Perth: Day Nine

Another week to go before we're on the flight out of Western Australia and thrown back into our daily schedule.... well, inasmuch as I want to be home, I'm not looking forward to studying under a pressure cooker.

Sorry, guys, expect to see me surrounded by multiple rounds of caffeine and loads of assignments.


Macaulay Park

Feeling in the mood for more exploration and familiarity, we boarded the Blue CAT from its Town Hall stop and alighted at Northbridge partly because of the two baby strollers occupying the cab of the sandwich-packed bus. We didn't browse through the smaller side of town and picked up random, interesting things because there was no one to ask and we didn't know where to go to. Satisfied with what we needed to see and growing extremely bored, we took the next bus to head off to our next destination: Perth Underground, where we changed to the Red CAT and rode down to Kings Park.

Not exactly; we actually walked from Ord Street all the way there.

Well, how can I describe the park?

First thing is foremost. There was loads of greenery with unique trees that can't be found in Kuala Lumpur, which led to Mama Carrie dubbing it as branded. Oh, not to mention, a couple of them were radiating a sweet fragrance in the air. This side of the park is rather quiet with very few people walking past, but head all the way up and that's where the crowd is - either sprawled on the smooth lawn under the cooling heat or enjoying a beef burger in the nearby cafe.

The lush scenery overlooking the Swan River and of Perth City is really, really beautiful and breathtaking. I'll let the pictures do the talking, again.


Kings Park


Flowers


Partial city view

People chilling under the cooling heat

Tree branches


Another angle view


The beautiful sky above me


Come in from Ord Street, and you'll be engulfed in a wave of natural fragrance

Since the digital camera's battery died on us in the midst of the photography session and my cell phone was running dangerously low on juice, she called it a day and we were stumped for a while, thinking on how to return to the city without making the arduous journey back to the Ord Street bus stop and joined the queue for Bus No. 37 after seeking the assistance of a resting visitor. I knew that I needed to leave immediately and shot Mama Carrie a visual signal that it's time to hop off the bus (even though we'd have to walk a little further) when my ears were pounded upon by the incessant cries of an infant and the lackadaisical attitude of the mother. I scowled the moment we were out on the walkway that she was being inconsiderate to other passengers by not attempting to pacify the crying baby, oblivious to the waiting woman next to me.


A life-sized monument, commemorating the first Anglican Bishop of Perth, Mathew Hale, with a brief history about his accomplishments

It was another 500m or so before we arrived at Cloisters. Mama Carrie saw something that caught her eyes and instructed me to stand in front of the monument on the pretense of reading the history of the building while she took the pictures, ambushing me in one shot. Once she was done, we, again, hopped on the Blue CAT from there and left when it arrived at the Murray Street stop.

What was planned in the beginning as a window shop in the Levi's store at Forrest Place became a shopping trip in the end. She bought 2 pairs of jeans for AUD$100 (RM 300) and according to the sales assistant, who is originally from Hong Kong, a pair of Levi's in WA or rather the entire Australia is cheaper when compared to HK and Malaysia. As if that wasn't enough, we slipped into Woolworths to catch some groceries and returned to the hotel by foot with exhaustion and a stomach ache on my part.

I collapsed onto the bed in fatigue and kept reminding myself that once I'm home and settled, I'd probably need to book a slot with the masseur to relieve and soothe those sore muscles before the second part of a stressful and sleep-losing schedule.

Perth: Day Eight

The incessant noise from the television dragged me out of Dreamland and left me with puffy eyes as I rolled myself down the bed in the morning. A quick check with the iPad would show that it was 9 am and 90 minutes later, after a quick breakfast and a shower, we were out the door, taking the Red CAT to Wellington Street and alighted from the bus at Forrest Chase before catching the train to Cannington from the Perth Train Station. If there's one thing I noticed, it's that there is no one manning the ticket booth but the ones for the reloading and application for a SmartRider card. Costs on labor management are tremendously lowered but it may pose significant difficulties for tourists in purchasing the tickets. Mine, I jumped on the wagon and went for the Standard type since that was the simplest.

Don't worry, readers, if you're not familiar. I'll be penning something that resembles a traveler's guide for first-timers in Perth, pulling all experiences from our explorations (yes, that'll include the shopping centre that we've visited) when I'm able to squeeze some time out after the Orientation Day as I've not planned the activity or the personalized design to draw on the T-shirts to be given on that day itself. Creativity and I have never been on the same page and especially since after the disastrous results at the I Am Seminar.

Anyway, we didn't need to wait long for the train to arrive at the station. Even if we did miss it, it will take us roughly about 10 minutes before we're able to catch the next one. The cabin was surprisingly cleaner than I expected as the floor was clear of any litter and the seats were in a perfect condition. Not a single wear and tear could be found. Growing up in an area where trash can be found in public transports, I am surprised at the willingness and civic consciousness practiced by the citizens in Perth to maintain the cleanliness. Gosh. If the Malaysian Transport Minister ever finds himself visiting Western Australia or its neighbor and utilizing the public transport, he or she should open his or her eyes wide enough to observe the spotlessness and efficiency of both the bus and train and implement some better changes back home. As almost everyone in Kuala Lumpur knows, our public transport is in dire need for severe improvement especially the ones I mentioned.



Cannington Train Station is in the midst of a quiet suburb with not many souls or traffic on the road. Feeling lost, we sought help from a kind, friendly Aussie who was more than willing to show us the directions to Westfield Carousel (after a quick check with Google Maps), which was a ten minute walking distance away. There was a fright; we were almost ambushed by the three young Aussie chaps on skateboards who shouted something at us as we treaded to the mall. Please, I know what it means (since I've friends in Sydney and Melbourne who've experienced something far worse than this) and rolled my eyes behind those fellows when we were far away from them.

Just as we thought we were losing our legs to the exhaustion, we passed by IGA Supermarket and sneaked through the car park of Carousel's before arriving at the entrance. We loitered around the mall and eventually found what we were looking for: the elusive New Zealand Natural. Truth be told, the main reason behind our trip down to Centro Galleria was because of this and we landed there only to find that the branch has closed down, pfft!) Whether it was because of the lack of sleep again on my part or the language barrier on the sales assistant's part, the flavor order that Mama Carrie desired differed from the one paid for and that earned me a rebuke.

Gee, if I knew, I'd have paid more for the baggage weight and included her name in it as well.

Since New Zealand Natural was in the food court and a double scoop wasn't enough to satiate the hungry stomach especially after the mishap, Mama Carrie veered off to the Korean restaurant and after much hesitation and thoughts, chose the beef bulgogi.


AUD$ 9.90 (around RM 29.70) for a plate of beef bulgogi, which comes with two types of vegetables: cucumber and juicy bean sprouts. The kim chi on the side would set you back by AUD$ 2.00 (RM 6.00).

Here's the address, if you need it: Arirang bibimbap + T/A, Carousel Food Court, 1382 Albany Highway, Cannington, WA 6107

Loads of onions and leeks were used in the stir-fried beef, probably in an effort to mask the strong smell of the meat but it slightly reeked and a little chewy. Whether this is the natural texture of the beef or it is overcooked, I won't be able to tell because I rarely have it and in those lucky days, it's in the form of meatballs either at Ikea or in Subway's Meatball Marinara.

I'll have to warn you that unless you're starved for fuel, you might want to share this dish with a companion.

Oh, did I mention about the biscuits for the carbohydrate lover?

On the return trip, we toyed with the idea of taking the Red CAT from the pick-up station that was just next to the train station back to Victoria Avenue but chose to walk through Forrest Chase since Mama Carrie realized that she needed to head down to Woolworths to catch a packet of coffee powder. While she was inside Levi's, perusing the apparel that the store was selling, I almost tripped on the makeshift hump after taking a picture of the Christmas tree.

After I set aside the heavy bags from our shopping, my legs finally gave way and were glued to the carpeted floor of the hotel room for 10 minutes before I was able to pull myself up and head off for a hot, refreshing shower.

Perth: Day Seven

Day 7

For the second time in this week, as the sun brightened the hotel room with its radiance, I woke up shortly before 8 am with puffy eyes and only because Mama Carrie chased me out of bed, nudging me to rise and shine. She said that it was of no use to loll in bed any longer and should haul my butt up to take full advantage of the day.


Victoria Park

Well, what do you expect? Even as I'm penning this post, she remarked that I looked incredibly exhausted and should catch some rest while doing my facial mask. You see, it was only at 1 am that I was able to fall asleep amidst the quiet sobs and that was because I forced myself to do so, knowing that there was a day of exploration ahead of us. I needed to or I'll be looking and feeling like a possessed zombie. As a matter of fact, I feel like a walking panda at this current moment with the permanent green shadows under my eyes. Throw in some black eye-shadow, and I'll really be one, much to the chagrin of my loved ones.

Anyway, right after breakfast, we threw on our most comfortable footwear and took the short walk to the nearby bus stop in Barrack Street where we boarded Bus No. 55, heading to Morley Bus Station at the advice of the hotel receptionist. When we arrived at our destination, it was an hour later and Centro Galleria (formerly known as Morley Galleria) was within a five-minute walking distance.


Water Labyrinth, Forrest Chase

We browsed through the entire building, looking for the kiosk selling that premium New Zealand ice-cream brand to no avail. Surrendering to fate, we landed in Cafe Galleria, where we shared a Steak and Mushroom Pie and a Flat White before heading over to Target since the store was offering the year-end sale.


The Pie


The Coffee

There were such good bargains around the gallery that we ended up purchasing more than we should and struggled to bring them back to the hotel as even though the bus stop was next to Murray Street (or rather in Forest Chase, to be exact), there was still the five-minute walk to tackle.

Not to mention, Mama Carrie adamantly insisted to buy that bulky item from David Jones.


Town Hall, Hay Street

I was surprisingly able to lug the items and sustain even with the exhaustion until we arrived in our hotel room, where my legs immediately gave way and I collapsed on the floor. I stayed seated there until I recovered some of the lost energy to drag myself to catch a refreshing warm shower. Man, I can understand if I've been shopping the whole day back home because Kuala Lumpur's humidity can easily zap the energy out of anyone but here? Here in Western Australia, where the weather is much cooler and windier?! It's either the lack of sleep (again) or the realization that we've been on our paws the whole day.


Mr. John Roe, the first Surveyor-General for Western Australia, who chose the current locations for Fremantle and Perth's CBD

I was pretty much glued to the mattress until the next morning, only leaving whenever necessary and unavoidable.


Wombat Lodge, Barrack Street

This shop has loads of goodies that are worth buying home. Mama Carrie bought my tote bag from here. ^_^

Perth: Days Three and Four

I'm pounding my head to Flyleaf's Dear My Closest Friend while penning this post on days three and four of my vacation in Western Australia. Yeah, I know that it is an emotional and sad song that tugs at one's heart. In fact, my eyes went all glassy the first time I listened to it but the thing is, that's how I'm feeling now: sad and a little homesick.

Sigh, I wonder how I'm going to cope when I'm heading abroad to further my studies if I can't sail through this.

I've to apologize if it sounds like I'm crapping away. I'm writing off memory here and it's quite difficult to remember every little detail when you've a companion who has an overworked mind.

Day 3

The last couple of days were hectic, like really hectic and stressful partly because I treaded around the city in the wrong footwear. I'd have brought my pair of sport shoes instead of the heeled sandals and avoid suffering from aching paws if I knew that other parishioners were wearing athletic shoes to attend Mass. When Mama Carrie whined that she needed to catch something edible after that since we didn't eat breakfast, I remembered passing by Croissant Express en-route to the grocery store that we went to on the first day and suggested that we sample their sandwich with cappuccino.


Sandwich and coffee at Croissant Express, Hay Street

Man, the type of sandwich that Mama Carrie ordered was great! It was au natural with no sauce and contained less salt than the ones I'm buying back home. Man, if my Writer's Craft lecturer were to read this post, I think I'm going to get a sweet lecture from her for not being descriptive enough but I doubt I have a choice here. It's been many days since we visited Croissant Express and I doubt if the unique taste is still lingering on my taste buds.


A monument commemorating the lives lost during the battles of World War II


Entrance to Murray Street Mall

After ensuring that we were satisfied by the meal, we happily walked down the street to Murray St. Mall where there was a Boxing Day sale offered by most of the retail outlets there. I'll have to say that the Christmas discounts offered here are more genuine and even though I'd have loved to buy more than the goodies mentioned on Facebook, I couldn't because everything seemed terribly pricey after conversion. =(

We took the Red CAT (Central Area Transit) to Forrest Place where we switched buses and sat on the Yellow CAT, heading for Harbor Town in search for the nearby Harvey Norman at City West Shopping Centre. I'll tell you why; Mama Carrie was toying with the idea of purchasing a coffee machine here and bringing it back home but couldn't because of the ludicrous weight. There's no way we can check it in or hand-carry it on flight without incurring some type of cost (either a fine or the burdening of the shoulder muscles).


One of the four free bus plying the city routes

The return trip home was next to horrendous. Because the Yellow CAT was sardine-packed with the loads of shoppers from Harbor Town, I was sandwiched in between passengers of various ethnicity from Asia in the bus and swear that I heard a range of Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Indonesian and Malay being thrown around. Exhaustion washed over me while we rode in the Red CAT back to the hotel and what we usually eat for breakfast, we had it again for dinner: a spread of softened organic butter, feta cheese and avocados on the sliced sourdough bread from Woolworths and a mug of oats with skim milk.

Gosh, I'm aware that there's a long period of school holiday back home but we weren't expecting to see so many Malaysians here, especially in the hotel where we're staying at. I should've seen it coming when I saw so many red passports and overheard conversations in Malay at the Customs. Oh, wait; I can't believe how affordable the edible goods are in the Australian dollar. The Milk Arrowroot that I've loved would have set me back by about RM9 in Cold Storage, but here, it was only AUD$2 (RM6).

Day 4

Seeing that we needed to confess our sins before the Sunset Mass, there wasn't much we could do but take the slow ride down to Swan River, which surprisingly was about a two-minute walk away from the hotel. =) Even before we could reach the place, I felt the breeze messing with my ponytail and engulfing me with.... a weird feeling that has since stuck and screwed with my emotions.

It happens whenever I'm in a windy area.


Overlooking the Swan River

I was a little envious that Western Australians were lucky to have such a humungous lawn to exercise and play with their dogs by the river. Yes, you heard that right; the locals here are allowed to bring their lovely pets only if they clean up after them, maintaining the beauty of Langley Park. There's no way in the world you can have this in Kuala Lumpur. The park near my childhood residence can't even beat this as there's a high-tension electrical poles and the countless parking bays for the specialists working at Sime Darby Hospital (formerly known as SJMC).

I'll let the photographs that Mama Carrie and I captured do the talking since pictures speak a thousand words.


Langley Park


A collage of pictures of Langley Park and Swan River


The lovely river view


The cycling and walking path at Swan River, surrounded by the river view and trees


Sunset view


Sunset view

More pictures can be viewed at The Tempremental's Perth, Western Australia album.

Perth: Day One

I really don't want the situation between me and my good friend to influence the remaining days in Western Australia as I'm supposed to be enjoying every moment spent here, exploring the city and its suburbs and not sitting in front of Swan River, feeling lost.

So, how was the first day in the city like?

Well, having to rise at 3.30am to prepare for the early morning flight was of no fun at all and as a result, my mind was turned topsy-turvy and not in its normal state. My eyes felt like it was to be sewn shut by the lethargy as I slid my way around the kitchen, preparing a quick breakfast to satiate our hunger before the hour-long drive to the airport.

Throw in the realization that the clouds threw buckets of showers during the journey as well...

2.5 hours later, after the smooth check-in and attempting to no avail to find a Coffee Bean retail outlet, we were at the airport's Starbucks, savoring cappuccino to temporarily knock back the weariness as we retired to bed rather late the night before.


Duty Free Area, Perth International Airport

The moment we arrived on the grounds of Perth International Airport and alighted from the aircraft into the duty-free area, I was taken aback with the growing queue at the Customs before noticing the Singapore Airlines stewardess queuing at the special lane. Ah, so two planes (AirAsia X and SIA) disembarked at the same time, leading to a rush of passengers at one go.

Because Mama Carrie hid the pouch containing the AUD$100 that we converted at the money exchange centre and I didn't know where she placed it, I forgot to bring it along with us. Yes, I know I committed one of the serious mistakes in the traveler's book of tips as you can forget anything but the passport and adequate amount of money in the currency of the destination you can forget anything but the passport and adequate amount of money in the currency of the destination you're headed to. We'd have been stranded in the airport until our return trip home if it weren't for our Aussie debits cards that I remembered. As if that wasn't bad enough, on the Aussie yellow (Mama Carrie thinks it looks more orange than yellow) declaration card, I miswrote the current year of 2013 as my birth year before I realized the mistake, corrected it and initializing it before touchdown. It was a relief when the Immigration Officer didn't pay much attention to the mistakes and the ETA that we applied for showed in the system, immediately paving the way for a smooth entry.

After spending ten minutes waiting for the connecting shuttle bus with our luggage to Terminal 3 and another ten minutes thinking of what to do next there, we found ourselves sharing a cab with a sweet lady from Melbourne and a friendly lady from New Zealand's South Island, exchanging words of conversation while we all headed to our separate destinations. I didn't know that my tone of speech resembled a foreign accent when I was replying to the Melbourne lady's question until the Kiwi lady inquired if I was from Canada or the States. Whoa there! Like, really?! O.O


The amount of biscuits I bought - for my own consumption

The need to satiate the growing stomach and the giddy head grew by the hour and with that, we threw the luggage in the hotel room and set off in search for the nearest grocery store. There was no choice; we were exhausted to our core and needed to catch something light or suffer a wave of intense hunger pangs until the end of Christmas Day Mass.

We were slammed by the chilly evening wind the moment we stepped out on the streets and regretted in that instant for not bringing the cardigan from home along. Please don't flip, dear, but while we were pursuing the ample Australian edible products in the supermarket, a local shopper grazed the bottom of my pants (whether accidentally or on purpose, I won't know) and probably decided to make us uncomfortable by following especially me around.

He probably meant no harm, but it was still freaky enough.

The breeze intensified as we began the return walk on the eerily silent road to the hotel with the necessities such as fruits and milk on hand. It momentarily and mentally transported me back to the time spent in Taipei as I threw my head back and allowed the chill to engulf me.


Some random Christmas decoration at the hotel

That's pretty much how we spent Christmas Eve. We were supposed to attend the Vigil Mass at the nearby St. Mary's Cathedral, but the idea of treading to the hotel by foot an hour or ninety minutes later didn't fall well with me and crashed in early.

The 2013 Reminiscence on the Year of Snake

Hey there, my readers!

Sorry for the late update. The weeks after my finals were surprisingly packed with hangouts with the college mates and childhood friends and catching up on the lost hours of sleep. What do you expect? Studying for the History and World Issues papers zapped the remaining energy in my weakened system.

Don't be surprised. When I need to sleep, I really can sleep.

I was in the lovely refuge (like I mentioned in one of the previous posts), basking in the cooling heat of summer while exploring their city business district and breathing in the fresh, unpolluted air. Now, I wished I flew straight to Auckland but nope, it was Australia that we went to.

More on the vacation when I'm home. =)



Credits to Sydney Cove Water Taxis for the image

So, how did you guys celebrate your Christmas and New Year's? You will be surprised to hear this, but for this year, I allowed the season to pass me by without any grandeur celebration or anything like that. New Year's was spent watching the colorful display of fireworks. Well, I hope that inasmuch fun as you experienced, you kept yourselves safe and didn't run around painting the town a bright red.

Safety is the most important.

So, here we go: a month-to-month review of 2013.

January 2013

I swallowed all of the displeasure harbored towards the peculiar residents with pinches of salt. It was either that or sacrificing my sanity and everyone who knows me that when I lose my rationality, well, I'm not going to publicly reveal what will happen then. Not only did it leave me full of annoyance, each day was coated with an increased wanting to move out of the area soonest possible. Look, I was uprooted from the previous residence (which I've grown comfortable to) and thrown here. It wasn't like I was presented with the opportunity to air my grievances.

With a parent who is and will always be an adventurous foodies, yours truly slowly but surely started to tag along and crawled into the world of baking and food reviews - one little post at a time.

February 2013


A hand-drawn symbol of love

St. Valentine's Day made the headlines for the oddest but wrong reason. If I'm not mistaken, it was religion but I'm not a 100% sure.

The first signs of the emotions leaked out and affected my health in such a way that I was yelling my heart out like a psychotic woman and knocked the weakened soul out. It converted the usually-perfect memory into sea sponges and I suddenly didn't care if my ears were momentarily deafened by the obstreperous music that was constantly being played on the stereo.

I didn't want to explode into waves of anger.

March 2013

It was during this month that I found the time to do more food reviews (of course, with my own money!) and spent more of the waking hour in the kitchen, cooking lunch. It is something that I've not done since we moved over. First, the baker and cook in me would rather work with a larger kitchen and floor space and second, I always bumped my head on the cooker hood.


A weird-looking cake

A little tired of paying through my nose for a slice of cheesecake, I attempted to follow a no-bake recipe and bought all of the ingredients. What was the end result, though? Instead of the actual, smooth and golden texture that Chicago Cheesecake has, it literally looked more like a bumpy block of Provolone cheese, sigh! *breaks into sniffles*

April 2013


Chilla Cup FTW!

When someone sailed along and chose to ruin the Good Friday plans, I was a mere step away from an emotional explosion. His actions forced me to attend the night Mass and to add to my misery, it was celebrated in a foreign language that I'm no longer fluent in for two straight hours.

Yet he tried again.

When he casually mentioned that he wanted to swing by the residence to visit us, I ignored him and fled the scene.

Did he honestly want to see me cursing in a colorful language?

May 2013


The queue at another polling station for Mama Carrie's voting district. Mine was elsewhere, nearer to my current residence

Word came around that the 13th General Election was to be held on the first Sunday of this month, which was a surprise because the previous elections were held on a Saturday, not on a Sunday. We, wanting to be the early birds, attended the Sunset Mass instead and woke smack dead early in the morning to present ourselves at the voting centers.

Thank God ours was in our current location, even though in different suburbs.

I was as nervous as a bat and almost forgotten about the voting rules. I'm not going to reveal who I voted for because hey, that'd be an invasion of privacy and everyone has their own choice. Surely, need I mention that hopes and dreams were shattered when the results were slowly announced after the stroke of midnight?

I don't think I need to as you and I both know the answer to that.

We were sent - no, called would be a better word - down to a southern state in Malaysia three weeks later. As always, I was less than interested to tag along for the 3-hour drive since there was nothing worthwhile there for me. So, in an attempt to make the trip advantageous and beneficial, I wrote food reviews on two food outlets (which happened to be our once favorite haunts) that I used for my final Writer's Craft portfolio.

The improved emotions plummeted on a downward spiral again after having the door being slammed into my face, but certainly, it wasn't to the point where I brandished kitchen knives at anyone. Hell, no, it will never reach that stage and I still believe that this one was more of an outburst.

During an argument, I screamed so loud that it frightened the opposite neighbor, who was a fellow resident from the previous neighborhood and later asked if everything was alright - with me.

June 2013

Wow, I was elated when Shirley of Luxury Haven emailed me with the news that I won a Foodpanda Malaysia voucher. When I submitted my entry, I was doing it for the fun of it and not with the hopes of winning it.

Anyway, instead of utilizing it at Woods Eco Cuisine in Bukit Bintang, a gourmet and premium organic restaurant that Teochew Mama desired, I went three steps forward too fast and chose House Restaurant in e@Curve.

Bleh.

Somewhere during the middle of the month, Kar Wyai and I caught up with each other at Coffee Bean Subang Parade for what I thought was a farewell.

July 2013

Nervousness and worry enveloped me when the big day arrived and as I ran up the three flights of stairs to the Lecture Theater 1 for the briefing, I made a mental note to present myself in the best demeanor possible. Although I concentrated hard on what was being explained by the employees and lecturers alike, I pretty much kept to myself and spoke up only when necessary.

That, my readers, happens when you aren't with your known acquaintances in the same environments, but I'm perfectly fine with it.

I just needed time.

What stood out from the briefing was not the lecturers introducing themselves but a senior being verbally dragged onstage by the departing assistant principal even after throwing a fit of protest. In a turn of events, the senior eventually became my classmate in Writer's Craft and a close friend of mine.

Still, as much as I wanted to remain incognito and blend in with the crowd, being shoved to the front of the class of 80 for an impromptu debate gave me away. One good thing came out of it: my partner and I were relieved of the class assignment handed by the lecturer. *whew*

Don't be mistaken. I'm never arrogant or outspoken; I'm just being who I am. If you've noticed that I was rather reticent and didn't speak much, well, I was just trying to familiarize myself with the new surrounding and the diverse groups of course mates.

August 2013

When the History lecturer announced to the class that we needed to choose a historical and scientific figure from the 19th century, I felt myself breaking out in cold sweat because presentations are never my thing. I'll either speak like I'm chasing the choo-choo train or lose my brain in nervousness - both of which happened for real.

Next on the list was the French Revolution. Planning this with my partner-in-crime threw me into the pressure cooker because the deadline for my other assignments was due on the same day. The Salon was another stress inducer; even though I'm aware of Jean-Jacques Rousseau ("I think, therefore I am" is what he is known for) from the Social Contract, I can't remember much about him or his historical significance.


One of the lecturers mentally preparing himself to be pied on

Oh, and there was the Monster Mic. Come to think of it, I don't know what possessed me. I remembered struggling to stay afloat with all the assignments yet I wanted to dabble in campus events as the Yearbook journalist. I'll cut the story short; not only was I there to cover the event, I participated as a creative performer and it didn't help that I was covering for someone as well. But say what you like, I'm glad that I was given the opportunity to join. The event was a success (thank God, because we were faced with the threat of calling the whole thing off due to the lack of participants), enriching me with some experience in performing for a live crowd, which might prove handy for a future drama performance. =P

Pie Day was a great success too! If you were within earshot at that time, I'm confident that you'd have heard screams and cheers at the flying plates of durian-infused cream pie.

*breaks into a fit of giggles at the flashback*

I'm so sorry, I really am. It's just that watching those plates being thrown at the faces of a couple of friends was surprisingly comical, that's all.

September 2013

I almost fainted when I found out that the historical genre presentation for Writer's Craft clashed with the Congress of Vienna and in the same week as the History unit test. To add to the stressful nervousness, after choosing our cards, Joey and I were the first to present our subgenre of Historical Romance on day one, which was on the second day of the Congress.

Yikes!

I didn't have it the worst, though. Iain and Kyle did, as they needed to tackle their presentations with tests on the same day.

Speaking of the unit test, I wasn't as confident as I should be, fearing that I might screw up somewhere (and honestly, I did!!!). =O

October 2013

The Performing Arts Council was organizing a Halloween party on campus and arranged it in such a way that all of the members and the students from the Dance and Drama classes were able to volunteer a free period to man the booth. I was perfectly fine with the time-slot given until I saw the lightning in the distance and before we knew it, we were all sprayed with the rain pellets.


Credits to Daily Inspiration for the image

Even as I showed up to take over the booth from the previous caretakers, I knew that it might rain that day just by looking at the clouds above us. What I didn't expect was for a heavy downpour during my duty because I needed to split to the main campus to take an exam an hour later.

If I knew that we'd be twirling while the sky cried, I've have brought an extra pair of clothes to change into. Kyle was actually gently nudging me to dance under the rain with him and a lecturer but sadly, I had to decline the offer.

Bobbing under the buckets load of drizzle and getting myself soaked in the process would invoke that memory from my elementary school days: my classmate and I chasing each other after our music class under, yes, the showers.

November 2013

The last three days of October were so hectic with exams that I failed the Unit 4 History test (which was on the first Friday of this month), which was a first. I don't think I will be able to forget the look in my lecturer's eyes when he returned the rubric to me because the one and only other time I failed him was I Am Seminar.

It was a look of disappointment mixed with horrific surprise.


Some random street in New Taipei District, Taipei

Mama Carrie suggested that we take the short getaway to Taipei when the Deepavali break rolled around, which we did.

May I say that the trip actually brought the worst out of my emotions?

I'm not joking; it really did.

December 2013

The first two weeks were rather intense with the assignment deadlines and the exam papers being so close to each other that I didn't have much time to update the blog either. Still, I managed to steal some time out from the revision to continue the sudden stop in the flow. I didn't want everyone to think that I have mysteriously left the building without a word of warning or adieu.

Something eventful happened as well; it included a little prank that two close friends decided to play on me and the surprise birthday celebration. I suspected something amiss when I entered the lounge after the Writer's Craft class because we'd always hang out in the Lounge during the mutual free period. For that day, 3/4 of them went missing in action and the Lounge was surprisingly quieter than usual. 

True enough; when a friend rushed all the way to the nearby cafe where I was, she notified me that I was being summoned back to the Lounge as everyone was looking for me and went on to say that Kyle tried to contact me on the cell but didn't have my number. Heh, I immediately knew that it was to cover up for something because we (Kyle and I) have each other's number on our cell phones. 

Not that we contact each other often, anyway. 

The partners-in-crime waiting to pounce on me with the cake

My hand flew to my mouth when I was ambushed with the birthday cake. Even though a part of me saw it coming, I never expected the Lounge gang to actually go all out and plan the surprise for me. We were all frazzled by the revisions for the finals. 

Not to mention, some of my other classmates took the time out to celebrate it with me. 

Guys, if you are reading this, you know who you are and I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming. I know you didn't have to yet you did. I really appreciate it. 

The climax of it was me blushing against my will. As if turning as red as a tomato wasn't bad enough, many of my World Issues classmates immediately approached me when we all entered class and wished me a Happy Birthday, especially Gabriel and Cookie. Well, I never expected anyone from the class to remember my special day.... okay, I'm going to spare you the details of everything that happened during our presentations. 

When I returned home, I took the time to slice open the envelopes and found three cards with various greetings from my fellow friends and acquaintances. Some of the messages actually left me teary-eyed, especially the poem. 

Shortly before my departure to the lovely refuge, Kar Wyai and I hung out over coffee and food at our favorite haunt nearby. We talked about so many things, but one topic stood out: our mutual classmate. If you're lucky, you can find previous posts about this chap here. 

So, yeah, that's pretty much what happened in my life for the last year. Some are worth remembering; some are best left forgotten. 

As I've learned, not all memories are as sweet as sugar. 

Temporary Update

Hey there, readers!

Through methods that I'm not going to mention, I was able to connect to the city's free Internet but with limited access on the iPad. It wouldn't work on the cell phone or on the notebook, sigh. I've no idea how I'm going to blog about the adventures here in Western Australia unless I settle it when I'm back home.

I almost cried during Sunset Mass during the Eucharistic Celebration when the priest asked the parishioners to pray for those who are missing their loved ones or friends during this festive season. What do you expect? There are so many people that I'm pining for as I'm penning this post.

Some are dead and some are alive but miles away.

Still, I'm being bothered by the answer Mama Carrie gave after I sought her advice for the current situation between me and a good friend. I really don't know what to think but if I am analyzing the matter in the correct manner, it makes total sense. I caught this person playing with my cell phone right under my nose and the only other fellow (Mama Carrie) who has access to it (partly because I'm using her line and she's using mine) barely knows how to operate it. There's more, but I can't list them without giving away our identities and I don't want to complicate things.

I hope it won't affect the friendship that we have because to lose this person as a friend would lead to an awkward situation as we'll be seeing each other more often than you think for the next couple of months or so... I've prayed for this person to feel normal again because part of me suspects that I'm the accelerant to his current emotions.

I'm sorry if I went on a tangent, but I needed to get it out from my system without being too obvious. On the contrary, I hope I'll be able to enjoy the remaining days of the vacation without much worry. I need to; there was a reason why we chose WA and it's an important one indeed. =/