Charming!

We had just concluded another exchange at NNC. This time it is a no stitch exchange. All we had to do was cut up 10 pieces of cotton fabric into 5" x 5" squares, and mail them out to our partners. There were 5 of us, so we needed to cut up 40 pieces, and these are what I received from my partners.

From Tini

From Emily

From Janet. Thanks, Janet, for the beads!

From Ratna

Lovely! Lovely! Lovely!

I might make them into bags. I don't know yet, but, for sure I will post photos of what I have made from these charm squares once they are done!

Thanks, everyone, and thanks, Janet, for organizing this exchange!

A new beginning......

I have been looking at the stash I brought back from Melbourne almost daily before I go to bed. It gives me such a satisfying feeling! *grin* I must say that it was a good buy, and well worth my trip to the fair! Friends have asked me if I am ever going to start working on any of them. *double grin*

I met up with June, Margaret and Rose on Saturday to show off my stash to them *grin*, and we also looked at some lovely sampler pieces done by Rose.

June said that, looking from the stash that I had brought back, she doubts it that I will be able to do all of them in this life time. True! True! Even if I work on them every spare time that I have, it would still be impossible, so, why did I buy them?

Only my sttching friends will understand the feeling of wanting to buy the charts, as most of them will go through the same feeling at one time of another, unless you are a very disciplined person. *grin*

Actually, I have been wanting to start on the Mandala Gardens since I came back from Melbourne, but, looking at the chart, which comes in a several pages, it got me feeling so intimidated to get started on it.

However, late Saturday night, I mean really late Saturday night, I decided to take the plunge. I thought that if I don't start on it now, I might never start on it at all. So, Saturday night, after the Akademi Fantasia concert (yup, watched that on Saturday night *LOL!*, but I will put in my opinions on the concert in a separate posting), which ended at 11.30pm, I picked up the needle and started stitching! I had company, since my hubby decided to go online too, so, I felt motivated to stay up. I stayed up at till 2.00am!

I just could not put it down! If my eyes didn't start seeing double at 2.00am, I think I would have stayed up even later, but, as my hubby was also getting tired, I decided to call it a night too, but not before I finish just this one more line....... after line, after line.......*grin*

Not much progress yet, but, it's a start, at least. I worked on it too on Sunday morning, before I got breakfast started. Worked on it some more in the evening, before I started preparing dinner.

On another stitching note, I started on this piece by Little House Needleworks, the Gourmet Garden. I actually started on it before I went to Melbourne, because I wanted to bring it with me to stitch while I was in Melbourne. But, due to my poor health, it never came out of the bag. I continued stitching on it while I waited for Aiman to finish his art and engineering class on Saturday.

Also, here is a progress of my DT Sampler Gameboard. I have slowly been working on it. This was supposed to be a SAL with BJ, but, BJ got distracted *wink* by many other samplers introduced by Rose at NNC. I wonder how BJ is doing on hers.

Now, I currently have 4 stitching pieces running at the same time, no, make that 5, if I were to include my Christmas Star piece which I have not touched in the last 6 months, and also the CCN Ice Cream Sundae, which is taking me so long to complete. I just don't know why...too many distractions, perhaps! LOL!

I need to discipline myself so that I can work all 5 pieces in rotation so that they will all be completed eventually, instead of becoming a UFO. *grin*

Wish me luck, and do keep cheering me on!

Exchanges and gifts

Now that The Final Chapter of the Melbourne trip has been put up, it is time to blog on the exchanges that I have been involved in and the gifts that I received from Jess when I met up with her recently in Melbourne.

Yup, Jess gave me this very lovely bookcover she made in my favourite colour - pink and green! Thank you so much, Jess! I love it! The workmanship is so neat, and all the points meet! Really awesome! Very professionally done!

Jess also gave me this roving wool (left) when she noticed that I was interested in felt. I have yet to make anything out of it though. I need to get some felting needles first before I can make anything out of it, except to make them into small balls using the hot water and liquid soap dish method according to a link that Jess gave.

Thanks for both gifts, Jess!
On another note, recently we concluded the Cupcake Exchange organised by Jess at NNC. I was very lucky to have Mel as my partner because she is one very creative lady! Just look at what I received from her!

Not only did the cupcake pincushion came in this beautiful round/cylindrical box, but in it contained not just the cupcake pincushion, but a recipe for strawberry cheesecake, which was a requirement for the exchange that we include our favourite sweet dessert.

I like the way how Mel did up the recipe book. Really neat and very professionally done! I also got a bookmark, and 6 pieces of crocheted cream puffs! I had actually asked Mel to make the cream puffs for me and I was going to pay for them, but she gave them to me FOC! Thanks, Mel!

The cupcake pincushion is so nice, it deserves a close-up!

Lovely, huh? Yummy too! This is what I call a professioanl job well done! Thanks again, Mel!

Compared to the cupcake pincushion I received from Mel, my slice of cake and swiss roll pincushion I made for Jess pales in comparison *blush*

I made the slice of cake pincushion first, but, not satisfied that it is so simple compared to what some members at NNC are capable of coming up with, I decided to do another one, and the swiss roll pincushion was the result.

I hope that Jess will still like them, although I know that they are nothing compared to the lovely and yummy looking swiss roll pincushion she made for BJ. Sorry, Jess!

Anyway, thanks for organizing the Cupcake Exchange, Jess!

Melbourne Trip - The Final Chapter - It's time to say goodbye *sob*

17th march 2008

It's our 6th day in Melbourne. Our flight back to Malaysia is at 0045 hours, on 18th March 2008. I woke up in the morning on 17th March with mixed feelings as I was feeling sad that we are leaving Melbourne already as I felt that I was not able to enjoy Melbourne that much due to my poor health on most days that I was in Melbourne.

At the same time, I am glad to finally be going home as my cough and bout of gastric problem did not seem to subside, and I just want to go home to the comfort of my own sweet home, where, even if I am sick, at least I am home.

We had many hours to kill before we need to start packing for our trip home. We wanted to make the most of it. We wanted to see the town again for one last time. Aiman wanted to take the train and tram ride again, as he said that they will be the things that he will miss when we are back home in Malaysia.

We also needed to get a few more souvenires to bring back home. So, after breakfast, we took the train to town. This time, we got off at Flinders Street Station.

Since we did not have any definite plans on where we wanted to go, we decided that we would walk the length of Swanston Street to take photos, do some shopping and see the sights and the bustle and hustle of the city.

We made many stops at the many souvenir shops along Swanston Street.

As we walked along Swanston Street, we came upon this basement shop that was selling everything for under AUD2.00. We almost did not want to drop by the shop, but my hubby suggested that we do since we have plenty of time to kill.

I am so glad that we did, because it was here that I found a treasure trove of craft materials for scrapbooking, and everything was only between AUD1.00 - 2.00! I couldn't believe it! I pulled out craft materials after craft materials, like a kid in a candy store! LOL! There were loose papers, papers in booklets, chipboard alphabets, stickers, embellishments! Wow! I was breathless with excitement! LOL!

I wanted to buy everything, but, of course, I still have some senses in my head that told me to take a deep breath and think with my head and not with my heart. LOL!

Eventually, these are what I had purchased. I am so pleased with my selection and grinning from ear to ear as I look at my newly acquired stash. *grin* I feel like a kid whose mum had just given her a new toy to play with! LOL!

As we were walking along Swanston Street, after making our purchases at Arthur Daley's Clearance House, a signboard caught my eye. No, not another craft shop, but a bookshop! Imagine someone getting excited about a bookshop. LOL! I think my mum and sis would shake their heads in amazement that a bookshop can excite me, but not a clothes or leather shop! LOL!

Why am I so excited about this bookshop? Well, for one, when we were in Sydney, and before I found Lincraft, someone at an art and craft shop I visited in Sydney recommended that I visit Dymocks for a wide selection of scrapbook materials. So, the one that I visited in Sydney was a huge one covering 4 floors with almost half a floor dedicated only to the world of papercrafts! So, you can see why I was so excited when I saw the signboard for Dymocks! *grin*

However, the one at the corner of Bourke and Swanston was a much smaller one, covering only a basement level of a shopping complex. There was no section dedicated to papercrafts, unfortunately, though they do have a wide selection of craft books.

There were a few that I liked, but found that the price were too high, as they were books from the US. Maybe my SIL in Michigan can get them for me at a cheaper price! *wink*

We spent some time browsing the books there and Aiman enjoyed playing with the train station there. As lunch time drew near, we thought that we would try out the Nelayan Restaurant, an Indonesian restaurant, along Swanston Street, as we saw some muslims eating there when we were in town on Saturday.

However, we were swayed by Aiman's persuasion when he said that he wanted to go to Little Malaysia one more time before going home. He said that it is his most favourite restaurant in Melbourne! Now, how can you beat that argument! *grin*

Nothing more exciting to report about what we ordered for lunch as Aiman ordered what my hubby ordered on Saturday, which was Vegetarian Fried Rice. My hubby ordered the Vegetarian Fried Mee and I ordered Tom Yam Seafood Soup again with steamed rice, and mixed vegetables in garlic. We forgot to take photos of our dishes as we were hungry and immediately started eating when the food was served. LOL!

After lunch, as we had a lot of packing to do, or rather, as I have a lot of packing to do *wink*, I took the tram back to the apartment with Aiman, but my hubby stayed in town as he wanted to visit Victoria Barracks on St Kilda Road.

From what I gathered about Victoria Barracks is that it was the administrative headquarters for the Australian Army, but to ensure the close coordination of the three services necessary to the war effort, the Barracks also became the administrative headquarters of the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force.

Heheh......my hubby is going to be so impressed with me *grin* when he reads the paragraph above because it will prove to him that I actually took the effort to find out what Victoria Barracks is all about. *grin* He always thinks that I am never interested in his interest or anything military as I call his military magazines his war books! He explains that they are not military magazines but management magazines as you can learn a lot about management through the way the military operates.

Hmm.....I think my hubby is going to make a comment on what I had just said. *grin* Anyway, he also said that his magazines are not war books/magazines, but historical documentations of the times during the war.

So, back to the apartment I went with Aiman, and as I started packing our things, I felt a sense of loss, like I was leaving an old friend behind. I quickly finished my packing, so that I can make a call to Jess to bade her farewell, and to thank her for everything. We chatted awhile before saying our goodbyes, and we promised to meet again someday, if not in Melbourne, then maybe in Malaysia, as Jess did say that she might be coming back to Malaysia for a holiday.

I think it will probbaly have to be in Malaysia that we will meet again because I don't think that we will be coming back to Melbourne again that soon, although it would be nice if we could come again.

Our first meal at the apartment, when we arrived 6 days ago, was noodles, and, that day, on our last day at the apartment, our last meal was also noodles. It was like closing a chapter to a holiday filled with so many challenges, frustrations, adventure and excitement. A holiday I will long remember as a dream that came true to visit a craft fair that not many of my crafting friends back home in Malaysia would have had the opportunity to do so, and could only go on dreaming. It would also be a holiday that I will remember most as the one holiday that I spent most part of the holiday being sick, and feeling dazed most of the time from the multiple medication that I took.

Nevertheless, I thank God for the opportunity to visit another foreign country, as not everyone is fortunate to be blessed with the rezeki to go on holiday to another country quite far away, unless you happen to be filthy rich. I count my blessings everyday.....

We safely arrived back in Malaysia at 5.30am, Malaysia time on 18th March 2008.

End of the Melbourne Trip

Thank you everyone who had followed my journey through my blog. I hope everyone have had a good read, as I had enjoyed relating my journey through my writings.

Melbourne Trip - Sights of the City and A Walk through the Gardens

Before I write the last chapter to my Melbourne trip.....heheh...like as if I am writing a book! LOL! *wink*, I thought I would write a little about the beautiful botanical gardens that can be found everywhere around Melbourne as we make our daily trips to town via the trains or trams, and when my hubby went for his jogging near our apartment. Also, I am putting up photos which wouldn't fit into my other postings, but are worth putting up here to showcase the beautiful sights around Melbourne.

These are photos of the lane leading to the back portion of our apartment that houses more apartment blocks and parking lots.

Views of the Yarra River taken when we went to the aquarium on the day after we arrived. I wished that we had taken the cruise along the river. It totally slipped our minds to take the cruise because when we went to Sydney, Aiman did not enjoy the cruise much maybe because he was younger than and did not know how to appreciate the cruise. But, when we came back home to Malaysia, Aiman has been asking us when we could go on a cruise.

My hubby was impressed with the way the river front has been developed in Melbourne; this development has created a lot of places for people to stroll and appreaciate the Yarra River which gives character to the city. Something that we, in Malaysia, can learn to emulate.

Photos below are of the Art Center Sunday Market taken from the nearby bridge over the Yarra River. The market is located over two levels, along St Kilda Road between Hamer Hall and Theatres building as well as in the Undercroft of Hamer Hall, beside the Yarra River.

We noticed that wherever we are in Melbourne, we are never far from an open public park. Alexandra Gardens, located across the road from the Art Center, is a good example of a well planned urban landscaped garden which provide a relief from the fast pace of the city.

The Royal Botanic Gardens is located about 2km away from our apartment. My hubby went jogging around the park on one of the evenings that we were there. He has always said that we would like to jog around the parks of the cities that we visit.

He started jogging from our apartment, and for the 1st kilometer or so, he was jogging along the wide sidewalks alongside the trams, buses and cars, accompanies by the other sights and sounds of a tyoical urban city. According to my hubby, the moment that he stepped into the Royal Botanic Gardens, all the hustle and bustle of the city disappeared. He slowed down to take in all the views, taking photos as he went along, at one point even sitting down on a bench for a few minutes to enjoy the serenity.

On the way back from the Royal Botanic Gardens, my hubby took another route and came across the Shrine of Remembrance , which was built to commemorate Australia's fallen soldiers in the service of the country.

Below is a picture of what normal people would usually not take, but which we would, and which my SIL, Eina, will always comment with annoyance. "Architects!". *grin* Yup, it's a photo of the drain cover found around Federation Square. Nobody would have thought that there is a drain underneath it or bothered about it, except us, who cannot help, but get drawn to something as detailed as a drain cover! LOL! *wink*

Melbourne is surely a beautiful city, but I wouldn't highly recommend it to anyone who wants to go there for a holiday, as it does not have that many tourist spots to go to, unless you want to travel to the outskirts of the city, unlike Sydney, where there are many places to see within and around the city.

However, I would strongly recommend it to anyone to wishes to go there to further their studies, or parents who wants to accompany their children who are attending university there, or if you simply want to settle down in a foreign country, that is not too far away from your country of origin. Even though it is a city, yet, it is quite laid back, and not so busy as Sydney.

THE Stash! *grin*

heheh...the much awaited post by my crafting friends - THE STASH! LOL! *grin*

Yeap, ever since my crafting friends found out that I was missing from the board at NNC, they started guessing where I could be. Heheh...Janet hit it right on the head of the nail when she said that I would be in Melbourne to visit Jess as Jess had mentioned in one of her postings about there being a craft fair coming up in March. Although I made no mention at the board that I was going to Melbourne during those times, but I did mention some time back in early 2007 that I might want to go to Melbourne for our next family vacation.

It was such a coincidence that our family vacation was going to be at the very same week that the Melbourne Stitches and Craft Fair was going to be held! I still could not believe it that I was there with Jess!

Anyway, enough blabbering since I am sure many of my stitching friends have been waiting patiently and wanting to know what I have hauled back from the fair and from my trip to Melbourne, as Jess had said that I looked like a bird of prey going in for the kill, as I went through the charts and fabrics that I wanted to buy! LOL! *grin*

I have already shown a photo of the cottons and felt fabric that I bought at Darn Cheap Fabrics at Glenhuntley before making our way to the craft fair. I have also uploaded photos of the scrapbook papers that I had bought at Lincraft on the day I went out to town on our 4th day in Melbourne.

Now, for the big one..... *wink*

I thought I'd do a close up of the stash that I bought at the fair so that my stitching friends can go goo goo gaga over my haul. *wink*

2 pieces of hand dyed fabric bought at Stitches and Spice, and one bought at another stall which I can't recall the name. I picked out the one in blue as recommended by Naomi, the stall owner, to do the Chatelaine Mandala Garden III - The Watergarden. It kind of remind me of the beautiful gardens found around Melbourne. *smile* Now it's a matter of when am I going to start on it! LOL!

The overdyed silk flosses that matches the two hand dyed fabric bought at Stitches and Spice were given free to me by Naomi as she gives no discount, but since I had bought a lot, they were tokens of appreciation from her. She gave me in matching colours to work my beads on the fabric, so that you wouldn't be able to see the threads. Great idea, huh?

Next are two handbag patterns which I bought just as we were already on our way out. See what Jess means when she said that hadn't she actually dragged me out of there, I might just end up buying everything I see? LOL! *grin*

Ever since I saw The Drawn Thread - The Sanctuary being stitched by Niza some time back, I had been eyeing the chart. So, when I saw the chart in person at Stitches and Spice, I just could not let it go! LOL! I picked up two more - The Prairie Garden and The Alpine Garden.

Actually, I picked out more than these 3, but I had to refrain myself from buying more as there were other charts I wanted, two of them being Altengamme and Neuegamme. Margaret introduced me to these lovely charts and I have been wanting to get them, but they were expensive to buy online.

Of course when I saw two more other charts by the same company - Stickideen von der Wiehenburg, I had to get them too! The two charts are Patchwork Sampler - Serenity, and Tranquilty Sampler. Now you know why Jess said that I looked like a bird of prey going in for the kill? LOL! *wink*

I have recently become a great fan of Little House Needleworks ever since some stitching friends introduced me to it a few months back. I have thus far stitched one design by LHN and hope to stitch many more. So, when I chanced upon these two charts by LHN (above photo, on the left) I had to get them, especially the Home of A Needleworker (too!), as I had stitched the first Home of A Needleworker by LHN when we did the Sisterhood Stitching at NNC. See what I mean when I said that I went crazy picking out the charts? LOL!

Next are charts by Lizzie Kate. These are part of the Living with Charm series currently running at the Lizzie Kate website. I have always liked the series charts by Lizzie Kate, and this one is no exception. I had to get them! LOL!

There will be 12 in a series. So far, 8 has been released - 2 per chart. 4 more will be released throughout the year. Now I have to make my orders online for the rest of the series. Maybe Eli can help me get them? *wink*

Now, for my most satisfying purchase - Chatelaine - the Mandala Gardens!

I have been wanting ..yeah, what else is new *grin*.... to buy the Chatelaine, the Mandala Gardens series for some time, ever since I saw the Maj Mahal Gardens online some time back. So, naturally, when I saw the charts at Stitches and Spice, I got so excited, I could hardly breath! LOL! I think this is also the time that Jess' jaw dropped to the floor as I picked out chart after chart after chart! LOL!

I think I picked out all the Chatelaine charts available at Stitches and Spice, but, after much contemplation, I had to put most of them back into the basket. It was simply going to burst my bank account (if I hadn't already done so with my earlier purchases *grin*) had I bought them all, and I don't think I will have the time to stitch them all! That's my senses knocking me back to reality. *grin*

The 4 Chatelaine charts are The Mandala Gardens I, II, and III - The Knotgarden, The Herbal Garden and The Watergarden. I also bought the Mini Mandalas II. I think I would have gone ahead and bought The Taj Mahal Mandala Garden, which was actually my first choice, but was sold at another stall and which we visited only after I had already made my big purchases at Stitches and Spice, had Jess not given me that 'look' *wink*, and said "Nik!" in a tone of voice like an adult scolding a naughty child. LOL! *grin* That put a stop to my buying and I meekly put back the chart into the basket! LOL!

Oh, I forgot! I have one more thing or rather, 3 more things that I bought at the fair! *grin* I bought 3 pieces of cotton panels which I know for sure I will not be able to find them in Malaysia. Aren't the cats cute? *wink* The bottom one has a country feel to it.

What am I planning to do with the panels? Err.......I have not made up my mind yet. Maybe a table runner? Any suggestions?

So, stitching friends, what do you think of my haul? Awesome, huh? Amazing? Yup! Definitely! LOL! Now this is what I call a real shopping spree! *grin* My mum must be shaking her head in disbelief! LOL! *wink*

Melbourne Trip - Day Five

16 March 2008

Today we set out earlier than usual since we had planned on going to several places which we have to cover by 6.00pm, as all the places that we wanted to go closes at 6.00pm.

I have always said that the `Mat Salleh' knows how to relax as almost everything, be it places of interest or shops, closes at 5.00pm or 6.00pm, except for the bars and entertainment outlets, when everyone is forced to stay indoors and spend quality time at home with their families. Unlike here in Malaysia, most places of interest or shopping complexes closes at 10.00pm. So, you can actually do more in a day, go to many more places in a day, or make more money too in a day! *grin*

Whenever we go for our travels, we are always in a rush to cover as many destinations as possible before they close. On the other hand, when tourists come to Malaysia, they can go to all the places of interest while the sun is still shinning bright, and do the shopping at night. The day is filled up to the limit. You get your money's worth coming to Malaysia.

When we went to Sydney 4 years ago, I find that we always ended up not knowing what to do after 5.00pm, and we would usually end up just staying in the room watching TV. We would usually go out during the day, but, should Aiman, he was only four then, feels tired (he had just recovered from a fever) and wanted to go back to the hotel even though it would only be 2.00pm, we would end up up not going anywhere after that because by the time Aiman wakes up from his nap, feeling refreshed and active, it would have been passed 5.00pm. What a waste to a day, since we came from so far away! But, Aiman's health comes first and we do not want to tire him out too much, especially since he had just recovered from a fever.

I think Malaysians are such a hard wokring lot. Either that, or they just don't know how to relax, or they want to make as much money as possible because when they open shop for longer hours, they get more traffic to the shops, which equals more money! LOL! *wink*.

Anyway, sorry for digressing *grin*, on Sunday, 16th March, we started out by taking the train to Queen Victoria Market since I read that on Sundays, the market which normally sells a huge variety of fresh produce on any other day, makes way for traders selling variety and speciality goods.

However, since we were there very early in the morning, some of the stalls were just about to be set up. Here we found a lot of T-shirts going for very cheap, and even cheaper if we buy them in bulk. I was very tempted since there were quite a number of very nice designs. However, I managed to refrained myself from buying any as I was starting to run out of cash, since most of the stalls only trade in cash.

Also, since my hubby had already bought me and my son, and himself a T-shirt when he went on the boys day out, I thought I shouldn't buy anymore. However, I wished that I had bought the sweater though, since it was one of the very few products that were selling there that were actually a product made in Australia. The others were mostly made in China. Oh well! No use regreting, right? *sigh*

However, I did buy something, and my hubby find it very surprising that I actually bought it since he knows that I am not much into buying those kind of things whenever we go on our travels. Heheh...I bought a leather handbag! *grin* How come? Because my turqouise handbag which I have had for the past 2 years is starting to give way. So, when I saw the turqouise leather handbag going for quite a reasonable price, I grabbed it! LOL!

While there, we stopped by a candy making shop and we were in awe looking at how the candies were made, not to mention that the guys making the candies were cute too! LOL! *wink* This is one shop that allowed us to take photos, which I did. I also bought a packet of mixed flavoured candies, which ended up being meshed together due to the heat. Oh well, everything is going into the tummy anyway. *grin*

We didn't stay that long at the market as we still had 3 more places to go to. We spent less than two hours there before taking the tram to the Art Center Sunday Market, on St. Kilda Road.

It boast on it's website that the Art Centre Sunday Market brings together over 150 stalls of the finest arts and crafts from around Victoria. However, I can't say that there were 150 stalls while we were there. It looks more like 80 stalls. But, then again, maybe because we did not walk the whole length of the Art Center.

However, we did enjoy looking at all the wonderful artwork hand created by the traders. They were beautiful pieces, but priced very much on the high side. I even saw a set of pincushion cupcakes which I really liked, but they were going for AUD15.00 each piece of cupcake!

I also fell in love with the many hand dyed wool and mohare yarns sold there, but, since I do not knit, I wouldn't know what I would do with them had I bought them. I do crochet, but I think crochet wouldn't bring out the best of the hand dyed yarns. But, they were so yummy! LOL!

One of the interesting 'entertainment' that can be found at the Art Center Sunday Market is this guy who painted himself white all over, including his face and hair, wearing only a pair of pants and putting on a pair of pointed ears to make himself look like a satyr, playing the flute.

He would only play when someone puts money into a hat. If no one puts any money, he would freeze in position. I was amazed at how long he can stay `frozen' because not everyone that passes by would put in money to see him play, and he would remain static in a certain position. It could sometimes be as long as 10 - 15 minutes before anyone would put in anything.

However, he will go on playing the flute for as long as money was put in. The length that people would go to for the sake of art and entertainment and to make money. Very creative too, I must say.

We left the Art Center Sunday Market without buying anything except for a bag of popcorn for Aiman. *grin*

Next stop - The Esplanade Market and Luna Park at St. Kilda.

The Esplanade Market also boast of having 200 stalls selling all things arts and craft, but I noticed that there were hardly even 100 stalls being set up when we got there. It could be because of the heat wave, because we got there at about 12.00 noon, and there weren't that many people either and when we wanted to leave at 3.30pm, most of the stalls were all packed up. They had advertised that they were open from 10.00am to 5.00pm.

I noticed that most people came for the beach, which was lovely, though we only saw it from afar. It was too far to make the walk to the beach, and the heat wave didn't help the situation.

Most of the stalls were selling similar items that can be found at the Art Center Sunday Market. I thought of buying a couple of artwork to take home but the heat simply made it uncomfortable to leisurely walk the length of the esplanade to admire the works. Also, Aiman was too eager to get to Luna Park, a theme park similar to Genting Highlands Theme Park, though much much smaller in size, and kept walking too fast for my leisurely pace. LOL!

As the day progressed, and as the heat got even worse, when we got to Luna Park, I quickly found myself a place to sit under a huge umbrella with a couple of bottles of cold water to ease the dry throat, as my hubby took Aiman on most of the rides in the park, leaving me to keep an eye on the bags.

I did not manage to get any snapshot of Aiman taking the rides as I did not want to leave my shady spot under the umbrella as it was the few shady spots available at the park, and many people were eyeing my spot since it was a hot day. Besides, I did not dare leave our bagpacks unattended. *grin*

I think Aiman enjoyed himself tremendously at the park as it took some persuasion some 2 hours later to get him to agree to go home. When we finally got on the tram to go back to our apartment, it was only then that Aiman must have felt tired because he fell asleep on the tram almost immediately.

End of Day Five