Post Australia Day

Heya Chia!

Awwww your drawings are so beautiful! I especially like your Rodent and Christina's lion! There is something about coloured pencils that is so beautiful.  I think I really like how the texture of the paper comes through. I also love how adding water can change a drawing completely! It really changes the colours and the picture to something completely different! I can't wait to see what you guys complete this coming Wednesday!

As for your long weekend, it looks like you had a lot of fun! The bushwalk looked quite adventurous! How was the weather? Were you guys out for the whole day?

My Australia Day was pretty full on. In the morning I did my run and house chores and then met up with Kev to head to Anaconda to buy... wait for it... $5 boogieboards! I saw them in the brochure and knew that I had to get some because when we went to Mullaloo with Clem the last time, we all were thinking 'damn, we so should get some cheap boards if possible!'  We also got Clem a board but he opted for a $50 which was of a superior quality by far! Our cheapy boards were made of foam with a crab drawn on it! I unfortunately do not have a photo of it, but it's quite a funny board.

After that, Kev and I went to an Australia Day party/housewarming party where by we pretty much just chilled out, drank cider, beer, vodka jelly shots and ate. It was a pretty relaxed night!

The next day, Kev and I took it easy and went shopping at Mountain Designs where I bought a winter jacket which I can compress into a small ball and is super light! But I will do a separate post about that! :)

After shopping, we called up Clem and went to Mullaloo Beach to RIDE THE WAVES! It was sooooo much fun! We had such an exhilarating time on our boards; reading the waves and then hopping onto our boards into the barrel when the time was right! Kev and I were super proud about our $5 rides! However, by the end of our long session (almost 2 hours of boarding) Kev cracked his board.  Clem's board definitely stood the test of the waves.  Perhaps if Kev and I board more we will look into getting better quality ones.  But for the time being, we will be rocking our crab boards (even if we do share the same boards as the majority of the kids at Mullaloo beach).

After boarding we went to Hillary's and had some awesome fish and chips! YUM!

Today

Today I woke up and went out for a run. It was a little cooler than expected and there was quite a breezy easterly wind. As I made my way down the usual route I was greeted by the brilliant turquoise ocean ahead of me. I took a detour to the beach entry and this is what I saw:

Breathtaking!

I got super excited and called up Kev (accidentally waking him up!) and told him to come down ASAP as the water is so good that he had to try!  Previously, I had told Kev that I wasn't ready to take him out to snorkel near my place as the water was a little difficult and the reef made it hard to manouvre safely. As such, I wanted to be confident about the area (and in my knowledge and skill) before showing him around. So you can imagine how wonderful the water was if I was willing to forget all of that!

Unfortunately Kev had things to do, so he told me that he wouldn't be able to make it.  As I ran back to my house to get changed I messaged him the above photo in hope that I would change his mind.

When I returned, that man that you see standing in the water with the black pants in the photo, was still standing there! I got my gear ready, waded in and asked him if he had swam beyond the reef yet. He told me that he had not, and I said 'well, perhaps you should give it a go!' As I climbed onto the reef he followed me, which was a little encouraging because there was a part of me that was a little scared about what had happened the last time I tried snorkeling beyond the reef.  However, once we jumped into the water, it was beautiful! It was so blue blue blue and so clear and the water was perfectly cool. I felt like I was in another country!

Me in the middle of nowhere! I love the sail boat!

It was such a wonderful day Chia! I can't express how happy I was! As I was exploring the reef I was able to find a few little marine friends:

Recognise this guy from a previous post? It's a Red Lipped Morwong!

Jellyfish. I don't like these guys. I actually got stung by one on my arm which has left a little red scar. 

When I had a little break I saw that there was someone waving at me on the stairs up on the shore. It was my mom! She had come down to see what I was getting up to (as she is frequently witnessing me rushing back home in a flurry after a run, changing into bathers, bringing my snorkel gear and running off again).  I decided that after snorkeling for about 30 minutes with visability decreasing, that I should call it a day.

However, when I came upon shore and talked to mom I saw a familiar person approach behind mom!

Hi Kev !

Kev said that he was convinced after seeing my photo! Ah-HAH! It worked!

After that, I was re-energised and knew that I had to show Kev all the things I saw! Not only that, as we were getting back into the water we saw the biggest Stingray! He was flapping his wings at the top of the water as he was getting caught up in the shallow pools in and around the reef.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a photo :(

Here are some shots of what we saw:

Interesting limestone formation

I'm riding a dinosaur!

Big fish - I need to classify this in the future

Recognise this fish too? The Angel fish from a previous post!

Lots and lots of fishes!

This fish seemed a little trapped in this limestone formation

For me to classify later!

Here's a video of the fish we saw:

When Kev and I finally left, we spoke to a couple who were also leaving. I asked them if they saw the Stingray, and they said 'Yes!'

I also told them of a little incident that happened earlier with the man who I had convinced to go beyond the reef.  After I had been snorkeling for a while, the man called out to me saying that there was something large in the reef. I swam over to him as he had gotten out of the water and was standing on the reef pointing to an area ahead of him. He said he saw something swimming around that was grey and large. I asked him if it had fins and he said he replied saying that he wasn't sure. I was curious so I had a little look around but slowly my own mind started to freak me out (was it a shark?).  It was then that as I looked around I saw Mom waving to me and so I decided to head back.

However, after telling this story to the couple, they said 'No! It was a dolphin! There were two!' I was flabbergasted! I can't believe I missed out on swimming up to it!

It was an amazing day for snorkeling at my beach! I was invigorated and excited for hours after!

Anywho, that concludes my long weekend. Back to work tomorrow!

Zookeeper for a day

Oh golly Chia! Sorry for being so slack with the blogposts!

It's not that I haven't read them; I loved the clay gingeries that you made! They looked sooo good that I wanted to eat one! And you look gorgeous in all of your going out photos! Looking at your posts made me realise that it has been a while since I've hit the town dressed to the nines, and enjoyed the night life. I feel a bit like a Nanna wanting to have an early night most weekends these days.

On my side of the City, I've been working and counting down the days till Christmas break! I can't believe that Christmas is just around the corner and this time last year, you were getting ready to jetset to Prague!

Last weekend started like most weekends, ran, did chores but I felt extremely exhausted. So Kev and I had an early Saturday night.

Sunday morning I woke up sleepy-eyed around 6.30am and was surprised that Kev seemed quite rested. He was like 'how about breakfast?' We have a tradition of having a cool Sunday breakfast for the last two years. I suggested the markets, but he responded with 'How about South Perth? Mend St Cafe?' I wasn't going to refuse that! So we got up and and got dressed.  I decided to wear my glasses because I was just so exhausted and really could not be bothered putting in my contacts.  However, Kev suggested 'Hrm, how about your contacts?' I was a little surprised as Kev is not one to suggest me to wear things, but I just lazily acquiesced. He also packed my sport clothes and badminton shoes saying that he will bring it along just in case we take too long at breakfast and miss badminton. I just nodded. It sounded like a good call.

It was only when we were about the leave that I noticed the big yellow and black bag which held the rackets had remained untouched in the corner of his room. I sleepily drew Kev's attention to this with  'Hey...?'  pointing to the corner . He sheepishly responded with 'Oh! Whoops!' As we walked out of the house I mumbled 'Dodge Kev... dodge.'

Once we arrived at South Perth, we decided to eat at La Galette de France for breakfast and we enjoyed the laziness and slow paced life at such an early hour of the morning due to the lack of people traffic.

Sleepy

Hrmmm shortbread!

After finishing breakfast we walked back to the car and I was ready to return back to bed (my favorite pass time on Sunday mornings!)

Happy in the morning!

We passed the Perth Zoo on our way home. Seeing it, made me realise that Kev and I have never gone to the Perth Zoo together, and that he has never been to Singapore Zoo. I then went on to say what an awesome time you and I with the uni crew had in Singapore at the Zoo and Night Safari when we went there back in 2007, and that in the meantime we should try Perth Zoo one day. Kev was like 'Ok' and kept on driving. Though not long after, he pulled up behind the Zoo.

'Ok, it's time for you to get out.'

I was puzzled. 'Uhhhh... why?'

He got out of the car and went to the trunk. I followed him and asked him wearily 'Hey? What's going on?' as I was still exhausted, looking forward to bed and really confused.

'You're going on an adventure. Here's your day bag...' as he looped a small shoulder bag around my shoulders, opening it up to show me a pre-packed water bottle, my waterproof camera, my 'A' cap and sunnies.

It just so happened that a zookeeper walked passed and Kev asked her whether this was the drop off point for 'Zookeeper for a day.' She said yes, and that she would walk us there. I still did not understand what was going on. Kev then said 'Surprise! Happy early birthday!'

The next few minutes from when we walked into the administrative part of the Zoo, to when I had to say goodbye to Kev, was just a blur. I had some idea what was going on, but my feelings were just numb. Kev hugged me goodbye and said he would meet up with me when I was done and we parted.

Zookeeper Anna

I was teamed up with my zookeeper (who I will refer to as F). F told me that we would attend a quick staff meeting and then we would get straight to it. When I entered the meeting room, she informed me that I was going to be zookeeping the African Savannah enclosure and that my day will involve following her around and feeding, cleaning the enclosures and interacting with the animals. I was to be a zookeeper!

The whole experience didn't sink in until we arrived at the Meerkats when they all ran up to the fence excited to see us. The fact that they were even interested in seeing us was a surprise! F happily greeted them while leading me to the store room. Here she showed me what they fed Meerkats.

Good morning Meerkats

Protein and veggies

After we fed them, I was let into the enclosure and I was able to sit in there and hand feed the Meerkats too!

On Sentry duties

They were so adorable! F said that they talk to you all the time, and she was right! Squeak-squeak here, and squeak-squeak there! F explained that they just had a few babies and they were more involved in their Sentry duties because of it. I thought it was so cute that they had someone on watch. They take turns!

Next to the Meerkats were the Hyenas and the Cheetah. However, it was the Hyenas that we saw first and what, to my big surprise, I fell in love with! They are so adorable and interactive with humans. They love scratches and rubs and would lean up against the fence and enjoy your adoration! F was also a big fan of the Hyenas and explained that it's such a pity they were given such a bad reputation.

My first encounter with the Hyena.  I melted in seconds

I returned to pat the Hyena again.

After the Hyenas I went to see the Cheetah. F warned me that she would go in first and then she would let me know when I could enter. She also gave me the heads up that the Cheetah will spit at me. I was confused, a little fearful and curious. As I waited outside I could hear F sweet talking to the Cheetah, encouraging it to come into the feeding area. I could hear an angry hiss in the room. F eventually asked me to come in slowly. When I did, I saw this long, slender, big cat hissing at me and staring at me with its angry big eyes. F told me that we will feed it some milk, however, she will start it off first. We both sat down on the floor, close to the fence, and F held out the syringe of milk.

Angry Cheetah

Docile Cheetah 

 The Cheetah wanted the milk, but didn't like us being there. So it tolerated us so long as I was squeezing the syringe and kept the milk flowing.

After that I went to visit the Rhinos! The Rhinos were so big and quiet and just amazing! I found it quite surprising that, the Rhino being such a large animal, absolutely loved celery! I was mindful of its sheer size and the huge horn that it had on its nose. I didn't want to be hurt by it, so I was a little hesitant at first, but soon got in on patting him.

Me getting acquainted with Mr Rhino

Om nom nom

Rhinos also loved to be rubbed and scratched! We dug our fingers into their thick, coarse, dry folds around their forehead and ears. Their ears were really strong! When they moved, its force was stronger than my forearm!

After that, we visited the Lions. They were pretty intense! When I walked in, I saw two large Lions and a Lioness pacing back and forth and ramming the gates. They wanted to be fed immediately!

It was a little unnerving, especially after the Rhino, Hyena and Meerkats. But it was still so very cool.
As the Lions were eating, F and I went into the Lion enclosure to clean up left over bones and lion poo.  Little did I know that someone else was in the Lion enclosure and watching us engage in our zookeeping jobs...

After that I went to see the Sun Bears and saw their training regime. The training was one of the most interesting things I've seen. The zookeeper would call a command and use hand signals to get it to either present its shoulder, hip, leg etc and then blow a whistle if the bear was compliant and then give it an immediate reward. I thought it was amazing that they were able to do such a thing!

After seeing the Sun Bears, we went back to the Lions who had returned to the viewing enclosure. Here I was able to hand feed them some chicken. It was a little nerve wrecking because they thrashed the fence and they just stared at you and only you, but once you gave them the chicken you were no longer their main concern.

Here kitty kitty

F trying to get a big piece of chicken through the fence

After the Lions, it was the funny, friendly, goofy Giraffes! I loved them! Their long necks and super long tongues made me giggle, as I tried to feed all of them. They were like those drinking birds! There were two of them who were bigger with longer necks and who got the food more so than the other ones...so I tried to dodge their faces (and slobber) to feed the smaller ones.

They liked to lick the camera

Me going to get more food, to realise I had 4 very interested giraffes behind me waiting.

After I ran out of treats for the Giraffes at around 12.30pm, my zookeeping experience came to a sad end.  F was amazing in answering all my questions and making sure I was able to experience as much as possible with the time allotted. I appreciated that I was the only person on this experience in the Savannah area, which allowed F the flexibility to take me to all the enclosures without bumping into any other people doing the same experience with other keepers. I think it's also a safety thing. You don't exactly want too many people in the feeding areas with the animals as I assume it would stress them out (just like that Cheetah).

Kev met up with me and we had lunch and a cold drinks to cool off. It was a super hot day and I was already pooped! At lunch, we exchanged stories of our morning. Kev's morning included the following:

Turtle party! - Cowabunga dudes!

Turtle on the go

Hungry turtle

Uber cute lone owl

Chia! The whole experience was amazing! I realised that I will probably not enjoy the zoo as much in the future, as when you normally go to the zoo, the animals don't really engage with you, and I will forever remember and compare my future zoo experiences with my time interacting with the animals on this occasion.

Thank you so much Kev for giving me the opportunity to have this experience! =)

Early morning snorkel

Morning Chia!

I laugh when I see that photo of us and how we were pretending to be 'girlfriends'. It just reminded me of Valencia when we were perving on the hot Spanish policemen.

You are so well versed in cooking and making things! Thank you for letting me try your muesli bars as they were so yummy and healthy! I am a little sad that I missed out on trying your inventive blueberry and sourcream muffins and your mint and peanut chocolate cookies. Though, I guess it is also a blessing as I am sure that I would have eaten enough to add a little muffin around my waist! Your hair facinator is stunning! I love the purple and how pretty it looks on you. I definitely think since you have made it, it makes it a better facinator than if someone had bought one from the store!

I also just want to say that you look so hot with your strapless top/dress! =D

For me, this week has gone really slow. I was wishing that it was the weekend on Monday morning! As the week progressed I kept wishing for it to be Saturday as it was predicted that it would be 30 degrees, and here it is!

I woke up early and felt really exhausted as I had stayed up late last night playing my ukulele. But, I decided to try for a little run and look at the water to see whether it could 'entice' me.

When I ran down there, without fail, the water surprised me yet again. It was the stillest that I've ever seen it! So I didn't even continue with my run. I turned around and sprinted back to get changed, grab my camera and snorkel.

It was beautiful! It was already 19 degrees, I was warm from the quick run and the blueness of the ocean just beckoned me!

I love my mornings, when I come out onto the sand and start wading out into the water with no one around, it is kind of scary but exciting too! Scary in the sense that if anything happened to me, there may not be someone around to help me, but exciting because it's just me and the ocean. It's almost like my little secret!

I didn't hessitate in getting in. I didn't want to miss this perfect moment! The limestone reef were exposed and the water looked calm so I decided that I was going to be a little more adventurous today and try to snorkel beyond the reef.

Wading out

Venturing out beyond the reef

As I was carefully placing my feet and trying not to step on anything, for some odd reason the waves started picking up. I decided to go for it and start snorkeling, however in a matter of seconds I was getting pushed back into the reef, and as I looked into the horizon, the waves just looked like they were getting bigger and bigger. So I crawled back onto the reef and tried walking back. There were some decent waves which almost bowled me over, so I decided to just stay low and crawl/float back into the safer side of the reef. While this was happening there was one guy who was having a break from his morning walk and who watched on from the look out. I was a little embarrassed, but I just kept focusing on trying to not get hurt.

Eventually, I got into the calmer waters and I felt a little more relaxed. I also noticed that I had a stinging sensation on my right forearm and on my legs. After a quick inspection, I realised that I had been scratched up from the ordeal. I kind of thought to myself, 'Heck, salt water is good for cuts,' and snorkeled on.

Limestone reef

Visibility was a mixture of good and bad. When the waves came, the white wash would swirl all around me and hide everything within arms reach.  And when it did settle down, the current was still picking up a lot of seaweed and debris.

I still find looking at seaweed scary, but today was a little easier. I tried looking for interesting sea life out there, but it seemed like everyone was sleeping.  However, after a good while my eyes started to pick out from behind the seaweed curtains, these red looking... lips! I  kept watch and then I saw two spotted eyes looking back at me.

Red lipped fish

As soon as I recognised that it was a fish, I tried to get a shot of it, however it swam deeper into the reef and kept looking out at me. It did not want me near it.

Red lipped fish making a get away.

After waiting and hoping it would come out, I decided to try my luck elsewhere. I tried snorkeling around the tight swim throughs. Visibility was better and I was overall a little more relaxed. I remembered this area as I had seen fish here last week, but again, they all appeared to have left this place.  I started looking at the reef itself to see if there were any abalone or perhaps some cuttlefish or octopi in hiding. But nothing, until I saw this:

Being watched

I was being watched. And I got all excited so I just stayed there. This fish was pretty chilled out, and after a while it swam out.

I then realised that there were quite a few fish around me, but that I wasn't able to see them because they all were very well camouflaged.

I followed this black and white striped fish for most of the morning. And it actually kept stopping to look at me, and then swim a little further to then stop and wait for me again. I thought that perhaps to that fish, I was some odd creature it had never seen before as it was very curious  about me unlike the fish in Exmouth which just swam away.

Self photo! I look so silly!

It allowed me to get up real close. I was so tempted to touch it!

After a while I started getting cold, so I go out. I was a little dizzy but ok. I think I may have been really cold and dehydrated.

Underwater explorer photo!

The water wasn't freezing, however, I really loved the sun on my skin; more so than normal. So I assume that is my body telling me to get warmer. I ended up just walking up and down the shore line drying up and seeing if there were any other wonders to find.

Sea snail?

Anywho, that was my morning. I returned home at around 7.15am, which meant that I was snorkeling for a little over an hour.

When walking back home, I had to snap a shot of the beach:

Calm waters

I love where I live!