I was initially thinking of returning slightly earlier so that I have more time to handle NUS administratium, but not unexpectedly, the flights from Australia to Singapore in the week between Christmas and New Year are fully booked. Which means I will only be returning early January. Not a big deal, actually. Which also means that I need to extend my visa.
That turns out to be quite more trouble than I predicted. Firstly, I cannot do an online application simply because I am in Australia. Erm... okay. So I had to call the immigration department here, resulting in me put on waiting for 30 minutes just so I can talk to the immigration officer for 30 seconds. And he told me I need to submit a paper application.
So that means I need to head down to the immigration department office, but given the perverse state of administratium, I hope that will not consume my entire morning.
And that is only one source of administratium I'm facing at the current moment.
29 November 2007
25 November 2007
23 November 2007
I'm Back!
... from a semi-road trip. Sorry for the abrupt disappearance: I was rather busy before leaving and had no time to write a post announcing my departure. In fact, Yao and I had to write our lab report along the way: driving in the day, writing at night.
Anyway, back to the semi-road trip. It wasn't all driving, hence the "semi"; we drove about half the journey and hopped from spot to spot on the plane. I went along with Yao and her parents and some of their friends, and together we drove on the Great Ocean Road, skirting along coast of Victoria.
We first started off in Canberra and headed towards Melbourne (and got ourselves lost for a while even before we got out of ACT). We stopped at Merimbula for the night at a motor inn, then on to Eden the next day, before reaching Melbourne late at night. Merimbula was just a stopover for the night, but it does boost some nice scenic view of the sea.
At Eden, we went whale watching.
The town of Eden:
Whales!:
After that it was a long drive to Melbourne. Melbourne roads are pretty crazy. Along some roads there are centre lanes which are separated from the other lanes, so you can't turn left out of it. Also, the road signs were pretty scarce, making night driving a real challenge. I made quite a number of wrong turns along the way. Worst of all, due to its tram tracks, some junctions have "right turn on left lane". That's a real nightmare!
Fortunately, I arrived at YHA safely that night. The next day was spent on dealing with the lab report. Luckily I've explored Melbourne city before, so that wasn't much of a loss. And the lab report's complete! One worry off our heads!
On the next day we headed off to Philip Island (on a coach tour though). Quite a lot of things to see there, and above all, the Little Penguins. Unfortunately, no photo taking was allowed when the penguins made their way onshore.
The next morning, we began our journey onto the Great Ocean Road. The first stop was Lorne, where we had our lunch.
We spotted a seal coming onto a rock outcrop near the shore to dry itself! (It looks like blood, but the red thing behind it was actually seaweed)
The next major stop, for dinner and over the night, was at Apollo Bay. Along the way we paused at some locations worth visiting, like some of their many nature reserve parks and, of course, scenic lookout along the way.
Waterfall at Otway National Park:
The town of Apollo Bay:
We stayed at a bed and breakfast guest house, and it was certainly a very cozy experience. It was a bungalow which the upper floor was rented out, and the owners - an elderly couple - stayed on the first floor.
We went on the next morning towards Port Campbell, somewhere further along the road we were going. In between we stopped by a lighthouse (forgot what it was called), and some rainforest park and a treetop walk. And as we drove along we spotted a wild koala!
Then, before sunset, we reached The Twelve Apostles! It was rather cloudy and windy, which was great, because it gives a view you don't see on postcards.
Close by, we visited the Loch Ard Gorge, where the choppy sea made spectacular wave crashes onto the cliff.
We stayed at Port Campbell, a very small town with less than ten streets. It was so small that the supermarket (there's only a small one) closes at five.
The next day we set off to look at London Bridge, a natural rock formation that collapsed to London Arch in 1990.
After that it was time to head back, though we didn't go back by the same way. We went up north, inland, to Camperdown, then to the old town of Ballarat where they used to mine gold, then back to Melbourne at the evening.
Early next morning, we caught (or rather, almost missed) a plane to Gold Coast. It was very early, and the traffic at the airport was horrendous. And then we have to return the rented cars. It was about 45 minutes when we checked in, and entered the plane about 15 minutes before departure. A close shave...
Anyway, there wasn't much for me to do in Gold Coast, since I've pretty much finished most of it the last time I came. So a few lazy days there before I flew to Sydney, and here I am, taking my break before my next road trip in a few weeks' time.
Oh, finally, good luck for all those back in NUS and NTU who are having your exams!
Anyway, back to the semi-road trip. It wasn't all driving, hence the "semi"; we drove about half the journey and hopped from spot to spot on the plane. I went along with Yao and her parents and some of their friends, and together we drove on the Great Ocean Road, skirting along coast of Victoria.
We first started off in Canberra and headed towards Melbourne (and got ourselves lost for a while even before we got out of ACT). We stopped at Merimbula for the night at a motor inn, then on to Eden the next day, before reaching Melbourne late at night. Merimbula was just a stopover for the night, but it does boost some nice scenic view of the sea.
At Eden, we went whale watching.
The town of Eden:
Whales!:
After that it was a long drive to Melbourne. Melbourne roads are pretty crazy. Along some roads there are centre lanes which are separated from the other lanes, so you can't turn left out of it. Also, the road signs were pretty scarce, making night driving a real challenge. I made quite a number of wrong turns along the way. Worst of all, due to its tram tracks, some junctions have "right turn on left lane". That's a real nightmare!
Fortunately, I arrived at YHA safely that night. The next day was spent on dealing with the lab report. Luckily I've explored Melbourne city before, so that wasn't much of a loss. And the lab report's complete! One worry off our heads!
On the next day we headed off to Philip Island (on a coach tour though). Quite a lot of things to see there, and above all, the Little Penguins. Unfortunately, no photo taking was allowed when the penguins made their way onshore.
The next morning, we began our journey onto the Great Ocean Road. The first stop was Lorne, where we had our lunch.
We spotted a seal coming onto a rock outcrop near the shore to dry itself! (It looks like blood, but the red thing behind it was actually seaweed)
The next major stop, for dinner and over the night, was at Apollo Bay. Along the way we paused at some locations worth visiting, like some of their many nature reserve parks and, of course, scenic lookout along the way.
Waterfall at Otway National Park:
The town of Apollo Bay:
We stayed at a bed and breakfast guest house, and it was certainly a very cozy experience. It was a bungalow which the upper floor was rented out, and the owners - an elderly couple - stayed on the first floor.
We went on the next morning towards Port Campbell, somewhere further along the road we were going. In between we stopped by a lighthouse (forgot what it was called), and some rainforest park and a treetop walk. And as we drove along we spotted a wild koala!
Then, before sunset, we reached The Twelve Apostles! It was rather cloudy and windy, which was great, because it gives a view you don't see on postcards.
Close by, we visited the Loch Ard Gorge, where the choppy sea made spectacular wave crashes onto the cliff.
We stayed at Port Campbell, a very small town with less than ten streets. It was so small that the supermarket (there's only a small one) closes at five.
The next day we set off to look at London Bridge, a natural rock formation that collapsed to London Arch in 1990.
After that it was time to head back, though we didn't go back by the same way. We went up north, inland, to Camperdown, then to the old town of Ballarat where they used to mine gold, then back to Melbourne at the evening.
Early next morning, we caught (or rather, almost missed) a plane to Gold Coast. It was very early, and the traffic at the airport was horrendous. And then we have to return the rented cars. It was about 45 minutes when we checked in, and entered the plane about 15 minutes before departure. A close shave...
Anyway, there wasn't much for me to do in Gold Coast, since I've pretty much finished most of it the last time I came. So a few lazy days there before I flew to Sydney, and here I am, taking my break before my next road trip in a few weeks' time.
Oh, finally, good luck for all those back in NUS and NTU who are having your exams!
09 November 2007
Oh My God! It Came from a Black Hole!
According to this Physics World article, astronomers have finally found the source of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECR), particles from outer space that have stunningly high energies. It turns out that these particles, also known as Oh-My-God particle, came from black holes.
The article goes,
Apparently it was done by looking at directions from which these particles came from, and the researchers found that all of them arrived from known AGNs. However, the processes which these particles turn from normal particles to, erm, Oh-My-Gods, are still unknown. It also doesn't explain why these particles have energies that exceed the limits predicted by theory.
But at least, astronomers now know where to look.
The article goes,
a team of researchers has used the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory in Argentina to find the first compelling evidence that UHECRs do indeed come from nearby AGNs [active galactic nuclei]
Apparently it was done by looking at directions from which these particles came from, and the researchers found that all of them arrived from known AGNs. However, the processes which these particles turn from normal particles to, erm, Oh-My-Gods, are still unknown. It also doesn't explain why these particles have energies that exceed the limits predicted by theory.
But at least, astronomers now know where to look.
07 November 2007
Slide Rule in the Exams
The following image is a snapshot of a screen from the examination timetable website at ANU. It is not a course I'm taking, but what's interesting is the permitted materials:
Slide rule? Erm... who uses slide rules nowadays? For that matter, who knows how to use a slide rule nowadays?
Slide rule? Erm... who uses slide rules nowadays? For that matter, who knows how to use a slide rule nowadays?
06 November 2007
Going Mad in Madness and Civilization
I've been trying to finish writing my philosophy essay on Michel Foucault and his analysis of madness, civilisation, power and surveillance in society, but I'm somehow stuck at individual pieces that seem impossible to thread together. The more I attempt at bridging them, the more ludicrous my essay sounds. To be honest, I think the lecturer is gonna get a rude shock when he reads my contorted arguments.
But I cannot afford to delay anymore. The deadline was supposed to be yesterday, but I couldn't complete it before then, as I had an exam yesterday morning and had to spent the weekend revising for it. I tried to intermittently write stuff up, but that wasn't really productive and I'm left with what I have right now. I would've crapped something up by today so I could submit it, but I just found out this afternoon that today is a public holiday, so no point rushing it today when I can only give it in tomorrow.
Speaking of which, there is a penalty for late submissions, but they're only 1% a day, which is pretty mild when put into perspective: if I can take one more day to come up with a better essay, I think it's all worth it. So I hope the 2% penalty I'm incurring can be exchanged for a much better essay. Hopefully.
Oh, and my essay is somewhat like this: rambling on and on like a vacuum cleaner.
But I cannot afford to delay anymore. The deadline was supposed to be yesterday, but I couldn't complete it before then, as I had an exam yesterday morning and had to spent the weekend revising for it. I tried to intermittently write stuff up, but that wasn't really productive and I'm left with what I have right now. I would've crapped something up by today so I could submit it, but I just found out this afternoon that today is a public holiday, so no point rushing it today when I can only give it in tomorrow.
Speaking of which, there is a penalty for late submissions, but they're only 1% a day, which is pretty mild when put into perspective: if I can take one more day to come up with a better essay, I think it's all worth it. So I hope the 2% penalty I'm incurring can be exchanged for a much better essay. Hopefully.
Oh, and my essay is somewhat like this: rambling on and on like a vacuum cleaner.
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