Perth Trip 1

It's been almost five days since I've left Perth and back to Melbourne. Oh, and back to harsh, cruel reality. I have wanted to write out something about the trip, but I shall decide to slowly write it, to slowly recapture again the things that I did when I was there. Lets started on how this trip actually was planned. Apparently my cousin, Boon Choo, had promised me a return ticket to Perth when I was as young as twelve back during my UPSR days, provided that I scored 5 A's for the exam. Looking back, firstly I would have never remembered that, probably because by that time I already knew it was going to be something that you would say to motivate a young boy and just to make kids happy. Little did I know ten years after that promise would still be valid. And that's how I got my trip all started. So the planning started as early as April and after keeping a close eye on the cheap fares with Tiger Airways, we finally decided on some good dates in July. It took some time to work it out, especially with Khai who gave me mixed responses but he finally said it was OK. So there. Since April, I've been quite excited to go for this trip. Deep down inside, I knew this holiday would give me some form of perspective in my life, some time away from work. Also, it will be my one and only trip out Melbourne in five years (it's a milestone in my life!!), and this time I can do it by giving Miss Evelyn a big, big surprise... hehe... I'll get to it later on during the next blog.

7th of July - Finally the date arrived. I still had to go to work in the day time, but came 4.10 p.m. I packed up and left for the next bus back to Frankston. I went back, did some last minute packing and left a little message with my neighbour, Dorothy to have a look at the place while I was away. She's been awfully nice to ask me not to worry about the place while I go enjoy myself. The skies were getting dark and cloudy. Not wanting to lug an umbrella with a laptop bag and my luggage bag, I decided to walk through the rain should it fall. True to form, it did! I still remember walking through the puddles of water on the road as the rain fell hard on my head and the luggage, which we turned out to be pretty soaked. By the time I got on the train from Frankston to Southern Cross, I stepped out still damp and most of all shivering and teeth chattering away. And I was supposed to be having three layers of clothing on. Anyway the travel to Tullamarine was alright, almost not being able to find the Skybus that takes me to the airport (it has been years since I took the Skybus, been spoiled with taxi rides every year when I go back to Malaysia). Now here comes the part about budget flights. Just when I was about to reach the main terminal, I recall the bus driver announcing "for those who are taking Tiger Airways, you'll have to get off the bus here and you have to walk along the carpark area until the end where you'll see a building and you check in there". You'll be able to imagine the look on my face. I was anticipating real budget flight, but this was really going to be some budget flight. I felt like an outcast sitting on some cheapskate plane, when people on Virgin or Qantas were happily queueing in the main terminal, and my supposed Tiger Airways terminal was too plain, a little under-designed in my opinion. Although the check-in process was fairly simple, it was by then I realised that my boarding pass was none other than a piece of paper with a barcode on it. I could have easily lost it... and it was during my check-in I was told that the plane was delayed by almost an hour. I was not happy. Like Li Chia was saying the day before this, she was right about budget flights - she jinxed me! There I was waiting by the boarding gates, playing a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, ears plugged with my mp3 player, and occasionally answering a phone call. Finally I got to board the plane... an hour later. Not only that, we had to slowly make our way to the aircraft in the blistering cold winds outside, and we actually had to linger around for 10 minutes before being led on to the aircraft.

I got a window seat, and once again stupid me couldn't remember if it was the "window seat" that meant I got the outer seat... or if it was the "aisle seat". Note to self, always take "aisle seat" if want to go out easily to toilet without disrupting other people in the same row. Thankfully only one guy sitting by the aisle seat, and the centre seat's empty. This is my first time on a budget flight, and it's different with the safety precautions the air hostesses have to perform before flying. But I wasn't deciding on doing much anyway, so I thought I could sleep for the whole flight time. I was actually doing really well until an announcement on the PA said that we were about to land. By golly, it turned out to be half an hour later when we landed. I don't know if it was just the pilot that did the crappiest job in flying or he decides to be mean and nasty to us passengers who were trying to get some sleep until the lights just come back on. I was getting very annoyed when I kept looking at lights down there but I didn't seem to be touching land. Finally, I reached at 1.00 a.m., thankful that I've reached Perth. Waiting for the luggage to come out was another long wait. Finally, we got back to Boon Choo's house in Duncraig which seemed like a long drive home from the airport at about 2 a.m.. Exhausted, I just wanted to sleep. And so the holiday begins...

Boon Choo had some time off for me while I was in Perth. Kah Yen (or affectionately known as Yenny) was having school holidays, and Kah Ngee a.k.a. Ah Boy was back from UK for his summer break. Her house was huge, spacious, and I was glad that I had a guest room to myself with an attached bathroom to it, making it convenient. The chairs in the living room brought back fond memories as they used to be ours back in Malaysia years ago until my Mum decided for it to go, and somehow Boon Choo had them ever since. So now it's in Perth with them, and I sure missed sitting in them.

Note the three seater and the one-seater... oh and also the coffee table, They were once ours!

(Look at the furniture behind, it's exactly the same ones)

Anyway it was good to be out of routine, not doing anything unlike just working my butt off in the pharmacy. It was a good time to just relax and just listen to what Boon Choo talks about my niece and nephews and just their life basically. It's really fun, and what's more, it was my first time that I tried on the Nintendo Wii Fit. I tried it on, and you can sweat it out man! I was excited that there were so much to do, but I was quite ashamed as I found with this game that your weight is shown and when there's people behind to look at how much you weigh... well... I'm not that proud to show it yet. There's yoga, there's aerobics, there's hula hoop, and there is a lot of other activities to unlock. If only I had a Wii...

Overall the whole trip there is really more to spend time with family more than anything. The last time I've been there was back in December 2003, and my other relatives have grown. My nieces and nephews (which are apparently called second cousins according to the Western culture, was alerted to this by Carole at work today) have really grown into their teens basically, and certainly do not look childish at all. So I felt it is important that I take this time as bonding time if they knew who I was, and not just some dude from Malaysia who's related to them and is currently working in Melbourne. Most of all, I'm there to see my favourite aunt, Tua Ee (or known as "big aunty" as she is the eldest amongst my mum and her sisters and brother). She's aged over the years since I last saw her. It pains me sometimes that she thinks of herself as ill, and she doesn't want to travel back to Malaysia simply because her doctor said that she can't go as she had had a mild stroke a few years back. I have done my best to persuade and convince her to get another doctor's opinion, yet she refuses. What irks me is I find that the doctor doesn't seem to care about her welfare as a doctor, and the doctor seems to be earning more on her acupuncture sessions. So much for patient care. I can only hope for a change. Nonetheless, I'm glad to be seeing her again.

I've spent most of my time with my cousin, as they were the ones that were taking me out most of the time. We celebrated Kah Ngee's 18th birthday at a restaurant in Hillary, and I got to see my other cousin's family at a yum cha session during the weekend. It's good to see my other nieces and nephew which I haven't seen in a while too, 'cos they have grown so much from the last time. Shopping was minimal, as I had spent quite a bit before flying to Perth. Besides, I didn't have much to carry back with me (Note: I actually exceeded my baggage allowance when I flew to Perth by 300 grams... although I have no clue what I actually brought that was heavy). Not only that, I got to do a little bit of sightseeing, especially after having a luncheon with one of Yenny's violin friend at a house in City Beach. It was supposedly a rich men's area as well, with houses going as high as three storeys. The friend's house happen to be so, with a pool at the back, a grand piano *swoons* and just space. The best bit about it is it's facing the beach/ocean, so it's a view. I do enjoy beaches, and nothing can clear headspace like the breeze and the view of the sea.

I'll be having the second part about my trip soon... to be continued...