one plus one » Travels

Flying solo

soph — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:54:14 +0000

Last year, I did one of the scariest things I’d done so far with Kaylin – Y and I took her on an eight-hour flight to Melbourne. She cried a couple of times on the way there, and more than a few times on the way back, but we survived. And nobody shot us dirty [...]

Mummy’s really big day out

soph — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:28:56 +0000

Maybe it was the fact that I’ve only travelled once – to Melbourne in December last year – in the 15 months since Kaylin arrived. That I would be doing press for The Kitchen Musical didn’t hurt, being a huge musical fan myself.

I’ll admit to being a little skeptical about the show at first, [...]

The toilets aren’t that bad in Beijing

soph — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:45:03 +0000

Upon learning that I’ve just been to Beijing, most people seem to ask only two questions: Are the toilets really bad? And, are the people rude?

No, the toilets aren’t bad. Well, most of them anyway. The worst toilet we came across – or rather, that Em came across – was a public toilet three [...]

Beijing wrap-up in photos

soph — Tue, 19 May 2009 09:42:57 +0000

I loved:

The sights.

The goofing around.

The language.

But most of all, the company.

I did not love:

The smog.

See the rest of my photos here and here.

Headed for Beijing

soph — Sat, 09 May 2009 09:14:52 +0000

At the end of an alarmingly productive week, I finally relax, knowing I have no outstanding items on my to-do list. Chris and Em arrive in just over four hours and we leave for Beijing tomorrow. It’ll be our first time there. I’m not quite sure what to expect.

See you in nine days.

Phuket diving

soph — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:30:52 +0000

First stop – King Cruiser Wreck. It’s this huge sunken passenger ferry that’s now teeming with marine life.

Second stop – Shark Point. Where we saw my first leopard shark. The colours here are breathtaking.

Third stop – Koh Doc Mai. I think lionfish are one of the most beautiful creatures ever.

[...]

The beach is my zen

soph — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 03:43:49 +0000

When I was young, my dad used to wake us up early every morning to run along the beach. He’d run and us kids would walk, dragging our feet and complaining about not getting to sleep in. Since this was only possible when we were on an island – Penang, usually – we didn’t [...]

What I learnt about Phuket

soph — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 05:13:13 +0000

Last week was the second time Y and I had visited Phuket in two years and I don’t know if anyone has ever said this, but you learn much more about a place when things aren’t going quite so well.

The most important lesson I learnt, and that I think everyone who goes to Phuket [...]

My first leopard shark

soph — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:12:16 +0000

When I see something big and not-so-common for the first time, there’s always a feeling of, “Oh my God I can’t believe I’m looking at a _____.” Meet my first leopard shark. It’s only a baby but it was still pretty damn cool.

Y and I are back from our four-day trip to Phuket. [...]

Recession at the MATTA Fair

soph — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:17:17 +0000

Apparently this year’s crowds were significantly smaller than last year’s. Y and I wouldn’t know because this was the first time we’d taken the trouble to rise early on a Saturday morning and head down to PWTC. At 9.45am, there was already a whole heap of people queuing for their admission tickets. If this [...]