• Home
  • About
  • Phamly Life
  • Real Life
  • Other People's Happiness
  • Upgrade U
  • The Phamly
    • Mum Pham
    • Dad Pham
    • Little Sissy Pham
    • Big Brother Pham
    • Boyfriend Pham
    • Baby Pham
    • Pham Pets
instagram twitter facebook Email

KEEP IT IN THE PHAMLY


I spent the first day of 2021 visiting some of Boyfriend Pham's family. They moved just a couple hours outside Brisbane at the end of last year, so we went for an overnight stay on New Year's Day. It was Day 8 of my 11-day holiday, but felt like the first day I fully relaxed and enjoyed myself. Ecommerce life, hey?

We spent the day making and eating woodfired pizza, then got walked by their dog, before a night of playing board games all with lots of fun conversation. Seeing friends and hearing stories from outside my little Brisbane bubble is what I missed most from 2020. That, plus the amazing food at the now permanently closed Maria's Caribbean kitchen in Toowong - devastating. 

Being out of my house/Brisbane/regular surrounds let me properly chill out after being in high functioning mode for a lot of last year. It made me nostalgic for travel that we all took for granted, and planted the seed that I need to get out of my regular routine this year. Of course, it's easier said than done. As I write, a friend in Tassie and I were waiting for today's announcement as to whether Brisbane has been removed from Tasmania's naughty list so our Gold Coast getaway can go ahead as planned. And the update was that there'll be another update in 48-hours. But then the convention she was coming up for got canned so we cancelled our catch up. I still kept my annual leave days though, because I need the break.

Making travel plans is a bigger gamble than it used to be, but I'm going to jump at any opportunities that arise year. That, plus we have a $400 flight voucher that expires in October so we should probably use it. Unfortunately, everyone we're close with is a city-dweller and either their city is a hotspot, or their city thinks we're a hotspot. 


Share
Tweet
No comments


Single life had me used to blasting audio books on loud speaker wherever I pleased. Then I went and shacked up with Boyfriend Pham, and it cramped my style. I’m not one of those people who can fall asleep wearing headphones. Actually, I’m not even one of those people who has wireless headphones so I rarely listen to my stories while cooking or before bed, which were my favourite story times.

Boyfriend Pham reads paperback books. Those heavy, chunky, dusty piles of paper and ink bound together that, when mishandled, is about as painful as dropping your phone on your face. I read maybe 1-2 paperbacks a year for the decade before I met Boyfriend Pham. When we first met, I told him I preferred audiobooks because books are too expensive if you churn through them to which he gawked at me like I was a damn fool.

Turns out this lucky country that I live in has many books that they offer on loan for FREE! I totally forgot that public libraries exist. And it feels like a lot of my generation has also. Whenever we go to the library, there are elderly people and parents with young kids. and nobody my age. The 20s & 30s folk must be like me with their digital devices - either that or they don't mind spending hundreds of dollars on stacks of books they'll read once and never pick up again. 

I've started reading books before bed like Boyfriend Pham, and when we're on holiday or lockdown I read books on the couch or floor too. There's something soothing about being still and letting your mind get carried away to another world. Audiobooks could do that too, I suppose, but I only ever listened to them while my hands were busy cooking, cleaning or grooming. With paperbacks, you have to focus on just reading. I still listen to audio books these days as I get ready for work in the mornings or on my walk to work, but these too are now borrowed from the Brisbane library via the BorrowBox app. 

If you want to get back into reading, head to your local library. I can't believe there's a service that gives you books for free! Australia rules.

Share
Tweet
No comments
Newer Posts
Older Posts

Looking for something?

Pinned post

IVF hormone injections and symptoms

Popular Posts this week

  • Where to get ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dresses) in Brisbane
  • Fertility is a F-word
  • IVF egg collection
  • IVF hormone injections and symptoms
  • Kmart cardboard cat toys

The Phamly

  • Big Brother Pham (11)
  • Boyfriend Pham (17)
  • Dad Pham (41)
  • Little Sissy Pham (18)
  • Mum Pham (39)
  • Pham Pets (9)

Be Social

  • instagram
  • twitter
  • facebook

The Archives

  • ►  2011 (62)
    • ►  May 2011 (5)
    • ►  June 2011 (14)
    • ►  July 2011 (14)
    • ►  August 2011 (3)
    • ►  September 2011 (7)
    • ►  October 2011 (7)
    • ►  November 2011 (5)
    • ►  December 2011 (7)
  • ►  2012 (61)
    • ►  January 2012 (3)
    • ►  February 2012 (3)
    • ►  March 2012 (8)
    • ►  April 2012 (6)
    • ►  May 2012 (9)
    • ►  June 2012 (5)
    • ►  July 2012 (7)
    • ►  August 2012 (2)
    • ►  September 2012 (3)
    • ►  October 2012 (3)
    • ►  November 2012 (3)
    • ►  December 2012 (9)
  • ►  2013 (54)
    • ►  January 2013 (7)
    • ►  February 2013 (7)
    • ►  March 2013 (9)
    • ►  April 2013 (5)
    • ►  May 2013 (5)
    • ►  June 2013 (6)
    • ►  July 2013 (6)
    • ►  August 2013 (3)
    • ►  September 2013 (1)
    • ►  October 2013 (3)
    • ►  November 2013 (1)
    • ►  December 2013 (1)
  • ►  2014 (17)
    • ►  January 2014 (2)
    • ►  March 2014 (2)
    • ►  May 2014 (1)
    • ►  June 2014 (1)
    • ►  July 2014 (2)
    • ►  September 2014 (1)
    • ►  October 2014 (4)
    • ►  November 2014 (4)
  • ►  2015 (16)
    • ►  February 2015 (1)
    • ►  March 2015 (3)
    • ►  May 2015 (3)
    • ►  June 2015 (1)
    • ►  August 2015 (2)
    • ►  October 2015 (2)
    • ►  November 2015 (1)
    • ►  December 2015 (3)
  • ►  2016 (21)
    • ►  January 2016 (1)
    • ►  March 2016 (1)
    • ►  April 2016 (2)
    • ►  May 2016 (3)
    • ►  June 2016 (1)
    • ►  October 2016 (5)
    • ►  November 2016 (4)
    • ►  December 2016 (4)
  • ►  2017 (58)
    • ►  January 2017 (3)
    • ►  February 2017 (5)
    • ►  March 2017 (3)
    • ►  April 2017 (4)
    • ►  May 2017 (4)
    • ►  June 2017 (5)
    • ►  July 2017 (4)
    • ►  August 2017 (4)
    • ►  September 2017 (5)
    • ►  October 2017 (6)
    • ►  November 2017 (8)
    • ►  December 2017 (7)
  • ►  2018 (36)
    • ►  January 2018 (5)
    • ►  February 2018 (4)
    • ►  March 2018 (4)
    • ►  April 2018 (3)
    • ►  May 2018 (4)
    • ►  June 2018 (1)
    • ►  July 2018 (3)
    • ►  August 2018 (3)
    • ►  September 2018 (2)
    • ►  October 2018 (1)
    • ►  November 2018 (3)
    • ►  December 2018 (3)
  • ►  2019 (27)
    • ►  January 2019 (2)
    • ►  February 2019 (2)
    • ►  March 2019 (4)
    • ►  April 2019 (4)
    • ►  May 2019 (3)
    • ►  June 2019 (3)
    • ►  July 2019 (2)
    • ►  August 2019 (2)
    • ►  September 2019 (2)
    • ►  October 2019 (1)
    • ►  November 2019 (2)
  • ►  2020 (12)
    • ►  January 2020 (2)
    • ►  February 2020 (1)
    • ►  March 2020 (2)
    • ►  May 2020 (1)
    • ►  June 2020 (1)
    • ►  October 2020 (2)
    • ►  November 2020 (1)
    • ►  December 2020 (2)
  • ▼  2021 (27)
    • ▼  January 2021 (2)
      • Book nerds
      • Making time to relax
    • ►  February 2021 (2)
    • ►  March 2021 (2)
    • ►  April 2021 (1)
    • ►  May 2021 (3)
    • ►  June 2021 (2)
    • ►  July 2021 (2)
    • ►  August 2021 (5)
    • ►  September 2021 (2)
    • ►  October 2021 (1)
    • ►  November 2021 (3)
    • ►  December 2021 (2)
  • ►  2022 (14)
    • ►  January 2022 (1)
    • ►  April 2022 (1)
    • ►  May 2022 (3)
    • ►  July 2022 (1)
    • ►  August 2022 (1)
    • ►  September 2022 (1)
    • ►  October 2022 (3)
    • ►  November 2022 (1)
    • ►  December 2022 (2)
  • ►  2023 (24)
    • ►  January 2023 (1)
    • ►  February 2023 (1)
    • ►  April 2023 (2)
    • ►  May 2023 (2)
    • ►  June 2023 (2)
    • ►  July 2023 (1)
    • ►  August 2023 (2)
    • ►  September 2023 (2)
    • ►  October 2023 (4)
    • ►  November 2023 (3)
    • ►  December 2023 (4)
  • ►  2024 (14)
    • ►  January 2024 (2)
    • ►  March 2024 (1)
    • ►  April 2024 (1)
    • ►  May 2024 (1)
    • ►  September 2024 (4)
    • ►  October 2024 (2)
    • ►  November 2024 (1)
    • ►  December 2024 (2)
  • ►  2025 (6)
    • ►  January 2025 (2)
    • ►  February 2025 (1)
    • ►  March 2025 (2)
    • ►  April 2025 (1)

Created with by ThemeXpose | Distributed by Blogger Templates