Anzac Biscuit

I first saw this biscuit at my workplace. We sell it at 50cent per biscuit. I have never tried it for the three months I work there. Few days ago when I was shopping for some food to bring along when I go travel, I saw this budget packet of Anzac Biscuit, and I grabbed one.

First, you need to know what does 'Anzac' stands for. Anzac = Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. At this point, I am sure you know that it is related to war and soldiers. According to Internet information, Anzac biscuits were made by the wives or mothers of the soldiers during World War I and sent to them overseas. This biscuit is cheap, easy to bake, and ideal for long-distance transportation as its hard. The basic ingredients include flour, sugar, oats, and desiccated coconut. Even after 100 years of its 'establishment', it is still a popular food among the New Zealanders and Aussies.

p/s: Aside from Anzac Biscuits, there's also a national day of remembrance, called the Anzac Day, which falls on 25 April, to honour the members of Anzac who fought at the Gallipoli in Turkey during WWI.

p/p/s: Oh btw, that biscuits just taste like the coconut biscuits we have in Malaysia LAH.... =.=

End of Work, Beginning of FUN!!!!

Friday was my last day of work and I am a free man now!!!!! WOOHOOOOOO~~~~~~

My manager was so nice to me that I was a little shocked. Teehee~~ After I finish my work, I went to see Aunty June and she said she wants to bring me out for a meal. So nice right!! And I went for Korean BBQ dinner with my colleagues that day. Working there aint that bad huh!! :)

I have bought a bus pass (or they call it travel pass, by InterCity) to Bay of Island on Monday (meaning TOMORROW!!!). Will talk about it in details after I come back okay! :) *can't wait*

(omg why is my blog getting more and more boring??)

Time to Leave

I resigned yesterday. Two weeks notice. My boss, Aunty June, has anticipated my intention to leave, sooner or later. So she was quite okay with it. When I approached her to talk about my resignation, she was so nice to me! She gave me a cup of tea, a muesli block (she said its very nice, but I haven't eat it yet because I was too full that time), and we sat down and talked for an hour. Yes I know, so many things to talk about =.= Seriously, I felt very grateful for meeting Elaine and Ray, and for Elaine to get me this job, and Aunty June was so nice to me all these while. oh FYI, she's a Malaysian too.

So its time to leave. I should start to plan out my trip. :)

Weird Fruit

This fruit is weird.

It looks weird -- its yellow, oval, and has horn-like spine. Just like a puffed porcupine fish. And its flesh... umm... not really 'flesh'... is like passion fruit's 'flesh'.

It tastes weird -- the market signboard says: " taste like lemon and banana". Wikipedia says: "taste like cucumber". But I think it taste like a raw banana.

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to present: ----

KIWANO!!!!!!!!! (or 'Horned melon') =.=

My Workplace

i'm still alive!!!!!!!!!! =.=

Finally, I have a chance to take a few shots of my workplace, while my manager is not in. I went to Hollywood Bakery, which is my workplace, on Saturday to meet my colleague for lunch. While waiting for her to pack her things, this is what I got:

See that "Cashier" conner? That's my exact spot. The oven, toaster, and coffee machine are all there. Remember that I mentioned I have to be the cashier, toast sandwiches and do many other things at the same time? That is how I work, turn around to reach for the toaster, and turn again to say 'hi' to the customers.

There are four bakeries. The first bakery on the left is for pies and savouries, sausages, toasties, and panini. The second bakery is all for CAKES. Yes, C.A.K.E.S. teehee....

See that red spot? .... my favourite cake is all gone. Yogurt Almond Cake. Sigh. All other cakes are too sweet for me.

The third bakery is for sandwiches. Chicken Avocado Sandwich, Tandori Chicken Sandwich, Cajun Chicken Sandwich..... you name it.

And the fourth bakery is for muffins (yummy my favourite chocolate muffin that maintain my sugar level everyday from 7am to 3pm =.=), danish, croissant, hotdog bread, etc.

And one last picture, the coffee machines. I've never tried to use it before, because I know I cannot afford to pay back if something goes wrong. HAHAHAHA...

But I can tell you, I'm addicted to the coffee bean's smell. :)

Cold on the inside, Colder on the outside

The cold weather symbolizes winter. Yes, without realizing Autumn was actually here and almost over, winter has just begun. And the cold just makes me uncomfortable. Then I found myself a little sick this morning.

Life has started to be very dull. So I start to do something I dont do usually -- like cooking. I started cooking after Elaine went back to Malaysia, and knowing that we can't eat outside food everyday. So I google recipes and cooking method and shop for groceries and mess around in the kitchen. On the first week, my dishes looked beautiful but doesn't really taste good.

Fried rice, Stir-fry Vege, and Prawn with Fish-tofu

Until today, I still can't cook dishes with chicken I don't know why and I give up lah. Just quit eating stupid meat and be vegeterian. But my friend, Ray, said, 'No!! Must eat meat during winter!! If not you will be too weak to fight the cold!!'. Oh well... :( I've been eating non-stop after work everyday and have put on 2kg because the cold will make you hungry. Serious. Trust me.

Tastiest dish ever. Haha. Stir-fry Brocolli

*yawn* i'm sick


You have no idea how I love the sun now because my clothes won't dry for five days after doing the laundry. And I would quickily go to the balcony just to enjoy the sunshine for a few minutes. And you will think hot weather might be better than a cold one. Then you start missing home. Then by eating this (!!!!!), you feel you're at home for 30 seconds. hehehehehe....

Yes we can get Mamee monster here!!! And Snickers!!! Mars!!!! Darlie, Pantene, Nivea... you name it.

*yawn* i'm really sleepy.

Nicknames

I think I have almost 100 nicknames. I can't really remember what nicknames I had before 12, but in secondary school, people call me by a lot of nicknames. My name is pretty difficult to pronounce so to avoid all the unnecessary questions, I would prefer people to refer me as Teh, my surname. And that is when all the nicknames started. My classmates would call me Teh Tarik, Teh Ais, Teh-O, Teh-Peng, and all the whatever-Teh you can think of.

In Form 2, I started attending one home tuition, and that tuition teacher refuse to call my surname, he said its weird. One day, I wore a pink T-shirt and a pink watch to tuition. As my tuition class was scheduled after my co-curriculum activity, I looked pinkish too because I stood under the hot sun for hours. Ta-da, my tuition teacher started calling me Pinky. For TWO years.


And huh!!! I just got a new nickname from my bosses in NZ. The male boss calls me leng-mui (Cantonese) or xiao-mei (Mandarin). And the female boss just wrote THIS on my payslip I was like....... so speechless.

I dont need anymore nicknames :(

Music

Music and I are inseperable. -_-

I went to a free concert by Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) on Tuesday night. I was very excited at first as I successfully booked two tickets online. Since my housemates will come back home late, I invited my colleague to go with me instead.




Well... the concert was not so nice because it appears to be like a debut for three compositions of three Auckland musicians. The first composer is a 18-year old male. He composed the orchestra music when he was 16. I don't really enjoy his music because it is very very contemporary. The second composer is the APO composer, and his composition uses a lot of percussion. The third one is quite interesting because the composer played the pipe organ and the music was very grand. What caught my attention was the conductor. He is from the US and he graduated from The Julliard Music School, which is one of the most prestigious music school in the world. Awesome-ness!

I don't know whether because its a free concert or its the culture, the seats were almost full. And believe it or not, they will either bring wine along or eat ice-cream during the intermediate. *Roll eyes*

XXX

Talking about music, I cannot stand NZ radio station. Its so boring!! They repeat the same songs again and again and again for the whole day. So I basically listen to Lady Gaga's Alejandro for four times a day (which is sooooooo annoying!!! Ale-alejandro Ale-alejandro~~~~ DOH!!!!), Usher's Oh My Gosh for five times a day (very annoying too!!! Oh oh oh oh oh oh... endless 'Ohs'), Train's Hey, Soul Sister for six times a day (why sister and not brother? =.=)... etc etc. Give me variaties!!!!

Its just another home-alone-day

Its raining outside. I'm alone at home. I love being alone when its raining. And the only thing I can do now is stare at the rain.

Woke up at 5 this morning because I couldn't sleep anymore. Since I am home alone today, I started cleaning the house at 7am -- clean the kitchen which is full of rat's shit (yes, rat's shit), change all the bedsheet and do the laundry, sweep and mop the floor, and simply wash the toilet. I cannot believe I did all that on my own! It's like a miracle wtf.... the end result is a clean and dust-less home, and a pair of extremely dry and rough hands. Darn! My hands!

I texted the Korean girl, Yumi, whom I met on the first day I reach Auckland, expecting we could meet up today to have tea. But she didn't reply me. I guess that's what people call 'friends come and go'. You might meet some people at a certain point of your life. But it doesn't mean they will stay by your side forever. Some of them stay, some of them walk away. You just need to learn to deal with the lost.

Umm... I wish I could have a cup of hot chocolate now.

SkyCity

My friends brought me up to SkyCity Orbit Restaurant for dinner last Sunday. Actually, it was one of the many farewell program for Elaine because she is going back (already went back) to Malaysia. For good.

The night view of the city from the restaurant is awesome. And the restaurant actually spin (at a very slow pace of course) so that we can see the whole city. How cool is that!

This is my main course for the night -- salmon something.. with cheese. hahaha!! Delicious!

And these three ladies.... The one at the front is a very good big sister, she basically take good care of everyone. Oh, there was once I had bad stomachache, she wrapped me with a hot blanket, on the heater, make milo for me, force me to sleep on her bed (we were at her house that time), and boil some chinese herbal soup. So touching right!!!! The second lady -- oh I tell u she and her husband keeeeeeeeep disturbing me only. But its good though, help me to mix well with them. And the third lady, umm... she cooks very well, we often go to her house to have dinner on weekends. She's a hair stylist too, and she's going to cut my hair this weekend!!!! Ok, only my fringes. hahahaah....

So Elaine has gone back to Malaysia. Lesser fun now.

Rant

Today is the 8th day of May. So fast I didnt even realize.

I worked from 6.45am to 6pm yesterday. Around noon, I felt my hand is in pain. There were redness all over, and some blood on my fingertips. I dont know whether I'm allergy to the dishwasher, or the water is too hot, or I carry too many things or etc etc... I felt like crying. :'(

But I have to hang on. But for what? Why? For the money? And tiredness is what I got after all the hard work? No food from 6.45am to 6pm, meet weird customers, work with crazy manager, even my colleague scolded me yesterday for her fault WTF???!!!, come back home, shower, have dinner, sleep at 9pm. My pathetic life.

hang on for few more weeks and i'm done.

please satisfy my physiological needs

today, i am an angry woman. because of sleep deprivation and hunger. according to maslow's hierarchy of needs, i am actually anxious and tense because my very basic physiological needs are not met. blah.

sometimes we need to learn to enjoy the beauty and simplicity of things around us in order to make us happy. like the rainbow. the colors make me happy.

its pretty easy to see rainbows in auckland, because it often rains when the sun is still out. and the rainbow will be very obvious.

Ta.

More drama

Aite. Let me tell you some drama at my work place okay? okay? okay???

My manager is seriously crazy. Besides than extreme Type-A personality, I think she also has Bipolar Disorder plus a little bit of schizophrenia and a lot of fake-ness. Let me analyze them:

• Type-A personality: - Basically, she has all the type-A personality traits. Like walk and talk in a very fast pace, expect others to do things as fast as her, very bad tempered, impatient, easily get angry over little things. Oh ya, and she's a workaholic -- she basically work 365days a year. :)

• Bipolar Disorder + Schizophrenia + Fake-ness: - The only reason I said so because she act completely different when the big boss is here and when he's not. When the big boss is not around, she will show all her bad temper etc etc and scold the employees like they don't worth a single cent. Even worse, she will shout at the customers. Or scold them in Mandarin or Cantonese. When the big boss comes (at around 10am everyday), she will smile so widely. And suddenly she become so friendly and easygoing and soft-spoken WTF. And out of a sudden she will work SUPER fast. Trust me, its SUPER fast. She is already a workaholic. And when the big boss leaves, she'll put on her shit face again. Seriously?

• To add on to the second point. She hates one of the employee AKA China girl AKA kitchen hand (Lets call her 'S'). On my first working day, both of them were arguing in the kitchen, shouting and crying. I was like -- what's their problem? And three days ago, at 6.50am, they argued again. I was witnessing the whole thing. The manager started scolding S, and S was busy preparing the food in the kitchen. And then S brought the food out to the bakery, and the manager wanted to go into the kitchen. By right, if you see someone is carrying something, you will automatically make way. But the manager bumped S's shoulder, and the food dropped on the floor. There goes the fight. S started shouting and the manager keep denying and said S bump into her and call S crazy. The scary part is, I was in front of them. And I don't know what to do. And after that, the manager was oh-so-nice to me I felt very uneasy.

My work is not tough nor stressful. I actually enjoy talking (um... not talking also. Just saying "Hi, 5 dollars, thank you, bye") to the customers. There are all kinds of people there, students, workers, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, NZlanders, Aussie... Its interesting to see them everyday. And anticipate what coffee they are going to order, and see their surprised face.

BUT -- to work with one manager like this is totally crazy. I have to survive through this!!!!!!!!!!!

Mt. Eden, Auckland

Happy Labour's Day! There's not much difference actually. The bakery is open today, my friends are working today. Only me, I'm not working. Sigh.

And I run out of cereals already!!! No breakfast today. What a morning.

Well... I went to Mt. Eden last sunday morning to jog. Yes, to jog. I'm a healthy girl. Mt. Eden (Maunghawau in Maori language) is the highest natural point in Auckland. Its a cinder cone (click if you don't know what is cinder cone). In fact, it is not high at all. I walked to the peak in 10 minutes, and got down in 10 minutes. So they call that high? Haha! And out of curiosity and my attempt to be adventurous, I went down to the crater!! The bowl-like crater is 50 metres deep. And according to wikipedia: "The volcano erupted several times resulting in a series of craters, with the last eruption about 15,000 years ago." Cool eh?

Oh, no pictures this time because I couldn't upload it. Will do so next week :D





updates:


picture time! this is the crater: -

When the Hot Chocolate become Icy Cold....

Well. I started to work as a full-time staff in the bakery since Monday. It wasn't that fun anymore because I feel real tired after 12pm. I am not lazy okay. Read on.

I start my day at 6.45am where I need to start cooking Cabanossi sausage (which I got to know two days ago that it contains beef and I have eaten a few before that), and toast 2 sandwiches. Then, I will have to do some cleaning before the pastries truck's arrival. And then I need to arrange all the danish, croissant, hot dog bread, etc etc. In the mean time, if there are customers, I will have to be the cashier. Sometimes I feel like a superwoman -- I need to do two things at the same time or the manager will scold me.

When there are more customers coming in, and the manager has more coffee to make, she will go crazy and start scolding everyone crazily. And now, me and my colleagues will have to multitask -- be the cashier, bake panini (a kind of sandwich), toast sandwich, cook sausages, add on the coffee bean or any other things that the manager might need, clean the table, arrange the food in the glass bakery, send coffee to customers. Non-stop. Until 3pm. If you concentrate on one thing and ignore the others -- TADA -- the bad words will follow. (*&&U^T%^$%%@##!.. :)

If there is any 2 minutes where no customer comes in, my colleague will make me a cup of hot chocolate. Before I could take a sip, in comes another customer. And when I finally have time to drink it, it has become icy cold chocolate. Oh, and I can only have my breakfast and lunch after 3pm. :)

And there are new scars on my hand everyday. Burn, and dryness because of dishwasher.

Ahh, me and my manager issue.


p/s: oh there are some fun thing on our to-do-list too -- chase away the pigeons :)

Not that TV Series

No, its not that One Tree Hill TV Series. Its the real One Tree Hill. So, I went to One Tree Hill and Victoria Park Market today.

Well, apparently there is a story of One Tree Hill ('Maungakiekie' in Maori language) which I didn't bother to know in detail. You can read it in wikipedia or here. It is a volcano. Its called 'One Tree Hill' because it really has a tree at the peak, but was chopped of 10 years ago due to some politic issues. Details here. So it now looks like this:

It is a nice park to jog actually. But the weather is crazy. It can be raining this minute, and sunny the next. And the sun is burning hot.

Oh, and Victoria Park Market! It was dead boring and its a waste to visit that place. Nothing much to see. I thought at least there'll be some nice stalls to see, but none at all. Disappointing.

Aite! Its the end of weekend. Tomorrow is time to work! till then.

Waste

There's one thing I really don't like here -- people here waste food. I don't know whether I am too sensitive or what. I am working in a bakery AKA cafe. I see food everyday. I see people throwing food everyday.

In the kitchen... My colleague would throw the whole sandwich away when the sandwich doesn't look good.

At the cafe... The customers will drink only half of their coffee/hot chocolate, or eat half of their muffins etc. And I have to throw them away. (will I be punished for 'wasting' food???)

At 'home'... My friend would throw away all the overnight dishes or the bread she brought back from the cafe if nobody eat them.

I feel really bad seeing people throwing food away. So many people are suffering out there. Catastrophe are happening in the other corner of the world. Yet people don't know how to appreciate things here. I know I sound like a granny now but hey, aren't we suppose to be grateful with what we have now? Tell me how to oversee these.

Autumn

You can really feel autumn is here now.

Dried leaves everywhere.

Cold wind.

No sun.

Even worse, it started to rain.

Mummy, I am cold here... :(

Kick me out of my comfort zone please....

I'm staying in Ray's house at Mount Albert, Auckland before I can get a room in the city. The rooms in city are darn expensive. :(

This is the backyard of his house:

and Mt. Albert Primary School, behind his house. very nice right? i know :)

I'm living a boring life now. Wake up at 6am, go to work at 7am, finish work at 12pm (all because I dont have an IRD number yet!!!), take a train back to home, and do some simple housework. Ta-da, my day is over. Like a retiree. hahaha...

Sometimes I will ask myself whether this is what I really want. Everything come too easily to me. I thought I am suppose to walk out of my comfort zone when I decided to come to nz. But I still feel the same way. Weird huh.

I need a kick to get myself out of my comfort zone!!!!!

Fake Smile

tell me about fake smile.

I learned to fake smile when I was in my previous job. you know, in corporate world, and especially in a PR department, you need to fake smile. Those smiles -- they are never real. You need to learn to BS and fake smile -- like you're a clown.

and I thought I will never need them anymore after I leave my job.

Obviously, I am so wrong. One of the bosses came in to the bakery this morning, and warned the manager to ask everyone to smile. How to remind yourself to smile then?

the manager: "when you see people walking towards you (i'm the cashier), imagine seeing money walking to you, then you will smile!!!!!!"

me (in my heart): "....................... wtf..."



well, i have to fork out my long lost ability to fake smile now.

:) (mind you, this is fake)

for my mother....

Dear Mother,

This is FGS of North Island, NZ. its at Manukau -- another city near Auckland.

For your information, I kena marah again in the FGS AAAAAAAAAAAAAA =.= aiya, because i didnt see the 'no camera' sign board outside of 'da xiong bao dian'. then i went inside and took one photo... suddenly one si fu tap my shoulder and said :" No pictures please". Malu only. then i quickly run out of da xiong bao dian... =.= oh, this is the picture i took (hahahahahahaha) :

ok. i mau tidur! bye bye!

gooooooooooood morning!

yo people! (when i start saying hi this way, you know i am really bored)

its 6.40 in the morning. i'm awake because someone kicked me out of the bed. =.=

i went to a few places over the weekend!

1. The view at Shakespear Regional Park, which is located at the tip of Whangaparaoa Peninsular, is breathtaking:

2. Then yesterday, my friends and I took the ferry to Waiheke Island, 35min ferry ride from downtoan Auckland. The island is very beautiful too, with alot of nice beaches. i love the houses by the beach. sooooooooooooooo nice! imagine waking up in the morning and take a stroll along the beach in front of your house......... fuyoh! oh, the bus driver told us one small little house there cost NZD 1 million +++ few years back. -_-

3. Last night, my friend brought me to the casino in Sky Tower. guess what, its my first visit to a casino. (Genting punya pun tak pernah pergi tau!) the casino was quite small... i was having skyjuice (ehem ehem -- maklum lah budak baik) before i decided to take a look at the slot machines. i totally have no idea why people like to play slot machines -- they are so boring!!!! and then my friend took me to play blackjack. bahaha, not my money so its fun =.= but still, i can't understand why people is addicted to gambling.

umm... basically, life in auckland (or nz) is boring like that. shops close at 6pm. the street will be dead quiet at night -- unlike KL (woohooooo). (TRIVIA QUESTION!) so what do people do at night?

-------------------- drink, smoke, gamble, drink, gamble, smoke, drink *evil grin*

got a job!

yes i got a job. in a bakery call 'hollywood'. lucky enough to get a job huh. thanks A LOT to my friends, Elaine, Ray and Garry who have been helping me a lot since i reach Auckland.

well, i went to the bakery to become a free kuli today (to learn everything before i start working officially next tuesday actually :P). it was quite fun, but kinda tiring. me, who used to love the smell of coffee so much (cheryl ann knows that), feel like puking now because of coffee-smell-overdose. URGH!

ah!! and i have to move to another hostel which is up the super steep slope!!!!!!!!!! HOW HOW HOW~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

i miss my bed :(

i need luck

life here is too relaxing and i become too lazy to do anything. the weather is so cold i feel like sleeping every minute.

photo photo!!

my sim card. 2 degrees. ok fine my friend said people seldom use this :(

umm... town hall eh? forgot.

Sky City (landmark of Auckland) from Albert Park

Viaduct Habour

i went to the museum yesterday. some of my pictures are still in my camera. forgot to transfer into my pendrive. but, guess whats the name of this chair!!! its so funny i almost burst out laughing.

umm. still cant get a job here. tried calling some China people's shops. and they said my mandarin is not good enough. ya right. :(

if things continue to be like that, i shall plan for my trip down to South Island. i want go to South Island before winter!!!! :(

i need luck i need luck i need luck

---- GOOD LUCK of course. =.=

Kia Ora!

Kia Ora! It’s my second day in Auckland!

I reach the Auckland International Airport at around 1pm yesterday. I was worried about the custom as I brought some BKT and Chinese Herb soup ingredients along. But obviously i got through safely lah. (oh ya, my friend reminded me not to use ‘lah’ but i can’t help it, it’s like the best word to end a sentence wtf....)

Oo and i did alot of stupid things that embarassed myself yesterday.

1. On the plane, i waited outside the toilet for like 30 seconds when it is vacant, until one ang-moh lady came and stood in front of me, asking if i’m waiting for the toilet
2. When i got off the bus and walk to the YHA, i think i nearly killed myself because the slope was so damn steep and my luggage was so damn big. At one moment, the luggage nearly go faster than me. Hows that. I tell you, there are slops EVERYWHERE in auckland. you will die if you walk.
3. I decided to stop-by at an internet cafe on Queen Street ( a very famous street you can google it). It stated so damn clearly ‘$1 for 30 min, $2 for 1 hour’. I dont know why am i so smart sometimes, i have to ask the guy again :

‘$2 for 1 hour?’

“yea”

‘and half an hour for 1 Ringgit?? (IMMIDIATELY REALISING I AM EMBARASSING MYSELF WTF!!!)’

“no we dont use ringgit here...”

‘(answering with red face and trying to cover with my stupid smile) sorry, i mean 1 dollar’

“ yes.. hahaha”.

Thank you please dont repeat that again...

Ok thats the end of the jokes.

I went to the i-Site (for information, obviously) when i stepped out of the custom. The people there are kinda helpful, cos I got my bus ticket to the town from them (Airbus – a blue bus – for $14 one way), and a sim card (i bought ‘2degrees’ but my friend said people seldom use this).

There are all kinds of people here. 100000 Japanese and Jap Restaurants you wont feel like eating sushi anymore, 100000 Korean you dont feel like going to Korea anymore, 1000000 Asians... etc. oh and FYI, i have one Japanese roommate, one Korean roommate, and one Taiwanese roommate. 1 world. (uhh, no more 1 malaysia).

And... my dinner for the first night is BKT. I feel like home lah... hahahahahah...

Ok, nothing more to update. The wind is very strong and i feel very cold. Till then!

Leaving in 2 days

Visa - check
Air ticket - check
Camera - check
Netbook - check
Luggage - check

Everything ready, except for money. and myself.

I'm still worried. but not that much. Only have to be extra careful when I'm there alone.

I met a friend who will be in Auckland in three days after I reach there. We've decided to meet on the day she arrive, so, apparently I have companion! :)

So what's my plan so far? I roughly browse through the net yesterday and found some place of interest that I can visit, but the admission fees are so high I think I cannot afford it at this point. And I think I would be pretty stupid to go to the arcade alone.

Though, I can go to the museum! I know some people might find it boring, but I love museum okayyyyyy.... Auckland War Memorial Museum is pretty interesting, compared to our musuem. They have exhibitions and activities. ummm.. then I can walk around the city, you know, like a real tourist. (hahahahaha...)



This website will be helpful for you to understand everything about Auckland, NZ.

• Auckland, New Zealand | The OFFICIAL Site

Till then.

YHA Membership card

I got my card yesterday ~



Its a 2 years membership card for RM70.

The person who sent me the card, Mr. Nesah, was very helpful because he brought along brochures and map of YHA in NZ, Singapore, Taiwan, Scotland, German..and a few more countries. aha, its so convenient for a lazy person like me :P

and... did you notice the 'category' column?... its stated SENIOR. eww.. i feel awkward to consider myself a 'senior' because it makes me feel like i'm a granny... *roll eyes*

青年旅舍 / YHA

刚刚申请了青年旅舍的会员。原本以为过程会很复杂，而且还需要跑到KL去申请，就慢慢的拖到了今天。刚才打了通电话去寻问，好心的负责人 Mr. Lionel 告诉我不需要到KL的中心去申请，因为他就住在我家附近啦～～他可以拿来给我哦。真的是太好了。。（偷笑ing）。

申请这个会员有什么好处呢？我能想到的唯一好处就是租旅舍时有折扣。

I just applied for the membership for Youth Hostel Association (YHA). I thought the process will be troublesome, that I have to go to somewhere in KL to apply. So I called the center just now, the person-in-charge, Mr. Lionel, advise me not to go to KL because he can bring the card over to my place as he stays around my area too!! woohooo....

Hmm.. the only benefit of this membership I could think of is.. I can rent a room at the hostel at a discounted rate. *roll eyes*



怎么申请？How to apply?


1. 到KL的中心去 / Pay a visit to the center:

• Hostelling International - Malaysia
• 1-7, Block B, Impian Kota Apartment, Jalan Manau Off Jalan Kg Attap, 50460 Kuala Lumpur.
• Tel: 03-2273 6870 / 019- 313 6964 (Mr. Lionel)

2. 透过MSL旅游社申请 / Apply through MSL travel agency:

• MSL Travel Sdn Bhd
• 66, Jalan Putra, 50350 Kuala Lumpur.
• Tel: 03-4042 4722

3. 其余有可能的方法，请浏览/ Please visit this website for other possible application method.

• Malaysian Youth Hostel Association

会员费 / Price of the membership


会员费大致上分为三种 / the membership is categorize into three main types:

1. Junior (12 - 17 years) = RM30.00
2. Senior (18 years and above) = RM40.00
3. Life (one time payment) = RM300.00



28号到达Auckland后也许就会入宿那边的旅舍先，然后再做打算。暂时这样。掰。

Probably I will spend a night or two at the YHA in Auckland on 28th, and will decide my next destination. So long.

Flight

I'm back!! after so long i know. i have ignore my preparation for this for sooooooo long because i was busy with work and with... i dont know.... chinese new year maybe? hehe.

i paid for my procrastination okay. i was lazy to do research on flight tickets and i hate the hassle that i have to go through if i buy cheap flight because i need to transit like 100 times before i can reach auckland. ok i'm exaggerating. and... i bought an expensive flight ticket! :(

so what airline is available?


1. Malaysian Airline (MAS) - direct flight to Auckland. Expensive but less hassle. or wait for MAS fair.

2. Air Asia - The World's Best Low-Cost Airline. no further explanation required. you can fly to Australia and take Virgin Blue or Pacific Blue to NZ.

3. Royal Brunei Airline - this airline is quite cheap actually. but you have to transit at Brunei before you reach Auckland.


for all other airline, please do research yourself thankiu.

I'm flying to Auckland on 27 March 2010 9.30pm and will be back on 8 August 2010 8.15pm. All set!! Lets move on to the next stage. :)

准备过程。。。 Getting Ready....

我还需要做许多的决定。在周末里收集了很多很多的资料，但是还是不敢随便做决定。
I have more decisions to make. Have been researching on loads of information over the weekend, and still being indecisive.

1. 机票/flight ticket

• 要直飞纽西兰，还是到澳洲转机呢？听说有人在澳洲关卡被刁难了。一个人过去，难免会怕遇上麻烦。但是直飞纽的机票又很贵。
• Should I take a direct flight to NZ or to transit at Australia? But I have heard people facing hassle at Aus custom. Since I'm going alone, I'm afraid of unnecessary hassle.
  

2. 手机/ handphone

• 刚问过了一个有经验的网友，然后决定带了。毕竟去到那边找工作时，雇主也只能用电话和我联系。这个是我这么久以来做过最聪明的决定。。。=.=
• I just consulted an experienced net friend, and I've decided to bring one. The employers in NZ can only contact me through phone calls if I am hunting for a job right. So this is my wisest decision so far (wtf...)
  

3. 银行户口/bank account

• 网友也说必须申请一个银行户口，以方便雇主汇薪水。惨了，我从来没有想到这点。
• My net friend also mentioned that it is necessary for me to apply for a bank account so that the employer can bank in my salary. GASP. I have never thought of this.

4. IRD 卡/ IRD Card

• 所有在纽打工的人都必须缴税。我也还不太清楚这个系统，但是大约知道打工度假的人需要缴22%的税。恐怖吧。至于申请这个卡，就可以到邮政局去申请。
• Everyone who is working in NZ have to pay tax. I am not so sure about this system yet, but I understand that people holding the W&T visa have to pay a tax of 22%. Scary isn't it. And we can apply for this card at the post office.
• How to apply?
  

5. CV

• 我是不是应该开始准备一份简单的cv了？以免到时候找工作的时候多了一些不必要的麻烦。
• I need to prepare a simple cv so that I don't face any trouble hunting for job later.

6. 工作/ job

• 工作！很多人都问我去到那里可以做什么？我都告诉他们，做好象外劳在大马做的东西。哈哈！！工作的选择不多，因为打工度假者不被允许做长久的工作。所以通常都是做果园或农场的工作，在老人院当看护，在餐厅当厨房帮手或waiter/waitress。现在我必须先找好资料，看哪里有工作，一下飞机就狂打电话应征了。
• Job! Many has been asking me what can I do there. There is not much choices as W&T people is not allowed to take up permenant job. We are allowed to work in orchard, farm, old folks home (as a care taker), or becoming a kitchen helper or waiter/waitress in restaurant. So I have to find information on these jobs and call them up for interview once I reach there.

7. 住宿/accomodation

• 有几个选择。但是不知道哪个好。第一，背包客旅馆(BBH)。第二，青年旅社(YHA)。第三，租房间。第四，Homestay. 付钱方式好象又有两种，可以换宿或者缴租金。我应不应该申请bbh 或 yha 的会员呢？
• There's a few choices. But I'm not sure which is good. 1. Backpacker Budget Hostel (BBH). 2. Youth Hostel Association (YHA). 3. Rent a room. 4. Homestay. And we can either pay the rental or you can work for them to exchange for the accomodation. Should I apply for the membership of BBH or YHA?...

8. Internet

• 听说当地的图书管都有的上网，而且是免费的。要不然 bbh or yha 都有提供网络服务，只是收费不定。没有网络，我要怎么活？？。。。 :S
• Found out that libraries in nz do provide free internet service. BBH and YHA too, but with charges. How can I live without internet?.....
  

需要解决的问题暂时那么多。解决了这些，我可以比较放心的过去了。加油！！
There's so much to solve for this moment. I can go to nz peacefully if I can handle these. Ganbateh!!

重大的决定 / Important Decision

2010年的第一个星期，我和Kellie决定申请纽西兰打工假期签证。缴了约RM300的申请费，签证终于在一月11日批了下来。很高兴的告诉了几个好友，然后再告诉Kellie，然后又马上开始找很多很多的资料。

就在前天我准备到klcc kinokuniya找一些关于纽西兰的书时，Kellie打电话给我说，也许她不能如期去纽西兰了。嗯，我担心的事终于发生了。原本就不是很敢一个人过去，所以当她说要去时，我兴致勃勃的答应了。

同事和朋友都一直鼓励我一个人去。他们都说是一个新鲜大胆的尝试，不会有事的。经过一整天的挣扎，我还是鼓起了勇气，决定一个人踏上这个旅程了。

希望这个是一个正确的决定。

XXX

Kellie and I have decided to apply for the New Zealand Work and Travel Visa on the first week of 2010. After paying the RM300 application fees, we got our visa on 11 January 2010. I informed a few of my best friends, and Kellie too, and I started to do my research on NZ W&T.

When I was about to go to KLCC Kinokuniya to look for some books on NZ, Kellie called me. She said she might not be able to go to NZ with me on the date that we planned initially. Hmm, the thing that I worried the most has happened. I didn't want to go alone. That's why when she invited me, I agreed to go with her.

However, my friends and colleague encouraged me to go alone. They said is a big step for me, it will be okay. After struggling for a day, I finally decide to take this journey alone.

I hope this will be a correct decision.

XXX

Link to apply New Zealand Working Holiday Scheme: -

New Zealand Immigration

p/s: i will post the links with useful info from time to time :)