@lvin

I can say that i arrive Auckland at the right time. It is summer and Auckland comes alive with its bustling with events and festivals. The first week i was here i had attended the International Cultural Festival and just yesterday night i was at the Auckland Domain awaiting for the fireworks extravaganza which marks the opening of the Auckland Festival 2007 from 9th March to 25 March 2007. Thousands of people were gathered as early as 4pm just to secure their seats for the event. If i am not mistaken a reported 60,000 kiwis turned up. I arrive at Auckland Domain about 6pm and took my place at the hills just few meters away from the showground, 3 hours before the show. About the time when i was there the weather was pretty sunny and windy. The sun shone as if there was no ending. As the sun sets marking the end of the day it started to get slightly chilly. Luckily i brought my denim jackets along. Although my feet was not protected from the windy chills but i managed to pull through.

A little description about the event i went to yesterday. The fireworks were performed by the artistry of acclaimed French pyrotechnicians that called themselves GROUPE F. They are well known throughout the world and have lite up the Eiffel Tower, the stade de France for the football World Cup, the Olympics Games in Athens and the 2004 and 2005 New Years Eve celebrations in London. What i can say about their show is that it is surreal and our of this world. Something which i have never seen back in Malaysia. It was worth the wait. I wish Loo Hui was there with me……it would have been perfect.

People trying to get settled in

As the sun sets towards the night

Starting of the fireworks display

More stunning works

I think the world is probably going to come to an end soon. Summer feels like Autumn here in Auckland but non the less it feels nice. It is almost my second week in New Zealand. I am pretty much settled down over here compared to last week. I got my apartment phone working. All i need to do now is getting the internet working too. Gosh….it takes them forever to get anything going here. It took Telecom New Zealand one week to settle the issue. Damn it….but who could complain…..the quality of work here is also much better. Probably that is why the country of New Zealand can advance so much that has only less than 5 million human population. Yes….5 million……as oppose to 15 million sheeps population.

Just came back from lunch. Ate at Papadom Restaurant, a small indian restaurant just outside my office. The food taste good….different from what i had expected……not that spicy though. Overall….A OK. Today is Friday thank god. Been looking forward for the weekend because lots of events happening this weekend. I have to choose which one i need to go.

Here are a couple of photos which i have taken last weekend. Not much but just showing how Auckland would look like in general.

Night Scene of Auckland

Dodgy Advertisement i found

At the Auckland International Cultural Festival 2007

One of the performance in the festival

The Crowd

Some of the pictures that you see is taken on Sunday when i visited the Auckland International Cultural Fesitival 2007. It was a hot but breezy day when i was there. When i arrive there it seems like i have entered a foreign country or somesort. I was greeted by crowds of people from all over the world. There are Africans, Greeks, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, Australians and etc. It was kinda fun to see all these people interacting with each other. Most of the participating countries will open booths either selling gifts and souvenirs from there home country or authentic food. I had a chicken slouvaki for lunch. Cost me about NZD6.00. Any comments on the food???

Alrighty then….gotta go do some work……will write more in time.

Dear all,

Just writting to let you guys know that i have arrive safely in Auckland even though i have been here for almost two weeks now. Haha…not time to update my blog you all. So far i have not seen any sheeps yet even though i have been told by many that the sheep populations are more than the human populations here in New Zealand. I wonder if it is true. Some say that you can see the millions when you are about to land at Auckland International Airport. Well…i have yet to clarify that as i arrive in Auckland in the wee morning.

Auckland  was different from what i had expected. The life is more or less like Kuching city but in a bigger scale. Shops here closes at 5pm SHARP. It is difficulty to get decent food after midnight. Summer does not feel like summer at all (still chilly). But overall it is a nice city to live or retire. I guess those older generations would like the city very much.

My apartment in Auckland is smack right in the city Center. The place is called The Residences. It is a bachelor apartment with facilities such as swimming pool and gym. I am just quite confused over certain issues about the apartments. Firstly, there is no dryer provided for each of the apartment. Where the hell are we supposed to dry our clothes? The balcony may seem to be a good idea but it is only 2 feet wide. Second…..there is no air conditioning installed in each room. I hope the designers of the apartments have assumed the neccessary air ventilation especially during summer. Thank god summer is windy and chilly over here. Lastly, why isn’t there a centralized heating in the apartments? Do we need to go and get a separate heater? Anyways i will only be in Auckland for 3 months the most so nothing much to complain. My apartment is situated along Gore Street, where all the bars, pubs and strip clubs are located. Pretty easy to get there lads….just mention gore street and they would know. There is the first base bar, the mermaid, the strip tease, etc. Got all of you guys excited yet. Sadly i have not been to any of the bars yet. Trust me!!!!! Anyways the address is as follows if anyone wants to write……

The Residences @ Harbour City, Apartment 5J, 16, Gore Street, Auckland, New Zealand

Here are a couple of photos to show how my apartment looks like.

The Bedroom

The Kitchen

Anyways hope to hear from you soon………take care….

Love,

Alvin Ting

Saw a japanese movie entitled "Sinking of Japan" just last week dated 10 January 2007. I would not dub the movie as super or great but somehow it was watchable but my the other half did not agree. Frankly speaking, the most memorable part of the show probably was the theme song to the movie. The song is entitled "Keep Holding You" sung by duo Sun Min (female korean singer) and Kubota (male japanese singer). I have been playing the song over and over again in my work PC. Everytime the song plays on my PC it reminds me of that special person that i watched it with. Thanks LH for sending me the MP3 song……i appreciate it a lot.

Don’t we all wish that we could travel back in time to do the things that we missed doing or to amend what is wrong to right? After watching "The Butterfly Effect", a movie acted by Aston Kutcher and Amy Smart, it made me realized that we should not look back at the past. What makes the difference in the future is our actions today. No matter how much we try and change the past, it would not work because everything has been destined for each individual. I believe that we should live our lives to the fullest. Each step we take is a new step. When we fall we need to learn how to get up. What makes us strong is how we cope and learn from each problem. Here i would like to quote a saying by Lao Tsu, a chinese philosopher once said "Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail".

But no doubt last year has been one of my best year ever. Made a lof of friends. Travel to places which i have never been before. Got drunk lotsa times (nothing to be proud of). Did a modelling gig. And some other events which is better kept unexplained. Hahaha………End of this month i will be seconded to New Zealand by my current company for 3 to 6 months duration. It will be more or less like a work and travel thingy. Do not know why but i do not feel the excited going over there. Partially because i know that i will be leaving behind temporarily things and people that are closest to me. A lot of things might change in a few months but i do hope that i will be kept in a loop with all the changes. Furthermore, i do not know what to expect there. Anyways i would like to let all my friends know that my door in New Zealand is always open for you…….

Well….what can i say about the whole Dark Caves adventure at Batu Caves???? TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!! I would suggest anyone who has not tried caving before to go for it. Unfortunately the Malaysian Nature Society’s financial year has just ended. Need to wait for the budeget to be allocated before they could organize for future trips. People out there who are interested could go online and check their website out for any other upcoming event. I think the pictures that i have posted says it all. It was FUN! FUN! FUN! all the way baby!!! The trip was both educational and adventurous. Learnt a lot about stalagmite and stalagtite, formations, bats, snakes, cockroaches, etc.

This picture shows the most of Sinclair Knight Merz’s staff before the cave adventure.

Victorious after the adventure……….

Sadly the luncheon was not that great. We went to one indian restaurant nearby. According to reliable sources, the curry fish head is the most popular food there. My comment is……do not bother asking the name and location of the restaurant. Sorry Kathe but that is the truth………

The festive season is back again…..Seems like time passes by in a blink of an eye without you even realizing it. People come and go in your life. Things change. Environment change. I can still recall last year’s Christmas bash together with friends. The memories are still pretty fresh in my mind. I still remember the first day i arrive in Kuala Lumpur. I kept on complaining and mumbling about the hectic life, jams, crowded people, etc in KL. Now after six years i have grown to accustomed to the situation. Well isn’t life all about that? Getting used to and accepting the fact. I have no regrets about being in KL but would not set aside the fact that i might shift back to my hometown for good. Just a matter of time. Hmmm…better start writting down my resolution soon. Let’s see what could i do to make things better next year????

• Attend church function more often
• Make tonnes of money
• Travel to more exotic places
• Obtain Engineering Professional status
• Register for Master’s program
• (The rest to be figured out before year end)

Alrighty then…just would like to take this opportunity to wish you happy holidays and may all your wishes come true. LOVE…….PEACE…….HAPPINESS…..!!!!! MUACKSSSS!!!! GOD BLESS!!!!

Something to look forward to this year in my boring life. The sports and recreational club committee has organized a dark cave trip to Batu Caves this coming 17th December 2006. It is not merely a sightseeing trip but an educational tour. The trip has been organized in conjuction with the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) and will be fully subsidized by my company. The cost of the trip is approximately RM35 per person. I heard from a reliable source that the money is used pay MNS for the guided tour and to maintain the caves. Will be there just for the heck of it. The only problem or obstacle for me is whether i can wake up that early on a Sunday to participate.

I went to a tiny fashion outlet below my office (opposite the flower shop) during office hours…….which i am not proud of. I hope my boss did not find out. If so i will be directly under extended probabation.

I have been told by one of my collegues that the shop is on sale and that Calvin Klein underwear is on sale. I thought it was just a normal sale, you know, typically ten to twenty percent off the normal price. To my astonishment the shop is offering RM39 for 2 pair!!!! What a bargian!!! At first i was pretty skeptical about the price until i asked the sales girl about it. She confirmed the price and without a doubt i grabbed 2 pair. Normally a pair of CK underwear will be selling at a price tag of RM80 onwards. Do you know how many pairs did my colleague (the one who told me about the sale) bought? 1 DOZEN….Well….it is the bargain anyways.

Those who are still interested would still be able to get their very own CK underwear at a cheap price as the sale is still on. The shop is located at:

Court Yard Level, Block E, Plaza Mont’ Kiara, No.2 Jalan Kiara, Mont’ Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur

The shop sells other items as well such as Dsquared undies, Paul Smith shirts, John Galliano T-shirts, Polo T-shirts, Edwin Jeans (Limited Edition from Japan), Dsquared jeans and lots more. Do head on over but most importantly call me up for yum char if you happen to be there. Cheers…………..

Why is our life full of choices???? Things to eat. Places to work. Route to take and so on. Why things cannot be any simpler? Sometimes the choices that we make are not necessarily a good one. It make may either lead us to a happy ending or sometimes despair. Risks we all have to take. I have been pondering over the questions over and over again. Maybe god intended each and everyone of us to be different and unique. One thing for sure is that do not think so much…..HA HA HA!!!