Dalandia’s World

Final call for Passenger Regine Yeong…… that would had been what it was like yesterday but I wouldnt have heard it since I didnt get to the airport to board my plane. It all started when I went up to Gladstone for work….

Monday : Got to Melbourne Airport at 10:45am thinking that my flight was at 12pm when it was supposed to be 11am!??!?!. Was happily strolling and thinking to myself that I can finally check out the Qantas lounge and see for myself how good it really is…. It was a good thing that they even let me check in the first place? Lucky me! Good thing I checked the screens for the departure gate and realise it was final boarding!! Gosh could things get worse?!?

I did get to check out the Qantas lounge after all when I landed in Brisbane… its quite nice… light snacks and drinks and free internet. Had to wait 1.5hours for next flight so that really helped.

Got onto the 2nd flight to Gladstone and realised I’ve been assigned a window seat right next to the Wing… that would be alright if it was a 747 but however… I was taking one of those small old planes and man did the engine roar!!

When I did finally get to the airport, I met up with my colleague and all seemed well. I picked up the hire car and it’s a simple task of just following her…. BUT?!?!? As I tried to drive off, the car wouldnt move forward and kept rolling back??? WHY???? Did I get a dud car?? She came to check my car and then I realised straight away what my problem was… yes.. it was MY problem… not the car’s. Elementary error… I did NOT start the car engine. How muddled can a person get??? We both had a good chuckle after I realised my error…. then we spent the night there and my colleague offered to show me the way the next morning.

Tuesday: having to have an early start has had its toll on me. Not enough sleep plus having swallowed my breakfast I realised I was running in time which was ok. Then I notice my colleague has arrived and it was time to go to work. As I hopped into the car, I tried to start the engine…. turn the key… hang on key appears to be stuck.. cant turn the engine on…. OH NO!! What’s wrong with the CAR now?!?! It wont start!??!

I ran out to let my colleague know about my car problems. Well, apparently the stearing wheel had locked up last night after I parked the car and simple turning of the wheel helped to start the car. DOH! I did remember reading about that in one of our travel notes but in my haste all logic has gone out of the window.

Anyways, work went quite smoothly and then it was Friday and yeah! time to go back to Mel. Was missing J lots and the fishies :p

Friday: Things were pretty busy that day but I had plenty of time to get to the airport. I have also obtained a map from the tourist information and asked for directions the night before to make sure I knew the way. Basically the lady at information says follow the map and you’ll be fine. So, it was like turn left at this round about and then right at next.. something like that….

As I hopped into the car, drove along and started counting roundabouts… according to the map, I need to turn left at 3rd round about. Got there and noticed a sign saying Gladstone ->. So I turned.. halfway down the road, I doubted myself and stopped and looked at the map… it say "3rd round-about turn left" I decided to follow the map and ignore my instincts and did a u-turn and turned back to the round about.

This is when I was SOOOO SOOO WRONG!!! I ended up going in the exact opposite direction and was driving towards Brisbane instead of taking the plane!! I missed the flight of course and was so worried that my boss would be angry at me but he just laughed at me!

Ahh… the dramas of work travel…..  really am glad to be back to mel.

Well, just when I’m starting to settle into my new role, things have to happen again!! This time, Rio Tinto has decided to buy Alcan! Its great news for the company but… since Alcan is 5 times bigger than RTA, we are all feeling kindda shakky as to whether our jobs are on the line.

So far nothing is concrete all speculation as to what happens when merger succeeds. Basically, HQ for aluminium is going to be in Quebec!! CANADA!! Does that mean we have to relocate?? NOPE…. its not economically feasible… so this means the most logical action is to dispatch the Technology people to sites!! But I dont want to leave Melbourne… as in I dont mind Travelling to site but NOT Permanently based there!!!

Well, if I opt to stay in Mel, my chances of getting job after merger slims down to abt 50%?? Unless I find one on my own…

Its back to dilemma again and I’m getting so numb at my job crumbling because of situations that are beyond my control. Castrol was like that and now this… sigh~

i’m somehow taking this pretty lightly so far as I dont feel too rooted in the company yet. Not to mention, takeover is yet to be complete and who knows? Maybe BHP Billiton might come up with a bid as well though I doubt any company would be willing to pay the $1 billion dollar break-up fee that Alcan and Rio agreed on.

Guess I’m back to the drawing board and hunting again. Meantime, work is as per normal and I’m getting more involved with different projects… seems that I’ll be heading up to Queensland for a month in August. I wonder what J’s going think now?

Ahh… the pains of adulthood…. makes me feel like going back to being a child!

yup.. after being back in Mel for a month I finally managed to load some shots… here we go..

These shots are from the
Marakoopa Limestone Caves at Mole creek… pretty cool and amazing how they are >500 years old!

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These shots are from the Tahune Airwalk… check out how strong my bro is! Hehehe! He’s Hercules in disguise!!!

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Here are some murals from Sheffield…. pretty cool…

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My bro and I also went to Port Arthur which used to be a penal colony and place of the port arthur massacres. Some of the buildings were burnt by bushfire.

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Ah… the beautiful cataract gorge near Launceston… thats where a peacock and a whole bunch of sparrows were waiting eagerly for my food scraps… those little beady eyes were eyeing my sandwich…

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J and I had a nice coastal drive and we came across a starfish!
J’s coffee while we had brekky at Hobart… so pretty..

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These dolls reminds me of the toys in toy story they dont seem that creepy to me just very creative… the guy at the stall is very good at rambling rubbish… he was the attraction at the Salamanca Market.

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Some other random shots from my journeys..

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Tassis is so beautiful! Its probably better if I had gone during summer but well… no complains when food, lodging, car and petrol’s provided!

It’s sooo cold here….. brrr… am in Tassie right now. Really beautiful place with lots of trees and water everywhere. Havent had a chance to get a proper internet connection to do anything and now finally get one here in Devenport.

I’m in Tassie for a month for training and its also doubling up as a holiday. For the 6 years I’ve been in Australia, I’ve always wanted to visit Tasmania. Just never got chance till now.

So far work wise its been really easy. I’m mainly there to learn and to observe what the guys do. However, being me, I like having a go at it and have been tagging along with the guys and working on some tasks with them. I’m their Professional floor sweeper now! :p

It aint easy sweeping floors in a Smelter… trust me… its littered with red hot materials and some so hot it glows. Its really cool watching the guys work around red hot metal and watching bath boil… looks like magma and lava…. sometimes you see sparks!

At times you find your feet being pulled in odd directions and your spade sticks to the walls… yup MAGNETISM is soo strong there…. thats why no one wears an anlaog watch there.

I remember trying to remove some red hot butts off the floor and the spade glued to the wall of the anode tray. Doh!

Enough abt work….. I’ve made a trip down to Hobart with my brother and its a nice drive. Some really whindy roads there and took a while to get to attractions.

We went to check out Port Arthur which was pretty interesting regarding its history. It used to be where Convicts came after arriving in Australia when they commit crime. At Port Arthur, those convicts are put to work and they pretty much built almost all the buildings in the area and even help to make bricks for Hobart. They even build ships and boats there… quite impressive.

Port Arthur as some may have heard before is also infamous for another bit of history. That is also where a Massacre similar to the recent Virginia Tech one except more people died and tourist as well. Kindda creepy come to think abt it.

We also went to Tahune Airwalk. http://www.tasmaniasouth.com/huon/airwalk.html

It is really beautiful and similar to the Otway walks in Victoria. I liked the Swinging Bridges and the Cantilever which sticks out into the river and really feels like you are suspended in mid air.

I shall post pictures when I get back to Melbourne. I havent got a card reader slot on this laptop.

As for today, I went to Marakoopa Caves. Its a big limestone cave and a wet one too! Which meant that there are glow worms. It is said to have one of the most glow worms in any cave. The formations ranged from small to big. My personal favourite was the "lilly-pond" which is a pond with small stalamites. I also find the "Palm tree" really pretty… it has an intricate column with a shawl as its leaves. here’s a link tat i found

http://www.florian-schaub.de/bilder/?Qwd=./2006_04_15.24%20Tasmania&Qif=IMG_2308.JPG&Qiv=thumbs&Qis=M

I also went to Sheffield where they are reputable for their murals. here’s a link with some pictures:

http://www.eleanorstravels.com/Sheffield/index1.htm

Didnt stay there too long as it was pretty late and sun was setting. So I drove down to Devenport where the Spirit of Tasmania docks. Ironically this is the ferry that shuttles to and from Tasmania and Melbourne.

As I watched the ferry and how the sure majesty of it, I start to realise how much I missed Melbourne and J. Cant wait till he comes over on Friday and we can spend some quality time together.

Also oddly, It was shortly after that I spotted a familiar sign… one well recognised all over…. "M"… its Macdonalds!!!! Oh my god.. believe it or not… its the first complete Macdonalds that I have seen ever since coming to Tasmania. I did not even see one in Hobart. I had to have a meal there just for old time’s sake… yes… i know its JUNK FOOD but somehow I DO miss it.

Tasmania is really COUNTRY. Its backward but thats what I like about it! Nature, trees, water and lots of road kill.

~yep~ enough as road markers. Poor Wallabys or Roos.

YEAH! The long wait is over. I have finally gotten myself a decent job. I knew a couple of weeks back but wanted to wait till things were more settled before making any announcement.

I believe I need to thank my ex-boss and Holden Dad for giving good references for the new job. Cant wait to catch up with them for lunch someday. Do miss the lunch gang at Holden and hoping all is well. Gotta thank mom and dad for always praying for me and having faith in me. Most of all gotta thank J for being all so supportive and keep my spirits in check. Couldnt have done it without all these people and their encouragement.

I cant wait to start my new job as I feel so brain dead lately and been using the DS to train m brain to keep it alive. Just feel so fortunate to join Rio Tinto as it’s one of the biggest mining companies around and that also opens up a lot of opportunities to learn and get insight to a booming industry.

The new job hasnt started yet and will be starting in 2 weeks time.. yup a long wait but my supervisor’s busy and wont have time to train me as yet. Well, thats ok it gives me time to pack stuff and prepare my move back to J’s place. Hehehe. Really dont like moving and the feeling of having your life in boxes but consider all this a constant upgrade to a better life. With this new job I shall be closer to my target of getting a place here for Mom n Dad.

Well I have decided to add a new photo album to m friendster hope there is enough space. Its sort of a hobby of mine occasionall.. I like taking macro shots of flowers as I find the pictures always comes out beautifully. Just like me liking to take pictures of my fishies.

My blogs never end without fish stories… as usual My new killifishes didnt make it and both have gone to fish haven.. so sad. my dream of breeding them has died with them.. well most prob need to wait long time for the FS to stock them again as I got the last female. If anyone knows someone who has Clown or Rocket Killifish or eggs please let me know!!! I’ve been dying to get hold of those beauties.

Another sad tale.. my baby rainbowfish died as well.. doh! Think it happened when i lowered the temperature in the tank and changed water.. most probably shocked the fish to death. Despite all that, I am happy that my fighters are doing well. Here’s how Flare looks right now… really odd how his colour changed… he’s more butterfly looking now…

My first Super delta tail baby boy
~Flare~

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Here’s Snowy he’s a crowntail and white of course!

~Snowy~

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Here’s one of my other boys he’s got nice colouration and is like dad except he is crowntail as well…

He’s sparring with Snowy.
Battle of the Crowns.

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Well, enough of fishies.. do check out my flower collection in photo albums when there’s time.

http://dalandia.blogs.friendster.com/photos/flowers/

The fighter babes are a lot bigger now and are doing well growing big and strong. They are starting to pick on each other and sometimes their tank mates.

Here’s two of my favourite babes…

Biggy - the larger female on the left who taunts Flare.
Flare - Little feisty boy flaring at his sister.

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We also purchased a new fighter and he’s really rare.

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He is a black and orange Plakat.
I’m looking for a female to breed with him.
He looks more like Chocolate in my opinion.

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Last weekend I got really excited as the fish shop finally had one of my all time favourite little fishes… the rocket killifish… so sad when my old ones died. Cant wait to breed these ones now… they should be fairly easy to breed.

This is the Male.. not a clear shot I know…

Here’s the female.

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Well, the killis are about the size of my baby guppies and my adult female fighter likes hanging around the top now to look at them and her feisty son.
Its fun to watch mom swims in to stop Biggy and Flare figthing. She doesn’t bite them but once she flares at both of them they stop.

This reminds me of the old days where my mom used to raise her voice and my brother and I would both shut up right away. Its fun to reminisce about the past and laugh at the silly things we did as kids. The fights we used to have and the pleasant times. Guess its time to call home once again.

Hey!! I am finally back!! After been in hiding for a while hehehe.

As most of youse knows… I am an active job seeker once again.. 2 weeks ago was sort of the last time I was going back to Holden to provide them training… my boss still seems interested in getting me back as I know that place at the back of my hand and have had established quite a prescence there… not enough to warrant me a permanent position though..

He said that if Castrol gets the contract, his boss would offer a full-time direct BP contract for the chemist role. Well, really think it high time i find a real job and asking me to go back to being a chemist after having done the engineer’s job just seems unfitting… though being BP contract sounds pretty attractive.. the fuel discounts and other benefits and the possibility of getting a BP job elsewhere..

Can you see my mind struggling to analyse the situation?? :p

Anyway, I know i cam capable of better things and just need look harder… its good thing that J’s been very supportive and cheering me on. I just need to get off my butt and focus.

Sometimes I wonder if I want to bother being an engineer anymore… a stable income would be nice but is that what I really want to do eventually. Its all back down to what I want to do?? This question always puzzles me and many times I find myself being a sheep in a crowd and working my ass off like everyone else..

Surely there is a better way!! Just seems to me that humans work for the convinience of having a stable income. Well, guess we all need income some how and thats the most common way of getting income… get a stable job.

Went to a couple of interviews and seems like a few prospects popped up now just preparing for another big one tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Now a fishy update.. this is long overdue… I have successfully bred my fighting fishes and now have abt 18
babies.

Here are some cool pix..

here’s a pix of dad taking care of the eggs under his bubblenest.

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Here are the eggs all on the tank floor and he’s busy picking them up.

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Not sure if this can be seen… the tiny white dot in the middle is actually a fish fry.. yep they are very tiny indeed

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Size of most babies after week 1.

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Week 3 - just yesterday

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Here’s one of the biggest fry he looks more like 5 weeks old.. I call it "Biggy" since it’s greedy and overshadows the other fries.

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My rainbowfish eggs just hatched as well. Here’s a size check for ya!

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The little black dot next to my finger is the fry.

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Oh well.. I shall go back to my job and rainbowfish egg hunts now.
Catch ya all later!

I’m finally back in Singapore for a nice long break. Havent been back here for 2 years now and the humidity really got to me… its so hot and I’m pespiring like I’m in suana half the time… somehow I kindda understand why my brother goes through so many clothes.. hehehe.

Went to Hong Kong with Mom, Dad and J. Havent been to HK for 10 years and seems like the buildings are pretty much the same.. the old ones that is.. but in fact there are a lot of nice new places to shop. I must say the Cable Car ride to see the BIg Buddha is most work sight seeing as you overlook the airport where planes take off. Sorry guys no pictures this time round… Hong Kong is too foggy to get any quality pictures.

I didnt actually end up getting much clothes as I was anticipating as the style there is just not my taste. I guess my style is just down to earth comfort. Just seems like I cant be bothered to work any style into my wardrobe. Fashions has never seem to make sense to me anyway… I know.. I’m a gal with no fashion sense. Hehehe

Though I didnt get my wardrobe needs, I did however got a Nintendo DS Lite.. cool! All thanks to J’s friend Ann and Jinnie It was cool meeting them and checking their place and dogs out. Its always fun to see how people live… yup I’m nosey… hehehe. I’m pretty much addicted to playing with my new toy now… funny thing is Dad seems to be enjoying it too!

Now I am just taking it easy and slowly hoping to catch up with more of my friends.  An slowly catching up on all my email backlogs… Just amazed at how fast time flies when you aint looking.

Hope that I am able to catch up with most of my friends this time round.

I’ve finally moved and feeling more settled into my new home. Havent really had much time to slowly enjoy the place but am making a point to do so. Just checked out the gym and am really impressed with the night scene from the 45h floor. Am always one who feels vertigo at heights but some how I dont get vertigo when I’m jogging on the threadmill while admiring the view. Will attempt to take a photo for u guys when i can.

Meantime here are some cool shots of the apartment. J and I love the design. Its really fun and rather well planned to fit a kitchen, lounge, bedroom and bathroom into such a small place yet not feel too cramped.
Here’s the entrance hallway its also where the kitchen is.
<— To Lounge           To Entrance —>



Enter from the right.
Aint the colours cool!
loads of storage in kitchen.

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Here’s the lounge its at the end of the kitchen…
<— to bedroom                            to kitchen   —>

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    v… to balcony …v

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Yes thats J taking a rest after moving all the large pieces of furniture… must have tons of muscles by then. :p

Now here’s the balcony … check the view outz!

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Yup… I’m right in the middle of the city!! Not sure if those who came to Mel remember the landmarks… I’m sure Genie will recognise the buiding on the right… its the state library!! Melbournce Central is in the middle picture… yes Genie! Its very different now!! Its got a facelift. You gotta come and go shopping someday!!

Now its the bedroom shots…. (not what you all think ok??)

<… to bathroom                                                                                                to lounge …>

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Its a bit messy at the moment as u can all see.. we’ve been busy with the move and yet to tidy things up. The lights you see are gummy lights from freedom.. they look so cute and sweet that they seem good enough to eat!!

I’ve also decorated the wall with some pictures on a ribbon… kindda like a mini clothesline.. I’ve adorned it with pics of the gals and also included ES’s dream catcher on the side.

Last but not least, we have the bathroom….
<… to entrance                                            to bedroom  ….>

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I just love the colour scheme its vibrant and thats what makes this apartment really unique!

Well, thats the tour of the house. How did u find it??

Well, since melbourne’s the host of the commonwealth games, one would expect lots of festivities and tourists. I must say.. theres nothing wrong with that but being a local, you would kinda understand how annoying things can get. First off, the crowds… its people everywhere and everything’s all jammed up trains, buses, venues, road… did i mention how annoying it its now to drive in the city??

they have dedicated lanes or ‘games lanes’ for the games people as in the coaches for the atheletes.. talking abt atheletes, some 20 atheletes from Sierra Leone have vanished from the games village!!! It has happened in Manchested before in the last games and well, those poor folks came from a really poor country which is under civil war or something….. no wonder they wana run away!!

Anyway, the games did make things chaotic but they also managed to make melbourne really lively and must say that its beautiful down at the Yarra River… they made 71 floats to represent each nation at the games and used fishes a a theme and you guess it…. each fish has significance to the country of origin. kindda kool 1 fish 1 country. I made it a point to find singapore and here’s the photo of singapore’s fish…

Wonder if you guys can see it…. here’s a plaque with its description…

well.. not sure if thats any clearer… anyway… guess what fish singapore’s being represented with??

Well??? No idea?? Singapore happens to be the largest exporter of GUPPIES!!!! hahahaha!! Apparently we have the largest guppy farms in the world!!

Guess i’m into keeping every blog i have all about fish eh?
well… pics are not too clear… i took many other fishes too but since friendster shrinks them, i decided not to load them… maybe next time.
I also took one of a giant piniata which was made from paperplate flowers that kids make on the spot… its really beautiful… here it is..

ok… gotta go to sleep now… wil try to get some new photos of the new fishes i got…. man tank’s getting overcrowded. chiao~