The following is content that originally was published on an earlier HTML-based version of XBOP that existed in the early 2000s. As part of this content migration, it has been edited to protect individual identities.
January 2002 began in Singapore (to be precise – the Fullerton Hotel). Returning back to Melbourne on Saturday 05/01, I commenced my second IBL placement at IBM Global Services Australia (GSA) on Monday 07/01. One week later, my newly-wed cousin and her husband arrived to stay for a few weeks. My cousin brought over a DVD player from KL, Malaysia as part of our entry into the home theatre/DVD hobby. We bought the rest of the home theatre equipment locally and I had a lot of fun assembling it. As part of helping our overseas visitors do the touristy-thing, we attended the Australian Open on Saturday 19/01. During the Australia Day weekend, I had my first (and ONLY) car accident – where I hit a stationary vehicle from behind. The New Royal Garden (NRG) count for the month is four because our visiting family enjoyed the food and their visit gave us ample opportunities to treat them to dinner and vice versa.
With our visitors leaving, Chinese New Year came and I took the Chinese New Year Eve off work to celebrate via a family dinner at Han Palace, Vermont South. As a typical CNY celebratory dinner, it was a set banquet and featured a lion dance. Back at work, I relocated from Southgate to Collins Street in the CBD. Dad then bought a second-hand Nissan Pulsar SSS. We attended the wedding of a Church friend and, courtesy of my being at IBM, I was treated to the corporate experience of the Melbourne Grand Prix on Thursday 28/02 at Albert Park. The NRG count for February is 3 (7 accumulatively)
On Saturday 02/03, I attended the FOCUS Scavenger Hunt and the next day, organised a surprise birthday party for a close friend. The following Monday, back at work, I won a $50 Myer gift voucher. March also saw me launch into graduate job applications. Having got the Nissan SSS, Dad then sold off the Ford Laser on the Labour Day public holiday. On Saturday 23/03, I attended the Annual FOCUS Dinner and ended the month at the FOCUS Easter Outreach camp. The NRG count for the first 2002 quarter is 7 (no attendance during March).
Returning from a relaxing and refreshing camp, I returned to work, helping my aunt to move apartments in the evening. On the weekend, I then assisted a distant relative with some renovations. On Saturday 20/04 I attended the wedding of close Church friends. Taking leave on Friday 26/04, I busied myself with job application tasks and attended dinner that evening at Silk Restaurant, Crown Casino to celebrate my brother’s birthday. The next day, I sent my aunt off to the airport and met up with other visiting family members. The NRG count for April is 2 (9).
May began with a family dinner at Jim’s Greek Tavern an authentic Greek restaurant and the celebration of a FOCUS friend’s 21st birthday. Continuing with job application interviews, I also began to get in contact with old friends. On Wednesday 15/05, I attended the celebrity premiere of Star Wars, Episode II at the Crown Casino. Meantime, a close family member went into hospital for a triple bypass, which fortunately was successfully completed without complications. The month concluded with a string of 21st birthday parties and the arrival of more visitors from KL. The NRG count for May is 2 (11).
My birthday month began on Saturday 01/06 with a birthday present from my Godmother – a trip to the ballet to watch Sparticus at the Victorian Arts Centre. With my aunt returning from her one-month overseas holiday, the whole family got together. In the closing days of my placement at IBM, I began to use up the accumulated extra hours of work, taking one day here and there as time-off-in-lieu, resulting in a series of 4-day working weeks. My placement presentation came and went and my work colleagues presented me with going-away gifts. For my birthday, I hosted Yum Cha at Shark Fin House, Burwood East. Taking my birthday off from work, I went shopping and treated myself to a new top. My brother also gave me a dinner in the inner-city. Immediately after finishing work (Friday 21/06) I began celebrating the holidays – going out with friends and hanging out. I visited my ex-work place the following week, still having interviews in the city. I then went off to the FOCUS Discipleship Camp, returning to see Brazil beat Germany in the Football World Cup. The NRG count for the first half of 2002 is 12 (1 for June), this tally already matching the entire 2001 year tally in these first six months!
The first half of July was the continuation of the break between IBL and Semester Two. I celebrated my birthday with my uni friends and received the generous gift of a webcam. Uni commenced and I slowly readjusted to the old lifestyle/routine of studying and exams. The NRG count for July is 2 (14).
While weekdays were dedicated to uni work (weekly assignments, etc…) the weekends of August were eventful, with the first marking the Monash University Open Day. Similar to the previous years, the School of Business Systems found the voluntary services of us IBLs invaluable in advising prospective students and their families. Sharing and talking about my experience has always been an enjoyable experience and in part, has helped me develop confidence in speaking and communicating. The second weekend held the next FOCUS outreach event title “Choices” where a drama skit (mime) was performed to FOCUS regulars and large numbers of visitors. This event gave me the opportunity to meet up with old school friends as well as make new acquaintances. On the third weekend, my neighbour assisted in picking up a recliner from my cousin’s place. The final full weekend of August focused on a uni friend’s 21st birthday celebration. To celebrate, on Saturday, I went with friends to shop for her present – eventually settling on a massage seat. On Sunday, we celebrated the actual birthday in style with a buffet lunch at Cuckoo Restaurant, Dandenong. The month of August ended with the Business Systems Ball, held at Hilton on the Park. The NRG count for August is 1 (15).
September began with a Father’s Day yum-cha lunch at New Royal Garden, followed by dinner at my aunt’s place. The following Monday (2/9), we experienced a blackout – the first for quite a while. As uni work began to intensify, the month became more uneventful in terms of going out. At home, we became interested in OptusNet cable for our Internet connection. We arranged for installation to take place in mid-September, but this was delayed due to the unfavourable weather. On Wednesday 18/09 I attended the Coles Myer ITS Voice & Infrastructure Seminar, an event organised by the department I did my IBL placement in 2001. In the introductory comments, I saw and heard Coles Myer CEO John Fletcher. The next significant event for September was a job interview for a sales support position at IBM. Towards the end of the month, I had an x-ray done for my teeth, as part of the final stages of my having braces. September ended with the installation of OptusNet cable during the mid-semester break. The NRG count for the month is 2 (17).
The main highlights for October revolve around uni work – assignments & exams. In particular, there was one medium-sized assignment on embedded SQL and a major group assignment for my Business Case Development subject – involved a presentation and submission of report. The first week of the month was continuation of the mid-semester break. I attended the Christian event Metamorphosis at Crossway where I met up with old school friends. With uni friends, I also celebrated a low-key 21st birthday for another friend where we watched Austin Powers – Goldmember and had a small dinner. Family birthdays during October were fairly low-key, and as exams approached, I spent more and more time in revision – for the first time ever – not attending FOCUS or Church while instead going to group study sessions at uni. Exams began for me on Tuesday 29/10. The NRG count for the month is 2 (19).
With exams completed, expectations and focus turned future-ward to the pending results that would mark the completion of Business Systems and graduation in May 2003. To celebrate, I went with a group of uni friends to Chelsea Beach for the afternoon. In mid-November a larger group of uni friends went to Anglesea to celebrate. The rest of the month saw me “reconnect” with ex-colleagues from Coles Myer & IBM. I commenced weekly PC lessons with my next-door neighbour’s mum in return for free chicken and chips – a reasonable barter. I spent a considerable amount of time with the family and also with uni and church friends – making for a well-balanced November. Two BBQs saw me farewell an student exchange who was from Amsterdam and visit my cousin’s new house in Rowville. The month ended with the Victorian State Election and a FOCUS scavenger hunt at Chadstone. The NRG count for the month is 1 (celebrated the finish of exams) (20).
December as a whole was a busy month. It began on a Sunday, when Dad & I were taken to the cinemas to see Changing Lanes with my brother 7.5/10). The following morning I had a telephone interview for a graduate position at Toyota. That week, Tuesday evening dinner was at my aunt’s, where she successfully attempted to cook the malaysian dish – “mee ribus” for the first time. University results were released Wed/Thurs – and the family had a small celebratory dinner at Wah Kee in Clayton, followed by a mahjong session at my uncle’s place. That Friday evening, with FOCUS finishing early for the year, I joined a couple of friends playing poker and hanging out. On Saturday 7/12, together with a group of uni friends, we had a BBQ at Jells Park to celebrate a 21st birthday. That evening I attended a church event That Squeaky Thing. On Tuesday 10/12, I spent the day with my aunt, taking her to Swinburne University to explore study options for herself. That Thursday, I enrolled in postgraduate studies (Masters of Business Systems – Coursework) and met up with a friend who (up until then) I did not know was also enrolling.
On Friday (13/12) morning, Dad & I went to help family with rearranging her furniture, in anticipation of receiving new lounge piece. That evening was the FOCUS Christmas Party, held at the Pastor’s home. On Saturday 14/12 Dad & I attended the church’s Christmas Street Carnival, having had lunch at Wah Kee. In the afternoon, I spent sometime next-door, where I was shown their new Mercedes CLK 320 Coupe. That evening saw my aunt join us for dinner. On Sunday 15/12 the group that went to Anglesea met up for a BBQ lunch at Herring Island (the only island in the Yarra River). The occasion also served as a joint surprise 21st birthday celebration. With temperatures around the mid 30s, we headed for cooler weather by the beach – Brighton Beach. Spending a good two hours there, I was eventually dropped off at my aunt’s place, where I could freshen up. With the rest of my family meeting up at her place later at 7pm, my brother then took us all to dinner at Renzo’s Bar, at Docklands New Quay. The following week was a bit quieter, although it featured an on-site interview with Toyota on Monday 16/12. That Thursday, I spent a number of hours shopping at Chadstone – Dad bought me a new pair of shoes & with a friend, purchased a group 21st birthday present. On Friday 20/12, I met up with my uni friend/work colleague in the city and together, we joined our old Coles Myer team for their Christmas Lunch. Friday night, after dinner, I joined a small group of friends for a game of Pictionary whilst simultaneously watching Urban Legend.
On Saturday 21/12, I spent the daytime giving the house a thorough clean-up, followed by a evening celebrating a friend’s 21st birthday. On Sunday 22/12, after church, we adjourned to my aunt’s for lunch. That evening, the immediate family joined us for dinner at home. Monday 23/12 saw me visit my cousin’s place in Rowville to help them with their computer network setup. Dinner that night was then hosted by my brother at NRG (21 total for 2002). Christmas Eve saw me bake a chocolate cake in the morning, followed by preparing the house for visitors – the “traditional” Family Christmas Eve Dinner. Christmas Day was quite busy, the day’s program was:
- 9am Church service
- trip to the Necropolis to visit my mum
- My uncle’s place hosted the traditional Christmas roast (Christmas dinner).
- Evening leftover meal: my aunt with her visiting Singaporean friend joined us
2002 ended with a small celebratory get together with my now-former uni friends. Meeting up at one of the guy’s homes, we played games and had general merriment. Watching the fireworks countdown on television, we then parted ways in the first hour of 2003…Some of us were heading into full-time work, whilst others of us were pursuing further studies; the big world awaiting our generation to make our mark.
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