云吞

With food/recipe magazines everywhere, anyone can cook! =P

Today I attempted to make wontons which turned out pretty good. The recipe said to use chicken mince but since chicken meat here is so expensive, I decided to go with pork mince. I mean come on, who makes/eats wonton with chicken meat anyway? At least I don't, for all I remember wontons are always filled with pork. I think it would be a completely different texture if it was chicken meat, possibly not as 'soft'? Which defeats the purpose of making wontons cos literally wonton or 云吞 means 'swallowing cloud' which indicates the wonton being so soft it's like swallowing clouds. 

My version is probably a cross between Cantonese and Shanghainese. Cantonese serves it with noodles, Shanghainese uses only pork and wombok (no prawn) and wraps it the way I did. The first time I tried to wrap it, I didn't know how to do it as the instructions weren't clear in the recipe. It turned out looking really ugly and weird so I looked up Youtube and found the right way to wrap them. Seriously, the internet has just about anything you're looking for it's not even funny.

By the way, I just finished watching Lord of the Rings (all 3) yesterday. I know, so freaking late. It was out when I was 15, at that time I probably still didn't have that much freedom to hang out with my friends and watch movies so when the 2nd or 3rd movie came out, I didn't watch it cos what's the point of watching when I didn't watch the first movie, right? Can I just exaggerate how freaking long the movie is? 3.5-4 hours for one movie, are you serious? Lol. Nevertheless, it was good. Next, The Matrix. Yes I haven't watched that either, because the name sounded boring hahaahh.

My Mexican Cousin

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On Sunday we went over to St. Ali for brunch. It's said to be famous for their cofee but I don't know much about coffee so gimme a cuppa macchiato and I'm good to go.

Wk had a latte (1) and the Daffy's Whole Egg (3) which has roasted assorted mushrooms with soft boiled duck egg, sauteed spinach and smoked sea salt. I of course had a long macchiato, and for my brunch I went with My Mexican Cousin (2) which is their secret recipe corn fritters, baby spinach, haloumi and kasundi with poached eggs. Maggie had the Napoleon Complex which is their french toast, you can see it in the second picture.

Loved the corn fritters! Corn fritters instantly reminded me of my Form 5 English literature subject where we had to read a book called The Pearl. Anyone remember that? Anyone? I really enjoyed the book so maybe that's why I can still remember the details. By the way corn fritters is not 'jagung goreng' ok... it's similar to pancakes but with corn in them. I guess traditionally people deep fry the mixture so maybe that's why it's called fritters but I'm pretty sure mine's not deep fried, it didn't taste oily at all.

I'm don't know much about coffee but I did enjoy my long macc. Food and service was good too but I heard they're always crowded and you can't book for a place though. They have quite an extensive menu, would love to go back and try other stuffs.

When we were on the way back to the city we passed by the Convention Centre and noticed there lots of people and some people with costumes so we decided to get down and have a look. I still don't know what was going on that day cos I was too busy looking at all the different costumes haha.

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The Star Wars characters were all getting their photos taken (4). Then we grabbed a Stormtrooper for a picture (5). I did take pictures with them but... gosh I look so fat if I put it up it'll break the screen wtf.

By the way, speaking of Stormtrooper, I never knew they were called that until Wk and Kai Mun mentioned! All these while I've always referred them as "the white soldiers" or "the clones" haahahah. Even my brother calls them clones lol.

Their costume was really, REALLY cool btw. When they talk the voice goes through something in their headgears that digitizes it and make it sound semirobotic, exactly like in the movies. When Maggie and I was about to take a picture with one of them, we dropped our shopping bags ith the boys and the Stormtrooper asked us "Have you been shopping today" in that digital voice hahahaha it was so freaking funny. That day was a really warm, sunny day. I cannot imagine how hot it would be for those people wearing those costumes. Especially Darth Vader hahaha. I was kinda disappointed to not see Chewbacca though.

***

Teaching went pretty well last week! :) It was a piano distributing company, which is the sole distributor of Steinway & Sons in.. I don't know if it's Victoria or the whole of Oz but omg... a huge lot full of pianos! Steinway & Sons some more! I would choose to get a Steinway over a car... since Wk can buy a car hahaahah!

Ok time to go.

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Life isn't as easy as it used to be but I am constantly grateful that I am always very well taken care of. If I feel like it, I'll cook. If I don't feel like it, someone is always there to make my meal for me.

***

Michelle, my former boss in a music school I used to teach at in Malaysia who migrated to Melbourne, asked me to help her relief her piano classes because she is back in Malaysia for the moment. A temporary opportunity to have a job but I think it's going to be a great experience, to know how it's like in the music schools here.

School on the other hand is getting interesting. I'm now thinking of what I really should do. Initially I wanted to change to another course but I couldn't do it because it wasn't offered to international students, it still isn't offered now. I'm stuck with this current course I'm doing because I'm supposed to change only when it is approved by the government and offered to international students. I was convinced that it'll happen in August. Then September. Then October and the list goes on. The last I heard, it's not going to happen till next February. Which will make it 8 months from when I started this course I'm currently doing! Which makes completely no sense if I were to switch after being in it for so long.

I honestly don't mind continuing to do what I've been doing since I'm doing well and I do see some career prospect in it. The thing is I don't feel excited whenever I go to school. I'm only doing it for the sake of the fees I've paid, not for the love or interest of it. But to change after 8 freaking months? I don't know how's that going to happen without needing to pay some extra moolah, which obviously I'm not willing to. I can only blame the institution for tricking me into agreeing to do this course while I wait... oh wait. Maybe I should blame myself for being so stupid. Haihhh.

So today we went swimming again. It was our 4th time if I remember it right. We've been going swimming pretty much every weekend and Wk teaches me how to swim. My dad taught my how to breaststroke when I was younger but it's not quite right... the technique. I'm guessing he learned it informally/self-taught which explains the wrong technique. I've always wanted to know how to swim... just because. It's a great cardio workout because in the water the exhaustion is somewhat disguised... if you know what I mean. I can never get the motivation to jog. So freaking tiring and boring.

I'm almost getting there with my breaststroke! Even did laps today. Not many but compared to the previous times, today felt very rewarding. Before this I had to break my swimming into 'sections' to complete 1 lap ok, it was that exhausting for me as well as demotivating looking at everyone swimming like a fish wtf. Even kids! Then again, I was most probably swimming wrongly so that's why. 

And each time I was approaching the deeper end, I panicked when I looked at the base getting deeper and deeper, and then I'll stop swimming and turn around as though there's a monster in front waiting for me wtf. Today, it felt so much more in control! There was still a few panicky moments but I tried to be as calm as possible and it really did work - to stay calm.

Once I get my breaststroke right, Wk will teach me freestyle. Looking forward to that! Slowly I shall overcome my fear of the water and swim like a fish too! =D

This was my second attempt at coffee cake, after a pretty disappointing first. This time the cake turned out much better - much lighter in texture and more moist. Finally satisfied.

Thinking of what I should bake next...

I've finally finished reading Kafka on the Shore. And honestly I have absolutely no idea what it's all about. So I Wikipedia-ed it like a loser... and found out that's exactly how the author wanted it to be. Like a riddle. So I'm supposed to read it a few more times to figure out more which I can not be bothered. It was a good read though... very mysterious and strange which kept me going on only because I was as curious as a cat. Ha! What a coincidence for using that idiom cos the book talks about cats as well.

Today marks the start of daylight saving aka the clock has to be adjusted to an hour faster than before aka we just lost 1 hour of the day in this Sunday. Oooooh well.

A cookie within a cookie

Happy belated Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! I wanted to grab a traditional mooncake just to feel close to home but unfortunately, the mooncakes here cost a bomb and I've asked a couple of people and everyone said they're not good. So we decided to try these dessert-stype, snow skin mooncakes and they turned out pretty good. Maggie and I both shared a big box so that we get to try out all the flavours they have. My favourite so far's the black sesame and durian. 

Speaking of mooncakes, a couple of weeks ago one of my classmates/good friend from school gave me a mooncake from Starbucks! Of course you can't buy mooncakes from Starbucks here, that would be bizarre hahah. Her boyfriend's parents came to visit and they're Malaysian and they brought mooncakes over. She had a few so she gave one to me. It feels really good to be surrounded by nice people :)

And since I'm talking about sweets, let me just talk about a couple (literally 2) of things I've made ever since I came to Melbourne. People who know me know I love to bake. Unfortunately, everything here is so expensive that I can't just decide to bake with a snap of my fingers. I can't afford to buy ingredients which I might only end up using once, or ingredients which are not even cheap to begin with.

First attempt was this Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies. Yes, a cookie within a cookie. Wait Oreo is not a cookie is it? More like a sandwich...

Anyway, I got the reccipe from here. Unfortunately, because I was *ahem* trying to be smart *ahem* the cookies ended being overly baked. The recipe asked to bake for 9-13 minutes. At the 15 minutes mark, the cookies were still pale and looked 'raw', so I left it on longer. Probably 20-25? I only took them out when they turned slightly brown. More appetising mah...

The cookies ended up being really, and I mean REALLY hard for cookies. Plus, they were humongous so they felt like rocks. They look like scones, only rock hard.

Which was utterly disappointing considering ingredients were not cheap (at least for me) :(

And in the pictures from the recipe, the icing in the Oreo along with the chocolate chips actually melted when baked! Mine didn't :( I think maybe if I ever try to bake this again, Imma use a higher temperature. 

The second thing I attempted was this Retro Coffee Cake which I first saw in Masterchef 2011. It was one of the dishes made by the winner of this year's competition. Recipe found here.

Everything was perfect... except for the cake.

Seriously this is so demotivating. 2 times baking and both didn't turn out well aka waste. of. money! :(

The recipe asked to bake in 2 x 20cm baking tins. Honestly, I didn't know what's that supposed to mean because I've never seen such instructions. It would have made a lot more sense if they say "bake in two 20cm baking tins", don't you think? So anyway,  I only used a 20cm baking tin to bake which means, my cake was super thick. Naturally, it wouldn't cook in the suggested time.

Instead of 30 minutes, I think I had to bake it for about an hour (or more) to finally have it perfectly cooked. By then, the edges around the cake was already rock hard and the insides a little dry. It's edible, but far from my expectation :(

The coffee butter cream was great. With espresso added, it wasn't too sweet. The cake... blehhhh.

I shall make the cake again since I still have some leftover coffee butter cream. 

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Ok food stuff aside, yesterday one of my students twittered me that he scored distinction in his recent violin exam. Btw, yes I have 3 of my students following me on Twitter. I was so happy to hear that! And then it gets better. Another 2 of them scored distinction as well! I was soooooooo proud of them. The news just made my day, seriously.

Nothing is more rewarding for a teacher than to see their students enjoy what they learn and excel. Exams are not everything but it doesn't hurt to try and know your abilities. Clearly they've done themselves, their parents, their new teacher and their former teacher (meeeee) proud.

Congratulations Nikki, Michelle and Seng Zhao! 

Never thought I would say this if it was me a few years ago but I miss teaching :( I'm glad I did my part to guide them. Through the 6 years of teaching, I learnt so much more than I did in uni. They were experience no money could buy. Not saying I've never had students who failed under me, frankly, I have had 2. Which was also invaluable experience for me. Teaching became so much more than just earning money for a living, it became a part of me which I grew to love.

Now let me have my moment of glory... =D

 

Shooooooes

Aaaaaaah yet another sporadic update. Guess what I'm doing now? Procrastinating of course.

Why do I always have the urge to blog whenever I need to (but don't feel like I want to) study/do assignments?!!

Seems like I haven't talked about shopping in a while. Well everything is crazily overpriced here so nobody should be surprised. Asos.com (ONLY when there's sale) is now my best friend. And recently Maggie told me about this warehouse/outlet kinda thingie having a promotion of get 2 for $100 for Tony Bianco shoes!

I love Zara for their clothes because I know if I walk into a Zara I would definitely find something I like and would wear for years. And I love Tony Bianco for the same reason, if only shoes can last. 2 for $100 for Tony Bianco is a pretty damn good deal. And you can pick ANY 2 pairs except for boots, talk about flexibility! All you have to do is pray they have your size.

And I secretly went berserk when I saw this:

Love at first sight! Although a little painful to wear since it's half a size smaller than what I should wear, I decided to be a bitch and grab it still because I am kiasu like that hahaaha scared another girl take it when I'm contemplating. 

I've been looking for a pair of Mary Jane-ish shoes for some time already. I love pumps but because my feet are not the same size, finding a pair which I can comfortably walk in, is a bitch. The pump on my smaller foot always end up sliding off my heels when I walk, which is super annoying. So I figured a strap-on like Mary Jane would be perfect. Also it's not easy to come by shoe stores which have half sizes between 5 and 6 ok! I should be wearing 6. 5.5 is a little snug, but it's ok because I definitely wouldn't be able to walk in size 5 which is actually what I wear normally. And the best part is it's black suede, super versatile and elegant.

Aaaah love <3

Next pair, I was thinking of something not so crazy high but not completely flat on the floor. So I decided on this.

Yes black suede again. Love this cos it's super comfortable without compromising the 'look' hahaha. Perfect for school or a day out shopping. Who wears 5 inch heels to go shopping?? Siao.

That was initially my only 2 purchase but then Maggie tempted me to get another pair, telling me we could share. And I gave in. Maggie you're such a bad influence! :P

Naaah. I quote Esther, "A girl can never have too many shoes" :) And anyhow, I rarely ever purchase shoes at one go like this. Gotta make good use of the deal whenever possible.

Besides Tony Bianco, they also have a few other brands. Unfortunately, they only sell female shoes. The guys (bfs) initially didn't want to come with us but after much persuassion, they said yes and ended up having coffee at Gloria Jeans while we shopped AHHAHAH. At the end of the day they of course did their job for coming out with us: carry shopping bags haahahha!

I know I said pumps never fit me right but this pair is different! It was snug! I would love it higher but the higher pair didn't fit me. Same problem, sliding off my foot when I walk. I figured this would be great for casual outings since it's not too high. Yes. Black suede AGAIN. Pumps-like AGAIN. Wtf is wrong with me?

Ok that is it. Felt like I typed 2000 words talking only about some new shoes I bought. How boring lol. Nah it was only 600++ words. I checked on Microsoft Word haha..

Ok time to return to my studies/assignment.

Home in Kensington

If I don't skip school, I'm not Ee Von. Hahah. 

Yes currently at home because I skipped class today. Today I feel like talking about our (Wk and I) apartment. To make it fair, it's HIS apartment because obviously I can't afford to pay any rent now since I'm studying and I don't have a job in hand. I think it's only right to clarify that he pays for everything from rent to household. For that, no words can describe how grateful I am to have him.

We moved to this place about a week after I touched down. It's a little away from the city, 15 minutes train ride. Obviously it isn't as convenient as when we used to live in the city but the cost cannot be compromised at all. It's too much and not worth it - about AUD 2.4-2.7K for a 2 bedroom apartment. 

And besides we both know ourselves too well that we're not the type of people who can live with others easily. Not to say we're not easy going and difficult to please, but it's certainly not easy to find people who you can click with in an instant when it comes to cleanliness, taste (homewares and furnitures) and money issues. If we were to live in city, it's impossible to afford anything without having housemates. Trust me, the amount of stories I've heard from friends who live with others is enough to put my guards up when it comes to searching for housemates.

Sorry, I digressed. So about 4-5 months upon moving in, the apartment was then fully furnished.

The dining area went from this

to this

At the beginning we had to use the moving boxes as our dining table.

The living area went from this

to this

The bedroom went from this

to this

Did anyone notice how boring the colour scheme is? Hahahah no prize for guessing whose idea it's from. Apart from the red couch, everything's kept very black and white-ish. Actually they're not black, they're dark brown/timber finishes. So when we were deciding on the couch colour, I (kinda) insisted on red because there HAS to be at least one colour in the apartment. At least an accent. 

I am definitely glad to call this place home. I miss my home in Malaysia a lot but at least knowing I'm safe and warm, and the apartment is pretty good for a start, I'm thankful. Its an unfurnished 2 bed with built in robes + 2 bathroom apartment with an ensuite. Big living area, dining area and a good kitchen size (there's never 'too big' for a kitchen =P) which comes with a dishwasher and an oven. There's also a spacious balcony, which we 'decorated' with a barbecue pit. Hahah. I say decorate because we haven't been using it much. It's cold and I certainly won't like the idea of standing outdoors barbecueing. I don't understand how people do it in the winter.

All of the furnitures are from IKEA except for our room's bedside chair, which Wk bought from an online store that sells replica designer furnitures. Everything's from IKEA because that is the only place we could afford. But it was quite fun assembling everything :)

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Everything else has been alright. Still waiting for answers regarding our PR application. School has been ok. I definitely am on track and with my experience and qualification, I hate to sound like a bragger but I think I'm over-qualified so it's been pretty boring honestly hence, today decided to stay in and do something productive like cleaning the apartment. 

I hope everyone's doing fine.

Till next time.