A Bit of Lion Dance to Cheer Me Up

It was like we didn't have enough of Fed Square that we went back again yesterday. M got wind that there was going to be a Chinese Festival there but because I didn't hear anything about it, I suspected that the event was put up by a cult. I didn't really want to go but went along anyway. M was warned that if the event was clearly put up by a particular group of people that we do not agree with, we will leave immediately. The weather was still cold and wet. I didn't really mind Winter re-visiting us in Spring because it gave me another chance to wear my Duffle Coat.

It turned out that the festival was set up by The Federation of Chinese Associations. We were only there for a few minutes before it started to rain again. During the time we were there, no one came along to hand us pamphlets about crimes against humanity or community papers. I was glad that I wasn't asked if I was Chinese. Sometimes I feel like to answer back to such questions with, "Sorry, no, I am Greek." A very old Greek lady did however asked if I was Greek once though. LOL

I find the Green & Gold scarves decorating the cymbals a bit CHEESY!

I will spare everyone from even more photos of the Chinese Lions by just posting one. I can't help it. I just love them.

Just another little note about something else that happened that cheered me up a little yesterday. A Malay bloke came up to me and asked me for directions on how to get to the Holiday Inn from Swanston Street. I was eager to help since I don't get many opportunities like this because most people probably think that I am a clueless newcomer or do not speak a word of English. The man and his wife took my word for it and didn't even verify my info with someone genuine like M but then again M was somewhere else at the time. I later reanalyze the little experience and figured that I only made one lousy mistake. When I was pointing out the directions to him on his little map, I used my index finger instead of my thumb. Apparently they use their thumb to be polite.

Super Soaked - Grand Final Day 09

Without our own big size plasma screen or mini cinema, we have been heading to Fed Square to watch the Grand Final matches since 2007. Due to the lousy weather, this year's crowd was pretty thin.

During the Pre-match Entertainment bit, Jimmy Barnes sang and then John Farnham appeared and sang "You're The Voice". Jimmy Barnes even joined in the chorus. I especially enjoyed the kids singing the new version of "I Still Call Australia Home" but I kept my feelings private because I didn't know how the crowd would react to it.

The rain was really starting to pour just before half time. So we decided to head home and watch the rest of the game from home. The dude sitting to my left must have been thoroughly relieved to see us leave. He was so uncomfortable to be next to someone like me but his discomfort was nothing to compare to the utter disgust he had for 4 Indians who popped in briefly to enjoy the game during the second quarter. LOL (There really is no point in getting angry at people like this dude and his friends. I am simply too tired right now to even bother.) We went back to Fed Square again after dinner for the winning team's brief appearance. The place was quite packed.

How I wish that it is the Blues standing up there tonight and not Geelong. It has been such a long time since Carlton won the Grand Final. I just wish to celebrate their win at Fed Square before we move.

Just One More Sleep To That One Day In September

This year's Grand Final Week celebrations at Fed Square seemed watered down. I snapped a few photos when I was on my way to Safeway after the parade this afternoon. M was working and couldn't make it to the parade today. I ditched the idea of going to the parade by myself because the weather was simply lousy but I did ended up going to the city anyway to do some food shopping or there wouldn't be anything for dinner.

A newsreader for Fox Sports

The screen was showing how many hours till the match starts.

Apparently they are seriously unfunny. I am not sure because I don't listen to the radio.

I bought the 2009 Premiership Cup Pin. In doing so, I supposedly helped LADDER in supporting homeless youth across Australia. I guess I was sucked in by the dude who approached me. LOL

Exhaustion Due To Too Many Dreams

I have not been sleeping very well in the last 8/9 days. Although I basically sleep the usual number of hours each night, I still wake up exhausted because I spend the whole time dreaming. The kind of dreams that are most tiring are the ones that are very vivid and the stories tend to be filled with emotions. Sometimes a dream continues with a second episode if I get up in the middle of it. Other times I just experience a different dream every time I stir or move to a different position. When I get up in the morning, one of the first things I usually do is to tell M about my dreams. He rarely remembers his own dreams and finds the content of my dreams totally weird! After reading one of my favourite blogger’s post on her chickens/roosters recently, I promptly dreamt about shopping for chicks that very night. In the dream the chicks actually looked more like Guinea Pigs!

Even though I may sound weird because I write posts about missing my Guinea Pig, I am not on any medications other than taking fish oil capsules and Vitamin B Complex tablets when I remember to. I stated this because I read somewhere that people experiencing vivid dreams could be reacting to medications that they are taking.

With the arrival of Spring, my sleep is also easily distracted at this time of the year. If I do get up from a bad dream early in the morning, I usually don’t get to return to bed again because my nose will start to flow. Every year I wish that I have somehow cured myself. This year, I have managed to stay free of Hay Fever for 12 days since the arrival of Spring. Rhinocort is a best friend because it gives me a bit of relief without making me drowsy.

I think I will head to bed earlier. I just want to be rested before the Hay Fever symptoms come knocking early in the morning. As for the dreams, I don’t really know what to do about them. I sometimes try to get out of bad dreams, if I do get up midway, by tricking myself into thinking about a project I am working on but it doesn’t always work and at this time of the year, my conscious thoughts would only invite my nose to start flowing!

Cash Is Money Too

I love purchasing things or paying bills by cash. It helps me to keep things under control in a concrete way. There was a time in my life when credit cards were attractive to me. To be given them as a young adult was a status symbol. Better still because they were supplementary cards, I didn’t have to worry about paying anything at the end of each month. Nowadays I prefer to complete transactions using cash. It is just so much easier to keep track of everything. Interestingly, cash is becoming less ‘welcomed’ these days. I suspect that people are getting ‘told’ and are subscribing to the idea that cash is ‘uncool’ and low tech. LOL

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At IKEA, the self-check machines do not accept cash like the machines at Safeway/Woolworths. When paying bills over the counter, customers are now getting charged a Cash Payment Fee/Payment Handling Fee. I just don’t get it. Why do customers have to pay extra for making a payment? I am so glad that Independent Senator Xenophon is looking into this issue. It just doesn’t seem right for customers to be slugged so many different type of fees even when they are doing the right thing. So there must be other people out there who are bothered by this for Xenophon to take an interest.

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Imagine one day when department stores start charging shoppers a fee if they choose not to check out at the self-check machines.

Attacking The Bathroom Cupboards

With the plumber coming tomorrow, I have finally gone around to removing the stuff inside the cupboards just in case if he needs to access the pipes/drain. You won't believe how much stuff is accumulated inside these small cupboards. Half of the stuff are now ready to be binned and the other half are temporarily stored inside a crate. The cupboards will be properly disinfected again after the plumber's departure.
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At the moment, I am thinking about ways to maximize the storage capacity of these cupboards for when I return the stuff on either Friday or Saturday. There are some cheap but Aussie made plastic boxes at Reject Shop that might be handy but I will have to find out if they will fit into the cupboard first. I am also hoping to 'hide away' some of the things we use daily instead of leaving them on the bench to make the bathroom look less cluttered.
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Our bathroom looks so 90's! Other than giving it a fresh lick of paint, there really is nothing affordable we can do about it for now. At least the plumber is coming to fix the tap that leaks every now and then. He is also going to fix the erratic toilet flush buttons and the mysterious leak underneath the kitchen sink. We will have to go to bed real early tonight because we are the plumber's first job of the day. He will be here at 7:00 am! Two hours after the plumber's arrival, the electrician will be here too to fix a couple of switches and discuss the options of whether to replace the ceiling light in the living areas. It has become increasingly difficult in finding light bulbs that not only fit but are also bright enough for me to sew in the evening.

Lost and Found

Way back in July when I was cleaning out the fish tank, I misplaced a photo of our Guinea Pig. This was one of the first photos I took of our Guinea Pig when we first bought the digital camera and we printed it out with our old printer. After rediscovering it before Christmas last year, I had placed it along with other mementos next to the fish tank. A day or two after cleaning the fish tank in July, I suddenly realised that the photo was not where it should have been. I looked everywhere for it. I even looked inside the bins thinking that it might have been accidentally thrown out. M also got blamed along the way. I felt quite sad but at the same time I also felt that I had placed it somewhere safe for some reason.

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I took a break from all the cleaning on Saturday (05/09) to flip through one of the Montessori manuals to check out one of the basic grammar activities for introducing Verbs using a farm setting. Instead of pulling out my box of Schleich animals to see what examples of phrases I could use, I went to look for the catalogue instead. The plastic drawer where I had placed the Schleich catalogue was quite full and I had to move things around to look for it. I can’t remember what item I had moved when I saw a familiar face staring back at me. It was my Guinea Pig! It was the photo that I had been looking high and low for. LOL. The photo was indeed stored away safely in this drawer. After studying the Montessori manual a little, I came back to the drawer to double check and see if the photo was indeed there and it was. It is now placed temporarily next to the pouch holding his urn.