Moore river, Guilderton

Guilderton is a small coastal town north of Perth at the mouth of the Moore River in the Shire of Gingin. It was originally known as Gabbadah, an Aboriginal term meaning "mouthful of water" until its gazetting as a town in 1951. The river mouth regularly opens and closes depending on the seasons, and alternates between a closed lagoon and a tidal estuary.The town is a popular holiday destination for Perth residents who commonly refer to it as Moore River.

See a hut at middle left of the pic? That was our destination.

Ocean fishing can be enjoyed along the coast in Guilderton, Ledge Point, Caraban and Quinns Rock.



Moore River: river in dark blue

The Moore River estuary is one of the most pristine, yet fragile, fresh water estuaries in Western Australia. A stretch of calm sheltered water, an ideal swimming area for children. Visitors can also go boating or explore the upper reaches of the river and its wildlife on a cruise. Fishing is excellent in both the river and the ocean. While the ocean also usually provides good waves for surfers.

River cruising is available. It is divided into sunset cruise, moonlight cruising, riverine eco tour and morning/afternoon tea cruises. Wow..that is fantastic to spend a day with a river cruise!

Big waves of the Indian ocean

Guilderton at the mouth of Moore River links the town with the wreck of the “Vergulde Draeck”, and the loss of thousands of guilders it was carrying. Dutch coins and relics of the wreck have been found near the mouth of Moore River. Some fourteen shipwrecks, spanning more than 330 years of seafaring mishaps, have been located along the Moore River Coast between Wreck Point, south of Guilderton, to Lancelin, 45 kms to the North.

What the plaque says?
Emily 1868
Built in Fremantle as a coastal trader, the 40 tonne schooner Emily was beached on a gale only 3 months after launching.

Linda 1950s
The Linda was a fairmile bound for whaling in North West when it was wrecked on Linda reef, 7 km south of here. The exact date of her loss and the number of crew is unknown but two men died and a small dog survived.

Ville de Rouen 1901
The French barque Ville de Rouen was bound for Fremantle with a cargo of fire bricks, coke, pig iron and 1600 bottles of wine when it ran aground. By the next day, the ship had floated free and drifted southward to finally sink near Ville de Rouen reef 5.5 km to the west of here.

Huge Norman 1910
The captain of the 10 tonne schooner Hugh Norman drowned when his vessel was wrecked just off Guilderton. The wreck has not been located.

Vergulde Draeck 1656
The Dutch Ship Vergulde Draeck (Gilt Dragon) was bound for Batavia with a rich cargo when it struck an offshore reef. The 75 survivors landed at eagle nest bluff, 20 km north of here. Seven men reached Batavia in a small boat. The other castaways were never rescued.

Wow~ It was great to have a picture with an Aussie family~ say Cheese~~



Me and my mum

If you observe carefully at the background, the Moore river is separated with the Indian ocean on just a stretch of land. The Moore river will meets the Indian ocean except in the Summer where the water levels is low.

Address:
Guilderton
Western Australia 6041

How to go?

Moore River estuary is located at the village of Guilderton, 1 hour drive north (92 kilometres) of Perth.

A direct route north on Waneroo Rd or take the Mitchell Freeway to the end and continue on Waneroo / Lancelin Rd.

Quinns Rock is located on the way to Moore River aproximately 40 klms north of Perth on Waneroo Rd.

Caraban is the first left turn after Gingin Brook Rd aproximately 12klms south of Moore River.

Ledge Point is a 20 minute drive north of Guilderton / Moore River on Waneroo Rd, just south of Lancelin.

Source: Mooreriver, Wikipedia, About Australia

Read more...

Sand boarding at Lancelin Sand Dunes

Lancelin

Lancelin is a small fishing town nestled between the ocean and sand dunes which is about an hour drive or 94 kilometres north of Perth. The town stretches along the edge of a natural bay which is protected from the Indian Ocean by outer reefs and islands. The protected waters of the bay are ideal for swimming, fishing, boating and using small watercraft and water activities dominate the town’s leisure activities.It is also the safe anchorage for a picturesque fleet of rock lobster boats, which creates a hive of activity during the day around the two jetties.

The reefs provide the perfect environment for snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing and wave sailing. Equipment for all activities can be hired in town. There are also many shipwrecks for the experienced scuba diver to explore. Lancelin is the gateway to a world renowned dive trail. There are 14 wrecks along the coastline allowing for spectacular diving.

Lancelin is an international mecca for windsurfers due to the ideal wind and water conditions. To the east, the town is bordered by endless snow-white sand dunes, which are heaven for sand boarders, dune buggy drivers, motor bikers and four wheel drivers. Dune buggy racing in the sand dunes is a popular recreational pastime. The peaks of these sand dunes give a spectacular panoramic lookout over the township, surrounding sand hills, farmlands, coastline, islands and ocean.

Around the point, Back Beach is safe for body-boarding, surfing and swimming, with plenty of hideaways for sunbathing. There is an abundance of marine wildlife. Sea lions reside on Lancelin Island and regularly inspect the activities in the bay. Lancelin is also home to dolphins that frequent the bay daily and are only too willing to show off their catch of fish to spectators. There are also huge pods of dolphins and the occasional seal outside the bay, pleasing locals and tourists alike. Birdlife and wildflowers are plentiful, with bird sanctuaries on the islands and nearby nature reserves ablaze with wildflowers during spring.

Adapted from: Tourism Western Australia

Our destiny was to board this world's largest 4wd tour coach which was tagged with the slogan 'experience is bigger than the bus itself'. Besides, we were going to learn sandboarding on mountainous white dunes white panoramic views of the beaches on the coast line of Indian ocean.

Before taking the tour coach.



This is a gigantic coach about twice of my height.



It's always advisable to wear sandals.

The sand here is claimed to be very fine texture in which dropping of camera accidentally can break the screen of the digital camera. The bus coach had reminded us to be extra careful in handling our camera or else you can straight away dump it into the dustbin should it dropped.

The journey began.

I was sitting next to the window. All of us were assigned to specific rows in the bus to ensure gravity & weight balance. Children were required to seat at the most back rows.

Top: The seat was like those movable kids ride in McD with spring attached on the seat. So, along the journey, you get yourself bounce up and down continuously as the white dunes was not flat of course.
Bottom: Everyone was enjoying the ride, screaming loudly & holding tightly while listening to the loud musics played.

Top left: Riding on the white dunes
Top right: See the tip of the dunes on the most left. We were going up to the PEAK.
Bottom left: We were 'flying down' at the great height & with bouncy seat. OMG!!! Ahhhhh!!
Bottom right: That was the peak that we had just gone down. Well, it was a fun experience. It was totally different from roller coaster. When the giant bus moved down, the great weight caused the the bus namely the 4 tyres to went deep into the dunes. Thus, the momentum when coming down for peak is not that speedy 'drop' but instead 'slow, slightly bend & bouncy'.

I love this picture,



As mentioned, the sand dunes is located near the beaches and the Indian Ocean.

There was a lot of flying movable objects in the ocean which was suspected to be of dolphin. Well, at that point of time, I didn't know much of this place. Perhaps, it was correct~

Me and my mum~~
We stopped after some 10 minutes journey in which now we have the oppurtunity of a lifetime to learn and play sand boarding. Looked at my flying hair due to the windy conditions.



Saw my initial?

The extremely bad tampered coach ordered us to make a semicircle in front of him. Nonetheless, nobody seemed to understand as most do not speak English except the young ones. This further agitated him and everyone was scared when he raised his voice. From the picture, the coach was teaching us how to hold a sand board properly usign 2 hands and how to 'surf down' the dunes.

The fist lucky person to go down was Mr. Akhbar wife. They were the sole non Chinese in our trip but this wasn't new for them. Check out the position of your leg and hands. Looking at the great height from the peak, many elderly do not have the courage to play this. Sad for them but it was understandable.

And here she slided down on the sand board. This was a great experience and was not dangerous or hard to performed. I could never forgot such experience. It was fast, simple and wow..you were like flying down.

Me on my very first time sand boarding~



Backview.. thanks jie jie for taking this photo.

Hello every one... I was enjoying my holiday to the fullest here. Between, I tried very hard to open both of my eyes as big as it can. However, the weather here was warmer than in our own country.

This was how we were arranged in the bus. I was sitted beside an uncle who screamed all the time.







Bye bye. Gonna miss you!

Location?

Desert Storm Tourism
Tel: + 61896552550

Bookings:
Tour duration is 1 hour and tours are conducted based on bookings of which a minimum number is required. (I think above 20)
Tours depart from the tourism carpark in the sand dunes of Lancelin of which you can find 3 big tyres ar the entrance.

Prices:
Adult: $ 60, students: $ 50, children (2-14 y.o.):$ 40 (wow.. it didn't know it was so expensive)
All prices including GST.

View Larger Map

Read more...

My Place, Bar & Restaurant, Perth

We stayed at Aarons Hotel throughout the stay in Perth. There is a bar & restaurant named My Place on the ground floor, next to the lobby. We had complimentary breakfast daily at this place.

Just need to tell them your room number and find your seat to be served.

Each of us was given this breakfast meal consists of 2 pieces of 'salty' bacon. a hotdog (with very strong meat smell), 2 smashed tomatoes and 2 special boiled plain taste eggs. That's it! My mum cannot adapt to the salty and 'smelly' food, neither do I. We had the same breakfast the next day till we made complaint to our tour leader. Pathetic meal. However, looking to the menu, this set of meal costs AUD $ 12.00.

Each of us was given 2 pieces of bread as well. You can choose to toast it or take it as it is.



Bread toaster

I never used such toaster before. We placed the bread on one side which then they will slide down passing through the heat source and come out on the bottom just like a printer.

There is a lot of variety of jems including butter and honey for you to choose to be applied on the breads. This is edible for us but 2 pieces of bread wasn't enough. Many elderly choose not for the set meal but opt for a change to breads. Pathetically, only additional 2 pieces of breads on top of the current 2 were given.

Coffee is an essential drink for Western people. They drink it like the plain water. Despite not a coffee drinker, I did drink for the sake of trying the different taste of the West. It do seems better.

Besides coffee, there is wide variety of juices including FRESH AUSTRALIAN milks. Due to my cough condition, I did not try any but do have few sips from my mum drinks although continuously being told not to do so. Fruit juices include tomato (the Western favourites), orange, apple and mango. It is all free flow.

This is the sideways dining area close to the washroom.



As mentioned, this is a bar as well which of course open at night time.



Spotted this man cleaning up the bar area early in the morning.



WINES!!







Managed to grab his photo. Nice pic~



The setting of the place.







Almost all the hotels are equipped with a bar & restaurant type in which extended to the walkways.



View from outside the walkways.

Took picture with the bus driver cum tour leader. In most of the Western countries such as Australia and UK, the bus driver has double tasks which also act as a tour leader. It isn't easy to explain and introduce places to the tourists and at the same time focusing in driving.

Wednesdays
Wednesday nights are DJ nights with fantastic cocktails.

Karaoke
If you enjoy a sing along to some of your old time favourites, or a dance to popular new music, drop into My Place on a Friday evening from 8pm. Bring your friends, or come on your own - the name of the game is having a good time!

DJ Night
Get ready to have some fun! Come on down to My Place on a Saturday evening from 8pm and enjoy the music provided by a DJ who plays YOUR songs.

Special; Wednesday cocktails

Wednesday evening drop into My Place for some great $7 cocktails. There will be a live DJ, so you can dance the night away with your pina colada, harvey wallbanger, Singapore sling or toblerone.

Special: Karaoke deals

While you are singing your heart out every Friday night enjoy the fantastic specials. Cocktails, Jagerbombs and Vodka Red Bulls are all only $7. It’s all about having some fun so bring your mates or work colleagues.

Prices of some food:

Breakfast:

Continental Breakfast: Toast with Jam, Marmalade, Vegemite or Honey Cereals, Fruit Juice, Coffee and Tea, Fruit Salad and Yoghurt ==> $12.00
Basic Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs, Sausage, Tomato and Toast ==> $12.00
Full Breakfast: Toast with Jam, Marmalade, Vegemite or Honey, Coffee, Tea and Juice, Grilled Tomato’s, Baked Beans, Sausage, Bacon & Eggs, Hash Brown ==> $18.00
Mega Breakfast: Continental and Full breakfast ==> $25.00

Starters and snacks

Garlic & Herb Bread ==> $7.00
Turkish Bread: With olive oil, Olives and dukkah ==> $10.00
My Place Bruschetta: Chopped Tomato, red onion, Basil, Feta Cheese Crumble, lightly Grilled on
Garlic bread ==> $10.00
My Place Mix plate: Selection of Tapas, Artichoke, roast capsicum, feta, marinated olives, chorizo sausage, Turkish bread, olive oil and balsamic glaze. ==> $20.00
Nachos: With fresh salsa, melted cheese and Guacamole dip. ==> $15.00

Main
Old Fashioned Fish & Chips: With Beer Batter and Salad, Tar tare sauce ==> $15.00
Seafood Platter: A selection of deep fried Seafood and fresh whole Prawns served with Chips& Salad And Tar tare Sauce ==> $24.00
Fish of the Day: Grilled as is or with Lemon Pepper Crust, Chips &Salad or vegetables ==> $20.00
Grilled Salmon: with a balsamic glaze on a bed of mash Potatoes plus steamed Vegetables or fresh Salad. ==> $29.00
Chili Mussels Napolitano: Tomato, herbs, Garlic and Chili sauce, Turkish bread And mayonnaise on the side ==> $20.00
Pasta of the Day: Chef’s freshly made pasta ==> $17.00

Burgers & Sandwiches

Grilled Chicken Breast pieces with Cheese, Salad, Mayo and Chips ==> $12.00
BLT: Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and mayo with Chips ==> $10.00
Chicken, Bacon and Cheese Foccacio with Chips ==> $12.00
Ham, Cheese and Tomato Foccacio with Chips ==> $12.00
Steak Sandwich: Steak, Grilled Onion, Iceberg Lettuce, Tomatoes, Beetroot With Tomato Relish or Aeoli and Chips ==> $12.00
American Style Cheese Burger: Big Beef Pattie, double Cheese, Pickles, Onion Jam & Ketchup served with chips ==> $12.00

Pizza
Margarita, $20.00, Seafood $25.00, Meat Lovers $25.00, Continental $25.00, Chicken $25.00



How to get there?

Address:
70 Pier Street,
Perth Western Australia 6000.
Phone: 08-92556665

Sources: theGuide.com.au
64

Read more...

UCSI University: Fee increment is just a rumour!

UCSI University

Another rush hour day. I slept very late the day before but not going to reveal here. I had earlier set my alarm to 7.30 am and multiple alarms in my handphone with different times. When I first opened my eyes, I smiled at myself for having a nonsense dream and happily looked at the alarm clock. It was 8.40 am. Oh…WHAT@@!! I had an important appointment with some others at 9 am. Gosh! I will be surely late! And the person I was going to meet was not a simple but a high rank person in UCSI University which was the Vice President for Academics, Prof. Kwan. For some unknown reasons, I finally uttered the word ‘shit!’ accidentally.

I reconfirmed to myself. Was the appointment at 9 am? Yea.. it was.. and without further delay, I rushed to the washroom and quickly bathed. I do shave and the ‘fast and furious’ movement caused some bleeding. I guessed I seriously need an after shave cream/oil but the price at Watsons is about RM 20 for a small tiny bottle. Next, I was about to call Han Boon but he managed to call me instead. A salute to him for being calm to know I just woke up and with a nice tone, he told me they will be going up first. We were planning to meet Prof. Kwan to hand in our petition on the passing rumours about increment of the tuition fees which was about 10% or nearly 2K increment. However, the petition letter signed by all students was with me at condo. It was great attitude shown by Han Boon which never can be easily learnt by the rests. He is indeed a good class rep and a good leader as he was the one who plan and lead the group of 11 (but turned out to be 8) to voice up the dissatisfaction from the fellow friends. Again, a big courage and determination were needed.

I speeded from condo to university assuming that I was in the final lap of a 4 x 100m race. When I reached to the 3rd floor, I was greeted by the receptionist who then asked me to enter a room she pointed. HUH.. How did she know who I wanted to meet? Then, I saw all of them waiting quietly in the Prof. Kwan room. I was so relief that I wasn’t late at all and started chatting around to cheer up the tense moment. About 10 minutes later, Prof. Dr. Kwan Teck Kim and his aide, senior assistant Mr. Abu Bakar Jalaluddin, Senior Director, Academic & Corporate Legal Affairs came in. It was the first time I meet both of them and they greeted us nicely.

After an introduction about us led by Han Boon, he then pointed out 3 main issues for the meeting which was the confirmation of fees increment, petition of increment should it was real and the improvement of facilities. Mr. Abu Bakar was the one who answered most of the questions as he seemed has more experience with the university than the newly promoted Prof. Kwan. He then assured all of us that the increment of fees was just irresponsible rumours of which the university is finding its way to track the people that spread it out to the rests. Accordingly, any fees increment procedure involves duration of a semester of 4 to 6 months before it is implemented. At such, the university will open its ear to feedbacks from various parties during the period before a final decision is made.

In addition, Mr Abu Bakar also acknowledged us that increment is necessary and can’t be prevented in the current economic crisis faced by the world and Malaysia as well. He told us that CPI in Malaysia was 8.0+ in the last month. THAT shocked me as the highest so far that I knew was 7.6%. He also highlighted on the increment of transportation costs as well as the many costs covered by the university since the 5 years back when no increment was implemented. However, the university survived and managed to not put the expenses to the students’ fees.

So, few of us addressed on the concern on the increment which might not be able to borne by our parents. Besides, the Marketing and Finance Department had earlier reaffirmed to most of the students that they will pay accordingly to the figure stated when applying entry to this university and any increment will be imposed to the new batches. At such, Mr Abu Bakar acknowledged that increment is an unavoidable event BUT he assured that increment will not be too fast or the coming 2-3 years time. He told us that many from different faculties do face the similar problems and some had some evidences with parents EPF and financial constraint to him as well as others. At such, the university despite is a business will not want to see nay dropout just because of such issue and will try their best in finding a solution. He acknowledged us that anyone of us can meet them personally should they face any difficulty regarding with finance provided with genuine evidences. However, they can look into your problems BUT do not guarantee any definite solution. At such, with the examples given by him, I found the university still considerable OK as they do look through the problems faced by the students. Well, almost ALL private institutions are money sucking as people claimed but the extent is the major concern.

Some voiced out on the lack of lab equipments such as tabletting machine, HPLC, Coulter Counter and etc. Wow.. the list was so long. Both Prof. Dr. Kwan and Mr. Abu Bakar agreed that the issue was not something new and they will look further into the issues. He even asked us to write detail problems with the facilities and give recommendations to purchase a newer one that deemed suitable together with the model number. At such, some pointed out that we need to share and waited very long to perform our experiment which was then countered back with the fact that anywhere you went, you still need to share. As for me, I do not know why they asked for increment of so many lab machines. For example, what are the benefits for having two Coulter counter machines? It is a matter of time preferably an hour wait before your turn to use the machine and you can save few hundred thousand with the wait. Is that significant? As for HPLC, as Dr Gabriel had mentioned, we considered very good as the most owned was USM with 4 such machines. On top of that, we are not going to use them all the time but preferably one or two for the whole 4 years. Although, any additional machines are good for us.

So, I voiced out on different views. I stressed that if the increment is justified with good facilities and services, the students will still object but it will be a minority voices. I will pay for the good ‘lecturers’, good lab machines and good overall facilities of the university WHICH are not seen yet. In addition, I enlightened them with the high parking rates, difficulty in finding parking, lack of books in the library, no time restrictions for printing use due to stupid uncivilized students printing their whole semester notes spending about 1 hour with the printing, lack of sports facilities eg the basketball/badminton court and the stupid high fees charged by the university bus service. The response was the RM2 paring rate was unavoidable to the claimed ‘security, insurance fees & etc’. Wait.. I thought PARK AT YOUR OWN RISK. Since when the parking is covered by insurance? The issue wasn’t new to them and there might be multistory car park on its way soon. MIGHT… and can you think how much the parking rate will be? The current burden was to climb up hills burning a lot of petrol and then climb down on foot for some distance under the very hot sun. Should there is a multistory packing which is good but unsure the rate yet, one might take at least 15 minutes to travel up by car and down by foot with confirmed sweating~

Regarding on book issues, each and anyone of us is required to purchase textbook by your own. The reason there is only roughly five books per title is to provide various references for students. Should students need increment of text books, you must bring up the issue during your own school’s board meeting. Regarding about the abandoned field or better known to be used by the Africans and some Malays from A Level, there is a suggestion to use some part of the field as parking bays. However, this is in process of greeting agreement as driving on the green field will cause distortion and damage the structure of soil as well as plants. On bus services which charge abnormally high than the outside provider, please forward to the Logistic Department. They forgot about my suggestion of 15 minutes time restrictions on the use of printing. Anyhow, it is not related to the Academics Department.


Conclusion.
No further increment as for NOW. Increment is unavoidable in near future but the university reserves the right to do so as stated on the disclaimer on the brochures as well as the fees schedule. If you have the letter from DVC on the promise of no further increment, keep it safely as it might be useful. Regarding on improving the facilities of the school, there is new division headed by Mr. Shanker Sathivellu, Senior Director, External Communications & Quality Assurance. The scope of this department is to evaluate basically everything in the university as ‘check and balance’ which is going to ‘audit’ the university and wherever necessary, provide suggestions for improvements. Messages from both Prof. Dr. Kwan and Mr. Abu Bakar; ‘Stop the rumours!’.

In another point of view, such meeting was absolutely good as one can voice up their dissatisfaction, opinion, problems and etc. to the university so that their issues will be looked into. I am not sure about other university regarding about meeting with a senior personnel in the university. As for UCSI University, they do take the opinions from the students but whether they will implement the suggestions are totally depend on their judgment.

UCSI University

Photos from: UCSI University official website

Read more...

Perth Airport, Western Australia

Finally, I landed on the land of Australia for the very first time. Me destination was to Perth, Western Australian. We arrived about 1.50 am at the Perth Airport. A fact that i interesting to me is that Perth which cover ONLY the Western part of Australia is 16 x BIGGER (claimed to be 20x) than whole Malaysia (including Sabah and Sarawak) but with a very small population of 1.6 million.

Perth, was home to the indigenous Nyoongar tribe with evidence of their ancestors stretching back 40,000 years. A Noongar cultural museum will be opened soon; additional information on aboriginal tours and other cultural offerings can be found at tourist information centres.

British settlers established a free settler colony in 1829 as part of the Swan River Colony. From 1850, an influx of convicts boosted the size of the colony and their labour helped shape the early architecture of the city. The discovery of gold in the 1890's triggered a boom which, with subsequent mineral discoveries, has been key to the city's economy. As capital of the state Western Australia, Perth joined the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.

Perth is a beautiful city with a wonderful Mediterranean climate. It has lovely beaches and parks. Perth people are helpful and welcoming. The lifestyle is relaxed and most people enjoy outdoor activities such as sporting events, barbeques and picnics. Living in Perth will be an enjoyable experience. ( I will justify this in my incoming post)

Perth Western Australia’s weather and climate is best described as Mediterranean, with long dry summers and mild rainy winters. There are four distinct seasons:

Summer: Dec - Feb
The hottest months are January and February, and temperatures can frequently reach the mid to high 30’s Celsius (95-100F). Occasionally the weather can reach 38 degrees Celsius or more (100+ Fahrenheit), lightweight cool clothing and sunscreen is essential.

The temperature here is crazily HOT! I will justify this in my incoming post. Melbourne can go to as high of 35-40 celcius. Newest record that shocked the Australian!

Autumn: Mar – May
Very similar weather to summer except milder, warm and sunny but cooler at night. You can expect things to start cooling down toward the end of April and will need some warmer clothing.

Winter: Jun - Sep
This is the rainy season, interspersed with chilly yet sunny days. A typical Perth winter day may fall between 16-18 degrees Celsius (60-65 degrees Fahrenheit). There are however, occasionally storms, characterised by thunder, lightning and heavy downpours of rain and strong winds. It is advised to have warm clothing and a waterproof jacket and umbrella handy.

Spring: Oct - Dec
Spring begins at the start of September and from this point the weather quickly warms to fine sunny but windy conditions. The temperatures will continue to rise in the lead up to the next summer.

After a tight security, we came out from this auto door.

After a thorough checking, we came out from this automatic door. The security checking is known to be very strict and indeed is very true. In the incoming passenger card, one need to complete every single column in the form. FAILURE to do so will get scolded by the Custom Officers if his/her mood is not good. No joke! You need to write your name, passport number, flight number, intended address in Australia and health status. Besides, you need to DECLARE the items brought in by you. And NO JOKE that if you did not declare even a small stuff will be fined by the authorities. Not all medicines can be brought in especially the Chinese medicines of which origin from plants. Food is another point in which no dried, fresh, preserved, cooked or uncooked food should brought in. Even the Chinese preserved dates (well, it was Chinese New Year that time) also CANNOT. one of the tour mates got into trouble of having it. Soil or articles with soil attached such as sporting shoes or equipment need to be DECLARED. IF you have a new shoe, that is alright but if it is an used shoes, be sure to declare it if it is DIRTY on the shoe lace. You must write in your contact details in Australia. Even if you are staying in a hotel, you must know the location and the contact number of the hotel.

Airport Security:
Before departing Perth Airport, passengers are required to pass through a stringent security screening process to ensure the safety and efficiency of airport and airline operations. The following process is in place to achieve this goal:

• Passengers check in and have their passport ready for viewing.
• Baggage make-up - luggage is checked in here, with selected items being screened through an x-ray machine.
• Passengers enter the departures gate and will move through Customs passport control.
• At the entrance of the departure lounge, hand luggage and any additional items on person are security screened.
• Your boarding pass will be checked prior to entering the appropriate gate for your departure flight.

The ambience of the airport at that late night.

Quarantine Matters

These are important NEW facts when arrival in Australia. Tougher new quarantine laws and increased on-the-spot fines now apply in Australia.
• All international travellers entering Australia who do not declare quarantine risk items now face an on-the-spot fine of up to $220. This could happen as a result of failing to declare something as small as a piece of fruit!

• Smugglers of prohibited items may face fines of up to $60,000 and a criminal record. For example, a student arriving at Brisbane airport recently was fined $6,700 for trying to smuggle
less than a kilogram of dried meat into Australia.
• The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) now inspect most international passengers, cargo and mail coming into Australia.

Customs

When traveling to Australia, please be aware that if you are carrying a total of AUS$10,000 or more in cash of any currency, you MUST declare the money on your Incoming Passenger Card and when questioned by Australian Customs officials upon arrival. A failure to declare this money may result in the money being taken and you being arrested and prosecuted. It is not an offence to bring this money into Australia. The offence is not declaring the money.

The security here was placed in the highest level. Even at late of night, a policewoman with a detector dog were seen walking around the places. I got to know from my sister that should a detector dog sense something amiss such as drugs, it will stop and station at your place. At such, YOU ARE DEAD MEAT. Not knowing well about their rules and regulations. I do not want to risk anything and thus did not that the picture of the cute little dog.

International airports

Most travellers coming into Australia’s international airports will now have their luggage screened by customs officials. In the past year AQIS has placed around 1,200 extra staff, 35 extra detector dog teams and 48 new x-ray machines at airports across the country. International students must declare ALL food, wooden items or items of plant and animal origin that they are carrying with them.

Taxi? Were we needed to board on taxis?

Just want to highlight that their taxi is like our police car in Malaysia although now due to 'need to chase criminal on high speed car' that make them changes the locally made car to Mercedez (I supposed as debated in Parliament).

Information source: Alexander Education group, Ultimate Studies Australia, Wikipedia

As at the time updated, the son of SPRM and few fellow Malaysians have been caught at this airport for possessing child pornography and got fined. This showed how strict the security checking and bear in mind not to bring forbidden stuffs.

Read more...

Singapore Changi Airport

Here I landed on the land of Singapore. I have never been here and considered 'visited' with my landing to her airport. In this post, I will justify why Changi Airport is better than KLIA in terms of facilities and services.

Singapore Changi Airport is recognised as one of the best airports in the world. With over 80 airlines serving more than 180 cities in over 50 countries, Changi Airport has established itself as a major aviation hub in the Asia Pacific region. With the recent opening of Terminal 3, Changi Airport now has an annual handling capacity of 70 million passengers a year.
Source: ChangiAirport.

Do you see me? Taken while waiting the train.

The Chinese New Year decors of Donald Duck and Goofy.

Mickey and Minnie mouse too. From the blog I read, it seems that they are recycling the x'mas decors but with some changes to make it into new year feel. Any comment?

Here was our destination, the flight transfer area. We need to get our transfer ticket to depart from here to Australia using the Qantas Airway.

Immigration checkpoints






Some of the shops including 7-11 & Burger King.



Phone calls

At Changi Airport, all local calls made is FREE. It means that you can chit chat with your friends, relatives and colleagues for length of time you desire. My mum took the opportunity to call our relatives and her friends.

Gardens at Changi Airport.

It seem that the airport undergo major renovation to convert the previous to a new garden, greenery styles airport with opening of a new terminal.

Mini waterfall






correct terms: tropics~

Another facilities offered which is FREE as well is the charging of handphone. I found this service is a good one as should you need to make calls and your hp is out of battery, what should you do? You can't even browse our contact book to make a call at public phone. Various brand of hp charging includes Nokia, Sony Ericson, Samsung and others.

Another great service offered by the airport has is the FREE internet service. User has a maximum of 15 minutes time in each login. I queued up and made a blog post here as well. Remember? From what I observed, most of the foreigners were searching for the maps in Singapore and to look for their target destinations. It isn't a great service?

We went to this food court during our return from Australia to Singapore.



Asian foods still the best~

One of the tourmate, Mr. Akhbar told me that KLIA is indeed GREAT in terms of the infrastructure but not when come to facilities and services. It is indeed very true. Regarding about facilities, you can see various free services offered which are convenience to the users. Regarding about service, there are many personnel tagged with 'Senior Personnel' everywhere in the airport compound. Their job is to look after the confuse people who are searching the directions in the airport and provide necessary information to them. Not only that, they will escort you to the destination you wanted even to the toilet! I was so shocked to see such good services rendered by the personnel who brought my mum to the washroom. Will this happen in KLIA? In reverse, you will see many taxi touts chasing after you and forcing you to take a ride from them. Talking about the taxi touts, I can only say Malaysian government are so lousy in handling this issue. Talks and fighting in parliament in the so called making the laws but lack of enforcement. Anyway, do you think Changi Airport is better than KLIA?

Finally, before I forgot, the rate of SMS is RM 1.00 from Singapore to Malaysian lines. Cheap?

Btw, I just saw Hpility blog on their gathering at Changi Airport. Out of so many places, they chose a place where everything is more expensive than normal. Haha...weird.

Read more...

Ayam goreng spicy McD vs Spicy Chicken KFC

This is one of my long awaited post. I have the ayam goreng McD picture but not the KFC one. I was wondering when I can dine-in KFC to complete this post. And today, out of expectations, I went to KFC. I actually passed by KFC and was thinking 'erm..since I also want to tar pau...why not treat myself with a better dinner for once'.

Before that, let's see the 'review' about ayam goreng McD.

Ayam goreng spicy McD

This ayam goreng McD was once in my stomach. It was taken during the lunch time at McD, Melaka before heading back to KL. I ordered for ayam goreng McD and told the cashier that I don't want chicken wing but chicken breast. And this was the meal served to me with the "GRILL SLIP''. As you can see, it was written with 'xtra thigh, xtra rib'. Ironically, that was the first time I saw such slip. It has then become a topic of discussion between us and we found it weird.

Ayam goreng spicy McD is indeed really spicy and crispy. It is crispier and juicier than spicy chicken of KFC. One need not to add chilis on it but can do so if you prefer. As for me, the taste is indeed nice. However, it is not advisable to eat frequently. It seems that the chicken is added with a lot of spices. Thus, we taste the spicy fried skin rather the the meat which seem plain as the taste has been covered by the former.

Spicy chicken, KFC

In comparison, spicy chicken KFC was the favourite among all before ayam goreng McD was born successfully. McD is more well known with the burgers. Since then, the popularity for spicy chicken, KFC has decreased especially among youngsters who love spicy, juicy and crispy one. However, one can distinctly taste the meat as well as the fried skin. Hence, you can actually taste the original meats absorbed with the secret recipe from Uncle Colonel. The spices added is a mild one and the total oil present is definitely much lesser than ayam goreng McD. Therefore, it is still the favourite choice for family, elderly and those who more concern on their health. The original chicken, KFC is the label as well but the disadvantage is the portion is seem smaller.

Judging from promotion activities, McD is a definite CHAMPION. Every one aware that McD has the coupon/discount voucher for saving meals for breakfast or dinner. For lunch, McD has launched the saving lunch meal costs about RM 6.20 (after tax) which is very affordable. McD also have the 24 hours service, drive thru service, breakfast menu as well as attractive toys for kids set. In comparison to KFC, they are definitely a loser. I just get to know that KFC also offers breakfast set but nobody seems to know that or had taste it before. The toys by KFC has never been attractive. Remember people are queuing up since morning before McD is opened to get the collection of toys such as Hello Kitty. Besides, no 24 hours service and delivery are definitely of disadvantage. However, KFC had try to compete with McD by offering the 24 hours service now but I don't see people flocking in compared to McD which is always full with people even at midnight 2 am. That is absolutely crazy!

Saving meals cost at RM 6.00 (include tax)

While I was still deciding to opt for an expensive dinner, I saw this saving meal. RM 6 for a chicken, coleslaw, a cup of pepsi and a bowl sized rice. Great price which is within my budget. The price is definitely a real saving as a normal cup of pepsi costs rm 2.50, rice is rm 1.50, chicken, I do think any lesser than RM 3 and a coleslaw as well. Great package they are having BUT does any one know about this saving meal? I doubt that.

Let me teach you how to enjoy this meal. First, you eat the crispyspicy chicken. When you are tearing the meat in pieces, do it on top of the rice so that the small pieces of crispy skin will drop on the rice. The rice portion is a big one. It has the taste like normal 'oily rice' but not an oily one which taste slightly better than plain. After you eat your chicken, you will feel a bit full but still lacks on something. When you take few scoops of rice, you will be full already. When you continue taking the rice, you will say 'omg..when I can finish this rice. It is so full.' Then, you started to feel the rice is little pain. So, pour the coleslaw and mix with the rice..This can avoid you from not eating the coleslaw later. When you finish the rice, you will say' finally, I finish the meal. It is so worthy'. Then, when you look around, you will notice 'Oh no! There is still a cup of pepsi@@~~'. Haha..

So, KFC or MCD?? What's your choice?

Read more...

New record for highest visitor in a day

First and foremost, my blog is not a famous blog to be compared of like Kennysia or XiaXue blog. This blog provides the opportunity for me to express my feelings and thoughts as well as the life experiences gained. Besides, I loves to write on events, foods, travel or current issues attached with photos. I try my best to provide detailed descriptions so that my posts will be informative and not just to 'see and go' without leaving any impacts.

On the day I posted my post on "My First Nuffnang Cheque', the number of visitors on that day hits the highest record with 243 visitors deleting the previous one with 208 visitors (should be). Thanks again for those who had come and cheered for me. Arigatou.

As for previous week, I only managed to add 1 more post. It will take me quite some time to make a new post plus I am facing a heavily packed schedule for my studies. For those who do not not mind to wait, thanks again. Perhaps, this is the shortest time I took to make a post. Haha..short and simple but less content. Which do you prefer?

Read more...

MH 605 Flight: KLIA to Singapore Changi Airport

Guess you guys know well about the KLIA and the tenants. How about the flight? I took MH 605 flight from KLIA to Singapore Changi Airport. The plane was a small minibus plane. (hope it is correct term)

There will be a safety measure demonstration in case of emergency. I'm in doubt whether picture taking is allowed but 'don't worry la'. I was a bit afraid that the air steward will come forward and asked me to delete the pictures taken. Haha..

Shown is the way you should wear your mask.



And life jacket in case you need to swim in the river? OCEAN!



Departing time..off from the ground..



The is the disorted view while in the halfway up to the sky



Safely reach the correct altitude for planes












Oh clouds.. you are so white...and pure..





















It's me taking photo all the way since the journey begun.



with a complimentary tea.. FYI, lunch is not provided for short distance journey












Land spotted@






And ship vessels.. that's confirming that I had reached SINGAPORE~









Guess what vehicle was it?

\

It is the the petrol filler vehicle. so complex design..

Ever since mum told me that those workers will throw your luggage into the transporters with FORCE, I always watch them doing so in every flight. Well, it takes time for the exit door to open. So, while waiting, just sit back and watch them rather than standing and queuing.

Read more...

My first Nuffnang Cheque

Finally, the long awaited first cheque from Nuffnang has arrived! Many had questioned me where is the cheque from Nuffnang? This is because they are still in doubt in the advertising method as well as the income for the advertising.

I managed to introduce Nuffnang company to some of my bloggers friends in which they eventually joined and give a try. I wish to reassure them that such advertising via blog is a 'real income' and not a hoax. However, when they asked me about my cheque, I just said that the company need 30 days to process the application.

On Jan 6 12.00 am, I made my cash out request. I was so happy to see the amount I had was exceeding RM 50 and even more a bit. So, I waited till the next month, Feb but the cheque hasn't arrived. I looked back to the earning section and found that the 30 days is from the end of the month of the application date. So, it means that I shall get my cheque by 28 Feb or 2 Mac 2009.

Before I went back home on Friday, one of my to do lists is to contact Nuffnang, Haha. My family members did not tell me I received any letters and I see no info in my earning page in Nuffnang. So, when I was backed home, I saw this letter without knowing who is the sender..

This letter tell nothing other than my printed name and address. So, I whispered to myself 'Is this from Nuffnang? They know that I will be calling them tomorrow?'. Haha. 'Please.. cheque please..'

Once I opened the letter, I first saw HSBC Bank printed on top (Huh..since when I have an account in that bank?) before the Nuffnang Sdn. Bhd. Great! Finally, my first cheque has arrived. Thus, it had proven that Nuffnang do 'exist' and my trust to the company is worthy.

On the top right, the date printed is 2 March 2009 which is exactly 30 days. So, Nuffnang really keep their promises. The application process is 30 days not including the period of time required to be delivered to the recipients.

Check out the amount. Perhaps you guys will first see how well I earned before reading the story. Haha. The amount is not a big one but it is good enough to motivate me to continue blogging with more interesting posts. Money is not my first priority. Initially, I gave myself a try to such advertising thing which is popular among bloggers. Any amounts earned is deemed 'extra' or 'additional' or 'motivational'.

This amount is earned throughout 2 months time; November and December 2008. Half of the money is the metered campaigns whereas another half is the pay per clicks. For those who had visited my blog and some even frequent visitors/readers, thank you so much for your support!!

Last but not least, I love Nuffnang and hope Nuffnang will bring more ''joy'' to me in the future.

**Updated:
As in hours later, my posts in Nuffnang has been listed among the most popular posts at that particular time. Ironically, ahmike got 31 nangs while I got in reverse 13 nangs. This show how popular his blog compared to mine. Haha..

After 24 hours, my post was nanged by 47 nuffnangers and is now out from the list of most popular posts. (I couldn't able to snap the page when it is at the top). It is the first time I had the 'achievement' and hope it will continue in the future. I would like to thanks to all of you for giving supports and joys to me~~.

Read more...

New graphic card EAH 3450 512 MB DDR 2 PCI E

To begin, it had been long time I didn't blog. Well, the current hectic in studies really makes me no time to blog or play around. I had many events to blog and the number increases day by day. To my frequent readers, very sorry from me.

As the title, this post is about my spoilt graphic card. Just 'ngam ngam' 1 year anniversary of my current computer, the graphic card spoilt for an unknown reasons. It had been MONTHS I underwent situation of screen with stripes, white lines and YELLOWISH screen. Besides, the resolution of the screen cannot be changed and must be fixed at 800 x 600 px. Having wonder seeing folders, objects or using microsoft word with everything enlarged? Out of sudden, I need to adapt to the new situation and can't even see a movie through my computer. Just imaging the distraction you will get with a spoilt graphic card as I mentioned. while playing the movie.

Due to money constraint, I only managed to get a new replacement just few days ago. Fortunately, I am not so stupid to believe to the salesman saying that now they are not selling 256 mb PCI E as nowadays people no longer use PCI E but AGP. He then recommended me to take 1 GB PCI E / AGP for RM 250++ which was out from my budget. Just a month ago from my visit to the same computer shop, they told me the 256 mb was out of stock and will order for me should I want. As for now, they claimed they no longer sell 256 mb and PCI E graphic card. What a twist of word~

Can you see the changes on the screen in addition to the yellowish colour? The resolution is 800 x 600 px. Everything is enlarged and I had endured it for roughly 4 months. Besides, I have difficulty in viewing Nuffnang account as the screen displayed half page and when making a new post, the chat box will block the entries.



This is the screen after I installed the graphic card without driver installation.



After I installed the driver, I changed to the normal 1024 x 768 px which I being using previously. Things get normal back. What a relief.



ASUS EN 8500 GT 256 mb DDR PCI E
(The cost is RM 265 on 2007)



ASUS EAH 3450 512 mb DDR 2 PCI E
The price is only RM 140 on 2009

Features:
- New generation heatsink made by alluminium alloy which is lighter than other metal alloys such as steel, nickel, brass and copper. This alluminium alloy has good thermal conductivities and is highly reflective to heat to help heat dissipation providing solid performance and elegant appearance. Yea.. it do looks elegant. At first, I was in doubt whether the long extension from the noraml graphic card is able to fit into the slot.

- It is made based on V Engine which means the piston are aligned so that they appear to be in a V when viewed along the axis of crankshaft. The V configuration reduces the overall engine length and weight compared to an equivalent straight engine. Thus, the V fins can dissipate heats evenly with minimum space required.

- Common in any ASUS products:
Gamer OSD - The real time overlocking, benchmarking and video capturing in any PC game.
Smart Doctor - Intelligent hardware protection and overclocking tool for graphic card. well, I don't know how to use this function.

Requirements:
- 1 GB system memory or more
- Motherboard with free PCI E slot and correct PCI E chipset driver
- Microsoft windows vista/XP

Read more...