Nightmares

Night #1:
Fat boy from old high school chasing me in train station. Woke up in cold sweat.

Night #2:
Got chased by some money laundering tycoons. Ended up on the edge of a very high crane. Woke up in cold sweat.

Night #3:
Discovered that a friend died. Woke up in tears. Checked facebook and found that he is still alive and holidaying in Europe. Phew.

Night #4:
Found myself in the middle of war in Pakistan. Woke up in cold sweat.

Sigh.

On eating humble pie

Msn conversation on how I will act when J has gravely wronged me:

Joanne says: (9:37:11 PM)
actually probably silent treatment
Joanne says: (9:37:19 PM)
and ask you to meditate on what you did wrong
Jason says: (9:37:26 PM)
hehe
Jason says: (9:37:27 PM)
baby...
Jason says: (9:37:39 PM)
it's good that you tell me to think about what i did wrong
Jason says: (9:37:47 PM)
thats better than totally walling me off
Joanne says: (9:37:47 PM)
and write out a fullly detailed document on what you did wrong (point form) plus remedies and guarantee that you wont do it again.
Jason says: (9:37:56 PM)
really honey?
Jason says: (9:38:01 PM)
i'll keep that in mind
Joanne says: (9:38:28 PM)
plus for next week, im allowed to act like a spoil princess with no complaints from your end
Jason says: (9:38:51 PM)
hehe
Jason says: (9:38:52 PM)
baby.
Jason says: (9:38:55 PM)
but you already do
Jason says: (9:39:02 PM)
=)
Joanne says: (9:39:27 PM)
and then you must act like you are silently enduring the painful torture but will not complain for my sake.

Asian dads...hahahaha

From MyDadisaFOB

Americans like food

Last year, my family went to the wedding of a family friend who was marrying into a Caucasian family.

In the car on the way up:
Dad: What’s Helen’s husband’s name?
Me: The groom? Chase.
Dad: Cheese?
Me: No, Chaaaase.
Dad: Cheeeeese?
Me: Chaaaase.
Dad: Chaaaeeees?
Me: uh… better.

Later, during the reception, the groom’s younger brother walks by our table:

Dad: What’s Chese’s brother’s name?
Me: Silas.
Dad: What? SA-LA?! What’s with this family? One son called Cheese and the other Salad!

Stop lying to me

Dad: Should I get Blueberry Boat?
Me: A what?
Dad: Blueberry Boat. That or iPod Touch Phone?
Me: iPhone?
Dad: iPod phone.
Brother: Do you mean a BlackBerry Bold?
Dad: Blueberry Bold, you know what I meant.
Brother: BLACKBerry Bold.
Dad: Blueberry Bold. I know it’s called that, don’t think your Daddy stupid.
Brother: But it really is-
Dad: Remember what I said last time about correct me on Blueteeth?
Me: It’s BlueTOOTH-
Dad: See, I know better than you two, I won’t get trick anymore.

Of passing days

Yesterday
#1
Yesterday J and I visited the Camberwell flea market. Loved it. Lots of hidden treasures. From lego pieces, vintage dresses, bags to computers.

Of memorable quotes:
a. Me pointing to an unknown object that looked like an extinct computer that’s older than me. “What’s that? Is that a computer?” I asked the man mending the stall.

“It’s the latest computer in the market,” he said with a straight face without batting an eyelid.

b. One seller took a look at the price on one her vases and said to friend, "Hm...I think this vase is too cheap." She then proceeded to replace the price tag of $15 to $30. 100% increment in price. So arbitrary. That was a common trend in the market.


Cute buttons and little trinkets


Vintages dresses hung on a green wooden fence


Second hand books and an old sewing machine at the back of someone's ute


Posing with children's books. I saw lots of pre-owned Enid Blyton books! <3

#2
Yesterday, we also rockclimbed. We have been doing so, two weekends consecutively. I must say that I did pretty badly yesterday. My muscles are apparently still sore from last weekend. I have underdeveloped muscles. Sigh. There was a route (Grade 16) that I tried completing a few times but failed because of my lack of height. I just couldn’t reach the next handhold. It was frustrating because I knew what to do technically but I didn’t have the strength to do what was effectively a chin up.


Attempting the said uncompleted route. Sigh. Was carrying a chalk bag. My palms get really sweaty when I climb.



#3
Yesterday after rockclimbing, we proceeded to watch Wall-E on blu-ray disc. My first blu-ray film. I must say the quality is so much better than a dvd quality. J managed to get it for an extremely cheap price - $20 at the Camberwell flea market. It’s usually about $40.

Memorable quotes from Wall-E:

“Wall-EeEeeEeeEE….”

“EVaaaAaAaaaaaa….”

“Wall-EeEeeEeeEE….”

“EVaaaAaAaaaaaa….”

“Wall-EeEeeEeeEE….”

“EVaaaAaAaaaaaa….”

“Wall-EeEeeEeeEE….”

“EVaaaAaAaaaaaa….”

X 1000000000…..

Enough said.

That was about the only dialogue in the entire film.

My verdict? Hm….it’s great for kids I guess.

Movie theme: Save the earth, don’t pollute, exercise and don’t get fat or else, you’ll start rolling around like bowling balls.

Today

#1
Today I passed by a man who was writing with black ink on an envelope. I peered closer and saw that he was writing an address on it with neat handwriting. More envelopes sat uniformly on his table. I imagined that he was writing to his family who lived 1000000 miles away and that made smile =)

#2
Today I was sent an updated picture of my sponsored child. Attached to the picture is a short update of the child’s profile. It reads:

Thanks for your love and support, D is presently in level 1 of primary school in Honduras, which is equivalent to first grade in Australia. His performance is making steady progress.

Soccer, art and riding a bike are D’s favourite recreational activities…

D lives with his mother. His mother occasionally works as a labourer. D works at home carrying water, doing odd jobs and cleaning. There are 5 children in the family….

#3
Today, I had lunch with Sue. After walking up and down Flinders Lane, we settled at café Frais, a small café in an alley off Flinders Lane. We both have an affinity for little tucked away cafes in quaint lanes. Sue had a quiche filled with a variety of wild mushrooms. The quiche came straight from a piping hot oven. The crust was crumbly. Quite impressive.

I had a penne carbonara. The cream tasted pretty fresh but I’m not the best judge for carbonara dishes as it’s my first carbonara dish in years as I’m slightly lactose/cream/fat intolerant. I didn’t finish it lest I’ll get a tummy upset later.

Café Frais opened three months ago. Everything is freshly made. Do patronise the place. Good cafes are hard to come by in the city these days.


Café Frais
Flinders Lane
Between Swanston St and Russell St


A lane off Flinders Lane


Cafe Frais signboard


Penne carbonara and hidden quiche with complimentary salad in background

Wagyu burger, Rockpool Bar & Grill

On a whim, without making any reservations, J and I decided to try out luck at Rockpool Bar & Grill last friday night. I've heard raving reviews about their wagyu beef hamburger and had to satisfy my curiosity.



It was everything I expected. The meat was tender and juicy, topped with cucumber, cheese, tomatoes and some sort of sauce. I loved it. Definitely one of the best burgers I've eaten. The hamburger can only be ordered at the bar & grill, NOT the restaurant. At $18 it was definitely value-for-money. We also had complimentary bread for starters. J ordered the wagyu steak along with a beer and a salad. I also ordered wine. Total damage = $75.

Rockpool Bar & Grill
Crown Casino Complex
Melbourne
ph: 03 86481900

El Bulli - Best restaurant in the world

The restaurant has a limited season from April to October; bookings are taken on a single day the previous October. It accommodates only 8,000 diners a season, and gets more than two million (not a typo. Its 2 million~!) requests. The average cost of a meal is 250 euro; the restaurant itself has operated at a loss since 2000, with operating profit coming from El Bulli-related books, and lectures from Adrià.

You know what's scary about going to a restaurant like this? What if, I manage to dine there and I don't know how to enjoy the meal because my culinary taste is not refined enough?

Salad with pomegranate

Lovely Jane made a salad with pomegranate the other day. It was absolutely delightful. I have not had that combination of salad before. The sacs are juicy, slightly acidic but not as sour as passion fruits. Plus, if anything, the lovely combination of colours make a pretty picture. Inspired by her, I made that dish tonight.



Ingredients:
Rocket salad
Baby spinach
Pomegranate
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Organic honey

Facebook - social tool vs spam tool

Seriously, don’t you think Facebook is becoming like a spam tool (almost like the old almost non-existent Friendster) Everyday without fail, I’ll get notifications about someone building some virtual restaurant on some street and the main newsfeed is flooded with quizzes. I wouldn’t mind IQ testing quizzes but the majority of quizzes are, ‘How well do you know XYZ? ABC have scored 37% to questions such as ‘Is my right hand bigger than my left hand’. To which ABC will write, “O I guess I didn’t know XYZ as well as I thought. I’m such a horrible friend.”

But really, the only thing on Facebook that is of interested to me are photos, videos and links. Then again, it irritates me when I see 149203489243 photos of girls with the same background (sometimes in the toilet) but apparent different post (probably turned their head by 1 degree angle).

Anyway, despite all my complaints I’m still keeping my Facebook account. It is such an important social tool. To delete facebook is almost committing social suicide. Many events invites are given through Facebook these days. Not too long ago, sending out invites through facebook seemed a little insincere…and now, we have moved to mass invites through facebook.

I saw one funny comment on someone’s facebook wall the other day. That person just got married the other day and a friend said, “Are you living in denial? Update your facebook status!” The friend was obviously being sarcastic but there’s some truth in that don’t you think. To some, you’re not really in a relationship until you update your status. That’s funny because a while back, I thought that walking down the street hand-in-hand was a sign that you’re in a relationship.

Chaos – French film (2001)

Last night, J and I rented the film Chaos. It’s a French film made in 2001. I absolutely loved it. The plot of the movie is so melodramatic that it is almost comical and light hearted. However, the movie is underpinned with serious themes that in a way, sadly reflects our current society – where life is about our selfish needs and not about others.

There are so many running themes that it seemed almost chaotic as suggest by the title but in my opinion, it is a perfect mess. The film held my interest for the full 109 minutes even from the start. The movie started off with a bang when a professional French couple, Paul and Helene, coincidentally witness a prostitute, Noemie, being bashed up by pimps. She was savagely beaten up in front of their car bonnet. As a result, her blood dripped over their windscreen. Paul, instead of helping the girl, locked their doors for their own safety at the expense of the girl’s life. When the pimps left, the girl lay motionlessly on the ground. Paul got out of the car. One would presume that he would help the girl. However, unexpectedly, he started wiping her blood off his windscreen and then drove off. His wife was shocked and asked him, “Should we call the ambulance?”

He replied in a matter-of-fact tone, “Can’t you see blood on my windscreen. I need to wash this car.”

The next scene brings us to an automatic carwash place with wipers washing off the blood. It was a representation of how Paul could easily wipe off the bloody memory of the girl who was bashed up till near death.

Helene, cannot forget the incident, and the next day she goes to the hospital, where she finds the prostitute, Noémie, in a coma. Moved, Hélène stops work and leaves her family responsibilities to stay with Noémie throughout her recovery, aiding her as she regains mobility and helping her to communicate since she can't yet speak. It is surprising as to why Helene would help a complete stranger when she normally leads a self-absorbed life. Helene herself cannot understand and says to Noemie, “I don’t know why I’m here too.” Helene’s own life is in chaos with a dysfunctional relationship with her husband and son yet she immerses herself in helping someone else out of her mess.

The rest in italics is taken from Wikipedia

When one of the pimps returns to threaten Noémie, Hélène follows him out of the hospital, knocks him unconscious, and leaves him for the police to find.

Meanwhile, Paul and Hélène's son Fabrice, a university student, is cheating on his girlfriend with another girl, who is pregnant. When his girlfriend discovers the truth, she destroys his apartment. He moves into Paul's apartment just as Hélène moves out, and the two girls follow him, much to Paul's chagrin.

When Hélène returns home for a day, one of Noémie's pimps goes to the hospital with a friend and removes Noémie under the pretense that they are relatives taking her for a walk. Noémie, who still cannot speak, is unable to protest. Hélène meets them on the sidewalk and, realizing that Noémie is not safe at the hospital, "kidnaps" her and brings her to Paul's mother's house. Here Noémie recovers her ability to talk, and relates her life story: her name is actually Malika, and she is a French-Algerian immigrant.

As Malika recovers, the two plan Malika's freedom and revenge on her abusers. Hélène's life changes forever as the selfishness of her husband and son becomes apparent.

Some might view this as a feminist film, in that all women are heroines and all men are bad. I don’t know whether that was the intention of the director. However, in my opinion, despite the plot of the film, the movie did not come across as a feminist one. Perhaps its because, nearing the end of the movie, Helene asked L whether she could trust again. Helene continued, “Not all men are bad.”

I love this movie. It is definitely one of my favourites. Be prepared though, you’ll either hate it or love it. It is not catered for the general audience.

Mobile phone pictures

I recently received my new free LG U990 phone as part of my renewed mobile contract. As with most (if not all) phones these days, it comes with an inbuilt camera. This phone is supposed to be known for its camera as it even has a image stabilizer. I'm yet to properly test the camera myself . But yesterday, little 2 year old Faith tested out my camera for me when Ann and I babysat in the evening. She took about 30 pictures herself. They can never start too young.

I realised today that I forgot to remove the plastic protection cover over the lens. Hence, the pictures are blurry.


"Take a picture of the starfishes. How many are there?"
"Two!"


"Take a picture of the baby starfish"


"Take a picture of Aunty Ann. Count to three."
"One....five...ten...two....three...four..six...smile"


"Take a picture of me"


"Take a picture of the river"


Baby Faith who cannot be separated from her plastic bottle because grandma gave that to her.


This is my shot of the river.

Day out at Footscray

This morning, a couple of us headed down to Footscray for breakfast. FYI, Footscray is a Vietnamese-migrant saturated area. It is fast becoming my favourite hang out joint. Let me tell you why.

Firstly, while waiting for the rest, Ann, Jas and I strolled into a Vietnamese bakery. I couldn't wait for breakfast and wanted my food NOW. So, I decided to order a Vietnamese roll. It was absolutely delightful and worth every penny. And it was healthy to boot. The bread itself was a french baguette. FYI, french baguette is part of the Vietnamese staple diet because the French once invaded Vietnam. The french baguette was stuffed with slices of pork ham and beef ham with lots of vegies such as carrots, radish, lettuce etc and it was dripping with a slightly sweet and spicy sauce. So yummy. It definitely beats a conventional sandwich. Good food, tick~!

When the rest arrived, Ives brought us to a local Vietnamese restaurant that served pho. I LOVE pho. Actually, I love most type of noodles. This pho in particular tasted pretty authentic. The soup was quite tasty and it didnt have too much msg in it. More good food, tick tick~!

After breakfast, we headed to a store that sold yong tau foo. The fish paste used look so fresh! And we were definitely spoilt for choice. They sold most types that I can think of at the top of my head. I picked out a few pieces for dinner tonight.

Next, we headed to the market to buy chicken bones. I'm planning to make some chicken stock for dinner tonight. Oh my~! Seriously, I had a real shock entering the market. It didn't feel like Melbourne. For one second, I thought I was back in Vietnam. I kept telling Ann, "Oh my goodness, I feel like we are back in Hanoi! Look at those people selling food illegally by the side of the streets with their little baskets." The market was absolutely packed with people. Most of the vendors probably originated from Vietnam because they were speaking in Vietnamese. Although the place was pretty packed, I didnt mind because I do like crowds. I like busy streets and just watching people in general. The best part about the market is that, they were pretty liberal with their free fruit tasting. Ives and I probably tasted about 10 different sort of fruits today. And to top it off, most of the stuff sold there is relatively cheap compared to other markets or the supermarkets. I might make it a weekly routine to head to Footscray for breakfast and marketing from now on. Ten ticks for Footscray!

Vibram FiveFinger Shoes

The future of our running shoes?


The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 muscles and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised.

That’s why we recommend wearing FiveFingers for exercise, play, and for fun. Stimulating the muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

The shoes certainly looks strange to me. Could this just be another fad like the crocs? But apparently, the best shoes for us is our own bare feet. Certainly looks interesting! I'm not sure about buying them now, maybe when they start getting a little more popular. They are not the most aesthetically appealing pair of shoes. I can imagine stares darting at my feet. They remind me of webbed feet!

Yawn. Going for a run now.