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KEEP IT IN THE PHAMLY


I've been dying my hair black since my early 20s. I don't know what I was missing in my diet or if it was all the stress of being zen but I've had grey hairs for as long as I can remember. That said, I have a terrible memory and can't remember much about most things including university even though I'm still paying off that debt - good one, brain, you waste of money; high school; and childhood. I do remember having grey hairs in early high school though so I may have had them in primary school and only noticed once I hit puberty and self-consciousness in high school.

I used to have bright red hair back in the day which was a high cost, high maintenance time in my life. These days I dye my own hair using a supermarket dye because black is easy peasy; it's an all over even colour, and very low maintenance.

I swim 2-3 times each week and chlorine dries my hair out something awful so I need a hair dye that is gentle enough not to wreak havoc on my already damaged head. Schwarzkopf Perfect Mousse is the gentlest permanent dye I've found. I've been using the black 1-0 shade every 5-6 weeks for years and have had no issues with it. I am a messy person due to clumsiness so I have accidentally dyed things that aren't my hair using regular dye pastes. The foam is super easy to apply and manage, and if you do manage to get it somewhere it's not supposed to be (like a bathroom wall) because it's gentle, you have time to wash it away without staining.

Chemist Warehouse has them for $8.99 ($6 less than the RRP). Bargain!
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Uncle 10 on mum's side moved to Melbourne, Australia from Germany before we did, and told Mum and Dad Pham that in Australia they have plenty of Vietnamese foods in comparison to Germany, which had next to none at the time. Our cousin benefited from this gap in the marketing, she opened up a highly successful Asian grocer in a small town in Germany. It's the only place you can get Asian food items in the area.

Mum and Dad were sold when they heard that Australia was warm enough to grow many of the herbs, fruits and vegetables from back home. They decided to migrate to Australia...because food. There was one catch. Mum's weight meant she didn't pass the medical requirements and Australia wouldn't accept their application because health concerns - they didn't want her to be a burden on the system. Boy oh, they didn't realise Dad Pham was a bigger concern there. More on that at a later date.

Mum Pham blames me for getting fat. When she was pregnant with me all she wanted to eat was pho. All that delicious soupy noodle made her bloated, and then getting pregnant again less than two months later with Little Sissy Pham didn't help. In order to apply to migrate to Australia, Mum needed to drop over 15kg. On a scale of stroll in the markets to fleeing a war torn country, losing weight was on the easier side.

She began by eating nothing but salads, and I vaguely remember making her laugh by laying down to do leg-ups with her. My fat baby gut must have looked hilarious trying to do core exercises. Mum Pham worked her ass off within weeks and went back to get her medical approved. In case you're wondering how this story ends, I'm sitting on a couch in Brisbane, Australia as I write feeling guilty that I can't lose and keep 5kg off to stay in a healthy weight range, while Mum Pham tortured herself with lettuce meals morning, noon and night to get fit enough to move her Phamly to the other side of the world.

I am always so grateful to her for all the things she did for us. I honour this by stuffing my face stupid on all the glorious Vietnamese foods in Inala where I take Dad Pham shopping every weekend. We cook mostly Vietnamese food for Phamly dinner too. Mum would be proud.



- THE END -

If you want to start from the beginning of Phamly history, read:
Part 1 - O Captain! My Captain! Dad Pham's navy days during the Vietnam War.
Part 2 - P.O.W. Viet Cong Re-education Camp Dad Pham's time as a prisoner of war.
Part 3 - Living with Viet Cong Mum Pham's experience with communism.
Part 4 - Boat People Dad Pham seeks refuge after the war.
Part 5 - Finding Faith Dad finds peace.
Part 6 - When Herr met Frau - Dad Pham meets Mum Pham.
Part 7 - Life in Germany: the early years - Dad Pham sets up life in Germany.
Part 8 - Life in Germany: the later years - Dad gets sick, Mum steps up.
Part 9 - Getting ready for Australia - Mum Pham is on a mission.
Part 10 - Coming to Australia - My first memories of Australia.
Part 11 - Live in Brisbane the first time - The story of why we left Brisbane.
Part 12 - Moving to Melbourne - First impressions.
Part 13 - Life in Melbourne - Dad Pham - The good old days.
Part 14 - The Other Phams - Our neighbours in Melbourne were Phams too.
Part 15 - Life in Melbourne - Mum Pham - Our Sunday Phamly traditions began in Melbourne.
Part 16 - Cats On A Train - Moving to Brisbane
Part 17 - Sleepwalking Scare - Moving to Brisbane continued
Part 18 - A House in Brisbane - Moving to Brisbane continued some more
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I was sad to bid goodbye to Corny Chips last year, and devastated to farewell my work bestie soon after. I farewelled another colleague a few weeks ago, and another one just today at lunch with two more long-termers bowing out in the next few weeks. I realise I've never really stuck around any workplace long enough to farewell more than one person, or worked in a company big enough to have such a high turnover rate. It's sad to see good people go. It's much easier when you're the one leaving for exciting new things, not left behind to miss everyone. There's only been one person who I've been happy to say goodbye to (for now).

Rachel Burke of Apomogy, Tinsel Town and @imakestagram fame. This ray of sunshine brought such positive and proactive vibes to the office every day. I'm not even mad at her for leaving to pursue her creative dreams full-time because it means she can share more happiness with the world. Rachel makes every day life more vibrant and fun and creative with her larger than life vision. Since stepping out on her own she's released a new collection of apparel, did a pop up studio at a shopping mall, and also making custom orders for celebrities and artists around the world. Amazing!

To honour Rachel on her last day in the office I dressed up in a special jacket she gifted me at her Tinsel Town art exhibition, and glittered up my face because fabulous is the only way to look and feel in a Rachel Burke creation. I couldn't happier for this crazy talented lady. Her happiness leads to Other People's Happiness. It's a wonderful thing. I can't wait to see what she gets up to next. Follow Rachel Burke in her creative world at @imakestagram - it's a good time.


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