How to apply for Australia ETA

If you are a Singaporean travelling to Australia, you will need to apply for an Australia Electronic Travel Authority (ETA).


What is an Australia ETA?

An ETA is an electronic authorisation for travel to Australia to visit or conduct short term business in Australia. It replaces a visa label or stamp in your passport and does not require making an application at the High Commission. Passport holders from around 33 countries, including Singapore and Malaysia, are eligible for ETAs. Of the eligible nationalities, eight (including Singapore and Malaysia) are eligible to apply online. Source: Australia High Commission Singapore


There are a few ways to apply for it and the method you chose will cost differently:


1. The commonly known method:
Online via Australia Electronic Travel Authority-Department of Immigration and Citizenship
Well, this is the "official" website, where ETA is available for application anytime, anywhere. You just have to key in your passport and contact details, pay via credit card and that's it. Since it's the "official" website and you are the one entering the information yourself, you can be 100% sure that there will be no problem with the visa.
Cost: AUD 20

2. The inexpensive method (cos it's free!):
If you book the ticket/tour through a travel agent, your travel agent may be able to do your ETA application for free. Or you can get your friend who happens to be a travel agent or trawl the online travel forums for kind and trustworthy souls to apply foc for you.
Cost: Zero

3. The other method:
You can get a professional third party to apply for you either online or otherwise.
Just a simple online search yields plenty of website that will process ETA for a fee ranging from SGD12-SGD20.
If you are concerned about the reliability of these online website, you can just visit any brick and motar travel agency. You can call them beforehand to check on their fees. Remember to bring a copy of all the passports you are applying for. It will cost you between SGD10 to SGD 20.
Cost: SGD10-20

Happy Holidays!


PS: any idea why Australia is now known as 澳大利亞 instead of 澳洲?

I survived Battlestar Galactica, USS

The Universal Studios Singapore Battlestar Galactica ride was due to open the next day on 21 Feb 11 after shutting down for about a year due to technical problems(read: one of the seats assembly detached during one of its morning testing). As luck would have it, when Superman and I visited Universal Studios Singapore today, it was open for technical rehearsals(whatever that means).

I took the ride alone. It was kind of intimidating at first, walking up to the ride with no one to share the fears and excitement with.

I started with the seated Human coaster (red one) first. There were initial doubts when I realised that the restraints used were lap restraints, ie the upper body was free, not helped by the lady from China next to me who kept questioning on the safety of lap restraints. It was too late to chicken out. All doubts evaporated when the ride was launched at high speed not soon after. It was exhilarating, the sudden dips, climbs and speed of the Human coaster. According to USS engineers, Human track promises more G-force than the Cylon track, at up to 90km/hr. Well, I can vouch for that. The world was slightly spinning when I got off the Human coaster.

The suspended blue Cylon coaster came next. After kicking off my sandals at the base station, I pull down the shoulder restraints tight and felt my legs being suspended as they lowered the platform before starting the ride. I remembered waving at my fellows red Human coaster riders next to me as we were launched side by side. It was intense, as the ride started to invert, twist and turn several times. The best part was when you felt like you are going to hit the ground as it plummets down into a deep pit filled with a mist, only to turn away at the last minute.

In that one minute, nothing else mattered. Work, family, problems, issues don't exist anymore and you only have to focus on holding tight and screaming your lungs out.

It was fun.

Nation's Birthday

Some shots i took of the National Day Parade 2010@ Padang:

It was a beautiful day

The theme of the parade

One of the crowd favourites...

The National Flag

The flypast

The sunset

The Padang

And it ended with a big bang

Our very own CNY tradition - Instant noodles with abalone

Superman and I have this Chinese New Year family tradition of eating instant noodles with abalone.

It started simply enough. We have this practice of giving some foodstuff to our parents during CNY, one of which is a can of abalone. It is a delicious delicacy to be eaten during our reunion dinner once a year.

Then, one year, my dear mummy suddenly gave back to us a can of abalone as well. Not knowing how else to cook it other then steamboat, Superman and I decide to eat it in the only way that is both easy and familiar to us, instant noodles. It has since evolve to a family tradition for both Superman and I.

Here's how we do it....

First, take one can of abalone and then slice it according to your preference.

Next, wash and slice some of your favourite vegetables and mushrooms. We had some carrots, cabbage, bean sprouts and shitake mushrooms.

Pair it with your favourite instant noodles. You may reduce the seasoning and let the natural flavours of the ingredients come through and tantilise your taste buds.

I bought nissin as I liked the fragrant sesame oil that comes with the seasonings. Eating the original flavour reminds me of my childhood days when days were simple and carefree.

Cook it in any way you like.

Add some condiments if you desire. I added some dried seaweed and lots of fried shallot(thanks mum!).

Voila!

The ultimate food indulgence for both of us, the pairing of delicacy with simple comfort food. Once a year.

Slurping away with abandon and drinking til the last drop...

Happiness is eating instant noodles with abalone together with your loved one while watching TV on a Saturday night (:

Qool Hotel-Quincy

Went to Quincy Hotel with Superman for our wedding anniversary/Christmas/short break over the weekend. Yup, all-in-one.

We read in the papers that Quincy is a new hotel and we were intrigued by this little boutique hotel in the Orchard. Our mini research on Tripadvisor indicates that the overall reviews on Quincy are overwhelmingly positive, in fact, it is ranked 5th out of 217 hotels in Singapore right now. Not bad for a new kid on the block.

Quincy is a all-inclusive hotel nestled in a quiet uphill corner behind Paragon. The walk uphill was about 100m or so but in the stifling afternoon heat, it seem much, much longer than that to us.

We checked in at 2pm and was given a warm welcome by the hotel staff who escorted us to our room and gave us a brief introduction to our room and the hotel facilities.

THE ROOM
I love the room! Though it's not the biggest I have seen and it has everything you need and more.

King-sized mattress with feather beddings with two micro fibre and two feather pillows.(plus motorised curtains!)Large flat screen TV, free internet access(wireless and wired), complimentary daily newspaper.Clever use of space! Ironing board hidden behind the wall panel next to the TV.

Next, the freebies....
Complimentary bottle of red wine for during hotel promotion.

Let's see, 6 cans of soft drink (Pepsi, Pepsi Light, 7up), 6 packet drinks(soya bean milk, chrysanthemum tea, lemon tea), 2 cans of Carlsberg and 2 bottles of distilled water daily.

Some packets of instant coffee and tea bags

and

one Big bag of chips (Eta Uppercuts Vege Crisps).

Next, the bathroom....yes, the bathroom wall is made of glass. There is a pull-down screen to provide some privacy. Spacious layout with separate rain drop shower (yeah!) and bathtub.

Molten Brown Toiletries. A luxury brand (headquartered in London) that uses natural ingredients for its products.THE LOBBY
Level 1 of the hotel serves as both the lobby and dining area...

View of the lobby from the dining area. There are 2 Apple iMac stations in the lobby! Bright and airy dining area Open concept kitchen where they whipped up yummy meals for us.

THE FOOD
All 3 meals are included in the hotel package. This is what we had:

(1) Buffet breakfast with assortment of juices and coffee.

(2) & (3) Set Lunch-Choose from their set lunch menu of about 10 choices. Free flow of soft drinks, pulut hitam and fruits.

We had Nasi Goreng and Club sandwich. Both beautifully presented.

(4) Set dinner-We chose Fillet of Sirlion Steak and Lasagna Al Forno with tiramisu for desert. Free flow of seafood chowder soup and soft drinks. Best of all, cocktails, beer and drinks are on the house during their happy hour from 6-8 pm.

You can time your dinner with the happy hour to have a leisurely meal and enjoy a tete-a-tete with your companion over some red wine.

HOTEL FACILITIES
One special feature of the hotel is the infinity pool location on the 12th floor. Encased by glass, it offers hotel guest a panoramic view of the surroundings. Not for those with a phobia of heights though :p
The gym contains state of the art exercise equipment. You can watch TV programs on the personal monitor attached on the exercise machine. They even have an exercise ball!

On the same floor, there is a steam room, a sauna room, 2 unisex bathrooms, 2 toilets and lockers to put your stuff. If the hotel is crowded, you may need to wait for quite a while before using these facilities. The facilities are opened 24 hours but they are not manned by any hotel staff, thus hotel guest will need to approach the lobby for locker keys. Hotel guest can help themselves to pool towels and mineral water placed neatly next to the sofas beside the infinity pool.

I enjoyed the shower facilties most, its spacious, clean and most of all, rain drop shower and Molten Brown!

Overall, the hotel scores on its location(in the middle of Orchard Road but away from the hustle and bustle of it), all inclusive package(3 meals, minibar and happy hour), qool facilties (small sized but powerpacked) and friendly service.

We like!

The Quincy Hotel 22 Mount Elizabeth Singapore (228517)

Short Break

Going off for a staycation tomorrow. Will blog about it once I'm back. Happy weekend everyone!