phuongdough

Melbourne Town

2010-07-23T00:52:00.003+08:00

Spent 5 days in Melbourne last week - quality time with my best friends based on the east coast. Louise and Prue kept me busy with many outings including a comedy night, a football game at the MCG, the Tim Burton exhibition as well as lots of great food and drinks.

The days that they worked, I spent SHOPPING. Got lots of great buys and found lots of nice places to eat. I loaded up on Japanese, they make it so well and its so cheap! This gyoza was my $5 lunch, made up while I waited. Mmmmm, gyoza.

All up, it was a great trip. Just what a needed - a bit of R&R, a get away, and lots of time with my friends.

Hope to return soon.

Gym Goal Update

2010-07-06T21:49:00.002+08:00

Seeing as its just over half way through the year, I thought I'd update how my gym goal is travelling. Out of the 250 gym class goal, I've done 169 classes! So I'm doing pretty well.

Also, I'm no longer going to Europe for two months of the year, so this gives me a lot more time to reach the goal. I think I might even make it to 300 or so. Time will tell. ... stay tuned :)

End of an Era

2010-07-04T20:17:00.002+08:00

Jeremy and I ended our relationship last week. It was amicable and mutual. We're just two different people, heading in different directions. After 8 years, its not an easy adjustment. This week was tough, as he gradually moved out of my place. I took the photos of us down and all the little pictures he had drawn for me... the last was this one, which is actually a book he had made and self-bound.

I miss him heaps. But am sure this decision was for the best. Looking forward to what the future holds.

Another Phuong Comic

2010-06-15T20:56:00.002+08:00

Here's Jeremy's latest drawing of me.

Very accurate. And amusing. Good work!

Night In Freo

2010-06-15T20:22:00.003+08:00

Jeremy's Dad gave us a night's stay at the Esplanade in Fremantle, for his birthday this year.

We decided to cash in last Friday. It was a quiet and relaxing night. Lots of drinks, some Foxtel, a bubble bath for me and takeaway burgers from Missy Moos.

Missy Moos makes epic burgers. Its based on South Terrace in South Freo - check it out, if you're ever in the hood. The morning after, we had the free buffet brekkie, then headed to Woolstores so Jeremy could take some photos (he's working on some drawings of the building at the moment). We ran into his little sister there.

Then spent the rest of the afternoon, drinking at Clancys in the sun. Great way to spend the first half of the weekend :)

I've Been Running....Kind Of

2010-06-03T18:50:00.002+08:00

Helen talked me into doing the 3.5km run for the Mothers Day Classic. Wasn't sure how I'd go, but ended up doing it in around 20 minutes. Here's a pic of us with our medals!

Two weeks later, Helen, Alex and I did the HBF 4.5km run, in East Perth. Once again, I didn't do too badly - finishing in 30 minutes. So now I've decided to have a crack at City to Surf. Never done it in my life. Not sure how if I could run 12km - but its a good goal to aim for. Just have to figure out some sort of training program.

I Love Live Music

2010-06-01T21:11:00.004+08:00

I love going to gigs! Earlier this year, I bought tickets for Quyen and I to go see Regina Spektor. She was incredible. Some of her set was played with a band, the rest was solo - just her voice, the piano and at one point a chair that she used as a drum. She played her new work as well as some of the old favourites including On The Radio, Better and Fidelity. Watching her inspired me to get back into piano playing - not that I've acted on it, but I have thought about it.

A couple of weeks ago, Jeremy and I went to see Vampire Weekend. This was their first concert in Perth and I loved it. They played a great mix of songs from both Vampire Weekend and Contra. Was fun to sing along and dance (as much as I could, in the shoulder to shoulder crowd).

Next gig will be On The Brightside - The Strokes are headlining. Only two months to go :)

Jeremy's 28th

2010-06-01T20:51:00.005+08:00

For Jeremy's birthday this year, he wanted to go north - up to Cervantes. We rented a cabin at the local caravan park and settled in for a weekend of reading, eating, dvd watching, sleeping and general vegging out.

The weather was pleasantly warm and Jeremy got lots of drawing and guitar playing done.

On Sunday morning, we got up at 5.30am and set off to the Nambung National Park to see the sun rise over the Pinnacles.

It was freezing cold, but very pretty.

On Monday, we checked out Jurien Bay, before the 3 hour drive back to Perth.
Happy Birthday, to my Jeremy.

Leon Fever

2010-06-01T20:43:00.003+08:00

Leon is Quyen's son and my nephew. He is super duper cute and very much loved. Here are some pix of when he visited my house, a couple of months ago. Check out those eyelashes!

And check out those chubby arms!

Larissa Turned 28

2010-03-14T21:04:00.002+08:00

Celebrated Larissa's birthday on Saturday. Started with pre-drinks at Helen's place. Then moved onto the Stanley, which is a small bar (that resembles a lounge room) in Wembley. After that, it was off to Leederville, where we ventured into Double Lucky and sadly, finished at the Hipp-E Club (is that how they spell it?).

Was a fun and late night. Once again, I didn't take any pics of me and Larissa together.. we never seem to have any! But I did get this shot, which is nearly all of the KL girls together.

After today's double grease fix (maccas and KFC), I was feeling better. Then Mum's dinner tonight got me back on track. Good times. Happy Birthday Larissa!

Etsy Purchase...!

2010-03-14T20:58:00.002+08:00

Finally got the wall stickers I wanted from Etsy, to spruce up the lounge room. My camera's taking crappy pictures at the moment (so streaky! grrrrr) - but you get the idea from the pic.

Tried to de-clutter the house a little on the w/end too. .... still working on that.

Kuala Lumpur Girls Shopping Trip

2010-03-09T19:46:00.008+08:00

Last July, Leanne, Abbey, Helen and I, booked a trip to Malaysia - at the last minute, Larissa decided to jump on the band wagon. So on Wednesday morning, we set off on Air Asia - 5 girls with 5 empty cases, ready to face the shopping heaven of KL. We hit up all the big malls, Pavillion, Times Square, Sunwei Gai and KLCC.

We bought shoes, makeup, clothes, glasses, stationary, sunnies, scarves, socks, presents, bags, purses, belts and jewelry. We had our nails done, our hair washed/blow dried and got full body massages (I left mine bruised, but feeling SO much better for it). We ate, we walked, we slept in (while Abbey went to the gym), we swam, we had our room upgraded (after our toilet flooded twice and our door continually failed to work), we got free buffet dinner (I managed to eat a dozen oysters on my own and Helen and Leanne polished off a block of cheese), we ordered room service, squashed all 5 of us into regular taxis and we waited 2 hours to buy copied DVDs from the local market (its a long story).

We had one big night out, at the Sky Bar and over to Rum Jungle. We drank shooters and beers, we had drinks bought for us, then we stood amongst the prostitutes and watched them 'working' (giving hand jobs and blow jobs to a Corona bottle - to entice the onlooking men).

Then on Saturday night, we paid the airline for extra luggage space to bring all our goodies home. Helen had her 17 pairs of shoes to pack, Abbey had masses of corporate attire, Leanne had her Tiffany pieces, Larissa had a full winter wardrobe and me with my beloved new Zara trench coat (amongst many other purchases). We arrived home at 5am on Sunday morning: weary, tired, drained - but oh so satisfied with the last 96 hour girls trip. Good Bye KL, I have a feeling we will be returning soon to do it all over again :)

Domestic Day Off

2010-02-15T16:36:00.003+08:00

I had arranged to have today off work, to recover from yesterday's festival effort. Had good intentions to exercise, but it didn't eventuate. Instead, I spent the day carrying out domestic duties: washed and changed the sheets, returned our library books, finally replaced the broken bulb in the fridge, cleaned up the kitchen AND made this massive pot of Chicken and Sweetcorn soup!

I think Jeremy will be most pleased with this dinner. I made it from Mum's recipe, which I had written down a year or so ago, but had never got around to trying. Garnished with some pepper, coriander and spring onion - it was the perfect meal to eat while vegging out with a DVD.

Another Year, Another Good Vibes Festival

2010-02-15T08:37:00.012+08:00

I honestly think this was the best Good Vibes that has ever been held outside of Belvoir. Ever since they changed the venue: the line up, crowd and atmosphere just hasn't done it for me - but this year was amazing. First up - SALT N PEPA.

They played some new stuff, they mixed some old hip hop and they played their hits: 'Shoop', 'What a Man', 'Let's Talk About Sex' and for the finale 'Push It'. I thought I was going to lose my voice, I was screaming so hard. The crowd was getting into it and dancing like crazy.

Salt N Pepa were appreciative that such a big crowd had come to see their performance, because their last Aussie tour was 10 years ago.

After that, was Naughty By Nature and Busta Rhymes. Both pretty fun sets. Spindarella even came onto the stage during Busta Rhymes, for a boogie.

But I was really looking forward to Z-Trip and he did not disappoint.

The tent was full of eager punters, waiting to hear what he would pull out next. He mixed so many different genres of music and kept the crowd going till the very last tune 'I Still Call Australia Home'. Z-Trip was voted America's Best DJ last year and I can see why.

So, another Good Vibes over. I will leave you with these typical 'festival' images.

The crowds...

The footwear......

And the idiots.

MORE Valentine's Action

2010-02-14T13:43:00.003+08:00

I came home from the gym this morning, to a surprise Valentines breakfast! Jeremy made my favourite brekkie, at the moment, BLTs!!!!!!!

He also made me the cutest hand made card, complete with this picture. Awwwwwww! Good times.

Happy Valentine's Everyone :)

Valentine's Food

2010-02-13T23:16:00.002+08:00

Jeremy and I don't normally celebrate Valentine's Day, but this year, I thought it would be nice to surprise him with a yummy meal. I made a platter of olives, chorizo, dips etc. And the masterpiece was the two dozen oysters natural and kilpatrick that I prepared. We're big seafood fans, so we were in heaven.

Its been a nice Valentine's celebration...we celebrated a night earlier because tomorrow, we're at GOOD VIBRATIONS festival all day! Can't wait.

My Bike and Basket

2010-02-13T17:21:00.002+08:00

So, I made a vow to ride to my new work this year. And so far, I've been doing around 3 days a week. Its a 3km ride, that takes me just under 15 minutes each way. Quyen gave me her basket and Jeremy attached it for me. Its a pretty cruisy ride in, with my hand bag and work clothes/lunch stuff loaded in the basket.

Definitely wakes me up on the way in, and a nice way to un-wind in the afternoon. Kate, Michelle and I are also attempting this program If we make it through the 9 weeks, we'll be running 5km. So far, we're on week 2... will report on the progress. And in other fitness news, I've nearly done 50 gym classes this year. So I'm off to a good start for the 250 gym class goal for 2010 :)

Jeremy's Comics

2010-02-08T21:20:00.002+08:00

Here is Jeremy's interpretation of the events which unfolded, resulting in the loss of his recent mohawk. (Click on image for large version)

Of course, my memory does not tell the same story.....

Jeremyville

2010-02-04T07:35:00.003+08:00

The things Jeremy does:

1. Goes on a boys weekend to Busselton and Albany. Comes home on Monday morning at 3am (work starts for him at 8am) complete with new hair style: mohawk.

2. Draws little faces and monsters on my nails for me. (cute!)

Massive Wardrobe Cleanout

2010-01-31T20:06:00.002+08:00

Every once in a while, I purge a bunch of clothes from my wardrobe. This weekend was once of those occasions. It took a fair bit of ironing, photo taking, description writing and uploading: but I now have 16 items listed on Ebay for sale.

I've made them all 5 day auctions, so, fingers crossed that come Saturday, I'll be slightly wealthier and my wardrobe will be rid of some old stuff.

LONG Weekend

2010-01-26T14:05:00.005+08:00

So, Jeremy and I decided to take a 4 day long weekend. Partying began on Friday night at Grand Master Flash - fun set, not the best he's ever played, but we still had a good time. Was good to catch up with Dannielle and Sarah, and we saw Liam and Caspar there too. Saturday morning, we drove to Yallingup Caravan Park and set up camp. Sunday, was spent in Busselton. The beach there is incredibly calm and cool.

That night, we got fish and chips for dinner from Squid Lips in Dunsborough, then ate them on the beach at Yallingup. Monday, we drove to Duckstein Brewery where we had a couple of beers and a German lunch of bratwursts, pork chops, sauerkraut and potato.

Heading back to Yallingup, after lunch - we stopped over at Smiths Beach for a quick dip.

That night, we were booked into Caves House - I ate the best barramundi and Jeremy got a really nice steak. And today (Australia Day) we drove back to Perth. Along the way, we stopped in Busselton and ate brekkie on the beach. Saw this couch contraption set up - was rather amusing.

Hooray for long weekends and WA's beautiful South West.

Phuong and Jeremy's Cooking Adventures

2010-01-22T19:17:00.002+08:00

Last weekend, Mum came over to teach Jeremy and I how to cook 'pho'. Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup and J and I just can't get enough. We buy it practically once a week, from our local Vietnamese restaurant - so we decided to learn to cook it, the Mumma Do way, once and for all.

The result was amazing! Thin slices of beef, the perfect stock, combination of coriander, bean sprouts, lettuce and hoisin sauce. Nom nom nom!

We were really pleased with ourselves and very appreciative of Mum's time in showing us :) Next up - we're going to try Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup. Stay tuned.

Cry Baby!

2010-01-16T23:20:00.003+08:00

Happy days as Leon was welcomed into our world. Quyen and Greg are both proud parents and Quyen was a brave Mum, giving birth to our newest family member.

He is just so so so tiny right now. And every time I see him, he's sleeping peacefully. His eyes and nose looks just like Quyen's and he has heaps of black hair and is just overall CUTE! Am I biased? Maybe a little.

Happy 2nd Day Birthday Leon. You're alright, with me.

Gym Goal

2010-01-01T15:17:00.003+08:00

So, some people might think this is weird, but I use my calendar and diary religiously to track my life. One of the records I kept this year, was every gym class I did. The crosses mark the days that I gymmed and I wrote down what class I did too. Came to a total of 186 classes this year. Which isn't really fantastic, cause it kind of equates to one class every 2nd day, which (according to Jeremy) means I only exercised 30 minutes each day. (However, in my defence, I was on holiday for a month this year).

Anyway, I'm going to aim for 250 this year. Yep TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY. Might not be too hard if I do a couple of double classes each week. Can I do it? Stay tuned.

New Year, New Couch

2010-01-01T15:02:00.002+08:00

Headed to the Ikea sale with Jeremy in tow, and came home with this baby! Not technically - we actually had to wait a day for it to be delivered, then there was the assembly. But now its all done and I love love love it. Always wanted a corner couch - and this one is so big, it feels like a bed.

Would like to find a massive wall sticker to put up behind it though. The blue wall is just too bare. Still prowling Etsy, looking for the perfect one. Will be sure to post again once its installed!

New Years Eve = Origin

2010-01-01T14:53:00.004+08:00

We decided to head to Origin again this year, for new years eve. Its a concert held about 2 suburbs away from us and there were a few acts we were keen to check out. Saw a bit of Roots Manuva, Dilated Peoples (were amazing) and Redman & Methodman from Wu Tang Clan. My favourite, however, was Ugly Duckling!

Managed to get to the second row and had a fun dance.

Was good to catch up with some of Jeremy's oldest friends.

Around 2am, we headed home. The blue moon was out - which Jeremy explained, isn't actually a blue coloured moon, its actually just the 2nd time a full moon has come out this month (I think..)

Happy new Years! Bring on 2010 :) We're travelling to Europe in September... so its likely to be a year of scrimping and saving.

Baby Time!

2009-12-14T21:29:00.003+08:00

Quyen's baby is due in 4 weeks... can you tell?

Her friends hosted a baby shower, they put on the BEST spread. Yummy savouries and lots of cake, fruit and champagne.

Can't wait for my new little nephew to pop out! I hope they go with my name suggestion "Henry".

Tim's Show

2009-11-28T17:45:00.002+08:00

Jeremy's brother, Tim, had a show last night at Last Chance Studios. We popped in to check out his drawings. I forgot my camera, so these shots taken with my phone aren't great.

Below was my favourite. The character in the middle with the Pokemon headwear on was too cute!

We had to leave around 7pm, at which time, Tim had already sold three! Well done Tim :)

I WON!

2009-11-28T17:39:00.003+08:00

So, its not often that I win anything... rare actually. However, at the Melbourne Cup lunch I attended at Tony Romas, I managed to win a hamper for being BEST DRESSED!

Most exciting times for me. It was delivered to my work and was full of chocolate and soft drinks. Jeremy and I overdosed on sugar that weekend. Fingers crossed that this is just the start of my lucky winning streak.

Ladyhawke, yeh!

2009-11-28T17:34:00.002+08:00

Checked out Ladyhawke recently, with Jen. She's only got one album out so far and managed to pack out all of Club Capitol. I didn't know a lot of her stuff, but I do like her sound.

Plus, she's from New Zealand - which is always a good thing. Had a fun night. Jen and I have also got tickets to Cat Power and Dead Weather too ... bring on the gigs!!

A Beautiful Wedding

2009-11-10T21:10:00.006+08:00

A couple of weekends ago, Lauren had her pink themed hen's night. The festivities started at the Ellington Jazz Club in Highgate and continued on at the Manor. Was great to have Prue back in town.

The following weekend was Lauren and Troy's amazing wedding. We frocked up and headed to Caves House for the ceremony.

They said their own vows, and I shed many a tear. Lauren looked very beautiful and Troy did too. The reception was held at Wise Winery and we had heaps of fun, dancing into the night. Congrats, Mr and Mrs Gorton :)

Melbourne Trip!!!

2009-11-10T20:58:00.005+08:00

October started with a trip to Melbourne. I went over with Leanne and her family, to celebrate her 30th. We had heaps of fun having dinner on the old tram, which drove us through the city and out to St Kilda.

Spent some time with Louise and Prue - who now both live permanently in Melbourne. Louise took me to a great restaurant called Cookie, where we had super tasty tapas and cocktails.

The second last day of our trip was spent in the Yarra Valley. Here's a shot of us basking in the sun at Chandon, after tasting the best champagne ever.

It was a great trip. Happy Birthday Leanne!

Ponyo - The Cutest Movie Ever Created

2009-09-06T20:11:00.003+08:00

I had a free birthday pass to see a movie at Luna. So last night, Jeremy and I ventured to Cinema Paradiso to see the latest movie by this Japanese animator (Studio Ghibli). Its called Ponyo, and its all about a fish who is magical, and she wants to be a girl.

It was majorly cute, and I highly recommend everyone goes to see it. But maybe I'm biased, because the Ponyo character displays many similar characteristics to myself i.e. likes to eat ham and sleeps at inappropriate times. Today, Jeremy drew the picture below... its his interpretation of me, as Ponyo aka Poodyo.

Late Birthday Celebration

2009-09-06T14:11:00.007+08:00

As my real birthday this year, occurred while I was overseas, I celebrated a little late this morning.

Had my friends over for a breakfast of savouries, cupcakes, lollies, fruit and punch.. yum!

Got some amazing pressies - and had lots of fun. Thanks for everyone for coming and celebrating with me :)

Balloons

2009-08-27T21:56:00.002+08:00

If I was a kid, I would definitely be all over these balloons.

Even at the age of 27, they're still rather tempting.

Final Day in Sapa

2009-08-27T17:25:00.008+08:00

As with every day in Sapa, it began with a crowd of local H'mong women waiting out the front of our hotel.

The day involved about 3 hours of trekking to a couple of local villages. Along the way, we saw some more amazing scenery.

This woman walked with us the entire way and her baby was so well behaved!

Jeremy is a sucker for the locals selling their goods - he ended up buying something from each of these little girls.

And some other cool/cute shots:

We then took the 9 hour sleeper train back to Hanoi. Our final night will be spent here and tomorrow we'll be in Malaysia - where I plan to engage in some intense retail therapy, before the flight home to Perth :)

Sapa

2009-08-25T15:31:00.009+08:00

The 9 hour overnight train from Hanoi to Sapa was surprisingly comfortable and quiet. We arrived this morning at around 7am. The town is breathtakingly beautiful full of vast green mountains.

Shot of the side of our hotel.

Random street side buffalo.

Random black piglet.

A one and a half hour walk took us to this waterfall.

This local woman walked along with us for the start of the trip. She is wearing traditional black H'mong dress, typical of this area. All the women have very long hair, as it is considered bad luck to cut your hair after the age of 12.

Good ol' basket for a backpack.

One of many colourful stalls that sell locally hand-made fabrics and jewellery.

Mud Puppies

2009-08-24T15:11:00.004+08:00

Another must do in Nha Trang, are the mud baths/hot springs. It takes about 5 minutes to get there from the beach front. For less than $10, we spent the afternoon bathing in mud.

You then dry off in the sun, followed by a rinse down in fresh hot mineral water.

Then over to the pool for a soak and a massaging high pressure wash down. Ahhhh, just what we needed.

We LOVE this town :)

Beach Town!

2009-08-24T15:04:00.003+08:00

Ok, so if you want to come to Vietnam, Nha Trang is a MUST see. This beach town is the best place to relax, drink and fill up on seafood. We spent nearly all day lying on these sun beds: reading and drinking.

Vendors come around and sell everything you can imagine: books, cigarettes, beers, snacks, massages, sunglasses and one guy was even selling his paintings. Jeremy and I opted for some freshly grilled king prawns. YUM!

3 Days in Mui Ne?

2009-08-22T10:43:00.002+08:00

So, there was a slight glitch in our plans yesterday. We were meant to be on a 1pm bus to Nha Trang, however at 2pm, the bus still hadn't arrived at our resort. While waiting out front, I took this shot of a herd of cows walking past us on the street.... as they do here.

When we enquired with the bus company, they said we had missed the bus. I was MAJORLY pissed off...and won't go into the details now. But as a result, we had to stay another day. It wasn't too bad in the end. We had a nice lunch and a couple of drinks over some games of pool at the local 'Pogo' bar shown below.

And now, we're about 4 hours away from getting on the next bus. I'm making sure we don't miss this one!

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-08-20T19:14:00.007+08:00

Despite my flu, I wanted to make the most of our stay in Mui Ne. So this morning, we woke at 4am, to go on the sunrise tour of the local white sand dunes. The Jeep picked us up just after 4.30am and we met a nice German/Spanish couple, who were also on tour with us. Below is the sun, coming up over the dunes.

We hired some bits of plastic to slide down the dunes on.

And here's a random dog that I saw while I was out there. Cutie!

We also visited the local fishing village. This town is where 'Nuoc Mam' or fish sauce comes from. The smell was rather intense.

We were back at the resort by 9am and after a couple of spoons of soup, I hit the bed. Spent the day drifting in and out of sleep. At around 5pm, Jeremy wanted to head into town for an early dinner. After freshening up, and getting out of the room, I felt surprisingly good! By the time we chose a spot to eat, I actually felt hungry and managed to eat half this burger.

Glad I'm on the mend. Happy Birthday to Me :)

Mui Ne, Baby!

2009-08-20T19:00:00.002+08:00

Our last day in Saigon was Tuesday. Spent the day seeing the rellies and doing last rounds at our favourite eating spots, before leaving the bustling city. Tuesday arvo, was when flu symptoms struck me and I started to feel very sick. Wednesday morning, I didn't feel any better - but it was only a 4 hour ride to Mui Ne, so I decided to commit. Checked into our VIP Bungalow! Here's Jeremy on the balcony.

Here's the view of the balcony (taken from the bed, where I have spent most of my time over the last two days)

And here's a shot of the beach, taken from out front of our place. So, we're spitting distance from the beach, but its intensely polluted. We will have to wait till the next beach town, before actually venturing into the water.

Meanwhile, my flu got worse and worse. Before I left Australia, I saw a Dr who recommended that I bring some Tammiflu along, just in case I get hit with H1N1 aka Swine Flu. The main symptom is a fever coupled with body temperature above 38 degrees. I had both, along with a string of other symptoms. So Jeremy got me to start taking the meds. I spent the first whole day in bed, only venturing out for dinner. We ordered a seafood feast (specialty of this area) and I literally ate one scallop, one prawn and a small piece of fish. My appetite was gone and I knew that meant I was sick!

Ray Ban Wayfarers

2009-08-18T23:04:00.001+08:00

Yeh, I know these aren't really cool and they're just knock offs.

But for $3 each, we couldn't resist.

Its Just Weird Really

2009-08-18T23:00:00.002+08:00

Check out this anti-smoking poster. A pregnant woman, clutching her child, surrounded by cigarette butts.

The creepiest bit, are all those arms coming out of the pile of butts. ..! Somehow, I don't think the Department of Health in WA would authorise this.

Meet the Rellies

2009-08-18T16:53:00.005+08:00

Yesterday was a long and eventful day. We were picked up at 6am and taken to the 'jungle' where my youngest Uncle lives. My Grandparents live nearby, so they met us there too, along with an assortment of cousins that I couldn't keep track of. Below is my Uncle 6, he normally lives in France, and is currently on holiday here. We started the day with a shot of whiskey. Him, his brother in law and Jeremy went on to polish off 3 bottles between them. Nasty stuff!

Below is my Grandad (mum's Dad).

My Uncle's family mainly live off the land. In the morning, I watched as two chickens were killed to make our lunch.

Below, are jackfruits. If you've never had them, they're an amazing sweet fruit, with a yellow flesh. They're even better, when eaten fresh.

Here's all the family gathered for the lunch.

And finally, I let my 5 year old cousin take some pix with my camera - below is the best one he took :)

The Million Dollar Bag

2009-08-16T17:41:00.003+08:00

Temika once called me the Bag Lady, and I think she's right. We stumbled upon a leather goods stall at the Ben Thanh Markets yesterday and I couldn't resist having a quick look.

A million vietnamese dong later, I emerged with this baby. Don't be alarmed, a million dong is only around $70 AUD. Mmm, there's nothing like the fresh smell of leather. I'm really really happy with this purchase!

Jeremy's New Guitar

2009-08-16T17:37:00.002+08:00

Jeremy bought a new guitar yesterday. I'm a little worried about lugging it around to our next four destinations and home as well - its a little on the big side. But he really wanted and what the hell, we are on holiday.

Nah, just joking. The actually bought this regular sized, blue one. It was a bargain price and such a great colour. He's been teaching me some chords.. but I'm not too good at it.

TWO dollars!

2009-08-16T17:29:00.002+08:00

As some of you may know, Jeremy and I are major fans of rice paper rolls, we practically make them at home once a week for dinner.

Yesterday we hit them up at the Ben Thanh markets. We got six for $2. They were fresh and delicious. Have I mentioned how much I love Vietnamese food?

Family Ties

2009-08-16T17:15:00.004+08:00

Finally caught up with some family yesterday. Here's my new cousin, his nickname is "Bill", after Bill Gates - I'm being serious... I'm not sure why, but that's what I was told. Anyway, he's a cutie. He really likes mobile phones, as you can see from the pix.

This is Bill with his Mum, she's my Mum's youngest sister.

Last night, they had us over for a seafood feast. It was even better than the spread they put on for us last year. Lots of unusual shell fish and interesting new tastes.

Tomorrow, we're heading out of the city to see my Grandma and meet my french Uncle, who is also currently on holiday in Vietnam.

Back to Saigon!

2009-08-14T18:32:00.002+08:00

Left around 7am for another long bus ride over to Vietnam. Our destination was Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh City - which is the city my parents are from, and where a lot of my Mum's family still resides. While waiting to cross the Cambodia border, I took this pic - the ol' horse and carriage, still in use here.

Our bus stopped for a 15 minute meal break, during the 6 hour journey. These stops are always at the most ghetto/sketchy eateries you could ever imagine. Jeremy and I decided it was best to just have a quick drink and wait till we got to Saigon, to get some solids into us.

At around 1pm, we had made it to Saigon. And after a quick rest and shower, we hit up a Pho spot on the same street as our hotel. Pho is a traditional beef noodle soup - I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.. and probably will for the next couple of days. Yum!

Its good to be back in Saigon.. the streets are busy and chaotic - but I love it :)

The Killing Fields: Warning - Graphic Images

2009-08-13T18:46:00.007+08:00

We visited the Killing Fields this morning. This massive memorial is directly at the entrance. It is made up of about 17 levels of skeleton remains, recovered from the mass graves of those killed by Pol Pot, under the Khmer Rouge regime. His reign ended in 1979, when the Vietnamese successfully overtook Phnom Penh.

All the recovered bones and skulls have been preserved. There were over 8000 skeletons found.
The bottom layer of the memorial is made up of the clothes, found in the graves.

As we walked the paths, bone remnants were coming up out of the ground, as well as small pieces of cloth.

Below are photos of some of the prisoners, who were tortured at the S-21 prison, before they were tied and blind folded and taken to be executed.

The sites were horrific and sad - its been a very confronting day.

Interesting Every Day Scenes

2009-08-13T18:26:00.007+08:00

Here's some cool shots I've taken in the last couple of days. Never ceases to amaze me, how many people can fit on one motorcycle - below is a family of four.

A couple of monks, carrying bright umbrellas :)

We often come across groups of people riding on the roof of trucks, through the country side.

And this guy is resting in his cyclo, during the middle of the day.

Beggars, Everywhere

2009-08-13T18:17:00.003+08:00

Everywhere we go, kids and adults too actually, hassle us. They try to sell us tuk-tuk rides, scarves, books, t-shirts, fruit, food etc. On top of this, beggars are on every corner, most have been injured from land mines - so are blind, have missing limbs and some are even quadraplegic. Its hard to say no at times.

The little kid pictured worked the busy food strip of Siem Reap. His main strategy was to run around shirt-less and literally attach himself to any western looking tourist. Everyone would fall for his cute looks, and stop to give him a little lift or hug. Jeremy went so far as to buy him a tin of powdered milk, which we assume will be used to feed his siblings.

Jeremy Was Sick

2009-08-13T18:05:00.005+08:00

On Wednesday morning, we woke at 5.30am to get ready for our bus trip to Phnom Penh. Jeremy had felt ill throughout the night earlier, but thought he could make it. After checking out and boarding the bus, we slowly made our way to the centre of Siem Reap. When stopping to pick up more passengers, Jeremy jumped off for a quick breather - when he disappeared I hopped off to find him... he was spewing near the back of the bus. We decided it would be best to stay another night and try for Phnom Penh tomorrow.
I was sent to buy some Panadol, Gastrolyte and Buscopan... not an easy task, when most pharmacists didn't speak english very well. Jeremy was left to recover from the gastro in the hotel.

I spent the day getting a foot/hand spa and full manicure/pedicure. Left to my own devices, I had KFC for lunch, and it was good and greasy! Heading around town on my own, I had a lot of people speaking to me in the local language. Must look more Cambodian, then I realise.

In Other News...

2009-08-10T17:33:00.005+08:00

Everything is paid using the US Dollar over here. Beers, tacos, margaritas and tuk-tuk rides, tend to only cost $1USD. A typical tuk-tuk.

We decided to spend up on spa treatments last night. First stop, Doctor Fish: $3 for 15minutes of having these fish eat the dead skin off your feet. I've been keen to do this for awhile, but the reality was not what I imagined. Following a hot towel rub down of our feet and armed with a beer, we plunged our feet into the pool of fish. They immediately flocked and started to nibble! The sensation of 50 or so fish biting my toes, heels and especially the bottoms of my feet, was too hard to take! It took me at least 5 minutes of easing in, before I could fully immerse my feet. I never once unclenched my toes.. it was all a bit too much for a ticklish Phuong!

And the final news for today: Jeremy ate a deep fried cricket. There were hundreds of them at a street food stall, along with spiders, beetles and cockroaches. All I can say is, it was gross!

Here is a pot of bugs, being cooked.

Angkor Wat

2009-08-10T17:17:00.005+08:00

The temples of Angkor are incredibly impressive. The pictures don't really do them justice, but I'll post some anyway. Most of these temples were built in the 1100's and each has an individual and striking architectural style. First up: Angkor Wat

The Bayon consists of 216 faces, which were carved in the likeness of the King at the time it was built

The temples of Ta Prohm are enclosed in these massive tree roots. Tomb Raider was filmed here, and the Cambodian tour guide said that Angelina Jolie is a 'very kind person' because of the humanitarian work she has done for the country. I still think she's a bitch for stealing Brad from Jen - but we won't go into that now.

Journey Begins With a 17 Hour Lay Over

2009-08-10T16:59:00.006+08:00

Due to our majorly cheap flights, we had a 17 hour lay over in KL, on the way through to Siem Reap. So we decided to venture into the city and make the most of our time. We chose a $20 room on this bustling street, full of street food vendors. The room had no window and brick like pillows. The walls were paper thin and we could hear sex workers 'working' throughout the night...charming

After a power nap, we walked into the nicer part of town. Checked out the twin towers.

We had the most amazing tapas for dinner that night, including a carafe of sangria and churros with chocolate sauce for dessert. When it came to paying for the bill, I realised that I'd left both my bank card and credit card at home! Had a small heart attack, then realised that I can just transfer $$ through to Jeremy, to withdraw from his account. Good thing I remembered to bring Jeremy :)

We were up at 3am the next morning, for an early flight to Siem Reap. Good bye Malaysia! We'll see you on our return flight lay over.

Carpark Antics

2009-07-26T08:57:00.003+08:00

Spent an hour or so in the Condor Carpark last night. Its a private residential carpark, that was open for one night of viewing only.

Lots of local artists had painted the various levels... a massive range of designs were on show. It was really quite impressive.

Hopefully more of this stuff happens in Perth.

Spoilt Rotten!

2009-07-24T17:23:00.003+08:00

Jeremy surprised me with an early birthday gift this year!

My very first piece of jewelery from Tiffanys! I love it so much - and shall wear it every day for the rest of my life :)

I am one happy, spoilt, girl.

Cute Kids!

2009-07-24T17:20:00.001+08:00

These kids busk in town on a regular basis. They're a family act - and they're raising money to fund their musical education.

I think everyone mainly watches the little girl - adorable!

Expeno Week!

2009-06-27T21:47:00.003+08:00

Thursday afternoon, the old hot water system died. It had been making weird exploding noises as we showered.. and with one final explosion - it was gone. Set us back nearly $800 to get replaced. But one cold shower was enough for me, I was willing to pay the expense to get it up and running ASAP!

So, the new system was installed on Friday. Just so happens that on that very same Friday, I get a call from Zomp to inform that my long awaited boots that have been on order, have arrived! The left leg slipped on nicely, but the right was getting stuck about 3/4 up my calf.. I needed the assistance of three shop girls to help me get the zip done up. But it was worth it. I won't reveal the price of these babies - but I will say that I love them like I would my very own baby.

So... its been an expensive week, but I am one happy and warm (hot showers, even hotter boots) girl!

Claire's Tapas Birthday

2009-06-19T15:41:00.004+08:00

Last weekend, Claire had us all over to celebrate her birthday. We all bought a plate of tapas and she made this yummy Sangria!

Everyone wanted the sangria, including the balloon man....

After much food and drink - toilet paper made its way to the dance floor and resulted in the below.

Great night! Happy Birthday Claire :)

Jeremy's 27th!!!!

2009-06-09T19:25:00.007+08:00

The long weekend was Jeremy's birthday. We started with dinner at Santa Fe.. we shared a couple of carafes of frozen margaritas - salted glasses please!

Followed up with the ribs - we BOTH ordered them! And were so full, we could barely get through the one corn cob and there was definitely no room for churro dessert this time.

Following dinner, it was off to Rosemount Bowl... this has got to be the coolest bowling alley in Perth. Retro fittings and ball returns, as well as cool music and film clips playing all night.

Unfortunately, I couldn't let go of my competitive spirit, even for Jeremy's birthday. So I won 2 games out of the 3 and took photos of the scoreboard to prove it.

Happy Birthday Jeremy! Love you :)

Minor Home Improvements

2009-05-29T14:35:00.004+08:00

So... I've been buying LOTS online lately. And slowly my packages have been arriving and making me a little happier :)

About a week ago, the blue bird stickers came - and now they're positioned above the kitchen window.

Then last night, the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' poster came.. so I rushed to Ikea to get a suitable frame (and maybe I ate a hotdog while I was there) - and now its placed above the fridge.

Ahhhh, new house stuff! Can't get enough!

The Guitar Man

2009-05-23T19:15:00.002+08:00

I bought three guitar hooks off Ebay, so we could put Jeremy's guitars up in the lounge room.

They arrived in the post yesterday and Jeremy put them up today. I think they look pretty swell!

The Mushroom Trio

2009-05-10T12:54:00.002+08:00

Jeremy and I stopped in at the Artisan Markets on Saturday - they're held our the front of our local library.

Couldn't help myself - had to buy these cute mushrooms! They're now proudly displayed in one of the potplants on the balcony :)

Mrs Brown

2009-05-10T12:50:00.003+08:00

Checked out a new bar in North Freo on Friday. Its called Mrs Brown - its on that same strip as Mojos and Flipside.

The bar is pretty much just one big white walled room. They sold long necks of Coopers Pale and Bulmers too - so Jeremy and I were happy. Good crowd, nice vibe.
We were there for Fi's birthday.. but I the only pix I got, where of the magnet board.

Happy Birthday Fi!!

De La De La De La!

2009-04-30T18:33:00.007+08:00

Went to see De La Soul on Sunday. Cut Chemist opened and had visuals going in time to his set - pretty damn good stuff.

Next, De La Soul came out - and didn't fail to impress. The band was amazing.

When the show finished, Jeremy waited to give Cut Chemist one of his drawings!

We then walked home, and passed one of Tim's (Jeremy's brother) paintings. He's a part of a group that's done up the side of a huge wall in Northbridge - you can see if from the train, as you come in on the Freo line.

My Dad

2009-04-16T15:31:00.003+08:00

Here's a pic of my Dad playing Wii earlier this year. Its funny, so I thought I'd report it.

Salt Salt and Pepper's Here

2009-04-12T17:52:00.003+08:00

As some of you may know...buying homewares makes me quite excited and happy. My latest addition to the house hold are these salt and pepper shakers. Love 'em!

Yallingup Re-visited!

2009-04-12T17:29:00.007+08:00

Jeremy and I hit up Yallingup again, just before the Easter break. We both had Friday off and after getting a new tyre - I somehow got a bolt stuck in one - the road trip began. We stayed in this 2 bedroom chalet, spitting distance from Yallingup beach.

That night, we got fish and chips from the local shop and sat outside the chalet, while watching the sun go down.

On Saturday, Jeremy attempted his surfing again - while I read and soaked up some sun.

That arvo, we checked out Ngilgi cave..

And on Sunday, we drove home. On the way, we picked up 2 dozen oysters for $20! It made the perfect post-trip snack, when we got home :)

Funny Mummy

2009-04-01T14:37:00.003+08:00

Here's an email I got from my Mum this arvo. Funny stuff. She's a cutie!

Birthday Weekend

2009-03-22T15:38:00.003+09:00

Friday night, a group of us celebrated Sarah's birthday. Started with dinner at Mad Monk - we shared lots of tapas, including pork belly, seared scallops, potato cubes, salt and pepper squid, pizza and salad. .. yum! Then onto the Sail and Anchor for another drink, before calling it a night. Happy Birthday Sarah!

Saturday night, I had to catch the train out to Freo for Ollie's birthday drinks at Clancy's. (My car is currently at the mechanics, getting a new cylinder). So after a 40 minute train ride, sitting amongst a group of loud Americans - I made it.... how I hate public transport sometimes. Ollie had a huge beard, you'll have to take my word for it, cause I didn't get any photos. But pictured below is the train ride home - Jeremy played his guitar for a captive audience.

The 27th Year

2009-03-15T21:11:00.002+09:00

And so it has begun... we're all turning 27 this year. First up - Larissa!

We went to the Windsor, and had a great feed, followed by many drinks. Happy Birthday Larissa!

Dirty Feet = Fun Festival

2009-03-02T21:13:00.002+09:00

Headed to Future Music Festival on Sunday. As we walked in, we saw a surge of about 100 people make a run for the fence - was quite the scene, seeing bodies flip over a double set of fences - security didn't know what hit them, and only a few seemed to get caught... nice work!

Highlight was Grand Master Flash - he played a decently long set and when White Stripes - Seven Nation Army came on, everyone got their boogy on.

The Curvy Wall

2009-02-15T16:33:00.002+09:00

We have a curvy wall in our place, it separates the lounge room from the dining area.

Today, I put up hooks to hang Jeremy's photos above the dining table. They look pretty good, I reckon!

I Am Cleansed

2009-01-31T16:56:00.005+09:00

Helen, Larissa and I decided to book ourselves in for an AOK Ion Cleanse today. Pretty much, your feet are put in a bath, that generates ions, which then detoxify your organs. During the process, the water turns different colours, based on what is being detoxified. To begin with, we were hooked up to these machines:

After about 20 minutes, Helen's bath looked like she was detoxifying from the joints, judging from the orange colour:

Me, however, appeared to be more 'toxic' as my water turned black with flecks... looking more like a detoxification from the liver and heavy metals:

Yes, I am one sick lady - must do less partying.

Rags 'n' Muffins

2009-01-31T16:46:00.005+09:00

Managed to win 2 free passes to this year's Raggamuffin. Got there just in time to hear the end of Inner Circle. Then Arrested Development came on. They put on a great show - the guy holding the palms is 78!

Shaggy was next, and I'm not going to lie - I really enjoyed him. He opened with Mr Boombastic and played other classics including It Wasn't Me and my favourite, Angel.

Was fun to hang out with Stina and Frodo too - before Stina flew home. Fingers crossed I get in free next year too!

I'm RICH!

2009-01-31T16:42:00.002+09:00

So, I bought a ticket to this year's Big Day Out awhile back - but it sold out this week and Jeremy didn't have his yet.

Decided to put it on Ebay - where it fetched a nice sum of $255. Yessssss. I am now rich, for about a day, until I go grocery shopping, fill up the car and buy some credit. Still, I'm not complaining.

Origin

2009-01-01T11:17:00.005+09:00

We went to Origin, held at Bassendean Oval - for New Years Eve.

I mainly went to see DJ Nu Mark - and he did not fail to impress

Public Enemy was the other highlight of the night.
It was heaps of fun... bring on 2009!

New Year, New Room

2009-01-01T11:11:00.002+09:00

A while back, we decided to move our bed into the spare room - making the main room more of a study and storage area.

Jeremy just put these shelves up for us in the bedroom.

Spruces up the white walls a bit.

PS. How pretty is the tree outside our window..?

Girly Fun

2008-12-07T16:41:00.003+09:00

Spent a weekend with my friends in Margaret River. There was lots of spa action, home made margaritas and lunch at Saracen Winery. Beautiful weather, great company - wish we could do it more often!
PS. Can you spot me?

C-U-T-E!

2008-11-20T08:47:00.002+09:00

Dropped into an art exhibition last night, at Keith and Lottie....lots of cute stuffed toys and painted canvas

Jeremy, the art critic

Was fun, for a mid-week outing :)

Happy Birthday Carly :)

2008-11-10T11:44:00.004+09:00

Checked out Mint nightclub in Northbridge for Carly's 26th on Friday night. Pretty wallpaper, funky decore and lots of 80s/90s music. Was lots of fun!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T08:16:00.004+09:00

So... I'm in the habit of making my own juices these days. Normally the ingredients consist of carrots, ginger, celery, apple - this morning, I mixed it up a bit and tried some carrot, beetroot, strawberries, tomato and ginger.

And here's the result.. knocked over the cup, just as I went to put the juicer away.

All I could think to myself was, Happy Halloween. Then I nearly cried, cause it takes about half an hour to make them. Sigh.

Hook Me Up

2008-09-21T17:37:00.002+08:00

Jeremy put up a bunch of hooks for me - behind our bedroom door. Aah, a place to put all my pretty bags!

Yep - that's it. Not the most exciting post ever... but I'm doing anything I can to avoid my uni assignment this weekend - so if posting about my new hooks distracts me, so be it!

Ribs For Your Pleasure

2008-09-21T17:33:00.002+08:00

Friday night, J and I went to our fav mexican restaurant, Santa Fe. The ribs there are sooo good - we both had to order them.

The serving sizes are always decent - and on Wednesday, they only charge $20! Bring on Wednesday, I say!

New Additions to the Family

2008-09-17T22:02:00.003+08:00

Jeremy bought me two new clown loaches! (They're the two smaller fish). Aww, cute!

The two new babies, make our old ones look like giants.

Another Frolleague's Birthday

2008-09-14T17:57:00.004+08:00

Kate's birthday was celebrated in the Minq bar, at Burswood Casino.

Many a champagne later, Leanne and I tried our luck on the chocolate wheel. Leanne's psychic powers advised us to put our money on watermelons - and we WON! Here I am, with my $20 worth of chips.. sweet.

Happy Birthday Kate :)

Ikea Cuteness

2008-09-13T16:53:00.004+08:00

Made a trip to Ikea with Mum today. How cute is this print!?!?

So cute, I had a buy a tray with the print on it, to sit my toaster and J's sugar on :)

Fat Cat

2008-09-07T12:06:00.001+08:00

Had brekkie with J at Coode Street cafe this morning. Saw this white cat - it was so fat I had to take a photo.

Tubby...!

The Daynes'

2008-09-07T11:39:00.010+08:00

Saturday night was Denae and Dan's wedding party. Food was amazing, drinks were plentiful and it was just a really fun night, celebrating our friend's marriage :)

Introducing...Denae and Dan Daynes!

Dancing....

More dancing (and posing)

Our table at the end of the night.

Michelle's Birthday!

2008-09-01T07:35:00.004+08:00

On Saturday night, I went out for Michelle's birthday at the Charles Hotel.
Michelle's my frolleague - thats the term we use for colleagues that are on their way to becoming a friend.

Michelle and I...

Leanne and I... (Leanne's also reached frolleague status)

7 Years Later...

2008-08-25T17:50:00.004+08:00

Here's some I dug up from the archives... 7 years ago, today, Jeremy and I met at Club Bay View. How cool are we?!

Left to right: Jess (yep, a long time ago, she lived in Perth), Me (thinking I'm super cool in my first expensive clothes purchase - an Alannah Hill top), Lauren (she introduced me and J - bless) and Jeremy (complete with freshly cut mohawk, what a hottie).

And here's one of the girls. Jess, Me, Prue, Helen and Lauren. Where's Larissa? Sleeping it off in the car - we'll never let you live that one down, Larissa.

The Loot

2008-08-25T17:25:00.006+08:00

Although I may be a year older, I'm not too old to LOVE getting pressies. Here's some of what I was showered with:

Kit Cosmetics gift voucher!!

A mobile of silver dragonflies (at least thats what I think they are).. very pretty

And the two rings on the far right are also new additions to my collection. Thank you to everyone for their generous presents! I couldn't feature them all, because I was truly spoilt with so many great gifts. Damn, another year till I get this treatment again!

When, Will I, Will I, Be Famous?

2008-08-25T17:12:00.004+08:00

Well people, I've officially hit the big time. Captured, recorded and published on www.wildrevolution.com.au and at the Red Sea of all places.

Yep, I know you're jealous....

26 Years And 3 Days Old..

2008-08-24T14:13:00.006+08:00

So, last Wednesday I turned 26. Yep, over the quarter century mark now!

I got my hair done - see how its all curly?! That ain't natural.

My outfit was completed by this Mimco necklace birthday gift (!!!). Then it was off to Buddha Bar for an indian banquet and drinks. After dinner the night was topped off with some dance floor action at the Red Sea.

Thank you SO much to all who attended on the night as well as everyone else that has wished me Happy Birthday.

Cocktail Partay

2008-08-16T18:17:00.001+08:00

I agreed to attend a cocktail party at the Cockburn footy club with Dannielle and crew. $30 got us endless slushie 'cocktails' and free entry to the Clink in Freo..yeh, sort of dodgy, but it was fun!

Struttin' it

Day after hangover, cured by hot and spicy fillets.. yum! I highly recommend these.

Prepping For The Weekend

2008-08-14T22:11:00.005+08:00

So its Thursday night and Dannielle comes over for her hair appointment at the Phuong Salon.

As a thank you gift for straightening her hair, she gave me these flowers. They're so pretty!

Dannielle's not bad at this arty - farty floristry stuff. Not bad at all.

Final Days

2008-08-02T11:12:00.012+08:00

On Monday we took an hour flight to Hanoi - capital of Vietnam. Had a quiet night, and rested up for our next tour. The following two days was spent on Halong Bay.

Our 'junk' boat cruised around these islands. There's a fair bit of pollution in the water, from the communities that live out here as well as the never ending tourists. But when our boat's engine would turn off and we drifted quietly on the water - it was very serene.

We had a stopover to check out some caves. Then the rest of the day was spent swimming and playing cards with some aussies and a french couple we'd met. That night we stayed in cabin on the boat.

The following day was the journey home - it took up virtually our entire day. On our rest break, I found the above - snake wine. Snake wine is everywhere, but I'd never seen this many snakes in the one bottle and I'd definitly never seen one of the snake's heads sticking out!

That arvo we walked back to our hotel and bumped into Ollie! The next day, Jeremy and Ollie went for a skate - while I organised tickets to go see water puppets.

Later that arvo, we watched the water puppets. Then later that night, it was off to the airport for me. Good bye Vietnam!