yet another interview on 08/08/2008!!!

went for another interview at where Jo and Karine were working.. the interview went pretty well and Ben, the guy who interviewed me, was really nice and made me feel totally comfortable.. if only all interviews were like that!

went to the post office to send off a parcel and walked around for a bit.. that resulted in me buying a blouse from Bardot! oops! i like the blouse, it's formal enough to be worn for work and can also be worn for a night out! but i also really like the paper bag! wahaha.. because it's yellow! hehez..

Jo baked muffins again last night.. in the muffin paper cups that i bought for her! the muffins taste good and look cute!

look at that~

i'm excited about dinner tonight as well! Miyuki invited me to join her and her colleagues for dinner at Zen House, a vegetarian restaurant in the city! i didnt realise it until Miyuki told me that the dinner was to 'celebrate' the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics tonight! Yummy food, here i come!

another interview~

went for an interview this morning and got lost on the way there.. i was almost late! Geez.. it was really in the middle of nowhere!!! it must be some sort of industrial area and the bus that i took was only able to drop me on another stretch of road adjacent to it! Apparently no buses go down the road that this company is on!

i was so lost that i went into what i thought was some sort of factory-cum-office.. the receptionist was really kind and looked up Google Maps for me.. she even asked me what time my interview was supposed to be.. when i told her it was at 10am, she asked me if i want to call the company using her phone because my watch told me i have less than 15mins to get myself there! Gosh, i would have to walk quite a fair bit before getting there..

when i finally reached the company, i dont like the look of it, i dont like the feel of it, i dont like the area it's in and i dont like how long and troublesome it took me to get there.. the interview was alright but it didnt took me long to realise that this is one job that i wish i wasnt offered a position!

i went back to the city after the interview.. and had my usual at GJ's.. my Irish Nut Creme.. i'm kind of into Hazelnut flavoured coffee nowadays, yup? haha.. the drink menu describes the Irish Nut Creme as 'A magical mix of Irish Cream and Hazelnut Italian style syrups, white chocolate, espresso and milk. All beneath a mound of whipped cream and green sprinkles'. Gosh, sounds like me! wahaha.. but i would normally request for a squirt of Caramel on top of my whipped cream though~ hmmm~ *smack lips*

Bye, Miss Neo!

XW got on the cab to the airport about 10 minutes ago.. life is back to normal and i'm no longer a tourist anymore! it's back to job hunting and attending interviews!

we went to Penfolds, Magill Estate today.. it's so near my place! it sounds a bit crazy to think that there is such a huge winery just down the corner of my street and that the area itself was the start of an empire with such a long history! cool~

we took a tour through their cellar door, costing A$15 each.. we saw the machines that processed the grapes and Mark, our guide, told us the procedures of producing wine.. Mark also gave us heaps of information on the company, its pioneers and of course, their wine!

we started with wine tasting before the tour because we were early and Mark was very kind to show us a number of different wines.. one white and about 5 reds, i think.. i wasnt very impressed with the wine (not that i know anything about them), but i love the port!

we tasted the PENFOLDS Bluestone Ten Year Old Tawny and the PENFOLDS Grandfather Liqueur Tawny.. the PENFOLDS Bluestone Ten Year Old Tawny was so yummy!!! The 'Grandfather' costs about A$100 each! Gosh, i was right to assume that there was a 'Great Grandfather'! Geez.. wonder how much that would cost~

after everything ended at Penfolds, we took a bus down to The Parade.. it was raining and freezing cold the whole day!!! walked XW through The Parade and had lunch at Cherry Blossoms (Japanese cuisine).. we ordered a Pork Katsu Don and a Teriyaki Chicken Don.. i would say that it was pretty value-for-money but the sauce was too sweet for my liking!

from The Parade, we went to the city for some light shopping and then had tea at CIBO Espresso.. i ordered a Ciboccino (hazelnut flavoured cappuccino) and XW had a Cioccolata Italiana (thick dark hot chocolate with a dash of cream.. i had a hard time trying to pronounce it!).. which turns out to be the THICKEST hot chocolate that i've ever tasted!!! gosh, a little bit over! we also ordered a slice of Apricot Cheesecake, which was pretty yummy! went home after tea as XW need to pack for her flight back to Melbourne!

P.S. Photos for today will have to wait till XW gets back to Singapore as my camera ran out of battery and i forgot to charge it!!!

5th August 2008 (Tuesday)
Today was a relaxing day and the only item on the itinerary was Central Market and Chinatown.. we had coffee at The Perfect Cup on Grenfell Street when we arrived in the city after breakfast at home.. i ordered a Macadamia Flat White and ordered the Hazelnut Flat White for XW..

their flavoured coffees were relatively mild in taste as compared to the ones at GJ's.. but i must say the milk was pretty well-frothed! after walking through Central Market and Chinatown, XW decided to have lunch at Dumpling King! it was a good decision! i like both the dishes that we ordered: Steamed Peking Pork Dumplings (15 of them for only A$6.80!!!) and Shanghai Fried Noodles with Sliced Pork and Vegetables (A$7.80).. we cant even finish half of what we ordered! i will definitely go back to try other dishes!

food.. glorious food~

yummy yum yum~

i had an interview scheduled at 5pm and left XW in the city after our late lunch.. it was a group interview for an upcoming promotional campaign.. i have never attended a group interview before and there were 15 people altogether! we were divided into 3 groups of 5 and were asked to choose a brand that we know of and come up with a advertisement for it! it was pretty fun and more like a group discussion than an interview.. met up with XW in the city after my interview.. and on my way to meet her at Borders, i dropped my handphone!!!! gosh, that pretty much ruined my day.. i was really upset about it.. the phone was barely 2 months old!!! *sob*

we went to Woolworths to get groceries for dinner after i grumbled (vent my frustrations, basically~) to XW at Borders.. i should have been more careful than to walk, adjust my shawl and hold on to my handphone all at the same time!!! now it's all scratched!!! i was in a real bad mood..

anyway, dinner was Steamed Dory fillet with Carrots, Tomatoes, Onions and Broccolini! you must be wondering what's that.. it's baby Broccoli! interesting vegetable.. just like how i didnt believe it when they first mixed Broccoli and Cauliflower and get this greenish looking cauliflower.. i think it's called the Broccocauli.. i dont remember.. but for a while it was sold in Woolworths back in Perth.. not sure if they still sell it though..

got home and slacked for a while before steaming the fish.. while we (all of us girls, including XW) were in the kitchen, Nic came in and announced that he's going to move out during the weekend! that was totally unexpected! anyway, that's life, isnt it?

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The Perfect Cup
77 Grenfell Street
Adelaide SA 5000

Dumpling King
Shop 4 & 5
85 Grote Street
Adelaide SA 5000

Hahndorf!! Beerenberg Farm!

we went to the town of Hahndorf today, which is situated in the Adelaide Hills.. it's the oldest surviving German Settlement in Australia and also one of South Australia's 17 State Heritage Areas! the weather wasnt too good though.. it kept on raining.. stopped for a while and then rain again.. the funny thing was that the skies tend to rain whenever we were outdoors and when we were indoors, the skies tend to be clear.. the moment we decided to hit the road again, it'll start to rain all over!!! Geez..

i was thinking that the signboard in the photo above was really precise with the population level in the town.. so it has 1839 inhabitants today.. i wonder how often the town change the signboard.. and how accurate the figures are~ i sure hope the numbers are increasing!

anyway, we had heaps of delicious food today! we were pretty hungry when we got to the town.. it was raining heavily and we really wanted to seek refuge in one of the warm-looking cafes! we decided on Cafe Assiette and it was the absolute right choice because there was a fireplace inside!!! warm~

XW ordered a White Hot Chocolate and i had a Flat White.. we then ordered a Bratwurst Dog and a Fish and Chips.. we both agreed that the side dishes and the condiments were really good.. the mains were good but not as exciting.. hehez!

the Bratwurst Dog has two side dishes of Garlic Mash and Sauerkraut.. my favourite is really the Sauerkraut though i have no idea what it is, really.. the Fish and Chips was served with fresh salad, crispy chips and dill mayonnaise.. and i actually like the dill mayonnaise best!

after warming ourselves with lunch, we went for a walk through the main street of the little town.. there are many quaint little shops in the town.. and many things to see, buy and eat! we walked to the Beerenberg Farm, just a little outside of the main street of the town.. lo and behold, there are so many bottles of yummy stuff one can buy there!

on this side of the shelf are the savoury condiments and sauces.. there are as many sweet condiments, sauces and spreads on the other side.. and the below are just some of the stuff that we bought! wahaha!

the little bottles of Rich Chocolate Sauce, Choc Mint Sauce, Hot English Mustard, Bavarian Mustard, Farmhouse Mayonnaise and Sweet Chilli Sauce are just so cute, i couldnt resist! and i didnt buy a single bottle of Strawberry Jam, which is their most famous produce!!! well, i dont like Strawberry Jam!

it was raining when we got out of Beerenberg Farm and we had to walk all the way back to the town.. by the time we got there, we were wet and freezing and decided to seek solace at the German Cake Shop! we ordered Earl Grey Tea for 2 and a slice of Bienenstich to share, which was absolutely yum~!

i will go back for this!

the cake shop was pretty big.. and this is only half of the shop floor.. it does look very European, i must say.. after tea, we went for cheese-tasting.. actually, only XW did because i was too full to put anymore food into my stomach! went home after that.. we were quite proud of ourselves because we managed to catch the public transport to a tourist attraction without buying day tours!

came home to cook pasta for dinner and it turned out that Jo cant eat mushrooms! she's allergic to them! i wasnt able to offer her dinner in the end and i felt really bad about it.. Jo, if you are reading this now.. sorry! i'll run through the ingredients with you the next time i invite you for dinner!

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Cafe Assiette
72 Main Street
Hahndorf SA 5245

German Cake Shop
2 Pine Avenue
Hahndorf SA 5245

finally a tourist!

this morning XW got here when i was brushing my teeth in the toilet! i didnt expect her to be so early.. Nic opened the door for her when she pressed the doorbell and she was lying on my bed when i came out of the toilet! she gave me a fright! she helped to bring me a lot of my stuff that i wasnt able to bring over when i came here.. Thanks, XW!

she took a shower and slept while i watched 24 and ate 2 breakfasts! wahaha.. we finally got out of the house at 1.10pm after i fed her some breakfast (lunch, actually.. wahaha!).. but we missed the bus and had to wait for the next one 1.41pm.. Geez.. we went to the city for some casual shopping and then went for a late lunch at Nando's!!! so hungry~ i vaguely remember the last time i ate Nando's was in Perth with Zen.. and that was a year ago!

photos meant to entice IL! wahaha~

Adelaide is really my city because of the pigs! there are 4 pigs like the one below right smack in the shopping street of Rundle Mall.. each having a different pose! i'm actually touring the city like a tourist! with XW here, i'm finally a tourist!

after lunch and some light shopping, we went to Woolworths for grocery shopping so that we would have the right ingredients for pasta tonight and breakfast tomorrow.. but we didnt cook in the end because Jo invited us for dinner!! yum! so yum~ it was the first time i've seen the dining table this full.. the 5 of us of Maylands Manor (plus XW) sitting down and having a roast dinner, courtesy of Jo! Thanks, Jo!

look at that! Jo made stuffing this time round and rolled them into balls and baked them! it was so yum~ the roast meat for tonight was chicken instead of beef.. the photo didnt managed to capture the chicken though.. so we had Chicken, Yorkshire Puddings, Mashed Potato, Mixed Vegetables, oven-baked Baby Potatoes and Chicken Stuffing!! filled to the brim, we were~ after dinner, XW, me, Miyuki and Simon watched Failure to Launch in the TV room.. it was pretty funny and silly! XW didnt take long to fall asleep after her head hit the pillow!

Ready!

i'm all ready for Miss Neo! i've gotten ready the sheets, blanket, pillow and extras.. also cleaned my room.. vacuumed and mopped the floor, wiped all tables and the window too.. and planned an itinerary.. not a bad job! Now i've got to go and make myself some dinner~

Hailstorm!~

OH GOSH!!! that's what i exclaimed when i looked out of my bedroom window slightly before noon today.. it's mad! it's hailing! it feels weird to even use 'hailing'! raining is the normal word to use.. but hail.. this is the first time i've seen and experienced it myself!

the wind was really strong.. the hail came flying into the garage.. and the noise made when it hit the garage roof was just scary~

i was quite lucky to be indoors when the hail came down.. i really dont want to be beaten to death by these pellets!

i think these pellets are between 0.5cm to 1cm in diameter.. they may look cute.. but i sure didnt want them to fall on me~