Holidays

I'm going on a trip to New Zealand and Melbourne starting coming Monday, right after Fiona takes her JLPT level 2 exam. Because it's the end of the year, and because I've basically spent nearly all of my money on presents for the folks back home, I'm having budgeting problems. We've also held off too late deciding on a definate NZ and Melb trip, so even on budget airlines, we're getting the more expensive fares.

But.... we've coughed up the money for the first part of the trip to NZ, and I'm just hoping that I was realistic enough in my budgeting. Heavens forbid that I run out of cash midway.

Pictures galore!

The title says it all!!!

Hm, I think this one is all about the blue mountains and jenolan caves trip that I took recently with June. It was all foggy that day, so June didn't manage to have a look at the Three sisters, but we got a chance to do a small trek through the forest and I managed to go on the steepest railway for the 2nd time, and on the scenic cablecar for the first time. The jenolan caves are extremely spectacular, but I won't be going back there in a hurry. I personally think the guided tours are too large, and it's a lot more fun if you just go exploring the other caves by yourself.

This collage is all about the last night June spent in Sydney before she returned to Singapore the next day without her roomies. We opened the bottle of traminer we got in Hunter Valley after 1/2 an hrs hard work of digging out the cork (we're all first time wine bottle openers!) and celebrated her 'last' night in Sydney, before the start of the next semester anyway. I think this collage also shows us drinking 'Dr Jurd's Jungle Juice', which is a special product of Wollombi. We tried mixing it with Coke, but I didn't much like it. As usual, I got teased for being a non-drinker, and of trying to mix too much Coke with too little alcohol, but at least I didn't puke this time round. :DThis one's all about me n June visiting the town of Wollombi (the first few photos with the metal rhinos in them), followed by the chapel in the town of Roche in Hunter Valley, and a few random photos at the back showing us at the Australian Reptile Park, at Brighton (I think I got the spelling wrong...) Sand Dunes. (The folk in rural australia definately have a sense of humour, I mean, just look at what they do in their free time! Building metal rhinos... hahahaha. )

The picture on the left is the entrance to Haymarket, where the roomies do their weekly shopping, and the picture on the right is of Kura Japanese resturant, whom Fiona introduced all of us to. It serves fantastic value for money Japanese food at all times of the day. A definate must- try if you come to Haymarket in Sydney.

This collage is all about our brekkie outing to Divine Monkey Lounge at the start of Glebe Point Road. It's the cafe with a fantastic view of the purple tree (when it's blooming), we were supposed to eat here overlooking the view, unfortunately, by the time our exams were over, the tree was no longer blooming. The food's alright here, the service good, and the coffee always a great perk- me- up in the morning. Me n June had pancakes, while Fi had the eggs benedict with salmon. This was, I believe, the first leisurely breakfast after our exams.

We visited the Australian reptile Park in the north of Sydney on our way to Port Stephens. I've seen these animals and such in Featherdale Wildlife Park on the other tour I took with Jane, Serene and Choy, so I wasn't too awed. But, I'll say this Park is worth a visit, because the settings are all wonderfully and naturally done, in comparison to the rest of the parks I've seen. It's akin to Singapore zoo, except for its size and the fact that our zoo doesn't have freely hopping roos.
Port Stephens and the sand dunes at Anna Bay. We managed to see quite a few small bottlenose dolphines who reside within the Bay, and captured some amazing views on the search. The sand dunes were absolutely fantastic, and it's a lot a lot of fun. June managed to lose her handphone and then find it again with some help, but let's say that after that day, she's now a legend in the tour group and the guys who run the whole sandboarding adventure thing. :D

These ones are dated quite far back, before the exams, during the week's inter-sem break. We went to Coogee beach where Jane was staying for a while with her Aunt. The whole gang visited the beach, but Serene and Choy left early to go back to the city, while the rest of us stayed for a delicious thai dinner at the Coogee resturant. I remember that it was a really windy day with the sand blowing in all directions. None of us could do any tanning successfully because of the flying sand, but the gals got a dip in the ocean for the first time.
I don't know if I've posted these photos up before, but I was just studying late one night, and I noticed that the moon was really beautiful from my window. It was bright and round on that night, and absolutely alluring. I think I woke Fi up accidentally while digging in my drawer for the camera, but it's worth it, from my point of view anyway. :D

And these pictures are of the lovely herbs we bought and reared. Dill and Basil are now growing well, with all the sun and water that we've been giving them. I don't know if they stop insects from flying into our window, but they are certainly nice to have around. More recently, we also bought a venus fly trap. I have a photo of it courtesy of Fi, but I won't be posting it here since I forgot to add it into the collage.... The lady said the plant will grow larger so that it'll be able to catch fairly large cockroaches, which convinced both June and myself that we've got to get one for the summer months. We got the venus fly trap from the Annual Glebe Point Road fair. I have one or 2 photos of it from my place, but I can't find it atm.
Pictures of the campus at Lidecombe. It's really old and run- down, and it can get very noisy and crowded during semester times, but on Fridays, when nobody has classes, it gets quiet and very meditative. M block is where the RG and RT classes are mostly held.
On the last day of exams, we took a picture with Sook/ Samantha, and went out to strathfield DFO for some shopping. But before that, we had lunch at a authentic Korean resturant where the waitress and cook doesn't speak a word of English. I couldn't believe that such places might exist in Australia in this day and age, but there you go, even in Australia, there are authentic Korean places to eat ok.

Hunter Valley and drinking

I went to the Hunter Valley on Tuesday with June, one of my flatmates, and it was an extremely relaxing day!

We had to wake up really early in the morning to get to the pick-up point, but I think, the loss of sleep was made up by the excellent day we had. APT is a really good tour operator, and I really gained a lot of knowledge while having lots of fun that day. I couldn't take many photos because my camera ran out of juice early in the tour (my extra batteries also ran out of juice) but fortunately, June bought 2 phone-cameras just in case, and between us, we took enough photos.

Wollombi was an interesting stop, because it was just a really really small town, with 1 pub, 1 courthouse, 1 tearoom and... that's about it! People don't stay in town, they just come to town on some occasions only. In those areas, people are farmers and they live mostly isolated from each other. It's really a lot like what Wales was, except that I experienced Wales in autumn-winter weather, so it was really a lot cooler which allowed for more trekking and exploring.
So, it wasn't suprising that while we were driving along the roads from Wollombi towards Hunter Valley, I found myself reminiscing about Wales. I think now, when I think back about the trip, I think I'll prefer Wales anytime. But if you'd ask me if I could live forever in places like Wales or the Australian farm country, I will honestly tell you I don't know. Afterall I violently resisted living in Lidcombe for the city right?

Wollombi sells an interesting liquor called Dr Judy's Jungle Juice, which the tour operator said was only available in Wollombi and nowhere else. I believe him, because I've never seen it in Coles or Woolies. It was supposed to be made up of the dregs of the wineyards, and is supposedly pretty nasty, but its taste has been smoothened out dramatically in modern times, and it now tastes like grape juice (to me, anyway). One can hardly taste the alcohol, though I think if you drank more, it'll be possible to get drunk on it anyway. I bought a small bottle, which I hope to illustrate soon.

That aside, Hunter Valley is a very charming region. You could really travel from one wineyard to the next, tasting endless rounds of wine, and acting tai- tai-ish. In fact, on our tour, nearly everyone was foreign and pretty old. There were only a few other youngish people, but, when we got round to talking during lunch, I thought these young people are really very well travelled. And some part of my mind wondered where they got the money to travel! :D But that's evil of me, so we'll put that thought aside.

I didn't manage to get a photo of my lunch platter, but June took a picture of the lunch setting, which I shall post as soon as I get the photos from her.

The only other thing of note was going to a place called Roche village, built by a person called Mr. Roche. He is of course very rich, and the place reminds me of Holland Village, without the bustling life. This village was built to look like a old English village, but it just seemed too quiet. There weren't many people on a weekday, and it seemed almost spooky. Mr Roche also built a chapel there for his daughter to get married in, and I have a photo of it in June's phone. It's very pretty and cozy, but again, because it was situated in such a remote location within an almost artifical village, it seemed... odd. But then again, it seems unfair of me to pass such a judgement on a place that i've visited only once, and on a weekday at that. Perhaps on a weekend, the picture drastically changes?

So... where on earth am I?

It's been an uncommonly crazy week after the exams, but I enjoy the craziness for once! I've been going around town with Fiona, June and Fi's brothers shopping and eating... It's a great experience, and though I do grumble very much about walking from Glebe Point to Circular Quay on a hot afternoon, I am glad that I did it in the end. It was generally fun walking along the full length of George street, popping into shops as and when we wanted and shopping! Retail therapy was so much fun, with sales to discover and dresses to try on. I think it's worth mentioning that I was looking at a Roxy bag which fits my short stature, but I put it but, because it cost more than what I was prepared to pay. I'm still thinking about it though, and I'm really afraid I just might go and buy it, because it's hard to find bags that you like at first sight, and which fits one to a T.

There, I'm becoming a shopaholic and a material girl huh? But I say, in my defense, that much needed retail therapy was in order to properly destress! I took a few more shopping trips with my roomies and once myself around town while walking to take in the full sights of the city. You'd think that all this time I've been staying in the central city, that I'd have walked all of it already... but in reality, I haven't. This is really the first time that I've the time and mood to go walking in it slowly, taking in the sights and shopping. I've also remembered to bring my camera along, and took some photos, which I hope I'll be able to post soon. :D

Another thing worth mentioning here is the Glebe Point Road Annual Fair. It just happened last Sunday, and it was rather fun, with the road blocks and all. It was a pain in the ass to get the buses to town, but overall, the shops were rather interesting, though if you'd been to circular quay markets and the glebe markets, the stuff on sale would seem rather familiar.

I'm going on a few tours starting tomorrow out of Sydney, and I really hope that it'll be a good time with lots of noteworthy photos.... Though I won't complain if there isn't much shopping to do. I'm bleeding money at the moment, and I hope I'll have enough to end the year on a relatively good note! :D

Exams are over!!!

Dearly beloved,
the exams are finally over, I can watch my movies and vcds, and dvds to my heart's content. I can go out for breakfast, walk the markets at leisure, plan outings and generally slack around! Life has never seemed so promising! More photos and events coming soon!

Mugging like crazy

It's really not that I don't want to update the Aussie blog, or the other blog for that matter, it's more like I'm really really swamped with work! This isn't an exchange so studies and grades are still important... It's not like the modules are either a pass or fail with no implications back home, the exams I have impact on the final certificate! I don't want to do too badly, because really, let's face it, who wants to do badly?

Soooooo.... hence the long long hiatus. It's going to be longer still to be honest. Exams don't end till 2 weeks later, so I'll probably be a lot more optimistic and happier then. I'll post all the lovely pictures I have of Sydney and the changing seasons, pictures of my favourite hangouts.... ugh... Can't wait till I feel free to sleep and whatever time I want, and watch whatever show I want, for any amount of time...

God Bless everyone at home... May He keep all of you safe!

On that note tho... happy advanced birthday to meself. Glad it's pissing here as I type. :D

Just felt like blogging

It's another 2 weeks till the exams come, and I still haven't got the time to start studying! I'm still rushing projects and assignments.... In fact, my whole weekend will be focused on finishing the stuff that's due next week! How about that! I wish I knew what to do about my cognitive project, and I wish I could feel more confident about it, but my points feel like shit, and I feel like shit. The inspiration and the surety isn't coming.... I guess I'll be slightly happier if I finish up CCI tomorrow... Please Lord, help me to make it happen. Help me to help myself and my groupmates.... On the other side, I don't really know what I'm doing right now.... I guess I'm supposed to go and sleep, and wake up refreshed for tomorrow. Or, maybe I'm supposed to go prepare for tmrw, and make sure everything's in place.

But what I really wanted to blog about tonight was just.... Being. I feel like I'm just being right now. Not really feeling much, not really doing much. You know, just being. I'm sorry I haven't got more pictures of Sydney for you guys, but Blogger's really unfriendly with uploading pictures. If you have facebook, the stuff's all there... But if you don't... Please be patient with me.

This's a really random post ain't it? The yuppie is losing her mind!

Phil Collins

Having a nostalgic night, with my roomie sleeping, the house nearly all dark, and good music playing in my ears.

You'll Be In My Heart"
Come stop your crying
It will be all right
Just take my hand
Hold it tight I will protect you
from all around youI will be here
Don't you cry
For one so small,you seem so strong
My arms will hold you,keep you safe and warmT
his bond between us
Can't be brokenI will be here
Don't you cry 'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart, always Why can't they understand
the way we feel
They just don't trust
what they can't explain
I know we're different but,deep inside us
We're not that different at all And you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heartFrom this day on
Now and forever more Don't listen to them'
Cause what do they know
We need each other,to have, to hold
They'll see in timeI know When destiny calls you
You must be strongI may not be with you
But you've got to hold on
They'll see in timeI know
We'll show them together 'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on,
Now and forever more
Oh, you'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be in my heart, always
Always

So Frustrated!

I would like to create 2 voodoo dolls, stick names on them, and beat them till they're crumpled into dust.

Did I mention I watched movies too?

LOL... I went to watch movies...

Stardust was awesome... and....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=n6gPBMYspqg

Take that's not dead yet.

After a week of holiday

Today marks the last day of the week long break mid-semester, and the start of the month of October, with dreaded datelines and exams in November.

But what did I do with my holidays? Well... For starters, I went on a day trip to the Blue mountains, and managed to squeeze in a short trip to the featherdale wildlife park. There was a lot to see in such a limited amount of time, but I would really like to go back to Leura, the wonderful village just next to the 3 sisters, and use an entire afternoon to explore that place fully. It was the most perfect day, with the sun shining merrily in the blue blue sky, and the weather just nice.

During the holidays, I also took a few days to go out to Coogee beach with a few friends, and had the most lovely time suntanning on the beach. However, the wind's still too strong, and really, tanning with the sand blowing all over you isn't the most ideal. When the winds die down, I'll be back at Coogee for sure. I also visited Manly and Bondi beaches during the past few weeks, and really, they aren't bragging when Aussies say that Australia has one of the best beaches in the world!

The sand was gorgeous no matter where I went, and the views fantastic. In my opinion, Coogee has the best view, but I personally like Bondi on a quiet weekday. Everyone says Bondi is a hellhole, but really, I think if you avoid Bondi on a weekend, it's great on a weekday. Manly's beach was nice, but I thought the seagulls that stared at us as we ate were a little unappetizing.

For the rest of the holidays, I basically oscillated between a need to catch up on studying, and the holiday mood. On reflection, the holiday mood won out basically, which explains the tremendous amount of guilt that I'm currently experiencing. How I wish this was an exchange, and that all I needed to do was just 'pass'. But no.... I've got expectations. Even if if these expectations are mostly self induced. :)

The juniors have also left, after having tasted Sydney life for a month, and well, the house's a lot quieter. I love quiet, but I envy them for being able to fly home.

Well, another month and a half, and I'll be on my way. Get on the train to study weiie and you'll be home in no time at all....

PS: Pictures soon!

-drools at thought of all the nice food-

More photos

My first rainy day in Sydney





My first lunar eclipse

Pictures of my apartment -- living room. Note the beach theme with yellow sun. Ignore the lamp shade by the side. :D

Stairway up to the bedroom level.
Cozy kitchen where all the culinary work happens.

Picture of the laundry room with dryer, washing machine and a toilet. This is on the lower level.

I'll upload the other pics another day on blogger... Blogger doesn't have a friendly uploading image service.

Xth week into school...

It's been a really long time since I've entered a new post on this blog, and well... there's a really good reason for that! I'll give you a hint, it starts with s and ends with l.

Things have been really crazy these past few weeks, and assignments, projects and everything are really starting to make their annoying presence known. I have been out around town to do grocery shopping every week, but that's about it.

But.... Pretty cool things have been happening around town these days. First there was the lovely lunar eclipse, where the moon turned red and bloody! Must have been a field day for all the vamps out there. :D

Next, my lovely juniors arrived at our doorstep (ok, we picked them up) and we had to make some accommodations to additional people living with us. It is not an easy journey, and I can forsee it's going to get a little worse before it gets better.

Thirdly, APEC is happening right at my doorstep. Ok, so the rest of Sydney isn't exactly thrilled, but hey, how often do I get to be in a place where protests are erupting? Singapore really didn't count, because we had extra efficient policing. Remember our 'embarrassing governmental u-turn'? Haha... I haven't forgotten. :)

I'm going out for a bit tomorrow since the Aussie government has declared Friday a public holiday since APEC is on. I do owe myself a little relaxation after mugging for a test today afterall right? I'll remember to bring my camera and take lots of informative pictures. I do have to get around to uploading my last batch of photos though... Someone please remind me of them...

Life has been generally good in Sydney. Glebe is safe, wonderful and exciting. I'm as myself as ever, generally unsociable, generally tired but finding myself more educated as the weeks go by. Quite an exciting find that. Never thought I'll admit to it, but education in Sydney is an education in life itself.

But before I end, a huge thanks goes out to Liang Jun, Glory and my lovely sister who surprised me with a package of photos and cards! Thanks guys, you really kept the secret well. :D It took a little long to get me, because it was opened by customs. No doubt they thought the photos posed a security risk. Heh.

Have a nice weekend all!! Hope the weather remains as it has been. Cold is my thing, the sun is great, but a nice cooling wind is always welcome.

Lost in the realities of life

It has been an eventful week...

First, the display on my laptop went kookoo, and I whinged about it to all my friends over the Internet. I also whined about it to family and friends. Then, I split green tea on my laptop, and caused it to crashed. I could only whine about this to my family and flatmates, because obviously, I had no internet access then.

The moral of the story is that Man is greedy. When my display crashed, I didn't count my blessings. Was it really surprising that my laptop should just crash? Arrogance does indeed, come before a fall.


But none, I have been greatly blessed, and I have my laptop back in one piece without having to pay a hefty price. I have been humbled, and taught a lesson in patience.

Should I become proud and arrogant again, let this post remind me of the inevitable lesson that will befall me.

Over the weekend

I have Friday's off every week, due to a miraculous timetable, but last Friday was especially welcome, because it signified the end of a particularly hectice week.

So, on my free day, I ran errands and did housework, and welcomed Fiona finally to the apartment. It's great now that I have a roomie together with me, and the big room doesn't seem too cold anymore. It would be nice to be able to have a room all to myself , with the freedom to blast the music and stay in bed all day, but, it's also nice to know that there's somebody near by whom you can wake if you happen to hear a bump in the dark.

On Saturday, I went to the amusement park, in North Sydney. Luna Park is a really old style amusement park, with none of the high tech rides you see nowadays in all other theme parks. They had a rickety old Ferris wheel, a traditional carousel, a very noisy rollarcoaster, the normal kiddie rides, and all the traditional sideshow games! The rides were very limited, but because it was in the old timer style, I was very much taken by it.

Even though the rides were in the old style, it was still very much adrenaline pumping. That's true especially for the stalls in the Coney Island attraction. Look at the slides in one of the photos... I actually slid down 2 out of the 3 slides, and before you dare say how easy it looks, consider the height and the steepness of these slides. And if you still disagree with me on the excitement to be had from riding these slopes, I most heartily dare you to try the slides before you say anything else.

Running through the hamster wheel was hysterical, with everyone waving their arms any way trying to keep from falling. One uncle who went before me couldn't cope with the speed of the wheels, and tumbled to the floor and couldn't get up for quite a while! The operator had to slow the hammie wheel before you could recover his balance. It was good fun and laughter all around. Of course the kids did this the best, they never fear and have a wonderful sense of balance.

Pictures of me running through the hammie wheel is with Jane, and I really am too lazy to download them to my computer from my email now, but I shall post them some day. In the meantime, here are more photos of Luna park, Milson's point, and more harbour bridge scenary shot from either Milson's point or from the Ferris wheel.

The slide photos aren't too clear... but I suppose you'll find some way of enhancing the images! :D

Places seen!

In a month since I've touched down, I've been to:

1. Fish market in Pyrmont
2. Rozelle bay

3. Anzac bridge

4. Haymarket (aka dearly beloved china town)

5. Darling Harbour

6. CBD area

7. Parammatta and westfields

8. Lidcombe

9. Burwood

10. Milson's Point
11. Glebe's market

12. DFO in Strathfield

13. Museum of contemporary art

But I realize I haven't taken photos of these places at all, except for maybe Rozelle Bay and the Anzac Bridge. Alright! I'll bring my camera around when I get out this weekend and start snapping photos like a (heavens forbid!) tourist.

For all the other photos.... look below! :D (PS: these ones are the same as the one on facebook, so for those reading double... you can skip this portion!)

Photos taken in Merryland's Central Park, with Jane's rellies when we went out for a BBQ one fine sunday. A very aussie thing to do. :D

Pictures of the harbour bridge, opera house and cadman's cottage. There are some wonderful pubs and a met museum which I should go and take photos of. Coming soon.

Random pictures of Glebe and from my stay in Alishan' Guesthouse

Pictures of me n Jane on Anzac bridge

Pictures taken at the airport. Sorry friends, your pic got hid behind me mom n dad.

My room in Glebe and the view from my window. I'll take more pics of its exterior and surroundings soon.

That's it for now folks! Will post more. And I'll have to see about getting a chatbox.

National Day (and some space at last!)

The first post on a new blog, and it's all about National Day!

Tonight, on the 9th of August 2007, there was a Singaporean gathering at Lidecombe. We made noise, food and had laughter galore. I met new Singaporeans, got to know some new friends better, and talked to many people whose name I didn't ask (they didn't ask for mine either). I don't have the gift of making small talk, but everytime I meet people, I'm slowly honing that skill. :D Yes, I'm making some progress towards being a social human being.

Living in Sydney is gradually becoming second nature. Sometimes, I catch myself thinking "hey, walking down this street no longer feels alien!" as I walk the streets of Glebe. Then I just feel happy and sad in that same instant. Happy that I'm settling down, sad that I'm not missing Singapore (enough) and sad that this new experience no longer feels new.

Of all things, I don't want to waste this Australian experience. It's a rare thing to be sponsored to go overseas to study. I should make full use of this opportunity and not let days slip by like in Singapore.

Go out, talk to people, do things.... It's becoming a mantra to follow from today.

As Singapore celebrates her birthday and look to the future, so too should I. Coming back to Singapore is not unthinkable. There won't be another place that I can so comfortably call home.