Singaporean Optometric Gathering (8,9,10th Grad Batch) - THE HIDDEN FOODIE ISSUE!

Ying Thai 2
110 Lygon St
Carlton 3053 VIC
Phone: (03) 9639 1697

This is one of the very rare occasions where we get to meet up like that. Lenny, my senior (Jasmine's batch: 2004 Graduation Batch, 8th Optometry Batch) Singapore Poly Optometry Course, happened to be in town that day (flew down from Queensland) , so we decided to have a mini gathering! Dion (same batch as Jasmine and Lenny) planned everything so we simply tagged along lah..

Instead of harping on the nitty gritty of our gathering, I shall skip straight to what matters.. The FOOD!

This place has been highly recommended by Aussie locals (thanks mates!) and I know why.. As the name suggests.. It serves delicious thai cuisine in a strangely nursery like setting..

The Main Entrance:

They offer Al-fresco style dining too:

So colouful! :

Kids in background playing Singapore Kampong games?

Hao Na and Rachel.

Hao Na and Cutie-Cutie.

HaoNa, Rachel and Carolyn.

(Kids playing Gasing (Gah-Seng) in background!)

Handsome fella in middle is Dion.

I admit, I don't exactly look my best here.

Did I mention he was an Air Force Officer?

Notice the warm and cosy home-like setting..

From Left: Jasmine, Dion, Lenny

They even have authentic Chang (Elephant, in Thai) Plates.

Alright that's all folks. This is not a true foodie issue.. simply because I forgot to take pics of what we ate.. But the Green Curry was absolutely FANTASTIC! I have no idea where they got the ingredients from, it tastes really good, by Australia standards.

Further down the street..

Il Dolce Freddo

Ph: (03) 9639 3344; 116 Lygon St, CARLTON 3053

Gelati Time!! It has always been standard practice amongst foodies to have lunch at Ying Thai2 followed by ice-cream at Il Dolce Freddo..

Look at the winter crowd..

Business is brisk here! They even offer *gasps* DURIAN ICE CREAM!!!

I had the Ferrero Roche Ice cream, it was very awesome. The sell ice-cream exactly the same was as Tom's Palette (Shaw Towers, Singapore), choose a cup size, cone or waffle. And any 2 ice-cream.

'La Fruita Passione'

My NEW Home! I wish...

Hi all, I would like to introduce to you, my *very own bachelor's pad!

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Welcome to Franklin Lofts

FRANKLIN LOFTS, 83-93 Franklin Street MELBOURNE

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My most humble abode.

*after 10 standard drinks

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It's conveniently located in between Queen Victoria market and Melbourne Central. And the best part is, it's just across the street from my favourite supermarket, ALDI (below Milano Aparments.. Hey 2WO Chandra, I found it!)

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The view when you step into the lobby of Franklin Lofts.

Wow, the wall painting looks remotely Buddhist. (Don't quote me)

My friends love coming over to parrttyyy at my place:

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Meet my new friend Carolyn (in white).

I just love it when my friends stand in my balcony, assuming the usual jaw-dropping awe-struck position for up to 5 seconds before remembering to close their mouth again.

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That's the city sky line in the daytime.

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My friends simply love performing Yoga at my place as it's so spacious!

Sometimes, I love looking down on my friends, from my bedroom upstairs:

One thing puzzles me though.. why do all my friends gape in awe of the beautiful sunset?

HELLO!? Haven't you ever seen such a beautiful sunset from such an upmarket, wonderfully constructed, award winning, high rise, perfect-view building before? Jeez... I see this everyday.. B..O..R..I..N..G..

Excerpt from http://www.andrewscorp.com.au/apartment.asp:

The Franklin Lofts offers 189 split-level apartments over 31 floors. Construction began in 2000 and was completed late in 2001. The building was awarded a Master Builder Excellence in Construction award in 2002. The design concept emerged from the idea of two-storey, New York style, lofts in a modernist high-rise building. Investors have enjoyed above-market rental returns and capital gains, and the building remains highly popular amongst the international student market thanks to its location in the heart of Melbourne's educational precinct.

Jealous?

-don't be, it's not mine.

JJ Rating: 4/5 - Time to move !

Port Melbourne and Brunetti (Fri Night, 240807)

PORT MELBOURNE

-sorry, no nice pics of the sea.. it was too dark!

Rex Hunt's D'Lish Fish
Seafood

105 Beach StPort Melbourne 3207

Melway Map Ref: 57 A3

Right after clinic on Fri, we zipped down to Collins Street and transferred to Tram Service 109 all the way to the LAST STOP, before alighting at Port Melbourne. Initially, I anticipated the place to be like our Clarke Quay however, it was rather.. peaceful and serene. It was definitely too cold to sit outdoors by the sea so we sat indoors instead.

Look how happy everyone is (as seen above)... EXCEPT ME:

Boohoo.. I was feeling low that day because of Dr Trung.

Hehe.. My own fault though.

Anyway, we purchased the FisherMan's Basket for AUD34.90.. meant for 4.

But 5 of us had difficulty finishing it! (we added a fish though).

If you're there by yourself, you can get a single fish n chip set for AUD6.90 - first sauce free (subsequently AUD1.30/sauce). I recommend their home made tartare and sweet chillie sauce.

Ambience was fine, much like a fast food restaurant. They had Al-fresco facilities but did not turn on the outdoor heaters. Food was quite good. The place reminded me of Fin (Singapore, Marina Square). Definitely great value for money.

JJ Rating: 3/5 - worth a try lah..!

BRUNETTI

Faraday Street194 - 204 Faraday Street

Carlton Vic 3053Australia

Sunday - Thursday (6am - 11pm)Friday - Saturday (6am - Midnight)

I've heard so much about this place! All the buzz and hype surrounding this cafe has caused reverberations to places as far as... Singapore! (it was featured on a Channel 8 Variety programme) - can someone please add a comment to tell me what show it was?

If you're walking there along Lygon Street, just take a short turn around the corner of Lygon Court..

There you have it.. (*drum rolls in background*)..

WELCOME TO BRUNETTI.

Look at the immense crowd!

Just like our Singaporean Donut craze!
(please ignore Smiley Face girl. I took 3 shots and of all the 3 girls, only Yiwen repeatedly appeared de-focused- Argh!)

Above: Cake selection area. Below: Coffee/Beverage selection area:

Sorry girls.. they ran out of chocolates:

Just Kidding!

Finally! The food has arrived:

Clockwise from left: Mudcake, Choc Oblivion (Choc Souffle w Ice-cream) and Ricotta Nutella.

A cake costs about 5 bucks.. same as the drinks. Pretty reasonably priced!

We also ordered drinks: 1x Iced Choc, Limonata(bottled lemonade) and Strawberry Milkshake. All not photographed individually though.. DOH!

Happy Times @ Brunetti =)

JJ Rating: 5/5 - A definite MUST TRY!

Ok, I have decided.. It was a tough choice but I have made up my mind. Just that day I was wondering if Max or KOKO black is better... well... stop squabbling you two.. make way for Brunetti. The best mix of cakes, drinks and chocolates!

Current ranking purely in terms of food+drinks/taste:

Rank: 1)Brunetti 2)KOKO Black 3)Max Brenners

Sorry Max.. I still love you!

You're still the BEST in Singapore!!!!

( still prefer Singapore's Max's as compared to here. Why don't they serve Maragnan here anyway?)

'Silence' @ Docklands. Featuring: Cow up the Tree

Melbourne Docklands

Cow up the tree

-let's meet by the cow up the tree

A sculpture by John Kelly, in reference to a Portrait of Joshua Smith (an Aussie painter), drawn by William Dobell.

'Silence'

We walked on.. and entered an area known as 'New Quay'. There, we encountered another Urban Art display, known as 'Silence'. Created by Adrian Maurika, officially launched on 13th April 2003 by John Tabart, CEO Docklands Authority and Paul McDonald, Group GM of MAB Corp at New Quay.

Silence is the secret and the holy grail.

Epiphany is the greatest joy.

With an undertow of aum,

Reverberating.

ADRIAN MAURIKS.

Friends, meet Silence. 'Hi Silence!! How's it goin' ?'.

Silence: ...
Silence, meet Yiwen, Jasmine, Rachel and Haona.
Silence: ...

Introducing my friends (a joint production between SDU (Social Development Unit) and World of JJ)... with lotsa cheese!


Yiwen: Singapore, Age *18 Female Status: **Single and Available

Rachel: Singapore, Age: *18, Female ***Attached but Available

HaoNa: Singapore, Age *18, Female ****Attached?.. Available?

Jasmine: Singapore, Age *18, Female *****Single but Unavailable (hehe.. )


Jeremiah: Singapore, Age *18, 'Cai Cai' ('Error Code 412: Gender Undefined)

* Estimated Age within +- 10 SD(Stnd Deviation) at 1% Confidence level
** Only Australians need apply..
*** No offense Ken! Just kidding!
****Huh? Got meh? Oh you mean.. cu.. (hehe..)
***** Current Status: Reserved by... *sniggers*

Silence.

Waterfront City

I'm pretty impressed with their creativity! Using projection spot lights to decorate an otherwise empty and plain square.


We look like Mr Bean who just fallen down into a spot of light.




This was where we initially intended to go: Hot Chocolate.

However, the entire glasshouse was booked by Monash University Female Engineering Students.. *sigh*

So we headed off for Brunetti instead.

My Weekly Routine- Very 'Interesting'

THAT'S IT!

Time to get a life..

Hi Friends and Family. I'm still alive..

and I'll like to keep it that way. Lemme show you how(I do it):

The following photos you see basically sums up my weekly routine.

Waking up to a late saturday morning, we take the free That's Me!bourne shuttle bus to Queen Vic Market. We usually go marketing after 1300hrs. When we first began, we carried with us the Singaporean (Wet) Marketing Mentality: Must go on Sundays, Must go early.

WRONG WRONG WRONG!

'Clinical Pearls' for the Astute Grocery Shopper

(please skip if you don't do marketing)

#1. Firstly, on Sundays, half of the market is closed for tourist shopping! The stalls selling vegetables and fruits, that normally occupy the rear end of the market, are being chased away every sun to make way for nougat and koala bear pushers. These very stalls sell the cheapest fruits and vege because they are located relatively further from the main market.

#2. Secondly, you go early, true, u get the fresher food. But only fresher by a few hours (all meat are refridgerated, indoors)! Going at 1 pm, you get the best deals as stalls start slashing prices by almost 50%!

#3. Thirdly, if you're wondering if it's cheaper to travel by Tram on the AUD2.50 whole-day-all- zone tram ticket, YES. However you can save more money by taking the Free Tourist Shuttle to Queen Vic everyday from 10am to 4pm.

Now I sound like an auntie hehe...

You haven't seen Auntie till you've seen this:

'Brocolli prices are plummeting! Let's buy more!'

Store keeper didnt look too happy when I took this shot.
-We bought too much brocolli?

Next, we leave it to the experts to do their thing:

Mondays to Fridays:

eatstudysleepeatstudyeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleep
And .. we leave it to the expert (in yellow) to do his thing: (Eat lah..)

eatstudysleepeatstudyeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeat

The following scenes are performed by Highly trained professionals. Please do not try to enact these scenes from home. Doing so would put yourself, your family and possibly your dog at risk.. with cheese.

'an additional contribution to the vestibular nerve is from hair cells in the macula acoustica of the utricle and saccule' - *Yawns*

I'm holding 4 different coloured highlighters.

This is a common sight for us. Everyday from Sun to Thurs, mugging till 1am every night! All this just to catch up with our classmates. Ah-ha! Serves you right for returning everything you've learnt to your teachers in poly.

eatstudysleepeatstudyeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleepeatstudysleep That's me, fighting the 'Z Monster' (Zzz.. Get it?)

As usual, Z Monster wins.

In my dreams: Allow me to Stimulate the afferent pathways to the Maxillary (V2) and Mandibullar (V3) Division of ur Trigeminal Nerve.

If you were wondering what my MSN nick (as seen above, in my dreams) means: Trigeminal Nerve = Cranial Nerve 5, the sensory nerve of the Central Nervous System.

It is divided into 3 parts: V1: Ophthalmic Division (which I'm more concerned with) supplies ur upper eyelid, cornea, tear glands etc...

V2 innervates the skin of your Cheek, Upper Lip etc..

V3 innervates your Lower Lip, Anterior 2/3 of the Tongue etc..

Get it? *wink* wink* Oops, did I trigger a neuro-sympathetic response in you?

(If you're a girl, please check mirror now to see if your pupils are bigger than usual)