We heaved a sigh of relief when the plane finally took off. Meals served on board were as good as before. I polished off everything in no time. There was even ice-cream for dessert. The flight attendants were friendly and jovial. My mindset of flying on low cost carriers has definitely changed for the better. I’m pleasantly surprised at how professional the flight attendants were and at how comfortable the whole journey was. I’m never a fan of flying but Jetstar’s StarClass seats played such a huge role in making the total of 14 hours in the air enjoyable. I cant even think of a downside of flying on StarClass. So save those hundreds of dollars and fly StarClass now on Jetstar’s Airbus A330! Next up would be to Auckland, New Zealand and I seriously can’t wait for that!

Brunch was at a fancy patisserie. Do check out Laurent Boulangerie Patisserie along 306 Little Collins Street. It’s a gem! Typically, breakfast in cafés would set us back around AUD30 which was rather cheap considering the fact that everything we ordered was mouth-wateringly good! We didn’t have time to try out everything there as the Melbourne Zoo was beckoning us.

Melbourne Zoo was mediocre. It didn’t have the petting zoo which I had hoped it did. Perth Zoo was so much better. I had managed to feed kangaroos, carried a FAT wombat and caressed a sleeping koala. It was so much fun. Hence I was majorly disappointed B didn’t get to experience these in the Melbourne Zoo.

By the way, to side-track a little, be sure to get hold of all sorts of discount cards at the reception area at Quest on Bourke or Federation Square. Different cards offer different discounts at various places of interests. They’ll definitely come in handy and save you some moolah which could easily amount up to a hundred Aussie dollars. With the exchange rate that high now (SGD1.34=AUD1.3), these tens of dollars do matter.

Dinner at Crystal Jade along Chinatown was extremely costly—AUD100 for 2 small bowls of soup, a plate of asparagus stir-fried with succulent scallops, clay pot chicken simmered in Chinese wine and a serving of 2 pieces of Peking duck meat rolled in crepes each. The Peking duck was somewhat different from what we ate back home. It wasn’t as crispy and fragrant. The chicken was a letdown as do most chicken dishes in Melbourne. No marination whatsoever. Either way, the finger-licking good dinner left both of us beaming.

The night was spent roaming the streets of Melbourne, not forgetting to pop by Myer to enjoy a canoli and macaroon at a cafe, and enjoying the icy cold breeze before it was back to our sunny island tomorrow.

We had to do a mass meet up at 7.40am at Federation Square East, which was a mere 10 minutes walk from our apartment. Can I rave more about Quest on Bourke?! Everywhere is just a stone throw away from there! AUD115 per night (for Jetstar staff) is so downright cheap for a service apartment. Previously, I had to fork out AUD105 for a night stay in a motel at Perth. Note the difference.

We were running earlier so we decided to treat ourselves to a lovely breakfast at Starbucks. Mind you, the selection of pastries and sandwiches available at all Starbucks in Melbourne city is far more extensive that what you see in Singapore! No joke!! No pictures because photo-snapping wasn’t allowed. The only down side was that you had to pay for use its wifi. If there is one other thing, besides food, which I miss about Singapore, it had to be the very accomplished 3G network back home. My iPhone was basically useless when in Aussieland. The only 2 applications that I could use were the alarm clock and the camera. That’s all! I had learnt the painful lesson of oversea texting and calls the last time when I was in Hong Kong and Guangzhou for the week. All those texting and calls chalked up a SGD350 phone bill and I wasn’t about to repeat history.

Anyway, I side-tracked. The day tour set us back at AUD323 with lunch included. You could easily choose the package without lunch and picnic by the beach during its pit-stop at Apollo Bay.

 The highlights of the day tour include:

• Views of Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay from West Gate Bridge
• City of Geelong and Corio Bay
• Torquay and the Surf Coast
• Visit famous Bells Beach
• Spectacular coastal views along the Great Ocean Road
• Surf beach resort if Lorne
• Precipitous coastal cliffs, long sandy beaches and rolling surf
• River inlets and fern gullies
• Stop at picturesque Apollo Bay—a popular holiday destination
• Enjoy a delicious premium 2 course lunch at Apollo Bay Hotel
• Otway National Park
• Port Campbell National Park’s rugged coastline, “The Shipwreck Coast” with many stops included
• Gibson’s Steps
• Huge stone monoliths of the Twelve Apostles
• Optional helicopter flight over the shipwreck coast
• Island Arch and Razorback
• Loch Ard Gorge
• Port Campbell
• Evening lights of Melbourne from West Gate Bridge

The day tours ended approximately 8pm (AEST). As mentioned, the service from the Grayline coach driver cum tour guide was impeccable. I’ve never came across such a talented tour guide. He made every story, every legend and every sightseeing opportunity unforgettable! The Great Ocean Road tour was my favourite of the 5 nights in Melbourne! You should never miss out on this! I’ll let the pictures to the rest of the talking.

We opted for the drop-off after the tour at Crown Hotel with the intention to catch a movie at the GV movie theatre nearby but flipped when we learnt that a pair of movie tickets would set us back at AUD36! With that amount, we could go for Gold Class movie tickets back in Singapore! Nonsense! Dinner was finally marvellous when we had Indian food at the eating place in Crown Hotel. The tandoori chicken and butter chicken with yellow rice was yum!! Ice-cream was really cheap at AUD6 for 2 huge scoops of different flavours on a cone! We proceeded to the casino to spend some “kaching”!

My favourite day in Melbourne!! =)

We started the day a little later than usual at a cosy café along an alley near our apartment. Alleys in the city of Melbourne are love. There were so many little café tucked in corners of the streets. We were spoilt for choice when choosing a place for brunch. Settled for this lovely café in the narrow alley and ordered each a set of French toasts, sunny-side-up eggs, bacon and ham. B’s addicted to hazelnut lattes while I ordered my usual English breakfast tea. Breakfasts/Brunches in Aussieland are my absolute favourite. It reminds me dearly of Hatched back in Singapore. I’m mad about that place and it’s wonderful that I get a daily dose of such marvellous spread of breakfast in Aussieland. Despite having such a good meal at the start of the day, lunch and dinner were always disappointments. I’m particular about my food and the little restaurants in Aussieland just weren’t good enough. Meat wasn’t marinated and seafood had that vomit-inducing fishy smell. Chinatown in Melbourne wasn’t that great either. We even resorted to having McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken for meals. Surprisingly, they were as bad! At times like this, I’m reminded of how lucky we are in Singapore. It’s a food haven back home.

We got our Metlink cards from 7-11 and took the tram down to St Kilda. Trams are the most affordable mode of transportation. A Sunday Saver card only cost a mere AUD3 and once you validate it on the tram itself, it could be use for unlimited number on times and trams travelling around Zone 1 and 2! The Metlink information centre was just a stone throw away from our apartment. Or ask for directions form the tourist information counter near Myer in Melbourne City. Travelling in Melbourne is pretty fool-proof.

We alighted stops ahead of St Kilda beach and walked down the streets in the chilling cold with piping hot coffee in one hand and a huge nougat bar in another. I was starting to get used to the cold.

St Kilda’s Pier kind of reminded us of East Coast Park. We stayed at the pier for a while before heading off to find lunch. Sadly, the sky was threatening to pour so the pictures didn’t turn out as good.

Check out the display of cakes and pastries! Hungry much?

We ordered the seafood basket and some prawn skewers at one of the shops–Nothing to rave about. It started to pour just as we were down with lunch so we took the tram in hope of visiting the Melbourne Museum. No such luck with an arty afternoon as the museum was about to shut its doors.

The next few hours were spent roaming the streets aimlessly. Most of the shops close at 5pm (AEST) so there wasn’t any shopping done.

We took the tram back to Flinders Street and spent the rest of the night gambling in the casino at Crown Hotel. When shops close this early, the casino is the only place to head to! *wink*

Left the apartment bright and early with satisfied stomachs. Dark clouds were looming across the sky and fat water droplets pattered on us. Armed with a brolly, we battled the cold and harsh weather with the intention to visit the famous Queen Victoria Market. All I remembered of that long walk was how much my teeth clattered in the icy cold rain. It was a painful journey!

But it was all worth it! I’ve never been so thrilled shopping at markets. We were greeted with a wide array of brilliantly coloured vegetables, fruits, dried goods, candies… You name it, they have it. And who could resist the generous selection of snacks. The pancakes with chocolate drizzle and hazelnut latte were to-die-for!

B and I managed to pick up some souvenirs for our colleagues. The opal collection at the market was extensive. Just make sure you don’t get cheated by mean sellers trying to get you purchase fake opals. Was so close to getting a pair of uggs just because my toes were freezing from the cold.

Walked aimlessly thereafter and incidentally got to Flagstaff Gardens. I never like flowers or vegetation of any sort but the brightly coloured flowers was so pleasing to the eye that I couldn’t resist taking a couple of shots.

B led us all the way across the waters to Docklands. Check out how blue and picturesque the skies and waters looked! The cold didn’t even matter.

Shopping at the Harbour Town Shopping Centre was a humongous letdown! Nothing can be compared to Orchard Road back in our sunny island. Alright, perhaps Champs Elysees in Paris triumphs all but shopping in Aussieland is a real downer. Spent most of the time there nestled in a little café for glorious brunch. Cafes in Aussieland are love!

We still had time to spare so we hopped onto the tourist city shuttle back to Flinders Street and walked all the way to the Melbourne Aquarium. Preferred the aquarium back at Perth way more.

Weeks before departure, I gave myself every excuse to go on shopping sprees to prepare for the trip while B took care of all the itinerary planning. Everyone was telling me how perfect sundresses, jeweled sandals and sunnies would be for the summery weather in Aussieland. With the 30kg baggage allowance that came with the StarClass ticket, worries of overweight baggage were banished.

On D-day, we reached the airport early and were greeted by the adorable kangaroo mascot and Jetstar goodie bags at the checked-in counter. *kudos to Angelika and Sueanne from Haystac for the fabulous job done!* We wandered around for a bit before bidding goodbye to the sunny island.

I’m a loyal SQ flyer and the thought of flying 7 hours on a low cost carrier never came across my mind until Jetstar launched its StarClass seats. I was impressed by the wide leather seats and amenity packs provided. That bade goodbye to neck pains and discomfort during the long flight. The 38-inches pitch also meant that B who is 1.8m tall had sufficient leg space. Champagne was also served while waiting for the plane to disembark.   

The inaugural flight departed with no delay and the dedicated flight attendants served us our first meal onboard within 30 minutes after take-off. I was never a fan of inflight meals. Even meals served onboard SQ flights never impressed me. Hence, I was pleasantly surprised when my taste buds danced in delight when I tasted Jetstar’s inflight meals. We were given a choice of either beef with baked potatoes, chicken with yellow rice or vegetarian pasta. I had the beef whilst B settled for the chicken.  We were also treated to unlimited requests of chocolates, dried fruits and nuts, cheese and crackers, fresh fruits, juices and alcoholic beverages. After we could stuff ourselves with food no more, the flight attendant came round to distribute the video-on-demand units. The selection of movies, television serials and music videos were all up-to-date.

As the night falls, many drifted off to sleep. 2 hours before we arrived at our destination, breakfast of scrambled eggs with bacon and mash potatoes were served along with juices and yogurt. Nothing beats a hearty breakfast! 

The verdict was that the service and inflight entertainment were almost comparable to that of SQ’s economy class. The luxurious leather seats were comparable to that of SQ’s business class. Jetstar StarClass certainly lived up to its name.

We landed in Aussieland at 7am (AEST), cleared the customs, collected our baggage and headed straight to the tourist information counter to seek for transportation advice. Thank goodness we didn’t hop on the airport shuttle bus the moment we arrived. We had made reservations for a 5 night stay at Quest on Bourke. A trip to the bus-stop blocks away from our apartment would have set us back AUD20 each. We opted for the convenience of door-to-door minibus service at just AUD35 each for a return ticket. As we were waiting for the minibus to arrive, we flipped through brochures and were recommended to purchase a day tour to The Great Ocean Road at just AUD161 per person. It was quite a bargain considering we were given a discounted rate of 10% if we purchase at the airport.

Bumped into Selena and her husband at the airport and we chatted for a bit before boarding the minibus to our apartment. As we arrived way before the checked-in hour, the customer service officer was exceptionally sweet to allow us leave our baggage with her as we roamed the streets for a few hours.

Everyone who told me that Melbourne was spotting summery weather ought to be whacked. It was darn cold! Throughout our entire stay in the city, the temperature fell between 9 and 19 degree Celsius.  It was definitely no where near summery.

Our first stop had to be Federation Square. It houses all information you’ll need to make your stay in Melbourne an enjoyable one. We covered almost the whole of Bourke Street, popped by Chinatown and took pictures of the bustling Flinders Street. I’ll let the pictures below do the rest of the talking.

We went back to our lovely apartment in mid-day, unpacked, showered and took a nap before heading out to explore the nightlife of Melbourne. I absolutely love our apartment. We paid a mere AUD115 per night under Jetstar’s staff rate and got a room with complete kitchen facilities, a huge bathroom, a spacious bedroom and a neat living room. The view wasn’t spectacular but we couldn’t care less. Security was pretty tight so we’ve got nothing to worry about.

It wasn’t my first trip to Aussieland hence I was well-accustomed to shops calling it a day at 6pm (AEST). We retired to the apartment by 10pm and spend the rest of the night telly-surfing. Conclusion: Aussies don’t watch telly.

@RlovesB

Bye.

Got awaken by the freaking alarm clock 3 hours later. I hate Darling’s alarm clock! It shrieks like there’s no tomorrow! Watched Darling prepared for work before he cabbed down to Shenton Way and me back home. Was dead tired by that time but I made myself take a warm shower, put on a deep cleansing mask, Sk2-ed, fill up my stomach before falling dead in bed till I had to get up for my tutoring in the evening.

The rest of last week was practically crazily dramatic. I snapped mid-week and lashed out at a friend. If it wasn’t absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t have done so. I wanted her to get better soon and needed her to heed my advice when she asked for mine. Despite me being harsh, it woke her up. I wouldn’t have did it another way. I think she understood my intention for those things I said to her. I really meant well and was being objective. Anyway, things got back to being rosy soon after. *phew* But what advice I gave , it sure doesn’t apply to Darling and I. We have a different set of rules. *haha*

And I despise drama in my life. I don’t need any of it. I like the way my life is. Simple yet contented. Challenges and obstacles are fine. But not drama. Ain’t young anymore so I can’t handle unnecessary crap. I don’t have time for that. I need to focus on being happy, studies and money-making. Money-making is important if I want to get out of their claws soon. *haha* And I want to! I want my own apartment with Darling. Soon!!! I’m going nuts living under such conditions. Nuts!

Made Darling brunch on Saturday morning before the last lecture of the semester. Rolled different flavours of sausages in bacon strips and made an omelette sandwich. The bacon rolls were a success. *yay* I’m not much of a cook so it matters that food do not taste horrible or get burnt. Had a little talk with Emelia before class. We left early to meet our loverboys.

Darling and I hanged out around town since I wanted to get my magazine and only Kinokuniya has it. He accompanied me on a skincare spree. So much fun for me. Darling’s such a sweetie for not complaining about doing girlie stuff with me. He’s my best friend so he shouldn’t complain, right? *wahahaha* Love you baby! Love you for being such a sweetie to me always.

I like that skincare products come in small packagings. Hygiene and freshness are major concerns to me. IMO, small packagings allow the content to be kept at the freshest and cleanest state. Unless it’s products such as facial cleansers and makeup removers which I use like crazy every day. Bigger bottles aid convenience and they get used up really fast so hygience is not an issue with them. But imagine getting the largest bottle of Sk2. The essence comes into contact with air every single time you twist the cap open for application. The content will most defnitely get affected by external impurities. And you wouldn’t want that to happen after paying close to $200 for miracle water. *haha* 10ml lasted me 10 days with morning and night application so the smallest bottle works well for me. Will share with you my skincare procedures and tips when I get everything I need and see results. Still looking to change my day moisturiser, night cream and eye cream. It’s tough because I’ve got really sensitive skin and breaking out is the last thing i need. So, research research research. Darling reckons I’m fair enough and should stop with all this whitening and brightening craze. But men don’t get it. Women spent half their time maintaining their looks. It’s a neverending journey for perfection.

Darling accompanied me to my first accupuncture session on Monday. I was feeling so brave to get my sinus problem solved. The TCM doctor told me I needed constant sessions for it to work. I wasn’t scared of needles so I thought I could handle it. How wrong I was. I was scared to death. The doctor started poking needles into my face and head before I had the time to prepare myself mentally. Darling wasn’t allowed into the treatment room so I had no one to hold onto. I was still calm after the needles were poked into me but when they held a flame over those needles, I lost it. I couldn’t see a thing but could still feel, hear and smell. The chaota smell was freaking me out. I’ve got this unexplainable fear for fire ever since I burnt myself when I was young. Not seeing where the flame was heading to freaked me out even more! Kept hearing strange noises coming from other patients and I started imagining things. I was so close to sprinting out of the room. I kept tearing throughout the treatment, wishing the whole session would end soon. When it was finally done, I walked out of the room with my knees still wobbling in fright. I think I freaked Darling out with the look on my face. Had smudged eyeliner and mascara. He started comforting me but all I wanted to do was to leave the place FAST! Then I dug my head into his chest and started tearing. So paiseh. Me crying because of accupuncture. It wasn’t supposed to happen. *wahahaha* Alright, I have my moments of vulnerability. If a butterfly or a moth attack me, I swear I WILL cry! Anyway, thankfully Darling was there to hug me and sayang me. *awww* So sweet!!! Despite the horrifying 1st time, I just made up my mind to continue my treatment. Darling said I was brave to even give accupuncture a try. Wah! Even more determined to go for the subsequent treatments. *wahahaha* I’m bleak like this. Darling praises me and I’m all for it. *hahaha*

When I look back at all my entries, I’m reminded that almost everything about me is connected somehow to Brandon. I know it gets on people’s nerves when they think I’ve got no life, always being attached to My Boy. But I don’t really care when people pass such mindless judgements. And it doesn’t affect me at all. They don’t know me like how people who matter to me know me. I’ve never been happier in my life. Nothing short of feeling blissfully in love. And when I see friends get entangled in relationship issues, I learn from their mistakes and never make the same ones. I don’t want to be in their shoes and will never let those unnecessary conflicts happen. I’m happy and contented with the way Branchel is working out. And I’m f**king determined to make it last. Forever! 11 lifetimes! And more! *haha* I know what I want and I will get what I want! Love you Brandon!

The thing I truly and solely cherish is the relationship I have with Brandon. I know some may say it’s too early to tell since it has been only 2.5 years into the relationship but I know it. I can’t explain how I’m so sure of everything with him, but I know it’s real. Some may say love is unpredictable, but I know ours is predictable; I can only see it getting deeper and sweeter as years roll pass. Yes, go on and puke your guts out, or shake your heads at what you think is an immature statement. You are not me and you don’t know what I have. I worked hard at making this relationship work. It didn’t come handled to me on a silver platter. Relationships are hard work. It’s bull that love is the easiest thing. I haven’t been this compromising or submissive to a partner ever before. If you could relate a relationship to the Third Reich, then, I was Hitler. I made them bow / salute to whatever I say or want. I’m The Queen and if they don’t agree with that, fuck off. But things changed when I got together with Brandon. I don’t regret one bit being alittle submissive to him. Crazy enough, I like it. It makes me feel doted on and pampered when I’m his 小女人. It makes me happy. He treats me like how I should be treated. And I’ll treat him likewise. He makes me smile and laugh; listens to my ramblings and rantings like they are the most important thing on the planet. He makes me feel special, wanted, important, cherished. I like where I am now with Brandon. What matters is we are genuinely happy. It’s like hard work paying off. And I’m enjoying every bit of it. I don’t care what others say about me or my relationship with Brandon. You don’t matter and people who do matter to me (family) know how happy we really are. That said, if you violently disagree with me, I suggest you stop putting yourself through a hard time digesting my entries. Buzz off. Shoo.

I’m being really mean with this entry. It must be the examination blues. I’m meeting Darling tomorrow for lunch at Shenton Way. It’s going to be a good day. Days are good because we make them out to be. And I want to make every single day with Brandon better than the one before. I’m madly in love with you Sweetie Bear Bear. You know I am.