Home Sweet Home

It's official! We have already moved into our new house. We may have the house, but we don't have the stuff yet. So, the house's very empty and spacious for Debbie and I to run around in. We have seen our backyard. It's big and beautiful. You may have heard, we do have a lemon tree. However, we're not going to eat the lemons as we're not that sure if the lemons we pick are fresh. Besides that, there are many varieties of plants. Mum's going to do a lot of gardening! We've also seen our rooms. Debbie and I are quite contented with our rooms. The choice between which room to take was easy as one of the rooms is painted pink! Hehe...

As our things have not arrived, we are temporarily not able to do what normal people do. We hang our clothes around the house; we sit on stools eating food on our laps; we don't use tables at all, etc. In fact, the laptop I'm using is supported by the floor! Oh well... This is what we have to do if we want to continue to stay here...

Will post pictures of our new house once we are have settled in... Be patient!

Roger Federer, The Champion

Yes! Roger Federer still manages to continue his winning streak. I must admit I was a little nervous as I knew Fernando Gonzalez would come out strong. However, when he won the first 2 sets (7-6 6-4), I knew he was going to win. There were many nice shots during the match. Also, it wasn't as boring as the match played by Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova in the Women's Finals.

After an estimated 2 hr and 30 min, the match was finally over. Roger Federer was the Men's Champion at the Australian Open! I was very happy and also excited for him... It was truly an epic event for me. Wish I could one day sit in the stadium and watch him play...

Take A Hike...(Not Literally)

Just 2 days after the fishing trip, we went hiking. We set off at 9:00 am and were expected to return home before lunch. We were told that we were going to climb 1000 steps up the mountain, some steep and some gradual. This mountain would be known as Dandenong Mountain.

At first, we walked up a slope. Then, we got to the steps. While walking up, we rested several times. When we reached an estimated 200th step, Debbie decided that she couldn't climb anymore. She felt extremely tired and needed to go back down to rest. Dad followed her back but my uncle, auntie and I continued. Halfway, I started to sweat a little. My legs were feeling wobbly then. With much determination, I finally reached the top!

Now that we have finally reached the top, we had to make our way back down. It was a slow but smooth walk down the slope. While walking, my uncle and I chatted about movies. When we reached ground level, we saw our father taking pictures of the scenery (to be expected). Debbie was feeling much better.

Some of you may be asking "I didn't know you liked doing such things?" Well, I do it because the weather is perfect for hiking. If it were to be in Singapore, I would forget about hiking!

My First Fishing Trip

The journey started at 8:45 am. Debbie and I sat at the back of the car and the parents, in front. We were going fishing for trout at a place called Ballarat. For all of you out there, you may not know what it is, but it's extremely far away from where we're living. Ballarat is a beautiful place. It's just like any countryside, only that you don't see many cowboys riding horses shouting "Yeehah!". However, we did see a lot of farm animals along the way there. There were sheep, horses, cows, etc. The car ride took 3 hrs! You can believe how restless and bored we were in the car. What's worse, the weather wasn't as cooling as we thought it would be.

Finally, early in the afternoon, we reached our destination. We were told that it was $28 per person. We paid them, took the fishing rods and nets, took our bait (corn!) and we were off to the pond. The boss came out and taught us how to use the rod as it was our first time fishing. He seemed like an expert! At first, he taught Dad, then he taught us one by one. Debbie was the first one to reel a fish in, followed by Mum, then me. Mum's trout was huge. Hers was the biggest one yet compared to what we caught. All in all, Debbie caught 5 fish, Mum caught 2 and I caught 3. Not bad for a beginner!

This is the interesting part. They were going to cook the trout for us on the spot. It was going to be our lunch! Seems like all our hardwork were paid off, immediately! The trout was delicious. I ate it ASAP once it touched my fork and knife. We also had bread, salad, potato with butter topping and potato wedges. Mmmmm....... Delicious!!!

During dinner, we overheard the boss of that place talking to a guy about feeding the sheep milk. Subsequently, we enquired if we could feed it as well. He was extremely fine with the idea and gave us the bottle of warm milk. Surprisingly, it came as a wine bottle with a nozzle on top. After dinner, we went to feed the sheep, Arista!

Upon reaching there, Arista did not make us feel welcomed. When a person got near him, he ran away. However, once he saw the bottle of milk in Debbie's hands, he went towards her and sucked on the nozzle. I patted him as he was being fed. It was the first time I ever got close to a sheep! Within minutes, the bottle of milk became empty. Then, it walked away, without even a thank you! Wait, he did. He left us a pile of droppings while we were going out... Hehe...



Alas, it was time to go back home. It was another tiring, boring 3 hr drive back home. However, it was worth it as I had so much fun. Also, it was my first fishing trip and I'll never forget it...really...

The Interview (Part 2)

I am going to study in Glen Waverley Secondary College! However, I will be going to Year 9 (Sec 3). It seems that there's not many available seats left in Year 8. But the vice-principal believes that I will be able to cope with it. He also told us that this type of thing is common here. Praise the Lord anyway! My family and relatives here are extremely happy for me. This is definitely good news for all of us here. The other day was so terrible. I was nervous and anxious, not knowing what to expect. I couldn't even sleep at night. I kept thinking of the next day. Questions filled my mind like "What if I'm not going there? Which school am I going to?" or "Will the vice-principal like me?". It was bad...

Let me tell you what went on during the interview. The part where he told us that I was going to be enrolled into the school.

VP : Nicholas, everything seems good here. I'm quite comfortable with your results. It also says here from your report book that you like to learn. That's a plus.

Me : Thank you!

VP : Ok, I just want to tell you a few things before I get on with the serious stuff. When you come here in Glen Waverley Secondary College, you tend to find that there are differences. You may find that the system, the way teachers teach and people may be different from Singapore. It's not all about academic results. We also want our students to excel in social aspects. It's extremely important that you are able to adapt well. However, with your academic results, I am sure you'll be able to cope.

Me : Ok, I'll try my best.

VP : Regarding your enrollment here, it's not our policy to process any application before the pupil actually lives in the school zone. However, I'm making this an exception with the assumption there's no major hiccups. We just need you to provide us with your first utility bill just to be consistent with our policy.

Family : Thank you, thank you...(in Singlish)

That's about it. I'll start school on 1 Feb. Thanks for all of your prayers. It really helped me a lot! Not a prayer goes unappreciated...(I feel I'm making a speech at the Oscars)...Hehe...

Appreciate Them While You Can

Me : What's that smell? It's quite familiar.

Mum : It's curry! You mean you've forgotten the smell of curry?!

Have I really forgotten the smell of sweet sweet curry? Is it possible that I have spent 3 weeks here in Australia and I have already forgotten the distinctive smell of curry? Maybe. However, does this mean that some of the local food I have once tasted is now erased from my memory? Unlikely. Local food is definitely my favourite type of food. I wouldn't want to forget about them. I guess I should have appreciated them while I was in Singapore. Oh my! I'm getting hungry...

The interview is tomorrow. Wish me all the best, you guys! I'll update you on what happened at the interview tomorrow.

The Interview

I just received news about my registration into the Glen Waverley Secondary College. My parents were told that there's no guarantee that I would get a place into the school as it is quite full now. However, the vice-principal would interview me this Thursday to see if they want me in the school or not. After hearing this, I felt nervous straight away. I mean, being interviewed is not my forte. I can get quite jittery sometimes. Mum and Dad told me not to worry as they just want to see if I'm able to blend in. But I don't think it's that simple. I'm sure they want to know if I am fluent and chatty, which I'm not. Sigh... This reminds me of naniecheng's job interview. It must have been quite scary for the first few times, right? Well, your prayers are greatly appreciated. I need His strength and grace to help me through...