Life beyond moving into a new house

I usually flick out me handy (no pun intended for my German friends ) mobile to read the news while doing my... ah-herm business in the toilet. But lately I have been reading about the hurrican katrina, murder (in SG as well), plane crashes, terrorism, sedition (hint) and all these BAD news.

Got reminded why I didn't like to read newspapers in the first place. The world seems to be imploding. A piece of news more recent and closer to 'home' was this sedition case in SG. I was just at Mr & Mrs Tan's house last weekend up at Carindale, meeting them for the first time. Nice old couple in their 70s. Turns out the some friends we know in church happened to be their godson. But anyway, he was just commenting that back when they were young in SG, chinese mingled with indians and malays and joked and laugh even over racial statements. They would tease each other and it would've been ok. But now, as I always like to call it... peoples UNDERWEAR getting toooo TIGHT. Even a peep of something is called racism. Wonder where all these hatred started from? Where we set ourselves apart from each other in SG? Where did the days where all races-were-equal gone? When did the 'them' and 'us' came about?

I can imagine the day where we cannot call the game 'blackjack', blackjack anymore, we have to call it AFRICAN-AMERICAN-jack. So that we don't get sued.

SHEESH!!! What crap. All I see from reading news is hatred hatred and more hatred... hatred of men...

The lesson on buying a house

Well the lesson can be summarized into 2 words... all other 'watch out for this', 'read that carefully' and 'buyers beware!' don't matter... What matters is... PATIENCE and FAITH. The all-too-familiar lessons God has been trying to teach us since the beginning of time!!

Faith: we prayed and yet we worry

Patience: we pray and start acting and doing our own things without listening to His will

But He is still so merciful and graceful to provide and bless us. Though we are so disobedient, lukewarm and unworthy, we are blessed. Thank you Lord!

maD Days

it has been mad days in my office. Today at 5 pm is the deadline for all the public listed clients and some special license reports. I have been working hard, staying to 7-ish every night. It is not considered hard work in singapore but it is a rare sight in brissie-land to work THIS hard.

mervin's parents' friends are still here. Tomolo is their last day in australia and I am sure I am going to miss the home cooked food and all their fussing around us. It has been wonderful to have them here. There have been precious lessons learned - besides all the cooking tips, housekeeping tips, there have been lessons on managing relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

mervin is going to have a change to his job scope and will be doing more consulting work than what he is doing now, which is very technical stuff. In preparation for that change, his company is sending him to vienna for a week's training. How good is that? according to his mum, he has been there before but he cannot remember since it was quite time ago. i have never been there but i have heard that it is a beautiful place. i can't take leave to accompany him and have a little holiday myself. my work schedule has been planned until the end of november. moreover, i have 2 CPA exam papers to sit for at the beginning of november and i have yet to start studying for them. it would be interesting to have the whole house all to myself for the week that he is in vienna.

4 additional sets of parents

we have mervin's parents' friends over for a 10 day holiday visit and they are staying at our place. They are a nice bunch of folks and very interesting. They loved to cook so every night we have a huge feast of yummy foods.

One reminded me of my mum who likes the place spick and span. so she wiped the kitchen benchtops and floor every night after cooking. these people fussed over us like we are like their children. overnight, we suddenly have 4 additional sets of parents. when they go out,

they are like a bunch of excited school children, full of excitement and extremely chatty. they are very jovial people and our house is full of laughter and voices every day. i am sure our house is going to sound very quiet when they leave on saturday.

A Place I call Home

after close to 2 weeks of moving, the house is finally looking like a home. Our first home. It has been a memorable experience, with ups and downs. Midst the physically challenges, there are fun and laughter. It has been good. I am thankful for those who have helped us make this possible. especially to mervin's parents, who have shared with us this wonderful experience. even though it is their holiday, it has been a working holiday and we greatly appreciate their help. also to lauren who has graciously lend us a helping hand and her huge 4WD to transport our stuff.

mervin commented about 2 mornings ago during our breakfast together, 'this finally feels like home.' it was a warm feeling. There are still work to be done on the house and it will be an ongoing project but we are very happy.

thanks for all your prayers and well wishes. thanks for sharing with us our joy and our blessing. most of all, thank God.

Internet-less

I have been working at client's offices for the last couple of weeks. the bad thing about that is of course, i have no access to internet. on top of that, i have not been checking emails during this period since we have been busy moving house.

now, the new house does not have broadband. only dial up. 56K. mervin is trying to do something so that we will not be stuck with it for the rest of our lives. it is one of the major letdown since we moved into it. i think gary would feel very sad as well.

anywayz, i am finally back in the office. maybe for a day or two. so i am back in cyberspace! a wonderful feeling.

mervin's parents are here for a holiday. his uncle and aunties left last sunday and we are expecting 4 more couples who are his parents' friends tomolo. our house can officially accomodate up to 10 persons (excluding mervin and myself). that is scary.

tomolo is also mervin's master graduation ceremony. mervin is already on leave since monday and will be on leave until end of next week. but i will still be working and working hard.

Moving

We did the moving over a couple of days, Friday night, whole of Saturday and Sunday and Monday. The moving is finally completed but the house is in a MESS!!!

i am completely exhausted since we had to work till midnight almost every night doing hard labour stuff. work is stressful as the client's accounts are in a mess as well.

sorry for the lack of updates, i have been so busy, i don't even really have time to eat or sleep.