Social Hideout Cafe

Brunch at: Social Hideout Cafe in Parramatta. Photos taken by myself with my Canon D70 Camera.

One of my best girls Erin is travelling to Canada for five weeks to spend time with her boyfriend. We are super happy for her so we went out for a small farewell brunch at Social Hideout.
Catching up, we had little baby Rosie being passed around and we let her suck on our fingers as we suspect she is teething. Jaye updated us on her work adventures and she and I share inside jokes on Critical Role (we play Dungeons and Dragons together). Betty shows us her new fresh haircut and giggles watching Rosie's cute reactions. Erin lets her dog Cody be posh and we discuss her holiday packing. I talk about my new hair colour and how its a new look for 2020 (new year, new me?), with camera in my hand ready to capture memories.
We all talk about the men woes in our lives; and we all agree they are hopeless at getting ready on time. Then we spend a good fifteen minutes trying to pick out what to eat, debating pros and cons of each dish. And staying true to our tradition, we unanimously agree that we would have dessert afterwards no matter how full we got.

We ordered The Green Frenchy (matcha french toast with berries, caramelized banana, mochi and red velvet cream), Red Velvet Benedict with added Smoked Salmon (poached eggs with baby spinach and hollandaise sauce, on a red velvet croissant) and The American (breakfast burger with bacon, eggs, hash brown, avocado). We topped the order off with green tea lattes and coffees.
Delicious food with a beautiful floral backdrop.
Then, we decided on the Panna Cotta Granola Bowl for dessert. This was my favourite dish - berries, nut and granola sitting in purple taro milk then topped off with the smoothest and creamiest matcha panna cotta.

At the end of the meal, it was clear we over-ordered, but it could've also been that we stopped to chat so much that we were just distracted.  I love these girls. They are the best.
We gave our goodbye hugs and left with full happy bellies, knowing that we would see each other again in 6 weeks, ready to hear about Erin's adventures in Canada and hopefully get some cute maple syrup treats.

Black Pink 2020

Wearing: Showpo Stunning View Dress in Black Mesh, Asos Boots, Showpo Heavy Hearted Kimono in Black, HerWigCloset Dusty Rose Wig

So, I've noticed that my new years resolutions tie in with everyone else's - eat healthier, exercise more, read more, sleep better, save money, get rid of a backlog etc.. so here's yet another list of 2020 goals for your musing:

Be Present: My dog Sokchea is around 11 years old and she recently got really sick... losing alot of weight in a matter of days. From 6kg to 4.4kg she is now exhausted, refusing food, losing her voice, can't jump up and down from the bed and can't walk in a straight line now. 

We took her to the vet and found out her health has deteriorated quite significantly.. advanced kidney failure, cardiovascular issues, renal failure, dental issues, and possible cancer. And while we will be taking her to the specialist soon I know deep down that she won't fully recover and she'll have a reduced quality of life. The only comforting thought I have is that she is not in pain right now.
She is just uncomfortable and tired - spending her days sleeping around and not caring about her surroundings. It breaks my heart that I can feel her spine and rib cage every time I pat her.
Sokchea usually is so cheerful and has so much character with the friendliest attitude. She always put a smile on my face with her own goofy face - I love her so much.

I read that spending time with your dog is one of the best things you can do for a sick dog. Talk to her like everything is going to be ok and give her lots of reassuring hugs. Try and feed her even though she constantly rejects food.
My goal is to spend as much time as I can with Sokchea, try to be positive even though it's hurting..  just be present.

Read What I Have: Every year I try to read one book a month - so that makes about twelve books a year. But in 2019 I've been doing this thing where I make a list of books to read from my bookshelf - but then I continue to add to that pile every time I buy a new book. And I go book shopping often. Then I end up with an even bigger pile of unread books. I did a quick count of my books and based on my goal of twelve books a year, I was sitting on 5-6 years worth of books. This put my buying habits into perspective. 

So now my goal is to not buy any new books for 2020 and stick to my reading list. The same applies to my makeup (except to replace base items like my foundation), clothes (only replace basics) and music (listen to what I newly acquire). In simpler terms - clear my backlog.

Workout at least three days a week: I've been unrealistic in insisting that 'working out' really counts if it's at the gym and its weight training. This year I must be more reasonable and be ok with counting home workouts and cardio/walks as exercise. It all adds up.
For the past few months, if I told myself I'll start working out on Monday but didn't end up doing it, I convinced myself it was ok to start again next week and laze around for the rest of the week. Not this year! Fuck me, my thighs are starting to jiggle.

Also I won't try and stretch myself too thin this year. Just be present and love what I already have. Take care of myself and just rest. Plan simple outings with my friends and families. Laze about and listen to my favorite albums.

And lastly - stay true to my love of fashion. I found this lovely soft pink wig online and took it with me to a Music Festival. I love refreshing my look and I don't think that part of me is going to change any time soon.

My Mapiful Journey

Sponsored Post by: Mapiful. Printed Map in Modern Design + Mapiful Black Frame
Photos by me on my Canon 70D.

When I was 21, I quit my two jobs to travel to France.
I spent two months in Paris, one of the most romantic and beautiful cities in the world. Spent my days at museums, parks, churches, cafes, castles and memorials. I ate so many baguettes and cheese. I fed alot of fat pigeons. I saw so many beautiful swans in ponds. I sent and received post cards from friends. I spent alot of time walking and thinking about my first love. It really was a magical time and it was sad to bid farewell.

I flew back to Sydney alone and I turned 22 over international waters. Ten years later I turned to Mapiful to bring those memories back to life. And now this beautiful frame sits on my shelf to remind me of where my life began. Thanking Mapiful for this gift 💜

I customized this map by typing in the location I wanted and wrote my own "Where Life Began" quote. Then I chose a Mapiful black frame to go with my map. It shipped so quickly and it was the perfect Christmas gift for myself. 

Japan Diaries: Nozawaonsen Ogama Onsen Tamago and Corn

Japan Diaries: Nozawaonsen Ogama Tamago Onsen Eggs and Corn (visited January 2019). 

黄金屋物産店  (Koganeya product store)  -9304 Toyosato, Nozawaonsen-mura, Shimotakai-gun 389-2502, Nagano Prefecture, Japan 

Photos taken by myself and Hai with Google Pixel 3XL and Canon 70D.

Ever since I met Hai, he has raved on and on about this special corn he once found in Japan. I have witnessed Hai telling people countless times about this corn and even drew maps for them when he heard they were visiting Japan.

So after four and a half years, I finally found myself in the charming Nozawaonsen at the Ogama Onsen,  standing at this outdoor onsen with sulfuric steam wafting up into my face. This local elderly Japanese man then asked me to step aside as he held a yellow plastic basket full of eggs. He would walk over carefully to the edge of the onsen and pull out the basket full of eggs that were simmering in this 90 degree Celsius hot spring water. Then he pulled out the cobs of corn. I was amazed.

Hai then dragged me away from this sight and led me to the souvenir shop opposite the markets a few meters from Omaga Onsen. This shop was owned by a sweet Japanese lady who ushered us to the wood table surrounded by souvenirs. Hai ordered us Tamago (Onsen Eggs) and Corn and it came out on a blue plastic plate. We were served roasted rice tea and some of the most delicious Japanese pickled vegetables (also known as Hangoroshi Kimchi) and nori (seaweed) I've ever had. You add these toppings on your eggs to make a great Japanese snack.

Onsen Tamago (egg) - 60 yen each
Onsen Corn - 250 yen each

We went to eat these Japanese delicacies three days in a row. Peeling the egg shells never got any easier because of how delicate the eggs whites were. These eggs were cooked in low temperature so the texture of the egg whites came out custard-like while the yolk was semi hard boiled. The corn got better the more I ate it. Very succulent and sweet.
The shop also offers soft serve ice cream cones and across the road at the little market stall we also ate delicious Onsen Red Bean (azuki) rice cakes.

The last night here we attempted to boil our own Onsen Tamago. We bought the traditional red rope bag and eggs from the convenience store. Outside an onsen (there are 13 in total run by Japanese families) there was a box in which you can place your eggs in the hot spring water and leave for 30 to 40 minutes. We used this time to spend time in the onsen then collected our eggs to take back to Elizabeth Hotel. We did not succeed as the eggs did not cook enough. We went back and cooked another batch for at least an hour and it was perfect. It's so hard to tell with the individual onsens how hot the water was. You can cook Onsen Tamago at these locations: 

Mini-onsen-hiroba "Yurari" (Closed in Winter)

Kamitera-yu (communal bathhouse)

Kumanotearayu (communal bathhouse)

Matsuba-no-yu (communal bathhouse)

Jyuoudo-no-yu (communal bathhouse)

I was very sad to leave this village after three days. I couldn't take away any of the snacks but I managed to take back some Japanese pickled vegetables.
 I can see why Hai raved on and on about it. I did exactly that when I came back to Australia, and now all I think about is Tamago Eggs and Corn.