06 August, 2007
searching the 'hood
I'm so excited! Kat over at Coffee Habits discovered a website that sells chocolate pots!! The one pictured is very similar to the chocolate pot I have been looking for and have bugged numerous antique stores and collectors about for so long. The price tag is a bit steep. Although, I am a hot chocolate fanatic/lunatic so perhaps this may one day be mine.....mwahahahahaa.
And while on chocolate, I am still walking the streets of our new 'hood in search of a local cafe to provide my breakfast staple/morning ritual - THE best Large Strong Soy Hot Chocolate - not sweet and sickly, but dark, strong and bitter please.
I found a place that uses a french chocolate which is the best in the area so far, however it all depends on the dude making it. The dude is nice enough but he uses hot water to melt the chocolate which is a big no no for me. When I saw him doing it, I couldn't stop myself from crying out aloud asking what the hell he was doing. He must have noted the panic and immediately stopped, but then he started to add cocoa powder to it! ugh! I could still go to my usual place (our new 'hood is not that far from where we used to be), however, they've changed suppliers and are using a different chocolate that is too sweet (and apparently cheaper). In desperation, I called them the other day while on my morning walk just to ask if they had perhaps changed supplier already. No chance, so I walked the other way.
I'm still searching so any help will be appreciated........
And while on chocolate, I am still walking the streets of our new 'hood in search of a local cafe to provide my breakfast staple/morning ritual - THE best Large Strong Soy Hot Chocolate - not sweet and sickly, but dark, strong and bitter please.
I found a place that uses a french chocolate which is the best in the area so far, however it all depends on the dude making it. The dude is nice enough but he uses hot water to melt the chocolate which is a big no no for me. When I saw him doing it, I couldn't stop myself from crying out aloud asking what the hell he was doing. He must have noted the panic and immediately stopped, but then he started to add cocoa powder to it! ugh! I could still go to my usual place (our new 'hood is not that far from where we used to be), however, they've changed suppliers and are using a different chocolate that is too sweet (and apparently cheaper). In desperation, I called them the other day while on my morning walk just to ask if they had perhaps changed supplier already. No chance, so I walked the other way.
I'm still searching so any help will be appreciated........
05 June, 2007
snowmen
this is what my boy did on the weekend with his bike gang while I studied.......
28 March, 2007
Ok, I get the message
msg 1:
Mum called last night. She was in a particularly chatty mood about her day. It kind of went like this:
'I went to the airport to see Nanay off, caught a train back home with your tita . I just got back now' (it was 7.30pm)
What took you so long?
'Oh, your tita and I went shopping. You know, we bought this DVD that your tita R recommended. She says its really good. It's an exercise DVD. She does it every day, it only takes 45 mins. Your tita E is burning it for me and I'll give it to you, ok? Oh, Dancing with the Stars is on. Ok, see you later. '
*!!!*
msg 2:
Then, this morning, my sister calls:
'You wanna go kayaking on saturday morning?'
yeah, sure. I call out to Mr D who has his bike out in the hallway, hey, are you off mountain biking now?
And while we're on the topic, I emailed the following article, Couples and kilos - is living together a recipe for becoming overweight? to Mr D. The article clearly explains why I've gained 10 kilos in the past 7 years! I quote:
"While some research suggests the first year of living together is a time of increased risk of weight gain for both sexes, a review of research into the eating habits of cohabiting and married couples in the UK, USA and Australia found that in general, women came off worse. Although men often picked up healthier food habits when they moved in with a woman, women ended up eating more foods high in fat and sugar, and put on weight"
Too right!!! Someone then complains about her partner's "English stodge" diet, and I again yell out, TOO RIGHT! I rarely ate very heavy meals consisting of mash, gravy, chips, lasagne, etc until Mr D arrived. I then had to cater my diet to suit his as it didn't make sense to have 2 different meals every night. And I started eating a lot later as well. I was just getting fired up when I suddenly received the following message from Mr D:
'I knew it was all your fault' :P
Grrrrrr.
Mum called last night. She was in a particularly chatty mood about her day. It kind of went like this:
'I went to the airport to see Nanay off, caught a train back home with your tita . I just got back now' (it was 7.30pm)
What took you so long?
'Oh, your tita and I went shopping. You know, we bought this DVD that your tita R recommended. She says its really good. It's an exercise DVD. She does it every day, it only takes 45 mins. Your tita E is burning it for me and I'll give it to you, ok? Oh, Dancing with the Stars is on. Ok, see you later. '
*!!!*
msg 2:
Then, this morning, my sister calls:
'You wanna go kayaking on saturday morning?'
yeah, sure. I call out to Mr D who has his bike out in the hallway, hey, are you off mountain biking now?
'I noticed that Mr D looked a lot slimmer on Sunday. Maybe it was his pink shirt.'
In the background, Mr D calls out that he's hot. I reply, 'Ok, yeah, you are babe.'
'You know, you really should exercise everyday.'
I do. I go for a run/walk everyday.
'Yeah, but I bet you're having a big fat hot chocolate right now'
(busted)
*msg 3*
Open my emails this morning. First one on the list, a special email from Jenny Craig.
OK, I get the message.
And while we're on the topic, I emailed the following article, Couples and kilos - is living together a recipe for becoming overweight? to Mr D. The article clearly explains why I've gained 10 kilos in the past 7 years! I quote:
"While some research suggests the first year of living together is a time of increased risk of weight gain for both sexes, a review of research into the eating habits of cohabiting and married couples in the UK, USA and Australia found that in general, women came off worse. Although men often picked up healthier food habits when they moved in with a woman, women ended up eating more foods high in fat and sugar, and put on weight"
Too right!!! Someone then complains about her partner's "English stodge" diet, and I again yell out, TOO RIGHT! I rarely ate very heavy meals consisting of mash, gravy, chips, lasagne, etc until Mr D arrived. I then had to cater my diet to suit his as it didn't make sense to have 2 different meals every night. And I started eating a lot later as well. I was just getting fired up when I suddenly received the following message from Mr D:
'I knew it was all your fault' :P
Grrrrrr.
09 March, 2007
the power of a name
ooh! I am so behind. They made The Namesake into a film! I love Jumpha Lahiri and I loved her books The Namesake and Interpreter of Maladies. A girl we met in Rishikesh, India, recommended her books to me while sitting in a back of an jeep, at dawn, after just spotting tigers hunting by the river.
oh India! I would jump on a plane in an instant to be back there again!
oh India! I would jump on a plane in an instant to be back there again!
Be tempted
The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is on next week from March 16-30. I would really love to go but sadly I don't have time. I can only look at the program with longing.......*sigh*
05 March, 2007
Jervis Bay
Had a lovely long weekend at Hyams Beach, Jervis Bay with friends. The weather was fantastic, the waves were awesome, we spotted dolphins everyday from our balcony, we had plenty of great food & wine and of course, great company to share it all with. What a nice way to spend my last weekend of 'freedom' before hitting the books again.
Here are some pics from Charlie.
Here are some pics from Charlie.
01 March, 2007
Claudia the cheesemonger
I met Claudia during a brief stint with a particular purveyor of fine food. We worked on a stall together at the growers market which was truly a fascinating experience. I had to meet her infront of said purveyor's store at 4am in the morning, load the truck up with boxes of cheese and equipment before chugging our way to the markets. I enjoyed the lively banter amongst the growers in the early hours of the morning and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to purchase produce (at discounted prices) before everybody else arrived.
Claudia was extremely knowledgeable on the world of cheese. Even though it was incredibly busy, we still managed to have a gossip while squeezing in a comprehensive crash course on cheese. I sounded like an expert by the end of the morning. Even my french improved.
So this is her latest adventure - McIntosh and Bowman Cheesemongers - specialising in the education and appreciation of Artisan and Farmhouse cheeses. Check it out!
Claudia was extremely knowledgeable on the world of cheese. Even though it was incredibly busy, we still managed to have a gossip while squeezing in a comprehensive crash course on cheese. I sounded like an expert by the end of the morning. Even my french improved.
So this is her latest adventure - McIntosh and Bowman Cheesemongers - specialising in the education and appreciation of Artisan and Farmhouse cheeses. Check it out!
19 February, 2007
Tasmania
Tasmania is cool. On this short trip, we flew into Launceston (Lolly), picked up a hire car and drove to the east coast. The purpose was to see my man's folks who were down there for 3 weeks - yes, 3 weeks in little tassie!! I hadn't seen his folks since waving them off at Bangkok airport a few weeks ago. They had spent a week in Sydney before flying down to the apple isle.
It occurred that I take for granted how easy it is to see my parents when Mr D (my man) told me how happy he was that his parents were only an hour away as opposed to 24 hours away. It was then that I also felt guilty for not seeing my parents enough and that we should have more family holidays together - even if it is only for a weekend. I am working on this.
Well, our little weekend has given us a taste for more. Of note - the roaring wind and waves crashing on granite boulders covered with pink and orange lichen; the enormous stretches of vast white beaches; seeing Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park; feasting on fresh crayfish, pacific oysters, scallops in Bicheno/Freycinet (although no abalone - just an abalone farm); the pinot; the reisling; Lily the blind duck; the large number of roadkill; the drive through picturesque Elephant Pass (and the famous pancake restaurant - brandied apricots encased in a hot delicate crepe with cream and icecream...mmm, delicious!); jazz on the grounds of Clarendon; Evandale - a pretty little town where we missed the local market; the tiny towns and the very small population.
Next time I'd love to spend more time in Freycinet camping and then to Cradle Mountain for some walking. And of course, more time eating delicious fresh seafood and drinking pinot.
It occurred that I take for granted how easy it is to see my parents when Mr D (my man) told me how happy he was that his parents were only an hour away as opposed to 24 hours away. It was then that I also felt guilty for not seeing my parents enough and that we should have more family holidays together - even if it is only for a weekend. I am working on this.
Well, our little weekend has given us a taste for more. Of note - the roaring wind and waves crashing on granite boulders covered with pink and orange lichen; the enormous stretches of vast white beaches; seeing Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park; feasting on fresh crayfish, pacific oysters, scallops in Bicheno/Freycinet (although no abalone - just an abalone farm); the pinot; the reisling; Lily the blind duck; the large number of roadkill; the drive through picturesque Elephant Pass (and the famous pancake restaurant - brandied apricots encased in a hot delicate crepe with cream and icecream...mmm, delicious!); jazz on the grounds of Clarendon; Evandale - a pretty little town where we missed the local market; the tiny towns and the very small population.
Next time I'd love to spend more time in Freycinet camping and then to Cradle Mountain for some walking. And of course, more time eating delicious fresh seafood and drinking pinot.
