Easter Bunny Brings the Easter Fun~

Restaurant was closed for 2 days over the long Easter holidays (on Good Friday and Saturday), so we all get 2 days worth of rest. However, on Easter Sunday itself, we opened the place for dinner, though it was a quiet night, most of us felt really wiped out - especially Ryo, Benise and I, who have started work much earlier to get the restaurant clean and ready. Renovation work have been going on in the restaurant, and we now have new floorings and fresh paint. But the entire restaurant wasn't ready yet - not the front part that is. More than half of our front part of the restaurant couldn't make it in time for opening so customer seating were either the back part or upstairs. Plus, with the new, slippery tiles, we actually have to take turns standing at the door to open the doors for customers and caution them about the new floor (i.e. "Watch your step!" blah blah blah) 

Over the holidays it has been great fun~ However, it was also a very sad farewell for my good friend Jay, who has already left for Queensland on Saturday. We spent the last day together with our friends, and it was indeed a memorable day. First it was Puffing Billy with Jay, Ryo and Zhan - I've been there once with my parents but we didn't go on it. The 4 of us laughed and dangled our feet out of the steam train whilst enjoying the fantastic scenery all the way to Lakeside. Nearly got lost finding our bus stop at Lakeside to get back to Belgrave, so we were very late for dinner in the city. Overall it has been great. 

One of the most classic photographs we have.... Being able to capture all 4 of us sitting in the speeding steam train with our legs dangling out. Though I know Ryo's hand was trembling (for fear of dropping the camera) when he took the photo. 

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee these shoes are NOT for sale! Just our legs hanging out~ 

I like this photo. I was the one who have initiated it.
Ryo was the first to volunteer "I'll do STOP"
Then I offered to do LOOK
Jay did LISTEN.

At the lakeside of Lakeside (yeah, that's right), we rode on Aqua Bikes. Pedal away~~
15 minutes for $12 so that's $6 each. Ryo and I were a team, and Jay and Zhan were our opponent
We were supposed to race each other, but in the end, Jay and Zhan were too tired to pedal hard.
Ryo and I pedaled too hard and broke a few rules. The person-in-charge was yelling at us over his loudspeaker (kept hearing our bike no. which was 27).

By the time we got back into the city it was already 8PM. No trains were running through the city loop so it doubled our effort to get to the restaurant. I have made a booking at HWARO for Korean BBQ as a farewell for Jay. Booked for 15-18 people, though I wasn't absolutely sure exactly how many people will turn up. In the end we only had 15 people, and it suck that they couldn't join our tables. So we were on 2 separate tables. Couldn't get everyone to squeeze on the same table, so in the end I was in a separate table as Jay (much to Jay's disappointment). 


BBQ. Soju. BBQ. Soju. More Soju. Drank heaps but still felt OK then. Around 10pm our friends started to leave one by one (including Jay who has to get back to do final packing), there were only 7 of us left on the table still drinking away. Gosh.... 

Group photo
But it was a blurry photo.. That's why I hate my camera! I can't seem to capture clear pics all the time. It's an old camera, but then it annoys the hell outta me when this happens. Especially group photos like this which is supposed to be our precious memories. But I don't have money for a new and better one... Not now anyway. 

Another (smaller) group photo

My lovely friend, Jay and I.
Good luck in Queensland! And yes, let's travel together sometime soon!

Senior staff at Sozai - Me, Benise and Cissy. 

When we have finally paid and left the restaurant, it was around 11PM. Walked down to Elizabeth Street when we finally decided that the night shouldn't just end like that. So we decided to sing karaoke. And so headed to Cash Box in Chinatown and sang til 4am. What really happened between 11-ish and 4 AM were pretty blurry to me, though I did remember us drinking our Hennessy, singing, puking, crying, dancing, falling asleep. I admit I was quite drunk as well (mixing 2 strong liquors within a really short time frame wasn't a good idea). For someone who never show her tears in public (I don't even cry at all these days, even when I'm alone by myself and feeling upset), my tears actually poured when I sang a couple of Chinese songs. All the suppressed emotions I've been bottling up, with the help of alcohol, came gushing out and before I knew it I was silently crying. Though I wasn't the only one crying that night, but I felt like it's a first for me to cry like this in front of people who has never seen me cry before (especially when I always look so tough at work all the time). After spewing in the toilet twice, I fell asleep. Ryo woke me up at 4AM and I was feeling much better. Sobered up heaps. Ryo, being the only guy there, felt like he's responsible to look after us ladies, but he was even more drunk than me. Throughout the entire night, Priscilla was the only one sober cuz she has to drive therefore couldn't drink much at all. But thanks to her, we got home safe. 

Everyone was (quite) awake and happy at the beginning of the night

Me, Priscilla and Saya

Cissy and I

Though I collapsed in my bed straight after getting back home at around 5AM, I woke up at 10AM feeling somewhat refreshed. Even with all that alcohol, I didn't get the hangover though I do have that stench of alcohol. Perhaps I felt slightly better because I have finally released the bottle cap that has been screwed tightly with all my emotions in it. After showering and having a meal, I did laundry, took a nap, applied for jobs, and got out again to meet Yongshan and Shu Yea for dinner at New Market. Chef Lagenda is a Malaysian restaurant just beside the oh-so-famous Laksa King (also Malaysian restaurant) and we had curry laksa and vegetarian fried rice with spring rolls and loh bak. After dinner, chit-chatted at San Churros in the city.

my seafood curry laksa... yummy.!

Yongshan and her vegetarian fried rice~

Shu Yea was so tired, though I forced her for a photo since she wasn't in any photos when we met last time
Thanks to my best camera ever, another blurry pic... :(

Today is Easter Monday and Anzac Day, and tomorrow is Anzac Day Public Holiday. This must be one of the best holidays for Aussies if you are a student or works for a company. Long holiday from Friday to Tuesday~ How nice! The next long holiday will probably be Christmas holidays, which is another 7 months away. However it makes no difference to me since I am (still) in the hospitality industry. 

I've also started to read Harry Potter, thanks to Jeremy, who has lent me his books. Finished the first book "The Philosopher's Stone" within a week. If I have the time to continuously read the book (which isn't thick) I could've finish it within 2 days. Even though I've watched all of Harry Potter's movies, but I haven't read a single J.K Rowling book, and that's what spurred me to start reading them. I've still got heaps of books waiting for me to read - Harry Potter books, novels I've got at a cheap price (since Borders have been shutting down here in Melbourne, there have been big clearance sales in the stores), my Korean textbooks, Chinese magazines, and even $7 recipe books I've bought but wondered when I will actually need to use them... Oh, and I also have an i-book downloaded on my iPhone that I've been reading on and off on the tram/train. Love 'em books but if only I have all the time I have to actually read...

Am blogging this over lunch. So now I've finished my lunch, my posting will thus end here... So until the next posting................ ^.^