At the airport now…

Hello people. I am now at the airport waiting and typing this last entry before I fly off to Melbourne.

I have no idea when will I next touch a computer again. Anyway, I better make this a quick one.

So, if there’s anything regarding school matters, just SMS me. But I will most likely NOT reply.

Going 28th May 2007, Monday, 7.45pm

Coming home 13th July 2007, Friday, evening.

Gone for 6 weeks 4 days.

I hope everything will alright at home. Right then, I shall be a very considerate Singaporean and let the mostly ang mohs here use the internet.

By the way, I saw RA (our HOD!) at the airport when I was going through customs. Waha! I was surprised. He’s going of to Jakarta, probably for a concert. Saw him carrying his trumpet case with him.

Cheers!

Char: I gave my dad your home and handphone number, just for in-case. Hope you don’t mind.

Day 8: 13th October 2006, Friday

ROADTRIP – DAY 4

Sunny with cold winds.

Was up at 6.45am. Gasp!!! Yeah. That early and the time back home was 4.45am. Well, I was quite “zombie-fied” at such an hour. Had a cold breakfast of crumpets, toast and tea due to my lateness. By the time it was eight in the morning, we were already hitting the road for The 12 Apostles.

Stop 1 – Loch Ard Gorge.

We got there at about 9.20am. Spent half hour there taking photos, learning some geography and history at the same time.

Loch Ard Gorge. Makes me wonder how the coast of Australia really looked like thousands of years ago.

The power of the waves… Erosion.

Stop 2 – Port Campbell.

After Loch Ard Gorge, we headed further east to Port Campbell for our morning tea.

Stop 3 – The 12 Apostles.

We had to return the same way we came as Aunt Kathy missed the sign for The 12 Apostles. She said that after so many years, she could not regconised the place. Well, it was evident the local state government quite recently pumped mone to spruce up Victoria’s famous tourist attraction, with the likes of a proper graveled car and coach parking area, an underground pass to cross to the coast from the vehicle parking lot, and a visitors’ centre-like place housing toilets. Anyway, we spent more time there taking photos and getting ourselves frozen by both the chilly coastal winds and approaching mists.

The sign says it all.

No longer 12… Just about 8 or 9 left standing.

Stacks and stumps. Where are the arches? Gone with the wind, and sea.

Stop 4 – Geelong.

We had tunch down at a beach in Geelong. Stayed for a short while, just to stretch our legs. By the way, after the coastal winds, I was asleep for most of the way enroute to Geelong. Yoohoo!!! Mr Humphryes!!! Where are you??? LOL.

Stop 5 – Hoppers Crossing

From Geelong, we went on to Werribee which is another town that is located very near to Melbourne City. We were there looking for a plae to stay till sunday morning but ended up visiting another of Mum’s friends, Mrs. P’s son, who happens to be a Catholic priest. Fr. Jude,of St. James the Apostle at Hoppers Crossing, was a very friendly man, the male version of his sister, Lou. Looked like it really did run in the family. Anyway, we had a nice time sitting there around the main dining table, having tea and cakes. Mum, Aunt Kathy and Fr. Jude were trading stories, while Godma and I were successfully picking the pieces of their very interesting tales in order to understand what happened. He then drove us to visit a group of youths, the New Evangelical Team (NET), who were in the area helping his parish. After a short while talking to these youths who had already decided on dedicating their youth to God in this form of evangelising, he drove us around looking for a motel or some place where we could stay. When we finally found one, there was not a vacancy left! Fr. Jude then realised that he could actually let us stay with him at the parish rectory since he was the only one there! Viola! Done. So, all 4 of us were staying in a parish rectory which was one of the things I had done for the first time. Amazing. Anyway, Fr. Jude had to meet the same group of NET youths for dinner, thus, leaving us alone. We then drove out to the supermarket to get some food before having dinner at Fasta Pasta, a slightly pricy version of our Pasta Mania.

Yawn…

Ugly Betty Episodes 14-19 will be missed. By me.

Alex Mead is still ALIVE???!!! Really??? OMGosh…!!! Didn’t he die in that horrific snow mountain accident??? CRAP!!! I’m gonna miss 6 freaking episodes!!! AARGH…!!! I can’t believe it. He underwent a sex-change operation and cosmectic surgery too. He is now a woman! And damn, he looks good. I mean she. He. She? He? AHHHHH…!!!!!!

And he/she wants to take over the company, with the help of Wilhelmina Slaters, by producing evidence against his/her/father’s, Bradford, role in Fey Sommer’s death.

So, what really happened to Fey (or is it Fay) Sommer’s body?

Will someone be a good and kind soul to tape for me episodes 14-19??? Please??? I will get something really pretty for you…

Day 7: 12th October, 2006, Thursday.

ROADTRIP – DAY 3

Hot, sunny and windy.

Stop 1 – Anglesea Golf Link

We were on the Great Ocean Road from Barwon Heads and saw many wonderful views of the coast. We tried getting a glimse of the kangaroos at the Anglesea Golf Link but to no avail. Those natives were probably asleep or hopping around elsewhere. By the way, I was feeling sick. Most likely due to the heat in the car.

Stop 2 – Some Caravan Park

After that, we went on and saw koalas sleeping in the trees at a caravan park. It was fun yet fustrating spotting those bears but they were worth it.
Welcome to I-have-no-idea-what-is-the-name-of-this-place Caravan Park. Let’s play the Spot the Koala Game!!! Yayyyyy…!!!

Ahhh… There is that elusive koala… This is not a very pretty sight…

Found one nearer to the ground. Sleeping away while hugging his/her tree. And this is also one of my favourite photos. Hee.

Stop 3 – At a road near a famous lighthouse.
Yup. Some lighthouse as seen from the side of a road.

Stop 4 – The ‘Seafarers’ Motel

We got ourselves a place to stay for the night by the time it was noon. It was a nice “little” place just along the Great Ocean Road, with a view facing the ocean. The highway separated the motel and the ocean. Deja vu, anyone? Price: AUD150/night for 4 persons. Worth it.

Stop 5 – A little town further up the highway from the motel.

We went in to town for lunch, which was quite expensive, probably because it was a tourist place. LOL! How ironic. I, too, was a tourist there. Blah.

Stop 6 – Marriners Falls.

Because of the very few signs leading to Marriners Falls, we asked a lady who was with her children at the picnic spot there for help. She told us to go further up the road, which we did. We got to the carpark and trekked the rest of the way. Yes! We trekked 3.4km there and back. And I was wearing my flip-flops. It took us half hour to get to the waterfalls, which was quite a small one yet old and lovely. The place was serenely quiet. The kind of peaceful that made you want to shut up and absorb the quietness. The water was cold and clear. The return walk took about 20mins, 10 minuets faster than the going to. On the way back, we literally experienced two distinctly different zones. One second we were in the oh-so-nice coolness of the forest, the next second we back in the heat of the day. What a change! It was as if Nature was telling us, “Alright. Enough of the coolness and the quietness for you. Back to your civilization!”
Welcome to Marriners Falls. Please get your footwear off as we prepare for a waddle in the wa… Oh! They are alreadying so.

Ahhh… Another of my fave photos. One of calmness and peace. Nature in progress. Looks like a scene from Jurassic Park.

The water falls… rapidly.

Another photo reminding us there is such a place call Nature that is not in the City.

Stop 7 – The same town we were in earlier on.

We went grocery shopping after that.

Final stop for the day – The ‘Seafarers’ Motel

Mum and Godma are now preparting dinner and I want to go down to the beach. Did I mention that it is just across the road?

A very blurry photo of the town we were at in the afternoon. The waves crashing onto the shore can be made out through the quickly setting of the sun. Part of the tail-light from a passing vehicle can be seen. Taken from the veranda of our motel room.

Brahms???!!!

You scored as Brahms, You’re a steady person who sticks by your friends. Your contribution to the world is not showy, but great quality. Brahms 80% Mozart 80% Chopin 75% Tchaikovsky 70% Beethoven 65% Haydn 55% Wagner 55% Schumann 45% J.S. Bach 40% Schubert 40% Handel 25% Hector Berlioz 25% Liszt 10% Which classical composer are you? created with QuizFarm.com

I got this quiz from a link in Enx’s blog and I simply can not believe the results.

If you can not see the other part of the above quiz-result, here is the watered-down version.

You scored as Brahms, You’re a steady person who sticks by your friends. Your contribution to the world is not showy, but great quality.

Brahms 80%

Mozart 80%

Chopin 75%

Tchaikovsky 70%

Beethoven 65%

Haydn 55%

Wagner 55%

Schumann 45%

J.S Bach 40%

Schubert 40%

Handel 25%

Hector Berlioz 25%

Liszt 10%

BRAHMS???!!! OMGosh…!!! You got to be seriously joking with me. I am so NOT like Brahms, musical-wise. But with regards about the personality part, yup, I stick by my friends and I got to admit, I am quite loyal. Please note the word “quite”. On second thoughts, I do like a good tune most of the time. Nothing too …hmmm… out of the world(?). Maybe I should listen to Brahms more often. Must check my CDs for any Brahms, or else I got to check with my brother whether he has any in his own collection. Then again, I am going off to Australia soon. (WOOHOO!!!) So, how am I suppose to listen to Brahms’ pieces? iPod? Hmmm… How to recharge the battery without using a computer???

I am having going to have a lesson with Ms Lim tomorrow morning. It will possibly be my last lesson with her before I head Down Under. We are now dealing with Haydn’s Sonata in e minor, which is found in the 3rd volume. Can not recall the work’s number but all I can say is that it is quite a famous piece. We did quite a bit of good work: down with the first movement within three lessons in two weeks, all that is left are the memorising and polishing. As for the third movement, we skipped the second one, it is still in the learning process. I am now thinking whether I should get the pieces photocopied so that I can bring it along with me on my travels. However, what are the chances of me coming across a piano that I can practice on for at least an hour? Hmmm… Aargh! Forget it. But knowing your own self, your fingers will be itching to get on the keyboard. Mind you, your fingers will not be touching a piano for 7 weeks. SEVEN WEEKS. Where did you come from? Never you mind about where I come from. Infact, I am always around. In the back of your mind. Please remember that I am your CONSCIENCE. Yes, yes, yes. You are my conscience. Anyway, I shall think about it. Yup.

I am now wondering whether I will be having lunch with the girls tomorrow. Enx has not reply my SMS regarding where and when to lunch, and whether Juls will want to join us. As for Char, that Horse is being very funny. She was the one who called me and asked whether we should have a little meet-up before I sprout wings and fly south. Later on, I found out that she most probably will not join us because she will be having a lunch date with her boyfriend. -.-” …dots…

Speaking of lunch, Mum and I went to Raffles Place The Arcade to run some errands at about eleven-ish; change somemore SGD for AUD and buy a few more shawls as (emergency) gifts for our Australian friends. That was when I experience the horrer of The Lunch Hour at Raffles Place. It was CROWDED. OKOK. It was not “packed-like-sardines” kind of crowded. Lots of people were walking around. Call me a clusterphobic or whatever. I do not care. I just simply do not like crowds. I will avoid them altogether, like the plague. And I have a feeling that I will get lost if I am there on my own for the very first time. Anyway, Mum and I had lunch at the Goldenshoe Complex. We had a fantastic bowl of Lor Mee each and it only cost $2/bowl. Amazing. It is really good that when we got there, there was a line already formed! Like you had mentioned, it was lunch hour. So, what where you expecting? A ghost town? Shut up. As I was saying, the lady at the stall was able to recognise Mum after so many years since she was last working there. Oh well, I guess that is the outcome of being a good customer for a long time. Up till now, the taste of the freshly pounded garlic that went with that bowl of Lor Mee still lingers in the pit of my stomach. Yumm…

Just a little thank you to Ah-Boy for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe OST.

By the way, the latest and last installation of The Pirates of the Caribbean is out today! I want to watch!!! “Yo ho ho, a pirate’s life for me…”

Day 6: 11th October 2006, Wednesday.

ROAD TRIP – DAY 2.

Sunny and windy. 29 deg. celcius.

1st stop – Just across the road…

The motel that we stayed for the night.

Mum and Godma sitting on the verandah just outside our double-double-bed room. Aunt Kathy’s humble Honda to the left of the photo.

It so happens that the motel is situated just across a road/highway from the sea.

Welcome to Kilcunda East.

A sight like this is very common. What? The bridge? Oh… I was talking about how the sea/ocean is separated from the inland creek by a sand dune. As for the bridge, it is very old.

Look at those waves!!! Woosh…!!! Surf’s up, mate!

2nd stop – Somewhere in the Mornington Peninsular. Had lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

3rd stop – On the way to Sorrento. Some beach in some place which is famous for Spider, a drink, not the eight-legged one. School kids would come down to this beach after school to play, or sun bath, with or without their school uniforms on.

Beach boxes at some beach on our way to Sorrento. Damn colourful and picturesque. This is one of my favourite photos taken on this trip.

4th stop – At the ferry pier.

Ahh… The vehicular ferry that took us from Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsular to Queenscliff, which is on the other side of the bay.

Sun set taken on the ferry’s top deck. That explains the unequal-ness between sky, sea and the horizon.

5th and final stop – Barwon Heads. A few more kilometres from Queenscliff where we found lodging for the night. A refurnished penthouse with a bathtub-spa thing. Unfortunately, I was too lazy to try it out, but the adults did. Price: AUD165/night.

Just by looking at this photo, anyone can tell that there’s quite a lot of space on this level. Nice… 2 twin-bed bedrooms. A separate toilet and bathroom. Large common area, comprising the dinning area and kitchen.

Lights out!

For the last time…

For the last time, for the benefit of a particular girl, I will say this…

I will be away in

Melbourne, Victoria State, Australia

from

28th May 2007, Monday

till

13th July2007, Friday.

So…

PLEASE STOP ASKING ME WHEN WILL I BE LEAVING FOR MY HOLIDAYS AND WHEN WILL I BE RETURNING!!!

Thank you.

Update: The SaT Page

The Stories, arts, Travels Page
Is UPDATED!
click here
http://thesatpage.blogspot.com/

Day 5: 10th October 2006, Tuesday.

ROAD TRIP – DAY 1.

Sunny, warm and cloudless. Perfect for our roadtrip.

I finally got up at about 8 and packed. We were off at 10.15a.m.

Stop 1 – Yarragon. Wanted to get something there but the shops were closed due to the electricity company changing the power lines, or something like that. On the road again after taking some photos.

Do you see the right hand side of the photo? There they were changing the power lines. So different from the ones at home, where all power and telecommunications lines are beneath the ground.

Stop 2 – Toilet stop. Another town further down where we stopped to use the toilet at a McDonald’s outlet. Went walking around the area before heading back to the car.

Stop 3 – Some wildlife “sanctuary(???)” which is famous for their live giant earthworms. Did not enter their exhibit but took photos of their painted walls and bought something from their gift shop.

Oh! As you can see it here for yourselves, I could not help not taking a photo of the natives themselves, all in a line, hard at work mowing the lawn. LOL!!!

Stop 4 – San Remo. Had bread and ham for lunch there before crossing the bridge into Phillip Island for a spin.

The bridge is called Fish Freeway. Rather, it is the entire stretch leading in and out of Phillip Is.

Stop 5 – Phillip Is. Did not watch the penguin parade as the tickets were quite expensive. Instead, we went to look at seals. Unfortunately, the sun was setting in the backdrop and we could not spot a single seal. Check out the photos.

Entrance to the Penguin Parade at dusk, where the penguins will come walking onto the beach from the sea after a hard day’s work of fishing. And people actually pay money to watch those flightless birds walking in together. !!!

Yup. Seal viewing. With another native standing on top of the board (left-hand corner).

With the setting of the sun in the background, how on earth was I supposed to spot the seals???

Stop 6 – San Remo (again). We had the freshest fish and chips for dinner, while standing up, at a fish shop. The place sells fish by day and take-away food by night. That was why we were standing up; there were not many chairs around and it was freakinglly cold outside.

Stop 7 – Motel room, somewhere in Kilcunda. We are all now sitting infront of the telly in a motel and warming ourselves at the same time with the provided heater, after having our very refreshing baths. Right then. I had best turn in. Night! By the way, the price for the room (2 queen-size beds and attached bathroom) after bargaining, is AUD80. Boy, am I glad to sleep on a bed again. Haha!

Photo of the motel’s sign taken the next morning before we continued with our roadtrip.

Stay tuned for the second installment of my Victoria State ROADTRIP.

Not really but yes…

Greetings.

It is now thirteen minutes past midnight and I better turn in soon after this entry.

Juls will be back in two days time and it will be exactly a week and three days to my departure from sunny Singapore to drought-hit Melbourne. I am praying desperately hard for it to rain there. Those people need the rain terribly.

So, I have somehow started on my packing, if you can call it packing… I got a new luggage bag on monday and a new Deuter pack and a greyish hoodie on wednesday. I must get my sleeping bag out from the storeroom. Now, where did I last kept it…???

Am I feeling excited to my trip? Not really. Am I looking forward to it? Yes. I wonder why I have such conflicting answers. Not really but yes. Hmmm… Maybe it is because I want to get out of the house yet I do not want to. OK. I am seriously making myself sound totally confused. Enough.

Looks like I really must turn in to the Sandman. G’ Night!