The Crying Tiger Asian Eating House & Cooking School.

Tonight Sharon and I decided on going out for Thai for our date night. The restaraunt of choice this evening was The Crying Tiger Asian Eating House & Cooking School. The Crying Tiger is located at 382 Harbour Dr, Coffs Harbour Jetty NSW 2450. The Jetty Strip as it is known to locals is a very popular restaraunt and cafe strip and the Crying Tiger is nestled neatly in the middle. If you ever decide to go to the Jetty Strip for dinner, Saturday night probably isn't going to be the best night of the week if you want to have a quiet meal. 

We started our evening off with an entree. Sharon had the Thai fishcakes with peanut and sweet chilli dipping sauce (Tod Mun Pla), while I had the moneybags, a crispy fries Thai pastry filled with pork, prawns and nuts with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. 

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We had a bit of a wait between our entree and our main course, but this place was pumping. from our table we could hear sounds of a celebration from the function room down the back. When our mains did arrive, they were worth the wait. Sharons meal was chicken and cashew stir fry with chilli jam (Cashew Gai). This was a very tasty dish that was complemented by the flavour of the sweet chilli jam. My main course was the Jungle Curry with chicken. This meal was a hot dish, I mean fiery. I like hot food and I swear I thought I could feel steam coming out of my ears. It was still full of flavour, even through the heat of the curry, and came complete with 2 sprigs of green peppercorns, straight from the plant. 

On the whole we were quite please with our dining experieence at The Crying Tiger. The staff were friendly, the meals flavoursome and the atmosphere warm and friendly. They also accommodate for families with babies as they supply high chairs for those that need them. 

Another thing that I hsould mention before signing off that I feel separates The Crying Tiger from most other restaraunts is that they offer a cooking school for those wishing to learn about cooking authentic Thai cuisine. The class is hands on and you are under the instruction of the Tiger's master chef. During the class you learn how to prepare an entree and 3 main meals. Once the class is copleted you have the choice of taking your meals home or sharing them as part of the group. You also get to take home a copy of the recipes for each of the dishes that you prepare.  The cost of the class is $110 and there are only 4 spaces available. I will at some stage in the future be enrolling in the class so keep an eye out for my review on it as well. 

So, in conclusion, if you are a lover of Thai cuisine, or are looking to try it for the first time, I highly recommend The Crying Tiger Asian Eating House & Cooking School. 

Our Rating - 4 out of 5 stars. 

Family Road Trip01

What an awesome Sunday we had today. Sharon and I got to have another sleep in today as Molly was at her grandparents at Thora for the second night in a row. Mum and Dad love having Molly stay over, she has truly stolen their hearts.
Our road trip today started around 10am when we took a quick drive to Woolgoolga. We checked out a local cafe there as a potential for breakfast but deciced that, even though it was a great setting, it was just a little too expensive. So, we climbed back into the car and headed into Coffs Harbour for breakfast at the Clog Barn. Sharon and Maddy had pancakes, which are huge by the way. I don't think most people could eat more than one.I had scrambled eggs on toast which was the best scrambled eggs I had ever gotten from a cafe. From there we did some shopping at Toormina then drove out to Bellingen for lunch with Mum and Dad, my sister Patsy-ann and her youngest son, Jonothan, and of course our Miss Molly. It was so good to see her again after her 2 night stay with Gran and Pa.
After lunch we headed out to Mum and Dad's to pick up Molly's stuff and for me to sort some stuff out with Mum's computer. When it was time to go we decided to take the long way home. That is up the mountain and through Dorrigo and taking the Coramba Road out through Megan and Ulong and back into Coffs Harbour through Coramba. Along the way we stopped off at a couple of spots along the way for photos. Molly was tired and didn't even make it half way up the Dorrigo mountain poor thing.
We had a great drive through some really beautiful scenery. It was great to get out and to just drive around and find spots that you can just pull up and take photos. I have really missed the joy of just going out with my girls and just driving around with no real plan. Yeah, sure, I had a route in mind but that was about it. All the stops were mostly unplanned and we got to see parts of the local area that none of us had ever seen before. It was really gorgeous up there on the back roads, everything was so clean, and so it should after all the rain we have had over the last 2 weeks. The creeks and the waterfalls were all flowing really well.
I really needed today. I really needed to get out and just go, with my family, and just explore. I found it rather relaxing. Next time we are going to have to pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it.
That's enough of me rambling, enjoy the photos and let me know what you think.

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Crossroads

Sitting here listening to the baby monitor for miss Molly to stir and I can't help thinking about the future. I have a beautiful fiancé in Sharon. She loves me unconditionally, has blessed me with 2 beautiful girls and wants to marry me. Sharon, Maddy and Molly have been my rock. Their love has stopped me from going baboon assed crazy at work. I love my 3 girls and have a great desire to provide for them. It's not a need to provide, nor is it an obligation or chore. This desire to provide for my family comes as naturally to me as breathing.

I have gotten to a point where I am no longer content to work for someone else. I have spent my entire working life working for someone else, making money for someone else. The one exception being my time in the Army where I fulfilled my duty to this country that I call home.

I am at a crossroads in my life. Do I want to continue to work for an employer, one that I find no joy in working for, or do I go out on my own and start my own business?? And if I start my own business what will it be? Do I try and get requalified in IT, my original passion and my trade in the Army? Or do I follow my new interest in photography??? I have discovered that I have a knack for taking photos. Sharon encourages me to go and indulge my passion as often as I can. My apparent skill with the camera has even bought me to the attention of the board of my home town rugby league football team, who have approached me to be the team's official photographer for the 2012 season. And if we do go into business for ourselves, do we start from scratch, or do we buy into a franchise? Either way, there is so much risk and no real guarantee for success. Sharon and I have looked at franchise opportunities before and we have either been turned down by the banks for a business loan or the franchise we looked into was just down right dodgy.

My desire remains the same. I will continue to provide for my family no matter what. It's a big decision to make an it scares the hell out of me to go into business for myself but, hey, what adventure isn't without it's risk.

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Another Year Comes To A Close

With Christmas only 5 more sleeps away and the New Year only another 6 days following that I have to stop and take stock of the last year that has passed by at what appears to be warp speed. This year has gone passed so quickly that when I think about it my head starts spinning. 

Obviously the biggest thing this year was the birth of my daughter, Molly. She just turned 8 months old this month and I have no idea where all that time went. Sleep deprevation can really mess with your observation of time. She has come so far and grown so much from the tiny little bundle that came into the world way back in April. She brings us so much joy and we are so glad that she has started to sleep through the night with minimal disruption to her sleep. It gives Sharon and I a chance to catch up on some of the sleep that we have lost. 

Maddi joined Scouts. She absolutely loves it. THere's a lot of fundraising going on so we can send troop members that are old enough to the next Australian National Jamboree in 2013. So far we have had quite a few successful events that are going to go a long way to getting all the kids to the Jamboree. Maddi and Scouts area such a good fit. She's going to learn a lot and she is so keen to meet all the achievments that are in the Scout book. 

So with another year drawing to a close, we are looking forward to our next big event, and that's planning our wedding. Sharon and I have sat down with Maddi and asked her if she would like me to adopt her after Sharon and I get married. Maddi responded with giving me a great big hug. Soon after she started using my surname on all her schoolwork. Our location for the wedding and the reception are booked and secured and we also have the photographer booked in as well. Our pastor has been also booked. Phil was so excited when we asked him if he would marry us. Sharon has Maddi as her Maid of Honour, and her bridesmaids are selected. I have my best man, who also asked me to be his best man as well (there's a certain symmetry in that I think). All I need now is another couple of groomsmen and I'm all sorted. Then all we have to do is select a menu and do invitations. 

Next year is looking like another good year

 

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Gold Coast Trip 2011 Day 10 - Seaworld, Timezone & More

21 Sept 2011: 

Today we headed back to Seaworld and catch some things that we didn't get to see or do the first time we were there. The main thing that we all wanted to do was go on the Jet Rescue ride. It's like a rollercoaster but instead of sitting in cars, you're actually riding a jetski around the track. And you're moving really, really fast and the turns are pretty tight. It's a really fun ride. Maddi and I also went back on the Sea Viper a couple of times too. 

That afternoon we went to the Timezone, which is a massive gaming arcade. Sharon had a couple of Timezone cards from a previous visit and we started using the to accumulate points on which we can use later to exchange for prizes. We spent a good couple of hours there, during which time we got to catch up with a close friend of mine, Jenni French, and her family. It was really good to catch up with Jenni as it's been far too long between visits. 

Back at the resort that night we started to pack for our journey home. This was a now or never situation for me. Something that I have had on my mind that I needed to get out. I sat Sharon down, looked her straight in the eye and asked her to marry me. She said yes. 

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Gold Coast Trip 2001 Day 09 - Rest Day

We had a rest day today. Even Molly didn't wake up until 8:30am. Today we spent a bit of time in the pool, firstly Sharon and Maddi went in for about an hour and had a bit of one on one time without me and Molly around. Then Molly and I went and joined them. Molly is still a little nervous about being in so much water but she stilol had a good time. So much so that when we were getting ready to go to luch we fed her in her stroller and she fell asleep while she was feeding. 

We went and had lunch with Sharon's friend, Christina, and her husband, Adam, at Sizzler. It was a great time and we had such a laugh over lunch. we spent a good 3 hours at the resaurant just talking, laughing and catching up. 

Finally, to finish of the day we walked from the resort to Cavill Mall and took Maddi into Timezone. We all took turns choosing a game to play so we could earn ticket points we win prizes. I found out that next to the bowling alley that joins to Timezone that there is a live fire shooting range where you can shoot pistols, rifles and shotguns. I'm going to check it out when we go in there again tomorrow to see how much and what you get to shoot. 

Tomorrow our plan is to tackle Seaworld again in the morning, just to get what we missed last week. In the afternoon we plan on going to Timezone again, I'll also be checking out the shooting range and then we'll be heading to the twilight markets that are held on the beachfront near Cavill Mall. 

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Gold Coast Trip 2011 Day 08 - White Water World

Well, today we went to White Water World for a few hours to cool off and beat the early Summer heat. White Water World is a water park that's attached to Dreamworld. It's pretty decent, there's stuff for everyone of all ages.

We started out in the infant and toddlers area and gave Molly a bit of a play in the water. She watched with intense interest at the different water features. They had small jet of water going straight up out of the water and were no higher than Molly herself. She loved these as I'd stand her next to one of these jets and she would start waving her hand through it and look at Sharon with a big smile.

There's also this big play area for the older kids to climb over, spray each other with water canons and generally have a fun time on. At the top of this giant waterbound jungle gym is this huge bucket that fills up with water and around every 5 to 10 minutes it tips, dumping half its contents, which I would estimate around 500 liters of water at a minimum onto tue shaped roof bellow. The water was then broken up so as not to injure anyone who got dumped on.

As for me, I hit the slides. Maddi and I went on the Green Room. You sit on a rubber raft that can seat up to 4 people. You then get sent on your way through a darkened tunnel until you are dropped out into this giant green cone. You slide and spin up and down the sides until you are finally spat out and deposited into the pool below.

Upon our soggy return back to our room at the resort we showered, dressed an headed out for dinner. We dined at La Porchetta, a pizza and pasta restaurant which 95 percent of the chain in New South Wales went out of business several year ago. Unfortunately, one if those NSW restaurants that got closed down was the one in Coffs Harbour leaving the nearest one to home a good 4 hours drive away. Sharon ordered a Penne Tropicana that had several large prawns included in the recipe. While she couldn't finish all the meal she made sure not a single prawn got away. Nit too sure what Maddi ordered but her tortellini was in a tomato base sauce that had a distinctive lemon flavory which was both surprising and very nice. Then there's me. I had the Penne Carbonara. I have had a La Porchetta Carbonarra since I left Townsville in 2007. And this one dis not disappoint. It was as creamy and as flavour rich as I remember. Dessert was as equally evil. The girls both had New York Cheesecake and I had the Chocolate Mousse. All I can say is I'm glad we chose to walk to dinner as it gave us a chance to walk it off on the way back to the resort. All in all a damn fine end to a good day.

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