Saturday, August 16, 2008

A Barista?

Well, not a qualified one, but at least I know the factors determining a good cup of short black (Espresso) and being able to differentiate between a cup of Latte, Flat White, Mocha and a Macchiato!   How's that for a start?
And I made my first cuppa Cappuccino with design... The 2 cups of Cappuccino you see above are the results of the Home Barista Class I attended last Saturday.  YES, I made them!  Hee... not that bad right?  I guess it will not be obvious to a non-coffee drinker, but to a Barista, they are actually not qualified to be served!   Ha...  You can't tell right?

Friday, August 15, 2008

It's about time...

... to start blogging again.  It's amazing how time passed, it has been close to 2 months since my last post, and believe it or not too much had happened.  During this period, I experienced how realities can affect ones mentality.
"Happiness",  "Appreciation", "Lost", "Anger",  "Hope" and ... of course "Heart break" in the end.  Guess these are all part and parcel of LIFE.   Would have gained Nirvana if one is free from all these so call "feelings".   In Chinese, we refer them as 喜怒哀樂.

Singapore (10 to 20 July, 2008)
The Home trip I was much looking forward to... It was the first time I've been back home not having to work! Nice... HOME LEAVE we call it. 
Indeed, very eventful and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, especially catching up with families and friends, not forgetting Tennis.  It was Dad's birthday we celebrated, a few days late, but at least we dined out and I believe he was delighted. 
Surprisingly, I managed to spend 2 days with my good friend and her daughters... especially Yuki.  At the age of 3, she is simply adorable! Irresistible, even my dad and nephews enjoyed her company when we took a ride on the Singapore's Flyer together.   So happy that Yiliang is blessed with 2 cute daughters and a happy family.  
The other highlight was the Concert I attended of a "Boy Band" (Old Men Band more like it) from Hong Kong, named The Wynners.   Had quite a big group attending this time, and it was fun... Does makes me miss the luxury I used to have, attending all these various "Chinese" concerts in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong of course!  The most immediate one I will be missing will be Sandy Lam's concert in August!  Well... can save some money!  :->

Short Trip (2 to 5 August, 2008)
Huiting and her friend, Rachel were in Melbourne and we went on a driving trip
over the weekend to South Australia.  Took a short break in Port Campbell and spent 1 night at one of the chalets (Clarendon Chalet) in Mount Gambier.  The journey to finding the chalet was very exciting, actually fun.   Penola, and Coonawara were the highlights of Day 2.   Two nights over at DULC Chalet, and the adventure to finally locate this place was rather memorable.  We had Steam Boat on our 1st night.   Day 3 was spent touring around the Grampian, though the weather wasn't fantastic, but 
we did manage to catch some nice sceneries.  We headed back on Day 4, Tuesday, and stopover at one of the oldest vineyards, Seppelt, along the The Great Western Highway.  It was a really nice tour and did burn a big "whole" in my pocket, with close to 5 bottles of quality Sparkling Wine!    Well worth the trip...

Dream vs Hope
What's the difference?
Dream has a higher chance of fulfilling (if we put our hearts and soul to it) than Hope.  Hope, to me.. is similar to day dreaming!  No wonder...  so, stop hoping and continue pursuing ones Dream!