And today marks the final few hours that I'll be spending in this lovely Australian city....finally, I'll be back in SG hopefully latest by 2000 tml....well, the stay here has been great and my host, whom by utmost coincidence my cousin too, has been very welcoming and hospitable to us. Great food too...O, how I would miss the savoury pies and tantalising, mouth-watering steaks...not to mention the fresh pork and seafood too.

Throughout my 1 week stay here in Brisbane, I've experienced almost what living here on a daily basis would be like...public transportation, road names and city zones remain no longer shrouded in mystery as when I had taken my first step out of the Brisbane international airport. Despite both our countries having basked in the glory of the glorious British Empire who had brought us such wonderful delights as the English language, the GCE O Levels and A Levels and O, who could forget, wonderful, delicious teas....well, despite that, i have taken a particular interest in how their public transportation systems worked in comparison to that which we are so accustomed to at home.

Firstly, buses. the massive fuel gargling monsters that roam the streets of cities worldwide. Despite the bus stations placed at huge distances apart, some even as long as 3km, it still remains, in my opinion, one of the fastest and most comfortable ways to travel around and into the city itself. The many services that run through the city do indeed make one spoilt for choice. Only one thing the traveler must note, each bus has it's own allocated stop which leads to some places, especially within the city to have one street littered with bus stations. One more thing that I would definitely love to see implemented in SG is a lane entirely devoted for the driving of pulic buses...cuts down loads of traveling time, especially traveling in and out of the city, during peak hours. That's exactly what they have got here...bus lanes and even whole separate roads just for buses! Ever try getting around by bus through Bugis and Katong areas before and you'll understand why I'd love to see such a system implemented...

Of course, as with other self-respecting first world city, there has to be a railway going throughout Brisbane too. Now, the trains here, other than the fact that it is existent, does not serve it's purpose well as a railway ought to. The trains here travel at speeds easily overtaken by a camel lugging a basket full of cement bricks through the loosest of sands in a sandstorm...they make even snails feel as if they were the "Flash". In fact, they SHOULD indeed replace the trains with snails! Other than moving at rather disgustingly slow speeds, another thing that comes to mind when I talk (type) about the trains are the seats...made hard as a rock and wrapped again in a thin layer of fabric, these seats were probably made with people with no backbone in mind. Brisbane's train seats are to comfortable is like what water is to oil. And so, I still stand by with what I have mentioned earlier...the bus is definitely still the most efficient way to get around Brisbane.

Not much to say about the City cabs though....same as every other city....

Oh yeah, one more thing....ticketing. Very efficient and traveler friendly. Unlike what we use in SG, where every time a visitor to our fine city want to commute by bus or MRT, he/she will have to continuously dig his/her pockets for loose change. Here, traveling by public transportation is very much simpler. Just head down to any ticketing station located in train stations and other places around the city or just purchase one from the bus operator. For just a few dollars spent on your part, you'll get to enjoy the many benefits of whatever ticket you have purchased. A single way trip costs just merely above AUS$1 while other types like the off-peak daily, costing only AUS$5+, which entitles it's holder unlimited travel by bus, rail or ferry between the times of 1100 ~1530 and 1900~2100 and the daily ticket which gives unlimited travel by either three of the public transportation provided for as long as they remain operational throughout the duration of 24hours frim the ticket's purchase...very visitor friendly....

Another thing to note about Aussies are their friendly and benign attitude towards everyone. From what I've heard from others, Chewbacca and Poh, I've experienced something rather on the contary to their experiences...one incident to note is the massive discount the sales lady gave me on a pair of board shorts..from AUS$79.90 to AUS$35.90...not only have I been left with nothing but good impressions of the people in Australia but also in most of the other countries which I have visited..and trust me, that is no small number either....

Furthermore, since summer is prevalent in the southern hemisphere this time of year, Flies are in supply where water is in demand. Whatever bullshit this may occur to you as balance of nature, flies here are very much like PAP members in SG...once they come, they NEVER disappear! only way to rid yourself of a permanent flying pet is to try shooting it off with a 50. caliber machine gun where it has made it's home on you...well, ok...maybe that way a wee bit exaggerating.......but yes...they ARE that resilient!

Well, it's getting late over here right now, +10GMT, which makes it around 2140 now, so I guess I'll stop here and get started on my packing which includes on how the hell am I going to pack my brand new pair of Rollerblade GT4 aggressive in-line skates into my ridiculously minuscule trolley bag. Of course the next thing to worry about is my enlistment into national service which will be just 16 hours after I arrive on home soil......

And so I shall leave you with a quote that caught my eye in Brisbane's MoMA..."Prostitution is the rental of the body, marriage is the sale of it."

4th day in aussie-land and counting.....

hours here pass really slow....to give an example on how slowly time passes here, I was in my cuz's car and we were driving around Mt. Tambourine (yes, they have an mountain named afer a musical instrument) and I sorta drifted off to sleep...note, it was 1300 then....when I woke up from my nap after what seemed to me like hours, I took a quick glance at the clock and on it, the bright, gleaming crystal display read 1330! They say Australia's not fun cause shops all close early and her night life's non existent....but who needs night life when 12 hours feel as long as 24 hours!

Anyways, the long hours spending doing virtually nothing at all has made me realise that I've been getting rather good discounts on products that I never even considered asking for one in the first place....

Examples:

New pair of specs for NS
original price: S$95 for frame alone
my price: S$85 including new lens

A bottle of Adidas eau de toilette
original price: S$12.50
price at John Little sale@Expo: S$12
my price: $9

A pair of board shorts
original price: AUS$79.90
my price: AUS$35.90

If anyone requires anything here from aussieland, you'd best be telling me before I leave on wednesday....

This day makrs hence,
third day whence,
my home country left,
to come to foreign land.
The Sun here's hot as fires hell,
but not as so, where the PAP dwell.
the weather here, is as dry as dry permits,
sweat that refuses to be emancipated from mine pores.
The task of which mine neighbour beset upon mine goodly self,
I hath thus completed her divine task with none questions showered,
with but 4 days the heavens hath bestowed upon me remaining.
The hour passes slowly as with the people here,
dragging the days ever so longer.
But O how I dread mine return upon familiar soil,
for which I have to hang up mine identity,
relieve mine loved ones from mine heart,
and put on uniform, to be one like the rest.

bugger that.