Post New Year Celebrations

So little time yet so many more things we wanted to see and do. My holiday stories over new years are not finished yet!

1 Jan 2006
We tried another yet unexplored yum cha restaurant as listed in the Sydney's Cheap Eats Guide. This one was located in the Mandarin Oreintal building in Chatswood. We didn't wait too long before our queue number was called. It was the most expensive dim sum I've ever eaten. I've never paid more than $20. Either we were ripped off because it was a public holiday or the dishes were shockingly overpriced. Guess it's back to our familiar yum cha place the next time round.

It was scorchingly hot that we could hardly do anything after brunch. We retreated to Poh Lyn's place to chill out and play cards. Jas and Teddy cooked up some delicious Hokkien Mee and then we hit Manly Beach. I love night strolls on the beach. The waves were pretty fierce, hitting the shore with a mighty bang. The winds carried unseen sand with them and scratched us as it speedily breezed by. We had to cup our eyes to shield from the "sand storm" as I would call it. A nice hot choco and mocha wrapped up our night.

2 Jan 2006
Today was a long day. Need to cover Hunter Valley in only four hours, not to mention a 3 hour journey to and fro. Need to send Lufee to the airport. Need to pack and tidy up PL's house before driving back to Wollongong. Need to buy her a pressie for letting us bunk over for so many nights. Need to sleep early tonight before another long itenarary the next day. *phew*

It was unanimously agreed that I would be the designated driver to Hunter. Everyone else wanted to drink and taste wine. Cheh so much for giving face to the one who would be hosting them in Wollongong. But I did not heed the generous delegation, I drank anyway and bought a few unoaked and sweet wines. We even tasted a whole range of cow's milk cheeses - from feta and brie to marinated fromage blanc and gold washed rind. My favourite is the three year old black vintage cheddar. It was the only one I bought for $46.50/kg. Factory price, my foot. Still shockingly expensive beyond words.

In the end, we managed to complete all the "Need to"s. *double phew*

3 Jan 2006
A special day.

Woke up a little late but still managed to get to Jervis Bay on time. Went snorkelling again, this time round with the perfect weather under our belts. I saw more fish than the last time - sting rays, colourful fish, more Port Jackson sharks, etc. During the second dive, Ted and I sneaked some biscuits under the sleeves of our wet suit as fish feed. We managed to attract heaps of fish towards us, which was such an amazing sight.

Dinner was booked at a nice seafood restaurant in Darling Harbour. On the way there, the other car had engine problems, with temperature hitting an all-time sky high. NRMA was called in to assist. Thankfully nothing serious but we had to forego the booking as we were already running late. We decided to try this Jade Lotus restaurant nearby. We had always wanted to give it a go, passing it by countless times everytime we drove up to Sydney. The flashing signs "Singapore Chilli Crabs" made it all the more tempting. Though slightly out-of-the-ordinary price for a dinner, we had chilli crabs, birthday noodles, and king prawns, just to name a few of my favourite dishes.

Excellent.