Perth Graduation Trip -- Fifth Installment

Perth Graduation Trip -- Fifth Installment



Hi guys! Just to show you the loft we stayed at Dunsborough Beach Cottages!




That's his bed




This is mine and we share a bean bag at the foot of our beds





The sunset or sunrise?



Day 8: Dunsborough, Mandurah, Singleton




My parents' turn to make breakfast for us!!


It was the day to check out of the cottage! I actually liked the place alot.. very homely! I woke up to clear blue sky everyday, with the sun shining in.




The front view of the cottage


We stayed behind in the cottage to pack our belongings while my parents went off to the beachside to pa-tor! Hurhur, they thought we were checking out at 12pm and had alot of time but we were supposed to check out at 10am! So we packed everything and waited for them to come back and shower before leaving the cottage. =(




Extremely low tide in the morning


The previous night, OTS and I went for a night stroll after dinner and he showed me the place by the shore where he slept over in his car on his previous trip and caught the sunrise. I thought it would and should be really pretty in the day, with sunlight and all. So the next day, after we checked out of the cottage, we drove the old folks over to that place and man, it was beautiful!




Aren't the colours of the ocean gorgeous?




Saturated some of the photos.. they would have looked like that if they were in magazines


Our first stop of the day -- Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. It looks like a very short lighthouse, but it is already standing on a hill, with oceans all round on three sides. There was a tourguide explaining the history of the lighthouse (it is still in operation up till today). Very windy up there. It was a complex feeling. I looked far out into the ocean and was a little scared by the height but I looked back straight down and realised that I was only two storeys up on the hill. Haha. Read more about it here.




First lighthouse I have ever been to. So suaku.




A larger view of the ocean that the lighthouse is over-looking





A classic spot for classic photo-taking



Next stop before lunch, Simmo's Ice Creamery!!!! Yes, the place I was most excited about! They have flavours like Liquorice, Honeycomb, Strawberry Cointreau Cheesecake, Blood Orange Sherbet, Ferrero Rocher, Brandy Egg Nogg, Caramel Malteser, Apple Pie, Bubblegum, Mascrapone and Fig, Pecan Crunch and Whisky Prune!



Yummy yummy yummy!!!


And they have goats and emus at the back of the factory. There was a sign that said 'Beware -- Do Not Feed Your Ice-Creams To The Emus' and another that said 'Ice Cream-Eating Emus'. An angmoh put the sign to the test when he stuck his daughter's ice cream out and hover it near the emu's face, when the next second, the emu stretches its neck so goddamn long through the wire fence, and halved the cone in just one bite. I screamed. The sign meant it, I think.




Ice cream-eating emu.


We left the ice creamery and got into the car before I realised -- where the fuck is my bag?! I looked at my dad (he was supposed to take care of it when I went to order the ice creams) and he gave me a blur look. I rushed back into the cafe and thank gawd the cashier kept my bag for me. Apparently she recognised OTS as he had been there a few months ago and knew that I was his girlfriend and kept my bag for me. I think my balls shrunk when I realised that my bag wasn't around. My passport, I/C, DS Lite, keys and all my Aussie dollars were in there! It would then be like January 2007 all over again! =(





Traffic policemen stopping over for ice-cream too.. their bikes were STs as well. No wonder my dad forgot all about my bag and left it in the cafe!!


Drove on for two hours and we reached Mandurah, where we stopped over to have lunch.



Why is it that everywhere you stop over in Perth, there would be such pretty sceneries with clear blue skies?




Look at the way he carried my bag! Like a backpack! -__-



Before arriving back in Perth again, another stopover at Singleton to check on the land that the Ong family has.




What a nice wavy beach that the land is facing!



A big thank you for following my Perth trip updates until now! There's more to come, we would be going to The Pinnacles Desert and have some fun with sandboarding soon!

Perth Graduation Trip -- Fourth Installment

Perth Graduation Trip -- Fourth Installment


Day 7: Margaret River, Dunsborough


After a hearty breakfast, we set off to Margaret River, famous for its wineries!



Homemade grilled potatoes becomes a favourite during the trip


After driving for approximately half an hour, we arrived at Laurence Cellar. We were first attracted by its huge fountain at the gate.


Looks somewhat like the Oscars, haha

Driving further in, we stopped by to take some photos of the vineyard. It wasn't very big, but they had a very beautiful garden full of flowers!! OTS then went to order a round of wine-tasting set and I thought that the olive oil was very nice and the white wine tasted like dessert wine, very sweet.

I have to say that the bottom left picture looks like a magazine shot hur




That's my dad in the background


Oh, when we went to the garden to take photos, I realised that my ex-boyfriend's family was there too! I could recognise his whole family but I was surprised to see that his grandmother now sits in a wheelchair. Then we got his mother's boyfriend, an ang moh, to take a photo for us.



See the lady in red? The mother. I wonder what she was staring at though. Maybe 'this girl looks a little familiar?' Haha.




Nice big flower on my head! Disclaimer: I did not pluck it. 路边的野花不要采.



I tried to put my mother on my finger. Literally.




A sprawling attempt by OTS by sprawling on the grass




I like the fact that a bee was really beside the flower



Good enough for a wallpaper material yet?


Our next stop was the caves! We asked the advice of the lady working at the petrol station and she said that the three caves (Lake Cave, Jewel Cave and Mammoth Cave) are pretty much the same. 'If you've seen one, you've seen all'. So we chose Mammoth Cave! =)



It was chilly in the cave! And I had my headphones on in all the photos partly to keep my ears warm haha


The long winding stairs and paths made me a little breathless! I guess this is when you need your constant dosage of exercise or steroids.



Pathway leading to the exterior of the cave




They are so sharp and they look like they're gonna drop anytime and pierce me


Then we went to The Margaret River Chocolate Factory! Lots and lots of chocolate tasting!! My mother bought alot of chocolates and she finally realised that she loves dark chocolate the most.



Sampling and more sampling!


Next to the Chocolate Factory is, The Providore, where all kinds of jams are sold. There's strawberry, blackcurrant, mango, olives, orange and even tomatoes.



Wide variety of salad mixes and jams


And to fulfil his promise, OTS brought me to a soap factory!!!!!!! Presenting to you, the Natural Olive Soap Factory!! You can see them making soaps, cutting them up and then packaging it! OTS got me a Lavender & Chamomile bar while he got himself a Spearmint one. I know, weird right.


Soaps cut into very small pieces for sampling (a personal favourite, hehe)


Then it was back to our cottage for a rest after having been out for a whole day! Seeing the wonderful sun and weather, OTS and I went out to the beach for a dip!


Saw huge schools of fishes at the further part of the ocean where there were many many many seaweeds


I love Dunsborough Beach. It is the calming kind with small gentle waves and very very soothing to just sit on the shore and stare out at the ocean.


Another wonderful trip to the beach


For the second night in a row, we tried to catch the sunset because OTS heard from a guy that the sunsets in Dunsborough are to die for! But somehow the sunset didn't fit that description and we were quite disappointed, staring out at the ocean.

Then he blurted, "Oh shit. I think I remembered wrongly. I think the guy said that the sunrises are to die for, not the sunsets." He gave a sheepish grin. I almost punched him. We were facing the wrong directions all the time!! No wonder no sun in sight at all!!

To be continued...

Excerpt

Excerpt


The old lady stared out of the window (screenshot sunset) and said, "I have never seen anything so beautiful."

The old man gazed at her and said, "Neither have I."

IT IS V-DAY AND I FEEL SO UNLOVED. ALL THANKS TO OTS FALLING ASLEEP ON ME.

KANNINABEHCHAOJIBYE.

Perth Graduation Trip -- Third Installment

Perth Graduation Trip -- Third Installment


Day 6: Busselton, Dunsborough

It was a Monday. We woke up bright and early, all ready to set off down south! Also, the start of boring driving for OTS. Haha, I slept away for most of the journey because we watched a DVD the night before, I think. Having been to Busselton a few weeks before that, he was quite familiar with the roads..



Alot of greeneries wineries along the way and they all looked the same!



After three hours of driving, we reached Busselton! Yay!




And I woke up at this point, hurhur.


What else to visit in Busselton? We can't skip the infamous tourist attraction, Busselton Jetty, the longest wooden bridge constructed in the Southern Hemisphere, which measures at two kilometres long. A second pretty Australian beach I've seen within the first week.



Why are their waters so clear? Sigh



My mother clutching her sunhat dearly.. for fear of it being blown away!


And we embarked on our journey! A total walking distance of about four kilometres to and fro. It was still sunny when we started and when we barely walked half the distance, it started to get very cloudy and finally rained when we reached a stopover in the middle of the bridge. We had no choice but to seek refuge and solace under the so-small wooden hut. Then my dad decided to give up! So after the shower of rain, he started walking back!



Because real survivors don't give up on finishing the Busselton Jetty


My mother, OTS and I continued after the rain and when we reached the end of the bridge, it started raining heavily again! We looked back and saw that it was completely sunny over at the shore.

What the hell.

So we stayed at the souvenir shop and walked around and sat around, waiting for the rain to stop. Turns out that below the shop, is an underwater attraction for tourists who are interested in viewing underwater scenes!

The rain stopped and we started walking back! I'm so amazed by my mother. She had so much perserverance to finish the walk. I was about to give up but we all don't have a choice but to finish it! Couple that with the sudden showers of rain that caught us unaware!



We are the heroes!!! We have completed 4km of walking!!


After so much walking, we were famished!! We found a restaurant and had lunch there. If I don't remember wrongly, the boss there was quite rude and she insisted on everyone having a salad bowl because it was buffet style and we only ordered three bowls for five people.


I liked the Guinness Shepherd's Pie! If only the boss wasn't so nasty I would have published the restaurant's name!


Then we drove for half an hour to another town called Dunsborough! We dropped the old folks to Coles supermarket to buy groceries needed for the BBQ dinner that night and OTS and I went to check in at the cottage where we would be staying for the next two nights.

The cottage was very well equipped with 2 bedrooms (a queen-sized bed and a full wardrobe each), a loft (where OTS and I slept in), a kitchen with a stove, refrigerator, microwave oven, baking oven, dishwasher, island counter and full of utensils and cutlery, a large living room with books and boardgames, a fireplace and a gas BBQ stove! And the plus point is, Dunsborough Beach is just fifty metres away from the cottage!


Very homely!


While the old folks rested in their rooms, OTS and I brought out the groceries they bought and started the preparation work for the BBQ dinner. We marinated the meat and chopped onions and garlic and brought everything outside for alfresco dining! Haha! My dad then woke up and started cooking on the gas BBQ pit. Before we knew it, the two men were at the stove busying themselves with the grilling. We were just waiting to eat! Hurhur.


Very very tasty dinner! My favourite for the day was the sambal chicken that I marinated. =P


After dinner, OTS and I walked out to the beach, hoping to catch the sunset! It was quite cold and I was wearing shorts! Brrrrr.



No sun in sight


Couldn't see any so we took some pictures.. maybe we came out too late?


Beach and coffee in the cold weather.. a good combination!


Then we walked back and played some board games! I kept losing to OTS! He's damn good at Dumb and Othello lar!



Dad 'duelling' with Aunty Susan.. I think he won in the end.


That's all for our first day in Busselton and Dunsborough! The next day we would be heading down to Margaret River for some chocolates and wine-tasting! Yippee!! Stay.... tuned!

Lisa Ono

Lisa Ono


Everytime I listen to her songs on my blog, memories..

The late night driving in Perth in the cold cold cold weather.
The dance we had under the streetlamp with the song playing.
The journeys to late-night suppers in Singapore.
The run-around on Lucky Bay with the moon as our only source of light, popping champagne.
Literally catching the kangaroo in the spotlight along Twilight Beach.


Sitting on the dock of the bay.. watching the tide roll away.
Sitting on the dock of the bay.. wasting time.

在我在最最最最寂寞的时候

在我在最最最最寂寞的时候


陪伴我的是Youtube.




































and one last one,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss1I0aQs4lI&feature=related


福建歌曲，我听到大！

An Important Decision

An Important Decision


I will respect the unwritten rules and laws of love and marriage, the importance and significance of couplehood, the sacrement of matrimony and most importantly, the meaning of a couple ring -- an age-old symbol of eternity. Not a belief to be broken by adolescents who take the idea of couple rings lightly and not knowing the meaning behind it. You HAVE to be willing to commit.

The only (similar) couple ring that I will ever own, will be a wedding band.

All others (if I ever have), are just evidences of childishness and untasteful selections.


No wonder I'm dizzy, the world keeps spinning around in circles.

Perth Graduation Trip -- Second Installment

Perth Graduation Trip -- Second Installment


Day 4: Karrinyup

As I mentioned in my previous post, we picked up our parents from the airport and went back to OTS's mom's house. Rested for awhile before we went out again, this time to Karrinyup Shopping Centre for some light shopping. There was this unique shop that sold lingerie packaged in very cute boxes (like sweets and lollipops) but I did not buy because shopping wasn't on my priority list. Also because I only budgeted $100AUD into my list. =(



One of the suburb shopping centres


So we went back to Balcatta (where OTS's mom's house is) and had dinner at Wah Do! This Chinese restaurant serves the most delicious Salt and Pepper Spare Ribs that I have ever tasted!


One plate is just not enough.. I wish I had more


And we went to King's Park, AGAIN! Only this time, with the folks. Yes, we did not catch the colourful lighted trees on that day as well. I wonder when will we ever see it? Oh oh, King's Park is totally dark. I remember the first time OTS drove me there via the darker long road right, I heard one of my dad's sayings ringing in my head: ‘小心啊，他要骗你去卖钱。’-__-



For your info, Nikon cameras generate better nightshots than Canon cameras


Then we went home and slept! This is where I started cultivating the habit of sleeping at 10pm over there.. mostly because there's nothing for me to do. LOL.


Day 5: Subiaco Market, Cottlesloe Beach & Swan Belltower


This day, we dropped by Subiaco Market to get some groceries! En route there, I saw a morning breakfast shop and bought a cup of coffee! That was life. Drinking coffee on a cold morning, ah....



Looking at the pastries and sandwiches just makes me salivates

The mothers saw stalls selling fruits and started buying them. The trip to the market really opened my eyes to the world of marketing, grocery marketing. I have never seen so many types of vegetables before.. And we bought many many kinds of macadamia nuts! Honey roasted, salted, garlic and even smoked! I have no idea why when in Perth, I was exceptionally infatuated with veggies. Every lunch or dinner, I would bug OTS and ask 'veggies leh???'. Haha!


I wished I had bought every kind of veggie and tried to cook them!


On our way to Cottlesloe Beach again, we passed by the Rose Garden so we got down and took some pictures!



If only I could pick some roses home, hurhur


Looking at my mother's expression when she saw the beach, I knew that she loved the view. Below are just a few of the many photos that she took. 真是佩服了那些红毛，那么冷也能游泳！



Too bad it was too cold to swim in the sea

Sometimes I wonder if OTS is bored of visiting all these places with me or my parents because he's been there so many times already? It's like asking me to visit Sentosa with my friends from abroad and seeing them go 'WAHHHHH!!! VERY NICE!!!'. Like what the fuck. But don't care la baby, I have never seen ang moh (nude) beaches before leh.

Next on schedule (yes, he keeps a schedule of where to visit on which day) we went to Swan Belltower. I think this tower houses some of the oldest bells (in the world? on Earth? in Australia?) and itself is a bell chamber that contains many many huge bells. We were there at the right timing because we managed to catch the chiming bells performance where the bells were being manually pulled by people two levels below them.


That's on the 6th level and wind was blowing very strongly.. I almost zhaogeng-ed in one of the photos taken.. WILL NOT POST IT UP!


And since we were near the city, I requested to go to the city and SHOP WALK around even though it was already 3pm and shops close at 5pm.


I know.. from the pictures, hardly look like a city right?


This pretty much sums up the first two days of my parents' arrival in Perth. Next installment is about the trip to Busselton, Margaret River and Dunsborough! You know what you should do. =)