Feb 2008 ~ Mar 2008

City Baby again!!

Officially moved in to Kensington, I feel at home straightaway! Tram & train stops are just less than a minute's walk away. Its great to be able to get home in 20mins, and having an extra half hour sleep every morning! Awesome. This also means I can go back to cooking, which I have, and whipping up stuffs as I go along...not too shabby seeing the boys haven't complained yet (or rather I think they just keep their mouth shuts so that they won't need to do the cooking...kekeke). And yes, I know I know....I've been really slack in updating my blog. So here's 2 months worth of stuffs...

10 years worth of junk...
Was quite amazed at how much rubbish I have....

13/02/2008: Daryl's Birthday at my place

Meanwhile, Frank (a friend from work), got himself into a motorcycle accident and broke his 'little pinky', and needed pins stuck into them to hold it straight....and a million stitches to hold it together..., ugghhhh....

Leanna in Melbourne again!!! Yay!! She was here towards the end of Feb, and had kept me busy for the whole weekend. Had also organised a rock climbing session with workmates that weekend. Fun fun fun! Unfortunately, did not bring my camera with me. Oh, And the BIGGEST joke of all, we wanted to go to a rave, and neither one of us knew where to go since its been such a long while that I've gone out. So we thought maybe Bass Station down on Chapel would still be a rave club on Fridays. When we got there, while paying the entrance fee, we thought the music sounded kinda funny...little did we know...it was an r&b asian night thingy (something I've avoided as much as I can since a long time back...totally over it)!!! GOSH!!! We were like staring at each other for a full 10 seconds, wondering what the hell we got ourselves into!!! MUAhahahahah......anyways, I ended up sticking to beer (makes me happy regardless of where I am) while she was off her head....farnee....

3 Mar 2008 ~ NO RESPECT 4

Mike Zambidis in action!!! One of the better kickboxers around, this guy is amazing! For those of you who've seen him on youtube, if not you should totally check him out. Puny little guy, but his punches are total Knock Outs!! Held at the Vodafone Arena, his match was at the end being the highlight of the night, the crowd went totally wild when he came out, match vs Daniel Dawson of Australia. Too bad it wasn't a knock out round, although it was a good fight since Dawson is a pretty good opponent. Talk about adrenalin rush!!

Next to the heavyweight champion, makes Mike look like a kid!

That weekend, I had dinner with Wah Kei, Lucy, Ray and Tommy at Movida (1 Hosier La, between Swanston & Russell off Flinders St), my all time favourite Spanish Tapas restaurant...OMG....totally mouth watering and scrumptious, and delicious...after organising so many dinners with Ray (who has real high expectations when it comes to food), finally able to please him 100% with Movida. I had to make the booking a month ahead!! That's how good they are!! yummmoooooo........

14-16 Mar 2008 ~ Kickboxing Camp @ Mount Eliza, VIC

Totally cool!! My kickboxing school organised a training camp at Mt Eliza, about an hour and half's drive out of Melbourne. Tommy totally regretted getting himself into it!!! kekekeke.... Woke up at 6am, started training immediately running the field, then some basic training before breakfast. Then it was more training again. After lunch, we headed down to the beach to train in the shallow waters. Was totally awesome, and blardee tiring!!! I basically paid to get myself thrashed!

Kickboxing team

Tommy in action. We had a mock sumo wresting match on the beach.
Needless to say, I was out on the first round as I was unfortunately paired with one of the trainers, skinny tho as she may be, she has the strength of a buffalo!!!

19th Mar 2008 ~ My Burthday!!!

At work, my whole dest was filled with streamers and balloons...felt good to me a kid again :) But just a quiet one at home with Tommy & Tay, didn't exactly felt like celebrating this year. Check out my birthday cake, TOBLERONE CHEESECAKE from David Jones, the purest form of sinful indulgence.....mmmmmmmmmmmm

People please, don't drool all over your pc...it ain't waterproof...

21st Mar 2008 ~ Good Friday BBQ at my place

I had been hanging out for a BBQ all summer, finally had the chance! Had Ray & Lucy over with Jan, and some of Tommy's classmates as well as Tay's friends. Poor Tay had a toothache and could only watch us eat all the yummy foods. Lamb, beef, wings, mushrooms, eggplant, with spinach dip compliments of Rebecca....yummmoo....

22nd Mar 2008 ~ The Grampians with Tommy, Terri, Angeline & Imelda

Made a day trip out to the northern side of the Grampians with frenz from Papa Gino's.

Attempt to eat the world's largest mushroom...please do not try this at home

Me & Terri

Imelda & I

MOVING...!

uuugghhhh....have to start packing up! I'll be moving in with Tommy in a week's time to Tay's place in Kensington. Can't be bothered packing up... :( Lazy....but hey...really looking forward to moving there because it will cut my travel time by half as it is much closer to the city!!! Hurray!!! So much more convenient. Will definitely miss the guys here on Hotham St, so I guess this will now go back to being my weekend refugee camp....hehehhe. Gonna be really busy over the next two weeks shifting and unpacking all my shit!! I think I will need to have a garage sale...seeing that I have so many things that I don't use anymore. Going through all my stuff yesterday, I found alot of things that I have bought and never used. Looking at them, I'm like sheeesh...what was I thinking when I bought that ugly thing? Obviously I wasn't....kekekeke. Quite a nostalgic trip for me too.... Anyways, once I setup myself in the new place I will be looking forward to having a bbq!! Haven't had a proper one all summer!! Dying for one. Bbq lamb racks...yummm....and grilled calamari....**drool**.....grilled eggplant and zuchini......grrrrr.....and the list goes on....

Ready...Set...ACTION!!!

So yes, it has been great and I'm proud to report that I have been keeping up with my kickboxing sessions!!! Signed myself up for a whole year (so that there's no escaping), and have been going at least twice a week, three times if I have the time. Fun all the way....! I'm hooked! Went to check out rock climbing as well, not gonna be a regular thing seeing its pretty expensive each session, but it was totally awesome!! Quite surprised at myself, I thought I wouldn't make it, hahahaha...seeing the terrible fitness condition I'm in.

http://www.hardrock.com.au/

New Year's at Linh's place

Me & Linh

23 Jan '08 ~ Australian Open

Went to the tennis with a colleague after work. Didn't manage to ge center court tickets as they were all sold out, bummer, so we had to make do with ground passes that allows us to watch smaller games in outer courts. Managed to catch a game of women's doubles, and a mixed doubles.

26 Jan '08 ~ Baby Simone's Full Moon

Vunita, has finally given birth to a beautiful baby girl, and had her full moon luncheon at home. She was telling me all about the labour process....omg....really really scare me off having kids! It was horribly painful, but yet so emotional and beautiful and wonderful all at the same time....just amazing!!

Vunita & baby Simone

Isn't she cute...??

Dec '07

7 Dec 07 Team early Christmas Dinner at the Spencer Hotel

Pub food and beers!!!! Cheers!



8 Dec 07 Cherry Picking at Cherry Haven

Awesome!! Summer time, with cherries to go with it!! Absolutely love those things!!! Delicious!!!



Pou & Janet's Birthday Karoake night

More beers & tequilas & scotch...god save us!!

Pou, Janet & Choi

Lucy, Choi, Yvonne & Jason

October 2007

7th Oct 2007 ~ Jacky Cheung in Concert

Since he's retiring soon, I thought we should go watch him in action. He was really good live and was really generous at the end when everyone encored and belted an extra dozen songs! Although would have loved for him to have more dancers and flamboyance, he was still really good.




14th Oct 2007 ~ MotoGP, Phillip Island

Totally awesome!!! Have always wanted to go see the GP but never had the chance. This time around, went with Wil on his bike (omg...sore arse to the max having to ride for 2 and a half hours on it to Phillip Island!!!). Being a huge fan of Valentino, I bought his t-shirt and cap to fully support him. Although its quite a disappointing year for him, but he's still THE BEST!!! Love him to death! And also, have never seen so many mortorbikes on the road at the same time!! Can't say enough...the atmosphere, the people, and just the sound of the bikes makes my hair stand!

2008 in Motion

Happy 2008 to all!!! Had a really great time at Linh's place and countdown was watching fireworks at an open car park down the road from her place. Couldn't have asked for more, I had 2 of my favourite peoples with me, Linh (this amazing chick that does kick-ass tiramisu and Vietnamese soul food) & Tommy (although if only Sen Hon was here!!! I cannot remember the last time we celebrated christmas & new year's together!! Miss you very muchly!!!).

Looking back on 2007, I have no regrets, and have loved every minute of it (even the times when I have my blues, and as Sen Hon says, "If I can make money out of my mood swings, I'd be a millionaire..." kekekeke). Maximising my time was my goal at the beginning of 2007, and I think I've done just that (although I feel I may have done more but hey, I shouldn't squeeze the life outa myself...damn it, I'm doing it again). I have also made my trip to Cambodia, travel plans that I have been dying to do for a while now. So yes, it was a good year, no...sorry, it was FANtastic.

I have a good buzz about 2008, and am really really looking forward to some changes, personal & career wise. After learning maximisation, I think now I will learn to optimise. You must be thinking...geez, what's wrong with this girl?? Too serious now, she's not fun anymore. No, don't worry peoples, just one of my passing 2 minute musings, I'm still me ok!! Seriously cannot wait for things to unfold, 2008 is gonna be even awesomer!!! Have got kickboxing sessions and rock climbling sessions lined up on my plate to kickstart the year....this is gonna be fun! (we'll see how long I last...or if its just one my passing interests....hahaha)

Alrighty, thanks for listening to my ramblings...may your 2008 be full of wonderful & pleasant surprises. Oh and by the way, Tommy got me a Nintendo DS for Christmas...boy am I hooked!!!

June - August 2007

29 June 07: Team dinner at the Steakout Restaurant, Crown Casino

Rating: 5.5/10
Very ordinary steaks and ribs...

30 June 07
Super spicy hotpot in Boxhill with the housemates and Vunita (far right)
Don't remember the name, but the sauces that came with was yummm...

14 July 07: Lucy's birthday dinner at Tao's Restaurant, Bulleen
For the price we were paying, AUD 48 p.p. for a seven course meal, it wasnt' too shabby. The atmosphere was good, and it was something a little different where you can choose what you like for each course and still end up paying the same set price.
Rating: 7/10

5 July 07: Lisa's Birthday!!
Lunch date with my Aussie mom at Laurent on Lt Collins St
MMMmmmm....the chocolate doughnuts there are just irresistable.
Can't get over them!!!

ME Awards Night :) ~ Melbourne Aquarium 19/07/2007

Yessss....!!! I got nominated for the Special Mention Award July 2006. Thanks John (my team leader)!! MembersEquity has this half yearly award thingy where every team nominates 2 people, one for the Special Recognition ($50 cash award + a bottle of wine), and the Special Mention Award ($100 cash + a bottle wine). Its a good feeling to be recognised for your efforts and to know that you have made a contribution at work. Personally, it gives me more reason to strive harder. Special Recognition was snatched up by Carmina, this Phillipino girl who sits next to me who well and truly deserves it...(she always squeals with enthusiasm when she gets something done...I should know cos i sit next to her...cute...kkekeke). Anyways, we all got call to a short presentation in the afternoon, and then invited to a function at the Melbourne Aquarium after work. Finger foods, and little bowls of entree gnocchi and lamb racks...yummy. And free flow drinks of course...wine, bubbly, beer (my choice naturally), and juice/soft drinks. We were taken on a short tour of the aquarium, then given a short introduction to local mangrove fishies by this cute guy. Anyways, got to meet ppl from other teams, and it was a good night overall.

3 Aug 07: St Kilda vs Western Bulldogs

My first ever footy game!! I can now officially call myself an Aussie!!! Ended up a tie game, which is supposed to be very rare. It was a team outing, and although I had no idea what was going on (except that if the ball went through the sides, the score is 1, and if its in the middle then its 6), it was really fun. Just getting absorbed into the atmosphere and the crowd was really exciting. So yes, reaction from me was a few seconds late as I had to keep asking my colleagues what the hell was going on....hahahha. And I was barracking for St Kilda that night, don't ask me why, maybe I like their colours better :)

28 Apr 07 Cirque Du Soleil - Varekai

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/showstickets/varekai/intro/intro.htm

This is the first time I've been for a Cirque du Soleil, and I must say it is worth going. If I were to give points, technical difficulty wouldn't have scored too high, I'd give a 6.5 tops. But in terms of choreography and creativity, I would have to say its got my highest scores. The costumes and settings were just so beautiful & colourful, and if you're a person into mystical fantasies like me, you'll definitely love this. And not forgetting the theme songs as well, really good overall.

Take a look at these chinese boys, they're around 10 of age I think, one of my favourite parts of the show.

Adventures in CAMBODIA

Day 1 ~ 5th April 2007

Siem Reap

Touchdown at Siem Reap International airport.


We immediately hired motorbike drivers to take us into town. That's Sokhan, my driver. We agreed to use them throughout our stay in Siem Reap, depending on how far our daily travels were, the fee was between USD10-20 a day. We were taken to the 'King Angkor Hotel' (a guest house really), costing USD15 a night. The hotel wasn't too bad, clean and friendly crew.


We then wasted no time, taking a quick lunch and decided to go to the Floating Village on the Tonle Sap lake, the largest lake in South East Asia, measuring 2000 sq. km., adjoining the Mekong river. As it was the dry season, the river was shallow, and the lake only measured 1 meter deep, and can rise up to over 10m during the rainy seasons. Along the way to the river, there were rows and rows of attap village houses, which probably only measured around 12 by 12 feet, housing entire families with only hammocks and floor mats as beds, with no rooms. Really poor living conditions, and no electricity. When we got there, we hired a boat to take us to the lake, and we could see kids (who were more like little fishes) jumping into the river and splashing around while the adults were wading in the river trying to haul in the day's catch.

How cool is that, kids on buffaloes, a sight we never get to see in the city...priceless

Life on the floating village, fishing the only means of income

Little fishes...

Guess what this is???
Its a Floating primary school!!! Check out the basketball court on top!

Peddlars on sampans, spotted us from far away and rowing their lives away to reach our boat to try and sell us drinks and bananas. There were quite a few, and had all tried to see who reached us first. The only other kind of livelihood other than fishing.

After the fishing village, we had a little time to kill before sunset, so Sokhan suggested we chilled out one of the hammock huts. These are sheds with hammocks from end to end, facing paddy fields where locals go to escape the afternoon heat, have a siesta and chill out to the afternoon breeze. Wish we had these in the cities! After that, we went to visit the Bakheng temple, which was situated on top of the hill not too far away from the Angkor ruins for a view of the sunset over the Tonle Sap lake. Absolutely beautiful. It was a fair hike to get up there, but most worth it!
The Bakeng Temple

Once upon a time, some doorway/corridor of the temple...

Sunset over the Tonle Sap

After that, was just a quiet night. Cambodian beef noodle soup for dinner at some local stall, and then we hit some local bars. Beer Lao, a local brew, really not bad at all. I'm impressed!

Day 2 ~ 6th April 2007

10am To the Shooting Range

Jen the Communist: AK 47
Tommy the American: Carbine

30 Rounds each, awesome. Killed a few cows along the way and blasted some buffaloes.....go sick!!! No...kidding, haha.
12.30 pm The Banteay Srei

One of the most intricate and well preserved temples, designed by women using pink sandstone. Srei meaning woman. Small and neat, arguably one of the most beautiful of the temples, purely dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva.

Cambodian Laksa for lunch. Meatless, in a light coconut gravy with cucumber and peanut sauce. Not too bad, although some chicken would have been better (you know me...can't live without my meat).

2.15 pm Pre Rup
Meaning Temple of 'Transformation', and could've been an early royal crematorium.


The rest of the afternoon, we visited Ta Phrom, featured in Tomb Raider One of my favourite temples, built by the King Jayavarman VII for his mother. Bummer, cos my camera batteries went flat, so couldn't take any photos. Then to The Bayon - the main temple, had 54 towers representing each province (being a cheapskate, I sat around some tour group that had a guide explaining the story behind the temples, really interesting). Since I really loved these 2 temples and would absolutely kill myself if I didn't have any photos of them, we decided we'd come back the next day so with my battery fully charged. Lesson of the day: ALWAYS bring a spare battery regardless!!!

That night, after our showers and rest, there was a power failure throughout the town, so we had candlelight hawker food...could be romantic, if constant sweating teamed with mosquito buzz for background music is your thing.

Day 3 ~ 7th April 2007

One of the best highlights of this trip, a 5am wake to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Yawning all the way there on Sokhan's bike, we got there at abot 6am. The temple took 37 years to complete. The sun peeked from behind the eastern side of the Angkor, illuminating the sky with a pinkish orangey hue, taking about an hour for the full sunrise. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Losing a few hours sleep for this was most worth it!!! There was a pond in the front courtyard, which produced a mirror image of the Angkor under the sun.

One of the Angkor towers, glowing in the morning sunshine

The we headed to Angkor Thom to explore the Royal Palace and back to visit Ta Phrom, and the Bayon.

The Bayon, with 54 towers, absolutely massive temple

Along a doorway in the Bayon

Amok with fish/chicken/beef, another Cambodian laksa accompanied by rice for lunch. Not bad at all, traces of fish sauce and chopped peanuts.

Ta Phrom

My favouritest spot in Ta Phrom, you would've seen this in Tomb Raider. Just totally amazing, overgrown trees, many many centuries old. This temple was completely enveloped by the forest when it was first discovered, and had undergone much restoration and is still in progress.

That's me with Sokhan, & Tommy with Da (pronounced Ya)

The nightspots in Siem Reap town. Check out the line up of tuk tuks, competing with each other to eke out a living, ushering tourists to get on their ride...

Kampong Thom

Day 4 ~ 8th April 2007

Got us tickets to move on to Kampong Thom, I was feeling sick for some reason and slept all the way on the bus, had a really bad headache and feeling nauseous. Probably food from the previous day wasn't clean, and even chucked up twice in the morning...bummer!

Anyhow, the bus ride took about 3 hours, heading southwest of Siem Reap, which is on the way to Phnom Penh. Arrived at about 3pm, checked in to a hotel, and continued my snoozing as I was still feeling really off. I had to drag myself out of bed after an hour as I didn't want to waste the day. We headed to Phnom Suntok, a hilltop temple, about 45 mins away from town.

As it was getting late, we raced up the steps to try and catch sunset as we didn't want to be caught there in the dark. And guess what Phnom Suntok is famous for? Its 980 steps!!! And note that I used the word race earlier, gosh...it was some serious crazy 25 minute cardio workout!!! We had to pause for breath ever 20 steps, and can I just say I'm damn proud of myself, having not had any exercise prior to this trip!!! The steps were lined with little guardian statues, girls on the left, boys on the right.


Day 5 ~ 9th April 2007

Sambor Prei Kuk
Started off at 8 am, it took a little over an hour's ride on motorbike to arrive at Sambor Prei Kuk. The only other attraction in Kampong Thom are these ancient temples, older than those in Siem Reap, dating back to 680 A.D. Clusters of small temples that took years of excavation and restoration. Great place for a stroll, with thick forest leaves providing cool shade. Some of these were pretty cool and neat, and doing my cheapskate thing again, stood with some tour group to get to know the temples.

How cool is this?

Talk about transportation, here's a hog on a bike!

Khmer sour soup

Primitive way of preventing ice from melting, using sawdust.

No wonder I was sick, remind me NEVER to drink anything that's not out of a bottle.

After our early morning visit to the local temples, we checked out of the hotel around noon and had lunch before heading for Phnom Penh, taking a connecting bus to the capital city. After a 3 and a half hour ride, we checked in to a guest house and just spent the night wandering around town and checking out the local scene.

Phnom Penh

Day 6 ~ 10th April 2007

Totally slept in to catch up on some rest, only started checking out the local attractions during the late afternoon after we had purchased our bus tickets to Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam (costing USD8 at the bus station, whereas when we asked at the hotel, they were trying to rip us off for $15 each!!) due to leave tomorrow morning.

The Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda

Above is a small templet in the city square where locals were making their new year offerings.

As it was close to the Khmer New Year, the streets were filled with people in the evening , peddling local delicacies and 'small eats', like fried grashoppers and locusts, and some other kind of yummy 6-legged creatures which names don't exist in my vocabulary...

Of course, being tourists, we couldn't resist the temptation and got ourselves a bag of crispy grasshoppers (the smallest of the lot and least terrifying as it was one of those where we were daring each other with "You eat, I eat!!"). Arming ourselves with a few cans of beers, we parked ourselves in the open grass area in front of the Royal Palace. A few locals who went past noticed we were having some difficulty with their delicacy, stopped and laughed at us and pointed out that to enhance the eating experience, we should firstly peel off the wings, followed by the legs, leaving just the body. After many attempts, finally had one and guess what, it was most liberating!! It didn't actually taste bad at all, just tasted like some lightly salted crunchy peas of some kind!!!

Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City

Day 7 ~ 11th April 2007

Boarded our bus to Ho Chi Minh at 8am. The most bumpy bus ride ever as the road conditions were very poorly and narrow.

One of the more common sights when traveling by landed vehicles (notice the adboard behind the van, its probably too small for you, but it is for a "GOLDEN MUSCLE" Liquor, had me laughing my guts out when I saw it....absolutely hilarious!!)

The border between Cambodia & Vietnam, kinda like S'pore & M'sia where we had to get off to present our passports to customs.

We reached Ho Chi Minh around 5pm. Found ourselves a cheap hotel and started walking around town. I have never seen soooo many motorbikes in my life, and crossing the roads were nearly impossible!!! The picture below is nothing, just imagine the road completely filled with motorbikes...

For dinner, we headed to the local central market called the Ben Thanh market. As usual, my favourite time of day, dinner!! Above is bunh rieu, rice vermicelli in tomato/tamarind based crab meat & shrimp paste....yummmm....washed down with the local 333 beer (didn't like the beer very much, less refined and a little too carbonated for me).

Banh Canh Cua, thick rice noodles in a crab meat broth....so good....two thumbs up!

Day 8 ~ 12th April 2007

By this time, we kinda got lazy and signed up for 2 local tours with Happy Tour company.

Cu Chi Tunnels @ Iron Triangle

These tunnels were dug by the northern vietnamese, communist troops called the Viet Congs, or the National Liberation Front, using simple farming tools. Back then, the only way to win the war against the south colonial powers, which were backed by the Americans, was by guerilla warfare. These tunnels were complete with secret entrances, kitchens (with cleverly concealed smoke holes, guard rooms, surgery rooms, artillery rooms, booby traps, and escape tunnels, which extended down to three levels.

I was totally amazed by the perseverance and versatility of the Viet Congs.

Secret entrances to the tunnels were tiny!!

One of the many booby traps used to trick enemies

After the tour, back in Ho Chi Minh, we had banh chanh, kinda like hong kong chee cheong fun but with mince pork and prawns served with fish sauce, and bun bo hue, spicy beef chilli noodle soup. Satisfying!!! Then it was off to the Ben Thanh market in search of a hammock stand. Spent all afternoon searching in vain as it wasn't sold in the market, but still enjoyed the cultural and local stuffs on sale, seriously like Central Market in KL except with alot more narrow stalls and pathways.

Day 9 ~ 13th April 2007

Tour of the Mekong Delta

Starting with a short bus trip to My Tho city, then we traveled by boat all day along the upper Mekong river, cruising down through 4 islands named after Buddhist mystical creatures - Dragon, Unicorn , Pheonix & Turtle. We stopped at each island for a short tour, one for lunch, another for local fruits and traditional music performance by local villagers, another for nectar and honey at a bee farm, and lastly one for a display of coconut candy making.

I have to say were quite bored on this tour, as it was all 'yum yum sek sek'. But also kinda suited us as laziness had set in by then, and taking a leisurely tour like that wasn't too bad.

In the evening, we had Pho, traditional beef noodle soup for dinner (which we get here in Melbourne and I actually prefer the ones in Melbourne, I think maybe the quality of fresh foods here is far better). Then we just sat down at local stalls for a couple of beers to cool ourselves down in this hot and humid weather.

Last 3 days in Phnom Penh

Day 10 ~ 14th April 2007

Today was just a chilled out one, taking a bus back to Phnom Penh to catch the Khmer New Year, arriving in the evening and checking ourselves into a hotel next to the Mekong river, and having a couple of beers at the local bars, and treating ourselves to a proper dinner.

Later in the night, while we were still drinking our beers at the bar, we heard loud music happening next to the river, and being curious, we went and checked it out. It was this big group of local youngsters, having themselves a new year's eve party, blaring some cambodian pop music and dancing away. We decided to join in the fun and danced along, when some local girls pulled us into the crowd and tried to show me their local moves!! A little scary at first because you weren't sure what their intentions are (not being really able to understand each other, so broken english here and there accompanied with some sign language...), but ended up being Really fun. These people were not shy at all and were really friendly!! Totally enjoyed myself. There were also a few stalls there with carnival games like shooting darts and throwing balls into a basket, etc.

Day 11 ~ 15th April 2007

Choeung Ek Memorial - The Killing Fields

About 25mins by tuk tuk from Phnom Penh, this was a memorial built to commemorate the countless innocent Cambodian civilians mindlessly killed, just like the Hitler regime. Between 1m to 2.5m Cambodians (many more unaccounted for) perished in this genocidal exercise in many killing fields around the country, which served as ad hoc places of execution and burial grounds for dead bodies.



Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Prior to 1975, Tuol Sleng was a high school, which was converted into an interrogation facility and prison by the Khmer Rouge. Inmates were tortured to extract 'confessions', and then brought to Choeung Ek for execution.

Mass chaining device

Hanging pole in the courtyard

Classroom corridors fenced to serve as a prison

After these depressing visits, we went to the National Museum since there was nothing much else to do - just more artefacts from temple ruins and some history lessons on Cambodia.

Guess what this is?? Mini Petrol pump!!

Since it was our last night in Cambodia, we just strolled along the river after dinner and chilled out. I had actually brought with me some stationery - some coloured pencils, crayons, pencils notebooks and bags of lollies, thinking that I could give them away if I come across any beggar kids during my temple visits, but had however forgotten to bring them with me most of the time, so my mission tonight was to give it all away. Got ourselves a few beers, and sat down again in the grass area in front of the Royal Palace, this time waiting for any random kid to pass us by. First there was one, then he came back with a brother and sister. Then before you know it, they came back with all their friends in the area!!! All my goodies were snapped up, and you know, this was one of the nest highlights of this trip. Seeing the kids light up with their new pencils and notebooks, and their gratitude, was the most rewarding thing. It was totally humbling, and the best part was when we asked them for a photo, they all jumped on me without hesitation and posed for the camera.

The bestest ever holiday I have ever had!!! And will most definitely make another trip back in future...

Birthday Weekend March 2007

I've never really celebrated my birthday, but this year was an eventful one. hehe....really felt like a spoilt kid.

Fri 16/03/2007: Team bbq by the Yarra

Just so happened that my workmates decided to have a bbq after work by the Yarra river (just a little further down from flinders station and the fed square). Yummmm.....grilled meat....




Sat 17/03/2007: Dinner & Karaoke

Mmmmm.....had the bestest dinner at Jade (somewhere in chinatown) with my housemates - Wil, Ray & Lucy. The whole point of going there was for the jumbo sized oysters they have. Unfortunately, they ran out :( Didn't get to eat my beloved oysters, what a bummer!! But anyhow, dinner was still fantastic. And guess what, I had an upset stomach straight after dinner. Was pretty bad and nearly fainted (i have no idea where i got it from). Terrible, nearly spoilt my night out, especially going to the karaoke after that. Alcohol + bad stomach = die hard. But I had a really fun time, the guys got me a cake (the last time I had a cake was for my 21st bday). No photos, didn't have a camera then, only the camera on my phone.

Just a little something from the kids, Jordan & Rodney...how sweeeet!!! Totally melted when they gave it to me together with the biggest hugs and kissess....awwww....



Sun 18/03/2007: Miss Saigon
Went to watch Miss Saigon with a friend, Tay. The tickets were originally 2006 Christmas presents from him. Worked well seeing it's on my birthday weekend. Two birds with one stone...kekeke. It was really good, I like the music and all, but somehow felt that it lacked power in the presentation. Its no phantom, but still a good watch. Stage settings were pretty impressive, especially the scene when they were in Bangkok. All the neon lights and hustle bustle of Bangkok's district, so pretty. Enjoyable!

Mon 19/03/2007: Work Wishes

Liz, my assistant team leader (the one in the pink stripe shirt at the bbq), seems to think the way to celebrate someone's birthday is to embarrass them. As soon as I walked in to work, I was like "oh my god..." balloons and streamers everywhere and everytime someone walks past they came over and wished me happy birthday. Not that I'm not appreciative of the fact that they are celebrating my birthday. Thanks guys, but I was being constantly embarrassed all day....I'm sure they got a real kick out of that...hahaha.

Thanks so much to all you guys for celebrating my birthday for me.

Sweet sixteen forever....ok, ok, maybe eighteen. It was totally awesome!!! xoxoxox

* Twinkle * Little * Stars *

These are some of my friend's kids...close to heart!! Love playing with them whenever I get the chance.

Jordan & Rodney

Jordan making faces

Yvonne, she a sweetie this one. Always very thoughtful and caring

Evelyn, Yvonne's little sister. Isn't she cute??
This was at her McDonald's birthday party 2 March 07

What the adults do to entertain themselves at a kids Macca's party...
That was my creation...(explains why I never became an artist....)

Hmmm....not sure what Wil was trying to achieve here...?!?

Christmas 2006 & New Year

Thought I'd do something a little different for Christmas this year. Shane was telling me he was gonna do charity...this party going kid who gets himself wasted every chance he could...was gonna do charity!! So proud of him!! So I thought it would be great to join him and his friends, this couple that he knew from school. It was just a little volunteering work on Christmas day serving up lunches to the homeless. It was held at the South Melbourne town hall, with approximately 30 tables that seats 10 each for the homeless old folks to dine on. Our job was to bring out the lunch, serve them their drinks, and made sure that if there were any special needs like vegetarian or kids meals required are brought out to the right tables. It was really good to see them enjoy themselves, at least once in a while, especially on Christmas to have a proper warm meal and desserts. After that, I just spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at Shane's place with a couple of beers. Then it was a quiet steamboat evening at Tay's.

Shane, posing with his pride & joy...

The rest of New year's and January was bbq after bbq. Non stop!!! Awesome!! Can't wait for more bbq's coming up now that its getting warmer.

December 2006

2 Dec 2006 ~ Day trip to Mornington

Decided to try out Wahab's wife's restaurant in Mornington Peninsula, so took a short day trip there. Started out after lunch and its about an hour and a half drive out from Melbourne, with Imelda, Tay & Wahab. The beach was absolutely beautiful. Sooo windy, and weather was just perfect. Not too cold, with the sun giving out just enough warmth. The coastal line was just beautiful!!! After that, it was chow time...Mornington Masala (1E Albert St, Mornington 3931 - 03 5975 7377). Authentic northern Indian Cuisine. Remember how I was telling you Wahab used to feed me and Lisa sometimes with his wife's cooking?? Well, this is the real deal. The food was soooo good....mmmm. Rating: 8/10. For starters, we had the tandoori platter - a mix of chicken, fish and lamb. Then for the mains, we had seafood curry, chicken korma, lamb roganjosh, palak paneer (minced spinach with cottage cheese cubes), served with basmati and naan. Absolutely delicious!!! Highly recommended, especially for a short getaway from the city to enjoy the coast and for a scrumptious dinner. We practically had to carry our bellies on the way out!!!

Imelda & me, braving the winds.
Not the best situation if you are one who cares for your hairdo!!!

Wahab, me & Tay

~~~~~~~

6 Dec 2006~Team dinner @ The Quay Bar & Brasserie, Docklands

Another team outing, dinner this time at The Quay Bar & Brasserie (40-43 Cander Tower, NewQuay, Docklands). Had a couple of drinks at the bar when we got there just to chill out a little before dinner. Then when it was time for dinner, we were ushered into the main dining area and the first the waiter said was, "Guys, guess what?!? We are really sorry, but the chef has quit and we have no cooks tonight. But don't worry, there are a few courses on the menu that I'm sure we can handle!". Hmm...interesting, not sure whether he was kidding...but surely it must be one of their practical jokes. They gave us a few choices to the main courses on stonegrill, chicken breast rolled with seaweed coated in sesame, surf & turf - combination of steak & seafood, and steak. I had the chicken - honestly, not very impressed at all. Apart from looking pretty unique and having to grill it yourself, the taste was bland, and the seaweed was just cheap japanese marinated seaweed in the middle. Sauce - sweet chillie & other one I can't remember (obviously didn't leave an impression). Main course came with a glass of red. Price: $40 p/p. Overall rating: 5.5/10. I'm not one for stonegrill, it just a novelty and maybe something to experiment with, but not something I'd go back for the price you're paying and quality doesn't add up. The surf & turf and fillet steak looked alright, but still nothing out of the ordinary.

Mili in Melbourne

15 Dec 2006~Simon & Mili...here on a short trip for a week to meet up with her parents. Took a day off to hang out with her, (very nearly ended up on a holidaymaker to London 3 years ago had we not had to wait for an interview with the British embassy for a year!!!) Too long to wait, totally messed up our plans :( ...but of course our dear fren here got herself married to Simon, and is on a 'permanent' holiday over there. So anyways, we met up for dinners and shopping while she was here and had a lot of fun bar hopping.

超人特工隊 積仔全攻略

Most of you would probably have seen this already, but its one of my favourite pixar shorts...still enjoyable to watch even after the hundreth time...

MAXimise ~ November 2006

Max back from Sydney!!! Just finished his contract for Happy Feet!! So proud of him...he's a computer graphics animator...and was in Sydney working for Animalogic since earlier this year. His job is to make the characters and lighting angles realistic. Being only back for a month or so, and greatly missed by the housemates, we all tried to spend as much time as we could with him as he was looking for a job overseas. He's now in London, and was working on Harry Porter - The order of the Phoenix, and a few others I don't remember. We miss ya buddy!!!

BBQ@Kew

Mmmmm....

One of our drinking sessions at home....

Vunita, Max, Wil & Lucy
Farewell dinner at Cafe Coretto's, Lygon St, pizza & pasta joint next to Papa Gino's.
Rating: 5.5/10

Ray, Wendy (Vunita's older sister) & Max
Ray & Max with their futsal team

October 2006

Phillip & Lorraine's Wedding ~ 7th October 06

Finally, the 2 tied the knot. Gosh, I've known Phillip ever since I came to Melbourne, and have never seen him in a serious relationship, that is until Lorraine managed to pull the reigns...kekeke. Lorraine's a sweetie, and they have both known each other for a long long time, but the getting hitched part came in much later....but yes, was great to see them get married. Was there for the whole chinese ritual thingy....get the bride in the morning, progressed with the tea pouring session (inevitable if you're chinese....). Then it was the wedding reception, 9 course dinner....wasn't too bad. This was one of the few occasions I would ever bother slapping on some make up and dressing up formally. Biggest blessings for the couple.....cheers!!


Leanna in Melbourne

My dear girl in Melbourne...had a great time catching up on all the gos back home. Leanna was here for a couple of days for her cousin's wedding or something. So I took a friday off to hang out with her. That's us in Brunetti's. Reminiscing on the times we had when we first came to Melbourne for uni. Fun fun fun all the way!!!

She stayed with me for a night, and the rest with her girlfriends. The poor thing caught the flu on the last few days she was here and was bedridden for 2 days with fever.

Miss ya girl!!