Saturday, July 22, 2006
Winter Blitz.
Assalamualaikum wrh. wbt.
Alhamdulillah, for in this lifetime, I have been given the rare oppurtunity to experience life overseas.
I mean, there is no such thing as winter break in Malaysia, as you may well know. So a blisteringly cold month-long break from uni is not really an option where I'm from. And due to the current circumstances I am in, the things that I have experienced are unique to my fascinatingly new life in Melbourne. No matter how many times I go through the routine, and no matter how many times I pass through the streets and feel like I'm in a corner in Seoul or Shanghai (and oddly enough, feel right at home), everything is new and fresh, and begs me to review it. And I find that everything reminds me, in its own distinct way, of God, and how He made us all different and wonderfully so.
But the main thing I really seeked to do is to sit down (finally!) and list down all the things I've managed to do and learn this past four weeks or so. For some reason, the month seems to have flown by, and yet it seems to have been so long. Something must be done right for me to be able to long to fall asleep each night, and for me to catch some winks as I ride on the tram (which is a dangerous thing to do, and which I do not encourage at all). And yeah. The past few days have been hectic, I can't even keep track of the days and the dates anymore.
So here goes:
My Done! List for Winter Break 2006 (MasyaAllah)
- did the whole balik kampung thing at Bundoora the very day I finished exams
- went on all-girls road trip to Sydney
- stayed up till fajr helping various drivers stay awake throughout aforementioned road trip (and had plenty activity with walkie-talkie along the way)
- finished watching My Girl and found myself emotionally-detached from the story
- met with Adelaide kids who came down for a week
- played tour guide to Mama - the trip had many, uhm, interesting highlights, and no doubt, Mama went home with many, uhm, colourful tales to tell my already disbeliefing cousins
- was forced to learn how to organize my days
- was forced to learn to read road maps, or at least the tram routes on tourist guide maps
- have learned the main points at various regular tram routes, whereas before, I just blindly landed wherever my memory brought me
- learnt to make proper sambal tumis, not just serbuk cili with kicap :P
- baked my first decent cake from scratch - and did not burn it. But it was far from perfect, anyway
- my first attempt at chocolate cake pudding is in the microwave downstairs as I type this --> the smell seems promising
- found myself dangerously hooked on Korean drama, Goong - and am now quite wary of Korean dramas
- undergoing sudden interest in Korean culture - have obtained the very hygienic steel chopsticks they use
- am trying to keep in touch with my Asian heritage via sushi, spinach noodles, and Korean biscuits
- had successful joint-venture in maki sushi-making, alhamdulillah
- went to the Rialto's Observation Deck and saw Melbourne in an entirely new light
- went to Aquarium and had a blast, even if I belonged to the older half of the demographic
- explored parts of city I had never ventured to before
- learnt to shop for souvenirs
- shopped till I quite literally dropped (with financial assistance from my parents)
- had painful experience with certain parts of the Victorian City government
- attended MUIS meeting, and got relegated some tasks
- manned MUIS table during orientation, and got to know other committee members better, esp. Sis Aysel
- edited timetable early and am now unfazed of new semester hassles - I learn from mistakes, insyaAllah
Update: My two bowls of chocolate cake pudding (chocolate cake appearance, with gooey melted chocolate sauce in the bottom) also taste promising. Am in danger of polishing off half the bowl. I take orders till Sunday night. Please bring own ceramic bowls for cooking. :)
Wassalamualaikum. Forgive me for my discontinuous writing pattern. I am awfully tired.
this has been a rant by Syazwina Saw at 12:35 am
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