What in the world is going on ...?

Times are so uncertain now, with the stock exchange going up and down like a yoyo, global economy heading for a meltdown and terrorism on the rise, perhaps it is only fitting that we see this ....

Sky : What are you guys doing down there!! :o

Perhaps when we get our act in order ... we can see this instead

Ok .. the eyes are a little squinty but that's supposed to be a smiley face in the sky.

The eyes are venus and jupiter and the mouth is the moon. Australia's suppose to be one of the few countries where people can witness this event and I was fortunate enough to take a snapshot of it.

Sometimes thing seldom turn out the way we expect it to ... I went out with some friends to actually spot this event but the moon turned out to be a no show , we were sort of disappointed - but discovered a brand new place (Balls head is a very nice place with great views!) - and had fun shivering in the wind :p) But the very next day , voila! the emoticon in the sky shows up .. visible from the balcony of my unit! So is life, you never know what to expect : the ups and downs. I guess that is what makes life interesting.

Pictorial Update!

Since there has been a drought of picture posts on the blog lately, I've decided to do a pictorial update on life in Australia!!

P.S. actually a lame excuse for me to be lazy and not write too much :p . So without further ado !

Picture 1: Front entrance of the unit I am renting

Picture 2: From Left to Right : Me, Weite and Suko at Darling Harbour
(Don't ask, real names have not been published :p)

Picture 3: At Circular Quay, pretty good shot taken with a Canon Ixus camera

Picture 4: Adorable koala at Taronga Zoo - See no touch though....

Picture 5: Me and baby koala checking each other out!

Picture 6: A nice shot of the Opera House from the Harbour Bridge

Picture 7: Night shot at Circular Quay with the Opera House in the background

Picture 8: Buffet at the Suminoya restaurant, Martin's Place. At AUD 50 per head, it is not cheap but it sure is yummy!

* Pictures courtesy of Ms. Suko dlp

Twisted ankle!

Oh well, finally no excuse not to update. Last Sunday I fell down and twisted my ankle (still remember the crunching sound when I landed >_<) ... Reminder to self - don't jump for the shuttle again. It was pretty bad and I don't think that I can walk for a week. I went to see the doctor yesterday and thank god it looks like nothing is broken. Had to hop around on one leg before I got some crutches and even then it was pretty tiring to move around on one leg. At the moment my left leg looks like a water balloon. I would post a photo but can't get my photo transfer cable which is sitting in a bottom drawer at the moment.

Thankfully I've got family and friends in Sydney to help me out through this period, if not I wouldn't know what to do, not being able to walk and all. So nothing to do but to wait it out and pray for speedy healing - thanks to those who have been keeping me in their prayers :) . Luckily work isn't too busy at the moment, but I don't know what my boss thinks about me taking so many days of medical leave in advance =_=".

Anyway need to keep my foot elevated and typing is a pain in this position. Got to lie down in a more comfortable position. To all my friends and family everywhere ... keep safe and take care !

Short Update 1

Quick update: Found a place in Chatswood!! Wow after all the hassle we got a pretty nice place :) . Today was a busy day - went shopping for all the essentials like bed, washing machine, fridge, tables and the works. We were so fortunate that Cory (a friend from badminton) offered to chauffeur us around to get all the stuff ! Cheers! Update more later when I get the internet connection set up, hopefully with photos of the new apartment. ;)

Short update from Oz

It has been almost 2 weeks since I've arrived in Sydney and has been surprisingly cold over here, dipping to a mere 7 degrees on the day I arrived. Since arrival it has been a bit of a transition period- opening bank accounts, sorting taxes and insurances and ... FINDING ACCOMODATION! I've been looking at properties available for rent and the amount of people turning up at the viewings number almost 20-30 people! Its like a frigging lottery draw or something, you have to put in an application to rent the place and keep your fingers crossed that you will get picked ... hopefully I can get a place before the current apartment lease that is paid by my company runs out, else I will be homeless :( .

Work has been slow - the usual when starting out in a new job but I have a feeling that the Australian economy might be running a little slower than before, from what I have heard out on the street. Hopefully things will pick up soon. Work environment is good, there are some people whom I know and worked with before and also have the opportunity to make new friends everyday! :)

Anyway not having home internet access is a pain and i can scarely find the opportunity to check my regular reads and facebook! on the net. I just managed to scrap in some time to do a short update now, since I am at my aunt's place and by some stroke of luck had an unexpected holiday today. I have been meeting up with old friends in Oz, and settling back into some sort of routine. I just pray that the accomodation will be sorted soon as that is the biggest headache at the moment.

Update: I just recieved some good news ! Looks like one of the properties that we (me and my future housemate - Shong) looked at and got rejected earlier came back and re-offered the place to us!

Leaving for Australia .... again

Wow ... it's time for me to leave again. Time really flies by and you often wonder what is really important to you in life (didn't even write 1 measly blog post!!) . I am going to leave for Australia to work there now and this is a different story all together from my previous stints. The last arrangment was a 50/50 Malaysia / Australia sort of working time but now I am working in Australia with a more permanent basis. I will probably be able to come back to Malaysia once or twice a year ?? And maybe only a week or two each time.

I've struggled quite a fair bit with the decision but I do see much better prospects over there, and after much support from family and friends, I made the difficult decision. Frankly, I find it hard to give up being close to my family and friends, the local lifestyle I grew up with and leaving a place that I've called home for 20+ years. Even though I have been travelling so much during the last few years, I always get this "ahhh.. it's good to be home" feeling when I land at KLIA and make my way home in the taxi. I realise with the change I am making now, things may never be the same again and that makes my move tinged with a hint of sadness. I really hope that the move is worth it but than again I am not the type who makes decisions to look back in regret.

I was just having a post badminton dinner session with some of the guys and we were just joking away with the usual crap at the local eatery until midnight. It was filled with laughter and there was this guy who could really talk ... I don't think that I will find that type of atmosphere and scenario in Australia. Given, I will definitely make new friends but this is a typical Malaysian night out at the mamak/eatery that we are talking about here - some locals would term "talking cock".

On a more positive note, I am definitely looking forward to the challenges I will face over there. New job, new environment, new start and new challenges - definitely will help me become a "better" person and it also gives you a chance to look at life with a fresh perspective, some might say "to make a fresh start". I thank god that I have friends and family there to support me with this change. And to all my family and friends here in Malaysia - love you guys, best of luck and do keep in touch! I have also made a resolution to actively update this blog, so do check now and then to have a look and I would love to hear any comments from you all.

As a side note, I really hope that the Malaysian leaders can get their act together. Perhaps one day, I can come home to a better place, one day.....

Back from down under!

Yup, finally back home again. Need to dust the cob webs off the blog and start blogging again. Will do so once I get round to sorting out all my photographs and enjoying good old Malaysian food!! Look out for updates soon!

Long due update - Back in down under again

Wow, it seems to have been ages since I've last posted on the blog. I guess we have all been pretty busy since the move to australia (and having limited internet access doesn't really help). But heck it is the new year, got to do a year in review post like every other blogger does. Just came back to aussie before the new year after a short break back home, time really flies when you have been away from home and moving around.

Anyway managed to squeeze in a short trip down to good old singapore and visit some friends. A short thank you and shout out to Suko and Terbie for being so accommodating. Got to come up to KL sometime soon on a eating fest again (or perhaps up north for an inspection of your millenium towers, hehe )! And cheerios to Ron, Mit and MH - really nice to meet you all in person (well Ron, nice seeing you again :p)

Oh well, here we go - Year 2007-2008 in review:

1) Starting a blog :

Haha, somewhere around the mid of 2007, 3 of us guys came up with an idea of starting a blog where we could just write whatever we wanted and have some fun. I think at that time, Origor already had a photography blog at wordpress and Alvin, our Mr. Friendster had a blog in friendster. So hence came about the blog of the 3chipmunks. Obviously contrary to what some people believe as just logging in and writting some nonsense, it takes quite a fair bit of time and effort to continually come up with fresh stuff and update a blog. Hat's off to those who manage to do so regularly despite hectic life schedules - (here's looking at you Mr. Kenny Sia, can always get a few laughs at his blog! http://www.kennysia.com/ )

2) Working in Aussie:

Well, with the current arrangement, I am spending about 1/2 my year in Australia and 1/2 in Malaysia. It has been a really enriching experience working down under - Sure I've been learning a lot in my job (engineering wise) but it was also knowing how the working and social culture in Australia is, sure is different to what we are used to back home. Managed to squeeze in the usual sightseeing as usual and wow, the fireworks at the Sydney Harbour for New Years Eve was definitely a highlight, worth the squeeze with the 1 million odd people in Sydney. If you ask me, I would definitely go for it again (well at least once more ... after that hmmmm)

Asides from all the excitement and stuff, I do find that there is a very dear price to pay. Sacrifices like not being able to be with your family and friends, especially my parents and grandparents - they are not getting any younger and I would like to spend more time with them but as you get older there seems to be so many things that you are preocupied with (that are sometimes not as important) - resolution ~ prioritize time management. And to all my old friends and mates, I hope we do not drift apart even though we are separated by the vast oceans, Keep in touch!

3) Wedding in the family:

Well, all the best to my cousin who just got married this year. The first wedding for our generation and I think my cousin definitely got a good guy :) - Cheers to you Tim! I didn't manage to show for their wedding in the UK so I came back this Christmas to make the one they had in KL. A very nice private function held at Passionflower in Jln. Ampang (sorry- no pictures)

Anyway I'm glad that there has not been any "pressure" on me yet "phew!" but there have been comments like "baby soon" dropped within earshot of my cousin, haha . Good LUCK!

The wedding also was a chance for the family to get together. I believe it has been a long time since that many family members got back together - couldn't even fit on one table! and all the little cousins that we used to play with when we were kids, all grown up. It's a bit sad that we have all gone off to our own corners of the globe and were not as close as we used to be but some say that's life .... resolution ~ keep in touch more! (ahaha, i've got Anthony, my younger cousin from australia on my msn now :p - think he is still in France even as I write)

4) 1 year mark in new company!

Well this year, I've passed the 1 year mark in my new company! I have to say I like the opportunities offered and the way my boss is so supportive of the staff. As always, there have been ups and downs but overall, I am glad that I made the move.

5) and many many more memories !

Uh, this seems to be growing into an overly long post so I will stop here for the moment. Oh ya and Happy New Year Everyone and God Bless!! :D

Off to badminton at Mcquarie Uni!