Perth: Leisure and Relaxation

Coming back to the cold winds of Melbourne after soaking up the sun in Perth and Queensland is not easy. My fingers are freezing. My throat feels cold. Have just gotten back from Safeway with Nik and Chris.. Blessed be the heaters.

Perth was packed. I barely had time for a breather, I sincerely didn't expect the conference to be so full-on. I half-expected to have time to hang out with the rest of the Petronas kids at Currie Hall but I didn't have enough time to do that. Between talks and discussion groups, and the nightly social events, it was a full schedule. I have to admit to skiving off a couple of events to stay in with my friends. The highlight of the week was the ball at the end. Fancy, I must admit. Fancy and fun. It was the most I've seen people drink ever. The most I've ever heard the sculling song being sung throughout one session.

"Here's to ___________, yes it's true,

He's a piss-pot through and through,

He's a bastard so they say,

Tried to go to heaven but he went the other way,

Drink it downdowndowndowndowndown..."

We did manage to squeeze in a trip to the WA Aquarium and Caversham Park one of the days. I find I really enjoy being a tourist. I can indulge in my excitement at new places without seeming blase about it. I like looking at museums and aquariums and zoos and stuff like that. Especially places with animals. Having my handbag fall into the touch pool at the aquarium was NOT fun though.

I've killed my phone. Sigh.

It was good seeing everyone again. Fendy and Hasanul were leaving, ironically, to Melbourne. Din was working. I mostly hung out with Sheila and Nazli. They had mealtimes together though, so during those times I managed to catch up. I enjoy the easy camaraderie they all share. I spent a lot of time re-discovering my passion for Red Alert: Command and Conquer. Would wake up in the mornings and trawl the hall to see who was awake and waltz into their rooms for a chat. There's a definite advantage there. A couple of nights playing Monopoly.

I was flying off before Nazli's birthday, so I hatched a scheme to hide his present in his room. I really have to work on my skills are a master-planner. He found his present days before his actual birthday. Heh.

The last day in Perth had gorgeous weather. Sheila, Boon Hua and I sat for ages on the lawn playing cards under the warm sun and blue skies. For some reason, Boon Hua and I had Jet's Are You Gonna Be My Girl in our heads and would keep singing along to that until Sheila brought down her laptop to play some music. We were dancing on the lawn, probably to the amusement of most people watching. It's a rare opportunity I get to do that. I'm missing Perth already.

Still to come, my advantures in Queensland!