier rested on. There were only a handful of people around, more birds than people really. I closed my eyes and breathed in the cool, calm air. I inhaled the quietness of my surrounds and was transported to a world of silence. Bliss. It reminded me of the time we spent on our little fishing boat – it’s you and me against the world.

We drove around the Western suburbs a little bit more, only to find an endless road of factories and industrial grounds, so we headed back to civilisation for a hugeass lunch treat at the Grossi Cellar Bar. Once again it was relatively quiet in the restaurant; we settled ourselves at the bar counter with our little feast of osso bucco and spaghetti marinara. It was an hour of pure, unadulterated happiness as we tucked into our hearty meals.

Hung out at the Hill of Content bookshop afterward and I bought myself this:

and even scored a discount because of the slightly dog-earred corners.

What can I say, this has been a much needed break and even though I am only too sad to bid this holiday goodbye, I am looking forward to the next. That’ll be 4-and-a-half weeks of marital bliss, and I bet that would beat this 4-day one flat. Funny how we all live for holidays, don’t we?

We kick-started our Easter break with a Good Friday service in church. Then we sent Granny home before visiting a friend and her newborn in hospital. It was 4ish by the time we got back, just enough time to start dinner preparations and get a batch of bread dough going. I was craving the Jman’s famous hot cross buns (how awesome is it that I am going to be married to a fabulous baker?).

Dinner (of steak and potatoes) came and went before it was time to wind down with some TV on the couch. Then it was wash-up time. And bread-making time. And more wash-up.

We’ll also be spending this Sunday up at the Belgrave Heights Convention for an Easter service. Monday has been set aside for home-errands and Granny duties. And Tuesday we’re back to work. The thought of a good long weekend slipping me by got me rather depressed – whatever happened to ME time? I decided that I was packing my weekend with too much activity. Instead of having a 4-day break, we end up having a 4-day working holiday running all over the place and doing too many things.

In the end I had to cancel my bush-walking plans with girlfriends (sorry M!). I need to stop. I need to breathe. I need to lie on the couch and stare into outer space. I need to recharge.

I have 3 major deliverables this week, added to that is the fact that I will be by myself for most of the week since the Jman has been travelling for work and is busy with a whole heap of other stuff.

Ok, time to suck it up and go right into it. I will be fine. I will be fine. I will be fine.

I have some very, very sore legs today, but damn, does it feel goooood!

Life has been a bit of a whirlwind tour around the office, home, and Singapore – trying to juggle increasingly-long work hours, wedding plans and home maintenance is no mean feat but it is also incredibly fulfilling at the same time.

Nevertheless, not all is lost. My days have been peppered intermittently with mini cookouts and food adventures, which I have journaled over at Epicureal Epiphanies, but otherwise, everything else is at a standstill. Even my fitness regime is struggling to see the light of day.

Let’s just hope this madness blows over. Can anyone spell 4-Day-Easter-Break? Gawd, I really can’t wait!

Swim start

Bikes, anyone?

At the finish line

So I finished my first triathlon in Melbourne and survived. It was a very short one (400/10/4), and I was pulled in at the last minute because the supposed participant pulled out. Given that I had only one week to train, I thought it’d be in my best interests NOT to get competitive about things and just have fun.

Fun? It was, but also ridiculously cold. It’d been in the 30s all week and as Murphy’s law would have it, it was forecasted that Sunday’s weather would be a dreadful 23 degrees. Murphy’s law would also have that the weatherman was actually spot on about that, so any hopes of the mercury rising during the week was all but wishful thinking.

Nevertheless the BRW was a great tri. I loved the fact that it was thoroughly well organised and everything was very orderly. My only grouse is STILL the weather and the awfully long distance between segments that made the transitions very long as well, but I don’t think that hampered the event and all in all, I had a lot of fun. The satisfaction from having finally completed my first triathlon in Melbourne was also worth the while, and even though my timing looked embarrassingly dismal next to my team mates, well, my excuse was that I only had one week to train, I had shorter legs, and much smaller wheels.

So there, one down, I’m not sure if there’s any more to come. I suppose the next investment on the list would be a really swish Zoot/Orca/2XU wetsuit that would hopefully offer some refuge from the cold.

p/s. Thanks to my most ardent race supporter for the bag service, Thermos flask of hot water and warm hugs!