This week (I watch Miss Universe)

Breakfast : Free range poached eggs served on organic Italian ciabatta with proscuitto, tomato relish and pecorino cheese.
(from Clipper Cafe, Glebe). So good :)


with (Orange, Apple, Carrot) Juice. It is nice, refreshing and good for you.

This week :

I learnt :

- If a man has sex 3 times in 24 hour, he can use up his body's entire zinc supply!

Both strawberry and raspberry have high level of zinc in their seeds. These berries are also incredibly high in anti-oxidants which help to optimize blood flow to the sex organs, making them extremely beneficial in the bedroom.

- Iron Chef Australia is going to be on soon! I cant wait! The Australian Iron Chefs will be Neil Perry, Guillaume Brahmi and Guy Grossi.

- Sugar gives you wrinkles, according to a report published in The British Journal of Dermatology. Sugar latches on to proteins in your skin, affecting collagen and elastin, the compounds that keep skin firm and taut.

Vitamin C is vital in creating collagen, so citrus fruits can really help your complexion.

- 'Example isn't another way to teach, it is the only way to teach' - Albert Einstein

- Ben and Jerry ice cream Counter has now opened in Broadway Shopping Centre!!
Well maybe I am destined to be fat in the future afterall.

- Rob Pattinson said about Tina Fey : 'I don't really have a a 'type', but I like smart people. I really like Tina Fey, she is, like the sexiest woman.'

Note : I want to be Miss Tina Fey ^ ^

This week :

I watch

Miss Universe 2010
I love watching Miss Universe, Miss USA and those type of beauty pageants. Yes, I might be superficial to some, but I guess I love and appreciate beauty, glamour, elegant evening gowns, gorgeous jewellery and beautiful smart 'sparkly' women get dolled up. My favourite part of the Miss Universe pageant is the national costume and I think this year's costumes are amazing!

My favourite 2010 national costumes are Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Great Britain, Guam, Guatamala, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Thailand, Trinidad&Tobago, Turkey, US Virgin Island.


Some of my favourite past years higlights :

Normally all Miss Universe s took their final/farewell walk wearing elegant gown (and most of the times their crowns), but Riyo Mori, Miss Universe 2007 did it wearing a tuxedo and simple jewellery. And watching her among all other women in glamorous gowns, I think she had such a strong presence and elegance :)


My favourite top 5. Everyone is so gorgeous.


I think this is the best song for the swimsuit competition. So alive!


And this is the best opening song ever. I mean the lyrics 'Tonight is going to be a good night,...' I heard this song in almost every dance concert rehearsal & competition opening that I went. It's such a good energy good feeling kinda song. One of my favourite song ever :)x
Ps : LOVE MISS USA COSTUME! and Venezuela.


Most beautiful Asian contestants are:
Honey Lee, Miss Korea 2006

Fonthip Watcharatrakul, Miss Thailand 2010



pS : 4 wishes :
- I have to start jogging in the morning so that my body would look (something) like those.
- I Wish the winter will never end so I have a reasonable excuse to not morning-jog/ to sleep in.
- I Wish I wake up tomorrow morning looking super hot (with the flat-est stomach). And super smart (like Tina Fey).
- I Wish all my three wishes above come true.

- 5th wish : I WANT ICE CREAM CAKE.

TABOU, Surry Hills

http://yourrestaurants.com.au/static/media/x600/56293_53973_.jpg

One beautiful Friday night, my girlfriend and I felt like having French for dinner. We first saw Tabou at the front part of Crown st, then we walked along Crown st (for about half an hour) yes until the very end (with my super high heels) and finally decided to go back to Tabou. Back At Tabou, we needed to wait 45 minutes for a table, so we stood outside, hanging aroung, staring at the food menu (occasionally also stared at the diners' foods).
I know, very polite.

Once we were seated, of course we were starving. The complimentary bread and butter, to me, is probably the best bread and the best butter I've ever had in my life. Not because I was beyond hungry, but they are simply Goood. With triple o that is. o-o-o. And capital G. The bread is crunchy on the outside, warm and soft in the inside. The butter is not salty, but so tasty and soft super spreadable too. A little goes a long way. Wish I took a photo of the bread and butter, but I was too busy eating. Hey I can't be blamed.

COQUILLES SAINT JACQUES $26
Seared scallops, braised Wagyu oxtail, celery puree
This little entree is AMAZING. The scallops are perfectly cooked and the beef is so tender and the sauce is AMAZING (I'm not that good of a food blogger, am I? :) because my vocabulary is limited to 'great' and 'amazing')

SOUFFLÉ AUX FROMAGES $22
Twice baked gruyere and goat’s cheese soufflé
Cheesy goodness! I was in heaven. (NO, I WASN'T DEAD)

AGNEAU $35
Roast lamb rack, braised shoulder, sweetbreads, ratatouille
This lamb is AMAZING too. Tender. The sauce is subtle so you (I) can taste the lamb. We asked for extra sauce to dip our french fries into. The french fries is crispy, thin and not oily. (not oily = okay to finish the whole bowl). The chef is AMAZING!

PARIS BREST $13
Paris brest, praline cream, almond sorbet
Seriuosly, I mean seriously, the almond sorbet is delicious (and pleasingly light at the same time). The whole dessert is (yes here we go) AMAZING.

The restaurant is beautiful and cosy. It is packed, but The waiters and the lady manager are still so friendly and nice. I love those type of great, welcoming service. The whole dinner experience is fantastic.

I love Tabou. It's hard to pick my favourite dish because everything is so freaking 'AMAZING', but I would say the scallop.

I was still thinking about the food the next day, even now. And writing this only drive my stomach crazy.

"Close your eyes and imagine an intimate French bistro on La Rive Gauche. Open them and you've got Tabou..." SMH Good Food Guide 2008

Ps : Tabou Is awarded 'Favourite Bistro' in the Sydney Good Food Guide Awards 2006 & 2009.

This week (I take a look at Taipei and men)

Breakfast : Scrambled egg with country white Sourdough toast, Bacon, Boston beans, and Potato Hash

Macarons (Mocca, Raisin toast), Capuccino

At Baffi & Mo Cafe, 94 Redfern st, Redfern.
Baffi & Mo always use free range, organic eggs, and their potato hash is apparently one of the best in Sydney.

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK :

- I watched 'After Midnight' on Travel and Living channel. It's about this Tv presenter who goes around Asia and show the viewer at home what he did/ what happened at that country at night time.

So, one time he went to Taipei. What he did there :

- There is this 24-hour giant bookstore in Taipei!
In Taipei, the literary rate is 95% and that bookstore is HUGE, with English and Chinese books (including comics). There are chairs and tables inside, and it is okay to sit down and read for hours (How nice).

- There is this 24-hour foot massage centre.
Reflexology is very popular in Taiwan for health and relaxation purposes.
Taiwan/Taipei also set the Guinness book of record for having most people receiving a foot massage at one time. It is joined by 2016 participants (1008 reflexologists and 1008 tourists) and the attempt was organised by Taiwan Tourism Bureau to promote health tourism.


- Spring City Resort. Hot spring bath with sulphur at 2am.
Do you know that Sulphur is very good for your skin? It can soothe/treat eczema and acne. It can also relieve arthritis pain, for detoxifying effect and for other health benefits.

- Night Market.
There are 6 major night markets in Taipei and all are located near train stations. Not only there are many food stalls, there are also various forms of entertainment, alot of shopping (clothes,etc),games with prizes, fortune teller, tattoo parlour, etc.

- The presenter join a hip-hop dance crew practice. The members usually practice at night because they work during the day (when do they sleep?). There are also not many people on the streets, so for space purposes.

- The presenter went to this 'snake alley' in one of the night markets. He was served 5 shots in something like tequila little shot glasses. The row of five shots glasses consist of:
1.snake venom (good for the skin).
2.snake oil
3.snake blood + honey
4.snake bile
5.ginseng
One of those shots have something made from snake penises in it (I forgot which, maybe the ginseng?) My brain was still digesting the fact that THOSE ARE SNAKES!
The vendors may also cut the snake and drain the blood in front of you if you wish to see/ be entertained/ want to make sure it is really a snake so you get your money worth.
And after draining the blood, the rest of the meat will be made into snake soup.
Those are apparently very (very) good for health and men's sexual health.
Note to men: I will never kiss you again if you drink those.

I looked for some pictures in google and I found this
http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/53884/Taipei-1
Snake soup & row of snake shots

- One of my workmates was having a birthday and there were lots of cakes in my workplace's fridge. I was so excited and inspired to go to work for days after (just up til all the cakes were gone) :)


Mango & coconut cake, Assorted cakes

- I bought :

aren't they cute? I bought the 'Hush money' and 'Cash stash'.

- I learned that

Turn that music down. 1 in 5 US teenagers now suffers from hearing loss. Most of the hearing loss was "slight," defined as inability to hear at 16 to 24 decibels — or sounds such as a whisper or rustling leaves.
"A teenager with slight hearing loss might not be able to hear water dripping or his mother whispering 'good night'. Those with slight hearing loss will hear all of the vowel sounds clearly, but might miss some of the consonant sounds, such as t, k and s," said Dr. Gary Curhan of Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. It can cause problems in school and can also set the stage for hearing aids in later life. Loud music isn't new of course, but today's young people are listening longer, more than twice as long as previous generations (older technologies has more limited battery life).

(from Oprah or Dr Oz I dont remember) " Up to 90% of Erectile Disfunction cases can be attributed to a physical problem (the other 10 to 20 % of cases are linked to psychological issues). Often the condition is an indicator of early stage cardiovascular disease. Clogged arteries, for instance, can slow the flow of blood to the penis. An diabetes, over time, can damage the blood vessels and nerves that control erection. (The average man with diabetes will develop ED 10 to 15 years earlier than a man who doesn't have diabetes). Impotence may also be the result of obesity. Fat cells in the belly help convert testosterone into estrogen, and low testoterone levels can decrease a man's libido or interfere with his ability to achieve or maintain an erection. "

Your husband/boyfriend/exboyfriend/secret lover/etc should talk to his doctor, who can help him determine the cause behind his ED and come up with a solution. (Snake shots, anyone?)

I watched this documentary on Tv which said that if you want to know if your ED is physical or psychological, Put a (something like a string of very thin paper) around your penis at night just before you go to sleep. If the string/paper breaks when you wake up in the morning, it must have snapped when your penis got hard when you were asleep, so it shows that your physical is fine (your penis can get hard), it must be psychological problem, then.
Maybe you are still in love with your ex-girlfriend.
Move on, dude!

*Peace*

Ps : I should really make this 'weekly diary' a real weekly diary, rather than once in a two/three weeks diary or when-I-feel-like-it diary. Or when-I-don't-have-a-date-nothing-to-do-diary.

Hmm it's Friday night, I should be going out! Where are those men who are supposed to take me out and buy me pink roses?

DARLING HARBOUR

Icecube Seafood Grill & Bar


Last Saturday night, me and a girlfriend went to Icecube Seafood grill & Bar for dinner. It's overlooking the beautiful waters of Darling Harbour. The weather was breezy and place was Lovely. The food's beautiful :)

Hot and cold seafood platter for 2 $135.00
Half lobster tossed in garlic, fresh king prawns, grilled king prawns, freshly shucked oysters, crisp fried fish, salt ‘n pepper calamari, blue swimmer crab, smoked salmon & mussels. Served with fries & garden salad


Fluffy bitter sweet chocolate mousse with nougatine and berries $12.5

There were fireworks just before our food arrived. I know the picture is bad. But just to prove that the fireworks was there :)


We were so full. The mousse is just to my liking, rich but not too sweet. It's really delicious and the seafood is fresh. We were seated outdoors and we checked out guys who walked past the restaurant (which is alot because the restaurant is near the taxi stand) . Lol

Adria Rybar and Grill


The next day, on a Sunday night, I met up with a guy for drinks and dinner. He suggested that we met at Darling Harbour. We went to Adria Rybar and Grill, which has a gorgeous view overlooking the water/harbour as well. He was so nice, he let me order desserts. That's the type of guy whom I want to marry one day :)

Chargrilled Calamari, Roasted Capsicum Salsa, Lime and Pepper Mayonnaise $19


Barramundi Fillet, Truffled Risotto and Mediterranean Caponata $34


Chocolate Fondant with Zabaione Canolli and Ice Cream $13


The fondant is perfect and runny when I cut it open into half. The barramundi dish is so fragrant! I couldn't stop sniffing it (and I asked my date to sniff it too!) (Now I wonder if I'll have a 2nd date with this guy). The calamari is a stand-out dish for me, Its so tender, and the mayonnaise is so delicious. If it's not the first date, I seriously would have finished that bowl of mayonnaise. Man! We also ordered the Garlic & Parsley bread which is probably the best garlic bread I've ever have in my life. The service here is also friendly and fantastic.

So both nights have been filled with great food, great company, great conversation, and great views. Probably the Sunday one is a tiny bit better because my bill was paid for.

Don't hate me because I'm being honest. X

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What do you do when you're feeling stressed?

When I am feeling stressed, I :

- If it's guy-related, I'd rent 7 romantic comedy dvds and do my own little sad movie marathon with lots of microwaved caramel popcorn, a large prawn+mushroom pizza, a tube of cookies n cream ice cream n a big bottle of coke. Diet coke if the problem isn't so bad. And a big box of tissue to cry/wipe my messy mouth.

- If it's money-related/very broke, I'd drink lots of green tea 1teabagto7cups ratio. Have a long hot shower and sleep. Try not to be stressd as it can cause bad skin/pimple hence has to spend somemore money on facial. Hence will be more stressed.

- Other problems(family,work,study) Similar approaches - drink bottles of coke, eat tubes of ice cream n snack on good quality ham. Salt n sugar somehow help. Put on a mask to prevent bad skin n take vitamin to prevent from getting sick/die of saltsugar overdose.

After I feel better (or full), I'll break down the problem in my head, find each solution, realize that it's not the end of the world, and tell myself that everything has a solution/ the world won't give you more than you can bear/ everything will be allright in the end, if not, it's not the end/ things happen for a reason/ stop stressing idiot, you'll get a pimple.

Maybe I should try that playing chess + drinking tequila combo.

What do you do when you are feeling stressed? Which pizza toppings do you normally order? Do you prefer butter or caramel popcorn? Which flavour of ice cream do you like? I especially love soft serve ice cream! xx

FOOD DIARY (July)

BREAKFAST


French toast brioche, bacon, maple syrup, from Adriano Zumbo Chocolat Cafe


Adriano Zumbo's Milk hot chocolate. So good!

SUSHI


My favourite sushi selection-
Top (Eel, Seared scallop, Sea urchin, Salmon roe)
Bottom (Beef tataki, Flying fish roe)

DRINK


One of my favourite drink ever! - Gloria Jeans white hot chocolate (with marsmallows)

SNACK / ENTREE


The Italian Bowl's Bruschetta. This is really delicious.

PASTA


One of my favourite pasta, from The Italian Bowl.
Fettuccine King Prawn Alio Olio (king prawns, garlic, chilli, white wine, extra virgin oil & fresh rocket). Hmmmmmmmm

ICE CREAM


Cold Rock ice cream's - Turkish delight, Bubblegum, Donut.
The 'donut' has a cinnamonny flavour which is surprisingly my favourite out of all three!

CAKE



Pompadour - Raspberry and passionfruit mousse with pine nut nougatine and almond sponge. from La Renaissance Pattisserie, The Rocks.

CHOCOLATE



Belle Fleur handmade chocolate.
Belle Fleur chocolates are made fresh daily and they don’t use preservatives, artificial colouring or additives. They draw on four generations of chocolate-making expertise, using the best quality ingredients - high-quality Belgian couverture, fresh local dairy products and ingredients sourced from around the globe. There are more than 50 different chocolates on display in the shop at any one time.

From top - FLAT WHITE (coffee chocolate ganache), SESAME (milk chocolate and tahini ganache with roasted sesame seeds, LEMONGRASS, MELBA (whipped cream with hints of peach and raspberry)
top2 - VENEZUELAN TRUFFLE (43% venezuelan chocolate cream, enrobed in milk chocolate and rolled in milk shavings), BELLE FLEUR (smooth hazelnut with a hint of orange), LIME&COINTREAU (whipped cream with fresh lime and cointreau), ROSE (chocolate ganache infused with a hint of rosewater),
3- VIOLET, WATTLESEED (white chocolate ganache with finely crushed native wattlessed), MANDARIN (mandarin flavoured chocolate ganache), SAFFRON (white chocolate ganache infused with saffron threads)
Bottom - CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (smooth and creamy dark chocolate mousse), APPLE PIE, PASSIONFRUIT (white chocolate ganache with passionfruit), _____(i forgot)

My favourite would be the VENEZUELAN TRUFFLE and LIME&COINTREAU

Ps: Are you hungry?? I am. Still.
x