West End Deli is located at West Perth , nearer to Leederville side. It is one of the shops amongst possibly the only row of shophouses located on Carr St – next to residential neighbourhood. The cafe seems to have added much value to the quiet and quiant neighbourhood

I loved how the menu was on a piece of plain brown paper with the fonts which made it looked as if it was typed using the old fashioned way – the type writer !

The walls of the cafe was painted in a grey blue washed out style and check out their “chandelier” ! Most likely self made I guess they were trying to have a rustic finishing to their cafe ?

I wanted to order this dish as i saw how our friends had it and it looked lip smackingly good !! The verdict was that it was delicious. Something out of the ordinary that you would have for breakfast . However , it was ridiculously small in portion. It was like a fine dining breakfast experience !!!  No wonder they say good things comes in small packages.  I guess we were paying for an ordinary breakfast that has gone gourmet both in taste and price

Corned beef hash, potato black pudding & fried egg  – $24

Coffee tasted great and not burnt

A flat white – $3.80  and a skinny cappucino -  $3.80

In conclusion , we reckon that they provide quite a variety of food on the menu considering the size of the kitchen and establishment. Most dishes was made with a gourmet approach – i believe with much passion , offering a different style to an extraordinary culinary adventure. 

We bought this black one below as Baby Road was having a sale and only the black color one was discounted ! Retailing at $399 , and we paid $275 for it.

Hubs, being the excited father to be insists that we buy the baby capsule, which is sold separately ($350) with the current cashback offer of $50 – until Dec. He made his for the purchase – when the baby is a newborn, you would want him/her to be facing us. So, this capsule can be attached to the stroller and also taken out to be attached to the car as a car seat – up to 6 months? It depends how big baby will grow.

We thought , it will add some color to our black stroller leading us to choose the shell color below Hubs reckons that baby will be so comfortable in there. It looks real snuggly huh ! The top layer can be taken out if the weather is warm !

With the capsule attached, it will look like this

Check out how it folds and unfolds !!

Can’t wait to use it!!This surely is going to be a great investment for the family Our next hunt will be for a baby cot ! For you parents out there, do drop us some advise on cots. Newbies like us would definitely appreciate any tips

The above clearly explains why i have not been updating this space. Hubs and i are very proud to share that we are expecting little Baby Yee   Baby Yee is due on 10th April 2012.  The 4D scan above shows Baby Yee at 12 weeks measuring 62 mm long. It is simply amazing how at 62 mm , it looks so human already God is such a creator and we thank Him for such a blessing. I remembered clearly one of the nights on the same month that Baby Yee was conceived, God promised through a verse that he will provide and He indeed did.

Up till today, sometimes i still feel so surreal about this whole journey. The first 2 months especially, despite feeling the morning – evening sickness, extreme fatigue , absence of period , loss of appetite and occasional vomitting i did not feel pregnant at all. Until i saw the very little one at 8 weeks, it hit me that there is indeed a tiny one growing in me ! And it was only measuring about 6 mm long.

Eversince, we found out that i was pregnant , i was extremely fatigue – especially the first 4 - 9 weeks. I seem to have no control over my body and no matter now much i want to stay awake, my body will shut down by 9 pm at night. I will literally walk myself to bed bidding hubs good night and will not even care about tidying up the dried dishes sitting in my kitchen. Otherwise, i will be sleeping on the couch right in front of the TV !!

During week 6 – 8, i felt waves of morning sickness ( note that morning sickness is a myth as it hits you straight on the face at anytime of the day) throughout the day. As long as i controlled it by not getting too hungry , i will be fine. When i was hungry , i cannot wait for anyone , i need to just eat !! If hubs was showering , i will sit down and start the meal myself !

When i hit week 9 – 13 , i was getting nauseas at about 10 am every morning. Then again after lunch and very nauseas at 5 through to after dinner time. It was particularly more severe after dinner. Leaving me with no energy but to retire to bed early as well.  Hubs feels so helpless at times but he helps to clean up my mess !! Not so much of mess as i normally throw up in a small bin lined with double plastic bag !! haha ! So, he helps throw it out , make me warm water to help soothe me and tuck me into bed.

By week 14 , the morning sickness and tiredness disappeared. At the same time , the belly grows and i confuse myself between being fatter and being pregnant I guess i just can’t help it when the belly is not that big but then again bigger than normal !!

To date , i have put on 2 kgs and is a normal range. I make a conscious effort to try and snack on healthier food, consume more fruits and eat out less frequently. I also try to take a 30 minute stroll or take a swim in the local pool.

You can now understand why i have not been updating this space  Anyway, the past 3 months i hardly even turn on my laptop and use my camera ! I spend too much of my time trying to keep my energy levels up, thinking if Baby Yee is doing ok ?, coping with work and  all other things of an everyday life.

Please be patient with my updates will ya ?!!

Prior to him leaving, i chose to dine at Bistro Felix – Subiaco. This place is truly recommended as we had a really good experience there. From the service through to the quality of food.  Hubs had the 3 course meal – $65 and i had the 2 course meal – $55. Do visit it for a special occasion or no occasion type of dining

Hub’s entree – Pan seared Rottnest scallop, duo of pork, garden pea and parsnip foam

My entree – Salad of soft shell crab, witlof, confit beetroot, asparagus, walnut vinaigrette

Hubs main – Margaret River wagyu rump, frites, café de paris butter

My main – Fillet mignon, roast garlic butter, friccase of wild mushroom, merlot jus

Another shot of the fillet mignon , this was SO GOOD ! The meat practically melts in your mouth … Hubs agreed he liked it better than his waygu.

Hubs dessert – Raspberry & white chocolate frangipane tart, warm creme anglais (we shared this)

Hubs contented with his meal and his pressie

When he got back from Egypt , we planned a party to celebrate his home coming and his belated birthday. We enjoyed the company of our friends over food and drinks at our patio. The sun was shinning and the skies were blue just for us. Thank God Photos below taken and compiled by David.

The journey started as we flew into Rome, Italy also known as Roma in Italian. If you don’t already know Rome is the capital of Italy and the country’s largest and most populated city. The city is full of history which spans over two and the half thousand years. Simply magnificent.

This was near our accomodation , actually literally outside. Poor hubby battling with our luggage throughout our trip

We landed at Fimiucino Airport 23 April 2011 about 7 am and took an express train into the main terminal train station and from there we took a metro train to the nearest stop of our B&B accommodation. This place was just a stone throw away from Colosseum. One of pictures below show Hubs admiring the view of the Colosseum by the window. This place was not best for its entrance and having to climb up 3 flights of winding stairs everyday was truly a struggle. Especially after 10 – 12 hours worth of walking. From its entrance it looked really old and rundown as they were apparently renovating it. However, the room was neat, clean and not too small . Private ensuite was always our option and it was non negotiable for staying at a B&B. We paid 100 euro per night for this place.

Straight after we checked in we left our luggages and headed out to check Rome out   . We walked around and found a buzzing coffee bar. We were told prior to our trip that drinking coffee and having your pastry or baguettes over the counter/bar helps saves lots of $$$. Its very true that you pay corpetto (surcharge) if you plonk your butt on one of those chairs at cafes or bars. If you would like to sit down just be prepared to pay 3 to 4 times the price in comparison to having it over the counter.

We paid 4 euros for 2 cappuccinos and 2 pastries. We walked out with a big smile plastered over ! So cheap !

We continued our journey walking around and did what tourist do best – taking photos ! Lots of photos ! haha

Us outside Roman Forum

We engaged ourselves with Dark Rome – Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour for a 3 hour session in the afternoon. So ,we found ourselves walking very near Colosseum for lunch. This was a huge mistake as we walked in to a big tourist trap! We were convinced by the waiter to order a medium coffee because he said “small is really small ” The medium one was like 6 euros (because we are seated) Both our coffees cost us more than the pizza itself !!!

Anyway, to make the whole experience worse , i had this faint memory  thai read somewhere that says Americano was similar to a cappuccino style one! But i was obviously WRONG ! It came out like a long black served with milk on the side. Like Kopi –O. Lesson well learned !

Pizza tasted great though and Hubs focaccia too

We went around taking more pictures while waiting for the tour to start

We were in Rome over Easter weekend and you can imagine the crowd. Well, it was not only overseas people flocking to visit Rome, but Italians from all over Italy too !! The crowd was crazy ! If you don’t go with a official tour that provides the skip the line services, be prepared to queue for hours. No kidding , the lines are as seriously long .. kilometres long.

Hubs and i found ourselves always on the guard, on the look out for pick pockets. We avoided crowded areas for photos. We normally take quick peek and move on if the particular spot is too crowded. We heard too many scary stories of very clever pick pockets to take such risks.

I personally was struggling to catch up with this tour session,. I was tired from climbing the hill , overloaded with information – the history and stories that the tour guide had to share. I was trying to multitask. Steal some shots, listen to them , look around and soak in to the whole history thing. Don’t get me wrong, Dark Rome tours made it very easy, with an extremely friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. They provide a remote device with a disposable earphone where we can hear our guides – best thing is you don’t need to keep to a close proximity to hear her. It was probably impossible due to the crowd.

Finally us and the MIGHTY COLESSUEM

Overlooking the Palentine Hill

Part of Palentine Hill

After our tour we continued walking around the city central . We saw

Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II

We had our first gelato in Rome ! This was it. Pistachio & Hazelnut flavours. *smacks lips*

Oh and we had really bad food on the first night in Rome. We were tired so we opted for a Ristorante (restaurant) very near our B&B ! It was horrible although there were heaps of people eating there. My pasta was undercooked. I was thinking this can’t be how the Italians cook right????

And our journey continues …

Paletine Hill

We have shared  together the blessings of God – Phil 1:7 TLB

Today marks a milestone for hubby – crossing the 30 mark. I believe that a birth of a child is one of the most miraculous thing in life. The process of conception to how the mustard sized embryo develops to a baby and then over the many years an adult after birth. Amazingly, amongst the many God created hubs to this earth to be a blessing to his family, friends and especially myself

Happy 3oth Birthday Darling !! I promise you an awesome celebration when you get back from the hot land !!

Planning a trip on your own can often be stressful and tiring. Even with information provided on the relevant websites, experiences from friends, bloggers, professional travelers such as Rick Stein we can still risk the chance of misinterpretation of our activities on our journey ! Sometimes what we see especially on the internet is not what it appears to be.Worst of all language is a barrier – Having to walk, sit, eat shop amongst people who speak a foreign language adds to the journeys vulnerability. Nevertheless, hubs and I found this  experience invaluable .

We did as much planning as we can within the 2 .5 months that we had upon making our decision to realize this trip. For some of you who are still toying to go to Europe whether it is on your own or through a tour company - Maybe the little tips below will help your planning or decision. We planned our trip in the order below

1. Set a budget and work within it
2. Decide dates – make sure you check it is not public holiday or a big event is held then and will cause shops or tourists spots to be close
3. Book flights – we took MAS airlines
4. Bought Insurance – can’t stress enough how important this is. Check if covered through your credit card
5. Book accomodation – refer to the helpful website below
6. Book internal train rides & internal flight – we went through Flight Centre for train and Easy Jet for flight
7. Book day tours & entries to museums & local musical – refer to upcoming posts
8. Compile a spreadsheet with your daily activities and full hotel information.
9. Print all conformation of bookings and send a PDF copy to your  iPhone if possible
10. Finally we  send a copy of the spreadsheet to our family so they can track us down if in need

Useful links for  searching accomodation

http://www.bbplanet.com/

http://airbnb.com/

http://www.agoda.com.au/

http://lastminute.com.au/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Like the saying goes , the grass is always greener on the other side. Truth is that it felt that way through our 15 day - Europe vacation. As we travelled through the 3 countries, hubs and i both agreed that we could live in a couple of it. Well, we said that probably because we were there on a holiday away from the hustle and bustle of life. Life sure is a bliss without the work stress, daily house chores and routines. Having said that we are glad and thankful to be home

So, did i mentioned the trip was amazing? Yes, it was simply epic ! Would we do it again ? You bet but not to the same cities that we have visited for sure and probably in like 10 years time ! Haha !

Anyway, keep posted as i will be slowly sharing our trip over the coming weeks. Hope you have the patience to wait for me as i have about 25 gb of photos to sort I have so much to share that i don’t know where to start?