Sleep deprived

What would be ideal is for my new daughter to sleep through the night. But at the moment that is a bit too much to ask. Eia is barely a month old and still settling in. But her sleeping pattern is impacting on us, her parents, negatively.

For the past few weeks my wife and I have been sleep deprived. We are getting a lot less than what’s considered “healthy”. Coincidentally, the results of the study linking the common cold and sleep deprivation came out today (Sleep the Key to Cold Prevention). According to the study 8-hour sleepers are less likely to get sick than those who slept less.

Yesterday, I did not get to bed till 5.30 in the morning. I had to reset my alarm clock to 7.30 to allow me at least two hours of sleep. I still did not get my two hours. And I was also late for work!

My wife is in no better position. Being the mother, she probably slept less (and worked more).

The last thing we want is to get sick! What are we to do?!

I’ve devised a plan that we are trying out for the first time in our career as parents. We’ll be taking shifts in looking after our little angel. The plan is for Cherry to go to bed by 9pm leaving me to look after Eia till about 2am. That’ll give her about 5 hours of rest time. She would then takeover from 2am onwards with the possibility of catching some Z’s during the day. I said possibly because having 3 other children to look after does not normally allow for this.

5 hours is nowhere near ideal but it is still better than 4, or 3, or 2, or 1, or no sleep at all.

To keep me company during these nights I’ve got a line up of DVDs to watch and a laptop for blogging. I am actually writing this while I’m on my first shift.

Overtime Food plus...

If I can help it I would not spend extra hours at work. I believe that spending overtime is not really a good reflection of one’s performance but rather a sign of inefficiency.

But anyway, due to the changes in my team I had no choice but to stay back to make sure the required reports are produced on time.

One thing I do not forget though regardless of how busy I am is to eat. No surprise there, you say.

But more often than not “overtime food” tends to be on the “junk” side. As this was supposed to be an unplanned meal “anything goes” is the way to go! It is usually limited to day old sandwiches, pizzas or burgers.

Although my office is only a few steps away from one of Brisbane’s café districts I don’t really have time to have a proper sit down meal. The idea is to finish the work and have a meal simultaneously.

McDonald’s was my choice during my recent stint. Although McDonald’s now has got “healthy options” I still went for the “unhealthy” burger choices. But to make sure I get a bit of balance I ordered the McFeast. I’ve noticed that among all the burgers it’s the one with the most salad. I might be wrong but I’m comforted by it!

Much to my delight a colleague of mine has also offered me a Cookies & Cream cupcake! This just made the extra time at work a bit more bearable.


The cupcake was definitely tasty! The fact that is was presented so elegantly added to its goodness. Thanks Miss S for the very lovely treat!

I’ve copied the recipe from Miss S’s book 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Connolly:

Cookies & cream cupcakes

Makes 1 ½ dozen

For the cupcakes
225g unsalted butter
225g caster sugar
225g self-raising flour
1 tbsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
10 crushed cream-filled chocolate cookies (Oreo is probably the best)

For the icing
375g icing sugar, sieved
225g unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of salt
10 chopped cream-filled chocolate cookies (I think the author meant to say Oreos)

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C.
2. Place 18 foil or paper baking cases in muffin tins (Miss S used black & white striped muffin cases from Wheel & Barrow).
3. Combine all the cupcake ingredients, except the cookies, in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth and pale, about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Stir in the cookies.
5. Spoon batter in the cases. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove tins from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and cool on a wire rack.
7. To make the icing, beat the icing sugar, butter and salt using an electric whisk.
8. Spread the icing onto the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle the chopped cookies on top.
9. Store without icing in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

I ran/walked to work today…in the rain!

I woke up with no sun in sight. But I’ve already made up my mind the night before that I would be walking to work today.

It’s not so bad walking in the rain. Below are three reasons why I don’t mind it:

1. It’s not too hot.
Australian summer can get really intense. It can get to as high as 40°C (104°F) on some days. It’s good to get a reprieve from the heat from time to time. Walking in the rain is actually a welcome break.

2. The walking tracks are less crowded.
There aren’t a lot of people who think the same way I do.

3. And finally…it’s fun!
How many times in ones adult life do you get to play in the rain? In my case, it’s probably once or twice a month!

Strawberry Fields…forever!

Now that the soccer season is already finished our Saturdays are less full. We are now able to travel a bit further out and not worry about being late for anything.

What we really set out to do was go fruit/vegetable picking (read: any fruit/vegetable other than strawberries). I madly searched the net for places we could visit. Unfortunately though, Google was only coming up with “fruit picking jobs”. I did not really want to go strawberry picking as that seemed so cliché. I also wanted to show my kids how a variety of fruits and vegetables grow and not focus on just one.



As Queensland is nearing summer there are plenty of fruits and vegetables in season. Grapes, melons, passionfruit, apples, avocados, asparagus, mushrooms, beans, potatoes are just some examples.

As it was nearing lunch time already and we still haven’t got anything planned I succumbed to the call of Strawberry Fields. Yup, that’s the name of the strawberry farm we visited! Catchy don’t you think? They must have spent a lot of moolah in their creative department.



The weather forecast that day had a lot to do with the fact that there was barely anybody there when we drove in. A thunderstorm was predicted to occur late in the afternoon (and it did happen as we were driving back home). More for us then, I thought.



What you do is pop in the reception to grab some plastic containers (baskets would have been better, but anyway). You are then assigned a field to pick strawberries from. You then go back to the reception area to weigh your harvest and pay. It was $8/kg that day.

The kids got really excited (myself including) as we got near the field. Each plant was overflowing with fruit! And not mediocre fruit at that. They were big, plump and very sweet! We bought some cream and chocolate sauce and started devouring them right there and then!


Although I had a lot of reservations in the beginning the day turned out to be really good. The main thing was, the kids had a wonderful time and could not wait to go back.

Confectionary Warehouse

“Pasalubong” is a Filipino word I find difficult to translate in English. It’s not exactly a “gift” or a “souvenir” but it could be both. Aside from looking forward to seeing my parents again after a trip somewhere I always get excited about their “pasalubong” (what they’ve brought back for me from their trip). It did not matter how far or how long they’ve been away they always brought something back.

I know how good it made me feel to receive “pasalubong”. I want my kids to experience the same that is why I always try to have “something” for them from every trip. It did not have to be anything extravagant. It did not have to be unique to the place where I’ve just been. It just had to be something.

My recent trip though did not give me much opportunity to shop. I was confined to the office then the hotel and the airport. Unless you’re buying duty free the airport is not a good place to go shopping.

Thankfully, there’s a lolly (candy) outlet near the airport in Brisbane. Instead of driving straight home we took a detour to the Confectionary Warehouse. The kids already knew where we here heading as they are quite familiar with this place. Imagine the noise in the car created by their excitement!

It’s nowhere near the poshness of Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York with its connection to Ralph Lauren but the range is pretty astonishing. It’s a warehouse after all. They claim to have over 12,000 lines of lollies and chocolates. I don’t know how true that is but it is a pretty amazing claim!


You’d think the kids would have had enough? If your answer is yes you obviously do not have any of your own yet.

Off to the Hunter...Again!

I’m in the Hunter Valley again for the second time in less than a month.

I don’t mind going to the region. But there are certain realities I have to accept about trips to this part of Australia.

Fact 1: There are very limited flights available

There are 6 (oneworld airlines) flights a day to this region but approximately 70% of those are with the budget airline Jetstar. I choose Jetstar not because they are the best but because they have the most suitable schedules. The other disadvantage though (apart from flying no-frills) is that I miss out on points and status credits.

The flight this time around was made bearable by a colleague who brought some DVDs with her. Instead of just wasting a good hour flying time we got to watch one full episode of Sex and the City.

Fact 2: Our nearest office is more than an hour’s drive

The quickest and most convenient way for me to go to our offices in the Hunter is to fly to the city of Newcastle. Unfortunately though, our nearest office is still a couple of hours drive away.

Fact 3: Limited choice of accommodation

You would think being located in a wine region there’ll be plenty of choice of places to stay. There probably are but our choice has been limited to just two (Quality Inn and Mid City). They’re not bad places…if all you want to do is sleep!

Breakfast at Work

From personal observation I’m quite saddened by the fact that breakfast, which is supposed to be the most important meal of the day, is largely neglected. The most preparation people do in the morning is “open a box”. I suppose they are comforted by the “health promises” printed on these boxes. Makes you wonder though why society is getting fatter and fatter.

Everyday of the working week I have my breakfast at work. Anytime before 8am is just too early for me to eat anything.

Cold breakfast was never my thing (as mentioned in a previous post). But thankfully at work we’re provided with a pretty well equipped kitchen. There is no stove but I have managed to make the sandwich press work beyond “what the box” says (as you can see in the photos).

One of my other dislikes is the drip/filtered coffee. It features prominently in Hollywood movies and when I was young I couldn’t wait to grow up and start drinking this stuff. How wrong was I? It’s actually quite horrible in my opinion. But thankfully at work were also supplied with an Italian espresso machine (De’Longhi Magnifica) that makes really good coffee.

Here are some samples of my breakfast in the office:

1. Ham & Cheese omelette

2. Roti Paratha (with Nutella)

3. Eggs & Toast

4. Pancakes

5. Arroz Caldo (Rice Porridge)

Mantra Pandanas

43 Knuckey Street, DARWIN

Mantra Pandanas is a pretty standard business hotel. But it stands out among the rest for four special reasons:

Pandanas plant (very prolific in the NT)

1. It’s new

There are two Mantra properties in Darwin. One is the Pandanas (newer) and the other is the Esplanade (older). I was a bit suspicious of the older Mantra after visiting their website and finding no photos of the rooms. The link to the Pandanas, on the other hand, featured photos of the bedrooms quite heavily.

2. CD Player

This is actually the first time I’ve ever stayed in a hotel that has a CD player in the room. I did not use it but it’s good to know it is there just in case…

3. Extra large lotus-shaped shower head

Coming from Queensland where water restriction is de rigueur I was pleasantly surprised to see this monster of a shower head. The size betrays little about how gentle water flows out of it. This one I used a lot!

4. Good ground coffee and a French press

Most hotels give you only two options of in-room coffee. It’s either decaf or caffeinated instant coffee. Mantra excelled in this in that you still get the instant option but you are also given the choice to have freshly brewed coffee using a French press. The hotel charges $6.00 bucks for a 50g pack but I think that is quite reasonable.

So whether for business or leisure in Darwin, I highly recommend the Mantra Pandanas!

Hanuman Restaurant

Holiday Inn Esplanade, 93 Mitchell Street, Darwin

Hanuman has now become a Darwin institution that a visit to this city would not be complete without dining there. Although the restaurant is classified in the directory as Thai it actually has a lot more to offer. Mixed in together with traditional Thai curries are Indian influenced dishes and the restaurant’s own creations.

When I go to a restaurant I would only order what I know they do well. I would not deviate from this mindset unless I have been to the same restaurant day after day after day…you know what I mean. I’m sure there is a name for this way of thinking. Conservative? Traditionalist? Risk averse? I don’t know… I need to improve my English language skills, I know. Please do not hesitate to comment to advise me of the name for my condition.

Kang Kong Greens

Hanuman is no exception to this approach. For entrée it’s got to be the Hanuman Oysters. And for main it is always their Thai Crispy Whole Fish.

Thai Crispy Whole Fish

During my recent visit to Hanuman I was accompanied by six other colleagues. Everyone tried the oysters and half of us had the fish. The fish was excellent but everyone unanimously voted the Hanuman Oysters as the highlight of the evening’s meal. Not only did it taste terrific the restaurant also devised a way to present it in an unconventional way (read: not in shell on a bunch of something). The oysters come in a tagine inspired clay platter with seven pockets (six for the oysters with the middle seventh for extra sauce…just in case). The dish is certainly Thai influenced with the liberal use of sweet basil, lemongrass, coriander, and fish sauce.

Hanuman Oysters

I would like to think of it as Divine intervention. As I was sitting in my room flicking through a magazine pondering what to write I came across…*drum roll please*…the Hanuman Oysters recipe! How cool is that! For the benefit of you all I’ve copied it below, verbatim. Enjoy!

Hanuman oysters

Serves six in a restaurant enough for me if I make this at home!

2 stalks of coriander, roots attached

1 stalk sweet basil, leaves removed, stems reserved

½ teaspoon finely grated galangal

2 tablespoons thinly sliced lemon grass, white part only

1 small red chilli, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

60ml (¼ cup) lime juice

30ml fish sauce

2 tablespoons shaved palm sugar

36 pacific oysters

1. Cut roots and 5cm of stems from coriander and chop finely, reserving leaves.


2. Finely chop basil stems.


3. Process roots and stems, galangal, lemon grass, chilli, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar in a food processor until finely chopped.


4. Check for the balance of sweet, sour, salty and hot and adjust if necessary.


5. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until needed. Makes ¾ cup and will keep refrigerated for up to one month.


6. Place oysters on an oven tray in 200C oven or under a hot grill for one minute until warm.


7. Thinly slice basil leaves.


8. Drizzle each oyster with ½ teaspoon of sauce, scatter with basil and coriander leaves and serve remaining sauce passed separately.

Source: Northern Territory Scoop Traveller Magazine December-June 2008 edition or visit www.scooptraveller.com.au

Off to the Never Never

Brisbane Airport Check-in

I started writing this while we were cruising at 30,000 feet. But I had to abandon my blog writing as I had other more important work related matters to complete. By the time I was ready to get back into it I my laptop only had less than 10 minutes of battery time left. Did you know it runs out pretty quickly? As I was not travelling in Business Class there were no power points available to me that would allow me to continue.

It is now approximately 12 hours since I started writing this post. I just got back from dinner but I couldn’t be bothered doing anything else.

Today started well enough. I was on my way to Darwin (Australia’s Never Never land). I checked-in online the day before to guarantee I get to sit where I want to sit. On the day of the flight though, I had to move to another seat to give way to a couple travelling with a baby who needed the extra space more than me. I gladly gave up my seat as I understand fully the couple’s needs. Thankfully the flight was not that full I was able to move to another window seat. Although I had to move further back there were a lot of positive points to this serendipitous occurrence. Although SeatGuru has got warnings regarding row 32 of a 767 I did not experience any of the nuisance the website was talking about. And the other great thing…the seat next to me was empty giving me more room to move. Everyone knows how precious space is in airplanes.

I had a bit of breakfast already at the Qantas Club but I was still hungry by the time I got on board. Breakfast was served during the flight but it was not my kind of breakfast. I was never into “cold” breakfast. It just does not satisfy me. Thankfully though they always serve a warm fruit roll with it. Now, that is always tasty!

The flight turned out to be very productive. Not only was I able to complete my work I was also able to watch a movie (Baby Mama – review in a later post) and read a little bit.

Better Health, Cleaner Air

My current fitness level is not at its best. I know it and I can feel it! I used to spend my lunch breaks doing some sort of exercise (swimming, running, walking, etc.). But lately you’ll find me mostly at my desk. And at home you’ll find me on the couch a lot.

Days of 1 hour plus lunch breaks are long gone. Midday is now no longer an option. My work load just would not allow for it any more. Evenings would have been good but my home commitments are more important. I have no choice but to exercise in the morning.

I have gone “green” lately by taking public transport to work. To make it on time I have to be on the bus by 7am. If I’m going to get involved in some fitness activity I would have to be up by 5am at the very latest. That is too early! It would not be sustainable.

What is it then that I could do that will save me precious minutes and improve my fitness at the same time? My solution, WALK TO WORK! Every stride improves my fitness and brings me a step closer to my office. And the other bonus, it’s “green”!

I live approximately 11++ kilometres from my workplace which means I still have to be up pretty early. According to whereis.com it should take me almost 4 hours to walk! 4 HOURS! Who’s crazy enough to do that! It’s good I did not consult this website before I decided. Otherwise, I would have been discouraged immediately.

I am happy to report though that it took me less than 2 hours to walk to work. It would have been quicker if I did not stop to take some photos for this blog. Plus, on this first venture I had with me quite a heavy bag (with my work clothes and toiletries) which slowed me down even more. I expect the succeeding ones to be much quicker as they would be planned better.

If you have other fitness suggestions please feel free to comment…

Off to the Hunter

The stereotypical accounting job is portrayed as mind-numbing number crunching work confined to a no window hole somewhere in the dark corners of the office. If you’ve got claustrophobia then you should probably consider another career.

How un-cliché the reality is! My profession has actually enabled me to explore regions of Australia (and maybe overseas soon) most people have never been to.

JQ 0481 to Newcastle

My destination today is the Hunter Valley. The Hunter region is famous for its wines. But the reason for this visit is obviously more business orientated rather than pleasure (of wine that is!).

To make it on time for my morning meeting I had to take the 6.00am flight. That meant I was up at 4.00am. To keep me going that early in the morning I have my usual cocktail of coffee, Red Bull, water and some greasy breakfast sandwich from a fast food store (it’s Hungry Jack’s sausage brekky wrap today).

My early morning breakfast

I’ve got about a day and a half to sort out what I need to do before I fly back home tomorrow evening.

Lancer (my car for today and tomorrow)