couldn't sleep again last night. homesickness? my mind couldn't relax and i kept thinking about what to blog about - how ridiculous is that.

 the flat inspectors came at 10am to check if we did our cleaning duties. we passed everything. good job everyone.

made eggs for late lunch - i over-cooked them.

went to uni, studied the map to learn the landmarks because i still didn't know my way around.
got some more admin stuff sorted, saw some real-life drama at the bookshop (Chinese student was very outraged at the cashier for not giving her the correct change immediately due to some policy), then attended another orientation session on how to make the most out of uni life - i.e. volunteer, go to events, join clubs, etc.
wanted to make friends with someone i briefly spoke to there, but she split immediately after the talk. :(

 went home, made this. it was supposed to be porridge, but simmering time was too short and i added cheese, so it resulted in something like risotto. twas not bad.
felt lonely, so i emailed/tweeted some of you guys.

then, walked to the shops - here is the interior. there is Old Chang Kee in the corner. lol, too bad i like curry puffs much. i wish there was Ya Kun though.

 returned home and went to the free food event at the common room (it's a whole building by itself). we were in time for the last few pieces of KFC :)

hung out with flat-mates, met some other people living there. glad my flat-mate is a social butterfly - she introduced me to some more of her friends.

ping-pong balls kept flying in our direction.
pool/billard was played.

 outside, there was chess.

and a cool ninja game where everyone has a turn to make a move. the objective is to tap-out the other player's hand, until you are the last person in the game.

i didn't play any, i just took photos /creepy smile

at about 10pm, they were closing the common room so we left to go home.

on the way back, had to tell Mr PhD, the dude i met 3 days ago, that i just wanted to remain friends (he had been expressing interest yesterday ._.).
it was the most uncomfortable and unbelievable conversation since i arrived here.
but i'm glad for his honesty and am also relieved that he seems to accept my rejection.
anyway, let's hope Mr PhD can "fight (his) feelings". yikes.

 this is what my flat looks like from the outside.

the morning weather was cool so i decided to postpone my queue for the student id card again.
woke up late, grabbed some yogurt and sat under a tree in campus with my feet in the grass.
i can now understand why people like to lie on the grass here.

 i had to sort out my enrolment issues and the course coordinator didn't reply me yet, so i went down to the humanities office.
this cool thing is the engineering building. humanities don't get such modern buildings.

the lady at the help desk had bobbed silver hair, statement glasses, and fitted slacks. i want to have a great style like her when i'm 50.
she directed me to the office of the course coordinator, but he wasn't in.

but there was a lecturer in the staff room, who looked like a less-broad-shouldered version of Liam Neeson, lol. although he wasn't in charge of my course, he helpfully answered my queries (yes, the handbook is inaccurate), and helped me print out some info. 
he teaches the 3D design workshop and the funny thing was that i ended up taking the electives under him, because the photography course person-in-charge wasn't around, and also i have some experience in 3D modeling (hi dad).

 after submitting the manual enrolment form, i went home to cook lunch. quite proud of this - bacon fried rice.

then i went back to uni for the talk on "Finding Part-Time Work" - very useful stuff. also met Mr PhD on the way there, and ended up arranging to go to O-Day (Guild orientation event) with him.

i cleaned the toilets of the flat at 3pm. we take the cleaning duty rooster seriously because there's a $55 fine if the flat inspectors think you didn't do your job properly.
after 5pm, we watched the young'uns dance to this entertaining "electronic+hip-hop+ska+swing" 5-piece band (Brow Horn Orchestra). most of the audience were quite cool, but the rapper and the trombonist were running around and standing on the huge plant pots.
a gorilla and panda danced on stage too.

this is the outdoor cinema on campus, where we watched Argo. made friends with my flatmate's exchange-student friends from China too, which was nice. :)

 this was the queue for the free breakfast for international students.
anyone can join the queue since no one checked. student volunteers were frying eggs and grilling sausages.

 what it looked like. i didn't take the baguette.
sadly, didn't make new friends during the free breakfast.
sat next to an American girl who was talking about getting deported for illegal downloads.

after this was a talk for international students (many from China and the Americas) at the stadium, which was quite helpful, especially the part on acculturation. the uni has a lot of support services, and i think i would like to join Curtin Volunteers.

 this is the view of the green in front of the stadium, which is the low white building.

 this is our kitchen. i had cereal for lunch, then rice and fried salmon for dinner.

our flat meeting was productive - 1 guy chaired and another was the minute-taker. we made a shopping list of cleaning supplies (because of the cleaning roster) and got a kitty (i.e. common fund) for chairman to buy the stuff.

then i went to Waterford Plaza (about 20 min walk) and an African said hi to me. oh, it was the nice masters student whom i had the guild house induction session with.
he helpfully showed me to the shop to buy a sim card. after some deliberation, i got Lebara. but now i'm thinking that i should have gotten the Lyca. argh....

after dinner, i went to the common room to watch TV and started talking to another African who came to watch TV too.
he was a very academically inclined engineer doing his masters, then PhD, on scholarship from his government.
he was waxing lyrical about his paper and his experience and his big brain; but he also said to "gather your strength and find what you want to do".
i'm still thinking about where i want to go with this course. :(

oh yeah, we heard some weird noises and it turned out to be fireworks for graduation day. pretty nice, too bad i couldn't capture it on this camera.

had coffee after 7pm and couldn't sleep well.
now up at 4 in the morning due to heat (hot night!) and itch (on left arm!).
anyway, troubleshot my mobile blue tooth problem, so now i have pictures!

 from Saturday's chinese banquet - soup with squid, prawn, fish, crab meat, etc

 crispiest fried fish ever. yums.

 omg lobster noodles! this = awesome!

the restaurant is famous for its duck (violin duck, $32) but i wasn't impressed by the one we had.

 my cell. not pictured are large window+curtins, book shelf, study desk and chair.
mattress protector (not pictured) was provided by the guild house foc.
carpeted floor makes it harder to see dirt. not sure if that's a good thing.

i have 5 other flat mates - 2 girls, 3 guys - 3 Australian, 1 Canadian, 1 from HK.

 auntie P took me to Spud Shed, her fav shopping place. notable deals - roasted whole chicken for A$6.99 only. it's crowded on weekends. i bought fruit, eggs, bacon and salmon.
check out the huge melons! lol

 from Mon's orientation - following the teachers to the Design & Art side of the campus.
the Art lecturers hate the e-portal for enrollment too.

there is 1 dominant color for the campus - sandstone red. easy to get lost with all the same colored buildings, so they number the blocks and have many signposts on the paths.

my exploded-eggs+greens+cheese lunch.
never dealing with eggs again.
the leftover was eaten with rice for dinner.

 random water feature on campus.

the sun at 5pm. BURNING HOT (flatmate said they apply sunblock every 2 hours, :O).

and the blue footprint leads the way to the office for making student id cards. the lady said to come back on the next day at 8.30 am to collect a ticket. zzz.

program for today:-
breakfast for international students;
orientation session for international students;
inter-flat meeting;
waterford plaza. 

went for the school orientation today - it was quite overwhelming and also not relevant as everything is geared to the 1st year undergraduates. the campus also seems really big and confusing but i think it's because i don't know my way around yet.

anyway, i'm glad my place is very walkable to the school.
i can't upload pictures of my flat or room because there's something wrong with the bluetooth and usb connection to my mobile.

i'm on the 3rd floor and my window opens out to a view of trees, grass and many houses in the distance.
the student staff at the guild house are nice and most of my flat mates are nice too. none of them are doing humanities though.
the sun is blasting hot, but indoors it's cool.

i just figured out how to tap on to the school network from my flat, but Curtin only provides 2 GB of data free, so i have to conserve my usage.

last weekend was nice - i spent it with Auntie P - she picked me up from the airport and introduced me to her colleagues when she treated me to a new year banquet of about 7 dishes at Chin's Noodle House.
then on Sunday, she brought me out shopping at the shopping center near her place - i spent about A$200 in total on food and household things.

so after i went to Curtin stadium to hear the Humanities welcome talk, i tagged along with the Art people to the School of Design and Art. once i realised there are nothing for Masters of Applied D & A people, the office lady helped me to met one of my lecturers. he was nice but couldn't help with my enrollment problem.

then i went to see where i could get my student id and got lost trying to find the correct building.
once i located the office for the id, it was noon, and the queue was long. so i went upstairs where the library was and used the internet there to enroll and register for my OSHC.
i still have 2 classes to enroll in by 4 March and also wait for my OSHC card to be mailed to me.

other important things to do:
get a local phone card and data plan.
queue up for the student id.

then i went home, and made lunch.
okay, here's what i learnt about eggs - don't put them in the freezer because they will crack.
also, don't cook cracked eggs in the microwave because one of them will explode violently, which is very difficult to clean.

i had 6 eggs, some mesclun, cheese, yogurt, strawberries and coffee. the egg dish wasn't so bad.

it's now 2.44 pm. the area is not very safe so after 5.30pm, there are free buses to school from here, and a free bus to the nearest shopping center as well.
i think i will go the shopping center after i finish my yogurt.

i'm going to Perth to take the course called "Master of Applied Design and Art" at Curtin University.

more info on the course:-

This course aims to broaden professional and vocational design skills and knowledge by engaging the student in professional design discourse and the undertaking of a design project, underpinned by design research methods and theory. Examples include live, or virtual exhibition, design schemas and models supported by a report, as well as a more conventional written dissertation. The course includes a combination of academically directed and individually inspired work, group activities and discussion.

the prerequisite to enter is a Bachelor degree in any discipline and i didn't take any interview or submit any portfolio.

i asked the coordinator what core units i have to enrol in - hope to see his reply on Monday.

academic calendar, important dates:-

orientation:
Humanities Fac Welcome - 25 feb, 9.30am, Curtin Stadium
International Students Breakfast > Orientation Session - 26 feb, 9.30am, Atkinson Forum
Stretching Your Student Dollar + Finding Part Time Work - 27 feb
Getting Around Safe and Sound - 28 feb

last day to enrol / add units:
8 march

no classes for the following weeks:
1 april
22 april
10 june

semester break:
1 jul - 4 aug 2013

my bags are packed and i've written a postcard to my parents and grandma.
a postcard from home - how funny. but i feel better after giving it to them.
some friends are sending me off at the airport although i'm flying at this early. /touched

and this is the google map of where i'll be staying - Guild House, Jackson Rd Apartments.

i was fortunate to get to go to Paris with my aunt, uncle and little cousin for a holiday from 9 - 17 June 2012. it was always my dream to visit the City of Light :)
they let me plan the itinerary as well!

here are some memories from that trip...

i arrived at Charles De Gaulle airport at 7.20am, then we took the taxi to Rue des Archives, where our accommodation was.
aunt V had booked an awesome place for us to stay - it was an apartment in the heart of Paris (google map location).
she often went to France for business trips, so we depended on her experience and language skills.

 the view from the taxi. i love the old-world architecture.

the apartment was on the 4th floor, above some cafes in the Le Marais district, which is a very colorful neighbourhood because it is full of important historic buildings and trendy shops.

 we had breakfast (various bread, coffee) at Le Pain Quotidien as we waited for the keys.
the croissant was so-so.

 the view from the cafe. the giant green thing is a recycling bin.

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after Taiyu-in, we went to see the Shinkyo Bridge 神橋.
Shinkyo is next to the edge of town and there is a motor road bridge nearby.

in the past, only Generals and imperial messengers were permitted to cross, but now, ordinary folks can pay a fee to cross it.
we just took photos from the motor road bridge, lol.

 it's small but extremely picturesque!

 we crossed the road and climbed up some steps to see what was on the hill opposite Shinkyo.

Nikko is wonderful because history is everywhere.
on that hill was a small temple, pass the temple were some moss-covered statues and a small shrine.
randomly, there was a primary school next to the shrine.

i really wish we could spend more time at Nikko... there were so many interesting and beautiful areas we didn't get to explore.
we had to hurry back to Kinugawa-onsen to pick up our bags from the hotel and then travel to Narita.

back at the hotel, we were able to see the friendly kimono lady again. she remembered us, so it was lovely to chat with her and say goodbye.

we had some spare time while transiting at Shimo-Imaichi and found a wonderful supermarket near the station, where we bought bread, bentos, drinks and fruits, like this giant strawberry.
the strawberries were so sweet!

 the sun was setting over the mountains as we waited for the train.

 bye bye, angry orge man! bye bye, Kinugawa-onsen!

yakisoba-pan! and tofu ice-cream! for lunch! on the train!

more mountain scenery.

our train journey from Kinugawa-onsen to Narita would take about 5.5 hours (including transits) in total - once i realised the folly of my plan, it was too late because i booked the hotel (インターナショナルガーデンホテル成田) in Narita already. ><

we survived the horrible journey, and reached the bus stop in time to catch the 8pm shuttle bus to the hotel.

 our dinner - instant noodles from the nearby convenience store and Suntory Chu-hi.

that was our last night in Japan.
the next morning, we took the free shuttle bus to the airport and returned to Singapore.
and that's the end of my Japan travel 18 - 26 Jan 2013.
good times. :)

mom and i went to take a morning dip in the onsen.
this other onsen was very pretty and more spacious than the one i went to last night.

wish i could take pictures - the dressing area was decorated with Japanese fan motifs above the mirror stalls and the bath area had a gorgeous view of the gorge (but unfortunately the motorway bridge over the gorge was in plain sight as well).

we also went to try the outdoor pool after we saw 2 ladies return from there. we warmed up and once pass the sliding door, were surprised by the cute wooden boat bath (the width is just right for my legs to stretch to the other side of the boat). the front part of the boat sticks out of the building, but if one went past the bamboo shades to the front, everyone on the motorway can see you quite clearly.
and there was a rock pool bath as well.
taking a dip in winter is nice because i don't feel cold when i'm in the onsen.

breakfast in the dining hall at 8am.
that spongy round thing floating in the bowl is actually a pouch of yuba.


 we gathered our belongings and checked-out.  this is the view from the lounge area, which is just above the onsen we just went to.


we left our bags at reception as we wanted go to Nikko for more sightseeing. 
when it started snowing, we got super excited. this is the pond outside the main entrance of the hotel.


 after a while, the snow fall was so heavy we had to wear raincoats and carry umbrellas. 
we passed by a white-blanketed playground on the way to the train station.


 in front of the train station is a statue of a short and stout demon holding a club, because Kinugawa-onsen/鬼怒川温泉 = angry ogre river onsen.

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from Toshogu, we planned to walk to a waterfall.
Nikko is famous for waterfalls, but it was winter and the larger ones are quite a journey away.

unfortunately, we got lost along the way...

near Nikko Toshogu shrine is the Toshogu art museum.
there was absolutely no one there, which was a refreshing change from all the people visiting Toshogu. the snow-covered ornamental pond and little garden was delightful.

we walked up a narrow motor road, not knowing if this was the right way.
there appeared a small shrine on the tree side of the road!

in a hollow of the hillside, appeared some ancient looking statues.
surprising and slightly scary.

i thought we were going the wrong way, so we did a u-turn.
the road was surrounded by rock walls - they sit very neatly on top of each other, without the use of any cement to fix them together. they are about 1.5m high and moss carpeted the rock walls.
i love fuzzy moss :D
 we asked an old man at the car park for directions who told us to walk upwards.
so we did. on the other side of the road was a valley.

the tree side of the road was actually a hiking trail, but due to the snow, the trail could not be seen. this was a signposted hiking trail where one can see many important pieces of history, accompanied by an introduction in Japanese.
it was safer to walk on the motor road, of course.

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