The week gone by...

This has to be one of my favourite birthday week in Melbourne. It's the 4th birthday I'm celebrating here, and each time, it's with a different group of people. This year, I had Singapore celebrating with me as we all headed down to the "I love sg" day at Sidney Myer Bowl. I was treated with Laksa, Chilli Crab, Chicken Rice, Hokkien mee (with a huge king prawn), PCK and gang, Dick Lee belting his "Fried Rice Paradise" tunes...all compliments of the Singapore government. My present was a bag full of Glory brand Kaya, Yeo's Satay Sauce, Nasi Goreng sauce, Yeo's herbal drink, a mat, an umbrella, and Singtel threw in a $10 calling card for the homesick. All these for 12,000 people who decided to turn up for free food and entertaiment, as well as old friends from Canberra who flew down to join in the fun.

On my actual birthday itself, I had a fantastic lunch at The Stokehouse facing the St Kilda Beach. I had the milk fed veal fillet with truffled gnoccetti, mushroom ragout, capocollo and foie gras and it was really deserving of the 2 chef hats. The weather was beautiful enough to take an afternoon nap at the beach, finishing up with some chocolate ice-cream, and I even manage to catch Wall-E before it ends its run here.

I had a few surprise presents this year too. Nel mailed me a Care Bear, Sha a piggy motif pouch, I've got a breathing cat and some beautiful paintings.. The tribe decided to send me a silly package of movies, with the silliest birthday card... and Daisy got me a Lonely Planet Japan book to persuade me to head for there in Dec/Jan. Cell Group delivered a surprise when they got flowers delivered to my office, and Terence got a box of chocs straight from the factory of Haighs.

Time to count my blessings.... I thought it almost felt like the usual birthday celebrations I get from home.


I love SG day. PCK and his family were on stage.



















The lovely Ranunculus I got from the cell group