Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Goodbye, Great Granny
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Melbourne Travelogue 01: SIN > MEL
Our virgin visit to Australia was in 2007, where we did our first road trip (after graduation) with the Uni gang. Then, I went for a touch-and-go 3 days business trip in Sydney. Fast forward to present days: we headed back to Australia on a 8 days road trip in Melbourne. Australia is moving up the ranks on my list of favourite countries. The country is so big that every visit brings much surprises and delight!
I applied for our visas online, made payment via iBanking and got the confirmation within 3 working days. The whole experience was easy and fuss-free. The visa is valid for 1 year, hence we made use of it and headed to Perth as our next holiday destination. So tempted to make another trip back now that I'm blogging about our Aussie adventures.
I applied for our visas online, made payment via iBanking and got the confirmation within 3 working days. The whole experience was easy and fuss-free. The visa is valid for 1 year, hence we made use of it and headed to Perth as our next holiday destination. So tempted to make another trip back now that I'm blogging about our Aussie adventures.
On the day of departure, Mummy and lil bro came over and sent us to the airport. After checking in our luggage, we headed over to Poulet for dinner. It was my first time having a meal at Poulet *suaku me* even though this french-themed casual dining chain has an outlet near my workplace.
We started off with 2 bowls of soup: french onion and mushroom soup.
Leecher ordered these for sharing: braised pork belly, duck and their signature poulet. Boy, we were so full after the meal that we walked around the airport, hoping that it will help with digestion.
Goofing around with the exhibitions, which were part of the SG50 trail exhibits at Changi Airport. Naturally, we had to take picture with the iconic Changi Airport's Control Tower! Soon, it was time for us to board the flight. We said our goodbyes and headed towards immigration. I even had time to do some duty-free window-shopping, mentally noting down the prices of the skincare that I intend to buy when I'm back.
I managed to secure the red-eyed flight, so we will get to catch up on some sleep before landing at Melbourne when we wake up. Night peeps.
Enjoying the view from my window seat before preparing for touch down at Melbourne airport.
We touched down at Melbourne at 6AM, which meant we get a whole day to explore. At 7 degree Celsius, we were severely under-dressed. I was in a tank dress overlaid with long sleeve shirt while Leecher was dressed in T-shirt and Bermudas, lol! I guess the Aussies must have thought that we were mad.
Thankfully, clearing immigration was a breeze, despite the slight hiccup when the machine couldn't scan my ePassport. No more joining the long immigration queue. We collected our luggage, washed up and changed into warmer clothing. Once we were all set, Leecher went off to sort out the data card as well as the car rental.
There are a couple of data SIM plans available and we decided to buy $30 for 4GB whole of data since we'll be staying for 8 days and missed the 1GB data ($10 for 7 days) by 1 day! Leecher got the Optus SA to help load the card into our iPad and that became our hotspot.
Grabbed a hot drink to warm my body from Hudsons Coffee.
Leecher,
at the Hertz counter settling the admin stuff. We opted for Hertz for a
fuss-free experience, even though their car rental might be slightly
expensive. We enjoyed member discount for renting with them, so might as
well! Once Leecher signed off the bill, we walked towards the huge car
park opposite the airport for car collection.
Collecting
the car was a breeze too. Boy, I love Australia for their efficiency!
Since we had already topped up for max insurance, we don't have to check
the exterior for any bump/damages. However, if you did not purchase any
insurance, please do a thorough check before leaving the car park as
you don't want to be liable for anything which you did not cause.
KIA
Sportage, our trusty ride for the next 8 days. Leecher chose this for
our road trip and since he is the designated driver, he gets to pick his
car. I must say the car is really comfortable and spacious.
Porter Leecher loading our luggage into the boot and we are ready to head off for our road trip, yeah! The main highlight of this road trip was The Great Ocean Drive, which we have been wanting to do but other bucket-list items took priority over it - the cons of having a massive travel-related bucket list :( Nevertheless, we managed to make it happen and I'm so excited to buckle up! I'll be back with more of our Great Ocean drive adventures - stay tuned!
❤ ❤ ❤ Read the rest of our Melbourne adventure here ❤ ❤ ❤
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Family Self-Drive Trip to Malacca: Christ Church and Heading Home
The
final post on our self-drive trip, another trip documented :) It takes a
lot of motivation and determination to document a travel series -
sorting out pictures, selecting and spending time in front of the
computer. While I'm typing away for this entry, I also took the time to update the K-dramas for 2014. I still have tons to update for other years, but I'll do that another time.
We ventured to Capitol Satay for dinner only to be greeted by this sight! In Malacca, it seemed normal to see such queues at famous eateries. I need to work out the best time to avoid the crowd next time. #homeworkfornexttrip
My 2 lovely nieces; we joined the queue for dinner but gave up 15 min later for we were told that it will be a 2h wait before we can get a table. Thus, decision time to fix the next dinner venue. We decided to head back to the mall (again) since they offer more choices and most importantly, it is air-conditioned.
As we headed back to the mall, we also took a mini tour around Christ Church. This 18th century Anglican church is the oldest functioning protestant church in Malaysia. This church is instantly recognisable by its red-brick exterior and a huge white cross at the top.
We spot the tents beside the church, took a quick look and left to continue our journey.
Christ Church, MelakaJalan Kota Melaka
Colourful trishaws roamed the area and you can always hop on for a ride to tour the surrounding areas in these elaborately decorated trishaws (for a fee) to enjoy the Malacca experience. #bucketlistfornexttrip
Heading to the mall to feed our hungry stomachs. We did more shopping and chilling around since it was our last night in Malacca. Later in the night, Leecher was down with food poisoning and I had to head out to get medication for him. Thankfully, lil niece and BIL accompanied me on this mission. I basically brought every medication that I can find on the racks of 7-11 for treating diarrhea!
It was certainly a journey to remember, with so many of us falling sick from this journey. However, it was great bonding time with the family members too. Till the next trip :)
******
Read our Malacca adventures here:
Read our Malacca adventures here:
Monday, March 21, 2016
Family Self-Drive Trip to Malacca: Nadeje Mille Crepe and Jonker 88
It has been a long time since I'm actually home on a Monday, as I'm clearing my brought-forward leave before the end of Q1. It seemed like an extended weekend and best of all, no Monday blues. The downside is that I have to join a conference call at 6.30PM to discuss some important decisions with a client. I guessed I shouldn't grumble since my colleague is getting up at 6.30AM his time to join this call as well.
The recent humid temperature in Singapore reminded me greatly of that in Malacca, during our last family trip. After visiting St Paul's Church and A'Famosa Fort, we headed to the nearest mall for the comfort of air-con. We walked around the malls, taking in the sights but there wasn't anything to buy. I realised that it has been a long while since I last shopped at the malls, especially with the convenience of internet shopping.
he Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) issued an advisory on
15 March 2016 stating that the second half of March 2016 is expected to
be drier and warmer than that experienced in the first fortnight of the
month. During this period, the daily maximum temperatures are expected
to range between 33°C and 34°C, and could reach a high of around 36°C on
a few days. - See more at:
http://www.gov.sg/factually/content/is-it-true-that-singapore-temperature-is-expected-to-soar-to-40-degrees-celsius-in-the-next-few-days#sthash.bUmV2loa.dpuf
Wow, check out the ridiculously long queue for both dine in and take away. The decision was to either join the queue or head somewhere else, but we decided to brave the queue!
As the weather was humid, PILs stayed at KFC to enjoy the cool air while the 3 warriors took up the challenge and joined the queue.
he Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) issued an advisory on
15 March 2016 stating that the second half of March 2016 is expected to
be drier and warmer than that experienced in the first fortnight of the
month. During this period, the daily maximum temperatures are expected
to range between 33°C and 34°C, and could reach a high of around 36°C on
a few days. - See more at:
http://www.gov.sg/factually/content/is-it-true-that-singapore-temperature-is-expected-to-soar-to-40-degrees-celsius-in-the-next-few-days#sthash.bUmV2loa.dpuf
Accompanying the niece as she sat at the bench to rest her tired legs.
After an 'eternal' wait, we were ushered into the cafe. This was akin to seeing light at the end of a dark tunnel, lol! We placed our orders and waited eagerly for the cakes to be served.
I love being in a cake shop, as the cakes always remind me of special occasions like birthdays and celebrations. I love buying and eating cakes. Now, we'll try to indulge in them occasionally since we are trying to reduce our sugar intake.
We ordered 6 crepes to try out. A few that stood out: Malacca, a localised flavour which was inspired and made using Malacca famous Gula Melaka. This was very popular on the table. Nothing can go wrong with the Original, which is the origin of Nadeje Mille Crepe. Homemade custard cream with Tahitian vanilla beans mixed with fresh cream - fingerlicking good! Double chocolate was also one of my favourites, just because it is chocolate! With over 18 choices available, I'm sure there will be one that will suit your tastebuds.
Nadeje Mille Crepe
G-23B, EG4 and EG5, Ground Floor
Mahkota Parade, 7500, Melaka
Tel: 603 06 2843469
Opening Hours: 11AM till 10PM daily
Back to Jonker Street for a quick pit-stop before heading back to the hotel. We bought some stuff at San Shu Gong the night before, so we decided to skip this and headed for Jonker 88 Laksa instead.
Having been here numerous times, I feel that the standard has dropped. However, business seemed to be better than usual. It used to be easy to get a table, but now it took ages before finding a seat/table.
The never-ending-long-queue for asam laksa.
We queued for almost 45 min before we could place our orders. Taking selfies to kill time, other than surfing facebook/internet. An unhappy episode happened here, with a no-manners uncle. Uncle, I hope your kids won't grow up to be as ill-manners as you, hmp! Anyway, I have to prepare for the call now - will be back soon (hopefully) with more updates :)
Jonker 88 ( 大寶小食)
88 Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street)
75200, Malacca, Malaysia
******
Read our Malacca adventures here:
Read our Malacca adventures here:
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