Another year has come and gone in the blink of an eye and here I find myself sitting on a beach. Not a bad way to end the year, really, and certainly not the way we’ve spent the last four new years. What a year 2011 has been, and I hope that your year [...]]]>

Another year has come and gone in the blink of an eye and here I find myself sitting on a beach. Not a bad way to end the year, really, and certainly not the way we’ve spent the last four new years. What a year 2011 has been, and I hope that your year has been as full of significant moments as mine.

While there’s been numerous high and low lights to my 2011, I find that there are usually only a few moments which impact your life in a major way, be it in the way they help shape you as a person, or the path your life will follow. For me, there were four.

My year started off well, with a new role at work which equally stresses me out / challenges me / drives me to want to achieve more. I appreciate the company I work for, the opportunities they’ve given me and well, they provide the mulah that feeds me, so what else can I say? In this still uncertain economy, gratitude almost feels not enough, but hey. Let’s not get soppy now.

Not long into 2011, I also fell incredibly sick. Inflamed appendicitis spawned some nasty infection and I ended up in surgery, undergoing a right hemi-colectomy. What the heck is that? Basically, I had 38cms of my large intestines removed, which is about half of what I have. I spent five weeks recuperating at home in Brisbane. Though the recovery was one of the most difficult challenges I’ve ever had to endure, it was a blessing in disguise as it provided me the opportunity to spend some quality time with my parents. Well, forced quality time, because I couldn’t physically leave the house, but I hadn’t spent that much time with my mum and dad in almost 14 years and we learned once again to appreciate each other.

Of course, after I left, we had a fight over the phone. So nothing really changed but, you know

In April this year, my niece, Jasmine, was born. There isn’t much I can say about this except that I can’t believe how much I love this kid. When she smiles, everything – and literally mean everything – is better. I think I’ll explode with love with I actually have my own child because I can’t imagine it being more than this.

And last but certainly not least, home is where the heart is. We moved back to Sydney this year, and though this didn’t feel like a massively life altering moment (because we were just coming home), I do think it signifies the beginning of the rest of my life. Like, you know, you’ve done the London thing now so now just get on with it. At the age of 32, I think it’s now time to grow up. Settle down. That stuff.

Plus moving back to Sydney means new years on the beach. And a tan! Ah, how I’ve missed you!

Well, that’s it from me for 2011. Thank you for visiting – I adore my readers – and hope you all celebrate in whatever way you love and I’ll see you on the other side xx

Instagram. I am completely and utterly 100% addicted to Instagram and it is all I can do to stop myself from snapping and sharing every single thing I see, every single day. Before I got my iPhone, I didn’t get the hype about Instagram, but now I do, oh yes [...]]]>

Instagram. I am completely and utterly 100% addicted to Instagram and it is all I can do to stop myself from snapping and sharing every single thing I see, every single day. Before I got my iPhone, I didn’t get the hype about Instagram, but now I do, oh yes I do. It’s basically like Twitter, except a bazillion times better because it’s All. In. Photos. (Which is excellent for those who are especially nosey. Like me.)

So… what did I do while my niece was in town? Instagrammed her to death. And the food we ate, of course. Enjoy!

I feel completely spoiled because I’ve just had not one, but two of the best weekends in a row. This weekend just gone, I had the pleasure of spending all of my waking hours with my niece, who is just the best thing since Luke’s lobster rolls, and I know you think I’m [...]]]>

I feel completely spoiled because I’ve just had not one, but two of the best weekends in a row. This weekend just gone, I had the pleasure of spending all of my waking hours with my niece, who is just the best thing since Luke’s lobster rolls, and I know you think I’m being biased and all that but dude, who’s blog is this? Yeah. YEAH.

We hung out and ate and napped and ate and hung out and though I still have a couple of days with her (they leave on Wednesday morning), I am already heaving big sighs of wistful sadness because I always miss her so badly when we part I suppose that makes this weekend the best and worst ever.

But last weekend was definitely just awesome. Aside from finding this delicious cheeseburger, I also felt the urge to bake peanut butter cookies and so I did! About 50 of them, to be precise.

I got this recipe off the genius of the twitterverse and it’s brilliant for those of you, who like me, love a soft cookie. The choc chips and peanuts from the chunky spread add a great texture to this crumbly cookie and I loved it. Definitely a winning recipe, and I think I’ve found a new favourite hobby: rolling little dough balls

It’s so zen. You should try it!

It all started five years ago. Our eyes met over a steaming dish of pad thai… ok I lie, that would be all too convenient, wouldn’t it? I have in my head various versions of how “it all started”. I mean, I’ve known Panu for years, we worked at the same company but [...]]]>

It all started five years ago. Our eyes met over a steaming dish of pad thai… ok I lie, that would be all too convenient, wouldn’t it? I have in my head various versions of how “it all started”. I mean, I’ve known Panu for years, we worked at the same company but it didn’t “all start” when we first met. Truthfully? I thought he was totally weird when we first met, but that’s a whole nother story.

How else can I start this story? It all started at work? Boring. How about… It all started at Jackson’s on George? Too… gross. Ok truth? It all started during a work conference in Coolum’s Hyatt Regency resort. Sounds classy but actually, it was about 3am on a Saturday night (or Sunday morning, depends how you see it), with a bunch of us all drunk and chilling out in the pool, spilling red wine and white wine and god knows what else into the very water we were swimming in. Yeah, classy, right? But that, folks, is how it all started.

That was Saturday, November 25, 2006.

beef panang curry

You’re probably wondering what Newtown Thai has to do with all of this? I guess for me, it was one of those moments which set the course for the rest of my life. I could say it was the moment my life began but that’s a little too dramatic because as happy as I am now, I loved being single too. Being single was all about me, what’s not to love about that? And it’s not that it was better, or more fun, it’s just… different.

I’m totally digressing right? Right.

salmon green curry

So after the debaucherous night in the pool, Panu and I didn’t see each other for about three weeks. I spent time with my parents in Brisbane, visited my brother in Townsville and road tripped up to Cairns where I lost all of my luggage (that too is for another story). By the time I came back to Sydney, I was sure Panu had recovered from his wine-binge hangover in Coolum and not remember a thing.

But you know, I’m a sucker for punishment so I suggested we have dinner. He said yes. I suggested Thai. He said yes.

And that’s how we ended up at Newtown Thai.

garlic pepper beef

The food at Newtown Thai is pretty awesome. I know I said  Thai Riffic is great, and it is, but it’s all fancy and stuff. If you just want a good simple Thai meal, this is where it’s at. The pad thai is the perfect balance of sweet and savoury, the pad see ew (no photo, sorry) is my favourite and the curries all hit the spot. And the garlic pepper stir fry! Awesome.

I have to say though, the fresh coconut juice is a no go. I’m really not sure what they use – a butter knife maybe? – but they way they hack the top off the poor coconuts… we were finding bits of coconut husk in every mouthful and it wasn’t pleasant.

So back to Newtown Thai in 2006. Panu and I realised we had something real going on and decided to give it a shot and we haven’t looked back since. It’s been five years and I am still very much in… happiness.

It’s our anniversary today and look! It really did all start over a steaming dish of pad thai

ps. we had Thai because I told him Newtown Thai made the best pad thai. He said he knew some place in Crows Nest that made the best pad thai but they closed down pretty soon after so I was winning our disagreements back then and I’m still winning them today. Heh.

pps. these photos of Newtown Thai dishes are not from five years ago, they’re from two weeks ago

Newtown Thai
117 King Street,
Newtown, NSW, 2042
(02) 9557 2425

Last Saturday, we celebrated the birthday of one of my favourite little people: my buddy, Valentin Segura, turned 1! What a hard year he’s had, what with being a little blob and having to learn to crawl and stuff. I mean, life’s tough. So we celebrated his hard work with a BBQ! And [...]]]>

Last Saturday, we celebrated the birthday of one of my favourite little people: my buddy, Valentin Segura, turned 1! What a hard year he’s had, what with being a little blob and having to learn to crawl and stuff. I mean, life’s tough. So we celebrated his hard work with a BBQ! And not just any BBQ. Little Valentin is half Argentinian so we had a traditional asado, cooked by his abuelo, a certified expert in this kind of thang.

So we were already in for a serious feed, but add to that the fact that Valentin’s mum and his grandma are both professional chefs. I mean, seriously. Is this the most professionally catered BBQ or what?!

Say happy birthday!

To say that there was an abundance of food is still an understatement. But what was even more impressive is the fact that everything was hand made, from the empanadas to mini burgers (yes, the mini brioche buns were made from scratch) and the cake! Even one of the piñatas. Oh yes, we had piñatas

Anyway, I knew this BBQ was going to be serious business when I arrived and saw run sheets:

Yeah! 3pm! Nap time!

But before the nap, we have the food.

Caesar salad 

Greek salad (I made this!)

fruit salad

smoked salmon

mini burgers

empanadas

fruit skewers

Ok ok, enough of this pretty food right? Where’s the BBQ at? Here it is:

marinating the asado in lots of salt / cooking the asado

asparagus and prosciutto

chicken wings

chicken skewers

and the star of the show, asado beef ribs

YUM. So we ate and we drank (champagne with raspberry sorbet ice cubes) and tried not to step on the dozens of little kids running around. And we smashed piñatas to our heart’s content. And scarily, not even a couple of hours after this BBQ, I had to go to Tetsuya’s for dinner… a 10 course degustation. So basically, on Sunday, I ate nothing.

Happy birthday, little man!

I don’t often win at anything. Although I’m totally kiasu, by nature that means I never lose, but I don’t ever really win either. Don’t get confused now, the situations I engage in often involve more than two people. So there’s a winner, there’s a loser and then there’s me. And except for [...]]]>

I don’t often win at anything. Although I’m totally kiasu, by nature that means I never lose, but I don’t ever really win either. Don’t get confused now, the situations I engage in often involve more than two people. So there’s a winner, there’s a loser and then there’s me. And except for that one time, when the universe had a momentary lapse in concentration, I never win at anything.

But you know what I would totally 100% kick butt at? If there was like, a competition on who has the most first cousins in the world. Please, somebody, run that competition.

To give you a bit of background, my dad is one of 14 children and my mum is one of 11. For us first-world-bred Generation X’er (Gen Y’ers probably aren’t even thinking about kids, they’re too busy conquering Angry Birds right now), we don’t even understand the concept of “more than two kids”. I mean, why? One girl one boy and we’re done, right? Why on earth would you have more than ten children? I don’t really know the answer to that question, but maybe you can go ask my fourth aunty on my dad’s side, who single-handedly birthed I think 15 children or something.

Loco. (but holy cow, impressive)

So given that there are a billion children in my dad’s family and another billion in my mum’s, and then they all had a billion offspring, you can only guess how many first cousins I have. Go on, give it a shot.

20? More.

50?? Pfft, way more, pardner.

What?! 80? Keep going.

Can’t be more than a 100, surely? Sure it can.

Done guessing? Ok sit down y’all. I have… 110 first cousins. For realz.

And no, I don’t know them all, are you insane? I have cousins who range in age from under-10 through to older-than-my-dad. Most of them I’ve never met, most of them I’ll never meet, some of them aren’t even around any more. And in reality, I only really know a fraction of my cousins, maybe about 20 of them… like a normal person would.

Anyway now that I’ve gone on and on and on (because come on, if you could win at something, you’d totally talk about it too), I should probably get to the point. So, some of my cousins are in Sydney and last Saturday night, one of them hosted a steam boat dinner which I looooove, especially in the depths of winter, even Sydney’s not-so-cold winter.

He got all the usual good stuff; fish balls…

seafood…

veg…

and there were even freshly made dumplings by a non-cousin but after having those dumplings? She can totally be my cousin.

We even had pulut hitam (black sticky rice) for dessert. In a cup. Because we were all out of bowls.

So although I often consider my friends as my family (because despite having so many cousins, I didn’t grow up with a lot of them – I’ve really grown up with my friends) I do appreciate having real family around, to know that they are there and irrevocably linked to me by blood, which means they’re probably all a little weird and crazy like me!