I had one of the most fun-filled holiday over the weekend! Man, it was crazeeee.....but I loved it!!! After all, I love doing some crazy stuff especially now since its holidays! My sleeping patterns have changed! I think I've turned into an owl!

Last Saturday, I was at Gold Coast with some friends ....something like a day road trip all the way to New South Wales! YES!!! I was at NSW.....haha! We were at Fingal Head.....suppposed to be able to see dolphins but then again.....they decided to keep us in suspense so we will return some other time to see them ;)So we jus admired the really beautiful coast, blue skies, crashing waves and golden sand! That was enough to satisfy us for the day.

Meet my band ;)......

Then, I got home and went to friends place for dinner and unexpectedly/expectedly (hmmm....i wonder) decided to stay on to watch soccer....and so I didn't sleep at all until the following morning.....jus managed to catch 40 winks. Then out to church.

Yesterday, was out at the city for 'dim sum' and shopped the whole day! Ya....it was a make up for the other day when I didn't get any stuff from DFO :( So, ya....trying to console myself!

Its been 4 months, 3 days here in Brisbane......now, here's a list of 'What's Nice & What's Not!':

What's Nice?

1. My room - its as big or maybe bigger than my room back home, with nice view, really large window that's equal to the length of my room, big enough wardrobe to play 'hide and seek'.

2. The people - warm & friendly, saying 'hi' and 'thank you' to bus drivers, really cautious drivers..........and i mean really cautious like just waiting to give way to other people....u know....

3. Home-cooked food - home cooked food is the best meal i can get here! my housemates cook really nice chicken rice, 'siew yoke' and of course my innovative cooking that u can't possibly get elsewhere!

4. The winter - I'm beginning to like the winter here.....its cold but not that cold....maybe just like 'Genting'. And the best part, I can still go to the coast during winter!

5. My course - I'm really enjoying my course! Well.....I should! I afterall it costs a bomb! love my lecturer and classmates. To know more about what I've been doing in this course, check out ywap.blogspot.com.

What's Not!

1. No 'mamak' - what's life without 'mamak'? no place to hang out to chat or drink at night, just stay in your room and do what I'm doing now....good in a way....no supper! keep fit!

2. Shopping malls close at 5pm - sad isn't it? where do all the people go at night? oh well.....the malls back home are much bigger and nicer and whole lot cheaper! but i still go shopping here....wat to do.....nothing to do here... just go shopping lo.....tat's so girl!

3. No REAL chilli sauce - the chilli sauce here are not made of chilli i guess....hehe! they have mostly sweet chilli sauce....but isn't chilly supposed to be spicy??? AND you have to buy them from fast food outlets...unlike back home its free flow! so, bring your own chilli sauce wherever u go!

4. No nice TV program - mostly news, talk shows, sports, sports and more sports.....zzz....zzz.....so, the alternative is to make friends with a lot of Singaporean and Malaysian friends and borrow DVDs they got from home! ;)

5. No flat road to walk on - all roads here are hilly....really hilly. All those new drivers, its a test of ur manual skills! I'm still deciding on a day when I need to really force myself to exercise and walk back from uni! but the bus stop's just outside my house, and its 10 mins ride to uni.......so what's the point?

This is the question that I've been asked and will be asked over and over again. Well, I grew up in a family where music is so much part of my life.....my family members (mum's side) love music, right from my grandma, grandpa, uncles, aunties, cousins, parents, (sister ?), nephews & nieces.

When I was younger, my relatives would sing during family gatherings and my eldest cousin would rope in all the other cousins to take part in this 'family musical'. I being the youngest then, among all my cousins, would just be the 'copy cat' and immitate the dance steps or whatever my older cousins did. yeah....was very cute then, maybe around 4 years old ....haha! My grandpa would sing his favourite hymn, "Freely, Freely You Have Received" & "Amazing Grace" whenever and wherever he liked. Of course, my other relatives would have their favourites too and would call out the song and sing....like a song request and karaoke session....haha!

Then, there would be the "highlight" of the day when my relatives start calling out my cousins to give their solo recitals. So, I had a cousin who was known for his "snake dance", a cousin who was a "famous wedding singer", a cousin who conducted musicals, cousins who played the violin, cello, an uncle who played the accordion, and another cousin famous for her "Richard Clayderman style" (because her mum loved it!).

And now as I look back......that may be my first ever music therapy encounter without me even realizing it! In fact, among the aims of music therapy are to encourage interaction, encourage social skills, and build self esteem. Music is widely used as a means of communication.

Another early encounter with music therapy I had, was probably the time when my maid hummed "Amazing Grace" as a lullaby to put my baby sister to sleep.....haha...wonder if my sister remembers.....Lullabies do have an impact in the physiological aspects (oxygen saturation level, pulse, breathing patterns) of infants because of their simple melodies, steady & moderate tempo (similar to their mother's heartbeat). Lullabies give infants a sense of security and are used with neonates in music therapy to help manage their physiological aspects without the use of medication.

So, with this musical upbringing and my exposure to church music, I have always wanted to do music! Taking music as a career to teach/perform is one thing, and doing music as therapy is another.....However, after much prayer, support and encouragement from my parents, I have decided that indeed, music therapy is what I would like to be doing. The fact that it is almost unheard of back home, is the very fact that pushes me forward to want to learn more.

Music is a universal language that must be shared by all for the benefit of all people, nations and cultures. Music therapy is not as alien as you think it is. It was used in the Bible:

1 Samuel 16:23
Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

I believe that God each of us gifts and talents to glorify him. And as for me, I hope that the gift of music that He has blessed me with will be used for His glory!

View of Brisbane city from my room

Welcome to my blog everyone!!! Yeah, I finally, finally decided to have my own blog for all of you who have missed me in one way or another ;), for my interesting friends and to share my groovy stories from Down Under with you.

I've settled down well here in Brissy, special thanks to my wonderful housemates, church friends, and classmates! Well, it was quite a change actually from the noisy, congested, fast-pace concrete jungle life to a quite, peaceful, slow-pace life. It was an exciting journey for me to leave home, travel on my own to an unknown place, making new friends, and adapting to a new culture.....and I made it! Phew!

I thank God for opening new doors and looking after me! After 4 months here in Brisbane.....I can say "I'm lovin' it!" (.....apart from the shops closing at 5pm :( hehe!)

I hope "My Groovy Life" is able to encourage, inspire and to give you an insight to what I'm doing here!

Have a G'day!