NZ natives :-)

New Zealand is a simple place. They preserve the environment very well. You can see timber everywhere, greens (and I don't mean money) and short wooden fences. Just to give you an idea on the weather here, it's cool and nice, especially during autumn.

The nights are terribly cold and I do as much as I can to conserve heat. The Neohs are kind enough to provide us a roof over our (me and my dad) heads, in turn, we have to help them move their things to the container.

Every time I ask Mrs. Neoh what can I do to help her, she would refuse me kindly and thank me for asking. It was a little frustrating, because I begin to feel useless. She accepts her other 60-something-year-old friends' help and not a bouncy robust youth. Although not to say I'm entirely idle, I did help move the pots of flowers, sorting and packing CDs and.... that's about it.

I wake up every morning at 6 and we go out at 7 to Walker's Park to do some Tai Chi. During the day, we scout for rental rooms, flats or houses. And I can tell you one thing: New Zealand properties are not cheap. In fact, the housing price has boomed very quickly for the past 5 years. A 75, 000 house costs 600,000 now!

So, as you can see, we cannot afford to spend that much money, because we don't have that large sum!

For the first few days, I missed home, my mother and friends. I was rather disappointed that none of them, save for Ellectra that e-mailed me. My dad forbade me to install MSN on this notebook, so... it's only e-mail and this blog then.

I have a different perspective towards Malaysia now. I couldn't see it then and it was right there all along. The country is progressing and it is also the source of many different raw materials, plus the most important of all - petrol. The petrol price hike can really kill a person.

I grudgingly admits that the things in M'sia are cheaper, compared to NZ. I've said it before and I'm saying it again to emphasize this particular detail. The cheapest is soap, which cost $1.70. Supplements are damn expensive and I do not recommend you to travel daily by public transport, unless you have no other choice.

A plus point is that the air here is not so polluted, although you still get the occasional carbon monoxide from the vehicles' exhaust.

The place I'm currently staying is Formby Avenue, Point Chevalier. It's a little town and everyone is nice. I've said 'good morning' to complete strangers when I got lost in that area. Thankfully, I managed to find my way back to the park through another route, a short-cut, I presume. I was all by myself when I got lost and walked for like eons to find Neoh's house when I was out jogging in the morning.

The Neohs were at the park and they took me home. My dad decided to sleep a little later.

I have noticed one little thing: the people here are very corteous. They say, 'Thanks, driver' and step off the bus. So different from Malaysia. The laws here are strict; even police are not allowed to bear firearms unless authorized to.

I went to the bus terminal with my dad. He gave me permission to walk around the area outside the terminal, 'coz he will be taking a bus and ferry to Devonport for an interview and then going to East Tamaki. So, as I was walking, browsing through Whitcoulls' (apparently a very popular bookstore because I have seen many branches of it) and then to a pharmacy to check price.

Imagine, no Popular o MPH, just Whitcoulls' and Borders. Oh, and there's no Digi or Maxis. It's Vodafone or Telecom. Electronics are cheap here. Oh, and one more thing, they seperate the food and essential necessities, such as Foodtown (only food) and Westfield or any other supermarket. Cars are cheap; purchasing a Lamborghini would not burn a hole in your bank account.

I returned to the bus terminal, Britomart at noon and I took out a book to read. ANd then, I got bored. I realized the trains are just below ground and it stinks. Other than that, I talked to a fairly corpulent NZ native. He has blond hair and blue eyes, 26, and working in the New World supermarket.

He complimented me twice and I graciously thank him without returning any compliments. Oh well. Daniel (him) said my English is very good, after I told him I came from Malaysia and right in the middle of the conversation, he said I was pretty. That took me by surprise and I felt that he was flirting with me.

Hilariously, he thought I was 20.

I ate sushi alone; Daniel had to catch a train back to West Auckland. We did not exchange phone numbers, because it is illegal for a grown man to date an underage girl.

My dad and I then took a bus home and although it wasn't very crowded, another blondie chose to sit in front of me. Riiiight. I must be thinking too much.

And then, after the bus dropped us off Take Aways, while ordering food, another guy(this time is a brunette) in black sweater came by and looked directly into my eyes and smiled.

Whoa! I so like these feelings.

Did I tell you that cyber cafe's are open, free to all?