4 girls and a guy....

A few days ago, Meredith, Anna, Vania, Karla and myself are on the topic of why guys who are attached dun seem to come open about the relationship with their partners when they are with other girls.

All the girls feel that guys just want the extra attention, to prove that whilst in a relationship, they are still charming and have the ability to attract the opposite sex.

The girls say that, if the relationship is of a certain importance, in the first conversation of the guy, he will definitely mention about the girlfriend, somehow....

And if after so many conversations and the guy still fail to mention about the gf, then there must be some kinda problem in the relationship....

I agree to a certain extent, however, i personally felt that sometimes, guys are really less sensitive to such things. I agree if the relationship means something to you, u will definitely say it out sooner than later, but sometimes the guys just got engrossed in the conversation and slipped out of the mind. Lame but true... Sometimes it is just that innocent mistake....

And sometimes, actually most of the times, guy do not have the intention to lead the girls on, they just want to be nice...at least it is not subconsiously....... but whatever the case, I'm guilty or in a way people feel that I'm guilty for sometimes, like how they put it, leading people on. Sigh...

Sometimes, it just doesn't pay to be nice....

Happy Birthday Karla!!!

South Island Adventure Part 3

After Wanaka, I head towards Mount Cook(the highest mt in NZ) and Lake Tekapo before heading back to Dunedin. I have been to this two place before more than a decade ago, but I just want to see how beautiful it is.

The day started bad, because it is so foggy, and it seems like I'm the only one driving on the road, because the fog is really bad, and the visibility is really bad. I drove very slow, trying to ensure it is a below 80km/h and below 2000RPM so i can save on petrol. Then all the cars behind me cannot overtake because it is too foggy. Damn funnie, so there is like a traffic jam behind me for quite a while.

One thing about NZ is that, this place can be foggy, then u can come out completely from the fog and then go a place filled with sunshine and den go to another region filled with snow and then with fog again. How magicial...

When I reached Lake Tekapo, it was all foggy, and I was quite sian. Coz I remembered the lake being very nice and all I can see is fog. So I went to my car to sleep for a while, and when I woke up, the fog start to clear up and then it is really very nice. Will prove it with my photos. All pictures in the southern island adventure is proudly supported by Karla's camera. And yes, lotsa great pictures, and I strongly believe the results have a direct relation to the mood of the person...

When I was at Lake Tekapo, I only have half tank, and I was trying my luck to see if I can make it back to Dunedin with it. And like 50km b4 I reached back, it went down to the empty mark. I was trying to drive slowly so as to reduce fuel consumption and amazingly i am able to reach back with an empty mark.

Feeling of coming back here is so different, I wonder why, maybe it is because I'm leaving soon. :(

South Island Adventure Part 2

Then from Queenstown to Wanaka, via the mountain route. Drove up the mountain that cuts half the distant from the highway from Queenstown to Wanaka. It is pretty cool. I didn't expect my car can drive up that route. Really steep, but it was worth that experience. At least I drove faster than a 4 wheel drive.

And then in Wanaka... The lake is amazing. It is already so nice during winter, I really can't imagine how it is going to be like during Autumn. Awww....

I was walking along the lake, then I saw this resort by the lake which is quite evenly spread out and a stone throw away to the lake. Then there was this house on a high ground, also quite near the beach, and it has view of the whole lake and mountain. I was like thinking, this is my dream house...and it is really my dream house, because it is really so nice.

Then on Sat, Laura and her cousin Elliot brought me to Cardrona for snowboarding. I still remembered how to brake. I learnt it in snowcity. hahaha, but I think I start to be able to go down. Just a little scary man, coz even in the beginner slope, it is still so steep. hahaha, and I keep falling down. And After I mastered my heel side, I tried it on my toe side. Bad option, coz I fell down even more... Attempting the intermediate slope, was kinda scary, even though Laura and Elliot thinks I'm good enough for that level, I think it is so scary. But freaking hell, Laura is jumping everywhere, she is like so pro.

On my 2nd day, I did slightly better, trying to do more sharp turns and jumps. I noe, I very eager...and I paid for it. I had a bad fall and I rolled down the slope. Hurt my arse heaps. And even until now, my whole body still aches, especially my arse. After that fall, I did my last run, and I think I did really well. Didn't fall and came down like a pro. hahaha, ok, I will upload the video soon and feel proud about it.

Laura's family is great. Their house is so big, but it is only their rented house. Because their house is still in the process of building. So what happen is that Kevin(Laura's Dad) brought me to the site. They have 2 acers of land and it has a beautiful sight of the lake and the mountain, and the house is so big that they dun even need a 2nd storey. Then they asked me what do I think of it. I told them it was like a dream come true...a dream of mine coming true for them. At least now I'm not just dreaming, I know it can be achieved, and Kevin and Maria(Laura's Mum) did it.

I feel so inspired. They owe almost all the commercial properties in Wanaka, and have one sailing boat and one yatch...how cool is that. Then Maria is such a nice person to talk to. We even talked about sex. How cool is the mum man. And from her, I can see the greatest love of all Mums. Not that I dunno how good my mum is. But it just re-emphasize the fact that the trouble all mum go through. Like she tell me she will call Laura every now and then checking on her. And it suddenly made me realized how my mum page me 98 time in one nite and call me more than 15 times a day. Then I was so oblivious to her concern, just felt so irritating, but now I know that I'm in my mum's thoughts so often, make me feel so loved. I know i'm such a mummy's boy. till date she still calls me and message me often, not like in a relationship, sometimes your partner get so busy that they will even forget about just spending a couple of minutes to check on you. My mum is different, even when she is busy, I'm always her priority. I love you mum.

Maria was telling me how she object not using contraceptives in our religion, and I was just talking to Karla about this a week ago. And plus a few more stuff and that is why she stop practicising Catholism. Which is sad...but I guess she will come back to it some day. But she is really cool about sex. Just as long as it is not ONS but in a relationship is cool. I can never imagine any mum telling me dat. hahaha.

She taught me how to bake and cook, which I think is quite useful, in order to impress my mum in the kitchen. hahaha

And Maria is definitely that kinda wife that I want to have, she can cook, wash, do all the housework, while Kevin just laze around in the living room watching rugby. My kinda life in a marriage man. hahaha...

Overall, a wonderful weekend on Snowboarding, and I swear I will be back for more. :)

South Island Adventure Part 1

I started off my long planned road trip in a clockwise direction from Dunedin. I took the southern scenic route and which was a long route to the south part of south island. However, I get to see lotsa wonderful scenery while driving there. I remember a decade ago when I came to NZ I saw a house being transported from one place to another, and it is literally moving house. And boy am I glad that I seen one more this time round. I took a picture of it while I'm driving at the same time. And it is pretty cool, but they really slowed down the traffic alot.

The southern scenic route is a less travelled route because the route is longer and I was like almost alone throughout the whole journey. Like driving in a lost island where there is the coast line, farms, and wonderful drive way, but it is just you alone. I was initially afraid, dunno if I went the wrong route, because it is really desserted, as in NO ONE else was driving. But after a while, I started to enjoy the company of the magicial nature. It is trully awesome. Ended the first night of my road trip in a YHA hostel Invercargill to cook my dinner and watch some TV. Then I drove to some camping site in the middle of the night and retire for the nite. The next day, that guy ask me to pay for parking there. This is so ridiculous man... Obviously I got myself out from it, but after a long "debate".

Next day's drive is even more cool. I drove the west coast of NZ. West coast has like the most amazing scenery especially the beaches. I can only see so much of it man, coz there is really like so much to see, and I have already try to cover as many as I can. But seeing is believing...

Ended up in Te Anu. It is quite a big town then I thought it is. The have a splendid lake there, but the only problem is that it is raining and foggy, so couldn't get the best out of it. Nevertheless it is still quite nice.

From Te Anu, I drove to queenstown. The drive was pretty awesome, as I stopped many times to admire the lake that is near queenstown. Really nice man. Like snowcapped mountain just beside the lake. Driving can never be so much fun with my trusty nachos.

Queenstown is so packed. It is like filled to the brim. So many people there, all are there because it is holiday and the skiing season. The last time when I was in Queenstown, it is not even 10% of what I see. SO many people, make me so sian of the place. 2 weeks ago, I was feeling homesick, mainly is because of being alone, and some stuff that went awefully wrong. But right now, when everything is more settled, it seems really a better idea to be travelling alone. I think I have so much fun, coz I really got to meet lotsa people, and of coz the new insights and discovery that I get to make everyday.

LOST IN YOUR EYES

I get lost, in your eyes
And I feel my spirits rise
And soar like the wind
Is it love that I am in?
I get weak in a glance
Isn't this what's called romance?
And that's what I know
Cause when I'm lost
I can't let go

(Chorus)
I don't mind
Not knowing what I'm headed for
You can take me to the skies
It's like being lost in heaven
When (and) I'm lost in your eyes

I just felt
Don't know why
Something is there
We can't deny
Ooh, when I first knew
Was when I first looked at you
And if I
Can't find my way
If salvation
Seems miles away
Oh, I'll be found
When I'm lost in your eyes

(Repeat Chorus)

I get weak in a glance
Isn't this what's called romance
Oh, I'll be found
When I am lost
In your eyes.

The start of the southern adventure...

I sold my wife. She will be parting me after my trip. And I sold it to a girl, and I hope she will be taken good of. Sold it for $900, felt short of my initial asking price of $1,500. But I only bought it for $500, so it is not too bad lah.

Tomorrow is the start of my adventure...gonna have a road trip going in clockwise direction in the southern island. Hopefully everything is going to be very very fun...

Last lap of fun in Cold Cold land, before returning back home to Hot hot land...

Football create patriotism

i watched the soccer today in my hall. There are like 60 people from all over the world watching here. and there are quite a few french people. and it is the first time i see that people cry after their country lost. U noe, everitime u see it on TV, but i see it in real life today. Guys also cry...so are they sad bcoz the lost the game or lost as a country or what?

But one thing for sure, every country really supports their country when they come to sports...hahaha, the better the country in some sports, the higher the patriotism. I dunno if it is true, but I start to wonder, how patriotic are the people from my country?

Oh well...congrats to italy supports, even though I really felt you guys dun really deserve it. =p

When the tough gets going...

Sometimes life can be hard. Things don't go as we had planned, dreams don't get realised, opportunities are missed, relationships are strained or lost. We compare our talents or successes to others and ours always come up short!

We may feel overwhelmed by a situation or feel God is asking us to do something that we just don't think we can.

At times like these, it is easy to be hard on ourselves, feel down or be afraid. We may believe that things can't change - our faith is affected.

Life may still be hard at times but we can be assured that his grace will be sufficient for us.

North Island Adventure Part 4

Alex brought me to this pub call Margarita - Disco. Everybody inside are all chinese, but the thing is, the music sucks, but there are still so many people. Maybe it is a good "fishing" spot, but definitely the amount of Chinese there is at least 50 times more than those that I see in Otago.

Then Alex's mum brought us to "yum char" which means drink tea in cantonese. The food is not too bad, and I'm quite surprise that I'm actually doing lotsa chinese stuff in NZ. I want to say a big thank you to Alex and family for being such marvellous hosts. The hospitality is greatly appreciated.

Monday, we took Alex car with the aim to drive it back to Dunedin. His car is a sports car, with only two doors, so naturally Jason have to squeeze at the back, because Alex drive and I have very long legs, so I get to sit in the front. Our luck ran out even b4 we reached our first stop, Alex got caught by a traffic police with a summon of $90 for driving at 113km/h, 13km above limit. What terrible luck man.

Our first stop is Rotorua. Saw some natural geysers and thermal steam. It is really nice, will post more pics on it. The ultimate part is when we went for a night hot bathe in one of the world's top 10 spas. We got our own locker, towel, lounge, and private pools which is just beside the lake. Hot bath under the blanket of stars facing the sea, how cool can that be man...

The next day, we are suppose to head to Taupo and Tongariro, however due to the rain, we did not stop and move on ahead towards wellington. But on the way, we saw lotsa snow, snow, snow and snow. We can't help but to stop and take some photos. It was freezing, but it is really worth it.

And finally, we reached Wellington so well ahead of time that we are so early for our ferry which is suppose to be in the wee hours. So we decided to catch Superman returns, and Jason keep wanting to be Superman after that. I also met up with Anisa(from my home university), who is starting her exchange semester in Victoria University in Wellington in the next few weeks. Finally get to meet some Singaporeans and people from the my home university, the feeling is kinda good.

Then after the movie we went to catch check in our ferry, but it apparently got cancelled due to bad weather. Then, it was pushed back from 1.55am to 4am. We slept in the car, and when we woke up, we realized that all the car around us are gone, we thought they all left without us, but to only find out that they have cancelled the ferry again. So it was pushed to 8.30am then pushed to 1pm then finally to 6.15pm which we eventually got to board, even though the condition is still the same, heavy pouring rain and big waves. During this period of time, we just went to YHA to cook our meals and sleep in the TV room. Did i mention that YHA Wellington is like the best hostel I ever seen. And we obviously did all these for free, and I think it is really good. Thank you once again YHA Wellington.

Alex vomitted 4 times on board the ferry, which I can totally understand why. Imagine the ferry which is like so hugh, we were at the 6 and the 7th storey, the waves still came crushing onto our windows. And we literally feel the feeling of going up and down the waves, I'm lucky enough to sleep it through. Poor Alex...

We reached Picton at 10pm, and we decide to drive down to Dunedin, through the night. Eventually we made it. Alex and myself took turns to drive. I must say that I actually fell asleep a few times and it was so crazy because I was going at 140km/h. I was swaying on the road, I think the vehicle behind me is thinking what am I trying to do. But eventually once Alex took over, we are in good hands, though travelling at 160km/h, we are absolutely in safe hands. We reached Dunedin at 7.30am. 9 hours of driving from Picton to Dunedin is pretty impressive, and esp so when it is at night.

Came back just in time to watch how France defeat Portugal. :)

Letter from India...Part 2

Remember the stephen-chow-fan-club (hindi branch) that I mentioned in the previous email? Well, I don't think anybody is laughing now, it has been raining like crazy for the past 3 days in Mumbai. And counting.

How heavy is the rain? Well, airport visibility is only 50M. Enough to cancelled a number of domestic flights.
How long will the monsoon be? As mentioned, 3 days and counting, I won't be here to count till august/sept. Phew~

Many people here are starting to miss Singapore already, some miss the food, some miss the cleanliness and efficiency, some miss their love ones.

I miss my bike. (Left hand grabs imaginary clutch, right hand twist nonexistent throttle)

Of course I miss you all also lah, that's why send email mah =)

Food
As long as there is meat, I'm cool. But the lack of GREEN vegetables is annyoing me at times. Their version of 'vegetarians' are peas, lentils, roots and dough. Pratas, lassi, chapaitis here are all cheap if you eat like the locals. I can't find duck or pork yet, unable to find the reason why. They have this unique dish call 'Bombay Duck' , its actually a very crispy fish dish. And its not easy I think only miss the variety of breakfast I can have in singapore -- on that, I will hantam any joker who suggest having pratas for any get-together when I'm back.

Cleanliness
I saw a dead rat on the way to work this morning. I saw a cat with a dead rat in its mouth on the way to the market over the weekend. Cats here are garang, sg cats only know how to scratch bike seats (mine) and sleep in shade. There is a lack of rubbish bin here. Come forth and litter, therapetic after a hard day of work.

Efficiency
I'm not sure if there is a indian word for it. Enough said.

On this point, I wanna add this, remember all the head shaking u see on tv/movies? The head is shaken from side to side, not from right to left. Different ok! Over here, it means 1) Yes 2) No 3) Don't know 4) Maybe.

Which leads to surivial tip no 2!
Do not ask leading questions when you are in India

Wrong method: Do I turn right to get to the Singaporean embassy?/ Is the embassy behind the shopping centre?
Ans: Shakes Head to indicate yes/no/maybe/don't know. We tend to accept that answer as a 'Yes' and before you know it, you are in pakistan.

Correct method: Where is the embassy?
Ans: Gives exact or approximate directions. e.g. 5 mins walk straight

And that leads to survival tip no 3!
1 min = 5 min, 5 mins = approx 15 min, an hour = Bring your pillow.
While the rest of the world uses GMT, here they have IRT/IST -- Indian rubber/stretchable Timing. Not only are timing very much enlongated, distance too! My 5 min, 1km walk to the market turns out be shacker than expected

There is allwaiz a light at the end of the tunnel

Ever feel that your life can't get any worst? I did....

The past few days have been atrociously bad, a series of unfortunate events happened. Where should I start....??? My camera gave up on me, a piece of shocked information send me to the drain, my most trusted support got lost along the way and nothing seems to be going right. Travelling alone didn't make anything better... You know you only got yourself to depend on to manage your emotions.

No matter how talented I'm, with such terrible down symdrome, the pictures I took with alex's camera turn out to be like the worst pix i ever taken(is not his camera, is me), my most stunning mother nature has lost its colours, my taste preferences turned bad, and things just didn't work out. On top of all these, I have to put up a brave front infront of the people I meet and friends of course...

So in times like this, I asked myself, "can I get any worst?"...

I allwaiz see myself as a great problem solver, but I know I won't be able to do it myself this time. I just knew it. The thought of disappointment and saddness filled me to the brim. Then I start to remember for the countless of interviews that I went to, the interviewers always ask me what was the thing that was so hard to do but eventually succeeded in doing it, what was the factors that helped you succeed?

I used to answer: discipline, determination, mind over body, blah blah blah....but in fact, the thing that helped me most throughout all the difficult times that I had(including this one too) is nothing but just a simple prayer.

It is really so magical. It is just like a pill that gave me wings to fly. It took away my burden, gave me strength to carry on. Somehow or rather, it will make things seem right again, the prayer was answered through, people, action, and love....

Never have I taken prayer for granted, but there are allwaiz times that I doubted the healing power of it. At the end of the day, it never fails to bring me hope and joy... I'm so so thankful for it. Thank you people for being there too. U noe who u r.

To the rest who are "troubled" out there, a few minutes prayer can really bring u a long way, you do not even need to be a christian to do it man...there is allwaiz a light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, unless the tunnel leads to Marina Bay, where you obviously won't find "light", but there is still light in the train or the train station...=p

Thank you once again....

Mind Reader

This is really a brain teaser, and I really love to solve this stuff, took me quite a while.

Believe it or solve it. =p

http://www.ecardtricks.com/mindreader3.htm

North Island Adventure Part 3

Alex picked me up and we went to his flat. I put up in his place for one night, before making my way up north to Pahia to visit Bay of Island.

The next day, I asked Alex to drop me in a strategic place for me to hitch a hike, he ended up dropping me a motorway(highway). Then it against the law to hitch hike on the motorway, and guess what, a police saw me, and on the other side of the road, he went out on the next exit and made a u-turn to come and find me. He did not even hear me out, he ask me to get out of the road, and shouted at me to walk on the grass. He demanded me to walk out to the next exit and did not even offer me a ride even though he is the only one in his car. How nice can the police here be. :(

I took 5 rides to eventually reach my destination. Quite impressive I must say. The map says I need about 4hours and I got there in less than 3.5hrs and I change cars 5 times. The hostel I booked was quite nice, I was given a dorm with 10 beds, but only the other guy and me sleeping there for the night. So it is pretty good. I got myself 2 pillows and 2 big blanket...hahaha

Went to the famous Cape Regina and the 90miles beach, we literally sit in the coach, and he drove us down on the beach. And it is so dangerous to drive on the beach as the wave can just come in anytime and wash the vehicle away. Saw lotsa cars buried in the sand. There are lotsa whales washed on the shores before, but I didn't have any luck to see any of those.

There are also sand dunes along the way, quite impressive how NZ have so many different types of landforms, and especially so when it is situated on those volcanic lines. Did some sand boarding, and it is really fun. I think the next time I do sandboarding will be in Vietnam. Can't wait to do it.

The next day I went to a cruise out to the sea to see this "hole in the rock". Apparently the large mass of rock was formed in the sea by some lava, then overtime, due to wearing off, there is like a hole in the middle of this rock, and the boat drove through it. This is damn nice. Unfortunately, we are also suppose to see dlphines but never got the chance to see it.

And so I left Pahia after 3 days and hitch a ride back to auckland. Got myself 2 rides which eventually bring me bac to Auckland, and this time is more impressive, took me 3 hours to get to Auckland.

I am going to stay in Alex for the next few days. Auckland is such a big city filled with Chinese, and the most amazing thing that I saw today...pedestrain cross diagonally during pedestrain crossing. hahaha, was really impressed. I know I'm going to enjoy my stay here before heading back to Dunedin.

North Island Adventure Part 2

Waitomo Caves is really very magical. Learnt how to abseil down the cave, did some minor caving, before doing a fly fox in the dark. and you won't know what to expect, coz it is in the dark. Then went tubing around to see the glow-worm. The water is really cold, one girl pulled out because the cold is really unbearable for her.

Then we did some swimming, going around the cave in awkward positions, and i was given the opportunity to lead the group. This is so weird, even though I'm like quite use to leading people in the dark, but this one is scary, it is like u dunno what to expect, and you have to go through it in squatting, proning, and climbing.

Now I know why canoyoning is so fun, the trill of climbing and down a waterfall is really damn fun. I would not exchange it with anything else. The final satisfaction of eventually seeing the light after 4 hours in the cave is satisfying. Because the frost is defrosting in the sun, when you look into the branches and trees, you see those array of lights shining through them, enhancing the enchanted surroundings, making it so spiritual and magical. That moment I knew life is definitely worth living for, and mother nature is indeed the most attractive and amazing thing around.

After I cleaned up, I need to go rush to Auckland. It is like 3-4hours away, and the worst thing is there is NO bus service from Waitomo to Auckland. So my best bet is hitch hiking AGAIN. Was really lucky even though I have to wait 20mins to even get one ride out to the main road, and eventually got a second ride which send me right to Auckland city. This is amazing...i drew a AUCKLAND on a piece of paper and I flag, it only took me like 10misn to get the 2nd ride. I start to think hitch hiking is really fun and challenging. First thing is, you really do not know if you will eventually get a ride, 2nd is that if the ride will eventual bring u to the designated place or you will need to change another one, 3rd is the potential danger u might face if you meet someone who does not have the intention to treat you well.

Through the hitch hiking, i learn alot more about the Kiwi way of life, like I have to engaged a conversation with them throughout the whole trip. So we talk about lotsa things. One of the reason why they would offer me a ride is because they need companionship for their long journey, so the least i can do is to engage both of us in an interesting conversation.

North Island Adventure Part 1

Woke up early to check out my stuff from my room on the 24th June. Then went to the airport to catch my plane. Was really expecting a warmer North, I was wrong, Wellington is known for its wind chill. Freezing when I came out from the airport... Somehow I strong agree that low tempreature is even warmer than any wind.

Wellington is a really nice city, quite urban and lotsa cafes. Visited Te Papa, the habour, Mt. Victoria for a scenic view and walked the streets. That is pretty much it, other than spending my 1st time in a bagpackers hostel. It is like so nice, as if it is like a 3star hotel. Met Francesca in the hostel, how small can NZ be man.

Unfortunately, have to leave Karla and Laurie on the 3rd day to visit Waitomo Caves. Got myself a train tix and it took me like almost 10hours to travel from Wellington to Waitomo. Karla and Laurie is not really interested in Black water rafting and caving, so I have to do it myself. As soon as I reached the station, it is like 45mins before sunset, so I braced myself and hitch hike to the caves to save on some money. It is ridiculous to pay a double digit for a 10mins drive to the cave. Got very lucky as I got picked up on my first attempt on flagging, and he dropped me outside, so I have to hitch another ride in which wasn't too difficult. I got it on my first attempt too.

One thing that Karla and Laurie is totally against is hitch hiking because they say it is very dangerous, and I always wanted to do it because in life you have try everything once at least...and I'm lucky enough to get away unhurt, and of coz FREE RIDE.