JustFern

Buddha Day Festival @ Melbourne

2010-05-16T22:18:00.007+10:00

Headed to the Buddha's Day & Multicultural Festival at Federation Square on a beautiful day with the sun out at 19 degrees. Doubt we will get many days as beautiful as this in the coming weeks as gloomy and cold winter is approaching.

So today was the day that Buddha gets bathed. A symbol of inner purification, the tradition is said to assist with the purgation of sins.. A universal message that "It's simple to wash away physical dirt but it's much more difficult to cleanse one's inner dirt of greed, anger and ignorance". I learned something new today

Bathing the Buddha

Even performers had to take advantage of this weather

It's all about Vegetarian food today

Going WAHHHH! at New Zealand South Island

2009-12-06T17:12:00.011+11:00

It was a spontaneous trip which we decided in 3 days. Was deciding on South or North island and thanks to Sim, Jason, Victor, Julian and other friends which gave us some solid suggestions, we made our decision to tour around South Island in 11 days. Just an advice, if you would like to travel to South Island, please make sure you have at least 16 days to tour around as 11 days was just not enough to see and explore.

Without hesitating with such limited time, we booked tickets with Pacific Blue, 10 days car rental and our 1st night at Christcurch.. The rest is history!

Spectacular views from the plane. When I first looked outside, was wondering what's that. After a second I went "WAHHH!!!". Justin laughed at me..hahaha..

Our pad for the 1st night at YHA Hostel in Christchurch .. Here's the common kitchen with full facilities

Punting at Christchurch. I was just amazed at how freshly green their leaves and grass are as compared to Melbourne. Check out the different shades of green.

ANZ Bank Chambers

The City of Christchurch.. Errr.. this was on Friday evening. Where's everyone??!!

We left Christchurch the following day and headed to Lake Tekapo. This was caught at one of our toilet stops on the way. So colourful!

The views while driving. How to sleep?! I went "WAHHHH WAHHHHH WAHHH!" Can you see the snowy mountains? My pictures don't do much justice, you have got to buy your air ticket and see for yourselves.

Another "WAHHHHHH!! SO BLUEE".. We have arrived at Lake Tekapo!! This is just a glimpse

Lake Tekapo turquoise-blue glacier lake. I couldn't believe my eyes how blue this lake is. The water is derived from ground glacial rock suspended in the water. and it's very very cold. When we were there, the water was 6 degrees celsius. If you fall in there, you only have 10 minutes to get out of the water as hypothermia would be a major concern. BRRRR!
This was where part of the Lord of the Rings battle was filmed.
Why is the water of Lake Tekapo turquoise?
The majority of water flowing into the headwaters of Lake Tekapo comes from large river systems that extend right back into the valleys of the Southern Alps. Feeding these rivers are large glaciers. Glaciers are slow moving rivers of ice.
Glaciers start as fallen snow high on the mountain plateaus of the Alps. As more and more snow falls, the weight of the new snow compresses the older layers until it becomes a thick, heavy layer of ice.
Gravity draws the ice from where it formed and down the slopes of the mountains.
Just like water, the ice collects in valleys and pushes its way down the valley, ripping loose rock from the valley walls and trapping it in the moving ice.
Any rock trapped against the sides of the ice flow is ground, with huge force, along the solid rock of the valley floor and walls. Such is the force, the grinding action of rock against rock results in a powder as fine as flour. It is often referred to as glacial flour.
The fine flour is carried with the ice down the valley until the warmth of the lower altitude reduces the ice to water.
In the case of Lake Tekapo, the glacial flour continues its journey in the river waters of the Godley, Cass and Macaulay rivers until it flows into the lake where the majority remains suspended within the water. This results in the turquoise colour.(Extracted from http://www.laketekapo.net.nz/info/index.html)

WAHHHHH!

Just so beautiful

Situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo, the Church of the Good Shepherd was the first church built in 1935. It has breathtaking views and weddings are held here pretty often.

View from the top, Lake Tekapo town with approximately 300 residents.

Viewing Lake Tekapo from the top
On the road. They say there are more sheeps than humans in New Zealand.

Hot springs next to our hostel.

View of Lake Tekapo from the car.

OH WHAT A FEELING!

OK more pictures to come.. Hang on! Am trying to organise my 1500 pictures and show 2% of it. :P

The Next Bracket

2009-10-20T18:43:00.010+11:00

A little update ... I went back to KL for almost 3 weeks, ate like I have never eaten before over the last 7 months and yumcha with friends to cover up the last gossips and updates for the last 7 months that I have missed. Even with 3 weeks, I found that I didn't have enough time to do much.

Went back for my sister's wedding, Ronnie and Eleana's wedding, Azareen's Raya Open House, a failed trekking up to Broga Hill (rained halfway), Full Moon Party (baby party, not rave party)...and of course some shopping filled in.. Didn't take many photos as I was too lazy lugging my camera around.

I celebrated my 30th Birthday in KL with friends, no photos as it's with Lena and Gia Min. Also had a mini celebration here in Melbourne too. Gosh.. Can't believe 30 years has passed by so fast! When you fill in forms, you tick your age either at 20-29, 30 - 39. Am officially in the new bracket!!

Some rundown of photos that I have..

Baby Ashley... so cute

At the bottom of Broga Hill. All semangat, wake up at 6.30am. Unfortunately it rained while we were halfway to the top.

Back in Melb I had a mini b'day celebration bbq at Shaun's apartment. This was the view we had at the bbq pit. Gorgeous!

Masterchef in action. We had King crab, steaks, gourmet sausages, potato salads, salmon and chicken. We went to Costco to buy the food and in the end we bought so much that we stretched our bbq throughout lunch to dinner. Clocked in time = 8 hours of bbq!

accompanied with some poker and beers

love the reflection of the sky on the glass. Thanks for the pic Shaun.

Xie Lynn and I with monkeys at the back

yummy trampoline ice cream cake with 4 flavours from hubby

tengah debating on my wish

At Dainty Szechuan. Had dinner there on my actual birthday night at their new restaurant on Toorak Road. Verdict? It still tastes as good, plus with an enriched new menu and a cleaner restaurant. This is one of their new dish, barbeque chicken with heaps of chilli.

My delicious fruit Cake from Gia Min.

Group picture.. Thanks for the wonderful presents, cakes and dinner guys!

And we have booked to go New Zealand South Island and will be departing tomorrow. It's a spontaneous trip and tickets were just booked 2 days prior to departure. It's an adventure!!We booked our 1st night accommodation and will go from there with our car booked for the rest of the 10 days.. Wish us luck! :) I can't WAIT! 12 hours to depart.. WOO HOO!

My Saturday Weekend

2009-10-17T16:16:00.003+11:00

Everyone is out today! The sun is shining and even the dogs are enjoying the sun. I love spring!! And it's the weekend!! Woo hooo

Mr HSL all the way from KL. Reaches here at 5pm instead of 4pm. Typical Malaysian timing

Welcome to Little Creatures @ Fitzroy. I reckon it's one of the best places to hang in the afternoon. Love the food and people say their beer's da bomb.

At little creatures.. Why can't we get bars like this in KL? Not noisy, smoky, can bring kids.. Or am I getting old??? oh nooo

That's right. Go get your ride

2 Bright ales

My kind of drink, no alcohol. Another alternative to a "healthier" version of Coca Cola

Cutie waiting patiently for his owner to get drunk

This is their "book for the bill". How cute

My 1st Attempt

2009-09-14T21:02:00.023+10:00

Just the beginning of Spring, it was a beautiful day with a shocking 28 degrees from the average 17 degrees in Melbourne. For the first time after 7 months, I could wear SHORTS!! I was elated and jumping for joyy.. Bye bye to bulky jackets and moody weather..
I was invited by Paul and Sunny to go over for tea at their lovely home in Port Melbourne and to take some maternity photos.. Well, I have never done maternity photos before and I was excited to see the outcome of it... Veryy Veryy Nervous
Hot Mummy Sunny is due in a week's time and are both utterly excited of their upcoming new member.
Greeted by the lovely lap pool in their home.... It's so deceiving as you wouldn't have expected the house to have such a big space internally, plus with such a lovely pool

Tea with Fiona, Paul and Sunny
Homemade gorgeous cupcakes made with love by Sunny.. YUMMY! Pregnant at 9 months and baking, shopping and on heels!

I could feel the romantic buzz with this couple.. They're both so into each other.. Like high school dating.. WOW!

Hot Mama! Glowing and superbly sexy! Mind you, at 42 yrs old!

At Port Melbourne beach... Loved the weather on that day.. I honestly felt as though I was on a holiday in Thailand and was smiling ear to ear =) The only thing missing were the food hawker stalls.

Handsome Paul

May I present to you the future Miss Siena Tsubaki Torok.. Congratulations Paul and Sunny!
So what do you think of the pictures?... Think I passed? hehe

Megan at 1 year old plus

2009-09-12T12:50:00.016+10:00

Little Megan is loving the attention with the camera. She's one adorable kid. BUTT beware, she may look adorable and nice to hold and play, BUT, nobody can touch or hold her except her parents. Hence the saying goes "Nice to see, nice to touch, once broken, considered sold" applies pretty similarly to her. Try attempting to hold her, she runs and call for her mummy and daddy. Do not attempt if you have weak ear drums as warning of loud cries is possible.

so geram!

cute commander look

tiny toes...soft as silk

cheeky little girl

this is cute

Bling Bling Converse

2009-09-09T16:42:00.005+10:00

Was out shopping with Gia Min and she bought an unexpected old school Converse shoe. Not only that, it's silvery shiny shiny!! OMG!! haha.. Looks pretty cool! Would you DARE to wear this pair of shoe?

Model : Gia MinPhotographer : muaLocation : Park near mua house

Surrounded with blooming flowers of Spring

Love the yellow light in the evening

Bits and pieces of Az

2009-08-21T13:53:00.003+10:00

Here's some bits and pieces of pictures when Azareen was down in Melbourne. Yes, am a bit delayed, but I always believe in the saying "Better Late than NEVER" :)

New model in town. Az maybe you could go for castings?

Us out at Supper club

At Williamstown, near the beach.. My favourite picnic spot. Reckon this would pass for a Levi's Ad, Hotlink Ad or ?

At Eureka Sky Deck.. The Cube. This was where I gave my life to Justin. Elevated on the 88th floor outside the building. Was pressured to say YES!! haha

Inside Eureka Sky Deck

The balcony, overlooking Melbourne 300 metres above the ground, on the 88th floor.

Inside St Paul's Cathedral on Flinders Street

Standing at Federation Square

Flinders Station. There was a big rally regards to Indian racism in Melbourne. At least they get to rally in public peacefully with police closely monitoring them. In Malaysia, even though it's a democratic country, they put you behind bars.

Ad Campaign SAY NO TO DRUGS, "Don't do drugs, you can still look this cool"

The rally lasted till midnight

Melbourne is known for its funky and cool back alleys. One of my favourites too

Police on guard that day cause of the protests..

At Chinatown

Playing Masak Masak

2009-08-17T21:15:00.017+10:00

Having Malaysian friends over are the best especially when you are at a foreign country. You miss so much of the Malaysian food and having a masak masak day sometimes beat going out. haha.. This is us girls relieving our childhood :)

This is my dish whipping up some mamak mee goreng. Errr.. Judges who tasted it, was it ok?

Kaya made with pandan leaf, coconut and heaps of eggs. Must keep on stirring until it becomes thick.

This is Azareen's signature pineapple tarts. She stood a painstaking 2 hours standing and stirring it. Pineapple tarts made from scratch! Mind you this pineapple base is extracted out from the pineapple fruit itself.

Then rolling it into shapes with the dough and the pineapple fillings. Luckily she came to Melbourne :P

This one cannot stand, need to sit on chair to stir her kaya

Malaysian Kuih getting ready to rock and roll in the oven. Didn't manage to take a picture of the outcome, cause once it came out, it went missing into our stomachs'. Am ordering more when I get back to KL. Az makes the best Pineapple tarts and orders are welcome this coming Hari Raya.
Kindly email your orders to azareen@hotmail.com
What's the harm with free advertising ;) But seriously, it's the best pineapple tarts. Just perfect. By the way, the pineapple tarts looks better normally cause this one was done in Melbourne without any fancy designs on it... Fast and simple. As long as it tastes good, am not complaining on how it looks.

taaaa daaaaaaaa, kaya's done after errr.. 2 hours? Verdict = YUMMY! I still have them in my fridge and still tastes good!

Dainty's moving

2009-07-30T11:04:00.002+10:00

Was walking pass our favourite szechuan restaurant in the city and to my shock, Dainty Sichuan Food is moving to 176 Toorak Road. They will be further away and in a remote place where there aren't many chinese restaurants. A friend of mine went to Dainty Sichuan the last day before they shut in the city and took her an hour to get a table and waited half an hour just to order. Crazy. Wonder if their new place will be bigger with more staffs and maintaining the consistency quality of food?

So no Szechuan from now till mid August. Can't wait to go again!.. It's Sooooooo ADDICTIVE! Do you think there will still be a crowd at the restaurant and for people to travel all the way there? Verdict will come in mid August.

Ice Ice Baby

2009-07-20T12:04:00.002+10:00

Woke up one early morning and it was a bitter chilly, wintry morning. It was freezing 4 degrees as I headed out to the car at 8am. Saw the car from the door of the house and it was all fogged up. Was thinking in my head "Shucks, now I need to wait for it to unfog!." And as I walked to the car, I opened the passenger door to drop my bag and as I held the door frame to close it, I touched a funny texture on the door. Was like EHHHH... fungus ah? I took a quick look at it properly and there was a layer of ICE ALL OVER THE CAR! I was stunned and surprised as I had never seen or expected something like this. Well in Malaysia it's just 247 hot hot hot. haha.. damn ulu.. check it out. Picture taken by my trusty 3 year old Samsung handphone..

Check out the ice all over the car, it realllyyy was all over the car, even on the front, back, top, side!! I was hoping to see snow along the road, but nopee...nowhere to be seen

From inside the car (looks like the glass is all smashed up right?)

My sister's keeper

2009-07-16T21:26:00.003+10:00

I have just finished reading this book, My sister's keeper, brilliantly written by Jodi Picoult. The story is told by alternate perspectives and characters which is truly engaging, moving and definitely gripping. This is my first book by Jodi Picoult and it's a book that you can hardly put down and move you to tears. Just love it!! A movie is just released that casts Cameron Diaz, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack, Rick Crawford, Jason Patric. When I first read the book, I wondered who was Cameron Diaz acting as? As it's so family oriented with full of drama and I had always associated Cameron acting in funny roles. Well, Cameron's the mother in this story, which is very motherly and yes, this role is something new for her and I am pretty curious to find out how its like watching Cameron acting in a motherly role.

The movie is officially out on 26th June 09 but it's only being released in Australia on 30th July. Can't wait to watch the movie, however I have read that the ending had been altered... :( To know the real ending.. pleaseeee go get the book.. Seriously, it's so worth it to read. It's a beautiful, heart breaking, touching, emotional and honest book.

A short Synopsis:

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister - and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable… a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?

Click to watch a sneak peek of the movie :

Do you like cats?

2009-07-13T15:10:00.016+10:00

It was a day at the Yarra Valley with an erratic weather. We got there early in the morning, sunny and blue sky, then came the rain, blue sky again and rain again. Despite the unpredictable weather, we braved ourselves and had an awesome time.

Our timetable was as such:

the night before, slept in Gia Min's house cause her house is nearer to Yarra Valley..

8am : ALARM ringgssssss, WAKE UPP
8.45am : LEAVEEE the house, head to Yarra Valley, ate breakfast with toast bread, bacon, eggs and coffee at Wattleseed. Azareen ate something else that was halal...hehe...
10am: Head to the vineyards for tasting and made sure we covered everything by 4pm (As it gets darker by then). Think we covered 5 vineyards in total.

This was in Yarra Yering, in one of the secluded, expensive and exclusive vineyards in the Yarra Valley. One of the highlights on this trip was meeting Condi, this adorable cat, which was so ever friendly, welcoming, calm and well behaved. The owner just got her from the pound as the previous family had kids and couldn't take care of this little precious. Just been with the owner for a week and Condi's already so attached to him.

such a cutie!!

Gia Min doing her round of tasting. $20 plus each per person for tasting if you don't buy the wine.. GILA! So Az and I decided to play with Condi.

I just adore her green eyes

New found best friend

I have NEVER seen such expensive wines before in Australia. This place has one of the top end wines. Even for tasting, they charge you $20, which normally costs $2 only.

Tycoon Miss Gia Min bought 3 bottles from there! hehe..I Wonder when she will open it....Gotta be a REALLLLL special day.. or a special someone... ;P

Bruno.. VASSSUPP!

2009-07-13T14:36:00.005+10:00

We just watched Bruno and it was super hilarious! How shall I describe the movie? .. hmmm... Funny, vulgar, crazy, stupid, mad, genius, candid, disgusting.... the list goes on..

It was Ali G, Borat and now it's Bruno. He has been in talk shows in Australia and he's just crazy and funny. VASSUPPP! An Austrian gay fashionista going around trying to be famous in America. He has a quirky sense of humour and quite a character with a funny slang. Pretty certain it won't be showing in the cinemas in KL, so get the DVD. Let yourself loose and watch it... Definitely make you laugh to tears and tell me which part you like best!

Check out the trailer!

Culture Shock-alingam!

2009-07-08T18:48:00.019+10:00

I finally started experiencing the work life here in Melbourne.. Well, not for long though.. but let me share some culture shock experiences with you...hehe..

1. First day at work, went out for lunch with 2 colleagues.. A and B.. A is a pleasant mum who used to be a banker with 2 kids and B is a 26 yr old, model, self employed, and does odd jobs.

While we were walking to find a restaurant to get lunch, B was telling us about her life story. B says "I was dating my ex for over 10 yrs and I finally got to know he was cheating on me all this while! What a @#$@# and my mother is somehow still supporting me to go back to him. How could she, when he's done such things to me".

So I went "B, maybe your mum is just so comfortable with him that's why".

B says "Noooo, I think my mum slept with him as well, I mean, why should she suggest such a thing. She's just feeling guilty that's why". MY JAW DROPPED! OMG!! Man, you have major issues...

Then, B went on, "Oh, I don't speak to my sister anymore. It's been years..". I went.. "Sorry to hear that".

B says : "Yeah, my sister's ex tried to hit on me and she doesn't believe me that I didn't do anything wrong. We haven't spoken since then...."

In my head... "wow! her life is just like a soap opera, Bold and Melbourne"

2. Lunch break, only half an hour!! And they consume banana, apple or sandwich everyday... What happened to hot and tasty food? Some just drink coffee for lunch.

3. Getting to know people.. In my batch, there was this lady, a Branch Manager of a bank with 27 years of experience! I was blown away! In my head.. Why would she leave such a good job for this ...? She said she left the Bank early this year as she was working long hours and liked the hours here as it's only 6 hours a day...

Another one, 6 years of professional experience in Mechanical Engineering. This time I was also flabbergasted which caused my eyes to dilate. He says that he wants to learn sales and wanted financial freedom.. Errrr... okay...

4. Went for an interview in one of biggest telco companies here. Was speaking to the security guard and he holds an MBA and is currently looking for a job! Gosh... What's happening.. Such a waste of talent.

What I have noticed, some people here very much believe in quality of life, not working long hours and some look for financial freedom. They are indeed very professional and sharp when they work. Some are pretty contented doing odd jobs, simple jobs, you know what I mean. In KL, some are so pre occupied and worried about working long hours, impressing the Boss, trying to climb up the ladder. It's pretty different over here, but I am sure it doesn't apply to everyone.

5. Driving : It's quite stressful driving here as the speed limit is 60km/h on most roads. When I first drove, I wasn't used to it and kept driving above the speed limit. Normal lah, KL Drivers. Don't look at speed limit and think we are KING of the road. Somehow people here abide to the speed limit very very closely. Speed a bit, ticket come, pay in AUD. No such thing as bribe nonsense. When I drive, I keep looking at the car behind me, and I keep thinking "Am I hogging the road?", "Does the driver want to over take?", "Should I move to the corner so he can overtake?", "Is he cursing at me for going so slow?", and at the same time, I keep on checking my speedometer to ensure I am not speeding. STRESS only!

PLUS, there's heaps of traffic lights here and tram stops.. Need to look out for speed limit, road signs, pedestrians and traffic lights. Yellow means PREPARE TO STOP!!!! ... Everytime when I approach the lights, I am just waiting for it to turn yellow and hit the brakes.. haha.. Cause in KL Yellow means "HIT ON IT!". Don't play play with the roads here in Melbourne cause there's 2 camera's at the lights. 1 is to catch you beating the lights and another one if you are speeding! I am getting more accustomed driving here. Wonder if I come back to KL and drive at 60km/h and get bullied on the road?

Catching Eyes

2009-05-18T11:45:00.003+10:00

Need to buy or sell anything? Need to advertise? I just love the ads in Australia. Be it TV, Radio and Billboards. They are humorous, catchy, fun, wicked and SICK! hahahahaha... Have seen a quite a few good ones, but I didn't manage photos of it. It's so different from KL, reason being KL's just too rigid with the rules. Ad's cannot be violent, no cursing, cannot kutuk bla bla.. When I first came to Australia, I was quite taken aback by their advertisements, cause they curse and swear, they advertise X rated services and stuffs, it's violent, funny, and the list goes on.

Here's some that I got from Sydney that was hanging from a backpacker's joint. This poster is quite huge, and hanging by the glass wall, along the busy street in Sydney to attract attention or pedestrians and motorists.

Will try to snap more pictures when I come across funnier ads.

Cosmopoliton Sydney

2009-05-15T13:59:00.004+10:00

Sydney.. the cosmopoliton city.. the city of fashion, attitude, character...

along George St, just love the reflection of the sky from the building

In Sydney, there's train and monorail. The monorail is above the road and goes around the city which is very similar to KL's monorail.

the view up above from the monorail

Sydney's city hall

Queen Victoria Building, also known as QV, an amazing shopping centre. It's an old building from 1898 and n 1984 it was refurbished into a shopping centre. Can't believe it was renovated by a Malaysian company, Ipoh Garden Bhd! They still manage to retain it's old, rustic classic charm.

very Romanesque architecture.. Pedestrians waiting patiently at the lights

The QV building has a few significant domes and it makes the building look so much more splendour

QV's interior

exquisite stained glass window...

this was during tea time..

This was at The Rocks, Louis Vuitton outlet. Am always amazed at how crowded their outlets are. It's like a must for everyone to have an LV. But I don't.. hmm should I need one soon?

Desserts are plentiful, delicious and they're everywhere!! sinful!!

Couldn't resist for this chocolate cake! It's just so hard to stay away from good food here. Everything's just looks so enticing and oh boy... these days I can hardly remember when I was hungry!

My cousin, Mei Jian.. future veterinarian. So if you have pets, you know who to look for :)

somewhere near Chinatown..Chinatown in Sydney is so much more bigger. More shops, more Korean and Japanese girls and very vibrant.

I decided to go for a manicure in Chinatown, in one of the Korean owned shops and it was indeed an experience, with a lot of customers talking about their lives and me, eavesdropping.. I learned a little more of Korea and the girl who was servicing me was very sweet. Paid AUD 55 for a Mani and Pedi treatment.. Figured since am on a holiday, why not go for a treat (trying not to convert) (but OMG!! that's like RM 150!)

This was at Erskenville station. I got on the wrong train and headed the wrong direction! whhooopss... Gia Min was waiting for me at the mascot station which is another 20 minutes away. There are SOOO many train routes in Sydney.

Friends from KL

2009-05-13T09:03:00.005+10:00

We've had a few friends that came down to Melbourne within these 2 months! Been really fun having them around and feels just like home in KL. With all the MAS and Air Asia campaigns fighting for the pie, it has been beneficial for everyone :) Oh, please continue the price war!

Here it is.. In sequence

First came, Karu, who was down about 2 weeks ... one who's tolerance of alcohol and spicy is low.. wrong colour lah you.. hehe

Then came Edwin and Vivian who drove down all the way from Sydney.. mega wine connoisseurs. Thanks again for all the gifts, dinner and my 1st wine bottle :)

Then Jacqueline and her friend, Li Fern came down too.. had a memorable time

Then Tan Ke Vin came along and got us kicked out from Seven..
Those who want to party in Melbourne, remember NOT to appear drunk! I repeat, NOT to appear drunk! Once appear drunk, you gotta say bye bye..
In KL you can drink all you want and pass out, sleep on Velvet's couch, wake up and continue drinking again.. It's not the same here.. hehe

Another Adrain, from KL too, tapi datang dari Indonesia, a friend of Gia Min's...

Adrian, my cousin came for 1 night for a stopover in Melbourne

Joyce, the hot mama

Jinh, as well together with Joyce...

Then came Teng Yeow

and Tioks, super "si man" lady...

and the whole jim bang gang!
from left : Yvonne, Victor, Michelle, Chen, Kevin, Justin and mua

Kevin and Victor
then Kevin came and had supper in Lygon..

and then Tatt came along! Can't imagine Yvonne bumped into Tatt while strolling in Melbourne!! haha! What a surprise that we don't bump into each other in KL, but overseas..

And Az, who will be down in 2 weeks time!! Brenda who is around now.. Lena in October.. wonder who's next? ...

Great Ocean Road

2009-05-10T23:12:00.007+10:00

Am taking a detour away from Sydney.. am a little excited with these new sets of pictures as am trying to learn more editing and it's so interesting! .. Wonder what would be the favourite :)

We've been so busy entertaining our friends from KL and have been travelling around Victoria. Kevin and I went to Great Ocean Road with another friend and it took us a crazy 7 hour drive from Melbourne!! well I wouldn't totally say it was painstaking as the drive was very scenic albeit windy.. MAD right?.. We left home at 9am and got there at 3pm. No wonder Justin was so adamant of not going to Great Ocean Road and wished us "All the best on the drive".. But of course we had a couple of stops here and there and we chose to take the coastal drive to see Geelong. On average if you take the highway, the journey is about 3-4 hours drive to get to Great Ocean Road

Here's the road leading to the Fish and Chips restaurant in Geelong

(the old school feel)

scenery along the coastal road

Ke Vin practising his boy band moves

"PAN cool" look

caught this rainbow when we were on the Coastal road. Just fantastic that we could see the whole rainbow!

Kev and Adrian

The then 12 Great Apostles, now probably 8 left? Not too sure..
Drive for 6 hours, spend about 20 minutes here. More like Great Ocean Drive

more Apostles at the other corner

A break for coffee.. Coffee in Melbourne is everywhere and it's all brewed coffee. You can hardly find instant coffee and people in Melbourne love their brewed coffee and swears by it.

After the coffee, we headed back home and took the highway.. 3 hours home! crazy!! .. Been there, done that. Doubt I want to take that drive again :)

Art Gallery in Sydney

2009-04-27T10:16:00.002+10:00

Been so busy lately.. had friends and family from KL that were down in Melbourne.. It's been great having them down, especially mua parents.. next in line, another friend will be down in 2 days time.. I should just work as a tour guide in Melbourne.. or maybe a holiday photographer while you travel here.. Anyone wanna hire me?

Here's the art gallery in Sydney.. the architecture of this building is so English..

inside the art gallery

looks like a bar code in rainbow colours

joker..

photographs taken

cement stairs on the wall

Surprised that this is considered an art

the floor

What I have learned is.. if you can describe anything from a picture, then it's an art.. even the most ugliest form, can be appreciated unexpectedly as an art...

St Mary's

2009-04-15T14:05:00.003+10:00

The beautiful St Mary's cathedral near Hyde Park.. damn niceeeeeeeee

inside St Mary's

so grand and beautiful..

in silence, praying

Hyde Park

2009-04-12T22:50:00.006+10:00

I mentioned earlier in my other post that I walked quite a significant distance in Sydney. Think I had clocked in 15-20 km's.. not too sure, but I started walking from 8.30am until 3.30pm NON STOP! Wonder how many KM's I would have clocked for 7 hours of walking.. The moment I stopped at 3.30pm to take my lunch, I was so exhausted and could feel my legs sore. Soon after taking a 30 mins break for lunch, I continued walking for another 4 hours!! pretty proud of myself! no trains or bus..just continuous walking

Am just going to put up my post slowly on what I saw on my 3rd day of Sydney as there are so many pictures to share.. We stayed right next to Hyde Park, one of the best location right smack in the CBD .. I almost accomplished covering the whole city on that day

at Hyde Park

crossing the street next to Hyde Park

Pathway along Hyde Park. People walking to the train station, heading to work

Anzac Memorial

Runners are pretty popular in the city. Ladies in formal attire wear runners as they walk a lot. They change to their proper shoes in the office

Hyde Park right smack in the city

Bondi Beach!

2009-04-05T17:42:00.001+10:00

Continuing from the previous post at La Piadina, after lunch, we took a stroll down to Bondi beach, Sydney and the Bondi Market..

Just amazing views

and more amazing views

Everyone was out sunbathing as the weather was superb on that day.

the lifeguard house

the view from where we were sitting on the beach

Just wished we had our bikini's on that day.. We looked like a typical tourist..Never thought Sydney would be this hot!

Melody and her foldable bicycle

Bondi Market

Markets in Australia sells 2nd hand clothes and other goods, and local designers markets their work. The items that the local designers sell are much more expensive than the Made in China stuffs. Rent is so cheap in the market, yet they're selling retail outlet price. I thought markets are supposed to be reasonable man.. what happened to the pasar malam concept?

Now you know what you could do with your father's old ties

Every Tuesdays sells cheap ass stuffs. Food, DVD rentals, movies and Petrol (think on Wednesdays) are cheaper.You get buy 1 free 1 pizza, DVD rental in Melbourne is AUD 2 on Tuesdays and of course, petrol would come in very handy as our car is a 4 litre, guzzler.

La piadina at Bondi Beach

2009-04-04T00:49:00.001+11:00

La Piadina, located at Bondi Beach, Sydney. A small, cosy traditional Italian restaurant that serves superb Italian flat breads, coffee and desert. Thanks to Aaron for introducing this place to us! Sensational!..

their menu.. so valueeeee

Melody, Gia Min, Bag, Aaron and I

Don't hold me responsible if you get hungry..

superb food

Aaron loves to hang out at La Piadina.. I would if I lived in Sydney.. am already craving for the food..
Aaron, could you pack some and mail over to Melbourne? :)

I believe this was part of the conversation on the battle of Melbourne and Sydney.. "which is better".. reminds me of the love and hate relationship between Singapore and Malaysia

their mini kitchen

The dessert.. Full of Nutella!! Overpowering!

La Piadina, 106 Glenayr Ave, Bondi Beach, (02) 9300 0160

Touchdown in Sydney!

2009-03-31T00:34:00.023+11:00

So, this was the Y Hotel we stayed in. Fantastic Location, right smack in the CBD! Thank God we need not sleep in the dormitory rooms as they still had standard rooms available..

our budget hotel, without attached toilet..haha. The room is actually quite small. Something like First World in Genting but cleaner

super compact, got fridge, TV, safe and ironing board in the cupboard.

We got to Sydney really early in the morning. Left our bags in the hotel and started heading for breakfast at Bill Granger's restaurant

The roads in Sydney are pretty hilly.. can't imagine wearing heels walking up and down

It was a pretty pleasant walk, a start of the weekend, happy Saturday morning, cooling weather and the roads were pretty quiet and empty. There were a lot of joggers and cyclists doing their early exercise, while some were sleeping from their Friday late nights..

Finally found Bill Granger's restaurant

part of his menu, just simple food

His ever famous fluffy omelette. we've walked so far.. better be good..and yes, it was indeed fluffy..

a nice cup of latte

the eggplant was placed in the middle of his dining table. And somehow it looked so pretty! so simple, yet ada style juga!

his books

and DAMN! It's one expensive breakfast!!!! can't believe we both spent AUD 50.60!! luckily it lasted me till dinner..

and then we continued to walk walk, headed towards the Paddington Markets on Oxford St.

some houses in the city..

hmmm.. funny that the tree is up there

At Paddington Markets.. some nice embroidery

funky lap sap top

funky glasses

I so want this pair!

these shoes AUD 200 +! crazy right? Thinking about the conversion makes me sick!

love the colours

make up model .. sexy!

fake bling bling

I find people here in Australia are so much more creative .. so many good arts and creative designs that you can find here.. simple things which looks really good. Even their advertising ideas are just super Fresh and spot on messages.

art painted on the wall.. this was at a cafe that sells 2nd hand books.

baby shoes... Australian Made.. everything also Australian made, but Australian price..haha.. only things that are Made in China is affordable.

Sydney Opera House

2009-03-30T22:06:00.020+11:00

WE ARE BACK!! Sydney's just an amazing city! We had so much fun! We walked so much, well I walked much more and I reckon it's my no. 2 most walking trip EVER after Rome..haha. During the end of the day, I could feel my body, shoulder and legs aching from all the walking and from slogging my water, chunky camera and cardigan! oh yes, the weather's superb in Sydney! Not too cold and weather's more much predictable.

Sydney reminds me of London in some ways.. with it's old railway station, architecture's, its art galleries and buildings. The drivers in Sydney are crazyyyyyyy.. they drive just like KL drivers, zooming past the streets recklessly, honking and not keeping into their lanes. It's just so different from the drivers in Melbourne, so mannered and patient.. As a pedestrian, I was paying a lot more attention to crossing the roads... somehow, everyone's rushing like a mad person there.. just can't chill!

Here's circular Quay, our 1st day going to watch our "The best of West End" at the Sydney Opera House. So exciting!!

Even the Seagulls are as aggressive as the people there. We went to Mcdonalds to get some burgers, bought it, opened the burger and took a bite. As we we walked out of Mcdonalds, a seagull flew from my back, tried to grab my burger but failed!! It did grabbed my burger though, but didn't manage to grab it out off my hand. I had a shock as I had not expect such a thing ever! Now I am more careful with Seagulls. Damn Seagulls!

Us with the Sydney Harbour Bridge

am sure these apartments cost a bomb
The bar at the Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House

The Opera House at another angle! This picture was taken on another day that I was walking from the Botanical Gardens

isn't the architecture just breathtaking?

This butler is carrying the sign "Vanessa Bonett's 30th Birthday - This way" OMG right?! How Grand can you be??

Her guests arriving at her party, all dressed up!

I took this shot outside of the restaurant, through the tinted window. This restaurant is at the Sydney Opera House and is one of the most expensive restaurants in Sydney. She booked the whole restaurant, had it decorated, had 2 different jazz bands, videographer, photographer and everyoneeee was in black tieee! Super Grand for an unforgettable 30th birthday! I truly envy her!

The view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from upstairs of The Opera House

There's exactly 1,056,056 roof ceramic tiles on the Sydney Opera House

the city view from the opera house

Our tickets for "The Best of West End"!

people moving up to the Opera house

The stairs towards the Concert Hall (the main and biggest hall in the Sydney Opera House)

The area to chill out during intermission

check out the ceilling

my free hand shot

The Concert Hall, inside the Sydney Opera House.. no photos allowed, but we managed to steal a few shots in there.. hehe. No way I am going in there and not take a photo..

It's just overwhelming being in the Opera House, especially knowing the history and the construction of how it took place. The concert Hall does not have any microphones or whatsoever, and if you see the walls and ceiling in different waves, it's accustomed for each and every sound to the seats so that everyone can listen to the music equally and sharp.

The acoustics of the Concert Hall are regarded highly internationally. The ceiling, rises up to 25 meters (82 feet) above the platform, upper walls are paneled with white birch plywood, and the lower walls, stairs, boxes and stage platform are paneled with a hard brown wood, brush box.

this is the "QUICK! Take a picture before we get caught!"

by the way, the chair made out of wood that we're sitting on, has not been changed ever since they opened the Opera House! 36 years old and still going strong!

after the concert...

If you ever do get a chance to go to Sydney, you must go for the tour in the Sydney Opera House and watch a concert in the "Concert hall".. A MUST!!!!

After the concert, we headed to the "Guylian" cafe to indulge some sinful desserts

yummy yummy waffle with guylian chocolate, chocolate ice cream and fruits

more pictures to come.....

Off to Sydney!!

2009-03-19T20:24:00.011+11:00

Nomad, backpacking, budget trip in STYLE!

picture taken from Opera Chic

I am all geared up for Sydney!! woo hooo!! It's my 1st time being in Sydney and some people have told me "oh, you will hate Sydney! It's so fast moving and messy!" and some "oohh you will love the cosmopolitan life there. There's so much to do!". Will tell you my post travel story after I get back.

We will be leaving early wee hours in the morning this Saturday and will be there for 6 days... Hope 6 days is just enough for sightseeing and some "windowww shopping" perhaps?

I am positive that I will be snapping pictures away like a mad person, trying to capture everything. So, be sure to catch what I did and see in Sydney. Gia Min and I have also bought tickets for the Best of West End held at the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House.. Can't wait!! It's all our beloved musicals from the last 30 years which are Phantom, Cats, Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar and moreeee.

ooh, we have plans for dinner at Ivy! We're supposed to be on this super tight budget BUT, we won't miss this chance to check out the ever famous Ivy Lounge. There are 12 restaurants and all are decorated poshly with different unique designs and artistic styles. Believe we have made reservations at Mad Cow.. Check out the other different restaurants too. Just beautifully decorated.

Speaking about our budget trip, we're staying at the Y Hotel, Hyde Park. We booked last minute and wanted to stay in the CBD area, however the traditional rooms (standard room) were fully booked for the 2nd night ... So, the 1st night we're staying in the traditional room for AUD 79 for 2 pax..

Here's the best part, our 2nd night, we are downgrading to the dormitory rooms, cause fully booked!.. haha.. SO yeah... we're doing it!! AUD 31 each per night! 4 beds in 1 dorm, hope we don't get any horrific roommates. Best part, breakfast's included! VALUEEEE.. can save.. haha

Dormitory, Y Hotel (looking at the picture, it ain't that bad. But don't dorms normally have double decker beds? hmm, will see when we get there)

But on our 3rd day, we're upgrading to the Stamford Hotel! Dun play play, 5 star! hahaha.. so it's not that bad.. just suffer for 2 nights only.. then after that, no matter what hotel we stay in, even a 3 star, will feel like a 5 or 6 star! haha

Stamford Hotel, Sydney Airport

Gia Min has been raving high about Bill Granger, this popular TV chef. We're going for brunch at his restaurant, Darlinghurst, Sydney. He's famous for his scrambled eggs, it's supposedly fluffy! Crazylah, go there eat scrambled eggs, got recipe online some more! Can make at home. Gia Min, better make sure it's super worth it!

Let's hope we have a fantabulous holiday! tata!

Moshi Moshi

2009-03-17T18:30:00.014+11:00

We were heading to Port Melbourne, which is just off the city and where the Spirit of Tasmania takes off. It's a beautiful place, near the beach, plentiful restaurants, boutiques and other shops... We were heading to Moshi Moshi, this Japanese restaurant that we thought it was the opening on that day but actually, it was a get together amongst Gia Min's friends, Paul and Sunny and others. Paul and Sunny are such a warm and friendly couple and they were so sweet to organise this lunch get together, as everyone is so busy on their own lives and this is a fantastic idea and a good opportunity to catch up with friends.

Around Port Melbourne. The houses and apartments here are so posh. Wish could afford to buy a house here, it's real lovely living here but it's super duper expensive!

outside Moshi Moshi

May I introduce Lisa, Gia Min and Molly

a couch inside Moshi Moshi to relax and chill out

pathway to the toilet

Featuring chef and owner, Tatsuya Yamazaki

Paul and Sunny toasting. They had the whole restaurant closed for us. Amazing right? It was a fantastic and fulfilled lunch as I got to know new friends, outside the Malaysian community.. hahaha.. If you realise, most of my pictures and my friends are amongst the Malaysians or Asian group.

One of the starters with prawn, oysters, sashimi, salad... Just amazing food. I can't wait to go back there and eat. Everything was so fresh and tasty. Remarkable food

Tempura.. Got salmon, mushroom, onion, crab sticks and others.. Pretty interesting

this was one big yummy miso soup bowl.

sushi eel, salmon and can't remember what was the other one..

from L to R : Paul, Lisa, Gia Min, James, Anna, Me and Justin

Sunny and Molly from L-R, added into this picture

and all of us! Thanks to Paul and Sunny for organising this lunch and thanks Gia Min for bringing us there. It was a real pleasure meeting all of you. We had a fantastic time and it was an amazing lunch. Loads food and till today I can still remember how the food tastes and melts in my mouth.. YUMMMMMYyyyyyy! We should do this again :)

Please remember to call Moshi Moshi for reservations. You MUST try this Japanese restaurant. LIKE A MUST EAT HERE BEFORE YOU DIE :) oh yes, and the prices are very reasonable too.

MOOMBA FESTIVAL!!

2009-03-11T23:39:00.018+11:00

Saturday afternoon we headed out to MOOMBA Waterfest near Federation Square.. It was the weekend of Labour day and I still remember how it feels to have a public holiday, especially on a Monday.. Means 4 working days the following week! Guess I miss having to work..

This shot was taken from the car.. was stuck at the traffic near federation square.. Melbourne has sooooo many traffic lights, and that's what causes their traffic jam here. Of course not helping with more cars on the road.. maybe it's because cars here are cheap!

So anyways we parked and sat in Gia Min's car and headed to the city to find some FREE parking but was unfortunate and parked at QV...

Parked at QV, found these charcoal buns at one of the bread store!! Joyce, I took these photos for you! Looks like sea cucumber... Please don't make yours like this

At the busy Federation Square

while walking to the moomba waterfest, I was awed by being in this festival, surrounded by trees, river and the city

Arrived at the Moomba Waterfest, just a 5 mins walk away.. It's a place for families and everyone in general. There were loads of games and activites for all. Macam funfair, but on a bigger scale and of course more happening..

funny lookalike tweety bird

play to win, but damn hard to win. AUD4 to play each game.. AUD4 X 2.4 (Exchange Rate) = RM9.60 per game!! Expensive!

well.. I really wanted to go on it.. butttt SCAREDDDDDD

1 corn for AUD4.50.. the other day went to another market and they were charging AUD7.50!! MADNESS.. Daylight robbery!

spectators to watch the watersports competition

we were lucky as the weather was perfect on that day

siesta time? yup, just lie and sleep anywhere u like..

scares you or is it cute? I kinda find it creepy

I wanted to go on this ride so much, but no one wanted to go with me.. all chickennn. Even kids as young as 7 were up there!

advertising gimmick

got skateboard and bmx ramp! Don't play play

got live performance too

children tennis clinic

volleyball in a manmade sandy "beach"

Back to Federation Square

a busker in action

After moomba, we took a walk back into the city to look for a place to have a drink.. Got on Swanston Street and decided upon this area to have drinks..

Gia Min decides to have green tea.. healthy choice!

Justin (Ai Ping's brother) came to drop by to say hi..

Justin and Siow Mei

After drinks, we headed to Rakuzen at Carlton for some Japanese dinner.. Not the same Rakuzen in KL, this place is yummy and value for money!

Again, didn't take picture of our food.. too hungry from all the walk..

complimentary jelly's on the house :)

And that was more or less the end of our Saturday.. Hope you enjoyed the pictures and please leave comments! :)

BBQ and Osaka Twilighting

2009-03-02T17:50:00.012+11:00

The bbq set we bought last year was only used once, when Steve and Ai Ping were around. Figured since it's still summer and must get our money's worth for buying the bbq set, we organised another bbq.

Hoven, the chef for his food only

mee hoon from Old Town, salad from Siow Mei, lamb skewers from Justin..

all hungry but had to pose for me

huge pork sausage and lamb chops

little Princess Megan

We couldn't leave the mahjong set alone. Malaysians will always be Malaysians..

I love the Gelati here.. not too creamy though a bit sweeter.. perfect for me!6 flavours in here...

We had so much leftover of meat, Australian mangoes and gelati. Good news is I get to keep the Gelati and to last me for sometime..

Sticky Date Pudding, heat it up and eat with vanilla ice cream

Well so, after the bbq, we made it to the Osaka Twilight Festival, near Fitzroy gardens... A Japanese event with live performance, Japanese food, kimono's for sale, Japanese tourism and everything Jap Jap..

watching the performance from afar

Can't imagine how we could eat after the bbq

kids in kimono's

felt like being in a concert, only thing, this is free. Got food and entertainment, like "live in Loud" back in KL.

the wishing tree

yup, we managed to stuff additional Japanese food into our stomachs... Just can't resist the temptation.. Darn!! Come to Melbourne and you will get fat!

Feeling HOT HOT HOT!

2009-02-26T00:44:00.009+11:00

My cravings were finally accomplished. We went to Dainty Szechuan. We were all hungry and there were 10 of us and gave me the authority to order.. So, I went mad and ordered 10 dishes!!! think 3 dishes were double and initially we were seated on a long table and I figured it would be hard to pass the food here and there, so just order the best dishes double lor.. After a bit, they shifted us to a round table and oh boy!! there were so much food and everyone was super stuffed!

all the dishes here are red in colour..

Hoven
Ratna taking a break

Siow Mei taking it slowly

generous amount of tissues provided

the most happening, power dish.. chicken with dry chilli.. CONFIRM fires in your mouth..
This picture is taken before eating..

This picture is taken after eating. Check out the amount of dry chillies, no more chicken.

the lotus root dish.. funny that I can't find Lotus root in the market

Justin's favourite dish

this is NICE!! noodles with some chilli

checking the bill.. hehe..

saw another table, all their dishes are super red.. looks nasty, I also scared

Honestly speaking, I was a little anxious of eating here as we had to catch a movie after dinner and thought I wouldn't be able to survive in the movie.. but luckily no problem :)

Gaythri, I know you like spicy food and you gonna love this.. so FASTA come down lahhh!!!

Az, can you handle this? hehe

Kev, Justin wants to take you here.. We're looking forward to eating there again soon!

Avi Spa

2009-02-21T17:03:00.000+11:00

Ok backtrack a bit.. Just before I left to Melbourne, I went for a short trip at Port Dickson..Yesss.. Avi Spa.. it's just simply breathtaking, in terms of the architecture of the spa, the blissfullness inside the spa and how everthing is just so beautiful, relaxing and calm

resting lounge over looking the sea. DAMN NICE

their indoor cafe

part of the Avi Spa

the outdoor lounge overlooking the sea.. awesome view!! i don't know how to describe it, but being on this lounge is just like having a spa

the mini man made pool and the sea. Darker colour is the pool, the lighter colour is the sea

I am gonna miss you, Pasar Malam

2009-02-20T16:27:00.009+11:00

Yes, that's right, am going to miss the atmosphere of a typical Malaysian pasar malam .. Nice to know that a pasar malam is just next to your home, no need to cook dinner, just go and eat eat eat.. so many choices..Here's a big Pasar Malam I went in Port Dickson. Just amazed on the number of choices they have.

Apa minum mau? Ada bandung, cendol, cordial etc etc.. btw, damn sweet!

The King of all Fruits, DURIAN. YUMMY!

Steve, can you get this in London?

oooohh... boleh tambah lebih jagung dik?
I definitely can't get this here

Ayam Goreng fried in super re-used oil

steam kacang

can't remember what's this called.. apum balik ar?

satay skewers!

keropok lekor from Terengganu, Pahang, maybe even PD.. Categorised by different fishes

my favouriteee.. nasi lemak bungkus

KARI KARI

even have figurine toys for sale

some herbal medicine

Miss TEO Chew FEAST!

2009-02-18T11:00:00.003+11:00

Just what I needed.. some teo chew porridge by Miss Teo.. was craving for some and finally had it at home..

minced chicken with salted vege, some chilli and caramel sauce.. it's just this easy!! and yummy too!

Viola! Gia Min the chef.

yau char kwai, also called by me as "dog bone".. weird right they pack it this way

Gia Min the typical Aussie eater.. 4 of us, and there were 7 dishes! haha.. but damn yummy! Fantastic lunch.. we had egg , luncheon meat, some dunno what black bean, minced chicken with salted vege, vegetables and yau char kwai..

Miss Teo Gia Min

Am gonna miss nasi lemak , char kuay teow, hokkien mee, chee cheong fun and my list goes on.. Well, I can still get it here, but of course it's just different... the taste is definitely different.. so if you are coming up, please tapau some nasi lemak from Jelutong Mamak ya? :)

Pointcook

2009-02-16T03:10:00.003+11:00

A day out for us at Point Cook... it's approximately 30 mins from the city and it's a development that's up and coming. This place reminds me of Desa Park City but the size of Setia Alam, BIGGER.. It's Beauuutiful and well planned. They sell the land to you and you can choose which builders you want to build your home. This means you have have different designs instead of the normal conventional designs that we see at home..

Megan's mummy, Laverne

Tapauing Fish and Chips @ Point Cook

the beach's just at the end there..

nice just to lay on the park

DAMN A LOT!! This is for 4 people! Crazy, this looks more for 6! Check out the size of the finger vs the fish and chips! Got fish, scallop, calamari, fries, crab sticks and sweet potato.

Seagulls got their hearts broken

Megan having a good time at playground

checking out the development

their office

show unit, or they call it "Display Homes"

Viewing house!

please welcome to my bedroom... ah hemm...

my home.. ah hemm...

coming soon, anytime? ah hemm...

layaning the wallpaper

sunset at Point Cook

Snapshots from the car

2009-02-15T18:43:00.016+11:00

snapshots while we were in the car..couldn't resist the shot of this car.. so gorgeous

it's summer! weather that day was perfect. not too hot, and not too cold. 27 degrees. perfecto

construction worker on duty, us waiting in line for him to give us the green

another nice set of wheels

waiting at the red light

sorry, didn't manage to get cun chicks bum

the newly open Old Town Kopitiam at Chinatown, Malaysian owned

discussing where to eat.. so many choices!

our favourite restaurant, Dainty Sezchuan, super spicy and guarantee to move your bowels.. Wanted to eat there but it only opens at 2.30pm on weekends! :( still craving!!

some twisted toys.. and no I did not check it out

Decided to eat at Kun Ming Restaurant on Chinatown instead.. haven't been here before.

Here's a sneak peek at their menu

fried pork with chilli and salt..damn nice! you can't see the rice from here, but it's a mountain out there.

my cousin, Bryan...

the happening Chinatown

damn cheap right? All summer clothes

woman walking to the tram stop

a Volks convertible!! the Driver was looking and I didn't want to be so obvious.. oh well.. wasn't a good shot, but it was a damn nice car!

Yes, it's a small world out there. Somehow we are bound to know friends of our friends. Amos knows Gia Min way back and I didn't know she knows him too!!

Gia Min and Clinton.. friends way back and haven't seen each other for quite sometime

after the night, we headed to Fitzroy for some souvlaki..

Gia Min swears by this place, by the way, their portions are super huge!

Amos all stuffed up

finishing up..

Maribyrnong Neighbourhood

2009-02-14T21:10:00.000+11:00

After dinner, we took a walk around Maribyrnong neighbourhood. Didn't realise it was this beautiful cause everytime it's just so cold to walk outside

walk walk, saw nice house for sale..

so relaxing

nice playground

grandparents chilling out

wish I had a dog..

nice house

the best part of the day for me are evenings.. reminds me of my childhood days where we meet friends to play sports and chill out

duckies!

just love the yellow light

so hilly

after the walk, came home and made myself some cappuccino. AUD 4 for 10 sachets. Can't get this in KL, so thought let's try something differentboiled water, tried the cappuccino.. and it's a dissapointment!! sigh..

Went online, and was chatting with Ryan. His son, Aydin was telling me stories about motorbikes. He's just so passionate about motorbikes. Ryan, just make sure you don't get a real one for him! Just get the toys enough already.

By the way, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY to all!!

44 DEGREES

2009-02-10T01:03:00.018+11:00

The day we landed, we were greeted by a hot and dry weather, 44 degrees, striking heat on our head... gosh.. it was hot! I thought KL was bad, but this was worse. I always refer Melbourne as a cold place as most of my memories that I had over here was cold cold cold cold... but this 44 degrees was blasting hot!

the night itself, we were invited by Hoven and Ratna to their lovely home for Bak Kut Teh... Yummy.. just what I needed.. some home cook meal and no kwai loh food.. hehe.. I am SO ASIAN..

when I first got in, thought they were selling shoes on the side! check it out!! DAMN A LOT of shoes!! think owned by 2 girls?...

the adorable little snowy

AHHH.. the bak kut teh..

slap everything in the bowl!

Not only our cups were customised, but there were sequins!

Snowy..

Little Megan.. so cute..

Still during CNY.. hence the red angpow packet..

the look after Megan was away from her mother for 3 minutes only.. she doesn't want to be carried by anyone.. only her mother.. hehe

Watching Hoven & Ratna's wedding pictures.. just so lovely and beautiful

all glued to the TV

Let me tell you my horror story... I was uploading my pics to my mac and edited some of it.. saved it again, deleted some of the pics.. and then i wanted to delete a folder in the trash can but I didn't know we could not just choose a folder in the trash can to delete, as EVERYTHING will be deleted.. so well.. bla bla bla.. was playing with lightroom and BOOM!! After a while, i realised half of my pictures were gone :( :( :( it was really a sucky day for me... which my pictures were half gone on my 4th day of my trip.. so well.. 1st 4 days, half of the pictures are gone... :( :(

Anyways, after 2 days I have decided to move on without the pictures .. sigh.. so here are some pictures of our 2nd Day, Sunday which we were supposed to go for Simply Red Live at the Vineyards but was cancelled last minute due to the bush fires. My heart and deepest sympathies goes out to those who were affected by the bush fires... Really sad and traumatising...

So before we headed for Simply Red Live, and not knowing it was cancelled, we had a quick brunch @ Nandos, Highpoint which is just next to our home.. I love Nandos.. ya Az?.. haha..

Their meal comes with quarter chicken, 1 sideline and a drink... the coleslaw is super huge! should have ordered the half chicken with 1 sideline and shared.. the portions here are BIG

I was looking for the garlic peri peri sauce and over here there's no such thing.. the Medium Peri Peri comes close to the garlic peri peri sauce

So since Simply Red was cancelled, and we bought all our picnic food, might as well not waste it and thus we headed to the botanical gardens for a picnic to ourselves...

Gia Min prepared her own pasta.. we bought some subway sandwiches

bad picture of me but I have no more pictures.. :(
so well prepared ok.. we brought food, even bought picnic mats! luckily didn't buy deck chairs!!

The following day was chap goh meh and well.. yeah.. ALL MY PICTURES ARE GONEEEE... We had a bunch of friends that came over and I cooked hainanese chicken rice for the first time in my life and I lost that picture.. the more I write about this, the more irritated I get.. sob sob... SOBSOB... :(

I even lost the group picture.. there's no memoriesssss!! Sorry guyssss... i couldn't find a FREE data recovery software for mac.. was searching high and low.. even to pay is so expensive.. So, am just moving forward and will take this as a lesson to learn in future..

oh yeah..one more thing, the 1st day we arrived was 44 degrees, the following days were hovering around 20 degrees and below.. DAMN COLD.. I miss the hot 44 degrees day. haha.. it feels like winter now and I don't know how I am going to survive through winter.. and it's still summer supposedly..

Farewells and Birthdays

2009-01-27T20:18:00.008+11:00

Just before Aiping and Steve left, we decided to have a mini farewell again for them, together along with their birthdays, Azareen's birthday and my farewell too.. But before that, I headed to RP to see my ex colleagues..

First thing I got there, everyone had this in their mouth! they said "Damn the power mushroom!"tried using iphoto to edit this picture.. Came out so wrong! posing with Castell our model in AMP, hehe

sob sob!! Bye Guys!! and Thanks for the new Flash Toy!! "Am Loving it!"

this what happens when you are carrying a 50mm fixed lens which cannot zoom in and out..haha..

Subra, Bel and I

Wendy and Max..

After RP, I headed down to Scantini's for dinner to meet with the rest.. The food was pretty mediocre but of course, nothing beats with the company you have.

Lena ever ready to strike a pose! Very Flexible indeed also; can pose ugly, pretty and spastic. which one do you want? hehe

Us at Scantini's

the 3 birthday duo's.. This is what we call "Value Cake!" Check out the size of it with 3 candles. Only the 3 of them get to eat the cake.. Shows that times are getting bad..

posing with presents..

posing with JJ

posing with old friend from school Jamie

Az and Justin @ Brussels

Pia the ever so photogenic with Azareen the birthday girl

this is what happens to Justin after many many pints of beers and black label..

Over at Brussels

JustFern's Honeymoon..

2009-01-20T21:53:00.019+11:00

5 days, 4 nights honeymoon in Ko Samui... this was one of the most luxurious holidays we've ever had in our life... We're now officially POKAI..

Sala Samui, located at Cheong Mon beach, just 10 minutes away from Chaweng, the main beach in Ko Samui. It's a more relax and quiet beach, and many throng on this resort are mainly honeymooners. We had a wonderful time and the people in Samui were very friendly, pleasant and helpful. The hotel was fantastic and all of the staffs are well verse with English, which made conversations much easier.

Samui has got very beautiful sceneries, but unfortunately, it was cloudy and i didn't get to take good scenic pictures..

Other than that.. I find that the beach in Samui is "so so", and the waves were quite strong and high when we were there. Surprisingly, it was windy, cold and breezy in Samui, due to the strong winds from China.. It was so cold that hardly ppl were sun bathing on the beach and those who were, had blankets covering them cos it was so cold! I almost fell sick on the 1st day when we arrived there. In fact, I was scouting to get some good bargains jacket cause all I brought were shorts and skirts...

May I present to you.. our Villa...

so blissfull..

doesn't it look tempting?... it's so relaxing staying in this villa

outside Sala Samui... check out the coconut tress going crazy

the beach at Sala Samui..

the pool at Sala Samui

We headed to Six Senses Hideaway Resort for dinner.. Just had to try their "dining on the rocks"

Here it is.. "Dining on the Rocks"... the view is awesomeeee

Breakfast at Sala Samui... every morning I wake up to their wide selection of teas..

and a healthy breakfast with loads of fruits..and of course, the famous sweet Thai Mango...yum yum!

Some temple..

at the Grandmother, Grandfather Rock island at Samui... Want to know what rock is that?... scroll down for the picture..

here you go.. looks familiar?? HAHaHa

We went hotel spying too.. I almost booked this new resort.. X2 Resorts.. It's a little further, BUT the beach is so much calmer and cleaner... their rooms have Apple TV..

seeking shelter from the cold and strong wind.. even then.. it's so blardy cold!

found this cat so adorable and cute! just relaxing in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Chaweng..

this was our last day.. and, it was SUNNY, HOT and FANTASTIC weather for the beach..why oh why didn't the wind stop earlier?....

found this abandon shoe on the beach

feel like jumping in?

Funny pics.. thanks to joyce! hahahaha

2009-01-11T02:30:00.016+11:00

Thanks Joyce for introducing me this fun photo editing!! hahaha.. I had a good time laughing doing up these pictures.. damn hilarious!!! hahahahahaha

chui's your poster not attracting customers to the shop ...hehe

my introducer to this photo editing thing.. Ms Jocelyn Mah..isn't she hot?

Here's Karu dressed to fly...

Ryan aka Obama on TV...

Little rae lene already has her own coin

Isabellleeee... so cutee!

Stevie..errrr

Leens!! nice branding!

Wendy, the most power sales woman in AMP... always cashing in

jin beams...haha..hard to recognise her in this pic

Leens, got you a stylo pic..

even the beckhams dig Idris

love this effect

Ron at his horny look..

If you see this, RUN!

even Paris digs makcik.. this makcik may look old fashion, but sings the best R&B music. better than Camelia! dun play play

Justin and I...

Transporter gone missing

some girls dig squinty china doll eyes.. but I dig double eye lids! guess the grass is always greener on the other side..

Subs, the missing Ghandi

Steve's favourite movie.. it has always been his dream to wear this outfit

no wonder keira got the rolee

this was at Phi Phi Island... many many years back..hehehe..

thought this was pretty cool!

Baby Marcus

JustFern Weds, Day 1

2008-12-20T04:35:00.027+11:00

After all the pre-wedding shots, here's the REAL event wedding pictures..

May I present, THE RING.. i love this shot...

over at Justin's place, waiting for the clock to touch 9am...

my last minute "drama dress" that I had from the designer.. luckily it all turned out fine

my shoes

placing the final touches.. i like this shot too..

part of the look gentle, but fierce girlfriends, aka chee mui's
managed to steal a few minutes to take a shot with the group right after the make up was done..

all my look gentle, but fierce chee mui's planning the plot, munching away their breakfast and sharpening their teeths

looking gentle and demure, but looks can be deceiving..
the girls all ever ready to take on the challenge

and the heng tai troop arrives

all ready and set to go, thinking it will be an easy job getting in...

sorting out the rules and regulations. You go HERE!! YOU GO THERE! Can even see Pia and Azareen scared di!

ok.. Turn turn turn 20 rounds with your head down, and run towards the other side and burst the balloon! Good luck!

Try turning 20 rounds with your head down and running towards an object. it's so hilarious to watch, but we don't have the picture of them swaying and going sideways. but here's some pictures of them reaching to the object to burst the balloon.
huarrrr!!

Darren loving his new buns!

Kev, is that the way you do it? WAH! Very the ganas!

that'ss what happens when you taste, WHISKY + MILK. Everyone says it tastes like vomit..yuckssss

like what Steve said... bangun pagi, gosok gigi, dengan WASABI
see, told ya my chee mui's are fierce!
You can only pick 3, and it's final to whatever you get

checking the angpows, and it's not enough!!
after a while, it finally met their criteria. See their big smiles on their facesthe groom steps in..

meanwhile in the room.... can only hear noises, but can't see...all wanna kill us for the torture they had to go through

my look gentle, but fierce chee mui's

Mission Accomplished! Tata, off to Justin's place!

this is one big mama piggy!! 1 week also cannot finish eating

groupie picture at Justin's place

and we still managed to catch another potrait shot

the 2nd day garden wedding and night pictures will come soon..

Anyways, I am quite dissapointed with the group pictures as my photographer used the wrong settings and those who are at the sides, are not clear!!!! or either, the front row will be clear, and the back row will be blur. This is what happens when you use a 2.8 aperture! So my family potraits was badly taken... :( how lah to blow it up even to an 8R size??

All he can tell me after that is, "I do not major in group photos.. I will let my staff to take those shots". But Still, Educate or train them lah to take group pictures properly!

and he can say, "If print on 8R, it's still ok", So I printed an 8R picture and showed him, which he was speechless as it was blur.
His solution was "nvmd MF, if can find 1 row that was clear and the other blur, I will cut the clear out and paste unto the picture, to the row that was blur to photoshop. BUT, I can only do for close family only, say about 2-3 pictures"... WTF Right??!!!!

No doubt that Edmund Tham is a good and professional photographer, and yes, his shots are good... But when I saw my group pictures, it was devastating cause I won't be able to rewind back to that day and call all my relatives to come down again...

Make sure when you choose your photographer, they know what they're doing!

oh oh, my pre wedding and wedding day are 2 different photographers and companies.. so don't get me wrong about my pre-wedding photographer... :) they're still the best!

Pre-wedding shots around KL

2008-12-05T20:27:00.014+11:00

Fiona from Fifoto took my KL Pre Wedding shots.. we went to Changkat Bukit Bintang area, roaming around the dirty backlanes, going to the shoplots along Sg Besi Highway and RSGC... If you want pre-wedding shots.. you must get her!! not hard selling, but seriously, she's super talented and knows what she's doing. You may check out her work on www.fifoto.com/blog .. hahaha.. am sure you will be awed by her work..

i think i look so different here.. with the make up and flawless skin..hahaha.. make up and photoshop does wonders

i love this shot with the stairs

you wouldn't believe this place.. along the sg besi highway! noisy, hot and smelly!! hahaha. but turned out damn nice!

I am not heavy

i thought these casual shots were damn cool! something different

this was taken at the rubbish bin area.. i had to stop breathing for 10 mins.. but nice right?

damn cool shot!! yellow parking lines

does this give you the old school feel?

ok, this is the normal, traditional shot.. i hug you, you hug me, we look at camera and stand properly

another old school shot

this was near the beriyani rice stall along Sg. Besi Highway!! haha.. my colleagues would know this place