Third week of life in Sydney...

Well, it's the third week that i'm in Sydney, Australia

It's a totally different lifestyle that i would normally lead if i were in Singapore...

In case you don't know, i'm living all alone by myself in Sydney. Big adjustments have to be made to the way i live. I've to fend for myself in this big unfamiliar city. I also have to act more responsibly and not side-track too much from my purpose here. My purpose? To get my Aerospace Engineering Degree. It's an awfully long 4 years time before that happens however, and i can't possibly guarantee nothing would happen that will shift my focus away, but here's hoping that nothing happens throughout my 4 years here.

Leaving behind friends and family and the comfort of home, i've to build everything up from scratch in an unfamiliar environment. It's hard to do so in the beginning for anyone i'd say, me included. But it helps if you have friends there as i have. It just smoothes the transition of leaving your hometown and settling in another place.

Reaching Sydney, here's a recap of what i've done to keep myself busy...
(Tour of sydney excluded as i've covered it previously)

The first thing i've got to look for is a place which i could stay in. That i gladly say i've done. It's in a quiet neighbourhood around 10 minutes away from school by bus, 30 minutes if i walk. Facilities? 2 beds, a toilet, a fridge and a wardrobe. Kitchen and laundry facilities are shared commodities. Price? A$125 a week, excluding electricity and telephone bills. Seems like a bargain right? Where can you find a place in Sydney that offers such a price? Well, i'm staying in one right now. But there's a catch. The building itself is more than 25 years, and some of the appliances might act cranky, eg. my fridge; it's freezing up whatever i put inside. Now how do you eat your cereal if the milk you're suppose to use is frozen??? Another thing about this area is it's accessibility. Buses here run pass every half hour, so if you miss one, good luck to you k? But i don't intend to stay here throughout my 4 years though... I intend to move to a bigger or better place once this 6 month lease finishes. But all in all, i'm glad that i've a shelter over my head.

The next thing i've to settle is food. I've 2 options, i could either cook or i could have takeaways everytime. Guess which i chose? I chose the middle option... Middle? Yup, that is to cook or order takeaways as and when i wish. It's easier this way. Of course my aim is to cook my meals 50% of the time. But it's kinda hard to do when lessons end at 6pm in 3 of the days i spent in University. (I'm too tired from all the mind boggling lectures i have this week..)

The last is getting contacts. Well, lessons have started and i've gotten some contacts. Some are classmates while others are seniors in different faculties. Not much to begin with, but it'll improve as time goes on. (Hey, i've 4 years here)

Well, today, is the end of the first week of Unversity life. There's only lectures in the first week, nothing much to do for tutorials at all. However, i can say it's really tough to keep up with what they're teaching. Concepts long forgotten are being dug up and thrown at you. Imagine having to figure out how force vectors work, how to calculate the magnitude of a vector... That's stuff i'd learnt 3-4 years ago. And the worst thing: it goes even further than that, They're reintroducing stuff i've learnt 6 years ago... Truely madness... If only i did not go for National Service...

To the girls: you're very lucky as you needn't spend time in National Service. You can go to university right after graduating from junior college or polytechnic.

To the guys: We're the most unlucky people in the world; having waste 2 years 2 months in National Service learning things we'll never apply in the University... (I mean; learning how to march, saluate and strip a rifle, how do you apply that in the University??? Maybe the concept of stripping is the most useful stuff learnt???)

Anyway, things have to progress somehow or rather. National Service or not, i won't let it affect me. I've got to buckle up and push on no matter what.

Well, thats all for now.

Cheerios and cya...