Colonial Tramcar Restaurant - Wonderful Experience with new - found Melbournians!

Saturday evening, 1 September was one of the well-spent Saturday's evenings.
It was a beautiful 1st day of spring... guess the max temperature during the day was 17 deg cel. After my regular gym routine and running some errands, I set off to this much anticipated event, which I signed up about 2 months ago! Was looking forward to meeting the organizer as she was really very "organized" than some of the others I joined.
As usual, I enjoyed the weekend tram ride to the city (always nice to sit and not worry about driving and parking) and walked leisurely (along southbank) to the meeting point (Station 125 at corner of Claredon St). The tram station is quite impressive, it is a shelter specially made for this ride and there I met up with the rest of the group. We had a group of 12, occupying 3 tables of 4.
I was impressed when we board the tram, we were in this very nice colonial setting dining restaurant... and I sat with Gail, Rosie, and John. The tram had 2 cabins, separated by a small "kitchen" area, and each cabin served by 2 waiters with about 4x4 & 4x2 passengers on board. Without any delay, we started off the tram ride (at 8.30pm) and it was supposed to last 3 hours, travelling around Melbourne! Was pretty curious how we will be occupying this 3 hours ride. We we served Sparkling wine to start off with a plate of crackers and 2 antipasto: cream, liver and cognac pate and roasted red capsicum dip. All of us were chatting comfortably enjoying that appetiser, and curious about the route the tram will be taking...kindda tracking our location along the way, spotting the nice restaurants and I was fortunate to be with some Melbournians who knows and introduced me to some of the nice places as we passed them. The waiter was going around taking orders of our preference for the evening from a selection of entrees and main courses.
The entree was a choice of grilled kangaroo loin or smoked salmon and avocado mousse. I had the smoked salmon (serve with a glass of white wine) and thoroughly enjoyed it, except that I didn't quite appreciate too much of the avocado mousse. A bit too creamy and too sinful!
Chatting, enjoying the ride, looking out the windows and etc... in no time, they were serving our main course, and we were about 1 hour from the time we set off. Between char grilled chicken breast and prime beef fillet, I obviously chose the former for the same reason. Sound normal, but the taste was fabulous! I commented at some stage that it was pretty amazing how good the food can be despite the fact that it is a "tourists" type of restaurant. Usually the food is not the main focus for such attractions, but somehow, this is different. The food can be a very good draw, as they were prepared by a chef on board and served fresh and hot! As an indication, I cleaned up that dish... everyone of us did. Yummy!
We were at Albert Park when the tram stopped for a little breather for some people we needs them. I took this chance to take a photo of some of us in the group.
Then, came the serving of a selection of Australian cheese with dried muscatel grapes and crackers... we were into out last hour and obviously heading the opposite direction towards the South of Melbourne.
Shortly came our order of after-dinner drinks (pro isn't it?) I had the warm sticky date pudding while some had the chocolate mousse dome. Gosh, the pudding was sized right (not too much) and one of the nicest I enjoyed thus. I finished it craving for a little more! Finishing it with coffee and a glass of Tia Maria just topped the evening. Gosh, what a professional served 5 courses meal! The only flaw was the filter coffee rather than espresso or long black! But that disappointment was mitigated by some chocolates!
Before we realised, we did actually spent 3 full hours on the tram and were back at the starting by around 11.30pm! Didn't quite get enough of each other's companion, Sheena (organizer), John, Gail, Shella(?) and myself, head off to the Crown for a cuppa before heading home. We chatted and John was nice enough to give me a ride back. One of those evenings that I thoroughly enjoyed, with good food, a chance to see Melbourne and obviously with some new found "frens"/acquaintances.

Nice Places in Melbourne

Almost hate myself for bitching and bitching about this place.. thought I post something nice for a change. Tyring to look at the positive side and not dwell too much into the negatives... and hope that will help reduce my frustration (guess I don't need anymore than what I have at work).

Desserts
- Ackland Street(St Kilda) has heaps of desserts cafe (i.e enjoying a cuppa with your dessert!). Brilliant idea and they looks tempting BUT quite expensive and really didn't taste as good as they look! :-> Nonetheless, still a good place to hang out on a weekends or weeknights after a long day of work!

- Greensborough. In fact, I believe that the suburbs have some of the nicest deserts places. Cna't remember the name of this particular Cake shop which serve one of the best Rum Balls! Seriously, the best I have ever eaten.. with rich Rum flavour, soft fillings and crispy chocolate chips coated on the outside. I would go all out to buy from there!

- Chapel Street. How can I forget my home ground? Well, there are a few, 2 that caught my attention. One near Toorak Road, and the other near High Street. Obviously pricey, but believe they are nice.

- Chocolate Factory at HighPoint Shopping Center. Very tempting set up. Nice chocolate with a variety of crepes and pancakes, with different fillings and etc... wonderful indulgence!
==> None of the above are as "refine" as those found in Singapore!

Pubs and Bars
- Martinis Club at Westin Hotel. A$18.00 for a glass of martini! Expensive but quite good quality! It reminds me of a S$13.50 a glass at Mortan's Bar in Singapore! Believe I tried something called "Borie" which is a mixture of Fragelico, Kahlua, and Espresso! Very nice indeed. Thoroughly enjoyed the drink.

- The Long Room. Crowded. A place to see and to be seen. Nice deco (even the people decorate themselves). Can be a bit loud... good if you wanna some place "happening"!
==> Still looking around for some clubs/pubs with Live Jazz.

Restaurants
- Dim Sum:
Have not been too a lot but there are 3 which are nice that I have tried.
1. Red Leaf at Sunshine. Cantonese, booking essential
2. Box Hill... this Taiwanese named restaurant that serve really good dim sum with good ambiance.
3. Sharks Fin in Chinatown. A little overrated and overcrowded till the boss is no longer friendly and the service is NOT fantastic. In fact, I did tell myself not to give them anymore of my business since they don't deserve it!
- Asian Food
1. Chinta Ria, South Yarra. Good Malaysian cuisine and friendly manager
2. David's, Prahan. Fantastic ambiance and good fusion food, typical Chinese food that resemble those from Crystal Jade.
- Others
1. Laurent, Toorak. Basically a cafe that serves really nice sandwiches! And the desserts are nice too!
2. Restaurant along Graham Road, Port Melbourne. Nice Aussie food... and nice ambiance
3. Stork House, Port Melbourne.

Will constantly explore and look out for better places to hang out and eat.

Getting An Internet Broadband Connection - Sounds Easy?

You are absolutely wrong! At least NOT in this country!
I tried, I tried and I tried... 3 attempts to do so with 'Mobile 3' one of the many service provider.
- First, no identity/proof of residence, cannot
- Then no passport, cannot
- Then Credit check, can't verify my employment, lots of problems.

Excuse me? I am paying the bill (and it's not cheap), why do I have to go through all these pain? The 'normal' me would have boycotted the company and NOT give them my business (since they don't deserve it)... but when here, I am NOT normal. I can't be... cause my options are limited, at least for the price I am willing to pay! The service providers here are ALL blood suckers! They drink blood in bright daylight. It's definitely not a consumer world... cause consumers have really no say but to live with those crappy services and hack-care/stuck up (take it or leave it) attitude! #&$#!@!

Am I too pampered in Singapore for being treated as I deserve as a customer? Or am I asking for too much? U know what? I believe any customer oriented and developed countries wouldn't have been like that. Competition and consumers' right to choose wouldn't have allow those businesses to survive... that's the norm, but not here... definitely NOT.

The sad truth is, I will be going back to that provider again this week to sign up for the connection... I despise myself for doing that, but I really have no choice since I am too lazy to search for a better provider and I'm not willing to pay for any hardware cost or a LAN line. In Chinese, the term is "Jian"! Sigh!

Courage

Thought I continue the subject on "Courage" here in my own blog... As usual, very delighted to receive comments from my fren in Singapore...
Courage vs Thick Skin....
Can't really sepearte them, they go hand in hand. Just an illustration:-
- Join the various Tennis Clubs without knowing anyone. The feeling is very awkward, especially when existing members know each other real well and had their own group partners to play with. I had to be thick skin enough to just join them and hit some balls. Guess the consolation is, I wasn't playing that badly even though it is difficult for me to win the games I played. Need to learn how to read the ball and obviously to be able to volley well! Slowly...
- Pub Crawling with a group of strangers!
Yes, that was last Friday, 18 Aug... I joined this group and did the pub crawl with them. A good way to know Melbourne as well as to make new frens. Enjoyed and had a very interesting encounter! Had to be think skinned enough to introduce myself in front of a group of about 15 people, on the road!
- Flamingo Dancing with Tapas... that's what this particular restaurant, 'Kanela' had to offer to attract crowd. I went there a new fren on a Friday night, after a meet-up session. There is only one 20-mins performance a day, for $10 cover charge! Not a bad deal at all!
- Mexican food at 40% off! That was yet another makan session I joined, that allows me to meet new people and to know another suburb, Camberwell, this time round.
Just these 2 weeks, I gave myself 9 points for taking a big step forward to changing my lifestyle here. So, was I being too thick skin or courageous to take the bond step forward? The rewards are obviously knowing more people and discovering new Places in Melbourne! Besides, I get to occupy my time efficiently! So, what's wrong with being thick skin?

Getting back my Lifestye!

As previously mentioned, it has been close to 6 mths (half a year!) since I moved. Guess what? The Life activities puzzle is slowly getting pieced togehter.
Before August:
Used to have to think about where to go and how to fill my evenings and weekends. Compared to my activities filled life in Singapore, I was close to depression. Guess I was, at one stage, totally sicked.
Now?
Well, the tennis season started this month and I signed up to play for 2 Clubs...
- one private club (Oak Park), where we play in the Northern Suburbs Competition, and
- the other, Monash U Tennis Club, where I signed up to play in their "Internal Competition"
- also volunteered as back-up player for Clifton Hill, playing in the North Eastern Suburbs

Continues to have regular session with my tennis coach (just like in Singapore) to improve my strokes.
With these competitions and social tennis, I would be playing tennis at least 3 times, if not 4 times a week (if I play with my Sunday partner)! Way more than when I was back in Singapore...
Fantastic, something which I have always wanted and this is a good start. Even though the standard I play is not high, it is a good way to polish my competitive skills and build my confidence .
As an example, for this week, I will be playing tennis for at least 5 days!!!! Sun with club, Mon with colleagues, Tue Woman's Comp, and Wed and Thur substituting regular players in anther club...don't I just LOVE it!
It will only gets better with my Training with my Personal Trainer and if I join the running club, regular running session will be on my schedule as well.
How about some hiking or nature walks with a group? And some drinking sessions or outing over the weekends?
Life will continue to get better I reckon (and hope)... at least now, I am seriously saying that I have NO TIME for Golf and Aikido which I wanted to continue! Maybe after this season...

1 Aug, 2007 - Enough of this country
It has been 3 months now since my last post! How time flies, and I am supposed to be updating my friends with activities here... indeed, A LOT happened but just couldn't find the time to do this diligently. Will keep trying.

But TODAY, I had enough and thought I need to pencil this down before my emotion subsides again... just needed to share this.
I really had enough of this amazing country I am currently in... Always curious about "How can they even compete with the rest of the world?" Just take these examples and judge for yourself:-
- It takes at least 1 to 2 weeks to open a bank account and to receive the ATM card...maybe longer, depending on which bank.
- It takes at least 3 weeks to APPLY for a Visa card (that you have to pay yearly subscription), regardless of how RICH you are. And you have to go through the hassle of "Validating" your identity at the Post Office! Amazing? Wonder how that works and what is the Value Add? That probably explains why they do not have FREE Visa card.
- Bank charges a monthly "Servicing Fee" for atm transactions and etc... Cannot remember when was the last time I actually have to PAY the bank for their inefficiency!
- It takes at least 3 weeks (if you are lucky) to get connected to Broadband or any internet services. And probably another a few weeks to arrange for an appointment if you need any installation and etc?
- You have to PAY to be part of the Airline Club... unlike other airlines where access is based on mileage accumulated to qualify. So in fact, one actually pays for the food and the service from these lounges (better eat more man)
- It has been 5 months now and I haven't have all the fixes completed in my apartment (fyi... I have to call almost every other week to "chase" for these jobs to be done!). What has the world become? I have to chase you to give you business!
- You have to pay for statement or bills to be sent to you. Want it free? Get it online... else pay $2 every month for it!
- The fines here are worst than Singapore! Ridiciously HIGH... to a point of being unethical (a real revenue generating means)
- You almost have to queue for at least 10 mins to get a cup of coffee since there is only 1 person manning the store during PEAK hours!
- Almost have to talk to machine everything you call a Service Line, and the best part is... you almost always have to stay on line for at least 15 minutes before getting to talk to somebody and end up having to repeat whatever you have told the machine!!!!!
- Obesity is extremely HIGH... fries, chips, chocolate, sweets, whatever unhealthy stuffs you can think of, people like it (including myself)
- People are arrogant.. and think too highly of themselves.
- There is no such things as Interest Free Instalments - Dream on...
- Loads of alcohol being consumed... well, why not when alcohol is cheap and readily available?

Compare to other countries, you wonder how they can ever compete. I am really interested to see what happen 10 years down the road.
Well, the answers lies with the fact that they are blessed with huge land with rich natural resources and nice landscapes and etc... Self-Sufficient.
But... sigh, living in their own world, oblivious about what is happening worldwide!

I will share my experience today in my next post. A MUST read.

22 May, 2007 - Monday
My Tennis Hero - Federer Express!
On 21 May, 2007, Roger Federer beat his all-time rival Rafeal Nadal on clay for the 1st time, ending his own run of 4 tournaments without a title and ending Nadal 81 consecutive winning streak on clay.

So, how successful is Roger Federer?
What makes him such a favourite tennis players of all time?

You bet there is no one answer, it's just a combination of a lot factors plus the "X" factor he possessed, of course!
To prove just how popular he is...
After his 1st victory on clay against clay court king, Nadal, I found observed the following on his website, www.rogerfederer.com, that currently has an amazing 116,598 members from all over the world.
- Immediately about 30 minutes after his victory - close to 100 comments/congratulatory notes (about 4 pages) were posted, from all over the world.
- At about 11pm the following day - 794 comments/congratulatory notes were posted, about 40 pages and by 11.45pm - it reached 827 comments, a good 42 pages... and still counting!
Mine, of course, can be found on Page 3 (http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/rogers/news/newsdetail.cfm?uNC=43614913&uPage=3&uNewsID=556), hopefully I am not the only one from Singapore.
Every minute, someone from somewhere in this world is reading and sending him a note...he is loved and supported by millions in this world. Fans feel his pain and share his happiness...what an accomplishment. To me, he is a very different CHAMPION of all time!

I believe most his fans will be thrilled and jump with joy to see him clinch the French Open title one day. With that, he will also be a real COMPLETE player, at least in my lifetime! That will be THE DAY! Will it be in 2007? I am hoping...and he will really make my day if that happen!

12 May, 2007 - Saturday

Another surprisingly hectic yet relaxing weekend!
Went for my regular Sat morning 9.30am Spinning (RPM) class and my 8th PT session with Tommy (without much improvement!), after which I had to rush to Brunswick to finally check out one of the Aikido Dojos along Sydney Road. It's not far but... the traffic was amazing, I didn't make it to see the training but did meet Simon Sensei and the small group of students. They seems nice, especially the sensei. The funny part is...the general "atmosphere" and the feeling is so different, there is really no 'life' in the dojo as it is inside the building and thus lighting wasn't that fantastic. Got to know from sensei that they don't so slamp! Begin to question myself whether I really like Aikido or was I motivated by all the slamps and most importantly the people in Zhen Qi Shu? Guess, all these are contributing factors for me to stay for the past 2+ years. I need to at least give it a try and start training again, in a totally different environment, with a totally different group of people. Bad timing, it's gonna be really COLD this time of the year, and honestly, I hate training in that kind of temperature! No perspiration, no slamp, and I can just imagine how cold and numb my legs will, but I NEED to start somewhere, as I do not wish to forget all the techniques... June will be the time.

Some shopping at High Point Homemaker center before I rushed back getting ready for my 1st Mahjong session in Melbourne!
Funny, in Singapore, I struggled to make time for mahjong, definitely not on a weekend when I will be so tight up with activities like Aikido or jogging! Sigh, but here... I am actually trying to fill those time! Not sure if I should feel happy or sad that I actually have more time to relax.
In chinesewe term this "jian"!

1st Mahjong session in my apartment with Boon Whatt's family and Yonghao, and thanks to BW, it was literally Yonghao's first mahjong experience. We did well, had fun just feeling the tiles and hearing the sound. In the end, I was one against the rest. Most importantly, we all enjoyed and had our very 1st mahjong in Melbourne. A good start?

Ironies in Life - Part II

Guess it's about time I continue my blog...
Things have been crazy, with lots of backlogs I need to clear since I returned from Singapore. Disappointed that I wasn't able to constantly update my blog.
Back to my earlier discussion topics:-
1) Freedom vs Control - What do we really want? The freedom of staying alone or the warm of having someone watching over us. Well, not "control" literally, but rather not having that much of freedom when staying with family. Believe some have the best of both, but for me, I can't ... currently I have ALL the freedom I want, BUT would be nice to have the best of both world.

2) Space vs Warmth - It is the same logic as above. Space comes with a price in my case. The price being away from family and friends.

3) Big car vs Small car - Interesting. One would associate this with status or ego, but that is not what I wanted to share... this has to do with the company car I will be getting. Originally wanted a mid sized car just because of my built and the comfort I am in one. Also in consideration of the car park space in my apartment. After having the privilege of test driving the various cars (Rental): Yaris; Impreza; Camry; and Aurion (really cool - 6 cyclinder with twin exhaust), and polishing my parking skill, I realised I am feeling safer in a bigger sized car! Just because of the stability... and of course the POWER when accelerating. Just recently assigned a Toyota Yaris and guess what, the car was so 'shaky' and 'light' that I had to have it changed the next day! Am I spoilt? Guess so.. but may not be a bad thing in view of the relatively big 4 litres car I will be getting. Kinda funny cause I was pretty convinced initially that big cars are really not for me!

4) Experience vs Income - Well, the $$ from an overseas assignment is really not fantastic and for the opportunity cost, it sometimes makes you wonder if it is worth it. Guess so... cause I believe I can't buy experience, and you can't really quantify it... So...as long as it's not overwhelming, I believe I'll go for experience for now and learn to manage my spending a little. May not be a bad thing after all.

In life, we have to make certain decisions and sacrifices, persevere and hope for the best.

7 May, 2007 (Monday) - 19 degree

The many Ironies in Life
Freedom vs Control
Space vs Warmth
Big car vs Small car
Experience vs Income
... Can we have them all?

These are what strike me while driving to work this morning, on a fine Autumn morning... more later.

Monday 30 Apr, 2007
Nightmare

Just had to share this horrendous flight experience.
Returned flight from Sin to Perth on SQ 215 departing Sin at 1850. As usual, I left with a heavy heart, it’s tough after having a week of fun catching with friends and family, doing things/activities I used to do, leading a FULL life I used to lead, and etc… As much as I like my new home in Melbourne, the feeling is different. Nothing can replace my love for my home in Singapore, the same “old” feeling! Not quite settled in Melb as yet, still having problem stocking and locating the necessity, just not as convenient even though the apartment is “bigger” and more comfortable…
Anyway, back to my flight incident…
Was rushing as usual, arrived at the airport 55 minutes before scheduled departure, managed to have Avis collect the rental car (SGG 7254) from the Departure Hall instead of the usual Arrival Hall. That did save my life, cause I was already 5 min passed the check-in closure time. My damn luggage weighs 32.5kg, just barely made the 32kg limit. Took the opportunity to replicate my mails at the lounge and had to rush to my gate, and settled in my seat where the nightmare began (1st time since my years of travelling).

The flight was full of Aussies, nothing wrong with that… but finally experienced some real “nasty” Australian behaviour, worst than those I previously encountered during the Aussie Open. Just to list a few (not in order of occurrence, some are recurring throughout the flight…)
- Idiot in front of me (big size obviously) keep moving and shaking. (The seat is obviously too small for his butt) Had problem concentrating on the movie I was watching!
- The guy (Aussie as well) behind me… keep pulling my seat’s back rest and talking to the guy besides me! Glad I wasn’t trying to sleep… and trust me it wasn’t pleasant when u have a guy moving above you and making fun.
- Then I met this drunken bustard, who tried to be funny. Having his arm over my shoulder, sticking his bloody face close to mine, striking some idiotic conversation, and worst, requesting a photo together! The finale, during landing, he said loudly: “Would you marry me?” I tell you, I was pissed, embarrassed and obviously scared, cause I wasn’t sure what they would do to me…after alighting!
- These Aussies were talking and standing around when the captain requested all to be seated, and stopped all services due to some turbulence. Don’t they understand simple English? Worst, all the “F” words were flying around like no tomorrow!
I learnt very quickly they were all from an Oil Rig, heading home for a 3-weeks break. The kind of deal where they stay 3-weeks on rig and stay home for 3 weeks. . Sigh, which explained the behaviors of some of them, something like released from prison and deprived! Well, just to summarize the ordeal I have to go through on this flight, it was really a nightmare, should have just taken the Red-Eye flight, and I swear that that incident was a wake up call for myself of the kind of people I can encounter while on my job…I shivered at the thought.

The consolation was, I managed to watch “Music & Lyrics”… a movie that I always wanted to watch. I enjoyed the songs sang in the movie. Guess, that made it up. What a night!

Finally Settling In...

Week of 9 April
Just enjoyed my first long Easter Weekend in Melbourne and surprisingly, it went passed real well without any degree of "boredom"!
My Sea Shipment finally got delivered on 10 April, 2007. About 45 days after they were loaded to the container from my home in Singapore! The days after that were just horrible... having only 5 hours of sleep for the next 3 days... rushing to unpack (59 boxes) before my brother's arrival. Gosh, I believe I had never been so efficient in my unpacking! Setting up the Sound Systems, Kitchen, Bedrooms and etc... was stuck in the apartment for more than 36 hours until I head out for my gym session. It was a much welcome break despite my initial reluctance.
Another 9 more hours of unpacking before finally setting out to fetch my bro and sis-in-law, arriving on the the early morning flight.
It was really nice finally seeing members of my family after more than a month in Melbourne , too much to talk, too much to do... in a place I can finally call HOME in Melbourne, filled with all the furnitures I chose and all my junks from Singapore.

Ideal Type of Sundays...

8 April, Easter Sunday
Has been an interesting and real busy week, both at work and at home! Just spent a wonderful Easter Sunday with Boon Whatt's family and Yonghao. We had dim sum in Chinatown and went for a Free Comedy show over at Federation Square. The weather was surprisingly nice for Autumn, it was actually HOT! Invited them over to my place after the show and ordered Pizza for dinner. It was an enjoyable day and guess the greatest gain is the fact that I learnt to take the tram for first time since I moved. The truth is... that will save me the trouble of driving to town! So from this day, I can call myself a Mebournian? Ha...

First Sailing Experience

3 April, Tuesday
Blue sky, sunshine, sail boat, great team, beer and scenery - All elements of a great Sailing Experience. A sailing challenge organised for our customers in conjunction with our Product Launch. Close to 10 boats competing, with about 14members in each team. Each member undertook a role, Navigator (Junior), Navigator (Senior), Skipper, Radio, Lookout and etc... to sail the boat to a few destination assigned. Out Of The Blue II - The name of the 35ft sail boat we were assigned, owned by a couple Chris & Lynn.

Undertook the interesting role of being Navigator and learned to navigate a boat using Latitude and Longitude... realised just how important that role can be in guiding the skipper in the right direction. Team work, that's what it is. An indeed fun and effective team building. What an experience, it is something I have always wanted to try... and I was given the opportunity in the Sunshine city of Brisbane!

Have you ever doubt yourself?

2 April, Monday - (Part II) Sanctuary Cove, Brisbane
Attended our company new product launch to a big group of customers...very impressive setup with nice display (right). My first since I took on this job. Very informative and indeed an eye-opener. Learned much about the new product, but also reinforced my ignorance of the industry and our customers. One of those days, where you could hardly walk with confidence. Sigh...
Nonetheless, it was very enlightening.

Black Monday

2 April, Monday (Part I)
The Fact: To catch a flight to Sydney at 6.05am...
The Plan: Relax, pack, update blog, and leave for airport around 4am, detour to office on the way to replicate my mails (having problem with my wireless).
The Encounter: Slept before packing and woke up at 4am! Damn...
Frantically packed up and rushed to the airport (check in counter close 30mins before departure, i.e 5.30am)... Managed to get out at 4.45am, risked being late cause I had to try getting a parking space at the airport Long-Term multi storey carpark. Speeding and risking getting fine, arrived and parked at 5.20am, figured my way through to the Departure Hall, it's 5.30am!
Can't check-in, no choice but to approach the Customer Assistance Desk... pleaded her to check me in, in reply: "...you shouldn't be late...". Anyway, managed my way again, huew! 10 mins later, I was already seated comfortably on the way to Sydney as "planned"! Ha!

A real trick on April Fool's Day!

1 April, Sunday...
It all started really well with my 2nd tennis session at Greensborough with Ian, Linda and Mark, on artificial grass. Nice weather and a good workout. Found a nice pastry shop in the suburb and bought a Fruit Flynn and a box of Rum Balls for my second session! My first bbq in Melbourne... yes, with Boon Whatt's family and 2 other Singaporeans, at Canning Park along Maribyrnong River! The weather is just wonderful...

From Central to East and back to the West, a few more new suburbs I explored. Really enjoyable. We were all stuffed, and after our Aussie bbq, went to BW's house and chatted till close to 9pm before heading back, to the long waited April Fool's Encounter!

As usual, I parked my car in my miserable lot and got off to unload my stuffs from the boot. This time however, I locked it, and eager to adjust my car, I close my boot with my handbag in the boot! Goodness, I was devastated! What the hell have I done? I just locked my keys in the damn car! I have a 6am flight to catch the next day and some packing to be done. Now, I am left with nothing (not even my mobile) except my apartment key! I cannot imagine if I have not taken out my apartment keys! In desperation, I went upstairs and no choice but to bother my neighbour and borrowed their phone to call for emergency roadside assistance! The good thing though is, I got to finally know my neighbour, Katherine with her son and daughter.
She was nice, and when the assistance called, she actually came over to alert me. In less than 5 minutes, he managed to help open my car door, and I was really relief! What a joke!
I got back not knowing yet another adventure is waiting for me...in just a few hours. stay tuned...

On a Positive note...

31 March, Saturday
Attended my first Spinning class in Fitness First, after several tries. I was glad I managed to get the last available bike! But the class was wonderful, really perspired and really worked the quads! Gosh, it really pushed me to work harder and I finally tried pedaling while standing! To most people, this is normal, but for me, it was a real miracle! I was never comfortable with bikes, and I don't think I ever will. Spinning may not be such a bad idea to satisfy my dream of cycling!

A Welcoming Morning

29 March, Thursday
This is what greeted me this morning, and I had to capture it... view from my balcony!










An indeed welcoming change from a shitty day...
But it just have to be ruined again with my FIRST tennis lesson being cancelled due to rain! Damn, it wasn't raining for awhile and it just had to rain on the day when I am supposed to be playing tennis! Sucks.... devastated and cannot believe how bad my luck can get, I went to the gym instead, to work those calories off!

A Sad Day

28 March, Wednesday
It was only the beginning of Wed and my day was ruined... after Federer lost a second time to Canas, in the 4th round of the Sony Ericson's Open. I was glued to the TV when the match started at around 6am (Sydney time)... signed on to my wireless and was watching the match live in the car while catching a ride from Gavin Savage to our dealer, EPSA. The match was so exciting that I actually lost my appetite (as usual with an Federer's match)... and he had to just ruined it by not at his best and lost his chance to the Quarter Final. Damn, I was SAD, and after watching his interview on ATP website, I felt worst, cause he was really disappointed. I hope this will not affect his confidence in the coming Clay court season. Monte Carlo being next...

So, to add on to this terrible news, I was actually disappointed with my dealer for a reason (not to be revealed), and left the airport in a cab to catch my flight back to Melbourne.
Had to deal with the usual Rental Car process, but it paid off with a light metallic blue Toyata Camry! new model... putting aside my worry of how that will fit into my tiny car park space! Hack, I like the colour and I like the design. Was glad that I rejected the Elantra they originally assigned me. Picture later...

Jam, jam jam, and took me close to an hour (usual 30mins) to get home and by then, there is just not much I can do then to have some sandwich (yes, egg and ham) for dinner!
That's it... another not quite happy day, with Federer's lost being the highlight! Hee... I am obsess.

明天会更好！

Sydney - It's ALL coming back to me!

27 March, Tuesday
1hr 20mins from Melbourne to Sydney, the morning flight, QF441 served breakfast, and before I realised, we are already descending! For a monring 8am flight, I was lucky that I do not have to check in and only arrived at the airport (after returning my cool Subaru which I contemplated for quite a while) just 40 mins before departure time! The beauty of Domestic flight without any check-in baggage.
Dealer personnel came to pick me up and we were well on our 45mins journey to see a customer. 2 "mega" Power Generation Plants...
They memories of my past experience and encounter in Sydney start coming back when I got back to the city later that afternoon. Hotel room, Hyde Park (the starting point of City to Surf Run I took part in 2005), shopping, harbour view, botanic garden, and etc. I just love Sydney for it's LIFE! Just different from Melbourne.... Melbourne is like a "rural" city, definitely not as sophisticated as Sydney.
Reunite, kind of, with a friend from Aikido who has moved to Sydney a few months back... Y T Chen, Tumy and Morgan of course. Somehow, I am so delighted to see real "friends"! Seriously, it has been awhile, being able to really share and just be myself, and comfortable in their presence. Ha, Da Chang Jing for a korean bbq dinner and visited their townhouse. The area in Sydney is just wonderful (put aside the traffic that comes with every developed city)... it was a nice change just being with real "friends"!

The Value of Honesty - Really Impressive

Monday, 26 March 2007
This incident is just incredible (in my opinion), something I believe will NEVER happen in Singapore. I bet my head on it...
A friend of a new colleague (Dee) I met is kind enough to play tennis with me - we played singles! My FIRST tennis game in Melbourne since I arrived, in Monash University, Clayton. A good start indeed. The environment just suits me so well, full of life, youngsters and most importantly, activities!
Unfortunately, I was late for my first game and my first meeting with Nick due to the terrible traffic conditions, partly a result of the closure of Burnley Tunnel (after terrible accident), and also peak hours traffic towards the Eastern suburb! It took me about 1hr 20mins from Tullamarine to Monash, along Princess Highway. My first taste of the traffic condition. Underestimated the time, and upon arrival, I rushed to get change and etc... trying to minimise lost time. Had a good hit (no perspiration...) in 16 degree condition. Played non-stop for close to 90mins... enjoyed and most importantly, I was glad that he took the time to hit with me.
It was not until we parted, did I realise that my mobile phone has gone MISSING! Gosh, my heart almost stopped beating...company phone with all the key contacts were lost and I was scheduled to fly to Sydney on an early 8am flight! I almost lose my mind, as I know I may not get it back. But held my composure and traced all the way back to the changing room. I was almost certain I left it there while rushing. In desperation, I asked the counter hoping and praying that some honest people would pick it up and return to the Lost & Found counter... guess the BEST part was the reply I received.
The guy on duty went over to one corner, picked up a phone after verifying the model and said: "We were waiting for you to call to return it to you...." Lucky, lucky, lucky. Honesty! Gosh, I was so thankful to whoever returned that to the counter. I bet that will NEVER happen in Singapore. Never... it will be gone in minutes! So if you are reading this and ever pick a phone in future, PLEASE call the owner and return it, the phone may mean a lot to the owner, and I bet you'll feel so good, knowing that you have done a real good deed.
I drove back still in disbelief that there are some honest people in Australia and the fact that I was really so lucky... thank goodness. A Good Lesson learned Indeed, and that DID change my impression of Australians!

Weather in Melbourne - An Interesting Encounter

Just needed to blog this experience I had in Melbourne for the first time (not quite)... which is very interesting - It's WEATHER!
It was a fine Thursday, when I arrived in Melbourne from Auckland and was pleasantly surprise by the weather! It was 38 degree, and stayed at about 26 degree during the night, and this is really the first time that it was above 25 deg in the evenings since I was here! Didn't actually like it. Friday morning came... like the night before the morning was HOT, and I mean really HOT, from my apartment , the big display showed 37 degree. Not as bad as in January, but it is supposed to be Autumn now... and u wonder what one can expect when winter come. A much welcome "thunderstorm" (not as bad as those in Singapore) strike in the early evening, bringing the temperature down to the a good 12 deg! Welcome to Melbourne!
Autumn is finally felt with the temperature floating below 20 throughout Saturday, 16 deg in the morning and throughout the afternoon and a good old 11 deg in the evening! How am I supposed to get use to this and prepare for my marathon in October (Spring)? Don't want to think about it until my shipment arrive... but it is definitely going to be an interesting change and experience and I wonder how my body will react when I run in the Hot and Humid Singapore again later this year.

Back In Action!

22 March, 2007...
A very tiring and stressful day. Left Auckland around 6am to catch a 7.40am flight back to my new home, Melbourne. A good start, NZ123 was my flight. Impressed with the Premium Check-In counter of Air New Zealand, an indeed One-stop shop (check-in, departure tax payment & express immigration), all without hassles and very fast indeed! The flight wasn't fantastic, but it's a NEW Boeing 777-200ER, with individual screen and movie on demand in Economy class. Managed to finish the movie "Breaking & Entering" starring Jude Law. Remember watching him in a movie with Cameron Diaz, he is just so charming! Not a bad movie after all, reflecting the world full of Love and Compassion, which can really change a person's behaviour.
The real pain starts when I arrived Melbourne. Gosh, all the rental cars were OUT, but managed to reserve one from Europcar, though not our Corporate Rental company, in desperation, I accepted it. Beggars can't be chosers really. After waited for about 20mins, I was pleasantly surprise to get a 2.0L Subaru Impreza! Hahahaha...really happy, cause it is a car where I can managed (physically), yet powerful, and most importantly, looks COOL! Really hated Avis' cars, sigh... wish we could rent from other car company. Anyway, my day just began when I arrived at the office (packing my lunch from the food court). Calls, discussion, & emails follows....one after another.
Ta Bao a simple dinner back to the office as well and rushed back for a teleconference at 11pm. And here I am at 1.25am on a Friday morning, rather updating my blog then going for a good night sleep. Realized somehow, I am really addicted to updating my blog, even at the expense of my sleep and at times my work!

A real "fine" Sunday in Christchurch...

My first business trip to NZ in my new role. Arriving at Christchurch reminded me a great deal of my vacation here with Siok Teng, Siok Kwan and Siew Mun back in 2000. Those were just great time we had in South Island.
Woke up this Sunday morning and realised just how ignorance I have been... I believe I brought the wrong clothing... it's 17 deg and well, I don't even have a jacket or overcoat with me! Headed down for my breakfast and checked with the porter. Apparently, they had a pretty cold summer this year, besides, it's now autumn...there's nothing I can do except hoping that it'll be better when the sun is out.

Went for a half-day vineyard tour with my "boss". Yes, my boss... and it was absolutely enjoyable. The journey to Waipara from Christchurch took about 45 mins and we had a wonderful lunch at Waipara Springs vineyard. The weather was just fantastic and the surrounding were just superb! A kind of afternoon noon I've always wanted, it would be wonderful to spend a lazy afternoon with some close friends! Will that ever happen? Well...
Visited some 3 more vineyards in the area and tasted close to 27 types of wine. I ended up buying 5 bottles to stock-up as gift or for my own enjoyment. The last being Pegasus Bay... another tastefully decorated place. Had a cuppa nice Long Black to end the tour! How more can you spent a lazy Sunday afternoon?

All good things have to end. Back to reality and ready for another week of customers call and dealer visits...in Christchurch and Auckland. More later...

Time? Where have they gone?

Too much to update, too little time...

Will try to post my Relocation experiences, please check back regularly, I will have them up soon. Till then, have loads of fun!

Some Preview...

One Saturday morning in Perth, Western Australia

A very long trip (16 days) away from home this year... to Australia for various reasons.

Perth - Visit Dealers

Melbourne - For work and most importantly, to look for an apartment for myself for my stay... not forgetting to catch the opening week of the Australian Open in the meantime (as my boss always mention)

Brisbane - Attending a meeting and visiting dealer.

Not a good start to the trip when I found that my luggage (Wilson cloth) had been torned due to mishandling by airline (I guess)... painful, which means that I need to buy a NEW luggage, which can be time consuming and of course costly! Managed to arrange with the conceirge to have my luggage pick-up by the airport and will collect when I next return to Perth (most likely in March). I must say that I was quite happy with the service provided by Intercontinental Burswood. I did get myself a soft-case red Skyway luggage which is really BIG! For the amount of stuffs I have this trip, I cannot afford a small luggage...quite happy with the price too, not a bad deal from Harbour Town Outlets. Walking along Hay St reminded me of my visit with May and Sharon last year... we had a good time then.

Saturday, 13 Jan - Had been contemplating to leave Perth earlier (to catch the final of AMMI Classic in Kooyong) or to spend a relaxing morning jogging in Perth. Decided on the later for various reasons, and I was glad I did it...the jog was wonderful. Nice weather, and nice scenary, the only thing missing was my water bottle... which can be a concern in case I couldn't find any shop to hydrate myself. Anyhow, I planned my jog such that I will enjoy my breakfast at a restaurant by the Swan River, call Boatshed (recommended by hotel staff). A very nice choice... a wonderful sunny Saturday morning relaxing an enjoying my BF on the deck of the restaurant...with view of the City of Perth opposite the Swan River (shown in picture above). All in all, did about 12km.

After that satisfying morning in Perth, left for Melbourne where my house-hunting and Australian Open awaits me!

Happy New Year ...

Wishing all readers a good 2007, with Health, Happiness, Peace ('mum' told me this morning), Prosperity and Success. May all that you wished for, come true...

Recap of 2006

Remember last year's New Year's Eve... I was in Shanghai with the Alikido group and that day itself, we had training (if I remember correctly). Anyway, we had fun, but the most memorable event was the Countdown at Xin Tian Di. Through the effort of Huey Yuee, we managed to get tickets to the countdown where there is a BIG concert, with peformance by 2 of my idols, Alan Tam and Hacken Lee. To be honest, it was the BEST countdown party (taking into consideration we don't normally attend many of those! Whatever it is, it was fun... screaming and shouting and NICE fire works! Spectecular indeed. We met up with some people from the Aikido group (Dorothy, Uncle Seah, Tham, and Dan). We went for a drink and supper where Dorothy was "drunk" after just 1 drink! That was really funny... cos she actually slept while standing in the lift... luckily Uncle Seah was around.


Come to think about Life if really full of coincidence and events we can and should treasure and appreciate. It is not bad after all... Take the above countdown for example, I happened to be in Shanghai and Alan and Hacken happened to be performing! The most important thing is of course, my friend's Huey Yuee's effort in helping me to get those tickets! I was honestly touched and appreciate all that she has done... which is not normally what she would do... I remember how impressed and delighted I was, until this day! Something which you can encounter but not asked for (in chinese, ke yu bu ke chiu)...

Other major events in 2006 includes...

1) Confirmation of my posting to Melbourne
This is going to be a huge change for me in 2007 and beyond. Obviously, a lot of well-wishes were received from colleagues, and also concerns from friends who knows my family situation.
2) Watching the Tennis Masters in Shanghai (for the full week) where Roger Federer won the title!
This is indeed one of the highlights of the year. I believe it's going to be more Live tennis for me in years to come. Something which I am really passionate about. Just wished I can play better, but throughout the years, I only see myself improving marginally, no quantum leap at all.. so alittle dissatisfied in that aspect. But I will continue to try to play more and hopefully one day, I will see the difference.
3) Paul's visit to Singapore
We had a few good tennis games and enjoyed some good food together. This is another of such things that happened that one can only hope to encounter, and definitely cannot delibrately crave for it... cause, it will not happened. And of course, treasure the fact that I get to enjoy those few days...
4) Vacation trip of the year with BPC - Osaka & Kyoto in April to see Cherry Blossom.
As usual, all my trips with BPC have been great, and memorable. Likewise, we killed lots of memory space (digital instead of negative based)! Photo after photo... Very nice to be able to enjoy the scenary. Just makes me wonder when will my family members (dad, sis and nephews) get to enjoy these beautiful scenary! With the happiness I experienced, I can't help but wished my dad and sis will one day get to enjoy all these wonderful scenary around the world...at least Australia while I am there.

5) My only Peoria trip in 2006
Luckily, I get to visit Peoria, Illinois again in March this year, and getting to meet up with Dad, Mum, Julie and the EOMP colleagues who I worked with in my previous position.
Somehow, Peoria is not a desirable place without Mum and Dad... the bond I've built with them is so strong (at least that how I feel) that something is missing if I don't get to see them. This year however, I happened to be around when Paul (Judy's brother) passed away. Fortunately, I was able to visit him before he left. Somehow, I always happened to be in Peoria when such unhappy things happened. Previously, I encountered Julie's mother visitation, Maudeen's sickness and now Paul's hospitalization and visitation. I am not sure if I should consider myself fortunate or unfortunate... whatever it is, I am just glad that I can lead a helping hand, mentally. Just hope that the next time I get to visit Peoria (if that opportunity arises again), I will be attending some Birthday celebrations or some Weddings! To share people's JOY and not SORROWS.
6) Health related problems.
First my wrist (both right and left) injury from Aikido... it was the most agonizing 2 weeks when my right wrist liagement was pulled, I can't even open the car door and the pain was undescribable! Actually that injury really "woke" me up and sadly affected my passion of the sports. Still like it, but a little more cautious now since any injury will affect my Tennis and other sports. Because of that precaution, I hurt my left wrist as well...now it is still painfull, and it will never be like before. All I can do is to keep strengthening it and hopefully it'll get stronger over the years.Next, my left hamstrings problem, which got worst and I have to consult Dr Low... where I started my therapy session with Physionique (http://www.physionique.com/) since October. It didn't really recover, just relief after every therapy session.
7) Tickets, Fines & Accidents
2006 year marked the record year of receiving tickets and fines, ranging from Speeding to illegal parking. Honestly, this is not the first time I speed or park illegally, but somehow, I managed to get a record of about 6 this year, from September this year, with 4 demerit points from Speeding! Gosh, really down on luck...wonder WHO I offended. On top of that, believe I was involved in 2 car accidents this year, one a result of not being attentive (involving 2 other cars), and the other a result of a road bully (motorcyclist)! Whatever the cause, both cost me a total of S$7,000 (just my car), not taking into account the amount that was claimed from 3rd parties on my insurance. Sigh, just glad that all these only involved monetary losses and not more. Hope 2007 is a fine free and accident free year.
Despite all these... I believe 2007 is going to be another year of changes, challenges and activities. Whatever it is, let us all appreciate and enjoy the process, so that we can look back to a GOOD and fulfilling 2007.

Countdown to 2007

A hotel room on the Club Floor of Park Royal Hotel (http://www.parkroyalhotels.com/) to relax, a visit to the Asian Civilization Muesum (ACM) and viewing of fireworks display in front of Fullerton Hotel. Those are the events welcoming 2007, with close friends.
All for a Better 2007, when our dreams come true... with more headcount to the group!