How often can I get this?

Greetings!

Today, I am going to talk about someone. Not just anyone but someone as I have mentioned it before. This someone is a famous man. He walk the skies. He is none other than my uncle from Malaysia!

Nice cymbals.

My uncle's name is Jonathan and I call him uncle Jona for short. He works as an In-flight Supervisor for Malaysian Airlines. On the 12th of May 2007, I was surprised to hear from my parents that he was coming to Adelaide. It was exciting but I had the feeling of shyness at first. In the end, I did not care about it and met him up. He stayed at Holiday Inn in the city. If I am not wrong, he arrived very early in the morning on the 12th and had to depart on the 13th at around 12pm. I could only spend 1 day with him but it was a great time of fun!

As usual, he has a never ending supply of jokes. We laughed a lot, shared about what is going on at home, work experiences and a lot more. I asked him, "Uncle Jona, if you want an extra meal on the plane, is it possible?" "Yes of course!! They always carry extra and there are people who are vegetarians so they don't eat or some are not hungry. Don't hesitate to ask but wait until everyone has been served.", he replied. I love airplane food though it may not be as delicious as restaurants. The fun of opening the packet, the salad, the desert, biscuit and the small little coke can is just exhilarating. The same goes for hospital's food. I guess the environment and ambiance is an important factor. I also heard that food at high altitudes do not taste as good that is why airplane food is enriched with more flavour.

Dinner time. Thank you room service. :P~



Atlantic Salmon and (something) *oops


Butter Chicken Curry with Rice. Pappadum too!


Hmm, I cannot remember the name for this one.

The verdict, yum. I also tried on his uniform. I managed to fit in without blowing any buttons away. It look really strange because it was really formal with a blazer and tie. It was a first wearing a blazer.

When time came to turn in, uncle Jona got a room for me! One of the air stewardess stayed with her friend in the same room so there was a spare so I took it. The feeling was superb. Sleeping on a queen sized bed with a heater and sweets to munch on. :D

Uncle Jona bought for me a lot of Maggi mee and there still a lot more that I have yet to finish. Thank you uncle Jona for your hospitality and kindness. Thank you Lord for this awesome experience which may not happen again!

Next! I am sorry mates I cannot give you a heads up about the topic. I will see what comes to my mind. Take care everyone and have a good day!

Celebrating 30 Entries!

This entry was supposed to be on the 30th entry but it does not really matter. Anyway, it's 30 entries! *Applause*



"Hello everyone, it's absolutely an amazing feeling to be standing here today and receiving this award. I never thought I could ever publish 30 articles. I would like to thank God for giving me the experiences so that I am able to write these events for everyone. I want to thank my parents for supporting me on this trip and their constant watch over me through msn as well. To the people like Kat, who gives me comments, thank you very much for it because it gives me encouragement to write more! And finally to all readers, thank you very much! :')

Right now, it's time to party! Ohhh ohhh ohhh ohhh ohh! Squaarree rooomss!!"

About the quiz that I asked that time, no one gave me an answer. :( That scene happened when Mr. Lee Kuan Yew cried during the interview about the seperation of Singapore and Malaysia.

Next article! A once in a lifetime event! Enjoy the long wait! :D Hahaha! I'll do me best to get it up soon! Take care everyone!

The Art of Becoming an Aussie

What makes you truly Australian? The passport? Owning Holden cars? Saying "mate", "G'day" or "bloke"? Yea, that could help but for instant transformation, all you have to do is to do something that I am going to tell you.

All you need to do is to drink this,

Ooh yea!

Given a choice of Starbucks Coffee and this, I will choose the latter. As you see in the picture, it is Farmers Union Iced Coffee. It costs AUD$2.55 in Woolworths and slightly more expensive in convenience stores. I always look out for offers in Woolworths when they sell 2 for AUD$4. Comparing it to a 500ml Coke bottle, it is definitely more expensive.

Woolworths have a huge section of it. Many South Australians drink this anytime of the day. However, it is not as popular in Victoria. Victorians drink Big M. Same sized carton of 600ml and it looks like this.

Put the Ms together and get MMMMMM.....

I spotted Big Ms around but nothing beats Farmers Union. Farmers Union also has a lot more flavours such as Iced Coffee Light, Iced Coffee Strong, Chocolate Milk, Coffee Milk, Mocha Milk, Strawberry Milk, Banana Milk, Choc Mint Milk, French Vanilla Cappuccino Milk and Caffe Latte Milk. The Banana, Choc Mint and French Vanilla Cappuccino flavours are not sold in Woolworths but are purchasable in convenience stores. Caffe Latte was found in Melbourne.

What I like about this drink is the action of drinking from the carton. Just looking at someone drinking it makes me want to have one too. It is probably same feeling when you see someone eating chicken rice and giving a satisfying face like this :') . Oh my~

So, want to be an Australian? Take my advice and give this a go. You will feel 80% Australian immediatly. Till then, cherish the 80c kopi in coffeeshops as Morven is suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

The next post will be an exciting one! We are going to have a celebration! Bring your party hats, gun poppers and paddlepops! It is going to be a big bash! Wheeee! And remember, "It's a Farmers Union Iced Coffee or it's nothing." See you soon!

Vive La France!

Just recently, the office became more exciting and happening. 5 new French students have arrived to do their internships. 4 of them are from the same school while 1 is from another. They came in batches. 3 came first while 2 came next week. Morven and I got to know them and slowly broke the ice. On Saturday, 16th June, Morven and I went out with them.

However Benedicte, the girl from the other school had to search for an apartment and hence, was unable to go with us. We went to Glenelg beach. Along the way, we chit chatted and shared our experiences, lingo and actions with them and they shared theirs too. It was fun!


We took this picture after lunch. I bought fish and chips but it was not the one I am looking for. I am hunting for big portions of fish and chips wrapped in paper. Blast. I did see one shop along the way to Glenelg which looked like they served that. I MUST test it one day. Anyway, the gentleman with his hands by his ears is my co-boss on the desiccant air con project and his name is Bastien. The gentleman standing up is Julien, the gentleman in red is Alexander and the only lady is Audrey.

We walked around the beach and a lady with her 2 dogs were strolling on the beach. She took her tennis ball and threw it far, her dog went forth and chased it. After retrieving the ball, he did not return to the master but ran to us instead!

"I wished it was a giant meatball!"

We took turns throwing the ball. It was so fun to watch the dog chasing after the ball. The other dog was old and did not participate in the sport.

I want to see my sweet boy~! :(

We stroked her fur while she sat down near us. It reminded me so much about Tiger. Sigh. *Sniff* *Sniff* Can we take a break? (Tears flow from my eyes)











(Does this scene remind you readers of anything? Guess and write your answers in the comment page! The first one to answer correctly will recieve a prize!)










Okay, back to the happy stuff. We walked to places that I have never seen in Glenelg. No shopping this time. I saw a dolphin swimming around dock, a restaurant in a big ship, and The Old Gum Tree. I reckon you can go to a place many times and always find something interesting and new about the place.

Julien! You cheeky boy! Come down!

The day was just all smiles and laughter with occasions of puzzlement. Not to worry because when I come back, my French would have improved and so will their English. Someone was enlightened as well.

"All Clerics go up 1 level"

The sun setted but we could not view it because the clouds covered the sky. It was so relaxing sitting down, facing the big ocean and the overwhelming sky after a hard day's work. God is good, all the time.

Next issue! What makes you truly Australian!? Do not miss out on the formula of becoming a pure Aussieeee! Have a great day!

"You got to haggle haggle.."

The title for this post is actually from an advertisement by Haggle Co. The tele always shows a lot of advertisements on discounts and sales. All very similar to the example given below.

From Haggle Co, "Carpets, 600 bucks? Uh uh (negative style with a shake of the head), under 200, under 200, under 200 (the advertisement repeats that particular part)... Small sized rugs at only 5 bucks, 5 bucks, 5 bucks.. etc, etc, There is only 2 places to be this weekend, blah blah and blah blah... You got to haggle haggle.. You got to haggle haggle.."

It is very irritating but the advertisement has done its job by implanting the message into your mind. I can even say it together with the voice in the TV. Sometimes Morven and I will say it together with the TV or we use it outside when the situation calls for it. Like the same way Dave and I will use our quotes from "V for Vendetta".

Another interesting thing about Australian TV is the timing of some shows do not start and end the same like Singapore's. Instead of of starting at, for example 8.30pm, it will start at 8.40pm. I was suprised when I saw the difference. Maybe it helps couch potatoes to have a toilet break, refill their beers and potatoes. Who knows?

A very interesting reality TV game show that I have been keeping up with is this,


So what is Big Brother about? To sum it up, caged up housemates living together while this Big Brother watches and listens to everything they do. I do not think he sniffs them out. There are cameras placed all around the house in Dreamworld in Queensland and a lot of fellow Australian inhabitants watches them. Many say it is a waste of time, it is bollocks or it destroys your brain cells. However, I find some of the things they do are really hilarious. Every day at 7pm, they will show half an hour of Big Brother and what has recently happened in the house. On Fridays, they have "Friday Night Live" where the housemates play games relating to a theme set by the producers and emerge a winner from there. The winner gets power to dish out chores to other housemates, is allow to enjoy the benefits of the rewards room with 1 other housemate and to save someone from eviction.

Yea it is quite complicated. You get to see people whine, cry, argue, moan and everything. The fun thing I like about this show is the games. They have very interesting clips of things that the housemates did and the hosts make the show very hilarious.

Good thing they show Prison Break as well. I am watching Heroes too and they are all going to end in 1 or 2 more episodes. I think I am feeling sad. Sometimes you like the show so much that you do not want it to end but it has to if not it becomes like "Days of Our Lives". A show cannot be too draggy to me unless it is like "FRIENDS" or "Frasier" where they have new storylines and jokes everytime.

Ah yes, I want to get the warmth of Singapore!! I have been freezing my ass for too long!

Next post, we go to France! E'nuff said!

My Preparation for Army?

Just yesterday, 10th June, housemates Jin, Morven and I went to Hallett Cove Beach. We packed lunch and snacks for that afternoon. I made burritos, Morven made mashed egg sandwiches and Jin cut fruits and vegetables. We spent 3 hours over there but 7/10 of the time was spent walking!

On our way there, Jin never told us where to stop, she got distracted by us, missed the train stop and went an extra 3 more stops. We started scolding her jokingly such as, "Wah lao JINNN!! What kind of tour guide are you!?" We decided to cross the tracks and wait for the opposite train. While walking, the train was approaching the stop! "Ahh! Train come already!! Run!" This is the route we ran.

Take the best line as you go through the hairpins!

I felt like a fool running through the turns! Turn left, right, left... left right left. But it was so funny, we laughed as we ran. I reckon the drivers were having a good time watching the 3 of us run.

When we backtracked to the correct stop, Seacliff. When we alighted, Jin said confusingly, "Eh? This place don't look very familiar." And once again we went, "Wah lao JIN!!!". There was a beach at Seacliff as well. Took a break there and ate the burritos. Hehe.

This is the view of beach. I did not see any sign saying "Welcome to Seacliff Beach" so I will call it Seacliff Beach. Sorry, the picture is not very well done so do not focus on the joints and instead, imagine the full view.

She pointed to the left and said we have to walk that way. So we walked, walked, walked, walked, walked, walked. From sand, to tarmac and to wood. We realised we were trekking the hills instead of walking on the beach!

The Great Walk of Australia!

The pathway was so long! We stopped a few times to eat a piece of egg sandwich. We ate and breathed heavily like we have never eaten in for months! It was so amusing.

In the end, we walked the distance of 5 train stops and the place where she wanted to take us was actually Hallett Cove Beach. We could actually just stop at the correct train station and save our time. To sum it up, Jin thought the beach at Seacliff was the one she went to but actually wasn't sure at all, brought us there, noted her mistake, and walked the distance to reach Hallett Cove Beach.

It was a great experience nonetheless, the walk was definitely something to remember. Plus, the scenery was great and I will never walk this far to somewhere in Singapore. :P

What's next? Err.. How bout Australian Tele? Yep! That shall be it. Thank you for reading readers!

A Testimony

I want to thank God for letting me out of the school!

It happened on the 29th. I was in the office till 8pm. I had the key to the office but, I did not have the 24 hour access card! The card allows entry to certain buildings after a certain time. Morven applied for the card and is the current holder. I hold the other part. It sounds like we are both needed to activate the bomb.

I was busy sending my supervisor my report and when I was done, it was already 8pm. Whilst packing my bag, I remembered that the electric sliding doors will close at 7.30pm! The only way in and out was by the card. Panic panic. I was hoping the PhD students will still be working and would kindly let me out. If not, I could call security but I did not feel like doing it. Either way, I had to go to the toilet first. When I came out, I heard a sound and walked quickly down the stairs, and I saw someone left the building!

We shall enter slow motion with the heart pouding *DoopDoop*,

*DoopDoop* (The door is open!) *DoopDoop* (Got to make it!) *DoopDoop* Aaron jumps the last 4 steps *DoopDoop* Door starts closing *DoopDoop* Aaron runs and says "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*DoopDoop*OOOOOOOooooooooo!!!!!!!!" *DoopDoop* (Doors slide the opposite way) *DoopDoop* "THANK YOU LORD!"

Also thank God for that wonderful bit of action! He has been giving me so many wonderful adventures! :D

Spice Up Your Life!

Welcome back to another season of What am I doing?. Imagine ending a sentence with a question mark tone but you are not asking a question. How intriguing is that! Alright, let's keep that aside and back to the main topic!

F('oo')d! I mentioned something very delicious previously. What is it? It was mentioned in the movie "Parent Trap"! I myself do not eat this very often in Singapore but I got so excited when I saw it selling in the supermarket.


Woohoo! IGNITED leh! Ba-boom!

Frankly, there was no steam coming out of my nostrils or my ears. I did not combust by the ignition! You could still taste the spiciness. Mainly filled with kidney beans and meat. The full name of is Chili con carne but it is usally refered to just chili. Different from chili sauce. If you are looking for the most powerful chilli sauce, try "Dave's Insanity Sauce". I tried it at Matthew's place and it was a real killer even with just 3 drops.

When I opened the can for the first time, the smell reminded me of A&W's coney dog. I was really excited to eat it. The last time I tried chili was at Dan Ryan's with Kat, Daniel and Clarence and that was about 2 years ago or more. Can someone tell me if Singapore does sell it?!

Okie dokie mates, the deeelicious one was the above and now I bring you real Aussie food! I have managed to make contact with the real deals.


Take me to your leader or eat this green stuff!

This is called a pie-floater. Purely Australian but more specifically, purely South Australian. It is only sold here and it is a meat pie "sitting" in pea soup. It cost AUD$5.50 but if you choose special flavours for the pie, you pay a dollar more. Ian, Morven and I ate all 3 different pies so we went in a loop trying each other's. Sad to say, I do not remember the name of my pie. Sorry. The green pea soup was nice at first, but I struggled to finish it. I could not bear to leave the soup behind because it would be a waste. This pie-floater was not sold in a normal store. Instead, it was a container cum kitchen. You stand and eat along the pavement with 1 spoon in your hand.

Another Aussie snack is the Chiko Roll. I saw it on the menu of the snack bar at Mallala Race Track and I always wanted to try and know what it is. It cost AUD$3. A little steep for a snack but this is the way in Australia.


"Hey! Old Chang Kee's Spring Roll? No? A Chiko Roll? Noooooo....."


*Munch Munch* "I love it! A lot more meatier than a spring roll! Hehe."

The taste was very unique. The texture was a bit soft and mushy but I did not mind. All I know, it was hot and good. I bought 2 that day. Mutton, carrots, celery and more are all stuff and packed in this powah snack. Must be eaten immediatly when it comes out from the fryer. Not nice when cold.

Now do not say I have not tasted Aussie food! Haha!

Coming up next, an Australian reality TV show! Nuff Said! Have a g'day mate! :D

Man down! Man down! MEDIC!!!

Shoot! The weather has become colder and more dry. No moisture in the air, dries things up fast. It is happening to my hands! On the top side of my hands, what I thought was just skin cracking turned out something even more critical. I think it was also due to the exposure to oil, dirt, water and lithium chloride.

I went to the doctor at The Promenade near my place. This was during office hours because I was worried. This is the first time getting this problem. I do not know why but I seem to get the most weirdest illnesses. First was the wart, followed by the ganglion cyst, and now tinea manuum?

I really thank God for curing my wart and ganglion cyst because it was really incredible. Warts could stay on your body for 6 months or years! There was a lady who had a wart for 10 years! Having it cured within 3 months was a miracle. No scars, no expensive treatment. The bump on my hand which I concluded was a ganglion cyst after my mum told me and looking at the pictures on the internet also disappeared after some time.

So right now, tinea manuum was what the doctor told me I had. It is fungus infection so he game me cream to apply. Hydrozole is the brand. Sigh. Having a form of sickness is not a nice setting to be in. I felt excited after knowing that the cream is made in Singapore. :D


Next issh! Food review on something that is sooooo goooood and deeeeeelicious! Oh BOY~! I'm drooling!! :P~~

The Adelaide Metro!

When I first came here, I was lost. Took me some time to understand how the buses operated. There are the usual buses, trains and taxis. Extras are the tram and the O-bahn. For all transport services except the taxis, you must validate your ticket upon entry. A small rectangular ticket measuring 67mm x 30mm. Different colours state different types.




The red part shows it is a multitrip ticket. It entitles me to 10 trips. There are also blue ones and charcoal ones. When you validate your ticket, it prints a time on your ticket. If you board the bus at 1830h, the validated ticket will show 2030h. This means you do not pay when you validate upon boarding 100 buses and trains within that 2 hours. Once the time has exceeded, you will pay upon the next validation. So sometimes we try to get things done and validate just in time before it expires. Hehe.

There are ways to cheat this system and I see people doing it. The trains are easy to cheat because the driver cannot do anything. The buses are almost impossible because you must pass the driver. The tram have 1 driver and 1 bus inspector walking around checking if you have a ticket. If you do not have, you must buy. Maybe you could show an already used ticket? Possible. I have not sat in a taxi and I do not wish to do so because I heard it is expensive.

In a country where public transport is not heavily emphasised, they will have long waiting times. The train to town from my place comes at 30 minute intervals and 1 hour intervals after 6.50pm. The buses to town is similar as well. I have to plan the route and make sure we catch the bus or else, :| Susa man!

The O-bahn is something unique. Imagine a bus like a train. Similar to the Skybus at Changi Airport except the bus can mount and dismount from the tracks. Going on the O-bahn will allow the bus to travel faster and without obstructions. Not bad but making the tracks will have high initial cost. I took it once when sending my mum back to Singapore.

Overall, I think the transport system can be good and bad depending on situations. I miss my SGD$52 concession pass. Good thing I stay near my school and do not have to worry about missing the bus! :D

Coming up next! The entry may be much later than expected! Due to the editor taking on another job doing an interim report that is due by the end of the month! It will cost him a lot if not enough effort is put in! Sorry folks! Till then, happy waiting and thank you for reading! Good day!