Speakin of Waitin

Waitin..dats a some big stuff huh?a soldier waits to enter battle, an nsf waits to ORD, a pregnant mother waits to give birth n a man waits at e altar for his bride to walk down the aisle..its wat 3 quarters of life is about..waitin for stuff 2 happen..

i wish dat it were'nt so much waitin..sometimes we shd move out of comfort zones to get things movin n active like Tom Hanks in Terminal...but there's a time for waitin n a time for actin i believe..its just dat i sometimes dun noe e timing for each..

well, i wish sometimes dat God would not approve or allow of our waiting..it sounds so wasteful its almost criminal..but then again..who r we to question His purposes or will? i 've learned e hard way dat waitin for somethin is difficult, but actin out of timin would make a matter impossible..dats learnin to trust in God (or for my non-christian frens, e powers dat b)..

finalli, waitin is something dat does help us take stock of wat we've been thru n wat we want for our lives..though i often dun see it like dat at all..but dun be surprised if e wait turns out something u never expected or believe was possible..my theory is dat God allows waitin to reveal stuff to us dat we would not confront or r unable to confront cos we hav a wrong view of God or life..or e world or ourselves..so then mayb dats y we wait...not certain..wait till u get to ask God Himself on judgement day...

Sian

der weekend was sian as the Hokkien calls it...a nice bit of pot-luck on sat was the only real attraction but its just been so borin over here...i guess my expectations of uni life overseas r being turned on their head..there's no hard, crazy partyin dat i need to avoid (at least here) or realli great spiritual revelations to contemplate..neither extremely over-frenli pple here to meet nor close-knit Singaporeans to have as close frens...like e kind in sec sch n jc..its just flatline durin e week n more flat these last few weekends...of course, i did use it to further some readin n 'resource acquisition' dat has greatly spurred mi on to find out more bout building n architecture n increased knowledge..but dats it..just waitin to start on my assignments which were handed out late late week..waitin is a killer i tell u..waitin..

You won't Believe This

Guys, you won't believe this...the Auchmuty Library at Newcastle Uni here has got 2 shelves full of weapons design and specifications data..everything from naval gunnery to radio-control telemetry for guided missiles and the technical explainations of atomic weapons..i'll try uploadin the pictures i took of the book titles as i saw them sittin on e shelves then u can se for urself...these r not just guidebooks or Jane's pictorial collections but actual engineering principles and relevant formulae for calculation of for instance, how wide is the radar beam for 'collecting' and guidin radio-beam riding missiles to their targets..seems to be an elective on weaponry like dat for electrical engineering...power-packed right? lets see if i can get enrolled in such an elective for my 3rd year...hey, after all..they emphasise a Liberal Education here with a capital L and E right? dats 1 of e beauties of overseas education..

Floorplans n Samples

There r things dat attract my eye like a magnet n which stir me brain stew…n I’m not talking bout women whose dressin would shame Paris Hilton (even though they’ve NOT got her body)..

Anyway, the thing is..durin e previous weekend (one of e most bluidy borin around) , I had e opp 2 take a bus 2 Charlestown, Newcastle with some o’ these fella s’porean mates n hav a look around e place..

It so happened dat I had 2 use e piss-station aka toilet/gents/john/wc wateva at e local shoppin mall..n there I found dat outside e toilet was e floorplan n internal layout of e said toilet..not onli dat, but also samples of e tiles, materials n fittings used 2 build e toilet..wa..i tot..so comprehensive..

It seems dat every buildin has floorplans for each level prominently displayed near e entrance n exits..but a floorplan for e toilet n sample fittings? Dats whacko…they r very safety-consious here…even e rental house has got smoke detectors dat must be checked 6 monthly n certified by professionals in e industry…so as 2 prevent accidental death by fire for e residents…

I wonder, a society dat places so much emphasis on safety can’t b all dat bad rite? Mayb..but its still strange n difficult adjustin...safety is a sign of a mature society n a liberal 1 at dat…but its also e sign of pple who may b too sheltered n protected n unwilling 2 face e realities of the big, bad, real world…protectionist n liberal? Ironic isn’t it? But mayb dats realli Australian society for u..

Quirks n Such

When i get a betta connection i'll probabli upload some photos of e stuff i'm gonna be postin bout..well now, the subject of today's post is strange quirks of Australia n Australians dat i've observed in my short time here..

u noe, over here they call pick-up trucks SUVs (wat de f*) n Burger King is NOT Hungry Jacks..they r 2 separate fast-food companies operatin in Australia..at least dats wat a sydney-side dweller told mi..they hav a socialist equality society on Campus with Che Guevara as role model (dis is a western democratic country?) n pple actualli join a society to dress up as ancient knights to fight imaginary battles with each othr (e ang moh version of anime cross-dress role-playin)...Australia..Truli Weirder...

oh n when u spot shoppin trolleys abandoned by e roadside..u can call in 2 e shoppin centre (to tell them where u saw these) n hav e chance to b chosen in a lucky draw 2 win $1000 in cash..wa..s'pore got like dat gd lor..by e way, my record is spottin 5 trolleys in the space of 4 hours by e roadside..dats 5 chances 2 win $1000 rite?

n wat bout academics? i found dat 1 of the similarities e uni administration shares (among others) with my 'favourite' organisation..e SAF is dat they love to take damn poor quality digital photos of students for our student id cards..i should just hav given them my passport photo to take a picture of..i would hav looked betta...now i'm lookin green(literalli) n my face is shifted left like somebody chopped my head off n sewed it back 3 cm to the left of my neck(ok i'm exaggeratin) but its damn pai kuah i tell u...

n one final thing bout Australians dat puzzles mi..why do they love to wear shorts, singlets, halter-neck tops, tube-tops n sandals when e uni is so infested with mosquitoes dat r suckin them dry? oh well..they're strange creatures la..still takin in n accomodatin their quirks even as i discover them daily..

Matters of Administration

Here I am, poised almost on e eve of commencement of university classes, lectures, tutorials n studio work..n i'm wonderin..how does a university run itself when it has cases of international students not bein able to enroll..due 2 a screw-up with e allocation of advanced credits for previous diploma qualification?

dat seems to b e problem for 1 of my frens whose problem has not been resolved though he has had a place at Newcastle since last November..n addin insult to injury, the university lecturer says we're 'harassin' him when we seek him for a solution..wtf..we're in e wrong to b worried bout our own education when pple r screwin it up? i don't think so...

i did finali get the opportunity to meet the woman supposed to arrange accomodation for us overseas International students..n who, needless 2 say, made a mess..i thanked her for her help...bein e 'polite, quiet n politicalli correct asian' i am (or rather am supposed to be)..but in e back of my mind i was alraedy rubbin ma hands in glee over e new target on my dartboard..

but i like it here overall la..just dat its not exactly a 'home away from home'..n its not e 'wonderful' drink, sleep-aroun, laid back, party-n-havoc lifestyle many make it out 2 b...beginnin 2 think its gonna not dat much different frm NUS or NTU...'cept for a more screwed-up administration n n lecturers speakin so-fast-n-monotonous dat its no different frm listenin to a PRC/Indian lecturer teachin engineerin/computer science modules..

oh de onli realli gd thing i feel is dat e Christian societies here r not just One Big VCF groupin..every faculty has its own Christian Fellowshp (at least dats wat i think since seein e Engineerin Christian Fellowship yesterday) n they all come under the Newcastle Christian Society headed by a university chaplaincy with associated sch chaplain..n they're allowed to b much more active then ever possible in Singapore..rite from Day 1 of Orientation in Every faculty..dats reachin a mass audience if u ask mi..

New-In_Da_Castle

wats it like these days of livin "under the sun" in the Southern hemisphere where its 3 hours ahead of HOME timin n June winters after December summers? different dats all...very different..

e 1st mag i picked up was e student publication...1 o' e main articles was "How to Cater to Drug Users at House Parties"..well 1 can set aside a 'green room' (ironic rite) for shootin among othr things...n e next articl was written by e student head of e Newcastle University Homosexuals Society advocatin "standin up for e rights of all homos, lesbians, gays, transexuals" etc in "an increasingly homophobic society"..student activism alrite..

N o' course e size o' e wildlife (namely mosquitoes ala Mozzies in local aus-slang-speak) is simply mystifyin...never hav i seen so many different species of mosquitoes in 1 location..brown, stripped, black u name it..its here on campus..i'm drained(literalli) aftr each day o' sch due 2 these lovely, protected, n much-loved animals..i hate it when stupid bit**es go down on mi with their filthy mouths..

n it is true dat ang mohs giv preference 2 de same species...all hostel rms went straight 2 aussie locals (aka w-coloured) with minimal effort..n at e so-called International House, e onli international students seem 2 b German, American, Finnish/Swedish exchange students (read pale-skins)..dun misunderstand..i'm not racist..but i will state wats an obvious observation..

n another thing, while culture shock is not noticable (yet)..i find dat e locals overhere can b quite contradictory..while they can b frenli in greetin n service, they're very private n reticent (i.e shy) when it comes to makin frens..but no one who's not lived here would realise this of course...stupid singaporean pple who think ang moh society means everythin good n perfect..wake up la..but let mi stress I Dun Hate Dem or Dislike Them Personalli...

Underworld

i've arrived n am in e library usin e wireless now..

e dumb *toot* here tried Victoria Bitter..if he had just listened to mi..n Jasmine.. 

Richard's Nite Out 

Wala with e Guys 

E 'BBC' i'll miss 

The Band n Musik i'll Miss 

Things i'll Miss

Before i begin, let mi just say dat i hate my mudder-f***** computer..i've been tryin 2 upload pics for e last hour w/o success...sorry Eugene, i'll watch my tongue for Christ..

lets see, there's several things i'll miss goin to Australia...first, the music at Wala Wala which has the best live band this side of the planet..had my last 'music therapy' session on Fri..amazin stuff this band plays..such wondrous music...as Mr Tummnus the fawn in Narnia would say..goin there with Kian n Richard showed mi wat true frenship was again..unlike pple who hav been untrue n insincere..whom am i speakin off? i told Kumu bout dat person, rite bro?its not him la..

well, besides Wala wala which moves e soul n spirit 2 greater heights,e othr experience i had was meetin Eugene, Kumu, Fuzz, Dean, Shaun n Yk for dinner come late birthday celebration..thanks for dat bag guys n yes, i'll remembr e advice as i head down under...will miss our 'fireside' chats w/o e fire..these r true bros who've been with mi so long..

n i'll miss other frens like Rich n Kian, Shamir, Varun n Tsang, Yvonne n my church mates, Cheryl, Cherlynn n Sze Hwei...u hav a special place in ma heart always...n fellow bloggers like Shian, Daniel n e rest..e world would be much duller but for ur comments online..

i dun noe when's e next time i can blog aftr e 8th cos gettin a broadband connection might take some time..but i will keep dis blog updated as much as possible..sorry dat e last few entries hav been very mundane n non-reflective...i hope to do a deeper post tm or b4 i leave..cheers...now bout those photos...

Cost-Cutting or Standard Dropping?

its been said that absence makes the heart fonder...but sometimes it just makes me realise dat things can change for the worse...for dumb reasons..

at a farewell lunch organised by fellow church mates at Pizzahut today, i realised that standards hav fallen quite far since last i went..in e 1st place, no more buffet seemed 2 be served..at least not at dat outlet which had previously done so..

then, i realised that the salad does not come with soup anymore...even though 2 big steamin pots were placed at the salad area for apparent self-help...well the lady said no, they were not part of the salad..then i saw e big sign dat said onli 1 helpin for salad per person..dats very bluid-y petty, small-minded n unprofessional to mi...

n of course, the quality of food was of an appreciably lower standard than previousli...esp e pasta...my take on all dis? cost-cuttin n lowered standards to cater to a more mass-market..dats wat u get in goin too mainstream...quality becomes diluted as well..

its nice to hav warm n frenli service dat serves great food to a consistent audience which appreciates n spreads e word by mouth...but many companies n pple forget their target crowd when they get big..just like the old Airwalk shoe coy in America..its better to stay small, lean n hungry even if low-profile..i believe dat doin so actualli attracts more pple than bein flamboyant n flashy..

anyway, it'd do us all a lot of good if Pizzahut would return to e benchmark golden late 80s-early 90s period of food quality, service n innovation dat was longer lastin than crappy chinese new year menus with 'candy-floss' prosperity dishes dat dun leave a lastin impression on e tongue, stomach, mind or heart...dats my say..

frens i'll miss