Sunset over Civic Theatre click photo to enlarge.
5:52pm . Sunday . Queen Street
People hurrying away home, preparing for the week’s start.
A stray of orange clouds appear in the sky, over the heritage Civic Theatre.
I stroll along the street, observing the beauty that is the city.
Sunset came and went away, so beautiful, yet so quickly.
Like many things, it’s gone before we even realised it’s there.
Carpe diem! Seize the day!
The day started with drizzles as I decided to go for a walk in the city.
I am always bedazzled by skies reflected on the many buildings. They seem so surreal.
Strolling down the busy street, I found a corner in a café and sat down leisurely watching the day goes by. It was fascinating to watch people passing by. They all seemed to have a story to tell. There’s the little girlie with her lollipop, the teenager with a frown, that middle age man with an emotionless face, and an old lady with an amiable smile. Time and again, I found myself deep in my thoughts, wondering about their life stories.
A sip of latte. A taste of the mellow cheesecake. My fair share of loot from winter sale.
Life, as of this moment, is great.
Rain falling down in stream, forming a river running deep into my heart;
Di Da Di Da, the melody plays on, of the psychedelic sound of yesteryear.
It’s been raining on and off the whole day, gloomy clouds and blue skies alternate in the space up above. Sitting by the window, the droplets of rain caught my eyes. Every single one of them seemed to be the same yet so different, forming dots that dazzled under the rays of the occasional sunshine.
As I was mesmerized by the psychedelic dots, a song started to loop in my mind. It’s not particularly special, yet seemed so fitting on such a day. The melody brought me back to those innocent years of youth, when everything was much simpler and free of worries. For a minute I lost track of time and space, I seemed to be back in those days, feeling the droplets of rain falling on me once more, round and round I twirled in the rain like I used to, into that golden year that seemed so faraway.
coming soon:
click photo to enlarge.
It was not a particularly eventful day, just one of those days when there was so much on my mind. I just wanted to get away. So off I went for a walk around the neighborhood, randomly snapping away. Along the way, I saw a familiar red van parked by the roadside. A postie was clearing the mails. I contemplated whether to approach him. It was then our eyes met and a smile greeted me. We struck a conversation and he kindly let me take some pictures. A few clicks later, I thanked him and we parted ways. As I saw the van disappear into the horizon, a smile blossomed on my face. It’s amazing how a kind gesture from a stranger can affect us. The brief encounter certainly brighten my day.
Fresh air, friendly souls. It’s wonderful how little it takes to put things back in perspective. On the way back, I saw the most breathtaking scene. Thus the story behind my previous pictorial post ‘Shadows in the sun‘. It was also the very same day I took the picture in the post ‘Window of innocence‘.
Let’s slow down our steps to do a second take, to admire the things around us. For good things come in small ways.
A hauntingly beautiful view of the park in the afternoon. click photo to enlarge
The sun finally came out Monday afternoon, winds blew away the gloomy clouds.
Rays shining through tall trees towering from a distance, casting long shadows on the emerald field.
Walking along the familiar path, relaxing myself in the lush atmosphere,
I detected a mist of sweetness in the air.
The storm didn’t come, it’s a good day after all.
Share with me, my friends, your relaxing moments of the day.
當我獨自漫步，聽風的歌，看影子舞動。生活也就如此，悠然。
click photo to enlarge
A shot of the morning sky outside my window to kick start Monday.
It instantly brightens up my day. Hope it blows away your Monday blues too! 
View outside my bedroom window. click photo to enlarge
It’s been a very wet and gloomy winter down under, raining more than usual. The weather pattern surely has changed dramatically in the past few years. Auckland weather can be very unpredictable. With the sun shining one minute, and gloomy clouds roaming the next. Climate over here is direct opposite to those in the northern hemisphere, with summer starting from December to February, autumn March to May, winter June to Aug and spring September to November. While the weather here is generally temperate, mainly maritime, summery sun can be quite unbearable. Though the general temperature seldom hits the 30 Celsius mark, the UV levels are very high due to its closer proximity to the sun at that time of the year. It is really not advisable to expose oneself under the hot sun for a prolonged period of time, even if sunscreens are applied.
Coming from the tropics, the thing I enjoy the most about living in the temperate climate is the many colours that comes with it. While summer is too harsh, winter too gloomy and spring too garish, autumn yields the perfect season for me. It is then when everything turns colourful and breezy. The whole town seems to turn into a big dazzling picture, with coolness in the air and leaves swaying on trees in shades/hues of reds and yellows. Even the most unromantic people will feel the poetic moments in the air. A walk in the park is most pleasurably at this time of the year. I always feel a little surreal emerging amongst the breezy air and splendid colours of the season. It never fails to amaze me.
On another note, forecast said another storm is heading our way. This gloomy winter weather is killing all my fun to get out of the house for some decent photo shoots. Somehow the sun only comes out occasionally during the weekdays and rains all day long in the weekends! The sky pretty much looks like the above picture lately, albeit a little less dramatic (what to do, I’m all about drama!), but still, gloom! I’m just going to roll into bed and hibernate.
Someone has developed an addiction lately. It’s not sweet, animated nor flashy. However, it does make you jump up and down and at times lasts till night; only to emerge with a look to die for the next morning.
Yes, we finally succumbed to the temptation and now have unlimited access to discover and gain historical knowledge or learn to be dramatic. Evil has one word, SKYtv. Now I’ve fallen down into the dark hole of addiction. Will be back as soon as I watch my favourite show on Discovery channel over and over and over again.
Took some photos again during the weekend. Check back soon! 
Insomnia strikes again! Having thousands of thoughts crossing your mind while you’re trying to sleep is really not that fun. The situation intensifies if you have a spouse who plugs right into deep sleep as soon as his head touches the pillow. It also doesn’t help if he’s making melodious sounds while doing so.
If you recalled, I have a CPU that refuses to be shut off from time to time. What’s the best thing to do when you wake up in the middle of the night, tossing and turning but unable to go back to sleep? For the crazy here, I got up, frustrated and decided to tidy up the office. If you think that’s weird, think again! It’s not the first time I’ve done it! Tidying really soothes me. A messy house really makes me restless. After hours of sorting mails, re-filing documents, returning things to orders, it’s time for breakfast! The only thing that wasn’t done was vacuuming. It did cross my mind, but having an angry neighbour knocking down the door cursing in the wee hours is probably not a good idea! I sure hope this is not a preview of what’s to come. On a brighter note, I did get a spanking clean office over it .
I constantly have people back home asking me questions about my life in NZ. How’s the living standard? What season is it now? Weather cold or not? Kiwis friendly or not? What time zone are you in? What is daylight saving? Do you see sheep everywhere? And the most asked question lately, ‘Did the petrol prices go up?’ Here’s my attempt to write about some of these little facts of life over here in NZ, from a Malaysian point of view.
First of all, let me establish some background info, for those who don’t know me. I’m a Malaysian Chinese from Johor. I first stepped foot on New Zealand soil in February 2000. That makes this my 9th year here. Obtained permanent resident status in 2004. Currently living in Auckland with my husband a.k.a. Mr K (who is also a Malaysian Chinese).
Traffic jam in New Zealand. (photo by Phillip Capper)
Now, for the no. 1 most-asked question. Do you see sheep everywhere? The answer is, no they are no wandering around everywhere. Though this is a country where the woolly creatures tip the scales over humans, they are mostly munching the grass in rural farms. You can spot these candy-flossy creatures along the highway while traveling into the greater region. You do find some scatter around the Cornwall park in Auckland city sometimes. They are not wild, if you are so tempted to take one home, their owner will hunt you down!
That’s how we get ‘em. 
How about the Kiwi bird? Do they roam around town often? I believe I was once asked whether they taste nice! Contrary to popular belief, Kiwi birds are extremely fragile creatures and have been classified as a national treasure that is facing extinction. They are being highly protected and only can be seen in zoos or certain kiwi-theme parks, in quiet, dark rooms. They are night creatures, a flightless bird with long down-curve bill. They are stumpy and cute to look at in the dark, and no, you don’t get to hug and and take photos with them like you’d do with the koala. Heh.
A hot summer day at Mt Victoria, Devonport.
What’s the weather like? The seasons over here are the opposite of the northern region like the USA. Climate in Auckland is generally warmer and wetter in compared to other states. With temperatures of about 22-29 Celsius during summer, and about 5-16 Celsius during winter. So far, the hottest summer I’ve experienced in Auckland was 30 Celsius. It might seem nothing compare to Malaysia, but due to the positioning of the globe that time of the year, the solar radiation index (UVI) is often very high in most places and can be extreme in northern New Zealand. You’ll feel your skin burning if exposed directly under the sun for a long period of time. Auckland, being the City of Sails, is very windy. You can find out more about Auckland weather patterns here.
When kiwi meets wallaby…
Is NZ life similar to Australia? Though some said NZ shares a lot of similarities as its neighbor Australia, say that to the kiwis and see their faces turn red. I reckon the relationship between Kiwis and Aussies are similar to one that Malaysians and Singaporeans share. Their life and culture are similar but both think they are better off!
What about time zone? Why change the time twice a year? NZ time zone is UTC+12 and UTC+13 during daylight saving time. That’s 4/5 hours ahead of Malaysia accordingly. Over here, daylight saving commences on the last Sunday in September, where clocks go forward one hour at 2am; and ends on the first Sunday in April the following year, where clocks are put back one hour at 3am. Its purpose is for people to enjoy an extra hour of sunlight during summer months. It is especially of value for the farmers and those who need to seize the sunlight. The practice of daylight saving also makes summer months the best time to travel.
How about food? Can you get Asian food easily? If you have ever come down to downtown Auckland, you’d be surprised at the volume of Asian people around town. Over the years, as more and more Asian immigrants set up roots over here, good Asian cuisines also appear like mushrooms. Kiwis seem to embrace the many choices of food too! Of course, like in any other countries, there bound to be good and bad ones. A simple rule of thumbs for us is to observe the customers who patronize the eateries. If they are mostly Chinese people, meaning authentic food are being served. Otherwise, the restaurant is most likely there to cater for the western taste buds. There are also many Chinese grocers around town where you can find authentic Malaysian food like Aik Cheong 3 in 1 White Coffee Tarik, curry powder, Ayam brand chicken stock, kangkong, and even durian (albeit frozen lah) etc in stock. Of course, the choices are not as vast as back home, but it’s pretty good. Still, nothing beat the good old makan-makan back home, that’s what responsible for my weight gain every trip home! Well-worth it though. Haha.
I’ll write about the read hot topic of food crisis and petrol hikes another day. It’s just too painful for weekend reading. Have a great weekend y’all! 
