no. 7 Roadtrip: Perth to South West Region, WA - 26/11/09 to 30/11/09

Most Memorable Quotes on the Road Trip

jannah: "please, can i eat mac and donald's?"

jannah to anyone and everyone: "i don't have a DS :( "

aidan & christen (during car rides): "chicken treat! red rooster! MCDONALDS!"

heath: "WHAT IS THAT F**KING SMELL?!!???!!!"
(it was dinner which was wiped out by rice-deprived travellers lol)

GPS: "turn left... turn left... u-turn when possible..."
jap & nette: "damn u! there's NO bloody road on left, u stoooopid *^#@&*!^&* GPS!"

From Denmark to Warpole's Valley of the Giants


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we went to all these spots shown on the map...


Day 1: 26/11/09 thu

At the Gap & Natural Bridge (cold!)


Along the Way to Misty Lake Cottage (Country Roads)


route:
perth to albany via albany highway
start: 5.30am
reach: 1.30pm albany
reach: 5.30pm Misty Lake Cottage (BBQ dinner)

visited:
Middleton Beach - lunch 2.30pm (burger & fish&chips)
The Gap and Natural Bridge, Torndirrup National Park
Denmark - BBQ dinner & sleep-over at Misty Lake Cottage 5.30pm
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Day 2: 27/11/09 fri

Road leading to Misty Lake Cottage.
simple farmstay where we fed the animals in the morning with farmer Warren.
fed the chooks, goats, brushed the hinny's coat, walked around the farm & lake


Valley of the Giants - Treetop Walk on suspended bridge


Greenspool, Denmark


route:
denmark to warpole to pemberton
start: 11.30am
reach: 6.30pm

visited:
Misty Lake Cottages - Farm - feeding the animals 9-10am; Lake
Greenspool
Valley of the Giants
Pemberton - dinner & sleep-over at Pemberton Breakaway Cottages, Cottage #2
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Day 3: 28/11/09 sat

Get Hooked with Trout Fishing!


BBQ Marrion @ Aus$55-$65 per kilo


BBQ Trout (the ones we caught)
- our 10 Trout Fishes @$17/kg + BBQ fee @$4 each)


route: Pemberton to Busselton
start: 10am
reach: 5pm

visited:
King Trout & Marron Farm (+lunch on our catch, 10 trouts!)
Mammoth Cave (Lost/Missed)
Busselton - dinner & sleep-over at 300 Marine Dr
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Day 4: 29/11/09 sun

Redgate Beach Lookout Point


Yallingup Sheep Shearer's Shed


Dogs Rounding Up Sheep


route: Busselton to Yallingup to Margaret River to Dunsborough to Busselton
start: 10am
reach: 5pm

visited:
Yallingup Sheep Shearing Shed (lost several times, tx to GPS)
Mammoth Cave (Lost twice. never got there)
Redgate Beach look-out
Margaret River (Lost/Missed)
Dunsborough simmons ice cream factory (meet eugene & family)
Busselton - beach (kids), dinner & sleep-over at 300 Marine Dr
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Day 5: 30/11/09 mon

Jannah driving Kaitlyn and friend at Simmons ice cream - park


table soccer at Busselton Home Stay


route: Busselton to Bunbury to Mandurah to Cottesloe to Perth
start: 10am
reach: 6pm

visited:
Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Centre (missed dolphins by 2 min)
Mandurah (via new Forrest Hwy)
Cottesloe Beach
Back to Waterford for dinner

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the whole trip in one phrase: "G'DAYS MATE!!"

no. 6 good old chicken soup!!

(pic - wine + dine = divine!)

one of our projects at STORM Creations Pte Ltd... an illustration for a logo for a client in australia (we're in singapore and it's drawn by hand). love this kinda work!

... but more than that, it really reminds me of how food & company of family & friends will always be the highlight of the day - and i suspect this is same all around the world smile

sharing a simple home-cooked dish made this week - chicken soup chinese style. my 3 kids will slurp down a 10 litre pot of soup in 2 meals - lunch & dinner! while the 2 boys drink straight from the bowl, the youngest uses a straw! lol

My Chicken Soup Recipe


ingredients:
free range chook (whole chicken is best. but pieces are fine too!)
chicken feet (we love these! can be optional. or substitute this with fresh chicken bones.)
ginger - abt 2-3 thumb size knobs
carrots
1 onion
soya sauce
sesame oil
salt to taste
pepper corns, half to full teaspoon - crushed
chopped spring onions and coriander to garnish
option: chinese wine

1. water to the boil in a soup pot
2. add ginger, carrots, onion, 2 tbsp soya sauce, salt & crushed white pepper corns
3. when the water is boiling, add the chicken and chicken feet (or bones), & chinese wine if using.
4. when chicken is cooked (say 15-18 min), dish out to cool. leave soup boiling till chicken feet is soft. ginger & onion can be discarded after soup is done. soup should be clear.
5. season & coat chicken with 5-6 tbsp soya sauce & 2 tbsp sesame oil (and 1 tbsp of chinese wine if using). keep moist with a little soup if too dry. when chicken has cooled, chop into bite sized pieces. make sure the white cooked chicken is coated with soya sauce and sesame oil, and kept moist. garnish with chopped spring onions and coriander.
6. serve soup, season with salt & white pepper, sprinkle some chopped spring onions and coriander
7. serve seasoned chicken on a dish and enjoy with steamed white rice. (i'll also have sliced chilli or chilli padi with soya sauce dip on the side)

very very yum! :D
cheers!
nette

no 5 exploding insanities *!&^&(%#&%^&!@*Y&*!%%$#

ah ha!

me just exploded...

shout shout shout

blah blah blah...

see who louder... angry designers or angry me. well. both felt the same way with one OTHER party. so why are we shouting at each other???

resolved. control client is pointless.
inform client is key, a good plan.
ya, right.

WISH....
wish hard.

regardless. let's dig harder for tact, patience, clarity, action...

i am soooooo TIRED. and i want to finish - finish WELL.

PLODDING ON and ON and ON and ON... hmmmmmm so ABBA, la.......

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below done 20 dec 2009

well, i guess if all else fails and i feel too crappy, i will then look forward to bendeemer market's breakfast:


hot favourite: (pic below - don't judge the pic till u eat!! LOL)
char beehoon with he kueh ka neng, hiam chior chuei
(fried beehoon noodle with fish cake and fried egg, plenty chilli)





2nd favourite breakfast on cool rainy mornings:
kuey teow soup at bendeemer market



(reminds me of bangkok's noodle soup served at coffeeshop in sala daeng - below)




other yummy fav local breakfast:

beik chye dao kueh (fried carrot cake - white version)


mee pok da (dry mee pok noodle)

no 4 Small Talk - me done this short film 1999

No 3 Sticky Situation!! What a MESS! *duh*

that same one acrylic plaque fell off the wallpaper... AGAIN! must re-install now with stronger glue. carpenter suggests the common super glue and gave full instructions in mandarin... ya, ya, ya, thanks... but, i no understand chinese leh!

so, i opened 2 tubes of super glue and lined the plaque, lined it, criss crossed, pressed it against the wall, counted...

Then, i saw it. glue dripping down, down, down... sliding, sleethering, flowing down the plaque.
great... i forgot to grab rough paper, old cloth... and great... i forgot to wear gloves. my fingers wiped the glue away... away, AWAY i say~!!

then i saw mr indian guy wiping the glass panels with newspaper!! yay!! excuse me, please give me a piece of newspaper!! thank God, he's so helpful and kind, like most indian workers actually. newspaper to wipe all the glue away the plaque. wipe my sticky fingers. wipe wipe .. oh, no, print on my fingers, yuck, it's green from the green print ad... green fingers :(

then, i saw another... one singular line of glue flowing down the wallpaper. at least 1 foot long now. STOP! STOP! i dare not wipe with newspaper. i dare not wipe with fingers. i dare not touch it. ONE foot glue trail. together with sticky fingers with green ink. great.

HELP! i called the carpenter. dried super glue on fingers. feels... tight, irritating. guess what he said? ha ha ha... never used super glue before? unbelievable! don't you know? there's nothing you can do until it peels off in the next few days! don't peel now or the skin will get ripped off!! are your fingers stuck together by the glue? now that is ultimate trouble! next time, only dot dot dot the super glue on the surface, a little will do, do not splurge it! (all in mandarin, this time i understand, this time it makes a lot more sense!!)

And, the final result...
now the plaque super stuck to the wallpaper - it better NOT fall off! NOT! not! not!

so i went home, put lots and lots of soap, and scraped out as much super glue on my fingers. feels pretty sore now, but most have already come out.

patience and lots of soap... and super glue NO MORE, no thanks!

No 2 Food!!! BBQ Sotong & Recipe

love BBQ sotong with hot thai chilli sauce... one of my favourite street food in bangkok!

BBQ sotong
- season with salt and white pepper,
- grill on BBQ or just pan fry with teeny bit of oil

thai chilli sauce/dip : mix
- lime juice,
- fish sauce with
- chopped birds-eye red & green chillis,
- chopped garlic, onions, fresh corriander leaves/stems
- a pinch of sugar
- crushed roasted peanuts
(roasted peanuts are added just for extra crunch, don't need this unless you have them sitting around doing nothing lol)