Finally back home =)

Hi everyone! I am finally back to the sunny shores of Singapore. Uncle Richie, Charissa and Clarissa and Mummy came to fetch me from Changi Airport's Terminal 1. I must really thank them for their patience, for my touchdown time of my flight was delayed. It only landed 10:35 pm, instead of the stipulated 9.55 pm. I was really happy to see the ones so close to your heart again, and the feeling was even more overwhelming with a warm,welcoming hug from each of them. It was almost 12 midnight when I reached home. The B and C lifts of my block have undergone some major revampations, and they look more presentable now. I was so engrossed in recounting the wonderful times I had in Newcastle with Mummy that I did not finish packing my things before sleeping. It's great to see and feel the atmosphere of your own sweet home after an absence of 5 months.

I just came back from a mini shopping trip at IMM. Firstly, I have gotten my hands on the best selling novel, "Eclipse'' at a discounted price of $15.35. It is less than half of the price of "New Moon'' at the Central Coast, if you do the necessary currency conversion.Now, do you see the stark contrast between the things in Australia and Singapore? The book is more than 600 pages long, and I can't wait to start reading it. I couldn't help but feel absolutely ecstatic when the novel was displayed conspicuously near the entrance of Popular. It really saved me the effort and time of searching for it. After that, I walked to IMM and purchased a yellow frilly top, blue Maxi eyes contact lens and a tea leaf egg. IMM hasn't changed much, the lunch crowd is still as huge as ever. It is definitely therapeutic when you get to eat typical Singaporean food which you have missed ever so much. Had 4 siew mais for breakfast and I just finished eating a cup of Nissin Laksa flavoured noodles. In Newcastle, I only ate Indo-Mee and korean instant noodles.

The weather in Singapore is extremely hot now, and I have to revert to wearing shorts in the house. I never wore shorts in Australia for I did not want to get shivering legs from the blustery weather. And I no longer need to wear the thick grey eskimo jacket, woollen socks or gloves. My lips and skin will no longer crack that easily, since the humidity level in Singapore is high. Saves me the hassle of applying lip gloss and moisturizer. I hope my hair and skin regain their original texture. Threw away my contact lens for they have expired. Shall switch to daily or monthly ones since I am so lazy to wear them daily now, unlike the time when I was in JC. The Internet speed in Singapore did not disappoint at all, it is still as fast as ever. In addition, the sound quality of the computer is better than of the laptop. I can hear the tune of the synthesizers and other background instruments more clearly, there is more depth to the songs.

Alas, I can resume my streaming of HK dramas and other random clips from Youtube,Crunchyroll and Tudou again. As I had mentioned previously, the bandwidth that SCV starhub provides us with is virtually limitless. Streaming speeds only slow down fractionally when there are a lot of people downloading shows simultaneously. It is a blessing to be able to read the Singaporean newspapers which are the Straits Times and Life! again. I can resume my daily habit of purchasing 8 days weekly. Welcome back to the familiarity and efficiency of Singapore's transportation systems, SBS, MRT, all these long lost names which were locked away in my psyche for 5 months,all started coming back in torrents, to the extent of producing an overwhelming sensation within me.

Okay, let me recount about the incidents that happened yesterday. Was taken aback when the driver from Happy Cabby came knocking at my door at 8.06 am! I wasn't really mentally prepared as I had presumed that he would only come at 8.15 am-8.30 am. My suitcase was difficult to close due to the bulkiness of the additional things I had gotten in Newcastle. Had to sit on it and slam it tightly. Left my white furry blanket behind since my suitcase had been filled to its maximum capacity. As Edward had quipped, the next person, whom I presume is Abigail, Wayne's friend, who occupies my room will have a free blanket. The Happy Cabby went to fetch 3 other people in the vicinity of the University before continuing on its way to Sydney Kingsford Smith airport.

The Happy Cabby driver decided to charge me $55 instead of $69 for his services since I had a student card. But I gave him $5 in tips, which I regret slightly now. Because he seemed really eager to get tipped, especially after I handed him a $100 note. These days,the winds in Newcastle have been really strong, to the extent that it chills me to the bone,literally, despite the blazing afternoon sun shining overhead. The driver mentioned that winds have been known to go up to 90km/hr on the freeway. That is like the speed limit of the expressways of Singapore. And I realised that I had made a blunder. All along I have been wondering why did Happy Cabby service assign such an early pickup time for me, and it turned out that it was due to the fact that I had keyed in my flight time as 13:55 instead of 15:55. All thanks to my blunder, I reached the airport 5 hours before my flight time and had to wait for 2 hours to check in because the maximum number of hours you can check in in advance is 3 hours. Nevertheless, I jumped at the chance to read my New moon novel. Was thankful that I did not have to pay extra charges, for the weight of suitcase exceeded the allowed limit by 3 kg.

Had 8 mini assorted sandwiches from paging Harry before heading up the viewing gallery on the 4th floor. It is an open air area, unlike the enclosed one in Changi Airport. Saw a Singapore Airlines plane with the national flag emblazoned on it, and for some unknown reason, a wave of patriotism swept over me. I want to sit on an SIA plane again. There were some binoculars available but you have to pay $2 to use it. Saw several Jetstar and Qantas plane take off at an inclined angle before disappearing into the clouds. Then, I sat down the the bench and finished the whole of my New Moon novel. I couldn't be more amazed at my new found capability of rapid reading and enjoying the contents simultaneously.

The most significant blunder I made was that I almost missed my flight again! Because I did not catch the message over the PA system, which said that the boarding venue for QF5 had changed from Gate 33 to Gate 8, until the very last minute at a few minutes past 4 pm! I had to run all the way there, feeling very panicky and breathless. The thinning plastic bag which held all my Tasmania souvenirs broke when I was scrambling to the gate. But thankfully, I had another plastic bag to hold all of the gifts. The flight attendant shot me an impatient look, but she still let me onto the plane anyway. One male flight attendant, with an European accent, was very helpful and helped to stow all my belongings on the lockers above. In addition, he also told me to relax and the worst is over. I was really grateful for that kind gesture of his.

The plane took off at only 4.40pm, and I felt guilty for making entire plane of passengers wait for me and another person, whom I am unsure whether he turned up or not. There was a German pilot onboard, because my flight will stopover at Singapore first, before continuing to Frankfurt. Despite having learnt elementary German, I could not understand what he was saying because of the quick pace of his speech. Throughout the 8 hours flight, I occupied myself by taking photographs of the captivating view of the multi coloured sky as the sun set from the window, taking brief naps and watching the statistics of the plane from the screen. The plane journey was velvety smooth in general, I did not experience much ear discomfort compared to all the other time when I took a plane. The worst flight has got to be the Virgin Blue one, the plane descent was so abrupt that I experienced intense pain in my ears,head and even throat. In conclusion, I rather pay more for a comfortable journey, regardless of the distance to my intended destination.

The flight attendants on board a Qantas plane did a good job in satiating all hunger pangs. I even got to taste a pine-lime paddle pop like ice-cream which consisted of a lime green flavoured coating on top of the sweet cream. We were consistently given fluids like fruit juice and water to combat against the dry air in the cabin. I read in one of the pamplets that the humidity can go as low as 25%. No wonder my lips bled on board the QF32 flight to Sydney in February. Dinner was chicken with soy sauce while supper was linguine with cheese. Both meals were accompanied with cheese, Arnotts biscuits, small chocolate bars and fruit salad. Last but not least, I tried the Cadbury hot chocolate drink with a marshmellow for the first time. Its taste was awesome, considering the fact that I dislike marshmellows.

As Mummy mentioned, I have been bitten my the travelling bug and can't wait to travel again. Unfortunately, travelling is costly and requires a calm and relaxed state of mind, which can only be achieved when you have a lot of time in your hands. Guess the earliest time when I can travel again will be during the December holidays. I just hope that Icipaints will be kind enough to increase my meagre salary. I have yet to submit my cheque for the placement insurance. And I still do not know the exact location of my workplace. Only have 4 days to get everything fixed up before my official step into working life. Wish me luck. Meanwhile, I shall spend the rest of the day reading my Eclipse novel and uploading photos onto my Shutterfly.