MooNkitty's BitterSweet Life Journey

Review Of 2011

2012-01-01T16:47:00.121+08:00

Busy 2011 was the reason why I abandoned my blog. That why my blog started to die around July 2011. I guess its the time of the year where most of us reflect in what happened throughout the year. So, 2011 what about it? Looking back at all the photo I have took, I'm starting think it was a good year after all despite having a quite number of down times.

We went to Bukit Bintang for 2011 New Year celebration. Not really went there for countdown but just for a fine dining at Bukit Changkat.

My eldest sister was here to celebrate New Year with me ^^

Went to Elcerdo for an interesting pork`licious experience

we really had a good time

My first cooked meal this year and also my first attempt to grill a good steak. It was much easier than I expected and it was cooked perfectly ^^

with garlic bread and mushroom, don't forget red wine too ;)

Romantic? We had our candlelight dinner at home

16 January 2011, bestie's birthday celebration at Zanmai Sushi Kuchai Lama

Last year, the Year of Rabbit welcomed us in all its furry glory. It was quite shocking to realize that Chinese New Year is less than a week away from now. 2011 Chinese New Year reunion dinner with friends was certainly a dinner experience to remember. Too bad, this year we don't have this kind of reunion dinner. A bit upset ;(

Chinese New Year reunion dinner with my secondary school mates

Both of them delivered a healthy baby girl and boy

Chinese New Year reunion dinner with my buddies

another Chinese New Year reunion dinner

and more...

lastly with family and cousins

Then come to my first cuti cuti Malaysia holiday. Unforgettable trip. Never thought Muar and Desaru can be so fun ;)

Stayed a night here

had the famous Assam Pedas Fish

Welcome to Desaru

Pulai Desaru Resort

beautiful and relaxing beaches

On our way back, I was prompted to drop by Johor Lama because I was reminded of history lessons. The village of Johor Lama is also known as Johor Kampung to the locals. The old fort was located on a hill next to the river. There aren’t any stone walls that remain today but for some earth mounds that do indicate some form of protective structure.

Museum building

The brief history of Kota Johor Lama written here

23 Jan 2011, the day one of my bestie Christy's ROM (Registry of Marriage) with his beloved Woon. I'm honored to be invited to their ROM. Congratulations, Woon & Christy

28 Jan 2011, successful surprise birthday party for our buddy TCB

And then came February 2011...

Chinese New Year reunion dinner with family

Last year we celebrated the arrival of The Year of The Rabbit!
Oh! My RM25.00 red cheongsam where i bought it online ;p

The most important about this year Chinese New Year is spending time with my family. Its all about Chinese New Year celebration with my beloved family and looking forward to a prosperous year of the rabbit.

15 February 2011...

My youngest sis, Miss Pipo 25th years old birthday ;)

23 February 2011, time flies and my brother leaving to Taiwan to further study

Then in February, my first trip travel around Sabah within 5 days. Our journey begins from KL-Sandakan (Sepilok) - Kota Kinabalu - Tawau - Semporna - Mabul Island - Tawau - KL.

my travel buddy, Alisa who are 5 months pregnant

meet up with my secondary friend, Ellis Chieng for dinner

Billabong Scuba homestay

Sunset at Mabul Island

suffering from very bad sunburn after that ;(

26 February 2011, last dinner at Paul's house before he leaving to Singapore for work. Mr Loong was the chef of the night! I miss those kinds of moments actually ;(

Then came March....

3rd March 2011, Dad's 58th birthday. Unfortunately we were not with him...so celebrated his special day thru web-cam. Kinda special huh ;p

steamboat gathering at Yoon Li and NKS's house. How about another one this year?

On March 19, celebrated Riverbird 30th birthday

Moving on....

April 2011 also marks the year i enter the decade that is best for women ;)

Celebrating a 30th birthday is a big deal for a woman, as it marks the beginning of a new stage of life. Thanks to my bestie Lynn for putting so much effort in organizing the event. Thanks Cheryl for the wonderful decoration and balloons. Thanks to my sister Ping for arranging the best song thru out the night. Thanks to all my friends who sponsor the liquor and foods as well.

I love the Saujana Subang suite room, spacious and nice

Love u all ya ^^

Thanks TCB, Riverbird and Chloe for the birthday cupcakes from Wondermilk

It's still my birthday ;)

another celebration with Sports Business team at IOI Mall TGIF

surprise birthday from my students. Thanks for the birthday cake and Domino's pizza

Love ya ^^

Belated celebration with buddies at Ole Ole Bali Sunway

Thanks to all, especially Yvonne for arranging the dinner

24th April 2011, Happy 1st Anniversary to Arena

Haris, one of our kesayangan during his practical at ASTRO

farewell party for Haris as he had completed his practical training at ASTRO

30th April, celebrated Winnie's birthday at Sky Lounge. It's gonna be a memorable gathering cause this will be her last single birthday celebration before getting married by this end of year.

special custom made "Smiley" birthday cake for her

Each of you brought so much joy to her special day ^^

Nothing much happen in May...

Nicholas & Esther wedding dinner

my handsome buddies, Paul & Loong with new hair styles

However, June is the month of the greatest traveling...

Went to Singapore with Miss Pipo to attend Jane's big day

We become jimui and they created a lot of laughter and of course a lot of noise for the gate crashing.

Congrats and both of them just had a newborn baby boy

After the wedding, we spend 2 more days at Singapore. Meet up with my bro, Tommy

Meet up with Chris from ESPN Starsports

and also meet up with my old buddy, Tony

Since we are here, we don't want to miss out the opportunity to go to The Universal Studio Singapore. We had a great time here although we had no much money left ;(

a picture with "Puss in Boots"

a picture with "Po, The Panda"

a picture with "The Penguins of Madagascar"

Awesome fireworks ;)

Great time Great rides!

7-13 June 2011, My first holiday abroad with my parents only to Sri Lanka. Enjoyable trip ever with parent ;)

Sigiriya - Mount of remembrance

Kandy

Having tea at Nuwara Eliya

and last destination, Negombo

30 June, my cousin twin babies, left is baby girl and right is baby boy at full moon party

July 2011... eat, sleep, watch football ^^ (Busy with BPL Asian Tour 2011)

Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, three of the big four of EPL visit to Malaysia. The three teams will take on the national side on three different dates in July.

Got all the players photo with signature during a meet the fans session

13 July - Malaysia vs Arsenal @ Bukit Jalil Stadium

We got the VIP tickets, thanks Boss

Zarfan & Fido, die hard Arsenal

Malaysia supporters

Samir Nasri, one of my favorite

Ryo Miyaichi, new Arsenal player

16 July - Malaysia vs Liverpool @ Bukit Jalil Stadium

Liverpool players line up

Malaysia players line up

Again, we got VIP tickets, thanks boss

from that moment, she falls in love with Liverpool

now you are Liverpool die fan huh?

19 July 2011 - Chelsea meet the fans session @ One World Hotel

Fernando Torres

Frank Lampard

Drogba

21 July - Malaysia vs Chelsea @ Bukit Jalil Stadium

thanks boss for the tickets again ;)

Wan and her son, Danish join us for the first time

sport business team bestie, Wan & Shelyna

all in Malaysia blue jersey

23 July 2011 - 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification: Malaysia vs Singapore

penuh semangat!!

Although Malaysia lost to Singapore, but Harimau Malaya tetap BOLEH!!

Lynn belated birthday celebration at The Library Boulevard Puchong

19 July - Our big boss birthday celebration

I love Sport Business Team ;)

Then came to August...

26 August 2011, Miss Pipo meets Daniel for the first time
(her exclusive & limited edition Viva)

and bring us for outing

hurm...that time I starting to have back my old sickness, can't eat ;(

outing for extreme activity @ Port Dickson

And then came blissful September...

10 September 2011, finally Yee Fen & Jia Jun tied the knot ^^

My buddy since Uni time

oh, I love this photo ^^

11 September 2011, rushing to Banting for gate crashing + last minute bride to be. At last can witness one of my bestie big day ^^

13 September 2011, Mid Autumn Festival with colorful lanterns

wont miss out with this happy boom ;)

16 September, my student Ashley finally reached her sweet 16...time flies

Happy sweet sixteen Ashley

22 September, after one month suffering from stomachache and frequent vomiting, I went for specialist check up. Suggested to do an endoscopy test to examine the esophagus (swallowing tube), stomach, and duodenum (first portion of small bowel). I uses to have gastric problem since young.

was alone thru out the process and nervous

Result: Ulcer gastric + Helicobacter Pylori infection

detection of Helicobacter Pylori ;(

on medication for 3 months and thanks GOD I passed the breath test after that

I got my 1st Limited Edition Hello Kitty Polaroid camera ^^

Busy october....

11 October, my boss belated lunch at Sri Petaling, Secret Recipe

16 October, my parent came over to attend Miss Pipo's graduation. Finally she graduated! Congrats sis!!

17 October, after free from paying my car loan and spend few thousand for it, lovely persona rammed into the back of my Kenari.

Ended at workshop for almost one month

26 October, make up my mind to change a new car ^^

The most busy month, November

work..work..work..

after struggling, finally Stitch No 2 passed away ;(

The year is coming to an end when December finally came. Time starting flying faster than usual and I was fully occupied with lotsa thing to do...

my dear sister, Winnie got MARRIED ;)

Congrats Sis..

16 December, family trip to Penang except Miss Pipo and brother

while waiting Winnie to pick us up

she's the driver and I'm navigator... haha

Hello Penang!!

Awesome night at Hard Rock Penang cafe.. Thanks Lennon & Chung for your accompany

The next day, we went to Kek Lok Si temple

bought new collection from ASTRO book fair
just love reading... reading... and reading

finally I have to let him go.. such a hard feeling but I have to....
Thanks for the 7 years journey with me ;(

Finally I got it, thanks Wan for the new key chain

21st December, welcome to my life

24 December, ready to have Christmas eve dinner

A great dinner with my family & old friends

Christmas eve dinner at Allegro Cafe

25 December, hang out with Pa at Geographer bar

26 December, jalan-jalan cari makan at Malacca

27 December, cuci cuci mata at Pavillion

Belated birthday celebration at Uncle Chilis, PJ Hilton

Birthday boy, Woo Woo

31 December, BBQ party with friends and it's New Year Eve already

Another year has passed and I am now another year older. I'm thankful for all the good things that happened to me. Thanks to all who helped and supported me.

Fuh~~ Its my longest blog in 2011. So, Good bye 2011...

Sri Lanka "The Pearl of the Indian Ocean"

2011-07-20T23:18:00.059+08:00

Firstly, this is my first holiday abroad with my parents only. Two months ago, my parent and I went to Sri Lanka for the holiday. One week traveling with my parents taught me the importance of planning and just how much was possible to see and do in a short time.

boarding to Colombo

Dad always pre-book online on meals

Yay!! Filled up our stomach for 4 hours journey.. napping time ;)

Don't ever ever forget to fill up this one....

Arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo

Ayubowan Sri Lanka ;)

I took the private ground package from Sedunia Travel Agency (Malaysia) and the tour guide are from Jetwing travel agency (Sri Lanka). I would like to thanks to all the staff at the hotel for helping to make my parent's holiday as enjoyable and memorable. They loved it all, from the excellent quality and variation food, the room with sea view or hills view, the resort and the service from the staff. I'm happy they had a wonderful time.

Our private van for the whole tour

some information about Sri Lanka and we are heading to Kandalama

We will heading straight to the Kandalama hotel. I know we will be tired after the long flight but we would really prefer to get the long drive out of the way and then start our tour to Kandalama. The journey to Kandalama is about 4 hours. We take short stopovers on the way at Kurunegala, a city in the Wayamba Province of Sri Lanka for breakfast.

Giant Buddha Statue on Top of the Elephant Rock

The Kurunegala Lake

Diya Dahara Hotel

mom and dad

Our breakfast set

The bread is so thick

as big as my face ^^

overall yummy ;)

Coincidentally bumping into my aunty Kamariah... what a small world ;P

One of the major item of export is coconut

after 4 hours, here we are...Kandalama

Amaya Resorts & Spas

welcome drinks ;)

Our deluxe chalet

designed for the nature lover who doesn’t want to sacrifice luxury

These chalets include all of the culturally authentic design details of the regular chalets, such as the front terrace with the traditional long seat or a tree-trunk column supporting the red-tiled roof.

In addition, the Deluxe Chalets feature a satellite TV offering international channels including BBC, CNN, Star Sports, Cinemax, HBO and ESPN

The spacious bathrooms are also supplied with sensuous luxury amenities to enhance your relaxation and comfort.

While mom taking a nap, me and dad went out to explore the resort and some photo shooting

Meander down a forested path to discover the resorts

my cool dad ;)

Kandalama lake

The Indian Palm Squirrel is the common type of squirrel found in Sri Lanka

After walking around we went to the open air bar located in the lower deck of the lobby for some local beer.

A comfortable chair to sit back and take pleasure in the evening

local beer that must have if you are in Sri Lanka when its hot and humid ;)

Aroma was a bit fruity

argh.. pleasure ;))

Swimming time in the evening

haha, our warm up pose before going for a dip in the pool

thanks mom to be our photographer ^^

she just accompany me and help snapping our photo ;)

again... Lion Lager beer

cheers

our family photo ^^

pretending to be drunk... haha

thanks boss for the beer ;)

mom preparing herself for buffet dinner

camwhoring with mom while waiting my turn to take bath...

While on the way to have our dinner, i fell down and hurt my hand and knee. ouch (T___T) Blame it on the dark forest path.

The top layers of the skin are scraped off and the broken skin surface is covered by many small bleeding spots. Grazes hurt badly ;(

luckily mom brought the medicine and she helping me to apply an antiseptic cream

Thanks mom ;)

Buffet dinner @ Hotel

hungry face ^^

Overall we were pretty satisfied with the food

Ended my first day @Sri Lanka with a hot tea ;))

Good night and gonna continue Day 2 with awesome journey to Sigiriya, the historical monument in Sri lanka.

2nd Year Blogiversary

2011-06-08T22:00:00.000+08:00

"Ayubowan" means "May you live longer" is the greeting in Sinhala.

This was my first time trying Sri Lankan saree

Actually I am writing this blog from Sri Lanka and currently on holiday with my parent. Today is our second day here and it also happens to be my 2nd year blogiversary.

Happy 2nd Blogiversary to me!!!

with Pa & Ma @ Amaya Lake Resorts & Spa, Dambulla

Really enjoyed all the moments except for the first night. Being clumsy and fell down and hurt myself.

Ouch!!

Two years ago, I started this blog with no expectations and had no idea how my blog would grow to what it has grown to be. Miss Pipo, my sister was the one who encouraged me to start this blog. It has been an amazing experience sharing my life with you all and really appreciate your special visits and comments.

"Bohame Stuiti " means "Thank you" and I really hope I can spend more time to blog more often.

The last year of my twenties

2011-04-20T00:57:00.036+08:00

Recently discussing quite frequently about my age. Am I going to be 29 forever? Yah, I know that's not funny at all. Approaching the number 3 in this year and there's a lot of thing in life I have yet to accomplish and to that, I have to work harder and even harder everyday.

Realizing that I haven't blog about my last year birthday celebration, so let's flashed back to last year birthday celebration. Another year another birthday. Time does fly. Last year I celebrated my 29th birthday which is my last birthday before I hit the big “three" (langgar pokok besar)

11 April 2010, my first, pre-birthday celebration with my cousin, Audrey and sister, Winnie. Both of them were born in April too.

Had our dinner at Yakiniku, a pet-friendly restaurant located at Pandah Indah

there's a reason why we wearing Sesame Street shirts, wait and see ;)

we used to celebrate our birthday together since young ^^

my cousin, Audrey (future doctor) also born in April, make it 8, 14 & 30!!

Tadah~ that's the reason why we are wearing Sesame Street shirts

just to match with our birthday cupcakes

Thanks Miss Pipo for the birthday cupcakes ;)

April babies

girls group photo

gosh Miss Pipo's hair so cute just like mushroom head

we had our cake cutting session at Station One cafe

Happy birthday to April babies

Lastly, group photo

12 April 2010, my second pre-birthday celebration with my hometown best friend, Louise, Annie and Zane. Felt lucky and grateful because we able to gather together at this moment. Hardly to have this kind of gathering as everyone always busy with work and family. No celebration with them in this year and guess there wont be any birthday celebration with four of us in future as Louise is moving back to Sarikei next month. :((

I felt "touched" with the cake wording ;)

all of us

Thanks girls, I really appreciated and felt touched deeply by all of you

13 April 2010, my third pre-birthday celebration with my lovely students, Cassandra and Ashley. It was so sweet and I really surprised. In fact, I wasn't really expecting a surprise from them while the class was going on.

my lovely birthday cake from them

They treat me very well by ordering domino pizza for dinner

my pretty good students, thanks a lots

13 April 2010, my birthday eve celebration with Miss Pipo, Susie and Long Ge at 21st Century cafe Kajang. Two of them got me a birthday cake with Hello Kitty in penguin suit and add on deco umbrella and Malaysia's flag. Kinda cute and funny as well. LOL~~

Hi Hello Kitty, do u feel hot in that penguin suit? Haha!!

Moonkitty + Miss Pipo

my the only brother

14 April 2010, Happy birthday to me-eeeeeeee. When I reached office, my colleagues give me a birthday card and cutie birthday cake. Thanks Sports Business team members. Love you all!

Well, it’s already 8pm on my 29th birthday, and guess what I got for my birthday present? It's BMW 730Li..

Just kidding, YCGallery brought me to BMW 730Li media launch at Terrace at Hock Choon Off Jalan Ampang. Great event, great car, great wine, great food, and great experience to end my birthday this year. Thank you so much!!

17 April 2010, my belated birthday celebration with another batch of April babies at Luna Bar, Kuala Lumpur.

I ordered a special cupcakes for our april babies, Cheng Huat and Paul

I'm one of the April baby

Cheng Huat, talented April baby

and Paul, handsome April baby

Yay~ I know both of them would love this so much

Another birthday cake for April babies from Paul

Paul looks cute here ;)

Looking back to this photo making me realize how fast time actually flies
and Alisa will deliver soon, probably end of this month.

As hard it is to believe, life goes on we got to look forward. Hopefully this year has a lot of good things in store for me. Thanks for everyone for your birthday wishes, pressies and celebration. Greatly appreciate it!!

Dad's 58th Birthday

2011-03-03T00:44:00.013+08:00

Today is Dad's 58th birthday and also his retirement day from government service after 38 years and 6 months in Land & Survey department. Happy Birthday Pa ^^

Wish I could celebrate it with him just like last year

Dad was born in March 1953, which makes him a Snake

This year gonna be a good year and glad he can be a happy man now

Bet he will receive this birthday card soon...

This is what I wrote in there

from Ping

and also from Winnie & Eddie

Dad always there for us when we needed him, he always took care of us and made us feel safe in the world as children and also then as adults. I hope you have a great day and I can't wait to celebrate many more with you.

Dad, I have a 2 helpful tips for turning 58 especially after retired.....

Tip number 1: Take more photographs of everyone, everything in your life and you need to remember

Tip number 2: Upload it on Facebook and share it with us ok?

Happy Birthday Dad and Congratulations on your retirement!!

Great Ocean Road Day Tour

2011-01-04T23:51:00.037+08:00

My last trip with Bunyip Tours is to spend the day with the most ironic road trips in the world "The Great Ocean Road".

We stopped at Bell's Beach, the beach that surf film "Point Break" made famous. Bell's Beach is loved amongst surfers and we are having our coffee/tea and biscuits here.

one of Australia’s famous surfing beaches, world renowned for the Rip Curl Surfing Pro

Our Santa tour guide with his matching shirt and sandals

In the morning the flies are terrible. The sun is blazing and the little black pests are out in force. The flies swarm around us like a bristling black cloud searching for any opportunity to attack here.

There are everywhere and any place that they can be the most annoying. They purposely try to land on your face and fly into every orifice on your body. I couldn't take it anymore and run back into our bus and enjoy the coffee inside the bus.

We' re being attacked by flies here

If I would know this earlier, definitely will get this for myself "No flies Hat Net".

Next, we enjoy the breathtaking coastal views from historic split point lighthouse.

Lighthouse

Enjoy the breathtaking coastal views from the historic split point lighthouse "Around The Twist"

Stopped by at The Great Ocean Road one of the world’s largest memorial sites for photo taking.

The development of the road was a lengthy operation which took almost 14 long years. Many of the workmen lived in tents or small campsites along the road with their families and were on roughly 10 shillings per 8 hours working day

There was no machinery used during the construction, only hand tools

Continue our journey through the scenic towns of Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Campbell. There are plenty of opportunity to see the native wildlife in its natural habitat including Koalas.

Great Otway National Park where you can see wild koalas

sleeping koala spotted on the eucalyptus trees

trying to attract our attention

wild koala trying to be friendly

We enjoy delicious picnic lunch and a rain forest walk in The Oatway Rangers too.

self service sandwich for lunch

with Scherhesad Basurto from Mexico

and Yanan from Beijing, China

Along the trail in the Otway rain forest.

After recharge ourself, arriving at the Port Campbell National Park the famous limestone rock stacks, the 12 Apostles.

We reached the lookout point for Twelve Apostles

I saw the magnificent Twelve Apostles, which actually there are only seven

Gorgeous view of the ocean

An amazing work of God and I feel grateful to be there to appreciate the magnificence of it all.

10 minutes from Twelve Apostle, there's another attraction "Loch Ard Gorge". This place was named after a clipper ship Loch Ard which was wrecked on a nearby Muttonbird Island after a 3-month journey from England to Melbourne.

The amazing thing was only 2 survivors made it out of the 51 people on board, thanks to the gorge that protected them from the very strong and fatal waves of the ocean.

Loch Ard Gorge view from the top

View of the shore

amazing limestone

London Arch, our last destination before ended our trip. London Arch is a natural arch in the Port Campbell National Park. This stack was formed by a gradual process erosian and formed a complete double-span natural bridge. The arch closest to the shoreline collapsed unexpectedly on 15 January 1990.

A land bridge connected the tip of the promontory to the mainland, but collapsed in 1990.

This is how London Bridge looked like after it collapsed ;(

Despite the flies, The Great Ocean Road definitely a great place for a visit. The sight of stunning limestone cliffs, gorges, and arches carved out by crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean was awe-inspiring, but remember only when fly season is over ;)

Eureka Skydeck 88

2010-08-20T01:16:00.019+08:00

My Mornington day trip ended earlier. So I have time to go to "one of must go" list, Eureka Skydeck, currently the tallest building in Melbourne. Eureka Skydeck is located beside "The Yarra River in Southbank", just a short stroll from my hotel. Only walking distance from where I'm staying, around 20mins I saw the entrance with a big sign. Luckily I didn't miss the entrance pathway as some construction was going on.

friendly sign board

Entrance to Eureka Skydeck ticket counter

finally I'm here ;)

I didn't see anyone else except the two receptionist girl at the counter. Of course I do have to pay a fee to enjoy those fabulous view. The ticket cost AUD$16.50, not so expensive and it's worth every cent that I pay to look out over the most livable city in Australia, Melbourne.

ticket for the entrance to Eureka Skydeck 88 (not included "The Edge")

some horses decoration at the lobby entrance

"Serendipity" table

Touch and discover "Serendipity" the 6 metre long interactive "Table Of Knowledge"

just follow the scrolling LED floor and wall display

Without wasting my time, I took the high speed elevator to the 88th floor of the Eureka Skydeck 88 and enjoying the fantastic 360 degree view over Melbourne. It takes 40 seconds to travel from the ground floor to the 88th floor. The most amazing part, in the elevator it doesn't even seem to be moving.

88 lucky number

Enjoying the night view and recognizing famous landmarks and well known Melbourne buildings.

Some shots of the best know buildings and tourist attractions from different perspective. All the famous landmarks are literally just below me.

free telescopes pointing at all the major sights in Melbourne such as "Flinder Street Station"

Federation Square

and also Royal Botanic Garden

*my favorite twinkling lights of the beautiful city, Melbourne*

# night view 1

# night view 2

# night view 3

# night view 4

# night view 5

There is a special viewing platform called "The Edge". A switchable glass cube which slides out from the building . Oh boy oh boy..the world's only "Edge experience" and I'm gonna to experience it.

Purchased my ticket and they give me the BluFi pager while waiting for my turn

when this pager flashes and vibrate it's my turn to The Edge^^

yes, this is how it looks like when flashes and vibrate

Cover given and need to wear on my slippers to protect the glasses cleanness

When I stepped into the box, it was spat out the side of the building. The floor is made of glass and I can look down to the street below. A great adventure as I look straight down, seemly just hanging in space with no floor beneath my feet. But warning for ladies, "Do not wear a skirt" ;)

After a few minutes of observing, I was given a chance to have a souvenir photo taken. FYI, we are not allow to take the photo inside The Edge.

received free "I survived The Edge" wristband

and my souvenir photo and this is how scary The Edge looks like^^

Morning Peninsula Tour

2010-08-10T23:27:00.026+08:00

Only one hour from Melbourne, I followed the Bunyip tour to Mornington Peninsula. This tour only available during Spring & Summer season. As I mentioned earlier, Melbourne has a reputation for unpredictable weather. And it's damn HOT that day. I'm almost melted.

On the way, I saw a lot of the grafiti drawing seen in Australia building

The weather is killing me and I am in a bad goddamn mood to do anything. I did not enjoy the trip in the beginning because the tour guide was not so friendly.

Stopped at Sorrento for lunch. The town is known for its historic buildings, cafes, shopping and resident population of Bottlenose Dolphins.

A Victorian-style sunken garden has been established around the museum

Lavendars everywhere

Yippie!! I found something that can chill me down

Gelato, my savior

all looks yummy

but I only love chocolate flavor

Everwhere I go, I smell Lavendar

tadah~ My favorite shots of Lavendar

Lavendar vs the bee

enjoying my gelato on the sunny

introduce my best companion , SUNPLAY ;)

Then we stopped by at the entrance to the bay at Port Phillip Heads

Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park are popular for a range of recreational pursuits from snorkeling and SCUBA diving through to passive recreation on the beach.

sandy beach

The town is located about six meters above sea level so many residents have great view of the surrounding ocean.

deep blue sea

Portsea is a popular holiday spot

Portsea also considered by many to be the hub of Melbourne's recreational scuba diving activities

Portsea Pier

Continue our tour to Point Nepean National Park, one of Victoria’s beautiful natural landscapes. It's within the suburb of Portsea. The park history has played an important role in shaping the early settlement, quarantine and defense of Victoria. At here we can explore the military forts and tunnels, discover the historic Quarantine Station, view the memorial where Prime Minister Harold Holt went missing.

A huge map display location of Mornington Penisula inside Information Centre

An entrance to wait for transporter and will take us to Fort Nepean

my first ride on the transporter

ride the transporter to the Quarantine Station which only accessible by walking, cycling or transporter.

Fort Nepean played a major part in Australia's defense strategy for about 60 years

stunning views of Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait

Our transporter stop at Fort Nepean. Get off here and explore the fortifications and stunning views out across the Heads of Port Phillip Bay.

Here from the lookout you can clearly see the Rip on the left hand side meeting the calmer waters of Pot Phillip Bay on the right

Within the park, I saw the point at Cheviot Beach where Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming in 1967

Looking east towards Observatory Point

Engine House ruins on Point Nepean

inside the engine's house

The engine house was an integral part of Fort Nepean when it was built in 1880

The first series of forts built to protect the entrance to Port Philip Bay

Look at the stairs and I almost fainted -_-ll

115 stairs walk up a hill takes you towards the main fortifications of Fort Pearce and Fort Nepean

climbed up the stairs under the hot sun wasn't fun at all

Point Nepean Port Phillip facing side

Fort Nepean is a series of military fortifications dating back to the 1880s with stunning views of Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait. Explore the gun emplacements where the first shots were fired in World War I and the first allied shots in World War II.

one of the Gun Emplacements

Barracks at Fort Pearce

the spot from which the first shot of WWI was fired

One of the gun emplacements at the fort

I was told that this spot are the first official shot of WWI. After declaring war on Germany, there was a German ship docked in Port Phillip Bay. As it tried to make its escape back to friendly territory, the cannon at Gun Emplacement No. 6 fired a warning shot across its bow, and the Germans turned back and surrendered.

Fort Nepean bunkers

explore more on the old tunnels

After exploring around, we had to wait for the transporter to fetch us back to the information center. The sun was scorching hot and there were many flies. While waiting, we were attacked by flies here and there. Irritating and I hate it!!

wow, unexploded bombs

scary man if the bombs suddenly explode for no reason

Overall, it was fun to explore the historic Point Nepean that has been essentially closed to the public for the last 150 years except for the hot weather and damn irritating flies. If you are not at all interested in the history of the world wars, then yeah, its as boring as it sounds. But I can guarantee my dad will love this trip so much ^^

our unfriendly tour guide get lost and she referring to the map to drive us back to Melbourne city.

strawberries from Sunny Rigde, Strawberry Farm

I ate the strawberries for my dinner before heading out to Skydeck 88!!

save cost ;)

Follow The BUNYIP to Philip Island

2010-07-28T00:40:00.045+08:00

Throughout my holiday in Australia, I used Bunyip Tours. I choose 3 packages that included popular destinations in Melbourne. Bunyip Tours is an award winning Victorian tour operator, offering a variety of adventurous, informative and unique tours.

The weather Melbourne is famous for is to be unpredictable "four season in one day". Like people say "don't worry if you don't like the weather in Melbourne, it will no doubt change a few times over the course of a day"

When coming to Melbourne, I only brought a pair of flip flops. That morning, the weather is freaking freeeezing outside..... Luckily the tour starts at noon, so I have time to get myself a pair of shoes. I managed to get a fluffy Crocs sandals for Aus $20 only. Weeeeeee...

It's still early, so I have time for breakfast :)

my breakfast set

here in Melbourne it is definitely to have latte for breakfast ^^

Bunyip van are conducted in modern air - conditioned with 24 seat.

1st stop: Moonlit Wildlife Conservation Park

Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park is located on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria on the way from Melbourne to Philip Island. Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park is an Australian Wildlife specializing in local and endangered species.

The sanctuary has over 200 animals of some 30 species. At here, you can see Kangaroos, Wallabies, Dingoes, Wombats and more.

Solar powered entry building with cafe and gift shop

Ice breaking session with very knowledgeable staff and her snake

dare or not?

After that, a guide takes us on a walk through natural bushland where we can spotlights a variety of nocturnal animals which many of them endangered.

The Emu is the largest bird native to Australia. It's believed these birds became extinct due to hunting and to fires started on the island.

Another loveble animal is going extinct. Dingoes may seem like just another dog but this dog could be extinct within 50 years.

nearly extinct, the pure Dingo

Next endangered animal, Koalas

Here, we are not allowed to touch the Koala. Only photography allowed.

Koalas have become endangered because for its soft fur, their habitat is being destroyed and also a fussy eater which only eats eucalyptus leaves.

Take a guided tour around the natural bushland garden. Here, we can come into close contact with the animals in their natural habitats and observe their natural behavior.

The sanctuary offers the best experience by feeding, patting and touching the animals.

friendly Kangaroo asking for the food

That's Wallaby, small head fat body ><

mom.. mom... mom...

we can freely hand feed kangaroos and Wallabies

The wallabies are extremely friendly and love to be fed by hand

lazy Tasmania Devils

poops everywhere, so I need to becareful when walking on the grass

yuck!!

spotted a lots of Cape Barren Goose

A large goose resident in Southern Australia

2nd stop: Churchill Island Heritage Farm

Churchill Island just off the coast of Philip Island holds an important place in the history of European settlement in Victoria. Churchill Island is easily accessible by an all vehicle bridge from Philip Island.

One of Victoria's hidden secrets

This tiny island of 57 hectares is now open to the public as an historic working farm that boasts significant natural and cultural values with world class wetlands, ancient Monnah trees, heritage gardens and historic buildings.

The Visitor Center features an exhibition on the history of the island, quality gift shop and licensed cafe.

Breathtaking views of Western Port

heritage buildings

blacksmith garage

Daily activities, sheep shearing

professional sheep shearer is teaching sheep shearing

after shaving the wool off

freshly shorn sheep and it takes up to six weeks for the fleece to regrow

Beautiful Clydesdale horses

Demonstration trimming the nails & nailing the shoes

a big nail

A young Clydesdale

3. Woolamai Beach

Woolamai Beach is on the South-East corner of Phillip Island, which is around 100km South of Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, Australia

There are two main car parks and access points to Woolamai, the western (first) access point is also known as Anzacs Beach.

Woolamai Beach

my shadow

special Shorebirds breeding home

It is a long sandy beach, the sand is a nice golden colour and very clean

Short walk to a secluded beach and enjoy the fresh Spring weather

look at the sand

Woolamai Beach is an ocean surf beach, affected by wind, swell, and tides

my favorite shot

wrote by Brazilian tourist ^^

Stopped by Cape Woolamai, the small town of San Remo for dinner

Bridge to Philip Island

an important fishing port

Pizza DINNER!

My favorite shots!!

Black Swans

4. The Nobbies Centre

We then drove to The Nobbies. Located only 5 minutes from the Penguin Parade. The Nobbies Centre offers spectacular coastal scenery from the boardwalks or lookout point set amongst natural sea birds garden and the chance to walk among nesting seabird colonies.

Always keep your eyes open, I had the chance to see a Kangaroo crossing the road

Spotted little penguin hiding inside the hole

Little Penguins are often seen here resting between seasonal and daily duties

The Nobbies Boardwalk

Enjoy the sea bird gardens offering spectacular flowering displays in the spring.

Silver Gulls nest here and chicks can be seen during spring and early summer.

wondering why the seagull bite at the chick ;(

Stroll along The Nobbies boardwalk

Nobbies Blowhole

again, my favorite shots

Last stop: Penguin Parade

Drive down to the parade to watch the world smallest penguins. Every evening, at Summerland Beach this little penguins colony will emerge from the sea and waddle ashore to their sand dune burrows.

SORRY!!
No photos from Penguins Parade as no photography or video at penguins allowed

It's all store in my brain ;p

so enjoy the Welcome to Penguin Parade photo....

also Goodbye and thank you photo ><

The experience is truly memorable

Travelling alone to St. Kilda

2010-07-20T00:45:00.021+08:00

Once I dropped off my luggage, I walked down from Spencer Street to Flinder Street to get a ticket for a tram out to St. Kilda.

It's sunny day ^^

10 minutes later, the trams appears and I hopped on the tram No 16 departs from the Flinder Street.

Only 20 minutes from Melbourne's CBD on Tram 16 to St. Kilda

I got my ticket from convenient shop for AUD $3.10 for all zones.

St. Kilda is a bayside suburb 7km from Melbourne CBD. Just a short distance from the city. St. Kilda has safe sandy beaches and attractions such as Luna Park, St. Kilda beach, St. Kilda Sea Baths, St. Kilda Public Gardens, St. Kilda Pavillion and Pier and etc....

Spring is the perfect time to soak up the spectacular carnival atmosphere at Melbourne's 's only theme park. Luna Park is an intuition in Melbourne and a galaxy of amusements and sensations. By the time I reached there, the theme park still close for business.

The laughing face is the symbolic of Luna Park.

Melbourne's Luna Park
Lower Esplanade, St Kilda
Infoline: 1300 888272

St. Kilda Beach

Brooks Jetty

and my favorite photos of Brooks Jetty

a very windy day

St. Kilda beach with gentle bay waves

The St Kilda Pier is another local landmark and major tourist attraction. The pier is terminated by the St Kilda Pavilion, an eccentric Edwardian building in the mould of English pier pavilions which is considered of high cultural importance to Melburnians. It was recently reconstructed and listed on the Victorian Heritage Register after burning down.

St. Kilda Pier from far

The famous St. Kilda Pier, only 3 minutes away

Take a scenic stroll along the pier

Beautiful St Kilda pier.
I loved this place!

Along the St. Kilda Pier

St Kilda has had a colourful history

The original one was washed away in a storm not long after construction and other ones were built in replacement, but the concrete pier as we know it has been in place since the 1970’s.

Along the length of the pier interactive panels tell the pier's history

From the end part of the pier that goes to the sea you can fish or just seat and enjoy a wonderful sunset, hoping to see a penguin from the colony that lives few meters away, on the breakwaters.

St. Kilda Breakwater Walkway and Decking

Taking a walk down the pier is a simple pleasure

Don't surprise that you might saw the colony of little penguins that have made St Kilda Breakwater their home!

Have a short break at St. Kilda Pier Kiosk

The kiosk serves coffee, milkshakes, ice cream, soft drinks, juices, cakes and muffins.

I ordered a slice of Passion fruit Cheese Cake...

Chocolate Muffins

and great latte

A relaxed atmosphere where you can relax and chill out

had sunburn again (T___T)

Absolutely had a great trip to St Kilda Beach, great weather, great coffee, and not forgetting the hot sun….everything is just awesome!

The city of Melbourne in photos

2010-07-15T00:49:00.039+08:00

After an hour of flight, Tiger Airway touched down safely and landed at Tullamarine Airport, Melbourne. Going to spend 6 days 5 nights in Melbourne alone.

After checked into the Hotel Enterprize, I spent the rest of the day to explore in Melbourne city. Went to St. Kilda as well. Will blog about it in the next post.

passed by Melbourne Aquarium

The free Melbourne City Circle Tram

One of the old-style trams. It's free City Circle tram that takes you around the city square and points out major attractions and their location.

Flinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban rail network of Melbourne

Melbourne City has the interesting town square called Federation Square. And this is a good place to start Melbourne sightseeing.

Unique architecture of Federation Square in Melbourne

I went to DFO (Direct factory Outlet) shopping mall that located in front my hotel. I got cute cute shirts for myself and siblings from Jay Jay. I also found out perfume at DFO cheap, cheaper than duty tax. (^0^)

Day 3

On my second day, I just stayed in my room. Reached city quite late after Philips Island day tour. Continue exploring the city on my third day after Mornington Peninsula day tour that ended early. Walked to the other direction that leads me to Yarra River and Crown Casino.

Southbank and the firey Crown Casino

beautiful sunset

Melbourne Exhibition Building

Magnificent views of the Melbourne Skyline

Crown Casino

I don't dare to enter the casino because I'm wearing a slippers and #@$^*% poor. From Crown I walked to the Eureka Tower which is now the tallest building in Melbourne. The observation deck is on the 88th floor and treats you to some awesome city views. I will blog about this brilliant experience in another post^^

Eureka Deck Melbourne Observation Deck

Melbourne by night from the banks of the Yarra River

Pedestrian bridge across the Yarra River, Melbourne

The Victorian Arts Centre

Giant Christmas tree

Day 4

Went to Chinatown that located along Little Bourke Street between Swanston St and Spring St. This is an area of Chinese restaurants and shops.

The area is dominated by restaurants from fine dining to lane way and arcade noodle houses, and is home to a number of Asian grocery stores, Chinese medicine and herbalist centers.

China town's square

I found Malaysian Restaurant in Chinatown ;)

decided to have noodles for my dinner

Hot & Sour Noodle Soup AUD $8.00

Day 5

My last night in Melbourne. After showered, begin by walking up Swanston St, opposite bustling Flinders Street Station, and past the magnificent St Paul’s Cathedral.

St. Paul's Cathedral from Federation Square

Cathedral is located opposite Flinders St Station and Federation Square

Again, I'm here in Chinatown for dinner. Decided to have Chinese food as I miss home so much already (T__T)

Walking down Little Bourke Street and found Post Mao Cafe situated toward the top end of Melbourne's Chinatown. Specialized in Cantonese and Hunan cuisine. According to the waitress, their chef's master chef is 93 years old and used to cook for Chairman Mao Zedong. Wow....

peking duck wrapped with popiah skin

yummy!!

spring rolls

Shanghai Pork Buns "Xiao Long Bao"

Shark fin soup

Sweet corn soup

Zuo Zong Tang chicken was superb

come with fried rice as well

The food is absolutely delicious

and service was friendly & polite too

Day 6

Early morning, went to airport and fly back to Malaysia via AirAsia Airlines.

Goodbye OZ

I'm starting to miss Malaysian's food

can't wait to reach Malaysia soon! Doze off!!

Hurricane’s Grill & Bar @Darling Harbour

2010-07-12T04:14:00.014+08:00

On my last night in Sydney, I went for a dinner at Hurricane's Grill & Bar, Darling Harbour. According to my friend, the Hurricane is famous for its ribs.

This restaurant is a fully licensed steakhouse restaurant at one of Sydney's most famous waterside destinations, Darling Harbour.

The view was spectacular

Night scene at Darling Harbour with pretty lights all over

Located in Harbourside Shopping Centre, the restaurant has excellent views of Cockle Bay and the city skyline.

stunning harbour views

without booking we put our name in the waiting list. Maybe our lucky day, within 30 minutes we managed to get a table

flame decor at the bar section

romantic atmosphere

for the menu, click here restaurant menu

Got a table in the balcony with very nice view

I ordered steak & ribs combo (AUS $39)

Their ribs are basted in a special rib sauce, really finger-licking good

My steak was cooked to perfection

prefect chilled white wine pairings with the ribs^^

A very satisfied customer, savored every bite of it and definitely would want to eat there again some time. Cheers~~

Hurricane's Grill & Bar Darling Harbour

Harbourside Shopping Centre, Shops 433-436,
Level 2, Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia
Open 7 days
12pm till 3pm for lunch
5.30pm till late for dinner
Phone: 02 9211 2210

Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney

2010-07-07T23:22:00.022+08:00

Continue with Blue Mountains day trip. Before our tour ends, we were brought to this award wining wildlife park, Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney.

Love the atmosphere of this park as I can be up close to the animals especially the Koala bear!! My first experience of being that close to the animals especially Koala bears and Kangaroos.

This park have lots of different Australian animals that i never see it before

At the Featherdale Wildlife Park, most of the animals are able to walk freely as there are minimal cages and more open areas where we can walking around amongst the animals. First time in my life I can get up close and even pet wallabies, kangaroos, and even a Koala bear ^^

Kangaroos lying around in the park

my first time to get closer and touching baby kangaroo

and my first time saw a Joey in a Kangaroo pouch.
FYI, A baby Kangaroo is called Joey.

Albino Kangaroos are extremely rare and found exclusively on Australian Zoos

Hi, meet my new friend from Vietnam, Nguyen Hue

Plenty of koalas hanging out in trees and looks how lazy all the koalas can be.
Sleeping only.

some information about how the baby koala grow up

I had always wanted to visit Australia, mainly to see Koala bears. Finally my dream come true. Although it's illegal for anyone other than trained professional to hold or pet a koalas, but at Featherdale Wildlife Park is an exception.Because I'm going on a tour, I got a chance to pet a two years old koala named Austin.

Austin, 2 years old koala

Finally I was able to pet and take photo with Austin, the koala bear. And they allowed you to retake the photo with koala for many times. Unbelievable right? It's something I’ve not been able to do at other Australia wildlife parks. And his fur is surprisingly scratchy^^

Other interesting animals.....

The wombats

amazing albino peacock

beautiful peacock and peahen

The Australian Pelicans, a large water bird

Spotted crocodile sunbathing in his enclosure

Australia little penguin

I have visited all the Australian animals and managed to stamp all the animals inside my passport.

free Coffee included at Featherdale Wildlife Park

I very much enjoyed at Featherdale Wildlife Park with a huge variety of Aussie wildlife. I hope in future I can revisit this park again, probably with my future kids ;P