Monday, February 27, 2006
And I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who care and had been to the airport to send me off to Australia. I was quite touched that so many of you make the time and effort to be at the airport. And especially thank Li Leng and Siew Hoon for the wonderful 4 leaf clover handphone accessory which I've brought out with me everyday as well as a scarf to keep me warm.
I remember birthdays but I have no clue to give. If you know what you want, I don't have to crack my head. Get what I mean?
My birthday celebration would probably be a picnic at Hyde Park or Victoria Park sipping champagne.
Dreams never come true
8:11 pm |
My room 
Dreams never come true
8:04 pm |
Completion of my Harry Potter Scarf in 2 months! Dreams never come true
8:03 pm |
Kitchen Dreams never come true
8:02 pm |
My study table (bit messy, pai seh)Dreams never come true
8:02 pm |
Open style cabinets Dreams never come true
8:01 pm |
4D number ar! Dreams never come true
8:00 pm |
My hostel building, Blackwattle Dreams never come true
8:00 pm |
The University of Sydney Dreams never come true
7:59 pm |
Birds resting in the Park Dreams never come true
7:58 pm |
Tree Brunch in Olympic Park Dreams never come true
7:56 pm |
My GESS classmates! Dreams never come true
7:29 pm |
*Gasp* What are you doing?! Dreams never come true
7:28 pm |
My Girl Friends Dreams never come true
7:28 pm |
All My Girl Friends Dreams never come true
7:25 pm |
Summer at Bondi, Sydney Dreams never come true
7:24 pm |
Sydney Opera House Dreams never come true
7:23 pm |
More yachts, more rich guys Dreams never come true
7:22 pm |
Houses and Yachts Near the Sea Dreams never come true
7:21 pm |
Near Milsons Point Dreams never come true
7:19 pm |
Me standing at the Quadrangle (Uni of Sydney) Dreams never come true
7:17 pm |
My parents and me at University of Sydney Dreams never come true
7:14 pm |
12 February 2006, a date that might be just another ordinary day of your life, her life or his life. But in my life, it’s a historic step that I have taken by embarking on a journey of self-discovery. I have chosen a path that many young adults have undertaken but only those few that are fortunate enough to take. A chance of my life, a dream I can fulfill. STUDYING OVERSEAS! Okay..it might mean nothing to you, I count not my lucky stars but my parents who gave me this chance. So I want to thank my parents for their continuous love and support. And yes, work hard and play hard!!
Luckily, I don’t have to travel this path alone but together with my pal from poly, jh. With my parents in tow, jh and myself were on a BA plane to the land down under and check us into the hotel and hostel respectively in the afternoon of 13 February 2006. The week followed with more administrative work like enrolment to the University of Sydney, doing banking, setting up internet etc. Just practically shifting house from Singapore to Australia..Lolz..
I have many first impressions of this land.
Their portions of food are huge and so is its price, so I sometimes share meals with jh.
Their seafood is super fresh! Prawns are cooked just right such that they are transparent and crunchy!
Certain fruits are ultra cheap! Like rock melons at A$2, mangoes at 3 for A$4 and cherries at A$13/kg.
Some of their buses are handicap friendly to allow people on wheelchairs to take public transport too. They have retractable chairs that can be lifted up for wheelchairs.
The trains, which are named as CityRail, look slightly different inside, with two levels of cabin seats in each compartment. They have many different platforms and one must look carefully at the signboards or risk boarding the wrong train.
Movies for M15 even have nude scenes and violent images. If it’s Singapore Board of Censors, it’ll be push to R21 or cutting off of those few scenes. Price difference in tickets for adults A$15 and students A$11.50!! Horrors! Who said Singapore cinema tickets are ex! But luckily special offers on Tuesdays, up to nearly 50% off the usual price. And it’s free seating.
My school, University of Sydney buildings look like castle, reminds me of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts! You might be thinking “chey, what’s so special”, but there’s an air of nostalgia.
People here are so laid back that I find them slow and inefficient! I have to keep going certain places to redo and follow up the administrative work before it’s done correctly.
Some locals are nice and not so nice…
We can just lie down on the grass because they are so clean!
When we first check into our hostel, the security is quite good because it’s a triple protection for residents. As we are situated in an apartment style building, the main door and apartment door can only be operated with a keycard and our room can be opened with our key. The room has bare essentials like a telephone, a waste bin, a desk and chair, a pin board, open style cupboards, bed with bed protector and a medium size mirror behind the door. Bed sheets, quilt and pillow had to be bought separate. There isn’t any air conditioning or fans or heaters provided in the apartment! Living in this apartment, cockroaches are a common sight. I had to smack them quickly before they make a quick escape into my room. Insects freaked my room mate who’s from Canada. She squealed at the escaping cockroach as well as used her electric bat to electrocute the poor fellow. Michelle’s a postgraduate medical student who came to Australia after completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Canada. She’s quite a nice person who has good taste in dressing as well as decorating her room. There’s a mosquito net then hangs over her bed, her open cupboards had been hidden behind retro curtains, the pin board had been filled up with her photos rather then important to do lists, I bet a perfect replica of her room in Canada.
Then I experience washing clothes in my life. Washing clothes is tiring! Now I know why my mum forbided me to buy thick towels, because they become very heavy and difficult to wash! Even fixing the fan had to been done by myself.
Next obstacle was trying to set up an internet account. I had to figure out how to connect and follow instructions to set up. Luckily, I am quite computer savvy and could do it. The reception counter at my hostel aren’t very helpful and often direct us to the handbook to find answers.
Some shopping centers that we slowly get to know were Broadway and Market City that are near my Uni and Chinatown. Broadway has three supermarkets, eatery outlets, food court, cinema and shops. Some items are worth buying than others, so after living for 2 weeks, I know what items are best to buy. I like Market City better because every Thursday to Sunday, Paddy’s Market opens at the ground floor. This market sells almost everything from food to clothes. I enjoy buying fruits as they are really cheap here. I can get a rock melon for A$2 and bananas and grapes for A$2.60.
I had a chance to go to sj’s auntie house in Kirribilli, which is near to the Prime Minister’s house. The apartment house faces the sea directly and has wonderful view. It’s really a luxury to be able to be so near the sea and it’s possible to watch the sunrise or sunset in your own living room! Of course such nice houses come with a price of nearly a condominium back home. I happen to peep at the next door neighbour’s house, there was a pool just in front of the house, which was facing the sea! Wah….the owner can just enjoy soaking in the pool and watch the scenery in his backyard. Lucky fella… Then I know you guys will start fantasizing your dream house with perfectly mowed lawns filled with flowers and plants, a heated pool facing the sea, a motorboat just parked at your personal berth at your doorstep, garages of fanciful cars. *Smack* What am I thinking sia…..but honestly, I like a nicely decorated house which can be a 3 room flat, need not be a condo, terrace, bungalow or semi- D with my dream car, BMW mini, and dream scooter, Vespa or Piaggio.
That’s all with the dreaming…now I have to start dreaming more about lectures, tutorials and practicals…tada!
Dreams never come true
6:31 pm |
