(2007/10) October 2007 MTB

san,
what abt downtown east chalet?

sugarnut,
i brought aria to phuket when she was 1 years old. Suprisingly she was very well behaved. Then i was still breastfeeding, so it was very very convenient! I just latched her to make her feel comfortable during the journey. Anyway, it was a short journey, so quite ok. But tasmania, may be not hor..Dunno lah.. See how..
 


aria_jo,

My mum likes to go to places with casinos leh.. so unless I organise trips with casinos in mind then she may want to tag along. Then in the middle of the night, can ask my mum jaga the kids while they sleeping and we sneak out to play.. hehe.. now dreaming only.
 
sugarnut,
your mum likes to gamble? my MIL doesn't gamble and like sight seeing only especially the nature and interesting things. The last trip we brought her was to taiwan free and easy. I didn't know she enjoyed the trip until she mentioned that it was fun and the food was nice. She raved abt the alishan train "bian tan".. :p
 
<font face="comic sans ms">aria_jo,
Hubby dun like downtown east chalet loh.. he said small and ma fan if we want bbq cos the bbq pit there usually is not directly in front of the chalet loh.. sigh..</font>
 
Aria,
I am not super mum, I feel its totally impossible for me to handle my 2 monsters without extra pair of hands. If your 2 princesses are the guai guai type, and if your hb and you are the hands-on sort, think its still possible, but may be tiring I think.

The cons of travelling that we have to be prepared are:
1) Taking few hours flight (not sure your kids can take it) my kids cannot sit still type.
2) Lots of barangs to lure &amp; have to bring pram and 2 young toddlers
3) Change of environment can sometimes affect the toddlers behaviour (Lucas was about 3yo when we travelled, turned out he became very baby and want to be carried most of the time)
4) Have to pack extra diapers/ baby food/ toys/ tib-bits etc.. so many things to carry (Bags/2 young kids/ stroller/ extra jacket (cold country)

As I mentioned, I am not super mum, I cant cope with all these without extra pair of hands.

Good that you can bring your dad along, so that he can help up. We brought both my in-law with us too..... to some extend, they could help us somehow or another.... lucky I brought my helper with me, cos she is the one who helped out the most. My hb is not the hands-on type, so, bo bian.
 
san,
actually it's quite true lah..the resort very small..aiyoh, now headache for you liao..

tifanny,
yeah, if hubby not hands-on type, impossible to handle 2! wow, your maid is so lucky to go holidays with you!
 
san.. oh..then u gonna change ur plan for clarisse's bd le.. can the date b adjusted?

ariajo.. wow.. envy u can plan ur MIL &amp; dad can go holiday along w u.. ur MIL v good as in she's v 'chin-chai'... my mum is opposite, dun say holiday.. i can nvr arrange meet-up for her &amp; my IL, they like feel uneasy when meet but they r not in bad terms la. one of my gal frds also like u, can bring her mum &amp; MIL go holiday one.. we had been to malacca twice w her family.. infact both her mum &amp; MIL can even go holiday themselves too!

surgarnut.. so u hv brought lleyton to taiwan b4?? wow.. can share share izzit bb friendly there? u go f&amp;e or join tour?
 
junnie,

I feel that the place is quite family / child-friendly.. as in we took trains (MTR) most of the time and the reserved seats are mostly unoccupied or the pple will auto stand up and let us sit. Even the train stations hv escalators and lifts.. unlike HK, a lot of stairs. Then the toilets will hv changing stations or handicap toilets.

As for activities, we take it easy lah.. go mountains drink tea, go zoo, go Miramar Entertainment centre take Ferris Wheel, Taiwan 101.. and of course, walk around in the night markets and shopping area. A lot of food and cafes. Maybe some places you can use strollers but not for night markets. A bit crowded..

We went Wu Fen Pu also.. with stroller, so can hang the stuff we bought. Best to stay near MRT station (somewhere central).. plan your route properly so sometimes can go back hotel to put your stuff and travel out again.

We go F&amp;e.. book flights, hotel, bus separately ourselves. U can go see my blog if u have the time..
 
tiffany.. totally agreed! i'm beginning to visualise wat u hv jus posted =( tink of the packing, luggage &amp; two kids to handle.. i also 'sweat':S somemore i no helper... even if hv... dun tink got extra $$ to pay 4 her... all along we oni tried self-drive to malaysia w the kids.. is easy cos everything can dumped in the car.. now 1st time taking plane w two kids... really keeping finger cross 4 tis long planned short break... (my mum was saying 'ai pai mia' y wanna go so far w two young children! bobian, cos nanny also on leave, we wanna make 'full use' of our leave &amp; we tat type must lug the kids along everywhere we go de + nxt yr my gal p1 difficult to go holiday anyhow le). when come back fm trip.. sure backache all over w handling the kids &amp; luggage &amp; unpacking haha!!
 
<font face="comic sans ms"> junnie:
my sis said all the weekend slots are taken up liao only left weekdays loh.. sigh.. will have to see how now..</font>
 
sugarnut.. thks so much 4 ur info.. will go visit your blog when free.. we booked a family package w dynasty @ last wk natas. so most tpt/meals covered.. may b got some free time we can roam abt ourselves.. according to them tis package not rushing as they tailored for family w kids..
 
Aria
My hb is not the hands-on type, so, he has to pay for the extra help for the "service". My helper is really very good, and I know she is capable of handling my kids, so, she deserve the trip. If she cant help much, then I wont bring her loh...
This trip somehow turned positive for me too... cos, my maid has always hoped to work in HK, due to double the salary of Spore... but her hb dont allow her to go HK, prob they maids there have weekly off day and maids there become very havoc after awhile. After this trip, I can confirm she most likely give up going HK, cos she couldnt take the cold air and her nose was so dry and sensitive that she felt painful and even had some blood streaks.....Her skin also itch.... After the trip, she told me she find Spore better.... hahah.... think she write-off going to HK to work liao..and has verbally agreed to renew her contract with me. *Fingers cross* never know what they thinking!!!!!

Junnie,
You are power mum la.. and your hb is also hands-on. Should be no problem. Zann is big girl now, much easier to handle. I brought along portable DVD player to entertain Andrea onflight, so, she was quite alright. Lucas was busy playing and pouring the juice into his ice-cream onflight.. faint! Lucas couldnt sleep in the plan, so, I was kindof busy entertaining him throughout the 3-4 hours flight. Tiring siar...
 
san.. aiyo.. unless u hv a small grp &amp; all dun mind weekday to celebrate at NSRCC.. if not, gotta gv up ur current plan &amp; find other alternatives. tink aloha resorts bigger but price for public not cheap loh. there's one more chalet @ east coast, http://www.goldkist.sg/, u can take a look. we also wan try chalet, but always headache when come to who gonna stay overnight cos IL side many ppl la, so we gv up. urm.. how abt jus book a pit &amp; go for bbq/picnic @ ECP? my IL planning to do tat for my kids... oni ting must pray for good weather loh, if raining then resume bk to usual plan to celebrate at IL hse.
 
aria,
very nice names.. i love her chinese name especially! i love to think of chinese names for bbies, so i named quite a few of my relatives bb! hee

cherie bear,
im a bochap mum leh.. i just carried and baobao zq whenever he requested or i wished when i was preggie.. coz i couldn't resist his requests at all.. and i enjoyed doing it also coz now i seldom carry him as he always on the run liao.. luckily my pregnancy was safe and fine..

sugar nut,
i wana go taiwan leh! but seems v difficult for the time being wi the 2 young kids.. zq took quite some flights but majority not for sight seeing but for papa's work relocation... so abit poor thing also, gonna adjust to different lifestyle quite often.. i remembered there was once i took flight wi him alone from KL to Spore, bjorn him all the way.. quite an experience loh :p
 
Hi all ... am in Jtk now ... yesterday the kids wer ewell behave in the plane ... so happy ...till after the meal ...yes Carlson vomited on the plane and all got messy ...but praise God for his mercy liao ...

oh yes Carlson really need a seat by himself man ... if not i cannot eat at all ... cos he is too big in size to share a seat with me man ... he is 13.9kg as of 02/09 ...

Today is Carissa 7th Birthday ... finally can be with daddy this yr ...
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later we will be going to have her birthday cake in a mall that cost only S$57 for a at least 2kg princess cake ... very very nice one ... if get that in SG need at least SGD 100.00 ... haha only if i can bring this to SG for their birthday party coming Friday ... hmmm wishful thinking ...
 
tiffany,
good helper is hard to come by, so lucky u!
i can understand wi 2 kids on plane, the chaotic scene!!! zq was like a wild boar, kept running abt and went to disturb the passengers ard.. lucky YA was still very young then, just drink milk and sleep.. but now he more active and vocal also, i really cant imagine the scene when we back to spore this Nov for my sis's wedding.. sure very jiat lat!!!
 
CM,
happy birthday to Carissa! must be happy to be together wi ur kids again! enjoy the day! and i still haven decide on zq's birthday cake.. the Awfully Chocolate cake shop here provide me a service to bake and decorate zq's cake together wi him.. it sounds fun and meaningful to bake hs own cake but im not sure whether it's a good idea coz he's simply too active to sit/ stand still!
 
dodo i was just thinking abt U when i was on the plane ... if u come back before Zq's 2nd b day ...den both of u got to carry both kids ... how to eat and go toilet ??? hmmm

Oh to Bake &amp; deco his own cake ... sound fun ... but i think he is too small ... if 4 yrs and above ... they will love it to bitsssssssssssss ...

Thanks will tell Carissa that aunt Carol said HBD to her
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Hi mummies!

TGIF!!

Ariajo, dont overtire yourself at work ok. And think if youre travelling with 2 kiddos to Australia, sure exceed 10K. When we went to Melbourne with Hannah last Dec, already hit 10K. And shes still considered infant, so her airfare etc all cheaper. Once they hit 2, the prices will all go up.

Sugarnut, I also am thinking when can we go on our next family vacation? Think have to wait till #2 is at least 6mths, otherwise will be very lay che. Sigh...

Re: Chinese names
Were also terrible with Chinese names! Both sides of the family all kantang one. Im thinking of Si-Yi for #2 Si as in think, Yi as in righteousness. Hannahs Chinese name is Si-En. So one points to Gods grace, while the other points to Gods righteousness. Dunno whether sounds weird or not though. Those better in Chinese, can give your opinions??
 
cm... happy BD to carissa =D she must b v happy to celebrate her bd w the family tis year.. really v good deal for her princess bd cake! izzit 3D? tell us how's the taste later =) carlson's vomitted on the plane? hope is not too messy &amp; lucky is jus short flying time! i thot u in bandung, so is jkt arh?

dodo.. wow.. so nice of the awfully choco cake shop w their offer.. tink zq wud luv it, dun worry he cant sit still.. he v 'ting hua' de =)
 
CM,
tell u what, hubby din eat throughout the 6 hours flight last time round when we back from Spore to BJ.. he was too busy wi zq till no appetite to eat!
 
tiffany.. hahaha.. ya ya, i'm v 'powerful'!! sometime i duno where i got the energy??? eg. waked up 3 or 5+ am to feed lance occasionally, then latest 7.30am i must wake up le... aft attend zann at cc, i walked to work... then 6/7pm i go home..sometime i walk home... start 'battling' w the two kids... in btw tk my shower/dinner.. then tuck them to la la land... then i do housework, hang clothes.. iron clothes.. do some reading if possible...... everynite sleep abt 1/2am. if my hb away, i 'one-man show' for all... saturday the worst, gotta wake up 6+ or 7am in order to cook lunch for zann/hb (sometime they eat outside)... i also cook dinner for lance to bring out when 'reporting' at IL plc aft i work... hahaha... anyway... u see me good, i see u good.. nobody knw how my bodyache la!! when i old.. oni i knw!! (like poem lidat!!! kekeke)..
bk to the trip... lucas sooooo funny arh??? add juices in his ice-cream??? hahaha.. really headache hor?? the seat not so spacious &amp; when they served meal on board esp got kids we really 'sweat' man!! (i experienced it when we brought zann to HK when she's abt lucas age.. haiyo... cant sit still one! keep standing up &amp; disturb passenger infront &amp; behind!!). u said she's older, ya, but when she throw tantrum also v 'kong pu'!! i must b v firm &amp; stern to her then can 'handle' her...
re ur maid.. tink she must b v grateful to b able to tact along ur ex hk trip... good experience 4 her thou... hope she keeps her promise to renew contract w u then u no need headache to find &amp; train another new maid =)
 
dodo, i think zq might be a bit too young to decorate a cake now. esp their attention span is soooo short. i think hannah will just happily dig into the cake and eat it while i'm decorating it.

happy birthday carissa!
 
oh really ... this time round hope that yr flight will not be too full so that Zq can have a seat by himself and he can do lots of things liao ... the TV ... games ... etc etc ... poor dad ... keke
 
zhenzhen:
i find that the names u hv for ur gals are meaningful.In fact,Shanice &amp; Hannah share the almost similar chinese name
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Her chinese name is Shi En (Shi as in "Tang Shi",Shi &amp; En is "Bao En",En). &amp; her english name meaning is "God is gracious".

Now really thinking hard wat to name for my boy. Wan an unique &amp; meaningful name for him.

dodo:
forget to tell u that it wld be meaningful for ZQ to bake his own cake wif u. Can ask ur hb to video it down &amp; he can view it when he's older
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Dun worry abt him running around,i think he will enjoy baking the cake wif u.
 
tiffany, i m fine! backache on and off.. =)
agree with u on the ma-fan-ness of travelling with the kiddos. tink without my hb &amp; mum, i can forget abt it!
the last time we went genting, hb had to carry adri for 3hrs + in his arms cos she was sleeping. when we were in hkg, he had to be the muscle man again by carrying her most of the way. even up the hill to sweep the tomb.. piangz. and me? without any extra weight and i am already kpkb-ing abt the journey.. hahahaa!

zhen zhen, SI-YI sounds nice! and very meaningful!
adri's name was by a shifu too. i wanted to name her "zi-xuan" initially cos i reali love the name but apparently itz not suitable for her. hmpf! if only i m not picky abt it.. tsk..
update us on ur gynae appt!

dodo, very meaningful to bake the cake tgt with ZQ! can consider dear..

CM, the cake is soooooo cheap!! woah! and happy birthday to Carissa!
 
Tiffany, yes...Travis chinese name is given by you long zi. Both my sis daughters also.

talkin abt trips ah? tink Travis travel furthest is to changi onli...hahaha...not even sentosa :p

dunno why these 2 days my left eyelid kept battling. is it gd or bad?
 
Tiffany,
after hearing about your hk trip... I'm so tempted on whether to bring Marcus &amp; the helper along... I know Marcus will definitely love it... but then I doubt I can enjoy much shopping &amp; the hot spring with Marcus in tow......
 
petit_gars.. u mean nxt yr bring marcus to skii w tiffie or tis yr end jpn trip? urm... if u also hv a 'muscle man' like hippo's hb &amp; 'good helper' like tiffany's maid.. then u might wanna consider =) my hb those type die die wont go anywhere w/o the kids so i hv to b a 'strong octopus'!! (aka v 'powerful' &amp; 'many hand' to handle the kids keke)!!

zhenzhen.. hv a nice 'meet-up' w ur little bb later =) btw, re ur gal's chinese name... so 'qiao', my niece's gals opp fm urs... her no. 1 is 'jia yi' no. 2 is 'jia en' no. 3 is 'jia le'.
 
junnie.... i refer to this yr end to tokyo.... with marcus around, kinda distracting to shop in peace... but then i think he would be so happy to see his mickey mouse in disneyland....i felt i'm so cruel to leave him alone again...lol.
 
CM
Oh.. so fast you are back to JKT again? Thought we were suppose to catch up for lunch? Anyway, when are you back in Spore again?

Good to hear that your kiddos are with you and your hb... happy re-union.. hehhe....

Tell Carissa aunty dd wish her always such sweety and have great birthday celebration.

Dodo
I laugh at your description when your hb lost his appetite after tattending to ZQ. I share the same sentiment too....
You are experiencing it and you know what I am going through. Though Andrea is a girl, but she is more active than Lucas lei..... so, I am like having 2 active boys! I see ZQ guai guai and can sit down quietly sort lei....... but I think my 2 monsters are still champion in terms of behaving monkey. Gor gor jump on sofa, meimei follow... and the 2 monkeys start jumping on the sofa... faint. I have to sing the song... 2 little monkeys jumping on the sofa, one fell down and bump his head........... hahahah

Junnie
I always salute you for being a powerful mommy. You can handle so many things within a day and with no helper... Have alot to learn from you...

Petit
Think Marcus will love it... Andrea did enjoy her trip to Disneyland and she goes Wow wow wow along the way, especially when she saw the Fireworks, Bang bang bang... she goes WOW WOW WOW... quite cute and memorable... Remember to bring Video cam to capture all these memorable shots too......
Oh yes... think if you bring Marcus, dont think about shopping loh... I couldnt shop a single bit! So disappointing on this too..... Dont even have the appetite to eat. Well... you weigh the pros and cons of bringing Marcus lor... understand your reservations.....
 
Petit,
Tokyo disneyland is nice... bet Marcus will enjoy.....

Do consider about the bus rides too.. there willl be quite a bit of bus rides travelling from Osaka to Tokyo? Not sure what is your itinery. I remember there are quite abit of bus rides when I went Osaka, then slowly move to Toyko.....
 
petit_gars.. then go go go.. bring marcus along.. tink no prblm adding extra pax rite since urs F&amp;E? no shoping = more saving?? kekeke.. but spend more on lodging/food thou =D of cos... like wat tiffany says.. hv to weigh the pros &amp; cons, no harm discussing w ur hb.. aft all, holiday = R&amp;R not 'torturing' urself.. keke..

tiffany.. no no, dun learn fm me.. cos u can see tis 'powerful mummy' = no time to 'pan4 mei mei' like 'siao cha bo' &amp; v 'naggy' loh =D hahaha..
 
hi mummies! im feeling so much better today! pain and lump still there but at least the fever and chills are gone
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dodo, thanks to ur advice, i tried dragging mea's feeding time and true enuff she really 'power sucked' hahahaa...so the lump is considerably softened now...but i still have to pump after that to really empty the breast...really cow sia...feels like im back to the confinement days.

junnie, u really power mummy lah...i dun think i could do what u do...sure faint one..!!! i really think zann is such a sweetie, can't tell that she can throw such tantrums haha...

ariajo, yah i must really be disciplined abt regular pumping times. i noticed everytime i go back to work, i get mastitis--in june, and now.

zhen_zhen and aria jo, i love the chinese names for your babies! they sound so refined and elegant. my mil actually got a friend of hers to draw up a list of names cos all of our chinese super cannot make it one. then when i went into labour, i forgot where i put the piece of paper!! hahaha...so at the hospital, i was actually checking an online dictionary to look for chinese characters. that's how i came up with 'yun4 ning2'...

re: trips with kiddos
yah the packing alone really deters me...that time bring matty to phuket oredi so mafan. my in laws suggested a self drive trip up to genting or in aust together with my bil, sil and niece who is 1 year younger than matty...fwah it will be like the baby brigade...

dodo, hey i think it's a good idea to bake zq's bday cake with him leh...nvm if he makes a mess (u won't need to clean up the place anyway heheheh)...it's a wonderful memory to cherish!
 
petit_gars...can understand why u feel bad abt leaving marcus behind for ur tokyo disneyland trip...actually if it were me, i think i will bring both cos it's DISNEYLAND!!!! not cameron highlands! hehehehe
 
Junnie
You are indeed a strong Octopus. I like your description. You are the pillar of Zann and Lance. so wei da!

Karrie,
Ouch... can understand your pain and suffering. Kuddo to your endurance and perseverance that you can still breastfeed after going thru so much.. The last time I had Mastitis, stressed until I cried out... almost given up bf, had lots of things in my mind.... even had the thot of latching my hb, YES, feel like asking my HB to suck out my milk to relieve the clog! so that the clot can be cleared... haha... stress and pain until imagine crazy thot. Keep latching Mea....it will definitely help....
Sch holiday next week, so you can spend quality time with Matt and Mea ...... wink wink
 
mummies,
thanks for the compliments on my girl's name
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you know what, my dad said in cantonese it doesn't sound very nice..wah piang.. i told him nevermind lah. In singapore, no one will call her in cantonese!! He said it sounds like 'sui ye" as in bad things..haha.. like that he also can think of.. aiyoh...

zhenzhen,cherie bear
you bb name also very nice
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tasmania trip,
huh? more than 10K...aiyoh, must save more than..

junnie,
you're my inspiration! really dunno how you can tahan lor..
 
jus bk fm meeting....left not much time to clear work wanna go off soon =(

tiffany, ariajo.. hahaha both ur post made me LOL!!! one wanna asked hb latch on, one dad intepreting 'sui ye' in cantonese!!!!

tiffany,ariajo,karrie.. we are all super mummy =D

enjoy ur weekend w the lovely kiddos =D
 
Wah! Baby has really grown since the last visit!! Shes now 1.2kg @ 28 weeks, up 500g from 4 weeks ago. Amazing!!!! And so active too. Gynae couldnt get any nice shots for us to keep cos baby kept moving and moving. Not that Im complaining. Active is GOOD!

Junnie, really so qiao. So Yi2 is ok to use for a girls name yah? Yay!!! Im so proud of myself for coming up with this name despite my pathetic Chinese. Hahahaha.....

Petit gars, I also think that Marcus will really enjoy the Tokyo trip. But guess you need to weigh out the pros and cons. Think our next trip, will definitely be with the extended family. Otherwise, it will be so taxing on us and cannot really relax. Kinda defeats the purpose of a holiday yah?

Karrie, glad to hear that youre feeling better. Must be diligent in pumping while at work ok! Although I know its tough. Your school only has 1 nursing room issit? If so, must try and consider the alternatives.

Tiffany, your comment about latching on your hubby made me LOL. The thought is hilarious!!!

Enjoy your weekend mummies!
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Arajo,
That is a very nice name ! It sound very demure and same last character as Aria right ?

Personally, I also don't recommend Tasmania when your kiddos so young lor if you want to see as much as possible. Cos long distance drive + mountainous driving + cold. I was there in 2004 Aug. The people there is VERY nice (maybe more laid back) and the scenery VERY pretty but some place need to drive quite a distance to reach and some you need to 'hike' up hill (more than 1 hour walk) to see the view. The sun also set very early in / near winter (at about 4pm) and except for the main highway, the road does not have lights. The Maps also very 'simple' , you have to look out for road sign to popular tourist attractions. During the long distance not near launceston or hobart, meals could be just at a small cottage / pitstop which serve simple things like pie etc. My hubby drove from Cradle Mountain to Hobart and it took us 7 hours with only 1 stop at Queenstown. Thou on the map, the distance like very short (we'd estimated 4 - 5 hours) but it didn't show that it's mountainous with sharp turns and icy. One more thing is that the flight from Melbourne to Tasmania is flown by budget airline (both way our flight were delayed for 2 hours).

At one of the pit stop place (then we realise heng we have lunch there, cos no other pitstop later)
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Below is one of the Highway (our expressway). This road is two way and there is no lights (only reflective strips to "tell" if you are on the wrong side of the road. Speed limit is 100km/h.
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I LOVE the place and wouldn't mind going there again in future. But for now, looks like I have to KIV any major travelling plans for a while. Just put our signatures on the dotted line for a big ticket item.
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OOps, forgot to add, in Tasmania, it's common for them to serve / sell / give food items that had passed the 'best before date' (sometime by months) even the cadbury chocolate factory does that. When queried, they will just smile and politely reply "it's just THAT (pointing at the word "best before"), still edible and not expired. Maybe the whole place is cold (like a refrigerator) and dry, so the food didn't spoil and taste normal. But would you be comfortable to give to Aria / Naia ?.
 
San,
Oh dear, Maybe if just for family member, can consider taking the weekday slot. Check with them if they are ok with the idea since not likely to drag too late into the night.

Ariajo,
If not particular on where you stay etc, might be possible (a little bit tight thou) to do it with 10K (for 2 adults and 2 kiddo) as not like Melbourne, not much shopping there, mainly sightseeing. But chance is you'll stopover Sydney or Melbourne etc and that's where we'd spend most of the money shopping
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Aria_jo : super nice chinese name 4 yr girl. For my boys, I like En. So both has the word EN. Bo En &amp; Kai En.

All Preggie mummies : take good care.

School holiday : I maybe gg peek a boo on thursday due to promo. Who keen to join? Afternoon bah.
 

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