Of life and quiet contemplation

Well it isn’t really that quiet here, sitting on a bench along the Yarra River, I am surrounded by people enjoying their evening and a ton of birds hovering nearby wondering if I have food on me. (Sorry birdies of all shapes and sizes, I only have mint on me!)

With 2 weeks to go till the end of the course, I’m starting to get a bit more wistful about life and all the eventual changes. Even with all the optimism and hopes for my future, I can’t help but feel a slight twinge of nostalgia settling down like a thin misty veil, clouding the future leaving you wondering what’s ahead, but contamporaneously making you want to turn back towards the familiar.

However life does not allow for any u turns so forward is the only direction to look at I suppose.

One thing is for certain no matter what, no matter what the future brings, I’ll always have the important things in life – happiness, optimism, family and friends. So really, what more have I to ask for?

Of Birthdays and (never) growing old

Since I turned 12, I’ve always had a slight dread about growing up.

I know, at 12??? What’s wrong with me??

I think I’m just an extremely sentimental person haha. I recall my best friend asking me why I was sad at that time, and I said something along the lines of ‘because now all the numbers end with a -teen, we are no longer children.’

Of course being a teen was what I had always wanted to be when I was young (at 12 i was in teen chatrooms pretending to be 16 lol. It took me 2 years to learn what asl? meant.), but still. It meant that we were growing up, things were changing.

And it did. I went into an all girls school and decided i disliked being in the unnatural environment with only females, A few years on when I went on into a mixed school, I decided I would never suggest to anyone to enter a single gender school because I had zero ability to mix with the guys after 4 years.

So see? Even at 12, I was already crazily sentimental about the different stages in life and how we can never go back to that single point in time anymore.

And now, about a decade on, birthdays don’t have the same oomph anymore, probably cos growing up no longer holds the same attraction as it did when I was young. (Now i only grow sideways and older hmph)

But some things don’t change. I still hope for birthday wishes from friends and family every year. I still insist on a birthday cake every year (while my brother goes the complete opposite way and warns me not to buy him a birthday cake every year zzz). I still take making wishes before blowing the candles very seriously.

And the problem with this is that my birthday falls in late november. IE HOLIDAY TIME. Now that there is facebook/twitter/instagram/allthetechnology, sending a birthday wish is not hard. But back then, my birthday is always a very quiet affair with the family because NOBODY knew it was my birthday. And even if they knew, they couldn’t call me to wish me happy birthday because i hogged the phone everyday talking for hours on end to my bestie lol.

This year, I came back to Singapore a few days before my birthday. Without talking to my Singaporean friends , i decided on my own that i was not going to celebrate it with anyone cos everyone talked about being busy with school/work/travelling. Thought it better not to ask and get rejected. With my friends in Australia, I thought since I wasn’t going to be around during my birthday, all I was gonna get was birthday wishes on the day itself.

Little did i know…

As Levin was making pancakes and reheating kfc for dinner and I was frantically packing away my room into medium sized boxes, my friends and bf were scurrying around in the cold…

TO GET ME THIS.

Blueberry Passionfruit cheesecake.

My favouritest cake after Mango cheesecake and Lime cheesecake!!

And i think this cake must book in advance one!! (Actually im not sure if they did or not, im assuming to increase my self worth ahaha)

All very self sacrificingly gave me the passionfruit (ie they all don’t like) lol! Here with the cheesecake and my half eaten KFC wicked wings!! Which is super awesome and cannot be currently found in Singapore. I don’t know why, it should!! Something this good (and fat) should be shared all around the world!

Dividing the cake up; and there’s Levin’s painstakingly made pancakes! Painstaking cos she didn’t know that the only stove plate that is awesome is the one on the inside, so she stood over the useless one for over 45 mins to make us perfectly shaped pancakes! See lah never ask!

And then because it is Tasmania and hot food cools in like 10 mins stat, and the rest of them disappeared for like forever, she had to keep reheating the chips and kfc. And then in the end just stuffed them in the oven and left them there lol. Luckily pancakes can eat cold. (:

The girls all ran into the other corridor and giggle giggle in the middle of dinner/supper, so of course suspected something was up. Alene sidling over crab-style from one corridor to the other didn’t help haha.

And before long, they were giving me their Winnie handmade cards!!

(Everyone should order handmade cards from Winnie, because they are all unique! And also because if you order from her, we can start a mini business from home selling cards and fund our lives next year!! If you want to order some, please facebook me because i’ve just officially appointed myself as her business manager lol)

I can’t remember what Winnie was saying, but it must have been vaguely disturbing judging from our expressions ahaha.

I know I look like I don’t like the card, but this photo is actually to show me being extremely touched with the surprise and the card. I really did tear up!!

And sorry I not sitting properly.

Alene’s card!!

And with Alicia!

Upon seeing our ‘Hi you did a very good job, congratulations here is your certificate, now smile for the camera’ pose, Alene wanted a re-do.

We are now officially at a prize presentation dinner haha.

And then, it was the bf’s turn.

He refused to give me the card cos he realised everyone wrote tons of stuff front and back and he only wrote like 10 words on the front of it zzz.

Modified card given 2 hours later.

Instead I got a birthday present!!! Which he went to get today after he fibbed that he was late for something and got me slightly annoyed at him.

I know you can’t see from the photo, but i was really tearing up cos i wasn’t expecting anything at all.

And then it hit me what wonderful friends and boyfriend I actually have.

To plan a birthday celebration for me on well, a day that’s not my birthday.

Alicia quoted me saying ‘YOU SAID NO NEED TO CELEBRATE ON YOUR BIRTHDAY ITSELF MAHH.’ Or something like that.
So clearly I incepted their brains lol.

With the present – Lonely Planet Guide to MELBOURNE! Perfect for next year!! (:

And yes, the 2 green capped bottles are indeed baby food ahaha. They are mine!! And they are yummy!! With no added flavouring etcetc, everyone should like them and eat them!!

Levin decided that she had to top Julian’s present. So she became THE present lol. Scarf/ribbon.scratchy wired present thingie borrowed from Winnie i think.

And then we made noise for the rest of the night and I forgot about packing until 11 something pm and then everyone had to adjourn to my room to help with my packing and poor Alene had to scrape off glass paint from my mirror with a key and nail polish remover for a very very long time.

And on my birthday itself:

Somehow I forgot my camera existed all the way until i saw my birthday cake lol. So all the noms i had with Moon (the GONGCHA!!) are only on instagram!

The 2 guys were busy (or so they said…Mao in school, while Nabil was working) so I spent the day with Moon after she rushed down from grooming her dog, who has a birthday party on HIS birthday tomorrow lol. So excited, so many dogs gonna be there for me to play with I hope!!!

So since Nabil was working nearby, we decided that since he couldn’t come to the cake, we would go to him!!

And so here we are, at the staircase of his workplace!! And i had the fastest version of Happy Birthday ever to be sung to me haha.

THE CAKE – MANGO something something. The 2 of them refused to eat it, saying that since it was my birthday i should eat the whole thing (I got a sneaking suspicion they didn’t want to eat it because we got nothing to cut the cake with lol) So i gave them the bunny ears…

And finished the rest myself.

Which was a very difficult feat, because i just had pasta and gongcha!! Already very very stuffed!!

Also refused to believe Moon when she said the brown piece couldn’t be eaten (I mean, come on, it totally looks like dark chocolate!!).

It really can’t.

Yet another prize giving ceremony lol.

And I was crazy sweaty because 1. It was hot. 2. It was hot. 3. It got even hotter after walking 20 mins in the sun.
4. I’m hot. 5. It was hot.

HURHUR.

AND THEN WHEN I GOT HOME…

Yet another cake was waiting for me!!!!

BLACK FOREST – The only chocolatey cake i like.

Very very touched by my family because I know they are all busy people. And also felt bad because we couldn’t go out for dinner because my tummy decided to revolt then.

And finally, a slightly blurred family portrait to end it all!!!

Ended the night drinking and chatting with my brother – how times have changed, now our chats are laced with alcohol lol. We really are growing up…

Once again, thank you everyone who celebrated my birthday/wished me happy birthday/TREATED ME TO MEALS days before and after my birthday. Once in awhile i forget that i have all these people in my life, and if nothing else, this birthday helped me remember again how loved i really am.

*EDIT*

Just received from Alicia a while ago, thanks my dear!

Me smiling stupidly as they sang me birthday song. Because really, what else can you do while everyone looks at you and sing song??

And with the cake in its entirety!!!

Of Vendettas and Passionfruit Seeds

Weekend again!!! Though this weekend won’t exactly be fun cos of a 2500 word assignment looming over my head. But hey I just had a 5% test (Which i think i just flunked), so i deserve a break tonight. Movieeeee. (:

 

Speaking of weekends, dug up these photos awhile ago and thought them too good to not share. One of the weekends where we all were going out!!

 

The bf was going for a costume party themed: What I want to be when I grow up…

 

3 hours before the event:

Youtube really is your best friend when it comes to makeup. Except I search for pwetty going out makeup while he searches for geisha-type ones lol.

And to keep the hair out of his face, he is wearing my cap zzz.

Pausing for a photo because I told him I wanted to document his journey to crazyland lol. At this point he made a lap around the house and scared Winnie and Alicia. Assumed he succeeded, based on the shrieks and him going ‘OW!!!’ after that lololol.

About half an hour after that:

Looking like a freaky old man.

We were getting ready to go out too, so we posed for pictures in the bathroom and the scary old man was just….there.

With Alene, who was also going for the same costume party as a Greek Goddess. Debatable whether you can be one when you grow up…but she looked super pretty and I don’t think anyone really cares.

Another few minutes later…

For his face to blush continuously he used my lipstick sigh. I had a free palette from Chambord when I bought a bottle last year which i wasn’t going to use at all so lucky him!! (Though why a liquor company is giving out free lipstick palettes i really don’t know. Totally catering to the idea that chambord is a girl’s drink i suppose. Liquor discrimination has to stop!! We like beers and hard liquor too!!! Men like sweet drinks too!!!)

I FIND THIS PICTURE SUPER HILARIOUS!!!

Poor Mr Vendetta before going out to scare the crap out of people/ protest tyranny by the government, has to make himself look tidy first ahahaha.

And has to keep smiling regardless too wtf.

Disturbing him from going about his ironing.

Suit up!!

I look stupid in this picture, but this was one of the few occasions i’m not massively disgusted by the whole Mr. V outfit that has alienated me from my bf and made me question who this freaky person I was supposed to be dating was lol.

On my left, I have a political activist. On my right, a Greek Goddess. And a cutesy toothbrush cover lol. Worlds are colliding.

And I doubt my bf wants to be a political activist when he grows up, he would be too busy treating the kids in developing countries from diseases and doing other noble doctor-y things. Not like me, who intends to spend the rest of my life arguing nonstop fml.

See his forehead shine haha. Imagine, seeing this in your home in the middle of the night… Actually no need middle of the night, at any time i think i will also scream.

Greek Goddess, Future political activist (for V for Vendetta is set in a near future dystopian society, modern day girl.

Jackie Chan meme face would work now i think. Or not.

The whole house!!!

This was before the Greek Goddess had pharmacy placements and moved out… ))):

Supposed to look slightly creepy, like a ‘oooo let the 4 of us girls take a photo and omg what else did we capture in the photo!!!’ kind but slight fail lol. Shall photoshop it next time just for kicks.

And so the costume clad people went off on their merry way. Stories later came back that there was apparently some hot girl there who dressed up in a mermaid’s tail…and beautifully painted her torso such that people actually did a double take to confirm if she was semi nude or not. And i cannot believe no one took pictures!!! How is that possible!!!!

While the 3 of us went out for a feast!!

Haven’t been to Hogsbreath in awhile!! Personally I prefer Ball and Chain, because I super love their salad bar, but Hogsbreath has some awesome stuff as well…

But i do not like them…

WHEN THEY BURN MY STEAK.

Like, how do you burn a steak which should be cooked to medium???

Other parts of the meal (which was not burnt):

NACHOS!!!!

No matter where I go and how aware of the fact that I usually cannot finish my food when I order nachos along as an entree, I WILL ORDER.

Of course it helps that my friends like it too and we will all attempt to finish it together. (Or at least i will until it gets left there too long and gets soggy and make me feel like throwing up.)

Behold my huge nostrils!

Oohhh alcohol!!

I only got mine because I saw PASSIONFRUIT. and STRAWBERRIES. and PINEAPPLE. WHEEEEEE

Was super nice though I thought the alcohol taste was damn strong. But then again, even if you put like 1% vodka to 99% coke i will still be able to taste it so i suppose it doesn’t prove the alcohol strength at all.

Winnie and her ‘YO BRO’. Which i thought had damn strong alcohol taste as well.

I suppose this is as appropriate a spot as any to mention the super cute waiter who attended to us. He just slid into the seat next to Winnie to take our orders and she could hardly look at him, let alone coherently er…tell him what she wanted ahahaha.

My 2 dearest housemates.

Someone’s (i think it was Winnie’s) steak with calamari. Looks burnt too but they said it wasn’t so i suppose the chef hates me. ): #jumptoconclusions

For the following, i would like to claim that the alcohol was too strong for me and affected my sense of judgment…or my senses generally and i am a generally sane and sweet person who wouldn’t hurt a fly. My housemates counterclaim was that i’m just generally crazy and the alcohol was just an excuse cos they couldn’t taste anything (someone said PFFFT at this point). But then again this is my blog so their arguments are invalid.

Somehow i decided it would be a good idea to attempt murder on Alicia. By shooting passionfruit seeds at her a la period drama style. Except they shoot darts and i shoot seeds. (Ok that came out wrong. ;p)

See her ‘NO YOU WOULDN’T’ expression lololol.

Somehow she found it very funny.

And i am disgusted by her sense of humour.

Really, i’m trying to kill you and you are laughing??

So i try again lor. ROUND 2 of passionfruit seeds firing!!

And then i feigned innocence.

Which completely failed cos the evidence was kinda….right in front of me. Damn the rogue seed that couldn’t fly far enough.

And i got whacked for it.

For people who don’t know Alicia, she is very strong. Her bear hugs suffocate me. So her whacking me was painfullllll.

And the person who captured all of this just sat there and feigned ignorance.

So i shot her too.

END OF STORY.

This meal makes it 5!! And Winnie now has a membership card which entitles her to 10% off for a single meal everytime and a free steak on her birthday!!

Her getting her membership card while i take visually unstimulating photographs.

Rested on some man’s flag on the way home (committing murder is very tiring business)

Petted some dogs too

And sat down for some girly chat!! It was quite chilly, but the beautiful scenery (plus the company of people i tried to ‘kill’) made it alright.

Blurry shot of the night lights.
Can only shoot this angle cos everywhere else was too dark to capture on camera. Like the night sky and all those stars!!!

And that ended our night out.

Thankfully the bf had already removed/perspired his makeup off so he didn’t scare me when he came home at some crazy hour.

My life would be 10 years shorter if he did, I am sure of it.

Kudos for making it look so like the real thing!!

Of sushi-ing and coming home

Had a super pamper self day!! Started the day off by waking up fashionably early (only 9.30), worked out for an hour and then had a hair spa, facial and body polish.

Pamper products which make me feel more revitalised and fresh from my long tiring week.

Now just waiting for the bf to bring home the spuds from Salamanca market. Probably should have told him I was going to have it for lunch…it’s 3.30pm already and he’s still not home!!!

Making myself suffer more….this picture was from last year!!! Has it been thaaat long???

And now to torture myself even more…. Sydney!!!

 

25th July 2012 – final day in Sydney!!
Jam packed day, for we had a 5pm flight to catch back to Hobart!!

Said goodbye to our home for 4 nights!! It has been an incredibly comfortable stay!!

And as usual….

Do not disturb…for we are no longer here for you to disturb.

Did not see anyone for the whole time we stayed here….except once when we were on our way to the gym and in our worst clothes. OF COURSE.

Left our luggages at the concierge while we headed out!!

First we had to make a pit stop back to double bay (see day 2) to collect the facial items we bought!! So it was an hour’s walk there…and the beautician wasn’t there!! Her colleagues had to call her and she rushed in half an hour later. )):

On our way back…stopped at a park right outside the main CBD!!

From the park bench. See the residences (and yachts) of the rich!!

Sat there and listened to the water lapping at the edges, the happy shrieks of little children playing behind us… So awesome to be on holiday!!!!

Momentarily reminded me of home (ie Singapore). Pasir Ris – Tampines park connector!!

Also found my dream apartment.

It was about 10.30am at this time and we had a lunch booking at noon, so we were like, why not let’s take a nice scenic stroll back!!

We saw this sign and thought, OH WOW, IT GOES STRAIGHT TO THE HARBOUR – THE DIRECTION WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HEAD IT!! (or rather, i thought this. Cos I had taken sole possession of her phone for the gps, Winnie had no idea where we were going.)

So we went in cos you know, if a sign is on the door it refers to the door and what’s beyond, and we could see steps inside.

20 mins later, we saw this.

Harbour Bridge yipee!!!

But still no way out.

Bumped into a group of girls also finding a way across. No one had any idea. So all of us traipsed out.

Winnie and I stood in front of the sign again.

And I turned my head to the left.

KILL ME PLEASE.

The REAL flight of stairs across.

And then when we finally got to the vicinity of the restaurant, we couldn’t find it after we saw the sign and turned in. )):

Was about to take the lift up somewhere dodgy and just before the door closed, we saw a big red signboard.

Which leads here!!! Finally!!!

The buffet was for 90 mins…so very obviously we were late zzz. But there was hardly anyone in there so I doubt it mattered. (Though i was abit confused when the guy told me I had made no booking. BUT I DID! I DID! Again didn’t really matter cos there wasn’t many people lollll)

On a side note, I wonder if they would really kick us out if we had sat till 2.05.

In case you were wondering, we found this place on groupon too. It is called Wasabi Bistro and they are offering their own specials through their own website cos the deals websites charge too high a commission. I know this because…

The boss himself came and gave this to us!!

Plus they keep emailing me with new deals now sigh. (I’M NOT IN SYDNEY TO EAT !!!!)

The menu.

SO MUCH FOOD DON’T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN.

Also because the waitress comes and takes the order (unsmilingly somemore), I was super concerned with looking like a pig. ): But in the end I convinced myself that I was too hungry to care.

While waiting….

Comes with a drink as well!! Was super gung-ho and asked for 100ml of cold sake.

Regretted so much after that. ): It was good the first mouthful cos it warmed up my tummy, but after awhile the taste got super overpowering and I had to force the sake down and try not to retch.

And ended up stealing Winnie’s green tea instead.

NOW BEHOLD THE NOMS!!!

Was joking with Winnie that she was in all the photos, and basically being extra haha, so she took the pictures instead and i became the background instead zzzz. So misunderstood ahahaha.

Looks gross but tastes super good!!

There were loads more (definitely cos we actually ordered a sushi boat #whatwerewethinking) but we were so hungry from our walk across the state that it was awhile after we ate that i remembered there was such a thing called the camera.

Overall it Was a good meal, food was decent – it was possible we thought it good because we were super hungry, but the service wasn’t particularly good (waitress and waiter looked unfriendly, though she did attempt to crack a smile when i talked to her about something random). And waiting time was kinda long, though i suppose this was to be expected if they made it fresh for us!! Sometimes must give and take a bit!!

Somehow ended up in Chinatown area again and bought 8 to bring back for the housies!! Now they know how much it costed uh oh.

See how it is made!! Used to imagine old grandmothers lovingly making this er…puff by puff. Guess not hmph.

On the way. THIS IS AN ACTUAL WALL. Now it just looks like a tumblr post lol.

Came back to the hotel to wait for shuttle bus!!

We packed as light as the SIA stewards/stewardess waiting in the lobby. Quite a few airlines housed their crew in this hotel!!

Feeling super sad once we boarded the bus. IDONTWANNAGOHOMEEEEEEEE!!!!

Passing by St Mary’s cathedral, just like the first day…. ))))):

Before we knew it, we were sitting at the domestic terminal waiting for the plane.

Sad smile for the camera. (there is actually no such thing – smile for camera = must look happy!)

Nowadays in Australian airports there are staff members going around to ask people to do surveys for them about travelling, must learn how to look busy!!! >.<

NOW EVERYBODY KNOWS. Well, everyone who takes jetstar and reads their magazines anyways.

ANNDDDDDD….WE ARE BACK IN HOBART.

It was 8-ish at night when we passed through the streets of Hobart city. NOBODY. NO CROWDS. NO BRIGHT LIGHTS. WE WERE DEFINITELY BACK IN HOBART.

But there was a little happiness. I was home!!! Back to the familiar streets and (dark) landmarks!!

And reuniting with my housies!!! Who came to pick us up from the bus stop in the slight drizzle!!!! We are so loved, truly.

We were showing off noms we bought, that’s why it’s so messy lol.

And the bf, knowing I would be missing the food I had in Sydney, made me fried noodles. WITH PORK LARD.

He loves me so. Even if it involves fattening me up and killing me slowly.

Loved Sydney and can’t wait to go back again, but for now i think i’ll just enjoy being home with my dear friends and bf. (:

Of boatrides and sunsets

Sydney Day 4!!!!!

See the difference post sleep hahaha. Every night i scolded Winnie for pulling out all the bedcovers cos she ‘needed to sleep with her feet sticking out’ lol. Obviously never think about the poor housekeeping people who have to painstakingly tuck everything back again…but then again they probably change fresh sheets so she already did half the job for them already. In that case they will dislike me more than her zzz.

View from the other side of the hotel!! If you stay here and don’t mind paying about $20 more per night, get the harbour room and ask for a high floor, you can then admire the harbour bridge from the comfort of your room! (This is from the second floor, so imagine the view from the 17th!!!)

On our way! Beautiful, slightly breezy day!

Most inconspicuous entrance ever!! Thought it was to some seedy pub at first, then did a double take at the sign!!

First sighting of the waters!!

And of the the harbour bridge!! (okay technically 2nd sighting since the first was back in the hotel.)

Actually really like this photo despite the unknown white dots on my face (T.T), got incoming birds and the bridge!! And i imagine without the dots i will look good (ahahaha).

Anyhow, this was the only photo we took because…

We had a ferry to catch!!

Posing with the ferry while waiting for people to alight.

Can buy from the kiosks right outside the ferry terminal, just tell the friendly operator which route you want to go on!

From the waters!! Don’t you just love it when you get an alternative angle of places?? I know i do!! Especially from angles where there would be no random person’s hand/head/people walking by!!

Like this. All the crowds should just clear once i lift my little camera meh.

More of the Opera House!!

And we were passing under the Harbour Bridge!!

How often do you get to see the underside of a bridge!! I know i sound excited, but in reality i was making sure i wasn’t ‘wahhh-ing’ and my mouth was shut. After got bats/birds/whatever live under the bridge shit how zzz.

Seated outside!! Wondered why not more people were seated outside on such a lovely day, but oh well. *shrugs* Lesser people to have to crop out of pictures!

Everytime we reach a stop they would drag out the walkway. Looks reasonably trusty…until there is a larger than usual wave comes by. Which was what happened when i walked on it. Let out a shriek and clutched the railing for dear life (though now on retrospect i should have just ran cos the railing would have been of no help if we both fell into the water), and only 2 seconds later did the guy ask ‘Oh did you slip?’ fml.

Reached our destination!!! Remember, must always book in advance when coming here!! We did, and probably managed to avoid 15mins of waiting time.

Winnie looking through the extensive pancake menu.

We came for the sweet,

And the savoury!!

So happy to be back!! The one and only time i’ve been here was in my first year of uni as a stopover to visit friends and roadtrip before heading home for the holidays. So it brought back so much memories, and made me think of how i’ve grown (especially horizontally. T.T) since 5 years ago!!

Don’t think i’ve grown any less childish though heheh. EMBRACE THE KID IN YOU FOREVER!!!!!

And enjoy nachos!!!

Without the girl behind being an extra.

And my Mexicana pancakes!! Also what i ordered 5 years ago. (Sidenote: don’t order nachos and Mexicana together…they are both the same thing – just one with er…nachos and the other with pancakes. Try something else!! Unless you like lovveeeeee salsa and beans and guacamole thaaat much you would eat it twice. Me? I didn’t consider it until the food came zzz.)

Winnie’s seafood pancakes!! The one mouthful i tried was awesome (probably cos i was sick of salsa and beans and guacamole that the taste of anything else was fantastic in comparison).

With the food (and the toilet fml, luckily no funky smell).

The happy plate!!! The pancakes are made of chocolate!!!!!!! Im not that much of a chocolatey stuff fan (i like chocolates themselves, but not when it is blended into other things like ice cream, cakes etc) but this was pretty good….till we got too full and then every mouthful was a mini torture on its own.

Something about posing with food makes me feel prettier #whatamitalkingabout zzzz

Completely stuffed with food, we went walking…to where there was more food.

Like an authentic bakery in Hongkong dramas!! (If those are authentic…)

Chinatown area!

Which would definitely have purikura machines!! (not sure why though, since purikura comes from Japan…)

Why purikura always have such awesome lighting i really don’t….

And has more birds! I swear all these birds stop and pose for me. See his brave but sad eyes!! (good luck finding the eyes first ahahaha)

Cockle bay (where we saw the fireworks last night) in the day, and that turning bridge!!

We are old ladies, so must rest legs and enjoy scenery.

Way back by ferry again. See the opera house at sunset!!!!

Very very challenging to fit 2 people and a bridge into a selca.

I fail. Accept challenge??

So in the end take separately lah.

Up the steps to the opera house. Maybe i need to capitalise that to make it sound more grand. Let’s try.

View from The Sydney Opera House.

Construction work yay.

Ticketing area inside.

And the interior of the bathroom heheheh. I have this theory that to determine how awesome a building is, you have to see how much effort they put in the bathroom. If they put in a lot of effort in the bathroom too, you know they really cared about how pretty they make everything. Not just the for show bits and then leave the other ‘unimportant’ parts in shambles.

I reserve comments on this one. Though the wavey effect was quite cool.

As night fell, the buildings all start to brighten up and glow!!

And the sunset…oh the beautiful sunset. I think it was around this time that i starting feeling even more thankful for being able to come overseas and see the world (here i mean places outside Singapore) and see this.

Think i shared this on instagram.

Having not seen tall buildings in Tasmania, and short buildings don’t really have a tendency to bedazzle and adorn themselves with bright lights and LED displays, this was beautiful. In the way a city is. Though i have an environmentalist tendency in me screaming ‘NOOOOOOO TURN OFF THE LIGHTS AFTER MIDNIGHT…NO ONE SEES IT AND YOU ARE WASTING ELECTRICITY!!!!!’, there is something awe-inspiring about this.

More sunset.

Up close the sails of the Opera House do not look that….sail-y. Kinda like the Singapore Esplanade upclose. Less like a durian shell and more metal pieces.

Drinking strip leading from the Opera House!! Started to get super crowded from about 5pm. The atmosphere, the music, the SCENERY were awesome!!!!

Look at this photo which i took with the timer. Winnie looks clear and opaque right?? And then we tried taking timed shots and placed the camera on the table…

WHY ARE WE TRANSLUCENT!!!

AND BLURRY!!!

AND SO DARK!!!! (ok this one maybe cos well, it was night time…)

Great mystery which cannot be solved.

So we gave up, went back to the hotel and to the spa…..then dinner!!!

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I HAVE MISSED YOU, PARTS OF THE PIG!!!!
(ok now i sound positively cannibalistic, but i’m assured that i am no more cannibalistic than the next person. I don’t eat frogs, or rabbits, or wallabies, or snakes or dogs.)

So excited i was to eat these, that it leapfrogged (hurhur) into my cup of tea.

And with this questionable picture, i shall go back to my assignments. Have a great weekend!!!!

Of heavy dinners and sparkly skylines

When we last left off, we had just left the Pyrmont Bridge after having a very late lunch and seeing the bridge turn! Which was very exciting but i don’t know how to make it sound like it ahaha. Needless to say we were very spirited and giddy with happiness when we reached the other side, where some of the touristy spots were, amidst restaurants and pubs.

Many many lego blocks pieced together…

To form this MERMAN!!! @ the Sydney Aquarium!!
I look so tiny next to him/it…imagine how many pieces have been used and how much time it took!!

What is Winnie getting upclose and personal with??

What is a land snake doing as an exhibit in an aquarium I really don’t know lol. #resist temptation to go all Harry Potter and type szzar szeee szooo-ish madeup snake language whose name I have forgotten. #failfan

Super funny that Winnie got so close to the snake, usually when we watch animal planet at home she goes ‘eeee so gross!!’ everytime she sees a snake ahaha. Her defense was that this is one of the few times she can go so close to a snake and not risk being bitten… But the tv leh??? Don’t understand Winnie logic haha.

We then went next door to the Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum where i found my fake boyfriend of the day.

See i got fangirl happiness smile. And clutch his elbow until so hard… Probably the closest i’ll ever get to having a photo with him!!

Winnie with better restraining powers lol. Not like me, first time meet people already shamelessly grab their arm ahaha.

Went to the gift shop at the Wildlife Building to have a look see after…

Lol who was it who said she was scared of snakes???

Draping all the possible toys on myself lol.

And only now do i notice that they were selling kids’ underwear too! Maybe its for all the kids who get scared by the fish/wax figures/koalas and lose all bladder control…

Hate to admit old-age, but we got so tired from all the excitement and walking that we had to sit and chill. So we took a seat at the water edge and people/boat watched. Very happily peaceful, all that city hustle and bustle surrounding us while we just sat there and did nothing.

Fast boat which does sharp turns at top speeds and the like. I know this because the hotel’s tv tourist channel kept replaying it lol.

Bird i have never seen before and hence was super fascinated with! They just wander around Darling Harbour with the seagulls among people!!

It was about 5pm by this time and we had a dinner reservation at 5.30, so we slowly made our way back towards Paddy’s Market…

Was randomly spinning the shutter speed on my camera and this was the end result! Pleasantly surprised!! Would write something poetic about life to go along with it if i could, but i can’t. So here you go, picture!!

Chilled outside the Chinese Garden for abit watching ducks swim languidly around. Super like this picture because it has that effect i was talking about before – about how the world seems to be so busy, and here i was, enjoying the pretty little things in life.

(Actually, we were just succumbing to old age again and resting yet again. )

Taken as the sun set. Behind us, the Sydney Exhibition Centre. And towards the right, the $4.50 train coming towards us.

And people taking wedding photos!!

Sat until it was almost dark, then we went off for dinner!!

We were using a groupon voucher we purchased prior to arriving in Sydney. Winnie was concerned that we wouldn’t be able to eat very much cos we only just had lunch less than 3 hours ago.

But I was like, don’t worry! It’s a groupon voucher, they will be super stingy and only give just give us the Peking Duck (the option we bought), maybe a miserly dessert then kick us out!! Was pretty convinced that was going to be the case, from some of my previous groupon using experiences (LIKE THE FACIAL NONSENSE THE DAY BEFORE!!)

Also, we only paid $59 for this dinner seemingly worth $171, of course they wouldn’t be giving much! So us being full would be an added bonus to you know, not have our stomach still growling after dinner and make us feel sad.

SO I THOUGHT.

The dinner place! It should be pretty popular, cos the signboard on the first floor listed the 3rd floor has having ‘Restaurants’, ‘Cafes’ and ‘The Eight’. Must be so good that it wasn’t going to be just classified as one of the ‘Restaurants’!

We even had our own sign at our table!! Started laughing nonstop because they placed us at a table in a very awkward position – ie RIGHT NEXT TO THE PASSAGEWAY, hence everyone would have to walk past our table to get to their tables or the bathroom!! Plus being a chinese restaurant, they were rolling trolleys to bring people their food, which would cause a slight vibration to our table zzz. Not to mention annoy the ears.
Okay now that i’ve written it out i’m not so sure what’s so funny about that, but we just. Kept. Laughing.

Steamed scallops with vermicelli in XO sauce!
The first thing that hit us was… WHERE’S THE SCALLOP????

Winnie’s expression says it all lol.

FOUND: One scallop at the bottom of the heap of vermicelli!!

We were about to write off this whole dinner as a disaster and complete waste of money when…

They brought this when we were in the middle of the search for the hidden scallop. And our jaws dropped. The meal has suddenly gone from miserably sad to OMG HOW TO FINISH???

And we laughed somemore. Everyone who saw us, ie people who had to walk past us IE EVERYBODY IN THE RESTAURANT, probably thought we were mad.

Including this waiter who brought our duck to us and started cutting it right next to us!! He just ignored us madwomen and concentrated on his job lololol.

And before long, we had the Duck Pancakes!!! 5 each zomg!!

Each Duck pancake consisted of some awesome sweet sauce, some crunchy vegetable, and a slice of boneless duck meat with the crispy skin!!!! Just what i have been craving for all these years and have been too poor to eat the overpriced stuff in Tasmania!!

But after 2 pieces I was full already. )): Shouldn’t have eaten KFC arghhhh.

AND THEN THEY BROUGHT OUT THE REST OF THE DUCK.

AND TOO OILY LETTUCE.

AND THE SAN CHOY BAO (Basically chopped up little bits of the duck meat and mixed it in with bamboo shoots.)

AND A HUGE CONTAINER OF RICE.

AND FRIED NOODLES.

What our tiny table had to hold up.

All these things came at one go, so we just sat there stupefied while the wait staff flitted around the table trying to cram everything in. And then cracked up again once the realisation sat in: THIS IS A HECK LOT OF FOOD!
Winnie kept laughing and saying ‘Only scallop and Duck hor??’ I could only reply with helpless laughter ahaha.

After the laughing finally died down, we still had to face the er… food. So much food, and they had to be eaten!!

But seriously, even if we weren’t already full, how to finish all this food!! For 2 people, this is a crazyyyy amount!! (Hence let it not be said that not all chinese merchants are stingy!)

So we devised a strategy. We ate the Duck pancakes, the lettuce, and the San Choy Bao.
And then when we were feeling vaguely accomplished…

MORE FOOD!!! By this time, food had long stopped being a welcome sight.

MORE DESSERT!! (Winnie said the sesame ball was completely tasteless so i didn’t waste any remaining stomach space on it phew.)
There was also red bean soup but i really couldn’t be effed to take a photo of it by that time!

By this time we had been sitting there for about 2 hours already and were crazily stuffed. So we made the smartest decision ever: TAKEAWAY.

Paid $1 for containers to takeaway the untouched rest-of-the-duck and the fried noodles!! Decided to bring them back to Tasmania so that we wouldn’t feel suddenly completely deprived of Sydney food haha.

This bill also made us feel like we spent so little for a huge feast!! Of course deep down inside we know all too well that the hole in the pocket was already burnt…

Spotted: Korean celebrities featured advertisements in quite a few places!

Headed back to Cockle Bay!! See the pwetty city skyline!! (:

Taken with obviously tremble-ly hands. Must get tripod. But lazy to lug tripod around. Sigh.

By the end of this day, i have conceded that i have a special affinity with birds. They all stop and pose for me ahahaha.

Camwhoring while waiting….

With all these people…

For that magical moment…

Of FIREWORKS!!!!!!

It lasted for about 15 mins and all the fireworks were timed according to the music! Fireworks also er…exploded in ways i’ve never seen before!

Here is where i derail slightly and tsktsk at Singapore’s fireworks…which at their longest, I assume during New Year and National Day, only last for 10 mins. This is just a regular saturday and the fireworks last almost as long as the ones in Singapore during festivities! Of course this one is on a smaller scale, but still… I love you Singapore, but longer and more spectacular fireworks please!!

Slowly developing a knack for taking fireworks pictures heheh.

Something about fireworks make the whole place feel magical, and for those 10 minutes at least, all is good with the world. (:

After the fireworks, all buttoned up after the adrenaline has died-ed and we realised that it was actually pretty cold.

Another one for the memory!

Forgot to hide the person sitting there lol…

Attempt 2 but i concur i am too small sized yay. Such a perfect end to a lovely day, learning that I am in fact small sized ahaha.

Returned back to our hotel (discovered the shortest route back ever!!) and camwhored because I realised my actual outfit (Sans jacket) has not seen the world yet!!

So… introducing, the HOTEL ALCOHOL.

Now no one will ever drink this brand of mojito anymore sorry lollll.

Of Chinatown and half naked breakdancers

If the title didn’t catch your attention nothing ever will ahahahaha.

 

Last day of holidays!! My results turned out better than expected, thank you very much to the heavens above, and here we go into the last semester ever!!! It seems like forever (4.5 years) when i first attempted dreaming of being in my final semester, and decided i couldn’t imagine myself that old. T.T
Anyways, final day of holidays so must go back and relive the actual travel holiday part!!!
Day 3 of Sydney!

So today, to compensate for the crazy torture we put our legs through (see here), we decided to just stay in the city area. It also happens to be Saturday, which meant that Paddy’s market would be open!!

Wandering through the Chinatown area. Was surprised when i saw this, but then realised quickly that only the name was similar…

Another breadshop discovered!! We had breakfast before coming out, but the pastries were just calling out to us…

I miss this so muchhhh…

See the awesomeness…all cannot be found in Hobart!!

All we ended up buying. -.- Winnie was all, should i buy green tea soy milk or just plain soy milk?? Then end up buy green tea lol. Wanted to come back to buy at night when we were on our way home, but by the time we were going home, 1. We couldn’t find the shop anymore; 2. It was probably already closed anyway.

Some chinese restaurant’s menu along the way…Dafuq did i just read??

We are here!! Market City is the name of the entire building, which is 4 storeys high, while Paddy’s market is just the 1st floor where the bazaar is at! (Thank you wiki!)

Like a pasar malam!! Fake goods, souvenirs and food galore!!

Crazy cheap everything!!

Ice cream van. They serve out of the rear windows!!

Crazyyy number of dvds and cds!!

Wanted to buy a $10 dog, but the thought of having to carry him all around till the night made me feel tired, so we left him as he was.

The fruits and veggies section! The original sale prices weren’t like mucchhh cheaper than from supermarkets, but there was so much variety! And towards closing time, it was like a huge shouting party and all the prices then became madly reduced!! So note: if you need to buy anything from here, come close to closing time!!

Went up to market city, and there was a crowded butchery! Don’t actually recall seeing butchers working in a shopping mall before other than within supermarkets, so this was something new!!

Ditto seafood shops!! And surprisingly there wasn’t like a very strong fishy smell or anything until you walk like within probably 5 metres of the shop.

Hello, says the huge dead fish.

And the large local prawns which in reality were quite small.

Hello, says the makeshift Tigger too lol.

Recall seeing this on fb and 9gag before, and now, the notebook version!! The things people make money out of tsktsk.

On the way to Darling Harbour! Our original plan was to go straight and find food there, but got sidetracked quite abit…

Sydney Exhibition Centre!! We checked but there weren’t any shows on during the time we were there…

The fringe of Tumbalong park, which is effectively a huge round patch of grass with water around its circumference. The water has many seagulls. (And the prize for Primary School standard sentences goes to…Jacelyn Chua!!)

Nothing national geographic worthy, but i love this picture!! Probably because i was the one who took it haha.

Andddd suddenly there stands a children’s play area!! This is the water feature part. Which is super cute because just to the left of where i’m standing, were rows of bars and pubs and eating areas!

Children playing as if it isn’t 12 degrees out and the water is super cold.

Super cute contraption a la a bulldozer. You sit on it and maneuver the scoop to move sand. And the whole thing can turn 360 degrees!!

More water features. This captioning thing is hard. )):

The other end of the children playground. Whole stretch of fountains and the like.

Used to super love playing this, so much so that whenever my family went to Sentosa, i would look forward to going to Fort Siloso just so i could play this!! This was after every freaking playground i knew of was renovated and replaced with the plastic nonsense. ):

Great way for children to have fun and possibly make new friends! Though if i were on that thing, i’ll probably be screaming my (and all of their) ears off.

Winnie wants a kid just so she can ride this and not look out of place haha.

Finally reached THE main darling harbour area! This is Cockle Bay Wharf… We’ll talk more of that later, you’ll see it again i promise!

And then a topless hot man waved at us!! Hungry or not, of course we had to stop and look at him lolol.

They call themselves break dancers & tap dancers & comedy group. And they were all of the above!

Seated right in front like a true tourist haha. Okay not really, the true tourists stood behind and looked on. And the green bucket’s for you to give them some moolah in exchange for their hard work.

Qn: Why would 5 people be made to stand in a line?

Ans: So that they could be jumped (over)! Cleared all 5 of them! So awesome this man omg!!! And I thought it was super sweet of them to ensure that the little girl right in front to protect her.

After the entertainment, we continued walking on in search of food and found ourselves among even more boats and yachts than before.

And ancient ships with a bazillion ropes too.

Ancient ship (which you can go on and explore) with the modern skyscrapers.

And the more modern ferries!

I love sitting along the water and just watching people and ferries go by… a great way to chill and talk and enjoy awesome scenery. Just chilling out in Darling Harbour makes me want to move to Sydney!!!!

And then cos by this time we were dying of hunger (it was already 2.30), we went into the mall and straight to the food court. Then circled the food court like 4 times and couldn’t decide what to it… So the usual fast food staple it is!!

My favourite from KFC in Singapore: Cheesy Melt!! But this was only just released in Australia (in the mainland it seems, still can’t find it in Tassie ): ) Was so excited when i saw it… but prefer the one i ate in Singapore – the one i ate in Singapore stayed ‘glued’ together while eating it, but this one was falling out all over the place when i was eating it…so i wasted quite a lot sigh.

Winnie’s lunch: Roasted Pork and rice. (Do you see a roast pork trend here??) Tasted okay, but she said the stall owner was super rude tho.

After lunch: walking on Pyrmont Bridge to get to the other side.

Behind me: the side we are getting to.

Ferry terminal and the drinking holes.

Halfway across the bridge there was an alarm and they slowly shut the middle of the bridge!!

And the middle piece of the bridge started turning!!! To allow bigger boats and yachts to pass through!! This is different from those other bridges we see on tv where the middle of the bridge folds up, but rather just turn like 180 degrees. Never seen this before…we are so lucky eeeeee!!! (((:

Slowly fitting back into place.

And clicking into place. (okay there was no clicking sound, more like mechanical whirring sounds)
We are crazy lucky to see it coincidentally, but you can be as lucky too if you so happen to be in the area at about 3pm on saturday!! Not sure if they um, turn any other days, but that was when we were there!

Next post: How we ended our fabulous 3rd day in Sydney, Darling Harbour.

Of childhood memories and twitterpatting

I have gone from reviewing a korean drama to a children’s movie lol. Still on my mid year break so the number of movies i’ve watched in the last 2 weeks is quite staggering. So awesome to sit around and do nothing!! Must treasure cos this is the last school holiday of my life ever!!!

SPOILERS GALORE, SO DON’T READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED AND WANT TO WATCH!!

My childhood memory of Bambi is very vague. It involves a mother deer being shot to death, cute baby rabbits,skunks and deer running about and skidding about in winter (Except the skunk, cos he was hibernating), forest fire, Bambi being led out of the forest by his father.

That’s all i remember. Oh, and I remember all the tears I shed and my mother torn between laughing at me being so emotional and feeling bad for letting me watch and then end up crying so much.

A bunch of us were talking about Disney movies which ‘the male-hood would stand no chance again’ aka even the men will cry. I said BAMBI instantly, you know, based on my childhood memory. Other friends recommended Fox and the Hound, which i’ve never watched so couldn’t comment.

Plus they say will cry alot too, so no thankyou. I watched Eddie Murphy’s A Thousand Words yesterday and ended up crying. (And throughout the movie, me and the bf also suddenly stopped talking, we were so affected by the movie lolol. Synopsis here. Good movie, i like) Eddie Murphy movie i also cry, don’t think i’ll stand a chance against an animated cute fox and hound.

I don’t know what came across me that day, but i told the bf that we should watch Bambi (in exchange for making me watch some war flick the night before) because it is an awesome movie which would make him cry too.

I have to take all those words back now. )):

So the opening of Bambi shows all the forest animals living in harmony a la Lion King (actually should be vice versa cos Bambi was released in 1942) sans the owl, who is a grumpy and eccentric know it all a la Owl in the Hundred Acre Wood. Then they all go and welcome the birth of the Prince of the forest – Bambi.

Bambi is a super cute white-tailed deer who learns how to walk and talk from his mother presumably, but the movie features more of Thumper the never-think-before-he-talks rabbit.

So you have super cute scenes where the baby animals play together, learn about hibernation (incidentally also where i learnt about hibernation many years ago), and learn how to say ‘flower’ and ‘bird’. Disney so smart: baby animals are LOVE.

So cute zomg.

And Disney does its job at inculcating morals into children like this:

Thumper: He doesn’t walk very good, does he?
Mrs Rabbit: Thumper!
Thumper: Yes, mama?
Mrs Rabbit:: What did your father tell you this morning?
Thumper: [clears throat] If you can’t say something nice… don’t say nothing at all.

And he does it in the shifty, clasp hands behind your back way which is uber cute when a child (or an animated baby rabbit) does it.

I assure you, it is cuter when done in a complete motion than this still screenshot.
And then the scene where the mother doe (princess of the forest?) brings Bambi out to the Meadow to eat and then when gunshots ring, tell him to run and don’t look back, and when he gets to the thicket he doesn’t see her anymore…tears galore (Okay lah actually my tears started running from the moment they reach the meadow cos i pre-empted my own crying already fml.)

So those are the good parts.

 

The parts i didn’t like so much??

The father figure. I’m very sure that when i was young, i didn’t know that the stand-very-far-away-and-look-at-them deer was the father. Can be the grandfather or some male related relative also lah, he was so not involved in the upbringing. My wayyy more learned friend in these matters Alicia told me that it is actually super likely that father deers are all like that (sad face). But i mean like this is Disney ar, should show abit more family-ish things right??

Plus all the allusions to the fact that that is the father all must be inferred by yourself before the part his mother died. Like you know, he’s the young prince, that older dude is the Great Prince of the forest… draw your own inference. Though i still maintain that the fact that they call him the GREAT Prince is similar to calling GRAND father, so it can still be the grandfather. #notmakingsense

Also, Bambi didn’t seem to know he was his father until his mother died and the Great Prince was like, COME WITH ME SON.

Why would i say that? Check this dialogue out:

Young Bambi: He stopped and looked at me.
Bambi’s Mother: Yes, I know.
Young Bambi: Why was everyone still when he came in the meadow?
Bambi’s Mother: Everyone respects him. For of all the deer in the forest, not one has lived half so long. He is very brave and very wise. That’s why he is known as the Great Prince of the Forest.

The Great Prince is an old deer zzz. Plus see, no mention of HE IS YOUR FATHER (im thinking of Starwars now bwahahaha).

 

The music. Okay this part i was fine, but the bf couldn’t stand it after awhile. I know this because he said ‘omg how come every effing scene also orchestral music!!’ Which is justified, because it is true.

Bambi was born – orchestral music. Leaves fall down in autumn – orchestral music. Rain fall down – orchestral music. Eat grass in the Meadow – orchestral music. Run into the forest from Man – orchestral music. Chase girls – orchestral music. Run from fire – orchestral music. Give birth to twins – orchestral music.

And that’s like, the whole movie already.

But again, it IS 1942!! I don’t know what music tech they had back then but i assume that when this movie was done it was considered super good already, because they scored (pun) 3 academy award nominations: Best Sound, Best Song and Original Music Score.

 

Twitterpat-ing

And i think, once the movie reached the part where Bambi’s mother died, it lost its plot. Or maybe there was no plot all along, just a tale about this little Bambi deer and his life up till the part where he has his own kids and stand far away looking at them. #inception

But this twitterpat-ing business took the cake lol. WHAT ARE THEY TEACHING THE KIDS!!!

Here’s the definition of twitterpated:
Owl: Nearly everybody gets twitterpated in the springtime. For example: You’re walking along, minding your own business. You’re looking neither to the left, nor to the right, when all of a sudden you run smack into a pretty face. Woo-woo! You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head’s in a whirl. And then you feel light as a feather, and before you know it, you’re walking on air. And then you know what? You’re knocked for a loop, and you completely lose your head!
Thumper: Gosh, that’s awful.
Flower: Gee whiz.
Bambi: Terrible!
Owl: And that ain’t all. It could happen to anyone, so you’d better be careful.
[points at Bambi]
Owl: It could happen to you…
[points at Thumper]
Owl: …and you, and…
[Flower looks at Owl shyly]
Owl: Yes, it could even happen to you!
Thumper: Well, it’s not gonna happen to me.
Bambi: Me neither.
Flower: Me neither.

And you know what happens straight after? They do a quick stroll down the forest path and one by one they lose their souls to coquettish females. You know the kind – long eyelashes that flutter about a trillion times per minute, clasped hands in front as they sashay around. If they were human (or female foxes), they would be called vixens zzz.

See – Thumper kena hooked by a eyelash batter who lalalas him to her lap.

 

BIG EYES. LONG EYELASHES. This one i assume more shy lol.

 

So if children watch this, the boys might learn that they will succumb to pretty faces and it is normal to just drop everything and go for the pretty girl. The girls might learn that you must be pretty to land a man, and even then must use wiles to hook men.

 

After the guys end up like that lololol.

Or they might be like how i was and conveniently forget this part of the movie too. If not i might be batting eyelashes too zzz.

 

It is arguable that this whole twitterpat-ing business is true in the animal kingdom, but still if its meant for children…which i assume all disney movies are, given that disney merchandise are all targeted at children (and those young at heart)…must tweak abit right!

 

And then, the ending, which is the following spring, has them all as fathers. Sigh. The animal kingdom sure procreates really fast!

 

And now i feel silly complaining about a movie made 70 years ago, so i shall go continue watching the more recently made Rooftop Prince (kdrama).

Of wildlife surprises and sun through the clouds

We ended with this the last post. Capture attention with food lol.

After that sinfully good lunch, we decided to walk in this direction away from the beach towards the open waters.

Whole group of teens learning how to surf. I dont know anything about surfing, so i think it’s super cool that people can surf even when the tide is out and the waves are mini! Some of them made it look so effortless…makes me want to learn how to surf too! Okay no not really.

Rock pools that will fill up when the tide comes in. Such a good idea even though it looks so gross when the tide is out; children can play sea water but parents don’t have to worry about them being swept out by the tide or anything *touchwood*.

Overlooking Bondi Beach.

Came to a playground and sat on an interesting contraption.

Might as well camwhore while resting lol.
It’s actually less than 15 mins since we started walking, but our tummies were too full to let us walk long distances in peace lol.

What we were actually sitting on – See saw!!
Except this see saw is super scary cos you will slide down if you sit facing each other, and got no proper grip!

View from the see saw – many feeding pigeons!

Had to walk through rich people’s housing estate, and there was this cat sitting silently watching us… almost didn’t notice it, but then i happened to turn and there it was, glaring unblinkingly. Looks so sinister!

Different view of Bondi beach!

And behind us. How i have missed seeing you, ugly crane!

Got caught covering tummy fml. ):

That middle rock has a plaque engraved on it – though who has such awesome eyesight to read the words I don’t know.

Was super windy and cloudy we nearly didn’t come to this end of the viewing platform, but we were like, come all the way here must see all we can. So we braved the wind and came over.

I think i will live very very very happily if that house was mine. Though it is such a waste that the garage (The shorter building on the right) occupies such a prime location!!

I think we are the luckiest girls in the world that day, because WE SAW WHALES!!!!!!!!
And we started squealing in happiness and i think because of that, a lot of tourists got to see whales that day.
YOU ARE WELCOME.

These 2 whales were trolling us, one moment on this side of the water, the moment on the other side. Plus they were super far away so i was using my camera to zoom in and search for them. Super difficult okay!

ANDANDANDAND THE SUN CAME OUT!!! THANK YOU SUPERPOWER OUT THERE FOR MAKING IT SUCH A WONDERFUL DAY FOR US!!!!

We stood there for about 45 mins alternating between squealing and intense gazing out at the water (Sometimes both together).
Lots of people came and went, but we were still there, fixated on the water. Some people no patience came and stood next to us for like 5 seconds looking out, then clucked their tongue and went away thinking that we were seeing things because they didn’t see anything. No patience cannot see anything one!! We were there for at least 15mins before we spotted the whales!

And then this stupid whale viewing boat came and spoilt our fun by scaring the whales away. Though to their credit, they did turn off the engine and let their boat slowly float towards the whales.
That night when we went home, we actually saw a report on the 2 whales in the news. So it must be still quite rare for whales to be seen so near sydney! And therefore we are soooo lucky!!!!!

Sun still out!! This photo reminds me of Lion King’s Pride Rock somehow.

Thank you Sam Fiszman Park for letting me see whales for the first time in my life!!

And we found this just lying on the ground! Completely clean and unsullied! Who says our day couldn’t get any better??? We took the angel home with us and now it sits by me on my table as i’m typing this.

Views from the top of (my) Pride Rock.


The garage with the picturesque view mentioned somewhere above.

Endless endless blue! This is the Tasman Sea – which stretches all the way down the East Coast of Australia from Brisbane to Tasmania where it meets the Southern Ocean.

Finally left the views in need of the washroom, and on our way back to Bondi Beach, we met him. Like the cat just now, he just stood there and watched us!

A true guard dog lol. The face also got the guard dog look!

‘Don’t mess with me!’
And then the moment we walked past the house, he turned his back on us zzz.

Surfers done with class!
I heard before that if you pee in your wetsuit, you will end up itching crazily!!

Yet another cute dog on the way!

All these apartments have sea views… *jealous*

And remember this??

Such progress in less than 4 hours…!

Goodbye Bondi, till we meet again!!

HAHA.

Less than 2 hours after lunch, we were thinking about food again. Sigh.

Ducked into IGA Bondi in search of dinner! Because lunch was so good, we decided dinner had to be less rich and after all the walking we had done (And were about to do), just wanted to sit in our hotel room and shake leg.

Winnie trying to choose.

Would you choose this?

Or this?

Or this?
I stood there debating with myself for 5 mins, then decided not to buy. >.<
Winnie got fed up cos i couldn’t decide and we stood there for so long that she ended up being tempted to buy. And so she got Turkish delight.
And you know what? We didn’t eat it at all zzz. Winnie only ate it after we got back to Hobart lol.

Super pretty the creepers!!

Sunset above Double Bay. Only halfway home and legs were dying.

At Edgecliff – the city is in sight!!

Can see the Harbour bridge too, which means that we are nearing!!

My reasoning was: If the hamsup dog sees a female across the road, then he will dash across without waiting for traffic light or turn head left and right and left again to make sure no car, and halfway across, a vehicle comes along and…
Though i have to admit, the first time i read this, i saw UNDERsexed rather than UNdesexed lol.

Pretty hotel 2 streets away from where we are staying!

Potts Point at night.

Came back to the hotel, went to the steam room to unwind and then shower! This Winnie ah, knew I was taking picture still stand right in the middle of the room tsktsk lol.

Having dinner after a relaxing shower!

Our mind was not on our food though…

It was on the dessert they were learning how to make on MasterChef!
And that was how we ended our 2nd day in Sydney – a quiet and relaxed night in.
Thank you for the awesome weather, the delectable lunch, the beach, the WHALES, the sunshine, the angel, the steam room, the quiet dinner, the good night’s rest we received!

BONUS FOR THE LADIES WHO STUCK AROUND TILL THE END:

Found on a postcard we picked up in Bondi. I’m not even sure what the advert was for already haha.
Though now looking at it like this, the head looks like it was photoshopped on to the body lol.

Man who looks hot and can bake?? Any takers??

Have a good weekend!! (:

Of Sydney and Day 2!

It is day 2 of our Sydney trip and we had an early morning start because Winnie misheard me and scheduled our facial appointment (bought from groupon!) at 9am!! So we had to wake up at around 7.30…

Breakfast – The hotdog bun I bought the day before. The light mustard seeds and sauce were awesome, just a slight tinge of spiciness!

Route of the day!! (Must zoom out once to see the full route – yes it’s that long!)

Basically had to walk about 45 mins to get to the facial place in Double Bay from Potts Point where we stayed.
Why walk? Because we are tourists and we don’t know how the buses work. #unadventurous

No pictures along the way because we were running late and the stupid gps directed us in a slight detour (only discovered wayyy after)! Arrived about 10 minutes late… ):

We were unsure how to get in cos as you can see, it’s just an empty shop lot on the ground floor… Luckily some guy came by and just went in and up the stairs, so we just followed lol.

Turns out its just a small room at the back of this big hair salon…but with many scary looking beauty making equipment!

Lounging around and listening to the beautician tell Winnie about her skin – apparently there is such a thing as ‘too healthy skin’!

And after she placed this blue light thing over Winnie’s face (After covering her eyes, of course), it was my turn to hear about my skin.

I am sad to announce that my skin is at least 35 years old. My skin is more than 10 years older than me fml.

I would not recommend getting the groupon voucher for this facial salon.

Why?

Other than calling my skin old (which is not her fault of course, it is mine, for letting my skin age until like that), this one facial treatment, which is supposed to be valued at $182, but bought at $29, was only 30 minutes long. And that includes her analysing my skin and telling me the condition of it. And persuading me to get this facial scrub thing (Which I, being the sucker that I am, actually bought argh.). She recommended microdermabrasion for my skin, but I don’t know whether it did actually get carried out, because all I knew was her applying some cream on my skin, and me lying under the face steamer for like 10 mins trying to breathe without snorting water in and before I knew it, she was cleaning off my face and tadah done.

According to the groupon voucher, you get to choose what sort of treatment you would like for your skin, but she just recommended a certain treatment for your skin type (Now we know: too healthy skin gets blue LED light, old skin gets microdermabrasion). Which is fine, since the beautician would know best, but I can’t help but feel disappointed that I didn’t get to fulfil my purpose of going for a facial (remove blackheads) and that it was only 20 mins! That’s like less than half the time it took me to walk there!!

Okay end of rant. MOVING ON….

After the facial, we continued our journey to THE Sydney beach – BONDI BEACH!!!

Along the way…passed through residential area. Kinda like walking from Orchard Road to the Botanic Gardens in Singapore!

Statues galore!

Ew. But i suppose it is nice of the ex-owner to warn people before leaving it out along the road rather than throwing it away. Okay lah, he might be kidding but who’s gonna risk it?

Champagne glass in a hole in a wall. Someone’s been drinking on the job tsktsk.

Cool advert by Toni & Guy. Winnie and I now each have one hanging on our room doors lol.

Dilapidated house amongst all the beautiful houses. Though the graffiti does make it look less haunted…

Need a cartoonist?

Nice looking apartment…with wonky plants out front.

Halfway there in the town of Bellevue. Cooper Park – Pretty park from which you can see the city! (Which, based on how far we walked, is probably at least 3hours away.)

Must be pretty heavy traffic into the apartments to require a traffic light! Never seen before so thought it super cool! (:

Today is the day i’ve been finally enlightened as to what a refuge island is. It’s the little concrete pavement in the middle of the road for pedestrians to stand on.

For too long I always thought it was an island nearby where refugees can er…seek refuge on. Don’t know why i’m admitting it omg so paiseh.

And what do you know, there is a mini island right here in Tasmania with that name! See here

And finally…first sighting of anything Bondi. 1.5hrs from Double Bay.

Slowly got more and more…

We were walking towards these 2 apartments and I asked Winnie which of the 2 she preferred. She chose the white building, and when we got nearer…

LOL. But at least it is luxurious!

The dogs here are so obedient!! This one is just standing around waiting for his owner to come out from the shop. Without a leash! If this were Nacho, he would have either bounded off to the nearest person with food, or charged into the shop. Or at the very least, peed right outside the shop entrance.

Almost there…

And there it is, right across the road…Bondi beach!!!

I must have been too excited to bother holding the camera straight. #excuses

Not sure whether excitement came from the fact that it was Bondi beach, or from the fact that we have finally reached. (It rhymes!)

Let’s gather here 23/01/15!!

The whole stretch of wall was covered in murals! Here are some that i especially liked:



Though I must admit, i don’t understand this… T.T

Also stopped and watched him paint this mural!

The naughty dog pooped right behind the mural artist(?) and the owner pretended not to notice until the mural artist called him back to pick up the poop. Must be civic minded!!

Come to Bondi Beach, of course must pose with the beautiful scenery!!

The wind kept acting up whenever i wanted a photo. )):

THE Lifeguard stand. See all the dramas and reality tv shows make the lifeguard stand look so cool…but coming here and having a look for myself…not thaaat impressive eh. For one, where are all the hot lifeguards???

But can imagine like the motor boat charging out from the dark haha.

Not sure whether really a lifeguard lol. But he had the surfboard so we assumed!

And we decided that coming to the beach during winter has its disadvantages: It’s cold, so the lifeguards would wear more! #sadface lolol

Decided to head for lunch (all that walking made us super ravenous!) but didn’t find anything particularly appetising around here…

But camwhoring still takes priority!! Too bad there was just 2 of us and no one around to help us take together. Except the guy behind, but he looked preoccuPIEd. (geddit geddit??)

Wanted to eat here, but inside was full and outside was too cold!

Pwetty bird posing for me. (:

Chilled for abit outside an unopened restaurant on the sandy couches…

Being super touristy haha!! And proof that i’ve been here!!

Then we found this gem of a place!! Though the name is okay only lor – North Bondi Italian Food.

Cute little dog sitting outside the restaurant on his own! (i think i said this somewhere in front as well lol)

Interior of the restaurant.

Again, so many to choose from i cannot decide!

They served sourdough bread with olive oil while we continued deciding what to eat…finally decided on their ‘Tonight’s roast’. Yes it was lunch when we went lol – but we asked and they said ‘yes we serve it’!

Winnie loved the bread she asked for extra after we finished this basket lol. Then they gave us an even bigger basket zzz.

Smart design for every table – Now they don’t have to worry about people knocking things over and breaking the olive oil bottle!

Part of the view from where we were sitting!

Happier after eating bread lol.

Friendly boss came and chatted with us and helped us take this! (:

And then the food appeared!!! Looked and smelt so good (though after the meal i told Winnie that after 2 days of pork belly, i was going to stay away from it for at least 1 year (i lied, i ate it the day after we reached hobart))!!

The orange thing is mashed mustard fruits – abit spicy on its own or in quantities larger than half a teaspoon full, but with the pork belly it is delish!
!
The generous filling that came along with the pork belly! I didn’t finish the pork belly cos i started to feel surfeited (must keep using new vocab till i remember lol) and some parts were more fats than meat so I pushed them aside, but i finished all that filling!

Full and satisfied, we declined dessert (the boss was astounded lol: 2 girls, and no dessert???) and went back out to the beach…

To be continued…