Chinese New Year Festival

As mentioned in my previous post, Chinese new year of the dragon was celebrated not long ago. There is a large presence of the Chinese community in Melbourne so this means week long festivities and celebrations! Yay :)

Lion display -typically used in lion dancing

Most of the festivals held are quite similar (mostly with food stalls and cultural performances). Last Saturday, I decided to check out the Box Hill festival.

Welcome

Prayer station

I usually visit these festivals for the food stalls (these are set up side by side, each selling different Chinese inspired dishes) but I was actually a tad disappointed this year. The variety of food was repetitive and I was unimpressed.

Deep fried potato twists

Grilled squids

Toffee fruit for dessert

However, one dish that never disappoints and I look forward to every year are the lamb skewers. These are not ordinary BBQ skewers, they originated from northern China and are intensively grilled on hot coals.
The marinate used on these skewers are perfectly infused all types of spices and herbs. Don't forget to add some extra chili on top for extra kicks!

Yummy skewers

Close up

We couldn't get enough of these! for $2.50 each, one will never be enough :)

There are still a few more Chinese new year celebrations in the next couple of weeks, so if you have some spare time on the weekend - why not pay one a visit?

Melbourne's Chinatown

Traditional lion dancing popular with the crowd

Happy new year again everyone! May the new year bring you happiness, good health and prosperity!

Scribble you later,
Miss Scribble

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!!

Today marks the first day of the Chinese Lunar New year- the year of the Dragon.

In the Chinese culture, many consider it highly lucky to be born in the year of the Dragon, as the dragon is a mystical creature and in the Chinese Zodiacs, it is seen as one of the most powerful. This is one of the reasons why many Asian parents like to have dragon baby.


There are many Chinese New Year festivals/ events around Melbourne over the next few weekends. If interested, you can check the dates here

Stay tune to my next post for see my visit to one of the festivals

Xin Nian Kuai Le! Gong Xi Fa Cai !

Miss Scribble

Mocha

Hi everyone! I would like to introduce you all to Mocha!

He's a 4 months old purebred King Charles Cavaliar. We brought him when he was just over 8 weeks old. Unfortunately due to recently losing my phone, I had lost a lot of precious photos of Mocha when he was just a tiny pup.

We named him in memory of the boyfriend's old guinea pig which unfortunately passed away. But the name actually really suits Mocha because of his golden brown fur colour. Cavaliar's are known for its beautiful temperaments- they are affectionate, loyal, friendly and loves to be around people.

Mocha is such a bundle of joy! He has grown so much from the shy scared little pup the day we took him home . After a long day at work, coming home to this playful adorable little pup just lightens up my day. I love him!!

Like normal pups his age, he is extremely curious of everything and anything.. He loves to chew and bite anything in sight, and with those sharp puppy teeth developing- it actually hurts! My parents have already jokingly asked me to pay for the shoes and household items Mocha has sunk his little teeth in.

Mocha is a smart little cookie! He already knows the basic commands like sit, shake, drop and roll over. But of course, he only does these properly when there's a treat awaiting him. Not sure what other tricks I can teach him now. Love to hear any suggestions.

I can't wait to spend more time with Mocha and watch him grow each day. Here are some more photos of my little baby (doesn't he look different in every photo?)

Scribble you later
Miss scribble

Cacao Green

Melbourne Summer has always been a favourite of mine- warm weather, hanging out at the beach and of course, it wouldn't be complete without ice cream!

This year, I've found a new alternative to ordinary ice cream- flavored frozen yogurt. Lately, there has been a few frozen yogurt stores popping up around Melbourne, one of which have become my favourite and I must admit, has even become an addiction- Cacao Green. One of its first store is located on the corner of Swanston and Lonsdale Street in Melbourne's CBD (the other is located on Glenferrie Road Malvern). It is a small sized store with only a few seating inside and some out on the main street.

Melbourne CBD store

For those of you who are unfamiliar to this new food concept - it is basically frozen organic flavoured yogurt with the options of adding your choice of toppings.

It come in a few different flavours, from original vanilla, strawberry and green tea (they also have introduced a new flavour lemon ginger- but I have been a little reluctant to try it). Sizes are from junior (I would recommend this size for one person or regular to share between 2), regular and large sizes. If you are indecisive (like me) about which flavour to try, there is also the option of combining 2 flavours in one ie. Vanilla and strawberry

Cacao green yogurt

The frozen yogurt experience wouldn't be complete without adding toppings to the yogurt (my favourite part!)- toppings range from fruits (berries, mango, pineapple, kiwifruits) to nuts (macadamia, almonds, mixed fruit & nuts) and more. One word of warning- they tend to be a little stingy with the amount of toppings but if you are lucky, you may be served by a more generous assistant (although I have only experienced this once).

Toppings

Becoming addicted to these frozen yogurt can become an expensive habit. The combination of yogurt and toppings will set you back more than the price of normal ice cream. Junior size is about $4.70, regular $6.70 and I'm not quite sure about large as I have never had the appetite to try the size. One serve of topping is $1, two is $2 and three is $2.50, so you can imagine how it can add up.

Frozen yogurt is not the only item on Cacao's menu, they also have waffles, smoothies, coffee/hot chocolate, green tea and other drinks.

Waffles

My all time favourite combination would have to be the green tea yogurt with a serve of honey macadamia and mochi. The sweet crunchy from the macadamias and chewy texture of the mochis (these are small sweet rice dough Japanese desserts) combined with the refreshing goodness from the green tea, makes it the perfect summer treat!

Green tea with honey macadamia and mochi (my favourite combo)

Why don't you give Cacao Green a try and tell me your favourite combination.

Cacao Green
285 Swanston St
Melbourne, VIC 3000

Rating:
Yum: 8/10
Price: 6/10
Service: 6/10



Miss scribbles

Friday 13th

I've never for one been a believer of superstitions, so today being Friday the 13th didn't cross my mind to be one which I should be scared of. If only I could turn back the time..

My iphone was stolen only a few hours ago, snatched right out of my very hands on the tram in broad daylight.. the same tram that I've caught since I was a high school teenager. Although I have heard rumours and stories of this particular tram being quite notorious for its crimes, I never imagined that it could happen to me.

Making my way to the city, as I stepped onto the tram and took a middle seat, I couldn't help but noticed a group of 5 or so Sudanese teenagers nearby. Having not thought too much into the situation, as there is quite a presence of the Sudanese community around the tram line, I continued to resume my usualy tram activities (to bypass time)- browsing my phone and listening to music..

As the tram reached another stop, the doors opened and before I knew it, I felt my phone being snatched violently out of my hands by one of the youths as he bolted out of the tram. Instinctively, I jumped out of the tram and ran as fast as I could after the thief, in the hopes that I could catch up to him. I didn't know what to do as I just watched him run further into my distance.. My cries out of help went unheard by passing cars and pedistrans. It was too late.. he was gone!

Shocked.. numb..anger.. upset..helpless.. lost..traumatised. The combination of all these feelings was rushing over me all at once. As I walked along the unfamiliar streets, I didn't know what to do but to find the closest phone to call for help. The first store in sight- Video Ezy. The shop assistants were extremely kind and helpful, they offered their phone and a room for me to calm down. The police came within a matter of minutes.

The police informed me that this was not the first instance of this type of crime in the area, there had been a number of recent attacks by Sudanese youth on stealing ipads and iphones. I guess not being the only victim was some consolation but certainly didn't make me feel any better. The funny thing was the police asked if I had installed the 'Find my phone app' which is an iphone app designed to track down lost iphones. Unfortunately, I didn't..

It makes me sad that there are still people in our society who would resort to such low means, I guess poverty really does force people to do unthinkable actions...
The boyfriend showed me this article http://corpau.blogspot.com/2011/07/crime-gangs-stealing-iphones-in.html which perfectly describes my situation.. If only I had read this article earlier.

Although I'm still feeling quite tramautised, the support from loved family, friends and boy friend has really helped to ease the pain. The boyfriend was really sweet, he came over and surprised me with a new iphone 4s. That was another shock in its own! I refused to accept it, I feel way too guilty! But he insists that I take his current phone and he will use the new one. sigh... sometimes I don't know what I did to deserve him.

Reflecting on the events of today, I realised that I am also one partly to blame. I should have been more careful, more assertive and took more notice of the surroundings. I'm may be too naive at times, never thinking that these situations could actually happen to me!

Sigh.... I'm not going to be a wishful thinker and be optimistic that the phone will miraculously be returned to me. But I will let this experience teach me some valuable life lessons

Note to self-
1. Be more assertive and aware of my surroundings
2. Try to limit the exposure of valuables and personal items in public environments ie. phones, ipods etc.
3. When on public transport, avoid sitting next to people who look dodgy. If feeling unsafe, just move! or sit close to the tram/train driver
4. Be more careful and less naive of our society.

Sorry if this post came across as too bitter or depressing.. just really wanted to get it out of my system while it's still fresh. what a Friday the 13th to remember.


Hopefully, next post will a happier one! :)

Miss Scribbles

Country Escape

2011 was definitely an eventful and busy year for me and I just couldn't wait for the Christmas/ new year's holiday break.

What way to celebrate and treat myself than a weekday get away . The boyfriend and I recently purchased a scoopon deal for a romantic 2 night get away at Stonealea, which is located in a small country town of Alexandra- about 2 hours drive north east of Melbourne. Having never heard of the town, we decided not to have our expectations too high and just to enjoy each other's company and have a relaxing time.

Stonelea Country Resort

Upon arrival, we were a little worried about just how secluded the location was and that we would surely be bored within an hour. All we could see was literally only acres of open farm land and green tree tops.

Alexandra

We were greeted to a little small contained cottage, which was cosy and equipped with most of the necessities. However, we were surprised to find that there was not a TV in sight- probably intentionally left out for those wanting a break from civilisation. TV lovers- don't sweat, there is a TV in the main living area along with free wifi Internet connection for those who just can't resist the occasional facebook checking. (I must admit.. I was a victim)

View of our cottage

The view from our cottage was spectacular- of a small lake filled with trouts for fishing as well as views of the beautiful outback landscape. The daily worries and stress of city life did not take long to fade. We were even lucky enough to wake up one day to the sight of a group of kangaroos on our porch.. something you definitely won't see in the city!

Surprise view of kangaroos on our front porch

To our surprise, there were plenty of activities to occupy our time with at the retreat- from tennis, golf (you will have to pay for club hire as well as the buggie if needed), badminton (which the boyfriend and I took a liking to), pool and there's even a spa/ massage centre (additional costs and bookings required- however the boyfriend does not recommend this service as he was unimpressed by the masseuse's "light" touch). One really fun activity we loved was bike riding- peddling freely in the country side while enjoying the beautiful view somehow made us feel like we were in a scene from a romantic love movie.

The town of Lake Eildon ( a more popular tourist destination, famous for its dam, picturesque rivers and water sports) is situated close by, approximately 20 minutes drive from Alexandra. It is definitely a recommended place to pay a visit. Check out some of the amazing scenery we captured below:

Lake Eildon Dam

Boathouses on the lake

Snob's Creek Waterfalls

View from Fraser's Island

One down side that we found about the area was the lack of good quality dining, where most the better dining options are only open on selected days - mostly weekends (ie. I was really looking forward to dining at one of the local favourites- Peppercorn Hotel but to my dismay, was closed on weekdays) and are not located within close proximity to one another. We were disappointed to find that the only food options in the local town was hotel/ pub food, which we were forced to resort to in the end ( oh well, can't complain with a good parma).

Overall, we had a really fun trip and was sad to leave both Stonelea and the countryside. It was definitely what I needed to start the new year! Are you in need of a country get away soon?

Scribble you later :)

Miss Scribble

Hello 2012!

Can't believe another year is over and another year heading our way. 2012!

Time for exciting new beginnings, changes and who knows what suprises are instored. What a better a way to start it off than by starting a new blog.

Blogs have always been a hidden interest of mine- whether it is following friends or even random blogs, it's a great fun way of keeping me, entertained and updated.

So, I thought why not start writing one too? My blogs will be a mix of many- life, food (having been labelled a "foodie" by friends, this will be an inevitable topic), lifestyle, random thoughts, scribbles and photos.

What's in your 2012? Stay tune!

Miss Scribble.