GE13: For a better Malaysia

I woke up bright and early on Sunday, when normally, I would sleep in. In fact, I hardly had any sleep due to the excitement. I could not wait for the day trip to Canberra to begin. It was a special trip. In fact, any trip we make to Canberra is special because we were not going to drive for 3 hours to a place as boring as Putrajaya for no good reason. Okay, I admit, not as boring but nearly. At least Canberra is more picturesque.

This particular trip was extra special. This trip may be the one trip that will change our homeland.

I made this trip with a Malaysian family I got to know recently. They very generously offered me a ride down south and it was one joyful ride with Mandarin children's songs playing half the time. Their adorable two-year-old was so well-behaved the whole trip. As we made the turn off Hume Highway onto Barton Highway at Yass, she asked ever so innocently, "Why so long? We there?"

It was like an omen - the transition of lush summer green to red and golden autumn was symbolic of change. Not only did we have fantastic weather that day, we did not face issues with traffic and were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of fellow postal voters at the High Commission. The sides of the roads were lined with cars, there were children playing happily in the adjacent playground and there were people making new friends. Such a heartwarming sight.

In all honesty, I was expecting a more serious atmosphere. I am new at this, you know, this being my first voting experience. As laughter was heard as we approached the gate of the Malaysian High Commission, I wondered if we were there for the right event.

We were greeted by friendly, smiling faces. Interestingly, almost all personnel on duty were men of Malay ethnicity. Perhaps two or three were women and only one was a Chinese man. We recorded our details in the Visitors Log. The time was 10:30am and I think it was about 70 names before us. Security personnel screened us using a metal detector and had a quick look at the insides of our bags. Even the little one looked up at all these strange uncles, replied them 'Good Morning' and also held her hands up for them to screen. They liked how adorable she was!

A local Aussie personnel checked our ICs, matching the photo on the IC to the cardholder. "Yup, that's definitely you, alright..." before we signed another logbook on the way up to the building where the 'serious business' was taking place. The two Malay pakciks manning this counter asked us where we traveled from to get there and when we asked if there were people from places further than Sydney, their reply was, "Oh yes, some came from Brisbane!" I take my hat off to the Queenslanders. Makes our drive from Sydney seem like nothing compared to your flights from Brisbane. And if you were not on a direct flight to Canberra, you would have had to take a bus or train to Canberra from Sydney, where more flights stop. Respect!

Two entrances to separate voters according to state, I queued behind Kar Meng at the entrance that included the state of Selangor. Wan Fei's entrance did not have a queue so she went straight in. We had to wait for about 10 minutes before we were welcomed in by the two pakciks who checked our names against their list of registered postal voters, searched for our envelopes and crossed our names off the list.

With Very Important Envelope in hand, I waited for my turn to approach the witness table. A very friendly Malay chap, he patiently went through the procedure with me, explaining which forms go into which envelopes and all. Mistake #1: After checking the spelling of my name and my IC number, I immediately initialed the form. My excitement to be voting for my first time clouded my senses so much that I did not even think of reading the form, to find out what I was initialing my life away to. Mistake #2: I did not check that I had the correct ballot papers. Thank goodness I had them, though.

No use of indelible ink, which meant that I did not need to bring the cling wrap, nail polish remover and facial cotton. I brought them in the event that other voters may require them. Oh well...

Very carefully, I retrieved the ballots. I scrutinised every inch of the paper for suspicious marks. I made sure the surface of the table was clean before I drew two big pangkahs, one for each ballot using the Sharpie pen provided. I even fanned and blew the ballot papers so that the ink would not stain other parts of the paper when folded. I think it would be hard to somehow 'move' the pangkah to a different box because the Sharpie ink soaked straight through the paper! You could see that big black pangkah from the back!

Even more careful than when I retrieved the ballots, I attentively matched the right Borang 2 to its Sampul B and enclosed with this Borang 2 is Sampul A containing the matching ballots. A sudden urge to be kiasi had me using the gluestick they provided to glue both envelopes.

Mistake #3: Apparently, we had to drop our envelopes into the diplomatic bag hung on the same side of the room as the entrance we entered. Wan Fei was informed by the witness who attended to her. I, on the other hand, was not told this piece of information, therefore my assumption that either diplomatic bags would be fine. Still, I walked out of the voting hall with a sense of achievement. My first vote - done!

A lady from Jom Balik Undi queried us on the voting process. I thought it went smoothly, in all honesty. My friends concurred. In fact, we were all first-time voters and found the process pretty straightforward (despite the discrepancies mentioned above).

We joined in the festivities on site. Tables and benches were set up for voters to enjoy home-cooked Malay food, just like what we would get at those roadside gerai set up by makciks and pakciks.

I bought a box of nasi ayam for $5 and a box of kuih for $3. Ah, so long since I had authentic Malay food. And the kuih, the lady even ensured me, "Amoi, kuih ni sedap tau. Yang sirap ros ni, dari Malaysia. Nak tak? Yang ni ade jagung, yang ni ade coklat. Mau kotak ni?" Yes, rose syrup kuih. I was totally sold.

During the 3-hour car ride back to Sydney, I took a jog down memory lane. I remember how I partook in the Bersih 2.0 rally here in Sydney in 2011. I remember getting myself registered as a voter at the post office back in KL. I remember praying for friends and family who were at the Bersih 3.0 rally back home. I remember keeping abreast with news regarding voting for Malaysians overseas. I remember understanding and ensuring my eligibility to be a postal voter, downloading, printing, scanning and e-mailing the application form to SPR to register as a postal voter. I remember how every other week I keyed in my IC number into that SPR link to confirm, double confirm, triple confirm that I am a registered voter. I remember the anxious wait for my application to be a postal voter to be accepted. I remember the elated feeling when this flashed before my eyes:

From that first Bersih rally I was part of 2 years ago, look at where we have arrived. In true Malaysia Boleh fashion, we made overseas voting possible. And just like how the seniors of the University of Malaya Yao Lan Shou Music Composing Unit (马大摇篮手音乐创作坊) very aptly put it, perhaps we are at the last hurdle of a better tomorrow...

This is a music video of a song produced, composed and performed by ex-students of the above-mentioned unit. They included lyrics in Mandarin with English translation. Many of the faces you see in this video are Malaysians residing outside of Malaysia, who will be traveling home for the elections.

As we were leaving the High Commission, more people began to arrive. It was a moving sight to see that there were more Malaysians than I thought who are still deeply concerned in executing their Malaysian civil duties.

Like the colour change in the Australian autumn landscape, it is time for a change in the Malaysian political landscape. We owe it to ourselves and our future generations. Do not underestimate the power of one vote, for we do not know what the future holds for us from the ripple effect of one small, seemingly innocent action. 

My respect, prayers and well-wishes go out to all who are heading home for the real deal. Stay safe, stay strong.

To all back home, we have done our part. On 5/5, it will be over to all of you.

For a better Malaysia, let's have our voices heard and votes counted.

Down memory lane

Perhaps it is due to recent happenings in my life that I have flashbacks of the past as I prepare for bed at night. Unconsciously, people and places that used to matter to me stop by in their journey on my train of thoughts to smile and wave at me. Reflexively, I smile and wave back.

The autumn colours along the pavement in uni and the piercing cold winds that are ushering winter into the year bring back memories. Special ones which make me think that I have experienced much; emotionally, intellectually. I did not realise how much one person could have an impact on me, especially one whom I was confident was a passerby in life.

Goes to show how much an ass I made out of myself.

Sometimes, I cannot help but activate my iPhotos to browse the photos that were taken during the autumn adventure I was on last year. It was one that continued to be a wonderfully memorable winter, with me doing random unanticipated things. Things like take a train in the wee hours of the morning to spend a whole day with a person I hardly know to places not set foot on for a photo-snapping spree.

I walk down this lane pretty often. This lane has windows of memories; some which I merely look into while some are which I open to have a better look inside.

As much as I do not enjoy thinking and saying this, but I feel that this stroll down memory lane is a happy one. And it reminds me heaps of you.

My last minute Melbourne trip (Last Episode)

Yes, finally, the last installment to this report!

On my last day, Auds was feeling generous. She actually treated all of us to yumcha before we took the black windy route...

... up to Mount Dandenong. We were blessed with a colourful display of flora, mainly of the autumn hues of amber, orange, yellow, red, brown, bronze and gold:

We were not lucky enough to get a clear day view from the peak of Dandenong. We resorted to goofing around in the gardens.

And when you make a trip up Dandenong, you cannot miss the opportunity to tuck into a warm serving of tea and scones. After comparing Dandenong to Blue Mountains, Auds concluded that the scones at Dandenong were better while the strawberry jam at Blue Mountains stood out.

We window-shopped, admiring the handicraft and antiques sold in the various shops there. We spent a long time in one shop managed by a lovely lady who was familiar with Malaysian tourists. She's a retired high school teacher who is now doing something she enjoys - selling organic soap, aromatherapy, lotions, candles and what-nots. She was so lovely that I requested for a photo to be taken with her!

Auds bought herself a new tube of lavendar hand cream. Her grandma bought quite a few things ranging from candles to soap. I bought myself an amethyst windchime. It's so pretty!! I am planning to hang it at Honey Bee and will take a picture of it when I find it a good spot.

With more things to pack into my luggage, I returned to Sydney to a warm hug.

Oh, and for all the girls out there who have a guy living with them, here's a little something that may come in handy:

My last minute Melbourne trip (Episode 5)

As Auds did not get sufficient sleep (due to feeling hyper), I was the designated driver for the day. Our destination for the day was Bendigo, town of gold. It did not occur to me that Bendigo Bank originated from this place until after this vacation.

While driving on the highway, we noticed signboards with the name 'Hanging Rock'. I quickly pointed out that this tourist spot is famous and would like to drop by. We made a detour and veered off in the direction of this rock. It may not be as big as Ayers Rock but hey, it's still spectacular in it's own right. Made famous by a novel called Picnic at Hanging Rock written many years ago that was turned into a movie, Hanging Rock is girdled by greenery. It's rugged environment is balanced by the rolling green scenery that goes on as far as the eye can see:

Wah, and look at this layer of cottonwool!:

Of course, the place wouldn't be called Hanging Rock if not for hanging rocks, right?

And oh, they sure know how to make it an attraction by naming natural phenomenons such as this waterfall mark:

Aunty treated me to an ice-cream after the climb. I still cannot believe that Auds has better stamina than I do... Okay la, I'm super unfit la. Admit la.

Lunch was pies from what seemed like a well-established pastry shop in Bendigo. Uncle paid for me, to reward me for driving all day. After lunch, we took a walk around town and following recommendations from the Information Centre, we visited the Arts Museum. Impressive collection they have there but unfortunately, time did not permit us to appreciate all the exhibits they house. We managed to capture this though:

We also climbed up the hill in the park behind the museum to ascend an actual 'tower' or 'rig' or whatever you call those things that they used to help with the gold mining that happened here decades ago. Up here, we had a bird's eye view of the town:

I think the Almighty up there also appreciated my chauffeur services that day as he provided us with these on the drive home (a little blurred because they were taken while the car was moving):

I finally got to meet up with Mahen after 5 years! He's now permanently back in Australia and it was so good to catch up with him. It was nice to spend my last night in Melbourne with someone from the past, gossiping about how 'great' students we were back in CPU and talking about our future.

My last minute Melbourne trip (Episode 4)

Auds woke up really early today. I guess she was too excited to sleep anymore. I had the car all to myself for the first half of the day so after dropping her at the station (she had a job interview in the city), I headed towards Brighton. Why? I was heading there in search of a long row of colourful boathouses, not like the few I saw a few days ago.

However, after driving up and down the road, I couldn't see where they were and it started to rain. I gave up after filling the car up with more petrol. I then thought of my cousin, Meng Cheng, and gave her a ring. Coincidentally, her workplace isn't far off from where I was at the time. I drove to Mentone to have lunch with her, to catch up and to stare at what she calls a tiny piece of near nothing karat diamond that was sitting on her engagement finger. It may be 'tiny' and 'near to nothing karat' but it still SHIMMERED and SHINED okay? Can't wait till your wedding day couz!

When Auds called, I quickly headed to Clayton to get her home, changed and dropped her in uni. Then, I had to rush over to her parents' to give them a ride to uni. I discreetly brought her mum to a florist to buy a bouquet of flowers along the way. The pinkish/purplish bouquet was the one I got for her while the red was what Aunty bought:

She was so surprised when we showed up with a bouquet each in our arms. Of course, she could not resist the temptation to have her photograph taken before the ceremony:

Although Monash is only 4 years older than Macquarie, their graduation ceremony was much more impressive. I was green with envy sitting on the upper level of the auditorium watching the proceedings. It was so grand!!!

To celebrate, we went to Hog's Breath for dinner. Man, you have no idea how much meat I've gobbled down since setting foot here. Terrible. And not to mention that it doesn't help with maintaining my weight at all...

After dinner, I brought Auds to have a look at bro's place and he introduced his 'missing' housemates to me. One of them was this person:

Yes, I was surprised too when I found out! Super small world eh? Jeremy aka Jem lived with my bro for the entire year and I didn't know. Haha.. Oh, and if you guys still don't know what my bro looks like, here:

When we arrived home, the house was dark and we suspected a power failure. There were tealight candles lit on the stairs and when Auds walked up, she was overcome with emotions. Her housemates set up a surprise for her, to congratulate her on her graduation. Aw, so sweet... I decided to take a picture with them (from left; yours truly, Chiang Wey, Titus & Yvette):

A sweet ending to a memorable day eh, Auds?

My last minute Melbourne trip (Episode 3)

Yet another gloomy morning in Melbourne. This time, we were northward bound. Instead of going towards the coast, we headed inland. Our destination was a very famous valley - the Yarra.

In all my years here (and not to mention the countless trips I've made to the state of Victoria), I've not seen Yarra Valley for myself. I've been to the Barossa Valley in South Australia and the Hunter Valley up here in New South Wales but Yarra? Nope. So finally, I get to see Yarra and in full autumn splendour as well!

First stop: De Bortoli.

We entered this building...

... for some wine-tasting. Uncle bought some cheese and I bought a bottle of erm... I don't even remember what it's called now. Well, it was their in-house Moscato which isn't called Moscato. Yes, I'm a Moscato lover.

We then decided to head on to our second destination for lunch, hoping that it would be slightly less pricey (which I highly doubted but anyways...). The second wine cellar we visited is the oldest there is in Victoria - Yering Station. They have such pretty autumn colours here! Why don't we get this in Sydney?!?!?!

Accommodation is also provided on the premises. Chateau Yering holds historic value and gives you a very English feel when you walk in. Not only did they preserve the original design of the building, they also use furniture and accesssories that were used in that era.

Oh, and you'd definitely smell the 'Englishness' as well, as they'd have the firewood burning.

As our tummies were rumbling, we walked over to the building that fed most of Yering's guests. I took a picture of Auds outside this building, which also features an amphitheatre:

I thought the design of the building was clever. They used recyclables such as planks off the wine drums:

The glass walls made use of the more-than-ample light they'd be getting off Mother Nature:

The high ceiling would help with keeping the building cool in summer and warm in winter:

All these were complimented with scrumptious food. I ordered a dish of duck:

Auds had salmon:

Her grandma had another dish of fish with pumpkin:

Uncle had er, I can't recall what it was but it had lots of aubergine:

Aunty had a platter of seafood of sorts I think. I can't really recall either:

There was a dairy nearby so we decided to stop there to get more cheese but ended up buying ice-cream instead. But it was good. Along the way, we passed a strawberry farm with rows and rows of the red fruits. We did not stop there. Instead, we stopped next door where there was a rose farm. Oh, and how can you not take pictures of beauties such as these:

We went home early because the next day was a big day for Auds. What day was that? Well, you'd just have to wait and see won't ya?