Oz Trip First Day – Touch Down

It’s about time I wrote about my trip to Sydney while it is still freshly imprinted in my mind. Here I go …

We set off to the land formerly known as terra incognita on 14 Sep soon after midnight. In between getting some shut eye and watching Hot Fuzz on the plane, there was really nothing much to do on the 8 hour journey. On arrival, there was a queue at the customs as the officers were pretty strict on the checking. Vicky and I got passed it without checking as we managed to convince them that soil from Singapore was from the city not kampungs. While waiting for the rest of my family to clear customs, we decided to try the Krispy Kreme at the airport. Conclusion - it was a tad too sweet for our liking. Outside, the skies were a little cloudy for Sydney standards and the temperature was nice and cool.

Soon after, my uncle whisked us off to his place in Wahroonga in a rented 7-seater. The journey took about an hour as we made a pit stop at McMahon’s Point to savour in the view of the harbour. Uncle Daniel’s place was a townhouse in the suburbs of Wahroonga, a compact double storey house with a small backyard. It was just the right size for him and Aunty Lilian as my cousin’s Eugene and Su have all grown up and flew the coop. We had lunch there before going over to the inn to check in. Vicky, Louie and I would be staying in the inn for the next 6 days.

That night, we went over to Mandarin Centre in Chatswood for a very Asian dinner. It was a typical food court set-up with stalls selling Asian fare. We settled on pork chop rice, black pepper beef rice and chicken rice which to our surprise tasted much better than the hawker food in Singapore. On the other hand, hawker food in Singapore is nothing to boast about either.

We called it a night soon after dinner as it would be a long day ahead. This was our first day in Sydney and we were looking forward to see more in the next one week.

Mid-autumm Memories

Today is the mid-autumm festival. When I was walking back earlier, I couldn't help noticing the many excited children fawning over their lanterns. It's amazing how a simple construct of paper, illuminated by a single candle flame can bring such joy to a kid. I still remember those moon-lit nights, when I was still in the primary school, and how I loved the walks through the housing estate with my lantern. I will gather the gang soon after dinner and we will start our journey through the many streets of the estate.

Maybe it was the festive mood heightened by the many hanging lanterns on the lawns of the houses we passed. Maybe it was the sheer excitement and adventure in walking out at night. Maybe it was the opportunity of passing by the houses of friends and shouting their names as we passed. Maybe it was just the magical sight of the lanterns, but it is nights like this that I wish was a kid all over again.

Off to Oz

But not to see the wizard. Funny, no? Who cares, in 24 hours time, I'll be on a plane to the land Down Under. With Vicky, Louie, Mum and Dad in tow. We got a wedding to attend at the Opera House (that sealed the deal, got me all interested in the first place) and some exploring to do around Sydney. The stay's too short according to my Uncle, and he is convinced Sydney needs more then 8 days. Well I've already cut out Melbourne, which was in the original plan, but hope to do the blue mountain stay-over.

So the next time someone in a bikini ask "Where the bloody hell are you?", I'll say, "I'm abso-bloody-lutely sure I'm in Oz." An alternative answer, to borrow a line from the great Steve Irwin, would be "Crikey, what a beauty!", and I'm sure that would endear me to the womenfolk. Unless a crocodile happen to be near...

Would you lug this around ?

Though I know RM50K is a big motivation, imagine lugging around a human-size cardboard everywhere you go to garner publicity, braving the crowd at big events, having the guts to grab that ‘one-minute of fame’ opportunity, and having the perseverance to stay ahead of your competition (the other 299 recruits). Yeah, it’s outwit, outlast, and outplay … on the streets of Malaysia.

I’m talking about Mix FM’s “Living with Ika, Serena C & Pietro” competition in Malaysia. My friend, Ann, is among the recruits and it is certainly hard work for her. You can read all about her exploits in her blog.

In her own words, here’s what she’s gonna do with the money.
“Did I tell you why I'm so hyped with this competition? Well, I'm planning to donate a certain percentage of the prize $$ to PAWS as I'm a big fan of cats and dogs and have been a supporter of the shelter since years ago. I also would like to use a percentage of the bounty to host a party for the underprivileged kids. The balance is for me to take up a course relating to animal care in Australia."

If you can help her out with any of the following she’ll be really grateful ...

- She’s doing a road trip and she’s looking for sponsors.

- If you know how to get her story or photo publicised in the media, contact her.

- Put her story in your blog

- Spot her and you may stand a chance of winning RM200.

No, she did not ask me to put this post up. I just thought that my blog could be put to better use J. Here’s her other regular blog.

Another September Song

Yes, wake me up when September ends. Enjoy the ride ...

Two weekends

Weekends are two miserly days sandwiched by hectic work days. They disappear as sudden as they appear and every Sunday night you are left to wonder what became of them. Well here was how the past two weekends were spent …

Last weekend of August was spent in Muar. Sisters were back. Dropped by in Church and a local hotel on Sat morning to check out on wedding arrangements. At home, Josh was hooked on Bob the Builder and he loved at the part where Spud went flying. Sunday was spent at the new Giant Hypermart at Tjg Agas. Goodbye supermarkets, the age of hypermarts has arrived in my backwater town.

A happy camper and his ladies in attendance

In between the two weekends, I aged a year and my country celebrated its silver jubilee. Consolotion of stepping into the second year of my 30s? Forty still look pretty far away. Just like how 30 look when I was at 21. Yeah, yeah, I’m finding reasons to be happy.

Last weekend, Vicky’s mum and sis paid us a visit and almost immediately embarked on a great Singapore shopping spree. It’s amazing how the shops are still on sale just after the GSS and this far away from Christmas. One lesson I learnt during one of this shopping excursion is that before buying luggage at Lucky Plaza, one must always check the prices at fixed price shops. Lucky Plaza shop - $120 (bargained down from $160) vs Tangs - $79(on offer) = OUCH!!

Spent Fri night at Julian and Tsumain’s new spanking pad at Tangerine Grove. Was served homecooked food and oven treats. And on Saturday, met up the same bunch of friends again in the afternoon at Karen’s pad and over dinner. After dinner, it was Sundae at King Albert’s Park McD just to re-live the old times (read JC years).

While the moms chatted, the kids discovered a new game

and Norman made the girls cry...

Here’s to more weekends with Family and Friends ….