Flirting with Citrus

Salad, Horiatiki Salata

Spinach Rice, Spanakorizo

Lemons are in season with each lemon priced at 98 cents each in major supermarkets. I couldn’t go past the bright yellow fruits so I bought two of them. Then came the dilemma: What can I do with the lemons?

Lemon cheesecake was a good idea, so was lemon meringue and even lemon pavlova. I tried sticking to stir-fry and thought of lemon chicken. However, I haven’t been my best lately, often feeling lethargic after work and those lemony ideas required too much effort.

So, I decided to up the stakes and tried making some Greek dishes. Greeks love their feta, olives and lemon. The citrus fruit is a component in many Greek dishes. A while ago, Steven’s mum was generous enough to impart me with the recipe of Greek spinach rice, a dish her son enjoy. This warm and hearty dish, similar to risotto, works well as a side or main. Most importantly, it is a simple and quick meal.

Horiatiki Salata, is another Greek dish that is unique, in that you can’t find any lettuce in it (Yay!). Authentic Greek Salad is not meant to be exquisite. It is a rough country dish made up of sliced cucumber, juicy tomatoes, red onions, kalamata olives, capsicum and topped with feta cheese. The dressing is simple as can be: Dried Greek oregano, white vinegar, olive oil and of course, lemon juice. The dish is refreshing and just like the spinach rice, makes a refreshing side or a healthy bite anytime of the day.

The ingredients for these dishes are accessible in big major supermarkets and they make for a quick and easy meal. Not much of spices are needed and there’s no need to wash five pots, pans and bowls after. I love my stir-fries. But, quick, easy and healthy are my three cooking mantra suitable to my lifestyle now.

*Recipes will be posted soon.

A Time to Celebrate

Steven had his big 21st birthday party last Friday. It was a joyous evening filled with fun and laughter. I will let pictures do the talking…

The cake was amazing. Yummy white chocolate.

I met his extended family.

More of them

 

I mingled and entertained.

 

Heard some touching speeches.

 

Had the birthday boy declared his affection and gratitude.

 

and danced the Zorba.

It was a great party and a memorable occasion. Steven’s dad captured the essence of the event:

Festive

Memorable

 

Joyous

 

Intimate

Speaking of intimacy, Steven’s dad and uncle captured some intimate moments between me and my boy.

 

But this is my favourite photo of the night:

The uncle who loves scotch on the rock.

The party is over and Steven is now a year older. May he be blessed with good health, fortune, luck and abundance of happiness ❤

A New Season

I went from being unemployed to being a production assistant of a creative agency within a week. A big change, I must say. So, what’s the deal?

Yours truly is currently the production assistant of Andon Creative. If you are thinking of joining me, I regret to say it is a one man agency located in a quaint little office at South Yarra. Clearly, it does not seem like a stable job. Lucky for me, my boss, T, has a rich father who owns one of the biggest plastic company in Australia.

Being an assistant is not as easy as I expected, mainly because T seems unsure about himself as well. Such circumstances force me to think on my own feet, sometimes even taking charge. For example, we are shooting a TV commercial for a cosmetic company this Friday and T has put me in charge of sourcing make-up artist and models’ outfit, apart from other tasks. In other words, he is only responsible for the technical aspects of the production. It is my first time taking charge of a REAL production and I am very nervous about it.

Even so, it is a fun job as it involves shopping. Not just window shopping, but to actually buy things, with other people’s money. I had $180 and four hours to put together two looks that fit the brand essence of our client: Elegant, classy, fresh, spring/ summer. It was a challenge as I not only had to get dresses but accessories as well. Difficult as it was trying to imagine how the models will look in the outfits, I thoroughly enjoyed the process.

Now, let’s look at what I bought 🙂

White dress from Ginger Tree, $29 (Original price: $59)

Flowy praline dress from Glasson, $49

White earrings from Mossman, $5 (Original price: $15); Butterfly earrings from Lovisa, $5 (Original price: $15); Pearl Necklace from Glasson, $10 (Original price: $20); Jeans belt from Dotti, $9.95 (Original price: $20); White belt from Dotti, $9.95 (Original price: $20)

Total spend: $110.94

In addition to that, I got sidetracked by a few items and did some personal shopping too:

Jacket from Dotti, $59.95 (Original price: $79.95)

Bag from Barkin, $49.95; Lambskin ballet flats from Wittner, $69.95 (Original price: $150)

Total spend: $180

Back at home, I decided to experiment with the items I bought, both work and personal to create key looks for Friday’s shoot. Here they are. Let me know what you think about them:

1. Key item: Praline dress:

Tea Party

Relax.

Flapper Dapper

Afternoon at the Gallery

2. Key item: White dress

Summer days

Dinner date

Cocktail at the lounge.

Brunch with the girls.

I am looking forward to dress the models. Apart from these looks, I also created a few evening looks with a few of my evening dresses. Hopefully it all goes well on Friday 🙂

candies and chocolate

Who would’ve thought this candy taste so good?

I was overjoyed when I got it because it looks so pretty. I thought it would be one of those candies that looks pretty but taste like you just swallow a bottle of artificial flavouring. Boy was I wrong! It is definitely one of the best hard candies I ever had. There I was thinking I would keep it as a memorabilia of a very special occasion. No chance! I’m sucking on one right now.

These Suga candies are hand-made. Isn’t it amazing that the candies are moulded and rolled to form a heart shape in the middle? They come in different flavours as well. The Heart Rocks one are strawberry flavoured and they are amazing. Not to mention the quaint designs.

 

The Bald Man – Max Brenner

Max Brenner, a chocolate lover’s haven, sinful indulgence. The latte was ordinary, but my cappuccino was a pleasant surprise. What generous amount of chocolate syrup on top of the foam, plus two small chunks of chocolate at the side. I could not resist licking the chocolate syrup that overflowed. On top of that, I added two packets of sugar. Yes, I love my coffee SWEET.

 

Tutti-Frutti Waffle

Waffle, banana, strawberries, vanilla ice-cream and a whole lot of chocolate syrup. What more can you ask for?

 

Chocolate Souffle

I reckon Max Brenner should make this their signature dish. Nothing compares to eating mouthfuls of warm, velvety chocolate. As usual, I could not resist licking the plate after I ravaged through the souffle.

After souffle and chocolatey cappuccino, I experienced sugar high. I was very animated and my hands were a little shaky. I felt GOOD.

 

Can’t wait to stuff his face with waffle and chocolate.

Our anniversary falls on Halloween. Halloween 2010 was our first anniversary. I never had an anniversary experience and he, being the darling he is, tried to make it perfect. We did not go out on the actual day due to work and assignments, so we went out the next day, in between work and uni as well. What’s better than good company, with lollies, strawberries and chocolate – foods of love.

Social convention makes it an obligation for couples to get gifts for each other as a remembrance and token of appreciation for each other. We could not escape such convention. So, in addition to the lollies, Steven got me this:

 

 

The picture does not do the pendant justice. It is a beautiful and intricate silver pendant. I had to restrain myself from jumping up and down in joy or tearing from knowing the effort he put in to make the day perfect because we were in the mall.

A relationship goes both ways:

 

 

A light coloured shirt for summer, a belt for his work placement and a hand-drawn and hand-written card. He look just as I imagine he would be in the blue shirt. Everything fitted him perfectly.

The gifts did not matter, it was the effort and thought put into making each other happy that moved me. It was indeed a memorable day, and one of my happiest moment being spoilt like a princess ❤

Ahoy!

I now have a love-hate relationship with theme parties. They are fun and I enjoy searching for costume inspiration. But they also take a lot of effort and sometimes $$$ as well.

I am fortunate and honoured to be invited to two such parties. One is a nautical/ from the sea theme, which we can dress up as anything that has to do with the sea. The other one is Moulin Rouge/ Chicago theme.

The nautical theme party is this coming Friday. Invitations were sent out ages ago so we have a lot of time to prepare. But being tied down with cash and time, I only started shopping for costumes last week. It is great that Spring/ Summer collections in retails are out. So it’s all red/ blue and white stripes.

After comparing prices and shopping everywhere (Chadstone, Southland, Melbourne Central, DFO South Wharf, Bourke Street Mall), I bought the key item to my costume in Supre: A cute  navy blue mini skirt with gold buttons in front for $30.

My initial plan was to pair it with a white shirt, make a name tag and pass off as a cruise staff:

But I found a cute top that goes really well with the skirt as well and now I prefer this combination:

But I don’t look like a cruise staff anymore 😦 I am going to try and pass off as a 50s navy pin-up. But that might require a sailor hat, curls, red lipstick and lots of make-up.

Nevertheless, I am still happy with my purchase because I can see myself wearing the skirt for other occasions. Not to mention there will be an after-party in a club on Friday and the skirt is suitable for clubbing as well.

While I was ransacking my closet for the perfect top, I found the maxi dress I bought in Malaysia. This is the perfect outfit for a 21st birthday party I have a week after the nautical theme one:

The party will be held at a football club (function hall) so I would love to wear something more classy. I reckon it will be perfect for Melbourne Cup Day too. My only concern is there will be a dance floor and maxi dress is not tailored for flexible movement.

Anyway, I am still wondering what am I going to be for the nautical theme party. First combo or second combo? My last-minute solution will be to explain myself as facing a case of identity confusion.