Melbourne-ing Around (Days 3 & 4)

"Don't ever let life pass you by," Warning by Incubus.


21 Feb


So the next morning, we got up early, had breakfast and proceeded to the DFO again because someone left her wrist watch at the wall-climbing site. Alhamdulillah, it was still there when we went there, so we quickly made our way to the Twelve Apostles along the Great Ocean Road. Even the name of the road had us excited about what we would encounter along the journey to the said disciples of whatnot.


It would be a 280+ kilometre drive, with plenty of pitstops along the way with me being the lone driver, so it was going to be fun.


First up, we branched out near Geelong and visited the Victoria State Rose Garden. There was also a mansion there. Boring stuff, to be honest, but having cameras meant we were able to have some fun.

 The mansion weren't THAT big, really.

Then we continued our drive along the road and stopped over at a place called Torquay to get some lunch in the form of fish & chips as well as snap a few pictures of ourselves. Ha.

 The sky is pretty awesome, doncha think?

Then we proceeded along the road and spotted a lookout point that had a lighthouse, so we checked it out, and, surprise, surprise, wondered how it would be like to be models.

 Buy Canon, because everything else sucks.

 Oh hey, there's a big rock over there. I'm just gonna pretend there's something way more interesting out of frame.

2 milliseconds later, I tasted sand. Urf.

We continued our drive along the road. What road, you ask?

That road.

Honestly speaking, the Great Ocean Road (GOR) has provided me with the best driving experience in my life to date. The sceneries along the way were nothing less than breathtaking. There were even certain stops on the road by the cliffs along the way for people to take in the scenery a little longer. 

At one of these stops, we were fortunate enough to run into some other Malaysians who were driving all the way to Adelaide (that's like a whole different state. Google map it to find out just how far that is) so we chatted with them for a bit and they were kind enough to take a picture of us three.

 Rare picture of the troubled-trio.

After a few more pictures, we moved on, since there was still a long way to go, and the road was really winding, so the drive was slow (not that I was complaining).

Then after a few more hours of driving very carefully (since the road was not for the weak of heart), we finally made it to our intended destination, the Twelve Apostles. It. Was. Magnificent. Made the whole trip worth it.

 Cameras never do justice to God's creations.

But then we were only stuck at the lookout area. We (me especially) wanted to go down to the beach, since I've seen a few pictures of people being on the beach there, but no stairs were in sight.

I really wanted to go down there.

But then upon closer inspection, we spotted some people who were already on the beach. They were a long way away from us, but they were definitely noticeable. We searched the vicinity if there were any stairs around the area to take us down, but couldn't find any.

We inferred that they must have driven down the road (away from the lookout point) to get down there. We weren't definitely sure, but we jumped into the car anyway in search of a way down.

Turns out, the steps that would take us down to the beach was only 500 metres away called the Gibson Steps (no relation to the guitar-brand, I presume). I was overjoyed. I mean, joy couldn't even begin to describe the feeling that I was experiencing when i was going down those steps. To be able to be there to watch the sunset. Just. Pure. Awesomesauce.

 I was really happy, if you couldn't tell.

Got lost in my thoughts, being at a loss for words.

After being there for a while, and proclaiming that that was my favourite location in the whole wide world, even taking a dip in the water, we packed up our things and bid farewell to the beach that stands as proof of the sheer majesty and power of Allah The Almighty. The drive to the Apollo Bay YHA was a dark one, but alhamdulillah, we made it safely there.

22 Feb

Woke up the next day after a good night's sleep and had breakfast as well as play some checkers with my friend before embarking on the journey back.

 As expected, I lost.

 The YHA was a very good one. Comfortable rooms, homy ambience, big big windows.

We drove back to the city and explored the city before our flight back to Sydney later that day.

 Visited a few lanes that were covered with graffiti.

One last picture of ye ol' tram.

Then we drove back to the airport just in time to drop off our rented car and hop on the plane back to Sydney.

-------------------------------

This Melbourne trip was one of the more awesome trips I've been on. Plus, it was my first experience planning and executing an "overseas" trip (meaning that we had to get a plane to get there) and I'm glad that it turned out to be a good one. I had great help in the form of my two friends TQ and Qya, and I really can't deny that without their help, the trip wouldn't have been as well-organized, so big thanks to them. A big thank you also goes out to Dayang for taking us around the city on the first day.

Next up, Gold Coast baby.

May peace be upon you.

Cheers!

Melbourne-ing Around (Day 2)

"I'm feeling out of bounds, out of bounds," Adolescents by Incubus.

20 Feb


So we woke up early the next day and set off to the local DFO for the girls to indulge in a little shoppage. As for me, well..

I went surfing.

Spent about 3 hours there, since the lure of wall-climbing was too enticing for them to pass up. Unfortunately, I wasn't wearing shoes, so I couldn't join the climb. I had to settle with just surfing.

Then we took off to our real destination for the day, Phillip Island. After a little less than two hours of driving, alhamdulillah, we got there in one piece.

Yep, I was there.

So after a quick stop at the information centre (both to acquire information and to excrete excrements), we proceeded to Churchill Island (a smaller island near the island) to catch some farming action at the heritage farm.

 Sheep shearing.

 Water extraction was hard in the old days. Making faces was necessary.

 The views are good too.

Then we proceeded to the Koala Conservation Centre. We were fortunate enough to arrive forty minutes before the centre closed.

Koala conversation centre.

 Where koalas, well, sleep.

 That, ladies and gentlemen, is a wallaby.

 It's pretty rare that you meet koalas that are so down to earth.

 Shooting koalas.

Then we proceeded to see the penguin parade (this is what Phillip Island was primarily famous for). Cameras weren't allowed inside, so we settled with pictures outside the parade centre.

 Penguinikins. 

(Get it? Manikins? Penguin.. Oh nevermind)

The price chart outside the centre.

Then we drove back to the Metro YHA, rested up for the adventures that still lay ahead.

That will be updated next time. I don't like reading long-posts, especially if they're of the low-quality-that-is-me kind. 2 more days to blog about. Just bear with me for two more posts. Please?

May peace be upon you.

Cheers!

Melbourne-ing Around (Day 1)

"How did we get here?" Decode by Paramore.


So from the 19th till the 22nd of February, I went on a trip to Melbourne with some friends of mine. This post will show some evidence of that, so that I wouldn't just be conversing lies (sembang muhong).


19 Feb


Took off from Sydney at 11.20am on a Tiger Airways plane. Landed at 12.45pm.

Got scolded for using a camera on the tarmac. Apparently it's not allowed. -_-"


Went to get our rented car and drove to the city to check-into the place we were staying for the next two nights, the Melbourne Metro Youth Hostel Accomodation (YHA).

It has an awesome rooftop view. Ideal lepak-spot.

After a little rest, we set off to get a bite. Met up with a friend in Melbourne at a restaurant called Bali Bagus (Bagus ke?) No good pictures there unfortunately.

Then we went for a walk around the city and visited the University of Melbourne.

Cantik sebenarnya. Saya ja kurang cantik.

Then we walked along the Yarra River. Beauty, mashaAllah.

Yarra River at sunset.

After walking and walking around, watching to buskers among other things, we headed back to the hostel to catch some shut eye.

And at this very moment in real time, I'm getting sleepy. Looks like I'll just have to continue with days 2, 3 and 4 tomorrow. Watch out for 'em. Or not. Your call.

May peace be upon you. 

Cheers!

Sampaikanlah Nota Hati

"Memberi lebih baik dari menerima," Sampaikanlah Salam 2012 rap version by SifarFaris.


Allow me to preface this post with a video that, albeit irrelevant, is very the awesome. And please excuse my bad grammar. Oh yeah, the video's in Malay.







Now on to the real post.


I have finally just finished reading "Nota Hati Seorang Lelaki" by Ustaz Pahrol Mohd. Juoi. And it is a very beneficial book. I recommend it to anyone and everyone, especially Muslims. 

Le cover.

I have been reading it on and off for almost a year. Not because the book is uninteresting. Au contraire, the book that is written in Malay is a very engaging read. It's just that my failure to manage my time well has resulted in me not being able to finish the book in one sitting. But enough about me. 

The book offers an insight into the musings of the author, much like us reading a person's compiled blogposts in book-form. And the musings of Ustaz Pahrol will have to be labelled as nothing less than powerful. There were a few chapters that even made me shed manly tears (during a public train ride with me exposed to all the other passenger's judgement).

It has definitely left a mark on my heart. If I could, I would read the book all over again, but other books on my "to-read" list await, so it is with great reluctance that I return this book to its owner (yes, I borrowed it for almost a year. Don't judge me.)

May peace and blessings be upon all of you.

Cheers!

Picture Post: December & January 2012

"Pejamkan matamu untukku," Sungai Lui by Aizat Amdan.

So this is the picture post I promised. CHECK IT!!

***

So on the 26th of December it was my first and possibly only Boxing Day in Sydney, Australia. Google it if you don't know what that is. 

Shot bajet stai.

 The line outside Louis Vuitton. Pretty much sums it up.

***

It was also my first and possibly only new year's celebration here.

 Some have waited at their spot overnight just to get a good sight of the firework display.

 Le watermark.

Le me and le friends. (Pic courtesy of Bagan)

(Courtesy of Bagan)

***

Boy came over for a 3-week visit, so I took him to a few places.

He got me a present. Awww.

 He wanted to go to a skatepark, but didn't have a helmet, so picture only.

 Boy being better looking than me in front of the Opera House.

 Me floating for no apparent reason.

 Le Bondi Beach.

 Le La Perouse blowing me away.

Le pose.

***

So I guess that's all for now. Don't want to get draggy now, do we?

May peace be upon you.

Cheers!

Hey, There's a Blogger App!

"You're not the only one," That's Where You're Wrong by Arctic Monkeys.

So I'm just trying it out.

And I can post pictures too! Woots!

Last week was a disappointing month here on the blog. Just one post. Sorry readers (if you're out there), been busy. Really disappointed with myself.

Hopefully with this app, that'll change.

Honestly, I thought that the summer break would be filled with boredom, but it has proven me wrong, and with less than a month still to go, I hope time will be available to me to read recreationally and blog more often. We'll see, inshaAllah.

I still have a picture post to do here, so that's number one on the list. I might even do it tonight, but we'll see.

Till then, may peace be upon you.

Cheers!

P/s- I find myself using cheers in real life more often now. Don't know if it's a good thing or not. Peace!

Boy Mai & Kerja

"Centottantamille, trecento quaranta cinque sogni,"Di Vino by Marta Sui Tubi.


MashaAllah, I find myself awake again in the wee hours of the morning. And so with no notifications coming up on Fussbook and lacking the motivation to think of something witty to tweet about, I decide to venture into writing my first blogpost of 2012.


So many things have happened within the last month, almost all of them interesting. But for the sake of keeping this post short and sweet, I'll just update some things that are going on right now.


I've been working as a filler at Franklin's for approximately two months now. In my latest video (#19 Salam) I wore my work uniform. Just the name-tag is missing. Oh, and proper pants. But that scene didn't require any. So kain pelekat sudeh. Muehehe


I usually wear kain pelekat when making videos. I'm more relaxed that way. Only when it is absolutely necessary do I wear pants around the house. But I digress.


My brother, Boy arrived here two weeks ago. Most of my free time has been filled by taking him around Sydney. Up until now, I've taken him everywhere that I have been to in Sydney and also to some places that I have never been, like Bondi beach and La Perouse. He'll be staying here until the second of February, inshaAllah, so we have another week to spend. But now I have no idea where I should take him to next. Suggestions, good people of Sydney blogspot?


So yeah, those two are the major things that are happening right now. InshaAllah, when I muster the will to upload pictures of the happenings within this month up in here, it will be done promptly. 


And I have also downloaded the blogspot app in the phone, so I expect myself to update more with the help of that app. Basically anything that is above 140 characters (untweetable content) will be uploaded using the app, inshaAllah.


So may peace be upon you.


Cheers!