First Step in Diving

Well, it's about time that I did a post about diving, seeing as it should technically be a third of what I talk about here. Lately it's more like eat, yoga, lululemon (btw, my order has already shipped, should receive it by Monday) LOL sorry :S I haven't done much travelling lately either, but look out in May when Gaffa and I get back from our two week Outback Adventure!!

I received my OWSI (Open Water Scuba Instructor) card and certificate in the mail yesterday! Exciting =) So thought it was a good place to start, since the PADI Open Water Diver Course is the first one that you do, to become a certified diver!

Cafe Giulia

In my Kiki-K diary that I purchase every year, I never use the address book section. But this year I decided I would. Instead of filling it with contacts of people's addresses and numbers I have started filling it with restaurants that I want to eat at. I'm always on the lookout for good breakfast spots and had noticed Cafe Giulia on a few food blogs around Sydney - so in the address book it went.  

My First Lululemon Order

The amount of times I walked past Lululemon when it was located opposite Fitness First in Westfield Bondi Junction, and didn't walk in. I kick myself that it took me so long to discover this great store. Since it moved to the Myer side of Westfield, I have spent many hours in there, trying on almost everything and wanting to buy everything in all the different colours.

Lululemon is a store for both women and men, selling athletic gear, mainly for yoga, but also for running and general gym wear. Originally from Cananda, there are also stores in USA, China and NZ. Lululemon has generated a culture of not only living a healthy lifestyle but also empowering people to achieve their goals through endless possibilities. Fellow yogi's, runners and gym junkies can sweat, bend and stretch in top quality versatile gear, for all different shapes and sizes. The various fabrics that Lululemon use are great for wicking moisture away from the body, quick drying, anti-stink, light weight, pre-shrunk and breathable.

Gaffa's Rogan Josh Curry

Hi hi! How was everyone's weekend? I had planned to relax and do not much on the weekend, but ended up doing alot and only spent about 2 waking hours at home! I actually think I spent more time in Lululemon stores over the weekend than I did at home awake! WOW LOL.

Anyway, Friday evening after yoga Gaffa cooked me a curry. *Big smile* I lurve curries, and Gaffa loves cooking them. He has the Curry Bible cook book that he first learnt to cook curries with, and then bought his first Jamie Oliver cook book - Ministry of Food. Jamie is Gaffa's cooking idol. Not only is he a fellow Pom, but they even look a little similar - blonde hair, well fed... :p On a more serious note, Jamie's ideas, values and many projects have changed a lot of people's lives and are going to change a lot of people's lives - Fifteen, Ministry of Food, Food Revolution, his many televisions shows... the philosophy of not just eating healthier with fresh ingredients, but also learning to cook yourself and passing on the knowledge to others - is just amazing and we love the work he is doing all over the world.

Inspiration

From my FAVOURITE store, LULULEMON. 

Some inspiration for the day 

(: SMILE :) 

This is the largeset jpeg I could find. To read the fine print, click here

Oreo Cheesecake

First Bikram Yoga class was great. Abit sore in some places, as certain muscles haven't been worked on for 2 weeks now. But it's great to be back in the swing of things. And also great to work off all the 'bad foods' that I ate while studying to become a scuba instructor.

One of those 'bad foods' is the Oreo Cheesecake, which I made on my day off before the first day of the IE. I got this recipe from a Philadelphia Cookbook that I got for free because I bought 3 Philadelphia products at Coles, called Simply Heaven. This is the first edition and there is a Simply Heaven Volume 2 book as well. Actually, I think this recipe is the only one I have tried from these 2 books....

Bikram Yoga

Bikram Yoga. HOT yoga. Very, very hot yoga. It's a 90 minute class that consists of 26 postures, derived from Hatha Yoga. The temperature is around 40 degrees Celsius, and the humidity about 40%. It was developed by Bikram Choudhury, originally from Indian but now he resides in USA. 


"It has been proved and experienced by millions that these 26 postures systematically work every part of the body, to give all the internal organs, all the veins, all the ligaments, and all the muscles everything they need to maintain optimum health and maximum function.  Each component takes care of something different in the body, and yet they all work together synergistically, contributing to the success of every other one, and extending its benefits." Taken from The Official Bikram Yoga Site

PADI IE

Gaffa, Team Yellow & The PADI Examiners

Guess what? I am now officially a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor! =) =) =) YAY for me!!

Over the past 3 days I completed the the PADI Instructor Examination, which is the final step in become a PADI OWSI. It's where you show off your skills to the PADI examiners.

Toblerone Cake

The first cake I remember baking from scratch was this Toblerone Cake. Before this, I use to think baking cakes from packets was ok, but it's not. You don't know what ingredients are in the cake and even though they normally turn out pretty tasty, it's just so much more fun and rewarding baking your own cake from scratch.

I baked this cake for the very first time for Gaffa's 29th Birthday. I can't remember exactly where I got the recipe from, I think it was just a random Google search. But I have found the same recipe on Kraft Foods Website. Since the only type of Toblerone available at the supermarket is the plain milk chocolate type, I opted for that instead of the white/dark chocolate Toblerone (which is only available at special sweet shops).

Tony Roma's All You Can Eat Ribs

ALL YOU CAN EAT! This always gets me. Being Asian with the stereotype of being cheap, we always want to get our monies worth. And all you can EAT, even better since Asians love food and lots of it!

I bought one (well two because I didn't read the T&C's properly) of the Cudo vouchers offering 50% off "All you can eat ribs at Tony Roma's", for $14.95 each - what a bargin! 'All you can eat' and 'ribs' in the same sentence: OMG! Tony Roma's are probably best know for their ribs and also provide great steaks and seafood. With restaurants in over 30 countries, it's not wonder they were booked out for 4 wks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

The NRL Footy Show 2011

I was fortunately enough to score a ticket to be in the audience of the first NRL Footy Show of 2011. A good friend, Princess invited her boyfriend Fabio, Gaffa and me along since her work were offering tickets to the filming of the show at the Channel 9 Network in Willoughby. No phones or cameras were allowed in so I was unable to get any sneaky pics of famous footy stars.