Talk about hectic!

I dont know how to do this. Being the sole beneficiary of someone's wrath for another is not the situation you would fancy finding yourself in. Having insufficient sleep does not help. Neither does the mountainous pile of homework which I have accumulated over the weeks.

I am freezing cold. Dark clouds loomed everyday threatening to rain at the most undesirable times. Times when you woke up 1/2 hr late and tried to rush to school. Well, it didnt rain la but almost! (I thought I felt a drizzle.) Made me run faster though. And yes, I did woke up 1/2 hr late today. Please do not concern yourself too much because I managed to reach school in record time just in time for my first lecture.

Bio tutorial was the fantastic. Splendid delivery by my tutor as usual. She's the only one who can make me look forward to classes. You rock Velt.

Moving away, moving on

The inevitable is here. After weeks of excruciating pain, multiple attempts to fit in, it has still proven to be futile. Maybe its better this way. For all of us. I guess we'll all be happier now.

Bye Carrie. I wish you well in where ever you are.

Cold War!

It is damn cold here. And that is causing a lot of people to swear unnecessarily. Like me. Crap its cold! Adelaide's temperature is plunging like the money in my bank account and no one seems to be bothered about it. ('It' being the temperature of course). There is no way I am going to survive this without the words from Sun Zi Bing Fa. In English, I believe its The Art of War by Sun Zi.

Here is a list of things I might need for the war against the cold. (aka Cold War)

Number 1:
He said that if the surroundings don't change for the better, you gotta change to suite to the surroundings. So if the temperatures here cannot agree with me, I will adapt to it by layering. It is a common practice to layer here which refers to wearing tonnes of clothing.
Coats, checked!

Number 2:
I believe he also said a hungry soldier is an unhappy soldier (Or something to this extent). So I have stocked up on instant food and milo. I'll need all the energy I can get.
Food, checked!

Number 3:
Stay indoors! This one is taken from my experience cos there will always, hopefully, be a heater. You don't need Sun Zi to tell you that!
Common sense, checked!

The war has begun! Fight!

Untitled

Everyone is trying hard to make this as best as they could. I should too. Bearing in mind, of course, the multiple constrains from different aspects in my life, I will 'let' on the basis of least disruption as I might evoke more if I dont. And I might as well admit that this will not be as clean as I hope it will be.

Time and tide

I miss you. I really do. I missed all the days we had together, the fun and laugher, our happy days, our sad days. I want to go back to the time when we had nothing to worry about. We didnt have many desires then. Life was simple and filled with joy.

I really do miss you. I cant look at your photos without having the urge to cry.

Time passes by so fast. Its not fair! I want to go back!

I miss you. Every single one of you.

Hooray! Boo! Which one?

There are times when you're confuse if you should be feeling happy or sad over an event in your life. This is happening to me as i type.

Its good friday today so its a holiday. yay!
And we'll have monday off as well because of easter. double yay!

But work is piling up. sucks.
3 online tests to complete. sucks.
online tests are graded. sucks big time.

-leeling does not comprehend wad she just typed.

Dont stop cos no one is gonna

I didnt realised it until today. There is a significant number of older students doing the same subjects as me. When I say older, I actually mean people who are 30 and above. And although their efforts to better themselves are commendable, it pains my heart to see them grappling with basic chemistry concepts like mole calculations (and some doesnt even know what's an hydroxide ion!) which we did back in secondary school.

Saying this, I hope that my readers can cherish every opportunity they have in terms of their studies because not everyone is as fortunate as you. To be exposed to good education at early stages in life will most certainly give you a strong edge over others in the future.

-leeling ambitiously hopes for everyone to have an equal opportunity to learn.

Burrrrrrrrrr

God its cold today. Its 21 degress now. I think the highest was 27 in the afternoon. And it was 37 degress just that day! Omg I am going to wear my jeans the whole of this week starting tomorrow.

Its cold. I am cold. And I am not going to give in.

Do you know...

Worrying about a problem does not make it go away. Doing something about it might.

Just do it.

-leeling thinks that this is probably the shortest it can ever get

Drink More Vitagen

Its so hot! Tempreatures are climbing up the ladder of infinity and find themselves quite happy at the range of 37-40 degrees. This ultimately displeases many and has became quite a topic among friends and strangers. However, displeasure is not the only thing it has caused but also discomfort. My flatmate Carrie, a suspected case of heat stress, was feeling unwell since thursday and subsequently lost her voice on friday. Fortunately, she is able to speak coherently now and is on her way to recovery.

So people in Adelaide should drink more water and people in Singapore should drink more vitagen. Stacey was kind enough to tell me that you'll stand a chance to win tickets to Adelaide if you buy vitagens now. So what are you waiting for? Head down to the nearest supermarket and get your vitagen now. Vitagen, its good for your digestion.

-leeling wonder if there are any similar lucky draws in Adelaide that might win her a ticket back to Singapore. Please wake her up.

See this? Please leave a comment

I want to know just how many people out there are actually viewing my blog so if you see this post, please add a comment (just one for each person please). You dont have to leave your name if you're not comfortable with others knowing that you frequent here. I shall not probe the reason to what might lead you feel this way and take no offence if you feel disgraced to be made known of your actions but please do leave a note on your way out.

Independence

There is something about the word.

We like to think of everyone as an individual with a unique way of distingushing themselves from others. Yet, we find it hard not to walk the ways of our ancestors. Ever wonder why history sometimes repeat itself? Maybe its because we are too used to doing certain things in a accepted and traditional fashion such that it is almost radical to do otherwise. The chances of being at the receiving end of ridicule prevent us from venturing, exploring into the unknown . Independent thinkers tend to believe in the opposite.

When I arrived here in Adelaide, I knew that I have to be independent. Its my life and I have to plan it. There are just so many things to plan for in life. From the long term plan, like getting a visa and getting accomodation for the next year, to (as what my physics teacher like to say) the nitty gritty of things in everyday life. No one cares what I am doing and I am not accountable to anyone.

In school, we practice independent learning. No one knows if you're not there in class, no one cares if you dont understand something. It is entirely UP TO YOU to go to school and find out the answers yourself. If the tutor missed a tutorial (which was what happened to me today), you will just have to find other ways of getting the answers you need.

Saying that, I dont mean that everyone here is very selfish and only cares for themself. Most people are friendly and will aid you when approached. But they DO NOT offer their assistance if you are unwilling to ask for it in the first place. So put down your pride and call for help when you need it. You will find yourself in a less dire state and once you've taken the first step, it's easier to do it again.

-leeling will learn to be more independent each day so that her shoulder will be strong enough to support her family when she returns.

The decision to study here was mine and if I fail, the fault shall be mine and mine alone. The credit goes to my family should this turns out good as they are constantly supporting me in every way possible.

The next 10

Alright it has come to a point, unfortunately, where there is nothing left to update as everyday is as mundane as every other day. So, I will once again attempt the impossible.

It will be my pleasure to present you the next ten major differences between Singapore and Adelaide.

Number 11: It is really quite common to see people on cruches, in wheelchairs, or have their arm/leg cast when you walk along the streets. I did a count and found that I managed to see 3 in just one day! If you're lucky, you get to see more on some days. (lucky for you, unlucky for others). My guess will be that they have a high accident rate here but I have never witness any road accident or public fights. In fact, I have seen NOTHING that might cause such a serious injury to a person during so far. Its funny how accidents can happen to so many people. I feel it went as far as if wearing a cast became a fashion statement. Well, we sure do not have THAT in Singapore.

Number 12: There are NO STRAYS here. Not many at least. You gotta look into a narrow corner where no one walks before you get to see any stray cats. (I know cos I've seen them)

Number 13: NO CROWS!!! yay! But in their stead, there are seagulls aplenty. Not that there are many in town to bother us though. (The files bother us more) And they (the birds) feel perfectly safe around humans.

Number 14: Because the water here is very precious, you dont get to throw away water you cannot finish in school. Well, not that you cant do it but everyone around you will give you a look as if you've done something really bad. (I am not sure if it is against the law) So do it at your own risk!

Number 15: Dont worry if you missed your stop. There is a same store around the next corner. There are so many shops which have their branches within walking distance of each other so you'll still get your hungry jacks no matter where you are. (or maybe macs or kfc or subway or.......)

Number 16: The Australians like to preserve the environment and hence are very pro-active in the bring-your-own bag campaign, they have recycling bins almost everywhere, and they uses paper which are very thin. Too thin to my liking. I cant use my uniball on the paper as it is too inky.(if there's such a word) I gotta resort to using my azone paper sparingly as I am still not accustomed to using ball point pens.

Number 17: In Australia we walk a lot. And "a lot" is an understatement. They actually termed a 1/2 an hour walk 'walking distance'. I walk to school and back almost everyday and it is a 20 minutues fast walk per trip. (I hope to have shed some weight by now)

Number 18: The public transport within the city is free! By that I mean there are free buses and trams to bring you around the city of adelaide. They are not very reliable though. But hey, its free so who's complaining?

Number 19: The houses here have miserably thin walls. When my flat mates walk around in their rooms, or open and close their drawers, or talk on the phone, I can hear them clearly. (Note that some of my flatmates resides on different level as me) And I understand from reliable sources that every house in the city have the tendency to be equipped with thin walls. I seriously do not understand how they live around here.

Number 20: And yup the sauces are NOT free at fast food restaurants. Gotta BYO (bring your own)

-leeling is still trying to brush up her summarising skills and at the same time, she would also wish to find out the reason(s) behind the injuries people here are constantly sustaining from.

Just a little note

Just to let all know that I will avoid posting photos all at one shot because when I do that, the whole thing goes crazy (as you can see in my most recent post) and I gotta spend a lot of time trying to arranging them.


I'll try to make it less wordly(for the benefit of some) yet attempt to express myself in a way where all can understand.(really a test of my summarising skills)



-leeling will attempt to capture the goodness of the whole of adelaide in short paragraphs so that everyone back home is able to experience what they have graciously and most generously bestowed upon her. She is thankful everyday and aims to make the best of her stay here.

Yummy Yummy Yum Yum

Today's write up is going to be on a topic close to the hearts (and stomachs) of many. I will attempt to write on the food in adelaide, or rather, the food I eat here in adelaide. As most of you might have known by now, I make my own breakfast and lunch and cook dinners with my flatmate Elisa. This is mainly because it is really very expensive to eat out. So, without further ado, let me present to you the finest cuisine The Village townhouse number 50 has to offer.......

First up, its the pasta!

A whole lot of us got together and wipped up a delicious meal for 7. (But it serious feeds at least 8)

Followed by the yummy carrot and potato soup, meat balls in sauce as well as the all important lettuce.

And then there are the fruits! The peaches :)

And after some time, we decided we missed curry and decided to make some. It was so tasty. But, of course, we used the pre-mixed

ones as we're still not good enough to try from scratch.

Most of the time we'll have bread. Tuna bread, egg mayo bread, chicken mayo bread, french toast and on some days, I might just eat bread with

margarine. Its just bread bread bread bread bread.

Of course we have other alternatives for breakfast. Cornflakes

is one of them. And cornflakes come cheap if you buy in bulk. So there you can see is what I have bought. For a better idea of how big it is, I have placed a 15 cm ruler (if you can see it) between the 2 boxes of cornflakes. ( The tip of the ruler reaches the letter "c" in "corn" on the skippy corn flakes box)

Because we have lots of cornflakes, we sometimes eat them with things other than milk. Like ice-cream for instance:) It is good I must say.

The following photos might look a bit scary but yup its what we have in our house. This one here, is a photo of a 4 litres oil bottle, beside a 500g salt and a kilo sugar on the most right.

And then there is the canned food and ready-made rice and pasta for emergencies. Actually it is also because it is very cheap.

And our well-stoked fridge.

Lastly, I would like to introduce you to a healthy flatmate of mine. Her name is Carrie. She eats salads for dinner and she doesnt eat anything pass 6 o'clock.








This is her dinner. (Wow! looks good)






Alright I know I have made some of you hungry and shall put and end to your misery by ending my photos here. Hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as I have enjoyed savouring them. Muahahahahaha.

-leeling will be making pancakes for breakfast tomorrow!

Lemonades anyone?

As the saying goes, when life give you lemons, make lemonade. Well, I am quite sure most people out there prefer lemonades to lemons (and so do I!) but the question lies in, how do we do that? How do we see opportunities in the face of adversity?

Adversity is defined by the dictionary as, a condition marked by misfortune while an opportunity is an appropriate or favourable time or occation. An adversity will always be an opportunity if and only if (iff) you can predict the future. Unfortunately, no all of us can, so what we do is we try to minimise this misfortune using some common sense. One simple example (which happens to be very close to my heart) is, when you see the quantity of something in the supermarket stocking up and no one appears to be buying them, the chances are that it'll be on discount on the following week. And when they do get cheap, its a good idea to buy a large amount so that you dont have to worry about it not being worth your dollar the next time you need them. (especially if you're on a tight budget) And so you have it, opportunities (buy a lot when cheap) in the face of adversities. (no money)

Living in adelaide and far away from home has tremendous effect on me. I am super sensitive to money and will only buy things that are either on discount, or cheaper as compared to in Singapore. I am paronoid about my front door not being properly closed and will ensure that it is tightly closed and locked before retiring to my bedroom. I will tend to think that without sunscreen, I have a very high chance of getting skin cancer when I go under the sun for too long and I constantly check to see if my wallet and handphone is still with me when I am outside. But you know what, I've never run out of cash (so far), no one's ever broken into my house, I do not have skin cancer (as of 06/03 and hope never to get it) and my wallet and handphone is still with me. Yup I like to think of the worst that can happen and make very sure I'll be able to handle it when it does. As they say, better be safe. Now, why did I come to this point?

Forgive me, I had a tired day at school and my thoughts are all jumbled up. Guess I better hit the sack before I utter more nonsense. I hope to write on food on the next one though. Till then.


-leeling will not attempt to write again until she is of a better state of mind lest confusing her readers.

What is important to you?

It's like this. You'll never know that somethings are important to you until one day, you wake up and realised that its gone. Its sad how everyone seems to take everything for granted. Like, for instance, how you can just turn on your computer and it will start up successfully and you can do what you needed to do like homework, msn, surf the net etc etc. This convenience has made us so reliant on computers that, arguably, it is impossble to live without!

I am saying this because I have just went through FOUR DAYS without internet access. FOUR FREAKING LONG DAYS!!!!! My computer just refuse to log on to the network and after getting professional help from the reception, I realised that the internet settings was not correct. But, I am quite thankful that I have lived pass the ordeal to relate this tragic epsoide of my life. Just try one day without internet. Just one. Times 4 to that anger, fustration and rage and you'll get the equation of how I felt.

Just as there are times in life where everthing goes wrong, there's always surprises that can make your day! I have just received a parcel from my family! They sent me a pair of winter clothes (black and white), a pair of thermal wear (2 tops, 2 bottoms), a pretty checkered scarf, my loyal ikea blue cup, some pens and refills for my uni-ball (cos everyone uses ball point pens here), more lotions and a laundry bag. And something else. My PLASTERS!!!! I am so injury prone that I sprained my right ankle just before I came here. Its all good now but just in case. The things from home really made my day and I am reminded that once again, home is where the heart belongs. Awwww. Sounds mushy but its true. So treasure your family people!

Classes have finally started. I must say that by and large the lecturers are pretty interesting here. Most of them have their own teaching style. I am more or less used to their somewhat weird lecture style and is able to differentiate what they're saying to what they actually mean. Most people here went through year 12 which has syllabus slightly different from ours. (They have never heard before the term radians) But most of it is the same.(I hope) Its just how they phrase their sentences. The australians tend to speak quite differently in the sense that they uses different words. I might speak like them after a while. Haha. So dont give me a weird look when I greet you with a "G'day mate" when I get back home in december:)

-leeling will learn to count her blessings and appreciate the internet more everytime she uses it. It is also in her agenda to avoid picking up the Australian slang when speaking to her friends in Singapore.