In the beginning...

*Edit* for pictures from official photographer

This year's KPMG ball was held at Sheraton Perth, which brings back memories... as it was this same place where darling and I shared our first dance at the Curtin ISC Ball two years ago, and I got charmed since... ;)

Li-Ann tried out some sophisticated hair curlers. This is the work-in-progress...

And this is the stunning result!

I think I have lost weight again, my suit somehow felt bigger compared to last year. Sigh... the effects of Ironman training...

The theme was Welcome to the Circus... we had an opening act, consisting of a stilt walker, some clowns and a pretty talented young lady who hula hooped a ring of fire!

But not many people were dressed according to theme unlike previous years. I supposed circus wear is not very flattering.

Alan, one of my senior managers and his partner, Sharon were in our table. And the four troublemakers, Pete, Ed, Shree and Dale. Daniel was meant to come with his wife, Elle but they didn't turn up. Good thing Sharon was around to keep Li-Ann company.

Entree was bread rolls and cateloni. Mains were either rib eye beef or barramundi fillet. You can pretty much guess what Li-Ann and myself chose, two very different tastes. For dessert, we had this mini fruit basket with ice cream.

Apart from the opening act, there wasn't much on the agenda. People just socialised and danced throughout, until midnight. But we had fun nonetheless. Seeing our managers and partners winding down, being able to meet their significant other. And watching my division partner-in-charge doing (or rather attempting to do) ballroom dancing and spinning twirlies... priceless!

Daylight savings started today, more sunlight! Yippee!

Uplift

Back from Harvey... with an extra weight of 1-2 kgs... I had a limit of A$60 a day for meal reimbursements, so tried my best to use it to the max! But there wasn't much to eat anyway, so most of my binging were on after-meal junk food.

Had a delightful Korean BBQ dinner yesterday at Eric and Renee's to celebrate Renee's birthday. With full Korean theme and everything! Thanks for the scrumptious meal, guys! Really enjoyed it!

I received my custom-made orthotics in-soles today. These things cost me A$645, but that includes any follow-up sessions and future modifications. Too bad my basic health insurance doesn't cover orthotics. The more comprehensive one does, up to a limit of A$200, but the annual premiums are A$300 more, so you do the math!

The wooden clogs shown above are actually the moulds used to make the orthotics. Would be using them to create new orthotics in the future. For a moment, I thought those were my shoe inserts!

I was advised to wear them through on walking shoes for now. Would only start using them for running in a week's time.

... It is only a few hours until the Kona Ironman World Championships gets underway. Would be cheering on Malaysia's sole representative, Carmen Leong. Do us proud!

Andante

This job in Harvey is moving pretty slowly... just like the town itself. I won't worry too much as apparently in the past, this job seemed to have its delays.

I have not done any sightseeing here. There's nothing much to see actually. I'm staying in Binningup, 25 minutes south of Harvey... and it is an EVEN slower town.

I'm placed in a nice house in a newly developed area. One of the client's employees stays here as well. These pictures are more for your dad's interest, darling. Although, excuse my poor lighting. Most of these are taken in the evening after work.

I brought my swim gear along, planning to swim at the Harvey pool but it is closed until summer. Did a slow 45 minute jog around the housing area this morning instead - that's 2 days of running in a row... I think my knees are telling me to avoid running tomorrow. Hmm... wonder what should I do for tomorrow's workout...

DOH!

I've finally sold my old car! And this is my early birthday gift to myself!

Also had a premature birthday celebration today between Li-Ann and myself... as I will be posted to an audit in Harvey (somewhere between Mandurah and Bunbury - about 2 hours drive from Perth) for three days including my actual birthday. Pretty excited about this job assignment, as this client could be my future employer!

We watched the much talked about Wall.E at Garden City.

The movie was pretty good actually, fun loving and happy endings... typically Disney.

We then had dinner at Beethovens, a German restaurant near Canning Highway. The food was really good! We had tiger prawns for entree. I ordered the pork shank, which was really crispy and filling! While darling had the Munich platter, a wonderful array of German meat and sausages.

Now, this is where I REALLY have to kick myself for... I've accidentally deleted the pictures from my birthday dinner (which only comes once a year)! So here's all that's left. A picture of the tiger prawn entree and one of me downing a Weihenstephan Heffe beer.

And this morning, I had a crash while cycling! Was riding on Mount Henry bridge and somehow find myself getting closer and closer to the concrete wall. Instead of cycling away, wasn't thinking right, I placed my hand against the wall to push myself away! You can pretty much guess... I was skidding away, tumbling down after that!

Suffered some minor cuts. Damage to Ah Rui was some scratches at the aero bar shifters and the brake levers. No damage to the frame, luckily.

DOH!