Christchurch Part 3

Some shots I took atop the Christchurch Gondola summit.


Rough guides described this place as having an indifferent cafe, and the time tunnel ride uninspring. I would have to agree. I also wouldn't call the views breathtaking, unlike when I was in Greece. Going up the Lycabettus Hill and waiting for sunset was fantastic because Greek architecture has such character that makes it unique. I miss it (and the hot policemen)

This is a picture from an abandoned factory that we saw along the way. Thought it looked quite creepy and interesting.

We also went to Hanmer Springs. Have a look at their *click*website*click* So nice right? WRONG! I felt so cheated when I went there and it was nothing like it advertised. The pools were not hot (Wtf. 40 degrees? Bitchplz), it was quite old, there were saggy people wobbling everywhere. =( We spent half an hour there and then went home.

Christchurch Part 2

On day 2, we ended up at this cute little cafe called Under The Red Verandah

It was closer to breakfast but I ordered the risotto with smoked salmon and capers. So so good. Every bite was smooth and creamy with rich, flavourful salmon and a slight taste of capers. Little strings of cheese appeared when I scooped up the rice from my plate. Mmmm.. Needless to say I enjoyed every single bit of it.

I have a confession, one of the things I fail horribly at cooking is fried rice. For some reason, every time I try to fry rice, it comes out in the consistency of risotto(almost), but not cheesy =S
John had the corn fritters with tomato salsa, sour cream and bacon. The portion was very generous but I can safely say that I've had better. The corn fritters were too crumbly. Normally it is good if a restaurant gives a lot of 'materials' in a dish, but there was just too much corn and too little batter. It was falling all over the place when I tried to pick it up. When this happens, a girl feels really ungraceful and that is bad.
Mark had the soup of the day which was served with focaccia bread (yum) and the steak and caramelised onion pie. He looked like he was lost in his own little world of ecstasy as he was eating so I am guessing it was amazing =)
John and I, with my happy and instantly chubbier face =P
They had an assortment of pies, quiches, rice cakes, cakes, muffins that looked oh-so-good. I especially wanted to try the rice cakes and the carrot cake but was too full from my risotto that I had to give it a miss. (Replaying in my head was my sister's little duckling that she brought home one day that died because we fed it too much it ate too much. *_* )

Under The Red Verandah serves generous portions that align with their prices. The setting is very rustic and homely, and they have a big garden where you can sit outside and have your afternoon tea (They were full so we did not get to do that though, so I'm guessing booking is quite important especially on weekends). The other side of the restaurant also has nice views from their large windows, giving the whole place a warm, sunny atmosphere. I'd love to go back there for Sunday brunch again sometime.

Tralalala

I will try not to leave the house in my puffer, black baby tee and puma yoga pants again (Yes... Guilty!)

Dress: Actually it's a slip that is 2 sizes too big for me. But I saw it and decided I had to have it to wear it as a dress =X

Cardigan: Baleno

Belt: Vintage Aigner

Stockings: Topshop

Oxfords: Korean brand

Background: Student ghetto

Cutest song evarrr!

Christchurch Part 1

John, Mark and I arrived in Christchurch at 2, dropped our bags at the hostel, and decided to walk around and take in the city sights. It helped us get our bearings straight, and we found out Christchurch is structured so that it is pretty easy to find your way around.

Since it was our first day in Christchurch, what better way to see it all than to climb up the Christchurch Cathedral tower? And that's exactly what we did.


Its 143 spiralling steps made us really dizzy. Actually, climbing down was scarier for someone who is clumsy not so graceful like me. =P Also the staircase was really narrow. So narrow that if someone wanted to pass by you, you would know them... intimately. Gosh *_* Torturing yourself Climbing up the tower cost $2-$5 depending on whether you're a child, adult, student or senior.

Inside the cathedral..


Entrance to the cathedral is free but there are old people staff standing near the donation box that look at you and you feel so guilty that you pay up.. Understandable, because maintenance surely costs a bomb.

Christchurch Cathedral can be said to be the symbol of the city and is right in the centre of the city. If you get lost, look for the cathedral to find your way back to cathedral square.

This is the Bridge of Remembrance, which is there to commemorate the soldiers that took part in the war. I have nothing much to say about it really.

I reckon winter is not exactly a good time to visit Christchurch as it is called the garden city. And in winter all the trees are bald and it's more like city of dead trees. Because of that, we decided to mostly focus on FOOD HUNTING. The next few posts will probably be filled with more NOMS than landmarks =D

For now let me just show you where we had dinner...

We ended up at a Japanese restaurant called Cookai. Walked in at 5.30pm without reservation, and we were told that they could seat us but we had to be done by 7. No prob. We were starving already which is why we had been stalking them outside their restaurant since 5pm.

Cherlyn insisted that if I went to Cookai, I must order the soft shell crab. But after looking at its measly portions at the table next to us, I decided on the soft shell crab sushi rolls instead. The soft shell crab was so good.. A little bit salty and crunchy, yet nice and chewy on the inside. I thought there was too much rice and too little filling in the sushi though.

I also had the spicy garlic prawns. The prawns were nice and juicy but there were only 6 pieces in the giant pot! The sauce was really nice, not too thick that you felt like it had been smothered with cornflour. I would definitely order it again if they increased the portions.

John had the Unagi and Egg sushi roll as well as the Unagi on rice. Let me just say that I love eel, and almost always order eel when I eat Japanese, but this timed I decided to go for something else.

The Unagi was served in large portions so I quite happily stole some off him =D Mm... Warm, soft, chewy, fatty and a bit crispy at the sides. Oh my sweet barbecued eel, I am in heaven!

Mark had the Marinated Pork Belly which was also very good but (I'm sorry) we were too busy stuffing our faces to take a photo. =X

John and I payed about $50-60 altogether which was not bad considering the fact that we had both eaten two mains. (I can feel the skinny bitches of the world gawking at me right now) I know right? Talk about gluttony.

So anyway, if you decide to go to Cookai, I would recommend making reservations in advance because they seem like a very busy restaurant. For your convenience, Cookai is located at 224 Cashel Street and their number is 03-366 8688

My head feels like an elephant stepped on it last night. OW.

Random dude: How come you're hanging out with so many hot Asian chicks?

Tim: One of them is my girlfriend so fuck you!

Lol.

If I were to go to hell right now, it'd be for gluttony.

My visit to Christchurch ended up being a massive food-hunting trip. Pictures coming soon!

Longing for warm weather.

But it's wishful thinking. I'm feeling quite uninspired due to exam stress.

So anyway, John just gave me a way to help the recovering shopaholic. Think of something expensive that you really want to obtain and save up for, and every time you want to buy something new, thing of that thing. It might work, but I have not tried it. For my case it would be one of these babies.

Pretty things

Some pretty things I found on Shop Ruche

A bit ashamed to admit that I realise that I have a thing for white dresses.. and pastel pink ones. And lace. And chiffon ruffles. And one shoulder tops. And ribbons. =D

Trying not to buy things is killing me. Okay, I'm gonna continue studying nao. =P

Fruit Loops. Nom nom nom.

Today a random stranger told me I was beautiful when I looked like shit from lack of sleep and was not wearing makeup. And she said that I should know. Awwww =)

Sleep deprived.

Will being in a constant state of coldness drive a person crazy? I feel like I'm getting there.

I'm finally done with all my assignments for the semester! Stayed up till 4 last night, and now I think my face is breaking out *_* I'm afraid my paper isn't good enough though, but I had to hand it in because I won't be able to edit it anymore later =( Arghhhhhhhh.

If you don't know already, recently I've been on eBay more than Facebook. After few weeks of unnecessary spending, I've come up with a solution to curb my spending. Every time I see something that speaks to me, saying "BUYYYYYYYY MEEEEEEE BUYYYYYYY MEEEEEEE AND YOU WILL BE HAPPY!!!", I will think of something in my wardrobe that I have that looks exactly like it. It's working really well. So there you go, shopaholic tip of the day =D Ok, I have to go now. Baibai.

Hah

When you're skinny, you can wear anything and look good but your face is still ugly. Okthxbai.

*sigh* Schoolwork has been killing me for the past month. Wish I wasn't such a slacker. I keep telling myself that I shouldn't do things at the last minute but I can't help it! =( Becoming more of a zombie every day.