DAY 36: Bye-Bye Australia

Thats right..tis sadly the end of my Australian adventure. =(

I unfortunately had to cut my trip a couple weeks short due to a very unfortunate..and unbelievable dramatic incident. Long story short, crazy housemate went psycho with chinese medicine and ladle, she over-reacted, we over-reacted, I over-reacted, the landlord over-reacted, the cops over-reacted, I over-reacted again, my mom over-reacted, uni didn't want to compromise my safety, my mom over-reacted again........and a couple hours of hysteria and a couple days of paranoia later......I'm on my way back home.

My departure was so abrupt that I didn't have much time to scavenge for interesting australian products.  Stupid Sydney airport's wi-fi also didn't work, so I couldn't check facebook for Kyra's recommendation =(. Nevertheless, I had an hour before boarding and a couple spare Australian dollars to spend, so bought some EXTREMELY overpriced authentic Australian snacks. I think I recall seeing tim tams and kangaroo from Kyra's list, so I just went for those 2. 

Note to future last minute souvenir scavengers: do NOT buy kangaroo jerky (tastes like salty rubber). DO buy Tim Tams =)

Well prepared for my 15 hour flight. Wanted to puke after half a bag of cheese balls.

Overall..to say this trip is full of drama and crazy times might even be a bit of an understatement haha but it wouldn't be a true adventure without big ups and downs and at least there wouldn't be a dull moment whenever I'm around...!!

Even though this trip was shorter than expected, it was nothing but fun and excitement.

Time to start saving up for the next trip!

Until next time....peace! ^^

DAY 35: Sydney Part II

Today's (supposed) schedule:

1) University of Sydney

2) Fish Market

3) The Rocks

4) Bondi Beach

University of Sydney

I wanted to visit University of Sydney to see if I like the campus enough to make it a prospective uni for postgrad. Our trip there however didn't turn out exactly as planned. So I checked the website to see how to get to the campus and it told me to take the train to Redfern station. But that I later learned was a terrible idea because the Redfern area is SO CREEPY. We walked in silence for 20 mins because we had to concentrate so hard on staying alive. It was just so sketchy..we were probably stared down by a couple druggies/drunkies along the way..but we wouldn't know because we avoided anyone's eyes and kept our heads down as though our lives depended on it. I swear we could've been mobbed...

The campus itself was quite stunning even on such a gloomy day. Had we known to take the bus directly to campus instead of walking 20mins from Redfern station, I would've liked University of Sydney so so much better. Prospective institution?..maybe..not. 

Really pretty building at the University of Sydney campus. Reminds me of the parliament.

Chinatown

After taking a super speedy 15 mins tour of the campus, we bused back into the city and went to china town and Paddy's market.

Chinatown. like all chinatowns...not exactly the most interesting destination in my opinion.

I was starving, so I stopped by a bakery in Chinatown and found this tasty treat. Cheese and chocolate bun. Sounds disgusting, tastes delicious.

It was rather embarrassing actually...In my haste to try this crazy bun..I just snatched it from the rack and went to pay..and the cashier stared at me like Im some alien and pointed at the tongs and trays right behind me. Geez lady..don't blame me for your poorly designed store..why would you put your trays and tongs at the END of the store where you pay instead of the ENTRANCE of the store where people start looking......

Market city/ Paddy's market?! i don't know..I thought they are the same thing, don't know why there are 2 names for it. Anyways, got lost there haha I don't know how between the 3 of us we still managed to get lost in a relatively small area............we walked around/through paddy's market 3 times before we found the light rail station. Apparently it was located right infront of the market where we started...you can even see the stupid rail way in this picture. We are blind.

Fish Market

Wasn't too impressed with this fish market. Way too crowded. 

Had lunch there. Thats about it.

Fish.

The Rocks

Obviously just from the name, this place is smashing cool!! booth aafter booths of handmade and original sales items. Definitely my cup of tea. I highly recommend checking this place out. The rocks market is only opened on the weekends from 9am- 5pm I believe and maybe longer hours in the summer.

My favourite store at the market is this contemporary jewellery booth. They turn gears and other metal stuff into really amazing necklaces, earrings, bracelets...etc. They are a little pricey, but the unique design and originality is definitely worth it.

check out their website: http://www.ahwstudio.com/

THE ROCKS market

Roasted corn at the rocks!!!!!! yum yums

On our way back from The Rocks, we stopped by the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Hehehe....

Darling Harbour


Met up with Tung's auntie for dinner later that night. Had some malaysian food...again (what is up with this trip and malaysian things..?!?!) Not complaining lol. just ..find it funny.

Then she took us on a looooooong walk along Darling Harbour. Gorgeous place. It was really busy and lively even at 10pm. I really enjoyed it there. If there is just one thing that will bring me back to Sydney, this after-dinner walk/dessert at Darling Harbour would be it. <3

Darling Harbour

After a full day of walking..a long stroll along the harbour isn't exactly fun and games. Especially for Tung, who is ALREADY crippled enough as it is from her soccer injuries...we basically had to half carry half drag her along....that poor thing..=(

but ON THE BRIGHT SIDE....that stroll wasn't for nothing since we eventually stopped at Cockle Bay Wharf and had THE BEST Lindt desserts. nomnomonomnomnom....mmmmmmmmmm (bahaha I feel like im ALWAYS eating. its awesome)

I think this is still part of Darling Harbour. Isn't it just amazing??!

Our dessert plate. Freaken stuffed by face like I've never eaten dessert before. But it was just SO DELICIOUS. I had a chocolate milkshake on top of this too. but the picture does not do it any justice. 

I'm drooling just looking at this picture now....

What a great way to end the night (and trip)!!!

To-Do List in Sydney:

QVB
Pitt Street Mall
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Bridge
Manly Beach
Darling Harbour
The Rocks
Bondi Beach
Taronga Zoo

Although we didn't have time to go to Bondi Beach and Taronga Zoo....we DID go to University of Sydney, Fish Market and Chinatown. 

I'm super pleased with my trip to Sydney. And will definitely be back! 

DAY 34: P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way SYDNEY!!!!

Last stop: Sydney (Part I)!

Before I head on home, I had to visit Sydney!

With my awesomely diligent planning, we managed to squeeze in quite a bit of activities during our 2 days in Sydney. Alright, Tung gets some credits for the planning too...afterall she did bring her Sydney tourist guide book thing...which would've been really helpful IF ONLY I could read chinese...-_-

We started out at Sydney airport and almost got tricked by the information desk lady into taking a $15 train into the city. Fortunately we are extremely thrifty and found a much cheaper way into the city. Ended up saving more than 10 bucks, which we later spent on a hearty steak. =D

Sydney tourist life-savers: free tourist guide book from the airport, Sydney map, train/bus ticket.

This is waay cool. A double decker SUBWAY. Those double decker buses can move the heck outta the way!

This is the way to travel in Sydney. Its awesome AND affordable.

Got off the subway at Central station and hopped on a FREE city shuttle bus which took us around the city. 

First stop in the city: Queen Victoria Building (QVB)

QVB is this amaazing building. Elegant design and pretty high end shops and cafes. We didn't spend alot of time there however, because 1) it was super crowded in there 2) I would be in great danger of emptying my whole bank account in there if I didn't leave ASAP.

The inside of QVB. Massive clock in the middle of the mall is just so ostentatious lol As if QVB is not glamourous enough. Having said that...I want to live here haha. 

 Islay the talking dog outside the QVB. I was just minding my own business when this crazy statue started coaxing me into throwing a coin in his fountain. "Hello, my name is Islay, if you throw a coin into the wishing well now, I will say........" and there he left me hanging...so I HAD to throw a coin in...and he said "thank you" ...oh wonderful lol What a waste of my 20 cents. 

But being the stupid idiot I am...I had to throw another coin in because I was distracted by what Islay was saying and totally forgot to make a wish the first time haha. Another 10 cents into the fountain for my lovely wish. It BETTER come true.

After QVB, we just walked along George Street and onto Pitt Street Mall. A great view of the Sydney Tower on our way there.

All I have to say about Pitt Street Mall is that...shopping sucks when you're on a budget. =(

Moving on!

Highlight of the day: Manly ferry + Manly beach
Took the Manly ferry over to Manly. Manage to snatch first row seats on the ferry and had a first class view of the 2 famous Sydney landmarks. I also realized that I don't get seasick on any boat other than that stupid whale watching boat. Good to know lol.

 View from our first class seats =)

      

Manly beach. One of Australia's most famous beaches. I can see why. 

I think we can all agree that the best thing about this picture is the seagull haha. 

And of course, it wouldn't be a wrap without a jumping shot. Unfortunately, my usual talented photographer didn't come to Sydney with me, so I had to settle for Tung, who failed miserably at taking jumping shots. 10 leaps and a sore groin later, she still managed to take ZERO acceptable photos. 

To-Do List in Sydney:

QVB
Pitt Street Mall
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Bridge
Manly Beach
Darling Harbour
The Rocks
Bondi Beach
Taronga Zoo

To be continued.....Sydney Part II

DAY 28: Brisbane!

Finallly internet access!

Behold my super duper ancient post that should've been up a week ago!

SO! On Saturday, Mr. Preston took Tung, Jessica and I on a little road trip to lovely Brisbane. To be honest, I seriously don't remember much of it. I didn't get any sleep at all for 2 nights in a row prior to this trip, so I was pretty much a walking corpse the whole day.

Okay I lied, I do remember it, but everything is just mushed up. Good thing I have photos as reminders and hopefully that'll piece my timeline together!

First stop of the day:  UQ. Very impressed with the campus. If only Queensland was nicer to me while I was there...I would totally consider doing my postgrad studies here.

 

 University of Queensland. Just so happy to be there. clearly haha

 We were just walking around UQ campus when we spotted (and later got followed by)these hideous looking turkeys. Such fat and ugly creatures...haha they remind me of the joker...with a very large butt and a wobbly strut. 

After UQ, we went up to some famous look-out (I'm really sorry..I cannot remember the name of the look out..). I do remember reading something about One Tree Hill on some sign there tho...anyways, gorgeous view of the whole Brisbane city. A tourist must-go.

"I've got the whole world in my hands..." ;)  well..just Brisbane hehe.

 Our handsome tour guide of the day + 3 zombies (1 sleep-deprived, 1 crippled, 1 just ..bored lol).

Couple hours of shopping (on Queen street?) and a couple little purchases (found the Australian version of Sephora!! highlight of my day haha isn't that just sad) later..........

Found THE best ice-cream truck EVER on our way to take the ferry. Thats right. Screw diets and workouts..I love fat too!

Ended the day on the ferry along the river. Froze my butt right off on that darn boat, but got to experience the best of Brisbane and took some nice shots of the bridge and night views along the way.

Even in my zombie-esque state, I still had loads of fun today! I can't wait to visit Brisbane again sometime in the future under a more desirable condition haha.

MIA

Sorry guys, I know I've disappeared off the face of the planet this past week. It's been a drama filled week ...and there will be some major changes to my trip. I will update as soon as I can. I have limited Internet access as of now. I'm currently trying to blend into the wall at McDonald's while i steal their wi-fi without ordering anything lol Stay tuned for any updates !!!

DAY 24: Vegemite

This is for you Andrew Wong! 

Thanks for telling me to try the most disgusting bread spread EVER!

Knew I should've listened to Kyra.

So for the past couple of weeks, whenever I go grocery shopping, I've had this tiny voice in the back of my head urging me to go get some vegemite. So a couple days ago, I finnnally bought a tiny jar and I was super excited to to try it out since apparently I had to try it at my earliest convenience (said Andrew). I was super excited to try it as soon as I got home..except the stupid jar was reallllly hard to open and while I was secretly hoping I had Sarah's jar opener..the jar completely slipped out of my hand, hit the floor and shattered into pieces. There goes my vegemite. Thinking back, that might've been a sign NOT to try vegemite. But of course I was determined to try it, so I went out yesterday and bought a SECOND jar.

Vegemite sandwich...

I've been told that vegemite has an..acquired taste...but being asian... I was like..you know what..I've tasted some pretty weird things in my life AND liked them..so might as well give it a go. Boy I totally didn't see this coming lol. It tasted like really REALLY salty..spreadable..beer gone wrong lol. I had to down a whole cup of milk before I can get the taste out of my mouth.

Well there you go... If you're ever in Australia, and people tell you you HAVE to try this infamous Australian spread. DON'T DO IT. Consider yourself warned.

UPDATE:

Its official..Vegemite and I DO NOT GET ALONG!!!!!!!! ...freaken dropped the whole jar onto my laptop and dented my my track pad.

DAY 23: oh the irony..

A seasick marine biologist. ironic.

Perhaps I need to reconsider my future...

DAY 19: JABBAWOCKEEEEEZ

Obviously from the title..I went to watch jaaabbbaawockeezz today!!! When I first arrived in Australia, I saw posters of Jabba like evvverrrywhere and I was like huh!? and never thought twice about going to seem them. But Jessica and Tung (2 girls from HK working at the same building as me) suddenly went up to me like a day before and was like..ohhh wanna watch "those guys with white masks on"?? lol and I'm like..what?! who? OH..jabbawockeez!..SURE! at first I was being cheap and didn't want to spend that $70 bucks...buttt I did anyways haha and it turned out to be pretty awesome!

But before I even get to Jabba...the trip there is a whole story on its own...

Buses here are usually pretty empty, but for some reason, the one bus that we took to the casino for the show was just completely packed. I mean thats totally fine...its not like I've never stood on a bus before...BUT....

I just wanted to point out that whoever designed the stupid buses in Australia is clearly height-ist and evidently designed the busses with only tall people in mind. The god damn handle is like a whole foot and a half above my head. As if being squashed between people's armpits isn't bad enough..I can't even stabilize myself because I can barely reach the handle with my fully outstretched arms!!

THEN, on top of that, when I FINALLY got a seat..some punk with bright pink CK boxers (yes close enough that I can see the brand..not that I was looking really hard..) and too-low hung pants stood right in front of me so his freaken crotch was literally in my face. Then he turned around and I got a face full of his ass. I honestly don't know what is worse.

ANYWAY, Jabbawockeez.

So the ticket actually includes the show AND a dinner. 

Jabbawockeez serving us fooooooood!! I wish. They were just on the menu.

Pumpkin soup 

The main dish...which looked quite..interesting lol. They're supposed to be pork sausages..but I made a mistake of letting my imagination go wild..and ended up just eating the mashed potatoes because I was so disgusted just thinking about biting into one of them haha.

Annnnd the Jabba stage! We weren't allowed to take videos or photos during the show. So this is the only photo I managed to take BEFORE the show.

The show was pretty darn awesome. Jabbawockeez was hilarious. I was expecting a dance show, but it turned out to be a dance/comedy show. In a way, it was good because I had a good laugh, but I think it took away from the awesomeness of their dance skills. It was good nevertheless.

I can totally be one of them =)

DAY 18: Eventless humpday

Today really doesn't deserve its own entry as it was rather eventless. HOWEVER, I feel it necessary to share that I did go out to the mall today and purchase an item that will make a HUUGGE improvement to my stay here:

TA-DAA...a space heater!! Every night..while my body is warm and snug under my duvet..my head is left out in the cold and I wake up to bloody frozen hair (if my hair is still wet from shower) and a frozen nose. That will never have to happen again with this lovely device. If I said hugging a koala is the best $20 spent, I take it back. THIS is the best 20 bucks I've ever spent.

In other news, as a result of my boredom, I baked some pretty bad ass cookies today. I haven't baked in sooo long. It feels good to bake again. I wonder why I quit..oh right..because I didn't NEED to bake with a self-proclaimed master baker in my life...also didn't want to steal his limelight with my wonderful baked goods har har.

Yums

Also, I will never take my electric mixer at home for granted lol. Its true..you never know how useful something is until you don't have it. 

so much for "not deserving an entry"...I talk too much lol

DAY 16: ACTUAL sick day

WARNING: the following material contains nothing but rants and whines. Read at your own discretion.

Of course I'll get sick. I always get sick. Its not a trip without visiting the local clinic. -_-

The day actually started out alright. Went out for whale survey early in the morning and it was a realllly good day. Had a pod of pretty active whales..a couple of breaches and a couple of waves here and there. It was a shame because I left my camera at home this time. Learning from past experiences (ie: drowning electronics in a desert)..electronics and I are not very good friends and I didn't want to risk dropping it into the ocean...

So after the survey, I felt kind of feverish so I went to the school clinic and apparently they don't take walk-in's, but the receptionist said she can get the nurse to see me so I waited a freaken hour. But I had to leave to give my friend something and decided to go to another clinic 20mins bus ride away. SO I finally got to see the doctor and man I had no idea what he said. I know I have hearing problems...usually I need people to repeat what they say a couple times before the sentence gets registered into my mind even back at home..but it is just brutal here. I basically sat there and nodded my head when the doctor said "oh it looks like you might have blahblahblah...or maybe blahblahblah..so I'll just get you started on some blahblahblabh". Awesome.

Turns out he prescribed some penicillin. What he thinks I have..is still a mystery to me. So anyway, I got my meds and was like oh alright, I'm good to go. I was supposed to take 2 tablets immediately when I get home...but when I opened the damn box of meds, 5 packs of 10 pills stared back at me..and then I looked at the instructions and saw that I need to finish the whole bloody box, which means I have a month's worth of medication to take...and those pills are MASSIVE (to me..). so I just left it on my desk and went to take a shower.

Shower...is apparently a BAD idea when you're running a temperature. Because my face was literally burning afterward.

WARNING #2: Blog got hijacked. skip to the next dash line if you're not up to reading 15 minutes of BS.

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So, when my wonderful and noble housemate returned, he discovered to his absolute horror, that I was being a complete knob head (as always but would not want to admit it). I defied logic and beyond all human comprehension by using a bag of frozen vege's wrapped in my stinky unwashed tee-shirt and rubbing it on my LARGE forehead. Being the more logical person, my housemate proceeded to set my mind straight. Several cubes of ACTUAL ICE (yes, made from water) was used (instead of frozen vege's). Ice cubes were subsequently set in a plastic sandwich bag, which by the way, gives good transmission to area of interest --> MY inflated forehead.

Ok, the ice was juuuusssttttt the beginning of the drama that would unfold. I did everything right EXCEPT I had the propensity to make a mistake of the doctor's prescription. Helloooo! Why did I not read the instructions carefully first. This is so embarrassing. Anyway, back the main point. Apparently, I have this HUGE phobia of taking meds. HUGE PILLS I mean. I proceeded to shoo out my housemate and take the pills in his divine absence. But before taking the pills, I had first opened up by curtain blinds, looked towards the starry night sky, clasped my stringy fingers together and prayed to God this would not be the end of my life. I do not wanna die eating pills GOD dammit! I do not want to spend the last remnants of my life dead with HUGE pills with my mouth. (wtf Preston!??!!?)

What follows later, was probably the BIGGEST mistake of the day (not that I didn't make enough already. Oh silly you!). I showed and told my housemate I was in the midst of writing my blog and asked him if he would be interested in continuing my life' story. Of course, he took up on my offer without a hint of a doubt and proceeded to do so,full of enthusiasm and literature vigor. But of course, all this writing would go down the drain anyway and would not be approved since I am such a sweet innocent girl-next-door (DUH???!?!?!!??!???) <---- PPPPfffftftttttttttttt!

     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE END ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Unbelievable...lol. Anyway, what REALLY happened was..I didn't have ice and obviously didn't have the time nor energy to make ice..so I just grabbed my frozen veggies and put it in my t-shirt (ya didn't have a towel either..). I HONESTLY don't see anything wrong with that....but apparently doing that was "completely illogical". And after getting scolded at by Preston (like seriously..who the heck yells at a sick person)..he traded my frozen veggies for an ice bag. End result would have been exactly the same...but sure..whatever floats his boat lol.

See, told you they're big...=(

I apologize for the EXTRA long post..but in my defense..I did warn you lol..I'm going to bed now and hopefully the meds will kick in and I won't have to use preston's stupid ice bag...

DAY 15: "sick" day

My surfing plan has once again been..postponed. This time I can't blame mother nature... I woke up this morning feeling like I got ran over by a big honkin truck. My shoulders were sore, my back was sore, my legs were sore, my neck especially was sore...on top of that my lymph nodes on my neck feels a little bit swollen and hurts like crap when I poke at it. I should stop whining haha my point is..I felt like crap this morning.

While I was trying to decide whether I should pop a couple of advil and just pass out on bed for the rest of the day, Mr. Pushy-pants came into my room and guilt tripped me to get out on this beaaautiful Sunday afternoon DESPITE feeling like crap. So after 15 minutes of hardcore persuasion from Mr. Pushy-pants, off I go to Tallebudgera Creek (with unbrushed hair and a slight fever..no big deal). 

I needed to take a picture of the sign because I know I won't remember what that stupid creek is called and I won't know how to spell it here lol.

Behold..Tallebudgera Creek. When I say "stupid creek" just now..I really don't mean it. because Tallebudgera creek is so verrry gorgeous. I can just sit here all day and soak in all the gorgeousness.

 Here is the creek again. The tide was pretty low and we saw little kids standing in the middle of the creek..so we thought we could just wade from one side to the other...and boy were we so wrong lol. A couple steps into the creek, the water was already to my thighs. How those kids managed to stand in the middle of the creek is beyond me lol it must be shallower in the middle?? who knows. 

 On the other side of the creek is the beach. A very movie-esque beach with couples walking along and dogs playing fetch

 Ahh just so breathtaking. Can even see Surfers Paradise waay in the back there.

 Even though I sounded really cranky and was complaining about being "dragged out" of my nest, I AM very glad you did drag me out today =) Tallebudgera creek is amazing and I had a blast. Thanks Preston!! ^^

I love this picture ^^ But what you guys don't know is what I was thinking when that photo was taken.  I was cursing under my breath because my underwear just got soaked by a giant wave.

 Doggies! There was this one dog who would just come up randomly and drop a ball at our feet and wait for us to throw it. haha so cute. 

After Tallebudgera Creek, we went to Main Beach and played a game of...patong?! pathong? badong?! yeah somewhere along those lines lol Needless to say, I'm a natural at everything and owned it even though I can't even pronounce the damn name of the game hhaha. I wish I had taken photos of this, but was too busy throwing balls and frisbee.

I'm completely exhausted now. This blog entry feels like its super long...so I'm gonna wrap it up.

What was supposed to be a stay-at-home day turned out to be an amazing day. Not too shabby for a "sick day"!

DAY 14: Surfers Paradise

Wooohooo now THIS is more like it. Bikini weather in the winter =)

Had plans to go surfing with the professor today, but I think the waves are still a tiny bit crazy, so we moved it to tomorrow. Instead, I headed down to Surfers Paradise and enjoyed a full day of sunshine. 

The Surfers Paradise arch thingy. Apparently very tacky to the locals, but being the tourist that I am, I enjoyed it =)

I was expecting tons of surfers and swimmers at "SURFERS paradise"..but I guess the waves really weren't that great..probably saw less than 5 surfers out there today from where we were sitting.

With no one photobombing in the background..I obviously jumped at that photo opt and took some shots with the lovely ocean.

My co-worker and her boyfriend . Such a cute couple =).  

For lunch, we had a "picnic" on the beach. I say "picnic" because I was too lazy to pack lunch and just got myself some Mos burger. yumm yumm.

MOS BURGER

 As soon as I opened my burger, this little guy flopped down from nowhere and stared me down for my burger. I wanted to shoo it away, but that poor guy had one limpy leg and I just didn't have the heart to scream at him.

I think this one super warm and sunny day made up for the crappy weather we had last weekend. I'm quite easily satisfied =) 

Random thought of the day: I will now have to admit that I am just bilingual and not trilingual as I have come to terms with my inability to speak French. =(