ASSignments...nooooooooo.

the novety of uni is slowly beginning to wear off. Its just like eating sour plums... the outer fruit is nice and sour and sweet at the same time and exciting!... but eventually the sour and sweetness wear off and u get to the hard, inedible seed. (ok that was my poor attempt at an analogy)
its only the first wk, and ive already got ASSignments to do!!! and they're not the particularly easy ones either! im supposed to research on this building by an architect called Toyo Ito, the Sendai Mediotheque. yeah... cheeeeeem. Supposed to find out how the building was made lah... what materials went into making it lah... how the building relates to its surroundings lah... how i feel about the building lah... everything lah lah lah!! and im supposed to hand this in on thurs...noooooooo.
good thing is, i have a good partner (we're supposed to research in pairs). this girl from china, and she's really pleasant, unlike some of the other ppl in the class who look like they will give mono-syllabic answers when u ask them anything. okay, sorry thats a bit harsh.
alrighty, i'd better go to the library now...
oh, side note! i cut my wrist playing soccer yesterday... so now there's a scar on my wrist that looks like i tried to commit suicide. hahaha.

sweeeeeet

omg today has got to be my happiest day since i got here.
I found out that there was a typo on the timetable that i printed out. Initially, i had classes every day, with a total of 20 hrs per wk. That sucked.
BUT! now with my new timetable, i have wednesdays off!!! no school!! freeeeeee!!! and my contact hours have been reduced to 17!!! YAY!
oh this is just too good i simply have to gloat. wed off! wed off! i know some ppl who have like only 3 days of school per wk... that's just crazy. (in a good way) but im more than happy with what i got. What i'm not happy about though, is the price of all the materials needed for this course! already ive spent about $120 on materials, and $100 on textbks, notes, etc. And all this is for just ONE semester! this school's ripping us off! ah well.....
oh and one of my lecturers is called Blair Gardiener.... we call him the Blair Witch cos he's a really freaky guy. He talks in the most boring manner imaginable, and sniggers at his own jokes. eerie....

WinteRACE!!!

From left : Fendi(Indonesian), Me, Mike(Irish), Christopher(Philippino), Grace(S'porean)


Today was a fun day! The most fun of the orientation thus far. My new friends and i decided to take part in the traditional Melbourne Uni WinteRACE organised by the overseas student' union. The WinteRACE is a sort of "Amazing Race" style event where we explore melbourne city looking for checkpoints, and then answering the questions at each stop. At first, the whole concept sounded kinda lame, and we were reluctant to join. But we soon realised that we would have absolutely NOTHING to do on a saturday afternoon anyways, so we decided to give it a try. Luckily we did! It was way more fun than i expected. Partly due to the weather (if this was held in orchard road i think we would have dehydrated) and also the ppl in my group. All were really nice people, and we got along great.
Oh, and its amazing how much fun "topo" can be when its not done in a hot and humid brunei jungle.
But alas, we did not win any prizes in the race. At the endpoint, they announced the top 4 teams, and we were not amongst them. This leads me to believe that we were 5th!!! yes...i believe so! without a shadow of a doubt!

Side note : bcos we did not register earlier and just decided to turn up a the last minute, we did not have to pay the $5 registration fee. Yup, so we enjoyed free pizza and free tram rides! YAY! (see, it pays to procrastinate sometimes. heh heh.)

first day...

yesterday was my first day of orientation. The day started off kinda scary, as i entered this big lecture room (which looked suspiciously like LT5 from ACJC. remember that guys? hehe) and saw hundreds of ppl whom i had never met before. Since this was an international students' briefing, there were students from literally ALL corners of the world. There were some from Sweden, Africa, the Carribean, Philippines, and of course the bulk from South East Asia.
After the customary "Welcome to Melb Uni speech", we split up into our own faculties and got a tour of the campus from some of our seniors. This was the first time that i got to see my coursemates. There were a group of australian girls, but they seemed more interested in mingling amongst themselves. I wonder if thats the way things will be around here - the aussies sick together, and the rest stick together. lets hope not...

Anyways, i was fortunate enough to make a few new friends on the first day. A guy named Chris from Philippines, Fendi from Indonesia, Lynn from Malaysia and Grace from Singapore. Quite an assortment of nationalities eh? haha. They're really nice people, and its good to know that i'll be working closely with them over the next few years. We're meeting up to watch a movie today (cos tuesdays is half-price). Better get going now...im meeting them in the lobby in a few minutes. ciao!

broomstick kid

I was never a fan of the Harry Potter books. I did like watching the movies (thanks in most part to Emma Watson), but i certainly dont qualify as a fan. So, as you might expect, i had no idea that Book6 of the series was released today.

It took me, however, about 10 seconds after stepping out of my apartment building to realise this. As i walked out the front door of the lobby, a mother with two kids walked by me. One of her kids was dressed in a long black cloak with a hood (looking a lot like the Emperor from Star Wars), and for a moment there i thought to myself "shouldnt Episode III fever have died down by now?" But her second son's outfit was a dead giveaway. He was carrying a broom (yes, a broom. not a fancy one like those potter movies, but a REAL HOUSEHOLD BROOM!!) and he was wearing thick rimmed classes and had drawn a scar on his forehead in what looked like brown lipstick.

There was no doubt in my mind after that. Today was the release of Harry Potter 6. You see, i live across the street from the state library. And there was a fair going on in the courtyard....a potter fair as you might expect. And there were people dressed up as witches and wizards and little witches and little wizards, all waiting anxiously in line to get their hands on a copy of the sacred book.

Potter mania is back. hmm... i wonder if Emma Watson will drop by to promote the book? (here's hoping!)

2 more days

yep, only 2 more days till orientation starts. and if u ask me, it couldnt come soon enough! Not that i mind sitting at home all day watching Smallville, but i just feel that precious hours are ticking away and i'm accomplishing nothing new in my life. Oh wait, i DID learn to cook a little. Erm... but that hardly counts.
I went the uni yesterday to collect my orientation booklet. There were senior students there who attended to us, and gave us a little insight into orientation week. The girl who attended to me was from Taiwan, and she was quite....erm...hot. yes. quite hot. But she had way too much make-up on, and that just turns me off.
Where are all the "natural-nice-looking-sporty-kind-warm-funny-sophisticated-down-to-earth" girls in my life? Maybe my standards are too high... i'm looking for the perfect person to match me, when i myself am far from perfect. Its a cliche that there's always someone out there for you... but i dont think its that easy. Ppl say "oh! i found my soul mate!" So what is a soul mate exactly? Is it one person in the entire population of the world who is destined to be with you? If that's the case, then almost everyone who claims to have found their soul mate is full of bullshit. Come on, think about it.... there are 6 billion people on the planet. In your lifetime, you'll have close relations with, say.....200 people? 300? OR sightly more if you're popular. The chance of finding your soul mate in that group of people is close to ZIP!! ZERO! KOSONG!
I think there are two kinds of girls. The ones you grow out of, and the ones you grow into. There's no such thing as a soul mate. And there's no perfect girl out there. Its a long 6 years here... hopefully i'll find someone i can grow into. (of course it would help if her name started with Natalie and ended with Portman).
kidding!

.........but that would be nice!

away with the triangle!

haha. i just realised that today is the one year anniversary of passing my driving test. and u know what that means..... i can now strip off that confounded bright orange and yellow triangle!!! mwahahahaha! no more being bullied on the road by old foggies and taxi drivers! its payback time!

of course it would help if i actually had a car to drive over here.......

apartment tour

my bedroom with a sweeeeeet view.

my "study" desk.

the toilet.

its nice and big with lotsa room to maneuver about.

the Original Trilogy wall.

the Prequel wall.

The kitchen, which is also part of the hall.

This is where the majority of the mishaps in my apartment occur.

the hall.

that little doorway on the left leads to my bedroom.

smallville...SMALLVILLE!!

Wow! i am on cloud nine at the moment! i cant believe how fortunate i am! okok, let me calm down a little and explain what has just transpired. Anyone who knows me knows that i am a big comic book geek. And Superman is my all time fav superhero. Ever since i first got to know the character through the Chris Reeve movies when i was 5 yrs old, i've been simpy fascinated by the Man of Steel. So u can imagine my joy when the Smallville TV series began airing in 2001. i've watched every single episode of all four seasons to date. i also downloaded all four seasons onto my comp. (thanks to KAZAA and ARES). but a year ago, my comp died on me and i lost most of season3 and all of season 1 and 2. i was devastated.

since then, i've been longing to buy the DVD sets but they've always been so darn expensive - in the region of $120 per box set at HMV. late last year i saw season 1 on sale for $69. i was so so tempted to buy it then, but it was still a little too pricey. then when i came to melbourne on holiday in may, i saw the season 1 and season 2 sets for $39.90 each!!! i was like.. omg that is so cheap! but the problem was that the DVDs were code4 (the DVD region for australia), so i couldnt watch it at home. i figured "ok when i come here to study in July, i'll buy a region4 DVD player and then get the DVD sets". that was the plan...

fast forward to July. i came to melb, bought the region4 DVD player and went to HMV to check out my beloved box sets. i nearly screamed when i saw the price... $114 for season 1!!!!! and $89 for season 2!!!! noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! i was cursing at myself!!! "why didnt i just get it in may when it was cheap!?!? why?! WHY?! WHHHYYYYYYYY?!?!?"

but my spirit was unbroken. by hook or by crook, i vowed that one day i would have smallville season 1,2,3 DVD sets in my posession. i figured that sooner or later, there would be another sale and i could get the sets at that insanely cheap price. so since i got here on July 1st, i've been going to various DVD shops all over melbourne every day checking out the DVD prices. EVERY SINGLE DAY. that's commitment for you. (though some my call it borderline insanity)

now comes the juicy part. (drumroll please....)
Yesterday, i went on my usual rounds and checked the price at this store called JB-Hi Fi. they are known to have the best deals in town. but alas, the price was still $114 and $89 for seasons 1 and 2 respectively. that was yesterday. This morning, i went to check it out again...and low and behold!!!!!! there was a clearance sale!!! and the bex sets were going for $32.90 each!!!!! once again, i nearly screamed!!! i wanted to punch my fist into the air and shriek with delirium right there and then. i composed myself, stretched out a trembling hand, and carefully picked the two box sets off the shelf. they were mine now! my own! my precciiooooussssssss....

the guy at the cashier told me that season 3 would be released next month. i wonder if i can get that one cheap too... (heh heh heh)
and the saga continues............

instant chef

i have been very bored lately. cant believe it's still a week before i anything remotely interesting is going to happen here. just how bored am i? here's some evidence : i've watched 13 episodes of smallville in the past 3 days. yes, and i intend to finish the season (22 episodes by wed.) haha. after which i think i'll have to start rewatching Lost Season 1. that should take me through all the way till sunday, just in time for orientation to start on monday.

been experimenting a little in the kitchen lately. (actually, in my hall. bcos my kitchen is my hall, if u get wat i mean...) anyways, i went to this place called Prahan this morning. It's about 15 mins by tram from my place. There's this shop there that sells asian food, as well as Halal stuff. (which is rather difficult to find). I picked up this chicken rice paste thingie...its one of those 'instant' sachets. I came home and tried it and.... boy does it taste good!!! maybe its just that ive been eating sandwiches and indomee for the past 3 days, but the chicken rice really tasted authentic! too bad i only bought 2 packets though. i'm definitely gonna go back for more soon. they also had stuff like 'instant tom yam', 'instant rendang' etc.. gotta try those too!

i also bought a toaster today. planning to buy waffles tmr so i can have (you guessed it) waffle ice-cream! imagine..... hot steamy waffles with cold chocolate ice cream.....oooooh i could just...erm... nevermind lets not go there.

all alone now...

my parents left for the airport this morning. so, yeah, i'm all by my lonesome self now in my little apartment. the weather today just plain sucks. its bloody cold (probably the coldest since i got here) and its raining. oh, and its the kind of rain that doesnt pour, but just falls consistently throughout the day and doesnt seem to stop. y'know the kind i'm talking about right? yeah... sucks, dont it.
just had my lunch. cooked myself a wholesome meal of chicken and indomee. yes, i wouldnt last very long on my own without my indomee. but i must cut down a little.....not healthy. too much MSG. my tastebuds would have something to say about that, though...
its still 5 days before i can collect my orientation guide from the university. 5 more days to do.........nothing. haha. there's only so much half-life2 i can play in one day, and the TV programs here aren't very good. (guess i've been spoilt by cableTV). and they arent airing One Tree Hill here.....sob sob. and the OC is into its season finale. i missed the entire mid-season! damn you channel5...why'd u have to be so slow in airing the episodes. suresh, if you're reading this, dont delete your OC season2!!! i need to watch it when i get back!!! hehe thanks.
hmmm... its 3 oclock now... just about time for my afternoon nap! haha.. fitness dropping rapidly. its so cold that i've got no mood to run, or leave the apartment for that matter. could use some hot cheese prata now.....
mmmm......cheese prata..................damn it!

change of home number...

my home number here in Melb has changed. here's the new number:

61392247732

yup. thats all folks...

down with the Combine!

i still havent got my 'black and white' PS2 issue sorted out yet. its really bugging me. cant believe i carried it all the way here for nothing. grrr.
i was feeling sorta under the weather today (due to the PS2 issue), so i decided to lift my spirits and satisfy my gaming needs. i went to this HUGE gaming store along Bourke St, and bought myself HALF-LIFE 2! yeah baby! and man, i gotta tell you... its freakin ROOOOCKS!!! i did, however have to turn the graphics settings down kinda low, cos my lappie isnt the most powerful PC in the world. but still... it KICKS ASS! hopefully i can complete it before my school term starts. if not, i might not attend orientation at all!!! mwahahaha!
oh, and did i mention it comes bundled with CounterStrike:Source? haha... i forsee many many sleepless nights.

"swanston, we have a problem..."

we have a BIG problem... apparently there are two types of TVs - namely NTSC or PAL. the TVs in singapore are NTSC, and the TVs in australia are PAL. now, you must be wondering, how does this affect me? well, if you use a device that is NTSC on a PAL TV, you will get your images in black and white. so here's my BIG problem.... my Playstation2 is NTSC, and my TV here is PAL. sooo..... all my games are in black and white!!!! AHHHHHHHH! this is horrible! terrible! i have no mood to study anymore! if someone, anyone can help me with this, i will be eternally eternally grateful!! pleeeeease.....my degree depends on it.....

my address and phone numbers in Melb...

hey folks. here's my contact details in Melbourne, just in case anyone feels like shipping me a few presents, erm..... like, say, a PSP for example. *cough cough*

1312/339 Swanston Street
Melbourne, Victoria 3000
Australia

Hp number :
+61434395337 (dial this if you are calling from singapore)
0434395337 (if you're in australia)

Home number :
+61396377732 (if calling from singapore)
0396377732 (if calling from australia, but outside of Melbourne)
96377732 (if calling from Melbourne)

email : iyliadhamiri@gmail.com

unisex name indeed.

wat the hell man. i registered with this bank called ANZ... and here's my new ATM card. check out the name.... notice anthing wrong with my title!?!? wah....i could just cry....
i keep telling my parents that i have a unisex name, cos i know several female "iylia"s. this pretty much proves it. a unisex name indeed..... oh man..........

swanston kid...

yup, that's a shot of melbourne from the window seat i was sitting at in the plane. its not the city itself, which is about 25mins drive from the airport.
arrived this morning at 9am. i planned to watch kung fu hustle and the incredibles on the plane, but before take off i fell asleep, and by the time i woke up it was 1 and a half hours to touchdown. damn it man... wasted my flight. now i am forced to download the movies illega....i mean.... "legally" from ARES.
from the airport, it was straight to my new apartment. its along swanston street...which is sort of like the 'orchard road' of melbourne. yes, there are LOTS of distractions here. between the night life here and my PS2, it'll be amazing if i actually get any studying done now and then. i was fortunate to get an apartment on the 13th floor (high=quiet). my unit number is 1312 (okok now u all can go buy 4D.... sure win.)
the rest of the day was spent shopping. but not the fun shopping. i wasnt shopping for clothes or DVDs or anything like that. noooooooo.......i was shopping for (AHH!) household appliances and kitchen stuff and pots and pans and toiletries and pillow cases!!!! good thing i got it all in one day... wah i cant imagine doing that again.
the weather here's quite weird. it was a nice 15 degrees in the afternoon, and now its night time and its like 5 degrees!!! damn cold! i want to turn up the heater but then when i think about the HUGE electricity bill that will result from that, i think i'd rather wear more layers of clothing. pretty cheapskate huh? well, most of my electricity must be saved for the PS2. heh heh.
yawn... getting late. sleep time. going to IKEA tmr to buy a bookshelf. yay!