Compartment life - getting my head 'round high rise

This morning found yet another hallway pet - is a turtle. Picked the only bit of long grass I could find this morning whilst walking cousin to playschool (in the apartment complex, just past the jaccuzi - seriously). When back up in the hallway I fed it to the rabbit through the bars in its cage. I have for a while now felt sorry for the rabbit and concerned for it's health as it had only pellets and wheat to eat. Surely that's gotta lead to constipation? Anyway it was very happy with lawn and I wasn't caught out by its owners, which is a good thing as I'm not sure that I could have explained my intentions properly in Cantonese.

The (that is our) maid was in this morning - all my clothes will be folded when I get home tonight. I'm hoping she'll iron too, is that wrong? The last maid ran away (before I got here) - so she is in all seriousness referred to as The Runaway Maid. Sound like JLo / Julia Roberts film ready to be made (no pun) don't you think?

Major victory this morning with the 3 yo - she ate breakfast (Koko Krunch, what else) and didn't cry when it was time to put shoes on and leave for school. AND I found my way to playschool without getting lost. Ha! I was on feeding, bathing, dressing and carting to school duty today and yesterday while Uncle was away on the East Coast for work. he's back today so I'll be off 'morning duty' from now on. Phew.

PS HUGE storm just rolled in. It's the tropics!

Fun in a bun

I am in KL! I survived fake wood paneling and in-flight movies and self induced dehydration ('yeah righto givvus a red wine then, ah what the hell a coffee to wash it down') and then the crazy train that takes you to bag collection and then the 14 year old (looking) customs official whose mobile phone rang while checking my passport and he ran over to show the guy he worked with ('hello bum fluff fellow, terribly important moment of arrival here. Could you please pay attention to me??') and even the heat - not nearly as soup-like as last year - and my Uncle was there to meet me and everything was cool!

Yesterday was a blur of 10 hours in the office (er, um, Saturday??) followed by getting accustomed to family life. First meal was some approximation of 'hamburgers' in polysyrene containers (!! eek) from cafe below office - not my choice I swear (goodbye environmental values, you seem to have fallen out somewhere over Denpansar). For entertainment am soaking up news via the endlessly entertaining local rag, have had first swim in the apartment's (terribly bourgeois and slightly embarrassing yet nonetheless refreshing) pool, have made friends with the neighbours hallway pet bunny and birds, am playing with my 3yo cousin and watching Disney movies. etc. Off to a State meeting tomorrow on the coastal project, we leave at 5am so an earlynight is on the cards tonight.

So far so good. Life is soundtracked by kids music, airconditioned, full of lots of reading for me to catch up on and very very different to my comfortable well-worn cafe lifestyle of Sydneytown. But that's the point right?

NB Have not yet eaten a fun in a bun, my favourite salted fish snack bun from the deli in the apartment complex, but don't you worry, I intend to. I intend to...

Ok this is a naughty sneaky little bit of blogging when I should be running off to Kinkos to fax documents to Malaysia or talking to travel agents or saying goodbye to my goldfish or just quietly hyperventilating in the loungeroom.

I had my celtic animal cards read yesterday. Hey I didn't pay for it, this was a spontaneous parting gift from a friend - cards all laid out, gentle breeze of an afternoon in the park. Anyway, turns out I'm not a dragon at the moment (I was sure I'd be a dragon) - I'm a hind. A hind? As in an arse? No as in a female redbacked deer. All very mystical, all very female energy, ancient, fairies, inner wisdom, spanning this world and the next. Actually made some sense at the time. Reminded me that the whole point of this change for me is meant to be embracing fear and uncertainty and having trust that things will work out OK. Letting go rather than clutching.

Easy to forget and think that screeching, clawing, fire breathing brave is what will make things work rather than being the calm little deer wandering into the dark forest with just trust to keep it safe.

On a practical note, I found a good home for my bed today, goodbye little futon. Anyone need a fan, a desk, a clothes rack? Let me know!

Must go panic now. Note to self, organise own work permit next time, don't leave it to other people to sort out and. Ooops. Sorry - I mean trust trust trust. It'll all be ok!

Went to the airport today and saw a friend off in a flurry of photos and dual passport anxiety and repacking those bags according to the constantly changing hand luggage limits (c'mon Lauder get it together). After you left to go to customs your family were all crying, your aunty said you were very creative and they were telling me all about the jeans and the red top you did, so proud of you they were. But no surprises there - we all are!

Safe journey buddy.

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FBI (94.5fm) what are you doing to me? You were so good until Tuesday night rolled around.

"I thought there's gotta be some hunnies over there so I took the plunge and came to oz ..I kinda started off raving in the jungle scene, then garaj days came around, I kinda took it from there I just used to jump up and do my thing, now it's got so dark you've got all this eskimo and grind and all this shit that sounds like computer games... I've got 100 percent love and respect for people who are coming out and doing it their own style... check it"

Yeah thanks boys.

Nonetheless, you are no doubt my new favourite radio station. Lets face it triplej in the mornings got shit after Simon stopped reading the news and 2ser (oops almost said 3D you Adelaide kids know what I mean) has good music but I can't handle the motor hour on Saturdays or the Irish stuff on Sundays and the bleak student radio delivery 'and that was..um... another um' oh god shoot me. Or is it just that I have a strange reluctance to hear politics done student-radio style? Heaven forbid I get substance when I want toons.*

Just kickin back to some yo yo action & avoiding packing.

"I am a big white ninja, spicy like ginger". Gold.

*Not sure if that was self parody or confession. Such a fine line at the best of times.

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The deep breath before the plunge..? Pheeeeew.
Well did that. Finshed up work on Thursday and oh god all that cliche and panic, euphoria and denial. Heady cocktail. Think goodbye cards and trying to decode names I can't quite read and an afternoon tea where I blushed at kind words from friends and my icecream melted while I clutched flowers and said my academy award style speech and quick quick clean the desk and ohmy god I'm out of time now I'm going to the pub. Thankyou to all my sweet work buddies for making it noice.

Love all my wistful passionate winding up resoltions to myself last week that are already fading. Next time I'll have my desk that tidy all the time! Next job I'll remember everyone in customer service's name and make sure I keep lots of records of my work, and not have half finished projects and be more bold and and and...

But really. I think letting go of a job is like leaving a relationship. It's that point when you go 'actually I don't have to stay and make this work, and hey, I'm not gunna!' Really, it was me not you job, I think we've just grown apart.