Fake/authentic? You decide

I'm pretty sure many would have heard of the image of Virgin Mary appearing on garage doors and lemon slices.

But are you prepared for this?

Virgin Mary appearing on a pebble.

It was supposedly found by a Christchurch woman (Lisa-Marie Corlet) on a beach (New Brighton or Sumner maybe?). I wonder what she was hunting for when she "stumbled" upon this 1cm in diameter pebble.

Personally, I think it looks like a walrus-man dressed up for a charity event (hence the tie).

She's selling it on Trademe now, here's the link to the auction. At 1.44pm right now, the leading bid is $31,600.50, with hundreds of comments, and 290 unanswered questions for the lady to answer.

This is what she wrote on the auction:

Pebble found on South Island beach with image of the Virgin Mary. Its genuine and I will be contacting the university geology department in the very near future to have authenticity proved. Check out The Press Newspaper, Tuesday 23rd of Wednesday 24th October to view more photos and find out more about this tiny pebble.

The debate going on is FIERCE. What I don't get is what's the big deal over a stone? Maybe before it was found, a little naughty boy decided to take out his crayon and sketch a picture of his toy walrus, left it on the beach, and the ink became permanent over the years.

Ok, so maybe it is the REAL thing. I just don't understand why would God want this pebble to be made/discovered. Besides it being a collector's item, I don't see how owning this pebble can bring someone good luck or helping him/her get closer to God.

Which made me wonder: The man above must be laughing away at the sight of us going ga-ga over a pebble, regardless of its authenticity.

Which leads to this: an item cannot even be proven "authentic" unless there is a similar item that has already been proven so, and a comparison can be made. Make sense? For example, it's possible to tell apart an authentic LV bag from one that's fake by careful inspection. So what are the geologists (supposedly) comparing this "authentic" pebble with?

Either way, good for Lisa-Marie for donating the sales to charity. Whether or not she donates any of it away or keep it to herself, she's entitled to it. Why? She found it, finder's keepers. And even if it's fake, the buyer should know better there are risks in buying this pebble. I see this as her being blessed, very abundantly might I add.

Kiwis are a bunch of funny folks. This guy here is selling a Virgin Mary on a surfboard set. See description below.

Thought to be fake at first when found on my desk this morning-but look at second photo taken with a photon gamma mapping camera- the energy coming off is incredible!
Looks remarkably like the Virgin Mary on a surfboard?
If you can help me with how this came to be in existance I would appreciate any feedback.
Free postage within NZ.
** buyer will need a small piece of blue-tac to keep Mary on the board.
***UPDATE!!

RANGE EXPANDED AT NO EXTRA COST!

New Virgin Mary Surfboard set now includes:
NEW! Donkey Poster!
NEW! 3 Wise men!
NEW! Baby Jesus! ( looks a little like a penguin )
NEW! Glow in the dark Star of Bethlehem! (doesn't actually glow in the dark....)

If you think this is funny, scroll down to the comments of this auction and the original one. Even this fake auction has a lead bidding of $147 as I'm typing this. haha. More of these fake authentic stones are appearing on Trademe by the hour, it's worth reading the comments and have a good laugh.

Going Italian

Yesterday was a day of celebrations: Sally's birthday and end of exams for the Pharmacy students. Though I still have 1 more paper to go (pesky unavoidable MANV202), I figured an early celebration wouldn't hurt too. =)

We originally decided to have a Japanese meal at Jitsu, but switched over to the dark Italian side. Etrusco is a fancy Italian restaurant located just after the octagon, boasting dishes I have a hard time pronouncing their names.

Excuse the bad lighting.

#1 entree: *fancy name here* (garlic bread topped with wine & marinara sauce)

#2 entree: very yummy (original?) pizza base.

Even earl grey tea is presented in this special way.

Dish I ordered: pasta with sliced ham flamed with vodka & parmesan sauce. *delizioso*!

Sally digging into the Main Dish of 3 chef's recommendation dishes.

Toasting with our tawny ports ($5 each, sipped very slOOOOOwly)

Will really miss you much next year, all the best in your studies @ AUT, Sally the fashionista hehe!

Clarity

Okay, just a few points to clear up:

1. I'm NOT wallowing up in self pity. In fact, I've never been happier my whole life here, doing what I love and having friends I can trust my life with.

2. I'm NOT in denial of what happened last year. I did not run away or quote: "left it behind in the past" and just moved on with life.

3. What I shared on the last post is just the tip of an iceberg. So please, even if you think you know me well enough to judge, don't.

4. The ONLY reason why I brought that up again was because I found it ironic that though I didn't tell anybody about what "trial" I thought about (during cell group last Tuesday), Canai told me after that that X has joined a cell group. More ironic was that I always prayed that he would someday know that his life will never be complete without God.

5. And finally, I am GLAD that it happened. As cliche as it may sound, I am changed for the better.

***

Anyway, I stumbled upon a video which complements both my guilty pleasures: One Tree Hill and a soft spot for guys with guitars singing love songs. ;P



Don't laugh, One Tree Hill is the best (after Heroes, House, and 24, of course hehehe). Can't wait for season 5 to start airing next year.

Trials

It's been quite some time since I blogged about something personal, but guess it's time for one.

A friend has just told me a few minutes ago that my ex (let's just call him X for now) has joined a Christian cell group.

If this was any other friend of mine, I would feel happy for him/her.

*keeps fingers crossed that he doesn't read this*

A quick update on those who don't know about X. He was my first, and it lasted for less than 2 months. A forbidden relationship would be a nice choice to describe it, it was wrong in so many ways. My brain was telling me I shouldn't, my friends told me he was up to no good and only wanted to use me, even my dad told me he wouldn't call me daughter anymore if I continued seeing him.

I was stubborn. Only daughter syndrome. It was so wrong that it felt right, in a way. I tricked myself into believing that as long as I was happy, God would provide a way. That includes probably getting him to go to church, to quit smoking, maybe to even get to know Christ. I even believed that the main reason for the relationship was so that I could be his turning point in life.

Little did I know that my plan had its flaws. Firstly, he had a plan of his own. (I'd never shared this before to anyone else except my close friends). Anyway, his plan (which I found out after it was over) was to date at least 2 girls at a time, use them, and then dump them. Secondly, I was misinterpreting all the signals, call me naive or just plain gullible for believing his sweet lies.

2 months went by and he said it wouldn't work out. Then I found out from someone else that he never really liked me, and only "went for it" as I was an easy target. I was furious, disappointed, disgusted, humiliated, and felt incredibly stupid. I thought I knew better, I thought I was smarter.

Most of all, I felt betrayal. It was difficult to put my trust in anybody else after that incident. The days went on very slowly after that, I was forced to put a smile on my face and pretend that everything was okay when in actual fact, I just wanted to break down and cry all over again. I wished everyday that it was just a nightmare that I could wake up from, prayed that time could reverse itself. What made it harder was the fact that I had to see him everyday last year as we lived in the same hall. It was then that I learnt the real meaning of torture.

Healing was a slow process. But I'm thankful for friends who listened and helped me through it.

The reason why I'm bringing this up again is because when Raymond talked about "trials" today during cell group, I chose that as my trial I went through. He mentioned that trials are present in our lives not as brick walls or to hold us down, but trials are there as a sign that God loves us. =)

Trials and tribulations come with both a purpose and a reward.

"Consider it all joy when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." (James 1:2-4,12).

So many times when we face certain trials, we think of it as a punishment of some sort from God. It's time to think of it as a blessing, as odd as it may sound.

I'm still learning, and it's ironic thinking back: Before coming here to NZ, I prayed that God would give me an experience that I can use to encourage people with and make myself a better person. Lo and behold, God provided me the experience of a "worst case scenario". ;P


I want to say I've forgiven X 100%, and can forget about what he did and move on with my life. Some say I must be spending too much time feeding on my despair, but a wound doesn't just heal in a short time. Though it's been over a year now, I'm still learning every single day to truly trust that this experience is necessary for a greater plan that I still cannot understand now.

When you feel like you are all alone
Just like your best friend up and gone
Don’t worry now
Don’t worry now
I’ve been there yeah, I know how it feels
To wonder if love is even real
Don’t worry now
Don’t worry now
It’s gonna be ok

I’ve been trying to find a way to understand
When I can’t see the picture of God’s plan
Why would He let us hurt so bad?
Could anything good come of these feeling that I have?
He loved me more than the sand on the beaches
He loved me more than the grass is green
And even though he had to go I always knew His love was part of me

It’s taken so long to let this go
It’s taken so long to feel that
Your right here next to me
And I can finally breathe
It’s taken so long but now I know
I had to find out on my own
When nothing could convince me
Your love it convinced me
That it’s gonna be ok

~Britt Nicole, Don't Worry Now

To all those still recovering from hurt of any kind, it's going to be ok.

And that's speaking from experience.

Amused

Seems like I'm easily amazed (and tricked, but let's not go there today).

Currently, I'm amazed at the number of friends actually spending time reading this humble blog of mine. Surprising, surprising. Looking back at my very first blog post (click here) way back in October 2004, it's amazing to know that this blog is now 3 years old!

For me, the joy of blogging doesn't come with the money earned through advertising or showing off what's going on in my boring life, but receiving comments from people I don't even know. Sometimes encouraging comments, sometimes criticism. Blame that on the so-called freedom of speech mentality we all have.

I've added the "Recent comments" widget to the sidebar. To add one to your blog (blogspot only), go to this page.

I enjoy looking at stats of recent visitors to the blog too, Good Counter's pretty informative, I still keep the Sitemeter tracker though.

The top 20 keywords in searches which led people to this blog.

Quite a few Brooke Fraser searches, which makes sense since I blogged about her concert recently.

Ok, now look closer at the circled part.


*
*
*
*

EWWWWWWW!!!

1. I do NOT have saliva fetish, or any fetishes for that matter.

2. I don't remember ever blogging about any sort of fetishes. Correct me if I'm wrong.

3. It's just a very very disturbing thought: sometime googling that phrase and ended up at my blog.

4. I don't even want to know if that particular person has the fetish mentioned above.


Disgustingness.

Brooke Fraser & the Band concert #2 2007

I am extremely, utterly, truly blessed to be given another chance in catching Brooke Fraser (one of my favourite artists) live in concert (yes, again) last night (Sunday) with her awesome band.

OpShop opened the night with a few catchy songs. I have to admit: I went there expecting very little from this local band (I've only ever heard of one of their songs "Maybe" on the radio), but was totally amazed at their talents. The lead singer/acoustic guitarist/electric guitarist/pianist (I later found out his name to be Jason Kerrison) was amazing, he did lead breaks on the synth, sang pretty well, and rocked like a true rockstar. heh. I hesitated in buying their album ($25) as I bought a Brooke Fraser t-shirt for 40 bucks. *a really cute one ler, picture in the near future*.

Brooke Fraser never fails to amaze me. Not only with her musicianship skills, but also with her randomness. How random? She rambled on about people eating placenta for prosperity the last time she performed at the town hall, and tonight explained why she was wearing bright red lipstick when she doesn't really wear that much make up at all ("I was invited to a party and dressed up as a menstrual PERIOD"). Long story though. She's just so down-to-earth, funny, talented, and beautiful any guy would be crazy not to want to know her. Sorry guys, she's engaged to be married early next year.

OpShop performing.

See somebody familiar? If no, look closer at the guitarist. If you're still blur, he's Nigel Hendroff, the legendary Hillsong electric guitarist in recent albums. I was so shocked when I saw him on stage, and almost thought that he is the guy Brooke Fraser is engaged to. One of the best guitarists around I reckon, and according to his wikipedia page, the guy has 10 freaking guitars. *jaw drops* He also has 14 pedals *jaw reaches the floor*. I still don't get guitarists and their fetish for pedals...

The red round things on stage are actually red lanterns hanging right in the middle of the stage during one of the songs, can't remember which one. So cool, eh. During "Deciphering Me", 6 transparent umbrellas hung down, such a pretty sight!

Brooke on the keys/acoustic guitar, Nigel H. on electric guitar, an Irish girl (Betty?) on synth, drummer from Detroit, and the bassist if I'm not mistaken is a Jap. All super cool musicians, I wonder how long will it take when I can even reach half their standard.

All pictures except first one courtesy of Amy/Rob who sat (can you believe it) at the first row!!! Darn lucky Amy, Rob bought those tickets for her. Awwwww...

If I had to take only 2 memories home from my 3 years spent in NZ, it would have to be attending her concerts and awesome friends. =) That explains just how much I enjoy watching her and the band perform live. It's just indescribable. hehe.

I would strongly recommend anyone who enjoyed even 1 of her songs to go see her perform (don't know when, think she's off to the States after this tour). You won't regret it, seriously. That's coming from somebody who's been to both her concerts in 4 months time. =)

Wobbly weather

The weather was reasonably good on Friday afternoon (and the Pharmacy people finished their 1st exam), so off to the beach we went!

When you're in Dunedin, it's either St Kilda or St Claire beach. How ironic since both these beaches are on the same coastline, and you can walk from 1 beach to the next in probably less than half an hour (I think). Still, very close by.

When we got to St Claire, the weather decided to play games on us. One more thing to note about living in Dunedin, you never know when the weather might do a 180 degree turn (from sunny spring day to cold, windy cloudy day). Perfect example was the first time it snowed when I got to Christchurch- it was spring/summer season. Anyway, moral of the story is to bring a jacket wherever you go, even if the sun is out.

One thing I love about Dunedin (and most NZ towns) is this: the beach is never too far away.

Surf's up!

Total opposites: Janice so cute, Greg so erm... weird. ;P

One thing to note about this bird: Let's call it Jenny for now. Jenny (the one-legged bird) was often seen chirping happily around uni compounds, especially the union lawn. Suddenly on Friday, we saw her there on the beach! How amazing is this: a handicapped leg-icapped bird has flown all the way to its new habitat! Or maybe she (or he) was just visiting. This still remains a mystery.

Someday soon

Here I am, everyday

Since you said, you'd come again
But it's not fair, cos you're not here
I wait in vain, but nothing has changed

I'm a flower, soaking in the rain
If I could wish one thing, I'd hear you call my name


So when will I see your face again
When will you touch my life again (ohh yeah)
When will I breathe you in again (ha)
I think I love you... will I see your face again


Little thing, like the rain coming
She looked at me a certain kind of way
Tell me girl, where are you now
'Cos I don't know how much longer I can wait

I'm a dreamer, waiting for the sun
When you're coming in, I know my life's begun
Tell me girl...


When will I see your face again (ohh yeaaah)
When will you touch my life again (ummm um)
When will I breathe you in again
I think I love you, will I see your face again


You know that all my life I've been waiting
Waiting for some, someone like you to love me
You can't come by like an angel, into my life
And then fly away, fly away

~When will I see your face again
by Jamie Scott & the town

Cheesy as it is, almost everyone misses another person at any one moment. =P

Dedicated to my ex-classmates in secondary school, national service friends, and to the SFEC youths. Til we meet again this year end (or someday soon)!

Neverending exams

Genetics exam was surprisingly, not that bad as I thought it would be. Hopefully the results would be good, too. Thank God I spent a day doing past year exam questions, though not all of them were repeated, but I'm happy with what I did.

Biochem (the hardest due to crazy amounts of pathways) is next Friday, 1 week to cram all those info into my head. Plenty of time considering terms tests were 1 day apart. Note to self: do plenty past year exams even if there isn't enough time to finish revision. It sure helps as Otago lecturers are always too lazy to come up with new questions.

Studying in the library/link made me more disciplined. Heh. I'm easily distracted by ANYTHING if I study at home, which translates into not studying at all and wasting time.

Distracted by Sam's phone.

Self-explanatory. Yeap, those are sunflower seeds.

Caught red-handed.

Vandalism or stress-relief?

1 more month to go.

1 more month to go.

1 more month to go.

1 more month to go.

Endurance, guys!

Quake

Blog Action Day - the day (hopefully) that people start realising that the resources mother nature provides will eventually run out on day in the near future. 10am is not a good time for me to blog (slept at close to 4am last night), but there's one thing I feel like stressing: Sustainability.

***

So there was an earthquake early this morning after all!

*woohoo!!!* My first real experience... (not that it's anything to be proud of).

I thought I was hallucinating or really groggy when the furnitures shook a little. It wasn't like what I thought it would be- nothing fell off the table thank God- but I certainly didn't expect the dizziness that follows. It was as if someone took my head and wriggled it around. Weird I know, but that was how it felt.

Here's the news this morning. It was supposedly 6.7 on the Richter scale, unconfirmed yet. There was another smaller one reported around 3am, but I didn't feel it.

***

Haven't been blogging regularly as I've been a frequent visitor of the library these few days. First paper on Thursday (Genetics)!!! All the best to those sitting their finals =)

mumble jumble

It's amazing how Friendster, Facebook and other social networking sites have made it possible now to know what's going on in people's lives without even personally keeping in touch with them at all.

Just with a few clicks (and a very 38 attitude), you can easily find out whether he/she has had a new girl/boyfriend, where he/she is currently studying- in short, everything you DON'T need to know, but still WANT to, just for the sake of it.

Then by pure chance while busy browsing for interesting pictures, you accidentally stumble upon "long-lost friends" aka that guy/girl you've seen at tuition classes but never spoke to, but still add them for fun. Then came the embarrassing message (happening to me right now): "Erm, refresh me again on what tuition we took?". -______- Well, maybe I was (am?) quite forgettable. But still, adding people is fun, having random & weird people add you is not fun, though.

Yes, I do realise that I'm rambling on and on about no particular topic.

My mind's going round in different directions all at once.

Should be studying, Jocelyn.
Nope, should relax. A good pass is sufficient.
No! Must get A. Be a good daughter.
Fine, fine. I'll study. *sulks*

Retail therapy!
Therapy your head. *!!!*
Soothes me.
More like drilling a hole in your bank account.
Makes me happyyyyyy.
More like wasting money.
So? I earn back what.
You have like, 20 pairs of shoes.
A girl needs shoes, ok.
-___- The shoe rack is FULL.
I'll sell some off at trademe after exams!
Sigh. speechless.

Woo. weather going cuckoo.
That's why Msia weather much better. All day sun/rain.
Don't like. Too hot!
So you'd rather too cold?
At least can turn on heater ma.
Msia got air-con!
Heater vs. air-con war continues.

And the conclusion is: Make the most of now.

Even Vodafone's advertising campaign is based on that phrase.

I love this ad.



And this one, too.



How about this one?



Another one.


Come to think about it, Vodafone do come out with good ads. Too bad they charge too much for calling and texting.

Thinknext.com

I stumbled on this cool website which features new, cool, and sometimes useful recommendations of products. Worth checking out.

I found a few items I wouldn't mind owning myself. heh.

1. A piggy bank which counts how much money you put in it. Finally, a pig that talks!
2. A USB microscope (yeap, MICROscope) which zooms in up to 200X (pretty good since the standard light microscope zooms up to 1000X). Very handy to check the type of bacteria in your food.
   
3. A handheld tripod which allows vain people to take pictures of themselves without the need of using timers. Very useful, though not for me.
4. A washable keyboard and mice. Wow, no need to be afraid of accidentally spilling coffee on keyboards anymore! What next- edible keyboards?
5. One of favs- Clocky! the alarm clock which runs away from you (so you'll have to chase it to turn it off or press the snooze button). So cute!
6. A bike you can fold up in 3 seconds. And it comes with a bag which you can put it into. Sounds practical.
7. And finally, my dream speakers (for now). It's small, powerful, sleek, and round. What more can a girl ask for?! Introducing Cabasse's Eole microspheres. Only 4" in diametre and yet these cute speakers are more powerful than my Altec Lansing ones. *drooling* Now if only I can find these being sold here in NZ... or even Msia. heh.

See what I mean? No sane person can resist not falling in love with that design, ok.

Way cooler than the Harman Kardon invisible sticks (soundsticks) I think.

I want, I want!!!

Anyway, if you're bored or just want to check out this website, click here. Highly recommended.

Bulb-by

Today I feel like a...

big lightbulb.

I spent more than 2 hours over at the Pancakes watching Heroes when we should all be studying, or rather, THEY should be studying. Free food always make me feel welcomed. I wonder why PDAs don't bug me anymore. I used to cringe whenever people (especially friends) smooch in front of me, but now I manage to *almost* NOT notice it.

After dinner, had the sudden urge to visit my old neighbour (now upstairs). Thought lenik would be alone, but turns out the whole Gu family was there too. And that's how I became a lightbulb for the 2nd time today.

Which reminds me to get a new bulb for my IKEA table lamp as the old one blew. blah. So lazy to walk to town.

My destiny? Hmm

What's Your Relationship Destiny?

My Result: Find a Fairy Tale Ending

Cinderella, Snow White — those ladies knew what they were doing. And like these fairy tale heroines, you're a princess at heart who believes that love really does make the world go round. Of course, you're not waiting to be swept off on someone's white horse — you're a modern gal who's not afraid to do a little rescuing yourself.


Independent and confident, you're not about to rely on fate to give you what you want. You've got the drive and spirit to pursue your dreams and find your own destiny. And you're sure to bump into Prince Charming along the way. That's a happy ending!

Take this test >

Wow, it's amazing how some things never change even when I've aged a decade already. *teehee*

Celebration galore

On October 15th - Blog Action Day, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone's mind.

In its inaugural year, Blog Action Day will be co-ordinating bloggers to tackle the issue of the environment.

All you bloggers out there, you know what to do.

***

10 days to my first final exam, GENE 211. Not feeling nervous whatsoever, which is not a good sign to me since I NEED anxiety to kick start my study regime.

The nice weather isn't helping me study, either. So is facebook. Darn the creators of facebook. I blame them for the constant urge to log in every few hours to check on any new notifications.

***

I sold my old phone!

Not happy that it's gone to be with it's new owner now in Auckland (I've grown attached to SE phones after 2 years using it), but elated that I now have extra $250 in my bank account! *woot* It's not much (easily spent on clothes, knowing myself), but hey it's better than selling it less than RM500 if I sell it back home.

Another little announcement: There's another new couple at church! *gasp* So shocked when I heard this news 2 days ago. Mr Rohan the drummer is no longer single! Congrats, looking forward to the news being announced at church soon. Congrats also to Rahul and Shweta on their engagement; he popped the question (something like "will you be mine?") last Saturday. Owh, how sweet...

Yet another thing to celebrate about: No more formal lectures until Feb 2008! Except for the last tutorial on Thursday morning and other revision tutes. Also, another month to end of exams, and 2 months to HOME!!! =)

Pink for Oct

As some of you might notice, I'd changed links from blue to PINK, in support of the Go Pink for October campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer. Don't worry, I won't start wearing fluorescent pink clothes.

***

I'll just bombard this blog with pictures for now, this probably means that I can't be bothered typing 1000 words every day. I marvel at those who do that, though.

Anyway, last Friday night, we attended a performance by Michelle's band, "Soul Deep". They play mostly blues and soul music, think Stevie Wonder and Prince. $20 a ticket, quite pricey as a "special guest" was specially flown in from Wellington. Though I still prefer the lead singer's skills, I was NOT the only person who thought he really sounded like Stevie Wonder (he even wore black sunnies!).


I have to admit, the band was AWESOME. 12 members altogether, coordination is super hard to achieve, plus they had to play over 50 songs by hard in a span of 4 hours. Now that's something I look up to. Poor Michelle, she looked so tired after the 4 hours, but still had more gigs the next day.

The singers; the one of the left sings beautifully.

Go Michelle!

The audience enjoyed the music thoroughly. Believe me, Kiwi folks can dance. I'm not talking about the youngsters dancing in clubs type of dance, but that night all the 30 to 50 year old Kiwis displayed their dancing skills on the tiny and very packed dance floor. One 40-ish lady wore a bold red dress with matching red boots, impossible to miss. I was quite hesitant to dance at first (Chinese culture ma, paiseh), but was literally dragged by this 30-ish lady (man, she was STRONG), and had no choice but to dance along. The others noted how "keen" she was to me, kept asking me to dance with her bla bla. It got quite scary towards the end, so I kept my distance from her. haha. But all's good, it was an enjoyable night.

So here you go. Excuse the quality, all photos were taken using my phone.

There's even an arcade room in Victoria Hotel.

Today was so sunny, couldn't resist not taking a pic of the registry building. heh.

Bubbly

I've been awake for a while now
you've got me feeling like a child now
'cause every time i see your bubbly face
I get the tinglies in a silly place

It starts in my toes
makes me crinkle my nose
where ever it goes
I always know
that you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go

~dedicated to a certain someone.
Colbie Cailat - Bubbly

Beautiful memories

I stumbled upon a compilation cd which was made in Christchurch during my first year in NZ. It's a surprise find really, as I thought all my pictures were gone after my laptop had crashed earlier last year.

Looking back the hundred or so photos, I'm reminded again at how blessed I am to be here. How on earth did I choose a small, strikingly beautiful yet very often underrated country to study, until now I still do not know. How did I managed to get my parents to let me go to a foreign land all on my own at the first place, I still have no idea. All I know is, it has been 2 years and 4 months plus since I got here, and it has been GOOOOOOD. hiak hiaks.

Then, in the midst of my boredom, I thought of the possibilities if I had chose to stay back in Kuching after National Service has ended. I would probably take STPM for another 2 years and apply into a local uni OR had I decided to apply for JPA scholarship, things would be so different.

Some people ask me: why didn't I even bother applying for JPA? With your results bla bla, you could have gotten an interview... Yes, I am well aware of the fact that people with results less brilliant than mine has successfully being offered JPA and are on their way overseas bla bla. Should I have at least applied then? Yet I knew deep down I was meant to go somewhere. heh. Sounds corny.

But yeah, things would be so different had I taken the other road. I wouldn't have met these awesome flat 4 people, wouldn't begin to love music the way I do now, wouldn't grow into the person I am/becoming, wouldn't appreciate all that I've been given.. and the list goes on and on.

Anyway, this post is dedicated to my first 6 months in NZ, and the memories that were made.

Enjoy the photos (click to enlarge- highly recommended!)

"ooh, I see water!"

*pant* Wut r u luking at?

of rays and reflection.

The prettiest colours blended together.

Walking on water

I should be studying! Someone keep me away from Facebook!!!

Art Attack

Thanks Rachel for the fun time of painting and creativity!

Soooooo tired after a full on day (including walking under the rain) , so I'll let these pictures do the talking, or rather typing.

Rachel, the "art mistress". heh

Ron, the new incredible hulk!

My artwork: the theme was chosen for a specific question I've been wanting desperately to find out for the past few weeks (or even years), and though I'm still far from finding out the answer, FAITH will eventually lead me there. =) *hush, it's a secret!*

Unfinished Journey

Seems like almost every single post I blog about now has a common theme: Music.

Back in secondary school days, the only music I knew of was those played on the airwaves and the famous few Hillsong and Planetshakers albums. Total songs on computer back then: probably less than 100. (insert exclamation mark here).

Wow, things sure have changed a lot.

Anyway, we had a surprise visit by a NZ artist- Hannah Donald & her band. Based in Auckland now, she used to attend Nations Christian Church for 9 years a very long time ago. =)

Hannah Donald & the band performing at Union Hall.

The 2nd electric guitarist on the left (bright blue guitar) = very cool riffs but amp wasn't loud enough to blast the hall. keke. 1st guitarist on the right plays beautifully especially the intro of "Beautiful Child". I want his Mini Martin!!!

I've never actually heard of her before, but after listening to her performance, one song in particular stood out among the rest. The song was "Cornerstone" (track 6 off her album "Unfinished Journey")- and how I remembered it was because it was the background song used for the drama during Allure Conference held 2 weeks ago!

I just love the lyrics, profound yet able to relate to.

Twenty years has reduced you to a beg and crawl
Set your life in shadows cast
by its corporate wall
Mask your feelings there's no room here
for the awkward fitting one

Finding love in compromise lest your soul emerge
Although worth more you’ve given in
To that desperate urge
To take your values from opinions
of some broken hearted men

Everyday walls are laid
Guarding those who’ve made the grade
But there is hope I still believe
For the rejected to be the redeemed
All the unchosen, brittle and numb
In his hands can become a cornerstone

In years to come all of this
Will be a distant past
With tables placed and ordered names
As if the first were last
Come to your senses, there’s no sense
in running after kingdoms gone

Beautiful eh? I'm currently suffering from last song syndrome of this song. Short clips off the album can be found at her official website, or click here to listen to sample clips.

Mrs Pancake bought her cd and got a personalised autograph ($20, free if signed up for sponsor-a-child by Tearfund).

Nice cover.

See the little scribble art? *someone up there*-> so cute!

Love the description at the back too: "made in the good ol' country of NZ" &
"Someone up there Records" haha!

Seems like it's becoming a trend for artists to go to a third world country and then write songs about what they've encountered there. How I yearn to visit the African countries and visit my sponsored child of 3 years, Adama, someday. =)