little miss may

Okay, I get the hint… It’s time to post!

Thanks misti, kyh and carcar for patiently waiting in line.

I must say I’ve had an interesting spring September. And in a few blinks of my two eyes, it’s already October.

Moz came a-visiting last weekend, and we beer-ed and dined at the Belgian Beer Cafe, catching up on our goings-on. I would’ve shared some photos of the absolutely delicious Tintin au Congo mussels, Belgian-style sausages and beer we had, but unfortunately my skills at the DSLR still sucked big time. My photos came out bleah, but I’m sure Moz will share his with you… when he gets around to doing it!

And for those in the know, Chen was in Oz too, except at the other end in Perth. We didn’t meet up, but it was really nice to know that she was in the same continent as I am for the last few days.

Now, on with the yummier show…

I had the day off yesterday to celebrate his birthday. We made a sinfully indulgent visit to the Lindt Chocolat Cafe after a long, hot walkabout in the city. That tall glass of iced dark chocolate was just what the doctor ordered - perfectly chilled to cool the tummy down. And what visit would be complete without trying out their rich, chocolate cakes? Mmmm… worth every bite. And lick.

Not two hours had passed and it was time for dinner. Well, it wasn’t because we were hungry after downing all that iced chocolate and cake, but reservations were for 6 p.m. and we didn’t want to miss out on some delicious modern Japanese dining at WAQU.

The 5-course dinner was fabulous. Every portion was just the right size, and the flavours were vastly different and interesting, from one dish to another. The star of the night, I have to say, was the beef tenderloin steak he had. Seared to just the right medium-rare level, and oh-so tender to the bite.

Mmmm. Heaven.

Happy birthday, hon.

Ahhh, Spring is almost here.

Almost.

One more day, and it’s officially end of Winter.

The beginning of warmer days and colourful blooms.

So what else is new?

A friend got me started in painting with acrylics. Not little tubes of watercolour on a plastic palette and art block, but fully propped with an easel, canvas and all sorts of brushes. There were so many things I could’ve done as my first piece. I don’t know why, but the tiger caught my attention the most.

See? Tiger.

Maybe it’s to do with Malaysia’s Independence Day.

Maybe it’s the versatility and cunningness of the animal out in the wild.

Maybe it’s just the adorable white patches behind a tiger’s ears that I just can’t get out of my mind.

Crouching Tiger,
Happy Merdeka.

What shall I paint next?

What do you get when you cross a recipe book by a famous chef Tetsuya, a food enthusiast, his kitchen helper and a willing guinea pig?

You get Baz-uya.

And a whole lot of delicious fusion food for three people.

carrot and saffron soup with beancurd
sashimi of hamachi with orange and ginger vinaigrette

scallops with lemonade fruit and yuzu
oysters with rice wine vinaigrette

confit of petuna ocean trout with fennel salad

scampi with tea and scampi oil

prawn and scallop ravioli with tomato and basil vinaigrette

Y U M .

Thank you two very much for a lovely, delicious evening! xxx

I was looking back at the list I created in January, of things I wanted to do this year. It wasn’t quite a New Year’s resolution (or ten), but some things to keep me going for the next 12 months.

To recap, have a look at not so new year resolutions.

Well then.

01. Keep my greens alive, the latest addition being a cute chili plant
Greens are still alive, alas my chili plant is no more. Over-watered as usual. I have to stop doing that. My greens are sulking now that it’s Winter, but hopefully they’ll survive long enough to breathe in the warm air again come Spring.

02. Take the driving test and get my full driver’s licence
Yep, that’s done. Embarrassing story on Test Day itself where I bumped the curb on a left turn and the hubcap flew off, but thankfully the test officer didn’t fail me. “It’s marked as a ‘no’, but don’t EVER do that again!” he said. I’ve steered clear of the curbs since.

05. Cross my fingers, apply for a Resident Return Visa and hope they approve it
Got that one! After a month of getting my paperwork together, they accepted my “compelling and compassionate reasons” for being away those last 4 years and not fulfilling my 2 before renewal. At least I don’t have to worry anymore if I have to fly out of Oz for an emergency. Touch wood.

06. Keep in touch with some old friends, even if it’s just 1 email a year
Facebook has allowed me to find — and be found by — old childhood and school friends whom I’ve lost touch with. Ah, the wonders of the Internet.

07. Buy a new battery for my beloved MacBook
The battery has kept Mackie goin’ and goin’ and goin’… and still goin’.

08. Get me some wheels, maybe
For sure! My new Baby Mazda2 purred in my hands today as I took her for a spin around the ‘burbs. And as with all new cars, I’m still quite nervous whenever I take her out but we’re fast becoming old friends. And lovers. Ooh. That sounded naughty.

09. Remember, less is more (less stress, more salt)
Does blogging less count? Hmmm… yep, it does. Gives me so much more time getting to know the people who are beginning to matter a lot to me. And play the guitar. Someday.

10. To dream the impossible dream…
Still doing that. I’m finding what was impossible, is always very possible. If only you believe.

Now all that’s left is 04. finish reading one more book to make read count = two, and though I’ve changed my mind about 03. sponsoring a child somewhere, I’ll find a way to make up for it. Make more donations, for example.

I’m doing pretty good, hey.

Only 6 more months till 2009…

5 p.m. Thursday evening, 19 June 2008. The Apple Store in Sydney opened its doors.

Woo-hoo!

glow in the dark

No, I didn’t stand in line from the wee hours of the morning till its opening time, but I did pop by the store after work around 6:30 p.m. The big Apple logo shone brightly in the wet winter’s night like a beacon calling all fans to sail into port. You could literally see all the people inside from the outside. How cool is that?

the queue; apple on the umbrella; welcome & door gifts; the glass staircase; macs everywhere; the genius bar

And so I joined the queue that went all the way to the next street. The wait in the rain wasn’t as long as expected, about half an hour - short considering we’d wait for over an hour for seats in a good restaurant. The Apple staff were kind (smart) enough to loan us some umbrellas to keep dry.

All visitors were greeted with claps, whistles and cheers of welcome. Oh, and the first 2,500 customers received a door gift each - a blue apple t-shirt with the words “store’s up” in front and a swirl motif of iPods at the bottom. Yep, I got one! But it was XL so I won’t be fashion-parading it around in public. Good for sleepwear in the summer, though…

There were the usual range of Macs and iPods on display for customers to test-drive on. The Genius Bar was on the third floor. Loved the glass staircase! I felt that the Regent Street store in London had a much better layout, though. More depth. The Sydney store had length, but it didn’t quite appeal to me as much. Oh well, at least it’s the first in the southern hemisphere.

apple in the air

Mmm, yum.