The weather here really fluctuates drastically. Mum was expecting temperatures of up to 30C but when we touched down it was 8C. Around noon it went up to 25C. I watched My Sister's Keeper and Time Traveller's Wife on the plane. My Sister's Keeper was good, though the ending was changed. I suppose it was easier to do the story without the twist at the end. Time Traveller's Wife was a bit boring. At the airport in the morning, this man won a Mickey Mouse cushion which he didn't want because it looked 不好看 on him, so he gave the cushion to Rachel. I'm sharing a bed with Gran. The place we live in is called Cafe Carousel.
Slept the whole morning then went to Westfields Carousel. Bought groceries at Woolworths and shopped for a while. We ate dinner at a Chinese restaurant.
Maybe it's me just being paranoid, but I'm really scared on the flapping window shade. The wind kept blowing and the shade kept flapping. The bathroom window is made of frosted glass, and over that, on the outside, is the shade. I can't see anything beyond the shade at night, just a great big blackness, but the shade kept lifting and exposing me to the great big blackness, and made me feel watched and very uncomfortable. I kept fearing that some serial rapist killer was watching me. (This is why I don't do good with shows like Disturbia.) Freakiest, scariest bath ever. This was a large window, ground level and thus extremely accessible to any potential rapist killer. I do enjoy long baths in bathtubs, and home only has a shower. I only take the pleasure of long baths whilst on holiday. But I think this time I shall just stick to the shower. It's too scary to stay in there for long. pity.
Side note: The lighting in my room isn't good so I'm not writing in good light.
Situational irony: I'm supposed to study Chinese in good light and the only well-lit room in this place is the bathroom.
Notes for my future bathroom:
-1 small window/no window
-4 walls must be fully opaque. Not even translucent.
-Door to shower translucent.
-Opaque main bathroom door with ventilation hole on top
-No curtains, shower or window. Shower will have a door instead.
-Bright lighting. Nothing dim or shadowy
-Turquoise theme with seashells
31 Oct '09
We had sausages, omelette, blue cheese toast, and cinnamon doughnuts for breakfast. Mum fell and sprained her toe so she now has to use a walking stick. An interesting fact: Roquefort roaring 40s blue cheese is not only cheese and mould. It also comes with little gnat-like creatures which live inside, which we also eat. They stay alive unless cooked, so we have living creatures in our fridge. So Dad says.
We went to Fremantle Markets. Dan & Rachel got boomerangs and the friendly shopkeeper named Wayne taught them how to spin boomerangs when there is wind: Face the direction of wind directly, then turn at a two o' clock angle and throw it. It should come back. We bought various things there. Dad got his leather belts, and some live yabbies which were pretty cool. I got some cheese flavoured twister potato thing which tasted really good. It wasn't crispy though, more of firm but soft flavoured potato slices twisted round a stick. And before that, we had ice cream. Dan had 2 scoops of bubblegum, Rachel had boysenberry & macadamia, and I decided to try their award winning ice creams - 1 scoops of english chocolate toffee and pecan, and 1 scoop of chocolate nougat. Both were delicious.
We ate pies for lunch. I had beef and mushroom pie with hot chocolate. Then we shopped some more before going to E shed. Got T shirts and pencil cases there.
Then we went to Cicerello's for dinner. We ate fish & chips & squid & scallops & mussels (I didn't eat the scallops and mussels). Then we did a bit of walking before heading back. It was rather chilly in the evening cos of the strong winds.
1 Nov '09
We went to Subiako Pavillion but it was closed, so we went to Subiako Station Markets. Bought some vegetables and pasta. The spring onions were so huge they looked like leeks!
Then we went to Miss Maud's for lunch. There wasn't any roast ham so Mum & Dad decided to just eat pies and come back for the smorgasboard another time.
After lunch, we went to an army surplus store. Mum wanted to get a manicure set in a swiss army form but there wasn't any. Dad got some leather polish thing. The store sold some really cool LOTR sword models. Arwen's Sword (Hadhafang) was really pretty. It's got a gold vine pattern with gold engraved Elvish at the side.
We had 1.5h left till 5pm so we went to HarbourFront. Walked around in Converse for a while then spent the rest of the time in Nike. There's a CityBeach haha. Then we went to IGA (Dad originally heard RJ from the person he asked) to get groceries. Mum & Dad cooked beef, lamb, and Chinese-style pasta for dinner.
2 Nov '09
The sky is cloudless. It's 10.30am as I write this and we just witnessed an old man courting and kissing a young lady in the carpark. Mum's watching them closely. She thinks the lady is his mistress.
Continued at 9.35pm: I forgot to say I started learning how to crotchet yesterday. Anyway, we went strawberry picking in the morning. Picked 3x250g ($9 worth) of strawberries, and Gran got 1 more punnet for $5. Then we went to this Drover's place (stumbled upon it) and bought lots of seafood and meat. The seafood section had huge Alaskan King crabs which Mum & Dad wanted to get. They only last up to 18h though, and Mum & Dad didn't cook tonight, so we didn't get it. We'll be back for it. There were also these bright electric blue lobster-like creatures called electric blue marrons, which were pretty cool. The really big blue ones look painted, but it's actually their natural colour. The smaller ones were maroon. 1 marron was turning blue but it wasn't a bright electric blue yet. I thus conclude that marrons are marron when young and slowly turn blue as they age, the way pink dolphins turn from grey to pink.
Then we went to another Westfields. I had exactly the same fish & chips for lunch as in the previous Westfields. Then we shopped around, mainly at the Big W and Woolworths.
Then we went to Lake Monger. There used to be many swans before but now there are only a couple and too many seagulls. Loads of mandarin ducks too. I saw a mandarin drake. We fed all the birds, but I bet those darty seagulls snatched most of the bread. One duck stole a whole slice of bread from me. A couple of ducks also walked on my feet. We tried flying kites but the wind was temperamental so the kites would soar one moment and drop the next. Dan's boomerang got stuck in a tree but luckily Dad finally got it out. The place became too dark and fly infested (but nothing will beat Boshack from the P6 MGS Perth trip), so we went for dinner. We ate at the same Chinese restaurant as before. Their salt & pepper squid is very good.
3 Nov '09
Today we woke up extra early at 5.45am to eat breakfast before going to Hillary's Boat Harbour to go whale watching with MillsCharter. We were really lucky today. Saw a mother & calf, and some pods. 1 pod had as many as 7-8 whales! There was even a breaching whale but that was quite far away. Still, you don't often see whales jump. A calf came in pretty proximal to our boat, Aussie Warrior.
Ate a beef & cheef pie for lunch. It was very hot today. We didn't need our jackets at sea, and shore was burning. Afterwards we went to Karrinyap (spelling?) for Mum & Dad & Gran to eat lunch. Then we went shopping. I got this flowery black sundress which was really pretty. Can you imagine, Gran commented that it was below the knee and "so old-fashioned". Hahaha. Then we went home.
Mum & Dad are cooking again. Tonight it's seafood and pasta. Dad just plopped the yabbies in the boiling pot. They were crawling and scrabbling in their styrofoam box just now; it sounded like they were squeaking. We're also having fish, scallops and squid rings. Poor yabbies. They remind me of Homer & Pinchy.
4 Nov '09
We started off extra late today. Went to Swan Valley visitor's centre first. Passed by a small jail and went into a pottery shop to look at some clayworks. There was a clay dog that looked just like a gourd from Veggie Tales with dog ears. There were also these adorable clay cats and some clay mice and fish candle holders which were really cute. The fish had thick lips and an expression which reminded me of the toad from Flushed Away.
We then spent quite some time finding the Margaret River Chocolate Company, loaded up on free samples, and left (as is our ritual everytime we go to Perth).
Then we went to Cape Lavender. Ate nachos for lunch, then lavender ice cream for dessert. Well, it was an experience, but I felt like I was eating a bar of lavender-scented soap. The lavender-mint taste was too strong. Then we went to Oggies for more ice cream. It had bright highlighter green mint chocolate chip ice cream. Shared a mixed cone of cookies and apple pie ice cream with Mum. Apple pie was good. I still like Fremantle's award winning ice cream best though. Thanks to the blastedly scorching heat, I got a headache and didn't feel like finishing my ice cream so Dad finished it.
We all fell asleep in the car on the way to a little empty-ish (in terms of people, not items) furniture shop. Then we went on an Aboriginal art shop. The dotty cups were rather pretty. Dad found an axe with tiger shark teeth attached so he gently scratched all of us with it so we'd experience the sharpness of the teeth. Mildly painful. And the secret ingredient in the glue they used on the axe? Kangaroo poo. Hahaha. Roo poo is sticky goo. Mum & Gran were looking through scarfs, Dad & Dan were looking at spears, and Rach & I were reading. The stunned emu books were so cute - full of baby emus.
I fell asleep in the car again. Stayed in the car to sleep while everyone else went to a fishing shop. Then we went to Woolworths in yet another Westfields and went home for Mum & Dad to cook dinner. Chicken + veggies + leftovers.
5 Nov '09
We got up early to go brine fishing. In the end, Mum & Dad caught 5 pufferfish and that was it. Then we ate lunch at a jap place in HarbourTown and spent the rest of the day shopping there and in Karsinyup.
6 Nov '09
Happy birthday Dad! Happy anniversary Mum & Dad!
We were planning to go on the torchlight tours of Fremantle Prison but they were fully booked so we couldn't. We went to the Eshed markets. Did the photo studio dress up thing at Giggle Gum something. We were all fairies and Dan was some elf moth creature. We took individual shots, a kids shot, and a whole family shot. After all that, we had lunch, then went to the Maritime Museum. Rushed to the Shipwreck Gallery at 4.30pm (it closed at 5pm) then went to the Fremantle Markets. we had that nice tornado potato thing again. Then we had dinner at Kaili's. Learnt from Cicerello's and didn't overorder this time.
7 Nov '09
Today we went to the Kallamunda Village Markets. It's this market that only opens on the first Saturday of each month and sells various craft things. There were also plants and food. Mum & Dad bought some herb plants. Then there were these "chooks" which are invariably a piece of foam sponge on a piece of string attached to a plastic cup with a chicken face drawn on it. You wet the sponge and tug on the string and it sounds like a chicken. So we got these ridiculously simple toys at 3 for $5. It's quite fun la.
Mum & Dad also got this pretty tablecloth from South Africa. It's got handpainted bright yellow sunflowers on a cobalt blue base, and is painted with this special fabric paint so it's machine washable, doesn't absorb liquids, and doesn't peel either. Mum says it's really good cos it's like this giant painting for $50, and some Aboriginal art can go up to $1500 for a tiny painting.
We had cheese bratwursts for lunch. We shopped for a while more then went to Ikea, which has 30cent ice cream kiddy cones. Then we went home. Ate lasagna for dinner while Mum & Dad went out to celebrate their anniversary and Dad's birthday.
8 Nov '09
Today we went to an art market - Perth Central Market. Then we had another bratwurst hotdog lunch before going to Caversham Wildlife Park. It was awfully sunny. The llama wasn't there so I didn't get sneezed on:) (Sidenote that llamas always sneeze on me when I feed them so I have this dislike for going near llamas now) One kangaroo spontaneously kissed Gran! And a kid (as in baby goat) jumped on me and bit my tummy (but not too hard). Tumblegum farm has moved inside Caversham so we watched the show and milked the cow. Dad cracked the whip and Rachel fed a kid.
There was an interesting presentation on Miki the 30 year old eagle. The average lifespan of a wild eagle is only 4 years. The first eagle chick to hatch will push its brothers and sisters out of the nest, then they must learn to fly, which is simply jumping out of the nest and flapping, so not all of them survive that. All the hardships come in the first 4 years of life, after which they can live up to 70 years old. They're not so good at hunting, so they feed on roadkill. As they are very territorial, they will stand firm in front of the corpse without budging an inch as they face oncoming cars, so many become roadkill themselves. They weigh 4-5kg, heavy for a bird of flight. They have excellent eyesight, with the ability to read newspaper print from 1km away. They also stay as mates and partners for life:) The younger ones hang around in groups till they find a mate.
Anyway, then we went to Drover's market for the crabs, then IGA. Had champagne crab for dinner with prawns and squid rings.
9 Nov' 09
We went to AQWA then Westfields. These are interesting facts from AQWA:
Jellyfish are 95% water and have no bones, brains, heart or eyes.
Gloomy octopi have blue blood, 3 hearts, and a doughnut shaped brain.
Corals are the largest living structures on Earth.
Anemone fish are 1 of the few fish who protect their eggs.
By grinding teeth when annoyed, "old wives" fish make a grumbling sound that reminded fisherman of their wives.
There is no safe way to handle a cone shell as their snout can extend to the full length of their boy. No antidote available.
An octupus' throat goes through its brain into its stomach.
Tetrodoxin is poison found in pufferfish, bowfish and blue ringed octopi.
A blue ringed octopus holds enough venom to kill 10 people.
Stonefish can survive for up to 4h.
Western rock lobsters taste with their feet.
Dolphins can't smeel. They don't breath automatically and must stay partially awake to keep breathing. Half their brain is always awake and 1 eye stays open when "sleeping". They are Cetacea, have more teeth than any other mammal, but can't chew.
Humpback whales have the largest side fins of any whale, up to 5m. Girls are bigger than boys. Their bumps are called tubercules, the pattern of which is unique to each whale.
Whales, dolphins and dugongs mate in the water. Most seals mate ashore.
Whale & dolphins' skin feels spongy.
Humpback whales are named for the distinctive hump that shows when they arch their back to dive.
The largest toothed whale is the sperm whale at 18m, the smallest is the dwarf sperm whale at 2.7m.
Orcas are the second largest of toothed whales, at up to 9m.
10 Nov '09
Today we went to SciTech. Their Whodunnit is gone:( So is their giant hamster wheel (but then again, that playground is for 3-7 year olds). At least the drawing thing is still there. They now have this new hang gliding thing which is really hard to control. There was this interesting brain talk. And Horizon planetarium is waaay cool. The lady gave a very interesting talk about our solar system. I wonder though, how people how that there are billions of galaxies besides ours. Or what the Milky Way galaxy actually looks like. (How do they get all those photos?)
Anyway. then we went to HarbourFront then to Big Bowl Noodle. They truly had humongous bowls, twice the servings of that in Singapore. Nothing like a hot bowl of noodle soup on a chilly night.
11 Nov '09
In the morning, we went to Yanchep National Park. We visited the wildflower gardens, saw some koalas and cockatoos. Then we went for an interesting tour through Crystal Cave. It was 17C, naturally air conditioned. Then we went to Lakeside. In the evening, we went to the torchlight tour at Fremantle's Prison. It was really cool and interesting. The guide showed us some photos and said that light orbs are spirits which come to suck out human life. I wonder what they really are.
12 Nov '09
We went to Glosnell's Station Markets, then the Perth mint, then a shopping centre.
13 Nov '09
We went to Eshed to pick up our photos, then to Shipwreck Gallery, then Fremantle Market. Had the gourmet ice cream again. Honeycomb crunch is also good.
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