IK Galleries Fleurs

How gorgeous are these buds + blooms. They're all around Leeds Castle. Twas magnifiqué.

Am trying to learn the 'av' function from the great Guru - trés cool.

Lady Baillie's Enchanting Garden

Work Woes

Smelly Colleague resigned a few weeks ago. Guess who has been assigned to take on his role.

It’s madness at work now. I am to do PIL stuff, RCSA testings, policy-related matters, margin lending reporting, write SAS codes to produce meaningful MIS and understand my new portfolio – OD.

All the while trying to meet the various month end deadlines.

With in-laws around to entertain.

Woe is me.

Despite tomorrow being a bank holiday, am going to the office to get work done. If I don’t, I will stress and panic on Tuesday as I have an urgent deliverable due then.

To add more strain, Smelly Colleague is taking the handover lightly and giving it very low priority. He has also left me a lot of work; work that he should have completed in the last six months (I foresee more to blow up at my face). I now have to cover his slack and update all his outstanding work. It was so bad last week that I even made a formal complaint to my manager plus I carbon copied the bigger managers too. We also had a heated argument and we exchanged some very ‘colourful’ words between us. I assure you, it was not a pretty sight. Have not spoken to him since. And am not planning to do so anytime soon.

Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say.

Countdown

Booked our tix. Waiting in great anticipation. 20 days to go.

One week of cat-company. One week of relaxing evening chats at the patio + garden area. One week of home cooked meals, as well as the occassional roti canai and teh tarik breakfasts, steamboat lunches and satay dinners.

One week of pure bliss. Yahoo.

Extended Family - Of the Furry and Not So Furry Kind

In-laws have been here since 20th May. Any available time is allocated to being good hostess + well-mannered dot-in-law.

Blogging has taken a back seat.

***

Ollie had to be sent to Battersea for special care. It was heartbreaking but I believe he is in good hands.

I pray for your speedy recovery. May you get well soon Courageous One.

***

Work has been sh*te and am ever so glad for the coming Monday bank holiday.

Ollie

I guess it is inevitable that with good news comes some bad news too.

Our new addition to the family, a stray we found, Ollie, is unfortunately very poorly. He has been abandoned and is very weak. He has watery eyes (not unlike tears) and a runny nose. He must have been fending for himself far too long as all that’s left are skin and bones.

Ollie was at the vet today to have a full check up as we have no information of his background or medical history. The vet diagnosed him with having rotten teeth and possibly a thyroid problem. They also took a sample of his blood for further tests – feline HIV and thyroid glands. These results will only be available next week.

Ollie’s infected teeth/gum has caused a great deal of pain, making it difficult for him to bite, chew and eat. This, coupled with the lack of easily accessible (and I’d imagine constant) source of food, resulted in his significant weight loss. Poor Ollie, I can only imagine the pain he was going through, all alone and abandoned in the cold.

We have booked an appointment for surgery to remove his teeth tomorrow morning. He will then be treated with some anti-biotics and the infection will be cured. After which he can only be fed with soft food.

My hope is that the operation will run smoothly, test results will come out negative and that Ollie will be a happy and healthy cat once again by the end of this entire ordeal.

What a trying time for Ollie. Despite the adversities thrown at him he has no ill feelings (to us bad-humans), he is well behaved, not fussy and a very gentle cat. All the suffering and pain he's had to endure seems rather unfair. If I ever get hold of the perpetrator a.k.a. the inhumane owner who abandoned Ollie, I'd torch him alive.

Joy to the World!

He passed his driving test today. Huzzah. Legal road trips + fun times ahead!

***

There's a great big huge significant possibility that we shall be growing our family further. A new addition. A bundle of joy. No more quiet, dull, mind-numbing lonely nights on my own. Yay.

Unable to write too much or confirm anything just yet; perhaps in a day or two. Potential problems/obstacles foreseen, nothing major but we just need to be extra careful + certain. Sorry to be so obscure about this, my dear reader(s), yes all one (sometimes if I’m lucky, two) of you. Am trying hard not to get too excited me-self. Just in case, you know. Deep deep breaths.

Although I can say that I rushed off at 5.15pm this evening, to get to the store before they shut. Managed to buy bits and pieces; basic necessities to provide for a comfortable home for our new family member.

Will provide more information when everything is sorted. Promise.

Posh Nosh

For our anniversary, we had dinner at the Plateau Restaurant with a view of my office, how interesting. Not. The ‘hostile’ surrounding notwithstanding, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience - delicious food, good conversation, great ambiance, tasteful décor and excellent service. I emphasized on ‘excellent service’ simply because I have this penchant for attracting bad service (almost) everywhere I go. Being served by well-trained, polite and helpful waiters last night made the night even more memorable. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to everyone.

For starters I had the mixed leaf and raw vegetable salad with ginger dressing. It was yummers. I never really enjoy salads but this was an exception. IK had the duck salad roll in sesame crepe with plum sauce; it looked good but since I didn’t fancy duck, I passed on having a taste. Must say the presentation was immaculate though.

My main course was the salmon with pickled roasted peppers, broccoli puree in garlic nage sauce. The sour taste from the pickled peppers immersed well with the garlic nage (whotisthis?) sauce and the fish. My description does not do justice to this delectable dish; suffice to say it was delish. IK had the rotisserie poussin (roasted spring chicken) with Jerusalem artichoke and spinach with some garlic mash. He enjoyed the food although was disappointed with the portion. Well, what do you expect from a posh (not very, but a bit up market) establishment. You want quantity, go to TGIF I say.

Dessert was to die for! My ever so helpful (and very soft spoken) waiter recommended the chocolat fondant with coconut sorbet and I was not disappointed. It was truly heavenly although I could do with a larger serving of the coconut ice cream! (repeat: quality, not quantity). Twas a perfect ending to my meal. IK opted for the ice cream assortment and had lemon sorbet that was much too sour for his palate.

We both had a great night out and scrumptious food to commemorate our anniversary. We are already making plans for our next meal at the less formal Bar and Grill that serves the classic grills.

Regrettably I have no shots of our food as we felt it inappropriate to be snapping away for fear of being labelled socially inept and lacking decorum by other very upper-class looking patrons.

Wedded Bliss

Today we celebrate six years of heavenly matrimony. Technically eight years of being together but six as husband and wife.

Six fleeting years of:

• enjoying each other’s company
• jest, happiness and joy
• laughing together and, at each other
• assortment of trials and tribulations
• emotional support (this is oftimes me at the receiving end)
• nurturing each other through this journey called life
• tolerating each others annoying habits (please accept the fact that I will always leave the hangers on the door handles despite your protests)
• arguments, misunderstandings, pain and sorrow
• learning about and adjusting to one another
• hugs, cuddles and kisses
• rescuing, re-homing, providing shelter, feeding and caring for stray cats
• spending time with Winnie (7 years) + Cleo (5 years)
• travelling back home every weekend
• Hari Rayas, birthdays, Valentines, anniversaries, celebrations and holidays together

Six wonderful years of devotion and commitment. Six long years of unconditional love despite our (my) flaws.

Hard to believe we've come this far (six may be nothing for some I know). I look forward to sharing many many more blissful years together, God willing.

***

After all these years, he still remains clueless to my wants + needs and I, remain the immature child that needs to grow up pronto.

My (secret) mantra:

Growing old is inevitable. Growing up is optional.

Happy Anniversary to us!

May Bank Holiday Weekend

Did a mish mash of everything over this Bank holiday weekend; met up with friends + their kiddies for some shopping, someone bought furniture for home, nice new Oasis flatties for me (thanks!), had my legs waxed + eyebrows shaped, lots of good food involved too - Satay House, Spice Hut Kebab and I cooked some 'Nasi Tomato' today. Woohoo.

***

Haven’t achieved my target of getting a pressie. Either he already has it or it’s beyond my budget; if ever I win the lottery, rest assure you'll get your Bose/Brietling. Until such time, you'll have to make do with al cheapo gifts! So You, enlighten me please - hints are much appreciated (and badly needed), thanks.

Count Your Blessings

In the midst of all this bad back brou-ha-ha, IK and I were feeling depressed over the usual ‘why is it so easy for others and not for us’ quandary i.e. thanklessness thoughts. After pondering, whining, contemplating, moaning, being reflective, we agreed that we should look at things from a different perspective; ‘the other side of the coin’ rather than ‘the greener grass’ approach.

So instead of him intensely working at financial modelling, and me analysing benchmark reports, we devised a method, overly simplistic no doubt, of focusing on positive thoughts to stop all this misery by listing all that we should be thankful for in our lives; generally good health (bad back notwithstanding), holidays near and far, cat-company, family support, food a-plenty, roof(s) over head, and most importantly each other.

After a couple of e-mails being sent back and forth, we immediately felt happier and contented with our lives. We realised how blessed we truly are and that we need to stop comparing ourselves and stop entertaining all these toxic thoughts.

It’s amazing what the mind can do when you focus on the positives/plusses in your life; you will find peace within yourself and find your heart filled with gladness.

Thank Heavens for Physio Sessions

I haven’t been in the mood for blogging simply because of my 'sore back' situation. Sitting long hours in front of the pc at work and continuing it at home just seems unappealing hence the lack of updates.

However, after my physio session yesterday, I felt a lot better. A whole lot. It worked wonders on me. Magic hands I tell ya. I don’t know what he did but I sure felt lighter and the pain on my back/shoulder/neck areas has definitely subsided. I slept soundly last night, not semi-consciously, for I did not feel the need to be acutely aware of my back positions, pressure applied and movements at all. One of the best nights I’ve had.

The physiotherapist demonstrated ways of relieving my tired back, exercises I needed to perform every hour (!) to straighten out this very bent/rounded/crooked back bone and proper support for my neck during sleep. I was further advised to challenge the pain head on rather than avoid it. Ow. Ow. Ouch. I will be having physio sessions twice a week for now and maybe less as my condition improves god willing. He will also summond the company’s Health and Safety Officer to come round and check my seating position with respect to my desk, my PC, the correct angles etc for better posture at work.

Even he was appalled that at 32 years of age, I am already so hunched. What happens when I get to 60. Yikes. You must imagine me to resemble the hunchback of Notre Dame by now.

For now the back pains have reduced although I do get tired of sitting up straight all the time. He says it is because my muscle is weak resulting from lack of utilisation i.e. am always in slouching position. The method to rest my back while lying down has also helped to reduce the tiredness felt on my back.

So all is well in Wharf-land provided that I remember not to slouch.

Hello May

Time flies. It is already May and before you know it, we're halfway through 2007.

***

Had an awful week:

• Aggravated bad back. Booked a physiotherapy session this Friday.
• Depression. Possibly PMS.
• User-friendly friends. Why do I put up with them?
• Potential bad news. 'Letters', 'Law/legislation - awaiting approvals', etc

I shan't dwell into them too much. Have not been able to resolve any just yet. Suffice to say I have been a miserable Wharfer lately and nothing seems to make me feel better, lovely weather notwithstanding (The man upstairs has been generous with his sunshine for the last couple of days).

Oh well. Chin up; you never know what tomorrow will bring. Perhaps happier times are on the horizon. Fingers (and toes) crossed.