Welcome Mason Jeremiah Thoma!!!

Last week my brother JJ and his wife Nikki gave birth to a baby boy!


Mason Jeremiah Thoma was born October 22, 2009 5:53am 20" long 7lbs 15 oz. with lots of blond hair!

This is really so exciting for everyone and especially for JJ and Nikki! I haven't had many opportunities to talk with my brother since I left home a while ago but we got to talk for about an hour on Monday and it was so great to hear him talk about his baby and his family. He sounds so grown-up!

I can't wait to go home and finally meet Mason as well as my sister's baby Ally--hopefully we can make the trip this winter/spring. In the mean time, I'll be saving up for a present as well. If you have a kid, please tell me what you found most useful and if there is anything you just couldn't have done it without, let me know. I really want to give them a nice gift. :)

Congratulations JJ and Nikki!!

Exhausted

I don't have much energy to write this week. It was a busy, busy weekend as we had our house warming party (which went super well). We had about 10 people over in all; we drank wine, showed our travel photos, ate delicious appetizers made by your's truly (salmon, feta, basil, and grapes on a baguette slice--yum!), and really just enjoyed having friends over. Oh, and we also enjoyed having a SUPER clean house! Wow! One of those: "I had no idea all of this was under all of that!" kind of moments...

Among our 10 friend was a new couple of friends (Matt and Lisa) whom we met at a birthday party the weekend before. They were teachers in Japan a few years back so we hit it off right away talking about all our teaching experiences (Matt and Lisa met each other while teaching too). It really is so nice to have another couple to be friends with. I like all our single friends too but it's just nice in an unexplainable way.

The other cool thing about them is that Lisa works as a director for a local language college and wants me to do some photography for them! Apparently they are in great need of a new look for their school and publications so I may have some more stuff coming my way which is super exciting.

Other than that, I've just been busy working at Thomson Reuters again. Today I almost went nuts though trying to work with one of the website developers. It's really hard being in this position sometimes because I know zilch about web design/maintenance. I'm learning though and hopefully making myself an invaluable employee! I've been told that they want me there for atleast 4 weeks (which is good) but let's hope it's more. I think I like being there and it's nice working with/near Jeremy too.

You mean, it's not the end of the world?

Thanks for everyone's understanding and encouragement regarding my job at Mission Australia. I finished there yesterday and I am so glad to be gone. I don't know what to say except that I am sure, without a doubt, that this is the right decision for me.

There are lots of reasons adding that make me so confident in that decision. Some of it has to do with the professionalism and the personalities at work there, some of it has to do with the kind of work I was doing, but in the end the most confirming moment was on that last day's lunch break. I was talking with several people with whom I was working with and for the first time they really opened up about how they felt about their work--and everyone wanted to leave. When those still in the job look at you with a mix of excitement and jealousy about your future, that's not really a good sign. I don't think I need to rehash what they said but it was enough to confirm what I had already suspected.

But I'm gone now and they gave me such a wonderful going away party. I really didn't expect it and truly felt like I didn't deserve it but they showed me that even in my one week there, I had won their appreciation and respect and that friendships--however infantile--had been made. The bought me cupcakes, gave me a card and sent me emails to wish me luck in the pursuit of my dreams. There was so much grace in what they did. They could have easily been angry or bitter about the whole thing but they weren't. They were kind and loving and because I got that response, I feel even more confident in my decision. I really do feel like I did what was right and it seems that by putting some good integrity into the world, the world gave me a little love back.

After leaving work for the last time, I went on to have the most wonderful day I've had in weeks. I happend upon an amazing promotion by one of Sydney's celebrity-preferred salons which allows me to have a massage, a consultation, a coloring, and a cut by a senior stylist all for $140 (which oh my God, I need so bad--birthday money from Mom and Grandma at work here!), I found a cheap and intriguing book to pass the time with, and I met Jeremy and his co-workers in the park for some delicious Malaysian food at the Syndey Food Fesitval Night Noodle Market. And when we came home, I went to bed at 8:30 and got my first full night of sleep in weeks.

I feel relieved and happy again. I feel total peace about the whole thing and I really am excited about what's around the corner. I talked with the temp agency this morning too and it looks like Thomson Reuters is really excited to have me back (I was temping there before Mission Australia) and they want me to start on Friday this week. But not only that, they are also going to increase my work days from three to four per week which is good news too because we'll need the money.

I've also had some really great feed back from Sydney Tall Ships about the photos I did a couple weeks ago. They were so happy with them that they intend to use several of them on their website, publications and at their booth in Circular Quay (I'll give you a link when I know they are up) and they invited me back to do more photos and bring Jeremy along too. So, Sunday night we were off for a BBQ cruise just! It was really fun and so great to be out and enjoying the beautiful summer weather. This experience has given me lots of confidence and I feel prepared to really make an attempt of photography as a professional. Jeremy and I have been talking about it a bit and we've decided that until I get my new residency visa, I'll keep doing it for free. Once I'm a resident, I'll apply for a business number and make something happen. But I'm excited--really excited!--about seeing my real dreams happen!

And with regard to my visa, we're still drumming up background checks (there are a lot to be done). But I've got almost everyone of them in process at the moment and I'm getting the rest of my application done too. Since I don't start again at Thomson until Friday, I'll have tomorrow to clean and write my statement which will of course, be a joy.

Which also reminds me that this weekend we will be hosting our official house warming party. I wish you all could be there as I won't know more half of the people coming (they're Jeremy's friends) and there should be photos of that coming early next week.

As you can see, I'm busy and a lot of things are happening at the moment, but I feel like I've been freed and I'm extremely happy. And that's a very good thing.

The Love of My Life

I knew I could never love any other person when Jeremy told me he owned and OED. Now, for those of you who don't know what the OED is, shame on you. This is practically a sacred book in my opinion. It is the most authoritative dictionary in the English language, not only defining each word, but showing you where and how it has been used in literature throughout the decades.

The Oxford English Dictionary is normally encased by 27 or so volumes of bound books but Jeremy has a second edition condensed version in microform which you read by a magnifying glass with a little light attached (as seen above). I have always felt that owning one would be impossible as they are so big and rather pricey but meeting, falling in love and marrying someone who already does is close enough. So, yes, I/we/he have an OED and the other night we returned to our nerdy, love of English ways and read it in bed.

This is the kind of thing we do. At the end of the day, it's not the poems, the flowers, the dishes or sweet words he says that make me love Jeremy (though he does all that and so much more). It's the quiet moments, alone in our house, reading the dictionary in the dark, comfy in our bed, and enjoying our mutual nerdiness that make me sure he is the only soul on this planet capable of communing with mine.

The Confessions of a Mid-Night Blogger

It's 3 am here and I'm up and wide awake.

A lot happened this week which I don't care to go too much into detail about but to say the least, I made a mistake accepting the job at Mission Australia. It really wasn't the right job for me. I was fully aware of what the job entailed when I accepted but I knew after just one day in it that it really wasn't going to be a good fit. By the end of the week, I found myself crying in the bathroom and full of anxiety about being there and that was a good sign to me that no, this feeling wasn't really going to just go away and no, I shouldn't stay in a job where I have to steal away during my lunch break to cry in the bathroom. And when I was just about to leave for work Friday morning and couldn't stop crying because I felt so much unease about the job, I knew I would have to quit.

So I did. Thankfully, my temp agency has been understanding and my supervisor at Mission was understanding as well. I was really quite upset and worried that by quitting I would be destroying my working relationship with the temp agency as well as Mission's working relationship with the temp agency, but it appears that everyone came out of it unscathed and the temp agency still wants to place me in jobs--which I am grateful for. I'm quitting this job with nothing else lined up but in complete faith that there really is a better job for me out there.

Accepting the job had a lot to do with the building pressure to work full time, pay back Jeremy's parents, buy plane tickets to go home so I can see my grandma, and start contributing to our home expenses. It probably seems ludicrous to most people that I would quit a full time job when I have these things weighing on my mind and my bank account, but to me, the more immediate and important problem to solve was that I couldn't be happy in that role. In the end, no amount of financial independence can compensate for misery. In the end, the right thing to do was spare Mission their time and money so that they could put someone in my role that really wanted to be there, bring my humble apology to the temp agency without expectation of any further employment through them, and to honor myself as an individual with feelings, passions, dreams, and skills, worthy of a job that I enjoy doing.

God, that was a lot to take in for one week. Lots of crying has been done over this; my eyes hurt. But I feel better and I feel better even as I type this. But I must say, I feel really embarrassed about the whole situation and I fear that I've let people down, and that fear makes me feel guilty. I am lucky to have the most wonderful support from Jeremy who maybe doesn't understand entirely why the job wasn't right for me but does understand that I can't stay in any position that affects me so. If you don't agree with my decision, I can understand why but please just don't say anything about it to me. I am embarrassed enough as it is and I don't think I can take the criticism right now. But if you too have ever made a mistake, tried to do the right thing and lived to tell the tale, please pass on a friendly word of encouragement. I need to get some sleep and may need to keep working at Mission until Thursday next week--all words of encouragement will be helpful.

My parting thoughts: at the end of the day, I have to do what's best for me. I ran the risk of creating one ugly SNAFU by quitting (thankfully, I didn't--) but even so, I know that life goes on after each mistake. I have messed things up royally before and lived to tell the tale--I'll live to tell this one too. And that's how it is.

A little note from this side.

It seems that this blog is harder and harder to keep regular with these days. It's much easier to write everyday when you're traveling and seeing interesting things around every corner. For the past two years or so this thing has been primarily about travel but I'm wondering if it needs a new direction as I'm doing very little traveling these days. It's time to make money not spend money. If you have an idea, please share it.

In other news, I will finally start my new job at Mission Australia on Monday (tomorrow) which is super exciting and a little bit intimidating. This is pretty much my first permanent role in a professional capacity that I've applied for and won. (I don't count teaching in Korea because it was hardly professional. More like a teacher-monkey role.) I want to do my best from the very day and make a good impression within the first week.

As I left Thomson Reuters, I was feeling pretty good though. My supervisor there was telling me how badly she wanted to me to stay and even offered to scout out some permanent work for me if I wanted. However, it was a little too late for that and I had to refuse her offer. But it was really nice to be told how valuable you are and to be talked about as if the company can't afford to lose you--a temp!! I hope that the folks at my new job will be able to see the same things those at Thomson Reuters saw in me.

I also found out on Thursday that uncle's girlfriend (who's been with him for so long is practically an aunt now) has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. That means two people at home are now battling with cancer. Apparently this type responds well to chemo and radiation but it's scary none the less. I've head that Gina will be going to the doctor's this week in Wenatchee so please keep her in your prayers along with my grandma Rosie.

My grandma seems to be doing well though and is in high spirits. The doctors have said that they don't want to operate as she had a surgery about 6 months ago and they feel it would be too soon, so they're just going to monitor the tumors and adjust their treatment to the rate of growth.

Please continue to pray for her and please pray for my uncle Don too. I'm sure he's having a difficult time dealing with his girlfriend/wife and his mom facing cancer at the same time.

And thank you everyone for your supportive comments and emails. I really appreciate it.

I'll be back again after I start my new job. :)

A four-day birthday extravaganza!!

Today was my birthday and I am officially 25 years old. Life seems to just fly by these days but luckily it went slow enough for me to enjoy a long weekend full of fun.

First, on Thursday I received a formal job offer for permanent employment with Mission Australia here in Sydney. I can't tell you how happy I am to know that I will have full time work, a way to save money for plane tickets home, assurance that Jeremy and I can go back to school and not worry about money, and that we'll have a bit extra to finally enjoy all the exciting things to do in Sydney. It was a little hairy trying to negotiate a exit/start time between my current temp position and my new full time one but it was all worked out by lunch time and on Monday the 12th, I'll start my new job! At Mission, I'll be doing mostly invoicing work in just a general administrative temp role. And just to add more smiles to my day, I also found out that along with the job offer, the position I applied for was re-classified and the salary was increased by $5,000 p.a.!! It felt like two gifts in one. Perfect timing for my birthday.

Second, on Friday I kicked off myf irst professional photography gig taking photos for a Tall Ship cruise company in Sydney Harbour. The vessel was a 1922 tall ship built in Denmark to haul grain to and from the frozen country of Greenland. It was truly a wonderful opportunity and I had the best time. Okay, so it rained a little and the weather was less than perfect but the people were nice, I was given unlimited drinks (though I think I only had two) and I was invited to partake in some very good bbq! At the end of the day, I had some fantastic photos to give back to the company and they in turn offered to let me come back for another cruise--a pleasure one, that is--as I had offered them my services for free. It really was a great day out on the water and I can't wait to go back and take some more photos. Visit their website here.

(Since most of my photos were of the patrons, I decided I would only repost a couple photos from pieces of the ship and one of the crew--I don't think he'll mind.)

Isn't that a beautiful old rope??

But the day wasn't over. When I returned home Friday night, I found a beautiful bouquet of orange and pink tulips (my absolute FAVOURITE flower!) on the bed and a sweet hand made card from Jeremy. Is this guy amazing or what?! That evening we sat down to watch Star Trek (the new one) together and I must say, though I was aprehensive, the movie moved me to tears within 10 minutes. Either I'm just a hyper-sap or these movie producers are some smart cookies--who seperates love by heroic death at the beginning of a movie? I think this is how they planned to get the women in to it...

My tuplips. :) We were so lucky to find that vase. It was marked down to $25 from $85! Wow!

Saturday was a very wet and rainy day so we didn't do too much other than our weekly grocery shopping. Jeremy broke the computer (again) and had to re-install Linux and Windows (again). It was a painful experience for both of us. I was bored and he was a little frustrated. But it's all back together again and hopefully problem free for a whiel.

Sunday was our real outing day. In sticking with birthday tradition, I suggested we go to the zoo because I've been doing it for my birthday almost every year for the past 6 years. However, the rain was still pretty bad and we opted for the aquarium instead. Jeremy wasn't quite convinced that he would like it but we both ended up having a great time. We saw tons of sharks, stone fish, jelly fish, clown fish, lots of other tropical fish, platypus, a giant sting ray, dugongs, and three giant Pacific logger-head turtles! I think the turtles wer my favourite. I was quite surprised by how small the platypus actually is (I expected something of beaver porportions) but it was actually about a foot long.

The Platypus

Beautiful tropical fish. I've seen things like this snorkeling but it never comes out right in photo with those disposable underwater cameras...

I've decided that this buck-toothed dugong kinda looks like a dork but I like him anyway.

This was about a 3 meter wide giant sting ray!

Turtles! In Buddhism, turtles are a symbol of wisdom, and when you think about how old these guys live to be (some up to 150 years), it's easy to understand why.

Ah!! Sharks!!

What kind of goofy sea creature is that??

After the aquarium, we considered looking for some tasty food and ended up in the Lindt Chocolat Cafe! What a surprise!!! :) We couldn't really afford to waste our lunch money (or our appetites) on all the goodies inside but did agree to buy a few truffles and share them on our way to McDonald's (or Macca's as the Australians call it). And can I just say, Lindt truffles are little balls of heaven for purchase. They have been my favourite for years and Sunday I got to try a few new flavours: peanut butter (the best!), peppermint (very cleansing), and cookies and cream (over the top sweet).

After eating McDonald's in the park all the while trying to fight off Seagulls and Ibis, we headed over to the Latin Dance Fiesta--a free festival put on by Darling Harbour. It was so much fun and I kept thinking that Courtney should have been there! It took some convincing to get Jeremy to dance but he eventually did, and we swayed with the crowd to some very energizing Venezuelan music by a band called Mi Latino. Ah, it was wonderful! I miss that kind of culture. And we ate some DELICIOUS churros too which was a new experience for Jeremy as I am a repeat offender. :) After the Venezuelan music and the churro episode, we hung around for one more act: a choreographed Columbian dance group from Brisbane that put on a good show.

Mi Latino. I wonder if they are on iTunes...

The super cool Columbian dancers. Death was a pretty funny character. :)

In the end, our feet got the best of us and we headed home for another good meal: curry vegetables. (Can you see that this weekend was full of good food??) And to finish the night off, we watched The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Jeremy hadn't seen it yet and we just started reading the books out loud together before bed so it was a fun little continuation of our daily routine.

This morning, however, was my real birthday, and despite Jeremy's claim that he would be making me breakfast in bed, I found myself editting away on photos at 11:00 am while he continued to sleep. So much for breakfast. Hehe. But of course I didn't mind. He had done so much for me already. When he did eventually wake up, he made me a bowl of yogurt with fresh raspberries and some warmed up banana bread with butter. (If you didn't think he was amazing before, you should be convinced by now.)

After breakfast, I called my family and talked with Mom and Dad for a bit and Jeremy got to meet my dad for the first time on the phone (probably a bit awkward for both of them) and then I headed off to get a pedicure (my present to myself). I love getting my toes painted and my caluses shaved off. Plus, I secretly love catching up on celebrity gossip in all those trashy magazines--it's a guilty pleasure that I only allow myself while getting my toes or nails done. :)

And to finish the day off, we took a walk through the rain, back up to King Street, and ate dinner at Guzman Y Gomez--Sydney's premier Mexican take-away restaurant. I guess you can say it's more authentic than Taco Bell but when you gre up eating fresh tamales from a little Mexican lady or cheap tacos and sangrias from the taco truck, Guzman Y Gomez is a little... sanitized. Back at home we watched another episode of one of our favourite shows The World's Greenest Homes and we settled down for another early night--there's work tomorrow!

I was a lucky girl to not only have had a birthday on a public holiday but to have also had a wonderful boyfriend to spend it with. I am so blessed. Last year I spent my birthday trying to stay awake for a 3 am flight from Kygyzstan to Turkey but I think this year's more than made up for it. By something like 3 times.

So, adieu 24! Bonjour 25!