oh... did I mentioned I made a gingerbread house...

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick Xmas shout out to everyone! Have a great Christmas and remember to celebrate Xmas for what it really is. The remembrance of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1
22:All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet. 23:"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."
Luke 1
10:But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11:Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Salem's new roomy

Mr Jangles has been with us for over 2 weeks now. He is an incredibly gentle and mild mannered cat. And compared to our weird, quirky black monkey, he is an angel.

Only thing.

He will not stop eating Salem’s dinners!!!!

I’ve tried everything!

Feeding Salem something Mr Jangles is not accustomed to. Doesn’t work.

Watching them eat. Salem never finishes his food in one hit, so that meant I have to sit and watch Mr Jangles devour his, and than stand guard while Salem leisurely waltzes in and out of the laundry taking little nibbles at each go. ARG!

Smacking. Not enough to deter him…. Double ARG!

Feeding him more so he stays clear of the other bowl. Double whammy. He finishes his own huge dinner and continues on to Salem’s for desert!!!

I give up! Just have to secretly sneak snacks and nibbles to the little black guy for now.

Brisbane shopping spree... oh .. I meant business trip...

I was in Brisbane for a couple of days for work and the last meeting for the day got cancelled.

Need I say more....

Here are my 2 new gorgeous dresses!!! And just in time for tomorrow’s Carlton Xmas Party!


Woohoo!!




Both pieces are from Brisbane designer Dogstar.

Agave Attenuata

I fell in love with this obscenely exorbitant green life since I first set my eyes on Jamie Durie’s Patio design.

I had always loved succulents because of its sturdiness and determination to stay alive. So it’s only natural for me to fall in love with the Agave because of it’s reputed boldness and rich texture.

I had made many trips to the nursery but have never bought one back. They were either TOO expensive or …. TOO expensive.

The Agaves are extremely slow growing plants. A good size teenage plant will set you back (easily) over $80. And an adult, with its beautiful structured longneck stem, over $180!

On a recent visit to Dural nursery for a working bee day. I stubbled upon 4 baby Agaves priced at a cool $30! On sales at a cooler %50 off!

My two little crowning glories are now nested proximately at the 2 corners of my balcony. Now all I have to do is to sit and wait for them to grow up into a stunning garden feature.

Hmmm…. Let’s see…. 10 years should do it?!

Mr Jangles

We have agreed to pet sit a friend’s cat while she’s away for the summer holidays.

I am a little apprehensive as to how Salem would react to this new four legged guest. So to help us to prevent a potential blood bath. Our friend sent us this article….

All I can say is… I hope it works!!! Eek…!!

The introduction to other pet cats in your home
If you are bringing your new cat into a home with other cats, keep in mind that there are diseases and parasites that cats can transmit to each other, and some of these are fatal. Before you bring a new cat into your household, take it to your veterinarian for an examination and stool sample check. Your veterinarian will be able to tell you what vaccinations your cat needs and check your cat's stool for intestinal parasites. Your veterinarian can also perform blood testing for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Then you can bring your new cat home without concerns about compromising the health of your current cat(s).
Keeping the new cat in a quiet, separate room is especially important if there are other cats in the house. The other cats will quickly become aware of your new cat's presence. The cats will usually sniff at each other under the closed door. Do not be surprised if there is some initial hissing. Help the cats get used to each other's scent by rubbing a towel over each of them in turn. Feeding them on either side of the door that closes off the room the new cat is in is also helpful. They will start associating the smell of the other cat with a good thing (food). After a few days, take the new cat out of its room, put the old cat in that room with the door closed, and let the new cat begin to explore the rest of the house for a few hours each evening.
The next step is to let the cats see each other, yet still keep them separated. An old screen door or a piece of Plexiglas works well for this. Another option is to prop open the door of the new cat's room, just enough so that the cats can see each other and put a paw through, but not enough that they can get through the door. After a few days of this, try feeding the cats together, but at opposite ends of the room. Monitor the cats during this time, and separate them except at mealtime. Each day, move the food dishes very slightly closer to each other, until the cats are eating side by side. The idea is for the cats to associate each other with the pleasant experience of eating. It is not unusual to hear occasional hissing, but this should decrease as the days go by. If things do not seem to be improving, try decreasing their interaction for a few days.
Once the cats seem comfortable with each other, you can move on to the final step. Open the door all the way, allowing the cats to come and go as they please. Monitor them closely, in case they fight. Do not leave them alone for any length of time until you are sure they will get along well. Make sure there is at least one litter box per cat. This helps to prevent a more dominant cat from stalking the other and keeping him from using the litter box.

Some much needed R & R

Summer is such a busy time of the year. We are fast approaching the end of spring and have already entered into daylight savings.
I LOVE the longer days. It just gives you so much more energy and motivation to do stuff. It’s great!!

Our social calendar has already been filled to the brim with dinner invites, working bee days, picnics, and Xmas parties! And that’s not to mention the obscene amount of after-office-drinks invitations.

I am finding it harder and harder to find time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Lazing around the house, tending to my (much neglected) potted plants, try out a new recipe (just love Kylie Wong). Finish a book! It’s crazy!!

Anyhow. Last Saturday, a few girlfriends and I got together for some much-needed R & R. Remedy? A full hour remedial massage.

Oohhh boy did it feel good…. awwww…

After the 1hr relaxing kneading and stretching. I was told by my motherly chubby Italian masseur that my muscles were really tense.

In her words:

“Young girls no… should never have such tight bodies no… relax more ok. If not, you’ll end up with poor posture no…. not good for pretty young girls yes..??”.

Oh man. What better excuse to book me in for a routine overhaul!! Wowhoo!

Sculpture by the sea

Last weekend was the last weekend for Bondi’s yearly Sculpture By The Sea exhibition. This is Australia's largest annual outdoor exhibition of contemporary sculpture by Australian and overseas artists. The three-week outdoor Sculpture exhibition lines the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk, and it’s an event visited by thousands.
A perfect opportunity for us to FINALLY get our little bubs down to Bondi and do the famous Bondi to Bronte walk!

Here are a few I quite like…



It's meant to be a fence between neighbours. They even have a recorder playing in the background. Seemingly of 2 ladies gossiping about their husbands in their backyard......



This is carved out from ONE slab of marble!

Our weekend

Ok. First of. Thanks for all your emails! It is great to know that I am not alone in this unpredictable world of hormonal confusion! Phew! =)

We had a relaxing Saturday planned. We were invited to a dinner bbq over at our neighbours that night. I had wanted to pretty much couch potated the whole day away. However, for a change, Mel suggested we drive out of Sydney to this little suburban town called Windsor.

Cushioned comfortably in our little black viper, we took a pleasant 1 hr drive up north with our hood down, hair in the wind, sun on our face and bathe in the warmth of a beautiful Spring day.

Windsor is a major town that cuts through the Hawkesbury River, and is well known for her old historic charms and idyllic sceneries. It also houses the largest turf supplies crops in Australia. (I was this close to running bare-footed across the vast space of soft grass. But the thought of being potentially gunned down by a protective farmer was way too risky to ignore. haha... )

We had lunch at one of the 2 popular fish and chip cafes in town. I ordered a seafood platter for 2 with calamari, grilled baby octopus and a lobster on a bed of golden chips and garden salad. (Sydneysiders for some reason talk of crayfish as lobsters. In my opinion, lobsters have pincers. Crayfish on the other hand don’t. So technically whenever we order a “lobster” in Sydney and get charged for an obscene amount of money that a geunion lobster would fetch. We are really only getting an inflated crayfish served up under the disguise of a misguided menu!! grr…. Ok..moving right along… )

It was really refreshing eating in the little unassuming seafood café. The food was great and the atmosphere relaxing. In the middle of the outdoor deck was a huge cage housing a beautiful adult size blue macaw (on sale for a whopping 7 grand!). It was really pleasant sitting there amongst the locals enjoying the fresh seafood. Although I have to say. The bird in cage part bothered me slightly. It just feels wrong to see a bird that you normally see on national geographic in such a setting. **tunes of Born Free playing in the background**

After our feast. We drove around to explore the vast land of turf farming. It feels SO good seeing the never-ending fields of green again. I actually experienced a rare moment of contacting with nature! What more can I say.

On our return journey home. We took a different route and accidentally wondered into a car ferry terminal called Wiseman Ferry.

Get this. For a cool 5 minutes, we were onboard a 3 car wide council financed carrier (Which means it’s free! That’s such a BIG thing for a Singaporean). We sat there in our car, admiring the hills as we peacefully floated across to the opposite bank of Hawkesbury River. How cool was that! Well… at least for a city pumpkin ignorant like me it was! I was kicking myself for forgetting to bring my trusty memory catcher (namely my canon V3) with me.

Anyhow. It went rapidly down hill from there. We got SO lost after that. We had a different destination in mind to where the ferry was heading. So after a mere 5 minutes ride. We found that we were floated off to the further banks of the upper north shire. Too embarrassed (and proud) to take the return trip back. We composed ourselves for a long drive back to home.

2 hours later. All red and roasted. We eventually made it back just in time for dinner catch ups with our neighbours.

What a great way to spend a fabulous sunny spring Saturday!!

A moment please

It has been a challenging past 3 weeks. My hormones are playing havoc with me. One minute I am fine, the next, hell break loose.

I find myself being really impatient at times. Getting really frustrated over the littlest of things. Irritable. Moody. Anxious. Lonely. A bloody melancholic drama queen! It’s driving me nuts!!!

Anyway. A friend of mine sent me this ‘make penguin fly’ on-line game today. It is going to sound perverse. But…. Oooohhhh boooyy did it feel good smacking those penguins.

I am in such need of a LIFE!

And some love… sob sob…

Here I go again.

AARG!!!

Good Food Month

October is Sydney’s Good Food Month. Mel and I, together with several of his work colleagues met in the city to celebrate this predominately Sydney event.

We had intended to visit an outdoor noodle market in Hyde Park [which only opens during this time of the year]. But due to the really sad wet weather. We were forced to change our plans and had dinner at Wagamama instead.

Wagamama is one of those Chinese /Japanese fusion funky food concept type restaurant, which [from experience] usually spells disaster. However, I have heard good things about their originated UK branch, so I was kind of looking forward to it.

The atmosphere of the lively open plan restaurant was good. They have a crew of very enthusiastic serving staff that if given the opportunity, will literally explain every single dish on the menu.

The food on the other hand, was a sad compilation of really average undecided Chinese / Japanese udon soups and funny chicken and beef rice dishes. It was pretty disappointing.

Thank goodness dessert at the Intercontinental was much better. As part of the celebrations for Good Food Month. Hotels in the city all ran promos for their top selling desserts for sampling at their lounge and cafes.

For $15, we had a selection of 3 desserts (the only one I could remember was the passion fruit panna cotta …yummm…) and a glass of dessert wine.

I am SO going to watch out for next year’s Good Food Month. And SOO going to stay clear of fusion restaurants.

Mussel Pot

A good friend of mine from home had flown in for the week. So last night, Mel and I caught up with her over dinner at the Belgium Beer Cafe at The Rocks.

Mussels-in-a-pot is THE thing to order there. But that night, I had to be different. So half unsure, I ordered the mussel escargot.

What …a.. rip off!

The mussels were literally the size of baby snails (thus the name escargot!).

I went through a BIG Dur and ARG moment while enviously peering from the corner of my eye at all the succulent FULL size mussels that surrounded me.

That will teach me.

Wheels of steel

I was informed that I would be getting my new wheels in early November.

The color decided upon is black. I have chosen mysterious Phantom over seductive metallic blue. Grr…

I was told that it would come with the usual driver and passenger airbags. AND. An added new feature - side airbags.

I would be ABSOLUTELY squished if those punch-out balloons ever deplore.

God help me.

2nd anniversary

Yesterday was our 2nd anniversary. We were still celebrated out from Mel’s birthday weekend getaway and thought a simple one at home will do instead.

So we decided we'd cook up a yummy Japanese meal together. The menu for the night was golden cripsy seafood and vege tempura on a bed of fluffy sticky rice, miso soup, and pancake ice cream for dessert. We had a ball preparing the meal together. =)

Apparently it is a western traditional to get cotton for 2nd anniversaries. So Melvin bought us a cool luxurious, "can't believe how expensive it is!!" 1000 COUNT Sheridan hotel collection full bed sheet set. Bed linens, fitted sheets and all. The works.

I am SO in love with my bed right now. And it is SOOO off limits to Salem.

Happy 2 years hon!

Catching up with an old friend

An old friend of mine was in town for a couple of weeks so I took the Friday off to hang out with her.

We have always been shopping buddies. So naturally, one of our catching up activity included doing just that.

A few places we visited during the weekends were the glitzy boutiques of Martin Place, quirky independent shops of Newtown, and [my favourite] fashion savvy Oxford St @ Paddington.

I’ve known this "old friend" for a long time. We go way back to when we were teens and were still young and foolish.

We saw each other through exam frenzies, boyfriend break-ups (more like boyfriend upgrades hehe), clubbing highs, and rampaged through many many shopping sprees. And of course like all true blue Singaporeans. Our hanging out activities mostly always centred around food. SO lots of pigging out moments.

I was really happy we got to catch up and hang out again. AND finally get some much-needed quality shopping advice!!

My conquest over the 2 [GLORIOUS] shopping spree days is a cool vintage bronze necklace at Paddington’s market.

Thanks Babe!
*wink*
Just had to post these pictures. We were having tapas at this cool family run Greek restaurant that serves up delicious kebabs and spicy sausages. Don’t you just love the red cushioned seats and rustic décor?!

Culture shock

Mel & I, together with a group of friends, bought tickets to the opera La Boheme. The performances are in Italian but subtitles are provided.

Like most operas, the storyline is base on a love story. And since it was my first operatic experience, I was really looking forward to it.

Oooh man.

Call me an unromantic, uncultured ignorant. But by the second Act, every strand of hair on my body was standing on ends. There was WAY too much love in the air for me to bear.

I could literally feel Melvin cringing and rolling his eyes!

The acts after intermission was a lot more solemn. I found myself immersing more into the characters and the drama of the tragic ending.

Admittedly, it was a very pleasant evening. Besides some face cringing moments, I had a ball.

And, given a second opportunity to rub shoulders with the culturally inclined socialites. I would gladly give it another go.

At least I got to doll up and tread around in my little cocktail dresses!

[I could just feel all your shallow glares!!!!]

Shoe laces and a broken ring

It has been almost a week since we put Salem under house arrest. He seems to be coping well besides the outburst sporadic meowing [which thankfully only happens whenever we open the balcony sliding doors].

Poor thing.

I have to admit. There was a little burden of guilt brewing in me. And I was beginning to get a little worried what this new captive life style will do to him.

So in fear of causing any bad and irreversible damage to his “catly” instinct and agility. I began my search around the apartment for a new toy that he could play with. In hope of re-invigorating his little mind.

I never believed in buying those expensive cat toys. The only toys we ever bought Salem were;
- His all time favourite little stuffed blue mouse
- A knitted ball
- And his scratching post.

The rest of his play pan collectibles consist of used present ribbons. An old shoelace. An old tennis ball. Used M&M candle figurine containers. Little vibrating pull out toys I bought from Brisbane Victoria markets years ago. Paper bags. AND. His favourite “hanging-around-the-kitchen- pass-time” toy. Rolled up plastic bags.

After much scrummaging through my bathroom cabinet. I stumbled upon my old spiral ring that I had bought from Paddington’s market a year ago. It was once my trophy possession. I never left home without it. Till it snapped one day.

So today. It became Salem’s new toy.

He absolutely and utterly fell in love with it!!

He was smacking it around the bathroom floor. Pushing it under doors. Carried it around the apartment. And his most ingenious self invented game ever. Bathtub ring hockey. How funny!

I tied the ring to his old shoelace. And for the very first time. Managed to catch his attention for a good whole 30 mins!

For fear that he may gradually get bored with his new toy. I decided to put a stop to this new obsession and kept his new toy for another day.

He glared at me unapprovingly and resumed his meowing at open balcony doors.

There’s no winning is there.... arg.

Surprise weekend getaway

It was Melvin’s birthday past Friday. I wanted to surprise him with a weekend getaway at The Rocks. So for the past week, I spent my precious lunchtime break, browsing through the web, making calls, plotting and planning for his gift.

Melvin was absolutely convinced that he was going to play lawn bowling that weekend. Even called a couple of friends and our neighbours to organise the game!

Can you imagine how stressed I was! I had to do a lot of lying [which I suck at] and whinging about how tired I am and really do not wish to exert myself over the weekend, to finally persuade him to [VERY begrudgingly mind you] drop the idea.

I somehow managed to bite my tongue through the week. And armed with a fake aloof demeanour, pretended to “play it cool”. I came this close to telling him the truth [well to be honest, mainly to shut him up].

And boy did he play the game. He whinged, he demanded, he threatened that he had to work over the weekends. All to force the truth out of me!

Soooo meeeannn.

Anyway. I managed to eventually pull it off. And on Friday, at dinner, while we were both devouring 2 mub crabs. I told him what I got him for his birthday.

My gift - A weekend getaway at The Sebel Pier One Sydney located idyllically at the water edge of The Rocks. A half-hour adrenaline heart pumping thrill ride on the Adventure Jet Boat at the harbour! And than off to watch the much anticipated AFL game at the pub with greasy pub food for lunch. [The Eagles were THIS CLOSE to wining the grand finals. Arg. It was so painful to watch. sigh.]

Oh. And a tie I bought from Melbourne.

I was beaming with pride when I saw a smile unwillingly creeping from behind his aloof face.

We checked in early the next morning. The Jet Boat ride was pretty good. We did several 360 degrees spins and saw many secluded beaches and huge [how rich are these people?!] mansions.

At the pub, Melvin ordered the largest beer he could find. 1 litres of gold liquid. It was so funny watching him drink from this huge mug, which literally was the size of his FACE. AND watching him turn redder and redder with every gulp.

It was a very good weekend. A couple of our uni mates joined us for the jet boat adventure and the game. Than Mel and I spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around the rocks, roaming through the markets and enjoying the beautiful weather. Dinner was at the much talked about restaurant called Wildfire just 10mins walk from our hotel.

I had a whole lobster for my main! Wok fired with chilli, salt and pepper, and black bean! Boy was it good. I did not care that I was the only one in the restaurant sucking and smacking away. AND eating with my fingers. YUUMM.

Mel had the duck. And a Very Good Duck it was. Double YUM.

Check out time was unusually late, at 12. So we did not have to rush the next morning, which was really good.

We felt so relaxed and pampered. What a stress free way to end a stress filled week. =)

Happy Birthday Honey!!!

Under house arrest

Salem is a domestic short hair. A well accustom pet for the indoor living. So when we got him. We decided that was what he was going to be. An indoor cat.

After moving into our apartment. We installed a cat door so he could go into the balcony. And that was as far away from home as he gets. Besides the neighbour’s balcony next to us.

Last night. He discovered how to leap into the balcony of the neighbour above us. And from there. He discovered the stairwell. And the “WORLD”.

Only problem. He did not discover how to get back.

I was scared shitless for 10mins while he went on his disappearing act. After much calling and waving his favourite treat in the air. I spotted him from our balcony. Roaming around the creek looking absolutely lost.

I ran out of the apartment into the stairwell and called out to him. He ran towards me. Meowing away.

My heart melted. I felt like an irresponsible parent.

After feeding him his dinner and giving him many hugs and kisses. And his largest ration of treats ever.

The little brat went out into the balcony and attempts to “escape” again!

He is SO under house arrest.

Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival

Today is the Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival.

I love eating the little lotus paste cakes. Especially the ones with egg yokes in them. yummm!

The atmosphere here in Sydney is quite different from Singapore. It doesn’t have the intensity that normally builds up before this celebration. Though I have to admit I was quite stunned when I heard a radio presenter wishing his listeners a Happy Mooncake Festival.

It put a smile on my face. But it was still not the same.

Back in Singapore. Kids would have already bought their lanterns and lighted them up in parks. Jurong Chinese Gardens would have had her annual display of the largest lanterns imaginable. Stores everywhere would have already sold hundreds of the beautifully flowered boxes of cakes. Tea and yams would have been brewed and steamed to compliment the sweetness of the lotus paste cakes.

My family would now be gathered around a table with a display of the little sweet cakes, sampling the different boxes bought from various “Best Mooncakes” stores in town.

And I?!

I managed to steal a slice at our church’s mooncake party with a spec of egg yoke dangerously hanging on.

How sad…