Silly things that I did when I was in Perth

I had the privilege of being selected to be part of a coaching attachment program to Australia from 29th November 2010 to 7th January 2011 in Perth, Western Australia.

My stay there was an unforgettable one. The people were so friendly and accommodating, that to this day, I miss them deeply.

But I would like to share some incredibly silly things that I did during my stay in Perth:


1) Taking photos of the customs area

 

Apparently, this was a big no-no and cameras were not allowed in the area. I only saw the no-photography notice after I took the shot. But this was not as bad as what I did next ...

2) Petting the customs dog

As a dog lover, I couldn't help petting the cute doggie on the head and going, "Hey there boy, how are you? Are you a good dog?"

The stern-faced customs lady was kind enough to tell me off politely, "Excuse me sir, but that's not allowed. Kindly refrain from stroking the customs dog."

Fortunately, I didn't create an international incident on my first day in Perth.

3) Taking baths using hand washing lotion

  

Everything in Perth was incredibly expensive, especially to a Malaysian earning Ringgit Malaysia. So, the natural thing to do was to get the cheapest in everything available.

Since liquids were not allowed on Malaysia Airlines international flights, I had to buy my toothpaste, soap and everything else liquid upon my arrival in Perth. So, I bought what I thought was a cheap body soap.

For the record, I've never been very good at buying groceries as I've been known to not pay attention to the labels. It was only after two weeks that I discovered that the body soap that I had been using was actually hand washing lotion.


4) Sleeping without locking the door

  

My serviced apartment in Perth was located in Outram Street. It's a nice apartment in the upper class business district of West Perth. Although it's located in a business area, during weekends the neighbours can get rather rowdy and noisy.

For three weeks during my stay in Perth, I had turned the key in the lock anti-clockwise thinking that this would lock the door. It wasn't until the maintenance man came one day on opened the door without the use of a key when I learned that the proper way of locking the door was by turning the key clockwise.

Fortunately, nothing untoward happened during those three weeks.

5) Speeding

The speed limit on most roads in West Perth is 60 km/h. When I picked up my rental car on the second day of my stay in Perth, I was delighted of my new ride and as to how clear the roads were. So, I decided to floor the pedal of my 5-door Holden Barina when I came across a stretch of clear road.

But just as I reached 70 km/h, I saw an unusual figure squatting in the bushes along the side of the road. Too late I realized it was a traffic policeman with a speed camera.

Fortunately, I escaped a speeding ticket, but I still had much more to learn about driving in Australia ...


6) Taking photos while driving

 

Some things that we take for granted back home are not exactly the norm or acceptable in Australia. One such example is the use of mobile phones or mobile phone cameras while driving.

I wasn't aware of the seriousness of this matter until a swimmer in the City Of Perth Swim Team told me of the penalties of using my mobile phone or mobile phone camera while driving. Luckily, I didn't get a ticket or worse, get arrested.


7) Driving against traffic

For at least two weeks, I returned to my serviced apartment via a stretch of road that seemed free of traffic. The weird thing was, the few motorists that passed me would flash their lights at me repeatedly as they passed me. Some would wave, and I would wave back.

It wasn't until two weeks into my stay at Perth that a neighbour told me that I had been driving against traffic on a one-way street!

All this time, none of the motorists horned or showed me the finger. Everyone avoided me and regarded me as a "noob" driver. I avoided a ticket, and more importantly, I avoided getting into an accident.


My stay in Perth has been an unforgettable experience. Looking back at my blunders, I feel I'm truly fortunate that nothing untoward happened despite my silliness. I hope to return to this wonderful city and country someday. I miss the friendliness and the hospitality of the people there.

New Year Day's dinner

This was my New Year Day's dinner:

Malaysian chicken curry with rice.

Corrections. Australian-made Malaysian chicken curry with rice.

After nearly 5 minutes of microwaving:

The end result.

I didn't like it.

One thing I've learned is that frozen food, no matter how good it appears on the box, never tastes good.

Happy New Year 2011

It's 1st January 2011. I'm sitting at a balcony in a serviced apartment at West Perth watching fireworks going off in the far distance. This is my first new year away from home. Happy New Year 2011 everybody.

Roo on the menu

So far during my stay in Perth, I have yet to see a kangaroo. Today, I got as close to a kangaroo as I possibly could.

Australia's national symbol in a burger. I felt quite guilty eating Skippy.

Served with fresh lettuce, bacon, tomatoes on toasted bread, the meat was very lean and tasty. Quite pricey at AUS$16.50 (RM52).

Admittedly, I felt a tinge of guilt for consuming Australia's national emblem. But I wouldn't mind savoring it again if the price was lower.

Sunset at Fremantle

Some pics taken with my Nokia N96 during a recent visit to Fremantle.

Christmas in Perth

This is my first Christmas away from home. Usually, I spend it at home with family. But during my stay in Perth on this Christmas day, I had Christmas lunch with Coach Matt Magee and his family, and Christmas dinner with Peter and Christine Choo.

Needless to say, I had an awesome lunch and dinner today. Aussie hospitality is simply unbeatable.

Surprisingly for me, Perth was very quiet on Christmas day. It seems Christmas in Australia is somewhat similar to Chinese New Year back home. Everything just shuts down.

WA custom plates

Some custom plates I wouldn't mind having:

WA state age meet

Some pics taken during the Western Australia State Age Swimming Championship at Challenge Stadium today:

Toyota is obviously a big sponsor of the meet. Note the two Toyota CRVs in the background.

A view of the starting end of a 100-meter event. The diving pool is closed off with lanes for cool down, with the swimmers' marshalling area behind it. A coaches' corner has been set up in front of the swimmers' marshalling area.

The spectator gallery at Challenge Stadium during the meet.

Scarborough open-water swim

I attended (as a spectator) my first open-water swim event this morning at Scarborough Beach.

Scarborough Beach early in the morning. Beautiful beach with soft sand.

The participants registering for the open-water swim. The number tripled within the next 10 minutes.

And they're off!

The participants were set off at different intervals. The ones with the white caps were the faster swimmers. Those were set off first. The kayaks in the foreground as well as the rubber boats in the background were used by the life-guards.

That's me with the Indian Ocean in the background. The water was cold.

Safety of the participants was taken very seriously.

The participants finishing the race at the other end of the beach.

Swimming Australia

Today is my 14th day in Perth. So far, I've learned a lot of new things, seen many different styles of coaching and had the privilege of working with accomplished coaches such as Greg Hodges, Bernie Mulroy, Matt Magee, Ian Mills and Gary Shaw.

My two weeks here have shown me a new point of view in coaching methodology and how to plan and structure workouts. What I've seen has also answered a lot of "how to" questions that I've had.

Though the coaching science may be the same, what's particularly new to me is the interaction and communication with the swimmers as well as the management of the swimmers, some of whom are world-class swimmers. Giants in their field, in other words.

Here are some pics taken during my first two weeks:

The Western Australia Institute of Sport (WAIS) building at Challenge Stadium in Mount Claremont, Perth.

The 50-meter pool at Beatty Park Leisure Center in the town of Vincent at West Perth. A 25-meter pool is in the background and there is another 25-meter pool indoors. The pools here are heated at 26 to 31 degrees Celsius.

The indoor pools at Challenge Stadium. Though the indoor stadium itself is air-conditioned, the pools are heated.

Coach Matt Magee demonstrating stroke technique during a workout session at Challenge Stadium. Note the large flat screen TV behind. Underwater cameras capture the swimmers' strokes and the video is projected on the TV screen.

That's me, all wrapped up during a workout session at Beatty Park.

Workout sessions usually start at 5:30 AM. The temperature in the above picture shows 18.3 degrees Celcius. This is a good day. On some mornings, the temperature can drop to 16 degrees Celcius.

Taking photos at swimming pools are not permitted here, so it's quite difficult to post any photos of the workouts or swimmers. But more to come soon ...

Perth city

During my time-off on weekends, I had the chance to drive around and explore Perth city. What's fascinating about Perth city is that it isn't a large city but it's spread over a large area.

Sunrise at West Perth. Notice the clear skyline.

The traffic in Perth city center is very smooth on weekends. Best of all, there aren't any motorcycles. High-rise buildings can only be found in the city center.

The Regal Theatre at Subiaco in West Perth. Classic architecture and beautiful. The crowd isn't lining up for tickets; there's a pub on the ground floor and they're waiting for "Happy Hour".

It's not unusual to find Asian restaurants in Perth. This is the Little Chutney's Indian Restaurant at Subiaco in West Perth. It's also not unusual to see stretched limos in Perth either.

 

Tree with a face carved into it at Kings Park.

In Australia, the crows are fat and huge.

I didn't cover as much ground as I had hoped to today, but hopefully my next drive around Perth will be more interesting.

To be continued ...

First home-cooked meal in Perth

I cooked my first successful home-cooked meal in Perth yesterday.

Yummy!

It's home-made "yong tau foo" cooked in chicken stock. The ingredients were bought from Chinese provision shops at Newcastle Street in Perth city.

Thanks to Christine and Peter for taking me around.

Dive and try

The City of Perth Swim Club held a "Dive and Try" talent i.d. session this morning at Beatty Park pool.

Talent i.d. session in progress. Behind the crowd at middle left, there's an oven for frying sausages and a table for drinks.

Some 26 kids aged from 7 to 12 years showed up for the recruitment drive in the blazing hot sun. National swimmers and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Blair Evans also attended the function, the latter signing autographs for the kids everyone.

Me shamelessly posing with Blair Evans for a pic.

Overall, it was a fun experience for everyone. Even for me.

Slow news day

I'm surprised to learn that my stint in Australia is even being reported in the local media:

Source: Bernama Online

Getting around in Perth

Here's my rented car in Perth:

My parking lot is on the top level of the elevator lot behind.

It's a 5-door Holden Barina 1.6. It's small and easy to get around in. Even comes with airbags but no reverse sensor.

Driving in Australia has been a rather pleasant experience for me. There are road signs everywhere and the roads are well-marked.

Traffic is not a problem either.

Aussie drivers are the most courteous drivers I have ever met. They signal before changing lanes and they don't zip in and out of traffic. At pedestrian crossings, Aussie motorists wait for the pedestrians to finish crossing before they zoom on.

A welcome change from what I'm used to back home.

Cars actually slow down from 60kmh to 40kmh at school zones.

The only downside to driving in Perth is the parking. Parking in the city is a whopping AUS$3.30 per hour. That's more than RM10 for one hour's parking.

Ouch!

Maybe that's one reason why there aren't a lot of cars in the city.