Letter to My 16-year old self

Saw this article on 8-days, where the editor Jason Hahn & friends started the 'Write a letter to my 16-year old self' action inspired by celebrities who did the same & compiled into a book! Hey, who doesnt wana read abt celebrities dirt & how they wished otherwise for their 16-year old self.

Now, I totally support this! If i could turn back time, i DEFINITELY WOULD!! Those people who say 'no, i will not do anything different', 'every mistake i made is an experience for me & let me grow into who i am today, so i will not change a thing in the past', 'we should look forward, and not think abt past regrets', etc etc etc. All these are BULLSHIT!! You think they are really such a saint? Forgive and move on? i mean, come on, surely they would go 'if only i did that, if only i turned left, if only i waited 10mins'... So many 'If Only'.

I, for one, totally will take up the chance to go back & regroup my life! I mean, some mistakes or things I did were kinda stupid, silly mistakes that cost alot (physically & mentally). So I will take this chance to write a letter to my 16-year old self (heck if i could go even earlier i would, but let's stick to the theme). Please read closely and take the advice!
____________________________________________________________________________________

Dear 16-year old DS,

Too late to worry about your eyes, you are myopic, you cannot change. But fret not, technology will advance & u will correct this problem when u are older...

Blogging is a lucrative business, start early & get the attention you want & u can be the star blogger!!

Start to do yoga & concentrate on improving your yoga skills. DO NOT STOP suddenly & pick up again. Be a yoga expert!! It will become a craze in years to come!

Don't worry too much about the O levels, you'll get good results to get into good college. Also, pursue your best buddies to try out HCJC!! Bullshit all those talk about 6 points being not even good enuff for HCJC, that is rubbish & not true. Gather all your buddies & conquer HCJC!!

Fulfill your tennis dreams once you get into JC! DO NOT WAIT any longer or else you will have to wait another 10yrs to start learning! Join the tennis club in JC, you get free court access & coach to teach you tennis!!! & You get proper coaching & prevention methods so u'll not end up like me now - sprained ankle, knee problem etc...Continue tennis playing into your Uni, cos the courts are FREE!!!

Love PE lessons more, run more! U'll love exercising once you enter Uni, so start early!!

U'll do relatively well in JC, so continue your studies. English will be your downfall, but there's not much you can do about it. PUT MORE EFFORT in F-MAths A Levels!! Somehow, you only managed a B, even though u will get distinction in 'Special Paper'. Weird, yes, but what to do...

Dancing is fun, do your best in JC while u'r in the dance club. Be very very careful when you are skipping school (even though there is officially no lesson), as u will get caught unfortunately by someone, but this will not be reported.

Take more chances when they present themselves. Hestitation may cost you a lot of missed opportunty (when it comes to matters of the hearts).

When you enter Uni, immediately start using the facilities - gym, swimming pool etc!! You have paid for them since the day you enter, so use them!!! Start the running regime, it is really very fun to run around NTU, believe me.

You'll meet great friends in Uni, so keep them (Alvin, Superhose, HX etc etc). DO NOT Attempt to get a vacation job @ F&B. Pay is not fantastic, the supervisor sucks & not fun! Apply to work at the clinic near your block, the pay is ok, hours not bad & the doctor is nice, so do it early to earn more during your spare time!

Learn to like Finance more, it will make more money! Start to look at stocks & shares, buy Apple shares if you have the money. Buy Wilmar. Once you get the money, buy condo for investment. Aim for The Carribean 1st.

You will unfortunately head to E&Y as an auditor, but fret not, your life will not be as terrible as others. Though tough, u will meet many many friends there. Treasure them. You will meet good clients, and some good bosses.

Gymming is your pastime, start real gymming as early as possible, learn to love running & doing cardio & weights, they will do good or your body. Be really really careful with sports, wear the right shoes, tie them up properly & DO NOT attempt any stupid stunt, or else you will regret it!

Enjoy life!! U are only 16, go travel around the world, play sports before you get too old!

Your older more matured self,
Moi (DS)

Redang To GO High Class

Extracted from Today newspaper dated 13 May 2010

According to a report in Malaysian daily The Star, Terengganu State Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Za'abar Mohd Adib cited protection of the environment and area's coral reef in particular, as the reason behind plans to reduce number of tourists to the island to 160,000 annually. Currently, tourism figures stand at 200,000 annually.

Government will NO LONGER approve construction of chalet-type accomodation on the island. Only hotels rated 5-star and above will be allowed to be built. Hotel rooms will eventually cost no less than USD500 a night, and current chalets catering for backpackers will also have to be upgraded and raise their rates.

To further protect marine life, only eco-friendly sunscreens can be used in the future. Tourists will be briefed at entry points on the use of these eco-friendly creams.

This is crazy! Is the m'sian govt trying to reap us folks off? Redang to be high-class beach resort? Since when do we need another Bahamas? Reduction of 40,000 tourists annually means abt 3,000 less pple can go to Redang per month. So now we have to Q-up and register our names WAY IN ADVANCE to get to Redang? & will there be a priority system in place then? There are not many fantastic dive locations in M'sia, now with this restriction, it's going to get even more difficult for beach goers & dive enthusiasts to find a dive haven! So if a tourist does not want to go diving or snorkelling, is he/she allowed to go and NOT count towards the restricted figure?

&What's the deal with the hotels? USD500 and above? That's extortion!!! Bloody hell, i might as well fly over to Bali or Mauritius if it's going to be so damn expensive in Redang!! That's discrimination. So Redang is going to be an ATAS island in future? Only the rich & famous can go. Us poor normal blue/white collars would not be able to afford USD500/nite!! What's wrong with those chalets? Or cheaper hotels? Not eco-friendly? Being 5-star & expensive will bump you into being eco-friendly?? This is ridiculous! I've never heard of such a restriction or rule in other countries. I don't think even Cairns have that (tho nothing is reali cheap in AUstralia) but i'm sure i can find something cheaper there. I know govt band accomodation on Sipadan island (east malaysia) but at least we can get relatively inexpensive accomodation on other islands not far from Sipadan! So what? Do we have to stay on the mainland instead & travel the 45mins boat ride to Redang daily for a dive in future? & get permit each time to go dive in REdang due to the restriction in number of tourists? Sipadan has that, but let's not forget, when you go to Sipadan, you have other islands n dive sites further away to explore (Mabul or Kapalai). In Redang, there's juz Redang. Where else do you go? Perhentian? I might as well stay on Perhentian if i wana dive in Perhentian...

Eco-friendly sunscreen? Now that's really something new!! So we have to buy those bloody expensive eco-friendly sunscreen just for Redang now? Or do u provide FOC? Or do you charge exhorbitant rates to tourist at the entry points?

All these restrictions. Wow, in future maybe Perhentian will kena as well! So what to do now? Better all rush to Redang before it's too late!! Better rush to Perhentian b4 these rules apply to the island..Luckily I went to Redang couple of years back...

Finally, after 10 years of 'co-habiting' with my sis, I have my own room back to myself!!! For the next 3 months.... While she's away on the Work and Travel program in USA at some theme park in Ohio!

He He, better than nothing! Don't have to worry abt waking her up in the morning, or she waking me up late at night...I can even sleep on her bed whenever I want! It's good to have the room back to myself, which I had up until 10 years ago when she grew up & needed to NOT sleep with my parents.....

I will have to enjoy the 3 months of free time in my room!!! Kekekekeke.. Maybe i'll sleep on my sis' bed tonite!!!

Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Which Camera Should I Purchase??

Camera dilemna! So i've been thinking abt upgrading my camera, which is a 4yr old LUmix 'Dono which model', 'Dono what pixel' camera. Well it's abt time actually, cos as much as my old handy Lumix camera is still very usable & some great pictures came out of it (courtesy has to be given to the photographer as well! Hey, it takes good eye to capture good photos!), the specs r not as good as can be! I mean, photo quality can be very much improved with a much better camera specs - like higher ISO, more shutter speed choices, etc etc...

So, after seeing how much a new n improved version of LUmix camera can do (LX3), the thought of upgrading my camera arose & has been lingering in my mind.. So there comes the problem! I'm not camera expert. I can read reviews, but hey, it's really really tough to sieve through thousands of reviews & make a decision based on that! Some of the terms r way too technical to understand how they help or be a disadvantage to users!

But after much research & surfing, I sorta shortlisted 3 candidates... The chosen one COULD very well be from these 3, but who knows! Maybe a dark dark horse may emerge victorious!!

Hereby presenting the Top 3 (or could possibly drop out of the race..who knows)

Camdate No 1

Canon Powershot S90

Camdate No 2

Lumix GF1

Camdate No 3

Lumix LX3

Ok by No means does bigger picture implies preference. It's juz how it was saved. After searching, these are the 3 i sorta took a closer look.

Camdate 1 is Canon, which is a good brand, & i heard some good reviews abt it. It's Powershot but it is rather compact for a powershot. I hated those bulky powershot with damn small screen but this looks sleek & nice! N it has other colours, most notably RED!!! Quite a no of functions, & good specs also. Reasonable price for Canon so makes a good deal.

Camdate 2 is DSLR-ish. & it has a sleek body for DSLR!! Yes, u can attach lens to it but not too sure abt how versatile it is as a DSLR. Maybe need to find out more. Or if any of u have more information to provide, pls do!!! But this camera is bloody expensive! It's costs almost 1500sgd!! For such a small camera & sorta DSLR-ish, it's rather expensive. But reviews have been great & it comes in RED too!! Hey, i'm into the colour stuff, makes camera more interesting, rather than sticking to plain old BLACK. See, even font colour is just black & nth else! Functions wise, it's bter than Camdate 1, since it's DSLR-ish. Looks good on paper & certifications, but pricey.

Camdate 3 is a hybrid bet point & shoot & DSLR-ish. It's a useful camera for the progression in between. My fren was using this when we went to Aussie & it looks good! With quite a no of manual functions, good ISO settings & shutter speed & aperture. Wow i sound pro (but i'm not really pro). Reasonable price as well! I think comparable to Camdate 1 too! But it only comes in BLACK & SILVER, which are rather bland colours.. Ok I can't choose colour for the word SILVER cos there arent any! Damn, if only they come in pink or champagne or red... But overall this is a good camera for pro-wanables & good pricing...

So then what? Seems like i'm verring towards Camdate 3, but I really like Camdate 2 as well. If only it's not tt expensive. Camdate 1 is good for a point & shoot, then so, gota think hard what I really want right now!..

Voters? Advice? Lobangs? Cheap deals?? I accept all!!

What? Me No Speak Chinese...

I Shall Pretend To Be An English Speaking Chinese Whenever I Roam Shanghai Streets, especially Alone...

I Shall Stop Wearing My Moon-Shaped Earrings To Shanghai Especially!

Why? Cos i'm sick n tired of being 'harassed' on the streets in Shanghai by strange aunties & ladies... They super love stalking the streets for 'victims' to harrass.

What am I talking about? NoNo, not declaration of love or such. These people are promoters for some facial salons n stuff. They love to roam the streets and stalk pple, especially those alone, and lure them to their salons on the pretense that there is free sample. Sometimes, I don't even know what they're talking about! Anyway, they'll juz stop me in my tracks & start blabbering about their salon, facial products, come come we have free samples for u, no obligation just take the free sample, very fast only a few minutes, give u free experience of our facial service with no obligations. Then Poof! My 15mins gone just trying to talk my way outa their incessant blabbering! Sometimes, they use force! Just pull u along for the so-called free treatment! I went for it once, & halfway through, i just told them "Sorry not interested, don't feel like doing anything. I really don't have the time & I wouldn't come back again". But then again almost 30-45 mins gone! Precious time i could have spent shopping for more useful things or watching animation or video clips!

Next time, I shall pretend I know not a single word of Chinese. "Sorry, I don't speak Chinese" & walk away! Hahahaha

Ok, next to my Moon shaped earrings. Seriously, I can't even remember where I bought it from. I suspect they're from BKK, cos I only buy earrings from BKK (ok only a few here in Singapore) but 99% from BKK. Anyway, this pair of earrings is YES very special (I very much admit it). I have never seen another wear it yet... So i can say i have a unique pair for now.. & It always attracts attention. Espeically in Shanghai, where those 'stalkers' roamed the streets.

They'll go "Wow, ur earrings are very unique!" or "Ur earrings are very pretty, where did u buy it from" or "I love your earrings!" Then u spend anther 15mins juz trying to PR PR abit & work ur way outa the conversation. & Mind u, there are all girls, ladies who ask the qns! I mean i don't expect guys to do so, else it'll be really creepy.

So to get myself outa 'trouble' & less wastage of time, maybe i shld stop wearing them, especially to Shanghai. But then again, they are my favourite pair of earrings! & easy to match with any outfit! I shall have to start from next month. Of cos i'm more easy target when i'm out alone, so that doesnt mean i'm NEVER going to wear them ever ....

Confessions of A Tennis Fan

I have always been fascinated by Tennis. Ever since the secondary school chinese textbook on the historic win by Michael Chang at the French Open. Cool!

So it started with supporting Michael Chang, then noticing big hitter Pete Sampras, Agassi, Pat Rafter etc. But it was only rather superficial, reading abt the tennis matches, seeing how Michael Chang fared (unfortch, those were the days when his days as tennis player were fading...). Then came along Marat Safin, the handsome Russian with the biggest temper! But his stars never did shine too brightly.. Then came players like Andy Roddick, Hewitt, uninteresting & not worth my time.. But the women's tennis became fun & exciting, with Hinggis, Jennifer n of cos Williams.

Luckily for us tennis fans, along came the matured & renewed Roger Federer! Esp after he ditched the pony tail. My fire for tennis re-ignited! But I nvr did came close to learning & hitting tennis balls!

Finally, after years of nvr doing anything to pursue my fav sport, I decided to take the plunge & start doing something! No more conversations like this: A - "U know alot abt tennis, do u play?", Me: "No, I only watch & analyse".

Took abt 5-6 lessons so far, & i think i play ok. Just need more experience on timing... Hence, the investment.

My 1st step to taking tennis seriously! Got myself a pro-tennis racket - Wilson somemore! Sponsor of Roger's racket. Not BLX cos it's abit heavy, but wilson nonetheless. & tennis shoes! Addidas not nike...

Wilson Hyper 2.0.

The frame is red! Looks really cool

Shoes! White with blue, from Addidas

Now is the time to get more serious! Aim to play at least once a week, when I'm not travelling...

Believe It Or Not

Does dream mirror reality or reality mirrors dream? Which is true and which is false?

I’ve had 2 rather horrifying and unimaginable experiences during my week long stay in Hangzhou hotel. Was it my imagination or was I just too damn tired?

I remember vividly that I dreamt of the same occurrence, but I also seriously remember it happening in reality. Once could be dismissed only so slightly as ‘maybe I was dreaming, maybe I was just tired and imagining’, but the 2nd time, that is just purely eerie.

The weird thing? It happened way towards the end of my week long stay, and with 1 so-called relatively peaceful night in between the 2 occurrences…

Now, back in Shanghai hotel, Oh Man! I had a fantastic sleep on the fantastic bed with no interruptions!!

Federer Clinches his 16th Grand Slam Title!

Roger Federer defeated Andy Murray in 3 straight sets 6-3 6-4 7-6 (13-11) in less than 3hours (161mins) to clinch his 4th Australian Open Title and increased his Grand Slam tally to 16! He becomes the 1st Dad to win a Grand Slam title since Andre Agassi in 2003.

Congratulations to Roger Federer and Good job! It is a fantastic start to the new year 2010, and we wish him all the best for the remaining of the year, with more Grand Slams to come!

Australiogue - Epilogue The Final Chapter

Finally after 2wks of writing, I have finally come to the ending chapter of the trip, the concluding chapter, the epilogue! Phew! It took long enough to get here... Luckily I can still remember stuff from the trip..

This final chapter will focus on the days in Melbourne City area itself, where I spent a total of 3 days (Angeline only 2 cos she left earlier). It was a fruitful 2 (3 for me) days for us, where we spent the time walking ard Mel city, exploring the various tourist sights, did a little shopping (me only a little, Angeline ALOT) & such...

The day of Mel begun on 4th Jan 2010, when we drove 1hr from Mornington to Mel. The drive was rather uneventful, leaving the cool windy Mornington for a sunny Mel! The day started bright & Sunny, with the prospect of good weather to come! Even though the sun was bright, the air was surprisingly cool & the wind slightly chilly! So it was not exactly very hot out there! Quite a nice weather!

After we deposited our stuff at Clara's place. sat down a while to rest, we set out in search of carpark for our vehicle cos the parking at Clara's was only free for 1hr between 8-530pm. So we gota find another place to park our car b4 returning after 530pm for free parking! When u see 1P (8-530pm) it juz means u can ONLY park 1hr free during tt duration stated, & if u exceed, u'll be FINED!! Yes FINED!! There's no way u can buy extra hour! Unless there's a 'ticket' written beneath the '1P' which means u have to buy ticket for 1hr parking during tt duration. It sounds complicated but it's actually quite easy to understand!

Us @ Royal Botanic Gardens

Royal Botanic Gardens

So our 1st stop was Royal Botanic Garden, where we found a 2P parking (means 2hr free). In we stepped into the Botanic Gardens, & it was so much bter than the Adelaide one! At least I don't feel cheated hahaha! It was HUGE!!! Lotsa of blooming flowers, pond etc... I like the feeling of the Botanic Gardens there! IT was a nice almost 1hr walk, & we headed out to find another parking space nearer to the city center. This time we found a 4P (ticket), which means pay for at most 4 hrs of parking, & it'll be free parking aft 630pm. Coincidentally, a lady (v v kind soul) gave us her ticket which still had 1hr to go, so in reality, we paid 4hrs but got 5hrs! Which we needed cos we were there at abt 115pm, so we needed to park till 630pm to get free parking!

SO anyway, after Botanic Gardens, we walked over to Federation Square & begun our small tour of Mel city! We took the city tram (FOC btw), stopped at Bourke Street (Chinatown) and shopped a while! This Chinatown is alot bigger than the one in Adelaide! Then we went to Mel central & QV center. After that, we went over to Crown Casino just for a look! Nope we DID NOT gamble... After all were done, dinner ate, it was after 7pm! We headed back to Clara's place, changed into warmer clothing (cos it's kinda chilly at nite) & headed out to St Kilda's beach for penguin watching! Yes, u heard it! Free Penguin watching!! No nd to pay to go to Philip Island to watch the penguins. U can watch them for FREE at St Kilda's! The crowd is not tt big & u get to b closer to the penguins! Another tip, if u have a torch, bring it! Cos the guides there can provide u with red cellophane that u can wrap ard ur torch so that the beam will be red! & penguins are less sensitive to red light, so it will not harm them!

Night scenery @ St Kilda's

Night scenery @ St Kilda's

NEVER SHINE WHITE LIGHT AT PENGUINS!! Cos they need a long time to adjust and recover from the blinding effect.

Cute Fairy Penguin

Another fruitful day at Mel on 7th Jan, where we started the shopping spree at Queen Victoria market! A must go if u wana get cheap souvenirs, cheap fruits & veges & nuts! Yes, they are cheaper there compared to even supermarkets! Fruits like avocadoes r sold at AUD1 each (yes they may be smaller in size but compared to AUD3.50 each, not much smaller), passionfruits @ 8 for AUD2, or mangoes @ AUD1 each! It's like the pasar malam, selling clothes, souvenirs, food, etc.. Lots of stuff. There was where Angeline started her shopping spree!! Hhaha.. She was damn excited when she saw the currency note pad, which of cos she bought eventually! It's also a good place to grab a cheap & fast lunch where sandwiches/rolls are sold at abt AUD3-4 each, pizzas @ abt AUD5-7, comparably cheaper than outside.

I'm Too Sexy for This Car

After spending half a day at Queen Victoria, we went over to DFO (direct factory outlet) in hopes of landing some cheap buys, but didnt find any that caught my eyes. Next stop, was the Library! Haha, muz b wondering y we went to the library! Their library is actually v grand! & there were a few free exhibits inside! There was one on the history of shopping (yes even that can become 1 exhibit), changing face of Victoria & books & ideas. The exhibits are actually quite interesting..

Library

Inside of the Library

This is a very furnie painting

After the exhibits, we went for a little afternoon tea or rather chocolate dose @ a chocolate cafe! Yum Yum.. The chocolate drink is actually quite good! ALthough it was abit too thick! My order was Spicy Hot Chocolate, v thick spanish hot chocolate drink with a tinge of spice. It was a nice counter balance to the sweetness of the chocolate, but the drink was abit too thick for my liking.. Had to pour water to dilute the taste.

The very very thick Hot Chocolate

After the short break, we went in search for our dinner! Clara recommended a woodfire pizza place & off we went in search of the place! Alas, we took a different bus which took us to the wrong end of the road & we had to take the bus to return to close to our starting point again! After 3 bus changes & several miles walked, we reached the place to discover that it was closed for the New Year! What Luck!~! However, luckily we found another woodfire pizza place & settled our dinner there!

Our most expensive dinner for the whole trip - Eggplant & pizza

& it was time to head back to Clara's for ANgeline to pack & head to the airport & fly home! With us accompanying her to the bus station to take the airport shuttle, we waved goodbye to Angeline. Then we headed off for the night view of Yarra River... It was a nice walk along the river coast, with all the lightings & stuff, although it is not exactly very brightly lit...But managed to capture a few good night photos of the scenery!

Night scenery along Yarra River

Last day in Mel, 8th Jan, left with myself & Clara (for half a day). We started the day with a walk @ Fitzroy Gardens with the temperature soaring to a high of 35 degrees!! A smaller garden compared to Royal Botanic, but it has its own beauties!

Fa Lun Gong demonstration

After a short walk we proceeded to Melbourne museum. It is AUD8.50 for adults but FREE for concession holders (i.e. students) which i so happen to hold! I highly recommend this musuem! It has very interesting exhibits, some permanent, some seasonal, so check out the website b4 u go!

Blob Fish.. How ugly

Spider ahead BEWARE

There were 4 main exhibits when we went - The Fossil (dinosaurs, animals & stuff), bugs, human life & aboriginal art! I think there was a 5th cos i rem seeing sth to do with Melbourne exhibits, but can't rem if it's part of another or one of its own..

Who the Hell wears such shoes?!?!

Me on the Moon

A Big Gold Nugget!!!

Anyways, the fossil exhibits were quite interesting, cos it wasnt all abt dinosaurs. There were interesting facts abt the underwater life, special species of fish, mammals etc... The exhibit on bugs was quite interesting as well, with live exhibits of bugs enclosed in glass boxes (obviously)..

Aborignal art was ok, although alittle dull as compared to the rest but it was interesting to read abt the life struggles they encountered during days of oppression.

I kinda like the human exhibit... Where they showed the various dissected portions of the human & explained way of working for various parts of the human body. There is also a section to educate pple abt reproduction process (which does not allow photography for obvious reasons). There are exhibits on human psychology & behaviour etc...

I'm a Size U!!

Do you know the answer to the remaining 2 spaces??

After the musuem, it was all me alone to explore Mel! I went shopping, finally, for some cheap bargains. Go along Swanston street & u can find quite alot of sale going on & some are quite good buys! I managed to get 2 tops which I like! They have alot of those long maxi dresses, which are cheap but i did not buy. Shld stop myself from buying too many dresses...

The ending figure. Believe me, it started with 31006

& so, after 12 days, 2,215km of car travel, here in ends my travel in Australia... My flight was rather uneventful, no shuai ge, no special encounters etc... By the time i arrived in Singapore, i was dead tired!

My stash of goods from Australia - lots of biscuits (Arnotts, not tim tam), 2 tops, lots of photos & great experience! I miss my Trip!!!!!!! Now it's back to reality back to work...

Australiogue - Chapter Four (3/01/2010; 5/01/2010 - 6/01/2010)

Funny dates? Yes indeed, cos I decided to devote this blog entirely on places that are considered outskirts of Melbourne City, for consistency & easier narration. You wun want to pop in and out of Mel city every now and then. So this blog will be about Mornington Peninsula, Dandenong and Yarra Valley! We had a tour of Melbourne city in between these 3 places, which I will blog about in the next chapter, also known as Epilogue

So there, after the breathtaking views & coastal area of GOR (not to forget the windy & cold weather), we headed out from our fanciest hotels ever (4 points @ Sheraton Geelong) through a 1hr drive to Queenscliff pier for the ferry across to Mornington! 1st time ever to drive onboard a ferry! I think both of us were affected by the cold, we made a couple of wulongs (mistakes) by parking at wrong plcs 2 times, b4 finally proceeding to juz drive through to the boarding area! Luckily we got there earlier if not we would have missed the ferry & will hv to wait another 1hr! At exactly 9am, the ferry moved & we were on our way to Mornington! We were contended to stay inside the ferry due to the ferocious wind outside, not a nice weather to be in the outdoors.

The ferry ride took only 45mins, & we were off to explore Mornington (MP). 1st stop - Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm to do our own U-pick of strawberries! As i said, cold weather is not good for outdoor activities, like strawberry picking. U pay AUD8 each, for a box of abt 500g strawberry. As long as u r able to close the lid, u'r free to squeeze as much as u deem fit! Of cos, they didnt act check to make sure the lid is closed b4 u exit... But of cos, we're all honest people!

Tips on picking strawberries

All geared up with plastic wrapped due to muddy grounds

Picking strawberries. Even tho it's end of the season, they are still big n juicy!

Our harvest!

Our intial plan was to head for Arthur's Seat for picnic aft strawberry picking but it was drizzling & not good weather, so we decided to postpone Arthur's Seat in search of the Chocolate store. Alas, we had an old map, & went the wrong way, turning here & there, a great practice session for 3-point turns! I lost count of how many 3-point turns i made during that day! Let's just say, sometimes, u only realize u reach tt plc when u drove past it! I can make a 3-point turn blindly now! Anyway, after we found out the new address, we attempted to find it but apparently, we don seem to see it! So it's off to head our TIP OF THE TRIP #1, find the visitor information center! With the new map in hand, & a rough idea of where the chocolate store is, we decided to head to Arthur's Seat 1st, seeing that the weather seemed to be glowing again! & It is here, that we encountered the windiest roads of all! Even worse than GOR! The turns were like less than 30degrees!

View from Arthur's Seat

The Seat! Nothing spectacular tho

We reached Arthur's Seat only to discover that the seat is juz a plain metal chair named after someone called Arthur. Hahah, but the view from there was great! Anyway, we loitered for a while, b4 proceeding to the next stop - Ashcombe Maze! Like I said b4, sometimes, u only realize u reached the destination after u passed it. Tt was wat happened to us, & we had to (once again) do a 3-point turn at a convenient plc to turn back!

There are 3 main mazes to be completed, and we spent quite some time trying to clear the 1st 2 mazes... Not easy ok! But we finally did it, although let's juz say we sorta cheated on the 2nd cos we cldnt find the exit, so we returned to the entrance to get out! Hahaha, too desperate! In the end, after we exited, we found the exit at the next corner. & Good news! The sky finally cleared & mighty SUN came out to play!!! At least we don't have to wonder ard the maze in the cold...

Maze 1, which direction to go??

Kangaroo Paws cos they look like Kangaroo's Paws! Haha

Barking Ben on the tree

Next up, rose garden. It looked simple enuff, but with all the wire barbs, it was hard to see which route leads to the center! Final stop - Lavender Gardens. Not a maze but a garden of Lavender! Quite pretty!

@ Rose Garden

Lavenders!

By the time we were done there, it was already 4pm, gota rush to the Chocolate store b4 it closes at 5pm! Yes e'rything is gone by 5pm. Turns out, we actually passed by tt plc earlier (twice) but the signboard was too small to notice! Hahahah.. Anyway, the chocolates are bloody expensive. Didn't buy any. Then we went to check into our motel (not a bad motel). Even tho we reached b4 5pm(let's juz say abt 10mins b4 5pm), the recep was oredi closed for the day, & our keys were left in the room booked for us. SO funny..

Even though the next morning, we were headed to Melbourne city, I shall not blog in tt chronological manner, but instead move on to 1 day later when we visited Dandenong, then followed by Yarra Valley!

@ Puffing Billy Station, 3 of us!

Dandenong - 5/01/2010. Our Guest Star - Clara Chen joined us for the trip! Our aim was to catch the Puffing Billy Train ride, take a return trip for 1 station & come back to the original station, just to try it out! Luckily we managed to get the return trip as there was no more stop at the 2nd station for the day! So in the end, we managed to get the return train at the 2nd station, which would depart 5mins after we arrive at the 2nd station! How lucky is that! Anyway, nothing much at the stations.. But the ride was quite fun! U get to sit on the ledge & hand ur legs outside! So the 3 of us did! The train did not tip! We saw people, heavier than us do tt b4 we proceeded with caution!

Me sitting on the ledge...

Look, i'm weightless!

After the train ride, we aimed to go for Olinda Village via GPS (thanks Clara for that device) but apparently, it took us to dono where & we kept turning here n there but cldnt find what we want! Hahahha, in the end we decided to change to go Olinda Falls, but still cldnt get there! & by coincidence, we suddenly arrived at Olinda, right at the carpark of 'Pie In The Sky', the location where we initially wanted to go! Hahahah, it goes to show, u'll eventually get there! Of cos, we cldnt miss trying the Pies! Delicious! Alot of accolades for the pies there! Remember to go try if u happen to be ard that area! After lunch, we shopped ard the area. They have alot of interesting themed stores, selling unique items. Like a store that sells all lacy stuff, teapots, candies etc...

Taste the difference! Yum Yum

My order of Feta & Spinach Pie. Their pies r really good!

After our short break, we proceeded to continue to find Olinda Falls. After a long long drive, missing our way, driving into dirt road, & keep driving ard the same area, we finally found the place! Interesting & furnie story - We actually found the place at 1st try, but the signboard was covered by our car, we didnt get out. Seeing that there were no signs, & the place didnt look to have a Fall, we drove out to find another way, only to be guided back to the same place! When we got outa the car, we saw the signboard right in front of us! & the same family was seated there. They must be wondering what the hell is wrong with these 3 Asian Girls. ahhahaha. So Olinda Falls is actually a 10mins walk from the carpark, & of cos, with Summer, comes no rain hence only trickled water flowing...

It was here all along!!

Last stop of the day - One Tree Hill, which we assumed was a hill with only 1 tree ontop (u know like the one in Auckland) but it's juz a hill, with lotsa trees, & no particular lookout point. I guess it's more for trekking then anything else. By the time we were done with Dandenong (after going the wrong way a couple of times) we finally left for dinner at some other far away place hahaha...

TIP OF THE TRIP #3: Share food helps to save cost. Especially if u visit places like Australia or US.

This may only be true for those countries cos their portions are really extremely big! It's like almost x2 the size we have here! & I can't even finish my food here in Singapore most of the time! So it's good, cos we sorta split the cost for 1 portion that actually is sufficient to feed 2!! No wonder they are so big sized! But then again, Americans r much fatter than Aussies...

Yong Tau Foo Tom Yum. Share w Angeline

Playing w the magic mirror

Acting cool

Charlie's Angels!

Yarra Valley 6/01/2010. Time for some booze! The day started with a drive to Bluehills with the weather being gloomy & kinda chilly! Our conclusion is that whenever we are to pick fruits, the weather will become cold for us! We paid AUD11/kg each to enter & start picking raspberry & blackberry! I like raspberry! We ended up with slightly more thatn 2kg in total, so had to pay extra! Kinda regretted it cos it was too much fruit to finish! Imagine >2kgs of berries!

Me with abt 2.5kg of berries!

After berries, it's time for some wine tasting tour at Domaine Chandon. It offers free (Yes u read it correct FREE) wine tour of the premise & the wine making process at scheduled timing (11am, 1pm and 3pm daily) Quite informative tour! Then after, free wine tasting of fixed menu, & u have to go from Champagne to White Wine to Red Wine. NEVER the other way round! Of cos, we only had a sip or 2. Drink, Don't Drive. Since we're driving, we cannot drink too much!

Another small 'incident' with the GPS along the way. Instead of leading us through the more direct way (as per the MAP and google MAP), it led us through to a dirt road which seemed to lead to nowhere or rather to a longer route... Morale of the story: Never trust ur GPS too much! SOmetimes, it's more accurate or easier to check the map (paper map) or google it ahead to check out your route and know where u'r going, rather than juz trust GPS blindly. At least i prefer to know where am I headed to...If anything goes wrong, at least I know where I'm stuck at! In any case, once we realized the GPS led us to 'Holland', we turned back, & went our own way (according to initial map analysis) which turned out to be much easier...

The famous Moet Chandon

We headed next to Yarra Valley Dairy, in hope of some interesting Cheese tasting At affordable prices or a tour of the premise, but were disappointed. The cheese platter was quite expensive & the place smell of animal dunk. Haha So our Yarra Valley tour ended with the fast stop at YV Dairy & we headed back home (or rather Clara's house) to rest for the night, not even bothering to go for Queen Victoria's Night market, which is on only during Summer every wednesday night.

Alrighty, next up, Epilogue. All you need to know about what we did in Melbourne City. Not necesarily all u need to know abt Melbourne City, cos we may not have explored all there is to it!