Why do I blog?

My sister Clara wrote this on her blog, posing the question "Why do you blog?". I would never have thought of myself as someone who would be interested let alone enjoy having a blog. It started off as a way to keep her up to date with the happenings back in Adelaide. However as time has gone by I found myself enjoying the experience.

I blog for many reasons. It is an online diary. I would have thought it would be quite confronting sharing my thoughts with the world but it is actually liberating. It takes alot to lay yourself bare and say this is me. My blog hasn't always been personal, alot some would say is quite boring. But for me it is a way to express myself. One of my favourite blogs was the day I shared the pain of my divorce. I cried as I wrote that blog, but I have received so many kind messages from people who have read it. I'd like to think that somewhere out there a stranger in another country is reading my blog, and gaining something from reading it too.

My blog doesn't inspire people and it won't change the world. But it's a piece of me, and oneday I'll have the courage to reveal even more. I hope you've enjoyed the journey so far, and thanks for sticking around.

Happy Father's Day!

Yesterday my whole family came over to our place for an early fathers day celebration. We just had a casual bbq and it gave mum a chance to have a break from cooking. Phi loved the food and kept commenting on how nice it was, he cracks me up because it was just bbq nothing exciting. He is looking forward to going to Bribane to see Beth and so am I. I've never travelled with just Phi so that should be interesting! Clara and Phan rang so dad could see Beth she mastered the word papa which is pretty cute. She was very talkative last night and wanted to dance, very funny!

After dinner Matt and Aisha came over so the boys could play rock band, Ty gave the band the name "Matt and the Asian Persuasion" which I think is hilarious. Mel and I belted out a few tunes on Singstar as well which is such a fun game! Aisha was so not interested so she read bridal magazines to get some more ideas. We plan to go bridesmaid shopping AGAIN next weekend, hopefully we will find something because we are running out of options.

Today is Father's Day so I want to wish my dad (who doesn't read this blog) a great father's day. You've always been very supportive of me and all my decisions in my life, I love you lots and feel blessed that you are my dad! Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, and I hope you have a great day too Phan, hope Beth is extra cute for you today!

Happy 30th Birthday Clara...

Ty and I have been back in Adelaide for a few weeks now, but I still miss Beth like crazy. Not long til we see her and the family is counting down the days. I've very slowly been getting back into the swing of things. My first week back at work was a bit stressful because I really didn't know how to adapt to my new role at MIGA and starting doubting my abilities. But I've had a breakthrough this week and things have suddenly clicked. I've felt motivated and productive at work which is always a great feeling at the end of the day.

We had Matt and Aisha's engagement dinner a couple of weeks ago at a chinese restaurant. The food there was quite good and I definitely would go back again, plus the service was fantastic. I got to meet Aisha's other bridesmaid Esther who is just as skinny if not skinnier than Aisha, so now I really feel the pressure to lose weight! It's been extremely hard to find bridesmaid dresses. For my own wedding I had the dresses made so I never realised how limited the choices in Adelaide are. The dresses all look the same and they aren't very inspiring or creative. There is definitely a gap in the market I think in Adelaide.

We have our work Charity Gala Ball to celebrate 110 years of MIGA, and the proceeds are going to Beyond Blue which is my favourite charity for obvious reasons. I am busily looking for a cocktail dress and co thuy has kindly offered to make it for me free of charge so I'll have to do some research. Some of the girls at work have already found their dress even though the ball isn't til November.

Last Sunday Thomas Chi and Mitch dropped by to give us our prints of photographs Mitch had taken, they look amazing. We are going to put them up in the entry above the hallway table which I think will look perfect. Thomas was very cute and cheeky as usual, and loved playing with Ty's drums!

This weekend is fathers day and I'm having one of my "famous" bbq's at my place so my mum has the weekend off from cooking for the family. Matt and Aisha are going to come over afterwards so we can play rockband which is awesome! I played it last week and belted out some songs, and have discovered that I am extremely uncoordinated on the drums, it looks alot harder than I thought.

Today is Clara's 30th Birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLARA! I want to thank Phan for bringing you into our life. You are such an amazing person, and your greatest gift is your humility. You have so many special talents that it makes me jealous. Thank you for all your love and support over the years. You've been more than a sister in law, and I'm proud to call you my sister. Everyday you give us our own present in the form of Beth. You are such a great mum, so whenever you doubt your abilities or get frustrated, remember that we have faith in you, and you are doing an amazing job. Your mum is looking down from heaven proudly smiling and that spontaneous kiss from Beth this morning was from her to say "I love you and I miss you" . Happy Birthday Gorgeous!

Mission Impossible IV - Trying to Get a Photo of Mai Beth!

Mai Beth is Priceless...

After spending some time in Hong Kong Ty and I headed to Brisbane to see my brother Phan, Clara and my beautiful niece Mai. When she first saw us she was a bit hesitant but didn't take long to get over her shyness. Ty and I were so tired because we hadn't slept for about 26 hours. It is impossible to sleep on an areoplane in economy class. We had a nanna's nap and then went out for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant that they frequent. Beth sat in a high chair and had her own menu which she read in great detail, it was so funny.

The next day Clara and I went to DFO for some retail therapy. Brisbane DFO is awesome there are so many bargains. I managed to buy 3 pairs of shoes on sale in my size, which doesn't happen very often, it's very hard to find size 5's on sale. After two and a half hours of shopping we both had some new clothes for summer and presents for Beth too. Beth had stayed home with Phan and Ty who were watching the footy, they taught her how to do the signs for "goal" and "holding the ball", which was hilarious.

We were also lucky enough to see Beth at Kindy Roo. I know I'm biased but she is so smart and adorable. Watching her play at Kind Roo I had tears in my eyes, seeing her grow up into a confident and loving girl just made me so happy. The few days I spent with Beth were some of the happiest days of my life. She would give me kisses whenever I wanted them and would spin, dance, talk and laugh constantly. I can't imagine life without her, she completes our family and every moment with her is a gift.

Diary of our holiday...

Day 1 - We arrived in Hong Kong around 11pm the night before. The humidity and heat was initially a pleasant surprise compared to the winter chill of Adelaide. After collecting our luggage we went to get our taxi for the transfer to our hotel, and discovered that our travel agent had booked the transfer for the wrong hotel. So we just made our own way there. After checking in Ty and I just crashed, it had been a long flight and we we were exhausted. The next day after a good sleep, we used the hotel shuttle to go to Harbour City which is a massive shopping complex. It is three times the size of Marion. I couldn't believe how many shops there were, it was actually overwhelming. You can find every brand under the sun from Kookai, Fcuk to high end brands such as Gucci and Prada. I bought a Celine purse which I absolutely love!

After spending most of the day at Harbour City, Ty and I headed to Hong Kong harbour. The locals spend the afternoon sitting around the pier and surrounding areas. Ty and I decided to join them, it was fun to just observe the culture. We then spent the evening on the pre-dinner cruise, which gives you a tour of Hong Kong harbour. The boat ride lasted for about 40 minutes and Hong Kong harbour lit up at night is beautiful.

Day 2 - The next day Ty and I went to Ocean Park which is similiar to Sea World. The weather was extremely hot and humid. The first ride we went on was called the "Raging River", I am such a chicken and hate rides. I was screaming all the way as it went down the slide and we got splashed. The ride takes photos and Ty had to buy it, the look of fear on my face was priceless, I looked like I was crying! We also got to see one of the shows where dolphins and seals do all sorts of tricks, they were so cute! Overall I didn't enjoy Ocean Park, I don't think the layout has been done very well. There aren't many signs so the map can be confusing to read. It has also been built over the three levels so it's extremely hilly.

Day 3 - Ty woke up all excited because we were going to Hong Kong Disneyland. We went down to see the concierge to pick up our shuttle tickets and he told us that there was a rating 8 typhoon and Disneyland was closed. In fact everything was closed even the shopping centres so we there wasn't anywhere for us to go. I spent the day in the hotel room sleeping and watching tv. There is a show on in Hong Kong that is hilarious. It's called "Beautiful Cooking" Ty and I were like "why is it called that". It's basically a show where a group of hot girls are cooking while some men sit and judge there cooking abilities. It's such a politically incorrect show but we found it quite funny.

Day 4 - Today we finally made it to Disneyland, and I'm so glad Ty talked me into going, it was awesome! Disneyland is the kind of place where you can just be a kid again and you can't help but feel happy. The queues for all the rides and attractions weren't very long so we managed to do alot. Ty convinced me to go on Space Mountain, I sreamed my lungs out, I'm such a wuss. We also managed to get photos with most of the Disney characters which was alot of fun. We also saw a fantastic 4D show with all the theme songs from Disney movies such as Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Little Mermaid.

Overall we had a good time in Hong Kong, the shopping was fantastic. Prices weren't as cheap as expected but there was such a huge selection. I don't think Ty and I would go back to Hong Kong, because even though we enjoyed ourselves we were disappointed with it overall. It was just good to get away from the cold and spend time together.

Ty-phoon in Hong Kong!

Today Ty and I woke up excited at the prospect of going to Disneyland Ty was more excited than me! Anyway we get downstairs and are advised by the concierge that there is a rating 8 typhoon and everything is closed including Disneyland! Even the shopping malls are shut so basically there is nowhere for us to go. We spent the day in our hotel rooms, bored to death and I slept for most of the day, hence the time to update this blog.

Hong Kong has been alot of fun so far, but I find myself comparing it to Vietnam, which was awesome! There is an expectation here that Ty and I can speak the language so we get treated quite badly when we tell them we can't. I think they assume we are ex-pats who moved to a country and are trying to be more "western". The irony is in Vietnam eveyone spoke to me in English no-one thought I was Vietnamese. The shopping here is amazing, but quite expensive. There are alot of designer brands which are cheaper than back home. I found a great purse that I can't get in Australia which was a great buy.

We had hoped to buy presents for family back home, but it has been impossible to find anything that is not cheap and tacky. So we decided to only get the nieces things and no-one else to keep it fair. I only managed to find something for Beth yesterday at an outlet which I can't wait to give her, fingers crossed they fit.

Tomorrow we are going to try and get to Disneyland again, because we have been told the typhoon should pass by tonight, and there will only be rain tomorrow which we can handle. It's ironic there is a typhoon, cos "phoon" is Ty's nickname from some of his closest friends. It's really our last day to do anything because we fly out on Friday. I'm disappointed I didn't get to see the Stanley Markets but you can't control mother nature.

Only 3 more sleeps til I see Beth I'm so excited!!!