Brisbane Day One

29 May 08, Thursday

At Changi Airport – I bumped into a little bit of a hassle there. I didn’t realize that you need a visa to visit Australia as a tourist. I always thought that Singaporeans didn’t need one. So you can imagine my horror when the check-in counter staff told me that without a visa, I could be fined A$5000 and immediately deported back to Singapore.

But all I needed to do was to get a visa and the Qantas service counter could do that for $70. Well, obviously, I had to right? Not much of a choice there.

It’s my fault that I didn’t check to make sure I had all the necessary travel documents but heck, I still think it’s a bloody rip off to charge $70 for an online visa application.

Anyway, I paid up, checked in and went on to Duty Free. Porcupine wanted some items from the cosmetic counter. Knowing my very limited cosmetics knowledge, I was armed with a detailed description, so I could simply hand it to the salesgirl, “Get me these items…fast.”

The flight over was pretty smooth after that. Qantas Cattle ..oops… I mean Economy class was cramped as usual. Supper was disappointing. I had expected the asian selection to have some sort of a standard since it was being catered from Singapore. But heck, the beef redang rice was hard, chewy and really bland. I should have gone for the fish instead.

Worse yet, I think my stomach didn’t like the food very much too. And it chose the worst time possible to launch it’s protest – 30mins to touch down and the seat-belt sign is on. Not wanting to shi* my pants, I chose to hurdle over my fellow passenger and quickly sprint into the toilet before any of the stewardess could do anything. I got out just 5mins before the plane touched down.

Brisbane - It’s been almost 4 years since I left and I had heard from my friends that it’s seen much change and developments. The good thing is that while there’s been a lot of new buildings and changes, it’s still very much familiar and I still felt quite at home.

As I walked around the streets and buildings that I had passed almost on a daily basis 4 years back, it brought back so many memories. Sometimes I couldn’t help but to smile and chuckle at certain locations. Some places made me paused and for a moment, I was transported back in time.

I think people must have thought me to be a crazy tourist because I was taking pictures of the most mundane and uninteresting things and scenes there were.

I had a rather late lunch at Kadoya. It was, and still is, a popular eatery in the city that served up the most delicious yet modestly priced Japanese curry rice I’ve had. Back then, I had most of my lunches here…at least 3 times a week. One of my most memorable presents came from here too.

The weather was quite overcast when I arrived in the morning and sure enough, it started to rain in the late afternoon and it continued into the night. I hope the next day’s weather will be better. Even though I was looking forward to the cold weather, it’s just a little too much rain.

And since it was raining, I didn't manage to go out but it was still quite nice just to curl up under the blankets and do up the slideshow for J's wedding.

G'Day Mate!I'm heading off Downunder.

But hopefully, I'll be able to post some holiday entries while I'm out enjoying myself.

There's lots to do - people to meet, food to be savored, places to re-visit, pictures to be taken - it's going to be yet another busy vacation for me.

But heck, at least it's going to be a fun "busy".

Demons of Stupidity all around

I think I cannot take this nonsense any much longer for today.

I feel like I will take my trash bin and tip it over the next moron who irritates me with a problem that isn’t a problem but became (my) problem because the moron cannot follow simple instructions.

Why am I consistently plagued by stoopid idiotic @#%*@% morons at work?

Why can’t people read and follow simple instructions?

Why are people who may be brilliant academically suddenly become more stupid than a Dodo bird with it comes to following simple instructions? And why aren’t these Dodo-humans extinct yet?

How simple must I make my instructions? I think I have made them very simple. I even have full color screenshots and a step-by-step process all nicely described.

Any simpler, then I might as well do the work for them. And they jolly well better take a part of their frigging five-figure salary and pay me.

ARUGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!

Still alive & kicking...just really busy
Gosh, can you believe it's exactly 1 month since my last post. How time flies when you have tons of work to do.

I'm still breathing and kicking - abeit just feeling a little stretched out for time.

So what have I been up to? Hmm... nothing really exciting. Just busy with work, then in the evenings if I'm not hung up with work, then I'm usually with Porcupine, or else I'd be huffing & puffing away at my RT sessions - which have thankfully finished now... but unfortunately I haven't managed to pass my IPPT. sigh...

yeah D, I can imagine you sniggering when you read this. eh..bro, don't laugh so hard ok. At least my 2.4 run is getting there. How's your waist line doing eh? It seems to be pretty prosperous judging from the photos. hahahahah.... :P

Anyway, so now I'm busy trying to finish off as much work as possible before my brief hop Downunder for my pal's wedding and a short visit to M.

I'm looking forward to the trip. It will be a good change in pace after 2 hectic months. I only wish it could be a longer trip... like maybe a month or two...or better yet.. three. Then I would really be able to indulge in a little photography and enjoy the nice cold winter season rather than the scorching hot weather that we've been having.

It's so hot that even the breeze at East Coast Park at 9pm feels like something from a hair-dryer. It's so hot that a 5min walk outside will reduce me to a damp lump of ...ermm... fabric??

It's so hot that I feel like perspiring just thinking about it.

ok... I just need to endure another 7 more days before the nice cool cool weather....ahhhhhhh..

:D