A round of applause for the dancer!

As the pictures show, KRW luuurves dancing. (Didn't get that from her dad, that's for sure.) We're planning to enrol her for dancing classes on a Saturday morning, but it's halfway through the term now and we're about to go on a month-long holiday. Patience, young lady!

Queenscliff

A beautiful day in a beautiful town doesn't mean Kyla has to be cooperative...

Lunch at Sunnybrae

Foodies rave about this restaurant that's all the way out in Birregurra (about an hour's drive from Geelong). And since we were already in the Bellarine Peninsula for the weekend, we thought we'd give it a shot. Bookings were made almost two months in advance, as they only open for meals on weekends and the place fills up quickly. The foodies were right, lunch was really good but there's no photographic evidence unfortunately! It's all about local produce, including vegetables from their own garden. Google it for a review lah :) As for Kyla, her lingering memory of Sunnybrae is the resident canine that kept wanting to jump on her...

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.