We awoke to a cloudy sky but there was no rain. Hubby called the whale watchers to enquire if there were any tours today. This would be our last clear day in Brisbane. Unfortunately, they had cancelled it again last night. What should we do next? We decided over breakfast to go to the beach at Surfer's Paradise.It was very windy and rather chilly at the 
beach. Not many surfers in the sea though the waves were great. The Life Savers board there stated "unstable condition" and that swimmers should swim at waist level waters only. Not a great day still for any sun, sea and sand activities.
We drove down the Surfers Paradise boulevard and admired the many beach holiday apartments along it. I know many Singaporeans own such apartments as investments and rent it out to holiday makers. Wonder if I will ever be one of them?
beach. Not many surfers in the sea though the waves were great. The Life Savers board there stated "unstable condition" and that swimmers should swim at waist level waters only. Not a great day still for any sun, sea and sand activities.We drove down the Surfers Paradise boulevard and admired the many beach holiday apartments along it. I know many Singaporeans own such apartments as investments and rent it out to holiday makers. Wonder if I will ever be one of them?
We chance upon a playground and stopped to let KK have some fun. There were a few families there, with 2 or more kids/babies, having picnics. Such is the lifestyle of Queenslanders? There, we met this mainland chinese couple with a daughter the same age as KK. We started chatting. The lady had moved to Australia 12 years ago and speaks fluent English. Husband is from Canton and holds a job that provides him with an apartment in Gold Coast though they stay in Sydney. (That's all I dared to probe.) Anyway, we were talking and I took this chance to find out from her more about the education system in NSW, difference between public and private schools etc.
In one of the conversation, her husband revealed that despite the culture there, the 'kiasu-ism" of asians prevails. They are the ones who sends their kids for extra lessons on weekends. This is exactly the kind of pressure I want my kids to avoid in Singapore but even in Australia? So I guess maybe we should stop blaming the schools and look inwards at the home environment.
He observed that the asians tend to do well academically in their studies but once they go out to the workforce, they fail to outshine their white counterparts. They are somehow less creative and lack resourcefulness. Accurate assessment?
