Sunday On The Yarra

Last Sunday we went down to the city. We went because we were invited to celebrate the engagement of our friends' daughter, Jane to Johnny Phu at Dragon Boat On the Yarra restaurant. Initially we wanted to go down by train to the city after church but the morning rained. So we drove to church. After church, the sky don't look too friendly, so we decided not to chance it. We park at Crown Casino car park. It was $2 unlimited. My lucky day!

I have a faint idea where the restaurant is and managed not to get lost. There were a few who got lost because of the location of the restaurant. The restaurant is concealed in corner of the building. You can see the sign and you cannot get in. To get in, you have to walk up the step to the main building entrance, then take an escalator down to the basement and turn right to the
restaurant. Signage to the restaurant was poor.

There were 15 tables, 10 to 12 people to a table, making a total of 150 to 180 guests. It a Yum Cha lunch and you order what you like. We decided to order and share, so we can have more varieties of food. The Yum Cha was alright and I have eaten better Yum Cha, nothing to brag about.

After we had a quick walk down the Yarra River soaking up the good Autumn Day and enjoying the weather. When it started to drizzle, we went and explore the Casino and the surrounding shops. Then we went home.

Daughter In Law

It is a myth that when a son gets married and a new daughter in law arrives in the family, everything changes.

Some daughters in law are well trained and well mannered! They don't come to change the family; they are there to............

Read the following:

The new wife (progressive Indian woman of today) was being welcomed at the husband's home in a traditional manner.

As expected she gave a speech:

"My dear family, I thank you for welcoming me in my new home and family", she said "Firstly, my being here does not mean that I would want to change your way of life, your routine."

"No, I will never do that, never in a million years".

What do you mean my child?" asked the father in law.

"What I mean, dad, is (looking at her father in law):

Those who used to wash dishes must carry on washing them.

Those who used to do the laundry must carry on doing it.

Those who cooked shouldn't stop at my account, and those who used to

Clean should continue cleaning".

"Then what are you here for?" asked the mother in law.

"As for me, I'm here just to entertain your son!"

Bunning Warehouse

I wanted to combine Bunning warehouse in the previous post, but on the 2nd thought I thought it would be nicer to post it here.

Bunning Warehouse was founded in 1886. The company is 120 years old and have warehouses in every states. It stock almost everything and it is the handyman paradise. They employ trademen to work in the warehouses and are qualified to give you advises for your projects. You can also pick up brochures giving you tips and tricks for your projects. Not only that, you can also download "How to brochures" from their website. Ah Pek, are you reading this? I hope there are some ideas and "tipsy" that you can adapt to suit the local conditions.

2 month ago, our kitchen flip tap was leaking badly. We wanted to get plumber out to fix it. It would cost us at least $120 minimum for his labour and $80 to $100 for the tap. So I decided to do it myself. I got under the sink and make a mental note and a sketch of the connections. Went to Bunning near my place and looked for the plumbing section. I could not find a trademan or flip taps. They were doing a stock take. So I went to another branch and they have a wide range of flip taps. It was a hard choice, different brands, different prices, different finishings. Chose a mid range priced, chromed tap and showed the trademan my quick sketch. He then advised what fittings were required.

I came back, armed with all the necessary fittings, tap and flexible hoses. Then, I went to work under the sink and proceed dismantle the fittings and tap from the sink.. It took me an hour to remove the leaking tap and replace it with a new tap, fittings and new flexible hoses. New tap cost me $60, fittings $5, 2 flexible hose $15. Total cost $80. A saving of $120. Hmm, very satisfying.

Next project? Tiling the laundry room. I have been procastinating. Any Volunteers?

A Relaxing Saturday

Last Saturday was a relaxing one. Almost every Saturday evening, we have a few friends & relative over for dinner. This is to keep in touch with them and we gathered to catch up all the latest “gossip” back home. The other main reason is to share our faith with our non-Christian friends & relatives. So the afternoon is always busy, preparing food for dinner. Once in while, when we do get invited for dinner or to attend some functions, Saturday dinner is then, postponed. This Saturday is one of the Saturdays.

We had an early lunch, takeaway nasi lemak and nasi champor. The little eating place, Selera Singapore, belonging to a Singapore Malay lady, married to an Iranian. It is on Springvale Road, just after crossing Canterbury Road. She sells only Malay food and most of her customers are Malaysian or Singaporeans.

After lunch, we went to Bunning hardware store to look for some electric cable to replace the one on the ironing iron which has worn out. Bunning hardware stores are the largest, well stocked hardware store and you can get almost anything you want. It is the handyman paradise.

After that, we went to Glen Centro shopping centre to get some groceries. We met my sister and her husband while we were there. So we got together over a cup of coffee at our favourite coffee place. We sat there for almost 2 hours.

The evening dinner was at Pacific Seafood restaurant on Toorak Road just after Chapel Street from Burwood Highway. The place was pack. We were early and the person in charge suggest we ring our friends to come now. While we were waiting, they wanted to take our order. We politely decline telling the waiter we will wait until the rest arrives. He started telling us we have to vacate before 8pm. When everyone arrived we ordered oyster, scallop, XO crap with noodle, Tow Foo, Deep fried chicken, vegetable and fish with sweet corn topping. The Sea foods were fresh, the Tow Foo was too saltish and the rest was ok. The evening was spoilt by the management with continous subtle pressure to tell you to finish quickly so they can have a next sitting at 8pm. There was a large queue of customers outside waiting, who have not any booking, and we, whom, did the right thing by booking early has to subject to this treatment. How to enjoy your food if you don't have the time to appreciate it? Honestly, I will not patronise this place again. Have you been treated like this, especially at Chinese restaurants?

We have to adjourn to my sister in law place to finish the evening off.

This time I did take some pictures of the food. Not “paiseh” this time because we are among close relatives. They were wondering why I am taking pictures of food. No doubt, when they have an opportunity, they will ask my wife why I am taking the pictures of the food.. Hee, hee, hee, it will be fun.

My first meme

Kena Tagged by 5xMom to do a meme. My first meme.

Name 10 of Life’s Simple Pleasures, and tag 10 other poor sods to recall theirs. The catch: Try to be original and not use things that others have already mentioned. I pity the ones that get tagged later on.. There are only so many simple pleasures.

1. Being taggged the first time for a meme and by the famous 5xMom. Grinning like a Chelshire Cat.
   
2. Not having to work in the weekends.
3. Riding Motor Cycle without a helmet, letting the wind blow into your hair.
4. Waking up in the morning and watching your wife sleep with a sweet, serene face.
5. Watching "Happy Days"repeats.
6. Watching roses bloom in spring.
7. Having a clean toilet (i.e. after returning home from a trip to China).
8. Having a nice bowl of Chendol and a plate of Indian rojak by the roadside.
9. Catching a trout up in the Alpine country.
10. Drinking Coffee at your favourite coffe shop.

I tag 10 people who reads my blog and want to do the meme.

Outage

A few Sundays ago, in the morning, I was sitting on the toilet bowl and minding my business, and suddenly I heard a big bang. It gave me a fright. I look down and everything looks fine and intact. It was not me.

I hollered to the wife “Did you hear the bang”?

She replied “Yeah”.

“Do you know where the sound is from”? I asked

“No, dear” she replied.

5 minute later.

She said “We got no electric power; the electric kettle is not working”.
“Never mind, boil water in the pot over the gas stove, lah”, I replied
“Ok, lah”, she replied sweetly.

I came out of the toilet and peep out the window at the neighbour houses and they all look quiet.

“Hey wife, I think we got power failure. Don’t worry, it will be restored in 20 minutes”, I shouted.

Note:

We seldom have power failure and if it does, it is always restored between 20 minutes.

“Can we take a day off from Church since there is no power”, I asked.

“No, we better go or God will not be happy with us”, she replied.

So we walk to church since it was a beautiful Autumn day. Church is only 10 minute away of leisure walk or 5 minute drive. When we were near the Church, we can hear singing. It is the church band practicing.

Strange, I said “No electric power, the band can play electric guitar, bass, keyboard and the song leader singing into the microphone. Wah, God is making sure I don’t get a day off”.

She laughed.

So we had a great time in church. After church we asked a few friends who live around us, if they have any power failure. “No”, they replied.

We came home and there was still no electric power.

“Strange”, I thought. I walked over to my neighbour on the right and rang the doorbell.

“Cho San” I greeted my Hong Kong Chinese neighbour when she open her front door. I asked “Lay Ok Keay yau tin, mah”? (Does your house have electric power)? She replied, “Yau”. (Yes).

So I explain to her, my house has got no electric power.

Thanking her, I walk to my left neighbour.

Before I could ring the door bell, my German neighbour, opened the door. “Hello, how are you”, he asked. I told him I am fine and wanted to find out if he has electric power in his house. He replied “Yep”.

Mystified, I rang my electric supplier and explain the situation to person manning the phone. I told him about the big bang, I heard this morning. “No worry” he replied, “we get someone there in 20 minutes. Sure enough in 20 minutes the first truck arrived and the electrician bought the ladder out and proceeded to look for the fault. He, then, rang for assistance and within 20 minutes another electrician arrived. Between them and a few chit chat in between they replaced the cable from the street pole to house and a new big fuse. The electric cable was shorted out, blowing out the fuse, and, thus causing the big bang. In all, it took them 45 minutes from the time they arrived to restore power to the house, with a cup of coffee in within.

That is what I call service.

My Favourite Corner

Be it a restaurant, the car park, the church, the book store or the neighbourhood library, we all have a favourite corner. Somehow we feel attached to our favorite corner. Why?

I have a favourite corner at home. It is so welcoming; kind of make me feel at home. It is so cozy & peaceful. I feel safe & secure. In this corner I can think, connect and meditate. I can chill out and relax. After a long day at the office, it is a great place to be. It is satisfying.

Which is your favourite corner and why?

The Camera

The Camera is old. It is as old as me if not older. The outer black vinyl cover is worn. It is tattered with a few rust spots here & there. The hinges creak and it is cumbersome. No ones want it because it is old, ugly & heavy. Newer, sleeker, compact models with well balanced , smooth round edges, high performance, all rounder, packed with an array of advance user friendly features have replaced this camera. It outlived it usefulness because it is not a high performance camera and cannot accommodate a wide range of shooting and playback requirements. In the heyday, the camera was the top of the range and cream of the crop. Once treasured, handled with love, care and pride, and after each outing, it is cleaned, polished with loving hands and carefully stored away, now laid rejected.

The camera sits in the corner of the shelf neglected and sad. Shall I discard it? But each time I look at it, it brings back fond memories. Memories of laughter, joy & happiness. Smiling faces, crying faces, sad and happy faces I see. People I loved and cherished lives in me. The camera has been to many more places than me. It has flown in plane, travelled in cars, buses & trains. Each memory it captures is handled with calculated precision, careful planning and composition, and tender loving hands. Every shot it records is counted, not wasted and is entrenched with memories.

It is Dad’s camera and it will continue to sit in the corner of the shelf as a reminder. A reminder, we, too, gets old. As we get older, will we outlive our usefulness? Will we be loved or be discarded?

"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it".

Sleepless Night

Warning! What you are about to read & see may distress you!

I cannot sleep. My conscience is pricking me. Yesterday someone sent me this email and it distresses me. I have to post it and let everyone knows how cruel human beings can be.

How can these people do this? Don't they have any conscience? Destroying this poor boy's life and future? I am sad for the boy. I am angry. I can picture the mother crying, the father feeling helpless, his brothers and sisters sad and angry. Where are the forgiveness? What if it is your child? What would you do?

Parents, if your children whinge about their food, their unbranded clothes or shoes, continous harrassment from them wanting an Ipod, a brand new fast computer, show them this. Tell them how fortunate and blessed they are.

This boy will always be in my mind and in my prayer.

"This child stole one bread on a Teheran market and was condemned on the spot to have his arm crushed by a car, in the name of the law in application since Khomeini came to power.

Thanks to this law and it's application, this child will never again be able to steal with this arm which is surely to lose its function. If this child would be a little older, his hand would have been chopped off and the stump cauterised in boiling oil."

Celebrating the Big B

Yesterday celebration was a quiet one. Maureen and I went for some Italian Food at La Porchetta. It is well known for it good food and value for money price. Glen Waverley La Porchetta, is owned by Patrick & Vincent. I got to know them when we happen to visit the restaurant on the first day of their opening.
One summer, I saw this little Fiat Bambi park outside a gelati shop. I love Fiat cars and was looking all over Bambi. Then, appear Patrick, he is the owner of Bambi, and we got talking about cars. Patrick used to a motor mechanic before he venture into food business.
At La Porchetta, I had sea food basket followed by a cup of cholocate. The seafood basket has 2 fish fillets, 4 large prawns, 7 calamari rings and 4 scallops served with fresh salad and fried chips. Maureen had Beef Steak top with prawns & creamy sauce served with steamed seasonal vegetables and fried chips and followed with a cup of cappuccino. Then, we had a Pizza half original (Homemade Tomato Sauce base, mozzarella, lean pork sausage, basil, oil) and half Margherita (Homemade Tomato Sauce base, mozzarella and oregano) takeaway for tomorrow lunch.
While we were there, there was a group of teenagers celebrating a birthday. When the food came, there was hush followed by a confident young lady giving thanks for the food followed by a loud amen from the group.
10 minutes later, 2 gentlemen came in and sat at the next table. When the food came the younger gave thanks for the food. It was so refreshing to see Christians making its mark in public places through simple gesture of thanking the Almighty for his providence.
I got a sling bag and a CD of guitar music from Maureen. The sling bag for me to put my camera, notebook, mobile phone, memory card etc. when I am out taking picture and making note. And the CD to listen when I am driving or blogging.

I was too embarrassed to take picture of the food. Paiseh, lah.

It was a quiet satisfying night. Burrp.

Pierced Glasses

Would you pierced your nose bridge to wear these glasses? Ouch, Ouch!
You can read more of it at bmezine and pierced glasses.

The Big B

Today is the Big B. How times flies.

The Da Vinci Code - discussion night

Who has not heard or read the book, The Da Vinci Code? It is a best seller in 100 countries. So, why is there such interest? Is it because it is a “good read” or is it something else?

It claims Christianity is false and is based on a lie & it is stolen from Pagan religions. And it also claims the secret societies, the Holy Grail, the church changing facts, removing parts of the Bible. Is it all true? Was Jesus a man? Did he marry Mary Magdalene?

Churches & Christians are up in arms over the book because the author claims to have given the world a fictional; fact based conspiracy theory claiming the New Testament is false testimony based on “scientific evidence”.

Is your faith being challenge? Do you doubt if there is a heaven, a God and Jesus? Are you confused?

If you are, look out for a church that organized discussion night that helps you to separate fact from friction.

My church, Monash Church Of Christ, has organized such a night.

Does your church have such a night? If not, ask your church to organise a discussion night.

If your church does not have such a night and you want to know the true facts visit

http://www.rbcdavincicode.org/

1 John 4

Test the Spirits

¹Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ²This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

⁴You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit^[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

A Beautiful Autumn Saturday

Today is a beautiful Autumn day. The sun was up early and shining brightly. It is to beautiful a day to waste.

In the morning it is as usual for us. Maureen will go with her brother to Victoria Market at 7.30pm to do their weekend marketing for fresh vegetables, fruits and meat. I will clean the house, surf the net, reads the news etc.

At 12pm we went to our dental appointment to have our regular 6 monthly dental check. Magda Ojong, our dentist, whom we been seeing her for the last 5 year gave Maureen an A+ for her teeth and as for me I have 2 loose teeth which may fall off any day.

After the dentist, we went for lunch at a Chinese Restaurant, nearby our place.

Yummy Kitchen serves famous Peking, Shanghai and Szechuan Cuisine. Pan fried dumpling was on special today, 14 pieces for $6.50. Since it was a bit chilly, we decided to have Pan fried dumpling and Szechuan Beef Soup Noodle. It was tasty and not spicy. While we were having our lunch, there was a long queue waiting outside the restaurant. I guess it is because today is a beautiful sunny day and everyone is out for the sunshine. Then, we drop in the Chinese grocery shop run by Alan, a Penangnite, from Malaysia, to get coconut milk. Tonight we are cooking Curry Laksa. Maureen’s brother brought some clams (See Ham) from Richmond. Hmmm, it will be a yummy Laksa.

Once home, I decided to prune the Loquat tree. The neighbor's vine tree was choking that poor Loquat tree. My sister in law told us Loquat is Pei Pa Lo where it is used to make Chinese Cough Mixture. She will use the leaves to boil soup and drink it for cough. It took me an hour + to prune the tree and another half an hour to fill the recycle bin

It was getting dark, stopped work and cleared the tools and ladder into the shed.

Another fine day gone but Curry Laksa awaits as soon the guests arrives.