Jalan-Jalan Adelaide

We had to think about it quite a bit. It was a matter of going back to Melbourne, or Perth, or having a go at a new Aussie destination. Tia has been counting the Australian states we've been to and told us we're missing three; Tasmania, Northern Territory and South Australia.  But fikir punya fikir, we settled on Adelaide. FB comments were mixed, but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

And so, to South Australia we went! This was probably a trip I did the least research. Extreme busy-ness coupled with the desire to just take things easy meant we were gonna leave things pretty much very open.

We arrived at Adelaide in the morning and the weather was pretty chilly, as it was just a mere couple of days before the winter season was to start. And it took us about 20mins in a taxi to reach our hotel at Frome Street. I chose this place as it's within the CBD and very close to Rundle Street, the most happening stretch of road in all of Adelaide.

We left our luggage at the hotel as it was still early and made our way to Rundle Street, which had shops, malls and all sort of interesting cafes. Yup, Adelaide's is pretty well-known for its cafes with plenty of pastry and interesting coffee choices.

We also stumbled upon a few halal makan places along this road, especially in the malls. And there's a variety of cuisines, including Middle Eastern, Malaysian and Indonesian.

And now for some of the other highlights:

Glenelg Beach
A must-see destination. We took the tram (fare was about AUD3 per person) that went straight there. The beach was pretty awesome and we were told that you could swim with dolphins during the summer.

 There's also a big amusement park with mini golf, bumper cars, video games and other rides.

Adelaide Hills
We rented a car after the second day there and drove up to Adelaide Hills, which wasn't actually too far away from Adelaide city. But do a bit of research as there are quite a number of towns to visit up the hills. We drove around cluelessly for a while until we referred to a brocuhre and headed out to Hahndorf, a German settlement as old as Adelaide itself.

There, we had some coffee and visited the interesting shops. Quaint and picturesque, it's the perfect place if  you're also into German cuisine.

We also passed by a couple of other towns including Bridgewater and Striing, all with their own unique charms.

Mount Lofty
Throughout our stay, we actually went up Mount Lofty three times! It's the most famous lookout point, and on normal clear days, you could see Adelaide in all its glory.

So, the first time we went up, it was in the evening and rather misty and we didn't see anything. But we did go to the Cleland Wildlife Park nearby, which was pretty awesome.

The second time we went up, it was again too foggy to see anything. It was only during the third try that we finally saw something to write home about. The sun was setting, and coupled with the chilly air, it was one of my own favourite memories of Adelaide.

Road Trip to Victor Harbor
So, we were determined to go on a long drive somewhere as we've always enjoyed the Aussie countryside. We waited for my cousin Bernie and her hubby John to arrive from Sydney, and off we went to Victor Harbor, which was a pretty random choice actually.

It was a beautiful day and the drive was smooth and picturesque. We took that time to catch up since we've not seen each other in ages, and even stopped at a couple of places for pictures and also, tea and scones!

When we arrived at Victor Harbor, we stopped by a park at one of its beaches just to chill for a while.

But lucky us, we actually saw some whales all the way from the shore! We later found out from the news that the sighting was rather rare although it was whale migration time. So really. lucky us!

Victor Harbor's views were just breathtaking, especially with the clear skies. We had some fish and chips, walked around and drove to a couple of look out points before returning to Adelaide.

We also did a bit of shopping in Adelaide as there we some pretty cool shops around the Rundle Mall area, which included a sports store with all the Under Armour stuff I've been looking for! Harbour Town also had some good deals, but we did go home without bursting our luggage allowance : )

So, Adelaide. Check. Tasmania next? Hehehe...

My Say On Suarez

I must say that I was pretty sleepy when it happened. The Uruaguay vs Italy was freakin boring until the last few minutes, no? But we all know what happened. Uruguay won, Italy got dumped out of the tournament, and Luis Suarez apparently bit an opponent. Yes, again.

I was in disbelief, really. I thought I was dreaming. But I wasn't. And I couldn't understand it. Apa hal mamat ni? Like, seriously? So before I go any further, let's agree that what he did was wrong, unprofessional and he should be banned.

Of course you can sense a "but" coming. Ahem. BUT, I find the the over-the-top hypocritical reaction by the people on my various timelines highly amusing.

The reason is obvious, of course. Every one of us has got our own bias when it comes to everything that happens around us. So, first come the haters, who will hate on everything. Then, those who can't stand the fact that Suarez has annihilated the teams they support over and over again these past few years. Then, there will be the clueless ones who know nothing about anything but will quickly jump on the bandwagon by sharing memes and quotes they hardly understand.

Out of this lot, of course I'm most irked by the "knowledgable" ones who are keen to defend and offer excuses to other flawed geniuses the sports world has ever seen. The Maradonas, the Cantonas, the Zidanes, etc...

First they will say, "but those guys never bit anyone, what?". Sure, of course not. Cos surely different people have different flaws. But, cheating and blaming it on God, or assaulting a ticket-paying fan, or heatbutting opponents are acts that are pretty shitty by anyone's standards.

But the shitheads who are constantly on Suarez's case just can't accept the fact that he is seriously flawed, and will be punished, and that will be that. You know, like real life?

Of course the same shitheads don't even realise, or have never said anything about certified-thug, Joey Barton, making his comeback to the BPL next season. Why? Because he plays for QPR and won't probably be scoring against their favourite teams.

Biting someone on the field is weird and unacceptable, but really, think about it, how does it affect the "victims'" careers? As compared to reckless players who tackle their opponents and leave them out of work for months or years? Or that one player who admitted to tackling another player out of revenge (come on, real fans should know all this).

A sport played by human beings (as far as I know), has also seen other bad behaviour such as inciting mutiny against one's own manager, fighting own teammates, spitting, stamping (on people's testicles), cursing, brawling, and the list goes on.

The other popular thing to say now is, "How can this guy become a role model?" But when I point out other footballers with shitty track records as human beings, the answer would be, "but they do it in their own homes, it doesn't affect football or other players." So yeah, taking drugs, having affairs (with your own siblings' wives), drunk driving, etc are all OK, and they would still qualify as role models because they've never bitten anyone on the field?

I'm confused, really. Sports role models are supposed to show only good examples while playing their sport and whatever they do outside of it, is OK? So, Tiger Woods is OK, right? OJ Simpson? Tony Adams? Graham Rix? Tonya Harding?

Let's have a consensus. I'm OK either way as long as we stick to it, really.

So, Suarez will and should be banned. Shithead hypocrites will rejoice at first, but will then say it's not enough cos he's Luis Suarez and he should be buried on the moon and never be allowed to see a football ever again. Cos they just can't let go, these shithead hypocrites...

Jalan-Jalan Adelaide: The Video

The World Cup Is Here!

Been so busy with life, hadn't had the time to write a proper post with predictions and all. But if you really know me, you'll know that there is only one team I will ever pick to win the World Cup...

P.S.: Will be back with more of my predictions and an update on a possible guest spot on a local World Cup TV show. Stay tuned!