like a blink of the eye.

The last few days in Adelaide sort of passed by us in a blink of an eye. It was Monday, then Tuesday, and suddenly, we only had Wednesday left to do everything we initially said, "takpe, nanti boleh pergi/buat lagi" to.

We did the remaining of Adelaide sight-seeing activities on Tuesday (29.12.2009). We went to Hahndorf first on Tuesday morning and was greeted by a picturesque lil' town,which resembles a German town (according to my mom who's been to Germany before). The main agenda was of course, to pick cherries and strawberries, as they are ripe and in season. But cherry picking was no longer available so we settled for the latter.

Beerenberg Farm is the place to be for strawberry picking! It was hot and the sun was baking our faces and backs and everything, but it was worth it I tell you! The boys bought us some chocolate sauce so that we could pick and eat on the spot. Of course, I came back with a massive tummy ache that afternoon and horrible sunburn I mean suntan. Hehehe.

Then, we also visited the tallest rocking horse in Gumeracha and against my better judgment... I climbed the rocking horse and almost wet my pants! It was so, so, so high up! The stairs were tiny and I was inappropriately wearing a pair of slippers. It was a tad bit slippery and I was sweating. See for yourself of how high up I went.

The same day, we also went to the highest peak in Adelaide; Mt. Lofty. I was surprised because I've never imagined a mountain to be warm before. I've always associated the word chilly with mountains. And it wasn't just warm I tell you, it was really, really hot and burning! We took some photos and left very soon after.

I was too tired to remember any of the journey after that, but I remember waking up at St. Kilda playground. Big would be too modest a description for that playground because it it humongous! There was a mini flying fox which I tried, and also other things we can find in normal playgrounds, only cut and built for both adults and children. The slides are big, the swings sturdy and even my dad was not exempted from trying them out. Hehehhe.

The day after (Wednesday), my dad and brother asked us whether we wanted to go to Tandanya Cultural show (aborigine cultural show) or Harbourtown. Are you joking?! Of course we opted for Harbourtown. There is so much to see there, plus we've seen Maori cultural shows before so how different can they get right, right right (ayat sedapkan hati sendiri).

We spent half of Wednesday going in and out of shops at Harbourtown. We didn't miss a single one. And of course, we were happy, happy, happy indeed! I managed to surprise my sister with her 8A's gift and my brother managed to surprise us all with his present yang entah bila-bila dia beli. Slight of hand betul.

We had Captain Hook that night, which is rumoured to be the best fish 'n chips in town. It was superbly yummy and the portions are huge! Even after sharing with my mom and sis, I couldn't finish it.

Went for a movie that night at Hoyts and watched Avatar in 3D. I thought that the movie was just okay. Not much to shout out about but the message is loud and clear; let's preserve the environment. I thought that the animation was superb though.

I knew that we didn't really want to sleep that night, because we knew that if we did, we were wasting precious time together. Eventually, we all fell into our slumber and the next thing I know is that we woke up to Thursday, and it was time to go home.

We had a wonderful stay in Adelaide and although Munir might not be reading this, I wish he knew how grateful we are that he willingly let us stay there for 2 weeks. We hope you people enjoy the food we left you. Please do not forget the huge cabbage Mama bought (she almost brought it back home but that was of course before I raised an eyebrow at her and asked her how she thought she was going to get that through customs).

It's been a wonderful holiday. And now, I have to prep myself to get back to work. *Sigh*. Life must go on.

And here's a picture of the little big boss who takes care of everyone's packing.

Happy Bday BUDAK!

Someone turns 20 today! Imagine, 20! He's so old now (heheheh) and I'm so glad that someone finally joined my 20's club. And though you took a year to learn how to smile properly, I'm so proud of you. Hahahaha! Have a great day mate! You deserve good things in life.

Well, let's hope tonight will be a memorable one okay.

Well, it better be, because look how busy I have been since morning!

♥, akak and adik 

Adelaide Everlove

When we were in Malaysia, there was a lot of argument about how we were going to get to Adelaide. Of course, the best (and fastest mode) is via plane. But then, my mom decided that we should go via the Overland (the train) just for the experience.

At first it was exciting, but... I can’t say that it was still exciting after 10 freaking hours! Like really. We slept and slept and slept throughout the way for want of oxygen. This is predominantly what we saw along the way if you are wondering.

My brother’s housemate was sweet enough to make up the entire place for us and left us some snacks to munch. That night, I made them some ayam masak kicap and we were all happy alright. Rindu gila makan lauk-pauk.

All in all, we really have been having the time of our lives here in Adelaide. We haven’t been to that many places apart from Harbourtown here (eh, sini shopping boleh pengsan la best dia if I cannot control myself), and most of our trips involve shopping trips for groceries and more groceries, but we have had so much fun during our evening walks that we really don’t mind that much.

When we went to the city on Christmas Eve, I experienced first-hand what it feels like to be part of that chaotic last minute shopping people did to stock up on food and all else. Everything was going for 99 cents! 99 cents! 99 cents! It was crazy. Each and every stall was competing to finish off their stock and confused consumers like us felt like buying everything because it was getting cheaper and cheaper and it was going so fast we were afraid nothing would be left by the time we decided to get anything. Even the Halal butcher at Central Market was a big hit that day! Haha.

But on Christmas Day, the City was serene, quiet and very beautiful. We had the time of our lives taking photos on that day. It was as if we owned the city (because seriously, tak ada orang pon masa kitaorang jalan-jalan). The Christmas Decorations on Rundle Mall is seriously pretty (and some funny as well).

We walked by Elder Park, went to the Convention Centre, Parliament, Botanic Gardens and Railway Station. I told you that the simplest things like taking a walk with your family is awesome :)

Anyway, this is the super cool plate number we saw at the City on Christmas Day.

It’s really no wonder now why my brother loves Adelaide so much.

last day in Melbourne

21st December 2009

What did we do on this day? Hmmm... Obviously we were totally bummed out the night before so we slept so soundly tak sedar apa apa langsung. If I'm not mistaken, my dad had to wake us up.

My dad had some work commitments he had to attend to at RMIT so my  brother accompanied him. The girls had all morning to themselves. Since Queen Victoria Market is closed on Mondays, we obviously couldn't go there to buy more junk woops more souvenirs I mean, so we decided to take the City Circle Tram. After all, we were allowed to go on it for as many times as we liked for free.

So, we waited on Russell Street.

And we waited.

And waited.

And waited. 

And it never quite arrived!

But when we saw one, we ran after it like our lives depended on it (my mom not excluded!).

It was fun to go round the city on the tram. It was a little bit difficult to understand the Aussie slang at first but once I got a hang of it, everything was just okay. The last tram stop was at Harbourtown. I didn't really know at first that Harbourtown is the place to go for shopping. I thought that there was no such thing as a shopping haven in Australia.

That's because I was a bit disappointed when we went to Chadstone while in Phillip Island the day before because everything was just so, so, so expensive. I then knew exactly why Aussies laugh at us for buying stuff in Australia when things are a whole lot cheaper back at home.

Well, anyway, on our second round on the tram, my sister was getting restless so we decided alight at Harbourtown. A decision which I shall not forget nor regret for the entirety of my life.

We bought some things there. Sikit je. Betul tak tipu. And later waited for the boys to arrive. All in all, I was really satisfied with my purchase(S). We even managed to pursuade my mom to share this really gorgeous fringe bag (which she paid for by the way)! She is so, so in! (Even I don't own a fringe bag and she was the one who fancied it first!) Gila stylo.

After that, we went to Rod Laver Arena as my parents are big tennis fans. It wasn't opened but it really is quite grand :)

That night, we had dinner at the infamous Blok M Express, which serves quality and super tasty lele balado and I treated myself to Max Brenner that night. My brother seems to think that Max Brenner is a little bit too overrated. I don't have anything to compare it to and I am a total sucker for all things chocolate, so I enjoyed every sip of my Suckao!

This was our last day in Melbourne and at the end of the Melbourne trip, I thought I liked the city after all. It's very artsy and unique in it's own way. Each and every pathway is filled with art. Be it at the bridges, or the bicycle parking,or even the walls. Each and every nook and cranny is filled with art. Even the library looks interesting.

We called it a night earlier than normal on that day. Couldn't wait to get on the train to Adelaide the next morning.

more of Phillip Island.

On our last trip to Gold Coast, we had already seen the koala, sheep shearing activities and the like so this time round, we decided to give it a pass. We also decided not to go for the penguin watching because we had done that back in New Zealand. So, most of the trip this time around is solely for sightseeing purposes. And gratefully, Philip Island is a picturesque place indeed.

First, we went to the Philip Island Grand Prix circuit. There wasn’t much there at that time though, so we just took photos.

Then, we headed for the Nobbies, which is at the end most of Phillip Island. The place is simply breathtaking! It was a tad bit chilly on that day and my hair had obviously seen better days, but the scenery is really something. It’s amazing how the simplest things in life give us the most satisfaction.

There are miles and miles of this clear blue sky and aquamarine water. Simply divine!

Oh, by the way, this is called the blowhole. I am not too sure why it is called as such but I find it quite funny.

We also met Hafiz’s family while we were there so here’s a group photo.

 

Then, we headed to A Maze n Things and I managed to complete the 2 puzzles in the photos before we left Phillip Island.

Oh, here are some of our photos from the Peguin Parade centre. We didn't wait to see them, but we did have fun taking photos there :)

Alrightee then. Will be back for more soon, hopefully :)