Tsens & (S)Zeyensibility

Moving

2011-03-13T23:48:00.003+08:00

I will be updating from Tumblr from now on. It's a lot easier to update with the iPhone.

http://amandapanz.tumblr.com/

See you there!

You know you've become an aunty when ....

2010-09-28T11:22:00.006+08:00

At the royal show, instead of showbags, you buy:

1) Grater Plater

2) Ezi Seal Silicone and Fresh Lids

3) Lawson's Bread on cheap sale -- $1 for 3 ... yes!!! $1 for 3 loaves of bread!

I would have bought so much more if not for my financial controller husband looking behind my back at each stall I stop at ... I would have bought:

1) Steam mop

2) Supersharp knives

3) Smooth away hair removal

Hhehehehe ....I'm such a sucker for all these ... =P

Giraffe's Experience on a Primitve Ferris Wheel

2010-07-01T09:30:00.002+08:00

Sorry about the shakiness of the video, and how I couldn't stop laughing, it's just tooo funny!

We paid $1.50 to the guy to let us go on to the Ferris Wheel and for him to push ...

Will share more about our Chiang Mai trip soon.

Rootote is on Sale!

2010-02-15T19:15:00.001+08:00

And they are closing down! =(

I've ordered a few bags from them ... at quite good prices ...

So get one whilst you can

Will update with more stuffs soon!

Cheeky Fellow

2010-01-26T20:31:00.003+08:00

This is Gregory. He was given to me by my parents before I first came to Australia. I've been sleeping with him ever since!

Giraffe did this to him today. And he said: Look, Gregory got gun!
*I think he gets a bit jealous that I hug Gregory to sleep, and not him ... hehehhe*

Haiyo ... wonder what will happen next time when we have kids ......

A New Era

2010-01-19T15:53:00.002+08:00

A new petrol station opened up around our area. At first glance it looked like it wasn't opened yet, like it wasn't completed. There wasn't any "store/shop" building for you to go pay.

But then we realised that it was indeed opened. And it was one of those self serve, auto pay petrol station, open 24 hours.

So cool! Hahah .. obviously we went to check it out. And it was a whole 11cents cheaper than the only other petrol station in the area! Maybe cos it doesn't require the outgoings of a shop and shopkeeper.

I think we shall be coming here more often =)
*not too sure about the quality of the petrol, will see how far this tank takes us*

Little Nyonya

2010-01-16T22:25:00.004+08:00

Since it has been very hot today, Giraffe and myself literally hibernated at home. We have been watching this Singapore series which is actually quite nice! It was given to us by my MIL.

*Personally I much prefer HK dramas, but because Giraffe can't understand Canto, we had to find a common compromise*

We watched like 9 episodes so far. Very touching, very interesting, very addictive.

If you have a chance, try to catch it too. Can borrow from us after we've finish =)

Birthday Celebrations

2010-01-16T22:16:00.003+08:00

Dinner
Went for dinner at 2 Fat Indians in Mt Lawley yesterday.

The deco and interior was quite nice.
Service was so so only ... not extremely friendly, that was quite a put off.

Food was quite nice actually, but very small portions. Waited quite long for the food ... therefore didn't take any photos of the food. Hahaha ... just gobbled up the food straight away.

Would have been a lot nice if they had air-conditioning.

Brekky
Wanted to try this place that I have read a lot about on the internet, called Dancing goat. Unfortunately they are closed till Feb.

Went to Beaches Cafe at Cottlesloe instead. Very nice brekky. Check out the photos at Kinnen's blog.

A very enjoyable weekend indeed. Thanks for being a part of it!

Birthday Suplies!

2010-01-15T16:39:00.002+08:00

So Giraffe got some friends over to surprise me for my birthday

He told me to go and shower when I got home from a meeting

Naturally I took off my clothes, bedroom door still open (as it normally would be ...) I walked across the door to go get my clothes from the wardrobe, then heard someone singing, saw Allyvator, she saw me, we both started screaming.

Luckily she turned around and tried to block other people from seeing ...

I scrambled to put on a tshirt

What a birthday surprise ... was very surprised indeed!

New Additions

2010-01-12T22:08:00.002+08:00

We've got new additions to our bedroom,

One makes it cool, the other makes it look cool

Hahaha ... Lame-O

Morrocan Chicken with Cous Cous

2010-01-09T21:40:00.004+08:00

Had a little bit of time on hand today, so we decided that we will try to cook something new for dinner.

We got this cookbook from a lovely couple for a wedding gift.

Played a game with Giraffe. I told him to pick a number, and whatever recipe was on that page, we will cook that dish. So wa la ...

It was really yummy. Chicken was nice, tender, and flavorful. Need a bit of work on the cous cous though, my first time cooking it, was a little bit sticky and lumpy, not fluffy. Will try to perfect it the next time =)

*will post the recipe another time, the book is downstairs, too lazy to run down now... hahah*

Found my camera charger!

2010-01-09T21:31:00.003+08:00

Finally found the camera charger! Yay!

Since it is still "hot hot chicken poo", took me camera out whilst we were at lunch today.

We went to this new place called Penang Delights in Canning Vale. Never would have dreamt to go to a place like that, but read a review in a blog. It was quite near, so went to try it this afternoon.

I had the Assam Laksa (something that I have been craving for ... ). It was $9.00.

Giraffe had the Fried Kuay Teow, also $9.00.

Generally the food there is not bad. Newly opened place, so very new and nice and clean. The staff there are quite friendly. Good change to the usual hawker places that we normally go to.

It's going to be okay!

2010-01-08T07:48:00.001+08:00

No more sleepless nights.

No more muggy air.

No more sweaty knee pits and elbow pits.

No more making extra ice for the portable air cooler.

No more feeling pai sieh to invite people over.

We've bought the air-cons!

Party at our crib! Heheheh!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-07T08:39:00.000+08:00

Someone commented the other day that my blog cannot make it ...

Then I said well cos I don't take a lot of photos ....

What a lame excuse ... ! Well, even I wouldn't read my own blog ... Hahha

Anyways ... need to update with more stuffs ... but first, need to go find the charger for my camera!

Happy New Year

Honeymoon Pics and Experiences

2009-10-14T17:43:00.005+08:00

Just a little update and to share what we experienced during our honeymoon in Langkawi. We stayed at the Andaman. We nice resort, about 60km away from Langkawi's Kuah town, so we pretty much stayed at the hotel the whole time. Only drove out one day to tour the island.

Checking in

We were upgraded to a Malaysian suite. It was quite nice, but no curtains! Hahah. Lucky for us, we were on the top floor with the rainforest directly in front of us. If anyone were to see us, it would be the monkeys! Haha

Our suite
Our bed with the orchid petals

They had welcome champange, cake, fruits and canapes for us!!!

Coffee machine in the room ... Nespresso!

One thing about the hotel is that the service is excellent! It seems like everytime we went to have a meal people addressed us by name.

Enjoying the view from the fourth floor

The spa was a whole experience itself. It was a bit of walk uphill and it overlooked the ocean. We were assigned to an individual villa. Pure bliss.

After our spa session

Where we lazed around during the day

Lunch and cocktails by the beach (Giraffe's head cut off)

Dinner at the Gulai House -- paid RM300 for our meal: Tandoori chicken, Fish, and Paneer Masala!

Our Lobster dinner at Pantai Cenang, outside the hotel

You haven't visited Langkawi if you did not take photos with the eagle. Heheh

Update

2009-08-29T23:21:00.003+08:00

Things in the house have been coming together. Have been quite busy with planning and moving, and have neglected this space for a while. Some photos:

Front of the house.

Back of the house, trying to do a bit of weeding.

What Can I Say, What Can I Do

2009-06-14T23:19:00.003+08:00

"I just wanna die. It's just too hard," she said.
I just stood there staring blankly at her, struggling to come out with words.
"I have nobody. Sometimes I just want to take something to end it all," she continued.
"But you have Mrs Kim who comes see you every week, and you have me," was my meagre attempt to reply her.
"Yes, I know I have you, but I don't have any family or siblings. I'm all alone here. I'm smelly and no one can give me a bath. You can't give me a bath. You wouldn't," she said as her eyes swelled.
"Well, I can't really give you a bath, there are staff here that do that, and rules to follow ..."
"Oh, stuff all that, will you still give me a bath?" she interrupted.
I sighed. I couldn't answer. I was too embarassed by the truth.
"I'm no good to anybody."
"Oh no, don't say that!" I exclaimed.
"Honestly, what good am I to anybody? Tell me honestly, am I good to anybody?" Now tears were streaming down her cheek.
I looked at her. Looked into her eyes. Tears started welling up in my own eyes. I was left speechless.

So what can I say

What can I do

But to offer this life, O God

Completely to You

-The Stand by Hillsongs-

House Update

2009-06-10T23:38:00.002+08:00

We went in for our pre-settlement inspection of the new house today.

If everything goes well, we will get the keys in 21 days!

Woo Hoo ...

Let the packing and throwing away stuffs begin!

We are very thankful and blessed to be living in this area:

Sooooon

2009-06-05T22:58:00.001+08:00

The invites will be out soon.

Please save the date.

Bridal Cupcakes

2009-05-17T22:28:00.003+08:00

Went for our cupcake tasting today for our wedding. It was sooo pretty and yummilicious!!!

A, you're fantabulous, wonderawesome, great!!!

We decided on this design:

These cupcakes will be for the guests to bring home as bonbonnieres as well. Bought some cupcake boxes from Malaysia.

Also went for a make up trial over the weekend. So, that's two ticks! Yay! Feel very accomplished this weekend! Woo hoo ....

Bridesmaids

2009-05-14T09:13:00.003+08:00

Thought I should update things whilst they are still fresh, so I won't forget in the end!

I finally got my bridesmaids' dresses settled! Took a while, mainly due to procrastination on my part, but it's done! Yay!

They are all different styles, as I thought should get dresses that suit them individually. Some of them did actually try each other's styles, but don't look too good.

So ... ta da!!!! The dresses will be in the colors shown, but thinking of doing some alterations, changing the sashes to the same color, either champangey-creamy or pale pink-creamy color.

S's Dress:

T's Dress:

J's Dress:

I really wanna thank God for K and J who are so understading. Where got friends like that wan? K was too kind to let J wear the same bridesmaid dress that she (J) wore for her (K) wedding (amazingly the same color theme!). And J was super super understanding and did not mind! It actually helped save a bit of money (actually not really if I wanted to make some alterations), and also it allowed me to give the girls a better dress. I guess at the end of the day I want them to be in something that they are comfortable in and they like it.

Thank God for such great friends!

God's Blessings

2009-05-12T09:22:00.003+08:00

We put in an offer for a house

It got accepted

Now we leave it all to God's hands

Thank you God for Your provision

It has everything we wanted, even to the removable shower heads, full-length mirrors and lemon tree

He does know the desires of our hearts (even the small unmeaningful ones)

Will update about other things shortly

Valley Experience

2009-03-29T08:10:00.003+08:00

Went to Swan Valley over the weekend with my housemate (who will be leaving soon) and her mum. Had a good time there. Enjoyed the food the most. We went to Edgecombe Brothers for lunch. Giraffe and myself shared the Tasting Platter for 2, and were so full after, couldn't even finish the meal.

Before going there, I did some research online, and a lot of reviews said that there muscat ice cream was a must try. And it definitely was.

Another good thing about the place was there were very generous with their wine tasting. We were allow to taste the wines whilst we were sitting down on the table waiting for our foods. Before lunch was served, we had some sparkling. During lunch, some late harvest. With desserts, we had some muscat!

The Way to a Man's Heart ...

2009-03-29T08:00:00.004+08:00

Ever since Giraffe came back from Sydney, I found that I have been trying a lot more new food and recipes. When I was just cooking for myself, it has always been very simple dishes.

New food that I have tried cooking recently:

Spring Onion Pancake

Lo Mai Kai (Steamed Glutinous Rice)

(reminiscing the lo mai kai in the aluminum bowl from Msia)

Bye Bye My Dear Friends

2009-02-11T18:07:00.004+09:00

As I am typing this right now, these friends of mine who share the same bed with me every night are on their way to Victoria now.

There was a collection for clothings and toys for the victims of the Victorian bush fires. As I have already donated clothes earlier this year when I had to make space for my holiday shopping, so I decided to give another part of me that is very close to my heart. For those that know me, half my bed is filled with these little furry friends. Hopefully they will do their part in comforting the little kids that have lost everything in the fires.

Photo courtesy of PerthNow.com

Do your part to help out during this time of need.

Tiramisu Parfait

2009-02-10T16:52:00.004+09:00

Last Friday, we went to a marriage preparation course at Pastors' place. So I made some Tiramisu Parfait to bring to the meeting. I found this recipe in one of the gossip magazines at work =P

It is actually quite easy to make, but just that a little tedious to make 20+ cups. It tasted quite yummy ... well at least that's what everyone said, unless they're just saying it to make me happy .. tee hee

The Recipe

450g Madeira cake (I used You'll Love Coles sponge cake)

2 Tbsp Coffee mixed in 1 cup boiling water

250g mascarpone cheese

2 Tbsp icing sugar

300ml thickened cream, whipped

300g Strawberries/Blueberries

(I used the frozen berries mix from the frozen dept, i guess you can use any fruit of choice)

2 x Flake bars, crumbed

Whisk mascarpone cheese and sugar together, and fold whipped cream through gradually
Combine the berries in a bowl (I added a little bit of Port to the berries =P)
Cut the cake to fit the glasses/cups. Place a cake round in each glass/cup. Pour coffee mixture over to soften slightly. Top with a spoonful of berries, cream mixture and a sprinkle of Flake chocolate. Repeat layers once more, finishing with a layer of chocolate Flake and berries.
Chill for 1 hour before serving.

I suppose you can just make this in one big dish, as the normal tiramisus are.

Try this for yourself and enjoy!!!

What's for lunch?

2009-02-02T22:22:00.003+09:00

Ever since Giraffe started work, I (Panda) have faithfully prepared packed lunched for him everyday. I'm so good hor???

Anyways, on today's menu was our very own version of Bibimbap

... as I have been on this Korean diet craze due to the Korean dramas that I have been watching.

Made the Bibimbap sauce myself. Super easy to do:

2 Tablespoons of red pepper paste (available at Korean Marts or most Oriental shops)

2 Teaspoons of sugar

1 Tablespoon of rice vinegar (I used the one for making sushi rice)

1 Tablespoon of sesame oil

1 Tablespoon of soy sauce

A pinch of sesame seeds (optional, I was too lazy to go get sesame seeds)

Just mix all the above ingredients together, and you have nice Bibimbap sauce!

I will experiment more Korean-type dishes, will update if they are successful...

Surprise!!!

2009-01-15T12:34:00.003+09:00

Got woken up in the middle of the night for a special delivery:

*Giraffe can be sweet at times ... hehehe*

Thanks Little Friend for delivering the flowers!

And also being the aunty in me, I went to claim my free birthday boost!!

Back from Holidays!

2009-01-12T10:19:00.004+09:00

Giraffe and myself just got back from a short holiday back home. Our first time back in two years! A very long, overdued trip!

We had a great time spent with the family

Great time spent with friends

And not to mention the food and shopping! It was a fruitful holiday. Praise God!

Guess Who's Coming Back to Perth for Good???

2008-12-02T15:21:00.001+09:00

La la la la la .......

One More Tick Off the List

2008-12-01T23:12:00.002+09:00

I've got it already !!!

The most expensive item ever in my wardrobe!!!

You'll just have to wait till that day to see it =P

Even Giraffe can't see it!

Two Sides of a Coin

2008-10-30T21:50:00.003+09:00

We have been accumulating our library of relationship/marriage books. Recently whilst DOULOS was in town, I (Panda) picked up this book :

Overall the book was quite good, a very easy read. The authors were very hilarious and candid. They really do give some insight about the differences between men and women. There was a sentence in the book, though, which really struck me:

" Engaged couples usually spend far more time preparing for the wedding ceremony than for their married relationships."

It is frighteningly (is there even such a word?) true.

It is my prayer that I do not get too caught up in preparing the perfect wedding and forget about preparing for the perfect marriage. The wedding is just but for one day, marriage is for a lifetime.

Anyways, I also picked up the companion book for Giraffe:

Hope it is a good read too!!!

Retail Thera-also-have-to-pay

2008-10-28T22:16:00.003+09:00

With the big day drawing close, there is a bigger urgency to save, save, save. It is no easy feat to save for a wedding, especially when there's so many things you want for your wedding. After all, it's once in a lifetime, right?

So, our wallets have be close a little tighter. Somehow, Panda always has a good reason (or excuse) for buying the things that she does. She'll so easily succumb to the traps of retailers and an unnecessary item always becomes a need. For e.g.:

How to not buy??? It's just meant to be!!!

God's All Knowing Heart

2008-10-21T21:30:00.005+08:00

There are times when Panda feels it is just a bit too overwhelming to plan the wedding. She dreads having to go to all these wedding venues all by herself, making a decision without having Giraffe see the venues ... Therefore, she tries to put it off as much as she can. Thank God that He provided a weekend for Giraffe to come back to do all these stuffs with her.

God has blessed Giraffe and Panda with so many friends, really really very many, who are so willing to help. From the start, we have had so many people offer help with the wedding, until we do not even have anything for them to do ... Everyone single one of you makes this whole wedding planning a lot easier, and it is a great support and encouragement to both Giraffe and Panda, especially when we are apart and we don't know what to do.

Both Giraffe and Panda (especially Panda) are quite 'pai sieh' people, quite shy in asking people for help, always thinking what the other party might think. Giraffe and Panda are so blessed with friends whom when we ask them to be a part of our wedding, their replies are not ones filled with obligation, but... "I'd be honored to do that for you!" sigh ... so touched =)

Giraffe and Panda are very blessed with married couples in their lives who aren't selfish about sharing their wedding contact and most importantly their experiences and advice. Panda have been non-stop bombarding these lovely wives with a million and one questions!!

*Sorry The NoteBook for bugging you a lot lately*

Last but not least, Giraffe and Panda are blessed with parents who are supportive and pretty much lets us do what we want ...

Blessed beyond words ... Our Father in Heaven gives us overflowinly ...

It's all happening !!!

2008-10-21T21:20:00.004+08:00

The date is set ...

The reception venue is booked ... (images in prev post)

The ceremony venue is booked ...

Everything is happening so quickly!! It really does feel surreal ...

A not so modest post ...

2008-10-14T16:34:00.003+08:00

Today after treating one of her patients, Panda's patient commented (literally):

"Man, this is even better than sex!! I swear!! I'm a new woman!!"

Yikes!! Guess Panda never knew she provides such special services!!

This is Perth

2008-10-10T22:09:00.004+08:00

This was one of the few rare occassions when something cool is happening, and I have my camera.

Note: It was not raining.

So cool, got sandstorm!!

Feel like I'm in the desert.

Dedicated to WQ!

2008-10-10T21:51:00.011+08:00

Hello all! Thanks for still dropping by to this almost 'dying' blog. Just some updates about what has been happening ...

Guess who decided to make a short trip back to Perth for his birthday?

Advert plug: The cupcakes were beautifully and wonderfully made by Cupcake Heaven. Now taking bookings for all your special occassions!!

Please contact me for contact details.

*btw, A, how much do i owe you?*

So, during his trip back, Giraffe and I manage to get some wedding planning done. Went to view a few places. It really does help to look at a range of venues, you know what you definitely want and what you definitely do not want!!

We have at this stage decided on for the reception:

Nice?

Bluff Knoll

2008-07-13T22:06:00.004+08:00

It beckoned, we conquered!!

So, what do you do when you really, really need to pee at over 900m above sea level, and the nearest toilets are a 1.5hour hike away??

Thank God for friends ... two "boys" who stand at both ends of the hike trail to stop anyone/anything from passing through, and three girls to form a shield around me whilst I take a really, really quick piss.

Well, a girl's gotta go when a girl's gotta go!!

* I might have contributed to this!!??!! *

He ain't making it up ...

2008-07-02T23:48:00.001+08:00

Hehe .. a little proof that Pastor Patrick wasn't making stories up over the weekend .. well, not that he normally does anyways .. haha

She's just so adorable .. !!!

Advance Australia Fair ........

2008-06-28T18:42:00.003+08:00

Being the aunty of me ... though I have yet to get my PR application approved, I called up Medicare to asked if I was eligible for it.

So after talking to a very friendly (seriously, very friendly =P) sales tele-operator person, I got all my documents and the enrollment form ready and headed out to the nearest Medicare outlet. When I was there, the person who was processing my application was a bit blur .. because they hardly ever got people who were on a bridging visa, applying for PR asking for Medicare. Maybe everyone else was like me before, thinking that as long as I am not resident, I don't have such benefits.

Anyways, back to the story, after much flipping through of what I presume is his Procedures Manual ... He said, "Yep, you can apply for it, but unfortunately our systems are down... blah blah blah."

I said it was okay. And he said they will call me once everything was set up ... blah blah blah. I walked away, not feeling much, not expecting much. I was probably immune to it .. back in Malaysia, you cannot expect anything much from a government department.

Boy, was I surprised ... Next morning, first thing 9am ... sharp ... I got a call from the same guy who was servicing me the day before. He was very apologetic that the system was down .. blah blah blah .. and he gave me my very own Medicare number!!! And said that I could use it straight away if I needed to and my card is on it's way in the mail ....

Wah .. efficiency to the maximum!! Very impressed!

The Big Day ....

2008-06-26T22:16:00.004+08:00

After all the hype of the engagement and proposal ... Now comes the planning part ... Never knew that it'll be so tough. It is fun .. but tough. Choices are hard. Decisions need to be made...

*hmmm ... wonder if Panda will be a Bride-zilla ....???*

Theme color ... Wedding gown ... Invitations ... Venues ... Decorations ... Bonbonieres ... Flowers ... Make-up ... Bridal party ... and of course the dreaded GUEST LIST ... ARRGGHHH

Mummy Panda almost fainted when Panda told her about roughly how much it would cost per head for the dinner. Everytime I go out, everytime I am about to buy something, this thought would go through my head, "Wow .. this is 3 person's invite...!!"

It would definitely not be Panda who will be cutting and axing people from the GUEST LIST. She's just too nice for that (tee hee). Giraffe will have to do it, and not let Panda know. Anyways, Giraffe has this rule on inviting people for the wedding:

If Giraffe hasn't spoken to the person in 2 years, he/she is not invited. Then after much thought ... he decided that if he hasn't spoken to that person in 2 months, he/she would not be invited!!!!

So ..... if you wanna be invited to our wedding, better pick up your phones fast!!!

As for me ... I shall focus on the dreamy and fantasy and fun part about wedding planning .. e.g. things like Vera Wang:

Someone's Got Bling Bling !!

2008-05-23T23:13:00.003+08:00

He asked

...

She said, "Yes!"

What Do You Do .. Really.. ??

2008-05-20T08:58:00.004+08:00

by Panda

Whenever you stop at the traffic lights, and those kids who wipe/clean your windscreens approach your car, do you just shake your hand vigorously and say, "Don't want!!" or do you just let them clean the windscreens and then give a gold coin out of charity?

I know Giraffe doesn't let them do it. I'm always faced with a dilemma. I sometimes wanna let them do it, and be nice to them ... cos they all so poor thing, have to wait out in the sun. Someone in the car once said, (I think it was Giraffe, can't really remember for sure) "Why should we give to them, later they use the money go buy drugs."

Is our acts of love really that conditional?

Last night, I was faced with something similar. I went to McDonald's to visit my friends who were working there. Outside there were some kids smoking and 'hanging out'. Honestly and seriously, they don't look a day older than 13. According to my friends, they have been asking the crew if there were any spare burgers, etc. What the heck are 13 year olds doing smoking and staying out late on a school night??

Anyways, when I left the place, walking back to my car, one of the kids called out to me, "Ma'am, do you have a spare 30cents? We're short of 30cents for a burger." I just said "No, sorry" and then walked straight to my car. Back in my car I was thinking ... What if with that 30cents I can feed a hungry kid? What if with that 30cents I could tell them about God's love? All these thoughts ran through my head. I reached out to my wallet and took out $1. Was ready to give them, but then a small voice in my head told me not to. They were smoking, for goodness sakes!! If they got money to buy cigarettes, they can buy a burger!! So, I drove off. I couldn't sleep the whole of last night.

It's just so hard isn't it?

One of Giraffe's friend (Let's call him D), whilst he was in Sydney, met one of these people. He was probably a hobo on the streets. He asked for some cash to buy a meal. Instead of giving him money, D brought him to the nearest McDonald's and bought him a meal. Whilst he was eating, D shared to him about Jesus. Although Mr Hobo didn't accept Jesus straight away, I'm sure that something was sown on that day. Maybe I should be like that too. Last night, I should have gone in and bought those kids a meal.

Lending a helping hand is just so hard these days. People always say you gotta be careful-lar. This-lar and that-lar. Even if you donate money, scared the peeps will use it for drugs and alcohol etc. Or like the other day a little boy asked our friend Allyvator for some money. She gave him like $1 just to get rid of him. Before she knew it, she was surrounded and almost drown by a group of boys begging for money. She obviously refused. Throughout lunch, she was so worried that they might scratch her car and that they would attack her when she goes back to her car.

What do you oughta do ... really ... ??

So Busted!!

2008-05-12T21:03:00.004+08:00

So, the other day, out of the blue Giraffe called up Mummy Panda. It also happened to be the day that the Panda family were moving house. Mummy and Daddy Panda were busy packing and shifting things, and were unable to talk to Giraffe. Giraffe then sent an sms to Mummy Panda which went something like this:

"Hi Aunty! Just wanted say hi and catch up (something like that). Can you let me know when your phone line will be reconnected. Want to catch up and got something important to ask you."

*Panda had no idea that all this was going on*

The next day, Panda was talking to Mummy Panda, before Giraffe had a chance to talk to her. So, Mummy Panda was quite curious and asked Panda what was the important thing that Giraffe wanted to ask. She was worried whether anything was up. Panda answered, "I dunno... hehehehhehehhe."

After that, Panda asked Giraffe what was the question he wanted to ask Mummy Panda. Giraffe answered, " I dunno ...... hehehehehe."

So what do you think??!!??

Heheheheheheheeee hehehehheeeeee

Time for Revival

2008-05-11T19:48:00.005+08:00

Whew ... the past month and a half just flew past. Two weddings and countless birthdays leave Panda almost broke .. tee hee.

So, I guess it is apt for a time of revival.

Guess who I found on YouTube the other day who also decided that it is time for revival...

*sighs* Kavana .... *drools* ... *sigh of contentment* ...
He was one of those that make my heart skip a beat when I was 12 .. The one that I could only dreamt of marrying .. tee hee. His eyes so dreamy, his face so cute, his body so hot ... *sigh sigh sigh*

Guess what?!? He's back .. but I kinda regretted seeing the new him. Adding 10 years to him does not do any good to the image that I've always had of him. He looked way much cuter 10 years ago ..

Give me MFEO anytime ... please ...

I am entitled a walking down the memory lane drool session every now and then, right?? Hehehe ...

Panda's Restaurant Nightmares!!!

2008-03-28T23:13:00.004+09:00

Ever been to an eating place that "puts-you-off", so much so that after that incident, even if they'd pay you, you wouldn't go back to that place? E.g. sizzling japanese tofu that ain't sizzling or finding dodgy looking curly hair on your sushi. Oklar.. maybe some ain't that bad, I'm just being overly dramatic, but you get the gist..

1) Just the other weekend, some of us went to a certain breakfast place in the valley. Lo and behold, one of the guys found mold on his bread!!! Ewww .. then, as aunties/asians/our right as customers, we complained, hoping to get a free meal... tee hee. The manager came out to apologize and said that the kitchen will be making a fresh batch of toast. When the fresh basket of toast came, *dramatic music* someone turned one of the toast over .. and found mold!!! Double ewww .. So, the free meal was inevitable =)

2) On the same weekend, I went to a hen's night at a certain karaoke place. After a couple of hours, it was time to bring the cake out. It was a specially ordered BR's ice cream cake with the photo of the "about-to-be-wed couple" on top. Guess what happened?? Apparently the peeps there forget to put it into the freezer, even though specific instructions were given .. so, what was left of it was a box of thickened cream with colored swirls...

3) A while ago, was at an entertainment-book-gold-class japanese restaurant with some friends. Food selection seemed super yummy, I was quite eager for my food. After placing our orders, we waited .. and waited .. and waited .. after like 2 hours, we still haven't gotten our main course yet. We were literally almost licking the plate of our entree sashimi dish. Asked the waiters what was going on, some dogded us, some pretended they didn't see us .. but in the end, we found out that it was because there was a function going on, kitchen was very busy. So, we got up and left. Someone even suggested not paying .. tee hee. We were not that upset about the wait, but rather the fact they did not tell us about the wait. In the end we paid $70++ for sashimi and green tea!!???!! The $7.00 kebab after that tasted sooooooo good.

Hehehe .....

It Sinks In ....... Too

2008-03-22T19:01:00.004+09:00

by Giraffe

It sinks in when there is no one to give me the food that they can't finish
It sinks in when there is no one to lug the '88-key thing' up and down stairs for
It sinks in when there is there is no one to ask me, 'Do I look fat'?
It sinks in when there is no one I can drive to McD or HJs for a chocolate + strawberry sundae

Haha! :)

Ok, for real,

It sinks in when I sit down for dinner and have no one to share the joy of eating and watching tv together
It sinks in when I think about your delicious cooking
It sinks in when there's no one to laugh at my lame jokes
It sinks in when my back hurts but there's no one to remedy it
It sinks in when there's no one to fall asleep half way talking to me
It sinks in when there's no one to give me a "blur" look
It sinks in when there's no one for me to bore with my new found "revelations"
It sinks in when there's no one for me to pat on the back and say "so proud of you"

It sinks in when I go to bed and realise that we are 3984km apart

It Sinks In ...

2008-03-22T10:01:00.004+09:00

by Panda

It sinks in when I can't finish my food and there's no one to give it to;
It sinks in when I have to lug the "88-key thing' up-and-down stairs and into the car by myself;
It sinks in when I sit alone in church and you're not there for me to, "Psst ... check out that dude!" or "So and so is not here!";
It sinks in when I check the mirror before going out and there's no one for me to ask, "Do I look fat?";
It sinks in when I have the occasional craving for a chocolate+strawberry sundae and there's no one to drive me to McD or HJ;
It sinks in when I come home for dinner and just don't feel like cooking because it's such a bother cooking for one person.

It really DOES sink in. Absence does make the heart grow fonder =)

Surf's Up, Dude!

2008-03-09T09:21:00.004+09:00

Btw, Giraffe is back this weekend!! woohoo!!!

It was a bum-wetting experience =)

Happy Birthday T!

Chopped Liver

2008-03-08T21:30:00.002+09:00

So .. during the night of Panda's class graduation party, family and friends were invited. It was at a bar in Freo. After a night of catching up and mingling around, we were ready to leave. My friend and I turned around to look for her mom. Boy, were we in for a surprise. Aunty was probably in her mid-to-late 50s. But there she was being picked up by some random guy who wasn't that old at all. And we young pretty little things did not even get any attention at all. Nopes. Not even a second glance or a raised eyelid. We stood there, looking at each other, asking ourselves .. "What are we? Chopped liver?"

The Aunty Diaries 1

2008-02-22T21:20:00.008+09:00

So .. what does being "aunty" mean? How does one know that one is "aunty"? What qualities does an "aunty" have? Maybe you have some qualities of being an "aunty"? Some of the qualities may be the following:

Will always "tapao" the leftover spore chill crab sauce/gravy, so that can eat with rice the next day *come on .. you've paid like at least $100 for the dish, the sauce could very well cost $20 ... tee hee*
In a restaurant, will stretch her neck to check out what other tables are having before ordering
Upon entering an eatery where one must order from the counter, the aunty will always dive to the nearest empty table prior to ordering any food to 'chop' seats
Bargaining is always a must, whether it be in a pasar malam or at Harvey Norman's *even getting $10 off a kettle is worth it*
At a church event where there is free food, will always be the first one in the queue, and will even "tapao" the leftovers for dinner, lunch and the next dinner
Back home in chinese restaurants in msia, the aunty will always collect the unused wet tissues (in plastic, that goes 'pop') to keep in the handbag for use on another day
When the nivea counter at myers is having a "buy two items to get a free cellulite body lotion (worth $9)" promotion, the aunty will check out the cheapest two items to buy (which happens to be the single use facial mask [worth $3 each]) so as to get the cellulite lotion for free
Above all, the aunty will abandon all the above to devote her attention to the latest gossip that is going around the table, or will scrutinize the "5-minutes of going from hi my name is X, to hi my hand is on your butt" real life drama that happens in front of her at a certain bar

I (panda) have been called an "aunty". I do unashamedly admit that I do possess certain "aunty" qualities.

Do you have an "aunty" story that you would like to tell? Stay tuned for more ....

Welcome to Sydney!

2008-02-22T21:19:00.004+09:00

Here I am Sydney!

Besides hopping on the bus in the wrong direction, being lost in Coogee, getting used to the crazy driving and carrying two large fluffy pillows on the bus-train-bus at peak hour with everyone staring at me, Sydney has been very welcoming.

While Sydney has been welcoming, Panda’s absence is stirring the homesickness inside of me.

The Time Has Come ...

2008-02-22T20:41:00.005+09:00

Giraffe has embarked on his new journey to Sydney

Panda will be in staying in Perth

Our faith in God and trust in on another will keep us together

A very big thank you for all who have supported us

A shout out goes to mads, prawn, miss hong kong, M, fishie, allyvator, lumosmaxima, koala, "jonathan and david"

It is having people like you that makes it easier

At least for panda .. poor giraffe have to rely on his little gabbys .. hehe

GGGggGGRRrrrrRRRR!!!!!!

2008-02-05T12:27:00.000+09:00

Argghh!!!!!

Day one: 20 mins
Day two: 33 mins
Day three: 15 mins and counting ....

That's about 1 hour (and counting ...) of my life waiting 'on hold' for a 'customer service' person to talk to me. Now I have a gnawing suspicion that such person even exist. I'm writing this post as my mobile is on loud speaker and cheesy 'on hold' music is filling up the room.

Anyways, happy thoughts .... hehe. Cute babies that I found on YouTube ..

Hehehe ... the funny thing is she said it in a 'so-matter-of-factly' way.

Hehe .. I'm happy now =)

Cheesy 'on hold' music still playing .... 25 mins and counting...

My Oh My!!

2008-01-26T17:46:00.000+09:00

So, this Australia Day, we spent the day 'summer' cleaning Giraffe's place. And to our suprise, we found many surprises!! One of them was Giraffe's notes from a BGR talk held in church long time ago, the date stated August 2004 (that was before we were together).

Guess what I (Panda) saw on the last page ......

It's a little blurry but it says:

1. List 5 qualities that you would like to see in the person that you would marry

a) Amanda

b) Amanda

c) Amanda

d) Amanda

e) Amanda

Hehehehhehe ..... caught red-handed!!! But it is quite sweet ... awwwww. Well, in my defense, he wasn't the only one who was sweet. We found other stuffs too. Cards and notes that Panda wrote to Giraffe. *the photos have been edited to blur out the words, so as to protect Panda's dignity*

Geez .. can't believe how much I wrote back then. Now, I sometimes can hardly even use up the 160 characters of an sms. hehehehe. Anyways, here are some other treasures that we found:

Lat comics!!!! Haven't seen them in a while!! And a "buy one get one free" boost coupon with no expiry date!! Woo Hoo ...

What did you do this Australia Day?

Why Oh Why?

2008-01-26T00:20:00.000+09:00

This post is especially dedicated to melumosmaxima. Sorry for the delay =)

So, the question is why is Giraffe called Giraffe? Well, the story begins with Panda, one fine day whilst shopping, saw this and straight away bought it for Giraffe. Any guesses why?? Tee hee......

On a side note, this giraffe was bought before we were together during the "we like each other but not yet together" stage.

So, after that every other giraffe was called "Gabby" .. so that explains the animal association. Check out his "Gabbys" collection .... Tee hee...

Just a random thought ...

If Giraffe

And Panda

have kids, would they be giraffes with black and white spots, or brown/orange pandas.

Hmmm.... Maybe they'll look like this:

Hmmm ..... ehehehhehehe

Satisfied

2008-01-15T16:12:00.000+09:00

How many of us, being Asians, when eating a buffet, will always go for the most expensive dishes? No matter what, we must eat back our money's worth. Taking bread, rice, noodles or baked beans is like a federal crime. On the contrary, someone once said that when you go to a buffet, you're not paying for the amount that you can eat (although that is a bonus), but in actual fact, you're paying for the satisfaction you get from the food. Very well said...

The other day, we tried Buffet King at Myaree. It used to be Melville Chinese Restaurant but has since changed hands. They now serve Chinese buffet lunch and dinner. The range of food there isn't bad, at least 20 plus dishes which includes sweet and sour fish/pork, crispy chicken wings, 2 types of soup, chilli pepper ribs/brinjal, garlic prawns, curry chicken, fried rice/kway tiao/bee hoon/mee, crabs, chilli mussels, prawns, salmon sashimi ... yes ... crabs and salmon sashimi .. *yums*, ice cream, pepsi and orange juice ... the list goes on .. this is all I can remember now. Sorry there weren't much pics .. as I was too engrossed with my food.

The price is pretty decent as well:

Nice ambience too ... And of course not forgetting our happy customers:

At the Crossroads.......

2008-01-11T09:19:00.000+09:00

OR

Together

OR

Separated

YOU FREAK!!!

2008-01-09T16:49:00.000+09:00

I (Panda) have a special talent (or not ... tee hee) .....

I can spread my toes. But I've been told I am a freak ... To prove that my toes aren't like that all the time ... I am actually quite normal.

Do you have a freak feature??

Being Together

2008-01-09T16:22:00.000+09:00

After 94,608,000 seconds

1,576,800 minutes

26,280 hours

1095 days

156 weeks

36 months

3 years

..........

We got each other these for our 3rd year anniversary together

Although the bag is no Dior or some designer brand which can't pronounce the name (tee hee...), it was a sweet gesture of Giraffe to buy the bag, as I only mention in passing that I liked the bag whilst shopping some obscure day a few obscure months ago. So observant of him ... aawww

Well for the shoe, it is because his current one is too smelly .... hahahhaha

The Story of a Boy and a Girl

2008-01-04T13:45:00.000+09:00

There was once a Girl named:

She had a Boy-friend name:

*Music screeches to a stop*

Hang on, something's not right! What happened to the Boy-friend?!? No .....

This can't be. Who is the culprit?!?

Any guesses?? Tee Hee ....

And then there was a story about a Girl:

Characters in this story were purely fictional. Any resemblance are just coincidental in nature. No animals or humans were harmed during the process of this posting.

It's A Boy!

2007-12-18T12:07:00.000+09:00

Finally, he's here!

Tis' a season of giving =)

What Wart??!??

2007-12-16T15:14:00.000+09:00

Giraffe has this humongous wart on his elbow ...

A few days ago, I found this on my elbow ...

During a lunch conversation today, someone said that it is infectious!!??!! So I came home and did what everyone would have done. I went straight to Wikipedia and guess what I found.........??

"A wart is generally a small, rough tumor, typically on hands and feet, that can resemble a cauliflower or a solid blister. Warts are common, and are caused by a viral infection, specifically by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and are contagious when in contact with the skin of another. It is also possible to get warts from using towels or other objects. They typically disappear after a few months but can last for years and can reoccur. A few papilloma viruses are known to cause cervical cancer."

YIKES!!! I almost fainted!! Cervical cancer as well?!? Pharmacy here I come ... Vaccinations here I come!!

Fruits of Labor

2007-12-15T23:16:00.000+09:00

Countless shopping trips, many many hands, and 8 hours later .....

And of course, kudos to our official runner cum entertainer cum backup plan cum lunch bringer person... Giraffe! (newly botak as well!! eheheh)

Hope the elderly would have a merry Christmas this year, and may Christmas happen in their hearts!

Blonde Moment?

2007-12-15T00:50:00.000+09:00

Hahaha ...

Make Somebody Happy this Christmas?

2007-12-12T11:59:00.001+09:00

Christmas is a time we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
In layman's terms, it's Jesus's birthday!
Isn't it funny how, Christmas is Jesus's birthday, yet we get presents?

Shouldn't Jesus be getting the presents?

Matthew 25:34-40

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

This Christmas, Giraffe and Panda has decided not to buy each other Christmas gifts. Instead, we have decided to use the money to sponsor a child through Compassion. His name is Emanuel Kato, from Uganda. *this makes up for all the racist jokes, pertinent to a particular continent, that Giraffe has made*

Panda is involved with the Community Ministry at church and their Christmas project. The team are wrapping hampers to be distributed to the elderly. Giraffe was subject to unwilling obligation to accompany Panda on her mission to purchase 120 of each hamper item. Besides the large quantity of products needed to be bought, Panda also had an excellent plan to look for the cheapest price around town, not necessarily the most convenient. In case you have not experienced this before, try raiding an entire shelf of jams at the Reject Shop with no trolley and the lack of muscular strength of Giraffe. Not to mention the stares from the other fellow Reject Shop shoppers. Well, despite all the embarassment, it all went to a good cause.

HUH?!?

2007-11-13T16:16:00.000+09:00

The novel Sense and Sensibility first published by Jane Austen in 1811 talks about two sisters who represent "sense" (reason) and "sensibility" (emotion).

This blog talks about two individuals who represent "sense" and "sensibility". We think that Giraffe (Tsens) is the one who likes to reason more, and Panda ([S]Zeyensibility) is the more emotive one. Having said that, both individuals also possess different aspects of each characteristic. Journey with us as we waltz through the sharps (ups), flats (downs) and naturals (unhappenings) of life.