Summer of 07

It's been a month since my last post. I'm guilty of neglecting this lil' blog of mine. But today I promised myself that I'll post 1 entry. So here are a few things that I've been up to:

Boating at Lane Cove National Park

Went boating and picnicking with Acaq, Alin, Farah, Durra & Nisa. Sadly, I was rubbish at rowing. I either made the boat (unnecessarily) turn 360 degree, or I veered it off course. But, it was a fun experience nonetheless. Especially when we stopped to eat our packed Nasi Lemak + sandwich + chocolate cake!

Brisbane Trip

Went to the Sunshine State from Jan 28 - Feb 4 with Nisa, Durra, and Farah. Stayed at Nisha's and Fifa's place at the Unilodge.

Highlights of the 7-day 7-night trip:

1) boarded the Citycat on a beautiful full-moon night. The boat can accelerate and slow down quickly. Makes for an exciting ride.

a picture-perfect moment

2) went to the Sunday Green Market. It's unlike any other market that I've ever been to. There are people from many nationality and they sell things like Hungarian Pastry, French Crepe, fresh produce, shawl, vinyl record, etc ...

The people there also have very colourful personalities and an interesting fashion sense! Something like the gypsy community in the movie "Chocolat".

3) Now, I wouldn't call the 14-hour train journey to Brisbane or the even longer 17-hour journey back a "highlight" but they are things that I'm unlikely ever to forget!

Moral of the story: book flight tickets very early on so that you could afford them!

Mr Froggie

Back at MUV, we had an unexpected visitor one night. I was upstairs when I heard the commotion. A little frog had found his way into our living room. Durra & Nisa had already jumped on top the couches for security. So, I was responsible to get the lil' froggie out of the house. But that proved to be more difficult than I had thought. My plan of sweeping him with the mop towards the door backfired when he jumped not towards the door but towards me!

Instinctively, I threw the mop and joined Nisa & Durra on the couch. We needed reinforcement. So, we enlisted the help of our neighbours. When told of our predicament, they said; "oooh, so that's what the screams are all about" (!)

One of them took a paper towel, pulled Mr Froggie from the wall, and then put him outside. We all breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Sisters from Melbourne

We had a visit from friends from Melbourne: Kak Dayah, Kak Syikin, Kak Aida, Izzah & Hannah. They are actually acquaintances that Nisa, Durra & Farah made when they went fruit-picking. They arrived on Thursday and left on Saturday.

On Friday, we went for a picnic at the Royal Botanic Garden. It was a very lovely afternoon.

I thank Allah for the privilege of knowing these 5 beautiful souls :)

Cohort 3 juniors

They arrived on Feb 10 (2 days ago). They had an inauspicious start when the shuttle driver dropped them off at the old MUV admin building. So they had to trudge the hill on foot with all their heavy belongings (luggage, hand luggage & laptop) to get to new admin.

Brought them to Macquarie Centre on their first day, and to the city on the second day. Seeing them getting excited over the Opera House, Harbour Bridge & Manly made me remember how I felt when I first came here. It's been 1 year already ... wow. How time does fly.

x x x

2 more weeks before the new semester starts. Bila kwn2 saya yg balik Malaysia nak pulang?? :P