I have a story to reveal

I have a story to reveal
That I’m head over heels..
Really!
I sense that
This will last
The connection was instant
The minute we met
I knew you were a catch!
And we are a match.
As weeks gone by
You raise me high
Towards the sky!
On my heel
I’m thinking “this is a steal!”
Feeling elate
With my new mate
Who gave me a winch
And not a pinch!
A gratifying adornment,
No frills just thrill
Comfy with my new buddy
As you fit me snugly, my new chummy
i see a future for this new amity.
My new wedges and me!

A walk to K road

I just had a big bowl of prawns tom yum soup with tofu and loads of vege. Where did i manage to get tom yum paste, you may ask.. well i walked to Lim Chhor. It’s an Asian convenient store that has everything Asian from vege to dried prawns and pork feet in a can! I needed to get some stuff from home and they even have brahims. I’m happy after having that bowl of tom yum soup and also a freshly squeezed lemonade i made myself. I’m feeling a bit content.It’s a good sunny day today. I like the sun and it’s not that cold today. About 23 degrees which is the ideal summer day for Aucklanders. It’s still a bit cold for me but the sun is up and shining so i’m not complaining about the cold wind today.

Lim Chhor is situated on Kharangahe Road or K road as everyone refers to it. It’s a mini city on its own but according to the locals, that’s a red light district but i like the selection of shops there. They have Asians and vintage clothing wear and they have convenient stores and Starbucks. The buildings are great. It’s old and full of character and they became a background of modern trendy people. Cool eh?Cool day today. I walked a lot and got lost a bit but i managed to get to the famous lim Chhor . Good on me!

Sandy black sand

The sun is shining so gloriously today. I’m so happy to see the sun this morning. This is the actual definitive summer day. Not like the last couple of days. It was freezing!But i had fun. I was silently praying to God to not let me be alone on my birthday. And surprisingly i wasn’t. I went to Piha on Sunday morning but i had breakfast with Keith before that. He happens to be here on my birthday- seriously!The trip to Piha surprisingly went well. Really well. I enjoyed myself with the other 4 Malaysian gals including my first roomie. My aim was to have fun and enjoy the day and i succeeded. I made a couple of new friends and took heaps of photos of myself and the scenery. We walked up to the two highest points near the beach. The first one we were accompanied by a life guard- Gary. A friendly bloke who explained to us the history of Piha and it has rips and currents and is unforgiving of the foolhardy. The waves are so strong that i don’t dare take a dip in the sea. That and because it’s cold. Hehe. We had lunch with an added spice- a sprinkle of the black sandy sand. I took home some of the sand but i gave away to Keith since i didn’t get him any ole-ole from Piha. The sand just sparkles under your feet and it’s hypnotising seeing the black, smooth, fine, twinkling black sand. Amazing! It took us 45 minutes to get to Piha by a charted bus. The bus driver-Andy, is very friendly and drives well. One thing here, the drivers are so ‘berhemah’ that when going uphill, Andy, will stop at the side of the road to make way for the cars behind him since a bus can’t go that fast up. He did that numerous times going and coming back. I am still amazed on how at the office they change the paper towels to cloth. So that you won’t use so much paper towels and consequently save more trees and ultimately save the world from total destruction. I felt like taking a photo of the cloth dispenser-roller thingy but they’ll say I’m crazy to be snapping my camera in the loo. I’m just amaze by how determine they are to not contribute to world destruction. A noble cause that needs to be supported by all of us.Especially us Malaysians!You hear me! Oooozzzaaaaaa!

After Piha, i had another dinner with Keith and i went home and shower and took my time getting ready. The walk to the harbour was interesting but the weather was too cold for us to continue. We ended up ordering a pizza and eating in. Frank came to get the keys from me around 10pm. He’s becoming a great friend and flatmate. When he took the keys from me, he asked what time i’ll be coming home. I told him around midnight or so. Then he asked “ is someone walking you home?” I never thought of even asking Keith to walk me home because it wasn’t that far of a walk home from where i was at. I mumbled something that sounded like a yes and when i related that to Keith and he said that of course he wasn’t going to let me walk home alone. I am feeling more and more comfortable staying at the apartment. Frank has never made me feel other than comfy since the very first day i moved in. He’s alright.

That night was my 2^nd late night out. The first was when i had coffee at Starbucks with a lovely couple and they walked me home at around midnight. That night when i reached home, H called to wish me and we chatted for a bit. I miss him so much. Hannah sang to me happy birthday twice. She said she made me a card. She asked me whether the kiwis celebrate Halloween. I told her that maybe. Then she said she wants to go as a Goth girl. Her exact words “ i want to be a Goth girl mummy”. I said” Goth?” She said “ yeah..black lipstick, black nail polish, black dress..everything black”. I said “ why baby?, why don’t you be a princess and i can be your queen and abah your king”. She said “ that’s ok too but if i go as a Goth girl, what would you be mummy?” I said” hmm....maybe a witch?” Then we laughed. I painfully miss her. There’s this aching pain in my heart literally every time when my thoughts linger to her. I need to hold her and hug her really close till i can feel her heartbeat and she can feel mine. Soon that day will come. I pray to GOD that it will..

On my birthday, i was suppose to have lunch at Mission Bay alone. But since Keith was around, he said he’ll go with me. Surprisingly i had my mind set of being alone on my birthday that i felt more comfortable by myself than with company. That was why i took my time i guess. I went to the office for awhile to do some reading in the morning and i saw, Zoe, terry’s friend. She’s friendly and chirpy. She wish me happy birthday and we chatted for a bit. I left the office around 3pm and instead of going to pick up Keith and go straight to Mission Bay. I went shopping instead. I bought a really nice summer dress. It’s blue with small white flowers, a couple of jackets (they were on sale) and i was famish so i decided to stop by a small cafe to have a quick late lunch. I had lunch around 4pm. It was really satisfying. I had a wonderful liberating time by myself. Then i went to this soap shop called lush. Everything smells wonderful there. They sell handmade soaps and the ingredients are mostly natural. I bought something for Irene there. The girl who was helping me was pretty and friendly. We chatted for a bit when she was wrapping Irene’s present. After that i went to my Keith’s place, took a breather then off we went to Mission Bay.

Mission bay...aaahhh...a good decision. It’s beautiful, peaceful and serves great fish and chips. There are only about 10 stores there and we had a great dinner. H asked me to order some nice drinks since it’s an occasion. We did and Keith knows wine and I told him i like the sweet ones. He ordered a chardonnay but I wanted the red. Keith asked the waitress to bring the bottle out. She did and after tracing at the description of the wine, Keith told the waitress that i won’t like the wine. I ended having his Chardonnay. It was a relaxing and nice dinner. We went home around 8.30pm. Our desserts were two yummy hot chocolate. It was a cold night.

That was it. My days...celebrating me. It was nice and fun. It could have been better if i’m home with my H and hannah. But you can’t have everything you want. I received a lot of wishes via phone calls,sms, facebook and emails. All very heartwarming. I thank god for a loving family and good friends.

Happy birthday to me!Chao! I'll upload the photos later.

Of Hats, Buttons and Coffee

Hi! Today i had a full eventful day. I started the morning with my breakfast and then i went to the mall first to buy a very crucial item- my hair dryer. Then i went to work. That’s the downside when you have to pass the mall before going to work/school. I reached the office and Susan told me that my desk is ready, i moved with the rest of the phd students and of course near Betty. She’s so helpful and I’m happy that she’s my friend. I have a big flat computer screen and a resource room for my perusal. Betty said that no one told her that she didn’t have to buy any of the stationeries because we have a resource room filled with everything that you want and you can just take them. I felt like a kid. Around 4pm, Susan sent us and email asking us to join her and the rest for tea. We went there and Betty stuck with me. We chatted and ate cake. One of the phd exchange students from Germany is leaving and she bought a cake and coffee was served as well. Betty didn’t talk to anyone but me. Then when we finished eating, Kevin came to introduce himself to me. He’s from Hawaii and pretty much an American. After talking to Kevin, Anthiya from Germany came and introduced herself to me. We talked and she was asking me about my family. When i told her i have a 7 year child, she asked me about my age. Today i had 3persons asking me about my age. Geez! They said i look really young..hmm..believe me i feel kindda old sometimes.Going up and down the hill just doesnt help.

After talking to Anthiya, Betty took me to another resource room and there it has more stuff. We took a few things and then Betty said “okay..let’s run”. We giggled and i told her that that’s the first time in two weeks that i actually giggled. I thanked her and she said that she normally is not that talkative but with me she can be herself. Cool! I showed her my new hats. I bought two! One is for casual wear and the other is very girlish. I tried them on and Betty said i look great. I’ll post some photos in here soon. In Malaysia, i won’t be caught dead in those hats but here i need to because the sun is scorching hot . I can feel the toll it has taken on my hair and skin. So hats...it is! After the tea, i went back to the office and did more reading. Then i was off to the cinema. I made plans with myself to see Benjamin Button. I walked out and I bumped into a Chinese guy, he smiled and i smiled. Then we bumped into each other again in the lift. I smiled and he smiled. I walked out heading towards Albert park because Betty had shown me a short cut and that is to cut through Albert Park. As i was heading towards Albert Park, i bumped into the Chinese guy again. This time he smiled and said hi. That started our conversation and before we know it, he was giving me his number. I felt compelled to give mine which i did and he just arrived four days ago. He wanted to ask me about the professors in the Business School but i told him i’m also new. We parted ways after Albert Park. Then I headed to the cinema.

Hmm...the curios case of Benjamin Button is very entertaining and touching. I don’t really like Daisy in her twenties. Cate Blanchet appeared a bit over in her acting maybe it was intended. I don’t know. But she was so convincing as a dying old woman. Brad Pitt can still melt hearts. When he was riding the bike...aahh...that made me melt a little. The character that he played reminds me a bit of Joe Black and Forrest Gump. Anyway, i nearly cried when the daughter read the postcards that he had sent to her throughout his journey and all her birthdays. That was really touching and my eyes were watery and not because of the draft. It’s a funny, touching drama. I’m glad i watched it. But they were about 15 of us in the cinema. I saw another girl who was alone and she’s pretty, A mom and a daughter who sat next to me, An elderly couple who sat in front of me, two young couples and check this....two macho guys! It reminded me of the two macho guys who watched Australia-the movie. One looks like a hit guy from the Moari clan and the other looks like a Chinese tai-kor. They came together; i don’t dare laugh let alone smile or even look at their direction. I think this getting in touch with your feminine.., ahem..excuse me! softer side must be working in the mafia world because it’s spreading throughout Asia and Australasia. Maybe by getting in touch with your softer side, you put your people skill to more use. Killing and beating are too much work and they are messy. In this economic downturn, you need to be thrifty. So watching soapy dramas is the way to go. Go world peace?!

After the movie, i had about an hour before my next meet with Zora at Starbucks. I was so hungry so i texted Frank and it so happened that he’s home. The keys were with him. I went home and ate some friend rice and chatted with Frank till 9pm. Then i told him that i needed to go and asked if he wanted coffee and he said yes. So i walked down the hill and met Zora and she brought her hubby Shane with her. Lovely couple and very open about things. They speak good English. We chatted till nearly midnight. Yep..the coffee made me talked non-stop but she was so nice and friendly and Shane too. Auckland at midnight is nothing like Perth. It’s still full of life. I told them that i ‘ll be fine walking alone but they insisted that they wanted to walk me home. So we chatted some more and before i knew it, i was home. Came home, chatted with Frank and then i’m here writing this.

A very long and wonderful day. I’m happier because of today and it has nothing to do with a friend coming tomorrow but he’s coming with goodies from home and he’ll be here till the 20^th. So i won’t be alone on Monday. I still miss H, Hannah and home very much. But all these eventful moments have made it a little easier. Have a great weekend everyone!

Auckland City

That's the view from my balcony. I took it with my phone. I have taken some using my little red camera but i can't seem to find a way to download the micro SD card to the computer without using a cable. There's an outlet for SD card in my laptop but somehow it wont fit. So i would have to wait for H to come and bring me the cable. Thank god i can take thousands of pix using the camera without it running out of space. Anyway, this is what a 5mega pixels camera phone can do. It just doesn't do justice to the real thing.The real thing you can see the bridge all lit up and the sea and the trees in between the twinkling lights. You need to be here to experience the aw! If i was Nathan Petrelli, i would fly and get my self swallowed by the city and the hypnotizing glittering lights.Every night without fail, i'll do that. The sunsets were magnificent and i just can't get enough. It's breathtaking and it soothes away my pain and sadness for a few moments. My quiet, therapeutic time alone. Well I can't be on the balcony too long because the cold wind will freeze my ass off.I like staying here just for this reason only. Frank has been ok. He shares a lot of things with me. Stories mostly about his day and his car hunting excursions. He got one today and i think it's a closed deal. He said after this we could go and search for second hand stuff to furnish our house. I told him i'll ask Betty where to buy good cheap stuff. Oh yeah..i'll tell you about Betty and My supervisor in the next entry. The two new interesting characters that have just entered my life.
I still miss home and my baby very much so.It's nearing midnight. Gotta go to work tomorrow. I bid you goodnight, sweet dreams and dont let the bed bugs bite!

Sylvia Park

Hi! Today(10th of January) is almost a week that i’m here. It has been great so far but i’m missing Hannah and H so much that i almost had a nervous breakdown an hour ago but i talked to God and asked Him to give me strength and the patience to hang on until they are here.I signed the contract today. I bargained with Frank and finally he agreed to the 205-315 deal. So i only pay 205 a week and he pays the remaining of the 520 rent. It’s fair i think because he’s staying upstairs and his level is so nicely done and spacious. Mine is still horribly shabby. The owner said that he’ll do up nice and tidy for me. I hope so. So now i have to wait till then end of January before i can move out. I feel as if i’m overstaying my stay even though i am paying half of the rent now. I guess my roomie and i just need to get adjusted with one another.Today i went to Northcote by bus with Frank. It’s not that far from the city.I’m actually looking forward to leaving on my own. I’m going to try and look out for a one bedroom apartment. I need to be by myself and i think we’ll be more of a good friends if i do that.

Okay the trip to Nothcote today went well and Frank introduced me to Adam. He has been here for nearly 8 years and the reason being that he’s here to mend a broken heart. According to Frank, he was in love with this Sabahan girl and it was forbidden by the girl’s parent because she’s a Christian. Interesting eh? Everybody has a sad story in their closet. After signing the contract we stopped by at the nice couple’s house (the one who picked me up from the airport) and as usual, the wife cooked and this time it’s mee kuah. There were two other MALAY couples in the house and i knew one of them from work. He’s the chatty guy that i met somewhere at work either in a meeting or a training but we’ve talked before and he was telling me a lot of stuff- the dos and donts and he has been here only for three months. After eating, Frank signalled me that we need to leave and Adam is taking us home in his red bmw. He’s nice and has an eclectic interest in music. He listens to Carla Bruni and after riding with Adam, i’m beginning to like Carla Bruni. Her music is almost in the same league as Atrud Gilberto.Almost. Adam took us for a grocery shopping and then he took us to Sylvia Park because he needed to buy his flat screen tv and he thought i could use some retail therapy after the information laden session i had with Rod(the guy from work). It was a bit scary when he’s very aware of what’s happening around us. Anyway, Sylvia Park proved to be a good therapy for me. It’s good to be somewhere familiar. It’s almost exactly like the carousel mall in Perth except it doesn’t have a carousel. I took pixs of myself and got glances from some people. But i don’t care.It’s a free country and i can do whatever i want. I still miss home painfully. But i’m getting use to this and i’ll get a place of my own soon. I might just check out the place that Sam stayed when he was here with the gang. I think it’s about 20-30 dollars a day and it’s self contained. I hope they have internet connection if not i’ll just hang out at starbucks. Tomorrow, i’ll cook my cheesecake and i’m thinking of checking out the new market mall near the harbour. Surprisingly, i’m not that tempted to splurge and i’m kind of careful in spending money. At Sylvia park, i only bought a jacket for Hannah at pumpkin patch because it was on sale and my shampoo. So far that i’m here, i’ve only bought a slipper and school bag for me. Nothing else. I’m so proud of myself. It’s not that i don’t have enough cash , i do. In fact i haven’t use much of the money.I have rent money till March and some still left to spare. It’s just that everything you do will be much better if it is shared. Unfortunately, i’m alone now.

Okay...it’s almost midnight and i need to hit the sack. Gotta go. I pray that Hannah and H will join me soon. Adios!