Anya : … did my ballerina moves at the same time!

Vai : … also pretended to be a water-drummer!

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I love how we got to meet up with old friends during our recent trip to Perth (though we hoped we could meet more friends, and spend more time with those we’ve met!)

And, we managed to catch up with Andrew, Karen and their boys when we’re there.

[I shared how I first knew Andrew and Karen last July when they both were here in Singapore for the 'Doing the Karen Cheng' charity event]

They invited us over for a casual dinner and we had such a relaxing time there.

I mean, Wilson and I actually managed to have a good - and relatively ‘uninterrupted’ - chat with them, while the four kids were busy playing in another room!

We had a great time that night!

PS: Two weeks after that, Karen gave birth to their third son, Liam! Congrats Andrew and Karen!

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When we look at ourselves and others, do we have a tendency to see more of our own strengths and more of other people’s weaknesses?

If that is the way we tend to view things, we (sadly) will never be a blessing to others.

There are people who tend to only utter criticism, but never encouraging words. And it is usually because such people find no room in their heart to accept, see and hear about other people’s strengths.

If there are people who are better than me, how should I react? We should ‘accept’ that fact, AND be thankful for it.

When we have a big heart that is big enough to accept other people’s strengths and victories, we will be a happier person.

Let us strive to have a heart and mind that can accept other people’s strengths, enjoy other people’s victories and verbally acknowledge other people’s talents and gifts.

…

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”
Proverbs 14:30

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Singapore. Food Republic @ Vivo City.

8.30pm - 9.30pm. Earth Hour.

The day we had our very first ‘family candle-light dinner’, at a food court.

…

Where were you during Earth Hour? Did you participate?

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A must-see if you’re in Perth for a short stay.

Fremantle is known as Western Australia’s ‘other’ capital. Lots of shops, restaurants, cafes, fruit markets, souvenir and handmade stuff.

And if you head towards its Fishing Boat Harbour, you’ll find fresh seafood places, maritime museums and jetties (I love the jetties!).

We went there twice recently.

Once in the afternoon with my parents and grandparents to try out yummy fish and chips and seafood at Cicerello’s.

I was most amazed at their aquarium (said to be 22-meter long!). It’s right in the middle of the restaurant and when I went to the ladies, I could see MORE aquariums along the corridor too! The kids loved it! Stingrays, sharks, sea horses, starfish and lots more, all caught in Fremantle waters!

The second time we went there was at night time. To let the kids try out fishing!

Wilson used to go fishing with his friends the last time he was in Perth, but none of us are ‘pros’ (read: he’s okay but I am hopeless at it!).

We wanted the kids to experience what it’s like though (and Anya’s SO looking forward to it even before we left for Perth), and so we went to one of the harbours at 9.30pm.

While Wilson prepared the fishing rod and baits, I got the kids to finish up their milk (whenever we’re out and about, I prepared UHT milk for them, comes in packets of 200 - 250ml)

And hey what do you know. Once we got our bait in the waters, we caught two fishes! Hehe. Small ones, about 12cm long, all within 20 mins (we saw people not too far from us catching much much bigger fishes!). We released ours back into the waters, went home at 10.30pm and both kids dozed off immediately after.

I love how we could expose the kids to new learning experiences. And how we got to do stuff that we don’t normally do in Singapore.

How I thank God for the family. And for experience.

…

Photos: Cicerello’s shots were taken by Wilson

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It’s like an unwritten rule amongst siblings.

I want what she’s having. Why is my boiled egg ’smaller’ than his? Can I have Ribena too?

Or, in this case, I want a towel wrapped around me too, just like my sister.

Well.

As long as it means you both are happy (read: no snatching nor tears involved), I’m fine with that, little buddy.

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If you plan to visit Perth and are ready to explore its beautiful beaches, here are three places I’d personally recommend!

We went to these places and we loved each and every one.

[Note: If you're there in summer, be prepared to get a good sun tan because it IS warm and glary. Do bring along your sunnies, hats, sun block cream, etc. As for us, we're out and about under the sun a lot during our trip there, which explains why we are a few shades darker now!]

Scarborough Beach

We were there at 5pm on a weekday. The weather was really good, but it was really windy.

We fell in love with the white sand beach. Vai kept sinking his toes deep into the sand before he found a good spot, sat down and played with his cars. His sister got herself busy collecting seashells (for our fish tank!)

There were quite a few activities going on at the beach. Some kind of group practices, I think.

Anyway, we loved this place. Breathtaking.

[Photos by Wilson]

For more info on Scarborough Beach, click here.
…

Sorrento Quay (Hillarys Boat Harbour)

Another favourite. Love the view, the boats, the big blue sky, the white sand beach.

Compared to the other two beaches, there are heaps of eating places and attractions for everyone at Hillarys Boat Harbour!

For more info on its facilities and attractions, click here.

We were there at 12pm on a weekend. It was crowded, and VERY glary and warm. Once we’re under the shade, it’s cool and quite breezy though! Anyway, the kids had a great time playing in the sand, and we had yummy fish and chips for lunch with our friends.

[Vai : showing off his huge deep-fried squid]

…

Cottesloe Beach

Another beautiful beach we love.

[Photo by Wilson]

Our trip coincided with their annual ‘Sculpture by the Sea‘ (5 - 24 March), where over 60 artists displayed their works of art along the beach! It was nice! A refreshing break for us all.

For more info on Cottesloe Beach, click here.

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One of the things I love most about our recent trip is how this time round we brought along two little ones to places that Wilson and I used to visit more than ten years ago.

This is East Perth at 5.30pm.

I love how the kids ran freely across the big field while we casually strolled along.

I love the big blue sky.

I love how we all squatted and checked out the countless jellyfish, big and small, in the waters underneath.

One relaxing afternoon we all enjoyed.

[Wilson and the kids were going over a little hill. I was still way behind and when I looked up, I could not NOT take this shot!]

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PS: See if you can spot my husband and I too! *smile*

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Yes, we’re all back from a really nice break in Perth. I love every single day we spent there!

We took tonnes of photos, and I’ve got SO much to share!

For now, I need to get our bags, laundry and everything else around our home tidied up first.

Will write again soon!

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