Live A Different Life

Been in Napier from last Tuesday until today. I totally felt like an adult, doing things which I never imagined I will do before I reach 20: buying fridge and washing machine, arrange meetings with potential landlords, invited over for dinner with auntie and uncle. Still to do: buy bed, lounge suite, dining table etc etc. Feeling overwhelmed but excited as well.

To sum up my first week in Napier:
Day 1: Reach Napier at around 9pm. Couldn't find a trolley(!) and for the first time see an airport with no baggage carousel. Reach backpackers to a room with no window at all. Interesting~

Day 2: 6 appointments with various landlords and agents. The first three houses: scary and ugly. Really thankful that the rest of the houses looked quite nice. Spent the whole day walking around Napier (from 10.30am to 5.30pm). Tired -_-

Day 3: Finally no more walking. Alex rented a car so we drove around, checking out houses not within walking distance. Beautiful areas like West Shore, Ahuriri, Bluff Hill etc. The whole Napier is along the coast. Beautiful!

Day 4: Finally decided on a house. Signed contract, bought fridge and washing machine. Drove around to check out beds, lounge suites etc etc. Parked the car by the beach for sunset and had dinner there. *Love*

Day 5: Drove around Napier trying to find sandy beach (along the main roads of Napier is rocky beach, heard people say you can find sandy beach if you drive further away from town). Drove to Cape Kidnappers only to find out that if you want to see the gannets, you will have to walk 4 hours round trip *eeks* Not suitable for a lazy person like me. Had dinner at an auntie's place. Delicious dinner and close-up observation of Napier lifestyle. One comment I heard most often during the time I spent in Napier: You will love this place. I can't imagine living anywhere else. Can't wait~

Day 6: Bus from Napier to Auckland. 7 and a half hour, just 2 hours short of a plane trip back to Malaysia. Had porridge for dinner. I miss Auckland's food. Michelle, May and everyone, if you need anything from Auckland, just let me know~

Have you ever wished that there is no one sitting next to you and be disappointed when someone says "Excuse me, can I get through please" Well, check out Air NZ's latest 'invention':

Passengers on partly full Air New Zealand flights to the United States can guarantee an empty seat next to them - if they're prepared to pay $75.

The airline's novel way of making money out of empty seats during the long-haul travel slump has proved popular during a month-long trial.

Air New Zealand group general manager international airlines Ed Sims said it took the lottery out of whether or not passengers get an empty seat next to them.

Like other carriers, Air New Zealand has been hit with a steep fall in passenger numbers as a result of the financial crisis. The airline has been forced to lay off up to 200 staff.

"Necessity is the mother of invention. While we've got some empty seats we'd rather be making something out of that seat than nothing at all," said Mr Sims.

The airline started the scheme just over a month ago on flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Up to 10 passengers a flight had opted for the extra seat which could be offered on more international routes, he said.

I feel like I'm getting older. Displaying signs of ageing.

Symptoms include:
1. Searching around the house for books which I put in my bag just 2 days ago
2. Look at old photos and make comments like "Ah, that's me when I was young" and "oh, I can't even remember I did that"
3. Telling young people "When I was young...."
4. Listening to songs from the 90s
5. Getting nostalgic and can't stand separation
6. Keep referring back to point 1 in case I'm repeating myself

Enjoying my last student holiday~ I spent my days sleeping, eating, surfing and watching occasional movies. Have always wanted to watch 27 Dresses and now that I have, I totally enjoyed the movie.

For those of you who have been living in a cave or simply don't enjoy watching chick flick, 27 Dresses is a movie about a girl who has been a bridesmaid for 27 times & who is waiting for the right guy to come along. A girl who doesn't know how to say no, who is willing to help out with anything and who is always there when you need a super bridesmaid. A wonderful movie!

I always say: I want to be slim! and my friends always answer me: Exercise. I finally found a perfect comeback line:

Even though I have only left Dunedin for a week, I missed it very much! The people, the scenery, the church, the food. Missed them so much that we drove back to Dunedin for a 2 day stay.


Been in Dunedin for 4 years and have never been to Moeraki Boulders. Shame on me! For those of you who don't know, Moeraki Boulders is famous for stones. HUGE STONES!


Michelle has been playing for The Full Monty for the past three weeks. An amazing show if you look past the dodgy parts. Funny actors, funny conversations and funny songs.


LightHouse Fellowship + Dinner @ 5 = Good food, fun and smiles :)

St Clair!!!!!!!!! My favourite beach of all times

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)

Ashton is just a typical small town, except that it is not typical at all. Angels and demons entering the town quietly, two opposing forces silently working against each other. People finding themselves in situations unexplainable other than through spiritual interference. The reality only emerges when a skeptical reporter and a prayerful pastor begin to compare notes, they suddenly find themselves fighting a hideous New Age plot to subjugate the townspeople, and eventually the entire human race.

Thank you Michelle for giving me such a wonderful book. It is a must read, a book easy to pick up and hard to put back down, a book which describes the spiritual warfare beautifully. I will give it a 5 star rating!

Bacteria are already being used in some throat lozenges to help treat sore throats. Now researchers say their application could go much further.

New Zealand is leading world research into applications of useful bacteria to counter problems such as tooth decay, body odour and ear infections.


At a conference in Auckland yesterday, Professor John Tagg said products were already on the market as a result of University of Otago research to help protect against sore throats through lozenges that contain a streptococcus known to reduce the risk of infection.

Now Professor Tagg and his researchers in the microbiology department are turning their minds to other applications using similar principles. He is confident probiotics - live organisms that confer health when given to people - have a huge potential in a range of conditions.

Already an infant formula is being developed containing bacteria that will help fight middle-ear infections.

Professor Tagg said it was possible to come up with a body stick, with bacteria in the wax, to help deal with body odour, and lozenges with live bacteria to help fight either tooth decay or gum disease.

Professor Tagg told the Herald the area he was most excited about was developing some form of immunity against bacterial meningitis, through exploiting a bacterium that might be able to protect people from it.

The science involved in probiotics might also be useful in the future to help fight hospital superbugs, he said.

Professor Tagg is a consultant scientist to BLIS Technologies, which manufactures a range of probiotic products.

BLIS stands for Bacteriocin-Like Inhibitory Substance and its products have been on the market for about eight years and are starting to make a profit, he said.

Professor Tagg said he was also researching applications for bovine mastitis which "you would be very grateful for if you were a cow". (NZ Herald)

I am finally, officially a pharmacy graduate. Thank you, thank you
*Smiling and waving*


Our results came out today and I managed to pass all the papers! No more studying, no more assignment-induced stress, no more burning midnight oil. Really thank God for seeing me through these four years in uni.

As celebration for surviving uni, I finally gathered together my lazy bones and went outside. The sky is so blue. The weather is so sunny. The gardens are so beautiful. It seems like the world has changed quite a bit since the last time I came out of my turtle shell. Went to Christchurch Art Gallery. Only one word to describe the place: beautiful. Looking through the paintings, some of them look so real that I thought they were photographs. Such attention to detail, it was awesome. As we were leaving the place, we saw some kids getting ready for a show. Apparently it is an initiative to integrate cultural studies into school curriculum.


Random pictures taken throughout the year :)

Missing people seems to be the highlight of my day these days: Michelle & Raymond, Janice & Greg, Jocelyn, May, Sharon T, Chyi Mei, Fiona, the Lighthouse Fellowship.

Last minute packing is seriously unhealthy for you, speaking from an experienced last-minute-packer's point of view. Barely enjoyed my Unicol bed for the last time before leaving :(
Pack, unpack and repack everything. It wasn't fun at all. Thank you Michelle for all your help, Sharon & Tao for looking after our luggage and Unicol's trolleys for being there for us!

Supposed to reach the airport at least half an hour before the flight departs but we only arrives 15 minutes before the flight to a super duper long QUEUE. Even worse, I realised that I forgot to bring my bag with all the travel documents ie our tickets etc! Thanks Alex for saving the day by calming me down and thought of using his credit card to check in. So glad that the flight didn't leave without us. Turned out that we weren't the only late-comers and the flight had ended out depart late. Had a interesting talk with the girl sitting next to us and found that we have quite a lot in common: she is a pharmacy student-to-be, she is a christian, she knows Sarah Stewart, she works in the pharmacy where Sylvia and Esther will be workin as intern. What a small world, or rather, what a small country.

Big thanks to Amy and Rob for bringing my bag up. Big thanks to Michelle for the wonderful sermon notes *hugs*

What I have been up to these few days:


As Fiona is considering driving her car from Dunedin to Gisborne (congratulations for finding your dream job *hooray*), I have been researching the time and costs and we have come up with a plan (being super organised and all). We will be driving from Dunedin-Christchurch-Picton-Wellington-Napier- Gisborne. Before you ask, yes, it'll be a long drive but it'll be fun too. A wonderful opportunity to check out NZ and see what it's made of (literally).