THE START OF 2012

“I am made of things that are stronger and brighter than you would believe.”
— Daily Haiku on Love by Tyler Knott Gregson

The short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was based on a remark by author Mark Twain. Twain famously remarked that, “life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.”

I always thought how fast life's gone by and how sometimes I wish I can go back to the age when I was 18 and relive that memory. I always have a little regret of how I wasted my life around when I was young, chased the wrong guy, spent all my money buying present for my player ex boyfriend. Sigh first love, what can I say? Of course all my life experiences made me to what I am today (although I still made the same mistake again now and then) but I'm definately tougher now:) Somehow 18 is always been my favourite age, because there was no worries in the world, I just need to do my homework, pass my exam, and don't come home too late. Yet that was the age when I began to learn alot about life, love, family and friendship and that's when I started my own little life adventure. That age brought some truly beautiful memories.

I always looked back at our past wishing that we can relive all the great moments.
Yet in doing so, I would forget about living in the present moment. What I want to try to do more now is to live in the moment and savor it totally because this is the time that I will miss in the future. I want to live my everyday with awareness.

I found a few new year resolution from different sources that I love :

From Sarah Wilson
http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/2011/12/dont-make-new-year-resolutions-play-instead/#more-3527

"I will see what happens.
-Let’s see. Let us see. Let (allow) you, me, the forces that steer the universe, see what happens.
I will find ordinariness really rather lovely.
I will continue to find setbacks amusing."

From Gandhi


And:

"We grow fearless by doing those things we fear.”
— The Secret Letters of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma

"It is impossible to live without failing at something. Unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.”
— J.K. Rowling

"I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center."
— Kurt Vonnegut

I WANT TO :
- Be interested and interesting
- Be an explorer of the world.

FINAL NOTE :

- Life commences not with birth, but with the onslaught of awareness.

- If you don't do foolish things when you are young, you won't have anything to smile about when you are old.

- 'If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough.'

- 'The successful person has the habit of doing the things
failures don't like to do. They don't like doing them either
necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the
strength of their purpose.' - E.M Gray

- When you talk you are only repeating what you already know, but if you listen, you may learn something new.

- 'Love your parents. We are so busy growing up, we often forget they are also growing old.'

- 'Never love anyone who treats you like you're ordinary' - Oscar Wilde

- Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of good luck.

- Enjoy your youth. You'll never be younger than you are at this very moment.

- "This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time." - The Fight Club

“As we drive along this road called life, occasionally a gal will find herself a little lost. And when that happens, I guess she has to let go of the coulda, shoulda, woulda, buckle up and just keep going.” Carrie Bradshaw

"You are the same person you have always been, even though the person you are were might have difficulty recognising the person you have become. You are looking at a situation that, had it arisen in the distant past, might have floored you. But it is happening now, not then. You are ready for it. Life is about growing, learning and moving on."

picture is taken from http://jessepinkman.tumblr.com/

INSPIRING BOOKS

From the book 'CHANGE THE WORLD 9 TO 5' , these are few of my favourites reads from the book :) ==>

63. Practice good manners.
Do always try to listen. It's simply charming when people do.
Do try not to snoop into the business of others - no one likes a nosy parker.

76. Use one of these email signatures.
(I like this one) Sorry this is an email and not a face-to-face conversation.

77. Show empathy.
Everyday, with measureless heroism, people are dealing with all kinds of terrible things. We are not asking you to stick your nose in where it's not wanted. Just treat people with respect. Be aware that we are all sentient, suffering human beings.

79. Give up some spare time.
If you used some of that time to help other people, you'd feel better. It just happens to be one of the few immutable laws of the universe.

84. Smile when you answer the phone.
You can hear a smile.

85. Support small businesses.
Use your local newsagent and your local local.
To prevent them from disappearing.

93. Don't judge someone by the job they do.
For instance: just because someone is a corporate lawyer doesn't mean that they are necessarily a selfish, heartless person driven by greed.
Ok, 99 times out of 100, it does. But keep believing and you'll meet the 100th one day.

99. Know how you fit into the bigger picture.
When John Kennedy bumped into a janitor at NASA and asked him what he did, the man replied, 'Helping to put a man on the moon.'
That's a genuinely inspiring story.



From the book 'STRESS LESS, LIVE MORE' by Richard Blonna

1. Calculate the no of days you have lived so far.

2. Substract this no from 30 000.
This is the approximate no of days you have left on this earth.

3. Compile 3 lists :
a) Things I want to start doing.
b) Things I want to continue doing.
c) Things I want to stop doing.
Take your time and consider each very carefully.

4. Describe how you want to spend the rest of your life, using the details from those 3 lists.

5. What are the stressful thoughts, scary pictures & painful emotions that are keeping you from doing this?

6. What are you willing to accept and take action on in spite of the things you listed in step 5?

“If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.” — Lemony Snicket

Food Diary 2011

Mini gelatos and petit fours after a gold degustation dinner at Captain Cook Cruise. Beautiful food, which includes the friendliest service, canapes and sparkling wine on arrival and the best breads to start. I'm serious the bread is amazing! haha, and just the way I like it (soft, warm, white and delicious). Depart from Circular Quay on sunset and circling the water for 3 hours. Such a lovely & magical ride. Would love to do it again soon. I love cruises dinners/lunch/high tea anything :)

I had a beautiful degustation dinner (with matching wines) on my birthday at the magnificent Altitude restaurant, Shangrila Sydney. The view is breathtaking, This is the beautiful chocolate dessert that end a very memorable meal :)

From Ms G's, Potts Point : Packaged cocktails
-Good Morning Vietnam $14
Shochu, raspberries, lime, palm sugar, Vietnamese mint, soda
-Ms G’s Famous Yuzu Slushee $14
Limoncello, Russian Standard vodka, yuzu juice, Regan’s orange bitters
And Mini crisp pork belly buns.
Afterwards we also ordered the packaged Pina Colada which has pearls in them (similar to those pearls you find in milk teas). Oh, How brilliant is the idea of the packaged cocktails?
Ms G is my new favourite restaurant in Sydney. The food is of modern Asian, and the menu and coctails are interesting, playful and quirky. The decor of the restaurant is adorable and I love the foods (to death) !

"Enter through a door bathed in pink neon to find four floors of unexpected dining; including a graffiti wall, communal tables and even a veggie garden courtyard."

“Stoner’s Delight 2.0” doughnut ice cream, peanut butter, raspberry jam, candied bacon, potato chips, mars bar slice, banana fritter, from Ms G's .
This dessert tastes fabulous and so interesting and clever! I couldn't stop smiling eating them. And I love the candied bacon :)


at Stuzzi Bar/Spiedo Restaurant, Westfield Sydney .
Homemade strozzapreti, wild boar ragout &
Fettuccine, prawns, zucchini, tomato.
My other new favourite restaurant:) Their pastas are so so so so so delicious and out of this world!

Breakfast at Cafe Ish, one of my favourite places for coffee/breakfast/lunch. The place is pretty close to where I live and It serves native australian & japanese food. The menu is very interesting, including crocodile sausage, karaage crab omelettle, kangaroo&prawn gyoza, saltbush lamb sliders, smokey soy caramel wagyu short-rib, chocolate risotto, etc etc etc. Wow Wow Wow!

I had this (freaking fantasting) porkrib at Cairo Cafe, an African restaurant at Cremorne Sydney. This is the first time I've ever been to an African restaurant and OMG I can't fault the food AT ALL, I had a prawn entree which is so good and a mint tea ice cream with rose syrup for dessert which is seriously the best ice cream eva!

Salad of Buffalo mozarella & Tomato at Cafe Sopra, Walsh Bay.
The tomatos are very juicy :) My favourite salad ...(I know not exactly a healthy one) (I don't care).
I love Cafe Sopra. The foods (and pastas :p) are so good and the portion is very filling :)!! I used to go to Waterloo for it. Now they have one just across to Sydney Dance Co!

Bucatini alla carbonara at Cafe Sopra, Walsh Bay.
This is my favourite version of a carbonara pasta. The sauce is not too heavy which is nice. So you can eat alot without feeling sick :)

Linguini with lemon, chilli, and pangrattato at Cafe Sopra.
No bacon, no prawn, no meat, nothing, but is so good!!!
Pangrattato is some sorts of crunchy breadcrumbs :)

Banoffee Pie (take away from Cafe Sopra). Unbelievably good. THE BEST of THE BEST!

Appetito Pizza Pasta Bar, The Rocks. Fried calamari, soft shell crab and school prawns with roasted garlic aioli.
Love fried stuffs esp with lemon and garlicy mayonaisse :) The calamari is so tender and lightly crisp. The aioli Oh My God I wish I can dip any fried foods into this. I would be a very happy and satisfied woman :)

Appetito Pizza Pasta Bar, The Rocks. Potato gnocchi, alaskan king crab, tomato and cream.
This doesn't look too great visually but this pasta tastes so much yummier than it looks.... :) the gnocchi melt in your mouth..OOHH MANN I love beautiful pasta ssss!!!

Ichiban Boshi, The Galleries Victoria. Ramen with roast pork, corn, butter, deep fried tofu.
I love ramen (or anything !! ) with butter :) this place has great ramens ...and cheap too. It is just next to Kinokuniya bookstore which I frequently visit. Food & Books. What else do I need? :) (booze & a man lol)

Korean food. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
(Chilli chicken with cheese, Pork belly, Korean Seafood pancake)

Italian food at Glebe (Calamari, Prawn, Bruschetta). This time didn't order pasta hehe ^^

LL Wine & Dine, Potts point, a very cool place to eat.
(Wok fried rice, Prawn & pork wonton, Crumbed soft shell crab with wasabi mayonnaise, Crisp duck pancake with orange-y sauce, Crab springroll).!!So, This address was formerly an illegal adult bookshop and gambling den. When the current restaurant owners cleaned things up, they found bags of vintage porno magazines which they then decided to pasted them on one part of the wall. Good decision I say because it gives the place an erotic twist (lol I can't believe I just said that) and I always love a place with an interesting history :) The food is amazing of course! and they have live singer+musician & awesome coctail jugs during sunday yumcha brunch.


I also went to the Easter show last year and basically what I did all day was ate. I had so much fun! :)
Choc banana on a stick

Curly fries with sour cream and sweet chilli. How cute right.

Fried strawberry cheesecake :)

Hmm Yumm!

Country women's fresh warm scones

Oysters and a glass of white from De Costi oyster and wine bar

Ps : I also ate a hotdog, fresh fruit salad from the farm, sample a few cheese and a mini pie from the deli. And bought myself a cotton candy to eat on the way home ^^. Forgot to get some Easter egg chocolates for my flatmate :(

Things I Learned in 2011

photo from http://celebrator1975.tumblr.com/


These are some of the things that I learned in 2011. I have this obsessive need to always have to write every-single-thing down :)

On LIFE

1. “What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it.”
— Gabriel García Márquez

2. "There were so many of us who would have to live with things done and things left undone that day. Things that did not go right, things that seemed okay at the time because we could not see the future. If only we could see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions. But we can’t know better until knowing better is use less.”
— Looking For Alaska

3. "Happiness is not a destination. It is a mood, it is not permanent. It comes and goes and if people thought that way then maybe people would find happiness more often.”
— Julian Baker

4. “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” — Oscar Wilde

5.
“To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.”
— Oren Arnold


On LIFE LESSONS

1. “Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.”
— The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom

2. “If you are still breathing maybe it is not such a bad day after all.”
— Darren Laws

3. “And yet with every bad, there is a worse.”
— Thomas Hardy

4. "Pain is a part of life. Sometimes it’s a big part, and sometimes it isn’t, but either way, it’s a part of the big puzzle, the deep music, the great game. Pain does two things: It teaches you, tells you that you’re alive. Then it passes away and leaves you changed. It leaves you wiser, sometimes. Sometimes it leaves you stronger. Either way, pain leaves its mark, and everything important that will ever happen to you in life is going to involve it in one degree or another.”
— Jim Butcher

5. “For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” It's about your outlook towards life. You can either regret or rejoice".

"Even when the flower falls, we love it. That’s the heart of the Japanese person. Flowers dying is not a sad thing."
- The Tsunami and The Cherry Blossom

ON LOVE

1. “A heart that hurts, is a heart that works.” — Placebo, Bright Lights

2. “Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something. They’re trying to find someone who’s going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take.”
— Anthony Robbin

3. "The hardest-learned lesson: that people have only their kind of love to give, not our kind.”
— Mignon McLaughlin

4. "It's a risk to love. What if it doesn't work out?
Ah, but what if it does?"
- Peter McWilliams

" I’m not the silly romantic you think. I don’t want the heavens or the shooting stars. I don’t want gemstones or gold. I have those things already. I want a steady hand, a kind soul. I want to fall asleep, and wake, knowing my heart is safe.” — Shana Abé

On BOOKS

1. "Bookshelves are trophy cabinets for people who don’t shoot animals.”
— CJ Werleman

2. "The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.”
— Alan Bennett

3. "Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
— Charles W. Eliot

"Reading gives us a place to go when we have to

stay where we are."


On COURAGE AND PASSION

1. "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying :'I'll try again tomorrrow'.
- Mary Radmacher

2. “The saddest people I’ve ever met in life are the ones who don’t care deeply about anything at all. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there’s nothing to make it last.”
— Nicholas Sparks (Dear John)

3. "We all know fear. But passion makes us fearless.” — Paulo Coelho

4. “Without obsession, life is nothing.” — John Waters

“Passion. It’s a force so potent we still remember it long after it’s faded away. A drive so alluring it can push us into the arms of unexpected lovers. A sensation so overwhelming, it can knock down walls we’ve built to protect our hearts. A feeling so intense, it resurfaces even when we try so hard to keep it buried. Yes, of all emotions, passion is the one that gives us a reason to live, and an excuse to commit all sorts of crimes.” — Desperate Housewive

ON GRATITUDE AND DISCOVERY

1. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”
— William Arthur Ward

2. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
— Marcel Proust

3. “Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it, and above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.”
— Joseph Pulitzer

4. "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

5. “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” — W.B. Yeats

"...what we've seen is always going to be a very small cup dipped out of a very big ocean, and turning your back on the ocean to stare into the cup can't change that". - Linda Holmes

On FRIENDSHIP

1. "If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
- Mother Teresa

2. “I am a part of all that I have met.” — Alfred Lord Tennyson

3. “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” — Anais Nin


UNRELATED POST : COOL TIPS ON TRAVELLING :

1. Eat different cuisines than the country you’re in.
And I’m not referring to the lasagna from your hotel restaurant. Thai food in India is different than in Thailand – obviously. But it’s also different than Thai food in Seattle. I’ve had great Mexican food in Athens, great Greek food in Bangkok, and some stuff I didn’t recognize on a Biman Airlines flight while over Pakistan.
But more than good, these meals were interesting — and that’s what travel should be.

2. Send postcards
They’re fun. People like getting them. If you must send an email put all the contents in the subject line: "Mom — I’m alive, in Italy, not going back to school next semester. XO"

3. Steal soap from your hotel and give it to kids in developing countries as a present.
Studies have shown that distributing soap to kids in poor countries saves lives. Travelers are always thinking up things to give to kids that ask for handouts (pencils, erasers, candies) but nothing beats the gift of clean hands. And don’t just collect 1 or 2 from your hotel bathroom. Hit the hallways while the cleaning staff are having a smoke and grab a couple handfuls from the service carts. When you are saving lives, GO BIG.

From
http://mylittlenomads.com/thrilling-amazing-tips-travel-vacationand read the rest of them, they are so cool! I especially love no 2,3,12,13,15


Happy New Year Everyone !!!!! X