Excitedly Nervous

Just a quick post to say that I'm meeting a special person tomorrow. I'm feeling excited and nervous at the same time. I've never met this person before, we've only communicated through the internet. I'll tell you more about it next time. :)

In the mean time, here's something to keep you amused.

Visa, VISA, Tweety, and Moving

Yesterday I received the news that my visa is sorted. Hurra! :) Received all my documents back today. I was told it would take 12 weeks. We pulled strings and pray that it would be sorted quicker. Amazingly it only took 2 weeks instead. Thank God for that! I don't fancy waiting around doing "nothing" here for longer than necessary...

On the subject of Visa, last Christmas I received a pre-paid VISA card with the Tweety picture on it. Though I've spent the $$ at KIT, I'm keeping the card as it's so cute.

Years ago my cousin gave me a bag in the shape of Tweety's head. I loved it and carried it everywhere until a pickpocket took my wallet on the bus in Singapore. I lost my bankcards and student pass amongst other things. You see, the bag didn't have a zip. Since then I don't carry bag that doesn't have a zip on it.

Back to the subject of moving. We've decided to go up to the Southern hemisphere again for a few years. Don't know exactly where we're going to settle yet, it all depends on where hubby gets a job. In a way not knowing what lies ahead makes life more exciting. Can be scary at times...

Nevertheless, God has proven time and time again that He's faithful. He provides all our needs. With the benefit of hindsight I could see His hands in everything that happens in my life. I can even say that my relationship with hubby started with God as the matchmaker. But that's another story.

I hope I don't come across as a religious freak. I believe in God and I'm not ashamed to say it. I do feel ashamed with some brands of "Christianity" that do stupid things using God's name. I guess every religions has it's bad points...

So that's my various thoughts of the day. Now I've got to go back to sorting stuffs ready for the move. One thing to look forward to: I'm meeting a very special person next week. I'm very excited about it. Stay in tune for more news! :)

Kreativ Tag and Tardis

I've been tagged by GQ, the queen of gloss!

"List 7 things that you love, and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you love! Be sure to tag them and let them know that they have won. You can copy the picture of the award and paste it on your sideboard letting the whole world know...you are Kreativ"

To prove my creativity, I'm doing an alphabetical list. LOL.

7 things that I love:
A for Anything nice smelling.
B for Books - I'm a bookworm. When I was a kid my mum used to hide my books, she didn't like me reading while eating my dinner.
C for Cats. I hope we could adopt some in the country we're going to...
D for Discussions. I love to know what other people think.
E for Experiencing different places, food, and culture.
F for Family and friends.
G for God. Because He has loved me first! :)

7 bloggers/collection of blogs that I love:
The Beauty Brains
Kat

Expat Women

Fragrantica

Trish

Ron

Gem

I don't think I can tag the collection of blogs. I'm feeling quite tired so if you see your name there please know that you've been tagged. :)

At the moment I don't want to think about moving, a bit fed up with everything... I wish I can just throw everything inside the Tardis and move on whenever I want, wherever I like. Hehehe...

Super Cute Intermezzo

Hubby bought me this Super Cute Hello Kitty T-shirt from Jay Jays. It's the one in the middle, with glittery "Super Cute" prints on it. Suits me well, of course! Hehehe... Sounds like Hello Kitty is truly big this year...

We're "moving moving"!

It's time to let the cat out of the bag. I've been on and off because we're RELOCATING OVERSEAS soon!!

Two weeks ago hubby received the termination letter from his company. With barely a day notice. Expected, though the timing was unexpected as he had just started working on a new project. He wasn't the only one who got the letter. Apparently there was no logic nor pattern to why they were all being let go. Hubby's boss was mad, as with new projects coming up he's only left with 2 seniors to do the jobs, the rest of the "leftovers" are newly graduate people who still had plenty to learn. Very stupid of the decision maker, as hubby's latest client was paying him by the hour, split 50-50 between him and the company. So letting go of hubby means letting go of part of the company's income. See, I told you, there's no logic to it...

I must have had a hunch about it (or did God let me know beforehand?) when I wrote my post about Vicky Beeching's lyrics.

We're here on working visa, so we had to decide where to move to next. We wondered whether we should renew our NZ residency visa that expired last year. Or move back to UK, though my UK residency is invalid as I've left the country for more than two years.

With the way things go we had to make a quick decision. Within 5 days we made our decision. So began the race to sort our paperwork as soon as possible. Plus other hassles that come with moving countries.

We've lived in 4 different countries in our 7 years of marriage. Not a newbie in the "moving country" department. By now we know the drill quite well. Doesn't make things easier. We know it's the right time to move on. God has closed the door here, we trust that He will open another door somewhere out there. In His perfect timing.

Through thirty-two summers and thirty-two winters

I've laughed in the spring time

I've cried in the rain

Though I've questioned the meaning

Of some of life's seasons

It's true that they've left me holding on tighter to You.

Am I nervous? You bet. Am I scared? No. 'cause I know God has led me so far and He has prepared my future for me.

So that's my news for now. I've only told a couple of friends about it. With this post the news is official. In the mean time I'll keep you guessing which country we've decided to move to.

MAC Hello Kitty and my first thoughts

I love cats and I love Sanrio characters. I still have Hello Kitty stickers from Japan that I received on my 10th birthday. They're still in mint condition, too. :) The stickers are of the "stick and dress up the kitty" variety, with one big Hello Kitty that I can decorate with different dresses, bows, etc.

Needless to say I was curious to see whether MAC's limited edition Hello Kitty collection is really up to the hype.

So even though I've been very busy lately (watch this space for the full story), I made an effort to check them out while passing by Myer and DJ on the way home.

They definitely looked much better than the cheapo looking Dame Edna's collection. And they looked heaps better than on photos I've seen on the internet. It proves that Hello Kitty has similar problem with most of us humans: she looks better in person than on her "passport" photo! :) In this case, the products look much better than on photos.

I love the design on the lid of the Beauty Powder and Blush. It's chic, doesn't look like something that might come out from a little girl's handbag. It definitely screams of "sophisticated big sister's loot".



Eye shadows wise I like "Too Dolly". The colours aren't that spectacular, I'm not in a rush to get it.





The packaging of the pigment and glitter didn't look Hello Kitty-ey. I do like the bright pinkness of the glitter.

As you know I'm not much of a lippie girl. I'm re-considering my stand now seeing the lipstick packaging looked stylish. Yeah, I'm a sucker for Hello Kitty stuffs...





The Tinted Lip Conditioner smelled incredibly yummy. The lid has the same design as the powder = I like!

I wasn't impressed with the packaging of the mascara. It looked more like a portable swivelling brush in a container. Nothing special nor Hello Kitty-ey whatsoever. Design wise I'm not sure why they didn't make more efforts on it, looked as if it was an after thought. It didn't tempt me at all, the Queen Mascara in me was in her full diva mode: who cares about the performance if the packaging didn't grab me and didn't look Kitty enough I won't spend my money on it. I wasn't impressed with the packaging of the lip glass and glitter eyeliner either.

The fake lashes looked good. One little problem: I don't know how to stick them on. I've used fake lashes but they were always applied by others. I never tried doing it myself. I guess if I really, really want to get this kitten eyelashes I have to make an effort to learn.

The greyness of "On the Prowl" nail lacquer intrigued me. Love "Something About Pink". Cute bottles. I'm not so keen on "Vestral White".

All in all, it's not a bad collection. I might get something from the above if and when I have the time. Of course I won't refuse if anyone is giving me some! LOL...

Anti-Aging Perfume

I read about a perfume called AgelessFantasy that claims to be the world's first anti-age perfume. It promises to make you "smell younger and more youthful", camouflaging "older person's odour".

I can't comment on this as:
1. I haven't tried it.
2. I have no need for it, at least not yet.
3. My brains are still clouded by migraines.

So please read the article yourself (clicking on the name will link you straight to the webpage) and count this post as a quick intermezzo. I'll write more about my absence as soon as I feel much better. :)

Migraines

I'll be on and off in the next few days. One reason: I've been having bad migraines... blame it on the weather: it's been horribly hot again. Blasting the A/C doesn't help either. :(

The next time I write I'll explain another reason behind my absence.

In the mean time, here's something to keep you smiling:

Tall and Skinny, Big and Dumpy

Here are photos from Samburu.

The baby giraffe is just sooooooooooooooooooo cute! :)

Despite their docile appearance, elephants can be very fierce and dangerous. One of them was annoyed by us, shook his massive ears, blew his trumpet, getting ready to charge. Needless to say our driver moved the vehicle quickly to escape the elephant's wrath! It was quite a scary moment. I prefer to be near a wild lion than a wild elephant... Shudders...

Elephants crossing... we counted about 40 elephants altogether. Old and young, big and small, they crossed the river in orderly manner. The babies were well positioned between the adults, to protect them from being easy target.

A beautiful oryx in the wild.

Close Encounters with the Wild Kind

= animals we saw in the wild.

These photos were taken in Nakuru.

Zebras - very pretty stripes...

Lion - our vehicle stopped right next to it!

Mighty buffaloes, bigger than the ones in Indonesia.

Black rhinoceros - if you see them approaching, you have to make lots of movements with your arms and legs while making lots of noises. They have bad eyesights, so if they think you "suddenly" appear in front of them they might be shocked and might run you over, as they think you're a danger to them.

Kenya: Bricks and OUR Tree...

Msangga school: they make their own bricks for building the classrooms and equipping people with practical skills. They have their own furnace as well.

Every visitor was given the honour to plant a tree at the school compound. This one is OUR TREE! :) Wonder how long it will take to grow to a full-size plant...

Entertainment time: the children sang Hockey Cockey, complete with the movements, taught by an English PE teacher. They absolutely enjoyed themselves, though some confused the movements of left/right and arms/legs. Hilarious! Notice their colourful clothes...

Kenya: school projects

We visited some school projects funded by our church.

Nazarene Empathy Nursery School: the nursery for orphans in one of the widows groups. They sang beautifully and were a very polite bunch of kids. Because of AIDS there are a lot of orphans raised up by relatives, grandparents, or neighbours. Very sad. The kids seemed very content though...

Next is the Ka Chieng School. They have a garden project to teach students how to grow plants. Quite impressive, giving them useful skills for life, like the saying: "Don't give a man fish, give him a rod and teach him how to fish." Because the water pump & water tank were broken, they have to get water from the river, somewhere downhill across the road. We're so spoiled in the western world!

School kids at Ka Chieng school: ready for assembly. They sang for us before the visiting team gave some words to them, followed by Q&A time. Fantastic kids...

School rules at Ka Chieng School: pasted outside the classroom. We found them amusing.

Vicky Beeching

I haven't listened to my music collections for a while. The other day I listened to "Painting the Invisible" album by Vicky Beeching, my favourite singer/songwriter.

Whenever I sing this song I change the words "twenty-six" into whatever age I'm at. Yeah, I'm not twenty six anymore... :)

"I don't know what the future holds
All that lies beyond my horizon
The years ahead are just out of sight
Well I think sometimes that You hide them
So that I'll walk by faith and not sight
So I'll take Your hand holding tight

Through twenty-six summers and twenty-six winters
I've laughed in the spring time
I've cried in the rain
Though I've questioned the meaning
Of some of life's seasons
It's true that they've left me holding on tighter to You

My one desire for the road ahead
Is that we would walk it together
Friend and King, You're my everything
May I stay by Your side forever
For when my heart's afraid, You're near
Whispering to my soul, "don't fear"

And I will trust in You alone
For You're the hand leading me home...

I've spent twenty-six summers and twenty-six winters with You
Through all of the seasons
And my search for reasons
You've carried me through
I will keep holding on to You."

(Twenty-Six Summers, Vicky Beeching, 2007)

Yes, God, I'll keep holding on to You! :)