Every season

every evening sky, an invitation to trace the pattern stars

and early in July, celebration for freedom that is ours

and i notice you in children's games
in those who watched them from the shade
every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder
you are summer

and even when the trees, have just surrendered to the harvest time
forfeiting their leaves in late September
and sending us inside, still i notice you when change begins
and i embrace for colder winds
i will offer thanks, for what has been and whats to come
you are autumn

and everything in time, and under heaven finally falls asleep
wrapped in blankets white, all creation shivers underneath
and still i notice you, when branches crack and in my breath on frosted grass
even now in death, you open doors for life to enter
you are winter

and everything thats new, has bravely surfaced
teaching us to breathe
what was frozen through, is newly purposed
turning all things green, so it is with you
and how you make me new, with every seasons change
and so it will be, as you are all creating me
summer, autumn, winter, spring

lyrics: nicole nordeman- every season

No, I'm not afraid to admit that this year hasn't been easy on the emotional side for me. Yet I hold on to the fact that it has been a season of growth, of maturity, and of faith. Come what may, I put my trust in Him and hope that you will, too.

So new year

Christmas has come and gone, and tagging right behind it and eager to make its appearance is the one thing that screams "Hurry up and make that new year resolution!"

Seven- it signifies completion. Seven days to create the world, seven angels in the Revelations, seven days in a week, seven colours of a prism/rainbow, seven notes in an octave, etc etc.

Even my new flat's address is 777, Great King Street.

So it's no wonder so many couples are planning to get married on the 7th of July, 2007.

How wonderful it is knowing that this coming year is somehow going to a fruitful, meaningful one.

Maybe it's just that feeling you get during this time of the year when forgetting about the past seems much more easier, and moving forward is no longer a choice but has become something that is bound to happen soon.

Or maybe, just maybe, it's only me being optimistic and smiling like an idiot thinking about going home soon in 10 days. =)

Quiz

You are:
[x] shorter
[ ] 5′4″-5′5″
[ ] 5′5″-5′6″
[ ] 5′6″-5′7″
[ ] 5′8″-5′9″
[ ] 5′10″ and up

Your confessions:
[x] I hate silence
[ ] I am really ticklish
[ ] I'm afraid of the dark
[ ] I've collected comic books
[ ] I sometimes shut out others
[x] I open up to others TOO easily
[ ] I read the newspaper
[x] I love Disney movies
[ ] I am a sucker for gorgeous eyes
[x] I am a sucker for a gorgeous smile
[ ] I don't kill bugs
[ ] I have "x"s in my screen name
[ ] I bake well
[ ] I have worn pajamas to class
[ ] I love Martha Stewart
[ ] I am guilty of tYpInG lIkE tHiS
[ ] I love to laugh
[ ] I can't swallow pills
[ ] I bite my nails
[ ] I play computer games when I'm bored
[ ] I have gotten lost in the city
[x] I have gone out in public in my pajamas
[ ] I have made out in an elevator
[ ] I have been bungee jumping
[x] I have bitten someone
[ ] I have egged or T.P.ed a house/car
[ ] I have smashed a car
[ ] I have been fired

Have you ever…
[ ] seen a shooting star
[x] joke proposed to anyone
[x] gotten stitches
[x] eaten Sushi
[x] gotten the chicken pox
[x] Ridden in a taxi
[ ] Been on a cruise ship
[ ] Driven over 400 miles in one day
[x] Been on a plane by yourself
[ ] had surgery
[ ] seen a movie more than 3 times in the theater
[x] been on stage
[ ] gotten a black eye
[ ] memorized all the dialogue in a movie
[ ] watched an entire baseball game

Do you like…
[x] old movies
[ ] musicals
[x] blasting music in your car
[x] foreign foods
[ ] gameboy Pokémon
[x] Christmas time
[x] doughnuts
[x] animals
[x] coffee
[x] tea
[x] summer
[x] winter

TWO'S OF EVERY KIND
Two Names You Go By: joss, tweety
Two things you are wearing right now: adidas sneakers, volcom sweatshirt
Two Places You Want to go on Vacation: Paris, Japan
Two Things You Are Thinking About Now: "It's finally Christmas!", "What time is the Christmas service tomorrow?"
Two favorite animals: Dogs, rabbits
Two Reasons you're doing this survey: Pure boredom, waiting for a friend
Spell your name without vowels: JCLYN
How many pairs of jeans do you own?: 6 or more
What color(s) do you wear most often? Pink, black
What's for dinner tonight? Rice + curry
Are you happy with your life right now? It's good, not complaining

[Do you own a…]
- PS2: nope
- XBOX: i wish
- PSP: nope
- Gamecube: nope
- Digital Camera: yes
- How do you make money? Work at a motel & at Subway
- Last thing you bought? Rice + yoghurt
- How's the weather? Cloudy + a bit chilly
- Do you own big sunglasses? Yes
What should you be doing right now? Go give out prezzies!
Who did you hug today?: No one =(
How many beds did you lay in yesterday?: 1 la
What color shirt are you wearing? Purple
Name one thing that you do everyday? Pray
Whats the color are your bedroom walls? White
How much cash do you have on you right now? A few cents
What's your favorite sport?: Badminton
When was the last time you saw your dad? 5 months ago
What did you have for dinner last night? Honey chicken & chinese cabbage
Look to your left, what do you see? TV
Do you have plants in your room?: Nope
Whats your favorite starbucks drink? Mocha frappucino
Recent time you were really upset? Erm. can't remember. I'm a happy person =)

My day as a bunny

Today I am a bunny.

Sorry la Chok, I stole your position just for a day. Being a bunny sure is tough.

Why am I a bunny? Well, two weeks earlier, I signed up at Student Job Search (who suspended my account for not following the stupid rules. long story) for a one-off job. It's a street collection job, working for Safe organisation (one of those animal welfare organisations that protests against animal cruelty). The pay is $10.25 per hour plus 10% commission of the collection by the way.

Anyway, May and I agreed to do the job for today and tomorrow, with a total of 18 hours, thinking that it'll be fun dressing up in animal costumes while collecting donations from the public.

You can almost predict what will happen next, right?

So there I am, dressed in a bunny suit (complete with the freaking EARS) on George Street between the National bank and the entrance of Meridian mall (translation: in the middle of the city where everyone will see me). White suit, pink ears, a bright blue fluffy vest, a silly bucket with "She needs your help" printed on it, and stickers to give to donors.

Go on, laugh at me.

It's not very funny when the temperature is less than 10 degrees with cold southwest winds blowing right into my face.

What's more, some people find it very amusing. Ya, it might be for a while but it gets annoying. For example, one guy said "Love you, bunny!", and a group of young people threw 20 cents from a car passing by. Thank goodness by some kind people who are willing to donate 10 dollars and ask if I'm warm enough or not.

So there you go, my most embarrassing experience this year so far. Just to save my face when I go to uni next year, I decided to end my shift at noon and cancel the shift tomorrow. =P

of love and marriage

Today marks the arrival of Daniel, Fiona's best kept secret aka i-haven't-said-yes-but-i'll-consider-once-you-show-me-that-diamond-ring boyfriend arrives at Dunedin. When she first told us about him about 2 weeks ago, we seriously thought she was just making a big fat joke. After 15 minutes of disbelieving, I'm still trying to imagine her having an Australian boyfriend. Anyway, will finally get to meet him tonight. :P

Then there is Raymond and Michelle, whom he's bringing over to Dunedin next year. The ring has been chosen and bought, the unofficial marriage proposal done already, so we're just waiting for the day we get invited to the wedding (which I predict will take place the end of next year).

Then there's also Alex and Sing Sii (the inseparable Mr and Mrs Canai), going steady for almost 2 years now. And the latest addition, Greg and Janice (Mr and Mrs Grapes) to the couples family.

With over 70% of my close group of friends slowly morphing into couples lately, I feel very SINGLE. Ah well, it's that transition stage again where I get to ooh and aah at cute couples and daydream about that prince charming coming to my rescue.

Christmas spirit

With only 9 days to Christmas, you can really smell the spirit of Christmas in the air. hehe.

On 1st December 2006, the people of Dunedin gathered together at the octagon to witness the lighting of the Christmas tree by the mayor himself. Unlike the other years, there were additional porgrams to go with the ceremony.

I'm proud to say that my very own church, Nations Christian Church, was behind the organisation of this grand event-- Christmas In the Octagon 2006. There were performances, Christmas carols, and a guest star- NZ idol's Jesse O'Brien.

As volunteer ushers, May and I wore extremely red ushers t-shirts (so that people can recognise you from afar -__- ), and gave out song sheets, glow-sticks, and sweets courtesy of Cadbury. Rohan dressed up as Prince Charming, Olivia as Snow White, and other people from church also as different fairytale characters. Uber coolness!

On the 3rd, the annual Santa Parade was held. Though it was a bit drizzly, people still came out to watch the beautifully decorated floats go through George St and reach the Octagon for another Christmassie concert.

Cute umbrellas.

...and so it began

A very big barbie.

A conversation I overheard:

A: Wow, look at that...
B: Oh, that's XXX from XXX high school.
A: Oh really?
B: Yeap, but his hair isn't that long. It's not real... but his body is.

The 7 dwarves; the one beside Sleepy looks erm.. odd.

The last float featuring Santa himself...

...looking very jolly indeed.

The 10 metre Christmas tree.

Graduation ceremony 06

This month aka the graduation month marks the end of the study era and the beginning of entering the working world for many, and for some lucky/brainy ones- postgraduate studies.

Yesterday, one of the many graduation ceremonies took place at the town hall. Starting from 1.30pm was the graduation parade from outside Dentistry building to the town hall, accompanied by a Scottish bagpipe band and the mayor heading the parade.

Around 3pm, the official ceremony began. After speeches by the Chancellor and Maori Orator and the national anthem in both languages (Maori and English), the presentation of degrees and diplomas were next.

May and I went there to show our support for Renee who got her degree in Bachelor of Consumer and Applied Science, majoring in nutrition. Also graduating was fellow Studholmite William (BSc in Food science). Congrats also to Renee who got into an Australian uni to do her masters. =)

It was indeed a glorious day for the hundreds of students who finally got that piece of laminated paper, which costed at least 3 years and countless hours and effort to achieve. It doesn't guarantee a wonderful, well paid job in a particular profession, but a degree is just a baby step taken in that long-winding journey of achieving success.

The long awaited day.

Students entering the hall; see the guy playing the pipe organ! *coolness*

All the big guys on the stage.

All smiles =D

Oh well, another 3 years until it's my turn. Yikes.

Music-making

With 3 more weeks before 2006 comes to an end, it's inevitable to miss the fun moments and wish we were all back to that time once again.

Being a part of Cityside Nations Christian Church music team was a dream come true. It's like having the vip pass to the coolest club, playing music and growing together as a family. Friday nights would have been very dull without the practices. =)

My family I've grown attached to; Jo's birthday (we got her a mobile phone!)

The 3 new pianists this year; Ellise, jOSs, and May.

The 3 R's; Ray on drums, Rahul on bass, Rohan on percussions.

Always smiling Amy; who's heading off to Philippines for a mission trip!

Eeeeeks! :P

Jo and Renee; Renee's last music practice T_T

...and those were the times.

2007 will be another new year, with new musicians and the "old ones" retiring. Come what may, it will surely be as exciting, if not more, than this year. Can't wait!

New summer layout

As summer is officially here now, it's also time to change a new layout. Not that I don't like the current spring layout though, it's one of my favourites so far. Not much "summery" colours in this new layout, but what the heck, it's pretty.

P.S. DO NOT click on anything (especially the PULL link on the top right hand corner) until all the pictures have finished loading. If not, the pull effect won't work. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Day 8 - Departure

Last day at Auckland- part of me is happy to leave this city where living expenses are always a tad bit higher, part of me is sad to end this 8 day holiday trip with my friends.

During the last few hours before the plane trip home, we walked along Queen Street and relived memories of when we first got there, so lost and overwhelmed. And now, I'm proud to say that I have been to Auckland, met some good people, met some odd people, and at least know the basic ways of getting around the city I always thought was NZ's capital. My bad.

Anyway, some pictures taken that day.

Mrs Higgins cookies- irresistibly delicious.

Dunkin Donuts- a perfect snack anytime, anywhere.

The dodgy santa who winks and moves his index finger.

Architecture.

Hmm. Interesting play indeed.

Day 7 - Waiheke Island

The north island is blessed with many scenic small islands. We decided to visit one off the coast of Auckland called Waiheke Island.

At the very moment we stepped off the ferry, I sensed that something was amiss about the island. Uh huh, THE ISLAND. It's that feeling when you just know that something is not quite right though everything seems fine.

Like any other tourists, we got a map of the island and wondered which road to head next.

Soon enough, a middle-aged Kiwi guy approached us and asked, "You guys seem a bit lost here. I've got a van just right there, I can take you up to the village for $2 a person. And from there, you can just take another bus to wherever you want to go."

We looked at each other, thinking the same thing, "Does this guy sound dodgy or what?"

Janice, being the big sis among us, spoke up: "Actually we prefer to walk around by ourselves."

Dodgy guy: But it's a long way up, and you might get lost. It's only $2 a person...

Janice: Erm. Actually we wanted to do a bit of kayaking just by the ferry, so we won't be able to go up to the village just yet.

Dodgy guy: Kayaking? Oh... I actually have a few kayaks at my house just by the other side of town. I can bring you guys there. It's only $35 per person. Wait right here... I'll just get my van ready." (rushes off to his van)

Us: Let's just ignore that weird guy.

(few minutes later...)

Dodgy guy: Hey, I was looking for you guys. Let's go!

Janice: Ermmmmmm. Actually we're waiting for a friend to arrive quite soon. Sorry but no thanks.

Dodgy guy: Alright, fine then. (walks away, probably thinking: dang, I almost got them to believe me!)

After he left, we decided to walk up to "the village" ourselves. Guess what, it was only a 10 minute walk! Bloody dodgy guy claimed that it was very far away. Anyway, "the village" turned out to be just like any other small township with tourist shops and a beach just nearby.

Thank goodness we found a visitor's info centre and got more information about getting around. We also asked the lady working there if she knew about any other kayaking services around besides the one we saw near the ferry station. Why am I not surprised to hear that it's the only registered kayaking business on the island? This proved that the dodgy guy was running his own little illegal, dodgy, tourist-cheating business.

A little while later, Kang arrived with food! We went down to the beach to have lunch and had the biggest, most value-for-money ice-cream. Hehe. Later, we went kayaking for $50 per person (bit pricey), *the guy was a bit odd too!*. Bit disappointing as I expected a better view.

2 hours later, we walked quite a distance to Mudbrick vineyard for some wine-tasting and to buy some wine home. The cute wine guy looks tipsy to us, and on the table was a bottle of *cough* alcohol *cough* labelled with coke. Ah, the ultimate job where you get an awesome view of the island and enables you to drink whenever you want to.

Finally, we headed back to Auckland around 6-ish, totally drained out of energy, and also glad to leave the dodgy island. All in all, it was an interesting experience, but visiting it once is enough. ;P

Green green grass all the way.

Th typical feet together photo.

Sandy beach.

Lavender + a honey bee.

Post-kayaking; the 50-dollar photo proving that we went kayaking.

Unripe grapes at Cable Bay Vineyards.

Mudbrick vinyard; after the 2 km walk up and down hills.

View from mudbrick vineyard; notice the ray of sunlight in the middle of the sea.

Day 6 - Chillin' out

On Sunday, we rested.

Ellise was nice enough to take May and I to her church, Harbourside Church near the harbour bridge (hence the name). They have the greatest music team ever! haha. The worship leader played hammond, the bassist was a girl who wore guy's attire and completely rocked the church. Preacher was so cool too! Envy envy!

The four of us girls got together again during the afternoon and strolled around Albert Park and the city central, taking lots of pictures, of course.

That night, Lulu took us to Auckland's (supposedly) most popular place to have bubble tea (pearl milk tea). Part of the reason was because one guy who works there is so cute that Jay Chou (if I'm not mistaken) went there and said that he can be famous because of his good looks. Sure enough, there were girls dressing like ah-lians all over the cafe, waiting to talk to that "cute" guy. Blah. However, the bubble tea was HEAVENLY.

Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra: From Russia with Love.

The picture we took with Mahatma Ghandhi ;P

Luvin the colours.

One of the many ornaments at Albert Park.

Bubble tea!

Different now

Woke up this morning, and instantly I knew that things would be different.

Part of the reason was because I was awaken by the buzzing of an incredibly huge honey bee flying around just few centimetres above my head. Eekness. Thanks goodness it was smart enough this time to fly out through the window instead of bumping its way against the window pane.

Then there was LIGHT!*For the first time this week!*

Is that a good sign or what?

Today, finally, my phone connection is restored. Yay to internet connection in my own room!

Today, finally, I got a job! Woohoo. It's definitely not a glorious job, but I did my very best convincing the employer to employ me (hence the exegerrated cover letter), and it paid off! If you're interested, it's a position of a motel cleaner, pay is $10.25 before tax. Oh well, it's the experience that counts.

Icy summer

For the 2nd time this month, I was forced asked to move again. This time, to the main hall of Studholme College. Apparently we had to let the big shots aka families coming for their kids' graduation ceremonies stay in the posh flats. Meh. So here I am, in the smallest room possible, with a hideous view of trees covering Jane Malthus (my ex-flat), the kitchen sucks, and did I mention the (lack of) water pressure made it a nuisance to shower?

What's more, our lovely *chokes* office administrator is a bit slow in getting the phone lines reconnected. Which means no phone and internet connection in our rooms. Which means I have to use the computer room for its facilities *thank goodness for broadband*.

And the complaining continues...

I am still jobless.

Yes, my friends. I guess I was too confident about getting a job here in this ghost town during summer. Still, I'm searching high and low for the perfect job to make my cv look good, and also to stop my parents' nagging of wanting me to return home sooner.

Speaking of summer, this week has been everything but summer. Constant rain, temperature below 10 degrees, hail *eeks! no snow though*, and icebergs sightings. Imagine this: icebergs as big as 2km floating all the way from the south pole to good ole Dunedin during summer. The clever people are making business by offering helicopter rides to the icebergs for NZ$250 per person. A couple is even serious about getting married on one of those icebergs.


Next thing you know, pigs can fly.

Day 5 - Swanson Visit

The Day when it rained cats and dogs.

On Saturday, we decided to go visit Sarah at her farmhouse at Swanson, a suburb about 1 hour away from the city. It took us a 45 min train ride, 15 mins of bus ride, 15 mins of wondering what the hell are we doing stranded at a train station somewhere between Britomart and New Lynn, 15 mins bus ride back to where we should be headed to, and 10 car ride courtesy of Sarah's dad to their house.

After that was 2 hours of oooh-ing and ahhh-ing at her 3 dogs. The first who had most attention that day- Molly as she was due to give birth that day. The black labradoodle (cross between a labrador and a poodle) sure enjoyed the attention we gave her. Then there was Rouge and Jack who had to be kept outside the house.

The bad weather meant that we could only stay indoors. Later, we went shopping at the huge Northgate mall and I finally had a try of Auckland's famous donuts- Dunkin Donuts! They sell more than 10 types of donuts, each with different toppings and fillings, including chocolate mint, lemon and custard, normal glazed, chocolate glazed and so much more. A must try if you're visiting Auckland.

Molly, a soon-to-be mother for the 3rd time.

Sarah + Molly; spending quality time.

Night scenery; the skytower.

Day 4 - Devonport/Northshore

North bound.

The weather started playing tricks and took away the sunshine. But we stayed on with our plan, which is going to Northshore. We took a 15 min ferry ride to Devonport, then another 20 min bus ride to the heart of Northshore. Though Northshore is part of Auckland, it's considered as a separate city itself- a city filled with rich people with expensive cars (6 out of 10 cars on the road are BMWs).

Devonport was beauutiful. It looked like a mini version of Miami, provided that it was hot and sunny. Palm trees swaying in the breeze, scenic walks around the peninsula etc made it a perfect tourist attraction. We walked around a bit, and climbed another mountain- Mount Victoria to get a nice view. *I have no idea why we're so keen on climbing nountains*.

After that, we headed on to Northshore. Lunch sucked. Actually, it was the worst lunch I've ever had. And the worst way to spend NZ$12.00. We ordered some kind of seafood korean noodles at "Korean Restaurant" (yeaps, very creative ay), but what came out looked good but tasted horrible. It had no taste at all, and the seafood meant 1 mussel with tiny dried shrimps sold at Kuching Sunday Market. After a whole lot of complaining, we got 50 cent Burger King sundae ice-creams which tasted so much better. Moral of the story, only dine in restaurants prior to friends' recommendation.

Pretty disappointed at what Northshore had to offer. We expected more, I guess. However, it was still a good experience especially when you're travelling to an unknown place.

At the wharf before ferry ride.

The musical fence at Devonport.

Windsurfing at Northshore.

Crappiest meal. Beware!!!

Cute mushroom stools on Mount Victoria.