I think it's time to update on my Australia trip. Hee heee... First up, glorious azure blue seas and unending beaches that stretch on for miles and miles... GOLD COAST!!!!

Day 1: Took a night flight and came to Dream world. It was quite a let down... seriously, even Suzhou's amusement park can measure up to it! Still, we made the best of it, and I got some nice little gifts from there. I guess we also enjoyed seeing koalas and kangaroos close up, and oh! We thoroughly enjoyed the water ride as well. And you know, at the Big Brother restaurant, the lights are made using forks and spoons. Wow...

Day 2: Movie world was way way better than Dream World. Had so much fun there! There were so many interesting posters hanging around that I had to take some, but I shan't put them up here coz they take so long to upload. Tell me if you wanna see them. Two rides are worthy of much mention here: Scooby Doo roller coaster, and the Wild Wild Wet ride. It was loads of fun! My parents like water rides, but they enjoyed the roller coaster as well. The Police Academy stunt show was a riot as well! They ushered people in so well and we were all well entertained by Mad Mike as he tickled ppl, imitated them and did loads of other stupid and crazy things. That was a good strategy. Overall, I'd say this place is... Great fun! Definitely a recommended place to visit when you're in Gold Coast.

Day 3: Another blogger's pick. Actually, two. First one is the Tropical Fruit Farm World. Coming from a tropical country, it seems quite unnecessary to go there, but really, it was super educational! And who says tropical countries are limited to Asia? Or even South East Asia? There were succulent dragon fruit whose flesh was not a pasty white, but a delicious ruby red. There's a tram ride through the farm with guides eager to show off the harvest, a mini-train ride around a mini track, a boat ride complete with water birds that fly after you for more bread, feeding of Australia farm animals, and oh oh! Fruit-tasting of things like green sapote and other fruits with equally exotic names. Oh, and did you know that papaya seeds can be eaten? They have a pretty tart spicy taste, and is used in place of pepper.

The other blogger's pick is the glow-worm visit. You go up to a nature reserve, and are taken around by guides who show you things like glow worms, glow-in-the-dark mushrooms, strangler figs, the tree killed by the parasitic strangler figs... COOL! We walked around in darkness, exploring the various species. Glow worms are not like fireflies. Fire flies emit yellow or green light to attract mates. Glow worms emit blue or purple light to attract food to the dangling fish nets it set up. That's why those mosquito zappers have blue and purple light: they're just drawn to them! Glow worms also need 3 conditions to survive: darkness, humidity and oxygen. Give them light and they die. Take away their water in the soil and they die. No oxygen and they can't give out that light to trap insects. It's really amazing, being able to see the cave walls being dotted by these blue and purple specks! A must-visit!

Day 4: Took an internal flight to Sydney, lost two hours, but gained one due to day-light savings. The city tour was really a quickie drive around the city, to Mrs. Macquairie's Chair, Sydney Opera House, and Sydney Aquarium. The boring places, we were given too much time to tour. The interesting places, just 25 mins each. How can anyone take in the scenary and feeling of Australia's starting point in just 25 minutes?! It was an outrage. I'd have loved to join the aboriginese tours that tell people about the significance of the various places. Now that is what I call a real tour. Oh, in the aquarium, seal world had lots of shells, but no seals. And we saw some Japanese Ninjas. Ok ok... they weren't really ninjas, just elderly Japanese tourists who could not bare to walk on a glass walkway, and took to taking small jumps from one steel reinforcer to the next. It was really hilarious! Dad and I were trying to muffle our laughter, especially when an ang moh, who was amused/irritated (your choice) by them jumped on the glass walkway in front of them. That night, we walked to Darling Harbour from our hotel. It was really beautiful at night... the lights, the smells, the excitement, and an acapella group singing Christmas carols! Beautiful... the atmosphere was just so dreamy yet electrifying.

Day 5: Visited the Fish market just after breakfast. I mean... how bad a timing is that? Everyone was still so full, few of us bought anything to eat. And there were so many fresh oysters, prawns, crabs... *sob sob* Next, we took a long bus ride up to the Blue Mountains and to see the Three Sisters. Again, we spent too little time admiring the Blue Mountains and the forest trail which brought us back to time when the coal miners transported coal up the mountain. We spent too much time in the gift shop... and were hurried through what we came to see! Just makes me wonder if Singaporeans really tour just to get souveniers or are they there to immerse themselves in the culture. Makes me doubt too when people now say that they have been to various countries. Yes, they have been there, but only in the physical sense, and not in the full sense of the word 'been'. I think my tour guide might have gotten a lot of commission as well... she was badgering us throughout the whole previous few days to go to different places. Anyway... these places were really beautiful. 'Tis a pity we couldn't really see the blueness of the mountains as it was not hot enough. The heat makes the Eucalyptus gum trees give out their oils that give the blueish tint.

Day 6: Free day! No one went on the optional tour. I think we all had had just enough of the hopping on and off buses and not really seeing what we wanted to. My family ventured down to The Rocks by bus, and there we explored the weekend market. It was really knick knacks heaven! There were so many things and it really livened up the whole place. We also did some walkings tours of the area, and were snubbed with snobbish service when we ate at the restaurant in the Museum of Contemporary Arts. If you eat there, you had better be white. Otherwise, be prepared for even the Asian servers to look down on you. The food gave me ideas for a Christmas party though. The food was good... slurplicious! But service was just... so typical of the racist bit of Australia. Which was quite a bit in Sydney. Still, there were the really nice people as well. When we had satisfied ourselves walking around the harbour, we took an hour's walk along George Street to Paddy's Market, the market that China's Xiang Yang Road can rival and in fact, better. Every 5 stores turned up clothes, bags, wigs, lingerie, aussie souvenirs... more clothes, more bags... loads of lingerie... some CDs... but there is a shop worth visiting: the craft shop to get craft supplies for quilling and making cards.

All in all, I don't think I can ever bear to join any tour group again. Not even the company with the reputation of "the company with tour guides that care". The tour leaders don't care anymore... We were given such big helpings of food we never finished it, and the money could have been put to better use by giving smaller helpings and more expensive food. Everyone would have been happy and stuffed, instead of just being stuffed. Next time, I'll buy the free and easy package, and do my own planning. I think it'll be better. Grin...

Journey of the Apostles

You know that another year of camp has rolled by
when everyone is on a 'high'.
Resolutions to go for YF are made
as farewells to the campsite are bade.

Tired bodies stay awake
after they have been hit by the plague
of the six boys that seemed like fifty,
as they ran around, swift and nifty.

But as this rolls to a close with the echo,
It is my prayer that we will not be like cold coal.
Instead, let the fire burn,
and let us never turn
our backs from the Word,
by which we have all been assured
of our Salvation,
the Apostle's commission,
and our mission.