...simply said...

Hey people!

Today is the last day of the NAPSA congress, and I'm skipping the lectures cause I wanna go shopping. (Shhh..) I feel this is going on for too long, and i've found out I'm not the only one who feels this way. All the camps I've been to be it school or church or Brats or leadership camps have always been 3-5 days long and this week long congress is making me miss home very much. (Ahh.. the comfort of my own bed...) All the pub-crawling and clubbing and pressure to consume vast amounts of alcoholic beverages is really tiring as well, especially when things get messy. On a nicer note, I have had fun too, though I feel that this congress is aimed more towards the more senior students.. they're heaps here that have finished their degrees and are doing placements, so they obviously know so much more and want to find out so much more about what to expect etc etc.. But me being a naive + blur firstie is a bit of a blurcase. Met some great ppl .. and now have been told that I look Vietnamese, Thai, Taiwainese, mixed and, newest addition is HAWAIIAN. (for those who know me, my ancestry as far as I know shows that I am a purebreed Chinese..hehe) Also talked to this really nice New Zealander and am so fascinated with her accent. It might be a bit 'tarnished' cause she's originally from South Africa, but it's really cool!

Now i'm wondering whether or not to stay back after the congress and explore Bris cause it's a fair way from Adelaide and it's not like i'll come here as often as my trips to Melbourne. So exhausted from my non-stop activities and I have stuff to do at home before I go home to Msia for another whirlwind of 20 days. (I'll be home.. for Ang Pows.. la la la....) So far my conclusion has been to stay for 2 days.

Anyway, time to go shopping now. Have to brainstorm on what to do with my hair which has apparently gotten used to dry Adelaide and is poufing out in humid Brisbane.


Luv luv to all!

Darn uni enrol system!!!!!! The first time I used you it took me a whole day to figure out. This year I thought it would be a breeze. Then you change and I have to re-figure you out. Missed out on the 'better' classes cause I gave up the first time. Now I have to go for a class at 6 pm!!!!Just when I'm getting the hang of how you work, you freeze because you are only active within certain hours.

Go enrol yourself you *&^%$# enrol system!

When the oceans rise and the thunder roars

I will soar with you above the storm

Father you are King over the Flood

I will be still know You are God.

Have lost 0.6 kg.
Stomach feels flatter (after all those vegies........)

Jia you, Quin!

=P

Schutzenfest:

"Adelaide's uproarious Schutzenfest is the world's second largest German shooting festival after the one in Hannover. More than 30,000 people take part in the revelry each year, held over two days west of the city centre in Bonython Park. Highlights include hearty food and ales, Oompah bands, folk dancing, local pop groups and, of course, a shooting competition. The festivities wind up with a flurry of fireworks. It is likely to be very hot and sunny at this time of year, so wear a hat and bring sunscreen.
Admission: Adults AUD7; children under 14 free.
Start Date: 2005-01-01
End Date: 2005-01-31 10am-11pm
Sat; 10am-10pm Sun"

Tsk tsk.. this has some very untrue information. First of all, admission was an outrageous 10 bucks per person. And it was only on the 14th and 15th of January. Of course it is not anyone's fault, but it was a cloudy and windy 24 degree day. Not at all warm.


Gripes aside, it was a great day!


The oh-so-huge sign.



Food!!



Sofia's Einsbien (pork hock) + sauerkraut which was the same as Mark's and mine, but we ate too fast. So had to 'borrow' hers for photo-shooting purposes. (Observe the fat!)



Lauren's 'Mixed Grill' which I think was Kassler & something-wurst



Deja Vu?


And after, back to my house. The boys (Mark, Frank, Phil) kidnapped Illona later on that night...


Illona, still in 'sushi' PJs looking angry at being dragged out of her bed. Sofia looks on in amusement.


After which, a series of events which I hope I've gotten in the right order

Phil got tricked into going into the pool on a cold, cold night with an even colder pool. (Sorry, only have a video of this)

Mark passing out first.

Illona passing out next.

Then Phil.

While Frank and I were sharing sentimental stuff...

Then he passed out on my toilet bowl (literally)

So Sofia and I made a bed for him.

And tried to coax him to get out

But he seemed happy there (??)

But we needed to pee.

Really bad.

................Nice, dark garden.

Then ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...........




~~

Just out of interest
The end of the internet

Oh yeah..

Happy Belated Birtday, Claire!!!



Waah.. Form 1 already! It's a milestone! *Quin reminises innocent / blur Form 1 days*

Here's an idea i got from Rach's blog that has been adapted slightly.

If you wanna participate, reply to this message with your name..

and I will

1. Tell you the 'scene' / moment that pops into my mind first when i think of you.

2. Tell you my first impression of you, and if applicable, how it has changed since then.

3. My happiest / favouritest moment with you that I remember.

4. Describe you in one word. (or more. What! It's my blog!)

and if you're lucky....

5. A song that reminds me of you

*Blinkie of the Day* ( i totally forgot about youuuuu...)





Whew the next month is going to be hectic!


Roadtrip!

Leaving for a roadtrip to Sydney on Wednesday with Sofia, Joakim and Carsten. A real one involving sleeping in tents / in the car! Stopping by Melbourne on the way to pick Joakim up, and spending the night there.. somewhere. Bought a sleeping bag and mat from Cunno's (Cunningham's Warehouse - plenty of cheap stuff!) I wonder when I'm going to arrive in Sydney, but I have to get to Brisbane by the 24th for...


Pharmacy Congress!

300 future pharmacists under one roof. Interesting. Don't get me wrong, these ppl know how to party hard. In fact, I think Alcodol (anti-hangover med) is on the official 'To-Bring' list. Will be a lot of fun. These ppl are my future collegues. Good to make contacts. =) hehe..
I have to bring a hawaian shirt and an 'All-Aussie' outfit. Any ideas? I thought of wearing my wraparound skirt and maybe get coconut bras. Just kidding, mom. But the skirt will do. Any ideas for the Aussie one other than a rugby jumper? (which are nice, but can i get one on time??)

and...

Home!!!!!!!!!

It'll be good to touch down on tanah tumpahnya darahku. Land I spilt my blood? Ok, well not exactly, but after a non-stop year in Skippy land, it'll be nice to reunite with family and old friends.

I must be the only Msian still stuck here in Aust.

Things to do:

1. Get adjusted to not living in Subang anymore

2. Discover Desa Hartamas and FIND SHORT CUTS. (Remember when we went hunting for shortcuts to get home from school, Jillie?)

3. Spend a lot of time in Subang with friends.

4. Change to full driving licence. (wah.. big girl lor..)

5. Impress mother dear and darling brothers with cooking skills. (Hopefully I will be called nice names too after)

6. Furnish & decorate new room

7. Get eyes LASIKed

8. Get mom to dig my ears! *shivers with pleasure*

9. Go visit MY doggie that was given away to some person with a lot of land. (fine! don't want my house with cosy small front porch!!)

10. Hope that the aforementioned Trixie still remembers me.

11. Collect lots and lots of Hong Paus that will be invested in...

12. Mamak sessions!!! at the same time not forget ...

13. the impossible task of doing Weight Watchers in the Land of Good Food.

14. Buy Msian stuff to culturally educate European and Australian housemates.

15. See Sandy at least once before she leaves for Adelaide 3 days after I get back.

16. Spend time with remaining grandparent.

17. Make the most of measly 20 days in Msia.

More people than I ever imagine read my blog.

My mom prints out my blogs.

Her students read my blog.



*Shivers*

I can add another sport to the list of games I'm learning about. Cricket!

Before this, I knew NOTHING about Cricket. All I knew is that they wear all white. They must have very powerful washing machines.

Now I know something. =D Mark and Phil are either very patient people, or oh so very much in love with the game to answer my endless tirade of questions.

And I went to a cricket game!

Here's proof:



Me, Phil and Sofia in our cricket gear - Green and 'gold'. That's my new green skirt! Too bad you can't see the bottom of it.



The cricket grounds



Frank.



Mark attempting to shelter from the notorious Australian sun. It was friggin hot!!



Relaxing after at a new place called Bar 168 or something.
Sofia, Joa Chim, Phil, Frank


And then a good, long sleep after.

A large part of the drive to Mt Gambier was spent in dreamworld.


The Blue Lake of Mt Gambier. No photo colour enhancement involved!


Rymill winery.


The view from the balcony. So pretty and peaceful!


Mark getting jiggy with his mom.


More sleeping....


Sushi & seafood!! *drool*


New Year's @ Federation Square, Melbourne. People, peeple... more people!!!

I am depressed.

I am 64 kg.

This is the heaviest I've been in my life.

Go ahead and laugh, cruel world.

Need to lose 5-10 kg.

Sigh.

Weight Watchers, here I come.

So, I'm re-discovering how little you can actually do in a day, and how fast time flies when you're doing pointless surfing on the net.

Needless to say, Project Veg-Out is successful. Now I am getting bored.

Days consist of:
1. Getting up at 11am, although I'd gone to bed mid-night-ish.
2. Thinking I'm eating brunch, then realising it's actually 3pm.
3. Reading ppl's blogs and looking for random stuff on ebay (mainly just to see if it's there)
4. Other random internet surfing

Before you die of boredom reading this blog, here are other more interesting things i've done.
1. Cooked chilli chicken pesto (but then discovered it gave me diarrhea cause of the cream in it - I'm lactose-intolerent) which leads to
2. Watching housemate Phil enjoy my cooking (double helping too!) while he probably watched my head get bigger. hoho.
3. Played Swedish card games with Swedish housemate and family called 'Shit Man'. Quite interesting how this family of intellectuals (doctor, pharmacist, future physicists) can play such silly games. And to top that of, drinking schnapps (40% alcohol!) while singing some Swedish songs. Very entertaining. Then they'll go "Yaaaaaaaaaam Seng". Chehh.. guess who taught?! =D

OOps.. gotta go now.. BBQ dinner waiting for me!

Ok, I'm home and very much in need of a holiday from my holiday.

Spent the last 2 weeks travelling... exploring...

Let my attempt to summarize my Trip to Mt Gambier and Melbourne.

The idea was to spend an Aussie Christmas in Mt Gambier, which is somewhere between a big town and a small city, about 5 hours away from Adelaide city (still in South Australia) and south of Melbourne. The ride there was not too bad, thanks to having PRIVATE transport, i.e. Mark's dad driving as opposed to the ol' bus ride. yuck. Made a few pit stops to check out a swamp / marsh in the middle of nowhere, yet ppl have made it a camping spot. Plenty of flies and bees. Some mating. Had a lettuce-ham-cheese in a roll lunch and of we went on our way, but not before a little off-roading around the swamp. =/

Next stop, a small bar in a town called Donovan or something like that. Mark's mum won $17 at the Pokies!

Just before hitting Mt Gambier, we made a last pit stop to a winery. Very very nice deco & view! I think it was called Rymill, and the emm.. 'wine taster person' was one of the family, according to his name tag.

~~~

The next few days sorta rolled into each other, mainly consisting of playing the card game 'May I?', daiquiries, cocktails and food. The crayfish and sushi lunch was pretty special.

Christmas was definetely special. I am amazed at how generous Mark's parents are. Amongst my Christmas gifts are an Egyptian cotton towel with my name CROSS-STITCHED on it as well as a lovely cream-coloured top fm Mark's parents, heaps of chocolate and a bath set from his sister and cookbooks from Mark (Yes, that is a big enough hint that you want me to cook for you =) ) All that and other stuff. I expected (and would be more than happy with) something small but i got present after present from each person and i was a bit overwhelmed.

Of course, Boxing Day for everyone was a little different and unexpected with the tsunami and all. Spent most of the next few days glued to the tv for any updates and I think we were all a little mesmerized and defienetely shocked but the magnitude of 'a wave'. It's ironic how almost all the countries that were hit were 'poor' countries. At least the silver lining is that it shows that the world CAN unite in a common mission to help these undeserving countries. Kudos to Australia for its generosity!

Amidst the happenings in the world, I managed to down a blenderful of cocktails while playing cards on Boxing Day night. I don't remember much, and I don't think I want to elaborate anyway *blush* but it did include me not being able to sit or stand without flopping, me pissing myself laughing for no apparent reason and me passing out. At least there was no hangover to greet me the next day. *Phew* Well cocktail with irish cream, butterscotch schnapps, milo, milk and vodka and rum was absolutely delicious. I remember THAT!

~~~

On the 30th, we picked up our bags and headed for Shopping Central a.k.a Melbourne. After an unnecessarily long bus + train ride to Melbourne, and a drink with Mark's friend, Simon, we set off on a quest to find the keys to our accomodation. It took about 3 hours cause we arrived at the place we were staying at and then realised that the keys were at a totally different place. Wonderful Pinky's Pizza people held our luggage for us while we trammed around and walked in wrong directions till we finally got the keys then trammed and walked back to our accomodation. Slept very well that night.

New Year's celebration was a bit too unplanned and chaotic. We went to my auntie's husband's cousin's house for a sorta party way out, about 1/2 hrs drive from the city. We were relying on a few other 'kids' to bring us back into the city to watch the fireworks. Had lots to eat and drink, and joked around a lot with my cousin, Mei. However, we were getting a little jumpy as time went on wondering when we were gonna be taken into town. Finally at almost 11, we left the house. They said they would drop us at a train station because that's where they were going to leave 1 car and go into town with just 1 car, which sorta made sense. I thought they'd stop at a station close to town or something when they pulled into the 1st station , which was almost the last stop at the end of the line. Then we had to wait 15 mins on top of that for the train. To add to our lateness, the number of people getting on and off the train slowed the ride even further. Danny and gang as well as my housemate Sofia and family were already there, presumably wondering where i was.

In the end, we got there 5 mins to midnight, but the train station was so packed we could hardly get outside, and me being so *ahem* petite, could hardly see the fireworks. That was my new year's celebration.

We were supposed to catch up with one of Mark's friends after, but there was just this great big mass of people! (Estimate - 400 000 in 1 area) and the phone lines were jammed, so after standing in a smoky spot for about 40 mins, we discovered that that friend had left ages ago. I could not be bothered looking for any one else, so we went walking away from the people looking for a place to have a drink. Finally found a small bar we could sit at called Hairy Canary, and Mark bought me their signature drink, which was a yellowish cocktail with bits of lemon in it. (looked like a hairy canary!)

That was my new year's celebration.

The next few days consisted of A LOT of walking, eating and drinking. (funny how my pants have shrunk?!?!) Discovered that Melbourne has the most diverse food I've ever seen (Israeli food, anyone?) and also that the most interesting / nicest bars / clubs are in the oddest places. Eg of direction to a bar - Go down a narrow, graffiti-covered lane, turn past a rubbish dump (don't forget to hold your nose!), keep walking till you see an insipid excuse for a door. Which will open up to a really fancy place inside. Not what you'd expect.

~~~

Anyway, all good things must come to an end, and now I am HOME AGAIN in peaceful Adelaide, my suitcase 3 items of clothing heavier. In between all that consuming of nutrients and liquid, I managed to squeeze in a little shopping (how could i not!)

To add to my collection, I now have this beautiful green skirt that looks like it has tablecloth sewn to it, a very nice red top and a white flarish skirt. Can't be bothered with explaining in detail, might post up pics if i can be bothered to. (yes, i'm lazy. too tired!)

~~~

After spending about 5 hours cleaning my house ("I go away for 2 weeks and this is what I come home to...... !!"), doing my laundry and attemping to un-green my incredibly green pool (??!!), as well as doing some grocery shopping and cooking dinner (chicken and broccoli soup + Chilli chicken pesto) topped off by a drink with housemate Phil, I am well and truly ready for a nice long snooze in my own bed.


Night folks!