Procrastinating

I've been unwell since Perth. Nothing major, just a little sore throat and light fever. I think my immune system wasn't accustomised to the variants of virus in WA. -_-

But it turned into a full blown cold after steamboat dinner in Box Hill with Bee and my flatmates. My nose is now dripping like a leaking tap, and the nasty coughs are keeping me awake at night. I've also successfully passed on the virus to everyone in the household, so now both my flatmates are sick too. Sorry, girls!

I guess this gives me some sort of excuse to put off packing and procrastinate. I've even attempted negotiating with Bee to let me stay back in Melbourne for another week or two. Ha!

Other than that, the laziness continues in the bees' household.

Apart from going out for lunch and short walks in the garden nearby, we've pretty much been couped up in the room like how we did in Perth. I guess this isn't much of a sightseeing holiday for Bee afterall huh?

Now if you'd excuse me, I need to go blow my nose for the 218th time today. Ugh!

Is It Goodbye Yet, Melbourne?

Bee is originally due to fly back to KL on 1 June, but we (read: I) decided to postpone it.

Then my very smart boyfriend rang up Malaysia Airlines, only to find out that his ticket is actually only valid for 45 days, instead of the 90 days he assumed all along. And the latest flight available before 7 June is 5 June, which means that he has to check in by Wednesday night.

So now we're both booked in to fly out on 5 June, which is like, a week from now!

I'm not at all prepared for this, to leave my magical city on such short notice.

Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the City often refers to New York as her great love in life. Her boyfriend, even.

"If you can only have one great love, then the city just may be mine. And I don't want nobody talkin' shit about my boyfriend." ~Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City)

On that note, I guess in more ways than one, Melbourne might just be mine.

This is the city that I fell in love with at the very first sight. Over the years, despite the occasional disappointments and complaints, my love for Melbourne has never tainted one bit.

Sure it has let me down at times (like all lovers do), but as I take the train into the city each day and the morning sun shines its rays on those familiar buildings, I'm reminded of how I fell in love in the first place. When we had our disagreements and my feelings were bruised, it only took a short stroll down the friendly streets or along Yarra river to reignite my passion for the city.

That, is true love, no?

And now the question is, am I ready to trade in my undying love for this city, to pursue my other great love in life - the man who strokes my hair before I fall asleep every night?

Is it time to say goodbye yet, Melbourne?

Twilight Zone

A particularly foggy and chilly night, two Bees got excited and ran out to take these photos on the street.

In their pyjamas.

Back from Perth

Landed in Melbourne right before dawn breaks this morning.

The 4-hour flight was not too bad, but neither Bee nor I got much shut-eye.

We've been too spoiled by the warm weather in Western Australia and had completely forgotten about how the chilly winter is unsubtly creeping up on us in Melbourne. That is, of course, until we were greeted by icy wind head on as soon as we stepped out from the aircraft.

I clung on to my pashmina for dear life while Bee trying to act all macho, refusing to reach for his jacket in our hand luggage.

In detest of our abandonment for the past 2 weeks, the house was colder than an ice box when we got back. We turned the heater to full blast, plus the central heating, and it still took ages to heat up my tiny room.

It really didn't help that we had to entertain a friend in the freezing kitchen for hours and couldn't just jump right into bed! My feet nearly got frost bites from the floor tiles if I had not put on Sylvester (my house slippers) in time. x_x

And of course, we passed out the instant our heads touched the pillows and slept through rest of the day. If it wasn't because of our growling stomachs, I'm sure we would've continued sleeping till the next day.

What does one do when it's too cold out and there's nothing to eat at home?

Dial a pizza!

While I sit in my warm and cozy room, wearing my favourite flannel pyjamas and waiting for dinner to come knocking on my door, once again I get to take no notice of the unpleasant weather condition outside.

So bring it on, winter!

Bye Bye Perth

So we're leaving Perth tonight.

Went yumcha with Bee's grandparents, uncle and aunty for lunch. Boy am I glad I'm returning to the REAL dim sums in Melbourne! :P

After lunch, Bee and I went to the warehouse sale of Australian Fine China. What a random thing to do on our last day here in Perth huh? And we're not even that domesticated. -_-

Everything was dirt cheap at the sale! But we couldn't buy any since our luggages were already bordering on being overweight, and Bee's family has a thing for Corelle anyway.

We then went for a drive around some of the most expensive suburbs in Perth - Peppermint Grove and Mosman Park. Bee was hoping to show me the Prix d'Amour mansion, not knowing that it had been demolished in 2006. It's the effort that counts, huh sweetie? Now let's channel that energy at working towards buying us a house at one of these suburbs. Haha.

As I was packing our luggages later on the day, I checked the camera and realised that we had taken less than 25 photos during our whole 2-weeks stay here in Perth. I really shouldn't be surprised since we were mostly dormant, and then conveniently forgot to bring the camera when we did actually go out.

This is one of my favourite pictures:

It's bye bye for now, Perth. I'm sorry that we didn't get to know each other too well this time, but I promise we'll do better next time, okay?

Muacks!

King's Park

This is the only remotely decent photo I have of King's Park.

We actually went there twice, with both trips lasted less than an hour in total.

The first evening we were there, the view was absolutely spectacular! The pale full moon was clearly visible and lowly hung in the rosy pink sky of sunset. The sky was a canvas of gorgeous pastel colours - pink, lavender, baby blue, cold yellow, violet, etc., harmoniously layered and reflected on the silky surface of Swan River.

It was picturesque! And we didn't bring our camera. Bah!

So we opted for a hot chocolate from the cafe and the many mosquito bites we got from sitting on the bench as it was getting dark. Here's a tip if you're going to King's Park in the evenings, bring insect repellent, or you risk feeding yourself to those little blood suckers!

The second time, we got there 10 minutes before the night fell. I wonder why, since the place is only 5 minutes drive from Bee's place, and we pretty much spent the whole day doing nothing. :/

This time, we brought our camera, but there was no moon in sight and the view wasn't half as nice. Double bah!

In the span of few minutes after we reached the park, it had gone from this

to this

and then to this!

(Our lousy camera wasn't helping either.)

Two trips, and I didn't even get to see the skywalk! Not. Happy.

Next time, I wanna go to King's Park during the day! *Pouts*

Movies in Perth

Bee took me to watch What Happens in Vegas the other day, even though he can't stand Cameron Diaz.

In return of the favour, I watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with him in spite of my dislikes for Indiana Jones.

Both movies were substandard, or should I say, fell short of expectations.

Yes, I'm quite a harsh movie critic. I do not nitpick, but I'm very strict.

Let's hope that the steak and buffet at Sizzler tomorrow night pleases the food critic in me huh? *Grins*

Heading Back to Melbourne

The two lazy Bees finally booked their tickets back to Melbourne.

We're leaving this weekend.

It only happened because I jumped up in my sleep this morning and lapsed into a panic mode, realising that I haven't booked my ticket back to Malaysia, let alone pack my belongings in Melbourne.

Why oh why do I always put off things till the last minute? Or more precisely, why oh why do I never learn?

Oh well, I guess that's just part of my charms huh? *Thick skinned*

It's been a rather comfortable holiday in Perth. By comfortable, I meant "completely lazy". Our time here pretty much evolved around the room, TV, and food.

I'd like to state for the record that Perth has been scrapped off my "places I have been to" list. A little harsh, yes. But I really haven't seen much of the city at all!

I've been to city center ONCE, Freo ONCE, and.....I guess that's it? -_-

Okay, to be fair to my supposedly-local-guide, I admit that I'm partly guilty in contributing towards our laziness with my I-don't-have-anything-to-wear pouting, and I-don't-feel-like-getting-changed whinging. Or on somedays, I simply rolled around in bed refusing to get up because it was my "ugly day". Haha.

But hey, any form of holiday is just a matter of choice, no? It's not a must to go to all the tourist attractions just to get your money's worth. Sometimes, holiday is about doing absolutely nothing so you can completely relax and unwind.

(Bee mumbled in the background, "You can talk your way out of anything, can't you?")

Again, that's part of my charms, no? *Shameless*

A Day in the Sun

It was a bright sunny day when we woke today, so the two lazy Bees decided to not let it go to waste.

One can't go to Perth without tasting the infamous fish and chips, and it was such a nice day to have lunch in the sun. So, where else to go but Fremantle, which is only a 20-minutes drive away from Bee's place.

I lugged my oversized bag and jumped into the car excitedly, completely forgetting about the camera. We ended up going to Freo on such a beautiful day, and came back with not even a single picture. :/

The town was crowded with weekenders enjoying warm sunlight and cold beers, the lively atmosphere was almost infectious. We had to make a few rounds before we finally found a parking space.

Cicerello's was full, so we tried out Kailis Fish Market Cafe instead.

Bee's Chilli Crab was nothing to shout about, but the fish in my Seafood Delight was absolutely sensational! It was, by far, the best deep fried fish fillet I've ever tasted!

Too full for another serving, we both vowed to come back again just to have the traditional Fish 'N' Chips. Oh trust me, it's THAT good.

The alfresco area of Kalli's was right at the edge of the jetty, overlooking the wharf, and the view was magnificent! Lots of luxurious yachts were parked at the jetty, for the owners to enjoy their fish and chips on the sun decks.

Bee and I sat by the bay. As the light sea breezes ruffled my hair and the sun rays brightly reflected off the blue ocean, I started to dread going back to spending my weekends in shopping malls in Malaysia.

But when oh when can I own one of these myself?

B for Bumming Around

So the two lazy Bees had fallen into their usual nocturnal lifestyle.

Been waking up at 2pm, just in time for the Oprah show. Yeah, due to the absence of internet, we've watched more TV than both of us combined in the past year. Gosh, hasn't it been forever since I last watched daytime TV?

Half way through Ready Steady Cook, IF we're lucky, one of us would reluctantly start getting changed. On a completely irrelevant note, I've liked Peter Everett since his Renovation Rescue days, and I still much prefer him as an interior designer than a cook show host. *Shrugs*

By the time we're done with lunch, it's usually less than an hour before the end of business hours for most places. The two Bees would then perform a mad dash for some last minute shopping. More often than not, a visit to the prepaid internet kiosks is on top of the list to satisfy Bee's internet craving. Just as I predicted, huh?

Since everything closes fairly early, the rest of the day (night, to be exact) is naturally spent bumming around at home. We stay 5 minutes from the CBD, and yet I've only been to the city ONCE. I guess it won't be exaggerating to say that I haven't seen much of Perth at all, I haven't even been to the zoo which is like around the corner from our place. :|

Sounds like a super boring holiday, yes?

Weird enough, it doesn't feel that way.

Well, I'm not sure whether it's due to the comfort of being in our (read: Bee's) own house, or just our sheer laziness that enjoys doing nothing at all, but we're actually extending our stay in Perth. From one week, to indefinitely. Haha!

Till one of us could actually be bothered to book our tickets back to Melbourne, I guess we're stuck here for a while ey?

Peace out, people.

Happy 52-Month Anniversary

After eating out everyday for the past 3 weeks, Bee suggested that we stayed in and cooked our dinner today. It's our "monthiversary", afterall.

Sounded like a really sweet idea, except that we didn't have any recipes in mind, and only woke up at 3pm. By the time we had lunch and rushed to the nearest Woolworths, it was 20 minutes before closing. -_-"

After some hard labouring in the kicthen, our dinner was served just before midnight. The menu consists of:

My I-Have-Not-Cooked-in-4-Years Stuffed Mushrooms

Bee's Supposedly-Mussels-But-Could-Not-Find-Any Chilli Prawns

Served with bread rolls and lots of love. :D

I guess Bee finally understands why I don't cook much. I get really (and I mean REALLY) cranky when it's hot in the kitchen, and I'm extremely bothered by the smell cooking leaves on my hair and clothes.

Happy 52-month anniversary, baby. Please do continue to love your undomesticated girlfriend.

So Far So Good

Just as I predicted, the boy couldn't last a week without internet connection.

3 days, to be exact.

We're at internet kiosks in Garden City, how's that for a fun holiday? Haha.

Given how close the mall is to our place, I have a feeling that we'll be coming here quite a fair bit from now on. -_-

Perth's been rather good so far. For one, the weather is excellent! It's mid May but it still feels like spring here. On most days, I get to ditch my jackets and trot around in my summer dresses, how mad is that?

And it finally feels like a relaxing holiday. The pressure is off since I don't have to play host like how I felt obligated to in Melbourne and Tasmania. Now I get a kick outta bugging Bee everyday, asking him constantly,"What are we doing today, sweetie?". Ha!

The boyfriend took me to the city on day 1, because I had cravings for yumcha. Oh, that's the other thing though, Asian food in Perth sucks!

I guess it isn't really fair for a Melbournian who's spoiled for choice to judge, but I'll be sure not to complain about not knowing what to eat in Melbourne when we get back. You don't miss the water till the well runs dry huh?

Having said that, I'm so loving the weather here so I won't complain about the crappy yumcha. You get some, you lose some, I guess.

Greetings from Perth.

Leaving for Perth

Gotta leave for airport in an hour and our luggages are not even packed.

Shouldn't have unpacked when we got back from Tasmania huh? Haha. That's my laziness talking.

We'll be touching down just before midnight in Perth, which is like 2am in Melbourne. Big thanks to the time difference, otherwise we'd feel really bad for having Bee's uncle come pick us up at wee hours.

I'm really excited about this trip actually. Can't wait to finally see the place Bee grew up in, and do some catching up on those years in his life that I've missed. It's hard for me to picture that he was once a shy teenage boy in his green Wesley uniforms, or a hard partying uni student who spent all his time buffing up in gym instead of attending classes.

He shrugged when I asked if he's excited about returning to Perth for the first time since he left in 2000.

How could you not miss a place that you've spent 11 years of your life in? Men can be such emotionless creatures sometimes. :/

I should really get off my butt and start packing.

Autumn at Olinda

Fueled by our newfound interest in finding the best autumn foliage this season, Bee and I decided to head to the Dandenong Ranges again to have lunch.

Today, Coonara Springs at Olinda.

Made a brief stop at Pirianda Garden on our way to lunch. It's truly a remarkable garden, especially this time of the year when the trees change colours to the many hues of orange, red and yellow. However, due to the fact that we were both still mesmerised by the garden we came across yesterday, the view just, somehow, seemed a little pale in comparison.

Thick layer of autumn leaves scattered all over the ground

Giant mushroom

Well, to be fair, we didn't exactly explore much of Pirianda Garden. Because of the chilly wind and light drizzle, we only went as far as the gazebo located near the top of the garden. What's worth mentioning is the Kookaburra we befriended and the Crimsons we spotted. So I guess it should interest those who're into bird watching.

And guess what? The garden was once the site for Ansell house, residence of Mr and Mrs Harvey Ansell of Ansell Industries.

The chubby Kookaburra

The birdie rather enjoyed being photographed

If you look real carefully, you might be able to spot the Crimsons

It was our first time dining at Coonara Springs. The service and ambience was spot on - the waitress we had was lovely and helpful, and we loved the casual and friendly atmosphere.

We were seated in a quiet corner at the back, which overlooks the 4 acres of beautifully manicured 100 year old botanic gardens. It was so cosy that it actually reminded me of the first house I stayed in during my first year of uni.

The retro turntable in the corner

Dining with a view

If there's anything I could pick on about the restaurant, it's that the dishes took too long to be served and the waitress could use a bit more knowledge about the menu. But overall, it was a pleasant dining experience and definitely worth a try if you're in the area.

Fish with sauteed scallops

King Island's sirloin steak with highlander sauce

Itatakimasu!

Olinda Falls turned out to be a total disappointment! In fact, it shouldn't even be classed as a fall, it looked more like a dirty drain to me. It was such a let down that we didn't even bother to take pictures.

The walk from the car park was definitely more than 100 meters (as indicated on the visitor leaflet), and it was so dark under the thick trees canopy. Jungles give me the creeps, especially on a gloomy and wet day. Totally misleading and so not worth it!

On the way back to Melbourne, we stopped by Flippin' Pancakes for some much needed comfort food. We were still full from lunch, but who could resist warm pancakes and freshly brewed tea on such a chilly evening?

It was quiet before the dinner rush

The tea candle was a great touch

Strawberry Fields pancake stacks with fresh cream and ice cream

Love the warm and homely atmosphere!

Days like this make me love autumn even more than I already did.

The Garden

Bee and I stumbled across this gem by chance.

We came out of our hibernation mode today and decided to venture out for a change of scenery.

I picked up a brochure of Mount Dandenong from the pile of visitor pamphlets lying on the floor of my bedroom, "This!"

Only because it was the nearest tourisy place I could find, and the brochure was on top of the pile. Haha.

We stepped out of the house at 2pm and were almost immediately put off by the weather. It was grey and gloomy, cold and wet, rainy and windy. What a shitty combo huh? Winter was just around the corner and it couldn't wait to show its true colours.

I wore my Paul Frank Julius monkey ears hoodie for the first time. It was a gift from Bee. He thought it was uber cute and couldn't stop playing with the monkey ears, then he said, "You look more like a little mouse, darling."

Geez, thanks! *Rolls eyes*

Alfred Nicolas Memorial Garden was only supposed to be a quick stop on our way to lunch, but we were instantly captured by its beauty the moment we laid eyes on the exquisite garden and forgot all about our growling stomachs.

Originally the grounds of Burnham Beeches, the country mansion of Alfred Nicholas, co-founder of Aspro formula and Nicholas Pharmaceutical Company, this 13-hectares site is now open daily for public. Story has it that a Scammel 3-ton truck, along with 150 trees, was imported from England in 1933 (during the Great Depression!) for Mr Nicholas to drive around the streets of Melbourne, buying mature European specimens from local residents and transporting them back to the garden. Such lavish display of the owner's vast wealth and his enthusiasm for landscaping.

Today, the garden still hints at an affluent past as part of the Burnham Beeches estate. The main walking trail takes you beneath a canopy of shady old trees and leads down a terraced slope to the ornamental lake.

A sigh escaped our lips when we saw the picturesque lake and quaint boathouse. Nothing prepared us for the jaw-dropping autumn foliage surrounding the lake. The richness of the colours on nature's palate was simply stunning!

The colourful foliage

Nature's palate of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens

The timber bridge festooned with wisteria

Bee and I both fell in love with the little island on the lake interconnected by wooden bridges, it was breathtakingly beautiful! Especially when the sun rays shone through the golden leaves onto the lawn of the islet, and the whole garden was so serene and calm.

It would have been the perfect venue for a small intimate garden wedding in autumn. To get married under the deciduous trees dotted around the lake and witnessed by closest family and friends, how romantic.

The picturesque island on the lake

Isn't that gorgeous?!

Gingko tree by the water

Golden leaves scattered over the surface of the lake

The boathouse was situated at the furthest corner of the garden. Its uniqueness made it a favourite subject for many photographers. In fact, a picture of the boathouse was on the cover of the visitor brochure for Mount Dandenong that we had in our hands.

Boathouse in the corner

Closer view of the boathouse

And an even closer view

After leaving the garden, we had a late lunch at the oh-so-famous Miss Marples Tea Room.

The service and ambience was great as usual, but Bee and I were too busy stuffing food into our mouths since we were among the last few customers in the restaurant. I had their popular Devonshire tea and scones; while Bee opted for the traditional English cottage beef pie. The Belgian waffles we had as dessert was sensational, though it could've been even better if we had time to slowly appreciate it.

English cottage pie (picture taken from the tea room's website)

My Devonshire tea and scones with jam and clotted cream

The yummy Belgian waffles with ice-cream and cream

Miss Marples Tea Room

A closer look

A sweet little garden and an old-styled afternoon tea, this was a great day.