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.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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. :)
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. :)
Saturday, June 21, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, June 20, 2008
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!
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!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
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
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
Friday, June 13, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
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
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
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