The Training Geek.

Oops! Sorry! Been away from this blog for so long. Will update exciting things soon I promise! But first of all.. I’m gonna introduce you all to…

The Training Geek.

Wanna learn more about working out?

Wanna stay fit and healthy?

Wanna challenge yourself?

Click on the picture above to empower yourself! (:

It doesn’t matter if you want to work out on your own or with a group of friends, The Training Geek caters to all! Have a go, don’t be shy. It will all be worth it, I promise!

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From Miss to Mrs (:

Yes. It’s true. My dearest boy went on one knee and proposed to me while we were in Gold Coast. (: I’m going to be Mrs Ho! hehe And I still can’t stop smiling. hehe LOVE the ring. Can’t wait till the wedding. Let the planning begin! (2 years in advance hahah)

Happy 7th Year baby!! (: Many more years to come!

EARL Canteen

Ground level,
500 Bourke,
Lt Bourke St courtyard,
Melbourne 3000

I have always wanted to try Earl Canteen. I’ve read about it from reviews and people raving about their sandwiches. So I have been dying to try! And since baby had a lunch break before his evening shift, I met him for lunch at EARL Canteen! Yay!

I was so super happy when we arrived at this small and cosy little cafe. We were greeted by the friendliest waiter ever. Seriously! Service was really really good. No doubt that I will be a returning customer!

We were introduced to try this pressurised cold juices and they were really yummy! He was right to say the pink lady apple was the best! I had the passionfruit and apple one. Really good on a hot day!

there were so many to choose from but we decided to choose what hit our minds first!

the crispiest skin, and meat that will just melt in your mouth. With the combination of apple, cabbage and fennel coleslaw it was perfect! The only thing that baby wasn’t too happy about was that his baguette was not toasted proper. So was a bit tough! But other than that, the flavours were really good! I do prefer this to what I had.

I had the duck confit sandwich! hehe I have a thing for duck confit. haha so I had to order it when I saw it on the menu. When it came, I must admit, the colour of the duck meat isn’t that attractive. But let me tell you, never judge the food by only it’s looks! It was soft and also melt in your mouth. Together with the caramelised fig, walnut and onion jam, it was SO GOOD! sweet and savoury all in one bite! LOVED IT!

Will definitely head back to try the other sandwiches or even just to have the pork belly sandwich again. haha yes. that’s how much I loved it! (:

and im sure from this picture, you can see why!

and also from my baby’s super clean plate! (:

So what is your favourite kind of sandwich?

Acardia : New Breakie Place !

Arcadia

193 Gertrude Street

Fitzroy 3065

Tel: (03)94161055

When I was home for the last couple of months, baby told me about this breakfast place he came to with his supervisor. Us being huge fans of pesto, baby said I had to try their Italian eggs and their chai latte (but of course)! So the day after I arrived, baby immediately brought me there for breakfast after Mass. (:

Weekends are PACKED. We had to put our names on the waiting list. But service was pretty good and efficient, so we got our tables in less than 5 mins! So we quickly settled in, and chose what we wanted and ordered. But for some reason, our coffee and chai latte took ages to come and so did our food. Maybe they forgot our order? I hope so.

that aside, how cute are the things that they use in the cafe? It’s so english somehow and just feel like you’re relaxing outdoors. love it!

and my chai soy latte came in this cute little pot with a side of honey! (:

i, of course, was a very happy girl. (: especially when the food came!

my Italian eggs : scrambled eggs, pesto wrapped with slices of prosciutto.

my eggs were cooked to perfection, creamy and smooth, super generous with their pesto and everything just goes perfectly with the saltiness of the prosciutto.

Baby’s Mexican eggs : poached eggs, with avocado, tomato and coriander salsa! It was good! (:

the eggs were poached to perfection.

Baby had to finish my portion cause it was huge! haha (: lucky for me, he has a bigger appetite during winter! hehe

I had a chance to play with Cheok’s Nikon D40X. It’s quite fun and cool! haha my hands are itching again. *breathe* Need to find a part time job and save money! (:

and what makes it even better? Everyone gets a complimentary Green & Black’s organic chocolate! (: Never tried organic chocolate before, and I must say, this is good chocolate. And the bits of butterscotch within every bite, AWESOME.

Thanks for bringing me there sweetie (: love you!

one more shot of the food, just because.

Baby’s Best Crispy Roast Pork

if you guys have been reading my blog, you know my baby is an awesome cook. and one of his signature dishes that everyone loves is crispy skin pork. He recently saw how the chefs at Masterchef done it and decided to cook it for me and his family after he’s tried it on his own back in Melbourne! I’m so glad he did. It was super yummy!

a nice slab of pork with the skin sliced and salted and dried in the fridge uncovered (:

and baby fried the skin first before baking it. (:

the worse thing happened that night. the oven suddenly broke down, and the portable oven tripped the whole house after heating it for 10 mins. So we had to use the small toaster! hehe and guess what? My baby pulled it off! hehe

it was cooked perfectly. (:

we all preferred this way of cooking the pork instead of whacking it in the oven from the very start.

well done sweetie! (: it was really good! hehe

have it with home-made gravy : perfect .

Can’t wait to have more of my baby’s cooking when I get back! (:

i love you.

thank you.

i miss you already.

Shine On.

Keep on when your mind says quit
Dream on ‘til you find your living it
I’ll be right by your side.

Reaching My Goal

I look forward to our evening walks and jogs every day (:

finally.

baby has been doing crossfit workouts for the longest time.

I have been fighting with myself to exercise regularly. Yes, I have to say, I love food too much. I refuse to stop eating what I love and what makes me happy. Especially sweet stuff. I refuse to stop cooking or baking just so I can be skinny. I REFUSE. haha. So yes, the only way I could continue eating and still fit in my clothes, is probably exercise.

so yesterday, I did the one thing I thought would be impossible : crossfit workout. haha truthfully, by the end of it, I thought I was going to collapse hahah but I could still do boxing for another 15 mins! hehe so I am really proud of myself.

woke up today with a whole body ache! haha it’s like a long lost friend, which found me again. (: It’s painful but it feels good.

and just so I have a record of what I did :

3 rounds of 5 mins with 1 min rest; max rounds in worktime

3 wall push-ups

6 sit-ups

9 bodyweight squats

and I did 20 rounds of this in the 15 mins! hehe SO PROUD! hehe

so am i converted? as in am i now a avid crosfitter? haha Don’t know that yet! and I think it’s a little too early to tell. but we shall see! Always good to take that first step!

It does feel good to achieve something I’ve never done before. (:

(thank you for being patient with me! i love you!)

turning 24 : best meal ever !

Grossi Florentino. (:

Just thinking about the food we had last night, makes me hungry and makes me smile. From the first course of bread and extra virgin olive oil, to the ever famous Tiramisu for dessert. Everything was just perfect. and the icing on the cake? Meeting Guy Grossi himself! I never knew he worked there and would appear in the restaurant, going around to every table and asking if we enjoyed our meal. His humility, touched me. And baby said, my smile was wider than when I saw Gordan Ramsay during the Good Food and Wine Show! haha

There are a few people I have to thank for tonight :

My baby of course. Thank you for the wonderful meal (: Definitely the best meal I’ve ever had! hehe

Peggy and Paul for the recommendation! hehe

okie. enough of the logistics. time for the food! hehe. Now, don’t blink. Cause you would really want to sink your teeth into everything that we had last night. hehe

once we were seated, we were greeted with warmth, bread and the best quality of extra virgin olive oil and some olives!

and super duper long bread sticks that were super yummy!

i think we enjoyed the bread and bread sticks too much, finished them all! (:

time for our starters :

Tortellini di aragosta

Peggy told me that the Lobster Tortellini was a MUST. and so I did! (: And boy was I glad I listened to her. hehe it was SO GOOD! The burnt butter sauce complimented it so well.

I could definitely have more! (:

Ceviche di capesante

Baby had the scallop ceviche and I knew the reason why he ordered it. It’s cause he knew I love raw scallops. (: That’s how lucky I am. He would order something just cause he knew it’s something I like, and there’s more than 1 thing I wanted to try on the menu hehe. Thanks sweetie! (:

amazing presentation.

slices of scallops with a tinge of spice with an awesome vinaigrette. Pure yumminess. (:

by this time, we were so looking forward to our mains.

Anatra al vinsanto

yes. I know. it looks amazing. (: Simply put : Duck confit with roast duck breast and a mushroom tart.

breaking them down to the three separate components –

duck confit – with the meat falling off the bone. superb. really superb.

Roast duck breast – Perfectly cooked with crispy skin that was just full of flavour.

Mushroom tart. Just about the best tart I’ve had. The crust had a cheesy taste and just melts in your mouth.

Costata di manz

Baby’s aged rib steak that was so well cooked that it didn’t even need a sauce to company it.

it’s so good, it’s worth another look! (:

Patate all’Italiana

a perfect side to go with our mains : Fried potatoes with rosemary and garlic

Crispy on the outside. Tender on the inside.

see the smile on our faces? hehe (:

I love how they had their own glasses, plates and even their own wine! (:

for dessert : the best tiramisu !

I loved how they serve this dessert. It came our in a huge bowl, and was served table-side.

looking at all these pictures, it’s quite obvious why we were both really happy right?

Grossi Florentino – AMAZING !