Toga Party

Sneaky Sound System - UFO

Sneaky Sound System - Picture


Sneaky Sound System is pretty popular here… It’s at almost every club and dance party. Nice to dace to, esp if you get some of the remixed versions.

It was a good day.

Today was the Toga Pa
rty. It was something I was looking forward to, mainly because I haven’t heard of anything like it, unlike the back to school party.

Through this party, you get to see people who actually go out of their way to dress up for the party – The Australians know how to throw a party. The bulk of the day saw people sewing together their togas and accessorising them.

And, to top it all off, there was a guy who did a nudie run right around our blocks – twice. Haha. Now that was funny.

Update...

Things have been going good and I suppose I am almost getting used, maybe too used to, things here. I like the lazy pace of life on the weekends, the quiet evenings to myself (and of course my current indulgence, The O.C. - of which I've just finished watching Season 2 of) and the general quietness of life. Though it's not exactly quiet since there are parties almost every other day here.

I've two planned this week - on Wednesday is more of a dinner get together, it's potluck and I'm making a pork and apple stew, I think. On Friday is Toga Night! Now that's something I've been looking forward to! Lol. Shameless. Yeah, I've my navy-blue bedsheets, my leather slippers, the white, braided cords to tie around my waist... and a gold crown! Kinda. It's this hair band I painted gold... Oooo! Can't wait.

I'll also be taking the train down to Sydney this Saturday afternoon with a couple of people from the Queer Collective. (Ah-hem... To the people who don't know, ie, Mr Pooh, well, er... Now you do. :P Ok ok, don't shoot me.) And like I've told a few of you, it amazes me how well-organised the queer community is here. This group, along with a few others like the Womans' Collective are funded by the school. Of course it can be pretty scaring walking into a room for the first time with all these fruitcakes (I'm the cherry) sitting around in a circle. One of the funnier members doesn't shave her pits and has fantastic one-liners. No surprise she's also from the Womans' Collective.

Last Saturday was very Asian. For lunch I had the fried udon I prepared earlier and froze while dinner was Asian take out, a "Combo-box" of fried noodles, which can be compared to Singapore's Hong Kong noodles. Not too bad I must say. Oh dear, it's been awhile huh. I'm saying Aussie-fried Chinese noodles are not bad! But really, it wasn't that bad. I also had my first try of fortune cookies! They were pretty much like butter cookies.

Now the reason for the take-out was because we were watching a movie! Yes! The Cinema Under the Stars was a pretty good experience. Next time I'll bring a big cushion though. My neck hurt.

Tomorrow we're going to the beach for our first assignment - The Wall. We're supposed to build a wall with sand as a group of ten and then choose a part of the wall and "define" it as your own. Sigh... Isn't this what school should be like?

Miss you all back home.

I don’t wanna get fat!

The past few days have passed well enough. I suppose to a certain extent I have tried not to stick out like a sore thumb. Also the fact that I’m one the few Asians around make me feel all the more self-conscious.

I spent a lot of time on Wednesday enrolling in my courses. I had so much problems and I think I’ve only just begun to understand the working customs of the Australians. At times I almost wanted to scream at them.

On Wednesday night we had a “Back to School” party. It was held in town near Civic station. I did actually force myself to come out. The fact that I did have something to wear had nothing to do with it. I think I looked pretty good. Ha.

It was cheap though – the beer was only three bucks and trains another three (only coz we didn’t pay on the way to Civic – the machine was spoilt.)
Right now, parties seem all around, the next upcoming one being the toga party, which I think, will be fun. Then there’s the 3Ps – Prostitutes, Pimps and Porn. Now that’d be something to talk about!

Tomorrow there’s this speed-dating thing at night. We’re having it only because it’s Valentine’s Day. (The speed dating was a horror. The noise, the forced conversations. Bleah!)

I don’t wanna grow fat! The way these people eat! The way I’ve been eating at dinners. I don’t like it! (Oh, today, Sunday, I had macaroni and cheese for dinner! One of those you pour out form a packet and mix with water. It was super unhealthy, but super yummy.)

I feel loved

There are a couple of similarities between Newcastle and Singapore. For one, the mosquitoes still attack as ferociously. There are also stag-horn ferns, frangipanis and bougainvilleas too.
It’s mighty chilly for summer – a cool 17 degrees when I touched down. After what seemed like a long bus ride from Sydney (on which drooling in my sleep occurred) we reached the University of Newcastle. Of course no one was working (it was a Saturday, what do you expect!) and Itried to call the number displayed for people arriving after office hours, and what do you know? I can’t make outgoing calls! So here I was… Stranded… Cold… Hungry…

Nah, I just sent dad a message to ask him too call the number for me.

I spent most of Saturday alone and slept early. Most of my housemates got in on Sunday – in my unit is Aurelie, a girl from France, Rosie from Sydney, Peter from Kenya, Steffen from Norway and Scott from Port Macquarie. Of course there’s Yedda, my residential assistant who is extremely helpful.

Oh, and guys, I had a wonderful send-off. Missing you guys. :)

Outlook for the year of the Rat

General
Good News! You have a premium ticket throughout this year. This is especially so for males. For females, you would gain more benefits if you could get assistance and support from males. In general, you will do very well in terms of career and wealth. If you have any plans, personally or professionally, this year is the time to put them into action. Despite your success in career and making more money this year, you will still feel a strong sense of insecurity and emptiness within. You will tend to be moody and depressed. Your moodiness will affect your emotions, relationships, wealth and health this year. This may lead you to indulge in activities in order to escape from the truth. The deeper you try to bury the issues, they will come back to haunt you. Why not take the opportunity of being in such a good year to work on these issues?

Career
This is a good year in terms of career. There are chances of promotions. Your bosses and authority figures will give you ample opportunities to shine. You are going to exceed their expectations. You will be given more trust and responsibilities. There are also signs of salary increases. If you are in business, this is also the year to consider expanding your business, increase your market share and grow your revenue.

Wealth
It is very good for both your main sources and side sources of wealth. However, you might overspend this year. Whether your money will be able to grow exponentially depends heavily on whether can you save this year.

Relationship
For those who are married or attached, it will be a rocky year. This is mainly due to the insecurities and moodiness. The relationship tends to grow weak and brittle when one party is always not in a good m ood. Gossip or devious third parties could easily worsen the situation. Communicate clearly as to how you feel to your partner. If you are unhappy and it has nothing to do with your partner, let your part ner know. For those who are single, the chance of getting attached is slim due to your emotional instability. Before you can attract the love of your life, you need to stabilize your emotions first.

Health
Your health is average in general. Do not indulge in activities that might harm your health such as drinking and eating excessively.

People
Average. You do not need to worry about back-stabbings and betrayals.

Action
Place a Citrine or an Agate in your room or office to stabilize your emotions. Place a Vanadinite to curb overspending.

Krung Thep Day 2 - Of Khao San

Friday, 4th of January

So the rough translation for the proper name of Bangkok is 'The city of angles, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city of the God Indra, the grand capitol of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated God, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.'

We did intend to wake up early, setting our clocks at an impressive 8 or was it 8.30am. We didn't wake up till about 9.15am. I do recall Nadia at my bedside waking me up.. The angel had come from the adjoining room to switch off my alarm clock, which was beside me and of course I had no idea it was ringing.

I wanted to go to two places today, the Khao San area and the Jim Thompson house.

We decided to go to Khao San first as it was the one which was further away. Khao San is a back-packers' haven. Cheap lodging, bars and cafes tailored to the Caucasian market and right next to the Chao Phraya.

It was this morning we met our favourite driver, Om. Everyone, take down his number: +66-085-1293141. If you're ever in BKK, or in Changmai during the water festival (which is in April) Give him a ring! He's a great guy.

If you've read Nadia's blog you'd know all about our lack of self restraint when we saw all those sparkling gems. Om was willing to take us to Khao San for a mere 100 baht. That's dirt cheap. The only condition that we go to a jewellery store. Store ain't the word though, it's more like a factory! So, for bringing us to the gem store, he gets 5 complimentary litres of petrol.

I loved the jewellery store! Will look for the name of it and post it here. I got this pendant for my mum which resembles a beetle and thought it was unique. She loved it. For the two sisters, I got a similar pair of black star sapphires like Nadia, and a garnet one.

If I had the means, I'd have gotten myself this citrine ring. It was beautiful. Honest.

Looking back, I enjoyed Khao San more that I did Chatuchak. Chatuchak was just too big, and the endless sois were really more trouble to navigate through - unless like Dan and Rui, you had planned out where and what they wanted to see.

Khao San was relatively small, just one road. We walked down one stretch and back up on the other side. There were alot of "cool" stuff here. Tee-shirts with funky designs and cool logos. Bags which were made with graphic designs of the iconic Andy Worhol Campbell soup advertisements, and various graphics of canned food you found in the 60's.

We left Khao San a little late, after 3pm , and headed straight to the Jim Thompson house. If you are under 25 years of age, remember to bring ID - it's half price for the entry ticket which is 100 baht at full cost.

I wanted to see his place, since he was the bloke who popularised Thai silk and brought it to international acclaim. His place was undoubtedly beautiful and coupled with the guide, was very interesting and some parts downright eerie. Like the part where a Buddhist fortune teller foretold that a particular date in 1967 would be an unlucky date for him. It was on that day he disappeared.

After the Jim Thompson house we headed to MBK for more retail therapy and then headed to meet Dan and Rui for dinner at another recommended place - Crepes and Co.

Crepes and Co. was run by this French (?) man and, as the name suggests, had a array of crepes, from the traditional, ham and blue cheese which Nick and I shared, to the local variety, the curried one Dan had.

There were Moroccan specials which we chose in the end and were just exquisite. The lamb, sweet and tender, was just delectable while in contrast the chicken with olives was just alright.

Of course no visit to a creperie is complete without desert and for that we customised our own. Mostly bananas for what else goes with crepes no? Coupled with either chestnut cream, Chantilly and caramel. We could name our own crepes, as pictured on the right.

The night ended at... What's the name of the place? I dunno, some seedy go-go girl area. But we weren't ready to get ripped off a second time.

Krung Thep Day 1 - Of ping-pong balls

Thursday, 3rd of January

She looked at us and pointed a finger at us. Like she was trying to get us to step up to her challenge. A slight thrust, and the ping-pong ball was propelled out of her nether regions towards us. Screaming and scuttling ensued as we tried to get away from the incoming.

Oh my gosh, Amir was right.. That does sound like a primary school composition.

We were at this club and I was not exactly having a good time. Except when I took up the bat and hit back the balls to the talented lady. *shudder

Before that we went to see the go-go boys. All I can say is that some of the boys were pretty well endowed! And yes, as Nadia says not good for the boys' egos.

Waking up was a bitch - Amir and I only slept about two plus and when darling Nadia called us when she was nearing the airport, we were still in bed! We touched down in Bangkok at about 9.30 in the morning. The temperature a surprising 21 degrees Celsius. The temperature, coupled with the hot sun and the breeze was a tropical delight.

D'Ma Pavilion Hotel was better than I had anticipated, but perhaps just a tad far away from the stations. But with the many tuk-tuks and cabbies around, it was no problem... And if you come to think about it, 200 baht is really just about nine bucks.

I decided to dedicate the first day to the more cultural activities so we could get down to the real holiday - the shopping! The first on the list was the Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace and then the Amulet Market which was just next to it. It was only that afternoon that we found out the Grand Palace was closed due to the passing of the Thai Princess and would remain closed till the 7th - a day after we left. So the next best alternative was the Wat Pho - the temple with the reclining Buddha.

I do have two regrets for not planning better though - 1) We didn't go for a massage at the Wat Pho which was the real thing as that is where they train in traditional Thai massage and 2) We didn't go to the Amulet Market and hop onto the Chao Phraya River.

We were pretty hungry by then, the only other meal that day being the Burger King breakfast at about 6am, having slept through most of the flight over.

We hailed a cab down to to Th Sukhumvit Soi 12, to much publicised Cabbages & Condoms, a restaurant which makes it their business to promote safe sex in the Sin City. The meal was better than average with the delightful Tom Yum Goong, which was perfect for me since I don't like mine overpoweringly spicy. Another superbly cooked dish was the steamed sea-bass. Perhaps it was the Canto boy in me.

And the coconuts! To die for, so refreshing, after that long trek through the temple in the Sun.

We met Dan and Rui that night since they touched down at about sevenish. They came over to our hotel to pick us up since they had a chauffeur. Though we got rammed from behind by a taxi just as we were leaving the hotel area onto Patpong, the heart of Sin City.

Bangkok's official name in Thai is a torturous mouthful - Krungthepmahanakhon Amornrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharat Ratchatthaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphiman Awatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit. Hence "Krung Thep" the shortened name.

My gosh. I think I pulled a muscle in my finger.

The Best

The best athletes don't care about whether or not they're the best. What they care about is the game.
The best actors, musicians, doctors, scientists, teachers and businesspeople are not consumed with being the best. They're consumed with a passion for what they're doing.
If your desire is to be the best merely for its own sake, you will strive and struggle against a world that absolutely does not care. If, on the other hand, your most abiding desire is to make a positive difference, you will surely end up being the best at some particular thing or another.
The real substance of accomplishment is never in the trophies or the praise or the recognition it brings. The substance of accomplishment is in the value it delivers.
The best performers in any field are not the ones who hope to be the best or even the ones who already think they are. The best performers are those who never have to even think about where they stand in the rankings.
Commit yourself to delivering value, and you won't be burdened with the need to keep score. Indeed, you will always be on top of the game.
-- Ralph Marston

Bad Luck

With 300 resumes on his desk and a need to pick someone quickly, my boss told me to make calls to the bottom 50 and toss the rest. "Throw away 250 resumes?" I asked. "What if the best candidates are in there?" "You have a point," he said. "But then again, I don't need people with bad luck around here."

- Becky Horowitz in Reader's Digest Feb 2007 issue

Christmas 2007

It was almost a perfect day yesterday.

I remember sitting in the garden in the late afternoon, the sun on my face an the wind blowing.

That was after most of the preparations had been done - the flowers bought from Far East had been arranged and put up, the floor swept... The 2 heavenly slabs of beef gently roasting in the oven, with their delectable smells wafting through the air.

The menu that night was two 2kg slabs of roast beef and a 3kg slab of pork, rolled and stuffed with prunes and apples. That was accompanied with the perfect red cabbage. There was also a platter of roast vegetables which I had to force myself not to gobble up - the roast pumpkin was to die for. There was also my favourite roast sweet potato! Oooooo! And for carbs, we baked our own bread! I can tell you, you've got to hand it to bakers who knead their own bread! It took forever. We baked two types, a flaxseed and black sesame with wholemeal and a poppy seed loaf! Yup, poppy seeds which we bought locally.





I don't know how genuine they were and I can't tell anyway, so I'll just take the lady's word for it that they were poppy seeds.

You don't get high on them. At least I don't know how to prepare them such that they wil make you high. So, will poppy seeds cause you to fail a drug test?

Poppy seeds come in two colours, the black and white. If I am not mistaken, the white is generally used for pastries and savoury dishes, while the black can be used for curries and stews.

We went for the usual midnight mass after dessert of a annual flaming christmas pudding with rum and some strawberry port to wash it down.

Of course we didn't get seats at church. I don't know what it is... But I am beginning to questions my faith, or the lack of it.

Popped by Chin Sin and Thad's place after mass and but I didn't drink. Thad was pissed drunk. Lol.

Can't wait for tomorrow. Will be seeing the blondes. Amir is playing for th RJ alumni band. but I think you know who I'm wanting to see, no?

Distractions

Been wanting to post for sometime now. Damn videostic.com - the cause of my delay? Heroes.

Last night we celebrated Holly's birthday. Mum made an amazing, and I mean AMAZING roast pork. It was a 2kg slab of pork loin that was rolled with a stuffing of chopped prunes, apples, coriander and spinach leaves. After rolled the pork was tied and roasted fat side up at about 180 degrees for about 2hours. With the fat crackling, the only word to describe it was exquisite!

There was a red cabbage side as well. Initially I thought that it would go and hey, how tasty could cabbage be? But the cabbage was an explosion of flavour. Baked in a dish with apples and onions, it was the perfect complimentary dish for the pork. Also it didn't hurt that it looked so bloody good with the purple cabbage.

Dessert did not disappoint either - a Chocolate Amer - a flourless chocolate sponge layered with bitter chocolate mousse from Bakerzin. Thankfully didn't get the bigger cake - this was was a size 5 and just nice for the 6 of us.



Well, dinner time!

Home

Met De and Nick today after work. 

Nick got me two tailored shirts! Very nice. And pants too! Argh, feel bad. It still amazes me when we finish each others' sentences or when we know each other's humour so well that it just cracks us up. Lol. I was laughing on the way back in the cab. 

De got great Christmas presents too. They were early and not wrapped, but they were #1 issues of some of my favourite comics like Wonder Woman (Wonder-f**king-Woman!) and Supergirl. I think I am gonna frame those up. Can't believe he got them. And I suppose it has been awhile since I have been reading comics but I so miss doing that. 

We ate at the above Tonkatsu restaurant, Tonkichi. Great food, and you would probably never have realised that there were a few variations to the seemingly-common tonkatsu. It is quite a different experience - to start with you get to grind your own sauce! Well, just the sesame seeds and then you can add your own chili powder... I loved the pickles. Always have.  I could just eat them with rice on its own. To wash it all down we had ume-shu. All very tai-tai like. 

Also spent a bomb on facial cleansing products. From no less than Kiehl's. I shan't say how much, but I suppose it was an investment for my face. Oh dear, what a blonde. 

I should go to bed. 

Christchurch – Day 8

Christchurch – Day 8

Didn’t write last night. There wasn’t much to write about anyhow.

The weather this morning was great! The Sun was actually out and it looked to be a great day. Though about three it turned for the worst and didn’t get better.

I went opposite Bealey to Circa today since Jacksons was closed today. I didn’t see the last time, but there was this rubber-stamp shop which sold an incredible about of rubber stamps. You could go crazy just looking at them. And then I bought about twenty bucks worth of paper and the lovely lady gave me oneof her catalogues. Really makes you realize how small art is a part of Singapore.

Went to the Art Gallery and the weekend Art Centre market today. They really had unique stuff there.

There was this green woolen jacket I had been eyeing since Wednesday and I finally decided to get it today. I mean it was hand-woven and didn’t cost much – about $89 as compared to the Icebreaker. So I rushed back to the cathedral square about four thirty and went to the stall. I was hoping he hadn’t closed yet, because they normally start to close about four and lo and behold, it was the ONLY piece he hadn’t kept!

We finally got a chance to go to Strawberry Fare. On the whole the mains weren’t fantastic – they were good but I think I’d probably rather got there for a dessert or a light meal instead. Sarah and I shared the entrée of Glazed Figs with creamy blue Castello, proscuitto and fig vincotto with crostini. Now that was fantastic. The cheese was Brie but was more like blue, strong and almost pungent. I really enjoyed the way the cheese and the figs mix in your mouth or the way the saltiness of the proscuitto cuts across the sweetness of the figs. Truly a match made in heaven. The mains were a duck confit and a sweet Briar Merino Lamb rack. The duck wasn’t what I was used to as a confit – the skin was pretty soft, like it was stewed. The texture of the lamb was only so-so but the taste was fantastic. There were two complimenting sauces – a yoghurt mint and some spiced chutney, which complimented it perfectly.

Dessert was the highlight – I had the Ultimate Chocolate Dessert, which consisted of a rich chocolate brownie, a chocolate mousse, a chocolate ice cream and another dark chocolate pudding. To top it off there was a raspberry coulis and a bunch of sliced strawberries thrown in. Sarah had the sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce.

It’s the last night. Time to pack.

 

Christchurch-Day 6

A trio of three pork cuts with sweet corn & kumara cakes, leek and feta fondue, saffron & apple jelly… Now doesn’t that sound heavenly?

On the rectangular platter, from left to right was first the sirloin of pork, grilled to perfection and sitting on top of it was the leek and feta fondue - A slightly tart bite to cut the saltiness of the pork. Oomph! And then an amber-coloured jelly of saffron and apple resting atop a glorious terrine of pork wrapped with a strip of crispy bacon. Lastly, closer to my local palate, was a chunk of pork belly with the sweet corn and kumara cake under, very much like the local “begedil”. 

Dessert was shared between Zoë, Sarah and I. A strawberry and chocolate tiramisu with Tahitian vanilla bean anglaise and vanilla ice-cream, a warm Italian ricotta cake with espresso anglaise and chocolate ice-cream and a chocolate plate of soft-centred fondant, chocolate marquise and decadent chocolate ice-cream.

All this at the posh Joir De Voir, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

The day was spent mainly at the art centre, the cathedral square market and the High St and Tuam St area, which is probably the equivalent of the Haji Lane area.

Was thinking of taking a trip out to Lyttelton or Akaroa tomorrow. I do think Lyttelton would be more practical – only about a 45min ride out. We’ll see how. 

Christchurch-Day 5

I managed to wake up earlier today. Earlier being 10.15am. Went over to Jacksons and bought breakies for everyone.

I had a chicken, cranberry and brie sandwich while bought a canned beef with whole grain mustard and another beef sandwich for the two men and a pancakes with blueberries and bacon for the lady. Of course she ate it only about one odd hour later, when it was cold.

Above is the wall at the entrance of Jacksons.

The highlight of today was dinner with Zoë. I was, initially, apprehensive about dinner with her naturally. It has been awhile, and the last time we me last year it was only just alright I suppose.

But tonight was great! We actually had conversation! She picked us up at six at the Motor Lodge and drove a few roads down to Deli de Luxe for dinner. Dinner lasted till almost ten thirty.

Tomorrow will be mostly for myself! Whoo-hoo! I would love to go to the market at the cathedral square and hopefully get that necklace!

Breakfast: Chicken, Cranberry and Brie Sandwich, Jacksons

Lunch: Buckwheat noodles in Bonito Soup with Canadian Crab, Crowne Plaza (Yeeeuck!)

Dinner: Ravioli la Bela, Deli De Luxe | Hazelnut Latte & Pumpkin and Chocolate muffin, Coffee Culture

Christchurch – Day 4

Woke up late today, at 11am. Since it was so late I just did the laundry until lunch which was in the hotel's cafe.

I had a very nice and light baked aubergine, courgette and mozzarella tart.

After lunch I had to get a pair of formal black shoes. Shoes in NZ are pretty expensive. Generally about a hundred over dollars. In the end I got a Hush Puppy pair for $119. Most people recommend Sergios along Colombo St. It was a very nice shop, though I think mostly branded.

Dinner was a very long-drawn affair which started at six and ended about 11 plus.

Tomorrow we move to the Avenue Motor Lodge along Bealey Ave. We stayed there last year and it was a very decent and nice place. Family run by a lovely couple, Bernie and Jeff. They've got an adorable cat, Muscles and magnificent German Shep, though the name eludes us now. (Ah, his name was Kaiser and he was magnificent.)

Night night.

Christchurch – Day 3

Back at the ol’ Crowne Plaza now, the gang at their usual hangout, the Christchurch Casino. Went for a late dinner at the Casino with them before heading to the 24 hour convenience store to buy back some instant noodles for them – they’ll be needing it since I reckon they’d be coming back about 4am, the same as the other day.I was exhausted today. The free Internet access at Bethlehem Motel didn’t help - I was up till late. So, on the flight on the way back I was knocked out and didn’t even realize when we took off.

We took a Bombardier Q300 from Tauranga to Wellington - a relatively small carrier though bigger than the Beech. Wellington was a beautiful city. From what little I saw, it was coastal town that looked fantastic in the evening sun. The apartments by the bay all built upon the hilly terrain, the clear blue water, a haven for anyone loving the sea. While on transit in Wellington, we collectively bought about $800 worth or woolies from this brand, Icebreaker Merino, which apparently is very good for winter. I got two pieces – a thin inner tee and an outer sweater.

Lunch was in Tauranga with Wendy and Neil and was at a seaside joint, the name escapes me now but I shall get it from dad later. It was a great place and I had a Red Wine Platter. Probably the only reason I chose it was because apart from the fact that it gave a good sample of almost everything, there was blue cheese! Yum yum - A platter of heaven. Apart that giant slice of cheese, there was roast beef with a side of caramalised onion, salami, smoked sausages, and this pepper or something stuffed with a cream cheese.

Tomorrow should be a great day – I think I can finally go to the art museum.

Lunch: Seaside cafe in Tauranga, Red Wine Platter

Dinner: Christchurch Casino, Open Lamb Sandwich

Tauranga - Day 2

Kia Ora. 

Or that's "hello" in Maori.

Today finds us in Tauranga. A beautiful piece of nature cut out from the rest of the world. Here there are no skyscrapers or road congestion and their idea of crowded is the road with 6 cars at the traffic light. 

We took a flight from Christchurch Airport to Auckland which took about 1h 15mins. Of course there was plenty of delays and I think we took off only almost half an hour after the scheduled time. We sat on a small Boeing 737 which felt quite rickety. Touched down in Auckland at 1.50PM- the time we were supposed to board the other plane to Tauranga. 

The domestic airports are quite different. For one I guess you could say the security is quite relaxed with minimal checks in between Auckland and Tauranga. We had to walk onto the tarmac to get onto the next plane. I thought I had seen small. This aircraft was a Beech 1900D and it was small. Like zero flight attendants and I think no more than 20 people kinda small. Lol. 

Tauranga or the Bay of Plenty is really a beautiful costal town. We were out tonight with dad's friend's here and after a very filling dinner we went for a walk by the coast which was alive and thumping with the beat of the music. I think New Zealanders are pretty religious people. What may have sounded like a rock band was actually this guy belting out Christian Rock. I've got some pictures from dinner, of course only of my food. Will upload if they look nice. 

Oh, and on a random note, New Zealand has a population of 4.2 million people. In the WHOLE of New Zealand! Golly. The same as Singapore!

Tomorrow it's back to Christchurch.

Hopefully I'll get up early enough to go to the nearby bustling market (which consists only a a small row of shops) to pick up some freshly baked bread for breakies. Yum yum.

Ka kite ano.

Christchurch – Day 1

The moon seems brighter, the sky more vast here in New Zealand.

We touched down in Christchurch at about ten in the morning, local time. The flight was bearable – at ten odd hours. Upon coming out from the Christchurch Airport, there was a sense of nostalgia – just one year ago in September I followed dad and Sar here. Back then it was winter, and there was snow on the same path I was walking on. That was also the first time I remember seeing snow up-close.

Reached the Crowne Plaza just before noon and we basically slept till 5pm, even though I wanted to take only a one-hour nap. I went to the gym about six-ish had a run and some upper body workouts… And by 7.30 odd we were out for dinner at a Japanese restaurant nearby.

It’s a 12.09am now and the rest are out at the casino. Lol… The favourite hangout while we are here.

Tomorrow we’re off to Tauranga. There will be a 2-hour transit in Auckland. It’ll be my first time there, am quite excited.

I’m also looking forward to next week – because then is when we’ll have more time to explore. Meaning I can go around the cultural precinct!

Until then.

It was Spring...

My baby

13.3-inch glossy display

2.0GHz or 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Up to 4GB memory

Up to 250GB hard drive

Apple Remote with Front Row

Built-in iSight camera

Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100

Slot-loading optical drive

Built-in AirPort Extreme

FireWire 400 and two USB 2.0 ports

Gigabit Ethernet

Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

Still needs getting used to. But my goodness - this means more than just a laptop. It represents my life for the next five years. Australia beckons and that's where I'm gonna be! Now I wanna get that 500GB external hard disk. Man, it looks so sweet! Hahah.

Mum made a lovely roast last night. I did take pictures, perhaps I will upload soon.

J

Because I am bo-liao.

Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, and things. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name. Nothing made up!

Your name: John
Four words: Jack-off, Jovial, Jubilant, Joyful
State/country: Jordan or Jamaica!
Boy Name: Josiah / Julian
Girl Name: Jacqueline / Jennica
Occupation: Jam Taster (Well, someone's gotta do it right?!)
Something you can wear: Jock-strap!
Something found in a kitchen: Juicer
Something you shout: Ja-neh!
Something you do at school: Joke around
Name of an animal: Jaguar
Name of a drink: Jello Shooters
Name a holiday: July the 4th
Name a body part: Jugular

Jim Carrey- Veracosa

There's bad and then there's baaaaaaaaaad.

Hope and macaroni

Mum made a comforting macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight. Yum Yum. Though sometimes we crave the cheap junk food version, tonight's one was made with good cheese. I think there was at least a Parmesan in it. Topped with breadcrumbs. Man, stomach's rumbling now.

So I was looking up the dish online and it seems it has more history and culture than American TV dinners I associate it with:

When cooked traditionally, the cheese sauce is often prepared in the style of Mornay sauce, a classical French sauce of butter and flour cooked into a roux, to which milk and cheese are added. Alternatively, the sauce may consist of a custard base with cheese added. The sauce and cooked macaroni are then combined. Often the dish is then baked as a casserole, sometimes with a breadcrumb topping. The resulting dish displays a contrast between a soft interior and crisp exterior that can only be made by dry-heat cooking.

I also bought some O-Level Math books today. Yeah... My attempt to get back in the mood for studying since Feb isn't too far away and I suppose I will need to learn how to study again. Lol. Army is baaaaad for you man.

I'm actually quite excited about doing more Math. Or perhaps I'm just saying that... Wait till I get the first question wrong. Sigh. Lol.

Ermm, just a little of how I am feeling in the poem reflected below... Still takes up a lot of my thoughts...

Dreams

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

~ Langston Hughes

I suppose that is all I can do. That, and hope.

To De

Because everyone should see how gay he is...



Miss you De.

The tourist trap

Had dinner with Josh at Newton Circus last night.

Do not eat hor-fun there.

My goodness. There was only one stall I saw which sold hor-fun - stall number 62.

And my goodness. It sucked. Really.

It really is a tourist trap. With the generally mediocre food, and the deaf and mute people selling Nemo the clownfish... I guess the company made it better. Okok, the or-lua was pretty alright.

Feeling very annoyed now. At work. And then I thought of a question Joshua asked me, about who irritates me. Last night I couldn't think of anyone... Hahah, I just messaged him to tell him who I finally realised never fails to irritate the life out of me. I shan't put his name here. :)

At least thinking of the conversation last night and then realising that I do get extremely annoyed by someone made me laugh.

I don't know why.

Meeting the Blonde's and Josh tonight. At least that will be a relief.

TGIF.

Stardust

I must say, I first picked up the book only because of the cover. I mean, check it out. Doesn't it look waaaayyy cool? Haha.

Talk about judging a book by it's cover. But as it turns out, it was a very entertaining read and I am happy with the movie adaptation too. Not too much changes, Claire Danes as Yvaine the star and Michelle Pfeiffer as Lamia are just perfect. Not to mention that adorable-looking Charlie Cox as Tristan.

The movie was very nice.

Perfect date movie. Honest. Sigh.

Being the complete sucker for romance, of course my favourite scenes were all the soppy romance parts when they were dancing together on the ship, when he pushed her into the bush to take cover and I think when Yvaine finally shines.

De Niro as Captain Shakespeare was fabulous. In every sense of the word. He injected the right kind of lighthearted-ness which only made watching the movie more enjoyable. Gotta love him for giving Tristan that makeover.

Thanks to Nadia (Mmmuacks Babe!), she searched for the quote I was looking for and sent it to me! My favourite quote from the movie:

Yvaine: [in the pirate ship] Tell me about Victoria.

Tristan: Well, she... she... [Yvaine waits for an answer]

Tristan: There's nothing else to tell you.

Yvaine: The little I know about love is that it's unconditional. It's not something you can buy.
Tristan: Hang on! This wasn't about me trying to buy her love. This was to prove to her how I felt.

Yvaine: Ah... And what's she doing to prove how she feels about you?

Tristan: Well... [doesn't answer her question]

Well, that and:

Yvaine: You know when I said I knew little about love? That wasn't true. I know a lot about love. I've seen it, centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain, lies, hate... It made me want to turn away and never look down again. But when I see the way that mankind loves... You could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful. So yes, I know that love is unconditional. But I also know that it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing, and... What I'm trying to say, Tristan is... I think I love you. Is this love, Tristan? I never imagined I'd know it for myself. My heart... It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it's trying to escape because it doesn't belong to me any more. It belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I'd wish for nothing in exchange - no fits. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine.

Now doesn't that make you want to fall in love? Hahah...

Personal Profile

Colorgenics - http://www.paulgoldinresearch.com/cg/

Enough is enough - and you feel that you've had enough for a while. You don't need any more battles. You just would like to be able to shout 'stop' and experience a little peace and calm - even if it be only for a little while. This doesn't mean that you need to cut yourself off from the rest of the world - it just means that you are seeking some respite, some physical or emotional relaxation that could release some of the the tension and possibly reduce the internal conflict.

You are a leader in every sense of the word. You know where you are going and you know what you need to do in order to get there. You exercise an inherent initiative in overcoming obstacles and difficulties. You either hold, or wish to achieve, a position of authority by means of which full control can be exerted over events.

You are feeling under considerable pressure and you are being forced to make concessions. You are not particularly happy with this state of affairs but you feel that you have no alternative. If you were to force issues you would be left out or completely ignored by one and all.

For some time now your hopes and expectations have been denied and because of this you are becoming withdrawn and introverted. Continual disappointment has manifested itself in you becoming both suspicious and restrained you have become withdrawn from others and have receded more and more into yourself. You seem to have lost your innate enthusiasm and imaginative nature, for fear that you may be carried away by it only to find that you are wasting your time. You are loath to trust people, as in the past your trust has been misplaced. You seem to be keeping yourself cautiously aloof from others. At this moment in time your attitude is to trust nobody - until they can prove themselves to you.

Disappointment and the fear that there is no point in formulating fresh goals have led to anxiety and you are distressed by the lack of any close and understanding relationships. You feel you are not appreciated by those who matter to you. You are attempting to escape into a world on which you can relax and feel at ease.

Going bananas

I meant to write this post yesterday, on Thursday. It's now 2.09am.

We had to prematurely harvest this first batch of bananas as the ants were getting to them. Moreover for some weird reason they were randomly splitting down the centres. So rather than let them all go to waste dad decided to just chop off the whole bunch.

They look perfectly ripe after they'd split though. And the ants and fruit flies certainly thought so. I think it's cool, the way we've got a whole farm at home. Lol. Apart from bananas, there're papayas, mangoes (though we've yet to really eat them), and soon coconuts too. Not to mention the odd basil, spring onion and parsley I try to grow now and then. Oh, and then that blackberry shrub we got from Cameron Highlands. Only bears fruit once in awhile an when it does never enough for anything substantial.

When I feel like it I'll go cut down the banana tree - they only bear fruit once, after which they are useless. But no worries, they're plenty more shoots growing out from the sides.

I made a boo-boo today. I shall not elaborate here but I feel i should have known better.. Business etiquette and all. After the meeting we had a lunch. My goodness, I couldn't wait to get out of it. It was just so draggy. Furthermore that HR woman was acting so familiar with me. Argh. What do you talk to straight business women about? I haven't a clue. It was almost awkward. And the thing is I think I almost didn't bother trying. It's not that I don't give a hoot about the business, it's just that I didn't deem the HR woman anyone important enough to give a hoot. Sigh, all for the sake of pretense.

The beef hor-fun at Geylang Lor 9 is fantastic. Stomach's rumbling now just thinking of it. Oooo... Plus the cut green chili.

I suppose I should turn in now.

Serenity

I made payment for Newcastle today.

And then I also realised that the orientation is on the 11th of Feb, which is a Monday. And Pang advised me to go in on the Thursday before that which is the 6th just in case I want to purchase anything before the weekend when the bulk of the shops would be closed. Golly. That's very little time left. All that's left now is to purchase the air ticket and finalise my lodging.

After work went for dinner and had a very pleasant evening at Botanic Gardens. It's changed with all the new plants and that masive swan sculpture in the middle of the lake. It looked daunting in the twlight, I have to see it by day. I seem to recall the paths and the layout in more or less the same manner. Of course there was Mr Kaypo in his sunglasses in the middle of the night. Lol.

He really does make me want to be a better person. I don't know why. I suppose the closest thing I can describe it is like an aura. And his soul is just so... "good" (for the lack of a better word) that it just overflows.

His cup runneth over. Lol.

Interestingly, the origin of that phrase was from the Bible:

Psalms 23:5 (King James Version):

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.