4th

Dear Diary,


is daddy and mommy lying to me? I've always been told that I'm the brightest dog in the whole wide world but look at this. I'm ranked fourth. FOURTH!! Dear diary, I think the website must've made a mistake. I mean, look, I've graduated with a Bachelor of Obedience from the renowned Puppy Love University and was almost featured in channelnews asia (if they hadn't lost the footage) for having achieved the Masters in Fun with Clickers. Oh dear diary, I'm feeling so depressed that I think I should go binge right now.


Sadly yours,
Ginger

Beach Day

Hey, bitch beach day!



Wahoo! A leash-free beach!



That's a beagle I was chasing. He's fast!



More friends! They were kinda cliquish though and didn't seem too eager to play.
Anyhoo, it was great fun meeting them!



Retrieving a stupid stick - not exactly my favourite activity but what to do?
No stick, no treat. Yeah, call me a food whore.



I'm too sexy for the camera... ;)



Lovely, lovely day. I could bask in the sun forever like that.



Who cares if I already knew how to stand but since Papa Joe keeps offering treats for this position... Anything for food, dude!

MBA Graduation

MBA. Reverent or irrelevant? *Shrugs* Whatever it is, Joe's done with it!

Gowning up for the big moment.



The graduation hall that was jam packed with fellow graduands and their families and friends.



All rose to welcome the chancellor and his intellectual gang.



The view from where I sat.



You probably can't see Joe here but he's 3rd in line waiting to receive his diploma.



Finally, the moment arrived.



Clasped in his hands, the paper he's been chasing for the past 1.5 years.



Surprisingly, the whole ceremony was quite succinct.
There was no lengthy speeches and within like an hour or so,
the chancellor was making his way out of the hall.





Fellow MBAs.



According to Joe, this camera angle is supposed to "granderise" the whole image.







Joe and assorted friends. :)



Hooyeah...another piece of wall decor.






The mini asean clique.




The obligatory trenches-throwing shots...











... and all the neccessary poses.



Joe's partner-in-crime who got into the Dean's list.



Last but not least, the graduation dinner. Quite likely the last one for everyone.

Cool Flash

My sis sent this link to me. Cool flash. Nice song too (if you understood chinese).

Drivers Licence

So as I mentioned before, we were close to getting our Australian PR (permanant recidency) and once that came through, our Singapore driving licences would become invalid within 3 months and we'd need to get Victorian ones. Of course, we could wait for that to happen, or we could, do it now. Since Joe's not doing much these days (having just acquired the "Ronin MBA" status), I figured we should get it done now. I'd anticipated this whole arduous process of applying for the theory paper followed by the practical test but as it turns out, Singapore is one of the two asian countries (the other one being Japan) that are recognised by Victoria and drivers need only to convert their licences at the nearest vicroads office! And sure enough, when I handed in my home licence in exchange for the local one, I paid only $41 instead of $500 which was the original price we set aside for the stupid driving test we'd thought we needed to take when we become permanant residents. And there it is, lovely to behold, my new licence. :)

I asked Joe to black out my eyes because they were looking somewhere else (down, I think) and I thought it's a bit odd. Check out the big 4 digits (month and year of my birth) at the back of the licence. Even blind bats can't miss it! And oh, I'm seriously myopic if you are wondering why there's a condition imposed (see: up there above the humongous numbers). I failed the eye test and apparently, am allowed to drive only if I wore my glasses. Talk about laser eye correction! Grrr.

Abseiling & Rock Climbing

The significant other is finally bringing another chapter of his life to a close. With the graduation ceremony just days away, I think he is wondering what this milestone actually means to him (see previous post). Well, whether getting an MBA is anything significant and worth celebrating, it's no stopping us from "camping out" in the grampians after his exams.

I really thought we were going to camp out but look, a luxurious double bed (in a huge cabin)...



...with a walk-in wardrobe! Some camping trip huh? :P



Gearing up for abseiling!



Making our way through the forest to the cliff.



My crap camera just couldn't capture the breathtaking view from up the abseil site.



This is our instructor, Earl, demonstrating the technique of abseiling.



This man is fearless. He was like a metre off the cliff with
only a rope around his waist and still smiling.



That's me starting to abseil. I was nervous like shit and kept taking big gulps of air
(though you can't see me hyperventilating here).



Hesitant to take the next step down. In other words, regretting.



"Forced" to smile at the camera.



Ok, here I go.



This is Joe belaying for me while I rock climb.



And to the left - that's me getting stuck somewhere halfway. My limbs were shaking and I was panting my lungs out. God knows why I enjoy torturing myself like that. ;)