Almost Ours

If you're wondering if we've moved into our new house already, we haven't. But after almost one year from the time we bought the land, we're into our final leg of the building journey. Like an expectant mother in her final trimester, there is a sense of anticipation and impatience, for the official completion of our latest production.


The PCI (Present to Customers Inspection?) happened last Tuesday where we went through the completed home and pointed out areas that we were not satisfied with, things that needed to be fixed, repaired, touched-up. We already hired an independent inspector go through the house two weeks ago and he had prepared a long list of items that were not up to standard and had to be rectified. There were a few things that they will have to rectify or replace but in general, they were not major issues and the builder has agreed to fix most of them. I only hope they won't take too long to do it.


At this stage, we have already started preparing for the taking over of the house. The blinds for the whole house have been ordered, after getting 3 vendors to measure and quote and today we just paid the deposit for the fences. Next on our agenda is the landscaping. How we want the front yard to look, what to do with the backyard - footpaths, lawn, storage area, garden beds, veggie patch, laundry lines - where to locate, what materials to use, who to do the job (DIY or professional landscapers)? From the sourcing of suitable vendors to getting quotes, comparing quotes and selecting what we want/like, there is a string of decisions to be made. It is both fun and tedious. 


Being first time home owners in Australia, there are many things that are new to us and we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory when dealing with Australian construction standards and materials. At the same time that we are making important decisions, we are also on a steep learning curve. Inevitably, we are discovering some mistakes already. Some things we have to blame on our own ignorance and inexperience. Like the concrete driveway to the garage. Ours is just plain concrete and I don't think it looks very nice. Now we realize that there are numerous options when it comes to the type of pavings for driveways. In the concrete category, you can choose the concrete to come in almost any colour or 'exposed aggregate' (we just learnt this name and it's the latest trend - concrete seeded with pebbles). In the interim, until we decide to knock it down and build a new driveway, I learnt that we can still paint the concrete and seal it, but it will fade after a while.


At this point, there are definitely some things that we wished we didn't choose or vice versa but is now too late to change. Like we wished we'd chosen to "upgrade" to brickwork above garage door instead of standard strapping and FC sheet infill. We didn't even know what they mean by "strapping and FC sheet infill" until we see the final product. Of course, it is always possible to change it as long as we're willing to spend the money. But that will be for another day. Right now, we have to focus on more urgent and basic furnishings of the house.


It is exciting and getting more so as we neared completion. There're so many things to do, not to mention the packing up. I really can't wait to move in and start decorating the house!

O Jacky

Jacky Cheung has aged. Afterall, the 'God of Song' is only human. The good news is, he's not using botox and not ashamed to admit the fact that age has caught up.

After 27 years in the singing industry, this man is an icon in the history of Canto/Mandarin pop. I gathered he is about 50 years old, that's why he named it the "Half Century Tour"? Though his face is showing signs of his age, magnified on the mega hi-def screen on the stage, his super slim body is that of a twenty year old. And last night, at the Hisense Arena, he managed to entertain thousands of us fans with 3 whole hours of sustained singing and dancing. How many 50-year olds can do that? There were no guest performers, just his band, 12 dancers and him. Some of the time, it was just him on stage. And it was him alone that was enough. 

All of us were hooked by Jacky's singing. His strong and powerful vocal chords melted whatever self-consciousness there was, causing us to sway and sing along unreservedly. There was really no need for fancy costumes or pyrotechnics, although that added sparks to the ambience. He jazzed things a little with some glittering costumes change but the style was still somewhat conservative - shirt, vest, tie, jacket, hat combo. Okay, at one stage he did put on something like a skirt. 

The digital backdrop changed frequently with MTV footages, including some from his younger years, recorded images and even a cartoon film based on his childhood. I find them entertaining but also distracting sometimes. In the beginning, he performed a mini-musical series of songs to the theme of a love story, accompanied by an MTV movie, starring himself and Shu Qi as his wife. The cinematography and acting was good but I can't help but find it so fake as we all know who his real wife was. I think he would have achieved a greater impact if he'd put up some personal photos of himself and his real family instead. Afterall, we are gathered all here to get to know him more intimately. I would like to hear him share more about himself but I have heard that he is very protective about the privacy of his family.




Still, it was a solid value for money concert. I'm pretty intrigued by the fact that I actually attended a Mandarin/Cantonese concert in Melbourne. The number of Chinese faces occupying the whole of Hisense arena was unbelievable. I'm so glad I get this opportunity to see Jacky Cheung live in Melbourne. Afterall, how many half centuries are there in a lifetime?