To market, to market....

Yesterday was great - finally got to go for the market at Flemington, which was also the site of the Royal Melbourne Show & near the Flemington Race Course. Had heard much about how good this market was, so was really looking forward to getting there.
Went with Faith, my nurse friend from Singapore, and her elder son, Keane, who's about 8 yrs old.

Was advised to drive as the market was not that near to public transport, plus would allow us to carry all the stuff we were likely to buy. Parking was also relatively cheap - only A$3 for as long as you like. So I drove & picked up Faith & Keane at Flinders St station, as they took the train down from their home in Rosanna.
We got there at about 10am - there were already quite a lot of people who had come earlier.

My verdict of the market - fantastic ! It was a good mix of things for everyone - had lots of stalls selling almost everything from plants & flowers, to furniture & furnishings, to arts & crafts & jewellery & clothes & of course, food stalls. There were also a lot of stalls selling stuff for kids - toys, clothes, baby gifts, etc.
We spent about 3 and a half hours there going round all the stalls & grabbing egg & bacon rolls on the go. Poor Keane got a bit sian after a while, especially after Mummy & Aunty Jenny said "we are going" but then got waylaid by yet another stall selling hand-crafted jewellery.

We even stopped halfway to go back to the car & unload stuff so that we could buy more & not be too burdened by what we were carrying around. :-)

Finally left at about 1:30pm, happy with the purchases which included a pot of French lavender & a smallish cactus in a pot, numerous gifts for Christmas ( for friends as well as for myself ) & some lovely Fuji apples in a bag. Missed getting the cherries as I had run out of cash on hand.
Now got to figure out how to lug everything back home to Singapore ! Wonder if the lavender will survive in the tropics...

DYNAMITE !

Have just returned from a night out with a couple of my nursing friends, Janine & Rebecca, from Waverley Private Hospital. We went to the Jamiroquai concert, which was held at an outdoor venue called the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

This is quite a nice place, which is just next to the Botanic Gardens & not too far from where I live. Had been looking forward to this, my very first "summer" outdoor concert here in Melbourne. Reserved seating tickets were sold out very early on, so we got general admissions tickets, which meant that we had no seats but had to stand on the grass beyond the seats.

Gates were open as early as 4pm, but I only got there just in time for Jay Kay's first song, at about 8:45pm. Janine & Becca had got there earlier, at about 7:30pm, but I had finished work only at about 6pm & had only gotten home at about 7pm cuz of rush hour traffic on the M1 ( Monash Freeway ). As my research presentation's due tomorrow, I thought I'd better finish up my Power Point before I made my way to the concert.

In the end, I ended up watching the concert "by myself", as I couldn't find them in the crowd. It was fun though, music was really great with a fabulous sound system, and half the fun was also watching the people around me. Surprisingly, there were quite a few great dancers around me who were guys, including this chappy with dreadlocks who was there with his girlfriend, and another guy who was wearing a hat & jiving away. the women seemed really tame next to their antics. :-)

Afterwards we managed to meet up & go for a quick bite at the Blue Train Cafe along Southbank. Had the most gorgeous sticky date pudding there - yum, yum !
This was the first time I have actually gone out there that late & walked along the Yarra - Melbourne is QUITE happening ! All around there were people out on a night in the town & many of the cafes & restaurants were still open. I felt like I was back home, especially since the weather was quite warm tonight. I was wearing a sleeveless top & actually had to remove my shrug as it was too warm at first.

Good thing the change came later-started drizzling a bit so it got cooler. Altogether it was perfect weather for an outdoor event like this. Best of all, I discovered that the trams were still running, so I took the no. 8 tram back home from the Flinders Street stop. Was mortified initially to find that I was just short of 5 cents to buy my tram ticket on board ( machine only accepted coins & no one around me had change ), but was really greatful that this nice girl on the tram gave me a 50 cent coin when she heard my problem. I gave her back 40 cents for her trouble, so she only gave me in effect 10 cents, but that was the most precious 10 cents I have had in a long while.

Good to know that in a big city like this, there are still people who care enough to help out a stranger in need like me ! :-)
Now gotta get myself in the shower & get to bed - looking forward to the weekend as got plans to go Flemington for the crafts market on Sunday.

AND JUSTICE FOR ALL...

In the past few weeks, Singapore has been in the news a lot here, all because of the case of one Australian man who was caught in 2002 at Changi Airport, with 396g of heroin strapped to his chest. He was denied a Presidential pardon on Oct 21.

Articles that were guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings were common - there was even one which appeared on the front page of the Sunday papers, showing a photo of a pair of twins, wearing identical "hoodies", with their arms around each other in a show of brotherly love. The title above the photo said " Little twins - one is on death row, the other in the depths of despair".

Yours truly was actually quite taken by that one - was wondering what terrible situation was this pair of little boys caught in & who would be so cruel to abuse these children ? Then I read the the article & realised it was ANOTHER one of those.

It seems that hanging is totally outdated & archaic as a form of capital punishment, and capital punishment is so barbaric. From reading the papers, it would seem that all Australia is against this & feels that the Singapore government should listen to them & pardon this "poor, unfortunate young man, who was only trying to help pay his twin brother's debts". They also made much noise over the fact that an impersonal letter was sent to his mother informing her of the date of the hanging & letting her know that she could collect the body after.
Well, what would you expect ? Should we have sent a group of counsellors along with the bad news ? Would that have made things better ? Might have made us feel better, that we tried to do something "helpful", but I doubt it would have made his mother feel any less pain then she must have felt.

After all, he chose to be a drug courier & go through Singapore, knowing all our strict laws & well-publicised death penalty for drug traffickers. Yes, he might have had mitigating circumstances but he still chose to do what he did & the law demands that he pay with his life.

However, it seems that a good segment of the Aussies here ( or at least the ones I work with ) actually agree that he should not be pardoned but hanged as that is justice served. Since he broke the laws in Singapore, he must be judged by those laws, which have been made plain to all. To ask the government to pardon him makes a mockery of those laws, which have helped to make Singapore relatively drug-free.

Still, I can understand the anguish of this man's mother & loved ones - not exactly the kind of death I would wish on anyone. But what of those whose lives have been destroyed by drugs ? Who weeps for them ?

No easy answer - I am reminded again how wonderful grace is, that is, undeserved forgiveness, which we have from God. He Himself paid the death penalty that I deserved for my sins, by dying on the Cross ( Romans 6:23 ).

As the execution date looms, I pray that this man & his family will experience grace & forgiveness, despite this terrible situation.

AND THE WINNER IS....

What a spectacle it was at the Sydney Opera House tonight ! There were crowds of screaming fans, the past 2 Aussie Idols and the runners-up, the finalists of this year's competition & of course the final 2 - Emily & Kate.

There were performances by the past idols & runners-up, beginning with Shannon Noll, who came in second after Guy Sebastian in 2001, but has gone on to make somewhat more successful albums with lots of airplay. I mean, even I had heard of him in my short few months here !

Then came Anthony Callea, also runner-up, but in the last Aussie Idol 2003. This guy is perhaps even more popular & I had actually almost bought his album in the shops without knowing who he was, on the basis of hearing his voice. He is more in the Josh Groban category (his first number one single was The Prayer, the song popularised by Andrea Bocelli & Celine Dion), whereas Shannon is more the soft rock type.Nevertheless, both have great voices & also stage presence.Apparently, Anthony's due to embark on his tour of Europe where he will sing with Pavarotti ?!?

Next up was the last Aussie Idol, Casey Donovan, who was quite a controversial win because of her looks - she was an overweight 16 year old student & after Idol, not much had been heard from her or so I was told. Tonight, however, I finally heard her & I must say she has got a great voice !!! Picture someone the size of Queen Latifah before she got svelte, maybe even bigger than that, who looks a bit daggy (the footage of her appearance during her audition certainly wasn't flattering) but with tremendous power & even a bit of an edge. She gave a rocking performance & I must say she deserved to be voted top, based on this performance !

Finally we had Guy Sebastian, who is probably the most well-known to us folks from the Lion City, because of his Malaysian roots & connections.He too sang well but by this time the show was beginning to get a bit long.
Cleverly, they threw in a magnificent fireworks display which was dazzling in the sky above the Opera House & even had a joke segment where they got a team of women representing "tuck-shop ladies" to throw food at Kyle, one of the judges, as revenge for his unkind remark to Kate about covering up her "tuck-shop lady arms".
That was quite hilarious & I must say, very Aussie - can't imagine that ever happening in Singapore ! ;-)

Then we had the arrival of the final 2 - along with a motorcade(?) of Harley Davidson Riders. They were carried in style on a carriage thingy attched behind a bike, which was ridden by this guy who looked like ZZTop - long white beard & long hair in pony tail !

All this was followed by more performances by the finalists & eventually the final 2 got to sing their favourite/best songs. Kate did well with "The Impossible Dream" but I was blown away again by Emily's performance of Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman", which got me standing up & dancing in my apartment in front of the tv !!! :-)
She just sang it with such conviction, joy & power - I was as inspired as I was the first time she sang it on the contest.

Sadly, she was not to win tonight - Kate was declared the new Aussie Idol, though we were told that the votes were very close (within 1%).
Well, if history were to repeat itself, it might just be better for Emily to be runner-up, judging from the successes they have had cp to the actual Idols themselves !

So Emily, I wish you all the best & you will always be MY choice for Aussie Idol. Your courage to take the step to join Idol with no professional singing experience or coaching (Kate has sung professionally before & has a voice coach in Queensland or the Gold Coast or something like that), the love you show for your daughter(whom you say is your inspiration & the reason for joining Idol)& for youths who are disadvantaged, your obvious passion for singing & your wonderful ability to take a song & make it your own - all these are an inspiration to me. I was especially touched when you told some of the youths that you had taken all the negative things that had happened in your life & used them, to turn them into something for good. Thank you for sharing your talent with all of us in Australia & brightening my day with your song !
You go, girl!

IDOL FEVER - THE PASSION

The heat is on - and I am not talking about the weather here, though today's max temp was a hot 27 deg C. Tonight was the live verdict on who gets to sing at the Sydney Opera House in this year's Grand Finals of Australian Idol.

After the usual rounds of auditions & selections down to the final 13, some of Australia's finest stars-to-be have been battling it out over the past few months in the by now familiar-to-most singing competition. It has become arguably the most recognisable talent contest in the world ( aside from the Eurovision Singing Contest, which is somehow not considered as hip as this one, although it's been in existence for longer ).

Yours truly must admit to having been caught up with the current Aussie one - guess I needed my "fix" since we are not likely to get another Singapore Idol any time soon or so I have been told. :-)

Thought it would be fun to show my support as well as get a good memento of my time here, so I had actually bought the official Australian Idol Showbag at the Royal Melbourne Show a couple of months ago near the start of the competition. It was also quite good value for money as it contained a sturdy Australian Idol satchel, an Idol keychain, an Idol wallet, mini radio & CD holder plus cap, all for A$15 !


I even voted via SMS on Sunday night after performances of the final 3 cuz I was so afraid that my 2 favourites, Emily (the dark-haired one)& Kate (the blonde) would not be voted in. It seems the general public goes for appearance & "flashiness" as opposed to real singing talent & ability. Lee, the third of the final 3 & the only guy, had oodles of appeal to the younger demographic particularly due to his punky appearance & great sense of style, though I must say I'm not into the punk/rock thing (he has spiky, multicoloured hair). I felt that although his voice was not bad (though certainly nowhere near as good as that of E or K IMHO), he was more of a "one-trick-pony", excelling mainly in punk & rock songs.
Anyway, I was thus ecstatic when the results were announced tonight & both my faves were in !!! YAY !!! YOU GO, EMILY & KATE !!!
So I am definitely tuning in again this Sunday night, 7:30pm, Channel 10, to the Grand Finals which will be live from Sydney Opera House. However, the suspense will copntinue till the final results come in on next Monday night after all the votes are counted.

So what's it about such shows like Idol that capture our imagination & glue us to the TV ? I believe it has to do with the notion that "everybody's searching for a hero, people need someone to look up to", to quote a popular song.
It feels good to know that people's lives can change if they just follow their passion & "go for it" to live their dreams.
Like Fantasia, the American Idol before this year's Carrie Underwood, Aussie Idol's Emily is a single mum. She was working as a fork-lift driver to help make ends meet & is now on the verge of landing a recording contract with Sony-BMG & fulfilling her dreams ! Reminds me again of Fantasia's song for the Idol finals - "I Believe", which is another favourite of mine.

Talking about passion - we are currently doing a study in church entitled "The Passion", based on the Mel Gibson movie "The Passion of the Christ". It was developed by Rick Warren, the American pastor & author of "The Purpose-Driven Life", which has been on the best-seller list for quite a while. It has most enlightening, watching the movie again & experiencing the strong emotions that it invariably evokes.
Therein is the ultimate demonstration of passion, being willing to sacrifice & give up what is necessary to achieve something greater( John 3:16 & 17 ). Jesus - my ultimate hero ! :-)

May we all live lives of passion !

FIRST BLOG - A DEATH & A NEW BABY

Having been inspired by my good friend Fangs, I have also decided to venture into the exciting world of BLOGs & do my own.
Also partly encouraged by my new baby - the 12 inch G4 Powerbook - which came into my possession just today.
In case you're wondering, no, this wasn't quite an impulse buy but one of necessity.
My trusty Ti Bk decided to give up the ghost suddenly last night, just after I got home from work & had replied to several emails !

Most distressing, the experience of being suddenly bereft of what has been an essential tool for communication with loved ones back home in Singapore, as well as for doing various things like banking & bill paying and of course, the reason for my being here - training & research !

I couldn't believe it at first as it was so unexpected.
I tried to wake my Ti Bk after I finished preparing a quick dinner of instant noodles with choy sum & mushroom pork balls ( yes, u can get them noodles here quite easily ! ).
All I could get was a plain blue screen with just the cursor....reminded me of that episode in SATC when Carrie's Mac died....well, at least i didn't get the "Sad Mac"....

After frantically trying to restart several times with no result, I finally called the Apple shop in Funan Centre ( MultiMedia Integrated, henceforth known as MMI ) to look for the person who helped me upgrade my OS to Tiger just last month.
His name is Ian & it so happened that my timing was so "joon"-unknown to me, he had actually quit working there to go back to studies but had gone back just at that time to get something.

So, thank God, I got hold of Ian & he was immediately helpful ( thanks a million !) as most Mac users are.
The working diagnosis was that it might be a motherboard problem & it was bad timing as I was actally scheduled for a research meeting the next morning & all the data was on the computer with no other backup (yeah, my bad !).
He tried to walk me through transferring stuff from the HD to an external one which I had bought just a month before-all this through the phone as I have autoroaming & am still holding my S'pore mobile here.

In the end, after all my struggles, I could not keep awake & keep track of what I was doing, so finally went to sleep at 3AM.
To cut a long story short, I managed to call one of the Apple Centres here & went down to see what could be done to get all my stuff back & running ASAP.

As it seemed like it was a motherboard problem, the solution was to replace it or get a new machine. So I decided to go for the latter option as that came with newer things & it was probably time to upgrade my Ti Bk as well.

The moral of the story - technology's great but when it is not working properly, it can also be a really BIG hassle, so always try to take the greatest care of what you have & back up stuff often !

It's amazing how much we rely on computers these days....can't imagine life without them any more....