Blogging stops here - For the mean time

This blog is temporarily out of order due to maintenance.

For the readers who frequent my blog, I am sorry to say there won't me any posts from the 15th to the 22nd of April as Amanda and myself will be in Melbourne.

BUT - We'll definitely be back with more pictures, stories and news! So stay TUNED!

P.S - But if Eddie (our kind friend who is willing to let us crash over his place) allows us to use his computer, we'll definitely upload some stuffs if we can.

My Life - In Pictures

Family

With the presence of my family, everything is provided for. Life is like a straight smooth road ahead of me where the directions were already planned. I can just choose to sit back and relax.

With them around, I am but a child. I fear naught a single thing when they hold my hand, not even in the face of danger or waves of troubles to come. For they are my parents and my whole world lives because of them.

Troublesome thoughts of a young adult - ME

I used to be a lonely individual. Standing in the open space watching crowds of people pass by as time flies. The world is cloudy and gloomy and compared to everyone, I was just a tiny being with no potential.

I used to think that I was just a normal person, an average, a mediocre. Life is like a coffee bean, where I was not unique. I seem to be like many others, trying to fit in becoming what others want me to become.

Life, back then was like an eternal sun-set. Everything was cold and becoming dark with not much ahead of me. No hope. No dreams. No life.

A new hope

The power of prayers never cease to amaze me. It gave me courage. It gave me strength. It gave me hope. All I had to do is to believe, try and fight for things that matters to me.

To me, prayers are like bridges, where it will bring you across troubled waters and to places where you can never imagine to be. And if you work hard enough, it will be and expressway bridge. (=P)

A dreamer. A fighter. An achiever.

People say dreams give you the idea, hope to give you strength and courage the wings to fly. It is true. My dreams and goals in life will one day come true and with the support of my family and friends, I am already sailing through the clouds.

I believe I can leave footprints in the lives of many. I believe that every thing I put my hands in, my earnest effort and solid strength in it will be achieved. I want to be a history maker where any mark I left behind will be always there.

People say rainbows are meant to be up in the sky but if I can touch them within my bare hands, then I SAY that rainbows can be made and dreams can be a reality. I am a fighter, I am believer, I am an achiever with the right goals and motivation in my life.

How I deal with a bad day

1. Smile. The most affectionate gesture that a human can offer to another in almost every circumstances - in grief, joy, sympathy, romance, etc. It lifts the day of another while it brightens yours. So why not put on a smiling face today?

2. Love - I do not hate the hardships I face, nor the people who are difficult to handle. I try to learn and understand the things that I do not understand. And if all fails, well, at least I tried my best.

3. Persevere - Like the wood-chopper, a goal can never be reached without perseverance. Tumultuous times call for the right balance of effort, self esteem and hard-work. All of these - to be at the top.

P.S - 1) Dear mum and dad, I miss you guys very much. Hope you guys are doing well back home. Thank you for the support although I may complain to you guys a LOT.

2) Dearest Amanda - thank you for the times where you stood by me when I am weak or to cheer for me when I am strong. You are one of my prayers answered - a lover, a girl-friend, a best-friend.

Orange creme caramel

Orange creme caramel - Note the different shades of it due to the caramel. Splendid!

This is a refreshing and elegant dessert that can be prepared a day before if you wish. It is perfect in making an ideal sweet finish to a dinner party.

Preparation time : 25 minutes + 4 hours chilling
Total cooking time : 55 minutes

Makes 6 (when using 125 ml ramekins or 2 when using 400 ml ramekins)

Ingredients:

220 g caster sugar
500 ml milk
1/2 vanilla pod, split lengthways
grated rind of 1 orange
3 eggs, beaten
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp of orange essence (or 1 tsp orange flower water)

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 150 C

Always have another pan of cold water at the side of the stove to prevent the caramel from overcooking.

When the caramel is boiling, remove it and dip the pot into the cold water. This is to prevent the caramel from drying up and crystallising.

2. Prepare caramel using 90 g of the sugar and a tablespoon of water. After the caramel has stopped cooking, pour into six 125 ml ramekins. Tip a little to coat the sides and bottom of the ramekins.

3. Bring the milk, vanilla pod and orange rind to boil slowly in a small pan.

4. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, remaining sugar and the orange essence until creamy.

5. Whisk in the boiling milk and pour through a sieve into a jug, discarding the vanilla pod and orange rind.

The ramekins made it easy to gauge the level of water need to filled in.

5. Pour the mixture onto the caramel in the ramekins and place them in a roasting tin. Fill the tin with hot water a third of the way up the ramekins.

In the oven at 150 C. Fan bake option.

6. Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes (until it is not jiggly or no liquid comes out when you poke it with a wooden stick). If you are using large ramekins bake for 50 - 55 minutes.

7. Remove the ramekins from the roasting tin and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

8. To serve, run the blade of a palette knife around the edge of each orange creme, then place the center of a dessert plate over the ramekin and invert onto the plate. When you lift the ramekins off, the liquid caramel will run over the dessert beautifully. (Do it very carefully)

I miss Malaysia [Part II] - S.H.O.P.P.I.N.G!!!!!

Although Canberra is not a pretty bad place to live in (to some, it's almost synonymous to the word - BORING), one could feel that it is not quite like home - MALAYSIA!

The highway - on the way to Pavilion.

I need to feel the busy-bustling city life sometimes! Even Malacca feels livelier than Canberra! I really miss the part where cars love speeding on the highways (especially when they highlight you from the rear or show "interesting" hand language)

I guess being in a more civilized place (not implying that all Malaysians are uncivilized) means less interesting scenes can be experience when you are traveling on the roads.

Kuala Lumpur - Petronas Twin Towers. Home is where the heart is (excluding the hot-humid weather there)

I miss the tall building in Kuala Lumpur. The sight of tall buildings around you just makes you feel that "Yes, there is some life going on here. It's not a dead town" when you are a third year student in Canberra.

I really wonder (along with everyone else here in ANU) why the Australian Government made Canberra as the Capital of the whole country and the tallest building in the whole state is no taller than the Equatorial Hotel in Malacca.

But most of all (although it may sound politically incorrect as I am a guy), I miss shopping! Canberra Mall is no where near to the shopping malls in Malaysia. Now I know why Aussies flock all the way to Singapore and Malaysia to shop.

Here are some mega-malls that I really miss.

Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

The deco in Pavilion - Elegant, classy and sophisticated

The podium set up for the Christmas celebration.

Malaysian shopaholics are jumping in the air with joy when this baby was built. The whole building was built on the ground of the ex-Bukit Bintang Girls School.

1 million sq. feet of land = pure shopping pleasure. It was a RM 3 billion project that consist of luxury residences, offices, a 6-star boutique hotel, a business class hotel along with a retail frontage.

One can tell how well the building is designed by having a glimpse of how the escalators are arranged.

The top floor of the shopping area - look at how big and wide the whole place is.

Here, Esprit has a store spreading over 3 levels. Other famous names that can be found here are Hermes, Montblanc, Escada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Hugo Boss, Coach, Burberry and Versace.

One thing important. The prices here are extravagant to the average consumer like myself. I went in one outlet to look at the price of a suit (as I needed one) Guess how much it is? RM 9999! Even the shop assistant was shocked reading that price to me.

So if you are pretty rich or just want to splurge, this place is certainly the place for you. If you are like me, well, there is a term called "window-shopping". =)

One-Utama

The view of the Christmas deco here in 1-U

The multi-story building is the place where you want to be.

With over 5 million sq ft of land, 1 Utama is definitely an international shopping and entertainment ground. Besides having designer clothing, it has other brand names that are more affordable. (Compared to Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, a lot CHEAPER!)

This place is the mecca for events and lifestyle shopping. The shops here (in my opinion) mostly revolves around fashion, i.e. clothing, make-up, accessories, etc. They do have home-living shops as well where one can find nice furniture, home sound-stereos and D-I-Y equipment.

A close up shot on the deco - I like this shot a lot

The bird's eye view of the main area of 1-U where the Christmas deco was voted as the best for year 2007 (I think)

Among all the shopping centers up in KL, 1-Utama is my favourite. Why? It has a simple name: 1-U. Even cool shopping advertisements can be put up. U-1 go shopping? Go to 1-U! (I know I am lame sometimes..)

Mid-Valley Megamall & the Gardens

Dating in Mid-Valley - One thing I like best about Malaysia, NO UNI = NO STRESS!

The Christmas deco in the Center Court of Mid Valley.

Last but not least, Mid Valley is one of my favorite shopping places in Malaysia. With 4.5 million sq feet of land, it holds more than 450 stores in its five floors. Like 1-Utama, it caters to the mid-high income group although they do have expensive brands as well.

The best part about Mid-Valley is that our friendly KTM has a stop there as well, which is good for students. Other than that, it is a good hang out place as it is near residential areas like Bangsar.

One of the "Chimneys" in the Gardens.

Again, the complexity of the design of walk-ways between isles is one thing I love.

My darling - along the isle of the new Gardens.

The Gardens is an extension of Mid-Valley, where it is connected through a bridge and an underground passage way (from the basement floor where all the fast-food joints are).

It is like Pavilion Kuala Lumpur where it caters to the higher-income consumers. You can really see the contrast between the shoppers in the Garden and in Mid-Valley, in their fashion sense, attire and spending power.

I guess that's all for now, for those who are in Malaysia, LUCKY YOU! For those who are not or visitors to my country, this would be a good place for you to shop =)

Toodles~

W-O-R-D-S or S-W-O-R-D?

I came across this thing once a long time ago (in some forwarded mail thread). It's pretty witty actually.

One has either too much time in one's hand or even perhaps extremely deadly in Scrabble.

PRINCESS DIANA

When you rearrange the words:

END IS A CAR SPIN



DORMITORY

When you rearrange the words:

DIRTY ROOM



ASTRONOMER

When you rearrange the words:

MOON STARER



DESPERATION

When you rearrange the words:

A ROPE ENDS IT



And last but not least, the best one here:



MOTHER-IN-LAW

When you rearrange the words:

WOMAN HITLER

Have fun reading it and if you want, try making your own words up! =P

p.s - My mum kept on saying to me on MSN, "Eh, it's the letter I emailed to you one laaaa". So she deserves the credit here.

Sky Fire 2008

A note before you read: This is a pretty long post - not in terms of words but pictures. I have decided not to stack too many pictures together as I would rather you guys viewing the pictures as large as they can. They are indeed beautiful.

The Occasion

Sky Fire is an annual fireworks show held over Lake Burley Griffin here in Canberra. This occasion began in 1988. The fireworks display are arranged by pyrotechnicians are synchronised to the music played.

It is usually held in February or March. This year, it was held on the 15th of March 2008. It had been estimated that more than 18 000 people turned out to see Sky Fire 2008.

The gang - on a picnic by the lake (approx. 5.55pm)

The majestic view of people under the Australian flag.

The Sights, Sounds and Smell

Other than the display of fireworks, they had parachuters, WWII airplanes, helicopters and speedboats on display. They had a live performance as well. Overall, it was all in great fun hanging out together with friends and loved ones.

How did we prepare for the Sky Fire? Bring lots of chips and fizzy drinks! A mat or a picnic rug will be extremely useful (unless you want feel little pricks of sharp grass on your but). Light alcohol would nice if you have a chiller with you to keep your booze cold.

Chilling - with snacks, fizzy drinks and chit-chatting away.

A bottle of Japanese beer on a hot day - Nice!

Having your snacks ready and drinks by your side, just sit back and guzzle everything down like a true-blue Malaysian. It was a fine day and it was pretty nice just lying down on the grass looking at the clouds.

By 6.45 p.m the crowd was already piling up. The locals were sitting down on their picnic chairs and a hat that any Aussie would wear. There more airplane stunt performances and parachuters decorated the sky with colored smoke.

The crowd in front of us - facing the stage in the middle were a live was held

When up in the air, planes are like dreams of men - they soar up high above us when our feet are on the ground.

Lake Burley Griffin - the view of it during sunset took my breath away.

The wind was pretty strong at time, thus the parachuters were falling way too fast even with their parachutes all opened up. Luckily they did not land on the ground but into the lake instead.

I took a walk with Amanda as well around the place as it was her first time attending a Sky Fire event. Here are the sights that we saw:

Parachuters soaring high above us - with crazily strong winds prove to be quite dangerous.

The public toilets available - quite interesting

The toilets were quite interesting actually. I really wonder where had all the waste magically disappeared to. Apparently you have to press a button a few times to flush the toilet as well as when you want to wash your hands.

But mind you, the sight inside the toilet was not at all pleasant to see. Actually, dirty toilets are almost a part of any country (like Malaysia). It was a worthwhile experience though.

The moon - in broad daylight?

The car of the Radio D.Js' - sporty and funky

My darling posing a cute smirk on her face - instead of a hot pose that models do. Lol

The Merry People from ANU

And at about 7.45 p.m the sky was about to turn night (it was still like summer that time, where it was warm and the sun sets pretty late)

You can see the smiles and funny faces of my group. Yes, I can assure you that we have not turn ourselves into boring nerds when you associate us with ANU.

The full crowd has arrived! And the sky's getting dark as well (approx. 7.55 p.m.)

We were having fun with sparklers as well.

The one and only girl in my heart and myself.

And the SKY FIRE 2008!

And finally the moment that we all have been waiting for, SKY FIRE 2008!! I have posted only the selected pictures from what I have taken, so enjoy!

Moments before the start of the fireworks.

B.L.A.S.T. O.F.F!!!!

Green Palm trees?

Or blue palm trees?

In the shape of a feather

One of my favorite shots that night. Spectacular

Slightly overexposed, but I want to show how great the scale of the fireworks here

Golden star-burst

This looks like a magical explosion of fairy dust

Another one of my favorite shots

I like the color for this one, adds the carnival flavor to the fireworks

This looks like flying spirits who had just escaped from the bottle.

Another magnificent shot that shows the magnitude of the display

One of the last scenes from the last ten seconds of the fireworks

All good thing must come to an end. After the fireworks, we head off back to UniLodge (some went out to club instead). Another interesting day, in a widely proclaimed boring town called Canberra.

And a great picture to end with - some random passerby posing as I made this shot.

Youth Week 2008 @ Canberra

Free is good. And goodies, in turn, come in a cute little blue bag

Youth Week? What is that? National Youth Week (NYW) is Australia’s largest celebration of young people. Generally, people aged 12-25 years all across Australia get involved in NYW every year.

The celebration in Canberra may not be as grand as the ones in Sydney or Melbourne but hey, at least we had fun in the midst of preparation for our exams and studies. Here in Canberra, it is held in Garema Place.

Free BBQ!

2 guys beating each other out - with super inflated boxing gloves and a bouncy boxing ring

Here, they have a number of booths of various community centers and social services groups which were promoting themselves and to create an awareness that there are help available to the youths.

They had a few booths of various community centers as well as counseling groups on that day. These groups sort of like advertised themselves by handing out free brochures and goodies.

A scrambler on display!

One of the community centers

They are meant for teenagers with problems due to anxiety, stress, loneliness and other teen related problems. This is actually good as on this day, their presence create an awareness that you are never alone when you have problems.

This year, their main project was to create awareness that there were people among us who has eating disorders. It was pretty cool that they asked people who were present to write something on the many weighing scales which were on displayed.

Here are a few shots regarding the display:

A passer-by doing her part by writing something down on the weighing scale

One of the very nicely decorated weighing scales. You can either choose oil paint or a permanent marker

Scaling Heights to Freedom - It's like an irony, weighing scales and eating disorder

The volunteer over-looking participants painting

Basically, NYW is all youths gathering together to voice out their opinions and voice their concerns. They have on-going events such as talent shows, competitions, live concerts (for bigger cities like Melbourne) and art displays.

Here in ACT, there were quite a number events (the ones that we saw during our one hour there) such as a cheer-leading dance routine, live bands, hula-hoop dance, a girl walking on broken glass, a belly-dance performer and street jugglers.

Here are some of the pictures of the performances:

The MC for the day. Notable quote: "You, sit down there and listen to me!"

Hula-hoop

The volunteers of their respective organizations and community service centers

A girl walking on broken glass with her bare feet

A cute little doggy - she stole my sausage!

The cheer-leading squad

the belly-dancer shaking her.. erm.. belly buttons with a sword on her head

The street acrobats and their team of jugglers behind them.

The jugglers. Note: the left guy kept on making mistakes which quite humorous when the right guy threw the pins at him.

I guess that's all for now. Been busy reading my articles to update frequently nowadays. Laters!

A birthday bash - In Tosolini's

Tosolini's : The place to be when it come to Italian cuisine.

Before I start writing more regarding the place, the main purpose of the event is to celebrate the birthdays of two of my friends, Debbie (from Singapore) and Yooni (from Korea).

No other better place that they can pick to celebrate this special day than Tosolini's Restaurant. Tosolini's really made its name with its pastas and focaccias. (Italian my man, Si! )

This snazzy restaurant is right next to the busy central bus terminal and in the heart of Canberra's city, Tosolini's really pulls in the passing crowd. They have seats outdoors where you can have a cup of coffee to watch the world pass by.

In the restaurant

Oriental style lanterns add spice to the ambiance - on contrary of being an Italian restaurant

Yellow spot lights on the ceiling create a warm atmosphere, one which is very important to induce the appetite of their customers. One would want to be cozy in the outside before they start pampering their stomachs with the delicacies offered, Si?

A long dining table awaits us - where cutleries were arrange with much care and attention.

Everything was very well arranged. Wooden tables decorated the floor along with matching chairs. There was even a fire-place in the middle of the floor, creating a much warmer feeling to all who set their foot into the restaurant.

the Bar: Fine selection of wines are available, as well as other types of liqueurs.

A good marketing strategy: Make one's customers pass the glass display of cakes, desserts and pastries as well as the fine selection of wine when one's customers come in. That was what they do. If weren't for the cake that we brought, we would have already gotten one from the place.

the friendly and professional crew at the counter and display shelf.

Finally before I head on to the food I shall rant a bit more on their staff. They were polite, friendly and basically - professional, as one expect from a high class restaurant. I even had a little chat with them when I took the picture above.

Me: It's for my blog guys, sorry for the flash
Dark shirt guy: It's alright, but I have to charge you next time
Me: Aww, come on! You guys would be famous.
Dark shirt guy: Then that's ok, but be sure not to put my face next to a naked picture, or else I would be in trouble!

The food - Starters

You can view more of the range of their food on their official web-page. We have ordered the Modello Banquet Dinner (which was $29.90 p.p). This sort of price is the price you'd expect from a snazzy Italian Cuisine restaurant.

Alright, here goes!

Garlic, Pesto, Sundried Tomato, and Olive Breads

Toasted bread with the mentioned items above - a good start for more to come

Calamaretti St. Andrea

Lightly fried calamari served with wild rocket and lemon dressing. They almost melt in your mouth the moment you chew them.

Antipasto Misto

Garlic prawns, grilled chorizo, shaved proscuitto, assorted dips and marinated vegetables

The last starter was the best! It was served with bread, so when you lay them on top of the bread along with the dip it is simply superb!

The food - Mains

Everyone had to choice to choose one out of the following mentioned below.

Pizza al Pescatore

Roman style pizza square topped with prawns, calamari, tuna, chilli and fresh herbs

A very filling pizza, especially for sea food lovers. Remember the ones they had in Pizza-Hut? This one's ten times better!

Insalata con Pollo

Marinated chicken pieces tossed with sun dried tomatoes, shaved parmesan, crispy potatoes, baby spinach and wild rocket leaves

A unique mix of chicken salad - delicious to the very last leaf of vegetable and shred of meat.

Vitello alla Limone

Tender slices of veal, panseared and served with crispy kipfler potatoes, wild rocket leaves and lemon butter sauce

Meat lovers! Get your hands on this! This would definitely fill your stomachs. Add a dash of pepper and it would be perfect!

Fettucine alla carbonara

Bacon, cracked pepper, parmesan, garlic cream sauce

Among all of the options offered, this would probably be the best. Simple, filling, tasty and delicious!

Risotto con Pollo

Marinated chicken, mushrooms, semi dried tomatoes, seeded mustard and fresh herbs

May look dodgy or even like a RM 5.00 "chap-fan" but it's not bad actually.

Chaplango alla Sedapo

I know that I am not suppose to play with food but I can't help it!

Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

Thanks to Lyon, everyone has the chance to enjoy a little bit of good wine

The Celebration - Yooni's and Debbie's Big Day

Alright, I think I have already covered enough regarding the restaurant so now regarding the main purpose of why we were in Tosolini's in the first place - a birthday bash for two babes!

xx candles - for a girl named Yooni.

Sparkles and candles adds the fun! (The sparkles ended a little bit too soon - even before the cake was served)

Either the world is too small, a stroke of chance or a by fate, these two close buddies have the same birthday!

Left to Right: Gladys, Debbie, Kimberley, Yooni, Amanda and Winnie

Even they have different birthdays (I shall keep their ages a secret, as you know I may get bashed up by them for telling the whole world how old they really are - GIRLS) and live in different halls, many friends turned up for the event.

The many people present on this very special day - people of different races, nationalities and countries. Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Australia

The two birthday girls with their cakes - making their wishes and singing along with the merry crowd.

There is a reason why we meet in Canberra and why this place means Kam-ber-ra - "meeting ground" in the aboriginal language. This is where our lives crossed with one another, creating new paths of friendship.

With a good eatery location, scrumptious food served, happy friends amongst us and a special day that happen, today is definitely a day that will remain as what we call a happy memory.

And before I end the post, I shall let Yooni and Debbie blow out their candles and granting them their birthday wishes:

Smoke from the blown candles - sending their wishes up to the heavens and allowing their hopes and desires to come true.

PS : After party will probably be covered by Winnie =P

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake - the end product-

One slice of this mousse will be enough for even the most hardcore of chocolate lovers

Ingredients
(sereves 8 - 10)

285 g dark chocolate buttons
600 ml pouring cream
6 large egg yolks
170 g caster sugar
10 amaretti biscuits, crushed

To serve with:
cocoa powder
amaretto liqueur
creme fraiche

Some of the ingredients required for the cake: Dark Chocolate, Pouring Cream, Cocoa Powder, and Amaretti Biscuits

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to fan-forced 130 C (150 C conventional)

2. Melt chocolate in a bowl over a pan simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water) or in microwave. Allow to cool slightly then stir in cream gradually until smooth.

Make sure you melt the chocolate over hot water, not over the fire.

Pour the cream a little at a time or else it would be difficult to mix them up evenly.

3. Combine yolks and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until pale and smooth.

This is the consistency that you should be looking for.

4. Pour chocolate mixture onto yolks and stir until smooth.

5. Place a 25-cm greased tart tin on a baking tray and pour mixture into tin.

6. Bake for 45 minutes or until just set.

7. Remove and cool.

8. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

9. Turn out, press amaretti biscuits and cocoa into the side and drizzle with liqueur.

10. Serve in slices with a dollop of creme fraiche.



Note: This cake is a very, very and I do mean VERY rich cake. Not meant for those who are on a diet. And while serving, please keep it to small thin slices.