Throughout the first week, I really enjoyed my working here. Sure, things could have been better, like friendly colleagues but the environment here is already far better than my previous internships. My routine work for now is to go to site and learn all the construction methods while study all the drawings and paperwork in the office.
I'll be placed on 12 hours shift from next week onwards. Sounds tough and tiring. I dreaded that fact but will take it as an opportunity to learn more. (After all, I did went to work on Sunday even when it's my off day).
And in 3 days time, I will be officially graduated :) Yay. Going to begin a new chapter of life.
Convocation in 3 days time.
Taiping
Today is officially my first day working as a full fledge engineer in Gamuda. I have spent much of the last 2 week whining about the fact that I’ll be placed far away again, this time in Taiping; a town in the middle north of Perak. A town without big shopping malls and popular franchises. A town of laid back lifestyle, with Sunday activities meant picnic at a part. A town that I fell in love at first sight.
Except for the fact that its more than 3 hours drive from home and I have not known a single living soul here, this is an ideal place that I always had in mind (albeit to retire, not to work/live). The town reminds you of those nice outskirts in the western countries.
I brought my family around the area for 2 days. We visited the Night Safari and Maxwell Hill. The view on top of the hill is quite pleasing. The ride however was not. I nearly vomited during the 20 minute rides up the hill on the jeep.
I started my first day at work today. Will blog about it soon. Freaking tired. Snores.
Ballarat, old town of gold.
Will you rent a car in a foreign country, drive 2 hours away, pay over a 100 ringgit for entrance fee just to enter into a old cowboy ghost town?
Logic and sense have deserted me when I did exactly just that. On 24th of June, I arrive at the old gold mine of Ballarat, the Sovereign Hill.
Fine. It wasn't completely deserted. It is after all, a major tourist attraction for those who go to Melbourne. And since it's the first time I entered a gold mine, it was fairly exciting... in a way.
I get to pan for gold, in the cold (rhymes). And I got nothing. :(
After panning for 15 minutes, I looked as stupid as this sheep.
There isn't awfully much to see at Sovereign Hill. I wouldnt really recommend people to go especially if you have very little time to spare. Of course, when you're like me who's there for the 3rd time with nothing on my schedule, then you can perhaps consider place.
The one thing I found fairly interesting what gold. (duh). There's this session where you get to see them pour molten gold and form it into a bar.
And guess how much that bar's worth. 144 000 Aud Dollar!!!!!! For such a small thing. And I had a rare opportunity to hold it for a minute. (with a gun pointed very closely to me.)
Maybe.... it will be more fun if I steal it and run away with the typical horse cart. Reenact an old cowboy gold robbery.
That should add some life to this boring old gold mine.
Skiing on Mt. Buller, Melbourne.
I'm going to attempt to track all my holidays I made in the past half a year and post it here. That should give me a good ground to start blogging again.
It's just that I never anticipate that the cost was so exorbitant, that I nearly pass on it again. A 3 day trip is going to cost 600 Aud dollars, nearly equivalent to my budget for the entire trip. In the end, Ching Yee and I decided to take only a one day trip that cost 200$. Nick and Sebastian who have the cash to spare, decided to spend some alone time and head up there for all 3 days. Damm, those working guys.
It took 4 hours to get from Melbourne City to Mt. Buller. Even though we left at 6.30am, it was nearly noon by the time we get our ski equipments and reach bottom of the skiing area. With the amount of money I paid, I only have 4 hours left before heading back down towards the city at 4pm.
So that's 4 hours for learning how to ski. Nick and Sebastian (who already knows how to ski/snowboard) already had a number of runs by the time we arrive and meet them on day 2 of their trip. Thankfully, skiing wasn't as horribly hard as I imagine it to be. I was expecting to fall like crazy and not be able to walk for days after that.
I manage to move on my first try. The only problem was stopping. So I had to fall to stop, which was not too bad considering the numerous layer of cloth I was wearing to withstand the cold. (4 tops and 3 bottoms, underwear not included.) But ultimately, I think having ice skated a lot in the past helps tremendously. The snow gave a very familiar sensation with ice, and the brakes techniques can be adopted as well (hockey stop).
Right after my first slope, I ran to purchase the lift card (cost me 50$) and tried to ski all the way down from the station. It was terrifying. The slopes was much steeper than I can imagine, and I was speeding so much that I'm was almost certain I'm going to get a ticket. Unable to stop at that speed, I had to fall again before I hit someone else. The fall was so hard, that the skis came off from my leg and the poles were more than 15 meters apart.
Funny enough, I stood up and didnt feel much pain. I took me 5 runs before I finally manage to control my speed. Until then, I nearly crash into the ski lift's supporting pillar, ran off the skiing area (into the walking area with no snow), almost knock into some kids and an old man, caused another amateur skier to fall to avoid me and got a warning to have my lift card revoke if I continue skiing like a madman.
Lol. Remember to avoid going to the same mountain the next time I come skiing.
Saying hello from Melbourne
I just wanted to write something to keep this blog alive.
So yea. Check this space in half a year time. There just might be a new post then.
Earth Hour
What was I doing during Earth Hour?
I have no idea. Simply because I don`t even realized that Earth Hour came and go. Troubled with my Final Year Project, I had very little empathy towards anything at all. Environment, something that I quite passionate about, took a back seat. Simply put, my 'Earth Hour' had simply faded.
I was talking to the mechanic from the Exhaust modification workshop. Hoping to get some information on the structure of the exhaust system, I questioned him about the catalytic converter. I was surprised that he answer he just usually take it out and throw them away.
*the catalytic converter ensure all the black fume and harmful emission is converted into carbon dioxide and water.
Of course, in doing that you gain a little bit of efficiency and power in the engine, at the expense of the environment. I could have at least contributed and attempt to convince him not to do so. But the lack of knowledge probably prevented me from saying anything. So much for studying Internal Combustion Engines, Thermodynamics and Heat Transfers.
You know all those common folks sayings that studying so much at university is actually pointless. At this point, they are quite right.
Screw journalism liability :)
I`ve almost stop writing anything here since I relaunched Nexus. It`s ironic that I tried to make document events for everyone else, I completely forgotten about my own. Now that I had to let go of writing for the school press to finish up my Final Year Project, I suddenly had the urge to write here again.
There are plenty of things that I should have pen down. My trip to cameron highland, langkawi and genting to name a few. I almost forget what it`s like to write something without trying to be politically correct. Or without caring who my audience is.
Best of all, all it takes to write these few paragraph, is mere 5 minutes :) Yay. I should start blogging. again ;)
The month later.
Whoa. A full month since I last updated. This got to be the longest 'dry' season for this blog.
I hard to imagine it`s only been a month since last Christmas. It felt like a lifetime, yet it felt as if it`s just yesterday. There`s nothing much to update to be honest. There are a few milestone though.
Sarah and I are together. Officially. I don`t know when, or which point in time. But I guess holding hands in front of my parents some how made it set in stones.
There are quite a number of work to be done for the Malaysia Debate Open. And the politics with it and the club is burdensome. Bunch of immature kids with no principle and ability to prioritize made this tournament one that I couldn`t recognize at all.
I`m leaving for a holiday tomorrow. I guess I might be able to pen down something here :)
