Welcome to part 2 (second day duh) of my “7 Days of Perth” special. On my second day in Perth, we attended my graduation ceremony held at my Uni. We walked around a lot, which resulted in me having really painful ankles. The damage to my legs got worse every day due to the constant walking around in uncomfortable shoes. More about my legs in future posts heh.
Using a map he brought, Donald used his excellent navigational skills to guide us to Regalia Craft, the place we rented our graduation attire from. We walked through Perth City and lots of shops and finally reached Regalia Craft after walking for more than 30 mins (maybe longer). I don’t think I can make as good use of the map as Donald as I am really bad with directions. Without Donald, I don’t think I would be able to go around the different places in Perth. Too used to being brought around by tour guides in the past I think he he.
The amazing thing is that after walking under the sun for so long, I didn’t sweat at all! I think I have already mentioned how much I loved the weather in my last Perth post but I will say it again and maybe again in future posts …. I love the weather here!!!! In Singapore, almost every day is a hot day and I try my best to only walk around at night. I thought I hated the sun, but I think I only hate the sun in Singapore. The excellent weather didn’t prevent my feet from being sore though heh. I haven’t walked so much in a very long time. Maybe since my time in the army heh.
After collecting our gowns from the very efficient Regalia Craft, we ate our lunch at McDonalds lol. First meal at Australia and we had to eat food from the fast food restaurant with branches all around the world (anyone haven’t heard of McDonalds? =P). It seems like they have different choices though and we all tried different kinds of wraps not seen in Singapore before. Food are placed in takeaway bags even if you eating in the store. I guess they do this so that it is easier for people to clean up before they go. Maybe they should try this in Singapore. Unlike Singapore, I think you have to pay for extra sauces. Too many kiasu people in Perth? =P
After eating, we did some grocery shopping on our way back to the hotel. We went to a supermarket called Woolsworth. You know the one which was sued by Apple for having a similar logo? Personally I don’t think they are trying to copy the apple logo and they should be allowed to continue using it. Maybe Apple should sue everyone who sells apples too …
Anywayz, we bought lots of different snacks, instant noodles and some drinks there to taste test them and fill our stomachs in the hotel. The instant noodles were okay. The names of the noodles were interesting (there is even a Singapore Curry flavour) but the taste is not that fantastic. I guess I was expecting too much from cup noodles lol. The milk shake we bought were delicious though, sooo thick sooo tasty. I wonder if they have them in Singapore. Anyone knows where to get Brownes Supa Shake??
I also saw a UFO catcher shop in the same building as Woolsworth!! You know I’m the kind of guy who can’t resist playing those machines when I see one, so I changed some coins with the cute Taiwanese shop assistant (sooo pretty) and tried my luck. I won a Mashi Maro soft toy after spending around $5!!! It was the first soft toy I won in Australia but it wasn’t my last. More about other stuff toys I won in future posts he he. Mini side quest – the UFO adventures. Guess how many I caught by the end of my trip? Stay tuned to find out he he.
After resting in the hotel for a while, we took a bus to my school for a little bit of exploring and my graduation ceremony. We went around the campus for a little sightseeing and took lots of photographs. I feel that the service standard of the bus there is much better than Singapore’s. You get greeted when boarding the bus, you get change when you don’t have the exact amount when paying cash and can even pay with big notes, you can top up your EZ Link type card in the bus itself and it is not as crowded as those in Singapore. Maybe the cars are cheap and not many people take the bus. If you happen to be going to Perth for a holiday, take the bus around and you will know what I mean. =) Not sure about other parts of Australia though.
A little research: Western Australia is sooooo much bigger than Singapore but their population is less than half of ours?
According to my friend Wiki:
Western Australia
Land Area: 2,529,875km²
Population: 2,224,300
Singapore
Land Area: 710.2km²
Population: 4,987,600
Land Area: 2,529,875km²
Population: 2,224,300
Singapore
Land Area: 710.2km²
Population: 4,987,600
Okay … Western Australia (where Perth is at) is more than 3000 times bigger than Singapore and has less than half of the number of people. Lol. By the way, we are the third most densely populated country/region in the world. Squeeeeeze! Surprisingly, China with their billion plus plus, are ranked only 75. Maybe only the cities are crowded. Too bad in Singapore, there is no option to stay in rural areas =p
Is Singapore aiming to be number 1 lol. Woo hooo? :(
So maybe the lower density allows them take their time to serve each passenger. =P Oh well, back to school …
Because I was taking an overseas degree course, that was actually my first time in my uni’s campus lol. It is really BEAUTIFUL, with old European styled Harry Potter like buildings (and some modern looking ones) and lots of trees and flowers around. At certain parts of the school, I think one can mistake the place to be a park. Such a nice environment to study in, too bad I didn’t get to enjoy it. =(
I bought lots of stuff from this store for my classmates back in Singapore, my sister and of course for myself too. Hoodies, jackets, cups, decals, key chains etc etc …. I think the owner must be wondering why this student is buying so many things lol. =) I was acting like a typical tourist in a tourist shop and he was a happy man. I also got a prepaid phonecard there which was really useful, highly recommended for tourists. With that, I didn’t have to worry about freaking out when I see my next phone bill back in Singapore. That was actually the first time I have used a prepaid card and I will definitely lookout for prepaid cards whichever country I go in the future. Sure beats using those troublesome international calling cards and better value than using auto roaming.
Graduation ceremony was quite boring and I think I almost dozed off when they were playing some music. The place it was held in was really nice though. I felt like I was in a church heh. I was pretty nervous as I didn’t know anyone who sat around me and got no one to talk to, but I felt much better after going on stage and not making a fool out of myself by slipping or something. =P We had some refreshments after the ceremony and headed back to the hotel. Legs pain ahhhhh!!
This brings us to the end of day 2 …. Day 3 in my next “7 days of Perth” special!
Next time on the special “7 days of Perth” series – Harbour Town and Some more
P.S: Yay! Argentina won today and Newcastle United will have 2 players (Gutierrez & Coloccini) playing for them in the world cup despite being in the Championship he he. Thank you Maradona!!
(Images Taken From: My digital camera, my iPhone)