mr.dareklam downunder

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2007-11-29T07:58:00.000-08:00

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
'Cause this was not your dream
But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
In even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
Oh, let me go homeOh,
I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home

it's Jaime Kong!

2007-09-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

After nearly 8 months in Brissy, i finally caught up with elusive Jaime! yea! Great catchin' up with ya.

fisherman's platter, can feed the whole damn fishing village.
Fauzan after his hot coco.

2007-08-23T05:06:00.000-07:00

fantabulous.

flew from sydney, delivered by andre.

it's a big funfair

2007-08-22T05:05:00.000-07:00

First post since I came back. Been real busy with books and such... and golf.... and cooking.

Finally a holiday to chill out a bit. Ekka holiday that is. Ekka is a day of super-big fun fair cum pasar palam cum mini zoo cum ring show cum fireworks. It is so big that the aussie decided that they needed an official holiday to celebrate that. Nice. No one is complaining, except the entry fee of 16 bucks.

flashing dancing lights

Mr Ross.

Fauzan on his ride. He didn't puke. Yey!

Pain is temporary.. quiting is forever...

2007-07-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

Dale visits!

2007-07-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Dale Mason pop over to singapore for a short stopover before flying off to his China teaching trip. Dale is a tutor cum dean at Cromwell college, Irish australian! I promised that I would show him around our little island paradise. Told by his sister that Sentosa was a brilliant island resort, he wanted to see it for himself. All he wanted was a swim really and boy can he swim. Fella went all the way out of the lagoon in his snorkel, for a moment I thought that was it...... nope. .. 60++ and going strong mate.

I brought him to the most southern point of the Asian continent.

To be honest I didn't know that there was a southern end point in Sentosa.
The highest point in Singapore, all 164 metres of it.
The meal at the indian eating place with sheila:

Meal included soup kambeng, roti john, murtabak, paper prata, teh terik, murukuk and lotsa chatter.

Meal at the best pork rib soup restaurant with my dad. Yup, we eat all parts of the pig here; tail, liver, blood, leg, stomach and intestines. Dale was game enough to try the braised pig trotters (TER KAR), and he absolutely loved it
Yup, what a bloody mess, that is how we do it here mate.

Good luck with the rest of your trip, see you back in Brissy.

9holes

2007-07-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

First 9 holes. sweet.

LEARN CHINESE IN 5 MINUTES

2007-07-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

Say the words out loud.

1) That's not right..........................Sum Ting Wong
2) Are you harboring a fugitive? ........Hu Yu Hai Ding
3) See me ASAP............................Kum Hia Nao
4) Stupid Man.............................. Dum Fuk
5) Small Horse..............................Tai Ni Po Ni
6) Did you go to the Beach?..............Wai Yu So Tan
7) I bumped into a coffee table..........Ai Bang Mai Fa Kin Ni
8) I think you need a face lift............Chin Tu Fat
9) It's very dark in here...................WaoSo Dim
10) I thought you were on a diet........Wai Yu Mun Ching
11) This is a tow away zone.............,No Pah King
12) Our meeting is next week............Wai Yu Kum Nao
13) Staying out of sight...................Lei Ying Lo
14) He's cleaning his automobile.........Wa Shing Ka

Stole this from ronny's facebook!

feng shui

2007-06-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Remember I did mention the fengshui of this cottage is not that wonderful? Well here it is:

The entrance to the the cottage faces the rubbish dump! The aroma from this big green tin can sometimes drift into our rooms.... hmm...

The balcony opens into the laundry line! Golly!

Every so often we are greeted by the colours of different national flags.

These two combination I believe blocks the flow of qi... bugger.

Somewhere over the rainbow

2007-06-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Somewhere over the rainbow

Way up high

There's a land that I heard of

Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow

Skies are blue

And the dreams that you dare to dream

Really do come true

Some day I'll wish upon a star

And wake up where the clouds are far behind me

Where troubles melt like lemondrops

Away above the chimney tops

That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow

Bluebirds fly

Birds fly over the rainbow

Why then, oh why can't I?

28th

2007-06-16T09:11:00.001-07:00

I wish we will all pass our 1st sem

Special thanks to wenjing, agnes, joyce and andre for the surprise celebration

It was truely memorable. : )

I feel like a tourist in Brissy

2007-06-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

without the classes, the stress and exams, I feel like a tourist in Brisbane.

Day one of the tour brings me to West End market.

West end marker reminds me of London's Camden town market with the mix of eccentric wares and colourful vendors. There are fabulous vegetables, organic foods, plants, flowers, bric-a-brac, and buskers.

Mr Hungarian chef and our Lepeny

me and agnes enjoying our curry puffs.

It's Party time!

2007-06-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

With the papers all done in 3 days, the books are out and the party is in!

All of us cramp into a cozy little cafe and and a crazy bbq dinner and booze all night long.

Everything is kinda blurry after the wine and beer...

Jessie and me
Nessa and Jeppe
Andre, Ziggy and Aspi

Cold Cold Cold

2007-06-08T06:09:00.000-07:00

temp dropping

Come on Maggies!

2007-06-07T00:05:00.001-07:00

Tough luck on the boys. Have not won a single game this year. Things are pretty rough for them.

The club gave them a choice to relegate to a lower division, but they unanimously decided to stick it through. Good on ya boys!

I have followed them close to 4 months now and look forward to their training and games. Really fun treating them and feel like I am really part of the team.

Morale booster after a match, this one was in Mt Gravatt, about 10 min drive away.

One of the fellas, rocca... all damn big size lads.

Lil fella

2007-05-24T03:23:00.000-07:00

Hey congrats edric on your first offspring...does look a bit like you and he is just in time for father's day too!

10 more to form a football team, so better get back to work mate!

Lil raphael

Crawling out

2007-05-23T01:16:00.000-07:00

Thousand apologies for the lack of update.... work has been simply overwhelming. I have been really busy climbing out of this pithole. The climb was arduous, back breaking at times but boy was the air fresher higher up. Exams is just round the corner, and the going is gonna get tougher.

Wish me luck

Rockbottom....

2007-05-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

Golly.... all of us has just started our clinics for a few weeks now. It is funny how when we are thrown back into the student mode, it totally screw up the brain. Maybe we have been taking for granted the dr diagnosis all this while and now the part of the brain that has not been used is suddenly triggered alive. Maybe it is the new approach of manual therapy and TDT. Anyway the learning curve is unbelieveably steep now, so steep that I feel that I have slide down beyond the x axis.

THE LEARNING CURVE
The crawl out of this pit is gonna be a painful one. It is friggin' depressing but thank goodness for the few friends who help lift each other's spirits.
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So guys.. chin up, I know it feels like the fuel is burning low.......
As Mr Walker says....... LET'S..................

I am getting out of here

2007-05-09T21:40:00.000-07:00

Just received news that I will be getting a new place next semester, yes, I am moving out. I have nothing much to complain about cromwell college really, it has treated me relatively well except:

1. the feng shui is not very good (I will compile some pics and show you guys the horrendous feng shui orientation)
2. the walls of the cottage is a little too thin, meaning I can hear almost everything that is going on next door.
3. the dinning hall food is not too bad, occasionally recycled and not very healthy (yup, belly getting bigger)
4. the fees is a little too ex, the new accom will save me a cool 2k.
5. not much social order sometimes, kiddies being kiddies like to have fun and party all the time. I don't really blame them, perhaps I was like that at their age.

See, overall I have nothin much to complain about. I am glad that I have stayed at the college. In a way, it has allowed me to mingle with the local kids and of course make some good friends.

Old website

2007-05-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

I was clearing some of my bookmarks fav site, when I chance upon a website I did about 5 years ago. I was still in UK then and must have been really bored to make this pictorial site. Have a look:

the then younger dareklam

Attacked at the golf range

2007-05-05T22:40:00.001-07:00

I was having a quiet practice at the Oxley driving range last friday.

Out of the blue, someone shouted for us to run for our lives!

"its coming your way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

...

Me and Andre instinctly grabbed our equipment and ran as fast as we could.

Managed to get away in time before......

The friggin' water sprinkler got us.

Nabei... someone turned the sprinkler on early

The noozle will periodically swivelled and sprayed the articial grass mat as well. Talk about saving watter. Pui!

Quite a beautiful spectacle actually.

Hot Pot

2007-05-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

First decent meal for a long time. Few of us gather at Kevin's house and had steamboat/hotpot taiwanese style!

Nice!! It was absolutely lovely.

Everyone really enjoyed it!

Our taiwanese host Throw everything in... anything is better than kandang.

...

Few days before that, I had the most savory dream. . . I so clearly dreamt that they were serving roast duck rice at the dinning hall, I remembered taking a hugh drumstick and before I took a huge bite, I woke up. Bloody cruel dream. . . so I decided to make this dream a reality

I will never take another roast duck drumstick for granted ever again.

Pretty tough Paper

2007-04-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

Gosh, all of us got the shock of our lives, pretty tough paper I must say.

I thought they will go easy with us and give us question like that.

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Maybe not.

Save water campaign

2007-04-28T05:20:00.000-07:00

It has not rain in brisbane for a long time now. So the queensland garmen wants us to shower for only 4 minutes a day + no washing of cars + no watering of garden.

Someone installed a hourglass in my shower to remind me about the water restriction. Thanks! Now I know how much time I need for the bath tub to fill to the brim. keke.

In and Out of Prison

2007-04-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Nothing much to blog about this past week, because I was in prision.

Mental prision that is.

Preparing for a mid sem paper...

wah never felt this stress for many years.

wish me luck.

Give that man a tiger!

2007-04-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

Norwegians drinking Singapore made beer in Australia! How cosmopolitan is that??

Couple of us (Oz, norwegians, swiss, danish), got together in a drinking hole after surviving our first practical test.

Ronny and Somnath, proud drinkers of our Tiger.

Human sponge

2007-04-20T02:46:00.000-07:00

Another semester has started. Sometimes I feel like a human sponge.

(Eat, Shit, Sleep, Study)∞

Kangaroo's Nuts ≠Kingaroy nuts

2007-04-16T00:24:00.000-07:00

Some of the street markets here have some rather interesting stalls. There was one selling kangaroos' bullocks/ ball/ scrotum/ nuts/ lam pah* made into key chains and stuff. Very Unique, will surely make good gifts for you guys at home man!

from hanging bullocks/ ball/ scrotum/ nuts/ lam pah*

To furry gifts!
Quite expensive though, so i wondered if any place sells them cheaply, like a wholesale place.

Of cos!

"My home town Kingaroy has the best nuts, I can get you some when I go home for easter break." said Brandan.

Cool!

Here are your Kangaroy's nuts guys

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Sorry I ate it all liao.

Cheers Brendan, I meant Kangaroo Nuts, not Kingaroy's nuts. :P

* choose one that suits you.

Naked bodies, bras and rabba rabba

2007-04-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

It's the easter holiday week... instead of a deserving rest, all the physios masters students are back in uni everyday to prepare for our practical test. So this week was filled with lotsa of colourful bras, naked bodies, and any imaginable kinda molestation.

Not that I mind.

Friends I hang out with.

(After the cock rubbing entry, this pic may potentially send very wrong signals about my life in QLD!!)

About a fish! (part 2)

2007-04-10T03:51:00.000-07:00

The sea is pretty choppy the moment we left the pontoon, makes the balls shrinked each time the boat rode up and down the crests, like a never ending roller coaster ride.

Not a good day at all said Captain Bob!

...

Still my hopes were very high!

...

We stopped a few times to get a feel of hooking on the bait and casting the lines. Either the fishes were damn hungry or there were tonnes of sea creatures out there because one of the guys caught some fishes in like 2 minutes! They were about 20 cm long, itsy bitsy considering we were going for the big guys. So some of these early catch were slaughtered and used as instant baits.

The seas continued to battle the fishing boat and Captain Bob had to hunt around with his sonar finder to locate the fishing grounds.

Pretty soon, the baits started to attract some big...

"I got Something!!!" shouted Beck the deckhand.

The rod bent hard, at times threatening to snap off. We knew it was something big!

As the fish got closer we could see a beautiful blue shimmer dancing in frenzy!

"Mackerel!!"

With one swift swoop the deckhand hooked the monster fish up onboard.

Fish onboard!

And then unceremoniously invited to go clubbing on board...hehe

Don't you dare swallow the hook.... oh no. give em back!

...

And once the fish is no longer sober....
You proudly show it off...

I caught one of these mackerel, bloody fighters these guys, took me 5 minutes of fighting before this brave bugger gave in.
One of the most thrilling things I have done! And dream come true for me! WOW!

...

Hey Fauzan... check it out mate...

Hey Fauzan? Where are you?

Oh no!!!!!!! overboard?? shit!

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zzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hmm..poor Fauzan got a little seasick and all the bloody butchering that he decided he had quite enough action for the day.

Once on land, Fauzan got his kodak moment with the mackerel!

All 50-60cm of the mackerel. Should have got a bigger sink.

In all, the whole boat of 9 got about 4 huge Mackerel and 15 smaller fishes shared amongst all.

We got 10 of these smaller buggers too. Some of them were still jumping around in the car boot on the way back!

Eyes shiny one can???

And so, the day ended with a meal at Fauzan's place with Latiff and Hezmi.

Fantastic day!

...

Now I can tell the bedok fishmonger uncle:

Hng! I also can catch one ok!

About a fish! (part 1)

2007-04-09T03:49:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Dream come true! and so after one postponement, 80km of driving, and more sore butts later, we departed from Gold coast and finally on our way to catch some fish! Big Fish! Big BIG fish!

What's serving today???

The fish's menu of the day: Smaller fishes! ie bait!
Damn wat's up with the hair!

Fauzan before the big one.... hehe

Finally! Fauzan's First Fish

A scorpion fish, poisonous says the crew and he had to chuck it back into the sea.

But it looks damn edible to me...

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There are so many more pictures to post, I had to break the fishing trip into two parts. Stay tuned for fauzan's big one and ..... did mrdareklam catch any fish??

: )

No Fish, Toowoomba also can...

2007-04-08T02:10:00.001-07:00

After 6 weeks of study, time for some R&R.

Think I told some of you guys that I am going on a deep sea fishing trip this weekend

And....

This is what i have been dreaming the last few nites, big big fish, and goreng it after that, hmm... yumm... unfortunately, weather was not kind of us, and the trip was postponed.

So, bor haer hei mai ho. (no fish, shrimp also can!!), three of us, Brenden and Fauzan packed ourselves into my car and drove to Toowoomba, the city of garden...??
100km away and 1hr++ later, my arse hurts and we are in Toowooba.
Along the way, Brenden had a singlish lesson from me and Fauzan.

To a winery to have lunch....

Strict aussie law means only one glass of wine, chey!

City of garden=Japanese garden... ?? Hmmm... I have not even been to the Japan garden in Sg! ha!

Golf updates

2007-04-05T05:27:00.000-07:00

Had been spending some time at the range with Andre perfecting my swing. Golf is such an amazingly precise game where every single joint and every muscle have to work perfectly within a split second to produce that power shot. So far, I am unlearning all my bad habits and my shots are definitely much straighter all thanks to Andre.

only the two of us left at the range

Lower....lower....no....lower....hehe

2007-04-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

One of the guys took a voyeur shot of me in practical class. From this angle, looks like Joyce is putting her hands down my..err..... pants. Haha, no such luck can? She was doing a anterior posterior manip and her hands are on my tummy.

Cock injured!!!

2007-04-03T03:31:00.000-07:00

This is what happened after a game on sunday, one of the boys came up to me...

Aussie boy: Darek, I have a cork injury, can you help me?
me: hmmm.. cock?
Aussie boy: Yeah, cork, its quite sore. Can you help me rub it?
me: COCK? Rub your cock??? u trying to me funny with me boy?

- me started to check his groin area-
Aussie boy freaked out!!!

hahah, god damn it.

CORK (not cock) + australia = Thigh haematoma !!!!!

Bloody hell. How I know????

Are we really . . . . .

2007-03-30T03:46:00.001-07:00

going to have a stadium that look like a PAN SAI TANG cover?

Someone clothes got cooked

2007-03-30T02:57:00.001-07:00

hi everyone this is where I do my laundry, washing machine at the bottom and dryer on top. The silly dryer is damn ex, a dollar for only 15 min of drying time. Hardly enough time to dry anything at all!

I guess somebody was not too happy with the deal and must have pop a few extra dollar coins to extend the drying time.

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....

...

Little did he know that that will turn the dryer into an incinerator!

Burnt underwear!! ha!

alrite truth is, everyone got woken up up at 3am today by a burning dryer that set the fire alarm screaming away. Apparently someone (drunk???) must have attempted to dry his/her god knows what at the unearthly time (3am??) and turn the dryer into an incinerator! And so his/her god knows what got cooked big time. Police are still investigating the matter. Ridiculous!

--Darek Lam reporting live from brisbane queensland!!???

I also can Manip ok!

2007-03-30T02:42:00.000-07:00

haha, some of you guys know that I am such a sceptic when it comes to manip and all the "feeling" kinda physio techniques. It's just that no one was able to convince me through the years.

BUT Some fantastic tutors here are starting to shift my mindset. Today I managed my first CRACK in a long time and my name is on the CRACK SCORE board too!

Hng! : )

too warm too cool

2007-03-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

The weather is slowly changing as we approach autumn. I find myself craving the aircon in the afternoon and setting the air con to heated mode at night.

physio for U18 maggies

2007-03-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

I am officially the physio for the under18 players. Quite a nice bunch of guys who are all being groomed for the first team. Less demanding than the first team, their game is also much shorter, still there are punches flying all over the place. Nice game, but I wouldn't play it! Sure kena bulldozed by the guys.

to gold coast and back

2007-03-24T05:43:00.000-07:00

very proud of myself today.

managed to drive to the coast and back.

was there to cover a AFL game.

my "chng" racing wheel. Cool rite?

this view for 1 hr to and fro.

Relieved

2007-03-23T04:25:00.000-07:00

After a flurry of calls, my dad convinced me that he is alrite now.

Immense relief.
Dr Gan said that ?TIA ?seizure ?source ?carotid? the question marks are not really useful, but the doctor was quite good to reassure me.

Thank you all for making this episode . . . so humane. Special thanks again to Uncle Tony, dear sheila, Kit, Jean and Megan, Dr Jimmy Ong, Yarli, Eileen, ppl at ward 15 and my dearest mom of course.

Dad doing his prescriped exercise by yours truely.. : )

u will be ok dad.

2007-03-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

Sheila called today, and told me that Dad is in the hospital...

my heart sank.

TIA again i heard.

Dad says that everything is ok now and told me not to worry.

He is awaiting the MRI scan now.

Tomorrow I will call up the neuro Dr for an update.

................

Thanks uncle Tony for sending him to the hospital.

Dad after taking the treadmil test in feb, just before I left. He aced it big time.

Speak Hokkien

2007-03-20T02:36:00.000-07:00

Je kow da bor is Kevin, si taiwan kia, mah see tak physio masters eh. Gai yi gong hokkien waay see bei ho chio.

Translation: This is Kevin (the one to my left) from Taiwan, also studying Masters, really fun speaking hokkien to him!

Qi Jiao (Bird Feeding)

2007-03-17T02:46:00.000-07:00

Was woken up by this bird chirping away in my balcony one day. It seem to be waiting for something. . .

The birdy in my balcony
Had a peep outside and saw brendan feeding the bird (its a Magpie, this one is the baby and doesn't have the adult's darker colouration).
These days a family of 3 will come at 730 am sharp and start demanding breakfast! These guys have since gotten used to us and would even wander into our rooms for their breakfast. Quite fun except for their POO POO.

Golfing

2007-03-17T02:17:00.000-07:00

6th weekend!

I have been meaning to take golf lessons for ages, just needed someone to correct my technique and stuff. And I did! A$85 for 5 lessons and made a few more friends.

Found a driving range here as well. Quite a nice little public range with great views of the city.

Little ones having a go.
Just one lesson and some work on the wrist and my balls are so much straighter! Well done Darek!

Hai yang visits!

2007-03-15T04:53:00.000-07:00

Haiyang and his wife pop by for a visit from Sunshine coast today. Really pure serendipity how we met... I was just walking home from the library and I spotted him across the road. Apparently, he was trying to contact me. How queer?!

We spent the afternoon sorting out my car registration and insurance while he got to reminisce about his times in UQ.

Mr Tan making sure my room is JCIA compliant.
Dinner was extremely satisfying with real RICE. We were joined by John, chap studying in UQ as well.

It's really nice to see a familiar face from home. Thanks mate.

Sherwood Magpies

2007-03-14T05:25:00.000-07:00

As part of the curiculum, I have to be attached to a sports club. I chose this Aussie rule club called Sherwood magpies. Just about 10 min drive away, and the chance to see a crazy game... why not? Aussie rule (think it is spelt this way) is a mixed game of rugby, football and NETBALL! I have yet to figure the rules out???

BBQ dinner

2007-03-14T05:11:00.000-07:00

Wah! not bad man. Outdoor BBQ dinner last saturday. Hey, cromwell college is pretty creative in keeping her residents happy.

Just for you hon.

2007-03-10T18:10:00.000-08:00

Hey sweetie, i hired a plane to write a sky messge for you today. Hope you like it......

Damn the bugger spelled wrongly!!! i told him to stop and got my money back. Next time maybe.... hehe

Lao Pok Car

2007-03-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

TA TA TAN! ok this is the car I should be getting (recommended by Dale Mason, one of the dean looking after my college) Looks and feel pretty decent and bargained it down to 2.2k. It is a Mitsubitshi Lancer '94 and has racing kit fitted.

test drive
Brendan kindly went down to inspect the car with me (he used to work at the mechanics, so he knows his stuff) Cheers mate, appreciate it.
Looks ok from the outside.

jingle bell jingle bell...................and 2 breathes

2007-03-10T01:05:00.000-08:00

5th weekend here already. Times truely flies. Anyway 10 of us masters students spent this weekend together for our first aid certification. Interesting how the instructor can put so much animation into such a dry topic. For example, instead of counting the CPR 30 compression to 2 breathes cycle, he suggested singing jingle bells jingle bells instead. He reckon that will equate to 30 compressions! (just remember to sing it silently to yourself!)

Rubber mask to practise CPR on our dummies

Fauzan from sg! He is doing paeds though. Small world No.1 : he was the physio for sheila's cousin couple years back.

Aspi from the Philippines. Doing sports physio with me.

Small world No.2 Declan from Ireland, my schoolmate from Manchester Uni. Haven't seen him since 03 and here he is in Queensland!

Brooke

The rest of the gals (on the left is Wenjing from sg too, doing geri. On the right is Nessa from Ireland)

Formal Dinner

2007-03-07T02:20:00.000-08:00

Every week we will all sit down and have a formal dinner, everyone dressed in gown and formal attire. Good time to sit down and meet everyone.

Ernest from Malaysia, thank goodness someone that can understand what i am saying without me rattling off in some accent.

Main course

Cheese platter...erhm....

Take picture take picture!

2007-03-06T22:37:00.000-08:00

This morning I was woken up by a intercom system (who the hell put it there?) informing us to dress up and take group photo. Drowsy as we are, we got up in our shirts and tie for the shot. Here are some aftermath shots. Alistair (Chap next door)

Looking sharp heh?

Anyone watch Rocky already?

2007-03-05T04:13:00.000-08:00

Yes Rocky Balboa. The last instalment! What a great way to end the series. Again, there are so many lessons to be learnt and still the best part for me is the line "there is no Tomorrow!!!" when rocky wanted to throw in the towel, someone shot that line into his head.

Cottage Mate!

2007-03-04T02:19:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, this is Brendan who live just 1 room away. Brilliant guy who homestudied man. Have to pretty darn disciplined if you ask me. Though 21, he speaks beyond his age, different from the rest of the 17 year old college kiddies.

What do you call a Boomerang that doesn't come back??

2007-03-03T01:07:00.000-08:00

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a stick of cos. hehe

Settling in quite nicely

2007-03-03T00:45:00.000-08:00

I am paying shit loads for this room, which I am quite happy with. Nothing much to complain about with the attached toilet (cleaned once a week by a cleaner), fridge, air conditioner, balcony and tea making facilities.

Course mates!

2007-03-02T23:15:00.000-08:00

It is quite nice to have a few course mates that you can talk to and reminisce about homely things. From the left Zhiqi (or Ziggy i think), yandao, Agnes and Joyce.

Zhiqi studied and worked in Oz for quite a while, Agnes is from TTSH and Joyce is from hongkong.

Andre is also from Hongkong and plans to continue working here once he complete his masters
We got together on one of the weekend and enjoyed a pint out in the sweltering Australian heat.

No, it is not a Atap house, it is a Cottage

2007-02-23T15:56:00.000-08:00

This is my little cottage I shared with 4 others: 2 Aussies, 1 Brit and 1 Canadian. Each room is ensuite and airconditioned.

Just in case anyone would like to send me anything from home, my address is

Darek Lam, Cromwell College, St Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia.

I also wanna be ONLY-1

2007-02-22T20:34:00.000-08:00

Bush dance

2007-02-22T01:55:00.000-08:00

this is the hall where i normally have my meals, but today the place is cleared of table and chairs to make way for........ BUSH DANCE.

I was told that it is like a folk dance akin to line dancing, apparently that is what angmoh do when they are bored in the farm.

It comes with a band and crasy jiggling of arms and legs. I should have worn my jeans and brown shoes (Fawz says i looked like a cowboy in that)

Siao Ang moh!!!

2007-02-20T06:07:00.000-08:00

they have got an interesting orientation prog in all the colleges, ie bootcamp where all the freshers are super tekan. They have to wear this ridiculous pink HATS all around the campus.
I politely decline to join them in all activities, including the HAT thing. Whole lot of them went bowling! and its a total mayhem! no shoes provided so some of us bowled in slippers!

Siao angmoh decided to bowl damn slow balls that all collected in the gutters! Total count = 10 balls! damn funny!

More about UQ

2007-02-20T03:05:00.000-08:00

wah! The UQ accommodation is great, my room is tucked away in a little cottage which I share with 4 others. It comes with everthing that will allow me to hibernate in my room. Food is fab too, but someone help me, i am sick of Kandang! Gimme my rice please!!!!!!!!!

Campus is absolutely gorgeous, well compared to manchester, this place is mile miles ahead.

pictures coming up soon.

Watch this space!

See you later, hon.

2007-02-20T02:59:00.000-08:00

All good things must come to an end. We spent 9 lovely days together. It was difficult sending her off at Brisbane airport, just like in Manchester. She helped me loads to settle down and finding my way around. Hmm...what will I do without her?

See you soon sweetie, I will be back soon, promised.

Surfer's paradise

2007-02-20T02:54:00.000-08:00

Beach front apartment

people baking themselves in the sun.

1x4WD, 10x campers, 2 days on Moreton island

2007-02-20T02:21:00.000-08:00

2 Aussie guides, 2 s'porean, 1 korean, 2 brits, 2 sweds and 1 dutch on an island for 2 days
All of us packed into the back for a bumpy ride.

Driving along the miles and miles of beach

Snorkeled among the wrecks.

Sandboarded in a desert
superb views from mt tempest
All the beach to ourselves

Sharkie (one of the Aussie guide) was explaining how to savour a Moreton island fly. But he stop short of a live demo, quite funny.

sleepy sleeping koala

2007-02-20T01:50:00.000-08:00

these guys got the best life ever man... all they do is eat, sleep and shit. Who says that evolution favours the fittest?

Sheila in a staring game with a koala

eat, sleep go toilet

Kango Bollocks!

2007-02-20T01:39:00.000-08:00

wah, this kango got big..............................................

BALLS

Let the beer start rolling...

2007-02-12T04:13:00.000-08:00

Who can resist? Damn the lager taste good on a warm sunny brisbane weather

Yup 50 kgs for the next 9 months

2007-02-12T04:03:00.000-08:00

My luggage and barang barang. Thankfully sheila was with me to lug it all here.

24 hrs to take off

2007-02-12T04:01:00.000-08:00

Finally, the count down is down to hours from months and days. Funny how this counting of hours always remind of the those sickening NS times when you were about to book in. Darn the feeling is all coming back now.

Luggage done, biz handed over, room almost all packed up. I have got 50 kg worth of stuff to bring there. Wish i got tonnes more really, and if the plane can fly the car there, all the merrier.

Rite on, one last final pack. see if i can squeeze in a few more stuff. See you all in Sunny Brisbane.