Hark-the-Harold

Well it has been a long time since i post anything on the blog. many things have happened throughout the weeks. will give a summary and also the current status and concerns as well.

Well i have been out tramping for another two times now. the first one being the Whatipu-Omanawanui track and the Mahurangi regional park walk. Both were pleasant walks even though the Mahurangi walk was more like a stroll in the park.

Next i joined the University Model United Nations (UniMUN), where you can represent one country and debate on issues and in amending, passing or rejecting resolutions. i represented South Korea with a friend Tania, and later switched to France when the Nuclear detonation happened in Iran as the simulation of third issue. It was a good fun. However i also realise that i do not have enough world view to participate in this activity. Well i know i am not a political studies or Law major but i think the basic knowledge of countries and their viewpoints and concerns should be those things that i should have a grasp on. I wanted to join AMUNC but it clashes with my south island trip.

this, of course, lead me to another issue that i am worried about. i am going down for a South island trip on june 30th. it will be for two weeks and i cannot begin to imagine how much will i have to speand for this trip. at least between 1000- to 1500 dollars? help. i only work when there are works and it will only be about 300 max i can get? thanks goodness for the allowance that has come in and it can be my reserve fund should anything bad happened, touch wood. well i will try to find some work and hopefully i can find some money to offset the cost.

For the time being i am lazing around as today’s Queen’s birthday. Happy birthday Elizabeth (hush, kurang ajar!) i came back from 18+ group retreat yesterday and actually went out clubbing the whole night. imagine that! the retreat was nice. i really enjoyed interacting with people from around the world (i mean seriously around the world-columbia,Fiji,Uganda,india, ireland,south africa) and spend some quiet time praying and reflecting. it was a bliss attending this retreat after two weeks in frenzy doing assignments and preparing for tests. Now i can sit back relax and enjoy the day as it is. Holiday mood is on even though i have a Educ 225 exam two weeks from now. but hey, who cares, it’s still a fortnight away.

The next day we went to Bay of Islands, it was a great trip because we drive on our own. I got to become the navigator of the trip. I just love maps and giving directions so even i got only 4 hours sleep before that i managed to stay awake until the end of day.

I wanted to go see the dolphin as soon as we reached Paihia but thinking that i have been spending quite a sum of money i decided to join the budget group to Urupukapuka Island. It was a 25 mins boat ride from Paihia and the view there was very good too. iwe climb up to the hill top of the island and see the seaview and also the small resort on the island. And the hill side is full of sheeps and their dungs as well. We took pictures like crazy. however, one bad thing was that the day was quiet bad and it was grizzling all day. although it makes the atmosphere somewhat melancholic and sad ( i always like the desolateness), i think the view could have been better with all the hills.

The night came my biggest challenge- driving long distance in the dark. I never drive long distance at night and it kinda freaks me out whn i actually tell my friends that i wanted to drive. Thank Giidness for Justin who stay with me as i drive the two hours distance from somewhere after Whangarei to Auckland. Thanks bro. Even though some of my friends were on panic mode whn i drove. I have concentrated and learnt along as i drove. I was so into the driving that i didn’t feel that i have not taking enough sleep on that day and i only felt the lethargy after i got back. I had to pass the Mount Eden trip the next day so that i can recover from tiredness.

We did not send the folks off on saturday because we have the Malaysian Auckland carnival. It was fine and my performance went along smoothly. I was happy that Teresa and Chris from the 18+ group came for the performances. today i went to work at Vector. Mostly coolie work but i was happy to finally earn some money for myself thought the amount is not so much.

Crazy week for the holiday, what a contrast compare to the almost bored to tears days in the week before. Tomorrow the lectures start again and i will continue my study.

Hi. this is the poem that was presented during Choon Wei’s birthday. It was a combination effort by him and I. It teases him about when he is getting married since he is older now. Well he said he doesn’t have looks nor fortune.

Ini le pantun hasil nukilan saya dan rakan sekampung saya Choon Wei yang anda dengar semasa majlis harijadi Choon Wei. Kebanyakan rangkap adalah ilham dia, saya tolong beri kata-kata yang sesuai je tapi dapat nama. hehe!

Asam pedas ikan keli,
Bekal dibawa ke pantai Merang,
Bertandang tamu jauh sekali,
Berseri majlis hati pun girang,

Nikmat rezeki kongsi-kongsikan
Nikmat budi balas-balaskan
Rahmat Ilahi syukur-syukurkan,
Saudara ChoonWei kita raikan,

Merindu kasih beria-ria,
Hajat di hati ingin bersua,
Dua dekad hidup di dunia,
Pahit manis ditempuh jua,

Berkilat sinar tiara permata,
Molek dipakai si gadis Lingga,
Dewasa sudah saudara kita,
Bila pula berumah tangga?

Datang sekawan dari seberang,
Menghilai tawa bergurau senda,
Siapalah saya di hati orang,
Berharta tiada wajah pun tiada,

Manis sekali si anak dara,
Diusik teruna berpaling malu,
Buka dada tanyalah selera,
Pinta di hati janganlah silu.

Yesterday we started the cuti-cuti auckland programme after a week of careful planning of the auckie folks. Our welli friends (justin, Aiman, Wooi leong and asyraf a.k.a usher) arrived safely on monday night. i was assigned to pick them up at the terminal. It was a funny felling when i was waiting expectantly for people to arrive. the feeling of seeing friends coming down from bus is quite queer but its nice. Guess that feeling comes because that was the first time i ever went and picked up somebody from a terminal.

The next day we went to Mission Bay after the guys had their taste of bungy jumping. They said it was fun and of course we were glad that they did. At the mission bay, we had fish and chips and took tons of photos (i took a very wedding getaway type photo for justin and Eva and i think it was sweet). Later we planned to go on a trip to Bay of Islands. and the cool part is that we are renting a van and will drive up there on our own! It was a very interesting trip for me, justin,Audrey, jess and Alvin (Lindsay too) to Penang and Taiping last year and i seriously cant wait to go despite having to wake up at 4.30 am tomorrow.

Last night after Mission Bay the guys gathered for a game of Risk. it was fun even though i almost got into argument with aiman over the rules. we started again after what i called was an unfair game but we had fun in the next game. we just finished the game when the bad news came that Jess had lost her purse. I could really feel what she felt , coming from my own experience of losing a laptop myself. Thankfully all her friends (including me of course) have tried to help her find her purse. we backtracked the whole downtown Auckland but we had no luck. I wished i could be of more help rather that just searching and praying for her(calling the intercession of Mary, St Anthony and even St Jude) to no avail. but i believe everything happened for a purpose and God surely has something in store for Jess, so GB Jess!

Today we had great fun at Waiheke Island. the scenery is breathtaking and of course tons of photos were taken as well. however, the dance rehearsal for the Malaysian Auckland Carnival will be held tonight and having missed quite many practices, i thought i could be in trouble though actually i am not so worried about it since i am ’star’ dancer (eleh, ‘perasan’nye saya)haha.

well wanna take a shower and get ready. actually i am quite lazy to go down but the interest, passion and commitment await me. Au Revoir! Will be posting soon about the second part of Cuti Cuti Auckland

Its only Easter monday and i am yelling ‘i am bored’ already. I went dinner at choon wei’s flat and his flatmate Natasha, then watched Shakespeare in Love and Miss Congeniality back to back until 2am. then sleep trhen wake up and cook for lunch. now i am in front of the computer, thinking what i should do for the few days to come.

let’s see, no tramping trip just yet, work has not started yet, assignment got but i don’t want to do, clean up the room i am too lazy, i should finish the sci-fi novel that i brought, singing…..getting sick of it now. maybe watch dvd, Railway has this service where you can borrow dvd to watch, and the selections are quite good too. i plan of borrowing ‘2001 a space odyssey’ and ’star trek: nemesis’ not that i am Trekkie but i love everything sci-fi.

oh still got grey’s anatomy to finish, Stargate. but i cant stay roombound for the whole week right? dance practice may only get hectic next week, and that’s when my welli friends are coming and we might bring them around. nothing exciting from the 18+ group yet. sigh* maybe i just stay in the room after all.

Sigh* After two weeks of crazy life, finally i am a free man. imagine working on four assignments that have to be passed up in two days back to back. Well i passed them up today and i am looking forward to good plans for ths Easter break. Any ideas folks?

I thought i was crazy when i decided to go tramping and kill off my whole sunday when i still have the assignemnts to do. Well i doubt my fitness level to do the tramping as it takes about 6 hours of walking on 15km loop track. I went for it anyway and it was superb. The scenery is wonderful and breathtaking. I have no regrets going for the trip. Not only i get to enjoy the wonders of nature and improve my fitness level (and burn some fat in the process), i also get to know some locals who are tramp enthusiasts. One amazing lady was Judy, she was in her 60s and she still goes tramping and her stamina is even better than mine., i was almost embarassed by that. The day was fine until somebody broke his leg while on his way down the valley (errr, we tramped at Koromandel, some place called…let me check…here goes…Kauaeranga Valley. ) so it got a bit sad, as the guy was sent out from the valley to Waikato hospital and is scheduled for an operation. Hope he is alright though. Nevertheless i would love to go for any weekend tramping trip.

This week is i think the most emotional week for me. I snapped yesternight. i actually threw my papers at the door after somebody left. I guess i have never experienced the stress some much. i always though i can never be brought down by stress but i guess i was wrong. Today i said the wrong things and was fired straight back by my friend. Suddenly feel so alone in this world. Thank god for Jesus who still stays beside me and hear my sad story. such a friend in need.

Talking about Jesus, this week is holy week so i expect a lot of action in the church. Tomorrow’s Holy thursday, good Friday, Easter vigil are all packed with nice rituals and hopefully nice singing too (st. Bens people like to sing the same song again and again. I have lost count how many times we sang ‘now we remain’). Then Jackie is joing us for an Easter break. i might want to go help out at the prison service too.

Happy Easter and have fun!

Humph, i just came back from Manukau, where they had the annual Polyfest. It’s like the national celebration of high school students as they will compete against each other in performing Maori and Pacifican culture songs and dances. So there were five stages set up with each presenting cultural showpiece of Maori, Tongan, Samoan, Cook Island and Niue people. it was quite cool, as each of the culture has their quite similiar but different song and dance. I personally prefer the Maori and the Cook Islanders. the first for the fiery (eyes bulged out and tongues protuded) and the latter for the good upbeat music (sounds like Sean Paul’s Temperature) and the Hula they did, it was awesome.

After i watched the Maori performance by one of the schools, the spectators started to sing and perform the reply dance. seeing them shouting and dancing made me feel so excited. i don’t know why. maybe seeing them being so proud of their culture makes me happy for them.

I wonder why can’t we have the same thing in Malaysia? I mean if the country is so determined in promoting our very own cultural potpurri, it should start from school so that the students will learn not only to appreciate their own culture but their friends as well. Imagine we have like a performance like this in Malaysia, where each school representing different states performing Zapin, Joget, Inang, Chinese and Indian dance, with each state can perform their own specialty dance, Ulik Mayang for Terengganu, Branyo for Malacca, Canggung for Perlis, Kuda Kepang for johore, Magunatip for Sabah and also Ngajat for Sarawak. When i was in the IPBA i joined the dance troupe for the Inter Teacher Training College dance competition. I did the traditional malay dance. The atmosphere was so good as we all dressed in colourful costume and we performed something that is so uniquely our own. Being a Chinese does not wane my interest of learning how to perform Malay dances too. If only we can bring this to the secondary school level. I heard of Johore state Zapin competition where primary,secondary and even tertiary education institutions competing for the Johore state Zapin champion. So cool.

Hope that i can bring these things back to Malaysia, and start a Malaysian Fest! haha.

I really want to say this. If not i would definitely end up crying to sleep. My english sucks, i am hopeless in English, i made more grammatical mistakes more than i do anything. what must i be so bad at english? tell meeeeeeeeeeeeee…..???!!!!

I know there are many reasons why i suck at english. For example i do not speak english at home, i am not from a former mission or Malays school, i was chinese-ed through out. English is practically my third language after mandarin and Malay. However those reasons are not meant to be excuses for me not doing well, especially when i am doing TESL ( seriously i am even thinking whether i have taken the right course). And seeing my friends doing well in their studies makes my heart sour. i am saying out loud that i really envy and jealous of their achievement. i will kill to acquire their proficiency in English.

My lecturers all said that to improve your language takes times, years if not months. However, i seriously cannot put up with any more critics on my language though i know i deserve every single comment on it because my grammar error is all over the place, i am a Mr.Malaprop and i have trouble expressing myself. I have read novels but apparently that does not seem to help (my english got even worse i think).

Sometimes i really hope i have come from SMK Sultan Sulaiman, have a good command of english and do not speak Mandarin. At least if i have chosen TESL i know i will do well in it as i would have had a good command of English. It really pains me to hear my lecturer saying time and again that ‘ your thinking and arguments are good, i can understand you quite well but again, your language pulls you down.’ Lord have mercy on me really, what is wrong with me?

However, i cannot give up, i will try every thing necessary to improve my situation, if all else fails, then i might consider having suicide or something. Seriously, what’s the point of becoming an English teacher of you cant even write an essay without having grammar mistakes in it? i would not want to be one, would you?

Oh helpppppp………somebody help me pleaseeeeeeee………..

I think i was crazy, i did not know what i was doing. i actually signed up for bungy jumping two weeks ago without realizing what i have got myself into. My mom was like begging me not to go, after hearing the news that somebody was paralysed after doing a bungy jumping. i tried not to think about it and decided to go for it. We waited at the clock tower and got onboard a van to go to the Auckland Harbour bridge.

Without knowing time flies i was sitting on top of the platform, getting my feet strapped with the cord. Friends were cheering for me but i feel apprehensive. I tried not to think of anything. When i approach the jumping platform, i was really nervous. I was saying oh my goodness what have got myself into. i looked down and there was the sea. Even though it was only 40 metres, i was almost shaking. I then tried very hard to smile for the camera before the instructor counted ‘ 5,4,3,2,1′, i jumped, feeling emptiness as i dived into the sea and bounced back again, the feeling when i was freefalling was a bit weird, i feel scared but confused at the same time. When i was bouncing back the feeling was nice.It feels like i am back in the spring sarong hammock all over again. i was hoisted up upside down, it did not feel good but it was alright. and i lost one side of my shoes to the sea too, arrggh.

As i was waiting for the others to jump, i was suddenly caught by the feeling of fright. I was worried that i might fell off anytime soon from the jumping pod. i quickly sat on the floor, trying not to look at the seawater to alleviate my fright. i was the first to walk the bridge corridor back to mainland. All i can think off is to get to mainland and end my phobia.

Well, after watching the video and see how i actually jumped, i was left wondering how did i manage to get the courage to do that. My friends were thinking of doing that again but i am worried about that. Seriously i doubt whether i should go for these type of activities again. They want to go for the 130plus metre height bungy. Nah, i will give it a pass i think. Anyway, i have bungy-jumped for once in my whole life. yippie. Thats all that matters, really.

i was reading my brother’s blog in friendster. i am suprised that he can write in a very interesting way. He narrates himself well and i believe his english is quite good. Good job Bro.

My brother and i…lets just say are unique. Character wise we are as different as heaven and earth (ask anybody who know us both and they can testify to that). He is the cheerful, outgoing, active type and i am more quiet, reserved and somewhat introvert. We excel in different areas too. i was always the book smart and him the street smart. Unlike other siblings, though we are so much different from each other, we never fight, or seldom (i can even remember when did we get into a fight).

We also take turns in saving our asses too. He saved me when i fell from a hill back whan i was 9 and i get him out of trouble when he was ragged by the college folks when he just went in. It’s funny that we are all in the same course and also, we are going to the same university. just hope that we don’t end up teaching in the same school. That will be seriously weird.

I am happy that he found solace in the mass, guess he can now understand why i find comfort and faith in the Catholic church. But coming to new zealand i begin to backslide, we are stuck with a Cathsoc that does not seem to be quite active (not yet maybe, but i am not sure). i really need help with that.

i wish all the best for my brother, both of us were so cute and smart when we were babies and i am sure we can rock the world one day. Onwards the Ong brothers!