lesson learnt today.
a relationship isn't all about checks and balances.
sometimes you have to step back to see the whole picture.
being part of the chaos and turmoil just clouds the whole picture.
blocks your vision.
taking a step back refreshes your vision.
it makes you see things in a different perspective.
Napa - Wine Country
I prolly started reading this blog entry of Phlin's well...because it's Phlin's...he writes good stuff...seriously..stuff which i'll read and ponder over...ponder worthy material..and this is ponder worthy, copy and paste worthy and everything...enjoy...
"This is the first of four stops today," I remind her. "So take it slow. There is better stuff coming up down the road."
My mother and I are in Napa Valley, taking a tour of the local wineries. She is there to take in the celebrated scenery, and maybe to sample some of the wine. I, on the other hand, am there to take in the celebrated wine, and maybe to sample some of the scenery.
Our first stop is Artesa, a winery that is perhaps better known for its landscaping than its product. In the tasting room, we sample twelve different wines, but I move quickly through the whites in order to get to the reds.
With each of the wines, I take only a small sip, just enough to evaluate its flavor. If it does not appeal to me, or if I am ready to move on, I dump out the rest. Those that I do like I savor for a bit longer.
My mother, however, finishes each and every glass. "I paid for it," she retorts when I caution her. "So I'm going to finish it."
"But we still have three more wineries to visit. Take it slow," I implore.
"Let me have my fun," she responds. "I can handle it."
By the time we reach the second winery, Cakebread, my mother is already drunk. She stumbles into the tasting room and is unable to maintain her balance. During the entire tasting, she holds on to a metal rack just to keep herself upright.
The highlight of the tasting is their 2000 Benchland Select Cabernet Sauvignon, an exceptionally rich and dark and silky wine -- like liquid chocolate. At $90 a bottle, I am in wine heaven.
"This is amazing," I say to myself.
"I can't tell," my mother slurs in my direction. "It all tastes the same to me."
"Can I have yours then?" I ask.
"No," she snaps. She then finishes it off in one large gulp.
By late afternoon, my mother is on the verge of passing out. She decides to skip the tasting at the last two wineries. Because she indulged too early, she misses out on a number of incredible wines: a supple 2000 Flora Springs Windfall Vineyard Merlot, full of black cherry and berries; a remarkably complex 2002 Flora Springs Select Cuvee Chardonnay, layered with hints of spiced pear and vanilla; and a wonderfully full-bodied 2001 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, packed with plum and mocha flavors.
On our drive home, I turn to look at my mother. Her ruddy face grimaces as she unsuccessfully tries to shield her eyes from the sun. Later that evening, she skips dinner, too drunk even to eat. In the morning, she wakes up with a headache and the feeling that she somehow missed out on something quite extraordinary.
Some people live their lives without much thought about what the future may hold. Some live their lives as if there is no tomorrow. For better or for worse, I am not one of those people.
I have always believed that a little restraint can go a long way, and that sometimes it is better to go without than to spoil things for later on. Because my mother could not exercise a modicum of restraint, she ended up spoiling her trip through wine country.
I suppose I have been fortunate in certain areas of my life. Through sheer luck perhaps, I have, on a number of occasions, been presented with opportunities for intimacy and romance. But just because these opportunities are presented to me, it does not necessarily mean that I seize them without forethought. Even though I sometimes flirt with such intoxicating ideas, I have come to realize that simply to succumb to the pleasures of the flesh runs the risk of spoiling a future built on trust and mutual respect.
Sometimes it's not the best idea to indulge in instant gratification. Sure, it makes life fun and interesting. But holding back has its rewards as well. It lets you more fully appreciate the finer things that the future may some day hold.
As sobering as it seems, sometimes it is better to save yourself for the better stuff coming up down the road.
After reading this...a weight was lifted off my back...to quote Pete,' the air seemed so fresh'..yeah..
A : it's a fine line between living in the moment and saving for a better moment. without having to choose sides, i'd like to think i do a decent job of walking the tightrope.
Phlin : life is a circus, isn't it?
A : yup, right up until the part you fall
Phlin : if you are lucky, there is a net below you.
A : sometimes because of hubris, u don't think u need the net and by the time u realize u do, it's too late.
Words hurt the most i guess..
Recently...a friend said something to me on msn...
prolly out of fun...kidding around...fooling around..
but..
it hurts.
really...
it hurts..
i know that we have to forgive and forget..
i forgave before i left msn..
but i still can't forget..
forgetting takes a while...
and in this a while...
our friendship will change..
i prolly won't trust or even think of trusting him again..
sounds serious?
but i guess it is..
for someone who doesn't trust easily..
once you lose the trust i gave you...
you'll prolly won't get it back..
from a close friend...in that one sentence...
he went back to being a friend..
'sorrys' won't help matters..
calling me petty won't help matters..
what matters is that you lost my trust in you.
this prolly have nothing to do with anything but i just read this and well..yeah..
'You grow older and see that your dad's vulnerable, that we're all vulnerable. With me, it wasn't scary that my hero had weaknesses.. it just endeared him more to me.'
even heros have the right to bleed.
Now, in such a storm the tree which was our stable world is shaken, and instinct makes us grab it tighter : by our own strength we grip the habits that have helped us in the past, repeating them, believing them. We'd rather trust what is than what might be : that is, our power, our reason and feeling and endurance... We spend a long time screaming No! ....
But always, God is present. God has always been present. And it is God who says, "Jump."
I'M A FIGHTER!!!!!
hahaha...wrong context but still...after fighting with the online photo album stuff for so long...
without changing the photo resolution and stuff...
and there is that thing about copyrights...which means...u can't copy and paste my photos even tho you might think that my photos are WOW...hahaha
you have to ask for permission..and if you ask nicely...i'll prolly say yes anyway...
it's COURTESY..
hahaha...
sheese...
after so long...
the photos are up at yahoo photos...
hahahahaha
ok....the photos are under my links...entitled Sydney Photos..
like it's not duh enough to understand..
oh wells..
enjoy.
I GIVE UP!
I started a new photoblog @ photoblog.be and i abandoned it prior 5 mins after uploading my 1st photo.
I started a new photo album at Fotki and i abandoned it prior 5 secs after creating my 1st album without photos.
I'm too lazy to upload my photos..
because of the vast magnitude of which can be blamed on my trigger-happy finger..
i have erm..well...snapped a grand total of 500+++ photos in 14 days...which works out to be 36 photos a day...which works out to be on a conventional camera...it's gonna be like slightly over a roll of film each day..
i have to curb this...
ugh.
so well...if anyone wants to get the photos...just holla or something...i'll prolly post the artistic ones up somewhere..no idea where yet tho...oh wells...
keep watching this space to know where they're gonna be....
*it's a secret*
Just let me run for a while longer.
A while longer and i'll stop running when i'm tired.
Just don't give up on me.
Just run with me, and catch me when i fall.
When i stop running, i don't want to be alone.
I just realised that i'm a runner.
Not physically, but emotionally.
I avoid forming bonds.
Looking back in PJC, the only bonds I really formed were with those in my cell group.
In NUS, to avoid forming bonds, I escaped from the clutches of CCAs.
I really have a problem.
Ugh.
But,
Looking back at the holiday in Sydney,
I'm amazed that i made bonds.
Bonds which are strong.
In the eye of a chemist, I would say that the bonds i made are Ionic bonds, or Macrocovalent bonds.
I make acquaintances easily. That i won't deny.
I make friends with ease. That too is true.
But going beyond that, it's a challenge.
To be close to me that i will voluntarily spill some of my guts out to you.
That's gonna take some effort.
To be so close to me that i will spill everything, hiding nothing from you.
That's an order so big that only God can handle.
But in Sydney, within 8 days,
i made at 2 good friends.
Pam and Agnes.
Is this a sign?
I do not know.
Because, so far, only Alicia has managed to reach me at that level.
And now comes 2 others.
I'm amazed.
After reading what the others have to say about the Sydney trip...i reckon that i should write about the holiday too..besides the boring day by day accounts that i was writing before..
Perhaps, this holiday to me is well, just a holiday..a chance for me to exercise my independence..a new experience..to spend 14 days without my parents, without any teachers, without any adult supervision..it's a chance for me to prove that i can survive it on my own..i mean, well..besides the fact that i was on sponsership throughout the trip..but still..i could and would have used my own money for this trip...it's just that they insisted, i declined and after awhile of pushing and shoving this issue around..it just makes things easier to just accept and find a way to pay them back in the future.
Even though i'm on a long vacation, or rather, i've been on a long vacation..i seriously haven't been doing anything much everyday, besides using the Net, clicking through tv channels, taking long afternoon naps and going out for coffee..you might think that there's nothing wrong with doing all these...but i'm turning into a sloth. I had an excuse for not finding a job. I had an excuse for almost everything that requires me to exercise my brains. So for 2 mths..i did nothing. Nothing beneficial, nothing great, nothing meaningful, just nothing. If by some freak accident my memories of May and June were to be erased, i wouldn't have missed much..prolly some memories of my granma's birthday dinner and such..but these aren't major..don't really give two hoots about them..
This vacation, i had to wake up at unearthly hours of, current earliest was 545am australian time which works out to be 345am singapore time. I had to wake up early and sleep late. My feet were exercised to way past their tolerance levels..there were even times when i felt that they do not belong to me..i mean..i'm fine with walking..it's just that..this is the first time in my 20 years that i walk a couple of kilometers everyday..everyday, mind you. I've been taking the internal shuttle bus around NUS for 1 year..meaning i try to minimise the walking i have to do..the furthest i've walked this year before flying off to Australia, was to walk from Harbourfront back to my place, which is not very far. Perhaps the difference in the weathers of the 2 countries play a part in it..but still, even in NZ, i did not and wouldn't walk the kilometers i've walked in the past 8 days.. Perhaps, it was because of the lack of a vehicle, namely the car. And that the cost of public transport was horrendously high..but whatever the reason was, I HAD TO WALK. and that was an experience that i'll find hard to forget. I won't say that i'm a spoilt kid..but i won't deny the fact that i'll choose vehicles over walking anyday, unless it's a walk across the road to the market, or prolly to harbourfront, or when the weather's great and i have the luxury of time..but still, i know i won't do it everyday.
In this 8 days, i've learnt the meaning of tolerance. the meaning of respecting each others views and opinions. the reason why trashing things out reasonably is always better than keeping things in a bursting a blood vessel in the process. the meaning of leaving one's comfort zone for roads untravelled. the meaning of trust. and the plain old simple meaning of one can never have too many friends. In this holiday, i've made new friends. I've come to know old friends better. I've come to understand things which i would never have bothered trying to understand post-sydney. I've learnt that if you throw 10 people of different personalities together for 8 days, there can only be 2 end results. 1, that people will crash and burn. 2, that everyone with emerged after the 8 days stronger, for they have survived. And for my case, i would think that i have survived. After 8 days, i made friends, friends which i'll trust my life with. This holiday gave me a chance to hone my photography skills. Skills which were left unpracticed since a long long time ago, possibly skills that i didn't know even existed. I knew i could take photos. But i wouldn't say that i'm good at it. I would rate myself as a 5/10 photographer. But as i look at some of the photos that i've taken this trip, i sometimes have trouble believing that those were taken by me. I'm just taking credit for the wonders of God. I took some photos of His Creations and i think that it's me who have done a good job. But, the credit is all His. Because all i did was to capture that moment into a photo. I froze time. I took a couple of photos that captured the unadulterated innocence of childhood. Children playing at Darling Harbour, children playing on the Beach. And some others. Looking at them makes me want to turn back time and have a childhood like that. Forget it. I just want to continue living as a child. It's as simple as that.
Growing up just makes you jaded. It makes you unappreciative of the little things in life. The simple greeting of 'How's your day been?', 'Have a great day.', they just makes this whole lot of difference. I went to this shop in Leura, i had a very pleasant conversation with the lady boss, about the weather, about the bout of snow that just struck on saturday, about her day, about my day, and i just left the shop with no purchases and she had no resentment. She didn't resent the fact that i was probably wasting her time and that she could have finished her stock taking earlier if she had left me to my own devices for that mere 5 mins. I guess that's what i miss about Australia. And she was not the only example of friendliness. There was this 2 elderly men strolling by Nelsons Bay, and to even give a wave would have been great already. But they came and chatted with me. I like this sense of friendliness, i like the fact that they even bothered to spare me some minutes of their time even though i might not ever meet them again. This is what you can never find in Singapore. In Singapore, it's all about rushing. If time were to stand still in Singapore, everyone would die. It's just our way of life. I need a change of pace. Instead of rushing rushing rushing for material stuff that i can never take along with me after i die, i need experiences, stuff that are intangible. And i'm sure that this isn't the way i would want to spend my life. I need to get out of Singapore. I need to breathe. I need to breathe fresh air, air which will rejuvenate me, not just air for survival.
I need a spot to escape to. A place to run to when i feel threatened. A place to just be with Him. A place where i won't be disturbed by the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Somewhere that i can continue to be in awe of His works. Just Him and me. The Father and I. And in Sydney, i found that there is at least a place where i can experience just that.
Current Timetable if nothing screws up...
4 day week
Monday
EINSTEIN'S UNIVERSE & QUANTUM WEIRDNESS
Mon 10-12
THRY & APPLC OF SPECTRSCPY OF APPLD CHEM
Mon 2-4
PRINCIPLES OF CHEMICAL PROCESS II
Mon 4-6
Tuesday
DYNAMICS OF INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS
Tues 8-10
Lab work
10-5
Wednesday
STRUCTURE OF MATERIALS (ESSENTIAL)
Wed 4-6
Thursday
EINSTEIN'S UNIVERSE & QUANTUM WEIRDNESS
Thurs 10-12
THRY & APPLC OF SPECTRSCPY OF APPLD CHEM
Thurs 2-4
PRINCIPLES OF CHEMICAL PROCESS II
Thurs 4-6
it's pretty horrible ain't it?
too bad i can't really do much about it..unless i forgo Einstein this Semester..but...then again...nah...Einstein is non-examinable...no exams...how cool is that? i realised that every semester...i only take 4 exams, compared to the usual 5 exams that others are taking..but without german3000 this semester...i needed a new non-examinable module to fulfill my faculty requirements...so there you go...there's the Physics/GEK module..but who cares...i'm gonna learn more about interpersonal effectiveness for my gem module..so einstein will just be a hopefully easy peasy module..coolness...
ugh..
my exams timetable...
my first paper is on 20th Nov, 23rd Nov, 26th Nov and 2nd Dec...
WHO HAS EXAMS IN DECEMEBER ANYWAY???
man...
ugh.
Only smart and intelligent people deserve to read about what i've got to write in this entry...
no it's not going to be a blank entry...you'll just have to think harder to try to figure how to read it...
Had lunch with Pete..feeling really proud of him...the way he managed to let everything go...the difference in him since the time i last spoke to him, which was before i flew to sydney..the difference in an angst filled guy and now, a guy who has a new approach to life...
i'm astounded by the difference...in awed of it...amazed at the reason of his change..all because God spoke to him..God only said 2 words..Let Go...and everything soon fell into place...amazing huh? :)
Praise the Lord.
anyway...my problem is solved...trust only Pete to put everything back into perspective... :)
ohhh..i'll be posting a letter to Pamela later...i'm done with it...and i need to buy birthday presents for tons of people....tralalala...this lalala thingy is getting infectious..
oh..and i'm apparently taking a physics module...which is like UGH..but it looks cool...some Albert Einstein thingy..and the best part...there's NO EXAMS! how cool is that???
it's WAY COOL...and i found out that i've got an exam on the 2nd of December...which is sucky..
but i'm hoping that's my last exam for the semester..
oh wells...
Let us pray for Alicia's granddaddy who is sick and he's in hospital now..pray for strength in the family and for peace...and many Thanks to the Lord for cutting short Xuexin's confinement period..and for him not getting charged..Your grace is sufficient for me... :)
Copied this entire entry from Krinks..
I think if you had the slightest idea of the things this girl thought about you, you might diagnose her as a slightly disturbed Cupid advocate but lucky for her, you have no idea just how much she thinks about and of you; how much she wishes she could figure you out just slightly so that maybe she could figure out why you fascinate her so much; and how she doesn't know why denial has been her chosen defence mechanism to cope with her feelings for you.
Many enjoy the thrill of the chase but you run so fast that you make it difficult for anyone to catch you. You're a thrill that is a dream; a chase that is pointless; the exemplary unattainable boy. Why must you be so damn impossible?
BAH.
let's see....
ok..let's start with my 3rd day in Sydney. 120704
We went to Wollongong, aka the Gong...
took a 2hour train all the way there...went into Spotlight and other shops..
explored the shopping mall, and finally started on the 2+km walk towards the beach..
erm..the beach was..beachy..i supposed...and since that was the 1st beach i saw in Sydney so far..i was pretty much impressed with the waves and waters and stuff...until..
3 bloody guys came running down into the waves w/o any clothes..
they had to skinny dip in the middle of WINTER...with FREEZING COLD water and stuff...
and they weren't even cute...
man...my 3rd day in Sydney and i'm traumatized for LIFE...Scarred and Bruised...
hahaha..fine...it wasn't that serious...but still...
yeah..then we caught the train back and made spagetti for dinner..with chocolate strawberries and stuff..
130704
Tiff and Agnes reached Sydney..went to pick Tiff up @ Unilodge, Pam dropped by with Agnes for lunch..we cooked stewed chicken and rice..erm...don't really remember much of that day tho...just that...Agnes and I went to sleep at 4pm in the afternoon...only to be awaken by the girls saying that they wanna eat Thai Food for dinner...which apparently didn't come true...we had Dumplings and something i guess... *shrugs* ohhh...Pam stayed over...and that was the 1st day i saw Pam..and Ta-dah! we clicked! hahahahaha...we, Agnes, Pam and i, had some interesting discussion in Jeremy's smelly ol' room...cuz the rest of the girls, Jac, Jing and Tiff, were either watching tv or trying to give the guys instructions over MSN...erm..yeah..
140704
Pam disappeared for work, Agnes and i Nua-ed in bed..finally getting bullied to move..we went to...Oxford Street...it's this gay street which has great shopping...and if you know me well enough...i don't really do Shopping shopping...not the girls style anyway...what i would do would be to actually know what i need/want, and hop into the shop and get it..i won't really bother perusing all the items in the shop, trying all the clothes that are hanging on the racks..nah..that's not fun...so it would seem as if i'm actually kinda bored the whole day...until...they headed for the shoe shop...i've got shoe fetish and accessories fetish..throw me in a shoe shop and i'll prolly stay in there the whole day...it's a pity that the shoes weren't really that nice...or i'll prolly get some heels... :) the day was good...with me buying a jacket and a pair of pants...erm...while most of the girls didn't get anything...the irony of the whole situation...sheese...oh wells, we went to Lush..and it stinks...and i don't trust them with my skin...so..i didn't get the facial mask that i was supposed to get..erm..i guess that's all...
150704
we went grocery shopping at Paddy's Market..to prepare for the guys arrival...right..so anyway...we went there at 2pm i guess...had yum cha there...and it was pretty good...really good...hmm...then it was grocery shopping time...spent ALOT of time there...and we trekked back to jing's place with brocolis in my MAMBO BAG..sigh...lol..someone got Onions in theirs...so i'm not gonna complain about my tomatoes and Brocolis...Jing kenna-ed the Rock melon in her bag tho... :) oh...we ended up taking the cab to Pam's place...and 5 girls in a small kitchen trying to cook dinner with no light...how wonderful is that? obviously, after they got the Shepherd's Pie moving along...I decided to step back and do nothing...lol...too many cooks spoil the broth..yeah..but i was supposed to make dessert anyway..so...it's not as if i'm slacking or anything...i'm just waiting for my turn to use the kitchen..oh..highlight of the day... Agnes got HIGH on Chocolate Strawberries....it still never failed to amuse me...heh..then Jing went back, got 'nagged' into going clubbing...and well...i had a bit of vodka...then it was bedtime..
160704
the guys came @ an unearthly hour of 7am...stupid MAS...tiff and i went to pick em up..had lunch in..and stoned for a while before taking the Bus to Circular Quay to meet the rest of them to catch the ferry to Manly Beach...erm...i FINALLY HAD MY FIRST BOTTLE OF WINE IN SYDNEY! all thanks to my wine drinking kaki by the name of Tang ShangJun!! lol..but it was a small bottle...he bought the Jacob's Creek one..and i stupidly grabbed the first bottle i saw..and it ended up to be sparkling wine...which tasted horrible...bah.
oh...we had vietnamese beef noodles for dinner and i ended up with a bloody burst and bleeding blister on my heel...sigh...
170704
we went to the Fish Market for Brunch...spent $12 on food each person on my table...
*drumrolls* introducing the people on my table....
Pamela......Agnes.......Sharon.......Shangjun....and Me!
lol...we had a Seafood Platter for 2...200g of Salmon Sashimi...Unagi...and this thing with Fresh Oysters, half a Lobster, and BIG HUGE Prawns...not too bad for 12 bucks eh? oh...and after serious deliberation at the wine tasting counter, my wine kaki and i decided to get a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from the Rothbury Estate...photos of this can be found at his online photo album..the wine was good tho...after brunch we went walking to Darling Harbour...where we had ice-cream...delicious ice-cream..with weird flavours like wasabi and sticky rice and black sesame..then we took tons of photos..and headed towards Chinatown and Paddy's Market...erm..then we went for HILLSONGS!! the music and stuff were good...i've got a ton of comments on it...but it's gonna be a tad bit too long...so let's fast forward...
180704
Went to Jing's church, St Barney's for service..took the bus to the Rocks..but due to bad weather, the Rocks was CLOSED. headed for Pancakes on the Rocks for one of the bestest pancakes i've ever eaten in my life...strolled into arty farty galleries..and Pam and i tried to teach Jing and Sharon how to appreciate the fine works of Arts..but..i guess this skill is innate..either you got the talent, or you don't...can't be taught...lol..we then went romping around the bloody shopping streets of Sydney, George Street and Pitt Street...i seriously believe that these streets do not end.... *faints* and then Jamie decided not to be the brightest kid in the house for awhile and decides to runaway to Pam's apt for 2 nights..hahaha...and she happily dragged Pam and Shangjun back to Jing's apt to grab her belongings...Eugene, Agnes and Sharon were then given the task to go home and cook dinner...well yeah...it took a while for us to finally get back to Jing's place..and for me to get my stuff..and for us to get into a wine cellar and grab a bottle of Wolf Blass Riesling for 8bucks..and for us to walk into Shell Station to buy a wine opener...only to find out that Pam was NOT LYING when she said that she has a wine opener lying around somewhere...Dinner was Splendid with Pasta and Chicken Wings...Dessert was Chocolate Strawberries...the Cooking Squad then gave back the kitchen to the Clean-up Squad..which was cool...cuz i got to do something...erm...like...drying the dishes... :)
had an hour of Bible Study which was Really Good...and we played Bridge afterwards...taught Sharon and Eugene the finer points of the game...and Shangjun had a heart attack when Sharon called for him as partner and yet still ate his card up...ROFL...fruitful day...don't you think?
190704
since Jing had to wait to get her room lock and key fixed, meaning..she lost her key...her people over there were accompanying her...so we nua-ed till 930am..before starting to grab breakfast and all...and calling the wildlife park for directions...went to the wildlife park...jing's place was supposed to meet up with us later...had tons of fun...sharon got chased by an overly friendly goat, we saw 2 kangaroos mating, saw the harmful effects of the heater on a lizard..and we had horrible fish and chips...and from this outing...we can see that...if you pay attention to the words of Jamie Lim...you can end up saving 4dollars each on entrance fees...if you don't...you pay $13.50 for admission...hahahhaha...a little reading of guidebooks gets you everywhere...waited for Jing, Jem, Tiff and Josh to finish walking around the park before we headed for Jac's place for dinner...6 pizzas...13 people...and we had leftovers..ohhhh...the exciting part...because we were going to Blue Mts the next day...we had to leave the house by 7am...and we had to make sandwiches for everyone...so....we slogged our guts out at night...and woke up early to grab our stuff and run...lol...we got inspired by the bloody good pancakes that we had @ Pancakes on the Rocks..and we made PANCAKES for breakfast...erm..at night...so that we can throw em in the microwave in the morning...and.....even tho i can make better pancakes than Shangjun...it was only because Agnes came and help him..that led to him having more of his pancakes on the Acceptable plate...while mine's are own the Rejected plate... *grumbles*..heh..i'm just being sour grapes...anyway...i'm too bored to blog more...shall stop here and continue another time.
@ Port Stephens, while i was on the bus. This is the epitome of life during the holidays.
@ Newcastle, the kind of waters that Singapore will never ever have. Sparkling Jewels on the water, beckoning us from ashore.
@ Port Stephens. 2 feet, 1 sun, 1 beach, 1 amazing day.
@ Nelson Bay. 1 beach, 2 old men, 1 perfect day, 1 fine example of everlasting friendship.
@ Nelson Bay. 3 friends. 1 sun. 3 exposed bellys.
@ the Sand Dunes at Anna Bay. The only reason for this trip. The ties of Friendship.
@ Fish Market. Mich, Deyna, Shangjun and I.
I'M BACK!
will write about the trip next week...
i'm too tired..
G'day people who are reading my blog...
i'm actually using jing's labby while she's watching Big Brother outside...
let's see...might as well do a recap of the stuff that happened yesterday and today..
Yesterday, 101004
-touched down @ kingsford international airport.
-took the aiport shuttle bus thingy to unilodge where i met Jing & Jac.
-walked straight to Sydney's Fish Market for Lunch...it was around 10 bucks per person..and we had a dozen fresh oysters, 300g of salmon sashimi, and calamari & fish and chips... was pretty full...and i bought caviar...8.50 a bottle...prolly addicted to caviar now..i wiped off 1/2 a bottle in a day..
-walked to straight to Darling Harbour for Ice cream @ Passionflower...it's pretty darn good...$3.00 a scoop...nice stuff...i had irish cream and baileys...jac had mango ice and jing tried the sticky rice...the sticky rice tasted like...thai sticky rice...hahaha...not too bad...but the flavours were really weird and interesting like black sesame, wasabi and sticky rice...
-continued walking straight to chinatown..finished walking through it in 5 mins...nothing impressive...really...then we headed for Paddy's Market..it's HUGE...and well...big...bought 2 boxes of strawberries..and a block of dark chocolate + i bought 5 tins of hot tabasco peppers Sardines for my mum..she adores them...took the bus back..and my feet were aching man...
-came back...crapped for a while...jac cooked the pre-made dumplings..while jing & i rolled the dough for the dumplings...
-i went to melt the chocolate to make chocolate dip...and we dunked the strawberries in to make chocolate coated ones...haha...it was hilarous...and the key is to add MILK..not water...
-we made a J CAN COOK video...prolly upload it one day...we were ultra high on chocolates and dumplings tho...no idea why...even before we opened the 2 bottles of alcohol... *stunned*
-and for once...JAMIE DRANK THE LITTLEST of all...a little bit of bacardi and a little bit of vodka...was jumping between the bottles...because jac preferred the bacardi, while jing preferred the vodka...played i-have-no-idea how many rounds of DaiTi...jac won 3 rounds...*applause* :D
end of yesterday.
Today
-walked to newtown train station and found it was closed...jac took the bus home...and we took the bus to the Rocks..
-it was DRIZZLING...but we had the UMBRELLA..haha..
-there was the Rocks weekend Market..it's bloody Brillant...there was this Coffee Fest thingy going on...and the smell of Roasted Coffee Beans were like...WOW...it's so much better than Starbucks...
-bought body butter and stuff...and a bottle of chilli mango sauce which looks innocent but yet WAY HOT...
-ohh..they were selling Lindt's Chocolates WAY CHEAP...3 blocks of Chocolate for $5...AMAZING...that was lunch btw...for 2 of us... *grins*
-came back @ around 2pm...took a nap...woke up for dinner...and will prolly be going to the supermarket later...cool yeah...
yup...that's about it...
cya!
Adieu...Sayonara...Zai Jian...Tschus! Adios..
the last entry i'll type before i reach sydney...
not even considered as an entry...
more of a jumble of goodbyes..
bleagh.
i'm going to stuff myself silly with fish and chips..
good quality fish and chips...not the pathetic excuse they sell at long john silvers..
bah.
i'm flying in 12hours time..
no feelings tho..
not really excited or anything..
and i seriously think that i WON'T get lost...even tho i keep saying that i will..
don't miss me peeps...
will promise to take loads of photos...but i don't promise to load 'em all up
*grins*
i will only date a guy i can see myself spending the rest of my life with.
i had a dream..
a very funny one..
i dreamt that jaclyn has loads of pirated vcds that we can watch over at jing's place..
titles include shrek and shrek2...
apparently, i was asking tiff and agnes if they wanna go port stephens before the guys reach...
and...tiff was driving...it's either a bmw or a mercs lar..
the best part...she parked the car, everyone got off except me..
cuz i was trying to clear some stuff..and the car started moving forwards...
tiff was actually trying to close the gate lar...
u know those private houses types..
then the car was moving...and bang..
the car crash into the gate and i'm still in the car...
that's when i woke up..
stupid dream...
no logic at all..
hahaha
I'll be flying in 3days...
wow..
interesting...
Please pray for me..
for a great flight and a wonderful trip..
that there'll be more wonderful memories than horrible ones...
minimise the horrid memories as far as possible..
pray for safety...
and pray for control over my money...
i'm trying to stay on a budget here..
Amen.
3 more days and counting before i reach sydney....
Portugal lost.
Euro is screwed.
'nough said.
did some designs for the logo!!!
thanks to pete khoo!!
haha
and jeremy got back into Singapore Idol!
haha
yay!
today's another audition..
wonder how he did tho...
*grins*
i'm busy and i like it..
*beams*
erm...1 photo of the candle shop is up....haven't got the time to edit the rest tho...
haha..but it looks artistic no?
*grins*
how many crosses does a girl need in her lifetime?
was just thinking about it...because i've got a tarnished cross..
and my dad bought another one for me..
and twin almost got me one..
the answer to that question came to me in like a few seconds..
i only need 1 cross in my whole life..
the cross which Jesus died on..
that's the only one that's important..
the others are just reminders of THAT cross..
yeah.
found this on ctran's blog...interesting..
you're educated mostly unhated and one of the lucky few with creativity unabated, and you have friends & fam of the kind that undefine this dictionary neighborhood. Long distance in a circle is the worst sort of relationship, son, so why run?
Why? I can try to express my life as a fish, hittin' the glass of the bowl with no visible toll till my belly rolls up and it's time to flush, all the while people askin' what's the rush? And don't you care that you'll be thirsting for air once you break that glass there?
To which I respond: true, I'll be gasping, looking up at the table I was on-- but, for those few moments before... well. You can't see fish cry but they do want to fly.
not i'm thinking if euro's rigged...
how can it be possible for the opening match of euro to be Portugal vs Greece..
and the finals to be Portugal vs Greece?
tell me the odds...
didn't watch the match last year...
DAMMIT..
i should have been the bookie of the family and accepted bets from my daddy and uncle..
i would be RICH now...
considering they were thinking of betting in hundreds...
ah wells...
not worth the heart attack...
and daddy didn't bet in the end because i was nagging at him and i got my mummy out to nag too..
so..
hahahaha
*beams*
i'm a party pooper!
feeling quite blah now..
gonna go find something to do...like packing the luggage..
let's see...
brief update on the happenings..
stoned on tuesday at my place while watching 'Wishing Stairs' with dewen..
we went to meet calyn for coffee afterwards...
when we finally managed to blast an atomic bomb to wake her up..
wednesday was peaceful...with me doing the housework..
thursday went out for sushi..
erm..yar
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWIN!!!
20 years liao!!
thanks for the SUSHI!!!
*beams*
Goethe once commented that Architecture is like frozen music..
well...soccer is like a piece of music...
it's all about the tempo of that piece..but like instruments on an orchestra..
once a player misses or screws up...
the piece is spoilt...
sure..u can always pass it off as a 20th century piece...an abstract work of art...
but the flaws still remain...
bah..
bullshit la..
dunno wad i'm writing...
it's 3.40am...
PORTUGAL IS LEADING!!!
RONALDO SCORED!!
i LOVE HIM...
hahahaha
*beams*
imma go eat my durian cake now..
