day 2 in melbourne

today is definitely not my 2nd day in melbourne....but the blog post is staying in day 2 at the moment, unfortunately since i had been really busy...busy busy busy moving around. yeah....this is what holiday is all about.

so i better get moving with this day so i can move to the next one.
the day of course started with the little baby again....the day really becomes brighter waking up to his cute smiles.

he was sitting on my knee here and looks like a bobbing doll right? imagine him bouncing on my knees and moving his head left and right....that is the bobbing baby for you.

we went out to chinatown for yumcha with my uncle.

these here are some of the dishes we ordered. i guess i was too busy eating and forgot to take a few. i had a really full lunch and all the dishes were great. this shark fin restaurant has many awards awarded for their service and food. the restaurant was packed and of course, most of the patrons were asians. it felt like i was in hong kong. the fishball here was supposed to be good but it did not come to us after waiting for almost 30 mins. i guess it was not meant to be.

after saying goodbye to uncle, we decided to walk all the way to the southbank to do some shopping at dfo, direct factory outlet.  it is not a short walk but the weather was brilliant and the walk would do good to help my digestion. hahaha.

wento myer to feed the baby at the parents' room they have there. so took the opportunity to see the annual christmas window display they have on their windows. there was no queue hence it was quite a quick browse through all the windows.
it was ok....there was too much white and hence, it was kinda hard to get the story by just looking. was too lazy to listen to the audio from window to window.

the frogs here were cute eh? they were at the little corners at the bottom of the windows.

enlarge the frame to see the windows. the display is designed according to a famous christmas story. they do a different story every year.

our walk to southgate took almost an hour as we took our own sweet time.

and the baby behaved and was in good mood ;)

the locals taking opportunity in the fine weather.

some interesting art pieces found in the city.

sexy lips. wanna sit on me??

we stopped for beer. ok, the baby is not drinking any beer lah...he is drinking water from the cup for the first time!!! bravo.

melbourne exhibition centre....and one of their exhibitions now is sexpo!! yeah baby, everything you want to know about sex is in there. maybe i will find one day and go explore.

national art gallery. we did not go in, just lingered a while outside.

crown hotel and casino.

yarra river that flows through the city.

the first floor of dfo. most of the shops are on basement level.
it is a bad idea to bring me shopping on just the 2nd day of my stay here. well, i guess generally it is just a bad idea to bring to a direct factory outlet store at anywhere and at anytime. right??

so here are the stuff i got. a pair of 8-hole white wild flower leather doc martens boots!!! woohoooo!!!
i have always wanted a pair but the prices were always not right.  i wore it out to the city today and it did not feel hard now uncomfortable. so yeah!!!
the second thing that i got is that grey adidas originals jacket. ok i know i won't have cold weather in malaysia to wear it but i can always bring it with me when i travel overseas. it is really nice. i like.

after shopping at dfo, it was quite a rush for us. we met up with my ex-student, yeelyn at qv. picked her up and headed to uncle's house for barbecue. gosh, it was rush hour since it was after office hour already and we were late! so terribly late! everyone was already there by the time we reached, my sister, brother and my sister's friend, shirley and hubby. felt so bad....

uncle did a good job at the grill. bravo!!!

we had corn, sausages, salmon, kangaroo meat, beef, chicken wings, onions and salad.
the kangaroo meat was all right....but let's just say, beef is still better.

for dessert, aunt ginny made tarte tartin and we had it with tasmanian ice-cream. gosh....heavenly. the honey caramelised macadamia ice-cream was out of this world. it was really good.

we stayed back till about 10 plus. it was quite late already actually. i had to go back to my other sister's house at point cook which is about 40 minutes away from kew as we were going to the national parks the next day.
we finally only reached point cook after midnight. it was tiring of course, but for exploration, anything is possible.

so the nex post....visit to victoria's parks. stay tune!

some light food on the first day....but i am full

another post on the first dayin melbourne. hope you are not getting too tired of me.
this time, it is about food.
yummy food that is.
i will not go hungry here for sure.

these here are pleasure dome and rasberry cheesecake. went out to the cafe my brother-in-law was working at late in the afternoon to meet my cousin with my brother. was given a treat of these two yummy cakes. pleasure dome is filled with soft chocolate mousse and it is not too sweet. phew. it went nicely with a cup of chocolate latte delivered to our table too.

this here is atticus who delivered chip, salted chips bought from the building nearby. he went a second round for another helping.

if you think malaysian kids have big school bag, think again. this is my cousin's bag! he said it was his last school term day, hence he stuffed everything in his locker to bring home. there was also another laptop bag inside. it weighed tonnes!

this is the patisserie on kew east where we had our desserts.

then for dinner, gosh, it felt so early. i mean melbourne is like 3 hours ahead of malaysian time. hence, my dinner at 7p.m. here is like tea at 4p.m.

my cousin and sister working in the city joined us too.
we had vietnamese pho (beef noodles). i did not have noodles, just meatballs in the soup.

i was too full to have any noodles. i keep burping now. i guess i had too much milk since i had 2 lattes today.
i have to ask for less milk next time.

gonna have a walk in the city tomorrow since my brother-in-law is not working. yipppee......am going to spend so much time with the baby. he likes me ;)

fine weather on my first day in melbourne

helo mates!!!

i am down under and in melbourne specifically. just came back from a mom's group where moms gather with their babies and exchange stories and stuff and have coffees and breakfast.
things that went into my ears were such as organic food, food puree, yoghurt, baby laughing, baby's progress and stuff. kinda fun and an eye-opening experience. there were 5 other babies there besides my nephew.

went for a walk after that, just around the block from where my sister lives. the weather is really fine. the sun is out and it is cool...perfect. but of course you cannot forget your sunscreen here. the only thing missing is my wide-brimmed hat.

the baby is hidden behind the towel...and he slept in the stroller but woke up as soon as the stroller stopped moving.

my sister's place, it is a multi-unit apartment. 6 units all together.

the parking spaces behind the building. very spacious and the outdoor communal hanging lines.

a balcony just outside my sister's lot.

a communal laundry room on the first floor.

this is what you see once the front door is open.

the kitchen on the left.

walk straight and you reach the living room. my bed is there beside the glass doors going out to the balcony. boy, it was cold last night with the draught blowing in through the gaps. i am going to move the bed to the middle of the room later tonight.

the messy area which is strewn with all my stuff now. kakakaa....

another door to open after the living room to go to the bathroom and bedrooms. there are 2 bedrooms here.

this is the master bedroom. the other room is occupied by a thai girl who is here to study the english language before proceeding with her intended course.

so that is basically the unit.
am moving house tomorrow, so you are going to see another house in a few days' time. i will be moving few times in my stay here....so it won't be wrong to say that i will be staying out of my luggage bag only.

here is the chubby baby taken at the cafe where they had the moms' group meeting. he looks really chubby here and his face is big...but that is just because i put the camera real close to his face. he is quite a small baby actually, except for his head ;P

well, gonna try to have a nap now before dinner with my siblings and cousin.

melbourne and fiji awaiting

i am getting slightly anxious and nervous.
i don't know why but it started this morning.
i guess it must be the anxiety of packing. i am constantly going through my head the things i need to bring and asking myself if i have chucked everything i need into the bag.
 or could it be pre-withdrawal syndrome from the internet which will start tomorrow? hahahaha.
all missions and goals in my cafe have been completed....so i can go relieved. can't think too much of the coming goals. i am going on a holiday right? to hell with the game...can i?

okokok. can can can.
but let me count the things that i will miss when i am in australia for 19 days.
i will miss my series- x-factor, amazing race, gossip girls, greys anatomy, glee and modern family.
hmm...i think that is all. i guess besides a cafe world addict, i am also a tv series addict.

packing is really a serious business for me. travelling and looking sloppy do not go together ok. who says one need to be sloppy and wear the same clothes everyday when you are travelling. no sir.

see these 8 pairs of shoes here??? which am i going to bring??? the weather in melbourne can be so fickle and i will be on fiji islands for 4 days where the temperature is similar to malaysia's.  i really wish i can pack all of them with me but after taking a look at my luggage bag, i will only have space for 5 pairs?? kakakka.....i think there is still some space in my cabin luggage.

next up, jackets. the decision has been made, i am not bringing that fluffly thick jacket. it is too thick according to my sister. so i guess i will survive with layering.

i am not going to post pictures of all the clothes i am bringing. you will have to wait for those when i get there ;)

arrangements have been made on who to pick me up and who i am going to stay with once i get there.
i am going to wake up to this cute baby's antics on thursday.

adorable hor?
baby post will definitely be one of the first one you will see here. will my sister be complaining of over exploitation of her baby???
i have been getting messages telling me to take more photos of the baby and post them on facebook. so how can i disappoint my fb buddies??

talk to you when i get to melbourne.

a fun thursday because of h&m

finally i am refreshed and rejuvenated to write about my experience queueing up outside h&m lot 10 for the launch of its special collaboration with maison martin margiela. boy, whan an experience i had and what fun too.

the journey started at 3.15a.m. when i left home to head to kl. luckily the roads were dry and of course, there was hardly any traffic. ;D

reached kl and headed to fahrenheit (previously known as kl plaza) to park my car.
then it was to lot 10, where the morning's activity was supposed to begin.
before i came, i had scoured the net for twitter posts and instagram sharings about the condition of the queue in malaysia. no matter how hard i scrutinised, i only managed to find two. phew. that meant the crowd was not that huge and ppl were not that crazy as compared to those in singapore where the queue had started at 3pm the day before. in malaysia, the queue only started at 10pm and by the time i joined the queue at 4.30a.m. the number was only at around 60.

the picture on the left was taken as soon as i joined the queue. and the one on the right with red hues, was taken at about 7a.m.  the build-up of ppl in the line was quite slow.
passing the time was quite bearable as there were so many 'unique' personalities to watch. the light at where i sat was not on, or else i could have read the book that i brought.
the only thing i hated was the close proximity of the dustbin from where i sat and hence the breathing in of second-hand smoke. those who smoked here smoked like chimney and of course you don't see fat people in the queue as well.

the lights behind where i sat was finally turned on at 7a.m. and the crowd started to get ready for the distribution of coloured tags to determine the time everyone got to go in the store. yes, we still had to take turns even though we had been there the whole morning or night for some ppl.

nescafe in can and cupcakes were distributed at 7.15a.m. in singapore, i think the gave brownies and mineral water. i did not consume these there as i already had a banana and a packet of biscuits an hour after i arrived.

so, i was in the green group, to go in at 8.50 a.m. meaning i was in the fourth batch. the tag even matched the colour of my skirt ;D so basically, i was the 63rd in the queue, and i would get 10 minutes to be in the section where they had put the entire special collection and to grab whatever i wanted. then i could take my own sweet time to try the pieces i had grab, and if the size did not fit, i could request for another one. so it was not that bad.
the assistants were all chirpy and cheering us on and of course, very helpful, offering to take our shopping bags and suggesting pieces to us.
well, i knew what i wanted, hence it was fast. i finished grabbing everything in less than 6 mins.

this photo was taken few seconds before 8, before the first group was allowed in. i even saw some local celebs there....one joined the queue, while another with his entourage was given special priority and went in without any special tag. there was even a deejay booth livening up the morning atmosphere. there were many curious stares by passers-by too. luckily it did not rain. phew.

so, wanna know what i got??? it definitely punched a hole in my wallet. hey, i even cut out 3 things in my short-listed list.

first thing i got....free plastic bag ;) there are some numbers printed on it and the name of the labels, but they are hardly visible here. you can cut off the bottom seal and wear the plastic bag as a top, as suggested by the assistants in the store according to the poster. it is going into my collection and not on my body for sure....hmm....is it biodegradable??

we also got the clothes hanger....specially made for the collection and you can see it on sale on ebay  now. the clothes label was a piece white cloth  stitched with all the numbers. hmmhh....what is the significance of those numbers? i still haven't found out.

now to the pieces i had to pay with my hard-earned money ;) kakaka....

first piece- navy blue darted sweater made of wool. it was a really cosy piece and the workmanship was incredible. we were even given a garment bag as well. i won't go cold in winter anymore.

second piece- candy clutch in pink. i wanted to get the one in silver, but it had finished by the time i went in. dang! they really had them in limited and smalled quantities here in malaysia. the label was printed on a piece of leather and sewn inside the clutch.

third piece- leggings.  very stretchy and thicker than normal legging. this is a steal at rm79.90.

forth piece- the one that broke the bank- knee high boots with removed heels. the height of the boots fits me perfectly and there is actually slightly raised heel but you won't see it since it is hidden inside the black leather. oh how soft and supple it is. don't you love the sole? but of course, once i start wearing the boots, the numbers on the sole will be gone. sob sob sob.

so so so....what do you think of my loot?? i can put everything i had in one look and hit the streets in winter. kakaka. the 3 items which looked better on the models and not one me are- narrow jacket, oversized jeans and skirt cum trousers. phew....that saved me a lot.

all in all, it was fun to be among the first in malaysia to own this special collection. i would definitely join the queue again when the next special collaboration launches in malaysia and this time i know what to expect.

oh, i also did more shopping at uniqlo since their leggings were on sale. hahaha.... got 2 pairs for my aunt and mom as well.

you get a cloth tote bag when you spend more than rm200....so by hook or by crook, i was forced to spend that much just to get my hand on one. it is a really nice bag ah.

so in the end, i got myself a wool flare skirt to reach that amount. new skirt to start work next year ;D

that was all the shopping i did on that day. the rest of the time was filled with a movie and eat eat eat.
the movie chosen was 'pitch perfect'.  i was too tired and exhausted to choose a movie where i had to think and listen attentively. pitch perfect was the perfect choice. it was a no brainer show filled with lots of songs and plenty of fun characters. go and watch it and have fun. the movie hall was filled with laughters from the beginning till the end. you won't regret it.

now to food.

this is the big breakfast set at la bodega. hmmmm....not as big as i expected. it would be filling though when consumed by a single person. but we shared this so it was just right...and a glass of drink for each person.

lunch- cucumber roll in the cinema. was not hungry yet and was short of time to sit down for lunch anyway.

so we had dessert for tea instead.

hui lao san's famous mango dessert. well, they were all right but the prices were exorbitant. these two bowls came up to around rm25 incusive of tax.  how could mango be so expensive? i would rather just eat mango bought from the market next time.

dinner was korean at bulgogi brother restaurant in pavilion.

the side dishes. they served pumpkin soup. my first time drinking pumpkin soup and it was ok. i said ok because normally, i don't even touch pumpkin.

beef for barbecue....but it was just so so. don't like the beef patty. the strips were better but i still preferred one whole big strip. and they only gave two miserly pieces of onion. haiz.
my grill at do-rae restaurant in ipoh was much better.

the arrangement of the patties on the grilling pan.

ordered bibimbap and also kimchi jjigae. kimchi jjigae was better than the one in do-rae but the portion was quite small. it went very well with white rice. perfect for a cold evening.

i only left kl after spending 16 hours there.a record. i wonder if those ppl who queued outside h&m went home straight to get their sleep or continued like what i did.

the parking ticket recorded the time for me. reached at 4.19a.m. and left only at 19.06.

so was i tired by the time i reached home? you bet i was. luckily sleep came as soon as i put my head on the pillow and the sleep time lost was replaced. phew.