April 20, 2007

And so another month has passed with so many things happening that it’s all just become a blur. University life isn’t as free-spirited as first imagined but still weighs up a lot better than high school. With mid-sessions coming up everyone’s studying hard – good luck! As per usual, my update:

• various assessments & group assignments have been handed in, the latter part causing much anger and frustration.
• lunch @ kura III w/ Venus & Sandee followed by French Riviera and State! (we are nerds much?)
• mabel’s 18th party @ UN Bar – took forever to get in and got home at 4am.
• playing “meet the parents” twice ;] and needing to reciprocate but obstacle in the way
• giordano party for mandy’s farewell – dinner @ fujiya and karaoke@ k`squared!
• doing centre court at market ct for the first time – hectic much.
• commerce cruise – looking after drunks as always ;] but fun night of dancing haha.
• watched worst korean movie ever – the host
• caught up with jeff for the first time since end of high school
• celebrating 31days of joy and happiness (exception of parentals) watching 300 and being late! gomen x]

as a geek i’m loving my nerd ♥

An update…for Ray? March 8, 2007

So here I am, updating Mr Raymond. It’s been ages since I last logged onto WordPress and a lot has changed since then. I don’t think I will be returning to sustained blogging – probably stick with the odd post filled with dot point updates. So for the past month here is my story…

• Worked a whole lot more for Giordano and got PAID!
• Worked at Numberworks and got PAID! (not as much though…)
• Watched Notes on a Scandal w/ Rebecca & Raymond. Disturbing movie but an excellent film nonetheless. Then shopped with Ray, Goldie, and co.
• Started Commerce/Arts degree at asian central aka UNSW. Microeco is interesting. QMA is 3U maths on repeat ARGH. Marketing is fun (exception of boring lectures). Japanese is quite a bit harder but more interesting and worthy of study.
• Signed up for COMSOC camp and CBS Bible Study. Interesting…
• Met heaps more new people and am starting to enjoy uni.
• Met up with Sandee & Venus for dinner @ Ichiban-boshi and dessert @ French Riviera.
• Quit Numberworks job unofficially to have more time to party and study.

That’s all I can think of.

Weeks in Review February 9, 2007

Another lengthy period where a blog is lacking and a lot has changed since my last post, not all of which I can recall clearly so I will recount what little I do remember.

• MAKOTO rejected me. They had found another candidate but no reason was given. Having said that, $7 training and $10 official work rates are bare minimum and not great.
• SPAM SQAURED without Venus. Trinh, his sister and Stands crashed my place for movies and general relaxation from heat. Jack joined us. Watched Dodgeball and weird ass Trinh’s unicorns ;]
• Picked up tennis again after what seemed like forever. Much fun, good sun exposure and exercise.
• Watched Stranger Than Fiction (w/ Jack) & HK movie, Happy Birthday (w/ Rebecca). The former being quite implicably stranger than fiction in a distinct way while the latter was a touching and quite intricately mastered piece of work.
• Got a maths tutoring job at NUMBERWORKS Chatswood.
• Scored a job at GIORDANO Georget Street and have worked 13.5 hours in two days and loving it.
• Started driving and getting the hang of it. Up to 4 hours! Lol.
• Ammy, Jennifer, Sandy & Vickie visited me at work. Manager joked that I didn’t “sweet talk” them enough – they only bought one t-shirt and it was for Teddy Geiger.
• Work is making me dead tired and am needing sleep stat. Night.

Back Downunder January 26, 2007

Well…I’ve been back for almost two weeks now but haven’t gotten around to blogging and/or uploading photos. In fact, I don’t think I ever will upload the photos from this HK trip – just can’t really be bothered. In short, the trip was awesome due to several factors. The fact that I travelled there alone meant freedom – something that I hadn’t been in touch with for a very long time if ever. Living at my Aunt’s place in Fortress Hill meant I had to walk 2 minutes to catch an MTR which is connected to pretty much everywhere. This mode of transport has subways coming every couple of minutes and honestly, I have yet to get myself acquainted with CityRail and State Transit’s unreliable system again. Taxis were cheaper, MTRs were faster, trams were convenient hence late nights. Having money to spend in a place which is really cheap means lots of new things to buy – in fact I went over my luggage limit by 11 kilograms (I had 31 kilos) but the lady let me through because I said that I had only one hand luggage and it was my first time travelling alone. The former turned out to be wrong but at the time that I checked in (I did in-town check in a day early) I didn’t realise that I still hadn’t packed so much but the latter was the honest truth so that I didn’t have to fork out HKD753 which equates to a bit over 100AUD. And finally, the greatest factor of all was meeting heaps of new friends who I would otherwise not have really talked to in Sydney.

So during my one and a half month stay I lost three kilograms, a combination of walking a lot everyday as well as the fact that I vomited a lot the day before my 18th and ended up just sleeping off my 18th. I watched several movies both in the cinemas and on the plane – none of which were Asian save one, surprisingly –   Confessions of Pain, The Holiday, Babel, The Silent Listener, Scoop, High School Musical, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Friends with Money and some others that have escaped me. I went to karaoke quite a lot and even got myself a membership card – it’s honestly really cheap in Hong Kong and good quality too! I also attended an all-nighter karaoke session at Neway CEO from 5:30PM – 5:30AM the next morning with buffet dinner included – that’s one thing to cross off my list of ways to be even more Asian. Went to Ocean Park twice and Disneyland once – not too good on the finances and wasn’t wonderful either but it was the people and the experience. AIA World Fair was much better and the rides were awesome. Had some late mahjong nights, several nights crashing at Vickie’s place for cards, movies and dramas, ice skating, sticker photos, gaming arcades and heaps of cheap shopping. Even went to church once before I left.

Now that I’m back in Sydney I have come to the realisation that I am quite poor and jobless so am seeking a job though I do have some leads. I’ve also spent loads of time organising my enrolment into UNSW (thank God for online enrolment), timetabling and all that jazz for Commerce/Arts. I’m still waiting for the damn call back after my Makoto interview and have been busily job searching and resume sending – haven’t been out save once…And now Australia Day family gathering calls – hope you guys all enjoy the day!

Freedom December 3, 2006

I’ve never wanted to leave my house so badly before. Maybe not the house, just my parents. That statement seems a little unfair to my father so to narrow it down, just my mother. I’m so glad I’m leaving tomorrow. I need to get away from all this.

4th December, 2006 — 15th January, 2006

I call it freedom…

Planning December 3, 2006

Surely the title of this post can be taken as being synonymous to the word “procrastination”. That aside, with only one exam to go, I am not very bitter about finishing so late as I have already begun my long schedule of partying. And here is my plan, for my reference (stupid WordPress does not allow for Javascript input so my schedule contains no fancy countdown):

• 13th Nov: 18th Present Shopping & K w/ Trinh, Venus, Vickie, Ken
  
• 14th Nov: Yum Cha & K w/ Geli, Kang, Stands, Trinh, Venus, Vickie
• 15th Nov: Jap Ext Exam // Post HSC Celebration @ Bondi Beach
• 16th Nov: Nessa’s 18th @ Bronte [cancelled]…ice skating anyone?
• 17th Nov: Gigi & Zoe’s 18th @ Botanical Gardens
• 18th Nov:Clean the house!
  
• 19th Nov: CPS Reunion @ Lane Cove National Park
• 20th Nov: Bondi/Manly Beach [cancelled] stay @ home
  
• 21st Nov: Formal Shopping/B’day Shopping
• 22nd Nov: Wayne & Lanky’s 18th @ Bicentennial [am] // Jono’s 18th @ Killara [pm]
• 23rd Nov: St/Andy’s 18th @ Manly
• 24th Nov: NSB FORMAL @ Four Points Sheraton
• 25th Nov: Post-Formal Sleep
  
• 26th Nov:
• 27th Nov: Eddie’s B’day
• 28th Nov: Standy’s 18th @ CT!!
• 29th Nov:
• 30th Nov: Venus’ Movie Day [cancelled] // Manly Beach Day!
• 1st Dec: First Aid Recertification @ Surry Hills [cancelled] // Squash Day @ UTS
• 2nd Dec:
• 3rd Dec: Pack @ home // Go to Church // Evan’s 18th
• 4th Dec: 3pm Flight to HK!

Backtrack November 26, 2006

It’s been ages since I’ve even clicked the link for this blog. My week has been packed full of shopping for formal and general going out. By the time I get home I can’t really be bothered to blog. I find that I only ever blog when I’m bored. It’s a source of procrastination that I can only keep up regularly if I’m studying – oh dear. So here’s the recap:

• 16th – Went ice skating @ Macquarie. Freezing cold conditions all of a sudden. Hurting feet afterwards. Had lunch before heading out to K at the new Chatswood Korean K place @ Tomato.
• 17th – Gigi & Zoe’s 18th @ Botannical Gardens. Met loads of new people. Had a picnic and played some random party games for a couple of hours. Crazy. Burnt by the end of it. Went to play pool and Daytona @ Galaxy and K at Gr33nbox Plus before trekking the whole of CT for dinner. Ended up burning my mouth with Takoyaki and then eating lots at Sussex Arcade Foodcourt.
• 19th – CPS Reunion @ Lane Cove National Park. Turn out was slow because Mai stupidly put “1-3pm” for arrival time! Interesting reunion, chatting and eating. A bit segregated though.
• 21st – Bought all my formal stuff after trekking through Chatswood AND CT. Haven’t walked around Sydney so much before in my life nor spent so much money in Sydney in the space of a day. Played the Wii Tennis with Ken and looked spastic waving my arms around in the middle of City Myer.
• 22nd – Packed day. AM: Went to get my Ls, passed with full marks. Wayne & Lanky’s 18th @ Bicentennial Park. Eating and lazing around in the shaded playground and had water fights because of the boiling hot weather. PM: Trekked back to Killara for Jono’s 18th. Met new church people and played Singstar & Animal Kingdom. Hilarious and fun filled. Sleptover @ Wayne’s and only got 4 hours sleep.
• 23rd – Slightly stoned for my (&Standee’s) 18th @ Manly Beach. Huge turnout for my side. Awesome weather for beach volleyball and general beaching. Thanks loads for turning up guys (and for the thoughtful presents!) Had heaps of fun and finalised my formal gear that night.
• 24th – Drove around with Shuyan and had lunch with her at the mall. Nice catch up time before my formal that night. It was an awesome night all around save some LATE people haha. Tight security, loads of photos @ my GFOTO. Lots of dancing and catching up with people. The dance floor was a tad small. Waiting for a taxi in the CT at that hour was kinda freeky. Afters were quite enjoyable, good chatting and eating times. Thanks for a great night Venus as my date and for all my friends who were there to make the night awesome.

And so leads to these past two days of calm uneventful-ness. There were photos taken but I can’t be bothered uploading. This upcoming week is relatively calm though still a couple of 18ths and outings before I leave for HK on 4th December. Anyone going to HK? Holla if you are!

End November 15, 2006

I have finished. Too tired to blog about anything of substance tonight. Got home at 9pm after a day at Bondi Beach, Boost Juice for lunch, takoyaki for dinner, shopping and K Square karaoke. I am now dead. My room is clean and empty!

the nightmare had ended.

 

Partay Time November 10, 2006

Well the title could actually apply to any date following the horrendous Extension One HSC Maths exam but it seems applicable to today’s entry too. Now that Chemistry finished today, I only have one more exam left and unlike Chemistry, the studying for Extension Japanese requires much less effort and stress. As much as Chemistry wouldn’t count for me, I still stressed a tad with the loads of notes I felt that I should study for, but now I feel free as a bird – a feeling which will undoubtedly be furthered by my official completion of the HSC next Wednesday.

After the exam today Wayne & I took a bus down to QVB with Vaishali, Hum and Pooja. We went and had laksa for lunch at the Malaysian place down there and met up with Ken and Shin. The girl who served us looked a lot like Emy? Afterwards we headed off to watch “The Departed” reviewed here, and ran into Venus. Due to timing issues the NSGs left us for shopping and we ended up running into another group of them inside the cinemas. Haven’t seen a movie in ages and a film spanning almost 3 hours was quite hectic admittedly, but good. Trip home was terrible…or rather, the process of waiting for the trip home. My 6:02 bus came at 6:35 because there was a traffic jam…AT the bus stops? I still don’t know what caused it but all the buses were stuck on the same street for half an hour almost. Terrible end to a perfectly good day out. I pre-empt average studying on the weekend and much fun once Monday arrives.

The Departed November 10, 2006

Personally, I’ve been removed from the film release loop recently due to the HSC and have basically not been up-to-date with all the anticipated movies of late 2006. Having said that, rumours of “The Departed”, directed by Martin Scorsese, as a Hollywood adaptation of my personal HK favourite, “Infernal Affairs”, had been floating around since the middle of last year. The original, directed by Andrew Lau and released in 2002 was an amazing piece of work, though the same cannot be said about the two subsequent sequels. “The Departed” adapts the trilogy into one film spanning almost 3 hours. Although it had the odd boring bits, it did meet my expectation of a brilliant film.

I’ve never been a big fan of Matt Damon and even less of a fan of Leonardo De Caprio (glued image of his Titanic debut with slick gelled-back hair – ugh) but both did good jobs in their roles – nice and natural, though Leo could have lost the beard…a tad outta character I thought. Best actor would’ve been Jack Nicholson – he’s a guy who can really pull off that villan act – followed closely by psychiatrist Vera Farmiga. First time I’ve seen her on the silver screen but definitely wouldn’t mind seeing her later roles.

It’s been too long since I watched the original trilogy so I can’t pinpoint any discrepancies but I did follow the movie quite easily so it wouldn’t have strayed to far away from the plot. It started off fairly boring but the midsection took off rapidly, if not a tad too fast as a result of cramming a trilogy into one film, and finished with an unexpected (oh-so-nihilistic!) climax. The light hearted humour left a good impression, especially any of the witty comments courtesy of Nicholson. For some it may be just a little on the gory and violent side of things, but it was a really enjoyable way to kick start my unofficial end of the HSC. Not much of a review but I’ll get better at this as I go along hopefully.

“Lies. Betrayal. Sacrifice. How far will you take it?”