Hello Is Anyone There??

Am at work now!

Was just thinking wow I really haven't written much at all in the past year.. maybe even more..
Needless to say I've accumulated a bazillion photos and stories I want to share but just never had/have the time/energy to. I've told myself I want to fill in all the missing posts from my travels, primarily so I can look back and go 'oh yeah! I did that! I ate that!' etc, even if they're from two years back *ambitious*

Not sure if anyone still reads

But it doesn't matter!

Magical New Zealand – What Would You Trade?

When I was 12, my parents told my brother and I that the four of us were going on a holiday in
New Zealand.

Growing up, we had taken numerous road trips and short trips all around the country.. camping, fruit-picking, waterfall-hunting, fishing, chasing fireflies, climbing trees, hours at the beach, flying kites, Club Med, etc..  we were very lucky. BUT, my brother and I had never gone ‘overseas’. It was like a magic word then. Singapore and Thailand didn’t count since they were ‘connected’. So naturally, we were very  overly excited at the prospect of going on our first ‘overseas’ trip.

Unfortunately, as air travel was such a luxury/too expensive back then, my parents broke it to us later on that they had decided NOT to take us and go by themselves instead!!

We were MAD.
We whinged and sulked for days.

Finally, we were promised a certain sum of money as an ‘exchange’ to stop moaning about it. Kids are so silly huh!

Eventually my first ‘overseas’ venture was to Egypt when I was 14. At 17, I spent five weeks in Japan on a ‘cultural exchange’. Both were amazing and eye-opening.

To this day, I still enjoy sharing my stories from these experiences.

I knew early on that I had to have MORE. I had to go places.. there was so much to see and do!! I made a big fat scrapbook titled ‘Travel Destinations’ and filled it with pictures from magazines and newspapers.. (mostly of beaches around the world, haha) and daydreamed at school about going to all of them someday.

Someday!

Now, it’s 2011 and I’ve been more places than I ever would’ve imagined was possible when I was growing up. Did I EVER THINK that I’d be skiing in the Swiss Alps or scuba-diving/water-skiing in the French Riviera? NO FREAKING WAY.

But guess what?
I’ve still never set foot in New Zealand, despite having lived in Australia for over four years.

Anyway, I’ve spent most of my money on travelling and I don’t regret it one bit. Material things, be it a pair of shoes or a new laptop, can only last so long. But the experiences you get from exploring the world and its people are truly priceless (and timeless). They’ll be the things that stick when you grow old – stories that you keep forever! I wouldn’t trade these experiences for the all the things I could’ve bought with my money instead.

But, what would you trade for a story of a lifetime?

What would you trade if it meant you could be one of the first in the world to watch the sun rise on 1 January, 2012 as you recover from a music festival set in a vineyard? What would you trade to spend two weeks swimming with dolphins, island-hopping, and sliding down giant sand dunes?

Think hard! Because Tourism New Zealand are offering you the chance to do just that with their new campaign which will run over the next 12 months, ‘Stories Beat Stuff’.

 

Tell them what you’d trade for a once-in-a-lifetime, money-can’t-buy experience and you’ll be in with a chance to WIN IT!


For starters, there are two prize trips to choose from:

Experience One: ‘Summer Rhythm’ A two-week long road-trip along the East Coast of New Zealand ending in Gisborne for Rhythm & Vines – 3 day music festival set in a vineyard that has featured some of the best artists in the world. The line-up this year is no exception including Calvin Harris, Pendulum, Example, Cut Copy and Grandmaster Flash. Gisborne is the first place in the world to see the sun rise every day. This year will be the first on the planet to welcome in 2012 in what The Guardian has called one of the best New Year celebrations in the world.

Experience Two: ‘Beaches and Boats’ Set at the very top of New Zealand’s North Island, the Bay of Islands is New Zealand’s hottest summer destination. With 144 islands, it’s little surprise that beaches and boats are central to this amazing location. Spend two weeks exploring all that’s on offer. Swim with dolphins, dive the Poor Knights Islands (rated by Jacques Cousteau as one of the top ten dive sites in the world), slide down giant sand dunes, hit white sand beaches for some sunbathing, laze on a launch as you cruise though crystal clear waters and party till dawn. This is the place to spend your January.

(Just watching this video has made me wide-eyed and alive with wanderlust.. at 1am)

Here’s how to participate:

• Take a photo or record a video of what you’d trade – and think carefully, because if you win, the things you offer up for trade will be given to a charity of your choice – and submit your entry to the Stories Beat Stuff website.  
  
• Then, share your video or photo with everyone you know! Post it on Facebook, on Twitter, on your face, whatever. Because the more votes you get, the higher your chances are of getting into the Final 20. The ultimate decision, however, will be made by Tourism New Zealand judges!

The competition is open to anyone aged 18+ and it DOES NOT MATTER WHERE in the world you reside
The closing date is 31 November 2011.

For full details – http://www.ebuzzing.co.uk/rd/32767_3805_515156_26704_19491_62949/www.storiesbeatstuff.com

These are just the first of a number of amazing New Zealand experiences on offer.
To find out more, join the New Zealand Facebook Fan Page.
You can also learn more about the country at their award-winning website.


I’m totally bummed because, by some crazy coincidence, I already have a two-week holiday booked for New Zealand this December! I’ll be celebrating Christmas and welcoming the New Year with my family. I’m FINALLY going to New Zealand!!!!

BUT nevertheless, I still made a video entry of my own to encourage you… prepare to cringe.
It’s the first time I’ve ever recorded myself talking.. –_-



I’m wearing decorative glasses and a beanie as it was 11pm and I’d been watching TV in my PJs!

I’ve submitted my entry and I’ve picked the ‘Beaches and Boats’ experience to win – and I’ve also just realised now that this trip takes place at the end of January so MAYBE I can still go. If no one else enters, that is. Ha ha.

If you do want to vote for me, then here's the link!

Anyway

I’m still really looking forward to my own New Zealand trip.. my whole family are planning to go skydiving! :)

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Three Days at Oktoberfest 2011

Two weeks ago, a group of us embarked on a crazy road trip to Munich for Oktoberfest (and then on to Amsterdam). Guess how long it took to drive from London to Munich? Just guess.

17 hours. SEVENTEEN.

I nearly killed myself and ALMOST regretted going on the trip.

We were delayed as we got to Dover too early ahead of our scheduled train - get this, you can actually take a train across the channel to Calais as in your car drives INTO the train. A CAR train! It was amazing!

There were also road blocks and we got stopped by German police (immigration check) at a random section of road in the dead of the night, at which point everyone took turns to run into the pitch-darkness to pee.

I have to say, I found this part really exciting.

It was drizzling as well!

Predictably, we arrived there exhausted, agitated, and lacking sleep

But two hours later, we were at the festival grounds - time must not be wasted!

The first tent we visited was a relatively new one and sold beers in 0.5 litre portions instead of the full litre, for the same price of €10.

To be precise, it's €9.10 but it's common practice not to receive change for a tenner and let it be the tip.

You do get what you pay for though - this was my favourite of the whole fest

I love its smooth orangey colour

It tasted smooth, too, and rich

Me and a giant salted pretzel

There'd be girls with baskets walking around to sell them in the tents

Emma managing to hold two litres

Which is NOTHING because you'd see all these crazy waitresses holding up to a dozen of these mugs AT ONCE

The rest of our first evening was spent outdoors in a beer garden

Where we witnessed a beautiful sunset - a blanket of thick cloud lit by golden rays beneath

Of course, you can't get the full effect from a mere photo.. :p

Days Two & Three

I was going to do each day separately but my memories of both have melted into each other.. it's quite hard to recall what happened when..

The following day we were all much fresher

And got dressed in our 'Oktoberfest Gear'

By this I mean 'cheap beer wench outfit from eBay that you think is what girls will wear at Oktoberfest but in reality they're all tastefully dressed in traditional dirndls, making you feel just a BIT silly'

Still, I liked the costume and really enjoyed wearing it!
Then again, I like looking silly..

I got myself a a red felt hat from one of the numerous souvenir stands
Which I later LOST in Amsterdam.. I'm so bummed.. don't even talk about it..

The interior of our Day Two tent

Outside one of the tents
Each one is very elaborately decorated, both inside and out, and have a unique feel or vibe

For example, the Hofbrau tent is supposedly the 'international tent', where you'll find a truckload of people from all around the world.. mostly Australian, I'm guessing.. hahaha

Me, Aysh, Emma in our matching costumes hehe

I drank my beer so fast that day I felt so tipsy after just one

I think this was the drink that spurred me on to buy my red hat

Sausage and sauerkraut

I love sauerkraut!
I used to pile it on at the bratwurst stand at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne that I used to visit regularly for my sausage fix

A little bit drunk

This is obviously a drunk face (Ryan)

Mark and Dave in their matching festive shirts
Lederhosen are expensive to buy!

In the evening, we managed to get a table in a really lively tent

We perched ourselves on the benches

Sang along to loads of cheesy songs performed by the live band

They play a lot of really cheesy/universal stuff.. I'm not sure why.. but probably cos everyone will recognise the songs

We shouted 'Prost' (that's 'cheers' in German) a bazillion times to plenty-a-stranger

And heartily yelled the words to a popular German singing toast which goes 'Ein prosit, ein prosit der Gemutlichkeit' even MORE times.. the band would play this every 10 minutes or so

It was one of my favourite things!

Aysh & Ryan.. not sure what happened here

The atmosphere was absolutely buzzing

You really had to be there

Everyone was HAPPY and loud and smiley

Emma & I

Me and some randoms we drank with!

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Outside the tents, the scene was like a giant carnival/fun fair
Full of colour and things to make you feel like a kid again

We went on a  good number of rides

SO EXHILIRATING

Especially when you're half-drunk and your bladder's about to burst :D

It was quite a sight - to see so many people dressed for the occasion

By the end of it I kind of wished I had a lederhosen..

Yes, we wore our outfits two days in a row.. ha!

I LOVE Oktoberfest!!

And I'm not even a beer person!

I had so much fun
The atmosphere was incredible and nothing like I ever imagined

For some reason, I imagined it to be something similar to a music festival - muddy and kind of rowdy - but it was nothing like it. 

It's hard to describe

If you haven't been, GO! 

Special thanks to the German dude, Bene, for putting us up for a couple of nights at his apartment :)
German people are awesome!

A Million Moments of Closeness

When I first left home some eight years ago, I was excited.

I was going to a new place, a new country (Australia), to meet lots of new people, and to learn about and experience a whole different culture. I tried new foods. I learnt to surf. I joined a gym for the first time. I learnt to ski and fell in love with it. I went camping with wombats and kangaroos swam in the most beautiful beaches at Wilson’s Promontory. In the summer I went skinny-dipping. I joined a kung-fu club. I dressed up and danced as Dame Edna in the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in 2006. I even learnt how to cook cheaply and quickly (though not often), do my own laundry, and operate a clothes iron.

I did a whole multitude of things that I simply can’t itemise in one paragraph.

Despite all that, I still had many moments of loneliness, especially in the first year. Moving far away from the familiarity of home not only gives you a newfound freedom to explore and be independent, but also means leaving behind your family, your friends, and all the people and things you know and grew up with. And in these circumstances, it’s easy to feel lonely.

The thing about loneliness is that it can consume you. Without the presence of positive relationships, your self-esteem suffers and you can even lose your appetite and forget to look after yourself. Social isolation can also lead to anxiety and depression, along with a higher risk of obesity and high blood pressure.

Being in a foreign country for all of my adult life, I know how debilitating loneliness can be. It’s ever so vital to be close to people you can share with and confide in, and people who can simply keep you company when you most need it. Staying connected with your friends and family can help steer you away from loneliness and depression.

It goes without saying that when you’re surrounded by people you love and have a great sense of togetherness, you will have a healthier, happier heart!



To celebrate its 100th birthday, NIVEA are promoting the spirit of healthy togetherness. Get involved by visiting the Facebook page here, where you can take part in NIVEA’s A Million Moments of Closeness by uploading your favourite photos of you with someone you’re close to – a friend, sibling, parent, partner, pet, toy, anything/anyone – and win prizes.

You can also find out about roadshow events where you can pick up some NIVEA freebies and if you’re up for it, you can also participate in the ongoing debates discussing topics such as what makes people truly feel close to each other and how modern technology can change the way we stay connected.

Personally, I couldn’t be more thankful for the internet and mobile phones. Back in Australia I used ancient $5 call cards and exchanged text-only emails to keep in touch with my loved ones. But communication tools quickly evolved and by the time I relocated to London, I could stay in touch with my friends and family in both Malaysia and Australia using video and free instant-messaging tools on my iPhone :)

For many a sad moment, I’ve relied heavily on the comforting words and presence of the friends I’ve made here.

In the absence of my family, these are the people I can count on for a hug, a movie partner, a dance buddy, or simply someone to.. you know, watch my face as I talk.

Text messages and photos can only do so much – physical proximity can do so much MORE!
Here are some of my favourite photos that remind me of the wonderful people I have in my life:

First and foremost: My family



Aysha and Emma, who brought so much fun and joy to London



L: Joyce, R: Melissa, and Nadia, who made my summer last year one of the best!



Ryan, the bestest friend and companion that I could ever ask for



My sister, the most precious thing in my life

Hmmm.. crazy people



Joyce again, the best travel-friend in the world!



More Aysha



Kubhaer, one of my newest friends who sent kind words all the way from Prague when I was down



Sam and Meesh, friends who are always smiling!

A special note to Sian, who always has good advice and never passes on an ice-cream date.. And also Marisa & Azlan, for the great company and all the amazing food.

An essential thing I've learnt in my eight years living abroad is the value of friends.
Without them, I wouldn't have lasted this long ;p

Appreciate your friends
Make an effort to keep in touch
Get together and do something fun regularly!

Learn more about the NIVEA Feel Closer campaign here

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