301107

Hmm things are normal as usual. More packing and cleaning, washing and tidying up - before I leave, there a re still a few more ppl that I haven't had time to go out with yet. Haih the liberty of going out -which I will so MISS when I go back home. Nyeh. Still waiting for another parcel as well. Hope it comes fast. Finishing all the food in the fridge. Didn't know we had so much junk.

Nyeh.

And when I was browsing at one of my fav sites to shop - haha guess what I came across. This video cracked me up. Hilariousness. This was really farnie. LAWL.

It's a video of these Japanese dudes playing a whole full soccer game. U know the Japs and their classic pranks/jokes :_)


http://view.break.com/405282 - Watch more free videos

BAHNESS -

I don't quite understand how I forgot about it either. At least it's not too big. the fine

"What happens if I do not vote?

Initially the Australian Electoral Commission will write to all apparent non-voters requesting that they either provide a reason for their failure to vote or pay a $20 penalty.

If, within 21 days, the apparent non-voter fails to reply, cannot provide a valid and sufficient reason or declines to pay the penalty, then prosecution proceedings may be instigated. If the matter is dealt with in court and the person is found guilty, he or she may be fined up to $50 plus court costs.

Non-voters
17. Apparent non-voters are identified using
certified lists of voters. The certified lists
contain information from the electoral roll on
who is entitled to vote at an election.

18. Electors voting in person are required to have
their names marked off the certified list of
voters at the polling place before they are
issued with ballot papers (s. 232 the Act).
Declaration voters complete a declaration
certificate before they vote that allows their
names to be marked off the certified lists
of voters before their votes are entered into
the count.

19. The certified lists then become a record
of who has voted and who appears not to
have voted.

20. Under s. 245(2) of the Act, a list of the names
and addresses of the electors who appear
to have failed to vote at an election must be
prepared for each division. After election day,
the names and addresses on all certified lists
of voters for all divisions across Australia are
scanned by computer. This scanning process
produces a report on apparent non-voters and
apparent multiple voters.

21. Within three months after election day, each
Divisional Returning Officer (DRO) must send
by post a penalty notice to every elector
whose name and address appears on the
list of apparent non-voters.

LECTORAL
Ebackgrounder No. 17
22. The DRO is not required to send a penalty
notice to electors who have died, were absent
from Australia on election day, were known
to be ineligible to vote at the election, or who
have supplied a valid and sufficient reason for
not voting.

23. The penalty notice posted to an elector
advises that he or she appears to have failed
to vote at the election and that it is an offence
to fail to vote at an election without a valid
and sufficient reason. The elector is further
advised that if he or she does not wish to
have the matter dealt with by a court, the
elector may, within a specified time either:
• Advise the DRO of the circumstances
in which they did in fact vote
• Advise the DRO of the valid and
sufficient reason why they did not
vote, or
• Pay to the DRO a penalty of $20.

24. If no reply is received to the first penalty
notice, a second penalty notice must be
sent by the DRO.

25. Under subsection 245(11) of the Act,
if an elector is unable to respond to
correspondence from the DRO because of
absence from his or her residential address or
because of physical incapacity, then another
elector who has personal knowledge of the
facts may respond on behalf of the elector
who appears to have failed to vote.

26. If the elector pays to the DRO the $20 penalty
for failing to vote, then the matter ends there.

27. Where the elector writes to the DRO providing
a reason for not voting, and the DRO is not
satisfied that the reason provided is valid
and sufficient, then the DRO must write again
to the elector advising that the DRO is not
satisfied, and that if the elector does not wish
to have the matter dealt with by a court, the
elector may, within a specified time period,
pay to the DRO a penalty of $20. If the elector
then pays to the DRO the $20 penalty for
failing to vote, the matter ends there.

28. An elector may be prosecuted pursuant to
s. 245(15) for failing to vote at an election
without a valid and sufficient reason, or for
making a statement in response to a penalty
notice, or to the further notice by the DRO,
that is, to his or her knowledge, false or
misleading in a material particular. The court
may impose a maximum penalty of $50. In
addition, court costs may also be payable.

29. It should be noted that if a non-voter has been
convicted and fined by a court, but decides
not to pay the fine, then it is for the court to
decide what action should be taken or if a
further penalty should be imposed. The action
taken by the court in relation to fine defaulters
may vary depending on the state or territory
in which the conviction is recorded, and may
involve community service orders, seizure
of goods, or a short period in jail. In some
jurisdictions the court may have no alternative
to ordering a jail sentence for fine defaulters.
However, this is a matter for the courts and
not for the AEC."

251107

Ho-hum. I kinda forgot what I wanted to write or continue about so yeah - I will do that later. I just realised I have so much more to do before I go home. Yikes!

Well I'll just update the blog on what's new. Hmmm

For one, I totally forgot about the federal elections yesterday. My other remaining housemate just reminded me yesterday - if not I would hv totally forgotten. But who can blaim me? My only reason to remember the elections yesterday were the voucher I got for 6 free Krispy Kreme donuts in which I forgot about as well. Should HAVE marked that with a big sign on my calendar. Haihhh.

Blehh I can't believe I forgot. I could've played a part in choosing our NEW Prime Minister. Yes NEW. Kevin Rudd's party won the election you see?

Oh well.

Now don't think I have nth else better to do than to vote - in the elections of a country I 've only lived for bout less than one year of my life. Plus another two when I was a young kid and had no idea where I was. Or what I was doing as a matter of fact.

Well it's compulsory right - here, to register as a voter when you turn 18. If you're a citizen that is. So oh well. But I still forgot neway. Hope they're not gonna fine me. Or worse, put me to jail.

Yupp instead what I was doing yesterday was visiting the dentist. Hmm for a scaling and cleaning procedure. It's funny tho - when you have a scaling and cleaning thing done, you find out food that you SUDDENLY remember eating - like hey that was from the Korean Hot Pot from Gourmet Tofu in July, and that was from the rare Roti Prata that I decided to cook that fine Sunday morning.

Gross.

Nah, just kidding. As if you can remember.

But dentists here are exorbitant. A normal procedure like that in Malaysia would cost you around RM200 I think. Well now it's AUD200 plus, and our currency is 3 times right.

:(

Thankfully it's covered by my private health insurance - IF NOT...

And then after that I decided to shop for sth for my dad. Went to the camping shop - almost wanted to buy something, until the lady, a friendly Australian lady in her mid thirties maybe, was so friendly and told me a whole lotta things bout her life as a student. And she knows I am one, so I am on a strict student budget. (Yup, I am - something like that)

SO she told me that I might want to try Peter's of Kensington - it's sorta like a small mall/dept store - sells mostly chinaware and kitchen appliances but thought I might give it a go.

So I took a bus - could've walked but seriously? In the hot scorching summer - I think not. Went to Peter's - yep found what I was looking for, it was X'mas sales and everybody was running everywhere - it was packed like a very packed can of sardines, IMO. The queue ran till upstairs.

I did find what I was looking for, but I didn't buy that because surprisingly the camping shop was cheaper. So maybe I shall return to it sometime today or tmr (it might be closed today being Sunday) However, I bought a whole lotta other things. Which in hindsight, I probably didn't really need which made me cry after that. Not really but yea - deep down inside.

Blerhh I think I've been splurging a lot on unnecessary items I didn't really need recently. Not clothes, clothes I will wear. It's just the other things. HO-hum.

Later I'm going to join the kids for Spanish somewhere in the city. So HUNGRY now...

EVERYBODY is seriously going home. Haih.

After mid next week, it'll be re-runs of Home Alone 9.

Someone better come and visit me. Hmmph.

If Another Person Mentions to Me that they're going to Melbourne...

I'll edit this post for later cuz' I have to get ready and shower

* EDIT EDIT *

So yes, I started off the post two days ago I think, and I haven't had time to properly sit down and finish publishing a post. But yes today is a great day and it seems like I will finish it finally.

Hmm ok yess today they're no shopping commitments, gym commitments, food commitments, uni commitments etc. Or at least I postponed it to a later date. I want one day after exam where I can just sit freely for the whole day and just do nothing - just bludge but not sure whether that is gonna happen. Even today I tried to do that but later probably not cuz' a certain someone is flying off soon so must entertain him la first.

I'll have lotza free time I'd reckon after this - after evbd has gone home to their loving FAMILIES, FRIENDS, and PETS. Oh well evbd is going home so early. Yet I must be one of the earliest to finish exams DAYMN. But oh wells the academic calendar stated that final exams were on the 9th to 27th NOV. So being the logical me, I thought I'd give myself sometime to pack, shop, prepare for home etc. etc. So about one WEEK after the exams, i.e 4th Dec would be a pretty good time to go home. Right ?

Nahhh, I didn't know it meant that we start exams on the 9th thats right - but end on the 15th! Bahhh commerce. Exams were almost back-to-back. Equals... you have to know the subjects way before the exam start and commencing studies during the exam week would be quite a wrong thing to do.

Uni is crazy right - they give you 3.5 months, (14 weeks ) and expect you to know everything you need to know about the subject content i.e learn the fundamentals, basic principles of how the whole Australian economy operates (macroeconomics) in just 3 months. Every week is a completely new chapter to devour. The textbook doesn't exactly help. Being thick, lengthy and detailed as it is. Yes I know every university is the same and everybody goes through the same thing, but PLEASE. PLEASE. JUST, just..give me a lil' space to whine. Phew!

Guess what? Next year, the uni calendar year is gonna be shortened. Therefore, we have to be even faster in learning. Of course it doesn't help that we're advancing to a new undergrad year, 2nd year. The penultimate year for most commerce students, but not me considering that I want to lengthen my life in uni. WHY WHY WHY?!

But yes, altho' I keep complaining and such, I don't regret my decision of joining commerce. Never did. From my perspective, it was way more interesting than science. I just couldn't imagine myself working in a lab/ factory/ hospital for the rest of my life. It just WOULDN'T work. Yes what I would love to do, instead was wear one of those formal black pantsuits giving presentations, travelling around the world, sponsored by the company. Too high realisation? Hmm just what I think. I already am tall enough to wear one of those suits anyway. Heeheee.

Due to contrary belief, commerce is not easy. It's just different from science. Don't know how to explain the logic. I've done science before so I can say this. Science is fact, and believing in science is believing what is right. Commerce is just so subjective, no right, no wrong. No right concept to figuring sumthink out etc. Some subjects need more understanding, some logic, and some just mugging - like biology. Damned I was never good at mugging. Hmm I'll continue this later.