Candle In the Wind

"And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall you
Along England's greenest hills
Your candle's burned out long before
Your legend never will"

To my dearest cousin, this song will always play in our hearts.

It is easy how someone can just go away just like that. It has been 3 days but the sorrow and the loss can still be deeply felt.

You will never know when you will ever lose that special someone. All I can say is that treasure everything around you while you can. Because our lives after all, are like a candle in the wind.

Will be missing you dear cousin.

Brand Depot In Canberra

One thing that every shopping lovers in Canberra will come to know and love; Brand Depot. It is a factory retail outlet where almost every good there are sold at a discounted price.

Good news for students living in Canberra - a way to kill time and get together with friends.
Bad news for parents NOT living in Canberra - a way the holes in their pockets get bigger.

A bird's eye view

Although it seems pretty far from the city, it is a mere 20 minutes bus ride from the city. It is an express bus that heads only to the airport and brand depot.

Note: Brand depot is somewhere near the airport. One could see the terminal and runway track on the way to the outlet.

The whole place is the size of a warehouse, with many individual shops and stores separated by thin walls. I would say the whole building may be as long as a football field but half the width.

One can witness many shops and the walkway stretches on and on.

Honestly speaking, this place is not really meant for guys as men's clothing are still a bit expensive (after the AUD-RM currency exchange rate comes to play). But, it is a haven for girls.

Girls can buy almost everything here for themselves. For blouses and tops (of all kinds; tubes, tank tops, spaghetti straps, etc), the cheapest price that I know is AUD 3 and price ranges from AUD 5 to AUD 20 for the really discounted ones.

Girls are always indecisive when comes to clothes, that's why they have guys to wait for them. =P

Nevertheless, they still have more expensive garments available, but knowing our status as students and our "Kiam-Siap" (stingy) behavior, we prefer going for cheaper stuffs.

For guys, well, the best offers here are mostly sport shoes, leather jackets and jumpers. I myself bought one BUM jacket for only AUD 10.00 which is comparatively cheaper than anywhere else

They do have seats along the walk-way, just in case you get tired and a cafeteria at the back of the building for refreshments.

Brand Depot, girls favorite shopping place

The building layout however, do irritates shoppers sometimes. The place is in the shape of a rectangle with shops in the center and along the side. The refectory is situated at the back of the building along with the only toilet.

Yes, it happened to me before where I had a sudden urge to relief myself of my natural instincts to pee. I have to run around the shops in the center just to get to the back of the building.

I wonder if the architects for this building have any bladder or not they forgot to make the toilet a little more accessible.

Crazy discounts are everywhere.

As the place is situated near the airport, one can notice how large the place is as it is one building that stands out on the plains.

Pictures of Brand Depot Entrance.

Notice the happy shoppers and their merchandise.

I guess that is all I can write about Brand Depot for now. Back to work!

The walk to Canberra Centre (Updated)

Since the semester has not started yet, I might as well make full use of my spare time posting some pictures of Canberra (for those who might want to have a preview what the city really looks like)

A brief introduction - Canberra




Canberra is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Australia. With a population of over 323,000, it is Australia's largest inland city. (Think it as a place twice the size of the state Malacca and half the population)

The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, 280 km south-west of Sydney, and 650 km north-east of Melbourne. (3 hours bus ride to Sydney and 8 hours train + bus ride to Melbourne)

Yeap as you have guessed it, Canberra is an entirely purpose-built, planned city. Everything, from the location of the Parliament House to the suburbs. Even the lake here is man made.

Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by the Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913.

A tour around Civic, a location near ANU and UniLodge

The front view of UniLodge - A parking space

Alinga Street City Junction (note that the town is pretty desserted during weekends)

The Parcel

A note about the Parcel

P.J's - the best lunches in town with a cheap price.

Like Malacca, Canberra has a booming tourism industry

The hallway of the buildings

A catchy CD promo.

Chick2Go a.k.a Ali Baba - A so-so place for kebabs

The view of Capital Hill. Civic (Canberra's Heart) is almost build around this hill.

Northbourne Avenue. One of the main streets of Canberra

Civic does not have a proper bus station. But it has a bus terminal like this.

They have cyber cafe here as well. AUD 2 per hour. They have DOTA!

Pancake Parlour.

It's a good place to eat once in a while if you are up for it. It's pretty good!

The entrance for Garema Place - That's what they call their main business centre where all the shops are.

Kim's Groceries. Do NOT buy Asian stuff from here except if you are desperate, for the pricesare quite expensive.

Coscut Cosmetics - Not a bad place to buy shampoo, soap and other stuff.

A small part of Garema Place.

Centrepoint - Garema Place

One of the attractions in Garema Place - A merry-go-round

The slightly pornographic sheep

Seeeee what I mean?

Canberra Centre - The old wing

The front view of the Centre

The view of the Centre's Food Junction

Hot Dollar - A really cheap place to buy kitchen utensiles.

Gelatissimo - Nicer than Malaysian branches

Their Summer Sorbet offer

Supre - A place where girls go mad about clothes, like Amanda

The back entrance of Canberra Centre

The new wing of Canberra Centre

Big W - We sell for less. Big Whoopiedo!

A mock-shot

Some deco in the mall, I think it's pretty artistic

7.10 p.m. and it's still so bright

And finally, some chopped bicycles. This guy studies in ANU by the way.

I guess that is a wrap for now. I will write more about Canberra in times to come, so stay tuned ! Good night and good day, mate!

A belated Valentine's Day Post

Ever since we got back to Canberra, we hav gotten pretty busy packing our rooms respectively and buying groceries and items needed. Thus, that explains why I do post anything regarding February the 14th.

The boring part - Facts about Valentine' Day

Valentine's Day has been on for a long, long time.

Every February all across the country and the world, candy, flowers, gifts, sweet and mushy words of love are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine

Love is all around, poor cupid dies from exhaustion

It is a pretty long and boring story but to cut the long story short, St. Valentine's Day is a combines vestiges of both Christian and Roman tradition.

The big QUESTION: Who was this St. Valentine and how did he become associated with this age old ocassion? The big ANSWER: It is the name of Saints who were martyred (Saint Valentine or sometimes known as Valentinus)

A book store in Canberra with one of their whiteboard ads.

Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudies II outlawed young men from marriage (as he requires them as soldiers more than people making love in bed), Valentine realized the injustice in this decree.

Ignoring the emperor's commands, he secretly performed marriages for young couples. When he was discovered, he was ordered to put to death. The main story happened before his death during his remaining life in the jail.

Needs more love =P

There are a few versions of how this day came about but my favourite one is about Valentine himself. Legend holds that while being held in prison, Valentine fell in love with the jailor's beautiful daughter.

The jailor's daughter visited him once in the prison thus captivate him with her beauty. The letter which was sent secretly to the daughter was signed as "From your Valentine", which became today's expression.

Like cupid, the old man died from too much love

Although the truth behind this legend is hard to be proven, the stories that were handed down through generations certainly emphasize his characteristics as a sympathetic, heroic and most importantly a romantic figure.

Love is all around, with round yolks and white hearts

Have you ever wondered who this mysterious person is and why do we really celebrate this holiday? Well, I did a little research about it. (As I do not want to just talk about myself, spare me the hassle alright?)

The real stuff - How do you prepare yourself for the BIG DAY

1. Plan Ahead!

Some sweetness for this sweet day

love sick girl: Why you didn't bring me go anyway dearrr? *sulks*
love sick boy : Sorry la darlinnnggg, I didn't book any place...
love sick girl: Yerrrr... why you so not romantic one? Why you cannot.....

or

love sick girl: Aiyer? Why no flowers one? My girlfriend got 888 roses why I got ze-lo?

love sick boy: I forgot la, plus no money

So to avoid getting into these sticky situatio which may threaten your relationship, book your valentine's dinner ahead or buy early presents.

2. Guys, do not try too hard. Girls, do not expect too much.

As long as you guys are happy having each other during this special day, that's all you need - love.

Blow Him Away : The Lowdown on Going Down. Girls, get them and READ them

However, a simple card or a small teddy bear key-chain will certainly make her day, and a big hug plus a kis will make his day.

Give and take!

3. Safety first.

Always use love-doms!

If you guys are really feeling the L.O.V.E (the lurrrrveeee), make sure you guys know where you are heading to avoid any unwanted events. =P

Seen in a clinic

Another book about the big L : Love

As for Amanda and myself ...

A Chocolate Swiss Mountain Malt for two please

We went around Canberra City in search for a restaurant for a romantic dinner but it was way above our budget. So we ended up eating in Pancake Parlour. Not a bad place to hang out and to dig in, except for the price.

Some other couples in the Parlour

Mexican Chicken Crepe

the Tabriz

To me dear, you are the sweetest Valentine that ever happened in my life, not just the February the 14th but everyday,everytime, all the time. I love you.