Calm after the storm...

A breathe of fresh air ....

Last Monday, we drove up to Puncak with the whole family. Nope, not to buy plants (I wish :D) but to see Taman Safari. Loaded with kids, gadgets and food, we explored the wilderness to see animals in their wild habitat.

Upon entering the place, I asked everyone (who's sitting beside the window) to roll down their window and smell the fresh air. It's not just the air that surprised us, it's also the sound of the wild echoing. It makes you feel like you're in the jungle.

Here are some sightings :

Expat Wife ???

What are the usual (public) perception towards an expat wife? Why do people mistook us as having a dull free, luxurious and easy life?
Are we really priviledged? What most of us (expat wives) really prefer?

Expat Wife
Definition : Married to a mobile husband who earns more than the average Joe back in your own country.  Living internationally, with  company allowances.  etc..etc...
Sounds good ey? Not!

Contrary to what everyone thinks (well most), we don't have an abnormal life. A life of luxury is only for rich people, rather, for people who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. 
We struggle the same life like any normal wife, only, we are fighting the unknown. Being aliens in other countries is not an easy job. We may have little comforts like living in a better compound or buildings, having a helper and driver, sending kids to international schools. But the chances of having more advantage than disadvantage is not possible. We have problems of isolation, unfamiliarity, etc... etc... Imagine yourself stranded (for a couple of years) in an island far from civilization, then you'll understand where I'm coming from.

It's not that I'm whinning,I'm not!,I'm just stating facts. Sometimes I'm being too cynical, sometimes I feel so blessed with what I have, knowing that some people will kill for this life that I have. But then, there's this little devil at the back of your mind that never ceases an opportunity when it arise. Sometimes we prefer and hope to have a normal life back home.

Socializing was never been this hard back home with your long time friends. I used to love parties and in those days I am me. But now in some parties you have to be pretentious, in some a little stiff and in some just plain fake.  Makes you wonder why it's not easy to borrow a face like ...........                  

 

Yes I borrowed her face but only for this blog. This was taken before one of the cocktail parties. Justin took the photo but thought my face looked stressed out...so I pasted hers on mine. Neat eh? And yes it's my body .....duh! I just borrowed her face.

Note to self: Have to learn to accept I'm aging and not steal somebody else's face ...LOL!

This post was inspired by expatwomen.com and the book "Me, a TaiTai? Expatriates wife don't always have it good".

Tandoori Ya!

Justin prepared another meal for his weekend cooking duty. This time it's an Indian adaptation of Chicken Tandoori.

  The chicken was marinated and kept in the fridge for two nights. And then grilled in a makeshift barbecue grill because he doesn't like to bake it in the oven.
The plate was decorated with salad leaves and grilled yellow capsicums. Served with Mango chutney and Thai spicy garlic sauce.

And I still don't have the Aussie Turbo II Barbecue Grill ( I'm still saving for it).
The Aussies are famous for BBQ  especially during the summer season. You can find gas BBQ grills in public parks which you can use for free.

I got rid of the one I have back in Hong Kong because it became rusty for being left out in the rain a couple of times. But then, we Pinoys are known to be resourceful and this is what I come up with .......... ....................................    an old baking pan. We burned the coals halfway before putting it in the  pan. Justin have to  fan it manually to burn continuously.

Forgetful Jenn ....

My usual routine... up at 4:45 a.m. preparing breakfast for hubby, then his lunch box. At 5:30 it's Justin's turn to hit the shower et moi prepares his breakfast. Then at 5:45 it's Pixel's turn to be shaken up and be served her breakfast . Although with her, it's quite easy because most of the time she eats cereals.
But this morning I forgot to prepare her lunchbox.
After setting up her table, I glanced at the tube and there it is a feature about Uma Thurman on E!. I was hesitating but I said to myself it will just be a few minutes break then I'll get on with what I'm supposed to do.
She came out of the room and ate her food while my eyes are  still in the tube. This time it 's the story of her life with Ethan Hawke. Earlier it was her marriage with Gary Oldman, quite interesting I should say.

She finished up and I went back to the sofa still glued at the tube until ....Pixel's eyes widen when she asked ..."where's my lunch???"  Oohhhh deaarrr!!!
Next thing I heard is the school bus slowly  pulling over at the front door ....I immediately rushed in to the kitchen ...open the fridge ..grab a cheese slice ... slice of ham...2 pieces of bread...plugged in the sandwich maker....stack them all inside and grab it tightly  with my fist because I broke the lock in a hurry. Pixel is fretting with her things being dragged, wearing a long face and heading to the maindoor. Me on the other hand hurried to place the sandwich in a ziploc bag, grab a box of cookies and an apple juice. I run to the door and saw the bus door about to close but then I managed to catch up with it and hand Pixel her food. At that time she was explaining to her bus friends this - "My Mommy was watching TV and she forgot to prepare my lunch!"  A bunch of rascals (kids) throw me a look and all I can manage is a   halfway smile and couldn't say a single word. Ah!! don't you just love my daughter !!!

Feels like Hong Kong

As a couple, we make sure that we take time out for ourselves at least once a week. Sometimes we go to a dinner, a movie or a nice breakfast over the weekends.

Last Sunday, Sacha took me to the Ritz Carlton for a heavy breakfast buffet. Afterwards we went to check the new Pacific Place Mall.

Much to our surprise this is what we found :
Located on the 4th floor, where the food section is. The whole floor is built to look like a Marina. Complete with lighthouse, sailboats, man made ponds, fountains and a ceiling painted as a blue sky.

There's VIP seating on top of the lighthouse where they serve steaks. Ice cream shops  occupies seating on the sailboats. All restaurants have a view of the Marina and the fountains. We sample the view from the sailboat with Cream N Fudge.

At the 6th floor you will find the best cinema house in the city. It is similar to Hong Kong's Palace IFC the where you have library cafes exclusive for cinema goers, VIP toilets and membership priviledges.

You will also find Kidzania, where kids can spend as long as 7 hours in this little town set up filled with activities suited for children. In here, they can pretend to be doctors, fireman, lawyers et al. Small divas can go on a shopping and spa service. The entrance is like a check-in counter at the airport that continues to the immigration office before you can enter the town proper. Adults are not allowed in the vicinity but they can watch thru the waiting area.

The mall set up is similar to Times Square in Causeway Bay (Hong Kong) which has an atrium in the middle.

Pacific Place is my place .....