Wandering in New Zealand

Good food, good times and most of all.. Good Friends!!!

2006-11-14T08:30:00.000+13:00

Where did the last 4 and a half months disappear to?

While it was happening, the hours seemed to drag on forever
& even though there were lotsa good times,
there were also many times when I was bored witless.
Who would have thought that *blink blink*
& it's over.

No more trudging up that unreasonably steep hill to attend class,
no more midnight strolls to the harbour to enjoy the night lights, sea breeze, peace & quiet,
no more reliving childhood days on the slides & swings,
no more sleepovers & cook-overs
& enjoying movies together, all squeezed onto the two mattresses,
no more msn chats about how boring Wellington is,
no more banana-fuelled runs along the bay,
no more weekly visits to Blue Note to watch Elvin play
& the walks back after
no more visits to and from apartment 57,
no more watching everyone drink themselves into a stupor,
no more seeing each other every other day.
No more.

I wish I could say that these past few months I really challenged myself,
stepped outside my comfort zone
& did things that were radically different
but while I did do some things that I normally don't,
particularly one thing I did that was royally stupid
that changed things in ways I wish it didn't,
the freedom & independence that come with living away from home
isn't something new to me &
life in New Zealand was too cushy, carefree & laidback
to be considered a challenge.
It was more like an extended holiday
where I had to flip through textbooks, read slides
& perhaps type a word or two once in a while.

That's not to say that the past few months were a total waste of time
& that I didn't learn anything at all in school and out of it.
I did my assignments, attended class (most of them.. hehe..) & studied for my tests and exams, so I did learn something in school.
However, I would say that most of what I derived from the experience
I learned outside the lecture hall.

It's been all about self-discovery for me.
I would say that I know more about myself,
that I’m just that little bit clearer about what I wanna do with my life.
But probably the most important thing I learned
is that I have not really lived,
that there are so many things to be done that I have not done
that I have squandered away most of my youth without doing enough stupid things
that I'm so afraid of making mistakes
that I have ended up doing nothing.
Perhaps I am not equipped to do these things
but I may never be ready
& if I don't do them now,
I never will.
Maybe it's come at a high price,
this realization,
but if it means that I've attained that motivation to do all those things
that I have talked about doing but somehow never have,
then it has been worthwhile.

One thing which I am extremely grateful for and blessed with are the friends whom I have made in New Zealand, especially my "family" (borrowing Joanne’s words) in New Zealand: Joyce, Jessie, Joanne, Dominique, Elvin, Eunice, Jim, CK, Joyce & Lotion.
Love you guys! *Big Hugs and Kisses!!*
I figure we'll all be busy and stuff when we return to our 'real' lives,
in addition to the fact that we'll be separated by land and seas
but I sincerely hope that we find the time to meet up once in a while
if not as often as we would like to.
Take care my friends! Miss you guys already!

I returned home yesterday & it seems like I never left.
It's feels kinda surreal,
like perhaps the past four months were just a figment of my imagination,

A dream I wish I didn’t have to wake up from.

Farewells

2006-11-14T08:01:00.000+13:00

Touristy Stuff: Victoria Uni, Govt & Parliament Building

2006-11-14T07:06:00.000+13:00

Girls' Night Out

2006-11-14T06:27:00.000+13:00

Talk by Dr Mahathir

2006-11-14T06:16:00.000+13:00

Fireworks!!! Guy Fawke's Day

2006-11-14T05:57:00.000+13:00

Jessie's Early Birthday Celebration

2006-11-14T05:32:00.000+13:00

The (Early) Birthday Gal
That's CK in the middle
& that's Edwin

Joyce Kwan's Birthday

2006-11-14T03:53:00.000+13:00

The 2 Joyces

Hey!

How come i don't have one of these pics?!!!

*jealous*

Occupants of Apartment 041 & 1 pseudo-occupant

Botanic Gardens

2006-11-14T02:57:00.000+13:00

Mooncake Festival

2006-11-14T02:26:00.000+13:00

Blue Note

2006-11-14T01:28:00.000+13:00

The place where we spent many late wednesday nights.

Elvin playing the i-can't-remember-what-it's-called.

Ironically, even though it was the main reason why we frequented Blue Note,

i couldn't find any pictures of him playing the bass.

Miscellaneous Pics

2006-11-09T12:44:00.000+13:00

elvin, dominique & i

enjoyin ribs cooked by joanne

the boys being themselves

joanne being herself.. hehe

the guys posing..
ok la.. but to be fair to them they do cook.

quite well in fact.. as you can see..

haka from the rugby match i watched long ago.

a nice pic from elvin's birthday that i missed out.

Steamboat Dinner

2006-09-25T23:45:00.000+12:00

Random Pics

2006-09-25T23:30:00.000+12:00

Elvin's Birthday Celebration
Joyce (my housemate)
Onigiri ( i think that's what it's called)

Dim sum lunch

2006-09-02T16:55:00.000+12:00

I read somewhere that life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but the number of moments that take your breath away.

When i first came across this quote.. I had to scratch my head real hard to think of a moment that took my breath away, & I still came up with nothin.

But now i can think of countless moments that have taken my breath away.

Snowboarding video

2006-09-02T16:15:00.000+12:00

I tried to upload a video of me snowboarding onto blogger but i dunno what's wrong with the Youtube thing.
so... here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBzMBhI3SgE
Go see!

hahahah.. yah la yah la! i fell flat in my face..

Don't think that jus cos i'm far away,
i can't see you laughing at me & calling me a doofus, Youngie.

heh.

i must have fallen a gazillion times la.. but that's the only time i fell flat in my face...
i just plopped forward. hahaha.
the other times were all butt falls.. & lotsa times i deliberately fell cos i was going too fast & got scared.

I sucked at snowboarding!!!! but it was damn FUN!!!

yup.. go watch it & laugh your head off now.

i'll try to upload the video to blogger again later.

Toodle loo!

Snowboarding!!!!

2006-09-02T15:20:00.000+12:00

Snowboarding was a blast!!

Mt Ruapehu.

I like this pic cos of e contrast between the storm clouds & the bright blue skies.

Our snowman!

Looking cool. (pun intended)

haha.

Me & my snowboard.

This lift thing was super fun! (especially when going down!)

Joanne & I.

Auckland: Eden Garden ( Part 2)

2006-09-02T15:10:00.000+12:00

Auckland: Eden Garden

2006-09-02T14:10:00.000+12:00

I love trees & flowers & all things natural so I loved the tranquility & beauty of Eden Garden located on the slopes of Mount Eden.

hmm.. Managed to sneak outta flute practice.

Ahh... a clearing!

Think I'll hide here from Mama till it's over.

Peace... finally!

That little rascal is outta the way at flute practice.

I can just lay here & get some rest.

Oops.. was that my wrist that just dropped off?!!

(hahaha.. okok.. I'm lame!)

Saw these cows on the way down from Mt Eden.

The one in the background, it snorted at me & turned around as though it was gonna eat some grass but instead it started pee-ing!

Stupid cow!!

You won't believe just how much cows pee.. it's like turning on the tap!

Auckland: Mt Eden

2006-09-02T13:39:00.000+12:00

While in Auckland, Joyce & I stayed at this backpackers' lodge at the foot of Mount Eden which is a dormant volcano & i think is the tallest peak in Auckland.

Some of the lovely people we met.

The lady is Ya Ping, the owner of the lodge.

The 2 guys, Michael & Edgar are from Hong Kong,

they'll be working & travelling in New Zealand for the next year or so.

Wish i could do that too. heh.

The crater of Mt Eden.

Unfortunately, unlike these people before us, we could only walk along the rim of the crater & couldn't climb down (oxymoron!) into the crater cos it was outta bounds.

I would have taken more pics from the summit of Mt Eden cos the view is awesome.

However, my not-so-trusty camera failed me.

Sooo that's all I have.

Auckland: Waiheke Island ( Part 2)

2006-09-02T13:31:00.000+12:00

hahahah... Joyce & I had a picnic on the beach.

After posting such an unflattering pic of her above, I'd better post a nicer one to make up for it. hehe.

Taken from the edge of a cliff.

O0oo..

Auckland: Waiheke Island

2006-09-02T13:09:00.000+12:00

One of the things we did in Auckland was to take a ferry to Waiheke Island which was a 35 minutes ferry ride from mainland.

Stole this pic from Joyce.

It's got that unreal sorta feel to it.

It's there.. it's not there..

Like if you blink a few times, you'll realise the buildings are just a figment of your imagination

& not really there.

I think the nicest pictures are those that capture movement.

I like this one cos just by looking at it, I can almost feel the wind blowing thru my hair again. :)

After really long climb up a hill, this was what we were rewarded with.

Before Auckland: Rotorua ( Part 2)

2006-09-02T12:48:00.000+12:00

Seems like wherever you walk in Rotorua, as long as there's a puddle or pool of water, it'll be bubbling & steaming.

Such an innocuous looking pothole right?

well.. not only was it steaming,

we could hear the bubbling sounds from beneath the cover!

haha.. i saw this on the ground.

It just reminded me of Alpha. XR ranger/ Expendable Ranger is his name..

I think.

I wonder what happened that gave him such a big shock.

One of the things i like about New Zealand is the fact that there were Sunday markets selling New Zealand produce & lotsa other stuff. (like really cheap 2nd hand books which i had to resist the urge to buy.)

Saw this wooden band playin at one of these sunday markets.

When i saw this photo in my camera, I was wondering why on earth i took a picture of a buncha clouds but on closer scrutiny, i realised that there are birds!

( you gotta click on the pic to enlarge it!)

Before Auckland: Rotorua

2006-09-02T03:40:00.000+12:00

Before making our way down to Auckland, we made a stop at Rotorua which is well-known for its hot springs. In fact, the entire town smells strongly of sulphur. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to enjoy a relaxing dip in the hot springs as I'm allergic to sulphur. Dang!

Spring is coming.

Oooo.. how eerie..

reminds me of somethin outta Macbeth.

Fair is foul & Foul is Fair

Hover thru' the fog & filthy Air.

Auckland: Lunch with Hedieh at Mission Bay

2006-09-02T03:28:00.000+12:00

On my trip to Auckland, I met up with a childhood friend of mine whom i haven't seen since I left Solomons in Primary 2.

Needless to say, it was great meeting up with her & just chatting & catching up with each others' lives.

Hedieh & I

a mysterious island that just emerged from the ocean and out of the mist.

ok.. i'm just talking nonsense.

Joyce & I.

For those who don't know, Joyce is my housemate in Wellington & my travel companion down to Auckland.

2006-09-02T01:16:00.000+12:00

Hello my dear family & friends!
Big hugs to every one!
I don't miss the food, i don't miss the weather, i don't miss the hustle & bustle of life in singapore & malaysia, I don't even miss my bed..

but..

....

I MISS you guys!!!

I'm back from my short travelling stint around New Zealand.
You know how sometimes you go for a camp or a holiday & after having such a blast, when you come back everything just seems so mundane & boring by comparison? (or am i the only one who feels this way?)
Well.. that's how i feel now.
I'm suffering from travelling withdrawal syndrome.
school starts in 2 days. sigh.

*touchy feely stuff comin up*

Whilst on my trip, I couldn't help thinking that
i can't believe that I'm doing this,
I can't believe this is happening to me.
Everything just felt so surreal.
Because i honestly find it hard to believe i'm actually doing what i'm doing
& this is true of my entire trip to new zealand, I can't believe that this is really happening to me
& every day i just feel so happy & blessed to be here
such that i have the tendency to smile for no particular reason
hehe (even more so than what you people are accustomed to..)
Because i am truly happy & feel sO0oo lucky & blessed. (ok.. i'm repeatin myself)
So.. i'm really really thankful to my parents for being so supportive of me going on exchange and to my sisters and friends for encouraging me to even consider the idea.
So yah.. love you guys!

*end of touchy feely stuff*

Anyway, the last time i posted my pics, i only selected a few pistures cos i was in a hurry & was between trips so there are actually many more nice pics which i'm too lazy to upload now but i'll show them to you guys when i return. hehe.

I'll just post a few more pics which i stole from Yixian's blog of e Christchurch trip. Yixian & I preparing dinner.

I was too rushed to explain the last time round but Yixian's the exchange student from SMU who's in the University of Canterbury now. She was really really kind to gimme a place to bunk in when i travelled down to Christchurch, especially considering the fact that prior to the trip I've never met her & my only interaction with her was via msn. Thanks babe! ;)

Peiying & I (Pei dropped by to visit from Sydney)

Snow on the windows

More snow.

Most of you probably received smses from me announcing that it's snowing in Christchurch. Hehehe.. I was so delirious with joy that i sms-ed everyone i could think of to announce the glad tidings. You guys know that thing i do when i'm happy..

you know .. like i said above..

when i smile non-stop for seemingly no particular reason.

well.. i couldn't stop smiling & jumping around & whooping & making crazy noises.

I just thought that it was incredibly thrilling to see the snow floating to the ground.

B E A U T I F U L

A W E S O M E

So far i haven't seen a kid in nz who isn't cute or beautiful..

seems like all the kids here have nice pinch-inducing rosy cheeks.

Makes you wanna have your own babies. ( hahahhaha... I'm just kidding Ma!)

The kid in the pic above was especially cute. He kept turning around & waving at us & flashing this toothy (partially toothless) grin at us. Lady-killer in the making.

Traipsing Across Christchurch (Finale)

2006-08-24T06:34:00.000+12:00

Ferry Ride back to windy Welli

My shadow!

The ferry that i took both to & from the South Island.

& I'm back.

Traipsing across Christchurch (Part 8 cont'd)

2006-08-24T06:27:00.000+12:00

Train Ride to Picton Cont'd

That's Purcel (a really friendly & jovial Mormon girl i met on the train) & I.

Traipsing Across Christchurch (Part 8)

2006-08-24T05:58:00.000+12:00

The Train ride to Picton

When i first arrived in New Zealand, a friend told me that in NZ, every moment is a Kodak moment cos you can just take your camera & click randomly & every shot will be breathtaking. Well... i think he's right!

Traipsing Across Christchurch (Part 7)

2006-08-24T05:52:00.000+12:00

It Snowed in Christchurch!!

Believe it or not, the lil white specks are snowdrops!

It was really AWESOME to experience snow for the first time & I was so thrilled bout it texted everyone i could think off to tell them the exciting news!

Traipsing across Christchurch (Part 6)

2006-08-24T05:48:00.000+12:00

Maori Performance

We actually went for a wildlife tour after the Maori performance to see kiwis but I didn't take any pics cos it was too cold n wet n dark.

Traipsing Across Christchurch (Part 5 cont'd)

2006-08-24T05:42:00.000+12:00

Continued from the post below

The wall of the toilet which we took the picture in in the post below.

(if i'm not coherent, it's cos its 5.40am in the morning)

Peiying going crazy playing tikam tikam, trying to get Nightcrawler.

The view from the gondola tower.

Traipsing across Christchurch (Part 5)

2006-08-24T05:04:00.000+12:00

Gondola Ride (it's just a cable car lah!)

Now which direction is Malaysia? & Singapore..

In the Gondola

Can you see the hole? It's a rabbit burrow.
Saw some rabbits being chased by a dog on our way up.
Never knew that rabbits could move so quickly.

Brr.. it's cold!

Taken in the toilet.. hehe..

Traipsing across Christchurch (Part 4)

2006-08-24T04:52:00.000+12:00

Lyttelton
We visited this place which used to be a french community or somethin like that.

Didn't see anything that looked remotely french but it was fun anyway.

It has all these cool shops with funky names.

A bar which is supposedly Lyttelton's best kept secret. (at least that's what the sign says)

The Volcano Cafe which is right next to the Lava Bar.

This picture doesn't do Oliver justice.

In reality, he's huge! Looks more like a bear than a dog.

Yixian is tired from all that walkin.

Looks innocent enough doesn't it?

Well... it used to be a gaol!

Traipsing across Christchurch (Part 3)

2006-08-24T04:11:00.000+12:00

Punting

This was probably my favourite part of the entire trip.

Floating slowly down a river as time passes me by,

totally unburdened & at ease.

Just drinking in the sights.

Peiying, Me & Yixian

hehe.. i like this shot! think i look nice. :P

Traipsing Across Christchurch (Part 2)

2006-08-24T03:55:00.000+12:00

Touring the City

Yixian & I on a tram

Peiying & I

Fudge House!

It's like somethin outta Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.

Fudge, chocolate & all my favourite lollies.

Mine's the one with the *. Hot Chocolate!

Toilet Break!!

A whole building devoted to toilets! 3 storeys!

There's even a lift that brings you to the toilets upstairs!

A life-sized chess set.

I was quite surprised to see that people actually do stop to play during the day.

Traipsing across Christchurch

2006-08-24T03:44:00.000+12:00

I've just returned from visiting an smu friend, Yixian, in Christchurch & am bound for Auckland tomorrow. It's already 3.41am & my bus leaves at 10 am so I shall keep this short.

The Bus Journey to Christchurch

This was taken from inside the bus window so its kinda unclear.

Taken during a rest stop.

2006-07-27T21:41:00.000+12:00

Over the weekend, I met up with a cousin whom i think i've met less than 5 times in my entire life cos he's been in new zealand since he was 12.

yup. this is him! he looks cuter in real life. hehe

anyway, he brought me out for lunch & to see some of the sights of Wellington.

This is the view from Mt Victoria which i presume is the highest peak in Wellington city since i dont see any higher ones around.

the view after i made a 90 degrees turn.

another 90 degrees turn

& another 90.

He also brought me to his home in a quiet suburb away from the city which is really very beautiful. When you look outta the window you can see serenely majestic hills and tall, silent trees standing guard. With a view like that, it's no wonder he doesn't wanna leave NZ. He also said i'm the first member of the family to see his home. Yay!

In the evening, my friends & I went to watch the All Blacks play against South Africa.

My tickets. The cheapest but the view was pretty good.

My memorabilia from the match.

As i wanted to enjoy the match & not have to worry about losing my stuff, i didn't bring my bag ... & my camera. So unfortunately, i didn't take any pics of the match. hehe.

This picture is kinda blur, it's taken at a cafe that plays live jazz.

THE END.

2006-07-19T00:29:00.000+12:00

Those who know me well will know that i dislike blogging about the stuff i do.

But since i'm in another country & everyone's dying to know what i'm up to (or at least i like to think), I shall do just that.

with minimum number of words & maximum number of pictures.

That's Lella, Me, Dominique, Elvin, Joanne & some random pretty girl that Elvin has the hots for. I dunno what i would do without these people. :)

Took a drive out of the city & i finally saw my first sheep in NZ!

hahah.. & O0oo.. rolling hills & green pastures..

can you see the rainbow?! It was like the most beautiful sight ever,

rising from the hills into the blue & white skies

i took quite a few shots but this was the best.

nothing beats the real thing tho.

the stupid lamp post spoils the whole picture. hmmph.

Some more lovely people.

Joanne, Joy, Shan, Me (i know i look funny! heh) & Mary

Me enjoying the hugest most yummy ice cream ever.

White Chocolate & Raspberry as well as Honey & Figs!

Sounds good eh.

Room-mates Katarina & Kata. Kat's from Germany & Kata's Fiji-ian.

Anyway, i got an invite from Kat for lunch.

LUNCH!

According to Katarina, this is Chili from Mexico. (Pun intended. hehe)

It's supposedly very popular in Germany but more importantly..

it's YUMMY.

haha.

i'm gonna try cooking it one day soon.

just so you know i'm thinkin of you guys.

2006-07-13T14:55:00.000+12:00

I'm not much of a photographer but i think these turned out quite alright considering they were the only shots i took.

View of Wellington Harbour

2 hours later

the 3 musketeers.
(nope, i'm not one of the 3, they're just some random strangers)

I keep on thinking about updating but somehow once i log onto blogger, i have nothin to say.

hehe.

wet, dry, wet, dry, wet

2006-07-07T01:06:00.000+12:00

Everyday day i wash my hair, condition it, dry it, comb it
& when i step out of the building.. it gets wet.
when i reach my destination, it dries up.
on the way to the next super-fun place on my list of activities, it get wet again.
& this happens everytime i go out. hai.

Someone pls tell me why i even bother to wash my hair.

Anyway, its super cold & windy here & its been drizzling alot too.
The cold & the wind is actually alright, its the drizzling that's an irritant.
Using an umbrella's useless cos' it'll just get blown away or get bent.

Other than the weather, everything else is fine and dandy.
The other day, i was standing at the bus stop, and i saw smoke coming from somewhere around me.
Thinking that someone was smoking, i looked around me.
but there was NO one!!
It was coming from ME!!
hahaha..
My breath condenses like a dragon. :)

more soon. take care people!

Settling Down

2006-07-04T17:38:00.000+12:00

After months of planning & preparation (not that i did much! i just did whatever whenever i thought of it.. haha.. ), I've finally arrived!

So far, everything has gone quite smoothly.

Initially, when i bid my family farewell in the airport, things felt quite surreal, as though i was off to the supermarket or something. It still hadn't registered with me that i wouldn't be seeing them for the next few months. haha..

But that lasted just a little while.

As I started pushing my trolley away, i started feeling more and more overwhelmed, like, "Wow! This IS happening!"

After that time just flew, despite my wish to be seated next to hunks on my flight, Esther's prediction came true. I was seated in between these 2 bearded Australian uncles, one of which walked to the toilet in his socks (haha.. like Eunice!).

When i arrived at Wellington, the custom officers unpacked all the stuff from my huge 28kg luggage cos they wanted to X-ray the bag cos on its own it was already real heavy & the fruit of my hours of packing was destroyed! hehe.. I had to just stuff everything back in record time after that.

A few other exchange students also took the same flight as me so i got to talk to some of them but we're all stayin at different places so I'll only be meetin them tomorrow during orientation.

Anyway, I've moved into my place. It's quite a nice place.. looks a bit bare but ok la..

got the zen look mah! hehehe..

I've unpacked all my stuff. Obviously.

My bed. I didn't have a duvet n pillow last night so i nearly froze my butt off even though i was wearing 2 warm trousers, and 3 sweaters.

Yup, so the first thing i did today was to go get a set!

My study table!

As you can see, I made sure I got my internet activated as soon as I arrived.

The fully-equipped kitchen!

My first meal in New Zealand! Cooked by my two lovely housemates from ...

... ... ...

Malaysia! Jessie & Joyce.

That's Jessie's arm you see in the corner. heh.

today they brought me for a walk around and showed me part of the school, the library, the shops. We also had chinese food for lunch, which was rather expensive at NZD8.50! (for a plate of sweet & sour pork rice! but to be fair the portions were huge la.)

yup.. that's it so far! nothing much has happened. I'm feelin quite happy so don't worry!

(yah Ma... I've taken the vitamin C tablet & ginseng pills!)

hehe