Family album

Let me show you some fmily portraits.

#1 So tiny (vertically, sadly not horizontally) that I can fit with space to spare into one teeny picture.

#2 This is me going out of my room with a new bag - fringed and given my Melsuemanda for my birthday.

#3 These are my greeeeeeeeeen eyes and near the door knob is the Shiro doll SerLey made for Xmas!

Okay time for some realy family portrait where the subject is not me alone.

#4 Everyday is a struggle where play mimicks fight and the other way around.

#5 This, again, can be a show of affection or rebellion. A much-too passionate kiss perhaps.

#6 Shiro leaves a piece of him everywhere round me. A hair - even on my office seat. A lick - all over my necklace. A scratch mark - from way back when.

#7 The naughtiest dog in the world (this could be the initiation of a wrestle) or the manja-est dog in the world (this could also be the initiation of a major clinging closely to you session)?

#8 So it turned out to be a manja session. HE loves lurking around all over you and for you to snuggle him . . . and make you go all 'AWWWWWW'. . .

#9 . . . and then the lying close to you keeping you warm acting all cottonball-y. . .

#10 . . . showering you with attention and affection like how he has no other in the world. . .

#11 . . . only to bring you back to reality by acting mischievious, forcing you to pin him down!

#12 Time we spend together is usually eventful (tiring).

#13 And why do I still love him like mad? Look how short he is hahaha.

I have a soft spot for those lacking in this department.

Flipping the pages

Okay this will a random post as I have a million tots running through my tiny mind.

***

Lowena: I wanna go Philadelphia Island!!

Me: Where is that. . . is it here in Melbourne?

Lowena: To see penguins!

Me: Oh. You. Mean. Philip. Island.

Was reminded of this when I was preparing some Philadelphia Cream Cheese to make my cheese cake.

Was further reminded me of a very important person who is probably looking after all of us from up above.

***

Kah Ci Kah Ci. Lok Gu Lok Gu.

The pet names for me and my sister when we were little.

How special that only both of us had pet names.

How funny that we even wanted to name our fashion line 'KachiLoku' in the future.

How amazing memories flow back just like that.

How sad that no one calls us by this anymore.

***

It has been a while since I have really listened to music.

Guess I am just not as young/hip/up-to-date as when I still felt young (!) sighhhhhh. Times like this I am glad I have my old favourite with me - GLAY.

Here's a secret: I wanted my first concert to be Glay's so I have been holding off all other concerts.

But this is so ambitious and quite impossible - firstly, cost; secondly, geographical barrier; thirdly, language barrier; finally, getting the tickets!

Believe me, I pushed for it the last time I went to Japan.

So the other day I was walking home from gym in the drizzle. A bit of rain, gloomy skies, alone, slight chill in the air, Glay music only to my ears - what better time to emo I ask you.

Hence, I began thinking - why must I think it is impossible to go to their concert? I think so only because I am not putting effort into trying to force my way into their lives haha, I mean, concert. I am 100% sure I will be beyond excited and it will long live as one of the highlights in my life. So why not?

The conclusion is: I cannot find a reason not to.

So here 2010 - let me Glay it.

***

Everything beautiful starts from the inside.

Agreed.

Thus, it is very important to have beautiful lingerie on in order to have the motivation to dress up pretty, make up nicely and work that fitness into your body.

***

I usually can't wait for the weekdays to be over. Then there is the dilemma that the faster the weekends come, the sooner I will turn 24. So how?

But now I really don't hope for the weekend to come so soon :-(

For Sunday will see me and Shiro being stuck with each other again while the third musketeer jets off to Alice Springs.

***

Masterchef is a devil.

Not only am I watching it every single night (I am rooting for Adam and Philip!!!!!), I am cooking/baing up a storm almost every day.

Let's take today as an example, I made:-

Herbal soup with chicken drumstick

Kangkung and prawns in chilli sauce

Luncheon meat with omelette (this is ciplak haha)

White fungus soup with red dates

Japanese Cotton Cheese Cake

There goes my no sugar diet wooooooooooopppppppssss!

***

I just realised that one of my colleagues has the most beautfiul skin I have ever seen - pearly white, smooth, glowing and pinkish.

I really wanted to ask her about her secret. As far as I could kepo, I only found out she is a vegetarian. And vegetarian I know I cannot be.

There was this one time I went to a vegetarian restaurant with friends and after a hearty meal, I did not feel a thing in my stomach. Which is very much weird as I really did eat a lot!

A mystery I never could understand!

***

I miss my Mum, Dad, YiMa and Choo Choo.

Not my Sister - she is coming soon and that means trouble, noise, money going out. Sigh, I really don't love her, why must she come over?

***

Can you ever imagine yourself buying a handbag up in the thousand-dollars range or more? Frankly I cannot.

Why why why?

And for someone so imaginative - I have tried hard and long trying to imagine the moment I do so but I just couldn't! I shall try to dream it out tonight just to see how it would feel like. Chanel, mama's coming to you tonight.

***

I still don't know what Ray is playing in Oblivion.

***

Hmmm good night.

Mr Tan's BDay Surprise Project 1

For Mr Tan's birthday last year, I decided to do something lazy-creative. I called up all my friends (some mutual, some he met once, some heard of him from me a lot) and asked them to think of romantic surprises I can give him along with a birthday wish.

I have many good friends and the response was great (I was a bit pushy too mehbee). The suggestions ranged from romantic to funny, cheesy to bizarre and downright impossible. Some of the suggestions, I wonder if they harboured hate towards me or maybe on a more positive note, over-the-top love for Mr Tan.

I put all these ideas into envelopes and sealed them one by one with. . . . glue la. Stuck on the face of the envelopes were the birthday messages and who they were from. So in a pper box, lying strayly in the wardrobe, lie all these amazing ideas from some surprisingly funny/romantic/evil friends of mine - waiting to be fulfilled for the pure happiness of Mr Tan (or maybe pure enjoyment of my friends seeing me do them).

I started with the easiest idea from a friend whom I shall not name. Why?

Cause it was a failure. Damn it, first idea crashed and burnt in my hands!

Idea #1: Bake him a cake

So I 'attempted' to bake a blueberry fresh cream cake, seeing how Mr Tan has mentioned about being disappointed at the taste of the Secret Recipe Mango Delight Cake he used to adore so much when he tasted it again early this year. I thought of making him a mango fresh cream cake but mangoes are not in season yet! So blueberries then.

Look at my first birthday surprise for him!

Yummylicious right? What, doesn't look like it? What do you mean :-(

Yes, this must be the ugliest cake ever complete with melting make up.

Sigh. But before you give up on me, I attempted another idea. And this time, a really sweet idea from Loong.

Idea #2: Bring him to a beach and once he arrives, surprise him with either candles/ christmas lights with a special message to him. Better still if you have fireworks! (From Loong)

So with tiny little lights . . . .

. . and with many of them . . .

I conjured a message . . .

. . in the heart of the room.

He was surprised and I think he liked it (maybe secretly) when he came back to see it on the wall all the way from Alice Springs - the land of red sand, kangaroo meat and no Masterchef on TV.

I guess this counts as a success? Regardless this serves as a good begining (the cake doesn't count) to this surprise marathon.

Till then, signing off with love to all you peeps!

Make Me Over

There was a time when I would not dare to dye my hair, make up too much or dress up too fancily, just in case others couldn't recognise me behind all the glitz.

"What if I keep my hair black again, will they not recognise me?"
"What if I don't apply my mascara+eyeliner+blusher combo, will they not say 'hi' to me on the streets?"
"What if they see me in my pyjama at KMart, will they be shocked dead?"

So for the two years after high school and before coming to Aussie, I have had minimal make-over.

Something along the lines of:

- Light brown eyeliner over black, and you know, it doesn't look like it's there.

- Chestnut brown/ash brown over red hair, cause you know, so that I still look Asian.

- Normal contact lens over pupil enlarging/colour ones, cause you know, eyes look duh normal.

- No concealer, so that you know, it seems like I am not 'trying' to hide my imperfections.

- Loose clothings over tight ones, cause you know, uh, I have an abdominal issue.

It is all about looking natural, you know.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

And then I thought.

Why put in all this effort if no one is going to notice?
And most importantly, if I don't feel satisfied with the result?!?!?

I mean, all the thoughts about fearing not being recognised or identifiable by others - about trying to remain as myself - phew, yes that is important. But what if I am changing and for the better?

Let's say, making up. Is more make up the equivalent of bad or running away from yourself or even hiding whatever you hate about yourself from the world?

Haih, why must we think so negatively. Sure I hate the dark circles (So much so I could kill his/her whole family). But instead of thinking we are hiding our flaws or putting on a face (literally), why can't we see it as enhancing our natural beauty with a little help from harmless powder and colour?

Changing your image from time to time doesn't mean you are not being yourself. Maybe, you are someone who love changes - then if you don't change that will mean you are not being yourself! And what better or easier way to shake up things in your world than a different shade of eyeshadow or thicker eyeshadows?

Oh of course, a different hairstyle.

I have tried all dark shades - all kinds of dark brown. Then there came the fateful day when a hairdresser accidentally gave me a colour - maybe 10 shades lighter than what I wanted. I was shocked beyond words! I coloured it 5 shades darker straight away but!!! It made me realise something.

Colour rocks. Big time.

Not only does it freshen up your look almost immediately. Regardless of how crappy you feel, you feel like there is a whole new beginning at your fingertips and your future is so bright! Wahhhhhhh. (I feel like colouring my hair ady now)

But does a red or blue hair colour mean I am defying my roots? From my perspective, loosen up, it is just hair colour, mate! I don't hate my original hair colour, I lurve my hair. Just wanted to play dress up with it that's all~ Okay, maybe I wanted to look like Kairi when I dyed my hair red so I admit it I wanted to defy my roots as a human and be a fictional character.

Then come the issue of dressing up - be it sexy, cute, sultry, glamorous, flashy, elegant or casual - must I just choose one of them, why can't I be all!?

Is it trying too hard if someone like me - short, slightly tubby and even more slightly round tummy - tries to go 10% sexier? I am willing to suck in my tummy to wear that tighter dress. I am also willing to exercise more to tone up for the summer shorts.

Where is the harm in that? That's right, there is none!

The point of this post is - I think - there is no need to limit yourself in expressing your inner child when playing with something as harmless as appearance as long as you love what you see and enjoy what you are doing.

It might draw weird glances and small talk from others - but most importantly is you feel happy inside. And when you are happy, spread the message to those who gave you the weird glances and small talk - tell them it is okay for them to be like you!

Magical world

Ever since owning a dog, I feel like Harryanne Potter.

I buy things like:-

Pork Trotters

Pig Ears

Lamb Bone

. . as snacks for him.

Reminiscence of ingredients used to make potions.

And at the back of my Muggle-looking house, there is a Poo Kingdom. A tree lined valley with loadsa Shiro poo.

Magic tricks like transformation. See, now you see a dog . . .

. . . and voila, a cotton ball.

Mystical creatures swarm the land - behold the red-eyed albino 'werefox'.

It is magic here all the time with Shiro.

Hope you guys enjoyed this little magical tour with Shiro!

Just Pictured!

Tuft of fur I combed off my 'non-shedding' dog. Mr Terror.

No sugar diet!

Everyone who knows me knows that I love junk food - the sugary, the salty and the creamy mmm-mmm.

Mum: What do you want for lunch?
3-year-old me who didn't like to eat anything: Keropok.

I have lived a long 17 years of unhealthy diet -
Zero count of: vegetables.
Less than minimum of: water.
More than enough of: snacks, dessert, soy sauce, soft drinks.

That was until I studied Biology and it gave me a shudder thinking of what I was doing to my body.

Well that is not the point.

I was thinking seriously the other day and then a new realisation dawned upon me.

"Why have I never had a flat tummy for all these years - could it be because of all the unnecessary stuff I have been consuming?"

Then one thought led to another:-

"Basically don’t eat any chocolate or sweets…nothing that’s kind of unhealthy. Lots of healthy food, working out a lot, lots of cardio.” - Alessandro Ambrosio on her post-baby body.

Eh.


I love exercising. I love being active.

But I love SUGAR more.

And I always hear people telling me that I eat too sweet/salty for anyone's good.

Is it possible that despite all my exercise/sit up straight/suck in tummy/whining/praying effort in trying to make my tummy disappear, my love of sugar has ruined everything?

This is so hard to accept that I have to hold on to something to support myself.

After all, accepting the fact is different from knowing the fact all along :P

Anyway, after thinking long and far, I have decided to go on a major diet change. . . . . for a week.

Before you boo, listen! This is just a short term plan to test:

- how major is the impact of sugar in tummy bulge development

- how determined I am in rejecting my food-love

- how cranky I will become in the process

So for the whole of this week, I will:

- Not touch, deliberately, any form of sugary food.

- Drink more than 2.5L of water a day

- Exercise at least once every 2 days

And 7 days from now, one of the mysteries of my life, will be uncovered.

Damn, the pictures and the thought of no sugar is making me think of sugar.

Stay tuned

I am going to make some major temporary changes to my life starting tomorrow.

Let's see how that works!

Mr LDR

It has been a while so I have almost forgotten what it is like to be on a Long Distance Relationship.

The last time this happened was in 2007 and it lasted a year.

Mr was coming back to Aussie for his final year of studies and Me staying back in Malaysia for my final year of studies.

I remember saying goodbye and crying (as expected) at the tiny airport of Sandakan. After all, back then I did not know when or even if I would see him again.

At that point of time, my LDR was indefinite and that must be the worst kind of LDR. Not knowing if there is an end to it and even if there is - if it would be a happy or a sad one. It made me wonder about all kinds of stuff - why I even started this relationship, being the main question.

We would keep in touch by:
Calling once in a blue moon.
Video chatting online every once in a while.
SMSing whenever credit allows.
Relying on MSN heavily.

After a while, I got really used to not seeing Mr and I bet he felt the same.

We were in a relationship but not quite so.
The feeling was there but not quite strong.

It was weird.

And then due to a twist of fate, I was going to return to Aussie where Mr was.

I was happy but not the ecstatic kind, just mild.
He was happy but not that excited, just as mild.

When we met, it wasn't passion - we were both a bit shy. If not, awkward.

For the first few months, we would do things separately, we would be really quiet/paiseh and we would be hang out at different places. We just did not know how to be together anymore.

Before we knew it, we were fighting a lot - really meek, mild fights - out of frustration and confusion. But I guess at the end of the day, the fights drew us closer and helped us understand each other again.

Time flew and we have been spending almost everyday together for 2 years - going through jobhunting, unemployment and weight gain. I can confidently say that we are stronger and surer than ever.

So this time around, the LDR - albeit really sudden and unexpected - wasn't so bad.

Maybe it was so sudden that I don't feel it just yet.
Maybe it has been just a few days so it doesn't feel real yet.

But come next week when Mr comes back, I wonder how I would feel.
I can surely say that it won't be mild like before.
And I can more surely say that when the time comes for Mr to leave again, it will be more un-mild.

My doggy report card

Sue Li: It is hard work having a puppy and teaching it to become a dog.

I have always wanted a dog - since forever - and have been given pet fish/turtles/rabbits as bribes from parents. So naturally I answered:

Me: As long as I love it, I think all the hard work will be worth it.

Oh boy was dear Sue Li right.

I set eyes on baby Shiro one fateful day in August. It was love at first sight as he scurried timidly between Ray's legs. So small, so vulnerable and so adorable. I remember thinking that I would love him and teach him with all my heart.

Eversince that day, Shiro and us have gone through some pretty amazing milestones.

#1 Making him feel comfortable and secure enough to sleep alone in the living area

Endurance: 2-3 nights of non-stop crying and yapping and barking.

Method: Hardened our hearts and went out to reassure him a few times in the middle of the night.

#2 Making him feel brave enough to roam around the area he was allowed at

Endurance: Shiro sticking to our feet 24/7 and crying whenever we left to the toilet etc

Method: Repetitive reassurance and bringing him all over the place

#3 Training him to go toilet on paper

Endurance: An average of 7-8 poo/pee cleaning every day

Method: As soon as the accident happened, we would say a stern 'NO' in his face and place him on the paper where he was supposed to do his business. After a few weeks, he got it and started doing it on paper. For a period of time, whenever he did it at the right place, we would reward him with snacks.

#4 Teaching him to sit/lie down/give hand

Endurance: Shiro being trying to nab the snack out of our hands before doing the trick

Method: Just using snack he likes and really giving it to him only when he performs the trick

#5 Conquering his fear of the outside world

Endurance: Shiro did not like going outside at all. He would try to run home as soon as we walk as far as the end of the driveway.

Method: Going further bit by bit. Luring him with snacks and standing in front of him whenever he backed away from certain objects (as if you are protecting him).

#6 Training him to do his business outside

Endurance: Since he was already doing it on paper, there wasn't much problem. More like a transition, but there were times when he got confused and just did it near the door.

Method: Bringing him out whenever he did it on paper. Bringing him out first day in the morning, after every meal and before bedtime - waiting with a snack - until he did his business. It was epic during winter!


#7 Making him feel more comfortable with water during showertime

Endurance: A struggling and agitated Shiro when wet

Method: Just have to hold him and distract him until he gets used to it. Oh and also to blowdryers.

#8 Stopping him from nipping/biting

Endurance: A 2-month long period where Shiro tried biting and niping people's hands and all other object

Method: A firm 'NO' whenever he did it and avoiding putting anything that can be bitten on the floor. Held his muzzle and repeatedly said no until he relaxed and stopped struggling. Gave him his chewtoy whenever he started finding bite targets.

#9 Taught him to do other hand/rollover/find his bowl/ stay and wait while his food is served

Endurance: Patience.

Method: Again, snack and being really firm with rewarding.

I am quite proud of my baby but there are a few major behavioral problems with him that I have yet to solve despite trying hard over the last few months! Everyone tells me that he is just a puppy, so it is alright but I really don't want to slack and make these problems grow!

#1 Walking on leash

Problem: Shiro jumps and jumps ecstaticly whenever we take out the leash. He doesn't sit or stay to allow you to put on the leash in peace. Once he is outside, he drags, pulls, storms forward and doesn't respons to his name at all!

Methods used: Making him sit whenever he drags. Give him slight pull whenever he drags. Calling his name. Distracting him with his fav toy. Luring him with dog biscuit.

Current status: Still drags like mad. Whenever he drags, I will stop and he will stop to look back at me/sit down with back facing me.

#2 Excessive territory marking

Problem: He does it to every single tree/pole along the street even until he has no pee for marking anything! He drags extra forcefully to get to the tree. I heard that this is not a good sign.

Methods used: Forbid him. Distract him whenever we approach some tree/pole.

Current status: Still the same.

#3 Eating everything on the floor

Problem: He never used to be like this but right now, whatever we dropped onto the floor and he finds on the floor, he will eat it. And he runs away when we catch him doing that. Everything - human food, rocks, leaves, plastic material.

Methods used: Removing the item from his mouth (I have removed some disgusting stuff from there) and firmly telling him 'NO'. Giving his muzzle a smack (smacking his body doesn't help, his coat cushions him from all external trauma).

Current status: Just removed a piece of rock (and a minute later, a string) from this mouth after chasing him around the living room.

# 4 Barking

Problem: He used to be really quiet and never barked. Until he hit 7 months old, he started barking at every noise from outside - not in his cutesy bark - but a now loud bark.

Methods used: Telling him 'NO' when he does so. Holding his muzzle until he calms down and does not struggle.

Current status: He will bark again as soon as the next second :(

So how true was what Sue Li said.

With my co-trainer being far away in Alice Springs right now, me energy is being sapped at a rapid rate by this little bundle of terror.

I have almost exhausted the internet for information and have youtubed a few nights away just for this! Does anyone know what to do?

And while I type all these out, Little Mr Terror is doing this.

Sigh. Although what Sue Li said was very true, cannot be more true; I think my reply was just as true as it turns out to be. And I bet all dog owners can relate to that :)

This just in:

Achievement #10 Getting Shiro to fetch without the initiation of a deadly tug of war

Endurance: Tugging his fetch target from him everytime he brought it back for us

Method: Giving him a snack whenever he brought back his toy. The snack makes him drop his toy and we give him his reward only when he places the toy in our hands.

Easter 2010

Whenever you see a group of people with more than 3 cars hanging around Clayton and note:
1 Commotion/ Chattering beyond control
2 Several Melways/ run-down maps lying around
3 Girls in all sorts of fashion
4 10-15 minutes of pondering around doing nothing

Then chances are you have seen us at the start of one of our roadtrips.

For Easter this year, we went to Mornington Peninsula with a record breaking number of 19 of us! Phew. (For Easter last year, we went to Grampians and the previous year before that, to Adelaide - seems like the destination is getting nearer while the number of people is getting bigger).

Our first stop was at the Red Hill Community Market. The drive there from Clayton was smooth in the typical straight-can-see-till-the-end of the highway style. It took around an hour plus to reach Red Hill (where we previously came for cherry picking) but then the biggest surprise came- which made me miss home slightly.

A traffic jam about 500 m away from the market. As in a real traffic jam although not as high level as the grid lock kind back home.

The market was attracting so many people that there was actually a traffic jam leading to it. But being trained to excellence back home, we just parked at the roadside and walked to the market. Easy-peasy laaaa until we noticed some cars being fined for a whopping $117 for illegal parking and the army of drivers charged back to their cars to make sure it was alright. So we found out it is alright to park at the roadside and on the green slopes, as long as there is no parking permit needed sign. Money, precisely $117,to your pocket mou?

It was really nice weather on that day.

Complimentary picture with WenJi, long-time housemate and partner in crime. She is responsible for making me fat!! Really. I should have moved out ages ago, dang.

I couldn't resist taking snap shots of the quirky if not extremely colourful products on sale. That is the beauty of markets in Melbourne. You never know what to expect. Let their imaginations shock you as much as the price tag sometimes does!

Unlike pasar malams, which I equally love, there is something home-y about markets here. Highly recommended hidden gem to visitors.

1 Cupcakes shaped and scented soap (they looked so real from afar)

2 Selection of scented candles

3 Dollhouses(one of my childhood dreams)

4 Wall-E made from metal scrap (selling for $190 ah)

5 Loads and loads of pillows (the material used was epic)

6 Penguin band made from metal scrap

7 Little windchimes (very very pretty but not sure if they are really windchimes)

8 A performer tickling the nerves of the crowd

Being on a shopping ban and also a temporary sugar ban on that day, I just got some souvenirs for others and a pillow for Shiro. None for myself. *That was so hard to say*

After that we headed to a nearby cafe, the Blue Mini Cafe which we heard rave reviews about, in Rosebud for a light lunch. Nothing too heavy - we all agreed on for our next activity and also the highlight of the trip was going to be horseriding!

I somehow regret giving this pair of Marc Jacobs sunnies to Ray for Valentines Day. He seems a bit obsessed and...... it is getting on my nerves. If you don't think so, try looking at the picture below and tell me if you think so now.

On another note, glad that I got him something he likes and actually uses.

I was very conflicted inside at that point during the trip because as childish as it might sound, I was questioning the reason for buying an expensive and amazing camera if all that ever will happen will be me snapping pictures of others and none of myself. :( super :(

What caused this BIG realisation to come about?

1 90% of pictures in my laptop are of someone else (mostly Ray)

2 70% of my pictures are taken by myself (always shushed by someone else if doing that for too long)

3 20% of my pictures taken by others are blurry/dark/at a bad angle

4 10% of my pictures are group pictures where my face is the size of a bean suffering malnutrition

How is that fair :( :( :(

So I was unhappy inside and then:-

Not that this solved the problem.

But at least I get some camera action.

That was major branching off sorry. Anyway, the highlight of everyone's day - HORSERIDING!

Oh and as soon as this, he peed.

The quantity and scent was shocking.

We had this experience at Gunnamatta Horse Trail. They have services catered for totally inexperienced riders (everyone of us) and really amazing instructors. I must say that I was quite nervous at first. After all, I never realised that horses were that huge and sitting on one can feel that bouncy.

We opted for the $50 Truemans Bush Ride as it was a walking ride with only short distances of trotting - perfect introductory course to us. When we reached there, we were briefed about horseriding and given helmets to wear. We were then brought to our horses and taught individually about the sort of command we can give to the horses.

Believe me, horses are huge.

Me: I want a smaller horse.

LeeXin: Me too. Oh all these look so big let's wait for the smaller ones to come out.

Me: Ergh, they are bringing new horses for us (only two remaining people not on horse)

Me: . . . .they seem to be the biggest among all.

LeeXin: Oh no. . . . .

But it was fun! Scary at first when my horse, Bella, started walking away from the crowd, but once the horses started walking in a line, it was quoting Ray - "in an auto-pilot mode".

WenJi: Ahhhhhh!!! My horse is turning back!

LeeXin: Oh noooo my horse is eating grass!

Loadsa distractions. Then came the exciting part - trotting. Like jogging to humans. But never have I felt so much like I would be bounced right off the horse onto the ground. The guys loved it and I loved it to - if it did not come too much as a surprise.

Instructor: Ready for a trot, guys?

Everyone: Yeah!!!

Instructor: Here we go!

(all horses started trotting one after another in a line, WenJi and Ray were behind me)

WenJi: Oi Loretta! Your horse is still walking!

Ray: Make her trot, kick her in the belly!

Me: I am doing that already but Bella just doesn't feel the peer pressure!

And throughout the journey, Bella kept peeing and pooing to the delight of WenJi who was riding right behind me. And when she complained about it, Bella kicked her horse's face! How cute was that?

I am still waiting for pictures for horseriding.

I highly recommend this activity to everyone - if someone as faint-hearted as me can do it, you can do it!

As usual hair was flat for everyone after the helmet.

Our next plan was supposed to be a relaxing visit to Peninsula Hot Springs but due to the amount of people, we were asked to return in 2 hours. 2 daunting hours how to pass?

Luckily we are never out of beaches to visit around there, so we went to St Andrew's Beach for some pre-hot spring relaxation.

We have still a long way to walk.

See another picture taken by me of myself :(

I hope someone flying by will see this!

Then after around 20 minutes, Peninsula Hot Springs called and told us they had place for us already. What the hell happened to the 2-hour wait? So we jetted back to the hot springs.

Ever since going to Daylesford and then Japan, Ray and I have been really vocal about our love of hot springs and spas (okay, more like me). We have heard about Peninsula Hot Springs for quite some time, but never really had a chance to be there so this was like a really good chance to do so.

We chose the Public Baths as the Private packages were all sold out. It cost $30 per person but Ray and I had a buy one free one voucher so nehehe. Unlike onsen in Japan, people wear swimsuits and towels are allowed - or what did you expect?

Hence the last hour before the lift of my temporary sugar ban - all to look less bloated even if only by 0.57% in my bikini on that day. The very first time I wear just a bikini in a place where there were actually people around. Phew. But you know what, it wasn't that scary:

1 I had my girlfriends wearing bikini with me

2 Women of all shapes and sizes were there

3 I own no assets to be scrutinize-worthy by guys

So it was easy-peasy.

There were three main types of pools there - 37~40C pools, cold pools, 35-37C pools. Everything is open air and you get an average of 20 people in each pool dipping with you. Other than that you also get a sauna room - which I avoided, never liked sauna.

So the verdict: Is it relaxing?

No.

While the warm water really does loosen your muscle and make you feel comfortable - there is just too much noise, children splashing around, adults trying to swim (wth) and generally, people - to make it relaxing. It is good as a reward after a hard day of work but don't expect to feel any more relaxed that being at home with your kids.

Ray: Rating my hot spring/spa experience: 1) Hakone onsen, 2) Daylesford Hepburn Spa and 3) Peninsula Hot Springs.

Me: You have really ONLY been to three.

I still prefer Daylesford. And even more Hakone muaha.

I hope everyone had an amazing Easter!