Wagga Gears and Beers

Wagga Gears and Beers is an annual event that brings hundreds of riders and tourist from all over to our beautiful city of Wagga Wagga. It is also Spring time on a long weekend with sunny days and beautiful blue skies. It's 19 deg celcius outside now, and I was very tempted to stop and drink at every cider and beer stall...unfortunately, I was the driver and so no alcohol for me this time.. Maybe next year :)

Canola fields for miles..country living!

Wagga Gears and Beers is an annual sporting and cultural festival that takes place in the city of Wagga Wagga, Australia. This event is a celebration of all things cycling and beer, with a focus on promoting healthy lifestyles and community engagement. Visitors can enjoy a range of sporting activities, including road and mountain bike races, as well as cultural events like live music, food stalls, and beer tastings.
Sports betting is a popular pastime for many people, and the festival offers a unique opportunity for visitors to place bets on their favorite riders and teams. To make it even more convenient, visitors can use the bangbet login my account feature to easily manage their bets and stay up to date with the latest odds. Whether you’re an experienced punter or a newcomer to sports betting, there’s something for everyone at Wagga Gears and Beers.
But first, an introductory to what this event is all about.. it's an annual event for riders to come participate and ride in our countryside for charity course. All proceeds are distributed to local charities by the organiser, The Wollundry Rotary Club.

Entry fees for non riders are $10 for adults. It is a great atmosphere with food, local craft beers, ciders and coffee brew with live entertainment till 6pm and it's open to Public as well, not just riders. Please visit and attend this festival, there are plenty of food stalls and endless beers and ciders...(I'm crying on the inside now.....should have save money for taxi..definitely not driving next year!)

The Girls from Batlow

TammyThai- My favourite people

Until next year.. this is me signing off with my Tato Tornado :)

If you are interested in more photos, please visit https://www.facebook.com/YummyStuffGoesHere

Dolly Dimsum Pavillion KL

My facebook timeline reminded me that I have not written for a while. I guessed I lost my blogging mojo and will be blogging less. I am still taking food photos though. That will never change.

My sister and I went to this halal dimsum place in Kuala Lumpur called Dolly Dimsum, sometime last year. The food was delicious. We ordered so much for two people. We did our best to eat them all. My sister said the salted fish fried rice was too salty. This is true but we drank plenty of Jasmine tea to wash it down.

I especially loved the yam puff also known as Taro puffs. It has been my favourite since young and is a must order at every dimsum. It's not terribly expensive. The restaurant is very clean and cute. I love the decor and service was impeccable. I was very happy with the visit and it satisfied my dumplings cravings.

There are several branches of Dolly DimSum in KL. We visited the one at Pavilion because it was closer to our place.

Address: Lot 1.102.00, Level 1 168, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Bintang Street, Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 10PM
Phone: +60 3-2110 5019

Merchant's Lane

Somewhere in  Chinatown Kuala Lumpur, we found the little green teal door which leads upstairs to one of the hippest cafe in town. If you blinked, you would have missed the teal green door. It is sandwiched between shops. My sis and I ventured upstairs and found the quaint little cafe which serves a little of western and Asian fusion dishes.

At first glance, one would think this hipster's cafe is in Cambodia. There is a tree with sprawling roots in the middle of the cafe. I love it. (I wished there is a tree in the middle of my house!)

As we were still full from breakfast, we decided to just order drinks and nibbles. Then I spotted the words, Pandan and Kaya in the same sentence ...oh my Lord... this is a must order!

The "Better than Sex" pandan crepe with kaya toast ice cream was delicious and we enjoyed Pipit's Nest which is the plate of fried onions rings, chicken tenders and brinjal with cheese and mayo sauce.

Merchant Lane can be found at

Merchant's Lane 美真林

No, 150 Jalan Petaling, 59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Adieu Mummy

It was with a heavy heart that I set out this time to my birth country. My sister had told me that Mummy had passed away. She had taken a fall earlier last month and had been in and out of hospitals for various other things. This last visit to the hospital, was sadly to be her last.

My head was spinning and I was in auto pilot mode, I had to make a booking to fly out the next day from Wagga to Sydney and then onto Kuala Lumpur. I was lucky that I could get a flight out. My heart was hurting. All the guilt rushed back at me. Why didn't I fly out sooner? Why didn't I go when she was sick? I left my sister to deal with all that on her own.

I don't think I even cried when I heard the news from my sis. I packed my bag and slept badly, worrying that I would missed my flight.  By the time I boarded the flight to KL via Singapore, I was exhausted. With delays and transits in Sydney and Singapore, I was so relieved to finally land in KL. My sister was there waiting for me. We both looked a wreck.

All the relaties and friends gathered to celebrate Mummy as we bid her Adieu and pray that she is happy now reunited with Dad. Whilst I was sad that Mum was gone, I truly believed that she is now with Dad and are sharing their old banter and chats as they watched over us. I was more concerned of my baby sister's state of mind as she was there when Mummy passed away. I stayed on after the funeral and burial was over, for as long as I could, making sure my sister was okay. We cleaned out Mum's room and I kept some of Mummy's personal belongings like these photos and her sewing tools. I kept her sarong and was comforted to see she had kept the bag I had bought her when I first started flying. It wasn't Designer brand or high end fashion but she treasured it. I told my sister I should have bought her a branded bag. Haiss.. never mind. I don't think she ever cared much for high end fashion anyway.

My mummy loved cooking and sewing and feeding people, all in that order. When she was not in her kitchen, she would be at her old Singer sewing machine, pedalling away making us dresses. She used to be a hairdresser before she got married. So my sister and I would normally end up getting perms or haircuts by Mum at home.

Life goes on for the living and the ones left behind. My sister and I went on with living. I made sure that Sis was kept busy with my food craving demands. Hahahha;) Pretty sneaky, huh? My Mum would have approved of all the foods. We ate all Mummy's favourites and then some. We shared food, tears and laughter. I truly believed that Mummy is at peace and happily bantering away with Dad. Adieu Mummy, say hi to Dad and we shall catch you both a bit later on. XOXO.

Kuih Kodok *Fried Banana Balls*

I've always thought that Kuih Kodok has got to be the ugliest, most unattractive kuih in Malaysia and if I had a choice at tea time, I would choose the pretty ones to eat first. Like the colourful Kuih Lapis with several layers of colours. So much fun to peel them layer by layer. Oh but I digress....

Yes, I am shallow. I like pretty things, however it was only later on in life that I learnt that, that this simple kuih is so yummy and versatile. You can sprinkle some icing sugar and it will look like snowballs. Served them warm with caramel sauce and icecream or any other sauce for that matter. Add gula melaka syrup and coconut icecream and you will have an Asian Fusion Banana Balls... the list is endless, just imagine it.

This very simple afternoon tea snack brings me back to my childhood. Back from school, dumped the school bag, head straight into my mum's kitchen to announce that I was hungry! This is the easiest thing to make in five minutes. Longer if you have to cut your own banana down from tree, wait for it to ripen..heheh!

Anyway, I made this today, because my mum has not been feeling well lately and I was thinking of her. This was one of those things she could whipped up in minutes, if we had nothing in the house because she had gone out with her gambling "kakis" :) I was not allowed to tell Dad that she had gone to mahjong or whatever.

I feel truly connected to her when I am cooking. I regret that we wasted so much time arguing, when I was growing up. I guessed every family goes thru their JOY LUCK CLUB moment. We should have cooked more! Believe me when I tell you that I am cracking up laughing now, just recalling how fast Mum can pedal on the bicycle coming back from her gambling session with me on the back. This was when we were in Kampong Baru in Sungai Petani.

Anyway, I digress again. Here are the recipe.

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
A pinch of salt
1 tbsp of sugar
Oil for frying

Method

Mashed up the bananas, add all the ingredients, stir to combine.
Heat oil and deep fry batter. Turn sides, remove from heat when brown. It doesn't matter if it is not completely round balls. Mine goes flat once it cooled down. It's the yummy taste that matters!
Serve immediately whilst hot.