A random post after a long time---a tag from Rachel

I know I have not posted anything for ages, for life in Singapore is monotonous and typical. Industrial Attachment is no big deal at all, a majority of university undergraduates undergo it. But, every exchange experience is uniquely yours. ;) Okay, I shall start answering the questionnaire which Rachel tagged me with about a couple of months back. :P

Starting time : 1916 Sg Time
Name: Yvonne
Sisters: None
Brothers: None
Shoe size: 7
Height: 158-160cm, but I insist I am 160cm =P
Where do you live: Sunny shores of Singapura.
Favourite drink: Fruit Juice
Favourite breakfast: Burger King, Dim sum
Have you ever been on a plane: Yes
Swam in ocean: No, too cowardly to do so
Fallen asleep in school: Yes
Broken someone's heart: Sad to say, yes :(
Fell off your chair: Yes, how embarrassing!
Sat by the phone waiting for someone to call: Yes
Saved email: Yes, for lovely messages and photos
What's your room like: Messy, small
What's right beside you: A big blue chair, in the living room watching TV
What's the last thing you ate: Mom's homecooked dinner.Delicious!
Sore throat: Of course
Stiches: No
Broken nose: No
Do you believe in love at first sight: I only believe in lust at first sight
Like picnics: Yes, especially with my sisters
Who was the last person you danced with: A guy during my JC orientation days. My dancing skills are heinous, I assure you
You yelled at: Can't remember

TODAY did you:

talk to someone you like: No
kissed anyone: NO
get sick: Still recovering from flu
Missed someone? No.
Best feeling in the world: Being loved
Do you sleep with stuffed animals : My penguin family
What's under your bed: Nothing right now
Who do you really hate: No one. It's really mentally consuming to hate someone
What time is it now: 1932

RANDOMS
who's on your mind now: My mind is blank
Do you have siblings: I am the only child
Do you want children: Yes. Ideally a son and a daughter
Do you smile often: Not for now, working life leaves me grouchy
Do you like your handwriting: Yes, if I put in effort
Are your toenails painted: No
Whose bed other than yours that you'll sleep in: My mom's
What colour shirt you wearing: Blue
What were you doing at 7:00pm yesterday: Lazing around
When did you cry last: Can't remember
Are you a friendly person: Usually yes
Do you have pets: No
Where is the person you have feelings for right now: In school
Did the last person you held hands with mean anything to you now: Yes
What were you doing before doing this tag: Eating dinner

Have you ever

crawled through a window: Yes, in Australia. Rachel will know this best
Can you handle the truth: Ultimately, I can
Are you closer to your mother or father: Mother
Who was the last person whom you cried in front of: I think Mom
How many people you can say you really loved: At least 2
Do you eat healthy: No, all thanks to my unpredictable hungry pangs
Do you still have pics of you and your ex: Yes

5 things I was doing 10 years ago

Studying for PSLE
Playing computer games which Mom bought back
Skipped school during post exam period
Taking piano lessons
Watching Immortal Love

5 things on my to-do-list today

Shower, sleep early, have my daily dose of net surfing, take my supplements, read something

5 snacks I enjoy

Butter cookies, Haagen Dasz Ice-cream, Gelato, Chocolates and Cheesecake

5 of my bad habits

Procrastinating,whining,grumbling,lazing around,impulsive

5 places I lived in

Singapore,Perth,Newcastle,Central Coast,Sydney ( a few days counted? )

5 jobs I had

Private tutor,receptionist,patient service assistant,surveyor and currently intern student at ICI

5 people I tag

Diana,Yiling,Chun Yin,Yunman,Aili

Reflections on my Newcastle exchange trip

It has been more than a fortnight since I came back from Newcastle. But the memories of the beautiful scenery, the wonderful friends I have made here, the trips to Tasmania,Sydney and Central Coast, the relaxing pace of life, the quiet surburban areas and the cool,blustery weather are still fresh in my head. They surface from time to time when my mind is idling. The time required for the feelings of yearning and missing to fade is taking a much longer time than expected. This indicates that I have enjoyed my stay in Australia,afterall. Sounds so contrary to my angsty statements on wanting to go back to Singapore as soon as possible, doesn't it?

Interestingly, the images of the birds in Newcastle leave indelible marks in my mind. There are numerous crested pigeons ( the pigeons with the black structure on the head ), green birds and lorakeets ( the birds with blue,red, green and yellow feathers). And not forgetting the pair of beautiful canaries with melodious sounding chirps in an Erina Fair shop.Whenever I close my eyes, the appearances of these birds float up into my mind. I have yet to upload all my photos onto my Shutterfly, as I have not gotten the set of those that we took in Sydney Junction Hotel in Hamilton.

Time had whizzed by much faster that I had imagine. Just when I had gotten used to the place and develop the urge to explore more of Newcastle and other parts of the country, it is time for me to go home. If my IA hadn't started so early, I might have stayed on for a longer time to travel around and interact with my newly made friends such as Wun and Kelly. They were the 2 girls whom I had such easy and natural chats with on the eve of my Green Engineering paper. Right now, we are all busy with our own lives and seldom talk to them online, say less than once in a week. I haven't spotted Kelly on MSN since I left for Newcastle, reckon that she is busy with her job as a research assistant in Adam's lab. Really miss all the wonderful memories I shared with all my nice girlfriends in Australia. But there is no telling in when we can resume these pleasurable interactions again.

Getting to know more people exposes you to different views and situations, this is really beneficial in your character building because it imbues you with a greater degree of open mindedness and inspiration to take a matured view of certain issues. My conversations with Rachel and Aili have been particularly enriching, and I really appreciate that. The most important part of friendship is unconditional support,regardless of the differences we share. Surprises strike you when you are caught totally offguard, including special ones. I had never guessed that I will get to meet people who I can click comfortably with during the last week of my stay in Newcastle. The lower your expectations, the greater the joy you experience when something pleasant comes your way. The same theory applies for negative events, but vice versa.

If I am given the chance to relive my exchange experience again, I am sure I will be able to handle my negative emotions more effectively, such as prejudice and insecurity. This especially applies to the party of 4, whom I do not get along very well with. It is probably due to the fact that we have personality clashes and none of us made the move to understand each other better. Come to think of it, if I had been more gracious and behaved in a more grateful manner towards them, the atmosphere between our conversations will not be so tensed up. All along, I kept thinking that they were unfriendly and not receptive to my amicable first moves. And from that point onwards, I felt very defensive in their presence and turned a blind eye to their not so obvious positive traits such as being uncalculative,kind and helpful. Mummy said that I should stand in their shoes and perceive my own attitude from their point of view. I can't agree more. The party of 4 probably had judged me to be ungrateful and immature from my sullen facial expressions and anti social behaviour.

I will encourage everybody to embark on an exchange program in some point of time of their undergraduate days, it is a blast of an experience which will never be forgotten for the rest of your life. The amount of things you see,learn and experience is beyond description and you have to undergo the exchange program to feel it personally. It is not so much visual treats one gets, but the character building process. I have learnt to be more independent,confident,matured and understanding and I believe that these qualities will come in handy in my future undertakings.

In the meantime, I am undergoing another milestone in my life, which is my industrial attachment at ICIpaints. The company may look really shabby and poorly maintained, but my colleagues have been really friendly and helpful so far. The latter serves as a bit of motivation to go to work everyday. My supervisor, Sock Sang said that I will be working on 3 projects, 2 with Sumay and 1 with Monica. Hope to pick up many new skills and contribute significantly to the tasks assigned to me during the next 20 weeks. In working life, you cannot practise loafing or groupthink though the temptation might be irresistable. This is because it is not fair to my partner.

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.

Lunch at Monkeys with Mel and Eva

Yesterday morning, Kelly dropped by my house for a short chit chatting session before giving me a lift to the bookshop in Shortland Union to ship my heavy textbooks and files back to Singapore. The load was heavier than I expected, the total weight came up to 15 kg. And it cost me $162.60. Throughout the whole process, Kelly spared no effort in helping me, by helping me to lighten the physical burden, such as selecting boxes to put my things in and writing her address at the back of them, just in case the boxes do not reach Singapore. These gestures really brightened up my day. After she drove me back home, we exchanged hugs and well wishes, and finally promises to keep each other updated about our lives via MSN. Goodbyes are hard to say but the memories that I had with her are unforgettable.

I have finished about 40 pages of New Moon, and shall keep the majority of the pages for the 8 hour plane ride from Sydney to Singapore. So relieved that there are no stopovers this time around, because I think they are a waste of time and makes one more exhausted than a straight flight. Interestingly, flights with stopovers are actually cheaper than those that fly you straight to your intended destinations. Surfed the net for a while before I left the house to meet Mel and Eva for lunch at Darby Street.

Darby Street is famous among the UoN students due to the cafes offering a wide of international food. But the prices are steep for some of them as well. Mel and Eva would be going to Melbourne for a short holiday that night. The 2 girls were friendly and comical as usual, and both of them agreed that the tertiary education in Malaysia is not really internationally recognized. So, they have decided to Taylors University College to study for an Australian degree instead. The wind was messing up our hair despite the relatively strong afternoon sun. I think my hair has the texture of dead leaves now, all thanks to the dry air. =(

We had a really full lunch at Monkeys Cafe. All of us shared a pizza, potato wedges and a Monkey Platters. The sauces that came with the food were really delicious, especially the one that complimented the wedges. There were many interesting morsels on the platter, such as brandy bacon slices, coconut prawns and salty cheese. In addition,there were 3 kinds of dippings like crushed nuts,olive tasting liquid and parsley coloured grinded herbs. Indulging in good food is a indeed a blessing. I ate more than 2 of them because it will be a long time before I may ever get chance to eat here again. Mel and Eva have at least one more semester to explore the eateries in Newcastle.

The prices were quite good despite the generous servings. I only had to pay $16.30 for my share. In conclusion, patronizing Monkey's Cafe is more worth it than going to Blue Water Pizza, where the prices are steep and the food which they serve are in smaller portions. According to Mel, she could prepare even tastier pasta than that of Blue Water Pizza. We took 100 back to our respective houses. Saw many high school studentswho were donning really nice uniforms. Pleated skirts and long socks up to the knee seem to be very common among the students here. Little boys who have yet to reach their teens have already got ear piercings. It is not an uncommon sight to see girls in school uniform applying makeup. The dress sense in Australia is so contrasting from that of Singaporeans.

Cleaned the toilet sink last night and paid Hongjun $200 for miscellaneous household expenses and 1 weeks rent. Dinner was Continental Potato and Bacon soup with the last Fuji apple. Now, I only have the box of frozen hokkien mee and Ovaltine in my food inventory. In addition, there are only 12 cents worth of credits in my mobile phone, which is a good thing because I am leaving tomorrow. Today shall be spent packing my luggage bag, lazing around and getting some food after calling Happy Cabby at 10 am to get my pickup time. Till then, see you guys in Singapore soon! =)

Girls outing in the Central Coast

This post is a continuation to the previous's one. After Catherine went off to church in the morning, Kelly arrived at around 10 am. I was really happy to see her and we started chatting merrily till Catherine came back at about 12pm. We took this chance to find out about each other's lives and I told her about NTU. Kelly, in my opinion is a smart girl who does well in her studies. And she is lucky as well, having a doting fiance and a steady job as a chemist. Both of my Australian friends are musicians. Catherine plays the keyboard while Kelly can play the guitar.

We went to Erina Fair, the biggest shopping centre in the Central Coast, after Catherine returned from church. Headed to the Atrium Food Centre for lunc before window shopping. I had a humongous portion of nasi goreng, while my friends had mixed noodles. Was surprised when I realised that I could finish the entire big plate of rice with seafood and vegetables. Took several photos during lunchtime and felt really happy doing so. Kelly and Catherine are not only friendly, but humorous too. We visited many stores, such as the Music CD shop, aromatherapy shop, bookshop and even a shop selling exquisite,ancient looking furniture. According to Catherine, people in the Central Coast love to burn fragrant candles while having a long relaxing bath. That explains why I saw so many coloured candles in her bathroom. I was fascinated by a pair of lovely yellow canaries in a cage which we saw in the furniture shop. Their feathers were so beautiful, and were coupled with their melodious chirping.

My girlfriends are fans of Krispy Kreme donuts, but I found them a little too sweet for my liking. Instead, I purchased the novel, " New Moon'', which is a sequel to Twilight. This book is 500+ pages in length, and the 3rd book, Eclipse, is even thicker. The final instalment of the mesmerizing series, " Breaking Dawn'' will be released on the 2nd August. Unfortunately, I cannot find copies of the 3rd book in the NTU library database. I am praying fervently that I will be able to grab hold of the 3rd and 4th books in Singapore's bookstores. My fetish for vampires seems to have intensified significantly after finishing the Twilight book.

Our last stop was the Skillion, where we overcame a steep and long slope leading to the summit. And it was worth all the panting and aching legs. Because the view was the top is incredibly panaromic. I could see the lush greeneries on the cliffs overlooking the clear blue waters. There were numerous seagulls soaring freely in the skies. The air was cool and fresh as well. Took a few photos with Catherine and Kelly again. We admired the picturesque view for several minutes before making our way back to Catherine's house in Greenslope.

After resting in her house for a while, it was time to say goodbye. But we didn't leave until we exchanged hugs and Kelly had taken photos of me with the setting sun illuminating the skies a striking orange colour as the backdrop. I am absolutely sure that I will remember Catherine for a long time, probably even for the rest of my life. I will never forget her kind acts of rendering unconditional help to me during the past lab sessions and making me feel so at ease in her presence. It is so hard to predict the exact time I will meet all my newly made friends again, but I do hope that it happens as soon as possible.

Kelly then drove me home. The ride lasted for more than an hour. I got the chance to see the grey blue sky darken to indigo, eventually turning into the raven black hue. Had a 2nd round of heart to heart talk for the weekend, this time with Kelly. She, like Catherine, is very receptive to my opinions and echoes my sentiments in most of the issues we discussed about. I am sure we enjoyed our conversations in the car together. The street names in Newcastle fascinate me, for some unknown reason. Maybe this is because I have never heard of such words in my entire life. For example, Kurri Kurri, Cessnock, Tasworth, Dungog, etc.

Had a light dinner of potato Continental soup which Catherine had so kindly gave me and an apple before using my laptop. The house was unusually quiet as Weifun had departed for home. The couple and Oiyin were out and did not return until late at night. I did manage to speak to Wayne, who would be going to Blue Mountains in Canberra for a holiday. He wished me good luck and I did likewise. Come to think of it, my exchange trip has been quite fruitful after all. I managed to widen my social circle and gain more confidence in voicing out my opinions coherently.

Lovely weekend at the Central Coast =)

I had the most memorable weekend ever at the Central Coast with Catherine and Kelly. It is a place where there is abundant lush green trees and azure blue seas. The surroundings is definitely much more beautiful than in Newcastle. It is such pity that this ethereal looking place doesn't seem to be a popular holiday spot for tourists. Highly recommend my friends to come here for an invigorating experience, to completely immerse oneself in the beauty of the natural green and blue hues. Let's backtrack to the events that took place from Saturday onwards now.

After settling down in Catherine's house and surfing the Internet until around 12 pm, we made our way to Avoca Beach for a hearty meal of fried potatoes and Fisherman's platter which consisted of fries,fish and tempura prawns. It is interesting to note that both Kelly and Catherine dislike seafood, and they prefer red meat instead. Their preferences are the totally opposite of mine. We sat down on the sand and watched the majestive white waves rise and sweep across the sand continuously. There were plenty of seagulls in the vicinity as well, and they all gathered in huge group whenever there was people feeding them. Catherine isn't a big fan of seagulls, she asserts that they are nuisances who come and steal your food when you are caught unawares.

We then proceeded on a slight "obstacle'' course. We had to cross several rocks in order to get to the other side of the beach. Luckily, I had sturdy shoes on. And Catherine was a good guide as well, for she consistently turned back and asked if I was okay. I felt a sense of deja vu as I stepped on rock after rock. My friends and I had to pass several rocks before we could reach the peak at Mount Wellington which is in Tasmania. There were several pools among the rocks and both of our shoes got a bit wet. There were some kids running happily in the sand and some men were fishing leisurely. The scenery of the blue waves lapping against the cliffs was breathtaking. I captured several photos of the beach and will be posting them up when I return to Singapore.

Our next destination was Terrigal Beach. There was a line of shops nearby and I purchased some cup mats as souvenirs. Terrigal beach seems to be a more lively area that that of Avoca Beach. A long line of cars were parked along the side of the road. Catherine brought me to the Cold Rock Creamery which was a cut above most other ice-cream shops because they sell a wide range of candies and chocolates which could be blended together with the ice-cream flavour you select. I got myself a regular sized watermelon ice-cream with cherry chocolate. Though it cost $5.20, I was completely all right with it,since the serving was so generous and the saccharine sweet taste was just absolutely tantalizing.

Had a heart to heart talk with Catherine while enjoying our ice-cream. I was amazed at how open she was to me about her life experiences and her views about personal issues such as marriage and love relationships. She is definitely infinitely far from the impressions that I had conjured up about Westerners. It was really pleasing to talk to ther for she accepts you for the opinions you have and shows genuine interest on what you have to say. We left the place at around 4 pm, for she had to get back to prepare for church in the night.

While she was away, I kept myself completely preoccupied with her novel, Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. The plot was so mesmerizing that I finished 438 pages within 5 hours. Never in my 22 years of life had I finished so many pages in one sitting. The story is about a touching and alluring forbidden love story between a vampire and human. And the positive imagery that Stephenie used is so immensely orgasmic. I certainly cant wait for the movie to come out in December, watching it will serve as a perfect celebration for the completion of 22 ardous weeks at Icipaints. Catherine's dad, Lori came back while I was engrossed in the storyline. He is a really warm and friendly man, the idiom of "a chip of the old block'' holds so very true! He kept reminding me to make myself at home and offered me a sumptuous dinner of fruit pie with cream and stew. We had a small friendly chat before he left for work again. I was certainly impressed and almost overwhelmed by such warm receptive behaviour.

Even when I went to bed, the intriguing plot of Twilight was still fresh in my head. The various positive imagery and the gripping contents were swirling in my mind. No wonder this series is an international best seller. Before the final entrance into la-la land, Catherine reminded me that there might be possums running noisily on the rooftop in the dead of the night, but I do not need to be scared of them as they can't enter the house. She said that possums are parasites, because they like to enter her house surreptitiously and scavenge the kitchen for leftover food. Her description of possums sounds so different from the perceptions I have of those which I had seen in Zoodoo Farm during the Tasmania trip. I had always thought that possums are really furry and cute creatures that hibernate in log holes.

Exams have ended =)

Yesterday marked the end of the examination period. I managed to reach Hunter building on time, although my arrival was late compared to the rest of my tutorial mates. The Green Engineering paper was manageble, although I was a tad stunned at the fact that I could not completely solve the question on Pinch Technology. But overall, I am confident of passing the paper. Finally, I can throw all the academic information out of my head and relax to the fullest in the coming few days to come before I depart from Newcastle.

I had intended to go back to UoN to mail my textbooks and files home to Singapore but didn't do so in the end because their combined load is too heavy for me to carry to school. And Weifun could not give me a lift because Aaron's car key wasn't with her. So, I decided to chat with Diana on skype and afterwhich, I rewarded myself with a hearty lunch of Singapore Instant noodles with cheese tomato scrambled eggs. It is my first time sitting for examinations in a foreign land and the pressure to do well is much lesser than that of NTU. I am confident to achieve at least a Pass for all my modules, with the exception of IRHR 1001.

Sat the 101 bus to Glendale for dinner at Hungry Jacks. I was contemplating on whether to watch Kungfu panda by myself or not, since Ding didn't call me nor respond to my sms. Finally, I decided against doing so because it is no fun watching a movie all by your lonely self. After dinner, I went to Woolsworth and bought a box of microwaveable Hokkien mee. Didn't want to buy too much food since I am going to leave soon. Reached home before 8 pm and slept shortly after. I didn't wake up till about 2.30 am. Surfed the Internet before falling asleep again until 7.23 am.

After a light breakfast of Ovaltine and an apple, I proceeded to the Maths bus stop to take 226 to Broadmeadow station, and from there I boarded the Sydney bound train to Gosford to meet Catherine. I am going to stayover at her house for at least a night, since she so kindly invited me to do so. 226 came 5 minutes ahead of schedule, and the train arrived in a mere 5 minutes instead of the projected 1 hour. The train ticket from Broadmeadow to Gosford costs $4.80, which is cheaper than I expected. All along, I have thought that the train tickets cost more than $10. The train ride was about 70 minutes and it passed by a few places which had peculiar sounding names such as Wyee, Tuggerah and Teralba. According to Catherine, these names were originated from the Australian aboriginals.

And right now, I am at her house typing this entry. The Central Coast lives up to its name indeed, for there are more beaches and ponds here. And Wilson's working place, Gosford Hospital is just a stone's throw away from its station. The surroundings of Central Coast is rather different from that in Newcastle, but for now, I cannot describe the contrasting environments in words. Catherine's house is two storeys high and all the floors are made of carpet. She is a really receptive host, constantly offering me snacks and setting up a comfortable mattress together with a warm blanket in the spare room. Really appreciate it. Look forward to going to the Avoca Beach with her later. =) And not forgetting, fish and chips for lunch.

Sydney Junction Hotel at Hamilton

I was awaken by the chilly air and the urge to go to the toilet at an incredulous time of 5 am. Was surprised to see Weifun and Oiyin at the living room, preparing breakfast and doing some last minute study. Today is liberation day for me! Because it is the last day of the torturous exam period. Will be having the Green Engineering final exam at 9.15 am in the Hunter building, which is about 25 minutes walk away from. Acccording to calculations, I only require 7+/100 marks to secure a pass. This sounds even more amazing than CHEM 3310, doesn't it? Needless to say, I feel much more relaxed although I only did a very brief revision of my lecture notes. The intensity of the prerequisite contents for the exam is unimaginably light. It will be infinitely long before NTU decides to use such an approach for exams. For now, let me type this entry in reverse chronological order.

Had my CHEM 3210 examination yesterday at the Hunter Building. I overestimated the time and was a couple of minutes late for the paper. Which meant that I only had 8 minutes, instead of 10, for reading time. I wasn't familiar with the premises of the Hunter Building and there were so many examination halls located there. Luckily, I met a helpful invigilator who brought me to the venue personally. On top of the duration allowed to complete the exam papers, UoN also gives us an allowance of 10 minutes, for reading time. However, we cannot pick up our pens during this time. Initially, I did not know how to utilize the reading time well, because I need to pen something down in order to reorganize my thoughts. Mere reading is barely helpful. But now, I know how to use the reading time to select the best choice of questions to do.

The paper was all right, I am confident that I can attain 50% for it. But I made a few careless mistakes and did not know how to do the questions on electronic transition graphs. However, there were several questions that are repeated from 3 past year papers. Having attempted the past year papers imbued me with confidence to think quickly. CHEM 3210 is like CHEM 3310, there is a mad rush for time to complete 120 marks worth of questions within 2 hours. I started out fast, but ended up rushing towards the last few questions. Went to see Bob after the paper to clarify issues about the missing lab reports. Apparently, Renee has been uncontactable for a week or so, and she did not turn up for the exams too. Bob affirmed with me that I will pass my lab component, even without Renee's contribution to the 2 missing lab reports. That is really a huge burden off my mind.

Met Ding in the AIC and let her photocopy my Thermodynamics solutions. She said that Suzanne had given birth and will be sitting for her exams at a later date, under the special consideration policy. It is astonishing to note that UoN is a humanitarian and practical educational institute. It has a schedule of exam dates in the 3 weeks holiday, specially catered to students who have difficulties in presenting themselves on the standard exam dates. Also, it encourages students to take up double majors, in order to maximize the quality of their university learning experience. Recently, I found out that NTU has introduced many double degree courses from the OAS website as well.

At around 7.15 pm, I met up with Durrah at the Maths Bus stop to take 226 to Hamilton where we would be dining. 11 of her friends, which consisted of a group of girls with diversifying nationalities, boarded the bus successively at the stops located on the stretch of University Drive. Most of her friends are really friendly, and took a lot of photos on the bus. Coincidentally, I met Jonathan on 226 too. He was making his way back to Barahineban hall and he will be going back to Singapore on 30th June for 10 days. Laughters and jokes were abound at the back of the bus for Durrah and her friends are a really hyperactive lot. Most of them were donned in pretty outfits and makeup, whereas for me, I was wearing the oversized grey eskimo like jacket over a long sleeved pink turtle neck. The scenario reminded me of time when I was at Cherlyn's birthday gathering, when I thought that I was severely underdressed.

I chatted a lot with 2 Malaysian girls, Wun and Kelly. They are also pursuing really intriguing majors in UoN, which are physiotherapy and music therapy respectively. Kelly has gotten her diploma in piano from Trinity College, and is pursuing her bachelor at the music school the vicinity of Newcastle Civic Centre. According to her, the study of music therapy allows one to be able to use the melodious tunes of the piano to release the tensions in one's stressful mind. These two girls have trendy dress senses, and not to mention, an amicable and easygoing diposition too. We exchanged MSN addresses and I hope to see them online soon. Wun's housemate cum schoolmate, Zee is bubbly and hyperactive malay girl from Brunei. Despite her petite stature, she could really laugh a lot and leave people in stitches with her crazy poses for the camera. Like Kelly and Wun, she is also very warm at heart.

We had our dinner at Sydney Junction Hotel, which is located at Hamilton. I don't remember going to an eatery in this suburb before during my stay here. The place doesn't really portray the image of a hotel from its ambience, to me, it seems like a bar cum cafe. The food was relatively cheap as well, one huge plate of tempura fish fillets,with salad and fries,cost only $10. The price is low compared to Australian standards. 12 of us also shared an entree of garlic bread. My appetite for dinner seemed to be have whittled down by a lot, for I could barely finish even half of the plate of food. I think it is because I usually eat very little for dinner, which only includes a fruit and a small bowl of soup. In addition, the tempura fish fillets did not taste as fresh and succulent as I had expected them to be.

Durrah has a Negro and Mauritian friend, called Fadila and Cindra as well. They are also rather chatty, but I did not talk very much to them as I was trembling in the chilly night air after dinner. It is enriching to mix with people of different nationalities, for it can broaded your cultural knowledge of the world. Mauritius is located off coast of Africa and relatively near Madagascar. Their official language is English, but a huge proportion of the citizens can speak French as well. Cindra mentioned that she had started learning French since she was little. According to some sources, French is considered to be a beautiful language. I know of several University friends who took elementary French as their elective!

While waiting for 101 to bring us back home, we encountered several drunk Australians who screamed at us, probably vulgarities from the passenger seats of a few a cars. There was even a passenger who threw something at us. I am not sure what it was, but it narrowly missed Wun and I. That barbarian act really shocked the both of us. It would have been terrible if that item was a glass bottle, it could inflict serious injuries on us! Some of the girls responded to them but I chose to ignore them. Interestingly, Durrah said that you should acknowledge their presence, for otherwise, they might turn back and spring an attack on you. To be honest, I felt that these antics of theirs were really offensive and I want to have nothing to do with them. During the time while we were waiting, most of them started to take group snapshots and kid around among each other.

101 finally came after a freezing wait of 10 minutes. We occupied the last few seats of the bus and I was flabbergasted to encounter another group of westerners who were spewing vulgarities like running water. Where are their senses of civilization and self respect, I ponder. When we took turns to alight at our homes, they yelled goodbye to us in a drunken way. Most of the girls responded to them. But when it was 2 of Durrah's housemates and I's turn to alight, we pretended not to hear them and stepped down from the bus nonchalantly. Even from the bus windows, they waved at us and we were commenting what nuisances they are.

Had a brief but informative chat with Durrah's 2 housemates who are Indian girls studying Physiotherapy and Psychology. But, I did not manage to get their names. I was thrilled when I found out the girl studying Psychology is my direct junior from Crescent. All the Crescent juniors that I have known so far are bright sparks, and she is no exception. She was from RJC and transferred to UoN after doing a semester of studies in NUS Life Sciences. And we started gossiping about our notorious discipline mistresses, Miss Chia and Mrs Siah and random facets of our secondary school days. I feel really lucky that I had 2 of them for company while walking on the sinisterly looking dark stretch of road from the place where we alighted. It certainly made time pass faster.

Took a quick shower, did a wee bit of studying of my notes and drifted off to la-la land at around 12 am. And here I am, putting an end to this entry after more than an hour of typing. I am so looking forward to the post exam activities, such as going to Catherine's house in the Central Coast on Saturday morning and staying over for a night or two.

2 down 2 more to go

I just had my CHEM 3310, Molecular Organic Synthesis paper yesterday. It was relatively all right, although I could barely finish the paper and there were a few questions that I left blanket because I hadn't got a clue to tackle them at all. We were given a mere 120 minutes to finish the paper which was worth 120 marks. Most of my coursemates were commenting that more time should be given. Nevertheless, I am rather satisfied with my performance, and this paper was definitely way better than that of IRHR 1001.

Finally, I can throw all the contents of Organic Chemistry out of my head and concentrate on CHEM 3210, Organometallic Chemistry revision. But it is quite hard to imprint its contents into my brain, so I have to read through the lecture notes several times. The issue of the missing lab report is still bugging me, for Renee has not responded to my smses and calls. Let' hope Bob will be lenient in the grading of our lab reports. According to Catherine, the Chemistry department places great emphasis of lab reports, even more so than the exams. If you do not hand up ALL your lab reports and attain a overall mark of at least 50%, you will definitely fail the entire course. The Australians believe that having competent lab skills is essential to the practicalities of the working life in the chemical industry. This is so unlike Singapore, where we are pressure fed with heaps of theories.

The amount of credits remaining in my Australian simcard is a measly 87 cents. That means that I can only afford to send out 3 text messages, for each of them costs 25 cents. I feel as if that I have been cut off from all modes of communication with my loved ones back home and the friends I have made here. I used to be able to use Skype despite the non existent Internet connection, but it is no longer possible now. But it doesn't matter very much now, for I am leaving in just 8 days. =) I have already enquired about the express courier service at the bookshop in Shortland Union and will probably send mi textbooks,lecture notes,files and some other items by air mail. The textbooks may make my Pierre Cardin luggage bag burst due to their weight.

My life has been mundane these days, for it just revolves around studying for exams and going to school regularly to use the Internet. And working on finishing all the remaining food that I have. Right now, I am at Aili's house typing this post. She is leaving for a 3 week holiday trip to Melbourne, Adelaide and Tasmania with 3 other male friends. And she even gave me a lovely present- a red, smooth textured batik skirt from Malaysia. I think I can wear it over my shorts at home, whenever the mood strikes me. Finally, I got to communicate with Alan via MSN. Guess I won't be seeing him before I leave since he is already back home in Stratsfield, Sydney. However, there is still MSN to rely on, in tandem with the unlimited Internet access in Singapore. :)

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.

3 down, 1 more to go

Just yesterday, I had my first examination paper, IRHR 1001 and it was extremely difficult. The questions were very rigid, and thus regurgitating facts from the textbook and the readings weren't a good option. To add to further damages, I spent too much time pondering on what points to put into my essay and organizing them into coherent sentences. As a result, I could not finish the paper on time. And I was amazed that some of the students could still afford to leave half an hour early before the paper ended. In a nutshell, the management paper was an utter disaster. And to my slight consolation, all the people whom I have briefly chatted with after the exam thought likewise too. Let's hope that they will moderate the grades so that I can scrape through with a bare pass. Taking a module that isn't your interest can really leave your sanity dangling on a delicate balance.

My housemates are shifting out one by one. Wilson will be shifting out this afternoon, for he will be attached to a hospital in Gosford, which is in the Central Coast as a trainee doctor. Shadab will be shifting to Sydney since he is going to transfer to an University there. However, Simon is very resourceful and there will be 2 other people shifting into the house to take their places next semester. Finally got the chance to talk to my new housemate, Wayne over dinner last night. He is quite friendly and wears a really striking pair of white thick-rimmed spectacles. Wayne has relatives staying in Singapore and knows quite a number of local streets, such as Pasir Ris and Bukit Batok. He is actually Huirong's friend and is Year 1 Commerce major. According to him, Malaysia has decided to follow in Singapore's footsteps by making NS mandatory for all the able-bodied males.

Just a couple of hours ago, I met up with Catherine in the Shortland canteen after her Biology exam for lunch. I treated her to a teriyaki chicken sushi for her very belated birthday and gave her a sapphire keychain which I had bought from Tasmania. Catherine's face literally lit up on receiving the present and even squealed excitedly. It was then I realised that she is a big fan of keychains. Nevertheless, I am really happy that she likes the present. After our lunch and a short chatting session, we proceeded to Pinkies where I got myself a vanilla with chocolate chips biscuit ice-cream. The ice-cream was heavenly but the biscuits weren't crispy enough. Then, she gave me a lift to the Commonwealth Building where I closed my bank account. I can strike off one more item on my to-do list now.

The stations in the Cityrail lines and the suburbs in Newcastle have really peculiar and strange sounding names, such as Wyong, Woy Woy, Wangi Wangi and many more. I wonder where do all these names originate from. And the train lines are really extensive too, they stretch from Newcastle all the way to the South Coast. Despite being in Newcastle for more than 4 months, I have yet to travel on a cityrail train all by myself. And I haven't seen the University Station, Warabrook personally. This station,apparently, is a 25 minute walk from Faulkner Crescent. Getting around in Newcastle is such a hassle, for the location of the bus stops and the train stations are spread out widely. No wonder heaps of UoN students have their own private transport.

For now, I have been doing CHEM 3310 past year papers, so that I can tackle the examination on Monday with a reasonable amount of confidence. Let's hope that the organic paper will be much more manageable than that of IRHR 1001. For those who are reading this post now, please transfer all your luck to me for the remaining 3 papers, provided that you do not require them of course, haha!

Eventful weekend despite the examination period

Finally, Rachel can spend another weekend with me. =) Time never fails to speed by whenever she is around. On Saturday afternoon, we met up for another round of Dim Sum cum Yum cha at House of Peking. We ordered different food this time and the bill was cheaper than the previous round. We had the standard xiao long baos,beef balls and guoties. And we also tried 2 new varieties of dim sum, which were water chestnut and radish cakes. It was my first time eating water chestnut cakes and they are really sweet, albeit the weird rubber like consistency. The bill was about $10 cheaper than the previous time, because we ordered less in order to prevent wastage.


After the fulfilling lunch, we headed to Woolsworth to purchase my weekly list of groceries. Bought a box containing really chunky chicken fillets for the first time. It is cheaper than the sliced chicken that I usually buy. And the difference in prices does not not occur without a reason. The visible fats of the chicken fillets were not trimmed off, unlike the chicken slices. So, we, the customers pay for those extra labour. The total shopping bill came up to $30.80, which was still reasonable in my opinion.


Rachel and Haan had bought a really cute monkey plushie for Aili's 20th birthday. And Rachel had even made a box to put the present in with Aili's name written all over it. And despite her insistence that the box looked ugly, I felt that it was very thoughtful of her to put in such sincere effort to make a handmade gift. While waiting for the 226 bus to bring us to International House, both of us saw a really beautiful rainbow in the sky. And it was becoming more and more obvious as the sky turned into darker ade of hue. Luckily, I had a camera with me and took several shots of the ethereal bridge in the sky. Seeing the rainbow seems to give me a shimmer of hope, for some unexplainable reason. Hopefully, it is a subtle sign from heaven above, hinting to me that I will pass all my examinations.


226 brought us to a bus stop which is really close to International House (IH), which is one of the halls in UoN. This is the 2nd hall which I have been too, the first being Barahineban Hall. Aili used to stay in the IH last year, with Melissa and Eva. And till this day, she still goes back to IH every now and then to have sleepovers at Eva's place. The trio were very friendly,jovial and humorous as usual, and it was really great interacting with them. The 5 of us shared 3 medium pizzas from Dominos for dinner, namely Pepperoni, Hawaiian and Meat Lovers. Aili's face practically lit up when she received the monkey plushie. And I got to find out that she was given the nickname "Monkey'' by her friends due to her hyperactive nature. The three musketeers, Aili, Eva and Melissa get really crazy when they get together, and cannot stop cracking nonsensical jokes and behaving excitedly. But they also made sure that they included Rachel and I in their activities too. Being able to be yourself without unnecessary inhibitions is such a liberating feeling.


Rachel and I left their place at around 8+ pm after bidding goodbye. Eva and Melissa have pulled out from the Tasmania,Adelaide and Melbourne trip due to financial constraints. So, they will be staying in Newcastle during the 3 weeks holidays instead. Really wish to meet up with them for at least one more time between 27/6 and 2/7. The subsequent months of 2008 will be very hectic, all thanks to the Industrial Attachment which lasts a whopping 22 weeks. And perhaps, during the last few weeks of the year, I can make a trip to KL to visit them. Travelling is indeed addictive, once I start exploring new places, I want to see more and more. The distance from IH to my place is shorter than expected, provided that you know the shortcut. I passed through a new street, named Turana Parade in North Lambton. It is actually located on the left to Lester Parade. I hereby arrive at a conclusion, there are many streets in each Newcastle suburb.


For Sunday lunch, Rachel prepared Thai rice noodles with frozen vegetables, chicken and mushoom. Malaysia Satay sauce was the flavouring for our lunch. In addition, I cooked a fried cheese egg for both us. Rachel and I had blueberry cheesecake and chocolate Weight Watchers ice-cream for dessert, respectively. After that, we headed to her house in Ayrfield Close, despite the intermittent showers. I had decided to go her house for a stayover again, because this would probably be the last chance for me to do so. Chris prepared a sumptuous dinner of cheese pasta and apple crumble with cinnamon for all of us. For the first time, I saw the family pet dog, who is really friendly. Her name is Ellie and she enjoys licking our feet. In addition to her affectionate nature, she is also really mischievous, for she tried to take away my woollen socks! Luckily, I was alert enough and put them on my lap during dinner.


Rachel introduced me to her Japanese friend, Haruka, who had recently shifted in. She is an exchange student from an university in Osaka and majors in English. According to Haruka, almost all the girls in Japan wear make up on a daily basis. No wonder she sported a really unique hairstyle, and she had learnt how to do it from a magazine. I have never read magazines which teach you how to style your hair. Her accent is really interesting, and yet not too hard to understand. Haruka will be following Rachel back to KL on the 26th June for 10 days. And she might just pop over to Singapore for a visit. She was really thrilled when Rachel told her that I am a Singaporean. And, I felt the same way too, for I will be more than willing to bring international friends around my clean and green country. We exchanged MSN addresses too. Last but not least, Haruka sprung an unexpected and pleasant surprise of me by giving me a really cute purple Hello Kitty mechanical pencil from Japan. It is indeed an eye opener to be given the opportunity to interact with nationalities from all over the world.


Rachel offered me a salty egg dumpling, which she had learnt to make from her auntie while in Sydney, for morning tea. I can't remember when was the last time that I craved for dumplings. Nevertheless, it tasted rather nice although I did not like the egg yolk. And just moments ago, she came up with a plate of Indo mee for me. I then told her, if she cooks for me everyday, I can abandon my mission of losing weight. :P

Reflections

I haven't been updating my blog for the past several days for the Internet connection is still not available. All thanks to Simon who has not paid the telephone bills for Telstra. As a result, I have to go to school almost regularly to use the Internet and check my emails. Walking back and forth from school ruins my momentum to study productively. I need to sit down for at least 2 hours at one stretch without distraction and stray thoughts creeping into my mind.

I have brought forward my departure day from Newcastle. Now I will be leaving on the 2nd July instead of 4th July. Initially, I had intended to leave on 30th June, but have decided against it after realising that the penalties for changing the date of departure will be higher for this particular day. If I choose 2nd July, I would only need to pay S$75 in penalty fees compared to $200+. My date of departure is considered very late already, for all my friends are leaving by 29th June. So, it will be just me and the couple in the house from July onwards. Heard from Bowie that Hongjun wishes to use half of the July month to bring Huifang around Newcastle, which is analogous to a pre-honeymoon holiday. Weiming had left for Perth last Saturday to find his sister, and after that, they will return to Labuan together. I don't think that I will get the chance to visit Nelson Bay anymore, for Aaron is leaving on 27th June. Nevertheless, I pray for a miracle to visit the place before I leave Newcastle for good.

Today marks the 4th month that I have been in Newcastle, and I must say that I will never regret on embarking on this challenging route. I have learnt to be more independent, confident and last but not least, garner higher capabilities to overcome negative emotions such as loneliness and insecurity. I have been exposed to people with personal traits which I have never encountered before. Although I have met people whom I cannot really clique very with, I have made several wonderful friends as well. Especially Aili and Rachel. I feel as if I have known them for a few years instead of a mere few months when I interact with them. They give me a lot of reassurances about the emotions that I am experiencing which is really comforting. I am sure I will miss them dearly when they leave in end June. It is exam period right now, and I am trying my best not to let my emotions of missing affect my studying mood. Thankfully, I just require a pass to facilitate successful credit transfers. Currently, I am managing my emotions relatively well. Let's hope that this continues.

I am quite worried about the IRHR 1001 examination, because it is closed book and I have to write 4 essays which are 2-3 pages long. I am afraid that I will get mental block during the exam and forget all the contents that I have studied during the revision period. I know that this is unnecessary stress on my mental health and I am trying hard to brush such thoughts off my mind. Should have more confidence in myself, and chant this self mantra repeatedly: If I put in the necessary effort, I should be able to pass with no worries. And, things are often not as bad as I think. I may have flunked my latest CHEM 3310 assignment, but after doing the calculations, I realise that I only need less than 30% for the final exam to pass overall. But resting on my laurels is definitely something I will not do. I will still devote ample time to ensure a thorough revision.

Last but not least, I have been allocated a place for Industrial Attachment from 7th July-6th December. I will be working as an intern in ICIpaints at Soon Lee Road. The scope of the project is on livery assessment, and I have absolutely no idea what does that mean. But the pay is really measly, at $20/day. Working hours are from Monday-Friday, 8.15 am- 4.45 pm. Really hope to learn some useful and lifelong skills from the company. And most importantly, meet patient and kind people who can motivate and help me along the way. 2008 has got to be the most memorable day in my life, with 2 major life changing experiences. Without a shred of doubt, they are the Newcastle exchange stint and the upcoming IA. After the IA, I will be able to make a more objective comparison between working life and studying life.

Study Weekend

Haven't been blogging for a few days as I cannot use the Internet at home at all, with exception to Skype. Nevertheless, I used the phone function of Skype to have an enriching 1 hour chat with Mummy a few days ago. The date of departure from Newcastle is getting closer than even before, I have less than 1 month left. But first of all, I need to overcome all the heinous exams which ends on 27th June. There are several things I need to settle before I can leave with a peace of mind. They are closing my Commonwealth Bank Account, getting back the $400 bond from Simon, finishing up the food that I have bought and figuring out how to stuff all the excess baggage into my suitcase. I have purchased a lot of things since I came here, such as a woollen blanket, 2 pairs of shoes, a billabong school bag and not forgetting the numerous souvenirs I got from the Sydney and Tasmania trips. If there is an opportunity in the future, I would like to visit other parts of Australia and maybe New Zealand as well.

I have yet to hand up 2 of my CHEM 3210 lab reports, although Week 14 has whizzed by already. Sent out an email to Bob and he said that the deadline for the acceptance of all lab reports is this Friday. That is such a relief. However, I still encounter several problems in completing the lab reports. Pray that Bob will be in his office on Monday, so that I may seek help from him. Australians and Malaysians have one common trait- they have the culture of completing their academic assignments at the very last minute. To be honest, I have never procrastinated to such a large extent until I came to Newcastle. But, so far, I have adhered to the schedule in my revision timetable. CHEM 3210 and IRHR 1001 are the most challenging modules to study for, as they are very memory intensive. I am exceptionally worried for IRHR 1001, for business modules are neither my forte nor my interest. I don't expect to attain high marks, just 50% will do.

For the past 2 days, I have been going to the AIC to study, because the environment in the house is not conducive enough. Weifun and Oiyin have been popping by everyday and when they interact with the party of 4, the noise level at home becomes intolerable due to their loud talking and joking. I have to resort to sleeping and waking up early at 10pm and 6am respectively to study in the wee hours of the morning. It is only during that time when the house is absolutely quiet and peaceful. I must study in an environment that is as quiet as possible, otherwise I would be distracted and my concentration power will be significantly affected. I have an unusual craving for bread lately. So far, I have bought 2 kinds of bread from the Bytes Cafe in AIC, which are apple and cinnamon bread and banana bread. It is my first time eating bread of such flavours. And they are delicious! There is no place in Newcastle that can beat my home sweet home, in terms of study environment.

Just to backtrack a bit. I met Rachel on Friday and we had an enjoyable KFC lunch together. The crispy fried chicken is heavenly, albeit very sinful. Went to Woolsworth after that to get some groceries. But I forgot to buy eggs! So, I can only get them on next weekend. This weekend is rather boring, because Rachel couldn't come over for a sleepover ; she had to go back to Sydney for a gathering with her extended relatives. However, our weekly outings will resume this coming Saturday. On a totally unrelated note, I have been taking a lot of the free sugar sachets from the Bytes cafe, for I dislike drinking unsweetened Milo. =P

Cold and rainy days

Hooray, the official school semester has ended. I no longer need to fret over waking up early to get to school on time. The grey skies have been pouring relentlessly these days, coupled with winds which sounds resemble that of a wolf's howl. It will give me a good excuse to stay at home to study,instead of going out to school to use the Internet. And also, finish up all the remaining food stocks. In exactly one month's time, I would be on board the qf005 plane back home. Time really flies!

I had intended to go to the last CHEM 3210 tutorial yesterday, only to be greeted with the C124 lecture hall in pitch black darkness. Guess I will have to study the lecture notes more seriously the second round now. Went to the library to return Ding her Thermodynamics notes and to surf the Internet. Met Jianwen at the one of the computer terminals in AIC, and he was submitting his architecture essay via Turnitin. Architecture students are so blessed, because from yesterday onwards, they need not bother about academic matters, such as exams anymore. Examination period is a time where students are under immense stress and have a greater tendency to fall ill. Luckily, I have yet to fall sick in Newcastle so far. All thanks to the balanced diets and Berroca.

Reading through the management textbooks chapter is such a bore! I still can't instil an pinch of interest with regards to the contents into my brain. After doing the calculation, I found out that I need to score 22.5/50 for the final exam in order 2 pass the module. Was rather pleased by my participation score of 11/15, for I am definitely not one of those outspoken ones who contribute a lot to class discussions. Nevertheless, it did help in offsetting the failing mark I obtained in Essay 2 to a small extent. I have planned a study schedule on my calender already. Let's hope that I can adhere to it religiously.

The sky is completely dark by 5.45 pm already, and I am wondering whether I would get to see the day when the sky gets completely dark by before 5.30 pm. The duration of the daylight is becoming shorter, but the difference in the duration between each preceding and subsequent day is becoming lesser as well. The duration used to be around 2 minutes, now it is less than 1 minute. Okay, I need to do my Pinch Technology revision now. Update again when I am free.

Start of serious revision

The month of June has already arrived. And that signifies the beginning of exams and the start of the winter season. I have started revision for both CHEM 3210 and CHEM 3310, but I cannot seem to remember a lot of facts from the first round of reading through the lecture notes. Think I need to do some of the tutorial questions and attempt the past year papers as well. CHEM 3210 is very memory intensive. To make things worse, there are no tips from the lecturers yet. The chemistry department does not seem to have the habit in repeating past year questions, which makes selective studying nearly impossible. Will start poring through the management readings tomorrow, and hopefully, their contents will be etched deeply in memory until 19th June.

The sky has been grey with intermittent showers for the past few days. Luckily, I will not be going out much since lessons have more or less come to an end. I have the last CHEM 3210 tutorial tomorrow, which only lasts for an hour. Don't feel like going for Adam's retrosynthetic workshop because I want to stay at home and study. Furthermore, Catherine will not be going too. I have gotten the marks for all my CHEM 3310 lab reports already, and I must say that I did better than I expected. Really feel a sense of accomplishment in myself. Bought a sweet chilli salmon sushi for lunch and the taste of the salmon was not fresh enough. Bumped into Alan while I was eating and chatted with him for a while before heading for Green Engineering class. He appears to be satisfied in his new oncampus accomodation, which is Edwards Hall. However, the weekly fees are much higher, at $210 compared to Faulkner Crescent's $120. Hopefully he can pop over for a visit before I depart for Singapore. Would like to take a photo with him for memory keepsake.

Not many people turned up for the extra Green Engineering tutorial session today. But it was a rather fruitful session. Michael gave us some tips for the exams and provided us with the solutions for the heat exchanger questions for the practice questions that he set for us. Kris will be leaving Newcastle on 29th June, which is on the same day as Bowie. And he might arrange a meetup with me when he stops over at Singapore. Really feel good when foreign friends show a keen interest in Singapore. =). Afterall, my homeland is a well known garden city which is clean and green.

Saw Huirong, one of the girls whom I met during the Mysun gathering, together with her friend and Simon, in the living room in the morning. We exchanged friendly smiles and I reckon that she might have the intention of shifting into my house. There will be 3 empty rooms after Huifang and I leave after this semester. My impression of Simon is not good at all. Especially after he accused us of finishing up the allowed bandwidth due to excessive downloading in May. Ironically, the bandwidth was so slow for the entire month that we cannot even access search engines, let alone stream songs and downloading shows.

Some time ago, I noticed a quirky notice on the message boards in the Shortland Hub. There was this middle aged woman put up an advertisement to look for a boyfriend. She gave an extensive description of her personality,interests and mentioned that she prefers a male who can accomodate to her interests and will not insist on making her do activities that she doesn't like. My first impression was that it is a really strange antic, the intention of looking for boyfriends is very personal. It doesn't seem very appropriate to voice it out to such a huge mass of people, isn't it?

Dimsum at the House of Peking

Woke up at 6+ am to furnish parts of 3 CHEM 3210 lab reports. I realised that I left my CHEM 3310 Experiment 4 lab report in Adam's office, need to go get it back on Monday in order to finish up the small section on deducing the oxime stereochemistry. I had gone to approach him yesterday to clear some doubts. Seriously, I have never been so proactive in seeking answers to questions from lecturers before. But I reckon that it is better late than never to become more brave to speak to people of higher seniority.

The highlight of the day was the dim sum buffet at House of Peking with Rachel. It cost $20.30 per head and the tantalizing bite sized Hongkong cuisine left us all so full and satisfied. We had xiaolongbaos, coconut butter buns, har gaos, coconut pudding that came in small dices, fish congee, egg tarts,carrot cake and guo ties. Took a few photos at the restaurant too. It has been at least a couple of months since I last visited House of Peking. And I never knew that they offered such a wide variety of dim sum delicacies there. Meeting Rachel has become a weekly outing now. The more time we spend together, the better our friendship and understanding of each other progresses.

Went for grocery shopping at Woolsworth as usual, and I got more frozen food for breakfast,diced chicken,some bananas and a Nivea strawberry lip balm. My old lip balm broke off on the way home from Tasmania. In addition, my lip gloss is finishing soon.Bananas turn from yellow to brown within a few days, despite putting them in the fridge. Thus, it is imperative to finish them up within 3 days,ie. I purchased 3 bananas. I wanted to some dory fillets as well, but there was no stock.

The last stop was Newsagency to get a birthday card for Aili, whose 20th birthday is on 9th June. I hope to organize a successful birthday gathering for her, together with Rachel,Eva and Melissa. I experienced this sensation : Once you leave your teenage years, you grow older at an increased rate thereafter. Growing older means having to meet higher expectations that people have of you, in terms of maturity and capibilities. To be honest, I do not think I am that matured for my age. But I hope to be better, especially after having undergone an exchange program in a totally foreign country.

Walked home for the very first time from Jesmond Stockland Mall today. And I am proud to say that I can remember the route despite not walking there for at least a couple of months. For people who are closer to me, you all would know that my sense of direction is below the average standard. All along, I had been lazy, because I would rather spend $1.50 to hitch a 5 minute bus ride than to save money and take a 15 minute walk there and having to overcome all the uneven gradients. Passed by Durrah's new offcampus, Kindra Street. She lives really near to me, just turn left from the beginning of the Faulkner Crescent road sign and walk no less than 100 metres and I will have reached.

Cooked green bean soup for myself and Rachel before she headed off for a short nap. Started cooking dinner at around 7 pm, this time it was egg noodles with frozen vegetables,mushroom,garlic,onions and fish fillets. Every Saturday is the day of the week where my tastebuds get tantalized and stomach gets filled to the brim. Studied a few chapters of Geoff's CHEM 3210 lecture notes, with a nap in between. Lying on the bed to study is bad for the eyes,elbow,shoulder and neck muscles. But, my bed is just too inviting to resist. Now it is 2 am, and Rachel has yet to come back. I still remembered how she stayed up until 4 am last Sunday to finish her models.

On an ending note, bus 108 takes a really long route to Jesmond, because it has to circle within the houses in Birminghan Gardens and pass by Shortland. I got a fright when I sat on it for the first time, but thankfully, my fears were unfounded when I saw the familiar Stockland building from the bus's window.

Finally some progress

I have 2 friends whose birthdays fall on today. It's Kelly and Marcia's 23rd and 22nd big days respectively! Sent them my birthday wishes over the Internet and hope they will enjoy themselves thoroughly on this very special day. Woke up at 5+ am this morning to do my CHEM 3310 assignment. Finally, I have slotted it under Ian's door before I left school at 4+ pm.

Went for Heat Exchange Network consultation with Geoff in the morning. And I must say that it has been quite a fruitful session, although I still need some time to digest the facts he fed me with. He is very patient and his office is spacious and big. Not to mention, he has a vast collection of reference books on Chemical Engineering as well. Then, I proceed to Mamaduke for lunch, where I purchased a big pizza bread which cost $5. The steep prices are typical of the food that is being sold there. But since I am leaving in just 5 weeks time, why not splurge a little on the food here. It is a form of enjoyment and I know I wouldn't be coming back to Australia in the next one year.

Handed up 2 of my CHEM 3310 lab reports and my library assignment to Adam. The time that I invested in finding the particular paper for a complex tosylaziridine compound had finally paid off, for Adam said that I could just hand up the printed paper to him without writing down the spectroscopic data and synthesis by hand. How kind of him! Anyway, I did not do too well for my first lab report, only 8/15. Let's hope I will fare better in subsequent reports. CHEM 3310 lab reports constitute 40% of the final grade, and I need to pass this component in order to pass the module overall.

Finally, I feel that there is significant progress in the clearing on my academic workload. Now, it is just a CHEM 3310 lab report and 2 CHEM 3210 lab reports. Met Robert in the library today, and he very patiently showed me how to look for articles on prostaglandin A2 synthesis. Among my friends, I am considered very lucky in terms of the distance between our homes and school. Faulkner Crescent is only 15 minutes walk away from school. Most of my friends need to walk longer distances, cycle, take buses or even train to school. Just to think that I used to complain that my current accomodation is very far away from school. But, I think the journey by foot to school will be much easier if there aren't any uneven roads.

Alas, the official school term has ended. But I still need to go back for 2 days next week. What a dampener! Nevertheless, it is better than 4 days! Time to start serious revision for exams, the first paper is on 19th June. On an ending note, honey waffles with butter taste heavenly! =)

Hiatus

I won't be blogging so often now,since I am rushing numerous assignments and haven't really started proper preparation for the exams. So, I take back my words when I said that there might be 31 entries in May. Shall devote as much time as possible to resting and sleeping now. So far, my grades have been fairly okay, scoring from 58-100%. For your information, I only need to ensure I get 50% overall for everything in order to pass. except for the miserable management essay which I scored less than 40%. Tony has agreed to see me next Monday to discuss about it, lets hope that it will be a fruitful session.

Finally, I have completed Experiment 2 and 3 of CHEM 3310. But I am stuck with the oxime stereochemistry question for Experiment 4. Feel so lazy to look for the answers at home, all thanks to the slow Internet. And there is a slight dampener. Alan will be shifting to Edwards Hall in the University campus on Friday. That means that I would have one less buddy to communicate with in the house. Frankly speaking, my terms with him are the best among everyone here. Nevertheless, we still be staying in contact since I got his MSN address already. Although he is only 19 years old, he demonstrates an impressive level of maturity and sensitivity. Kudos, mate!

I wonder why Ding's "cousin'', Suz, asked me to vet nursing assignments for her. And I foolishly agreed, now I feel like thinking of an excuse not to help her. It is not because I am mean, it is because I am bogged down by heaps of assignments. And I found it bizzare when Ding mentioned that Suz is not her cousin. Ah well, never mind. Should think twice before agreeing to help people so readily next time.

On some ending random notes, 4 cheeses marcoroni tastes delicious, with milk and butter. Cleaned the cooktop today, after Hongjun told me that Simon might be coming for a spot check ( but in the end, he didn't come. :P ). Tomorrow is the last management tutorial, hope to score as much participation marks from it as possible, so to whoever who is reading this post, please pass me all your luck! ( provided you do not need them)

Long therapeutic sleep

Tomorrow is the last day of the official school term already! But I need to come back on Monday and Tuesday afternoons next week. =( For there is a last session for both CHEM 3210 tutorial and CHEM 3310 retrosynthetic workshop. Speaking of the latter, the questions posed at the workshop yesterday were so difficult. The methods that Adam used to cut the complex molecules seem so different than that of Dr Bates'. And there were barely any retrosynthetic lectures that taught us how to break complex compounds into the appropriate synthons. Guess I got to use my intelligence and diligence to do these kind of questions in the exams now.

Made 2 new friends at the Shortland canteen yesterday. Finally met up with Durrah face-to-face and she introduced a new friend called Ika to me. Both malay girls are really friendly and amicable, and I felt at ease throughout the 45 minutes we spent together. Exchanged numbers with Ika too. She stays in Pasir Ris, which is definitely "light years'' away from Jurong East. But the good thing is, her location is within walking distance of Downtown East, where the holidays chalets are located. But given a chance, I rather stay in my own home, because all the daily necessities are within an arm's reach. Ate a small but hearty portion of spaghetti bolognease for an early lunch. It was bursting with cheese flavour and I really like it. Ika stays in Waratah West, which was where Durrah used to live in. Both of them imprinted good impressions in my mind, look forward to meeting them once again before leaving in 37 days time.

Gave Kelly a towel which I had gotten from Tasmania as an advanced birthday present. She was really thrilled and gave me a hug in return. That was a very sweet gesture , because I am really glad that she liked what I gave her. Could feel her sincere thanks from the heart, especially when she mentioned that she did not expect me to remember her birthday. Kelly, like Catherine, may be a new friend, but she can make one feel really comfortable with her reassuring words and ready smile.

Did my CHEM 3310 lab reports with Catherine for about 3 hours after lab as well. We alternated between Auchmuty Library and CT Building because there was a lesson going on in the former's computer lab. Got to discover an useful spectral database website, all thanks to Catherine. She really knows how to look for the information she needs online. If not for her, I wouldn't have discovered Google scholar, Chemspider and SDBS. Managed to wrap up both Experiment 2 and 3, and will hand it in on Friday, hopefully, Adam will be in his office. I feel the mighty burden lightening significantly when I pass up my assignments.

Reached home at 7.30 pm, paid Hongjun the money I owed him and proceeded to cook dinner. Fried mushroom omelette and managed to fold it into a nice shape again. Remembered to add soya sauce to the raw egg mixture this time around. The end product was good, but not perfect, because small portions of the eggs were still quite watery. Dessert was an apple, but its size was a far cry away from the apples I got at Jesmond Fruit Barn. Fell asleep before 9 pm and woke up at past 6 am today. That is more than the usual duration of 8 hours.

Sigh, since I am not going to school today, I will try to make good use of the time today to complete my CHEM 3310 lab report and start on Ian's assignment which is due on Friday. Wish me the best of luck,everyone! For I have a huge tendency to waste the day away by lazing and slacking.