Melbourne 19th April 2005

Well, after 10 days of travelling and enjoying ourselves, it's time for us to head home and face reality.

However, we will always feel the warmth and hospitality over in Melbourne, Australia. We will like to thank Stranger family, Darryl; Krisandra; Molly and Ebby and The White Family, Auntie Betty.

It's really sad that once again, we are leaving dearest family in Australia. We will miss their laughter over every little thing. Of course, not forgetting the 2 cuties, Jesse and Charlie..

We Love You So Much!!

Really Miss You A Lot!!!

Take Care!!

Melbourne 17th and 18th April 2005

Today, we are headed to Healsville Sanctury. Another "must-go" place for us, nature-loving freaks!
Darryl drove and we were all seated comfortably in the 7 seater, off we are to the Sanctury, located in the Yarra Valley area. The Sanctury was filled with native animals, alive and not stuffed. They are alive and moving around in their individual enclosures. Boy! they looked happy, well-fed and satisfied. Lazing around in the cool autumn wind.

Allow me to introduce some of the satisfied occupants of the sanctury.

On your right, you will see a worbat, deep in sleep and she, or is it s he, did not even realised that there were cameras clicking away. As all of you know, worbat is my favourite Australian native species. Why? 'Cause they are as cute, sweet and hug-able as I am.

Over here, we have a Paddy Melon, smaller size Wallaby, that survives in the rocky areas for Australia. They are wonderful rock climbers and love their fruits a lot. So keep your hands off them, unless you plan to lose 1 or 2 of your 10 fingers.

They are so puffed up and fluffy, which reminds me so much of my soft toy at home. Noticed the colouration of their fur? That allow them to easily hide away in the background and live a few more days.

Last but not least, which of the cuties did I left out? Right... The Koalas! These amazing marsupials do not need to drink water, as they get the much needed moisture from the eucalyptus leaves, and they are asleep for about 18hours per day. Sleepyheads!!

This one was wide awake and waiting for food obviously... we caught this shot during the keepers session. Interestingly boring but the kids loved it....

Think we were there for about 6 hours, as we attended every show we are able to make it to and seat throughout the entire show. Armed with caremas in one hand and ice-cream in the other.

By the time we were on the way home, we are all sleeping in the car with the air-con on full blast...

Melbourne 15th anf 16th April 2005

After a good breakfast, it's time for us to leave the beautiful farm and head back to town, to Ringwood.

Very big thank to Robert and Janet for their great hospitality. We really did enjoyed ourselves.

When we are back to Civilization, we will be staying with Darryl and Krisandra, together with Molly and Ebby... They are my family away from home, as mentioned in the previous entries.

Let me introduce you to another family member, who was added only recently. She is Charlie! Charlie is a new addition to the family and she is just a couple of month old when we arrived. She is a Lab Retriever and is super active. She really makes life difficult for Jesse, as she is always teasing Jesse and irritating her. But how can you blame her or be harsh to her? She is such a babe....

Shortly after arriving, we rode off to Knox, the largest shopping in the area. Oh My God, it was really huge. Like about 3 - 4 times the size of Vivocity with so many shops to look and see, of course and so many things that I want to buy... But SELF-CONTROL!! We are on a budget....

Melourne 14th April 2005

Rise and Shine @ 6.30am!!!

Before we start for the day, allow me to introduce you to the owners of this Beautiful Farm. Janet with Aunty Betty, who are introducing us to the sheeps in the farm. They really respond when names are called out. Amazing....!!

Janet has about 40 sheeps in her farm and about 10 of them are named. Erm, if I remember correctly, we have Mary, Alice, Ricks and Rita.

Below, we have Robert, retired teacher and does all the handy work around the farm. He was sawing away when we woke up in the morning, or did his handy work woke us up. Hrm....

After introducing the owners, we are moving on the to farm. The house is situated in the middle, surrounded with by greenery and a small stream further down. In front of the house, there are apple, orange, peach and apricot trees, with a vegetable patch and shelthered fruit patch.

Although it is in the middle of Autumn, but the weather had been sunny. Hence, there were strawberries, raspberries, red current, black current and kiwi for picking. So we are in the greenhouse with baskets, having the time of our lifes, harvesting fruits.

We also plucked a few vegetables and fresh herbs for our Italian Vegetable soup tonight, like Zuchinni; Leek and Thyme. The rest, we had to get them from the nearby market.

Do you know that Janet's Homemade Jam had won numerous awards? I had the chance to learn the secret to the best Jam in town.. You want to know??

Never.....!!!!!

Melbourne 13th April 2005

Happy 28th Birthday, Darling....

Yesterday after the proposal, we went for a romantic dinner @ the SouthBank area. That was also celebrating Nelvyn's birthday as well.... Itz his 28th birthday and 2 more years, he will be crossing the 30 years old mark.... He's getting quite depressed over it. So shhh.......

Before meeting Auntie Betty @ 3pm to head over to Janet's farm in Foster, we popped out to the GPO, General Post Offce - Melbourne, which was converted to a upmarket shopping arcade. You can find all the classy and branded boutiques there.

It's just like walking into a grand palace and we are the Prince and Princess, waiting to be dolled up and ready for the Grand Ball.

@ about 3pm, we headed over the Flinder's Street Station and met up with Aunty Betty. She looked strong and happy to see us too... From there, we took a cab to the Spencer Street Bus Station and waited for the bus to Foster.

After travelling in the "Comfortable" coach for about 3 hours from Melbourne to Foster, we have finally arrived @ a small town, with a Post Office and a few other shops cum restaurants.

There I saw a familiar face, leaning beside a car and smiling at us. Janet was already waiting for us for a long time. Apparently, the coach took a longer route and arrived way after time.

We hopped on the vehicle and made our way to Janet's and Robert's farm. Along the way, we had worbats racing alongside our car and wallabies jumping in front of our car. Hence, we took 20 mins before arriving @ the farm.

Upon arrival, we were famished and couldn't wait to have dinner. We had baked chicken and greens with brown bread. Thatz the best!!! After dinner, we are served hot tea in front of the fire place, all warmed and wrapped up with our favourite book in hand.

Melbourne 12th April 2005

Shopping Day!! Today we are headed over the Smith Street for some sporting stuffs... There are loads of Famous Brand's warehouse located on this street. Like Nike, Adidas etc, just to name a few.. and many Surf-Shop too...

The inventory were... Nike Sportsware as well as Billabong's Board Shorts... Superb value for all...Just look are the amount of shopping bags we had....

Noticed the Colonial-style building behind. Its the Melbourne Museum.. We thought it was time to get some cultural aspects into our trip and there was a really nice Dinosaur Exhibition going on then. Being Nature-Lovers, why not?

Of course, there are loads of other exhibits like streets of Melbourne from the older days and home design 'N' decor.

The place was huge, but fully utilised. Hence we had a fruitful day when we were there. Definiely worth the time for a visit there.

After a long day of walking and heavy lifting (Shopping Bags!) we headed back to Hotel for a short break and prepare ourselves for another round of night tour. Tonight, we are headed to the Melbourne Observation Tower for a glimpse of the Melbourne Night View.

When we were out on one of the Balcony, Nelvyn dropped to to his knees and I saw my "Ring"... So exciting and I just did not know what to do.... Shocked, Surprised and Bloody-Happy....... Of course, I did not say "Yes" immediately. So I think he remained on his knees for like a good 10 mins... Finally, when everyone were staring at us, and I see him blushing. The "Yes" finally came out of my mouth.....

Melbourne 11th April 2005

How can we miss the Great Ocean Road when in Melbourne? So we got ourselves booked with the 1 day tour and set off @ 7.30am in the morning. It was a minibus, so the journey was cozy, but bumpy. Like in Harry Potter's Prisoner of Azkaban, "It's gonna be a bumpy ride" when Harry got onto to the Knight Bus. About an hour away from Melbourne City Centre, we arrived @ the famous Great Ocean Road. The view is just stunning and breath-taking.

There are several lookouts where by we were brought to and the views just changes with every one that we go. The water are so blue,contrasting against the green hills. Look at the waves pounding onto shore, no wonder the sand are so fine all along the beaches.

We took time to stroll along the numerous beaches, enjoy the breeze and the voices from the sea. The environment is serene, yet you just can't ignore the sound of waves rushing to shore. Although it was Autumn, but we saw a couple surfers trying their skills with the huge waves. Exciting!!! Wish that we will have a ocean-facing property on the Great Ocean Road in time to come.

Shortly after lunch, we headed over to the 12 Apostles. We tried to count them, but we could never get 12, no matter how many times we tried. So our guide told us, according the guidebooks, there are only 9 of the 12 left. But new stacks are appearing everyday as bridges connecting them collaspes, thus forming individuals all over the place.

The 12 Apostles changes almost everyday as the pounding waves erodes and shape them. So when you get the chance go see they, or they may not be there the next time you pop over.

Melbourne 10th April 2005

Today, it's time for sea breeze and sunshine. We headed over to St Kilda's Beach, where there will always be the Sunday Arts and Craft Bazaar. I (or Brenda) can always find things to buy. From handmade accessories, native animal soft toys, handbags to art paintings. It's amazing that how people can come up with so many things just with their own imagination and dare to pursue their dreams. See the little Bilby on my shoulder, we got it there.

Since St Kilda's is where people spend their Sunday mornings, sipping freshly made Latte and muffins. There are numerous cafes and restaurants there. Speaking of those, after much shopping and looking around. We were attracted to a Burger Joint, where the beef patties are sizzling on the grill and fries are swimming in hot oil. We had burgers, fries, potato salad and, of course, mile shake to wash everything down. By the time we were done, there was a long line outside waiting to be seated. This must be a very popular restaurant.

Later that night, feeling lucky, we went over to the Crown Casino, Melbourne. Located along the Yarra River, this Casino-cum-shopping mall-cum-hotel is truly a one-stop place for the Rich. Remember Warner Bros.? The branch, located in Singapore, was closed down, but we found another in Melbourne. After some shopping around, we went over to the Casino to try out our luck. Did you know that if you are a first-timer there, with your pasport, you can register free and get a complimentary AUD5 credit in the card to try your luck? So we went over to the Jackpot machine and 'ting ting ting', we are on..... How much did we win? Well, just say that we had enought for breakfast for the next 2 days.

Melbourne 9th April 2005

Our 2nd trip to Melbourne. The last time I came, I missed out quite a few places, and so this time round, I am determine to do more exploring in Melbourne City. Here we are, in front of the State Library - Melbourne, right after we touched down and checked into our "home" @ Mecure Welcome. It is so different from our National Library. I always prefer the Colonial-style (I think) architecture to the Futuristic design of the National Library in Singapore. Life is so relax here. People can just sit around on the grass patch and feed the pigeons without any restriction. Cannot imagine that happening in Singapore. You may have a "Fine" instead of a fine day.

Oh!! Melbourne Central... This place was just open when we were there, so a few shops were still "Work-in-Progress". But there were several interesting displays all around the place. Like this spiral glass roof, reminds us of Wheelock Place over here @ home.

And this elephant tusk look alike bench, which we were quite skeptical about sitting on them. Afraid that they may suddenly break or something. But, in the end, they holded and we got this nice photo taken.

After all that walking around, our stomach started their singing and orchestra, so we headed down to Queen Vic for some snack and more shopping. I simply love this place, totally "Everything under 1 roof". There are so many areas to go, things to see and to BUY!!! We started off from the Gourmet Food stores, where we got our German Frank Hotdog, we were too busy eating and clean forgot about taking pictures of them. There are load of things there, Deli with Hams and Sausages; Tibits like nougats and many more. You have to be there to see for yourself. Thereafter we went over to the Fresh Food and Veg section. Rows and rows of fresh meat displayed in refrigerated cabinets that looks to tempting and crying out, "Buy Me!". How I wish we can have such a place in Singapore.

Melbourne 3rd December 2003

All things must end someday. It's time for us to go home. We were leaving Betty, David, Darren, Krisandra, Molly, Abby, Jessie and all the wonderful people we had met in Melbourne, Australia.

The trip had been fruitful and enjoyable. We wondered when will we be coming to Melbourne again.

We will like to take this chance to express our heartful thanks to Auntie Betty and Uncle David and The Stranger Family for making us feel so at home and welcomed in Melbourne.

Well it is time to go back now....

Singapore! Here we come!!

Melbourne 2nd December 2003

Betty and David White, our family away from home. They had been the family's friend since before Brenda was born. Both in their early 80's, they are strong, loving and friendly. They have never failed to make us feel at home when we are staying with them. They used to have a farm of their own in the outskirts of Melbourne, in the region of Foster. But ever since they grew old, they decide that they were not able to cope with the everyday work of maintaining a farm. Thus they sold their farm, and moved to live with their youngest daughter, Krisandra, in Ringwood.

We were warmly welcomed in Ringwood by Darren and Krisandra, together with Molly and Abby, of course not missing out, Jessie, our ever-so-friendly Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

We had the typical Summer Australia BBQ on the patio and enjoyed the summer breeze with a cup of hot chocolate. Chatting about family located over the globe and when our next visit will be. It was indeed a pleasant and heart-warming time spent with our Family-Away-From-Home.

Melbourne 1st December 2003

We were heading to Phillips Island to see the penguins today. But the cute little penguins will only emerge in the evening. So we had the whole day to explore the rest of the Island.

We passed by this wonderful pier (Forgot the name), where there were loads of people fishing along the pier. Wish that Brenda's Dad was here. He would enjoy chatting with these people and telling them about his conquest. Really hope that one day we can bring him here for a trip.

We were brought to a Sanctuary, where all the Australia's cutie pies are found. I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Aussie's heavyweight, The Wombat. The keeper woke her up from the sweet dreams, so she was a little grumpy (As you can see in the picture). She was awfully heavy and studious, but suprising quiet. Maybe haven't woke up completely from her slumber.

The koalas were all sleeping (As usual) when we arrived at the Koala Research Sanctuary. We were allowed to go in to the park and search for these wonderful marsupials high up on the trees.

We did not managed to hug a real one, fearing they will scratch our eyes out. But we did manage to come by the world's largest Koala and hug her/him all we want.

Melbourne 29th November 2003

After 2 weeks of separation, I'm finally in Melbourne. It's been a hard & long 7 hours plane ride, especially with my long legs. Upon arriving, with no idea about how to get to my Darling, I boarded a cab, thinking that I will be seeing her in another 15 mins. BUT...after reaching the city centre, the cabbie turned around and asked me, "Hey mate, do you know which turn to take?" It was the shock of my life, as this is my 1st time in Melbourne as well.

With no choice, I decided to alight and find my own way on foot.

After about 30mins of turning and searching, I saw 'Paramount Service Apartment' in front of me!

"YIPPI! " It's a miracle, I thought. I am able to see my Darling in a couple of minutes.

Melbourne 15th November 2003

Me at Changi Airport Departure Hall. Brenda was waiting to board the plane for her study trip in Melbourne at RMIT University. This was the 1st time we will be separated between 2 continents. Although I'm trying my best to be happy, but deep down in my heart, I'm feeling sad. I'm worried that she may not take good care of herself when she is in Melbourne.. But not to worry, it's just for 2 weeks, and I will be going to Melbourne to see her.