A week of celebration

This past week has been a week of celebration. For Ray's Big Birthday and for our 3rd anniversary.

After coming back from Daylesford, we resumed our daily routine but the celebration mood was very well and professionally preserved. After all, I am a person of celebration coming from a pro-celebration family who celebrates Christmas with Lucky Draw and almost every birthday with surprise attacks.

To be constantly celebrating doesn't equate to wild parties, expensive gifts and posh restaurants all the time. At least I am not that happening, phew.

I cooked a nice, warm dinner in his house on Monday before surprising him with a cake at 12 a.m. He was in his ugly skinny-trackpants while I was in my flower-power pajama. My two housemates were in their respectively creative night wear as well.

On Tuesday, his birthday, I went to work and came back for a movie together with his friends. Ice Age 3. Animations, not really my kind of movie but it was a great night out nevertheless. We had Nando's and he wore the birthday present I gave to him.

(I know it was Ray's Birthday and the pictures show me only, but I swear it is only because his pictures are in another camera!)

On Wednesday, I stopped work earlier for being sick and went to the gym to sweat it out in his Adidas jumper. Came back home to a nicely cooked meal from him followed by two slices of cake. (Cake = celebration, eh HSC?)

On Thursday, I was too sick to work so we stayed home where he changed all the lightbulbs in my house into the energy saving ones and I rewarded him with home-cooked lunch. The night ended in another 2 slices of cake. (Cake = celebration, eh HSC haha)

On Friday, we dropped by the uni for my eye check-up and tried to relive life as students. Dropped by Grain Express for the 5 year-old menu they have there and then to the gym. 20 steps away from the gym, we saw some kinda orientation event for the new students of Semester 2, 2009. No, the main point here is: Free Food! So, we lined up together with the bright, young minds of tomorrow and got our free fish and chips and energy drinks!

Why were we working out in the middle of a Friday? Cause we have been over-celebrating (over-cake-eating), maybe. Or maybe cause we were going to have another feast that very night.

I decided to end the week of celebration with a bang by treating him to a dinner date at a decent restaurant. A chance for a romantic escape (since the date was engineered by me and not him).

We chose this Japanese Fusion Cuisine Restaurant called Orita's at Jackson Road, Toorak. It is totally isolated from the rest of Toorak in a sense. From the busy cafes, bubbling hot chocolate, steakhouses and lively bars to a tranquil Japanese retreat complete with yellow ambience seeping from lanterns.

As usual I was all dressed up and he wore the birthday present I gave him once again. It was such a nice place to talk there. And later we realize, a nice place to eat at.

Food there were not only a delight to your palate but so precious to look at.

Starter: Mashed korokke-style potato with fish roe on a slice of crispy cracker (I think).

Entree: Sashimi Salad with Japanese Dressing on a bed of greens.

My Main: Grilled Prawn Teppanyaki Style with Sweet Potato Mash and Mashed Potato.

His Main: Grilled Pigeon with Spicy Miso Sauce.

Everything tasted great. In fact, look at his face here.

Food here now . . . . . . .Food gone in 5 minutes!

Nah, just kidding. We just talked and ate and talked some more for more than an hour.

I was happy that I could dress up a bit and just have fun while looking prettier. (Don't burst the bubble here, I think I look quite alright!) It was expecially frantic when I was getting ready for the dinner with me MSN-ing Miss HSC about what to do with my hair with a one shoulder dress!

One last look before we left another good food find in Melbourne. (Actually we left early cause the dessert at Orita's did not really appeal to us and we had something else in mind. . . )

. . .Big chunks of chocolate-y cakes from GRECO! Muahahaha.

One of the passion Ray and I share in life MUST be indulgence in food. In fact, we made quite a lot of pacts based on food. No matter what the pact is, the end-point seems to always be related to food. Nobu in Crown, TGIF, Daylesford trip round 2. You get the gist of it.

In fact, with Masterchef on right now, the indulgence is seeping into the household with both of us subconsciously 'plating' our dish before serving onto the dinner table.

A blurred picture adds 5 pounds to your frame >:-(

All in all it was an amazing night, if not week. I believe in celebrating every little thing in life cause life is too short with too much distractions, for us to appreciate and see the good things.

Never be too busy to celebrate, never be too prideful to appreciate and never be too blind to see. Good things are all around you, starting with the smile you give yourself - now.

Today will be the last day of celebration. A party at his house with friends and lotsa food.

Will you be there to celebrate?