Saturday, March 15, 2008

Melbourne - Expected and Unexpected, Pretty and Ugly...

Right I havent exactly made a post about Melbourne, and life in Melbourne actually.. Life is quite nice, laced with new freedom and things to do and be done that has before taken for granted - food for example. Cooking is fast becoming such a dreaded chore...

Food prices here are EXORBITANT (if I spelled that correctly).. Its like easily 8-9 bucks for a single meal, especially the chinese food here.. Yes there is chinese food, yes a single portion is enough to feed 3 people, but yes, the prices is huge as well.. I could be eating steak everyday back home..

Weather - I didn't really believe people when they said Melbourne weather is mad.. I mean staying in malaysia, you wouldn't know any other weather than hot and humid.. Well, it can reach 40 degrees during the day, 20+ during the evening, and 10+ at night.. One entire week could have everyday at around 20 degrees, and the following week at 40 degrees... Its now at a torturous agonizing 40 degrees celcius daily.. Hot plus dry weather equals to feeling like an oven.. Strangely, when you're in the shade, you can't feel the heat at all.. I can't wait for Autumn..

Well overall Melbourne and Australia is really nice overall. You have friendly people, a truely multicultural society, a beautiful city, and great weather *summer heat don't count*.. Though, it is not without its problems.

Oh! One of my favourite chore is (surprisingly) grocery shopping.. hahaha... talk about being a jakun..

The first thing that really hit me is plain blatant discrimination which Australia was supposed to be free of. Yes I would be talking about concession cards. It is clear discrimination, and after going through NLC's (National Liason Committee) website, it became clear it has been an issue for some time, and time to come until action is taken.. I can't say how much I agree its just plain discrimination, and I have gave a small piece of my mind to the uni, to metlink, to the student union of both caulfield and clayton campus, and have gotten replies and responds. I just don't believe that any student (international, that is) should just keep quiet and ACT LIKE CASH COWS for the state government! Just so you know, only Victoria and New South Wales are the two only states that does not allow concession cards for international students. So please ppl, stand up for what you believe is right, and don't just keep quiet about such racial discrimination!

Well, besides that, the society is really civil minded unlike Malaysia - just read the news everyday and get political supporters acting like hooligans.. Just sit the ktm during the peak hour and get a nice feel of how a stampede of 'people' push you into a moving tin can. People actually LINE up here.. and you'll get homicidal stares if you don't.. People pick up after their own dog poos.. People are just simply conscious and considerate.. But as I said, not without their problems. Litter seem to be a major plague throughout the city and trains. Ride a train at night in melbourne and see the rubbish - tin cans, beer bottles, newspapers, plastic wrappers, chewing gums, whatever..

Drunks and local racists are not an exception either.. Travelling at night need to be done in groups to avoid harrassment by drunks and racists.. Take for instance an incident I myself, 3 fat caucasian boys lingering around caulfield and glen huntly always disturb foreigners and disturb the train services by always blocking the doors, picking fights and so on. Hope they get lost and get some life..

Graffiti is a huge problem here.. There is a saying, - 'if there' a flat surface, there's graffiti in Melboune'. I'm telling you it IS that bad.. every inch of the walls along the train tracks are covered with graffiti, some of which is actually nice, but thats beside the point. Trains are regularly defaced and thrown stuff at too..

Well, nonetheless, every city has their problems.. Its not to say Melbourne isn't a nice place to live, its a fantastic place to live (minus their taxes).. Overall there have been things that have met their expectations and reputation (such as the mad whacked up siao crazy erratic weather patterns), some that does not (like the discrimination over concession fares), pretty (the beautiful city), and ugly (the litter and the racists)..

Melbourne oh Melbourne.. Pics are up - but caption and description is still incomplete..

Logging off,
Lawy3rz

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Long way to go, Streamyx...

Will Malaysia's streamyx ever reach this level? Lolx..

Logging off,
Lawy3rz

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Malaysia Decides 2008

Indeed a shocking election this time around, words spread far and loud. A unexpected heavy defeat by the ruling coalition has shaken the entire country. But is it a bad thing?

[Clarification: Defeat here does not mean that they lost the election - they won overall, but lost 5 states to the opposition, something that has never happened before]

The people is in time of change - too many too much has happened in the past 50 years.. A series of mistakes, a list of errs, and the over-confidence of the former leaders that has lead to their loss. What happens from this point onwards is the most important. Can the opposition deliver its promises and show the country it can do better?

Up to now, unruly opposition supporters have not been reflecting that. It is shocking to see how uncivil minded these people can be, throwing rocks at police, illegally stopping buses carrying voters, blocking entrance to voting areas.. these are a serious thought to worry about.. If these supporters are a reflection of the parties which are going to form state government, I am personally, - worried.

Logging off,
Lawy3rz

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Pastel

What I like about Yuu...

Well.. for one thing, walking together...

Yuu's place is always a little faster..

She would play with a cat she comes across..

Sometimes they would run away, and she would be disappointed..

In the open park we would watch the clouds go by together..

Then we return to the same house, she would eat the meal I'd prepared vigorously..

We would watch the sakura blossoms together in the garden..

When Yuu is by my side, I need nothing else.. She gives me a fleeting smile, and I'm happy with it..

And I wish it could last forever..


-Taken from the manga Pastel, volume 8, chapter 57.. A great manga..

Logging off,
Lawy3rz

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Growing up kinda suck..

Aihz.. what a long awaited post.. Such silence in my blog for such a long time.. Maybe I'm slow to realize, but growing up kinda suck.. that routines I used to whine and complain about wasnt so bad after all..

Well I mean, when we're small and all that, we seem to always look forward to growing up.. Like when we're in primary school, we couldn't wait to get into secondary school.. In secondary school we couldnt wait to get into uni.. In uni - thats where I am now.. Suddenly I think back, and realize, what could I possible look forward to in the future? the working life? surely that sucks..

What about the dog eat dog corporate world is there that I supposedly am looking forward to? What about having to spend more time away from family and friends is nice? What about the selfish self centered and intolerant world ahead that is so great to warrant that?

So now I sit and think, and miss, but not regret, the past.. How true is it that we do not appreciate things until they have past and gone.. The friends, the people, and everything around us that has passed until we are alone - inevitable.

I'll post a buncha pics in my nex post.. till then..

Logging off,
Lawy3rz