Salam guys.

Yes, i've gone out of the much needed hibernation.
its great to be able to crash back into bed after subuh prayers, or simply just slack around the house.
i do miss australia though.
i want to go again, can can??

anyway,
as promised, the pictures.

you see, a holiday will always be divided into 4 parts.
a)accomodation
b)activities
c)FOOOOOOOOD!
d)shopping!!
so lets start with a) shall we.

we stayed at Courtyard Marriot, Surfer's Paradise which is right smack in the middle of EVERYTHING. and well, it was a congregation arena for the schoolies [click here to get a definition], meaning nights were filled with outrageous behaviour such as wild partying and binge drinking, and well, screaming. it explains why my lullaby was police and ambulance sirens. tsk.



the hotel is in the background. heh.



we got the junior suite on the 22nd floor, and the great thing about having the suite was, i have a room ALL TO MYSELF.
which meant i didnt have to fight over the pillows from my brother or sleep on the floor with the pathetic comforter.
no no man. i have a bed sofa all to myself plus all the other things you get in a hotel room. sweet suite! =D

next, lets go to b)
we went to, (in order)


i love this theme park for its crazy rides! i can proudly EXCLAIM to the world that i've conquered my fears and went on EVERY SINGLE ride that can found there, well, excluding the kiddie rides lah!
and let me tell you, that is no small feat! not when the rides are gigantic and goes at 0.1km per second!
3 of the best rides there are :


Lethal weapon.




Escape - Superman




Wild Wild West

oh and here was where i got to meet the cartoon characters! and of course, relived the inner child!





the next day, we headed to seaworld.
quite a boring place.
but they had cartoon network island and i got to meet the gedik dexter!
heh.






the highlight was the water ski stunts show - WIPE OUT!
fantastic stuff i tell you.
its ala GREASE on water.





next was Paradise Country.
I HEART THIS DAY MANY MANY!
heh.


got to see/touch koalas and kangaroos!





and we got to witness sheep shearing!
something funny happened.
when we were at the farm, there was a whole group of chinese/japanese tourists. when the guy was talking in english, and made jokes and puns, the only people laughing, were, well, us. only when it was translated to the language did they laugh. which is both awkward and funny at the same time! lol.



then,
we went to this great place.
which is a MUST MUST go!!!
i fell in love with it lah!!



you see, they have an interesting format.
its something like a broadway musical.
just that they perform stunts too.
and.......
you get to EAT dinner while watching the show.
yes, EAT!
they serve you dinner while you enjoy the great stunts by the stockmen and women from the great australian outback.
the effects, lighting and sounds used were topnotch!
and you even get a free cowboy hat upon entrance.
how coooool is that?

the 1000-seat arena's picture that i took illegally

another reason i loved this place was well, if you've known me long enough, you should know that my favourite animal is the horse, despite the fact that i dont one and its damn hard to come by it in singapore. i loved the magnificent creatures used and i've got to admit, it was the main reason why i was so excited to go to the show.
i love you horsies!! =D

our last destination was Dreamworld, which wasnt included in the package, so my parents had to scour about to find the best deal for 6 adults and one child + transportation. they finally settled for the package offered by the hotel due to security reasons.




its a nice place, i must say.
but it had too many things to offer.
TOO MANY
that 6 hours were unable to accomodate.
and the queues were DAMN long lah.
imagine having to queve for more that 30 MINUTES for a freaking less-than-5-minutes that turned out to be not worth my wait!
ergh. irritating i tell you.

but the best thrill rides (of those that i managed to take),
was THE CLAW, hands down.
we got to see the landscape and all!



it goes 9 stories high, swinging up to 75km/h while spinning 360 degrees!
heart pumping, i tell you!!
woohoo!!

AND AND AND,
another great thing was,
its the home of NICKELODEON stars!!
heheh.
the kid in me conquered on that day!!
look who i met!!
hehe.



The Irritating Yellow Sponge and his Pink Sidekick!!
are you ready kids?
aye aye, captain!
i cant hear you!
aye aye captain!
oooooh,
who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
Spongebob Squarepants!


and the amazing boy genius, JIMMY NEUTRON!

and we got to go to the Wiggles Village. so cuteeee.



of course, there were a bunch of others, but i didnt get to snap their pictures. =(

another great thing i forgot to mention was,
ALL THE THEMEPARKS HAD MUSOLLAH, AS IN PRAYER AREA!
so it was easy to both have fun and still carry out your duties as a responsible Muslim.
even singapore doesnt provide musollah!
waaah, i heart you Australia! =D


this was taken at Movieworld


anway, time to go to c)
ok, listen up.
whoever told you that it was difficult to find food in gold coast.
THEY LIED
there's loads of great food you can try!
especially kebabs.
shops selling kebabs are EVERYWHERE
so have no fear.
the BEST kebab, however, hails from this shop.

look at the size man!
definitely worth your buckeroos.




and if you want chicken or burgers,
you can always drop by


OPORTO!

their chicken and burgers are HUGE lah! and its cheap cheap!
man, i think throughout our trip,
all we ate were either veggies or chicken.
yummy ones at that too!

and, to top it off, every themepark has its own halal-certified restaurant!
yup, you dont have to crack your head to think of where to eat.



so definitely, no worries about food there.
your stomach wont be left grumbling!

for part d) however,
i have to leave that for later.
coz the things are still unpacked.
which means no pictures up yet.
next entry aights?

i can show you these though.



i'll tell you something though.

yup, you guessed right.
my 2 brothers, my cousin and myself busted AU$500++ on these 2 brands only!
the price was waaay cheaper as compared to singapore lah!
apa lagi, lantak lah kitorang!

and of course, there was a shop that sold clothes (in my size!) that were going at half price! i went crazy lah. its the kind of clothes you can find at MNG and TOPSHOP and FOREVER21 lah!

so i bought 3 dresses/maxis at only AU$53!
killer bargain lah!
wooots.

yerpx. we really shopped man.
imagine, we left with 4 bags altogether (excluding hand luggage).
guess how many came home with us?
8, EIGHT, LAPAN!!
and each bag exceeded its maximum weight!
lucky for us, the cute admin guy that was registering our flight closed one eye and let the luggage on board without extra charges!
hey, he should be happy, we contributed to his country's economy ok!

now, that was worth the S$10,000+++ spent on the holiday right?

anyway, click here to see more pictures alright? =D


Love,

Atikah