Things happens in 3s

I have no idea what I want to say, except a one liner blog... I feel exhausted.

And no more shall we part...

I saw this on last week's So You Think You Can Dance, I love this performance from Jessie & Matt.. beautifully danced to the tune from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds..

www.tudou.com/programs/view/-Z3LTLgLGFc/
or watch it on Channel 10's site, better quality, search for the top 12 performances, Matt & Jessie
http://dance.ten.com.au/video.htm

pic is from Jennifer Yoswa's "Lovers Dancing", oil painting

Smiley

For any day and every day .... this is so darn cute

//upchucky.com/flash-smiley-back.html
thank you Mr Sharp ;) this clip always brings a smile to my face and a giggle along the way..

Jamie Oliver live 2010

I got invited to see Jamie Oliver live over the weekend and the guy's a real funny entertainer.

One of the highlights was the idea of "Pass it On". The dish? Chicken topped with some thyme, shaved cheddar cheese, and zest of lemon juice. Then place a slice of proscuitto (YUM!!) over it, gladwrap over the top and use the back of your frying pan and THUMP the meat. *THUMP*THUMP* Then fry it together with some asparagus. Once all done, place a couple of slices nicely on your gorgeous white plate, add the asparagus and you're all ready. Easy! Well it looked delicious!!! :)

And you're supposed to show 2 people how to do it, then those 2 people will each show to 2 others, and eventually everyone will know this one dish. Well eventually....

Apparently there's no such thing called Gladwrap in the UK, cos he said "its like Australians were experimental when they came up with that name?" ahaha

Plenty of freebies if you happen to be invited to eat, and cook with him... just make sure you're around the stage area punching all the others so you'll definitely get selected (JOKING!). Even the Pizza Hut delivery guy got a Jamie book! Yea he appeared pretty stunned on stage, and ermm.. I actually think he hadn't a clue who Jamie Oliver was hehee. Pizza Hut you say? Yes! Mr Oliver ordered a large pizza costing $21. Point of it? To show homemades are far healthier, cheaper and tastier. Gourmet style mmmmm :)

The only down side was some really stupid questions from the audience being thrown at him. Real embarassment :-/

The show finished with a curry dish that was still cooking and Jamie Oliver playing the drums! The guy's great at drums... *clap*clap*

Have a look at the website, I think him being here also coincides nicely with the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
www.jamieoliverlive.com.au/

Sleeping Position and Personality

Alright, I've been asked to blog this. So here we go..

I first read this years ago, it's about your sleeping position and what it says about you. Anyway I couldn't find that same article but this is of similar...

This was a research done by Professor Chris Idzikowski (Director of UK Sleep Assessment & Advisory Service) which looked at the 6 most common sleeping positions.


So which one are You?

Foetus
Those who curl up in the foetus position are described as tough on the outside but sensitive at heart. They may be shy when they first meet somebody, but soon relax. This is the most common sleeping position, adopted by 41% of the 1,000 people who took part in the survey. More than twice as many women as men tend to adopt this position.

Log
Lying on your side with both arms down by your side. These sleepers are easy going, social people who like being part of the in-crowd, and who are trusting of strangers. However, they may be gullible.

Yearner
People who sleep on their side with both arms out in front are said to have an open nature, but can be suspicious, cynical. They are slow to make up their minds, but once they have taken a decision, they are unlikely ever to change it.

Soldier
Lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides. People who sleep in this position are generally quiet and reserved. They don't like a fuss, but set themselves and others high standards.

Freefall
Lying on your front with your hands around the pillow, and your head turned to one side. Often gregarious and brash people, but can be nervy and thin-skinned underneath, and don't like criticism, or extreme situations.

Starfish
Lying on your back with both arms up around the pillow. These sleepers make good friends because they are always ready to listen to others, and offer help when needed. They generally don't like to be the centre of attention.

The remainder of those in the poll said the position they fell asleep varied or did not know.

Some conclusions from the research:
- freefall position was good for digestion, while the starfish and soldier positions were more likely to lead to snoring and a bad night's sleep.
- most people are unlikely to change their sleeping position. Just 5% said they sleep in a different position every night.

Time for me to sleep :) nite all x

Brunch @ Min Lokal for baked eggs

If you want really good eggs for breakky, head to Min Lokal in Fitzroy.

My order was the Taleggio Baked Eggs with cauliflower, potato, roquette, caramelised onions, eggs and bacon! Verdict - FABULOUS. I'm no fan of cauliflower (one of my disliked vegs! seriously! ahahaha) but the combination was rightly put together.

Now there's a few spots where you can find good baked eggs... and the last time I had very great baked eggs was at "Balzari's" on Lygon St, but that was a tad more pricier and in finer surroundings. Then there's the very popular "Birdman Eating" in Collingwood... but for me I personally think Balzari does better with baked eggs.

For now, I think Min Lokal gives Balzari's a run for its money for baked eggs...simply because it's a place you can pop in casually, read a paper, with sunlight pouring into the room and still have a nice meal. It's so darn relaxing, and if you happen to grab the big wooden communal backroom table with your friends (where we were), I'm sure you'll have a great time.

I had a taste of the other plate - which was Goat's cheese scrambled eggs with spring onion, soft herbs and toast. That was equally YUMMO. I feel hungry now writing this...

Find it at 422 George St, Fitzroy VIC. Price is very reasonable, baked eggs $15, scrambled eggs $12. Portion just right. Coffee was lovely. Surroundings speak of comfort, minimalist style, and big chirpiness. It's a definite return for a place which ticks all boxes and made our stomachs very happy.

The World is a Book....

My friend once told me this quote by St Augustine, it reads "The World is a Book, and those who do not travel reads only a page". I love this quote, and for those of you whom have never heard of it, I hope you love it too.

Indeed, so here's my blog dedicated to travel.



One of the things I truly enjoy in life, the ability to explore, learn and immerse myself in new territories, being amongst different cultures, and meeting new people. I've been fortunate to have great parents whom had taken us around the world from a very young age. Days before, you're excitedly packing your bags knowing there's something new to look forward to. Yes I had my own bag (probably pink colored too) with my precious stuff. Even the journey itself was exciting, whether it'd be planes, cruiseliners, trains, even buses (Londonbus? :) )! As a child, there are always great benefits, like being spoilt by the aircrew who'd given me coloring books, toys, lollies, and also be invited into the cockpit.. meeting those smart looking pilots. To this day, I still think pilots are hot.

Recently, I've been asked to blog my list of countries (and cities) visited, so here it is:
1. Taiwan - Taipei
2. Hong Kong
3. Macau
4. Japan - Tokyo, Osaka
5. Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Penang, Ipoh, Johore
6. Singapore
7. Korea - Seoul
8. Thailand - Bangkok
9. Philippines - Manila
10. USA - NY, LA, Washington, San Francisco, Pennsylvania, Las Vegas, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Hawaii
11. Australia - Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns, Townsville, Hamilton island, Airlie beach
12. Switzerland - Zurich, Lucerne
13. England - London, Cambridge, Oxford, Kent
14. Germany - Koln, Mannheim, Heidelberg, Frankfurt
15. France - Paris, Versailes
16. Italy - Rome, Pisa, Bozen, Venice, Florence
17. Vatican City
18. Belgium - Brussels
19. Netherlands - Amsterdam, Volumdam, Gouda
20. Mexico
21. Liechtenstein
22. Luxembourg
23. Austria - Innsbruck
24. San Marino
25. Canada - Vancouver, Otawa
26. Indonesia - Bali
27. Portugal - Lisbon, Sintra, Almada

Although my last trip overseas to Europe in 08, multiple transits during the 1.5 days journey wore me out plus that need to shower. Plane food was still ordinary but improving (though dependent on airline, KLM and Lufthansa was okay).

I just have to make a quick note that Neil Perry of Rockpool fame had designed the menu for Qantas/Jetstar. I couldn't see much difference in what was being served and the trip via Jetstar (entire 6hr flight) was just shocking and lousy. Bad service and lack of space period. And I've been told AirAsia and TigerAir is just as bad with space, guess you get what you pay for.

Upon returning home, you'd always have that nice "home sweet home" feeling, but you also learn to appreciate all the simple things in life, whatever that may be, simple things like going to your local barista to get great coffee. You also realise we are lucky and more fortunate than most, things we tend to forget simply because we so often take things for granted. And for the most part, most people who have travelled far and wide tend to see things somewhat slightly differently.

(photos of Netherlands and streets of Portugal, photos are mine)

the 31 Places to go in 2010

sorry for the lack of blogs lately.. here's a couple to make up for it.. :)

I was reading the NY Times a couple of months ago and the article was discussing about 31 places to go in 2010.


These are the ones on the list I found most inspiring:

1) Sri Lanka: the article states it feels like one big tropical zoo, elephants roaming freely.. mmmm now I like that. And pristine coastline and miles of sugary white sand. Then there's Nilaveli Beach in Tamil north, where you can lounge on hammocks under palm trees or go snorkelling. I'm sold.

2) Antartica: polar bears and a whole lot more, why not. :)

3) Mumbai: Look, India should be on a travellers list just because. I remember once watching Amazing Race (one of the greatest shows ever!!!!), checkpoint India. How do they serve tea there for the public offices? People riding on bicycles, going from one building to another and delivering tea to people on multiple floors. And no, I didn't see fancy lifts, beautiful carpetry and all that jazz. But you'd never see tea served that way here, nor anywhere I've ever lived in, and that's one reason why it's worth visiting. I'm sure anyone who's ever visited India would have felt terribly sorry for the children one often meets, begging for money. I came across that when I was in Bali Indonesia few years ago. One child would come up to you, you give or buy the item they'd sell, then more will keep coming. And there's really only so much you can give.

4) Minorca, Spain: the article says "miles of beaches, some 120 of them... crystal clear swimming waters in the coves of Cala d'algaiarens (just saying that out loud is already sexy), fine sand and rolling dunes.. greenery and sun-bleached towns". I have a serious love for anywhere related to water, sand and sun.. beautiful towns and glorious mediterranean weather.

5) Costa Rica, Central America: the article talks about Costa Rican Bird Route which opened in early 2009, where there's 13 far-flung nature reserves with 500 bird species. I like birds simply because of their ability to fly freely, but no, not fond of some birds such as crows or magpies. In the western culture, you'd often see eagles (strength) and doves (peace) used, whereas in Japanese culture, you'd often see swallows, cranes, phoenix etc being used as decorative symbols on tableware or other art, often representing longevity or freedom.

6) Bahia: northeast of Brazil. Never been to South America, but it's sure on my list. I think if I ever headed there, I'd probably have to allocate a good month or 2 to really explore all the countries. We've only ever gone as far down to mid-America, ie Mexico. I definitely want to see the Amazon forest and the very spectacular Carnivale live!! The article mentions Palacete das Artes, and "The Kiss" and "The Thinker" by Auguste Rodin is available for temporary viewing. If one takes me to a gallery, I'd be pretty happy. heh

7) Norway: I've never been to any scandinavian countries, and I heard Norway is truly beautiful. Again like South America, I'd like to spend a good month or two exploring all countries covering Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark.

8) Gargano: anything related to coastal areas of Italy is a must for me.

Check out the full list:
www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/travel/10places.html
borrowed photos from Pascal Rouget for "Fisherman", and "Slowly through the Tea Hills".