Spinach & Olive blog debut. Notebook by Corban & Blair. This is the public debut of Spinach & Olive! *drumrolls* It has been over a year since I started this blog, mainly as a private domain for me to document my personal photography projects and a mish mash of other things, but I grew to love and treasure my bit of internet real estate (I sincerely hope you...
Cocoa marble bread. Peaceful Cuisine is one of my favourite Youtube discoveries of the year. His videos have no dialogue but all are beautifully filmed and are a pleasure to watch. I'm not much of a baker nor a vegan, but I find myself watching video after video, they are addictive and therapeutic. Well, today was just one of those days that as...
Fort Denison – View of Mortello Tower Fort Denison, a tiny, rocky island out on the Harbour has been on my 'places to visit' list for a good while. But with the island being so small and with only a restaurant, I needed a little more convincing to pay this place a visit. Until now. It so happened my good friend held her...
The Jacaranda. As the Christmas decorations go up in stores everywhere and people start their holiday gift guides, there's one thing I always look forward to during this time of the year - the Jacaranda, in full bloom. The tree itself is rather unassuming most of the year with small and slender foliage, and the pods or fruit is rather odd looking, a dark brown,...
Tea time. I wake up with tea; green tea and lots of it. Though I love a good cup of coffee, it is more of an occasional treat and personally I find it a little heavy first thing in the morning. Tea though, is refreshing, relaxing and warming. Just add hot water. To the uninitiated they all say that "tea is boring", but...
Grand Concert Hall foyer. The Sydney Opera House opens its doors to the public annually, this free event allows the public to explore some of the rarely accessed areas of this landmark, such as backstage, dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, and even walk on the main stage! Though I've been inside the Opera House for various performances over the years, I was invited by...
The Special Broadcasting Service. Heartbreak. What happens when one is going through a heartbreak? How can we heal a broken heart? Those were some of the questions I had in mind as I made my way towards the SBS studio one Wednesday evening to be part of the SBS Insight studio audience, hosted by Jenny Brockie. It is a discussion forum whereby invited guests...
View of the city. Out on the Waverton Peninsula (and just a stone's throw away from the hustle and bustle of the City) is Balls Head Reserve, this bushland oasis offers spectacular views of the Harbour, the City skyline and industrial relics on Goat Island. It is one of many sandstone headlands along the Harbour with a variety of walking tracks for all...
Gym time. Today, *drum roll please* I stepped inside a gym for the very first time! I'm a sedentary creature, or more colloquially known as a – couch potato (yep). My lifestyle up til now involved no regular physical exercise other than lifting food from plate to mouth. I have dabbled from time to time in the idea of exercise or having a basic...
Opera Australia-Turandot. I first heard of Puccini's Turandot many years back and its famous aria "Nessun Dorma" (Andrea Bocelli's rendition) can often be heard blasting through the sound system at home on weekends...courtesy of my dad. So when I saw an advertisement for Graeme Murphy's production of Turandot on the side of a bus...yes...a bus, I jumped online and booked my seat. The...
Avocado smoothie with almond milk. I've never been a great lover of shakes, be it fruit smoothies or veggie juice blends. But I stumbled across this smoothie idea while browsing the The Chalkboard and decided to give it whirl since I had most of the ingredients at hand and was interested to give almond milk a try. *I often browse The Chalkboard simply to gawk...
The nifty fifty. Ever since I got my Canon 500D a few years back, I've been using the kit lenses and was quite content with the results (well as content as an occasional camera user can be). But as I mentioned in my 2015-Just Do It, I want to be more involved with photography this year by way of doing a bit of...
Raindrops. This Easter holiday long weekend began in some very dreary weather; weather which usually would confine me to the indoors with a cuppa in hand. However, I was in the mood to take a few snaps and was quite determined to make the most out of the rain. Protea. The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Mt Tomah has been on my 'to visit'...
The Sydney Fish Market-Scampi. Sydney Fish Market The Sydney Fish Market, located on Blackwattle Bay, Pyrmont is a must visit for both locals and visitors alike. Though it may not be the most tranquil or picturesque setting, but bear in mind it is after all still a working fishing port and wholesale fish market, so all the hustle and bustle are just part of...
Mardi Gras 2015. I still remember watching my very first Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras at the tender age of nine, having barely any clue as to what the occasion was actually about but thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere and the crowd nonetheless, wide-eyed and mouth gaping. Two decades later (outrageous! I know), I decided that it was definitely time to leave my burrow...
All in pink. Last Saturday; a hot and humid summer evening, I attended yet another wedding. It is the last of many weddings which have dominated my social calender since the latter half of last year, so I was relieved that after this wedding I will not have to attend another in a very long time. But at the same time I was looking...
2015 Resolutions. Just like the phrase coined by Dan Wieden for Nike's 1988 ad campaign "Just Do It', I want 2015 to be a year of action and progress. 2014, especially the latter half; felt like a complete blur. Aside from work and the occasional friend get-together, I was busy attending other people's big events-weddings. As the new year rolled around and I casually asked friends their plans...
