tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58804247939509816662024-03-15T02:49:01.617+08:00Reez's Gap Year: The Things I Deem BloggableDoing something new each day and making the most of my gap yearAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.comBlogger366125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-61595009230365174052014-01-01T00:00:00.000+08:002014-01-01T00:03:08.911+08:002014!<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span></b></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aAJTQ6W8Ono/UsLLdGSJdPI/AAAAAAAAIg8/-qPQ8b77cBM/s1600/PC311741-MOTION.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aAJTQ6W8Ono/UsLLdGSJdPI/AAAAAAAAIg8/-qPQ8b77cBM/s320/PC311741-MOTION.gif" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is me saying happy new year from the top of my hotel room :) :)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-24683616068476771512013-12-31T23:59:00.000+08:002014-01-11T13:07:22.746+08:00Counting down<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today is the
last day of my gap year; day number 365. Three hundred and sixty five days of
doing something new for the first time, but today I’m also doing something for
the last time. This is officially my last post for 2013 :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I re-read my post from December 31st 2012 where I wrote that I will post up new things that I did which made me grateful for the day.I think I can say that I've achieved this. Some new things I did were just insanely amazing and I was grateful that I had the opportunity to do each of those, but on the days where I did something small, I was grateful that I'm lucky enough to have some down time. So many people in the world can't enjoy life's simple pleasures like going to a park and reading a book, or watching a movie so I'm thankful that I am able to do this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I hope all the readers out there know how much I appreciate all the encouragement and support over the year. Thank you
to everyone for letting me be myself on this blog and for letting me write the
way I do without any criticism or put downs. On that note, I should probably
say I'm sorry for all my spelling and grammar mistakes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A huge thank you to all my wonderful friends and family who were so willing to go along and do new things with me. Seriously, thank you thank you thank you! All those experiences were made so much better by having you beside me to share the experience with. Thank you for giving me your time and for being so patient with me as I go full tourist-mode and take photos of everything. Thank you for letting me take photos of your food...while it sat there and got cold (I'm sorry!). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This has been an incredible journey. I hope you enjoyed following my adventures as much as I enjoyed having them. More importantly, I hope you all had your own adventures which made the year memorable for you :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In that same post from the 31st December 2012, I wrote that I wasn't sure what 2013 would bring. Now that it has come to an end I can see that it brought me incredible new experiences which have brought me even closer to those I love so dear, a better insight into what my home town of Perth has to offer, a taste of what the world outside of Perth has to offer, a better sense of myself and what I'm capable of and of course, a mother ship of amazing memories. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don't know what 2014 will bring, but whatever comes, good or bad, I’ll take it all.
I’m putting all my trust in God’s hands. Faith and my relationship with God plays a huge part in my life. Without it, my feet would stumble wherever I walk. So, I'm grateful to all that God has given me, for all the blessings, but also all the obstacles that I faced and the lessons that I learnt from them. <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So I was doing a bit of procrastinating just now, and I
found out that one of my favourite Tumblr sites has also come to an end. It's
called <i><a href="http://justlittlethings.net/">Just Little Things</a></i>. It's a blog that lists little things that we do and/or should appreciate. I've been following it for a few years now and even one of my
suggestions was approved and posted up on the blog (i think it was "<a href="http://justlittlethings.net/post/20099391259">the chocolate at the bottom of an ice cream cone</a>")! I had no idea that the blog
was counting up to 1000 little things. However, now that the blog has reached number
1000 "Counting your blessings and realising just how amazing life
is.", there won't be as many new posts put up. Instead, past posts will be put
up so that the blog remains active. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Blogs can
be pretty amazing. <i>Just Little Things</i> and <i><a href="http://1000awesomethings.com/">1000 Awesome Things</a></i> was where it all
started for me. I read these posts daily and it helped me to appreciate my
life. As a result, I wanted to take that appreciation of life and time to the
next level and do something new everyday and therein my blog came to be. <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I really
do believe that happiness is a choice. I don't remember the exact day or
anything, but years ago I just decided to Google some blogs that might
encourage me to see life through happier eyes. And because I was proactive, I
found two amazing blogs that have completely changed me for the better. Even
though these two amazing blogs have ended, and my gap year blog will end too,
what's important is everything that happens next. What really matters is that I
can still wake up everyday from now on and be able to appreciate how great life
can be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So let's count down to the new year and I wish you all the best for each and everyday :D Don't be scared to try new things!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">10</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">.... <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-37966126358204886582013-12-31T13:30:00.000+08:002013-12-31T20:46:19.958+08:00New Year's Eve<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">We
leave for our tour of north Vietnam in the early hours of tomorrow morning, so
today was a free day for us to explore the part of Saigon that we’re staying
in. All the women in the tour group went out and got manicures, pedicures and
our hair done. Pampering is definitely something everyone needs to do on
holidays, and what’s better than being pampered for a fraction of the price
that would be charged back at home. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Afterwards
we went out for lunch at a place called <a href="http://www.banhxeoanlaghien.com.vn/en/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Bánh xèo</span><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"> Ăn Là Ghiền</span></a>. Banh Xeo is also known as Vietnamese pancakes. They are more like a crepe than a pancake, but are much thinner. The edges are crispy and is thicker towards the centre. It's filled with any fillings you like; generally pork and shrimp. It's yellow like an omelet but the colour comes from the turmeric which is added into the batter mixture which also contains rice flour, corn flour, coconut milk and water. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I was happy to see that they had a vegetarian section on the menu which took up a full page! Cool man! There were heaps of different vegetarian fillings, but I ended up going with the mixed mushroom one and the cassava one. They were even good enough to give me some vegan dipping sauce, which is pretty much like nuoc cham, except they substitute the fish sauce for soy sauce. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">What I also liked about this place was that they cooked the banh xeo behind a counter out the front of the restaurant. I ordered some take away for my mum and my friend and I had a good time watching them being made. They had special skillet type woks. They poured the batter along the edges so that it would pool into the centre. This way, the edges are super crispy. They had take-away boxes for the banh xeo, and put that all together in a big bag with the fresh salad that you traditionally eat it with, and of course the nuoc cham. So cool! I don't think take-away banh xeo will ever become a thing in Perth. But I'll cross my fingers for it to happen. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ROFrt8k3atg/UsK2ye9hvBI/AAAAAAAAIeA/114sHppXWLY/s1600/PC311707.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ROFrt8k3atg/UsK2ye9hvBI/AAAAAAAAIeA/114sHppXWLY/s640/PC311707.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The view from my hotel in Saigon :)</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tVeJDAtq5UE/UsK2ub4Mv1I/AAAAAAAAId4/JnlfiUqvd_s/s1600/PC311705.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tVeJDAtq5UE/UsK2ub4Mv1I/AAAAAAAAId4/JnlfiUqvd_s/s640/PC311705.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cKaWjBNDMcw/UsK2zXQboeI/AAAAAAAAIeI/UARFK8dKIDk/s1600/PC311708.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cKaWjBNDMcw/UsK2zXQboeI/AAAAAAAAIeI/UARFK8dKIDk/s400/PC311708.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also had a boiled <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackfruit">jackfruit</a> seed today (the two things in the front). I love jackfruit (the yellow thing on the left), and now that I know the seeds are edible, it just makes the fruit even more awesome. The seed tastes pretty good too! A bit like a chestnut :)</span></span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-11261468561208013832013-12-30T16:51:00.000+08:002013-12-31T21:49:57.307+08:00Two days til New Years<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We went to one of the temples in Bangkok today. You'll have to excuse me for not remember the name of it, but I know that it's <i><b>not</b></i> the famous golden Buddha temple. They're quite strict in the temples. You're not allowed to wear any bottoms which are shorter than knee length, and everyone must take off their shoes and hats before entering. For all those in short shorts and skirts, they have sarongs which you can buy to cover up the legs. It was quite lovely inside, and I was surprised at how crowded it was. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For lunch today we ate at <a href="http://www.royal-dragon.com/aboutus.htm">The Royal Dragon Restaurant</a> which was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1992 as the world's largest restaurant. As in, it has enough seating for about 5000 customers. It's a lovely restaurant with both indoor and outdoor dining, and heaps of karaoke rooms. The food is delivered by guys wearing roller blades, which I though was quite cool. The service is friendly, and the food was pretty good too :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today was also the last day of our Thailand tour. It has been wonderful opportunity to go and see parts of Thailand. At the beginning of the year, I certainly wouldn't have guessed that I'd be on this tour, soaking in the Thai culture, tasting all the delightful food and meeting all the lovely people that I've met. I really am privileged to be able to just go on holiday like this. It certainly has been a pleasant new experience. A big thank you to <a href="https://travel.com.vn/">Vietravel</a>, the touring company that organised our itinerary and took us around! The next leg of the journey is Vietnam again for another tour. Goodbye Thailand :)</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RUO8cvnxNbo/UsKGIFaSTII/AAAAAAAAIbA/-NVJyNA5Q-o/s1600/PC301628.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RUO8cvnxNbo/UsKGIFaSTII/AAAAAAAAIbA/-NVJyNA5Q-o/s640/PC301628.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The beautiful view this morning from the Prince Palace Hotel. It's a really gorgeous hotel. I would recommend it to everyone!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also wanted to share with you something that made my day. When my dad was booking the tickets for the tour, he forgot to notify the airline of my dietary requirements so that I can have vegan food on the plane. I was pretty lucky on the flights to Vietnam because they had spare vegan food, but on the short plane ride today, they didn't have any spares. The meal consisted of a dessert dish which I thought was cake but actually turned out to be jelly, an Asian chicken salad (luckily the chicken wasn't mixed in with the salad) and water and juice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I told the flight attendant about being vegan, she tried her best to make some adjustments but in the end she said that I could eat take out the chicken of the Asian chicken salad and she gave me a two packets of roasted nuts. The meal was actually pretty filling, so I wasn't going to go hungry or anything, but the flight attendant came back about 10 minutes later and gave me the container of fruit that she was given for her meal. She said she wanted me to have a good meal. It was such a lovely act of kindness and it made my already good day, a million times better. I think it's those nice things that people do unexpectedly that really reach inside and tickles the part of you that feels. I think I make a bigger deal out of acts of kindness more than other people do, but that's just the way my brain works. It's incredibly touching when someone does something nice for me. Over time I've made conscious effort to not take anything anyone does for me for granted, and as a result, even the smallest of things makes me gush with maximum levels of joy and appreciation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thai airlines everybody. Fly Thai airlines. One good experience is enough for me to want to tell everyone to fly with them :P</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-59822231737301543542013-12-29T10:59:00.000+08:002013-12-31T16:51:38.079+08:00Three days til New Year<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> It's day four of our five day and it feels like we've been here for a week. We've just done so much in such a short amount of time that it feels like more time has gone by. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The first on the itinerary today was a place that sold medicines make from snakes. A lot of Asian cultures use herbal and animal medicines to cure ailments and improve the body. There was a cool snake show going on as we walked through the door. They loved scaring the audience by pretending to throw the snakes at us. As they were bringing the snakes around for us to touch, one guy grabbed my hand and tried to scare me that way...didn't work though. Better luck next time :P</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today was also our shopping day. We headed over to a new department store called <a href="http://www.bangkok.com/shopping-mall/isetan.htm">Isetan</a> in Bangkok. It was about 4 storeys high and was just filled with really high-end and fancy stores. Lots of brand names. It was fun walking around and having a look at everything on sale. The prices weren't that much cheaper than what you'd find back in Perth, but there were plenty of stores I've never been to before so it was refreshing to see all the different styles of clothing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For dinner we went to the <a href="http://www.baiyokehotel.com/">Baiyoke Sky Tower</a> in Bangkok. It is the tallest tower in Thailand, measuring in at 309 metres tall. There are a total of 2 060 steps from the bottom to the top, and it takes over an hour to reach the top by foot. That would be a great workout. Calves of steel after doing that. The tower is a hotel which includes a whole list of other attractions. There are heaps of buffets (including a fruit buffet!) and restaurants, fitness club, a roof top bar and there is a gold range nearby. There is also a revolving observation deck at the very top that we went up to after dinner. The view of the city was great. It was a windy night, but it didn't spoil the view :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lastly, I just want to mention that the buffet we ate at was amazing. It was an <a href="http://www.baiyokebuffet.com/Home.aspx">international buffet</a>. The variety of foods was amazing, and all of it was well cooked and delicious. One new thing that I tried and absolutely loved was the deep fried taro. I have so much love for taro, and when it's deep fried, it's just magical :P I think I should experiment more with deep frying. There could be so much more fatty goodness out there ready for me to discover. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-8919437278880360802013-12-28T03:45:00.000+08:002013-12-31T16:51:23.850+08:00Four days til New Year<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today we packed up all our gear, checked out of the hotel in Pattaya and headed for Bangkok. Before going to our new hotel, we spent the day at <a href="http://www.safariworld.com/">Safari World</a>, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bangkok. We watched heaps of different shows with all kinds of extremely well trained animals. We also did a safari tour where we saw just a huge array of different animals such as zebras, giraffes, buffalo, deer (pretty much anything and everything with antlers and/or that resembled Bambi), and just about everything else you might see out on an African safari. Definitely a worth while place to check out. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This bear has what looks like a mane. I thought that was cool :)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, what a really want to brag about is a show we went to called <a href="http://Cookin' at the Nanta Theatre">Cookin' Nanta</a> in Bangkok. This was hands down one of the best performances I've ever been to. I have never seen anything quite like this and it was so unique and refreshing. Cookin' is a show where kitchen utensils and props are used to create music and rhythm. I would consider this a comedy performance. There is little dialogue, with some of the most hilarious non-verbal performances I've ever watched. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The plot of the show is that there are three chefs who work together in a restaurant run by quite a strict manager. One day he sets them the job of preparing a 10 course menu and puts his nephew in charge. Having a new cook in the kitchen disrupts it's normal dynamic, and so they have to find a way to work together to meet the one hour deadline. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It really is just the most amazing show. Some of the talent is absolutely incredible! The musical talent is amazing, and they do so many tricks and stunts with the kitchen props. Truly great stuff. The show did a world tour in 2012, so now I'm going to be keeping an eye out for a second tour. Cookin' is so good!! I want everyone to experience how great this show is!! </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-53106144971890924982013-12-27T13:00:00.000+08:002013-12-31T16:51:04.121+08:00Five days til New Year<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ermergherd four days til new year! I cannot believe how quick this year has gone, and yet some of the things I did at the beginning of the year seem so long ago. I'm struggling to get my head around the fact that this time last year I was on my holiday in America. I can still remember it so vividly. It's so weird that some things feel like forever ago, yet others are still so fresh in my mind. I've just done to many things that my perception of time has all been muddled. Brain, what are you doing?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ok, back to my Thailand trip. Today we went to a lovely island called Koh Sak Island. It was about a 10-15 minute boat ride (speed boat, mind you) from the beach near where we're staying. It was a lovely day to spend at the beach. There were a few water activities for tourists to do such as scuba diving, banana boat rides and jet ski rides. My friend had told me about the banana boat so I gathered some of the other people I'm holidaying with together and we rode on that. It's a pretty fun activity. For this particular one, we had 5 people all sitting on an inflated tube which got pulled along by a jet ski. The aim is to not get thrown off. We all managed to stay on, but I think the guy riding the jet ski was going pretty easy on us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We didn't have a great deal of time allocated for the Island, so instead of doing all the water activities, we just swam in the ocean instead. It was seriously so lovely. The water was clear, not ridiculously salty, the view was gorgeous with some lush green cliffs in the distance and the sun wasn't scorching hot, and the water was perfect temperature. I'm not a fan of being out in the sun, but I could have stayed at this beach all day if I had the chance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The rest of the day was super busy. We went to this elephant park where I took some photos with elephants and watched an elephant show. Don't get me wrong, they train these elephants to do some seriously amazing tricks, but a part of me felt so sad for these big fellas. I hope they get well looked after. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gh_CWXE-bxI/UsHBcg0gWlI/AAAAAAAAIQ8/07th6Zft0lU/s1600/PC271343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gh_CWXE-bxI/UsHBcg0gWlI/AAAAAAAAIQ8/07th6Zft0lU/s640/PC271343.JPG" width="478" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Throwing a basket ball into a hoop</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_gP5vuHwa9w/UsHBd7101rI/AAAAAAAAIPo/uvO7E0VyQMw/s1600/PC271347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_gP5vuHwa9w/UsHBd7101rI/AAAAAAAAIPo/uvO7E0VyQMw/s640/PC271347.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is a baby elephant stepping over me </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We then went to a lovely place called <a href="http://nongnoochgarden.com/">Nong Nooch Garden and Resort</a> and had a bit of a walk around there. It was a lovely garden with lots of cute displays are beautiful flora. It was very serene. Next stop was the <a href="http://www.alangkarnthailand.com/">Alangkarn Theatre</a> were we watched a performance about the origins of Thailand. The costume and set were amazing. They even had elephants up on stage. These creatures are so amazing. It was strange to see them so domesticated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nRQGERkEtHc/UsHBfC1reJI/AAAAAAAAIPw/B1bjhz1zY1g/s1600/PC271373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nRQGERkEtHc/UsHBfC1reJI/AAAAAAAAIPw/B1bjhz1zY1g/s640/PC271373.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I6DWvF4GTio/UsHBgcCUMDI/AAAAAAAAIRI/bIsFY5vadpE/s1600/PC271381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I6DWvF4GTio/UsHBgcCUMDI/AAAAAAAAIRI/bIsFY5vadpE/s640/PC271381.JPG" width="478" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love these pots. They were all around the garden. Each one with a unique facial expression. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qHImiwdvbdQ/UsHBhapcc6I/AAAAAAAAIRQ/OvYGvdD8ZMc/s1600/PC271395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qHImiwdvbdQ/UsHBhapcc6I/AAAAAAAAIRQ/OvYGvdD8ZMc/s640/PC271395.JPG" width="478" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Finally, we ended the night with a performance called <a href="http://www.tiffany-show.co.th/">Tiffany's Show</a>. Kid you not, this was just an entire song and dance show with Thailand's finest transgender performers. It isn't a show that would suit every one's taste, but I guess the tour guides just wanted us to get a taste of what Thailand has to offer. Everyone on and off stage was male by nature but wow, some of these performers were hot. As in, they looked like extremely attractive women. There were of course the few that were obviously male by their face and physique, but most of them just looked so much like women. Gorgeous women. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">After the show, the tour guide was telling us that there are some women who walk out of a show upset because there are men who are prettier than them, but what he tells them is that these men get so much work done to their face and bodies that they're barely their real selves anymore. It's all just fake. At the end of the day. these guys remove their costumes and twenty layers of makeup and probably don't look anywhere as good a woman who still has her natural face. I totally agree with what the tour guide was saying. Anyone can look beautiful with the right makeup and clothing. A natural face is so much rarer these days, but it's what should be encouraged amongst women. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CFegjGZnfIE/UsHBirlDXsI/AAAAAAAAIRY/H_JTZYJxJKs/s1600/PC271410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CFegjGZnfIE/UsHBirlDXsI/AAAAAAAAIRY/H_JTZYJxJKs/s640/PC271410.JPG" width="478" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hHNLK50N_0s/UsHBjwr2SFI/AAAAAAAAIQQ/x--i4NLkEgA/s1600/PC271412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hHNLK50N_0s/UsHBjwr2SFI/AAAAAAAAIQQ/x--i4NLkEgA/s640/PC271412.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was quite lovely inside the theatre building. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KqNlfS2zK_o/UsHBk-VK5SI/AAAAAAAAIRg/tyOsjnlQxls/s1600/PC271415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KqNlfS2zK_o/UsHBk-VK5SI/AAAAAAAAIRg/tyOsjnlQxls/s640/PC271415.JPG" width="478" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is a portrait of one of the performers who is dressed half as a man, and half as a woman. You can see the performer in the photo below on the left.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T34HRHlj93E/UsHBl4wmU0I/AAAAAAAAIRw/jc1ppp5-TMw/s1600/PC271416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T34HRHlj93E/UsHBl4wmU0I/AAAAAAAAIRw/jc1ppp5-TMw/s640/PC271416.JPG" width="478" /></a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-70788758167778702322013-12-26T02:05:00.000+08:002013-12-31T16:50:44.852+08:00Six days til New Year: Thailand<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was hoping that on my tour of Thailand
I’d get free wi-fi at the hotel, but unfortunately you don’t
get any free wi-fi anywhere in Thailand; or at least not at any of the places
I’ve been to so far. So that’s why my posts are a little delayed. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today was the first time I’ve ever been to Thailand. It
reminds me of Vietnam but the traffic is less hectic and the ratio of motorbikes to cars is far less. The roads are also different. I like to think of them as multi-storey roads that all criss cross over each other and loop around. I've seen them in America but we don't have roads like that in Perth so I don't ever really know how to describe it. Apologies!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We’re staying in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattaya">Pattaya City</a>, situated along the east coat of Thailand for the next 5 days. Our hotel is pretty much right on the beach and is
in the heart of all the markets and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>restaurants. It seems to be a popular tourist city because I’m seeing at
lot of Caucasian people around the place, hanging out in bars and roaming the
streets. Our
tour group has two tour guides who will be taking us around to all of the
lovely tourist attractions. I’m looking forward to what Thailand has to offer, but regardless, any
new experience is what you make it and I intend of making the most of my time
here. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--qU-4YJFwGM/UsGz_AbxOwI/AAAAAAAAIOA/RPlEop7KvgU/s1600/PC261216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--qU-4YJFwGM/UsGz_AbxOwI/AAAAAAAAIOA/RPlEop7KvgU/s640/PC261216.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hotel we're staying at in Pattaya City :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TyAl3ngHUfU/UsG0tmVL2UI/AAAAAAAAIOM/klRwzKsASr0/s1600/PC261204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TyAl3ngHUfU/UsG0tmVL2UI/AAAAAAAAIOM/klRwzKsASr0/s640/PC261204.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from my hotel window.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmDeC-hwoOA/UsG09FXWYaI/AAAAAAAAIOY/t8kU8wu-dKQ/s1600/PC271245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmDeC-hwoOA/UsG09FXWYaI/AAAAAAAAIOY/t8kU8wu-dKQ/s640/PC271245.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-69765289946526922812013-12-25T12:59:00.002+08:002013-12-31T16:50:27.628+08:00Seven days til New Year: Christmas with Grandpa<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'll keep today's post short and sweet since my post yesterday was such a saga. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My something new for today is that for the first time ever, I'm spending it with my Grandpa in Vietnam. He's such a cute guy. When he smiles, he has this giant toothless grin. That's what I like to see. Big big smiles that are so happy people can't resist smiling back. Yesterday we went out to Christmas mass, and when we came home we was waiting for us outside. Nawwww Grandpa. And he did the same today when we came back from an outing too. What a cutie :)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Grandpa is happy</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Christmas over here in the little provence where he lives is quite extravogant. There are big Christmas displays everywhere and they really go all out decorating the churches. I will try and get some photos just to show you how much effort they put in. It's seriously amazing. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over here in Vietnam they go all out decorating churches. Pretty much every church I went past was huge and had these massive displays and lights. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The big animals were moving! Very cool. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the church I went to for Christmas Eve mass. It was massive inside and so crowded. It's custom in Vietnam that women and men sit separately on each side of the church. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you have a great day where ever you are in the world :) Sending you all my big smiley vibes! :D</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-46899031379424646032013-12-24T23:57:00.001+08:002013-12-31T16:50:08.789+08:00Eight days til New Year<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So grampa has Wi-Fi at his house. Good on ya Gramps! Now the blog can go on. At least for the next two days anyways. After that we head off to Thailand, where I'm hoping there will be free Wi-Fi in the hotel rooms.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the early hours of this morning, which now seem like a lifetime ago, we boarded our plane and headed out on our big group tour of Vietnam and Thailand. I've never travelled overseas in a big group before, but I think it's quite a nice experience and I see the appeal of why people go out and do contiki tours. Mind you, I'm not on a contiki tour, or anything even remotely like that. I'm travelling with my family and some other families from our church community. But I don't know any of the other travellers so it's nice to make new friends. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have also never been on holiday with my brother before, so this is a nice first for us :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was really worried that it would be difficult to stick to my vegan diet while travelling around Asia because they love to put fish sauce and oyster sauce in everything. Back in the early days of being vegan I would ask for the vegetarian option every time I went into an Asian restaurant, but I quickly learnt that you have to specifically state that you don't want any fish sauce, oyster sauce, shrimp paste or egg etc. Some people don't understand what being vegan involves, which is fine, so from now on I just list off everything I can't have. Sometimes their reaction is funny. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Despite being worried about not finding vegan food, we've actually done pretty well so far. Our first stop off was at a nice little place that whipped up some stir-fry veggies for us. Surprise surprise they didn't have anything vegan on the menu, but they were lovely and made something for me anyways. I did not expect the veggies would be so delicious, but they were. It was a very simple dish consisting of cauliflower, broccoli, mushroom, carrot and garlic in what I assume to be vegetable broth, but whoa it was so good! So yeah, so far so good in terms of hunting down vegan food. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Vietnam is very different to how I remember it 7 years ago when I last came to visit. For one, the staff in the airport are so much nicer and more friendly. I used to be so scared of going to the Vietnamese airport as a child because everyone just looked so stern and like they would slap me if I looked at them wrong. But this time around, there were so many smiles, and everyone offered to help with getting luggage and finding a taxi. Yay for kindness! It definitely shows. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The roads are also very different to how I remembered them as well. I guess in 7 years, that's plenty of time to do road construction, but I'm quite impressed at how wide and tidy some of the newer roads are. I hope it stays in this condition for a while. Don't get me wrong though, as you travel further from the city, you get the roads that are bumpy as anything. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What I liked about travelling around today was seeing all the food carts. We saw a cart selling Vietnamese fried bread. They had something called banh tieu which I absolutely love, and they served it piping hot fresh out the oil that they deep fried the yummy goodness in. I can't find an English wiki page for banh tieu, but it's basically like a sweet kind of dough which is deep fried and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It's cool though, because it's hollow on the inside. So you're pretty much just eating crispy fried dough. But these ones were golden and a bit soft. So good. So good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We also bought some deep fried pork buns from that same cart too. Why didn't I ever think of deep frying a pork bun. Of course! That's like a million instant deliciousness points added to it when it's deep fried. Even though I didn't have any because they had meat and egg in them, I still wanted to share it with you guys. Plus it was something new for everyone in the car who ate them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The last thing I'll say before I stop rambling is that I really like the old building here. They definitely look old, but you can tell that once upon a time they were all new and brightly coloured. I see lots of faded blue and yellow walls, but it has this cool rustic look it it. Everywhere I looked in Ho Chi Minh City, I saw a wall that would have looked great with some street art on it. I love hunting street art, and I hope to find some in the weeks to come. I don't why this fascinates me so much, but it does. I think I just like seeing people's talents on display. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only street art I've been able to find so far. </td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-46005991753788055742013-12-23T22:34:00.001+08:002013-12-23T22:34:58.470+08:00Last blog post from Perth, Western Australia<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hey my lovely readers, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just letting you know that my something new for today was watching the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 with my siblings :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also would like to let you know that I'll be on holiday to Thailand and Vietnam over Christmas and New Year. Although I would have loved to finish off the blog at home, I guess sometimes life takes you in different directions. None the less, I'm looking forward to my holiday because I'll be going to places that I haven't been before, and for the first time ever I'll be spending Christmas in Vietnam with my Grandpa.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I hope that I'll have access to the Internet so that I can write in my blog posts, but if not, then I will write up everything when I return. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wishing everyone a safe and happy Christmas and New Year! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hope you all feel and spread the love over the festive season. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thank you so very very much for all your support over the year!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Love, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Theresa :) </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-39755069896835931992013-12-22T22:28:00.000+08:002013-12-24T18:27:45.163+08:00Lit up picnic in Kings Park<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tonight my friend Nhi and I surprised our good friend Ruth with a surprise picnic. This wasn't just any ordinary picnic though, this was a picnic surrounded by lights! We kidnapped Ruth and took her to Kings Park where we told her that we were going to have a picnic and watch the city lights turn on as the sun went down. What we didn't tell her though, was that when the sun went down we would blind-fold her and set up a picnic area surrounded with solar lights, fairy lights and lanterns. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The set up actually turned out so much better than any of us could have imagined, and Ruth was very surprised. Success! Lots of people complimented our lights picnic too. It was super cool because some of the lights that we got slowly changed colour. Lots of couples walked past, and I swear we must have given at least half of the guys ideas for how they'd like to propose to their partners :P</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The best part about the night was that there were fireworks!! I wish I knew how to organise fireworks for someone special, but alas these were for some Christmas celebration going on along the foreshore. It was such a great night. The weather was beautiful, we were in great company with good food, surrounded by lights, a gorgeous view of the city lights, and fireworks to top it all off. Perfection. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-22811980314364134282013-12-21T00:50:00.000+08:002013-12-24T18:30:34.399+08:00Babysitting<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had the pleasure of babysitting my adorable 11 month old first cousin today! He isn't just any baby. He is the happiest baby I've ever met, with the cutest meatball shaped head. Sometimes it takes a while for babies to warm up to people the first time they meet them, especially if the person is all up in their face smiling like crazy and speaking baby talk; but this little cutie will just smile right back at you. He'll even smile if you pinch his cheeks (I pinch them gently of course). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Spending time with young kids can be so great. It's nice to capture that memory of them at such a young age. They're so innocent and cute. So cute. Much emphasis on the cute part. I couldn't help but take mass amounts of photos. I like that we can just whip out our phones and take photos any place at anytime. There are many people out there in the world who probably don't have any baby photos of themselves. It's a shame that those people won't ever get the chance to stumble across old baby photos and smile when they see them, but I'm glad that kids like my little cousin have so many people who want to, and are able to capture such a priceless memory. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-87186332734925592632013-12-20T00:05:00.000+08:002013-12-24T18:35:42.800+08:00Vegan sloppy joes<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The end of my blog is coming up fast. It's quite crazy how quickly this year has gone by. So many memories just sloshing around in my brain. Every time I grab one of those memories and look back over it, it's always a good one. Of course my year was filled with lower moments, but I'm going to choose to let those go and just hang onto the good memories, and the lessons that I've learnt from any struggle I've faced this year. This little reflection doesn't have anything to do with the vegan sloppy joes that I made today, but I thought I might share it anyways. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So if you've been following my blog and Instagram, I'm sure you'll know how much I love burgers, and good ol' American food. Hence, I thought it would be fitting if I try and re-create the classic sloppy joe - vegan style. As a kid, I would always watch movies and TV shows where school kids eat sloppy joes in the cafeteria, but to be honest, I never really knew what they were until my later years of high school. Mince meat goodness in a bun. That's basically what it is. Don't get me wrong though, I think that sounds delicious!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I decided to make a vegan sloppy joe today because, number one: I've never made one, and number two: I've just found out that my local Weigh 'N' Pay store sells Textured Vegetarian Protein (TVP). TVP can come in different shapes, but the one that's available near me looks like dried mince meat. You just add moisture (i.e. water, stock etc) and it becomes like mince. It's actually pretty tasty, and has good texture too. It's super easy to cook, and I think this will be a winner for any future recipe I cook up which requires mock mince. Yay, I'm so happy I've found another vegan product! Happy days :)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Vegan sloppy joes, topped with coleslaw and a side of corn and snow peas. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Vegan sloppy joes</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Adapted from <a href="http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/vegan-sloppy-joes/">Hell Yeah It's Vegan</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Serves 4</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 Tbsp olive oil</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 medium onion, diced</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/2 c mushrooms, finely diced</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 tsp chili powder</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">½ tsp garlic powder</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">½ tsp dry mustard</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1¼ c TVP</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 c water</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1x 400g can crushed tomato </span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">¾ c ketchup</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 Tbsp soy sauce</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">soft sandwich buns</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> Directions</b></span><br />
<ol>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a medium saucepan, saute pepper and onion in oil until onion is translucent.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Stir in chili powder, garlic and mustard.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Add TVP, water, crushed tomatoes ketchup, and soy sauce; stir well.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cover and bring mixture to a boil.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Reduce heat, simmering for ~10 minutes covered.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Remove lid and simmer for ~20 minutes more, stirring frequently until most of liquid has evaporated.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Season with salt and pepper to taste.</span></li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Serve hot on toasted sandwich buns, with onion slices and nutritional yeast if desired. I added some vegan coleslaw onto mine. </span></li>
</ol>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-90473139324898450402013-12-19T22:30:00.003+08:002013-12-24T18:38:06.302+08:00Toscanini's, Hillarys<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My lovely nursing friend and I had a catch up at Sorrento Quay today. We figured that because Hillary's Boat Harbour is so nice, we'd be able to find somewhere nice to have lunch. My friend had some vouchers for a few places around the Quay, and we ended up using one for the restaurant <a href="http://www.toscaninis.com.au/hillarys/home.php">Toscanini's</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Toscanini's was a lovely place. Very spacious, with a simple but classy kind of feel to the place. They also served breakfast until 2.30pm. I love places that do extended breakfast hours!! That's already a win in my books. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was happy to see that there were lots of vegetarian options, and luckily for me there was a pumpkin and spinach focaccia which I was able to alter to make it vegan friendly. They also do fresh juices there. Another win! I have forgotten the name, but I had a super delicious red juice with watermelon, strawberries and apple. What a combination. So good!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The weather was so lovely</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> today. It was a great day to be near the ocean. I think I'll definitely hit up more restaurants in Hillarys. It's a great place with this laid back kind of vibe. I think I'll come out here whenever I want to mellow out. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-8609583711323875882013-12-18T00:16:00.000+08:002013-12-24T18:44:14.010+08:00Fry's Family meat-free chicken style burgers<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In my opinion, the vegan world in Perth, Western Australia is expanding. Yay, let's celebrate by eating some <a href="http://thingsideembloggable.blogspot.com/2013/12/vegan-beignets.html">vegan beignets</a> that I made yesterday!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No but really, I have seen so many more vegan products become available since I first started my vegan ways two and a half years ago. To be honest, I don't know if I'm just getting better at knowing where to look, or if veganism is actually becoming a more well known lifestyle choice. Either way, it certainly seemed like more food companies are getting on the vegan band-wagon and producing more food for us herbivores. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong, I love eating clean and making everything from scratch, but let's be honest, I'm not a cooking machine who can be in the kitchen all day long pumping out super healthy meals. There's just too much chopping involved. Seriously, prep can take so long. Especially if you need time to marinade something. Sometimes it's nice to have something pre-prepared which doesn't need much effort to cook up. Well, turns out there is just the thing in the freezer section of my local Woolworths </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I stumbled upon a range of meat-free vegan products made by <a href="http://frysvegetarian.com/">Fry's Family</a> (more information at the Fry's family cause <a href="http://www.frysfamilyfoundation.com/">here</a>). They had an extensive range of savoury mock meat frozen goodies at the grocery store, and they have even <a href="http://www.vegedelights.com/healthy-vegan-food/fry-s-vegetarian.html">more</a> which isn't stocked in store. I bought a box of the Chicken Style Burger patties and whipped up a chicken and coleslaw burger. I really enjoyed the patty. It was crumbed and actually tasted a bit like what I remember a chicken patty tasting like. I really look forward to trying out more of their products. I think I'll just stock my freezer full of it all. That way if I need something quick and easy I can just grill me up or oven bake something delicious, stick it inbetween two slices of bread and BOOM, one very happy vegan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Vegan coleslaw dressing</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Serves 2</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/4 cup vegan mayonaise (I use Praise mayonaise)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 tablespoon plain soy milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup shredded cabbage (white or pruple or both)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 small carrot, grated</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Dircetions</b></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Combine the mayonaise, soy milk and lemon juice and whisk together. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Add the cabbage and carrot and mix well. Refridgerate until use. </span></li>
</ol>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-68024354898523498302013-12-17T00:10:00.000+08:002013-12-24T17:59:39.197+08:00Vegan beignets<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love pastry. I love it so much. It was one of those things that I had to sacrifice the day I decided to go vegan because most pastries contain one of or a combination of milk, butter and eggs. The reason I went vegan was because I enjoy the healthy lifestyle and so although I don't eat as much pastry, I'm not too bothered by it. But, that's not to say that if I find a vegan version of my favourite pastries then I won't eat it. Trust me, I'll eat it. In fact, try stop me from eating two more after demolishing the first one. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have found that most sweet baked goods can be made with a vegan friendly recipe, and I love a good challenge trying to find veganised recipes. I was told about a delicious pastry called a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beignet">beignet</a> which is derived from the French word for "bump". I guess it's called that because it's deep fried dough which looks a little bit like a round bump. It's very popular in America, particularly in New Orleans where they are the specialty at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_du_Monde" title="Café du Monde">Café du Monde</a>. After spending some time searching for a recipe that I thought would taste the best, I settled for one I found from the site Eff Yeah It's Vegan. How could you <i><b>not</b></i> pick a recipe from a website with a cool name like that?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I made a few adjustments here and there and set off on a wonderful baking journey today :) Little did I know that these beignets would be one of the yummiest things I've ever eaten. Seriously, you won't understand until you try one. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The beignets are so unbelievably soft and fluffy on the inside. All this soft fluffiness is encased in a crispy golden deep fried outer layer. And the icing sugar which is piled on top. Yes, it has to be piled on top. It just completes the pastry and makes the world feel right. You may think I'm making a big fuss out of something to small, but it's because you just don't get this kind of thing in Perth; and if you do, I don't know where to find it, and it's probably not vegan. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My life is a little better, and my tummy is a lot happier now that I've tasted beignets. Whether you try my vegan recipe, or make yourself the traditional beignet recipe, you will not be disappointed. Having eaten about 4 of them already, I could go for another 4 right now. But I won't, because then I'll get icing sugar all over my keyboard. Although, I'd probably just lick it off. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Vegan beignets</b></span> (Adapted from <a href="http://www.effyeahitsvegan.com/1/post/2013/04/vegan-du-monde-beignets.html">Eff Yeah It's Vegan</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.5;">1 cup warm water</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.5;">1/4 cup sugar</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.5;">1 Tbs active dry yeast</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.5;">1 egg replacement</span> (I used <a href="http://www.orgran.com/products/174/">No-Egg</a>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.5;">2 Tbs vegan shortening (i.e. vegetable shortening)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.5;">1/2 cup soy milk + 1 teaspoon sunflower oil</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.5;">4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.5;">1/2 tsp salt</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Oil for frying</span> (I used sunflower oil. About 2L of it)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Enough powdered sugar to choke out an army</span>. Yes, that is actually how much you need. Don't be shy now. The more the better.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Directions:</b></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a stand mixer or mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar and yeast.
Allow to sit until the yeast gets bubbly and happy, about 5 minutes. Add
in the egg replacement and beat until combined. Add in
the soy creamer, the shortening and half the flour and beat for 1 minute. Add in the
salt and the rest of the flour and finish with the dough hook. If you
don't have a dough hook, knead the dough by hand. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Spray cooking
spray or a light bit of oil into a bowl or dish with a lid. add in the
dough and turn to coat. Cover and allow to sit in the fridge for 8
hours, or overnight. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Heat your cooking oil to <b>360 degrees F</b>. On a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough to approximately 1/4 to 1/3 inch thickness. 1/2 inch thick is too thick. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cut the dough into 3" x 3" squares or diamonds. Place into the hot oil
carefully, making sure not to crowd the oil. The beignet should float to
the surface almost immediately. Cook on each side for about 20-30
seconds, or until a rich golden brown. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once golden brown on both
sides, remove from oil and allow to rest for about 1 minute. With a
sieve, sprinkle the powdered sugar generously onto the top of the
beignets. Enjoy, traditionally with a cafe au (almond) lait. </span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DsiqASrX7Hg/UrB1eNH-faI/AAAAAAAAH4Y/th81QTWU9dM/s1600/20131217_190850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DsiqASrX7Hg/UrB1eNH-faI/AAAAAAAAH4Y/th81QTWU9dM/s640/20131217_190850.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cTkvpdQu9Hw/UrB1eDLhm7I/AAAAAAAAH4Y/67AVDEKas2Y/s1600/20131217_192538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cTkvpdQu9Hw/UrB1eDLhm7I/AAAAAAAAH4Y/67AVDEKas2Y/s640/20131217_192538.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's best not to stack them. They will expand and stick together!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-egK2uOvVcaI/UrB1eDUvw-I/AAAAAAAAH4Y/aFLtO_6uO8g/s1600/20131217_194235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-egK2uOvVcaI/UrB1eDUvw-I/AAAAAAAAH4Y/aFLtO_6uO8g/s640/20131217_194235.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-80070588682620549112013-12-16T13:07:00.000+08:002013-12-24T18:47:34.936+08:00Thai Corner Restaurant, Applecross<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The last time I was dining along Canning highway, my friend and I went to the vegan restaurant <a href="http://thingsideembloggable.blogspot.com.au/search?q=heavenly+plate">Heavenly Plate Cafe</a>. As we walked into the cafe, we noticed a nice Thai place right next door and we said that we'll have to try it out one day. A couple months on, we made reservations for <a href="http://www.thaicorner.com.au/ThaiCornerRestaurant/index.html">Thai Corner Restaurant</a>, next door to Heavenly Plate. I love crossing stuff off my list of things to do :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The restaurant was lovely inside and seemed fairly busy throughout the night. They have received a lot of awards over the years and have them all framed and put on display in a large wine cabinet near the entrance. Good move guys, way to impress us :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Service was lovely and I really enjoyed the food. They were happy to make their vegetarian dishes vegan friendly by omitting any fish sauce for me. The prices are a bit steep for the serving size, but I was surprisingly so full by the end of dinner that we had to get the rest to take home in containers. So I guess there was value for money in that way :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I particularly enjoyed dessert. We had <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian">durian</a> with sticky rice, coconut milk and sesame seeds. The both of us hadn't had durian in a while so it was an easy dessert choice to make because I think we had some durian cravings. It was served warm and was a perfect sweet treat to finish off our dinner. Normally durian and coconut are quite strong flavours, but this dessert was made so well that one didn't overpower the other, and I could still appreciate the flavour of the sticky rice too. Really top stuff. I love being a dessert person :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cs1TkUPD3K6eFSl4UiY8uxZUgkJBEmksWLE29V-8Wtb1qIWd_ZVnewa0-_1R38vcDj97nYLd53g446hZ66PeWgV1SvF6EosAD10DLT2aBPi2KAHptVBDAYiIa_OZ5fDQESKg0A7IRiCV/s1600/PC160885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cs1TkUPD3K6eFSl4UiY8uxZUgkJBEmksWLE29V-8Wtb1qIWd_ZVnewa0-_1R38vcDj97nYLd53g446hZ66PeWgV1SvF6EosAD10DLT2aBPi2KAHptVBDAYiIa_OZ5fDQESKg0A7IRiCV/s400/PC160885.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Curry puffs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGi2zJP4PpqXTw28CRa-nMAIGRibzp7BOTx5wX3GaMFbasQWRe0j79EBBzL-mwbLrm2QQo2p1BnTHDVMsXYqKsIhqIp7LESTw7igL7Xd0drwaYXIIwBIHxPlK9i2z-2SzEyt4cSk1xAIr/s1600/PC160886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGi2zJP4PpqXTw28CRa-nMAIGRibzp7BOTx5wX3GaMFbasQWRe0j79EBBzL-mwbLrm2QQo2p1BnTHDVMsXYqKsIhqIp7LESTw7igL7Xd0drwaYXIIwBIHxPlK9i2z-2SzEyt4cSk1xAIr/s400/PC160886.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ginger tofu</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBUkt_Eg2FkC63WzX0T7F7qQmjkOzNnW2zbSAUQGF2sASj0-44JkV03QMRdKNRlSaxnzCNUVjC861KFTxYXTV-qcFTSqbVLFCJBQScSyBMlKNwr19qCjNW0uYwg78xhSng4pCpOroIGrV/s1600/PC160888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBUkt_Eg2FkC63WzX0T7F7qQmjkOzNnW2zbSAUQGF2sASj0-44JkV03QMRdKNRlSaxnzCNUVjC861KFTxYXTV-qcFTSqbVLFCJBQScSyBMlKNwr19qCjNW0uYwg78xhSng4pCpOroIGrV/s400/PC160888.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mild green curry</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQ4LNyrat-VSqcgwmMLqBI7i8pQ_a9SMHpoYqh5MUR_dGY9HlnbXuCPCVFAIRXPc7dHg21mVQPVmhbBxrXbvu_EOxE13ji5J8Niw3tloMRDgRQD7OotUOFMIi6LOSrA3yWWz7SSBI7GJT/s1600/PC160889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQ4LNyrat-VSqcgwmMLqBI7i8pQ_a9SMHpoYqh5MUR_dGY9HlnbXuCPCVFAIRXPc7dHg21mVQPVmhbBxrXbvu_EOxE13ji5J8Niw3tloMRDgRQD7OotUOFMIi6LOSrA3yWWz7SSBI7GJT/s400/PC160889.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Durian, sticky rice, coconut milk and sesame seeds</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-17537223826596109752013-12-15T12:25:00.000+08:002013-12-24T18:49:36.856+08:00Marinated tofu and Israeli couscous<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have had a bag of Israeli couscous sitting in my pantry for a while now, and I finally got around to using it in a recipe today. I found a recipe for <a href="http://lieslmade.com/2013/04/17/marinated-tofu-israeli-pearled-couscous-vegan-recipe/">marinated tofu and Israeli couscous</a> from the site Liesl Made which I really wanted to try. Normally when I think of Israeli couscous I think of a salad with parsley, raisins and nuts, but I thought I might try something different and try out this recipe. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I wasn't really in the mood for cooking tonight, but I just plowed through my feeling of laziness and just did it anyways. I'm glad I did it. This recipe was delicious and it's much better than just settling with the easy option of eating toast for dinner. </span><br />
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<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Marinated Tofu and Israeli Couscous<span style="font-size: small;"> (from <a href="http://lieslmade.com/2013/04/17/marinated-tofu-israeli-pearled-couscous-vegan-recipe/">Liesl Made</a>)</span> </b></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Time: few hours to press tofu, 8 hours to marinate (ideally, but a
few hours will do if in a pinch) then a half an hour to an hour to prep
and cook</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Serves 4</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 lb extra firm tofu</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">1 tablespoon agave nectar</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 teaspoon garlic powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 teaspoon ground ginger</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">1/2 cup low-sodium/light soy sauce </span>(We
generally only use low-sodium soy sauce. If you only have regular soy
sauce you could probably substitute some of it with a rice wine
vinegar.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">veggies/stir fry foods of choice (I used broccoli, mushroom, carrot and parsnip.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 cup Israeli Pearled Couscous (also called Israeli Couscous or Pearled Couscous)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 cups water (You can stretch the dish out more by doing 1 1/2 cups
couscous and 3 cups water and get a few more servings without losing too
much flavor.)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Notable<span style="text-align: justify;"> Tools + Stuff</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">basic kitchen utensils</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 13px;">seal-able container or plastic bag for marinating</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">frying pan (and fitting lid)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">serving bowl + extra bowl to hold hold tofu temporarily</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Directions</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Press Tofu (a few hours before marinating or at least six hours before serving time):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The first thing you want to do is press tofu to remove the excess
water. What I do is wrap my block in a towel and set on the counter,
place a small cutting board on top and then something heavy like a
dictionary or soup can to weigh it down. I let it press for quite a
while, I do a few hours. Sometimes, if I remember, I’ll change the towel
halfway through because it can get pretty saturated.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Marinate (8 hours or at least a few hours before serving):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cut your tofu into cubes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Put in a seal-able container or bag.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Sprinkle the agave, ground ginger and granulated garlic over top then pour on the soy sauce.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Shake it up so everything gets coated.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Store in fridge for at least a
few hours but ideally overnight/eight hours. Shake the container every
once in a while to make sure the soy sauce is soaking nicely into and
around all the tofu cubes.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cook the Couscous:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bring two cups of water to a boil over high heat. A pinch of salt is
optional. (Whenever I cook couscous I add salt or sometimes even
left-over veggie broth but with this recipe you want to be cautious of
the salt content.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Add the couscous and drop the temperature to low. With the lid on,
simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and
couscous is tender. Then I turn off burner, give the couscous a toss
with a spoon and let sit for a little while longer without the lid to
finish absorbing the rest of the liquid.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cooking Tofu and Veggies:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While the couscous is simmering I like to prep all the various
veggies I want—chop up the onions, mushrooms, carrot etc. You
may want to steam things like broccoli to desired texture because you
will only be sauteing it (I just cut up the veggies so that they were small enough to cook through by just sauteing them)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Get out a frying pan (cast iron is my favorite) and a lid that fits
over it, a medium sauce pan and your serving bowl and a bowl big enough
to temporarily hold your tofu. You will cook the tofu first then set
aside so you can either use a temporary bowl big enough to hold it or
just dump it into your serving bowl.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On medium heat, sauté just the tofu cubes in oil, reserving the
excess marinade for later. One of the tricks I’ve learned to get really
great tofu is to cook it over medium heat for a longer time, instead of
high and quick. Keep them on the burner until at least two sides of the
cubes are nicely browned.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Transfer tofu to your bowl temporarily.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now you’ll cook up you veggies, also on medium heat. I cook until my
onions are just before the texture I like them at. This is where the
lid comes in handy, it can help trap the moisture in and cook them
quicker.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then you pour the extra marinade into the frying pan.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Add your tofu back to the pan and continue to cook until most of the
marinade is absorbed, stirring everything occasionally to get
everything browning nicely.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Toss the veggies, tofu and couscous in your bowl and serve.<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></li>
</ol>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-59212992556927966442013-12-14T11:26:00.000+08:002013-12-24T19:06:58.005+08:00George's Meze, Subiaco<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My good friend Ruth had her birthday dinner at a lovely restaurant called <a href="http://www.georgesmeze.com.au/">George's Meze</a> in Subiaco tonight. The venue used to be a residential home, but was transformed into a restaurant. No matter where you sat, be it indoor or outdoor, there was definitely a nice cosy homely atmosphere. There isn't much space in between tables, so it may seem quite packed, but the layout still works well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There was some live entertainment from a young boy and a man that I assume to be his grandpa or older relative. The boy was playing a traditional Greek instrument and traditional Greek songs which was a nice touch and added a very real Greek vibe to the restaurant. I didn't get any photos of the interior of the restaurant, but the bar was lovely. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was initially worried that I wouldn't be able to find anything vegan on the menu, but after having a nice conversation with the waiter, he managed to ask the chef to whip me up something vegan. The chef kindly obliged and put together a great platter especially for me. I was so impressed! George's Meze is definitely vegan friendly!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The food here was great and the service was good too. I think my favourite dish of the day was the onion rings. I've been craving onion rings for a long time now, but these amazing circular goodies went above and beyond what I remember about onion rings. They were coated with an amazing crumbed spice combination. I can't even think of what spices could have been used, but oh man, tasty tasty tasty. They could just open up their own little onion ring shop and they'd still rake in the money. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All in all, this place is worth trying out if you're in the mood for a good Mediterranean dining experience. Opa!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kjs5tL8SFyY/Uq--MaoKy8I/AAAAAAAAHw4/cr45Mm69wFM/s1600/PC140815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kjs5tL8SFyY/Uq--MaoKy8I/AAAAAAAAHw4/cr45Mm69wFM/s400/PC140815.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Saganaki – lightly grilled Greek kefalograviera cheese, served with pickled figs, </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">cinnamon, attiki honey and lemon.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lMF2qQdQsfw/Uq--NmmkFgI/AAAAAAAAHxI/smi0E7sV2yY/s1600/PC140831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lMF2qQdQsfw/Uq--NmmkFgI/AAAAAAAAHxI/smi0E7sV2yY/s400/PC140831.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Onion rings!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Combination of breads and Greek dips with feta, and olives, skordallia, tzatziki, taramasalata, hommus and melitzano salata</span>. </span></div>
</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Paithakia</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> - Hay Valley lamb rack served with rosemary potatoes, grilled Mediterranean vegetables </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">and mint Greek yogurt dressed with juices of the pan and red wine jus</span>.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pCa_P3JmyAY/Uq--P7lK9bI/AAAAAAAAHxo/XOnYtsywDVg/s1600/PC140846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pCa_P3JmyAY/Uq--P7lK9bI/AAAAAAAAHxo/XOnYtsywDVg/s400/PC140846.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kotopoulo</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> – chicken breast stuffed with semi dried tomatoes, baby spinach, feta and </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">black olives, served on green beans and chat potatoes.</span></span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-40456384593752231972013-12-13T10:55:00.000+08:002013-12-25T13:09:59.047+08:00Illuminites Christmas Market<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I went to the Illuminites Christmas Market with Ruth and Nhi today out at the Perth Cultural Centre in Northbridge. I think I went last year too, but this time around it was different. There were so many more stalls and the set up was much cooler. Last year's market didn't have as many fun attractions as this year's market. There was a giant snow dome (this was there last year too), a huge sand pit (seriously, it was massive) and a cool green screen where kids could stand in front of and be on a giant TV screen. This kid-friendly area was set up in front on the Perth museum, and around the corner in front of the state library was the area for adults, with an 18+ garden bar.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was a very family friendly and chilled atmosphere here tonight. I had seen a lot of the stalls from past markets I've been to, but there were still quite a few that I had not seen before. I love that even though I had been to the Illuminites market before, I was still able to find new things. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There was an amazing jam stall with about 30 different flavours of jam which could all be taste tested. I was seriously in heaven. I love jam, and some of the flavours were new to me and so delicious. In particular I enjoyed the banana, vanilla and cinnamon. The stall is called The Wooden Spoon. The jams are made by a lovely lady named Emma, and the fruit is picked by her and her sister. I think it's quite cute that it's a family business.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One thing I love about markets is the smell of food cooking. There was plenty of that today. A few stalls were cooking satay sticks and other skewered meat on the grill and the aroma was utterly mouthwatering. I would be happy just to sit by the grill and smell the food all night. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There were plenty of popsicle stands out tonight as well. It was perfect for the hot weather that we've been having lately. I had a deliciously refreshing pineapple, mint and lemon popsicle which was perfect because the food I ordered was spicy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />I really liked the Christmas market tonight because it wasn't Christmas overkill. It was the right about of festive fun and I'll be back for my third time next year. Although next year, I'm going to try and get there ealier. There's just so much to see and eat :P </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MYAihb-OFnM/Uq-5N9720JI/AAAAAAAAHr4/S-PMIzR6BKc/s1600/PC130763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MYAihb-OFnM/Uq-5N9720JI/AAAAAAAAHr4/S-PMIzR6BKc/s400/PC130763.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cFHG9P6_w1w/Uq-5Om7QyEI/AAAAAAAAHsA/3lSFuGjhbnQ/s1600/PC130764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cFHG9P6_w1w/Uq-5Om7QyEI/AAAAAAAAHsA/3lSFuGjhbnQ/s400/PC130764.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kids posing in front of the green screen so that their picture would come up on the big screen</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vmtJtepDEyw/Uq-5Oe09mWI/AAAAAAAAHr8/2ht_iA6_Q5c/s1600/PC130765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vmtJtepDEyw/Uq-5Oe09mWI/AAAAAAAAHr8/2ht_iA6_Q5c/s400/PC130765.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The big screen </span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YGWWEmqIQWk/Uq-5PngL_bI/AAAAAAAAHsI/ycZnA95GHyw/s1600/PC130766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YGWWEmqIQWk/Uq-5PngL_bI/AAAAAAAAHsI/ycZnA95GHyw/s400/PC130766.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RxQVAJiovRk/Uq-5RDZuoyI/AAAAAAAAHsU/ilG7J_eXFGc/s1600/PC130771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RxQVAJiovRk/Uq-5RDZuoyI/AAAAAAAAHsU/ilG7J_eXFGc/s400/PC130771.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I liked that egg cushion thing</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VZV1VfikpOw/Uq-5Rnj2XnI/AAAAAAAAHwc/HOaaS_mgllY/s1600/PC130773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VZV1VfikpOw/Uq-5Rnj2XnI/AAAAAAAAHwc/HOaaS_mgllY/s400/PC130773.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I thought this was cute :)</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zsf0TVpwYx4/Uq-5SgBLtYI/AAAAAAAAHsg/_WE664JHanU/s1600/PC130775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zsf0TVpwYx4/Uq-5SgBLtYI/AAAAAAAAHsg/_WE664JHanU/s400/PC130775.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A cute brooch from White Squares</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uUF_sUx_ESw/Uq-5T8jhB9I/AAAAAAAAHws/p9vcQN3w5tQ/s1600/PC130777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uUF_sUx_ESw/Uq-5T8jhB9I/AAAAAAAAHws/p9vcQN3w5tQ/s400/PC130777.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qcNUEqwxQrk/Uq-5VG3czhI/AAAAAAAAHsw/PkAFzp736_I/s1600/PC130779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qcNUEqwxQrk/Uq-5VG3czhI/AAAAAAAAHsw/PkAFzp736_I/s640/PC130779.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jam tasting heaven</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UvSjWqZH7fk/Uq-5Wd2AtjI/AAAAAAAAHs4/d1T6p2-qR6Q/s1600/PC130780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UvSjWqZH7fk/Uq-5Wd2AtjI/AAAAAAAAHs4/d1T6p2-qR6Q/s400/PC130780.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W30RimJb2mE/Uq-5XvwslLI/AAAAAAAAHtA/LZ5a3tatC4U/s1600/PC130782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W30RimJb2mE/Uq-5XvwslLI/AAAAAAAAHtA/LZ5a3tatC4U/s400/PC130782.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Banana, cinnamon and vanilla. Delicious!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G-59sb8W6mk/Uq-5YeBF9AI/AAAAAAAAHtI/TkPbA-FTht8/s1600/PC130787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G-59sb8W6mk/Uq-5YeBF9AI/AAAAAAAAHtI/TkPbA-FTht8/s400/PC130787.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some live entertainment</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LB8ac6XMzRU/Uq-5ZspfKxI/AAAAAAAAHtQ/RfVgeqIymfM/s1600/PC130788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LB8ac6XMzRU/Uq-5ZspfKxI/AAAAAAAAHtQ/RfVgeqIymfM/s400/PC130788.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T0TYzQZFTKQ/Uq-5bKRIbEI/AAAAAAAAHtY/5kaXHnaucmo/s1600/PC130789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T0TYzQZFTKQ/Uq-5bKRIbEI/AAAAAAAAHtY/5kaXHnaucmo/s400/PC130789.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Satay sticks</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tKS25C6oOvY/Uq-5dEAwT0I/AAAAAAAAHto/IS-9VrMVG6U/s1600/PC130791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tKS25C6oOvY/Uq-5dEAwT0I/AAAAAAAAHto/IS-9VrMVG6U/s400/PC130791.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cross-stitched Vader</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QzHMIy0dcN8/Uq-5e5hSMAI/AAAAAAAAHtw/l2Ndcif-_c8/s1600/PC130792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QzHMIy0dcN8/Uq-5e5hSMAI/AAAAAAAAHtw/l2Ndcif-_c8/s400/PC130792.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Made of paper from old books</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JACuEW7QleY/Uq-5ib07UbI/AAAAAAAAHvw/97MfzF5OAuU/s1600/PC130796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JACuEW7QleY/Uq-5ib07UbI/AAAAAAAAHvw/97MfzF5OAuU/s320/PC130796.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is very unique. Using forks to make fashion accessories!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zqIh5HcionU/Uq-5gKqYRCI/AAAAAAAAHt4/jcf6ddxQJY0/s1600/PC130794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zqIh5HcionU/Uq-5gKqYRCI/AAAAAAAAHt4/jcf6ddxQJY0/s400/PC130794.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Vj51f5ewf8/Uq-5g75KcZI/AAAAAAAAHvo/nbS5MRCVi28/s1600/PC130795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Vj51f5ewf8/Uq-5g75KcZI/AAAAAAAAHvo/nbS5MRCVi28/s400/PC130795.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kCrL1_1n2TI/Uq-5izGEZLI/AAAAAAAAHuQ/gdrPsANUaW0/s1600/PC130799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kCrL1_1n2TI/Uq-5izGEZLI/AAAAAAAAHuQ/gdrPsANUaW0/s400/PC130799.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i84FKq3tRfM/Uq-58jmrj_I/AAAAAAAAHus/UkgIQwyuSeQ/s1600/PC130801-TWINKLE.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i84FKq3tRfM/Uq-58jmrj_I/AAAAAAAAHus/UkgIQwyuSeQ/s400/PC130801-TWINKLE.gif" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i2nPoYJMCsE/Uq-5lo7xx1I/AAAAAAAAHv4/QWvh3hhbFrw/s1600/PC130805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i2nPoYJMCsE/Uq-5lo7xx1I/AAAAAAAAHv4/QWvh3hhbFrw/s400/PC130805.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Knitted cacti</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Klk470IKkhU/Uq-5wW8EfwI/AAAAAAAAHwA/wBFlNHANKYo/s1600/PC130808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Klk470IKkhU/Uq-5wW8EfwI/AAAAAAAAHwA/wBFlNHANKYo/s400/PC130808.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-50944274453650495292013-12-12T02:02:00.000+08:002013-12-14T02:03:27.510+08:00Vegan parsnip paté<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tonight's new recipe was super quick and easy, but not for the faint hearted. It would honestly take someone with an acquired taste to enjoy this recipe for vegan raw parsnip pate. I'm not saying it's a bad recipe though. It definitely falls under the category marked "different", but again, I have a very acuired taste to the ingredients in this recipe, so I don't mind it at all. In fact, it's a lovely addition to crackers with cucumber and grape tomatoes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I came across the original recipe from site <a href="http://themommybowl.com/2011/11/13/parsnip-pate/">The Mommy Bowl</a> while I was Googling vegan recipes for parsnips. I had a few in my fridge and wanted to use them up before they went rotten. I was so intruiged when I saw that vegan pate even existed, so I knew I had to try it. Luckily the recipe from The Mommy Bowl listed ingredients that I actually had stocked in my kitchen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So I think I can say with 100% certainty that this vegan pate does not taste like what I remember pate tasting like. However, it has a bit of a savoury, saltiness to it that is quite nice. I remember that when I was a kid, my sister and I would eat pate on it's own with a spoon, but I probably wouldn't do that with this. It tastes great with crackers though, and I will definitely use it in sandwiches too :)</span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Raw Vegan Parsnip Paté</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ingredients: </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 medium parsnip </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/4 cup raw cashews (soaked if you want – I didn’t) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1/2 t. <a href="http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyscrouton.html">Penzey’s Sandwich Sprinkle</a> (or other seasoned salt) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 T. nutritional yeast flakes</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Directions: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cut the parsnip into even-sized chunks. Place in a food processor and
pulse until about rice-sized. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse
just until mixture sticks together.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WaF1N9ZvOQE/UqtKvBTzKyI/AAAAAAAAHqM/0yNZB18ESBI/s1600/PC120757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WaF1N9ZvOQE/UqtKvBTzKyI/AAAAAAAAHqM/0yNZB18ESBI/s1600/PC120757.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-43759070710073610112013-12-11T00:55:00.000+08:002013-12-14T00:55:31.850+08:00Taylor Swift at NIB Stadium, Perth<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm a fan of Taylor Swift's music. Yes, that's right, I don't mind me a bit of T-Swizzle. Some of her songs may not always reflect how I think and feel about love/pain, but there are so many great songs with equally as great lyrics. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Being a fan of Taylor, I've already been to one of her concerts here in Perth. However, with her new Red Tour underway in Australia (named so after the title of her newest album Red), I couldn't say no because I thoroughly enjoyed the album. The concert was held out at <a href="http://www.nibstadium.com.au/">NIB Stadium</a> along Pier Street in the East Perth region. I've driven past the stadium before but have never stepped foot inside, so this was a first for me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some other new firsts for the day included seeing Neon Trees and Guy Sebastian perform. They were Taylor's pre-show performances, and they were absolutely amazing. Great on-stage performances and really talented and unique voices. I particularly liked the fact that the drummer for Neon Trees was a woman, with a rock chick exterior, but an unexpectedly sweet voice. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QDLs287kwww/Uqs1gzPEZ9I/AAAAAAAAHpg/vZGkFELL0z0/s1600/20131211_184503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QDLs287kwww/Uqs1gzPEZ9I/AAAAAAAAHpg/vZGkFELL0z0/s640/20131211_184503.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The oh so quirky lead singer of Neon Tress</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNkMAg_Zw9s/Uqs1gx0gjGI/AAAAAAAAHpk/f1zk4kPloTs/s1600/20131211_184346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNkMAg_Zw9s/Uqs1gx0gjGI/AAAAAAAAHpk/f1zk4kPloTs/s640/20131211_184346.jpg" width="360" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Taylor show itself was amazing. It was so theatrical, with pretty much every special effect you could think of. There were sparks, smoke, small scale fireworks and confetti with cute little love heart shaped confetti too. The stages moved up and down and rotated 360 degrees. There were about 20 backup dancers/performers who were incredibly talented. They did ballet, walked on stilts, were suspended from the roof while playing drums. Just amazing. The costumes and outfit changes were also incredible. Everyone of stage looked fantastic for every song. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7ImuMzbvg8/Uqs1g5kf8UI/AAAAAAAAHpk/EfMGXe1MhqE/s1600/20131211_204141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7ImuMzbvg8/Uqs1g5kf8UI/AAAAAAAAHpk/EfMGXe1MhqE/s640/20131211_204141.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You can't see it too well in this photo, but there are people playing drums as they are pulled up and down from a wire. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VvyEc_lUBEY/Uqs1gxXH2wI/AAAAAAAAHpk/n8mmvzDyXhY/s1600/20131211_204901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VvyEc_lUBEY/Uqs1gxXH2wI/AAAAAAAAHpk/n8mmvzDyXhY/s640/20131211_204901.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I can just imagine how much money would have been put into putting on such a memorable concert, but it was all well worth the cost of the tickets. We were situated in the pit area and so we got a great view of the stage, the dancers and the incredible Miss Swift herself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've been to so many concerts this year, and I'm happy to end my ticket buying binge with Taylor. There's no way to compare her to the other shows I've been to see because she's a different artist from the others and sings with a different style and genre. It really is like comparing apples and oranges. But none the less, I enjoyed the show and I'm so glad that I went to see her for a second time :)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-43971945345200863252013-12-10T00:07:00.000+08:002013-12-13T00:11:25.259+08:00The Ellington Jazz Club<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ruth was telling me about a place called <a href="http://www.ellingtonjazz.com.au/index.php/home">The Ellington Jazz Club</a> out on Beaufort St that she went to a few months back. I love the idea of sitting in a fancy dimly lit jazz club and soaking in the sounds of the singers and instruments. In all honesty, I've never been to a jazz club before, so I didn't even know if the image in my mind was accurate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We scoped out the performance schedule and decided on tonight's show which featured the Roger Garrod Quartet. I liked the idea of listening to a quartet play. Not sure why though. None the less, it was a great opportunity to admire all the talent from Perth. The quartet included a piano, saxophone, double bass and drums. They were four very talented musicians and the audience seemed to really appreciate their music. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The club was pretty close to what I had envisioned. It was dimly lit with red lighting and there were plenty of tables to sit at, along with the bar and a standing area. There was even a small dance floor. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Upstairs was the cocktail area where you could bring your drink and
have a chat. There were separate rooms for groups to sit in and have a
bit more privacy, and in all the rooms there were TVs which fed live
footage of the artists playing downstairs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There was such
an elegance to the place, and I look forward to coming back again to
listen to some sweet and soothing jazz music. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10630660582029650040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5880424793950981666.post-88764120666309363612013-12-09T08:58:00.000+08:002013-12-12T08:58:58.708+08:00Broadview Park<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was helping my sister out with some errands today, and while I was waiting for her to finish an appointment in the Landsdale Forum Shopping Village, I headed to Broadview Park which is located right behind the shops. I had my book ready and sat down for a bit of a read. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The park is so lovely. It's a big open space with plenty of trees, picnic and BBQ areas, undercover shade, playground equipment and a beautiful blue lake. I saw a whole bunch of ducks swimming around in the lake, and what caught my eye was this one white duck amongst all these brown ducks. I'm not sure how it got there, but the other ducks seemed to treat it nice enough. I don't even know if they could appreciate the fact that there was an odd duck out, but not to worry, the white duck seemed pretty content. </span><br />
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