The Wongs in Sunshine Coast - Brisbane

OK so Brisbane isn't exactly in Sunshine Coast, but it's only an hours' drive from Caloundra. It was really good catching up with Yung Mei, an old friend from KL who's now settled in Brisbane. She's since had another little one, congrats Mei! Oh and the food at Thai Wi-Rat was yummy...

The Wongs in Sunshine Coast - Noosa

I know some people who make it a point to go to Noosa every year. Of course we had to go and see what all the fuss was about! Is it nice? Well, yes. Is it for us? Well, I'm not sure. I think we prefer the down to earth atmosphere of Caloundra!

The Wongs in Sunshine Coast - Australia Zoo

It was a short drive from Caloundra, so we thought, why not? We're not Steve Irwin fans or anything, but here was a great opportunity for Kyla to see lots of animals. Off we went! Not bad I suppose, but I must say I expected a wee bit more...

The Wongs in Sunshine Coast - Caloundra

I know this trip was back in August, but oh well, there're some really nice shots here. The original plan was to go to Fiji, but the Chinaman in me could not justify the astronomical amount that would have cost. Hence to Plan B! A quick search online revealed cheap flights on Tiger Airways to Maroochydore, as well as an excellent deal on a 1-bedroom apartment in Caloundra. All for less than one-third of what that Fiji trip would've cost. That money we saved is going towards our epic trip next March/April, but that's another story!

Kyla's latest talent - the sequel

Ladies and gentlemen, heeeeeeere she is again! Don't bother turning up the volume, it's too soft. But obviously the pictures tell a lovely story...

Kyla's latest talent

Here's the latest reason/excuse for the long absence. KRW has been in secret training! Here's the result:

The Wongs at Pirianda Garden, Dandenong Ranges

We brought Grandpa and Grandma Wong here to look at the autumn leaves. But they're not the only ones who enjoy leaves, Kyla does too!

The Wongs and Riddells at Loam, Bellarine Peninsula

Deep within the olive groves of the Bellarine Peninsula is a restaurant called Loam. It had been garnering rave reviews in the media, so we thought we'd make the journey to check it out. The menu - if you can call it that - is somewhat unusual; instead of choosing dishes, customers select the produce and the menu is then crafted from that list. It was a very good meal, except for the wagyu which was a wee bit overdone. This dining experience also provided a bit of serving inspiration for Babes... dishes were served on what turned out to be tiles, and so when we got home, she went straight into the shed where some tile samples had been kept (from a recent bathroom renovation) and pulled a few out! One last note: Loam have just been included in Food & Wine Magazine's Go List 2010 under 'Rising Star Chefs'. Well done, guys!

Grandpa Wong's Sweet & Sour Pork

Bubs had a special request for dinner one night, and visiting Dad kindly obliged with this masterpiece. And yes, it tasted even better than it looks!

Kyla and her Mummy's zucchini

Here's KRW posing with something Babes is quite proud of; one of the first 'fruits' of her labour in the garden. There's more to come, I'm sure!

From one beach to another

The beach tour of the Mornington Peninsula continued (and ended) with a stop at Balnarring Beach, where Kyla loved watching the catamarans coming back to shore. Considering how much fun she seems to have running on the sand, I think we'll be back before too long. What the heck, let's buy a house by the beach. Whaaaat? Sorry? How MUCH? Oh well...

At Flinders Beach

We had been promising Kyla we'd take her to the beach, and finally we did. It wasn't really swimming weather as it was cold and windy, but we all enjoyed the walk anyway.

Port Phillip Estate - Mornington Peninsula

One of the meals during our Mornington Peninsula long weekend was at Port Phillip Estate, a beautiful winery in Red Hill. Can't exactly remember what we had, but possibly: Marinated kingfish with fried capers, fennel and lemon oil, and Chargrilled yellowfin tuna, skordalia, grapes, pinenuts, pickled anchovies among others.

The Wongs and the Chiengs

Kyla Rose Wong and Mia Chieng had somehow never met until now. Did they get along? Well, kind of. As for the boys, of course we did!

Amanda and Jason's Krabi Wedding

I know, I know, this is more than two months late but what the heck. Here are a couple of pictures from 14 February 2010, which was a triple celebration of the wedding, Dad Ting's 70th birthday and the first day of Chinese New Year. The fact that it was Valentine's Day was completely immaterial, ironically.

The Wongs, Yeohs and Zeitounes at Barkers Wine Bar

Umm... not that the Yeohs and Zeitounes (or even the Wong parents) are in any of these pictures, but we enjoyed a leisurely rainy Sunday lunch at the fairly-new Barkers Wine Bar in Kew. Here's 1) KRW keeping herself occupied, and 2) Bubs' Fish and Chips. By the way, welcome to Melbourne, Fadi, Cindy and Sophia!

Al fresco dining

With some really nice summer evenings - not too hot, not too cold - we've taken the opportunity to get KRW accustomed to outdoor dining. On this occasion, we brought her high chair out onto the porch. She seemed to enjoy it, but was also distracted by the vast running-around possibilities outside...

A good habit

Whether she knows what she's reading or not, Kyla loves books and constantly asks to be read to. But here's a video of her reading to herself. Well, sort of anyway. She's actually more interested in the mirror, but we thought it was cute anyway!

More random iPhone pix

KRW's performance

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Kyla Rose Wong!

KRW's 2nd Birthday - the invite

Here's the invitation for Kyla's second birthday bash: Babes' idea, designed by Jason and Amanda, produced by Bubs. These were delivered in DVD cases as if they were real Hi-5 DVDs. Kyla's first birthday invite was a Rolling Stone magazine cover. What shall we do for her third birthday?