Updates

Thu, 31 May 2007

0720h
Gah. Yesterday was our first day in Australia...and boy it was tiring... I didn't get much sleep in the plane so naturally I was very tired (like everyone else). Consequently, we were all really struggling to pay attention in the universities.

However, the university visit really made me aware of the possibility of studying overseas as an international student. Prior to this, I have never really considered studying overseas, but now, I am quite impressed with the universities' attempts to help the foreign students adapt, so now the possibility of studying overseas suddenly doesn't seem so remote anymore...

1405h
The visit to the blue mountains was fantastic! The scenery was beautiful. Had a nice time capturing some fabulous places in my lovely camera phone! I love the serene environment in australia. The sharing session at the museum was very enriching. Learnt much about them. How I hope I can meet the aborigines! Well, we are all now heading back to Sydney to our accomodation. Will definitely miss the blue mountains.

1938h
We just finished the bush walk at the Blue Mountains and i must say it was indeed a breathtaking experience! could see how much they emphasize on the aboriginal culture and the conservation of the natural habitat. The 3 sisters, waterfall... and and, our group just cooked! Gosh it is fantastic and we definitely have a flair for cooking. Presentation is starting in a minute so I will probably continue later [= ciaoos

Poline, Yi LIng, Huang Sui, Jay, Kenny

Reflections in Sydney!

30/5/07

We gained valuable information on studying in sydney. We learnt that studying overseas is not easy as it requires you to be independent and self-disciplined; you have to cook your own meals, look after yourself, manage your own money etc. However, it may be a fun and enriching experience where you meet many different people from different cultures. The unsw iss, support group for international students , left a very good impression on us,with their 'motto' arrive,survive ,thrive. It assured us that there would be someone around to give us support. Overall, it really was an eye-opener and a great experience.

31/5/07

First destination. Sydney fish market! We went on a tour round the fish market. Like we all know, the only fish market which is bigger than this is the fish market in japan. Unlike japan, which auctions off its wares by voice, the sydney fish market uses an auction clock to carry out the auctions. We realized that the market made use of technology to help them achieve maximun efficiency in selling off their products.

-Andrea, Yiliang, Grace Ong, Thomas, YuHang

30/5/07

Went to visit the university of new south wales and macquarie university. We had a tour around the campuses and were introduced to the various courses available, such as new medical program in unsw, and had a look at the facilities and accommodations available on campus.There were also different clubs we could join, ....similar to what we call ccas in singapore . From the tours we realised that there are plenty of opportunities available and we should be open towards them, and consider all of them carefully. An ex-vj student, Bernice, currently studying fine arts in UNSW shared with us her experience studying in UNSW, the problems she faced,as well as how she adapted to the life there. After the tour, we were able to identify the pros and cons of studying overseas, and the support that we would receive from the school if we choose to study here, to ensure that we arrive, survive and thrive. We were also informed about the courses they provided and the requirements of entering the university so that we can chooose which university is more suitable for us if we were to pursue our studies in australia in the future. after this experience, we began to see the differences between studying in singapore and studying aboard....... There were societies formed to help international students adapt in a foreign environment. The people in australia very friendly and helpful as they would gladly answer any questions we posted to them.

-JunHan, Audrey, Jillian, KwanYong

31/5/07

We have learnt a great deal from the the Aboriginals. Unlike the European settlers who manipulate the natural environment drastically to suit their needs, the Aboriginals have developed a very clever way of lifestyle, especially with managing the resources, which is very closely tied in with the spirituality they share with the land they inhabitat in. They treat the land with utmost respect, not over-exploiting the land. This is reflected in their nomadic lifestyle and burning the land in a controlled manner.

These two different populations reflect the two contrasting schools of thoughts pertaining to the relationship between man and the environment. The whites believe that armed with advanced technology, they will be able to manipulate the environment, whereas the aboriginals' lifestyle are very much determined by the environment and will not try to change it to meet their survival needs.

I think we have a lot to learn from the Aboriginals. As we move on to JC, we have to be willing to step out of our comfort zone and take on an open and positive mindset. Just like the Aboriginals,we can develop ways to adapt to the new system and make the system work out for us.

-PuEn, Jonathan, Josephine, Kevin, Rhoda

1/6/07

Today, we visited the national art gallery . After comparing and contrasting the drawings of Australia by europian and aboriginal artissts,I find we need toidentify the truth in isolation. We should not present the tree branches in curves just as we like that;we shoulde not ourline the aborigines by imagination without even meeting the. How we approach the truth is being humble and honest.

-Huang Sui

1/6/07

Woot! I finally had some proper rice after sooo long. I.just had lunch at a Chinese buffet restaurant, and boy it tasted of home. Had some really cool food ZOMG!!!

I went to the Migrant Centre just now and we had a very enlightening talk regarding problems that immigrants going to Australia may face, and the sources of help they can find from the Australian government.

I realised that a migrant's life may not be as free and easy as it seems, and they will most probably face plenty of problems. However ever, I think that these risks are probably insignificant in comparison to the benefits of migrating.

-Kenny

Hunter Valley Zoo

Sorry for being bored in the middle of the night~

BUT~

FOR ZOO LOVERS LIKE ... MUAAA (see ms low~ ^_^), we can't give this a miss.

IT's A MUST GO!!!

and bio teachers will love it! just wondering whether mr shi has any problem with it ...

Anyway... Here are some of the things i present to you after dripping a lot of sweat and doing a lot of hard work. (dripping of sweat = excretion) HAHAHAH! expels... SALT

The address:

138 Lomas LaneCessnock

NSW 2325Australia

Opening time: It opens from 9 AM to 4 PM.

And you can feed the kangaroos, wallabies, deers and birds!

but of course you can feed yourself.

ANDDDDD... we are having our BARBEQUE LUNCH I suppose!
(drool peopleeee)

(might play around with video cam for chinese project. HOSTING THE BBQ SHOW HAHAH!)

^_^


Here is a list of animals available~~~

Agile Wallabies, Albino Wallaroos, Albino Tammar Wallabies,

Blue-tongued Lizard, Bearded Dragons (ooh. wonder what this is), Black Swans, Blue-winged Kookaburras

Crab-eating Macaques, Cockatiels, Carpet Python, Crested Pigeon, Crimson Rosella, Chital Deer, Cape Barren Goose,

Dingoes, Diamond Python, Ducks,

Eastern Brown Snake, Emus, Eastern Rosella, Eclectus Parrots, Eastern Grey Kangaroos, Eastern Wallaroos

Fallow Deer, Fan-tail Pigeons,

Gang-gang Cockatoo, Guinea Pea Fowl, Geese,

Koalas, King Parrots,

Lace Monitors (Goannas),

Major Mitchell Cockatoos


Ostrich,

Pheasants, Peacocks, Parma Wallabies

Red-necked Wallabies, Rainbow Lorikeets, Red-collared Lorikeets, Red-necked Pademelons, Red Kangaroos,

Spider Monkeys, Swamp Wallabies, Silky Chickens, Supurb Parrots, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Sugar Gliders

Tammar Wallabies,

Wombat (Common), Western Red Wallaroos


Seems like no underwater things for SHARK lovers like me! T_T

Shan't post pictures.
Witness the beauty when you get there. ^_^




Posted by the meddlesome food group members. [[ace`]] junhan jillian KY

WINE TASTING

Sorry people I was too bored after pia-ing for my Language Arts SIP so now I have a lot of freetime.

^_^ sharing and presenting to you... the art of wine tasting.

(a question to you guys : wine tasting = art?)

3 STEPS - LOOK . SMELL . TASTE

LOOK:

The wine should be held in front of a white background so that the colour can be seen!
E.g. White wine : green - yellow - brown (more colour means more flavour and it's older ^_^)
E.g. Red wine : pale red - deep brown red (lighter colour means older!)

Rim colour: the... meniscus. YEPP! purple tint = young . orange - brown = maturity
Swirling: observe body of wine for alcohol content and/or sweetness level

SMELL:

2 methods:
1. take a quick sniff. formulate the flavour. take another sniff
OR
2. just take one big sniff <-- aint this simpler.

RMB to swirl before smelling!.
allow oxygen to enter wine.
"releases the esters, ethers, and aldehydes that combine with oxygen to yield the bouquet of the wine. In other words, swirling aerates the wine and gives you a better smell."

You should be able to smell either:
wood, flower, herbs, spice, fruit, earthy(notsure?)

*remember the smell of the wine that u dont like and don't buy that one. XD

TASTE

heh. finally! drink up! ... still got steps...

initial taste: your initial impression of it when i just touched ur tastebuds...
taste: take in some air, slosh wine arnd in mouth to taste better
(examine body and texture of wine: light/rich? smooth/harsh?)
after taste: the time the taste lasted in mouth and was it pleasant.

1. Swish the wine around in your mouth

Now we know that all the taste buds on your tongue can detect sweetness, sourness, bitterness and saltiness! (not like what we learnt in primary school, tip of tongue = sweet) So to let all your taste buds enjoy the wine, swish it around in your buccal cavity!

2. Smell the wine
70%-75% of what we taste is what we smell!!!
If you don't smell the wine, you won't be able to enjoy it fully. Without our sense of smell, we CANNOT detect flavours such as smoke, chocolate or herbs.


OK PEOPLE!!!
enjoy packing your luggage!

Brought to you by [[ace`]]
and her aussie group members junhan jillian ky

Shock closure of UNSW Asia in Singapore!

Hihi, pls read today's front page... the newly opened UNSW campus in Singapore will be closing in June! Reason cited is smaller-than-expected student enrolment.

This leads us to wonder:
Is their marketing to blame? Did they advertise enough, considering such aggressive ad campaigns like SMU's?

Is it because students still desire the Australian education experience, which they can't get in Singapore? Is the experience more important than just having the name UNSW on your cert?

Cheers mates!

Cheap (?) Stuff you can get!

Alright. This is late, but yeah... Haha.
Things you can get with 5 Ozzie Bucks! (or around there o.o)

Food:
- TimTam (US$1.50) [Btw, its a recommendation on 5 Takes forum to try every single flavour ]
- Natural Confectionary Jellies (US$2.95)
- A decent dinner and a pint of beer at a random pub
- The pint alone costs Au$2. O.o
For supermarket goers:
- A newspaper, Plus:
-- 2 litres of milk
-- 1kg minced beef
-- 1kg of cheese
-- 1 stack of printing paper
Shower Stuff:
- Shower gel, milk, oil, soap bars (US$4-5)
Gifts:
- Keychains: road signs, pendants, koalas, boomerangs, kangaroo, kookaburra, wombat, opal rock, aussie flag (US$3-5 individually)
- Stuff in the kitchen:
-- Australian Aprons (US$8)
-- Tea Towels (US$5)
-- Pot/Oven Mittens (US$3.50-4.50)
-- Mugs/Cups (US$4-5)
-- Coasters (US$5)
-- Fridge Magnets (US$3-ish)
Car Stuff:
- Road signs (US$2, 4, 7 dependent on size.)
- Bumper stickers/Decals (US$3)
Other Random Unassociated Stuff:
- 24-hour ticket for infinite Aussie train rides
- 45-piece puzzle (Au$4.50)
- Clip-on Koalas - the type everyone's sick of now (US$1)
- Finger puppets - zomg cute (US$4)
- Plushies - mostly koalas (US$5-7)
- Hat/Tie/Lapel pin (US$4)
- Pen with Australian flags or roadsigns plastered all over (US$2 each)
- Mousepads (US$7.50)
- Gift certs, Ties, paintbrushes, Stamps, and a lot of other teeny things.

alrighty, that's all we've got.
We thank random search engines, more search engines, and even more of em.
I personally thank my Australian friends whom i have not seen as it is on a random online game forum.

and i personally do NOT advocate going out in the middle of the night to go pubbing, nosiree no. that would be bad, undisciplined, possibly unlawful, and we'd get ugly hangovers the next day UNLESS we drink a pint of water and eat a Panadol before we go to sleep.. yeps.
(p.s. stock up on panadols? yall think? i can't find how much they cost there. XP)

So. Cheers!
ZOMG 6 DAYS TO TAKEOFF ZOMGWTFBBQSHIFTONESHIFTONESHIFTONE!

btw, this is kevin signing off. XP

Must Try Food In Sydney!

I happened to come across this site (actually it's more of a blog) which lists in great detail the various restaurants in Sydney, from the CBD to Chinatown, from Darling Harbour to the beaches, from the North to the South, from the East to the West, this site provides information perfect for those keen on having the best delicacies in Sydney. Systematically listing and classifying the restaurants by location, the author of this blog does a fantastic job in introducing the must-try foods in Sydney.


One restaurant that caught my eye was the Pier 26 @ Darling Harbour. This restaurant serves a wide variety of dishes, like BBQ Prawn Skewers , but what really made me drool was the Beer Battered Fish & Chips, with tartar sauce and lemon.

Here's what the author had to say: "Fish and chips are similarly swoonworthy. The beer batter is light, airy and almost cloud-like in appearance. The fried is fried to a pale golden brown, in fresh oil which leaves no sticky residue. Chips are crunchy batons, the tartare sauce has the right among of zing."

Check it out at http://grabyourfork.blogspot.com/ !!!

Posted by Kwan Yong, Jillian, Audrey and Jun Han :P