Ryvian's Sanctuary: July 2009

Tornado Potato & South Beach

Posted by Ryan & Vivian | Posted on 7/27/2009 10:26:00 PM

There is this particular snack in Fremantle Market that we had wanted to try for ages.

Every time we passed by that stall, we would witness the stall operators frying and serving them up on a stick to the customers. The craving had gotten so bad that we desperately headed to Freo last Saturday and gave it a go!

Introducing the Tornado Potato!

The potato was skewered on a bamboo stick and put through a machine that gave it a spiral-cut.

It was then put into the deep-fryer for a good few seconds before being seasoned with your choice flavor.

BBQ, Cheese & Chili - We went for the BBQ flavor.

It really does taste effing awesome and thoroughly addictive. Vian is still dreaming about it now.

Well, one of the downsides of winter is that there are a lot of things that we are not able to do during the cold weather. For example bbq-ing, swimming (not that I'm a swimmer), wearing T-shirts and shorts, and going to the beach.

But we did just that! After stopping by Freo market, we hopped on a CAT bus to South Beach which wasn't far away.

There I was, bracing the wind to pose with the signboard. Lame I know.

Vian posing with a tree. Even lamer. LOL.

Walking on sand is always a daunting task because the sand tends to get into the shoes all the time. You can walk barefoot, which is more comfortable but we had a better idea.

CROCS sandals! Perfect for walking on sandy beaches. =)

Since it was really chilly and we can't really swim or have a picnic there, we might as well pose for photos. If I recalled correctly, there wasn't more than 10 persons at the beach.

I reckoned the 10 of us were truly 'brilliant' for coming up with such a 'great' idea.

Vian with her customary "Bollywood" pose.

Someone's cutting a forlorn figure walking into the beach entrance.

Hooray! We've got company!

After 20 minutes or so, we really couldn't stand the cold wind anymore. I was practically shivering from the chilliness.

The wind almost felt like biting into the veins. Plus, it made us kind of hungry. Hehe.

The day started with a bang and so we should end it with a bang too surely.

Kailis' - The Best Fish 'n' Chips in WA. (Oh yeah? We reckon that the Fish 'n' Chips in Kardinya is still the best!)

The happiest person whenever there's food! =)

Western Australia Maritime Museum

Posted by Ryan & Vivian | Posted on 7/22/2009 08:56:00 PM

Last Saturday, both of us went to the Western Australia Maritime Museum. First of all, we seldom have the time or rather initiative to visit places like museum or those so called tourist attractions in Perth.

This time around is different because we have 2 visitors from Hong Kong, Percy's (our neighbour) mum and her brother. Percy decided to bring them to Fremantle and she asked us to tag along.

In Fremantle itself, there are several museums. After circling around the port city on a CAT bus, there was this particular museum that caught our attention.

It was the Western Australia Maritime Museum.

The Maritime Museum located at Victoria Quay, Fremantle has more than two and a half million specimens or artefacts.

The admission fees were quite cheap compare to the other museums around Fremantle.

-$15 for an adult

-$8 for concession such as student and senior citizen

(Joint ticket - includes a museum day pass and Submarine Entry)

These are the few pictures taken in the museum's gallery. It was rather an interesting place to visit. Highly educational and breathtaking.

Next, we have the chance to go onboard a real submarine. This submarine named HMAS Ovens is a former Royal Australian Navy Oberon Class submarine. It was employed during the Cold War II.

The museum offers a special guided tour through the submarine. We were given explanation on how the submarine actually works. It was very complicated and most of the people in the tour don't really get what the tour guide is trying to say. He used quite a lot of scientific terms and marine jargons that confused us.

This four tubes are where the torpedoes being kept

The Tiny Kitchen

Try to imagine that the chef need to cook for 62 navy crews in this small little tiny kitchen.

Electric control room

Main Control Area

There are a few more compartments that we visited in the submarine. Unfortunately we didn't manage to capture any picture because the aisle was too narrow and the places were dimly lit.

Overall it was a very interesting experience :) Afterall not many people can claim that they had been inside a real wartime submarine before.

Our guests from Hong Kong:-

From left : Aunty,me, Percy and her brother :)

Eating Out @ Ikea, Perth

Posted by Ryan & Vivian | Posted on 7/21/2009 07:33:00 PM

Recently, I received an online catalogue from IKEA and was informed that they're having sale at their WA outlet located in Innaloo.

For those who read our blog on regular basis, you guys might have known that we're both avid IKEA customers - having adorned our home with almost every furniture and cooking utensil bought from the Swedish furniture store. Why? Quite simply - they're cheap and are of reasonable quality. What more can you ask for?

And so, without a hint of hesitation, we decided to go to IKEA on Saturday! The trip from Kardinya to Innaloo takes about 45 minutes by train, and if not for the fact that it is located so far away from us, we would have patronize them every weekend.

Once we reached the destination, we went up to First Floor in a jiffy. Not that we intended to grab some cheap, discounted furnitures. Instead, it is where the food court is located. =)

Going there on a Saturday and especially during sales wasn't a good idea afterall.
The food court was packed to the brim and as soon as we saw the crowd, we began to worry that we might not be able to get a table there.

We made a beeline to the food counters, ordered our foods, fill up the drinks, paid for the bill and began 'hunting' for a table! Thankfully, it didn't took us long to notice an unoccupied table.

Vian was posing gleefully with her so-called 'colorful kids' meal'.
In case you're wondering, she ordered TWO plates of kids' chicken nuggets and fries. Told you she's a big eater! =P

As for me, ever since our last visit to IKEA, I have been craving for their Swedish meatballs.

Here is the "Star of The Day"

Delicious meatballs served with fries and creamy gravy poured on top.
AWESOME-ness!!

Afterwards, we did some 'exercise' in-store by having a stroll and trying to grab some good bargains without anything in mind to buy. Shopping at IKEA can be considered as some sort of 'luxury' as the other shopping centres here are freakingly small in size.

In the end, we managed to went home with a paperbag-ful of purchase.

Don't be fooled by the picture. It's really windy and cold here, not as hot and sunny as it seems though.

Here's what we bought from IKEA. Hahaha.

One and a half hour round trip just to get a tray, some screws, and an oven mitt.

But the meatballs just made it so worthwhile!! =)

Finally Arrived :)

Posted by Ryan & Vivian | Posted on 7/05/2009 04:38:00 PM

My brother arrived in Perth yesterday morning.

He has enrolled to study in Taylors College here in Perth. New place, new people, new friends, new environment, new 'parents'...He will be 'homestaying' with an Australian family. Good for him as he is still very dependent. Mum is quite worried about him as this is the 1st time he is away from the home sweet home. Keep on calling to make sure that he is fine here.

He is lucky enough to have this jie jie here in Perth. Just give jie jie a call and everything will be settled. :) I have no one when I first arrived in Perth. Settled everything from accomodation to bank account to uni enrolment by myself. :( Thanks to being the eldest at home.

Anyway, good luck my dear little bro. New challenges ahead. Study hard :) Mum and dad will be happy to see you passing with flying colours.

MJ In Memory 1958-2009

Posted by Ryan & Vivian | Posted on 7/05/2009 04:52:00 AM

I have to concede it has to be one of the worst morning I've woken up to. It's like a bitter pill to swallow, but it has to be swallowed nevertheless.

Growing up in the 80's, his music certainly left a deep imprint in my heart. I can still recall the first time I saw him on TV when I was 7 years old (yup, I can still remember). I was young then, and was watching television with my uncle at our old house in Meru when suddenly this man came on the screen and, it's still hard to describe now, how utterly awestruck I was at that moment.

Afterwards, I retired to my bedroom, putting on a toy sunglasses and trying to emulate his dance moves. I also envied the kid in the MTV who was privilleged enough to dance with him - and whom I later identified as Macaulay Culkin.

So, to say that MJ is an inspiration to me would be an understatement.

He seemed to have this uncanny ability to make music sound so magical. Til today, I still listen to "Heal The World", "You Are Not Alone", "Billie Jean" and in my opinion his best song - "Human Nature".

Of course, this man would later turned into a public oddball and being labelled as Wacko Jacko. This music phenomenon soon got himself embroiled in all sorts of scandals and his weird antics off-stage further convinced the public that this man has lost all his connection with the reality world. But I digress.

Perhaps people are just too ignorant, orperhaps they find amusement in seeing someone placed so high on the pedestal falls from grace. The tabloids accused him of 'bleaching' his own color, a paedophile and a lost soul. But how much can we trust tabloids these days? Nowadays, the media act like kingmakers - editing unflattering photos of celebrities that they want to promote and undermining the credibility of those whom they dislike. And in this case, Michael's the chosen victim.

For me, this is a man who was deprived from a healthy childhood as a result from sadistic abuse by his father who often chased and hit him with a belt if he dared missed a key. He thus seek solace in music - the one thing that can make him escape from the misery he suffered. He was also diagnosed with vitiligo - an illness which made him extremely sensitive to sunlight and

caused depigmentation of his skin - which explains the changes in his skin tones. And the kid who accused him of sexual abuse admitted later on that he did that because his father needed some money. So, to hell with all those accusations! And so are those ignorant fools.

Perhaps he is a child who grew up too soon. I watched the documentary about him called Living with Michael Jackson and he clearly seemed like a boy trapped in a grown man's body.
In that sense, his passing could turn out to be an outlet for him to escape from this world that proved to be incapable of fulfilling his idea of a 'perfect world' and his musical genius. One thing for sure, I won't get a chance to fulfill my dream to see him in concert. Ever.

I would say forget the scandals, forget the sordid details about him and embrace his music.

He will be sorely missed. Goodbye, Michael.

(P/S: Vian might think this entry is a nuisance cuz she doesn't like MJ) Sorry dear! =)