I didn’t realize that the same night my friends- Miss J and Miss L and I were going to catch up was the same night that the football was going to be on. Seriously Monday night football? It made the Docklands area chaotic with all the crazy football supporters who braved the cold wind to support their teams at Etihad stadium (on a school night too! UMMM-MAHHH)

We had chosen to try the Thai restaurant apparently rated #1 in Docklands by the people of Urbanspoon (the restaurant tells you this with a sign on their door). One of the ladies happens to live in Docklands is currently “car-less” so we thought it we kept it local(or walking distance) then it made life easy however with the weather change occurring on Monday- we ended up picking her up to drive the 2-3kms from her place anyway.

Nine Elephants (67 Village St Docklands) is not hard to locate but you’ll be hardpressed to find any FREE parking in the concrete jungle that is Docklands especially on a footy night. We ended up finding a place that charged us $8.00 for the entire night.

The Food:

Miss L and I decided to share our meals as Miss J is a vegetarian who’s also gluten intolerant- the running joke is that eventually she’ll realize that she’s allergic to everything except meat and would have to turn to the “dark side”…

Anyway, so we ordered the “Salt and Spicy Soft Shell Crab”- trying saying that quick 10 times. I really enjoyed the dish as it was flavoured very nicely and had the right amount of salt and spice where it wasn’t too spicy or overly salty. It was a good pick.

Miss J ordered the “Tao Hoo Sard Sai”-deep fried vegetables stuffed with homemade peanut sauce. Oddly enough on the menu they have put a GF(for gluten free) but not Vegtarian- Let’s hope that the peanut sauce doesn’t have some meat related thing in it because I would LOL at Miss J. But nonetheless this was very nice dish as well. I really liked the peanut sauce that came with the tofu- and surprisingly the tofu wasn’t too dry or soggy. This was also the last dish that I tried of Miss J’s. Her next dish (which I dont have a photo of was apparently very nicely spiced- and she was drinking loads of water and eating rice to get the “burning tang out of her mouth..poor thing)

For our mains we opted for the following:

Mooh Grob Pad Prik Khing- crispy pork stir fried in red curry paste with green beans, kaffir lime leaves and long red chilli. This was surprisingly terrible. The pork was crispy but also very dry… it was so bad that it ruined the entire dish and I couldn’t taste the curry flavour in the dish 

Gang Massaman Neua- beef slowly cooked in coconut cream , sweet potato, onions, cashew nuts and peanuts. The better dish between the two. The beef was succelent and the curry was just amazing. We really liked this dish out of the two.

Our complaint:

I was extremely disappointed when our coconut rice came out. This was extremely dry and if it wasn’t for the Massaman we wouldn’t have been able to eat it. I don’t understand how a Thai place can get coconut rice, or rice in general so wrong. Seriously a place that’s meant to be the “best” in Docklands really FAILED on such a basic dish. 

The other thing was- as this place was an extremely small place, everytime the doors were opened we almost froze. I know there’s not much that can be done about this but it’s probably not recommended to go on a windy wintry night because it’s very uncomfortable to go through as you eat and freeze.

What we liked:

The service was prompt and I loved the fact that the waiters kept filling our cups with water. Everytime I turned around to pick up my glass it was always full of water- sometimes i didn’t notice them filling up my glass (that’s ninja style service) as i was in deep coversations with my friend.

Would we come back?

In comparison to the many Thai restaurants that I have been to in the past- this just sits somewhere as “okay” but not fantastic. But as the Docklands area is very limiting – and I assume it’s nearest competitor in the same area doing the same thing- this place probably does it better. But if you compare it to what else is available around town than this place just makes the cut of being okay. If it weren’t for the fact that one of my friends living in Docklands I wouldn’t be going out of my way for the Thai food- however if I was a local- I’d be happy.

So yes, as long as one of my friends remains car-less and we have to dine in Docklands, we’ll be coming back again to try other things.

Over the weekend I was treated to two brunches. The first being at St. Alexander’s and the second being -Lady Bower Kitchen (1a Marchant Ave, Reservoir). For those who know the Reservoir area well, it’s on the “Broadway” side of Reservoir. 

The food:

I ordered the smashed avocado and poached eggs with chili oil. I ordered this in hopes that this was a “something special” dish. It wasn’t. There was nothing wrong with the eggs- they were true poached eggs. But this dish didn’t wow me. I guess I can say- Jackson Dodds ruined me with their version of a smashed avocado (where the it’s seasoned and extremely appetizing). The chilli oil gave it a funny curry tang but not something I’d say “oh wow”

Mr_54632 ordered the mushroom omelette. I love mushrooms but not to the extent that it makes my omelette smell all mushroom-ey. Unfortunately the omelette didn’t have very much flavour besides a strong smell of mushroom. Personally not for me but Mr_54632 did enjoy it.

My sister had the “breakfast of champions” where she got poached eggs, bacon, mushrooms,baked beans and meatballs. I have to say- I did enjoy the meatballs because they were extremely YUMMY (but a bit heavy for breakfast). My sister did comment that she didn’t feel like a “champion” eating this. Not sure why my sister’s plate wasn’t as “retro” as ours… I think they ran out of “retro” things…

The biggest complaint between the three of us was that the bread they used(albeit very nice) was almost impossible to cut through with our mediocre butter style knives. You almost need sharp steak knives to go through the crust and it was a serious workout trying to do so. 

The Good things about Lady Bower Kitchen:

• I really liked the funky layout although it does have a tad “we’re trying very hard to be cool and chic” and they pull it off quite well. 
• I also liked the coffee.
• They do know how to make poached eggs

The Bad things about Lady Bower Kitchen:

• According to the waitress, when the menu says “eggs” and unless otherwise stated, they only do POACHED. -_- That is pretty limiting especially if you can’t eat poached eggs (hello pregnant people). In saying that, it did take them awhile to get our breakfast out to us. When I mean awhile- I mean like it would have been quicker for us to go home and cook the damn meals ourselves.
• Annoyingly even though our coffees were good they mixed them up and gave us all SOY based ones, this was AFTER the waitress had confirmed with us TWICE of what we were ordering. Obviously a pointless exercise if the barista can’t even get it right. I hate soy based drinks(unless it’s the sweetened Asian kind you find in a prima pack kind).
• Their menu is placed on a poorly cut out strip of cardboard. It might have looked cool when they first did this, but it looked pretty tired and cheap.

Interestingly enough, on Urbanspoon a LOT of people have commented on how they do like the food and the coffee is pretty good but apparently the service is so appalling that it’s completely off putting. I can assure you we didn’t come across any rude staff members on our visit- service is a tad slow but not rude.

For us, we all agreed  that it was probably easier to drive a further 5-10minutes in the opposite direction and get a much tastier and better fare at Jackson Dodds. The food and coffee are served a lot quicker and when you’re there for breakfast- you really don’t want to wait and you definitely want something fantastic to start the day.

I weighed myself Sunday night so that I could officially know what I weighed right before the program started- It said 81.9. I found that the last couple of days, I had been yo-yoing anywhere between 82.5- 81.7 or thereabouts.

81.9 is a massive improvement to what I weighed almost 4 weeks ago. I was approximately 86 odd kilos. Seeing those numbers really freaked me out as it was very close to 90kgs. Being 86kgs is the heaviest I’ve ever been.

As part of the Michelle Bridges 12 week body transformation, apparently Wednesday’s is “weigh in day”.. and today is our first weigh in. Where you’re supposed to weigh yourself roughly the same time each week(after you’ve gone to the toilet) and you strip down to your undies( makes it a tad difficult in the winter months)

I am now 81.5kgs.

I am somewhat delighted to see some drop- even if it’s marginal. It makes me extremely happy (this is considering I did go out to dinner Monday night and stuffed my face with Thai food)

In saying that- I have been hard at work at the gym doing some of the Michelle Bridges exercise routines. Unfortunately I missed out on the Monday night schedule so it’s thrown out some of it but doing some exercise is still better than doing nothing at all.

I’m hoping to break into the high 70′s kilo mark i.e being 79.9. That would make me very happy. I’m sick of being stuck in the 80 kg area.

How you hope your future will be like

Ever since my mum’s cancer diagnosis- as much as I like to think of the future, I really like to live in the now and only think of the immediate future (as what will happen in the next couple of days to weeks).

I also know from experience that what you “plan” or think will happen because that’s what you hope it to be- It just doesn’t happen for me.

For example when I was 18- I really truly believed that by 25 I would have been married. I’m 28 now and still not married- Engaged yes. But not married.

I had planned that by 28, I would have had my 1st born and probably awaiting for the second child…But as you can see, these things don’t plan out as they do.

But it’s the same as my career- I didn’t even think that I’d end up in this industry that I’m not saying goodbye too (today), who knew that something I did for less than 12 mths almost 5 years ago and ended up quitting would be something I would return to and end up giving me so many opportunities? I sure didn’t see that coming.

One thing for sure is- I know whatever my future is- the only thing I know for concrete is that whatever is in store for me, whether good or bad-the only person I want to share the hardships and the goodtimes is with Mr_54632.

A moment where you felt most satisfied with your life

I remember as a 17 year old, I was extremely proud of myself for having to sticking it out with Saturday school aka Vietnamese classes from 9-12.30pm

My parents had enrolled me when I was 5 years old at the Collingwood College as back in the day, it was the only place that was close enough to us. It was a bit of a drive and I’ll always remember being forced to wake up at 7am on a Saturday morning to go to classes. Every Saturday morning without a doubt, I would cry and say “I’m sick Mummie”, it only ever worked once or twice- when I was really in fact sick.

But regardless, I did make a LOT of friends- none of whom I’ve kept in contact with but there were a lot of good memories.

At the end of each year, the teachers would pick the best 3 performing students. Several times, I’d get an award for being a top student. I’d always get third, mainly because there were twin sisters who just excelled in Vietnamese. But looking back, they would have too considering they were in fact a year older than me and should have been in the class above me.

I ended up skipping a year not because I excelled in it but because I could and I wanted to do year 12 Vietnamese for my Year 11 studies. I scored okay during my exams.. 

And to this day, I can still read and write. Obviously speaking the language shouldn’t pose that much of a problem- I probably would have been able to speak it fluently considering my parents are vietnamese but I probably wouldn’t be able to read/write….

so pretty proud of that

St Alexander’s Kitchen is perhaps one of Thomastown’s best kept secret. It’s located in the most unlikely areas – (130A  Alexander Ave, Thomastown) where it’s not on a big main road or anything significant. It’s in a very unassuming area where the locals probably didn’t know that it existed… but it’s a gem find and eventually- sooner or later everybody will realize that too.

I’ve been lucky- where I’ve seen the development of St Alexander’s from it’s humble beginnings of when they first opened and we were the only diners to gradually building a customer base with lots of improvements to the food that they served. I stumbled upon this place almost by accident- actually I lie, urbanspoon told me that this place existed with a very high rating of 100% (although at the time approximately 20 people had voted) and I thought to myself- what eatery in a place like Thomastown could possibly get such a high rating? I figure I’d better find out.

My first time around, we had dinner- they mostly do dinners, but are open for breakfast on the weekends. I gotta say, I was pretty impressed the first time around but I knew the place could improve a little bit more (yeh i got high expectations) for it. And what I like about St.Alexander’s Kitchen is its ability to grow and become a better place….

This time around (now my 4th visit over a long period of time) was for breakfast. We were extremely happy with what we were served:

 Mr_54632 had the “Hangover breakfast” which comprised of scrambled eggs, danish feta (which was really yum), jalapenos, smoked sausages and roasted peppers. 

This was much better than my Eggs Benedict- and that’s not to say that my eggs benedict was poorly cooked. No, it was fantastic, the egg was yolkey, the hollandaise sauce was just right… but the hangover breakfast was just better in comparison.

I loved the feta and the jalapenos but the best bit was the smoked sausages. The whole dish really worked well with each other. Personally I wouldn’t have had jalapenos for breakfast but hey- who knew it was fab with eggs and feta? Well certainly the folk at St. Alexanders.

The coffees were very good too- albeit it did take them awhile to come out. But I liked the honesty of the waitress who told us she had our order mixed up. One person wanted a Chai latte and the other wanted a soy latte. I think she made a soy chai latte (yuck) and had to restart. Better that she realized then serve up utter rubbish- I am not a fan of soy milk (even though I am lactose intolerant)

Now- if it’s your first time to St. Alexander’s and it’s a beautiful day make your way to the outside garden. It’s a terrific site although the inside is very eclectic as well but what the team at St. Alexander has done is very different… something you’d find in the hipster suburbs like Brunswick/Fitzroy

It’s the last place you’d think to find something as cool as this. But we were really taken in with the artwork, the furniture … well basically everything. I loved how they also incorporated real plants (i.e lemon trees which are very common in the area) as part of the scenery.

There’s so much going on, but nothing too crazy where it just takes the focus away from everything where you could be lost in your own world just looking around.

We were really lucky on the day we visited as it was a beautiful day in May with fantastic weather to showcase the crazy garden area… and extremely good food to boot.

The ONLY setback is that they ONLY take CASH- but it’s not so much of a problem when the meals aren’t bank breaking in the first place.

But it’s a place worth visiting if you live/work or visiting the area.

*please note: this is not a paid review. All meals were paid for with my  own money*

Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality

I was born on the 19th of August- which scraps me in to be a Leo.

“For many people, “charm” is a skill that takes years to learn. For individuals born under the astrological sign of Leo however, “charm” is something that comes as naturally as breathing. The Leo personality is magnetic, dynamic and always alluring. Leos are happiest when they are engaged in play, sensory experiences and all kinds of fulfilling work. Leos typically exhibit a natural personal warmth, and a sincere generosity. Leos aren’t generous because they expect anything in return — instead, Leo’s genuinely enjoy the act of giving for it’s own sake.

Leos make excellent friends because their natural desire to make others happy is especially cherished during difficult times. Leo’s are particularly good at helping their friends through difficult emotional times.

Leos have strong opinions on topics that are important to them — and they like to be unchallenged when speaking about their beliefs. Leos may sometimes withdraw into themselves if their desire for superiority is contested. In some cases, this desire to be “unchallenged” may be seen as arrogance or self-centeredness — but it is more likely a deep rooted passion about particular issues that lie close to the heart.“

I think that description of  Leo which I found here pretty much describes me pretty well. HAHAHA- I agree I do have strong opinions (as you would have read over the years) and I make excellent friends now- probably not so much in the past- but thats okay, you live and you learn.

I’m not sure about the charming thing, but I get told by many people that I can be when I want to be- especially if I want something…

I like the bit about being generous- I usually am, not always because I know being too generous also means you get taken advantage of by a$$holes.

what an interesting description… pretty happy with that

Yesterday I joined the gym.

Tonight I did my first proper session.

I’m pretty proud of myself.

I used the cross trainer, the rowing machine (that really killed), the treadmill, the leg crunching machine, leg stretching machine and some weights.

I was done in about 1/2 an hr…

im sore.. but feeling good..

Write 30 interesting facts about yourself

I’ll give you 30- can’t guarantee that they’re interesting but here goes:

1. I am shit scared of the dark, to the point where I sleep with a nightlight. Except when Mr_54632 is around. Having someone next to me makes it better
2. I wasn’t toilet trained until I hit primary school. I don’t know why this was the case but that’s how it was. Apparently I always had to have a change of pants at kinder :/
3. I actually didn’t get my Learners until I was 19, I got my driver’s licence officially 6 months later
4. My first ever job was at KFC, I’ll always remember being paid $5.65 an hour and earning my first $50 bucks
5. I hate going to the dentist and seeing my accountant. I’m not sure who I hate more
6. I have several very small cysts in my neck. Currently they are benign but I have to get blood tests to always check that they don’t become malignant.
7. We give our pets human names: Tony(living Pomeranian), Michelle (now deceased), Charlie (living Pug/Poodle) and we used to have a cat name Christopher Robins but he ran away
8. My sister owned 2 pet chickens. They become dinner hence the dogs :/. We don’t eat our dogs… ewww
9. I was the shortest girl in year 6. I had the last laugh because all those girls who got their growth spurt early ended up being very short in the end.
10. I was bullied as a kid. It took me a long time to get over it. Because of this, I have very few friends because trusting people is very hard for me.
11. I am a F1 fan but not so crazy where I would wake up at 4am just to catch the race because it’s airing Europe time.
12. I hate Licorice. Can’t stand the smell or taste
13. I have been in two accidents in my own car. Neither experience was fun
14. I don’t hold chopsticks properly and can’t be bothered learning to hold it correctly
15. My rice making skills is so bad (even though it’s just adding rice and water into a rice cooker) that my parents are usually the ones responsible to make sure that the rice is cooked instead of leaving it to me
16. I LOVE going to the golf range when I’m stressed
17. Apparently I snore very loudly
18. I have no fashion sense and not very daring. I usually have to ask my sister for help
19. I’m allergic to various types of preservatives and lactose intolerant. It doesn’t stop me from eating everything. I just hope for the best
20. I cry watching at all the soppy bits in movies
21. I am a very big anime and asian drama fan. I spend countless hours in bed streaming every possible episode… 
22. I am scared of needles. Although I’ll tough it out to donate blood
23. I can’t reverse my car in a straight line. 
24. I usually wake up before my alarm. If I tell myself that i need to get up at 4am then I’ll automatically wake up at 4am. 
25. I hate spiders and especially ants
26. Both my parents are the youngest of all their siblings
27. I am a creature of habit, I can eat the same thing for breakfast day in, day out
28. I have been known to eat the following: 2 big macs, 1 mcchicken, 1 quarter pounder, cheeseburger and an apple pie- in one sitting. I was 13 and hungry
29. I used to be a size 6, now I’m just fat
30. When I’m stressed or unhappy I bite my nails

Wow that took a long time

A time you thought about ending your life

Wow a really dark question to have to answer.

I’d be lying if I said I never thought about it but even these dark thoughts scare me. And like anyone, it’s when you hit rock bottom that it makes you think “that’s it for me”.

I remember when I had to deal with a breakup with a bf when I was about 17 years of age… (he was a horrid bf anyway) and the feeling that I felt back then was truly unbearable. But it also made me realize that life wasn’t worth giving up over a boy. There were going to be more boys to cry over, so I was determined to get over it.

But even when I have hit rock bottom (and there have been so many dark times), I’ve always thought about the effects that it would have on my family and my friends. 

i really urge people who can’t get the horrible “i need to die” thoughts and best to seek help, even if it means talking to someone, even a stranger to get pass the dark times..

It might sound corny, but it does eventually get better.