Dear Blog

Dear Blog,

Another day to a new year, that's quick. A lot of things happened in this year through, and it's totally unbelievable that i have finally settled in a place where i wld raise my kids and build my career. I think you, my dear blog has done me a great favour, i'm not a person who loves pouring things out to others, nono, i rather keep things inside for no particular reason, it's just my personality.

-no matter how hurt i was, no matter how nonsense i thought sth wld be, i wld never raise a word about it, why, becoz i don't wan to reverse that hurt back to the other party. Silence has been my weapon.

-no matter how happy i am, i think the only person i wld share it to wld be my hub,and then you! 

-every important agenda of my life, i try to keep as low profile as i cld. Becoz i hv painfully, learnt to understand that, no one wld be really happy or share the pain with me, even if they say they wld, or pretend that they are. 

So, YOU, my personal blog did the justice. You are where i wld write as freely as i could.

When i think back the times, life has been pretty tough. But i hv been blessed, i knew that God was at work n shaping every bit of my life. It was smooth, perfectly n technically transited at every point. My Jehovah Jireh, He has never fail to provide all my needs. How great is our God.

I have a new resolution for the new year. It's a hard one, i guess it'd probably stay as my resolution for many many years until i depart from the world. I don't know how i came up with this resolution, but for the last couple of mths, i have been feeling sick at heart, so sick to the extent my hope is diminishing. And then it struck me. That was me. I was doing the same. I have been commiting the same mistake over and over. only that it was to God, i was inflicting the pain.

So who am I to judge and hate? I don't deserve.

Now, all i'm asking is a peaceful delighted spirit to carry out every mission i've been called to. That includes the resolution i have determined.

2011, i'm goin to play a number of responsibilities.  Let the will of God be done.

Blessed New Year, my dear.

Yours truly,

The Passion Joyous.

Strawberry picking at Sunny Ridge Farm

My uncle and auntie are away for 3 days; they left on Monday morning and i thought it was a pure 'blessing' coz then i had been planning to drive down to Mornington Peninsula (abt 75 minutes away) on either the 27th or 28th for some countryside experience but couldn't find any excuse to convince them to allow me to drive (or rather, watever excuse it may be, they will still insist that we take a tour bus). Basically i'm not even allowed to drive to the city, so forget abt the countryside, and amazingly, the whole process just took place without me having to worry to lie or anything! I know i'm naughty, lol, i have been dreading for the last whole week about telling lies n stuff. You see, my cousin wanted to join us on this trip, n having him means the secret has to be exposed beforehand. (Normally i wld just shhhh abt our plans,  sneak out of the house, come back n then pretend nth has happened).LOL. Otherwise i can't drive, n it's definitely redundant having a car, defeating my purpose of adapting to this place etc. But thank God, He sure knows how to work miraculously!

So well, back to our trip yesterday, my cousin couldn't make it due to some 'prepostrous' reasons, n that left me n Kimmie on our road trip down south. Strawberry picking was the main agenda basically, but i took a longer route to avoid the tollway, driving along the coastal line n the sight was soooooo so awesome! I even passed a rose farm, n the whole place smells so wonderful even with the car windows shut, i could smell the scent from the garden. How lovely, i wish we came in a pack, i think tat wld be more fun. (My in laws are coming!!!)

Well nevertheless, we had fun just by ourselves. The strawberries were plump, big juicy and extremely sweet. The sweetest strawberries i've ever tasted in my entire life. Even beating those from BJ or Szechuan. I guess it was just naturally refreshing n enjoyable to consume ur own handpicked fruits, don't u think so?

I love the natural side of this picture.

Picking in process. The entrance+picking +eating+500g strawberries (to bring back) cost only $7 per adult, which is fairly reasonable.

We were only allowed to fill up this box (1kg for two ppl). The box must be able to close. Extra charges will be imposed if box is too full and couldn't be covered properly.

Our product of the day

This side of the farm is closed.

Work harder guys!

This scone is tigerrific! With homemade strawberry jam n cream!

Devonshire scones with strawberry milkshake

What happened on Eve, Christmas n Boxing Day?

Bbq lunch on Christmas Day after church at a beautiful park in Balwyn. (Say hello to my ka ki nangs from the land below the wind)

We were too hungry to remember the camera. It only came into play when dessert was being served.

I love this fruitcake! Homemade by an auntie. The moistest n loveliest i've ever tasted. I even learnt sum tricks from her, wil try out next Christmas!

Our pressies from lovely aunties!

This is Mel on Eve night

from a different angel.

Time was 9sth pm. It was just getting dark.

Maestro Chef at Crossway. The event happened a week before Christmas, i must have forgotten them in the folder.

Lotsa singing n carols.

Went to Docklands on the Eve to join the carols by Planet Shakers

It ended with some minor fireworks. This gave me a fright. My heart nearly popped out.

On Boxing Day at Chadstone. Ppl were queuing in front of Swaroski. Makes me wonder why. Honestly,  i dun think their jewelleries are of good quality, hub bought me a pair of earrings n the crystal fell out!

What can i expect? It was damn crowded, not a single seat was available in all food courts, n nearly all cafes. Saw Lindt and decided to cramp in for sum chocolate boost. We shared a waffle with vanilla bean ice cream n chocolate. Superb! I personally think it tasted much better than Max Brenner's, yeah!





Wake up!

I have been munching on many many junks for the last couple of weeks. geezz. i SURE do gotto stop. while these junks are making my jeans go tighter, my skins seems to be recovering! wow, miracle. so much junks n skin getting better. Or maybe i shd thank the weather? well watever it is, i am praying hard that they recover 100% before my in laws land down in feb!

I'm feeling sick. sick at heart. for a reason. sick becoz i dun understand. sick becoz i was so stupid to oblige. sick becoz i not only obliged once, but many times. Gosh. i think i need a wakening slap.

Boxing day shopping spree

2day is Boxing Day. N my parents's 27th wedding anniversary. But what have we been doing?

We drove out at 6sth in the am and came back at 5pm. LOL.

Wat else, mega shopping spree! Ozzie's biggest sale event.

And it was chaotic. I hate it when there are too many people crowded in a limited space and fighting for a piece of item. Not to mention the kiasu-ness in the atmosphere. Gosh, i heard some people actually camped outside the shops in the city?!

Well we are just one of them. The crazy bunch who woke up at 5.30am, drove out at 6.30am just to get a decent parking space before the mall opens at 7am. Haha, and i tell you this, i dun think i wan to do it again. No. Not when i have to stuck myself in the middle of nowhere, amongst  ........... crowd who looked as if they are .........   Indescribable!

Oh Well i am thankful i went coz i managed to grab sum nice value-for-money items which are on 50% discount. Important items like laura ashley towels (i love laura ashley so much!), good notebooks for hub, beautiful pens n matching writing books for mom-in-law (who loves writing), and sum lingerie which i desperately need. LOL. and oh yeah, i got a pair of sandals a.k.a slippers with straps for $15 too (coz i din have a pair). Kim got many jewelleries, coz she claimed Ozzie's accessories are cooler and more interesting. I think she got herself like more than 5 pieces of ring, three sets of earring, some bracelets n ..? 

Christmas

Christmas isnt Christmas til it happens in your heart
Somewhere, deep inside you, is where Christmas really starts
So, give your heart to Jesus, youll discover when you do
That it's Christmas, really Christmas for you.


Jesus brings warmth like a winter fire, a light like a candles glow
Hes waiting now to come inside, like He did so long ago
Jesus brings gifts of truth and life and makes them bloom and grow
So welcome Him with a song of joy, and when He comes youll know


That Christmas isnt Christmas til it happens in your heart
Somewhere, deep inside you, is where Christmas really starts
So, give your heart to Jesus, youll discover when you do
That it's Christmas, really Christmas


Christmas, really Christmas
Christmas, really Christmas for you!

Have yourself a MERRY little Christmas

Hey peeps. Blessed Christmas! Once again, we are reminded  of our dear Saviour's birth. HuhuhuHU. Time flies. I'm starting to freak out on the fact that i'm getting old, n on the next Christmas i'll be labelled as 27. sigh well. What matters is the present. The fact that we are all alive on planet earth celebrating this special festive season to commemorate our Lord's arrival to this world more than 2,000 years ago, to bring unconditional love and show us what it means to forgive, love and share. Hey. Everyone has suffered through thin and thick, experienced joy, laughter or sadness, and wen through the life rollercoaster of ups and downs.  But we all have one thing in common. We share the present. Isn't that great?

So have yourself a merry little Christmas. Myself and Mr Jiang wld like to wish everyone happy holidays, blessed festive season and a wonderful new year ahead! God bless you all as we indulge in His love and everlasting Hope everyday.

Enjoy :-D!

I drove to Melbourne Zoo n dropped by at Carlton for infamous Italian cuisine!

Cool huh? i'm so proud of myself. Haha. Note this, the postcodes of these destination i drove to yesterday: 3052 and 3053. Close to 3000 a.k.a the city centre! Soon enough, i will be allowed to drive to the CDB on my own. I have been warned and dicscouraged abt how tricky it is to drive in the CBD, and totally prohibited from even stepping into the 3.0.0.0 zone with my car (not even to St Kilda road 3004), yeah, adults.... they worry too much sometimes, but well it's for your own good! ** i've been driving to these places without the knowledge of those who are supervising me, so pls shhhh for me. **

So, we went to the zoo yesterday and dropped by at Lygon street to tryout sum prominent restaurants ppl have bragging abt. A bit later this afternnon, i'm goin to drive my sister out to Ivanhoe for sum Aussie pancakes.

So here we are. It wasn't the best among all zoos, but it was good enough, i guess.

I was intrigued. They have Malay translations everywhere. Oh well, they borrowed our orang utans n elephants!

I think these are the cutest. It was feeding time, n these babies were running in the most chubbiest, gulliable n simply adorable way. Ohhhhh..

Din mean to take pics of this cute little girl, but she did us a favour in opening all the toilet lids.



Hub asked how i did it. Well, he probably forgot wat i was doing for a living!



This was the biggest Kanga i've seen. Reminds me of the kanga in winnie da pooh.

Aussie wombat was sound asleep, i nearly tot it was a wild boar. LOL, n hub tot it was a....

This Koala was shy, trying to hide itself from everyone.

So, we managed to tryout Tiamo n Tiamo 2(which is just next door)

Our Italian Pasta, which was really huge in portion. But we managed to finish. :-S

Here's one thing abt driving in Mel. You got to follow the rules! Even if it's a bit strange.

Really appreciate you guys Shhhhh -ing for me. Otherwise i can't go anywhere but Boxhill n Knox.

Food in Melbourne

Two months. Today marks the 1st day of the third month i'm here. Yeap, i know. Time flies. :-)

My face now swells like a BALLOON. yeah, i'm weird. i tend to collect fat around my cheeks n chin. so yeah. after all the binging, that's wat i get. a big fat round face. Here are the culprits:

I hessitated putting this up. Y? My hub is goin to give a big :-O when he sees this. But,  hey , i got to take advantage of the freedom i have now. eat all the magnums i wan while he's not around. Well they were on offer, so i bought one box of this latest magnum serie. No big deal hubby! The box has only three, so one for me, kim n vic. I only had ONE. :-)

Koko Black Chocolate High Tea at Chadstone. These were Kim's. I only had that summer tea at the left upper corner.

Carrot and Red Velvet Cupcakes. I love the red one.



Hummingbird and lemon cupcakes



Vietnamese Rice Spring Roll. I hate the mint leaves they put inside.

Nothing beats a Hot Pho on a cold day.

Now i have to work hard on facial massage.

Christmas, a miracle and a new life.

Hello people, how's things goin on there? today i wld like to share abt my uncle's church. Yeah, for those of you who don't know, my uncle is a pastor in a chinese church in Kew (abt 5 mins from Richmond) that has about 30 people? It is a hakka congregation, so he's a hakka pastor! Yups, i am proud to have sumone in my family that works for the ministry of God, that is apart from my dear own mom!

Well, i don't actually attend his church every sunday, for certain reasons (you know, my hakka skill is nowhere to be bragged abt). but i do go on certain occasions, say a Christmas party which was just recently. So that explains the pictures below. It was a Christmas celebration service that afternoon, and they have choirs from the adults, children and young teens.

As much as i wanted to give my support and encouragement, i need to be aware that i am in search for more spiritual growth and food in this city. Language barrier n stuff, generation gap (most of them are either my aunties/granmas, or too young), and also i am at this stage of looking for certain transformation and a circle of network that can assist me to grow deeply rooted in the word of God. So, that explains why i chose to go to an English church like Crossway, even if that means i have to go alone. Sermons are important to me, so much that i have to make sure i hv been deeply engaged in the message everytime i come out from the church building.

I know Ms Chong will be goin off today, so here's an opportunity to wish her a blessed Christmas holiday, and hopefully she will enjoy every bit of the trip. :-D Hopefully she will add on a Hello Kitty here for me (just kidding hahaha.)

Another cafe I highly recommend

Ad-hoc b'day cakes.

More ad hoc b'day cakes. Ain't this beautiful?

Kim's avocado chicken sandwich.

From left to right: petite chocolate mud cake, nuttella ricotta cheesecake, n fruit strudel.

Yup, it's Brunetti. I think it's italian, they have this wide spread of desserts and pastries including macarons, but Kim din take any pics due to the reflection from the mirror. I highly recommend this particular cafe, they have a few outlets across Melbourne city, but we only managed to try the newly opened chain at MYER Level 3 Bourke Street, and it was really an eye opener for me. They even sell gelatos and chocolates. So from savoury to gelatos, from chocolates to cakes and danish pastries and hot and cold beverages, basically you can find almost everything for a special tea time treat! Or after dinner coffee? I give thumbs up, but still, i say they are a bit too commercialised for my liking. Homemade still rules!