Chanel

A bag lover will definitely have an obsessive crush with Chanel, the timeless Classic 2.55, or 2.55 Reissue, super soft Lamb skin, stylish Caviar, Medium size or Jumbo.

I always look forward the day where my name is printed on the Chanel receipt, and I can walk out of the store proudly with the CC box, nice paper bag & the ever gorgeous bag. The best would be at 31 Rue Cambon, Paris, just like how I walked out from 101 Champs Elysees, with 3 LVs.

This trip to Australia, my initial plan was to grab this sexy little devil. But due to my untangled mind set problem, as I didnt have the courage to dump in AUD4k for one bag, so I drop this idea. I ended up buying one Louis Vuitton Multicolore, one Gucci Spring Summer 2009 Collection, one Gucci Marina Chain Collection watch, one Mulberry Jenah, and one Tiffany & Co charm. The total amount is more than enough to buy a nice Chanel!!!!!

Which one is more worth buying? A list of items, or ONE Chanel bag?? I guess I should really look into Chanel next year. And I hope LV's creative director Marc Jacob will not inspire my purchasing power with his funky artistic idea, else my Chanel will never come to me.


My motivation for year 2010, a Wishlist to be granted!

Mulberry Jenah

After the Australia trip, I was thinking hard where to go next. Sales were everywhere especially in the month of June & July, which makes me even obsessed with travelling. Since HY is only able to come back end of September, for only 3 weeks, so I can foresee that there will be no more travelling for me.

From a famous blog by a Singaporean, I found out that Mulberry actually provides Internet purchase during the sales period, which is now, and they ship to Malaysia. It was indeed a tough job cracking my brain and thinking real hard to make a decision between Mulberry and Burberry. They both are available in KL, but buying through Internet would be a lot cheaper, even if we top up the Import Duty. Burberry did not offer shipping to Malaysia, but there was another trustable website, net-a-porter, selling of sorts of branded items with worldwide shipping. And finally, I decided on Mulberry, since the offer was irresistible 50%. I always wanted a white bag, so I was thinking of Bayswater or Jenah.

I chose Jenah in the end, GBP347 (was GBP695 + GBP28 for shipping. And this bag of mine, fly all the way from Bristol UK - Cologne Denmark - Dubai Arab- Pampanga Philipine - KL. It took exactly one week, including the custom inspection and import duty calculation.

I paid the import duty of RM236 in order to pick up my Jenah. So all in, this bag costs RM2450. If it is purchased in Singapore, it would be RM4230 (SGD1819) for the original price, or RM2540 after the discount and GST Refund.

A good buy :) Thanks HY for being the partial sponsorship!


My Mulberry Jenah White in Creased Leather




As seen in advertisement, held by a model




The Original Mulberry Website from UK

Australia - Day14 *Goodbye Aus!*

Day 14, 6 June 09


Pretty fast, the 2-week vacation had come to the end. Today was more like a gathering day, as we went for a lunch with HY's cousin at a Hong Kong Restaurant at Chinatown. I couldnt remember the name, but the food was suck to the max!!!!!!! My fishball vermicelli soup was totally tasteless, and I simply didnt know how to swallow them. RT was sitting opposite me, kept mingling with his sticky creamy rice as well, as we were having the same fate! HY ordered the chicken chop rice, since there was no complaint from him, so I guess it was alright. In the end, I ordered another strawberry pancake, as I couldnt find a way to eat that bowl of thing.


Strawberry Pancake, not really a nice one. RT's sticky rice was visible.




After the lunch, we just walked around the area. We went back at about 3.30pm. While HY and RT went to the bookshop to look for something, YP and I quickly went to Laurent to buy a birthday cake! We chose the passion fruit flavour, specially for beloved HY :) Of course he was very touched when he came back, with such a lovely surprise waiting for him. We love u!



Passion Fruit Birthday Cake from Laurent ~ for HY




It was about 4.15pm by then, and I actually mislooked on our flight time. It was 6pm instead of 7pm, departed from Melbourne to Brisbane. Guess I was too heavy hearted to leave Melbourne, haha! RT quickly called the cab, and luckily we reached the airport just in time. After reaching Brisbane domestic terminal at about 8.10pm, we transffered to the International Terminal using taxi. We had our dinner at the foodcourt.

After a big hug with HY, I went into the departure hall. His flight to POM was 8am on the next day, so he had to stay overnight at the airport alone. I had a last minute shopping after the GST Refund process. The 9-hour flight back to KL was a lonely one. Since it was a midnight flight, so I basically slept all the way to KL, except when the air stewardess woke me up for meal.

So, that's the end of my unforgettable & memorable Australia trip :)

Australia - Day13 *Gucci + LV*

Day 13, 5 June 09


Early in the morning, I was lying on the bed, sleeping unconsciously at such a cold winter. At about 9am, I realised HY was missing from the bed. I thought he went to the kitchen to dig out some food, as normally we all wont wake up so early for breakfast. After a while, there was a total silent. I felt so reluctant to wake up, but was very curious where could he be. Then, I thought he might go for a morning walk nearby. So I didnt bother much, and went into the kitchen to make myself a cup of hot milo.

At that particular moment, HY came back and opened the door. He was so shocked to see me standing there, holding a cup of milo. He stood at the entrance and gave me a fishy smile. Honestly speaking, I was quite blur, as I wasnt fully awake. He asked me to walk approach him, and I did. Guess what, a bouquet of TULIPS!!!!!!! Haha... what a great surprise :)


First bouquet of tulips in my life, and I carried it all the way back to Malaysia




I really love it!




We departed for the shopping adventure at about 10am. Our breakfast today was at Mekong, a famous Vietnamese restaurant, again, where lots of celebrities had visited before. As usual, I ate the ho fan again. I really had too many Vietnamese cuisines for this trip. What a coincident, and the world was really small, as I actually met my aunty there.


Seen these lovely flowers along the roadside




Relaxing




When the meal was done, we headed to Collin's St. As the start of the day, we bought a pair of Adidas for KN. Then, HY bought 2 polo shirts at Polo Ralph Lauren. When I walked past Louis Vuitton, nothing happened, as I had already bought mine at Gold Coast. However, I had a disaster at Gucci. RT told me there might be a sales, and there really was!!! Actually I was not a dying fans of Gucci, so I thought I would be perfectly safe even if I went inside. Well, it ended up the other way round. I bought a bag, Spring/Summer 2009 Collection, so-called for working purpose, and I guess this was only a lame excuse :p Blame on the sales & GST refund! After that, we walked past Chanel, and I insisted not to enter, else there would probably be another disaster.

It was about 3pm by then. So we walked around Melbourne city for photo taking. We also went to Taylors College at Lonsdale St, where HY studied for his Year12 before entering university. He looked very excited, and I bet plenty of sweet memories for him. We had our tea-break at a Korean Restaurant opposite the college.


Swanston St




Beautiful Yarra River







Very Romantic







Then, we went to Crown Casino to wait for YP. We planned to get an LV for mum as her birthday gift.


Walking to Crown Casino




So boring sitting at the lobby




While waiting for YP, I went into Burberry and walked one round. The sales was going on, but I didnt manage to hook anything. Then, we went into Louis Vuitton. After seeing a few bags, we decided to buy Damier Highbury for mum, AUD2560. It was quite heavy, and I had to carry it back in my hand-carry luggage for GST refund.


Louis Vuitton Crown Casino




Crown was on fire.. haha! So we watched this again before going for dinner




The dinner tonight was at Sofia's Pizza House again, as we really loved the irresistable creamy fattening Fettucini. This time, we also ordered a super rich cheese cake. The taste was like heaven.

Australia - Day12 *Chadstone*

Day 12, 4 June 09


Early in the morning, RT and I accompanied HY to go to the nearby computer shop, as he was very desperate to get a new notebook to replace his one-year-old dying Acer. This notebook buying session was a quick one, as he decided on a super cool white HP, in less than 30 minutes. It was about AUD1,700 after the cash rebate (@ only 2.2 currency conversion rate to MYR!), and we could get another 9% GST refund when we departed from Australia. A good deal! When we reached home, HY didnt bother to open it, as his heart had flown to Chadstone for another big bang shopping session.

It was easy to get there, as many buses were available at Oakleigh Train Station on Pakenham Line. Chadstone was rather similar to One Utama, with a new wing and an old wing, where new wing was fully on the branded items, while the old wing was more economical. It was definitely the correct place with many things u could buy under one roof. We had our brunch before the shopping session, not really a nice one, as I only ate some pastries.

We went straight to the new wings after the lunch. I was looking for Armani Exchange, as today was the first day of the sales, as seen in the newspaper. I managed to sweep 4 mini-Ts, and HY was performing good as well, 2 pairs of jeans, all at unbeatable low price. The price was at least 50% cheaper compared to Malaysia. HY also bought a Nixon watch, looked really cool. After that, we went to Myer to buy some gifts for our family. Unexpectedly, I bought another Guess mini-T there. KN had many gifts too, as I bought one whole bag of clothes for him at Cotton On Kids. Then, we also did the shopping at other boutiques such as Hugo Boss, Lacoste, French Connection, CK, Esprit etc.... I bought a pair of Lacoste shoes for HY as his birthday gift :)


Chadstone - New Wing





Cotton On Kids - where I swept many clothes for dear KN




It was about 4pm by then, and our stomach started grumbling for food. HY ordered fried noodles, while I had a sandwich. I was dying for candy at that moment, and luckily I found the lizard candy at one of the store, just outside JB Hi-Fi. similar to the one I bought at Blue Mountain. HY was busy looking for a new cooler pad for his new notebook, so we went into JB Hi-Fi. After this, I was so tired and speechless, but HY wanted to look for some low cost T-shirt for home wear. So he went into K-Mart, and I was sitting outside waiting for him, enjoying my lizard candy.

After a while, WL appeared in front of me, out of no way!!! After asking him, only I knew that he was there to pick us up, haha! And HY told him that I was sitting there, no wonder he could locate me. HY came out empty handed, not a good deal I bet. So we went to WL's house for a drink, and chit chated while waiting for KL to be back from work.

Our dinner tonight was at Boxhill again, a nice Chinese restaurant, and I had BBQ pork rice, yummy! After the dinner, we had another sinful session by eating gelato, ops.... This was really fattening, something I would never do in Malaysia. But it tasted really nice and rich, very enjoying especially when the weather was so cold.

Australia - Day11 *Melbourne Shopping Spree*

Day 11, 3 June 09


Today was a shopping day! I was in Melbourne for 6 days, and sad to say that the sightseeing only took a day, while the other 5 were all about shopping!

The beautiful morning was a good enchanter, as it made me smile :)


Nice view from YP's room







Before starting the battle of the day, we fed ourselves at a Korean restaurant, Kimchi, which was just a stone's throw from the condominium.


Bibimbap




Teriyaki Chicken




Then, we purchased the one-day pass and took the train from Glenferrie to Flinders Street station.


Flinders Street Station, a nice historical building




Tram




After walking around at that area, we took the tram to Smith Street. There were a few factory outlet stores, but the variety was not very promotive. I only managed to buy 2 blouse, from Roxy and Nike. Then, we went to DFO, Direct Factory Outlet located at Spencer Street. This was the place where we spent the rest of our day. Shopping was time consuming, as we had to choose, try it on, try it on again, and pay. It would be worse if the item we chose didnt fit, and the process would probably repeat continuously. HY bought a lot, while I only bought a Guess blouse. It was a tiring day, at about 4pm, I had my snack bite at the cafe alone, while HY and RT were still busy hunting for their preys. We left at about 5.30pm, as all the shops were closed at this time.


We had our dinner at China Town. I ordered a bowl of dumpling soup, but actually the mixed-soup taste nicer, though it was cheaper. Late at night, we moved on to Crown Casino located at the Southbank. We wanted to take a glance of the casino, but too bad, I were asked to show my IC, and I didnt bring it along. This was definitely a compliment :) So we ended up visiting the shopping arcades instead.


Crown Casino







Mountains of cakes~~~




Romantic Yarra Prom




The ever famous ceremony outside Crown Casino






Flinders Station, late at night, very cold... And finally, it was time to go home, and I was exhausted!!!

Australia - Day10 *Phillip Island + Tulip Farm*

Day 10, 2 June 09


I was not saying that the Zoton was a miracle pil, but I really felt so much better today. So I could follow them to the Tulip Farm and Phillip Island :) We left home about 10am, and went for the Vietnamese breakfast at Richmond, a famous Vietnamese street. Well, they just got too obsessed with Vietnamese food. I did not dare to take the risk to challenge my stomach, so I drank the packet fresh milk and had some biscuits.

Firstly, since I was dying to see tulips, so we went to Tesselaar Tulip Farm. It was at Monbulk Road, Silvan, about an hour ride from Melbourne city. Actually the blooming season was in September, so we just tried our luck. As expected, there was nothing to see, not even a single tulip. We only saw the green beds, where all the tulips were still hybernating underground. What a disappointment. But HY promised to buy a bouquet for me when we back Melbourne.


Tulips ~ All hiding underground :"(




It was about 2pm when we left. WL forgot to bring along the GPS, so we solely depended on the Melway to move our ass. HY was the acting live GPS, as he sat at the front passenger seat, helping WL with the map. We made a few mistakes, but not the serious one. In order to take the shorter route, WL eventually used a tiny, narrow & winding road to reach the other end. It was really dangerous as we could not see the cars coming from the other direction.


Winter View





Nice Countryside - I took the pic while we stopped the car at the roadside to check on the Melway







While we were approaching the Penguin Parade, we actually overshot, and reached the "A Maze'N Things" location. Since we were there, so we went down and took some pics. If we were there earlier, we would probably go in, as it took about 3 hours to complete all the stimulating puzzles, illusions and memory tests inside.


A Maze'N Things




It was about 5pm by then, so we headed to Penguin Parade at Summerland Beach. Those little creatures were expected to return ashore at about 6.30pm. After buying the ticket, the general admission at AUD20.6 per person, we went into the exhibition hall and visitor centre. It was not a good idea to go out to the beach too early, as it was freezing cold. While waiting, we had some snacks at the fast food restaurant.


Choices of tickets




A corner at Visitor Centre




At about 6pm, we walked towards the beach. The viewing stands and timber boardwalks were nicely built and well-maintained. I enjoyed the lovely coastal scenery, but too bad, we were not allowed to take any pics. Around 7pm, and here comes the penguin!!! They were so busy coming up ashore and heading back to their nest. I realised that they had their own gangs of friends, as they would wait until everyone had gathered, and slowly walked back to the home.

Then, we went back to the guided boardwalks, and saw how those penguins heading back to their nests. Not to forget a very interesting live show. The penguins actually called for their partner by using high frequency noise, and mated on the spot!!! Wow, too desperate after an exhausting day looking for food.


Before we left, we bought some junk food from the souvenir store




Our foot!




There was a funny sign outside the carpark: "Please Check Under Your Car Before Driving Away". They afraid that we might crash the little penguin. If I really found one under my car, I would kidnap it back :p Actually there were many other interesting spots to explore at Phillip Island, such as The Nobbies and Churchill Island. Since we were lacking of time, so we could only go to the Penguin Parade.

It was a long long journey driving back to Melbourne, about 150km. Needless to say, of course I was sleeping again. It was 9pm when we reached Melbourne. The dinner tonight was Italian meal at Sofia's Pizza House. This meal was only AUD60, and 5 of us (3 males + 2 females) could only finish 50% of the food. So u can imagine how big the portion was. Definitely two thumbs up!


Busy ordering, we were too hungry!




Giant Spaghetti & Fettuccine + Fried Seafood + Garden Salad




Grilled Chicken with Creamy Sauce & Potatoes + Vege




A really happy day, though I didnt see my tulips. After we reached home & each had a hot shower, we had a nice chit chat until 2am again. Those take-away food eventually became our supper, or breakfast?

Australia - Day9 *Melbourne - Bloody Sick*

Day 9, 1 June 09


It was a horrible day. I was continued to be haunted by the nightmare of gastric. I woke up early in the morning, feeling very dizzy and nausea. My whole body was in serious pain, and fever too. The gastric didnt seem to get any better. I also had serious diarrhea twice. Until an extend, I suspected it was H1N1, though there was no symptom of flu :(

After drinking the hot milo, I sat on the bed emotionlessly. YP and HY were so busy looking for doctor, and making appointment for me. In the end, we got the earliest appointment at 10.30am, at a clinic in Boxhill. Initially, our plan for today was to shop at Boxhill and go for hot spring massage. Forget about it, count me out!

WL reached our condo around 10am, and sent me straight to the clinic. The doctor was a nice one. After the check up, I got super low blood pressure, dehydration, and my stomach was infected by germs, partially due to stress and food. Talking about food, must be those raw sashimi taken at Fish Market :( But for stress, travelling was suppose to release stress, right? Oh well, whatever it is, so I paid AUD70 for this consultation fee, and another AUD50 for the Zoton pils. What a day for having such an honour to visit to Boxhill clinic.

I continued to grow dizzy after seeing the doctor. They went to Coles and bought some edible food for me, such as milk and biscuits. I certainly did not have any appetite, but anyhow, they had to eat something after accompanying me for one whole morning. So we went to one famous Chinese restaurant for Dim Sum. I really felt so much wanted to vomit when I looked at those food, and the unbearable smell. After a while, my had stomachache again, and went to the toilet for my 3rd time diarrhea. In the end, they decided to send me back before heading to the hot spring.

When we reached the condo, HY was pressing the password for entering. At that moment, suddenly I could feel the sourness of the gastric juice coming up straight into my throat. In less than 5 seconds, I vomitted everything out!!!!!!! Not in time to go to the drain, so I vomitted at the entrance of the condo~~~~~~~ In total, I vomitted 3 times, and all those curry chicken rice was still clearly visible, not digested at all :( HY helped to wash off all the stink chicken by using water.

Right after the chaotic session, I felt a lot better instantly. HY wanted to accompany me, but I insisted that he should go to the hot spring. I could just take a good nap as I really needed some rest. After they left, I had a packet of milk, some biscuits, and then started to catch a nap. I had been sleeping for 4 hours.

At night, I took a hot shower. And thank goodness that the fever was over after taking the Panadols. RT cooked some porridge for me, and I ate together with RT and YP. Since there was nothing to do, so I just sat in front of the notebook and surf the internet.

HY came back around 11pm. Then we all chit chat until 2am. What a day!

Australia - Day8 *Sydney + Melbourne*

Day 8, 31 May 09


It was time to say bye-bye to Sydney, and hello to Melbourne. Since our flight was 7.30pm , so we had about half day to tour around Sydney. Today, our journey was a simple one, just walked around the city centre.

First of all, we went to the Paddy's Market. It was a flea market selling all sorts of stuffs at super cheap price, such as Australia souvenirs, winter outfits, food, clothes, luggage, and any other things u could think of. We bought a lot of souvenirs here, and also a pair of gloves + winter hat for myself. I've seen one cute little backpack with Koala bear, where the selling price was AUD20 at Harbourside, but only AUD7 at Paddy's Market. I think the message was clear enough.

After this, we walked to the China Town for lunch at one of the restaurant. I had some Dim Sum, while HY ordered beef ho fan. Next, we walked all the way from China Town to Sussex St, Goulburn St, Kent St, George St, Pitt St and finally Castlereagh St.

HY bought a Tiffany & Co Blue Box Charm for me, which was gorgeous :) This is the magic of Tiffany, it would make u smile when u receive it in a lovely blue gift box, wrapped with the snow white ribbon, putting inside the blue paper bag!



Tiffany & Co





My Tiffany Blue Box Charm




Castlereagh Street




The weather was not really good. We went to Louis Vuitton to ask about the price of Highbury, as we planned to buy this as a gift for mum. After seeing the product, we decided to get it in Melbourne. When we stepped our feet out of LV, someone called HY. Gosh, it was DT's family!!! What a coincident!!! So we took a pic there as remembrance. It was about 3pm by then, so we took the Monorail back to hotel, as I had to do the last minute packing.

We made a booking through hotel for the airport van, it was AUD12 per person. It picked us around 4.30pm. We were flying to Melbourne by using Qantas. When I passed by the custom for checking in, he actually smiled and said that my hand carry luggage was too light for a woman. Oh well, how heavy would he expect by just having one LV, one Gucci watch, one Tiffany, and one Dugong inside?? >.<

After checking in, we walked around and intended to shop, but nothing to buy. So we ended up having a simple dinner. Qantas was similar to MAS, with good service and on board meal. I booked the ticket at AUD75 per person, all inclusive. Since HY was sleeping all way long, so I made myself busy by eating those food - Hindi curry chicken with rice, salad, fruit and dessert. And guess what, this was the beginning of the GREAT DISASTER of my trip.

When we were about to land, I felt that my stomach was not feeling very well, the symptom of gastric. While waiting for the luggage, I swallowed 2 gastric pils, thinking that it would work. WL picked us up using his sportcar, and I actually felt quite dizzy with the fast speed. We went to Boxhill for supper, and of course I didnt swallow a bite. My gastric was getting serious that moment. When we reached home, RT made a cup of ENO for me, but it just didnt work. I went into the toilet to dig my own throat, hoping I would vomit, but nothing happened.

So, I went to bed, but had a very terrible sleep, as I had fever as well. I felt extremely cold eventhough the heater was beside me, and was shivering non stop. I just wish to stabbed my stomach at that moment. I didnt really fall asleep, as I felt very weak and body pain all over.......

Australia - Day7 *Sydney*

Day 7, 30 May 09


Opera House, here I come!

Today, we bought the SupervoucherPLUS Day Pass. This ticket costs AUD15, and it was for one day unlimited ride on Light Rail (Tram) and Monorail. We bought this combo ticket as we planned to go to the Fish Market and Star City in the afternoon, which could be reached with Light Rail. The route for Light Rail is:

Central - Capital Square - Paddy's Market - Exhibition Centre - Convention - Pyrmont Bay - Star City - John St Square - Fish Market - Wentworth Park - Glebe - Jubilee Park - Rozelle - Lilyfield

Firstly, we took the Monorail from Paddy's Market to Town Hall. From there, we took Cityrail (Green Line, off-peak return at AUD4.4) to Circular Quay. When we reached the destination, the famous landmarks - Opera House & Harbour Bridge were clearly visible. From Circular Quay, we walked to the Opera House.


Circular Quay





Harbour Bridge





Opera House




Closer view of Opera House








A nice view from Opera House





Lunch at Opera House, enjoying the nice scenery




After that, we walked to the other side, known as The Rock, to view the magnificient Harbour Bridge. We were very lucky to see a stunt street show performed by a young lady, where she squeezed herself into a glass cube box successfully. We were supposed to give her money after the performance, but somehow, it started to rain and everyone ran away to look for the shade. Poor lady, performed so hard without getting paid!!! A very wrong timing for her.


The Rock




Opera House, taken from The Rock




Street Show for FREE




Underneath Harbour Bridge




When the rain gets smaller, we took the Cityrail and went back to Central station. From there, we interchanged to Monorail and went to Convention station, as Light Rail was available there. Our next destination was Glebe. According to my handbook, there was suppose to have something interesting over there. But when we arrived, it was only a very small suburb. So we went to the Fish Market instead. Wooo... this was a paradise of seafood, lots and lots of super fresh seafood at such a perfect price.


Fish Market




Nice setting for u to enjoy the seafood




Yummy BBQ Salmon + Prawn + Cuttlefish




Yummy sashimi + sushi




Anzac Bridge




It was indeed a very fulfilled meal, never enjoy eating seafood in such a way! Then, we went to Star City, the famous Casino in Sydney.


Stay City




Pyrmont Bay




Eventually, from Pyrmont Bay, we walked back to Darling Harbour. We planned to go to the Sydney Tower. I had actually purchased the ticket online, but I left the printed ticket in the hotel. Therefore, we went back to Harbourside, as Internet was available there, and I could print out the ticket number. After getting the number, we took the Monorail from Harbourside to City Centre station, where the Sydney Tower was right there! A good thing about the Sydney Tower was to enjoy the entire view of Sydney effortlessly, with the fast elevator for less than one minute to reach the peak. We also went for the 3D OzTrek show, an amazing virtual adventure across Australia’s cultural history and geography.


Entrance of Sydney Tower




Night view of Sydney




Lastly, we had our dinner at Harbourside again, as we did not want to miss the fireworks at 8.30pm. Many people were waiting there, and it was raining too. Actually we were very hungry, but we afraid that they would start the fireworks when we went to order the food. So we both stood outside and waited like a fool. And finally, here comes the fireworks after the long wait!!!


Fireworks, by the Jetski @ Darling Harbour