The great getaway- days 2 & 3

I'm surprised my Wellington trip post ended up here. haha!

The bee sting site is less swollen now, but gosh is it itchy! Google tells me it'll stay itchy for about a week. Hmph.

July ski trip to Queenstown- to go or not to go? Yes of course I want to- considering I've been in NZ for 4 years now but have never skied before yeah it's just not normal. Well the first time when I went there as part of a hall trip; and considering we only spent 2 days 1 night there, there was no time to ski. 2nd time I went there with my parents and of course they opted not to ski. And now, final and busiest year of uni, I FEEL that I must go =P Thanks guys for planning, especially renting that awesome house with jacuzzi and all that flashy stuff. So yeap I've decided to go, just need to plan experiments well and probably start with writing up dissertation soon.

Sky-diving, here I come! =P

***

More photos on my Easter trip:

Days 2 and 3: Napier/Hastings

Arrived at Napier, the amazing art deco city, at around 3pm after a long bus ride from Wellington. My 1st impression of Napier/Hastings was of the beautiful public art, beach just a minute away from the Pancakes' flashy apartment, and incredibly sunny/cloudless skies =) And of course, having a reunion with Alex&Sam (after GOSH HOW LONG??? more than 5 months!!!) made me so happy =D

Sigh I'm so jealous of them: working professionals, earning big bucks (even more next year!), staying at such a great place with great views, no need to study and rush for assignments: that's what I call life.

Enough words, enjoy the photos.

gosh so pretty the view from their apartment!
imagine waking up to THAT view every day...

catching up/bonding time :)

May looking at a random korean drama series, while Sam was busy cooking noodles for hungry us

Dinner at Hog's Breath, all paid by Canai the big taukeh ;P

Day 3 @ Hastings: having cold drinks on a hot day

Sileni Estate: doesn't look like a winery at all
Hawkes Bay is internationally well-known for the quality of wine being produced here; there's literally hundreds of wineries here

display area inside

We paid $14.50/person in total for wine tasting (6 types of wine) and a tour around the winery
we also bought a bottle of dessert wine for a little indulgence :P

oops blurry. Not sure why May was covering her nose haha
probably the sour smell of fermenting wine

HUGE tanks used to make wine- one big tank holds 50,000 litres!

then we made our way to Te Mata Peak, a lookout point
The faithful Lancer (to the right)

zooming in on a beautiful estate/house

the brave Michelle, our driver hehe

brought Canai's tripod- very handy

hehe MayMay so cute

blue, blue skies!

the emo pic

I like this one

...and then we saw this -__-

what more can I say? beauty, beauty, and beauty all around us
probably the highlight of the trip for me: heh I'm content just looking over the valleys and mountains, enjoying the light breeze, and spending time with great friends :)

After that day, I was reminded again how blessed/lucky I am to be able to study here; to be able to travel, explore; and most importantly enjoying all those with best friends.

busybee?

Today a random thing happened to me. I got stung by a bee!

Like how the Singaporeans would say, damn suay.

I was just walking back from the lab, turning round the corner to reach my flat, when suddenly I felt this bad sting on the inner side of my left elbow. I thought that it must have been an insect or thorn, and found something like this sticking out from my elbow. My initial response was to throw that spiky thing (about 1cm long) as far away as I possibly can.

It was probably the adrenaline rush or something, but the first few seconds was pretty ok. Only when I started recovering from the shock that I realised the PAIN- I'm fine with injections but this is like 20 times the pain- and the throbbing pain didn't stop even after I ran cold water over the sting site for more than 5 minutes. Thank God Amy, my future doctor flatmate, gave me some sting relief gel/antiseptic and the swell has reduced to about half the size now.

Anyway thought it was just a random, painful incident. I can't actually remember the last time I had a bee sting before today. I'm fine- it won't affect me running my experiments heh.

Aside from that unfortunate event, today was great! Had another group presentation earlier this morning, and the weather was great so had a bit of shopping time with Michelle. She bought heaps of maternity clothing (pretty dresses yay!), while I bought a pair of Keds sneakers, a belt, and a bright blue cardi :P Something different as I'm trying to stay away from neutral colours which I tend to wear a lot.

Chyi, somehow I keep bumping into you this week eh. 2 times in 3 days! Oh well, Dunedin is small. and again, unlucky as I'd been wanting to get a specific jacket from Country Road but apparently the Dunedin store is not intending to get stock in for that design. -__- Too bad then, it's their loss ;P I'm still thinking on whether I should spend that much on a scarf- a very warm one! Well part of the reason is due to the 1/3 price discount voucher which is expiring this Sunday... so anyone who wants to buy anything from CR let me know.

It's a public holiday tomorrow due to Anzac Day, but going to the lab as usual. I'm still wanting to dye my hair a different colour though, something lighter: coppery brown or more to the red side, maybe? hmm.

More photos on the Napier/Hastings trip soon, when I'm less lazy :)

the great getaway- day 1

Just got back from my Easter trip to Wellington and Napier/Hastings yesterday. I didn't want my holiday to end!

I took over 600 photos in total, so I'll only pick a few to post here. More on facebook though.


Day 1- 12.04.09 @ Wellington

Arrived at Welly (the capital of NZ for those that don't know) at around noon on Easter Sunday with Michelle. The sun was shining- perfect weather! So good to see May again- she was our tourist guide for the day hehe.

big scary art created by the weta company- they're known for creating the creatures for Lord of the Rings, eg Smeagol

Mich & May

pointing at a Malaysian restaurant
speaking of which, there are HEAPS of Msian restaurants at Welly! (compared to only 1 at Dunedin haha)

I love the random art deco and sculptures around the city- you never know what to expect around the next corner. That's an umbrella at Cuba St, one of the main shopping districts

fern-like structures near the city council/town hall

looks like blown inside-out shuttlecocks to me hehe

orb thingy suspended in the air

more art around the harbour

cool artsy bridge- i think it looks like one of the ancient ships used by the aborigines

kayaking around the harbour
people just hanging around, having ice cream, and enjoying the scenery- that's life!

"solace by the wind" sculpture by the harbour. I call it the bronze dude who always get harrassed by tourists

*happy sigh* I can imagine myself sitting there on the bench reading my favourite book during the weekends, or just simply listening to my ipod while watching people walk by :)

family & kids enjoying the good weather

we wanted to ride the "famous crocodile", but due to time constraint couldn't wait till the next free time slot, hence the sad face...

lovely! :)

we were just sitting at the steps by the harbour and saw these guys collecting mussels

happy us!

having kaffee eis* ice cream at the harbour YUM!

more art I adore. These are found all over the harbour area, didn't have time to find all of them

It was love at first sight.

*BIG SIGH*

I'm now even more keen on finding a job there at Welly- it's just such a vibrant city, more restaurants, good food, more sunshine (though more windy), beautiful harbour, cool deco and sculptures everywhere.

At 5pm, May brought us to the church she's attending- ARISE church (founded by Planetshakers). Total congregation is around 7000 ppl, great energy and I loved it! The music team is so incredibly talented! Met some people from church after the service and joined them for dinner :) Didn't have much for dinner as we'd been eating whole day haha! HK bbq roast duck and tofu for lunch, ice cream, then Japanese cuisine at night.

Next day- took the bus to Napier to meet the Pancakes (Alex & Sam).

***

Came back and was greeted with good old Dunedin weather yesterday :P Had a group meeting today, and realised again the amount of workload this year GAH. Back to those late nights again, I guess.

much needed holiday

WOW this has got to be one of coolest screensavers ever: the DROPCLOCK.

Description from the website:

DROPCLOCK IS AN AESTHETICALLY INTRIGUING MOTION CLOCK SCREENSAVER. EVERY MINUTE OF REAL TIME IS NUMERICALLY EXPRESSED WITH HEAVY HELVETICA DROPPING INTO WATER IN SUPER SLOW-MOTION.

The free version is good enough. $15 to buy full version which I think is unnecessary since the free one is already so pretty :)


Download here at the official site.



Uses quite a bit of space so make sure that your comp can cope with the requirements: ram needs to be 512mb or higher. And the file size is pretty big for a screensaver too: 150mb.

***

Easter break is here!!!

I'm taking 5 full days off lab work! =D I think I deserved it since for the past month I've been working on experiments during weekends as well. Leaving for Wellington on Sunday morning and coming back on Friday. I almost double booked myself: scheduled a group meeting on next Friday at 3pm when I'm only arriving back at 3.15pm -_- But all's good.

Exam timetable is out already BTW; I only have 1 exam this semester on the 16th of June. A 3 -hour written exam (75%) plus an oral exam (25%) which will be given by 3 lecturers/research fellows. Very scary but I'll worry about that later.

Collecting data from today's experiment tomorrow; fingers crossed that it'll turn out well so I have 1 less experiment to repeat/run!

looking forwaaaaard

BLAH.

It's freeeeeeeeezing! and it hailed this morning. while I was on my way to the lab gosh.

My fuzzy possum merino gloves which has a hole right at the tip is not helping at all in keeping my fingers warm. At least it's relatively warm at the lab.

I had a blonde moment at the lab this morning :P

***

The fire alarm sounded (again) yesterday afternoon. The mock one was held last week. Just 5 minutes before I decide to pack up and leave for home. That means walking down 8 floors worth of stairs, and waiting in the cold while the firemen came to check out if there was anything serious. The 3rd floor lab caught fire apparently, nothing serious from what I heard- heh the 3rd year students. It felt as if it was a long time ago that I was once a 3rd year student.

This 4th year feels like a roller coaster ride. One day I'm happy that my experiments are going well; the next day it doesn't and I'm left wondering what and where went wrong. I guess in Msia we're used to being spoon-fed and just nodding and absorbing whatever the teachers say/ written in textbooks. In a way I'm still learning to be more independent and NOT cringe when calling my supervisor by his first name.

***

One of the longest place names in the world is found somewhere in Hawke's Bay: Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauota-mateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu (without the dash). Haha! I stumbled upon it while browsing through things to do and places to visit at Hawke's Bay when I go there with Mich and May this coming Easter monday. FYI it's a Maori name for a hill which roughly translates to The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one (thanks to wikipedia). That's 85 letters in total.

One place I'm keen on visiting is the Napier Prison. Taking a mug-shot looks cool!

an awesome weekend

The annual Hyde Street party was held last Saturday. The noise (and drinking) started as early as 7am when I woke up -__- gosh they must be spending a lot on booze. and decorations. Even on Fridays there were some people spray painting their fences & walls, putting up the couches (see pic below) and stealing road signs to decorate their flat.

And since my flat is at the corner of Hyde and Frederick Street, the noise was pretty bad. More than a hundred people gathered in the middle of the street, on rooftops (YEAH), threw beer bottles around when they got drunk, and even knocked on the door of my flat. The police and campus watch were everywhere on Saturday, probably just making sure there were no riots or couch-burning going on. Which didn't, thankfully.

The street still stinks (of puke and beer). Yeap it was that bad.

Thank God it only happens once a year.

I'm amazed at how they managed to move the couch up there

this was taken at 8am-ish

"Wall Street", the new mall next to Meridian

lunch at Golden Harvest :)
Shaza came back for a visit from Chch, doing a research thing for a few days here

A friend of a friend's cute lil son!

Shaza & Mich

the 2 Sharons
see I'm being nice by putting that LESS embarrassing pic of yours here ;)

It's nice having an afternoon off :) Instead of being stuck at the lab (which I was until 9.30pm last night) today, I attended the Student Away Day thing- it's just basically postgraduate students from different departments in the Health Sciences giving short talks about their research projects & some tips on how to survive being a postgrad student. Good food! yums. And it was nice spending time "bonding" with the other postgrad students at my lab.

WEeeeeeeee here I come Welly/Hawke's Bay =D wait for my arrival this Sunday!

the payoff

Oh happy day!

My experiment finally worked! =D not perfect, but good enough. My supervisor said "good" TWICE- which meant a lot to me.

I hate band aids. No matter how sticky they claim to be, they never stick long enough to my injured palm :( Doing experiments require me to wear gloves and wash my hands very often, and the band aid fell off halfway through the experiments today. Which was really scary especially since I dealt with blood today (not human, SHEEP blood heh); don't want to contract any of the sheep diseases. An open wound + unknown microbes in sheep blood = scary stuff & a very careful me.

I can't exactly say what bacteria I'm going to work on soon, but they are scary enough as well. Let's just say the diseases they cause are not very treatable, which means I can't daydream or think about shopping/food that often anymore while pippeting.

helping Waszowski to be vain

Busy, busy weekend. I'm on roster to play the keyboards Friday night, Saturday morning, and Sunday morning. The 1st two times for Encounter, third for church. Wow I've been on duty every single week since I got back to Dunedin; it's nice having a week off next week during Easter =)

Sigh. I'm so in love with the colourful scarf I bought while (initially window-) shopping with Chyi today. Good deal, too. Who knew I could actually spend $45 for 3 items!

:/

1. Who is your best friend(s)?
It's amazing how I have heaps. Mr & Mrs Pancakes, Ms Chiu, Lenik, the Yeos. the list goes on

2. If someone were to tell you they like you right now, would you care?
I would, but wouldn't do anything I feel I SHOULD do to care enough. makes sense?

3. Do you still talk to the person you fell hardest for?
Every night ;) the Man above, of course.

4. Where did you last sleep other than your house?
My cousins' house at KK, Msia.

5. Do you have a best friend?
Nope. I have many best friends.

6. Do you smoke?
Nope.

7. Do you remember what you were like when you were a kid?
vaguely. I remember being very vain and pretending to be a teacher.

8. Can you vote for the next election?
yeap but I don't think I will

9. What are you listening to?
nothing

10. When will your next kiss be?
in my dreams ;)

11. Who do you want to see right now?
all of you not in dunedin now. but right now, the Lee sisters =)

12. Ever have a sleepover with the opposite sex?
hmm yup

13. When did your last hug take place?
monday night

14. Do you date smart people?
erm he would have to have at least above average IQ heh

15. Where were you at 2:02pm this afternoon?
at the lab @ 8th floor, micro building. busy pippeting/running experiments

16. What does the last text in your phone says?
"Thank you! :) Jo"

17. Do you use smiley faces on the computer a lot?
Yup :) :) :)

18. Have you ever changed clothes in a vehicle?
woo no

19. Who did you last eat with?
my lovely flatmates Sharon & Amy

20. Do you text alot?
average?

21. How old will you be in 13 months?
>_< OLD.

22. When is the last time you tattooed?
Never will.

23. If you like that person will you talk about your feelings or hide them?
Hide. but I'll blab all I want to my friends about it =P

24. Do you wear glasses?
Yeap. contact lenses most of the time

25. What are you looking forward to in the next month?
Completing my APPS499 report

26. Will you talk to the person you like tonight?
n/a

27. What color shirt are you wearing?
my blue cow pajamas & black jacket

28. Do you have a reason to smile right now?
Yeap I'm actually DOING this. this quiz thingy. that i hate a lot.

29. If you won a lot of money on the lottery, what would you buy first ?
air tickets!

30. Who was the last person of the opposite sex you had a conversation with? What was it about?
Anthony. Call of Duty 5 woohoo!

31. Who was driving the last car you were in?
Michelle!

32. Who was the last person that called you?
some random dude who got the wrong number

33. What are you craving right now?
May's cooking

34. What if you married the last person you kissed?
I'd be crazy and totally stupid to do that

35. What are you excited about?
Welly/Hawke's bay trip this Easter

36. Ever kissed your number 1 on facebook?
???

37. When was the last time you cried? And why?
hmm a few weeks ago? at Val's house feeling really sad about what's been happening to Lighthouse

39. Is there one person who can make you feel better no matter what?
YEAP!

40. Last person you hugged?
Hsiu Ping

41. What were you doing at 2:00 am last night?
sleeping

42. Have you cried today?
nope

43. What bed did you sleep in last night?
my own single bed? -__- that I bought at Union Street

44. Are you currently frustrated with a girl/guy?
more like frustrated with the microbes

45. Ever talked to someone that was high?
hmm. not sure

46. Does it snow where you live?
rarely. hopefully yes this year

47. When is the next time you will see your grandma?
in heaven

48. Have you kissed or hugged someone today?
no :(

49. Will you be married in the next two years ?
no, but I'm sure to attend some weddings in the next 2 years ;)

50. Have you ever wanted someone you thought that you couldn't have?
ooo yes

51. Are you in a relationship, single, complicated, married, or engaged?
very much single and happy that way

52. How have you felt today ?
anxious & hopeful

53. Do you like your name?
Most of the time, not when it's spelt or pronounced wrongly. Joceyln. SERIOUSLY?!

54. Are you happy at the moment?
:|

55. What were you doing at 10:00pm last night ?
researching

56. Last person who drove you somewhere (besides your parents) ?
Sarah, to music practice last Thurs

57. Ever kissed someone in a closet?
er no

58. Do you live alone ?
nope. with my flattie hunnies!

59. Do you have a friend of the opposite sex that you can talk to?
yeap

60. Are you crazy ?
don't think so

61. Who was the last person to call you Darling?
probably some checkout lady at New World or Sharon ;)

62. How has this past week been for you?
A week I'm eager to get over with

63. Last thing you drank ?
SO GOOD soya milk w/ chocolate flavour

64. Do you believe that every thing happens for a reason?
yeap definitely

65. Could you ever forgive a cheater?
I have already did

66. If you were reincarnated as a sea creature, what would you want to be?
Nemo!

67. What do you normally order when you're at McDonald's?
the yummy breakfast meals

68. Last book you read?
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

69. Describe your mood.
eager

70. Describe the last time you were injured?
i scraped my palm on the door knob of the bathroom coming out of shower gah. a 1cm gash.

71. Of all your friends, who would you want to be stuck in a well with?
the tallest one :)

72. Rock concert or symphony?
rock concert YEAH

73. Do you like taking the MRT?
Not after someone farted in a super crowded mrt ride

74. If you could only use a form of transportation, what would it be?
a personal driver heh :)

75. What's your favorite kind of cake?
All cheesy ones

76. Look 20 degrees to your left, what do you see?
TV & kitchen

77. Do you untie your shoes when you take it off?
depending on how tight it's tied

78. Do you buy your own groceries?
yeap. with my flatties

79. What's your favorite fruit?
mango!

80. Do you like running long distances?
never tried

81. Have you ever eaten snow?
yeap yeap! incredibly hard might i say (at least in dunedin)

82. What color are your bedsheet?
brown

83. Do you hate someone very badly at this moment?
nope

84. Do you watch Spongebob?
just the movie

85. What temperature is it outside right now?
5 degrees. my fingers are getting numb

86. Do you consider yourself smart?
nope

87. How many piercings do you have?
just the 1 pair

88. What language do you speak at home?
english & Hokkien

89. How do you feel about your family?
I thank God for them

90. What time did you go to bed yesterday?
12 ish

91. What CD is currently in your CD player?
don't have one

92. What do you want for Christmas this year?
a graduation trip & graduating with 1st class honours

93. Favorite ice-cream?
no particular flavour. natural fruity ones i guess

94. What's the way people most often mispronounce any part of your name?
JoYce-seh-lyn

95. Lastly, whats your favorite color?
purple is THE royal colour


95 questions. I'm so proud of myself. Now only if I would get good results for experiment #8...