I'm going home!

Short Talk: I miss my dog. =p

Finally!! After 10months in Australia, I'm finally going home!

Not that I don't like Melbourne, but this is my first time being so far away from home for so long! I admit that I love Melbourne and used to think that I won't miss home, but my inner self got the best of me.

During my exam period, I had dreams that I was back in Malaysia. My dreams were so realistic that I would wonder: "When did I fly back?" "How am I flying back to Australia for my exams?" "Where's my dog?!"

Other times I would just wake up thinking I was in the same room back in Malaysia until I open my eyes. Truth is, my mind says that I'm not homesick, but my heart is telling me I miss home very badly.

My air ticket was initially the 19th of December. But since I didn't have any plans for the summer, my mum said she didn't mind paying to change my air ticket to an earlier date. Yet again, my mind was indifferent, but my heart was screaming from joy!



But before I head back, I wish to do something no one has done before.


Something no one would think of doing.

Something no one thought would be possible.

Something that I myself find quite challenging.

(Of course, this is not something illegal)



















































I'm planning on bringing ice cream back to Malaysia!!



Yes, you read correctly, I-C-E C-R-E-A-M !!!



Obviously, it is no ordinary ice cream, but home-made ice cream from Il Dolce Freddo, Lygon St.



I can bet that right now, everyone who returned to Malaysia is craving for this ice cream.



It'll be challenging, but I hope that my engineering knowledge can pull me through.



Anyways I have to check out soon, so see you guys back in Malaysia!! =D


Cheers

Technology + Reality = SixthSense

Remember those high-tech futuristic shows we watch in the movies, where one could just use his bare hands to interact with computers?

Well I'm very glad to say that this technology is not as far away in the future as you think.

Watch this:

Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of 'SixthSense' technology


You know what's the best thing? This technology is not at all expensive! =D

How I wish I had one of those, then all those iPhone users out there can kiss my ass! xD

Got bored and read my e-mail

Sometimes I hate reading my e-mail if it's full of forwarded mail and some takes up more time to read than others.

But I'm glad I read this e-mail because it made my day!! =D


I hope it would help my fellow exam candidates to release stress as well. =)


Be Positive Like This Boy


A beautiful Madam was having trouble with one of her students in 1st Grade class. Madam asked,'Boy. what is your problem?'

Boy answered, 'I'm too smart for the first-grade. My sister is in the third-grade and I'm smarter than she is! I think I should be in the 4th Grade!'

Madam had enough. She took the Boy to the principal's office. While the Boy waited in the outer office, madam explained to the principal what the situation was.

The principal told Madam he would give the boy a test and if he failed to answer any of his questions he was to go back to the first-grade and behave.She agreed.

The Boy was brought in and the conditions were explained to him and he agreed to take the test.



Principal: 'What is 3 x 3?'
Boy.: '9'.


Principal: 'What is 6 x 6?'
Boy.: '36'.


And so it went with every question the principal thought a 4th grade should know. The principal looks at Madam and tells her, 'I think Boy can go to the 4th grade.'

Madam says to the principal, 'I have some of my own questions. Can I ask him ?'

The principal and Boy both agreed.


Madam asks, 'What does a cow have four of that I have only two of'?

(Note: Try guessing before highlighting the answer)

Boy, after a moment 'Legs.'


Madam: 'What is in your pants that you have but I do not have?'

Boy: 'Pockets.'



Madam: What starts with a C and ends with a T, is hairy, oval, delicious and contains thin whitish liquid?

Boy: 'Coconut'


Madam: What goes in hard and pink then comes out soft And sticky?

The principal's eyes open really wide and before he could stop the answer, Boy was taking charge.

Boy: 'Bubblegum'


Madam: What does a man do standing up, a woman does sitting down and a dog does on three legs?

The principal's eyes open really wide and before he could stop the answer..

Boy: 'Shake hands'



Madam: You stick your poles inside me. You tie me down to get me up. I get wet before you do.

Boy: 'Tent'



Madam: A finger goes in me. You fiddle with me when you're bored. The best man always has me first.

The Principal was looking restless, a bit tense and took one large Patiala Vodka peg.

Boy: 'Wedding Ring'


Madam: I come in many sizes. When I'm not well, I drip. When you blow me, you feel good.

Boy: 'Nose'



Madam: I have a stiff shaft. My tip penetrates. I come with a quiver.

Boy: 'Arrow'


Madam: What word starts with a 'F' and ends in 'K' that means lot of heat and excitement?

Boy: 'Fire truck'



Madam: What word starts with a 'F' and ends in 'K' & if u don't get it, u have to use ur hand.

Boy: 'Fork'



Madam: What is it that all men have one of it's longer on some men than on others, the pope doesn't use his and a man gives it to his wife after they're married?

Boy: 'SURNAME.'


Madam: What part of the man has no bone but has muscles, has lots of veins, like pumping, & is responsible for making love ?

Boy: 'HEART.'



The principal breathed a sigh of relief and said to the teacher,

'Send this Boy to IIM AHMEDABAD (Indian Institute Of Managment)
I got the last ten questions wrong myself!'



Hope you had a good laugh like I did!! =D

Back to old sheets

Short Talk: I ate 2 packs of chips instead of dinner. I'm killing myself in the long term :O

Back to the old MRS sheets...



I'll be moving out soon, not anywhere far, but just to the next hall. (Hopefully Roberts)

Apparently they'll be doing maintenance work for Farrer Hall (where I live now), Deakin Hall and Howitt Hall. Only Roberts and Richardson will be opened for summer. And yes, I'm staying for summer. (partially)

First I gotta pack my things to start moving, and I have loads of stuff!! A fridge for example. It's not very big but it's gonna take 1 trip alone to bring it there...

Hopefully I would've mailed enough stuff back to Malaysia to lighten my load. =p


Back to studies... Exam period =(

Shopping... Wee~~~

Short Talk: I have yet to touch a single book yet everyone's mugging their ass off for the exams.

I just got myself a $20 Coles gift card!! Woohoo!! =D



Since I'm no longer cooking anymore, I guess there's only 1 thing I can spend it on - junkfood!! Lol!



How did I get my hands on this you say?
Simply by answering questions... TONS of questions!!

Basically I just joined a few online survey websites and they'll send me surveys based on my profile and I just have to take 10-30mins to answer it.

The longer the survey, the more it pays. Once, I even got free maggi noodles (5pk) to taste and answer a survey based on my opinion.

I myself have been involved in market research since before I came to Australia. So I know for sure which are the screening questions, and which are the real questions.

When answering screening questions, you may or may not qualify for the survey. For example, you may not qualify for a tobacco survey if you don't smoke. But then again, they might want opinions from non-smokers as well.

Initially, I was considering group discussions or interviews but I guess I'm not flexible in terms of time and transport. For those, they pay cash, which was kinda what I was hoping when I first joined the online surveys. But gift vouchers are just as good since I buy groceries from Coles all the time.

I just didn't think that it would take so long just to squeeze that $20 out of them. I did get a $10 voucher from another company, but didn't bother to blog about it.



By now you should be wondering which websites I used.

Google these:

1) Market View
(Wide variety of products to claim including vouchers)
2) Valued Opinions
(Only gift vouchers)

These are the 2 websites that sends me the most surveys (almost everyday).
The key to getting the reward is "early bird gets the worm".

Sometimes you might get a message saying "quota full" or something like that. It means they've reached their quota for that category of people.




I guess it's time I started studying... =(

Shopping tomorrow!! Woohoo!!

No... study... SHOPPING!!


Over and out.

Love jewelry? Wanna support breast cancer?

Short Talk: It's 3am and I haven't been studying... GG

Most girls love jewelry but all girls have the risk of getting breast cancer. So what can you do about it?

You can support the breast cancer foundations by donating all your money to it. Lol jk.

This time, you can win USD200 worth of jewelry AND support breast cancer!! How good is that?


OMG I just sounded like the guy on channel ten trying to advertise some gadget.

Although I'm not such a fan of jewelry, nor do I have the ability to appreciate them, but charity is my middle name right? xD

Anyways, I'll leave it to you girls to do your stuff. =p

Pink Ribbon Day is around the corner (26th Oct Monday) so do your part to support it! =)


1) Copy and paste on of these cool badges on your blog.



2) Follow the instructions on this website.

Yeah yeah... I know I'm quite lazy.
But if you win, you get to use the $200 voucher to get one of these nice lil promise rings.



Aww.... ain't that sweet? So what are you waiting for? Go for it! =D


Even if you're a guy, get it for your girlfriend. I'm sure she will love it. =D

(I would if I had a girlfriend =p)


Cheers.

Tis the season to be ill

I went down with a flu on Friday and currently I'm still recovering. But I still don't get why I'm having this flu.

Is it because I stopped drinking manuka honey?

Is it because I stopped taking propolis?

Is it because I stopped taking horseradish supplements?

Is it because I drank some alcohol the night before?

Is it because I ate junk food for dinner the night before?

Or is it because I've been sleeping at odd hours?


Maybe it's all of those added up together to cause this.

Since I came to Australia, I've been fit as a fiddle. Up till only last month, I drank manuka honey with propolis often, ate my supplements everyday, ate proper dinner everyday, slept well and hardly drink any alcohol.

But recently, my horseradish pills ran out and I was lazy to buy more. My manuka honey also ran out. I still have enough propolis but I had no reason to take my propolis without manuka honey. And due to the holidays, my sleeping hours had been distorted to the extent that sometimes I stay up for more than 24hours like a zombie.

On Thursday, I went to Clayton town specifically to buy alcohol. I wanted to try Bailey's Irish Cream since I heard many good comments about it. But at Coles, they had a 2 for $60 deal so I picked another bottle of Smirnoff Vodka. Also, both the Smith and Red Rock Deli potato chips were on offer so I swept a few packs into my basket.

When I reached home, it was dinner time but I was eager to try the alcohol. So I drank some while eating the chips. I drank 2 small cups of each bottle of alcohol I bought. (diluted of course)By the time I finished the whole pack of chips, I was already full so I skipped dinner.

When the next morning came, I found myself with a blocked nose, a sore throat and a slight fever. I even slept at 3am that night. Serves me right for living such an unhealthy lifestyle. =/

For these 3 days, I had absolutely no appetite, my body felt weak and I had a constant battle with the overflowing mucus. Even when I didn't feel hungry, I knew I had to eat something. But even after having a meal, I felt no different from before I ate. I felt like I wasn't full nor hungry, and even after eating, I felt the same!!

I also noticed that the amount of feces was wayyy less than the amount I ate. I knew something was wrong. Sometimes my stomach even made me feel funny and I had to lie on my bed when this happens. The feeling sucks coz I'm already weak and this makes me weaker.

But after eating double dose of vitamins and echinacea, as well as taking propolis regularly, I'm starting to recover.

It's a good thing too because the next day would be Monday and my class starts at 8am. X_X

Laser Tag experience

My clock reads 1.00am.

It was 4 hours since I had my dinner.

It was 5 hours since I woke up.

It was 15 hours since I slept.

It was 16 hours since I came back.

It was 18 hours since laser tag ended.

It was 25 hours since it started.

And that's the story of my first laser tag experience.

The end.














































Joking!! LOL!!

If you had trouble counting, it went from 12am till 7am on Sunday morning. When Jia Yeng first asked me, I thought she had a typo. She said "12-7am" and I was like "am?". But I still agreed to it since I wanted to try laser tag for quite some time now.

Tai came with us as well. The place was called DarkZone at Box Hill. Since the last bus was about 9pm, we had to go there early to have dinner then wait till 12am.

This was organised by Jia Yeng's lab partner, Alex. He also invited lots of his friends from South East Flats. So there were more than 30 of us altogether. In some games, everyone will play but in other games half will be playing and the other half can kill time at the free arcade.

To be honest, laser tag has its own characteristics that makes it interesting but I was constantly comparing it with paintball. So I wasn't that excited to have killed a person and have him walk right past me and shoot me in the back once he was alive again.

The thing is, once a person is tagged, they only need to wait about 10seconds before they are re-activated and able to kill again. There was this mode where the dead time was just 3seconds and everyone went crazy!! If you killed a person, you have to keep an eye out or just keep shooting him even when he's dead so he doesn't get the chance to backstab you.

It was fun until my eyelids started to drop, so I bought a can of RedBull. But I had to finish the entire can in 10seconds because the next game started shortly afterwards. It kept my mind going but my body was beginning to ache.

After the whole thing ended at 7am, we checked the bus schedule and the first bus on a Sunday morning was 8.50am. So we walked around town and found a nice chinese restaurant to have breakfast. By that time, Jia Yeng was practically dead tired and was found sleeping on the table even after her meal was served.

Eventually, we boarded the bus home and as for the rest of the story, you can read from the top again. =)


Enjoy!! =D

Juwita Concert

I just came back from the Juwita Suwito concert and I'm feeling pretty good about it.



I've only recently heard about her when Tse Han invited me to the event. Then I started listening to her songs and found that her voice is really good!! One of my favourite songs so far is "Breathe Again". But then again, I've only heard 3 of her songs. =p

Tse Han was part of the organising committee as well as playing the violin in the live orchestra. Yes you heard me, a LIVE ORCHESTRA!! My first time seeing an orchestra live!! EVER!!



Alarice Thio was the opening act for the concert and she was quite good as well! With just a guitar, a drum and her voice, it was amazing how good it sounded! Her songs are quite good as well. I particularly liked the one she described to be easy-going and similar to Jason Mraz/Colbie Caillat songs. If I could only remember the title... =/




Apart from my favourite song, Juwita even performed her new single live for the first time, "Stand", which was really good!! She also sang "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus which was absolutely beautiful.

Basically I like her voice which is really powerful and steady. And I wouldn't expect less from the mentor of Malaysian Idol season 1 and 2. Check out her website.

Throughout the concert, I kept trying to concentrate on the singer, thus, practicing my mindfulness. Nevertheless, I can't help noticing the conductor of the live orchestra. In fact, it was more interesting than the singer coz his body movements had more emotion and feeling compared to the singer. LOL

Oh I forgot to mention that I went there with Qi Liang and Wai Wai, then bumped into E-Lyn and Weng Yu there...



Only 1 photo taken before my camera's battery died. T_T


After the concert, we went to Koko Black for some drinks. When I said I haven't tried it before, they all went like "you've been in Melbourne for 7 months now and you haven't tried Koko Black?!" Well yeah, I've heard of it but never actually tried it. Not a big deal to me though.

It was supposed to be better than Max Brenner but when I feel that their Belgian Hot Chocolate was just okay. THEN they tell me that Koko Black is famous for their iced chocolate. Lame =_=

By the time we finished chatting, it was already 11pm and I had a train and a bus to catch. I was supposed to leave at 10.30pm to be safe, but I guess I was enjoying the company of my secondary school friends. I managed to get on the last bus from Huntingdale, which I now know is 12.10am on Saturdays.

Lets all pray I can keep a promise to myself and go for a jog/exercise tomorrow morning...

Nothing much happens...

As most of my loyal readers would have must have noticed, I've been a lazy bum with updates for almost a month now...

The fact is... MY LIFE IS BORING!!

Nothing much happens to me anymore, and there isn't much to talk about.

Well today I went to a bhuddist talk and realised how short my attention span became. I could hardly concentrate on what the nun was talking about and yet she's talking about mindfulness. Which means concentrating on what you're doing when you're doing it. Something that my mum always reminded me about.

I also meditate very much less often now that I'm in Australia since my mum was also the reason I meditate. And now it proves that meditation can actually increase my attention span. By concentrating on my breathing and ignoring my other thoughts, I use it to focus my attention on 1 single thing, my breathe. And that's how I used to train my mind to be mindful.

Nowadays I'm like a zombie, playing DotA till late at night and skipping all my morning lectures sometimes. It's like I'm wide awake but still feel the urge to continue lying on my bed till I fall asleep again and occasionally have a short dream.

Things aren't used to be what it was. But I guess it will soon be when I return to Malaysia. My diet, my activities, my studies... A change of habits would be good, but I don't think I can make that change in such a short period.

For me, it's always been "new environment, new habits". But once I went back to my old environment, all my old habits would return as well.

During the first semester when I came to Australia, I was actually motivated, excited, and very happy to be overseas and living independently. But when I got used to it, it felt a little boring with no siblings to fight with, or parents to nag at you.

So for this semester I'm feeling very very lazy to do anything at all. This would probably be one of the few updates you will see in the coming months. That's unless I decide to change for the better.

Cheers and thanks for reading. =)

Updates!!

Short Talk: Oops, I did it again. Click Here.

I haven't updated in a while... And I have lots to share! =D

1) Floor Function (The letter 'C')

Basically they couldn't make up their mind on what the theme should be so they told us to be whatever character that starts with the letter 'C'! =)

e.g. Captain Hook, Casper, etc.


Forgot what Dean was... =p



Ry is a communist!! LOL!!



Then there's Cannibal, Chemist and Chlamydia?



Eddy the cat!



Helena the cannibal!! Rawr~~



Drinking game!! =)



Group photo!~


2) Reunion with OBS-mates!

I used to go camping very often when I was younger. One in particular was Outwardbound School (OBS).

It's the type of school that teaches you skills and virtues you won't learn anywhere else. And that is why I went there 3 times when I was 12, 14 and 15yrs old. =)

This was the last one I attended, Youth Adventure Camp 2003. (YAC55)

Those were the days...


We spend 10 whole days together on expeditions, for every meal and every activity... =)



A little reunion with Su Ann and Nicholas last Saturday. =)

Btw, I was still having a little fever that day. =p


3) Jian Hung's Birthday at Crown.

Despite having a fever, I still attended his birthday and paid $26 for a buffet. lol



More photos at Facebook.


That's all for now.


Cheers! =)

6 Cans : A new record!!

Short Talk: I've gained some weight instead of losing some which I initially planned to.

Today, MESS (Monash Engineering Students' Society) organised their 3rd barbeque since the beginning of the semester! And it's only week 4 btw.

The first two was just the usual sausages and patty. But this time it was kebab!! Oh how I missed the kebab I had back in Malaysia...

During the last BBQ, I managed to smuggle 4 cans of SOLO (lemonade soft drink) from event. (cheapskate lol)

Normally, there would be not much of a queue and anyone could practically just cut in, grab a bread and go for the sausages. But this time, since the bread for wrapping had to be cooked first, everyone had to queue up just to grab the wrap.

Which meant that it was less chaotic and I would have less chance to go behind to grab the drinks. However, I managed to smuggle 6 cans this time!!



And I didn't even have to go from behind lol. I just asked for a drink in 10-minute intervals and there you have it, 6 cans!! XD


I just felt bored and didn't feel like watching my recorded lectures so I thought of something useless to write lol.

Mt Buller Day Trip Part 3

Food for thought: If you intend to procrastinate, can you first procrastinate in procrastinating?


Continued from Part 2...


Before the trip, I was asking my friends about the cost of a ski trip, namely, the equipment rental. According to them, it is cheaper to rent from the foot of Mt Buller and bring it up there than to get it when we're up there. But it all depends on the organisers and I was quite sure that we were gonna rent the equipment at the top.


But as I woke up from my beauty sleep, we found ourselves at exactly where my friend said to rent the equipment!

First of all, it was already cheaper to rent there than at the top. In addition, as tertiary students we are offered a special discount. And on top of all that, we got an additional discount for riding their bus! How nice!

Despite the price cut, the equipment rental and ski lift pass wasn't all that cheap.

$39 - Skis, Boots & Poles
$9 - Goggles
$15 - Gloves
$18 - Pants
$77 - Lift pass & Beginners Lesson

Total = $167 (+$50 for transport & entry)

As you can see, the amount I paid for this DAY TRIP was a lot!! Even when we tried to get there as early as possible, every scheduled event was about half an hour late.

The bus was scheduled to leave at 6am, but it only left Monash Caulfield at 6.30am.

We were given 30minutes to get our equipment and lift pass, but it took us an hour.

Which meant that we reached Mt Buller about an hour later than scheduled. And this means 1 hour less to learn how to ski!!

After getting all the equipment, we reached Mt Buller at about 12pm and was set to leave at 4pm! ONLY 4 HOURS to get up there and ski!! Wtf...

As everyone took their bags of equipment and took off, I took mine and started changing into them. So did Jacky, my ski-mate. That's because her friends opted for the toboggan instead of skiing.

At first, we were suffering because the boots weigh at least 3kg each and it was too bulky to walk conveniently. But as Jacky got used to it, my legs were still killing me and I had to loosen the buckles or my legs would literally die.

We were short of time, so we quickly boarded the free shuttle bus to the skiing area. But after the 10-minute bus ride, Jacky forgot that she left our lift passes on the bus! So we had to make another journey back to the bus to get them, which further reduced our time for skiing.

Lucky for us, the bus driver was still there and he was nice enough to unlock the bus for her to get the passes. So there goes another 30minutes or so for getting the passes. When we got back up, we went to pancake parlor to meet with the rest. Apparently they were having some lunch.

Then, we all went to the ski lift area. For some reason, we got separated and I needed someone to look after my bag. So I was looking for Ching Yoong and gang while Jacky was waiting for me.

Before I found them, I saw lockers! So I quickly stepped into the long queue to rent a locker. I was already short on money and renting the locker would render me financially disabled. To make matters worse, the locker I rented was broken! So they returned my money and suggested a few other places for lockers.

By that time, Jacky had already left on the lift since there wasn't much time for her as well.

So I hurried back up to the ski lift area and tried to put on my skis. It didn't fit! It was then that I realised everything in my bag was of smaller size! Which meant that previously, I told them to label the wrong bag!! X_X

At first, the skis could be easily adjusted to fit, but the boots were so tight, that my feet would die if I buckled it up. So I rented a walking boots and intended to just play with the snow since I was up here.

But Ching Yoong and gang had already left via shuttle bus back down! So after renting the boots for 15minutes, I returned it and even the employee felt sad for me.

By that time, it was already 3pm and I gave up on skiing. I wore the killer boots again and carried the skis back down to the bus.

Surprisingly, I didn't feel all that sad when I thought about how I spent $200+ and didn't get to ski. Maybe it's one of my mental defence mechanisms that prevent me from being overly sad. Or I was too sad that my emotions were numb.

Whichever it was, I still had a good time with the gang. They were funny and quite open-minded lol.

Lesson learnt: The next time I go skiiing, I'd make sure that I secure my own equipment personally and also the trip would also be at least 3 days. =)

At least now I cannot say that I've haven't seen snow before. But I just didn't get the chance to play with it, or on it for that matter.

Overall, the ski trip was a mess. But as Jacky would say, "it's a nice story to tell".

And there ya go, the story of my failed ski trip.


But to me, it wasn't a complete failure...

Coz I would say "what matters is not the activity, but the company" and the trip wouldn't be as much fun without them. =)


***I couldn't get in touch with Jacky and that's why this post was delayed and still without any photos.***

Mt Buller Day Trip Part 2

Short Talk: Just when I thought I won't be addicted to it anymore... I played 5 DotA games in a row!! OMG...

Continued from Part 1...


It was Friday, the day before my trip.

I had already planned out my schedule:
-Pack my stuff after dinner.
-Prepare food for the trip.
-Sleep before 10pm.
-Wake up at 3am.
-Eat breakfast.
-Walk to Clayton Station at 4am.
-Withdraw money.
-Take the first train to Caulfield.

That was the plan. But there were sacrifices...

On the previous Friday, Lip Boon and Aun Shiang came to halls to watch a movie. Namely, 'The Knowing' by Nicholas Cage. But due to certain reasons, I had to run back and forth to my room just to watch the movie.
(like getting an adapter for the laptop's power cable)

By the time everything was set to go, it was almost 12am. On that same night, I was supposed to meet up with other friends to surprise Wai Chien on the midnight of her birthday.

So they had no choice but to wait for me before starting the movie. In the mean time, they entertained themselves with Pictionary.



Although it wasn't much of a surprise, but everything went well and she was definitely too happy to describe that night.

I left early remembering that Lip Boon, Aun Shiang and Li Jun were waiting for me. And so the 2-hour movie began. By the time it reached the second part of the movie, the file was corrupted!

So we postponed it to the next Friday, also the day before my ski trip.

Which brings us back to the sacrifice part. I told Aun Shiang to keep that night free to continue our movie and maybe watch another. Her friend even invited her to watch a musical but she declined it.

But I had to sleep early that night, so the movie night either had to be early, or be cancelled. The latter was the case because Lip Boon couldn't make it back to Clayton. Which means Aun Shiang sacrificed her musical for nothing!!
OMG I feel so bad now... =(

Other than that, I was telling everyone that I was going for OCF that night, which was also made not possible due to my afore-mentioned plan.

So for all the sacrifices that I made, this ski trip better be worth everything I put into it.

As planned, I managed pack my stuff and prepare the food but slept at about 10.30pm. And because of my extremely annoying alarm, I woke up at 3am sharp.

I bathed, washed up, changed my clothes and went to the kitchen for breakfast. I ate cereal for breakfast but I knew it wouldn't be enough to last me till lunch so I stuff a few snacks into my bag.

Then, at 4am, I cycled to the bus loop and locked the bicycle there since it was a shared bicycle. From that point, I walked about 20-25minutes to Clayton Station, withdrew some extra cash and waited for the 4.58am train.

When I reached the Caulfield campus, I was really surprised to see Wai Chien, Pey Chin, Alexis, Victoria and Rachel! Apart from that, Ching Yoong and her friends joined in as well! Sneaky!! =p

So I wasn't as lonely as I thought I would be when I registered for the trip.

"This trip just keep getting better and better." I said to myself.


Me and Jacky, Hendra in the back

During the 5-hour bus ride, I got to know Ching Yoong and gang better than when we first met. Thus, making more friends to play with when I get up there. =D

Little did I know, that this was already the climax of my trip.
The rest of it didn't go well at all.

And just to make it clearer,

Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

Mt Buller Day Trip Part 1

Short Talk: I can't believe I mistaken Jacky for someone I met at BISDS.

As I mentioned before, I was planning to go on a ski trip organised by Malaysians at Caulfield.

I'll start from the beginning...

I found out about the trip through e-mail on Tuesday and it was on the coming Saturday! I was very excited because I thought this was my last chance to go skiing. At the same time, I was afraid that I wouldn't be financially capable for it.

On the next day, I had only 2 lectures in the morning and the rest of the day was free. So I took the shuttle bus to the Caulfield campus. Since I've only been there for exams, I spent 1 hour just looking for their booth while carrying my groceries everywhere I went.

But when I found it, I hesitated. I didn't know whether or not I could cope financially with this expensive trip. Lucky for me, my secondary school friend, Aik Sern was part of the organising team. He told me that I can take my to consider and he would help me if I wanted to join the trip.

So I went home, opened up my financial statement for July and started calculating.

"I could join the trip but I'd be broke after that." I thought.

But after seeking permission, I was allowed to use the emergency funds my parents gave me. So far, I think I owe a few people a lot of money and I had no choice. I just have to survive till August 21st, and all the problems can be solved with money wouldn't be a problem no more.

Although I will have to cut corners in terms of food, but it will be worth the sacrifice for such an enriching experience at the snowy mountain.

Now that I've made up my mind, I just have to call Aik Sern to register. But to my surprise, the trip was postponed to the week after due to lack of participants.

To be honest, I was indifferent. That's because the timing wasn't the issue, the money was.

But that also meant that I could find myself a messenger to register on my behalf instead of going there personally. I asked among my friends at halls but most of them couldn't make it before the booth closes.

When I asked Jian Hung and his housemates, Ching Yoong was willing to do it! So I cycled to their house one night to pass her the money and my details.

Assuming that registration was settled, I went on to see if anyone at Caulfield could accommodate me for just one night. That's because we have to meet at Caulfield at 5am and the buses don't run that early.

The first and also the last person I asked was Brandon.
And the answer was 'no'.

Although he's living on-campus, but the apartment is rented out by private owners to Monash then rented to students. And oddly enough, the owners strictly forbid overnight guests.

The alternate solution was for me to take the train. Which meant that I have to walk to the nearest train station since there were no buses. Perhaps a good morning walk could prepare me for the trip. Hahahaha =p

Just when I thought everything was settled, someone from the organising committee texted me to ask if I was still interested in the trip. I was like 'WTF?!'

Apparently, I was put on the waiting list because when Ching Yoong wanted to register on my behalf, it was already full. But thank God they hired another bus to accommodate the extra amount of people.

So on the next day, I was registered by Ching Yoong and all set to go!

Checklist:
Registration (Checked!)
Finance (Checked!)
Getting to Caulfield (Checked!)



With everything in place, I was ready to go skiing for the first time in my life!


P/S: Part 2 will come as soon as I get the photos.

A new semester, a new start?

Short Talk: I've been having weird dreams lately that involves tar from the road being inside my body and it's giving me the shivers every time I think about it.

Week 1 has passed and I swore that I would change my bad habits of procrastinating, sleeping in lectures and not skipping lectures as well. But somehow all of those happened in the first week itself!!

I'm so angry at myself!!! :@

Firstly, my lecturer for Digital Systems is the same person from Programming last semester!! You can't imagine how much more effective he is compared to a sleeping pill.

Then on Thursday, I accidentally turned off my alarm instead of snoozing it and I missed my 9am lecture!! Luckily I still made it for the 10am one.

Then I was supposed to finish my tutorials and exercises before the weekend, but it's not done yet and today is already Sunday!!


This morning, I was still lazying around, procrastinating and stuff. But when I came back from the gym, I suddenly felt more energized than ever! So I could probably even start on my assignment! =)

Yes yes, I know, first week and I have assignments already... T_T

Okay time for a recap of my holidays!

First on the list, Tasmania Trip!!

My camera was still under repair back then so I grabbed these photos off Facebook.


The people who went included Riorn, Julian, Erwin, Me, YiJun, Wai Chien, Pey Chin, Victoria and Alexis.




Farms like this one are abundant in Tasmania and they're just totally awesome!



And I got to touch a real kangaroo for the first time! =D


Just 2 days after I came back from Tasmania, I was out again to Winter Camp at Mt Morton! This place was even colder than Tasmania!! =O


My awesome cell during winter camp! =)


Then on one fine and lovely day, Boon asked me out to Victoria Market at the city. After walking the market, we were supposed to go for some Star Wars convention, but was diverted to the Melbourne Museum.

After a few photos at the park outside the museum, we went on a photo frenzy and started making a photographic drama!! LOL!!

Here's some clue on what we were making:





Full story at Brandon's Blog.


And that's how my holidays went. If I wasn't out somewhere, then I would be at home waking up late, watching 'How I Met Your Mother' and skipping meals.

'How I Met Your Mother' is basically a father, telling his children how he met their mother, which is also his current wife.

But the thing is, he starts from the very beginning, and he tells every single little thing that happens before he met his true love.

As of now, I've finished up to season 4!! And he haven't even began the story of how he met his wife!! Not even a clue about how the wife looks like either.

Oh I'm begging for season 5 to be released earlier... T_T


On a separate note, I've never been skiing before and now is the best time! I know that I'll never get another chance coz I'll only be here for a year. So Thank God there was a second third fourth chance for me.

Malaysians at Caulfield are organising a day trip to Mt Buller on Saturday 1st August and the transport + entry fee is only $50. But there's the rent for equipment which is around $100 and the ski lift costs $50 per day.

Which means I'll be spending around $200 for this trip, something that I could not afford at a time like now unless I call my parents for some extra money. =(

But I really really really wanna go!!

Well, let's hope for the best.



Enjoy!! =D

Lazy days...

Short Talk: I'm glad that the travel grant reached early!! Thanks Monash!! =D

As the holidays progress, I get lazier each day. I feel like if no one is asking me out the next day, I would probably sleep at 4am and wake up at 2pm the next afternoon.

But I'm not that sad la... Min-Yi and his housemates asked me out 3 days in a row!

On Saturday, we went to Knox City! It was only my first time being there and it felt like The Curve, Ikano and Cineleisure combined into one!! The biggest mall I've visited apart from Chadstone...

Anyways we just went there to walk around, girls did their window shopping as usual, then we went to the Hog's Breathe Cafe for some famous steak!! If you're not willing to spend at least $20, don't go there, seriously.

But if you are, the steak there is really nice!! It was my first time trying REAL steak. So I didn't know how cook I wanted it and I said 'well done' which was a bad choice because the meat turned out to be so hard to chew!! =X

Next time, I'm telling them 'medium-well' which was just the right texture because I tried Min-Yi's one. =)

Then while at the bus stop, we took this nice photo:



I still don't have my camera so I stole this from facebook. =p


Then on Sunday, I went to Melbourne Central for a karaoke session with Min-Yi and his housemates. Nothing much to say, except that I had a great time!! =D

It was my first time going to the karaoke with friends. Usually it's with my family or with my father's colleagues.



Other than singing the songs I like, I also found out how deprived I was of chinese songs. So in exchange for the movies I'm giving to Vivien, she's giving me some of her nicest chinese songs!! =D

Oops, I need to go for another outing in the city now, going to watch Harry Potter today!! =D

Tata~~

One Gold Bar and Seven Days...

Short Talk: I'm finally going to try on the long johns my mum sent me!! Eshhh, it's so tight!!

My last exam was only a few days ago and I felt like I've done so many things already!!

I stocked up on food and junk food, watched movies all night, went out with friends, went out with more friends, watched Transformers (totally awesome!!) and much much more...

But now I'm only a few hours away from meeting up with some friends and going to the airport. Yes, I'll be heading off to Tasmania for a 3-day-2-night stay there.

Too bad my camera is still being repaired so I might need some time to gather the photos before posting it on my blog.

Right now, I'm halfway packing and I'm surprisingly blur on what to pack...

This is considering that I've been to so many camps back when I was active in Scouting and OBS. (OutwardBound School)

I would've known exactly what to pack and what not to. What happened to all that knowledge? =/

I hope it's hidden somewhere in my brain and that I just have to find it. It would be a shame if all those knowledge just slipped away... T_T

I'll be updating on what I've done in the past few days when I come back but right now, I need to think about what to pack!! X_X



In the mean time, I have this riddle for you guys to solve!

If you wanna answer it, please do it in the comments below this post.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An owner of a shop recently employed a worker who was to be paid ONE gold bar per week.

However, the worker does not trust the shop owner and demanded that he be paid on a daily basis.

Up to the seventh day, the worker must have received a total of ONE gold bar ONLY.

He must also receive only ONE day's pay per day ONLY.

So how does the owner pay his worker EQUALLY over 7 days?

The gold bar can be CUT TWICE in any orientation required to solve this problem.



P/S: This is NOT a lame nor trick question. This is totally logical and could be done in reality.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Enjoy!! =D

Another Inspiring Video

Short Talk: I'm like... so dead for Thursday's paper... on the other hand, I'll be free after that!! =D

Hey guys! How's everybody doing? Good I hope! =D

Me? Not bad, but not good as well. =/


Haven't updated in a while due to exams...

Haven't really been studying also...

Anyways, I saw this video on facebook, decided to put it in my MSN, and now since I don't have much to talk about, here it is for everyone...






Extraordinary Pantene Commercial




Seriously, it was so inspiring that I cried shed a few tears... =)



Enjoy!! =D

Fillers!! My dumb online quiz

Short-Talk: Exams are so near yet I don't feel stress enough to start studying... (Yes I've NOT been studying!)

More often than not, retarded questions like this one pops up in my online quiz for programming.

Being confused, some people did not tick all the boxes and lost some retarded marks...


And what does eating sandwich got to do with programming =_="



Enjoy!! =D

Exam Motivation: Be a deaf frog

Short Talk: There were some pros and cons in extending my stay in Australia. For example, hopes of seeing my friends and family were suddenly pulled further away from me.

I was lazying around for too long.

I wake up at about 12-1pm every AFTERNOON, have my lunch, then continue to FB, watch Numb3rs, read blogs and YouTube.

So while I was watching my dad prepare his speech via Skype, I found some motivation to study and it was in my email!

It was the way that my dad said it that made it so much more inspiring than just reading it.
Thanks dad. (If he ever finds this)

So the story goes...

Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants. The race began....

Honestly: No one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.

You heard statements such as:

"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top."

or:

"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one....

Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher...

The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up....

But ONE continued higher and higher and higher....

This one wouldn't give up!

At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower.

Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?

A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal?

It turned out....

That the winner was DEAF!!!!

The wisdom of this story is:

Never listen to other people's tendencies to be negative or pessimistic....

because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you -- the ones you have in your heart!

Always think of the power words have.

Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!

Therefore:
ALWAYS be....
POSITIVE!

And above all:
Be DEAF when people tell YOU that you cannot fulfill your dreams!

Always think:
God and I can do this!

And you shall make it.

Just like the tiny frog did.


Imagine you as a tiny frog, and the tower as your exams.

Now flip open your books with this new inspiration and study away! =D



Enjoy!! =D

It's Winter!! Who killed the heater??

Short Talk: Today's the day before my first exam. I woke up late, went shopping and started blogging here... How productive...

Yesterday was the coldest night I've experienced yet!!

On top of that, I went jogging at 7pm in my shorts!! Lol...

I don't know why I did it but I just felt like doing it... =p

So there I was, wearing a long sleeve shirt inside and a short sleeve on the outside, jogging my way around the campus...

Of course, when Jia Yeng told me her hands went numb after jogging, I reminded myself to wear gloves, and a beanie too! =)

I met Matt as I was passing by the tennis court. He was making his way back from the library I suppose...

So I jogged and I jogged, and I got pretty tired that I had to walk. At that point, I was near the west gate of the campus.

So I thought: "Why not drop by Min-Yi's house for a visit?" =)

And so I did. I tried to drag him to jog together, but the force was strong in him.

After 5 minutes of gruesome negotiation, I only managed to get him to WALK me to OUTSIDE of the west gate. Then he went back to his house. =(

But I did get something else too.
Remember Min-Yi's birthday surprise?

Qi Liang gave us 2 cook books to be shared among us both.

Since that day, both books were kept by him.

But when I dropped by his house, he handed 1 of them to me.
Which was...
"Just 4 Ingredients"!!

I thought it would be easy to prepare the foods in there but they assume that you already have all the basic kitchenware such as a food processor, an oven, etc.

I don't have an ovenproof casserole OR a food processor. =/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I came back to my room after jogging, it was colder than usual. I thought it was because of the weather since it was raining.



It was until I put my legs on the built-in heater while studying, I realised that it was cold!!

So I tried turning the knob back and forth but it didn't work.

I called Jia Yeng and her heater was also dead.
And it was the same for the rest of my floormates.


Luckily I still had my trusty fan heater!!

It kept my room warm enough that I don't need to wear my jacket indoors.
(Yes, the weather is that cold when it rains)

But the MRS (Monash Residential Services) were quite efficient when it comes to maintainence.

This morning I saw a team of plumbers (about 4 of them) walking down the corridor of my floor.

FYI, our heaters run on hot water from the pipes.

That's why they'll never be enough to warm the entire room. Especially mine since it's larger compared to my other floormates.

So far, the heaters are still dead and the weather is still freezingly cold!

I normally use my heater at low heat settings but now I had to switch to high heat just to keep my room above 20°C.


That's about it for the day before exam...

Wish me luck!! =)


Enjoy!! =D