Updates on My Life (and a little on IK's)

IK has exams coming up, two major ones as a matter of fact. Talk about double jeopardy huh. He has scheduled his study time everyday for about 1-2 hours after dinner during the week and one whole day over the weekend. This regime requires one to be very disciplined and I admire him for being able to commit to it. With his busy schedule, I am mostly left to my own devices during these quiet evenings.

I will either watch some telly, do some chores, read some Jane Eyre (yes I still have not completed it yet, although I am enjoying it tremendously), surf the net or update this blog.

I really would spend more time at RSC, what with the obscene amount of monthly fee I am paying, had it not been for the strained muscle injury I sustained on my back two weeks ago which has subsequently affected my chest. Oh how they hurt whenever I lie down/sit; its just so awkward. I hope I'll recover soon and be able to resume my pilates/salsa classes.

Despite having had many bad experience/numerous useless diagnosis, I paid NHS a visit last week, worried about the pain in my chest. Guess what I was told - take some painkillers four times a day. As if that would cure me. How I miss private clinics in KL *whine*

To top it off, I have also been swamped with work; you don't know how painful this RCSA exercise is, oh let it be over soon. Hence I am not able to make it in time for these classes anyway (why do they schedule classes for 5.30pm, am I the only one who doesn't get off work until after 6pm?)

Today I am not watching telly. I am not stretching and salsa-ing at RSC. Neither am I doing any housework. Instead I am updating this blog while nursing this unpleasant backache of mine and simultaneously surfing the net for a weekend getaway to Venice via travelocity.co.uk, lastminute.com, expedia.com. to surpirse Mumsy in April. No easy task this, wish me luck.

Snooze Time

I love it when cats sleep with abandon; all defences are down. A clear sign that they trust their surroundings, where they perceive no danger and how they have no qualms of being less alert/unprepared should an enemy decide to pounce on them. In the bedroom, on the telly, up on the kitchen cabinet, at the corner of the sofabed, how peacefully they lie.

Here's a tribute to my sleepy kitties:

Pic (1) Toffee, a stray kitten we found at the car park and re-homed since.

Pic (2) Cleo mostly likes to sleep on gramma's pillow, right above gramma's head (much to gramma's dismay!). Apparently, the decoder also gives her the same warmth she needs to comfortably lapse into dreamland.

Pic (3) Winnie could detect clean bed sheets from miles away and is always the first to officiate it. * Hey, go easy on the sunlight please, I need to catch on some zeds! *

News from Home

Every Saturday morning, at about 9 am or thereabouts, I perform my weekly ritual of catching up with Mumsy + Dadster on their weekly activites. Basically the ongoings from Monday to Friday all compressed into an hour's worth of conversation (thank goodness for GoTalk + bless IK for footing the bill!).

Topics discussed are:

Core subjects - Cleo's antics, Winnie's good behaviour (she truly is well-behaved and good-natured), Mum's day-to-day minding of the cats, Mum's garden/plants/trees/grass, Mum's complaints about Dad's naggings, Dadster complaining about Mumsy's spending, siblings' updates (all have left the nest for greener pastures).

Optional subjects range from Mum's peer's gossips (so and so's dot's wedding), extended family's (i.e. parents in law) updates, water shortages, weather (too hot/no rainfall), cars, to recipes (since I am very much domestically-challenged).

Last weekend, conversation centred mainly around kitties, house reno and parents' impending trips:

• Winnie has started having 3 square meals - Breakfast, lunch and dinner! Winnie has decided she too needs lunch just like us humans. Soon she will demand a permanent spot at the dinner table!


• Cleo's confusion over new dining area - am I in the right house she wonders as she ponders near the familiar smells within the old section of the house. Too cute!


• House reno is finally complete; bigger dining area with a garden view and new doors fitted in. Mumsy's really pleased as it doesn't end here for her; this is infact, to my dad's horror, is the beginning of more dosh to spend - there's new garden lights to install, wooden blinds to filter the midday sun, landscaping works - haleconias/frangipanis to be planted at strategic areas to block out ghastly sight of neigbour's unkempt garden.


• Dad's trip to Bali next week to visit sibling number three.


• Mum's trip to Bali in March, to visit sibling number three as well.


• What Mumsy has to bring to London in April - lots and lots of ikan bilis, chili kering, milo please!


• Dadster complaining about mum's shopping for the London trip - new shoes and new suitcase (and these are only what I was told, mind you). Subsequent shopping in London! IK should be duly informed that this shopping 'trait' is hereditary after all.

As for me, I'm just truly happy to know that Winnie is well + healthy and am excited over the prospect of having Mumsy around for 3 weeks *cheers, whistles, claps*

I've planned some activities to keep Mum entertained. The obvious shopping trips to Bicester + factory outlets, Mamma Mia musical (booked for the 11th April), hopefully I'll be able to slot in a short trip to Venice, and nearby drives (courtesy of Toby) around south coast/midlands/south west areas of engerland, we'll see how things go.

All Mum probably wants to do is eat drink sleep and breathe Oxford Street!

Kitty (less) in Blighty

Remember in my earlier post I mentioned about applying to be a volunteer at BDCH? Regrettably their reply was negative.


***

Dear Wharfer

Thank you very much for your recent application for voluntary work at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. As you may imagine, we receive an enormous number of offers of help with the dogs and cats and I regret to say that we will not be inviting you in for an interview at this stage simply because we are not recruiting for cat socialisers at present. However, your application was very interesting, and your details will be kept on file for six months.

Should our requirements change or any suitable vacancies arise we may contact you again. If you haven't heard from us within that time, then I am afraid it will indicate that we still do not have any suitable vacancies. We are very grateful to you for your interest in helping the cats at Battersea and we are very sorry not to be able to offer you an interview at this stage.

Best wishes

***

Oh such bad news indeedy. I was looking forward to 'socialising' with some cats as I have been cat-deprived since landing here. What an extreme change of atmosphere; from stray cats and kittens littering the entire abode weekdays and Winnie and Cleo during the weekends to being totally void of cat-company e v e r y s i n g l e d a y. To top it off, there are hardly any strays roaming about the streets (for which I am truly thankful) for us to bring one or two home on the pretext of 'providing temporary shelter' until a suitable home is found. We did contemplate adopting two (so they will have each other when we are at work) cats from the Home but we had to consider the following:

(1) Landlord's 'pets not allowed' T&C,

(2) Leaving the cat(s) if we were to go for holidays/back home for a week or two,

(3) Being attached to the cat(s) for 3 years and having to send them back to the Home when we leave this country; would it be fair to the cat(s) if we merely adopt them on a temporary basis (3 years) and then subject them to having to move and adapt to another new home? Seems rather selfish and unkind, no?

Some may say there is the obvious option i.e. to bring the cat(s) home with us when we return to Malaysia. I simply cannot do that. Winnie has always been averse to other cat-company. She likes being on her own and does not get on well with other cats, apart from her momma. Hence bringing home another cat to share Winnie's life would be unfair to her; after all, she had sacrificed 3 years of being deprived of our love and affections, it would be awful if we are not able to give her our full attention when we finally go home for good.

Having pets around is absolutely wonderful. Its therapeutic values are enormous but we really feel we are in no position to adopt any kitties while in Blighty hence the idea to volunteer at the Home sparked off. Whot a pity BDCH don't need any at the moment.

Hugs and Snugs on Valentine's Day

My dearest IK,

Our 8th Valentine's Day together. Wowzer. It feels like this is the next phase in our life; being put in a foreign land, where perpectives change(d) and different things matter more now than they did before.

You've done so much for me;

• reminding me to constantly take time to remember and thank the man upstairs (especially during happier times)


• reminding me to nourish my soul with thoughts of Him


• comforting me over the grief, more oft than not, work has caused me


• being ultra patient with my woes, shopping and tantrums *but I'm a gurrrrrl*

Thank you mostly for being my best friend; especially with the absence of Winnie, family and friends here.

Hallelujah! The Sun is Shining Once Again

Today was the make-or-break day for me.

A couple of weeks ago, evil senior management had announced a major restructure - approximately 200 roles will be 'impacted' he said; mostly from the support function areas. Hence being in CRM, I was suitably worried about my uncertain future with the company.

However, this afternoon we received an e-mail with more information on the restructure and the departments/units effected.

Scrolled down the screen.
Reading x number of roles, Doxford x number of roles.
Next, London.
Holds breath. That's me me me. Ooooh. Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out.
Scrolled down very very s l o w l y going through all the departments. N o t h i n g.
Scrolled up. Down again. Scrolled down further and further till end. Zilch.
Hollered over to colleague. Nope. Not us. Confirmed.
Huzzah. Nothing about CRM * sigh a big relief *

I can breathe easy now.


***


Update:
Some were not so lucky; PR and EM, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.

2006 At A Glance and 2007 Thus Far

2006 was a year of sorts for me:

• Having to cope with being away from Winnie and missing her tremendously
• Being bed ridden for a whole miserable month with flu/sorethroat/cough/lost my voice (the works basically)
• New job in new territory - very daunting indeed
• Excellent holidays - Paris, Barcelona, Egypt and 3 trips back home
• Moving from NPW to BP - a little garden (wow) and a garage (double wow) at our disposal
• Being more mobile and less reliant on the tubes - easier access to faraway BIG shopping malls, thanks Toby!
• An unexpected bonus. Yay. Major restructure. Boo.
• Mumsy in an accident and right after,
• Passing on of my late grandma (1.Dec.06)

Then came 2007 which, sadly did not start off too well for me. I'm hoping that this negative bout will not continue beyond Q1 07, as I had taken (drastic?) actions to get me out of the rut i.e.

• Pilates/salsa classes at the RSC
• Applying to be a volunteer at the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home (awaiting response)
• Enrolling into Photography Club, courtesy of employer
• Investing in books to improve my level of literacy (Update: Jane Eyre is collecting dust on my bedside table shame on me)
• Starting this blog (I shall soon find out if it really is theraputic as most bloggers claim it to be!)

We're midway through 1Q; I hope I have not committed too heavily in the above activities (I fear I may not partake in all these activities properly/wholeheartedly). More importantly, I'm hoping that by 2H, more +ve things will come my way!

Snow

It was sub zero temperature this morning and we had a good snow fall from about 4am untill as late as noon. Very pretty but unfortunately I was deskbound wishing I was outside making a snowman and having snowball fights instead. Alas work beckoned and I am paid to do this however unfair it seemed. All I could afford were longing glances out the window appreciating the beautiful big and fluffy snowflakes falling to the ground turning into slush.

Although in the wee early morning, there was a nice fresh white sheet of snow enveloping our little back garden and other open areas; such a delightful sight!

London is rarely graced by visits from the snow-queen. Wonder when we will get the next significant snowfall. I'm guessing not very soon. Boo hoo.

Life At the Wharf

I have been in Canary Wharf since October 2005. This is where :

• home is located


• I pretend daily that I’m toiling, memorising GCCFRP, etc whilst really, I’m daydreaming of happier times with Winnie


• I shop shop shop (much to IK's dismay)


• I look forward to my weekly salsa/latin aerobics classes (tres fun!)

So you see, my life has been revolving around the wharf for the past one and a half years hence the title. It is a very convinient place to live and this arrangement has worked for us thusfar. Our offices are located here hence no dependence on Jubilee line yahoo. And we couldn't really imagine staying any where else. It makes no sense to really. The only element missing in our lives currently is the company of our furry friends. Otherwise, no complaints at all.

Numero Uno Post

I discovered blogs thanks to my gal-pal who started her own since way back in 2002 (I think). Since then I have been an avid but silent reader of other blogs. Have been blog-hopping for many many years now and finally decided to host my own. Admittedly I have attempted this twice before so this is really my third attempt. Let's hope this will last longer than the previous two. Wish me luck into this unknown journey.