The British Council held a pre-departure session at Marina Mandarin for all UK-bound students today, and the Singapore societies from the different UK unis and colleges were invited to set up booths. The entire exco was there... plus a few others. Talking to this year's freshers and their parents, we wondered if we had been the same confused and lost beings that some of them were. ;) So far there's still only just one biologist; engineers dominate, as has been the case always. While we were not entertaining the 'customers', we sat back and watched videos and Naruto on our laptops. Hee...
Had dinner and went to Funan with Lionel after that... since we both wanted to take a look at the techy gadgets. I'm still hunting around for laptops. Dell doesn't have well-rounded models lately... and Fujitsu has a few. Many of my friends own Fujitsus, and the reviews seem to be good. Think I might wait for the roadshow to get one...
Another Saturday gone. I've only managed to go to Buloh twice this hols, and one of them was on a weekday... I was off duty. There're still so many places I'd like to explore, but my days are already pretty much packed. There's an intertidal trip to Hantu tomorrow morn (at 3am!!), but I know I won't be able to pull myself outta bed. Steam's running out... needa catch up with some much-needed sleep.
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Friday, July 30, 2004
My family's still in Thailand, but this little period of nigelisation at home gives me time to pause and reflect. This holiday trip was... different. My parents have 'let go' a tad, it could be said.
Flying kites, combing for seashells on the beach, or frog-hunting at night are safe-enough activities... they don't present much of a challenge. I wanted more. We stopped by the tour agency for brochures, and most of them promoted jungle-trekking, river canoes, bamboo rafting, elephant rides, and the likes. Khao Lak and Khao Sok were two large patches of mountainous national parks, and they were nearby. I never knew that my parents would allow it, let alone be game for it. My mom went, "Why not?" and my dad didn't disagree.
So it went that we hopped into a safari jeep and had our local guide take us to the largest national park in southern Thailand... to Khao Sok. There, through the drizzles and the downpours, we were paddled through the river in canoes, ate out at a village hut, and witnessed in awe the strong resemblance of the misty Thai mountains to the ones in Chinese poetry. We trekked through the wild jungles on the backs of elephants.
It was wild, by my family standards, and it was heaps of fun.
Sunset from Khao Lak beach
Flying kites, combing for seashells on the beach, or frog-hunting at night are safe-enough activities... they don't present much of a challenge. I wanted more. We stopped by the tour agency for brochures, and most of them promoted jungle-trekking, river canoes, bamboo rafting, elephant rides, and the likes. Khao Lak and Khao Sok were two large patches of mountainous national parks, and they were nearby. I never knew that my parents would allow it, let alone be game for it. My mom went, "Why not?" and my dad didn't disagree.
So it went that we hopped into a safari jeep and had our local guide take us to the largest national park in southern Thailand... to Khao Sok. There, through the drizzles and the downpours, we were paddled through the river in canoes, ate out at a village hut, and witnessed in awe the strong resemblance of the misty Thai mountains to the ones in Chinese poetry. We trekked through the wild jungles on the backs of elephants.
It was wild, by my family standards, and it was heaps of fun.
Sunset from Khao Lak beach
Photos from Sydney and the Snowy Mountains have been up for a while... 'was a little too lazy to announce the links.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
I'll be outta the country again from today till Fri - family holiday. This time it's just a little skip upwards to Phuket.
Monday, July 26, 2004
My apartment was in a total mess (it still is) when my friends came round today. Cartons and boxes everywhere, books lying all over my room floor, a desk with hardly any white left visible... but the mess was the least of my worries. Understandable, since we were preparing to move. What I was more concerned about was what I like to call... compatibility. For tonight's BBQ, undoubtedly my last one at The Atria, I had called together the little fraternity of Imperial Linsteadians (Viv, Jingye, Lionel, Alex, Darren, Junsheng) and the one Beitian aka honorary Linsteadian (Jed), my bio mates Marvin and Xiao, ZF who remains to this day the only close friend I have from sec sch who's in S'pore, and ThiHa and Jeanne from my Buloh gang. I wasn't sure if it was gonna turn out OK. It'll be a weird combi, though a few people from across those groups might have met one another in the past before. I guess it went alright. There was no awkwardness... not even with my sis and my dog around. :P Even though I ran around and up and down and only started having my dinner when the others were about to start on the fruits... I had some fun... the kind of which I hadn't experienced since my earlier sec sch days. This is my circle of friends now, and I'm glad. Well... some others couldn't make it but I'm sure there'll be a next time. ;)
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Saturday, July 24, 2004
After months and years of househunting, we've finally settled on a place.
I'll be moving soon... to Anderson Rd, in the vicinity of Orchard - in 'town'. Imagine! Just 1 km from Orchard MRT. No more waking up too early in the morn to get to Sungei Buloh, no more calling my mom up to request for pick-ups, no more East Coast... I do love the East, but the place where I'm staying now is not the most accessible of places. It's currently down on the calendar for the first week of Aug.
So that's why I needa pack my room and chuck things out.
I'll be moving soon... to Anderson Rd, in the vicinity of Orchard - in 'town'. Imagine! Just 1 km from Orchard MRT. No more waking up too early in the morn to get to Sungei Buloh, no more calling my mom up to request for pick-ups, no more East Coast... I do love the East, but the place where I'm staying now is not the most accessible of places. It's currently down on the calendar for the first week of Aug.
So that's why I needa pack my room and chuck things out.
Yay! I've got my results. They're exactly as expected, with biochem trailing far behind and ecology, behaviour & evolution in the lead. Didn't do that well but I've passed on to the second year, and that's all I needed. :)
Yep, so Sat night was spent over at Grace's place. While watching Hannibal and Pirates of the Caribbean, we were tucked into sleeping bags cushioned and blanketed with doonas in the huge living room of her big, big house in the cold, cold suburb of Pymble.
Sun
I followed Ali back to her place... and spent some time on the computer. There my preciouss went suicidal again and hung, and refused to start up continuously for up to half an hour. Grrr...
Lunch was the famous pancakes at the Rocks, and this time Cyn and Sel joined in. Met Chung in the arvo... strolled around Circular Quay... along George Street... and then met up with almost our whole gang at a Jap place in Chinatown for dinner. That was to be the biggest turnout so far. While the rest went to chitchat at a nearby coffeeshop, a few of us went to the arcade... I went for the shooting games again. ;)
Mon
Today I had arranged to meet Andrew; he's the commitee member from APYEN-Australia. An 'ABC', he studies at UNSW and heads the Green Campus network there. Friendly talks revolved around current environmental issues and plans for APYEN over a hot drink at Circular Quay. Not satisfied with just a meet-up-and-go, we took a ferry to Watsons Bay and trekked around the national park. The weather wasn't kind... it was drizzling, pouring at times, and we only had one umbrella between us. I decided to stick to my hoodie. There were four rainbows that day... and two of them were 'double rainbows'. We stopped at the clifftops, looking into the vast Pacific Ocean to the right, and the misty skyline of the Sydney Harbour to our left. Boy I love Sydney.
Made my way back to the city to stock up on snacks and instant noodles; we were gonna set off towards the Snowy Mountains that evening.
Ali filled up her 75L backpack, and I only had a 35L one. Clara had a small suitcase, and Cyn had a sports duffelbag. I felt insecure and understocked. We gathered at Central for the 6-hour southbound journey. I slept for most of the way.
It was past midnight when we arrived in the Aussie high country... we were 1370m above sea level. In our half-dazed states, we checked into our bunker bed room at the Snowy Valley Resort, and went to the hire shop to grab our ski gear and clothing. There was a little snow on the ground that night, but the weather wasn't particularly cold. I was still in short sleeves + jacket.
Tues
The coach took us to Thredbo alpine village in the early morning... after a full breakkie. I had three layers on at first, but after hopping off the coach, I felt the heat of the sun and took off a layer. Then... it was ski, ski, ski... all the way from 9am till 5pm, with short breaks and lunch in between. I stuck to the beginner track that day, testing out the skiing ability which I first 'picked up' in Japan many years ago. It was still somewhat there... at least I could zig-zag down a slope and keep my balance. I had, however, no control of my speed... and had to do an about turn to come to a stop. Cyn and Clara, having skiied in the Snowys before, had a few practice runs down the beginner track and then went up the chair lift to the top of the first quad. It was Ali's first time skiing, and so she went for a lesson and stuck to the ski mat.
Being a little more adventurous than usual, Ali and I decided to take the Gunbarrel express, an extremely long chair lift up to the one of the peaks on the mountain. For a person who's afraid of heights, I had no idea why I wanted to do that. The first bit was the scariest... legs dangling freely from the chair, heading upwards, wind blowing fully into my face... and looking down I felt dizzy. But after a while... the numbness from the fear faded and I grew to enjoy the scenery from up there... the view of the creeks and valleys... and the snow-capped peaks... The journey back down was just as daunting, but it was exhilarating.
We were aching by the end of the first day... and our shins hurt from walking around too much in the ski boots. My arms hurt greatly that night, from overusing the poles and from having too hot a shower while my arms were still cold. Not wanting to stray away from the heater too much, we stayed in our room and watched Aussie Idol, Big Brother and the OC... and three of us former roommies talked about what has been happening in our lives.
Wed
Today was a repeat of yesterday morning. I tried going up the chair lift and skiing down from the top of the first quad... it was much more fun! But my arms still hurt, and I couldn't rely on the poles too much.
We took the shuttle to the valley terminal for lunch. Ali and I 'discovered' a wonderful patch of deep snow by the creek... and we tossed snowballs, slept on the snow and buried our legs in the snow. It was simply beautiful, and we decided there and then that the next day, we'd go exploring the mountain and other wild places along the creek and rivers.
Thurs
I didn't even bother putting on my ski boots while on the coach. I had donned my hiking boots in the morn and intended to keep them on. I had tucked the inner leggings of my pants into the boots and carefully made sure that there were no gaps around through which snow could pass through. Today... Ali and I were gonna to exploring. We started off along the road, and upon approaching the river bridge, discovered the Merritts Nature Track. That was the way we went. It was like bushwalking... in fact, it was bushwalking, but with snow. It was dense Aussie bush with snow-covered ground all the way, and it was neither too cold nor too hot. We came to a little clearing midway, and there we lay on the snow with the sun shining through. I took off my parka and jacket and slept on them... and even with just short sleeves on, it was warm. It was like what I had imaged an alpine country to be... it was my dream 'snow country'. What's more was that those were all wild places... where it was possible to trek around without seeing man-made structures. I climbed trees (or tried to), waded in the creek shallows, ate snow, and dug around in the snow which was deeper (taller) than my green Sprite bottle. I loved it.
We left for Sydney in the evening, and once again I stayed over at Ali's house. I had wanted to catch the sunrise over the Harbour in the morn... but I guess I was too tired and so slept it through.
Fri
Fri morn was a complete rush. Went to the bank to settle some of my account stuff, met up with my guardians (the family friends who had watched over me when I was there in high school) for lunch, met Tania to pass her back her sim card, met Cyn and went to get some seafood stuff to bring back to S'pore for my mom, went to Sussex St to get the many packets of wonton pei (also for my mom), and met with Mon and went to Coles to buy boxes of Pop Tarts (does anybody know where in S'pore have Pop Tarts gone? Supermarkets used to have it but I can't find 'em anywhere anymore... ), and finally rushed back to Ali's to pack up my things and get ready to leave for the airport.
This trip was too short... there were still many things I had wanted to do in Sydney, and did not have the time for. There were just so many things on my to-do list.
Oi, oi, oi, I still love Syd.
Sun
I followed Ali back to her place... and spent some time on the computer. There my preciouss went suicidal again and hung, and refused to start up continuously for up to half an hour. Grrr...
Lunch was the famous pancakes at the Rocks, and this time Cyn and Sel joined in. Met Chung in the arvo... strolled around Circular Quay... along George Street... and then met up with almost our whole gang at a Jap place in Chinatown for dinner. That was to be the biggest turnout so far. While the rest went to chitchat at a nearby coffeeshop, a few of us went to the arcade... I went for the shooting games again. ;)
Mon
Today I had arranged to meet Andrew; he's the commitee member from APYEN-Australia. An 'ABC', he studies at UNSW and heads the Green Campus network there. Friendly talks revolved around current environmental issues and plans for APYEN over a hot drink at Circular Quay. Not satisfied with just a meet-up-and-go, we took a ferry to Watsons Bay and trekked around the national park. The weather wasn't kind... it was drizzling, pouring at times, and we only had one umbrella between us. I decided to stick to my hoodie. There were four rainbows that day... and two of them were 'double rainbows'. We stopped at the clifftops, looking into the vast Pacific Ocean to the right, and the misty skyline of the Sydney Harbour to our left. Boy I love Sydney.
Made my way back to the city to stock up on snacks and instant noodles; we were gonna set off towards the Snowy Mountains that evening.
Ali filled up her 75L backpack, and I only had a 35L one. Clara had a small suitcase, and Cyn had a sports duffelbag. I felt insecure and understocked. We gathered at Central for the 6-hour southbound journey. I slept for most of the way.
It was past midnight when we arrived in the Aussie high country... we were 1370m above sea level. In our half-dazed states, we checked into our bunker bed room at the Snowy Valley Resort, and went to the hire shop to grab our ski gear and clothing. There was a little snow on the ground that night, but the weather wasn't particularly cold. I was still in short sleeves + jacket.
Tues
The coach took us to Thredbo alpine village in the early morning... after a full breakkie. I had three layers on at first, but after hopping off the coach, I felt the heat of the sun and took off a layer. Then... it was ski, ski, ski... all the way from 9am till 5pm, with short breaks and lunch in between. I stuck to the beginner track that day, testing out the skiing ability which I first 'picked up' in Japan many years ago. It was still somewhat there... at least I could zig-zag down a slope and keep my balance. I had, however, no control of my speed... and had to do an about turn to come to a stop. Cyn and Clara, having skiied in the Snowys before, had a few practice runs down the beginner track and then went up the chair lift to the top of the first quad. It was Ali's first time skiing, and so she went for a lesson and stuck to the ski mat.
Being a little more adventurous than usual, Ali and I decided to take the Gunbarrel express, an extremely long chair lift up to the one of the peaks on the mountain. For a person who's afraid of heights, I had no idea why I wanted to do that. The first bit was the scariest... legs dangling freely from the chair, heading upwards, wind blowing fully into my face... and looking down I felt dizzy. But after a while... the numbness from the fear faded and I grew to enjoy the scenery from up there... the view of the creeks and valleys... and the snow-capped peaks... The journey back down was just as daunting, but it was exhilarating.
We were aching by the end of the first day... and our shins hurt from walking around too much in the ski boots. My arms hurt greatly that night, from overusing the poles and from having too hot a shower while my arms were still cold. Not wanting to stray away from the heater too much, we stayed in our room and watched Aussie Idol, Big Brother and the OC... and three of us former roommies talked about what has been happening in our lives.
Wed
Today was a repeat of yesterday morning. I tried going up the chair lift and skiing down from the top of the first quad... it was much more fun! But my arms still hurt, and I couldn't rely on the poles too much.
We took the shuttle to the valley terminal for lunch. Ali and I 'discovered' a wonderful patch of deep snow by the creek... and we tossed snowballs, slept on the snow and buried our legs in the snow. It was simply beautiful, and we decided there and then that the next day, we'd go exploring the mountain and other wild places along the creek and rivers.
Thurs
I didn't even bother putting on my ski boots while on the coach. I had donned my hiking boots in the morn and intended to keep them on. I had tucked the inner leggings of my pants into the boots and carefully made sure that there were no gaps around through which snow could pass through. Today... Ali and I were gonna to exploring. We started off along the road, and upon approaching the river bridge, discovered the Merritts Nature Track. That was the way we went. It was like bushwalking... in fact, it was bushwalking, but with snow. It was dense Aussie bush with snow-covered ground all the way, and it was neither too cold nor too hot. We came to a little clearing midway, and there we lay on the snow with the sun shining through. I took off my parka and jacket and slept on them... and even with just short sleeves on, it was warm. It was like what I had imaged an alpine country to be... it was my dream 'snow country'. What's more was that those were all wild places... where it was possible to trek around without seeing man-made structures. I climbed trees (or tried to), waded in the creek shallows, ate snow, and dug around in the snow which was deeper (taller) than my green Sprite bottle. I loved it.
We left for Sydney in the evening, and once again I stayed over at Ali's house. I had wanted to catch the sunrise over the Harbour in the morn... but I guess I was too tired and so slept it through.
Fri
Fri morn was a complete rush. Went to the bank to settle some of my account stuff, met up with my guardians (the family friends who had watched over me when I was there in high school) for lunch, met Tania to pass her back her sim card, met Cyn and went to get some seafood stuff to bring back to S'pore for my mom, went to Sussex St to get the many packets of wonton pei (also for my mom), and met with Mon and went to Coles to buy boxes of Pop Tarts (does anybody know where in S'pore have Pop Tarts gone? Supermarkets used to have it but I can't find 'em anywhere anymore... ), and finally rushed back to Ali's to pack up my things and get ready to leave for the airport.
This trip was too short... there were still many things I had wanted to do in Sydney, and did not have the time for. There were just so many things on my to-do list.
Oi, oi, oi, I still love Syd.
Saturday, July 17, 2004
Thurs
It seemed as if I was only here last week, walking down the same streets, taking the same buses, eating at the same food court. Sydney's almost the same as I had left it a year, a month, and two weeks ago.
Arrived on Thurs morn, and was welcomed by the almost-perfect Sydney weather. Short sleeves, plus a jacket. Warm sun, slight breeze, clear skies, white marshmallow clouds. Hopped into Mon's mini (that car... was practically kissing the floor... it felt like riding in one of those bumper cars in a theme park :P). I was with Ali at the back... 'twas a cool little car... the smallest car I've been in. After settling down at Mon's place, we walked to Broadway. We walked along the same path which I took almost everyday, then, when I walked to my lectures. Went past the gates of USyd, my faculty buildlings, and the union building. Took a few pics here and there. :) Had lunch at the foodcourt there... replaying the same scenes from more than a year ago... same stalls... same dish. Vincy met up with us there, and we planned out the schedule for the upcoming week. I'd be spending the nights in 6 different places in the 8 days I'm here! Too many things to do... all spread out... and not enough days in the city.
Took the train up to Chatswood to meet up with Charmie for dinner... went to Andronicus. Thurs night being late shopping night, we did a little shopping around... I've finally gotten myself a new pair of hiking boots. Very comfy, but I wish they had nicer colours.
Returned to the city with Ali, went up to her place for a while, and then we got back to Mon's place where we were to spend the night. Managed to get hooked up with the 'net... spent some time online and still comparing my many customised configs of laptops (I'm on my 9th quotation now). Still can't decide between two Dell models...
Fri
Went grocery shopping with Ali at Broadway. Got a few boxes of poptarts and LCMs. Lunch there again... this time it was Thai food. Next... Ali's place... then went to catch a movie at Hoyts on George St... with Charmie and Vincy joining us. The Stepford Wives was... interesting. Freda met us after the movie and we went karaoke-ing at the Greenbox. Wheeee!!! Voice's gone hoarse. Had a massive bowl of noodles for dinner... none of us could finish our portions... either 'cos it was too big, or 'cos of the presence of the cockroach hovering above on the wall behind us... hmm... it didn't bother me but poor Ali kept looking back above her shoulder. Bummed around at Ali's place... watching Pokemon on Cartoon Network (of all things) and Astroboy. I kinda dazed off somewhere in between...
Got gelatos - nowhere near the quality of authentic gelatos in Italy, of course :P - at Circular Quay and very unwisely (unwise 'cos the breeze was strong, and we were having ice cream... and thus we were cold) strolled along the harbourfront, up the steps of the Opera House, and took in the night scenes of the city. With the many stars shining in the skies... it was beautiful.
Slept over at Vincy's place. Boy is it much colder in the suburbs.
Sat
Haha... Wahroonga... brings back memories. Revisited my old school Abbotsleigh with Vincy in the early arvo... took lots of pics. The kookaburras which hang out around the tennis courts are still there. It was a tad too quite though... it's the school hols. Not a soul to be seen on the school grounds, which is all for the better... I prefer some quiet times. Enjoyed a huge packet of chips from (the then) Chookas' down the street... now it's been renamed. I love their chips.
Now I'm shielding myself from the rainclouds outside... spending some time on the 'net (as usual). Too much, but there's always stuff to be done online. Grr... really need a new laptop soon... can't Photoshop without hanging my preciouss...
Will be off to Grace's place soon. The whole gang'll be there... a few are gonna sleepover. She's got a punching bag at home! Wahaa! I am currently desperately in need of a punching bag or two... walking ones other otherwise. ;)
It seemed as if I was only here last week, walking down the same streets, taking the same buses, eating at the same food court. Sydney's almost the same as I had left it a year, a month, and two weeks ago.
Arrived on Thurs morn, and was welcomed by the almost-perfect Sydney weather. Short sleeves, plus a jacket. Warm sun, slight breeze, clear skies, white marshmallow clouds. Hopped into Mon's mini (that car... was practically kissing the floor... it felt like riding in one of those bumper cars in a theme park :P). I was with Ali at the back... 'twas a cool little car... the smallest car I've been in. After settling down at Mon's place, we walked to Broadway. We walked along the same path which I took almost everyday, then, when I walked to my lectures. Went past the gates of USyd, my faculty buildlings, and the union building. Took a few pics here and there. :) Had lunch at the foodcourt there... replaying the same scenes from more than a year ago... same stalls... same dish. Vincy met up with us there, and we planned out the schedule for the upcoming week. I'd be spending the nights in 6 different places in the 8 days I'm here! Too many things to do... all spread out... and not enough days in the city.
Took the train up to Chatswood to meet up with Charmie for dinner... went to Andronicus. Thurs night being late shopping night, we did a little shopping around... I've finally gotten myself a new pair of hiking boots. Very comfy, but I wish they had nicer colours.
Returned to the city with Ali, went up to her place for a while, and then we got back to Mon's place where we were to spend the night. Managed to get hooked up with the 'net... spent some time online and still comparing my many customised configs of laptops (I'm on my 9th quotation now). Still can't decide between two Dell models...
Fri
Went grocery shopping with Ali at Broadway. Got a few boxes of poptarts and LCMs. Lunch there again... this time it was Thai food. Next... Ali's place... then went to catch a movie at Hoyts on George St... with Charmie and Vincy joining us. The Stepford Wives was... interesting. Freda met us after the movie and we went karaoke-ing at the Greenbox. Wheeee!!! Voice's gone hoarse. Had a massive bowl of noodles for dinner... none of us could finish our portions... either 'cos it was too big, or 'cos of the presence of the cockroach hovering above on the wall behind us... hmm... it didn't bother me but poor Ali kept looking back above her shoulder. Bummed around at Ali's place... watching Pokemon on Cartoon Network (of all things) and Astroboy. I kinda dazed off somewhere in between...
Got gelatos - nowhere near the quality of authentic gelatos in Italy, of course :P - at Circular Quay and very unwisely (unwise 'cos the breeze was strong, and we were having ice cream... and thus we were cold) strolled along the harbourfront, up the steps of the Opera House, and took in the night scenes of the city. With the many stars shining in the skies... it was beautiful.
Slept over at Vincy's place. Boy is it much colder in the suburbs.
Sat
Haha... Wahroonga... brings back memories. Revisited my old school Abbotsleigh with Vincy in the early arvo... took lots of pics. The kookaburras which hang out around the tennis courts are still there. It was a tad too quite though... it's the school hols. Not a soul to be seen on the school grounds, which is all for the better... I prefer some quiet times. Enjoyed a huge packet of chips from (the then) Chookas' down the street... now it's been renamed. I love their chips.
Now I'm shielding myself from the rainclouds outside... spending some time on the 'net (as usual). Too much, but there's always stuff to be done online. Grr... really need a new laptop soon... can't Photoshop without hanging my preciouss...
Will be off to Grace's place soon. The whole gang'll be there... a few are gonna sleepover. She's got a punching bag at home! Wahaa! I am currently desperately in need of a punching bag or two... walking ones other otherwise. ;)
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Had the toughest wushu session yesterday... am totally spent. Aching all over now... muscles strained to the max.
Spent today on Orchard Rd again, this time with old friends - ZF, Tania, and Fu Wei. It'll be a while before we get a chance like this again; Tania's having her mid-year hols, back from Sydney, and Fu Wei's having his break from school in Perth, and... ZF's free. The timing's just right. A pity Lydia couldn't make it. Passed some stuff to Jed and Darren (whom I passed by twice more on the streets) while I was there. Watched The Whole Ten Yards, the sequel to The Whole Nine Yards which I believe was a movie from 4 years ago. Heh, I've said before that I don't believe in sequels, and I still stick by it.
Bad luck once more? Ria's next series of intertidal trips take place on the 17th-21st of the month. Yes I'm back in S'pore, but I won't be in town!
Sydney, here I come! I've been looking forward to this since months ago... can hardly wait. For once I won't have to carry books and stockfulls of food over. It's been a little more than a year since I was last in Sydney... I do hope a week and a day's enough time for me. I doubt if I'll have time to blog again before I set off. Gotta settle last minute SingSoc stuff and pack and tidy my room, in anticipation for what's to come after I return from my trip (more later) ;).
I'll be gone Thurs till next Friday...
Later mate!
Spent today on Orchard Rd again, this time with old friends - ZF, Tania, and Fu Wei. It'll be a while before we get a chance like this again; Tania's having her mid-year hols, back from Sydney, and Fu Wei's having his break from school in Perth, and... ZF's free. The timing's just right. A pity Lydia couldn't make it. Passed some stuff to Jed and Darren (whom I passed by twice more on the streets) while I was there. Watched The Whole Ten Yards, the sequel to The Whole Nine Yards which I believe was a movie from 4 years ago. Heh, I've said before that I don't believe in sequels, and I still stick by it.
Bad luck once more? Ria's next series of intertidal trips take place on the 17th-21st of the month. Yes I'm back in S'pore, but I won't be in town!
Sydney, here I come! I've been looking forward to this since months ago... can hardly wait. For once I won't have to carry books and stockfulls of food over. It's been a little more than a year since I was last in Sydney... I do hope a week and a day's enough time for me. I doubt if I'll have time to blog again before I set off. Gotta settle last minute SingSoc stuff and pack and tidy my room, in anticipation for what's to come after I return from my trip (more later) ;).
I'll be gone Thurs till next Friday...
Later mate!
Sunday, July 11, 2004
I'm honoured. Ria was invited by the NDP committee to take part in this year's NDP Moblog, and she's featuring some wild people in her entry. Here's mine.
While you're at it, check out her fabulous photos and her comprehensive wildsingapore site.
Many of the people featured on the page, particularly Keith, Joseph, Nick, Dr Chua and Ria herself, have been my mentors, my inspiration, and I have the deepest respect for them. I wouldn't have come this far if not for them.
While you're at it, check out her fabulous photos and her comprehensive wildsingapore site.
Many of the people featured on the page, particularly Keith, Joseph, Nick, Dr Chua and Ria herself, have been my mentors, my inspiration, and I have the deepest respect for them. I wouldn't have come this far if not for them.
Saturday, July 10, 2004
Well if anyone's wondering what's with all me blogging so much all of a sudden... it's simply 'cos I've devoured the 81 episodes of Naruto on the CDs (in about 8 days). Trying to get hold of the remaining episodes from Viv over msn was a failure. I've nothing better to do on the computer! Besides, I can't Photoshop SingSoc stuff all day long.
Soon, it'll be back to FRIENDS.
Maybe I should start work on the exotic species database thingy.
Or do some training at home so that I'm not always tired out after the sessions.
Soon, it'll be back to FRIENDS.
Maybe I should start work on the exotic species database thingy.
Or do some training at home so that I'm not always tired out after the sessions.
Last night - dinner with the SingSoc people... 9 of us in all. Spent over an hour waiting in line... dined at Crystal Jade Kitchen at Taka. We were so full... spent some time strolling around Orchard and browsing in Borders after that. I'm refraining myself from getting more new books... gotta first finish reading the many untouched ones that are resting on my shelves and desk. Currently concentrating on The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, one which my dad had been recommending since my Commerce days in Sydney. It attempts to answer 'why some are so rich, and some so poor'. It deals with geography, politics, technology, history, business and economics, people relations... ooo I like it.
Cycling in Ubin
Yesterday morn and arvo...'Twas fun, but in such environments I think I'm better off exploring by foot. There're too many distractions! When I cycle, I scan the bushes and treetops... and pause all-too-often when I hear some bird call. At least I didn't do so as carelessly as what I did while at East Coast Park, which resulted in a fall and an awful bleeding bruise on my knee. I remember my mom chiding me after that incident telling me that it's either cycle or birdwatch, not both.
The info kiosk at Ubin has been renovated... with spanking new bathrooms. Ali, former Buloh staff but now based in Ubin, highly recommended us to try it out. :P
Companions for the day were the SingSoc people... Lionel, Darren, Jed, Manda and Yanda. Thiha also came along. We explored mainly the eastern end of the island, and I finally had a chance to visit Chek Jawa, though not 'properly'. I merely walked around the rocky end of that beautiful place, having fun with the crabs and mudskippers and onchs (sea slugs). I saw anemones with colours I haven't seen before. It was low tide, and the mudflats were exposed. There were many, many Straited herons feeding. :) I wanna go there again... I wanna walk with my reef shoes... and explore the whole place. The 2004 CJ transect took place on the 4th of July; they had emails circulating, asking for people to help out with the survey. I volunteered, but they rejected. They wanted someone who could go for the compulsory workshops held prior to the transect, but I was still in London then and was unable to attend. Bah. I wish Ria would do some trips soon. I miss Sekudu too.
I've been accumulating mozzie and sandfly bites. They're everywhere now, Buloh, the islands, and even the Botanics. My legs are looking like I've measles or something.
Had a coconut after lunch... and the rest had durians. Eww. O_O
Found a stick praying mantis on a tree while cycling (I still have not idea how I did that, only that I wish I could do *that* more often, as right now I've to call it 'luck'). Didn't catch sight of the hornbills, but the highlight of the day, when we were back at Changi Beach, was a lifer for me. There was a Coppersmith barbet up in the trees... the cute little thing! :D
 Collared kingfisher |  Stick praying mantis |
 Resting in the shade at Chek Jawa |  Biking on the trail |
More photos:
Birds | People & the environment | Insects | Mammals | Ubin
TKG class reunion
My former sec 3 class of TKG held a little reunion party on Thurs night at Aloha Changi. They had a live band, DJ, dances and free food and drinks, but the atmosphere was rather dead. Many people there were friends of the organiser(s)... people whom I did not know. I exchanged polite greetings with those I recognised. It was... awkward. Frankly, I felt that I didn't quite belong. Tania was there too... she's just returned from Sydney. The both of us strayed away from the crowds and sat in a hut near the beach, chatting the night away. I haven't seen her since last year... there was a lot to catch up on.I told myself... that I have to admit that I'm done with them, save for just a handful of closer friends. I had left them, so to speak. Prematurely. That, plus they were not my type to begin with. Those with whom I could mix, I had already became good friends with in the earlier sec school years. I was (or am) much closer to my sec 1 and 2 friends...
Recalling the article The Death of Friendship:
Of course, new friendships blossom and grow as some of the older ones wither and die. These new friendships should be enjoyed, the old ones never forgotten, and the true, lasting friendships should be cherished. Look back on that photo album with happiness and nostalgia, remembering what that person added to your life and how they helped to make you who you are. Be thankful for the times you had, and look forward to the memories that will be provided by newer friendships, and the true friendships, in the future.
Yup, I am thankful, and I am extremely grateful for the friends, old(er) and new(er) ones, that I have now. As Lionel put it, it's an 'exponential growth' of friends ever since I went to London. :)
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
Lazarus Island
Lazarus Island, aka Pulau Sakijang Pelepah, used to have a rocky shore and coral rubble vibrant with reef life, but unfortunately, that cannot be said of it today. It has already been 'lost to reclamation'; and it is no longer accessible to the general public. I was honoured to be one of the seven who had to wake at 5am today to meet at Clifford Pier in order to catch Lazarus at the lowest tides. Ironically enough, the man who provided the transportation (in the form of an offshore-sportfishing-type boat) and made it possible for us to visit that southern island... was the guy in charge of the reclamation project. -_-" STB wants to turn it into a beach resort island, and they're currently building a jetty, causeway and other structures there.We arrived at the island before the break of dawn, and we could see the lights from the tractors and other machines stationed near the boat ramp. Climbing down the rock wall which separated the construction area from the lower shores, it looked at first like any other intertidal environment. We recce-ed for a 'bivouac' area and then set off, at our own pace, to explore its shorelife. It's rather sad... most of what is left are corals, sponges, and algae. There were shrimps, crabs, snails and shells and the odd brittle star, but other than those, there were none of the other animals which could easily be found on the intertidal flats in the northern and other southern islands of Singapore. Ria kept muttering, "death and destruction... it's desolation all around". Most of the gang were members of the wildfilms team; they were there to do some documentation. There was nothing much; we were scheduled to leave Lazarus at 11am, but we ended up leaving the place a couple of hours earlier. A consolation... the thing that all of us thought made the whole trip worthwhile... was a considerably rare find - a Spider conch, a type of snail.
Despite the poor collection of photographs I've taken at the site, I've decided to dedicate a new gallery to Lazarus Island. I doubt we'll be visiting that place again anytime in the near future...
 Approaching Lazarus |  Ria & Kok Leong working in the rain |
 Spider conch |  Glass shrimps |
Saturday, July 03, 2004
Today's session at Sungei Buloh must've broken the record for the longest-lasting Route 1 guided tour I've done (way over 3 hours), the least number of photos taken (I took only 10 shots) and the longest period of time spent in the admin office (working with Jeanne on the school adopter package and improving the school talk slides), and hence also the shortest period of time spent out in the mangroves. It does no justice for the number of mozzie bites I've suffered for the few hours I was out there. Sandfly bites too. Ooo itchy blisters. In those 3 hours though, I had my first sighting of a Twig-like feather-legged spider, and an Ant-like crab spider. :)
Today's dinner after Sungei Buloh also should've also broken a few records - my second North-South MRT trip which, when heading west, went past Bouna Vista, and my first time eating out on the West Coast. I had almost exactly what I had on Tues - sugar cane juice, chicken wings, stingray, the likes. Tonight was also the first in many years (I think) when I actually carried an umbrella through the rain on the streets. Usually I'd make do with only a cap or a windbreaker.
Ria's and the Beachfleas are currently in the middle of a few intertidal trips. The Sister Islands on Mon and Lazarus Island on Tues. I should be joining them for the latter... haven't really explored the southern islands yet.
Today's dinner after Sungei Buloh also should've also broken a few records - my second North-South MRT trip which, when heading west, went past Bouna Vista, and my first time eating out on the West Coast. I had almost exactly what I had on Tues - sugar cane juice, chicken wings, stingray, the likes. Tonight was also the first in many years (I think) when I actually carried an umbrella through the rain on the streets. Usually I'd make do with only a cap or a windbreaker.
Ria's and the Beachfleas are currently in the middle of a few intertidal trips. The Sister Islands on Mon and Lazarus Island on Tues. I should be joining them for the latter... haven't really explored the southern islands yet.
Yes, yes... blame it all on a lack of follow-up and shoving responsibilities to and fro and the half-hearted effort put into a long-distance collaboration. Youth Day 2004's Project REAP programme for TKGS was cancelled. Or, more accurately, the whole thing went down the drain. No word from the TKG side, no word from the SEC side... I did some emailing before I came back to get everything in place... and calling up and stuff, but there was no progress. :| Grrrr.
So yesterday, instead of giving a school talk, I went for a hair cut. Hung out a bit, returned home, watched a little Naruto, then headed to Raffles City for the SingSoc ExCo meeting. Mmmm... BK... mushroom swiss... they really should have it over at London; it'll do well. SingSoc activities... deadlines... more dates in my calendar are being marked down.
So yesterday, instead of giving a school talk, I went for a hair cut. Hung out a bit, returned home, watched a little Naruto, then headed to Raffles City for the SingSoc ExCo meeting. Mmmm... BK... mushroom swiss... they really should have it over at London; it'll do well. SingSoc activities... deadlines... more dates in my calendar are being marked down.
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Monday... went to register for practical driving lessons...
Tuesday... went to Orchard... 'downgraded' my telescope eyepiece from the too-close-for-digiscoping-38x to a 30x... developed some of my digital photos... went to Robin Leung's studio at Wheelock to witness my mom's wushu lesson in session and meet Rainbow, who's to be my instructor...
Went to Bishan... met up with Viv, Lionel, Alex, Jingye and Jed... went first to Alex's place for a little house visit-cum-bumming-around, then made our way to Newton for dinner... quoted from Viv's blog: "6 of us had like.... roti john, kambing soup, stingray, 20 chicken wings, 30 satays, 2 cups of sugar cane(i had onli 1 though..), zut-zut, squid and 2 big plates of carrot cake. spent like.. 5 pounds each. hee... so heaty, and so.. fattening." Nod nod!
Oh! That night... a few seconds after Viv stepped out from the car (she got a 'lift')... the whole estate around Aljunied blacked out... the streets... including some traffic lights... all the way back home... the way was dark... my area had a blackout as well. What followed was a frenzy of smses asking about the situation in the other areas of S'pore, and listening to the handphone's radio for news of it. Bleh. The power only came back after about 2 hours... at my side...
Wednesday... had my first session with Rainbow in the early morn. Was hardly awake then. Did a bit of training... stretching... sparring with the staff... and learnt the beginning few steps of a set of wushu. Kinda fun, but I was aching all over the day after. It ain't some easy-peensy training!
The complimentary tickets to the Science Centre that Deborah got for us during my Easter hols were expiring on the last day of June, and Wednesday was the last day of June. Thiha and my sis Jane came along. Jeanne had to work... doubly hard since she was in Australia the past few days... so she couldn't come. Caught the Grand Canyon film at the IMAX Omni theatre... whizzed through the usual sci centre exhibits... yadda yadda...
Thursday... Sungei Buloh. "Grrarr... soccer fanatics" was what I was thinkin' of that morn (besides, "Yes! Portugal won!") when Lionel messaged me saying that the guys were all sleepy-eyed from watching the semifinals till 5 in the morn... and so they'd be coming to Buloh on Sat instead. Viv just secured a temp job the day before and was required to start working immediately, so she too, couldn't make it. It became a bio outing with Marvin and Xiao. Biologists rock! :P Saw the croc... didn't get to see the boars though. Survived the day with only one mozzie bite! Met a very worn-out Jeanne and chatted with most of the staff as usual, catching up on things.
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Bleah. It's not easy catering to everyone's schedules. Lionel'll be away in KL. Jed mightn't be coming to Buloh this Sat afterall 'cos of a meeting... Alex, well... mmm. Don't think he'll wanna come if he's to be the only one. And Viv? Def a Sat but not quite certain when. Cycling at Ubin's down for next week. Wondering where that can fit in... current common free slot is Friday.
Yeah, ZF's back from her trip to HK... and Tania'll be returning to S'pore on the 5th. Lydia's already back. Time for a reunion for us foursome; it's been years. Should meet up with my other sec sch mates too. :)
Tuesday... went to Orchard... 'downgraded' my telescope eyepiece from the too-close-for-digiscoping-38x to a 30x... developed some of my digital photos... went to Robin Leung's studio at Wheelock to witness my mom's wushu lesson in session and meet Rainbow, who's to be my instructor...
Went to Bishan... met up with Viv, Lionel, Alex, Jingye and Jed... went first to Alex's place for a little house visit-cum-bumming-around, then made our way to Newton for dinner... quoted from Viv's blog: "6 of us had like.... roti john, kambing soup, stingray, 20 chicken wings, 30 satays, 2 cups of sugar cane(i had onli 1 though..), zut-zut, squid and 2 big plates of carrot cake. spent like.. 5 pounds each. hee... so heaty, and so.. fattening." Nod nod!
Oh! That night... a few seconds after Viv stepped out from the car (she got a 'lift')... the whole estate around Aljunied blacked out... the streets... including some traffic lights... all the way back home... the way was dark... my area had a blackout as well. What followed was a frenzy of smses asking about the situation in the other areas of S'pore, and listening to the handphone's radio for news of it. Bleh. The power only came back after about 2 hours... at my side...
Wednesday... had my first session with Rainbow in the early morn. Was hardly awake then. Did a bit of training... stretching... sparring with the staff... and learnt the beginning few steps of a set of wushu. Kinda fun, but I was aching all over the day after. It ain't some easy-peensy training!
The complimentary tickets to the Science Centre that Deborah got for us during my Easter hols were expiring on the last day of June, and Wednesday was the last day of June. Thiha and my sis Jane came along. Jeanne had to work... doubly hard since she was in Australia the past few days... so she couldn't come. Caught the Grand Canyon film at the IMAX Omni theatre... whizzed through the usual sci centre exhibits... yadda yadda...
Thursday... Sungei Buloh. "Grrarr... soccer fanatics" was what I was thinkin' of that morn (besides, "Yes! Portugal won!") when Lionel messaged me saying that the guys were all sleepy-eyed from watching the semifinals till 5 in the morn... and so they'd be coming to Buloh on Sat instead. Viv just secured a temp job the day before and was required to start working immediately, so she too, couldn't make it. It became a bio outing with Marvin and Xiao. Biologists rock! :P Saw the croc... didn't get to see the boars though. Survived the day with only one mozzie bite! Met a very worn-out Jeanne and chatted with most of the staff as usual, catching up on things.
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Bleah. It's not easy catering to everyone's schedules. Lionel'll be away in KL. Jed mightn't be coming to Buloh this Sat afterall 'cos of a meeting... Alex, well... mmm. Don't think he'll wanna come if he's to be the only one. And Viv? Def a Sat but not quite certain when. Cycling at Ubin's down for next week. Wondering where that can fit in... current common free slot is Friday.
Yeah, ZF's back from her trip to HK... and Tania'll be returning to S'pore on the 5th. Lydia's already back. Time for a reunion for us foursome; it's been years. Should meet up with my other sec sch mates too. :)
