NZ Adventure - Auckland

Finally, after what seemed like a long endless wait, my NZ trip was finally taking place! The night before was occupied with packing and ensuring that I had all the documents I required and that I would not miss my flight! Somehow, it felt funny that I was gonna meet Mr Low after nearly half a year. But what can I say except that I'm looking forward to it? :D

The plan was for him to meet me at the Melb airport before we head on the same flight to Auckland! Being cheapo, I decided to walk to the train station to take the shuttle bus to the airport. Dragged my baggage and walked for 30mins! Wahlau eh! Was sweating like a pig man! On the way to the airport, I was getting more and more excited. It's as though this isn't a dream no more! NZ here I come!

When I eventually reached the airport, I was eagerly looking out for Mr Shiny Head coming out of the arrival gates. Batches and batches of people emerged from the gate, except the very one that I was looking out for. :(

Tick tock tick tock...Time was running out! It was time to check in for our Auckland flight but Mr Low was still nowhere in sight and he isn't picking up his phone! Oh man oh man!

Just as I was giving some China couple directions, viola! Mr Low called! Suddenly, I felt immense tension and excitement as I walked to meet him. Hee! A polite handshake later, we were reunited once again! :D

Our adventure was finally taking off! A cuppa kopi and 2.5 hours later, we found ourselves in Auckland! Woohoo! Our first task was to collect our car and head off to our accommodation! Hee, exploring the element of the unknown with Mr Low is something I enjoy cause it's fun and interesting!

Initially, I was quite apprehensive about the car rental company that we rented our car from. But when we collected the vehicle, it was a relatively new Toyota Corolla! Woohoo! It's party time! ;p

As usual, Mr Low was the navigator while I was the ahmad. I booked us this economical accommodation for the night! Hee, hopefully it is good!

Tadah! It wasn't too bad, eh? Though it wasn't as fantastic as I wanted it to be. But oh well, you can't have it all in life right? ;p

All was well, until.......

Oh man! All was well until I entered the toilet and looked at the floor! Oh man oh man! How to bath like that?!?! -_-

So how did I bath? Haha, with my slippers on! Keke! So glad that it's just for a night man! If not, I scared all those fungus will grow on my body instead sia! Haha.

I'm sure you all must be wondering why are there so little pictures! Well, that's cause:

1. Auckland is a boring place and has nothing much to show
2. We were too busy watching TV and eating!

Hee, next up will be Rotorua and the Waitomo Caves! Stay tuned! ;)

Close shave with death

Today is one of the days where I feel very thankful for being alive.

I encountered a close shave with death due to reckless driving from an irresponsible driver. In Melbourne city, there is a unique traffic rule called the 'hook turn'. Refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_turn for more details.

So when the traffic light went red, I got ready to perform my hook turn, when a car from behind who was going straight (the driver was supposed to stop given the red light) zoomed past me at top speed. If I had not double checked that there was no more cars, if I had just turned, the car which was whizzing past would have crashed full impact on my side of the car. At the speed he was travelling, I am pretty sure I would be seriously injured.

Yishan was so pissed that she kept cursing and swearing. It was only moments later when I was alone and had the time to think straight that I realised how lucky I am. What a close shave I had, and I thank God for keeping me safe.

Mardi gras

Yet another spontaneous chatting session resulted in us heading to Sydney to attend the Mardi Gras event! Basically it is this gay parade that happens annually and Hot Babe has been wanting to attend it ever since last year. So here we are, striking one more off our to do list for our secondment!

Due to our cheapo-ness, we decided to take the first flight to Sydney which sets off at 6+ in the morning. Yes, guess what? SHIT HAPPENED! Both Yishan and I didn't manage to wake up in time! I woke up 10 minutes before our flight. Yishan? She didn't even wake up! And Lionel who was supposed to wake me up forgot to call! Oh man oh man!

The only thing I could think of was what our Sydney friends are going to say to us when they see us once again. :'(

Unwillingly, we have made ourselves legends once again! Boohoo...Off we head to Avalon airport to see what we can do to get ourselves on the next flight to Sydney!

1 hour later and $140 poorer, Sydney here we come!

Oh man! Our cheapo-ness cost us big time! :'(

Look at this kuku sleepy head! She's still in the mood to sleep!

After endless mocking by our friends over lunch at Sydney fish market, we headed to my first Wii session at Eugene's place! Oh man! Imagine my excitment when we played Beijing Olympics and tennis! I liki!

Us at Mardi Gras! Honestly, it was like a chingay parade! Maybe that's where the name Chingay came about. Chinese gay parade! Haha.

What can I do at night after all our activities? Wii time! Haha, I spent my entire weekend playing Wii with Horng Yuh and Hazel into the wee hours of the night, sweating and running around the house.

Oh man, I love Wii! But life is not without repurcussions. Being a Wii fanatic has its consequences! I spent the entire weekend aching over my over exertion of muscles. But it was hell load of fun! ;P

Sharing Some Cheese...

Our Song

Go and catch a falling star,
Or lie under a jeweled sky,
Tell me, where you are,
And I will journey till I find,
That I hold you in my arms,
That I'm lost again in your charms.

If you have to fly away from me,
For ten thousand days and nights,
To a continent beyond the sea,
Where you will see strange sights,
Promise, that when you return,
You will tell me all in turn.

Most of all, tell me that you reminisce,
Despite the thrills and the land's beauty,
Tell me that you deeply miss,
The love that awaits you across the sea,
And it's me your every thought will be,
Whenever you count to one, two, three.

Happy anniversary, Deario. This poem is written for you, the true love of my life. May time speed us till the day you're back for good again. Till then, know that my heart is with you in Aussie.

A sense of yearning...

As I sit on the sofa couch in my apartment, awaiting dawn to break, I can't help but feel a sense of yearning.

It has been a series of early nights, waking up in the wee hours of the night when the whole world is asleep.

During times like this, I like the peace and tranquility. Yet at the same time, I feel a deep sense of loneliness. As I see the mist mesmerising the skyscrapers from the window view of my room, Coldplay's song appears in my mind. Home, home, is where I wanted to go.

Entrance into the mid 20s club...

I spent my birthday working and attending CA focus session after work. It was only till 9pm did I have dinner with some friends at a Italian restaurant I chose which served disappointing food. Talk about being wise with each passing year and you know it apparently doesn't apply to me.

However, a couple of things happened that touched me a great deal.

• I received a card from a friend that was totally unexpected.
• I also received a cake from a friend all the way from Singapore. This was really a surprise.
  
• I got smses from friends back home
• I received a call from a friend just to wish me happy birthday
• I got an e-card from a friend
  
• My parents called just to wish me happy birthday
  

As I sat down and thought about all these people who made the effort to make my day, I can't help but feel blessed. And I got to admit that I am lacking in this aspect.

Despite feeling lonely, I thank God for the little things that truly matters.

THANK YOU ALL, FOR REMEMBERING :)

Daylesford getaway!

Now that we have sort of settled down into our apartment and life was getting a tad bit boring with studying and our mundane life in general, Hot babe and I decided to venture down to Daylesford, the county famous for its mineral springs and spa in Victoria.

A couple of hours of driving and we found ourselves in spa land, hungry and tired. So we do what we do best. FEAST! Haha! But before that, we gotta check out some places and take some stylo pics of course! ;D

Hee, some duckies and me. Quack quack...

More duckies and goose!

Us by the lakefront! It was a serene place with a couple of lakefront houses. But somehow, don't you think the background makes you feel as though a water monster is gonna pop out anytime?

Ha, now our stomachs were really making funny noises, so it's time to head to the restaurant! Yay!

Me eagerly awaiting the arrival of our set lunch! But of course, some wine to start off!

Cheers people!

Now now, this was the antipastio platter. It is like the western version of the cold dish plate which we serve in a Chinese wedding banquet. On the contrary, the taste sucked big time! :(

Finally, the food has arrived! Now, it only has to taste good!

Haha finally she smiles and you wonder why! Look at the plate! ;)

After filling our stomachs, we decided to check into our stylo hostel and rest for abit due to the rain. Our accommodation for the night - YHA hostel! Haha, 1 of my fav recommendations due to my shoestring budget and economical nature.

But this hostel looks pretty bad on the outside. Ha, we can't even recognise it when we were driving! We drove and drove, but our hostel was nowhere in sight! So we stopped by and inquired, only to realise that our hostel looked like a dilapidated house from the outside! -jaw drops- The look of worry on Yishan's face was hilarious and all she did was niam niam niam on how cheapo I was in a bid to save $. But LOOK!

Heng sia, inside actually looks decent. If not, I can so imagine being bashed up by Yishan. Haha see who that is in my hand? Now, how can a trip be without xiaobai? ;)

So we rested, and decided to head to town to chill and have an early dinner so we can catch a show later!

Stumbled into a vintage retro store while browsing the town centre. I really ain't a shopping gal man. Haha, I need a sofa every now and then, definitely!

We heard that this chocolate cafe was quite famous in Daylesford, so of course we must give it a go! Haha.

I tell you, shopping really makes people tired. So what do you do when you are exhausted? You go for a cuppa kopi! Haha, at one of the famous chocolate cafes in Daylesford! Woohoo!

What can I say? It was a blessing in disguise that we greedy kias decided to have an early dinner. Just after we took away our fish and chips pack, the entire town blacked out due to the continuous rain and floods! What can I say man? Sibeh heng ah!

The smirk on Yishan's face is enough to reveal how thankful we are, being able to enjoy ourselves whilst the others sitting in cafes and restaurants are left there waiting and waiting with the empty promises of food. Tsk tsk.

We thought that the blackout was only gonna last for a couple of hours. Little did we know that it might last for the entire night! So what did we do? We showered in candlelight, chatted with some elderly in the kitchen and slept early! What a way to end the night!

It is finally daylight! Look at our faces when we realised that it was time to get home to civilised Melbourne city where floods and blackouts rarely take place! But before that, we gotta go check out some of the attractions and feast again before we leave!

This place is called 'The Nunnery'! Haha. Looks like a church on the outside but is actually a restaurant cum tourist attraction!

Next up! Farmer's Restaurant! Recommended by the locals!

Hot babe's selection of erm, let's see, duck? Haha. That's the downside of blogging when it's too late, you can't remember a thing!

Some wine to start off the fine dining experience! Hee, what's new right? We are always either feasting or drinking! ;p

The greedy gal and her food. What more do we need to say? Haha.

Oh man! Look at all those moo moos! They must be eaten! NOW!

Not wanting to allow last night's rain and blackout to dampen our weekend getaway, we decided to hike down Daylesford's amazing waterfall and have a look for ourselves on how great it actually is! There you go!

This is the waterfall that we drove about 30mins from the town centre to. Ha, and that was about one of the few attractions in Daylesford. Oh man...What can I say? Haha.

Overall, it was a relaxing weekend with lots of unexpected happenings! But what can I say? SHIT HAPPENS! ;P

Wombat

While driving up to Daylesford (spa county) over the weekend, Hot Babe and I were having our daily talk cocking sessions in the car.

It never fails to amaze me the nonsense we manage to come up with. This is one classic I will always remember.

While driving, I saw a sign cautioning drivers to beware of wombat...

Mich: Hey babe, what's a wombat?

Hot Babe: Well, it's a bat face trapped in a small bear's body

Mich: ..............................................


Haha, for the real pictures of a wombat, refer to below:

Though it sounds spastic, I must say her description is actually erm, quite apt! ;p

Da 100km madness!

So our big day has finally arrived! After an initial enthusiatic start which saw Mr Gan and I cycling weekly, age finally caught up on us and our cycling sessions turned from a weekly affair to a fortnight affair to eventually a monthly event! With each session, our kopi sessions began to stretch longer and longer. Haha.

The week of our big race and having not trained for nearly a month, Mr Gan and I knew we were one feet deeper into our graves as race day approaches. Hence, the only consolation we could feed ourselves with was to ensure that we had enough energy for the big day! So the night before our race, we had a big feast of carbo food with our friends! Of course, we bought energy bars, gatorade, and what not, ensuring that we had enough carbos to help see us through the painful day ahead.

Sleep was one of the other most important thing we needed, besides not missing the race. Haha. So for the first time in a long time, I forced myself to rest early to avoid passing out on race day! Time flew by when you are in lala land, that's for sure. Just when I was enjoying my beauty sleep, it was time for reality!

There's no better way to start a race than to have a snap shot to witness DA moment! Oh man, I look like a freaking ball wearing a scarf! Mr Gan looks like he has no teeth! That's why he always smile without flashing his gee gee! Haha. This is it! Here we go! CHEONG AH!

After 7 hours of cycling (with breaks in between) accompanied by freaking hot weather (40 degrees celsius), we FINALLY finished the race! I can't describe how jellish my legs felt after the race but boy were we glad that it was finally over! It sure feels great to finish the race, especially a 100km one! Look at the proud look on our faces! :)

Haha the promised lunch to celebrate Eugene's birthday turned into a dinner celebration instead! To celebrate my victory, Yishan took a pic of me as above! Behind that smile was ultimate pain and suffering! Was too weak to drive with my wobbly legs! Imagine how the next few days went for me!

Still, looking back, I would do it again hands down! Definitely a great start to my cycling career! ;p

Check out the link below for our race pics!
http://www.fusephotography.com/login_c.aspx?q=D9455725F062439DA6F15D0E5B28E8CC6C64DCD30AAE3B3B093162DDDEC2BF10ECEDA56BBD43CE9F45AED3D37A1CDCD8E3B125913413CFB3767061BB2D8DFB40

Indian baptism

Today in church, I witnessed a humbling and heart stirring testimony. It was that of an Indian gal who finally mustered the courage to embrace the Christian faith despite knowledge of definite objection and persecution from her family and countrymen.

While I was seated in the sanctuary listening to her testimony, something inside of my heart stirred. I respected this woman for her courage and her faith. Perhaps what she has done has always been what I wanted to do but never had enough courage cause of my pride. Some people call it publicity shy, some call it full of pride. I call it plain cowardice. :(

Someday, I wish I will have enough courage to stand in front of the entire church like this gal, sharing my testimony and hoping that all my friends and family will be touched by my message. Till then, I pray that I will continue to grow in my faith and lead a life worthy of Christ! :)

New additions to my cycling craze!

In light of zeng-ing my bike, I decided to upgrade my pedals to clip-on pedals! Clip-on pedals improve the speed of your bike cause the pedals basically stick to your ankles until you release them by clicking them off your feet. To have such stylo pedals, you gotta have some savvy shoes, eh? So TADAH!

Here is my latest toy! Ain't it cool? Haha, now now, I'm truly preped up for my 100km race! :D

Ski trip to Threadbo!

Yeah yeah I know you all will be thinking, it has been a long long time ever since I last blogged and this ski trip was held nearly a year ago! Haha but oh well, time to recap those lovely memories....

This was to be yet another hectic weekend! We had just moved into our lovely apartment, thanks to our friends for their time and hard work! Hell of a work out! This weekend, we are heading to our ski trip at Threadbo! I managed to convince Yishan to drive down 7 hours on a friday night instead of taking an airplane with the lure of massive cost savings.

But before we are to embark on our adventurous road trip, we had to accomplish the following on a friday night:

1. Pick up the ski equipment before 530pm
2. Drive Joey to the airport
3. Pick Lizi at the airport (The Sydney junior secondees have decided to join us on after my impromptu invite while on my interstate work trip)
4. Complete our CA quiz for MAA

The race began right after I knocked off from work. Mad rush is the only work to describe it. Joey nearly missed her flight, Lizi waited super long for us to finally pick her up and we completed our quiz at the airport's mai dang dang! By the time we set off, it was about 10pm! I can already see Lizi's amused expression of her Melbourne seniors. Tsk tsk.

So off we went! Lizi and Yish discovered they were JC mates, more gossips were along the way, etc. All was well until we went on the Alpine Highway.....

We were diminishing on fuel, there was a petrol station that was CLOSED, we made a couple of wrong turns. With a time scheduled to meet our Sydney friends, we decided to drive on. Soon, we found ourselves on Threadbo Mountain. I felt as though I had been driving forever along the same road. It was like Hansel and Gratel! :(

Yishan and I were dead worried that we will be stranded with no help! There was no mobile reception, no wireless reception and worse, NO FUEL! When dawn was about to break, we decided to stop at a rest stop where we noticed a tent. Pasted a HELP note on the camper's vehicle and decided to rest till it was daylight.

At 7am, the campers were still snoozing away. It was time to wake them up from their dreamland. I arrowed Yishan and Lizi to do the dirty job, tsk tsk. Of course the campers were not very impressed, and they didn't even offer us help except that the next fuel stop is 15mins away! With endless upslopes, prayer that there would be enough fuel was the sole thing on our minds. As I drove, flashes of Discovery Travel featuring a family who got stranded on the snow Alps and lost their fingers due to frost bites whizzed past my mind. Nothing can describe how freaking scared and worried I was! Even the scenic views of the majestic snow mountain did not interest any of us.

But THANK GOD! Thank God we made it JUST IN TIME before our car ran out of fuel!

Look at the sign of relief on Yishan's face! We were on Mount Threadbo! Decided to just meet our friends on the mountain instead! Skiing and Snow boarding here we come!

Finally, we had the mood to sit down and smell the flowers! What an awesome view! Haha and guess what Lizi said? 'I always thought we would make it!' Hahaha, there really is a very thin line between naiveity and optimism eh? Tsk tsk.

Finally! After a day of falling, standing up, and attempting to look cool on our skis and snowboards, it was time to stuff our stomachs with nice and warm food! The night did not end. A long session of drinking games which resulted in me losing badly continued after dinner before we rested for tomorrow's snow action again!

This was me clad in my discounted Nike ski jacket and pants bought from the warehouse sale. I was getting extremely frustrated with my inability to snowboard properly.

It was so hard trying to get up after falling down! :(

Finally on my feet!

This was the steepest chairlift on the mountain! From what Darren told me, it would lead you to the peak of the Southern hemisphere where there is a nice cafe. Though scared of heights, I decided to SUCK IT IN and take the lift up after extreme frustration from snowboarding! :S

So here I am! With the Sydney gals!

Haha poser shots coming up!

Me and my snow!

Finally a break at the cafe for lunch!

Not taking no for an answer, Darren got me to go snowboarding for one last time before we headed off for Melbourne! This time round, I did much better! At least I fell down only once from the top to the foot!

This was the rest stop where we pissed off the campers! Scary Mary!

This was the crossroad where we had to decide whether to stop. Jindabyne was where we were supposed to meet our friends. 51km away and our fuel tank was E. How is that even possible?

Before we took off, one final pic of the nice snowy mountains! It was a great first time experience in a snowy environment and snow boarding! Cool bananas! :D