You may have heard about the floods that devastated 75% of Queensland, which is about an area the size of France and Germany combined. It’s heartbreaking to say that Brisbane was badly affected by the floods. I lived there for 4 years until 2007, so the city had put a mark in my heart, somehow. There were a lot of beautiful memories that I remember fondly. It’s a beautiful city and some of my good friends live there. That’s whyRead more
So I left the Land Down Under for Saudi Arabia about a week ago. I did not expect that I was going to leave early. I planned to leave this country on 20 December, but after hundreds attempt calling Emirates Airline for flying on earlier dates, I managed to get empty seats on the 14th. It was really hard to book a flight due to Hajj and Christmas. And my mom has been impatience about it.
Two weeks ago I completed my last exam ever at UQ. What an awesome day, I thought. I visited IT building (GP South building 78) for the last time. This is the place where I spent most of my frustrating days to finish assignments and projects. The only place besides home where I could spend sleepless nights to meet the project deadlines. This building and its computer labs were surrounded by a lot of memories. My favourite lab was 109;Read more
Previous posts: Part 1 and Part 2 Skiing was indeed fun; although — to be honest — I couldn’t master most of the tricks that the instructor told me. I didn’t know how to turn left or right; so sometimes I screamed to random people to get out of my way 😛 or… if they’re too slow to move, in the end, I got bumped into them! 😀 I had to say SORRRRY all the time hehe. I looked atRead more
Read the previous post here. After cruising on Milford Sound and watching dolphins and seals, we headed back to Te Anau, passing the mountainous road once again. On our way to that small town, we made a stop at The Chasm — a 15-minute return walk where you can see a spectacular view of Cleddau River and waterfalls. In Te Anau, I ate one of the biggest burgers I’ve had in my life! 😀 (is it really important??) We thenRead more
Travelling to New Zealand had always been my dream ever since I arrived in Brisbane 3.5 years ago. I made myself promise that I would visit this country before I left Australia for good. I planned to travel with my housemates at the end of this year, but then I realised that it’s just not possible — graduation, packing, etc. I decided to change the time to July, during my winter break. However, the decision came rather late and allRead more
Hey! Finally, I have an access to internet again! Wohooo… 😛 For those of you who have no clue… I’m currently in New Zealand; travelling and having fun! I decided not to bring my laptop with me — yes, I’m trying to live without a computer for a while. Apologies for not writing any new posting! 😀 I was gonna write the continuation of my previous post before I left Australia for New Zealand, but then something really really badRead more
In Indonesia, we must respect people who are older than us, especially the elderly. We are expected to kiss their hands whenever we meet them, bend our body whenever we pass in front of them and talk politely to them. We cannot call them only with their names. We have to attach Mr, Mrs, uncle, auntie, et cetera in front of their names. These unwritten rules are applied to most Asians as well, e.g. Koreans, Malaysians, and Japanese people. SimilarRead more
The $25 million National Tobacco Campaign with a slogan ‘Every cigarette is doing you damage’ is one of my favourite advertisement campaigns ever publicised. The campaign’s tv commercials provide the audience with many “real” pictures, from damaged organs (lung, brain, artery) to an infected foot caused by gangrene. One of the ads appeared on TV even shows a woman who suffers from mouth cancer. Her mouth is swollen and her teeth is dirty and unorganised. She speaks a bit aboutRead more
When I first arrived in Australia, I was quite surprised of how friendly people (read: strangers) could be. They would greet me on the street and said, “Hi, how are you?” even though we never met before. They would also engage in conversation when waiting at the bus stop, train station, etc. They would ask me about my country, religion, and my purpose living here as if we know each other! They would tell me about their experiences, views onRead more
Many people asked me, why do I choose Australia to study in the first place? The truth is, I didn’t. I knew that I would study abroad once I finished high school, but my mind was focused more on Singapore or Malaysia; because the costs are affordable for my parents. I had never thought that I would step into this country! I did dream about coming to the States, Australia, or Europe whenever I saw the EF exchange brochures, butRead more
