A Roaring Start!

What began as a roaring and thunderous start to our first full day in Sydney ended with a top-of-the-world feeling! Tze Min and I have probably never imagined we’d see our very own mothers be transformed into biker chicks until today!

Picking us up from our apartment at Oaks Harmony were three burly Harley bikers from Blue Thunder Down Under Harley Tours. Decked in leather and dark sunglasses on mean and powerful machines, they were our ride around the city to Mrs Macquaries Chair and then southeast to the famous Bondi beach. All except for Trevor (whose biker name is Troll), the other two guys, Greg and Mike, didn’t have the ‘entire package’, i.e. full length moustache and beard. But their appearance belied their very laid-back and mild-mannered personalities. Tze Min was thrilled riding pillion on Mike and also tried out sitting with legs fully stretched in the sidecar. Troll’s bright yellow three-wheeler must have been a treat for our mums because they didn’t want to swap bikes or seats with the rest of us. So that meant I was pillion for the hour-long ride trying to keep myself steady while holding a camera in one hand and clicking throughout just for photo evidence for this blog. (You better be appreciative I risked my life for this!)

After an adrenalin-rush on the Harleys, we got off at Rushcutters Bay to board our luxurious 26-foot Beneteau yacht, one among the fleet of 25 operated by Eastsail. Tze Min was asked to release the ropes as our skipper Jess navigated the lady out of her berth. Once out at Sydney Harbour, all of us stretched out on the deck and basked in the morning sun on an almost cloudless Friday. The sun kissed our faces while the cool breeze over the harbour countered the heating up of the morning. All was serene as we sailed under the Sydney Harbour Bridge (whose official name is Jackson Bridge, or so we were told by our guide at Sydney Skywalk).


Lunch was at the Sydney Fish Market - the second largest of its kind in the Southern hemisphere after Tokyo. We had a seafood platter (lobster, octopus, calamari, Kilpatrick oysters and prawns), sashimi and a dozen Sydney oysters while envious seagulls waddled by hoping to share our lunch. We topped it off with creamy muesli, passion fruit and mixed berry yoghurt. One regret - we should have ordered a smaller serving!

With so much to work off, we headed back to the city and were let loose on Pitt Street Mall. I’m surprised Tze Min only bought two bags of items in a place where four hundred specialty stores in eight major retail centres are concentrated. But well and good as her mum is getting a little worried, since we still have more shopping opportunities in the week ahead. I suggest we all start pacing ourselves, I’m no exception.

As the sun gave way to the moon, we hopped into the lift at Sydney Tower and were elevated 260 metres above ground (or about 75 storeys) to check out the city’s highest outdoor adventure attraction – the Sydney Skywalk. Gim Kuan put her fear of heights behind her and bravely confronted them as we stepped out onto the glass platform not for the faint-hearted. We were securely harnessed as we made our way around the platform that gave us 360-degree views of Sydney’s night sky. It was truly breath-taking!

Twenty minutes later, we were two decks below tucking into a buffet dinner at the Sydney Tower Restaurant. This iconic eatery earns the title of ‘Highest Revolving Restaurant in the Southern Hemisphere’. So with every serving we tucked into, the view was different, yet no less spectacular than the one before.

Admittedly, it’s been one long day choc-o-bloc with one exciting adventure after another. Everyone could do with a slightly earlier evening tonight because we’ve got our weekend all planned out. Hope you do too. Among our planned stops on the itinerary tomorrow - the Sydney Aquarium and the Wildlife World tomorrow. Despite it being a weekend, I won’t be taking a break from blogging, so make sure you check back across the weekend for more updates direct from Sydney!

All right mate…you take care and check back soon you hear. Gonna bed now with my stuffed koala.

p/s: if you can't get enough of the great photos you've seen so far, click here for more.

The Gang's Landed in Sydney!

It’s almost midnight and we should be tired and going under the sheets at Oaks Harmony apartment, where we’ll be putting up for our first four nights. Our spacious apartment’s conveniently located within walking distance to Sydney’s key attractions like the Darling Harbour, Chinatown and Paddy’s Market. Each unit comes equipped with the conveniences of home like a kitchenette, washing machine and dryer and mine happens to be a split level!

Temperature’s a cool and comfy 10 degrees Celsius this evening and its warmest would only reach 22 degrees Celsius in the day. Who wouldn’t want to be here in Sydney and leave those post-30 degree Celsius temperatures back home?!

Coming back to why we aren’t falling asleep just yet, these are highly probable reasons on our first night in Sydney:

1. We dozed off on the Qantas flight. And even though we did, Tze Min and I still managed to steal about half our flight time catching two movies on board the 747. Flight time was just over 7 hours.

2. We just stuffed our faces with fantastic Cantonese seafood a stone’s throw from our apartment located in Chinatown. We tucked into our first meal at Golden Century Seafood Restaurant on Sussex Street. There, we were served their signature dishes which included savoury Pipis with vermicelli in XO sauce and ginger-seasoned Crab. Tze Min and mum couldn’t hold back expressing delight at the dishes served to us! Restaurant owner Eric Wong and his wife Linda came around to chat with us; they were truly warm hospitable hosts. Their restaurant of 19 years continues to be a huge draw for both locals and visitors, opening till 4am every day! If there’s one place for fantastic Cantonese cuisine this side of the equator, you can’t go wrong with a visit here.

3. Just anticipating what we’ll be doing tomorrow – riding on a Harley, sailing in the Sydney Harbour, gorging the freshest oysters and sashimi at the Sydney Fish Market and braving the heights at the Sydney Skywalk, who can fall fast asleep so easily?

I plan to record a video of our Harley bike ride tomorrow and upload it here. Just keep your fingers crossed I don’t fall off as pillion while I keep my balance with my camera in one hand! Check back tomorrow for more of our adventure in Sydney!

PS: If you want another perspective of our trip as it unfolds, check out Tze Min’s personal blog.

Sydney...Here We Come!

Alrighty...we're packed. We've checked in and we're seated in the Qantas Business Lounge sipping on armoatic freshly brewed coffee and golden brown buttered toast and raisin muffins. Tze Min and her mum have already begun shopping in the duty-free stores here at Changi Airport's Terminal 1. I can only imagine how crazy they'd go once we land in Sydney. Where's the lasso? ;o)

We're flying on Qantas and the flight will be about 7 hours and 20 minutes to Sydney! It's all beginning to sink in that the adventure of a lifetime begins today.

Need to go or I'll be missing my flight. Even as I type, I'm wondering if Tze Min and mum might get left behind if they get too engrossed in their shopping even before we take off! Let me go look for them.

Will blog again later tonight. Drop us a comment if you like yah. Remember to follow our journey every day from today! And oh...we're featured on the TODAY newspaper today too! Woohoo!

A Pre-Departure Interview

It'll be about a day and a half when we board a Qantas flight bound for Sydney! You could say it's finally 'taking off' since the promotion started late last month.

The winners Tze Min and her mum Gim Kuan must be nothing short of excited about winning this travel holiday this Mothers' Day. So before they jet off, I decided to get Tze Min's thoughts on the adventure ahead via email.

Stanley: So has reality sunk in for your mum that you’ve won her this trip to Sydney? We heard it’s taken a bit of time to settle in for her.
Tze Min: Well, she has turned into full "mother' mode, packing here and there, nagging at me to buy sunblock lipbalm and sorts.. so yeah, i guess it's sunk in already.

S: You must be the envy of many of your friends. Have they loaded you with their shopping lists of what to get them when you’re there?
TM: YES THEY DID (but they just wanted aussie sand so joy for the cheapskate in me). They wanted me to squeeze them into my luggage among my clothes but y'know, what with the tight security at the customs and all...

S: Have you started packing? What are some interesting articles/personal effects you’re packing along for the trip?
TM: Actually my mom sorta packed it for me (haha typical) so I am not sure what she put in though...

S: Now that you’ve seen the itinerary, what’s the ONE thing you’re absolutely dying to check out on the trip?
TM: ONE?! No way, I'm listing three.

1. THE HARLEY DAVIDSON TOUR!!
2. Sydney Tower Skywalk (or something like that)
3. AUSSIE SHOPPING (heard it is crazy fantastic)

S: We hear you and your mom don’t like sashimi and fresh oysters, is it ok if I eat your share?
TM: Fine, but I have dibs on your share of everything else.

S: There will be time for shopping and sightseeing. Which activity are you more attracted to? What about your mom?
TM: Me - SHOPPING, with a passion. Blue Mountains, for my mom. Something about good scenery thrills her to no end.

S: What does it feel to be able to give your mum this Mother’s Day gift?
TM: All i can say is, planning for Fathers' Day is going to be terrible.

S: All set to go girl?
TM: Thursday cannot come fast enough, for sure.

The Countdown to Thursday...

It's going to be mother and daughter's first trip to Sydney. Tze Min's mum, Gim Kuan, is looking forward to her visit to the Blue Mountains. She'd read about the place in travel supplements and articles and is delighted it's on our places-to-visit list. After our meeting last week, I learnt she loves beautiful scenery and I'm certain the mountains won't disappoint.

In fact, I hear the place we'll be staying for two nights there (i.e Old Leura Dairy) is a former milking shed that's been refurbished. So lots of moooo-ving history to the charm of the place and the region.

Tze Min seems the more adventurous of the two and can't wait to try everything from vava-voooming down the city streets of Sydney on a Harley, to parasailing at Port Stephens! Four more days to blast off....

Tze Min & Gim Kuan are off to SYDNEY!!!

I just wanna congratulate 18-year-old Ng Tze Min and her mother Ang Gim Kuan for clinching the coveted position of being THE pair to win their passage to Sydney this Mother's Day!


It wasn't easy sifting through the many entries that flooded the Tourism New South Wales office. Every single entry was full of praise for a mother who'd toiled and many huge sacrifices; every entry was legitimate, every mother truly was deserving.

But when it came down to picking an entry that stood out, the one about the 'hands' touched the 'hearts' of those assigned the difficult task of picking a winner.

The top 10 finalists' tributes have been posted at the 938LIVE website and we want to share them with you. Thank you for all your entries, and even though you may not have won the trip for your mum, you definitely have a gem of a mother that anyone would cherish!

There're still more goodies in the bag to win! Tell you more in my next entry very soon! Watch this space!

The Shortlisting Has Begun!

The response to the "I Love Mum, We Love Sydney" promotion has been nothing short of amazing! We've received so many heart-warming tributes, so thank you for writing in and nominating your mother. They are truly a very special breed and what would we do without them?!

Grace from the Tourism New South Wales office here said, "This certainly exceeded our expectation!"

Now comes the hard part...picking THE extraordinary mother to spend Mother's Day in Sydney! With so many deserving mothers, we really wish everyone could go. The winner will be announced on air on 938LIVE from Friday, 2nd May. So keep your ears peeled to see who's heading south this winter.