Being (Not) Myself?

Some (very) random recollections…

I am scared of (big) spiders and snakes. But when these creatures are to threaten people around me, I don’t know where I can gather enough courage to confront them. Till this day, I still feel uneasy to have confronted that over-a-metre-long black cobra. I was merely about 20 year-old but the eldest in the group. They were scared shitless and I couldn’t do nothing. So.. erm.. That cobra ended in really bad shape.

我也觉得人从嘴里吐出来的东西非常恶心。
可是我也毫不犹豫地、不只一回，帮人清理那污秽的东西。
对方已经那么不舒服了，我也不可能计较那么多了。

Many times, I prefer to just sit around listen to people talking. Still when I’m in a group, I am often perceived as “talkative”. Maybe because I often meet people that are even more reserved than me. I get a little concern that they might be bored and so I just talk and talk although I prefer listening to talking. Maybe I ended up, bored them even more. Haha..

我对吃的也没有什么讲究。
若是一个人，单单只有面包、饼干、水果，我也是这样过一天。
可是如果有朋友相约、相伴，
我就非常愿意载他们到本地各个角落与他们分享好吃一点的。

I think being pricked by needles is gross and scary and therefore blood donation is unthinkable, for an even thicker needle will have to be used.
But when I think of the patients who might need them badly, or even one fine day I may need such donated blood myself, the fear indeed becomes more bearable, the process becomes more meaningful.
I just have to tell myself, afterall it’s just a small needle, and not anything near those throat-cutting parangs-look-alike used in the meat-industry.
They are just after my blood, not my meat.
And many people survived it, so can I.

+ Many other instances, I think …

Am I often not being myself?
Or maybe that is already certain aspect of being myself?
(o: hahah :o)

- - - - - - - - - -



有一位作者这么说：

在现实人生里，
我们会因不同的因缘而有所选择崇拜信仰的宗教，
也因宗教各有其不同的教义、教规、教制，
以致人心常常限制于其中，
甚至自生分别计较，
而难以见其本源。

其实，若能回归到圣佛的生命源头，
则可以发现他们均在体现这个灵明的本心而已，
原是圆融无碍。

Her Fling…

In her words, she said “forbidden fruits always taste sweeter.”

She continued,
“The truth is, my life runs a bit like a bad soap opera.
The worse truth is, I'm actually quite happy about that.
I mean, here I am, SMILING TO MYSELF. While he's probably off to pick his girlfriend up for a movie. And while we're messaging each other to plan another meet-up.”

Her words keep circling in my head.

She seems to know what she is doing. Yet..
He seems to not know when the storm is coming (but will come). Yet..

We would have seen sure “stories” in movies.
But to witness such in real life is somewhat .. erm.. a little “discomforting”.

Hope they wouldn’t end up hurting each other too much.

好多时候，
我们都会处于『理』、『欲』交战。
是我们的“理”当家，或是我们的“欲” 当头？
的确不容易啊。

如果我们能画出我们的生命，
我们会怎么画？我们会画些什么？
好好儿的画。慢慢儿的画。
不要伤害自己、也不要殃及他人，好吗？

- - - - - - - - - - -



A writer wrote :

It’s such a shame to waste time.
We always think we have so much of it.

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head..

Recently, we heard many “complaints” about the rain.
Going out is indeed slightly more inconvenient, considering it is practically raining the whole day throughout the island yesterday (and some other days). And we cannot participate in our favourite activities ; we cannot... blah blah blah...

Now that I’m typing this, the grounds are still wet outside.

Actually, I like raining. There is some inconvenience, I have to agree, but I don’t mind. The sound of the rain, coupled with that of the wind or even the thunder are music to my ears. However, I do hope the rain is not heavy enough to cause flood, mud-slide or other disasterous matter. I wouldn’t like to see that.

其实，最期待的还是雨后的彩虹。
当然，雨后不一定就会有彩虹。
但是，彩虹的出现总是在雨后。

~ ~ Rainbow, after a rain ~ ~

A quick snap along the road, yesterday.

Not too long ago, we also heard many “complaints” about the haze.

That only shows we love the sun so much. Yes? No?

But if we were to go a little further back, say in July or August, we would also have heard many “complaints” about the hotness of the weather as well.

Heh.. That only shows ..
老天爷不容易作啊。哈哈…

Maybe, we could concentrate on what we can do in the given situation rather than what we cannot do given the long-life rain, choking haze, scorching heat, etc..

Maybe, too much of anything is no good.
We like things to be “moderate”, to be more “predictable”, not too dry, not too wet, not too cold, not too hot, not too windy, not too …

In reality..
台湾正在过一个不象冬天的冬天 …、
在世界各地，
「这里」有水灾、同时「那里」有旱灾 …、
「这里」太热、同时「那里」冷 …、等等。
为何近年来，气候似乎有些反常?

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有一位作者这么说：

人生可以估算的年龄，约可分为生理的与心理的。
生理的年龄，可因恰当的保养，
而有效地延长，但终究难逃大限所催；
心理的年龄，也可因智慧心境的扎实历练，
以日趋成熟，当然有时也难免生住异灭的变化所碍。

我们不是刻意地追求色身的福寿康泰，
也不只是在求心理的稳健成熟，
而是要回归到生命的活水源头(良心善性)。

在这里见证出「菩萨菩萨，年年十八」的常青精神，
在这里一切众生都是“无量寿”，
都是具足无量光明、智慧、慈悲的本来面目。

For the past few days...

For the past few days...

不管是在白天或黑夜，在街上走的时候，不禁会仰头望着天空。
很期待还是会看到蔚蓝的天空、洁白的云朵或是满天的星斗。

When eating out, I didn’t stop at the main course(s), I thought of the dessert(s) too. In any case, the total price will still be much less than what I paid for a meal in NZ.

出门前，有时候会忘记拿手机。
因为在他乡，手机就是丢在背包里，也没有常常去理会它。

When travelling on our expressways, I still cruised at 100 km/h.
Ha.. That’s NZ-cap, not ours. Erm.. I got to change.

出门时，随身还是携带着数码相机。看来，在下还是有一点旅游的心情。

When stopping at a petrol kiosk to pump up petrol, I aligned the left side of my car nearer to the pump. Actually the fuel tank of my car is on the right. Mm… What to do? Camry has it on the left mah.

夜黑了，该睡了。哎哟，怎么才只有我一个人的呼吸声？
太静了反而比较不易入眠。哈哈…

There are many more things that I am "re-adjusting" ...
Erm.. Just tiny bits here and there ... :o)

New Zealand – 2006 Actualized Itinerary

This is just a very brief account of the covered grounds.
(We had easily covered more than 3200 km.)

This is for my memory to keep. I wouldn't mind sharing and hope I don't bore you too much. I had tried to take some photographs and have noted (much due to my limited skills) they don't do justice to the beauty of the country. Nevertheless, you will still see them.

Flight between S’pore & Sydney : appro. 7 hours +
Flight between Sydney & Christchurch : appro. 3 hours +

Sunrise (in Dec) : around 5am
Sunset (in Dec) : around 10pm
See, we have plenty of daylight time to play around with.

- - - - - - - - - -

Day 1 (06/12/06 - Wed)

The excitement had already started during the gradual plane descend to Christchurch. We were well-greeted by many snow-capped peaks and wide green fields of the Methven region. Simply awesome.

Landed at around 1400h. It was cold. *shivering*..

We got plenty of essential maps and brochures at the arrival hall. Without much delay, we took the Red Bus and headed towards Living Space located at Lichfield Street and checked in. Quite a comfortable accommodation, I would say. We settled in pretty well.

Dinner time : we went to Mainstreet Café (at the corner of Colombo and Salisbury Streets). I was rather impressed with their generous and imaginative vegetarian dishes. The portions were big and most of us ended up requesting the waitress to pack the remaining food as take-away. Saying that also mean that our breakfast for the next day was settled.

After dinner, we took a leisure stroll at the Cathedral Square, Victoria Square and the areas around.

~ ~ Cathedral @ Cathedral Square ~ ~

We would have gone on and on. But nope, we were discipline enough. We chose to return to Living Space to have a good rest for tomorrow. :o)



Day 2 (07/12/06 - Thur)

Mission 1 : 0800h Set off to collect car from Apex, which is just a short walk away from our accommodation.

Mission 2 : Took a trip to PAK’N SAVE (a supermarket chain) to stock up and pump up petrol nearby.
(Learnt something new : The self-help petrol kiosk at Pak’N Save only accept payment by cards with PIN. You remember yours? None of us remember ours lor. We resorted to approach the local for assistance. That is, they use their card and we pay them in cash.)

And we are on the road again…

We were traveling on roads (sometimes very straight, sometimes very winding) between fields and ranges. We saw plenty of sheeps, cows, horses, alpacas and deers, and they were practically gazing almost all the time, if not all the time. And during one final surprising turn, we were greeted by Lake Tekapo in its amazingly turquoise glory.

1245h We reached Lake Tekapo.
No rush. No rush. We took our time to absord the chi at Lake Tekapo.

~ ~ Lake Tekapo ~ ~

We took our lunch at a café nearby.

1455h We reached Lake Pukaki.
It was so windy and cold. We didn’t stay long. But it is very big and nice.

~ ~ Lake Pukaki ~ ~

1515h We reached Twizel.
We checked in at the Mountain Chalet Motel.

~ ~ Mountain Chalet Motel ~ ~

We thought of visiting Mount Cook immediately, but it was raining there (information provided at the information desk at Twizel). Of course, we could still go, but we wouldn’t be able to see the glory of Mount Cook and that defeats the entire purpose. Our plan was then to visit Mount Cook the next day in the morning. But no one can be sure of the weather tomorrow. We can only hope. We dearly hope the weather will be fine.

1605h We dropped by at High Country Salmon instead.
Frankly, that wasn’t a very impressive venue. The water was chalky. We couldn’t see any Salmon (at first) despite them claiming they have tens of thousand. Nevertheless, we were allowed to feed those “invisible” Salmons. We took the feed and just throw into the enclosed water body lor. Kaoz.. Those big Salmons literally almost leaped out to compete for their share of feed, splashing us quite a bit.

1700h We packed our dinner at Shawtys Café.
Maybe I should make a special note here about Shawtys Café. When I requested some ingredients to be removed, the waiter approached the chef for advice without hesitation. Shortly after that, the waiter reported that the chef was willing to open a new can of tomato puree just to meet our requirements. I was rather impressed with their service.

We went back to our accommodation just to have our dinner, watched TV and simply relax ourselves.

Oh my god, the news reported rain and hail and whatever for the next at our area. Mm.. Maybe we just got to get used to the idea that every holiday trip is heavily weather-dependent. We can’t complain. But I can’t deny that there will be a little dampening spirit if it were to rain.

We maintained as positive as possible. We were determined to wake up earlier tomorrow so as to cover more grounds. See, we planned as if the weather is going to be fine, despite the weather-forecast. Cool right?! Haha..



Day 3 (08/12/06 - Fri)

0630h We woke up and had breakfast.
Only too glad that we could see snow-capped mountains right in front of our door step. That only implied that the weather-forecast wasn’t too accurate, for our very own good. It was a little cloudy, but no rain, no hail. Feeling kind of blessed indeed.

0710h We set off for Mount Cook.
We stopped by at Peter’s Lookout along the way.

0820h We attempted the Hooker Valley walk at Mount Cook.

~ ~ A View along Hooker Valley ~ ~

0925h We stopped at the end-point of the walk after crossing two suspension bridges along the way.

~ ~ Our Resting Point @ Hooker Valley ~ ~

We later realised we stopped at the wrong end. We were probably only slightly more than half way through the trail. We should be crossing three suspension bridges in total. Mm.. We didn’t know we have to do a little stone-hopping along/across the river from where we actually stopped. Haha.. So.. Erm.. That would mean I will be back again?

We moved on and lunched in a Mac Donald restaurant at Oamaru. I was equally impressed with the services there. The manager actually brought our a "secret manual" checking out the ingredients within the sauces they use, when I was generally clarifying with him something about the preparation of food.

1505h We reached Moeraki Boulders.

~ ~ Moeraki Boulders ~ ~

We then drove through Dunedin and packed our dinner at Jizo Café & Bar (a Japanese Restaurant).

From here onwards, we were then travelling along the Southern Scenic Route.

1925h We reached Papatowai – where we stayed for the night.
Our accommodation : Greenwood Farm Stay

~ ~ Greenwood Farm Stay ~ ~

This is a neat accommodation meant for 10 people. We sure had a nice rest there.



Day 4 (09/12/06 - Sat)

0700h We woke up and had our breakfast.

0800h We set off to Purakaunai Falls.

0845h We saw the Purakaunai Falls, after a stroll on a steep trail for 5 minutes.

~ ~ Purakaunai Falls ~ ~

On our way out. Aiyo.. We missed a turn and for the first time felt a little lost. We stopped an approaching car and asked for direction.

1025h We reached Nugget Point, a steep-sided, windswept promontory rising 133m above the sea. Just offshore lie The Nuggets, jagged stacks of rock whose layers have been tilted vertical over time. The track ends at a still-functioning lighthouse from where we can gaze down on living groups of honking southern fur seals.

By the way, it was drizzling when we were making our way to the lighthouse. It was cold but bearable. The drizzle only stopped slightly after we were about to leave the lighthouse. In fact, we only managed to see a few fur seals about 20 metres away from the lighthouse. It wasn’t easy to spot them for their colour blended too well with the stone they lied on.

If I remember correctly, when we were in the car travelling out of Nugget Point, we experienced hail. We could hear that it was hitting pretty hard on the car.

1240h We reached Cathedral Caves.
There were two big caves and these can only be visted during low tides. The low tide on that day was 1245h and we passed by the area at 1240h. What reason have we got for not visiting? Haha.. And so we dropped by.

~ ~ Cathedral Caves ~ ~

Actually if we are rushing for time. We may give this a pass.

1415h We lunched at Niagara Falls Café.

1520h We reached Curio Bay, a wave-cut platform reveals evidence of a petrified forest, a prticularly fine example of fossilized Jurassic trees that are clearly visible at low tide.

~ ~ Curio Bay ~ ~

1600h We popped by Porpoise Bay, just nearby. It may be noted that Hector’s Dolphins come in close to the shore at Porpoise Bay to rear their young from November to April. We didn’t see any though. Nevertheless, the view of Porpiose Bay is indeed a very peaceful one. I could have sat there all day, feeling the breeze and seeing the waves slowly coming in.

1930h We reach Te Anau.
We checked in at Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park.

We dined at Olive Tree Café and was only back to our room at around 2200h.

It was a stunning starry night we had that day.



Day 5 (10/12/06 - Sun)

0700h We woke up and had our breakfast.

0800h We set off to Milford Sound.

1005h We reached the Visitor’s Centre. We were early as our cruise will only start later (at 1125h). Hence, we went for a stroll at the Milford Foreshore Walk.

1125h Tutu… Our cruise set sail. Milford Sound is indeed stunning. The region is particularly wet. I mean it rains 200 days out of 365 days. But that day was sunny for us. Yeah! We were even lucky enough to have sighted easily more than 10 dolphins. A local shared that she went 3 times and only saw a few dolphins once. We saw some fur seals too. By the way, the Underwater Observatory at the end of the cruise isn’t that specular, I think.

~ ~ Dolphins @ Milford Sound ~ ~

~ ~ Milford Sound ~ ~

This region is ever-masterful, ever dramatic where people are dwarfed into comparative insignificance.

Along our way back to Te Anau, we stopped by at The Chasm (reached at 1420h) and Mirror Lake. We saw big fields of lupins too.

We dinned at a Chinese restaurant at Te Anau.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to try Chinese food in New Zealand.

We were on the road again.

2045h We reached Queenstown and we checked in at Lakeview Holiday Park @ Queenstown. We stayed here for the next three nights.



Day 6 (11/12/06 - Mon)

0710h We woke up.

0800h We settled some administration tasks at the accommodation help desk. We were mainly booking the activities we wanted to participate in.

0900h We proceeded to the Skyline Gondola.
Fr jogged up.
Dyun & myself walked up.
Wil & SCheng took the Gondola up.
All of us took the Gondola down.
The view on top was pretty stunning. We could see the entire Queenstown!

~ ~ Queenstown viewed from the Gondola ~ ~

1115h We took our brunch at Café 111.
We returned shortly to prepare for our next activity.

1300h We reached Queenstown Info Centre, our journey to rafting had begun. An amazing experience, passing through rapids and dark tunnel! I also like the feeling when we were drifting by shaded region between tall cliffs.

We had an impressive, experienced guide with us. He is an engineering-related degree holder and is in this rafting guide business for 19 years! Wow. We felt safe in his hands.

~ ~ Rafting : Rough it out ~ ~

We returned to our accommodation, got ourselves freshened up and headed for our dinner at Tatler Café and Bar.

2045h Back to our accommodation.



Day 7 (12/12/06 - Tue)

0700h We woke up and had a very light breakfast.

0805h Fr, Dyun and myself proceeded for our next activity – Skydive. The others had decided to explore Queenstown a little by foot instead.

We had to jump out of the plane at 12000 feet, free fall for about 40 seconds before supported by parachute. Of course, there was a tandem master with each of us.

The freefall was solid. But erm.. Once the parachute was released and with the wind blowing, it wasn’t that enjoyable anymore. In order to balance, the parachute got to spin in circles. It was almost like playing drunken sailor.

~ ~ Skydiving : The tandem master and I ~ ~

1100h The three of us returned to our accommodation. I took a nap as I was not particularly feeling well. Rested till 1245h. Felt much better. Paiseh, dear mates got to pack lunch for me.

1405h We set off to Deer Park Heights.
It is a kind of a drive-through zoo. We saw ducks, wild boars, miniature horses, llamas, bisons, highland cattles, donkeys, thar, goats and deers. It was an enjoyable experience there. We were so upclose with the tamed animals. Some were even very fierce looking.

~ ~ Meeting the Highland Cattles ~ ~

~ ~ Meeting the Donkeys ~ ~

We only left the place at around 1635h.

By the way, some scenes of LOTR were shot there (@ Deer Park Heights).

We proceed to Fresh Choice (another supermarket chain) to buy "raw materials". Fr was the cook of the day. Cool!



Day 8 (13/12/06 - Wed)

0700h We woke up and had our breakfast.

0800h Set off to Glenorchy.
We reached the beginning part of the famous Routeburn Track at 0900h.

~ ~ The beginning part of Routeburn Track ~ ~

We did a little exploration and got ready to set off to our next destination.

1150h We reached Wanaka.
After getting the details we needed at the information counter, we lunched at the nearby Relishes Café.

1320h We stopped by at Lake Hawea Lookout. The view was good.

~ ~ Lake Hawea Lookout. Awesome! ~ ~

1700h We reached Fox Glacier and we checked in at Fox Glacier Holiday Park.

That was the day, I learnt the game of Chua Tai Di from Wil, Fr and Dyun.

That night, we dined at The Plateau.
After which, we visited a small glow worm trail just beside the café. Glow worms appearred as tiny blue dots. Interestingly, we saw them moving too. Amazing.

Oh, while waiting for an empty table for our dinner, what we do? Some games of Chua Tai Di. Haha..



Day 9 (14/12/06 - Thur)

0800h We woke up slightly later than usual.

We went to the Hobnail Café for our breakfast. After which, we set of to Fox Glacier.

1030h We started the trail, walking towards Fox Glacier.

~ ~ Fox Glacier : @ the terminal phase of the glacier ~ ~

It may be noted that it is best to view the glacier in the morning. When the sun is out, more cold fumes from the glacier seem to block off its stunning view. Just compare :

~ ~ Fox Glacier : At different timings. ~ ~
You would know which one is taken later, wouldn't you?

Of course, there were options to hike on the glacier itself. But it is really expensive and we decided to give it a pass on that.

1245h We went over to Franz Josef Glacier.
We were adviced not to go to the terminal phase of Franz Josef Glacier due to flooding. So we can only view Franz Josef Glacier from afar.

~ ~ Franz Josef Glacier viewed from afar ~ ~

We took our lunch at Cook Saddle Café.

After lunch, we drove back to our accommodation. We wanted to take a little rest before our next destination, with promising view during dusk. When we were back, we were not idling. We played Chua Tai Di. Since we had more or less warmed-up to the game, we played with “stake”. Winner of 3 games could take a afternoon nap first till the next event. The winners in order : Fr, Wil and SCheng. Erps.. Where was I? I was/am that lousy. Haha..

1800h We got ready to set off to Lake Matheson.

~ ~ Lake Matheson ~ ~

It would be perfect if the wind was still and it wasn't that cloudy. The clouds actually blocked three magnificient mountains which would otherwise be reflected on the lake.

2000h We dined at Mountain Goats Bakery and Café.

When we were backed in our accommodation, we had more games of Chua Tai Di. DYun “won” herself an about-to-expire croissant; Fr “won” himself an about-to-expire muffin. :p


Day 10 (15/12/06 - Fri)

0800h We set off to Hobnail Café for our breakfast.

1250h We reached Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Blowholes.
Aiya.. We reached during low tide. The blowholes will be awesome during high tide. Nevertheless we saw one blowhole in action (although not in its full might).

~ ~ Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Blowholes ~ ~
The sun was behind us.
The spray of water in front of us actually form a temporary rainbow.
Simply unforgettable.

1515h We reached Cape Foulwind. This is a place to see fur seal colony. Wa.. The smell of the wind explained why the place is named so.

1930h We reached Kairuru Farm Stay (just about 17 km north-west of Motueka)
Amongst all the accommodations we had, I like here best. We were literally staying almost on top of a mountain, facing the sea. The fields beside us were steep and filled with many sheeps.

~ ~ A view from our Kairuru Farm Stay ~ ~
Not just an accommodation.

There is also a pretty big enclosure just beside where we were staying. That enclosure has some tamed animals too.

~ ~ Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Loopy, the tamed sheep. ~ ~

Oh, dinner tonight was cooked by Fr again. Got dessert some more, okay! Cool!

That night, the sky was particularly starry. Maybe we were really on top on a mountain. I thought I could feel the stars with my hand outstretched. Just to get a few of how starry the night can be. I lifted my last finger high up and placed it as far as possible but trying to block the view of the night sky. But no matter how I positioned my last finger, the silhouette of just my last finger will still blocked off countless of stars.



Day 11 (16/12/06 - Sat)

0400h We tried to wake up to catch the sunrise. Erps.. Noted the sunrise only happens at around 0500h and the view was blocked by the other slightly higher grounds and clouds. Nevetheless, it was still quite an experience for me, standing there in the open, seeing the sky getting brighter and brighter, listening to the first sheep calling, listening the the first bird chirping…

0835h Animal feeding time. I quite like the experience.

~ ~ Wil and Loopy ~ ~
The bond between them was there, I think. Haha..

0940h We walked around the farm freely.

1130h We reached Te Waikoropupu Springs.
This is one of the largest freshwater springs of the world! They are also famous for the visual clarity of the water. It the clearest fresh water in the Southern Hemisphere, second in the world. There is constantly water welling up from underneath the surface, and the sign noted that "Waikoropupu springs discharges an average 14,000 litres of water a second - that's about 40 bathtubs full!".

~ ~ Te Waikoropupu Springs ~ ~

1230h We reached Grove Scenic Reserve.
This place was recommended by the local. It was not mentioned in all guide books. Personally, I quite like it.

~ ~ Grove Scenic Reserve ~ ~
We had to walk through this crack.

The view after crossing the gap is stunning too. I forget to take some pictures there. Mm..

1250h We reached Abel Tasman Memorial.
At the Abel Tasman Memorial, the view was good too.

~ ~ A view from Abel Tasman Memorial ~ ~
You can't deny, the way the waves gradually came in was kind of cool.

1350h We finished our lunch at Penguin Café & Bar.

1420h We reached Tata Beach.
We visited some other beaches too.
I think we somehow missed the better ones. We actually expect more from Golden Bay.

1600h We reached Ngarua Caves.
We saw stalactites in the dark caves. It is really geologically old, historically interesting. Coupled with a humourous guide with us, what more can we ask?

~ ~ Ngarua Caves ~ ~

Besides stalactites, we saw moa bones too.

We were so close to the stalactites that we are allowed to feel some of them.

1820h We returned back to Kairuru Farm Stay.
We simply spent some relaxing time sitting around enjoying the relaxing views or just watching the tamed animals.

1930h We dined at Hot Mama’s Café and Bar at Motueka.
After dinner, we got back to our lodging for fruits.

We played Chua Tai Di.
The new rules were set.
Winner of 3 games : to claim more fresh kiwi fruits.
Loser of 3 games : to claim the overnight fruits cocktail.
I shamelessly claimed both. Mm.. Power! :p



Day 12 (17/12/06 - Sun)

0500h I tried to wake up to catch the sunrise again. Just too cloudy. So I went back to sleep again.

We lingered around the farm till around 1045h, since the check-out time was 1100h. That place is simply awesome.

While travelling downhill, the tyre gave off some foul burning rubbery smell. We stopped and waited for the car to cool down. We drove off later and were determined to request for a change of car at the nearest branch.

1230h We reached Nelson.
We stopped by at Apex and Fr and Wil did the required administrative tasks to get the car changed. Thanks.

While waiting for the swop, we took our lunch at The Victoria Rose.

When the new car was ready, we headed towards Picton, travelling along the scenic Queen Charlotte Drive.

~ ~ A view along Queen Charlotte Drive ~ ~

1640h We reached Picton.

We moved on. It may be noted that we sighted many seals along the stoney beach from Clarence to Kaikoura.

1900h We reached Kaikoura and checked in at Kaikoura Top 10 Holiday Park.

~ ~ Kaikoura Top 10 Holiday Park ~ ~
Noticed the changed car? :)

We dined at Hislops Wholefood Café.
While waiting for dinner to be served, Wil “won” himself a hard, over-baked, crusty raisin bun through a few games of Chua Tai Di. Upon returned from our dinner, he “won” himself another overnight muffin. *Ahem.. His supper was “well-taken care of”. :p


Day 13 (18/12/06 - Mon)

0715h We woke up.

~ ~ Snap shot just outside our accommodation ~ ~
I just like the view right outside our accommodation, early in the morning.

0815h We checked out and went to a nearby bakery to buy our breakfast and took our breakfast in our car.

In our next stretch of journey, we were traveling along part of the Alpine Pacific Triangle.

~ ~ Along a part of the Alpine Pacific Triangle ~ ~
The road can be so straight, so long, so empty.
You think we were travelling at the lawful maximum speed of 100km/h?

We tried lah.. :P

1130h We reached Christchurch (again). We had just made a clockwise loop in the South Island.
We went to Pak’N Save to buy some sourvenirs.
We pumped up the petrol for our car.
We checked in to Living Space (again) while Wil proceeded to return the car.

1340h We lunched at The Globe Café and Deli.

After lunch, it was shopping time. That was the time, the ladies rulez! I simply tagged along.

1700h All of us returned to our Living Space.

1900h We meet up with Ir for dinner. It was quite a nice feeling to meet common friend in a land so far away from home. Anyway, we went to The Blue Note Café.

After dinner, we came back to our Living Space.
There were 4 "defrozed" apples that need to go. We decided to settle it through more Chua Tai Di games. Hehe.. In order (if I remember correctly), the apples were taken up by SCheng, Wil, Fr and DYun. Haha.. I escaped. Don't pray pray ah :P



Day 14 (19/12/06 - Tue)

0730h We woke up.

We had breakfast at Honey Pot Café.
After which, we went around to do more shopping.

1215h The shuttle we arranged picked us up at Living Space to the airport.

- - - - - - - - - -

All these just went into my history.
There are things which I am already missing (very) badly.

I simply captured some of the happened events there. I couldn't capture the much more happening/wonderful moments, conversations, thoughts and feelings that went through throughout our journey. Those will be always in my mind though.

I know I wouldn't have made this far, alone.
Thanks for all the planning, company and understanding.
The memories are indeed wonderful!

MORE PHOTOS HERE : http://flickr.com/photos/spn/

Inspirational Bite : Teamhoyt

Chanced upon this link : http://www.teamhoyt.com/

This is super inspirational, very moving, really touching...

Just the sections “who are we”, “our backgrounds” and “testimonials” speak volume.

Or if you prefer watching to reaching, see this link :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D52rJd9GX10
(Duration : 4 min 20sec)

Little Thought after Return

Just returned a few hours ago. It has been quite awhile that I am away from the computer keyboard. Ha.. Let me get the feel back.

I may be here (in Singapore), but my heart is still there (in New Zealand). Two weeks just passed like this?! This must be the fastest two weeks I had spent this year then. Haha.. Good time passes just too fast, always.

一个牛羊比人口还多的地方…
一个就算是在夏季也有刺骨寒风的地方…
一个到处都有令人赞叹的风景的地方…
一个处处皆是山峦起伏、蓝天白云分明的地方…

真叫人流连忘返。

A general feel I have now…
在大自然的面前，我们都显得很渺小。

Really feeling grateful for the joyous company and the wonderful memories! :)

I shall be spending sometime processing the photos. It may take a few days. I shall then share with you all when they are ready.

Getting Real...

花花绿绿的....

This is just a simple heavily “tessellated” picture.
So don’t get the wrong impression that I have so much New Zealand currency (NZD) with me.
In other words, don’t think of “robbing” for you will be so disappointed. :P

For all the anticipation…
Finally…
It’s getting real. Haha..

NZ, here I come...

The content of the coming entries (imagining that I will be still writing and can still remember the password accessing blogger) may be so "predictable".
Till then, take care everyone...
Yup you included... ;)

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有一位作者这么说：

记得我以前在美国大学的国画班上，
有个美术系的学生，起初上课非常认真，
一板一眼照我规定的去做。

但是当他学会了国画的基本笔法，
就不再临摹，而东一笔、西一笔地乱涂。

我当时很为他惋惜，
觉得他如果照传统方法苦练，一定能成很好的国画家。

几年之后，我接到他画展的请帖，
走进会场，才发觉自己错了。
他对了！因为他把中国画的技巧，融入了他的绘画当中。

那确实不再是国画，却是「他」的画！

就艺术创作而言，什么能比表现自己的独特风格更重要呢？

你的风格在哪里？

In Disgust : 这就是人们吃的猪肉

以下你所看到的画面是全台湾各地公共肉品市场的写真。
影片纪录时间 ：1998 年 1 月 - 2000 年 1 月。
也就是说以下画面的种种情形都是经过政府农政与卫生主管机关许可认证的。

http://my.so-net.net.tw/agia/pig.wmv
File Size : 35 MB approximately.
Duration : 19 min 17 sec

你一定要有心理准备。
你会看到血流成河、你会听到生命的呐喊。

I know all these are happening, but to see it so "graphically" (again) is another thing.
My stomach is turning.
A feeling of disgust and sadness are enveloping me.

如此的落后、如此的野蛮。Haiz..

Just Bleach…

A little about the anime - Bleach.
I unimaginably hesitated for that long.
I was too lazy to download them.
But not until I saw CC watching it over You-tube.
Hehe… So… The convenience is there.

While many are watching Bleach Episode 105,
I am steadily catching up slowly but surely from Bleach Episode 1.
Kaoz.. Time is tight. Nevertheless, the approximately-20-minute-per-episode anime does provide good filler between whatever I am doing. It will take me quite long to “catch up”, but it’s alright.

It may be just an anime, totally fictional.
Somehow, I’m quite impressed by the righteousness demonstrated by the main character - Kurosaki Ichigo. Read more here if you like.

Of course, silly me imagine and think
: If I have that kind of power, would I do alike?
: If I have no such power, does it mean I can’t do anything about anything?
: Must every problem be resolved by ‘power’?
: What is ‘power’?
: Do we feel ‘powerful’ at times, especially when… ?
: There are always little things we can do, to feel good, to let people around you feel good. That kind of feelings may be wonderful enough to be labelled "powerful". Yes? No?

Erps.. I know I’m thinking too much (again).
Maybe I should just relax a little more. :o)

- - - - - - - - - -

本来想一语道破
谁知道还是开不了口
我...
还是别说不该说的
还是多做应该做的

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有一位圣者这么说：

停止责怪对方；不再要求对方改变；自我放下负面情感。

A Sign Board..

I was walking leisurely in a park. The walking pace was leisure, but the heart was/is rather heavy. Mm.. Name of the park? I don’t think you will be particularly interested. It is so small. The track around the park is barely 390 metres. Nevertheless, they still label it as a park.

Anyway, it is new but nothing too spectacular. But I'd spotted something (a sign board) interesting though.

Take a look :

Sorry, I know it is not too clear. Let me blame it on the lightings around the area and the handphone, but of course, you can blame it on me. Erm.. Okay, I shall blow-up a particular section in the picture above.

Maybe I am too "imaginative". What if.... ? What if....?
I mean there are people who need more than 10 minutes.
I mean there are "unforeseen" circumstances.

Aiyo, when something gets too "automatic", it can actually be a little "threatening". Mm..It actually makes me recall an evil jap prank.

- - - - - - - - - -



有一位圣者这么说：

莫将所听、所得变成自己的老顽固、死脑筋；
这不是夸耀，而是学习；不是骄傲，而是谦虚。
最平凡的事、最平凡的人，
才是你最需要在乎的、看重的、虚心受教的；
两个眼睛不要只会看上不看下、看高不看低。
稀奇古怪的对你来说只是障碍，使你越加投机取巧；
乏味无趣的，或许是值得细细品味的。