On Blogging and Sydney

The style of blogging changes in accordance with a blog’s audience. A blog entry can be meant as a diary, for the owner’s future self to read and recall. It can be phrased to inform friends regarding the ups and downs of one’s life. A blog may also pose as a means for the owner to communicate to single people, albeit publicly.

I think the primary purpose of this blog would be the former (or is supposed to be that anyway :P ).

I was absent from Singapore last week, because I went to… Sydney!!!

The itinerary went like this:

Day one: My family flew on the new A380 despite nay sayings from fellow friends. Took off at 9pm Singapore time, reached at 7am Sydney. (7 hours flight) No time to sleep! I was busy throughout the flight with food to eat and movies to watch. I barely slept an hour through the trip, with ramifications for the whole day because the tour began immediately after touchdown. ZZZZzzzz. The first few attractions (like the Botanic Gardens where I caught my first glimpse of the beautiful Sydney Opera House) still kept me awake. But by the time I was taking the cruise along the Sydney harbour (port Jackson) I was fast dozing off. Even the interesting snippets of Sydney history narrated to us on the loudspeaker couldn’t keep me awake. Though I forced myself to pay attention after that, I couldn’t help thinking that I paid so much just to sleep!! Haiz…

Fortunately the first day wasn’t the most interesting, except that I got to see the opera house up close. It looked good from all angles, and the shimmering harbour as a backdrop simply brought out its modern charm.

Against the freezing cold summer (global warming I’d expect), lunch was a horribly cold chicken Snitchzel that I shall never forget...

We spent the night at an inn in the Blue Mountains. We were duly horrified to discover a thick fog engulfing the entire area the next morning. As such our trip to Echo point to view the Three Sisters (A landmark that stirred memories of Sec 3 geography) was in vain. A trek at the nature reserve was reminiscent of Bukit Timah, except that the place was much bigger and the weather, MUCH COLDER. Summer in the highlands was colder than winter in Shanghai.

We left when it was almost noon, at a time when the fog seemed to clear a little. It was a long and boring trip back to Sydney with only Jay Chou songs on an mp3 player (my sister’s) for entertainment.

In accordance with the rearrangement of itinerary, we visited the Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife World. (The former claims to be Australia’s top tourist destination) I saw Crocs, Lizards, Sharks, Wallabies, Anteaters and the adorable Koala Bears. But I was mystified as to the Kangaroo’s absence. [insert pictures here] Dinner was Thai food in Ang-Moh land.

Day three: It was free and easy today, and with after much consideration (and consultation against the travel guide, “Top Ten Sydney” we decided to visit the Botanic Gardens (Again!) for the free tour that they offered every morning at 1030. Despite waking up late, dragging our feet for breakfast, and getting lost around the garden perimeter, we made it just in time for the tour. (Apparently it wasn’t a tremendously popular one because my family were the only ones that day) Our friendly guide, a certain Mr Noel, brought us about to see the plants, peppering his explanations with interesting tidbits and lots of scientific names of plants that seemed much harder than anatomy. (somehow femur is easier than Ficus carica). So, I didn’t catch a lot of names and the information just went in one ear and out the next, but I did meet an interesting personality in Mr Noel. He was really friendly, and was fun to talk to even when the subject wasn’t plants. And when I mentioned I was a first year med student, he remarked that people want to be able to feel a sense of attachment to their doctors, not simply someone who treats the disease and shoos the patient off. Food for thought…

The rest of the day was regrettably spent shopping, which was quite fruitless though we did manage to explore the city centre and visiting interesting shopping arcades (like the strand arcade that dated back to 1892) and Chinatown, which was good for more affordable goods. By the end of the day, my legs were totally drained. (All the route marches I had undergone had strangely little effect on my stamina in an urban setting)

The fourth day of our holiday was likely the most uninteresting one, for we had to travel almost 5 hours (to and fro) just to view 4 attractions – the Hunter Valley Gardens, Chocolate Company, Cheese Company and one of the wineries. Err nothing much to say here… the stuff was kind of expensive though they were amid lush surroundings. By this day the cold weather had receded, and we were faced with a threat of skin cancer amid the Singapore-type sunshine.

And we left for home on day five :)

By the end of the trip I decided the things I missed most about Singapore was the food. I couldn’t stand sandwiches and chicken snitchzels any longer!!! I do hope my friends over at England are taking the food (and weather) well… But now I am wondering what exactly to do during these holidays. And the thing about blogging is this – if u don’t do anything interesting, you won’t have anything to blog about!

Freedom. AT LAST! Somehow this itsy weeny CA had ballooned into a huge mugging affair… I had this impression that EVERYONE was working really hard… and consequently I was spurred into studying as well. Not that all that studying paid off… for PHYSIO the essays were horrible, especially since I hadn’t written for a test or assignment for YEARS. (okay, months) But I guess I’m happy with anat and biochem J

Fred Claus. I dunno what made me watch this movie, but I did. Like Jonathan put it, it seemed rather rubbish at its first moments, but it showed its merits later in the plot. The plot, in itself, is highly improbable, full of improbable twists and turns (that made me cringe, at first, and still had me puzzling long after). I mean, how does someone change his view of his entire life after listening to just a few words from a stranger? (ref: scene where Fred Claus is in a self help group for people overshadowed by their powerful siblings. Bill Clinton’s “brother”, Sylvestor Stallone’s “brother” make their debut appearance. Fred Claus reflects upon their words and changes his entire opinion of his brother) and not to mention the fact that Fred Claus managed to deliver like millions of presents to ALL the children in the world in the matter of ONE night? With a tiny sleigh for all that load! AND doing all that even after losing contact with headquarters?! Ok laugh at me for pointing out all these silly details, I’d admit that I’m kind of cynical about some stuff.

The counterargument. The movies saving grace? Great entertainment with lots of corny jokes with a take -home message to boot! Really fun watching Fred and Santa, two grownups, throwing snowballs at each other. And I suppose it is nice seeing everything end happily ever after, with everyone overcoming their differences. Sounds just like a fairy tale! Haha. The bottomline is I did enjoy the movie somewhat though I probably won’t see it again! As charlene put it (even before watching the show) – “It’s just a nice chrismassy kind of show”. I hope I didn’t misquote that.

Borders. I visited it after dinner at home J Waha its so convenient to have such a comprehensive bookstore so near my house!! Though I would prefer the library, since the books at Borders aren’t exactly affordable. And now that it’s the hol’s, I need to find new reading material! I’m getting lost about what exactly to read. Who to read. And Where to obtain the books. And I want to get a travel guide to Sydney. Cos I’m going there next week! J

The end. A happy ending to the end of CA ONE.