Sunday, February 22, 2009

Off to Balmain

While in Sydney, during my two weeks of preparation in coming back to Singapore, I visited Balmain, my favourite-st place in Sydney.

This time it was to try out Adriano Zumbo's cafe. It was opened for the longest time and I have yet to try it. So together with Ja, Stella and Seok, we strolled down Darling Street to find the famous Adriano Zumbo.

As it turns out, the talked-about cafe was tucked in the most unassuming place- behind a pet store, hidden by the going-ons of the busy street. Yet when you enter the cafe area, it is calming, quiet and relaxing. How nice.

The modest collection of chocolates. (we didn't try any of them though..)

Ja, Heidi (which is me) and Seok.

Our lunch- part 1: Vegetarian sandwich with boconccini cheese and a mediterranean sandwich with salami. They were good, especially the vegetarian one. I like the pesto in it.

Lunch- part 2: Deconstructed Miss Marple. This name keep popping up again and again in every aussie food blog that I read so I guess it must be good. Well, it is really good. All of us liked it. The marscapone cheese wrapped in the freshly made thin crepes is a good combination. Topped with hot, buttery anglaise-like sauce and maple syrup, fresh strawberries and orange sorbet-sort-of-thing, this Miss Marple rocks.

Lunch- part 2 con't: It is NOT a hamburger!!! I know, it has a very expressive name. Giant chocolate macaroon with dulce du leche gelato, rice pudding and bitter chocolate sauce. An interesting dish which only selected taste buds would truly like. The macaroon is strangely salty, coupled by the peanut-butter-tasting gelato isn't a bad mix. Perhaps they should rewrite the description so that we won't be so confused.


After all the munching, we have decided to make the long hike down Darling Street, all the way to the habour at the end. This walk proved to be a pretty exciting one. We found a two hundred years old church, fully intact without any renovation, with a slightly younger pipe organ in it. We were invited inside by the one of the members of the church. Inside, we found one very old grand piano and surprisingly, several flags of different nationalities. There were the Japanese, British, Vietnam and others which I couldn't identify. This was something amazing. A church that is colour-blind, racial-indifferent, accommodating and freely embracing. How nice would it be if churches all over the world could be like this. How less troublesome things would be.

Sights.



On polaroid.

End.

Friday, February 20, 2009

A New Page

After 1 month of uneasiness, 1 night of decisiveness; after many fears and wavers and 2 weeks in Sydney, I am back in Singapore again. Hi again. :)

The decision to return to Singapore wasn't an easy one, mainly because there was a firewall of opposition. Thankfully I hacked through it (going on the offensive by bawling my eyes out) and made it to home. (Less metaphorically, my mum and uncle, and many others, opposed to my coming back, giving reasons like: the economy is bad, best thing to do now is to study, or you are being immature, think again. The only person who supported was my father, which I am grateful for. The thing is, I was extremely uncomfortable there. It is not that my life in Sydney was terrible, no. I had great friends, friends who listened, who helped, who are sincere. I had good, caring, talented teachers and had the opportunity to learn from them. I had a comfortable place to live in, much better than most of my friends. Yet, I wasn't happy. Instead it was like this slow, creeping depression is setting in. I could be light, happy and laughing in the day, and mournfully sad in the night, like there would be a weight over my chest. Therefore, I knew that something was off. I needed to come home. I needed a break So I told my mum and got the go ahead to come back.)

Therefore, I have deferred from school for a year. Which means I will have a year in Singapore before resuming my studies in LCB, Sydney. During my stay here, I plan to find a job (hotels or patisseries), pick up driving and learn Japanese. I want to do one thing at a time and do it well. So no rushing or whatsoever.

Time to clean up and get back on track. Catch you guys later.

Hi to mum, hi to men in black (glasses), sorry to be back. :P
End.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Lunar New Year Con't

The next major event during the lunar new year celebration is the house-warming party in Malacca.

It was a pretty massive house event because at any one time, there is at least 40 people in the house, not counting the kids. The numbers kind of builds up because there is always some kind of unexpected, accidental invitations to make. Therefore to cope with the numbers, we made extras. 20 sushi rolls, 7 loaves of bruschetta, 2 kg of prawns, 10 rolls of ngoh nhiang, and 3 apple cakes, on top of the buffet we ordered.




"Oh, the people finally left? hmm, I can come out now."

End.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Lunar New Year

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!

When you see pockets like that surfacing into the world, Lunar New Year is definitely here. haha.

First day into the New Year, mum, brother and I, with mum's eldest sister, forced our way through the customs into Malaysia to pot luck with my maternal family.



客家村的客家菜。Food that I love, not as a childhood favourite nor a development of tastebuds, but as a part of the family.
捞生。

My roots.




My family.

End.