Thank you very much and happy new year

I wonder if I can procrastinate like this kitty and tiger next year :)

• Thanks to all my family and friends who make this first year in Oz a wonderful experience:

1. My family:

Daddy and youngest brother, talking over the phone almost every month

Young brother, technology consultant and online hobby-sharing buddy

Mummy, phone-gossipping and sharing tears and joy together

1. My friends who kept in touch through online and snail mails (not according to order^^):

HuaHua :)

RouRou :)

Zaza :)

Huey :)

Olivia (Swiss or Indonesia) :)

Erica :)

Jean :)

• Thank you for sharing all your joy and life with me even though I am away :)

1. My friends in Oz (not according to order^^):

UKM officemate and soon-to-be-neighbour: Atie (in Adelaide) :)

FSSK UKM mate: Amrah :)

LTU buddies: (Back row) Pankae, Anh Le, Tracy, Riam, Hery, Manik (Front row) Me, Thasnaon, Getrude, Neil

Social Sciences buddies: Song, Bee, Rosyidah, Tracy, Hoang

Hui Min, the first Malaysian I know in LTU; Tracy, the first Sarawakian I know :)

Steph and Jan, never fail to cheer me up and make me laugh :) Thank you two for existing in Politics department!

Song, Tracy, Phuong and Hoang. Words cannot express how helpful and friendly they are, and they make School of Social Sciences a better place for me :)

Tracy and Huyen. Lovely duo whose office was always invaded by me :)

Me, Suraya and Susheel at Geelong Waterfront. 1 Malaysia-Lovely girls!

• 
  

• THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

May God bless them always.

An inconvenient truth: Australia and Malaysia's road toll comparison

Source: 7 News, Yahoo Australia, 27 December 2009

1. I am looking at the Australian festive season's road toll, and that makes me feel Malaysian road death toll is really extraordinarily high. You can say we have more festive seasons so we have higher road accidents and road death, but Australia is almost 24 times bigger than Malaysia, with slightly bigger population than Malaysia.

1. Look at the single and double-digit numbers above, and then try to look at Malaysia's death toll which are NOT fewer than 4 digit each year:

• http://micpohling.wordpress.com/2007/08/27/malaysia-road-accidents-statistic-2000-2006/
• http://www.swivel.com/data_columns/show/8644078

It's kinda sad and scary really :(

Keep up the good work next year!

• 来年からがんばる! \(≧▽≦)/

For this moment, allow ourselves to procrastinate for a while^^ Though you may not like moe or cartoon voice, just pay attention to the lyrics, LOL^^

Happy new year 2010!

2009 Year End Christmas holiday Travel

We will travel for approx. 219 km in total from Melbourne City to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula, and then travel across the Port Phillip Bay on Queenscliff-Sorrento Searoad ferry to Sorrento and go back to Melbourne via Mornington Peninsula.

1. We will explore the historical twin towns which are developed to protect Melbourne City during WWI and WWII. The highlight of the trip for me is the searoad ferry because if we are lucky we may be able to spot dolphins, seals, and even whales^^ I don't know if this is the right season for whale to swim by here LOL.
2. If nothing happens during the cruise, then the next highlight would be the Point Nepean National Park. I like everything about Point Nepean, from its historical values, aborigine site, mystery (one of the former Australian Prime Minister lost (while still in office) when swimming at one of the beaches there), and of course the marvelous scenery:

(丌▽丌)

I want to stand on the tip of Point Nepean! 3-day tour, here I come!

The best heptagon I’ve seen in ages

The 7 deadly sins and their combination in relations to the modern world.

• Credit and kudos to Thisisindexed.com by Jessica Hagy.

I find most mathematicians' blogs amusing, including xkcd.

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO)

• Many thanks to SS for the free ticket!

The symphony of the last day performance is Brahms and opera The Valkyrie: Wotan's farewell, see this page.

• Never expect to get a seat so up front!^^ It's on the left side of the stage so I can't see what is at the back or on the right (LOL)

1. The conductor is the uber famous Otaka Tadaaki 尾高 忠明.
2. The one standing next to conductor and was flashing in white because of my stupid camera is the famous bass-baritone (equivalent of soprano for female?) John Wegner.

Because of him, I would love to watch at least one opera in Europe one day! His eager eyes are scary and intimidating while plying the role of Wotan. But some part of it is quite sad esp when Wotan is biding farewell to his daughter whom he condemned to be sealed in the Ring of Fire until a hero who is not afraid of the Ring of Fire to come and save her. This is Act III from the whole act of Die Walküre (The Valkyrie).

• I accidentally turned on the flash while taking this photo -_-"
• Luckily no one came to me and blame me or something LOL

• The Concertmaster or Konzertmeister (or leader in UK) on the right, I can only see his back^^ He is brilliant, though I know little about music. I observed all violinists and there are differences in unison.

• The orchestra will play some tune on their music instruments before each performance starts :)

• Almost full house in Hamer Hall of Melbourne Arts Centre.

• With nearly 80 years experience of playing in the MSO between them, Principal Second Violin Rudolf Osadnik and Double Bassist, Anthony Smith are set to retire in December after long and distinguished careers with the Orchestra.

1. I was wondering when i noticed all music notes stands have some colourful ribbons hiding underneath. It happens to be their end-show tossing at the retiring musicians :)
2. This is the last show for Melbourne International Arts festival and also the last performance from the orchestra with their best musicians :)
3. My love and knowledge for classical music increased after reading Nodame Cantabile :) The power of manga yay! But following the author's sickness Carpal Tunnel Syndrome made known that put the series on a hiatus, I am wary of my own working habit in front of PC/laptop too o.O

Ievan Polkka

Polka Source: Polka Blog

• OMG I just found out that one of my favourite Vocaloid songs of all time is actually a traditional Finnish song!

• All these while I thought it is "Levan polkka", but it is actually "Ievan polkka" that means "Eva's polka" XD Polka is a traditional dance in Central Europe that is spread to the whole Europe and also to other continents ^^

• The original Finnish lyrics provided by one of the Finnish youtube commentator:

1. Rätsätsää ja ribidabi dilla
2. Beritstan dillan dillan doo,
3. A baribbattaa baribariiba
4. Dibi dibidibi disten dillan doo
5. Ja barilla stillan deijadoo
6. A daba daba daba daba daba dybjabuu,
7. Baristal dillan stillan duubadäg
8. Dägädägä duu duu deijadoo

I also like Kaito (male vocaloid)'s version of Ievan Polkka:

• For English translation of the song, view this video's info on the right side panel. This video also casts the Finnish singers (real human beings XD) version of the song^^
• The band is Loituma and comprised of 4 singers. And the Loituma girl, who spins the leek (Welsh onion) to the tune of Ievan Polkka, is not made famous by Hatsune Miku but Inoue Orihime 井上 織姫 from 死神 Bleach! What a surprise!

Everyone, let's sing to the tune: Rätsätsää ja ribidabi dilla Beritstan dillan dillan doo...

XD