Birthday post

I'm not going to lie to you, this year's birthday sucked a little bit because Mr HEA, he wasn't around. But my dear friends (bless their soul) they did everything they could to make sure I had a good time.

Celebrations began at work on Wednesday when we went to March into Merivale at Uccello at that Ivy pool bar. The March into Merivale $33 meal deal is a fabulous deal each year, for $33 you get a main and a glass of wine or a beer.

The three courses we could choose from this week included a choice between the
1) grilled pork neck, witlof, parsley, garlic

2) roast hapuka, lemon, capers, anchovy and rosemary

3) pappardelle, duck ragu

All delightful choices. You know I felt like we weren't in the city at all, that lunch we had, it was almost like we were in Florida somehow. Something to do with the Ridiculously tanned people sitting around the pool maybe.

Ivy Pool Bar

Then it was fast forward to Friday Where when I stepped into work in the morning my seat was festooned with balloons and streamers.

A handmade card signed by my team and the words telling me that my birthday present was inside it intrigued me.

Turns out my work colleagues had gotten me the lonely planet PDF guide Europe on a shoestring so that I could download it onto my Samsung tablet for when I next travel with Mr HEA. Handy for when I am planning the glorious summer trip to Spain and Italy. They had hidden a picture of the cover of the book in my card. No one really wants to lug around a huge guide book on their travels.

That wasn't just it, we got cupcakes too. You see my manager also had a birthday this weekend just passed and so the team was celebrating for us both.

I love my team at work.

I also went to the New South Wales Wine Festival Sydney Cellar door on Friday night but that wasn't really for my birthday. It didn't stop me from partying it up and drinking wine like it was though. *wink*

As you might know if you followed me on Twitter I went for a spa treatment Fully paid by Mr HEA for my birthday treat. A full body scrub, a heavenly facial and hot stone back massage for a full hour, that's the stuff we're talking about. It was enough to make up for the shitty weather on the weekend.

Thankfully on Sunday the weather cleared up. My Bestie and I headed down to the city for predinner drinks - cocktails all around for the ladies.

Spiced Pear on the right, Belle de Brillet Pear Cognac, Ginger and Pink Peppercorn Syrup, Fresh Lemon, Brown Sugar

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On the left Rosarita: Don Julio Blanco, Rose Syrup, Crème de Violette, Fresh Lime, Rose Petals

Dinner was at Gowing's Bar and Grill. A spectacular venue for its eccentric Decor.

Their steaks were cooked to perfection, and the alcohol selection was fabulous.

I even found they stocked a Pedro Ximenez to have with our Cheese platter! Love!

I am really blessed to have such great friends to keep me company whilst my husband is away. God knows how many of my birthdays will be without him, but I know this, as long as my friends are still around I will be okay. If you are one of those friends that helped make my day so special I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making the day a sunnier one. You know who you are.

Academy Awards 2013

I can't tell you how much I love this day every year. The fashion gets me all the time, and here's my record again, archiving my impressions for next year's notes.

Trailing on from last year's onslaught of white/blush/ivory gowns are the following selection. I love three of them, Octavia Spencer's Tadashi Shoji, Charlize Theron's and Jennifer Lawrence's stunning Diors.

White Gowns

The other spotted trend- shimmer (on black). I especially loved Naomi Watts' Armani Prive, Stacy Keibler stuns again this year in Naeem Khan. Can't say I quite like the others in this selection at all.

Metallic Gowns

The dresses that feature black and white, I only liked Zoe Saldana's Alexis Mabille Couture gown out of this repertoire, but I must say one of my recent purchases bear resemblance to Shaun Robinson's gown so I musn't have disliked it that much.

Black and White

They may not have won and academy award, but oh my have they were show stoppers on the red carpet. Amy Adams' Oscar de la Renta and Jennifer Garner's Gucci are just gorgeous. I think Sally Field has style too in her Valentino.

Ruffles Galore

A couple of polarising dresses. Most people thought they were stunning but I was disappointed that Anne Hathaway didn't wear Valentino as per the rumours. The Prada dress was too washed out a colour for her. But I forgive it because the  T&Co accessorising from her back was subtly sexy (check out the next pic). Jessica Chastain in Armani was also too pale for me, but I know many thought it was stylish.

Pale Dresses

No one liked Samantha Barks' dress on Twitter it may seem and I think the Real Housewife got it really wrong too. Plunging Necklines are really hard to keep classy and I am not a fan.

Plunging necklines

Other's that I liked

Kerry Washington's beautiful MiuMiu

Sandra Bullock improved significantly from last year in elegant Elie Saab

Reese Witherspoon in Louis Vuitton

And just about everyone's favourite couple on the carpet this year. 

Sydney Cellar Door

Where else do you get oysters from Roberts restaurant's oysters paired excellently with Tower Estate's verdelho (Hunter),

Followed by Three Blue Ducks' Asian Duck salad paired with Cherry Tree Hill's Halle Merlot (Southern Highlands)

Sealed off with a refreshing Almond and Pistachio pudding by Efendy matched with A.Retief's Borytis Grenache all for $52?

It was at the Sydney Cellar Door of course! For $25 you get a tasting glass, and 5 tasting tokens. Each token entitled you to a 60ml pour of wine or you can share that with a friend or get 30ml pours each of different varietals.

Then at $2.50 per oyster to $12 and $5 for my main and dessert respectively it just seemed like a dream menu that I could construct myself and the dream of having all the renowned and some not as famous NSW wine regions brought to your doorstep at Hyde Park.

For this weekend only, make sure you get there and let me know if you were lucky enough like me to find the second place I'd ever seen in Australia that's dared to make a Grenache on its own.
Have Fun!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Valentine's week and weekend shopping

I told Mr.HEA not to do the predictable this year. If he were to send flowers to the office like he has the past few years, I no longer wanted the boxed Roses Only. That is on the mighty presumption that he was still planning to send me flowers to the office. You know, since we're married now and all that. Still, I secretly hoped that he would even though he made no mention or hint that he would. He is good at fooling me like that.

Then, on Vday when my concierge rang to say I had a delivery at 2p.m. ish I was stoked! The fact that I didn't know what was awaiting me was thrilling (Mr.HEA's deliveries of flowers had been the exact same things in the past). Getting the vibrant bouquet above was something quite different and it was the first thing that really made my Valentines.

The second was knowing that my beloved idol got married the day before and seeing the happy pictures. Exactly a year ago, I learned that she was about to marry her Mr.Right, but the wedding was pushed back till this year due to unforseen circumstances. She finally found him at the age of 38. Who says that girls cannot find their HEAs after thirty? I believe this is testament so that it is still possible.

The third thing that happened on Vday that totally made it awesome was a lovely evening with my Girlfriends at Merivale's Palings, surrounded by rose petals and sipping on delish Prosseco.

I am so hooked on March into Merivale at the moment that I have been frequenting their establishments any chance I can get. Friday after work drinks were at the Ivy Pool Bar.

The flowers Mr.HEA got me were in full bloom when the weekend came around. They really brightened up the room, and totally matches my bed spread.

 

I've told Mr.HEA to promise me that as long as we are no longer separated physically in the future, he doesn't have to feel obligated to send flowers to my work anymore. Valentine's seem to be a lot more extravagant in the Southern Hemisphere. He said in his London office and on the streets, there wasn't a stir at all and no flowers in sight. Quite unlike the flurry of activity I was experiencing on Facebook and Twitter updates and what I observed of the after-work crowd whilst waiting for my girlfriends on George Street.

The Saturday, I went shopping with my girlfriend for some special occasions. It's tough shopping with a small budget nowadays. We had to up ours to $150 -$200 for anything decent. I loved all the pieces I tried on below, but I just couldn't buy them straight out.

Bec & Bridge cutout dress, reduced to $200 in size 8, but it was a little too unforgiving, the way it hugged my bottom half. I looved the scooped back though and how the mesh makes it less revealing but still allows it to be alluring.

This Sheike dress is gorgeous and is perfect for a semi-formal style with its chiffon sashes.  Full price at  $149, but I felt it  was not quite right for what I was looking for.

This Witchery dress in Size 6 was reduced to $99 and was just the type of attention seeking style I'd gladly parade around, but I am growing slightly too rotund for a size 6 and they didn't have a size 8 available for me to try.

On the left was a full priced Witchery current season shift dress. I loved it, but for $149, I thought I could find much better; such as the Sheike dress on the left that the sales assistant encouraged me to try on. It was really quite lovely and matched all I wanted for the dress I envisioned I wanted. But this was a current season piece and the immobilising fear that someone else would rock up in the exact same frock was too much to bear and so I reluctantly passed it up, but I think I may purchase it anyhow sooner rather than later.

There's still hope in shopping brick and mortar style. I ended up coming home with a sophisticated brown and black strapless Coast cocktail dress, reduced to $105 in Myer. It will be less summery than the look I was aiming for, but I am very happy that I wouldn't clash with any of the other guests (you have no idea how close I have been in the past with Seduce, Cue and Forever New pieces) and I look forward to putting the outfit together for a blog post when I wear it next. Oh, and my bestie's spoils, she was just as lucky, ending up with two dresses that met her brief for $50 each after discount. Score!

Chinese New Year back home

Finally recovered from a whirlwind of a weekend celebrating Chinese New Year at home. Was the weekend worth it? YES! Could it be longer? YES! Could I do it all over again? Maybe not, it'll be longer next time, I promise myself.
It's just too emotional to take these trips for such a short amount of time and Chinese New Year especially with all my family around, it's too hard to say goodbye.

It was nice being home. Surrounded by all things familiar and all friendly and accepting faces. To sit by the waterfall my dad built and ponder about life in the midst of all that serenity.

Our garden at home

This is KL in all its CNY grandeur:

Chinese New Year in KL

Of course all Chinese New Year really revolves around is the feasting with closed ones and the Reunion Dinner is the most significant practice of the entire holiday, signifying that if the family is reunited this night, then they will be united for the entire year. And my Grandmother especially treasures this, because she believes that since we have all the twelve symbols of the Chinese Zodiac in our family, come what may, as long as we remain as one body, we can overcome any misfortune.

Reunion Dinner courses: Layered pork belly slices with yam, Braised Sea cucumber and mushroom, Pork stomach pepper soup, Steamed Chinese Sausage and Fried Chicken. there were also steamed chicken and fish that didn't quite make it into this pic.

Feasting also extends to gorging on the snacks amidst the idyllic chatter. CNY is the only time when no one is working and therefore have time to catch up.

All the CNY cookies, nuts and munchies that are purchased especially for the festivities

Most good dishes served at CNY holds its own auspicious significance. this dish has featured on my blog before but it carries the meaning of success and climbing higher up in the year.

Home Made Yee Sang

This dish means longevity and the village where my family originated from in China all those years ago is known to make the best longevity noodles, al dente and well seasoned.

Most important first meal of the CNY: Longevity noodles

My family always makes sure my favourite home made meals are prepared when I am back, even if it wasn't quite the seasons for them:

Handmade Pan Mee(Black sesame flavored for a wholesome twist) with Yong Tau Fu

Rice dumplings which I hadn't eaten for yonks!

So, after being so spoiled and fed at home, I come back to a day of fasting on Ash Wednesday. And my parcel from Asos as planned. I was swimming in the dress, which I didn't expect. So off back it went. Sighs. It's back to trawling for dresses again.