Mu Parlour with L

Finally met up with my dear flatmate after almost a year since we lived in M58 at Ilam Apartments on Homestead Lane. Really fond memories of those times (:

 We picked Mu Parlour, a really cosy cafe tucked away on the second floor in Holland V. It was nice and quiet, and super conducive for chit chat sessions over yummy desserts. It's really perfect for girlfriend outings, or to enjoy tea and cake with a good book.

I was really tempted to order a burger because it sounded really good but I decided to just have sweets this time, will return to try out the burger next time!

 We had a lemon meringue tart and a chocolate and salted caramel tart. It was really lovely, and we particularly relished the chocolate one!! The lemon tart was nice, but was a little much after a while.

We had plenty of time to catch up, and much to talk about since we haven't heard much from each other for the past year!!! so many things have happened since!

and she's an awesome baker, and she gave me some freshly baked scones which were super yummy!! especially when topped with jam and butter.

The End.

I saw this on thought catalogue, and it seems to capture what I can't put into words

When it ended, the exchange was like a movie; it was all so smooth and frictionless. This should have been expected; all love ends in heartbreak. This event was merely the final emission of what had long since taken place, had already happened.

I stared at his face, observing him, feeling myself transform in his eyes from a lover into a stranger. A force field enwraps him; I feel him falling away from me at an exponential speed.

There are millions of ways to rationalize what happened, and why. You can come up with so many logical excuses, so many narratives to justify it all away. It seems to me, though, that it boils down to just one fundamental thing: Falling in love is, if not easy, then at least commonplace. Coordinating your love with another – that is difficult, that is miraculous because it entails sacrifice. A sacrifice: I today am either too young to make just yet, or perhaps just too selfish.

Article by Andrea Benito here: http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/all-love-ends-in-heartbreak/

Last Chch Post

I should probably finish up my NZ posts before I plunge head first into the pile of readings that await me ): I have spent 2 days so far printing them out, and I'm not even done ):  on a side note, i really missed my little sis while i was in nz, so glad to see her again (:

Last few days in NZ were a flurry of activity, last interviews, last meet ups, last dates with Z, last shopping trips, last meals at my favourite places!!!

1. Pagani dresses !!!

omgosh, on the way back from one of my interviews, I chanced upon a lovely boutique. It was like heaven for me!! I bought 4 dresses and one top for $165, which is about half the original price!! and the material is so soft and silky, and i love the cut and design of the dresses. Probably, no one is really interested in my ramblings about the dresses but I am just so happy every time I think about it.

((((((:

2. Cookie Time Factory 

One of my interviewees cancelled our interview suddenly, so I was left with nothing to do that afternoon, so i decided to take a trip down to the cookie time factory (:

I always love factories, especially chocolate factories, but I suppose cookies are good too!

My loot: 3.5kg of cookies to munch munch munch

3. More Brunches

I love Kiwi cafe culture, and so i took the chance whenever Z didn't have class in the morning to go for brunches with him (: It's lovely to linger and enjoy scrumptious brekkie and ice chocolate

4. Meeting friends!

Finally managed to catch the busy uni people after their final tests and all!

Met Dylan at the chocolate lounge, and boy this recommendation was good! Definitely the best hot choc I've ever had, it's like molten liquid chocolate mixed with milk. so delicious!!!

and went for Japanese with H and J! (: I love how the korean/chinese/japanese food in chch is super authentic and cooked by chefs who originate from the place.

doesn't look like much, but very yummy katsu curry rice.

and this is H, my pretty friend! (:

5. Cupcakes 

Z and I bought groupons for cupcakes, which cost 4.80 originally, and are now half price! They are so beautiful, and the cream is very good. My verdict, however, is that 12 cupcakes is more moist and cheaper as well. The cream on these cakes are very very good though.

6. Z taking me to eat whatever I want 

haha he was a real sweetie to accomodate me in whatever I wanted to before I left!

We had pizza and pasta at La Porchetta, and it's been a long standing joke that I should take Z there, because I've been there with quite other guys that we wondered if the waitress would recognise me always with a different guy hahah. anyway it was good! yummy!

and we had crispy roast pork with kumara and potatos and pumpkin, roast is always good (:

Last year before I left chch, we had japanese at Samurai Bowl, so we decided to do the same as well this year.

1. Costas Taverna 

Z had wanted to take me to this place for ages, and recently it moved up the rankings to be number 1 on tripadvisor for Christchurch! 

The others in the top three are Kinji Japanese and St Germain French.

So now we've tried Costas and St Germain, and I think we're going to have Kinji on monday just before i leave. I am eating toooo well in Christchurch, that's why i'm over budget for my trip.

The food at Costas was really good though, we had an entree, 2 mains and 2 mini desserts and the bill came up to about $80 for two, which is quite affordable considering it's number 1. haha

 this is a 4 cheese filo pastry with yoghurt and salad. It was really melt in your mouth kind of comfort food.

 Z had the house special, which was something like lamb in a pot. I don't quite fancy  lamb, but he says it was fantastic

 I loved the fish with mash and lemon cream sauce and seasonal veges. I wish i could eat this all dayyy!

we had mini cinnamon donuts and baklava. the donuts taste like churros to me :D

2. Addington Coffee Co-op

We also went for brunch at the addington coffee co-op, which is supposedly one of the best brunch places in town, and it's really cool because it used to be a garage, and it's now turned into a huge cafe.

We had salmon omelette with cream cheese and spinach, potato rosti, poached eggs, bacon, sausages and tomatoesss

so yummy ((: i was in such a good mood after breakfast, and there was a cute shop selling all sorts of knick knacks, and we got cottage fudge with bailey's liquor yumyum (:

3. Fieldwork

But it is also not true that all i do is play. In fact, I'm working very hard I think

I've been going out for interviews everyday, and checking out all the transitional sites around the city. I really walk a lot here!

 This is the cathedral that has been badly damaged. It's actually fenced up, I took a picture through the fence.

 it's quite a sight, it's lovely now in its own way though. With crumbling walls and a caved in roods, there are birds circling the spire, and there is a melancholic beauty to the whole scene, looking slightly forlorn without the usual throngs of tourists that flood it.


and this is the gapfiller organisation's paller pavilion! (: It looks like a fort built of wooden blue crates, and the middle houses a little pop up cafe, and a stage for live music or public talks etc.

and not too far from the pallet pavilion, are the transitional arches, a piece of art installation that is quite pretty to look at really.

I'm glad to have gone around to look at all these sites for myself, instead of just on the website. haha the creative energy in Christchurch is just tremendous and buzzing all around!

Weekend (:

1. Orana Wildlife Park 

Finally got to go to the wildlife park that I really wanted to visit! A friend took me out to visit, and it was a good thing I brought my NZ student ID, because we got concession! haha, it wasn't great weather though, it was misty, foggy and damp, so being outdoors for an extended period of time.. made me freeze even though I was bundled up in all my warmest layers.

It was an open range zoo, so it was quite exciting that we got quite up close to some of the animals!! I have never touched a zebra or giraffe, so it was very very fun to do that!!!  I was thrilled. hahah

 so exciting!!! it was so close that we could stroke it!!!! ahhhhhh :D

Did you know the tongue is black in color? haha, it licked me

 I was also super excited to feed the zebra, and from nat geo wild, you can't see that zebras have hair, but they really seem a lot like horses. Except they're fiercer. They were kicking each other to fight for the grass we were feeding them. hahha

and this is my friend who took me to the park. He is a giant and I am a dwarf. He is all of 1.92 cm!!!! I think he is probably my tallest friend. hahah

We also went to tour the Canterbury museum briefly, nothing special there because I've already seen it a couple of times previously. haha



2. Singapore National Day Dinner! 

I was at a table full of Malaysians, so I felt especially patriotic that night. :D Our table was pretty awesome, Z and his friends were really entertaining and self amused, so it was quite fun being around them haha.

I enjoyed the food too, I really wanted Asian food, so it was good to have a 13 course chinese meal! haha

Only managed to take pics of some of the food haha

Some of the appetisers- sliced beef, black fungus, spring rolls, red bean pancakes, deep fried squid (Z's favourite lols)

Wonton with beef! So cute, because we had to stuff the thing ourselves

Noodless

really nice roast duck

Desserts of colourful jelly and kuehs haha

Z and I (:

Fun night!!! (: Sad that I can't attend the Law Ball or the Malaysian Ball with Z this year, but at least I managed to catch the Singapore dinner within the short time i'm here haha (:

Pavilions Hotel Restaurant

Z and I went out for a nice dinner today! TGIF! and also Happy National Day to Singapore :D

After having so many other types of cuisines, it was good to go to a Kiwi restaurant (:

 pausing for a moment to snap a quick pic in the hallway before running out to meet Z! hahah, because I really liked my outfit tonight haha

 The restaurant was really pretty, there were vines and fake grapes hanging on the ceilings, and the low glass windows made it feel like we were at a winery somewhere in the wine regions of NZ (:

 we had pumpkin soup!! yumyum!!! with homemade bread

 Z's prime rib with blue cheese, according to him it was very juicy, and it looked really good. But i didn't try it because I don't like blue cheese at all.

and my angus ribeye. haha it was a hugeee portion, and i actually managed to finish it, after struggling a bit! The waitress said i did well because that was a lot of food. haha :D I did it!! but i ate so many wedges omgoshhh. hahah

We were seriously too stuffed for any desserts, luckily Z drove else we'd have to roll home.


Week 2 of fieldwork done! one more week to go, jiayou me!