The closing chapter of 2012

Alhamdulillah.. 2012 will be leaving us soon and 2013 beckons. 2012 has certainly been one of the best years of my life; being, doing, living something that i never ever imagined. The downside would be me being far away from my family but I reckon I've really maximized what I could being in Ozzie land.All my objectives for year 2012 has been fulfilled and few extras here and there.I will certainly miss Royal Perth Hospital!

                                          boss doing the BBQ

                                            Krishna and Stefan.. the 2 Pain masters

                                                      the ever cool Richard Riley
I am thankful for the grace that Allah has given me, the rezeki of such opportunity and the health that he provides for me to live every minute of it.

2013 will bring me a different fortune, and all good things will come to and end. I'll be going home and continue my adventures in Malaysia. I do feel sad leaving Perth but the extra 6 months on top of my planned 12 months has certainly eased the denial. I am still in denial as i have yet to pack.. hahaha

Happy New Year my dear friends and may the New Year bring prosperity and rezeki to you :)

Regional Anaesthesia Services in RPH

 I'm proud to be part of the pioneer team in the set up of the regional anaesthesia services in Royal Perth Hospital! It has been an experience which i will cherish and value for the rest of my career. Certainly one of my 2012 Highlights besides being the Fellow in Regional Anaesthesia for this term.

                                             The bay in OT and the stimulating catheters

Archery Fairy Tale

It was indeed a busy weekend for me. Immediately after the glorious wedding, I was in Yokine Archery Club. Why? My first ever archery competition in my life! Its a sport I've always wanted to have a go at and Alhamdulillah, had my chance here and the cool thing is, I had an experienced Malaysian coach to help out. In fact, it was Azmi who coaxed me to have a go at it. Unfortunately the timing was always bad and it was until the last weekend before the tournament, yup.. one week before! I held my FIRST ever bow and arrow!

 Azmi is an experienced coach therefore it was not that difficult to get us going with his superfast training method! Haha and there I was the week before on my first few shooting.. of course the competition was for the 15m distance. so cam tak susah sangat ah.. The important things are the basic steps to follow. Not that hard but I did hurt my forearm.. haha berbelau! Honestly it was quite fun.. and i understood why it is a sport where Rasulullah encouraged us to take up.

 I was a bit apprehensive on competition day but honestly I was not expecting much since I only picked it up the week before. But the thought of getting those medals was really tempting. We had few Aussie club members taking part ; well the real novice ones not the good ones!

 Archery is about focus, keeping your cool and control. It was not easy to keep your jitters and your head calm. Pressure is something which can make one bad shot after a damn good one before.
Alhamdulillah.. tah macam mana.. haha overall during the classification round, I managed to edge 1 point to become the bronze medal winner. And the matchplay was out of this world as I qualified to the finals because of my consistency.. target tak kena pun 10 but in the finals.. totally way out of the league! Kena belasah kaw kaw.. hahaha

Alhamdulillah.. Thank you Azmi for introducing me this sport. I had my fun and perhaps something I would like my children to take up. It is worthwhile and why not since it is sunnah?

Perth Malay Wedding Osman&Isma

I was asked by Izhar (father of the bride) to MC his daugther's do few months ago but never that i would thought my involvement was more than that! It was a first for me in Perth. Having a big Malay community in Perth has "expanded" my alternative career in t future.. haha I have been MCs in numerous weddings in Malaysia ; my own family members and most notably is Ibdil's: therefore it was something that i have not done before.

However i was handed the responsibility to handle the nikah ceremony which was like seriously? hahaha To call all of them to a meeting the Saturday before was a "gulp"ing experience for me; imagine having to guide the Imam of Rockingham mosque Haji Ahmad to comply with my plans for the day! 

 I must say, Izhar is really good with his artwork. to create such a wonderful pelamin was beyond my expectations.It was really huge! And the amazing help from fellow friends and family around in Perth. I cannot believe how the Pelamin was built from scratch and he is a very talented man. Of course, for his daughter's wedding; i cannot imagine not doing the same.

 Alhamdulillah, the ceremony went well. 22/12/12. The nikah procession was done full of adat, and me being in the middle of the pack ; i can't wait to see the video. Haha Facing the ever judging elder malays crowd was not easy to handle but then hantam sajalah.. It was an emotional moment for Izhar when he was not able to hold his tears when reading the words he had for Osman.. i felt it.. the crowd all felt it. Alhamdulillah, Izhar completed his task as Isma's wali with an excellent aqad with Osman.

 The afternoon sanding and majlis went well. I became a "bidan terjun" when i decided to open the floor for silat! haha Imagine not doing it for donkey years and there I was doing my Rajawali Putih steps :) It was fun and of course, the event felt lots like the weddings during my childhood. The elders were spotting enough to lead the karaoke and sang all their hearts out!

Congratulations to Osman & Isma.. Congratulations to Izhar & Marmah.. The event did went really well and I'm glad I'm a part of it somehow.. as now, i have few foster families in Perth:)

Mt Coo-tha & around Brisbane

Imran lives near Mt Coo-Tha.. another famous recreational area if you happen to visit Brisbane. And of course, as this is what i look for.. we went for a morning bushwalk to the summit. The lookout can also be reached by car as it is a developed area for at the top, when the day is clear you can get an excellent full view of Brisbane CBD. But.. boring ahh naik kereta, ada trail.. ikutla trail! Bushwalker melayu kan.. hahaha

The walk up was fairly steep but as th peak is not that high, it was not too bad. Mt Coo Tha is the highest point in Brisbane, thus the other reason i want to be on top of it. Deeno & Pak Am was here the week before, so I'm following their steps as well (perhaps prelude to Everest?) hahaha We did do a de tour to the aboriginal trail but i guess either it is summer or the falls which was supposed to be the main attraction is not there any more!

 It was time to explore the concrete jungle again! We parked our car at Kangaroo point and we did the full boardwalk trail along River Brisbane. It was certanly nice to do the walk as the council has really made it for tourist. I wish i had more time as i would have ran along it to enjoy Brisbane as an aussie! hahaha Along the path, there was this public pool ; perhaps a wannabe beach.. but as it was a hot day streams of Aussies were out to enjoy the sun! I should have brought my swimmin gear to have a dip there as well! Certainly well maintained for public use.

It was indeed a surprise. I;ve never thought Brisbane was as such based on the description given by few of my friends who had lived here before. It was nice.. and i do understand why Brisbane is in the top 20 list of one of the most liveable cities in the world.
I've been to Melbourne, Vienna, Toronto and I live in Perth.. in a way, i do have a rough idea what liveable cities should be like :)

Mt Tamborine basecamp - Skytrek and bushwalk

 After a whole day of fun in the sun, we were off to Mt Tamborine National Park- a famous area of visit for tourists who'd visit Gold Coast. I was planning something different, a camp night out in the outdoors! It was a first and perhaps the convenience of booking it spurred me on to continue the plan. The campsite was a dedicated campsite.. and it was almost full when we arrived. (we arrived near to sunset). Aussies do like to camp out with their families and I was impressed with their equipments. Another thing that shocked me was the allowance for open fire burning.. where in WA its a NO-NO! Campfire bule buat tu... cool..

 The toilet facilities were excellent.. I wonder why don't many Malaysians camp out in Aussie.. Memang best! I did wish my Kamcheng friends were with me in this trip as it was definitely tailored for our liking! It was also my chance to test my tent; as so far only Syafiq had used it extensively in his Field trips. I must say.. i made a good buy and I'm sure i'll have more adventures with it back home.

 After waking up early the next morning, we were off to do a short bushwalk to Cedar Creek.. which was near to our campsite. I'm sure the waterfall would be much beautiful during winter but it was good enough for both me & Imran to have a dip (again! hahaha) Best mandi ngan nature and I guess I'm more keen for such outdoor gimmicks in the near future.

 After clearing the campsite, we were off to the Skywalk; a special walkaway up in the canopy of the rainforest. Tulah, in Mt Tamborine its rainforest as it is more sub tropical so terasa la jugak macam hutan Malaysia. the main difference is its not humid therefore we were not really drenched with sweat but somehow easily dehydrated because of the dryness.

Gold Coast recce trip

I never thought i'd reach Gold Coast during this stint. It has always been potrayed as a holiday heaven for the family. I did plan to bring the family over in the future.It was a sudden plan; as it was also Imran's last few weeks in Brisbane before he moves over to Perth.

It was a quick getaway as well over the weekend. I took a midnight flight from Perth and arrived in the early hours in Brisbane. Imran fetched me and we were off to Gold Coast. The first destination was Surfers Paradise.. and it was coincidentally a hot day.. the first day of Summer in 2012. It was scorching hot ever since the sun rose. Typically, there were not that many people yet on the beach that morning.

 We had to go for a dip.. Wajib maah.. It is of my sudden craze in Aussie as well, the Why not question everytime we are wondering whether we should have a dip or not! The water was not as cold as WA though.. but it was fun to play amongst the giant waves! Yes.. dah berjaya lagi.. haha

 And of course, takkan dah sampai Gold Coast tak pergi Movie World kot? hahaha It was indeed reliving my youth as all the thrill rides were pulun"ed".. haha I must say Superman ride was one of my best ever adrenaline rushes as it was simply a woooshh.. perrrggghh... 4G acceleration mmg terasa gile! Haha I've not had that thrill for so long as for the mediocre rides in Malaysia.

 Movie World is definitely a fun place to be at. Either with family ( providing anak dah besar2 baru best) or with your close friends.. Memang seronok ala-ala remaja.. haha

And of course, how could I miss the opportunity for a good sidekick pic with Batman !!

Another step for me..

The reason why there was a sudden travelling spree in the past few weeks was to celebrate me finishing my term on my course with the Univ of Melbourne. I have not bloged about my adventures in Gold Coast and Brisbane, which i will do in the near future.
Alhamdulillah.. I've just passed my exams in my Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Ultrasound! Wow.. I am thankful that so far I have managed to complete all my aims here.. and I guess my adventure in Aussie land will end soon :)

Sydney backpack

 It was my first time in Sydney. I must say it is a big metropolitan. Its bigger than Perth (of course!) and busier than Melbourne.. a happening town 24/7! I did the usual thing of going around town and looking at its attractions. The background picture of Sydney Opera House is a must .. and i did the other thing, which was to run around it along other runners- in this city where runners rule the paths! Seriously.. everytime of the day, pagi ke, petang ke.. lunch time and even at night! U can see runners or joggers doing their thing. The weather of course made it possible and of course, it was my chance to have my pics doing the thing that they do.. hahaha

 Every city in Aussie has their own character and it is here in Sydney that you see the diversity of Australians; a country where nobody really owns it.. though you don';t really see any aborigines in the city centre area. food was variable and it is not uncommon to find chinese cuisinie shops as well as Malaysian concept eateries around. My most memorable moment was eating kangaroo burger here.. haha only available in Sydney!

 During our exploration walk, we ended up being on the observatory hill as it was our solace to perform prayers when while looking for the Sydney mosque as per internet failed! Apparently it is only open for Friday prayers and not really licensed as a prayers house. and to our amazement, in the Planetarium area we found the highest point of Sydney.. A trigonometry beirut made of stone was commerated.. it was the point where from the map makers stood up and made thier grids as how they see it :)

A dip in Bondi beach was on my wish list.. of course, this beach is famous for its topless population but I guess god wanted to protect us.. The weather was not suitable for sunbathers.. it was indeed a cold beginnING OF SUmmer! haha but it did not deter me to play amongst the waves.. and i then understood why it is a surfers heaven.. Gile kuat the waves ooii...
It was a memorable experience as it sort of brought me back in time.. reminiscing the time when i backpacked in Europe and the states.. not so long ago but something I left not doing after started work and getting married. Alhamdulillah, allah has granted me the opportunity to relive that again.. :0

Exploring Blue Mountains National Park

The climb to the top was just the beginning of the whole adventure! Imagine, how after a bit of rest we were off from Thredbo with our destination next- Canberra to hitch off Deeno & Pak Am, and next straight to the Blue Mountains National Park which was an hour away from Sydney.. therefore, a whole night drive to our destination! Luckily Australia can be straight forward as with the GPS set, it was Apip and my turn to sleep during the drive.

 The main attraction for this UNESCO heritage site is the three sisters, a remarkable geological formation of three stones which has its own aboriginal fable. If you happen to be in Sydney, its a must to go to this as it will not be complete as how it has been advertised! haha.. The group tried to trek down to the waterfall but i guess being the end of spring and summer, it was not as impressive as how it was shown.. it was just a small waterfall as me and Abemu were following the trek to it. The view was amazing.. Masya Allah, the clear blue skies again became the determining factor for such beauty to the eyes :)

                                         The Giant stairs.. going down to the foot of the 3 sisters

                                           better pic of my position from Abemu's camera

 And as a climbing group, it would not be complete for us not to try and reach the peak of the land which we conquered. Thus.. Mt Piddington and One Tree Hill, as the highest point on this 1000 acres of reserved land.

Mt Kosciuszko roof of Australasia

17 November 2012, Alhamdulillah with my fellow OGKL members summitted Kosciuszko! It was an enjoyable trip and the one that i have been waiting for since early this year. In fact, i bought the Return KL-Sydney ticket early because i never thought i'd be extending my stay in Perth!

Took the Qantas flight from Perth to Sydney and I must say, after being a loyal customer of air asia for travels, I have forgotten how it feels like to travel in a premium airline. Eventhough it was domestic, the full package was there ie food, entertainment and pillows to sleep on during the 4.5 hours flight!
I arrived in Sydney too early, at about 6am and waited for the team to arrive from KL at 12 noon! I have indeed explored Sydney airport and i now know where one would like to be if being in this airport for that amount of time.. hahaha
The whole team arrive and it was a mini reunion for multiple trips i had with them before; Deeno,Saf, Apip, Eryn,Taha Kak Ana, Uncle Appa, Abemu ( i know how he got that name.. haha) PAk Am and of course the beauty of doing an OGKL trip is you get to meet new people. I was introduced to Arif, Abg Yusof, Fakhrul, Sabri, Naim, Nora, SQZ & Arnie.
After a bit of tough negotiations to get our transport, we were on our way to Thredbo which was 600+ km away.. Perrghh.. jauh tu nak drive.. hahaha I was the designated GPS reader and off we were in our three SUVs.Honestly, we only really started at 5pm after the stop in Bankstown to shop for our breakfast and maann.. we were soo late! The route can be confusing at times as I was new to the Navman GPS and with twist and turn, we went down all the way to Canberra before heading to Thredbo.
We arrived in our place of stay for the night really late! And after a wholesome meal of my own recipe for pasta hahaha (sorry ek sapa yg tak dapat.. tak sangka lak org makan sampai menjilat pinggan!) ; a briefing was done by Apip with a bit of taaruf before off everyone went for sleep. The temperature was really cold as it was 0 when we arrived :)
Woke up in a bit of rush in the morning as i was to prepare the fried rice as well as the pitta tuna for the climb! Managed to do it in time thanks to the ultimate service of nasi microwave! haha

 The chairlift which brings us halfway to the top started early that day because of a MTB downhill tournament happening and that made our movement faster. We were up and ready at the Thredbo chairlift and off we went! I literally slept all the way on my way to the end because of the sleep deprivation! hahaha The trek to the top is nothing to shout about; Toolbrunup and Bluff Knoll is more of a challenge, but hey.. even Kinabalu is a simple trail and it is the highest peak in SEA!

 There was still snow covering the pathway, and that brought joy to most of the contingent! Playing and feeling the snow was the main theme! Everybody seemed to enjoy the weather as eventhough it was freezing cold, the wind did not make it worse. By noon, everybody in the team summitted and the shout of joy! Woohooo.. top of Australasia.. tak la tinggi but to be in another Continent :) that is an achievement.. in a way.. thanks to Air Asia.. haha Surprisingly, my pitta became a super hit as everybody was hungry and the tuna mayonaise mix was delicious! hahaha

It was great fun and of course, the saying of its about the journey, and not the destination does hold its say :) Thank you OGKL for this trip and i certainly enjoyed the company and the adventure that comes with it! Tak susah pun nak sampai puncak so i do encourage those in Aussie to do this! Seriously... bila lagi ? :)