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.

Thesis Completed!

From just a short discussion with my final year project's supervisor...

My scrapbook.

to pages of scribbling in a notebook...

Place where I worked.

to endless meetings with different people, obtaining and analysing data and also the not-so-fun-nights alone in the computer laboratory...

Smart leh...:P

to my nervous final year project's presentation...

My thesis entitled "Road Safety Factors of Elderly Drivers".

to my first page of thesis...

Queuing up in front of printing shop.

to queue up in front of the printing shop as early as 6:30 a.m. in order to get my thesis printed and binded...

Me and my thesis!

Finally, I managed to complete my thesis today!

It was such a relieve just after I handed in my thesis to the school's office. However, frankly speaking, I do miss the time when I had to spend days and nights in the computer lab with some of my friends to rush on our thesis. So much laughters and so much fun!

So, does that mean I can take a break now? No! Cause exams in a week time!

Quick Update!

Ok, from the title, you all should know my hands are itchy from blogging now. It has been 10 days since I last blogged... *Sigh*

Anyway, just a quick update on my current status.

I've done with almost everything except for my thesis write up and another assignment. Exams are on the 5th, 9th and 15th November. And I've yet to do any revision! This time, I really don't know how I'll have to deal with all those exams. Can anyone teach me?

I had my final year thesis presentation last Friday and I took some photos of course. But I have no time to upload it yet. So, stay tuned for that. Overall, I think I didn't do well in the presentation. I was so nervous and I even answered some of the questions wrongly. Anyway, it's over and nothing can be done now.

Until next Monday, I'll be busy with my thesis write up. I hope I can finish on time though. I have written only 2/5 of the whole report. Arghh!

I'll write a post about Sasha too! If you all still don't know, this young mummy appeared in TV3! Lihai hor?

Anyway, I'll just leave it here till next time. Again, don't forget me, people! ;)

P/s: A really random post cause I just want to write something.

Religious Gift

Christmas is in 2 months time! When you think of Christmas, you should be thinking of presents eh? Now, why not get a meaningful present for your love ones at The Holy Land Gift Store. They offer unique Christian jewelry for man, woman, child and almost everyone.

What are you waiting now? Confirmation Gifts for your love ones are just a click away!

Friday Night = Relax Time?

Weekend is here! So what?

Computer lab for final year students.

I still had to stay in the computer lab on Friday night when everyone was probably taking a break after long weekdays...

Empty...

I had to read some journal articles to proceed on to my thesis writing. I went back only at 1a.m.

Look at this!

How I wish I could still sit in front of the computer, not reading the journal articles, but reading all my favourite blogs!

Anyway, I might not be able to enjoy my weekend but I hope you all do! Have an awesome weekend, guys!

To all my Muslims friends,

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!:)

Bake With Kok *Edited*

I don't want to study! I don't want to write up my thesis! I don't want to touch book! Now, you all might ask, "What do you want?"

BAKE CAKE!

Toaster to bake cake?

Ever since I moved into this new place, I didn't really bake although I have a huge oven courtesy of the house's landlord. So, this afternoon while shopping for grocery, I asked Chris if he wanted to bake and his answer was as usual, "Anything!"

Pre-mix cake, no!

This time, we didn't go for the pre-mix cake. We decided to bake a cake from scratch!

What cake can we bake since we don't have a whisk, a cake tin, a measuring jug and worst, a sieve? Hmm... nothing you all can think of eh? Thanks to Aunty Judy for her 3 Minutes Sponge Cake recipe. I don't need all that to bake a cake! ;)

The ingredient is the simplest I've ever seen. These are what you need:

1. 1 cup (8 fl. oz.) of flour.
2. 3/4 cup of sugar.
3. 3 eggs.
4. 3 tablespoons (tbsp) milk.
5. 1 tbsp melted butter.
6. 1 teaspoon (tsp) bicarbonate soda.
7. 2 tsp cream of tartar.

Now, I've mentioned before I don't have measuring jug, right? How did I measure 1 cup or 8 fl. oz. of flour? Flour does not have volume like water, so, you can't just use a mineral water bottle to estimate the amount. With Kok here, anything is possible. I looked up in the net and found this:

1 cup = 16 tbsp

Easy? You can do the maths for 3/4 cup of sugar now. ;)

The instructions are as simple as the ingredients.

Add everything into a mixing bowl.

First, sift the flour. For me, I didn't since I don't have a sift. What is the consequence of not having the flour sifted ah?

Mix everything.

Next, add all ingredients into a mixing bowl and start mixing with a wooden spoon. Whisk is optional here. At the same time, pre-heat the oven to 180 deg. cent.

Into the temporary cake tin.

After everything is well mixed, pour the mixture into a greased and flour cake tin. I used a temporary cake tin instead.

Put it into the oven.

Bake it in pre-heated oven for *Edited* 15 minutes 50 minutes (From Aunty Judy: I was supposed to write 50 minutes instead of 15!) or until it's cooked. That's it! Simple!

Just a reminder, don't pour in too much mixture to a small cake tin like mine. If not, it'll end up like this...

Overflow!!!

Overflow!!! By the way, the cake on top was done by Chris. He added some coffee to it.

Let's check the finished products.

Well baked.

Both the cakes were well baked except, the centre of the cakes sinked. I've no idea why as it happened to both the cakes.

3 Minutes Sponge Cake.

The cake was a bit tasteless. Maybe more sugar can be added or just add some chopped fresh fruits to it. Another failure is, it was not as spongy as I thought. Or is it like this? This might be due to the flour which was not sifted. Aunty Judy, mind to give advice?

Overall, it's a very easy to bake cake. Like Aunty Judy said, "This is a NEVER-FAIL-CAKE!". Even without most of the baking utensils, I still managed to come out with this cake.

Two bakers.

I don't know if I still have the chance to bake another cake with Chris or not. If yes, I might try another cake recipe given by Aunty Judy; Easy Anyhow Cake.

Try this cake! Let me know you can bake better than me! :)

P/s: Aunty Judy, I posted this recipe up without first getting your permission. I hope you don't mind.
P/s/s: I know I shouldn't blog at this time!
P/s/s/s: Do not open your oven until it's cooked! *Edited*

Rambling...

I can't believe! Today, I attended my final lab in my uni. I can still remember when I had my labs in my first year. In a blink of eyes, I have attended all the labs in my course. Now, I'm left with lab reports to deal with. This is tough as I have to finish my thesis as well as a presentation for that.

Everything will contribute to my marks and I cannot afford to get low marks, so how how? So many things to do!!!

Never mind. Sleep first...

10K Contest

HONK LOUD LOUD!

Have you read or heard about Honk! If you're Malaysian? If not, it is a book about Malaysian, written by a popular Malaysian writer, Lydia Teh.

This book is selling like hot cakes and in less than 10 months, it has already been sold printed for 10,000 copies! Yes, 10K! In order to thanks the readers, Lydia Teh decided to organise an easy-to-participate-contest.

How to enter?
Just leave your name in the comment box of Lydia's post on "10K Contest". If you have a blog and put a link to her "10K Contest" post, you'll double your chance on winning.

Who can participate?
Anyone can participate, as long as the winner can provide a Malaysian address for the prize to be mailed to.

What are the prizes?

1st - RM100 voucher

2nd - RM50 voucher

3rd - RM30 voucher

Winner can choose any kind of voucher they like! I personally would choose MPH book voucher if I was to win because I haven't got the chance to read this book yet!

So, what are you waiting for? Click HERE now to get a chance on winning the contest!

P/s: I'm still in hiatus mode....

One Crucial Month...

I want a life like a bird!

This morning, I was in the computer lab until 5a.m. to finish up one of my assignments. I think, this life is going to continue for this one crucial month.

Things to complete:

1. Thesis (my main concern)
   
2. Few lab reports
3. One assignment
4. Final exams

All these need to be done within this one month. Therefore, I'll spend less time in updating blog and also bloghopping. I hope all of you will not forget me when I get back active again.

Till then, see you all and wish me luck!

P/s: I'll try to complete my Melbourne Day 4 & 5 as soon as possible.