Italian Cuisine

It is just a mere 10 days away before I depart for Singapore. As the departure date looms closer and closer, I start to feel the impact of the saying, " Time will whizz past very fast in Australia, and just when you are in the progress of getting used to the environment, it will be time for you to go home.'' I used to take little heed to this saying because I had yet to experience such feelings. You can never comprehend feelings absolutely completely unless you are in that situation personally. How true indeed. Last night, I could not sleep well because there were strong torrents of conflicting emotions raging inside my heart and brain. How I wish that I could have the best of both worlds, and combine to high efficiency of Singapore's Internet, transport and services, together with the beautiful roses, exotic birds, cosy looking cottages, cool weather in Newcastle. It is indeed difficult to say goodbye to place which has become like your 2nd home for the past few months. After my exams, I pray to be able to meet up with all my good friends for a final farewell gathering, because I do not know when is the next time we will ever meet again.


Yesterday, Rachel and I went to an Italian restaurant in Darby Street, called Lincontro. Darby Street is the place where all the cafes of various cuisines are located. Darby Raj and Goldberg cafes are located there as well. We received excellent service from a young waiter there, who spared no effort to recommend dishes to us and answer all our questions. The setting of the restaurant was simple and yet elegant. Both of us shared 2 slices of tomato toasted bread, a plate of tantalising calamari and prawns, garlic and olive bread, spaghetti and potato dumplings. We were so full at the end, that we did not have any room for dessert. According to Rachel, the Italians grow their own vegetables, such as tomatoes, for they emphasize strongly on fresh food. I must say that I have really enjoyed the food, especially the calamari, for it is so soft and almost melts in your mouth. And garlic bread with olive oil tastes heavenly too. But the downside is the price, the bill totalled up to $67. Nevertheless, I think it is okay to splurge on new food, just for the first-time experience. The night air was chilly to the bone when we stepped out of the restaurant. On the way to the bus stop, I bumped into Cindy and Hock Lap. The streets were quite empty, although it was not even 9 pm yet.

We took 226 home, which brought us home in less than 40 minutes, compared to 225 which we took to Darby street. Although we did not get to watch Kungfu Panda, due to conflicting schedules of the bus arrival and movie times, it was still an enjoyable Friday night nevertheless. But I felt a tinge of sadness deep down inside, for it was going to be our lasting outing together in Newcastle. The next morning, we combined forces to whip up a really hearty and mouthwatering western style breakfast which consisted of cowboy beans, tomato scrambled eggs, chicken fillets seasoned with herbs and pepper, together with piping hot Ovaltine. It is my first time in Newcastle eating such a heavy breakfast. And it is indeed a memorable experience to prepare breakfast together with your good friend. I will definitely miss the days when we had heart to heart talks and the various random jokes together. Fate is absolutely predictable, I had never guessed that I would meet a friend whom I could talk so comfortably with within a mere 3 months.

After Rachel left, I headed to Auchmuty Library to meet Kelly and Catherine, to discuss the past year Organic Chemistry papers together. But it wasn't very productive for they had not done the questions which I had attempted. So, we spent most of time casually chatting with each other. All of us hope that the Organic Chemistry paper this year will be easier compared to 2007's. In fact, the difficulty level of the papers gets lower with each successive year. Adam had mentioned that most people failed the final exam in the past. But I reckon that most of these people passed the module overall, probably due to the lab reports and assignments, which were subjected to lenient marking. After doing a 2nd calculation of my present marks, I figured that I just need 34/120 for the final exam to scrape through. Sounds unbelievable good, doesn't it?

The house is strangely quiet now, for 4 people have shifted out already. All the non-Malaysian tenants have left, in addition to William, who left the earliest in April. I still remember him as a sleepy looking guy who was rarely seen in the house. Aili told me that he might have shifted to a new house in Birminghan Gardens, for the Internet in our house is really problematic. Now with Shadab gone, there will be no one to solve our internet problems. Thankfully, I am leaving really soon and will not have to bear with the lack of Internet access anymore. This statement seems so contradictory to my feelings in the first paragraph of this entry.

I have just submitted an online booking for Happy Cabby to bring me from Faulkner Crescent to Sydney airport on the date of my departure. The price is a hefty $69, but it spares me from the inconvenience of public transport and I can enjoy a relaxing 3 hour journey on the mini bus. I will be having my 2nd paper, Molecular Organic Synthesis aka Organic Chemistry tomorrow at 9.15 am in the same venue as that of IRHR 1001, which is the Great Hall. The last 2 papers will be held at Hunter Building, which is far away from the Western Entrance. Which means that I need to leave the house earlier to reach there on time.

All right, I shall conclude my entry now. Shall proceed to Jesmond now to get some mushrooms,tomatoes and bananas which can last me for the remaining days. I cannot eat soup noodles without any ingredients to go with them.