12.Thirteen

Paella

2008-09-18T23:29:00.000+08:00

Came across this lovely Spanish dish as I was watching an episode of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. It looked pretty simple, and the ingredients were pretty easy to come by so I remembered it all(I hope) and tried to cook it by recalling what I've seen on TV. It might differ slighty but this will have to do.

Cut up some spicy chorizos into small pieces. They are pretty hard compared to normal sausages so they do hold themselves pretty well.

Slice up a piece of chicken thigh into bite sized chunks.

Cut up some onions, squid, and chillies.

Prepare some saffron, which can be seen at the lower right hand corner. This may be slightly harder to come by.

Oil a big flat pan(I used a wok as my pans were too small) and chuck in the chorizos and onion. Fry until fragrant and colored.

Chuck in the chicken and chillies.

Add some arborio rice to the pan then slowly add some chicken stock while stirring it like how you would cook risotto.

Cut up some tomatoes.

When the rice is nearly done, add in some saffron, the tomatoes, and the squid.

Paella, served.

Pan-fried and Oven-baked Salmon with Garlic Mushroom Sauce

2008-09-18T23:14:00.001+08:00

Slice up some salmon and marinate them with ground black pepper and salt. They measure around 12x6cm each.

Wrap two of them up with some pancetta and drizzle some olive oil over them. Place it in the oven for around 15-20 minutes(can't recall) at 180 degrees.

Oil up the pan.

Place the salmon skin side down to prevent it from burning the flesh first. Leave it until the fish is cooked around half way up.

Then flip it over and cook the other half. Sear them on the sides as well until they are nicely colored.

At the same time, skin and boil some potatoes, then mash them and add some cream, salt, and pepper.

Continue mashing it around until it looks like this.

Remove the salmon from the oven and pan.

Dish it up and serve. The sauce was made by pan-frying some mushrooms, chucking them into a food processor, adding some salt, pepper, cream and a clove of garlic, then blend away. In this instance i ran out of cream so it looks chunky still.

Cream of Chicken Soup and Garlic Bread

2008-09-18T22:06:00.000+08:00

Everyone loves a nicely done slice of garlic bread, and no one would deny that it is even nicer to have a beautiful bowl of creamy chicken soup to dip it in. It was a pretty chilly winter afternoon when I decided that 'damn, I want some chicken soup for dinner tonight!', so i decided to look up so recipes. Googling chicken soup will net you thousands of results, which is why i went through a few looking at their common ingredients used across different recipes and decided to have a go at it myself without really following. It involves quite a bit of work but it was all worth it in the end, trust me!

The most important part of chicken soup is the chicken stock that makes it, so we'll start with my version of chicken stock made specifically to prepare the soup. Usually only chicken carcasses will be used, but since the soup needed some chicken meat, I used drumsticks. First, clean about a kilo of drumsticks and marinate it with some lea&perrins sauce, soy sauce, and white pepper.

After leaving the drumsticks alone for 10-15 minutes, pan fry them to give them colour on all sides. The flesh need not be cooked as the boiling will take care of it, so remove the chicken as soon as they smell fragrant and there is sufficient color on the skin and flesh. Place them in a big pot.

Chop up around 3-4 carrots depending on size.

Then chop up a 3-4 sticks of celery.

Cut up two large brown onions. I used smaller ones because I ran out of onions.

Smash 5-6 cloves of garlic up.

Chuck all the carrots, celery, onions and garlic into the same pot as the drumsticks.

Fill the pot up with water and bring it to a boil and leave it for around 50mins to an hour with the cover on before switching the fire off.

After letting the stock cool down, removed the drumsticks and set them aside in a bowl. Remove all the others.

Let the drumsticks cool and peel them into small pieces which we will use later.

Slice some button mushrooms out. I used around 5-600grams.

The pan that was used to fry the chicken. Don't clean the residue off as it will add some flavor to the mushrooms.

Fry the mushrooms and set them aside.

Melt a big chunk of non-salted butter/spread on a non-stick pan. I used around 40% of a standard sized margarine-type container.

After the spread has melted and starts to bubble, slowly pour some flour in and stir the mixture around. The flour added should be around 80% of the spread used. Continue stirring it until it reaches the consistency as shown in the picture.

Add around 200-250ml of cream into the mixture and continue stirring.

Continue stirring until it reaches this consistency.

Pour the mixture into the pot with the stock. My mistake was not bringing the stock to a boil first as it has cooled down over time, which is why the following happened.

The whole thing kind of coagulated. Took slightly longer to melt everything down again.

Chuck the peeled meat and the fried mushrooms into the pot and continue boiling it for around 15-20 minutes while constantly stirring it.

It should look like this after a while.

Cut up some garlic and put it in the blender.

Add a healthy sprinkle of italian herbs. I ran out of fresh ones so bottled ones will have to do.

Add in some cut blocks of butter.

The ratio should be like this.

Blend it good!

Spread the butter over some bread and oven toast it for 5 minutes.

Dip it in the creamy soup and munch away.

Leftovers can be kept in containers and left in the fridge or be frozen for another day. I like to separate them into portions for convenience sake.

Chicken Rice

2008-09-18T21:43:00.000+08:00

There are plenty of variations for steamed chicken rice out there, and for overseas students on a shoestring budget, it is a godsend as the the ingredient list is short and the items on it are dirt cheap. It also doesn't take that long a time or involve that many steps, which is just great.

Depending on how strong you want the taste to be, prepare some thinly sliced ginger and crush a few cloves of garlic. Also, slice a few chillies in preparation for the sauce later.

A full chicken, gutted and cleaned.

Fill a pot with water, and bring it to a boil. Place the chicken in gently and chuck in a handful of ginger and a handful of garlic. Sprinkle some salt in, maybe around one and a half tablespoon's worth.

Switch the fire off after around 20-25 minutes depending on how big the chicken is. This is a good time to place a handful of chili, a few slices of ginger, a clove of garlic or two, some lime juice, and some chicken fat/oil from the pot into a mortar and mash it all up. Alternatively a blender can be used but it will be too finely done. To cook the rice, use the amount of rice that is desired and fill the ricecooker with the stock that resulted from cooking the chicken. Chuck some slices of ginger and a few smashed cloves of garlic in as well.

While waiting for the rice, chop the chicken up into bite-sized pieces.

Voila! Steamed chicken, Stir-fried Vegetables, and some chili sauce. Only the rice is missing.

Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Herb and Mustard

2008-05-12T14:03:00.001+08:00

Few days ago was shopping in the city, was looking for fish but couldn't find nice skinned ones so decided to postpone it until I visit the Sydney Fishmarket again. Chanced upon some lamb instead so thought what the hell, might as well try to do it up myself after so many times of buying prepacked ones. This is my own version of Roasted Lamb Shoulder marinated with Herb and Mustard, served with roasted potatoes and cherrie tomatoes bathed in oregano.

Massively salt the lamb for 20-25 minutes. Remember that only sea salt is to be used, not your normal table salt.

Wash the salt rocks off, wipe the lamb dry with a kitchen towel and stab it all over with a small knife.

Break up the Thyme sprigs into small individual stalks, about 1cm long each and insert them into the slits. The amount inserted should vary according to the intensity of the flavor you desire. Squeeze mustard all over and roll the lamb around coating every part of it. Sprinkle some table salt and freshly ground black pepper over the coated lamb.

Peel and smash up some garlics, of which I have used about 1 and a half bulbs of it over here. Line them up on a sheet of foil placed upon a baking tray. The amount should be relative to the size if your lamb. The rule of thumb for me is that it should have a footprint as large as that of the lamb.

Place the nicely coated lamb onto the garlic.

Wrap it all up and place it in the oven after pre-heating it for about 10 minutes at 180c. Leave it in the oven for about 50 minutes before bringing the tray out and opening the top of the foil. The first 50 minutes will see the juices cooking the lamb, while after opening the foil, the heat should dry out the top layer for a crispier taste. After opening the foil, place it back into the oven for a further 15-20 minutes.

Ingredients for the sides: Cherry Tomatoes, Baby Potatoes, Oregano and Chives.

Finely chopped up oregano. Mix it up with finely chopped up chives.

Place the tomatoes and potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Lightly coat them with olive oil and dump all of the herbs in plus a dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper thereafter. Mix all of them together by hand until all is even.

Pan fry the mixture for a few minutes, drop in a small cube of butter. 2-3 minutes after the butter melts should be around when you remove the sides and place them on a sheet of foil on a tray. Pop them into the oven about 15 minutes after you've placed the lamb in.

Slightly overcooked, but still lovely.

Dish it out and serve.

Hopefully I'll be able to visit the Fish Market this weekend to get my seabass to try out some new dish. Or maybe scallops. Or maybe monkfish. So many choices!

Three New Shows, A New Interest

2008-05-11T14:43:00.001+08:00

After settling down here in Sydney, for the first few weeks I have consistently plonked myself on the couch staring at the tv after dinner. The internet was down then, so there was no other choice, unless I wanted to re-watch the hundreds of movies/series that I have on my computer which i have watched countlessly. It was by chance that I was exposed to a few fantastic shows, one being Underbelly, a dramatized series depicting the Melbourne gang wars that happened not too long ago. It changed my perception of Australian dramas as the previous ones that I have caught on tv were pure rubbish.

The second was Two and a Half Men, an American sitcom revolving around the lives of two brothers and a child of one of them. I previously loved Friends, but Two and a Half Men completely blew the former away.

The last one was Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, where celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay visits an ailing establishment and aims to revamp and revive the eatery/restaurant in a week's time, utilizing everything that he knows about the trade. First, the show managed to present how the life of a chef is, and gives us some insight into the workings of a restaurant, which is of course interesting. Secondly, Ramsay - which owns a few Michelin stared restaurant, one of which is a three stared fine diner - can't help but emphasize the need and the benefits of using fresh ingredients. Lastly, he said that the passion for food is paramount if you are to succeed in that line.

I bought into what he said, and started to experiment with the freshest ingredients and not fearing what the outcome was, I'm proud to say that my endeavors were pretty much successful. By my own standards of course. To procure the freshest ingredients means going to butchers rather than supermarkets, or to purchase fresh herbs instead of bottled ones. It may prove to be expensive if you are cooking just for one, but as the numbers increase, the cost drops. Basic economics. To date I have tried cooking twice, which effort I hope I can keep up to at least try out something new each week. Hopefully.

This was my first attempt: Medium-rare Sirloin with Rosemary and garlic, served with pan-fried peppers and mushroom, and a thick creamy mushroom sauce.

Sydney Auto Salon, National Finals 07

2008-05-09T13:31:00.000+08:00

A post that is way overdue.

It was a damp and drizzly morning when I was in my rental along with my sis, driving around looking for the North Sydney train station to pick up abby. After nearly 20 minutes of innumerable circles around the blocks of North Sydney, we finally picked up abby, and god almighty, the gps that she just picked up was a godsend. Our destination (more like mine) was the Sydney Olympic Park, the locale where the Sydney Olympics took place in 2000. Not this day though, as the event that was taking place at the showgrounds is none other than the Auto Salon Finals.

Nearly 30 minutes of leaving our fate up to the gps unit later, we reached our destination. Sis balked at the $25 entry, so she decided to stay put and sleep in the car. I don't think Abby was too happy with it as well, but she said it was part of the experience so she didn't mind. What a great way to start. Bloody Auto Salon rip-off.

Damn rip off. Damned if I get ripped off, be damned if I leave empty handed after wasting 30 mintues on the road.

TRD Super GT car with a tuned 3S-GTE in it

Attendants of the Malaysian leg of the Super GT gets way better shots than this.

Tuned S2000 which appeared on the Autosalon mag.

Nicely done up S15

Weaksauce GTT. At this point was hoping that there better be 2 GTRs present for every GTT to make up for my effort to attend.

Blur picture, but it was a 750+ hp supra on dyno (I think). Single massive turbo if I'm not mistaken, sounded like a 737 taking off. Was half expecting the harness to break anytime and the car flying towards the spectators, crushing a few poor souls to my amusement.

Subtly beautiful. Such is the top secret DC5 kit. Absolutely loved it ever since I saw the real thing driven by my neighbour's friend back at home.

Candy paint and bling wheels. What more can I say? Barf bag please.

Another one.

Finally, the real deal.

Good things come in pairs.

Fantastic 996 GT3. Immaculate.

Some tube frame drag car I suppose. Ironically the thing that caught my eye on this stand was the model, rather than this car. The model was taking photos with some buffoons. Poor thing was getting nasty buffoon hands all over her ass while doing that. Idiots.

Big boys started to appear in increasing numbers.

Supras not leaving without a fight.

When this car zooms past you on the road, you'll be aroused.

Candy paint, but all is forgiven as the color is not atrocious. Beautiful beautiful specimen. Makes me wanna be all over it.

Look at that front end. Pure sex on wheels.

The infamous Queen Street 360. Twin turbo'ed redhead.

Bring on the shades please.

From another angle. Read this baby is going to be succeeded by a Lambo.

Another beautiful S15

Hummer? No thanks. I'll take this one any day. Bad boy looks like it eats baby hilux'es for lunch and hummers for dinner. MASSIVE car.

Definitely a girl's car. Cannot be otherwise, can it?

This year's winner. The Osman brothers' masterpiece. Chopped up WRX, modified into a ute.

Do you see a front end in this pic, or a rear?

Insane hayabusa. Must have balls of steel to ride that, literally.

Side profile.

Some decent XX.

More XXes, dancing for me. I wish.

Not my cup of tea.

Pretty nice and edgy S14.

Which one is the best ride?

Another chopper. Love them wheels.

ACS'fied 5.

Pretty nice Jag S-type.

Lonely 355. Has a banshee's wail.

Can't get tired of 360s. So much simpler and prettier than 430s.

Happy Camper :D

All in all, the event is honestly not worth the entry price. It is not much better than your regular auto salon, except that it has much hotter models than the one in Perth. Would I return? I have no idea. But if they move the event to a location that is nearer to the city, I just might be too tempted to resist.

Cirque du Soleil - Varekai

2007-09-15T09:18:00.000+08:00

Just yesterday me and the missus went to the Cirque, and honestly, i am lost for words. It was THAT good!

It has been years and years since i last went to the circus, when i was way younger during my early high school days. During that period in time, circuses are usually held at muddy fields under gigantic tents, and of course the usual spots would be the old Escoy Smelting compound as well as Han Chiang High School's ginormous field. The one that i can remember best was the Royal London Circus, of which if i am not mistaken was held at Han Chiang. It wasn't a memorable experience since the show was just mediocre at best, but the location as well as the event was managed appallingly. Toilets were few and far between, the ground was muddy and slippery, the seats were just wooden benches affixed to the seating structure/scaffolding, and there were kids screaming about as the show went on. The Cirque though, is a far cry from what the Royal London was.

Before this, the only times i've heard of the Cirque was on tv, while it was being mentioned on shows like CSI and Las Vegas, so my preconception of it was that it was just another famous Vegas show. I have no interest in those, until i was told that it is a circus by my french speaking friends. Literally translated, Cirque du Soleil means 'Circus of the Sun'. This franchise was started by two guys in Quebec, Canada over 20 years ago, and it prides itself in being one of the most highly regarded shows around the world today. They have resident shows in one of the Vegas hotels, as well as travelling troupes performing all over the US.

What is special about the Cirque is that their different shows have different themes and that their performers are usually dressed in elaborate outfits with make up to go, and as for the show i attended - Varekai - they had musicians and singers performing live on stage for the ongoing performance.

Sorry if i can't stop raving about the Cirque experience because i have not experienced anything like it at all. Period. From purchasing the tickets online to the ushering on site, everything was near perfect. And all this happening on a rainy day just impressed me even more. The location was easily accessible, it was clean, there were helpers all around, the Cirque shop was efficient, and the ushers, they really lead you all the way up to your seat. And the show itself? It started at right on time, 4pm, on the damn dot.

Since Varekai is loosely based on the Greek legend of Icarus, they started off by visually introducing the characters, with the real deal starting when Icarus the man in white tights and gay feathers being lowered down on to the stage. The stage itself is really special as well because it allows the performers to appear on or leave the stage as they like through trapdoors on the floor.

The show was very properly planned out, running a length of 2 hours with a 30 minute intermission in between each hour, and during both periods, the balance between the available acts and their novelty was pretty good, since usually circus acts get stale after a while since they are not that well planned, and usually the shows run the entire course of the time allocated without any breaks given(if i remember clearly).

Apart from the elaborate costumes and make up, the Cirque also make use of specially designed props and syncing the sound effects to what the characters are doing at specific times. Imagine that, surround speakers which work perfectly. In a circus.

As was mentioned earlier, there were music and singing accompanying the acts as the show progressed, and it wasn't just the regular music playbacks, no, not shit like that. The Cirque had LIVE music! I think they had about 7 or so musicians in total, with a male and a female singer singing along in incomprehensible but awesome french plus LOTR-like languages. The great thing about this is that the musicians and singers walks around freely on stage while the show is in progress, greatly improving the atmosphere as it gives you the feel that the whole show is one, unlike other circuses.

The shortcomings of the show are few and far between, since every aspect has been carefully thought of, every act beautifully choreographed. What bothered me, albeit only slightly, was the absence of a real flying trapeze crew, because to me a circus can't be complete without a flying trapeze. It is understandable though, as the Cirque is all about artistic and choreographed moves, rather than just pure death defying stunts. The limited size of the tent also didn't permit such an act to be a viable one even if one is to be planned.

Of all the things that i've raved on a about, one thing sorely disappointed me - not being able to take photos on site. That left me no choice but the grab the ridiculously priced dvd that was on sale at the store. Apart from that small little chip off the perfect package, as the french have it, Cirque du Soleil est manufique!

Fantastic dance performance by a bunch of men in red tights.

Short of Chappelle and Russell Peters, one of the funniest stage actors i've seen in a long time.

Amazing juggler who could handle everything, from bowling pins, balls, and hats, to juggling ping pong balls with his mouth.

The most flexible person i've seen live.

One of the highlights of the show, flying and balancing stunt men that made up for the lack of a flying trapeze.

End of the show. Can a circus be any better? Seriously.

Perth Auto Salon 07

2007-09-02T22:58:00.000+08:00

The new European Civic Type-R Hatch. Apart from the wheels that i think are tastefully paired with the car, nothing much was done i suppose. Would make a pretty awesome car for the missus if only i could afford one. The front fascia, dual triangular tailpipes and the high-tech interior are the major draws for me, even though a lot of people think this version of the civic is a tad ugly, i think it's perfectly fine since it looks a more striking than the JDM civic SEDAN. I mean, come on, Type-R should strike fear, so a sedan just can't quite make the cut for me.

Typical attention whoring caucasian mod - Scissor doors, chrome wheels, candy paint. You can tell where the owner of the car comes from by how it is modified. If you squint harder you'll notice that the person is placing hundred dollar bills(Aussie dollar) on the ground.

300C with chrome wheels. You can't be a mafia boss until you have one of these on your driveway.

Pretty standard Lotus Exige-S

Moving pimp crib. Hummer H2 fully laden with audio and visual goodies.

Ridiculously huge Ford F-250. And by huge, i mean HUGE. This is what Chuck Norris would drive when he's not busy roundhouse kicking.

Another proof of my theory of Aussie mods - an outrageously modified Mazda RX7. Pretty nicely done up, except for the horrendous bonnet with a protruding lcd. Good thing is that it usually rolls about with a regular vented carbon fibre bonnet.

Not bad looking Mazda RX-7.

Another one.

And another one. But this one looks far better than the previous 3 combined. If only it had clear fixed headlamps instead of those ugly flappy ones.

Subaru Impreza WRX. Pretty sweet car, with quite some mods in the engine bay. Too bad it spots chrome wheels, totally killed the chance of it appearing at least presentable.

Ver. 9 WRX STI.

Nissan Silvia S15. Has some simple engine and visual modifications. I hope i could get one of these babies as the first or second car i can actually buy when i start working, would look freakishly awesome with an ings+1 kit, top secret carbon fibre hood and GT-Wing, and 18 inch Yokohama Advan RS wheels.

Toyota Supra MkIV. Simple and nice. Would look better with newer headlamps though.

Nissan Skyline GT-T.

Another one.

Again.

Nissan Skyline GT-R.

And another one.

Obligatory Honda NSX. Still as good looking even after nearly 20 years.

Now this is what i hope i could achieve after an s15. Midnight purple GT-R, riding on 19 inch bronze Volk Racing TE-37s. A visual definition of perfection, definitely what can be considered as automotive pornography.

Of Food, Fun, and Friends

2007-08-23T00:57:00.000+08:00

Right after what was arguably the most depressing paper that i've ever taken in my life, i left for home, went right into my room, plunged into my bed and stared blank at the ceiling. I dread to think of what i've done for the paper, and so decided once and for all that i wouldn't think about it anymore, ever. That evening, i went to the city for dinner with a few friends. It was good fun, but then even though i've tried to not think about the paper, i couldn't help but feel depressed. I was even beginning to doubt of the trip that i am supposed to go on the next day. It was not until about 12 that i went to bed, with plenty of dreadful thoughts lingering in my mind. We(me and the missus) took the 9am flight on the following morning. Things went smooth, we boarded the plane, we flew, and we landed. Daniel picked us up from the airport and we went straight to Ethan's workplace to wait for him. Adelaide gave us a warm welcome in the sky.

I felt special.

Anyway, for the one week plus that we were in Adelaide, Ethan kindly took us in, even slept on the floor to make way for me and the missus on his bed. Where else can you find such a friend? Only in Penang :P Apart from providing us with shelter, he took us around, bringing us to famous places as well as trying out the better places to eat in Adelaide. Daniel was our other guide, alternating with Ethan when he is required to work. Over the first few days of our trip, we went to Port Adelaide to visit its market and went on its dolphin cruise,

Glenelg to have a look see,

Mount Lofty for its view of Adelaide,

Hahndorf the German Village for its German food,

a tour around my sister and all my close friends' university, Adelaide University,

and tried out different types of food, of which my favourite is Mexican at Montezuma's,

this weird duck meat pizza at Good Life,

and this absolutely fantastic pancake called I.T at Old Pancake House,

Entering the second week of the trip, we rented an estima and drove down to Melbourne. We wanted to pass by the famous Great Ocean Road on our way down so we drove along the coast, taking the longer route estimated to take about 12 hours instead of the short inland one which would have taken 9. It rained intermittently throughout the journey, and unfortunately, it poured when we actually reached Port Campbell where the 12 apostles are located. It was dark, it was raining, it was cold, it was miserable. All the effort, wasted. I couldn't even get a decent photo.

Since our plan was ruined by the weather, we decided to cut straight back onto the inland highway to shorten the journey. It was the first time i felt car sick as the interior of the car was stuffy, the road was winding, and the fact that knowing Ethan was pedal to the metal even though being surrounded by fog. I tried to sleep while having the separated air conditioning system saving my life by providing me with fresh air. We reached Melbourne at around 9, after a whopping 15 hours drive. Moral of the story? Work hard, earn more money, fly to your destinations rather than drive :P

In Melbourne, we put up at Beng Seong's place, all 7 of us squeezing in his living room with the missus getting the couch and the rest of us the floor. Nothing much was done in Melbourne since there wasn't any particularly famous sights to be seen, just a lot of shopping at different places. What i loved most was the Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) warehouses, places where labels like ralph lauren, tommy hilfiger, french connection, and a whole lot more set up outlets selling their items at rejects prices. We went to a few of those, and surprisingly to me those were the best that Melbourne has to offer. We also made trips down to Little Collins, Bourke Street, Chapel Street, QV, and many other streets known for shopping.

We also made a few trips down to Crown since its just across the road from where we were staying, but the trips weren't to donate money, they were just for food.

After 4 days in Melbourne, we headed back to Adelaide. We packed at night, and reluctantly left in the afternoon after having dim sum lunch with the guys. After we reached Perth and was fetched to the missus' place by my housemate Casey, the sight of my car with a fresh coat of paint over its injured panels welcomed me. Ahhhhh home :)

I have to thank the missus for taking time off making money to go on the trip with me, plus doing the wife chore of packing the bags, keeping the heavy camera in her bag which made her gain like 2243 extra muscle strands, as well as putting up with me conversing in hokkien with my friends. Lots of love baby :D

The other person that made this trip possible was Ethan, the best friend one could ever ask for for providing us with shelter, ferried us around in his car, bringing us to places that we wouldn't have known of, and of course, keeping us company.

Then there is Daniel, another great friend that kept me laughing all the way, taking us around town when Ethan is occupied with work, as well as sharing the blanket with me in Melbourne. It was kinda gay, but who cares? I still love you XD

The missus and I would also like to thank Yee Shyang for putting us on the guest list for Distil, the first bar that the missus has ever gone to, and for suggesting Irish pub, the first pub that the missus has gone to, as well as F4, again the first bloody damn club that the missus has ever gone to :P And thanks for acting like my girlfriend because when i am harassed by homosexuals, i can point them to you.

Finally, TJ, appreciate it that you purposely came down to Australia so that our group can be complete again. I still have the picture of you pissing by the road, you can get it from me any time you want.

Looking forward to whence the group will meet up again :)

Tag

2007-08-22T23:57:00.000+08:00

Got tagged by russ, but unfortunately i don't really have a lot of friends who blog, at least none that i think would give a hoot about what i have to say or would even give this pathetic page a read anyway :P So, 5 of my blog friends :

Celeste
Xiaowen
Terence
Rachel
Shu

Of all the weird tags that i've seen, this has gotta be the weirdest since it serves absolutely no purpose in providing information regarding the person in question :P

The Road Not Taken

2007-06-17T17:55:00.000+08:00

It is out of sheer desperation that i have started blogging again. For the past few weeks i have been attempting to cram as much into my head as possible, to no avail.

Oh it's Finals season yet again, you may think, so what's the big deal? Well, ever since getting back my results for my mid semester exams, i have been struggling not to fall into depression. For a start, this is my penultimate semester in the University of Western Australia, from which i will graduate(hopefully) with a degree in economics with majors in Money&Banking as well as Investment Finance in Trading. Since years past, i have been known to be pretty lazy, frequently just scraping by for my exams, not fully utilizing my potential. But early this year i vowed to change, i promised myself that i will put in my best effort this year, no doubt about it. And i did, almost.

The year started brilliantly. I, with a few friends, moved into a new unit which is practically just behind the university, i had the privilege of owning a car, i still have my beloved girlfriend with me, i attended classes and tutorials(a big thing for me). Since everything was going so right for me, i for once really believed that anything is achievable, if one tries hard enough. Then came the mid semester exams. My confidence ran high, nevertheless the bombshell hit. Of the 4 subjects that i am taking(Business Econometrics, Monetary Economics, Investment Analysis, and International Finance), save for Investment Analysis, I tanked them all. I did so badly for Business Econometrics that multiplying the results by 2 wouldn't even put it on par with the results i got for any other subjects that i have sat for. Yes, this came even after i for once actually put in hard work. I have fared better previously with far less effort, or with even no effort at all. Few days ago, i also got back my assignment for Investment Analysis, which was the only subject i did well for my mid semester exams. I wished for the best, since i did it with a few group members and was pretty confident with our work. It tanked too. At that point in time, nothing seemed possible for me anymore.

The gravity of the situation got me thinking, and as much as i hate to say it, because of family pressure, i once aspired and was expected to become a successful investment banker. Was i prepared for that? Was it the right profession for me? Would i like doing what i have studied? Was it a right choice for me coming to Australia? All sorts of questions popped up in my mind.

I used to like economics, i always tell myself, but i don't love it. It was just the second best alternative as weighed by opportunity costs. If given a chance, i think i would have done much better in the arts/designs/events management line. Ok now maybe that doesn't change anything since i have established that economics is the most practical one and has the highest earning ability compared to the rest, but what if, i always wondered, what if i stayed back in KL instead of transferring here? The competition in my previous college was practically non-existent, the difficulty of the subjects there are a whole level easier compared to what i'm doing here now, though the degree i would've gotten would be given out by a tier 2 university. But at least i could have scored, easily.

Now i frequently doubt myself, questioning my abilities. Family pressure doesn't help, nor does the sense of guilt for spending so much of my dad's hard earned money and achieving so little. If any, the lessons that i have learned here is that either do what you love and be very good in it, or just go into IT or accounting, at least those would guarantee employment.

Looking back now, the only worthy thing coming out from my choice of economics above all others seems to be getting to know my beloved girlfriend in college, which was in itself one of the best things to happen to me in my life. Given a chance, though, I wish i had chosen the path i had not.

Perth Motorshow 07

2007-06-13T05:19:00.000+08:00

Mazda Mx-5

Hyundai Coupe

Audi TT

Lexus SC430

Audi S8

Mitsubishi Sportback Concept

Ralliart TMR380

Ralliart Evolution IX

Mercedes-Benz CLS Class

Mercedes-Benz CL Class

Nissan 350z

Honda Civic Type-R Euro

Subaru Impreza WRX STI Group-N Spec

Elfin MS8 Clubman

Alfa Romeo Brera

Lotus Europa S

Maserati Quattroporte

Lamborghini Gallardo

Ferrari 430

Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Aston Martin DB9

I guess from this point forth this will no longer be just a photolog. I'll start sneaking in some writings just to establish a record of who and what i am along the way, for the benefit of ease of reminiscing during trips down nostalgia in the future.

Paradise Found : Rottnest Island

2006-11-23T09:09:00.000+08:00

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World Rally Championship : Australian Leg

2006-10-26T20:21:00.000+08:00

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The Neighbourhood

2006-08-17T20:28:00.000+08:00

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Winter at Cottesloe Beach

2006-08-12T00:31:00.000+08:00

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Boatshed, St. George's College, Winthrop Hall by night

2006-08-10T22:57:00.000+08:00

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King's Park Winter Sunset

2006-08-01T21:27:00.000+08:00

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UWA pt.1

2006-07-30T20:52:00.000+08:00

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