And Doggy Makes Three!

Some of you may remember that I adopted a lovely cocker spaniel called Winnie (Poopini) in 2004. I had her for two years, then when the Martian and I split up, he agreed to keep Winnie because I didn't have the finances to take care of her.

A week before the wedding which he knew about, the Martian texted me to say that Winnie was part of his 'old life' and now that he had a 'new life' (translation = new girlfriend), he didn't want her anymore! He asked if I would take her back or alternatively, find another family to adopt her. I was very angry at the time and knew that he had timed it deliberately to cause me maximum stress, but I refused to give him the satisfaction.

I kept my cool and told him that while I would love to have her back, that I would be moving to Brrringland in a few months time. I told him that with the wedding, move, visa fees, new apartment, etc, that I just didn't have the money to take her with me. To my surprise, he offered to pay for her to flight to join me. I think a lot of it was guilt. Why else would he drop $3,000 for a dog he didn't want anymore? Regardless of the reason, I was/am happy that he did so.

When he knew that I would be taking Winnie back, the Martian left her full time with the dog sitter. He arranged for her to spend her quarantine on our Small Island and as everything went smoothly, she arrived in Brrrringland this week!

She was very happy to see me but her health has been a concern. I wouldn't say that she has been neglected in the last two years, but she certainly hasn't had the same level of care that I used to give her.

Her little paws are soft from lack of walking on tarmac, so they are a little raw and even bled a bit yesterday. She has also been trembling a lot (I'm guessing from stress and cold), so P went out and got her a couple of fleece blankets, which we wrap her up with. We took her to the vet last night for a check up and to get some cream for her paws. I think (hope!) she will settle down soon.

She loves chasing her balls in the parks here but we have to take it easy for the moment as she's not as fit as she used to be. However, she's as cute as ever, as these photos will show:

Wrapped up in my blankie, woof!

She is a real daddy's girl, following P around like a little shadow! She simply adores him. P has also been amazing with her. I will post more photos once she gets fitter and we can bring her to new places.

A Day in the Life of a King's S(t)on

My Brringlish history isn't great, but I do know that Hampton Court used to be THE summer retreat for the royals. These days, it is open to the public, although we have not visited yet. We are saving it for when Yeller Fever and the Gorgeous M visit us at Christmas. Superficial me can only take so much history in one year!

It is hard to believe, but this beautiful park that has a golf course and hundreds of deer is literally a 10-minute bike ride across the river from where we live:



P had very sharp eyes and spotted this lovely little baby fawn:



Bambi in the flesh! It was simply adorable.

A massive water feature leads up to Hampton Court by the park. On the other side of the building is the river Thames:



We have also cycled back home along the river, but we were a bit too lazy to do it today as we have neighbours from both our left and right sides coming for dinner tonight. Yes, life here is pretty darn amazing. I am one very lucky girl!

A Day of Culture

Yesterday, P and I went to the National Portrait Gallery with our new friends, the Historian and his Classy Bird. He is a teacher and knows just about anything worth knowing with regards to the Brringlish past. His wife is from my neck of the woods and is elegant and oh-so-beautiful.

The Historian gave us a tour of the museum, with paintings from the 1500s to today. You could just sense the richness of the past in the art, and the modern pieces were witty and attention-grabbing.

In the evening, all four of us went to listen to P's former flatmate Gobby (P nicknamed her!) sing. She is a soprano who has concerts every few months and it was the first time we had seen her perform.

The venue was the beautiful St James Church in Picadilly:


Unfortunately, our camera's night mode doesn't work very well so it is out of focus, but you can still see the beautiful stained glass and carvings.

Imagine sitting in a dimly lit, historical and atmospheric church, listening to an experienced soprano's rich voice, backed by a Baroque ensemble. Over the two-hour concert, Gobby sang selected pieces from Vivaldi and Handel. My favourite arias were 'Ombre Vane' and 'Se pieta di me non senti'. Gobby's voice and breath control was amazing (years of practice), especially as she did the, "Oh oh oh oh oh oh" part of the songs! If anyone knows what that type of singing is called, please let me know because I have no idea.


As I sat there appreciating this wonderful operatic singer, I thought to myself how lucky I was to be enjoying Gobby's amazing talent. I wouldn't have this intimate and unique experience on our Small Island. I came away from yesterday very grateful for where I am in life and the opportunities that being with P have given me.

Now if only the sun would shine today (it's drizzly and grey), then life would be perfect! ;-)

Blingaling aling!

Look at these puppies:

No, I haven't won the lottery nor has P gotten a 1,000% payrise! My new babies are Russian diamond simulants, which my niece introduced me too. I never thought I would wear them, but they are very realistic (or they would be if I haven't bought such HUGE stones ha ha) and oh so sparkly!

I adore bling, but don't want to pay ridiculous prices for the real deal. The two rings and a pair of earrings (with another pair thrown in free) were only about £50. I still love my diamonds, but these are fun pieces that I'll wear when I'm out in the evening or travelling.

My goal is to purchase a second property within the next two years and I want to save as much as I can. Yet, I need to feed my weakness for the shiny stuff. RDS are the perfect solution. You heard it here first: Fake is the New Real!

Letting the Side Down

I've been at my new job for almost a month now and it's definitely been interesting. Although my working hours are short, the day is jammed pack from start to finish. There was no handover as such and I was just thrown in the deep end. However, I am slowly picking things up although there is still so much to learn as I'm in a completely new area.

My boss is from the same part of the world as me. She is very knowledgeable and down to earth, although much more reserved than I am. She is direct and respected by people who work for and with her. I consider myself lucky and hope that I'll remain her PA for the foreseeable future.

For the most part, the other PAs are also very nice. They have all been very helpful and we have a good laugh at the office. They are mostly Brrringlish girls and a whole lot of fun!

However, the same can't be said for the other PA who is from a neighbouring Small Island country. On my first day, this cute petite girl came up to me and said, "I'm Annie, so glad you're here, another Asian!" That should have set the warning bells ringing. I did notice that a couple of the other girls were quite distant, but I understand why now.

Annie and I had a few lunches together and as she became more comfortable with me, she would confide in me about how she felt with regards to work. First of all, she came over to Brringland as an au pair, but due to the right connections, she got a job at the bank. She has absolutely no experience as a PA, speaks very poor English (I don't always understand her) and more importantly, cannot get along with the other girls on the team.

During our chats, I realized that she was very defensive. She would complain about how unhappy she was i.e. she didn't like being a PA and wanted to be a banker so that she could make a lot of money. When I suggested she take up further studies, she said, "Oh, I'm too tired in the evenings!" Yes, she is one of those people who just moans about their situation but does nothing about it. Yawn.

To make matter worse, she was also very offensive. She asked me why I was 'just a PA' when I had a degree. I explained that I love being able to come into work, do my job, then go home without the stress of hitting targets or worrying about huge responsibilities. She also questioned how I was able to buy an apartment on my salary and I explained to her that I've been working for years and that you have this little thing called 'savings'. She is in her early 20s, working in her first office job, and expects to buy her own apartment in the most expensive city in the world! Earth to dope!

What made me finally decide to stop having lunches with her was when she said, "You know, I do much more than the rest of you PAs and have more responsibilties, so I should be paid more!" What she doesn't seem to realize is that she lacks experience and the ability to get along with her colleagues. We all make mistakes but what she does usually ends up in a mess. She has huge dreams, but little ability.

To be honest, I didn't expect my biggest (figuratively, not literally) challenge at work to come from a fellow Asian. I find it embarrassing that one of us 'yellow people' would give our host country such a bad impression. Yesterday, Annie sent another PA and me some of her work to do. I felt my temper flare when I read her email, but decided to sleep on it. I realize that I have to manage Annie, or else it will be just a slippery slope moving forward.

I don't mind explaining or showing you how to do something, but I certainly don't want to do your job for you! As it stands, I am already swamped and often have to work at home in the evenings. I just don't have the time to be another PA's PA.

There is always one person in every office whose work ethic differs from the rest. At the end of the day, it is her issue. I just have to learn how to deal with it professionally, easier said, but it's got to be done!

Small Island Freaks

Since I moved to Brrringland two months ago (P and I celebrated our 6th month wedding anniversary yesterday, thanks Yeller Fever, Wholesome Canadian Mum, Huney and co I MISS YOU GUYS SOOOOO MUCH!!!), I have met some great people from back home. I prefer not to socialize with my colleagues so have had to make friends by other means.

During Christmas last year, I joined a social group that meets for dim sum once a month. It's always a lot of fun and we always eat way too much. It's great to hang out with people from the same part of the world as me as we understand each other pretty well.

Having said that, I have come across a couple of people from our Small Island, whom I don't understand at all!

A couple of weeks ago, this girl, let's call her Goondoo, sent me a message via facebook. We started chatting and she seemed very keen to meet up. I invited her to come for lunch one weekend and she was very excited. However, on the day itself, she sent me a message saying she wasn't coming over because she felt uncomfortable as we hadn't met before!

Needless to say, I was none too pleased as I had already prepared the curry. I asked Goondoo why she said yes in the first place when she had doubts and told her that she had wasted my time. As a perfect example of how stupid this girl is, she was even surprised that I no longer wanted anything to do with her! I blocked her from MSN and haven't answered any of the emails she has since sent. This girl obviously does not know me because if she did, she would not waste her time trying to convince me otherwise.

I told the Organizer of our dim sum lunch about Goondoo and he was not surprised. In fact, he says that this happens a lot. He showed me posts on our overseas portal of some other Small Island Freaks who had done exactly the same thing as Goondoo.

It didn't stop there though, the Organizer MSNed me yesterday and told me that he was supposed to meet up with this girl, the Baker, we had met on facebook. I said to him, "Don't tell me, she backed out!" True to form, she had because her flatmate was afraid to meet a 'stranger' and the Baker was afraid to go by herself in case she got lost on public transport! I kid you not people, there really ARE ridiculous people like that out there.

If they are going to behave this way, I wonder why they even bother leaving our Small Island! One word of advice to them: stay in your rabbit holes and DON'T contact me on facebook or otherwise. Different cultural experiences are obviously too much for your weak little hearts and I have better things to do with my time. Like look for beautiful sapphire rings!

Treasures: Animal and Mineral

Last night, my close family friend of 18 years, Lizard Lover (LL) flew into town with her partner on route to the south of Brringland for a holiday. LL is the sister of Lane, my amazing friend who passed away from cancer over two years ago. The last time I saw LL was at Lane's bedside in New Zealand a couple of months before the end.

Although I was closer to Lane, I love LL just as much and it was really great to spend a bit of time with her! She brought me 'bak kway' (bbq pork) from our small island and P and I finished a pack in under an hour oink oink, no pun intended.

It was really great to talk to someone who knew and loved Lane as much as I did. We reminisced about how crazy and beautiful Lane was and it did bring a tear to my eye. I must admit I still can't talk about Lane without choking up. I miss her every single day and although time does make it easier, it never makes it go away.

But as they say, life is for the living and that is what we all must do. LL is on her way down the south coast to relax and unwind in some quaint B&Bs and I am enjoying myself with my wonderful hubby.

As my reward for moving here and starting a new job, I have bought a Ceylon sapphire ring. I have always associated that gem with this county, the whole Breeetish India thing and all. It is a 6.5 carat stone showcased in a handmade setting. I love the beautiful rich blues running through it, depending on what light you see it in. There are a couple of small inclusions visible to the naked eye, but I don't mind as I think it is part of the sapphire's charm.

A close up of the ring

A distance shot for some perspective on size

No, it hasn't replaced my engagement bling but I must admit I do like it a lot. When we started looking for the ring, P said of a lighter cornflower blue stone which was also very beautiful, "It's tasteful." I said, "I don't want tasteful, I want BIG!" ha ha. His comment was the death knell of that piece! Mid-blue colour sapphires are the most valuable but I would rather go for a darker stone with a bigger carat weight that is within my budget. Hey, I never said I wasn't superficial!

Anyway, LL is coming back to spend another night with us next weekend so it should be another fun evening of drinking (we had Cava, wine and Pimms) and chatting.

Much love everyone and have a great weekend!