Gosh, I told a bit of a fib when I said I would update more frequently! The last few weeks have been enormously stressful, so it's been quite hard to find the time to blog.
As you know, I resigned from my job last month. The few weeks leading up to my last day were pretty tiring as I had to find a replacement for my position, and train them to hopefully get an idea if what I do. Luckily, it wasn't so bad, it at least took my mind of the 'new job nerves' which got to me later on.
Whilst all this was going on, I was frantically packing up as much as I could of my things in suitcases, ready to move to Melbourne. I got most of it done, but the night of my last day at my previous job - I was still packing. I had to be ready by the next morning as I had to pick K up from the station, and we were going to drive my car back to Melbourne. Everything went smoothly, my car held up pretty good with the amount of things I'd stuffed into it, and off we went - not without a heap of tears on the way. I have a really good relationship with my parents, which is why I've been able to stay as long as I had. Plus they have been there through the hardest parts of my life, and since then, it's been very hard to break away or even entertain the thought of leaving home. In saying that, it's taken me quite a while to settle into K's house. It just doesn't feel like 'home' yet. I'm hoping as time goes by, that feeling will go away. Although, I really think that once we actually buy our own home - it'll feel more homey, but that most likely won't be until next year.
So, after moving into K's house that weekend, getting my things all sorted, and going grocery shopping for our work lunches - I started work that Monday. Let me tell you, my nerves absolutely killed me. For two whole weeks, my stomach felt like it was about to curl up and die. I could barely eat, I slept terribly, I missed home, and I cried every night after work. Things are better now, but gee, they were a rough few weeks. 
To compensate for my rough time, K said that I could find a cat of my own. And that's where Sir Purrton comes in! We adopted him a week ago from my home town at an animal shelter, and drove him home to Melbourne. I tell you, you want to rip your hair out when a cat just meows the entire time for 2 HOURS! Argh. But, he is the cutest little thing and I just love his ginger fur. My first cat was ginger when I was a child, and I've never had one since. So it feels so odd to actually have ginger cat again. But he's the biggest snuggler, and enjoys company and lots of pats (and food!). He has the best personality and I laugh at all the funny things he does. He's only 6 months old, so still a kitten, but he is as big as our 1.5yr old cat! I wonder how big he will get when he's older? 

Purrton playing with my slipper drawstrings

Looking at me when I was holding the bag of catnip. Oh yes. He does funny things for catnip!

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Today I gave my work my two-weeks-notice. I'm still unsure how I feel on the subject as I have mixed feelings. However, I know this is a brand new start for me, not only job wise, but I get to finally move to Melbourne and live with K! After two years of weekend traveling back and forth to each other as we live in different cities - we will finally be together! FINALLY. I'm so unbelievably happy, but I'm also really scared at the prospect of walking into a new job I am not familiar with. (Hear the nerves speaking? Haha)
I was quite lucky in regards to nailing a job down, I thought it would take weeks, maybe months considering the market is a bit on the slow side. But obviously the world needed some office girls because I had calls coming out my ears! I had a permanent headache all week trying to fit interviews in during work time. I don't know how people do it, but it's such a hassle finding work when you're already in a job! Lucky for me, 5 calls later, 3 interviews in the space of a week and I got one. Phew!
Today, not only did I give my notice, but I had the responsibility of helping to find my replacement. Basically my day consisted of booking interviews, calling up references and giving advice on who might be the next 'me'. If you've never had to find your own replacement, it's not a really good feeling. I felt extra protective of my job more than ever - even though I'm leaving, it just felt really unusual and nerve wracking to give it up for sure. 
I'm in the midst of packing up my room in pieces to move to K's house. It's slowly getting there, and I'm sure I will feel more relaxed and comfortable once all my things are moved and set up properly in my new home. It feels weird to say I've lived with my folks for quite some time, but we get along really well, and they've been an enormous part of my life, and will continue to be. I'm hoping I won't miss them too much when I move. I may need to bring some tissues on that day when I drive away for real!

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Omigosh, I finally get to share with you my little beauty haul I did whilst we were in Hong Kong. Let me tell you, it took a lot of will power not to go completely overboard at the beauty counters, however I was able to resist temptation and buy only what I had on my list to begin with. Pretty good eh?!
The newest items that I've not really worn much of in the past but in the last year or so I can't get enough of, and that's lipsticks. I was more of a lip balm girl as my lips usually got quite dry - especially being indoors all the time during the day for work, there just wasn't any point in wearing lipstick as it would look hideous on dry lips. 
However, over the course of the year my lips haven't been getting as dry because I'm constantly piling on the lip balm & moisturiser  at night - which has helped immensely during the day for wearing lipstick. Winning! 
So here's to welcoming fabulous new products!

First up, lipsticks. I can't remember how many You Tube videos I watched, and reviews I read trying to figure out which colours would suit me, how they looked on other people, and their staying power.
From left to right: 
- Rouge Coco, Paradis 39 
I first saw this used on a Lisa Eldridge You Tube tutorial for Chanel, and her finished look was perfection using this lipstick. It's a beautiful medium coral shade perfect for the spring/summer seasons. It's semi-opaque, but still gives a good amount of colour, and has a noticeable sheen and shimmer. This just brightens up the face immediately and it's definitely one of my absolute favourites.
- Rouge Coco, Chambon 31
Chambon is a wonderfully rich, vibrant, glowing red, with a glossy sheen. I wanted to find a red lipstick that wasn't too red, as being pale, I thought it may look a bit stark on me, so I was after something with more pink tones. I think I found it!
- Rouge Coco Shine, Aventure 57
A beautiful light pink shade, I would say this is a little bit more of a gloss than a lipstick, as the staying power isn't as good as I would expect it to be, however it's really good for a natural day to day look - especially those with a light complexion. 
- Christian Dior, Rouge Dior, Darling 567
I adore this shade. It's almost verging on a hot pink, but not quite there. It's a great tone to wear if you're not wearing red, and it adds an almost instant pop of colour once you apply it to your lips. It's very moisturising and very comfortable to wear, and it lasts for a good 2 hours without applying more and leaves a nice stain afterwards.

On my shopping list, I had already decided I needed a new blush. I was going to go with one a Chanel creme blush, however I couldn't find the colour I really wanted. It was out of stock everywhere! So that was a pain. 
So an alternative I spied was the Christian Dior Rosy Glow in Petal 001. It's a really light Barbie pink, and gives a nice rosy cheek. Although I've become accustomed to creme blushes in the past, using powder I find is a little difficult with judging the correct amount, so not to look too overdone. In all, I really like this blush, it suits my complexion and creates a more 'awake' and fresh look.

I have to say, this product, is my holy grail of products. The Chanel Hydro Base Lumiere is just waaaaaay too good. It's a primer and a moisturiser, so you can use it under makeup or just on its own. Since I got it in 2012, I've used nothing else but this primer and my skin is thanking me for it. It's quite light in texture when you're applying it with your hands, but as you rub it into your skin it sticks a little. You can see when you apply it, it gives this white sheer sheen to your face and evens out blemishes, and just makes you look more fresh. 
I love this product, and I'm really sorry to say it's only available in Asian countries. The Chanel's De La Blanc is the alternative available here, but I just don't feel it comes close to this product! Well worth the money. 

As we all know flying can be a complete bore, and sometimes we get looking at the InSky magazine with all these wonderful duty free items. I was browsing on our way over to HK, and I was debating on whether or not to get this YSL travel makeup kit. I spent the next two and a half weeks thinking about it, and I ended up buying it at the airport beauty kiosk before we departed for Australia. It comes with this really stylish black fold up case YSL logo on the front, containing three makeup brushes, eyeliner and a mascara. Once you open the makeup box, there's a choice of five eyeshadows, one blush, and four lipsticks. Each are very pretty, pigmented spring/summer shades. Perfect to look fresh when traveling.
I hope you enjoyed some of my beauty buys, I'd love to know what is your 'must have' in your makeup bag because I'm really loving all these wonderful products and I just can't decide! 

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Continuing on from my last post is part 2 of our Hong Kong wedding! Featuring the tea ceremony with my in-laws, the extended family, as well as parts of our banquet. I have been over these photos a hundred times and as much as I want to post every single one, it's just not possible. Ah! 
After we had finished the tea ceremony with my parents and headed over to Kane's Grandma (who conveniently lives just around the block!) we were welcomed into her house by many family members - some who I'd met previously, and some I hadn't. Everyone was so lovely and welcoming and I felt truly like I had been given a place in this amazing family.
Once we arrived, we paid our respects to the ancestors. There is this gorgeous shine Kane's Grandma keeps with photos & tea cups and burning incense. We bowed, offered tea, and received red envelopes in return. (If you're not familiar with red envelopes, or red packet money, it's a Chinese tradition. They are a gift given during celebrations, weddings and CNY. The red symbolises good luck and wards of evil spirits. Usually its only married couples that offer them to you. )

We then performed the tea ceremony with Grandma, where she presented me with two gold bangles.  They are the most perfectly beautiful bracelets and I feel I had great honour in wearing them. We laughed as she gave her speech afterwards, hoping that we'll have good fortune, and make lots of babies!!

Kane's parents were next, and they surprised us with a few gifts. Kane received a medal, which was the 'Year Of The Dog'. Apparently they are quite hard to come by, so he was very happy with it! I received two more gold bangles from my mother in law and a pearl necklace which is so beautiful. I think it was my favourite thing I wore all night! We continued with the tea ceremony with a few other family members before stopping just before 12pm, & going back to Kane's parents apartment for lunch with the family and film crew. 

I finally had a bit of time to reply back to a few messages, and relax and have something to eat. It's funny how having a permanent smile plastered on your face for an hour can start to hurt, but I guarantee by the end of the night - we both had very sore faces! I had about an two hours to unwind and fill my tummy with yummy pizza, however Kane had to leave a bit earlier to go check into our hotel for the night at the Mira Hotel. 
Finally we headed to the banquet venue which was at the BP International Hotel, a family favourite as Kane's mother is a member there. We arrived to see the crew hanging decorations, and putting the final touches up on the stage. I can say, that I have never, in my life, seen anything that looked so regal and like it was from a different time. We decided to not go with the usual pretty backdrops that most couples use for their weddings- we went entirely different. 
The stage was a blaze of red and gold satin, and in the middle of the stage was a stand that held the 'Imperial Edict'. An Imperial Edict was something that was used back in the Chinese Dynasty's by the Emperor to make orders the law. This was basically a little bit of fun, and we opened the Edict up during our speeches and found both sets of parents had written well wishes for us. A very interesting and fun idea! We were also told our stage decorations was something the entire hotel staff had not seen before. So that was special, and kudos to all the crew for making it happen!

We made an exchange of rings, and finally got to eat a bit of food before I changed costumes numerous times during the course of the night. We spent a lot of time standing and taking photos on stage with all our family members, and I may have just got a bit clucky when gorgeous baby cousins were bought up on stage and would just stare at me. But lucky me even got a kiss, so I was happy!

The night finally came to a close at around 11pm, and it was so sad to see everyone go as it had been a truly amazing night. One I will remember always. But at the same time I was feeling for my face and feeling for my poor feet! Luckily it was a short walk to the Mira Hotel, but a refreshing one to be out in the night, with people still bustling around, and staring at me in my purple lace cheongsam and red and gold shoes.
The hotel was a good relief, and I found out the Kane, the sneaky thing, had upgraded up to a suite when he checked in earlier in the day! It was divine, and I spent a good amount of time soaking in the bubble bath! 
I have many many photos and video and memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life, and somehow I wish I could do it all again, but alas, once is enough :) It may not be a Chinese wedding in September, but it's the big one, and I can't wait for the day to arrive! Just under 6 months to go!

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Yep, it's here, my Hong Kong wedding blog post! I know I said I would blog during my holiday, but really, I didn't get a chance to sit down we were that incredibly busy. But I hope the wait has been worth it! I feel so happy when I look back our photos,(video coming soon) almost like I can't believe that was me on my wedding day! It was an amazing experience, and I'll remember it always as one of the happiest and exciting days of my life.
Another first was, the days before the wedding, I had my hair cut and colored at a salon in Festive Walk. I wasn't too sure on how the experience would go as I've heard a lot about Asian countries not really knowing how to deal with western hair. I should't have worried! 4 hours later and my hair was a perfect dark brown with lighter brown highlights and it was such a good result. I just hope my salon here in Australia can keep up with that reputation.
We picked up my traditional dress the day before, and did one last fitting before taking it home. It's such a beautifully crafted dress, the red and gold stitching together is just spectacular. At first I said I wasn't going to keep it (as I had the option to buy) but after putting it on, I decided right then and there it was coming home with me as this was now 'my dress' and had my 'memories' on it. I may not wear it again in my life, but it's one of those sentimental items you keep.
We woke up on Saturday the 15th at 6.45am, with Kane nudging me & saying 'wake up baby it's our wedding day!' which I thought was cute. I didn't really sleep during the night so I was quite tired but I had a long long day ahead of me. A shower and a cup of jasmine tea does wonders for relaxing though!  My hair & makeup started just before 8am, and all the while I was sitting there, there were two cameras and a video camera filming. The constant sound of the shutter clicking and the flash was enough to make me think I was starring in my own movie and I was the star!! The girls did a brilliant job with everything, and I was in love with my hair, it was just what I wanted, especially using the berry & flower combination so I felt a million dollars afterwards.

We had enough time to relax a little after getting ready, before I was helped into changing into my traditional dress which was SO exciting, I could not wipe the smile off my face the entire time! I think mum was just so proud & my dad cried when he saw me before he walked me out to give me away to Kane. It was a very special moment between us, and I'm so glad they were there with me. As you can see by the photos, I think they looked like very puffed up birds filled with pride!

I remember being so nervous performing the tea ceremony I was afraid I'd drop the cup! But Kane was whispering instructions along the way so I felt a little more comfortable. My dad was his usual self, cracking jokes - I scolded him saying 'Dad! Now's not the time!', but I think my parents were nervous, if not more than I was! But they did very well, and I was very proud to give respect to them like this.   After the tea ceremony, we were now heading around to the next building to give respect to our ancestors, and to perform the ceremony with Kane's Grandma. This was the really fun part, as not only were there cameras everywhere, people on the street stopped and looked and took photos, taxis pulled over to watch, it was all very exciting! (My parents told me the day after the wedding when they came for dinner, that whilst they were in the cab on their way to Kane's parent's house, the taxi driver asked if their daughter was the one getting married!)

My work colleague came all the way from Australia as well to be there for my big day, she has always said 'from day one of you dating Kane, we were already planning your wedding!' which is true because in a way, so was I! (But don't tell Kane I said that!) She was asked to be apart of the procession by throwing rice over the bride and groom. My mum pictured on the left below- held red umbrella and opened it whilst we were outside, this protects the bride from evil spirits before she's married, and the rice is somewhat a cleansing ritual. My work colleague was very honored to do this and she said thank you for having a wedding in Hong Kong!

I'm so happy with all the photos, Kane's brother and his team did an amazing job, and I can't wait to see the final video. They actually have company in HK and it's called C & Co Video, which you can check them out here. They do amazing work and the cutest music videos and wedding MV's for couples. I really do recommend them!
In my next blog I will upload more photos of the second tea ceremony with my In-Laws and Grandma, as well as our wedding banquet! Stay tuned!

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So! It's has finally come! This will be my last blog for a little while (or until I have sufficient time to update you all) before I head off to Hong Kong with my fiancé and family to get married! Gee, I can't tell you the emotions I'm feeling right now, but kind of in the middle of my heart coming out of my mouth with nervousness, and at the same time feeling so giddy because I'm SO excited!
Today was my last day at work until the end of the month when we arrive back. I tell you what, when you're wanting time to hit home time - it goes even slower, like it knows you want to get out of there! But as celebration, last night the work girls organised a get to together just to catch up. However it turned out to be a bit of a pre-wedding hens night complete with hot pink sash, fuzzy headgear and some rather obscene accessories! Apart from having an amazing meal at one of the local waterholes, we spent most of the time chatting about the 'real' hens party that will happen in September, and oh boy, it's going to be a big night! My work colleagues have delegated themselves as the 'party planners', and will sort it all out which is great! Always good to be surprised :D
I have a very busy weekend ahead before we go, I still have yet to complete my packing, and just making sure I have absolutely everything - though I'm sure if I miss something, I can always get it in HK. So....by this time next week, it'll be the night-before-the-wedding. It's just feels so surreal. Everything has been organised in HK, so all I have to do is turn up! 
So, here it begins!!

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Wowsers! I haven't done an update for sometime, and I apologise profusely! However, the last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind which I'll go over below. Things have quietened back down (for now) but I expect this will reoccur again once we head off to HK in a few weeks. 
So I'll start from the start shall I?
Let me just say first off, the weather here has been absolutely HORRENDOUS. Hideous. Disgusting. Any other negative words you can think of, feel free to add them in! More than a week of consecutive days over over 38 degrees. Not to mention it's bushfire season, so there has been a lot of warnings going out lately, and some have been quite close to home. I hope mother nature can spare us some cooler weather very very soon. (Even the pooches have been so tired of it, see my furry puppy Trevor napping above!)
Starting from tomorrow, we have exactly ONE MONTH before we get married. A month. And gee, I can tell it's just going to fly by. We have still so much to do, and have a lot of little bits and pieces to purchase for my parents so they'll have a comfortable flight/holiday. Not to mention what I'm going to pack!
In amongst all the organising, the lists we've written down, the itineraries we've planned down to the last day - we've also been very busy with our September wedding. So far we've bought all our stationary, and wedding decoration supplies - and so far the small mountain hasn't moved from the corner of my room due to not having the spare time at the moment, so that will be waiting for me once we get back from overseas, when I can really get stuck into creating our DIY decorations.  I'm a little bit surprised my brain just hasn't gone completely bonkers from all the wedding prep, (which I admit it has gone a bit mushy lately) but I think it's all about time, and giving yourself some breathing space so that you're not completely and utterly overwhelmed - like I was beginning to be.
I am still a little nervous about next month and how it will go, but I'm gradually coming to terms with it and I know it will turn out to be absolutely amazing. Of course, I can't wait to see Hong Kong again, and I hope to come back with a lot more photos to share with you all.
In other BIG news. I bought another wedding dress. Well, okay, not me, but my mum for me - (she totally talked me into it!)
We decided my previous dress I bought last year - although very pretty and simple, it just wasn't....me. It did need a small amount of alteration which could have possibly either ruined the dress, OR the dress would end up to be to short. So in the end we said 'Hey, we only do this once in our lives, so the dress should be one of those memorable experiences!' But I'll write about more of that day on my Wedding Sunday post, so stay tuned :)
Another reason I haven't updated lately is more for personal reasons. I'd been waiting since last November for a letter from my hospital with a surgery date for my laproscopy. I can't tell you how many times I wrote all over my admission form and phoned them up to let them know this had to happen before March as I was getting married overseas. I guess they listened to my pleas and I had my surgery this past Monday. So very happy about that - not so happy about the recovery process!
(Please skip if TMI) I've been a long sufferer of painful, heavy periods since I was in my teens, and since there was a long family history of Endometriosis on my mums side, it made sense that I could have it. Previously to meeting K, although still bad - it wasn't high on my priorities list. I felt I had a high pain threshold, and could deal with my reproductive organs exploding in my body every month. 
However, it has progressively gotten worse with age, and since we're planning on having babies next year, now was the time to get it sorted and find out exactly what I was dealing with. It turns out I DO have endometriosis, and I'm just under the severe category. I had 3 cysts removed from my uterus and had a laser ablation. I am now the new owner of three incisions, one on my left and right side, and one in my bellybutton - which is the WORST place to have stitches, so much pulling when you move! But each day I am getting better and am able to move around a bit more. Today is the first day out of 4 that I can sit for some length of time at my computer without feeling like crap. So that's a bonus! 
I do hope I'll be a lot better on the weekend as we have our appointment with the cake maker on Saturday. We know pretty much what we're after and I'm hoping it'll look super super cute :D I'll let you all know how it goes, and try to update as regularly as I can!

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I had to share this magnificent post. My father got me to order these two watches as a gift to himself and to my mother. I think he did alright in the beauty stakes, my mum was over the moon! 
The two are are Rolex Datejust and the Cartier De Ballon Bleu De Cartier. Well worth the purchase I think!

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It's hard to believe in 2 months I will be jetting off with the love of my life and my parents for our wedding in Hong Kong. There have been a few ups and downs along the way, but mostly it has been easy flying, but now that it's sooooo close, I'm feeling a lot of emotions; happy, excited, nervous, anxious...I think that's totally normal, especially because its the 'unknown' of things to come. 
As K and I live on the other side of the world, it's been long distance planning with his parents, who've taken the time to do most of the groundwork, and organised everything for us. It's kind of like planning a wedding over Skype and photos sent by email. I'm positive his parents have done an awesome job and I can't wait to just walk into my wedding banquet and see how wonderful it is!
I'll be posting more of our Hong Kong wedding updates as the weeks pass, and I still have an enormous amount of packing to do for not only myself, but helping my parents as it's their first time overseas! Exciting!
In the meantime, I hope you like this little gem. This is my wedding band we bought last year in HK, so I could wear it on my other hand as a reminder of our first wedding!

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