Song of the Day: Nat King Cole - Unforgettable
It has been 1 week of heady fun, fun and fun activities non-stop either in Brissy or Gold Coast with my wonderful friends. As a consequence of the incessant running around coupled with the burning hot sun of the Sunshine State, yours truly has unfortunately fell sick with flu and cough. After 2 days of recuperating at home, I figure it’s time to finally blog about the past 1 week before my notorious amnesiac memory decides to rear its ugly head. Well, here goes. Warning: A terribly long entry ahead. Read on only if you’ve got time to spare. Hehe.
Day 1
Day 1 was officially Tuesday when the Sydney guys Group A (Amrit, Choi, Vicki and Eng Leong) and Adelaide gang (Melissa and Taya) were arriving in Brissy to spend the night. Eng Kiat from Melbourne was supposedly scheduled to arrive in Brissy on the night before but you see, that fella missed his flight. And the funniest thing was, I actually called him before he was coming to check whether he got my address in hand and he even requested for food to be served when he come. To my astonishment, he called minutes later telling me that he missed his flight. Oh man, EK, EK! I couldn’t help but laugh at his predicament.
Anyway, our adventure began at Roma Street Station when I went to pick the Sydney guys Group A up. We hugged as we haven’t seen each other for about 2 years. How time flies but our friendship will never die, eh? They brought me Krispy Kreme donuts of which were heavenly. Thanks guys! Since it was still early and the Adelaide guys were scheduled to arrive only a couple of hours later, we decided to head back to my place to drop the luggages. We walked a couple of blocks to Queen Street to catch the bus home. But being their typical selves, the guys couldn’t resist teasing and taunting me every time they saw me. This time, they picked on the subject that Brissy is so KL-ish. They claimed that I have left Malaysia only to come to a mock Malaysia. Ish! When they reached my unit at St Lucia, they said that the entrance looks like some “kandang lembu” gate. If you didn’t already know, they teased the girls from Ipoh when we were in KDU, cows. Sigh. The guys were also excited to see bougainvillea and hibiscus plants on my apartment property. And the worst of all, they got overly enthusiastic when they saw a banana tree here in Brissy. Apparently, it’s their first time seeing such “rare” plant in Aussie-land. Oh my God!
Anyway, I think I have digressed a little. We went back to Roma Street Station to pick up Melissa and Taya before heading back to my place again to drop the luggages. Now with Taya along, the brunt of the jokes and teases was all about how Brissy reminds them of Malaysia. Sigh. I brought them all to the nearby Thai restaurant to have the “famous” Golden Fish meal of which they said was good and cheap. After that, we head to the City Cat to catch the ferry to the city. Vicki, stop teasing me about the way I run ya. Ish. I thought we were gonna miss the darn ferry mah!
So, we’re in Queen Street for our 1st stop of the day. The Brissy=Malaysia debate got worst when they saw the Treasury Casino. According to everyone else, the casino building looks like the railway station back in KL. Alamak. Marah-nya aku! Anyway, we were walking around Queen Street when some guys needed to fill their caffeine fix. So, we went to Starbucks. Later, we head to Roma Street Parklands for some cam-whoring opportunities. Unfortunately, the main park was closed but it still didn’t stop us from taking pictures.
So, the day was getting late but EK was supposed to arrive about 9ish pm. Remember he missed his flight on the previous day? I brought the guys over the river to South Bank and when I suggested we go watch Hairspray, the guys were all up for it. So, Hairspray here we come! You should watch the movie if you’re a fan of Grease. The songs are great, the voices are fantastic and Zac Efron is so cute! But nonetheless, I only watched the movie halfway as EK had reached earlier than expected so Choi and I went off to get him. That poor fella was waiting for us at the Conrad Hotel for about 20 minutes. Sorry, EK! My bad for watching movie without you! Hehe. Earlier, we planned to eat at the Satay Club but the place was closed when we got there. So, we headed home to order pizza for our dinner. Needless to say, the house was a ruckus what with 11 people contained in a moderately small apartment. After pizza, a few of us played tai-tee and bridge while others decided to invade my bedroom. About 2.00am, we decided to call it a night. After all, I do have classes the next day.
Day 2
I couldn’t sleep the whole night so when I woke up, I was feeling groggy and out-of-sync. I remembered Taya and Vicki complaining about the morning sun shining through at 6.45am. My housemates were all gone for classes so we had the whole house to ourselves. I spent the first half of the morning packing for Gold Coast while the rest went venturing the neighbourhood in search of breakfast. About 12pm, we headed to my uni since I decided last minute not to skip my tutorial. Yeap, I was real tempted to. While I went in vain to put some knowledge into my brain, the others explored my uni and the lake within. When I met up with them an hour later for some delicious pizza, they commented that my uni looked like some kind of mall and park. Alamak. At least they didn’t say it reminded them of University Malaya. Hehe. After pizza, we headed back to my place, packed up and ready to go to the Coast. Wow, so excited!!
We took the bus to Roma Street Station to catch the train to Nerang (Gold Coast). After some confusion with the ticket system, we’re finally on our way! Woo-hoo! The train journey took about 1 hour and by the time we reached, it was about 5.30pm.
This picture was taken outside Nerang train station while we were waiting for our bus ride to Surfer’s Paradise. If you think our group was already big, well, there are 4 more people waiting to join us. Yeah, overall total? 15 people!
So, we took the bus to the heart of Surfer’s Paradise while alighting near a nightclub called Vegas in Paradise. Welcome to Paradise, people! We walked a little towards our accommodation for the night: Beachcomber Apartments. Oh man, it was heavenly! We rented 4 units in total to fit 15 people. The apartments itself were self-contained with a large king size bed and 1 large sofa bed. The view from the balcony overlooked Surfer’s Paradise itself and the hotel’s location was smacked right in the middle of Surfer’s Paradise hottest spot, Cavill Avenue! We couldn’t ask for a better place, I tell you!
Since Sydney guys Group B (Ken, Hui Lyn, Ca Mei and Ananda) were not arriving till very much later at night, we decided to explore Cavill Avenue without them. But first of, dinner! Cavill Avenue was burstling with energy and beautiful people and even Elvis himself! An Elvis impersonator was crooning away and even invited Amrit to dance a little. Hehe. We decided to have dinner at a Japanese restaurant overlooking the Avenue.
Here’s what I had: Katsudon and sake!
After dinner, we ventured along Cavill Avenue, listening to Elvis and the sounds of paradise on earth. I knew there and then that I was gonna enjoy Surfer’s Paradise what with all the shopping, surfer hunks and glorious food available. We cam-whored along Cavill Avenue especially beneath the sign of the world-renowned surfing beach. It was getting late so we headed back to the hotel to wait for the arrival of our 4 other long-lost friends. But before they arrived, we had the chance to have a mini-karaoke session in the room singing songs from Savage Garden and Celine Dion. Aiya. No wonder it rained the next day. Haha. Kidding. We discovered the TV in our room had a channel dedicated to the security camera placed in the hotel’s lobby so when the Sydney guys Group B arrived, we decided to play a trick on them. Hehe. We all had a ball laughing our asses off. Sorry, pals! Day 2 ended up with all of us catching up with each other and by 2am, the lights were off. We did have a long day ahead of us anyway….
Day 3
Oh man, it’s only Day 3? Again, warning: Very long entry ahead. Proceed only if you care to read further.
Today was Dreamworld day! At 9am, the guys went to get our 2 rented cars while the rest of us headed to Macca’s (McDonalds to you, folks) for brekkie. Man, their pancakes were fabulous! So, after getting our stomach and wheels in motion, we’re off to Dreamworld!! It took us about 30 minutes to get there via the highway. This was the moment when I discovered that I’m a pretty good map reader! Not trying to blow my horn here but you know how girls are usually bad at map-reading and all… well, I’m not! Hehe. We’re all really excited about Dreamworld since they boasted the top 5 thrill rides in Gold Coast. Adrenaline pumping, bodies soaked with sun screen lotions and sunnies ready, we headed in!
The 15 of us at Dreamworld entrance before sitting for the thrill rides. Notice that everyone was still smiling cheerily.
We had a few rides that were mild before we decided to put our nerves to the test and go for the GIANT DROP before we had lunch. Imagine the Solero Shot in Genting and then, magnify the height 10 times. That, my friend is the ultimate of the ultimate! The wait was long and agonizing since we were hungry and restless. But when our time came, all of us were nervous as hell. It’s now or never! The journey to the top was a slow one, allowing you to enjoy the calm before the storm. The view from above was really spectacular but you can’t really sit back, relax and enjoy the view when deep down inside, you know that any moment now, you’re gonna experience a zero-gravity drop from 10 stories high. I remembered gripping the handles so tightly that my knuckles went white while Choi beside me kept muttering “Fuck, fuck!” When the drop finally came, Choi and I were screaming our lungs out all the way down. In hindsight, the feeling was great after the drop but I would never ride it again. For me, it was the scariest among all the rides that we had sat for. Phew, glad that was over with!
Adrenaline pumping and all, we decided to go for all the big thrill rides consecutively. But first and foremost, lunch time! After lunch, we walked about the park looking for cam-whoring opportunities of which were plenty. I even took a picture with the Rugrats (Tommy and Chuckie) and Sponge Bob and his starfish, Patrick.
Anyway, back to serious business. Our next ride? THE CLAW!!! This one for me ain’t so scary but the others claimed that this was the scariest ride of all. I actually enjoyed it and did not scream as much as I hoped to. In fact, I wouldn’t mind going for it again in the future.
After The Claw, we went for WIPEOUT. This one was fun since we got to flip sideways and backwards. Well, for me, this was the most fun ride in Dreamworld. Choi who was sitting beside me sang “Who let the dogs out?” when we were on the ride. Oh my God! I kept shouting for him to shut up while saving my breath to scream also. Funny how people respond when in times of nervousness. Haha.
Then, we went for the CYCLONE which was a typical rollercoaster. Yawn. Typical, typical. I remembered it hurt me more than I enjoyed it as we were not secured tightly enough and my earrings were bobbing around me during the ride. Ouch. Good riddance, Cyclone. The day was ending but we still had time for some bumper cars which we obviously enjoyed. How can you go wrong with bumper cars right?
About 6pm, we headed back to Surfer’s Paradise to get ready for dinner. We had dinner at an Irish pub called Kitty O’Shea’s. A few others got the night rolling with some beers while the rest of us decided to wait till we enter the club. We bought a couple of liqueur so that we could get high and tipsy before we hit the clubs. We took about 45 mins getting ready, prepping and dressing up nicely in our apartments before we had our pre-clubbing drinking session in the room.
Even before we hit the clubs at 11pm, I was already on my way to tipsiness after a couple of shots. In order for me to dance, I need to be tipsy you see. We took a long time deciding which club to enter before we finally decided on a club called “Bedroom”. It was the right choice because as soon as we entered the club, there was a male stripping performance. Bring it on, yeah! Though the male stripper wasn’t that cute, his body was HOT! I’m ashamed to say I was cheering and whooping along with the rest of the females in the room. Hehe.
I was practically sober by that time and we haven’t even hit the dance floor yet! So, Melissa, Amrit and I had 2 tequila shots in a row to get us tipsy again. I guess the tequila did the trick because I remembered dancing non-stop throughout the rest of the night even though the music wasn’t my choice of dancing tunes. About 2am, the guys called it a night much to us girls’ dismay. They had to drag us out of the dance floor. Aiyaya. By the end of the night, I had 3 shots in total in the club but I was still walking straight (I think?). But when I reached the hotel room, my head was spinning wildly and all I wanted to do was crawl into my bed to sleep it off. I couldn’t remember what happened next.
Day 4
Oh gosh! I woke up feeling like crap courtesy of a hangover from the night before. And we’re supposed to go Movieworld today?? God, help me! I was a total zombie all through breakfast and the ride to Movieworld. My head was still reeling a little and I hadn’t the mood or the capacity to go for thrilling rides so soon. When we reached Movieworld, our group divided into two halves: the thrill-seeking wannabe’s and the wuss group. Unfortunately, I belong to the latter group. We, wusses decided to go for the family rides instead. First stop, SHREK 4-D ADVENTURE!
Next stop: SCOOBY-DOO SPOOKY COASTER. It was indoor roller coaster so we didn’t know what to expect. Oh man, the ride was GREAT! We went backwards, zigzagged along a dark corridor and went upwards on an elevator. Wow! This was the most fun ride I have had so far! I would do it again voluntarily!
And then, we break for lunch and had some ice-cream before we hit the LOONEY TUNES World! We went for some river ride and took some pictures with Bugs Bunny before some of us headed for the souvenir shops.
After that, we went for Shrek, Donkey and Puss-In-Boots singing show, a police stunt show and witnessed the grand parade where we saw Batman and his Batmobile, Marilyn Monroe, Scooby-Doo, Shrek, Zorro, Bugs Bunny and his friends. By then, my head was nearly back to normal and I was roaring to try SUPERMAN ESCAPE, the most thrilling ride of all in Movieworld. Time was running out but I managed to drag Melissa to ride along with me and so before we began to examine our heads for insanity, we were in line! Woo-hoo! Superman, here we come! Those who have sat for it already warned us about the ride saying that we would go from 0 to 100 km/h in a matter of seconds. Not to mention, there was also a near vertical drop that we had to endure. Needless to say, I screamed all throughout the ride. But it was real fun and I wouldn’t hesitate to go for it again. Maybe after 2 years? Haha.
Phew. That’s the end of our Movieworld adventure and it’s time to go home. I slept all throughout the ride home. We had dinner at Red Rooster before we planned for the night’s surprise birthday party for EK. Yeah, it was his 22nd birthday. The guys wanted to splash him into the freezing pool so all of us devised a plan to get him to the pool. We even bought him a Baskin Robbin’s ice cream cake that was starting to melt by the time he finally got to the pool! Vicki was unwilling victim #1 thrown into the pool by Taya and Ananda as a dress rehearsal for EK. Then, everyone ganged up to bring a screaming EK into the pool (Did I mentioned he had just showered?) before the rest of the guys joined in. Hui Lyn and I also got thrown into the pool (luckily, the heated one) though I put up quite a “loud” resistance since I was wearing jeans and all. Choi who was MIA earlier finally showed up but before the guys could drag him in, he kamikaze-d himself. Haha. Hilarious!
We had the cake cut upstairs in the privacy of our units and sang him a birthday song. After that, we had the cake which was oh-so-good! It wasn’t like eating a cake at all, more like having ice-cream only. Haha. Then, we headed upstairs to the 28th floor to have drinking games where everyone was invited! Our first game was the usual every-card-has-a-rule game. There’s the taboo word, drinking rules, pour into cup, question master, never-ever, categories, rhyme sentences, all girls or guys drink, pick 2 people to drink, big-fish-small-fish, fruits memory game and ….. After that, we played the Yee-Hah-Giddy-Up-Block game of which would be pretty hard to explain without actions. And then, we played Captain Cook which was pretty hilarious. Our last game was the Fuck, fuck game. All of us were given nicknames that ended with a fuck. Mine was erm, Mama Fuck. You begin by chanting, “Mama Fuck, no fuck, better than a …. Fuck”. Then, it goes on to other people who will chant the same thing and it gets faster and faster. When someone screws up, they drink!
We played till 2am before we decided to call it a night. By then, it was already halfway through our trip and everyone slept soundly.
Day 5
Today, we proceed to White Water World which was the newest attraction in Gold Coast. The good news was there did not seem to a lot of visitors which was a surprise since that day was the start of the school holidays. The bad thing was the weather seemed to signal that there was going to be a thunderstorm. Hence, when we got to the water park, we did not waste any time. We went straight for the thrill water rides HYDROCOASTER and GREEN ROOM. The latter proved to be something different, exciting and fun which all of us enjoyed very much since we went for a double turn on it. Later, we went for the OCTOPUS RING whereby everyone raced down the tunnel on a mat. It proved to be harder than expected since everyone was struggling to get off the starting line. I guess EK found it harder than most since at the finished line, EK and the mat kind of traded places. Ouch, that must have hurt, EK! Hehe. Then, we had childish fun playing at the NICKLEODEN area, TEMPLE OF HUEY and the WAVE POOL. However by 3pm, we’ve already played everything there was twice and so we decided to call it a day.
The rest of the evening was spent in our respective beds getting some good ol’ slumber before we woke up to get ready for dinner. All of us agreed to have a good dinner that night to commemorate EK’s birthday so we decided on Billy Baxter for some good ol’ pork ribs buffet. But before that, we found time to play a little game of ping pong which we have promised to do so since Day 2 itself. Dinner at Billy’s was OK but the ribs were heavenly! I had a full meal myself of Schnitzel Parmesan and Catch of the Day but my stomach still had enough place to steal 2 of Taya’s pork ribs. Hehe. By then, I was stuffed to the max but it was good stuffing nonetheless!
Since the night was still young and nobody had neither the energy nor the money to go for another round of clubbing, we ended up in TIMEZONE, an arcade that opened till midnight. We bought the ticket that allowed us endless rounds of games for 2 hours so we ended up playing everything there ever was in an arcade: shooting hoops, shooting bad guys, Street Fighter, Indy 500, motorcycling, surfing, ice-hockey, dancing and bumper cars. By the end of the night, my arms+legs+wholebody were aching like hell. Guess it’s time to call it a night!
Nothing special went on that night at the apartment. Everyone was tired and went to bed early but some others had the energy to play bridge and drink Tia Maria for nightcap. I wasn’t one of the others. I went into a deep slumber as soon as my head touched the pillow.
Day 6
We had to check out from our apartment today and move into Youth Hostel Accommodation at Main Beach. Imagine, we’ve gone from 4-star to 1-star. Such a contrast, I tell you. Plus, our rented cars were gone too since Eng Leong and Amrit were both going back to Sydney that night itself. Sob sob. The party’s dissolving but fear not, there’s still the day to look forward too! Moreover, we were supposed to meet up with MK at Surfer’s Paradise who’s down in the Coast to attend the uni games.
As soon as we checked into our bland rooms and shared bathrooms, we went back to where we belong: Surfer’s Paradise! I made plans earlier with my cousin, Sharon who’s working in the Gold Coast Hospital for a yum cha session of which everyone decided to tag along. We went to a Chinese restaurant smacked in the middle of Surfer’s and for the first time in many months, I had dim sum. Aah! Ha-mai, chee cheong fun, pei-tan porridge, tau-foo-fa, how much have I missed you!!! Nevertheless, compared to Hong Kong or even Ipoh’s dim sum, they can’t compare at all. But beggars can’t be choosers.
After lunch, my cousin, housemates and I headed for Harbour Town to shop for bargains. The others went wondering around Surfer’s many shops and delights and met up with MK for the rest of the afternoon. As for me, I did all the shopping for the rest of the year within 2 hours. I know, I know. I wasn’t supposed to shop again but I can’t help it! There was this Fossil bag made out of leather which only costs $25!!! Tell me now, how could I resist such bargain?? So by 5pm when the place closed, I had 3 shopping bags in my hand. Mission accomplished!
My cousin brought us back to Surfer’s where we met up with the rest of the gang at Starbucks. With MK around, our group just got bigger.
MK was such a sweetheart as he brought us mooncakes to eat! Yay! Plus, he “offered” me his UNSW Coach jacket to wear since it was getting chilly. Haha. Thanks MK!
After Starbucks, we wandered around further before deciding to head to our previous accommodation to send off Amrit and Eng Leong. Aaaw. Damn. The trip was really coming to an end! After the send-off, we went to My Oliver’s Restaurant for dinner where a few of MK’s tae-kwon-do friends joined us. Later, we parted ways with MK as we headed back to our crummy YHA to spend the night. Sigh. Back to reality.
As it turned out, YHA was located next to a happening ang-mo pub which was crawling with people by the time we reached. A couple of us were getting hungry and we went around searching for food but in the end, our search was in vain. We even tried to get into the pub but since none of us had passport, our attempt was unsuccessful. Sigh. Looks like we’re gonna be spending the rest of the night in our crummy YHA rooms with a grumbling stomach.
Day 7
You might find it amusing but throughout the 5 days we were in Surfer’s Paradise, we never once set foot onto the beach itself. Seriously. So, we decided to do so on our last day in paradise. It’s never too late!
We met up with MK again at the beach while we had brekkie at Macca’s. The beach itself was WOW! The sand was so sandy, white and soft. The water was the bluest of blue, even more beautiful than the ones at Langkawi. The ocean seemed to stretch out towards the horizon with nothing in sight. And the crowd? Man, it was the best ever! Bikini clad curvy women and washboard abs of surfer hunks. Yeah! That’s what I was talking about. Check out these beach pic!
However much I enjoyed the sights of the beach, I could not bear the heat of the sun and I was getting darker by the minute. I managed to drag everyone from the beach with the suggestion of lunch which everyone with their growing hunger happily agreed. We went to another Japanese restaurant joined by MK’s tae-kwon-do gang and I had Katsudon again! After lunch, we strolled around Cavill Avenue some more but we soon grew tired of it and so we headed back to our previous accommodation to catch some rest. A few girls decided to spend the last few hours in Surfer’s to shop till they drop but as for me; I’ve done enough shopping for the trip. Even Choi, Vicki and Ananda went to Harbour Town to purchase some stuff.
About 5pm, we all headed back to YHA to pack up and ready to leave for Brissy. This was the end of the journey for EK, Choi and Vicki who were heading back to Melbourne and Sydney that night itself from Gold Coast. After sad goodbyes, hugging sessions and promises to meet up again, we parted ways albeit reluctantly. Sob sob. The rest of us boarded the bus that will bring us to the train station that will head back to Brissy.
By the time we reached Brissy, it was about 7.30pm. We went to the Satay Club where we met up with Melissa and Ca Mei’s friend, Janice to have dinner. Much to my surprise, I met an old Ipoh friend, Kiat Win who was working there. Another shock for the night, the wan-ton-mee that I ordered was pretty good! God, I missed Malaysian food! After dinner, we all decided to have dessert and so we headed to the nearby pancake shop that was opened for 24 hours. The location was cool as they turned an old abandoned church into an eatery spot with nightclub at the basement. Oh, but the food was glorious! The pancakes there were blissful and the price was affordable too! We had fun chatting about the previous couple of days and played pool for a while. But there was a sense of inevitable separation in the air as everyone realized that this was the last night we were together. With our luggages from Gold Coast still intact, we headed back to my place at St Lucia with City Cat.
Melissa and Taya’s flight was at 7am the next morning so they decided not to sleep the whole night. Unfortunately for me, I was so tired that I konked straight away in my sleeping bag. I didn’t even manage to wake up at 5am to send them off. Thousand apologies, guys!
Day 8
Finally the trip was coming to an end. Part of me was happy that I could finally get some much-needed rest but a bigger part of me was sad and depressed that all my friends would be gone by the end of the day. I woke up feeling guilty as I wasn’t around to send Mel and Taya off. By Day 8, I was getting really sick with fever and flu so I wasn’t really up for sight-seeing tours. Nevertheless, today was the last day for my friends in Brissy and I really wanted them to enjoy it tremendously.
Ken and Ananda went to UQ in the morning as they were roaring to venture somewhere but I wasn’t yet wide awake by that time. Around 12pm, we all head off to the city via ferry to explore South Bank. We had sushi for lunch (My god, we really do like Japanese food don’t we?) and we decided to watch Underdog since I wasn’t really in the capacity to walk around under the bloody hot sun. I was getting feverish by the minute and all I wanted to do was sleep it off which I did at the cinema. Oops. Sorry Underdog! On a normal day, I should be wide awake watching a dog turning into a superhero to save the day. Really.
After the movie finished, we went to Queen Street for some last minute shopping. As the clock turned to 5pm, I realized that we should be heading home so as to make it on time for the guys’ night flight back to Sydney. The guys had dinner back at my place before heading out for the last time towards Roma Street Station to board the Air Train. However when we reach Roma, I discovered that there were no more Air Train services for the day. Oh shit! We quickly went outside in search for a cab before the whole thing turned out to be another EK moment. Luckily, a cab was in sight and before the cab driver could whisk them away to the airport, we shared a moment of hugging and reflecting on the past few days. We all agreed that it was something special and not too be forgotten. Bye, my pals old and new! We’ll definitely see each other again, I promise! And then, they were off. Sob sob. The trip was finally over.
I had to wait for another 30 minutes for the next train to come that will bring me back home. Throughout that time, my mind reeled back towards the past 7 days like an old film. There were so many happy and fun memories of which I’m thankful that they were immortalised either in pictures or on videos. But for the rest of it that were not, like the jokes or impromptu acts that we did, those moments could only live within our memories. I think everyone would agree that those memories would last a lifetime.
As an ending note, I just would like to thank each and every one of you guys who made an appearance within this trip one way or another. You guys made it special and unforgettable. We truly rock!
[Lifts the Tia Maria for a toast]
To us! To Gold Coast!
Me, Melissa and Amrit at Roma Street Parklands in Brissy 
