So Long Sweet Summer

Song of the Day: Dashboard Confessionals - So Long Sweet Summer

Yes, indeedy. So long, summer.

3 months have flown by as quickly as the blink of an eye but I have yet to blog about any my summer experiences. Not to allude to the fact that I have a lot of wild experiences to tell anyway. In fact it's just the complete opposite. No, I did not fall in love. No, I did not bungee-jumped. No, I did not do anything that is remotely exciting.

My 3 summer months can be summarized in just 1 word in each:

Dec - Work

Jan - Melbourne

Feb - Omega

Let's see. In Dec, I managed to get myself a high-paying summer job working as an usher during the UQ Graduation ceremonies. After attending so many grad ceremonies, I think the euphoria of waiting for mine has worn off. I've heard so many valedictorian speeches and stood in my heels for hours that I'm glad they're paying me $22 per hour or else, I could really revolt. But I shouldn't complained so much. Many good things have come from my working as an usher and I don't just mean the extremely good pay. Hmm.

And then there was Christmas. For the 1st time in my life, I'm spending the holiday season away from home. It's a novelty that I welcomed as I finally realized how much my family means to me. I had always been taking them for granted (Don't we all?). Oh yes, I finally went to church for the very 1st time on Xmas Eve. Forgive me , Lord, for I have truly sinned against you.

New Year's Eve was a more memorable event as I flew to Melbourne for 1 week. Melbourne was (to sum it all up) HOT but FUN! The very 1st day I sat foot in the city, I was literally swarmed with flies. They always say: Malaysia is like a steam cooker while Australia is like an oven. I never figured out the phrase until I came to Melbourne. It reached 40 degrees on NY Eve! Anyway, I ushered in 2008 on the banks of the Yarra River with fireworks and good company. My NY resolution? Lose 2 kg's. Seems like such an easy task isn't it? Sigh. I guess I have to watch more of The Biggest Loser to motivate me.

I love the Melbourne skyline. And the food! My aunt and uncle who lives in Melbourne took me on an exciting culinary adventure involving Chinese and French cuisine. The Peking Duck I had was marvellous and I've finally had the guts (and the means) to taste escargot! Wow. Eating snails. I think that's the worst (or best?) thing that I've eaten in my life. And then there was Crown Casino. I won $22! Haha. Beginner's luck I supposed. Also, we took a day trip down to Mornington Peninsula where we visited vineyards, tasted wine, pluck cherries and soaked in the hot springs. In a nutshell, Melbourne was fun and I wouldn't hesitate to visit it again in the near future. Maybe I could go to the Great Ocean Road then?

The rest of my January went by quickly as I was immersed with the world of tennis. C'mon. Channel 7 shows Australian Open live everyday! I can't possibly NOT watch it right? Anyway, I'm glad Novak Djokivic beat the almighty Roger Federer in the semis. Wahaha. Total domination ain't good for the game, Roger.

And then, February came around. Omega was visiting Queensland for the very 1st time so yay! Another opportunity to go scouring around the state. But first, there was CNY to celebrate. CNY in Brissy was ... dull and lifeless. In fact, CNY could pass right by and I wouldn't have noticed if not for the fact that my brother called me from home to brag about the various food they had for reunion dinner. Ish.

We went to Australia Zoo in the Sunshine Coast but I was truly disappointed. The animals they had there were mostly, crocodiles (It is the Crocodile Hunter's zoo after all) and koalas (Yes, I know they're cute but let's face it, they're boring creatures). We also went to Gold Coast which was loads of fun! Movie World, Wet N Wild, Surfer's Paradise and Q1! Gosh, Q1 was amazing! The view was faboulous!

Anyway, that's the story of my summer. Not much to tell but at least I wasn't just bumping around doing nothing productive (though for some periods I was doing just that :). Uni is starting soon and it's back to reality. This is my last sem here in Oz and I wanna make this the best 6 months I ever had in my life. And then, there's graduation and then it's time for me to join the workforce. If only I could secure the dream job that I want....

But until then, here's to my next 6 months here! Salud!

Hmm. That reminds me. I haven't been drinking in a while. Speaking of drinking, there was one time in my summer where I nearly got fined for drinking in public. Geesh. Argh, I wanna go clubbing at Family!