~vacation~

The beats hot

2009-10-01T13:09:00.003+08:00

Day 1

The warmth of the tropical sun welcomes us to Cairns- Tropical Queensland. We touched down to 26’degrees and a scorching beam of sun. We taxied to Mecure Harbourside Hotel which was only 8 minutes from the airport. Got a warm welcome from the staff and an upgrade to a sea view room which is an awesome way to start a holiday! Our room’s got a great view on the balcony looking out to the horizon and palm trees.

We went out to take a walk along the esplanade which reminds me of Beverly Hills. There was a path along the beach for people to walk, run, rollerblade, skate, cycle and walk their dogs on. Palm trees, memorabilia, bbq areas, bubblers (aussie term for water fountains), wild pa

rrots, exercise areas and children playgrounds were along the path. At the end of the route, there’s a really cool lagoon.

Dad and I explored the township; we bought fresh prawns to cook up and a dozen local beers.

Scuba Steve

2009-10-01T13:06:00.001+08:00

Day 2

This morning i got picked up by Scuba Steve! Here begins my 5 day Open Water Course with Pro Dive. Steve’s really cool, he reminds me of Mr Hottie from the gym. We began with morning tea, an ice breaker game and started Module 1 & 2. During lunch time, we got our medical tests done which included answering a questioner, ear pressure test and lung capacity test. After lunch we jumped into the pool- we had to swim 16 laps and thread water for 10mins. After we passed these tests, we learnt how to set up our scuba gear and heaps of diving skills.

Holy Trinity... I’m so filled up... on prawns!

2009-10-01T13:03:00.001+08:00

Day 3

Dad went out to the Great Barrier Reefs today on a day tour. He got to see nemo before me! But told nemo to wait there as i’ll be seeing him the next day.

Today’s my 2^nd day at course. We started with 3 hours of pool training. Combined with yesterday’s training, we have basically covered everything we need to know when scuba diving in the ocean. The most amazing feeling was hovering in mid water feeling weightless. This is the closest feeling to being an astronaut! You could do summersaults, do moon jumps all while breathing into the regulator sounding like Darth Vader :)

For lunch we went out as a group to a night market food court then went to the chemist to buy sea-sickness pills and to Pro Dive’s shop to pick up the gear we’ll be taking onto the boat the next day. After this we went back to the training centre where we did Module 3, 4, 5 and sat the final exam.

The whole class passed the theory part- half way to our dive certificate!

For dinner tonight, free flow of giant tiger prawns the size of a hand, gorgeous dessert selections and freshly brewed coffee attracted us to have a buffet at Acacia Court Hotel.

Tomorrow, my bathers (aussie term for togs) will become my underwear as i board a boat for 3 days, 2 nights scuba diving trip out to the Great Barrier Reefs! This will consist of 4 training dives + after the second day, i will be a certified diver!! Then we get 4 dives as a certified diver and a heap of snorkelling time.

Diving the Outer Great Barrier Reef

2009-10-01T12:56:00.002+08:00

Day 4

We headed to Milln Reef – Pataj where we did two dives. The weather was absolutely fantastic! Calm water, strong sun and clear visibility. The first dive was at 10:30 to 9m. We practiced the skills we learnt in the pool here- flooding our masks with salt water was not comfortable at all! Our second dive was at 14:26 to 15m. Both these dives included an underwater tour- it was truly amazing to see so many creatures in the deep sea. After every dive, the chef would prepare a healthy meal for us to fuel up on, followed by heaps of sun on the top deck. We finished off with snorkelling around The Whale. This was a great opportunity for us to use our underwater camera.

More greater diving

2009-10-01T12:48:00.003+08:00

Day 5

Today we graduated to become certified open water scuba divers!!! We had our graduation ceremony underwater :) our first dive of the day was at Milln Reef- The Whale at 07:23 to 16.7m and the second dive at The Tennis Court at 10:50am to 14.6m. after the second dive- we got our certificates- HELL YEAH! The third dive for the day was at Gordon’s Morning at 15:07 to11.5m, this was our first solo dive without an instructor. My buddy and I saw three turtles and clown fishes (nemo). Being the first time on our own, it was very strange! I felt like an alien intruding on the creature’s world. Like giant freaks bubbling our way through the underworld. Some fishes will stare at you face to face and clams open and shut on you.

We also had a night dive! This felt even weirder! It’s all dark around you and you can only identify people by a glow stick they wear on their tank. Sometimes when you fall back and watch people swim by, it looks like a clip off a spacey movie. Totally awesome, indescribable

We saw reef sharks! They came to the surface as we were feeding the fish. The sharks tried to chomp down on some fish but the fish were too quick for it. Now you can imagine the feeling we had when we got briefed on our night dive..

More diving and return to Cairns

2009-10-01T12:39:00.005+08:00

Day 6

Sunrise in the water! We began our first dive at 06:34 at Gordon’s Morning at 12.6m, what a way to wake up huh! The sun was still rising when we exited the water. Our second and third dives were at Tracys . The dive sites gets better and better! We saw a reef shark, turtles, nemos, parrot fish, barracuda, heaps of colourful corals, clams, sea cucumbers, star fish and plenty more!

After lunch we cruised our way back to Cairns.

Absolutely fantastic trip! The staffs were all very friendly and energetic.

On Shore

2009-10-01T12:27:00.003+08:00

Day 7

Wakaka! It still feels like i’m on a boat rocking around, i’ve lost my balance walking around and knocked over a couple drinks and missed my mouth when eating. Dad and I went to a fresh produce market today, we had a coconut and sugar cane juice. There were mountains of fruit and vege on display. As today is Sunday, the market is coming to an end. Fruits are prices to go, watermelon for $2, a kilo of mandarins for $1, pineapples for $1.

Tonight we need to consume all the leftover fruits, mango sorbets, beers and chips before we take our flight home tomorrow!

Auckland revisit

2009-10-01T12:14:00.006+08:00

Auckland is the second place in the world I’ve been to where foreigners outnumber locals. The first place was Phi Phi Island in Thailand. Every shop assistant, food servers, apartment agencies are all imports. This somehow trashes the city. I feel complied to litter and leave my fast food trays on the table because that’s what big city people do. People here are less friendly and they get restless when you ask them one more question. This was experienced at the Britomart, shop owners and apartment consultants- i’ve only come across one that was pleasant to deal with. You can hear from the tone of their voice thinking... ‘what are u doing here?’... like I’m gonna steal your job or something.

On the more generous side of Auckland, a Korean bbq buffet only costs $18! Gelato is awesome here, you can choose as many flavours as you want to fit in your cone. HK BBQ dishes come in huge servings with complementary soup and tea. Promotional trucks often pull up on Queen Street to give out goodies and If you know your stuff, the subway lets you ride for free.

beasting it up @ korean bbq buffet

interesting gelato flavours of pistachio nuts, hazelnut, lemon, beer... n more!

HOME!

2008-02-04T11:21:00.000+08:00

i have to say, flying over the South Island is beautiful. we flew over the glaciers and lakes on the way to touch down. :) Sundy, Tracy, Sophie and Molly came to pick me up. Molly was dressed inside a gym bag heheh

so this is it, after 2.5months of being away, i'm back in christchurch with my family and friends. the feeling is so warm and fresh. feeling the comfort of home and around the people that know me best.

during this holiday, i have grained alot of insights and experiences. lots of memories to be treasured and highlights to share. here are a few:

Hong Kong: i love this vibrant city. everything is Go Go Go. for the month and a half that i was there, there was never a dull moment- never! i love the company of my Grandmas, Aunty, Uncles and Cousins. Playing with GiGi, Hugo and SingSing. this was the first time in agges that i felt the full atmosphere of Xmas, New Year and a wedding.

Singapore: it was great to reunite with my buddies Ken, Nicole and Josh. eating lots of local food, meeting Amy, Sherman. Sentosa Island, Science Centre, Night Safari. Expensive dimsim, giant crabs, BEANS!

Thailand: Bangkok's shopping, crazy taxi drivers, tuk-tuk rides. Pattaya's sleeziness spoilt my prior impression of it. Boating- taking a long-tail boat out to deep water then change over to a ferry in mid ocean. The beauty of Chiang Mai, sexiness of an oil massage. being able to feed ourselves for $2. coconut juice, mango+sticky rice. white water rafting. scootering around Phuket, awesome mountain enclosures of Railey Beach, beach party, going to the movie scene of The Beach! snorkeling, it looks like a whole new world amongst the coral and nemo's friends. meeting foreigners along the journey.

Malaysia: seeing Chu May and Jensen, i think there are more than 20 shopping complexes cos we couldn't finish them all in 3 days! calling them Massive is underestimating the size of them. there is one lot of malls that stretches along the road for (my guess) 5km! - like from Hornby to Avonhead. Batu Caves, seeing wild monkies, Genting theme park, eating roti with a glass of Air Tea. the monorail. Mein Tin food heaven just near Chu May's house.

Being in 5 big counties, it surely was an eye-opener to see different cultures operating and i was exposed to the working life in HK. as i settle back into CHCH, i have noted some goals for 2008, most are motivations gained from this holiday :)

these are my last few minutes in singapore....

2008-02-02T18:49:00.000+08:00

... back in christchurch in the morning :D eeeee

Genting

2008-02-02T11:44:00.000+08:00

On the second day of visiting KL, Chu May's dad took us to Batu Caves and Genting.

Batu caves' beautiful! we climbed 272 steps to be exposed to wild monkeys and a huge natural cave. the surrounding is very nice and calm.

Genting is a huge holiday spot ontop of a mountain. we went to the theme park there!

Upon the last day, ccm took me to see the iconized KL Twin Tower, then we had lunch with Jensen @ Planet Hollywood and had a root beer float @ A&W. i caught the bus back to singapore and arrived at 830pm. doing some final packing @ Susan's house atm :) back home soon!

malaysia :)

2008-01-31T00:00:00.000+08:00

touched down in Kula Lumpa!

currently staying in Chu May's home :) and Jensen has been showing us around.

the first night we had Nandos for dinner- Malaysian chicken is sooooooo good! and then had supper at Mein Ten- an outdoor area with heaps(!) of food stalls, omigod was so full after that.

today we went to the big malls, walked a market, had korean bbq for dinner then played a game of bowling in one of the big malls!

tomorrow Chu May's parents are taking us sightseeing outside of KL :)

= new photos on my facebook =

Phuket

2008-01-22T20:48:00.001+08:00

HI Gooses :)

we arrived in Phuket last night after spending about 6 hours playing cards @ the airport, we missed our flight frm BKK - PHK, so had to wait for the next one to fly @ 6.45pm. Phuket is cool, we went for a swim today @ Patong Beach.

Currently on a tight budget, we're limiting our spending on food, starting from yesterday. our lunch n dinner were from 7-11 hehehe but we're all happy and well :)

Chiang Mai

2008-01-19T19:09:00.000+08:00

we are in the Northern part of Thailand. we arrived here on thursday- flying Nok Air (they suck, bad feelings towards them grrr). we booked a hotel and a tour package at the airport. we'r staying at Top North Hotel, which is the best place we've been in on this trip. the room is spacious with 3 single beds.

yesterday we departed @ 8.30am for our tour. it included an hour long elephant ride, seeing the hill tribe ppl, treking into the jungle for a swim under a waterfall, white water rafting and bamboo rafting. nicole and i shared the same raft. our guide was funny! he went: "CROCRODILE!" then splashed water with his ore to get us soaking.

the tour finished up at 6pm. im amazed at Chiang Mai, it has really exceeded my expectations. the city is nice and calm, the weather is cooling and the nature is awesome. during the tour we met 2 canadian guys whom we later had drinks with @ our hotel. this day was the highlight for me :D

beach

2008-01-16T00:32:00.000+08:00

hello!

today we were at Jamtein Beach, south of Pattaya. it was so great. we went on a banana boat!
i've uploaded photos onto my facebook.

max has great connections with ppl around Pattaya, we got a free Tower Jump and Water Park passes! because his aunty's friend works at the hotel nearby.

PHOTOS

2008-01-15T02:45:00.000+08:00

check mine and nicole's facebook for thailand photos!

Pattaya!

2008-01-15T01:48:00.000+08:00

~ we left bangkok on sunday and travelled by bus to Pattaya. Enroute, we visited Max's house. it was a flipping paradise there. a small town similar to Rollerstone with a beach, palm trees, pool and wharf. we stayed there til sunset, it was beautiful! took some silly photos there, will upload sooon! Nicole is uploading hers now ;) Max's aunty then treated us to a delicious seafood dinner by the sea, it was so nice, one of the best meals we've had in thailand.

Pattaya is two hours away from bangkok. the past two days, we've been exploring the city. we went to a mall, watch the PingPong show, Ripley's Believe it or Not studio and watch the Alcazzar show (lady-boys). the dancers were preeety! we also came across some body-paint shops here which can make tattoos that last for two weeks for only nz$5. yuppo!

really, bangkok is a better city than Pattaya. here is so seedy, we have seen so many older european men with young thai girls. and there are also many many bars and trans along the street @ night time.

tomorrow we are going to the BEACH and ride the banana boat!

check u out later ;)

THAILAND

2008-01-12T03:13:00.000+08:00

HIII!

how exciting it is to update you all about our trip in thailand!!!

we arrived on Tuesday, and have since been taken around by Max and Sam (our local thai friends :), we are so lucky!) we have been eating lots of local food, the first night we checked into our hotel, it's pretty swell. it's near Kho San Road- the backpacker hub. we took a look around the streets and were amazed to see an elephant walking on the street!!

we then went shopping in the big malls in thailand and were also shown to local smaller, cheaper shopping areas. we ate mango and thai dishes! also visited Chinatown, Grand Palace, Temple. today we had a day tour to the Floating market, cobra show, croc+elephant shows, thai culture show. then had a real real nice seafood dinner with max+sam @ a riverside restaurant. we ended the night by going to Karaoke, loved it!! it's soo much better than NZ. on the way back home we had a hell'o a ride in a taxi- we assumed the taxi driver was HIGH as he drove so fast taking over cars, he also turned up the music for us to sing hahah :D

tomorrow we are going to the huge Chatachuk Market!

in the mean time, pls visit Nicole's facebook for photos of singapore :)

and you may contact me via this number: +6684- 3327003

good night!

singapore delight

2008-01-08T09:06:00.000+08:00

5 days in Singapore :D

upon touch down, buddy ol' Ken picked me up from the airport, we took a cab back to his sister's condo, it's a nice spacious apartment on the 6th floor, downstairs has a mint pool! i took up the heat and humidity with a goulp, it was like being in the Qe2 sauna. we went for a swim this afternoon and then picked up Nicole @ the airport too! so awesome that we both arrived on the same day :) Looi was also at the airport, all of us had dinner @ the airport with Nic's friend Amy.

The past few days, Amy acted as a great guide, taking us to try local food (i love singaporean food!) we ate alot during this trip, we also went to Night Safari Zoo, Sentosa Island.

-unfort, i can't connect the camera to the computer here, but there is a few on Nicole's facebook: http://canterburyac.facebook.com/album.php?aid=80300&id=803195206
or http://canterburyac.facebook.com/photo_search.php?id=505756336

tonight we are setting off to THAILAND! wahoo :D

HK Review

2008-01-03T00:14:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year to you!!!

Tonight is my last night in HK, I'm departing to Singapore at 10.30am. I just uploaded a heap of photos taken during xmas to new years onto my space: http://bobbyanderson10.spaces.live.com/

While i was uploading the photos, I took some time to reflect upon this trip. It has been an amazing spending time with my family, especially over Xmas and NY. I'd like to give a big thanks to my Mum&Dad's family, i've enjoyed all the moments we spent together. Wish you all a happy, healthy and wealthy 2008!

*shed a few joyful tear*

From Hong Kong,

Goodnight :)

last day at work

2007-12-28T17:04:00.000+08:00

Today is my last day working at Miss Sixty FarEast. I've been here for over a month and have enjoyed every aspects of it. It's great to apply my knowledge when doing Accounting work. I was also happy to explore other areas such as Marketing and PR. Today I had lunch with some of my collegues @ Spagetti House and afterwards, i treated them to afternoon tea :)

Special thanks to Kitty for giving me this opportunity to work in HK!

its xmas time

2007-12-28T16:46:00.001+08:00

*brief update*

24th- rachel mong kok xmas gift shopping

25th- lunch with mum's family + whole day with Yaya

26th- Rachel, I am Legend + Sticker Photos, unlimited timing

27th- Dinner with all the cousins from dad's family @ a japanese restaurant and played Wii

~more details n photos soon

2007-12-26T12:52:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas

to my family and friends, wish you a warm seasons greeting!!

macau & concert!

2007-12-24T14:18:00.000+08:00

Woah! had a wild weekend :D

friday night Suki, Zoey, Hyde and I took a ferry across to Macau. upon arrival, vincent picked us up and we went straight to eat noodles. on the way to vincent's house we stopped to get bubble-tea (nz$1.30!), bowls of takeaway "fake-sharkfin soup" and skewers of bbq chicken wing. omg we were so full by the end of that.

the next day, we woke up at 930am and went downstairs to a cafe for breakfast. after that we took the local buses to explore one of the many many casinos in macau. Lisboa, Wynn and the new MGM Grand. We then went to explore the landscapes of a old church wall and the waterfront. afterwards, we went back to the pier to pick up Caroline- she arrived a day later due to work. again, we got bubble-tea and went back to vincent's house to rest. our legs were starting to fail on us. after much needed rest, we went to the new Venetian casino. be amazed! it's like Las Vegas inside, so so gold and glam! have never be so impressed by an articutural building, it was huge! inside, on the ceiling, it was covered with paintings. my favourite was a whole walkway painted with blue sky and white clouds. it felt like day time and energy was revitalised. After visiting the Venetian, we had dinner @ a thai restaurant and then had dessert @ a famous local hub.

Sunday- our last day in Macau. woke up around 1030, we had local portuguese food for brunch. went to get souviners, the streets were decorated in xmas lights n trees, full of people. we ate more of mango tofu-fa, n pudding. while passing some shops, we noticed two sweeeeeeetly cute mini poodles! Caroline, Suki, Zoey and I caught the 445pm ferry back to HK.

...rush....

arrived in HK after one hour, headed straight home to drop off my baggages n change my shirt then dashed straight out to attend ANDY LAU's concert with my cousin Wing. it was massive!!! soooo HAPPY to see my fav star from my childhood on stage! wahooo we screamed n screamed. his performance was outstanding, so much light, energy n explosions. lots of stages that rise up,he even flew off one! he sang some songs from the past which i knew and hummed along. wooo he encored for an extra 30mins. this was his 3rd show out of 16, all of them sold out! :)

2007-12-17T10:05:00.000+08:00

i met Rachel @ Time Square on thursday night after work, we had Shanghai Xiao Long Bao :) it was so cool seeing someone from NZ in HK! we spoke in fluent and fast english, was such good outburst.

on saturday, Bella took me out to Mong Kok for shopping. i bought a mp4 for sundy, squash racket, an adidas jacket. then we went to Sha Tin by train. on the way, we stopped to get a drink- Super Many Mango, goodies! we shopped in a new plaza, then all of dad's family gathered @ Goo Ma's house for mum's farewell dinner. Tiffany made an amazing Xmas cake and lots of gingerbread man cookies.

sunday, we had a farewell Yum Cha for mum. Yaya came also, we ate til about 3 then Aunty Carmen, Yaya, Mum and I went back to the house to pack mum's luggage and proceed to the airport. mum checked in successfully @ 23.7kgs. afterwards, Yaya and I went back to the house and i taught her how to check her emails :) n we watched movies til 10ish. was good spending time with Yaya.

NDS!

2007-12-13T11:56:00.000+08:00

last night the Ng family cousins gifted Sundy and I a Nintendo DS + 2Gig R4 for X'mas!!!!!!!!

with thanks to: Kitty, Bella, Wing, Betty, Chris, Ken, Michael, Frankie :D

Yum Cha with dad's family and Big Crab #2

2007-12-10T14:47:00.001+08:00

On Sunday morning, we joined dad's family @ Yum Cha in Kowloon Bay, we had two large tables, the food was really good :)

Yaya with Hugo and GiGi

after Yum Cha, we visited Michael+Suzanne's new house in ShaTin. It was nice and big. michael had a huge collection of Pepsi bottles behind a class cabinet. and then to Betty+Sunny's new home. They had just received the key to the door a few days ago :) then we went into Sai Kung to play with the kids and eat another round of big crabs!! in this trip, i've had a total of 6! :D eeeee!!

Hyde and Vincent's Wedding

2007-12-10T12:20:00.000+08:00

8.12.2008

Pls check here for photos: http://bobbyanderson10.spaces.live.com/

In the morning, Benson came to pick up some bridesmaid at 9am towards Hyde's home. we arrived and helped with decorations and games preparation. The groom and bestmen arrived around 11am to retrieve Hyde. To enter the house, us bridesmaid asked a series of questions about Hyde to test Vincent's knowledge. if he get it wrong, the bestmen will get punished by doing vigorousexerices and eat yucky food :D at one point, one of the bestmen had to eat a creampie filled with tomatoe sauce and wasibi. another game involved the men to write on each other's cheeks the word "喜喜" with their mouth using a lipstick and then print it on a piece of paper. after the men successfully finished our tasks, vincent was allowed thru to retrieve Hyde :)

after lunch, we went on a Lucky Drive around Stanley. the guests were in a 24-seater bus while hyde+vincent were in a mercedes-benz. then we proceeded to the harbour to take some photos. at 4pm, we went to the restaurant for lots of photos. we helped at the reception and setting the mood. it was an awesome night with 22 big tables and divine food!

Big Crabs

2007-12-10T11:34:00.000+08:00

~first load of Big Crabs!

from Shang Hai

round #1 of big crabs! Kitty received a package full of crabs during the day sent down from Shang Hai, and we ate it!

park

2007-12-10T10:12:00.000+08:00

Introducing, the park that i walk thru every morning on the way to work:

Lunch time @ Veitnamese Rest.

time off

2007-12-05T12:49:00.000+08:00

this will be my last update until monday ;)

i'm taking Thurs and Fri off for Hyde's wedding.

tonight we are having dinner @ the restaurant where the wedding banquet will take place on Saturday.

Thurs we are picking up Hyde, Caroline, Vincent and Aunty Carmens wedding costumes

Fri is prep day

Sat wedding!!!

Sunday meeting dad's family for YumCha :)

Last night after work, Hyde met me in Central, we went shoppin for shoes. i bought a skirt, we had a real nice dinner @ a Thai Chicken place in Causeway Bay. then we went to the Jusco $10 shop.

week 3

2007-12-03T10:06:00.000+08:00

last friday i took a day off work to pick up mum from the airport. during lunch time, Kitty and Bella accommodated me to buy a phone :) it's a sony ericsson:

mum's flight delayed by an hour, and Uncle Ringo from San Franciso also arrived on the same night. we checked into our new home in Chia Wan, it's such a tight crib. one bedroom- i'm sleepin on the sofa bed. luckly we dont have to cook cos the kitchen is tiny!

me, aunty lydia, mum, aunty carmen

mum craving her first HK dish- Wonton Noodle Soup

on Saturday we had Yum Cha with grandma then bought her back to Stanley for a seafood dinner. Sunday we also had Yum Cha with mum's family.

uncle ringo, grandma, mum

fresh shrimp and mango cake

i met a friend from NZ (xavier) at 3pm and we headed to Stanley Beach for a swim, swimming in winter! yeah! then caught a bus to the Peak. took some amazing photos!!

Stenley Beach

Orea McFlurry for NZ$1.70

overwhelming!!

2007-11-29T12:13:00.000+08:00

wahh after last night i'm so happy.

last night Miss Sixty has a function to launch a new brand "Killah". it was held at a club. for two days, i've been helping them pack gift boxes and press kits.

names mentioned below are my collegues

the event commences at 9pm. In the office i finalized everything before the delivery men picked up my boxes. then karen took me upstairs to find some Killah clothes for me to wear. she picked out a pair of jeans and a yellow top...er which was a bit over yellow for me lol

i left the office together with my new found friends Gin and Celia. the girls treated me well and showed me some sights along the way:

we caught a taxi to Tsim Sa Gui, then had to ride the ferry across to Central (our destination) cos the traffic jam was horendous! it was a really nice ride. only costed HK$2.20 and we got to see lots of city lights lite up by the harbour.

we still had some time spare so we went to the nearest mall and got our dinner. i had a texas wrap:

er, we underestimated our timing and had great trouble catching a taxi to the club, so we arrived there about 40mins late...

once there we helped with setup. piling the gift boxes on the table. by this time i had enough of seeing the boxes!!!! the guests started arriving and i handed them the entry pass+sticker.

the show started at 9.30 and was amazing. the DJ spinned some good mixes. it was crowded inside. i got a spot behind the press

BUT THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT WAS SEEING CELEBRITIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

they are "Twins", the company spent tens of thousands to have their appearance for one hour! imagine earing that much ...

they wore Killah clothes

OMG, and then as they were exiting the function, i was by the lift and i asked if we could take a picture :D

ah, my night was fully satisfied. i was still shaking afterwards wooooooooooooo :)))

facial

2007-11-27T15:50:00.000+08:00

i experienced my first facial last saturday, hyde took me to her usual place.

it was so nice and super relaxing. the massage was superb :D ah and then the person started squeezing my pimples. this was soothed by a cool face mask. it was jelly like when they smuther it on my face then it starts to harden. i took a nap during this time hehhe when i woke up i started blowing bubbles thru the mouth. the whole process took 2hours for a sleezy price of NZ$25!

additional photos

2007-11-27T15:45:00.001+08:00

Gigi and Hugo (kitty's kids)

Gigi and i

Kitty and i

hugo and gigi

commencement of wk 2

2007-11-27T14:09:00.000+08:00

Goo Ma's birthday cake. with Po Po

Goo Ma's family

Gigi and SingSing

Po Po and kids

Hi all :)

posting from kitty's office. i started work here on monday, i'm helping them make gift boxes. all 300 of them! i have to fold them into a takeaway box then fill them with a makeup bag and a cake shaped towel. today i packed them all into courier boxes. woo! later i gota make up some booklets for the press. the company is Miss Sixty (hahah reminds me of claire!!), they are having a event tomorrow night at Lan Kwai Fong (formentioned clubbing street), Kitty is taking me there after work 2mor. they have hired some celebrities also, like Twins.

I have moved out of Stanley into Sai Kung where my dad's family lives. it is near the countrysid n is more convienent here as i can hitch a ride with kitty to work. i've been playing with her kids, Gigi 4.5yrs old and Hugo. they'r so cuute!

we had a bbq on kitty's rooftop on sunday night with nearly all of dad's family. real nice! lots of seafood n meat. Hk style bbq is different to NZ, Hk ppl skew their own food and cook for themselves on a coal fire.

that day, i accompanied Hyde, Vincent, Caroline and Aunty Carmen to their Final Fitting of wedding growns. took many beautiful photos and will share soon :)

boardcasting from stanley public library

2007-11-23T15:15:00.000+08:00

yay! so happy :) i came down to Stanley Plaza this morning to read thailand travel books, been here for 4hours, and i just discovered they have a computer room with free internet! woop :) i shall fill you in on yesterday...

arised at 830am to take Milo for a walk down to the beach, he kindly took a dump right infront of a security guide! gaarrh! it was the biggest turd i've ever picked up. after we got home, i got ready to go out with Aunty Lydia, we went to Yum Cha with grandma. she was so happy to go :) and ate a lot.

Then Aunty Lydia dropped me off at the MTR station. i went shopping on my own @ City Plaza. it bought back many memories, many shops and layout has remained the same. the ice skating rank is still there. i was planning to go there to meet Ya Ya, but her phone was switched off for some reason and i never got thru. i bought a jacket, top, photo album and some stationary. MTR-ed back to Chai Wan shopped more then mini-bused back home. was cool travelling on my own :) not so scary. this woman sitting beside me on the minibus asked me to help her with english, she wanted to leave a msg for someone on the phone.

had dinner with Hyde's family then we went for a walk down to the beach again. she showed me the library, bought a cold drink and went back home.

this morning i took milo out, took a new way, kinda got lost and ended up walking for 30mins longer yikes.

gotta go back to get ready, meeting Hyde @ Central for shopping tonight.

see u tomorrow :)

living in HK commences

2007-11-21T15:20:00.000+08:00

last night's dinner was very enjoyable. both the food and the company. aunty lydia bought crabs mmm. we could walk to the restaurant from our house. on the way there we took a stroll down by the beach, it's been renovated so much since april last year! there are now lots of apartment towers, the bar extend to the beach and there is a wharf for poeple to fish on. on the opposite side of the wharf there lies an island which can be reached by taking a boat for 30mins. some say u could even swim there :)

i share a bunk with my cousin Sky, he doesn't get home til the early morning cos he works at his bar. this morning i got up at 830am and went for a run down to the beach. it's my goal while i'm here to go for a run every morning. i reached the shopping plaza (10mins away), went back on the wharf to watch ppl fish and take in the sun. afterwards, i went to the supermarket to get some tissue (i caught a dain cold while in singapore!) and some bread. i ate my bread on the way back home (twas a double cheese n sauage roll mmm). got back and gave some bread to my aunties.

today out plan is to go and visit grandma in her retirement home n have some afternoon tea with her, then meet hyde @ Time Square after her work and shop/dinner.

update: bought jeans n a Mr Happy tshirt. Benson treated us to yummy sushi train!

Aunty carmen said we're not leaving until 3pm so i went down to the beach again. headed to the market and bought a t-shirt for sundy (it's billabong with french words on it) visited Aunty lydia at her art gallery, then we got some lunch. took a mini bus by myself back home :)

woop! that's my morning.

ps, my cellphone number in HK is 63064361

back on solid grounds

2007-11-20T17:11:00.000+08:00

i touched down in HK today at 12.15pm. the custom proces was awesome! i cut the line using my Resident ID card, got automatic entry and didn't need my luggage checked! aaah peace of mind :) that's why i love HK! auntie carmen and uncle ken came to pick me up, on the way to Stanley, we passed a whole heap of new infrastrucures, bleemy! it's incredible how many new buildings and islands they have erected up in ONE year!

one of the island consists of a heap of residential towers, the only way of access is by boat. it's promoting an eco-friendly surrounding.

I've settled in :) going to have dinner with most of mum's family tonight then going for a walk with my cousin caroline's dog- Milo. woopies!

cheeks

2007-11-20T07:13:00.000+08:00

morning soliders :)

today i woke up @ 6.15am... i got a morning call from the hotel staff. i hung up on them the first time cos i thought it would be an auto message.. then it rings again. eee i said sorry when i checked out :)

boarding in 45mins! internet time is running out! ah!

check you babies out in HK ;)

touchdown in singapore

2007-11-19T19:22:00.000+08:00

hello from singa int' airport :)

i just finished checking in my luggage for tomorrow, boy it was troublesom. i tell ya, while the inflight service was exceptional, they need more ground crew in the airport to help lost souls like me. i sent 1.5hours doing luggage stuff. checkin out then checkin in again. should have listened to mum and get my big luggage sent directly to HK.

the flight went quick and was cool! i got talking to a flight attendant and she gave me two packs of cards. pity they don't serve alcohol in those miniture bottles anymore. would have been cool to keep a selection of those!

thru out the flight i was being served with food and drinks continously. had two "singapore sling' cocktails to start with lol went woozy so quickly. was like a head rush, makes you ultra emotional. i cried in the sissyest movies lol sat on the aisle next to a couple from england.

i got a 5hours to kill before i can check into my hotel room so i'l do some browsing, missing u all :) xxo

CIAO!

first day of packing

2007-11-17T07:02:00.000+08:00

wee :) have finally said goodbye to everyone!

have started packing this morning, aiming to only fill up half a suitcase and an empty wheely case. and a empty bagpack to carry a shit load of stuff back :D no doubt mum and dad will fill up the other half with honey and nz cosmetic products to take back as souviners ;)

Lan Kwai Fong

2007-11-01T14:38:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong's hotspot for drinking, clubbing and dinning is a must visit!

a whole street dedicated to the well-off locals, possibly sighting a few celebrities (andy lau?? oo) and tourists; mostly caucasians 'n international students. this street hits off most Friday and Saturday nights where english becomes the predominate language this place is sure to take my likings :D particularlly...

a long tube beer holder with a velcro strap around it so that people could just wear it around their neck and go bar hopping! yummy :)

workplace :)

2007-10-30T13:41:00.000+08:00

During my vacation in HK, i will be working at my cousin's office. it is situated in a new complex of sky scrappers. it is located in Ngau Tau Kok, which can be convienently reached by the MTR. there are 4 sky scrappers amongst Millenium City, i will be in #2 :) check it out! http://www.millenniumcity.hk/mmc/

since i'l be residing by the beach, it will take round about 1.5hours to travel to Kowloon Island in the morning, ahhh the love of traffic jams :D here's a brief map:

i'll need to travel from Stanley to Chai Wan by minivan, then take the MTR to Ngau Tao Kok. take the Millenium City exit and cross the air bridge which connected to Millenium City 2. ooosh what a mission! :

meeting agenda

2007-10-21T10:25:00.000+08:00

today us three buddies (ken, nicole n i) met at ken's place where his mum generously cooked us lunch :) afterwards, we proceeded to book our inter-thailand travels. woop, not knowing that we need our passport details handy, we can't actually book it until tomorrow... and nicole doesn't have a valid passport at the moment. lol

:D i will probably travel to KL, Malaysia straight after thailand (29th Jan - 1st Feb) and stay with Chu May (if that is still ok ;)) woopie!

nicole!

2007-10-17T15:54:00.000+08:00

yayyy!!
nicole khoo is joining our trip to thailand :D!!! oh my babies!! *big smiles*

accommo fixed :D

2007-10-05T16:52:00.000+08:00

Ooosh! We paid the deposits for our accommodations in Thailand today:

Bangkok:
Diamond House

Pattaya:
Siam Sawasdee Hotel

Chiang Mai:
Libra Guest House

Phuket (Patong Beach):
Stonely Monday Hotel

Railey Beach (Krabi):
Anyavee Railey Resort

Phi Phi Island:
Banyan Villa

our next step is to book transportation within thailand.

oh no, obstacle #1

2007-09-28T08:40:00.000+08:00

in reply to my CouchSurfing msg:

Hi Eva!Excuse me for the delay in answering !!!I would welcome you with great pleasure...Problem is that I will be reassign to a new position(certainly Spain or Portugal) at the beginning ofjanuary... I should leave Thailand before the 6th ofjanuary (end of my condo contract...)So you are welcome until the 6th of January but afterthat date, I won't be able to host you...You are right, couchsurfing is awesome !! You meetgreat people, I am sure you will like it !Cheers,francois

and our backup accommodation at Flipper Lodge: http://www.flippergroup.com/ is also fully booked between 13-16th Jan, we are left without a place to stay.

-birth certificate-

2007-09-26T12:35:00.000+08:00

Behold, first blog :)

so i've been lurred over to use Blogger, not bad at all, i must say- it's way easier and faster to use than my usual msn space.

my main thoughts and progress will be posted here regarding my travel plans:

19 Nov- 20 Nov: leave CHCH, stay one night @ singapore airport, then continue onto HK.
20 Nov- 3 Jan: during this time, i will be in HK
3 Jan- 7 Jan: be in Singapore
8 Jan - 28 Jan: traveling all over Thailand with Ken.
29 Jan - 3 Feb: Singapore (and Maylasia? undecided yet)

Highlights of this trip:

working at my cousin's accounting firm while staying in HK
attending Hyde+Vincent's wedding
my friend from work- Xavier: he's french will be in HK for 5days as a stop-over on his way back to France. so i will be taking him around doing touristy things
meeting up with Michelle, Regina, Rachel- my buddies in CHCH who will also be in HK
all the glorious food! and getting new clothes, gadgets and stationary
watching movies on the plane, this in my opinion is the best part about travelling!

Precisly, here is a shopping list:

shower radio
changing colour clock (as seen on trademe :))
desktop therometer
proper BB gun
backwards clock
laser printer
portable HD
nokia
nintendo DS+games
wireless mouse
battery operated candle (as seen @ coffee-house)
nip pourers

In Singapore, Ken has kindly offered for us to stay at his sister's condo :) really looking forward to the food Ken's been hyping about, all-u-can-eat Japanese buffet!! galour!!

And to our biggest adventure- THAILAND

I've been doing extensive amount of research and have planned out our itinerery for the whole trip covering Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Kho Phangan, Koh Samui, Railey Beach (Krabi) and Phi Phi Island. Our flight from SIngapore to THailand only cost NZ$250 pp return. boom.

we are in the process of booking our accommodations. Bangkok we are staying at: http://www.khaosanroad.com/diamond_house/index.htm

Chu May has offered a site: http://www.couchsurfing.com/ where we are able to find a local to stay with. this is a brilliant idea! it gives us an insight to how locals live/party :) great way to meet people. We are thinking of staying with someone for 4nights in Pattaya.

That's all for now :)

feedbacks/suggestions welcome.