I Flew A Kite

on new year's day :) happy 2012!

Tango Alpha Juliet

i've known marc for four years and he has always been wanting to bring me flying! finally, right at the very end of my melbourne journey, we managed to find a suitable date where both of us were free. :)

look at the amount of buttons marc has to deal with! it was really cool listening to marc asking for permissions from the control towers regarding taking off and landing.

i was afraid that i would vomit during the flight since the plane was really small. all thanks to my sickly experience in grand canyon, las vegas, where i vomited throughout the short flight. thankfully, weather was perfect - sunny with little winds, and marc was such a good pilot.

we flew back to the city, and everything from above looks cute! i could spot things like the eureka tower, albert park, melbourne univeristy and even college square! cheap thrills i would say, but i had plenty of fun. the feeling is totally different from sitting on a commercial plane.

melbourne's coastline, can't recall if that is brighton or st kilda beach.

victoria is already so huge, yet with the plane, everything seems to be reachable in minutes. marc was telling me that his instructor would usually fly to ballarat especially for lunch, how interesting. i wonder how singapore will look like from above?

i was fortunate to be able to see melbourne this way. that short ride was really meaningful especially knowing that i'm leaving melbourne for good. it was a good conclusion of melbourne - from above.

Komeyui

some time back, adrienne, kenneth and i went for dinner at komeyui, which is located at port melbourne. being a big fan of japanese food, i gladly accepted adrienne's invite without any hesitation. what are the odds of me not enjoying japanese food, especially when the restaurant is recommend by a top food blogger in melbourne.

food was delicious!!! i could have just kept eating. i particularly loved their appetiser, wagyu tataki, duck slices, sashimi and black sesame & green tea ice cream. i didn't fancy the wrapped salmon and sake brulee though. one was too salty, and the other was rather watery.

regardless, i enjoyed myself that night. can't wait for adrienne to come down to singapore or for me to go up to KL for our makan food trail. still in the midst of planning... i've been so busy recently!! especially when i'm back for good, my to-do-list just seems to keep lengthening. hope i can get settled down as soon as possible.

I'M A GRADUATE

i'm back for good. well, at least for the next two years. i've successfully completed my 3 year commerce degree, majoring in accounting and finance. one major phase in my life is over, and i guess i'm moving on to the working phase that will probably last for decades.

i'm currently thinking of taking a break for half a year before i start work. during this time, i will look out for job opportunities (most likely, being an auditor), take up lessons such as baking and sewing, sign up for yoga or gym (haha!), do charity, and travel!

i just want a good rest. doing absolutely everything i want to do.

mum, dad and kailin specially flew up for my graduation. sadly, yenlin couldn't come as she's currently having her exams in st louis university in washington. before this, my brother and i met them in new south wales for our annual family holiday. we spent 10 days in sydney and new castle. it was such a relaxing trip, i hope to blog about that soon.

they got me a really huge bouquet, a university of melbourne teddy bear, a card and a sliver plated leaf necklace. they all looked so happy to see me in the regalia. & i love the candid shot of my dad with the teddy, charming! i suggested that as his new profile picture. :)

i'm really thankful to have known rachel and her family. throughout the past four years, they've helped me in many different ways. her family is always so welcoming towards me. i've received so many gifts from aunty jean, i can always randomly pop by at rachel's house to chill whenever i'm at orchard, join them for family dinners, and our mums occasionally meet up even without rachel and i being present. its really amazing how two random girls who were "forced" to share a room together for a year to become so close. i really hope all these won't stop, though rachel and i won't be studying together anymore.

i blew and framed up this picture as cindy's 21st birthday gift (aside from the sewing machine). will definitely blog about her crazy 21st birthday celebration 2 nights ago, just wait. cindy has always been and probably will be my best studying buddy. somehow we study the same way and we get our assignments done real quick together. we all can have many close friends, but how many are actually similar to you? for me, cindy's the only one i know thus far. so many people say we look alike, really? i don't see the resemblance.

i stayed with merrie for the last 2 years, she's really the best housemate i've had. i'm a neat freak, and thank god merrie's one too! we share almost everything in the house, and she's always helping me with household chores and errands. i'm not exactly the best person to live with, and i wanna thank her for putting up me. she's also my listening ear, and definitely the one who heard most of my ranting! oh, and i know who to call if i've korean bbq cravings. she's definitely up for it!

the above are some of the hundreds of photos we took. i felt like some film star, with numerous cameras pointing at me. big thanks to cindy, dad, and wernie for taking all the pictures! i have yet to get my hands on all of them, and i really can't wait for the studio shots!! :)

it was one of my happiest days in melbourne. so great to have your family and close friends all around you on one occasion. graduation ceremonies for the commerce faculty were held over a period of two days. everyone were beaming in smiles as we were not only celebrating graduation, but for the friendships we've made over the years. i hope these friendships won't die, even if we don't get to see each other often.

my graduation dinner was at Jacques Reymond, one out of the two three chef's hat restaurants in melbourne. needless to say, food was really good and expensive. most expensive meal i've ever had in my entire life! i made reservations 3 months in advance, and they called me one week before the actual date to confirm the booking. they are really high in demand. however, the portions were entree sized. for that money, i think we could have eaten better at other lower hatted restaurants. anyhow, it was for my graduation celebration and the experience. :)

no idea how to thank my parents for everything they've done for me.