Snapping Kangaroos

Ferrari is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and we were treated to a unique car display in Melbourne. This includes the first Ferrari to arrive in Australia. On Saturday (03/03/07) Lygon street was close for this event and a convoy of Ferraris (new & vintage models) rolled through the street to the cheers of the thousands of fans who turned up. A Ferrari F1 even zoomed through Lygon Street although it was only at 60km/h instead of the 100km/h that the proposed by the organisers. Too bad we only knew about the event at about 3pm so it was too late to make our way down. We only saw the amazing line of Ferraris on the evening news. The only consolation is the display of 6 vintage & new Ferraris at the Crown Casino. So yesterday after church, we decide to make a trip to Crown Casino to feast our eyes on these gorgeous red metallic beauties that have attracted people from all over the world.
1951 Ferrari 212 Inter
1959 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet
1967 Ferrari Dino 246
1984 Ferrari 288 GTO
1987 Ferrari F40
2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
After the red beauties, we decide to wander around Crown Casino's shopping area. Nothing caught our attention except ...
High on sugar anyone?
Giant crabs
The carnivore in all of us
Made in Australia

And so the last day (04/03/2007 Sun) of the Lunar New Year has passed. Counting back I think we have taken Yu Sheng for at least 8 times over this 15 day period. We are already sick of it by now but had to finish the last of the ingredients for the Yu Sheng that we brought over from Singapore. Anyway just so some of you are not sure about its significance, Yu Sheng is a must have delicacy during the Lunar New Year to usher in good luck. Each ingredient has its own significance. 1) Salmon (Or any raw fish) Abundance 2) Peanuts & Sesame Seeds Gold & Silver 3) Pomelo Prosperity 4) White Radish & Carrot Youth & Good Luck 5) Chinese Crackers Gold As each ingredient is added to the plate, chinese idioms celebrating the new year is be mention to wish everyone a good year ahead. 1) Presenting the dish to the table   "Gong Xi Fa Cai"恭喜发财 (Blessing everyone with happiness & prosperity) or "Wan Shi Ru Yi" 万事如意 (Everything in life to be smooth sailing) 2) Adding in the pomelo pulps   "Da Ji Da Li" 大吉大利 (Blessing you with an auspicious year ahead) 3) Sprinkling the different spices - Pepper, Cinnamon   "Yi Ben Wan Li li" 一本万利 (To be blessed with a flourishing business) 4) Adding the raw fish onto the radish & carrot   "Nian Nian You Yu" 年年有余 (Surplus of everything inn life for the years to come) 5) Pouring in the plum sauce & oil   "Tian Tian Mi Mi " 甜甜蜜蜜 (Life will be sweet and happy) 6) Adding crushed peanuts   "Jin Yin Man Wu" 金银满屋 (Abundant wealth for the household) 7) Adding toasted sesame seeds   "Sheng Yi Xing Long" 生意兴隆 (A flourishing & prosperous business) 8) Adding chinese crackers   "Man Di Huang Jin"满地黄金 (To be blessed with abundant wealth)   Yu Sheng
Pickled ingredients for Yu Sheng	Carrot, radish and other stuffs
Raw fish	Spicing up your year ahead
Crushed peanuts for abundant wealth	Sweetness of life
All the good things in life
Health	Wealth
Happiness

Autumn is here but Summer seems reluctant to budge. We had prepared chicken stock for steamboat (Hot Pot) but we were shocked to hear the forecasted weather to be 36ºC for today. Thank God that the weather did not turn out to be that hot. It cooled pretty much as the day went by and we had a great steamboat dinner. As usual we had prepared more food than we could handle. I guess we will have to finish the rest tomorrow. 1) Beef Slices 6) Fishballs 2) Pork Scotch Slices 7) Skinless Cocktails 3) Chicken 8) Enoki Mushrooms 4) Fish 9) Chinese Cabbage 5) Scallops 10) Vermicelli Yes. I know we are crazy to prepare so much food just for the 2 of us. But we like to have a variety. Bad habit I guess. HOT HOT HOT....
Overview of the spread	Fastest hands first
Scallops!	Sliced beef coooked to perfection

... at 35,000 feet above ground level! Yes this year hopefully we will "HUAT" since Chinese believe that the higher you "lou" (toss) the Yu Sheng, the more prosperous one will be.

We were served Yu Sheng on board our flight (SIA) back to Melbourne. It was a pleasant surprise despite having like more than 6 rounds of Yu Sheng during our time back in Singapore.

SIA introduction to Yu Sheng
Yu Sheng with smoked salmon	Pouring in the plum sauce to signify sweetness in life
Lou Hei. Tossing the Yu Sheng!	Enjoying the Yu Sheng