Summer in Sydney: Day Two

The hallmark of Girl's Sydney breakfast ritual is morning cartoons. This trip, she discovered a cartoon about 3 bears - polar bear, brown grizzly bear and panda bear who coexist in a home near a town. Her last trip was all Ben-10! Bean was obsessed with The Bare Bears every morning so I had often brought them their breakfast and allowed them to eat in front of the telly while they were still in their pyjamas!

Since this was going to be a short holiday, we literally had to turn off the telly and pry them out of the serviced apartment by 10 am. We walked to the ANZAC Memorial, had both lunch and tea at Australian Museum and dinner at Sydney Opera House.

They both spent many hours collecting twigs and leaves at ANZAC Memorial and Hyde Park. It was a taste of normal childhood as they played tag (ran and chased one another while laughing crazily and loudly) while The Other Half and I sipped our lattes and watched out for their safety. Inside the memorial, Girl was able to recognise the red poppy garland as a tribute to fallen soldiers who defended Australia during the war.

We went indoors at Australian Museum as soon as the sun got hotter and we left the kids to be fascinated by display about Spiders. They especially loved colouring their own spiders, scanned it at the kiosk and see their own spider animated. There was just so much for them to do we spent many hours and two meals there until closing time. The rooftop cafe offers a lovely view of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Fresh air and sunshine were let in as they left the sliding doors wide open for natural ventilation. Fresh food and drinks were of fairly good quality too, a nice change from just cold sandwiches, pastries and coffee which you often find at museums.

After an overload of Spiders,  we let the kids loose again at Hyde Park and Botanical Gardens until the shower hit us at 5.30 pm as per weather forecast. We had ponchos and umbrellas ready. Dinner was at Sydney Opera House for the Harbour Bridge view. Japanese cuisine was fresh and tasty but we were too stuffed to order any dessert.

At around 7pm, the little ones started showing signs of having had too much fun (read as: tired, tantrums) so we boarded the train from Circular Quay back to Town Hall. A quick walk past Queen Victoria Building, and we were almost at doorstep of our home away from home. Bean threw a mini tantrum because he wanted to hold all 4 Opal cards, and insisted on being carried once he got tired of walking. I was his one and only MamaTaxi, and to be honest I enjoyed kissing his cheeks while he clung on tightly for dear life.

Again, everyone got washed and retired early while adults stayed up to pray, finish the laundry and enjoy a cup of tea - which soon became a good routine considering it was a holiday.

Summer in Sydney: Day One

Once we breezily cleared our immigration and collected our two luggages, we went out to search for Alex. He is our trusted, reliable and friendly limo driver, whenever we visit Sydney.

Remember how we declined our pre-booked in-flight meals as we were sleeping during meal time? We were so famished and thirsty we requested for a quick breakfast at the arrival hall. Alex Anani introduced us to a kiosk that serves halal pita bread, baked on the spot! Brews fresh ground coffee too. We bought apple juice for the kids but oh, fresh pita bread with latte for breakfast was simply divine! He was so kind he let us eat and drink in his luxury car (we promised not to leave crumbs or spills).

There has been an upgrade to his Mercedes-Benz since we last saw him and kids were thrilled with the sunroof. They kept saying it was just like their grandad's last car and how it works differently from the current Lexus sunroof, I distracted myself by looking out of the car window as we passed Zetland and headed into the city. I felt right at home. Home away from home. Only with cleaner air.

A short 20 minutes later, we arrived at Meriton Pitt St. Check-in time was brief as they had all our details. The bonus was that they had a unit of serviced apartment ready for us right away at noon. Check-in time is stated at 2 pm and we were not charged the extra couple of hours. Sweet!

The reception staff was also culturally-sensitive/aware and asked if I had any objections to the number 4404 fengshui-wise. We did not mind one bit and our only minor comment after being shown the unit was that the master bedroom was a bit of a squash and a squeeze.

The extra two hours allowed me to unpack, got everyone showered and we ventured out to Woolworth for supplies (laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, fruits, tea, cereals and bread). We went out again for a walk as soon as the groceries had been brought home. There was a construction site along Kent St. so luckily we did not select Meriton Kent St.!

We walked towards Pitt St Mall and since there were buskers everywhere, we did not have a chance to go shopping. Bean asked for a photo of Sydney Tower from Pitt St Mall before asking for an early dinner from the Japanese cafe near Meriton Pitt St. He got over-stimulated at an electrical and computer store, and only cooled down once we were outdoors.

After a quick dinner and wash up, we retired early to recharge for the adventures ahead. I did the laundry with eucalyptus laundry gel - and be the first woman in history who regrets not buying a dozen bottles of laundry gel to bring home. 

Oh, Sydney. You have changed so much and yet everything is the way it is. 

Work From Home: Support Network

Salam, my lovelies.

Seven years ago, I made the decision to quit the rat race to raise a young family. It is the craziest/bravest/stupidest decision I have ever made in my life (I must confess it is actually the best and appropriate decision given my circumstances).

We have no live-in helper. No driver.

When I was pregnant with Bean, I had Kak Saras come over on weekends to help clean The Flat. She did that for a few months until after my confinement. She used to help me out when Girl was first born too. Alas, she is too old to take on cleaning jobs now, and we have yet to find someone as trustworthy and detailed as she is. If you know of a live-out cleaning lady/housekeeper, please drop me a message. Thank you.

Recently, we also contacted a live-out helper to come in for a few hours twice weekly to help with ironing. She is a real blessing and I kick myself for not engaging her sooner! Together, she and I, we fight LaundryMonster. So far so good, Alhamdulillah.

Finally, we have a professional babysitter to watch Bean for a couple of hours when I take Girl out to her piano lessons. Ms R is someone we are familiar with as she was a former teacher at The Playschool. Bean adores her, to my huge relief! They read, watch Disney DVDs, share snacks and play when I am away.

Whilst we can and want to do everything ourselves, sometimes, we just need an extra pair of hands. With a spouse recovering from surgery, and my having 3 work-from-home jobs (other than being a full-time mum and wife), I feel this is a wise move and better employment of time/skills/energy.

If you have more coping tips, please do share!

Snippets: LaundryMonster

The Little Girl victoriously applauded and excitedly exclaimed, "Wow!"

I guess she has only seen a huge mess of laundry to be ironed most of her life.

Let me just bask in this temporal Brabantia glory for the next few hours...

LaundryMonster

This is precisely why I am NOT active on Facebook or possess any other social media account.

As The Other Half puts it, "Something has to give". He has a good point because Allah swt gave each of us 24 hours per day equally so when time is preciously limited, we need discipline to use it wisely, for whatever good cause close to our hearts.

Chin up! Iron on! It is just another week of LaundryMonster! 

 

Welcome Home, Bosch Washer!

The replacement washer arrived today at 1.45 pm. Alhamdulillah! TBM has outdone themselves again and we are really pleased with their service. They promised delivery between 2-5pm and by a slightly early delivery, we were free to carry on with the rest of our busy day. 

For a good deal of RM2717, we got ourselves a Bosch Aventixx Vario Perfect 8kg front load washer inclusive of extended warranty, free delivery and installation with free disposal of our spoiled Ariston 2-in-1 washer/dryer that often sounded like a jet was about to take off during every spin cycle. The circuit board must have broken down because it stopped working half way through a regular cycle and had The Other Half fuming from having to wait until a fresh reboot cycle complete way past his bedtime. This is not the first occurrence and our patience has really been tested.

It was a Miele or Bosch washer replacement model debate for a few hours. Our Ariston had been furnished with The Flat so we really did not have a choice for 3+ years. To be fair, it served us the best it could during its tenure but there was no "love". It was utilitarian at best.

The Miele did not get our consumer ringgit this time as the Bosch is simply more easy to purchase at our familiar electronic and electrical store for a reasonably good deal. The Miele is designed to last forever but knowing how brutal I can be with laundry, we figured a Bosch would suffice, at a fraction of the cost of Miele. 

The Other Half and I are both quite glad this replacement phase is happening before the GST kicks in. So glad are we there is no more Boeing jet noise pollution/waking everyone up at spin cycle, knowing exactly how much time a preset wash program would take, silent operation by default, eco friendly options at finger tips, less liquid detergent/softener requirement, washable/removable detergent tray to prevent scum, serviceable filter with front easy access and bigger stainless steel drum. I have yet to discover its other great features as it has only been a day of use (about 5 loads of backlog laundry). Yes, we are in love with this washer. 

We also learnt of a few new facts from this purchase. TBM had collected and sent our spoiled Ariston to their workshop to assess the damage. If it is not too costly to repair, they will carry out the repair at no cost to us then donate the as good as new washer/dryer to a charitable cause. Bravo, TBM! However, in the event the electrician finds the unit to be beyond repair, it will be sent for recycling where salvagable parts will be taken out and the rest sold for a song. We guess our former Electrolux dryer is serving someone somewhere after being repaired. Nothing goes to waste so all is good.

So. Why didn't we repair our appliances instead of buying? 

Down time. We find it tough to manage our laundry during service. Our current appliances are conveniently just outside of warranty period (2 years being the norm) so the cost of service  is ghastly too. If you have a growing family with loads to wash on daily basis, you'd commiserate with me. 

So here is a welcome post to my new washer. Bismillah hirrahmahnirrahim and may this washer serve us well for years to come. Amin!

If I Were My Own Bibik

...I would have quit!

Here are the reasons why:

1. Dust

The amount of dust in this city is ridiculous. Windows and curtains have to cleaned so often, not your typical once weekly. An hour after wiping down the piano, you can see a layer of dust again.

2. Open Windows

No open windows, no fresh air. See above.

3. Dryer 

Emits more fine particles of No. 1 indoors. In spite of filters! Bibik just wishes for a lawn with lines, pegs and sunshine to dry the laundry and save on electricity bills.

4. Kitchen Sinks

The sinks are too small, and are always full. The original interior designers have not accounted for real cooking, juicing and baking so space is really tight and the small kitchen sinks are not helping. The dishwasher is often full and operating.

5. Ironing

Must everything be ironed, especially kitchen linen? Tea towels? Luckily, there is no need to iron socks!

6. 4 Bathrooms

Means 4 Bathrooms to scrub on weekly basis, on top of the daily "someone is visiting us in 10 minutes" panic-cleaning-mode. Grout filled with dirt is sure to send Ma'am bonkers. She can be seen reading Wikihow on topics like "how to clean grout" and "how to whiten grout", shamelessly.

7. Post-holiday laundry

Not just of clothes but change of sheets, blankets, floor mats, towels etc upon return. The laundry area looks like a launderette doing great business!

Note: Bibik may quit, but Ma'am/Wife/Mum isn't able to, so she, the latter, soldiers on and tries her best and lovingly on a daily basis to keep The Flat in clean, working order. Motto: one day at a time. 

(Our search for a suitable Bibik has been called off on humanitarian grounds. The Flat has no inhabitable space left, and renovation is not possible at present moment).