Conversation with “The Man”

Sorry I’ve been a little bit absent in the last month. In fact come to think of it i cannot actually believe that a WHOLE month has come and gone and i have not written anything! In actually there have been a few things have going on but as its been a little bit of a whirlwind few weeks I haven’t really had much of a chance to stop and write it all down and post it! I know it’s terrible… but let’s move on shall we?

In the last few weeks Mr A and I have been tossing up about heading abroad sometime next year. We’re wondering if we should perhaps head off to Europe with his parents (as they are going next year for his Dad’s 60^th birthday – its a surprise so don’t tell him!) or someplace different… the rationale is we are thinking that inshallah we want to look at start trying to start a family so maybe we should get the BIG trip outta the way? Personally I’ve done the whole Mediterranean and Europe experience and much prefer sandy beaches and relaxation – but Mr A hasn’t been to Europe.

And then one day last week I get a VERY interesting call while I’m at work:

Mr A: I was looking online at places we could go – how about maybe Africa? Or Cairo?

Me: Oooohhh – Egypt would be lovely! I’ve actually not been there – it would be fantastic!

Mr A: No – ugh; why don’t you listen to me – i said CAIRO!

Me: yeeeesss (thinking *what does HE mean?*) – I know – Cairo is IN Egypt!

Mr A: NO! Cairo is in AFRICA!

Me: yes babe – Cairo is the capital of Egypt – it IS in the continent of Africa

Mr A: Sweetie; Egyptians are Arabs –

Me: yes babe – they speak Arabic and are recognised as Arabs but it is located in Africa…

*I start to hear clicking in the background of the call…*

Mr A: i JUST ‘Googled’ it – Cairo is the capital of Egypt… you were right.

And in my mind i sat there thinking: AND DON’T YOU BLOODY WELL FORGET IT!

Me: oh well – I guess i was just better in Geography than you were sweetie – when we get home can we have that sticky date pudding that you make so well?

See – now he feels all ‘capable again! Seriously – my man is TOOOOO cute!

Wanna see some photos???

Hey people – I have FINALLY gotten off my proverbial and gotten all my holiday snaps on CD! I have posted my most recent exploits (+ photos taken in the last 2 weeks in a separate [protected] blog post) which include family dinners, my birthday and swimming with dolphins in Part1 of the Bali Photos… as you may also see it IS password protected. SO for those who do not yet have the password and would like it send me your requests (with the obvious email address) and I shall give you the details!

To those who already have the password – enjoy the viewing… feel free to add your comments and I’ll be popping more on the blog in the next couple days (it’s late and I am tired – me thinks this may be sufficient for tonight!)

PS: Part II of the Bali photos include the muddiness that Mr A got me into – Buggying is a dirty pastime! Pictures of us white water rafting (i still cannot believe that Mr A managed to convince me to so that) and more holidaying activities!

I’m Back!

We got back on Friday afternoon – it was such a blissful 2 weeks; warm, sunny lazy days spent by the pool. Walking from Seminyak down to Kuta almost everyday and then back to our hotel. We did HEAPS of walking; I cannot begin to tell you how amazed we both were at the amounts of walking we did…

The hotel was FANTASTIC – we stayed at The Breezes, the staff were lovely and friendly and really helpful.

Mr A and I arranged a few activities (meaning Mr A told me what he wanted to do and I arranged the activities!) that involved white water rafting (this was purely a Mr A idea – but by the end of it, although we were all wet and tired I loved it!), buggying (through muddy tracks and through 3 local villages) which I think Mr A was entertained at his “how muddy and dirty can I get my mrs?” challenge! Needless to say we finished this VERY dirty indeed – and by “we” I mean primarily me!

The BEST excursion was when we both went to see (and swim with!!!!!!) the dolphins… in the next couple of days i’ll write more about the antics we got up to and pop on some photos of us and our trip as soon as i download them to my computer (I have scheduled it in for this Saturday!)

Stay tuned folks… and before i forget: THANKS for ALL the wellwishes (for said trip) and your visits here in my absence!

Mr A Gets Promoted!

At First I didn’t actually see it this way – a promotion. It took Susi and I chatting about the situation and chuckling of at the madness of it all to realise that it is, indeed some kind of a promotion i guess!

Remember how aaaagggeeesss ago i mentioned how a male family member came to Perth to visit? Remember how I mentioned how mum has high hopes for said guy and then all hopes were dashed when both people’s personalities conflicted? Well; when he left Australia he had left some of his luggage here and had asked that we send it back to him. “We” became ‘MY’ job and my mum cut all sort of responsibility on grounds that since they had had an argument that clearly the responsibility would be mine. And so (yet again) i sucked it up and dealt with it.

I told him that I would more than happy to send his (22kg of) luggage once he had transferred me some money – I mean, didn’t get me wrong here; I have no problems sending 1, 2, 5, or even up to 10kg worth of luggage but aft3er a few quick quotes online I discovered that sending 22kg worth of luggage was hardly cheap… plus i have a house to pay for (does anyone realise that porcelain slab tiles are NOT cheap?)

So after nearly a YEAR later – yes, nearly a year the guy transfers me some money – far be it for me to tell him that since the start of financial year that the cost of sending said items would be increased. Whatever; I was just happy to have it off my hands (and not have to hear anymore about it from my mum… again and again… and again!).

Everything was organised through Discount Excess Luggage – yes it is some shameless advertising but the man was really great (for more details head to http://www.discountexcessbaggage.com.au/) and the prices were really competitive! The plan was that he would pick up said item from my mum’s place; weigh item, call me and I would give him my credit card details. What actually happened was that he went to pick up said item and mum would not take any of the paperwork from him?

The poor guy had no idea what to do – i spoke to my mum later and apparently the rationale in her mind was that as NONE of it was her responsibility that she would not take ANY of the paperwork. That this man HAD to give me the paperwork – she told the poor guy where i worked and said that he should drop it off to me!

When the guy (his name was Laurie by the way) said “you can give it to your daughter when you see her” apparently she said a few things – mum told me that she had told him that i do not always come home and that sometimes i sleep at my friends house!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I told her that she KNEW that I most definitely was not staying with a “friend” and that I am staying with my in-laws and my husband she went onto say “no – I tell him you sometimes stay with your friend; what for I make bad my daughter’s name? I not want to tell him that you won’t come home to see your mother”

I mean let’s just be serious here for a second – as IF the Caucasian man is seriously caring what I do with my life and where I am living! I mean – WHO would he gossip this ‘vital’ tid-bit of information to??? If anything, her behaviour has probably made him go “yep, I’d be living with my friend too sweetie!!!”

Anyway; although at first I was a little frustrated, annoyed and flabbergasted by her incessant denial Susi and I realised that in some twisted way she had finally acknowledged Mr A’s existence as being something more than (how she affectionately refers to him as) ‘Satan’.

And it only took us this long!

Another 3 years and he’ll be my boyfriend/fiancé!

For love of Oroton!

Lets keep it short and sweet people… Mr A got me a delectable new Oroton bag… here it is… 

Thanks heaps Mr A… *kiss, kiss*

I am one very lucky gal!

Dinner & Yes Man

Last night was absolutely lovely – Mr A loved the dinner that I made for him! Talk about fusion – I made Arabic rice (the one with the pine nuts & lamb mince in it) and beef rendang (from scratch my dears!)… It was absolutely delicious! Poor Mr A was gob smacked to hear that the rendang had 3 cans of coconut milk in it that simmers down to the amount that was only the table – I didn’t have the heart to tell him that this is why it’s a dish that is not cooked very often (and + all the spices that I grind in the mortar and pestle + the desiccated coconut) and if I did it probably would lead to high cholesterol! Hehe – he liked it so much he asked for some of the rice and rendang in a little container so he could have it for lunch today at work!

 

I didn’t get to watch all my shows thoughL! Monday is normally a pretty good TV night for me, America’s Next Top Model and Army Wives to name only 2… after dinner and getting close to end of America’s Next Top Model (that Mr A was lamenting about saying that “this show is crap” and “how can you watch this shit?” to “ugh – I’m just going to read my car magazine”) he suggested we go to watch Yes Man (the movie starring Jim Carrey)! Yes, it was the most obvious ploy plotted to not have to sit through Army Wives with me (he doesn’t really like Jim Carrey) but in the spirit of compromise (and the fact that I actually did want to see the movie) I checked screening times and said that as so long as I got to watch the rest of America’s Next Top Model that we’d go soon after!

 

So about Yes Man – I thought it was rather funny! Not ‘drop dead hilarious’ funny or ‘tears down your face, side splitting’ funny, but funny nonetheless! As per usual

Jim Carrey does what he does best, but the other characters the played alongside him were actually rather funny in their own right! I have had 2 people ask me if it’s like Liar Liar? I will say yes… and no! yes in the way that as in Liar Liar he was unable to lie and that in this movie he is unable to say no, this movie differs in that he makes a promise (or ‘covenant’ as they say in the movie) to himself that he will say yes to all opportunities that he is presented with!

 

I’m not going to give anything away in case any of you are going to watch it, but I will say this; the movie make me think about how many opportunities a person misses because they say ‘no’. I think back to the Mark Twain adage; where it is better to regret the things that you have done rather than the things that you haven’t done!

 

Oh – I think I missed a call from my mum last night while I was at the movies… I sent her a message (as I also got one from her that someone must have written for her… she doesn’t send sms’s normally) saying that I’d call her back tomorrow (meaning later on tonight)

 

I will say I enjoyed my entire evening – not just because it was spent with Mr A (but obviously that was a huge part of it) but because of the ‘easiness’ of it all – the ability to just say “lets go to the movies” and be able to get up and go rather than have to go through the normal rigmarole with my mum when I want to go out on a weeknight, the usual lamenting involved when I say I am off to some social place like the cinema and the knowing impending tirade upon my return home… *sigh* oh well!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Oh MY god! I watched this movie last night with Mr A and his sister and let me tell you something – pack the tissues!!!!

 

Seriously people – prepare to cry… I could not believe how choked up I got! I left the cinemas with an empty box of popcorn and a drenched tissue!!! I will not get into the movie in case any of you will leave angry comments with me giving things away! But I will say this; if you liked The Notebook you’ll like this! It was a tad long though – but I suppose it was a FULL account of the whole man’s bloody life!

 

But onto something that happened just before the movie:

 

Every now and again Mr A does something that truly makes me realise just how lucky I am to have him. How truly wonderful a man he is and how my mum has no idea what she’s talking about when she doubts what we share.

 

It had been hot all day so we all went to the movies in short sleeves – once we all go into the cinema and the lights dimmed and the previews began someone obviously thinks that this is the part where movie patrons want to be frozen to their chairs! I was beginning to get cold thinking how on earth I was going to survive just over two and half hours sitting here… Mr A leaned over;

 

Mr A: sweetie, are you going to be cold?

Me: umm…. No… I mean its a little cold, but I think I should be okay… don’t worry about me (*inside I am thinking ‘oh my god, it’s going to be ssssooo cold in a hour!*)

Mr A: Are my keys in your bag? Can you get them for me please? I need to get something from the car…

Me: Yeah, they are (*now rummaging for keys in the dark in my handbag*)… but you’ll miss the beginning of the movie if you go now…

 

Mr A didn’t listen, took his keys out of my hand and left for a few minutes…

 

He came back with his jumper for me to wear….

 

“I don’t want you to be cold baby” was what he said when he gave it to me!

 

It’s the small things that count… just one more reason why I love him so much!

 

PS. Before you think that he meanly got me a jumper and left his sister shivering in the cold he demonstrated just how wonderful he is by bringing her his football jersey so she wouldn’t feel too cold either…