Brisbane

We had a fun and relaxin time exploring Brisbane City - We spent most of our time at Southbank. Brisbane Southbank is pretty different from the Melbourne one. Brisbane Southbank is much more green and very family-oriented.



The girls on the tree~!



All of us up on the tree


Try to spot Tim



Candid shot - i put this up cause i thought i look pretty cool here :P Adrian, Jus' cousin wasn't impressed with my over-confidence



Candid shot 2 - okay, not so cool here


Such a sweet couple =)

We actually came up to Brisbane for a wedding, not just a mere holiday. Congrats to Alvin and his beautiful wife, Sarah.

Jus with his mum and aunt

Jesse and I

Nicole and I - off to dinner



Together with the boys



With the beautiful girls



With Ann - whom I miss dearly. I told Jus and Jesse that I need new friends now that Ann is gone. Jesse told me to advertise on my blog.



Dinner venue



With bride and groom



WIth baby Solly and Mummy





Guess who caught the flowers? =)

Yarra Valley

Jus and I spent our Saturday at the Yarra Valley.

Below are pictures taken at Shantell, Yarra Valley. Two thumbs up for this restaurant/winery.

Shan, the winemaker of this winery was born in Malaysia~! He studied medicine at Monash, subsequently practiced as a general surgeon, and now runs a winery. He is now 60 years of age and still practicing medicine part-time~! Wow, all hats off to him =)

He runs this small but lovely vineyard with his wife, Turid from Norway. She studied physics at University of Melbourne and obtained her doctorate in 1971~!



Lovely scenery through a wine glass



Bon appetite - Our entree consisted of a variety of cheeses, crackers, smoked chicken, smoked salmon, mushrooms, beetroot puree, turkish bread, roast beef, salads. Nowadays, i usually try to steer away from smoked items because its too high in sodium. However, this entree dish was great~! Wasnt too salty at all.



My favourite - beetroot puree up close





My main meal - seafood dish consisted of prawns, salmon on lemon mash and squid. Ive never tasted squid so tender before. Yum =)I thought that it was interesting that the dish is served with a lime wedge. I usually have it with lemon instead.



If you are heading up to the Yarra Valley, I recommend that you stop by this winery for lunch. The restaurant is open from Thurs - Sun. For the kiasu Asians, discounts are available if you use the entertainment card =)

One of my favourite photos. Not because I look good in it (I know I don't) but because it seems to capture the essence of my spirit. I love the open sea. Jesse is getting better at taking photos isn't he?

Iron Chef Jesse

Whats a better way to start your week with good food (cooked by a chef~!) plus great company.

Jus and I bought various random food items from the supermarket for dinner tonight. The deal was that Jesse had to use every single item we bought plus any other ingredient/spice of his choice from the pantry.

So we bought :-

3 capsicums (red + green + yellow)
Onions
Garlic
Basa fillet fish
Barramundi fillet fish
Beef
Chilli
Pumpkin
Bak choy
Longans
Eggs
Mushrooms
Proschitto
Lime

Needless to say, he lived up to his reputation~!

So we had beef with capsicums + pumpkin + pine nuts + chilli..+ hm...etc etc (secret ingredients :P)

Barramundi (cooked chinese style with ginger, wine, soya sauce)

Prawns + eggs + other ingredients

Basa fillet fish + longans + lime + mushrooms + curry leaves + curry paste (ever tasted longans in curry? we have now~!)

Bak choy + Proscuitto

The meal was complimented by a beautiful shiraz provided by Kev plus a well-matched chardonay brought by Tim. We also had 2 bottles of sparkling grape juice~!

This was followed by a simple but delicious fruit punch of longans + grapes + ice + white wine.


Jesse at work. Look at how the prawns seem to be flying out of the wok. The art of a chef.





The company (minus Nicole, my brother and I)


Yum. Curry fish (with longans)

Very innovative. Never had bak choy with proscuitto before.

Philippians 2
He Took on the Status of a Slave

1-4If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand

God, teach me to be more like You.

Give me a teachable spirit.

Give me a humbling spirit.

For some reason or another (probably nearning the time of the month), I've been very irritated with my brother. Any remark that was even slightly displeasing to the ear made me really irritated.

So last night, while lying in bed:-

First 10 minutes: plotting spiteful revenge

Next 10 minutes: reversing plan. Not very Godly, i thought.

Last 10 minutes: channelling away thoughts: thought of sugar,spice and everything nice.

Fell asleep.

Today

Woke up: Ah, forgot about plan.

Irritated process repeat

Thought process repeat

Sigh, I can be so immature sometimes.

......

To love is to keep no record of wrong-doings. Thats a tough one. What if the person offends you again and again through his/her similar actions? Is it then possible to keep no record of wrong-doings? Familiar painful memories will be evoked? Thoughts anyone?

Happy Birthday Gorgeous Nina =)

A few days too late but here's a shout out to Nina. Happy 20th Birthday sweetie =)

Intelligent. Caring. Responsible. Giving. Loving. Emphatatic. Strong. Amazing. Beautiful.


Love ya =)

Me, myself and I

Home alone.

Suddenly the house feels unwelcomingly quiet. I usually like the quietness. Jus calls me a lone ranger. However, this quietness has been a sudden change from all the chatter with 4 ppl living in this tiny apartment. My brother is off to his gf's place. My parents are out for dinner with friends (I reckon my parents have more friends in melbourne than I do - no kidding)

I called Wei Chee last night. It is always good to be able to talk to an old friend who knows the old me and the current me. I think i have definitely changed quite a fair bit since I have left for Melbourne. Perhaps a little more opinionated. But hopefully, everything else is for the better =) I do realise that I like ranting off my problems to her when I am not really seeking for answers but more of reassurance that its okay to feel this way. Basically, to remove things off my chest. I kinda know what I'm suppose to do but I just want someone to listen. Thats the thing with girls isn't it. We are usually not seeking for solutions but for someone to just be there. I think that frustrates guys sometimes. Guys being solution-minded, would only speak about their problems when they are specifically searching for an answer. Last night, I was reading a book called "For Women Only" by Shaunti Feldhahn. Jus called it 'the bible for women living'. Ern said in response, 'Yeah, that's exactly what you want your wife to be isn't it'. That book is fantastic - really really practical. No fluff. Just the real deal. Its basically spills out 'what we need to know about the inner lives of men'. So if you wanna know:

Why are guys so stubborn @ does not want to ask for directions even though he knows he is lost

Why do guys seem so superficial

Why do guys react angrily but girls break down and cry

Why is his pride so important to him that we girls, for the life of us, cannot understand

Do read the book =)



Apropos to nothing, the Malaysian PM just got married today. After doing some brief research on the net about his newly wedded wife, let's just say that I approve of her =) She seems like a very nice lady - described by her friends as caring, compassionate, sociable, supportive, always with a smile on her face.


On a different note altogether, I'm starting to really enjoy my soups and teas. Winter paid an early surprise visit this year.

Btw, if you have nothing much to do, do visit one of my favourite blogs - waiterrant.net. His writing is absolutely superb. But please do excuse the vulgarity and the sexual connotations.

Day out with Ern and Jus

Taken two Sundays back - at Gertrude St.

Ivy introduced me to the area - she is one gurl that knows her food~! haha, my food guide.

Ern and I before our meal arrive. I love cozy cafe courtyards =)



After lunch, we moved to another cafe for dessert - Yes, we people can eat.

This place serve the best crepes~!!! Dining in that cafe made me feel like I was in France - my outfit matches the cafe ambience eh :P And the waiter that served us is from Paris.





Flaming crepes~! Rum + macademia



She who made our crepes - a view through our little window~!

It's funny how my old self is teaching me new things...

That's what i love about journals and blogs. Its a reflection on who we was and how we became who we are.

S, e-mailed me sometimes back. She was one of my dearest friends in Form 2. She typed out a snippet of something i wrote to her at that time. Wow, I never knew I had the capacity to think such big thoughts at that time :p haha.

S and I used to write notes to each other every single day even though we sat next to each other. Fun and carefree days. One of my most memorable years in high school. Definitely.


I was browsing through my old blog - and i found this entry. It kinda speaks to me now - 3 years on.

Speaking from the heart... In everything you do, do it unto the Lord. Lately, Ive been feeling a little unappreciated and a sense of feeling that Im not always not good enough. No matter what, theres always someone better than you, someone smarter than you, someone nicer than you. When, I look through that perspective, Im always doing it unto men (or women), and Im finally left feeling demoralized. This semester, God has been teaching me how to love unconditionally, no strings attached. It can been really difficult and tiresome at times. Its a long and tough process. Its against everything of the world. Im far from that goal. But Im glad Im walking or shall I say crawling towards it. Theres many a time, I want to be thanked or appreciated. But, as a servant of God, we should work in an unsuspecting way. Someone reminded me just now that in everything we do, do it unto the Lord. In the midst of all this, Ive missed the point and aimed at the wrong target. I'm glad that ive been redirected to the eternal focus. Lord, refresh my spirit. Refocus my mind. Recharge my body. Redirect my aim.

I realised that I have changed over the past few years. Not sure for better or worse. I miss that innocence i once had.
....

Hm, I had a tough day today - emotionally at least. A battle in my own head i suppose. No significant event happened. It was more of an accumulation of events i suppose. No one at fault and no one to blame but myself. I took a walk/jog in the park to clear my thoughts and I guess just to cry out to God. Literally.

I felt like I was in Job's situation. The problem was I did not react the same he did.

I have so much more to learn.

....

Church – did they get it wrong?

I walked out of the law building and quickly hustled to the main campus. My next class was about to start in 15 minutes and the class was located at the opposite end of the campus. Mid-way through ‘university square’ (it’s the park that separates the law building from the main campus), this guy approaches me. He had a clean-cut look, hair neatly combed to one side, wearing an ironed-press shirt - didn’t look too suspicious.

“Hi”

“Em…hi,” I replied, uncertain whether he was talking to me. I certainly have not seen him before.

“I’m a missionary,” he says as he points to his name tag around his neck.

“That’s good,” I replied in a tone that said I-feel-a-little-awkward.

“How was your day? I usually come to this park and try to talk to certain people about their faith. Do you go to church?” he continued.

“My day was good and I do go to church actually – one that is in the city,” I said as I quicken my pace.

“Me too but mine is outside the city.”

“That’s great.”

There was an awkward silence as I reached the traffic light.

“Hey, I got to go now. I’m late for class,” I said as I was about to dash across the road.

“The light is turning red. You can’t cross the road.”

“Darn.” I silently cursed the traffic light.

So which church do you go to? Do you go there every Sunday?” he asked me.

I answered his questions shortly and awkwardly. I was getting a little agitated.

Approximately 2 minutes later, the pedestrian light turned green, I said a quick bye and dash off into freedom.

While continuing my journey to class in the liberty of my own solitude, I asked myself why did I feel what I felt. After all, he is a Christian and I’m a Christian. I realised that I always shy away from these street missionaries. The same few things that always enter my mind would be:-

- Could this be something dodgy?
- What does he really want?
- Do you expect me to pour out all my problems to you in the first few minutes of knowing you?
- Is this just about luring me to your beliefs?

Did the traditional church get it wrong? Is this the best way to get someone to be a Christ-follower. Is it just about converting someone to a Christian? If I, a Christian, feel scared about being approach by a street missionary, what more a non-Christian?

I guess for me, it’s not about luring a person to Jesus but allowing a person to see the love, hope and faith that God has placed in us. After all, we are made in the image of Christ.

Gloomy days ahead?

Here’s what many have to say on Crown Casino, Melbourne:-

WHEN Crown Casino opened its doors 10 years ago, the celebrations were glittering — fireworks lit up the city skies, the rich and famous popped champagne corks and a Chinese dragon twisted its way along the river promenade. But not everyone agreed with original owner Lloyd Williams that this was a "gift to Melbourne". The dissenters included a half-naked actor (stripping made media attention a sure bet, according to Rachel Griffiths), a Baptist minister with powerful political connections (Reverend Tim Costello) and the then lord mayor of Melbourne (Ivan Deveson). They predicted many of the problems that have since afflicted people in this city — gambling addiction, theft and broken families.

Taken from the Age, 7 May 2007

In light of that, as much as the idea of opening two casinos (one marketed as an ‘entertainment centre’) in Singapore sounds enticing, the effects of it all will not be felt till a decade later.

Sure, the Singapore government suggests that they will limit the number of casinos which will then minimise the negative impacts of gambling. Tell that to the broken families who might be chased by loan sharks as a result of bad debts, especially when Singapore does not have a generous welfare system.

I remember during one of my trips up to Genting Highlands, Malaysia, a man who looked like life has been sucked out of him, approached my dad, begging him to buy his rolex watch. I asked my dad why he was selling his watch. My dad replied that it’s because he has gambled all his money away. I thought that perhaps the man could have once been someone respected and admired. He now looked like a pitiful creature, stooped down to a level of humiliation where he needs to beg in order to be clothed and fed.

Hm, but then again, the same can be said of substance abuse perhaps.

Dave Hughes

As i mentioned before, went to watch Dave Hughes at the comedy festival yesterday. He was pretty funny if you like Australian humour and if you manage the catch the joke between the many vulgar words. Its like "f... joke f...joke..f...joke...f...joke"

Here are a few of his jokes:-

"Hon, I think I should get a dog"

"Why?"

"Cause I need something to love"

"WHAT ABOUT ME? I need some love too"

.....

Points to some people who came late to the show

"You, why are you late?"

"O, we had to take a train from Chelsea (this small-ish town)"

"O, you had to push your way into the train i suppose"

....

Points to some people who came late to the show

"You, why are you late?"

"O, the babysitter didnt turn up"

"So you had to contemplate whether to lock the kid up in the cupboard did ya?"

...
He made some lame ones too (like one of those jokes that i would make)

WHilst wife looking at wedding magazines

"Hon, what do you think about this table runner?"

"What the f... is a table runner? Just tie the table down and it won't run away"

...

So there! A taste of Australian humour. Of course, there many jokes with sexual connotations attached to it but i didnt think it was too appropriate and some of them werent very tasteful anyway.

"It's difficult to find best friends these days. There are good friends and there are best friends. Best friends are hard to come by"

My mouth gasped open and I paused for a sec.

"Guess what? I was thinking the very same thoughts today and I told J that. The way i describe best friends are friends you can connect with on almost every level. Its almost as if theres some sort of chemistry between the two of you, aside from the romance"

"Exactly."

I've always wondered why it was so much more difficult to find best friends these days as compared to our primary school and high school days. Not that I'm complaining but its just a thought.

Back in elementary days, friendships were formed from fun and games. I like cars and you like cars. We like cars. We are best friends. That simple.

During high school days, friendships are formed over simple conversations.

Now we are mould into such complicated beings. Perhaps we are so complicated that its difficult to find a common denominator between us all. Or perhaps we are so busy running our own race that we have no time to run with others along our side. Perhaps we are too contented with our own lives that we do not find the need to seek strong friendships outside our comfort zone. Perhaps some of us have lost the hope of building new and strong friendships.

Gelati + company = happy boy + happy girl

My weekend started with a dip at the St Kilda sea bath on Friday evening. Imagine this - unwinding from a hectic week by leisurely swimming in a heated pool with a beachfront view. And to complete the picture, there was also a jucuzzi!

This was proceeded by dinner with Jus at this "authentic-looking" Jap joint. Note the inverted commas. The set up of the restaurant looks authentic especially with a Jap sashimi chef behind the sushi counter. However, the food was disappointing. The quality of the sashimi was not up to standards, the unagi did not taste too authentic and further, it was a tad too pricey.

Anyway, to brighten our night, we decided to head to 7 apples to have some gelati~!

I love photos taken in vivid mode. The colours of the pic appear fuller.

a-d-d-i-c-t-e-d

For the past few days, i've been actively engaging in battle




Chess, you gotta love that game...

A date in the sea....

Last friday morning saw me oh-so jumpy~! At 12 pm, I was set and ready to go. Go where? Fishing in the sea~! So, Jus and I headed down to St Kilda beach and excitedly hopped onto the Melbourne Fishing Charter boat. The moment we settled in, the captain of the boat turned on the ignition and off we went~!








With the wind blowing in our hair, the sun up and shining, the taste of salty sea breeze in our mouths, what could be a more relaxing day? We said our goodbyes to the St Kilda pier and off we sped into the open sea.

Bait for our fishes~! I love this shot taken by Jus. I like how the water droplets are captured in the background.


Jus being the competitive one decided to have a mini competition with me :P Initially, I objected. Its meant to be a relaxing trip - not some mind-gruelling games day~! The object of the game is basically to see who has caught more fishes at the end of the trip. Me, being the submissive one (dont laugh) succumbed to his request and decide to participate in the competition.

hehe...so the competition was on~!

Jus vs Jo

Jo enjoying the time away for the buzzling city


Jus looking focused - "Must catch more fish than Jo"


After 3 minutes of fishing, I caught a fish~!


Jo, 1 - Jus, 0

Five minutes later, I caught fish number 2~!


Jo, 2 - Jus, 0

Jus pretending to look happy :P


5 minutes later, Jus caught a fish. Woo hoo~! He is all smiles and feeling relieved.


Jo,2 - Jus, 1


To fast-forward, I caught 6 fishes and Jus caught 3. hehe. I won~!

But the fishes i caught were too small and had to be thrown back in the water whereas Jus' 2 out of 3 fishes met the minimum legal size and was kept on boat.

A few others of the boat caught baby gummy sharks. So cute~!


All in all, it was a really fun and relaxing trip~!

Of course, it helps that i won the competition :P