Nope, its not that i've got a raise or a promotion or sold another unit. its even BETTER -- FAMILY!
my dear parents flew over to spend some time with Keeliang & myself. it was a simple yet very heart-warming time spent together.
Initially, Keeliang and myself had a very packed and eventful itinerary planned out for the 8 days.
In the end, after following the itinerary for just 2 days, my parents said all they wanted out of the trip was just to relax and spend time together. In the end, we scrapped out all the "must-see, must-eat, must-do" stuffs for the trip. Although we have spent almost a week planning it, we realized that it was not about the excitement of the programs that man can think of. but the simple communion of our hearts and souls that far exceeds the contentment man can create.
Day one -- We picked daddy & mummy from the airport. ETA was 11:40am. we were there but guess what, daddy and mummy came out only at 12:30pm. turned out they had quite an adventure in the airport. in order for them to bring my Magic Thermal pot, they had to go to a special queue to collect "over-sized luggage" or something. and daddy didnt have his passport chopped! somehow i wished he didnt find out so he could stay longer! hahaha.
we then went home to unload the baggages. mummy was impressed at my tidiness. yup. note there is no open and closed inverted commas. Tidiness was assessed as PASSED! :)
we took them to the CBD area to shop (QVB,Westfield...etc) and then off to Sydney Opera House for some camera-action moments! Dinner was at a German cuisine, Lowenbrau.
It was something like 15 degrees in the evening and very very chilly when the wind blew as we walked home. Mummy finally caved in and pulled up the white flag. with just her Singaporean-accustomed shawl, she ran to a souvenier shop and bought a $25 white jacket!! which we later found it selling for just $10 at Paddy's Market!!! One man's meat is another man's poison indeed!
Pictures for Day One:
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| Queen Victoria Building! |
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| Such a funny florist! |
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| At Sydney Harbour Bridge |
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| The $25 Jacket. |
We arose early and drove close to two hours to Blue mountains! it was a lovely view. we took the steepest railway in the world and bought a touristy souvenier photograph for keepsake. it was also my first visit to the Blue Mountains. it made us feel so small and God so BIG. it was a refreshing environment enjoying all that nature has to offer. after that, we drove another 1 hour down to the Jenolan Caves. we made it just in time for the 430pm guided tour, though the guide was late for almost 25 minutes! all the Aussies were so chill. just waiting patiently. only the four of us were kiasu-ing asking around to make sure we were at the right place, walked like 50 steps to try to get some reception so that we could actually call the customer centre to check where our guide was.... make a complaint....
hahahha. so typical of Singaporeans.
nonetheless, the guide made it all up by giving us a very good tour and clear explanation of the caves and corals with not too heavily drowned aussie accent. it was a very special experience. highly recommended!!
Pictures for Day two:
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| The world's steepest railway ride! |
Day Three - Shopping @ DFO, Ikea, Rhodes Shopping and my mum's new found fav--K MART!!!
at ikea, mummy was like
Mummy: "this one singapore never sell leh. buy here!"
Daddy: "singapore have. i see before..."
Mummy: "U sure ah? dont want wait i go back cannot find ah... then you know already..."
Daddy: "Eh... i think Singapore dont have. better buy here la!"
hahahha... very funny.
also, we had this pretty pair of watches from Armani @ DFO... and we got an Armani Exchange bling bling watch for mummy's birthday!
we then bought pasta & pizza to dine at home. cause we were maxed out from all the shopping and walking!!
Day Four - We visited Sydney Aquarium for the first time. Verdict? Sentosa underwaterworld is a million times better hands down! we had some hot choc at Guylian cafe and then toured Paddy's market. this was when we discovered the $10 jacket! we just told mummy "quality different la."
Then, dinner was massive. Brazilian BBQ Buffet @ Braza!!!
it was chicken licking good, beef-ilicous pork-iful fiesta to celebrate my mum's 52nd birthday in advance... with a spectacular display of FIREWORKS by the harbor!!
Pictures for day four:
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| Thordan's new bag! |
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| When Guy meets Girl... |
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| Paparazzi daddy in the background! |
Day Five - We went to Watsons bay for a picnic under the skies. it was such fun just to lie on the ground, munching our tidbits and fish & chips, snuggling in our warm jackets as the cool wind blew.
Pictures for day five:
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| Looking Pro! |
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| My Family :) |
For the rest of the days, we pretty much just stayed at home. Playing mahjong... Beautiful!
we had home-cooked meals for dinner and lunches. On Monday night, we watched Dark Knight Rises at the world's Largest IMAX screen -- darling harbour Imax theatre. Tuesday evening, we went to Hurricanes & Pancakes on the rock!! followed by a visit to The Star casino.. and then had one more session of majhong... Daddy was the grand winner. Mummy trailed closely with just a dollar difference. Still the old ginger more spicy! hahaha.
this Australia holiday was not just for my parents. it was certainly more so for Keeliang & myself.
Family love was very much welcomed! although we had simple itinerary, it was simply priceless.
thank you daddy & mummy for travelling for hours just to spend a week with us. And thank you mummy for doing up the housework, ironed our 2 big bags of laundry and more, washed our toilet and kept our house so spick and span!! Thank you to daddy for buying us a beautiful gift and thank you to keeliang for being so accomodating. i love you all! See you all very soon in Dec!!
FAMILY - Father And Mother I Love You ! :)
