born again

Burswood hotel and casino, the place fortunes are made and more often lost. this is perhaps one of the best photos i've ever taken

and so it is, almost 2 weeks into my stay in my adopted home, and barely 2 days into my new found status as a born-again student. perth has been great so far. can't say the same for the weather though, it's been drizzling since late morning, and the winter chill certainly doesn't help. it's amazing how things have changed and not changed since the last time i came. well not that i have a superbly vivid recollection of what was perth like 12 yrs ago, but at least it seems less sub-urban and very much more cosmopolitan than the perth i first knew. change. cousins whom i met as a kid have all grown, pearly, justin and alan, esp alan, he's no longer the toodler i fed haw flaks too haha. it's interesting to note that while perth is sorta reknown for its idle and laid-back lifestyle, the education system seems more progressive than that back home. kids go to uni as young as 17 here, there's a med undergrad in my residential undergrad who is only 17. at 21, most aussies like justin have already graduated, and its kinda weird having to call your younger cousin senior in school haha. but's its not that i'm complaining. after all, i guess we all have to face up to the real world sooner or later, so why not live for the moment, and enjoy the last bastion of my carefree life? it's great to know that i've relatives and friends here whom i can depend on in the time of need. uncles, cousins and esp tom. i probably could survive even if i chose to go sydney, but i guess without a doubt, i would certainly be a lot more lonely.
 
 after all these years, i still never managed to muster the courage to pursue my interests. i guess i could never see existence beyond material terms, nor the intrinsic value of learning for learning's sake. like shawn said, we all yearn to be bohemian, but deep down, we're very much in the rat race. i'm the quintessential singapore. so here i am, taking a commerce degree with the intention of majoring in investment finance - an uber-capitalist major that serves no apparant purpose other than the generation of personal wealth - and in a weak response to pacify my teeming subconscious, a unit in political science. if all goes well, and by that i mean nothing less than a distinction in all subjects, i should be taking a double degree in commerce and arts. but before that, grand plans aside, let me complete my stats tutorials first.



view from the king's park, the landmark of perth. the view overlooking the city with swan river beside it is simply panaromic



another landmark of perth, the clock tower of the university of western australia. since i didn't make it to the hallowed grounds of oxbridge which are endowed with classical architecture, i'll gladly settle for this. beside, dun it look like hogwarts?



my cousin pearly, her boyfriend greg, me and tom. i'm really lucky to have all these wonderful ppl with me. tom for opting to come to uwa instead of curtin, pearly and greg for showing us around and teaching us the aussie version of dai dee. friendships are something we so often take for granted. life can be really lonely without friends