Eat Out - Gami (Korean Fried Chicken)

Day 271
30 April 2011

Been wanting to try Gami's fried chicken for quite some time after reading about it on Urbanspoon. Its crispy fried chicken is really popular with many raving about it and it's really nice to go with beer. I don't drink and Mr Tan said it's lonely and sad to drink alone so he ordered Coke instead. No coke for me as I'm on a diet!

We got there around 7 and there was no lack of diners. After we got seated, there was a constant steam of people coming in. It's a small restaurant and needless to say, everyone was having its crispy fried chicken! We ordered rice cake, pancake and the crispy fried chicken in 2 flavours, sweet chilli and original.

I'm not a huge fan of rice cake and didn't like it after trying it in Korea but the rice cake at Obaltan totally blew me away. The sauce was so delicious that I just couldn't stop. There were 2 rice cake dishes at Gami, fried rice cake and stir-fried rice cake, and I think I ordered the wrong one. The one that I'm craving for is Tteokbokki ($12) which is a bigger serve with vegetables and fish cake but I ordered the fried rice cakes ($5) thinking that they are the same thing, but this is just rice cakes and a smaller serve. My fault for not reading the menu carefully. Fried rice cakes means they are fried, not stir-fried! Sigh. Wrong dish. Will get more people to dine with us the next time we visit so that I can try its Tteokbokki!

The seafood pancake ($12) was too oily and there wasn't much seafood in it. The excess oil made the pancake a little soggy and we ended up picking the few pieces of seafood that we could find to eat. Definitely not something we would order again.

 

The serving of the chicken ($30) was HUGE. It was impossible to finish it. Since we ordered the half-half, I "attacked" the ones tossed in sweet chilli sauce while Mr Tan "attacked" the original ones. Mr Tan didn't like it as he found the batter too thick and hard. It wasn't crispy but hard and the batter was rather bland. KFC is still the preferred choice for him. I like the sweet chilli sauce and it's amazing how the chicken pieces are still so crunchy despite being coated with the sauce. Yum! Fried chicken is just irresistible!

My Diet Plan

Day 271

Guma, Xiaogu, Godma and Mama's colleagues all said that I've put on weight. I know I've put on weight when I look at the photos that I took in NZ and Brisbane. It sucks to see my double chin, my puffy cheeks and bulging tummy. Enough is enough. I need to lose weight. I cannot be an auntie!

I started on my diet plan 2 days ago and have been keeping a close watch on the food I'm eating. I'm very very determined to lose the extra weight. I followed a video on Youtube yesterday and did 30 minutes of jumping jacks. The workout routine is 10 seconds of jumping jacks, 10 seconds of stopping and then you repeat it again and again for 10 minutes. It's recommended to do it for 20-30 minutes for twice a day, 5 times a week. I didn't sweat alot yesterday and it wasn't too tough to complete 30 minutes of it. I only had time to do the workout once before heading out to Crown with Mr Tan. I didn't think the workout had much impact. 

This morning, I woke up feeling soreness in my upper arms and calves! I've not felt this pain in ages! The last time I felt it was when I went for a kickboxing class few years ago. I'm amazed and I'm determined to keep going! I've been counting my calories intake and had not been snacking as much as before. I really hope that I'll be able to lose some weight soon. Took a break today to give my muscle and body some time to recover and will start my workout tomorrow!

Brisbane & Gold Coast - Eating & Nuaing Trip!

Day 263 - 267

22 April 2011 - 26 April 2011
Shenton, Jiaqi, Powell, Mr Tan & Gin!

22 April 2011

After bidding Papa and Mama Goh goodbye at their hotel, I went back to meet up with Jasmine, Jiaqi, Shenton and Mr Tan at our apartment before heading to the airport for our 9am flight to Brisbane. I cried all the way to the airport. I hope to see them again soon.

Our flight was delayed as the conveyor belt for the check-in baggage was not working. We had our breakfast at Hungry Jacks and it was such a lousy breakfast. Mac is still the best! We reached Brisbane airport around 11 plus and headed straight to the city. It was so quiet in the city as it was a public holiday. None of the shops were opened! Luckily Jasmine's sister pointed us to the right area for food. Everyone was starving.

We had dim sum for lunch. Apparently it was a very popular restaurant but we were lucky to get a table without having to queue. The food was average mainly because they were cold. The dim sum were put on trolleys to be pushed around but these trolleys weren't equipped with steamers so the food got cold pretty fast. Everyone was tired after the morning flight and since there was nothing much to do anyway, we went back to the hotel to get some much needed sleep. For the first time in my life, I'm staying in Hilton! Shiok! The bed was so so so comfortable.

We met up with Jiaqi's cousin and went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. Food was pretty good but the portions were really small. Her cousin was going clubbing after dinner with his friends and we, the old folks, thought of getting a drink somewhere. We found a pretty decent place for drinks but were told that they only serve drinks after 12am and we must order mains if we want to stay there for drinks. Most of the other drinking places were closed and being old folks, we found it hard to stay up till 12am. Haha. We thought we could head to the casino for some drinks and guess what? It only opens at 12am because it's Good Friday! We sat outside the casino and joined the many others who were waiting outside.

The casino is really small and the crowd wasn't particularly attractive. After trying our luck at the jackpot machines for a while, we started to feel sleepy and decided it was time to call it a day. We are really getting old! Back to the hotel to zZzZzZ...

23 April 2011

Breakfast was at The Gunshot Cafe, touted as one of the best breakfast places in Brisbane. Portions were rather small and the food was average. Both Shenton and Jiaqi commented that the ones in Melbourne were much better than this. I seldom have breakfast (as I would rather sleep more than wake up for meals) so I can't comment. Haha.

After breakfast, we headed to Southbank to take a look at the man-made beach. Sadly, part of the beach area is closed for maintenance but the whole place was still packed. Kids were playing in the beach area, adults were sunbathing on the grass, cafes and restaurants are packed and there was a market going on too. It's a nice place to hang out and people watch. We had dessert at Movenpick and it was wayyyyyy too sweet for our liking. After dessert, it was time to do what we love best. Nua! Back to the hotel to nap before dinner!

Dinner was at Obaltan - a korean restaurant just 5 mins away from Hilton. It was packed with Koreans - a good sign for authentic food. The food was really yummy! We had BBQ pork belly, chicken, pork neck, Korean rice cakes and spicy tofu seafood soup. We finished every thing and the guys were still a little hungry so we decided to go for desserts at Freestyle Tout - another place recommended by Jasmine's sister. The desserts were good, really good, although a tad expensive. $17.50 each. Jiaqi said that she was glad there isn't one in Melbourne, otherwise she would be going there everyday. Feeling full and satisfied, it was bedtime...this is so fattening!

24 April 2011

Gold Coast, here we come! We decided to go up Mount Tamborine for our breakfast. It was chilly up on the mountain and but the area was lively. We had breakfast at one of the cafes before visiting some of the attractions on the mountain. First stop was Granny Macs - a fudge shop. It's one of the most popular shops in the area and it was constantly filled with locals and tourists. As I was walking around the shop, something caught my eye. Reese peanut butter chocolates!!!! Despite the exorbitant price of $3.50 for 2 pieces, I bought 5 packs of them. I'm a happy girl, in a happy world...woohoo~

There isn't much to see and the guys were getting impatient. Bikini, legs, boobs, butts, that's all they can think of now. Haha. After another hour of driving, we finally reached their Paradise - Gold Coast! The hotel reception looks new and modern but the rooms were old and dated. The pictures on the website were deceiving. Both Jiaqi and I thought that the hotel has just been renovated but it seems like they are in the MIDST of renovating it. Damn. Thankfully we didn't intend to stay long in the rooms, we headed to the beach for some "sightseeing". Lol.

It started to drizzle as we walked along the beach and the guys were pretty disappointed at the "sights". We decided to go Harbourtown outlet for some shopping. Polo Ralph outlet was the main draw and we were so disappointed when we saw that it was closed, like many others, due to the public holiday. Sigh. Wasted trip. We planned to return, we shall not go home empty-handed!

Dinner was at Hard Rock Cafe - requested by Shenton. There was a long queue and we were told that there would be a 45 min to an hour's wait. We weren't hungry so we agreed to wait at the bar. The bartender was friendly and nice and within 15 minutes, we had a table! What should we do after dinner? Off to Jupiter!

Jupiter is the entertainment centre/casino in Gold Coast. It was packed when we got there and the atmosphere was livelier than Crown's. Something exciting happened here. An angmoh "bio" me!! Haha. No, he's not blind. No, it wasn't pitch dark in the casino. No, he wasn't drunk. He was a regular angmoh. He extended his hand to me as he walked past me. Lol. I still have some market value!

25 April 2011

Brunch was at Hakataya Ramen - recommended by Jasmine. There was a queue when we got there and everyone was hungry. There were only 4 types of ramen available and we decided to try the spicy and normal ones. The portion of the ramen was kinda little for the guys but you can ask for extra ramen at no cost. We also had the gyoza and they were good. The broth was delicious and I prefer the spicy one to the normal one.

Time to hit the beach! We found a nice spot to lie down and guess what? Jiaqi didn't want any sun and went into the shade. Lol. The sun wasn't strong and we didn't manage to get any tan. Needless to say, the guys were busy checking out the girls and concluded that it was disappointing with few hot chicks. They decided that it's a MUST for them to hit the beach again tomorrow morning, they need to make the trip worthwhile. We were walking around when I spotted something in the convenience stores. Reese peanut butter chocolates!! 2 packs for $3.50. ARGH!! Half the price of what I paid on Mount Tamborine. *ANGRY* I bought everything they had in the store!

We decided to have Teppanyaki for dinner and went to one of the more popular restaurants listed on Urbanspoon - KooKoo Japanese. It was a BIG mistake. We ordered a few starters while we waited for our seats. We ordered Tempura Prawn but they gave us tempura vegetables. We ordered sashimi and the tuna wasn't fresh. When we told the lady owner about it, she claimed that it's very very fresh as they just opened a new pack and told us to put some wasabi on it! DUH! Then we were told that the lamb isn't available for the teppanyaki, we chose snapper. Then we were told snapper isn't available too. That's it. We finished our drinks and left. Our mood was totally ruined.

We headed to Hazel Tea House and had teppanyaki and steamboat instead. Service was good, food was yummy and all of us were satisfied with the meal. Not to mention that it's much cheaper too. Since the plan was to head to the beach tomorrow morning, we decided to have an early night, but not before some Cold Rock ice cream! Fat, fat, fat!

26 April 2011

Last day in Gold Coast and we headed to the beach after breakfast. The sun was out and I finally got some tan! There were more hot chicks at the beach today and the guys were so reluctant to leave. They made a pact to come back again during summer. Are they really that deprived??? I need to lose weight and get into shape. Round is not a shape.

We headed to Harbourtown for some last minute shopping and all of us bought something, except Mr Tan. I didn't have time to shop for his as I was too busy trying on stuff. Hehe. We had to head back to the airport as Powell's flight back to Sydney was at 4pm. Our flight was at 630pm and so we had a few hours to nua again at the airport. Not sure why, but the 3 of us (Shenton, Mr Tan and I) were super tired and we fell asleep on the chair while waiting for Jasmine to meet us at the airport. She even took unglam pictures of us sleeping and posted them on FB! Idiot! I hope no one saw those pictures..

We would love to go Gold Coast again and we would skip Brisbane, unless we are going to the nearby islands. It was such a fattening trip, with so much food, so much sleeping and so much nuaing......

老爸老妈，干爹干妈 - 墨尔本之旅 (七）

Day 263

22 April 2011

I'm fying to Brisbane this morning and will be leaving for the airport at 7am. I tried to keep myself awake the whole night to make sure that I can make a trip to Papa and Mama Goh's hotel to bid them goodbye. I wrote 2 notes for them to thank them for coming. It's never easy for Papa and Mama Goh to go on holidays because they are always worried about their work but this time round, they simply dropped everything for me. They are simply the best parents that I can ever ask for.

I left the apartment around 630am and waited anxiously for a cab. I was praying very hard that the cabby will not take a longer route on purpose. My apartment is only a 10min drive and many cabbies will purposely take a longer route or feign ignorance about the location of the hotel and go in circles to earn more money on the meter. Thank goodness the cabby was nice enough to take only a slightly longer route and I was there in 10 minutes. I called Papa and Mama Goh while I was in the cab and told them to brush their teeth and meet me downstairs but they weren't there when I reached the hotel. I called them again to let them know that I was at the hotel and I needed to be back at my apartment by 7 to meet the rest of them. Waited for another 5 minutes and they were still not down. It was already 6.52am. I called them again and Papa Goh said they are already at the lift.

The goodbye...

I passed the envelope containing a card and the note to Papa and Mama Goh. I hugged Mama Goh and she was tearing. I touched her face and told her not to cry. I turned to Papa Goh and for the first time in my adult life, I hugged Papa Goh. He leaned on my shoulder and said, "We'll miss you." He teared and by now, I just couldn't control my tears anymore. Both of them were teary-eyed and it was heart-breaking to see them like this. They sent me to the taxi stand and waved goodbye. I couldn't stop crying on my way back. The tears just couldn't stop flowing.

I know both of them will go back to SG worrying about me. Life here isn't a bed of roses but every step, every success, every mistake, is a learning experience and I treasure the experience. I just hope that they'll worry less about me and take good care of themselves. 

You've taught me all I need to know to be a morally upright person, 
You've showered me with all the love I need to care and love others,
You've provided me with all that I ever need to succeed in life. 
You're always there to support me when I fail, 
You're always there to share my joy when I succeed, 
You're always there for me no matter what happens. 
You've never asked for anything in return except for us to have a good and happy life. You're the best parents that I can ever ask for. 

Now that I've grown up, I just want to be there for you when you need me...
Thank you for everything, Papa and Mama Goh..
I love you..

老爸老妈，干爹干妈 - 墨尔本之旅 (六）

Day 262

21 April 2011

Last day with Papa and Mama Goh...wanted to rent a car but all the cars were out for the long weekend, blame it on my last minute planning. Papa and Mama Goh wanted to return to DFO today to buy Superdry for Bro. Godpa and Godma decided to give it a miss, perhaps it's to give us some time to be alone. :)

Papa Goh bought a pair of Puma shoes and 2 T-shirts while Mama Goh bought 2 Puma tops too. Finally they bought something for themselves! Then it was off to Superdry. They basically bought every single design that was available in Bro's size! Where can one find such wonderful parents?? We only had 2 hours here as we were meeting Godpa and Godma at Pacific House for lunch. We were supposed to meet at 130pm but we were late and only managed to reach around 215pm. Too much time was spent buying stuff for Bro! See how much they love u, Bro!! Be nice to them!!

After lunch, we walked over to QV for some last minute shopping. Chocolates, sweets, more bottles of Lanolin cream and nuts. I brought them to Max Brenner for some hot chocolate and Mama Goh gasped when she saw the prices. I ordered Suckao, Hot chocolate, Tutti-Frutti Waffles and ice cream for them to try. Godpa and Godma didn't drink or eat much as they found it too heaty. Mama Goh ate quite a bit and Papa Goh finished everything! Chocolate overdose! Luckily there's still a bottle of Tiger Beer in his fridge. We went back to the hotel to rest while Godpa and Godma headed to Crown.

Dinner tonight was at Red Emperor and the service was top notch. Food is a little more expensive but the quality of the food was also much better. I should have brought them here earlier and Papa Goh would probably be much happier with his stay. While we were having dinner, it started to rain and it was freezing cold when we walked to Crown after dinner. Super duper cold! We stayed at Crown until it was almost 2am before I sent Papa and Mama Goh to the taxi stand. We didn't really have the chance to say goodbye and I could see Mama Goh tearing as she boarded the taxi. I felt so lousy as we walked home and I couldn't stop the tears from flowing down. I'm flying off to Brisbane tomorrow morning and I won't be able to see them off at the airport. I'm going to miss them so so so so much. I decided to make a trip to their hotel tomorrow morning to say goodbye to them..

老爸老妈，干爹干妈 - 墨尔本之旅 (五）

Day 261

20 April 2011

2nd last day with Papa and Mama Goh in Melbourne. Today I brought them to walk along Swanston St and see if there are any souvenirs they would like to pick up. Papa Goh bought a couple of hats as gifts for his friends and Godpa and Godma bought them too. Apparently these hats are very handy during rainy days!

I made an appointment to have lunch at Hutong at 130pm. Got a call from them to say we can go there earlier as there was a table available and we were allocated a big and spacious table. 2 thumbs up! We ordered Xiao Long Bao, Chives Dumplings, Money Bags, Prawn Dumplings, Shanghai Fried Rice Cake, Honey and Pepper Pork Ribs and Hot and Sour Soup. Godpa commented that the food is not too bad and as usual, nothing was heard from Papa Goh. Haha. None of the food so far came even close to his standard. 

 

 

 

 

After the meal, we took a cab to DFO. Mama Goh was browsing the stuff in the souvenir shop and couldn't bring herself to buy anything due to the inferior quality of the products. Hopefully she can find something at DFO. Because there were 5 of us, it was difficult to get a cab, we needed the huge cab and because it was so near to the city, not all cabbies want to take us. The cabby who took us was rather reluctant and Papa and Mama Goh were shocked to see how fast the meter was jumping! Haha. It was such a short distance but it cost 20 bucks!

We walked for less than 15 minutes and I could see that Godpa was bored. He needs his excitement! He didn't need much persuasion before he headed for Crown. Godma stayed with us but it was so obvious that her heart wasn't here! She kept worrying about Godpa, whether he took a drink or had something to eat etc. She was nagging so much that Papa Goh couldn't stand it and he ignored her on a few instances! SO RUDE! I complained to Mama Goh and she said she'll handle it. Haha.

After a few hours of shopping, Godma bought a pair of Puma shoes, Mama Goh and Papa Goh bought a couple of Superdry stuff for Bro, Ah Jie, Mei, Mr Tan and myself! Yeah! Mama Goh was so tired that we decided to leave for my place. Papa Goh needed the toilet urgently. We decided to take the tram without validating the tickets since it was only 2 stops away. They were so afraid of being caught!

We had Krispy Creme, coffee and some rest before heading out for dinner but first, to Crown to pick up Godpa. Tonight's dinner was at Shark Fin Inn and the waiter who was serving our table was cute! We had Watercress Soup, Peking Duck, Tofu and Seafood Claypot, Scallops with Mushrooms and Vegetables and Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet. Almost everything was too salty and for $160, I was really hoping for something better. Although none of the food met any of Papa Goh's standards, I must say he has been very very nice during the entire trip. He always kept a smiling face during the meals and ate most of the stuff. I guess it's all because of me! Hehe.

We parted ways after dinner and I'm not sure if Godpa's heading back to Crown but I know Papa and Mama Goh will probably be too tired, especially Mama Goh. But they called just now to say that they want to return to DFO tomorrow to buy Superdry stuff for Bro, that idiot! He actually said, "It is so rare for Papa and Mama Goh to go overseas, they must buy more stuff for me." He's such an idiot!!! But I'm so going to miss Papa and Mama Goh...I want to go home with them...

老爸老妈，干爹干妈 - 墨尔本之旅 (四）

Day 260

19 April 2011

 

Time flies. Today's already the 4th day that they're here and I only have 2 more days with them. I'm going to miss them so much. After yesterday's super tiring tour to Phillip Island, they set off for the Great Ocean Road today. Mama Goh is afraid of beaches, seas and oceans and I can imagine how scary today's tour will be for her. The tour will probably end around 9 plus and I told them that I would meet them to bring them for dinner or supper. Papa Goh needs his food!

Mr Tan has been complaining about his hair and we headed to Sui this evening for his haircut. As this is a Korean/Japanese salon, you can imagine how his hair will turn out. Haha. It's a refreshing change and I immediately sent picture of his new haircut to Jasmine, Jiaqi, Shenton and Bro, with the caption, "The hottest Korean Star". The 2 Js couldn't stop laughing but the other 2 complimented him on his new look! Haha. Shenton actually said, "Compare this with the old 90's centre parting, this is so much better." I agree with him totally but it might not last long as he needs to style it in the morning and I doubt he'll have the patience to do it. Had dinner at Meshiya @ QV while we waited in the city for them to return. Saw a promo pack of Asian beer, 8 bottles for $10! Super cheap! Grabbed it for Papa Goh immediately. Also bought some Aussie beer from Dan Murphy's for Papa Goh to try. (Btw, I thought Mr Tan looks abit like Da Da after his haircut :) )

We waited and waited and waited and finally got a call from them at 9pm to say that they are back! Yippie! Told Mr Tan to go home first but he insisted on accompanying me. :) We went to their hotel to wait for them and it was another 30 minute wait. They were finally ready around 10pm. Godpa told us that he might have lost his handphone yesterday and we quickly called Singtel to terminate his line for the time being. 

We headed to Pacific House for a late dinner. Wanted to order some char siew for Papa Goh but it was already sold out for the day. In the end, we ordered fried rice, dumplings noodles, roasted pork rice and vegetables. The portions were quite large and although Mr Tan and I had already eaten, we were "forced" to help with the food. No prizesfor guessing the final destination. Yes, we headed to Crown. Godpa was so eager to hit the jackpot again! We accompanied them for an hour or so before Papa and Mama Goh decided to call it a day. It has been a super long day for Mr Tan and I really appreciate him making the effort to keep them company. 2 more days with Papa and Mama Goh and they'll be returning home. I'm so going to miss them....

老爸老妈，干爹干妈 - 墨尔本之旅 (三）

Day 259

18 April 2011

Papa and Mama Goh went for the Phillip Island Tour today. They left the hotel at 7 plus in the morning and they are still not back yet! I bet they are totally exhausted. Spoke to Mama Goh a couple of times today and she said that it's tiring.

I called the hotel this afternoon to request for a change of room because they spotted bugs in their room. The duty manager was very nice about the whole incident and told me that he does need to speak to Papa and Mama Goh personally tonight to process the request. I'm kinda worried about Papa and Mama Goh but they told me not to go to their hotel as it's late.

I wonder if they had any Chinese food today. Papa Goh needs his daily dosage of rice. They are going on the Great Ocean Road tour tomorrow and I can imagine how tired they are going to be. 2 tours back to back, not a good idea at all. If only they had allowed me to plan the trip for them. Sigh.

老爸老妈，干爹干妈 - 墨尔本之旅 (二）

Day 258

17th April 2011

Booked a car late last night with Europcar and got a shock this morning when I went to collect it. "I'm sorry, we have no record of your reservation." WTF?! Mr Tan thought that they probably overlooked my booking and didn't arrange for any car, so they claimed that they have no record of my reservation. Hopped over to Budget but they don't have any car available too! ARGH! Called Thrifty and thankfully, they have one available! But the pickup location is in the city. Mr Tan had to work today so I told him not to accompany me but I was really glad that he insisted on accompanying me to pick up the car because the worst is yet to come. 

There was a run this morning and the road linking my area to the city was CLOSED. There was no way that I could get into the city! ROAR!!! Our usual tram wasn't running and we took a cab, hoping that it would get us there. The irritating cabby took a few turns and then told us to get off because he didn't want to get caught in a jam and we still had to pay him for that journey. He earned $8.80 for NOT getting us to the destination!! I was FUMING MAD!!! MAD!!! MAD!!!! Not to mention that having 4 seniors waiting for me at the hotel set me into a panic mode. Luckily Mr Tan was there to calm my nerves, otherwise I would be totally lost about what to do. In the end, we had to walk almost 30 minutes to get to the city. We finally managed to get the car at 11am, I'm an hour late.....What a way to start the morning. 
Thank you, Mr Tan. :) You saved the day!

 

First stop of the day was Queen Victoria Market. It was very crowded today as there was an event at the market - La Plaza del Mercado, a Latin American celebration. There were plenty of food stalls, loud music blasting from the speakers and even stage performances. Godma loves hats, she bought 2 today! She couldn't stop shopping, haha. I think I will be bringing her back there on Thursday to shop. The minute we stepped into the seafood and meat area, Mama Goh immediately turned to Mr Tan and asked, "这里是什么地方？" and Papa Goh took out his fave 风油 and started applying. LOL. 

Because of Godma's shopping, we were late for our lunch appointment with Mrs Ong, Godma and Godpa's regular customer at Lagoon. Papa Goh couldn't eat anything as he was having vegetarian food today and he missed out on Pacific House's yummy roasted duck, char siew and roasted pork! The bill came up to about $110 and Papa Goh paid for it. He deemed it to be very expensive, especially when it isn't a fancy restaurant and we mostly had simple fare. Well, everything is expensive here and most of the time, you aren't paying for better quality goods. You are made to pay more because of the inefficient, rude and black faced service staff. Absolutely hate these people for ruining the meal. The staff at Pacific House today were terrible, terrible. For the same amount, you can certainly get better food and service in SG.

Richmond isn't the nicest place to shop but I thought it might be interesting for them to see "Little Vietnam" but I couldn't be more wrong. Papa Goh was totally turned off by the lack of cleanliness and he kept rubbing 风油. I'm very certain that after this trip, they will NEVER want to visit Australia ever again. I asked Papa and Mama Goh and both of them confirmed that statement without any hesitation. Papa Goh couldn't stop complaning about how old and dirty the whole place looks and the lack of good food. He said he would rather visit Guangzhou than come here again, unless I'm still here. He'll come here for me. Awww...so sweet! :) 

Godpa saw a very nice crab and he wanted to cook Chilli Crab for me tonight! Sadly, the crab was bought by another lady while he went to search for chilli and tomato sauce. My Godpa is so cute! All the can think of is cooking for me! I brought them to Victoria Gardens for some retail therapy but needless to say, nothing caught their eye. Godpa did buy 2 pencil cases for his granddaughters though and Papa Goh bought a gift for Guma! If only Guma was here too...I miss her so much...

I could see that Papa and Mama Goh were tired but Godpa was all ready to hit the jackpots again so I dropped Godpa and Godma at the casino before sending Papa and Mama Goh back to the hotel to shower and get some rest. The plan was to head to the casino at a later time and have dinner with Papa Goh after 11pm. I bought KFC for Mr Tan who came home after QV market as he had work to do. By the time I reached home, I was exhausted but was glad that Papa and Mama Goh could get some rest.

After the short rest, Mr Tan offered to accompany me for the rest of the night. We picked Papa and Mama Goh at 9pm and headed to Woolworths so that Papa Goh can buy some biscuits and snacks for the long trips tomorrow and the day after. They ended up buying lots of Tim Tam and chocolates to bring back as gifts! I also bought a Pre-paid SIM so that he could make overseas call and I can reach him for the next 2 days. In case they are back early from the trips, I can bring them for dinner or supper. We finally had dinner with Papa and Mama Goh at 11pm and sent them back to their hotel around 12. I'm TOTALLY EXHAUSTED. I hope the next 2 days will not be too tiring for Papa and Mama Goh as they are doing the Phillip Island and Great Ocean Road tours. Will try to see them at the hotel tomorrow night! Love them so much! Muack!

老爸老妈，干爹干妈 - 墨尔本之旅 (一）

Day 257

16 April 2011 - Saturday

What an eventful first day!

1. Flight was delayed for half an hour
2. Airport was super busy today and only managed to clear immigration and customs after an hour
3. Airport pickup was LATE for an hour!!! This has to be the worse agency. Lied about being at the airport, got them to wait at Zone 5 and then said will be there in 10 mins but only arrived after 45 minutes. I thought the pickup was supposed to be waiting at the airport when they arrived!!! I was super pissed as we woke up early and waited at the hotel lobby since 930am. They finally reached the hotel at 12pm!!! We waited for 3 hours!!!! ROAR!!!

 

But I finally got to meet Papa and Mama Goh! Really happy to see them and Godma said I've put on weight. Sadddddddd.....I really really need to lose weight! I need to start skipping again. Mama Goh and Godma looked so tired, it's never easy to take a night flight and not to mention the stupid long wait at the airport. Brought them around Chinatown and needless to say, they were like, "This is it?" Haha. 

Went Shark Fin House for yum cha and because we went around 1, the trolleys were few and slow. I ordered my Chee Cheong Fun 3 times but it still didn't arrive. 3 times! Can you imagine asking for it from 3 different wait staff but none of them actually made the effort to check it or order it for me??? Seriously, it was a very disappointing yum cha session. 

Godma wanted to buy Lanolin Cream and we went Woolworths to shop. Both Godma and Mama Goh bought 10 bottles at one shot. Godpa walked around and saw lobsters! He decided to buy them for tonight's dinner. I had originally booked a table at Red Emperor for dinner but he suggested having lobster for dinner instead. How can I resist lobster? Been ages since I had lobster! Well, I shall postpone Red Emperor to next week instead....Lobster, lobster, lobster....Godpa also bought prawns, onions, lettuce, avocado etc..He planned to cook lobster salad, onion egg and prawns for dinner.

After shopping, I brought them back to the hotel to take a nap. It's also time for me to run to Woolworths to stock up on other food for their visit tonight. Knowing Mr Tan and Papa Goh, there certainly isn't enough food for them. I brought broccoli, fish fillet, chicken fillets and wine. They took a cab to my place around 630 and they actually managed to get here safely! They brought lots of stuff with them, the many many packets of 统一鲍鱼鸡汤快熟面 - Mr Tan 的最爱. My precious 姑妈 and 小姑 also bought medicine and sweets for us. So much love from everyone once again! I love all of you! You are the BEST!

 

 

The first thing Mama Goh said was, "Huh? Your kitchen is next to your living room ah?" Welcome to a one-bedroom apartment, Mama Goh. Mr Tan went on to tell them that I only cleaned the balcony last week because they are coming. Well, I admit it. I cleaned it for them because why clean the balcony when there's no one to appreciate it?! It's important that we do everything with a clear objective so that we don't waste time, resources and effort! 

Godpa started to cook and gave me lots of tips on how to cook onion egg, prepare the prawns and even wash the wok! It's really nice to see them today and I'm so touched that they flew all the way here just to spend time with me. I love the lobster to bits. It was delicious! Yum Yum Yum! It was a really good buy! Godpa didn't cook any of the stuff that I bought as he thought that there was enough food. I was abit paiseh to suggest that he cook more although I know very well that the food is not enough for Papa Goh and Mr Tan. (Mr Tan is having his supper now)

 

After the delicious meal and a few rounds of drinks, it was time to head to Godpa's fave place, Crown Casino. We could see his eyes lit up the minute he stepped into the casino. He wasted no time and started playing jackpot. Papa and Mama Goh also gambled a little but one could tell that Papa and Mama Goh aren't gamblers. Papa Goh was so careful with his money, betting 1cent per game on the jackpot. Mr Tan also played on a few machines and was losing money until we found this super Lucky machine. We actually won $63.55 from it! It was such a lucky machine that many others who were playing on it after us won money too. We went back for a 2nd time using the $3.55 that couldn't be cashed from the machine and we won another $6.45 to make it $10! Then we went back a 3rd time with the $8 that Papa and Mama Goh won but sadly, I lost all of it but Mr Tan played on the other machine that we played earlier on and won another $35! I tried to win back Papa and Mama Goh's money with my own $10 but lost it too and we decided to stop. Better take your winnings and run! Haha. Papa and Mama Goh were tired and wanted to return to the hotel first to rest while Godpa and Godma stayed on.

 

 

Seeing them makes me really happy, I just can't stop smiling! Thank you Papa and Mama Goh. Thank you Godpa and Godma. I feel so loved! :) And of course, thank you Mr Tan! Thank you for sacrificing your precious rest time to accompany them!