For the record

I just wanna put this in the books - Christmas has always been a great festive season for me.

I am so glad to be back home sweet home this Christmas to relive the many years of celebration with this group of growing-old-together friends! Long Live Us!

Merry Christmas!

Quick Random Thoughts

2 totally unrelated thoughts from the ST headlines today.
1) The new Prime Minister from Thailand looks like Mr Big (Sex & the City)! My gosh!
Let's hope his star looks and sense can placate the parties. On a less serious note, we need a peaceful Bangkok so that our short term travel itch can be fulfilled. Plus I miss Chatuchak and MBK.
2) I wonder why KBW fronted a session about the TC investments. Where's THP, the coordinator for the councils gone to? My vote goes to KBW though! Have always thought he has been doing a great job in all the major issues that came up.

This time, 20 years ago at Jurong Bird Park

I must have been here watching the flamingos before... well at least 20 years ago. To me, Jurong Bird Park is located at one of the most ulu places in Singapore, this is even when I was staying in the west of Singapore long time ago.
That's why I only went one other time in my entire life.

It's quite a pretty sight, with lots of green and chirping sounds (the squawking of the parrots irked me though!!). The daily performance "Birds of Prey" was fun to watch too. There was a good 5 mins where the vultures and eagles were diving down at the audience members. Very intimidating! I told my friends that's definitely NOT part of the show - the birds have run amok! I really thought so, and wonder why my friends rolled their eyes at me for that?!


My favourite and coolest part of the bird park has got to be the penguins "cave". The penguins look so cute (and silly and helpless)with their flaps. They can't fly of course, but sure are made for the water!
Penguins are groupies though. You start to notice they don't stand alone and are always in a clique.

And finally, that's us!

Long time no see

I have decided to attempt getting over my emotional rut and catch up with old friends, especially those working in the vicinity.

Met an ex-colleague whom I haven't seen or spoke to for nearly two years now and although we could only lunch for one precious hour, it was a nice and heartwarming 60mins.
It felt surreal to see someone after such a long time. I told him I felt as if I just found my long-lost brother (I don't have a brother though, nor lost any relatives??!) and couldn't help repeating "it's so nice to see you again, and I miss talking to you!".

It was just nice catching up and talk about old times though many things have changed too. He is now married, just got promoted in his job and lifestyle has somewhat changed. All these aside, things felt exactly the same. I suppose at this age, friendship and a sense of familarity matters more than ever.

Week 3 at Raffles Place

Despite turning in really late last night, I managed to coax myself to wake up and got into office 30 mins earlier! Not too bad an effort for someone who kinda loves to sleep.

I am quite sure I am right about this - there seems to be lesser people around in Raffles Place today. Probably a good time to clear leave and go on a long holiday.
I am craving for a long holiday (yes, again!!) too. Thank goodness Christmas is coming up soon!

Golden Shoe

I am back to the sea of fast-paced executives at Raffles Place!
Survived Week 1 and pretty much enjoying every moment of it.
I finally decided to brave the daunting Golden Shoe food centre for lunch and have absolutely no regrets!

A decent portion of Salmon Teriyaki bento for only SGD5.50 and it even comes with miso soup. It's a steal!

More to explore in coming weeks at Golden Shoe!

Revival

Gasp! It's been nearly 3 months, my blog is almost doomed for demise.
Before that actually happens, here's some photos of my Hongkong trip a couple of months back. The main highlights - the 1 July pro-democracy protest in Central.
Here's a souvenir from the protest. I had to take a photo of it and then dump it before I went to Beijing for the Olympics. Didn't want to risk being mistaken by the Chinese authorities as anti-government.
Hongkong media - going all out to get their story.

Pin Slut!

Okay, whilst the rest of the world athletes fight it out for the medals, there is another underground "medal" tally going on with the staff, journalists and volunteers - The Pin Tally!

We were told to bring along some pins from our home countries for exchange. I simply ignored this very useful advice and brought nothing with me. Pins are hot collectibles and after shrugging off pins for the first 3 days, I couldn't resist anymore. I became a pin slut!

So it was endless begging, pleasing, committment to little favours and chatting up sessions all for the sake of that ONE pin. The number of pins on one's lanyard seemed to suggest how sociable and popular that person was. I was a late-bloomer and so booked my spot at the bottom of the pin tally.

Still a couple more days to go, let's see how I can catch up!

4am

It's 4am now, and I am still somewhat wide awake.
I wonder if it's the adrenalin of the Men's Basketball quarterfinals or supper with some fellow volunteers that is keeping me awake.

I just can't believe how fast this whole Olympics experience is going to end, in another 3 days. It is an irony really - I was so mega unhappy at the start, but am enjoying every moment of it right now.

The Olympics is really a huge celebration of mankind. In an intense international event like this, you see the worst and the best in people. I am happy to have experienced both. Whilst discovering the meanest and most cynical of mankind in some journalists, I have seen the best of sportsmanship, patriotism, caring and sharing in the people here.

Olympic Green

The Olympic Green is a huge area that resembles a country with its own transport system of shuttle buses, IBC (International Broadcast Centre), MPC (Main Press Centre), McDonald's, shopping area and mini concert stage.
It's one of the most spectacular icons of this year's Olympics because it houses the Bird's Nest, the Water Cube (where the swim events are), the Gymnasium and the "Pagoda" where all the world's premier broadcasters reside.
Have a look!

Journey to the Bird's Nest

And so, I made it to both the Bird's Nest and Basketball game on Saturday.
Getting to the Bird's Nest alone is an experience, mainly because it's located in the Olympic Green. More about Olympic Green later... here's how crazy the crowd was!


Just in case u can't figure out what the words are (due to my shaky hands on the train), it's Olympic Green where the Bird's Nest is located!

Myths

I learnt a few hard facts whilst here in BJ:
1) Whatever impression you have about the population of Beijing, dispel it! It's 10 times more massive than you think.
2) They still do spit on pathways. The local men (and women sometimes). But they apparently have improved lots.
3) There is no such thing as personal space here. Your personal standing space, and sometimes breathing space is always being enroached on. And we are talking about shoulder to shoulder, buttocks to buttocks!
4) Beijing can probably set the Guinness record for squeezing the most number of people in one train cabin. Try taking the subway at peak hour - this is when you see the most skilful of them all plonking themselves into the train however freaking cramped it is.
More to add on... till laters.

Live from Wukesong Day 7

It was a fairly peaceful day with the women's basketball games on today. No major upsets nor big hoo-ha for journos to storm the mixed zone.

It suddenly dawned on me: It's Day 7 and in 10 days, the Olympics will be over and it's back home for me.

Strange really, I was yearning to go home at the start of the games. But now, I am enjoying this whole experience. It's just been great chatting with the local students and learning how similar and different we are despite speaking the same language.

Athletics vs Basketball

I admit - I haven't stepped into the Olympic Green and I haven't been in close proximity to this year's Olympics icon, the Bird's Nest. Here comes my chance: a ticket to Athletics at the National Stadium (Bird's Nest) tomorrow at 7pm.
The thing is, there are 2 crucial games for the Men's basketball at the same time and I wanna watch that too. Choices!

Live from Wukesong Day 6 Part 1

It's USA vs Greece now in the Men's Basketball.
The US dream team is doing too well, and I wish another team can put them in place!

It's nearing the crucial matches and the teams are playing their hearts out now. I only hope China can score a victory against Germany this coming Saturday to secure them a spot in the quarter-finals.

Laters...

Simple pleasures at Wukesong

More on the simple pleasures...
There is no better to keep awake on a quiet night than supper!
Here's what we get for supper!
Specimen 1: Chef Kang cup noodles with preserved vegetables (which are a staple every mealtime) and sausage-in-a-tube! Though the sausage tube looks dubious, it turned out to be a yummy accompaniment to noodles coz it tastes like my first love Spam (aka luncheon meat)!
Specimen 2: Mongolian brand 'Yi Li' packet milk. The milk packaging here is different from back home. They have the usual tetra packs and bottled packaging but this packet form is the most popular. You simply bite off a corner and start sucking the liquid. Another popular milk brand is 'Meng Niu', also from Mongolia (This brand has stepped on Singapore shores). I know this brand becoz one of my friends here is from Mongolia! How cool is that?!
Specimen 3: Perhaps the most unhealthy yet satisfying of all is this crab flavoured noodle snack. It works exactly like the Mamee back home. You sprinkle the packet of seasoning inside, break up the noodle-cake and give it a good shake! It's a childhood snack for the Chinese here too!

I wonder what's for supper tomorrow! Looking forward... :P

Live from Wukesong Day 5 Part 1

Women's Basketball turned out to be less exciting... perhaps because of the lack of big names.

I don't know if it's due to fatigue or because I am still recuperating from being ranted at by the Spanish A-hole from some EFE Agencia last evening, but everyone is feeling a little deflated this evening.

I was briefly perked up by a Double Cheeseburger from Macs a fellow volunteer bought for me - ahhh... the simple pleasures in life! :D

Live from Wukesong Day 4 Part 1

And so, it's the men's basketball games today.
The highlight was the match between China and Spain. Spain is undoubtedly one of the strongest teams alongside with Argentina and needless to say, USA (with their league of NBA biggies!)

The Chinese were the underdogs with their fair share of NBA stars too like Yao Ming and Yi Jian Lian, who sent many hearts fluttering (& probably broken too). They were pretty impressive in the first 3 quarters with plenty of 3-pointers and even led the game by 14 points at one point in time.

The game drew closer when the 4th quarter started and the Spanish finally caught up to draw the game at 72 points, stretching the game to extra time. Spain won ultimately... boo!

But the Chinese audience scored big time as they possibly created the most phenomenal atmosphere ever! We are talking about the audience going berserk every single time the Chinese players even touched the ball! 中国队，加油! was the only chant I heard the entire game, accompanied with uncountable number of Chinese flags.

I was rooting for China too, together with my fellow volunteers. It felt as if we were breathing with the players and probably felt as nervous as them. To a better game against Angola on Thursday - 中国队，加油!

Clarification

And so, I thought it's time to clarify this.
I came for the Olympics thinking I was going to be an ONS reporter. Well at least, that was what I signed up for, trained for and apparently promised.
I must have either thought wrong or something, somewhere or someone screwed up.

It was decided that I was allocated to the mixed zone (the hell of media operations where journalists can get really rude and anal!). On the bright side, I suppose English is a pertinent language to know here and I can be useful here.

Laters...

Live from Wukesong Day 3 Part 3

I am happier ready to slumber in my comfy room.
All thanks to the efforts of the volunteers who tried their best to ensure that the bus arrived! (Booboo to the people at CUC who have failed badly in their administration!)

Live from Wukesong Day 3 Part 2

End of shift for today... Now coming to the part for the shuttle bus at 1.15am.
FAITH.

Live from Wukesong Day 3 Part 1

It's Day 3 and after the chaotic and massive mixed zone after the USA and China game, everyone in the mixed zone seemed a little tired. It's just the final game of the night now where Australia meets Brazil. I am just looking forward to home sweet home.

On the upside, I have been rather comforted by the kindness of some fellow volunteers here. I have 2 friends in the workroom who specially reserved a bottle of chilled Coke. That saved my sanity! :D
And my fellow colleagues in the mixed zone are a gutsy and caring lot!
We all braved and survived the horrors of the mixed zone together.

The management at the venue - a couple of the higher management were rather impressive too.

Anyway, more later... perhaps.

Letdown

While the rest of the world rave about the most sensational game in basketball history between USA and China (101-70), I have my gripe about something else.
After working damn hard in the mixed zone, I was looking forward to the shuttle bus to take us home sweet home.

Once again, we were let down.
The bus, stupidly, left at 12.50am, which was 10 minutes earlier than scheduled.
Why??!!

Is it the last straw yet?

I don't have many straws (of patience) left... maybe a couple more left.
Is this enough to last me for the next 15 days?

Testing my patience

I just got back to my dorm 15 mins ago, becoz the shuttle bus that was supposedly arranged for us volunteers didn't show up! And so, over 30 volunteers were stranded outside the basketball stadium at 1.30am!

I really cannot fathom how a simple task like this can screw up at an international event of such magnitude. I thought the idea is straightforward. Ensure that basic neccessities like food and transport is taken care of PROPERLY for the volunteers, and in turn, the volunteers will take care of the international media properly. It's THAT simple!

Will it be better tomorrow??!

Live from Wukesong Day 1 Part 3

End of Day 1. It was a close match between Russia and Latvia, Russia won by a mere 5 points.

I am so looking forward to my room and bed... but the shuttle bus comes only at 1.15am, so I have to last another 50 mins.

More tomorrow... signing off...

Live from Wukesong Day 1 Part 2

It's 11.30pm now, the 3rd quarter of the game between Russia and Latvia (Women's). First night shift and it's quite a challenge keeping awake and alive at this time.
A simple supper of cup noodles pumped some energy so hopefully I can last another hour. Some of my friends are on the graveyard shift - they stay till 3am!!

I wonder how I can stay alert for the hottest game of the Olympics tomorrow night (USA vs China Men's at 10.15pm)!!

The game is really close between Russia and Latvia (41 vs 48). Final quarter to go before we wrap up for the night! YAY!

Live from Wukesong Day 1 Part 1

It's Day 1 of the Olympics and the basketball season has kicked off and so has my night shift (4.30pm - 12.30am).
Basketball is the most popular game in China and the stadium was in a state of delirium this afternoon when China emerged victory over Spain.

The atmosphere was amazing... the stadium was styled in NBA fashion where cheerleaders came out during timeouts to lead the crowd in cheering and applause.

The USA women's team is playing right now (agst Czech) and apparently Bush is in the stadium.
So that's kind of cool... I can say for once in my life that Bush is in the vicinity. :P

There was a little commotion in my work area, where a journalist was upset about a miscommunication that resulted in a delay for his story. Being one of the rare English speaking pple around, I had to intervene and was glad that things turned out alright in the end.

Anyhow, I am waiting for the game to end and then we will have to handle the group of American journalists.

Wish me luck!

Let the Games begin

The long-waited day is here for the billions of Chinese in Beijing... the Olympics!
After thinking through the various options of places to watch the Olympics (other than the Bird's Nest becoz we are sadly not given tickets to go!!??), I decided to invite a couple of fellow local volunteers to watch the opening ceremony in my humble abode over pizza and Coke.

I was really impressed with their patriotism. Each time the cameraman did a closeup on their Premier, the girls went into a screaming frenzy which was comparable to their excitement about Federer and Kobe. Political idols - how many of that do we have around??!

On another note, Zhang Yimou is an artistic genius. He got us hooked on the opening ceremony for more than 3 hours. That is a feat in itself. I can't imagine how overwhelming the feeling was at the venue itself becoz watching it on tv is awesome already! I thought the diverse cultural elements of Chinese history was so aptly and beautifully captured in each performance.

With this glorious moment captured in the history of China and the Olympics, I begin my night shift from 4.30pm to 12.30am at the basketball stadium, which once again promises another high point (basketball is China's most popular sport).

Looking forward to the clash between most-prized (& higest-priced black market ticket) game of 2008 Olympics, Men's Basketball China vs USA this Sunday.

It's 9 August... Happy National Day Singapore!

Yummy Yum NO!

Mealtime at the Olympics venue isn't always a treat, especially when you are NOT at the main press centre where McDonald's is readily available). At the various venues, we get lunch boxes that look like this. My aussie classmates call it slush!

It was a little interesting at the start... Then it isn't funny anymore when you eat this every single day... it gets depressing when you realise you HAVE to eat this for the next 3 weeks at least once a day.

And so, to preserve my sanity and tastebuds, I decided to give myself a little treat with a nice, reputable set lunch at Time Cafe, Jianwai Soho, Beijing. At only RMB78, it's ten times the price of my humble dinner the night before (I had wanton soup and noodles at a street restaurant for only RMB7 = SGD1.50!).

It started with a very managable serving of minestrone soup, followed by a glorious salad toss with pan-seared tuna topped with pastry sticks.

I was on the verge of licking up the plate after the drought of gourmet food.
The main course of lamb chop and filet mignon was so tempting, I took a couple of bites before remembering to take a photo!

To sum up this lunch, it was a lifesaver!

My daily retreat!

For those curious about my lodging here in Beijing, here's where I go home to everyday! It's a little untidy but I haven't had the time or energy to tidy up. Thank goodness I have a room to myself!

Fav photo!

This is my favourite Beijing photo thus far! Everything is right: pose, angle, lighting, proportion (in comparison to the huge ones!), tone!
Taken at Beijing's 798 Art District.

Chinese Pub in Sanlitun

And so I went out drinking with the whole bunch one night (now this is a very rare occasion coz this is the only time I joined them!). After loitering around the stretch of pubs along Sanlitun just to look for the Brits, we finally settled down for a beer at one of the overly crowded pubs. A couple of us got really bored and so headed off to this Chinese pub. The live band was really cool and the guy actually did a pretty convincing cover of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life".

Volunteer Ceremony

It's the swearing-in ceremony for the volunteers at the baseball and basketball venue. For the first time, we were all dressed in full Olympics gear! Doesn't this remind you of the National Day Parade in Singapore? Amidst the sobriety of the ceremony, the 3 of us still managed to sneak in a cheery shot. (That's Viola, Me, Vivian)

Tickets on sale!

As like any other day, I made my way to the Basketball stadium this afternoon!
Apparently the tickets for the basketball games go on sale this Saturday and check out who's been queuing already 3 days in advance! I heard black market tickets are going for 1000 yuan (originally 50yuan)!!!

A taste of home :P

And so, I have been away for nearly a month now. While I appreciate the opportunity to live the local Beijing life, I miss home.

After fighting through the aggressive crowd at the subway, I treated myself to a bowl of Chicken Laksa at our very own Prima Taste, Oriental Plaza, WangFuJing. It came with tender chicken slices and even the juicy taupok (which is a challenge to find in Brisbane).
I am happy now!

Latest fashion in work gear!

Look look! Here's what I am gonna be wearing for the next 5 weeks! Courtesy of Adidas: Super comfy dri-fit shirts, convertible trackpants, windbreaker, bumbag, water bottle and jogging shoes!

Us in Beijing!

There is just sooooo much happening every single day! I don't know where and how to start but here's us at a dinner place at Houhai, Beijing just today! So it's almost the whole lot of us in this photo (except for poor Joshie who's down with the sniffs!). Not a very coordinated shot coz we were supposed to NOT look into the camera??!!

Yummy in Shanghai!

And so we decided to have dinner in one Friday night, and look at this feast fit for 3 kings and a queen! For the record, we didn't finish up the whole lot... oh... I miss Shanghai!

More from Wukesong... coming to u live from Beijing!

And here's a look about my new workplace for the next 6 weeks - the Wukesong stadium. It's a huge site. It takes about 40 mins on the subway from my dormitory and another 15-20 minutes to walk from the entrance of the premises to the stadium itself. Good for shedding some pounds I suppose!
I really like the exterior of the stadium. It had an edgy touch to it, and the bronze look of the stadium looks gorgeous set against the clear blue skies (though it can be tough to see clear skies here!). This is the media entrance where we are supposed to enter from... looks kind of cool, doesn't it? It's all nice and clean now, but it's probably not going to stay that way once the games begin.

Labels

*Like I said earlier, it's gonna be random blogging*
Just when I thought 18 months in Brisbane has cleansed and detoxed me from the designer world, this trip in Hong Kong tugged a little at my old self.

I cannot imagine how impossible it was not to be consumed by this couture-clad city.
Even the 50something “auntie” (who curiously looked like the hair salon auntie in Toa Payoh) in the washroom wore a pair of Giorgio Armani frames as staple wear.

The Landmark at Central Station was oozing with multi-leveled designer boutiques namely Celine, Dior, Harvey Nichols, the newly overhauled Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo which I daringly tried on a pair of SGD800 slip-ons and possibly any other obscure labels you can/cannot think of!

I suddenly felt like I needed to spend my next paycheck (which will sadly be another 2 months later) on a pink Bottega Veneta phone purse and a pair of Ferragamo shoes. Even the usually auntie-looking Chanel bag looked so funky and classy when young hip working adults carried them.

Alrighty! Let's start slow... maybe start with a basic Coach handbag first?

Hello from Beijing!

Hello from Beijing!
I am so behind in blogging that I will just have to talk about things randomly.

It's been almost a week in this huge massive city... it's filled with billions of people and probably millions of cars! Preparations for the upcoming Olympics are in the final stages and the international volunteers are all undergoing training for their respective events.

I was allocated to basketball, which is so so cool! It turned out that I was the only international volunteer at the basketball venue, the Wukesong stadium (which also houses the baseball events on the outdoor wing). The stadium looks spectacular... and incidentally the Chinese team were training. I caught a glimpse of Yao Ming, but wasn't quick enough to snap a photo!

That's a photo with my supervisor. She actually handpainted the dragons on our T-shirts with our names on it. There are 2 other Americans with me (from Emerson). They are allocated to baseball... (I still prefer basketball! :D)


Being an international volunteer at the basketball venue, I do get treated really nicely. It feels strange though because the training materials was all in Mandarin. I am not all that competent in Mandarin and so I can't say I understood every single thing they said. Thank goodness there were a few girls who were really friendly and patient enough to take me under their guidance!

Here's a generic shot of the entire group in training today!

A month later

Gosh! Looking at my previous entry, I must have been mega-depressed!
I can't quite remember how that felt now coz time really does heal all wounds. I am back to my home and surrounded by all things familiar. That's comforting.

The past month went by in a whizz.
After 3 massive weeks of meeting up old friends and getting back into Singaporean rhythm, I set off again for Hong Kong and China, this time for slightly over 2 months.

The 5 days in Hong Kong was interesting mainly because I was on a study trip and so, I don't have time and money to go shopping. This is certainly very disturbing coz a trip to HK should never be without some indulgence in shopping and food. I didn't even get to eat wanton mee!

Wanton mee or not, I am at least happy for now! :D

The word "Sorry"

Sorry - feeling regret, compunction, sympathy

How powerful IS the word "sorry"?
When you say sorry, does the recipient appreciate the torment and courage you mustered to apologise? Will things really be resolved and reset from scratch?
Does the recipient understand the intense emotional trauma before one says the word "sorry"?

Sorry carries with it a sense of hope and fear.
Hope because you hope it will take all unhappiness, discomfort and anger away.
Fear because you fear it will backfire and you now have to accept the certainty of the anger.

It's even an intricate decision-making process simply because of the extremities of the possible outcomes.

Ignorance is bliss

The more you know, the less you feel.
I saw this on my friend's email signature... and it isn't right.

It's the other way around. The less you know, the less you feel.
They say ignorance is bliss. I know, for sure, that is true.

Someone hand me a prescription for happy pills...

A Happy Birthday to Ms Mak and for her awesome piece of poetry... really touched for this! See the poem she wrote for me!

Last weekend

My last weekend here has been fruitful. Not neccessarily all good here, it was also a ride on an emotional and most intense rollercoaster.

No details here, but I just want to say how grateful I am to the people who have talked to me and trying to knock sense into me, and simply for being there.

I am one big emotional sook, but this makes me real too.
I never learn from my mistakes... and am still learning this valuable way of conduct.

Despite having an emotional weekend, I am glad it turned out alright and I am feeling reasonably at ease.

My all-time favourite movie! I must have seen it over ten times and loving every minute of it still! I am watching again right now to get my fix of positivity and hope :D

I just love the little individual stories with their themes of love, hope and friendship weaved in, not forgetting the charming English accent! It brings a warm fuzzy feeling everytime I watch it... :D

Back to point A

When you are at point A, you want to get to point B. But when you get to point B, you want to go to point A.

This is eating me... and the stress of it all has caused much trauma to me and the people around me.

I'll be home soon though, back to my comfort zone.

Ever felt that time is knocking and pounding hard at your door?
That's how I feel counting down the ten days left here.

Coke fix

It must be the stress of schoolwork & the blues of leaving this place!
I am back to my poison - a 600ml of Coke everyday for a week now.

Plus, I am constantly eating and walking to the kitchen to rummage the fridge.
Got to stop eating, got to stop!

Last days

I am in the middle of my Sydney trip, which also means I am nearing the end of my stay in down under. :(

It's winter

The temperature just dipped the past couple of nights... it was 12 degrees celsius last night! And 11 degrees tonight!
Time to get the heater and fleece jacket and socks out for a goodnight's sleep.

This great weather makes it wonderful to sleep... but that also means it makes it tough to get up and do my readings.

CHINA versus WORLD?

I have been catching up quite a bit on the controversies surrounding the upcoming Beijing Olympics. To sum it up sweepingly, it seemed to be a case of "People who want to address human rights issues in China" against China, with the former using Olympics as a platform.

Everywhere the Olympic torch went, protests resulting in loss of lives happened, which makes you think what Olympics is about these days. That would be a whole new topic on its own.

Interestingly, I have a few friends from China on my MSN and all of them had a logo "Love China" as part of their avatar. My friend said this was their way of showing their support for their country no matter where they are.

Current issues aside, I wonder if Singapore were to ever experience this similar type of public or international lashing, will we stand up for Singapore the way we used to sing the same words with much enthusiasm in primary school and national parades? Will we stand for our country in times of adversity? When are we able to truly build a nation, and feel it within us?

A year wiser

I just turned a year wiser this week in a foreign land... and it's getting to be demoralising especially when you celebrate with a group of friends who are ALL younger than you! Whatever it is, thanks to all my friends for their greetings, celebrations, massive gorging and gifts :D

Precision Parking

And probably the top OZ occupation is......

... BOOZING! This is no supermarket queue... it's the queue for the liquor store on a weekend! The store was jam-packed.

The Aussies buy crates and crates of beer (not forgetting the Koreans too!!). The four of us just bought a six pack of Victoria bitter and have to brave this massive queue! boohoohoo... :(

Foodie

A recent culinary achievement :D (pardon the poor resolution coz my camera screwed up, I had to take this with my mobile!!)

Brisbane's best student deal!

Hidden in a corner of the foodcourt in Wintergarden, Queen Street Mall, Hanaichi is a Japanese eatery that we have been enjoying for the past year in Brisbane. It's been the best deal in Brisbane for students coz you pay only AUD5.90 for a decent portion of curry katsudon. It's yummo too!

This place is like a little indulgence for one of my friends who simply loves Hanaichi for both the food and the price! We will meet up for a Hanaichi session everytime we need to relieve some stress. At our latest session, the stall was super crowded probably becoz it was school holidays for the high school kids. It took longer than usual to get our food but it was worth the wait. Check out the thick saucy curry gravy!

Strange as it may sound, Hanaichi is an important institution in most Asian international student's life in Brisbane.