cHrIstInA_YY's PinkyLand

CNY Day 2: Potluck with Friends

2012-01-30T15:44:00.003+10:00

Nian Chu Er aka the second day of Chinese New Year, we had a fabulously delicious potluck dinner with friends at our place. I roughly thought about the menu in the afternoon and came to a conclusion that I should prepare dishes which I'm more familiar with - Deep Fried Pork Meat Balls and Hot & Sour Roasted Chicken Soup.

Da Nian Chu Yi: Dinner with Friends

2012-01-27T17:33:00.000+10:00

My initial plan was to prepare hot and sour steamed whole fish for this potluck dinner we attended on the first day of Chinese New Year. But, after spending the efforts to gather side ingredients and everything else which needed, we found out that the Supa IGA in Clifford Garden (our favorite place in town to get fresh whole fishes, crabs, and other seafood) was actually closing down with only very limited items left for sale. Therefore, ~~plane~~ plan crashed and burned... No steamed whole fish for the night, and definitely no more seafood and groceries shopping there in the future, yet still, the dinner must go on! So I came up with the idea of replacing the fish with prawns instead. In Hokkien we say, "Boh hu hae mah ho", which literally means, "If there are no fishes, prawns are just as good."

Chinese New Year's Eve Celebration

2012-01-25T21:02:00.003+10:00

For the first time, I had steamboat / hotpot for reunion dinner on the Chinese New Year's Eve. My family usually prepare a variety of dishes which have similar sounding names with prosperity, good luck, wealth, and etc, but this year (5th year not celebrating with my family), it was something different from our tradition.

Happy "Dragon" Year to All

2012-01-23T14:13:00.000+10:00

新年到，龙年到，

愿大家的事业龙腾虎跃，

愿大家的爱情龙凤呈祥，

愿大家的生活生龙活虎，

愿大家的梦想飞龙在天。

祝大家龙年如意！恭喜，恭喜！
Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi, Gong Xi!

Compilation of Everyday Life

2012-01-19T22:18:00.001+10:00

I sort of mixed and put everything together in one post today, not because I'm lazy or maybe I am, a tiny winy bit after a long day of work (─‿‿─) Moreover, I think it's unnecessary, both time and energy wise, to create separate posts just to include all these photos taken on different days and occasions. So there you go, a compilation of moments in my everyday life.

Celebration Dinner at Gip's Restaurant

2012-01-16T22:30:00.000+10:00

The feeling of "I don't belong to here and yet not belong to there" has momentary came to an end. I felt relieved, very much relieved after I heard the good news. Waiting is killing... I'm sure that you know how stressful waiting is. Anyways, it doesn't really matter any more cause the only thing that matters now is my ~~wallet~~ generosity. Yeah, I'm about to treat my BB a luxury dinner tonight!

Sugars and Spices of Life

2012-01-14T18:08:00.000+10:00

Me wearing Quirky Circus by Mink Pink. It's a white wavy lace singlet I got from Myer. Actually, I already posted some of the photos here on Instagram, you must have noticed if you've been "stalking" me on Facebook and Twitter lately. Let's say, this is more like the extended version with further elaboration and details? I love and enjoy taking photos with my iPhone 4S so far, but how I wish the front camera could capture better images rather than just VGA-quality.

Campbell House's Il Bacaro Restaurant Penang

2012-01-12T13:40:00.001+10:00

I thought Campbell House is the name of this restaurant we visited on the corner of Campbell and Cintra Streets of Georgetown, but I was wrong. I mistook the hotel's name as the Italian restaurant, Il Bacaro where my sis and I celebrated her bachelorette's party together with few of her close friends. It was more like a cozy dinner with girls talk.

Funday Sunday: Barbecue at Home

2012-01-08T22:20:00.001+10:00

30 degrees under the steaming hot sun, my BB and I set up a mini barbecue on the balcony of our warm little home. I know it sounds ridiculously crazy, but we just couldn't resist the temptation. We got the portable barbecue set days before Christmas (as a little Christmas gift for two of us) and now it's time to put it to test!

Singapore Trip: Clarke Quay and Ion Orchard

2012-01-06T23:38:00.000+10:00

Back to my Singapore trip. I finally squeezed out some time to filter those photos which have been abandoned on my hard drive for quite a while. And I noticed there isn't many or totally no "me" in the photos. What to do, my handy cameraman was not beside me...

The spectacular panoramic night view of Singapore River.

Sunset

2012-01-05T16:09:00.003+10:00

This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, love to complete your life. - Theodore Roethke
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New Year's Eve of 2011: Welcoming 2012

2012-01-04T08:02:00.001+10:00

I guess this is kind of an official post of me greeting everyone, "Happy New Year!" On the 4th day of 2012?! I know, I'm random in a unique way or... unique in a random way :Þ The 10-minute fireworks display (spreading all over the big heart above) wowed thousands of people gathered a the Queens Park on the last night of 2011, including me and my BB. We spent the remaining few hours, no celebration, but just a casual dinner together.

Instagram Addict

2012-01-03T17:39:00.000+10:00

I'm an Instagram addict, and my addiction has become more and more overwhelmed since the day I said "hello" and welcomed iPhone 4S into my life, blame the 8 MP camera and all those amazing photo filters. On New Year's Eve of 2011, my BB and I witnessed the first ever countdown fireworks show at Queens Park Toowoomba, S.P.L.E.N.D.I.D. Here are some of my few other updates in the past two weeks.

New Year BBQ at West Creek Park

2012-01-01T16:16:00.002+10:00

Nothing special nor fancy on the first day of 2012. We kick-started another brand new year with an outdoor barbie with a bunch of lovely friends at the West Creek Park. It was sunny yet a bit cold with chilly wind gushing through our skin *shivers* but we really had fun. How about you guys? Are you enjoying the holidays so far?

After-Christmas BBQ Gathering

2011-12-31T01:24:00.002+10:00

By looking at the way I dressed, you could have guessed that I must be heading out for either A. a picnic in the park, B. a stroll under the sun, or C. an outdoor barbie at somewhere. The answer is C. We were invited over our friend, CP's place to try out his newly-bought BBQ grill.

Christmas 2011: Gathering Dinner and Secret Santa

2011-12-29T00:39:00.000+10:00

This would be our second Christmas celebrated with Cynthia's family since 2010.

Christmas Eve 2011: Dinner and Gift Exchange

2011-12-27T00:47:00.000+10:00

Due to the postpone of our Christmas party with friends, from Christmas Eve to the actual Christmas Day. My BB and I came up with a little Christmas Eve celebration idea, which is to throw ourselves a mega seafood feast, then head out for a visual indulgence at "The Christmas Wonderland" in Queens Park, followed by an ever-memorable gift-exchange ceremony.
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PADI Discover Scuba Dive at the Wave Break Island, QLD

2011-12-23T11:50:00.000+10:00

Look at me! Already armored up in a real tight steamer wetsuit. FYI, water conducts heat from the divers 25 times better than air, which can lead to hypothermia even in mild water temperatures. Comprehend it or not, wetsuit / drysuit is a must when scuba diving in order to protect our bodies from heat loss as well as skin cuts and grazes by rough or sharp underwater objects.

Happy Winter Solstice 2011: Glutinous Rice Balls Making

2011-12-22T12:50:00.002+10:00

The glutinous balls making used to be one of our annual family activities on the eve of Winter Solstice (冬至). However, the years after me and my family far separated by the Indian and Pacific oceans, I started making them myself with some help from my BB, and this year is no exception too. I was busy preparing the dough, while he giggled and laughed all the way watching "Rush Hour 3" on the TV last night

Unboxing Apple iPhone 4S

2011-12-20T23:30:00.002+10:00

I've just picked up my flashy new toy from the post office this afternoon and I was thinking... What better time to unbox it than now? So here I am, showing you photos of the unboxing process, step by step. Enjoy!

Penang Famous Hawker / Street Food

2011-12-19T22:54:00.000+10:00

Back to my second home, Penang - a food paradise for both locals and visitors. I felt pleased for being able to taste such a variety of famous hawker / street food within merely 2 weeks time on the island. Thanks to everyone in my family *bear hug*, especially my sis and bro for taking me out for lunches and dinners. I know they must have hated me for making them cracked their heads, thinking where to go and what to eat everyday ;p

Scuba Diving Tomorrow...

2011-12-17T21:07:00.000+10:00

YEAH!!! You heard me right! I'll be going on my first scuba dive with my BB and another friends of us (he was the one who invited us along) tomorrow! Up till now, I still have no idea where the exact location is, but it should be somewhere near Southport. I'm so excited! Just finished packing up my stuff and sensed the lack of something very important - disposable underwater camera *inhale exhale* No worries, will definitely get one tomorrow. So all I gotta do at the moment is try to get some beauty sleep as we'll be departing very early in the next morning, around 3 am? Not confirmed yet though. Good night and sweet dreams =)

The Coffee Club: Meet Baby Preston

2011-12-15T15:18:00.001+10:00

Yes, you'll be meeting baby Preston, the love son of Kevin and Veny in my blog post today! I love babies, and I enjoy baby-sitting as much as watching them grow up day by day. When I was 7, a little baby boy (my little brother) was born in my family. As an average kid in a not so wealthy family, I managed to pick up some skills to look after the tiny little him, from bathing, nappy (not the modern ones but cloth type where you need to fold the shape and secure with a safety pin) changing, feeding to putting him to sleep. The tasks were never easy, especially when you're also occupied with other things like homework (after coming back from school) and light house chores (since daddy and mommy were busy working hard to earn a living) that are needed to be done. And after going through so much in so many years, they kind of made me the person who I am today. Someone who always appreciate and cherish what you have without asking for too much, never stop loving and protecting your family no matter what happened, try to live your dreams and enjoy every moment of life with a smile (if possible) on your face. Life's short... so I guess I better stop writing now and start indulging myself with some good food before I die of hunger. Sorry that I talked too much today ;p

Catch-Up Dinner at the Sizzler

2011-12-15T12:33:00.003+10:00

Hitting up a good party or catching up with some good old friends once in a while is always fun! We had been trying to plan for a meet-up after my trip back from Malaysia, but failed miserably until last Monday, the venue and time were set straight, and everybody showed up just in the nick of time.

GUESS Mosaic Heart Stud Earrings (Rose Gold)

2011-12-14T22:11:00.004+10:00

Look at what arrived in my mailbox !!! It's a bombshell pair of GUESS enamel and rose gold heart studs that I picked up when doing some online shopping at home *big heart*