Wow.

The Volturi

Lost Legend.

Woke up today to the news of Yasmin Ahmad's demise. Most Malaysians would know her for her controversial but internationally award winning films and heartwarming Petronas advertisements that never fail to impress. How are we gonna get through Merdeka, Hari Raya, Deepavali and Chinese New Year WITHOUT watching her creative works on tv????!

Rest in peace, Yasmin Ahmad.

Good Food, Great Company.

I dare say, I organize the best BBQ in town ;) Who, in the world, would grill RM500/kg Kobe beef on a BBQ gathering?! There goes my 1 month paycheck. But heck, as long as everyone enjoyed it, it's all worth it!

The last BBQ I had in my house was back in March. Time sure flies and the next thing you know, the usual noisy people invaded my house again just yesterday. Food was, as usual *ehem*, good and the 'July Babies Birthday Cake' was simply awesome.

Finally had the opportunity to drink the sparkling sake I bought from Yohei's workplace. It was nice, but tad too strong for most of our taste buds. It goes well with that heavenly piece of Kobe beef though!

Maybe we had too much good food for one day. A handful of us started to get sore throat today!

Stupid Fat.

Working in the kitchen is really hazardous. Since hiring 2 kitchen helpers, I haven't really been going into the kitchen to prep food, at least not for 6 out of 7 days. Sundays are the only day I get to stay in the kitchen for some action. With the massive crowd in the front of house, it is always good to be able to stay in the back, away from all the shit requests.

I know my flow in the kitchen and usually it's pretty smooth. Today I was a little careless in handling the pan heated with hot melted butter. It splattered smoking fat onto my shoe and eventually made its way to my toe! I had to endure 15 minutes of numbing pain before it subsides into a form of blister.

In situation like these, I wished I had worn my 'steel toe safety shoes' to work instead..

Pearl Magazine.

J-Card holders would know about Pearl Magazine, Jusco's in-house magazine. The agency managing the magazine came by today to conduct a food review and the outcome was pleasant. Had a great time chatting with the Editor about things unrelated to the review. Hah.

Anyway, check us out in the September issue of the magazine! As usual, I'll scan them once I get my hands on 'em :)

Reality.

I can't believe that my '4 months in advance planning, Down Under and Beyond trip' is finally over. To wait for it to come was a torture and before you know it, it's done and now I am sitting in front of the computer, uploading photos and updating my blog. Why is it that when you are enjoying yourself and the time seem to pass extremely fast?

Anyway, first and foremost, I wanna say a very big thank you to the Kong sisters and Steve ;) for their kind hospitality! Wouldn't have enjoyed Melbourne without their time. Wished the weather was nicer to us though :( Meiyinkong, I will try to stay longer next time. Hope we didn't trash up your house!

And then, to my partner in crime. Sigh. What can I say? Hoped you had fun in Melbourne. Not much that we can do with the limited time and the weather. And you getting sick. Of all time!! And by the way I know you've probably noticed anyway but I have to remind you, considering your memory, that my Foodcam is still with you... lalalala

"Strangely familiar", as Vy Wen puts it when she asked me about coming back to Auckland. It wasn't too long ago since my last trip back there (March 2008) but quite a bit have changed since. Noticeably, Queen St road widening is finally complete and that Multiplex building is almost done. Some old shops are closed, changed hands, food grade went down etc. I am SO disappointed with Buttumak's spicy pork back bone soup! 13D/E's favourite hangout spot HuluCat changed hands, redecorated and the drinks quality declined a little. Nevertheless, I did enjoy catching up with 2 ex-13D's, Matthew and Joseph over some hilarous UNO game!

Aussie!

Just like Wellington, it's extremely cold here. And it's raining too! Talk about demotivation..

Had yummy corn fritters with bacon for brekkie at MART and visited the Old Melbourne Gaol in the city before heading home. I am STARVING! Probably gonna eat some Vietnamese pho for dinner! Yum