Woman for pharmacy

Just came home from a dinner affair Bev took me to. Dubbed "Women For Pharmacy Dinner", it was a social gathering of women pharmacists, and an exceptional handful of men who share the cause of these women. Bev tagged me along since, according to her, I am a pharmacist anyway. Well, even if I am yet to get my qualification here, I guess just the mere fact that I am aiming to be one soon has earned me the right to be there. It was also an opportunity venue for me to meet new acquaintances and, as Bev would put it, built up my own network. She was at "advertisement" mode again, telling people-- known or unknown to her-- that I am a pharmacist from overseas. I'd follow it up later to explain that I am her dispensary assistant.

Speaking of which, dan dan dan dan dan dan dan... I am already certified! My certificate-- no, please make that certificates-- came in this morning. Apparently, the pre-course modules I accomplished last March was for, unbeknownst to me, another certificate. So, yeah, there were two certificates to celebrate about! My chef couldn't be any prouder, seeing his name in mine boldly written on them.

And to put icing on my already sweet week, an iPod nano unit came in for me last Friday. I wasn't even aware where it came from, or if I'd won it from one of the numerous competitions Tamara and I sign up to. It was a very ecstatic moment, as one can imagine, with Bev joining in jumping around with me and almost confused at my excitement. When I had finally managed to tear off the wrapping and had taken the unit from its packaging, and jumping some more, it became clear why. Bev held the tiny unit in her hand, shaking it close to her ear, and half-smilingly asked, "What is it?" Hahaha!

Oh well, the laughs and smiles these have put on our faces top it all for a week most memorable.

Melbourne, Mitch and me

Aaaaaaaaaak! I have to post this for my friend, Mitch. She came over with her sister's family from Sydney last Holy Week-end. It was also my post-birthday celebration, so the chef had made our Tour de Melbourne quite special. She and her family had driven the Great Ocean Road to see the Twelve (er, Eight?) Apostles, but she hadn't toured the CBD which, with the weather at the time, we could satiate her with.

Following the Yarra from Crown, we walked in and out of Crown casino and retail shops, then down to Southbank for more window shopping before crossing Princes Bridge to show Mitch the concrete architectural myth that is Federation Square. Along the way, we had a few snaps with Mitch, but it was also quite a revelation for us how wonderful we could capture the city at this time of day. I guess the extra lights from the past Commonwealth Games helped create the notable aesthetic aspect of it all.

My boots were killing me with the winding walk in search for dinner that the chef was leading. But Mitch, the prepared tourist, was well okay, managing to cope with it all. There was a bit of frustration fuming from moi, when it turned out that the chef had not decided early on where we were treating our guest for dinner. It came clear later that we were all involved in the search, which was generally anything but Maccas. Hahaha! Well, we eventually ended popping into the Lebanese House (sorry, I couldn't remember which street), a surprise too many for our appetite. It was an amazing experience, and best of all, it's anyone's treat. Very affordable.

Hey, Mitch, here are some blinks from my cam.

Logging off from hibernation

The miners of Beaconsfield have already come out from entrapment and have been raking millions since, and here we are, still almost under a rock! Hehehe.

Not that there wasn't much to say anymore. In fact, much has happened during our month-long absence that coming here then to diarise them had to take second precedence. But nonetheless, our apologies to those we haven't updated through our phone calls and emails.
April was truly a fully packed month for us, mostly of reckoning events that have finally shaped what we're up to this month-- and, hopefully, the months ahead. May, for a start, followed well on track. :)

The module I was beating to submit before the end of April was finally sent back to the Guild for assessment. Not being modest here, but I really feared I had completed it haphazardly in the three weeks I only had. The final and oral assessment was a 30-minute phone conversation last Wednesday, 16th May. Did I sound too nervous? I must have had, that the lady assessor on the other end had to assure me I couldn't be any worse than how I did on the module. Hmm, sounds good and encouraging. Comprehensive, she said, which at the time sounded more complimentary than anything. Anyway, I guess I did just fine then, with our conversation ending with the same pleasantries we started with.

The chef has decided to look for a second job to beat the lazy cold months-- or should I say, to keep his mind off cycling? Hahaha! Well, the weather has clearly robbed him of this, and his dear dahlings will have to wait until the days grow longer again. (Is someone cheering in the background? Hahaha.) So, on weekends, he gets assignments from this agency which usually places him in aged-care facility kitchens, where our additional income comes from easily stirring soups for the grannies. :) How lovely is that?

A second restaurant is now in the process of convincing the chef to take their offer for the head position. The first step was a 'bribe' dinner a few Wednesdays ago. Hahaha! I hope I didn't sound that bad, because at the sight of the tempting entree, we agreed it was gonna be worth missing the first few minutes of Prison Break. Heavens, that was the best Pesto Chicken I have had in a long while. The chef had lamb served with baked beans served in tomato sauce. I feared he wouldn't like the dish for the sauce, else my poultry delight would have to be sacrificed for his lamb. But it turned out to be just as mouth-watering.

We'll post later how far the temptation goes. :)

***

Onto other food blogging...

A few Saturdays ago, we sat in for lunch at Kuala Lumpur Restaurant on Koornang Rd. Well, this time, we decided to reserve our praises. Waiting in line for a take-away during their busy hours is quite understable, but warming our seats for half an hour on a semi-packed lunch venue was a bit ridiculous. And not to mention that we ordered the ordinary in their Chinese-Malaysian menu. Even with his bike 'bible' to bless his boredom, it was obviously a long wait. While I was drowning mine with water, I just assured him that we've never had anything less than yummy here, so we kind of set our expectation to it's-late-so-it-must-be-good-then.

After my fourth glass of water-- I had always emptied it so the waitress would keep coming back to notice us... sadly, she didn't seem to pick up the message and automaton-ishly kept refilling with a smile-- our plates finally landed on our table. Ugh, they were neither hot in temperature nor in appeal. The coconut rice in my Nasi Lemak was pebbles in my palate, and the chef's Singapore noodles was over-fried. We pushed down our throats what we could and lied to the host's "How was it?" on our way out. Hmm, we said our 'goodbyes' like we've never meant before, but I guess, only desperation for now will make me come back for their Mee Siam.

The chef had envisaged a good Saturday then, with lunch and a few shop stops while waiting for our laundry. So not to drag on our unfortunate lunch episode, I treated him for coffee and cakes at Santucci's cafe. Well, it took a bit of convincing to get him in there, because he's sworn before he'd never be caught sitting in that place. From outside, the cafe looks dim, which gave him the notion it's a hang-out for homos. Hahaha! But in actuality, Santucci's is a very cozy place, with a bear-hug (is that the word?) appeal. Well, the setting is truly warm, with it's ecclectic collection of framed images (and sewing machine cases!) hung on the wall to complement the mismatched tables and chairs. There is a full couch set, a mini library of sorts, and a basket of toys for kids to tinker with. It's a known meeting place for mums-with-prams, and yes, a good weekend coffee.

Yes, he was impressed. The latte here is nothing short of perfect to set that lazy weekend mood. The chef said more complements than I could count poppy seeds in his muffin. And I'm just glad I could now come back here-- and yes we have for the last three weekends-- without any hesitation from him.