Orientation for pharmacy students

I went to City East Campus for the last two days. Got to meet more Malaysians(there are 44 students doing pharmacy under JPA scholarship), two Australians and a Taiwanese. On the 25th Feb, the school gave us a briefing on the security, the services provided by Learning Connection and the library which were a repeat of last Tuesday's orientation. Later on was free BBQ lunch at Reid Lawn courtesy of the School. I thought there will be chicken wings, sausages, beef or lamb. To my surprise, there were only sausages, slices of white bread, BBQed onions, slices of something =D and canned colas. Better than nothing. After lunch was a tour around the Campus. I cabut after the tour as I have enrolled in my courses. The next day of orientation was pretty much the same as the 25th of Feb. The course coordinators gave information about the course they teach. There was a tour to the biology and chemistry laboratory before heading to Reid Lawn again for lunch. This time, the lunch was courtesy of the South Australia Pharmacy Student Association(SAPSA). Had two slices of pizzas and a can of Sunkist. Pizzas are were nice. Yummy.... At 1:30pm, I headed to Playford building to attend a workshop on how to make full use of the computer barns in UniSA. For my session, I think I was the only Malaysian present. =P That concluded my orientation in UniSA. No more honeymoon for me as I will be in a war starting next week. Please pray for me to have strength and wisdom from God. May I graduate with super flying colours and bring glory to God and my family!!!! Hehe....

Free Air Condition?

On the way to church today, somebody asked my brother and me whether we are getting used to the food and weather in Adelaide. Our answers were , of course, positive. =D(Asian style, I think, you only give good comments and hide the bad ones...hehe) Then the person commented that we can take the cold weather here since we are adapting well and he even added that the cold weather here is free air condition. Hahahaha....quite true actually. In Kuching, we have to pay to get a cooling atmosphere. Here, it's FOC!!!!(Free Of Charge) Shall enjoy the cool weather but the air is too dry. =P The only good thing about dry air is that your clothes get dry faster. Apart from that, there is nothing good about dry air. My lips and my skin is cracking. Looks like ah mah's skin. Have to put lotion everyday....

Clipsal 2008

It's so noisy outside the hostel since yesterday. Loud rock music and the drumming of the racing cars. Yeap, Clipsal event is going on in Adelaide. It's an annual event which is supposed to be held sometime in March but was carried foward due to many interstate events which will also be carried out in March. I will not be going to the event because :

Reason No.1: The entrance fee is too expensive. =P It's more than 50 dollars. Let's say it's 55 dollars per person. $55 X 3=RM165!!!! TOO EXPENSIVE!!!!

Reaspn No.2: To me, it's not worth watching. It's like watching F1 racing. You get to stand only at one place to watch the racing. You won't be able to see the whole process of how the car get to the final point. I totally agree with court Disney buzz which I watched when I was a child. It was a debate between football and F1 racing, whether which one is worth watching. Yeap, football won the debate. Even the people debating on behalf of F1 racing loves football. You can watch the whole process in football but not car racing. The car just "whoosh" in front of you and that's it!

oooo....The music is really loud outside. Thank God it's only for a few days, not a few weeks! Hallelujah! =D

Happy Chap Goh Mei!

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Chap Goh Mei!!!! May we all have a great year ahead. Let us continue to work hard and smart this year after 15 days of celebration. May we grow deeper in love with Jesus.

Another day of orientation

Today's orientation was in City West Campus again. =P I took a bus from the hostel to the city and then a tram to City West campus. For those who haven't been to Adelaide, the tram that moves around the city area is free of charge. =) Today was colder than yesterday. Weather forecast here is accurate, unlike the forecast in Malaysia. I met a lot of Malaysians at the orientation. Is it a good thing or a bad thing???? Thankfully, I met a girl from Denmark. A real Danish with blonde hair. First half of the session was about adapting to the culture and lifestyle of Adelaide as well as how to make new friends. There was also a quiz on the meaning of the phrases used by the South Australians. After that was tea break. Didn't get to taste many food as I went to the toilet. Three quater of the food was gone when I arrived the place. But I still managed to try a piece of cake and a cup of orange juice. When tea break was over, it was time for a talk on taking care of your health. There was also a talk on sexual health. It was mainly to help those who have questions on sexual activities, pregnant or suspect of STD. I almost doze off in those talks. I'm showing a bad example. =P Lunch break again at 1pm. No lunch was provided. *Bleh* Second session was about finding a permanent accomodation and what to be aware of and a workshop on managing your money. These two workshop were quite informative and yeap, I didn't fall a alseep. Hehe.... At the end of the day, I find that managing your money was the most interesting workshop. From the workshop, I actually learn how to "play" with your money which means how make your money in the bank grow. Apart from that, I found out how, where and when to shop for cheap but good stuffs. Overall, the orientation today was not boring as compared to the one on Monday. Was super hungry again today. Tonight, I didn't have to cook as Kim's father, Uncle Vincent, came and invited us to his apartment to have dinner. Yay!!!! Early Chap Goh Mei dinner.

Orientation at UniSA

Orientation. Started yesterday at City West campus. The orientation this week is mainly for international students. I went to City West campus together with Mimi(a nice lady doing PhD in City west campus and is also living in Bradford Lodge) Thank God for sending her to me. If not, I will be lost in the city. =D First half of the session was welcoming, briefing us of our visa, UniLife and a society ('paiseh', forgot the name) which organises student activites. It was boring that I actually fall asleep while they were talking (only for a short while=D). I hope no one caught me sleeping. Hehe.... Lunch time at around 12. Lunch wasn't provided. =P Was super hungry when I got back to the hostel. After lunch, the orientation continued. The second half of the orietation was about our safety in Adelaide. A policewoman and a life guard(I think) gave a talk on that topic. Once again, I fall alseep again. =D The weather was really hot and it's boring even though it's informative.

Orientation today was at City East campus. I was again lost, not knowing where to go. Thank God that, there are seniors to bring me to the venue. I had my Student ID card done. YAY! Now, I'm officially entitled to the privilege of a concession holder. Means half price for my bus tickets and certain entrance fee. Got a goody bag and a red bag which every new international student has. The uni briefs us again on our security. Found out that we can actually get the security guards to escort us to the bus stops if we have to go home late at night from the uni. Cool! The uni also briefs us on the library, Learning connection, Campus Central and studying in UniSA. Lunch break at 12. Today, lunch is provided. YAY!!!! HAd sandwiches, cakes, cookies and orange juice. Yumm.... Went back to the hall again. Finally, the JPA students arrived. They all looked tired. Must have not slept well in the plane. The second half of the orientation is about how to get help when we need to and listening to the experience of some seniors. The girl from China is really brave and confident as she speaks a lot even though her English is not very good. Sallute her! After that, I went back as I have already enrolled on my courses. It was really hot yesterday and today. Hopefully the weather forecast is true that it will be cooler tomorrow.

Election in Malaysia

After so many guessing and analysing from the public and the leaders, Pak Lah finally set the date for election. 24th Feb 2008 for nominaton and 8th March 2008 for voting. How I wish I can watch 'Evening Edition' now. Hehe.... The reporters deliver news in advance. May God bless every voter to vote wisely and may God bless the leaders with humility and wisdom as they start the campaign. Let us pray for Malaysia. I still love Malaysia even though I sometimes complain about the governing system. =D

Bread anyone?

Bread....Been eating bread for the last few mornings. I still have one and a half loaf of bread in my fridge. =P Begin to feel sick of it. I now yearn for a bowl of kolo mee or laksa or kueh chap or the char siew pau from "Xiao Pa Wang" for breakfast. Is there anyone who would want to trade his or her bowl kolo mee with my my loaf of bread? I miss Astro! I miss the privilege of gaining access to unlimited internet which I can download songs and watch youtube! =P

Yesterday, while waiting for my brother at Eyenesbury College, I saw a dad carrying his daughter's bag once she came out of the college. I also saw a lot of parents waiting for their teens outside the college in their cars. It reminds me of my parents who always send me to school or tuition. Ah....I miss those days. Now I have to catch a bus to go to uni or walk to uni. In Kuching, you just have to walk a few steps to reach a coffee shop or supermarkets. In Adelaide, you have to do a lot of walking. I begin to aprreciate my comfortable life in Kuching. For now, I have to be strong. I have to persevere. May God give me the strenght and courage to go through the circumstances in life.

Oh yeah, went to the common lounge just now because there was a filming going on. I thought we might be able to see the process. There were quite a few of us waiting for the surprises. To our dismay, we didn't get to watch the process as they had to shut the door. We were told not to make any noise at all when they are filming. It was so boring to be there. When they say we can move back to our rooms, we were extremely happy. You can imagine how boring we were in the common lounge, doing nothing. Haha....

I miss the food in Kuching

After being here for two weeks, I have already miss kolo mee, laksa, kueh chap, char kueh and the list goes on. How I wish someone can send me a bowl of kolo mee or kueh chap.

Though there are many kinds of food sold here(Asian and Western), I still miss the local food in Kuching. I notice that people here love to drink cola and coffee. Every morning, you can see a lot of people and some students carrying a cup of coffee in their hands while walking to offices or school. The portion served in most food court and restaurants is big. Mcdonald and Hungry Jack(Aus version of Burger King) are famous here but not in Kuching. KFC and Pizza Hut are less popular among the locals but in Kuching, they are.

The weather here can be very extreme at times. Sometimes too cold or too hot. My skin and lips are itching and cracking due to the dryness of the environment. Hopefully can get use to it as soon as possible. With God's help, I CAN!!!!

First Day of "Independence"

I toured around Adelaide with Lillian. I'm so thankful to her as she spend some time to bring me around the city. I went to deposit cash in HSBC and found out that we don't have to fill in forms if we back in cash. Went to get my visa sticked to my passport and applied for Tax File Number. Too bad I couldn't get my work permitt done as I have not started my lessons yet. I also got myself a library card which I can borrow books, DVDs, CDs, magazines and access to internet for free. And guess what, the membership fee is free of charge even though I'm an international student. Can imagine the benefits given to the South Australians. Lillian brought me to WORD which sell all sorts of Christian materials. It's like Crossway or Trinity Bookroom back in Kuching but with more books. I am really grateful for Lillian. Otherwise, I would be bored and not get most of my things done.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending Lillian to bring me around the city and get things done. Thank you for blessing my parents with a safe and smooth journey back to Kuching. Thank you for protecting everybody. Glory and honour be unto You!!!!
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.

Officially independent....

My parents left for Kuching this afternoon. Seeing them going to the terminal made me feel so downhearted. I'm going to miss them a lot. I'm going to miss their cookings and their nagging(I can't beleive I just said that). There are still a lot of things I am going to miss about them but I just couldn't type it out as I still feel very downhearted. Before coming here, I always wanted to be away from my parents because I thought I will more freedom; I was wrong. Having my parents around made my life so easy. I have them to cook for me, do my laundry, help me solve my problems, comfort me when I am sad and bring me to everywhere I want to go. Now I have to do all these by myself and I have to make sure that I have time for my studies, God and other activities. Still I want to thank God that my parents are with me when I trying to get use to the new environment even for just two weeks. I will appreciate and treasure the times when I write emails to my parents or call them. I must spend more time with my parents when I go home end of this year. Mom and Dad, please take care of yourself. Remember to draw near to God.



Dear Heavenly Father,
I give thanks to You for teaching me to appreciate my mom and dad. Lord, please bless them with good health and positive emotion. Lead them not into temptation but deliver them from the evil ones. Bless my parents with success in their career. Protect them from any danger or harm. Guide them and bless them in their spiritual walk with You. Lord, I committ my parents into Your mighty hands, trusting that You are with them and will bless them.
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today's the first day of Chinese New Year. Too bad I am not in Kuching to celebrate CNY with relatives and friends. However I still want to thank God for my parents who are with me in Adelaide to celebrate CNY. Nothing much in Adelaide today. It's still a working day but a different day in Chinatown. Most of the shops invite the lion dance team to their shops to perform. Guess what I saw? I saw an angmoh in the team. He played the drum and the cymbals. Haha.... Angmoh also interested in lion dance. There are firecrackers which are really loud(5 times louder than the ones in Kuching). Most restaurants in Chinatown are full and half of their customers are Australians. This concludes that Australians love Chinese food.
This is my first time celebrating CNY in an angmoh place. Though there's no CNY mood, I still thank God for His blessings as I can spend CNY with my parents. Mnay of the students don't get to celebrate with their parents.

I wish everybody a blessed new year. May all grow fruitfully in the love of Christ!