Light at the end of the tunnel

HOORAY!! Its all over. I have managed to come out the other side of the OLQE nightmare in one piece... What an ordeal. Whilst results aren't out till Jan/Feb next year (and there is a good chance I will have to re-live the ordeal next year:( ) I am soooo glad that for now it is all over and I have my life back (and so is Will).

To celebrate we jumped on a plane Friday afternoon and jetted off to Bangkok for 4 nights. First stop - Facebar for a quick drink before dinner at Lan Na Thai.

Saturday we visited Jim Thompsons house, I met up with the Hens for lunch at Glow, then we braved Chatuchak market for an afternoon of shopping (and a cool beer). Saturday night we stopped in at Skybar at the Dome for a very cool cocktail before heading off to Breeze for dinner.

Sunday we headed off to Divana Spa in Sukhumvit for 4 hours of blissful pampering, then relaxed by the pool in the afternoon.

Monday we took a cooking course at The Blue Elephant cooking school (yeap - same people that supply Great for those Hong Kongers amongst you). We cooked Tom yum goong, Green curry, Som Tam and Pad thai. We were very proud of our achievements (and they didn't taste too bad either...). Before the cooking class, the chefs took us to the local market to source our wares

Tuesday we headed back into Sukhumvit for more shopping before winding down by the pool in the afternoon and jumping on a plane that night.

Now we are back to reality - albeit todays reality is far better than the reality that we have been living for the past 4 months.

More exciting news - Ebony and her friend Cholena arrive next Tuesday night. Ebony is here for a month before Chrissy to keep us company and bring in the festive season:) We cant wait to see her!!!!!

Happy Wedding Anniversary

Today is our 3rd wedding anniversary!!

Thought we would share with you some pics of our special day.

We can't believe it has been 3 years - how time flies...

Bye Bye Sal

Last Sunday we bid a tearful farewell to Sal who is heading back to Oz in prep for the arrival of Baby Keane (due in Feb). We are SOOO sad to see Sal go as she is part of our HK family - her and pop (aka Dal man).

We have shared many a crazy time together, and we are just not sure what life in HK will be like without her:( Hmm - how times are a changin...

For our last hurrah we went to Cococabana at Deep Water Bay (might I add this time we were at least a bit more civilised - Lucy you will be glad to hear:) and we even managed to keep Sal out of the water:) Ah, memories...

Some pics of the scrummy food (dad I bet you can taste it all the way from Oz) Don't worry it wont be long until you come back over:)

Welcome little one

Gorgeous little Elyse Michelle O'Brien entered this world on 30 September at 4.24pm weighing 7lb8oz. Mummy and daddy are very proud of their little daughter who is the most beautiful baby girl ever!!

The Venetian

Last weekend we headed over to Macau for a mini-break.

We stayed at The Venetian which is the Casino that originally brought us to Hong Kong (for work silly, not gambling). It opened a few weeks ago and so we grabbed an opening night special and took a much needed night away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong.

From all reports - the place is GRAND and completely over the top!!





The pictures below are taken inside the casino in the Grand Canal Shopping Arcade - yes that's right INSIDE!! The sky ceiling is painted!!

Complete with Gondola's, and Venetian boys to guide you along!!

There are a variety of pools (some of which are not yet open). The plan was to relax by the pool, read a book, sip cocktails and take it easy - but alas, the pool was surrounded by construction and construction noise which did not make for a very peaceful time. We retreated instead to the V Spa for a massage.

I had a relaxing lavender massage, footscrub and facial, whilst Will had a Lemoncello massage, footscrub and facial. The treatments themselves were great but the spa facilities need a little work. The steam room was as noisy as all hell and Will luckily managed to free himself before passing out as the automatic steam release wasn't working and he started to feel a little light headed!!

The rooms themselves were fabulous - they were huge and luxurious. The beds were so comfy, the bath was great and the sunken lounge a nice touch. The outlook was crappy though as we looked over the air conditioning vents and the construction site next door.

We managed to fit in lunch at Fernando's (how could we resist)!! That place has the best Portuguese food this side of Portugal!! I have put in a pic of the scrummy chicken and chips (very low cal - not) and the fabulous wine glasses!!

We also managed to sneak an egg tart from Lord Stow's bakery - oh so naughty, but oh so divine!!

We also headed into the Town Centre for a quick stroll along the cobblestone paths admiring the antique stores and the Ruins of St Pauls.

Back at the ranch we enjoyed a splendid dinner at Morton's. For those not in the know - Mortons is a renowned steak restaurant originating out of the US of A. It serves divine food and the service was superb. Willy had snuck in the fact that it was my B'day and OMG - did they treat us like royalty - complete with a pic for their wall of fame!!

They treated us to the nicest table, a personalised menu, the best service I think I have ever experienced, unsurpassed food, a great bottle of Napa Valley Cab Sav, and a divine complimentary choc pud for dessert (complete with an orchestra of waiters/waitresses singing Happy Birthday)!! It was a great night, and we enjoyed every minute of it. The only thing... "Mrs Holder"!!! Gotta love Chinglish don't you:)

Funny thing - Will mistakenly tried to order a bottle of wine only to have the sommelier come and tell us that he thought the bottle we ordered may be a little too big for just the 2 of us - he had unknowingly ordered a 3 litre bottle (shown in the pic)!!! Lucky they picked up on that!!! Must have thought we were crazy...

B'day cake # 3 (presented to me for breakfast on my b'day)!! Despite the fact that it was breakfast time - it would have been rude not to eat it:)



And finally, a pic of me wearing my beautiful dressing gown that Will bought me for my b'day. I LOVE it!! Thanks babe.

Also thanks to all the folks here in HK and back home for all the birthday messages and well wishes, pressies and phone calls. I felt very spoilt!!

And there it is for another year...