Despite being tired from doing house inspections in hot weather, we decided to push through with plans to go to Canberra. After multiple stopovers  (including one at the weereewaa lookout) to rest we finally made it to the Bauis’ home, good thing they were kind enough to put us up for the weekend so we didn’t have to look for extended stay hotels.

The following day we visited the Parliament House some of the areas outside were blocked off to prepare for the following days Australia day celebrations. Dinner was at the Molinas who treated us with a delicious steak dinner and wonderful conversation.

Australia day was spent checking out Cockington Green before driving back to Sydney.

Last boxing day, we decided to go to scenic world in blue mountains. We purchased a scenic pass that includes a return skyway and return valley (either via cableway or railway). The view was fantastic and we’re sure to go back again sometime maybe for a little hike.

The following day was reserved for Questacon and it didn’t disappoint. E had tons of fun and didn’t want to leave. On the drive back to Sydney as expected E slept like a log.

A couple weeks ago we drove to Canberra for the weekend at the invitation of the Molinas. They had planned an early Christmas get-together with their friends there and invited us. As we had been wanting to go for a while now, we didn’t pass up on the invite. Before we went to their home we visited the Australian War Memorial. E had a great time looking at the various items on display. After picking up some food, off we went to the Molinas. It was a fun christmas get together, complete with great company, good food, nice gifts and plenty of laughter.

Driving to Canberra	Car seat fun
Happy passenger
Australian War Memorial
requisite peace sign pose
liking the diorama
party at the molinas
putting to use tita carlene’s christmas gift
gift giving
games
kids turn

With all the pics that we’re accumulating, its a good thing we have external hard drives for storage.

We learned the other week that my BIL will be sent to Australia on assignment for a few months. After a quick client interview everything was a go. He’ll be flying to Melbourne at the start of the week and we’re really happy for him as he’s been wanting this for a time now. This would mean too that we’ll have family for Christmas, either we would go to him (vacation for us?!!) or he would come up to Sydney for a visit. With more trips for my BIL maybe it’s time to buy new traveling bags, a samsonite luggage perhaps? See you soon Gar!

Along with getting a car, this is one gadget that we think we really need to get around. Though having a map will suffice, we thought it better to have a GPS to make life easier. No more trying to figure out how to go from point A to point B, with just a few clicks our little friend will tell us which way to go. Hopefully, the car can be released this weekend .. am soooo looking forward to the road trips to come!

My brother and I were chatting on earlier and we happened to talk about vivo city – the largest mall in singapore. He was asking me if it was bigger than SM’s mall of asia (moa) which led me to searching the net for the world’s largest shopping mall. And according to forbes.com (Jan 2007) the Philippines is home to 3 out of 10 of the largest shopping malls in the world.

The world’s 10 largest shopping malls based on gross leasable area* are:

1. South China Mall – Donggian, China. Opened 2005. GLA: 7.1 million square feet.
2. Golden Resources Shopping Mall – Beijing, China. Opened 2004. GLA: 6 million square feet.
3. SM Mall Of Asia – Pasay City, Philippines. Opened 2006. GLA: 4.2 million square feet.
4. West Edmonton Mall – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Opened 1981. GLA: 3.8 million square feet.
5. SM Megamall – Mandaluyong City, Philippines. Opened 1991. GLA: 3.6 million square feet.
6. Berjaya Times Square – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Opened 2005. GLA: 3.4 million square feet.
7. Beijing Mall – Beijing, China. Opened 2005. GLA: 3.4 million square feet.
8. Zhenjia Plaza – Guangzhou, China. Opened 2005. GLA: 3 million square feet.
9. SM City North Edsa – Quezon City, Philippines. Opened 1985. GLA: 3 million square feet.
10. King Of Prussia Mall – Philadephia, Pennsylvania, USA. Opened 1962. GLA: 2.8 milliom square feet.

*Gross Leasable Area –the number of square feet the property has for revenue-generating activities like retail, dining and amusements.

My mom was in town for two weeks and we enjoyed her company and all the homemade dishes that she made for us. We took her one Saturday to Johor Bahru (JB), Malaysia, just across the border from Singapore and about 30 minutes travel by bus from our place. Though it took longer because we spent probably more than 30 minutes queing to pass thru Malaysian immigration. We spent the afternoon at City Square, a shopping mall about 5-10 minutes walk from the Malaysian border. There were good buys as most of the stores are on sale but I really didn’t think that if I were to shop for a lot of things that I would be getting a much cheaper price than getting them in Singapore. But then again, maybe it’s because we went to a mall that was near the border?

Next week, it will be my mother-in-law’s (MIL) turn to visit. She’ll be here for about three weeks. We won’t be lacking in company though as this February it’s a full house for us. On the 16th, Ton’s parents will also be coming for a visit. And on the 21st, Ichi’s sister will be arriving from Myanmar, she’ll be stopping by before she flies back to Manila with MIL for her annual vacation.

So it looks like a busy Feb for us where we’ll also be celebrating Chinese New Year.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

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E and I celebrated our birthdays last week. Since my birthday fell on a holiday here, we decided to spend the day at the Jurong Bird Park. E surely had a grand time checking out all the birds. He especially had fun at the all-star bird show enjoying all the birds that were being showcased but really clapped and shouted when he saw the mascots. It was also a treat because I got selected as one of the volunteers to hold the ring where the bird will pass through. I think E wondered why I left my seat and them and what I was doing that Ichi was able to take a few pics.

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My mother-in-law’s in town so last Sunday we decided to bring her to chinatown. She enjoyed going around the area and looking at the different items on offer at the various stalls and shops there. She even bought various muscle pain liniments to bring home and tea to boost your energy for hubby. Definitely the highlight would be the yummy dinner we had at the food street there. We ate laksa, noodles and dim sum. The dim sum was my favorite, it was really yummy. Looking forward to going back and eating there again, I think that would be when my mom comes for a visit in a couple of months.

I will post some pics later.