hmm...

i told myself that i would talk about my new Violet Crumble which is fully in my digestion system now (devoured it in less than 1/2 an hour) and Malte's not obsession but painful necessity of 6 packets of Mi Goreng each day (3 for lunch and 3 for dinner - he sleeps till the afternoon so that he won't have to eat another 3 for brekkie) and when I log onto MSN, I find out from Ms. Su that her Mum is in stage 4, breast cancer.

My mood took a 360 degree turn obviously. I told her to hang in there cos she said it's tough being there for so many people (her job is akin to a counsellor in IACT) and it doesn't help that she's got a big family too... I hope she'll get through this hurdle soon. She said they just found out. I think her mum just found out too... It's scary to be a female sometimes... *sigh*

Well, i'm not exactly enthusiastic about my Violet Crumble confectionery anymore though it tastes SO much better than Cadbury's CRUNCHIE in my opinion. it's less sweeter and the honey comb is smooth and not crumbly and soggy like Crunchie's.
On the way back to my room from the kitchen, heated up yesterday's leftover tuna in the microwave, I heard Malte telling Andrew (who's moving out REAL soon to Freo [according to Nithil] - all his stuff are in the common room. I nvr knew his room could fit so many things! there are like little cupboards and mobile drawers and all) that he was going to continue his Mi Goreng meals until he left SV. LOL...

Yesterday night, when i was heating up my tuna for dinner, i asked him how did he come across Mi Goreng? seeing that only oriental stores would sell them in bulk (i told him that he could a box of 30 pckts for aud8.80 and he went to buy it immediately ><). he got to know from Andrew apparently and the first time he made it, he didn't know he had to drain the water, so he had soupy Mi Goreng.. *yuck* i don't know how that would taste but I do know that the sachets of powder and sauces aren't exactly SOUP friendly... and he said that it tasted really weird and that he didn't like it at all...
The second time he cooked it, i think he looked at the illustration behind the packet and tadah! he got hooked. Very appropriately called the King of Mi Goreng, since the day he beat Kim and Sam by devouring 10 packets (i think?) of Mi Goreng continuously that night. LOL! I recorded the whole thing but they're all in several videos...

anyways, I'm going to devour my leftover tuna with rice crackers (they're seriously yummy and not to mention healthy - yeah i know i'm compensating for the confectionery i just devoured... :D) I heard McD's (or Mackers as they are known here) would be using this idea in Malaysia sooon... the last time i took the survey with that company... er... Something Nelson? oh! AC Nelson, where Shafinah told me to go for, we were asked about the response Malaysian fast food goers would have if McD's introduced the idea of healthier living... Not a bad idea at all really...

lalala

seeing that my current task is to come up with a writing project of a minimum OF 2500 words, i might as well relax a little now seeing that i can no longer come up with catchy phrases and avoid OVERLY FAMILIAR PHRASES (this is the main emphasis my lecturer would also point out - please try to avoid overly familiar phrases) - doesn't she realize that phrases become overly familiar because they sound good which is why many MANY writers use them and when a new generation of writers come into this world, they review the work of these many MANY writers, thus adopting their style of writing and WILL OBVIOUSLY use OVERLY FAMILIAR PHRASES.

And this other point about "your writing should be concise," seriously doesn't make sense. You're asking us brain-dead-at-the-end-of-the-day youths to write concisely for a 2500, minimum word limit project?? it's insanE!!!!!!!! I'm long winded by nature, how do i hold that back and cut back what i say or type, in this case, for my project??!?!?! ARGH!!!!

And how can u be the judge of a FRESH PIECE OF WRITING. it's a very biased criteria really. If i wrote about my life back home and the things which she hasn't even heard about, then will that be considered fresh? or just long winded and boring with overly familiar phrases of "back home..."

Showing evidence of being influenced by ideas that have been discussed in the whole subject so far is fairly easy seeing that I'm going to or MIGHT follow some structures of free verse poem found in my reader..

The stress which comes from writing is really hazardous to one's health. Please do not try this at home on a leisurely basis, you WILL, i repeat, YOU WILL kill your leisure-stress-free period.


Anyways, enough ranting about assignments, will be getting back to that SOON ENOUGH so let me just rant about my day here for the rest of this post. there's no stress involved because i'm letting it ALLLLLL OUUUUUTTTTT!!!

I just finished one Heong Peah :D YC gave Chris and I one each - she bought it from Chan Brothers - a chinese grocer which is very very far even from the bus stand. I will rarely go there....

No classes but my mind was playing with the several ideas i had for this writing project n studying for Aus cinema (exam on thurs) is a CHORE.!!!! especially when there's so much information on each film. i feel like i'm reading a film review rather than theories and facts.. @@
oh well...

MY main concern is the assignment (look above) and my journal... T_T
I thought writing journals was going to be fun!! it isn't especially when you've got criteria to hold you back and make sure you write with those specific points. ugh.....

Dinner today was a simple sandwich of scrambled eggys with mushroom and cheese..
n hey! i'm still hungry... Tummy piling on the layers.. so unhealthy.. but i can't help it...
YC said when she went back to kl two weeks ago, she felt so hot (as we're more accustomed to the weather here already - windy and cold even when there is sun) and had less cravings.. hmm..
I wonder why....

can't wait for this sem to be over... i wanna be taken on tour in Victoria Park.
Regi lives there. n i will be staying over at her house for a night on Monday (june 2) while she brings me around her area and go get ITALIAN WOOD STOVE PIZZA. SWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEETTTT!!!
then when i get back to SV, i continue my studying for narrative open book test (YEA!) on friday June 6.


Ugh... the weather for the past two days have been so chilly that i wear socks into the kitchen.. i don't want to wear my slipper socks - the floor has gooey substances and god knows what else on it.. YUCK!

i guess i better go wash up and maybe munch a little bit more to keep me awake. Might go see my lecturer tomorrow to seek her advice on the lil piece of writing i'm working on at the moment.
GAMBARRE!

Pictures long overdue...

hey Pa, Mi and u5 :P

Here are some pictures of Flat 3, Murdoch University Village.
(click on the image for a better view)...



Basically, this is how the flat looks when you stand in the common room and take this shot. The brown door nearest to you is the ladies', followed by the store room (where the mops, broom, vaccuum cleaner and more are) and is followed by the gents' and then rooms 8, 7 and 6 which is the room closest to the main door of the flat. MY room is the closest to you on the left, which is also the closest to the common room. Thus, my decision to get a room change is pretty obvious.



And here's the Common Room (when it is untouched and clean -.-''). Our sofas are really comfy so it's not impossible to doze off when you're tired. Our TV is courtesy of our seniors who have left the flat before we inhabited it.



Here's the view from our Common Room looking through one of our sliding glass doors and windows. Lovely isn't it? I took this today so if your eye is sharp enough, you would notice the difference in lighting when you compare this picture to the one above. Today's pretty sunny and it illuminates the trees and fallen leaves beautifully. And oh! see those chairs outside? The drinking hooligans are the ones who take it out from under the dining table and out there to sit and drink and make noise till I feel like killing them in the wee hours of the morning *fumes* This sliding door and the other one near the kitchen, look below, are the main exit and entrance doors of our flat. Only Megan and Nithil use the flat's main door cos it's more convenient for them.



And THIS is our dining table for 6. It usually has plastics bags and boxes of beer and other cans of liquor and liquour but come inspection periods, it's clean!! I've only sat at the table a few times (countable) and eat my meals plus watch TV but nowadays, I sit on the couch, and eat my potatoes. Get it? "Couch Potato". Lol! (ok, lame joke).


This is the view from the other sliding door which is very near the kitchen. Usually Marve, Jon's 'adopted' pet Quindah (it's an endangered species in Perth), would come around sometimes and look for food for its lil ones. It's like a bigger version of a mole + rat and it's pretty fuzzy looking. Tiza still gets freaked out whenever she sees it crossing her path in the flat. lol. The flat down the path is Flat 8, where Christiana lives in. You see the second window from the left? That's her room. Lol.


And NOW we enter the kitchen area. Looks so clean eh? It was horrible before this... REALLY horrible.. will put up the pic at the end of the post when my mobile has finished charging its batteries.. From here you can see the rubbish bin (which I personally took out to wash it inside out because the smell and remnants of fermented beer was turning into 'something' and the smell... I couldn't bear it. So yeah, i Washed it. Then someone's bag is on the floor (it's not THAT CLEAN) and you see the white grill and oven. And each one of us picks a cupboard with shelves to put our stuff; groceries, and appliances if needed.
oh! I got to know that Jon is the one who provides the pots in our kitchen. I always thought that there were provided by the Student Village.. @@

Those fridges on the left are where we store our raw stuff and freeze the necessary ones. like Duh... I chose the cabinets under the stove cos it was the only one which I could reach and there were none left besides this one, so I occupied it. Might change storage cabinets once the new semester starts. And I think I wanna change fridges too. The one protruding out a lil bit more is a bigger fridge and looking at the amount of stuff I buy, the fridge i'm occupying now with the lack of space on my shelves and all.. is just too packed i would say...


And TA-DAH...


THIS was how bad out rubbish bin was plus look at the height of the recyclable stuff - it has never been so bad!!!!!!! but yeah, it has happened.. that's all that matters...

RIDICULOUS!

You know the whole perception that, “things will be better overseas” when you do a comparison with what you have back home and the yearning for better things to come when you’re in some place different? I’m sorry guys and gals but THAT doesn’t always happen... especially when you’re living where I am right now.

Perth, the most isolated city in the world – quoted from an unknown website I stumbled across randomly over Google...

Let us now narrow the scope of the focus of my ranting now and it is none other than the UNI I go to..

Back in Malaysia, the lecturers may not always deliver the most interesting lectures nor do they know what they’re talking about most of the time but we get compensation with FREE WIRELESS INTERNET CONNECTION and FASTER CONNECTION (mind you), print quota of about 300 pages per semester (print B&W or coloured pages till your hearts content y’all!) AND we are able to see our lecturers anytime of the day (as long as they’re still in college and they’re at their desks).

Even when I had all the above, I still wasn’t satisfied...

NOW...

I have to PAY for internet connection – costs differ with webcam and headphone usage, to print and to photocopy stuff == here, there isn’t such a thing as making photocopies of books. NO BOOKSHOP WILL LET YOU DO IT; it’s against the law, simple as that. Food choices here are less than satisfactory and the Asian foods here aren’t exactly Chinese type of foods to begin with. [They’ve all been Australianized.... There is NO PROPER VEGGIE!! There are only cubed potatoes with long beans. And THAT’s the only type of VEGGIE! The rest of the dishes are all meat!!!!! –chicken cooked in 5 different style – bbq, honey, crispy, lemon and soya sauce.].

I’m living on campus – the admin of the accommodation is awful...

For example, my heater... the most recent of my complaints... The guy came and took it from me yesterday and said that he would bring it back LATER. If he had said, “I’ll bring it back in a few days’ time” – i would totally understand and give him his time... And today, I went to ask for my heater at 2.40p.m. but he was out for lunch. Fair enough – A lady at the reception took my name, flat number and room number and said that she would notify him once he gets back from lunch. At 4.10 p.m. I go to the admin office and guess what another lady tells me?

“Paul went back already”.

Me: (I stood there jaw dropped halfway and I explained that I got someone to pass him a note after he had come back from lunch about my heater and all and guess what she replies...)

She: You come back tomorrow at 8.30a.m.

Me: ...

I’m fuming!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m going to email him again now, asking him when exactly is my heater coming back. I really don’t care if the people at the office hate me for complaining but it’s because they’re not doing their designated jobs which result in unsatisfied student customers.

ARGH!!!!!!! n i tot college back home was bad....

Assignments galore. (pun intended)

Summer's over! but daylight saving time isn't just yet. Autumn's here.. well unofficially.
First thing's first, Thanks Mi for the recipes :D

Assignments assignments assignments..
Will update this blog after i'm done with my work,.. hopefully...

Fire scare..

The most recent of events was last night's lil fire scare.. It was already 12a.m. + and my common room, all of a sudden, became real quiet so i thought, "This is sweet...". SO I casually walked out to my bathroom when I heard Megan at the door shouting out to Tiza, who had just come home from work, to evacuate. And there I was, my body halfway into the bathroom with my head sticking out and looking at Megan for quite a bit while she was still repeating the words, "C'mon get out now. They told me to" and she kept signalling with her hand to come out. and I asked her,"What for?" >< I guess I was just really sleepy at that time.. Then Tiza came out and only then did I realise that something was amiss.

Apparently someone left chicken cooking on their stove while they dozed off - in flat 6 i think ><

I was in my shorts and tee and it was freezing cold!!! I called Chris to tell her and she immediately came out with a jacket for me :D Thankies Chris.. *hugs*
WE waited outside for approximately 10 minutes before we were allowed to go back in..
"SO drama" -as we Malaysians would say..

And i'm liking the floor alot these days.. Even now, i'm using my laptop while I sit on the floor.. I don't know why.. IT's more comfy than the chair they provide here THAT's for sure..

Before the fire scare, Chris, Jayne, Azim and myself were at THE HOUSE ( occupants: Jason, Sid, YC and Ricky) to have home cook dinner courtesy of Sid's mum. She cooked rice to eat with ayam masak merah (pedas siut!) and Ayam Kicap specially for YC cos she cannot withstand spicy food (Hongkie girl) plus Ox tail soup and stir fry vegetables. There was even Neapolitan ice cream for dessert.. :D *slurp*

Oh! and his parents brought The Star from back home too.. and it was a Sunday paper so imagine the braised duck and tau foo far pictures we saw... *faint* it was unbearable... Unattainable!! BAWL! Sid's dad kept laughing at us cos we were so deprived of Malaysian food that we tried our best to block these images from passing our eyes..
*close eyes with hands*

Today i'm suppose to read my Frankenstein book - the 1818 century text @@ So mind boggling... Assignment deadlines are nearing... T_T no!!!!!!!!!
Cooked bacon n egg to eat with two pieces of bread and today's the day i opened my Heinz ketchup too!! In australia, they don't sell many ketchup brands cos everyone here eats tomato SAUCE - watery as hell .. *eee...* So Heinz is the only ketchup brand.. And I also boiled one bowl of corn.. *bloated* it was a good breakfast :P

I gotto start drafting my story for tomorrow's class.. I need to provide at least two drafts..., I only have one so far!!! T_T
This is not goood....... -.-


Wish me luck to get motivated and inspired.

Beach Picnic

Well, not much has been happening except that the girls and myself went on a Beach Picnic organized by the Student Village yesterday.

Am finding it a bit overwhelming to do the Narrative subject but I've already made myself go through with it by purchasing the books so I will do my best to cope with it. :D

Anyways, according to Phang who also lives in the SV, he said that we actually paid aud160 - event fees. All of us were shocked to hear that.. So from now on, we will go for all the events which provide food and drink.. I mean, c'mon, AUd 160!!!

Just looked thru facebook and I'll add some more pictures which was taken with Jayne's camera :D

AHAHAAHHAHA
this morning.. I went through the common room to go to the laundry area and the door was closed. When I opened it, i only heard the TV so I thought I'd close the door quietly and as I neared the kitchen, one of my flatmates, Sam, was dancing his way out of the kitchen. LOL. It is a good workout in the morning ^^

yesterday...

i wanted to blog as soon as the day ended but heck, i was too tired to sit up in front of my comp to type anything anymore..

Yesterday morning started out great cos I slept soundly the whole night :D
Woke up two hours after my alarm rang and sprung out of bed at about 10.30a.m. to do my journal.. Today, i'm suppose to read my week 1 readings... *sigh* so many pages of I'm not sure what...

I did my duty today - the GENTS. I'm not kidding! i sucked it up and did my best and it's, sorta, spotless :D Mum must be so amazed seeing that I don't even do house chores at home. lol.

Later, i'll b going to Uni to meet SHima for my Auzzie Cinema notes...

it's FRIDAY already

Yesterday was CHAP GOH MEI - if I'm not wrong, it's the 15th day of Chinese New Year and it is also the LAST day of CNY? Am I right Mi? *grin* - all info stated is courtesy of me pals. lol.

N OH! pls click on the ad which appears on the top right hand corner so that it adds money to my account. It's called advertlets ppl, and it generates money for you which I can cash out once it reaches RM100. SO help me out by clickin on the ad if it appeals to you or if it doesn't, just click on it anyways ok? at least once a day :D ARIGATOU

Australian Cinema's really interesting and the lecturer's pretty funny too. HE's hillarious! and it really makes the ever-so-daunting-name of the unit so much lighter and fun! it reminds me a lil of documentary actually.
Went to IKEA again :D i bought myself a mini rack where I can put my rice pot properly and not fearing that it would block my path and all that anymore. N I fixed it all on my own! NEAT eh? and also a quilt -a lil bit thicker from my soft fleece blanket. and I got to sleep a lil bit better last night, though it IS still VERY COLD in the night.. ><

Dinner, we had Risotto - reminds of me of the glutinous rice, Lo Mai Kai, from back home. The only difference is that Risotto has alot of cheese in it. NYAM!

Feb 22, 2008
This morning I'm having Tim Tam biscuits for breakfast. Will be coming back for lunch seeing that I've got a break from 12 - 3.30p.m. @.@ Mi ar, I think i get the IDD card when March comes la... U can still talk to me online ar..
YC's suppose to follow me for today's Narrative:fiction and film unit but she said she doesn't want to cos she read the unit guide and there's alot of writing involved.. (0.O). OK!... and she's a PR major... (O.o) OK!!!!!!!!!! no comments.... so i guess, i'm going to be in the class alone again.. oh but i heard Farah's in that class too.. (dum di dum...)

Ok anyways, I just realized that most of my classes for this semester is similar to Literature and DANG! i didn't bring any of my literature books with me >< *sigh* time to buy summore stuff.. yet again...

Lecturer's a good story teller and I tell you, the lecturers here have a wicked sense of humour compared to the ones in Malaysia who are, majority, dead and yeah.. dead.. Some do try but their attempt almost always fail..

Our tutor, is a PhD student and he lets us argue about stuff on our own and won't put a YES or NO on anything we say. WICKED! But the session was also a wake up call for me - i felt kind of isolated or ostracised - a more accurate term. Cos I don't read alot of books nor do i remember the films I watch cos when I watch films, the main aim of it is to lose myself in it? n Not analyse... *sweats*
It's a tough class but interesting no doubt.

will be grinding my readers tonight!

GAMBATTE!

The girls, Chris and Jayne aren't back yet - they went shopping. T_T oh no.. the guys just invited more of their friends over... I think I'm going to stay in the library more often from next week onwards.. At least I get peace and quiet or even sit under the trees to read or something.. Sheesh...

First day of class

Feb 18, 2008.

My first class for the semester is Creative Writing:Text and Practice. I enrolled in this unit with the expectation of learning how to become a creative writer.. Unfortunately, I know now that I would have to do alot of reading on prose, poems, and mainly articles or books. @@. *help*

Anyways, the lecturer's a pretty helpful one and she's real nice - seriously.

Yesterday, Went to the bank to check whether or not my bank draft had cleared and it has! but the downside of the day was that my readers which I need are all out of stock! how is this possible!! argh........ Met Caine for lunch and it was his treat :D seeing that we're not able to go Fremantle and him as my tour guide as promised since last year. The Curry chicken rice was not too bad. Not like in Malaysia but it was still filling and the walk back to Uni after that was a good digesting workout.
Really sleepy, so took a nap as soon as Chris left for class and omg! why do these people have to gather in my flat to yak and drink?!?!?! ugh... Never mind.. Well, at least i got a good few minutes of rest..
Dinner - had defrosted garlic bread, Chris donated her bacon and corn on cob for dinner :D

Today, Dr. Owen's class again and it felt like a book club >< where everyone discussed about their favourite authors and all. I finally realised that I'm not THAT into John Grisham. I like to read about real people and their lives. Reader's Digest for example, has those kinds of articles where real people tell about their heartfelt experiences and it is then imprinted onto paper which makes it all the more newsworthy, in a sense.
We were also instructed to write a short piece after hearing your partner's experiences and all that. Went to Coles today in the afternoon after doing my laundry. Bought milk and cereal and uncle toby bars :D and a few other dry foods which will come in handy once i get really busy.
Made my own dinner. WEll, not EXACTLY on my own - with bacon, eggs and sausages with bread and Cheese :D

Later after collecting my laundry, I will hv to sit at this desk and think up of short pieces to write and all... *drained*

Aiks... been kind of busy the past few days.

Hey mum, dad and u5! :)

before day 4, We went on a reconnaissance trip to Perth and visited King's Park and Fremantle market.

King's Park a really beautiful place and we spend a good one hour taking pics. lol. u5, show mi and pa photos in the woodrat account of facebook k? FREO was a familiar place to Jayne, Chris and I seeing that we went there the day before as well, but it was an all new place for Sid, Ricky, Jason, and YC.

Then comes day 4 (look at previous post). Dinner - WE cooked pasta! yummy.. very filling... then the late night chats amongst us. HILARIOUS! lol.

The following day, the trio (Jayne, Chris and me) went to Coles for a bit to get supplies - i got slices of cheese which would come in handy once i start classes (just slap a piece of cheese in btwn bread and i'm off!), additional canned food, biscuits (mum, yours is running out of supply ><). OH! then later at night, we had the International Students dinner - provided by the Uni. WE were all split into different groups. Mine was Uluru - it's a sandrock in Australia. (pls google it if you don't know what i'm talking about). Dinner consisted of chicken, A big bun, salad and drink - all served to us in buffet style. Played a few games and there was this girl in my group named, "yin". (O.o) it feels weird la u know? we had to make make a model out of aluminum foil of what represents Australia the best. Our group wasn't really creative.. -.- but we attempted to make the Australian flag. I rolled the stars into shape :D well, sorta.. Other groups had surfer dudes and all. We were all in awe... *.* Anyways, Come Feb 13, the trio had cereal for brekkie. I think my milk was a lil bit spoilt cos I remember rushing to the loo an hour after that >< style="font-weight: bold;">Feb 14, 2008
Valentine's Day! -Jason, YC, and the trio went to IKEA for the very first time - It's huge! (it's Thursday so most shops open till 9p.m.) Shared salmon and sandwiches plus drink and an Almondy Daim (they hv the cake in Malaysia too)= all for aud5.50. Dinner – I’m not really sure but I think we cooked at Chris’ place – i brought my newly bought cheese with two pieces of bacon – if i’m not mistaken that is.. Can’t remember what we had for dinner that day.

Feb 15, 2008.

Had breakfast in the Village – sausage sizzle they call it – to welcome the international and other students who come to the Village for the first time. The cook was a Chinese uncle who prepared a variety of foods such as ‘kish’, samosa, spring rolls, chicken wings, and pork balls (these were good!). After that, the trio headed for Uni to have a look-see of the clubs and societies which were promoting around the Uni. Chris and I got free cotton candy – we shared one cos it was humongous! (and it was FOC! Lol :p) I signed up for Anime Club – every Sunday i get to watch free anime from 1.30 – 5.30 p.m. They haven’t emailed me on anything yet.. hmm... I hope they don’t con me... -.-‘’

For dinner, ate rice with potatoes+carrot+pork strips and pak choy with oyster sauce. Mi! I can cut veggies very well! hehe.. Jayne says i'm her official "cutter" - i know there's a term for it but i can't remember it ><><). The actor’s pretty cute :P and the story is actually pretty well crafted aside from the fact that they never explained how the guy Jean-Baptiste, found an ingenious way of preserving human scent by using animal fat. It was never explained! Jayne was quite disturbed, Chris was disgusted and I was, well, still trying to figure out how he knew how to use animal fat ><

Feb 16, 2008.

It’s Jason’s birthday! Happy Birthday Papa Bear :D Had a surprise cookout and a lil party for him at his place. Initially, the plan was a bit messed up but thank goodness for the girls’ cover up/ back up plan, it all went well. He was surprised as hell! Haha.. WE had pizzas (thawed+baked), wedges+ fries (fried and grilled), fizz and we bought him a chocolate mud cake as well as little ‘thoughtful’ gifts. Hehe.. He loves them :D

After dinner, we all sat in front of the laptop in the living room watching Russell Peters. OMG! He’s hilarious. Somewhat like Pablo Francisco. Then watched Mr. Bean’s Holiday whilst Chris and Jayne fell asleep midway, I was still up and about watching it. It was an okay movie.. Not THAT hilarious.

Feb 17, 2008

Yi Chian awoke us with her, “LADIES, Time to wake up!” at approximately 7 a.m. – we agreed to go check out the 2^nd hand flea market with her at Kardinya today @@. I didn’t really sleep well. I think I miss my bed at the Village (-.-). Sluggish, the trio arose onto their feet like zombies. We took turns to shower and Sid came with us – our escort (:D) Ricky changed his mind and said that he wanted to sleep summore.. It was chilly for a while then the sun rose and we started sweating – THAT’s how bad the heat is here.

At the 2^nd hand flea market – They’ve got really good stuff here Mi. Better than the 2^nd hand bazaars we see in Malaysia. All the items are in good condition, some almost brand new. Chris bought the most stuff. I saw books and magazines for $0.50 each~ so i bought 3 (inclusive of paper craft mags :D) After that, We all popped in to IGA SUPA – the only supermarket which opens 7 days a week from 7a.m. to 9p.m. – so the stuff are abit pricey. Where there’s demand, prices would certainly go up. But only certain items were pricier than Coles and K-Mart. I looked through the chocolate bars, the Cadbury ones, and they’re seemingly cheaper than the ones I saw at Coles. It was only $2+ here whereas at Coles it was $3+.

YC called (when she was walking with Sid back to their place cos Sid had to do his ‘business’) and told us to hurry cos it was already drizzling.

Back at their place, Sid was nice to make everyone breakfast with the lamb slices he bought at the halal market the day before. He gave everyone two pieces each (T_T) it was really good with the mayo and cheese gratings. *lick lips* Thank you Sid! He even cut fruits for us to eat after that.

Went back to the Village and my flat seems like a disaster –In one word, I was DISGUSTED. I was contemplating for a good hour whether or not i should enter the kitchen at all to cook myself lunch. I couldn’t stand it, so I braved myself to wash the pots and pans lying around and THAT WAS IT. I couldn’t even touch the plastic containers lying around with food stuff inside cos they had an awful stench. Took ‘gambar’ in case I need them.

The worse was, I didn’t know how to operate the stoves. Too complicated for me.

Thank goodness for the BBQ dinner provided by the Village. At least I didn’t have to face the kitchen again ><>

I can dance! Hahahaha.. i think it’s a natural talent for most girls to move to the music. Had a good 2 hour work out on the dance floor (in the Village REc Room) with my friends. WOOHOO! Awesome!

Went back to my flat and there were more people coming into my flat to drink and yak n stuff till the wee hours of the morning..

Feb 18, 2008.

I sluggishly get out of bed – sleep wasn’t very good cos of the noise of drinkers n my room is just next to the common area @@. I need ear plugs..

Anyways, I already listed down the stuff I needed to do today. Met J when I came out of my room and asked him how to operate the stove and I brought up the topic of cleaning up and he said they would do it, no worries. I also mentioned that I cleaned some of the kitchen utensils but I didn’t dare clean the plastic containers cos they stank like mad. He said that he understands how it feels to be the one cleaning up and all. (thanks J!) I’ve spoken my peace!

One of the items on my list was to go check up on my report about my towel rack! It’s been almost two weeks and Koga isn’t doing anything. UGH! So I wrote my report again for the 3^rd time, this time omitting the chunk of wood protruding out of my drawer cos it wasn’t necessary. Went to collect my mail too. N i’ve got my PIN numbers for my bank accounts. Will check them with Chris later when I meet her at UNI.

Aite, will update when I get back :D

Came back from class and Malte (i think this is how his name is spelt) told me that a snake entered the flat.. and so did a redback spider! (two of the most poisonous beings in Australia *faints*) he even took a picture of it!! WAH!! it's not huge but it's slithery and small... and he and the other guys started cleaning the stuff and all and sprayed their rooms and all. I didn't bother spraying my room... OH! n met this indian guy who stays in room 1 - Nithil. I think he's from India.. his accent seemed pretty strong.

Dinner - had economy rice! WAH!! the chicken portion was massive! aud6. not bad eh? n i think it'll last me for quite a while.
Finally changed my pre-paid plan.. so now i'm getting a better deal. Will buy an IDD card just in case yea Mi?

Till tomorrow!

Finally.. Living the Perth life.

This is my 2^nd attempt at typing my posts for my blog cos Jayne accidentally switched off the main socket thinking that my adapter was her laptop’s adapter *sweat*

Anyways, here are short and summarized records of what has been happening ever since I left KLIA.

At KLIA, Mum, Dad and bro had to help me decide on what I really needed to bring to Perth and the stuff I needed to forgo as my luggage had already exceeded the maximum weight of 32.5 kg. So there we were with Yi Chian and her family (also trying their best to minimize her already 40kg luggage to at least 32kg) rummaging through the lot we’ve both packed. After a good 20 minutes, my luggage finally reached an acceptable weight to pass through the check-in counter. WOOHOO!

Dragged my hand luggage and teared cos I was just really emotional about leaving home and becoming a more independent person *sniff*

As soon as I reached the MAS customs, omg! It was just the beginning of a continuous nightmare. As I had a million and one things on me (Jacket, camera, laptop and other small stuff in my pockets – I know my parents must be “Yin Ling....” ><) it was really difficult to take out everything in my pockets, especially when mum shoved a purse into my pocket and I had to always hold my passport in hand. Luckily for me, Yi Chian and Siddiq helped me alot through the times we went through these checks. THANK YOU SO MUCH BOTH!

I never want to go through such thorough checks anymore.. I almost had to pay a fine cos there was a butter knife in my hand luggage ><

The first plane we boarded, Christiana, Yi Chian and I sat together whereas Ricky shared a row with Sid. The food was good – black pepper chicken with fried rice with side dishes of chicken salad, a sweet rice dessert and a bun with butter. The air stewards and stewardesses were really friendly and they constantly refilled our drinks without us asking them to.

In contrast, the second we boarded in Bangkok at 1 a.m. was less than satisfactory. The seats were hard and they couldn’t recline and the leg room was so little that Yi Chian, Ricky and I could only twist our waists and slouch and stretch our backs now and then to loosen up our muscles. Christiana had to sit with another passenger because the air stewardess at KLIA was just silly to assign her to sit at another row from us when we specifically said that we are travelling together. Sid and Azim (whom we met at Bangkok) sat together and were always laughing like mad hyenas. @.@ After liftoff, we thought we could catch some shut eye but as soon as I was beginning to fall asleep, I suddenly heard a deep voice saying, “Excuse me sir”. Opened my eyes and there standing beside Ricky was an air steward with Ricky’s Muslim meal at 2 a.m.!! ARGH!! This was unacceptable! Breakfast at 2a.m.!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had to wake YC up and by that time her right leg had begun to hurt due to her injuring it 1 week before departure added with her old knee injury. The blood circulation in her leg had just slowed down I guess and no matter how she tried to move her leg, it would hurt so bad as it showed clearly on her face. Poor girl -.-‘’(Luckily when we touched down, the blood circulation in her leg started regulating and although she was limping, she looked like she could withstand the pain a bit better).

After the breakfast (which was awful – there was Raviolli pasta which was half cooked with the pasta sauce on it with funny tasting fruit and jelly and a hard bun), of which I only took the bun without any butter.

the airlines had an in-flight movie, Bee Movie but it only lasted a good 8 minutes or so. After those few minutes, the movie hanged, and non-audio advertisements followed *sweats* of all the things to happen. “Fine,” I told myself and tried to sleep upright. It was quite a torture. At 3a.m., all the lights were turned on AGAIN!!!!!! And this time the airline staff gave us all forms to fill up. OMG!!!!! I could kill them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had to nudge YC quite a bit to fill up the form. By now, Ricky had already caught a lil sniffles which was quite contagious cos after a while I started sneezing continuously when we were 400,000 miles above sea level with a temperature of -0.5 degrees! (faints).

Constantly woke up to move also cos my legs were cramming up and it felt horrible. The toilet was really nice and clean though! Hahahahaha. Poor Ricky, he could hardly breathe cos of the cold air from outside the plane and the full air conditioning in the plane.

Breakfast before landing was stale burger bread with cold meat with a serving of tasteless fruit and funny tasting chocolates (O.o) How far can they go with the low quality food served!

At approximately 7.25 a.m. (8.25 a.m. in Australia), we caught sight of Perth. I thought the airplane’s windows were just filthy and misty and asked Sid, “Are you sure Perth is THAT gloomy? It’s SUMMER!,” and he said yeah it is raining. (O.o).

A rough landing at Perth airport and Ricky and I almost screamed when the cabin luggage area opened! (T_T). CUSTOMS once again!! The stupid lady cut opened your container of biscuits Mi! And luckily the biscuits didn’t soften- they were still crispy! Yay! Hehe..( Transferred them to another container and quickly closed the lid to prevent further damage to my goods :D)

The distance between the airport and the Shuttle Service bus was quite a bit and it was pouring hard. So yeah, we were all drenched, and so were our luggage. Arrived at the Student Village when the rain came full blow. And I was, “Listen(ing) to the rhythm of the falling rain”.. ><>

Didn’t unpack immediately as we went out to have lunch and buy groceries with Gaya and Jayne at Kardinya Park’s K-mart which reminds me alot of Malaysia’s Tesco – only difference is that the stuff they sell here look so much more appealing and they sell a huge variety of stuff where you cannot get anywhere else. The four of us pushed back two cart loads full from the mall to our Student Village in the RAIN!!!!!! (It’s the 4^th day and I’m surprised that I didn’t get seriously ill – don’t jinx it Gaya tells me ><). By the time I came back with them and got into my room, it was already evening and we said that we would prepare our dinner together – make chicken sandwich. It was OK la.. not my kinda thing for dinner – I rather have cereal. Seriously.

So I got back into my room at about 2 a.m. plus after scouting the Village with the other three girls just to check out the place and the Uni has to really get more lights to be installed around the village cos, apparently, there are snakes and bunnies and rats around. I SAW A BUNNY HOPPING WHILST I WAS ON MY WAY BACK TO MY APARTMENT! CUTE!!!

I cannot really unpack cos one of my drawers are ruined and they didn’t give me a towel rack to hang my towel!! Ee.... tomorrow complain to the administrator.

DAY 2

I woke up with an aching head and body cos I've never walked so much before whilst pushing a trolley of loads of stuff from the supermarket back to our Student Village and I bought my TWO PIllOWS! Ahahahhaha...

The plan for today was to open our bank account and apply for an Internet connection at the student village. Alas, none could be done because the bank’s website was down. As for internet service, I couldn’t gain access cos my account had been disabled due to the fact that I haven’t enrolled in any subjects for this semester yet. Went to the guild and on the way there we met Yi Chian, Sid and Ricky who had put up for the night at the hotel in the city that they had booked before they arrived. We started comparing telcos and Sid still thinks Telstra is the best. Ish.. then why are all my Aussie friends saying that Optus is D’ BEST? Ish...

Then we went to Kardinya Park again. This time we went to Coles and OMG!!!!!!!!! The amount of CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE BUNNIES and CHOCOLATE EGGS!!!!!! WAH!!!!!!!!! *faints* they’ve got like 5 aisles filled with chocolates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!! Don’t worry mi and pa, I will control myself *evil grin*. Yew Fai, Jie will buy for you Tee shirt and chocolates. ALOT HERE!! You cannot imagine.......

So there we were, pushing two trolleys full of groceries and I actually bought CELERY sticks, butter, sausages, bacon, bread, cereal and a couple of instant meals and Uncle Toby muesli bars to stock up for the long run especially if I don’t have any money or if I don’t have time to “cook” lol. Do I even cook? OH! Bought chicken stock too... To marinade stuff – veggie and chicken = Jayne’s advice :D

Day 3

Jayne, Chris and myself took a bus to FREO (Fremantle) today to check out the place and WOW! it's like a mini Kuala Lumpur there except that they have shops which don't repeat what the other shops are selling. You know how KL shops have one item, let's say accessories and when you enter another shop it has similar stock and all? These shops are all so unique in their own way and the market has the freshest fruit and vegetables i've ever seen!

Have you ever seen a peach the size of your palm when your fingers are all spread out?

I bought 3 plums for AUD 0.80!! and a box of fresh strawberries for AUD 2 - the aunty was also Asian so she gave me a cheaper price from AUD2.50 :)

Discovered a AUD2 shop. EVERYTHING in there from kitchen utensils to accessories to essentials and stationery all only cost AUD 2. Mi, i bought my laundry hamper from this shop.. cos it was only AUD 2!!

Indulged abit as it was a hot day so we all had Amano Gelato ice cream - the equivalent of Baskin Robbins in KL. :D The cone is made out of baked waffle.. yum... and we also discovered Jay Jay's - Chris's bro had been telling her about it even before she left for Perth and there we were looking at all the tees and pants and flip flops. There were designs from PEANUTS (Snoopy and Charlie Brown), Japanese manga ASTRO BOY, DC comic characters (Batman, Superman, Green Lantern) and really cool looking grafitti tees! [the outlet is also available in Garden City Shopping Centre :D].

That night, Jayne, Chris and myself cooked pasta - the remainder of the raw foods we purchased collectively at K-Mart the other day. Pasta and side dish for dinner.


Day 4

After this morning's briefing at the Uni welcoming us to Perth and all, Jayne, Chris and I went to open our bank accounts - seeing that we could not do it any earlier do to their system being down over the weekend.. The bank draft takes about 6 days to clear! and the ATM only comes within 2-3weeks? eeee... but I'm still able to take out cash manually they say so it's aye ok.

Next, I went to the enrollment centre at the School of Social Sciences to seek advice on what I should be doing this semester to ensure that I complete my course within this year. The computer system wasn't updated and the first guy, Malcolm, told me that I had to take the Intro to Mass Comm unit which I had already completed during the diploma level. I was flabbergasted. So he said I should go see John Tan (who has been corresponding with Christine of KDU all this while about my overloads and stuff). So i practically limped to the other side of the Uni cos I think my tendon or something is not used to being used too much - walking everyday - at least 2 km each day back and forth UNi -.-

Saw John Tan and I expressed my concern and all that. It was a relief to know that he knows of my complicated situation very well and assured me, with a black and white document, that I would not hv to repeat the foundation unit as mentioned by Malcolm.

So limped back to the School of Social Sciences which is located at the South area of the Uni (OMG!) and talked to Malcolm for a bit regarding my overload and all that.
THEY are very lenient and nice - not like how Christine mentioned that they don't always give overloads and all that (Jason and Jayne were lacking 6 points = 2 subjects, cos Sasha didn't check their enrollment properly and immediately, Murdoch granted them an overload. So diff from what Christine told me and DAD saying that they are very strict and stuff.. sheesh... unnecessary worrying only).

And guess what? I don't hv to overload anymore :) cos Malcolm said that he would notify the graduation office to grant me to 1 point which i'm short off. YAY!
no more stress for now... :D

Initially, i told Chris that I didn't want to go for the Garden City Shopping trip as My legs hurt so bad but after a while it was ok so I went with her. Jayne and Jason had to stay back to settle their enrollment whereas YC and Sid went to do their banking stuff.

The place was SO huge. The Uni staff only gave us till 4 p.m. to shop around - we arrived at approximately 2.30p.m.
We entered PRICELINE - it's a pharmacy which sells all types of lotions and stuff plus makeup and chocolates and biscottis!

Bought my sunblock finally - my skin burnt liao.. red red and itchy.. it costs me AUD 3.99 - the cheapest so far.. seriously! not lying.. and i bought soap blocks and a soap dish.

Next, went to REJECT SHOP - Wow... everything there is AUD 1 onwards... i bought tissue packets and more containers seeing that i hv alot of food to open - biscuits. i also bought an ice tray.

I can't be listing down all the things I've bought here Mi, but don't worry, will use my money wisely.. cos Jayne's our accountant and she always asks me, "do you really need that? think properly" so yeah, it's in my head already now.
Don't worry :)

Will post pictures sooon.. I will need to know how much they're charging me for the Internet usage cos they don't let us keep track of it.. we hv to go to the website to see for ourselves.. so weird.

TAke care!