Friday, December 18, 2009

Here's One For the Road...

Grrrowl!!!

Hello there...

Well... My last post was weeks ago. And i haven't been blogging - really busy with assignments and everything BUT - it will all be over soon (for now at least) and when that time comes - I will be back writing my last post on Australia and a NEW, lip-smackin' dirty sexy and delicious post on my eventful trip to Bali last week... so sexy it sizzles *tssssssss!!!!* Heh...

And before i unpack my bags, I'm taking them out on the road again to Kuala Lumpur for the New Year! Woohoo! I'm loving my almost hobo-ness lifestyle... wouldn't trade them for the world :)

In the meantime, We promise... We'll bear right back!!!


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Monday, December 7, 2009

Off To Bali Again...

Grrrowl!!!

And so we are off to Bali, Indonesia once again, for the super long weekend we planned for since August. It was on a moment's impulse that we booked for the trip - scanned, booked and now, go.

Will be off for 5 days. A little mellow on the preparation this time maybe because we've been to Bali once before and while we spent a limited time in Bali itself, its a familiar ground and much less preparation is therefore needed. Another issue is of course, budget - but we shall not go there or this post will be one long, draggy, whiny post - when it should be something fun, exciting and full of enthusiasm!

A few things we can look forward to during this trip, which i am VERY VERY excited to share:
  1. Self Drive - There's really nothing stopping me from revving up the engine and driving, wherever i may be in any nook and cranny in this universe. If i can sit and make the thing move, you know i'll be driving it That is, since i am a fully licensed, fully qualified driver now :) Meebops gave in to me most times, agreeing to my incessant desire to drive. She prefers to be driven instead of driving anyway ;) So yes, we are going to self-drive in Bali. We will give our account on driving in Bali when we're back! Note: Researched many differing opinions on this option - but i guess its just the general sense of care that you need to take wherever you may be. Look at everything before moving off and take proper care when on the road with the smaller guys, the motorcyclists.
  2. Villa - We are staying for a full 3 night in a private villa complete with a private swimming pool. I simply, WE simply, CAN'T WAIT for this most definitely.
  3. Bali itself... What's there to complain? Its relaxed, down to earth... yes a little touristy, but all in good fun :)
Picture borrowed from here

Till then... Selamat tinggal! :)

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Monday, November 9, 2009

What A Bad Bad Blogger I've Been...

Yes, i've been a bad bad blogger. Don't write, don't update... I've just been really busy - with work, with school and time... Time is such a rare commodity these days. Haizzz...

Don't know how long i can keep up with this... BLEARGH!!!

Friend: You look like shit dude...
Cubby:
Gee, thanks man.. for the compliment *rolls eyes*
Friend:
You're welcome.

I know... I don't just look like crap, i feel like crap. BAH!!! BAH!!! BAH!!! :(

This is how tired i am these days - i sleep anywhere and everywhere.

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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Daily SHOOT! - Sunday Market, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Nothing like a good afternoon nap... :)

Monday, October 26, 2009

Come A-Waltzing Matilda with Cubbies to Melbourne! - PART 4

Grrrowl!!!

So we're gonna continue from where we left off in Melbourne.

Day 4 & 5: Touring the City and Off to the Beach Town of St. Kilda We Go!

So here's the deal... When you purchase 2 tours from the travel agent, you'll get a free City tour - that is a half-day sightseeing (mostly done while you're on the bus, but sometime you get off) to key landmarks and areas within the Melbourne CBD. This came free after we purchased GOC and the Penguin Parade tour and thank heavens it is... I'll tell you why i said that!

But first up, pictures i took that was interesting enough to snap from the bus:

How can this be interesting? Come on... Its Louis Vuitton... 'nuff said.

And a neo-gothic Church

I'm guessing that at least a good 90% of those who was on the City Tour got them for free. But for those who paid a whopping US$60 for the 3hrs 45 mins tour - God Bless You :) You have done Melbourne tour companies proud because it was probably not worth the time nor the money spent :) But, yes, you get to see places you don't think you'll go on your own anyway! So................

Some of the places they'll take you on the tour include Federation Square (Hint: You board the bus from Fed-Square), Queen Victoria Market (lovely little paradise), Chinatown (every city has one... whaddaya see, Chinese!), Flinders Station (famed train station next to Fed Square), Arts & Cultural Centre (across the bridge from Flinders Stn), Royal Botanic Gardens etc.

Demonstrators at Fitzroy Gardens promoting their cause. We have this back home too.

The Epoch Times. Hate the word, Epoch, by the way... Don't know why.

I guess the only place that i truly enjoyed during the tour was the visit to the Botanic Gardens. Cubbies love gardens and parks - walking, pouncing, pawwing, relaxing, stretching and playing with dried autumn leaves... that's the only treat of the tour :)

And that... That's Meebops' feet :)

I personally think the quality of life of children in Australia is so much better than its Asian neighbours... that's just my point of view, being a kid meself... haha! Asian parents are, sad to say, too uptight, very demanding and hard on their kids sometimes, especially when it comes to grades.

More beautiful tree-lined parks such as this one at Fitzroy Gardens. Makes for a nice walk on Sunday morning or early evenings.

OK so you've heard... Cubbies didn't thoroughly enjoyed her free tour (even though she likes free stuff) and slept for the entire 3 hours journey on the bus, waking up only to pee. Besides, the commentating by the domineering "cat-woman" tour guide sucked anyway. Her monotonous yakkating and all that fake smiling and hostility - uurgh! Either that or she's simply edgy, like she's trying to quit smoking or something. So... Cubbies didn't tip her! Hmph!

They also promised a souvenir at the end of the tour, but we didn't get any (maybe because its free?).

TIP! For those discerning travellers who probably thought that the money could be better spent buying souvenirs for loved ones at home - YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! If it comes free, what the heck, hop on the bus, pay attention for the next 3 hours and then go do whatever you need to do. But do not fork out US$60 for it. Cry tears of regret if you do. Unless, of course, you have loads of moolas to spend :)

After the tour ended, we went back to the hostel and checked out. Not before we had lunch first! We cooked some dinner the night before - made use of the free rice and pasta every day and finished some wrap / fish we bought couple of days back. The thing about moving place to place is that you don't quite get to "mark your territory" as often as you'd like. So TTT had to clear out the food before we left the hostel. Things we can reuse, we take them to St. Kilda; things we can't like leftover bread, hummus, we left it on the shelf so others can use them before it expires (you'll be surprised at the speed of which these perishables... perish!).

Urban Central's kitchen.

The fried fish wrapplicious i made *curtsies curtsies*

And a tad too dry pasta Arrabiata.

Meebops didn't take these very well (appeared very blurry) but you get the picture :) Meebops also didn't like my pasta nor my wraps - but hey, beggars can't be choosers. She is a bloody picky eater too :)

Then it was BUH-BYE Urban Central!

St. Kilda is 6km away from the City Centre and takes 2 tram change before you arrive at the heart of it all. All in all, from where we boarded the tram, it took us approx. 10 mins and VOILA!

We stayed at the St. Kilda's X-Base hostel - which is a nifty little establishment - clean, very very small (toilet door hits the side of the bed when open it!) but funky little crowd. Not as warm and diverse as you'd get from UC but good enough for a night or two. Here are some pictures of the interior:

A club that runs from god knows when till god knows when. Especially crowded on weekend nights.

Communal area - good for merry making and reading.

After a few hours of resting our tired little paws, we were out exploring the town area.

Our first impression of St. Kilda??? A quaint haven, cosmetic town that is akin to all beach town the world over. Cosy little streets punctuated with palm trees, background music courtesy of street buskers, children, lollipops, cakes, fairground and to top it all off, tourists amidst the small eccentric crowd.

That's the beach town of St. Kilda. Main attraction - The Beach!

Quaint shop houses lined the streets of St. Kilda's Acland Street.

Eccentric much? Harley enthusiast showcased their pride on the littered pavements - making it quite difficult for passer-bys to pass through.

The reason why all people should be in St. Kilda - honest to goodness cakes.

Lots and lots of them!

What we had that evening, together with a nice hot cup of latte... Cubbies had a knack for double-layered cream Blackforest cake - a classic birthday cake number. Meebops said maybe i didn't have enough birthdays as a baby. Whatever... *rolls eyes*

Meebops had the super-sweet Turkish pistachio halwa.

And a blueberry pie - which was simply kick-a** gorgeous.

Incident No. 2: Both Meebops and i were quietly enjoying our deserved cup of hot lattes and a big lip smackin' slice everything above, while we people-watch along Acland Street on that lazy Saturday evening. Seated right next to our table was an odd, old and unkempt couple who were almost too pitiful to look at (Cubbies has a soft spot for very old people :( by the way). Husband was reeking of alcohol; probably a drunkard since that's all he smelled like. Wife was just pitiful looking :(

Anyway, after a glass of wine each, they both wanted to move off. Hubby who was a little stronger stood and moved off first. Wife, who was definitely very very tipsy and who has a major case of arthritis going on, with painful bony parts of her arms and and legs sticking out, stood up wobbily and PLOP to her back, down to the floor, with her head hitting the concrete curb! It was a pretty hard fall for an old lady and she MUST'VE HURT REALLY BAD but thankfully she wasn't bleeding or anything. Cubbies went rushing to her feet (like how Mighty Mouse would've donw it) and helped her up. Haizz.. It broke Cubbies' little heart to see such things happening to what was once probably a strong beautiful woman in her heydays :( So Cubbies asked if she was OK - she nodded. Then came 2 other Italian-Australian ladies who spoke to her, called the ambulance and everything and stayed till the Ambulance is in sight. TTT stayed too till everything was under control.

Oooh... whatever happened to the husband you asked? He went away, disappeared. At some point he realised wife was missing, saw the commotion, walked past the old lady and pretended like he didn't know her. Yes, he's an a**. But what good can you expect from someone who care more about where he can get the next booze?

You think that was some sort of bizarre behaviour? That is equally the attraction on Acland Street! So when you're there, pick a spot, order a steamy cup of your favourite brew, a nice big slice of heaven (i mean, cake...) and people-watch - you won't be disappointed! :)

The rest of the evening was spent buying snacks and light breakfast from Woolsworth supermarket. We were just outside the iconic Luna Park when it was closing for the day at 6pm. Then we strolled along the beach, sitting, chatting and gazing at lovers smooching under the starless night sky... it was love. Love for life :)

That night we cooked up a storm, God knows why. There were fried noodles (which Meebops cooked), eggs, excellent frozen spinach, and some nasty canned peas, plus, calamaris. It was a buffet! One guy commented: "I'm impressed by your cooking..."

OK i just have to show off my plate and the way i like me eggs...

We woke up late the next morning, had some cup-a-soup and bread breakfast and walked around the Upper and Lower Esplanade areas - all the way to the beach jetty. Entrance to Luna Park is free but rides are pay per entry. They had some Corporate event going on that Sunday so the rides are totally out. Besides, we're not crazy about thrill rides either.. heh heh heh..

So here are more pictures of St. Kilda...

Boats and yachts littered the sea front... With a view like this, what more can you ask for? Tsk...

Isn't this just stunning?

What i want to do when i grow up... Fish and bask in the chilly winds under the sun. Doze off and find yourself in Hawaii... why not.

That's right, the iconic big-mouthed clown of Luna Park. Always laughing, always welcoming.

After the long stroll, we headed for our last stop before moving back to Melbourne - Monarch Cake Shop who probably had its interior preserved in a bottle and presented in a time machine.

And i'm talking antiques people. They even kept the original cash register alive and running ka-ching ka-ching!


Their house speciality - the MUST TRY KUGELHOPF. Can't miss this one folks, its a must-have. I'm drooling just thinking about it. Its of Polish origins, it has chocolate fillings covered in savoury pastry... what more can you ask for? Real honest to goodness - no bull about it.

So that was it! St. Kilda was a purrrfect weekend getaway for TTT - and a much needed one (after all the touring!).

We packed our bags and checked out. Hopped on the tram and off to our next accommodation - Pensione Hotel on Spencer Street!

Oh before we go off, i just have to put up this picture of 2 little girls riding on their skate-scooters along the beach - one enthusiastically paddled on and the other, confidently rode with her pink tutu on. Guess what happened next? The one in tutu hit a lamppost and fell. Cried ever so loudly. You know why? Cos she wasn't paying attention to what's coming up ahead! So be mindful of the future, cos if you're not prepared, that's when they getcha!!! Ha! Ha! :)

Till the next post: Day 6 & 7 - Puffing Billy, Petting Zoos and Wake Up! Its The Fire Alarm!

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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The Daily SHOOT! - Prague, Czech Republic


A Street in Prague, Czech Republic, originally uploaded by tgtwb.

Yup... Just a street in downtown Prague, Czech Republic.

I love how the streets in Europe are all perfectly lined and linear. Although most of the cities in Europe looked like they are cut out from cookie cutters, they're really beautiful and a perfect vacation spot for LOVERS and married couples alike.

Lovers and married but still head-over-heels in love couple :)

Monday, October 5, 2009

Come A-Waltzing Matilda with Cubbies to Melbourne! - PART 3

Grrrowl!!!

Oh yes, i'm baaack with our new post on Melbourne the Great Victorian City! :) This time with accompanying animals.

DAY 3 - Sleep-In Day and My God, Aren't Those Tiny Penguins Bloody Exhibitionists?!!

Well well... So the Penguin Parade gig starts only from midday, so after the GOC (and all the walking and climbing and my little pink paws hurting), we were thankful that we get a little more rest before our next tour. Though we usually do not follow schedules and tour timings very well (we're really, travellers who prefer our own self-made itinerary...) we were thankful that we get a little more rest before our next tour. We slept like there was no tomorrow and woke up only at 11am. Talk about getting knocked out! :)

The REAL Penguin Parade tour starts only at 7pm, so the day time was spent visiting Phillip Island itself. But before that, we created a ruckus in the kitchen at Urban Central. No actually, we just made lunch! :) Some unidentifiable wrap that has some salad and whole fried breaded fish thing. Meebops refused to eat it. "The problem isn't in the wrap or the fish... It was the lack of ingredients!!!" Cubbies said.

Anyway, driving out of the city centre at midday is less than desirable for me especially when the sun is at its peak and even if you "blasted" the air full - the sun will still give you its shining glory. Meebops is better at such things because she's more "heat" tolerant. Too much heat will cause me to develop red little patches (Meebops said its "nappy rash") and my furs won't glow. You know, we're really starting to think that we're probably from different species of bears? Like i'm very much white fluffy Polar ones or light fluffy Panda ones... and Meebops is more the grizzly or black brown-zoon type? Mwahahaha!! :P

Anyway, Melbourne has the strangest weather changes in the history of us travelling from country to country - see, it will get very very cold early in the morning, fog and all; then by about 11ish or so, it starts to get really shiny, still cold but the sun shines... It can change from hot to cold anytime during the day, but by evening, it gets even less cooler (yes! its the warmest at night!) but of course it can also change from warm to cold to warm again at any time. So as they say, Melbournians always dress prepared! :)

Moving along, the tour on Day 3 was very interesting i must say, cos we visited the nature park, the conservation centre, saw rocky sections of the ocean with a cute name - all to build up the anticipation of the main attraction, which was the little penguins.

So enough talking - more sightseeing. Here goes:

What did i tell you about the sun? Me don't likey.

First stop was the Phillip Island Nature Park, which is really down at Churchill Island.
Well this is what Churchill / Penguin Island looks like - stunning scenery isn't it? Oh... I can live here and watch this forever :)

These are some of the baby animals down at the Nature Park - they're actually really friendly and tame, so you can touch them - which Cubbies did at a moment's notice!

Ummm... that's Mr. Kangoo right there... I'm just saying, maybe its a "Mr", cos he looks kind of... masculine... you know... like... Gggrrr!!

Believe it or not, this was my first time touching a baby sheep!!! (ummm... so?) Ooooooooo it was fluffy, definitely very fluffy woolly... erm.. fluff. I wanted to take one home but Meebops, as usual, wouldn't allow me to. This was the sheep i stroked and played with (i literally did!). Oh very fluffy!

And here's another with the wool sweater, probably taken from his cousin.

And here are even more photos of the Koala (you'll see a lot of these in the blog...) - the iconic world famous Australian Ambassador. These were taken at the Koala's Conservation Centre and what you do is take a stroll on the boardwalk and see them closer in their natural habitat - which is atop the Eucalyptus Tree, either eating, sleeping or painfully bored. Haha! Here's one dozing off:

There's one busy eating... "Nyum Nyum Nyum... These leaves are Da Bom' i'm telling ya... " So said the Koala... Taken from atop a tree at the Koala Conservation Centre - Phillip Island, Victoria (can't seem to upload it to Vimeo, so i'd have to use the Flickr! one..)



And the one looking painfully bored, "Sigh... Pathetic fools. They must think i'm Ooooo so cute! Bleargh... What am i to do with these bozos..." :)

After the Koalas and the Kangoos and baby Sheep - we went off to lunch at the local winery (which Cubbies drank and

Believe it or not we have no pictures of the tiny penguin parade!!! Why?! because were were not allowed to! No cameras no nothing... just eyes to witness. That is so that the penguins won't get so freaked out by the flash from those cameras and they will not want to swim back to shore. See the penguins do that on a daily basis - early morning, swim out to sea. At dusk, swim on back home to shores where homes are nestled in between the rockies and shrubs.

TIP! I gotta tell you though - do put on some seriously warm outfit and long pants if you're there at any season other than maybe, summer. While it is a really fascinating experience - what with watching untamed waves crashing in front of you and the sound of hungry seagulls searching for that last catch before heading home, and you, waiting patiently for the tiny wild creatures to return back to shore - it is still an open, unrestricted ocean - and it is COLD. Victoria has one of the coldest water temperature in all of Australia, possibly because it is within close proximity to chilly chilly Tasmania down South / South-West.

All i can say is that those penguins are a real charmer. They are not exotic or glamourous, rich and charismatic like the Emperors, and they're not exactly as small or tiny as you'd think (even though they are the World's Smallest "Little Penguins") - but they are one helluva exhibitionists! They waddle home out from the open ocean, to the rockies and mate (ooh yeah, mate) all night long (at least that's what cheeky Cubbies saw!!!). Who cares who's watching??!! They will mate their way back to their nests as you stroll along the boardwalk back to bus :) And in case you have no idea how these blubber pack mate, i've got a sample below ;)

Somebuddy's gettin' some lovin' tonight... heh!

Picture of mating blubber was taken from mgsbird

This is how the Phillip Island Little Penguins looked like... these shameless buggers :)

Picture borrowed from here

And just before you drive off - duck under your car, JUST IN CASE you find one for the record!

Guess i'll have to cover Day 4 & 5: Touring The City And Off To The Beach Town St. Kilda! next.

Sorry folks... it'll probably be at least, another 2 posts on Melbourne before i can move off to some other destinations. Don't get bored yet - because we aren't! And we still couldn't get enough of the charming city and Cubbies can't see why you should get bored with it! ;)

Cheers, mate!

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