A Year Ago Today at Acre Eatery

Thursday, July 30, 2020
Cheese with Garlic and Crackers
Coffee at Acre Eatery
Lasagne with Salad at Acre Eatery
Thick Hot Chips at Acre Eatery
Cheese with Garlic and Crackers
Salt & Pepper Calamari at Acre Eatery
Lasagne with Salad at Acre Eatery
Acre Victoria Sponge Cake
Acre Victoria Sponge Cake

Lunch at: Acre Eatery, 31A Mallett street, Camperdown NSW 2050. Photos taken by me with my Canon D70 DSLR

So I had no intention of posting these photos to my blog. It was a day I took out my best friend Betty for her annual birthday lunch, one year ago. Our tradition is to 'surprise' each other with a restaurant we know we both enjoy to show how much we care and love one another. <3

But this year, with the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia has been in lock down and I think me and Betty quietly knew we couldn't celebrate our birthdays in our traditional way.

But these photos came up as part of my 'Facebook Memories' as Betty's birthday was a few days ago and I realised how much I missed our old lives before lock-down.

Everyone, please do your part and wear a mask, sanitise, isolate if you feel sick and practice social distancing so that next year I would not need to experience the same frustrations. Hoping I am lucky enough to take my best friend out for her birthday in 2021. I hope everyone else does too. We all deserve to be safe and happy.

Reflecting back, I picked Acre Eatery because of the cosy farm-to-table feeling I felt when I saw the website photos. When we arrived, the eatery was surrounded by a garden where you can see that they grew their own foods where they can. The menu is seasonal so unfortunately it changes all the time so I couldn't find what I ate a year ago on the menu today. But everything was delicious and our favourite was the garlic topped baked Camembert with rosemary crackers.

My favourite thing was that I could order a special in-house baked birthday cake for Betty to be served at the end of our meal. I pre-ordered before I arrived to the restaurant when I was made my booking. It was beautiful vanilla sponge cake topped with cream and fresh colourful fruit from the gardens. I remember the look of glee on Betty's face when it came out and the sinking embarrassed feeling I had when I realised I had to sing the birthday song to Betty solo, but I love her so much I would do anything for her.

That's the beauty of our friendship <3

Stay safe everyone x

Your Converse High: CT All Star 70 High Pride

Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Converse High CT All Star 70 Hi Pride
Converse High CT All Star 70 Hi Pride
Converse High CT All Star 70 Hi Pride
Converse High CT All Star 70 Hi Pride
Converse High CT All Star 70 Hi Pride
Converse High CT All Star 70 Hi Pride

Wearing: Converse High CT All Star 70 Hi Pride Sneakers; Cargo Pants from Nasty Gal; Sweatshirt from Nasty Gal

I've been adopting a more relaxed style after spending alot of weeks working from home and being in isolation. I think everyone is? I've noticed everyone is into lounge or active wear. I think the idea of not going back into the office has shifted they way everyone dresses. I'm in the same boat so definitely not complaining about my sneakers, jumpers and loose pants as they're pretty comfortable. 

A great source of comfort for me these last few weeks is music. So I'm also here to talk about what I've been consuming lately. Anddddd it's been alot of BTS - and that's what the title "Converse High" title is inspired by. 

I've been listening to them casually since they performed DNA at the AMAs 2017 and when they first appeared on Ellen. Now at 31 years old I was convinced I was too old for K-pop having been obsessed with it in my high school years with acts like Rain, Boa, Shinhwa, Se7en, Fin.K.L etc etc but I still appreciated BTS and liked listening to the pop bops Boy with Luv, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Idol etc etc

Fast forward to June 2020 where I watched them on Carpool Karaoke with James Corden and J-Hope really pulled me in with his energy and huge smile. Then Jin cracked that funny "let's all laugh" joke, then I decided to simply learn their names and I then I fell into the deep rabbit hole. 

Several albums later, I can say I'm a fan (ARMY?) but anyways I've been watching their RUN BTS show - a variety show where the members do various games, challenges and adventures and it really lets us get an insight into their personalities and interactions.

This was really meaningful for me to watch because you can see how humble they are and that they as a group have such wonderful friendships - laughing together, teasing each other and supporting each other. It is such a vast difference from learning about Western artists I follow. It reminded me of my own friendships and I suddenly missed hanging out with them.

It really highlighted that no matter how big you get in terms of fame and wealth, you also have to realise how small you are in this world and that your friends and family should always come first. They really taught me to continue to nourish my relationships and be thankful for my friends and family's existence.

I've also found a sense of community within Youtube and Twitter (although fans on Twitter can be scary if you're not careful); so it's nice to connect to them. BTS has also bought me and my friend Lisa closer together these last few weeks as I finally told her I'm a fan and she squealed and I squealed and now we have spent the last few weeks learning BTS dances for exercise. It's been so fun because I absolutely love to dance and the fact that alot of my concerts I had planned to go to got cancelled due to Covid I was able to relive that same happy feeling I get when I dance. We mastered Boy with Luv, 21st Century Girl and now attempting IDOL (which is so hard I'm scared I'm going to break a knee). But we always tackle every challenge with a laugh.

Being forced to stay home, to be safe and keep our loved ones out of danger, I really did have a hard time since we were put into isolation. I was told to stay home again and work from home these last two weeks but I'm handling it much better because I have a great positive influence in my life right now. I've been taking the time to care and listen to my friends and family and put their needs before mine and I feel alot happier that I still have a lust for life. I've been laughing alot more and showing my love more openly. I guess that's why I'm so keen to blog these days because I feel like I need to document on what a great life I've had so far.

Purchasing these shoes was an easy decision for me - they are colourful and fun, just how I feel about life at the moment. They are part of the Converse PRIDE collection - a community I am also close with as I have friends and family that I cherish and spend time with everyday.  It represents diversity and inclusion and I am all for that. Now in the words of BTS: remember to "Love Yourself" and I have also carried that message with me everywhere I go these days. The Bangtan boys have really led me by example and I'm so grateful for the impact they've had on me so far.

Stay Safe everyone x 

My Dog Sokchea

Saturday, July 25, 2020
My Dog Sokchea in 2019
My Dog Sokchea in 2019
My Dog at my wedding in 2018
My Dog at my wedding in 2018
My Dog Sokchea in 2019

My Dog Sokchea RIP 31st January 2020

I haven't had the heart to post something about Sokchea since she died in January this year. But now I have the strength to.

Rest in Peace little Sokchea, my best friend. She passed away while being hospitalised for Kidney disease and on the third night she suddenly got a blood clot to the brain and she just left this earth. I had just visited an hour earlier and she seemed to just hang on long enough to say goodbye to me.
I realise now as I walk around the house how empty it is without her following me around. She used to greet me at the door with a treat in her mouth every night. She was super friendly and full of character.
I now sleep alone in the bed when hubby works night shift and watch TV without her in my lap. It's been really hard and now I'm in the process of packing away her belongings and it brings me to tears. She was a big part of my life for at least seven years. She really was family.
I know Sokchea is up in doggy heaven continuing to be a good doggy. I love you 💕
Thank you for the condolences and for people who have reached out to me, you've been amazing and I feel the love.

Lilac Dreaming

Monday, July 20, 2020
Pretty Little Thing Outfit Purple Dress BlazerPretty Little Thing Outfit Purple Dress BlazerPretty Little Thing Outfit Purple Dress BlazerPretty Little Thing Outfit Purple Dress BlazerPretty Little Thing Outfit Purple Dress Blazer
Wearing: Lilac Dress and Blazer from Pretty Little Thing; Shoes from Zara
Photos taken by Hai with Canon D70 DSLR

Today I caught up with an old co-worker friend and he said: "You're different (in a good way). You seem so sure of yourself now".
In the past I would've said "nah" or say something nonchalant like "same shit, different day", shrug it off and just wave my hand in front of him to dismiss the subject.
But I agreed with him this time, appreciated his observation and said "yups" and continued with "I think working from home and the isolation I felt really broke me. It really forced me to re-evaluate how I spend my time and I learnt how much I value my friends and face to face contact". I came out of isolation feeling so sure of what makes me happy - my friends and loved ones.
Nowadays when I see my friends or get some outdoors time, I really appreciate it and make the most of it. Try and find pure joy in spending time with love ones. Let's be thankful for their existence.
Hai and I went to Mayfield Gardens over the weekend, and Hai took so much time and care into taking  photos of me while walking through the garden. But I stopped him many times to say "I love that you're taking photos of me, but let's stop and appreciate how still this pond water is. Look at that reflection". And we stopped to just admire the still water and peacefulness. I wanted to really appreciate the moment I had with him. Appreciate our existence.
Anyways, do you like my outfit? I wore this to a wedding before the Covid Pandemic hit. My favourite colour is purple. When I wear it, it also makes me happy.
Stay safe everyone x
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