乐龄聚餐

今天被姑姑邀去“圣工会新加坡教区华文部 2025年教区乐龄聚餐”。有大概800人出席，午餐非常的丰盛，有婚礼办桌般的架势。

SAFRA军人俱乐部里的

欢喜楼 Jubilee Garden

前菜是六彩拼盘

蟹肉“鱼翅”

脆皮烧鸡

酱蒸金目芦

黄金虾球

XO酱带子西兰花

干烧伊面

一共上了八道菜 （最后一道是莲子红豆沙，我没有拍下来）。

退休生活

退休后，早上都要出们走走。Light grocery shopping，回家交代帮佣午餐为母亲煮点什么。

然后喝上一杯黑咖啡，写字。每天如是。

与朋友小聚 (今天吃的是法式可丽饼) 。她刚从北海道回来，送我一盒“薯条三兄弟”。她说：我知道你喜欢“薯块三姐妹”但我没找到。

拍照记录生活小点滴。

姑姑邀我明天到教会主办的 lunch 聚会。我不是信徒，就单纯想陪她到教会，表明她家里有人支持她的选择。

 

 

练字

已有N年没碰过书法。

我年轻时曾写得一手好字，都归功于祖母。我从三岁开始她便教我认字和书法。后来工作上依赖上电脑，动手写字的机会几乎为零。

今年退休后，惊觉自己写的字竟退步到那么 awkward 的程度。一个字：醜！

立心要重新把字给练回来！真的好难啊！无论怎么努力，都象是幼儿园的小朋友的字迹。

三周前从墨尔本回来后，突然整个人离奇般开窍了。大脑和手终于连上线了，不但笔画变顺畅，字体也变好看多了！ It's a miracle - 哈哈哈！

所以一定要多出国，四处看看，心情好了，心态也变了。字，一定会越练越棒。只会越来越棒。

少和人缘好的人来往

 

高人讲真诚 小人玩心眼

善者独来独往 恶人成群结队

少和人缘好的人来往

人缘好和人品好是两码事

人越假 朋友越多

人越真 圈子越小

人越直白 越不招惹人待见

人越虚伪 狐朋狗友越多。

MY FAULT - FOOD MATTERS

Fri 10 Oct 

On the day of our departure from Melbourne, Charina and I arrive at the Tullamarine Airport way too early. Our hotel check-out time was 12PM. Our flight departure time was 4:40PM. 

It was a good thing we checked in early.  There was a short delay on my part while checking in my luggage bag. The machine just wouldn't capture the barcode on the tag. I tried, Charina tried, an airline staff tried but the bag moved forward then slid back again. It was frustrating. Then, another airline staff appeared. She smoothed out the tag and voila! 

Once we were safely on the other side of the departure gate, Charina wanted to eat udon. I had told Charina that I had eaten udon for dinner the night before. She decided that she, too, wanted udon. "It's your fault," she joked. 

Inside the airport, we pounced upon the first cafe that offered "noodles". Udon wasn't on the menu so char kway teow seemed like the best next thing. I didn't ask Charina whether it satisfied her craving though.

Thu 2 Oct 

On my way to the airport to catch my red-eye flight to Melbourne, the Malay cab driver and I were chatting. I said I'm spending a week in Melbourne and when I return to Singapore, I'd probably be craving for some local food. Like prata. "I like a good prata too," he said.

It was late night as we approached Changi airport. I asked the driver, "Are you going home after this? What time does your shift end?" His reply: "After this, I'm driving to Changi Village to eat prata! It's your fault." 

Huff and puff!  Some people are so easily influenced.  :D

Thu 9 Oct 

After we had udon for dinner, Chester walked me around the city. He showed me a popular prata shop where the price of one prata (or roti canai as it is known in Oz) is AUD 11. It is served with two curry dips and spicy sambal sauce.  

MELBOURNE EATS

A week of sleeping a lot and eating too much.  One week is just too short for Melbourne.  There are way  too many food places I want to try.

Fri 3 Oct 

Our first meal in Melbourne - dinner at Steakhouse Grill 66, a restaurant right downstairs of our serviced apartment.  I haven't eaten a lamb cutlet in ages and this restaurant cooks them really well.

herb & garlic lamb cutlets, roasted seasonal vegetables = AUD 68.00

Sat 4 Oct 

Breakfast at Brick Lane Cafe before heading off to The Tesselaar Tulip Festival.

Breakfast for two (including two black coffees) = AUD 68.75

Sun 5 Oct

Charina bought asparagus from the South Melbourne Market.

Mon 6 Oct

No holiday is complete without a serving of pancakes so here we are!

Pancake Parlour, Melbourne Central

2-stack pancakes + tea = AUD 21.94

Country Breakfast + Peppermint Tea = AUD 33.46

Mon 6 Oct.  Back at Steakhouse Grill 66 for dinner.  Those grilled prawns!  Possibly my best meal in Melbourne!

grilled tiger king prawns, roasted seaonsal veggies = AUD 64.48

Tue 7 Oct 

We spent a morning at Queen Vic Market.  While I dived into retail therapy, Charina happily lost herself in the poulty-meat-seafood sections. 

Breakfast: avocado smash + a very tasty pork sausage 

Charina said the grilled prawns that we had the previous night were super good and it set off her craving (and her desire to cook).  So she bought fresh prawns from Queen Victoria Market and cooked lunch!  She even rendered her own pork fat!  #effort

 

Tue 7 Oct. We had dinner at Max On Hardware in Hardware Lane.  Many restaurants flank both sides of Hardware Lane but this one seems to be the most popular.  When I told Chester I had dinner in Hardware Lane, his immediate question was, "Did you go to Max?"

pizza, and mussels (entree) = AUD 48.72

Wed 8 Oct

We've returned to Steakhouse Grill 66 for the third time.  The calamari was super tender. 

beer battered fish & chips, lemon pepper calamari = AUD 49.04

Thu 9 Oct 

Today we had breakfast in the historical  Hopetoun Tea Rooms 1892.  It's really a High Tea Menu but we had opted for a 9:00AM slot.  Thus High Tea for Breakfast!  #indulgence

High Tea is served on a 3-tier stand: Quiche Lorraine, Roast Beef Sandwiches, Chicken Sandwiches, Tea Room Pinwheels, Chicken Liver Pate, Vegetarian Quiche, an assortment of petits fours, a selection of fresh seasonal fruits.

Each person gets to order a pot of freshly brewed tea of her choice.  

That's not all!  Freshly baked scones came next.  Followed by another pot of tea.  This means that we get four different choice of teas between us. You can also opt for coffee or cold pressed juices.

Hopetoun Tea Rooms 1892

Hopetoun Tea Rooms 1892

Hopetoun Tea Rooms 1892 is inside The Block Arcade.  I find these Victorian shopping arcades very charming.

Hopetoun Tea Rooms 1892

Hopetoun Tea Rooms 1892

Hopetoun Tea Rooms 1892

Hopetoun Tea Rooms 1892

High Tea for Two = AUD 150.00

After the enormous but satisfiying breakfast, I ditched Charina for the rest of the day.  It was her turn for retail therapy - she'll be travelling to Finland next month (I'm so envious!) and will need to buy coldwear.  

I took my time in my kind of Wonderland a.k.a. Coles Supermarket, and had Chicken McCrispy(er) for lunch.  I like to eat in McD's in different parts of the world and try out items that isn't on the Singapore menu.  For instance, the McD's in Bangkok offers pork burgers, and McPatongko (a sweet donut-youtiao).  In Taiwan, you can have Pork Sausage McMuffin for breakfast.

Later, I met Chester for dinner after his work ended.  I suggested udon because I had been eating only Western food since I arrived.

Udon Izakaya Maedaya, Bourke St

Udon Izakaya Maedaya, Bourke St

Fri 10 Oct

The last morning: crumpets for breakfast.  I had bought a pack of crumpets from Coles supermarket the day before.  Charina warmed them up over a frying pan.  She also quickly scrambled some eggs.

We managed to check-in early at the Melbourne airport.  Had plates of piping hot Char Kway Teow at BAXA Noodles & Dumplings just before we boarded our flight home.  A plate of noodles + a cup of cappuccino =  AUD26.88.