World's best SEAFOOD @ Balkan Restaurant, Sydney

The Original Balkan Restaurant grill in Darlinghurst was established in 1964 and has been praised for over 45 years for its great atmosphere, excellent European style dishes and large servings.

Seafood platter

Famous for its authentic European style food which is prepared right at the window on the street-front grills, allowing everyone to have a look at chefs preparing ones favourite dishes.

The street-front grills...

My favourite dish:)

Grilled king prawns with chilli & olive oil dressing

Some of the special dishes that have come to hold the pride of place as the specialties of this restaurant are spicy sausages, pork on skewers, poached Tasmanian mussels, and whole Barramundi.

Seafool pasta - with abalone, king prawns , mussels, scallops, etc

Abalones :)))) *yum*

succulent prawns :))

"Balkan Grill Platter"

- juicy king prawns, sole, squid...

Balkan Restaurant's simple, stylish menu also offers freshly prepared salad of cabbage and potato which is served with the meats and seafoods barbecued on the "Balkan Grill".

A quck glimpse of the entree and dessert selections :)
Apple strudel

Croation sweets

Tiramisu :)

  Soft homemade bread

Crunchy & aromatic garlic bread with fresh herbs:)

I like the coat hangers on the wall :) very handy

Location:-

217 Oxford St,
Darlinghurst 2010 NSW

Business hours:
Mon- Thur 6pm to 11pm

Fri-Sat 12pm to 12am
Sun 12pm to 11pm

Sydney

Hi there :) been busy with the Coatesville wedding photography project at the mo...

will share the Sydney trip photos soon

Stay tuned;)

with The Morning Show crew

At Jessica Mauboy (Australian Idol)'s concert - Darling Harbour, Sydney

Naughty OZ souvenirs: Kangaroo scrotum bottle openers, sheep skin nipple warmers:)

Discovered these treasures in a souvenir shop in Market City (the mall beside Paddy's Market) :)

Kangaroo scrotum bottle opener ;p hehe

"Sheepskin Nipple Warmers"

"Proudly made in New Zealand"

"Supporting you from Downunder"

"Because...it's Rude to point!" ;p

Crocodile tooth necklace

Kangaroo scrotums...

Kangaroo claws

Metal shavings found in children's vitamins

(Source: NZPA)

Healtheries is recalling a batch of children's vitamins after metal shavings were found in a tablet.



Healtheries KidsCare Immuno-Plus from batch number 25323 with an expiry date of May 2012 should not be used.


Healtheries' parent company Vitaco Health said it had sought Ministry of Health advice which confirmed there was a low risk of harm if the tablets were swallowed.


Healtheries spokeswoman Ondine Waddle said customers should return the product to the retailer for a refund.

Funny sightings in Sydney ;)

This is the perfect picture of East Meets West ;p
The only times I ever see anyone spotting the ancient Chinese "Qing Dynasty hairdo" were in films like Shanghai Noon.
I have never even seen a Chinese guy with a long braid. So, I was quite amused to see an Aussie embracing the ancient Chinese do when I was at the Sydney Fish Market ;) hehe

And then...as I was walking along Oxford Street, I saw a liqour shop that's cheekily named as "Lick Her Shop" ;pp

 

Looks like shit,...but tastes like heaven :) (Spice of India, Atrium Food Court)

If you're looking for the challenge of eating Real authentic spicy food (and not the watered-down versions), look no further than Spice of India at the Atrium Food Court (located on Elliott St, near Smith and Caughey's).

I know it looks yuck

- like a bad case of diarrhoea

If you wonder why I'd even allow myself to go near that plate of gooey stuff, it's because the stall smelled really good - I could hardy resist the bewitching aroma of good Indian curry.

That's partly because Natasha tempted me with some chicken & dhal curry at lunch. The next day, I just had to have something spicy. When we have our next reunion, we'll probably coax our Wellingtonian wine connoisseur friend Michele into trying the vegetarian curries there. It will be fun to see her snort continuously...muahahahaha :)))

World's biggest breasts main attraction at "Boobs on Bikes 09" Parade, Queen St

Topless porn stars and strippers rode down Auckland's Queen Street on 23 Sept 2009 in the seventh annual Boobs on Bikes parade.

(Gosh, are these boobs real??)

Boobs on Bikes is a mostly annual parade of semi-nude pornstars riding on motorcycles through large New Zealand cities (in the past, Christchurch, Palmerston North and most prominently Auckland). It is organized by the somewhat locally famous pornographer Steve Crow, to advertise his activities and the Erotica Expo, an adults-only pornography trade exhibition.

Larger-than-life adult entertainer Chelsea Charms was one of the main attractions of the parade.
Ms Charms is reported to have the biggest breasts in the world. Her website says they are size 153XXX and collectively weigh just under 24kg.

(Source: 3news.co.nz, Wikipedia)

Who is Samantha Lim a.k.a. Datin Sam?;)

In the past few months, I have been bombarded with endless questions via Facebook about who Sam  is...so I guess it is easier to explain via a single blog posting :)

So, who's Samantha Lim?

Sam's my good friend & Fashion Guru
I was quite a nerd back then - totally clueless about fashion. Had it not been because Sam had given me an image overhaul 8 years ago, I'd have been wearing some pretty weird clothes to school - like, Ching Dynasty embroidered female underwear, matched with blue jeans jacket & black colour platfrom shoes *cringe* (serious) - except that they didn't look quite as fashionable as the pic below

(It does sound a bit over the top. But those who knew me since my college days would be able to confirm that I wasn't exaggerating about my past fashion crimes)

Pic: Traditional Ching Dynasty underwear

Sam  and I got to know each other back in our college days @ Taylor's

Our first conversation was in the toilet ;p hehe

Sam, Janice, Nicole & I were quite inseparable in our college days & we still meet up from time to time to relive the sweet moments that we had in school ;) - and we're planning to start a new  blog together pretty soon :))

- where we're going to share every single detail about our lives

(leisure, food, family, favourite activities, career advice, and of course good sex tips;p)

 

How did she get the name "Datin Sam"? ;)

Well, our good friend Janice aptly named her Datin due to her idyllic lifestyle - month-long vacations in Hong Kong, Japan, Europe, US, Korea etc etc, twice weekly manicure/pedicure sessions in Klang Valley, Sunway & Damansara every time she's back in Malaysia

 

What is "Datin"? What is "Datuk"?
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders.

Datuk is a federal title which has been conferred since 1965. It is limited to recipients of Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN), of which there may be up to 200 living at any one time, and Panglima Setia Diraja (PSD), of which there may be up to 200 living at any one time. The PJN and PSD rank 9th and 10th respectively in the rank of federal awards.


The wife of a federal Datuk is a Datin.

(Source: Wikipedia)

 

Lady Gaga's Mickey Mouse pants :)

Lady Gaga's so entertaining :)
Yes, I'm way past the age of pop fandom, but I can't help but like her unusual sense of fashion (which sometimes crack me up) - the "transparent bubbles costume", yellow colour Mickey Mouse hot pants... (in her pseudo-film noir "Papparazzi" MTV)

My Mum  used to have a similar-looking pyjama

Lady Gaga's not a typical singer

not a typical songwriter

She's very upbeat - you can probably think of her as the "Salvador Dali" of the music industry

She studied Arts, and applied them  very well in her work (lyrics, music, costumes)

- she's the daughter of a wealthy Internet entrepreneur who decided to be independent & earned her own living by working as a song-writer/singer/stripper at NYC clubs - where she and her good pal Lady Starlight came up with some pretty good Revue Shows

(source: Wikipedia)

Black colour lips

When I first came across the MTV at McDonald's, I couldn't quite fathom why she'd have the bizzare "wheelchair" scenes, but after having watched it on YouTube, I finally understood the story behind the MTV.

The video began with some classic 1950s-60s film-noir montages...

 

To summarize, her boyfriend pushed her down from the balcony. She was hospitalised, but being a strong-willed & resillient person, she practised her dances even when she's wheelchair bound - and when she recovered, she took revenge on her bf - and was eventually arrested by the police

 

 

 

This is the "revenge" scene, where she wore the funny looking Mickey Mouse hot pants :)

 

Another picture of the Mickey Mouse costume...

A wheelchair-bound Lady Gaga practising her dance routine with a very "multicultural" group of dancers

What I like about the "Papparazzi" MTV is that it's very "motivational", in that it encourages us to "not give up easily"

- ie. , if  Lady Gaga can bounce back from being an invalid (due to hard work and determination), we can do the same too

 

 

The beauty of female anatomy

Had a highly memorable voyeuristic session at the White House Entertainment Centre ;p
and yes, Kiwi girls are much more beautiful than what I saw in photos :)

 (Image source: AllPosters)

Unfortunately, we're not allowed to take photos inside the strip club.
So, I can only describe this wonderful experience in words... ;)

Entrance is free for girls if you're there "early" - say, at about 9pm
The club is open at about 8/ 8.30pm.
You have to be aged 18 above to enter a strip club

Do EAT before you enter a strip club. They don't serve popcorns :(
No nachos, peanuts, potato crips, kebab, burgers or anything else to munch on. Just drinks...
The drinks are expensive too!
But it's a worthwhile experience:)
The dancers are absolutely beautiful:) - not all are Kiwi girls. Some are Europeans, some are Russians.

My favourites are the classic blonde/blue eye beauties...and yes, the girls do have nice, soft pink colour nipples ;) & smooth cream-coloured skin.

& yes,... you can are allowed to touch the girls ;) hehe
but you have to tip them using special "White House" dollar notes which you obtain from the counter.
I touched two girls, a Kiwi blondie and a dark-haired Hungarian beauty (Please don't tell my Dad;p)

I was sitting in the front row. The Hungarian girl danced seductively at the metal pole, and then came up to me & took off her pink-colour fluorescent leotard.
I blushed ;p hehe

Janice & Anita (name changed to protect the identities of my friends) were so mischievous. They made me put some "White Dollar" notes on the girl's boobs.
She squeezed her boobs, kissed me *blush blush blush* and said "thank you" coyly - in her exotic accent.
I was spellbound.
Before I knew it, I stammered and muttered something like, "You - I like you -.. is good - the dance" *blush*
(Ermm, don't ask me why I was nervous ;p... To be honest, I don't know why. After all, she's a girl, I'm a girl. She has boobs, I have boobs too. I think if I were a guy and I have a penis I would have gotten an erection at that time. That's probably why I spoke incoherently. I still can't fathom why I was nervous. I mean...I've done presentations and speeches in front of large audiences and didn't feel nervous at all)

I asked, 'Where are you from?"
She said, "Hungary"
I thought she's Egyptian - she looks a bit like the actress in Cleopatra (TV series) - Leonor Varela

 

Leonor Varela - actress

(Image source: SkyRock.net)

Nudity in documentary about Paganism ;) (yeah, it's shown on national tv)

The sight of naked women and men dancing around on national tv is something that's totally alien to me...

 

It's a highly "academic" and "educational" documentary about Paganism ;p

but I felt terribly unladylike watching it because it was quite akin to enjoying hardcore porn or visiting the White House 

You see, I grew up in Asia, where something innocent like this would be considered as being in the 18SX category:-

  

(Image source: http://www.redstaplerchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/baywatch.jpg)

I spent my teenage years hoping to see Pamela Anderson naked in the "censored-but-labelled-as-18-SX" Baywatch series (but my wish never came true...)

So, imagine my surprise seeing more than 6 naked men & women all at once! *gulp*

It was just too much for my faint heart

(Yeah, rite! You're just saying so cuz you know your Mum & Dad are reading your blog)

In some traditions of Wicca, rituals may be held in the nude, also referred to as "skyclad".

Being skyclad is not sexual in nature. Of those who practice skyclad, many say that it helps bring them closer to the Divine, because there is literally nothing between them and the Gods. In other traditions, a person may be skyclad only during certain ceremonies, such as an initiation rite.

Who on earth is Gareth Morgan? Can we really trust him with our Kiwisaver retirement funds?

Okay, we all know that Gareth Morgan is the TradeMe whizkid's Dad who made 47 million when his son sold TradeMe, but the fundamental question remains - Can we really TRUST him with our Kiwisaver retirement funds?

Babe, I wish I know the answer...but unfortunately, I don't.

I don't have any Kiwisaver investments to worry about - but I loath deception, I hate the despicable doings of Bernard Madoff and other swindlers like Nick Leeson, and I am very very worried about the possibility that Gareth Morgan might screw up innocent investors' hard earned money.
- and I just felt obligated to share my personal concerns with you

I'm not saying that he is a swindler. Heck, what do I know about his future plans? Maybe he really is a good guy. But,... what what what if he isn't? What if he turns out to be another Bernard Madoff?

My retirement funds (known as the EPF, or Employees Provident Fund) is managed by a government entity - not by a private banking institution or a one-man investment company like Gareth Morgan Investments

This is Gareth Morgan's photo:-
(Source: http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/Morgan_gareth160.jpg)












Here are some of the things about which struck me as rather odd:-

1) Gareth Morgan Investment's website seems to bear a resemblance to some scam companies
- cheap web design... yet the company purportedly has a sophisticated online login for the KiwiSaver investors
(this is just my personal opinion based on observation and simple common sense. You can choose to disregard my thoughts)

2) "Fan Mail from Life Insurers"
*roll eyes* Yes, GMI indeed has a "Fan Mail from Life Insurers" page

(Duh, gimme a break! I have a life insurance policy, PA (Personal Accident) insurance, travel insurance, automobile insurance, but the thought of being a FAN of insurance providers has never crossed my mind - not even once)

3) Sam Morgan's appointed as the Director of Gareth Morgan Investments
- & it didn't even make it to the news!
Who is Sam Morgan?
My guess is that he's either a brother or cousin or nephew, son or son-in-law of Gareth Morgan
So, in other words... Gareth Morgan Investments is what Malaysians would describe as a "Chinaman company"
("Chinaman company" is an informal term to describe family-owned businesses that the Chinese are famous for - for example... a company where the father is the CEO, & the aunts/uncles/siblings/kids hold key positions in the company)

(to be continued)