Change of Plans- 23 June 2007

I have decided to extend my stay in Sydney to another week, after some persuasion by my friends. It seems like, out of the sudden, Sydney has so much to offer. I am very reluctant to leave this quite wonderful place. I think I will leave Sydney with a heavy heart this coming Saturday. I truly believe that our very own STB has to pull up its socks. Singapore, with her 2 upcoming Integrated Resorts, is really pathetic and pale in comparsion. Dane Lim ( if you are seeing this) , being a poster "boy" for STB, you better make some radical changes, or I fear for your noodle bowl. Yeah=))) Life is realy good for now after the examinations!!!!

Reflection

It has been more than a month since I last created a new blog entry. It is so long such that I have difficulty remembering my blogger's password. It is only after a few attempts, that I managed to login. =)) Exams are finally over. The job is done for this exchange stint. =)) It has been a tiring yet enriching journey. Life goes on, there will be a new chapter. I am indeed very fortunate to have the opportunity to go for an exchange programme. The University may not be the best in the world, but it has opened up my eyes and given me a new perspective in life. One of the most important thing is that we must never take our family for granted. It is only when you are away, then you will realize how blessed you are. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my father for his financial sponsorship, my mama for her love, my sister for coordinating all the work for me, my grandmama for her concern too ( Paternal one, Not Maternal, cos Maternal is always concern with mulah) haha=( , also my aunty , for kindly putting me up at her place. Though she may seem critical at times, but I know deep down she is still a caring sort of person.=))) Not forgetting Patricia, who is always so obliging in assisting me in whatever help that I needed. There is also Siti, thanks for being such a good friend, lending me heater and handphone and bringing me out in Sydney. I wish you and honey buns all the best k=)))). There is also this person by the name of Fu Ken. He is a PHD student at Macquarie. He is also my tutor for harder Maths. He is the most patient tutor around, knowing that how sucky I am when it comes to Maths. Good on you man,haha. Thanks Weiting for being quite a good companion in Sydney. You made my stay here more homely, knowing that there is a Singaporean around. All the best at PWC and must work hard to give your family a good life. There is always a reason for everything. Oh yah there is still Koon Teck, Denyse and Zhiwei for doing work for me, knowing that I have exams. Greatly appreciated=)) All the way for FYP k. It is going to be challenging!But don't worry, I will not let the sampang boat sink as long as you don't SU it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lastly is to all my friends for constantly asking about me. See u guys in July. let me go rest for 1 month before I procced back home=)))

Reality Check

Just finished the second and last test of the Harder Maths. Mentally draining it may be, but definitely challenging and satisifying in the end. That is just the beginning of a long journey which I have to undertake alone. The final exam timetable is out. Guess what, I have 2 papers on the same day. What more can I say! But it is good in a way, as i can plan my retreat back to Melbourne earlier and Alice Spring and finally to Singapore, Home Sweet Home=))))

The Simpsons- Movie

I remembered vividly that my dear sister once commented that I watch The Simpsons just for the sake of watching it, without any attempt to understand the American jokes. That is totally rubbish!!!!! I love The Simpsons and I WILL catch the movie when I am back in July. Check it out!!!!

"Healthy" Lifestyle

Look at my unhealthy lifestyle in Australia. Nevertheless, I still can't gain weight. =(((( Someone please tell me WHY!!!!!

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park- 20th April 2007

After the failed ambitious attempt to conquer the Royal National Park, we next set our sights on the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. As there is always a reason for everything, we are sure that the adventure at the park will be equally unforgettable and eventful. Indeed, it was =))). Located less than 30 km from the Sydney City Centre, the reserve is primarily unspoilt wilderness. Pristine bushland, waterways, native fauna, jointed rocks, Aboriginal carvings and caves, beaches, bays and headlands are some of the many highlights of the national park. What greeted us in the intial stage of the trek was black ash-laden tree trunks though. This is because the park fell victim to bushfire a few months back. We continued our journey to the Apple Tree Bay ( though there is no apple at all=( ). Along the way, we saw many rock formations. Some were really hugh. This can be like a sneak preview to Uluru, Alice Spring and the Devil's Pebble, Darwin. There were also some Aboriginal carvings along the way which was a rare treat for us. We also came across a wild wallaby, which was looking for lunch. It was not until about 2 hours that we reached the Hawkesbury River. It was clearly a beautiful sight. The feeling was so peaceful... "I have peace like a river"....... TO BE CONTINUED!!!!!!

Canberra- Australia's Capital City (19th April 2007)

Here we are, CANBERRA.......

First up to the Parliament House, where John Howard and Kevin Ruud will argue with each other over country's policies. Next, is to drive round the different foreign embassies in Australia, and lastly to the xiao3 ren2 guo2.

Home -Made Kimchi (17th April 2007)

Staying at home and almost bored to death, I decided to make kimchi this time round. Remember the successful attempt on Chicken Curry the last time round ?=))) Kimchi is actually quite easy to prepare. Just slice the ginger, garlic, red chilli, onion ( I almost teared), capsicum, and carrot finely. Next is mix them together with red pepper powder and something " stung " sauce. Throw the Cheena Cabbage into the mixture, and there you have it----- Home-made Kimchi!!!!! No Kick man =((( Flora and Rou Xin, I also get to eat Kimchi in ang moh country.....

Hello and Not Forgotten

To Chee Ming and CQ

Chee Ming, thanks for constantly making the effort to keep in contact with me. Hee=))))) Cool!!! And CQ, Happy Birthday to you!!! U are not forgotten k. Don’t you ever dare say I never mention you in my BLOG!

Sydney Royal Easter Show- 15th April

Today is the last Sunday of the Royal Easter Show. It is the next big event in Sydney other than Mardi Gras Parade, Harbour Walk and Anzac Day. We gathered at the Sydney Olympic Park (Yah the stadium that hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games) at 9 am to beigin our 12 hours adventure in the park arena. It was a carnival sort of experience at the show, many exhibits, animal shows, competiton ( such as wood chopping and cows' BODYBUILDING contest) . Yes, I am not kidding!!!!! Not sure how they judge though. There were also many stalls selling showbags of different cartoon characters and action heros. They were a bit hit with both the kids and adults. I was quite tempted to get the Bart Simpson Showbag, but decided against, as i was already 23 years old. We later caught the "dog chase sheep" show and posed with many farm animals. Some of them were really HUGH, i must say. There were exhibits of many differnet themes at the convention hall. It was an eye opener to see how creative the human mind can be. There were also the funfair with all those games with giant softtoys as prizes and carnival rides. Late at night, it was the finale: fireworks parade. Overall, the experience was ok. But I will never attend again. It sucks actually =((( Prefer the nature sort of experience. Coming up Next Next next.......

Coming Up Next.......

Sneak preview of what to expect

1.Sydney Royal Easter Show ( 15th April)
2.Preparing Home-made Kimchi ( 17th April)
3. Boring Canberra (19th April)
4. Ku-ring-gai National Park (20th April)
5. City Tour and Art Gallery (21st April)
6. Church Service (22nd April)

Mid-Semester Celebration- 12th April

It was very nice of Anne to invite me to her mid-semester celebration party. As usual, there were a whole load of yummy yummy dishes waiting for me. Anne cooked her Spicy Korean Drumsticks, while her other friends brought Taiwanese tang hoon , suishi and even krispy kreme doughnuts. Cool stuff. And of course, there was the Chicken Curry prepared by WT and I. Apparently, the feedback for the curry was relatively positive. But I guess that it is because none of them have ever tried the authentic curry as yet. After the meal, we had game session. We played Uno- Spin and also a German card game , called Legetto, which is based on reaction speed. Luckily, there was no Truth or Dare sort of game in store for us. I also got to taste a German yummy gum called "Haribo". It can only be found at Aldi retail shop in Hornsby. Haribo is just like our gummy bears, but it tastes more heavenly than it. I will buy many packets to let all of you sample when I am back in July. After a few hours of playing the same card games, eyes were rolling and people were getting bored. But Anne commented that the night was still young. As such, I went to help myself with more food, in order to perk myself up. We chatted and chatted till 5 am. I then made my way back home under the 15 degrees outdoor temperature condition,with just my t-shirt and jeans. When I reached home, the sun was already out. Well Done=))))

Preparation of Chicken Curry Dish- 12th April

WT: "Omg, I have never seen "chao da" onions!" =(

Me: "Oh man, really eh?"

WT: "Yes."

Me: "Ok, you shall do the cooking, while I peel the potatoes." =(((

That sums up my attempt to cook Chicken Curry. In short, I SUX at cooking. I better be rich enough in future to be able to employ a maid to cook for my family. haha!!! Today, we attempted to dish up Chicken Curry for Anne's party. We wanted to showcase Singapore's Food Glourious Food to our friends from overseas. Together with the receipe gotten from my mother through long distance call, and also from the curry paste box, we followed the instructions step-by-step, and after 2 hours of hard work, a decent looking Chicken Curry Dish was ready to be served.=)))

Wollongong- 10th April

Today we made our way to Wollongong, with the aim of visiting both its city area, as well as the neighbouring Royal National Park. However, we were delayed by some unforeseen circumstances, and thus only reached Wollongong at about 1 pm. Wollongong is located about 30 km away from Sydney Central. It has a 30 km breathtaking coastline, with pristine beaches, rich bushland and rainforest to add to its dramatic escarpment. We first made our way to the Information Centre to check out what are the places to venture into in Wollongong. Along the way, we stopped by some of the shops. The entire landscape of Wollongong is totally different as compared to other areas in Sydney. One interesting observation is that many people were walking barefooted. Not too sure the reason though=(( We made our way to the Wollongong City beach.The beach really lived up to its name. It has a clear shoreline and sparkling "ocean" as its backdrop. We were thrilled to see the beauty of the beach and proceeded to have our photo shoot as usual. We then had our lunch beside the famed Wollongong's Lighthouse.We learnt the meaning of risk-taking from the seagulls which were trying to get hold of my pirated " Subway" lunch. Kudos to them. We decided to give the Nan Tien Temple ( New South Wales's largest temple) a miss, as apparently the prospect of shopping was too overwhelming. It was only at around 4. 30 pm that we boarded the train to head towards Royal National Park. The train was moving at snail's pace. By the time we reached the entrance of the Park, it was already pitch dark. We had no choice but to give it up and settle for its poor cousin's the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park on 20th April. (This park has no association with JP Morgan Chase). In the end, we walked around Egadine and took more pictures and had the 30 cents Mac soft serve cone. Somebody ate 2 and that sombody is not me=)))

The School itself

Now u know why I cannot double my size=((

Couples' Paradise:Lake Macquarie

Brothers in Arms- Racial Harmony-Possible?

Macquarie's "FAL"

Advertising ROCK- Miss Ting will love it dearly!

I don't know what is this place called. Sorry=(

My "favourite" hangout: Maths Remedial Room

Australians' Fav:BBQ under the hot sun=(

International House @Macquarie

Upon the request of Alex and myself, attached are some snapshots of my host university, Macquarie University (Sydney)---- Group of Eight

Good Friday- 6th April 2007

Oh yeah man, Rejoice number 1- I have completed my MATH136 test. I think I did pretty ok for it. Rejoice number 2- It is the start of the 2 weeks mid-term break for me. Yeah hoo hoo=))))) Rejoice number 3- There are 2 Easter parties to attend today. Rejoice number 4- Nothing else. After attending the Good Friday service at Trinity Church, we made our way to Antij house for an Easter party. Apparantly, all shops in Australia are closed during public holidays. As such, most people will take this opportunity to organise dinner parties in their own backyard. First task for the day was to paint hard-boiled eggs. Attached are some of our masterpiece. Guess which one is done by me. The prize for getting right is ........ Nothing. haha. Of course the cuty Koala Bear is mine. Adorable eh? I think it is the best, the biggest threat is the one next to my Koala Bear.=)))) The next task was to prepare dinner. We met with some difficulty in operating the oven initially, but we decided against using the microwave as it was harmful to health. It was only after about 2 hours, that dinner was ready to be served. Look at the spread of the goodies. Don't you want to join us too? But I still feel that Ghim Moh's Char Kway Tiao, Bukit Timah's Satay Bee Hoon, Kallang's Prawn Noodle are better. So you folks back in Singapore are the lucky ones. One interesting incident which happened was during the discussion of Thailand's Ah gua. One of our dear friends saw two meatballs and a fat sussage in the bowl, and came out will some perverted thoughts. Oh man, what to do=((( There was also this conversation about the marginalisation of the Aboriginal people in Australia. For once I was so worried the wonderful night will turn out to be a disaster. Simply because there were two opposing views on the issue. Well, each has their own valid arguement, thus I shall not comment too much on it. Pai seh to Anit. Aprreciated your Nasi Brayni meal, even though I was 1.5 hours late. I will treat you to my red curry on Thursday. =)))) Btw, to all people having exams real soon, all the best , persevere and finish the race and not call the medics. God Bless!