tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106969522012-02-16T22:44:15.728+08:00I think, therefore I am.marie-joellenoreply@blogger.comBlogger2201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-12534464230972714562011-12-20T21:46:00.000+08:002011-12-20T21:46:16.860+08:00

I have abandoned this blog for a long time now - but I feel I owe it to Maia to document some of her milestones as I had done for Ollie. She has just started crawling properly today, only a few days ago she was doing weird to-and-fro rocking movements on her knees, and all of a sudden it must have clicked and she can get from A to B pretty quickly now. I am expecting her to graduate to walking

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-57441154745403428282010-03-06T20:41:00.002+08:002010-03-06T20:42:22.093+08:00

Everyone needs to watch this. Thought-provoking and inspiring words...J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-84486543280544116962010-02-10T10:23:00.002+08:002010-02-10T10:28:01.452+08:00

Ryan and I were at Carousel yesterday getting some last minute bits for his Japan trip, and we overheard a guy telling this to his son (who'd wandered off):"...I don't watch you, your job is to watch me. If you don't and you're lost, you're lost. Mummy isn't here to save you."I thought that made so much sense - have your child (this one was probably in mid-primary school) take responsibility when

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-10434960519063541422010-01-25T21:59:00.002+08:002010-01-25T22:07:29.157+08:00

I am now reading In Defence of Food by Michael Pollan. An eye-opening and - at times - disturbing read. Will post some notes and findings here, I think everyone needs to know what is being done with and to our food.I am personally not a fan of processed food, and have not been for some time now. People who have been grocery shopping with me will know that I spend a lot of time reading labels

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-91170285944832849902010-01-08T22:37:00.002+08:002010-01-08T22:48:39.861+08:00

I have too much stuff. There, I said it. We moved from a 3 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom house and yes, I/we have too much stuff.Ryan has started the slow process of selling items that are worth money. I have been too busy/tired/lazy to take photos and upload them to eBay/Gumtree.I realise over and over, from time to time, that we have a lot that we do not need.And yet, I am compelled to buy more.

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-11682156351086406742010-01-01T22:16:00.002+08:002010-01-01T22:30:55.403+08:00

Why do we feel compelled to make resolutions for the New Year? Is it some feeble attempt at feeling as though we might be able to control or change our lives? Of course, some people don't bother with them, imagining they won't be able to keep to them anyway.I like to think that I would be able to stick to at least one of my resolutions; I have faith. I've done it once before (maybe more but I

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-66740473546027441822009-10-31T21:24:00.011+08:002010-01-02T23:08:24.462+08:00

We have just renovated our bathroom and it was an interesting process.First, here is the proposed 'ideal' plan for doing a bathroom renovation using self-hired tradies. Read further if you want to know more about our own bathroom renovation journey.PLAN OF ACTION:Get quotes for plumbing, tiling, skip bins, shower screens, mirrors, doors, electrics, exhaust fan.Measure bathroom area to determine

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-2341498363180880132009-09-28T22:16:00.003+08:002009-09-28T22:25:11.160+08:00

I suddenly thought of my ancient Xanga blog today and went to see if it was still around - and it was! Spent a few wasted minutes (actually more than a few I think) reading some of the old entries. Goodness I was so mood-swingy in my late teens/early twenties. Actually maybe I still am. Haha...Cannot believe the weekend is over already, long weekends need to be 4 days, not 3! I will be missing

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-42855893874746293522009-09-11T14:40:00.003+08:002009-09-11T14:53:43.316+08:00

Yes, I realise it's been a while since I've posted anything, I suppose that is what happens when you have a child under 2 years old to look after in the day and freelance work to finish at night (in addition to cooking dinner).I suppose unless I really disciplined myself or I was getting paid for it there really isn't a pressing reason for me to post on a regular basis :P Other, more important,

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-42779157484102898262009-04-28T20:35:00.002+08:002009-04-28T20:48:33.478+08:00

Of course, life is such that the day before I'm due to start my teaching prac, Oliver falls sick. What seemed to be an occasional cough turned out to be the start of something a lot more serious, and the first of the worst started yesterday morning.His nose started leaking a little, then a lot. Before long it seemed the stream of mucous would never end. In some way it was funny, because every

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-85058333539936183342009-04-02T19:17:00.002+08:002009-04-02T19:31:45.353+08:00

Today has probably been the LONGEST day ever with Ollie. He woke up at the unearthly hour of 5.45am and wouldn't go back to sleep until his morning nap at 8.45am. I was so tired.Of course, since he woke up so early the day felt really long... plus he wouldn't eat properly, he would suddenly get upset and whinge-cry for no apparent reason. He has a runny nose, which I suspect is the culprit; Ryan

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-60896811182591630932009-03-30T20:26:00.002+08:002009-03-30T20:42:29.329+08:00

In a bid to compartmentalise my life, I've moved all my posts about Oliver to his own blogspace, Oliver Tweets. I figured since we are living in the age of social networking (read: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace), it was an appropriate blog title.For those who read this regularly, don't worry, my personal blog is staying put.However, I will be posting on several other blogs as well.For posts on

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-45336785824934866302008-07-09T22:09:00.003+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.870+08:00

1. Where were you THREE hours ago? Mom and dad's.2. What do you think of your LAST kiss? Happy.3. Are you wearing SOCKS right now? No, I overheat (it's a pregnancy thing).4. When was the last time you went out of STATE? March 20085. Have you been to the M0VIES in the last 5 days? Nope.6. What did you see? ---7. What was the last thing you had to drink? Teh Tarik8. What are you wearing right now?

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-59904785961870341032008-06-26T12:25:00.005+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.705+08:00

Was watching a current affairs programme on TV yesterday night and they were talking about a common preservative found in many soft drinks and foods - preservative (211), also known as sodium benzoate.A quick Google search threw up this article, published online more than a year ago.Apparently this chemical has been found to cause "severe damage to DNA", resulting in a lot of neuro-degenerative

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-48431080765883094252008-04-06T16:25:00.007+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.680+08:00

Some of the highlights from our Japan trip...We came across the 'Four Heavenly Kings' (rough translation) while wandering around the Otemae area (near our service apartment in Osaka).Here I am just before I tuck into my delicious bowl of spicy ramen... I had to point at the pictures to order (first day there, didn't quite get into the swing of things yet!)Check out the spicy chilli colour! Yum...

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-57750708515292299272008-02-12T18:23:00.002+09:002009-03-30T20:52:07.915+08:00

I'm in Miyazaki now with my mom, staying with my sis. The crappy thing is that she has to work so is only free for a few hours a day. At least we managed to do a little bit of travelling over the long weekend (yesterday was some public holiday in Japan) before she had to come back for school.Haven't been nauseous since I arrived, which is excellent. I've been managing to eat proper meals (the

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-42296065062636014572008-02-04T17:30:00.003+09:002009-03-30T20:52:07.666+08:00

1: The empty roads after all the other passengers had left.Arrived at Avalon airport just after midnight. I didn't think to check beforehand if the airport was open 24/7, just assumed it was. We were surprised to find that the airport would be closing at 1 a.m. The guard on duty said he would take us to the guardhouse and we could wait there.2: Here I am waiting for the guard to finish his shift

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-79891860162848644532008-01-22T13:37:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:07.944+08:00

I stopped work at the end of December because I felt my nausea was adversely affecting my productivity at work. Not that anyone would've blamed me, but still, it didn't feel right (getting paid to work at 50% capacity). So I took what might be called the 'easy' way out, though now I'm beginning to wonder whether it really is the easy way at all.It's been 32 days since my official last day at work

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-30611860192824598212008-01-04T11:43:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:08.029+08:00

I've discovered recently that the tagline I've had on my blog for the last year (or possibly less) is already 'owned' by French philosopher René Descartes who coined the phrase in Latin - Cogito ergo sum - and also in French - je pense, donc je suis. I don't think I've ever heard the phrase before I put it on my blog and I felt I had to clarify myself so no one thinks I tried to rip off the great

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-68568336901933677542007-12-26T11:12:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:08.012+08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope all of you had a great time yesterday and didn't eat/drink too much... we had a big family gathering yesterday at my cousin's house. Was pretty good fun, I managed to last about 5 hours before I started to space out and get tired. There was lots of yummy food, most of which I didn't eat (i.e. turkey, ham, beef, chicken), but I had quite enough veggie dishes to pick

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-3328160487671816802007-12-12T22:39:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:07.981+08:00

This *choke* is the funniest thing ever. *wipes tears from eyes*I got this link from a friend in America and seriously, I could not stop laughing.I don't know how I ever thought Singaporean bureaucrats were stuffy, boring old farts. This clearly shows that they are actually really funny old farts who can't rap but are willing to let millions take the piss out of them for trying. You have to give

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-1616536794926648322007-12-11T16:58:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:07.968+08:00

What can I say in 5 minutes?Well, it's Tuesday and my second last week at work. I'm sad to be leaving but the thought of a month-long break to do all the things I never had time to makes it a lot less teary. Then it's off to Japan for 3 weeks, the trip Ryan's been counting down to since about 3 months ago (or maybe longer).Hopefully I'll get a nice lot of tutoring hours at uni next year, and

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-85732719455270904342007-11-17T21:07:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:07.955+08:00

Just read the most ridiculous thing on Yahoo! news. Apparently in Sydney people hired to play Santa Claus are being told that saying 'Ho-ho-ho' to women is offensive because of its resemblance to the hip-hop slang term 'ho' (meaning 'slut').Are people really that idiotic? Seriously, this is getting beyond a joke. Really. You'd think in Australia - the land of the piss-take - we'd be thick-skinned

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-78301347303422751832007-11-16T12:28:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:08.099+08:00

I am: angry, sad, frustrated, content, restless, grateful, stressed, excited.What do you do when your heart/mind can't decide on one way to feel and just stick with it?You sit at your computer at work, trying not to scream or run away. Work is a dull ache compared to the tumultous storm raging inside my head. I want to be free...

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-47707998440679852582007-11-13T16:12:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:07.625+08:00

Like the stuff from Poppytalk.I want to be a mad-cap, frivolous arty-farty dreamer with my head in the clouds. Only for a short while, or possibly forever (if I like it enough).Beauty makes you feel like the world can be a better place. Ironically though, some of the most beautiful things are born out of extreme suffering. I guess seeing the world at its worst makes you want to compensate for it

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-77395797214084479582007-11-11T16:52:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:08.110+08:00

Yesterday was Ryan's birthday. As usual, I made him his favourite cake in the whole world - carrot cake. "You're so boring!" I said, but he doesn't care about being boring.His friends came over for a working bee, like what they used to do during the old pioneer America days. They were helping him to sort out the reticulation and do odds and ends in the garden. I was the kitchen witch, with lots

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-33187254904041256052007-11-11T16:51:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:08.120+08:00

If only this were true...Your Chances of Being a Multimillionaire: 100%It's almost certain you'll be a multimillionaire. Just keep doing what you're doing.You are good with money, a creative thinker, and an ethical person. You might be the next Donald Trump!Will You Be a Multimillionaire?

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-27665576391333401852007-11-05T19:41:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:08.130+08:00

After 4 months of flexible hours, I'm back in the office full-time. I've always considered myself to be fairly adaptable to change, but this week is going to be tough. Even though I enjoy the company, the reality is that we are all there to work, not to muck around. So once I'm done with my jobs I'll be doing the most dreaded activity of all - filing/archiving.Thank goodness I'm only working 5

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-6621353735741596352007-10-23T16:48:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.141+08:00

Pain can be good. It can feel cathartic, therapeutic even. But lower back pain belongs to the bad pain category - it is symptomatic of a deeper problem that you know will never go away, an excruciating reminder of the first injury that started this long cycle of neverending torture. Sigh.I fell victim on Sunday, before I started my first game of basketball. It came on like a sudden jolt, and then

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-88226299260383118212007-10-01T20:37:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.152+08:00

I'm almost at the end of my Dip Ed. Can't even begin to describe how relieved I am. No more stress, late nights and horrible assignments that seem to be nothing but a waste of time! (Some assignments were good and educational, but some were just plain stupid.)So this Friday, I'm going to par-tay! Haha... "do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight" *shakes booty* Goodness, I think

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-53761958861986535542007-10-01T20:33:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.085+08:00

The weekly smorgasbord:MondayThe OfficeWeedsTuesdayNCISNumbersWednesdayHouseLifePrison BreakLas VegasThursdayBionic WomanHeroesSo You Think You Can Dance (they can!)

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-54495374960026926922007-10-01T20:14:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.164+08:00

Prison Break is back on! *does a little dance* I thought it would be lame now, since they've broken out of prison, which technically means there's no storyline left, right? Well, I was wrong! Turns out the conspiracy doesn't just end in the good old U.S. of A. Michael is back in the slammer, this time in Panama, and is being blackmailed by some crooks - whose identities are a bit mysterious at

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-38068526285549246532007-09-28T14:54:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.176+08:00

I'm down with the flu, had it since yesterday. Been working on uni assignment continuously nonetheless, hope what I've done makes sense because my brain isn't functioning at full capacity.In a moment of weakness I booked my flight to Singapore some time last week, so I'll be there from 20-31 March 2008 - yippee! That's on top of our trip to Japan in Feb, which should be pretty awesome. Ryan's

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-41152703361978423732007-09-04T16:24:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.186+08:00

It's kind of hard to write anything interesting when life is so incredibly routine. Uni's started again so it's back to working weeknights and weekends on assignments. I spent the uni break last week working full-time at DEC during the day and on freelance work at night, interrupted (thankfully) with much needed DVD breaks.Ryan and I watched 300, which I personally found to be good, but not great

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-10593493841262816442007-08-19T12:02:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.614+08:00

Found this wedding photo while browsing my iPhoto library. Eastside vs Westside!

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-58097802237217047162007-08-05T11:42:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.599+08:00

After an entire week of horrible rainy, windy weather, we discovered on Saturday that a huge branch had fallen off one of the trees. I dragged it, with some difficulty, to the side of driveway where Ryan had his collection of branch cuttings. The branch was taller than me, although from this photo you can't really tell.I thought I would also take a photo of our driveway to show off Ryan's hard

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-45528129053211388942007-07-29T11:29:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.584+08:00

Cin and I went for lunch at Farrell's as a belated birthday (hers) celebration. The sad thing was we were too full after the smoked salmon salad and wedges to order any cake. Damn. The cakes looked good too (and those of you who know how finicky I am know that means something).We took some silly shots in front of a wall to commemorate this occasion. Belated birthdays are always worth

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-86940459395134778152007-07-27T11:35:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.571+08:00

We went to eat at this yummy Indian restaurant, Cinnamon, in Vic Park to celebrate Karen's birthday. The lunch specials were very reasonably priced and the food was excellent, as was the service.All of us spent a fair amount of time ogling their neon sign that looked like a nondescript sheet of clear plastic until the red light came on at intervals to reveal the previously invisible text on it!I

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-73809059988099426992007-07-25T07:30:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.553+08:00

Ryan and I borrowed the American version of The Office a while back and we loved it! I like Jim the best; the main boss (I can't remember his name, but he's played by the guy from the 40-Year Old Virgin) and Dwight are the two characters I hate the most. Watching them makes me angry and want to smack them. Hard. REALLY HARD.Anyway, here is a photo of my office.Can you see my wedding photos in the

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-81614817250929999842007-07-25T07:10:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.536+08:00

I haven't been putting up many pics, which I know makes for boring reading. So I've finally dug up my ancient (albeit only 4 years old) digital camera to take some long overdue photos... not very interesting ones (you can see how unexciting my life has become, I'm more or less a hermit these days, as some of my friends can attest).Ginger, the lovely lady that keeps hanging around our office.This

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-34881537437139828962007-07-17T16:30:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.524+08:00

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-72662651714233428812007-07-17T07:16:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.196+08:00

Had ex-high school friends (and partners) and Joe over for lunch two Sundays ago, so spent the whole of Saturday cooking and woke up early Sunday morning too to cook as well. The menu (sorry no photos because I forgot and most of the food is gone now) included banana cake (Ryan loves this), scones served with whipped cream, butter and jam (those were clearly a hit because those that didn't get

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-21078581988490689282007-07-02T03:40:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.510+08:00

FRIDAY: HAPPY DAY #1Friday night was the start of a series of happy days. I met up with Joe (aka N from the old mIRC days) and we had dinner at Matsuri. The food was pretty mediocre, but the company wasn't. I hadn't seen him since his birthday party in 2004, we realised when we thought about it (when I was still working in Singapore). It's a long time to not see someone and you'd expect that

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-20570481470181239692007-06-25T13:50:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.208+08:00

I've just spent the entire weekend unwinding after finishing my 3-week teaching prac on Friday. Phew. Managed to survive it without any casualties and in fact came out of it quite well so I am feeling quite pleased with myself. Of course I have to give some of the credit to my teacher mentor (who was very supportive - hmm, this is starting to sound like an award acceptance speech, good grief).

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-70190999333411671172007-06-07T16:40:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.220+08:00

It's day 3 of my teaching prac and I'm tired. Not of teaching, although I suppose that's part of the reason I'm tired.I don't understand some of the students I've got in a few of my classes. It's strange to meet students who'd rather spend an hour doing nothing instead of doing art (which is supposed to be fun). I'm not sure if they are like that in all their classes, or they just hate the

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-83697190411411511912007-05-25T14:19:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.232+08:00

I've had a few days to cool off, so I'm all good now. Sort of. It's awful when you know something is wrong with the way you are, but you can't help being that way. Ying says that there's nothing wrong with being ambitious and wanting to do well; it's not as though I'm trampling on people and being horrible in the process. Still, part of me feels like I should be more understanding, more

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-13429324562270913722007-05-23T09:31:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.242+08:00

I'm in a bad mood. Discovered the results for one of my units posted on WebCT yesterday and (you guessed it) it wasn't great. Mind you, it wasn't terrible either, but definitely below my expectations. It was a group project and in a way I think that pretty much says it all. I hate group projects. I hate working with people I can't trust to do the work well - and well, it's because they can't (

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-19705286516158348702007-05-14T21:38:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.070+08:00

Read this excerpt from The Honolulu Advertiser:As gas prices rise, so do calls to boycott stationsBy Bethany CloughFresno BeeFRESNO, Calif. — Gas boycott e-mails show up every year about this time, saying things like, "Don't buy gas on May 15, and big oil will take a $2.2 billion hit" or "Don't buy one brand for the rest of the year and the company will drop its prices, forcing others to do the

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-35694795780356545042007-04-29T14:32:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.254+08:00

First done on (A) 10 December 2004; then (B) 5 April 2005.1. What is the geekiest part of your music collection?A: Hmm... I listen to anything/everything. Not really a music geek... B: still not a music geek.NOW: No change there.2. What do you eat when you raid the fridge late at night?A: Usually don't eat after dinner. If I do get something, it would be a hot drink. B: been eating a lot of

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-37548591521013391562007-04-23T08:25:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.266+08:00

I dropped Ryan and his friends off at Gloucester Park yesterday night and went to meet Ying to discuss our group project while waiting for the guys to finish up. We got through quite a lot of stuff and had time to talk crap too! I rang Ryan at about 12 to see whether they were finished and turns out they'd moved on to Burswood so Ying and I went to meet up with them there.I had good parking luck

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-75620116496581066502007-04-23T07:15:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.492+08:00

Here's some art I did while I was backpacking in 2003-4. I think I did more writing that drawing during that time (and yes, two of these 'art' pieces are more like examples of typography than art, but what the heck.Woman in redStory of my lifeOnce upon a time

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-13148665987434214932007-04-20T13:41:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.277+08:00

I had a stupid dream last night. I dreamt I went to a coffee shop with a friend and somehow we left and I realised later that I had lost my bag. Half the dream had me trying to figure out where I left it, until I finally remembered I'd put it on the chair in the coffee shop. I spent the other half of the dream asking random people in Cantonese (I guess I must have been in Hong Kong?) where 206 (

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-83225104656170974912007-04-19T22:21:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:07.474+08:00

I've been wanting to post these for ages. These are some of the cakes I made for family birthdays...Dad's birthday cake (2006)Test cakeTest cake (close-up)Yee Ma's birthday cake (2006)

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-75613885343083066322007-04-17T12:51:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.289+08:00

Ryan says I need to sleep more. I haven't been sleeping a lot, but I think it's enough... about 6 hours a night, sometimes a bit less than 6 if I've been working late. Don't think I'm getting a good night's sleep though, because I've been grinding my teeth really badly. Not sure what I am stressed about.I think I'm going to be a very strict teacher. My students need to be pushed to reach their

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-31401716219466501742007-04-16T13:57:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.300+08:00

Today was the first real rain we've had this year. Finally, autumn is really here! Ryan was so happy. He's been bemoaning the lack of rain for days. "We really need the rain," he keeps saying. Personally I don't like rain very much because it reminds me of wet socks and shoes à la Singapore. The horrible squelchy feeling you get after accidentally stepping into a massive puddle. I hated rain and

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-23177880260142091592007-04-16T13:48:00.003+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.322+08:00

Uni is starting again tomorrow. I've spent most of my free time this past week trying to finish the reading and writing for Ed 566. We had 2 weeks' break from uni altogether, but I still had to work so it wasn't really a break for me. Part of me is looking forward to starting uni again, but I'm also worried that the workload will hit me suddenly and I'll die from a panic attack.We had a group

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-28759482317886804882007-04-16T13:48:00.002+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.310+08:00

In exactly one week, Ryan and I will be celebrating our first wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's been one year already. I want to officially say that I am so glad I married him. He's the best husband a girl could have. I only hope I've been a good wife to him too.We were going to have lunch at the Loose Box to celebrate, but I had a look at their menu and $120 for vegetarian food there is

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-75838707236569983512007-03-28T17:40:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.333+08:00

I'm waiting for Ryan at the moment, finished work for the day so thought I'd blog for a bit. I don't seem to have the time or energy to do it when I get home. I've been quite good about doing uni work at nights, am surprised at my self-motivation! Friends who know me from secondary school will know I wasn't really the hardworking go-getter type. Weird.Doing this teaching diploma is one of the

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-21580269413018160932007-02-26T20:37:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:08.345+08:00

Yesterday was the first day of uni. I was paranoid about being late for my 8 A.M. class so woke up at 6 A.M. in order to leave by 6.30 - managed to pack myself fruit for snacks and a home-made veggie muffin for lunch.The original plan was to drop Ryan off at work first then take the car, but changed plans at the last minute and he dropped me off instead. So, I ended up at uni at 7.15! Spent 45

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-14430294368465321562007-02-19T23:12:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:08.355+08:00

Lots of things backing onto one another lately. More big changes happening this year... I'm moving to the Department of Environment and Conservation to work soon, thanks to Ryan's buddy Shaun. Went for an interview with the head of the section last week, all went well so hopefully the paperwork gets sorted soon and I'll be starting work with a great bunch of people!At the same time, I'll be

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-16955592345107408272007-01-21T22:47:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:08.396+08:00

Ryan and I have both done something to our backs. He did his at squash, I did mine yesterday moving something (which wasn't even that heavy). It's quite pathetic. We've spent the last 5 hours or so just lying in bed watching VCDs of the first season of Heroes. It's hell addictive, that show. Paul downloaded the whole season and burnt it on VCDs, very nice to him to lend it to us. We got Weeds

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-43752821563429526272007-01-13T23:45:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:08.410+08:00

One more day of holiday left. Then it's back to work on Monday. Sneaky Ryan has another FOUR days off! He's had 5 weeks all up. It's so unfair! (Then again, he hasn't gone overseas on a holiday in 7 years.)I've been trying to clean up the house, but it's still a horrible mess. It just seems that all the work I've been doing isn't making much of a difference at all! Argh. Very annoying. I don't

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-75249222689000864432007-01-13T22:58:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:07.454+08:00

We didn't really get too trigger-happy this time, not that we usually do anyway. Here are the highlights of our trip:Our first couple photo in Singapore!We're sitting on a bench at the Botanic Gardens...Me and Ying harassing a statueRyan loves how lush and green everything isRyan on a busSisters' photo-time! (Ryan rolled his eyes at our antics)The MerlionCheap beer on weekdays, 12-3pm!See the

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-82333831118460017692007-01-07T17:33:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:08.422+08:00

It's our second last day in Singapore - 2 weeks over, just like that. We've been lazing about the last couple of days, and rightly so. Ryan's pretty much shopped out, and guess what, so am I. There's only so much you need, really. I've been drooling over kitchen sinks and other additions which are too expensive, but one can still dream!Highlights of the last 2 weeks: The Sentosa Luge & Skylift

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-85462602893727366132006-12-11T23:39:00.001+09:002009-03-30T20:52:08.432+08:00

I wish time would pass quicker. 13 days to go... I just received Jen's invite to her engagement party - I'm missing it by 2 days! Argh. And Will's wedding by 1 day. How sad. 'Tis the season to miss the chance to celebrate with two awesome girlfriends. Pooey poo.Peter the bobcat man came by on Saturday to bulldoze a path on our block - our future driveway. Our 'garden' looks like a horrible

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-43220240854244239412006-11-30T20:59:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.441+08:00

3 hours to go and then TGIF! I'm just glad I managed to survive this week... my dad just left for Singapore today - I'm so jealous! My boss actually realised that I work pretty hard; he bought me and Adrienne flowers and chocolates to say thanks for coming in to work on Sunday. It's nice to know finally that I'm appreciated.I made beef stew for Ryan yesterday night, it was easy enough but very

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-69129122390657018382006-11-28T22:04:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.451+08:00

I'm back from the dead, and as is befitting one who has come back from the Netherworld, I bear a remarkable resemblance to those pleasantly brain-hungry beings called zombies.The long silence is largely the product of excessive work (resulting in a semi-severe case of anti-computer-itis), the descent of summer (much better for working in the garden than sitting in front of a monitor) and pure

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-53002138917596015412006-10-02T21:58:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.463+08:00

The only long weekend we've got from now until Christmas and it disappeared much too quickly! The whole of Saturday was spent attending Ollie's wedding. I was playing the piano for the mass so had to be there at 8.30 in the morning. Ryan went off to Paul's almost immediately after the ceremony ended so he could watch the Grand Final. (For those who don't know, 30 September was when the AFL Grand

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-16835463998310756122006-09-28T23:15:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.473+08:00

the world is picture perfectbut there's something wrong you seenothing has any defectsexcept perhaps for mei don't know what i'm doingor what i want or wherei should be headedor if i'm already therei've everything i wantedor at least i think i dobut then maybe i don't knowwhat i want at alli don't have a cluei think too much for meand too much for anybodyi can't stop myself from askingwhat's

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-86716796205310459792006-09-27T21:00:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.483+08:00

Let me say upfront that I don't vote for Australian Idol. Despite the niceties they espouse on the show, the fact that they are sponsored by McDonald's leaves me thinking that there is some unmentioned connection to the Dark Side. This is, of course, even more ironic considering the latest series of ads that Macca's is running - the 'Make up your own mind' campaign.For those who haven't heard

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-34566202903320036762006-09-16T17:45:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.493+08:00

I've been thinking a lot lately. Not of anything in particular. Thoughts seem to come and go randomly beyond my control and sometimes it can be really bad. A few people have told me that I seem out-of-sorts lately - the words 'flat', 'grumpy', 'drained' have been used, and I can't say I disagree.I'm not sure if the general dissatisfaction I feel is attributable to the weather, the fact that I've

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-48932480381899694132006-08-08T22:48:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.504+08:00

We have a new girl in the office, (finally!) another designer like me. It's so nice to have someone to rant and rave about design with. She is smart and hardworking and a great designer - which is good for me because I'd go nuts with a silly, lazy person who does butt ugly work.The other semi-newbie is the work experience boy. I say 'boy' because he is only 17! Also smart and hardworking. I'm a

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-63896436364690239952006-08-03T21:20:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.514+08:00

I/We bought an exercise bike today. It's the cheaper cousin of the $1000+ Schwinn spinning bikes you see in the gyms, but certainly just as sturdy and hopefully as long-lasting. Ryan said that I better be riding every day from now on. I hope that will be the case.I shouldn't sound so uncertain about it, should I. Doesn't sound like I am committed enough - I shouldn't be content with 'hoping', a

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-2907992154570718662006-07-14T14:05:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.525+08:00

This is my 101st post, apparently. Cool. I hadn't realised I'd done that many. Not sure how long I've had this blog either. Hmmm.I was watching Medium earlier tonight and just after the show ended I had a mini epiphany of sorts. Alison's (the main character) daughter was supposed to give a presentation in school about her mom's job. Initially she was going to talk about how Alison finds dead

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-442458903119398012006-07-11T22:19:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.536+08:00

OK, not really. My eye is pretty much 95% healed. No more tearing, and the pain is barely noticeable now. Hooray! All that sleeping I did on Saturday and Sunday must have helped. And to think I was worried I'd go blind or something! Silly...Work has been pretty full-on the last 2 days, didn't help that we were conducting interviews either. Hopefully it eases up towards the end of the week. Otto

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-37565329022215999642006-07-11T13:46:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.886+08:00

I decided to start decluttering my life tonight. Went through a whole bunch of old CDs and threw out nearly all of them - mostly containing old artwork files and other rubbish from uni. I had so many copies of the same thing, how kiasu! I'm not going to be pointlessly kiasu anymore.Following the CD decluttering, I decided I would rid myself of extraneous e-mail addresses. I think I have about 10

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-82822315072732058252006-07-08T22:18:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.905+08:00

I got poked in the eye at basketball today - it was pretty bad. Just an accident - shit happens, you know. Now I'm semi-blind, my right eye hurts when I blink (I'm typing most of this with my eyes closed by the way) so I'm trying to keep it shut as far as possible. And because my right eye is closed, I can't really open my left eye either.It's really annoying. There must be a scratch or something

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-72553590124901996002006-07-06T00:19:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.914+08:00

I've decided to stop being boring and put a pic in my header. It's only a temporary one - featuring the sticky date pudding I made some time last year. Ryan loved them. Personally I don't really like sticky date pudding - it's too sweet for me!We killed a mouse today and I was very sad. I don't like killing things. I saw it running around in the kitchen and told Ryan and he said we had to kill it

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-34930408436603416142006-07-04T13:07:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.924+08:00

I'm not sure if Blogger will mind the above word, so I've made it expletive-friendly. Haha...Almost forgot I was going to upload some pics. I've been playing around in Photoshop, trying to get them to look arty and professional - any opinions on my efforts are welcome!Here they are:This is the whole bridal party. Shona got all of the rest (not Ryan and I) to jump into the shot over and over, so

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-3656422682807619922006-07-04T12:17:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.936+08:00

On Friday I turned 26! The night before, Ying called me an old woman, but I told her I don't feel old! Really, I don't feel like I'm 26 at all...After work on Friday, Ying came to pick me up from work to go for dinner. I didn't have time to decide where to go - we wandered around Subi for a little while and then finally decided to go to Atlantic on Rokeby Road. I remembered having a very nice

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-4723479287238298412006-06-22T21:53:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.948+08:00

(Rant of the day: It's freezing cold again tonight. I hate cold weather!!!)Yesterday night we went out for dinner before dad flew off to Singapore. It was a mini birthday celebration for the 3 of us and a sort of send-off for dad as well, in a way. The six of us (mom, dad, Ju, Ying, me, Ryan) went to Mez for dinner. Mez is this new restaurant in Northbridge, on the corner of James Street and

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-61745904823991549162006-06-19T22:31:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.958+08:00

I woke up this morning with a heavy head, a kind of dull pain. Washed up and had breakfast, first a plum and an apple (in the kitchen), then a bowl of muesli with yoghurt while sitting in front of the oil heater in our bedroom. Ryan stayed the night at Darrell's after watching Australia vs. Brazil yesterday night, so it was just me. I sat there eating really slowly, trying to ignore the dull

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-86817676160669561772006-06-17T14:37:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.970+08:00

Those I've seen in the last couple of weeks will know that I started working at Le Paris Brest Café in Kalamunda last Saturday. I'm to go in every Saturday and Sunday to learn from the pastry chefs René (sweet) and Marco (savoury). I couldn't believe my luck when Liz, the owner, agreed to take me on as an apprentice. What could be better than learning from a real French pastry chef? (Nothing, I

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-27334151339627269982006-05-03T20:30:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.981+08:00

I get into these bouts of obsessive workaholic behaviour. Don't get me wrong, I don't stay at work till 10pm at night, slogging for no reason in particular. (Although the past 2 weeks when I was at work - and not off getting married - I was at the office for almost 10 hours straight each day, without leaving the office. Too busy!)I think what I really mean is that I am a doaholic. I must always

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-14949119541864644842006-05-02T13:29:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.007+08:00

I've been married for exactly 10 days now and no, life isn't any different. I think we expect life to change dramatically post-marriage, just like how we expect to suddenly become all grown-up once we turn 21 (or 18, in some countries)."Look, look how big my eyes are!"I have to say that the wedding was huge fun - I got all dolled up (probably the one and only time in my life I will ever be) as us

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-38035198270615484992006-05-01T22:32:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:08.994+08:00

Some photos I took ages ago but never uploaded because I didn't have the time - here goes...Ryan the Toolman - up close and personal.Ryan's parents gave us their old outdoor setting to use temporarily and Ryan rose to the occasion by dressing up like a freak! Haha... no, his weird get-up is to protect his eyes and nose from flying bits of wood particles. He worked very hard that day, and I had to

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-44580599095462992006-03-17T20:19:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.017+08:00

I spent most of today typesetting the wedding ceremony booklet. It's looking pretty good, if I dare say so myself. Father Tim gave us a few samples to refer to yesterday when we went to see him and I think the one I've done is pretty damn good comparatively. But then I guess they didn't really get the internal layout designed (although the cover of one of them was very nice). I'm not quite sure

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-48237039945304700652006-03-15T09:09:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.031+08:00

I've officially been alive for a quarter of a century, 7 months and 15 days. Hah. In another 38 days I will be Mrs Ryan Scott. It's funny to think that I'm of marriageable age, and that my friends are also getting married left, right and centre. I guess that's when you realise you've moved on to the next stage in life. Soon it will be the 'having kids' stage. Hmm.So a little update on the latest

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-88194058469833592812006-02-22T13:31:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.043+08:00

Some days you wake up and everything just seems horrible and sucky. It's as though you're wearing 'shit-covered glasses' (a more pessimistic version of the better known 'rose-coloured' ones), and the resulting effect is that anything you look at is covered in a muck of dreary gloom.Sad, isn't it.Work is slowly but surely wearing me down. I promised Ryan I would be patient and wait till after the

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-71703600297741663662006-01-31T12:55:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.054+08:00

We've spent the last two weekends moving. Frankly, I've had quite enough of it. We're still not moved in - most of our things are at the new place, while we live on the bare essentials at my apartment. Being in limbo sucks.Work is getting busier, a good thing for me I guess. It gives me less time to be bored and wonder what I'm doing with my life. I need to settle myself down, I keep telling

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-42357928854415750152006-01-13T09:21:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.065+08:00

As luck would have it, we found the perfect restaurant, in the form a tastefully decorated establishment called Han Palace (Bennett Street, East Perth). The interior is rich, warm and inviting, conveying a slight hint of luxury without being over-the-top ostentatious. The lights are dim, but not too dim. A huge mural depicting chinese women runs the length of the wall on the far end, complemented

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-30735189073679988932006-01-11T11:30:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.075+08:00

When I got home from work today Ryan was sitting in front of the computer (as usual, hehe). He didn't look too happy (not so usual), and I soon found out why.'Ring your mom back,' he said. 'You won't be happy about it.''Why? What's wrong?'He dropped the news on me - the restaurant where we were planning to have the wedding dinner is overcharging us lots! (Compared to other restaurants, that is.)

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-14168523341120494352006-01-11T05:15:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.086+08:00

I have a feeling that somewhere inside my brain there is a lot of thinking going on. Problem is, I'm not conscious of it, and I have no idea what it is I'm thinking about so fervently. I've been waking up the past few days knowing that I spent the night dreaming strange, surreal dreams, but the minute I open my eyes all memory of the dreams fade into my subconscious, completely inaccessible.

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-11534630322952630792006-01-04T04:50:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.096+08:00

This year was a quiet one. Ryan and I spent most of our days off at home, in between going to my parents' and his parents' for Christmas, shopping around for furniture, and visiting friends. I managed to find a dress for my sister (maid of honour) and Olivia and Joanne (bridesmaids) post-Boxing Day (i.e. 27 Dec), so now all the attire is out of the way - for the girls at least.As for the house,

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-26644286903242868732005-12-30T06:45:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.107+08:00

We're on 'skeleton staff' this week, because there is not enough work to justify having everyone around. So management decided to encourage most people to take time off now; unfortunately I don't have enough leave to spare, especially since I'm trying to save it up for the wedding.Of course, when there isn't enough to be done, boredom sets in with a vengeance. Some might argue that being

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-27493685383626059522005-12-06T12:02:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.118+08:00

Ryan and I have been spending the better part of most of our weekends going house-hunting. For those who are lucky enough not to have experienced it, count your lucky stars. House-hunting, while ultimately rewarding when you do eventually discover the 'home of your dreams', is for the most part tiring and often disappointing.Several times, we came close to sealing the deal. We got irritable as

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-41242761658945123872005-11-25T16:00:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.131+08:00

Stupid question, maybe? I'd like to say I believe John Howard has a good reason for not doing so (other than that he is Bush's lackey and has no mind of his own), but I can't quite bring myself to be that naive. Yet.Here in Australia we're blessed with many things. Plenty of land and open space. A seemingly endless supply of resources (with the exception of water - although integral to our

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-69846799810436936882005-11-17T16:18:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.142+08:00

I think for my engagement was quite a shock - albeit a good one - for most of my friends and relatives.Some have asked me for more details about Ryan, and of course, how we met. Trust me to do things topsy-turvy.So, backtracking a little, I start with the question:HOW DID YOU MEET HIM?I don't want to sound like a 21st century cliché, but the fact is I met him through an online dating website.

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-78096169663275746122005-11-14T07:30:00.001+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.152+08:00

Ryan and I went down to Karri Valley for a night (4 hours' drive each way, no mean feat by any means) as a birthday treat (for him, or so he said) and we had a fine time going canoeing and feeding birds. I got to climb the Gloucester Tree - 10 years after my first time seeing it (I couldn't climb because mom wouldn't let us then).We lazed in the room and enjoyed the sunset over the lake and after

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10696952.post-28726066451127247392005-11-08T15:14:00.003+08:002009-03-30T20:52:09.163+08:00

marie-joellenoreply@blogger.com0