Fish or Crab?

Short note: I'm back in Miri now!

Four engineers, one boring night, what could we do? Fishing lah!

Usual fishing spot.

We reached our usual fishing spot at about 10p.m. This time, we brought along crabbing stuff to try our luck.

Crabbing scoop, cooking pan and fishing rod.

Just minutes after stepping our feet on the jetty, Jono and me found a crab moving in the water. We grabbed our crab scoops immediately and ready to scoop the crab up.

"1, 2, 3!" both of us whispered. We gave no chance for the crab to escape. There it went, our first crab of the night. We couldn't believe it was so easy! :P

Two unlucky crabs.

After the first crab, we didn't have much luck. We even tried to go into the water for more "victims" but only Brian managed to scoop another one.

Serious Jono.

Later on, Jono spotted a stingray. He tried to fish it but it wasn't even attracted to the bait.

Kok with the sausages.

While everyone was busy fishing and crabbing, I was given the responsibility to fry the sausages. This is what everyone was looking forward to. Eat!

Two became lots!

Of course, we didn't forget our main task; to catch more fish and crabs. Too bad, no fish was hooked.

What to do with the crabs?

We gave up on fish and targeted more on crabs. Thus, we ended up with a bucket full of crabs. What did we do to them?

Cooked and ate them!

We cooked them in boiling water and ate them fresh! The meat was so sweet without even adding any seasoning. I think those were the freshest crabs I have ever eaten. So yummy!

Mission accomplished.

Crabbing on the jetty and eating them fresh on the spot. This is indeed a wonderful experience for everyone. What an activity to end our year together! :)

Ciao Italia With High School Friends

Couple of days ago, I visited Ciao Italia again. This time, with my highschool friends; Danny, Zhungyi and Leon.

Ciao Italia.

Although we are in the same city, we hardly come out for a meet up or gathering. Probably, most of us are caught up with our own work.

It's always packed.

Seeing that we are all having our "holidays", we decided to have a dinner together at Ciao Italia. I have to admit that it's always nice to have this kind of gathering once in a while to keep the friendship going.

Ciao Italia Fettucine.

We reached Ciao Italia at about 7p.m. and it was already packed with people. We were lucky enough to get a seat without waiting.

Danny ordered himself a serve of Ciao Italia Fettucine . It's basically flat, thick pasta in a creamy white sauce. Tossed with the fettucine are strips of chicken, sundried tomatoes as well as fresh tomatoes. Priced at Aud$21, it came in a generous portion which could be shared between two persons.

Ciao Italia Spaghetti .

Zhungyi decided to get the same pasta as Danny except, his was spaghetti instead of fettucine. I tried this out and overall, it tasted not too bad. The sauce was just right, however, I think additional pepper can do a little bit of trick. ;)

Calzone Pizza.

For me, I ordered a huge Karipap (Curry Puff) or Apam Balek or whatever names you could think of. :P Just look at the photo, I thought it was a wrong order. I always had a mindset that a pizza should be in a flat piece but no! This pizza was not.

Pizza?

It's actually pizza base topped with mozarella cheese, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and capsicums and then folded into half. I think it's worth the Aud$21 I paid as it tasted real good. In addition, this huge Karipap was definitely filling. A strongly recommended dish by me!

Leon enjoyed a serve of Carbonara Spaghetti but I didn't manage to take a photo of that.

Tiramisu

Not to be missed, a piece of Tiramisu was shared among the four of us for dessert. Yes, only 1 piece for 4 persons! What to do? A piece of this finger-licking-good-Tiramisu is priced at Aud$7.50. However, I still have to stress that this Tiramisu is heavenly good. A must order at Ciao Italia.

A dinner at Ciao Italia was definitely satisfying. We all had a full stomach while walking out from the restaurant.

After dinner, what did we do? Check out this short video clips and you'll know...

Hahaha! We were Wii-ing! A good exercise after dinner. ;)

How Time Flies...

How time flies... Do you still remember when I first blogged about my house in Perth earlier this year?

Messy room when I just moved in.

The construction site next to my house.

Do the photos give you any hints? Anyway, believe it or not, I already moved out from this place last Friday.

In a mess...

After exam, this is what I was busy with; packing, shifting and cleaning. I hate moving seriously. Four years in Perth, I moved three times.

Empty room.

Condominium is almost completed.

This year seems to be quite fast and hectic for me. I only know my daily routines were going to uni, coming back home for dinner then, to uni again. I seldom got the chance to really stay in my room and enjoy the rent I paid.

Goodbye...

Even until the day I left this house, I couldn't believe this was my house for the past one year. Simply because I spent more time in uni than at home.

Best housemate!

Anyway, all these are not important except for a priceless friendship I have developed with Chris. He was my housemate for two years in a row and no doubt, we had a wonderful time together. For whatever you do, best of luck, Chris!

Hog's Breath Cafe

Many have told me how delicious the steak at Hog's Breath Cafe but I just didn't have the chance to taste it myself.

Hog's Breath Cafe.

Thanks to Chris again, he brought me there the day when I handed in my thesis. That's also the day before his baby was sold off.

Wait to be seated...

Warning, warning and warning! The steak here is thick and heavy. Just look at the weight beside the counter, it is used to weight the beef. :P

A small bar in this cafe.

Decorated with simple posters and cars' number plates.

The first time we went there, which was two months back, we couldn't get any seats and thus, we went off without eating. This time, no different, this cafe was again packed with people.

Seats along the pathway.

We were lucky when the seats along the pathway was empty. No choice, we had to settle for the seats out there.

Creative poster.

I totally love the design and the decoration of this cafe. Simple yet creative. :)

Open since 1989.

This cafe is most famous for its Prime Rib steak. A little bit of information about the steak here which was taken from its menu.

Hog's Breath Cafe buys the best quality beef to guarantee you consistency of taste and tenderness. We slow cook our Prime Rib steak for up to 18 hours, then finish with high temperature searing on a char grill to seal in the maximum flavour for your enjoyment.

What would you like, sir?

Now you know why this place is famous eh? 18 hours of cooking for a piece of steak!

No chewing with your mouth open...

Now, are you ready for the steak? Take a deep breath...

Garlic Mushroom Prime Rib.

Tadaaa! This is the Garlic Mushroom Prime Rib I opted. Served with curly fries and salad, the Prime Rib was topped with fresh mushroom. Three available sizes of steak (i.e. Traditional Cut, Lite Cut and Megacut), I chose the Mega Cut.

Guess how thick is this?

This Mega Cut steak was measured approximately 4cm thick (just roughly lah, no ruler what)! No wonder they need at least 18 hours to cook this freaking thick steak! The meat was juicy and tender. However, the meat was a bit fat. Or is it meant to be like that?

Hickory Prime Rib.

This is Chris' Hickory Prime Rib. The only difference between mine and his was the topping on the steak. His was topped with BBQ sauce. By the way, did I mention that curly fries taste heavenly good?

Me with my steak.

Chris with his Mega Cut steak.

All and all, it was a satisfying dinner. The only downside was the price. For a serve of Mega Cut steak, it costed us about Aud$35. With that price, I can have better steak such as the one I had at Margaret River. Nevertheless, if you've never experienced such thick steak before, you must give it a try. :)

P/s: This post is proudly sponsored by Chris Chen as he was the one who footed the bill.
P/s/s: I am currently taking a break after few months of hard work. So, I might take some time to fully return to this bloggers' world.

Exam, No More?

For these past two months, I was quite busy as you all can see from the number of posts in my blog. First, assignments and projects. Then, final year project presentation and write up. Exams came next before I was told that my Gong Gong was going to a far, far place. There was another exam to go at that time.Therefore, I missed the chance to bid goodbye to my Gong Gong. After my last paper, I was busy with packing and shifting. *Sigh* I seriously need a rest...

Mechanical Engineering Graduate 2007?

Anyway, 15th of November 2007 marked my last day of exam. Hopefully, I would not have to sit for any more exams. *Fingers crossed*

Bak Kut Teh and Stir Fried Kailan.

Straight after my last paper, together with few coursemates, we went to Mohan's place. We had planned to have a small gathering at his house since most of us would graduate this year. Graduate means there would be not much time we could spend together.

Eat, eat and eat!

We cooked Bak Kut Teh and some vege for dinner. Guess what? We boiled the Bak Kut Teh from 4:30p.m. till 10:00p.m! Yes! We only had our dinner at 10.00p.m. :P

Chit chatting, eating and sleeping.

Dinner was fast. Maybe everyone was too hungry by then.

From left to right: Mohan, Lawrence and Botak Jono.

Of course, their main motive for this gathering was not having Bak Kut Teh lah. Drinking was what they want! Just look at the beer on the table!

Just before Nathan got drunk.

Most of us had our drinks as early as we reached Mohan's place. I had a bottle but stayed with the same bottle for quite some time. For your interest, I seldom drink.

The Sexy Lawrence.

We had a drinking game after dinner. Gosh, all of them were targeting at me! Maybe they wanted to see me get drunk.

What's so interesting?

Guest speaker?

In between those drinking games, they had a smoking break. Smokers came out to smoke while the non-smokers just came out and joined the fun.

Look at my "tomato face".

Bom chak chak...

At the end of the day, some got drunk and vomit. Some were lucky to be able to go home and sleep comfortably on their beds. Nevertheless, everyone had a good time I supposed (forget about the vomitting part).

After this, we won't know when will be our next meeting. Most of us will be busy with our own stuff. I hope we will all keep in touch in one way or another.

Before I forget, for those who are reading this, drinking too much is not good for you. You might end up like this...

Beer and cards = drunk.

Drunk and wasted!

P/s: Nathan, don't kill me for this photo! Hahaha!

Gong Gong, I Miss and Love You Forever...

To my dearest Gong Gong,

Today, I was shocked when Jane told me that you are traveling to a far, far place and not going to come back anymore. Why? I thought you just came back from China? Why were you in such a rush? You didn't even give me a chance to bid goodbye to you...

I was very sad to learn that I won't be able to see you again. I have so many things to tell you. I have so many things to share with you. I have so many things to discuss with you. Yet, I couldn't do any of those. Anyway, I know you have your own reasons to leave. Since I couldn't meet you for the very last time, I might as well just write you this letter and hope that it will reach you safely with the help from the "forever-hardworking-Postman".

Gong Gong, you must be very tired especially in these two years. I could see you getting older from days to days. Your health was getting poorer. You didn't smile as often as you do. You didn't even talk to us as much as few years back. Sometimes, I was quite heart-broken when I saw you sitting in the shop for the whole day and did nothing. I knew you want to drive, eat your favourite food and look for your old friends. Due to your health condition, you were not allowed to do so by Baba and also uncles.

You remember? There was once when you had too much "tang yuan" and you tried to reduce the sugar level by taking some sort of medicine. You were supposed to go to Uncle Seng's house for dinner but when Uncle Seng's went to fetch you, you were not at home. You were driving to Uncle Seng's house without permission! Since you had exceeded the maximum amount of medicine, your sugar level dropped tremendously and caused you to drive unconsciously. 2 Jiu Jiu's called me when his friend saw you almost rammed into someone's car. Baba and Mama were not at home. I was the only one at home. I was so nervous that I didn't know what to do. I only called Aunty Lucy and I quickly got into the car and went to find you. When I saw you, my heart skipped a beat. What happened to my Gong Gong? Is he ok? Those were the questions which came into my mind.

I saw 2 Jiu Jiu's friend was there. He told me what happened and then, I asked you to open the lock of your door. However, you were too weak to do so. I didn't know what to do. Soon, more people came. 1 Jiu Jiu told me to get the spare keys of the car. And there I went, speeding to get the key while praying you were fine. When I went back to the scene and opened the door, you were still unconscious. Luckily after we gave you sips of sweet hot milo, you regained your consciousness. We told you what happened and you were just smiling at us. You gave us a shocked that day. That's why, Baba and uncles didn't allow you to drive. This restricted your mobility and I knew that you were feeling lonelier after that. Gong, do you know that due to this incident, I chose a thesis which was related to elderly drivers on the road? I have completed it and am going to show it to you when I get back to Miri. Now, I don't think it is possible for me to do so...

Gong Gong, it has been four years after I left Miri for Perth. It is still fresh in my mind when I went into your room the day before I left. I approached and greeted you. Of course, you always never forgot to reply me with your sweetest smile and end with the word "guai". After I explained to you that I would be going to Perth for my studies, you held my hand while looking into my eyes. You told me, "Wei, when you are in Perth, take care of yourself ah. Faster finish your studies, then you can come back and help out in the business".

Now, I am almost done with my university's life. How I wish you could attend my graduation next year. I know you were waiting for this day, weren't you? I plan to discuss with you and Baba whether I should step my feet into the business or not after I graduate. Now that you have left, did you tell Baba any of your ideas? To have me work for the company or to gain experience at other places first?

Gong ah, now that you're in a happy land, don't forget to take care of yourself, ok? Even if you don't, I guess, Po Po will do the job. You can now eat your favourite food without restrictions, no longer need to eat those yucky medicine and I think, to drive freely is what you are going to enjoy most. I will certainly miss the time when I had to drive you to eat your favourite Bak Kut Teh or your favourite chicken soup. I totally regret I didn't do more than that for you.

Gong Gong, before I end this letter, I would like to apologise for not being able to send you off and also, not being the most filial grandson you would have wished. Although you have left me physically, I know you are still watching me. You are the most wonderful and caring Gong Gong I have. You will always be placed in my heart.

Till we meet again, Gong Gong, I miss and love you forever...

Always your grandson,
Wei Wei

Pandan Chiffon Cake

Last few days, I received and replied a couple of sms from Bamboo.

"Ubi! Will you be at home tonight?"

"Bamboo! I'll go to school at 8p.m. to meet up with my friend. Why ah?"

"Oh! I asked my Mama to bake a cake for you!"

My eyes then went as big as this... O_O

Pandan Chiffon Cake!

After Bamboo showed my 3 Minutes Sponge Cake to her mum, her mum who was here in Perth for holidays, decided to bake cakes! I don't know how many cakes her mum baked but definitely, she was kind enough to give me one. :)

Yummy!

When I reached home, I asked Chris whether he would like to have some cake. Initially, he shook his head, indicated a "no". But after I revealed that it was a Pandan Chiffon Cake, his head nodded immediately. :D

Both of us went straight to the kitchen. Once I unwrapped the cling wrap, WOO LA LA! The pandan smell was so strong that we couldn't resist to grab a piece of that each. What can I say about the cake? The texture was just right and it was simply delicious! That night alone, both of us ate 1/4 of the cake and the cake was all gone within 24 hours. ;)

Thanks to Bamboo and her mum for this yummy Pandan Chiffon Cake! It made me feel like I'm in Malaysia.