I am in Christchurch,and everyone was right,I can be forgiven if I wake up and think that I am in UK instead of New Zealand.Christchurch,New Zealand's Garden City and "the most English city outside England",is bustling with activities now that the summer's here.I am here for 4 nights,staying in the city centre YHA.Great people,great weather,great things to do.Tomorrow I'm taking the tram ride to the main city attractions like the casino,Art Gallery,Canterbury Museum,Avon River and The Cathedral.
The Cathedral is 1 block away from where I stay,and it's lovely.Check out my picture through the link!There was an Irish dance on Sunday,and every Friday there's a choir performance.It's a big space where people walk and take pictures and sit and relax.It's really a nice place,and the Cathedral Church stands magnificiently at one corner.
I got a job offer for a temping role for New Zealand's Telecom,and I'd be going for the interview tomorrow.If I land that job I'd stay in Christchurch until December!That suits me really fine as I can do Dunedin,Queenstown and Otago during the weekends and be in Wellington in time for the New Year.
People here are pretty open,sex scenes and vulgar languages are common on TVs.Everyday there's a movie screening on TV at 8.30pm.Party pills are sold everywhere,and there are strip clubs in here and Wellington (should have some in Auckland,will check out when I get there in February..LOL)I am still being good (hehe) and hope I'd be good until I get home!
I am starting to adapt to the cold,although I still go out with my windbreaker+sweater+winter cap,I can now sleep with shorts and not feel too cold.I met a young Malaysian Malay girl here.I was at a college enquiring about their short courses and the receptionist,upon learning I am from Malaysia,quickly went away and dragged a sweet looking woman,whom I learned as Nur Akasyah,graduate from UiTM Shah Alam and just graduated from Lincoln University,a full time business lecturer in Canterbury College.We chatted and promised to keep in touch.Nice to see a good Malaysian here.OK Rean,apart from you.LOL =)
Will update soon.Meanwhile,keep me going and I miss you all so much!

* the caps lock is still not working *
i did four days of kuli work in the vineyard last week.the job's exactly like the ones you'll see the bangladeshis and indonesians doing in malaysia.no doubt it was good with lotsa outdoors and surrounded by mountains (some snow capped,no less) but it's also cold,eventhough the summer's on 1st november,it's pretty sunny but the wind's cold and we all wear sweaters and work in the vineyards.
there are some malaysians here.ashish told me i am the only indian from malaysia with a working holiday visa he's seen so far because working holiday visas are hard to come by.well,i got mine pretty easy (less than 24 hours)so i'll count myself lucky.lol.about 3 chinese,2 indians and 1 malay,all male.while the chinese are friendly,the malay guy is bossy and the indian guys are snobbish.they wouldn't talk when i ask them where they come from!i always thought malaysians are a friendly lot?
well,after breaking my back doing those kuli jobs and going in the sun without a sunscreen and caused my skin to suffer some sunburn,i am finally ready to move on.to christchurch.will be starting on monday and stay for 2 weeks,before moving to otago and finally to invercargill,the world's southernmost city!from there i'll be back up to wellington,hoping to be in wellington by 31st december 2006.
else,one of my hsbc mates are here,sharmini and her boyfriend (sharmini's from fd t6,moved on to eds,i'm sure all the fd-ers will know her).they are here to work for about 3 months,and are currently staying in blenheim with me.we were planning to go to nelson lakes or abel tasman national park this weekend.(due to bloody bad weather,my abel tasman trip had to be cancelled coz i can't even walk out my room without covering myself from top to toe,let alone go hiking and swimming and kayaking.it was raining for the 3 days off we got.nonsense!)
hope everyone had a good deepavali and hari raya,i am making a slideshow and a short movie of my travels here,and that includes getting some exclusive interviews from people whom i believe have made a significant change in my life here in new zealand.rean,you would be one of them!lol!
can't wait to be back to see all of you guys.i am having a good time here with not much worries in the world.we'd go parrrrrrttttyyyyy when i'm back!hehe!
till the next update,cheers!

* currently the pc is experiencing some technical error,so the caps lock function is not working *
i crossed the cook straits on saturday to south island.it was a hasty decision,given the time frame because i was supposed to be in wellington until today.but alas,i decided to just cross over and s ee what south island has to offer me!
the sailing was incredible.it was 3 hours,and the ferry resembled titanic!it was so huge,and we had bars and cafes and even a game room on board!now langkawi ferry doesn't seem amazng anymore,though thev iews still is..=).
i was met by my employer,his name is ashish,he's indian from india.he piecked me up and drove me to the house,my accomodation where i will be sharing with another few people.it was $95 per week,and although the house had everything (well,almost everything),it didn't have a landline or internet.i asked him how far is the town centre from the house and he said it's about 20 minutes walk.well,i couldn't sleep the first night.the bed was so hard and i was alone in the room,at one point i was seriously reconsidering my decision on why the hell did i come to new zealand.
the next day,i saw this man who looked indian,who came to mow the lawn in the house.i went up to him,chatted up a few words and asked him if he can give me a lift to the nearest backpackers.he said ok,i packed my stuff,called ashish and checked in into blenheim motor homes,a holiday park.its $100 per week,and it's ok for now.extra $5 a week for some serious peace of mind.plus here i get internet free.and a landline is available,so bingo!
you'll be amazed at how many people don't know about malaysia.the other day when i was talking to my japanese friend,we were both so bored in the packhouse that we decided to talk about each other's country.the conversation went like this..
(please read as i spell it,thank you)
yuko - so ku-na,in malazia how many seazon do you have?
me - erm,maybe just 2,spring and summer,because we don't have winter and autumn.
yuko - hoaa?!no winter in malazia?
me - (while watching her face widen in horror) well,no.
yuko - hmm..that is amazing.
me - you don't know about malaysia?
yuko - not much,all i know is this (she made an action resembling some cow horn,and it took me a full minute to understand that she was actually mimicking the twin towers!)
the job in the vineyard is ok,expect for ashish,apparently yesterday i nearly spoiled one of his plant so he was keeping watch over me.we had a beer each to celebrate the end of thinning today,tomorrow we are gonna start a new work which i don't know what just yet.
if everything goes well,i'll be here for sometime and travel south to canterbury.there is a few places i want to visit,and go skiing before the snow melts,and back up north,starting in wellington and up,up,up until northland,and back to auckland to catch my flight home!
i miss deepavali and the festive season..it muct be so happy in malaysia right now.i miss all of my friends,the smses,the greetings,the cookies (jam tarts!waaaaaaa!!),mom's cooking (i'm dying with my own cooking now!hehe)and the movies on tv.
guess i will have to bear all this,so to make up for the fun i am gonna be missing,i am planning a sailing trip to abel tasman national park,rated as lonely planet's one of the best national parks in the world,this weekend.if i get going,i'll post you all some really good pictures!
miss you all loads people.happy deepavali and selamat hari raya!!!!!!

I have uploaded some pictures from my trip to Mount Maunganui last Sunday with 2 of my Japanese friends.It's beautiful,really.Will update my blog soon guys,updates for now are my work is finished,so I am moving on to Wellington and possibly to South Island.Till then,will keep you all posted.Miss you all.

I am in Tauranga City,arrived here and am staying in Just The Duck Nut's backpackers,a clean and cozy place.I have a view of Mount Maunganui and the harbour from my room,from my bed!It's beautiful,really.I am planning to be here for about 3 weeks to a month,and started my job in the kiwifruit packhouse yesterday.
I tell you,checking those kiwifruits and making sure they are OK for exporting is NO EASY FEAT!Well,I have to stand for 10 hours and look at those kiwis,and let my mind wander to take my mind off the pain in my legs and hands and back.Lunch time is only half an hour,although we get breaks every two hours,I feel it's really tough.Today I skipped work to go to downtown Tauranga to get my new ATM card from Bank of New Zealand.Went shopping in Pak'n Save,and you wouldn't believe what I bought!Sausages,burgers,tomatoes,salads,sauce,minced chicken.I'm gonna cook!Woo hoo!=)Well yes that's all for now.
Check out the pictures I uploaded.Keep the comments coming.I miss Malaysia loads.Sorry for the short update but I have to be running back to the backpackers before it gets dark.

When I was back in HSBC,my manager Mahen gave me a book about this one particular remarkable man who,lost his leg at the age of 9 but went on to be a qualified pilot,a black belt holder in taekwando,a successful businessman,and scores of other achievements.He gave me the book because I complained I was demotivated at work.In that book,that guy came from a small seaside town called Tauranga in New Zealand.
And there,my friend,is where I am gonna be heading tomorrow!
Tauranga City,about an hour's drive from Te Puke,is a bustling harbour with a lovely mountain for trekking called Mount Maunganui is situated.I am going to be staying in a small backpacker's accomodation called Just The Duck Nut's.My plan is I am gonna work for about 1 month,and head south to Wellington and temp there for another month,and cross the straits to South Island!
Many people here told me South Island is beautiful.Many of New Zealand's finest tracks,hills,mountains,lakes,streams and glaciers are situated in South Island.I can't wait to go.Other than that,I'm going on.People here are very friendly,except for some,which I try to avoid at all costs.I can walk for half an hour and back with my sweater on and still not sweat.The weather here is always cold.I am looking forward to get to Wellington,dubbed the Windy city.
I went to Bayfair shopping complex in Tauranga with my Malaysian friends yesterday.I had McDonald's Chicken Tandoori and hot chocolate.Their hot chocolate even had marshmallows in it!It was superb!=)I am looking forward to a good month in Tauranga.
Sometimes it gets a lil lonely,I speak with Brit accent with the Brits,American accent with the Americans,and haywire English with the Japanese and Koreans.Malay and Tamil with the Malaysians,and Malaysian Chinese with the Chinese guy from Malaysia.Suddenly I feel like I know so many languages!LOL!But it's just English (hehe).
Once I get a good PC I will update some pictures I took in Papamoa and Bayfair.So check back often.I miss you all.