Monday Valentines at McCluskey's

HAPPY LEAP YEAR'S DAY EVERYONE!

Valentines either came late for me on Monday or everyday is Valentines day. LOL. I texted the hubby stating that I was a bit down in the dumps. You see, I was checking my email and came across several notifications regarding friends on Linked In , a professional networking platform and decided to log in and checked it out.

Lo and behold, I was bombarded with ex-colleagues' profiles of them either an Assistant Manager or a Manager of some company. My self worth shouldn't be tied to my job and besides, I hated audit! However, it didn't stop me from feeling lost, confused and somewhat aimless.

I guess it'll be easier if I knew exactly what I wanted to do. All I know is, I would never want to go back to Audit. However, in the event, I do decide to go back to this field, I would still put in my 100%. Don't believe in doing things in a half past six manner. Despite one's feelings, start some thing and end it well. Well, here's to my hoping that I really won't have to resort going back to that area. Really dark times for me then.

Anyways, as I was saying, I was a little bit down thinking of my future and what job to have. I mean, I can apply all sorts of job but so far, it's been rather quiet and I do wonder if it's a smart decision to apply all types of job than just focus on one field.

Enough of the rambling.

Knox Club at Wantirna

So, Mr. C texted me back telling me to be ready by 5.30pm and that he will take me out for dinner and movie. Usually, we cook and have dinner at home as it is waaaay cheaper to do so. For just the two of us, we can cook a meal costing us less than AUD10 for dinner and Mr. C's lunch the next day! To eat out, it usually costs about AUD15-20 per person, then again, depending on where we go.

He really surprised me when he came back from work cos he bought me a small beautiful bouquet of deep pink roses. I've come to love all sorts of flowers here in Australia but roses will forever be my number one. They're simple and yet elegant oozing a sense of romance. To me, that is. ;p

Voucher from the Entertainment Book...

There's just something about the greeting of flowers that makes me happy. They're pretty and I can't explain why, but it just brings a smile to my face. However, being jobless and having to be the 'controller' of finance, I told Mr. C that his gesture is really lovely but he shouldn't have 'cos we should be saving money.

LOL. I did mentioned that I didn't received any flowers nor gifts on Valentines Day, right? Well, I was alright with it though receiving flowers then or any gifts would have been nice. And seeing how Monday was not a special occasion and yet, here I was, receiving flowers, dinner out and movie after!

Warm yum bread with creamy butter. SLURP!

The happy look with his beef

I have come to appreciate the simplest and smallest gesture from Mr. C. Despite him thinking himself a romantic, I assure you, after being his girlfriend for 10 years over and wife of 1 year plus, he really isn't one. Some guys are romantic like Timothy Tiah (co-founder of Nuffnang and super sweet on his Shorty). However, not many are.

I guess, it helps that we've been together for a decade before tying the knot. At least, we know what ticks each other off and what makes us happy. Then again, being newly weds, we bicker like an old married couple. LOL. Mr. C still gets amazed when he perceives I can read his mind and knows what he wants or what he is looking for. I, on the other hand, wishes that he can reciprocate in kind at times.

I am not saying that it is a must, or it's the best to be together for such a long time to have a successful relationship. Don't get me wrong. Every couple is different and how each individual in that relationship deals with each other makes the difference of whether they stay together or break up eventually. I gather if a couple decides to tie the knot despite courting for a year or two, they would feel more lovey dovey in a new couple sort of manner as opposed to a decade old couple like Mr. C and I.

Our love for each other is different than how it started out when we were in high school. I am not saying that our love has diminished over the years but it is more of a realistic, I accept all of you, the good and the bad kind of love. When you've been that long with one partner, your love evolves too to a different level.

Anyways, I asked him,"why all this awesomeness tonight?". And he said that when I texted him telling him I was feeling down, he wanted to cheer me up. Hence, the night out. And despite how we need to be more frugal in our spending, I feel blessed at his thoughtfulness.

Every couple has their ups and downs. No couple is perfect even if that is the front they show the world. Each couple has their own issues to deal with and even the most damaged couple can heal but only if both are willing to be honest and sincere, putting their petty feelings aside to give 100% to work it out instead of citing 'irreconcilable differences' to take the short cut out of the relationship.

Mr. C and I had our dark moments, too. It came to a point where I thought that things would never be the same ever again. That perhaps, it was best we both go our separate ways. However, I believe God has plans for both of us and it includes us both as one unit. Hence, we never parted ways. And here we are, happy as ever.

The veges that accompanied the beef

Yummmmm moroccan chicken risotto!

With the Entertainment Book, we've been out to try the different food of different places. We tend to go more for the eateries that offer 'buy a meal and receive a complimentary meal'. Anyways, this time, Mr. C decided to bring me to McCluskey's Bistro at the Knox Club just near our place.

The place was spacious and had a cozy feeling most likely due to the dim lighting. Chairs were a bit worn out as shown by the small holes and loose stitching but tables were clean and neatly arranged.

Service was impeccable. I should have gotten their names down. The blonde lady that took Mr. C's order and the redhead guy who served us our bread gave top notched service; inquiring if we needed anything, if we were happy with out food and the lady even offered to change Mr. C's yucky (imo) pepper sauce to something else.

Simply tasty and delicious!

All in all, we were more than satisfied with out food. We were happy. Portion was REALLY huge and of course, the meal was worth it with the 'buy one free one meal' voucher. When our food first arrived, our eyes were huge like sauce plates at the amount of food sitting before us. One of the eateries with generous portion, I must say AND with good food too! After all, it is pointless to have big portion but terrible tasting food.

Mr. C's wagyu beef was just delightful. It had a slight burnt taste on the outside accompanied with the insides being medium cooked of the right texture. This is my first time seeing such a big slab of beef for one serving. Usually, the vegetables are all in one plate with the meat but this place served the veges separately as the meat took up the whole plate. Too bad, the sauce wasn't as awesome.

My Moroccan chicken risotto was superb! The risotto consisted of arborio rice (a different kind of rice used to make risotto), sun dried tomatoes, mushroom, veges and slices of chicken tenders drizzled with something alike to thousand island sauce. First time seeing a risotto presented this way. Even the guest behind our table commented so upon receiving their Moroccan chicken risotto!

The rice was not as wet and creamy as most places but it was just as fragrant with the rice tasting of herbs, spices and mushroom with chicken stock. They were really generous with the chicken tenders, I reckon that 2-3 girls can easily share a plate and be full at the end of it. I couldn't finish mine and gave the rest to Mr. C! It's amazing how he could find space for my risotto in his tummy after consuming his meal.

My leftovers

Butter garlic

Fatty finishing my meal ;p

Lastly, Mr. C ordered stick date pudding for me! Somehow, it's become a ritual of sorts to try out this dessert whenever we head to this sort of establishment. So far, the best one we've had was in Dockland's Harbour Town Hotel. This one was pretty alright especially after the let down at Mocha Jo's the last time we went there with Miss Cutesie and her fiancé.

I think what made this pudding work was the sauce and the slight burnt taste. The pudding tasted good; slightly salty with burnt date taste drenched in butterscotch sauce and accompanied by whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. You really have to eat the pudding with the cream and ice cream. Especially with the ice cream!

It tastes heavenly when the pudding is hot and salty with the super sweet butterscotch sauce offset by the cool ice cream. I wanted to try my hand at this delectable dessert but realised I had baking powder and NOT bicarbonate soda as required by the recipe. Apparently, there is a slight difference according to google and using the wrong one can have different end results. So, I'll just have to wait for another day to give this dessert a go.

Sticky Date Pudding

*Burp*

A really quiet and deserted Monday at Knox Village Cinemas

Highlight of the evening : Roses were pretty. Food was more than filling. Movie was enjoyable too.

We headed to Knox Village Cinema, just down the road to watch 'This Means War'. I've always liked Reese Witherspoon's bubbly girly demeanour although Mr. C begs to differ as I think her bimboticness in Legally Blonde was just too much for his manly sensibilities. LOL.

Chris Pine and Tom Hardy were pretty yum to watch in action, too! Mr. C doesn't think Chris Pine looked handsome though. I remember him from 'Just My Luck' that he acted with Lindsay Lohan and thought him cute since then. And when we see Tom Hardy, we remember 'Inception'. His British accent is drool worthy!

I was glad to see Mr. C enjoy himself. Although the movie was predictable, it's my kind of relaxing, enjoyable and entertaining movie; a mixture of action and romance though a little bit dramatised.

In fact, I preferred it over 'The Vow'. I was SO looking forward to that movie that it was kind of a let down for me. Perhaps the trailer built up my expectations coupled with the fact it had BOTH my favourite actor and actress; Channing Tatum and Rachel Mcadams.

And this sums up my Monday... thoughtful hubby and the feel of love.