Sure glad that you're my mum

"Hey you are looking fat. Your dad thinks so too"

No kidding. These were her exact words when I had just returned home from London.

This was quickly followed by "Hey, are you hungry? There is plenty of food in the fridge"

Some other choice quotes from my mother:

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Your face is so ugly" in reference to the one pimple residing on my chin.

"No. Stop eating. You are going to get fat!" She actually tried to wrestle the chocolate bar from me. Just so you know, I won that fight and just to be safe I quickly gobbled the remainder of that bar.

"I think that people who have tattoos have mental health problems." Her subtle way of telling me that she did not like my tattoos or Brandons. I don't have the courage to tell her that actually he has since had an additional sleeve and a chest tattoo.

But seriously though, my mama is amazing.

I have only ever known her to work all the time. When she isn't working, she would be cooking. When she isn't cooking, she would be cleaning. When she isn't cleaning, she would be doing the gardening. When she isn't doing the gardening, well... you get the picture.

I have not even mentioned the extra things that she does for our family.

Every night, she will make a separate dinner for my father and I because someone is a picky and health conscious vegetarian. She always makes a pit stop at the temple whenever she can just to buy me some of the delicious vegetarian dishes made by the monks. "What is in that? is it fried? Mum you can't trust those monks, just because it is made by monks does not mean it is prepared in a healthy way!"

She is in regular contact with a fortune teller because she is worried that someone is STILL not married and may just miss the boat because they are getting "too old and soon too ugly!". All the good ones are gone according to her friends.

Occasionally, she is required to drop everything at a moments request because someone did not organize transport home from a late night. "Mum, it's your favorite daughter, can you come pick me up?".

I can hear her bustle about in the kitchen as I think about everything that she does for me on top of her already busy schedule. She has just finished altering customer garments that are due for tomorrow and is now busy doing something else, perhaps some time to herself? I walk outside to see what she is up to.

I can only imagine how strange it would look to an outsider to see a tiny asian woman lifting, well dragging more like it, a ladder twice her size across the kitchen floor. She is doing this casually I might add, at 11 at night.

Her expression is relaxed, but focused. She doesn't even notice that I'm there.

"Mum, aren't you tired?"
"mmm? Hey do you think we should put this picture of a cupcake here or on the other wall?"

The woman is decorating the house close to midnight.

I have just about dropped off to sleep when I hear her turn the treadmill on.

This is just another day in the life of my mama.

What I find most amazing is that I have never heard a single complaint from her. The most I have ever got out of her is "I'm tired, so tired today". That's it. She could definitely show those moaning brits a thing or two.

It is even rarer to find my mum taking time out just for herself and if she ever does, it is always late at night.

I don't know how she does it.

But I am sure as hell glad that she is my mum.

Writers block

“The inability to write for some period of time. It can be the inability to come up with good ideas to start a story, or extreme dissatisfaction with all efforts to write”

 I revisit my blog page frequently. Sometimes I reread the blogs that I have written but mostly I just sit and stare at the screen. The minutes will tick by and all I can hear in my head is an eerie silence. Plus crickets sometimes. I even saw a leprechaun once. 

 I look at my last blog. April 2011. You would think that I would have so many adventures to write about after my two year fling with England. 

  I do. 

Somewhere inside this unorganized, last minute crazy chick is an anal and methodical woman who needs to have my blogspot in order. I want my blogs to be written as events arise and topics to be categorically arranged. I want each blog itself to be humorous, witty, intelligent and something that everybody can relate to. I want my blog to be in line with the times. I want my blog to be so interesting that people cannot stop reading it from start to end. 

 But lately, I have not even wanted to read my own work. 

 My computer recycle bin, Bill, is full of scrunched up cyber pieces of failed writing. 

 A years worth to be exact. 

 I am sorry cyber bin Bill. 

 How can I possibly write about every single mishap, adventure or travel that I have experienced in the last year? The task is so big and too overwhelming. So too often I close the safari window and seek comfort from face book because I am too anal to write about the present knowing that I did not write about past events to date, well not satisfactorily anyway. 

 So here I am. Finally making myself give up that anal part of me for the sake of writing. 

 And what do you know? Writing became easy again.

Kidnapped since christmas!

Ok so I wasn't really kidnapped since christmas, I have just been too busy (and sometimes too lazy) to keep my blogs up to date! But it got your attention, didn't it? Just briefly, before I begin my travelling blogs, a quick update on my here there everywhere life.

UK life
Well london has now become Birmingham life. I hate to admit it but I am now a brummie girl (without the accent phew!). When I first started work here all I could think of was "I have got to get me out of this hill billy town ASAP" and now...6 months (no 8 months) later I'm thinking to myself "I don't want to leave my hill billy friends :(". Life is settled here. I have a routine.I have made some good quality friends. I have George (who is grumbling at me at being uninsured at the moment but that’s a different story) and of course I have the gym (useful for gym junkies - again another story).

Work
I have been lucky to stay in the same workplace where I help patients recover from traumatic brain injuries via rehab. I love my work but it is hard work. This contract will continue to the end of May - hopefully they will extend my contract.

Accomodation
Still at the student accomodation with no shower - just a bath. Been using the gym for showers instead. Lately, the flat has begun to fall apart (my hot tap doesn’t work, the hot tap in the bath tub doesn’t work, the entire water system groans loudly every time I flush the toilet). I also dislike my housemate who smells. I am possibly moving to another house with 8 other housemates at the beginning of June but this is dependent on my job situation.

Travelling
As it is my last year, I am trying to cram in as much holidays as I can afford. So far I have travelled to Austria, Iceland, Portugal and Morroco since christmas!

So sorry for the boring - ness of the above but as promised it is just a quick one!

Get ready for a bombardment of travel blogs to follow!

X M

Christmas in London

Right. Three more hours until Christmas so I best get myself sorted.

Well fed? Check.

Dessert? Check.

Warm? Check.

Watching movies? Check.

On the couch? Check.

Snacks? Check.

Family?

Oh.

That’s what I’m missing...

George

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was an early November morning. Cold, crisp and cloudy. Typical London weather. I was up at the crack of dawn for the arranged meeting. I’m not usually good at these things, I was anxious, nervous - slightly skeptical even. So I dragged my two housemates along for backup. I wont say there wasn’t any groaning, moaning or whinging on their part - because there was (and plenty of it!). In the end, I had to promise a nice warm breakfast to shut them up. It didn’t work.

When I first laid eyes on George I got the shivers. Not because it was love at first sight, more because he was really ugly (and also because it was really cold). He must have been a bit cold too because he was blue. I don’t think he liked me at first. He just wouldn’t cooperate, I had to use most of my strength to get him to move! But once he warmed up to me, he became my best friend and also my new housemate. We went home together that very day.

Now, one month later, George and I are like two peas in a pod. I couldn’t imagine traveling to Birmingham or around the city without George there with me. We have had many adventures together (mostly good, some bad). Along the way, we acquired Gary who gave both of us a hard time initially. He kept trying to tell us where to go! But I think it was just a matter of getting used to him because now I can’t see how I can ever live without Gary either.

Sometimes George can still kick up a fuss (especially when I get him to travel at 80mph/120kmh). Speaking of which - he is now giving me the silent treatment. I really can’t get him to start. Sigh. I tried threatening, kicking, yelling, begging etc but he refuses to budge. I am now waiting for the mechanic to come sort him out. That’ll teach him a lesson.

I still love him though.

Secret confession.

I have a secret to confess. I have never really enjoyed hot weather. Yep. That’s right. My skin cringes at the thought of hot, dry (or even humid) weather. Thank god my parents got out of Vietnam and into Australia before I was born. I'm not sure I could handle the humid weather 24/7. Even so, you will never catch me without my blanket/umbrella/sunscreen on a sunny day in Australia. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still have a clear blue sky with a bright yellow sun on the side please…but minus the heat if you wouldn’t mind.

When I first touched down in Perth (for my one month stay in OZ), it was a clear blue sky with the airplane captain reporting that it was roughly 24 - 25 degrees - a beautiful day in Perth. Nice weather I thought to myself, but by the time I got into my parents car from the airport I was perspiring profusely, red faced and blinded by the brightness. I guess you have to expect that after spending your last 6 months in grey and cooler (yes, I’ll say ‘grey’ and ‘cooler’ rather then just ‘shit’) weather.

In any case, the clear blue skies and bright bright sun really did have a positve effect on my mood. I was so happy to be home. Oh… and I guess seeing my family played a part in that too lol. For those of you who don’t know, I have since sold my car while I was in London - which meant I was carless. Which meant walking. Which meant sun. Which initially meant bliss since my skin was craving some vitamin D. Which then quickly turned into dread after the first hour of walking in the hot hot sun. Needless to say, my skin quickly got over the craving for vitamin D. It was only hour one of day one and I had nineteen days left of walking to work everyday. Slip slop slap became my best friends again.

When I touched back down in London, I was a bit scared when the captain of the plane announced that it would be 6 degrees. I noted that he did not mention that it was beautiful weather either. But my skin truly rejoiced when it felt the cold, crisp air as I was making my way up that bloody hill (with a 30kg suitcase I might add) to my home in Wimbledon. I felt so awake and so alive. When I got back to Birmingham for work the weather was even colder. Then lo and behold! It started to snow. Wonderful white snow. I know I have George now (my micra) but I still prefer my daily walk to work because I find it so refreshing. Even now as I am typing this blog - I am watching the snow fall outside my window. It is beautiful. The sky is clear. The ground is white. I'm looking forward to a white christmas.

How could you not prefer the snow over a stinkin’ hot sun?

Orrrstrayyyyliiiaa!

My one month in Australia was a blur because it really did pass in a blur. Working full time probably wasn’t a good idea and I think I had too many burgers at grilled. Never the less, it was good to be home and be reminded that you actually do have a family who loves you and that you actually do have more than 3 friends (and they are not your housemates either). Almost like being recharged for the next stint in London. But to be honest, I was ready to be back in London by the time that one month came around (By that stage I just had had one too many ‘”Minh, have you made your bed?” “Minh, clean up your room a bit” “Minh, you go out too much” etc).

Accomodation
Accomodation consisted of a single mattress on the floor at my parents place. I shared it with two cockroaches and a few spiders. I’m proud to say that I won when it came to who got the bed (I guess I should really thank my mum seeing as she helped me a little bit but I‘d still like to point out that I was the one who went to get mum to retrieve them from my room).

Family
It was like mum and dad were making up for lost time by overwhelming me with food, clothes, guilt trips and nagging. It’s no secret that my mum has a serious shopping issue - and this applies to anything and everything that is on sale. When I was still living in Australia, she bombarded me with hundreds of clothes from the bargain bin. They usually were the same design but different colours and ‘all under $5!’ (she would excitedly claim). You were screwed if you didn’t like the design. What am I to do with all these different colored shirts that have elvis imprinted on them? Apparently, this bargain clothing tradition still continued - even while I was away. Evident by my wardrobe (which takes up one whole side of my room) being completely overfilled with tens no make that hundreds of the same shirts/pants/shorts desgins but in all the colours of the rainbow. Dad, Mr. punctual, continued his ritual of waking me up at 6:30 am on the dot - something he used to do when I was still at school even though I had a perfectly good alarm to do the job. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I actually didn’t need to get up until 7:45 for work. That’s parents for you. But I soaked up all that parenting love like a sponge since it‘ll be awhile before I get the next lot.

Nephew
I don’t know what things I could say about my time with my nephew to make you guys laugh except that you can’t say the word ‘wiggles’ out loud otherwise he‘d be at the TV saying ‘more?’. All I can say is that he is beautiful.

Friends
I was a bit worried that I might be out of sync when it came to catching up with my old buddies again. But when I saw them all gathered around the Wii playing tetris ( while very dressed up in dressy clothes) I wondered what could have ever made me feel like I would ever be out of sync with these guys lol. This was further reinforced when my besties and I spent all night on the home karaoke in our pyjamas singing and dancing. A night out in town could never beat that.

So that was Orrrstrayylia in a nutshell. Gosh even this very blog sounded rushed - which is very appropriate for this topic as this is exactly how I felt during my whole time in Oz.

Ok I gotta go - Thankyoucomeagain!