Sunday, May 23, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Happy Birthday Scarlett Rose!
A wonderful morning at Snap Cafe in An Phu. Thanks to a special guest appearance by Penny and John Oi we could officially call it a party and she had a ball.
It seemed like a good idea last night to sit up on the rooftop and and a few drinks and we had a blast. So much fun in fact we were up until after one so were a little dusty this morning. Scarlett spoke to Nanny and Bob and Nanny and Poppy via Skype and they got to watch her open her birthday gifts which was great. She got a Baby Born from us that she has named Lizzy and has not let her out of her sight. Off to Snap Cafe at 11 for some lunch and an amazing ice cream cake. The kids had so much fun and Scarlett told us on the way home in the taxi that she loved her party. They are just having a sleep now and then we are going to open the new Wii and have some more fun. I feel a pizza night coming on!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Our Gaff
Here is a link to some pictures of the apartment. Yes, we are very lucky. It really is as nice as it looks! You may have to cut and paste.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=168014&id=752232595&l=628cfc1a3d
Waste Not, Want Not!
There are lots of lessons to be learned here in this new and exciting culture. One of the ones that has impressed me the most is nothing goes to waste. Someone told me a statistic recently that one third of the stuff we buy at the supermarket ends up in the bin. Astounding isn't it? When Quyen flits in the door at 0930 she has clutched in her had what she needs for the day and that is it. If she is making me a salad she will buy one tomato and one small onion. If she is doing a prawn dish for dinner she will buy 15 prawns, enough for the dish and no more. I LOVE this concept. We buy stuff by the kilo just because it is easier to say than can I have 15 of something AND we then proceed to over eat because we don't want to "waste" it. If you look in the fridge (past all of the alcohol) you will see it is practically empty. We have a cupboard full of the staples like flour, sauces and herbs and spice and that it it. No crisper drawer overflowing with rapidly moulding vegetables. She has reminded me that in Aus we are living in a world of excess. We buy so much because we can. I hope after a few years of living here I leave having grasped the concept of only buying what I need. Good for the budget AND the waistline!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Bring It On!
I'm such a nanna. It's 7.30 and yes, I'm in bed. Had a great night out last night and ended up on the Long Island Iced teas. For the uninitiated, 5 white spirits in a glass with a dash of coke. Nuf said. I came home at 11.00pm to relieve Quyen and left Nick out. He did not turn up until about 0630 this morning but he did come bearing gifts of hot meat pies and pastries. Trust me, it hit the spot. So the kids are in bed and Nick has head to head out again to meet up with some work colleagues who are in town. He tells me it won't be a big one...stay tuned.
I am really looking forward to this week. The kids appear to be more settled at school and now that all our stuff is here and in place it is time to explore a little bit. I want to start to make sure I am running every day and then head out to a different part of town and find my bearings a bit. There are some things I need for the apartment like indoor plants etc so it should be fun to try and source those. Shopping over here my sound great but often in reality it is just damn hard work. Quite often, as in Cambodia, you will need to go to several supermarkets to exhaust the shopping list. Novel to begin with but I assume a pain in the butt eventually. I am starting to get an idea of what I should be paying for things which helps. No plans for the week so we can just wait and see what pops up. Well it is now 7.37pm so I Definitely have to go. God forbid I am awake after 8.00pm.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
My Resignation.
It is with much regret that I tender my resignation as a house wife....NOT! Yes, I know I am blessed, yes I appreciate it and YES it is amazing. Quyen has quickly become such an integral part of our lives. It has been 2 weeks and she is yet to serve up something we don't devour. Best thing is, at this stage when my head is so busy, she has something that is priceless over here...initiative! I have not once requested what to cook. She just turns up after doing the shopping in the morning and tells me what is for dinner. At this stage, that is priceless. We have had everything from roasted salmon to traditional Vietnamese pancakes and home made chicken nuggets for the kids. She even puts parmesan in the breadcrumbs for Gods sake! This woman is a gem. Do not get me started about the arrival of our stuff. We are blessed to now have all of our things from home with us and we are also blessed that she just smacked her hands together and went for it. The movers just dumped stuff into any open drawer (I found kitchen sponges in my undies drawer!), yet she just methodically went through room by room to get it the way both her and I liked. Best thing about all this is she seemed so excited by it all. Mind you, she is excited about just about anything. We had a lovely morning this morning working together to get all of my clothes etc into place. Last night I gave her some books for her kids (2 and 10). She was so happy but it was me who had the reality check. She came to me to ask for a note. I had no idea what she meant. Apparently she has to have a letter from me whenever she takes anything from the apartment to prove she has not stolen it. The whole concept does not sit well with me but i do understand why it is in place. I guess I will get used to it. The fact that when I gave my cleaner a bassinet today and she practically accosted me with hugs is a whole other blog. I get the feeling my toilet will sparkle tomorrow! Better get these kids to bed. Rest assured we are all going well and will have lots more to tell soon. BYE!
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