Just Cruizin On Bluemoon

Log 82

Life has a way of  moving along with or without you ... it is September already! Gosh! Just cannot keep up! LOL

Funny thing is time is the one thing, once lost, that you can never get back so we must use it wisely! Though not sure if that is exactly what we are doing ... just easier to say than do LOL

Life in Johor has become easier since knowing which bus to catch and to where we want to go ... also for me, how to pronouce the words correctly as NO ONE was able to

understand my accent! What a problem trying to say a word I thought was right yet no one understood it or knew what the hang I was saying ... the frustration for all of us !!!

Thank goodness for Justine, who has learned to speak Malay, and is studying Indonesian which is a kindof  ' slang ' of Malay, so she has been able to ask in the language what we need to know and so do not get lost now or go to places that sound like the word I asked for!!!! No kidding!!!!

After much deliberation, John and I headed off to buy plasic containers in which to pack our stuff... we needed to sort things out inside the boat and were having a

problem with everything in the forepeaks and so we managed to pack all our stuff, sort out the things we needed to and then to spring clean in the process! Packing our 27 boxes was really quite exciting for all of us, looking at the stuff we had packed away and forgotten then being reminded was like receiving the gift all over again!  Taking down seriel numbers, logging the hundreds of shells I have collected over these last few years... the wood carved musical instruments.... still not sure how that will in the end turn out , as I stopped logging and just threw it all into a few of those boxes... also Jono's Tanzania wood map, chest board .... but we then had the movers arrive and take the boxes away into storage! So looks like we might have to redo the boxes professionaly when the time comes! The labels John put on the boxes were changed by him to all the boxes stating souveniers!!!! So which one is the shells and the wood stuff??? Still alot of work I must add!!! Now the hulls are rocking to go sailing again!!! heheheh

Though we had collected quite alot of things over these last few years, we never had quite the amount we thought we had so were quite pleased with ourselves!

We have been quite busy with maintenace jobs, flew the spinnaker to dry her so she can be packed ... really made us want to go sailing again!!! Filled the diesel up which has taken a while as you can only order your diesel on a Tuesday and Thursday ,and are only allowed two drums each so have done a few weeks of this... but all is full and ready if we need - though it also helps to keep your tanks clean if you are not going to be sailing for while ... so rather full than empty!

Have been having a field day touching up with the paint in the galley! Now it looks like I have this great new hairstyle with white ends!!!! LOL - John has no idea how I manage to get more paint in my hair than on the walls!!!

Bluemoon has had a total cleansing and so is a happy chappy I am sure!

Justine has been going to keyboard/organ lessons which she is loving!! We brought my keyboard with us so we could all play while on our trip, which we have been happily doing, and so Justine has picked up my style of playing by ear, yet we tried to get her lessons while still at home but with no luck, she has managed to tinker along quite nicely! Now with just two lessons she can read the music and so is playing the most stunning songs!! Cannot stop her playing now!!

Jono, also is busy playing guitar and composing his own tunes which is always so nice to listen to, and to make up words to, which can be really fun!! Considering he is pretty much self taught ... John showed him the chords and told him to practice and so Jono took it from there ... so it is always great having the music flow!!!

Having such bad internet has helped both John and I to compensate our time from researching to series watching! The movies this side of the world is ridiculously

cheap!!! So we have watched the full series of Heroes, Ghost whisperers, Medium, Supernatural and True Blood ... now we are Waiting for the next series to come out!!

Also, all the latest movies out we get to watch while it is showing in the movies!! This place is just too much actually with regards to copy rights!! I go onto You tube every now and then to listen to a song and it tells me I cannot even hear it because of the Malaysian Copy rights!!!! My comp picks up I am in Malay!!!!!!

Funny how a small thing can make your blood pressure rise in less that two ticks! Well try talking to the banks call centre back home and you will fully understand!!! My credit card expired and I have been trying for over three months to get one sent up to me! Somehow I wonder if it was delayed because I tend to open my mouth ... always at the the most inappropriate times! Anyways, after contimplating anger management classes .... I have finely received my new credit card!! So the blood pressure is down and Johnand I are very happy! hehehe

John and I left Bluemoon at 4pm, caught a taxi to the Malaysian Customs building, stamped out of Malaysia, then caught a bus to Singapore Immagration building, stamped in, caught another bus to Queen street in Singapore, then caught the MRT to the other side of Singapore, caught the skytrain to Terminal 1 to meet Johns dad at 6pm which we just made by five minutes .. really takes along time signing in!!!  Anyways we are all very excited having John's dad visiting! The kids are like little flies around him!!! I think he will need a long holiday after he has finished his visit

here!!! Also, we have taken for granted, and gotten used to the rocking and rolling when the swells come in - someone who is not used to that feels it and can be

unsteady with their footing ... so it has been weird looking back and remembering how we used to be...guess you expect everyone to find it quite normal! 

Though I must admit he has gotten his footing quite fast! Just the heat is a little more difficult getting used to!! The humidity actually!!

Looking at the time that Brian would be with us, sadly was enough time to sail to the Tiomans or any other island worth sailing to! So we opted to stay here and make the most of it.

Now as most of you know, we were heading off to New Zealand ... had many looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong discussions and chats... planned this and planned that and so it went ... found a varsity that Justine was interested in, and, and, and ..... now surprisingly we got a letter from Australia informing us that we have a

case officer and that we are almost finished with the process which we started two years ago!!! Man! Everytime we plan something, it changes! When we head off in a

direction we think is the way, it changes!! So .... we are finishing with the process and will see what we need to do next ... Hopefully by January, then we will know

which way to go and what to do for now ... mmmmmm.... Christmas in Australia..... LOL Will keep you all posted as to what we are going to do when we know!!! Though sailing is definitily on the agenda for John and I once the kids are studying and settled in x Looking forward to just the two of us continuing sailing!

Being Ramadan and Hari Raya, there have been quite a few functions going on ... last night they had a chinese evening of auction!!! What excitement for us!! And funny! They hadset up lots of tables and chairs along with two big screens which showed the speaker and the goods they were auctioning and the shouting!!! The Chinese can speak really fast!!! Which at times sounded really funny!! Also really quite different to an auction we know!

The huge constuction plans for the Marina and bay has been going very well!! The construction has been coming together really nicely! The flyover bridge is finished

and all the highways are in full work mode to finish! They have been reclaiming land so the water current is changing with the tides!! Quite remarkable looking at this process going on and feeling apart of it!!

Decided to head for City Square to treat Johns dad to a foot massage, and ended up having the six of us pay for a who hour each ! Well ... what you must understand about a real Thai massage is that they are quite physical! Bone crunching manipulators! LOL You get your feet and legs massaged then your neck and head then comes the crumpling of bones!! I think we all felt like contortionists!!! Had ginseng tea afterwards, while pulling up the much needed strength to stand up and walk out!!! Not that bad I suppose, but still quite an experience!

Have done alot of walking, eating local foods and trying out different styles of food! Played games, laughted hard, shared and just enjoyed the company of Brian x

Then the time came and the kids were up at 3 am, John and I at 4 am , had a good cuppa and headed off to the taxi at 4 30 am then to Kotaraya to catch a international bus to Singapore ... he dropped us at the customs at each place, where we had to sign in, then took us all the way to the airport but shame, the timing seemed alittle close and got the nerves going, but we made it and still had time for a great breakfast at a grand price!! Singapore has the same prices as Malaysia, but 1 Ringet is not the same value as 1 Singapore dollar!!!!  We then said our goodbyes and watched Brian head for the next step of his holiday to Australia, to visit Rita his youngest daughter.

We caught the skyway back to town, shopped around at a huge mall - Mostafa - then headed back exhausted to Danga bay going through the long process of getting through customs, which actually was quite quick!

Funny how the place seems to be missing someone when that person leaves ... but life must go on and so we have been cleaning, filling out paperwork, getting ready for our next leg of our journey through life ....

We are hoping to slow down now that our plans are at a T juncion ....  though we know without a doubt that our Precious Lord will open the doors that need opening and close the doors that need closing, so it is all in His hands ....

Thanks to everyone who has kept that mail rolling!! We Love and Miss you all!

Keep living life to the fullest and remember we think of you all!

Love always John Jenny Justine Jessica and Jonathan