Day of rude awakening...

This morning, I received a call from my dad and got news that my grandfather is very ill. Apparently, he collapsed on the pavement last night and is currently in a coma. The doctor said that he had suffered a stroke and would not be able to recover as he hit his head. Somehow, as I listened to my dad's trembling voice across half the globe, I can't help but experience tears streaming down my face.

One of my worst fears have come true. I might lose my grandfather soon. The nightmare more than a decade ago, which resulted in me losing my grandma was all coming back to me. Flashbacks of that faithful day, aftermath of the events, family crying everywhere, broken hearts, devastated souls. I cannot illustrate how I feared those moments. Even up till today, I still recall the very details which happened.

The only things that I could be thankful about were:

• Grandma was a Roman Catholic and believer of God, which means that she will go to heaven with her departure from earth

• The event brought the family closer

• It taught me a painful lesson about how I have taken for granted all the things and people that meant so much to be for my own selfish leisure and enjoyment (i.e. going out with friends, chatting online, talking on the phone, etc

Today, I was slapped with the same painful lessons which I have long forgotten. Once again, I have been too selfish. And this time round, things were different. My grandfather, despite years of indicating that he wanted to go to church and follow my grandmother's faith, has just allowed inertia to take place. Likewise, I was just too cowardy to share the gospel with him for fear of rejection. Now, I can only hope that at his deathbed, he really did repent. But I will never know till my death. :(

Nuts over NUTS!

WATCH OUT! Tragedy has taken over!

My dear friends, see this harmless pack of nuts? It cost me $50! Why? Cause the dishonest uncle selling the nuts refused to acknowledge that I gave him $50. Kept insisting that I only gave him $20! Wat the...

I kept asking him for the change but he just REFUSED! If only there was a camera there to snap down his nasty act! No way am I getting any more nuts from him! I must be NUTS to do that! :'(

Aussie Road Trip - Day 4 Great Ocean Road (GOR) Adventure!!!

Rise and shine! Today is supposed to be a jam packed day! We were behind my PERFECTO schedule by about 1/3 of a day so no time was wasted packing up and heading towards our 1st destination for the day, Otway Lighthouse!

Otway Lighthouse


This is apparently one of the 1st lighthouse built in Australia after a long long time and many ship wrecks. As I have been here before, this was not something particularly interesting to me. In fact, I was more interested in chilling at the cafe and drinking kopi with the sea view before me. But nonetheless, given that it is Mr Low's virgin trip here, I decided to "entertain" him.

Ha, long time it has been, 3 years it is. I almost forgot how scary the walk to the lighthouse from the carpark is. Why? Cause I am a reptile coward! Any landscape that consists of bushes, trees, sign boards cautioning against snakes gets me all psyched up and uptight, like a mother hen constanly on the outlook for eagles in a bid to protect her line of chicks behind. Haha.

However, something interesting to note about the lighthouse this time round is that they have improved on their efforts to provide more background and history on the lighthouse. They have a story teller stationed at the top of the lighthouse to narrate stories of the past, to which no one can verify! Awesome! Keke...


Ha, finally it was time for us to chill out at the cafe. But it was such a disappointment! They DO NOT serve brekkie! The menu only had scones and pastries. :( No warm and fuzzy food, and the kopi sucks! :'(

Otway Rainforest

Next up, we did a detour to the Otway Rainforest so Mr Low can experience what a tree top walk looks like. Having experienced the walk when I was in Tasmania a couple of months back, I wasn't particularly keen given I have this terrible fear of heights! But oh well, a woman gotta do what a woman gotta do, which is to show the man the world. Haha, so here we are!


Ha, this picture was taken when we were at the top of the viewing stand of the treetop. The hike up was torturous! The stairs were so narrow that only 1 way traffic is possible. I had to get Mr Low to keep talking rubbish to me so I can be distracted from the height! Look at how happy he is in the picture! Probably grinning at me for being such a wuss. Bleah!

The engineers for the treetop walk are buggers who are constantly trying to be funny. They built the path which vibrates and shakes whenever someone is walking on it. Scares the shit out of you cause every step I take, I worry about it being my last!

I cannot emphasize how great my fear was, but perhaps the video below will give you a better idea of how scared I was! :'(




Ha, this was taken when we were at the foot of the rainforest. I cannot tell you how relieved I was. But now, I was afraid that the tracks will collapse and crush me to death! Tsk tsk, scarly cat I am.

To be fair, though this is the highest treetop walk in Australia, I think that the one in Tasmania is more scary cause the edge of track is an open area with the bottom being an open river. Strong winds with huge waves along with a bunch of people standing at the edge of the track is just about enough to freak you out with countless possibilities of a horrible and unwanted death.

Twelve Apostles

Relaxing times ahead! After the stressful morning, it was time to chill! Along the GOR, you CANNOT miss the 12 apostles. It is basically just a few chunks of rocks caused by Mother Nature geographical actions. No idea why it is so famous, but when you are in Melbourne, you got to do what the Melbournians do!


Beautiful, aint it? What GREAT photography skills I have! ;p


This is supposed to be the Loch Arc Gorge or something like that, if I remember correctly. But well, it is just another piece of geographical formation. Haha, I think there's more along the way, but after some time, EVERYTHING just looks the same! Keke.


So here we are, creating self entertainment for ourselves in the midst of the sunny weather. Luckily the weather was not freezy, if not, Mr Low would have died a shameful death for ignoring my repeated warnings of the unpredictable weather in Melbourne. Why you might ask? He was in Sentosa when he got my sms weather report and thought, 'Aiya how cold can it be right? Chill la..'

Haha what a fool he is! Thankfully, his lucky stars were shining. See that white sweater he is donning? That's hot babe's! Luckily she was kind enough to offer him her sweater, if not, I will be laughing all the way while he freezes in desperation!

After all that touristy stuff, it was time to embark on our final leg of today's journey. Warrnambool! I was quite excited about it as I have never been there before and also, due to the fact that hot babe strongly recommended it.

Pit stop 1: Port Campbell

Finally, time for a breather from the hectic day and also, time for a bite. Walked around the town which is basically a 200m stretch of shops, hotels and restaurants, got some fish and chips & a cuppa kopi, pumped some petrol and off we were, hitting the road again.

Just for the benefit of those who are interested in the comfy backpacker place that I mentioned in my Day 3 post, check them out below!




Ha, ain't that nice? Cheap too! I think it is just about A$20/pax for 1 night! Super value for $, except for the fact that you must be great at self entertainment, as there is REALLY literally NOTHING to do at small towns like these along the GOR.

From discussion with Mr Low, we reckoned that towns like these are great for holiday houses but not somewhere you want to live in as your main residence. Unless you are retired!

Warrnambool

Vroommm...About 2 hours of 'Initial D' on the road and we were at our final destination! Advised by hot babe, there was no need to pre book accommodation at Warrnambool as there are countless motels and hotels around.

So off we went scouting around for the best deal in the town! After half an hour, we were settled into a quiet but cosy motel, watching tv while Mr Low studies the attractions of the town. So we were to go for a laser show about yet another ship wreck.

Well, it was a nice experience, except that for A$25/pax, you would expect more. After that, we went for a Taco Bell dinner as Mr Low has never tried Mexican food before. I myself have not tried Taco Bell and at 9+pm, along with the freezing cold weather, any hot and meaty food would do the trick for me.

We literally stuffed ourselves with nachos, beef, fruit punch and more. Needless to say, Mr Low has Mexican food phobia now (common with anyone who eats Mexican for the 1st time) and I do not feel like having it for some time.

Back at the motel, we watched some tv before I performed my daily ritual of getting my CA notes out for my 5 min exercise once again. Haha. Obviously, it did not take long for my eyes to shut! ;)

An exhausting yet enjoyable day, but I am at the same time excited about tomorrow's journey to Mount Gambier (halfway between Melbourne & Adelaide)! Somewhere I never been before as well. Woohoo! Stay tuned!

Aussie Road Trip - Day 3 Great Ocean Road (GOR) Adventure!!!

After the 'not so exciting' beginning of activities all in the honour of Mr Low, i.e. Flower Show & penguin watching, it was time for the kickoff of my exciting itinerary!

Despite setting off later than scheduled (due to Mr Low nudging everyone in the household the night before to play the card game he brought, Bonanza - silly, inflexible bean trading game), we were both excited and raring to go! After a frantic morning of packing and preparation, we were finally all set and ready to conquer GOR!


Haha, check this out. Ain't the guy usually supposed to be driving while the gal chill in the passenger seat? Now now, is it obvious enough who wears the pants in the relationship? Tsk tsk. Oh man, why do I look so fat in the picture? All because of Mr Low's kuku photography skills! Ha, check his attire out! And compare it to the following:


WAHAHA! It's an exact replica of Where's Wally! Despite knowing Mr Low for nearly a decade, I never knew he had this fantasy of being Where's Wally. The moment he stepped foot into my room and saw that lovely scarf of mine, which my bosom buddy, Donald, gave me when I was departing for Melbourne last June, Mr Low grabbed the scarf and declared that it was his! -Gasp-

1st pit stop: Geelong

Geelong is a suburb about 45mins away from the city. I have not been there before but have heard from many that it is a boring place with nothing to promise. However, since we got to stop somewhere for toilet break and pay the visitor centre a visit, here we are...


Part of Geelong is surrounded by the sea. It was a beautiful day out there, with the sun shining onto the surface of the sea, making it glitter like gold. Lots of people fishing. Did I mention that Aussies just love to fish? For whatever reason I do not know, but somehow, no amount of fishing is EVER enough for them, just like how no amount of booze is EVER enough for them!



Ha, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 in the making. Everybody, check out that hot chick in the middle! Don't you just get blown away by her? Haha!


Haha, Wally wannabe in action. Actually, we just wanted to take a picture of the ship in the background. But we reckoned, hey let's take a picture of us in the photo to enhance the beauty of the landscape. So, somehow, WE became the centre of the attention! Haha, like, what is new right? But then again, how can you blame me?


Ha, another shippy photo again...You bet Mr Low just cannot resist his fingers to snap shots of such a beautiful creature right before him! ;p Ha, I look like a sheepish kid who rather be in bed. Well, such nice weather is always best for chilling in bed ma! :D

GOR Highway

After leaving traces of our footsteps in Geelong, we were to hit the GOR Highway and stop at Lorne, this small beachfront town with a long stretch of shops and restaurant for lunch.

Now along the way, the following conversation occurred when we were searching for directions to the GOR Highway:

Mich: Ok, so where are we supposed to go now?

Mr Low: (Studying the map like a bible) Ok, now just continue going straight and turn right at the junction

Mich: (See the road board stating 'GOR Highway - Turn left 100m') Are you sure? The road sign said left leh

Mr Low: (Calm and composed tone) Yes, don't worry about the sign board, just trust me and go straight

Mich: But...but why...(sulking as I continued driving straight)

At the traffic light...

Mich: Eh, why still don't have sign board to the GOR Highway?

Mr Low: (unsure tone) Errr...Don't know leh, the road looks strange

Mich: (In pek chek tone) Wahlau eh, you see you la, I told you to turn left just now you don't listen...

Stops at road side to study map

Mr Low: (cock sure tone) Aiya I am right la...We have not reached the junction to turn left la, you listen to me confirm correct one. Don't worry, no sugar.

Mich: (In defiant tone while accelerating the car) Haiyah, why do you have to make life so complicated? Just now turn left at the road sign not can liao lor, still wanna chu pattern read this read that...so mafan...

Mr Low: (Scholar tone) -flashes map- Come, I tell you hor, go this way better cos...

Yadah yadah yadah...So for the 1st 10 minutes when we hit the GOR Highway, Mr Low was trying to convince me why his choice of road is the best while I continued to be defiant. Bleah. Guys. Haha.

2nd pit stop: Lorne

Finally, after 1+ hour, we reached Lorne. The road to Lorne was winding and narrow with Mr Low constantly reminding me like an alarm clock to drive safely.

Mr Low: (shaky tone) Hey deario, don't drive so fast k...Safety 1st...

Mich: (bo chup tone) But I'm only travelling at 100km/hr ma. It's so lame. And it's safe ma, don't you feel secure with Safety Quek around? -sniggers-

Mr Low: .......But your car very buang ma...

Mich: (nonchalant tone) Eh you cannot like that say hor, my ma que (sparrow) is one of the most reliable cars in the history of Melbourne hor.

And so the exchange of opinions went along as we drove along, with mini karaoke sessions held in between to the likes of Mr Low's Sony Ericsson's Walkman phone.

Before we knew it, speedy sparrow had brought us to Lorne, where we walked around searching for a nice place to have lunch in. Settled for seafood platter set for 2, where the chips provided was so much, when it was packed nicely in a wrap, it was twice the size of my arm! GOSH!

Apollo Bay

After lunch, we set off to Apollo Bay, where we were to stay for the night at the highly self recommended YHA hostel. Before that, we were supposed to visit the Otway rainforest and the Otway lighthouse. Given that it was already late afternoon, we decided to take things easy and visit all these locations tomorrow instead.

So we decided to check in before exploring the area further.


Tadah! Our stylo hostel at just $20+/pax for 1 night! Highly recommended! They have a well equipped kitchen with utensils and sauces that fellow backpackers left behind for others to use, nice and comfy bunker beds, not forgetting clean bathrooms!

Apollo Bay has changed so much ever since I went there about 3 years ago, more shops, later operating hours. There's even a DVD store there now! Took a stroll along the beach and explored the area we were staying. There's a fishing dock near the beach, saw a super big puffer fish swimming around groggily! So cute! Wanted to catch it but no net! :'(

With too much time in hand, we decided to head to the supermart and buy ingredients to cook dinner! Mushrooms, soup, garlic, chicken, etc...As it was still early, I decided to bring Mr Low to the backpackers I stayed with Qi when we were here 3 years ago.

My impression was that it was a nice cosy place, only to realise that it was the WRONG backpacker hostel I had in mind! The one I thought was nice and cosy was in Port Campbell! No wonder fussy hot babe thought otherwise! Haha!


Compare this hostel to YHA and you will find a world of difference! ;p

So after some magical chef moments by Stylo Quek, we have before us a table of food to feast on! Check them out below!


Now, they say a hungry man is a angry man. Does Mr Low look angry to you? I think he looks more guai lan. Haha.


Check me out! Obviously, when they say that a hungry man is a angry man, they did not realise a hungry woman is angrier! Keke!

After our stomachs are filled, the Nintendo DS (a gaming console to the likes of PSP) competition began! After much nagging by Mr Low, I decided to take out my CA study materials to do some studying. Why? All because Mr Low had to come at a time when my module is going on and with a quiz due in days, I can't play freely without worries! But then again, after reading 5 pages, I dozed off! Haha, so much for being studious!

Oh well, it's not the quantity that counts ma, it's the quality! Tsk tsk, stay tuned for Day 4 of our GOR adventure!

Melbourne Jazz Festival - DIVA Night!

In conjunction with the annual Melbourne Jazz Festival, alongside our new found freedom after our tax exam, we decided to catch DIVA Night! Why? Just cause it is something we got to do when we are here? Ha, yeah the tickets were costly (A$59) by my Singaporean giam kana mentality but hey I'm only going to be here for only 2 years! Can't possibly just scrimp and save and not enjoy this experience fully right?



Tadah! The venue of the festival was at Crown. This is it! Posh huh? We got seats which were like 5m away from the stage! Very good view, great music, wonderful atmosphere! This is my first jazz concert, but I can truly say I did not regret any single cent I spent!



One of the divas for the night...An award winning singer/songwriter who began her professional singing career at the age of fourteen, Elana Stone has displayed her musical range across Australia for the past decade. Elana Stone was a finalist for Australian Jazz Vocal Album of the Year in the Australian Jazz Bell Awards 2006. At heart an improviser and a live performer, Elana has stepped outside the confines of jazz to create original music, highlighting her song-writing ability and progressive style. The Elana Stone Band has performed at festivals across Australia and Europe.

Personally, she is the young and chic version of a jazz diva. Her voice was husky when she hit the high notes, lyrics were lame at times, but the music and the band were great! They even took the effort to synchronise their songs with the background!

The only downside was that Elana, despite her sharp chin, had a round belly. But that's not all, she wore a black skin tight dress! And I was so distracted as I kept focusing my vision on her belly button, which was bulging out of her black dress like a puffer fish's mouth! Haha...

Now introducing the 2nd diva of the night.....


Janet Seidel, winner of the Australian Jazz Bell Award for Australian Jazz Vocal Album of the year in 2006, is undoubtedly one of Australia's most prominent vocalists. With a voice that is soft and sensuous, Seidel can soothingly sing a ballad and become erotic with a blues tune. She manages the task of sounding flirtatious, confident and even humorous, which gives her songs an extra depth. Janet Seidel has an outstanding international career and has been revered not only on her Jazz tours in Australia but also on tours internationally.

Ha, I always thought she is french. Cause I bought one of her cds back in Singapore and was charmed by her french accent in the songs she sang, oh so sexy! Became a convert almost instantaneously! She is equivalent to the classy and sophisticated version of a jazz diva. Crystal clear and laid back old school jazz. Nice. Though the only off thing was that she resembled my client, who looks like Miss Piggy wrinkled up. Haha.

During the interval, the old lady sitting beside me introduced herself for a chat and asked why we young girls were interested in jazz and if we were part of a band before. Then she started telling me about her adventures, going around Australia attending musicals and jazz concerts, travelling in her caravan with her hubby. All these reminded me of the times when Mr Low and I were up at Mt Gambier, having a similar conversation with an old lady at the sink hole. She too, had a caravan and would travel around Australia with a bunch of friends to chill.

That made me miss Mr Low. I thought to myself, how nice if he could've been here! But then again, if he was here, he might not have appreciated the music and in turn, would have affected my mood! Haha.

Yet another wonderful experience! I remembered at the end of the concert, where I was sitting there soaking in the atmosphere of it all, I took some time and pondered about the time I spent in Australia. And I started to count my blessings, the friends I made while here, the lessons I learnt, the new independence I found, the places I discovered, the experiences I had, and so many many more.

So...There's after all, something good coming out from it all, eh? Which reminds me of Moby song lyrics, 'Open to everything happy and sad, seeing the good when it's all going bad...'

Time to be positive! :)

Keysssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!

Just when I thought my day was great, knocking off at 515pm, thinking of going for a jog, I recalled I forgot my keys! Just when I am at my DOORSTEP! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...With my housemates situated where I set off from, with my lazy ass growing at an accelerated speed, I opted to sit in the sofa couch of the basement of my apartment, waiting for my housemates to come home, not mentioning that I am currently fighting a shitload full bladder and using the building's electricity to charge my lappie. Haha...

Being boliao and trying to occupy myself to forget about how long more must I wait before I get to relieve my bladder, I took some personality tests...

The Five Love Languages

My primary love language is probably
Quality Time
with a secondary love language being
Physical Touch.

Complete set of results

Quality Time:		8
Physical Touch:		7
Words of Affirmation:		7
Acts of Service:		4
Receiving Gifts:		4

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

So, let's see...This test is quite interesting huh...But the overall conclusion, in a blunt way, is I'm LOW MAINTENANCE! Haha...cheap cheap...

It's 652pm, anytime I am ready to urinate in my pants...but...my dear housemates are still not home yet!

LESSON OF THE DAY: NEVER EVER FORGET YOUR HOUSE KEYS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE WORKING AS AN ACCOUNTANT! :'(

Ha, so in my bid to distract myself about the toilet, I did yet another test. Gosh, I'm a born curator? What is that man? Somebody who is in an incubator? Haha...Check it out below! ;p

Aussie Road Trip - Day 2 Philip Island

Early in the morning, Mich and I decided to go to the Melbourne International Flower Show before we embark on our road trip to Philip Island. On the previous day, I had caught a glance of the event at Carlton Gardens in my city walk but could not attend as it was about to close for the day. Happily hopping into the event hand-in-hand, we had expected to find exotic flowers, good food and fun activities.

The event turned out to be somewhat a disappointment. Not that there weren't brilliant flowers and skillfully done flower arrangements, but walking around looking at flowers just wasn't worth the AU$50 entry fee we paid for. The event was more suited for gardening enthuaists who were looking for gardening tips and equipment. After admiring flowers for two hours, we were ready to move on to our road trip.

The journey to Philip Island was a long one (by Singaporean's standards), lasting almost two hours. I did the map-reading while Mich drove, both of us singing along to the MP3s I brought for the trip. The weather was not looking good; dark clouds were gathering in the sky and the winds were chilly and strong. Still, we were determined to enjoy our trip. By the time we reached the island, the bad weather was still persistent and raindrops were beginning to fall.

The first spot we went to visit was one of the many beaches on Philip Island. The sea was all foamy as mighty waves repetitively assualted and withdrew from the craggy shoreline. I was in awe as it was the first time I glanced upon such a raging sea. It was as beautiful as it was frightening - what a force of nature! It brought to mind God's majestic and fearsome power. Indeed, it is as the Bible says, "it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Lord".

As we walked along the beach, the wind began to pick up sharply and grains of sand, stirred up by the wind, became whirling dust clouds containing a million tiny razors. Such was the strength of the wind that when the grains of sand hit our faces, they can cause a prickling pain. We barely lasted a minute in the sandstorm before we had to seek shelter in the car. The cold was also getting to our bones so we decided that we should drive to one of the townships on the island for warm meals and drinks.

The locals who lived on Philip Island are apparently used to the harsh weather here. In the warmth of a bistro, we observed in amazement at kids having a picnic by the sea. Philip Island's main attraction is the Penguin Parade. Since the penguins only return to their homes at dusk, we had some time to burn. We spent some time reading magazines in the bistro and then taking a nap in the car before moving on.

Near the beach where the Penguin Parade is located, there is a cliff overlooking two famous rocks protuding like monuments out of the sea. These rocks are known as the Nobbies. The sea around this part of the island is extremely dangerous; high up on the cliff, we could feel the splash of capricious waves as they surged forward, seemingly to engulf the land. The Nobbies are located at the southern-most end of Philip Island, and as such, it is the furthest away from the Equator in this part of the world. How fitting it seemed, that Land's Edge should have such a treacherous seascape.

Oh, and I spotted a chilling phantom rising out of the sea, take a look at the clip below:

When the sun snuffed itself, refusing to relight for the day, the blanket of night crept across the island and along with it came the imminent cold. Even with our jackets and scarves on, we were both shivering in the dark. I was in half a mind to give the Penguin Parade a miss but I knew that would be letting both Mich and myself down. I reckoned that the temperature was about five degrees on that day but we persisted to sit ourselves down at the beach. Along with us was a crowd of about two hundred other tourists. Everyone was speaking in hushed voices and looking towards the sea in keen anticipation.

I think we must be really fortunate. From what I've heard from others who have been to Philip Island, sometimes it takes as long as one full hour before the penguins gather the courage to waddle up the beach to their burrows. However, on this day, the penguins were rather hasty to come up to land, perhaps driven by the cold. I can't begin to describe how clumsily cute the penguins are, words would not do them justice. The way they consolidate into ranks at the brink of the sea before toddling across the beach in regimental formation really won my heart over.

Finally, when the last of the penguins disappeared into their burrows, and the remaining lights on the island dimmed, we began to depart. It was wonderful to be on Philip Island, but even the excitement of the day couldn't compare to the sweet serenity of the night as Mich and I sang and drove our way home under a vast and perfect star-spangled sky.