Jack's Open House

Jack and Mai hold a house warming party at their Mountain Highway, Wantirna home. Jack's my nephew.

All the family turn up to 贺他们。

We eat a big feast of BBQ and listen to 周华建 and Superband music CD.

There is so much food to eat; porterhouse steak, lamb cutlets, fish, sausages, chicken/lamb/beef satay, peri peri chicken (available from Coles), salad, and coleslaw.Of all the food I love the lamb cutlet and peri peri chicken most.

Father and son

Jack loves his beer but I brought him a bottle of Rawson's Retreat Merlot.

 SM doesn't want me to take this pic and keeps waving me away

 These two are Mai's nephew's kids. They are so cute and beautiful

 Mai grows this plant at home which she harvests and dry in the sun to make tea. Quite nice black tea. She is going to give us some seedlings and we can make tea in future

Gloria Estefan - Can't Stay Away From You

I WAS LISTENING TO THE RADIO IN MY CAR then this beautiful song came through the airwaves. I knew it was a song I listened to a lot a long long time ago but I could not place the name of the female singer. Checking online later it all dawned on me ..... GLORIA ESTEFAN of the Miami Sound Machine, 1988. OMG. she was so lovely and such a great voice....

1988. A long time. I was 28. Man! Working in my second job in PJ. Lost the first one due to a recession. I was seeing a lovely girl then. It didn't work out. These love songs can bring out a tremendous emotion in people especially if one can relate to an event.....  

Time flies
When you're having fun
I heard somebody say
But if all I've been is fun
Then baby let me go
Don't wanna be in your way
And I don't wanna be your second choice
Don't wanna be just your friend
You keep telling me that you're not in love
You wanna throw it all away

But I can't stay away from you
I don't wanna let you go
And though it's killing me that's true
There's just some things I can't control

Your love is slipping through my hands
And though I've heard it all before
I know you're telling me the truth
I know it's just no use
But I can't stay away from you

Hold on to every bit of hope, that's all I ever do
Hoping you might change your mind
And call me up to say how much you need me too
And though you're leaving me no other choice
Than to turn and walk away
Look over your shoulder, I'll be there
You can count on me to stay ...

'Cause I can't stay away from you
I don't wanna let you go
And though it's killing me that's true
There's just some things I can't control
Your love slipping through my hands
And though I've heard it all before

I know you're telling me the truth
I know it's just no use
But I can't stay away from you

I know you're telling me the truth
I know it's just no use
But I can't stay away from you

Big Bro's Birthday

Tonight we have a birthday celebration for my big bro's 56. I cannot remember the last time we have had a b.d. celebration for him so we are particularly happy on his behalf that we get this chance to do it for him. He has been a big bro through and through; always looking out for us. At the same time he can be quite regimental, that's what make him big bro. Every family that has a big bro somehow experience the same spirit.

The dinner is at All People Burwood East. SM baked a Swiss butter cake and it is lovely, light, buttery and not too sweet. We enjoy the food and the service is great. The ambiance is typical of a Chinese restaurant although not noisy. SM is challenged by my big sis and they both drink a "bottoms up" of sauvignon blanc just before we finish for the night. It's a first for SM. And she does not even like sauvignon blanc. She says she gives respect to my big sister. Oh well....

Cousins Andrew and Jack

Mom was discharged from St G yesterday and is able to join us

My 大哥 gets a 24cm Le Creuset cast iron casserole from us. He always wanted this but did not get himself one. He is always generous to others but stingy on himself. Enjoy big bro.

Ben Allen

I was at Ben Allen's yesterday in Port Melbourne delivering a unit and before I started doing the show-and-tell Ben showed me this "air fix" thing of an 1:1 scaled Aston Martin. It turned out one of his customers shipped it in from the UK as a "toy" for his wife (as an object of display) at their home. Good Gawd. This is expensive toy. I suppose as a talking point this is as good a "toy" as any. 

I remember watching a tv show where James May had a 1:1 scale Spitfire made just like an air fix right down to the pilot, his leather helmet, his joystick control and his machine gun. He had a group of school children assemble it and actually had it towed out to an airfield for display. 

On another note mom has been discharged from St G the same day and she is happy to be home; so are we.

39 degrees C

The mercury reached 39 deg Sunday 23 December. It is the hottest December day on record, apparently. Nevertheless SM and I did go to the market in the morning and when it was a little cooler (still about 36 deg) we cooked a BBQ dinner of oysters, king prawns, and lamb cutlets. 

Dam it was hot.

I think I had 4 cold showers that day, and kept drinking fluids to chill off.

The cutlets we bought from Queen Vic were had quite a bot of fats so we did not enjoy as much but it was ok. The oysters and prawns were fresh and awesome. Just cooked them with salt and pepper plus a bit of lime juice to finish off.

Christmas Lunch

Christmas Day. Big bro manages to hustle St Georges Rehab doc and takes mom out for lunch. We go to Richmond thinking our favorite restaurant there, Vinh Ky, may be open but it's not. Big bro decides to try out this Korean cafe; appropriately it's named "Hole in the Wall". We order an assortment of Korean-looking-and-sounding food, bibimbap, bulgogi, and the like. It's ok but not great.

After lunch we go back to Big bro's and mom ducks into bed for a snooze; the walkabout tires her. We laze around for a bit and SM and I pick plums from the backyard.

Dad, SM and I go to Kmart so Dad can buy some grocery at Coles then we sit down for a latte and donuts and ginger bread man baked by SM.