Hong Kong (days 3 - 5)

Here are the rest of the standard vacation pictures from my trip to Hong Kong. Enjoy!


Day 3

I am not sure why I was recommended to go to Lin Heung. I guess it was more of an ambience thing because the dim sum was really not that impressive.

Luckily it was cheap to eat there. I over-ordered as I forgot that pork was a definite no-no for the friend I dined with.

This overhead bridge simply went on and on–the longest I have seen.

Do I look like just another busy city rat racing to work? Well I was “trying” to blend in.

Repulse Bay taken on board a bus. Apartments in Hong Kong are obscenely pricey and a unit at Repulse Bay could easily set you back millions.

Stanley Market in the early morning on a weekday was practically a ghost town (of course a die-hard Japanese shopping tour group was still spotted). I did find something to buy though.

Well it was still a beach and people go topless at beaches right? There was a lone old uncle jogging by the water at Stanley Beach who was totally oblivious to my camera-timered photo shoot.

This is Tsim Sha Tsui in the day, busy just like any other built-up area I visited during my trip regardless of the time of day. Too bad shops in Singapore don't close as late (and too bad shops in Sydney don't close as late as Singaporean ones!).

Langham Place (a somewhat trendy but typical shopping centre in Mong Kok) was not huge horizontally but vertically. This picture was taken from the 13th floor.

The “Flower Street” filled with Lunar New Year blossoms. It was really not that interesting but I had to respect the author of my itinerary–me!

I have always wondered how horticulturists grow a plant to such a state. Fruit-filled with no leaves and geometrically-arranged. The plant must have been grown in a very controlled environment –physically, nutritionally and likely genetically.

During the “Symphony of Lights” both sides of the harbour were supposed to interact with each other but no one could ever be at both places at the same time to verify that. Anyway the music was way louder than the lights on this foggy and windy night. It is a great attempt at animating a concept as dead as a skyline though.

Taking the Star Ferry across the Victoria Harbour was one of the attractions of Hong Kong. I wonder… But it was really a very quick route especially when my destination that night was exactly Wan Chai.

Day 4

This is part of the Ding Ding tram route. I took pictures of the entire route because I could not find it online or anywhere else.

My first Ding Ding tram stop was at the eastern end of Hong Kong Island. This was a typical market at Shau Kei Wan where housewives shop in the morning very much like everywhere else in Asia.

The Hong Kong Film Archive was one of my to-see places and my itinerary indicated that it closes on Thursdays and I actually forgot and went there on a Thursday. Well I am still going to plan with all my might till the end of my days!

The thing about Hong Kong is even in small unknown eating places one could find the best wanton noodles. The springiness of the noodles and the wanton filling were just better than those of other places.

The famous racecourse at Happy Valley was quiet that day as there were no scheduled races. I would imagine this place being packed to the rafters on a race day.

The wonderful thing about the racecourse was not only the contrast between the dense skyline (with the mountain backdrop) and the wide open space but it was so peaceful and quiet compared to frantic Causeway Bay just a stone’s throw away.

Another camera-timered shot. Many trials were attempted and I like this one the most.

Don’t you know me by now? How can I miss this photo op?

This is a rest shed for Ding Ding tram drivers. The trams were really slow (which was the whole point) but they came very frequently and was the perfect place to rest my sore feet.

The signboards along the streets that are so representative of Hong Kong.

The back alleys at Central were filled with stalls selling all sorts of knick knacks. Again it was surreal as the backdrop of skyscrapers in the CBD was separated from these old-school stalls by just a mere street.

Lan Kwai Fong in the day (the wrong time to visit). I would not have thought much of it otherwise anyway as it was a very small area filled with pubs (yawn!). If I wanted to see rowdy and drunk angmohs, I would have stayed in Sydney and peered out of my apartment window.

Valentine’s Day versus Chinese New Year. Which do you prefer?

Eeeek! They are everywhere!!!

I certainly would not want to be stuck in the sea of humans all immobile and helpless. Well I got stuck in it by mistake anyhow. Madness I tell you, madness!!!

As my housemate had to work late (sometimes till 11pm!) I was forced to pass my time watching a movie. I watched “Confucius” at Admiralty's Pacific Place. This shopping centre was top-notch in terms of class–each of the superbly-decored toilets came with its own attendant handing you towels personally. Now Singapore (the self-proclaimed shopping paradise) could really take a leaf out of Hong Kong’s book.

Day 5

What a lame pose as suggested by my mate travelling to Lamma Island with me. But he served a very important purpose that day–as the photographer of my first-ever topless shoot in Hong Kong.

The signboard that greeted us when we arrived really showed off the rustic quality of things to come, which was a nice break from the claustrophobia of city life though.

This was the view from the Yong Shue Wan end which was definitely more interesting than the other side (So Kwu Wan) and this was probably why all guide books recommend starting the island tour from here.

A Tin Hau temple on the Island. There are a lot of these Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong. Can someone kindly tell me who this Tin Hau is?

We chanced upon a strange sight in the pristine natural landscape. I never expected to find a power station there.

Creation of nature versus creation of man. Hong Kong is indeed a place of interesting contrasts.

Can you feel the nature-loving trekker screaming and bursting out of the picture? I am still waiting for the pictures of the photo shoot from my friend (and I don’t think I can wait much longer!!!).

We wanted to venture down to the beach for our shoot but the moment we saw people down by the coastline, we knew that a naked shoot was out of the question. But we subsequently found a very nice shoot location. You will find out where soon enough!

This family actually used the ferry to move house–an amazing sight indeed.

So what do you think of my five days of touring in Hong Kong? I did not have time for Sai Kung and deliberately gave Shenzhen and Macau a miss. Do you think I have seen enough of the country to not visit it again? Stay tuned for more Hong Kong stuff coming up.

Hong Kong (days 1 - 2)

Hello hello! I am finally back from my month-long vacation and boy do I have loads of pictures and videos to share. However they would have to be split into several themed posts. First up are the titbits from my Hong Kong trip or at least the first two days of it. If you want me to summarize the entire trip in one sentence, that would be “Hong Kong has too many people all moving at a crazy pace and I don’t think I would visit the country again anytime soon”. That being said, I still had a fun time in this “Fragrant Harbour”.


Day 1

My first contact with Hong Kong–Central on a weekday at lunch time and my first impression–it’s like clockwork chaos on overdrive.


I had to have a meal at the most expensive “tea cafes” of Hong Kong called Tsui Wah. Lunch time in Central on a work day is something to be experienced at least once in your lifetime though the food was not all that great for the price they were charging.


Causeway Bay, major crossing. The weather was phenomenally warm for winter which was extremely mild compared to that of Sydney. Almost everyone was bundled up in some form of winter wear whilst I was the only one in a singlet!


Causeway Bay, back alley. In Hong Kong, the back alleys are full of life (something not measured by the amount of human and traffic flow) and should definitely be checked out.


The tram going up to The Peak was pretty fast whilst still being on a great incline. This picture was taken to illustrate the tilt as indicated by the angle of the vertical structures outside the window.


I did not pay to enter Madame Tussauds at The Peak for I had my fill of posing with mannequins just at the entrance. I really do not understand the appeal of wax-formed celebrities at all. Do you know who I was posing with in the picture?


The view at the top was nice despite the foggy weather (which disappointed me slightly). Little did I know that first day would be the clearest of the week!


Sunset at The Peak. The trick is to get there around sunset to capture both the day and night scenes.


I took 20 shots at the same angle spaced out from just before it started to get dark till when it got totally dark. I just cannot find a way to upload the time-lapse gif file I have created!

Day 2

Part of the purpose of my trip was to shop and how could I miss visiting the Citygate Outlets (against the advice of my friends). I was actually surprised that I managed to buy something reasonably nice there.


Did I not mention that the forecast for the rest of the week was fog…


…and more fog? It was really a pity as the view was supposed to be breath-taking on board the cable car to Ngong Ping 360.


The recommended Ngong Ping 360 itinerary allocated a whopping 50% of the time to this tourist trap of a tiny shopping village and left the rest to the main attractions. Cleverly cunning aren’t they?


Po Lin Monastery from the outside. Nothing special.


Po Lin Monastery from the inside. I chatted up a nun and we talked about orchids. She refused to be photographed though–no surprises there.


At the base of the long flight of stairs to the Giant Buddha. I took a video of the process of me running up the stairs non-stop from bottom to top and boy was I panting at the end!


I had to run around the Buddha and up a few flights of circular stairs from the photographer before I could pose for this picture. I was a little worried the stranger who took the picture would run away with my camera as I was dashing back down (which took 20 seconds or so).


Golden Computer Shopping Arcade in Sham Shui Po is something like Sim Lim Square of Singapore but much smaller. I wanted to buy stuff there but many things were out of stock. I ended up buying everything from Wan Chai Computer Centre instead (which against my better judgement offered lower prices). I heard one was supposed to haggle more at Golden though–a stressor I would like to avoid.


Sham Shui Po belongs to the poorer part of Hong Kong and this was reflected in its residential blocks.


Ladies’ Market. One lesson I have learnt when street market-shopping–never buy something after you have first encountered it. I later found at Temple Street the exact thing that I have bought at a fraction of the price I have paid.


At this point of the evening, my feet were killing me from all the walking in very poor shoes (the biggest pain, mistake and regret of the trip) to the extent that even if “Sportswear Street” offered the world’s lowest prices for the world’s most comfortable pair of shoes, I would have no interest in walking an inch more to that shop to purchase it. Ironic eh?


Something that I passed by but did not enter–a mahjong parlour. On hindsight I should have gone in. I heard that public gambling is illegal in Hong Kong (or something like that) which then kind of failed to explain the existence of these mahjong parlours.


The red light district a.k.a. Portland Street. It was nothing spectacular especially to someone who has visited Geylang in Singapore. Talk about selling sex in your face–Singapore beats Hong Kong pants-down (pun fully intended)! I guess Singapore would like to beat Hong Kong in any way possible.


More shopping at Temple Street. I was not impressed though as this night market was a very small one. I guess the interesting thing about this place is the plethora of food stalls lining the street.


I had supper with my housemate in Hong Kong at Mido Café, the location where the iconic award-winning movie “Infernal Affairs” was shot. Well I wouldn’t know if my friend hadn’t told me that bit of trivia. The food was not all that great though.

That is all for now and more pictures will follow this post. After sharing the standard vacation pictures in chronological order, I will then upload the more interesting pictures. As for the definition of “interesting”, you would have to stay tuned to find out!

My very 1st MTV!

Finally, this is out!!!

I am surprised that quite a few of my shots were included in the final edit. I will not elaborate on the purpose of this MTV which I mentioned briefly in this post (go to the website wearitwithpride.com.au for details). It was a very very hot day in that house and we had to constantly wipe our perspiration off with tissue between cuts. Lots of footage was filmed but much was scrapped (notice how only kissing between females were featured? The reason is obvious, something which I do not agree with of course). But it was great fun and it is clearly evident from the video.

A great new experience. A meaningful cause. And a chance to put myself out there. All of myself!

Enjoy!!!

See you in a month

Tonight is the night before I leave Sydney for my well-deserved month-long holiday back to Singapore for Chinese New Year with stop-overs at Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. I can finally say goodbye to work (which has been at a C*R*A*Z*Y pace for some months now), albeit temporarily. The excitement fills the air and I know I will not be able to sleep well tonight with all the pent-up anticipation. So I better cut this short and try to rest early.

I have been working a lot on my Hong Kong itinerary and I realised that even before going there, I was getting a little sick of all the detailed planning. It was as if I were so familiar with that place without even having visited the country. This post is basically to share with you the gist of all that planning (with maps, descriptions, travelling costs and other details omitted). Tell me your thoughts on it!


1/2/10

- Flight lands at 1135.

- Lunch at Tsui Wah 翠華餐廳 (any branch in Central).
[Walk from Central 中環 Station Exit D2. Theatre Lane -> corner D'Aguilar St & Wellington St, Yung Kee Building. Address: G/F-2F., 15-19 Wellington St, Central]

- Shopping at Causeway Bay: Fashion Walk: Paterson St/Cleveland St/Kingston St/Gloucester Rd. Great George St/Sharp St/Percival St.
[Start from Causeway Bay Station Exit E -> Great George St]

- The Peak ride.
[Walk from MTR Central Station Exit J1. Lower Peak Tram Terminus on Garden Rd]

- Dinner at Tai Hing Roast Restaurant 太興燒味餐廳 (branch in Causeway Bay).
[Walk from Causeway Bay 銅鑼灣 Station Exit C. Cnr Percival St & Jaffe Rd. Address: Shop 1-3, G/F, Cigna Tower, 470-484 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay]

- Hang Heung 恒香 Bakery visit.
[Causeway Bay Station Exit D3. Address: Counter at Sogo Department Store, Basement 2]

- Drinks at Lan Kuai Fong 兰桂坊 and SoHo 荷南美食区.
[Lan Kwai Fong: Central Station Exit D2. Theatre Lane -> D'Aguilar St]
[SoHo: Wyndham St -> Hollywood Rd -> Shelly St]


2/2/10

- Ngong Ping 昂坪 360, Lantau Island 大屿山 "Full NP360 Experience + Outlet Shopping - Citygate" package (morning till early afternoon).
[Tung Chung 东涌 Station Exit D and walk to the Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal]

- Quick shopping at Citygate Outlets, Tung Chung, Lantau Island (till mid-afternoon).
[Tung Chung Station Exit D. Address: 20 Tat Tung Road 达东路, Tung Chung, Lantau Island]

- Shopping at Golden Computer Shopping Arcade, Sham Shui Po 深水埗 & nearby Apliu St 鸭寮街 flea markets (till early evening).
[Golden Computer Arcade: Sham Shui Po Station exit D2. Apliu St: Sham Shui Po Station exit C2]

- Dinner at Gourmet Street (Pei Ho Street/Fuk Wing Street/Kweilin St), Sham Shui Po.
[Sham Shui Po Station Exit B2 and D2]

- Portland Street 砵兰街 visit.
[Yau Ma Te 油麻地 Station Exit C. Start from Man Ming Lane up to Bute St]


3/2/10

- Lamma Island 南丫岛 for the 1st half of the day. Walk from Yung Shue Wan 榕树湾 to So Kwu Wan 索罟湾. Possible breakfast spot: Bookworm Cafe near Tin Hau temple (close to Yung Shue Wan). Possible tea place: Herboland, right behind the main beach.
[Hong Kong Station Exit E1. Walk through IFC Mall 国际金融中心商场. Take a ferry from Central Pier 4 to Yung Shue Wan (~30 mins, every 20-60 mins)

- Photo shoot with accompanying friend as and when good spots are found.

- Early seafood dinner at So Kwu Wan (end of trail).

- Shopping around Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station.
[Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exit B1. Nathan Rd -> Granville Rd -> 2 blocks -> Granville Circuit]

- Symphony of Lights 幻彩咏香江 at 8pm. Vantage point: along Tsim Sha Tsui 尖沙咀 waterfront between the Avenue of Stars 星光大道 and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre 香港文化中心.
[Tsim Sha Tsui Station Exit J]

- Gay dance club "Volume" at Hollywood Rd, Central.
[Sheung Wan 上环 Station Exit A2. Hillier St -> Bonham Strand -> Wellington St -> Aberdeen St. Address: Lower Ground Floor 83-85 Hollywood Rd., Central]


4/2/10

- Ding Ding tram wandering (free and easy). Alight as and when there's something enjoyable. Start from Shau Kei Wan 筲箕灣 Station and end at Sheung Wan.
[Shau Kei Wan Station Exit A2. Alrich St pass Kam Wa St, Factory St, Nam On St to corner Shau Kei Wan Main St E]

-Possible tram stop visits: Hong Kong Film Archive 香港电影资料馆, Chun Yeung Street Market 春秧街市, Cheung Lee Restaurant 祥利冰室, Shun Hing 顺兴茶档, Happy Valley Racecourse 跑马地马场, Se Wong Yee 蛇王二, Ngo Keng Kiu (Goose Neck Bridge) 鹅颈桥, Wan Chai Southorn Playground 湾仔修顿球场, Sam Bat Mai Kudzu 三不卖, Blue House/Wan Chai Livelihood Museum 蓝屋/湾仔民间生活馆, Stanley Street Dai Pai Dong 士丹利街大牌档, Luk Yu Tea House 陆羽茶室, Pottinger Street 石板街 (砵甸乍街), Wing Lok Street (Commonly Known as Ginseng and Birds' Nest Street) 参茸燕窝街 (永乐街), Des Voeux Road West (Dry Seafood Street) 海味腊味街 (德辅道西).

- Ding Ding tram 2nd last stop -> Sheung Wan Station Exit A2.
[Bonham Strand -> Hillier St to corner Wing Lok St]

- Travel to Sai Kung 西贡 for late seafood dinner.
[Choi Hung 彩虹 Station Exit C2 and take green minibus 1A to the Sai Kung town terminus 西贡市中心总站]


5/2/10

- Early dim sum breakfast at Lin Heung Tea House 蓮香樓 (must find a seat!).
[Sheung Wan Station Exit E2. Wing Lok St -> Wing Wo St -> cross Queen's Rd -> Wellington St -> corner Aberdeen St. Address: 160-164 Wellington Street, Central]

- Stanley visit.
[Hong Kong Station Exit D and take bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66 or 260 from Exchange Square Bus terminus, Central. Address: Stanley Market Road, Stanley, Hong Kong Island]

- Shopping at Langham Place 朗豪坊, Mong Kok (till mid-afternoon).
[Mong Kok Station Exit C3. Address: 8 Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon]

- Sportswear Street (Fa Yuen Street) (till late afternoon).
[Mong Kok Station Exit D3. Argyle St to corner Fa Yuen St -> Soy St]

- Ladies' Market, Tung Choi St 通菜街, Mong Kok (till early evening).
[Mong Kok Station Exit D3. Argyle St to corner Tung Choi St -> Dundas St]

- Quick look along Sai Yeung Choi St South from Argyle St to Dundas St.
[Mong Kok Station Exit D3. Argyle St to cnr Sai Yeung Choi St South -> Dundas St]

- Temple Street night market 庙街夜市, Yau Ma Tei (till evening) and dinner there.
[Jordan Station Exit A. Jordan Rd -> 3 blocks to Temple St. Starts from Nanking St and ends Man Ming Lane]


6/2/10

- Flight departs at 1225.


Phew! That is detailed and so satisfyingly so.

I am off for my beauty rest now and to those I will not have a chance to catch up with during this trip, I will see you all back here in a month's time. Happy holidays to me!

A year in Sydney

Recently a friend chanced upon my “world-famous” spreadsheet and though he was impressed with it, he asked why there wasn’t an annual summary page for each year. That is a good question but in addressing that, instead of adding an extra page to my spreadsheet, I will use it to extract significant events that have happened in my first full year in Sydney as a recapitulation of how well (or bad) I have lived as a Sydneysider.


January

I attended my first major New Year Day party at Homesexual, a very big gay dance club at Darling Harbour. By itself, the party did not do much for me but it once again made it evidently clear that the clubbing scene no longer speaks to me like it briefly did years back. Age, phase of life and a repugnance towards a boozy and druggy lifestyle all constitute to why bright lights shining on bare bodies gyrating to deafening music are nothing to me but an obstruction to a quiet evening cuddling and spending time with my baby.

This month also saw my last setting-up-a-new-apartment purchases namely a red rug and painting for the living room. People who have completed such a project would attest to the joy and satisfaction it brings, especially when you are doing it together with the one you love. My next big goal would be to buy an apartment of my own. My friend advised me not to see it as something that would drain my savings to zero but an investment that would eventually reap a profit. But this would involve a whole lot of research, something which I am not ready to commit my time to yet. In the meantime, I will continue to save up (you cannot go wrong with saving money) so that when I am ready, finances would not be a stumbling block.

February

My first Valentine’s Day with Ision–nothing special, just a simple dinner somewhere close to home. We agreed not to give each other a gift but I couldn’t help it for I felt that I needed to do at least a little something. Ision’s favourite food is dumplings and I bought and gift-wrapped eight of them and hand-delivered it to his workplace. To me, it is the thought that I have put into a present that makes me feel all nice and warm inside. Of course it would be an added bonus if gifts are genuinely appreciated and in the case of my simple Valentine’s Day present, it was.

March

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is a very significant event in the life of Sydneysiders, gays and straights alike and 2009 was the first year the government contributed financially to the event (it’s about time seeing how much tourist revenue it brings to the state!) . This was also my first Mardi Gras and the first time I marched in a parade of a scale like this. I have blogged about the march before so I will not say anything more here. There is a Chinese New Year parade (called Chingay–no pun involved, that is the actual name!) of a similar scale which I will march in as a gay participant when I get back to Singapore next year. I am not expecting a lot of people to join me but I have to capitalise on this first ever opportunity where citizens are invited to register and march in the parade.

April

As a permanent resident, I am entitled to government-subsidised healthcare and on top of that, people are encouraged to have their own supplementary private health insurance (with the penalty of not taking up private health insurance being a higher level of taxation). April was the first month I made use of both of these by means of a visit to a doctor to get a medical certificate and a dentist to get my regular twice-a-year cleaning done. The clinics here do not dispense medication like those in Singapore. Instead doctors fill out a prescription which would allow patients to buy their own medication. This to me results in more hassle and (likely) higher costs. I remembered when I was back in Singapore, visiting doctors and getting medication was so easy as everything was covered by my employment contract. I got health screenings, blood tests, X-rays and even a colonoscopy at no charge at all. Those were the days…

May

Ision and I have our anniversaries in May (6th of May to be exact) and this was the first time we actually spent it physically together. Although it was again a simple affair, to me it is this simplicity that makes it meaningful. When two people live together, things will inevitably get simplified (especially when we both need very low maintenance and hate drama with a passion) but along with the predictability and routine comes stability, familiarity and security. Sure, elaborate and expensive gifts can be extremely pleasant but if you ask me to choose one, the choice would be as clear as day and it would certainly not be in the form of an object.

As we grow older (and more jaded), real positive surprises get rarer but I got a very nice one in May. I knew my best gal pal would come visit for two weeks but she kept her travelling partner a secret up till the day I met her at her hotel. That partner is also a good friend of mine and it was a really good surprise! They toured Sydney for the first week and I joined them on the Melbourne leg of their tour along with the travelling partner’s boyfriend. I have written about this trip as well so all I want to say is that having seen Melbourne in greater detail, I think I would choose to live in Melbourne if I had a choice.

June

June is the month when I have to renew my army exit permit and I do it with utmost fervour and glee. In retrospect the two-and-a-half years spent in active service in my opinion were really good for my personal development but the couple or more weeks spent almost every year in reserve service were a gigantic waste of time and inconvenience. We used obsolete (and often damaged) equipment, practised old strategies developed during the Vietnam war era, slogged through mud and insects three nights at a sitting whilst spending time away from our loved ones. On the flipside, you get to catch up with old army buddies and get a little breather from work if you are in highly stressful jobs. But with my magical exit permit which I renew online without the need for any supporting documentation and waiting period, all this is but a not-so-distant memory now. I know with absolute certainty that everyone who is still stuck in that farce the government call national service would envy my position to death.

June also saw the biggest fight between Ision and I ever. The reason for that fight was of little importance as it was how it continued and the things I have learnt from it that were important. Everyone knows that quarrels are part and parcel of all relationships, especially those in which partners live together and some might even hazard the assertion that quarrels are essential for love to grow. In this instance, it really helped me understand the boundaries of our relationship better and how the pathways through the heart and brain of the relationship should be traversed for optimal balance. Love and emotions are not totally blind, irrational and uncontrollable concepts like what romantics like to profess. I would like to see it more like a science in which we can observe events governed by standard laws, support our arguments with empirical evidence and conduct experiments aimed at better understanding the relationship.

July

I have scanned my spreadsheet for July a couple of times but I could not find anything worth writing about. This is in agreement with one of the lessons I have learnt in life–when nothing happens, nothing happens but when things happen, they happen all at once. Also, I tend to concur with the adage “no news is good news” so this is all good (as long as it does not happen in consecutive months)!

August

There were several firsts in August. I won my first lucky draw prize in Australia. As a cheapskate, I like to enter those competitions with the submission of your particulars as the only entry requirement. So far, I have won concert tickets, casino buffet and restaurant vouchers. The second first would be my first-ever opera at the Sydney Opera House. I have watched plays and concerts there before but never an opera. I must say if I had to fork out an actual $200 for that opera experience, I would never have done it. I mean it was not awful but just so overrated. If you think that Singapore is a country void of artistic culture, Sydney is not far behind. For instance, you could see people wearing shorts and slippers into the Opera House just like you see them entering the Esplanade. The next first would be filing my first Australian income tax. I did it online and the process was a little more complicated than that of Singapore. As you might already know, taxation in Australia is very much higher and it is much more difficult to evade taxes here than in Singapore. It is not uncommon for migrants living here to start appreciating life back in Singapore all of a sudden come tax season. My last first was also my mother’s–she came to visit me and lived at my place for almost three weeks. Details of her trips in vivid colour can be seen here.

September

I had my first-ever formal week-long work training in September and this came more than a year after I have joined the company. This training was actually not provided by my company but by my client company as I was required to work on a new application used to calculate the refinery’s pressure relief requirements. My company has issued a wage-rise freeze, tighter hiring and unnecessary-spending policies (think company Christmas parties being downsized from already low-budget banquet-type events to squalid drinks-and-finger-food-socials at lawn bowling clubs–disgusting!), redundancies across the board and a discontinuation of all external non-work related training all in an attempt to better weather the global financial crisis. Sometimes I think that big companies like mine consciously use such “crises” as an excuse to unleash the budget-cutting measures that have been in their planning books for some time so that the lowly working-class fools like us would not notice the more-than-subtle changes. It really makes you question what your worth to the company is and where employee-loyalty fits in this whole equation. Well, phrases like cut-throat, rat race and dog-eat-dog don’t get coined for nothing.

October

Continuing its rampage of cost-cutting attacks, my company’s big-picture plans hit close to home in October. Three contractors from a sister-department got laid off as Caltex (led by the over-zealous new CEO) was not only trying to reduce overheads, it was also trying to hire more employees of their own and rely less on contractors so as to keep the skill- and talent-base within the company. This spelt an even worse disaster for contractors as they are always the first to go in money-saving exercises. I am not sure whether my company has given the three laid-off project managers good alternative positions elsewhere or have they been released from the company altogether (as part of the redundant mass of sheep being culled). The whole episode left me so worried about job security that I had to schedule a meeting with the boss of the company I am seconded to to seek affirmation that we have enough projects going on for our department to continue sustaining me as part of the contract team. And it never fails to amaze me that amidst all this, lazy colleagues can still feel all warm and fuzzy sitting on their unproductive arses and remain as indolent (if not more) as ever. I seriously am beginning to think that sloth runs in the genes of some ethnicities.

November

My 31st birthday passed me by in November and aside from (yet another) simple dinner and a gift from Ision, nothing else happened (I cannot even recall what present he gave me–it was not documented in my spreadsheet! Goodness me!). My mother used to ask me in relation to birthday celebrations–why do you need to celebrate your birthday when you should be celebrating the pain and sacrifice put into giving birth to you and raising you by your mother. This really struck a chord deep within me which also partly explains why I am not a fan of birthdays–mine or otherwise. There is also an element of not making people feel obligated to give you birthday gifts when you did the same for them (I know I will feel this way if the tables were turned). On top of it all, I feel that a person’s life should be celebrated based on his or her accomplishments, not age. I heard a friend say recently–birthdays must be good for you because the more birthdays you have, the longer you live. Hilarious!

December

December was an exciting month as I starred in my first-ever MTV. It was Natalie Bassingthwaighte’s “A Love Like This” as part of ACON’s (AIDS Council of New South Wales) “Wear It With Pride” campaign highlighting the 85 pieces of legislation that discriminated against same-sex couples that the Federal Government had amended in July 2009. We all wore T-shirts designed with an assigned number (I guess they ranged from 1 to 85) and I was involved in the part of the shoot where people had to wear a shirt on top of an already-worn shirt whilst dancing and mouthing the words of the song. Totally not on purpose, I stripped in front of the director when changing into my T-shirt and that gave him the idea of allowing people with nice bodies to start the half-a-minute-or-so section of the shoot from a topless state. Of course no one there by far had a body like me and I kind of stole a bit of the limelight. Evil me! But I fumbled when wearing the T-shirt as I did not know about this shirt-wearing concept in advance and thus did not have a chance to practise (unlike some others). Since everyone had only one take, I really think my segment would be axed from the final edit. However even a split second of me topless in that MTV would already be so amazing to me. The video will be released in January 2010 and I will certainly post it on my blog. Watch this space!

In addition to that piece of excitement, I spent my first-ever Christmas physically with Ision and according to him, he has not had a work-free Christmas day for five to six years now (he should not be complaining as he earned so much extra “red packet” money from loaded residents this festive season). We visited Ision’s brother who recently moved into a new place much closer to where we live. It was a totally awkward experience as there along with him were his hillbilly friends, one of which was in such a deep inebriated stupor that he could not even stand and speak properly. That environment was so foreign to me that it put me in a state of constant unease. I told Ision later it could be quite disconcerting after having to mingle and be friends with only our own kind for a long time to see what the rest of the country (or at least a big part of it) is actually like. The day was not all bad as it ended with our first-ever full-length 3D movie “Avatar”. If you have not seen this movie, go see it! I will not spoil it for you here but suffice to say it is probably the best movie that I ever watched in my entire life.


So there you have it, an entire year in retrospect. If I had to grade it from 1 to 10, I would give it a 7. Living in Sydney does present its fair share of problems (what country doesn’t give you the same?) but as long as I am facing them united with my love, I know that everything will turn out fine in the end. On this last day of 2009, I hope you have achieved all that you have set out to achieve for the year. It is now time to make a new to-do list as we move to the next decade of this century.

Passion reignited

As you can see, this blog has been idle for more than a month now and my last post did not even garner any comments other than the one posted by myself (I did that so that the frighteningly sad “0 comments” does not appear). Whenever this blog is attacked by tumbleweed, it is either because I am too busy or life is too boring. But the reason this time round is because (work) life is boringly busy ie. the wrong kind of busyness. Well at least I should count myself lucky that I still have a job in the midst of this lingering economic crisis (even though the Australian currency is doing really well), something that I used to think will never leave me scathed (which was an erroneous thought as it hit close to home about a month ago).

However I am impressed with myself that I could still have the time and energy to reconnect with my temporarily-put-to-rest passion a.k.a. song-writing. In this latest musical project, I worked with two pieces of lyrics penned by my good friend back in Singapore. The endeavour managed to partially quell the reignited fire of creativity inside of me and I am still looking for more pieces to work on. I hope my friend finds my compositions OK (I do not ask for much nowadays) and that I did justice to her works. Here they are (comments are extremely welcomed).


[Stay Away]

/词: 惜妹//曲: 锦泉/ 

今天值得特别怀念
对, 又是老土的从前
是一段快乐的难过的
难忘却又想忘记的

今夜流泪特别有感觉
对, 又是为了某一个谁
是一个喜欢的讨厌的
舍不得又该放弃的

曾以圣诞节的老人都是善良的
曾以万圣节的恶鬼都是假的
从没有想过你是带着面具爱我的
真的没有想过

Stay away
只想你 stay away
别再试图拉近距离
别再波动我的情绪

Stay away
Why don’t you stay away
此刻我只想保持安静
静静的凭吊我们的过去





[不由自主的幸福]

/词: 惜妹//曲: 锦泉/ 

不由自主的等待
绚丽缤纷的色彩
莫名奇妙的期待
不能预知的未来
我就是那么乖
等你填满现在

笔触温柔的绘出
动人无比的曲目
看不懂的音符却
能安抚我的无助
恍然大悟才发现
原来我孤独

总是那么的义无反顾
在皱褶之间觅寻幸福
就算只有一点点, 一点点
什么委屈总能在瞬间瓦解




I am fortunate that at least I have something in my life that I have passion for especially when life is becoming hectic in all the wrong ways. I guess if I have to be bogged down by anything, at least let it be by my passion.