< Lala's Australian Adventures - Part 3 >
LALA'S AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURES - PART 3
saying goodbye to lovely Australia, leaving the wonderful TV there, and I think I've learnt some lessons from the experience...
19 June 2006 (Monday)
715AM:
Yeah, so the Aussies lost. I want to say I'm not disappointed at all, because it seems like (according to what I see on TV) hardly anyone is really disappointed at all. But... yeah, I feel kinda disapointed because I really don't think they deserved to lose!
The Socceroos can be proud of themselves though. They really played very well, and matched the Brazilians in every area except the result. Grr. All Harry's fault. Can't believe he missed an OPEN GOAL! Harry made a real big impact when he came on, but the problem was he did his job halfway. Threatening, but failed to kill them off. Bresciano and Viduka more than came close too. Even though to be honest, I didn't expect much of a performance (just expected desperate defending all the way) and hoped to avoid a thrashing initially, the Socceroos' missed chances left me biting my nails in frustration. Yeah, I ended up wishing them to win or at least draw, because I really think that was the least they deserved!
Especially in the 1st half, the Aussies had total control of the game. Yeah, Brazil may have had more possession then, but they were going nowhere close to scoring. In fact Australia had 3 shots on target compared to Brazi's 0, though yeah, all 3 shots were from out of the box... The thing was Australia was defending really well! It was heartening to see Emerton, Cahill, Moore, etc stopping the world's best players in their tracks. And for once, I got a real kick seeing Lucas Neill sticking in a tackle (legal one) into a player - Ronaldinho, that is.
While I don't dislike any particular Brazilian player, I don't really like the whole worship of the Brazilians. Yeah, I'd admit I have little respect for them compared to others. I don't understand comments like how there's a big gap between them and the rest of the worl,d because really to me, like Chelsea, like any other team, they're still only 11 normal human beings on the pitch.
Why is it impossible to stop Ronaldinho? I saw him tripping and falling today, and I also saw Lucas Neill stopping him in his tracks.
Yeah, so the Brazilians still won in the end. But I don't know, I think compared to Liverpool, the final scoreline seem to have lesser importance when supporting the Aussies. With Liverpool, we expect nothing less than a win in each game, but over here with the Aussies, everything they're doing right now is already exceeding our expectations by a mile.
The Socceroos were attacking the Brazilians incessantly after conceding the goal. How many teams would do that, even when they know their weakness in defence? Having only 2 men in defence (yeah, it looked that way after Hiddink took Moore off) was like suicidal, considering Brazil's attacking prowess. Ok, so it didn't exactly pay off when the Aussies conceded that 2nd goal, but still I admire Hiddink's bravery for taking the game to the Brazilians, and wanting to beat them at their own game. And for me at least, they matched them at it. But like what Hiddink said later, perhaps what they're only lacking is that killer pass or shot. Still, as I said, expectations are not high, and the Socceroos' performance was definitely very heartening.
What everyone has been telling me is that the only reason why the Brazilians don't look impressive to me at all is because they haven't reach full potential yet. They're only playing at 60%-70%, and still they're carving out results. The Aussies are obviously putting in more than 100% in every game, and still they lost to a 60% Brazil. I think I'm supposed to be worried about that, but I'm not. Because what I admire about the Socceroos is precisely this. Despite knowing they're huge underdogs, they really put in their best effort and stuck together as a team. As for Brazil, while I respect them for what they've achieved, I'm still skeptical about this whole 'reaching their max potential' thing. You can argue they just need to warm up a bit, but in my book, you have to be ready by this stage. Thinking they can do the job without putting in their best is really just sheer arrogance and complacency. And okay, those are two traits I really dislike.
Haha, they're talking about how bad Markus Merk, the ref was. Yeah, by the way, where did I see Merk before? I'm sure it was some CL match, but which?
Anyway, like all the rest of the Aussie fans, I'm proud of the way they played. The players should feel the same way too. Only Harry... aim properly, will you? Haha, kk, just kidding.
20 June 2006 (Tuesday)
854AM:
Today's the day I go back to Singapore.
Sorry to those who miss me in Singapore, but I sure wouldn't have minded staying here longer...
Australia's a nice country, really nice. I've been here 3 times already, but I definitely see myself coming here again in the future. There's still Sydney, Melbourne, and many other places I have to go.
Australia's a big country, so there are bound to be differences and new suprises at every corner, but I think soem things are the same within this entire country. Life here is really peaceful, quiet, slow, people here seem more friendly and contented. Compared to back home at least. My father kept remarking how the drivers here never honk at each other, they smile at pedestrians and how salespeople never 'scold' him, unlike in Singapore. My elder brother said that they find no need to honk at each other because there's no rush anyway, and yeah, that's quite true. It's so unlike how it is in Singapore, where I feel stressed practically every moment. Worrying about studies, money, work... There's always something at the back of our minds. Here, despite how I think the food here is really expensive (around $10 for a simple meal), I don't think anyone finds it hard to afford life here. Everyone has a nice home, car, everything.
Toowoomba, the town I'm staying right now, is really like very quiet. It's not exactly rural, because there're lots of houses here, and there's a city centre with shops and all. But the fact that it's surrounded by mountains & hills, and there's hardly anyone in sight most of the time, does make it feel as though I'm in the countryside.
This place isn't without its bad points, and precisely that's why I'm not migrating here right this instant. I can't stand the climate or the food. It isn't as cold as it was in New Zealand, but a temperature of 10 degrees celsius is still freezing for me, and coming from a place where it's always humid leaves my lips kinda dry and sore everytime I travel overseas. The food is like... okay, firstly it's too expensive. And then, it's also bad. I've had a few good meals here, but half of them were real bad. I can't get used to eating western food all the time, but they can't seem to cook Chinese food properly either.
My father once ate this duck rice meal, and the duck meat still had feathers on the skin!
And another thing, but this applies more to Toowoomba than Gold Coast, is how it's so inconvenient. One has to drive to the city centre to get anything we need. Most shops close at around 5pm, though I think it was worse in Perth because I went there in summer (sun sets later), and now that it's winter, it's dark by 5pm anyway.
You know, yesterday I was so tempted to buy so many things. There was this sports store that sold a lot of Socceroos merchandise. There was that official jersey (that came in junior sizes, the one I have is in the men's small size..), those T-shirts, scarves, and this really adorable bear that could wave its arms and sing "Ole Ole Ole"! There was also a Harry DVD going for only $15! ARGH... but i didn't buy any of them even though I had some money left. Practicality reasons.
I did buy my inflatable kangaroo though! Nothing like the one I wanted, but I've seen this one on TV too. It's just not as cute as the ohter one. After much debate over names (Captain Socceroo, Timmy, Harry, Roo-ney), I finally settled on King Roo, Roo for short.
745PM (S'pore time):
I should be reaching Singapore in about an hour's time. I'm getting pretty sick of sitting here. I've watched 3 movies in the past... 7 hours? I've watched "Eight Below", "Firewall" & "Ultraviolet". I'm like a couch potato huh? Even when I was in Australia, I was watching a lot of TV, mainly news (soccer news in particular) & football-related shows.
I guess I should be pretty excited about getting home, but to be honest, while I'm looking forward to seeing my computer again, I'm really more sad than happy. Sigh... I'm already missing Australia you know? I really liked it a lot there. Had lots of fun indeed. DreamWorld & MovieWorld were real fun. I'm glad I wasn't such a scaredy-cat (even though it's still no rollercoasters for me). Toowoomba was also, in a way, nice. Yeah, I spent a lot of time in my brother's car, travelling hundreds and hundreds of miles to get from one cold place to another cold place, but throughout this whole trip, I was just thankful for the peace and tranquility. It's only when I was out there did I realise how I needed this break. Break from even things I enjoyed, like mapling.
I know I may sound corny saying this, but I think it was only when I was out there, seeing those vast stretches of grasslands did I realise how meaningless some of the things I was doing back home were. I'm not saying like, hey, I went to Australia and suddenly found the meaning of life. No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that it made me realise that even while you're chasing some of the goals you've set here, there's a big and wonderful world out there, and being in some of these places may sometimes end up making you rethink your goals.
I don't wan tto sound too philosophical and overly-sentimental about this, because I know once I reach home, I'll go straight back to mapling, watching football and worrying about tuition work (yeah, at the risk of sounding like a bad tutor, I've to be frank and say the thought of calling them to schedule the next lesson doesn't excite me) and uni stuff (that'll be in more than a month's time though).
The whole trip has just been like so surreal, sort of like a dream...
I know that I'll always have those wonderful memories of Australia. And as much as possible, I'll try and feel that peace and tranquility within me too.
Yeah, we're starting to descend.
Welcome back to real life.
saying goodbye to lovely Australia, leaving the wonderful TV there, and I think I've learnt some lessons from the experience...
19 June 2006 (Monday)
715AM:
Yeah, so the Aussies lost. I want to say I'm not disappointed at all, because it seems like (according to what I see on TV) hardly anyone is really disappointed at all. But... yeah, I feel kinda disapointed because I really don't think they deserved to lose!
The Socceroos can be proud of themselves though. They really played very well, and matched the Brazilians in every area except the result. Grr. All Harry's fault. Can't believe he missed an OPEN GOAL! Harry made a real big impact when he came on, but the problem was he did his job halfway. Threatening, but failed to kill them off. Bresciano and Viduka more than came close too. Even though to be honest, I didn't expect much of a performance (just expected desperate defending all the way) and hoped to avoid a thrashing initially, the Socceroos' missed chances left me biting my nails in frustration. Yeah, I ended up wishing them to win or at least draw, because I really think that was the least they deserved!
Especially in the 1st half, the Aussies had total control of the game. Yeah, Brazil may have had more possession then, but they were going nowhere close to scoring. In fact Australia had 3 shots on target compared to Brazi's 0, though yeah, all 3 shots were from out of the box... The thing was Australia was defending really well! It was heartening to see Emerton, Cahill, Moore, etc stopping the world's best players in their tracks. And for once, I got a real kick seeing Lucas Neill sticking in a tackle (legal one) into a player - Ronaldinho, that is.
While I don't dislike any particular Brazilian player, I don't really like the whole worship of the Brazilians. Yeah, I'd admit I have little respect for them compared to others. I don't understand comments like how there's a big gap between them and the rest of the worl,d because really to me, like Chelsea, like any other team, they're still only 11 normal human beings on the pitch.
Why is it impossible to stop Ronaldinho? I saw him tripping and falling today, and I also saw Lucas Neill stopping him in his tracks.
Yeah, so the Brazilians still won in the end. But I don't know, I think compared to Liverpool, the final scoreline seem to have lesser importance when supporting the Aussies. With Liverpool, we expect nothing less than a win in each game, but over here with the Aussies, everything they're doing right now is already exceeding our expectations by a mile.
The Socceroos were attacking the Brazilians incessantly after conceding the goal. How many teams would do that, even when they know their weakness in defence? Having only 2 men in defence (yeah, it looked that way after Hiddink took Moore off) was like suicidal, considering Brazil's attacking prowess. Ok, so it didn't exactly pay off when the Aussies conceded that 2nd goal, but still I admire Hiddink's bravery for taking the game to the Brazilians, and wanting to beat them at their own game. And for me at least, they matched them at it. But like what Hiddink said later, perhaps what they're only lacking is that killer pass or shot. Still, as I said, expectations are not high, and the Socceroos' performance was definitely very heartening.
What everyone has been telling me is that the only reason why the Brazilians don't look impressive to me at all is because they haven't reach full potential yet. They're only playing at 60%-70%, and still they're carving out results. The Aussies are obviously putting in more than 100% in every game, and still they lost to a 60% Brazil. I think I'm supposed to be worried about that, but I'm not. Because what I admire about the Socceroos is precisely this. Despite knowing they're huge underdogs, they really put in their best effort and stuck together as a team. As for Brazil, while I respect them for what they've achieved, I'm still skeptical about this whole 'reaching their max potential' thing. You can argue they just need to warm up a bit, but in my book, you have to be ready by this stage. Thinking they can do the job without putting in their best is really just sheer arrogance and complacency. And okay, those are two traits I really dislike.
Haha, they're talking about how bad Markus Merk, the ref was. Yeah, by the way, where did I see Merk before? I'm sure it was some CL match, but which?
Anyway, like all the rest of the Aussie fans, I'm proud of the way they played. The players should feel the same way too. Only Harry... aim properly, will you? Haha, kk, just kidding.
20 June 2006 (Tuesday)
854AM:
Today's the day I go back to Singapore.
Sorry to those who miss me in Singapore, but I sure wouldn't have minded staying here longer...
Australia's a nice country, really nice. I've been here 3 times already, but I definitely see myself coming here again in the future. There's still Sydney, Melbourne, and many other places I have to go.
Australia's a big country, so there are bound to be differences and new suprises at every corner, but I think soem things are the same within this entire country. Life here is really peaceful, quiet, slow, people here seem more friendly and contented. Compared to back home at least. My father kept remarking how the drivers here never honk at each other, they smile at pedestrians and how salespeople never 'scold' him, unlike in Singapore. My elder brother said that they find no need to honk at each other because there's no rush anyway, and yeah, that's quite true. It's so unlike how it is in Singapore, where I feel stressed practically every moment. Worrying about studies, money, work... There's always something at the back of our minds. Here, despite how I think the food here is really expensive (around $10 for a simple meal), I don't think anyone finds it hard to afford life here. Everyone has a nice home, car, everything.
Toowoomba, the town I'm staying right now, is really like very quiet. It's not exactly rural, because there're lots of houses here, and there's a city centre with shops and all. But the fact that it's surrounded by mountains & hills, and there's hardly anyone in sight most of the time, does make it feel as though I'm in the countryside.
This place isn't without its bad points, and precisely that's why I'm not migrating here right this instant. I can't stand the climate or the food. It isn't as cold as it was in New Zealand, but a temperature of 10 degrees celsius is still freezing for me, and coming from a place where it's always humid leaves my lips kinda dry and sore everytime I travel overseas. The food is like... okay, firstly it's too expensive. And then, it's also bad. I've had a few good meals here, but half of them were real bad. I can't get used to eating western food all the time, but they can't seem to cook Chinese food properly either.
My father once ate this duck rice meal, and the duck meat still had feathers on the skin!
And another thing, but this applies more to Toowoomba than Gold Coast, is how it's so inconvenient. One has to drive to the city centre to get anything we need. Most shops close at around 5pm, though I think it was worse in Perth because I went there in summer (sun sets later), and now that it's winter, it's dark by 5pm anyway.
You know, yesterday I was so tempted to buy so many things. There was this sports store that sold a lot of Socceroos merchandise. There was that official jersey (that came in junior sizes, the one I have is in the men's small size..), those T-shirts, scarves, and this really adorable bear that could wave its arms and sing "Ole Ole Ole"! There was also a Harry DVD going for only $15! ARGH... but i didn't buy any of them even though I had some money left. Practicality reasons.
I did buy my inflatable kangaroo though! Nothing like the one I wanted, but I've seen this one on TV too. It's just not as cute as the ohter one. After much debate over names (Captain Socceroo, Timmy, Harry, Roo-ney), I finally settled on King Roo, Roo for short.
745PM (S'pore time):
I should be reaching Singapore in about an hour's time. I'm getting pretty sick of sitting here. I've watched 3 movies in the past... 7 hours? I've watched "Eight Below", "Firewall" & "Ultraviolet". I'm like a couch potato huh? Even when I was in Australia, I was watching a lot of TV, mainly news (soccer news in particular) & football-related shows.
I guess I should be pretty excited about getting home, but to be honest, while I'm looking forward to seeing my computer again, I'm really more sad than happy. Sigh... I'm already missing Australia you know? I really liked it a lot there. Had lots of fun indeed. DreamWorld & MovieWorld were real fun. I'm glad I wasn't such a scaredy-cat (even though it's still no rollercoasters for me). Toowoomba was also, in a way, nice. Yeah, I spent a lot of time in my brother's car, travelling hundreds and hundreds of miles to get from one cold place to another cold place, but throughout this whole trip, I was just thankful for the peace and tranquility. It's only when I was out there did I realise how I needed this break. Break from even things I enjoyed, like mapling.
I know I may sound corny saying this, but I think it was only when I was out there, seeing those vast stretches of grasslands did I realise how meaningless some of the things I was doing back home were. I'm not saying like, hey, I went to Australia and suddenly found the meaning of life. No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that it made me realise that even while you're chasing some of the goals you've set here, there's a big and wonderful world out there, and being in some of these places may sometimes end up making you rethink your goals.
I don't wan tto sound too philosophical and overly-sentimental about this, because I know once I reach home, I'll go straight back to mapling, watching football and worrying about tuition work (yeah, at the risk of sounding like a bad tutor, I've to be frank and say the thought of calling them to schedule the next lesson doesn't excite me) and uni stuff (that'll be in more than a month's time though).
The whole trip has just been like so surreal, sort of like a dream...
I know that I'll always have those wonderful memories of Australia. And as much as possible, I'll try and feel that peace and tranquility within me too.
Yeah, we're starting to descend.
Welcome back to real life.
Some other random pics:
(at my brother's workplace... the RSAF base there in Australia)
(I think this is at Picnic Point... in Toowoomba.)
(at Brisbane Airport. Yeah, they show the WC there too, but I think Changi Airport's WC corner is better with the Xbox360 consoles...)
(my brother with Roo. Roo's wearing my Aussie jersey...)
(outside my brother's house with the rented car)
Oh I did really love Australia...
posted by lala at 9:49 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home