All That Glitters

2012-02-04T18:33:00.002+11:00

So I've gotten lazy and haven't taken any photos whatsoever since coming back from Singapore. Not much has happened though, we went to GOR to take 1/3 engagement photos...but it was so crazy windy i don't think any of them turned out perfect :(
Lee-ean surprised us in Melbourne and we had lots of meet ups, but 'cos i didn't take any photos, here's one jojo whatsapped me when she was in london!
and here's a photo from Vinh - 12 oldies reminiscing the time we were young and fit. Now we're just old, creaky and prone to injuries! Happy Belated 27th Vinh!

2012-01-16T21:08:00.003+11:00

Singapore
Good food, absolutely no shopping (for the 1st time), lots of tears but lovely meetups with friends... so lovely i forgot to take pictures with most of them!
Uncle Vinh & Auntie Shar are the best babysitters in the world - Pav went bike riding, running in the park and got showered with so much love poor Tazzie felt left out :( She also went swimming multiple times in their pool and they made awesome videos (have you seen a dog swim from underwater?) to update us so we never had to worry! I'm not sure if they want the videos to be public so I won't post the link but this pic is from the video - look at the little rat!

2011-12-24T07:17:00.001+11:00

Gracey was in town!

Not much to say except I had a really good day - haven't felt like this since Summer2007 & 2008 - the days we used to just hang out without a care in the world at a beautiful beach... just a small group of people as most were overseas!
Brunch without needing to wait for a table!
Love love...
...love the girls!

Merry Christmas peeps, see you in the new year! xx

2011-12-23T11:08:00.000+11:00

Engagement Party

We wanted to have one end of 2010 when we got engaged, but looked at over 20 venues and couldn’t find one that was nice enough (I wanted to wear my KM dress) AND within our budget. So we decided not to have one. Then someone asked us what we were going to do for our birthdays this year and we figured why not combine everything! The date was perfect, exactly 1 year to the wedding, a Saturday and in between our birthdays… but Rani was flat out with assignments, out photographer was leaving Melbourne that day and my family wanted to go NZ then! So we postponed the date – worked out well ‘cos we could celebrate rani’s last mba exam (on the afternoon of the party itself) and my yoga graduation too!

Looked at another 10 venues (it was way harder than looking for a wedding venue, which was decided even before we got engaged! lol) and finally decided on the private Short room @ Longroom. Sher celebrated her birthday there earlier this year and we were impressed with the décor (not so much the food). So we decided to avoid the deep fried frozen finger food and go for the tapas menu. Food turned out really good! A little slow at the start but there was plenty –we even had some fish & chips baskets, steak plates and sticky date puddings left at the end! I think the extra 3 who RSVP’d but didn’t show would have polished it off nicely…

The cake which took 3 whole nights to make… I was dissatisfied with look of the end product ‘cos of my lack of equipment and tools (so much easier doing this in a commercial kitchen!) but the flourless mocha cake was still delicious :P even made some small tiffany vanilla cupcakes for kim & mandi who can’t eat/don’t like chocolate!

With kel, the polaroid photographer & MC
He hosted a trivia game which I expected one of the flare people to win since only they would know both of us well. Came up with 18 questions and half the people were wiped out by the 1st question of where we were born... that included ALL the flare people except AiAi… seriously? If only shar was there, she would have won it (she almost did at the Jellies a few years ago, only person with a higher score was rani!) Even Rani’s MBA friends who had never met me before that night were still in round 2! Went through 4 questions (so disappointing) and the winner was Dave – prize was a dozen yummy macarons!

With Bud, our official photographer

Love this pic he took – people were meant to write “advice” to the future bride & groom under the polaroid. “Happy wife, happy life” was there, amongst some cheeky ones, some serious ones and some which missed the point completely and congratulated us… but this was a classic – “Game Over”!

Polaroids are kept nicely in a beautiful album given by Lee - Pav approves!

With Robby, the best man, and the only person Rani loves as much as me obviously...

With the flare family, minus a few!

Didn’t get a chance to speak to everyone as much as I would have liked/take lots of photos but we really enjoyed ourselves. Thanks all for a wonderful celebration (which reminds me I still have to get on to the thank you cards argh) and dear, if you’re reading this… I love you! 318 days more and I can’t wait!

xoxo

2011-12-18T22:41:00.000+11:00

Shiromi & Dave's Wedding
Rani's cousin got married a day after my birthday. The reception was at the same place we are having it, by pure coincidence. And to make Rani's family from overseas really believe there is only 1 "type" of wedding in Melbourne, they had their ceremony in the botanic gardens too...

Oh well, everything is already booked and even though they had the crappiest weather possible in November (overnight thunderstorm which started the day before and continued into the morning, bucketing down right when they said their vows), we can't really change our plans because of Pavvy :(

At least we had a "trial run" for our big day - and I'm happy to say food and service was excellent! Can't wait for our turn...

2011-12-17T15:36:00.000+11:00

Spring Pavvy - yes... she still runs like a lamb!
So on the last week of spring, we decided to have an impromptu bbq and the pumpkin was all too delighted to explore the purple petals on the floor. I haven't had a pav photo i absolutely loved for the longest time (mostly 'cos i'm lazy with the camera or she gets demon eyes with the flash) but this is it!

2011-12-16T21:23:00.003+11:00

Mandi, Ness & I turned a year older back in November (this is how behind I am in my posts) and in an effort to have a low key celebration, we gathered at our usual hot spot - Koko Black!

I love making cupcakes...
and I love the first of many beautiful presents rani & i received :)

2011-12-07T21:36:00.000+11:00

New Zealand North Island

Wellington1st order of the day - lunch at Martin Bosley's, NZ's top restaurant.
My yummy main: Trio of Tartars
Snapper, Mandarin Peel Puree, Freeze Dried Mandarin, Mandarin Oil
Salmon, Cauliflower, Capers, Lemon, Parsley
Tuna, Umeboshi Plum, Spanner Crab Chawan Mushi, CucumberHoney + Blossoms dessert as featured on Australia's most recent Masterchef
Manuka Honey-Feijoa Cake, Honey-Yoghurt Panna Cotta, Lemon Verbena
Te Papa Museum
The colossal squid, 14m long! Unlike the giant squid, whose arms and tentacles only have suckers lined with small teeth, the colossal squid's limbs are also equipped with sharp hooks The capital was kind of boring for me - parents were visiting all their old friends who I don't remember. They were all talking about the snow earlier this year though! Something nobody expected in the north island. Anyway, this was one of our old houses - wish we could have gone in!

New Plymouth

Te Rewa Rewa Bridge - designed to frame Mt Taranaki when viewed while leaving the sacred ground – promising what is eternal

Napier Mission Estate Winery - one of NZ's largest and oldest established wineries. The entrace was a real beauty!

TaupoHuka Falls - the 1st nature thing this trip. reminded me of why i love NZ so much :) The unique blue colour of the water in the Huka Falls and Waikato River is due to the clear water reflecting blue light
Lake Taupo - largest lake in NZ. The massive area + gloomy day didn't make it nearly as nice as the smaller lakes (Pukaki & Tekapo in South Island - see it here)

RotoruaLady Knox Geyser - named after the 2nd daughter of the 15th Governor of NZThe geyser is induced to erupt daily at 10:15am by dropping a surfactant into the opening of the ventEruptions produce a jet of water reaching up to 20m Wai-O-Tapu (Maori for “Sacred Waters”) is an active geothermal area at the southern end of the Okataina Volcanic CentreYes, the whole park smells really bad, but seeing how beautiful nature is makes it bearable
Oyster PoolHad to make my brother pose at the Sulphur Cave!
Champagne Pool - derived from the abundant efflux of carbon dioxide, similar to a glass of bubbling champagne
It was really neon!
Bubbling mudpools
The luge - a family favourite
Chairlift up Mount Ngongotaha
Extensive views of Rotorua city, Lake Rotorua, geothermal areas and surrounding hinterlands
Zorbing - where it originated. Wasn't as scary as I imagined...
This was pretty scary - I made my dad go with me and I was the one who ended up screaming! Basically it's like bungy but the sleeping-bag-like-case was attached in the middle, not at the feet. We still went head first though! Lookout where one side was the blue lake (Lake Tikitapu), and the other side was the green lake (Lake Rotokakahi). Tried very hard to capture how magnificent it was but even this panoramic photo does no justice.From the air the lake looks emerald green due to its shallow, sandy bottom.The blue colour of the lake can be attributed to rhyolite and pumice on the lake bed. The sun was on the wrong side so we had to go to the lake level for a clearer photo of the blue lake

Agrodome show - 19 breeds of sheep! Sheep shearing
Reminded me of how naked Pav gets after grooming!
Feeding the animals on the farm tour
We had some time (and bread) before dinner so the men went to feed the swans (and birds) while the women hid from the wind in the car

Whitianga We passed by Paeroa on the way to Whitianga and I had to do the touristy thing at the giant bottle - pose with a bottle of L&P (Lemon & Paeroa). Traditionally made by combining lemon juice with carbonated mineral water from the town of Paeroa, it is now manufactured by Coca-Cola. L&P can be found only in New Zealand and has the paradoxical advertising slogan "World famous in New Zealand"... go figure!Terrible weather for a hike but we managed to reach Cathedral Cove just as it got really dark and wet - a gigantic arched cavern passes through a white rock headland to join two secluded coves. The cathedral-like arch gives whole area an air of grandeurTe Hoho - sculpted by wind and water over centuries. It now looks like the prow of a large ship steaming into the beach
Gemstone Bay - all the little "gems"!

Paihia
On the long drive up north, we stopped at Whangarei Falls - it can appear as several parallel columns of water or a large rectangular column depending on whether it has been raining heavily or not
And finally, we come to the best part of the trip. After 1+ weeks of dreary weather, we had the most awesome weather for the Bay of Islands, North Island's must see in my opinion! So we made the most and accomplished so much that day! We started with a helicopter ride from Paihia
Gorgeous views...
Brilliant colous...
The famous "Hole in the Rock" - etched by wind and wave
This photo was taken by the crappy iphone camera so you can imagine how much better it looked in real life
We landed on a heli pad in the middle of the water
and then transferred to a speed boat to continue touring the islands
Crystal clear water - wish it was warmer so I could snorkel!
Bel took this photo without me realising. Look how unprepared I was for hiking! The view at the top justified the mosquito bites and blisters though :)
I could sit there all day and admire the scenery
Because the boat was private, we could pull up at any island that appealed to us. Mandatory jumping shots at the beach!
Our poor skipper had to pull the boat in just so we didn't need to get our feet wet (I was the only one who brough flip flops)
And he was our personal photographer too
When we got back to Paihia, we (or rather my brother) drove (or rather sped) 3 hours to the northenmost tip of New Zealand, Cape Reinga - we did the Southernmost tip on our last trip (read about it here)
Yoga pose to celebrate the graduation I missed!
The lighthouse at the end
On a stormy day, you can see the tidal race, as the Tasman Sea on the west and the Pacific Ocean on the east clash to create unsettled waters just off the coast. However we had good weather so there wasn't much "meeting of the seas" - can't have it both ways!

Auckland The sky tower at night from our apartment - you could bungy off this if you wanted to
The harbour bridge
The waterfront - where the rich dock
After a lot of research (thanks to Auckland CBD's free wifi for the rugby world cup), we decided to go to Sails Restaurant
Fresh New Zealand Crayfish grilled w lemon oil, fresh herbs & hollandaise sauce
Dessert Tasting Plate (from L to R):
Baked Lemon Creme, sablée crumbs, crisp meringue, kaffir lime sorbet & mandarin
Banana tarte tatin, cinnamon ice cream & mascarpone
Chocolate Delice honeycomb, salted caramel powder, freeze dried berries & sorbet
Cheesecake, raspberry gel, poached rhubarb w vanilla beignet

Turns out this was the best meal of the trip, even though it wasn't ranked number one. What a great way to end the holiday! Thinking back, I'm so blessed to have been able to go to New Zealand twice this year. I think it's the only country I'll happily go back time and time again :) I'm definitely more of a scenery (specifcally water) person than a historic building/great architecture person. Which is why I'm delighted about our decision on the honeymoon!

2011-11-26T09:18:00.000+11:00

Sydney
So I persuaded my family to make a stop in Sydney before New Zealand... for the sole reason to eat! We all have been there a few times but nobody could say no to the 26th best restaurant in the world, and the best restaurant In Australasia! Besides, there's something very special about that Opera House that draws me in over and over again. No durian or state theatre has the same effect on me :)
Gorgeous view from the Marriott Hotel First stop - Adriano Zumbo! His macarons have gone up in price and gone down in size. This lychee one was only ok, nothing spectacular. Or have my standards gone up after Paris???
Had to eat the Ssnowmanorr, made famous by Masterchef - Pâté a choux, bubble tea custard, lychee coconut crème légère, lychee gel, coconut crunch Beautiful weather in Sydney that weekend, so Bondi Beach was packed!The rocks were so amazing I had to do the Bondi to Bronte costal walk again
Sunset @ Watson's Bay
Gelato Messina was highly rated on Urban spoon and we arrived to this massive crowd... seriously?
There were slightly unusual flavours like Appie Pie, Poached figs in Marsalaand Salted caramel and white chocolate but I still preferred Dolce's Roche
Bright and early on our 2nd and last day - fighting bus loads of tourists at Mrs Macquarie's Chair so we could take both the Harbour Bridge and Opera House together
A must eat EVERY single time I go to Sydney - Bill's
Best ricotta hotcakes period - with honeycomb butter... yum!
The famous scrambled eggs all Singaporeans rave about didn't disappoint either
Another angle of the beauty
The Rocks weekend market
Macarons @ Baroque - highly recommended by Sherleen. Better than current Zumbos, worse than old Zumbo's and Melbourne's La Belle Miette... and that's only in Australia...
The grand finale
My favourite dishes: Mud crab congee, fresh palm heart, hand shelled mud crab, Chinese inspired split rice porridge Quay's eight texture chocolate cake
Snow egg - I preferred the Guava one last time but the Jackfruit one this time was awesome as wellBye bye Sydney - I'm sure I'll see you again

2011-11-12T18:03:00.033+11:00

Hello world, I'm back! Yes, I've graduated for the 2nd time after uni and in a few weeks I'll be a fully qualified YA member :) So I can FINALLY update this white elephant. Not sure how much I'll be blogging in the future... not sure if anyone would even read this but here goes...

My Year in Photos September 2010 - celebrating Lisa's birthday on Footy Final day
Birthday girl and her mini cupcakes
Pav was still very red then. And she loves lying on mummy's home clothes - how adorable!
October 2010 - the boy proposed :)
Dinner after I said "yes"
Rani's birthday @ Red Hot Wok
Our private celebration at Taxi
Satisfying after yoga lecture cravings - Snickers dessert @ il fornaio, made famous by masterchef... too bad melbourne's only dessert bar closed down!
November 2010 - in Sydney for Tetsuya's!
Signature ocean trout dish
Coastal walk near Bronte Beach
Opera House from the Botani Gardens
Extremely windy at the Kiama blowhole
One of the many gatherings @ Koko Black
Cute dessert that looked like mushrooms at Embrasse - Sher's recommendation. Consisted of meringue, chocolate parfait, mint granita and cake crumbs i think
My birthday at some Thai restaurant which wasn't very good lol
Our private celebration - high tea @ Hotel Nest
December 2010 - Graeme's retirement/Christmas work lunch @ Longgrain
Mandi's birthday brunch @ Kanteen without Mandi but with wind and rain!
Lee-ean is back! only for awhile...
Lisa, Bud & Mark - good times in my car
January 2011 - the snow in NYC didn't stop me from shopping!
Rani's sister's balcony when we arrived
The balcony after the snow storm
Miserable experience on the streets with wet Uggs :(
Central Park - too cold to enter
Memphis the musical was pretty good, especially 'cos it was an accolade from work! Those were my 2nd pair of ear muffs - looked ridiculous but was a life saver!
February 2011 - Jojo & Joon's birthday. Love this picture of jojo smiling at Sher's beautiful cookie monster cake!
March 2011 - Mark's graduation
One of Robby & Anne's twins - so so tiny and precious!
Baking macarons
Berries & Cream macarons
Sher's birthday @ LongroomLove this girly photo

April 2011 - Flower Power @ AiAi's birthdayNew Zealand South Island - Fox glacier hike, complete with cramponsCheck out his neon pantsAm & Bud @ Fishtail FallsRani & I enjoying the views across Lake Wanaka...while Bud was posing on a tree!The beauty that is QueenstownChairlifts @ Skyline Gondola
Silly boys & their luge racing
Our own Toyota ad with the Camry
The perfectly good plane we jumped out of 15,000 ft, 60sec freefall!
Am's birthday dinner @ Wai Waterfront King of the ~~Jungle~~ Omarama Hot Tubs Lake Tekapo
Weather wasn't good so it wasn't as blue as it should be but still gorgeous
Church of the Good Sheppard, a popular wedding venue for the views!
Door -> Church -> Window -> Lake
Great company + Beautiful scenery = Awesome holiday
Typical Bud
When Am & Jel start dancing... we laughed so hard 'til our stomachs hurt at this photo - taken @ Salmon World
The ruins of the Christchurch Earthquake (s)
August 2011 - Cake decorating
Discovered my favourite macarons in Melbourne @ La Belle Miette
September 2011 - received free tickets to the Taste of Melbourne but unfortunately the standard dropped a lot since 2009
Lisa's birthday @ our old favourite, Replete Providore. Decor improved, food worsened :(
With my fellow yoga teacher trainees after our exam!
October 2011 - celebrating our engagement anniversary back at Nobu
Peanut butter & Jelly cupcakes for FDC dancers
Gloria & Tom's wedding @ Circa, the Prince
Perfect weather at the deck for a G&T

2010-10-29T13:47:00.001+11:00

I’ve decided to stop blogging – at least until I’m less stressed… whinging in every post won’t be very enjoyable to read anyways! Big hugs to all xoxo

2010-09-19T23:52:00.001+10:00

Windsor, UK

Our family friend took us to Windsor, town with the famous Windsor Castle and Legoland, a Lego themed theme park. There are 3 others in the world - Denmark, Germany and USA. There's going to be one in JB, Malaysia soon too! My brother loves Lego and was all excited about this place.
Unfortunately, what we didn't know was that there is a greater emphasis on rides suitable for younger child! Even the roller coasters were really bleah, especially after Orlando last year.
Waiting for the 4-D show to start.
There was a Lego miniland in the park - a model village which includes models of landmarks and scenes from around the world. Not as exact as Madurodam but still pretty impressive for something made from millions of genuine Lego bricks!
Mini London.
Mini Buckingham Palace.
Mini tube station.
Mini Moulin Rouge.
Statue of Mount Rushmore.
That night after returning to London, we treated ourselves to some fine dining (after all the terrible tour food). My mum chose Le Gavoche, as it was the only London restaurant on the World's Top 100 restaurants that had a menu they were comfortable with. My family isn't very adventurous when it comes to food, so no Fat Duck vibrating jellies for them haha! Le Gavoche has 2 Michelin stars and the chef recently appeared on the Masterchef French challenge - Michel Roux.
When we made the reservation in Singapore, they required 60 pounds per person deposit and when my uncle wore his black travel jacket to the restaurant, they insisted he swap it for one of their suit jackets for the duration of the meal! Luckily the rest of us were dressed acceptably. Pretty pretentious place, especially when they have someone to escort you to the toilet entrance every time! But food was good, and it didn't end up too expensive so we were happy.
Amuse bouche: can’t remember the top picture… some mustard cabbage tart and mascarpone cheese, chives and caviar bruschetta. This is sesame crusted tuna sashimi.
Entrees: Lobster bisque.
Mains: My aunty’s Tub gurnard, panisse, tomato, olives, white asparagus, artichoke spinach and rocket olive oil coulis.
My Roasted lobster with garlic butter, béarnaise sauce, thick cut chips cooked in goose fat & spinach
My parents’ Roast suckling pig with crackling, peppered sauce with golden raisins and shallots confit (for 2).
My brother’s Scotch fillet of beef and foie gras, crispy potatoes, confit shallots and truffled hollandaise.
Can’t remember what my uncle ordered – some poussin dish.
Desserts: Bitter chocolate and praline indulgence
Selection of ice creams
Raspberry platter consisting of a tower, sorbet, soufflé, crème brulee and doughnut.
Petit fours: Macarons, thyme madelines, sesame tuilles.
On our last day, we went to Westfield Sheperd’s Bush ‘cos it was near our hotel and we didn’t have enough time to go to Oxford St. Everyone bought stuff except my dad (not surprising) and I (so disappointing)! And that was the end of our trip. Did more shopping at Heathrow airport while waiting to board… this time I bought a Marc Jacobs perfume which was so cheap there! Couldn’t believe it was cheaper than Italy (where we were told perfumes were cheap), Melb duty free, Singapore duty free and StrawberryNet! By quite a lot too – score! I also browsed the Harrods shop and found the Westie bag Rani bought me from his trip to Barcelona through London =)

So... that's the end of my travel posts... I've probably blogged more than I have the year lol! Anyway, I need a holiday after that holiday… especially since I’ve been acting manager while my boss is on leave. Can’t wait for Oct even though it’s just a little getaway!

2010-09-18T23:44:00.005+10:00

London, UKSo we've been getting up at 5.30am most days (and then we fall asleep on the bus especially when travelling long distances). On our last day in France, we got up at 4.30am!!! to catch the Eurostar(high-speed passenger rail service under the English Channel ) to London. Blame our super paranoid tour leader for worrying about traffic, people being late (which surprisingly for Singaporeans, wasn't a problem! in fact, the group was always early so when the tour leader said meet back at 2pm, everyone was there at 1.50pm and if you came back at 2pm, they would look at you funny lol) and custom delays for such a large group. So how was it? Cleaner than my uncle prepared me for... and at least it was only a 2 hr journey (I couldn't sleep - think I must have been accustomed to sleeping on buses only lol). BUT I don't think I'll use it again 'cos it's not very practical. Sure it's convenient for most business people and "domestic" travellers, but we are talking about a tour group of 25 people, from Singapore, all with at least 1 huge suitcase, having shopped for the past 1.5 weeks in Europe, with some people staying in London for up to a week more worth of luggage! So the baggage section at the end of our carriage was obviously lacking, despite all the men having to stack/lift 20kg suitcases to above eye level heights! The French people weren't very nice either - they got annoyed we took so long to board because the suitcases were blocking the doors. In the end, we just did what everyone else did and sat in unassigned seats, anywhere we could find space for our luggage! So much easier to fly like we did last time - after all there's still the same amount of customs you need to go through!

The London terminal is St Pancras, and boy it felt so good to be back in a country where people spoke English! I never thought it would be such a problem, until I had to find my own way and got frustrated when nobody could understand me!
We had a yum cha lunch in Chinatown before the usual city tour.
The combination of not sleeping on Eurostar, the heavy lunch and having seen all the touristy sights before made me fall asleep on the bus. But I did wake up at all the stops to take some pictures! This is Westminster Abbey (Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster).
St Paul's Cathedral. The Royal Family holds most of its important weddings, christenings and funerals at Westminster Abbey, but St Paul's was used for the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Tower Bridge (suspension bridge over River Thames, often mistaken for London Bridge, which is beside it and not as spectacular).
And my favourite: Big Ben. Some of you may know my brother is called Benjamin but I call him Bel 'cos he calls me Jel (yes he started it!) So it was particularly funny when I was taking this photo and the local tour guide said "Big Ben is not a clock. Big Ben is a bell."
Buckingham Palace (official London residence of the British monarch). I still remember standing on top of the Victoria Memorial witnessing the changing of the guard ceremony in 2003!
We took a quick picture outside the gates and left the tour group for what I would say was the highlight of the trip.
First, I led my family to Harrods on the underground.
Outside one of the loveliest department stores in the world.
I wanted to try Laduree in Paris but we ran out of time so I made it a point to try it in London!
Only bad thing was, it was a heap more expensive here... and they were already pricey in Paris. Macarons were 3.90 pound each!!! Really regretted not making time for it, especially 'cos the Paris shopping wasn't that great. Oh well, I was on holiday so I splurged =) Bought a box of 6 and chose the pretty pink design (think there were 4 designs to choose from). They were fabulous! Best macarons ever, period! Slightly sweeter than Pierre Herme and both had lots of filling compared to the Singapore/Australian ones but the Laduree flavours were stronger and so so beautiful. Argh I'm going to start drooling if I describe them more =(
Happy as a clam having high tea in London. If I had more time I would have loved trying The Langham - supposedly the best in the world but I guess I just have to come back again! (this was the other country on my list of places to return, despite me visiting it before. I need more time for shopping and eating!)
We shared an afternoon tea set:
the rich, extremely luscious thick hot chocolate pictured above
2 finger sandwiches (smoked salmon and ham) which had way more ingredients than Windsor's high tea
2 mini pastries (a sugar brioche and pain chocolate)
2 desserts (Carré Chocolat - Black chocolate macaroon biscuit, thin crispy leaves of dark chocolate, smooth dark chocolate cream, smooth dark chocolate biscuit and chocolate zabaglione mousse and Ispahan - Smooth rose flavoured macaroon biscuit, rose petal cream, fresh raspberries and lychees)
Both desserts were amazing but the Ispahan was my favourite (even I'm surprised the chocolate came 2nd!)
My uncle and aunty had 2 sets too and shared their Tarte Passion Framboise - Sweet pastry, smooth passion fruit cream, fresh raspberries.
My family also ordered more coffees and the delish Club Champs-Elysées containing dried tomato, aubergine, courgette, black olive, pine nuts, mixed salad, riquette salad, mozzarella, parmesan cheese, rosemary and basil, served with french fries and green salad. Yummy!
Normally I won't order omelettes outside 'cos it's so simple and they always get it wrong. My mum feels the same but since it was sort of our dinner too and my parents don't take much sweets, she decided to try the Omelette Ladurée - mushrooms, cheese, ham, tomatoes and fine herbs . The waitress asked if she wanted it runny, medium or well done and the medium was fantastic! The best omelette I've had outside home that's for sure. So believe it or not, that was one of the best meals we had on the trip. So simple, so good. It was definitely worth the higher prices!
In 2003 we were at Her Majesty's Theatre and caught Phantom of the Opera. It was my favourite musical til 2010...
when we caught Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre! It's the sequel to Phantom and only started this year in London (and already mostly sold out). We had front row seats and the stage was kinda high so the view was slightly obstructed but we got to see all the facial expressions and even the breaths the singers took. Not bad seats for the price, as my London friend booked seats way in advance for us. While Phantom was a classic, this one focussed more on the characters so you felt more connected to them. There was comedy too, not what I expected from something so grande! Without giving away the story, I must say it was the most emotional I've been in a musical... and at the end, the whole theatre gave them a standing ovation. Merchandise was kinda crappy - it needs to go to NY before they get good stuff. But I heard after NY it will be opening in Australia so not too long more peeps!

The musical was what I was most excited about the trip but turned out the whole afternoon was just the best!

2010-09-17T23:36:00.000+10:00

Paris, France

We spent a lot less time in Paris than the last trip. Didn’t really mind though, ‘cos it was raining the whole 2 days we were there! It started drizzling here…
…and got really chilly when we were queuing under the Eiffel Tower – it really isn’t that glam up close. The tour group had a shorter queue but it was still crazy! Considering the weather, it’s ridiculous how crowded it was.
Up on the 2nd level, it started pouring so we basically ran out, took a picture and squeezed back under the shelter with a million damp, smelly people. This was the view. Luckily we have some beautiful photos from 2003!
Then we did the usual tour of Champs-Élysées (major up market shopping street), Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde (site of the infamous guillotine), Tuileries Garden, Notre Dame (cathedral), the glass pyramid outside the Louvre (museum),
And ended up at the Opéra Garnier (where I previously bought a lovely Paris Opera Ballet postcard).
The last time, we were so bored at Galeries Lafayette (huge up market department store) ‘cos we aren’t “normal” Singaporeans who go crazy over all the branded goods. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of gorgeous branded stuff, but I hate people who go insane over LV just because of the name… ‘cos let’s face it, their brown monogram bags are the most disgusting bags ever! Oops, I think I just created some enemies. Oh well, my blog, my opinion =P So we decided to break away yet again and take a trip to La Vallee outlet shopping. But before that, a visit to the Pierre Hermé shop at Galeries Lafayette, supposedly the best macarons in the world. Look how happy I was! All the flavours looked amazing but at 2.90 Euro a pop, I could only afford Rose & Chocolate. Verdict? They were the best I’ve tried – were being the key word. Stay tuned for the new best ones in a later post!
So I led my family on the metro, RER (express train) and shuttle bus to the shopping centre near Disneyland. It was really difficult to ask for directions 'cos nobody spoke English! It took 45 minutes one way and sadly, wasn’t worth it =( I read good reviews on the net but I guess everyone’s definition of good is different. Prices were fantastic here - like 50% off... but an Armani suit at 50% discount is still unaffordable! Much prefer the US brands/outlet shopping!
We could have joined the tour group for the optional Seine River Cruise followed by Moulin Rouge but as we already caught Moulin Rouge last time, we didn't want to pay for the (really expensive) tix an opted for a nice dinner instead. We went to a bistro my boss recommended - it was only ok, IMHO Bistro Vue has better escargots! Maybe we caught them on a bad day though, 'cos it was crazily packed for a weeknight!

The bistro was near Place de la Bastille, a square where the Bastille Prison stood until its destruction during the French Revolution. The July Column (Colonne de Juillet) at the centre commemorates the events of the July Revolution.

2010-09-16T23:23:00.000+10:00

Brussels, Belgium
The Atomium was built for the 1958 World’s Fair. It consists of nine steel spheres connected by tubes, and forms a model of an iron crystal (specifically, a unit cell). The architect devoted the building to science. The tubes enclose escalators connecting the spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. The top sphere provides a panoramic view of Brussels. 3 spheres are closed to visitors for safety reasons.
The Grand Place is the central square of Brussels and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Maison du Roi (King's House) or Broodhuis (Breadhouse) is on the left and the Guildhalls are in the centre. Every two years in August, an enormous "flower carpet" is set up in the Grand Place for a few days. A million colourful begonias are set up in patterns, and the display covers a total area of 1,800 square metres. How lucky were we to witness this!
Panoramic view of the pretty square.
Belgium is known for its chocolates so we just had to take a photo outside one of my favourites: Valrhona!
The Manneken Pis - a bronze fountain of a small boy peeing, is a symbol of the city. It bears a similar cultural significance as Copenhagen's Little Mermaid. Those from Singapore would probably remember a replica in the old Diamaru yonks ago! Apparently there's a statue of a little girl with her hair in short pigtails, squatting and urinating at another end, called Jeanneke Pis! But since that was built to complement Manneken Pis, it's not as famous.
Manneken Pis leads to crude souvenirs - the chocolate...
...and the bottle openers!
Other than chocolate and beer, the other edible/drinkable item Belgium is known for is its waffle. There were tonnes of street stall selling waffles. My aunty tried this one, which I call a "Belgium Waffle". I tend to prefer what I call an "English Waffle" as the latter is less dense & cakey, more crisp.
They sold all kinds of waffles here, all called "Belgium Waffles". It wasn't as enjoyable as I thought it would be - think I would have preferred eating it at a cafe, sitting down, where it was warmer and i could use more utensils!
Anyway, this chocolate Manneken Pis eating a waffle pretty much sums up Brussels!

2010-09-15T23:34:00.000+10:00

Amsterdam, Netherlands
We went to the windmill village of Zaanse Schans on the way to the capital.
There were many pretty windmills…
…and friendly animals!
A demonstration of the making of clog shoes.
I didn’t want to buy the hard wooden ones but couldn’t resist these! For next winter =)
At dinner near our hotel.
After which, the 1st of our own adventures (we left the tour group) started. We took the train down town to visit De Wallen, the largest and most well known red-light district in the world. The designated area for legalized prostitution has become a famous tourist attraction. It consists of a network of roads and alleys containing several hundred small, one-room apartments rented by sex workers who offer their services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights. The area also has a number of sex shops, sex theatres, peep shows and a sex museum.
No photos allowed (well, it wasn’t specifically stated but we heard about a tourist’s camera which was thrown into the canal by a prostitute after he took her photo) so this was taken about 2 streets away. There really wasn’t much to see (in fact, it looked exactly like the photo below taken in Madurodam) but it was an experience and a pretty saddening one too, when you think about how young some of these women are… actually how old some of the women are too!
The next morning, we went to Dam Square (a town square). On the west end of the square is the neoclassical Royal Palace. Beside it are the Gothic Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. This is the National Monument, a white stone pillar erected to memorialize the victims of World War II.
Amsterdam is famous for its canal system - a result of conscious city planning.
So obviously the tour took us for a canal cruise on a glass-domed waterbus…
…where we saw Anne Frank’s house, many lifting bridges, many houseboats (looking pretty crummy but apparently only owned by the rich ‘cos there are no more licenses so they have become a rare commodity)
and this houseboat museum!
The cruise ended up at the Gassan Diamond factory, renowned for its Gassan 121 cut (normally diamonds have 56 facades only).
These faux diamonds show how much more bling the Gassan 121 cut (left) is compared to a normal brilliant cut.
Some quick education. Unfortunately they focused more on the diamonds so the designs were really plain compared to those I have. Nothing caught my eye (at least not that I could afford!)
Again we headed off on our own and tried the famous Pancake Bakery. We heard about this place from the Singapore newspaper just before we left but found out it’s actually legendary – we saw a magnet of this place in some souvenir shop in the city! The pancakes are less doughy and very different, sort of like a cross between pancakes and crepes. This was the nicest one, containing strawberries, chocolate shavings, brandied raisins, ice cream and cream.
Then we took a train and a tram to Madurodam,
a miniature town located in The Hague. Everything is precisely 25 times smaller than reality but models are so exact it’s crazy! Dutch buildings and landmarks take at least 4 years to build and green areas require special attention because they are real. Intensive pruning keeps them at a height of 60cm.
Ok, the clogs weren’t miniature.
St. John’s Basilica.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. 3 metre long planes are moved by means of a magnetic field, chargeable batteries and mini computers. I liked how they had Singapore Airlines!
Princess Beatrix Lock – the largest and most important lock in the Dutch inland waterway system. We saw how a ship is transferred from the upper water level to the lower level and vice versa.
Dam square as previously described with the National Monument in front, the Royal Palace at the back and the New Church on the right.
Tulip fields.
The Golden Earring giving a pop concert. All the people, like the trams, buses, cars, trains, ships etc moved!
The red-light district for those who are curious as to what it looked like – this is 99% accurate!

2010-09-14T23:03:00.002+10:00

Cologne, Germany
The Cologne Cathedral is the most famous landmark in Germany's fourth-largest city (after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich). The Roman Catholic church is a World Heritage Site due to its architecture. For four years, 1880-84, it was the tallest structure in the world, until the completion of the Washington Monument.
We bought these lovely hazelnut cookies in the shape of the cathedral. Touristy? Yes. Tasty? Double yes!
In the 18th century, an Italian expatriate created a new fragrance and named it after his hometown, Eau de Cologne (Water of Cologne). In the 19th century it was renamed 4711, after the house number of the factory producing it. It is still produced today, although it kinda smelled like insecticide to me =(

2010-09-13T23:49:00.000+10:00

Blackforest, GermanyThe Rhine Falls are the largest plain waterfalls in Europe.
The weather was really dreary, I almost wanted just to hide inside the Schloss Wörth castle to avoid getting wet!
Lake Titisee.
Back to Black Forest (given its name because the dense growth of conifers in the forest blocked out most of the light inside the forest) and it hasn't changed a bit after 7 years!
We had lunch in the same restaurant as 2003 - the famous pork knuckle with sauerkraut (really chunky; better in Singapore's Marche),
black forest cake (had decent amounts of Kirsch but I left all the cream behind; better in Melbourne's Brunetti's) and an ice wine sample (not as fantastic as I remembered it - the last trip was my 1st taste of ice wine but I have since grown to prefer Canada's Inniskillin)
Then we went to see a cuckoo clock making demonstration - the wood carvings of leaves, birds and deers, the wind pipes and weights.
The more modern ones have musical boxes, switches to silence the cuckoos at night and this one even had running water!

2010-09-12T23:37:00.000+10:00

Lucerne, Switzerland
If it were my 1st time here I would really like the place... Lake Lucerne (4th largest in Switzerland) in the centre, within sight of Mt Pilatus and Rigi in the Swiss Alps.
My brother loved feeding the swans!
The famous Chapel Bridge is what makes Lucerne so recognizable. It's a long, covered wooden bridge with an octagonal Water Tower half way along. The original had to be replaced after a fire in 1993, allegedly caused by a discarded cigarette. Inside the bridge are a series of paintings depicting historic events.
It was like déjà vu when we visited the Lion Monument (built to commemorate the Swiss Guards who were massacred in Tuileries Palace, Paris, during the French Revolution).
And my mum & aunty bought Omega watches (7 years ago my parents bought matching Omegas). While I was waiting for them, I read up on Swiss law to find out what's so special about Swiss watches and why you can't get a real Swiss Omega/Rolex/Chopard/Tag Heuer etc anywhere else. Only a Swiss watch has a final inspection by the manufacturer in Switzerland. If a watch movement is intended for export and will not be cased-up in Switzerland, but it otherwise meets the criteria to be considered a Swiss movement, the watch may say "Swiss Movement" but it may not say Swiss Made on the watch case or dial.
Luxemburgerli is a type of confectionery similar to a baby macaroon but lighter and more airy in consistency.
They were yummy but nothing compared to the macaroons I tried in Paris!

2010-09-11T23:23:00.000+10:00

Mt Titlis, Switzerland

A bit of a bleah trip 'cos the last time I was in Switzerland, we went to Jungfrau, which is much higher and with a more interesting ice cave (more about that later). The famous thing about this mountain is it's the site of the world's first revolving cable car (and it wasn't even that special… but again, more about that later). This was at Engelberg.
Stage 1 - normal cable car (seats 6) up.
Inside.
Scenery was a lot like NZ, but lacking the cute "baa" sounds from the greenery!
Stage 2 - big cable car (packed standing room only).
Inside.
Stage 3 - revolving cable car (again, packed standing room only).
The annoying thing was this old woman gripped onto the side bar not realising that it doesn't move while the area she stood on does. So her arm just shoved the people around her… why couldn't she just stand in the centre, which doesn't rotate???
Took a few photos at the summit...
Recreated Jungfrau 2003…
And fooled around!
After eating Movenpick ice cream, we headed to the ice cave, which was literally a cave made of ice! Add some coloured lights and voila. Jungfrau's had bear sculptures, a bar top, seats, etc all made of ice!

2010-09-10T23:15:00.000+10:00

Vaduz, LiechtensteinWe didn’t stay long at the capital of the smallest German-speaking country in the world (even though it doesn’t share a common border with Germany, but rather Switzerland and Austria). According to the CIA World Factbook, Liechtenstein has the highest GDP per person in the world!

2010-09-09T23:57:00.000+10:00

Innsbruck, Austria
An internationally renowned winter sports centre, having hosted the Winter Olympics, Winter Paralympics and soon the Winter Youth Olympics. Also where the biggest Swarovski shop in the world is located.
We spent more than an hour in here and went slightly crazy =P.
This is just some of the loot from the 6 of us - there is also a Winter Swan, a Clam Pearl, a pair of birds and many small accessories.
It has 3 levels, although the basement was not for shopping.
It was so sparkly and pretty!
There was lots of unique stuff that isn't sold at other Swarovski shops. And I was lucky enough to find a very old ballerina I've been eyeing since I was a little girl! Finally I see it when I have my own income =)
The older pedestrian district of Innsbruck with the famous Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) and the Alps in the background. The Golden Roof was constructed for Emperor Maximilian I to serve as a royal box where he could sit and enjoy tournaments in the square below.
Funny t-shirt in one of the touristy shops.
Sacher Torte ( as mentioned in previous post).

2010-09-08T23:29:00.003+10:00

Salzburg, Austria
One of the few cities I would revisit… mostly 'cos the Alpine setting was so beautiful! We started our walking tour in the "new town".
Palace of Mirabell with its wide gardens full of flowers.
The famous fountain in Mirabell Gardens (seen in the Do-Re-Mi song from Sound of Music). Crossing the bridge to the Old Town. The hotel behind was where the Sacher Torte originated. We tried it later in Innsbruck, but it wasn't fantastic.
The entire Old Town was nominated as a World Heritage Site in 1996, mainly due to the baroque architecture. This was in front of St. Peter's Abbey.
St. Peter's Cemetery was beautiful too.
18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Birthplace at Getreidegasse 9. It's now a museum.
The Mozartkugeln (Mozart chocolate ball) produced by the Mirabell company have a green, ring-shaped marzipan centre surrounded by light and dark nougat creme. Other industrially produced Mozartkugeln must have one flat side.
There were lots of street stands selling (enormous) pretzels. We tried the Mozart one, which was filled with apple jam and covered in chocolate. Luckily there was 4 of us to eat 1 pretzel!
Shop which sells the famous Salzburg Salt. I was touching a huge piece of pink salt!
Fountain at Residenzplatz, complete with pretty horses...
…and where I bought these gorgeous ballet portraits!

2010-09-07T23:18:00.000+10:00

Venice, Italy
We left the mainland and took a boat from Tronchetto.
Built on an archipelago of 117 islands formed by 177 canals in a shallow lagoon and connected by 455 bridges, Venice is known as the "City of Water", "City of Bridges", "Floating City", "City of Canals" and "City of Masks", which explains why I just had to buy a pretty pink mask!
The Bridge of Sighs was given its name from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice out the window before being taken down to their cells. It's actually quite pretty, except all sorts of ads were allowed to be pasted on the surrounding walls!
Saint Mark's Basilica lies on Piazza San Marco. Originally it was a temporary building in the Doge's Palace but was replaced by a new church which was subsequently burned in a rebellion and hence rebuilt. There are mosaics about St Mark relics’ stories in the lunettes. In the upper register, 4 Warrior Saints and St Mark watch over the city. Under that, the Winged Lion holds the book quoting “Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus” (Peace to you Mark my evangelist).
St Marks's Clocktower. At the top are two bronze figures which strike the hours on a bell. Below this is the winged lion of Venice and on either side are two large blue panels showing the time: the hour on the left in Roman numerals and the minutes (at 5 minute intervals) on the right in Arabic numerals. There is also a golden pointer to indicate the hour of the day (24 hours in Roman numerals engraved on the clock face) and signs of the zodiac in gold which revolve slightly more slowly than the pointer to show the position of the sun in the zodiac. In the middle of the clockface is the earth and the moon, which revolves to show its phases, surrounded by stars which are fixed in position. Pretty impressive eh?
A typical gondola with crushed velvet seats and Persian rugs. To be a Gondolier you must be an Italian or EU Citizen and wear black & white stripes =P
We went to the glass blowing factory to witness Venetian glass being made.
He was so skilful; this beautiful vase was made in minutes! I wanted to buy an elegant, pink Murano glass bowl but couldn't afford it =(
The Grand Canal, shot from Rialto Bridge.

2010-09-06T23:06:00.004+10:00

Florence, Italy
Considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, it has been the birthplace or chosen home of many notable historical figures, such Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Florence Nightingale. This is where we had a 2 hour walking tour and I was bored stiff. Mostly because our local tour guide had such a strong accent we couldn't make out if she was speaking English or not! So when it came time to rub the snout of a wild boar statue (Fontana del Porcellino) to ensure a return visit, I passed =) The gleaming snout is testament to the fact that it is rubbed hundreds of times a day though!
The most famous site is the Duomo (domed cathedral), Santa Maria del Fiore. It is the 4th largest European church and the largest dome built in brick and mortar in the world.
It "opens til 5pm daily" and we rushed there only to find out it was closed at 4.45pm already, although those inside can stay til 5pm - damn Italians! It had a really pretty façade though…
I felt pretty insignificant in the middle of the Piazza della Signoria where there's a copy of Michelangelo's David statue, a gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi and a backdrop of the Palazzo Vecchio (one of the most impressive town halls of Tuscany).
The Leonardo da Vinci statue outside the Uffizi Gallery.
Panoramic view of Florence at Piazza Mechelangelo…
…where there was another copy of Michelangelo's David statue.

2010-09-05T23:47:00.000+10:00

Pisa, Italy
The Duomo (Cathedral), Baptistry, Camposanto Monumentale (monumental cemetery) and Leaning Tower in the Square of Miracles.
Touristy pose
My mum said that when they last visited it, you could not enter the bell tower as it was too slanted. Now, after restoration work, you can climb the 296 steps to the top (not that I would pay to do so!)

2010-09-04T23:34:00.000+10:00

Vatican City
So “10 countries in 2 weeks” includes tiny ones like Vatican City. The country’s borders were basically the metal gates seen above so you could have one foot in each country. This is the basilica and obelisk, from Piazza Pio XII.
We had to queue round St Peter’s Square under mid day sun just to get in to the basilica. And there’s a dress code - I had a shawl to cover my shoulders but the girls who wore mini skirts ended up extending their skirts with the provided napkins lol!
Inside the largest church in the world, regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites.
La Pietà is a Renaissance masterpiece by Michelangelo, depiciting the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother after the Crucifixion. Michelangelo's interpretation was far different from those previously created by other artists, as he sculpted a young Mary rather than an older woman around 50 years of age.
Pope John XXII’s grave.

2010-09-03T23:57:00.000+10:00

Rome, Italy We started the tour in the capital of Italy, where it was sweltering hot! Didn’t have time to get changed from the plane so I was boiling in my jeans… We had a local tour guide, who used some high tech ear piece system so she didn’t have to shout and we could all walk at our own pace while still hearing what she said. First up was the Colosseum, the largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire, used previously for gladiatorial contests. It’s amongst the world's 50 most visited tourist destinations, receiving 4 million tourists every year. The great earthquake in 1349 caused the outer south side to collapse. Much of the tumbled stone was reused to build palaces, churches, hospitals and other buildings elsewhere in Rome. The Arch of Constantine, situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill, is a triumphal arch. The detail was amazing, even more amazing to find out it was built from extensive re-use of earlier building materials/decorative sculptures. I think it’s called “spolia” but I call it “recycling”! Il Vittoriano (monument to honour Victor Emmanuel - 1st king of unified Italy). Building this huge, glaringly white (pure marble), crowded (it has statues, fountains, columns, sculptures, stairways and almost everything you can think of) monument destroyed a lot of Capitoline Hill so it has several derogatory nicknames like "the wedding cake". The Spanish Steps are the longest and widest staircase in Europe. Look how crowded it is, despite regulation that nobody is to eat lunch on the steps. View from the top of the 138 steps – straight down the lane where all the branded shops like LV, Prada and Chanel are! I didn’t buy any bags, but I did get an amazing oil painting, which unfortunately was too big to bring to Melbourne =( The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. Apparently there’s a legend that if you throw 1 coin into the fountain, you are ensured a return to Rome. 2 coins will lead to a new romance and 3 will lead to divorce. So how many coins did I throw over my shoulder? None! I didn’t really like Rome. Too hot, too crowded, too much recycling and too many pickpockets! After Rani’s incident in Barcelona last year, I was really paranoid. I did a “Gracey” – close my handbag and hold the zip! Really difficult when you’re on holiday and you want to go everywhere/see everything/take photos/buy souvenirs etc but it paid off. Nothing was stolen from my family although there was a small boy who I’m 99% sure was eyeing my handbag zip! Makes me wonder what happens to all the coins thrown in the Trevi fountain… there must be a few thousand Euros thrown in and a few thousand Euros stolen daily lol!

2010-09-02T23:14:00.000+10:00

Singapore
I was in & out of Singapore in a few days… to join my family for the tour, celebrate my uncle’s birthday but most importantly get my Australian PR! It’s good to know that if I’m retrenched now I can still stay in Melbourne =)
For my uncle’s birthday, we went to a Chinese restaurant in Marina Bay Sands. The whole area was really nice but since we went at night, this is the only photo – a miniature!
I wouldn’t pay $100 to enter the casino, but this is what it looked like from above.

Next time I’m back I’ll have to check out the other new casino area in Sentosa! Stay tuned for highlights of my Europe tour – 10 countries in 2 weeks madness!

2010-08-31T19:34:00.001+10:00

Vue de Monde

My lovely boss gave me an accolade for all the hard work put in during this year's budgeting. I was given a choice between facials/massages (not my thing), a GPS (don't need), a coffee machine (already had at that time, now sold) or a restaurant voucher (my obvious choice) and I decided on Vue 'cos I've always wanted to try it yet I haven't 'cos it's not on the entertanment book and too expensive to justify! Even with the voucher it was still expensive, but we figured there won't be many nice dinners anymore 'cos Rani is a full time student again and yoga courses are not cheap either =( An annoying thing was we weren't allowed to take photos with flash so all the photos are so blur and dim!

The lady was nice enough to take one with flash as it was still early and the restaurant wasn't full yet.

On the table we have:
Potato crisps with sourcream
Olives
San Pelligrino Sparkling Mineral Water
France NV Ruinart Rosé Reims Champagne
and the alky ordered a glass of NZ 2007 Pyramid Valley Semillon ‘Hille’ Marlborough after too.

AMUSE BOUCHE
Muesli bar (peanut thingy served on an ice pack on a cool rock)

Tuna sashimi with caviar and foam (on spoon), Oyster emulsion with blue fin tuna and sea grape(on vertebrae)

Vegetable terrine with pickled rose petal

Cute little bread rolls were served in between courses. While they were warm, they didn't have the freshly baked smell/taste and the sourdough (bigger one) was especially tough. The beer and fennel's texture was actually better, if you don't mind fennel that is!

ENTREE
Heide vegetable garden (with tasty powder)

Pickled garfish, swede with passion fruit juice

Duck egg with potato foam, onion crisps and onion glaze

House made ricotta with green strawberry, horseradish, Osetra caviar, oat crisps and green strawberry juice (strangely, it worked well)

PALATE CLEANSER
Cucumber sorbet, elderflower granite & frozen lime

MAINRoasted marron, spanner crab, apple (really tender and the crab was awesome)

Kangaroo, rosella, coffee and chocolate (it was served with a lid to keep the smoke in. luckily, any gamey taste the kangaroo had was cut with the bitter coffee/chocolate bits)

Blackmore wagyu beef cheek with beetroot and wagyu short rib with beetroot glaze (the beef cheeks in Singapore are far superior but the short rib was the best part of the meal – definitely a 9+ marbling)

FROMAGEMaffra cloth matured cheddar with apple sticks, apple jelly, parmesan bits and wafer for me (the lightest cheese they had)

Milawa King River Gold Washed Rind with apple sticks, apple jelly, parmesan bits and wafer for him (a pungent cheese, but not the same kind of pungent as blue cheese)

PALATE CLEANSER
Lemonade with vanilla ice cream lolly & popping candy (really sour, thick lemonade but the popping candy was annoying

DESSERTSRhubarb milky way (milk ice cream, milk foam, roasted rhubard and crisp fennel)

Chocolate soufflé with chocolate mousse and crème anglaise (the crème anglaise came in a test tube, injected in the souffle and was poured inside on arrival)

French breakfast tea

PETIT FOURSLemon jubes (extremely sour)
Chocolate candied orange
Their version of crepe suzette (crisp wafers to dip in a grand marnier sauce)
Liquid centre lamingtons (made of mousse not sponge)
Nougat

Minty marshmallows on cool rock

TAKE HOME BAG
When we left, there were like 4 people seeing us off. A tad overkill, don't you think? The last guy gave me a brown paper bag and said "For the morning". I don't know why but I felt so slutty (like a little bag of refreshing essentials after a 1 night stand you weren't prepared for lol). Inside was pretty nice though:
Tea leaves
Brioche loaf
2 eggs
2 chocolate coated cookies
Recipes

Overall, I'm glad I went. Just to say I've tried it. Especially since The Age Good Food Guide 2011 came out today and there are only two 3 hat restaurants in Victoria. IMHO, Jacques is way better! Better service, better variety and quality of breads, better portions, not so weird food, more outstanding dishes and much more affordable!

2010-08-28T14:08:00.005+10:00

There were discounted West Side Story tickets for 19th Aug but since I was away we purchased full price ones for 25th Aug. I was looking forward to it because it's always mentioned on SYTYCD as one of the best musicals, a "must-watch" for dance fans and a NY R&J. So to "prepare" myself, we downloaded the 1961 movie and started watching it on Monday night. But I was so jet lagged I fell asleep after less than a third of the movie lol! So we continued watching it on Tuesday night - it wasn't very exciting…
Wednesday night came along and we watched the musical… my verdict? Much better than the movie as the dancing had all the classic movie steps, along with more technical steps. The story was still kinda cheesy (the way they met and fell in love) but the songs are very catchy (it helped I knew most of them already e.g. I feel pretty, Somewhere, America). Watching the movie before was definitely beneficial though, 'cos 1-We didn't have to buy a programme/read Wikipedia to know what's going on (unlike Cats) and 2-I noticed the subtleties in the story, and also the differences (there was a whole white dancing scene not in the movie).

But I think I didn't like it as much as I expected because I just returned from London, where I caught Love Never Dies (more about that when I finally get round to blogging about my trip) and musicals here always use an Australian cast which, let's be frank, hardly ever lives up to a UK/US cast. A similar thing happened when I watched Chicago after Lion King in NY… have to remember to stop booking tickets in the month after I return from US/UK holidays! The only good singer in WSS was Maria and while Anita was an excellent dancer, she couldn't really sing…

So we were on the topic of musicals and I came up with my list… would be interesting to know what others think/recommend! In order of preference:
1. Love Never Dies (London)
2. Phantom of the Opera (London)
3. Lion King (New York)
4. Wicked (Melbourne)
5. Miss Saigon (Melbourne)
6. Chicago (Sydney)
7. Dirty Dancing (Melbourne)
8. West Side Story (Melbourne)
9. Fame (Singapore)
10. Mamma Mia (London)
11. Billy Elliot (Sydney)
12. Cats (Melbourne)

On another note, gracey's in Melbourne! Well, she arrived before I returned so I just met her. She's really busy with 2 weddings in 2 weeks but I'm glad I got the chance to catch up with her + meet Cindy =) Come down to Singapore in Dec/Jan please! =P

2010-08-24T19:50:00.000+10:00

I haven't posted in awhile… 'cos I've been away! I'm still jet lagged and trying to manage 101 things so I haven't had a chance to sort out photos from the trip yet.
But before I left, I was alerted that Gelare is still around in Melbourne (I used to frequent the lygon st store on half priced Tuesdays during 1st year of uni but that store has since closed). So in a special trip to Doncaster one weekend, we got to try the delicious light, crisp waffles that, unlike the Elizabeth St store, had that fragrant aroma. Still more siap siap than some of the good ones back in Singapore but I'm not too fussed. Only thing was the maple syrup was way too sweet!
The day I left I had to go to Doncaster again because only that DJs had my Florsheim show size and I had gift vouchers to finish so we tried another waffle, this time with the syrup separately. Unfortunately the blueberries were really old and chewy so I reckon plain is still the best!
And for more sweet treats, jojo organised a little get together at koko black before I left - my leaving was just an excuse for everyone to catch up over chocolate 'cos we don't meet very often nowadays… thanks babe and everyone else for turning up - love you all!

2010-07-22T21:24:00.004+10:00

The BIG news...

So most people know I was verbally accepted to a yoga teachers training course some time ago. But it was still subject to finance, other commitments, an essay and choosing between a Cert IV and Advanced Diploma. I can finally say it's confirmed! I decided to do the latter which is a lot more full on (you can read about it here) but more worth it (fully qualified with both Australian and International yoga bodies - lots of students go on to start yoga studios too! not that i'm planning to do it but it's nice to know). So between still working full time and that, i won't have much of a life =( but it's a short term sacrifce for long term happiness! Goodbye Wednesday nights (lectures & tutes 6-10pm) and sleeping in on weekends. Hello "fabulous" train system rushing to prahran from work and higher petrol bills going for the 8pm week night classes....

quiting the gym will be sad, esp now that i have company! the past few weeks with jojo have been great - we go for the same classes, like the same instructors and even wear almost the same clothes... so much so people think we're twins! maybe it's just 'cos we both asian and flexible lol. and the lovely girl made me an extremely pwetty badge today, she's so creative it's crazy! So there we were in our 80s power flow class with pink tanks, black tights and flower badges! i will miss the really nice people there - from the cool and inspirational instructors to the people who have asked me to contact them after my course re teaching to the friends made...

Above: asian peanut cookies! photo for no other reason than to break up this huge chunk of text =P

And as if that wasn't enough, Rani got accepted into MBS for MBA! It's a 25% acceptance rate and on top of that, he got a scholarship for the 1st term. I'm so proud of my baby. Hopefully he gets the exchange at the end of the 2 years too - won't it be nice to teach yoga for half a year in US? Haha I'm dreaming. Anyway, I'm really happy about all that... and the icing on top of the cake? He starts end Aug, which means no going to Port Douglas! Heehee I'm just selfish here. I was dreading coming back after my 3 week holiday, only to have him fly off the very same day, leaving me alone and with Andy to take care of (his parents will be in NY). Taking care of Pav is easy - I don't walk her if it's raining or i'm aching. With Andy, it's twice a day compulsory walks for his business, rain or freezing temperatures (no shine this time of the year) and the 1st walk is before work at unearthly hours!

2010-07-11T21:47:00.004+10:00

To celebrate my dairy-free week (which btw, is my worst nightmare 'cos i need my 2 cups of milk a day, butter on my toast, cheese in my sandwiches and of course dessert), I wanted to try Shocolate. Not sure how long it has been open for, but I heard it won some Herald Sun award for best Hot Chocolate. I knew Jojo would be up for some sweet, warm indulgence too!

It's a tiny place so scoring one of the limited indoor seats on a Friday night was sheer luck (although we pissed some woman off in the process). The verdict? Yes it really is the best hot chocolate! Ever since I tried Koko Black's, nothing came close... but this was not as thick (gelat) and the chocolate didn't have that funny taste. Plus you could adjust the chocolatey-ness with the separate jug of frothed milk and the 3 of them preferred the orange hot chocolate to the normal but I'm not a fan of orange so would stick to the boring one. The downside? It was $7.50 each =( I also pigged out and ordered a dark praline sphere - crispy praline with a smooth hazelnut heart, roasted almonds and hand rolled in dark chocolate. It was yummy! Like Roche but way crunchier and with better chocolate. Can't wait to try their full desserts and shocktails too!

On Saturday after 1.5 hours of yoga, i had a great 3 hour brunch (great proportions eh? haha) catch up with my dears. We ended up at Inkr 7 'cos Fandango didn't have a table big enough for all of us and as usual, the food and service was wonderful. It really is my favourite brunch place - so casual yet ticks all the right boxes!

To end my food weekend, I was inspired by Masterchef/Adriano Zumbo and wanted to make macaroons. Rani made them 3 times previously for me (he has the sweetest intentions) but all 3 times they failed miserably and ended up like fried discs. He was convinced we needed to buy drier almond meal from specialty shops but since we had all the ingredients already, I made do with the coles almond meal. I made a tiny batch as I was 99% sure it wouldn't turn out 'cos Rani isn't like most men in the kitchen. In fact, I would say he's a much better cook than me. But guess what? My 1st attempt at making macaroons turned out beautifully, with feet too! So much technique and tips/tricks - just try googling it and you'll find 1001 blogs dedicated to the humble biscuit which I didn't really appreciate until recently.

Squatting anxiously in front of the oven, looking the feet forming from the smooth discs...
Voila! I am officially the better pastry chef between the 2 of us =P
Close up - strawberry macaroons with blackberry buttercream filling. I think I would make more money from selling macaroons at $2.50 each than doing an office job =( They take forever to make but oh so worth it!

2010-06-27T23:34:00.002+10:00

What I've been up to...

It seems not much! Yet somehow time just fies past. Then again, not fast enough 'cos i can't wait for my holidays in aug =)

So there was Ning's birthday and it was a potluck. I made the most sinful (none of that airy fairy sponge) chocolate cake i could think of - chocolate chunk brownie with 3 different layers of chocolate truffle with chocolate sticks surrounding it. It was full of dark chocolate, double cream, butter, brandy and everything unhealthy you can imagine... 'til i was so gelat from looking at it!

There was Sharon & Dawei's wedding ceremony, where I learnt something really important - never have a wedding in winter despite it being cheaper! It was inside the religious centre but it was still freezing. Nobody got to see my dress... thank goodness my coat was pretty - it's almost like a dress and fits me perfectly, thanks to Karen Millen =P

There were lots of meetups with small bunches of friends - a farewell, a housewarming, some brunches, some dinners and a dance performance. Matthew Thomson is amazing! Other than that, it's mostly gym, yoga and Friday night dates. i've been sick this weekend since almost everyone around me is sick! so that kinda sucked, especially when everywhere is having EOFY sales! i managed to score some loot - no sickness is keeping me away from pretty shoes! as some random girl in the shop told her bf "i don't care if i have no money, it's tony bianco, we have to check it out!" lol. rani makes me throw out a pair everytime i buy a new pair but after seeing the amount of ginnie's shoes, he can't complain! hahahaha FINALLY someone who is worse than me! i also got some lululemon winter stuff - i'm justifying them as investments =P

2010-06-02T21:29:00.000+10:00

How pretty is this… too bad it's a sony and the specs aren't that great...

On another note, I finally splurged on my 2nd karen millen dress. Unlike the 1st one, this one was a treat for myself - I've been eyeing this dress since last year when it 1st came out in the UK, til last month when it came out in Australia. I hesitated for awhile but finally gave in and I'm glad they still had my size & colour. I am still in awe about how KM clothes fit my very awkward body shape perfectly! An extremly happy Jel signing off =)

2010-05-29T18:34:00.003+10:00

Finally found the right waffle in Melbourne!
I really hate belgium waffles, or any hard, cake-like waffle. It needs to be made in an industrial machine (the home ones are far too flat), needs to be fragrant and needs to be crisp and light. Can you believe this one is so near my house on Elizabeth St? Some bubble tea & waffle place, the bubble tea sucks though. Have yet to be hungry (greedy) enough to try the waffle tower though!
I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting the other day - turned out well (moist, light crumb) and there was enough for my colleagues and everyone living nearby =) pav was eyeing them but unfortunately she wasn't allowed any! baking makes me happy. in the last 2 weeks i've made pandan cake, 2 lots of cupcakes, banana bread and soon i'll be making peanut cookies (the asian kind, not the aussie peanut butter kind). anyone wants some?

2010-05-20T23:27:00.001+10:00

that was a crazy week - 4 return tickets booked just like that! lots to look forward to =)

2010-05-18T21:42:00.005+10:00

Happy birthday to the bestest b**** who secretly stalks me =)

i love you!Vanilla cupcakes with lemon frosting - top to bottom, left to right: rose, heart shaped cupcake with red heart, daisy, glitter, drop flower & sprinkles... all 100% hand made!

2010-05-16T13:23:00.003+10:00

Cheese anyone?

So I've only grown on to this cheese craze recently. I still hate blue cheese, most parmesans (there has only been 1 so far that is edible - Mt Rael's), feta and generally not a fan of cheddars/anything too cheesy but I love creamy cheeses like brie, camembert and mozzarella, which explains why I love this restaurant...

DOC Pizza & Mozerella Bar
295 Drummond Street, Carlton South

I can't believe I haven't discovered it earlier since it's so close! The thing I like about it is, it's usual favourites with a twist. I mean there's no shortage of pizza on Lygon St but quality pizza? Prices unfortunately reflect that but i still feel it's value for money.

We had the Spek (lightly smoked proscuitto) with scarmoza (smoked mozzarella) to start. The spek was good, as were the breadsticks but was slightly disappointed with the scarmoza. While it had good flavour, it was slightly hard and I should have gone with the Italian instead of the Australian choice - buffalo mozzarella.

For salad we had the Insalatona Di Spinaci Novelli - baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, boccocini, basil & pine nut. Was beautiful... lots of pesto-y dressing and bocconcini hardly goes wrong. You would think with the each dish having cheese inside we'll be sick of cheese but nope, the next (cheesy) dish was just as good, and I still didn't feel gelat. Although I think we overordered 'cos we were so impressed =)

I don't know how the caucasians order a whole pizza to themselves and don't share it. Size (it wasn't a personal, 4 piece pizza) aside, won't they get sick of it towards the end? Anyway, we shared the obvious choice - Pizza ai Porcini with wild mushrooms, truffle oil and mozzarella in bianco with grated DOP pecorino. If there's anything with truffle oil on the menu, you can be sure I'd order it! Was excellent - when it 1st came I thought the base looked thin and soggy, maybe they were focussed on the ingredients but the base was amazing! And the ingredients didin't disappoint.

There were dessert pizzas too, but we were stuffed so I guess we'll try it on our next visit!

2010-05-09T18:20:00.003+10:00

Road trip to Yarra Valley

It was a surprisingly sunny day so we made the impromptu decision to go to wine country for lunch. We chose 3777 (named after the Healesville postcode) at Mt Rael Retreat. It was on a mountaintop so the view was amazing!

Entree 1 - zucchini flower with goat’s cheese and mint. Crisp and delicate, but no where near Taxi's...

Entree 2 - beef carpaccio with crispy capers, anchovy emulsion, parmesan and rocket. I wasn't keen on the anchovy but it wasn't as fishy/salty as I expected. Turned out really nicely when eaten together! Only downside is all the tasty ingredients overpowered the beef flavour. And I finally found a parmesan that I can eat! Too bad most restaurants serve smelly parmesan...

He had the slow cooked rabbit with white polenta and chestnuts. I hate polenta, I hate rabbit and I hate stew... but luckily the rabbit tasted like a chicken drumstick and I could sample a little without throwing up.

I had the roast pork belly with averna, cauliflower bavarois, blueberry compote and almond salad. It was beautiful, although I wish the bavarois was not cold like a panna cotta. Warm like a pudding would be ideal =)

We were stuffed but I couldn't resist dessert - chocolate hazelnut torte with mascarpone. Delicious, especially the tart base!
A beautiful restaurant, a beautiful day. If only everything was so beautiful...

2010-05-01T20:30:00.003+10:00

I love Lisa - one of the few people who would drop everything for me... not to mention we both go crazy over leather goods esp mimco (look we're walking advertisements!) and good coffee =) Talking about mimco, i bought my 5th and 6th piece on Friday! Finally found not-so-boring gloves that have "Jel" written all over them aka sparkly. Plus the leather is super soft and the smell is adictive! I can't wait for winter when i can start wearing them and looking like a crazy person obesessed with smelling her hands haha. And a wallet for my mum who's still using the one i gave her back in uni! It fits her criteria and i decided on the black instead of the red 'cos the red was a slightly dirty red + the inside of the black is silver, which matches mine! Now mother and daughter have (sort of) matching bags and wallets. I love buying things for people i love at the same time as for myself. It makes me ridiculously happy. I think i have a shopping problem...

2010-04-18T23:41:00.004+10:00

Happy times

So the boy finally got back. He was lucky, managed to escape Barcelona just before the whole volcanic ash situation. Not so lucky when his flight from Madrid to Doha was delayed due to all the chaos and change of flight path as his Doha-Melbourne flight left without him! So he was put on a flight to guess where of all places... Singapore! He managed to catch up with XY landed in Melbourne on Sat (originally meant to arrive Fri night). So we spent the whole weekend catching up - i can't believe how much there is to say after a week!

We caught Tim Vines at the commedy festival (the 3rd! show this season thanks to Rani and his crazy over enthusiam in booking tickets... every year we make it a point to catch 1 show but this year he got out of control...) He was super lame (and made us think of Vinh) but somehow I found myself laughing alot. Weird. Normally I'll just roll my eyes! He didn't swear at all so that was refreshing, especially compared to Russell Kane who was the most boring and vulgar comedian ever. Adam Hills was the best and did a spectacular show once again (we watched his Inflatable last year) even though I didn't expect much 'cos he didn't prepare a show this year. His whole point was to interact with the audience and prove that we are all more interesting than Shiloh Jolie Pitt!

We had a fantastic dinner at Taxi, which was highly recommended by my boss. My colleagues and I went there this year for our Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Express Lunch (where I discovered the BEST zucchini flowers ever, more about that later). Service was good, food was excellent and with 25% off on the entertainment card, you can't ask for much more! Pic similar to the one in the previous post, especially considering they were both taken at sort of Japanese restaurants, but taken by a much happier Jel! Cider for him & a Man Sherbet cocktail for me =)

The bomb - Brandade filled tempura zucchini flowers with green papaya salad. Unfortunately zucchini flowers are seasonal so lap it up while you can! The brandade made it so tasty compared to the usual ricotta fillings, the batter was so light and crisp it was amazing, the flowers were huge and satisfying, the sauces were amazing and delightful though not necessary due to how excellent the flowers were by themselves! The papaya salad was so good too.

Lightly seared kingfish sashimi with ponzu jelly, spring onion & sesame. Another tasty dish. Gives Nobu a run for its money!

Taxi’s sticky pork with roasted sea scallops & hot chilli dressing. Although excellently cooked (skin was so crispy), it was slightly disappointing compared to Red Spice Road. But at Red Spice Road, the ONLY good thing is the pork! I think it was more the size factor and the scallops, while deliciously cooked, were too salty.

Stockyards Wagyu porterhouse marble score 7+ with horseradish cream & yakiniku. I didn't have much expectation for this, being only grade 7 but it was really tender and the horseradish kicked butt. A good size that didn't make me scared of meat.

Rani and I know each other so well we like to guess what the other person would order. So even though we were stuffed, we wanted to try dessert and guessed what the other party would order. We were both spot on again! And we ordered the one in common we both chose - Dark chocolate tian with chocolate fondant & passionfruit foam. I'm not a fan of passionfruit as it's too sour but the tian was yummy! More like a semi fredo than mousse =) The fondant was not as highly regarded, but that may be because I order it at every restaurant so we have tried the creme de la creme of fondants!

Can't wait til the next Entertainment card comes so we can revisit Taxi =P

2010-04-14T23:59:00.000+10:00

Random pictures

How many men does it take to wash my tiny car? 4! Superb full detailed hand car wash for $25 at United Petrol on Raleigh Road.

Rani took this pic while I was watching Gossip Girl. How adorable is Pav?

The only quality time I spent with my boy in the lead up to his trip. He was working til 11.30pm on Thursday, 2am on Friday and went in at 8am Saturday to fix the bloody server if not his colleagues won't have email/geeky stuff for the whole week! He flew off Sat night and even though I warned him about the crime rate in Barcelona and told him stories, he got pick pocketed his 1st day there =( He's too easy a target! There goes 150 Euros, 50 AUD, credit cards and the hugo boss wallet i gave him. Boo! Come back soon, I miss you!

2010-04-11T23:45:00.001+10:00

Daylesford

We took Gracey to the Spa Country on Good Friday. Wasn't very eventful either - we ended up eating lots, hiring paddle boats on Lake Daylesford (where we competed against each other, tried to wet each other & chased ducks), walking around the pretty man made lake taking pictures and visiting Trentham Falls, Victoria's highest single drop waterfall. Unfortunately it was almost all dried up and not spectacular at all (which explains why we decided it was more important to capture us and block the waterfall)! It was so nice to spend time with a small group of close friends though, reminds me of the good old uni days when Gracey, Joon, Kel & I used to hang out and be the awesome foursome! Much love to Gracey, Rani, Joon, Am & Bud for a lovely daytrip.

2010-04-10T20:15:00.005+10:00

Rosebud

Our trip started out at Kel & Joon's auction, which was passed in but sold the next week for a lot more than the highest bid =) Congrats guys on all your hard work!

Then, i drove a car full of very tired guys (& Pav) to our holiday house... but not before a fabulous brunch at Apte!

As the rest went up the night before, they went to Point Nepean for a walk so by the time they got back, most were too tired to do anything and a small bunch of us walked to the beach. Don't ask me what Joon was doing!

Us on an island. Toffee was there too!

The next morning, we checked out and took a group picture outside the ginormous house which accommodated all 22 of us (Christina is missing) plus 5 dogs!

Went to Rye beach to hang for awhile before heading back to Melbourne. This was taken at a playground near the beach.

Not a very eventful trip, and while having a huge group + all the doggies was great, it wasn't filled with moments to remember unlike GOR & Gold Coast =( but it made me realise there's so much more i want to see! i've got the travel bug pretty bad atm...

2010-04-05T00:01:00.000+10:00

Mr & Mrs Khuu

Finally managed to get most of the photos from everyone... photos that aren't mine are from Bud, Mandi, Jojo, Ness, Kel & Bea!

Warning: this is a massive photoblog especially for Lee who missed out on the wedding of the year - Shar & Vinh's! It started out really early in the morning, as we had to be at Nathania Springs in the Dandenongs at 9.30am! It was so pleasant that everyone (including Proplay) was on time & the bride didn't make us wait as per the norm!

The males of the bridal party chilling

Photos with the groomsmen before they got busy

Earlybirds

Sher

Aiai & Joon

Rani

Seated & waiting

The massive reunion

Sweet flowergirls

Bridesmaid Alyn & Groomsman Kel

Bridesmaid Amy & Groomsman Joon

Brother of the Bride Alex & Maid of Honour Ann

The ravishing bride & her parents

Full bridal party wth Vinh & Larry the best man. The ceremony made a lot of us tear, especially during the vows. But not half as bad as when Shar's dad made his speech!

Lifting the veil

Man & Wife

End of the ceremony - look how happy Shar is!

Flower-petal-lined chapel

Outside, while waiting for our chance to take photos with the Wedding couple, we did some photo whoring in every single combination possible.

Derrick & Mandi (with beautiful curls and an equally beautiful Pilgrim dress =P)

Girls

Boys

Posers

Spirit Fingers

My dearest...

...who gave me this beautiful Karen Millen dress for my birthday last year!

Mark & Ning

Am

Drew & Jojo, such a cute couple!

Gracey looking extremly pretty with Bud

Lovely picture of Suz

Am & Bud

Kel pointing out Ni's Lady Gaga shoes

Bud

The Tai family

Junni, the only girl other than Shar who can make me feel short =(

Ladies in RED

Bea with curls!

My baby, Gracey

Non-melbournian girls

Even caught some random moments

Finally. And we managed to squeeze in!

Freshening up in the toilet. Totally unplanned, it ended up being the 4 cygnets in at the same time!

More photos inside...

...while looking at beautiful pre wedding photos

The whole bunch of us

Waiting outside the bridal room to get changed.

Out Shar comes for the tea ceremony

Followed by Vinh, proudly showing off his wedding ring =P

The boys changed fast so there was time to pose...

...while the girls changed,

did hair,

makeup,

and got annoyed at ni for disturbing us!

This is how it's like at rehearsals too. The girls warm up seriously and the boys muck around!

Joon trying to prove me wrong by stretching. Fail!

Proplay!

While all that was happening, the rest went into the dining room...

...to watch the tea ceremony.

Kel introducing Proplay

Us laughing at Kel's long-winded speech =P All we wanted him to say is that we picked the song "Make You Feel My Love - Adele" for the lyrics!

Am & Bud's starting position

Girls part

Fish dives

Chorus

Bud & I. Overall it went really well. There were some timing issues and a big booboo at the end (thanks to yours truly. argh cannot believe that had to happen on the most important day) but we had fun, bonded in the process and Shar & Vinh liked it. No more choreographing for weddings after this though! Way too stressful for my retired body =(

We changed out of our costumes in a hurry for fear of our food being eaten! Such hungry monsters we were... dancing at the start was a good idea so we could eat lunch without worrying about throwing up while dancing! As it was, I couldn't stomach any canapes after the ceremony 'cos we were so nervous.

Mains were an alternate between slow cooked moroccan spiced leg of lamb on seasoned couscous with a tangy moroccan sauce and a minted garlic youghurt

or roast atlantic salmon on a green pea, prawn & herb risotto with a citrus hollandaise. I finally admitted i'm picky about food lol.

Part 1 of table 3

Part 2

Part 3

Bonbonieres were cupcakes baked by the groom & his patissier friend, lovingly packed by Shar's mum & Mandi.

Cake cutting. Love the GORGEOUS framed photo behind... love the couple...

... love the cake toppers... how cute is Taz?

Alex leading the yam seng

The couple's 1st dance. It wasn't anything fancy, but so sweet and so Shar&Vinh! And both of them couldn't stop smiling the whole time... priceless!

Throwing of the bouquet to Beyonce's Single Ladies.

Like Ann, Shar didn't throw far...

... so our next big reunion will be in PNG! Apparently this is the 2nd bouquet Cindy has caught so Phil, if by some weird chance you read this... it's about time! =P

The Nathania Springs famous buffet dessert. The lady announced they will call us up by tables but we shouldn't have listened seeing that the wedding was attended mostly by asians! There was only a Pavlova & a very dry chocolate sponge left by the time we realised they weren't calling out tables and Rani didn't even get the ice cream! I heard the brandy snap & the panna cotta were good. Luckily we were invited for the wedding tasting previously so we didn't miss that much!

The girls with the bride

The guys with the bride

Colour coordinated photo of the girls

Alex

We loved how we wore red =)

Ness

With the groom. That's the bad thing about too many cameras. There were 2 cameras for this shot, and we were looking at different cameras in BOTH shots =(

Unfortunately didn't get a good picture with the bride either. Again 2 cameras, this one was taken from underneath, the other was blur =(

It was a magnificent wedding - the 1st where I've been close to both the bride & groom! Shar & Vinh are both such lovely people... a match made in heaven! May this new chapter of your lives be filled with love, laughter, happiness and many babies (in dog and human form)!

2010-04-04T16:08:00.002+10:00

Happy Easter Everyone! The original plan was to send Pav for surgery before Easter so we could stay at home and take care of her during the holidays. But all my mental preparation wasn't necessary 'cos we were advised against it! So I wanted to go away to destress from the crazy past few weeks at work but I'm glad I didn't. Turns out 4 days isn't even enough to relax, do household chores, sort through photos for this blog and spend time with my dears! Lots went on, and there's more to come... stay tuned!

2010-03-23T23:59:00.000+11:00

I'm still waiting for some wedding photos so in the meantime, i'll blog about our 2nd Crawl 'n' Bite! Part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, it was the 2nd time it was held. So, after the great 1st time blogged about previously, we booked (& paid) 1st thing in the morning tickets started selling (Feb 8th) and forgot all about it until Sunday night, after we said yes to Suz's farewell dinner! Sadly we had to skip Suz's, but met her just in time to say goodbye...

This year, there were 4 groups of restaurants, 2 sessions and 2 days so there was less chaos on Feb 8th but the event was still sold out! The restaurants were more evenly distributed so there was no clear choice like last year. My colleague went to a different group and enjoyed the food. Unfortunately our 3 restaurants weren't nice and way below last year's standard. This time, I didn't feel the need to revisit any of the restaurants!

First up, Cafe Vue. Vodka marinated Australian salmon tartare, apple noodle and Shoyu dressing. Matched with a Miyagi Mule cocktail. The food was pretty good, and the best of the night. Spring onions make salmon zingy and both th shoyu and vodka apple jelly were delicious. I was all excited about the cocktail only to find it was mainly cucumber & wasabi! eeks. after 2 sips, my stomach was burning and i gave it to Rani.

Next up was Portello Rosso, where we got a cider (eeks again) to match with a selection of tapas picked from a buffet table. The only nice thing was the zucchini croquette and i felt a lack of food (unlike buffets it wasn't replenished) especially meat!

Finally on the tapas crawl, we got to Movida Terraza, which made me feel cheated as we were promised Movida Aqui. Terraza was outdoors, cold and like a makeshift bar. Here we had (from left to right) a Wagyu Beef Montadito, a mahon cheese & leek croquette and a skewer of tuna with summer salad. The wagyu was too thin and beefy-tasting, the croquette was nice and really fresh & hot (perfect for the weather) but again lacking meat and the tuna was plain fishy & overcooked. Matched was another disappointing cocktail - Rubijito, containing Manzanilla Sherry.

We left early to beat the crowds at the after party. Thank goodness this year, it was at a much bigger venue, the Emerald Peacock which had a really nice rooftop garden but since it was too cold, we snuggled in a corner with pretty wallpaper & comfy cushions.

This was the only drink I finished and still it wasn't nice =( too sweet, i prefer a normal long island iced tea... Majestic Taj - home brewed peach iced tea with gin, fresh peach slices and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

2010-03-22T23:10:00.004+11:00

My baby & friends are here!

Friday dinner @ Sapore (thanks Shar & Vinh!) where we caught the beautiful sunset

and where the food was good but way too meaty for 2 girls! haha. Proscuitto wrapped lamb loin on a cannellini bean and red pepper ragu.

Beef wellington (special request) with foie gras mousse, spinach & veal jus.

Saturday brunch at Outpost - literally the outpost of St Ali, famous for their coffee!

I love the truffled asparagus...

While waiting for the late car, we did what we do best - photo whore!

Finally. All the girls

& the guys... Derrick's still such a poser =P

2010-03-19T23:58:00.001+11:00

Breakies worth getting up for made it to the list!

On an unrelated note, Cats the musical was disappointing. How could it have been the longest running on West End? Maybe it was just the Australian production? We couldnt make out most of the lyrics, hence had no idea of the story until the interval when we wiki-ed it. Sigh. the only good singing was Grizabella's "Memory" - gave me goosebumps even though the original is still better. That being said, the dancing was fabulous! So cat-like, so together and a standout performance by Mr. Mistoffelees the magical cat! As Ness would say, the audience interaction was cool too, but only if you're seated in the stalls. Sorry Vinh & Shar!

I hope West Side Story is better... lots of dancing there too!

2010-03-18T23:52:00.000+11:00

Last weekend was pretty full on and it's only going to get worse! I'm so exhausted these few days with long work hours & a busy social calendar that I just want to curl up in bed and hibernate… anyway, enough whinning from me, on to the photos!

Suz's farewell dinner on Friday @ Crystal Jade - really just an excuse to gather & eat as Suz only stayed for an hour plus.

Shar's bridal shower on Saturday @ Ann's house - all the food & drinks were really pretty and we played some games like design a wedding gown made of plastic bags, wedding themed charades, questions about the bride & groom & received advice from Shar's mum.

Sher's 25th birthday surprise @ Concept Blue - we caught her in her PJs!

Full dress rehearsal on Sunday morning for THE wedding - really going to miss our weekly rehearsals =(

Sher's childhood themed birthday party @ her house - she prepared all the food, provided lots of props, organised games, etc… all this while being the maid of honour to her friend's wedding on Saturday... wonder woman!

Some photos from Bud, Sher & Ni =)

2010-03-15T23:43:00.002+11:00

Monday

We woke up early so we headed to our favourite pool to bask in some Whitsunday sun.

I finally caught up on some reading!

Our last activity for the trip was a snorkel safari around Whitsunday Island. It was a guided 3 hour adventure, shallow snorkelling amongst the fishies above the beautiful coral reefs. Big regret we didn't have an underwater camera though!

It was so windy on the boat (which was travelling at 26 knots per hour) so i had a Marilyn Monroe moment.

A better picture taken by our instructor.

Luckily these stinger suits were not so alien-like.

After the snorkel. The lady in the black bikini directly behind me just got engaged underwater! The older lady in the 1 piece is her soon-to-be mother-in-law. So much excitment on the boat!

We were dropped at Henning Island for some juice & biscuits before heading back.

We went back to One Tree Hill for sunset cocktails. I had the same (never knew I liked Baileys so much!) and he had a Crown.

And then, I decided to take sunset pictures from our room instead! So we hopped onto a shuttle to go back & freshen up.

Unfortunately, the shuttle took too long (Rani would say I took too long in the shower but this is my blog so there) and we sort of missed it =(

Dinner was at Bommie Restaurant at the previously mentioned Yacht Club (this was taken to compare the day & night pictures).

Complimentary amuse-bouche containing scallop and elderberry sauce.

Our drinks - some kinda wine, sparkling Antipodes water ('cos Queensland tap water just isn't as nice as Victoria's... it was really nice and turns out it's sourced & bottled in NZ!), my tropical long island iced tea (with malibu & some berries).

Valentine's oysters - natural, champagne & caviar, hot & sour. Too tiny and not worth the price.

Sourdough and multigrain bread with dukkah. Ok only,expected better bread from them.

Zucchini fritte, stuffed zucchini flower, grilled haloumi, watermelon, lemon, oregano. The flower and haloumi were awesome!

Ocean torut carpaccio - hand cured ocean trout, lemongrass, shiso & toasted rice. This was slightly fishy and not very nice.

Tataki of wagyu beef with ho fun noodle roll (which was too thich and weird). Great but does not kick Nobu's ass.

White river veal - morel & chanterelle mushroom filled agnolotti, sweetbreads, Jerusulam artichoke, glazed pearl onion & truffled red wine sauce. The veal was tender but not as tasty as the previous night's. The star was definitely the agnolotti... i could be vegetarian and live on those!

Complimentary petit fours ended our "anniversary" dinner which we didn't even realise 'til the next day!

Tuesday

Couldn't do much as we needed to catch the shuttle to the airport and they left really early. We were all prepared to have 1 last soak but the sky changed so quickly it was amazing! 1 minute sunny and the next, all fogged up and drizzling. So we took a photo on the balcony instead (can't even see the islands behind us anymore!) I'm glad the weather held up 'til our last day... despite all the rain predicted and the freak hail storm in Melbourne!

We bid farewell to my trusty Kookai tote which was well used at sandy, wet places (hence needed to be retired).

And waited at the lounge with some sandwiches and coffees (our 1st on the whole trip! as we predicted, nowhere beats Melbourne's coffee).

That was the end of our magical few days on paradise. It was back to busy season at work the next day =( At least THE wedding is coming! Looking forward to the big reunion esp Gracey! There's also Cats the musical, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Commedy Festival, roadtrip to Rosebud and lots else =)

2010-03-14T23:46:00.000+11:00

Sunday

Today's activity was an excursion to Whitehaven Beach, one of the top 10 beaches in the world because of the 7 km stretch of bright white sand. Located on the eastern side of the uninhabited Whitsunday Island - the biggest of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays, it is totally unspoiled and highly protected. The only way to go there is join a cruise/sea flight. When we left, the cruise operators did a 2nd inspection just to make sure not a single piece of rubbish was left behind… so that's why it was so clean!

We went with Fantasea, the most expensive tour but left at a reasonable hour, had the most luxury catamaran and included a BBQ lunch (which on hindsight, was really crap and not worth the price difference). Us on the boat (with my really wide brim Mimco hat that was a lifesaver).

The glistening sand is made from 98% pure silica. Also meant it doesn't heat up and burn your feet like the sand on many other beaches. Add the crystal turquoise water and it really was amazing... the best beach I've been to EVER! Guess what Victoria, it squeaks too - and far louder than Squeaky Beach! Check out our noise making video here.

From the boat we had to transfer to a motorised platform to get nearer the beach.

My man setting up the sun shelter while I took photos and laughed at him =P

How clear the water was…

Summer is IrunkjandJi Jellyfish (the invisible species - the ones you can see are harmless) season so we had to wear stinger suits to swim in the sea. I can't help thinking of alien invasion when I look at this photo!

Us before wearing the unglam suits… and no, I wasn't naked!

3 hours on the beach gave us ample time to read, walk, swim, dry off, squeak, take photos and do twig art =)

Upside down twig art as the sun was on the wrong side.

What did I say about ballet photos?

When we got back to Hamilton Island, we rushed to get clean then headed to One Tree Hill for sunset cocktails. It was an amazing place (on top of a hill) to watch sunset (yet again) and almost everyone went there at least once during their stay. The 2 girls we did the kayaking with stayed in a holiday house down the road and brought their own bottle of wine up every evening. This was Rani patronising the bar.

With my Nutty Surprise - Frangelico, Baileys, Chocolate and Cream blended into a really yummy drink!

With his Black Russian.

Waiting for sunset.

Finally.

Silhouettes.

Behind the gazebo.

Dinner was at Romano's, an Italian restaurant. I thought that food on the island would be lousy as let's face it, there's not much competition. Certainly the last 2 nights didn't impress me. But this was fantastic… reminded me of Sapore in Melbourne. Our drinks - Sauvignon blanc for him and Manico (Absolut Vodka, Frangelico, Vanilla Galliano, Chambord & Lime topped with lemondae) for me. Entree was scallops cooked in the shell with caramelised carrot puree, crisp pancetta and watercress dressing. It exceded both of our expectations and made me realise how beautiful carrots can be!

Gnocchi with swiss brown cream, spinach, pine nuts & truffle oil. I ordered vegetarian! Haha. The gnocchi wasn't as soft as I would like it but boy the sauce was amazing… so tasty and delicious!

Chargrilled veal cutlet, herbed kumara, confit eschalot and porcini jus - really tender meat with lovely sauce but my favourite part was the kumara.

We were stuffed by then but since nothing let us down so far, we felt like we needed to try dessert. Specifically the Tiramisu, to compare it to Sapore. It was decent but nowhere near Sapore's standard and the worst part of the meal (which was incredibly good so worst only by comparison).

2010-03-13T07:56:00.000+11:00

Saturday
We woke up early so we decided to pack in a walk and felt a buffet breakfast @ the Pool Terrace was justified. Almost everyone starts the day here so while both of us don't like buffets, we were willing to give it a try... It wasn't good, and definitely not worth the price!

The only plus was the surroundings. Isn't it pretty? Loved how everyone, young and old, all shapes and sizes, were just walking around in their swimsuits. I didn't feel judged at all =)

We were told the best "free" snorkelling was at coral cove so we made the extremly steep trek there. It wasn't very long, but at sweltering temperatures and thongs ('cos i wasn't prepared... who would have thought of excercise on a relaxing holiday???) it was tough. I ended up with 4 painful blisters from my thongs (didn't take my fit flops 'cos i didn't want to get them wet) and really sore calves from trying to grip my thongs on the steep hill. The view when we were almost there made us excited though.

Finally there! there was a whole bbq area set up... i can't understand why 'cos the whole place was so deserted... we had the entire cove to ourselves! kinda scary actually, if anything dodgy happened but oh well.

Secluded beauty.

You can't tell from the photo, but we were dripping wet here... almost like bikram yoga!

No visit to the beach goes by without some ballet photos...

If Rani caught my hands it would be perfect!

The orange spot is Rani, exploring rocks... don't ask me why! When we finally got back to the main road, we were so exhausted and plopped by the side of the Palm Valley Road, waiting for the shuttle (which comes every 40 minutes). We must have looked really pathetic, as a cute guy in a buggy drove past us, turned around and offered us a lift back to the hotel. See, told you people were so nice here!

I love this shot. Under the shade at the Marina, waiting for our afternoon activity...

Sea kayaking! That's our instructor, Darryl preparing life jackets and kayaks.

And, him in action (look at his biceps!) The guys on the left actually work on Hamilton Island and joined us on their day off.

It was a sunset paddle so after half an hour of work, we tied our kayaks together, opened 3 bottles of champagne and bobbled up and down, chatting and taking in the view.

Waiting for the magical moment...

I sat at the back, which meant I was in charge of steering! Haha smart Rani knew I would scold him for having no sense of direction so he took the front =P

And just like that, another day, another sunset over.

On the way back, we passed the Yacht Club - where we would eat on our anniversary (which we totally forgot about 'cos it wasn't real lol)

Dinner that night was the simple good 'ol fish & chips. Not fantastic but a classic.

2010-03-11T20:38:00.002+11:00

I've wanted to go to Whitsundays since June 2008 and when Jetstar had a sale last year that covered the long weekend, Rani & I were so excited and jumped on it. We figured it would be a nice way to celebrate our 3 year anniversary (or rather we made up the anniversary date to coincide with it since we have no idea what the real date is - sometime in February 2007).

It started off with really bad planning. We booked flights Friday-Monday so we only had to take 1 day of annual leave. Then when we looked into accommodation, we found the entertainment card had a 40% discount with 4 or more nights. So if we stayed 1 extra day, it would actually be cheaper! So we changed the flights and had to pay extra (but this was taken into consideration already).

Now we were booked in for Friday-Tuesday (I figured coming back to a 3 day week was better) only to realise it was period end at work on the Friday, which meant all my reports were due Monday (or Tuesday 'cos of Labour Day)! I knew my boss would be unhappy if I took leave then but I was not about to change my flights again so I suggested taking my laptop and working from there. Thankfully she's the nicest boss ever and told me not to worry about it so I didn't have to bring work over.

The dumbest part was we were all excited about the free gourmet food that we'd read about… turns out it's an annual food festival held in June! Argh. I knew I shouldn’t have jumped in without doing my research 1st but after all that, it still turned out to be an awesome holiday.

Closer to the date we found out Tetsuya (yes, the guy behind Australia's best restaurant and the one opening in Singapore soon) was doing a demonstration, and the Australian Ballet was performing at the 5 star resort Qualia, just days after we will be there. Darn it! Also, it was scheduled to rain all 5 days we were there… While we missed the chef and the dancing, weather was perfect… apparently it rained all day Thursday, didn't rain a drop the whole time we were there, except on Tuesday morning when we had to leave. The island's temperature is 28-34 degrees all year round with the exception of a few weeks, but there is a rainy season. We had hot sweltering temperatures (which sometimes was disgustingly sticky but it meant warm waters and we dried quickly after a swim).

Friday

The days leading up to the trip were busy and we had very little sleep (dance rehearsals, uploading videos for practice purposes, visiting dear Kel who had nose surgery, dropping Pav off at Rani's parents house, working late to clear as much work as possible 'cos I felt bad leaving my boss with my Monday reports, doing research on activities and packing) so we crashed on the 3 hour morning flight.

We woke up to a very lumpy island (as I noticed - turns out there were a lot of little hills so I was right!)

and experienced summer all over again walking on the tarmac.

In the hotel transfer bus to the Reef View Hotel.

There are no cars on Hamilton Island, only buggies! All 1,800 of them. They were available for rent and almost everyone had one but at $90 a day, we felt we'd just wait for the free shuttle service (much more inconvenient) or walk (depending on distance and lumpy-ness of journey). But that didn't stop me from hopping into one for photo purposes!

Since we could check in yet, we went to the resort centre to book ourselves into some activities. The only one we wanted to do but couldn't in the end was parasailing. The wrench was broken and had to be fixed by someone on the mainland so it was out of service our entire stay =(

The room was amazing. Clean and huge, with a good aircon and fan. Check out the view too!

Balcony left.

Balcony right.

Tennis courts at the back.

So glad we went for the coral sea view not the garden view 'cos waking up to this view was one of the many highlights of the trip. This is a short video of the view...

We spent the rest of the afternoon canoeing on Catseye beach (the hotel is the building in the background). Rani also gave me a crash course in snorkelling but there was nothing to see at the beach. In the evening, we headed to the Island Pool (1 of 5 pools we saw around our hotel) where there was live music and a bar. I've always wondered what it would be like swimming up for a drink and finally got to experience bar stools in water! Haha. The atmosphere was fun and everyone was having a great time singing along, holding drinks out of the water, playing ball games and piggyback-ing around the pool.

After a shower, we waited for the shuttle to take us to the Marina - which is basically Hamilton Island's town. The bank, post office, activity shops, clothing shops, grocery stores and restaurants are all there. After 15 minutes, it turned up but it was packed! The thing with the people on Hamilton Island is, everyone is so nice! No pushing/shoving to get the few empty seats... most people waited to let the old folks board, the old folks said the other people were waiting before them etc etc. Eventually some of the girls sat on the guys laps to save seats... and these were not small girls either! Rani and I ended up walking to the Marina 'cos we didn't want to wait for the next shuttle. But we saw sunset on the way, which made the walk all worth it!

Dinner @ the Steakhouse - Buffalo wings entree (which was only ok as it tasted like stew, not buffalo wings) and a side of sauteed mushrooms (best part of dinner).

Rib Eye bone in with Bearnaise sauce. Tender, but not very tasty. Luckily we only ordered those dishes to share!

2010-02-28T11:24:00.002+11:00

Shar's Hens

We went to Pole Divas in Richmond for some fun, thinking we will just strut round the pole/act sexy but the class was actually pretty advanced (at least for noobs like me). We did twirls around the pole and back bends while up (which were hard when we got sweaty and just slid down the pole). It was a fun day, but i think it was the company that made it fun... especially when we all had to do a little dance for the bride and give our partners lap dances - mine was Christina and boy was she sexy! hahaha The highlight for me was watching our super hot instructor demonstrate some moves. It was enlightening! I always knew pole dancing was tough but now have much more appreciation for it! After that, in true oldie fashion, we took away gourmet pizzas from Crust Pizzas (if you're in Melbourne and haven't tried it, you're seriously missing out! Just take a look at their menu and you'll find something for everyone, even the most picky of eaters =P) and watched Family Stone, where we got all pissed with how Dermot Mulroney (who Shar thinks is the cutest actor) was such a bastard. It's so nice to have people to bitch with. Looking forward to the Bridal Shower... I love you Shar!

2010-02-22T21:30:00.001+11:00

Happy Belated 24th & 25th Birthday Jojo & Joon!6.30pm early dinner that somehow turned into an 11.50pm departure from Williamstown. By the time we sent Lisa home in sat night traffic, we were so buggered we couldn't take Pav out =( Think I'm getting too old for these big nights!

2010-02-21T19:24:00.002+11:00

Today I learnt that even the toughest people who look like they have it all together, don't. This isn't a "yay you have a weak spot" epiphany, but more like "i'm glad i'm not the only one" epiphany. And i'm glad she has someone to turn to as do i =)

2010-02-14T16:11:00.000+11:00

Happy Valentine's Day & Happy Chinese New Year!

Crabapple Lemon meringue & Choc cupcakesCrabapple Tahitian lime & Choc hazelnut cupcakes

Crabapple Mr Whippy & Raspberry cupcakes

My boy's been good the last 3 weeks, surprising me with my fav cupcakes when i come back from the gym that make me need to go back to the gym... but where's the strawberry???

2010-02-13T20:58:00.003+11:00

Ning's back in Singapore so we looked after Neko for 3 days. Was slightly hesitant at first as i've never looked after a cat before, and I'm definitely not cat person! In fact, not even a big dog person (well, except Andy but even then looking after him for 3 days by myself in a tiny apartment scarred me!) But Neko is the sweetest cat ever. She was waiting at the door meowing and walked in between my legs... then she kept rubbing against my body. When I kissed her goodbye today, she purred! Geez, cats are really low maintenance compared to dogs but I can't say I've been converted. Coming home to pav, having her run to greet me & jump on me is priceless. Not to mention you can do silly things to her like...

Anyway, at lee's request, here's my wallet. I'm addicted to the smell so much so that rani thinks i'm nuts! Not using it yet though, my current wallet is still in mint condition... so I guess I'll wait til a special occassion =)

2010-02-09T23:07:00.002+11:00

Dog Beach Revisited

We found the right beach! The one we went to last year... I told rani it takes a girl to find things haha! all i did was look at google maps and find a piece of land that was like what i remembered and checked that it was off leash during summer =) so here we are, at Sandown Beach in Middle Brighton - in between Bay & Sandown St.

It's a gorgeous place, with a gate so doggies don't run to the road, parking is nearby, waters are shallow, people are friendly, dogs are happy and no waves!!! Did I mention it was cleaner than the last beach we went to??? Shar & Vinh, we have to go here when you guys get back!

So I started with a siesta on my new beach towel... it's pink & velour-y soft! Not to mention all proceeds go to breast cancer research. Notice how when Rani gets up to take a pic, pav & andy inch over to his towel (the one on the left is andy's)Then we take the dogs for a swim & some socialisation. Pav is such a good swimmer, maybe even better than andy. but that may be because he can still touch the ground while she's working hard to keep afloat! I love seeing majestic huskys run through shallow waters.... and seeing my baby paddle in the same water. I took a video of her swimming... notice how her tail wags side to side so she ends up circling? So adorable!

Then back to the towels to dry off (we were blessed with perfect 31 degree weather) and this time andy fully took over rani's towel while pav rubbed her sandy body up & down mine!

2010-02-07T23:48:00.000+11:00

Svago

i haven't done a food post in awhile so here goes...

One great thing about my boss - she loves discussing food! This was actually a recommendation from her and since it was on the entertainment card... why not? it is right beside Charcoal grill on the hill, which was also recommended by her and blogged about previously.

The place was small and i didn't appreciate having to sit so close to the table yet waiters kept banging my seat when passing behind. How would the average Aussie fit? Anyway, I guess the good thing that came from being cosy was warm service. Genuinely Italian waiters were delightlful! One of them persuaded me to try the NV Carpené Malvolti Prosecco Extra Dry Veneto - he said I was guaranteed to like it... and i did!

So the menu has lots of variety... the key is to share many small items. We had 2 stuzzichini (bite size appetisers) - Panfried calamari with cherry tomatoes, oregano & breadcrumbs and Potato, codfish & smoked eel croquettes with rosemary salsa. The former was tasty, with the garlic-y crispy bits. The calamari was really tender too, despite not being deep fried in breadcrumbs! The smoky-ness of the eel added some uniqueness to the tiny croquettes, which, thankfully, didn't have too much bland potato nor dry fish.

Piattis are about the size of entrees at a normal restaurant. We had some kind of veal with roquette, parmesan and balsamic dressing (I forgot the name) and the Roast pork belly with scallops & cauliflower puree. Both were not bad, but was slightly disappointed about the pork belly as it needed more sauce and wasn't soft like Red Spice Road's.

We also tried the Baby potato gnocchi filled with carrots & taragon served with sage butter sauce which was the dish of the night. Don't let the name fool you... it wasn't baby at all! In fact, the biggest gnocchi I've ever had... and the best =) So soft, so crisp (was pan fried) and so yummy (with all that fragrant butter)! We ordered the Tomato & basil salad with bread croutons and topped with salted aged ricotta as a side too. It was pleasant, but I've been spoilt by Rani's kickass tomato salad (using his mum's homegrown sweet tomatoes and fresh mozerella).

There wasn't anything exciting on the dessert menu - I mean, who eats parmesan cheese for dessert? But there was a special of the day, a Tirimisu! Not as good as Sapore's, but close enough. Could do with more alcohol but the coffee sauce was a nice touch.

Overall a great date place, and we look forward to returning with next year's entertainment card =P I have come to the conclusion I prefer Italian Tapas (if there is such a thing) much more than Spanish Tapas!

2010-02-06T16:03:00.002+11:00

i'm so excited! after the previous post, i called DJs and mimco boutiques. Kinda annoying 'cos their computer system wasn't updated since xmas so i called boutique A, who didn't have the specific wallet but said boutique B had it. Boutique B said they had it but sold the last one last week but Boutique C had it... and on and on it went until i called ALL victorian boutiques! Finally managed to get hold of one in Sydney Airport and they were willing to ship it to me for $8 if i bought it over the phone... which i did straight away! so my dream wallet is on it's way! it's a long black leather wallet (mmm i love the leather smell) with detailing & a lock, making it more unique than all the other plain wallets. Not to mention the design matches my mimco bag and the inside is metallic silver... so jel! haha im crazy happy now, just like how i was crazy happy when bud picked up my Midas handbag from Sydney a few years back 'cos all the Melb stores were out of black!

and, i managed to score a pink & white mimco sunhat too. now i'm almost ready for whitsundays!

2010-01-31T01:10:00.003+11:00

I was brought up to not buy branded goods for the brand. And I scold rani for only entering branded shops... but sometimes I can't help it myself! argh.

But for the record, I have to state I still do not buy a t-shirt just because it says Dior. I only buy it if I like the design. And I’m not a fan of goods that blatantly parade the brand... like so many sunnies do! I am loving my sunnies (well deserved from my DJ vouchers I got from CA merits) because of the bling in front and that nobody knows the brand 'cept me!

But yes, a few brands have really stuck on me these last couple of months... actually it all started in Nov when i received lovely birthday presents: a Karen Millen dress (which I'm wearing to Shar & Vinh's), Lululemon crops (overused at dance/pilates/yoga but still in perfect shape 'cos of the quality) and this Mimco bag (every 10th girl on Collins St has an Oroton bag after the recent sale so I’m finding Mimco a lot more special). The reason I'm blogging abt all this now? I just spent the last few hours obsessed about Mimco, finding all the stores/looking at all the products (I’ve written down numbers to call tmr in search of something i just got to have) and not only can i not afford the time/money, i hate myself for becoming such a hypocrite! need.to.be.stronger... but how???

2010-01-27T23:48:00.004+11:00

sunday was doggy beach day! it was one year ago kel, rani & i went to this awesome dog beach but we can't remember where it was! wish i wrote the location here. this one (hampton) was not as crowded, not as clean and the weather was slightly chilly even though i got sunburnt (with me wearing sunscreen) so it wasn't as nice. but still a great day with my fav couple and taz who has swimming instincts after all! such a proud moment for mummy & daddy... i can just imagine them with their 1st child =P

australia day was spent having brunch with my dear girlfriend who i havent seen for yonks. we went to the botanical, which is the perfect chic place to catch up =) when i got home, i baked and prepared some meat for the small barbie we hosted at night. it was cosy, intimate and with the perfect company. the guys barbequed for us (as they do) and we tried to take a pic of the dogs but failed yet again...

showing how aussie we were, all the humans + taz had australian flag tattoos too, thanks to vinh =)

so it's 2 more days of work to the weekend and i can't wait. foodie day trip this sat so gotta work hard at the gym the next few days!

2010-01-23T12:36:00.005+11:00

Singapore

It was actually far too short this time... in btw dinners with auntys and uncles, going to m'sia & rani's visit at the end, I didn't get to meet lots of people, nor do that much shopping... but i'm glad i did meet the special few i met =) that being said, i was glad to come back home and pick up pavvy - i missed her so much!

Shar & Vinh took such great care of her I didnt have to worry... and they sent lots of updates too! my fav pics tey took:

Pav getting comfortable with uncle Vinh

Pav & Taz pretending to be obedient =P

At the dog park, where Taz protects Pav from all the big dogs! how cute is that =)

Last minute trip to Malacca to visit my grandmother... and since my brother & i refused to stay in Malacca, we drove up to KL for the weekend. Managed to catch up with my dear Gracey and time just flew by! We spent 4 hrs chatting non stop we didn't have time to shop and we forgot to take photos... Same thing happened with YW too!

i did remember taking a photo with my 2 favourite girls in singapore though... it's crazy since i've known jo since kindergarten & pam since primary sch!

Went back to the usual haunts like this Tung Lok restaurant to celebrate my dad's birthday. my family patronises them so often the lady bought the Shangrila mango cheescake out of her own pocket! Amazing service and amazing food (where else will u get test tube juice? haha)

But i was also introduced to new places, like Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant - yes it's really called "Super"... i thought my bro was joking!

& i brought my fam to 1 Caramel which was highly rated on the food blogs. We found our new fav cake here - Chocolate Berry Lust! Luscious layers of Valrhona chocolate ganache with fresh exotic wild berries laden on a bed of pure crunchy hazelnut mix.

Then rani came & we caught up with XY, Ni & Caleb... much missed Melbournians! can't wait for the wedding to see all of them again =)

We did some shopping (though he has absolutely no stamina for shopping... 1 hour and he's had enough, even though it's shopping for his stuff not mine!!!) and lots of eating. Loved Canele's macaroons! Now I have this appreciation for overpriced cookies haha. All 3 - 70% choc, coffee & raspberry were good, but the raspberry was the most special.

Being touristy, taking the chairlift in Sentosa.

The contrast.
The green man riding the luge =) He found it fun... but then again, he hasn't been to NZ!

Burning to see dolphins. Reminded us of joon & jojo.

Took him to eat lots of good food... and his favourite? Chomp Chomp! *slaps face* Well, not for the ice kachang and soursop drink pictured here but for the hokkien mee (not the black m'sian one), sambal stingray & chicken wings =) He's a happy man and a cheap date! haha

Overcame my fears and let Dr Fish bite my dead skin. The small ones felt like a pressure jet spa thingy... the big ones felt like acupuncture! Skin was silky soft after that though... pity there's none in Aus. 1 week back in this dry weather and silky soft feet have become dry and cracked already!

2010-01-20T22:33:00.002+11:00

i'm blogging so lee blogs...cupcakes remind me of her... and i'm upset i didnt get any crabapple ones today (try the strawberry ones - they're the best!) hopefully night market lasts for awhile...

i didn't get any last week either 'cos i drove all the way to the clayton vet to pay him too much for telling me what i already know. sounds like lee & doctors!

so yeah... i'm missing lee - can u tell?

2009-12-13T19:02:00.002+11:00

Another sad farewell - not sure how many more I can take before it's my turn... I've said what I've needed to say already, but i guess words aren't enough to express how much i love this girl. 2009 has been special for us & i wish you all the best in the UK. Big blue glittery hugs & kisses!

2009-12-04T23:28:00.000+11:00

November Babies
Ness & I celebrated our birthdays together this year.
Group photo at a lousy Peking duck restaurant. Joon, Lee & Shar entertained me with lame jokes and discussions about duck parts. Thanks to Rani we had my favourite cake - Brunetti's Blackforest!
Lee gave me a customised cupcake that was so pretty! And she made the elaborate box too!
More Brunetti cakes from Lisa. I'm so spoilt!
Just when you thought I overdosed on cakes, Ian organised high tea at the Windsor the next day.With the stunning Ness. I actually tried her blue dress on at Forever New Chaddy when my fam was here but decided the colour didn't suit me. Thank goodness 'cos Ness looks so much better in it!

At Vegie Bar (one of the best vegetarian places in my opinion 'cos of the variety)... Vinh teaching Mandi how to cut cake.
She learns fast!
Group photo. If we look drunk it's because our water was spiked with Brandy! or so we thought... even the waitress didn't know why our water smelled alcoholic.

2009-12-03T23:38:00.001+11:00

Robby & Anne's Wedding

This happened on Halloween... that's how slow i've become at blogging... which also explains why this site has become a photoblog! haha. it was a beautiful wedding ceremony for the beautiful couple and a beautiful reception at night... how beautiful! my 2nd australian wedding - can't wait for the 3rd when i actually know the couple really well =)
Groom, Best man & Groomsman waiting for the bride who was about an hour late!
Bridesmaid Sharon.
Maid of honour Cheryl. i love their dresses btw!
Finally Anne enters, wearing a gorgeous gown that I want myself! hee

Ceremony
Missed the kiss =(
Walking through the bubbles.
With lee, ernie & anna when everyone was pigging out. i love ernie's dress too! bet u didn't know her sister actually made it!So hard to get hold of the wedding couple and when we did, there were a hundred cameras going off everyone was looking in different directions!
Before the best man ran off.
Drinks before the reception at Nine Darling St.
I'm so happy Lee was there to accompany me that night. I love u babe! Photo credit goes to Ernie.

The early birds at the table... note the fish tank in the centre. Personally I would have preferred flowers but at least it was unusual. I did order fish that night and felt weird eating it though!
They look like brothers!
Cutting the cupcake wedding cake.
Part of the bridal party's duty was to "rescue" the couple halfway through their 1st dance so I was dragged on stage =(
What alcohol does to Bud.

End of the night. Congratulations Robby & Anne! Photo credit goes to Bud.

2009-12-02T23:07:00.000+11:00

TassieLanded in Hobart and drove over the Tasman Bridge to the city.
Australia's largest tree. Doesn't look that big from here but the roots were crazy huge!
Tahune AirWalk.Various displays in the Royal Botanic Gardens.Dinner at the revolving restaurant on top of Wrest Point Casino. Good views, Ok food and crap service. Coincidentally, our waiter was from Singapore... that may explain some stuff. I shan't go into why I was so pissed with him that at the end of the meal I refused to give him a single cent of tip!Saturday morning Salamanca Markets - loved the atmosphere here. Everything was so interesting but I couldn't bring stuff back (we only brought hand carry) so only ended up buying dog biscuits for Pav & Chinny.
Barilla Bay Oyster Farm - not as good as I hoped. The oysters at Nobu that I had a few days later were much more spectacular!
Sorell Fruit Farm - Pity we could only pick strawberries. The jams/ice creams were amazing though!
Bicheno Blowhole - wasn't very big when we were there and it was FREEZING so we didn't bother to wait for it. NZ has much nicer blowholes!
The best accommodation for the trip - a holiday house in Bicheno. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, lots of entertainment, a BBQ, wall to wall bookshelf with books, and a fully stocked kitchen. Pity we only stayed there 1 night! Note the "tank" my mum drove the 6 of us around in the background haha.
We had a very well behaved golden retriever as a neighbour!

Seeking shade on the way up to Wineglass Bay lookout. It was really hot that day, with loads of mosquitos =(

But it was worth it. I still mantain Wineglass is the highlight of Tasmania.

Resting at the top. The climb to the lookout was easy. The hike to the beach and subsequently back up was exhausting! It was huge rocks all the way and I didn't want to stop for fear of being bitten so Bel & I did the beach up to the lookout down to the carpark in 1 hour flat!

Nice beach but not so worth it in my opinion. The sand didn't squeak like Victoria's! Wallaby up close & personal.
Fooling around while waiting for the older folks on another walk.
After a long drive inland through the foggy forests, we reached Cradle Mountain Chateau.
Weather wasn't so good here... it was cold & drizzling for the Dove Lake Circuit (a misleading 6km!)

At the halfway mark.
The fog cleared just in time to see the cradle.
Lavendar House - my mum bought hand cream, I bought lavendar & rose powder for my baby!House of Anvers Chocolate factory. I never realised a lot of restaurants in Victoria use their chocolate too!

View at breaky - Stillwater cafe, Launceston.
Launceston Basin Chairlift - longest single chairlift span in the world.

Picturesque views.
Lots of peacocks walking around.
Suspension Bridge that had a sign "Do not swing"...

Cataract Gorge.
Me preparing to run off the slope for cable hang gliding.
Bel in flight.
Fit for all ages! My dad enjoyed it too =)

2009-11-24T22:52:00.000+11:00

It's Britney B!tch
The tram ride there was an experience in itself. Every tram was so packed but we managed to squeeze into the 2nd one. When the driver said "Next stop, Rod Laver Arena", everyone was cheering it was hilarious!

The young ones inside the venue (check out how near we were! Row C to be exact… that's how big a fan my bro is! Pity that the stupid pillar blocked the centre of the stage - things they don’t warn you when booking tickets as the pillars were Britney's, not Rod Laver's)

Havana Brown (Aus DJ) was the opening act. Then the countdown to the circus began…
Big Apple Circus entertains us (ex Cirque du Soleil)
She finally came on at 9pm but what I loved was that it was non-stop - no intervals! People still complained abt her lip synching… they should try dancing for 1.5 hrs straight! Anyway, she has been doing that for 10 years, I don't see why anyone who buys tickets should be surprised…
We were sitting behind her 2 boys - really cute… the 2 adults holding them + the bhuge bodyguards left after 3 songs though...
Britney in a flying picture frame before giving a lap dance to an audience member (handcuffed of course!)Loved her pink sparkly hammer she used to knock guys - I want one too! Hahaha Think she sang more after all the Perth & Melbourne's 1st day reviews… this was Everytime, in the prettiest umbrella ever.Loved the Me Against the Music Bollywood number
Ending it with Womanizer
Before sparks flew and confetti dropped

Overall it was much better than expected. I still wish it wasn't round though, 'cos she spent too much time walking around, facing all directions and not dancing. Her guy dancers were superb but the females were slightly lacking… It was my 1st concert (and prob my last since I still prefer musicals and ballets) but it was definitely an experience and I was thoroughly entertained!

2009-11-23T21:06:00.000+11:00

What I've been up to...
My family came down and Pav got lots of attention...
The spring lamb in action at the dog park.Pavvy dozing off as it's tiring to be the centre of attraction!
Waiting for her treat
Afternoon tea @ the Windsor Swans @ Albert Park Lake
Lots of good food (until I'm sick of eating out). Cecconi's was one of our favourites.

Fantastic birthday dinner at Nobu - check out the complimentary cake with a fully edible flower!
Crown Casino fire show.

Leading the Singapore tour group around!

2009-11-08T09:13:00.001+11:00

Swan Lake

R&A's wedding post will come later, when I have a little more time.

Right now I have to share how brillant the Imperial Russian Ballet Company was! The set was simple, the music was recorded... but the costumes were amazing (no cheap tutus - just look at Odile's!), the timing so together and the dancing was wonderful... perfectly turned out feet unlike the Australian Ballet (could never understand why some of the principal dancers didn't have good feet when it's the easiest thing to get right), no wobbles after a big jump, so much emotion and the programs with tonnes of beautiful pictures was only $15! Heard they extended their tour so after shows on the 7th & 8th, they go to Hobart before an additional show on the 14th... go get tickets if they haven't sold out! In my opinion, this company is only 2nd to the American Ballet Theatre.

2009-11-01T16:13:00.000+11:00

Charcoal grill on the hill

So this was Jojo's recommendation (from her friend) - she even sent me the Matt Preston review, and I finally got round to trying it after my boss told me it was the best steak place in her opinion (and my boss knows her food).

It's a small place with a limited menu (there is 1 pork dish and 1 chicken dishbut I didn't see anyone eating those). Every review I've read says to skip the entrees to make room for the steak so no duck sausage for rani haha!

Rani had the 300g scotch fillet & I had the 200g wagyu porterhouse (they were the smallest sizes on offer), both medium rare. His was more tender as the wagyu was only grade 6-8, but i preferred the taste of mine as it was less "red-meaty" and more "grill-y". Both were good and worth the price (unlike some wagyu i've had here that cost almost $100 and dont have any marbling at all!) They were served with a choice of mustards, really crisp, coated french fries, cos lettuce with vinaigrette dressing and shredded cabbage. The french baguettes before that, baked by French fantasy was really good too - if only i had more space to not resist the extra serving!

We were stuffed but wanted to try dessert too so we managed to squeeeze in the strawberry crepe which was beautiful but a tad too sweet. Overall an excellent, satisfying meal but I won't go to say it's the best steak restaurant (they have an extensive selection of wine too so maybe my boss was really impressed by that, but I'm not a wine drinker). I still find Rockpool better (but don't order the wagyu there, go for the grain fed rib eye).

2009-10-31T15:04:00.002+11:00

What I'll miss most about Melbourne (other than the people) if I ever leave is the cafe culture... Where else can you sit by the road under the sun at a cafe drinking excellent coffee, waiting for delicious cake, entertained by friends and surrounded by loved ones?