after exams

been lazing around since exams are over
here's a quick snapshot

had an awesome day out with Bri today
but i ll upload those photos later!

dinner Mum made for me before my exam. Pan fried salmon steak with salad! yum. i think she s a good cook usually, but this was pretty exceptional

visited a Naval base, and these are a few of the boats that can be taken out for a joy ride. and apparently the fishing here is amazing as its an area only open to the defense personnel

dad flew in this morning, and he bought me goodies! a telephoto lens, a wide angle, a macro and a lens hood. was playing around, and this here was taken using the macro. Mum's pansy after the light drizzle


thought Dad was doing something important like reading emails or the daily paper, but he was playing games! although to be fair, gaming on the Ipad is pretty great

went out for dinner last night to an asian place, Gold Leaf again on Burwood Highway, and got our favourite dish, crab noodles. doesnt look like much, but it is tasty. And messy!

will finish the post later, watching resident evil on youtube again and its sooooo good.

ramblings

i cant sleep
and lee isnt replying my texts either so i ve resorted to blogging in the middle of the night
long story short, i had an epiphany.
a my-name-is-earl moment
where i realise why some things arent working out and why i cant move forward
its cause karma has come and bit me on the behind
oh yes.
i was a bad kid, so i have to sit and accept my punishment to build karma points till i break even.
sorta like recharging my life bar on streetfighter!


i hate exams
i wish i was one of those people who studied consistently
and had a great memory so they could just read something once and remember it
but noo
look, even failing that, i would have been able to accept the slow absorption of material
but i need something, some redeeming feature. like, superhuman dedication.
i want to CARE

granted, i do care a lot more this year
but at this point, at 4 30am in the morning 2 days away from my exam i dont give a hoot.
I NEED TO CARE MORE ABOUT WHETHER I AM GOING TO PASS
what with being self obsessed and a busy bee
i need to cram, starting tomorrow. PRONTO.

i ve cleaned my room pretty thoroughly though
and gave bags and bags away to the Deafness Foundation
its less cluttered now, though i was honestly shocked at the amount of sheer stuff
so with that in mind, i have a new resolution. i ve given up on ready to wear.
from now on, i m getting all my clothes tailored.
no more ill fitting garments!

i have also compiled a planned list of
things i m going to buy with my next allowance
not going to deviate and buy more crap.

for this month, if it isnt on my list, i m not buying it!
(not including dining out)

1. macro lens for camera
2. telephoto lens for camera (okay i m cheating with these, i know dad already bought them heheh)

3. horse riding gear
4. gym pass
5. train ticket
6. memento from Canberra ( how can i resist a little souvenior)
7. Green tea air diffuser (so awesome, my scent of the fortnight)
8. some crystals to bling my ipad (yes i know its a horrible,horrible disease)
9. over the knee boots/wellingtons
10. Box of Lindt macaroons which i m desperately craving for at the moment

of course, New Zealand doesnt count cause its a holiday.

hmmm.
this resolution doesnt seem the greatest

i just realised i finish exams on the 9th
flying to canberra on the 14th
then will be in New Zealand from when i m back.
i wont actually have time to break it and go shopping.
on the bright side?
i guess there's no way i wont keep to it now

sigh.

i wonder why people are so against plastic surgery
is it denial?

wow the random thoughts just keep coming
it just occurred me that according to Assimov's Laws of Robotics
i cant possibly be one.
there goes my chance of being Helen O'Loy
darn.


here's a good example of pictorial representation



my life in Singapore. Air conditioned, glitzy, click of heels on shiny tiles



in Melbourne: warm, colorful, hidden nooks and crannies

love them both. how to choose??


okay i m going to try to sleep, i doubt i m making sense any longer.
will figure things out later, what will be, will be!

i need this! so i can go all scorpion-king like the Rock on everyone.
this is love.

best present from mum for exams!

an electric throw.

i m a convert

bul drape

Had a little impromptu tasting at session at Bri's

my two favourites!



Vins Doux Naturels, Beaumes de Venise. Always thought Rhone was best for Viogner, but this was really palatable!


really awesome dai ginjo sakae. smooth and clear. Bri, if the bottle finishes the next time i m over, you ll know who it was :p

happened to have my camera beside me when the fires went off at Crown. Never tire of it, no matter how many times i see them!


went to the lauch of a boutique Bul, at Curtin House the day after

really great casual wear, and the leather goods! i must get my hands on those buttery boots.

Designer Virignia in the fringed grey suede dress.

Can read more here!

Was invited to a talk given by Paolo Di Trocchio, curator of the National Gallery of Victoria's exhibit, Drape. Brought Bri along, and when i was driving made a wrong turn and ended up on West Gate bridge. Had to come back across it again, in peak hour traffic. Bri has the patience of a saint, and i have the direction sense of a potato. Sad but true.

Was held at the Australian Academy of Design, we loitered for a bit after checking out the exhibits.

my favourite! should have taken a photo to remind me of the artist, but i didnt. This style of photography is very overdone lately (i do it too!) but the image really was eye catching.

I think its by Michelle Yann, and i remember being struck by her description of the lights as our thoughts, choatic but semi structured. True!

okay i better go now, should really start the studying.

cannot wait for post exams! :D

politix

was lucky enough to be invited to the opening of Politix at Crown Metropol
and the celebration of GQ magazine's new cover
(article at StyleMelbourne should be up soon)

Harry Kewell was guest of honour and i am a huge fan!

was chatting and i felt someone bump into me and then he apologised
'oh no problem' i said
and then i turned around and it was HIM
:DDDDDDDDD

giving autographs

Timomatic was sweet! LM trying to get a shot of his shoes. Unattractive shot of me, but i kinda like it nonetheless

Shanina, looking sexy!


Lady Melbourne and friend

and TAH DAH!

melts.

my very own personal soccer hero.

and here s my 2 cents worth: valet parking at Crown Met- worth it.
they left snacks for me in the car!

how thoughtful, me likey.

rockpool head

oh awesome i think my internet is picking up!
not sure if its been uncapped or if mum rang up and asked to increase the bandwidth this month, but i m not complaining either way

Steph and Sam's 21st
(was it only last weekend!?)

beautiful day, and very sweet event, almost makes me wish i had a sibling.

speeches, with a fully dressed panda!

gorgeous house




the girls

pretty views from their place. glad i brought my camera!

went with Bri-bri to Rockpool on monday

the cheese monster!

bri had wagyu bolognaise fettucine, and i had braised rabbit in white wine with peas and oilves. also had the mac and cheese (haha standard, i get this every time) and a potato and cabbage gratin ( tried to be adventurous: yuck)

waiting for their king prawn and goat's cheese tortellini.

a great red

desserts: creme caramel (ick- unless you like a lot of orange, which i dont), creme brulee and vanilla macaron with strawberry ripple icecream

sad lack of photos because they didnt come out that great!

to be honest, none of us are huge fans of Rockpool. was a nice night out, and nothing was reallyterrible (the gratin came close), just wish they would bring the old dessert menu back!

clare, i asked and apparently the panna cotta is gone for good :(

okay i m off to have dinner now, but i ll update more when i m back

hint

ITS AWESOME! KEWELL KEWELL :D

cap

i am officially losing it.

just realised i spent the last 5 minutes humming Rihanna's Umbrella to myself
which wouldnt be that bad
except it was the word carcinoma
carcinoma..no ma..no ma.. no ma.. eh eh eh.

head desk

i have a million photos i want to upload
but my internet has slowed down to a snail's pace
and i dont understand why
isnt it meant to be unlimited!!?

i cant wait for tuesday when it becomes uncapped
i had to watch an episode of Big Bang Theory 5 minutes at a time cause it kept buffering

oh and i m sick
:(
irrelevant but there you go
i m allowed to be grumpy

grumble

oh and i dont get the deal with the Ipad.
not to be disagreeable or anything
but HP did this years earlier with the tablet

mum's using it now and she seems to like it
personally,
i think its underwhelming.
and the name needs a serious workover.

italian

bri bri's hommmmmmmeeeeeeee from new york!
missed her silly face, haha.

i really love the Italian, on 101 Collins St
and was a great place for a spontaneous dinner out
only big minus was the wine list, they dont sell moscato by the glass which was disappointing

i ve said this before, but my favourite way to start a meal when i m out is some good sourdough, and soft salty butter/oilve oil. yum!

freshly shucked oysters with lemon and shallot vinegar

hen's entree: baccala: salt cod croquettes with endive and aioli

my entree was terrine val d aosta, pork and pistachio with greens, garlic bread and gherkins! i could eat this allllll day it was super yummy!




fresh rigatoni with lamb shoulder and rosemary ragu



twice roasted duckling with oregano, olive and spring onion

and then dessert.







had the creamiest vanilla panna cotta with caramelised cherries, simple but was amazing! we couldnt get enough. there was an fairly average chocolate fondant and a great nutty cassata with strawberries



wore my coat from Escada. I love it, its so big and roomy and soft!
dont know who took the photo, i suspect it was Hen. but i prefer the photo this way, cant see my massive eyebags!

sigh. i love the Italian.
:D

dundas

Was lucky enough to be invited to the opening of Dundas and Fausett in Albert Park
tried out their new dinner menu
the chef was ex-Longrain
and while a lot of the dishes were familiar,
there were several which were top notch




very cosy feel, especially at our round table at the back.

we had almost everything on the menu and quite a variety of wine as well




oysters and scallops. sweet, succulent and paired well with the spice


the highlight: barramundi trio with hot sweet and sour sauce, with basil.


seafood with apple, mint, chilli,coriander and lime dressing


mild roasted duck curry with pineapple


pork hock, caramelised and paired with shallots






my favourite desset of the night, black sticky rice with fresh coconut. in the background, coconut icecream with banana fritters



when the staff are properly trained up and the restaurant opens for business
it will go from strength to strength. the barramundi was mouth-watering.

this post is making me hungry again!



had our dental sports day on Sunday

including this photo as it shows my goalkeeping stance. see, training does pay off! haha

soccer
netball

we even had medals and trophies!
awesome.

okay i m going to rewatch episode 271 of Bleach
Ichigo's hollow release is so KICK ASS
i can barely stand it

and, i can see Ichimaru's eyes again!
blue like the sky, oh yeah.