Late pictures for last week's trip to Sydney city

On the first day of Chinese New Year, we ppl from Macquarie University went to Sydney city for the first time. We met some of the UNSW ppl who came from Malaysian Hall. I hope they have managed to change accommodation by now. Heard from others that the rent there is only $5 per day, damn dirt cheap...but the condition is lousy.

Well, first, I've some pictures on new year eve to show you. These are the dishes we so proudly cooked on new year eve for the so called 'reunion dinner'.

Fried vege ..........Tomato fish Curry chicken?? Yup.

We've got leftover potatoes n chicken from
curry chicken, n leftover mushrooms from
pasta. Mixed all, we'd got this. Taylors chicken,
so called.

This's pasta paste .... and the noodles.

There were still a number of dishes, but sorry I'm too lazy to upload everything i have.
Now it's time to show some Aussie sceneries...

The entrance of china town... n the freakin' food sold there..Looked sucky!

Look at the pathetic god of wealth in Aussie.The face is not even real! So sad lar....

Darling harbour.

On the pavement of Darling Harbour.

Inside a mall at Darling Harbour. We had our lunch in one of the restaurants here. I ate BBQ buns ONLY to save expenses. Haih








Sydney Harbour Bridge behind me.

At the opera house.

oreintation sucks

This morning was the first time I was formally recognised as a Macquarie University international student. We attended a briefing about visa matters and how to adapt to the Australian academic environment. A lady with blond hair spoke to us and I was glad that I didn't have to strain my ears listening to her accent. Hopefully I am slowing getting used to it.

We did our enrolment after that. It was a hassle for me. I logged into my e-student, and managed to get everything regarding my timetable sorted out with little help from the officials who were obviously too busy to care about me. Luckily I sat next to a Malaysian Taylorian guy who was quite helpful. He told me what to do and stuff like that.

But all was not smooth sailing, as expected. After logging out i realised a mistake and tried to log in again. But this time I couldn't. OH MY GOSH!!!

Yea before that let me tell you what the mistake was. I forgot to enrol myself to a Stats tutorial class because ALL THE CLASSES AVAILABLE WERE FULL. I was asking, isn't the uni supposed to prepare enough places for everybody. Anyway, I went to the Stats department to complain about that, and fortunately the lady in charge managed to increase the number of classes for me and others.

I rushed all the way to the IT helpdesk near library, got my password reset, and returned to the computer room to log in again.

What a busy day....But I had bak kut teh noodle for dinner. It tasted so good with green pepper. Hm.... At least I gave myself a nice treat for all the efforts in Uni.

Star cooking in Sydney

Yesterday was the first time I cook in this new country. I told jong woei that I actually cook for myself, he didn't believe it at first. He couldn't imagine how I gonna get all the raw ingredients in Australia. I can understand that, of course, for I'm still new in this country and am expected to get myself lost in the middle of the bustling city. By the way the place I stay is in Sydney suburbs, so there wouldn't be too many buildings to confuse me like it would in Sydney city centre. Phew, lucky me!

Me, Shir Lynn, Sze Rhui, Victor, Chen Chin, and Yan Chew went hang out at Macquarie Shopping centre everyday since we arrived at MUV. It's a 30- minutes-walk from my hostel. My legs are always aching after the long walk. I am thinking of getting a bike, but that would mean more spending to be made. Hoh, these few days I treated money like water.... have lost count how much I actually spent. JPA is givig us AUD$1200 every month - not quite enough considering that accommodation would take up more than half of that amount. Ishwin, my new indian friend, is lucky to have both her parents coming down to Australia with her. Her parents were very nice to us. Her mum even offered to buy us stuff.

Yea, nearly forgot the reason I blog today... I fried vege yesterday and it tasted pretty good with rice. I can't stand eating western food everyday. Not just to keep slim but also to keep myself healthy. I ate the huge pizzas with Victor, Chen Chin and Yan Chew on the second day, and ended up feeling guity about walooping such a fattening meal. Unfortunately I managed to convince myself to skip dinner on that night, if not I might just gain a few kg with that meal (even though I didn't take the chicken wings, better still). Today I cooked chicken vege and chicken soup. This's the first time I handle raw chicken myself. Previously back in Msia I would have mummy guiding me. I felt rather proud of my dishes, to say honestly, and finished every drop of it except the chicken vege which was quite a big portion.

Me and my friends are planning to treat ourselves to chinese new year eve reunion dinner. We bought stuffs this evening and hopefully everything goes on smoothly tomorrow. I hope none of us ends up getting stomachache or food poisoning....

I have rented a modem and thus could go online often if time permits. I miss Msia and my family and all my friends. But this is a stage that I'm determined to strive through. My uncle ten Huan did that many years ago... he didn't go back to Msia until his final year of undergraduate studies. But i wouldn't be so bad...might go back next year. Papa and mummy promise me to come down to Australia to see me the next summer holiday, after that I maygo back during summer the following year. Not sure about that, depending on whether I think staying back and working is worth the stay during summer.

Happy Chinese New Year. Gong Xi Fa Chai. Wan Shi Ru Yi.

Macquarie University Village

12 February 2007 would be remembered as a special day- the start of a new chapter by 69 JPA scholars who flew to Sydney, 65 to Melbourne and 15 to Adelaide. My flight to Sydney was the last trip of the day, along which a JPA officer followed. We arrived at Macquarie, Sydney, on 13 February 2007 after boarding MH0123 (Malaysian Airlines) for nearly 8 hours. I couldn't actually remember how many of us are sent here.... All I know is many chinese under Actuarial Science are here, plus another two Malay students who will be studying Accountancy.

Macquarie University Village is where I would be staying in Australia for 4 years (unless I change my mind later on). It's located adjacent to the main campus of Macquarie University, but unfortunately we students still have to walk 30 minutes to the university. Haih.... I might consider to buy a bike if I find an affordable one.


Here are some of the pictures of MUV. You would not see me in those pictures yet coz I have to talk those myself. Don't worry, I will post pictures with my face in them very soon.

This is the house I'm staying. Unit no. 31.4. I'm sharing the house with four other girls. Each of us has a bedroom for ourselves with a small bathroom.

Another picture of the village houses from different angle.

And this is the part of the kitchen...I could take the whole kitchen.

This's the living hall. Unfortunately there are only 4 channels on the TV provided here.

Bathroom

Shower place.

My bed

Studying desk.

It's just the end of a chapter and the begining of another....

I was very pleased with myself for getting up so early to read my friends' blogs. Very rare for me coz I don't normally like being a buzybody going around hunting for information 'bout other's private life. But considering I might not have access to internet for at least some time I decided to break the rules I set for myself.

After reading Shir Lynn's and Shern Ren's I started to feel guity for not feeling extremely sad bout the fact that I'm leaving Malaysia soon. Perhaps the long holiday after SAM had at least numbed my emotional strings or at worst made me actually look forward to my departure date. No doubt I love my parents, relatives and friends very much but all these wouldn't stop me from seeking for more new experiences and surprises in a foreign land. Mum and dad even advised me not to come back; instead, they would visit me in Australia during summer ("since you gonna buy tickets to and fro you must well let us see aus rather than you seeing the same old Taiping!) True....

I bid farewell to all my old friends here, but without tears or anything closer to it. The reunions were very fun. I was glad to see some of the 'gangsters' in my secondary school after so long. Some have grown very mature, some have not (like me, probably). We seemed to be very happy for one another (some of them already entered they first choice courses in local u) and honestly we don't feel like hugging each other or crying on each other's shoulders. To me, friends come and go. When we arrive at a new social circle we are bound to make new friends. I'm not suggesting that we should forget our old friends totally, but it's a reality that when a common community does not exist between two persons, it would be hard, if not impossible, to find something to share and talk about. That's what I learned after entering and exiting so many stages in the last few years.

After SPM, we sweared to hold our friendship tightly forever, but how many of us are still in touch after just 2 years (how many would in 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years time??). I had a great time in Singapore, and when I was about to leave, my fellow victorians told me they'll miss me much and hope to retain my contacts. But what happened after just 2 months? I never made an attempt to contact them, nor did they for the same reason: what's there to talk about??

Not to say friendships wouldn't last, but not all would stay with us after many years of separation. I'm sure my best friends in Taiping like Ee Leen and Cheng Tian would be glad to come out with me even after 10 years, but I wouldn't dare to say the same with the rest...

Having said this, I still sincerely hope the friendship I built at Taylor's College would last for longer. We are heading to the same country, to say the least.

All the best to my friends out there. Despite being pessimistic, I'm still clinging to the age-old farewell wishes: "Freindship forever, may we stay in touch and not forget one another...".

Going to fly soon

Going Australia on 12 feb....yeah...Feel quite bored at home doing nothing ad.....very anxious to have some new experiences.

My luggage has far exceeded the "limits" allowed, but i don't care ad. Cargo luggage more than 28 kg i think (25 kg allowed), for cabin lugagge, erm....dunno..maybe more that 8 kg (5kg allowed).

Quite happy these few days. Some of my friends arrived much earlier than us. ANU ppl were there one week before us. The condition should be alright, hope so.

EH TERINE....U serious ar gonna buy earrings for me?? Buy la. I dunno which one is nice or otherwise. No experience....SAD. the piercing quite painful though. No pain no gain

Just a way of thinking positively

My grandpa's old wooden house is burnt down into ashes this morning. Chun Hwa auntie called me when the fire is at its greatest. She told me the bomba had not arrived at that time (what the f***ing emergency mechanism! Malaysia, you'll never be developed if the public emergency system is of this standard..)

Ah, is this a bad luck? Uncle Ten Kok called daddy just now but daddy always has this habit of leaving his phone at home. Haih, uncle must be distressed over the fire. But isn't this better than having fire when someone is staying in that house ? (the outcome may be disastrous)

I did try to call bomba just now, but the line was engaged. Shit! What kind of attitude is this? the bomba is not available when we need it the most.

Now the inevitable has occurred. This scenario was always what I feared about in the past. Fortunately the fire started and expanded beyond control after grandpa has moved away to KL. I'm not even sure he can survive if he still stays there (unthinkable outcome, abitabha)...

It isn't too bad that no one is injured. Plus, the house is too dilapidated to stay in, I shall say.Let it be....may the memory stay with us.

A little pain is good

Just got my ears pierced yesterday. OUCH! It hurt a little at least to my darling ears. But I guess the pain is well worth, I can now wear earrings... A little pain is good for me.

I might be the last among my peers to start wearing earrings. They told me " earrings are essential to boost one's self-esteem". Really? Perhaps knowing that I had already gone through the pain of piercing and now a proud owner of a pair of pierced ears would do my self-confidence good... (What kind of nonsense is this)

I still have to apply 'oh hong you' (black soothing oil, I guess) on my darling ears. Must show some appreciation for enduring the pain of being invaded by foreign objects such as the puncher and earrings.

I was just thinking yesterday on the way to the goldsmith," If I can't even take the pain of piercing, I might find myself in hell taking other forms of pain which are more 'demanding'". I'm a girl...and one day shall get married and after that, have kids (this is a standard procedure for a girl to uplift herself into the world of motherhood, isn't it). The pain of childbirth is certainly more 'demanding' than piercing.... (Sound really foolish, but T'is the truth, would you agree with me?)

Date of departure to Aussie is now known, 12th Feb 2007 , 22.40 Malaysian hour. Am I ready? Sounds like it, have been staying at home doing nothing for more than 2 months. Yearning for more exciting experience in a foreign land. I'll try to do well in Aus as well as enjoy myself there. For those who think my greatest hobby is reading, rest assured that I'm actually not and definitely shall not in Aus. I do have a life, at least I think so.

Few weeks left before meeting Aussie

Today is the last day of January 2007. Wow, time flies pass me like lightnings....

Heard from JPA that we are going to fly around 12th or 13th Feb. Am I anxious? I don't think there is any ground to deny that.... But I don't really think this would scare me off too much.

I am always proud to tell others, "Tis gonna my second experience overseas, I had one before, so this wouldn't make me feel really homesick." Hopefully I can keep my own words...

Frankly speaking, staying at home doing nothing for too long is gonna bore me sooner or later. The break is to sharpen my saw in order to take the next challege gracefully.

My only worry is, am I able to cope with an Actuarial Studies degree? There have been few people, at least, who told me that it is the toughest course they can ever imagine. First, my specialist math lecturer, Mr Lee, told me that my standard would probably make it a cruise (I hope so, teacher). The uncle who made my glasses indicated something like this (leaving my standard alone cos he has no idea 'bout that). " Wow, I think this would be quite challenging,"he said while fixing my new glasses. And during JPA briefing, a former JPA scholar told me, "You would realise like out of sudden, a class of 100 students would be left by 20 after the first semester..." That really scared me, I would admit.

Well, the choice has been made. There is no way to make a u-turn. Plus, it would be foolish to believe what others said without trying it out myself. If the degree is unattainable, why should it exist at all? The key point here is, am I confident that my level intelligence is sufficient to pass confortably with the degree? I hope the answers to these questions are a single "yes".

I heard that mommy's friend's daughter is doing actuarial in macquaire also. She only got TER 92 i think, but apparently she is doing fine with Actuarial Science. If she can do it, why can't I?

Football and me

I love watching soccer for a number of reasons. Don't you ever think that it is just a man's game. .. if you did, i hereby assure you that you are wrong and your perception ought to be changed.

You might be wondering how i pick up the habit of following closely every match I perceive as 'significant'... Well, just like any girl, I build up the passion for football from watching the biggest and most lucrative game played every four years -- the World Cup.

Many love the World Cup. I typically think it is very romantic and cool in that it is pure gold, shining like a star during all the finals I so far had followed. I would love to touch it one day, see how it feels. There are many who strive hard just to lift this trophey, many died with only dreams of the Cup, never had a chance to see it from close. Haiz, how could I ever gonna touch it? you foolish little las....

The first time I ever watched a football match was during the 1998 World Cup in ... Paris i guess.

France vs Brazil was the finals. I sided France that time, just to contradict my friend's prediction that Brazil would be Champion. In the end I was right! France scored 3 goals and Brazil scored none. That was the first time I felt the excitement offered by this great game of all time.

In that very first World Cup, the England squad attracted the most of my attention for reasons more than football skills. David Beckham was sent off for an on-field offense. Michael Owen scored a superb volley with Beckham earlier on to give the Argentinian big boys a shock. But England lost on penalty shoot-out in the end...



Michael Owen is cute! Isn't he? He is one of my favourites in soccer. He's fast, quick and versatile. But one bad thing is that he is injury-prone recently. Bad...

After the 1998 finals I started following the EPL. Love it since then.

Liverpool..... Tis my favourite team. I like Captain Gerrard very much. He's such a charismatic natural leader. Would prefer him to be the next England skipper after Beckham actually, but John Terry was appointed in the end. The Istanbul night was such a frenzy. That time I was in Singapore, sharing the excitement with many fellow Liverpool fan.

Then it is Chelsea... not my favourite but they have the best spirit in EPL. I like Frank Lampard. He is not so cute as Owen but he has got the most mesmerizing eyes in a soccer player. More so, he is the club's top midfield goalscorer. Like the way he kisses his engagement ring every time he scores. So sweet!

Then it is Arsenal ....Don't really like Hendry and his fellow non-English teammates. Not sure 'bout the reason....Perhaps I was just being ignored

by its 'military-sounding' team name. I just don't like the idea of Arsenal being crown English champion cos their first team comprises of mainly non-English players... But a youngster there is quite adorable I think....

Theo Walcott. Quite a bright star in Southamton, in-making star at Arsenal. Hope to see him playing more for Arsenal and England. His attitude is rather positive for a 17-year-old. Hehe, he's a year younger than me some more....Can't imagine how these kids handle the pressure of people's attention and being in the limelight.

You look at him.... He's a kid la. Would you believe that he is earning big big bucks enough to buy a car and apartment for himself? Spoilt youngsters...

I typically support the England squad all the time, but more often than not they let me down by their underperformance. Hence, in their times of low, I tend to avoid frustration by turning to other international teams.

Those whom I love: Portugal, Germany, Japan, Korea

Those whom I hate: Brazil !!!!!!!!!!! Hate their Sambal dance and ARROGANCE .

Having said this, I don't play football myself.... I don't watch women football (not than I'm sexist, it's just that the women's game lack the passion, excitement, ups and downs of the man's game)

But afterall, I play soccer in Fifa World Cup finals ................

I mean..... computer games. Haha.

Pain

Yesterday was a nightmare for me..... I was having my period and it HURTED me so much. I was reduced to a crying baby, really, in front of doctors and nurses. Mummy was worried for me and I went for a scanning. Even ate pain-killers. That teaches me a lesson, life is full of pain and sorrow.....so be prepared and be strong. I nearly fainted while carrying myself around, half-dragged by mummy.

Felt better in the evening after a short nap. Start to appreciate normalcy though.... No pain, no gain, that's too true.

Better be wary about health in Australia later on, hope that everything would be alright. Daddy advised me not to avoid seeking medical assistance coz JPA paid AUD900 for annual medical coverage every year.

Still feeling a bit week today, but it's much better now. Gonna see mrs sundram later on, hope to have a great evening with sau lee. She is a nice gal, a good fren of mine. Shall try to maintain this after going overseas. Friendship forever, may we?

The Art of Contentment

A wise man once said, life is more of misery than happiness. Is that true? Or is that just an isolated view from a pessimistic and inward-looking guy? The demise of the once hailed Malaysian genius Teoh See Beng recently convinces me of the prevalence of uncertainties in our daily life. He was a genius, an almost idol figure for many young schoolchildren 18 years ago. When I was 7, he was the kind pf person I envisaged as ‘successful’. But he died of mental illness after suffering from it for years since graduating from his doctorate programme. Is that fate? Only God knows.

I am always wondering what true happiness means. If triumphs and disasters are temporary, long-lasting happiness should come with a plain and simple life. We often see what others have, but ignore what we ourselves are having. That’s what I understand from my schoolteachers’ lectures, but sad to say, I seldom practise it. I see extraordinary beauty in others as blessing, and blame my plain appearance on sheer injustice from God, only to realize the folly upon seeing people born without arms and legs, or with faulty organs.

I complained for being sent to Macquaire University despite scoring the top score in Taylor’s College, forgetting the fact that I am too lucky compared to friends who are still waiting for the formidable STPM results, still unsure of their future path. Why should I complain when I still get a chance to go overseas? Yes I should have been given my first choice, but life is never as perfect as we wish. Plus, there isn’t adequate ground to feel too arrogant about my SACE 2 result. It’s JUST SAM, nothing compared to the degree programme I’m about to embark on. In retrospect, the ‘ups and downs in life’ that Mrs Quek reminded me is nothing but true. No grudge against her, in fact I got to thank her for adding colours to my Pre-University life.

No one knows what will happen tomorrow; no one could guarantee he or she can live through the next moment. Accidents happen everyday, lives parish at every second. In short, nothing should be taken for granted, nothing is for sure. In the face of this era of great hope, despair, uncertainties and joy, contentment is the key to eternal happiness.

Treating victories and failures just the same ...

I was overwhelmed for a while after knowing my excellent year 12 result. Of course that was all I wanted throughout the year; that was exactly my aim since the beginning of my SAM journey. I was a bit of overjoyed and to a great extent, surprised.

What came after knowing this was equally satisfying. I know my lecturers sayang me very much; more so after I 've got all the five A20s for them to show off. Praises, embraces and congratulatory words were bombarded at me. At that time, I struggled to keep my composure, trying very hard to keep calm and cool, as advocated in Buddhism:' taking every victory as a reward for your good deed, and every hindrance as a challenge to learn something new". Even in front of my dad I didn't show off, more so in front of my peers.

Everything was back to normal after the convocation. My celebration for excellent SACE2 result practically ended then. I realise that I couldn't be dwelling on past glory forever, and that I have to keep moving on, leaving all triumph behind to alleviate any potential pressure on myself. After Mrs Hoe gave me that final and hard embrace before I left college, I know that it's time to slowly reduce my level of self-praising and prepare for the next stage. Coming would be 4 years of hectic university life.

When I went back to sell books on 4th January, I didn't try to find lecturers anymore. I know that they too are moving on with their new batches of students. The same process I went through last year. After enjoying a whole year of full attention, it's time for my juniors to have their turn to improve themselves into another batch of brilliant SAM grads at the end of 2007. This was what I needed last year, and now it's their turn.

Yes, triumphs and disasters are indeed temporary. Those eternities are my own self-worth, self-esteem, confidence and experience which are invaluable, all picked up during my journey in the SAM programme. While juniors take our places as SAM students, we graduates should continue our journey into yet another unknown path --- university.

At the end of the day, winning and losing a game is not that important anymore. What we should place great emphasis on are the process and experience obtained in the game. These will stay with us forever, guiding us into achieving greater heights and protecting us from potential dangers. What Justina won over me two years ago is not important, neither is my victory over her in SACE 2. These are just accessories to a fruitful life. I'm moving on and so is she. Lets forget the past and think of our futures.

What 2007 might hold for me

My secondary school principal once said, the most important determinant of success is one's ability to foresee, foretell, predict, and most crucially, to alter or maintain it. There are some who only think of what themselves would be tomorrow; some can see themselves a year, 5 years, 10 years, or even 20 years coming.

I was very impressed by his speech in a beautiful morning of 2004, he was actually trying to remind us of the impending SPM examination (which I think I did fairly well, gua). That time he said we don't have to forecast our future in 5 or 10 years time, but just plan ahead for the SPM exam few months later.

To some extent I was moved, that's why I wrote all these nonsense here, ha.

I am not of the highest class, so I don't plan 5 or 10 years ahead. Having said this, I do try to at least plan for the year of 2007. My 2006 was a mix of tears and laughter, joy and sorrows. I did grow up, in many ways.

January of 2007 would be spent at Taiping, my home town. I would try to pass my driving test (have promised myself to try hard in the last two lessons). Then I have to attend a briefing by JPA, advising us on overseas procedures and other unknown stuffs. I got to always prepare my luggage to Australia.

February of 2007, would go to Sydney before Chinese New Year. That's nothing to me, I know how it feels when going through the same experience two years ago in S'pore. New Year? It's just another day (though I honestly prefer to spend it in Malaysia).

For the remaining time of 2007, I would be in Australia. This time I shall be hardworking, studious, at the same time enjoy my life as well. Not everyone gets to go overseas, neither is the time on foreign land for us lucky ones long. By the way it's only 4 years.

2007, let it be a happy year.