Wen: Minsoo's Birthday Celebration

My friend Minsoo turned the ripe old age of 20 a few weeks ago.  We went out to lunch then hit up a dessert shop... yes.... they only sell desserts.

All the things in the background are cupcakes.  They specialize in fancy gourmet cupcakes!

We each got a cupcake and Minsoo got two.  Mine was called Black Forest or something.  It's actually the one on the far left side.  It was sooooo good.  There was cream filling lined with rasberry jelly.  Too bad they were $3.50 each, or I would totally eat these things like bread.

 We ended up at the Town Hall.  We wanted to climb the clock town, but unfortunately I think the building was undergoing renovations and the whole building, including the tower was closed!

Instead, I climbed the stone lion in front of the tower!

Aftreward, we went and had bubble tea.  I got taro flavored tea, which is why it is purple... anyway, it was decently good!  The tapioca pearls were awesome.

Wen: Iranian rice and Japanese curry fest!

This was a while back, but I'm a little behind on blogs!
My friend Mehryar invited a few people over to his house for some international food!  There were students representing Germany, France, Korea, China, USA (I guess that's me? Haha!) and of course Iran and Japan.
They made Persian rice, BBQ chicken, Japanese rice and Japanese curry.  It was incredibly delicious.  There was even tadik!!

For dessert, the French guys made crepes!  We added Nutella and Vanilla ice cream.  It was SO DELICIOUS.

Wen: Doomben Racefest

I got free tickets to see horse racing a few weeks ago.  I've never had the urge to see a horse race because:
1. I do not enjoy gambling
2. You can't eat the horses (only joking!!!)
Anyway, so I went there with Ling, but Ling wasn't able to get in because she didn't have her passport.  Which brings me to my next point of how horse races are just an excuse for women to dress over-the-top and for everyone to get drunk. 

The actual racing part was quick.  Apparently there were simultaneous races going on around Queensland.  The races were staggered so you could watch and bet on races in other cities like the Gold Coast and Sydney etc.

Apparently afterward there was a mini concert by a singer named Ricki Lee.  I had never heard of her, but apparently she's semi-relatively famous in Australia.  Also, they kept mentioning the fact that she has a song in the new Sex and the City 2 Movie. 

















Anyway, so her song was good I guess.  Also, it was cool to see a semi famous person up close. 
I left soon after because the other songs all sounded like padding for the CD. 
I went shopping at Chinatown afterward and got awesome food!

Wen: Chinatown and the Brisbane Lions

Ling and I went to the Brisbane Chinatown in Fortitude Valley on Saturday and I got to pose with the awesome stone Lion.



















Afterward, we met up with Feli and Minsoo to go to a Brisbane Lions vs. Fremantle an Australian Football League (AFL) game.  The game was okay, but I think we had more fun taking pictures than watching.  Also, the stadium had different colored seats to give the illusion that it was filled when in reality it was only about 40% filled at the most.















Headline from an article online the next day:
"Brave Brisbane Lions fall short against Fremantle at the Gabba"
and ...
"UNDERMANNED, under-sized and under the pump from injuries and umpires, a brave Brisbane suffered its first-ever loss to Fremantle at the Gabba on Saturday night."

Apparently Brisbane lost 113 to 100.  Oh well... we only found out after because I had to leave after the first quarter due to bus issues.

Wen: More food!

I made this a while back for dinner. Some chicken and baby bok choy (bai cai... I believe). I hadn't had bai cai in a while, so it was really good!











This is what I had for breakfast this morning... French bread with avacado slices and smoked salmon on top. It was really good! The avacado was incredibly savory, given all the fat it contained!

Wen: ANZAC Day Aboriginal Cultural Experience and BBQ

Today was an absolutely amazing experience! Ling and I went to the Quest sponsored ANZAC Day celebration at Kangaroo Point.

Here's the Wikipedia explanation of ANZAC Day:
"Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga."

We passed a maritime museum and I took a picture with a turbine or something.










When the Aboriginal dances asked for volunteers to dance with them, I naturally said I would do it. It was pretty easy, but I managed to do it wrong considering I'm super uncoordinated and it was painful jumping around with bare feet.













At the BBQ, they had kangaroo and crocodile meat! The kabob I'm holding has two pieces of kangaroo meat and one piece of crocodile meat. The kangaroo meat tasted like a mixture of lamb and liver. The texture was very much like liver. Yum... jk.
The crocodile meat was like fish but much chewier. It wasn't like fish that would just break apart in your mouth.
Apparently the crocodile meat was $40 AUD for half a kilo!

The red stuff on the plate next to me is actually beets, or they call it beet root. Australian add it to lots of stuff, like sandwiches and burgers. It's actually pretty good as an addition.

I'm also wearing contacts to try out. They're okay, but not THAT great... but it's nice not smudging my glasses all the time.



We climbed this awesome tree at the BBQ park and I was afraid I was going to fall off. Nevertheless, it was an awesome tree. I couldn't remember the last time I climbed a tree.

Wen: Smoked Salmon and Tomato on Baked Pita

As I told Dahvid Davda:

Lebanese bread cut into slices and dabbed with olive oil.
Baked until crisp.
Lox pieces placed over them and sprinkled with ground black pepper.
Thin slice of tomato placed over lox.
Delicious snack.

Wen: Wen's Falafel Creation

I realized that I had a lot of hummus in my fridge and I had to use it before it went bad, so thus began my quest to figure out how to make delicious falafel!

I looked it up online, but it seems that most people make falafel directly from mashed chickpeas, so I had to be creative.

My biggest problem was that the resulting mixture wouldn't keep its shape and thus fall apart or melt... either one.

To make it as dry as possible, I shredded the zucchini and used papertowels to get all the moisture out... then I added the following:
* Shredded Cheddar Cheese
* Green bell pepper
* Ground black pepper
* A tiny bit of hot pepper
* Groud ginger
* Garlic
* Soy sauce
* Diced chicken
* ... and of course, hummus!

On the first try it melted completely and I racked my brain for a solution. I decided to add two slices of bread to suck up the moisture and hold it together.

It worked and I got beautiful Falafel patties with a little bit of olive oil and a nonstick pan!

They were absolutely incredibly tasty!!! DELICIOUS!!!

Wen: I wen to Noosa and SURFED!

Noosa Surfing on Easter Sunday!!!

Wow, that was awesome.  We had a pretty good time hanging out in the 2 hour long bus ride.  The highlight of the ride was probably when we saw these guys drive by with the passenger sticking his legs out and chillin'.

We then visited Edmundi Markets.  Since it was Easter Sunday, there weren't that many markets open.  :(

After the Markets, we went to Noosa for SURFING!  Before this trip, I had no idea what surfing was like.  I mean, I might have occasionally seen surfing scenes in movies, but those are huge waves.  I wasn't sure how much they expected us to do in 2 hours.  Anyway.  The whole experience was awesome and I managed to stay up for like 2-3 seconds on some waves.  Of course I didn't get any pictures of me actually standing... only waiting and falling!

Also, I understand that the goggles are really uncool, but they're prescription!  I'm totally blind without my glasses!

Wen: Snakeskin!

Judy showed me a snakeskin that the neighbors found in their backyard yesterday.  This snakeskin is seriously long!  It's taller than me, and the top is actually rolled... it's got to be at least 6-7 feet long.

Anyway, the neighbors called the snake removal people and they took the actual snake away.  Pretty cool!

Wen: Amir's Drop EggZ Omelette

After an amazing surfing trip to Noosa, I was quite hungry.  Amir inspired me to make his famous Drop Eggz Omelette for breakfast, and I decided to document the process! Any yeah, it was DELICIOUS.

[If you're reading the Facebook post, you have to actually go to the Blogspot site to see the slideshow]

Wen: Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

     Yesterday I went to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary with a group of students from Mates @ UQ, a campus club.  It was quite awesome, and though I left really early in the morning, the rest of the day was fantastic. 
     I left Indooroopilly Railway Station to Central Railway Station, which is actually in Brisbane City.  I met up with Marjorie, the coordinator for Mates @ UQ and the 5 other students!  All very cool people!
We took the train from Central to Robina, the closest train station to Currumbin Sanctuary.  From the train station, we took the bus to Currumbin and had about 2 hours to explore.
     We made it just in time for the lorikeet feeding, and wow, was that amazing!  The zoo lady gave me the pan of honey and milk mixture that the lorikeets drink and a bunch flew onto the pan and my arm.  Then, more came and started landing on my other arm, shoulders and head.  At first it was cool, then it started to hurt and soon I was like, get them off!!
     We walked around and saw the koalas!  They were SO cute!  Marjorie actually got a picture with one, and we got to go up and pet it--quite soft and cute!
     After the koalas, we walked around and went to the baby crocodile photo taking session.  It was sort of sad to see the baby croc wiggling around while tens of people handled him/her while his/her mouth was tied closed!  Anyway, to got a pic, though it was sort of sad.  Props to Gary who decided not to because the little guy was tied up, and he thought it was wrong. 
     After that, we walked around and found random animals, and we ended up at a show where they taught us about typical Australian animals, including a nonpoisonous and a poisonous snake.  They had a possum at the end that we got to go up and take a picture with and pet.  It was cool looking.  They had professional photographers and printed your picture out in hope that you'd buy a picture for like $18.  I actually found the picture on the rack later on and took a picture of it. Haha!
     One of the coolest parts of the trip to Currumbin was feeding the kangaroos!  They were sooooooooo cute!  There was a kangaroo with a joey in the pouch (it didn't actually come out, unfortunately) and it was wiggling in its sleep.  So cute!
     After Currumbin we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch and after a long day of walking around, lunch was delicious!  I had Solo, which, after researching on Wikipedia, I found was introduced to the U.S. and it didn't go so well.  It was okay looking and it tasted okay too... sort of like Sprite with some dull yellow coloring, more like pee colored.
    We all headed to Surfers Paradise after eating and walked into the water... it was AWESOME!  The day was bright and sunny, but not unbearable.  I got to walk around and some of the other students actually went in with their swim suits and jumped into waves. 
     After the beach, we walked around the shops and I got a didgerydoo for Diane and a tea towel with a picture map of the Brisbane Coast. 
     We took a taxi to Nerang Station and headed home after a long day of fun!  Absolutely amazing... if only I didn't have two essays and a thesis due!

Wen: I have a Deutscher sticker

This one is for Mr. Zaidi. I have a Deutscher sticker on my closet (probably from Dane because he likes soccer). It says Fussball-Bund... I don't know what the "Bund" means.

Wen: Sunset in the Land Down Under

Australia is really a beautiful country.

I took these pictures when I was walking home from the bus stop. It was a warm but breezy night with misquitoes in the air. One of the little buggers bit me and now I have a misquito bite on my heel... yeah.

Anyway, enjoy the palm trees... we definitely don't have those in Connecticut!

Wen: Whhhat... Butter Chicken?

Yum... Butter Chicken from a jar! Yeah, sounds delicious to me too.

I got some Butter Chicken sauce from Aldi and decided to mix in some zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms and of course chicken. Some black pepper and some red pepper for taste. It actually came out pretty decently! :)

I'm sure it tastes nothing like Indian food, but wow, it was so easy! Plus... the rest is gonna be lunch for tomorrow!

Wen: I G-Chat with my dad

I was G-Chatting it up with my dad today, talking about getting a car for dental school. 

[Warning:The below conversation may contain foul language.  For mature audiences only.  Viewer discretion is advised.]


爸爸: you still need a cae

  car

 me: yeah... i thought i was gonna get mom's car

  or the van

10:16 AM 爸爸: dental student drive a van like a soccer mommy

 me: well whatever

  i just need a car

10:17 AM 爸爸: I already spread the words I am interesed in buying a used car.

 me: ohh

 爸爸: If I can not find one, you may just drive mommy current car.

10:18 AM mommy is pudshing me to buy a new car for you.

 me: wtf, i don't need a new car

10:19 AM her car is fine

  i like it

 爸爸: what wtf means?

 me: what the fuck

 爸爸: that is bad phrase.

10:20 AM me: well people use it alot

 爸爸: I thought you are educated college student

 me: yeah soooo?

  it's instant messaging language

 爸爸: you nevdr use word like that

 me: it's like lol

  brb

  ttyl

  it's im language!

10:21 AM 爸爸: brb? ttyl?

 me: be right back

  talk to you later

 爸爸: no

  I can feel I am the old generation

 me: yep

Wen: Homemade Pizza

Tonight I made the most delicious pizza ever. [JK Amir, our pizzas were really delicious too.]

After chatting with Vikram online, and seeing his inspirational food creations, I decided to make my own pizza for dinner.

I use one of my many Lebanese breads (usually used for lunch wraps) and rubbed a little bit of olive oil on the surface. I grated some cheddar cheese and sprinkled a little on the bread. I sliced up half a tomato and one mushroom for veggies and ripped up a chicken drumstick for some delicious, delicious protein. After laying it all down, some minced garlic was lightly spread around and the rest of the cheese sprinkled ontop.

I put it into the oven on the fan bake option and left it in for about ten minutes until the edges looked like they were going to burn. When it came out, the aroma was quite pleasing, and the taste was delectable! It really didn't even need sauce. The edges and the bread were cripsy and fantastic.

This was incredibly healthy, easy and DELICIOUS! Who knew this was achieveable?! Anyway... the oven here has a "Bake" and "Fan Bake" option. I looked up the difference and I guess "Fan Bake" bakes more evenly by running hot air over the food. Very interesting!  Anyway, pretty good for making pizza on my own for the first time, mmm?  :)

Wen: Hilarious Chinese-American Comedian

This video is hilarious.  Joe Wong is a Chinese-American comedian who recently was an entertainer at the 66th Radio and Television Correspondents' Dinner.  I know this is purely for the abroad stuff, but since Jen hasn't been blogging, I figured we'd pad the blog a little.  <3

Wen: The Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art

I finally went to something "touristy" today--the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art.  This was for my Asian Visual Cultures class at UQ.

[[NOTE to Facebook viewers: There is a slide show attached, you might have to go to the actual blog]]

Very, very interesting stuff.  Ling joined me and we had a blast!  I spent the morning looking around for some souvenirs to bring back.  My friend Sean really wanted a boomerang, so I tried to find some reasonably priced ones that were actually MADE IN AUSTRALIA!  I did find a shop on Queen Street and the largest ones were only $6.50 each!  Baller... I'm gonna bring it back to the U.S., become proficient in boomerang hunting and hunt for small wildlife.  Or not.  I also found kangaroo jerky!  At first I thought that I wouldn't be allowed to bring that stuff back, BUT it seems that it's cool as long as it's sealed.  Fantastic news, I'm gonna bring it back for everyone to try.  :)  Btw, in the store, I also saw kangaroo feet key-chains and I thought that was really weird, but I guess people in the U.S. have rabbit feet for keychains... so WHY NOT!? They also had a kangaroo hide for sale.. it was a small one and was $99.  But omg, it was so soft!

Ling and I booked it to the art gallery just in time for my class's tour conducted by Professor Morris Low.  Really quite an educated guy.  There was some very cool stuff... like the porcelain socks, LOL.  I really liked the sticker thing, and the airplanes!!!  Making the airplanes was SO FUN!  I got to play with trash and junk and make it into a dragonfly airplane.  Brings me back to the childhood days <3  Quite an incredible day... I'm planning on visiting the Queensland Museum too!

Wen: Grilled and South Bank

Last Saturday I went to a restaurant called Grilled with Dane, and it is apparently one of the restaurants that people really should visit because the food is just so good!

Well, Dane had a 2 for 1 coupon and we each ordered "The Queenslander" with 100% lean beef, beets (called beetroot, here) and even an egg. It was huge!  Omg, one of these burgers can really feed two people, I can't even imagine how many calories one of these things is!  We also got fries with it and Schwepps sodas that were Blood Orange flavored!
The soda was delicious, and it was definitely the first time I had blood orange flavored soda.  Although, I think it just tasted like regular orange with some red food coloring.
Anyway, just the burger was $12!  So, in an effort to give my wallet and my waistline a rest!

We also walked around South Bank along the Brisbane River!  The picture of the boat on the river is actually huge and has a dance floor on it!  Dane's Semi-Formal was actually held on there.

I wish we had prom on there, that would have been so cool!

It was definitely awesome!  Next time, I want to go when the markets are open... they apparently have a street filled with small stores that sell various things under tarp tents.  Sounds fun!