Grampians

love these film shots taken by kenneth. ♥ ♥ ♥

so during the september holidays, we all went to grampians for a day trip. to be honest, i didn't expect that so much climbing/hiking would be involved. hence, the super inappropriate attire. nevertheless, i still managed to hike to the top without getting injured. of course, it wouldn't be possible without help from the boys. it was dangerous!

we had a picnic on a huge rock right beside a waterfall for lunch. the experience was amazing! we were munching on sandwiches, potato salad, cupcakes, grape and cheese crackers, while sipping red wine right in the middle of nature. this is the life.

we were literally freezing in the cold, no joke. but we persevered and sat on the rocks for almost an hour waiting for sunset... it was worth it.

isn't this beautiful!!! it totally reminded us of the movie, jurassic park. to me, that was the best part of the day. absolute silence, breathtaking view, great company, and the freshest air. ahhh!

by nightfall, we started to make our way back to the city. it was a long long drive, and as usual everyone was well asleep. after an hour nap, we all woke up to a stunning night sky.

i have never seen so many stars in my life! the photos don't do them justice. i was really in awe. i couldn't take my eyes off them. we could actually see the milky way, how cool is that! really unforgettable. :)

一路向北

this photo was taken 2 months ago at murray regions. that was my first road trip and my first time hanging out with the ZH group. since then, i've been meeting them every single weekend. they are such an awesome bunch to hang out with. they made my supposedly stressful last semester the best semester throughout my uni life.

we kayaked along murray river on the first day, it was a very peaceful and relaxing 2 hours, despite the cold freezing waters. thank god i didn't get wet, though one of us fell into the water! thereafter, we went to safeway and big w. bought tons of food and equipments for our barbecue, which only started at 10pm. we stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment which was rather new, clean and cosy. if only we didn't have school on monday, i'm sure an extra day will be well spent on the facilities provided such as the huge ass trampoline, the playground, etc.

had a massive late night drinking session after the barbecue, and yet some were up really early the next morning to prepare breakfast. this group is filled with chefs. we had a spread for both meals, it was enough to keep us full till our chinese dinner at boxhill. visited a few wineries - wine, cheese, nuts and salad dressing tasting, and off we drove back to melbourne!

In Case You Were Wondering...

i'm alive.

can't believe that i have been so busy since i came back to melbourne.

awesome 5 days ski trip up in falls creek, first week of school madness, yummy korean dinner at 7&7, late nights due to korean drama IRIS, regular weekly revision of lectures and tutorials, sunday brunch with the clique, first ever footy match, job/intern applications, etc.

to add to the list, i'm going to Murray Regions tomorrow. oh wait, in 7 hours time! just a night stay, but we'll be kayaking/canoeing, cycling and having a good old aussie BBQ!

Little Too Late

us in gold coast during the september holidays last year. have no clue why did i delay blogging about this trip for almost a year. guess i was too caught up with the little happenings in life. anyways, we visited movie world, dreamworld, wet and wild, and did some city shopping and eating. oh, not forgetting the jet boat ride that we took on our last day in gold coast, which left us with soaking wet hair.

i'm an adrenaline junkie.

and i find it quite sad that hardly any rides we took gave me the adrenaline rush. i think its due to the countless rides i've taken in the 2 disney lands, 1 disney world, and 3 universal studios that i've been to since young. i want to feel that rush again, i love it! guess i'd have to head to bigger theme parks in the states - six flags, etc. or try out sky diving (waiting for that opportunity), or bungee (that, i'm afraid of).

this will probably be my last year in melbourne, ignoring the possibility of me doing honours. during year 1's september break, i went to sydney with rachel and her mum, and last year's september break was spent in gold coast with the girls. i hope the cairns trip we've been talking about will come true this september. the great barrier reef, oh i can't wait!

Back From Bali

Day 1 - at Kuta Beach, right outside Discovery Shopping Mall. we visited so many beaches, and always made it in time for sunset everyday. we went clubbing almost every night, but not late/early enough to witness the sunrise by the beach.
Day 2 - a morning picture outside our pretty villa before we head to Nusa Dua Beach for water sports! we did parasailing, flying fish, jet ski, scuba diving, and banana boat! thank god i didn't get major sunburns. check out our i love bali bags that we bought at a not so cheap price since it was our first bargaining experience there. i like how cixian and i wore similar tanks with no planning at all.
Day 3 - at Dirty Duck Diner for lunch in Ubud, feasting like Kings and Queens. seafood dinner on Jimbaran Beach while watching sunset was awesome as well. we had the best meals that day. food in Bali is not that great and not that cheap, that's a downside i guess.
Day 4 - this jump shot was taken at Canggu Beach, a 5-10 minutes relaxing stroll through the quaint countryside from our villa. we failed to visit Tanah Lot Temple as we, or rather yongbin and i, woke up only at noon and had to leave for the airport at 3pm.

i cannot guarantee if i will blog more about Bali, so here's a really short summary which doesn't do justice to the amount of fun and laughter we had in the short 4 days. i will however do a video and post it up here. photos are all on facebook, restricted to friends of course. alternative way to know more about the trip, view cixian's blog.

i'm already missing the life in Bali. the purely relaxing lifestyle - no stress, no pressure, just nature. not forgetting the fact that i went there with 3 of my closest friends where secrets don't exist, and the boys who constantly kept cixian and i laughing throughout the trip. the funny slangs, the random singing, and inside jokes. ahhh, the life!

Cutie Pies

it doesn't take a genius to know that i love babies. hence, it isn't surprising that i would travel up to KL to see my 2 six months old nephews for the first time. of course, not forgetting my uncles, aunties and cousins whom i've always enjoyed chatting with. since this trip was 3.5 days, we went food hunting and did quite a fair bit of shopping.

this is ethan. we went to my aunt's house everyday just to see him despite staying at another uncle's place. ethan is such an adorable and easy baby, he doesn't mind me carrying him, kissing him, pinching his cheeks, etc. i enjoyed watching him attempting to crawl with his tiny toes, since his knees are not yet strong enough to support his weight.

raymond's children, 6 months old jake and 4 years old lucas.

i love lucas' pose here! mini boss. he is getting so talkative and playful, which makes him cuter! raymond said that he kept looking for me after i left for singapore. awww, miss him.

jake. the fattest baby i've ever seen. fatter than when lucas was young! we had to take turns to carry him. all the baby fats, so chubby and flabby. but he's such a smiling boy. :)

Best Easter Break

at the nobbies on phillip island

Negative 15 Degrees

we all want a white christmas, don't we? merry christmas everyone!!

club med, hokkaido was one of the best family holiday trip. 6 days and 5 nights of pure relaxation- no stress, no pressure, just nature. club med is the perfect place for a good break from the city. activities for the hotel guests are organized from 8am to 11pm. you do not need your phone or internet, my bb was only used as an alarm clock. i love club med. so much so that i'm considering working in club med for a short 6 months after graduation. my 6 months will just be filled with fun, laughter, peace, and joy. nothing else.

so, there wasn't enough snow on the first 2 days of my trip. spent 2 full days in that club. i guess it is a blessing in disguise, since we were forced to participate in the activities organised for us. such as, magic shows, trekking, baking, ping pong, swimming, and playing jenga. i made plenty of friends during the stay, from the young to the old.

i was always looking forward for the night time programme. i love their 8pm shows put up by the G.O-s in the theatre, always so entertaining. from the mini club performances, to comedies, circuses and michael jackson performances. every night, it is full house.

right after the show, there would be games and dancing sessions at the bar, an open one. a perfect place for chilling out after a day of skiing. the games are not only for children, they have games specially designed for adults as well. dancing for 2 hours isn't easy, especially when you have to follow their moves. i had to get drinks from the bar to take a break. i love how everyone there is so friendly.

thank god for the heavy snowfall. for the next 4 days, we skied every single day. in the morning from 9.30 to 12, and in the afternoon from 1.30 to 4. no opportunity wasted. we had the choice of skiing on ourselves or taking up lessons. i like how they have ski and snowboard lessons provided for everyone, from beginner to advance. plus, the ski instructors are people from Whistler, and the Canadian Ski Team. oh, the snow there is so soft, it instantly melts on your fingers or when it touches your tongue. if we had one more day, i would have gone to explore more courses. gives me another reason to fly back.

only complain? the food there wasn't as good as club med, cherating's. yes, we did have sashimi, ramen, udon, tempura, japanese curry. but the food was more or less the same for those 6 days. sadly, we missed out on the hokkaido crab buffet. yet again, IF we stayed for another day.

alls not that bad, since i managed to eat 2 huge bowls of awesome ramen at the japan airport. that is the best ramen i have ever eaten in the entire world and life. nothing else beats it. my whole mind was filled with japan airport's ramen on the flight there. plus, hokkaido's white chocolate biscuits and ROYCE chocolate makes me a happier girl. :)

Hello From Hokkaido

With Our Rented Car

finally a day at home. need to rest and charge up my energy for the party tomorrow night. i'm so excited. pamplemousse at dempsey looks so beautiful, i can't wait to dine there, and i'm gonna go butter factory for the very first time!

so now, back to melbourne... this was during the september 2 weeks break. we decided to rent a car and drive up to dandenong mountains for a day. just to get out of the city that we're always in, and to have fun of course! thank god for ming de who is above 21 and has a driving license, if not we'll never be able to rent a car.
we kinda spent 2 hours traveling there as we got lost in the suburbs. thanks for google maps on our iphones and bbs. first stop on the mountains was pie in the sky, a place that sells very awesome pies, both sweet and savory. i had apple pie, while the rest had meat pies. they also sell so many other types of desserts! wait, never try the chocolate and caramel spider. spiders only taste good with fruits.

thereafter, we went up to sky high mount dandenong, i drove up there from pie in the sky. we were really high up that we could see the city from there. spot our flashy bright blue car that we rented.

we basically spent our time there walking and fooling around, enjoying the view and taking pictures!

drove down to miss marples, in hope of getting a table. sadly, they were fully booked and we had to wait for another 30 minutes. we couldn't do it as we had to return the car by 5pm. despite not having miss marples, we were still late in returning the car.

on our ride back! one driving, two sleeping, and me, camwhoring. :)