Still working on the computer

This morning began with me trying to fix up my iTunes library on the hard-drive. iTunes can't seem to pick up all the songs that I have and I can't find all the files. It took me hours to try and move all the files into one folder and I got pretty fed up with it all.

I took a break when Ross came home for lunch and then went back to it with still limited success. In between cursing the computer, I had a break by doing some sketching - something that I had wanted to start up again for ages. I pick the metal cage that holds a candle to draw and managed to get the basic shapes sketched out. Next step is to finalise the shapes and start the shading. I really enjoyed doing it after so long!

Ross came home to start his long weekend early and we headed over to the Pavillion to see what options were around for dresses for the ball and bow ties for Ross. We didn't find anything too promising in the dress department but we did find a shop full of bow ties.

Before we went shopping, I loosened Ross up with a pint of Hoegarden at La Bodega. We always laugh over the size of the pint glasses that they serve it in. The waiter then came out with the mother of all beer glasses - a 3 litre monster of a glass! He told us they normally only give this out when there are more than 5 people drinking the beer. I think Ross will be bringing a few mates with him next time just to get that photo! Apparently, you are supposed to link a bunch of straws together and stand on a chair to drink from it!

We had dinner at the little teppenyaki place in the food court - it was really good! - then we headed home to catch American Idol.

You win some, you lose some

This morning, I got up early with Ross and we had time for a cooked breakfast as he didn't have to be at his presentation until 9am. After I dropped him over at the Mandarin Oriental, I headed out to Times Square to take my computer to the ASUS Service Centre.

As always, I was early and nothing was open because it was before 10am. The walk-way across the road wasn't even open when I got there but the security guard opened it for me a few minutes early.

I waited for about 20 mins outside the service center for them to open (and took today's photo) but when they did, things all happened pretty quickly. They scanned the barcode on the back of my computer, tested it and told me that the keyboard was faulty. They headed upstairs to get a replacement keyboard and it was installed within 20 minutes - not bad! I walked out of there with a fully functioning laptop.

I headed back to Times Square and wandered around looking for some places that sold long dresses for the upcoming MANZA Ball. I found two that I thought would be OK and they were both relatively cheap. I wasn't completely convinced so I left them.

On my wanderings, I also found a great lingerie shop and I finally managed to purchase some comfortable, normal bras! Trust me, no easy feat in Asia where everything is padded to the max due to small boob syndrome! Although they weren't cheap they are fantastic - very happy!

In the afternoon I started organizing the two external hard-drives that we have connected to the home laptop. No easy task! We had been dumping stuff on them for years and so everything was everywhere - especially the music files.

I also moved the new iPod alarm clock into the bedroom. After groping around on my stomach under the bed trying to plug it in, it worked well for about 5 minutes before the LCD display for the time went out. Was not impressed! Looks like yet another trip to Low Yat is on the cards for the weekend!

Challenges with technology

Today started with the usual Tuesday morning routine of dishes and clothes washing. I also tried to bleach some sheets that were a bit discoloured - they turned out OK. Around lunchtime, I picked Ross up from work and we drove to Low Yat Plaza.

The keyboard on my little computer had stopped working so I wanted to take it back to the shop to have it fixed. I have only had it for just over a month! As I expected, the shop said I needed to take it to the Asus Service Center - I'll save that for tomorrow.

While we were in Low Yat, Ross and I looked for a iPod Alarm Clock. We found one from Altec Lansing that had a wireless remote control snooze (which can stay on Ross' side) and a great sound. It also has this mood lighting feature where you can pick the colour of the LED lights that shine subtely from the back of the system.

We had lunch at Sushi King and then had to brave the traffic to get Ross back to the office in time for a meeting - it took us 1 hour! The photo is of Ross looking confused by the fireman pole in the middle of the elevator in Sungai Wang Plaza on our way back to the car.

Once I was back home, I tested out the new system and was annoyed to find that the wireless snooze didn't work - I started imagining another trip back to Low Yat!

For dinner, I recycled the last of the BBQ leftovers to make chicken quesidillas. They turned out really well and we had plenty over to freeze. We were a bit lost as to what to do after dinner, to we decided to head out to Ikano Power Center and IKEA to take a look at the armchairs I saw yesterday. Ross really liked the Laz-e-boy rocker-recliner which was also my favourite. I think we will put some more serious thought into that one.

Ross tackled the alarm clock before heading to bed and got the snooze working!

Field trip to IKEA

This morning I headed out to Damansara to wander around IKEA. I actually wanted to get some lavender scented candles but as you can see from the photo (for which I used the "sketch" feature on my camera), I came back with everything but. A 5L casserole dish, small fry pan, numerous other scented candles, some hooks, some cushions for the sun loungers by the pool and a roasting pan. So although I did not get what I wanted, I still came away happy.

I arrived early, before the store opened, and was pleased to find the IKEA cafe open. They also offered free coffee from 9 to 9.30 - bonus!

After IKEA, I wandered around Ikano Power Center and stopped in at the pet store. The had three Siberian Husky puppies for sale as well as some retrievers and Rottweilers. I also did some looking around for an armchair and found one at IKEA with sheepskin covers - just like sitting inside a pair of uggboots! - and another one at Harvey Norman - a Lazyboy leather rocking recliner that was heavily reduced. Think I will have to work on Ross!

I hit the Borders and stocked up on magazines for Ross and I and also did a little bit of grocery shopping before heading home. It was a nice day so I was happy to drive out of the city for a while.

In the afternoon, I spent a while on iTunes downloading some new music to listen to (gave your credit card a work out Dad :-)). Sonja also popped round for a cup of tea.

I spent the night with Ross on the couch reading the mags and listening to the new music - a nice way to end the day.

A cat lazy day

What can I say about today? I woke up at 5.30am and got up for a while before heading back to bed about 8 until 10.

After a breakfast of pancakes with bananas poached in maple syrup, Ross and I sat on the couch and watched TV pretty much all day watching all kinds of sports from League to AFL to the London Marathon and the F1.

I recycled yesterdays BBQ leftovers and created a lamb and veggie cous cous salad for lunch/ dinner.

I did manage to do a couple of productive things - write a letter to a friend, book a hotel for our anniversary and also for our trip to Langkawi and fix up my computer.

As you can see from the photo, Black also joined us in our lazy day. We did not get out of our PJs all day (although about 2.30pm we decided we should probably at least shower and brush our teeth) - wonderful!

This week, exercise wise, I only managed:

• 90 minutes walking at various inclines at FRIM

Weight: 72.8 kg

ANZAC Day BBQ

This morning we headed out to get some meat for the BBQ today. I took Ross to the "cheap Chinese butcher" that Julia had shown me last week. We bought a leg of lamb, an entire beef tenderloin and 2kg of mince. Like last time, we took everything to the little room with the two ladies who operate the bansaw. They sliced the leg of lamb into 13 chops, the tenderloin into 16 steaks and the 2kg of mince into 6 pieces and it was all cheap as cheap (well, compared to the supermarkets here anyway). You may see in the slideshow a photo of Ross with all the meat - he was really impressed by Lucky butchers.

About 12.30, Brian arrived in time to watch the last of the dawn service from the Australian War Memorial in France. Simon, his wife Rima and their three children plus her sister Riska and her little boy Ethan all arrived in time for the first bounce of the ANZAC Day clash between Essendon and Collingwood.

It was great to have Simon and all his family around as it had been ages since we had seen them. Their three children are adorable - Amy (8), Hayley (6) and Luke (4). Riska's little boy Ethan (in the photo) was an absolute doll too - not a compaint out of him the whole afternoon.

Later in the afternoon Sonja arrived after picking up Ian. Another couple from Hughes in Perth, Martin and Mel, came over as well. They happen to be on holiday in Malaysia. It was nice to have another couple of Aussies around on ANZAC Day!

We had enough food to feed a small village (thanks to the satays and chicken that Rima brought around) and the kids amused themselves with Singstar on the Playstation most of the afternoon. It was a really nice way to spend ANZAC Day.

Loving my life!

This morning I pottered around the house doing a few chores and organizing the spare bedroom with the old surround sound system and DVD player. By about 11am I was ready to sit down and watch another couple of episodes of B&S.

After lunch, I was a bit bored, so I rang up the nail salon and arranged an appointment. Afetr two hours of bliss, I walked out feeling (and with my nails looking) great. On the way home, I picked Ross up from the office and we headed off to do some shopping for tomorrow's ANZAC Day BBQ.

For dinner, we tried out one of Jamie Oliver's recipes where you cook a chicken in a pot with capsicum, onion, pineapple and chilli. You stuff the chicken with parsley and freshly grated ginger. Once the chicken is cooked, you remove it and half the veggies to a plate and then place the rest of the veggies with the cooking juices into a blender with balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and blend it to make a sauce - it was amazing!

I am really enjoying having time for myself and also having time to cook great meals with Ross - love my life!

Addicted

Today I spent most of the day on the couch watching Brothers and Sisters; which I am completely addicted too!

In the morning, Ross and I headed out to Great Eastern Mall to get some brunch and a coffee and to look at the pet store where there is a cat that looks pretty much identical to Blue when he was younger.

After watching about 7 episodes of B&S, it was time for Ross to come home and we made poached salmon for dinner and spent the rest of the night playing games as you can see by the photo. Ross was on a dream run in Yahtzee and beat me 2 games to 1.

More self-improvement

This morning started early again with me meeting Sonja at 7.30 to pick up Julia and head out to FRIM for a morning hike in the rain-forest.
Sonja and I headed up the steep path while Julia opted for the flat trail. We met up at the waterfall and walked downhill together back to the car. As usual, we headed to the Blue Cow Cafe for breakfast afterwards.

After a quick shower, I drove over to Pavillion to get my hair done (after picking up a cappuccino and cookie to keep me going :-)).

Chris coloured and cut my hair - it took 4 hours but I think the result was worth it. It's nice to have my hair short again - I was getting a bit sick of sweat dripping on my back while working out :-).

I drove home only to realise that I had left my key in the apartment. I killed time by heading up to Sonja's place and waited for Ross to come home. Sonja invited us for dinner which was great because it meant I didn't have to cook! The lasagna was excellent and we got to check out Brian's new Apple TV which syncs with his iTunes account so you can buy and download movies directly to it - pretty cool.

Another Spa day :-)

I took it easy this morning, watched some TV, checked my emails, some chores etc. before heading out to Great Eastern Mall to do some food shopping.

On the way home, I picked up Ross and we came home for lunch. By this time it was already 1 o'clock so I dropped Ross back at the office and then went to the Pavillion for a coffee before my spa appointment.

I blissfully whiled away the afternoon with a 2 hour facial followed by a two hour hot stone massage. This was my third time at Kanebo and it was the best facial I have had there so far. The masseuse was really strong and by the time she finished I felt like I had worked out for 2 hours - my body was exhausted and sore (but in a good way).

I got home about 6.30pm and Ross and I made Mountain Bread pizzas for dinner to use up the leftover beef and chicken. The pizza in the photo was a new concoction - zucchini, pumpkin, onion, corn, capsicum, halloumi and basil - excellent!

Hidden treasures in KL

This morning I headed to the doctor for an appointment and then came back home to do a bit of housework and catch up on my blog.

Around lunchtime, I went to pick up Ross and we headed to KLCC for lunch. As I pulled into Ross' office building, Julia pulled up behind me. She had just sent me a text to see if we could meet up for lunch - and there she was! We all met up at California Pizza Kitchen.

Ross left us and headed back to work as Julia and I headed to Dome for a coffee. Previously Julia had talked about a cheap Chinese butcher that she new so she took me out there to show me where it was.

The butcher was just behind Bukit Bintang and you wouldn't recognize it if you weren't looking for it. It is actually a wholesale business so you need to buy in bulk. Julia bought an entire beef tenderloin, a whole leg of lamb and 3kg of beef mince for only 115 MYR (about $50 Aus) - the cheapest I have heard of in KL!

The meat came deep frozen and if you want it cut up, you take it to a couple of ladies in a small room with a bansaw who slice it to your requirements and shove it back in the shopping bag - love it! Julia gave me a couple of steaks to try and Ross and I marinated them and had them for dinner - not bad! I will definitely be going back.

In the afternoon, I watched a few more episodes of Brothers and Sisters before Ross came home. We ate dinner then went for a walk in the park. The photo was taken in one of silver balls on the bridge by KLCC - a pretty cool reflection of the Petronus Towers.

Traveling home

This morning was our last morning in Singapore before heading home. We started with a leisurely breakfast before packing and heading to the airport buy taxi.

We headed to Starbucks for a coffee at the airport and caught up with emails as well as doing a bit of duty free shopping.

The flight home was pretty quick and uneventful as was the train ride to Sentral and the taxi ride to the house. We were starving by the time we got home so we ordered Kenny Rogers Roasters for delivery - very satisfying :-)

The house and cats were all fine but Daisy our cleaner left a note to say that the cats had broken a couple of glass candle holders while we were away and we also noticed that our plant out on the balcony was looking a little sorry for itself (see photo) so we brought it inside for a bit of TLC.

It's nice to be home again.

Unfortunately this week I didn't do so well on my fitness campaign. I managed to do the following:

• 90 minute walking at various inclines at FRIM
• 60 minute Yogalates class
• 60 minute walking in botanic gardens

Weight: 73.5 kg

Out and about

This morning I woke up feeling much better! After a quick breakfast, Ross and I headed straight out for a walk to the Botanic Gardens which are about 10 mins away from the hotel. Even though it was relatively early (8.30am) it was still hot and there were a lot of people out and about making the most of the "cooler" morning.

We walked all through the gardens which were beautiful before heading back to the hotel to shower. We relaxed and cooled down for a while before heading down to Orchard Road to take the MRT to Clarke Quay for lunch.

When we arrived, we couldn't believe how quiet it was - it seemed that nobody was around yet. We walked for a while before deciding to stop at the Tapas Tree for some lunch and a sparkling sangria. Again, the heat got the better of us so we headed back to the metro station to go back to the hotel.

At the hotel, we changed into our swimmers and went straight to the pool to cool off for a while. We ordered Pina Coladas and read our books before tiredness took over and we had to go to the room for a nap!

We woke up in time to shower and get ready to go and see Cats at the Esplanade Theatre. We went early and had a few drinks and something to nibble on at "7atenine"; a funky tapas type restaurant and bar overlooking the water. We headed to the theatre about 7.30pm for the show and had a glass of champagne before heading in. The photo is us with cut-outs of the main characters. The character on the right - Rum Tum Tugger - was the best in the show by far.

We enjoyed Cats but it definitely was not one of the best musicals we have been to however the Australian cast made it much funnier and more interesting than when I had seen it last in Adelaide about 13 years ago.

After the show we headed back to the hotel, exhausted but happy after a packed and interesting day in Singapore.

Relaxing in Singapore

I spent today relaxing and still recovering. Ross headed off to work early this morning and I stayed in bed watching TV and dozing on and off until about 11.

I managed to get myself up and ready to go out by midday. I headed to The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf for some brunch and also to catch up on my emails. After brunch walked along Orchard Road to Borders to buy the book Twilight again as I left it on the plane on the way down :-(.

For some reason, it felt much hotter in Singapore than it does in KL. After a couple of hours in the heat, I was starting to feel a bit rough again so I headed back to the hotel. I finished my book and watched more TV until Ross came home at about 8pm from work - long day!

We headed out to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and then wandered along Orchard Road (see photo) before heading back to the hotel for a relatively early night.

Heading to Singapore

I spent the morning getting organized to head to Singapore for the weekend - packing and getting food for the cats. By about 11.30 Ross came home and packed and we were on our way to the airport at 1.

The driver dropped us at Sentral Station and we checked our bags in before heading out on the KLIA Ekspress. At the airport we had a little time to kill so we had some lunch at Dome before heading to the boarding gate.

After a quick 45 minute flight, we were in Singapore and met by the car to take us to the Regent Hotel. The hotel is a 10 minute walk off of Orchard Road which is super convenient. Once we'd settled in, Ross and I headed down to Orchard Road to check out what was around. It was super busy and we ended up at The Sanctuary Bar which is part of the IndoChine restaurant.

As you can see by the photo, we had a couple of drinks and some snacks before the humidity got the best of us and we began our sweaty walk back to the hotel.

A day for recovering

After a pretty crappy night of little sleep, I took the opportunity to try and sleep in after Ross went to work. This lasted until about 9am I guess.

I spent the rest of the morning pottering around in my PJs before Ross convinced me to get out of the house and meet him for lunch. We ate at San Fransisco Coffee House and then headed to Starbucks for a coffee afterwards (as you can see by the photo).

I dropped Ross back at the office and headed home where I pulled the curtains and took up my position on the couch to watch Season 1 of Brothers and Sisters. I got through 4 episodes before Ross got home.

We ate last night's pizza leftover's while watching American Idol and then watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom before falling into bed.

The worst part for me about being sick is it has really interrupted my workout schedule - I had just started to get on a roll! It's always the way :-(

Bad health, good health

Today I woke up with a sinus infection - not impressed! I stayed in bed until 11am and then got up, had a shower and made my way to the couch. By about 12.30 I was ready for a nap again so I slept for another 2 hours. By the time I woke up, it was time to go to the dentist for my 6 monthly check-up.

The dentist gave me a clean bill of health (well, for my teeth anyway!) and gave my teeth a clean and polish. I then headed to Watson's to stock up on Clarityne and Panadol. I wandered around KLCC for a while and had a coffee at Starbucks to wait out the rain. I also bought some more DVDs including the Indiana Jones Trilogy and the TV series Brothers and Sisters.

Ross rang me from the university near Ipoh and said he was on his way home. I walked home and ordered Room Service pizza to arrive by the time Ross got home. We spent the night eating our pizza while watching the first Indiana Jones movie - it's amazing how much I had forgotten even though I had seen it so many times :-)

Rain, rain and more rain!

The weather at the moment is certainly confirming what the guide books tell you - that April is the wettest month in KL. It rained pretty much steadily last night and although it cleared up in the morning it rained again about 3pm and there is a huge lightning and rain storm going on as I write this tonight! Luckily, I managed to avoid the rain while I was out and about today.

This morning started bright and early at 7.30am when I met Sonja downstairs to head out to Julia's place to go walking at FRIM. We had a challenging walk uphill to the canopy walkway before heading downhill to the long steady path that took us past the tea house and back onto the main road. It was pretty overcast and reasonably cool as everything was still fresh and damp from the overnight rain. This being said, it didn't stop us sweating as you can see from the shiny faces and bodies in the photo!

We walked about 5.3km in total and then we headed to Fogal's for breakfast. They had changed their menu and the chef's special omelet that I had was amazing!

Once I got home, I spent some time on the computer catching up on things until Ross came home about 2.30. He dropped me over at the gym for my first Yogalates (cross between yoga and pilates) class before he headed up towards Ipoh to spend the night and give a speech to the engineering graduates at one of the universities.

I had been told that Yogalates was good for beginners - ha! It all started off OK with a lot of breathing exercises and a few familiar moves - child pose, downward facing dog etc. I haven't done any yoga since leaving Australia (7 years) so my body was not coping too well with these easy moves. We then moved into the standing poses of warrior etc. and this is where I really started sweating! She was an excellent instructor though and helped me through most of the moves. The other's in the class seemed quite advanced with heads on the knees and legs crossed flat on the ground and all that. I felt quite ungainly with my big knees sticking up in the air and my lack of flexibility! I was also the tallest person in the class by about a foot so everywhere I looked I could see my lack of form in the mirror - not cool!

The instructor then took us through these contortionistic stretching moves which were supposed to lead people into placing all their weight on their arms while resting their knees on the elbows in the air (I think it is called the Cow Pose?). It was quite incredible to watch! The instructor, of course, demonstrated it with ease while a few others attempted the move. I didn't feel too bad as about half the class were doing the easier pose like me. I felt great after the class and can tell it is really going to help my body's flexibility and strength. I just couldn't believe how much I sweat!

I walked home, watched some mindless TV, ate last night's leftovers and am now laying in bed watching the storm from my bedroom window. I'm just starting the first book in the Twilight series so hopefully I can make a dent on that tonight.

First week of twelve down

This morning started off as a pretty typical Sunday. I awoke to find Ross already up and watching sport on TV. We had breakfast and then headed to the gym.

In the afternoon, we watched the Port Adelaide game and I couldn't even keep my eyes open so I headed off to bed for a 2 hour nap!

When I woke up it was already late in the day. Ross and I spent a couple of hours organizing our DVDs before thinking about what to cook for dinner. We managed to turn most of the BBQ leftovers into a yummy pasta dish - love using up leftovers!

Over dinner, we watched "The Reader" which was an excellent show (a scene from which is shown in today's photo - yes, I know it is a pretty lame photo!). We bought this copy in Shanghai and couldn't believe it when it stopped working with 10 minutes to go! We were all set to throw it out when we thought that perhaps a quick rub on the old T-shirt to clean it trick was worth a try - and surprise, surprise it did the trick!

Today also marks the end of the first week of my 12 week fitness program. This week I managed to do the following:

Cardio:

• 120 mins interval training on running machine
• 20 mins swimming
• 30 mins elliptical training machine

Strength and Flexibility:

• 2 x 40 min sessions of weight machine training

Weight: 74.2 kg

I think I did pretty well considering I could hardly walk after my first weight training session and we had friends visiting for 4 days. Here's to improving things next week!

Sondra and Phil's last day

We cooked bacon and eggs this morning and ate them while sitting on the balcony watching the world go by on a Saturday morning. After breakfast (which was really brunch), we all headed to Pavillion so that Sondra and Phil could do some last minute shopping. From Pavillion we headed to KLCC for a coffee as the rain came down again.

KLCC was so busy! We braved the crowds for a little while before leaving Sondra and Phil to shop for their girls. Ross and I relaxed and watched some sport (surprise, surprise!) in the afternoon.

After Sondra and Phil returned, I started preparing food for a BBQ dinner. We sat on the balcony with a drink while the boys cooked the barbie and watched the clouds swirl around the towers.

Rugby was on the agenda again after dinner and this helped to kill time before Sondra and Phil needed to leave about 10.30pm. Ross and I dropped them at Sentral Station before returning home and watching the first half of the Essendon/ Carlton game. By this time it was midnight and I couldn't keep my eyes open any more!

It was great to have Sondra and Phil here for a few days. Hopefully next time Jess and Steph will join them.

100 Posts!

Today I started the morning at the gym for my second personal training session. I had finally recovered enough from the last one to be able to move again! This time, Shane put me on a vibrating plate machine where we went through a lot of strength exercises while the machine vibrated away. It was a really weird feeling and I didn't really understand what it was supposed to be doing for me but we did abs, tricep dips, lunges, step-ups and squats. I definitely felt it in my muscles but still not sure about the machine.

From there we moved onto the weight machines again to work on the minor muscle groups - biceps, triceps, hip abductors and adductors as well as traps. It was another good work out and the stretching afterwards felt great.

From the gym, I showered and met Sondra and Phil for a coffee at Starbucks. We wandered the shops again looking at prom dresses for their daughter Jess. After looking at the top picks at Pavillion, we drove to Mid Valley but we had lost our motivation for shopping so we decided to have a beer and lunch at Delicious while it poured cats and dogs. It was nice to be outside (but undercover!) while the storm passed over.

On the drive home, I dropped Sondra and Phil at Qatar Airways then had a bit of a lie down before Ross came home from work. We relaxed for a bit longer and after Phil and Sondra arrived home, we headed out to the Sky Bar at Trader's Hotel where we met up with Sonja and Brian. We enjoyed a couple of drinks there (as you can see from the photo) with the roof open and rain falling into the lap pool that was in the middle of the bar. It was quite a unique experience!

After leaving Trader's, we were heading to Changkat Bukit Bintang to find somewhere for dinner however we were waylaid by the "Pork and Beer place" which seems to be coming our local! Phil was extremely happy with his pork knuckle and massive pint of beer and Sondra was stoked with her egg and bacon "sami" so all in all it was a great choice for dinner!

I managed to convince everyone to move on to another bar rather than head home so we had a quick drink (unfortunately named "Beaver Weaver") at Sangria Island before heading to Changkat Bukit Bintang and a little bar that we hadn't been to before. The bar was playing some great 80's music so we stayed there for another couple of drinks before walking home.

It was a pretty good night and a great way to celebrate 100 posts on the blog! :-)

Just like I'm on holiday!

Today I realised how great it is to have friends come and visit because I get to "pretend" I'm on holidays with them! For example, today we began by going out for breakfast followed by the Fish Spa. As you can see from the photo, Phil found it pretty ticklish; Sondra wouldn't even come near the tanks! (She had a completely irrational fear of small fish :-)).

We followed the fish spa with a 30 min foot massage and a 10 min neck and shoulder massage - a great way to start the day. From there, we wandered around Pavillion looking at some of the shops before heading to Starbucks for a coffee. We sat there for a while watching the world go by before wandering the shops some more.

Before heading home, we ducked into La Bodega for a salad and mojito; yet another great example of why it's great to have friends visit - it makes it OK to have a drink with lunch :-).

The sun was definitely out for our walk home so we were pretty hot and sticky by the time we got there. We decided to mix up a jug of mojitos and head down to the pool for a bit of a swim and some relaxation. I actually swam about 20 laps as my body was pretty tight and I thought that a bit of a swim may help (which it did). Phil and I helped Sondra with her crossword while we stood in the pool sipping our cocktails as the clouds built up.

By about 5pm we were starting to get a bit cool so we headed back upstairs in time to meet Ross coming home from work. We sat on the balcony for a while before heading out for dinner at the Mexican restaurant at Pavillion. Of course we had to have a margarita with our dinner.

We came home and watched Kenny which Sondra and Phil hadn't seen. A great laugh!

Sondra and Phil arrive

This morning I tidied up the house in preparation for our friends Sondra and Phil from Qatar who were arriving this afternoon. Surprisingly, it took a while to put everything away - again!

I went and did a bit of shopping, came back, put the stuff away and by this time, Sondra text me to tell me they were on the train. So I set off to pick them up at Sentral Station.

After coming back home, we had a drink at the bar, followed by another one before Ross came home from work. We had one more before heading to Santini's for pizza followed by a quick wander through KLCC so Sondra could buy something to read.

We came back to the house and watched some cheesy TV before we all headed to bed about 10pm.

Training of the personal kind

This morning I walked over to the gym at the Pavillion to start my personal training sessions. I met up with my trainer Shane (a tiny Chinese girl!) who asked me some questions before taking the humiliating fat composition test. Just as I suspected, not good :-( Although I am well within my BMI range, my fat percentage is too high compared to my muscle mass -so time to get moving!

Shane took me through a quick 10 minute warm-up before we headed to the weight machines. We worked on quads, shoulders, glutes and chest. This was the first time I had done any serious weight work for years and I felt it! The machine she put me on to work my glutes was an absolute killer - I had to stop before finishing my set as my muscles cramped up.

It seemed like some of the machines did not accommodate 5' 11' Caucasians! The glute machine and the stretching machine (yes, apparently there is such a thing) were just not made for tall Aussie chicks so I don't think I will be doing those again.

After 3 sets of 15 reps on each machine, Shane helped my stretch and I hobbled my way out of the gym, my body feeling like jelly! Stupidly, I had walked over so of course that meant I had to walk back. By the time I got home I was exhausted and just managed to make it to the couch.

Ross came home for lunch to find me still sitting on the couch. He had to make me lunch and when he left I was still on the couch. By the time the cleaners came it, I finally felt I had to get up and have a shower. I didn't d too much at all after that and Ross and I spent the evening going through and organizing our DVDs which now total almost 300. This was about the only activity I could cope with as it didn't require me to move.

The photo for today is my 12 week program that I have blue-tacked to the bathroom mirror to help keep me motivated - we'll see how well it works.

A tough but hopefully rewarding day!

Getting down to it!

Today begins the first day of my 12 week workout program! As Ross headed to work, I headed to the gym to do a 40 minute interval training session followed by 1/2 an hour of stretching and flexibility. It felt absolutely great! My body was obviously craving activity after a stagnant three weeks travelling.

After I was showered, I called Sonja and we met up to go to Mid Valley Mega Mall for shopping and lunch. It was great to see her after so long - it must have been about a month. We went in search of blow-up lilos for the pool and new workout gear for me (which I obviously need now that I am working out every day :-)).

We headed to the new food court for lunch and were accosted by an Iranian man peddling his kebabs. It was obvious that this stall was a bit of a "Mom and Pop" show so we showed him some sympathy and had kebabs and barley soup for lunch. It wasn't too bad but nothing to write home about (actually, I think that is what I am doing now!). Sonja and I wandered around for a while longer before heading home around 5 o'clock.

Ross was home when I got in and we headed straight down to the gym. Although this was the second time for me, I felt guilted into it as I should have gone to my first class of Yogalates at the gym at 3pm but was enjoying my time shopping and chatting with Sonja too much - bad girl! I worked out for another 30 minutes on the cross-trainer while Ross did his workout and surprisingly I feel pretty good still.

Ross and I whipped up a vegetable, chicken and cous cous salad for dinner using up all of last night leftovers (there is something really satisfying about using up leftovers!). After dinner, Brian and Sonja popped over to catch up for a drink. It was great to sit and chat together again after so long. As you can see from the photo, Black also relaxed with us at the bar!

Really enjoying being back home.

A lazy Sunday

OK, well although I said lazy, today actually started off quite active. Ross and I headed to Lake Titiwangsa for a walk in the morning. When we arrived, we noticed it was extremely busy. Apparently there was a fishing competition going on and people lined the banks with their rods in the water and most also had tents as you can see from the photo. It seemed that they maybe had put a radio transmitter tag on one of the fish so Ross and I think this is what everyone was trying to catch as there were "officials" walking around with big antenna looking things trying to find something.

As we walked around the lake, there were lots of things happening. A mass Bollywood dancing class in one area, hot air balloon rides in another, horse riding and go-karts - it was a really busy family day at the lake. It was fun to be in amongst it all even though we didn't really know what was going on.

After our walk we headed to KLCC for some breakfast at Dome. Ross went down and bought the papers so we sat there over our banana smoothies catching up on the latest news from Aus (he bought the Australian) and Malaysia.

Most of the rest of the day I spent organizing and printing out cards for my 12 week workout program so I could start on Monday. Ross spent the afternoon watching sport - no surprise there.

In the evening, I cooked a roast chicken with a pile of veges and we sat listening to music, enjoying the roast with a glass or two of red. While waiting for the roast to cook, Ross and I had a few quick rounds of backgammon - Cherie 1 Ross 2 :-(

All in all a great Sunday.

First weekend at home for a long time

I worked out that since the beginning of the year, Ross and I have only had three weeks together in KL so it was nice to spend a quiet Saturday together.

Ross woke up in time to catch the Broncos replay in the morning. We stayed in bed to watch it until half time and then I got up and cooked breakfast - eggs with tomato, basil and onion with mushrooms on the side - yum!

We watched the second half on the couch and then pottered around for a while tidying up the house before heading to Pavillion again to do a couple of things. I decided that I would join the gym so Ross came with me to fill out the paperwork and pay the guy. I'll start yoga on Monday.

After the Pavillion we headed to Great Eastern Mall to do some shopping. Although we only went for a few things we ended up spending a fortune including 400 MYR on cat stuff (kitty litter and food). We had lunch at Alexis and I had a nicoise salad - part of my new healthy eating plan.

By this time it was already 6 o'clock. After the epic struggle to get the groceries in the lift from the car while keeping all the doors open, we were exhausted. I spent some time tidying the apartment again and putting away all the little things that get left around. I also got out some of the candles and incense that we have and hardly use. The photo is of the game that Tara gave Ross for his birthday; it doubles as a tea-light holder :-)

I cooked a pork and oyster sauce stir-fry which was pretty good and we ate it watching the AFL - love having the footy on again! We both fell into bed exhausted by the end of the game.

Getting on top of things again

Well, after two days of sleep and recovery, I am starting to feel on top of things again. I spent the morning finally unpacking my bags and doing a bit of housework before Ross came home for lunch. In the afternoon I headed over to Pavillion to check out the True Fitness gym and to see how much it would cost to join.

Although we have a little gym in our condo, I don't enjoy it or think it's enough to keep me fit so I am hoping to do some classes. I figure if we have to pay the yearly membership fee I may be more inclined to go. It will also get me out of the house and hopefully meet some different people.

I was subjected to the full tour and sales pitch from the guy at the gym but I still think I will join. After there, I wandered around the shops at the Pavillion to kill time until Ross finished work. I walked into Esprit and FINALLY found a pair of 3/4 jeans that fit me well - I was so happy! This put me in the mood for some more retail therapy so I headed to Springfield and Forever 21 and came out with purchases from both.

At about 4pm, Ross joined me after a "long" day at work. We went up to the Apple store to buy some accessories for my iPod touch and then headed to La Bodega for a drink. As we sat there, a typical afternoon storm rolled in. It was nice sitting under cover outside watching the rain (as you can see from the video).

After a couple of beers and some snacks, we headed home and watched football (rugby league and AFL) until about 1am before falling into bed.

A bit more active today

I slept for 12 hours again last night and woke up around 10.30. Rather than making my way to the couch, I got up, showered, had breakfast and headed over to KLCC to fix up my phone and do some shopping.

After heading to Maxis, Isetan, the bakery and The Body Shop I was walking back to the main entrance when I saw the F1 display in the center court. The race is on this weekend and the city is starting to get busy.

I tried to catch the Trader's Shuttle back home but it didn't come so I took the underground route back home sweating like a pig for the last 300 metres as I dragged my granny shopping cart home!

Not much else on the agenda today.

Recovering on April Fool's Day

After a 12 hour sleep, I woke up about 10am and moved from the bed to the couch and pretty much didn't move all day. I even had a bit of a nap on the couch in the afternoon! I guess all the travel has caught up with me.

As you can see, today's photo was taken from the couch when Ross got home from work.