 | Welcome | Jun 4, 2005 |
Welcome to Andrew's home page! Thanks for stopping by. Please check out all my pages, and drop me a line to say hi. I just realised that I haven't touched my blog for a whole year. I know that it’s been quite a while but I didn’t think it was that long. Blame it all on my crazy workload in uni. Okok, and also my laziness. I just didn't have the mood to write. I decided to post an update since quite a few friends commented about the inactivity.
I think most of you would know that most of my time goes into my research, assignments and projects in uni. Apart from that, I guess a couple of people know that I was in a relationship. For now, I don't know how I should describe our relationship as, maybe it's considered as being on hold. I don't want to think too much about it for now, it's tiring.
We went on 2 road trips during the semester breaks last year. The first one was to Coromandel. It is really beautiful. I know this expression is not very helpful in describing but couldn’t be helped. I do have a very limited vocabulary. What I can say is that, it has sceneries that I think are the best I’ve seen in the north island, so far. It’s still best to let the pictures do the “talking”. However, pictures for the Coromandel trip is in one of my harddisks back in New Zealand. It’ll take a while before I have them processed and uploaded for viewing.
Last July, we had a 2 weeks trip touring South Island, New Zealand. It is the most happening vacation I ever had so far. We considered ourselves extremely lucky, having to survive through 2 car accidents in a week, and getting away without a single scratch. And before anyone would comment about it, mind you the 2 accidents are not minor ones. Not that I’m extremely proud of the works but just sharing it. The first one was purely due to fatigue from driving 6-7 hours straight on. My suggestion of spending the night at a stop point was turned down, nobody who wants to take over my position, with no safe spot to stop for a quick nap as the road shoulder is tilted so I was practically forced to drive on. The result is a caravan, tipping over at speeds of over 90kmh. I’m sure you’ll agree it’s crazy and scary.
The second is a slip over a stretch of icy road. Totally out of my control for this one. Seems like I have no luck for driving in winter in South Island. I guess that no experience in winter driving adds to it as well. Oh well, I think I have some now. Haha.. Fortunate enough that we did decide on taking on the full insurance package and that I’m also above 25 years old which entitles me for the zero excess insurance. If not, I’d be very much in debt at the moment.
Apart from car crashing, the trip was rather enjoyable. Although I did tour south island back in 2004, I only visited Picton, Christchurch and Queenstown. This time round, I added Lake Tekapo, Twizel, Wanaka, Fox Glacier and Authur’s Pass to the list.
Fast forward it 4 months… I finished my second year of studies and went back to Singapore. I went on a trip to Phuket with my good buddy, Jack. I found a job back in the same company I worked for last year. I wasn’t really keen on coming back to work in the same company I worked for 3 other times before but I guess I don’t have much choices. I applied to other companies but none of them are hiring due to the economy crunch.
And now I’m back in Auckland, back in the same residence, different floor and room though. I’m living in a penthouse this time, not. But it’s on the top floor though. People on my floor this year are kinda quiet and this floor doesn’t seem that lively as compared to what I had last year even though there’s more people now. Then again, it’s still better than having noisy, dodgy, party freaks.
Just a few weeks ago, I just had a crazier trip I ever had. It all started with me taking the motorcycle practical test on a Wednesday. I went searching on one of the online auction sites for a motorbike on Thursday night and I found that I really like. The problem is the bike’s in Wellington so I wasn’t able to check out the bike physically. I was so tempted to hit the buy now button though. After another half an hour of browsing, I just couldn’t find anything that I thought was better than that. It has low mileage of 4000kms, dated 2003 and it fits my budget - $2800. All seems to fit in so perfectly. Then I decided that I should call up the buyer to ask him some questions before deciding whether I should buy it a not. I left him a note for him to call me back asap. The call came in next day morning when I was in the lectures. I couldn’t pick it up and he drop me a SMS saying that the bike’s in a shop waiting for an inspection to be done for another keen buyer. I panicked and called him once I was released for the break. He didn’t seem to be lying and he seems like a nice guy too. Long story short, I ran to a computer terminal, went online and hit the ‘Buy Now’ button. I was jumping with joy at that time. LOL.
That afternoon, I went to take my theory test, got my learner motorcycle license and bought a bus ticket down to Wellington. I met up with Chris and checked the bike. After some testing and practise riding, I was on my long and crazy ride back to Auckland. Why is it crazy? Because firstly, I have only 2 hours of experience with riding a motorcycle and secondly, not many people would actually ride such a long distance within a short period of time. I would say that it’s a very exhausting journey but unique experience.
This few weeks I have been busy with assignments (as usual) and also going around to shop for my new bike. Insurance, lock alarm, new helmet and gloves... I think I still lack a jacket and pants then I’ll be done.
Ok that’s a really long update. I guess I’ll stop here for now to get back to my research. Hopefully I’ll find time to update in the not too far future. Wish me luck in battling with assignments.
 | Room 820 | Apr 19, '08 4:45 AM
for everyone |
 Ladies and  gentlemen, welcome to  Hotel Huia 820...   While thinking about the previous issue, I thought I should also bring up another issue which I thought I really ought to. Some of you might already know about it, some might not. But anyhow, this also serves to remind all of us about what China is doing to Tibet in the name of "liberation". Just look at what's happening in TIbet for all this while. Click on the links below: Friends of TibetFree Tibet Campaign Just a few minutes ago, one of my flatmates in my hall of residence came up to me with a serious look and told me about this issue. I believe most of you have not already heard or seen this before so here I am sharing it with you. Just click on the link below and have have a quick read through about it. I promise you it's not going to take more than 5 minutes of your time. It'll be great with you could also sign the petition. I understand that by doing so, it might not even have any effect or impact on the Bush administration but at least, we tried. http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html Howdy~! I'm back from the long long disappearance. I haven't blogged for ages and that's due to my laziness... wahaha.. Once again, I'm 8,371km away from my hometown. Let's cover what I have left out during this period of time. I was back in Singapore for the whole 2 months (except for a short 2 day visit to KL). And as mentioned before, I got a job in Jurong Consultants so yea I was there working as an assistant planner. There has been quite a lot of changes in the company, in terms of the structure and staffs. I still see some familiar faces though. I was working with the India team. I know what you're thinking but nah, most of the staffs I work with are Singaporeans. Only about 4 are indians. Basically, I got the smaller tasks like information gathering and research, summarising readings, preparing plans, maps, aerial photos, powerpoint presentations, etc... Workload is quite alright and the workplace is very close to my place so I pretty like it there. Now I'm thinking whether to go back there to work for the next summer break or some other place like URA. Considering that I've worked in Jurong Consultants for 3 times already, I think I should try elsewhere to see how other companies operate and work, also partly to make my resume look more impressive, and last but not least, to check out the pretty babes on the other side.. wahah.. *evil smile* I ended my contract with them right before Chinese New Year and I spent the rest of the 3 weeks resting and shopping for stuffs to bring back to NZ. All the money I earned, plus all my angbao money gone just like that. Sigh... When I was at the airport on the 25th February, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I don't really feel like coming back to NZ (because it would mean studying like crazy again..), on the other hand, I'm quite excited as to how this year's gonna turn out. This year's different coz I'm gonna move out and live on my own... woohoo~ So how is it? I think I feel happier... free from naggings and control. I'm staying at this student hostel which the uni just took over beginning of this year and it's called Huia Residence. The price is pretty alright (in NZ's context) - $175/wk, which includes water and power. At first, I was worrying about the kind of people I'm gonna be living here with coz I really can't stand noisy people. And secondly, I heard that this place is haunted. And it was proven on the very day I checked in at the reception counter. While I was filling up some forms, one of the manager came in and told the receptionist that one of the girls from the first floor wants to change her room because she was seeing things. *glurp* I then requested not to have rooms at the end of the corridors which is usually haunted or creepy. The lucky thing is that the person who's in-charged of allocating rooms and issuing the room keys is not around so the manager was the one who handed the keys to me. She actually handed me 5 keys and told me to have a look at them and choose one (usually they don't let us choose). 3 are for rooms on the first floor and the other 2 are on the 8th floor. Thinking back about what I heard earlier on, I concluded first floor is haunted and definitely not a good place to be but I had a look at them anyway. In my mind, I already decided I'm gonna be on the 8th floor, partly because the number 8 is a lucky number in Chinese tradition and partly because it's higher up so I'll be further away from the traffic noise from below. I was actually choosing between 820 and 845. 845 was facing the hospital (oh yea... forgot to mention that my residence is located right next to the hospital) which is not so good because I don't want to be absorbing the negative energy from the hospital. 820's pretty good but it has a slight stench. I couldn't make up my mind and I decided to ask for HH's help. After a while, the decision is made, 820 is the one. I spent a whole evening to move all my stuffs over from my aunt's place all by myself. And a whole night to unpack everything and put them in place. I only managed to finish 80% of the work then I got hungry and decided to go for supper with 2 of my newly-made friends here. My neighbour, Onyx from Hong Kong, and Shane from Sabah, Malaysia, staying on the other side of the corridor. We went to Macdonald's for a quick supper and came back. I was exhausted but I couldn't get to sleep due to the stench. The next morning I requested the management to help me clean up the carpet (which I suspected where the smell was coming from). They did it but the smell was still there. I told them again and they investigated and realised that the smell was actually from the bed. So yea, they got it changed for me and the smell was gone. yay!  The room looks is bigger than what I expected. It's simple and clean but it has old and ugly furnitures. The quilt cover is also damn ugly and dull. So during the easter break, when I had nothing to do, I was actually giving my room a revamp. I went out to shop for a new quilt cover, pillowcase, cushion, and wallpaper (not for the wall but for the furnitures). If not for the inadequate wallpaper, I'd have them done up already. I ordered for more wallpaper and still waiting for it to arrive (hopefully by this week). Meanwhile, check out the pics of my ugly room. That's before I move in my stuffs.    I'm actually feeling quite worried now coz I haven't actually done much work and reading all this while. Talking about that, I think I should stop blogging now and get back to work. I shall post pics of my "new" room next time. Ciao~ It's 12 midnight and I'm sitting at the Auckland International Airport, waiting and trying to keep myself occupied. And thinking that I haven't been updating my blog for a long time, guess this would be a perfect time. Finally, in a few hours' time, I'll be on the flight back to Singapore. It's been a really crazy for this past semester. Things haven't been going that well. I screwed up 2 of my assignments and pulled down my overall grades. What's more saddening is that I recently read up and found out that I need to be working a lot harder to achieve honours. Oh well, it's over. Let's just hope I'll do well for the upcoming semesters. What have I been doing for the past one month? Bumming around, hanging out with Matthew and Alex, and being a driver-cum-tour guide-cum-photographer to 2 groups of friends from Singapore. It's great to have friends visiting and having to see familiar face again in such a long time. And this also makes a good chance and reason to be out of the house from unnecessary naggings and confrontations. Last week, I applied to work as a intern in JTC. Jurong International to be exact. And just a few days back, I received an email saying that my application went through so I will be commencing work on the 26th December. I worked there as a IT support staff 2 other times so this will be really interesting and shocking for friends I have there that I work in the planning department this time. I'm kinda anxious and excited as to what I will be doing there but at the same time, I'm worried whether I will be able to meet what's required. Well, I guess there's no point worrying about it now, isn't it? Maybe I should be worrying whether there will be any hot babes at my workplace instead. LOL... I'm so looking forward to getting back home and meeting up with you people. Oh in case you guyz not know, I cancelled my old mobile line. I will be getting a new prepaid number when I get back. Meanwhile, if you guyz can still contact me through MSN, email, friendster or facebook. Argh... this is such an uncomfortable place to sit and work on. Good news is I found some animes that I've never watched before so yay... I guess I just sit back and watch animes instead. 
|  | During my second mid-semester break, I joined my cousin and his friends on a road trip. We went to Mount Ruapehu for snowboarding and skiing for a day and then headed down to Taupo for trout fishing. However, I must say that I have nothing to do with the catch. And the final day at Rotorua. |
I just got 'interrogated' about a book I've requested my aunt to buy for me because it requires payment by credit card. She then throw so many questions back at me. Asking me the shipping cost and the source is alright. I said I don't know how long it's going to take and then I get shot at by some ridiculous logics. But why the hell do you want to care how long the delivery time. I'm sure it's not going to take more than 3 months. It's from a reputable source, Amazon, man... Even my mom don't ask me much when I said I want to buy a book for school use. Come on man, I'm freaking buying something for schoolwork and future work use not some useless kids' game or toys. If that book isn't in high demand in the school library and if it's not an old 1985 book that's out of print at the moment, I wouldn't want to buy it. She then went on to compare me with her two sons again, saying that they don't do much photocopies like I do. Firstly, they study different courses. Secondly, my course is quite different from most of the courses. The things we study, is quite like art where there's no definite answers, so long as you can make sense of what your point is then it'll be alright. Thirdly, I've lot heaps to reading and I don't read that fast. And there ain't that many copies in the library for my class of 40+ people to borrow out at the same time. That's why I have to make copies of all the required readings. She just don't believe and don't get it. It's so tiring and pointless in explaining things to her really. I think I should go get myself a credit card to save me the trouble of explaining myself.  After so many weeks continuously rushing assignments and studying for tests like mad, I still haven't really got the time to sit down and relax much. But I've got 2 more assignments to go and it ends next Friday. Yay! This last assignment is so much cooler than the usual ones we worked on. We get to make a model of a study site. It's crazy though coz it's got like 35 contour lines and we have to cut cardboards to the exact and layer them one by one. Here's some pictures of our model and my group members working hard out.    | One wish | Sep 27, '07 7:04 PM
for everyone |
Thai people are really creative
Download this and other original video files with Multiply Premium.What a time to be disturbed yet once again... Someone came up yesterday night to come and try pissing me off. She started off saying that I shouldn't go back home and stay to earn some pocket money to lessen my financial burden of my queen. Money, money, money.... is that all she cares about in life. Yes I know I should be going out to earn some pocket money but she goes on to make more unneccessary comments. I already have my own plans and I told her what I was going to do but still she's not happy with it. She just don't buy it and only believes her way is the best way. Then, the conversation steers to about my studies and somehow it ended with talking about my religion. She goes on to criticising Christianity and then my religion. Saying how bullshit they are. That is totally over the border! So I asked her, "What do you know about my religion? Tell me."
She answers, "I don't know. I just don't believe. I believe in myself."
Look, what a fool she makes herself. She don't even know about something yet she goes on to criticising it. And she calls me superstitious. All who knows me well enough would have known that I'm a very practical person. I believes in what I can experience through any of my five senses. Things happened, I see with my own eyes, I experienced it and it's built on over a few years therefore, I believe in it. Not only does she criticise my religion, she goes on to make unneccessary comments about my master. Again, she don't even know him. She just don't listen to people with an open heart, believes only herself and tries to push her ideas and thinking across to others. I was tired of arguing and answering her question that I practically told "I don't want to say anymore, you don't believe and listen to others anyway."
It was only after the conversation ended and I was in the showers thinking back and trying to analyse about the conversation then frustration builds up inside me. I guess I'm slow in thinking and slow to anger. Then I went back to working on my assignment which I failed to do so. I just can't stop thinking about the whole incident. It's hard to try working on my assignment while having a war inside my head. I end up having a headache. Why does she always do this at the wrong time, when I'm at my busiest... Damn... Anyway, two more freaking months and I hope I'm out of there. I'm finding my own apartment after the exams.
Happy Birthday Singapore!
Few days back, knowing national day is coming, somehow, not knowing why, I have this strong feeling for my country that I never had in my life before. This feeling which I do not know how to describe. I was also crazy enough to go searching for all the national day songs. Listening to it somehow brings back memories. By saying all these, I'm not trying to say or present myself as a very patriotic person though. I guess maybe I'm starting to miss home. And not to forget my family and friends too. Haha...
"This is my country, this is my flag.
This is my future, this is my life.
This is my family, these are my friends.
We are Singapore, Singaporeans."
On this special day, although I'm away from home, in a foreign land, I'm still gonna take the pledge.
"We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society based on justice and equality so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation."
I think it definitely feels different when one is away from home, at least for me now. Back to the song topic, I find that I feel strongly for the song, 'We are Singapore' and 'Count on me Singapore'. But somehow I like the one by Taufik and Rui En, 'Reach Out for the Skies'. However, it does not have give me that much of an impact and I do not get the kind of feeling I get from the other 2. I just like the tune and how it is sung. The song is more modern and more of a pop genre.
Currently, I've got one assignment due in 4 days' time then another one 9 days after and another one 2 days after... Gosh, tight deadlines and they seems never-ending. But the good thing is, it's mid-semester break right after the 3 assignments. What's even better is that I'm going on a 4 days road trip to Mount Ruapehu with my cousin and his friends. I'll be seeing and feeling snow for the first time in my life and of course, we're there to ski as well. Argh... so anxious and excited. Haha.. I think I better stop thinking about it and put my concentration on my assignments for now. Somebody please save me from the naggings.... from my aunt. She's done it again today. What about? About my irregular and reversed sleeping hours and patterns. I do it because I study better at night not that I'm playing games and stuffs. Gosh... It's so irritating and frustrating when people don't believe and don't understand this point. It's not like I'm not sleeping at all. I just sleep a bit later at night and after a day at school I feel tired and take a short nap and I get nagged at. Why do I need to be told what to do with my life and be controlled by other people? Why can't they just leave me alone? It's not like I'm doing some weird or really bad stuffs... I thought I won't be getting naggings from my mom and now I get somebody else to step in her place. My mom don't even nags that much about my sleeping habits. And worse still, I get nagged about the food I eat. I eat vegetarian and I cook my own but I get comments like being troublesome. I don't even affect or trouble them with that at all and I still get complained at. What is wrong with these people? Have they got nothing better to do? Or they don't have any better words to say? Sadly, second semester started. And this semester is going to drive me bonkers. Law and legistration, policies... All the heavy stuffs packed together. I'm seriously having my doubts of my brain's capacity. And great.... tons of readings already on the first week. Ok, gotta get back to work now. What surprises me today when I woke up this morning is that the sky is clear blue and the sun shining so bright. I haven't seen this for quite a while. It's always cloudy and rainy during the winter. What do I do? Of course I grab this great opportunity to go out to work out a bit. It took me a while to decide whether to go for a long run or to go cycling. After some preparations, I set off on the usual road, the coastal route at Mission Bay. Today's session took slightly longer and it seems tougher as well. Cold and dry air fills my lungs with every breath and that doesn't make me feel that good. Halfway through the journey, my ass became to feel sore. Looks like it's been quite a while since I last cycled and that my fitness has took a dip. Plus, all that munching on junk food has made my body lousy. I know and I believe the saying "You are what you eat". But.. but.. I can't help it. I guess I have to put a stop.. mm.. or let's just say cut down on these junk food. After around seventy-five minutes of thirty kilometers of crazy hill climbs and beautiful coastal roads, I came down with tired thighs and a sore butt. Had a quick shower, changed up and headed to Mount Eden with my camera. This time I brought a tripod with me. But unfortunately, this evening's sky wasn't as beautiful and colourful as the previous time. And it was filled with a lil' too much clouds. I had some nice shots though. I shall post it soon. Howell brought back some of his university ex-classmates home. Two girls and one guy. I'm so bad at names so yea, I forgotten them. I was wondering why they sounded a lil' like Singaporeans. And I found out that they're from Indonesia. Although their accent wasn't strong but it definitely feels good to hear that familiar accent. Talking about they asked me why I don't have the Singaporean accent. I wondered... Did I lose the accent during my few months stay here or was it that I didn't have it in the first place? Or maybe I'm just quick to be able pick up their kiwi accent. Then Howell made a comment and it reminded me that I haven't been using the Singaporean language, "leh", "lah", "wah lao", etc... Maybe I'm starting to miss home. Or maybe not, I'm kinda enjoying myself at the moment, the life here in New Zealand, life as a student... 
| | Western Spring shot on 25th June 2007. Cornwall park shot on 24th June 2007. Arataki shot on 3rd July 2007. View of Auckland City shot on 3rd July 2007. Shots taken using Nikon D70 fitted with Nikon AFS 18-70mm F3.5-4.5 or Nikon AFD 80-200mm F2.8. View of Auckland City is a must-see!! It's one of my favourites so far. Unfortunately, it's a lil' blur as it was shot in the late evening without a tripod. I will make a trip back for another try someday. Please feel free to give critiques and comments. Thank you. |
| | Beaches in East Auckland (Titirangi Beach) taken on 2nd July 2007. Beaches in West Auckland (Piha) taken on 3rd July 2007. Shots taken with Nikon D70, Nikon AFS 18-70mm F3.5-4.5 or Nikon AFD 80-200mm F2.8. Polariser and Gradual ND filter used on some shots. |
It's been a long time I last update my blog... due to laziness. kekeke... Here I am in the midst of my mid year break after all the crazy long days and nights of mindlessly reading through piles of boring notes for the exams. All this while, I had been worrying whether I'll make it through one of my modules. I just got the results and it's a relieve to say I made it through. The results were rather shitty though. It was tough and I guess I have to put in more effort for the semesters to come and hopefully I'll be able to see better results. After hearing a friend in year 2 telling me he got marked down pretty bad for that module, he got D for his exam but manage to scrap through, I guess my C wasn't as bad as his experience. Everyone, well I believe almost everyone in the class and the previous year students, don't really like that particular lecturer and have to agree that she ain't suited for teaching. And me and Vienna concluded that she's racist as well. Good thing that module is over. Bad news is that I heard there's gonna be modules with her again. For the past 15 days, what have I been doing? Caught 'Shrek 3' and 'Transformers', watching tv, dramas and DVDs at home, exercising, and riding out on my lil' bike to some beaches to take pictures. Yes, I finally got my bike, well... scooter. So far, I nearly got killed by some idiots out there. That's what I have been dealing with all these years of cycling on road so I guess with my experience I should be able to handle them.  As it's winter now, the weather's been rather shitty. It can be bright and sunny one moment and the next moment, dark clouds and rain. Luckily I invested in a raincoat so rain didn't quite stop me from getting out of the house. I've been been east Auckland, visited Half Moon Bay, Eastern Beach, Mellons Bay, Bucklands Beach and Musick Point.
And then the west Auckland, passing through Waitakere Ranges, visiting French Bay,  Titirangi Beach, Paturoa Bay, Perkins Bay and Piha. The decision to ride to Piha was really a crazy one. It's more than 30km of road. More than half of the journey had like narrow and windy roads across forest and there's no petrol stations along the way. I didn't know how far my bike can carry me. If my fuel runs out or gave up on me, I'm screwed. If that happens, there's gonna be hell lot of hiking to do. Some parts of the road are slippery, and as the roads are windy, you never know if some crazy ass drivers or some idiots might hit you from the front or back. I might have been the first or one of the few crazy people to have ridden a scooter to that beach. LOL. But looking at fantastic view, I think it's worth it. Few days back, my aunt told me that my uncle was telling my cousin that the car mechanic said that his car's steering problem was possibly caused by impact of the wheels hitting something. Then my aunt asked if I was the one who caused it. I truly believe that the problems with his car came with its age. It's sad to know people who don't trust me. I guess I shall not touch their cars anymore to avoid getting wrongly accused of. This might probably no more outdoor model shoots in the future. Unless I'm able to get my hands on a car, by borrowing, renting or getting a car of my own. Sigh... This is so bothersome. Semester 2 starts on the 16th July. Before my break ends, I better make good use of it. So I pray hard the weather for this period of time to stay at its best. Ok, I shall stop here and get back to working on my pictures. Check out this hum sup baby, so hilarious..
Download this and other original video files with Multiply Premium.Today is a special but not so special day. It's my birthday but to me it's still just another normal day. My family don't have traditions of celebrating birthdays which some people finds it weird. Well, 21st is an exception though. But of course it's really nice to have people who remembers one's birthday, give wishes, cards, presents. Thank you guyz for your wishes via text messages, emails, msn messages. It's no surprise when I called my mom earlier she didn't wish me, she totally forgotten about it. But wait, I just receive an email from her wishing me. Ok, now she remembers. This is the second time I'm celebrating birthday in New Zealand. haha...
Today, my aunt treated me to lunch at a japanese restaurant. As I stay as vegetarian for the 1st and 15th of every lunar month, eating out in restaurants is hard today and especially in New Zealand. And even if it's not 1st or 15th, I'll still keep vegetarian because my aunt's giving me a birthday treat. I don't want any lives sacrificed just because it's my birthday. But anyhow, we still ask the restaurant to arrange something for me: vegetarian tempura udon and tofu salad. After lunch, I went down to vector areana to purchase tickets to attend Dalai Lama's talks on 17th and 18th June. Yay!! I'm gonna see Dalai Lama. First time I saw him was in 2003 in India and it was from afar. This time it's gonna be closer. He's gonna talk about 'compassion and kindness', and 'the four noble truths'. Too bad I didn't go get the tickets earlier, didn't manage to get the front seats. Sigh...
Later in the day, my buddy, Mathew, wanted to give me a treat but unfortunately he can't find anywhere that serves vegetarian food so in the end he took my suggestion to just get some dunkin donuts. haha... Thank you so much dude.
The only thing I'm missing now is a present. I'm getting myself a big big present and it's coming end of next week. I've finally decided to get a scooter. It's a second-hand 50cc Suzuki Street Magic, it's not really a scooter and doesn't look like one but due to its engine size, they consider it as one. It's more like a mini sports bike. It's more stylish and powerful than those scooters I tried but it's definitely more expensive. Most importantly, I feel safer riding this one as the riding posture is similar of a bicycle or normal sports bike unlike the scooters where my legs have to be infront. There's more grip and control when turning and staying straight on roads. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Oh ya, those who know my mom please don't mention about it to her coz she has no idea about me getting a bike and she'll scream when she knows about it. More importantly, I don't want her to keep on worrying everyday, wondering if I'll get into an accident. No good for the health physically and mentally. I know, I know, I'm a bad boy. That's me, I like danger and I'm dangerous... haha... With my years of experience onroad, I think I can handle it.
Ok time to end this and get back to working on my assignment which is due tomorrrow morning. Yea, stupid right? Having to work on assignments on my birthday.... but it's still better than having tests or exams though...haha 
| | Date: 9th April 2007
Location: Muriwai Beach
Landscape shots using Nikon 18-70mm F/3.5-4.5. Shots of gannet and unknown bird using Nikon 80-200mm F2.8. Portrait shot using Nikon 35mm F/2, with Jinbei RL630 Monobloc in the background and fill-in light using reflector. Credits to Esther for taking the shot and Fang for holding reflector. |
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