Friday, April 25, 2008

Jells Park XC & DFO shopping!

Jells Park 6km XC relay race--19 April

MUAC had a fantastic turnout at the first Athletics Victoria Winter Series race last weekend! It was a 6km XC relay. We drove up in several cars. It was a beautiful warm day.



Sitting around before the start of the race.

Other club's tents

Dave Paroissien and me.

one of our men's teams--Ray, Kieran, Matt and Simon (not in photo)

I was the first runner in a women's Division 3 team with Jas and Claire. I was feeling kinda tired but had a solid run and clocked 26.11, 2min 10s faster than last year!! Woohoo...haha.

Change-over Jas to Claire

Jas and me.

Our French sensation, Fred.

Our Winter Season manager, D1

Coach Tony Brain!

Overall the club ran exceedingly well! It was fantastic. Many of these photos were taken by me on Ray's cam.

Oh oh! Craig Mottram, the top long distance runner in Australia ran for Geelong. He actually competes in just an AV race?!! Amazing! He ran the 6km XC course in a "cruisy" 16.36!! WTH! Anyway, he looked young and handsome...haha. The crowd were super excited when people realised he was there! Whenever he was about to run past a section of the course, the entire crowd will swamp from their tents/picnics to line the course, try to run alongside him, snap some photos to brag that "i ran/raced with Craig Mottram!" haha.

Fabulous running.

Jas and I in this uber cool shot taken by Ray. That's Mottram running past in the background.

The scrumptious post-race picnic!

Me devouring a muffin.

Fred made this ham and cheese puff thingy which was delicious.

Tom and his famous bakings--it's brownies today!



Craig Mottran (left) being interviewed with his fellow Geelong club runner and Aust Olympic marathoner Lee Troop, post prize presentation. Geelong won. DUH.

Just as the sun was setting we drove back to the city. I was in Ray's car with Kieran, Sophie and Jas. Dropped the rest off at uni then had dinner and dessert with Ray in the city =)


DFO Shopping--25 April

It's ANZAC day - kinda like Aussie's national day. They have a parade where war veterans march along the yarra, and the traditional Essendon vs. Collingwood footy match. I watched neither. Instead, I went DFO Essendon with Ray to shop. haha. while snacking on gummy snakes. Yummy purple and pink snakes for me and yucky yellow and orange ones for Ray.

the highlight certainly had to be the 2XU shop!!! Loads of mega cool 2XU gear at less than half price!! I tried on half the shop. haha. wanted to get this 2XU bike tights and fleece jacket but alas...they were too big =(

highlight #2 was the shop which carried Abercrombie and Fitch!!! Awesome! I bought a light blue A&F hoodie. so cool and so cheap...

highlight #3 was this suede ankle boots we saw...i tried it on and it was really nice BUT...i'd spent too much money at 2XU i had to give the boots a miss. haha.

highlight #4 was the turquois tube dress I bought for the MUAC formal dinner. I was kinda deciding between a fuschia layered dress and this one, but i ended up with this one. It's kinda plain, so I've consulted my 2 fashion & beauty advisors, Val and Jie as to what accessories/make up to go with this dress...what'd i do without yous (plural for you).



My shopping! 2 sets of 2XU running tee and shorts, a white long sleeved 2XU running top, compression calf socks, polka dot flats, plain black long sleeved top, A&F hoodie, dress, black stockings and celebrity shades.

I LOVE this A&F hoodie!!

Haha Ray and I bummed around before heading to Lygon for some lasagna and apple pie! then the supermarket for more brain juice and yoghurt clusters--even more delicious than apricot yoghurt balls. haha. without which it wld be virtually impossible to support our high level of brain activity--watching thought-provoking films and engaging in mentally-stimulating-highly-intellectual conversations.

Speaking of thought provoking films, Iylia and Ray have been telling me about the many many awesome and classic movies I have to watch...and very relevant to my media studies as well.

Yesterday I watched Pulp Fiction on DVD. The story is told in sections not chronologically ordered. So it's pretty disjointed until the end, when the beginning is told and the pieces fit together. It was quite a disturbing and violent show...but great use of cinematographic effects and idiotic conversations. Somehow I felt the portrayal of women in the show was quite unfair. the 3 main female characters in the show had bad haircuts, and weird personalities and mannerisms. In contrast to the violent, powerful male characters with inflated egos.

The show was disturbing for its normalisation of violence, drug use and other social taboos. I recommend the show but sorry kids, it's M18+ in Aussie so possibly R21 in S'pore.

Next movie on my stack of DVDs Ray lent me is Fight Club. In one of my modules, Sports, Entertainment and the Media, we discuss about boxing and violence in sport extensively. And this morning Ray was just telling me about his Muay Thai spars. What's the lure of physical violence? To quote Esmeralda (talking to Butch, a boxer who just killed his opponent) in Pulp Fiction: "So what does it feel like to kill a man with your bare hands? It's a topic I'm very interested in."

Sunday, April 20, 2008

MUAC Mt Buller training camp!

Had a FANTASTIC weekend (11-13 April) in Mt Buller with the Melb Uni Athletics Club long dist folks. It was AWESOME!! AWESOME PAINFUL MOUNTAIN RUNNING!! haha.

Friday evening
Met the gang at Melb Uni track at 6.30pm and about 20 of us headed off in 4 cars. Iylia and me jumped into Ray's car. Iylia behind, me in front and Ray driving. We were snacking on gummy snakes and i was getting sugar rush. haha. it was so funny, we (or maybe just me) were talking and laughing like crazy!! haha. i think i totally scared Ray and Iylia with my incredible retardedness and maddness. haha. We stopped by Tallarook Hotel Pub for dinner with the rest of the gang. We shared some marinara pasta and fries, chatted and all before leaving.

Drove in very dark conditions but we managed to get there safe and sound thanks to Ray. haha. We stayed in a lodge in the Sawmill Settlement at the foot of Mt Buller. Alison won a weekend stay at the lodge in a race--so accommodation was free! haha. We got there and...the place was FABULOUS!!! it was a nice cozy self-contained cottage!!! Very nicely decorated with a fireplace, kitchen, and 5 bedrooms.


The living room

I love the decorations on the walls.

I chose a room and Iylia, Ray and I bunked together. Fortunately for us, we chose the BEST room! haha it was en suite--1 master bed (mine) and a bunk bed (iylia on top and ray below). haha.
Ray and Iylia (check out his retarded expression!)

It was quite late by the time we got there so we just sat ard the living room and chatted for abit before turning in. Everyone was tired.

Saturday 12 April 2008
We were up at 8am and lazed around, drank some juice.


The guys gathered around the pool table consulting a topographical map planning our run route.
We headed out for a run session--40min fartlek in the trails. It was possibly insane. Kinda like running in the XTERRA mtb trail. haha. Super rocky and dangerous. We even had to run on wooden planks across streams! It was so rocky and overgrown and hilly that my Achilles tendon was really tight and aching! There was a section where we did some 1min hill reps as part of the fartlek and it was just insane uphill, so tough!! Halfway through everyone was drenched in sweat, face red, gasping for breath! haha. but it was a good solid workout. We finished it off with some jogging and then exercises on the lodge balcony. haha.

A cool shot of our running shoes left on the balcony as we all headed indoors for some brekky.

Then it was a scrumptious breakfast of muesli with milk, apples and banana, and some of Tom's fruit cake which he baked that morning. It was DELICIOUS!!!

2 cute and fat birds sitting on the fence of our balcony.

After a nice hot shower we played Trivia Pursuit in 3 teams of abt 4ppl. haha. i hardly knew any of the answers!! I don't understand why ppl here like trivia. they have lots of these trivia nights and games here...where u answer tough questions from different categories--science & nature, art & literature, geography, history, entertainment, sports...anyway, it was a really interesting game! haha.

We then had lunch of vege burrito. haha. wraps with vege. Very healthy! haha, but delicious as well =)
Alex making his burrito.

Morton, Dave Ulbrick (aka D2), Jasmine and Kate eating at the dining table.

I then went to join some of the guys to kick a soccer ball around the back yard.
Dave Paroissien (aka D1) and Iylia showing off their soccer skills.

I also tried my hand - i mean leg - at Footbag. played like a chaptek but with a fivestone? haha. So it's a small round bag filled with beans and u kick it to each other. haha i was hopeless at it, so i went to take a short nap before our 40min "easy" run at 3.30pm.

We drove up a lil and ran in a trail...actually it was 20min constant moderate uphill on trail then 20min downhill...haha. my legs were so tired but i felt better after that. It was awesome scenery, reminded me of the Kinglake climb i did on the bike last year.

We got back and Al had prepared a plate of gummy snakes and M&Ms for us to refuel! how thoughtful =) I hid a handful of them in my windbreaker pocket and went for a stroll with Iylia and Ray in the surroundings...they were mainly holiday lodges, quite empty since it wasn't skiing season.

We had a lil BBQ of sausages--ate them with bread and salad. Then Tom (our assigned cook/baker) whipped up RISOTTO while I was sketching Iylia and Ray's faces in Iylia's sketch book. haha it was hilarious. But most ppl could guess who the faces were, but it was funny. Iylia's ears were totally out of shape. the R ear 3x the size of the L ear. haha but it was a good start..

Tom's risotto was fantastic...but alas, there wasn't enough for a second helping! haha. after that, Iylia and I went out for some star gazing. The milky way was visible as was the Belt or Orion (i think) and the Southern Cross. It was really nice. Then we went back and all of us gathered ard the TV for Zoolander while snacking on cookies and gummies. Hilarious! haha.

After the show we just sat around and chatted randomly as ppl slowly drifted off into their respective rooms to sleep. Iylia, Ray, Matt, Tom and I sat in the living room and chatted till past midnight, while i was training my balance and stability on Tom's rubber air cushion thingy.

After that the 3 of us headed back to our room and continued chatting about famous/classic movies--which made me realise i'm a dumbass! I've never watched soooooooo many of these movies which ppl always talk abt and make reference to. e.g. The Truman show, Back to the Future, Identity, Syriana, etc. haha...then iylia suddenly fell asleep. like suddenly. so ray and i chatted until past 2am!

Sunday 13 April 2008
I was awoken at 8.30am in the morning by a loud THUD. Iylia got up, sat up and smacked his forehead on the low ceiling beam. OUCH.

I got out of bed and it was cold! So i had some tea before we drove to the summit of Mt Buller for a long run. Iylia drove Ray's car up and down Buller. We were taking turns to drive. haha. the way back's my turn. HEHE. Mt Buller's really steep and high. It took us over 30min to get to the top.

A team photo of us energetic before we started our long run in a insane insane trail!

Ray turned his ankle numerous times on the rocky and muddy uneven ground. Simon tripped and fell and rolled on the rocks. OUCH. and i tripped heavily twice, but managed to regain my balance without falling. phew.

There were some impossible uphills man, just impossibly crazy i dont even know how to describe. i just wish i'd brought along my hp to snap some pictures of the view and the trail. insanely hilly and rocky. We ran about 100mins in all, and it was TOUGH. more than half of it were long long long rocky uphills sections. haha but it's fantastic strength training! haha.

A really good workout and we had loads of fun! haha. Made it back and we stretched, snacked and snapped photos before driving back to our lodge.

D2 (Dave Ulbrick) giving me a high 5 slap. Our hands were so cold the slap really hurt! Haha.

D1 and D2 (like B1 and B2 in Bananas in Pyjamas), the jokers of the team.

Iylia and me. Sharing the love in the form of Gatorade post-workout…

Ray and I.

Someone’s good idea to look unfriendly and unhappy.

Someone’s good idea to carry me, just because they could…

We had another healthy breakfast/lunch of salad and bread/wrap and fruits, before cleaning up, packing and snapping more team photos. haha.



It was not just the floors that needed some vacuuming…

D1 and me. Love those eyes…

The White Train!

Sadly, it was time to head home... =(

But GLADLY, Ray generously allowed me to drive back!! about 250km back to Melb. haha. i drove while he sat in front and iylia behind. haha. altho they joked about my dangerous driving, etc. but i drove safely and comfortably la. and i got us all back safely to melb. along the way we snacked on more gummies and chips. haha. funny. ahh, it's so fun.

Iylia and Ray are fantastic chaps man, thanks guys!

we drove to the city and parked at Iylia's place before walking to Nandos for dinner of chicken burger with egg and fries. haha terrible. then Iylia went home and Ray dropped me off home. AHHH...what a fun weekend!!! If only there were more weekends like this!

In 2 days, I’d possibly run more hills than my entire life combined…It was a great time to mix and bond with the MUAC team. Everyone got along great, and also helped out with the meals and washing up, so it felt really good =) Fun times...

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

XTERRA Global Tour - Australia

The Sunday after the Sydney trip I ran in Victoria's largest fun run, the 14.2km Run For The Kids. Did it with Clem last year. The run takes you on a very scenic course up Bolte Bridge and the freeway and the city. It was awesome. I had a sore throat after the fun-filled hectic Sydney trip so I just ran moderately, finishing in roughly 66min 30s.

Had brunch with the Melb Uni Aths Club at The Observatory cafe after that...delicious muffins and chai...haha.

Anyway, on Saturday 5 April, I took part in my first ever off-road triathlon race!!! The XTERRA Global Tour, also the Australian XTERRA National Championships 2008. It was held at Daylesford and was a qualifying race for the XTERRA World Championships in Maui, Hawaii.

XTERRA is the world’s most popular adventure series and features Global Tour events in North America, South America, Europe, Japan, New Zealand and XTERRA World Championships in Hawaii each year.

The finish banner

I was so unprepared for the race! I didn't even know the start time, race course, etc. And I'd NEVER MOUNTAIN BIKED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! I was using a really old Giant mountain bike Wilson borrowed for me. I borrowed old mountain bike shoes from Jas and an Orca wetsuit from Maddy. On Tuesday and Thursday I had taken the bike out to Yarra Bend Park and ridden on the ROAD. I decided I needed a taste of the trails so i cycled about 500m on the gravel path next to the road. And then i told Clem that it was scary coz the bike skidded on the gravel.

During the race, i felt extremely stupid for thinking riding on gravel was scary or tough, coz that was gonna be the easiest bit of the race...

On Saturday, Wilson came by to pick me up at 9.30am, and we drove almost 2hrs to Daylesford. The weather wasn't looking good. It rained. We got there, registered, picked up my UBER COOL BLACK 2XU DRI-FIT TOP WHICH SAYS XTERRA GLOBAL TOUR-AUSTRALIA ON IT. But alas!! It was kinda big for me, DAMNIT!! Nothing fits here! S, XS, XXS are all too big still!! ARGHHHHHHHH.

Wilson's bike on top, my borrowed bike at bottom

Anyway, while setting up transition, Wilson kept trying to make me bring spare tubes and tools for the bike, and i casually turned him down saying if im so unlucky to get a flat, i'd just DNF. But little did i know, that there is no DNF in the race. It's either you cycle out or die and rot in the mountain n no one will find you. And I saw 2 or 3 ppl with flats along the way. I was extremely lucky the bike held out. The bike course was just INSANE!!! INSANE!!!

Wilson and I in transition pre-race--me still looking so happy, ignorant to what i was abt to get myself into

So the race format was as follows:

1km Swim – Lake Daylesford

30km Mountain Bike – The single loop course follows a scenic path south west along the famous Great Dividing Trail with hills and technical sections, double track, creek crossings, single track, waterfalls, dams, a disused railway line and spectacular Australian bushland.

11km Trail Run – The challenging course follows west Town Bridges and underneath the highway and follows the Great Dividing Trail on the south side of Sailors Creek with a creek crossing before returning back on the north side of the creek.

I looked around before the start and everyone looked really pro with all their pro mtb gear and stuff. I bet I was the only dumb noob around there. Some days ago, I told Sophie I was doing this race and she did not hesitate to tell me I was CRAZY and I'd DIE riding 30km mtb. Oh wells...

Got my wetsuit on, and prepared for the water start in Lake Daylesford. the water was FREEEEZZZING!! To think I din want to borrow a wetsuit initially coz i tot 1km only, just bear with the cold. But there were competitors in diving hoods even coz the water was a freezing 14degrees!!! It was maddness. the moment i started swimming, i knew this was much much much colder than my previous tri races in the sea. My entire face was numb and my hands and feet were painful--frost bitten. I couldn't breathe properly coz of the cold. I cldn't even feel water seeping into my mouth. haha. Anyway, the course was longer than 1km for sure.

In T1, my head was spinning coz of the cold and i struggled to get my wetsuit off. Then I slowly put on cycling gloves and socks and started the mtb. the first 1km was on road, then it was a sharp turn into the lonely trails...where you'd see 1 or 2 marshalls only once every 8km...20m into the trail we hit a really steep uphill and i had to come off n push coz i din change my gears in time. Another guy came off and pushed as well and i chatted with him and told him this is the first time im ever riding a mtb, and this hill was crazy.

Not long later, there was a sign which said "CAUTION DESCENT". I looked down, were we trying to cycle down a waterfall?!?! It was so friggin steep and bumpy--longs, branches, holes, rocks, stones everywhere. I got off my bike and half slid half inched my way down, clinging onto my mtb. I felt quite dumb coz ppl were flying down past me.

Anyway, the course was friggin crazy. It was so bumpy and so damn dangerous. And you hardly see a soul out there. The course was marked out with ribbons tied onto trees and arrows drawn on tree trunks. Some of the uphills were so steep I pedaled with all my might yet the bike was skidding backward, then the front wheel wld lift off contact with the ground and the bike'd tip backward. I reckon some of the uphills were so close to vertical it's impossible to ride up. On one uphill, I was kinda climbing on all fours trying to drag the bike up. haha.

But I must say, I was quite please with myself coz i rode up the crazy hills pretty well, and would overtake many ppl on the hills but of coz they'd zoom past me every descend coz i'd be going really slowly. Some parts are insane, if u lose ur balance or fall, goodbye to you, u'd fly off a cliff or break your collarbone on some rock.

The single track sections were bad...some areas I could not see the ground even, so its dangerous coz u're bumping and getting thrown all over the place. I almost fell many times, and it's a wonder i didn't fall coz i was certain i'd fall and break sth before the end of the 35km...at one point, I was so close to flying over the handlebars and cracking some ribs. Coz the bike hit a really large hole with a log at the end.

Some sections had to dismount and carry the bike over fallen trees. haha. I was gonna chide Wilson for not warning me. I watched mtb races in s'pore and assumed it'd be sth like that. But no, this is nothing like any trail in s'pore! Wilson, who has been mtb alot in s'pore and aust says this is definitely tougher than Bukit Timah hill. DUH!

Anyway the bike course was so long! it was 35km! The mtb shoes i borrowed din quite fit the pedals too well and it kept coming out while i was riding. Overall I was more tired from being scared than anything else. haha. but i was really having quite a fun time. I want to do mtbing, it makes u strong and have good handling.

Ok finally i finished the bike and went onto the 2 loop run course. 3km into the run, i twisted my ankle on a rocky descend. But i'd already endure swimming in a freezing lake and 2 over hours of mental torture on the mtb, surely i cannot DNF now!!! Even if i have to, i'm gonna crawl to the finish line. But anyway, i just continued running. The run was tough. There was a section we had to walk across a dried up river...all rocks, boulders and stones. then there were some really steep narrow and rocky paths...but it was scenic.


AH! Finally I finished the race like over 3.5hrs!! haha. it was funny. I wasnt pushing hard or anything, just wanted to complete it. My legs were quite tired from the many challenging and impossible uphills. Anyway, I walked outta the finish chute and a guy rushed up to me and said "you're my idol!!" i was like "HUH?!" he was the guy i was talking to on the first uphill when we both came off the push our bikes. haha. he said he couldn't believe i'd never mtb before and yet he couldnt even keep up with me. haha.

I do think it's an immense achievement to have completed the XTERRA, esp to have completed it without ever having ridden a mtb. but i think, this is not recommended. Some training and familiarization pre-race is definitely a must!


WAYYYY COOL! haha i came in 3rd in 3hrs 53min! what a shitty time! But apparently, I get powerbar hamper! Altho I haven't got it yet coz i din attend the prize presentation (you have to pay to attend) and i dunno if or how i'll get it. haha. I was just glad i completed it and did not come in last. Wasn't near last, and my mtb time wasn't amongst the slowest either. haha. unbelievable.

Chris Legh WON the race in 2.19!? How cool is that. yea you shd've figured out when he finished the race, i was still mtbing.

Anyway, I'd be hunting for a cheap 2nd hand mtb to go mtbing. It's like buying a ticket to break some bones. I think it's inevitable if u mtb here. But its so exciting coz I have a huge margin for improvement in XTERRA. haha. oh wells.

Anyway, it was loads of fun. And for more fun this weekend, i'd be going up to Mt Buller with the Melb Uni Athletics Club for a fun training camp. We're carpooling and driving up. Hope it's fun! Unfortunately it's not winter yet and no snow yet i think...so won't get to ski/snowboard.

But other than that, it's been busy with assignments. So back to work...

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Sydney 27-29 March 2008 - Part 3

A shepard dog rounding up three geese to make them run straight in a line, amongst the crowd. Sheng said he bet the geese don't even know they're dressed up so retardedly. haha. DUH!

Sheng in front of a hat shop "The good, the bad and the ugly". He said he had to take a photo with the shop as that's the name of his grandfather's favourite movie.

We then walked into the sheep shearing shed.
Oooh, there were piles of wool lying on tables and Sheng immediately rushed over to touch the wool...and got stopped by some of the officials. haha! The piles of wool were part if this week-long sheep shearing competition. They were due for inspection and grading for the prize presentation the next day. Anyway, the wool was very soft, but quite dirty.
On the stage were 2 guys shearing a sheep, in front of a camera man. Think they were filming some sort of documentary. anyway, it looked really scary for the sheep. At first, it's head was between the man's legs, so it can't see what's being done to its body. Then when the man started shearing it's wool, it began struggling and kicking and stomping its feet, that's why the second man had to come and anchor it steady. Maybe it was hurting, coz we saw some raw flesh/blood. After a while, the sheep (head no longer btw the guy's legs) just leaned its head against the guy's legs and slumped there looking sedated and retarded watching the guy shear its ass and legs. haha.
Some of the experts grading the wool. Think they assess the quality of the wool and how it's sheared? Dunno.
Milking Barn. haha. These cows have just given birth, and they are used for milking demostrations to kids. Their kids are in a small compound nearby.

We then walked out and saw a Cattle Yearling competition. It was really weird coz ppl were just sitting there quietly looking at cattle...which were just standing there quietly.

This is the Angus (Black cows) 3 years and under category. Their trainers/breeders are standing next to them with a long stick with a small metal hook at the end, which they use to scratch the cow's bellies. Apparantly that keeps the cattle docile.
They're judged on like how well its bred--bone structure, fur, colour, grooming, etc. Just like dog shows. haha. There were many different categories.

This is a demonstration of how milking is done in milk production farms. It was too squeezy we couldn't get in to watch.

We walked over to the NAB Arena and there was a horse breeding competition going on. Later in the day there was supposed to be an equestrian competition as well.
Sheng in front of the NAB Arena.

Vintage car exhibition. Nearby we also saw an antique machinery exhibition, where they had different really old motor parts (from like early 1900s).

We entered a tent which said "Save the Bilbys" Bilbys are uniquely Australian creatures which look like rabbits. But they're endangered because of the introduction of...can't remember what animal..which can eat numerous bilbys at one go...in the tent was also a cute sleeping koala!

The lazy koala! like that also can sleep...

Next we rushed over to the carnival rides section of the Easter Show. OOOHHH!! a theme park! haha the rides looked exhilarating man! haha.

After buying some shiny ride coupons, Sheng dashed straight to this octopus tentacle like ride which spins u in all directions--the 3 large arms spin round like a fan and also tilts in different directions. And the individual clusters spin forward, backward.
There it is. We went on and it feels really scary coz the seat is not really a seat, it's just a bum rest so you're kinda standing and ur legs are totally dangling straight off. It was mega scary!! I screamed the ENTIRE ride and I was so scared!! Especially when it spins forward. I keep thinking if this chest bar comes off, I'll just fall off and die. I was clinging on so tightly to it and screaming my head off. just as I was thinking "omg, i want to get off", it started spinning faster!! haha. Sheng was screaming for the fun of it. i swear my screams overshadowed and drowned out all other screams and shouts. haha.

Anyway after that i was quite shaken. Gawd, I've become a coward. I was really surprised at how scared I was! I was reminded of how when we were 10, we sat the Wipeout at Dream World in Gold Coast, and we weren't even scared at all! haha. The older I get, the more timid I get as well.

Next, we went to sit this free-falling thing. man, i was actually worried abt riding it. But i counted based on the round before ours, that the free falling was only for 5s. Only 5s of trauma--manageable.

We got on, it went up and i wasn't so scared yet, coz it'd stay up there for a while. Up there, the view was quite good and i was chatting with Sheng. But i was also v scared coz i knew anytime, it was gonna fall and i'd feel like dying! as the seconds ticked by i got more anxious. and suddenly, it dropped!! I screamed the whole 5s, but then it was over. Phew! I'm still alive. haha.

Later Sheng said during the first ride, he thought I was screaming for fun, but i wasn't! I was seriously quite freaked out. haha. Anyway, Sheng was looking temptingly at this horrendous ride, which was kinda like a longer higher version of the first octopus ride, tho it didn't really seem as scary coz the ppl weren't screaming much. But thank goodness it cost 15 dollars each, so we skipped it and opted for the "Spaceship" instead.

Spaceship is kinda like Gravatron. it spins around so fast that you stick to the wall. Sheng was very amused by it. During the ride, waa, it was crazy, we couldn't move our necks at all, and it was difficult to breathe. Also, I feel like my cheeks are sagging now, coz it pulled my cheek against the wall. haha.

After that, we went to eat a snack and watch some wood chopping competition. First competition was axe throwing finals. There were participants representing the different Australian states, and even overseas, from New Zealand, Canada and USA.

Axe throwing is crazy! You fling a heavy axe onto a large wooden bull's eye. There was a female in the competition, representing USA. We were surprised when they announced for "Nancy". when she walked out, we could understand why...she was twice the size of the guy in the photo above...haha. in the end, the event was almost swept by an entire family. Dad--4th, sons 1st and 3rd. haha.

Then it was the 450mm chainsaw competition. Who saws 3 slices the fastest wins.
2 participants compete at a time, sawing a long secured horizontally. cool man!

These events were really weird. They're kinda ancient and primitive.

Something like Chingay parade...there was music, floats, groups...

OOOh we were looking for gelato to cool down in the heat when we saw the Woolworths (Safeway supermarket) exhibition!

Food dome. We rushed in and ooo...they were giving out lots of free food samples! We took so much Uncle Toby's fat free yoghurt, chai latte, nudie fruit juice...haha. We also saw solid soaps made to look like cakes...Sheng was in love with them and said he wanted to eat them. haha.

And then we also saw an oyster exhibition, whereby they show the different stages of growing and harvesting oysters.

After that, we left and headed to the famous Sydney Fish Market!

Me on the jetty.

Sheng in front of the wholesale centre.

There were seafood eateries along the harbour. Beautiful except there were many seagulls hovering around the food!

Inside the wholesale centre were some stalls selling FRESH seafood. All types!


I bet Dad and Mum must be drooling now...there were HUGE FRESH LOBSTERS too...

Then we bought a seafood basket for 2...there!

Delicious...the prawns and octopus and fish were succulent...melt in your mouth! except too oily, too much fried stuff! haha. The Fish Market closed at around 5 so we walked to to city.


Prymont Bridge in the day

Me outside Queen Victoria Building. I love the architecture!
Queen Victoria statue.

We hopped into the supermarket and I managed to find Apricot Yoghurt Balls!! was searching high and low for them last year to bring home, but it could not be found in Melb! I'll be sure to bring some home the next time I'm back...in approximately 2.5 months!

Finally, we took a train to the airport.
Me and Sheng in the train. Time to go back to Melb. What a fun-filled activity packed 3 days in Sydney! Thanks Sheng for planning the trip and taking me around! It was really really fun! =) Sydney's so bustling and pretty and big...great for a holiday but i think i still prefer living in Melbourne...haha.