Black Swan

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Grace

Black Swan is one of the most disturbing movies I have ever seen. This certainly has come from a very dark part of someone’s mind.

Natalie Portman plays a ballerina in a top ballet company whose entire life is consumed by ballet, and it turns out that her mother’s life is entirely consumed by her. A vacancy opens up for the prima ballerina position in Swan Lake and Portman is in the running. Swan Lake requires both a light and dark persona and whilst Portman’s character personifies the light, she embarks on some pretty crazy sh!t to reach her dark to overcome her closest rival.

This is one of the most well-acted movies I’ve seen in a while and as a thriller is spine-chilling. I can’t even begin to describe just how dark and depressed I feel right now having seen the movie. It certainly paints ballet in a whole new light.

It was her worst day, it was her best day

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Grace

Jenny had a couple of days before she was starting her new job so it was a good opportunity to meet up with her to have yum cha. Luckily I was able to have an extended lunch hour to do so. We started with a “fish” pedicure. This seems to be the current thing trending at the moment so when a groupon voucher came up I thought it was a good opportunity to check it out.

Honestly I think the whole “fish” pedicure thing is overrated. Sure the fish were nibbling but I really don’t know to what extent they were able to clear out the dead skin cells. It felt really odd and ticklish. I would safely put it into the “novelty factor” category than a genuine “pampering” experience. On the plus its a good activity to entertain the kids – at Garufa at least its something like £1 a minute with a minimum of £5.

I have to mention Jenny’s “worst” day experience – we had a bit of time before we needed to get our fish pedicure and lunch so we went to a local oriental supermarket. Jenny bought a bottle of sesame oil – but when she put it down on the counter it rolled off – and the lady made her pay for it! I’m not saying it was partially Jenny’s fault but I think it was partially the lady’s fault too – just seemed a bit harsh.

Jenny’s “best” day experience was running into Martin Lewis! He must have been filming some sort of television spot – but Jenny was well-chuffed to be meeting her idol in person.

Then it was on to a giant feast at Royal China. Jenny even braved Chicken Feet. Heh heh.

The Icecreamist – can it survive?

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Grace

Less than a year ago The Icecreamist had a short stint in Selfridges touting their boutique and edgy ice cream. More recently they have opened up permanent establishments in Covent Garden – and by establishments I mean literally two stores about one street away from each other. This I find a very odd business decision! When we visited The Icecreamist in Maiden Lane today it wasn’t very crowded … in fact we were the only customers … so I do wonder how it will get on.

Admittedly the ice cream combinations they offer are quite unique – but the price point is staggeringly expensive. Perhaps the cool factor will help with business.

Thanks to my bro for these pics

Update: 25 February I just heard that The Icecreamists are currently in the press for selling ice cream made from human breast milk!

Caro’s Fish and Pie

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Grace

If there is one venue where you are guaranteed a great and delicious feed it is at Caro and Nate’s dinner table. Honestly Caro really spoils me with her home cooking – tonight it was a gorgeous oven-baked whole fish followed by a delicious pie.

Both so very good!

Cocktails and Cupcakes

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Grace

Today was a day of feasting which started with a giant meal at Princess Gardens with Nate and Caro. In fact, I was so stuffed and full from my meal that when I left to meet Rehana I actually got confused with the correct tube stop I was meeting her at! Eventually I made my way to the correct one and had to hustle to get to our session in time – the plus to that was that I at least burnt off some of my meal from Princess Gardens. Heh heh.

For my leaving do one of the gift I was given was a Cocktails and Cupcakes course with The Cocoa Box. Rehana was also good enough to buy a voucher for herself so she could keep my company. Surprisingly when we got to the venue many of the people doing the course were couples! I guess heaps of guys buy it for their partner thinking it’s a nice romantic gift.

I wasn’t sure how the course would operate – we only had an hour and a half. Turns out the Cocktails were pre-mixed in jugs (kind of like Sangria) and only one glass was given out at the start, and the Cupcakes came pre-baked. Basically the cupcake making part was us simply decorating the cupcakes – even the sugar craft and cream toppings was pre-made. But this didn’t end up being too bad a thing as it meant we could just get on with making our cupcakes pretty.

The room we were in was severely crowded. I felt they could have offered a few less places or at least tried to book a bigger room so it would be less crowded. The class was also a little disorganised – like not being systematic in ensuring everyone had their drink and not having enough supplies on the table for everyone – guess there is a fine balance.

What they taught us was not too bad though. We learnt some sugar craft skills (like how to make bows and various other shapes) and piping skills (like how to make roses). And of course we also walked away with our six decorated cupcakes. Rehana and I had an enjoyable afternoon and because of the way the course was run spent much of it swapping gossip.

The finished products:

Rehana’s

Mine

London – Torture Garden

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Grace

Laney and I had gone out of the country to visit TG so we thought that we should also experience what our local TG had to offer. This time Dave also came along for the ride. It certainly felt a little different as we were kind of on our own turf … and we were looking forward to experiencing it with people who spoke English!

Learning from our experience in visiting TG in Paris we didn’t rush to get to the club too early tonight. Dave also booked us an apartment nearby so that we wouldn’t have to worry about travelling to and from the venue.

The scene is totally surreal. I’m not sure many Londoners realise what is going on every month. When we got to London Bridge just after midnight there was this really long queue! So long that people were leaving the queue to go and get a drink from a nearby bottlo to pass the time. Heh heh.

Our outfits this time around were a little easier to get into. None of this getting me into a tight corset thing – I didn’t actually have much time to sort an outfit so ended up grabbing what was basically lacy underwear! The underwear was much more comfortable but all night I was a bit concerned that it would tear and be destroyed … not that I was doing much more than dancing around. Just as well it was still fairly cool so that I had a coat to cover me for the short walk between our hotel and the club.

Dave looked so dodgy in his coat though!

In comparison to Paris I found that the people in London were a lot more aggressive. That’s not to say they didn’t respect boundaries – but it felt more like there were people at TG who were tourists (and therefore treating it almost like a costume party) and who were very pushy when moving around the venue. It was a really odd feeling. The club itself I felt was also a little more out there in terms of the rooms and equipment that was available. The electrical prod was very interesting!

Anyway, a very good night … and now … for sleep.

Jenny’s Leaving Do

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Grace

So another person is jumping the ship shortly! Jenny has managed to score a job at the FSA. It sounded like it was quite the selection process to get the job – so I’m sure she was over the moon when she was told she was successful. When I arrived at her leaving do it was in full swing – the night descended into shots … which is when it got quite interesting. Ironically … Jenny had left by then! There was tequila, there was sambucca … very messy 🙂

Zilli Fish

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Grace

I’ve been meaning to go to Zilli Fish for a long time but never quite seemed to make it there so when Jenny suggested it for our dinner tonight I was very happy. We decided to try their set menu deal – which was actually pretty good value since it actually took things from the a la carte menu rather than having separate special dishes. Of course it was limited by choice but had enough options to make both of us happy.

For starters I decided on the Deep Fried Paprika Whitebait with Lemon & Tartar Sauce and Jenny opted for the Pork & Prawn Dim Sum Pan Fried and served with Asian Dressing

For mains neither of us could go past the grilled sea bass on a bed of mash.

Food was lovely and fresh, atmosphere was vibrant, and service wasn’t overboard or underwhelming. I’d be happy to visit Zilli Fish again.

Scupltures from Rome follow me to home

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Grace

Jenny and I were on the way to dinner and walked through Victoria Tower Gardens and I was surprised to find that the sculptures I’d seen in Rome a few months ago had followed me back to London! Ha ha!

The sculptures are by Mexican artist Rivelino and entitled Nuestros Silencios (Our Silences)

This detail on this particular sculpture threw me for a bit of a loop – make of it what you will!

Gold Coast Part III

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Grace

My visit home was drawn to an end with my third installment on the Gold Coast. I was very sad thinking about the fact I would be saying farewell once more 🙁 I tried to make the most of it and this is some of the mischief I got up to:

Movie: “How Do You Know”

At Jupiters Casino they have these Movie Night events for those member who, to put it politely, spend significant “time” in the Casino. Not mentioning who in my family fell into this category, heh heh, I got to participate in such a night – this was also the first time the movie was being screened in the Casino’s theatre itself, as opposed to one of the local cinemas. The event consist of a pre-screening of an imminent release, free popcorn, free drink and free ice cream. Its amazing how people value “free” things – my brother tells me stories of people who, not finishing their popcorn, actually bring a bag to take it away with them! You’ve got to imagine that surely these people lose more in the casino than the popcorn is actually worth. So funny.

As for the movie, well, considering the pedigree in the four leads Reese Witherspoon, Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd, and Owen Wilson, we were thinking that it couldn’t be too horrible. Reese plays a softball player, loved by all, but cut from the team. For a woman who’s life has been all about sport this means she starts to derail. At the same time she is dating a big time baseball star, Wilson, but also comes across Rudd’s straight-laced businessman. Basically a love triangle comedy. Whilst it wasn’t horrible you couldn’t actually say it is going to set the world on fire – kind of a bit neither her nor there it had some jokes, it had some touching moments. Couldn’t complain really – it was free 😉

Catching up with Mikey

Mikey is another friend that I’ve known since high school. He took us for a fish and chips dinner in the park, which was quite nice to enjoy the fresh air. Before we finished with dessert at Max Brenners.

Celebrating Chinese New Year

I made sure when I was planning my visit back home that I would be there for Chinese New Year. We celebrated by meeting one of my brother’s clients/friends for lunch at one of their favourite restaurants in Surfers Paradise, Jasmine. Not a fancy place but the food sure was delicious. We then stopped by a local Japanese tea house for some ice tea before hitting Timezone for some arcade fun! Yes – I’m reliving some of my childhood, and happy to be taking Dad and Mum back with me!

Some shootin’

I swear I was an assassin or something in a former life. For example, I hate having my back to the room and I’m pretty awesome with a gun. Heh heh. Dad arranged for us to go to one of these gun clubs which allows casual shooting at not an unreasonable price. The Southport Indoor Pistol Club offers various types of packages – and I went for a package that allowed me shoot a variety of guns. I don’t think I did too bad – even the guy at the range was like, gee, you’re better than the guy in the next bay who has been coming here for months. Heh heh.

More Food

Of course I couldn’t leave home without having some more gorgeous food which included meat pies, fresh coconut juice, mini spring rolls, Dad’s amazing chilli / tomato fried king prawn, Stephen’s Char Kway Teow …