Sunday 23 September 2012

Share a Coke with Me!

I was at the airport Countdown with my mum while waiting for Aonghas to arrive from Australia, and found these Coke bottles! 


Now we just need to find one with 'Hamish' on it!

Flowers are Blossoming!

Church was quite busy today! I had to lead children's worship in the morning, and then after Sunday School and lunch, I had baptism class. I was meant to join the choir as well but it clashed with baptism class, so I guess I'll have to start next week!

After church today we went to Cornwall Park to check out the cherry blossoms.


The cherry blossoms turned out to be quite a popular tourist attraction! There were quite a few people taking photos, even a newly-wed couple having wedding photos taken there as well!

We also saw a few cows as well!


We decided to have dinner at a nearby restaurant. The last time we were here was after preparing for the church music conference. This time I decided to try a chicken cutlet with white sauce on spaghetti.


It was pretty good! I was starving at that moment, since I didn't have much to eat at church!


Thursday 20 September 2012

Early in the Morning

It's 4am in the morning and I'm up, as Aonghas is off to Melbourne in a few hours and I have to go with my mum to drop him off at his friend's house!

He's going to Melbourne as part of his 4th year Engineering project group to compete in some robotics competition.

He's meant to be at his friend's by 4am but he only just started packing at...4am!

Anyway, we're off now! I'm going to be so dead at work later today...

Monday 17 September 2012

Late Night Bite

So it's a Monday night. I don't have to go to work tomorrow, so I'm just staying up late for no reason.

I've been chatting to a friend who says my brothers and I all look alike, and that we look Maori o.O

~~


Had fun skyping Amy tonight...

~~


An old childhood favourite...

Sunday 16 September 2012

Another Night, Another Night Market

It was only a couple weeks ago we went to the Papakura Night Markets. This time, we went to the Glenfield Night Markets!

Originally it was looking like we wouldn't end up going, as Emily one of the women we were going to go with, just remembered she had a meeting till 7pm, but we then decided we'd just go after. It is a NIGHT market after all!

Next thing we knew, the sky opened up, and the thunder and lightning came along! We called the others and they were still going!

I decided to drive, as I thought I'd be able to get some wet weather driving experience. I ended up taking the wrong turn several times, but eventually we got there...even earlier than everyone else!


We had a little wander around, checking out the food stalls till the others showed up. I was starving by now!

One of the criticisms of our last Facebook Check-In at the Papakura Night Markets was that the photo did not match the status:


so we decided to go all out this time and actually PIG OUT!

We really wanted to try different food. Winston bought some Japanese balls (well they were ball shaped anyway!), while I went for these sticks that look like Chinese churro's! 


Nadine and Leonie bought actual churro's. I think Leonie's addicted to them now since going to the Papakura Night Markets! 


My mum also bought some squid.


Meanwhile, Joylynn really wanted candy floss. For $2, she got a great deal! She didn't actually manage to finish it all either!



After all the eating, we finally decided to have a look at the stalls. The girls bought some cellphone decorations, and then we bought some fruit drinks before it was time to leave as we had to get Joylynn home early!


I can proudly say I drove the family home without getting lost this time!

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Ten Rules for Happier Living

I saw this on the wall at work today and found it quite interesting:

Ten Rules for Happier Living

  1. Give something away (no strings attached)
  2. Do a kindness (and forget it)
  3. Spend a few minutes with the aged (their experience is a priceless guidance)
  4. Look intently into the face of a baby (and marvel)
  5. Laugh often (its life's lubricant)
  6. Give thanks (a thousand times a day is not enough)
  7. Pray (or you will lose the way)
  8. Work (with vim and vigour)
  9. Plan as though you'll live forever (because you will)
  10. Live as though you'll die tomorrow (because you will on some tomorrow)

Tuesday 11 September 2012

I Guess I'm A Global Parent Again

I just got a phone call from an Australian number, which turned out to be a guy from UNICEF asking if I'd like to reconsider donating to them again (I did for a few months before I stopped just before the end of my last job).

I tried telling him that my current job is almost over and so my financial future is a little uncertain, but in the end got sucked in once again and agreed to donate $15 a month for the next few months!

I gave him my card number and expiry date, and that was that.

It was only after I hung up that I realised..what..did..I..just..do?! I don't even know this guy, and how do I even know he really was from UNICEF?! He could've been an imposter, out to get all my money!

I quickly rang up UNICEF NZ and double-checked, and fortunately he was genuine. The moral of the story kids, is to think before you act!

Time to Fly!


I just got my Air New Zealand Airpoints card in the mail today! I think I might just have to do a bit more travelling to make the most of it..



You're Not Forgotten!

In the past few days, I've been realising I haven't been the best at keeping in touch with people! I always tell people I won't forget them, and truth is that I don't forget people easily. I remember most people I deal with! 

I see things about some of my friends appear on my Facebook Newsfeed from time to time - friends I haven't talked to in a while! I'm tempted to, but because quite some time has passed since I last talked to them, I feel a little awkward/random doing so! 

I feel really bad though, because I am quite aware of what it's like to have people start to drift away from you by not talking to you as much anymore, and pretty much leaving you feeling like they've forgotten you, and maybe that's what I've been doing unintentionally too!

Therefore, I've decided to make a better effort at keeping in touch with friends from now on!

Monday 10 September 2012

October Baby

Tonight a group of us from church met up to watch October Baby:

"A college freshman's world is rocked when she learns she is the adopted survivor of an attempted abortion."

This was the only screening in Auckland, and I think it was organised by Mana, a Christian book store. There were limited tickets and we got the last eight! Apparently there were only seven left, but the man at the store kindly gave up his ticket!

Winston and I quickly bought some popcorn at Countdown while waiting for the others. Wei hadn't arrived, so I gave him a call. He was still at home and thought the movie was next week!

While we were at Countdown looking for There were those Coke bottles with the custom names on them. There was a whole shelf of bottles with 'Raj' on it, with a few with 'Feng' and 'Sione'! Very multicultural!



When we got into the theatre, it was quite full, and we had to sit in third row from the front! It wasn't too bad though. I just slouched in my seat so I wouldn't get a sore neck! I admit it was a little hard to eat! Winston and I ended up being some of the messiest people in the theatre!


There were a few laugh-out-loud scenes, with some guy laughing randomly at some things!

At the end of the movie there was a round of applause before everyone started leaving. It did leave me rethinking my ambivalence towards the whole issue. I've never really thought much about the issue, but I think it's really time I formed a viewpoint on issues such as this!


We went across the carpark to Burger King afterwards for dinner. Wei and I split a dinner meal, which meant I got two burgers! I sure was full afterwards! I think I'll need to do extra exercise this week to burn all that fat off!

Drawings from the Past

While trying to tidy up the lounge a bit, I came across my old sketchbook from when I was a little kid!

Friday 7 September 2012

Flat Tyre

We had just finished youth group, and all got in our car. As we were travelling down the road, something didn't feel right. Aonghas pulled over at the Trusts Stadium (which is pretty much across the road from our church) and we discovered we had a punctured tyre!

None of us knew how to change a tyre, and everyone had left church by now! It was also past 11pm at night, so most people would be asleep too! It was all up to us!

 Aonghas went on the net and with the help of Andrew jacked up the car, found the spare one and replaced it. 



Forty minutes later...


The culprit turned out to be a screw!

Monday 3 September 2012

Paperwork Galore

It just has to rain on my days off work doesn't it? I guess that's a good thing in a way. It's making me do some work!
I've been spending most of the day doing paperwork as part of my internship...again. I'm looking forward to the day I won't have to do this anymore!
I've been dozing off throughout the day, even while in the middle of a Facebook conversation with someone! (Sorry to that person!)

Saturday 1 September 2012

Late Night Food

I actually had something to look forward to after work tonight - the Pakuranga Night Markets! Leonie, our friend, had never been there before, so we offered to take her, her brother Winston and her mum after I finished work.

Work was quite quiet, but at least the pharmacist I was working with was quite nice and taught me a thing or two!

Work finally finished, and they were all waiting for me in the car outside!


When we got there, it was already quite packed! The markets are held at the Westfield Pakuranga carpark. There were heaps of food stalls and other stalls selling all sorts of goods. We spent most of the time looking at the food as we were all starving! Leonie was the first to buy something, getting a Chinese pancake. Winston went for the Japanese pancake, and then it took us a long, long time to decide what we wanted! I ended up deciding to take the plunge and bought a Chinese pie!


Our parents came back later on and had bought some dumplings and some dim sum.


There was a Christian stall that was wanting people to fill out a survey in order to get a chocolate bar. My mum and brothers completed it and got their chocolate bar.

It was then that we realised we were running out of time as some stalls were starting to pack up! We had a look around at what was being sold. Most of them were selling cellphone accessories and clothes.

There was one last thing we just had to try - Churro's! I've tried them before, but I don't think anyone else had! We went over to the Churro stall only to discover that the girl who was there was one of Aonghas's primary school friends! That was pretty cool!


Winston got a jumbo one!


It was time to go and we were full!