The hunt for the perfect burger

I have been on a crusade of sorts since around last year. You see, I tend to cook a lot of Asian style food at home so on occasion, I do tend to like going out for something different and it always inevitably ends up being something Western. As I am not a steak lover and BF is, we came to a compromise and ended up going for burgers instead.

Thus started out hunt for the perfect burger.

BF is quite fussy with food as it is, so on our recent US trip, we tried the local fast food place called 'Jack in the Box' and he has been hooked ever since. When we got back home - every burger was being compared to JiTB but it looks like he has found a good replacement at Andrew's Burgers in Albert Park.

The menu wasn't extensive, and there are limited places to eat in so most patrons end up eating at a small grass plot across the burger joint (us included). Also be prepared for a wait - we were told ours would be 20 mins so we nipped across the road for a drink to kill time.

All in all though - worth the wait. :)

Andrew's Burgers
144 Bridport St
Albert Park VIC

Gluttons Galore - Malaysia

I am and have been a big piggy.
One of the downsides of being back home is the copious amount of food that you miss when you are away from home.
Yes - there are things that you can find but it never the same. After all, it is always toned down to suit the local palate or even worst, a bastardized version which is past off as the real thing - bleh!
Some of the things I have had so far - let's see
- Nasi lemak bungkus
- Pappa Roti
- Appam balik ( both biasa and garing)
- Cendol
- Chee Cheong Fan
- Vadde
And not to forget
Mum's home cooking!!!!
Indeed - will struggle to get into the saree at this rate. ;)

I want to ride my bicycle ...Queen

In my quest to lead a somewhat healthy lifestyle in between the work, and the travel and the what's-so-not, I have started doing some evening routine.
It is still a WIP at this point - power walking or cycling. Quite pleased with myself today 11km's.
If only it actually becomes more of a habit rather than a chore. :)

Sunset over Santa Monica, CA

It has been 3 days since I've been back from break and my mind and body feels like it hasn't been away.
Seriously, I am exhausted at the end of the day ( I was back to work on Monday and we got back to Mel on Sunday evening ) and I feel fat! Blame it on over indulging over the holidays.
I miss not thinking about anything. I went away with friends (BF, P and S) and if I am really honest with myself, there were moments where I wished it was just BF and I. Traveling with other ppl can and is quite stressful and the group dynamics change when it is a foursome as opposed to a duo or threesome.
Lesson learnt I suppose.
I do miss certain parts of things tho. I doubt we will go on a snow break for a bit. We've been going for 5 consecutive yrs so trying something different will be a welcome change.
LA was not as glitzy as it makes itself to be. Sad to say - even sleazy at times.
I left my heart in San Diego and Santa Monica. x

Hollywood ... Baby!

A sneak peek of more to come.

Weekend fun activities.

The weather was too good on Sat for us to not take advantage off. So what do we do, strawberry picking!

We headed down to the nearest farm to us which turns out to be in Keilor. 1/2 hr later and we are picking and dipping (as BF says, 1 for the basket, 2 for me). Bonus was - it is also the only organic strawberry farm in VIC so we def were eating healthy.

Lovely fresh picked sun kissed warm strawberries... Mmmm...

**Melbourne ** Night Out

A bit behind on publishing some of my blog entries but no matter, it is not like anyone reads this anyways..!

Being in a relationship has its pros and cons, and one of the cons is being so "content" and not really needing to "pick up" any longer *hey, lets be honest here - we tend to go out to check out the meat market, when you are no longer in the scene, it just feels like a bum deal coz you can watch but cant touch!* - lol..

Anyways, I digress.
On 1 of the Saturday nights that we did decide to slap on some war paint and head out, it was to the European Bier Cafe on Collins. Nice selection of European beers off the tap and bottle of course - brought me back to being back in Belgium 2 years ago.

Food wise - it was ok, typical pub grub with some Australian flair - I stuck to the Caesar salad hence no pics but decided to take pics of some of the others instead.


Chicken parma and chips.

Pork chop with crackle - the crackle looked too thick.

Not being a beer drinker, I opted for a strawberry and lime cider :)

And finished it off with a round of squashed frogs shooters- they barmaid really was hopeless at mixing a cocktail tho - a proper squashed frog shooter is suppose to be nicely layered but these came out DEAD! Oh well, still tasted ok tho.

European Bier Cafe -120 Exhibition Street Melbourne VIC 3000

To top the night off, it was to Max Brenner for coffee/mocha and dessert.

Max Brenner Melbourne Central Shop - OE5, Menzies Alley, Melbourne Central Shopping Centre 300 La Trobe Street Melbourne VIC 3000

Playing tourist VIC - Graffiti

Art or menace - ??

I have always liked and admired graffiti around Melbourne -not all mind you, just the ones with the artistic flair and if I have my camera with me, it is snap snap snap away much to the amusement and sometimes exasperation of BF.

Yes, I know that the Melbourne City Council think that graffiti is a nuisance and an eyesore but it does add character to an otherwise "blah wall". Each to their own I guess.

These ones were taken around Fitzroy after a nice catchup with some mates who were visiting from Sydney.

Talking fish...

AAAGGGHH *scary growl*

Hmmm....

Playing tourist VIC - Berry picking.

One of the things that I have decided to do this yr (which reminds me, I still haven't blogged about my resolutions!) is to start enjoying the lil things in life - and hopefully with less pain to the hip pocket as well! This of course includes doing things around Victoria. Don't get me wrong - "travel without the passport is not travel" is still my motto but doing this around does keep things interesting.

BF has been going on and on about berry picking for yonks and seeing that it was in season and the weather was kind to us yday (a nice 19' as opposed to the massive 35' on Sat!), we took a drive up to the Dandenong Ranges for a bout of berry picking! Yes, very domesticated but sometimes it is all about the lil things.

There are actually a few farms up the Silvan area that caters for "U-pick" but after a bit of research, we opted to go to Blue Hills Berries and Cherries as it had blackberries in season. Some of the other places had raspberries, blueberries and strawberries but if BF wants blackberries, blackberries it is!

The road trip itself took us around 1 hr from where we lived - not a biggee really even if our trusty Garmin ran out of juice 15 mins away from our destination and stuck someplace near Ringwood. Never fear, that's when the trusty 3G capable phone and Google maps came in handy *phew*.

To cut the whole story short, berry picking is great fun! Have of the appeal is being able to pick and eat immediately and nothing beats a self-picked fruit. Am even considering going again in a few weeks...

Road trip drive to Silvan

Yummy blackberries!

Yes, I picked those.. don't they look good?

Hunting for the best strawberries..

Our final haul - all 2.5kg's of strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and some boysenberries...

Shall I???

Question now is....

With my trip across the ditch next month - shall I do my fifth bungee or play it safe with the bridge climb esp as I don't want to hurt my back for snowboarding in Feb???

10 Things to do before I die ...

You know how some ppl have this list of things to achieve before they hit a certain age? In most cases, it generally reads like 1) Must get good job, 2) Must be married to someone who is tall dark and handsome bla bla...


Well, I never had this list. I did have a list though, just not THAT list. My list on the otherhand was all about *surprise surprise* travel and experiences. Don't ask me why, but children and marriage was never very high on my to-do agenda. I haven't had a look at this list, not since I became an inactive member of VirtualTourist anyways. But I logged on today and perhaps it is time to build up a new list.

I have been keeping a list of sorts but it is not one set on paper (or blog in this case). Some items I have already crossed off, but this can be added onto the new list. Well, for starters, here is the old list - and in no particular order....

10 Things I want to Do before I Die...(Old List)

Skydive ~ mission accomplished in KL *

Fly a kite in Tiannamen Square Beijing, China ~mission accomplished *

Get drunk on wine*oh the hangover!* at Barossa Valley, Australia ~mission accomplished *

Take a gondola ride along the canals in Venice, Italy ~mission accomplished *

Walk across the river Tiber on Sant Angelo' bridge in Italy ~mission accomplished *

Enjoy a typical Midsommer Day and have reindeer meat in Stockholm, Sweden ~mission accomplished *

Birdseye view of HK from Victoria Peak ~mission accomplished *

Bungee jump in Queenstown,NZ
~ mission accomplished, and jumped not once.. not twice .. but 4 times!!*

Walk up the Eiffel Tower(not take the elevator), Paris France ~mission accomplished *

Make a wish at the Trevi Fountain - Rome, Italy ~mission accomplished *

Home project - Office/Bedroom 2

We have been doing a home reno project for nearly 1/2 yr now - slow and painstaking but then again, it is not that we are in a rush.

The lounge, dining, kitchen, powder room has been repainted. Am doing up the pergola from the yucky beige to white to freshen things up and my small space under the stairs has been repainted and redone to a nice coat/shoe cupboard. *Am quite pleased with the coat cupboard project too as I did that!*

In the meantime - the office/bedroom 2. Ah.. where do we start? The rooms were all a yellow-white which BF's commented looked like "A smoker lived here". It has been replaced with Dulux "Natural White" for the whole house except for the kitchen and dining areas.

I've been working from home for the past week or so and seeing that the office looks like a tornado has gone through it, where is a girl to work - the dining room!

Project HOME - Status - In Progress

Unfinished Office/Bedroom 2
Skirting boards - Sanded down and repainted
Wardrobe doors - Sanded and repainted
Walls - Sanded and repainted
Tidying up - Undone!

"Current" office.

Social calendar updates - BF's bday celeb November 2010

As always, things have gone a bit slack with the updates as weekends are filled with social activities as we hit the silly season - it is less work, more play now baby!!

It was BF's bday on Sat - milestone of a day, hitting the mid-XX's and all, so it was decided that we take him out for a nice meal and some. Now do tell me, which man can resist getting his teeth into a big chunk of meat?

The place - Squire's Loft, Docklands
The ppl - Usual suspects

The usual suspects

My main meal - Lamb Scotch Fillet (300g) grilled served with hot chips and black pepper sauce

The starter - Ribs, Beef Sausage, prawns and Garlic feta Mushrooms


The polished off dish of garlic feta mushrooms

Bday cake - Chocolate mudcake!

We ended the night off at Crown Casino, and the birthday boy didn't loose so it was wins all around!

Playing tourist VIC - Tesselaar Tulip Festival

Well I haven't been blogging as I have been too busy - BUSY PLAYING TOURIST!!
Lol, the problem with living someplace is that we tend to get lazy and go with the usual phrase " I'll do it next time, it is not going to run away". Unfortunately, that is not true. Seasons change, ppl change, heck, there might be a mishap * touch wood* and where does that leave us? Regrets.

I have decided that I will not take life for granted, I WILL go and try new things, I WILL go and DO new stuff ~ however mundane, trivial or silly ~ it is all for fun. After all, I am not getting younger by the day.

As such, after years of putting it off - this year Mel and I played tourist and headed to the annual tulip festival in Silvan, VIC. It runs for around 4 weeks and this yr it was on September 16th to October 17th 2010. There is a cover of $18 (Concession $15, Under 16 free). There is usually a theme run to go with the week and when we went it was the Irish Week!

The trip itself was gorgeous as Silvan is on the foot of the Dandenong ranges so it is green, leafy and calming. Silvan itself is well known for its nurseries and fruit farms so I did enjoy my mini road trip.

Will leave with pics till the next playing tourist series :)

Updates ...

I feel guilty sometimes that I don't spend time to blog more often.

Don't get me wrong, I use the Net enough for work purposes, and I also read other peoples blog and I often wonder " Where do they find the time????"

Maybe it is all about priorities?

Anyways, moving on - things have been pretty hectic social wise for me, with working full time, my quiet weekends are now filled with catching up with friends and "date nights" as BF and I try to find quality time and catch up on what is going on with work and all that. Its been good actually. Friday nights are usually reserved for date nights, it is usually dinner and a movie but yesterday was going out with some friends to catch Russell Peters and then some drinks at Richmond - its nice to be living in Melbourne, even if I am living in the 'burbs... hehehe.

Last weekend was a blurry haze, went for dinner at a mate's - she has a lovely 2 bedder apartment in Southbank and we later adjourned to Collingwood, and the 2 boys basically polished off a bottle of Small Batch in an hr and a half! Good fun with great company - but this will have to stop at some point.. or does it? :)

Haven't been taking too many pics these days, a small clutch does not make a handy camera keeper so on the few occasions when I do, I take snaps of food! Doesn't help that BF is no cam-whore ... the pics above was taken from the Meat & Wine Co, in Southbank before we headed for a mate's bday in the city.

Anyways, just thought I'll get something before old age strikes me and I forget! Happy Weekend!

p/s: I started this entry on Wed and only finished today..lol

White Xmas ...

Am on a jet plane in a few hrs... a fortnight of bumps, bruises and hopefully no broken bones *fingers crossed!*

Mel > Sydney> Narita> Tokyo (by train) > Nagano (by bullet train)> Shiga Kogen (by bus) -

And on Xmas Day, I will be on the ski slopes *wheeeeee*

3 weeks of....

Break down of the next few weeks:

Fri/Sat (18 & 19/09) - Parents arrive from Malaysia/UK
Mon (21/09) - Move house
Wed (23/09) - Marriage registry
Fri (25/09) - Fly to KL
Sat (26/09) - Booked for hen day in KL (not sure what is happening..eeeks!)
Mon (28/09) - Stag week for the boys in Phuket and Kuala Gandah trip for the girls
Tue (29/09) - Back to Johor for last min prep
Thur (1/10) - Boys back and down to Johor, guest start coming down
Fri ( 2/10) - Dad's bday and Mendhi night
Sat (3/10) - D-day!! Traditional wedding and Reception
Sun (4/10) -Guest start trickling away
Mon (5/10) -Back to KL
Tue (6/10) - Siem Riep, Cambodia with mates!
Fri ( 9/10) - Back to KL and trip back home to Mel


It is going to be a very busy 3 weeks indeed!

Up and Down the hill she went..

So its happens.

BF and I went to Mt Buller as we did last yr but the rush feeling just isn't there anymore. I blame it on being "spoilt" by Hakuba Japan. The snow fields didn't feel as fluffy - instead it felt more like boarding on a sheet of ice.

Furthermore, any falls simply sets the bones a-jarring and I came out with a sprained wrist and a slight neck-ache after taking a rather nasty spill on the simplest run there was! Blame it on whats-so-not, I fare better on the intermediate runs than on the easier runs where newbies try their luck.

I don't think we will be going back to Buller, at least not for this season - or the next either. We are planning a weekend trip some time in Aug with some mates up to Falls Creek which ought to be fun but depending on how things pan-out, we might head back to Japan - to Shiga Kogen this time.

For now, my board and snowboots are put up to dry and into storage.

The making of a Traditional wedding pt 2

WIP List - 4 months to go and counting...

• Wedding cake - yes/no?
• Accommodation arrangements for KL (for hen and stag nights pre-wedding day)
• Accommodation arrangements for guest
• Travel arrangements for guest (only if notified)
• Shoes - for reception
• Sandals/Kitten heels (?) for temple
• Traditional garlands for temple
• Bouquet for bride
• Bouquet for bridesmaids - yes/no?
• Liquor - quantity- for reception

Others

• Send out wedding invites (must wait for the good month)
• Ensure weight doesn't go up so can fit into dress and sari blouses :p
  

Back from Malaysia - the making of the traditional style wedding

I've been meaning to start jotting about the wedding prep (or lack off) but have been putting it off for heaven knows how long. Gosh! I am getting married!

Biting the bullet and all - and taking advantage of the long Easter weekend this April, BF and I headed back to Malaysia to assist mum and dad with some wedding related decisions.

As a tick list

Things completed:

Purchased:

1. Wedding sari
2. Reception sari
3. Groom's salwar khamez
4. Wedding bridesmaids/usher's sari's
5. Groom's best man and bride's brothers Nehru jacket
6. Sari's for bride's and groom's mum
7. Brides wedding dress
8. Wedding rings (his and hers)

Picked:

1. Mehndi designs for bride and guest
2. Menu for lunch - Banana leaf
3. Menu for reception (6 courses)

Booked:

1. Mehndi (henna) night specialist for night before wedding
2. Wedding photographer for pre wedding/wedding and reception
3. Temple - for wedding proper
4. Temple hall - for lunch after wedding
5. Hotel restaurant - for night reception
6. Caterer for lunch
7. Dias and temple decorator
8. Accommodation - after wedding for self and future HB (now BF)

To be honest, I have heaps I want to put down on the blog. Something for me to look back to perhaps once this is all done and over with. However, I am still somewhat getting back to "Aussie mode" after spending 10 lovely days with the folks and catching up with some selected mates.

Coming from a mixed background - but seeing that I am marrying to a completely different one, I wanted to incorporate some of these things in but trying to coordinate things from across the seas really doesn't help esp as mum is hindered by the fact that dad is not really doing very well with his recovery (more on that later).

Never mind, this is just the beginning eh.