Winter Wonderland

We have now been in Sweden for two days and it looks soo different from what I´m used to. It´s freezing cold and there´s snow everywhere - like it should be in winter! So beautiful. Yesterday Brett, my brother and I went for a long walk on the water just in front of my parents´ house.

 

This is where we went windsurfing and swimming six months ago. Hard to believe now.. 

  

 

Brett acted like a little kid who had never seen snow before. He was touching everything and managed to cut his finger on some ice. Then he kicked some ice and hurt his foot. But look how happy he is anyway.

 

Today we went toboggan  riding. Soo much fun. But the toboggan was made for kids and hence far too small for us.

We´ve also done some shopping. There was a huge sale on at Cheap Monday and we´ve bought $8 jeans and a heap of other stuff. I´m happy becasue Brett came shopping with me and Brett is happy because he won´t have to do any shopping for another year. We´ll probably have to buy another suitcase tho.

Sweden here we come

Brett and I are off to Sweden for a week. Shirin is back with her favourite auntie Miss Lemona. And I will soon be back on a plane to Singapore. I'm so happy that ML and her bf Poker hero can look after Shirinski. I HATE putting her in a cattery, and she hates being there even more. So thanks guys for letting her invade and fur up your house! And let me know if you want anything from the motherland.

My food addictions - the countdown.

Since I moved to Sydney I have had some the best eating experiences of my life. Particularly in terms of Asian food (which is crap in Sweden). So I thought I would give you the list of my various food addictions since I moved here in 2005.

2010 - KOREAN BBQ. Had an amazing Korean BBQ at Jompas place about a week ago. Jompa and his parents had been up cooking until 2am! the previous morning and delivered a feast! It was soo yummy and I'm ashamed that I haven't had have Korean BBQ until 2010. Why haven't I? Everything is cooked in garlic and chili. My favourite spices - so it really doesn't make any sense. Anyhow, 2010 will be the year of Korean BBQ. I can feel it.

2009 - YUM CHA and SVEN'S VIKING PIZZA. In mid 2009 I developed an unhealthy obsession with Yum Cha, which I'm not over yet (and probably never will be). Luckily there is an awesome yum cha restaurant 2 minutes away from my house - although Jompa will probably be upset when I say that. He's taught me everything I know about Yum Cha. And for some reason he doesn't rate Manly Phoenix. But I do.

And Sven's Viking Pizza, well, it's just delicious. Best pizza in Sydney. Without a doubt. And I'm not just saying that because I know the owner.



2008 - SUSHI TRAINS. In 2008 I fell in love with sushi and had to go to my favourite sushi train restaurant, Makoto (at World Square), for lunch at least 3 times a week. Now I probably feast there once a week.



2007 - SPICE I AM. The only Thai I eat since I had my first dinner there three years ago. What else needs saying. Thank you LMC for taking me there.



2006 - JAPANESE (NOT SUSHI). I fell in love with Japanese food after a skiing trip to Japan in 2006. Before that trip I pretty much thought that Japanese food was just Sushi. Embarrassing, I know. And I didn't even like Sushi at this stage. However, we brought a bunch of Japanese sauces (and other weird stuff) back to Sydney and tried to cook Okonomiyaki, Yakitori and Teppanyaki at home a few times. Now we only make Okonomiyaki once every few months.

2005 - AFRICAN AND SWEDISH MEATBALLS. One of my first nights in Sydney, Brett took me out for African food. My previous experience of "African" food was a Swedish dish called "Africana", which consists of pork, cream, bananas and coconut. Hahahahahah. No I'm not kidding. (Don't get me wrong, there's some absolutely delicious food in Sweden, but mostly from the European cuisines. But that might have changed by now anyway. I'm not sure) So I had a very pleasant surprise when I had 'real' African food for the first time.

And finally, Swedish meatballs. Or just Swedish food in general. Since I craved anything Swedish and we lived 2 hours from the closest IKEA, I couldn't buy frozen meatballs and Pytt i Panna etc. So I started cooking Swedish food from scratch and suddenly realised how awesome it is. I never really had any proper home cooked Swedish husmanskost growing up, because you simply buy it frozen and reheat it for a quick lunch. But It's unbelievably good.  



2004 - I fell in love with BRETT.

Summer evening

Conversation with Singaporean taxi driver, Saturday, 8.20 am

TD: Is this your first time in Singapore?
Me: Yeah, I arrived last night
Me: Where can you get the best food in Singapore?
TD: Best food is in Lau Pau Sat. But be very careful. Always ask for the price first. Or it will get very expensive. Since you are foreigner everyone will try to cheat you.
Me: OK thanks,  I'll remember that.

Then he accidentally "missed" the exit to my hotel and insisted that he couldn't just stop on the side of the road to drop me off but had to go around the block to the front of the hotel lobby. And 10 minutes later when we finally arrived at the hotel, he pushed a button on the taximeter that doubled the fare and said:
 "OK, that's $20. Sorry for extra long way".

I thought it seemed a bit expensive but didn't feel like starting a fight about it. Later I found out that the ride shouldn't have cost anymore than $5. Max. I guess he wasn't lying when he said that everyone would try to cheat me.
B.a.s.t.a.r.d.

Singas

Had a great day on Saturday. Started the morning at Starbucks where they make really good coffee (compared to the disgusting milk with coffee you get at Starbucks in Sydney). Then we went out to a beach resort called Sentosa, which was super weird. The water was disgusting so there was noo way we were going for a swim. Brett declared that it would be awesome if there was a luge in Sentosa, and I agreed. And guess what we found when we walked around the corner?? A little too convenient for my liking...

It was funfunfun but not as much fun as the one in Queenstown. But since Singapore is totally flat, what can you expect.

After a few hours of relaxing at the hotel room we went to a Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo. It was really cool. Unfortunately you weren't allowed to use camera flashes, so I only have really really dark pictures.

We didn't go back to Fatty's for dinner on Saturday night, but went there again for lunch on Sunday and had some really delicious chicken dish - chicken hot pot. And I also met Skinny - Fatty's brother (or some other relative..? Brett maybe you can clear this up??). He was really grumpy, but brought me delicious spring rolls.
After lunch Brett went back to the hotel to have a snooze before his flight and I went shoe shopping. Will take pictures and show you later.

I don't know...

I don't know where I am. The UK? Australia? China? No, Singapore. Strange place. But very nice at the same time. I arrived last night and and checked in to a hotel in the city that Brett had booked for me. (He's been on a trip to London and didn't arrive here until this morning.) The room was nice but had the hardest bed I've ever slept on. It seems to be standard here though. The next morning I cabbed it to the Fairmont hotel, where Brett is staying when he comes here. Brett had a nap for two hours so I went shopping...

After Brett woke up we went out to get some lunch and ended up at a restaurant called Fatty's that Brett has been talking about for six years. I consequently had very high expectations. The spring rolls were, just like Brett said, the best I've ever had. But I still don't see how he can be so amazed by the place. It has no charm. Or maybe its lack of charm makes it charming. Whatever. The spring rolls were awesome. Brett however assured me that it's totally different at night, so apparently we're going back there for dinner tomorrow night. I'll report back later.

    
Then we went for a long walk around the city.

Chinese new year is coming up and people were going crazy buying flowers and other decorations.

We went to Little Sweden and had a fika.

In the afternoon we went to Raffles hotel for the most expensive high tea I'll ever have. Unless I become an expat housewife.Which is extremely unlikely. There were plenty of those wives around.  

 But it was goooooood. And the hotel is just amazing.

Now we're back at the hotel and will soon meet up with Brett's captain and S/O for some drinks.

I found my wedding dress!!

Yesterday after work LMC, Jompa and I went shopping for my wedding dress. First we went to Helen English in Paddington and I tried on a few dresses that were very beautiful but still pretty boring. And too expensive for what they were. Afterwards we were going to a cafe on Oxford st for a fika and happened to walk past Adam Dixons store. I tried on one of his dresses about a month ago and loved it, but I had decided to try on a few more dresses before I made up my mind. HOWEVER, the store was open and Adam's cute little dog Kevin, (that he rescued from the pound 7 hours before he was due for a lethal injection) greeted us at the front door and clearly wanted us to come inside, so we decided  to have another look at the dress. And when I tried it on a second time I loved it even more. Jompa and LMC were also convinced it was the right choice. So now I'm booked in for a fitting and have to loose 5 kg in one week. Too bad I'm off to Singapore for a weekend of nonstop eating... 



 

Sweden

A friend of mine wrote on facebook that it was -19 degrees in Stockhom yesterday. -19 degrees!!!! That is absolutely ridiculous. It's just wrong. Why do people live there? It must be because of the beautiful Swedish summers. Anyone who has ever been to Sweden in summer knows that there is no better place on earth. The Australian beaches can't compete. Picking wild strawberries and raspberries by the side of the road, sailing up the west coast, swimming in all the small lakes and the never ending daylight. How I miss it. Sweden in summer IS more beautiful than anything else. That's just the way it is.

But I still don't understand why people put up with -19?? Can someone please explain?

Brett, this is what..

...the jacket looks like.