MY WEEK...My week's been fantabulous!
1) I went for a job interview
2) I was appointed a promising full time job (*yay!*)
3) I quit working as miss waitress on weekdays
4) I dug out all my courage to tell my boss at the cafe the absolute truth (and I left the cafe in one piece! *SmiLeS*)
5) I am working temporarily as miss waitress on Saturdays only
6) I (finally) get to dress up for work (again)
7) I "designed" and "fixed" homemade pizza
8) I attended Brigette's 3rd birthday party (which explains the belly!)
9) I am going shopping!
10)I have got my self-esteem boost! *WinK*

Conclusion: His favour is unfolding in my life! =)

EE JHANE...This sweetie pie is my jelly friend!
The one and only jelly that I haven't seen in ages and I miss her sooooooooooooo!
She is my one and only sAn-dA-nAs-tA-nAh nutty friend!
She is the best in the world!
She is very generous with her bed space, she is the keeper of my visiting toothbrush, she is my listening ear at 3am in the morning, she is my mood-lifter on my boo-boo days, she is my happy smiling face, she is my surprise caller, she is my darling, she is my comfort pillow, she is my laughing machine, she is my partner in crime and most of all she's my FRIEND!
Woman, to our friendship and our toothbrushes! *CheeRs!*

SHOPPING MODE...Whoever doesn't enjoy shopping should really get prayed for! Shopping is a therapy that works wonders for whatever not-so-good-day you have. My ultimate ambition is to be a shopaholic! All I do is shop! The moment I open my eyes, I just pop by a nearby shopping mall and start shopping till the sun goes down, then have a fancy dinner at a cafe by the mall and then end my day by going home to indulge in all the new stuff I've bought and repeat the same routine the next day except I go further and further each time and ultimately fly to Paris to shop and come home before the next morning to fly off to some other country! Wow...*dream come true* Let's just say I'm naive and being in an ignorant world like mine, I'm allowed to dream a little dream from time to time...

Anyway today I went to the toyshop with John to pick up a birthday gift for Brigette who will be turning 3 on Saturday. After spending approximately 45 minutes in the shop looking at some toys which caught my attention, I finally picked up something for Brigy and myself *grin*. I got Brigy a Barbie doll (I had my first Barbie doll when I was 3 or 4 and I absolutely loved it, so I would think Brigy would have the same reaction as I did) and got myself a box of Ello creation system! At the age of 22, I still love toys as much as when I was 2! *winK*

Also in my shopping bag, I've got a couple of boring black clothings for work! *rolls eyes!*

Later in the day, I had more damage to my pocket when I went to see day-light-robery doctor. Consultation alone cost me $60 and medication another $35! I'd rather itch to death than to see a doctor if I knew it would cost me that much! Well reason why I went to see a doctor was 1) John forced me to (he was being very caring, he didn't want me to risk it) and 2) because my hands were swelling and the itch nearly drove me up the wall! I don't know what went wrong there, I would think it's the cat from Melissa's place but apparently, according to the doctor cats won't make such damage. So, I have no idea...it could be an insect bite, could be allergy or it could be an infection. I'm put on antihistamine and some antibiotics. *Sigh!*
But anyway, Alvin's made my day better by sending me to the clinic, thanks Alvin!
And of course the toys cheered me up and put my mind off the medical bills for a moment! *smiles*

p/s: See the red carpet in the picture?? That's a gift from John from Ikea to beautify my room! *AwwWwWwwWwwWwww!*

Must be the GREEN TEA FRAPPE! I think I'm high on caffeine at the moment and I'm not able to sleep! My body is tired but my mind is racing and it doesn't seem to wanna switch off! Adrenalin is pumping hard when the body is more than ready for bed. Now what's going on? I need to jump out of bed at 7am tomorrow and this insomnia is totally not helping! Should have had babychino instead (I had my first cup of babychino ever in my life last night and I instantly fell in love with it! So frothy, so creamy and so chocolaty! Dunk marshmellows in it and it's ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...just thought of sharing my babychino experience! *smiles*). Anyway, Mil, John and I had a great time strolling around the city today. As much as we try resisting not to spend a cent, both Mil and I couldn't get by shopping without spending. Somehow the desire to bring something home overpowered the piggybank at home.
p/s: And btw I thought I'd make it public...Mil's a great shopping companion! *WinK*

MICHELLE'S LATEST & CURRENT ADDICTION: Sugar crakers dipped in soy milk!

BABY...We're expecting a new addition to the family some time end of this year! *Awwwwww* It's been a while since we've had baby's nappy drying on the clothes' line...Grandpopo and grandpa were already smiling from cheek to cheek upon receiving the good news and me here, down under couldn't resist the joy of the news as well. I've rushed into K-mart this arvo to get newborn bodysuits and a blankie for my soon-to-be little cousin! =)

GIANT MEATBALLS or BIG PAU STUFFING RECIPE...Okay with this gigantic meatballs recipe, they do taste similar to the stuffings of the big pau we get from back home (they obviously don't taste the same but similar). Unfortunately, I have yet to find the recipe for pau skin. So, if anyone of you have recipes for pau skin, do share it with me, ey? As of now while awaiting recipe for pau skin, you can serve the pau stuffing as giant mealballs if you like.

Ingredients to serve 4: 500g of minced veal
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of chinese white wine
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 dash of pepper
1 dash of mixed Italian herbs
1 pinch of salt
1 raw egg
1 chunky chopped onion
4 hard boiled eggs

1) Preheat oven to 180*C

2) Mix in all ingredients except for the 4 hard boiled eggs in a medium sized bowl

3) Wrap 1/4 of mixed ingredients around 1 hard boiled egg (repeat step 3 for all 4 eggs)

4) Bake for 25 minutes in the oven

5) Shave some mozzarella cheese on top of each meatball before serving.

Warning: The meatballs could turn out as big as the size of your fist or even bigger!

*Another recipe proven yummy by Milton, Boon, John and myself ;)

p/s: I'll post the recipe for pau skin once I've got it, meanwhile, enjoy the giant meatballs!

BANANA BREAD RECIPE...Here is a simple and proven yummy recipe for banana bread lovers!

Ingredients: 230g of plain flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
3 medium sized, very ripe banana, peeled
125g of sugar
75ml (if you prefer it moist) / 70ml (if you prefer it dry) of vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons of honey

1) -Preheat oven to 180*C
-Grease loaf pan with butter

2) Throw all ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl, smash bananas with fork,
continue to stir until blended.

3) Scrape batter into the prepared pan, chuck it into the oven and bake for 45 minutes.

4) Set it on a rack to cool for approximately 30 minutes before serving.

*Proven yummy by Milton, Boon, John and myself! ;)

Happy baking!

Reminder to self: I will never ever have cold noodles from a Korean restaurant ever again.

MARBLES...Something different that I tried this afternoon. I put together a piece made of marbles of various sizes wrapped and knotted with two strips of maroon and cream coloured organza, with a little ribbon finishing it off. Inspired by the latest Spanish sinoritas collection!

Dear Lord, please calm my heart, help me keep my cool, have a big and brave heart and combat whatever fear that I may have which is unecessary in my life. Although this world has many different interesting things/creatures that come in different shapes and sizez, I pray you will help me grasp the idea and understand the reason for their existance. At this point of time, Lord I might not be able to appreciate these things in life but I believe with time, you will reveal their beauty to me. Help me see things the way you would with your mighty eyes, help me feel things the way you feel with your loving touch, help me hear things the way you would with your careful ears, help me understand things the way you would with your gracious heart...Lord please help me...Help me not to get goosebums whenever they are in my sight and help me not to slam or smash them whenever they freak me out! Please do help me stay away from those eight-legged friends who always and never fail to make me cringe! Help me not to always be frightened by these guys when I see them! Oh Lord...help me please!

Waaaaaaa...!! Help...Michelle is darn afraid of this creature called SPI...SPID...SPIDE...SPIDER!!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaa...!!

VERGE OF GIVING UP...I'm balancing myself on one leg now at the edge of this funny thing called patience and perseverance. This is beginning to feel quite tiring, I must admit, like as if I were diseased...*sigh* Sometimes people tries to understand by being understanding, but really I don't think anyone truly understands how it feels like to be right where I'm standing right now. All the crap about self motivation, determination, enthusiasm, persistence and sanity which had once upon a time kept me going and kept me strong are just flowing out of my head bit by bit...I'm losing it, sinking myself into a deep deep hole and probably never ever gonna see this thing called "light" ever again!

RAINBOW...Ever try popping your head out the car window (children reading this, don't ever try this at home!) looking for a rainbow after a big pour on a sunny day? Well, although I don't pop my head out the car window, I'm always delighted to see rainbows around and as innocent as a child, I'd always make a big deal out of catching a rainbow on a beautiful day! Somehow even if your day ain't that beautiful, the rainbow always seems to do the trick! Anyway, here's my beautiful, colourful, rainbow choker that I've put together today. It looks all happy and cheery doesn't it?

HIS VALENTINE'S TREAT...Home made Japanese food with lots of love (and wasabi) and a handpainted acrylic painting on canvas - probably not the best painting you'll find around, but at least it's painted carefully with much patience and loving thoughts...!

MY VALENTINE'S TREAT...
Dinner at Joseph Alexander was pretty impressive! The food was thumbs up, the dessert (especially) was terrific, the service was excellent and the ambiance was perfect!

VALENTINE'S DAY...

You can tell that it's Velentine's Day...

1) When restaurants/cafes are fully booked up for the night
2) When online florists stop receiving orders for the month of February
3) When gift shops are overcrowded with people picking up cards
4) When random people on streets holding bouquet of flowers or bundles of balloons
5) When you get complimentary heart shaped chocolates
6) When you see cheery, smiley faces all day
7) When people are extra nice to each other
8) When ...
9) When ......
10) When .........

Thought: I reckon people shouldn't need to be reminded to be nice and all lovey dovey to each other only on the 14th of February each year. Everyday should be Valentine's Day!

Warning: Girls, do not get your hopes too high on this killer day...Coz the higher you get your hopes up, the more painful it gets when your "guy" decides to throw you back on earth and allow you to go through an experience of what they call..."REALITY BITES!" adventure. Having said that, there ARE guys out there who are capable of living it up to our standards, eg; I got my bunch of roses at 7:15am this morning! =)

DICEY & DARCEY...Some say dice, some say strawberries...I say Dicey and Darcey! Dicey is the choker and Darcey is the bracelet. Bold and fun combination. Wear them with a racer back/spaghetti/tube top or a simple black flare tube dress and they scream fun attention! I'd wear these two pieces to really fun places like fun fair or a happy weekend, shopping trip...but reality is that, I've specially made these two to wear to work. For those who don't already know, I'm currently filling up a casual position as a wait staff at a cafe in New Farm. Colours of the cafe are red, black and white and we as wait staff are allowed to wear a red, black or white top with black pants to work...I'd definitely not wear white, considering the chances of getting it stained...and red's not exactly my kinda colour. So, I wear black to work almost everytime (except for CNY - I wore red...yes, I'm conservative!)...Needless to say, I need some accessories to go with it as black on black isn't exactly very exciting for a person who enjoys colours like myself. Well, occasionally I do wear Toffee Apple to work...but I thought since I'd be working more days, I shouldn't bore the customers (or myself) with my same boring "uniform" everyday.

I've been working at the cafe for almost 4 weeks now...we meet different people everyday, some nice, some nasty, some polite, some rude, some smile, some sulk...but I guess it's just human that everyone is different and that everyone has different things to offer. But just a note though, treat wait staff the way you wanna be treated because these poor wait staff could turn out to be one of your friends' friends, your siblings, siblings' friends, neighbours or could even be yourself one day! We stand from the beginning of our shifts to the end with just a 15 minutes break in between 6 or 8 hours. When not standing, we're probably running on the way to catch the bell in the kitchen or behind bar cleaning or walking to serve the next customer or bending down picking up rubbish, walking around checking if everyone's ok, and the list goes on. So, it doesn't really help if you are impatient or just a spolit little brat who demands all attention for no particular reason. Treat these wait staff with a little kindness as they really do work their bums off for the cash (and not forgetting working under pressure with 5 pairs of eyes from the management following you around the cafe to make sure you do it right!) and really, not that these people are born to know how to carry couple of heavy, hot plates/drinks to serve at once. So if they accidently spill something or break something, don't stare like it's out of the world. No one's natural with tasks that they've not done before...everyone's got their first times...give that poor little girl a chance!

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME...Looking back, I've been out of Uni for approximately 4 months now...in these 4 months, I won't say I've had the best time of my life, but nonetheless, bearable and still going although it hasn't really been a bed of roses. I'm still awaiting on residency here...it's been almost 3 months and we're already at our final stages of getting it done - which is good news btw, coz I've known of friends who had taken a longer time. Well, as I've yet to be granted residency, it's not easy to get a job as employers will not wanna risk you leaving the job if anything goes wrong with your application. Thus, I've been working casual at food court and at table service cafe ever since I finished Uni and awaiting residency. Not exactly an ideal job, but at least it keeps me busy for the time being...Well at least I have something to do and some money to spend rather than sitting at home doing nothing and feeling misarable. Let's just say I've got things planned out for me pretty well, I'm happy with most things at the moment, at least I'm having something to do, something to keep me going and most of all something to look forward to.
p/s: Next step ahead is to stay focus hunting for a suitable full time job!

GONG XI FA CAI...I'd like to begin by wishing all a very happy and prosperous Chinese New Year!! May this new year of the dog brings you and your family happiness, peace, good health, good fortune and everything nice and sweet!!

Celebrations of ushering the new lunar year has been a little different for me this year. Interesting in its own ways...I was not home for reunion dinner last night, but was at work and had the chance to witness for the first time Aussie-fied lion dance and kung foo! It felt strange initially as I guess I grew up seeing typical black hair and yellow skin under the lion heads all my life that this Aussie version was somehow pretty comical to me. However, after a couple of minutes, people started cheering and there were fire crackers cracking away in its very own typical way and man, I tell you it does feel good to hear something so familiar in a foreign place! I suddenly felt I connected with the crowd and for an instant, forgot that I was working! But that was all cool as we got our jobs done and quickly got out of there.

After we left from work, Jessie and I headed to Chinatown to have our alienated "reunion dinner"...Well at least I had Jessie and Jessie had me, ahahhahahha! And coincidentally, my dearest family called from home and although it did feel a tiny bit funny that I was here when I should have been home, everything was good. Jessie and I had a good and satisfied Chinese dinner (not forgetting the Chinese New Year songs at the background). Jessie drove me home after and as we drove up Durham Street, we saw my neighbour ushering/welcoming the goddess of fortune in a very Chinesey way like how we'd do it back home. Jessie and I had a good laugh about it and was more surprised than anything else to have seen something to similar to home here.

Anyway, today is the first day of Chinese New Year...I started by going to church for weekly dosage of spiritual food before the whole lot of us headed to one of the Chinese cafes in Sunnybank plaza for lunch. Lunch was good and yummy...we had a good time together...but of course it would have been better with our families...but well, at least we have a home away from home and we enjoyed each others presence as much as we enjoyed our food. So what more can we ask for? Erm...maybe the angpows to be sent over?!?!??! ahahahhahahahahah!! Anyway, I'm already planning to go home for reunion dinner next year. Nothing beats grandma's cooking and good time with family! =)

p/s: If you didn't realize, I decorated our place with bold, RED, Chinesey decorations just to make everyone feel more at home! ;)

COSY CORNER...This is my new cosy little room...Isaac's left for good...Boon's moved in...and I've swapped rooms from upstairs to downstairs. Everything's good...I'm settling in nicely at my little corner, but still heaps of packing and unpacking waiting to be done. I like this new room...like Gwen said, "Just like living in an attic..." (but the total opposite...you gotta see it for yourself)...The only downside is that it has got no windows in the room, which could actually be of advantage to me...that way, I can sleep in without worrying about getting a toasted bum! Also because it's at the basement, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that no uninvited spiders come crawling around during summer...Spiders can really freak me out! But then again, I might consider keeping them as pets if they ever come visiting! Well, besides the windows and the univited guests, this place is great...love it!! :D