Excited na ako sa trip namin ni partner to Auckland (scheduled on 2nd week of July). Kausap ko na si Ka Uro, Carlo and Jun para i-meet sila doon at patulong na rin para di masayang ang maikling oras na nandun kami. Imi-meet din namin dun ang isa naming dating kasamahan sa PLDT na si Cathy. Taga-Hamilton sya pero bbyahe siya to Auckland that weekend para makasama kami.
Pagbabalik? Tama po ang title ha. Pagbabalik talaga. Kung mababasa niyo ang previous post ko nung January, malalaman niyo po kung bakit pagbabalik ang title nito. Just a short recap, Auckland po ang unang part ng NZ na napuntahan ko - at di po masyadong maganda ang alaala ko dun. Magkahalong shock, frustration at pagod ang naramdaman ko. If you want to know more, balikan niyo na lang po yung January post ko entitled "Eto naman ang New Zealand adventure ko."
So ayun po, hopefully pagbalik namin jan sa Auckland eh, mapalitan na yan ng magagandang memories (of course with the help of my friends!)
See yah!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Sino ang nagsabing boring ang Palmy?
Ilang friends ko rin dito sa Wellington ang nabigla at natawa nung sinabi kong pupunta kami ng Palmerston North this weekend. The instant question is - ano naman ang gagawin niyo don? Kesyo wala naman daw masyadong mapapasyalan doon. Bakit daw kelangan pang mag-overnight eh 2-hour drive lang naman yon. Kaysa Palmy daw, pumunta na lang daw kami ng Taupo or Rotorua. Nahihiya na tuloy ako minsan na ipakita ang excitement ko sa nalalapit na weekend getaway namin na yon - not to mention na apat lang kaming susugod sa lugar na yon, at panalo pa ang weather forecast sa Palmerston for that weekend - heavy rain with possible hale. Haaay, parang nakakatamad nga noh?
Buti na lang at nag-GO pa rin kami. Tuloy pa rin kahit malakas ang ulan sa ilang part na dinaanan namin. Oks naman ang byahe balikan kasi puro kwentuhan at tawanan sa loob ng sasakyan.
Day 1, Saturday - Almost 11am na kaming dumating sa Palmerston North. Ang aming first stop (according to our itinerary), Manfield Park - to watch the Victoria Club Motorcycle Race. Actually, nasa Fielding ito. Naka-raincoat kaming lahat. Naka-gloves, bonnet at iba pang rain gears while watching the race. It was awesome! It was the first time in my life (actually, our life), that we were able to watch a Race live and up close! ... and it's really one of the best experience I had so far since I arrived here in NZ. Nagsisigawan na kami habang nag-uusap dahil sa lakas ng tunog ng mga motorcycles - but we didn't care. All we know is that we really are enjoying what we are seeing. Kahit umuulambon at umuusok ang bibig namin dahil sa lamig, picture-picture pa rin.
Our next stop, NZ Rugby Museum. Oks ang collection dito, from the smallest Rugby pins, old cups, trophies to uniform and life size posters. Friendly pa ang mga tagabantay - binigyan pa kami ng short explanation about New Zealand Rugby. Di niyo 'to dapat palampasin kung magagawi kayo sa Palmy.
After visiting the museum, we're off to our next stop - Daytona Go Kart racing. Nagmamadali kami dahil naka-book kami for 4:15pm at 15 minutes lang ang itatagal ng race na 'to. After watching a race at Fielding, kami-kami naman ang magkakarera. Kahit ilang laps, kahit gaano kabilis, kahit ilang beses kang mabunggo, kahit magkamali ka ng puntahan (pit stop)...basta umikut ka lang nang umikot sa race track. Ang saya-saya...first time naming apat na mag-Go Kart (sadly, sa 20+ years ko sa Pinas, di ko nagawa to kahit minsan) at enjoy na enjoy talaga kame. Kung di lang mahal ang bayad ($26.50 - mahal na sa akin yan noh!), I'm sure uulitin namin yan....
We spend the night at Tita Rose's house c/o Kate (ka-backpacker ko at friend namin ni Achie). Kwentuhan, bonding at kainan. Funny, that's the first time na ma-meet ko si Kate personally. Sa email at backpack NZ ko lang kasi sya nakakausap.
Kinabukasan, around 10AM, nagpaalam na kami kina Kate at Tita Rose para pumunta sa Victoria Esplanade. Balak sana naming sumakay sa mini-Train kaso mukang di pa yata available that early so we just spent the day at the Esplanade park. Nag-Flying Fox kame (finally, napasakay ko rin si Partner!) at nagtatalun sa trampoline. Ang saya-saya. Parang kameng bumalik sa pagka-bata.
Then our last stop...The Ultimate Mini-Golf. Dito na kame nag-ubos ng oras. Tinapos naming ang 18-hole. Habang bumubuhos ang malakas na ulan sa labas ng Palmy Rec Centre, nagpapaka-enjoy naman kame sa paglalaro sa loob.
Umuwi kaming wala ni isang bakas ng panghihinayang. Puro kwentuhan - nag-enjoy ang lahat sa gimik na yon. Thanks nga pala to Jing and Mike - sila po ang kasama namin ni Partner sa gimik na yon. Thanks din to Tita Rose and Kate for accomodating us.
Buti na lang at nag-GO pa rin kami. Tuloy pa rin kahit malakas ang ulan sa ilang part na dinaanan namin. Oks naman ang byahe balikan kasi puro kwentuhan at tawanan sa loob ng sasakyan.
Day 1, Saturday - Almost 11am na kaming dumating sa Palmerston North. Ang aming first stop (according to our itinerary), Manfield Park - to watch the Victoria Club Motorcycle Race. Actually, nasa Fielding ito. Naka-raincoat kaming lahat. Naka-gloves, bonnet at iba pang rain gears while watching the race. It was awesome! It was the first time in my life (actually, our life), that we were able to watch a Race live and up close! ... and it's really one of the best experience I had so far since I arrived here in NZ. Nagsisigawan na kami habang nag-uusap dahil sa lakas ng tunog ng mga motorcycles - but we didn't care. All we know is that we really are enjoying what we are seeing. Kahit umuulambon at umuusok ang bibig namin dahil sa lamig, picture-picture pa rin.
Our next stop, NZ Rugby Museum. Oks ang collection dito, from the smallest Rugby pins, old cups, trophies to uniform and life size posters. Friendly pa ang mga tagabantay - binigyan pa kami ng short explanation about New Zealand Rugby. Di niyo 'to dapat palampasin kung magagawi kayo sa Palmy.
After visiting the museum, we're off to our next stop - Daytona Go Kart racing. Nagmamadali kami dahil naka-book kami for 4:15pm at 15 minutes lang ang itatagal ng race na 'to. After watching a race at Fielding, kami-kami naman ang magkakarera. Kahit ilang laps, kahit gaano kabilis, kahit ilang beses kang mabunggo, kahit magkamali ka ng puntahan (pit stop)...basta umikut ka lang nang umikot sa race track. Ang saya-saya...first time naming apat na mag-Go Kart (sadly, sa 20+ years ko sa Pinas, di ko nagawa to kahit minsan) at enjoy na enjoy talaga kame. Kung di lang mahal ang bayad ($26.50 - mahal na sa akin yan noh!), I'm sure uulitin namin yan....
We spend the night at Tita Rose's house c/o Kate (ka-backpacker ko at friend namin ni Achie). Kwentuhan, bonding at kainan. Funny, that's the first time na ma-meet ko si Kate personally. Sa email at backpack NZ ko lang kasi sya nakakausap.
Kinabukasan, around 10AM, nagpaalam na kami kina Kate at Tita Rose para pumunta sa Victoria Esplanade. Balak sana naming sumakay sa mini-Train kaso mukang di pa yata available that early so we just spent the day at the Esplanade park. Nag-Flying Fox kame (finally, napasakay ko rin si Partner!) at nagtatalun sa trampoline. Ang saya-saya. Parang kameng bumalik sa pagka-bata.
Then our last stop...The Ultimate Mini-Golf. Dito na kame nag-ubos ng oras. Tinapos naming ang 18-hole. Habang bumubuhos ang malakas na ulan sa labas ng Palmy Rec Centre, nagpapaka-enjoy naman kame sa paglalaro sa loob.
Umuwi kaming wala ni isang bakas ng panghihinayang. Puro kwentuhan - nag-enjoy ang lahat sa gimik na yon. Thanks nga pala to Jing and Mike - sila po ang kasama namin ni Partner sa gimik na yon. Thanks din to Tita Rose and Kate for accomodating us.
Monday, June 12, 2006
New Zealand Weather Update - Winter na talaga!
Hello Peeps!
Share ko lang po sa inyo 'tong nabasa ko about the ongoing weather situation in NZ. Just when I thought, being new here in NZ, na normal lang dito ang mga na-experience namin last night and this morning... Aba, national issue na pala.
My experience:
Around 11PM, sumakay na po kami ni partner sa car namin dahil ihahatid niya ako sa office (take note, although walang bubong, napapaligiran ng building ang parking lot na to). While nasa loob ng car, binuksan na ni partner ang makina at medyo nagpapainit lang muna bago kami umalis. Guess what, umaalog ang car namin dahil sa lakas ng hangin! (Imagine feeling an earthquake while inside your car). O sya, yan lang po... sayang di ko maipo-post ang short video clip ng nakuhaan ko kanina - about how strong the wind was this morning (at least dito sa may Mt. Victoria suburb). Take note, northerlies pa lang daw yan and later today, strong southerlies naman daw. Kaya ang lowest forecasted temperature namin today eh 5C, sa CHCH, I think eh, -2C. Check out ang lowest namin tomorrow dito sa Welly: 2C!
Medyo napasarap na po ang kwento ko... Anyway, eto na po ang news:
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Snow blankets the south
source: http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411365/747609
Jun 12, 2006
The snow, which has brought parts of Canterbury to a standstill is expected to clear in most parts by Monday afternoon. South Canterbury is blanketed by as much as 30 centimetres in what could be one of the heaviest snow storms since the big fall of 1992. Falls are down to sea level in Timaru where it has has downed power-lines around. Power outages are reported around Lake Tekapo. The Timaru District Council is urging residents to stay at home.
Council spokesman, Graham Stillwell, says all roads are closed - as are businesses and schools. He says there are trees and powerlines down in some places and due to fluctuating power, people are being advised to conserve electricity and drinking water. Further north, the lines company Orion says about 5,000 of its customers, from Weedons west to the Southern Alps are without power. Several roads are closed in the South Island, including State Highway One between Ashburton and Timaru, State Highway 8 between Timaru and Lake Tekapo and the road between Springfield and Arthurs Pass. In Christchurch, a number of roads are closed in the Port Hills and some bus services have been cancelled. Christchurch Airport is closed.
MetService had issued a heavy snow warning for Canterbury, south of Banks Peninsula and says there's a good chance half a metre of snow will fall in some areas. Bob McDavitt from MetService says the weather is the result of a rapidly deepening low pressure system in the Tasman sea.
In the North Island, severe gales are buffeting areas from Wellington to Northland. Storms force gusts of up to 130 kilometres per hour have been recorded in the capital, lifting roofs and blowing in windows.
A major power outage is affecting the upper North Island, including most of of Auckland. Transpower says it appears the bad weather hitting the country has caused the problem and has staff working to fix it. Trees have come down on State Highway four between Wanganui and Raetihi and the police say contractors are working to clear the debris. Debris on State Highway five north of Napier, has been cleared.
The gales are not due to ease until Monday afternoon when the winds turn southerly. Greymouth cleans up in wake of tornado. A clean up is underway in Greymouth following a small twister and torrential rain on the South Island's West Coast on Sunday. The tornado damaged a number of houses in Marlborough Street on Sunday, peeling back roofs, smashing windows, ripping off a verandah and demolishing a garage.
Rain also caused slips and flooding and washed out the rail line near Stillwater. The tracks are expected to be patched up by Monday morning. Grey District Mayor, Tony Kokshoorn, says several businesses and houses in Runanga were flooded. He says contractors worked into the night clearing rocks and debris off roads.
Share ko lang po sa inyo 'tong nabasa ko about the ongoing weather situation in NZ. Just when I thought, being new here in NZ, na normal lang dito ang mga na-experience namin last night and this morning... Aba, national issue na pala.
My experience:
Around 11PM, sumakay na po kami ni partner sa car namin dahil ihahatid niya ako sa office (take note, although walang bubong, napapaligiran ng building ang parking lot na to). While nasa loob ng car, binuksan na ni partner ang makina at medyo nagpapainit lang muna bago kami umalis. Guess what, umaalog ang car namin dahil sa lakas ng hangin! (Imagine feeling an earthquake while inside your car). O sya, yan lang po... sayang di ko maipo-post ang short video clip ng nakuhaan ko kanina - about how strong the wind was this morning (at least dito sa may Mt. Victoria suburb). Take note, northerlies pa lang daw yan and later today, strong southerlies naman daw. Kaya ang lowest forecasted temperature namin today eh 5C, sa CHCH, I think eh, -2C. Check out ang lowest namin tomorrow dito sa Welly: 2C!
Medyo napasarap na po ang kwento ko... Anyway, eto na po ang news:
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Snow blankets the south
source: http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411365/747609
Jun 12, 2006
The snow, which has brought parts of Canterbury to a standstill is expected to clear in most parts by Monday afternoon. South Canterbury is blanketed by as much as 30 centimetres in what could be one of the heaviest snow storms since the big fall of 1992. Falls are down to sea level in Timaru where it has has downed power-lines around. Power outages are reported around Lake Tekapo. The Timaru District Council is urging residents to stay at home.
Council spokesman, Graham Stillwell, says all roads are closed - as are businesses and schools. He says there are trees and powerlines down in some places and due to fluctuating power, people are being advised to conserve electricity and drinking water. Further north, the lines company Orion says about 5,000 of its customers, from Weedons west to the Southern Alps are without power. Several roads are closed in the South Island, including State Highway One between Ashburton and Timaru, State Highway 8 between Timaru and Lake Tekapo and the road between Springfield and Arthurs Pass. In Christchurch, a number of roads are closed in the Port Hills and some bus services have been cancelled. Christchurch Airport is closed.
MetService had issued a heavy snow warning for Canterbury, south of Banks Peninsula and says there's a good chance half a metre of snow will fall in some areas. Bob McDavitt from MetService says the weather is the result of a rapidly deepening low pressure system in the Tasman sea.
In the North Island, severe gales are buffeting areas from Wellington to Northland. Storms force gusts of up to 130 kilometres per hour have been recorded in the capital, lifting roofs and blowing in windows.
A major power outage is affecting the upper North Island, including most of of Auckland. Transpower says it appears the bad weather hitting the country has caused the problem and has staff working to fix it. Trees have come down on State Highway four between Wanganui and Raetihi and the police say contractors are working to clear the debris. Debris on State Highway five north of Napier, has been cleared.
The gales are not due to ease until Monday afternoon when the winds turn southerly. Greymouth cleans up in wake of tornado. A clean up is underway in Greymouth following a small twister and torrential rain on the South Island's West Coast on Sunday. The tornado damaged a number of houses in Marlborough Street on Sunday, peeling back roofs, smashing windows, ripping off a verandah and demolishing a garage.
Rain also caused slips and flooding and washed out the rail line near Stillwater. The tracks are expected to be patched up by Monday morning. Grey District Mayor, Tony Kokshoorn, says several businesses and houses in Runanga were flooded. He says contractors worked into the night clearing rocks and debris off roads.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Virtual Visitor
Today is my daughter's 4th birthday. I asked my parents (and sister-in-law) to throw a small party for her in our house and just invite our relatives and some of her close friends. And kanina nga, I called them up using Skype. I wanted to attend her party - kahit as a virtual visitor.
She was so excited when she saw me. She was wearing her blouse and skirt birthday outfit na ilang araw niya na ring pinagmamalaki sa akin. Tumuntong pa sa chair para ipakita sa akin ang buong outfit niya. She looked very happy and seemed to have been enjoying her small party. I get to talk to all of her visitors - my cousins, my tito and titas, my daughters friends, etc. Socializing kung baga, as if I'm also there.
When eating time came, she asked her tita to slice her a cake and she ate it in front of the webcam. Inalok pa ako at nilapit sa webcam yung food, as if gusto talagang ipakain sa akin. Gusto kong maluha... Gusto kong magdisappear sa kinaroroonan ko, pumasok sa webcam ko, at lumabas sa webcam nila. Para naman mayakap ko ang bebi ko - on her special day. Pero pinigil ko nalang ang sarili ko. It's her birthday and I don't wanna ruin it by crying.
She's grown, really. And some day, I'm still praying, that I would make up to all the missing months in our life. Someday, next year. Hopefully!
She was so excited when she saw me. She was wearing her blouse and skirt birthday outfit na ilang araw niya na ring pinagmamalaki sa akin. Tumuntong pa sa chair para ipakita sa akin ang buong outfit niya. She looked very happy and seemed to have been enjoying her small party. I get to talk to all of her visitors - my cousins, my tito and titas, my daughters friends, etc. Socializing kung baga, as if I'm also there.
When eating time came, she asked her tita to slice her a cake and she ate it in front of the webcam. Inalok pa ako at nilapit sa webcam yung food, as if gusto talagang ipakain sa akin. Gusto kong maluha... Gusto kong magdisappear sa kinaroroonan ko, pumasok sa webcam ko, at lumabas sa webcam nila. Para naman mayakap ko ang bebi ko - on her special day. Pero pinigil ko nalang ang sarili ko. It's her birthday and I don't wanna ruin it by crying.
She's grown, really. And some day, I'm still praying, that I would make up to all the missing months in our life. Someday, next year. Hopefully!
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Snow fall in Wellington???
Sabi nung isang Kiwi friend namin, nagkaka-snow daw dito sa Wellington every roughly 5 years. Yung last snow fall daw dito is 5 years ago so most probably, this year or next year magkakasnow! Totoo man o hindi, exciting di ba? Ang sayasaya! Hehehe.
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