Happiness

Is it just a state of mind?

My husband asked me if I was happy here. And although I knew it would hurt him, I said I honestly couldn't say I was. A lot of my friends have also been asking if I was happy now, after a month of staying here. I still don't know what to say.

There are ups and downs. Being the brat that I am, the 'high maintenance' woman that I am, the headstrong and stubborn person that I am, I miss the many many conveniences of my old life in Manila. There are times that I am overwhelmed by all the housework that needs to be done, mostly by myself. The monotony and never-ending repetitions of the day-to-day chores drive me nuts.

So I think, what has made me happy here? I was happy when I finally found ox tail for kare-kare after a month of searching in different groceries and markets. I was happy when I had sisig, kahit na purefoods canned lang sya. I was happy when I had ice cold Lipton Iced Tea Honeymansi flavor which I found in the Filipino store. I was happy when Winnie and Dennis came to visit for a weekend. I was happy when I found a fish called Luderick, which is very similar to our tilapia. I was happy when I got my boots. I was happy when I started to drive on my own. I was happy when I learned how to make Pavlova. I was happy when I made a friend. I was happy when I got my Macbook. I was happy when I found a grout brush to clean the bathrooms and the kitchen tiles.

Aside from puro food yata ito, hindi ba mostly kababawan?

May be the question should be, what makes me happy? Para present tense, and continuing. Hmmmm.... I am happy when I see Diego set the table every night. I am happy when Maristella cleans the table and the placemats after dinner. I am happy when I see how confident Diego and Maristella are in school, with other children, with adults whether Pinoy or not. I am happy when Andie and I go to the mall, just the two of us, and she does not complain nor throw a tantrum. I am happy when Ronald does the dishes after dinner on weekdays, and all the time on weekends. I am happy when all 3 kids give me a massage at night when I complain that I'm tired. I am happy when I see the kids are happy and are enjoying themselves. 

Puro family naman ito 'no?

So I guess that's the point. The reason why I decided to do this, to go here, is really for our family. I'm hoping that when I look back to our stay in Canberra, I will realize that it was a happy time for our family. That despite my many many complaints, I was happy here.

I hope.

The Wonders of GPS

I'm getting used to driving on the left side of the road now. I will just have to get used to driving faster. I guess that will come when I get to know the way to where I'm going on my own. Now, I'm relying heavily on the Navigator (like a NavMan but a different brand, same-same) to get anywhere. And it can reeeeaaaaally take you anywhere! Lakas ng loob lang ang puhunan, plus a map of the city just in case you get misdirected.

Being the 'ligawin' that I am, I usually get lost even with the Navigator, sometimes it makes you take the long route kasi. But still, winner pa din sya. It's liberating to be able to drive around even though you have no idea how to get anywhere. Especially since there are no tambays, tricycle drivers or jeepney drivers to ask directions from. Magtanong ka sa kangaroo! 

Minsan lang, mahirap intindihin. In the first place, the road names are so unfamiliar. Plus of course, the accent of the speaker is Aussie. Sometimes I only get to understand the name of the street when I see the street signs na. And there are so many kinds, from street, to road, to crescent, to drive.... The only thing that irritates me, largely because it confuses me, is the direction to veer left or veer right. Sometimes it means keep left, but sometimes it means to make a turn to the left if the road forks. 

But still, I love it. Having it allows me to explore on my own. Well, with Andie that is. But that's another entry. I wonder if this kind of service will be available back home in Manila. Maybe not, especially when you can just hire a tricycle driver to follow to where you're going.

Hat Ba Kamo?!

Went to a parade in the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) a few weekends ago. And was surprised to see most Aussies dressed up for the event. Even if they would just be sitting on the grass to watch the ceremonies. With matching hats to boot! The pintasera in me just couldn't help it. 

Jurassic Park

Whenever we go to church, majority of the people we see are old. As in. Thundercats. There are a few young families, and of course, Filipinos.

But my question is, why do old people have a distinct scent? Is it age? Is there a scientific explanation for this? Does this mean that when we get old we will smell this way too? Or pag tumatanda ba tinatamad na din maligo? But it's not putok. Iba sya.

I have an option to work in a nursing home part time. But aside from the not so great hourly rate, hindi ko yata kaya. But we'll see...

Scent of a Woman

I did not bring my favorite perfume from Manila. I thought, well, I won't be needing it anyway bringing the kids to and from school. No meetings. No presentations. Rarely any dates. So I just brought a small container, with a little Jo Malone, for just in case.

I thought of getting a cologne type in the Duty Free before leaving, but was not allowed to because of the large bottle and security issues travelling  to Oz. So deadma.

But after a month, I missed spritzing something nice-smelling to myself. Kahit ba maglalaba lang ako, or maglalampaso. Smell good, feel good ba. So I searched the stores - from the department stores like David Jones, Big W, Target, even pharmacies like Chemist Warehouse, and stand-alone perfume shops. Guess what's there - a collection of 80's-90's memories! Anais Anais, Opium, CK One, etc. Na-ka-ka-lo-kah. The only new ones would be the Britney Spears, David Bekhams, JLo's. 

So, I will wait till I get to Sydney. Kung wala pa din, I saw an online store where, thanks God, Burberry Weekend is available. Meanwhile, I got an EDT from the Body Shop.