uni start

so university holidays are officially over for me
had my first day back yesterday.
it was a blast while they lasted, but guess its about time to hit the books again.
sort of anyway.
just got guilt tripped by Kev and Sam for missing this morning's lectures.
hahaa. i ll hit them.. later.
the books i mean.

the start of second semester is always hard to knuckle down, because its party and event season! (dental cocktail ball coming up soon!)
but i do love a good party, because who knows how long such gay abandonment can last for?
saw some graffitti behind a toilet door in the city, telling me to 'be someone with mad love and desperate explosions in the eyes'.
what a lovely sentiment, i m inspired to carpe diem and the like.

have some photos i havent blogged about yet, taken last weekend.



Hot pot at Xiang Ju. i dont think it helped my cracking voice any, but there s something about cooking your own food in super spicy soup, when its all wintry outside, that i find very appealing.



had a short little road trip to Mt Dandenong. Was lured there by Pie in the Sky for devonshire tea with homemade raspberry jam and fresh cream, which is easily one of my favourites. Discovered an amazing antique shop selling brass and wood furninture, and the coolest walking cane. Think; something like Lucius Malfoy would carry. and another shop called 'Treasures of Istanbul', which explains the shisha pipe.



Sweet talked the guys into dropping by a picnic ground on the way back to feed the parrots. It became more of a bird attack; they were unusually aggressive, even for tame fat birds, but the entire scenario was screamingly hilarious. Coupled with a big fear of being pooped on, i had such an adrenaline rush i was antsy the whole night. Good antsy!



LOL! yes that was me with the insane laugh and holding the camera.



Dent camp was at Sokil (Soskil?) in Anglesea. Hot pot and beer did not go well for me, (wont say too much; basically when spicy soup comes back up, it BURNS.) But as always, dent camp was massively fun. Its the winning formula. Uni students, night away, alcohol and dance music. Cant fail! Plus the food was great, was prepared for pasta and pizza, but got a great barbeque, eggs and bacon instead.


random thought, Sober by Pink is such a great song. it should really be our anthem till a better one comes out..

i m still thinking of the black leather tie and silvery tee from Leopold i saw when i went shopping with K, V and Sam yesterday.
Dammit.
Shopping with someone is such a bad idea when i m trying to save.
SAVE SAVE SAVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

oh btw, here s a little titbit of info about an event i m helping run on Aug 22nd.
its called

LAVISH @ WATERMARK ft Sleep Couture

:D
woo, i m excited!
stay tuned for more!

duper holidays

went to a LAN cafe tonight in Hawthorn to game, feeling so tired now but utterly satisfied.
mostly because of the late night McDonalds fries
but seeing friends kill zombies is also pretty entertaining.



a bit of L4D fail, lol

had dinner at Thien An in Footscray yesterday night.
I LOVE THE DROPPED NOODLES. been craving it for ages and ages
now that i ve had it, i keep wanting more and more.
so good.
DROOL
ordered this drink which was made from orange juice, egg, milk and soda water.
sounds so weird, but was actually kinda good.
like, bubblecup, but better.



San Churros has the best ice cream sundae with brownies in it.
might have put on fats from the super sinful dessert, but so worth it.
especially with dark chocolate. and nuts. and cream.
okay sam looks funny in the photo, but i promise the sundae is really really yum!


love the Peninsula hotsprings. something to cross off my holiday to-do list now that we ve gone.
how pretty is it?
the atmosphere is serene, especially before the crowds come.






was the Tehs' birthday party last week
Amy and Andrew turned 21, and the house party was really amazing
so much food involved, i stuffed myself silly
and tried to use some beer to calm my jitters before giving our speech
i think it worked, i didnt have a major panic attack
the event was really sweet, i cant believe they are 21, has it been that long?



finally had the chance to wear this pair of Marc Jacobs i bought ages ago
thought they looked pretty good, till sometime in the night i looked down at my feet was was like all " ?!?!?"
there was condensation inside!
how eww is that?
haha.

wow this blog post is mostly about food wasnt it?
amy's 21st, viet food, chocolate and maccas.
lol.
think i might be hungry. cant wait for tomorrow!
sorry its a bit short, so drained i m falling asleep as i type

i ll update more tomorrow after we get back from a mini-road trip

love :)

horror and sushi

recently went to visit Jason's family's new sushi bar
at 3 Degraves St (practically next to Little Cupcakes).
Its called Edo Sushi, and its definitely worth a visit!
the ingredients are really high quality and fresh.

the raw tuna roll is my favourite, and the hot lunches are pretty yummy as well. (the gyu don beef rice bowl is shown below)
plus they re available for takeaway!



congrats on the new store opening love! :)



i wore an oversized leather and cotton zip dress from Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, emerald leggings and patent Ferragamo pumps that night

i dont even know how to pronounce the dress's brand name, so i pray i m never asked
but its available at Seven New York.
they ship to Australia, and no sales tax!

Went over to Leighton's place after sushi visit for a horror movie night
even though i do get scared silly, i love the adrenaline rush!
Shutter (the thai version) wasnt as freaky as i thought it would be
but i liked the storyline, and frankly, i ve seen much much worse
pretty sure i heard i few guys yelp during the movie, hehe



that said, i ve been freaking myself out at night by imagining silly things
i hesitate a little bit before looking in the rearview mirror, and have put my Polaroid camera away for a while.
doesnt help that Mom will be away for the next month. ulp.
hmm, i wonder what the scariest movie in the world is
i really want to watch it.
Something like the Exorcist, but asian. and even creepier.
that ll be the BOMB.


went shopping yesterday, and took these photos in the Myer change room
the quality isnt that flash, but considering how easy it is to take the photos and then upload it instantly from my Blackberry, i m addicted! i cant stop!

i wore my Armani Collection bleached jeans, a black tank, a Versace silver zip jacket, Gortz pointy leather shoes, a wool scarf from Singapore and a Chanel bag.




told myself i wouldnt shop too much and go nuts
and i think i sorta did relatively well?
broke till the end of the month, but that was always going to happen with the winter break.

yesterday's shopping was a good balance between Jason's urging and Randall's calming influence.
haha
blog more about purchases later, but i m glad we all like Ten Ren so i can always drag them back for the hot milk tea
:)

Saw really awesome Louboutins at Scanlan and Theodore
but then remembered holding out for these



i think these Nikes are genius. but not sure if i ll ever wear them, cause they wont go with anything in my wardrobe. i wonder though, are they practical enough for sport?
Dont think i ll buy shoes for another month at least, i need to create storage first.
where's the good help when i need it?
haha. Clare chan! still have your dog bowl lah.


this morning.
ARGHHHHHHhhhhhHHHHHHhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHH, WTFFFFFFF

WAS SO HOPPING MAD.
KEYED AGAIN!



omg been UPSET the entire DAY.
WHO WOULD DO THIS?!
such a mindless, cowardly, pointless chicken shit thing to do.
like, why?
if you want to target me, at least have the guts to put your name to it.
i hope one day you get your car keyed too, and then your wife leaves you, your home collapses and you go BANKRUPT.

going to go to the police tomorrow
not sure if they can do anything
and apparently my insurance company doesnt cover this sort of damage
but at least i ll have done something.

OMG
I M GETTING FIRED UP AGAIN
OF ALL THE LOUSY THINGS

&%#875%*%*& D*&!!!!!!!!!!!!

hutong

even though dinner last night was a bit of a last minute thing
i m glad it worked out well

went to Hu Tong, which is right opposite Flower Drum on Market Lane in the city, and had the best xiao long baos.
the skin was like paper. good paper. which no one understood till they actually ate them.
i love xlbs, i can eat them alll day, and Hu Tong has the ones with the best skins, definitely in Melbourne, maybe even the best, period.

the skin was thin and clearish, chewy but not tough, but didnt break too easily when you were taking it off the steamers.
it s a positive miracle, i dont know how they make them!



the xlbs were so juicy. it was funny laughing at the noobs who were frantically trying to suck all the xlb broth before it overflowed from the spoon, till it happened to me too. eep.



we ordered the 6 xlbs, 2 pot stickers, fried nanjing salted duck, scallops and eggplant in claypot and ma po tofu



so nice, especially the eggplant dish. but apparently the duck tasted like KFC?
yuuummm.
ducky.
i think we need a trip to Happy Cook soon!



went to Ten Ren after for hot taro milk tea with pearls, (perfect in winter!), then to San Churros in the QV for some hot chocolate and chocolate icecream.
never realised the ice cream at San Churros was sooo good! the cream was a bit cream cheesy, the whole thing was yum and even though Kevin ordered it i think we ate most. hehe.



hung around in Melbourne Central, sitting on this queer doughnut seat, having one of those innane conversations where you talk about absolutely everything and nothing at all. trying to come up with a good theme for a dress up party, but besides coming up with 'Fruits' and 'Pokemon' I drew a bit of a blank.

but seriously, wouldnt it be hilarious seeing everyone dressed up as a pokemon (bags Pikachu) and having Pokemon battles? haha. and then eating the rice ball thing. and popping out of giant red/white balls!

k dont worry, i already told Clare and was severely chastised/talked out of it.

Last night, at some point, when we were at the station, Randall and Kevin were talking about being in Titanic, so i made this little tribute for them.



:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

oh, and just because i was already at http://faceinhole.com, i made this



uber excited about the new HP movie!



i cut my hair short yesterday! its so liberating. i didnt realise how much i missed using hair wax and styling my hair in the mornings. the back is pretty short, like an inch, which i love, and the entire style is quite low maintainence if i so choose. but for now, bring on the hair products!

:D

UPDATE: results are out. kinda happy. probably couldnt have expected more seeing how slack i was this term. will see on friday when all are released!

k have to run, late for dinner with Mom.

xiang ju hotpot house

looks like the mobile blogging worked! the only thing i dont really like is the auto last line 'sent by my blackberry on 3' which i cant seem to get rid off
does anyone know?
ah well, i guess its a small price to pay :)

i m going to be a whingy brat for the next few lines
i mmmmmmmmmmmmmm siccccccccckkkk
i hate being sick. grummble
asthma is an STUPID illness to have,
peak flow meter $40
spacer $40
nebuliser $255
oxygen mask and tubing $30
Deltasone $25
and having to lug all this stuff around? ABSOLUTELY FREAKING PRICELESS.
well there goes my allowance.
the kicker is after i used it all my mom comes to my room holding my old set
so i spent all that $$ when i didnt really need to.

apparently my asthma deterioated so i m on a steroid burst therapy
(weight gain ARGHHH!)
i m also on Staphylex 500 for my bronchitis and follicullitis, IBS support for the associated gut irritation and multivitamins for 'immunity'
the asthma plan name is so apt
i m really going to BURST
BURST BURST BURSTTTTT
i hate swallowing medications
with a passion.

but here's some good news.
i dont have swine flu
and!

i had the best hotpot last night, at Xiang Ju Hot Pot House in Glen Waverley
19 Railway Parade North Tel: 03 9803 8503

for $22.80 per head, we ate and ate and ate till we couldnt laugh for fear of throwing up (Randall guilty!)
the food was fresh, the broth was spicy/flavorful enough, the variety was good, service comparatively quick and the company awesome. :D

my favourite was the handmade noodles, which the lady made in front of you before adding it to the pot.
the wontons, and 'make-it-yourself meatballs' were a nice touch too.
cooked food we had included chives pancake, cold beef and cold mee pok noodles.
unlike most other hotpot places, this place included fish slices in the buffet, which after the constant BEEF BEEF BEEF of other places, was really nice.
another plus, when they topped up the broth in the spicy side, you can ask for them to add more chilli spices so the soup never goes bland.
and the sauce. OMG THE SESAME SHRIMPY SAUCE. (not the sesame and garlic oil one)
DROOOOOOLLLL.

i think it helped that only three of us went, so we could all chat and eat our fill quite happily. we all got stuffed silly.



i definitely want to go back
that place was much better than the hotpot places in the city!

after, we hung around in Tracey's car chatting, and somehow we started planning our costumes for a friend's Lady Gaga themed party.

i want to wear THIS!



seriously contemplating a new hair do just for the event.
cant wait!

Testinngggg

Going to test out this mobile blogging function and see how well it works. Sitting on the train, which is absolutely crowded with the footy crowd, after spending a day shopping with mom. Yes. I know. My mom is on the train, and aside from a few air head moments when trying to buy transport tickets and wondering which tram to get on, I think we did well. Happy with my purchases today, but think my wardrobe might need a massive clean out soon. Any volunteers to help? Feel so unsexy lately. Swear I ve gained weight, and the pseudomonas folliculitis (okay, FERAL skin rash) is angry, red, swollen and painful to touch. Oh woe. Thank god for small mercies, its winter so I can cover it up till it heals. Everyone, beware hot tubs!
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone on 3

boat!

i m back from my boat trip!
t'was some major awesomeness

a bit sick and phlegmy, and have a weird rash from constantly using the hot tubs
but it was so worth it.
easily one of the crazier trips i remember, plus now i can honestly say i have driven a boat!
its actually quite challenging, the steering and docking.
gave up the wheels to one of the boys pretty quickly

feel so uneasy at home without being surrounded by 23 people
so... quiet. and sober.
had about 360 bottles of beer, 13 bottles of spirits
plus 6 packs of vodka cruisers all up.
what a fair effort, to finish those drinks!

cruised for 5 days in total on the Murray River
drove all the way into New South Wales on the first day
then hopped onto the Dinky Di houseboats, and set sail the morning after



Barberosa 1 and 2

the boats were really spacious and well appointed far beyond my expectations
we docked every night and tied the boats together so we could stay in one
it was like a massive party but extra fun because of the novelty



<3: the hot tub at 38 degrees, charades, 4 kings, checking the yabbie net every 10 seconds, boat races (of the drinking kind), pigging out on food which someone else barbequed/cooked, drinking till everything is funny, staying with friends in the hot tub overnight watching the sun rise, swimming in the freezing river and partying to the theme songs of the trip, 'Riverside' and 'I m on a Boat'.





click on the collages to make them bigger!

caught a yabbie, but though we put the fishing rods out we didnt get any fish
think it was a problem with the bait, i forgot to prepare any so used bread instead
that kinda failed.

so looks like most things on my post exam to-do list are ticked off.
but feel like going fishing again soon
feel so unsatisfied not eating fresh seafood during this season

there are way too many anecdotes to blog about this trip
and the first rule of our holidays are: what happens on the trips stays on the trips
so i ll just sum it up in one word.

gold!

haha.

k have to go do laundry now
mom is nagging
urh.