Food, food galore

Horrible, horrible weather lately... for several days straight it's been raining non-stop. Great way to start the new years, eh? All over the news, day in and day out there's been incoming reports of flash floods and landslides all over the country. Some people have been working over time so much to deal with the disasters that they hardly see their family. Ah well, you gotta do what you gotta do...

Ever since the heavy downpours of rain, I have pretty much been confined indoors... doesn't sound quite exciting, does it? With the terrible weather, access to the satellite tv is out (ppffttttt!!!) and every possible, conceivable activity to do indoors has been done (double ppfffttttt!!!) So.... what to do? what to do? what to do?

Smoked Salmon Pizza w/ Feta and Mushrooms
Lately I've found my safe-haven in the kitchen, with plenty of activities to do there (aside from eating). I've been exploring the extraordinary and adventurous culinary world of Comida Italiana - italian food. There's something about cooking italian that i find so easy, comforting and fun. Somehow I can never seem to get around malay-style cooking. Anyhow... back to the topic, made some pizzas today by requests from my beloved parents.

Clockwise from bottom right: Mushroom & Sweet Corn Pizza,
Beef Pastrami Pizza, Tuna & Pineapple Pizza and
Smoked Salmon with Feta, Mushroom & Basil

I took this grand opportunity to explore ingredients, learn all about complimentary tastes, smell the aroma of hot baked bread filling up the kitchen...and envisioned possible pizzas i could come up with. In my personal opinion, I think home made or freshly baked italian pizzas are one of human's best creations. Don't get me wrong: Pizza hut, Tasconis, Dominoes and all are nice but to a certain point. They can never capture the beautiful, crusty, natural and earthly tastes of freshly baked pizzas.

.Happy Birthday Thomas TT.

.The Birthday Boy.

First and foremost, huge celebratory and birthday wishes goes out to the little avid fan of Thomas the tank engine, who until of today turned 2 years old. To celebrate this joyful event, I was cordially invited to join in the family party and celebrate the momentous occasion.
.Discovering the joy of bouncers.

.The Presents.

Walking into the entrance of the house through the gateway, I felt a warming heart's pleasure to see the young boy in a bundle of joy. All around him was paradise, with so many exciting distractions to his young heart: toys, presents, bouncer and even a mini pool attached to the bouncer. Family and friends were out and about as sounds of laughter and giggles bubbled up all around the compound. I was surrounded by the immediate sense of fun and joy. How I really long to be a kid again!

.Prayer before the feast.

It had been a while since I've done a proper shooting, so seeing and listening to the kids run about in high spirits really made me feel good. It was from this positive vibe that I had managed to start doing the shoots again - I made sure that in this grand opportunity, I would make good use of my camera. I was quite pleased with most of the photos that turned up. Despite the threatening onset of a gloomy weather, you could see everyone in a good mood. All in all, a definitely goo birthday celebration.

.The gang.

.Taking a break from the crowd.

.The much needed update.

.Melbourne folks.
Regretfully I have been neglecting this blog for quite some time now - since the New Year's celebration to be more precise. Sadly, I haven't had much time to sit back, relax, breathe and reflect on my thoughts - something I like to do once in a while to keep a reality check on myself.

.Sydney folks.

.On the day of practice.

Well, 25 days into the new year and many things have happened. However for today's entry, I think I'm just going to focus on the successful launch of the BruONz Cultural Gala Night. For me, it proved to be a memorable night: not because I had to head the committee but more because everyone enjoyed themselves and the BruONz Committee succeeded in serving its purpose: to create a platform for Oz-Nz students and parents (past, present and future) to meet, have fun and see what we're all about.

.Shopping for prizes.

.I think the girls got carried away.

Like everyone, I initially had my doubts as to the success or even launch of the event but still I persisted myself and tried to keep good faith on everyone, even though it was very hard at times. As much as it was stressful, I knew that in the end I couldn't and SHOULDN'T vent out on anyone, even if it were their fault, because what mattered the most was that making sure we get through the event.

And guess what? We did it! Two hours into the event and we were at full capacity: all tickets have been sold out and our phones went hay-wire! - there were still people wanting to buy more tickets! Events and floor management ran smoothly. There were some mishaps here and there but in the end all the hard work paid off and I'm happy to see that everyone or at least most of those who came enjoyed themselves that night.


Looking back, the only regret I have was that I didn't have the opportunity to indulge in Primo and take any photographs of the event. This was mainly because I had to sit and accompany our guests of honour. Nevertheless it was certainly an entertaining event with each student society performing their original cultural performances. I have to say, we have quite a number of extremely talented students - much to the delight of our guests of honour!

As I stated before, I didn't have much opportunity to take photos of the actual night itself, however I will indulge you in a few photos of the Committee members during practice. Enjoy!

.For more photos, please visit: Overdue - BruONz' 09.

.Sole.

.Our Little Princess: Sole.

BruONz Cultural Gala Night

Folks, it's happening...
Now or Never .This Friday Night.
.5 societies. 5 performances.
.1 place. 1 night.

So book your tickets now, before it's too late...
tickets are selling out fast!

.The 2008 Conclusion.

.A New Chapter - 2009.

The new year has come. Along with it, so many new possibilities, opportunities, chances, choices and struggles for what we all hope for is the better.

The year 2008 was a turbulent year - one of the many that I'm sure will come further down in my life. However, despite the deep nose-dive tumble, I've learnt that no matter how hard you fall, how deep or dark you end up... that there is always light at the end of every tunnel, and despite it all, we always end up coming out of the deep hole, thinking to ourselves:
"hey, that wasn't so bad at all... I'm still here"...

Whether I've managed to climb out this "hole" yet, I'm not sure but all I can say with certainty is that for 2008, I'm very thankful it ended on a positive note.
It was one of the best summers I've ever had in my life.

.The KK trip.

.GH-ing in Brunei & Christmas on the Beach.

.The Temburong Adventures.

Welcome to 2009 Folks!

.The first splash of the year.
Happy 2009 Everyone