3rd day in Sydney

the traffic junction strucked me as a battle ground. ground zero. two battalions of soldier from opposing side in their pre-war formation. ready to charge whenever the signal is given. the green man flicked on and thousands of soldiers crashed. if it were to be a real war, throat would be cut open, heart stabbed, heads chopped off - if it were to be a real war. people slided through each other like water and oil wouldnt mix. the crowd was just amazing.

walking through the streets of Sydney, countless chattering can be heard in coutless languages, sky scrappers filling up the sky like curtains would cover the view through the window - only glimpse of the clear blue. with all the japanese, koreans, hongkies, chinese, taiwanese... etc walking by, I became very self conscious off what im wearing. its hard not to. I felt as if im on the venue of a fashion show.

but right after the long tiring walk about the city centre, was a rewarding coffee experience by the opera house, harbour bridge with a book in my hand.

awesome.



Flatwhite by the opera house - THE opera house


(not to the mention, the flies here are annoying!!!!!)

D-day plus 1 - Sydney

it was almost 8 when i took these. lights of the city glowed while the sun faded.
its a Sunday evening, and as a guy who just came from Wellington, its ... weird to see the city so alive, on a sunday night. it was awesome.


Sydney Opera House


The Harbour Bridge


Sydney Cove

3 Days and Counting

Wednesday
now thats more like it.. =)

4 Days and Counting

Tuesday
Windspeed: 48km/hr
Temperature: 8 C

so this is how my last week in Wellington is going to be huh.

the whistling of the wind woke me up this morning (afternoon). it was so strong that part of the billboard on the building across the street was being torn out. it was left hanging on the building. what was originally a smilling man holding its right thumb up, with blue background and a quote "all for one", is now but a sail on a huge boat which was being freezed in an ocean of buildings. the sky was grey, wellingtonians were too shy to come out. I had my most easy-going music on, jack with his guitar, stacey with her luring voice, oscar with his playful piano, stan with his sax, but they didnt seemed to do the job. my mood was still as it is. tearing apart.

upside is, Im leaving for sydney, taiwan and malaysia, which, the weather will be guarenteed HOT.

flippin hot...

Strawberry Tiramisu

what you think about that huh...?

Weather Forecast

Sunday
- Rain, easing to shower.

Monday
- Some Rain

Tuesday
- Periods of Rain

Wednesday
- Rain Clearing

Thursday
- (yet to be announced) but its clearing up... right?

Just jotting down

things done:
1. got my new passport
2. transfered my NZ Visa
3. got my Aus Visa
4. change of tenancy
5. flight comfirmed


things yet to be done:
1. pack - things to be brought back, and things to be ship back
2. close bank account
3. sell assets
4. give things away
5. book accomodation in Taiwan
6. one last cup of Flatwhite (Masi.. emmm..)
7. make sure i say goodbye to everyone
8. takes pictures around Wellington like an asian tourist (which i refuse to be one)
9. buy some souveniers?
10. Lido Jazzzzz...
11. YHA membership


things that can never be done:
1. be fully prepared to leave
2. not miss Wellington
3. ...

and counting.

12 days and counting.

so i had yet another great day.

woke up a gloomy day, but my mood was on the other extreme end of the scale. I woke up fresh and new. found everyone in the lounge as I struggling to wake myself up completely. with my hair still well (badly) shaped from sleep, I decided we should all go for a movie. as a flat. movie didnt turn out eventually, thus, live music in Hummingbird.

it wasnt until work almost kicked in that the sun shown its majestic ray on us. the warmth landed upon the city. work was fun, its been fun for months now.. lots of jokes, dirty jokes. left work early for a dinner at Carmens, thanks to her, this is where and when the highlight of the day took place. good food, a selection of alchohol, laughter, good people from around the world, and a camera blended into one fine night.

walked AK home after getting "a bit" drunk. on one of the winding road uphill to Upland road, among houses and greens, there was an opening which the display of the whole city was visible. we stood. amazed. the wind was gentle. we could hardly hear anything from the city. as if the view was only a photo - a flat sheet displayin the city.

ive got 12 days left. and I am going to miss Wellington.







so much.

Crazy Mooncake Festival

so we had a very fun sunday. how fun? see it for your self. haha...
.
.
.

20 days and counting.

the soundtrack of the moment - In Between Dreams, Jack Johnson.

20 days til my departure. 9 days til roy's.

it has been a very gloomy week. until today. the sun unfiltered, through the vacuum space, through the clear ocean-blue sky. I woke up extremely excited, partly because of the sun, partly because I finally get one day off work (after 3 weeks of non stop working). this is the day where i dont have to start looking at my watch starting at 4 pm (making sure im not late for work), this is the day i can do my laundry, this is the day where i get to enjoy the street, at its 8 pm. this is the day where my day, is comparatively longer (length of 6 hours). this is the day where i dont have to STAND in tropical weather (you know, stoves, ovens.. heating lights..) for 6 hours.

going off for a cuppa. read my book. 20 days is all i got left.

Day Light Savings

So I love the whole day light saving thing. the whole of NZ will loss one hour on the first day of October. thats means we will be one more hour ahead of the world.

Guess I love longer day time. makes you think you can get more done. while in fact you get to spend longer time under the sun. its good good... goooooooood...

So it has come to this.

Never thought it would be so soon, that I have to say this..

"I'm leaving new zealand.in one month" adding on a ':)' or ':('

ive been given only a one month extension on my visa. though ive been told last time by another Nice Lady that i can apply for three instead. i guess thats the problem. it was a Fat Fuck who attended me this time. or maybe the charming aura wasnt with me that day.

as sad as I am, I still think its not the end of the world (sometimes). more is yet to be decided. there is still.. something to look forward to. anyhow, looking at the bright side of it, I get to see my mom before she flies to the states, and I get to travel, have nice airplane meals, enjoy the jet lag and be extremely fatigued. good times.

what would become of everything?

"The lies in every truth, and the sincerity in every dishonesty. its driving me crazy"

A Movie, A postcard, and An Invitation

could they mean that much?

A Day Like Today. reprise.

gladly, the setting sun was able to peak through the crack between buildings, finding its way into Masi - A little cafe which doenst stand out, being squeezed among pub, book store, sports wear shop, a bus stop and uncountable passerby. the cafe, once entered, a fine coffee aroma would instantly be noticable. like a dog would not miss the aroma of bacon, even in distance. the warmth laid on my face, the light blinded my sight. eyes closed.

had a great day :) until work kicked in :(

Coffee Awesomenesss..

the imperfection. but will do for now.

so AK, this is apparently the second cup of flatwhite I made, and that I am gladly proud of.

paul, if youre reading this, "yes, the chances of me making a coffee that will blow you away is definately higher now=)"

ger ger, haha, I make my own flat white now. though masi's is still very good.

just something I'd like to share, something that I am really really happy about. =D

what ive been listening to?

so, I myself is abit worry about the vibe my blog is showing. and i decided its time to talk about something fun, something which represents me in a lot of ways - my music.

1. Corinne Bailey Rae
found this cd in the city library today before meeting up with cal, listened to the first three songs and I decided to borrow it. shes got a very lazy, yet clear voice. sings R&B, the jazzy kind of R&B. if you like Alicia Keys of Indie Arie, she would be your next choice. a very talented 26 yeras old english lady, plays most of the instrument appeared in the CD. this CD made my "favourite" list the first time I heard it.

2. Emilia Torrini
was being introduced her music by AK. very unique voice shes got. I wouldnt know which genre I would put her music into, but defitnately a "must try". I listen to it everynight before I sleep now.

3. Beth Orton
Some of my frens who share the same music interest as me actually had a hard time accepting her voice. again, a very unique voice, some thinks her way of singing make her sounds like she doesnt know how to. haha.. I wouldnt say I like every songs of hers, but shes got quite a few songs which is at the top of my "good night" list too. thanks to AK again.

4. Bossa Nova
now this is one of my favourite music kind. able to compete with my other fovourite - Jazz. got a few new albums off city library, im not going into details about them. coz im tired now..

haha..

so this is a brief glimpse of what I am after lately. just a glimpse.

5.

Dear AK,

(Dear all too,)

Promised I'd update you with it, but now that you are playing hard to get, I'll play my part in assisting you, hence this private post.

so I went to the immigration service today, again. tryin to apply for an extension on my visa. the lady behind the desk was happy with what Ive got to say for my situation, but she insist on their policy - they do not issue visa to non-passport holder. she also concluded that she can only give an extension of one month, and that is if i quit my job as I apply for the visa. one month? just to save you the mental strength of calculating the date, its 27th of October.

I will go back again on 20th of Sept (one day before my permit expires) to extend my visa. and if my passport arrives before that, I will be all good in apply three months extension, if not, you know the consequence. I will try to extend my visa again before my visitor pass expires, thats is during the end of october. successful or not, lets just smile while accepting whats given.

til then!

with =),
Isaac

I remember it well..

on a relatively cloudless night, you lying on the floor, me sitting on the swing. Me singing Silent Sea, and you looking up at the sky, though cloudless, starless too.

I remember it well, we crashed.

My Cuppa coffee

the cup infront is pale pink. so pale if seen in a distance, one might even mistake it as white. underneath is a saucer, brown in colour, which the size is just right, not threatening the limelight of the cup, and not letting its own fade. on top of the cup, layers of brown, deep brown and white are being carefully laid on, so forming a love shape. it isnt like any other coffee art, the foam, if being looked at long enough, you'll see that its popping out.

putting in the right amount of sugar iss absolutely essential, it must be not less, and strictly not more than one third spoon of brown sugar. slide it down the side of the cup. slowly. leave the spoon - silver, worn out, so severely scratched that its impossible to see anything from the reflection off it, in the cup for roughly 3 quarter of a minute. the sugar dissolves into nothingness. dont leave it untouch for too long though, coz the heat of the coffee might slip away while you are busy with your small talks, and leaves nothing to warm. stir it slowly, lightly, let the spoon dance. in tempo. slightly fast, i'd say around tempo allegro. carefully slide the spoon out of the coffee through the hole made early when being put in. put it on the sauce rather carelessly, yes carelessly, so it makes a crispy "ding", with a light echo. it sounded awesome =)

warm up your fingers, specially your thumb, so as you pinch the ear of the cup, you'll be able to balance the cup and not disturb the foam. deliver it towards you mouth half way while pushing your head towards the coffee half way, showing mutual respect by meeting in the middle of the distance. the flavour find its way into your nostrile. excited. put your lips at the edge of the cup, where the border of the inner cup and the outer are being drawn - the pink from outside and white from inside. sip in half coffee, feel the bitterness and sweetness simultaneously, and then control your lips so a little bit of foam can steal its way into your mouth with the coffee. taste the texture, mix the foam and coffee, and then feel the coffee hidroslide down your throat, every inch, every secon, every sip...

fullfulling...

Lose Control

You just have to accept that sometimes in life, things get out of control, and there is nothing you can do about it. what you can do, what you have to do, is to be there, just be there at the moment, dont run away from it, dont try to feed it with lame excuses. be there, choose, and things will lead itself to an end. good or bad, who cares?

it ends, anyway.