Before we go any further, particularly with the controversy of celebrity chefs being paid-to-tweet, let me just say that I'm a firm believer in transparency and honesty. In blog posts where I have received sample products or travel, you'll always see a disclosure statement at the bottom of the article where I give credit to the PR agency or representative. Or sometimes I'll use that space to disclose any conflicts of interest that may affect my credibility. E.g. If I'm blogging about a client of mine. With that said, my blog posts are never skewed just because I received something for free.

Food bloggers get sent shit loads of free stuff. Mummy bloggers, I hear, get even more.

For me, I'll only blog about a small percentage of the things I get sent. My decision is dependent on only two factors, and that is whether or not I like it, and if it will be of genuine interest to you: my family, friends and dear readers. This comes back down to 'why I blog', which isn't tied to any monetary goals.

Mitsubishi approached me some time ago with an opportunity to test drive the new Mitsubishi ASX. I already have a car which I rarely drive so I was a little hesitant in my response. Plus I'm not very confident with driving big cars as I've always owned small hatchbacks. But I was assured that the Mitsubishi ASX is a city-sized 4WD which meant it was smaller than your typical 4WD. To quote them, "Imagine all the benefits of a traditional SUV - like a spacious interior, roomy boot and extra height to give you a better view of the road ahead - combined with the ease of driving and fuel efficiency of a smaller car."

What won me over wasn't their generosity in loaning me a car for a whole week with a full tank of petrol, but it was the fact that I was actually moving around that time and thought the car would be useful during my moving hell. How convenient, I thought!

Further to that point, they presented me with a super exciting opportunity to be filmed. I've always wanted to go into video blogging but as I lack the video editing skills (and time!), I haven't pursued it. So I couldn't think of anything better than to have a professional team follow me around and capture me on film! And yes, I was paid - not for a positive opinion (they were always insistent on allowing me to be open and honest about my thoughts on the car, regardless of how negative or positive it was) - but to compensate for my time. I'm a busy businesswoman, so time is money.

So I test drove the car last October during my move, and we finally scheduled a date to film last month!

The idea behind the shoot was to capture me, doing what I do best... Eat! And our mode of transportation would be a brand new Mitsubishi ASX instead of my aged Mercedes-Benz A190 LWB.

First stop wasn't very far from home at all. We drove down the street to Café Ish and started with a wattle maccacino, a karaage soft shell crab omelette for me, and the very beautiful vanilla risotto with stewed red beans, rice dumpling, choc rosella sauce, ANZAC cookie and native violets for Zen!

With food in our stomachs, we ventured off to Marrickville Markets for this week's groceries and some goodies for our afternoon picnic. Farmers markets are such a captivating experience for all the senses - I love the crowd, the abundance of fresh produce, and all things made with heart. 

Then we stopped by my local haunts - Bourke Street Bakery for some brioche and a fennel, raisin & cherry sourdough loaf and sweet treats (and another coffee), and Maloney's Grocer for some cheese and jamon! 

Last stop was my most favourite spot in Sydney - Wendy's Secret Garden :)

Just in case you're in the market for a new car, I'll just mention that I totally wanted to keep this car after the test drive! The iPhone/Bluetooth connectivity was so awesome plus when you reverse park, a visual of the back of your car gets projected onto the rear mirror which makes parking in tight spots such a breeze! It also has quirky features such as automatically retracting side mirrors (when you lock the car). Apparently, the car is pretty fuel efficient too, so it ticks all the boxes!

I've always thought that my A190 was deceptively spacious but the ASX was even more surprising. When you're inside, you feel like you're in a massive car but on the outside, it's only just slightly bigger than your average small car. Funnily enough, it took me longer to get used to driving my car again than it did getting into the ASX. My steering and accelerator pedal feel so stiff now, it just doesn't compare!

Anyway, without further ado, here are the videos!

As you can see, it was such a pleasure to drive, and I had so much fun filming! Yay to being on video!

The vehicle model featured in these videos is the Mitsubishi ASX 2.0 Petrol 2WD CVT with Luxury Pack.  For more information, go to www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/vehicles/4wd/asx

This post is sponsored by Mitsubishi.

Welcome back to Fiji Friday! This week, I'm taking you with me on my day out with Fiji-based Australian chef, Lance Seeto. We'll start with a visit to Nadi Municipal Market, followed by a stop over at a local Fijian's edible garden, and we'll finish off with lunch at a roadside curry house! 

Pssst, if you've missed the previous Fiji Friday posts, you can find them here.

Walking through Nadi Market is a very different experience to visiting any other farmers market in the world. There's an unexpected calmness about the place. There's no salespeople yelling, there's no loud haggling and even the pace that everyone walks in, is in Fiji time. 

It is not uncommon to see stall owners selling the exact same thing side by side. 

I love that their goods are always grouped in small bundles or stacked up on plates. Everything is just so orderly and uncompetitive.

Below, are freshly caught clams...

And here are the different parts of kava (the strength/quality differs depending on which part of the root you grind):

Kava is said to have a similar effect of marijuana and comes from the root of the pepper plant Piper Methysticum. It is used in traditional ceremonies and on social occassions and interestingly, it is very much legal.

Men can be seen sitting around the market, drinking kava for hours. Plus, it is legal to bring up to 2kg of kava with you back to Australia!

It tastes like muddy water and is meant to numb your mouth. I must've brought back a crap version though 'cause mine seems to have no effect!

Meanwhile, in the non-chilled seafood room, you can find almost anything that swims... Including baby hammerhead sharks! Everything is back to basics here. The fishes are all line-caught, and nothing at all is frozen.

In developed countries, we pay a premium for local organic foods, but in places like Fiji where their soil is so fertile, growing organic foods is second nature to them. I love the abundance of sugarcane, coconuts, cassava, rice, sweet potatoes, taro, bananas and pineapples.

Above, are some gorgeous finger eggplants (aubergines).

Below, is a pile of wild ginger which look like they've just been plucked out of the ground!

There's also lots of limes and chilli...

and they love okra...

Below, we have bunches of Fiji River Fern (which I tried at the Robert Oliver signature dinner), snakebeans and more chilli, shrimps and yabbies, and sea grapes!

How amazing do these bunches of taro look?

You may also remember me previously mentioning vudi (plantain)? Here it is below; they're the fat bananas!

Lance is also keen to show me how self-sufficient local Fijians are, so I'm lucky enough to be invited into Yasin's (Lance's personal taxi driver) home.

Lance chuckles at the memories of his first time at Yasin's house where we was stumped by how Yasin's family could reach their clothing line.

I too, looked around, but there was no Hills Hoist mechanism to wind-down the line.

Yasin quickly demonstrates that the poles on each side are easily removeable. To make their clothesline upright, all they do is position the pole at an angle! And to peg the clothes on or off, they just lift the pole off the ground! How ingenious is that? 

What's even more fascinating is how abundant their backyard is. Never have I ever seen an eggplant tree! Or a soursop tree! Or a curry leaf tree so big!

Cassava isn't new to me but this is the first time I've seen the cassava plant:

I don't know about you, but I've always imagined that all local Islanders would have awesome tree-climbing skills. Well, it seems that nowadays, that skill has been made redundant due to another ingenious invention - a super long pole with a hook at the tip which is used to shake the coconuts down!

I'm so humbled by their practicality.

By now, I'm ready for lunch, so Yasin pulls up at one of Lance's favourite roadside curry houses - Tata's Restaurant. 

After days of resort cuisine, the $8 FJD thali is a refreshing change!

So who is Lance Seeto?

Lance is a Melburnian of Chinese descent. He was born into a family of cooks and has worked as a chef in resorts the last 10 years. After working in some of Australia's most beautiful locations such as Daydream Island and Cable Beach, Lance was ready for his next adventure and found himself taking on an Executive Chef position at Castaway Island Resort. 

Like many expats who stumble into the Fijian way of life, Lance fell in love with the culture and lifestyle, and has now been there for over three years.

At first, I didn't understand the appeal of why so many chefs would want to work at resort restaurants, but Lance explains that chefs get put up with accomodation so it makes it a very affordable way to travel. It does sound idealistic doesn't it?

Lance gets to return to Melbourne every three months but he says he always misses the peacefulness of Fiji and the content state of mind. Oh, and of course the food. He loves the fact that he gets fresh fish delivered every day and how every ingredient tastes so real and not manufactured or commercial. "Pork tastes like real earthy pork" Lance highlights.

Since Lance's arrival in Fiji, he has become quite the local celebrity chef! After a mention by Robert Oliver on how Lance was pioneering the creative use of local produce, he was given an opportunity to write his own newsletter column in the Fiji Times. He also documents his culinary journey on his Facebook page Fijian Food Safari which has over 37000 likes, and is in the process of writing his first book!

Lance's passion and deep understanding of the Fijian culture is infectious. Throughout our lunch, I find myself listening about his experience, thoughts and emotions so intently. He talks of their organic farming and how there are no allergies here; how there's a greater sense of happiness despite their minimalistic lifestyle.

It really does get you thinking... Is this how the world should be?

Here is a foreign worker who is living like local in Fiji, embracing their connection to the land and their unconditional compassion, and sharing his learnings and experience with the world. It was such an honour to meet Lance, I can't wait to read his book!

Lance Seeto's highly-anticipated travel cookbook "The Tree of Life: A Chef's life-changing discovery of passion, heart & purpose on an island paradise" is scheduled for worldwide release in bookstores & online in late 2012.

Click to follow Fijian Food Safari

JENIUS travelled to Fiji as a guest of Fiji Tourism with special thanks to Mike Parker-Brown