Cold!

It's cold today! I'm sure that you wouldn't expect it to be 12 degree Celsius in the morning and 21 degree Celsius in the afternoon during SUMMER in Adelaide. But luckily there wasn't any strong wind.

I start to miss Malaysia's weather. Now I understand the term "panas dan lembap sepanjang tahun" we learned in Geography.

In Malaysia, I wake up only to find out that my pathetic blanket is at one corner of the bed.
In Australia, I find myself squeezing in my extra-size wool quilt every morning.

In Malaysia, I feel refreshed after a morning bath.
In Australia, I hate bathing in the morning because it's SUPER COLD!

In Malaysia, I don't need to use hot water while bathing.
In Australia, hot water is a must yet the electricity is expensive!

In Malaysia, I need not to wear a sweater while going out.
In Australia, sweater is my best companion.

In Malaysia, I don't need to walk so much.
In Australia, I walked from King William Street to City East Campus, Rundle Mall and even Grote Street.

In Malaysia, I can eat roti canai at RM0.80 per piece.
In Australia, so far I couldn't find any stall selling roti canai.

In Malaysia, I can eat nasi lemak at RM1.80.
In Australia, the price is at least 7 times higher.

In Penang, curry mee, hokkien mee, char kuey teow and dim sum are everywhere.
In Australia, you MAY find them in Chinatown and the price... further explanation is not needed I guess.

Even while I'm typing now, my fingers are cold and I can feel that the temperature is going down again. I'm shivering...
So now, I would say, seriously, I LOVE MALAYSIA!! (Inspired by Yi Hong) =)

Pictures

What a cool textbook! This is my first, hmmm... yeah, the first book I bought in Australia but it costed me AUD112.00!! @@

A corner at Adelaide Uni (Not my uni)

A Decision

Another boring day without orientation. Anyway, I walked for a long distance today, i.e. from City West Campus to Adelaide Uni and then to Rundle Mall. And goodness, this was the first time I SWEATed in Adelaide. No doubt, it was the first time I felt the heat from the sun too. Haha... The weather is back to normal again these few days, hot in the afternoon but COLD at night!!

Significantly, I MADE A DECISION today!! Hehe... Well, don't be freaked out by this statement. As a matter of fact, I was, and in fact AM an indecisive person so you would expect me to ask around for suggestions before making a decision. I might ask people to decide for me at times too. To make a decision independently is rare for me. =P
Does it mean that I'm on the right path of growing up? =)

NOW, I guess my dear reader you will be wondering what decision I had made. Hehe... This time, I will leave that to your imagination and wild guess.

A simple hint: It's something to do with my studies. Hehe... By the way, the reason why I choose not to disclose it publicly is because it's a nothing more than simple decision. Haha... (Don't laugh.)

Wonders Of My Apartment

At first, this was the look of my room.

Now, it becomes a "cyber cafe". Well, a study room going-to-be. Hehe...

Another room is converted into bedroom. =P

Yeah, this is to show that my apartment has becoming a temporary cyber cafe. (Dining table ---> computer table)

Our loyal customers!! Haha...

I'm NOT a guy!

First of all, my name is NOT Te Wong!! My name is TE YING WONG!!!
But most important of all, Te Ying Wong is a girl!

Nothing interesting today, except for this letter. Out of sudden I become Mr and changed name. =.-"

Oh yeah, really surprised to receive Ian's call today, though he called for a reason!! Haha... He actually called me a few times before I realised it so, thinking that it was from someone I know, I returned his call. I was like "Errr, you called me just now??" His reply was "这位同学！" Hahaha...

Random

Guess what? Finally I did something academic-conscious today! Haha... Really, nothing much actually. I attended uni orientation. *I know it's cold.* =P Anyway, I had a campus tour today. Though I still can't recognise the direction well, at least I have a rough idea of how it's like now, hopefully. ^^

Sadly, I'm still having problem with my course enrollment. Sigh, this is disappointing! I don't know what to do now. =(

Adelaide is starting to become boring as there's nothing much to do at night. Most of the time I just stare at my computer screen waiting for people to chat with me, haha... (Sounds pitiful...) Oh yeah, but I have stacks of papers on my desk to be read, soon. I have no mood to read them now. =P

We had a bedroom "renovation" today. Two rooms are converted into bedroom and study room respectively. After joining two beds, no one has to sleep on the floor anymore. What a splendid idea! At least the conditions are more condusive now. Hehe...

I Like Suburb!

Waking up late today, we took a train to West Croydon and spent half a day there. There, we visited Chin How and Adrian's house and WOW, their house is wonderful! Traditional Australian's house I suppose, hehe... There's a corridor leading to various rooms consisting of living room, bedrooms and kitchen. And oh yeah, their kitchen is 5 times bigger than mine! One more thing I like about their place is that everyone has their own bedroom, fully furnished too. Besides that, the surrounding is quiet and tranquil, a good place for studying and relaxing. I strongly recommend anyone who wants to take a break from the hustle-bustle city lifestyle to visit South Australia!! (Not Adelaide though coz my place is NOISY.)

Again, we cooked in the afternoon. This time we cooked spirals, quite nice. (But I'm not the one cooking, still. Was helping around only. ^^)

Before I forget, their trains are punctual too, reached earlier than stated in the timetable.

PS: Our dinner today was cooked by Jien, mushroom soup and garlic bread. (First time cooking??? Haha...) The way Gan cut tomatoes was funny! =P

Adelaide-Part 2

I visited Rundle Mall in detailed today. Hehe... In fact, there are many small roads branching out from Rundle Mall main street. There are quite a number of buildings there too but I haven't finish visiting them. (Will leave them for the future.)

The weather is still the same, though getting colder and colder. Too bad, I don't think I can go out without sweater AND I only brought one from Penang! Practically you will see me wearing the same sweater everyday until I get a new one, if the price is reasonable. Haha... Oh yeah, I just got myself a wool quilt, which is so warm!! =)

I haven't visit North Adelaide and suburb areas as most of the time I was lingering around the city area near my apartment. From my observation, Australians like to ask "How are you today?" and "No worries." The way they pronounce "mate" is different too, funny. Besides that, the most frequent-available-and-free sound in Adelaide is "ee-oh-ee-oh" and "tick-tickk-tickkk-tickkkkk-tium" LoL...

I guess it should be enough for today, will update again soon. Hehe...

Photos

Adelaide-Part 1

Based on my first impression, Adelaide is a square-like city as everything is organized in blocks, like one of the ancient cities we studied in history. ^^ The second thing that I thought of was “WALK”. Wondering why? Coz basically we walked to everywhere we want to, thanks to the strategic location of our apartment. But recently we learn how to make use of the free tram service from Rundle Mall to Victoria Square. Hehe…

Rundle Mall is actually a street. As you walk down the street, there are shops alongside. It’s something like the one in Hong Kong but I couldn’t really recall the name. (Poor memory…) China Town is also a street BUT you can find cheaper food there! I hardly visited any place yet because I arrived late for orientation and was busy opening bank account, settling accommodation and stuffs. Oh yeah, Reject Shop is a place to buy REASONABLY PRICED items. =)

Talking about the apartment I’m staying in, sorry I couldn’t really think yet but the only word that comes across my mind now is NICE! It’s fully furnished and everything is in tip-top conditions, though rather expensive. Besides that, it’s just a few minutes walking distance from my uni. =P

One of the interesting things that I encountered in Adelaide is that the houses in suburb areas are all uniquely designed. Every house has got their very own design! I may be rather exaggerate but can’t help it as the terrace houses in Malaysia are almost the same.

The weather here is temperate at this time of the year, neither scorching nor too cold, though sometimes the sun may be searing in the afternoon. Anyway, it's COLD at night. Generally, the temperature fluctuates between 18 and 25 degree celcius. As far as I know, the few lively streets are Rundle Mall, China Town, King William Street, Grote Street and rather eerie Hindley Street where karaoke and pubs are situated.

Hehe, will update later.

Farewell

I had my farewell yesterday. It was approximately one and a half year after I had one before going to Shah Alam. The same people, same venue, and almost the same kind of food too! Oh yeah, a very big thank you to KH who gave me a handmade farewell card. Hehe, I'm touched. Also, thanks to those who gave me ang pows and presents. Oh yeah, and thanks to those who sent me wishes too. Glad that you guys still remember me, hehe... Besides that, my appreciation to BX who told me a lot of infos about Adelaide and helped me with some of the packings.

When I was five, I wish that I can reach the sky. Seeing aeroplanes flying across the sky was something amazing and new for me.
When I was nine, I boarded plane for the first time. My mum told me that I was lucky because they don't get to travel by air at such a young age. ^^
When I was fifteen, I hoped that I can grow up faster. I hoped that I'm an adult, not a teen anymore. Full of energy I was, too much confidence I had, I strove for everything I thought I could achieve.

At the age of twenty, when I finally am going to leave Malaysia, when I finally am going to Australia, I feel the other way round. Humans, (or me?) are all these while contradicting. Funny I am.

Till then, take care my friends! =)

Nostalgia

Chatted with Chuen Lu about the facts of life. We found some similarities, ie. we are afraid of our new lives in Adelaide. I realise that it's controversial.

When we were in INTEC, we enjoyed talking about Adelaide, Australia. Perhaps we didn't realise that no place on earth beats home. We always think that Shah Alam is a lousy place, developed yet conservative; spacious but strict. We don't like the food there, mamak stalls everywhere and the few choices I had were maggi goreng, roti canai and nasi goreng. *As I never bother to try the others* =P

There are far too many things to be considered. Settling down in a new place means more than the physical part and in fact, mental is the harder part.

*As time passes by, we see people, we know people, we realise, we cherish, we treasure and we question.*

I don't know why did I come up with this statement but I do admit that I'm a doubtful person. Don't ask me why.

I feel like commenting on this picture. You may not understand but again, don't ask. Just let it be, and think that I'm weird. A prawn big enough to occupy the whole container is uncomparable to parental love. I miss the time, when I was a kid. Why do we need to grow up anyway?

Hujan Emas VS. Hujan Batu

I received a funny email this morning and to the sender, you know who you are. Sometimes these emails can really make you laugh. Anyway, I would not post the email here for fear that I will be charged for insulting any organisation. These days we need to blog CAREFULLY.

I'm going to Adelaide on 18th, luckily most things are finalised now. I got my visa three days after I did my medical exam, although I think the doctor and nurses are way too snobbish. Anyhow, they'd send my results to the embassy on the day I did my checkup.

Packing isn't that smooth though, partly due to the very limited baggage limit, 20kg!! The first time I packed, my luggage weighed approximately 30kg. SO... REDUCE!!! Many things were taken out but I had forgotten what are they. The only thing that I know is that my room is very messy with stuffs scattering all over. Guess this is the first time I left my room in such an untidy state. What to do?

Talking about reaching Adelaide, sigh! Kindly pray for everything to be smooth, accommodation especially. I wonder why, I have no feeling of happiness, like those that I had before when thinking about going to Australia. Maybe pictures do tell lies? Maybe we shouldn't expect too much of a place? In the end Penang is still the best place I had ever lived in. Perhaps Shah Alam would be better than Adelaide? Although I don't like Shah Alam, at least it's only 5 hours bus journey away from Penang, I'm still in Malaysia and I can go back at anytime when I feel like to. In Shah Alam, I don't have to multiply the amount of money I spent by three. I'm complaining again.

I love Penang, the place where I was born and grown up in the past 20 years.

Joyce = Spam?

This was what happened. Careless Joyce was doing something else when she signed in MSN. And then, she found out 3 unread emails in her junk folder from known senders. Quickly, she marked the first two as "safe" until she reached the third one. At first glance, she saw something about immigration, guessing that it was her visa approval mail. Too excited she became, she accidentally clicked on the "mark as unsafe" button and GONE!! Gone the mail and the sender was blocked, to her dismay. Frantically, she tried to recover her email but unfortunately, she did not manage to undone her mistake. :'(

She tried to email the immigration frontdesk, hoping that they will send her another email as soon as possible to her another email account. Fervently, she prays...

WHY?! Supposedly she should be jumping in joy when she saw "applicant approved" on her computer screen. She should be relieved when she finally managed to reduce her check-in-luggage to 24kg! Her problems should be all solved when the apartment management agreed to postpone her payment date. But why?! Why can't she enjoy the little moment of peacefulness? Why can't she savour the few days at home before leaving for Adelaide?

Is JOYCE = SPAM?

Bye INTEC!

After 18 months of waiting, finally I finished A Levels in INTEC. I left Akasia, which was once my second home in Malaysia. A mixture of feelings I have, of happy and sad alike. Happy, that I am done with Shah Alam! No more Al-Awwal, no more Darul Ehsan, no more Pak Li Kopitiam and here I come, hokkien mee, curry mee and char kuey teow! And yeah, there is no more dressing code, no more guards and no more saman! In fact, I walked out of Akasia in short sleeves. ^^ Sad, that I'm leaving my friends in INTEC, especially my roommate and my fellow course mates. Oops, I nearly forget, no more free badminton court. =(

The trio in 5/513.

This is my roommate, Catherine.

My housemate, Athirah.

One part of Akasia

Another part of Akasia.

I'm Leaving

I'm leaving, I'm leaving Malaysia, to a place I had never been to, to a place where I had only seen its pictures and heard about it from the others. It's the first time I'm leaving home for that long, and that far.

I know it sounded stupid. Australia is nearer to Malaysia compared to UK and US, yet I have this kind of feeling, feelings of leaving.

"Adelaide, how are you like?"

Post-Exam

Life is a never ending marathon. I was a bird without wings during A Levels. Soon, wings grew but I was caught and trapped in a cage for five days. Eventually, the day I had been awaiting for arrived, I regained my FREEDOM! I’m flying high, and crying in joy that I, FINALLY, am free! However, it did not last long as things started to become complicated and unresolvable for me. Sigh!

What do you expect me to do after finishing an exam I had been waiting for since two years ago? Throw away all the books, jumping and shouting like there’s no tomorrow? Or hang out till midnight, forgetting about the hostel’s curfew? Anything, but I’m sure you will never expect the actual scenario I had after exam. RUSH, it’s the word. The last paper ended at 8.00pm and we had to pack our things and attend BTN at 8.45pm. No time for celebration, no time to bid farewell properly with my housemates, nothing.

I’m sorry I did something I didn’t understand why I did it in LDK 1. I just don’t like people to ask about my family. I think I screwed up the whole introduction about myself. Alright, I will tell you if I feel like telling but don’t ask me okay? I don’t like to lie but I don’t like to tell people about my family either. Anyhow, I found myself feeling guilty for not telling the truth. Sincerely, I’m sorry.

I thought I could find myself a brief rest after BTN. God knows, there are too many things to be done in such a short time, racing against time I would say. I wonder how many trips I need to make to KL or Shah Alam in order to get my visa done. I need information! But nobody can give me a correct one. Too many things happened in these few days and at the same time, I learnt a lot.

I want to forget, everything about visa and medical checkup! I want to embrace myself in this festive season; I want to feel the euphoria, the atmosphere. I don’t want to shrug my shoulder when I hear CNY songs thinking that, oh yeah, CNY, so what, I can only come home a few hours before CNY. What the hell is going on?!