Melbourne getaway

Kicking off our weekend in Melbourne with a glass of red and pint of Guinness

Friday couldn't come soon enough. I've had a big week. I had a big presentation  today that I had been preparing for all week. Now it's over and it's gin and tonic o'clock.

Dave and been at a travel conference all day at The Star in Pyrmont. Only a 20 minute walk over and he was standing with me and my colleagues at the bar under my building. At 6pm, we had to go and catch the airport train to Sydney Domestic Airport. The train is pretty handy. For about $15, you're there in 20 minutes from Town Hall Station. Already checked-in, all we needed to do was go through security.

I had just finished one of the biggest food, body and mind challenges - Emily Skye's 30 Day Shred. This weekend marked my first weekend off salads, beans and eggs. I was already off it when I had a delicious piece of Guylian mousse cake at work.

Guylian mousse cake

A little Friday cheat

So when we got to the airport, all I wanted was pub food. We ordered fisherman's basket and deep fried peppers. I sound like a fried food heathen, but it has been over 30 days since I've had fried food and after a long week, that and wine is all I wanted. It came with a huge tub of mayonnaise and the condiment queen that I am didn't hold back from ketchup and barbecue sauce either. We took our sweet time because surprise surprise Tiger Airways was delayed 45 minutes.

Fried peppers - what a mistake!

Fisherman's basket

My body wasn't used to digesting such dense food. My mind felt cloudy and my body felt lethargic. I slept hard on the plane and the Sky Bus to Southern Cross Station. 

Two months earlier, we booked our accommodation through Airbnb. We had left over credit from a host cancellation on our NYC so this trip's booking was credited and completely 'free'! From the Airbnb ad, it looked perfect. 'The room with a view' was exactly what we wanted. It was off Flinders Street (one of the main arteries through Melbourne) and about $150 per night. A hotel room at that rate would have been a cell block.

After only a 15 minute walk from the station, we arrived. We were greeted by the host at midnight! He was kind enough to wait up for us and show us around the apartment. He and his wife live nearly at the top of the building. They had two rooms, one for them and the other they offered to guests via Airbnb. The pictures were spot on. The room overlooked the Yarra River and South Bank. In our view, we had the riverfront, Crown Casino and the Eureka Tower - the tallest spectator building in the southern hemisphere. It was our very own serviced apartment with everything you'd need including Foxtel and a microwave. The balcony was the best part - we were definitely going to take advantage of morning tea's with that view.

Around 1am, I laid down to relax. My stomach gurgled and I could feel heartburn rising in my chest. I tried to close my eyes to sleep it off, but my body was in distress. I sat up and couldn't hold back. I rushed to the toilet and my entire dinner was in the bowl. My body clearly did not agree with the wine and peppers. As soon as it left my body, I was much more relaxed and ready for bed. I blame only myself. I had shocked my body with such foreign foods (especially after 30 days of detox) and I paid for it.

My morning view

We woke up to a cloudy but slightly sunny Saturday morning. The room with the view was even more breathtaking during the day. We made plans to meet with my Melbourne based colleague, so as groggy as I was from last night's events, I pushed myself to get up and get out. Plus I was starving - remember nothing was left in my tummy!

My colleague picked us up and took us to South Melbourne to a famous brunch spot Chez Dre. A Melbourne foodie himself, he wasn't going to let us visit without experiencing Melbourne's finest. But first, he and Dave had to have a famous pork dim sim. Heading back to the restaurant he says, "You have to pass dumpsters too find the best places to eat and drinking in Melbourne." This instance was no exception.

Che Dre's Eggs Royale

The Eggs Royale was divine. The cured salmon was exceptional and it made my aching belly happy. Dave had pork belly - I still don't know how you could stomach pork belly for breakfast, but then again it's just a bigger piece of bacon right? Too bad I didn't have enough room for dessert or a coffee. PS Melbourne boasts a big game when it comes to coffee. I tasted Dave's skinny flat white and it lived up to the reputation - rich, creamy and just enough coffee taste for even the tea lover.

Che Dre Desserts

After brunch, he dropped us off at the GPO - general post office building in the CBD (central business district - every major Australian city has one). I'm not sure if it's actually a post office anymore, but it was definitely a bustling shopping centre. Australia's first H&M opened late last year. I couldn't resist. After an hour of shopping, I ended up with a $15 dress and Dave got a $10 oxford collared shirt and $20 swim trunks. My next stop would hit our wallets much harder. My colleague told me about COS, a store she found in Paris. It's a Scandinavian store with European style at Banana Republic prices. Again, this was the only store in Australia so I was determined to get something. I got a really cool navy sweater for $99 and a timeless black skirt for $135 in AUD. Sounds like a lot but with the current exchange rate, they would be around $70 and $100 respectively. Not bad right?

My goody bags

Dave was over shopping at this point. I gave into looking at Nintendo 3DS'. He surprisingly refrained from getting the new model. I did manage too get him to get his eyebrows threaded! $$22 though! In NYC, it's like $8!

Salt and pepper squid entree - my favourite

We enjoyed an early bird dinner at Melbourne's fun cheeky mod Aus Thai restaurant Chin Chin. We enjoyed a range of plates including my favourite salt and pepper squid and what my body craved - green beans. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, so we ended up with doggy bags. I wanted to take home my brown rice, but they wouldn't let me saying it might go off and could make me sick. Why serve it to me then?! A similar style restaurant is Ms. G's in Sydney and is much better.

Green beans with coconut, shallots, cashews and sambal

Vegetarian yellow curry

6 hour braised wagyu beef with rice noodle rolls

The iconic Flinders Street Station and Eureka Tower

Only a 15 minutes walk away, we went back to our room to rest and freshen up for the concert...the very reason we made the trip to Melbourne. The Foo Fighters just released Sonic Highways. To prepare for the concert, we watched their 8-part docu-series on HBO where they explored a different city, its musical roots and wrote a song influenced by that city. We're huge Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl fans (the lead singer and songwriter, previously the drummer for Nirvana, but do I have to tell you that?). We had seen them perform in Sydney three years ago, so this time we wanted to make a trip of it and go to Melbourne - a city we haven't been to since Easter Break 2011!

After a 20 minute nap, we were back on the streets walking towards Southern Cross Station again. Etihad Stadium sits right behind the station, perfect location for our transit to the airport and accommodation. There were thousands of fans embarking on the stadium in their jeans and black t-shirts. The weather was hot and sticky and our tickets were on the ground floor. This was sure to be a 3 hour sweat pit.

Armbands on ready to go

We caught the end of Rise Against (I'm not too familiar). We bought waters and had our last pee of the night before tackling the crowds on the floor. We managed to get in about 50 meters left of the stage.

Concert Selfie

My height predisposition couldn't be in a worst event. To make matters worst, the organisers closed the roof in case of rain, which created a jungle like bio dome of hot sticky humid weather within the stadium. There goes every dude's t-shirt. On the same level of my hatred towards body odour is my fear of having to rub shoulders against sweaty people. Half of the guys were hooligans, but the other half (closer to me half) was decent and were very aware of personal space. One girl was my height and she was hyped up when the band came on. Recognising my height predisposition, she took my waist and hoisted me up! When at a concert...so I went with it. An elevated stage cut through the crowd so Dave Grohl could perform to the nose bleed section too. The crowd adjusted itself and soon I found a perfect peep hole between shoulders where I could see the band from my 50 metre vantage point.

60,000 fans

Check out the Sydney Morning Herald article on the show

As promised at the start of the show, it lasted 2.5 hours with no encore performance. Very strange for such a high profile band. They even played 30 minutes of covers, which was pretty cool until I didn't  know the Rod Stewart or ACDC songs. All in all it was an excellent performance from the rock gods Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters are.

Times like these...

Foo Fighters - one of the great stadium rock bands

No encore, but an unforgettable show

It was pouring after the show. We had been standing for nearly 6 hours. We passed up on the offer to go drinking with my colleague and decided to lay down in a room with a view. As if we inhaled second hand marijuana smoke, we were ravenous for anything we could find. In this case, it was salt and vinegar chips, nacho cheese Doritos and our left over yellow curry and wagyu noodles. By 1am, we were passed out in bed with the TV on, my contacts still in and unbrushed teeth. I woke up at 2am and turned off everything leaving my contacts in and teeth unbrushed.

Fish eye's view of South Bank, Melbourne

The bright sun woke me up at 830am. Or was it my belly ache? I lay away looking through Instagram and Facebook for 20 minutes. I passed out again until the panging of 10am alarm. I quickly messaged my local friend who I knew from my teaching days in South Korea on lunch plans.

We confirmed 12:30pm lunch at a nearby American style diner. So Dave and I took the hour we had to walk around South Bank. The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival was still going on, so we got to browse through some market stalls and even picked up a kumquat flavoured soy candle.

Bowery to Williamsburg Savoury Board

We met our friends right on time at Bowery to Williamsburg - the American style diner off Flinders Lane. Dave got the reuben with a side of dill pickles and mac and cheese! The mac and cheese sounded like the star dish, but wasn't anywhere near that obey gooey American style casserole I love and miss so much. When my bagel came out, I thought it was quite small, but was very filling. It's traditional boiled and baked New York style bagels and the lox and cream cheese were spot on. For someone who doesn't like their food touching, it was the perfect dish because I could choose how much of each item I wanted on my bagel.

After 5 years away from Korea, it was good to catch up with our friend we knew from our Seoul days. She lived in Sydney, but is a Melbourne girl through and through. She settled back to Melbourne over a year ago and is loving life. We're definitely going to have to hang out more next time we're in town. It made me think about all the people I've met and wished I could hang out with again. This is a friendship I have to keep working on because we're so close - can't take these things for granted.

Melbourne arty laneways

Colourful arty tram

For the rest of the afternoon, we strolled through the laneways of Melbourne. Dave popped into EB Games one last time to look at 3DS', but again restrained himself. We passed through the very arty laneways seeing cool art and graffiti. We even passed a fully painted (?) tram.

We took the Sky Bus back to Tullamarine Airport and I slept the entire way. This weekend wore me out. We had accomplished everything we wanted to do including the concert, shopping and eating at nice restaurant. Plus we got two bonus hangouts with friends. I can't leave it too long for my next trip back to Melbourne. I just won't fly with Tiger Airways again. We were delayed for 30 minutes and hovered over Sydney for 45 extra minutes. At least it forced me to write this blog in the air.

A foodie love affair

30 Day Shred - Day 29

I can't believe I've made it to Day 29...just one day left on Emily Skye's 30 Day Shred.

This week is a great week to end the shred, but the closer Day 30 gets, the harder it is to keep to the meal plans. Knowing this week was my last week, a few celebrations have been put into the calendar like a big Melbourne trip this weekend to see the Foo Fighters.

One thing I didn't plan on coinciding with the end of the shred was the ballet. For Christmas, Dave got us two tickets to see the Australian Ballet perform Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake at Capitol Theatre in Chinatown.

But first we had to have dinner in Chinatown. I've been so good these past four weeks so one little cheat dinner shouldn't hurt right? Dave wanted laksa from one of the best laksa houses in Sydney - Happy Chef. It looks like any other food court stand, but it's quite known...everyone at my work swears it's the best laksa they've had in Sydney. I don't like laksa because it's too oily with tough noodles. I opted for soft and spicy char kway teow Malaysian noodles. I couldn't finish it all, but it was delicious to eat stir fried seafood and noodles.

Day 29 cheat dinner - Malaysian char kway teow

Waiting for the curtains to open for Swan Lake

I haven't seen the ballet in Australia. The last time I saw the ballet was in NYC when I went to uni there back in 2004-2008. Dave had never seen the ballet, so this was a first for us...at least in Australia. The show was absolutely beautiful. There are a few renditions of the classic story, but this one was created in the 90s and surprisingly based around the love triangle between Princess Diana, Prince Charles and Camilla Bowles. In some shows, the swan dies, the swan lives, the prince dies, the prince lives. This one was quite sad because they both died. It was a moving story and especially sad when she was in a insane asylum helpless and alone while her prince and the evil baroness are living the life she should have had. Then it was empowering when she showed up at the baroness' party while a new lease on life and confidence where the prince couldn't take his eyes away from her. In Dave's words, "The real moral to the story is that you shouldn't have two women at once." The romantic in me believes that you should be pure of heart and be committed to who you love...so don't cheat!

I've cheated on this shred, but I knew I would never follow it the letter. It has taught me a lot about discipline and new ways to eat while keeping satisfied. Tonight it wasn't about being on the shred. Dave and I enjoyed a fun date night with a satisfying Chinatown meal, beautiful ballet and love story.

Git 'er dun!

30 Day Shred - Day 28

Bring on Monday! I have 3 days left on the 30 Day Shred so to make sure I end on a bang, I approached the day with gusto and determination to knock things out.

I made my daily list of things to do and was able to scratch away at my list during the day. With every pen stroke, my mind relaxed and I felt more at ease with work. I even went to the gym and knocked out a shred work out. I'm a day behind, but I know I'll get it all done somehow if not by the 30th day, but definitely by the end of the week.

I was on a high after work. Although tired and a bit sore from shred workouts and my soccer game yesterday, I managed to play a decent game and score off a corner kick! I had a big day, but I knew what I had to do today and that was to git er' dun!

I came home to a very nice surprise. A candle lit dinner awaited my arrival. I was a sweaty mess from indoor soccer and decided to take a shower first. I also wanted to do a quick shred workout. But it didn't go to plan. I reached for my cell phone and couldn't find it. It wasn't in my gym bag or purse. I started panicking. As I did the first set of my upper arms workout, Dave went downstairs to the garage to look for my phone. I continued to panic. I even tried to call some girlfriends who were still playing indoor via Facebook - does it really work?

When he came back saying it wasn't there, I knew I had to rush to the indoor centre before it closed. I parked and ran to the centre...completely puffed. As soon as I walked in, I spotted my floral phone cover and sighed a breath of relief.

I headed home and plopped down on at the dinner table ravenous for food. Screw the workout...I'll do it tomorrow morning.

I kissed Dave thank you and all was forgiven. He had made up for all the frustration and anger I had with him yesterday.

Candle lit healthy dinner

6 year anniversary gift is up!

After dinner, we watched the Oscars. I looked at the blank wall with 3 hooks and was eager to get the frame up. The night before, we had spent an hour measuring and perfecting the position of the 3M hooks for the frame to hang properly. It may not look like it, but the frame was only $19 from Kmart! I had been quoted over $300 to frame my anniversary print and I knew I couldn't live with myself. This was just as slick and now we can admire it overtime we walk into our apartment.

Being real

30 Day Shred - Day 27

After a big few days where I left my meal plans slip a little, it was time to get back on track.

I started my day with my usual four egg white plus one whole egg omelet with spinach and cottage cheese. Today was game day. My soccer match was scheduled for 12pm. I woke up at 8:45am and made my breakfast right away. I knew if I ate any later, it would be harder and harder to digest. Today wasn't an issue. Because I wasn't eating carbs or anything acidic, I was fine when I started running.

The usual 30 Day Shred breakfast

4 egg whites + 1 whole egg + spinach + cottage cheese

It was a scorching hot day. Although cloudy, I definitely got a bit of a burn on my face. Thank goodness our opposition wanted to play 20 minute quarters instead of 40 minute halves.

I usually go to yoga at 3pm every Sunday, but after playing in the heat, all I wanted to do was jump into the ocean.

I made a carrot, apple, cucumber and mint juice and headed to the beach.

The water was a bit cold. A shot of the shivers went through my body when I entered the water, but after a few splashes, I wasn't cold anymore. It gave my sore, tired and burned body the relief it needed. I ended up laying out for three hours mixing in some girl talk time on the beach towel with some beach volleyball bumps with Dave and his friends.

I had an excellent Sunday with a touch of soccer and beach time. All I wanted to do was relax at home now. But I couldn't. I had left Dave to play soccer and he promised to clean and pick up the groceries while I was gone. He had not cleaned the house at all. When I got home from soccer he was at the store, which made me think he was there knowing I was coming home and would be furious to see the house wasn't cleaned. Normally I would brush off cleaning duties for another weekend, but next weekend we were having guests stay over. This was unacceptable. I had spent much of my Saturday picking up items for our house and cleaning. Every weekend I pick up the groceries and plan out our weekly meals. I was furious now.

I begrudgingly made dinner. I didn't care what he wanted to eat. I didn't care if he came home. I was so angry. When he did come home, he knew my frustration and anger was at boiling point. He started cleaning immediately as if to avoid the scolding a mother would give. When we finally sat down, he apologised. It was good of him to apologise, but I had to get my frustrations out.

"I always cook. I always do the shopping. I left today feeling good about the pact we'd made that you'd clean. I spent my free day yesterday picking up stuff for the apartment. You had your free day yesterday at your volleyball tournament. I'm not your mother."

"That's why now I'm apologising. I'm going to spend the rest of the night cleaning."

Again I felt like I was being treated like a mother.

We sat in silence while we ate. I nearly chewed the inside of my cheek I was so angry.

I let it go. He cleaned as he promised he would and I relaxed as I had planned to. It didn't make me feel good that he was cleaning while I wasn't, but it was his turn. 

My favourite 30 Day Shred Salad

Sweet potato, broccoli, beans, spinach, tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.

Gluten free / paleo / vegan almond cookies

To work out my frustrations, I baked. I found an amazing recipe online by googling "gluten free paleo cookies"...even better they were vegan! Thank you @TexanErin for such an easy and healthy recipe that satisfies my sweet tooth. It only takes 15 minutes including bake time!

Today was a real test to my dedication to the 30 Day Shred and my relationship. I have to be real with myself. If I want something to happen, I have to stick to my challenge or speak up when I see something is wrong. I've forgiven Dave, but he knows he's definitely in the dog house. I'm only days away from the 30 Day mark. After the 30 Day Shred, I know I have to forgive those cheat days, but I have to be realistic and understand sometimes I'll slip. Sometimes our close family and friends slip. And it's okay.

Splurge

30 Day Shred - Day 26

I woke up at 9am. I was absolutely exhausted...I blame the Max Brenner Cinnamon Babka.

I went outside of the 30 Day Shred meal plans yesterday when I ate a sinfully delicious cinnamon roll with milk chocolate sauce and drank a glass of rose after work. 

I was feeling it. I usually wake up feeling skinny, light and clear headed. This morning I felt bloated, lethargic and dazed.

I forced myself to get up and get out. I had promised my friend that I'd be her guinea pig student for her first yoga class. She is learning to become a yoga instructor and needed to fill up some training hours but also just practice with people.

It was a rainy morning, but the skies cleared up and there was a cool breeze perfect for our yoga session. With the damp grounds, we found the perfect spot - a gazebo at Grant Reserve right off the promenade to the beach.

Her class was very similar to the vinyasa class I got on Sundays. It's very interesting to hear how other yogis run a class or describe a movement. One day I'll be able to hold the standing splits.

Her first piece of PR

Courtney Owen Yoga

After an hour of yoga, we were ready to stand on solid ground again. We had a lot to catch up on so we went to brunch at one of our favourite clean foods cafes - Oneness Cafe on Coogee Bay Road. Everything on their menu is perfect for the 30 Day Shredder. I'm not entirely sure I'm allowed gluten free bread.

We both have spent the last month reevaluating our lives, trying new things and looking forward to brighter future. She too had done a type of shred and was taking on new challenges at work, not to mention yoga teaching! It rained while we ate, but once it stopped we went to a few shops around Coogee Bay Road. One of my favourite stores is Cargo Store. I always walk out of there with something. Today I bought a tribal print dress. It had a great cut out back, nice neckline and sleeves and pockets!

"I deserve this. It's been a big week."

I'm trying to save money, but sometimes a girl needs some retail therapy.

Quinoa and Haloumi Cakes from Oneness Cafe in Coogee

The shopping splurge didn't stop there. Dave was away all day at an indoor volleyball tournament. So I was left by myself. I decided to be productive. I wanted to go to Spotlight, a homewares store in Bondi Junction. I was expecting some deals, but the deals I did get were on another level.

1. 50% off an already reduced Yankee Candle jar priced at $15 - now $7.50
2. 2 Tefal pans for $35
3. $1.50 placemats
4. $15 designer pillow
5. Buy 1, get 1 for free shower curtains

I didn't stop there. I went to Kmart and bought $2 plates and 6 glass tumblers for $6!

My shopping splurge 

I got home at 3pm. I planned to go to the gym to meet a girlfriend for weights training at 4pm. When I got home, my body shut down. I was so tired from the week, yoga and my big shopping splurge. I put on an episode of Project Runway and stared blankly at the screen. I finally got up and was out of the door at 4:15pm. This girlfriend is usually the late one, but today I was. I made up for my tardiness with a full upper body and abs workout. Plus I invited to her to dinner with my other girlfriend who lives in Randwick. I caught up with all my exercises for the week including the few bits I couldn't finish at yesterday's lunch break. I weighed myself. I was still the same weight I was a week ago. I feel thinner, but it still doesn't feel that great to know you haven't lost weight. I have to tell myself it's probably fat turned into muscle now. Or do I blame the cinnamon babka?!

We went to dinner at La Sen, the new Vietnamese place at The Spot in Randwick. I was naughty and ordered veggie spring rolls, lightly battered prawns and rice. I had felt so bad this morning from eating carbs and chocolate the night before, but I had worked it out. Now I was I negating that workout with fried food and white rice? I'm sure I am. Sometimes you have to splurge. I'm a big believer in rewarding yourself especially when you've had a tough week. I've brushed it off. It was a delicious meal and I'm good 95% of the time. I had an excellent day with yoga, catch ups with friends, a shopping splurge and a killer double shred workout. But tomorrow...it's time to get serious again. I only have four more days! 

A sweet finish

30 Day Shred - Day 25

This has been a big week. 

I feel like I'm starting to repeat myself week on week, but it's true!

Each week I'm challenged and often feel stressed and look for nothing more than the weekend. When the weekend hits, I thank my lucky stars that I overcame the week that was and am ready to take on the next week.

This week was particularly draining from all the work I had due and all of the challenges I've made for myself...as in not part of my job but I'm doing it anyways to challenge myself.

During my lunch break I completed my shred workout for the day. I ran out of time so will have to save some of the legs and abs for Saturday. I'm glad I knocked it out because tonight I might be tempted to eat/drink outside of the approved 30 Day Shred meal plans.

I started with a rose at 5pm. I wasn't kidding when I say I had a big week. It was worth it. A good catch up with a girlfriend always deserves a glass of rose.

By Friday, all I wanted was to have a night off with my girlfriends where we could catch up and laugh at life.

Today, I planned a girls' night out with three mates from soccer. Fifty Shades of Grey was out and were making a big night of it. One of my friends was also on the 30 Day Shred, but decided she needed to give it a real go when she was done with her previous commitments. So she had I didn't feel too bad about a little sweet finish to our week.

After work I walked over to Central Station where my friend did a drive by and picked me up in 6pm rush hour traffic. We made it just 10 minutes late to our dinner reservation at Sefa's Kitchen. Two of us in the group are vegetarian so it was a perfect place to have dinner. The other two are dieting anyways, so they sucked it up when we ordered tapas of pumpkin, haloumi, broccoli and cauliflower. The meal was delicious but not filling at all. We were happy with our $15 individual contributions, but wish we had a little more. We had a plan B and that involved a sweet finish to dessert before we met Christian Grey.

Anytime you're at Bondi Junction for a movie, you must and I emphasise the MUST, go to Max Brenner. It's a chocolate bar/cafe with amazing treats. My personal favourite is to get a small ramekin of milk chocolate called a 'Chocolate Lick".

After nearly a month of the 30 Day Shred and one heck of a week, I went for it. I ordered a Cinnamon Babka (basically a tower of cinnamon roll drizzled with milk chocolate)...plus the Chocolate Lick.

The first bite was divine. After a few bites though I had satiated my craving. It didn't taste so good anymore...too sweet actually. I have basically been off sweets and carbs for the entire month of February and although this tasted amazing at first, I wasn't so satisfied.

Cinnamon Babka

Max Brenner

After our chocolate indulgence, we sat down for our next indulgence - Christian Grey on the big screen.

The movie was pretty bad. There were a lot of bad lines. Christian wasn't as hunky as we'd imagined when we read the books. Nevertheless, it was two hours of fantasy. It's definitely an atypical movie, but all good fun especially with girlfriends who were just beside themselves at every turn in the movie.

Thank you @miss_melinda81 for capturing the perfect Instagram

I'm so glad I could put my work and shred aside. Sometimes, you have to indulge in the sweeter things in life may it be chocolate, a hunky man or the best girlfriends that make all the pressures of life melt away.