Sydney Travel Diary || Day One || Part 1

In November 2015, the best friend struck a deal and was offered to travel to Sydney for work in collaboration with AirAsia X & Destination New South Wales. Although the operative term is 'work' when they're basically offering her a free trip to experience the best that there is in the capital city of Australia while promoting it at the same time.

Long story short, something had happened which allowed her to bring me along on this work trip, as her personal assistant. Literally a struck of dumb luck and maybe because I'm a damn good companion, so I went along. This is the perks of being best friends with an awesome celebrity that loves me enough to bring me on the holiday work with her. :3

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Anyway, I have been looking forward to the trip ever since I was asked at 1am. Then the day finally arrived and while waiting at the departure lounge, it finally sunk in that I'd be going on a 'holiday' with the best friend. To Sydney no less, which I wanted to visit for a while now.

Mugshot taken from snapchat. 

This was us while we waited at the departure lounge. And yes, this is one of those rare moments where you'd see a picture of me in my glasses cause I look horrid in them.

But my contact lens get too dry in the plane and I can't be bothered to remove it by the time I'm already settled in my seat. So yeah, my motto is to be as comfortable as I can during the night flight so I can sleep the whole way and that usually means glasses is my choice. The quicker & longer I sleep means the sooner we arrive.

Lo and behold, I didn't sleep very well.  In hindsight, I should have just gone with my initial idea of getting my Atarax & taking it before departure. Damn it - shoulda, woulda, coulda.

Finally got to use my VS passport holder. Though it gets pretty annoying when customs demand that you remove it. -.-

Honestly, there are no words to explain how much I despise long flights or being stuck in an airplane in general. The control freak in me cannot stand the thought of being thousands of feet in the air without any form of...... I can't think of any other words aside from control.

So imagine how relieved and excited I was when we landed in Sydney after a 7-8 hours flight where sleep was not a friend.

We didn't get much time to really catch a breather because after going through immigration (which was quite the nightmare) and collecting our baggage, we had to meet up with our tour guide & driver. That's when our 'work' day actually started as we had an itinerary to follow.

So Duglass, our tour guide who I will occasionally refer to as Dug, literally she is AHMAZING. Anyway, we went from the airport straight to the hotel to check in and freshen up. I was in for a nap but there is no time for that.

Our first hotel was Novotel Hotel at Darling Harbour. Not gonna lie, the first impression of it when we saw a pink building approaching wasn't exactly the most enthusiastic one. Here's how the best friend's and my reactions were..

"It's pink."

"Huh? Oh....."

A very somewhat disappointed 'oh...' to be honest. Which I am quite guilty about after getting checked in because the hotel was actually quite nice especially the view I got from my room.

Did not exactly take too much time to settle all our checking in business. And I'm saying that because Dug handled everything for us and all our rooms has been pre-booked already thanks to DSW. So I was on my way up to the room and waited for my luggage to arrive before getting changed.

We weren't given much time so it was a mad dash the moment the bags arrived. Though I did have enough time to have a mini room tour because I don't see why not and it was better than me getting all comfortable on the bed. Chances are I'd never get up.

This is the bathroom.

Simple and chic which is good enough for me, especially with the giant mirror with sufficient lighting to do my make up. Though truth be told, I never like doing that by the sink that's usually wet. Grosses me out which just makes my OCD go a tad bit insane.

And there's a bathtub which is a major plus. But then there was no time to use it during my short stay at Novotel.

There's also two beds. One for me and the other for all my crap that I can't be bothered with putting away nicely after a long day. Genius.

There's two queen sized bed, an extra sofa at the corner of the room and a desk for people to do their work on. Plus oddly and luckily enough, a mirror right by the tv for me to do my makeup in natural lighting.

To be honest, it's a pretty big room for two people and could fit a small family of four. But yet I got this room for two nights.

Darling harbour right outside my window.

AND JUST LOOK AT THAT VIEW. Imagine waking up to this on an everyday basis and working right in front of such a sight. Find out more about Darling Harbour and the happenings around there here!

Anyway there was no time to aimlessly stare at the view cause we were pressed for time. After a change of clothes, my make-up done up, we left the hotel with food that was nicely packed for a very hungry group by our tour guide. Told you she is awesome.

So she brought us to this place called Newtown where they coincidentally had a festival going on that very day. For more details about this quaint little place, check out this site!

Apparently this festival happens only once a year where the entire community comes together & enjoy the festivities. I am not kidding, it literally is like a Coachella festival or something filled with lots of music, different kinds of stalls that sells all sorts of cute cute things & also food.

Did I mention that it is completely free entry?

This is one part of the entire park which is bigger than it looks. Already you can hear the music from local bands and everyone just sat around enjoying the nice weather + food + good company + nice tunes.

Seriously if this was back in Malaysia, it will be completely chaotic and also crazily hot. Imagine all the gross sweaty people brushing against you every now & then, plus the grass will most probably be all muddy or filled with trash. *shudders* Just thinking about that makes me cringe.

But nothing like that in Newtown. Or anywhere around Sydney for the matter.

VEGAN FOOOOOOD. My first time seeing an actual vendor just for this kind of diet and the menu is actually quite intriguing. Too bad I already ate before arriving to the festival.

And another thing that is kind of awesome about this country is how easily you can get healthy food. I saw it being sold at a rest stop rather than like instant or fast food. Plus it never is like super crazy priced just cause it isn't high in fat or calorie content.

Humans - both adult and tiny tots were wandering about. Then there's also dogs which were mostly kept on leashes but also doing their usual thing as they sniff happily at everything.

To the best friend's dismay and also mine a little bit, only because she would push me in front of her. Yes, expect the tiniest one of the group to protect you and that'll work perfectly well. Hahahah. But it was fine since all the dogs were super tame and calm in comparison to what I've seen back at home.

Here's another section of the park with a larger field and different kind of music. Honestly it does make me think of a Coachella event or something. Except less crazy and not everyone was dressed in a half-naked boho fashion.

By the time we walked a round of the festival, Bo & I were ready to move onto our next agenda. We both do not do well in the midst of crowds which is quite ironic considering how much we both like going to pasar malams. But then it gets too overwhelming at some point, except here the weather was soooooooo nice despite the sun.

I would walk however long in this weather and have no complaints.

And patiently waiting for us on a random street is our driver, Frank. I don't know how he's still driving when he's about eighty & can still lift our luggage easily, especially when they're not exactly the lightest.

Plus he's very nice and never grumpy looking as he waits around for us to get done with all the filming and visiting. Actually I think he really enjoys being a tour guide driver more than anything. Why he so nice omg.


Happily he drove us through the city and many windy roads to here!

Already I could see the ocean and feel the breeze which made me super excited. And even though it was supposed to be summer time when we were in Sydney, the weather is more cold than hot. It was already slightly gloomy when we reached Bondi Beach for......


Sculpture by the Sea!

Apparently Ruby Rose was there too but I'm not sure if she was there a day before or after us. Which breaks my heart cause I could've met her. ;_;

Doesn't this look like a desktop wallpaper already?

Literally in awe as I stare at the Pacific Ocean. Fell in love with the scenery almost instantly and could barely pay attention to all the sculptures really. It's just not exactly my kind of interest.

Anyway, this has been a rather long post so I'll save some of the best parts for the second part to my first day in Sydney. Which means you, or whoever is reading this Sydney Travel Diary series, will just have to stay tune for the next post. ;)

Watercolour Workshop [Flower & Wreaths Edition] with Stickerrific

I'm starting to feel that attending workshops is my way of escaping reality. Not that that is really a bad thing considering how therapeutic I find these classes to be, even though I tend to get a bit flustered when I hit a roadblock. But it's good for stimulating my mind and I have no complaints about that.

The recent one I signed myself for is the Watercolour worshop [Flower & Wreaths Edition] with Sze Too from Stickerrific. I'll be honest and admit that this was something that I've been eyeing at for the longest time. However unlike her Food Edition workshops, this one is rare and hard to come around.

So imagine my response when classes were finally available for the flowers & wreaths edition. I wasted literally no time in booking my spot for the class, paid for it and also somehow managed to force persuade my artistic friend to come along. :3

Then it wasn't long before the day I had been excitedly looking forward to has arrived. And I should also mention that I have zero experience with painting, especially with watercolour as a medium.

Napping meow

You have no idea how crazy I went when I entered the store and saw this greeting me. And no, I'm not talking about the very simple but pretty set-up for the class.

*losing my shit right about now*

Say hello Chewie~

Sze Too is definitely a cat person cause she has three of them that just happily roam around the store. The pretty space is pretty much their territory which explains why I found all three casually lazing about at just any corner they liked.

This was on the table for all the students. It was a simple set-up but also very enticing and got me even more excited for the workshop to start.

What was provided to us was some watercolour paper (200gsm thick), a stencil drawing of a wreath with several kinds of flowers and then a set of flower themed stickers. Initially I thought that was a special gift for all of us that attended the class but it's actually for us to use as a reference when we paint later.

I still think it's a present and I like it.

"Go away, human"

I think I kinda woke this one up when I was taking pictures of it and gushing over how niap it looked. Can't help it. Anyway, time to talk about something other than the cat.

Once most of the students were seated then the class officially started. First Sze Too explained to us the very basics when it comes to watercolour painting like the different kinds of paper, sizes of brushes and also why some brands of paint costs more while some are cheaper. When I say expensive, it really is and can cost more than a hella good meal for three people.

I would explain it all but then this would be a hella boring post. It's better if you attend one of the workshops and find out for yourself. :3 Just know that there is a big difference between the cheaper and more expensive watercolours, more to do with the finishing and colour payoff.

You know, kinda like why some girls are willing to pay more for a make up product when there's a cheaper alternative. Same concept just different... Things and category altogether. hahaha. But the idea is the same la, cheesus.

The artist & her new batch of students

First thing first, Sze Too taught us several techniques which I think are the general basics and can be used in different ways to create different kinds of effect. These are the few that I remember clearly and I'll try to explain it as best as I can, but I might be wrong.

• Wet-to-dry method where you just pick up the colour you want and then painting it straight onto the paper. Simple & straightforward.
• Wet-on-wet technique which is as the name suggests; first you wet the paper with clean water first before dotting down the colour then just let it bleed onto the paper. This creates a very pretty effect. 
• Gradient style is pretty cool and very helpful in creating shadows. First you paint on a heavier colour in the beginning, then add a little bit more water after that stroke and gradually add a little more each time. I like this but it's harder than it seems.

There are still a few more but I can't exactly remember what they are exactly. So I guess that means you'd have to pay a visit to the workshop if you want to learn more. (;

My attempt.

This was my first try and I'm actually quite proud of myself. Until I looked at Bea's which is the one in the top right hand corner - that made me feel so loser-ish. -.-

Don't like that la. She's been painting for a long time and she's mad artistic ohkay, give chance please. I'm still learning and am making her teach me when we meet up for painting sessions. On top of girl talk of course, that's a big no brainer right there.

Tower of treats.

Refreshments and snacks are also provided for the students to nibble on during the class.

I wasn't too sure what the drink was exactly, but I really liked how it was super chilled and sourish. And the treats, I liked them all because they're all dainty looking but also very yums.

Leaves painting. Fail.

Then comes another interesting style of painting.

General idea is, the flower/tree/plant/whatever that's furthest from us will be lighter in color and the ones that are closer to us, the color will no doubt be of a darker shade. So this way, you can create an illusion of depth to your painting just by layering, creating very nice effects as many layers are added on.

Not as easy as it seems - especially the branches that takes a whole lot more control than one would think. Since the color has to be super light, your pressure on the brush can't be too heavy and you'd really have to get it done in one swift motion. It was a struggle for me at first.

I tried. It's the effort that counts.

Among the few techniques that we have attempted, I think this is one of my favourite. But don't take my word for it because I kinda like every style since it creates super pretty art and I am a big sucker for that.

The only thing is I am super terrible at painting so mine never turns out how I imagine it to be. Not without plenty of patience & practice till I get it right.

Taking a break. Flatlay FTW with all the colours & art. 

Here's Sze Too teaching us how to paint Peonies which she makes it seem SO effortless. Then the end result makes you go 'WOAAAAAAAAAAH!'. And it is one of my favourite flowers; real and art-wise so you could imagine how excited I was to finally be able to learn how to paint it.

Little did I realise until I tried the technique myself how flipping difficult it is.

Look who was trying to get in on the commotion. SO CUTE I CANNOT EVEN DEAL.

My finished results after a two and a half hour class

I'm just kidding. I took a picture of this to use as a guide for future practicing cause I have a feeling that I'd forget how some flowers are supposed to look like and how to paint them. Knowing me.

But I mean, I do wish that I could come up with something half as pretty as this and the amazing thing is, the artist painted these in a rush. However effortless it seemed, the results still turned out to look super nice. Though Sze Too did say midway through the class to not expect too much for now. After all she's got years of practice and experience in her brushes which explains why she's so good at her artworks. So it would be rather crazy to think that we would immediately be perfect artists after one workshop.

In other words, I need to remind myself to practice more and not give up even if the first few times are going to look absolutely horrid.

Even though you have not signed up for the watercolour workshops, you should visit Stickerrific's store. It is heaven for someone who is into arts & crafts or stationaries in general.

Though be warned, if you do not have much self control when it comes to spending then I suggest that you be very careful. Once you enter the store and see what there is to offer, you might just empty out every single cent in your bank account for all the things that catches your eye.

Especially if you are a sucker for pretty things like me.

They have all the things you need to either start your artist arsenal or add more to it.

Every corner is filled with different things and there's nothing you can't find here. There's a side of the store where they have all the important tools for calligraphy, from different coloured inks and many kinds of pens too.

There are even many types of nibs for you to purchase. I haven't quite tried my hand at calligraphy writing with pointed pens just yet and I'm hoping that's going to change as soon as I get a free weekend again.

But from what I could tell based on the examples given, different kinds of nibs gives you a different effect and also can tailor to suit what you're comfortable with.

Even if you have nothing particular in mind to buy, it's worth going there just to see all the cute stickers that are up for sale. Do not be surprised if you see that they consist mostly of cats, realistic looking and cartoon types.

Quite a number of them were very vintage looking stickers of flowers and food, very pretty and I was trying my best to not haul a handful of them into a basket. But I learned some self control that day. Trust me, you'll have a hard time resisting the urge to buy everything in sight.

Also, POSTCARDS, plenty of them. There are again the vintage themed kinds and some painted/illustrated by local artistes even. Very nice but I didn't buy any.

Say bye Luke!

Safe to say that I learned quite a lot about painting with watercolours in the couple of hours I spent at the workshop. First, I realize that I can't be a major control freak when it comes to painting and just.... Not overthink it too much. As much as I hate to say this, sometimes we all just gotta YOLO it and hope for the best.

Also, practice. Lots and lots of it to get better or else those few hours at class is just going to waste.

In our life there is a single color, as on an artist's palette, 

which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the color of love.

- Marc Chagall

Check out when Stickerrific would be having more watercolour workshops here, and also look out for the basic calligraphy ones too. Already am thinking of when I can join that after saving up a little bit more. ;)

Actually I don't even mind driving myself all the way to Jaya One to visit the store and sit there to paint all day. Who knows, maybe all the artistic vibes will motivate me to paint more rather than stare at my phone for long.