Life is the accumulation of every second spent.

New Toy

2006-08-22T11:37:00.000+10:00

Ever imagined yourself a coffee barrista? Well, I did.

Once upon a time in a small quiet lane in Melbourne, the smell of nicely brewed coffee was never absent. If you come by this charming place, you will always be greeted with a cup of aromatic cafe latte with dessert of some sort. One day, the beloved house percolator retired without warning, and the gathering at this place was never the same.

So what has this got to do with our new toy? It all started with our old espresso percolator deciding that it had served its terms dedicately for about 730 days. I thought these little buggers would last several years, but I guess this one was just over-worked too frequently and refused to function one day.

Without the percolator, my dream of being a coffee barrista was obviously put on hold. J and I thought that maybe it's a good time to cut down on the caffeine consumption. However, it was no more than a week when I realised that I became less productive during the day and got sleepy easily. The retirement of the percolator had a dramatic impact on the lifestyle and living quality of this residence! Something's got to be done to solve this serious problem!

J and I decided that instead of getting another relative of our retired fellow, it is probably time to upgrade my coffee making skill to the next level with a proper machine. Therefore, we went on a mission to search for the victim, I meant the coffee machine, for the house. After several visits to various stores, we still couldn't find the right candidate. They were either too unprofessional (how could I become a barrista without proper tools, right?) or too expensive (we surely love that $5000 industrial-sized machine, but...)!

Just about the time when we almost forgot how nice it is to have a cup of freshly home-brewed coffee anytime we wanted it, we accidentally stumbled into the evil department store empire in the city. I believe that the salesman was particularly welcoming and charming that day, J thought that it was fate, we both felt in love with this shiny looking machine. If I can recall the feeling I had at that moment, I bet it was just like when Homer Jay Simpson thinks about donuts - almost drooling! Without much of a debate, we both wanted to take this baby home even if it is out of our initial budget. We, well, "I" came up with various reasons to justify the purchasing of this machine is, in fact, valid and warranted for the wallet. For instance, countering J's argument on the impracticality of spending this amount of moolah on a coffee machine, I argued that with X amount of dollars, a woman (I didn't say who...) buys a nice looking dress and wears it once or twice, but with 2X, you can buy something that you use more than several hundred times! What a BARGAIN! Anyway, the discussion didn't last long; I won, hands down. So after a quick swipe with a business card looking plastic, we hastily went home with our new toy named "Espresso Machine - 800 Class Professional Grade Tools", whatever that name means...

From then on, a new journey of the residents in this charming little place in Melbourne has begun, a fresh chapter of a story is being written, and the life of a hard working espresso machine has started! His story is for next time.

As for me, my dream of becoming a barrista doesn't seem that far and unreachable anymore.

So I got TAGGED by Jovy...

2006-08-21T17:27:00.000+10:00

I heard it's rude not to reply when you are being tagged. So here I am answering these questions. The big question is who I should tag next! Ok, here it goes!

3 Things that scare me:

uncertainty
betrayal
Jovy (sometimes)

3 People who can make me laugh:

Jovy
Joffeeffee
Jovivi

3 Things I love (people not included):

Money!
being on top...of things
fast cars

3 Things I hate:

ants' smell
MY things being moved
slow drivers

3 Things I don't understand:

God
people
Jovy (sometimes)

3 Things on my (office) desk:

photo
my laptop
fake tooth

3 Things I'm doing right now:

thinking
typing
more typing

3 Things I want to do before I die:

buy a vineyard, build a nice house in the vineyard, live in the vineyard
be able to help people in need
raise a family

3 Things I can do:

The 3 things that Jovy can't do.
move my ears
configure a BERT

3 Ways to describe my personality:

calm
positive
can be too nice

3 Things people might not know about me:

got more than one NZ$ 300 speeding tickets
still have baby teeth in my mouth
love watching anime

3 Things I can't do:

give birth
swim without wearing a snorkel
lie

3 Things I think you should listen to:

me
yourself
Confucius

3 Things I don't think you should listen to ever:

a sales person
Satan believers
Satan

3 Of my absolute favorite foods:

Wagyu
seafood (most of them)
Jovivi's cooking

3 Things I'd like to learn:

wine
coffee
snowboarding

3 Beverages I drink regularly:

coffee
water
wine

3 Shows I watched when I was a child:

And finally I would like to tag:

LFS - "THE" Lunch Spot

2006-08-02T15:44:00.000+10:00

So it was cold and windy in Melbourne today, but that was not enough as an excuse to stop me from having lunch at LFS with JP. (JP's a colleague and a good friend of mine, where J is the girl who jumped out of the plane after me...)

What is LFS? What's so special about LFS that makes it qualify as "THE" lunch spot?

LFS is short for Lygon Food Store. Located at the heart of Lygon Street - the little Italy of Melbourne, it's a small Italian shop that sells plenty of cheeses, roasted & pickled veggies, ham, antipasto, and many things that look very interesting and mouth-watering.

As The Age Cheap Eats says, "On ANY given day at Lygon Food Store, you'll find a group of Italian cronies discussing the weather, the horses ad their daughters." Of course I wouldn't have any idea if they are discussing anything else more (Non parlo Italiano!), but it is literally true! You can also hear the shop keepers speaking in Italian while customers queue up to order (probably complaining about the customers!).

LFS has been on Lygon Street for 40 years. It originally started as a shop selling Italian cheeses. Lots of antipasto, such as artichokes, olives, eggplant, peppers, onions, mushrooms and - my favorite - sun-dried tomatoes. There are also lots of pasta, olive oils and different kinds of vinegars. But what makes me love going back again and again is #9!

LFS serves freshly prepared bread that's simple yet tasty. Now this is not your average toasted sandwich that you can get easily on the street. There are plenty of freshly prepared fillings to choose from with your choice of fresh ciabatta, focaccia or baguette. You can either be creative with the combination, or you can order from the menu (about 20 kinds). Finish off with a nice cup of genuine Italian coffee, no frills, just good Lavazza. Yummmm! Good quality food with an average price of AU$7.00, that's why it is "THE" lunch spot!

Of course the feeling of sitting out il fresco where you can enjoy the food and sunshine at the same time is another important factor. Kinda makes you wanna sit there forever...

Photo: J & A cappuccino - one-third creamy froth, one-third steamed milk, and one-third freshly brewed espresso, topped with chocolate and cinnamon spice. Something you cannot get anywhere else!

What is the "PhD"?

2006-07-28T12:29:00.000+10:00

Just like what Trinity told Neo in the dark and loud bar in The Matrix - "It's the question that drives us. It's the question that brought you here. You know the question? Just as I did..."

What is the "PhD"?

Unfortunately, like the Matrix, no one can be told what the PhD is. You have to see it for yourself. Are you ready for the red pill? Are you ready for the truth?

Here is a collection of opinions on the web from the predecessors of what PhD might be...

Usually PhD comes after BS (Bull Shxt) and MS (More of the Same)...

Permanent Head Damage (after the degree)
Player Hater Degree (try it yourself)
Post Hole Digger (try to hide?)
Post Homicidal Depression (serial killers)
Pothole Dodger (driver on poorly maintained roads)
Professional Help Desk (Job?)
Push Here Dummy
Patiently Hoping for Degree (during the degree)
Piled Higher and Deeper (papers?)
Please Hire. Desperate! (if finished)
Pour Him (or Her) a Drink (and more)
Potential Heavy Drinker (afterwards)
Physiologically Deficient (most likely)
Probably Headed for Divorce (very possible)
Pathetically Hopeless Dweeb
Pathetically Homeless Dreamer (worse)
Probably Heavily in Debt (high probability)
Parents Have Doubts (they just don't say)
Professors Had Doubts (they couldn't be bothered to say)
Pheromone Deprived (sad)
Professional Hamburger Dispenser (sadder)
Pizza Hut Driver (sad, too)
Pretty Heavily Depressed (symptom)
Prozac Handouts Desired (might help)
Probably Half Dead
Progressive Heart Disorder (during)
Permanent Heart Damage (after)
Philosophically Disturbed
Probably Hard to Describe
Patiently Headed Downhill
Please Hold! Dangerous! (warning!)
Promised Hell Down-the-road (more warning!)
Probably Heavely Death (very likely outcome!)

The list goes on, but as you can see, one needs to pay some serious price to see what PhD really is. And how deep does the rabbit hole go? Nobody really knows.

Are you taking the red pill?

"Where does it go?" was taken during our Warrnambool trip in June 2006.

A Good Weekend

2006-07-24T23:38:00.000+10:00

It was a good weekend, eventful but not stressful, productive but not tiring. Exercised after being slack for such a long time, caught up with friends whom I haven't met up with for a while, cleaned the house after having it messy for too long, and recharged myself after being sick for more than a week. It was what I would describe as an ideal weekend, well maybe not ideal, but definitely in the upper quartile!

The weekend started with a morning badminton session with a bunch of friends in Albert Park. I just realised how a 2 month break from exercising can make one so unfit! Regular gym sessions should be put back into my daily schedule again. Man, didn't my arms and legs feel like stones after badminton! I could hardly move my right arm, and I must have walked funny on that day, too. But it was not only fun, but also a good cardio workout.

After the game, we all went for lunch at the Blue Room Cafe. Pizza was the lunch that day. Food and exercise don't go together? Says who? I exercise so I can eat! For food lovers like J and me, we can never give up eating delicious food. For me, doing some exercise is the only way to go without gaining too much weight from eating! As for the Blue Room, I'd give it a 6/10 rating considering the food quality and price. Minus another point because the wait was exceptionally long that day... so 5/10!

A wonderful gathering should never end without a nice cup of coffee! So we ended up at the KoKo Black on Lygon St. after. I have to say that I felt a bit guilty while drinking that rich creamy dark chocolate mocha. But that feeling just whooped away after the first sip. Well, there goes my badminton session... The drink was good, the quality time spent with good friends was even better!

With my cousin W having moved in with us, everything suddenly doubled. Double fridges, double microwaves, double washing machines, and even double rice cookers! So it's not hard to imagine the significantly reduced walkable space in the lounge and dining area. We must have had enough of dodging the sofa and the bed while entering the kitchen after a week. I cannot remember whether it was me or J who started moving things around… After an hour or so of work(out!), we finally got a new relaxing area. Next to the big window are a nice comfy sofa, a designer chair, plus a side coffee table! Voila! There’s the new tranquility sanctuary in the house. Overlooking the dining and kitchen area with natural sun light coming from both the ceiling-high balcony window and the oversized window behind, the place is pefect for a lazy afternoon. Whether you fancy a new novel, newspaper, or do some serious reading on the soft sofa, a cup of Earl Grey or Café Latte on hand, this is what I call “lifestyle”!

Life is finally back to normal again. After a long break in Manila and HK, away from this Melbourne winter, I am not quite used to the cold anymore. The story of the trip is not for today's discussion, but it was a good trip overall. Now, it is time to get my act together and seriously use my brain again!

The photo was taken at the Melbourne Museum during Emily's visit.

L@BC@T's New Home

2006-07-22T01:03:00.000+10:00

After owning The journey of getting my Permanent Head Damage on MSNspace without updating it much, I decided to have a new home here and hoping that I will actually blog a bit more often.

So this is it! A new place for recording my life adventures, little ones or big ones. So this is more like a place for me to write down my own life experiences, my interactions with the rest of the world, and my feelings. As I don't trust my own memory that much, I figured that it would be better for me to at least have some record of what I have done in my life.

Someone once said that "Life is the accumulation of every seond spent". I wish I will be able to look back at this place in the furture, and say that I have lived my life fully...

The photo was taken at Melbourne Central during Emily's visit in June 2006.