Little White Box On Table 7

Some people celebrate their 1 year, 5 year or even 10 year anniversary. Others stop celebrating their dating life when they get married. The ones with really good memories, celebrate first kisses, first dates and other firsts. On August 10th, Dave and I celebrated our 2.5 year anniversary.

For the occasion, Dave made me promise to keep August 10th open. At first, I wondered why? As quickly as I questioned the date, it clicked. It was our 2.5 year anniversary. That Wednesday evening, I planned to take off by 5pm. I walked out the door at 5:25pm.

At 5:15, I knew I was past my promise. I took the gamble of going out around Artarmon to look for a card. While I was out, I decided to give him a gag gift - whipped cream. I took it back to the office and taped white paper around the canister and labelled it Shave's Whipped Cream - Shave is our "Brangelina" nickname given by our dear friends back at Junggye Chungdahm. I tossed the canister, card and assortment of sour candies into my bag and raced to the station platform met only by the glaring "6 minutes until the next train" sign. Damn.

Dave kept telling me all day that I had better get off on time because we would miss something happening at 6pm. What could he have planned that needed my presence precisely at 6pm. My guess was a boat ride.

I met him at 5:55pm at Central Station and he was not happy with my tardiness. We walked briskly onto Elizabeth Street and even started running - away from the harbour. This 6pm surprise was not going to be a boat ride.

For 15 minutes, I bickered about running and being pressured when he wouldn't tell me where we needed to be. After 6pm, he gave up running and turned our pace into a walk. Reading the disappointment on his face, I apologised for being such a bad girlfriend and told him how appreciative I was for his efforts. We rounded Crown Street and we were walking in silence.

I stopped and started to cry. I hated this feeling. Dave is so thoughtful and I was the one that made us late. My tears were further propelled by pressure at work - the very place that made me late. He gave me a big hug and reassured me he didn't mind. He just wanted us to make this 6pm reservation and it wasn't a big deal if we missed it.

At 10 minutes past 6pm, we stopped walking and in front of us was Red Lantern. This particular restaurant is founded and owned by Luke Nguyen, a famous Vietnamese Australian chef we love. He has a show on SBS called Luke Nguyen's Vietnam where he travels throughout different cities in Vietnam cooking dishes of the region while highlighting cultural nuances. Most of his dishes involve a wok, oil, garlic, chilies, a protein and spices - our kind of dining. Watching his show every Thursday night increased our appetite to indulge at his Surry Hills based restaurant - a short walk from our home in Potts Point.

My eyes light up as we walked up the steps into the quaint, homey and very red restaurant. When you enter, there are tiny two-tops and few larger tables in a place that looks like it could be a 2 bedroom apartment. Throughout the red painted rooms there are books, lamps and paintings like you've stepped into a New England library. We sat down and began to peruse through the menu. With Vietnamese names and paragraph descriptions under each item, we decided this menu was too overwhelming because we wanted to try everything - which led us to ordering the tasting menu.

We had 10 items including:

• Fresh spring rolls
• Calamari
• Wagyu beef
• Duck
• Pork belly
• Tiger prawns
• Fish
• Chicken
• Assorted vegetables
• Rice

Although small in portion, by the last bite, we were stuffed. Because we knew we had 10 items coming to our table, each waiter walking by our table with dish in hand kept us salivating. My favourite of course was the calamari entree, which was so lightly battered and came with a very lemony and salty dipping sauce.

Trio of Spring Rolls

 

Salt & Pepper Squid 

 

Wagyu Beef with Lemon Grass, Crispy Chicken with Ginger and Oyster Sauce Served with Rice 

Wagyu Beef with Lemon Grass

  

Pork Belly with Ginger and Oyster Sauce

Steamed Fish Wrapped in Banana Leaf

When we finished our last course, our table was cleared and I had Dave open my gift. First was an anniversary card with two stuffed animal dogs - we're both hoping to get a dog soon. I named the two dogs Georgie and Calamari, names we've chosen for our next dogs. Georgie comes from an inside joke between us. Originally the name is of the little boy who is eaten by Stephen King's It. I know. It's strange, but I've always had a fascination with that movie - perhaps because I saw it when was 4 years old and had to sleep in my own bed for the first time. Calamari is my hands down favourite food. If I were on death row, this would be my meal of choice. And what a lovely name right? Inside the card was a dozen of his favourite sour candies. Finally he reached in and found the whipped cream. He laughed and joked he was excited to 'use' it.

Anniversary Card

Shave's Whipped Cream

Dave knew I had very little time to get a gift together, but was happy with my charm and thoughtfulness especially my note in the card. Then, he made me close my eyes and when I opened them, there was a white box in front of me. When I opened the box, my heart raced. It was the size of say a ring, but we were definitely not at that stage, nor did he get down on one knee. What lay before me were beautiful earrings. A few months back, I had lost my 'pearl' earrings. Not a fussy girl when it comes to real gold or real pearls, I'm happy with ones that look like the real thing - even if it comes from Kmart. Dave remembered the day I placed some 'pearl' earrings into our basket at Kmart and couldn't shake the feeling that I deserved better.

The silver drop hoops with gold accents twinkled just as Dave's eyes twinkled as I opened up the box. Incredibly happy and thankful for such a sweet boyfriend, I thought gosh I hope these earrings fit. When I was little, I had a bad habit of pulling on my ears, which stretched my lobes leaving my piercings placed much higher than the typical piercing.

Nevertheless, I excitedly tried to fit them on without hesitation. As I expected, my earlobe scrunched inside the hoop - not the elegant dangling look I had hoped for. Dave's face dropped. He had so carefully chosen these earrings, so I wouldn't have to wear Kmart earrings. I reached across the table and smiled and he quickly mediated the situation by declaring he would go back to the store and get me some studs - my usual style earrings.

As we sat at our table looking into each other's eyes, our server came by and saw the box. He joked that he and the rest of the staff thought Dave was proposing. "Little White box on Table 7!"

We left the restaurant bellies satisfied and hearts warmed. It was a brisk night, but we decided to walk the half hour to get home. As a last stop, we detoured to Gelato Messina, famous gelaterria in Sydney. With a cup of dulce de leche in hand, we thought wouldn't some whipped cream be good right now?

The Little White Box at Table 7

Beautiful Hoop Earrings That Don't Fit My Ears

Not everyone celebrates their 6 month marker each year, but for us it's just as important. These days, dating life can be short-lived. The 6 month marker is a great milestone for making it half-way between your last anniversary and the next.

This time last year, we had been in Sydney for less than 2 months and were jobless. We only had each other. Today, we're both employed, in a great apartment living in a fabulous city with many friends who have joined our little family. It's amazing what can happen in a few short months. Six more months till our 3 year anniversary! I'm thinking Fiji...

*The next day, Dave surprised me with not one set, but two sets of stud earrings.