Tuen's Blog

In early July, ourselves, Chongs and Chias went up to stay for 4 nights at Dinner Plain. We went up in 5 cars altogether , because ourselves and the Chongs needed two cars per family. We had no shortage of drivers of course, as all our older kids can drive now; so the 4 plus hour journey was quite pleasant. Melissa’s boyfriend and Jie’s girlfriend came along as well.

This was the first time we were driving in a snow resort in a 4 wheel drive, and what a convenience it proved to be. The Chias and my son’s cars were not 4×4s and they had to stop and put on snow chains; which was pretty time consuming and inconvenient.

Anyway the 3 families stayed in 3 different houses but we got together each evening for a combined dinner, which was cooked separately by the wives and then brought together for the combined meal. We had a really great time together. We even managed to squeeze in a mahjong session, thanks to Henry, who was capable enough to dismantle his mahjong table and bring it along, sans the legs, which gave us a bit of problem in trying to find a place to set it up, but we managed.  Henry, bring the legs in future!

The kids went snow boarding this time, like the last time we were up at Mt. Hotham.  It seems snow boarding is the in thing for kids now. Well, the three older, ’sub-prime boys’ were deciding whether or not we should stick to skiing or try snow boarding as well.  Thanks to some funny ideas from Tony, who later deeply regretted it, we decided that we should try snow boarding whilst we still could, and sort of tick the ‘bucket list’ on that item.

And so we hired our snow boards and joined a beginner snow boarder’s class, much to the amusement of everyone around us.

Well it turned out to be an interesting experience, although we could hardly stay upright on the snowboard. I shan’t mention who was the worst amongst us, but it wasn’t me and it wasn’t Henry. 

I was really impressed with how fast the kids picked up snowboarding, especially the younger ones like Louie and Raph. Little Ren didn’t try snowboarding of course, but he did go tobogganing.

Co-incidentally, Frank and his gang were also on Mt. Hotham around the same time, and Mary and I had an opportunity to catch up with them on one of the late afternoons.

The one disappointing thing was the poor snow cover and not cold enough temperatures. It was a far cry from the last time we where there, when it was almost blizzard like at times. This time around, I was almost convinced it was summer.

But it was still a great holiday, and I’m looking forward to our next holiday together!

Some photos can be found here.

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I’ve finally finished the frame for my jigsaw puzzle. It’s been quite a journey.

Back in Jan 2009, I bought a jigsaw puzzle from Singapore, and started working on it some time later back home in Melbourne. It was slow going, as the kids were no longer interested in jigsaws, and Mary was too busy to help. So it was just me and the 2000 piece jigsaw. In the midst of building the jigsaw, I started thinking about the frame, and wanted to try and build my own frame, as frames are expensive to purchase over here. I started reading up about frame building, and enlarged my interest to woodworking in general. I found the subject so interesting that I took up woodworking and built several projects including my own workbench, a shoe cabinet and other items.

On Easter Sunday this year, I finally completed my jigsaw, after more than a year. And soon after that, I built a router table so that I could route the moulding of the frame. I started work on the frame after that, and today, I finally hung the jigsaw up, one and a half years after I started the project. It’s been a long but rewarding experience!

25 Feb 2009

8 March 2009

21 Jan 2010

24 March 2010

Back of the Frame

Finished and Hanging!

Last Sunday, we set off on a trip I had been planning for months. The route was specially chosen so that my cousin’s ’soft roader’ could handle it, and I also tried to locate on the map a few potential fishing spots to make the trip more enjoyable for Henry and the two young ones.

The route was set in the State Forest just south of Warburton.

We set off around 8.50am in the morning and reached Noojee town around 9.15am.

 From Noojee we went north into the forest. The tracks on this leg were quite easy and were mainly gravelled. After about 45 mins we exited the forest and proceeded for a short break at Warburton town. From there, we entered the forest again, this time travelling south and here the tracks were a bit more muddy and wet. There were some changes to the actual tracks compared to the map and we had to backtrack about 2 to 3 km at one point.

We reached Starlings Gap and had our lunch there. The picnic ground was really nice and the view was quite scenic. It was quite amazing to find such a lovely spot in the middle of the forest. Tony, Henry and I went off for a short walk along a forest trail, to try and find a fishing spot, but we realised that we were too high up in the ranges. Louie and Ren in the meantime were enjoying themselves playing with the hand held radios.

After lunch, we set off south again through the forest in search of a good fishing spot, but according to our resident expert Henry, there weren’t any along the way. 

So when we exited the forest, we decided to head for a stretch of the Yara river at a place called Doon Reserve, just west of Warburton town. We found a nice spot there and set up three lines, but unfortunately, the fish were just not biting that day. Still, we had a good time fishing, especially Louie and Ren.

All in, I thought it was quite an enjoyable outing, although feedback from my cousin and wife was that the drive through the forest was just too long. We had driven about 70km of forest tracks.  I think I agree with them, and will plan shorter off road drives for future trips!

More photos can be found here.

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In early March (yes I’m way behind updating this blog) Mary, myself and Julian drove over 700kms to Adelaide. My parents had won 3 nights free accommodation in some kind of lucky draw, and we decided that it would be nice for us to drive up and join them, so that they can be more mobile with our car around. Of course, I also wanted to put the Prado through its paces and see how it handled over long distances. The drive was surprisingly pleasant, and we made a lunch stop and a few toilet stops each way. It took us about 11 hours to get to Adelaide from Melbourne.

On the 2nd day, we all drove to Cape Jervis and took the Sealink ferry to Penneshaw on Kangaroo island. We spent a day there, and saw the seals on Seal Bay. We also visited a bee farm and took a look at the inland sand dune on Kangaroo island. We weren’t able to do too much as we had to catch the ferry back to the mainland, and considering the cost of the ferry, we should really have stayed at least 3 days if we wanted to see everything on Kangaroo island and make the trip worthwhile. Well we plan to bring the rest of the family on a future trip and will definitely spend more days on this lovely island. The Prado was fully at home on the gravel and dirt tracks of the island.

On the third day, we did a bit of shopping and also visited an authentic German town called Hahndorf where we had a very nice lunch. And in the evening, we met up with Sr. Elizabeth and her mum, and we had a nice dinner at a Chinese restaurant called Citi Zen Chinese restaurant.

We drove back on the 4th day, and again, we made quite good time.

Photos can be found here.

I’ve been considering getting a four wheel drive vehicle for quite some time now; with a view to eventually going off road and to places in Victoria and other states where normal vehicles would not be able to go. Well, last Saturday, Tony decided to go test drive a BMW X5, which is a sort of ’soft roader’. It’s a 4 wheel drive, but is not meant for very rough terrain or climbing boulders and crossing rivers, but good enough for some off road driving and for pulling say a camper trailer or caravan. After the test drive, he decided to buy it. We were there together with them when the decision and purchase was made, and that sort of ‘inspired’ me to test drive the Prado. I’d test driven the X5 with my cousin, and even joked about buying one as well; but was met with a very interesting comment from him. Basically (insultingly) he felt that an X5 would be wasted on me because I could not appreciate the finer points of driving a superior car. To me, a car was a means of transportation, and I wasn’t too concerned about the ‘driving experience’. Well, he was right that to me a car was just a means of transportation. But a 4WD car was a slightly different proposition. It’s like my motorbike to me. The bike is not just a means of transport, like a car, but a vehicle on which I could enjoy riding on 2 wheels (or 3 in my case). So too, the 4WD would be a vehicle which I would enjoy driving off road. And that is the main reason why I decided to test drive the Prado instead of the X5. The Prado is a true off road machine, capable of tackling steep climbs and rough terrain and even some river crossings.

Well, the next day, we went to test drive the Prado (a 2nd hand model), and Tony came along as well. And just like him, we decided to purchase it. I am now waiting for delivery.

I’ve been spending the past few days reading up on 4w driving and looking up clubs which I could join. I shall be attending some of the club meetings and see where we go from there.

We could never have done this in Singapore…

On Monday, Ren’s playschool organised a visit to Chesterfield farm, a small farm not far from where we live. I think they cater specially to tourists and kids.

This is not the first time we brought Ren to a farm. The first time was when we visited the Lims in New Zealand, and Jean brought us to a farm which was quite a bit larger than Chesterfield.

Anyway, Ren had a good time with his schoolmates and because this was not his first time, he had no fear at all in approaching the animals to feed them.

There was also a short and interesting farm show, and it was the first time we saw a sheepdog in action rounding up sheep. It was really fascinating!

Some photos here. Video below:

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On Sunday night, Mary and I finally made use of the Village cinema gift voucher that our kids had given Mary for Mother’s day (or was it for her birthday, I forget).  We decided to try out the Gold Class cinema, which we had heard about but never tried before.  The movie was “Mao’s Last Dancer”, which was about a Chinese ballet dancer who defected to the United States.

The movie was pretty good, but what really impressed me was the “Gold Class” experience.  The seats were arranged in couples and were huge, comfortable and you could lower and raise the back and the foot rest so that it almost turned into a bed.  There was a table where you could eat snacks, put your cocktails or even have a full 3 course meal (extra cost of course).  There was a service button where you could press anytime during the show, and a wait staff will come to you and take your orders.

Wow!  I don’t think I will ever be satisfied with watching movies in an ordinary cinema after this.  It’s a pity the experience is so expensive.

I’ve finally completed and lodged our tax returns, one day before the submission deadine.  Hooray!

As I’ve written elsewhere on this blog, Australian tax returns, compared to Singapore ones, are a real pain in the butt.  But I must say that this year’s etax software has much clearer and better help and guidance as compared to previous years.

Let’s hope next year’s is even easier!

We attended Ian’s valedictory mass and dinner last night. Officially, it was Ian’s graduation and he is now no longer a student of St. Kevin’s, although he will still have to sit for his exams at the school. The mass and dinner went well and was much the same as Jie’s valedictory (click here). What was interesting this time around, was that the priest celebrating the mass, Fr. Gerarld Sullivan, was an old boy of St. Kevin’s who was there from 1931 to 1933!  He’s 93 years old today, but you couldn’t tell that from the way he celebrated mass and gave the sermon.

Also, Mary and I were calculating and figured out that if all goes to plan, we will still be attending a valedictory at St. Kevin’s in about 14 years’ time, when Ren graduates. I would be a doddering 61 year old by then! 

Some photos here.

I’ve finally completed my shoe cabinet for Mary, after 3.5 months of on and off work. I must say this has been a tough project, because of the size of the cabinet, which is generally larger than my equipment can handle comfortably. As a result there are a list of errors which I will detail in the page which describes the building process (click here).

Overall, I’m about 65% satisfied with the finished cabinet. The main error is that the cabinet depth is too shallow, because of the limited space available, and also because when I did initial measurements, I forgot to take into account the thickness of the rails. As a result, large shoes can’t sit properly and have to be sort of slanted and stacked in order to close the cabinet doors. Well, what’s hidden won’t bother too much I hope!

I learned a lot from the mistakes made though, and the next thing I build will hopefully have less errors. Mary’s quite happy with the final product and I guess that’s what matters.