Los Angeles

This ain't no disco,
This ain't no country club either,
This is L.A.

Yep. I'm finally in La-la Land people!

Touched down early on SAt morning - about 10am LA time (5am Sun MElbourne time).

Flight was uneventful - dozed in and out of sleep and watched Fantastic 4.

First thing I noticed abt LA was the massive cars - they are huge. Yes you've got your normal Honda's and Toyotas but a lot of ppl drive massive GMC utes and Chevrolet 4wds.

Caught Shuttle bus from LAX to hotel and checked in. Found a free bus called the Trolley which brought us down to Manhattan Beach. Shopped there and went to the Pier which was a nice little beach. Reminds me of Sorrento and St Kilda but better.

After that cuaght bus again to MB Village Shopping Centre - that was a cool place to shop. Like a mini-Chaddy - classy stores, good variety and festive christmas atmosphere.

After dinner contacted our hook-ups and found they lived in MB!! Maggie (Anna's Bro in Laws Cousin) offered to pick us up the next morning on her way to work at 6:30am (she works at Cedars Sinai - hospital for the stars in Beverly Hills!!)

Fell asleep quite easily cos we went hard despite having poor sleep on the 16 hr flight. No real signs of jet lag either. Sweet.

Early morning Sunday happy to get up at 6:am to checkout Beverly Hills - Maggie bought us to Cedars Sinai where she showed us around then found ourselves walking down a wealthy part of BH and the houses were amazing!! It was so surreal, walking down these streets gawking at these perfect houses with their perfect lawns and probably perfect little lives! Also got overly excited when i saw squirrels in the trees eating acorns. And I kid u not even the air smelt sweet like dehoderent or air freshner. I attribute that to the pine treees but it was way so sweet and fresh it was ridiculous!

AFter that walked a SUPER long way to the La Brea Tar Pits on Wilshire Bvld. That place is amazing for you prehistoric buffs out there you have to check it out! The tar pits are still active and u can smell the sulfur in the air. the museam looks really nice on the outside and the park surrounding it was beautiful! Perfect weather for the stroll in the park.

Time running out - update later.

Au revoir

So much on a fateful night. Yes it's almost 3:30am in the morning and my flight leaves in about 10 hours.

Going into the city driving from Kew highlighted the great life here in Melbourne. The atmosphere on a Friday night in the CBD is best described as festive and I thought about what it'd be like when I got to a true massive metropolis like Los Angeles or New York. It'd definitely not be something I had seen in my lifetime before.

Going home was pretty much the same. I dropped Quoc, Derek and Euge off at Flinders and Exhibition Sts but had to detour down past the Arts centre where lovely green lights illuminated the trees that formed a sort of guard of honour as you drove down. I cut back through the Royal Botanic Gardens and realised that although up till now I had been wanting so badly to get out of Melbourne and see more of the world, my emotions made a sharp U-turn tonight. How ironic, the night before I'm to go off, I want to stay! I realised how much I really love Melbourne and the people that make my life here. It was touching that so many people emailed msged me before I left, and some forcing me to come out to have one last drink - or kebab! Haha...but that all made me want to stay in Melbourne more.

Thanks to all you guys who not only made a great last night, and even last week, but through the whole year 2005 in Melbourne. I hope that you guys finish 2005 on a high and next time I speak to you will be about 12,791kms away! Au revoir!

Spooked

Oh yeahhhh. It's over! FINALLY finished exams. Marketing was interesting, spent one day studying for it. As you could imagine, I was a little nervous going into the exam and Lord only knows I didn't deserve to pass it but I had to give it my best, I had pulled it off before.

Finished the exam and thought I did okay, enough to pass anyway. Three essay questions so it was easy to talk a lot of bs, hopefully it's enough to get 8/20 for each essay which will give me a 50 for the subject. I'm not aiming for mediocrity but beggars can't be choosers. I think the lowest mark I've had for a subject is 57. Any less than that and I'd seriously be cutting it really close to failing. I know some people who've had a few 50s and 51s. Haha Quoc you man of steel! How do you do it? I think I get freaked at the prospect of failing that I do enough to safely pass, even though I have failed one subject but I was in first year and I was full n00b. Before sitting an exam where I ended up getting 50 or 51 would seriously stress me out because no doubt I'd think I failed.

Okay enough about boring exams, last night went to see "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" at Southland with 14 other peeps! Pretty impressive the gathering, I thought it'd only be a handful of people! And some people even pulled out because it was too scary a movie! Despite it not being tightass Tuesday, managed to secure tickets for half price thanks for James for his wad of buy one get one free coupons. Nice!

The movie was decent I think. It's hard to gauge a scary movie. Unless it's not even scary coz then it'd be lame. But there's no denying I was a little spooked by the movie. Either way I think horrors are good since there's a lot of discussion afterwards. Especially a group of Christians watching a movie about Satan, religion and exorcisms! So yes, I'd say that the movie was good because it provoked a lot of discussion and generally affected people. Last night I woke up, but was sooo s**t scared to look at my clock. If I had looked and it displayed 3am, ohhhh I would have seriously screamed! Haha...so I just said the Our Father till I fell back asleep. I must've said it for about half an hour straight, and seeing as I was semi-awake I kept mixing up the words! Hehe oh well. I'm okay now.

Anyway, going to start all these errands in preparation for America on Saturday. Only 4 sleeps left!!!

Soccer and Vintage Smells

Ugh, maybe there was a bit too much doom and gloom for my liking when I last posted. Nevertheless, I noticed that no one except Julz posted on the Aussie win over Uruguay! For shame! But yeah it was great to see the Socceroos through, pretty funny about people giving John Safran all the credit though, seeing as he lifted some Mozambiquan curse.

I think the story goes something like, Johnny Warren and the 1974 Socceroos team went to Mozambique and promised to pay some tribesman for something. Anyway, they didn't end up paying and so the Mozambique witch doctor put a curse on Australian soccer. Needless to say, we didn't win one match (two losses and a draw) and scored no goals in the 1974 World Cup. And basically, have never made it to the World Cup. Until now.

What happened last year was John Safran decided to lift this curse, by bathing in pigs blood among other rites for his guerilla-style documentary. It was interesting then, to see that the Socceroos finally broke their jinx to make it into the 2006 World Cup in Germany! Haha...yeah, go figure.

Anyway, it's like 4:30pm and I have my last exam tomorrow, Principles of Marketing at 2pm. Both dreading and looking forward to it, since I've basically spent 1.5 days learning a whole subject from scratch. I reckon going to lectures are at least useful enough when it comes to exam time, you'll recognise some terms here and there, unlike me with marketing!!! But afterwards I'll be so happy and liberated! Then off to see how scary "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" is at Chaddy. I know Tues is karaoke and Wed is drinks, but I'm not sure when I'm working. Most likely Wednesday 9am-5pm which will probably be my last shift. Therefore no going hard on Tuesday!

Really excited about Friday night as well, YG annual dinner! 70s and 80s theme, can't go wrong haha. Have to say, went op-shopping for the first time on Friday with none other than Dave and it's interesting what you find there. I would also describe the op-shop smell as "bittersweet." Yes, I'm under no illusions here, it is a bit dank - like an old person (naturally) but I think it's good when you're looking for vintage clothing because it means you've come to the right place. Ahh...the sweet smell of old B.O.

Conviction

Ooo today was such a nice day! I slept in as much as I could until Anna rang me for help since one of her car tyres went flat and she was on the Monash freeway somewhere between the Warrigal and High St exits. So jumped out of bed and asked if Korean Lee wanted to come along and he agreed.

Anyway, took a while to get down there, I chose the Burke Rd route which is probably not advisable on a Saturday morning. Wasn't bumper to bumper as such, but definitely would've been other better routes to take. So got there, changed the tyres (I think God blessed me by giving me experience with Aileen's flat tyre at Vic's 21st) and was on the way home but Korean Lee asked about the general consensus on Toorak being the "richest" suburb in Melbourne. I decided to drive him through the leafy suburb and boy, there are some real stunners there. Found my way to the famed St Georges Rd and he was certainly impressed. Lee asked me if I would live in Toorak one day - to which I laughed and said diplomatically, "Well, maybe." (Or maybe that was the phlegmatic in me!) I then explained that while it'd be nice, I don't know if I could even dream of affording a house there one day, but more importantly, even if I did have the money, would I indulge and spend it all like that? I reasoned that it might be okay if it was for my family, but then again I'm pretty sure a house in Toorak is a little excessive and classifies as "worldy riches" as per Proverbs 23:5. I thought about Christians who'd perhaps had their cake and eaten it too but I quickly remembered that no one's perfect.

I think that's one massive misconception about Christians in general. How we're perceived to be perfect. It's sad how some people pigeon-hole Christians, that if they make a mistake they've lost - like non-Christians are any more perfect? Making a mistake as a Christian doesn't invalidate our beliefs. But it's what we do after we've realised we've made a mistake which is important. We're not better simply because we try to be honest and not swear. God is better. In any religion, god is a higher being, we just believe in Him.

It's a double standard sometimes; people bristle when questioned about their non-belief which is a belief itself, yet scorn Christians for their beliefs. I'm comfortable with people having different beliefs than me, a lot of my friends are non-Christian. Yes, it'd be nice if they were Christian but them not believing doesn't mean I can't be friends with them. I expect it to be reciprocal, I love my friends for not judging me just because I'm Christian.

I think it's also hard coming from an indifferent past to have the courage to declare your faith. There are always going to be detractors from the past, strangely immune to any of their own shortcomings, ready to remind you where you once fell. It's also interesting to see that sometimes it's not the person you have wronged, who has some right, that holds it against you, but rather busy-bodies who have some sort of "holier-than-thou" complex which somehow gives them the 'courage' to hide behind a screen name and throw cheap jibes. Like God turned something bad in King David's illegitimate relationship with Bathsheba into something good in the lineage to which Jesus was born, I believe He turned guilt that could've devoured me into a life I am thankful for everyday. And nothing or no one can change that fact no matter what they do or say.

Ho hum, it's past midnight. I realise that this might be a bit intense for your liking but hey, this is what's important to me. Just as much, or if not more, than something like basketball or nachos are to you. You have your convictions. I have mine.

Next Year Uni

man it's 1.45am. woke at 7.30, had 3.5hr exam, then went to lunch on lygon, then to chaddy, then to springy, up and down getting 70s stuff. then to anna's then to YG. then went back to anna's to get my car and then came home at 12ish.

I AM SO FRICKEN TIRED. (same tone as in White Chicks)

yet i still stay online. haha what a derro.

anyway last week i enrolled in the subject i'm doing next year:

107-132 Introduction to Hollywood & Art Cinema
This subject introduces students to a study of three interrelated areas that are essential for an understanding of the cinema: film language, history and theory. The subject will commence with early silent cinema and progress to the key topics of editing, sound, censorship, mise en scene, narrative, cinematography and the Hollywood studio system. Cinematic movements studied will include Russian formalism, art-house cinema, surrealism, German expressionism, Italian neo-realism, French New Wave, the avant-garde and the American New Wave of the sixties and seventies.

Contact
A 2-hour film screening, a 1 hour lecture and a 1-hour tutorial per week

Assessment:
A quiz of 1000 words 20% (due during semester), a visual test of 1000 words 30% (due at the end of semester), an essay of 2000 words 40% (due at the end of semester) and a class paper and participation 10%.

wait. have i already told u guys about this? bloody hell i have no idea. im friggen tired. going to sleep now laters.

Me, Myself and I

Hmm. Realised that I've built up quite a collection of blogs in my bookmarks. It's like a thing that I do, collect and categorise blogs - must be a melancholy thing. Those blogs have also led on to others and a few times I've stumbled across blogs where I've actually known who those people are! That tells me one thing (well two including the fact that I'm a BUM): there are people you probably don't suspect reading your blog!

In any case, WELCOME to my stalkers. Although I don't want to encourage you to like, harass me and take dodgy half nude photos of me, it's nice to think that people care about what you do hey?

So if you're new, I thought I'd share some stuff about myself that you might not normally get from just reading this blog.

1. I'm ultra shy when I first meet you.
2. I'm quite animated and playful when I get to know you well.
3. I'm not a touchy-feely kinda person but if you are then I'll happily oblige.
4. My interests are pretty wide-ranging so tell me something you like and I'll probably like it too.
5. I don't shy away from deep & meaningfuls if you approach me - you can always talk to me even if I don't know you well.
6. I get caught up in things quite easily so if you're a salesperson you've probably reeled me in.
7. I'm the type to try and keep the peace. I usually get scared of strong personalities unless they outwardly show they like me.
8. I'm very easy-going - you'll often hear me say "Yeah, I don't mind."
9. Usually up for anything new or different, I'll want try every ice cream flavour before deciding.
10. There are people that annoy me, but no one I hate.

Okay I think that's all. Some people might not agree with those, but it probably means you don't know me as well as you think you do! Haha. Okay better go to sleep now. Goodnight!

So Exciting!

one more week till freedom - last exam (principles of marketing) on the 21st november. looking forward to THAT! but before then have EPM 3hr b*tch this friday.

then on the 25th will be annual dinner which im really looking forward to - theme is 70s and 80s! maaan, if there's a cool theme to an event, it's 70s and 80s. only done two in my lifetime, both 21st birthdays but didn't dress it that much. annual dinner will be different. still thinking about what to wear. hmmm...mullet or afro? leather or velvet? glove or no glove? (MJ eat your heart out!) decisions, decisions!

went to the airport today to drop off bro's uni friend on his way back home to singapore. going there gave me goosebumps, oh how i love the airport! like i was explaining to vic (who was meant to come over and study but ended up coming along on our little adventure), airports are always filled with awesome memories! you're either going on a cool, fun, holiday to spend, spend, spend...OR relatives/friends are coming to visit - which means GIFTS! haha it's great!!! even if your parents are going away, ok you'll miss them, but hey means you probably have the house to yourself and any siblings - which is also bonus!!! it's a win-win-win situation: quoc and chops, how's that for good odds ey? haha

went to see the planes on the aircraft viewing deck. in about a week and a half i'll be flying the longest flight i've ever flown! i cannot wait! i think the finances are settled too despite me not having enough $$ to pay off my credit card today! selling my car is well underway (already had an offer but dad's waiting on something better) and just liqudated my shares in Commonwealth Bank so expecting that hefty little capital gain in my bank account very soon! budgeted for about $7000 for the US trip and now i'll end up with more than double that! but i'll prob give whatever i don't spend back to my parents.

anyway, better go finish off my EPM summary. have a good one peoples!

The Tough Stuff

Had Corp Fi exam this morning, a three-hour from 9:15am - 12:30pm.

Walked out early and then realised I actually wanted to go to the toilet. That's what cramming does to you, you react to everything but the subject material (in this case divestitures, acquisitions and other such rubbish) about 2 minutes too late.

So I skipped (well not really, since my bladder was quite full and trust me, it can hold a lot - ask Drew about NYE 2004) because I was happy I've got halfway through my exams. Two down - two to go! It's actually quite nice outside the Royal Exhibition Building and while enjoying the fountain and whatnot, I headed towards the IMAX theatre to look for a toilet.

Anyway, got there, went in and in the middle of doing my business in a urinal, I hear this shuffling and then a very audible "Ohhh".

Now I don't know if it's just me, but I have never made any purposeful audible sounds in a public toilet before. I've always tried to be discreet about it. Obviously this guy didn't know anything about that because he fully proceeded to grunt.

With my full tank bladder, I just wanted to get the hell outta there. But, I reasoned, it couldn't get any worse.

"Ohhhh...far out!" which was VERY audible followed by an even more audible explosion. I'm not going into the details but imagine the worse bowel sound you can fathom...well I heard something ten times as bad.
"F**k! Ohhh s**t," and I started getting very scared. He then got even more aggressive,
"C'mon! Yeah, c'mon!" I was fully freaking at that stage, I almost got my on wee on myself! I had no idea what the hell was going on. By the time I finished, I did a quick rinse (which is totally not of the norm - as most people who know me well would tell you, I do a very thorough wash, and then go through with the toilet paper on the tap and door handles) and quickly opened the door with my bare hands (sans toilet paper!). As I left, the dude was still yelling and groaning. I practically ran outta there!

Anyway, that has got to be the weirdest toilet experience of my life. And I touched the tap and door handles!!!

Issues!

Woke up today and mum was pissed off! At first I thought it was me (naturally) but she was mumbling, "That stupid girl," to which I breathed a sigh of relief.

I then thought, "What has Stalker done now?" and asked my mum about her "issues."

Basically she was somewhat surprised when Stalker came up to her this morning inquiring about a pair of grey socks. Apparently it had gone missing after a run through the wash.

"Er escuse me, did you see my grey socks?"
"No. Are they missing?"
"Yah. Hmm..." I can imagine Stalker just standing there pretending to be thinking about what to say next, when in fact she's perfected the whole conversation to a tee beforehand,
"But...I can't find them." and at this my mum would now be thinking, "What do you want? I don't have them."
"Do you have them?" Stalker would ask oh so innocently.
"What? No." My mum would reply curtly. She's starting to get pissed off now.
"Oh." The fake thoughtful pause by Stalker again to which my mum would reply,
"I only have black socks. You can go and look in my drawers if you want," in more of a dismissive tone like, "You idiot, if you're so adamant then go ahead, you won't find anything there." And this is the good bit.
"Oh, okay." And off Stalker went, to my mum's room rummaging through her drawers looking for the friggen socks! Haha omg I know my mum, and she would've been PISSED OFF fully! Haha...so basically my mum was deeply offended that Stalker wouldn't take her word for it that she didn't see a pair of her socks, and that she'd have the audacity to even go to someone else's room, through someone else's drawer to look for her socks. I'm not sure if it's how they do things in Taiwan or we've just hit the jackpot in terms of international students but oh well.

Near the end of mum's rant, she started sounding a little like me adding stuff like "As if I'd steal her socks! What if she had foot fungus or something, who knows, she is pretty dirty!" L-O-L!!! Haha that's gold.

On a side note, can't rememeber if I posted about this before but Stalker does really smelly number 2's. Since that's the unfortunate case, you'd think she'd close the damn door afterwards for a bit of discreetness or whatever but NO! That's too logical and NORMAL for her. She leaves the door WIDE OPEN...which is DIRECTLY IN LINE with my room door!

Nevertheless, I don't think Stalks will be with us much longer if she keeps up her current workrate at PISSING US OFF.

Over and out.

Victorian's Day Off

Can't stop laughing.

Dad went to the TAB to punt on a few for the Melbourne Cup. What he didn't realise that the Cup was Race 7, NOT Race 5. Anyhow, I dunno what the heck he put down, but he ended up winning like $200 on Race 5! Haha quality.

Good luck for those willing to risk a few today, even though I didn't win myself, the hilarity of the situation is enough for me. Haha loves it!