Gemynd - Australia

Day 14 - End.

2008-06-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well that was mostly it. Not much activity, a little shopping and sightseeing here and there.

I think what was so distinct about being in Australia aside from the cold is how nice people generally are here. It was after a week of staying around here that I felt like an actual individual who matters when I walk around. How often is it that you enter a shop where absolute strangers greet you and ask you how you're doing? It leaves you to realize how easy it is to be nice but wonder why common courtesy like this isn't practiced back at home.

Aside from that, the first week plus was fantastic because of how I felt like I was living another person's life - just as how I always feel when I'm in another country. Routines are different and after a while you just lose sight of how your days used to be. Which is probably a good thing. Unfortunately after a bit, I got forced down to reality with the news of getting my results, which sort of killed things.

Either way I was glad to be here. More of a 'holiday' typed thing as opposed to a 'trip'. More laying back and relaxing than walking around and experiencing. To be honest, I'd really prefer the latter.

I'm glad, nonetheless =)

-This blog is now retired.-

Day 11, 12 and 13 - Sydney's Boredom At Its Finest

2008-06-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

The last few days were in Sydney, mostly boring, which is why it's all compiled into a single post. Have been procrastinating these posts pretty long too, so I kinda lost interest. Well anyway, to end it off, I'll tell the stories with pictures and captions as much as I can.

Day 11 was mostly stay-in. Well I slept till 2 in the afternoon anyway. Got me a packed Vietnamese beef noodle soup type thing. Absolutely wonderful. Balanced spices, bursting with flavours you would never imagine. There's a reason it cost 8 AUD, though?

One of the many, many of dad's shots of the fruit bowl. You can tell he was equally as bored.

You'd think we'd be done with oysters by now, but 4 dozens is an absolute bitch to get rid of.

Good homemade dinner on the way.

^_^

My first ever contribution to dinner. Roast potatoes and carrots. No, not the hardest thing in the world to do but it's a contribution nonetheless.

Went shopping a bit later that afternoon and got myself a coat that probably cost more than all the clothes shopping I've done in my lifetime. It doesn't say much since I hardly shop, but that is one expensive coat.

"I'm wearing two belts!"

IKEA spice jars, with lots of spices. *shrug*

~200 AUD spent on nuts and chocolates. Not exactly 'discount', but man, was that's a lot of nuts.

THE place for sandwiches (Vietnamese sandwiches). The line was still fine here because it was before lunch hour. When we came back for seconds during lunch hour, the line roughly consisted of 25-30 people. J.Co and Big Apple lines aren't even that bloody long.

Went to a random park found using GPS but was fawked by hundreds of birds. Ate in the car in the end.

Doesn't look like the most appetizing thing in the world but I swear to god, it is the absolute best. The crispiest and lightest bread I've bitten into, with a good amount of vegetables (but not a good amount of meat), and most importantly, the Vietnamese sauce thingy, mostly consisting of fish sauce, sugar and lime juice or something.

Extremely dirty coat-table because of how crumbly the bread is, a burning sensation that took forever to fade from my tongue because of all the chillies, and tearing eyes because I rubbed my eye somehow after picking some of the chillies out. But oh, so bloody worth it. BEST SANDWICH EVARRRR.

Random shot at the park.

Went to the beach for a bit to chill out. Nearby was a restaurant or something with a swimming pool outside, which is somewhat connected to the sea.

Looks a little like Cinque Terre in Italy:

Of course this is a billion times more beautiful.

Just what I was looking for. People surfing in the middle of winter.

Pwnt!

I made a very fucking stupid mistake by trying to play that "stand in one position and predict where the waves stop at" game.

Mmm...

Dusting off sand from my frozen feet.

Last shot before leaving. Check the rainbow out!

Day 8427 (WTF?!)

2008-06-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

Yes. It took me this long to get my results.

In my head it was either "sorry guys, I can't continue," or "my life stood still when results were coming. It's a good thing they're here now, I can continue and finish this blog".

But it took 36 hours and 9 minutes.

And yes, it's:

"My life stood still when results were coming. It's a good thing they're here now, I can continue and finish this blog."

=)

Day 11, 12, 13, etc. incoming.

Day 10 - Road Trip Pt. 3

2008-06-14T05:52:00.000-07:00

From Bateman's Bay back to Sydney!

Sunrise, courtesy of bro and dad. I was dead asleep at the time of these pictures. (Putting numbers on them because blogger.com is retarded. Lazy to explain.) 1.

2.

3.

4.

So Windows-wallpaper-ish!

Taken around the lodge. They're all over the fuckin' place. Fuckin' roo's.

I'd rather do the kangaroo. You?

This particular one looked like it had a good hit of acid.

We are the proud killers of a lot of bloody bugs on the way here. Back on the road!

Back around Bateman's to hunt for oysters. Again.

Dayumn. Got (only) a dozen of these because bro wanted them unshucked. More fresh or something.

Pieway. Get it? Tee hee hee, hee hee. Oh yeah, fantastic pies. Gorgeous, crispy crust, unpretentious big chunks of meat. Yums.

Album cover.

Stopped by at Berry for lunch. I know, a town named Berry. How queer.

Album coverrrrr. While waiting for food.

'Best croissants in the state'. Also best croissants I've tasted. It's like every single layer is as crispy as the one next to it. Loud noises when biting into it. 5 AUD for that tiny piece of crap, though.

'Best Marinara in the world' according to dad. And he's been to Italy 4 times. *shrug* 19 AUD. Ow.

Chocolate brioche with blueberry coulis. Served for breakfast, apparently. One of the best desserts I've ever had, though. Rich, fattening, fantastic stuff.

Chilling out at..I have absolutely no idea, I was asleep on the journey here.

Birdies chillin' with their homies.

On the hunt for more! Neat experience here. Free oysters for sampling. 9 AUD per dozen. 3 dozens, unshucked. That's 48+ oysters sitting in our bloody icebox.

(R)! Girl powah!

Everything from here on was dark and gloomy. Needless to say, we got home and started ripping the crap out of them oysters.

Clyde River oysters.

Shucking oysters - which I still have no idea how to do. Oh well.

Day 9 - Road Trip Pt. 2

2008-06-13T05:32:00.001-07:00

Arms not too retarded. Still hurts to straighten, but was much better. Mind you, this is the third day after that gym session. Confirmed, worst lactic acid attack I've ever been through.

Continued on, this time reaching Bateman's Bay. Click map to enlarge.

Guess who got behind the wheel for a couple of hours. ^_^

Keke. Cruise control is awesome. 1 lane highways are not. 100 km/h speed limit is not. Princes Highway is a piece of crap. Why do they even call it a highway?

Best rest stop ever? Well we stopped at Eden as well, somewhere around where the X was marked on the map, but that wasn't worth mentioning. Beautiful town, no place to take photographs. Too bad.

Allow me to babble on. This was one of the most memorable meals of my life so far. 130 AUD, platter for two. Restaurant is 'On the Pier'. Which it is on the pier of Bateman's Bay anyway. Beautiful place.

Grilled kingfish (the one in the dish), 12 Clyde River oysters (around the top), 12 Crystal Bay prawns (at the bottom), battered scallops and crab cake (on the left of the lobster), calamari (above the scallops), smoked salmon (on the right of the rock melon, in the shape of a rose), half a lobster, 6 tempura prawns (sticking out of the melon), sides include kiwifruit, passion fruit, lemon, rock melon, and four different sauces (not in the picture) - plum, REAL thousand island, tartar and mango chutney.

I know. I didn't finish reading it on the menu either. Dad said he stopped halfway and agreed to share it with me because it felt like he was reading a novel. I'll assist by writing in incomplete sentences.

Fish. Fresh. Almost no seasoning. Simple. Wonderful.
Oysters. Fresh. Squeezed lemon. The first oysters I've tasted that I'd label 'tolerable'. Don't like oysters. Dad says it's either second best or best oysters ever. And the man has tasted New Zealand Bay oysters in Auckland.
Prawns. Boiled. Plain. Wise choice considering how fresh it was. Not the best I've had but great.
Scallops. Roe included. Light batter. Natural scallop sweetness. Fresh as hell.
Crab cake (?). Not sure if that's what it was. Lol. A little too heavy. Wonderful taste, but too dense in texture and too heavy in flavour. Still great.
Calamari. Nothing special. Fresh, though.
Salmon. Awesome presentation. Smoky but light flavour. Fresh, needless to say.
Lobster. Plain, simple. Freshest lobster I've ever had. Wonderful texture, great bite. Not the flaky soft and broken up shit lobster meat I'm used to.
Tempura prawns. Lightest tempura batter I've ever had. Garnished with a little salt. Perfect flavour, needed nothing more. Absolutely wonderful.
Passion fruit. First time I've ever had it. Sourish, but the good kind. Beautiful to go with the fresh seafood. I've said fresh too many times.
Rock melon. Seemed to be for presentation but we kinda sawed it with a knife. Waitress saw this, offered to cut it for us. Came back with a bowl of juicy, sweet melon. Just an example of great service. Great dessert.
Not talking about the rest. Not really worth mentioning.
Good food. Good service. Relatively fast food service for such a fancy restaurant. Very memorable.

Practically high on all of it. Dad looks at me, grins, and says, "Want to ruin the dinner?"

Naturally, ended up with cigarettes on the freezing cold pier. Beautiful night.

Retired to EcoPoint Murramarang Resort which had a very get-away-lodge kind of vibe. Secluded place, dark roads, and like 6 km deep in a forest of some sort. 85 AUD for the night. Beautiful place. No pictures. Too dark by the time we got there. Haw haw. Google Image for it or something.

Day 8 - Road Trip Pt. 1

2008-06-13T03:49:00.000-07:00

We embark on our 1,068km trip from shitty Melbourne to shitty Sydney. First day, we reach Lakes Entrance. Let's go through that. Click to enlarge map.

So we rent ourselves a car.

Sax.

Traralgon Post Office. WTF is up with that? But yeah, we only stopped for lunch, no big deal here.

View at Lakes Entrance, as the sun was setting.

Album cover?

And another?

Sunset and what not. The sun kinda set on us so the lodge we stayed at was already dark when we got there. Pictures will come from the following day.

Fish and chips from one store, take-away. Crappy one.

Fish and chips from another store, take-away. The good one.

Crappy beer (tastes like Tiger), and free wine ^_^.

That is some seriously old-school shiat.

Naturally...

The next morning. Better shots of the lodge.

The whole thing to ourselves. We were the only guests. Good stuff.

Pretty enjoyable stay. 100 AUD for the night, with all that entertainment. Good rooms, well-stocked apartment. Well worth it. Arms still retarded at this point, could hardly move. Playing pool with arms like these was a fucking torture.

Day 7 - Melbourne, again?

2008-06-13T02:50:00.000-07:00

First of all, I haven't had internet access and it's actually already day 10 right now. But I'll get updated.

I lost track of the dates a bit and forgot I was only leaving Melbourne on the 11th. Works out for the best anyway, now that I’m out of everyone’s way with their exam and what not.

I thought yesterday’s body aches were bad after that gym session, but today I woke up with a full bladder but as I got up the pain sorta prevented me from moving for like a minute. This is probably the worst lactic acid attack I’ve had in my life. Literally can’t straighten my arms without showing a non-happy ‘XD’ face.

Naturally, the day was spent with Foxtel and the many shows I’ve gotten courtesy of Australian broadband back when I was in Sydney.

I did get out a bit anyway, so here are some random shots of the morning and the first hour of noon or something.

Apartments. 160 AUD a night. Not bad for a place in Melbourne.

Busy fucking Melbourne streets.

It's like I masterfully distracted them while I stole some food.

Chilled at a market for a bit. Lots of shiet.

Railway and what nots.

Also naturally, (being more alone with my thoughts, watching shows while drifting off, dying from the lack of internet access,) I had a lot more time to think about…life, in general.

First of all how crazy it’d be that if all goes according to plan academically, the people I just met yesterday are people I’m not going to see in friggin’ years and the thought of that already kinda makes it hard for me to breathe. I get that, when I think about the people I’ve been close with for really long and feel that something’s gonna cause us to drift apart.

Secondly, the weirder things like “if you told me 5 years ago that I’d be here in Melbourne in 5 years having a coffee with these few friends, I’d be waiting everyday for this day.” And all the more unbelievable things like how we hung out at a different continent a year ago and here we are in another one just chilling out. It doesn’t sound very magical but when you stop to think about it for just a second, it feels almost surreal.

Bah.

And lastly, it’s just being around someone I used to be in love with that damn much. Haven’t felt that way about anyone else since then, and just seeing that person just reminds me of how that used to be like. Not that I’m back at that feeling, it’s more of a memories hitting me on the head kinda thing. And yeah, I miss that feeling.

-Insert non-existent picture of us that neither of us took-
I really should have taken this.

But just like my horridly aching arms and stomach, I just know it’ll be good again someday. I mean everything in general. That my limbs will be working fine again, that we’ll all live our happy lives, that we’ll probably meet up again someday soon and that I will find someone to feel that way about, again.

Goddamn, I hope I’m right.

Day 5 and 6 - Melbourne

2008-06-09T00:37:00.000-07:00

It's been more like visiting friends in Melbourne than going around it. Landed at Avalon, which was like a military explosive test site or something. Nothing but fields around. Damn. Checked in some pretty nice apartments, even got upgraded to a higher class for a lower price due to availability or something like that. Unfortunately only spent like half an hour there before a friend made of awesome came to pick me up.

Naturally, first order of business.

He put his cap on just for this picture. Don't you feel honoured?

Afternoon cuddle, or something like that.

And daylight disappears within hours, as always. Winter sucks. And Melbourne is cold. And that is a horrible picture because I'm freezing my balls off on a balcony while trying to steady my hand for the shot.

See, this is a sink of a student. Fast food material, unwashed plates and utensils. I'd gotten so used to that spotless kitchen with no instant food but lots of raw food in Sydney, I'd forgotten how students are supposed to live.

Anyway, hung around for a bit. Played some...DotA (don't judge me.), went to the gym which is the cause of my entire body being fucking paralyzed. A bloody casino for dinner, fish and chips. Spent a bit of money at Crown Casino. For some experience. Yeah. When people say spent a bit of money at a casino it normally means they lost a good amount of money and won't admit it was because they got greedy, instead claim it's because they did it for experience. So yeah. Didn't actually take pictures of that, so I'm stealing one off the web.

Beautiful place. Very grand. Like in the bloody movies.

On a side note, those who've heard about the sohai who ran into a sliding door here just a couple of days ago, you'd probably also have heard how everyone in the smoking area was cheering and what not. Just like me, you're probably thinking it's just this small smoking room where people hang around for just a stick. You're wrong. It's a huge ground. It's a gigantic balcony where people talk and walk around and drink and smoke. It's HUGE and filled with people. How he managed to get the attention of everyone by just banging his forehead on the door amazes me. And it must have been a massive thud for everyone to have heard it.

Returned to mate's place and...DotA-ed our way into Day 6. In retrospect, Fawk.

Had an 'Australian breakfast' (spinach, mushrooms, toast, eggs, bacon, sausages? *shrug*) and went to hang around with The Ex for a bit. Beautiful place, wish I had my camera with me. Kinda looks like how I'd expect university campuses in the UK to look like. Haw haw. Had a great time but won't elaborate. More of an emotional experience kind of thing, so it belongs in the diary, not appropriate for any of my blogs.

Walked around and back to mate's place and slept. We miraculously all woke up at 5.30 p.m. together without an alarm. Probably dinner soon and back to the apartment with my family.

Shirt is covered in cat fur, am tired for some weird reason, and have no idea how I'm going to set my body clock right again. But it's been great. If you ask me, I have no idea what Melbourne is like, the past few days I've spent here. Most of it was spent chilling in rooms of some sort with friends. But it's been great.

And I really, really appreciate the fact that these people still have time to humour me with all this a day / a couple of days before their exams. Damn. Thanks for being awesome, Eugene, Ashvin, Vee Vien, and all the best with exams and what not. Cheers.

Day 4 - Kindly Fucking Off Sydney. Kindly.

2008-06-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

Took a ferry today from Sydney Olympic Park (one end) all the fucking way to Circular Quay (the other end). 50 minutes.

Beautiful breeze, beautiful weather.

No rain! Wtf!

What's great about this? I so do not get this.

Hahahahaha. If it was up to the Australians, the Jews would be apologising for killing Jesus and whites would be apologising for enslaving blacks. Fuk'nell.

The Rocks. Or something. So fawking many tourists.

Got out of there, hung around Five Dock for a bit, had lunch, shopped around, went back.

Fucking great weather today to just walk around today.

Will be flying to Melbourne for Day 5. Should be a lot more exciting. The blog will be too, I promise. May not be as interesting as people running into sliding doors, but it will be better.

PS:
*Jermaine reviews Bret's song lyrics*
Jermaine: Okay, "I'd climb the highest mountain." Would you actually do that?
Bret: No.
Jermaine: Well you sort of promised you would.
Bret: That's a metaphor.
Jermaine: Oh. Is it? What's it a metaphor for?
Bret: For..that I'd do anything for her.
Jermaine: Would you climb the highest mountain for her?
Bret: Oh. I see. No.

Flight of the Conchords is fucking brilliant.

Day 3 - Simple, as always

2008-06-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

It really has been. Went around Eastwood a bit, and seriously, just as you think you've seen enough Asians in Australia. Goddamn.

It was kinda cool though. Small-ish town, people running around shopping for groceries.

And vegetables, and fruits.

And meat.

And Asians.

And more Asians. (Worst captions ever)

As it's been so far, everything's been great but nothing I find easy to explain. Blue skies, simple people, simple lives. It's a very different fun from hanging around at the city, so I'm glad I got a balance of this.

Aside from that, what can I say. Winter, shorter daylight hours. Getting too comfortable and snug under the blankets. Staying close to my nature and sleeping like a true polar bear.

Can't really say or show you much more. But it really has been great.

PS: On a side-note, the actual lyrics are "Coo coo, kachoo". Cheers.

Day 2 - Probably Not

2008-06-05T15:40:00.000-07:00

Hanging around at Darling Harbour.

Psh. I wish.

Lunch.

Oysters.

Crabs and some Chinese sauce.

Prawns. Boiled. Salt water. Perfection.

Aaaaaah. I got a whole lot of mini-cuts on my tongue from biting into shitloads of prawn heads too quickly. Worth it.

Mussels. Not great.

Full on seafood and nothing but seafood for ~30 AUD per person. Not bad?

Kukukacu. Sound familiar? :P

What's a meal without M7 Ori?

Stuff around.

And again.

Gloomy weather all bloody day.

Doesn't dampen my spirits one bit though. So far the trip's been a 'simple pleasures' one. Good food, walking around aimlessly, enjoying the shitty weather. Very unlike Japan which was a "I wanna see the whole world" kind of trip.

Been very laid back. But enjoying every bit of it. Aside from that, if you're interested, I have healthy faeces, have fantastic Bailey's + Coffee + Krispy Kreme + Cheese + Crackers etc. every morning and have amazing broadband. Think never having to pause your streaming videos to let them buffer first. AUGHAjasd;klcsaiodj Malaysia.

Kukukacu.

PS: Stole 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Extras, Flight of the Conchords, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, The Office, and The Wire from bro. I'M NEVER GOING TO BE BORED AGAIN.

PPS: Forgot to mention, yesterday's dinner lasted 3.5 hours.

Day 1 - Do I Really Want To?

2008-06-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

Blogging about activities is boring as hell. I don't know how people do it. But blah, for formalities sake, here.

Bla bla. Boring flight.

First order of business. Laptop set up, Krispy Kreme, beer, and smoking on the balcony in winter wearing shorts without a shirt. Mmm.

Fruit in fruit apron. We stay at his house. It's nice. It's big. Lazy to take pictures.

~

That was me hours ago. Then I ate dinner. THEN IT ALL CHANGED.

My first fine dining experience at Becasse, 2007 Restaurant of the Year according to Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide and what not. Check out their website if curious.

Only took a few pictures as it was quite a challenge with the dim lighting. Ended up that my dad took all the shots, so they turned out much better than I could have ever made em ^_^

Salad of baby beetroot and Hindmarsh goats' cheese with mulled wine gel and hazelnut crostini. Ate a piece of beetroot. Not great. Ate a piece of golden beetroot. Not great either. Ate a crostini. Pretty good. Picked up another piece of beetroot. Dropped it on the cheese. Upon picking it back up, also got a bit of the mulled wine gel on it. Thought I'd try everything at one go. It really surprised me how just by combining their flavours they taste soooo much better.

Confit yellow fin tuna and king prawns with green apple and lemongrass sorbet, soy and sesame. Probably my favourite dish of the night. Sorbet in the centre melted a little too quickly and it's not very nice to lick your plate up at a restaurant like that. The soy and sesame thing was kinda weird, it was foamy. Put it in your mouth, you get a burst of flavour and it disappears. The rest were as expected, only they worked very well together especially with a hint of sorbet to complement. Ah.

Scallop mousseline with sautèed yabby and tortellini, freshwater bisque, sherry and crab Chantilly. One of my favourite dishes of the night as well, all was as expected except even better than was expected. Was a much heavier dish compared to the previous lighter courses.

Sautè of scampi with braised Berkshire kurobuta pork tails and smoked bacon jus. Thought it was a bit too heavy. Very smoky bacon flavour, but slightly overpowering. A little too salty too.

Braised brisket of 600-day grain fed wagyu beef with roast autumn vegetables and Bordelaise sauce. Main course, finally. I had my hopes up because I've had wagyu beef before once and it was phenomenal. Expectations got a bit too high I guess. The texture of the beef wasn't great but the taste was there. And see that little cube of carrot on the right? Best thing I've tasted in a long time. A cube of bloody carrot. First bite into it you get the grilled and sauces taste. It's crunchy. As your teeth sink in it's softer, and you taste the same caramel taste you get when you bake carrots with olive oil really nicely. THAT'S A GOOD CUBE OF CARROT.

Smoked saddle of Victorian lamb with crushed Jerusalem artichokes, roasted walnuts and Earl Gray tea infused lamb jus. Great smoky flavour. Simple taste, beautiful texture on the meat. The Jerusalem artichokes fused with roasted walnuts was probably one of the best things I've tasted too. It's really hard to explain, but it's like the best mashed potato ever or something with nuts in it. Damn I suck at this.

Banana crëme brulèe with salted peanut brittle and milk coffee sorbet. Start with the coffee sorbet, which basically tasted like the best coffee ice cream you've ever tasted. Break the piece of caramel and it's like cotton candy in crispy form. Reach into the actual crëme brulèe mixed with peanut brittle. It's a little rich, but fantastic flavour. A big difference from a traditional crëme brulèe but it's a good change. Explosive flavours. Can't say more. Best dessert ever.

Citrus 'baba au rhum' with Honey Murcott mandarin, basil ice cream. I didn't order it ^_^. It wasn't great, had a little sample from brother's plate. Went back to crëme brulèe and finished the meal off with that.

All in all was a fantastic experience, but nothing I'd ever want to do again. You feel like you're eating away huge chunks of money from your wallet at 130 AUD per head. Sure, these are some of the finest things I've tasted and will ever taste in my life but I'll never be comfortable spending this much money on food.

This was about all I did that was exciting in Sydney anyway, so I had nothing else to talk about. Will talk about other events as they come.

On an absolutely random note, here's a video.