Oh I forgot, yesterday Mr Ng took us out for ice cream at swensens to celebrate our 5 for APs. I had the earthquake, which I've never tried before.. Maybe I'll stick to my own ice cream next time ^^ I find that one tends to eat faster when sharing then if one has their own portion. I mean the 4 of us, one big plate and we finished before the rest whose ice cream came before ours? haha

Anyway today's Chem spectro test was quite manageable to my surprise ^^ Apparently, Dr Yong told Mr Murali that we all aren't up to that standard yet and needed less vague spectral analysis questions =)
Something funny happened after the test. Since the test pushes our entire timetable back an hour, we were supposed to end at 7pm today. Our last class was the Separation Science class, and Mr Murali said that Mr Gerald was sick today and elicited a loud cheer from everyone hahaha (not the appropriate response I'd admit, but nobody wants to go home at 7 if they can help it >.<)
I think Spectro is kinda fun.. so far haha. Hopefully, it isn't going to get worse later on..

I discovered today that I have a power.. XD You know usually, static is created accidentally and it gives you a shock when you get zapped? Well apparently I can create it each and every time I want to ^^ muahahaha and if you're pissing me off I can zap you hahaha
Had so much fun with it today in class XD

For bored 'ol me:
Q1: Do you like your present school?
I do actually. Overlooking it's many faults, I've quite enjoyed myself here..

Q2: What do you want the most now?
Sleep really.. I'm exhausted right now..

Q3: If you are gonna die tomorrow what do you want to do most?
The operative word here is "do" haha ;)

Q4: Do you hate your friends sometimes?
Only when they really cross me.. but I don't hate them, I'd probably be really pissed or annoyed..

Q5: Are you afraid of death?
I'm a little apprehensive of the idea of Heaven but death, not really..

Q6: Do you believe in love at first sight?
Lust at first sight, Yes.. Love, no..

Q7: Do you believe in eternal love?
Agape love?

Q8: Do you think boyfriends are a necessity?
Lol this makes them sound like a fashion accessory.. but no I don't think they are =)

Q9: What do you enjoy doing the most?
Reading, Tennis and Photography..

Q10: Have you ever done anything for your admirer?
Lol why don't you ask my admirers ^^

Q11: What feeling do you hate most?
Inner turmoil..

Q12: Do you cherish every single friendship of yours?
My close friends yes..

Q13: What is your goal this year?
Get the highest CAP I can get!

Q14. Who would you probably spend the rest of your life with?
Whoever God destines me to be with..

Q15: What do you think is the most important thing in your life?
My family...

Q16: Do you find life meaningless?
I always find something to live for ^^

Q17: What do you live for?
Well I find something to live for at every stage of my life..

Q18: Who do you talk most to in school?
Quite a bunch of people.. too lazy to type em all down =P

Q19: What are you listening to now?
Radio..

Q20: What would you say to a peanut?
Hi?

Monday, July 28, 2008

The most unspeakable thing happened to my wallet today >.<
It's so unspeakable, I won't say it here =P
I was going to replace it, but what a way to go T.T

In any case, someone said I looked gloomy today (did I?) but I guess I was just tired.. Didn't really rest well last night..

I'm starting a new partnership with Kevin called Wong&Ng, Designers and Dealers! hahaha ^^ I can just see it now... the start of a beautiful business! =P

I just discovered the chem tutorial at the back of the second half of notes.. damn I hate last minute surprises..

I overcame my sit-ups for NAPHA! <3 and my shuttle run was good =) Hopefully another gold this year..



This is exactly why I took 2 years.. I really don't need this kind of thing from anyone..

10:52 PM

_____une fille, une etudiante et une amie

Saturday, July 26, 2008

It wasn't meant to happen I guess..
It's always something with you isn't it? Always one thing or another.. and I guess I've just about had it.. You were about the only one that I could at least talk to after everything was over. Maybe it was because I didn't know you very well.. or whatever... such a shame really, you just marred your perfect record..

Today I continued with the firm's page layout for the architecture magazine. For some reason, my architect actually took the time to advise me on the design process and was a little more patient then usual.. For once I managed to use her input and put it to good use. It's very difficult to plan a layout full of odd sized pictures AND also keep everything aligned into neat columns and have them of equal sizes.. Whats worse is that I'm also not allowed to crop or resize any of the pictures.. Well at least I'm able to focus on doing something and learning from it, because I find the day passing quite fast, which means that I'm keeping active.
The downside is, I get mentally tired very easily even though physically I'm still pretty ok.. By the end of the day I feel really wrecked up half the time..

In any case, today's lunch turned out to be a pretty informative one. I learnt that architects don't actually use as much physics as I thought they would. A simple understanding of mechanics would suffice and most of the architects don't even remember the physics they learnt in Uni. Apparently that portion of the brief is undertaken by the engineers who either approve or veto the design and send it back to us. I think this is about the most positive thing I've heard so far considering how physics isn't exactly one of my favourite or strongest subjects.
From what I'm told, even the design process only takes up 5% of the entire project time frame and the rest of the time is spent on overseeing the business and construction process. On site-visits are also part of the job but as the architects agree, its basically a office, desk bound job. I guess its something that requires the person to have a passion and patience for. Some of them have been with the firm for close to 7 years and are still pretty much the same as some of the interns save a difference in pay and experience.

One of them said that even though architecture requires a passion and vision "we still live our dreams through the client's budget"
I guess that's true, also the job apparently requires us to be a jack of all trades, since we would need to be able to do everything from designing, to dealing with the clients and contractors, to overseeing construction..

So even though I wouldn't need to excel in physics, it's kinda disappointing to find out that the focus then shifts to the design process almost entirely. If I wanted design I would have chosen something else ^^ It would be a shame to give up science because I really am hoping to still need it whichever profession I enter.

In any case, I went out after work to celebrate Gen's b'day and watch the Dark Knight! We decided to eat at Canele the new patisserie down at Shaw. The prices are pretty much the same as lets say Cedele? but the desserts all look so YUMMY!





I really like trying out new things on my own.. sometimes it's good to go and eat with someone who isn't afraid to try new things as opposed to waiting for your family to go with you ^^ In any case, after dinner, I eventually treated her to her birthday cake (and let her off her bet with me ^^).


Dessert was this little plate of heaven called Caraibe (the square cake) which is basically, chocolate + hazelnuts (my favourite combination!) and something else which both of us can't quite identify, which wasn't liqueur (but which gave it this extra kick =P)

Dark Knight was AWESOME! Did I ever tell you that I happen to love this latest Batman franchise? I don't usually admit it but I actually think that they did one hell of a job on this latest franchise, just don't let my brother know ^^
I must say that the Joker was very effective because he managed to bring his madness down to a relatable level for the average viewer, which makes it more physiological which I guess is scarier then normal blood and gore. I really CAN'T stand Maggie Gyllenhaal! I mean I don't exactly like Katie Holmes either but I think that she would have been better if she reprised her role. Also I only just realised how good looking Christian Bale actually is.. It might just be his good haircut (I've always been a fan of that haircut.. it's like the "handsome guy" haircut in which most guys tend to look good in ^^) In any case, the people in my office were right. during lunch they kept saying that it felt like the end of the movie came halfway and the second half of the movie was like an extended final scene. I actually did think that it was going to end already several times towards the end but it just kept continuing ^^

There are few movies I would watch twice, but this is one of them! ^^

1:58 AM

_____une fille, une etudiante et une amie

Friday, July 25, 2008

Some thing's just holding me back from going.. I can't explain why, I can't pinpoint a reason to explain it but somehow I know I just shouldn't go..
I guess I'm gonna let fate have it's way this time.. the opportunity has already been so evasive thus far, somehow always missing me by just a fraction. If it's meant to be then I guess fate will have to find a way to corner me ^^
We'll see tomorrow...

Today I had a switch of duties.. I had to do the page layout in photoshop for the the firm's section featured in an architecture magazine. I find it's really hard me to keep my cool and do my work properly when my architect is so impatient and cranky and seems to me the most incompetent person in the world.. There seems to be no allowance for idiosyncratic working processes and somehow everything needs to be done only in the way she thinks is right! For goodness sake I'm an art student too you know.. o.0
Well at least it's a relief to handle a software that I'm comfortable with..

I had lunch with the intern from NUS and apparently the hostel fees there for a single room are like HALF of what we pay for shared rooms and shared toilets (shared responsibility of toilets? yeah right!) In any case, it seems that in NUS, there are quite a few gay people studying architecture.. not surprising, I already spot a few in the office XD

Anw HAPPY B'DAY GEN! muahaha you owe me cake! XD
Ok I'm seriously not that cruel..

12:10 AM

_____une fille, une etudiante et une amie

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Lol so funny, the second I release the discussion room during library duty you see this sudden MASS EXODUS into the room hahaha
Everyone quickly dashing in, I think they probably couldn't wait for it to be finally be opened after so long ^^

This week is terrible!! 3 quizzes in 2 days! And it's just gonna get worse.. >.<
I think the only thing keeping me in chem honours is my love for chem.. ugh..


In any case.. I think some people are just trying their luck ^.- too bad it's gonna have to be another 161 days XD


I wanna watch Dark Knight and Hellboy!!

7:53 PM

_____une fille, une etudiante et une amie

Friday, July 18, 2008

Today I managed to print out the research for the development projects I was doing yesterday. I continued to try and figure out how to use the AUTOCAD software that they use to draw out the schematics and floor plans for their designs.

It's actually really tough to try and figure out how to use it because it's a command based programme and unlike Photoshop, it requires that you remember all the commands to draw effectively. In order to practice, I was assigned to draw out my designs for the floor plans of one of the 4 houses in the project. In the beginning I was so inept that I spent half and hour trying to find a way to precisely attach the bathroom sink to the wall! ^^
It was very frustrating not knowing at all what I'm doing but the architect made me borrow the "textbook" which included recommended dimensions for just about anything for them to follow when they are planning. I must say that it does come in pretty useful for someone who has no experience in this field. By the end of the day, I managed to finish the ground floor toilet, the laundry room and the kitchen. It gets pretty fun once I more or less got the hang of it though =D

So far, I find that in the office their is little to no interaction between any of the co-workers except during lunch break. Of course this is to be expected since this is typical of an office job, but I can't help but wonder.. is this what I want to do day in and day out for a good part of my life?
One of the architects told me that many of them become disillusioned with the dreams they started work with because eventually they discover that in the end, they come to work at 8 leave at 6 and in the whole day, what did they do? Perhaps only made some changes in the design of some project. In the end, the dreams of greatness and creating designs that influence change dissipate because, even the greats like I.M Peh don't actually do their own designs, they have an idea and a team under them executes the entire project for him but eventually, only his name is associated with the project.

If even architects themselves are saying this... that's scary..

8:14 PM

_____une fille, une etudiante et une amie

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Today was the first day of the internship at the architecture firm..

Work starts at an ungodly working hour of 8:15am. Even though I arrived on time, I ended up waiting some time for someone to come around and get me started.. After about an hour of sorting out the tour of the 3 levels of office, introduction and creation of staff account, I was introduced to the team I will be working with and the architect I'm attached to. Apparently I was in the team headed by the same Director that wanted to meet me.. and in my design department there are 2 other interns, both having just finished undergrad in architecture and one moving on to masters while the other decide ding to pursue a job in the firm. I got a funny response from one of the interns after being introduced. After she heard I was in JC 2 she gave me this surprised look and asked me "shouldn't you be at home studying??" I guess she didn't realise we don't need to take the A's =P

After that, the architect tried unsuccessfully to give me a crash course on some of their software although it wasn't of much help since she was busy pressing buttons without actually showing me what to press ^^ After that I was assigned to one of the development projects and had to go through books in the firm library to find material to create a proposal for the exterior textures of the 4 houses that the firm will be designing.. The brief requires us to produce something unique and out of the ordinary and the firm's proposed outline of the houses looks like something dropped out the sky and *splat!* that's your house...

Basically they proposed really funky shapes for all 4 houses and want simple textures for the exterior but with a ground floor shaped roughly like a thunder bolt and the second floor looking like another funky splat which overlaps only over the thinnest point of the thunderbolt.. where on earth will you put your connecting stairwell?? Plus the ceiling and the floor of the ground floor converge like the tip of a triangle and how on earth is anyone going to use that space?
Sue me or something but I've always been a fan of simple shapes with funky designs as opposed to the other way round because funky shapes just make interior decoration all the more difficult..

In any case, today turned out to be my architect's birthday and all of us trooped down to Soup Restaurant for a company lunch.. (I work in Orchard btw XD) The lunch was followed by a multitude of gifts, a bouquet of flowers and a large tiramisu cake all from a few guys (apparently my architect is one popular gal =D)






I tell you, the office was FREEZING and we all didn't have to worry about any of her gift chocolates melting because they pretty much solidified by being left on the table ^^
The bad part about an office job is that unlike school where no one cares if you doze off, here you CAN'T! Staring at a fuzzy blinking computer screen for about half the day works wonders in the name of hypnosis ^^
Although humour aside, I never really did like office jobs.. I think it wasn't as bad last time because I only did it for about 3-4 hours but this time its almost 9 hours!! I guess this is the "boring part" everyone warned me about.. Hopefully it gets a little more active..

In other news.. my AP results were EXACTLY as I predicted.. I got 5 for everything including my Art portfolio! *glee!* and 4 for Art History.

I had that sneaky suspicious feeling that my Art History score would mess up my perfect 5s because LUCKILY for me, they decided to deviate completely from the trend of previous questions and bring up all the random and insignificant works which obviously nobody studies unless 1. You've actually visited the place and seen the work or 2. Art History is the only exam you're taking..
I tell you that got the everyone in the American School (and me) damn pissed by the end of the paper..
Ok maybe studying for it on my own was a big factor but I mean I was so prepared I even planned essays for every single type of question but really nothing prepared me for the complete change of direction.. I guess it couldn't be helped but it does seem so very incomplete..

Well I'm at least glad that my Art portfolio got a perfect 5!! *does a big dance of joy!*
I think it was well earned considering how much money (and I mean alot of money) went into converting the digital images to slides and the amount of stress I had to go through the few weeks before submission cus some teacher decided that it wasn't their job to help me.. Even in Mr Allan's opinion it's the most difficult AP and I still got a 5! Whee!!

So Kenwei you owe me lunch, and Gen you owe me cake! XD

10:09 PM

_____une fille, une etudiante et une amie

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Sometimes the sweetest thing you hear in a whole day is a hello... <3

Suddenly I really don't feel like graduating... I just don't feel like I've been in highschool long enough..

I think I'm just being paranoid but it's like the end of a whole period in my life is nearing and I'm just not done with it yet..


In any case, wish me luck.. Internship starts tmr and I get my AP results tonight >.<

4:57 PM

_____une fille, une etudiante et une amie

Monday, July 14, 2008

It's sad that slowly, we're getting so little time to spend with everyone in school.. Only 2-3 days of school and so crammed that we barely have time for anything else..
Sometimes I wonder if this is not the school's way of slowly weaning everyone off each other so that seperation after graduation won't be such a shock..

In any case it feels odd.. that everyone is celebrating their 18th.. it's like it feels all the hype is misplaced because I'm going to be 19 already.. maybe I should have a fake 18th or something ^^

Anyway I discovered the school bookshop sells dark choc M&Ms!! *does a little dance of joy*



Be careful what you wish for
'Cause you just might get it
You just might get it
You just might get it

8:15 PM

_____une fille, une etudiante et une amie

Sunday, July 13, 2008

ok I'm going to admit it..

I MISS TKD!!

T.T

I'm gonna do smth about that...

6:17 PM

_____une fille, une etudiante et une amie

Friday, July 11, 2008

It's terrible when you don't find rest, even in sleep..
Even in your dreams you end up worrying about work and deadlines .. sigh

MOE Excel Fest was fun, albeit rather stressful trying to memorize pages of script in 2 days >.<


While rehearsing, we had nothing better to do then to rearrange the bottles into weird shapes ^^




E=mc^2!!


Application for my internship has been bumpy so far.. At first, my teacher managed to get an opening at for me to submit my resume but then I managed to apply to another firm after that. So I was kinda stuck since although it's normal to apply for more then one at the same time in the working world, in this case I was obligated to accept the first firm because she went out of her way to get me the opening and I was debating over who to accept if both firms accept my application.

In any case, the first firm is a small one started by a husband and wife team while the second firm is a bigger firm that's basically had a hand in just about every landmark you'd recognize in S'pore. My perception of the situation was that in a smaller firm, the setting would be more relaxed and that I might get a more intimate view into the whole working process of the firm whereas in the larger firm, things might be more cut and dry and I might get a more distant experience then I would get in the first firm. So with the day of the interview coming up for the first firm, I was pursuing an answer from the second firm so as to be able to make a decision about either firm without keeping anyone waiting. Eventually after making phone calls and alot of correspondence, they offered me the position at 500 a month.

So I went for the interview with the first firm and I must say it was quite different from what I expected. The office was really in an ulu place, and a call to the front desk only caused more confusion since the girl had absolutely NO idea what she was telling me. Eventually I managed to get to the office and then I was made to fill out a quirky application firm that required me to draw ^^ So after that was done, I was told that the wife/owner would be down shortly to see me, and by shortly it meant taking close to half an hour to come down. o.0

As if that wasn't enough, during the interview, she couldn't talk for more then 5 minutes without taking one call after another! Actually I find that pretty rude considering that, I am a person after all and the least one could do is to tell the caller to call back and talk to them later.

It didn't take me long to realise that she actually hadn't even read my email before this and had only skimmed through it 5 minutes before, and as such I had to repeat most of what I put on the email to her. Apparently, only having half the week for an internship poses a problem as there would be a lack of continuity to whatever work I was assigned to (as it could very well be finished by the time I came back the next week). In all she felt unsure as to what she could let me me do and feared that I would eventually gain the wrong impression about the whole career from having been caught in the more boring parts of the job.

By the end of the interview it became apparent that my whole perception of the small firm idea was completely off as having a small staff meant that they were unwilling to spare the time to train me and all the work that is usually split up into departments would be done by 1 or a few people handling a project and hence there would be little opportunity for me to help out in any of the processes. It seemed that I was caught in between the 2 types of interns.
1. They type that are sent by the school and eventually do odd jobs around the office
2. Undergrads that are already trained and are geared up and ready to go
Also not being able to work every day posed a problem when it came to payment as usually interns work the entire work week.
All in all, she made it sound SO difficult for them to take me in although she was still always "open" to taking me in.. I think after a while I kinda got the hint.

That kind of left me thinking.. Since it seemed that NOBODY bothers to read my email and whatever little they know of me was through what was said over the phone, I suspected that the second firm was offering me to position not being fully aware of my conditions. So I called them this morning to reaffirm that they knew I would only be able to work half the week which shocked the HR manager who I'd corresponded with. After some scrambling, eventually the Director was asking to see me and I went down to the second firm within the hour.

In contrast to the first firm, they were quite prepared to take me in although the Director had to emphasize the fact that working only half the week meant that there would not be any continuity to the work I did with them. By now this was already something I'd heard before and I explained as I did to the first firm, that this internship was for me to learn and glean as much as I could from the experience.
To my surprise he'd actually READ my email. Unlike the first firm, they actually wanted me to observe and learn and eventually help out where I could.
I left the director's office to finally meet the HR manager who spent the entire time giving me this curious searching look which like either I didn't look like Deborah Wong or that I didn't sound like Deborah Wong ^^ We had a long chat about school, my aspirations and details concerning the internship before I left.

In any case, I took up the offer with the second firm and after a thorough explanation to my teacher to make sure no one felt shortchanged, even she agreed that the second firm might be the better choice..

So at least every thing's settled for the moment. Now let's see how this thing works out over the next few months..

4:02 PM

_____une fille, une etudiante et une amie

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Lol the post on Adelaide took so long cus blogger was being difficult and not allowing me to upload my pics..

In any case, being back just made me hate S'pore weather more.. humid, hot and made my skin clammy.. >.< Coming back to school was fun but it felt weird having to wear uniform again to come to school.. Needless to say, I had a whole load to catch up on even though I got the notes from the teachers in advance..

I'm actually quite lucky in a sense, because those with IRs don't get to take internships and get struck of the list immediately, whereas I get it in a roundabout way through the art internship module so I still get the best of both worlds ^^
I've applied to an architecture firm for an internship and boy I've had to draft a cover letter as well as a resume (now I get why the school was so adament about us doing it, it's easier for us to send it when it's already been done =P ) and even send them a sample of my work from my portfolio..

Today was quite hectic as I had to finalize my application as well as do a make up chem lesson and rehearsal for the MOE Excel Fest.. oh bother.. why do I feel like this sem is so busy even though it looks so free?


I NEED MY GRAPHING CALCULATOR.. I think someone pinched it from my hostel room..


Look baby
Im a heartbreaker

1:38 AM

_____une fille, une etudiante et une amie

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

AISF 2008 Trip

Monday 23rd June 12:00pm

Ok ignore the previous rant and let me start from the beginning ^^




My host family consists of Lora the mother and Georgina and Anastasia the daughters and George the dad who was staying with a sick friend for the week... We're being hosted together with two other Thai girls who are also here for the conference..They really are quite cute ^^

We basically live in a district next to the beach, so it's colder here due to the sea breeze..

Most shops close at 5/6pm which is like totally wrong! haha that's so early, they close before our school program ends! The house has a little deli near it where we usually go to buy snacks..

Dinner on the first day was quite yummy.. After dinner was spent mostly socializing with the family.. One of the Thai girls played a little of the piano and Eugenie attempted to play a Delta Goodrem song..



I think the first half of the day was quite miserable because we didn't really get much sleep the night before and we were worn out by the trip.. toward the end of the day we all got a bit more rested and had a good game of cards with the girls in the evening..

Today the program started..
We had to take the bus to the school by ourselves.. I really couldn't believe it when we were told but yeah.. we basically fend for ourselves the entire trip...


The day was filled with talks and keynote speeches on research in Australia in the bio-related field..

One of the talks was basically like one of our bio lectures back in school so it was like deja vu for most of us.. haha


The school itself is really small.. The "hall" in which the talks were conducted made up most of the first floor and the rest of the school was just a second floor above of roughly the same size.. it seemed like the university just donated an old faculty for the school to renovate and use or something..
Their classroom all have and open concept, I actually thought they were just lounges at first but that's basically what their classrooms are..



The labs are a little better but there was only one lab!.. I guess they don't seem to be concentrating on much experimentation..



The Sciences, Maths and Languages are combined into what they term the "Central Studies" and the peripheral subjects are all linked by a central question that tie into the central studies.. The teacher was spewing out really complicated module titles but things like "Variety of Life" turns out to be a toned down version of BioD, and their Year 11 Maths is our Year 3 Maths.. ^^" Not really what I expected of the Math and Science school of Adelaide I much admit.. I wonder what the public schools are like then.. o.0
The students all have something funky on them one way or another.. be it hair.. or an odd piercing here and there ^^



Whats more interesting is their concept of "lunch" which basically consist of junk food, fried food and more junk food.. The section with stew and rice was mostly untouched..


I never really thought that Jamie Oliver really had much reason to want to change the concept of school lunches till now..
Their canteen is basically outside the school building, so if you buy hot dog to eat... by the time you walk back into the building, you're munching on a cold dog ^^

We had the workshop presentations first, where one of our teams presented.. the project were all rather representative of the countries actually ^^
Like Singapore's was mostly theoretical and dealt with numbers, the Japanese project dealt with technology and the Thai project dealt with HIV..


Next came the poster presentation. It all went pretty smoothly and quite a few people were actually genuinely interested in the project, which is good! I really had no idea I could come up with so many variations of the same presentation of our project each time we explained it to someone hahaha



We wore the school skirt in the morning but having to walk to and from the canteen outside was pure murder so eventually we were given permission to wear pants for the remainder of the day..
We had the cultural sharing session where Eugenie and I did a presentation on Singapore..

After that we hung around and took some more shots..



This is my new darling! That's one sexy bag of bones XD



Tuesday 24th June 9:30pm

Shot in the morning at the bus stop..


Today was spent doing lab experiments..
The first was steam distillation to obtain Eucalyptus oil.. The labs have such primitive apparatus! Kinda like when I was practicing for O levels at IOS.. and the procedures are so simple.. also no one sterilizes anything!



In any case, the rubber tubing kept splitting and releasing all the steam so we basically ended up with Eucalyptus tea instead of oil.. haha


I think if all our labs are conducted in this manner, I'd just die.. The terminology they use is very simplified and the syllabus is really very basic..
In the next lab we went on to make sparklers..


The teacher spent 15 minutes explaining how to use a bunsen burner and why we should wear safety goggles (and aprons..)


A few explosives demonstrations later, we went on to a module that dealt with fitness and the calculation of our BMI and V02max..



At the end of the day we had this sport program where we split up into groups to learn a few games.. I learnt how to play Australian football and I was shocked at how some students could wear singlets and bermudas in 7 degree weather to play!!






After that it all ended pretty late so we took a few more shots and headed back to our home stay family..


Yes random shot of me ^^

Unfortunately, this being the first time we were taking the bus BACK to the house (the first day we got picked up) we couldn't find the bus stop that had the bus going back because the signboard on the bus stop didn't list it!! >.< We spent almost an hour wandering around in worry while trying to get directions from locals equally clueless.. -.-"" In the end Lora came to fetch us again and we found out from our roommates that the 681 isn't listed even though it stops at the stop! Like we're supposed to know?? Really retarded that was.. >.<

In any case, these Australians seem to have a knack for stating the obvious.. o.0



Wednesday 25th June 12:12am
Today was centred around genetics and gene ethics.. Basically group discussion around the different scenarios that incorporate gene ethics. The paper we were supposed to do felt like a refresher in AP Bio ^^ Didn't manage to take any pics that day because my cam ran out of battery..
Pretty uneventful day except that we all headed down to Westfield after school to do a spot of shopping. Apparently, our flight leaves in the morning of the last day so we don't get to go on the cultural tour or do any shopping.. ugh! What is the school thinking not even letting us stay till the last day!?! In any case, today ZM, Eugenie and I spent about Aus$60 in total on chocolates! Don't ask hahaha we even managed to chalk up enough points on a rewards card to claim more chocolates! XD
Today was extraordinarily cold because it was so darn blustery >.< I think we're all more or less getting used to the weather.. too bad we'll have to get used to Singapore weather again just as we get used to it here..

Thursday 26th June 11:26pm
Today we woke up early to explore the pieces of land near the neighbourhood.. There was one field with sheep but they ran off every time we tried to approach, so sad! =(

Sheep! from afar >.<

So we ended up trekking back to the bus stop and took pictures of the flora and fauna around..



I'm not sure which one is lavender.. but I'm pretty sure its the one below..




Random pic of me in JX's overcoat ^^

For the day, the activities were conducted in the university itself which was just across the road..
The walk to the faculty was mostly beautiful forested area with hundreds and hundreds of PINE CONES! haha we all went crazy collecting them along the way..


This one's sitting in my room at home XD





At the university, we had forensic activities where we had to try and solve the "murder" of one of the professors from the evidence collected from the "crime scene".







On the walk back, we took the long way back to take more pics and CONES =P



After that was the cultural sharing and the semi official closing...
Japan's presentation-


Cert presentation


We finally get to light up the sparklers we made ^^


And lots more group pics! <3




That's ZM's "buddy" ^^

And the Principal! Take a good look at his tie XD

In any case, the semi official ceremony was for use because we were the ONLY ones flying back early >.< it's seriously retarded that we're not even allowed to stay the final day when all the tours and sightseeing happens.. We barely had time for anything else because the days were all so full of activities and night falls pretty fast in the winter..
Well at least Westfield closed late at 9pm on Thursdays which is pretty much as late as it gets in winter..
Apparently some major end of season sale is going on and there were huge markdowns everywhere.. too bad I couldn't really find anything that I really wanted to get.
We had dinner at Spargo's where we ate kangaroo meat!



I must say that it tastes excellent! Like beef only lighter and a little more tangy =P After that we all shared the Tappas platter that was equally yummy because it had all sorts of cheese and dips with vinegar and oil for the bread!

All in all after we split it all up, we had a really good dinner at a good dinner at a pretty decent price! ^^
Here, table water comes in bottle that has a really funky way of opening the top ^^



Unfortunately, by 9 the last bus had already gone which we didn't realise.. So after much waiting and we eventually had to take a cab..
It's funny how at night when everything is dark and you're in a foreign cold country, suddenly every cab driver looks like a suspicious character ^^
In any case travelling by public transport at night is not at all funny.. All your senses are on alert the entire time and you have to be very careful where you walk. Somehow Singapore seems so safe at night as compared to Adelaide.. the cab fare eventually came up to Aus$20, which was really quite a shocker!

Friday 27th June 12:20am
Our flight just took off about an hour ago.. We have a stopover in Perth before we switch flight and head up to Singapore.

This morning we did more picture taking before we headed off to the airport.






I'm really going to miss the weather but I'm definitely not going to miss the house.. they wear shoes into the house and even into the toilet! Imagine how dirty the floor in the toilet gets >.< I think the worst part of each day was waking up because once you flip open the blanket, you can feel all your warmth just getting sucked out of you =S

During this trip I think I've drawn a few conclusions
-Highschool is really slack but then they chiong everything in University
-Even though their curriculum is not as advanced as ours, they seem to possess a sense of creativity and inquisitiveness which we lack.. I guess we're either too complacent or too afraid to question anything..
-When comics make fun of teenagers and their utterly messy rooms, I never really believed that it was that bad but apparently its possible! Their room is strewn with books and clothes and shoes all over the floor that there isn't an inch of floor space to be seen! The door can't even open fully because of the junk obstructing the doorway o.0
-We got to eat kangaroo but we never got to see them hahaha..
-ZM is a very good person to go shopping with.. talks you out of buying everything!! really good for saving money haha ^^

Well I really did enjoy this trip, mostly because the nice company throughout and the COLD and the fact that I got to present a project overseas that most people consider finished but we're only just starting ^^

AISF 2008 ROCKS!!

10:15 PM

_____une fille, une etudiante et une amie

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