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.