View from Gorny Vosdukh

What the?: View from the peak of Gorny Vosdukh

Where?: Yuzhno Sakhalinsk

When?: Oct 2008

Located very near Yuzhno city (on the east side), is a ski hill called Gorny Vosdukh. You can grab a cable car ride for 100 rubbles to the peak for a great view of the city. The cable car usually opens only after 12pm and is subject to wind conditions. Here are some pics from the hill.

Cable cars arriving at the peak station.

View from the other side of the hill. In the background is the hilly terrain east of Yuzhno city.

One of the ski slopes.

A stone to mark the peak of the hill. Not really sure what is says...

Yuzhno city in the daytime.

Yuzhno city at night

Salmon Fishing

What the?: Salmon fishing

Where?: Yuzhno Sakhalinsk

When?: Sept 2008

I think Salmon is probably the easiest fish to catch in the world! Barely 5 minutes after casting your hook or net, your are bound to catch one. Its no small size fish either, its a big one. All this happens of course during Salmon season. The time of the year where they swim upstream to lay eggs and then hang around just long enough for humans or bears to pick them up! Hehe...

Shallow river where the salmons congregate.

Even at sea, they just carelessly swim into carefully placed nets.

Look at the size of that fish!

First weekend in Yuzhno!

What the?: First weekend around Yuzhno city

Where : Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia

When: September 2008

The first weekend in Yuzhno, it was definitely time to do what most tourists would do, visit the "tourisy" sites such as the museum or parks. That's just exactly what happened. It was a beautiful bright and cool autumn day. It was about 15 degrees and filled with a gentle cool breeze. First up, was a visit to Yuzhno's famous musuem pictured above.

One of Yuzhno's inhabitants, the grizzly bear. Picture here on display at the museum. You would not want to be uplose with one especially in this position!

Next to the museum was a display of russian war vehicles. There was a stripped down MIG and some armoured units like the BMP1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMP_1) shown above.

Famous christian orthordox church in Yuzhno. Situated close to Gagarin Park.

Local shopping center, Dom Turguvli situated not far from the museum, right in the center of Yuzhno city.

The best way to finish up your day, is a walk in Gagarin Park and enjoy a dish of Shashlik (Pork barbequed kebab). Not forgetting to wash down with a cool russian beer of course! Pictured here, a 500ml bottle of Baltika 7.

Flight Experience

What the?: Experience being an airline pilot

When: August 2008

Where: Melbourne CBD

Too expansive to hire a real flight simulator? Playing simulator on your PC just doesn't excite you anymore? Head on down to the Flight Experience at QV in Melbourne CBD to get a close to real-life experience of piloting the latest 737-800 series.

You can pick several airports to take off and land from. The famous must try airport is the Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong. Quite a crazy approach to the airport and it really takes some skill to land there! The session typically lasts about an hour and includes a recorded DVD of your flight.

Rally Drive

What the?: 3 hot laps in a rally car

When: July 2008

Where: Bacchus Marsh, Victoria

Got a sponsored event to seat pillion in a rally car while being driven sideways by a pro. The car was a stripped out WRX Sti with 4 baldy tyres to make the car drift ever so easily on the dirt. You can also pay to drive real rally cars around the track 6 times. The cars however are non-turbo, a Mitsubishi Magna VRX and a Subaru Impreza. The track itself doesnt allow you to go very fast as it has traffic cones to simulate rally turns and obstacles. At the end of the rally, you get a certificate with your name on it!

Whale of a time in Warrnambool

What the?: Whale watching
When: June 2008
Where: Warrnambool, Victoria





In winter, the whale season comes to Victoria. One of the best places to catch a glimpse of the Southern Right Whale, is in Warrnambool. Located about 3hours (driving) from Melbourne city, it sits right at the end of the Great Ocean Road. There is a whale watching platform where people can stand to view the whales. The amazing thing about these whales is that they come so close to the shore! You can actually swim out to greet them. As I heard, surfers has done so on many ocassions.


The whale, one called "Wilma" will visit these shores year after year. Often seen with a young pup, she comes here because of the so called "warmer waters"...hehe. This area of beach is also known as the nursing home for the whales. They swim soooo slow, Captain Ahab will have a field day here...hehe...

Taking a pee with a view

What the?: Relieving one's self on the 35th floor

When: June 2008

Where: Cafe La, Sofitel Melbourne.

During my second visit to Cafe La for breakfast, I took the opportunity to test out the washroom where some say makes those with heights phobia to run back out the washroom! It soon became clear that was caused by the huge piece of glass window stretching from floor to ceiling of the washroom. What a magnificent idea actually..hehe A pee with a view... Just dont get too excited and turn to look at the view when you have not finish your "business" yet!!

Wine Tasting at de Bortoli winery

What the?: Wine tasting trip

Where: de Bortoli winery, Yarra Valley Victoria
When: April 2008

Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay!

T-bone steak was superb!

What a way to spend a company's away day trip! A whole bunch of us was whisked away from office in a comfy van and driven out to the countryside in Yarra Valley. Had a wonderful wine tasting session, lunch and a walk around the winery for fresh air (after all the wine...*hiccup!).


Bought some wine, IMHO the sparkling Windy Peak Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay and Old Noble dessert wine was pretty good! Highly recommended!

Pain(t)ball @ Coldstream

Wat the?: Paintball 20 person skirmish
Where: Coldstream, Victoria
When: April 2008




Its time to slap on the overalls, grab a paintball marker and head on down to the battlefield! Its a weekend warrior event with 10 people a side. Purchased the 500 bullet package for AUD 85. It was more than enough for 3hours + of sniping and rambo action. There were 3 fields with different objectives that was really fun rather than the usual eliminate all opponents game. The fields were much more challenging and engaging than I've experienced in Msia. Plenty of room to manoeuvre and sneak up on your opponents. Ended the day with a few bruises but most importantly great fun shooting fellow friends with paint!



Check out the website for more info: http://www.paintballgames.com.au/

Road Trip to Marysville

What the? : Road cruise to Marysville
Where: Marysville, Victoria
When: April 2008




Its time to hit the road! (Sing: Life is a highway by Rascal Flatts..oh yea!). Nothing like a good-ol roadtrip to put the Lancer through it's paces. Must say, I had trouble catching up with the Honda S2Ks and WRX. Geez, need to get hooked up with some turbo spooling action real soon just to keep up!


Passed by many scenic wineries and country side, they look so "postcard" like in the victorian autumn. Didnt had time to pursue further on to Lake Mountain. Will save that for the winter months where there is real snow!

Wilson's Promontory

What the?: Easter weekend trip to Wilson's Promontory, nature park.
Where: Sounthern most tip of Victoria.
When: March 2008



One of the "long weekends" in Australia is the easter holiday weekend. So the gang planned a trip to a nature park called Wilson's Promontory (meaning a piece of land that juts out to the sea). Time to put on the "Chindianna Jones" hat and head outdoors!


Its about 2 hour drive out of Melbourne, heading south towards Gippsland in Victoria. Had a weekend full of kangaroos and wombats. Also, the very tiring hikes along the nature trails in the park! Thanks gang! Honestly the landscape got pretty repetitive after a while, but there were some really nice views of the sea. Highly recommended as an introduction to the outback! Tip: you might want to rent a SUV to tackle the many unsealed roads around the park.

Melbourne International Motor Show

What the?: Melbourne International Motor Show 2008
Where: Melbourne Convention Centre
When: March 2008


Woa! The first motor show i get to witness overseas. Its a must see for one reason, especially in this year's edition of the motor show. The reason? Godzilla! It has come to shame the Porsche 911 owners! In it's latest incarnation, the Nissan R35 GT-R is a whopper of a beast! Well worth the trip to see it in the flesh.


Other highlights of the show include the much awaited Evo X (on sale in Australia come May 2008). Also, the horsepower freaks at RalliArt came out with the Lancer Ralliart GSR, which is a downsized Evo X. It has the same 4B11 turbocharged engine but minus the Evo thrills like Brembo Brakes, BBS rims, Recaro seats and body kits. Supposedly to be sold at the range of AUD 40,000++, it has come to dethrone the hatchy new WRX. I shall await it's launch sometime Q4 this year.


Also at show was the world's fastest production car, the Bugati Veyron. It has 1,000bhps (726kw), W16 engine, 7 gear DSG gearbox and top speed of 407kmh!! (You can see this claim in one episode of Top Gear) Crazy! its only displayed on the first weekend of the show. Me thinks its someone's bugati they borrowed to show off!


There lots more to see, but I though I include this and try to be patriotic. There was a Proton booth and they were showing off the Satria Neo R3! Claimed to have a turbocharged Campro engine. Sadly it didnt attract that many onlookers and the specifications of the car was somewhat...intentionally simplified...sigh. A brief walkthru of the specs would be:

• R3 bla-bla enhancements all over the Campro (sometimes pronounced "cham-pro") engine, EMS, exhaust and suspension system
• 17" Advanti rims with Potenza 205/40 RE001 rubbers
• Momo steering, Recaro SR4 seats and the all important R3 alluminium Gearknob (5bhps increase)

More MMS 2008 pics at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jasonj.my/MelbourneMotorShow2008
http://picasaweb.google.com/jasonj.my/MelbourneMotorShowPt2

Factory Outlet shopping

When: Oct 2007
Where: Smith St, Collingwood, Melbourne




Courtesy tip from Mr Kumar, I finnally found where the factory outlets was in Melbourne. I'm sure that there's a few more around, but these are the ones I found on Smith St. Take the tram number 86 from the city (Burke St) and it will take you right here. Outlets are on both sides of the road, so take your time hopping from one to another. There are outlets for Nike, Adidas, Fila, Brooks, New Balance, Converse, Timberland just to name a few.


However, I found that the prices were not that cheap, so you best do a bit of comparison first. If you're buying to take home overseas, it maybe be more costly due to exchange rate...hehe

Divali celebrations in Melbourne

Where: Federation Square, Melbourne CBD
When: 13 Oct 2007




Divalli (Deepavali) or Hindu's festival of lights, came early this year in Melbourne with a big gathering at Federation Square in the city. There were dances, shows and previews of up coming Bollywood films. Also, there were all kinds of food stalls manned by many Indian restaurant operators from all over town. Thumbs up to the dancers who did a good job, especially on the unusually long bollywood dance numbers, and also the caucassion dancers that joined in! Not bad at all :P