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.