My Valentine Couple - Stranger #2 / 100

This picture is #2 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group


I met this couple at the laundromat today. Stephen, an Australian, and Cora, a Filipino, met in Melbourne in the 90's and have been married for 19 years now and seemed to still be very much in love. Today being V day, I thought I couldn't ask for better candidates for this project!

The couple moved to Brisbane 8 years ago and live in the same street as I do, hence we use the same laundromat! They were both very friendly so it wasn't too difficult to ask them for a photograph. In fact, it probably only took a minute of smiling at each other and saying our hellos when our friendly conversation started, which lasted the same time as it took for my clothes to dry in the machine, and a few extra minutes. They were both very chatty talking about all sorts of interesting stuff happening in our street and about the economy of Australia, and how I should save for the rainy day. Lol. They told me about this funny story about being woken up at 2 in the morning by someone who was singing at the top of his lungs in the wee hours of the morning (obviously drunk) and when they looked out of their window, it was an old guy with a small boom box wearing a Mankini! Lol! Hard to believe but stranger things have been known to happen in the land of oz. Before we parted, Stephen voluntarily shared an invaluable information about how to keep bananas to last for weeks. He said to wrap each one in paper and store it in the bottom shelf of the fridge and this will guarantee the banana will last for 3 weeks, at least! Now I don't have to worry about wasting those bananas! :)

Thanks so much S&C for making me laugh today!

J, D and I decided to celebrate V-day with dinner at the apartment. J prepared the entree, D the main and I volunteered to make a Bombe Alaska. My Bombe Alaska was a BIG FLOP! First the ice cream that I bought from the shop wouldn't set despite hours of freezing. While I chatted away with these two love birds, my ice cream was melting away in the car and I totally forgot about it. I still assembled the dessert despite the ice cream running under the layer of meringue and crossed my fingers and toes that it wouldn't be a total loss. The bombe was meant to have a grand entrance by pouring some rum over it and flambeing it as it is served. I swear I must have been born half an idiot as I thought a splash of Cointreau would do the trick. DOH! And to make matters worse, I thought i'd put a twist to the dessert by using fruit cake as base instead of a plain sponge cake. J & D I learned afterwards weren't too fond of fruit cakes (I wonder why they like me then, lol!). So they ended up eating the meringue (which thank goodness was edible despite the amount of Cointreau I poured over it) and the melted ice cream. The fruit cake? Went straight to the bin. I felt so embarassed! ;(

I guess next time i'll have to go back to doing mains and leave the dessert to the experts! It was never my forte and I should have known better. Despite this mishap, it was still a good day. At least I got to enjoy scallops for entree and curried chicken that was slow cooked for hours. Yum! :)

Hope everyone is having a lovely day!