Jo +Steve Volunteer for Cambodia!

SOUR SDEY!

 

In December of this year, Steven and I will be travelling to Cambodia's poorest areas to Volunteer with Reach Out Volunteers but we need your help!  

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Asia and life is tough for most of the population. The decades of war, the land mines together with poverty and disease mean that Cambodians face a large number of challenges. 

It is for this reason and as Cambodia is the birthplace of my parents that we've decided to do what we can in these villages.

We have chosen the 'Cambodian Elephant Program' where we will firstyly spending time at an elephant refuge in Eastern Cambodia and help provide a home for displaced, mistreated and unemployed elephants that are too expensive for their former owners to maintain.

The next we will be working at Kro Bei Riel Village building homes for families in need, repairing housing and village infrastructure. 

We will be installing water pumps and other community facilities and teaching groups of children and young adults in arts and crafts, sport, recreation, agriculture and to advance their English skills which will open doorways to employment opportunities for them!

While this is all really exciting, its going to cost us almost $2,000 EACH to fund the program alone. That's why, as poor uni students, we'd love for you to help us get over there :)

We've set up a PayPal account called Jo + Steve Volunteer for Cambodia and you can support us by clicking the 'Donate' button we so awesomely created for all you grown ups with flashy credit and debit cards ^_^!

           

Of course there are other alternatives if you don't have one such as bank transferring or the good old meet and donate :D This way we can thank you in person and give you a little token of our appreciation :) 

TO CONTACT US:

All you have to do is email us at: 

• j9tran@students.edu.au
• stooi@students.edu.au

 OR facebook us at:

• www.facebook.com/steven.ooi
• www.facebook.com/joannetran4

Lastly, watch out for any fundraising events we'll be holding later 

down the track :D

Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading and please help us help Cambodia!

Keeping you posted - <3 jo="jo" span="span" steve="steve">

Sunshine and gold

BEES-E-LEESE-E!

I was making fun of someone's selfy here but I ended up doing one of my own. 

Hello sparkly unicorns. 

Today is an absolutely beautiful day which I spent the better part of with my little uni friends. 

These are the people that make travelling three hours a day worth it. 

I then came home and washed the bird shadaddle off my car. 

With my aviators, squeegee and my hose I felt like a less sexy Jessica Simpson. 

(Fortunately there are no photos of this)

AND THENNN I came inside to the Etsy packages I had been anxiously waiting for!

 I think thats the best part of  online shopping - its a lot like in primary school when you'd receive letters or invitations addressed to you in primary school and you'd squeal and tear it open (no? Just me?). But now the only things addressed to me are bank statements that tell me I spend too much on Etsy :( 

I had been searching for these rings for a while now (ignore my scary grandma hands) and they're hand-made in my size! I feel so special.

Also, I thought to myself what if an elephant sat on my face and I died and was unrecognisable. How would my parents know it was me under that tonne of ass? 

So I got myself a gold bracelet with my name on it. 

I can't decide if its woggy or devine. 

Theres something really nice about buying gifts for yourself - you don't have to wait for someone who you love to read your mind and think to get it for you. I realised that recently. 

Since my last blog mum made some food that I thought I'd be cruel and take pictures of...

Magical pandan cake

Delicious mini Vietnamese pancakes

Also more photos I found that you'd like - For my nephews' birthdays, my sister in London sent down some excavating kits for the little dino-lovers. The result was a big mess. 

Squatting and thongs and socks - rEpPin'. 

This was the final product! - A mammoth skeleton :)

 Tonight I'm having a dinner near my house with my college girlfriends. It'll be one of those moments when you run to your lover(s) to a soppy piano score on the beach when I get to see them. 

Now I'm going to get my groove on to Sweden by C418 (Caution and Crisis Remix) before someone comes home. 

Keeping you posted - Joanne (L) 

MOOO

Paper cuts - the bane of my existence. 

Hey poppies. So I've begun that thing that I do where I go on a Facebook strike. Therefore, anybody who manages to read this unadvertised blog post is a gun. 

By all means readers - exploit this little space for all its worth. 

I say I'm doing it to focus on study which is such a lie because when I'm not facebooking, I'm eating. 

No, its for that reason that can't be named - its an omen, much like Voldemort. 

I promise I'll blog about it when I'm ready. 

Over the weekend I drove my sorry ass all the way to Bendigo with my mate (who shall be dubbed 

D-dawg for privacy purposes) for the almighty GROOVIN' THE MOOO. 

We spent the ride laughing and crying at my driving and anticipating our untimely death on the drive back. 

Grain waves and attempts to check-into 'le sticks' made the time fly. 

And whats a road trip without a sum sique beatz brah? 

I managed to get around to San Cisco, The Maccabees (who didn't play Toothpaste Kisses goddang), Matt Corby, a little of Mutemath, Ball park music, City and Colour, Kimbra (feggin amazing), Hilltop Hoods from a distance and a little of this and that. HOWEVER. THEEE HIGHLIGHT OF MY NIGHT - Kaiser Chiefs were absolutely crazy AND to top it off... I CAUGHT (fought off two biyatchez for) THE DRUMSTICK. YES. YES I DID. And then ran back to my car holding onto it with dear life like Charlie and the golden ticket to the beats of Pogo during Digitalism. 

Im pretty sure I was high on Groovin' juice. 

I managed to stay awake for the drive back and then go to work at 9.45 the next morning and run a sique birthday party for the kids. 

Thank you, please hold the applause, you're too kind. 

I'm going to watch some Mad Men and eat chestnuts by an open ..... 

gas heater. 

Keeping you posted - Joanne (L) 

I put the ASS in MASSIVE.

GAMARDJOBA!

I went shopping on my break at work today and you know that moment when you find a pair of jeans that hug your ass perfectly and make you look like a juicy Mirana Kerr?
Yeah. Well I've never had one of those, but I've lost a little cushioning on my everywheres so I needed a pair of pants that fit properly and I found some! Joy!

I've worked open- close over this weekend and I am offically beared out! Today a 13 year old gave me the eyebrows at work and I felt like whipping out my Working with Children's card and being like BACK AWAY little man!

My birthdays just over a month away and I think I should get off my lazy derriere and plan something. As always it falls in the middle of exams so I'll have to push it forward a week or two....boooooo.

Well watch this space for party plans! I've found a lot of ideas on Pinterest so I'm excited to get my DIY onnnn.

Keeping you posted my pretty little lemon drops - Joanne (L)

Fresher start.

SALUTON!

I haven't done a decent blog in a while and so I feel a little out of place. 

But I feel like I'm turning a leaf on a new chapter in my life. Not saying this chapter is going to be easy or fun but bear with me as I try to make it so. 

With any new chapter, there needs to be a commemoration of its beginnings and this is sort of it. I've bought some new clothes and given my hair a trim. I've also gotten another piercing. I'm sure you're imagining I look a little like this...

But i really still look a lot like this...

I know a lot of other bloggers like to delve into their personal life, but with the exception of my last post, I like to keep a happy vibe in my blogs. And as of late, life has not been happy. If there were ever a place to avoid reality it would be here, so I ask that you be patient with me.

Lately I've been hooked on this site called Pinterest. Its like a picture blog but much easier to maintain - hence why I've paid it so much more attention than this poor little withering piece of cyber-junk. 

I hope your're not offended that I just called this cyber-junk. 

And these are what my nails look like now - 

candy floss pink and gold sparkles

and what they looked like over Easter! 

half moons and spring colours :)

Anywhoo. 

Keeping you posted - Joanne (L)

.

Hurt, jealous, pitiful, miserable, ruined, tested, offended, foolish, failed, inferior, broken. 




Fin. 

SEAFOLLY

MINGLARBRA!

I started off the day meeting the Gimp at Seafolly (boy was it his lucky day).

For those who don't know Seafolly is basically the Louis Vuitton of swimwear.

We did a few laps of the shop and I got to choose a gorgeous pair as an early Christmas present so that I could take it on our trip to Rye and for when I go to the Gold Coast in Jan!

Yes I also tried them on ;)

They cost a pretty penny so I'm going to treasure them like my first born child.

But this is pretty much what I looked like.

Gurl look at dat body.

(I was singing that all day while I checked out my own man)

WIGGLE WIGGLE WIGGLE WIGGLE YEAH

After this we had some lunchies and then met our favourite double datees - Giraffe + Sex Goddess. We then proceeded to get spa/sauna/pool passes at MSAC - Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre at Albert Park.
We waved in the wave pool, ahh'd in the spaaa, and sweated in the sauna.
Amazingly relaxing day!

On a less charming note, the video I posted in my last blog was a scham. Damn kids these days tugging on our vulnerable heart strings!

Keeping you posted - Joanne (L)

SEXEOSONIC

INICHE!

CHRISTMAS TAIME
(and a very tired looking joanne)

Good evening one and all!

Today was a nice busy day today unlike yesterday when I spent the day wearing in my new denim jacket...in my bed....and whilst making a cake.

le unfinished cake.

I woke up bright and early to open up at work for the first time! I had a manager with me so it wasn't so daunting but I'll have to do it on Friday on my own! Eeeep! Its probably not a big deal for half the world but you see I'm part re-tard (yes there is a hyphen there).

So I'm really scared of keys, money...any thing that hold value really.

Also I took home my Christmas present from Build-a-Bear! They gave us little Eriks from Happy Feet and his bow tie lights up!

I was so excited because we just got these funky drink bottles last year! I will also be celebrating my one year of work there very soon as well!

(I'm such a dag why do you read about my sad sad life).

I've also been getting back into playing me uke. I can't play very much.

I'm trying to master Island in the Sun by Weezer

girl look at dat body.

Well Saturday was a whole lot more exciting than both today and yesterday put together! Yes I jumped on the band wagon and hit the Stereosonic road! I managed to get tickets off Gumtree which i thought were for 180 for two but after a whole lot of hassle and damn debacle I ended up with them for just 50 bucks a piece! I bought them a few months ago as a present to the Gimp (refer to 4.11.11 blog).

To sum it up, I got my hair pulled, groped a few times, witnessed and smelt a truckload of fake tan and got dirty to filthy filthy music. I am also now 12% deafer.
Overall a very super day!

ON THE TUBE

Watched Whats goin on..

The least I can do is raise awareness. (I also love Sia playing in the background).

Keeping you posted - Joanne (L)

ITS THE MOST. WONDERFUL TIME. OF THE YEAR.

DIA DUIT!

Eric's first front tooth disappearance!

Today I did some of the first Christmas shopping of the year!

Some of you might know that second to my job at Build-a-Bear, I also kind of tutor a class of grade two's at a tuition centre.

Today I bought some goodies to give to the kids for my last lesson next Wednesday as I won't be here the week after because I'll be in RYE WITH MA GURLZ!

Here a preview of my little packs :)

The kids have a thing for Wizz Fizz.

Special shout out to my friend, who I will call Lamb for confidentiality purposes, for walking around with me in search of this stuff. I had mad fun at the Reject shop - I even went as far as to say it was the best place in the universe. Here are a few of my awesome purchases:

Lots of ribbon.

Candy cane stock.

Amazing Babushka doll full of goodies for my manager for her last shift tomorrow :(

Every week at teaching I keep a tally in class of the hardest working student and the grand prize was a Smiggle present! (They also have a thing for Smiggle).

I wanted the Christmas tree up by today but I think I want a new one for this year - something a bit more stylish and chic!

Other than that our garden continues to blossom more and more beautiful fauna.

Don't they look fake!?

Keeping you posted - Joanne (L)

P.S the font changing is still not working its giving me the irrates.

Opera-to' please

TANSI!

What I wore to the opera!
With these awesome binoculars my sister and I bought at a market in Barcelona.

In a bid to look top class, I accepted two tickets to the Goldman Sachs Annual Community Tribute Concert at the Arts Centre (lots of top class words).

I received an email a while ago about them in thanks for my volunteer work with the Leukemia Foundation so I thought whyyy not! I wasn't sure what to wear so I chose a sleeveless white button up shirt dress and a little cotton blazer.

Sorry for the "I need-to-do-a-shit face"

I haven't done a time photo in a long time and I panicked.

I drove papa and myself to the city and walked across the bridge; fashionably late as usual.

It was so wonderful because they sang all of the popular opera songs and symphonies so all of the noobs...sorry.."classically musically challenged" were still very much entertained.

Dad bought me an organic coke and and we dawdled before heading home!

__________________________________________________________

Yesterday at work I and a other staff members had the pleasure of being abused by yet another parent...actually it was a grandparent. Long story short I copped an earful from a mean Italian octogenarian because his grandaughter tried to con me into giving her shin pads for her stupid karate bear. I gave the damn kid a club bracelet so we knew that she had brought in her own bear and he proceeded to yell at me for accusing them of being thieves.

Moral of the story: kids are lovely and tolerable...until they turn into parents.

Though that dragged a dark cloud over my day, I did get lots of compliments about my candy nails! One little girl asked if they were fake ahee.

Speaking of work I missed the opportunity to work a few hours this morning because I didn't pick up my phone :( the treadmill was too loud. And it was Sunday pay tooooooooo BOOOOOO i need moneyz!

Anywhoo, I havn't been doing all that much. Just work and painting these little plaster of paris statues that I got for $5 at Kmart.
I've only done a few so far. But I'm leaving the unicorns until last. I want my painting skill up to scratch before I touch those bad boys.

You don't want to know how long I spend doing these.

Over and out!

Keeping you posted - Joanne (L)

Semi-interesting day for a change!

SERVUS!

Le bed and le shorts from Paree.

YIPPEEE!
I still have to organise the draws and perhaps rearrange my glow stickers but you get the jist!
I chose one that I could lean against to read and do work at night

(its got a bit more detail that you can't see with my shotty webcam)

and as you can tell I loooove white furniture

AND I DONT CARE WHAT NOBODY SAYS ABOUT MY ROOM BEING A MENTAL ASYLUM.

If you couldn't tell yet.

MY BED FRAME ARRIVED TODAY!!

It is even more beautiful than I remember it to be in the shop. Then again I was doped up on energy pills so I could have just as easily chosen a rainbow bed head with a laughing clown hanging above it.

I woke up very early to clear out my old bed (which has been so good to me) and make room for my new one. A giant nightmare surfaced as I realised how much shaddadle was stored underneath the old single (of course one must always clutter the underside of their bed so that zombies can't hide under there - tip #101 of Joanne's Mystical Creature Attack Guide - JMCATG).

There were dusty music posters and sentimental invitations and cards that collected enough dust to plague the country with hay fever.

Did I mention that I did this whilst listening to the radio!? I know who listens to the radio when you have iTunes. Joanne does because she understands the value of a good bogan accent to awaken the soul 8 in the morning.

At about 11 I made my way to Bourke Street Donors to give my share of blood this trimester.

I made sure I had lost of iron-rich bok choy for breakfast so I could have a good haemoglobin to donate blood. I also drank about 6 glasses of water so I was like a faucet all morning.

I went down the street and strolled past the Myer Christmas windows which always make me so happy. The music made me so gosh damn excited for the silly season!

As I waited for my tram I ducked into the Target Centre to buy some egg tarts and sesame balls for ... well lets call him 'the gimp' - purely for confidentiality purposes... so that we could eat them after lunchies at his humble abode.

Multiple slices of olive bread and azn deserts later I got to watch Kung Fu Panda for the first time! Soo soo not overrated. I loved it.

Later I went to ... well lets call her "miss avacado" - y'know, for confidentiality purposes...and spent quality time with my best friend in her Williamstown home. We rode bikes in the rain and made nachos for dinner and I got to meet her beautiful aunty. And of course dabble with her three dogs.

I really should start taking more pictures and of more relevant things.

Speaking of dogs. I haven't done an On the Tube in a while, mainly because there hasn't been much share-worthy stuff but there was this. So here you go my pets.

WARNING: THIS IS A HIGHLY EMOTIONAL VIDEO. IT MAY CAUSE HIGH EMOTIONS AND IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR THE HIGHLY EMOTIONAL.

Last Minutes with ODEN

PhosPictures

- 803,038 views

WELL THIS BLOG HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH I THINK KIDS.

Keeping you posted - Joanne (L)