cHrIstInA_YY's PinkyLand

Olé Spanish Restaurant Southbank: Early Birthday Celebration Dinner

2012-05-30T14:19:00.001+10:00

A birthday getaway can't be complete without a romantic candlelight dinner with Mr. Choo at Olé, a Spanish restaurant located in the heart of Brisbane's South Bank. We came on foot, approximately 20 minutes walk away from Queen Street Mall. It was a chilly and windy evening, certainly too chilly and windy for a stroll along the South Bank Parklands, but I survived having Mr. Choo around to keep my hands warm. Out of so many other restaurants, we've picked Olé, thinking that we had never tried Spanish cuisine before. Great ambiance, very nice food presentation and flavors I would say.
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Birthday Getaway Trip Day 1: Sunnybank and Brisbane

2012-05-28T19:39:00.001+10:00

Here comes Mr. Choo's pre-birthday celebration cum weekend getaway to Brisbane and Gold Coast!!! We made sweet memories together, apart from being showered by an abundance of delicious meals, plushy accommodation, fabulous shopping goodies and so forth. The weather was exceptionally good as well after a rainy and freezing cold night.
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My Itching Heart

2012-05-25T00:13:00.000+10:00

I've got a confession to make today, I think... I am... addicted... to traveling!!! My heart has been constantly itching for trips ever since I came back from the Great Barrier Reef. It's addictive I must say! And recently, I saw a "Full-Day Guided Bus Tour of Stradbroke Island" deal online somewhere for just $39 *pulls hair and screams with madness* I seriously do not wish to miss out this super great deal. So I guess I better start off using my ~~voodoo~~ persuasive skills on Mr. Choo and try to convince some friends or travel buddies to join us too. You know, more people equals to more fun!
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Recovering and Getting There...

2012-05-22T00:58:00.000+10:00

I actually looked and felt a lot better after being sick for more than a week now. Healthy is good! At least I have the mood and energy to study for my coming IELTS test, like I did this morning. My first attempt achieved 7.0 overall band score, not proud considering what I needed was band 7.0 for each four components. This time around, I'm well prepared with lots of reading, studying, and fingers crossed my efforts pay off and I'll be blessed fruitfully.

Fraser Island: Lake McKenzie and Central Station

2012-05-21T00:20:00.001+10:00

I noticed there are heaps of photos of our trips to Singapore, Shen Zhen, Sydney and many others that left sitting on my hard drive since forever. Not to say that I did not try to urge myself to blog about them while the memory was still fresh, but sometimes I just got too tired and busy, and eventually, the excitement of posting fades away. However today, something tickled my fancy to dig out those photos of our Fraser Island trip. It was almost one and a half year ago (I know, I still look the same! Is that a good thing or bad?), we went on a Fraser Explorer Day Tour to Eli Creek, Maheno Shipwreck on 75-Mile Beach, Lake McKenzie and Central Station of the Great Sandy National Park. Good old memories ♥

My 20-ish Birthday Celebration at the Sizzler

2012-05-14T21:52:00.001+10:00

My oh my, what's with me dressing up all pretty with a rainbow colored ice-cream cake sitting right in front of me? Well, today, the 14th of May, is my actual birthday. The celebration, however, took place a day earlier which was just yesterday in a local buffet restaurant, accompanied by a bunch of my close friends. And yes, it was a blast! ♥
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Highlights of the Week

2012-05-12T22:52:00.000+10:00

My third post in May, which basically sums up the highlights of the entire week last week, as well as today. Be mindful because you're about to be loaded with excessive pictures of my sweet smiles, besides a collection of the good food I had. The worst part is, those extra calories have already turned into fats, and making themselves so comfortable under my skin now >.< I went for an eye test this afternoon, the Optometrist said I did a great job maintaining my eyesight for the past 5 or probably 7 years *flattered* Oh yeah, I've been wearing the same old geeky glasses for years and it's time for a change! Thanks Mr. Choo, for giving me such a wonderful yet practical birthday pressie this year.

Baskin Robbins: Mud Cake Sundae on Monday

2012-05-07T21:10:00.000+10:00

It was the Labor Day public holiday today here in Australia. I woke up to a perfectly fine weather, greeted by blue sky, sparkling sunlight, and gentle cool breeze. I guess I just couldn't stop falling in love with the sunny days we've been having, could I? It's a shame in the meantime to tell that we didn't really have the luxury of traveling to any faraway places, but endured a long and boring weekend staying in this small town of Queensland. To make things up a bit, we decided to drop by Baskin Robbins for some sweet treats, before visiting our friends and their cute little baby in the afternoon.

Random Stuff on Random Days

2012-05-04T01:10:00.000+10:00

May, the birth month of Tauruses and Geminis has eventually kicked in! Good news is, I'll be celebrating my 21st (I wish) birthday this month, while the bad news is, I'm getting one year older than the year before!!! I feel helpless, because there's absolutely nothing I could do to stop these numbers from increasing, besides growing older and older, each and everyday. But I did somehow feel comforted after listening to this blogger who once told me that age is just a number, it's how you feel inside that counts. So I guess, as long as you're feeling young deep down inside, there should be no problem in staying forever young at all. I'm saying your heart and mind, not physically, duh! Anyways, I shall start my first post (in the month of May) with a collection of my chubby faces taken randomly on random days. I must warn ya, please don't scroll down if you think you can't handle my chubbiness ;p

Great Barrier Reef Trip Day 3: Lady Musgrave Court and Captain Cook Drive

2012-04-29T21:39:00.002+10:00

At last, I've finished written up my last entry to conclude our 3D2N trip to the Great Barrier Reef! And since it was a road trip, there was so much time spent on either sitting in the bus or riding on the boat. I'd rather take flights if we were to visit Cairns next time, seriously. Upon our arrival on the first day, we had so much fun playing on the Agnes Water Beach. Day 2 was even more exciting with activities like guided walk at the Carpicornia Cays National Park, fish feeding and hours of snorkeling at the Lady Musgrave Island and Coral Lagoon, as well as sunset watching and a little bush walking at the Joseph Banks Conservation Park.
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Anzac Holiday Trip: Surfers Paradise and Kimchi House

2012-04-28T22:26:00.000+10:00

As we arrived on the Gold coast, we did not head straight to the beach but dropped by Harbour Town for a short while. With a cheerful mood, everyone left the car only to find out sooner that almost all of the outlets were not opened for business. I mean, what could we expect? It was the Anzac Day! We bought nothing and eventually left for our next and final destination of the day.

Anzac Holiday Trip: Outdoor BBQ in Brissie

2012-04-27T14:44:00.000+10:00

It was Anzac Day Holiday last Wednesday when I went on a trip with a bunch of my friends. Initially, we planned to go to Gold Coast's Surfers Paradise, but there was a slight change of plan on our way heading down to the coast. We stopped by Brisbane for an outdoor Korean barbecue!!! Well, that was a bit out of my expectation, but the main important thing is, we really had fun and enjoyed ourselves.

Eat, Live, Love at La Porchetta Italian Restaurant

2012-04-24T19:33:00.000+10:00

Our friend came over two days ago to get some K-dramas off us. Rooftop Prince, Love Rain, and Fashion King are few of the new and my most favorite ones at the moment, if you were to ask me for recommendations. We had a little chit-chatting, then being offered to join them dinner at this La Porchetta Italian Restaurant located on Hume Street (opposite Hooper Center).

Great Barrier Reef Trip Day 2: Joseph Banks Conservation Park and Town of Seventeen Seventy

2012-04-23T21:51:00.001+10:00

I could barely smile with my sun-tanned skin after hours of snorkeling at the Coral Lagoon. My hair was so rough (due to the very limited tap water supply here, no showering or shampoo-ing but just a quick rinse off was allowed), fluffy, and messy because the genius me forgot to bring my hair comb along. We chose to sit on the open-air upper deck this time, instead of the air-conditioned lower deck which made us suffer so badly from sea sick.

Graduation Celebration Lunch at the Angel Cafe

2012-04-22T22:00:00.000+10:00

After spending almost an hour taking photos at the Japanese Garden, we were still kind of in a dilemma of choosing between Chinese or Western cuisine for lunch. Shaine intended to try out the new Chinese restaurant in town, but her longing for Angel Cafe's nachos was far more zealous. And therefore, we decided to go there in the end. Thanks aunty for treating us such wonderful meals!

Bestie's Graduation Ceremony and Photoshoot at the Japanese Garden

2012-04-21T22:44:00.000+10:00

I had a very significant mission to accomplish today, which was to attend my bestie's graduation held at the K.J. Stapleton Stadium, Clive Berghofer Recreation Centre in the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). The ceremony started at 10 a.m. and thus, I woke up few hours earlier just to wash and blow-dry my hair, and to get myself dressed up with some light make-up on.

Veny's Unusual Birthday Bash

2012-04-18T18:01:00.002+10:00

First of all, my sincere apology for starting off today's post with this act-cute pose of mine. I just couldn't help it, really ;p And as you can see, I did put some extra efforts in selecting my outfits and styling my hair to attend Veny's birthday bash last Saturday. The occasion was held in the afternoon, unusual time I know, and the celebration went unusual long too!

Great Barrier Reef Trip Day 2: Snorkeling at the Lady Musgrave Island and Coral Lagoon

2012-04-15T17:38:00.000+10:00

Howdy!!! I'll be taking you along to Lady Musgrave Island and Coral Lagoon for a little snorkeling adventure today! I promise, it shall lead you to nowhere else but a paradise of fun and excitement, no money back guarantee! ;p Earlier on, I mentioned about a 45-minute guided walk at the Captricornia Cays National Park and lunch buffet on the boat that came afterwards. Now, it's time for us to gear ourselves up with snorkeling equipment such as snorkel, mask, flippers, life jacket (which may not be necessary to you but it's extremely crucial to me), and start swimming like a mermaid!

Night View on Q1 Skypoint Observation Deck Gold Coast and Beach Front Markets

2012-04-14T11:44:00.001+10:00

Have you ever spent hours sitting there watching as the sky changes colors? It was like seeing a flower bloom in spring after a long winter, timely and endearing at the same time.

Great Barrier Reef Trip Day 2: Capricornia Cays National Park on Lady Musgrave Island

2012-04-12T13:14:00.000+10:00

Day 2 of our Great Barrier Reef Trip. I woke up at 5 a.m. in the morning after having a not-so-good night sleep. Not that I wanted to, but I'm a very light sleeper who tolerates zero noise when I'm asleep. There were people snoring, bunk beds creaking... and all other noises that drove me nuts *pulling hair*

Madtongsan II and Max Brenner Chocolate Bar Southbank

2012-04-10T16:35:00.000+10:00

After spending a fun yet memorable day with our two friends on the Gold Coast, we farewell-ed the couple at the Brisbane Airport the next morning. Heavy-heartedly we hugged each other, bid goodbye, and fingers crossed, we'll be seeing them again sometime near the future. As the quote goes, "Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends."

Great Barrier Reef Road Trip Day 1: Agnes Water Beach and 1770 Backpackers

2012-04-09T13:02:00.001+10:00

Happy Easter Monday, everybody!!! I'm officially back from my 3 days package tour to the Great Barrier Reef, still in a stage of recovering from my holiday mood and getting some rest in my home sweet home. The road trip was indeed an awesome one with my traveling buddies and Sunset Safaris, except the long hours sitting and crampy tight hips. In that very morning of departure, we met up at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Brisbane and took off around 7-ish.
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Day View on Q1 Skypoint Observation Deck Gold Coast

2012-04-04T21:58:00.000+10:00

Say hello to Skypoint Observation Deck everybody!!! I finally came back again, landing my feet on level 77 and 78 of the iconic Q1 Tower after my first visit here about three years ago. The experiences and feelings were different this time, with different group of friends.

April Fools Lunch Gathering at the Cube Hotel

2012-04-01T21:25:00.003+10:00

Today is the 1st of April a.k.a. April Fools' Day. We had a rendezvous for lunch with a bunch of friends at the Cube Hotel in town. Don't worry guys, it was no prank at all. Everybody showed up in accordance and the catch-up was indeed a great one since we haven't really spent time together for a fair while.

Korean BBQ Dinner with Friends

2012-03-31T22:24:00.001+10:00

It was such a perfect day for barbecue yesterday, but the heavy downpour came rather suddenly in the early evening, catching everyone off-guard. I was a bit worried at first as I already planned everything out nicely. However, the rain stopped right after we got back from groceries shopping. What a huge relief!!! And so, the Korean barbecue resumed.