Melbourne Winter Adventure 2006 (Episode 4)

Day 3:

OK, I don't have to remind you how we usually wake up in time for lunch during the holidays. So, yes, we woke up in time for lunch. We, or rather Auds drove us to Box Hill so that we could have the infamous 'swimming-in-the-sauce" roast duck rice that Shaun can't get out of his head. And seriously, it was good, way better than what Eastwood's bbq one serves. It was literally swimming in sauce as they serve so much more sauce, a bigger serving, better service, more VEGIES and to top that off, super spicy chilli sauce! And no, it's not the cheesy chilli sauces you buy from Asian groceries but freshly chopped chillies with er, oil and I think garlic. Two thumbs up from me!

After lunch, we headed to our next destination - Phillip Island. Yes, we went to Phillip Island at the peak of winter. Yes, I hear many of you saying, "Wah, crazy ar? Winter you know! It's dead cold there now!" But hey, we're already in Melbourne, so we might as well go, right? So off we went in the opposite direction from the day before and we arrived the island in 1.5 hours.

As soon as we opened the door to get into the Tourist Information Centre, we had to quickly grab our jackets and whatever that we think would make us feel warm to put on. Yes, it was freezing all right. And we had this crazy idea of buying ice-cream to eat, as well.

As per the friendly lady at the Info Centre's advice, we forewent the bushwalking and Churchill Island and went straight to watch the seals first. And to think the Info Centre was freezing, The Nobbies was excruciatingly cold! The wind was so powerful, I was pushed sideways when walking! We were there to catch a glimpse of a colony of creatures on a small cluster of rocks just offshore. As it's name implies, Seal Rocks is where the largest colony of Australian Fur Seals congregate in Australia. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any of them cute albeit vicious creatures due to a family so indulged in looking, they wouldn't budge from the telescope.


We did, however, take a group photo to remind ourselves of how freaking COLD it was there and how many layers we put on and some pictures of the raging sea (you can tell the wind was a killer).





Lady luck was with us, though. There was a small flock of penguins under the wooden boardwalk and of course, cameras started clicking away.


We ran to the car. Yes, ran. We then drove to a different side of the island, where the main attraction lie - Little Penguins. We paid $17 to watch them come home to their nests after spending 3 weeks at sea. We weren't allowed anything that could take pictures - digicams, phonecams, you name it. We weren't allowed to stand or to make a sound. We sat there waiting for them to come up since 5pm. The first tiny, cute penguin came on shore about 1.5 later. Ooooooh, they WERE cute!!! And as the guide said, they would only move from the waves up to the grass in groups to fend of prey and yes, they did wait!

It was then my turn to drive home. We had to go hunting for food. There was a restaurant along the way (on the island) that served steak on a hot slab of rock (or so they claim) but we had to decline as it was absolutely way over our budgets as uni students. So, I suggested La Porchetta, the Melbourne version of Borelli's, just cheaper and bigger in portions. And yes, the atmosphere had Nic smiling from ear-to-ear.

The night actually ended on a bad note. Well, you see, I'm not good with taking instructions, especially driving instructions. And I don't enjoy it. I am a pretty good driver, I think. But, I have to admit, I was very touchy that night. Something must've bugged me sometime in the day to have made me react in that manner. Oh, and the way some people talk to me, it's as if they think that I'm nowhere near as smart as they are just coz I'm doing a 'less prestigious' course than they are. Puh-leez.

Not so good, but I won my first ever round of poker. So it's all balanced out. No complaints now. =P

Melbourne Winter Adventure 2006 (Episode 3)

Day 2:

We woke up late, as usual. I stayed home to try to finish off my assignment to email to Emma before she left for Hong Kong. Erin stayed back as well while the guys and Auds walked over to a car rental place to rent a big car to fit all 6 of us. It took them a very long time to get back with the car. They rented an automatic Tarago (Estima to Malaysians) from Thrifty and people, please don't rent anything from Thrifty because they are anything but what their name implies. But, I have to say, the car drives very well. Smooth, quiet and comfy. So, we headed to McD's to grab a quick bite, bought a toll ticket from Shell and we were on our way to our destination.

Miow constantly entertained everyone with 'Are we there yet?'s and we took to looking out for peculiar names of towns. The journey took us 2 hours (I think). The drizzle had just stopped and it was freezing once we stepped out of the car. Yes, we have arrived at Sovereign Hill, finally. Bought our tickets and headed into the infamous gold digging/panning town. They claim that they are an original settlement but I think it's more of a touristy place. I reminded myself to get my ticket stamp at the old-fashion post office so that I'd get to come back in for free within the year. Who knows? I might be coming again.

And so, we starting playing. Yup, loads of fun playing I tell you. Posed with mannequins, pointed at things, tried panning for gold, took pictures with and of the 'locals' and we stayed for the last session of gold melting. It was pure gold in a big bar! Ooooooh, have never seen such a huge chunk of gold ever in my life! Not even at my grandfather and uncle's shop. Pity we arrived so late, otherwise we'd have been able to join the mine tour. It runs in a real underground mine where in the past, they mined gold. It would have been a first-hand experience but time did not permit. That would be the main pull if I were to return.











In summary, Sovereign Hill is a historic attraction. If you're not into historical stuff, don't bother driving all the way out here.



We had to rush back to the city to meet up with Alan and gang. We quickly grabbed dinner at Cili Padi, where Miow boldly asked the waitress her name and her ethnicity. I think it scared her as she didn't return to the table after that .Yes, I have very interesting friends. Wanna meet them personally? I think you'd love them. If you like Malaysian food, Cili Padi is not the place to go. Food is costly for Melbourne standards. And why did why have to rush back? The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest started at 8:30pm so of course we had to rush! I loved the show. Shaun thought it was so-so. He doesn't like movies that hangs in mid-air at the end. He prefers movies with definitive outcomes. I said he's traditional, not creative. Haha.. It's definitely one show I'd recommend to watch when you need a good laugh.

Melbourne Winter Adventure 2006 (Episode 2)

Day 1:

I think I was the first of the lot to wake up. I'm not counting Shieny because she had to be in uni by 9. Poor thing. It's the holidays and she still has to continue with her labs. The life of us Honours students, exciting eh? Haha.. Anyways, it was a sunny day in Melbourne. The guys played some PS2 game and I called my aunt while waiting for Nic to arrive. Yup, when he came, he was like, "Wa! Fuiyoh, shit! This place is nice! Who lives here? Alan's girlfriend? She very rich one ar? Like hotel wei!" Don't know why we didn't think of taking a picture of the lobby. Baka!

The day started with us having lunch at the shop Shaun so badly wanted to go to - the one which serves the Shanghai Noodles. Of course, we had to order the fried dumplings as well. How can we not? And it was during this lunch that I found out Miow loves vinegar. Along the way, we stopped at the State Library of Victoria to have group pics. As I've seen the place before, I couldn't be bothered.


Next up, they (Miow and Nic) couldn't resist taking pics of what they saw in Central, Melbourne Central, that is. In comparison, Melb's Central is a shopping complex as well as a train station - way cooler than Sydney Central. However, credit has to be given to Sydney Central as the network or trains that is there, enormous! Melb Central has nowhere near the amount of tracks we have in Sydney. Oh, but their clock beats ours hands down, seriously.



When the city was more or less covered, we headed to St. Kilda. Thankfully, I still remember how to get there. The sky threatened to pour but we were not about to give up. We were greeted with cold, strong winds and the smell of the ocean. Shaun noted that a nearby statue was a statue of Captain Cook and the 2 boys went ahead to imitate the actions of the drinking card game to snap a pic.


We walked on and I noticed a new addition to the beach. There was a ship, or what's left of it. Read the description and then it made sense. It was put up for the Commonwealth Games in March. No wonder it wasn't there last year.


And this time around, the coffee house was open!


We could now walk onto the other side of the boardway. Last year, it was still under renovation so we couldn't go beyond the yacht docks. And while walking to the coffee house, we had visitors - 2 black, elegant (and fierce-looking) swans.


We found a patch of 'beach' right after the coffee house and we went down. The swans came right up, probably expecting a feast of some sort. Oh well, don't blame them. You know how we humans tend to offer food to animals of any kinds we see out in the wild unless there's a signboard prohibiting us with a hefty fine. One of the swans (the bigger one) came right up to Shaun! Shaun was petrified and quickly stood up. I ran away, too. Bunch of cowards, we are! Haha!

Further down the boardwalk were more descriptions of what the Japanese and Australian governments have been doing in that area. Apparently, it was home to big sea rats and penguins. We kept an eye out for rats and spotted dried starfishes on the rocks. I then heard a bustling sound coming from the rocks and I stepped back, afraid. Shaun and Miow went closer to examine in between the rocks and saw 2 pairs of eyes staring back. Whoopee, we found penguins!

We took the opportunity to take pictures of the sunrays during sunset. We stood there freezing waiting for Nic to get his angle and lighting right. Brr!!




At the end of the day, we took the train back to Clayton, where it will be our 'home' for the rest of our time in Melbourne. It was a long ride and people starting dozing off.


Miow even have video clips, which I will not post for the sake of maintaining Nic's dignity. When he found out Miow was recording him, he was wide awake and resorted to doing silly stuff, much to Audrey's horror!


We were so glad to arrive at Aud's place. I so love the smell of her room. I mean, compared to Alan's room, Aud's room smells sweet. Alan's room was, er, let's say borderline-ish. The boys actually asked for the vacuum to clean his carpet. Lots of 'eeyer!', 'wa!' and 'OMG's. I opened all the windows and had the fan turned on (in the dead of winter, mind you) to help get rid of the odour. Alan, if you're reading this, it's not an insult, ok? Take it as a reminder to clean your room before you let visitors stay.

Melbourne Winter Adventure 2006 (Episode 1)

The night we arrived in Melbourne:

We hurried for the train as we are well-known for missing out on time. When we arrived at the Domestic Terminal, it was a funny sight to see so many other passengers carrying bags of Krispy Kreme. Some of them had one bag of 3 boxes, some had 2 bags of 4 boxes. Melbournians are seriously deprived of Krispy Kreme. Sad. Auds and I were on the same flight. It was delayed but we still arrived on time. Not realizing that Alan has dinner waiting for us at Shieny's place, we went over to the International Terminal of Tullamarine Airport to have a Whopper with cheese from Hungry Jacks for dinner. We were starving! Oh, and also to kill time. Shaun, Erin and Miow were on the next in-coming flight.

Shieny's unit is swanky, I tell you! Beats Nic's new place hands down. She lives on the 25th (if I remember correctly) floor but the lift makes it feel like nothing. Takes the lift less than one minute to reach up there. She has a great view of the Crown Casino and you get to see those fire eruptions every hour! Spectacular! I know I've already had dinner but Alan's cooking is something you can never resist no matter what. Miow was so impressed with Alan's cooking, he more or less licked everything clean. Well, almost everything. To me, it was like bak kut teh but in kimchi soup. And the half-cooked eggs... *melt*... super yummy!





That night, we slept in the living room. Shaun and Erin slept on one sofabed, Auds had her 'own' sofabed all to herself, Miow and I slept on the floor. Miow froze as he slept with no protection. As you all know, Melbourne is way colder than Sydney so sleeping without a blankie or heater is inviting death. I snuggled nicely in my sleeping bag, occasionally waking up to frown at the snoring orchestra performance by Shaun and Miow.

Audrey in Sydney (Episode 2)

Day 3:

Lunch was this


and was shared between all of us


at where else? The Sydney Fish Market, of course! Oh, Auds and I shared a serving of lobster, too. Exquisito mucho!

We saw Nic's new place for the very first time today and it's a good place (when the doors and lifts are working, that is). Jona, Auds, Shaun and I then headed over to Bondi to try the infamous Fried Mars Bar Sern Li was telling us about during lunch. And also because Bondi is another must-see place when you're in Sydney. If you look at the signboard in the pic below, you'd notice that there are quite a few things that you are not allowed to do or bring to the beach. Sheesh... and don't Auds and Jona look sweet together? Aw....



We went climbing over the rocks to watch how some people were fishing. We also enjoyed the big splashes of waves that went up at least 6 feet high. Something very embarrassing happened to Auds but I'm keeping mum. You wanna know? Go ask her yourself. And so the day ended with...



Day 4:

Shaun wanted Auds to see his main campus and assured her that she will like the place. I mean, who won't? It's the oldest uni in Aus so off we went and Auds couldn't stop taking pics. The Main Quadrangle exudes charm and it's Harry Potter-ish features make everyone go 'ooh' and 'aah'.


Darling Harbour was our next stop but Darling Harbour is not much fun, really. I mean, we're not kids so we can't actually see the fun there but it was something we had to tick off our itinerary. Auds took pics of the city skyline, which I will not be posting here as we know what a city looks like and almost all cities look the same.

Days 5 & 6:

We spent the day bumming around. I had to finish off as much of my essay so days 5 and 6 we 'bumming-the-house' days. On Day 6, we had visitors from Adelaide and Perth over for dinner at Borelli's. So we had people from everywhere! Nic, Miow, Shaun, Erin and myself are Sydneysiders, Auds is a Melbournian, Josh came up from Adelaide, Kevin is from Perth and his sis came over from Subang for a holiday. A mini reunion sort of thing, just that it's also with newly introduced people. After dinner, we came home and they played a few rounds of poker.


I later served dessert, which was a chocolate mud cake Auds and I baked earlier in the day. I served it with strawberry and Bulla vanilla ice-cream! Yum! Too bad I didn't take a picture of what I made. And when Nic lost all his chips, he resorted to doing silly stuff like taking pictures of this:



Day 7:

We frantically packed our bags and made sure everything was unplugged, all windows and doors tightly closed. I had to check and re-check that I brought everything necessary should I manage to arrange for an interview. And at 5:00pm, we started walking towards the station to catch the train to the Domestic Terminal to board our flight to Melbourne. And so it was tonight that our Melbourne Winter Adventure started.