Day 639

happy 80th Anniversary to Soka Gakkai!!! SOKA GAKKAI BANZAI!!!!!

11.18 shud b a significant day. i drop by to join Wendy to homevisit Natsuki. and i did a very struggling decision making. i had sleepless nights whether to do it or not. i asked gohonzon to give me answers. after the support from Wendy & Natsuki, I finally had the courage to do it! my heart is still painful when i forked out the cash but i should not regret. many things is awaiting for me to do!!!!

bcoz i have to work, i couldn't attend Seiko san's YWD Graduation Party .... SAD!!!

but i wish her all the best in WD. thanks for being with us, supporting & encouraging us endlessly all these while. you are sensei's best disciple! its my pleasure being able to know and do kosenrufu with you.

Day 627 - 628

Day 628

its November World Peace Chanting & also 11.18 celebration. the Victorious March Band performed 3 songs - Kurenai no Uta, Kofu ni Hashire (Run for KosenRufu) & Forever Sensei. we watched the September Youth Training Course video where Sensei didn't attend. he emphasized on passing the baton of kosen rufu to the youth. We had youth dance, junior group short drama & an amazing experience by Michelle. The weather was great today and i think its d biggest crowd ever for this year. we had the group photo outside as usual.

After the meeting I helped Michelle to take some photos of her to be sent for audition. she wants to apply for extra for d filming of Horbit. its going to be a huge production for New Zealand after Lord of the Ring.

Then, meet up with Wendy, Erica & Amy for a quick lunch before heading home. ESSAY!!!! its driving me crazy. i hate academic credits. yucks ..... marketing essays and reports. spending whole day thinking and writing, still cannot complete. Angie! work harder! anyway .... i applied for a day off today to complete my assignment. i determined to finish up 1 week prior dateline so that my lecturer could read through and correct it for me.

Day 627

went for girls band practice at 10.30am for next week's Chapter level 11.18 Celebration. rush to final rehersal for brass band. then, went to Parnell to hav hi-tea with Seiko san & Mel (NZ newly appointed YWD Chief). such a great effort to fly down from Wellington every weekend to do home visit and catch up with YWDs in Auckland. we had a short session of photoshoot at the Rose Garden nearly before heading home. photos can be viewed on my facebook soon.

that's Mel

Day 625

just finished my environmental portrait shoot with model, Cyan. thx Cyan for your great help. its really awesome. many assignments Q-ing up till the last day of the semester. must work hard!!!!

Day 606

Finally I had a day off! I've been busy with heaps of assignment, work, shooting at NZ Fashion Week and 1 wedding shoot. OMG! wat a life! Im Loving It!

handed in my 1st Diploma assignment on 17 Sept. then i had school break for 2 weeks. school break? sounds relax eh? NOP! the 1st week was occupied by my Fashion Week shoot.

SUPER TIRED FASHION WEEK! it was very fun though, learned alot from the shoot .... i mean ALOT! On Friday, we were informed about a competition to win a chance to shoot the biggest event in the fashion world ... NZ FASHION WEEK! but the dateline was just 2 hours away. quickly fill up d form, write my 200 words essay & sent some photos from Wella shots coz I didn't bring my portfolio to school. last year I didn't win although I prayed hard for it. But I tried again and YEAH!!!! im 1 of 20 student photographers throughout NZ selected by proffesional judges for this year. it was such a great feeling to stand on the photographers pit alongside with pros like Michael Ng(NZ), Brad Hick(Aus), Getty Images photog. I learned heaps from Brad especially. He's like my mentor for the week, coaching me from time to time.
Krista White - latest American Next Top Model winner


2nd week of my schook break was just working, working, working.

shot an Indian Wedding on Saturday(9th Oct). Attended Youth Meeting on the next day. I related my experience to the crowd.

new assignments coming! just finished my Still Life. next week is going to food then fashion then architecture.

Day 573-571

Day 573 - Tonight I'll b shooting NZ Wella Vision Hairstylist Award. im 1 of the 7 students chosen to join this photography competition. the winner will get their photos published in a wellknown fashion magazine.
went to school.then rush back home to take my gears. went to Tifanny's hse to clear my memory cards as tonight we will be shooting in RAW. had a quick lunch and off we go to the Auckland Museum. finished shooting by 10.30pm. i am so so so tired! im so lazy to even cook instant noodle. just have some potato chips while choosing my photos. the deadline to submit the images is tomorrow noon. Exclusive photos just for my readers :)
Wella Boss & panel judges


Day 572 - THIS IS IT! its Ikeda-Hall Peace Garden 10th Anniversary Celebration Day. raining raining raining. woke up at 5.30am to chant with Seiko san & Wendy. it is still raining. chanted 1 hour then get dressed. 8am DIY breakfast. by 9am we head to the hotel to do daimoku & gongyo before heading to the garden. it was still raining. 11am we drove to the Garden.rain has stopped but no sunshine. then rain heavilly again. no choice but to follow Plan B. we're moving the whole ceremony to the cafeteria. we went and set up there. instruments all ready. no rain again. committee decided to move back to the Garden. gosh ... we packed up everything again. yyeeaahhh ..... dream came true .... we're gonna perform the Garden. THEN, even heavy rain poured. the ceremony continued no matter how. changed my identity so many times. was warming up with the band then take photos of the Maori leaders give blessings, Ikeda Sensei's message. my gears are all wet. then, they announced that we will have to shift back to the Cafeteria because of the heavy rain. what? pack again? the situation is so crazy. then when we were about to pack up, suddenly the MC announced that they would like to hear the brass band play 1st. YES!!!! we did it!!!! so, changed my identity back to band member. we played 'Morigasaki Beach'. it wasn't our best version but im so touched at that moment. imagining Sensei was around at that moment watching us play in the rain, at this historic moment for SGI NZ and SGI. then, changed to a photographer again. while i was chasing the VIPs taking photos, i heard them continued playing. i was so touched. this is the spirit of Soka brass band. encouraging & giving warmth to people no matter where we are. then, i managed to rush back to play the last song(Blue Ridge Saga) with them. VICTORY!!!! received compliments from Sasaki san (SGI Oceania Chief) and ex mayor Mr Graham Hall. Sasaki san really looked like Sensei. the spirit is also the same. then, we packed again and move to Cafeteria to join the last part of the celebration. when we were about to leave the Garden, we realised that the sakura has fully blossomed. so beautiful! when the ceremony ended .... you know what? sunshine!!! YES, sun came out and it was so warm! our prayers are answered. so mystic! although it was too late, but it was as if the sun came out to congratulate & celebrate our success. we were so so so happy! then, by 4pm we depart from Rotorua. home sweet home. actually im very hungry coz i only had coffee for lunch. when i reached home, my whole body just couldn't function anymore. im out of battery. plan to take a 1 hour nap and wake up to do laundry but slept to the next morning.


Day 571 - all gathered at kaikan at 9.30am. D&G before briefing. had lunch half way to Rotorua. went straight to the Ikeda-Hall Peace Garden at 1.30pm. check out the venue & do sound check. the cherry has not blossom yet. it was so cold. our fingers were all numb. quickly went to hostel and check in. rest for awhile and we head to another hotel to do D&G before going for dinner together with committee & members. after dinner went back to hotel to help create a presentation for tomorrow. reached my hostel by 10pm, help iron some of band members uniform before sleeping. weather forecast says that it is going to rain heavily the whole day. we need daimoku for sunshine, warm & full cherry blossom.

Day 542 - 550

Day 550 (21.8.10) fine day
went practice from 1-4pm. went random shooting with Nigel. came across Korean Navy warcraft. its huge!!!! will upload photos soon. went foodtown to buy ingredients for dinner. cooked fettucini with Nigel & Wendy. watched Farmbarn & Bubbleboy on TV.


Day 549 rainy
Friday!!!! i longed for Fridays! bz bz day. went to school to help Tiffany with her shoot. then rushed to work at 1pm. aunty Heng was not feeling well, i volunteered to wash the dishes. finished at 2am. damn tired.


Day 548 rainy
Thank you Jie Huey for being my model. i appreciate that. had some cool photos from the session. lots of photoshop to be done. so, 3 more shots left for my assignment. worked from 4 - 12am.


Day 547 rainy
study ... work 12pm-11pm


Day 546 rainy
study ... work 1pm-11pm


Day 545 rainy
shot my Coke bottle today from 10.30am till 2.30pm ... work 3pm-11.30pm


Day 544 rainy
went practice. worked from 5-11pm


Day 543 cloudy
went practice. went to YWD mtg at Ponsonby. we were discussing about Ikeda Kayokai guidelines. had dinner with Wendy, watched 'How To Train Your Dragon'.


Day 542 cloudy
study ... work 1pm-1am

Day 538-541

Day 541 cloudy

8.30 - 11.30 ~ school

12.00 - 3.00 ~ work

3.30 - 6.30 ~ school

7.00 - 11.30 ~ work

crazy day right?

Day 540 (11.8.10) fine day

3.50am wake up

5.00am wait for airport transfer bus

5.50am check in

6.30am board the plane

7.10am fly to Wellington

8.10am reach Wellington. took a bus to High Commission of Malaysia (HCM). someone knocked the bus from behind,gotta wait for the police to come and transfer us to another bus. was late for my appointment, had to call HCM to reschedule.

11.15am reach HCM

11.45am went to City. visited SGI centre. went for lunch. before i had my lunch, i was on a mission. boss asked me to mark around a few Malaysian restaurant, act as a photojournalist and have my meal there. so, i had laksa at 1 shop and had a roti canai at another. it was funny that i went in just to order a teh tarik. but they don't serve so i ordered a plain roti. and i was snapping and snapping. they might have though i was a photojournalist checking on them. i overheard them talking about me, asking the waiter to ask me whether the roti is nice. the waiter came and offer me some curry to go with my roti. i said im fine and asked for sugar instead. then the boss came out to check on me.wahahahah ...... i didn't finish the roti. when i went to pay,

Me:Sorry i didn't finish the roti coz i just had laksa at another place.

Waitress: that's ok.

Me: So, u didn't make the roti yourself eh?

Waitress: eerrr.... mmm ... Nop, we took it from someone.

Me: Hhhmmm ... its frozen ones.

Waitress: nonono .... its not.

Me: thats ok. dun worry about it. its a nice place. thank you.

(i told boss the story, he had a good laugh and said i was so mean) LOL ......

2.50pm went back to HCM to collect my documents. SETTLED! yeah! its just a piece of paper with few lines of writings. why do they need 3-4 months to issue if you post ur application? Malaysia Boleh!

3.00pm went back to city. did some chanting at kaikan. roam around city.

5.00pm board airport transfer

6.50pm fly back to Auckland

7.50pm reach AKL

8.30pm reach home. said hi to AK. ooppss .... it was so busy. all the muslims were there to eat. tomorrow they will start fasting. i was asked to work. oh nooo ... im so tired already but i couldn't say no. i requested to have a shower first.

9.30-12am work

DROPPED DEAD TIRED!!!

Day 539 fine

school ..... worked from 1 - 11pm. slept at 1am. tommorow have to wake up at 4am.

Day 538 fine

school .... work from 1 - 11pm

Day 534-537

Day 537 (8.8.10) rainy n cold

Happy Birthday Shi Jia!
went to practice as usual. Seiko san updated us on the Rotorua Ikeda Peace Park performance. its going to be a massive event! got those big shots politicians & tribe leaders, Rotorua newspaper cover etc. and we are going to perform for less than 5 min. its going to be history for the brass band to be able to play in such a significant event, representing Sensei with our music. we'll be playing Morigasaki Beach.
went to work at 4.30pm - 11pm.

Day 536 rainy day

Happy Birthday Xin Ying & Xin Yan!
woke up at 12pm. did some banking, shop for my assignment stuff & also household stuff. did my laundry and went dinner with Wendy, Angie's family & friends. then, went to Wendy's apartment to watch 'KungFu Kid'. very nice movie indeed.

Day 535 clear sky

Friday! yahoo ... no work tomorrow! start to photoshop my shot. its heachache doing it. luckilly i got hold of the graphic design lecturer to help me. then, rushed to work. 1pm - 1.30am. tired!

Day 534 fine day

its my 1st session with Linhof. helped Tiffany for her shoot from 8.30am-11.30am. then, my turn to shoot (coke splash) from 12.30pm - 5.30pm. shit ...... i used 12.30pm-3pm only to get that glass in focus and get the lighting right. now i know why still life photographers charge so high. really lots of work and effort.
went dinner with Tiffany before taking a bus home. went home to put down my bag and went to AK to do closing. worked from 8.45pm-12am

Day 533

rainy

discussed my storyboard with lecturer. he gave me some cool ideas. all set to shoot! tomorrow i will not be working. spending the whole day in studio for my very first shoot with Linhof + Leaf!

worked from 1pm - 11pm

Day 532

foggy & rainy
8.30am
continue to learn Linhof. damn, can't even get a book in focus. 4 hours!!!!! high blood pressure raising! when lecturer went out from the studio for a while, we unplugged everything.
he returned: what are you guys doing? (with a grin coz i think he's also frustrated di)
class: WE GAVE UP! *everybody laughed*

went to work from 1-5pm. droved to Tiffany's house to do mock shots to present to lecturer tomorrow. came back to the shop by 9.30 and started cleaning till 11pm.

tired.

Day 531

sunny during day. foggy & rainny at night.

my classmates has already started shooting their mock shots. very good work. start to feel pressure di coz my mock shots aren't that great. still not getting close to my desired shot.

today was a crazy day for me. rushed here & there to settle my visa problem. if i post my application, it takes 3 months to process! Msia Boleh! if i go personally, i can get everything done on that day itself!Angie Boleh! finally, had to fly down to Wellington next week to M'sia High Comm. settle it once & for all.
if i go this week, the air ticket will be NZD$400. then, i called MHC to set appointment, the lady told me there were no more slots available, only next wednesday. so i booked next wednesday to fly. and yyeessss .......... its just NZD$150! i saved so much!!!!

finished work 11.30pm

Day 528 - 530

Day 530
cloudy Sunday.
woke up at 8am to attend World Peace Chanting. i guess being on duty as a photographer makes my laziness to go away :) met 2 Korean YWD, 1 Japanese YWD & 2 Korean WD on the bus. such a great feeling. kosen rufu bus i recon. continued with band practice till 4pm. took a 10 min nap before going to work. i need a nap, headache & tired. finished work at 11pm. Day 529
fine Saturday.
equipped with a map, hop in to a bus & went to homevisit Sun at Takapuna, took a 10 min walk at the beach nearby then took a bus to Albany to join a daimokukai at Stuart's house. it was a long journey & walk. i really appreciate the members coming from so far to attend meetings and practices at kaikan. such a great effort. read Sensei's guidance lately that 'if you do not have time to do kosen rufu during the weekdays, make full use of 1 day over the weekend for KR is one way too. i guess i really did it. Saturday: homevisit, attend daimokukai & chanted 1 hour daimoku. Sunday: duty as SGI photog & attend band practice. YYESSSS ...... siok!!!!

Day 528
fine Friday.
did some test shot for upcoming shoots. just couldn't get the lightings right! ggrrr..... geramnya!!!! i hope with the real Large Format camera, i can get the shots that i wanted. fingers crossed. rush to work at 12.30pm and finished at 1.30am.

Day 527

fine with a few showers.

still constructing my assignment. have booked some slots for shootings.
rushed to work at 1pm.
finished work at 11.30pm.

Day 526

fine day. cold!!! ggrrr ......

continue learning how to use large format in studio. had some test shots.
worked from 1-11pm.

Day 524-525

Day 525 fine day

today learned large format camera (6x9). shiok man! we were tested individually how to handle it.

Lincoffinish work at 11pm

dinner - steamed Hapuka fish

Day 524 rainy Monday

continue to do assignment in class. finished work at 12am.

Day 522-523

Day 523 - sunny sunday

went to help Michelle (AK's regular customer) to take photos of her products to be auctioned online. guess those stuff were bought in HK. then, went practice at 1pm. me & Wendy shared about 'Rotorua Campaign' to the band members. its actually a 'challenge plan' from today towards our Rotorua performance. went to work at 4.30pm. finished at 11pm.

Day 522 - cloudy

accompanied Wnedy to duty at kaikan. prep for tomorrow's sharing as well. went back to city about 5pm and had our Korean dinner. dropped by at Nigel's house to say hello and watched TV. went home to do laundry, watched 'The Fringe'. slept at 1am.

Day 521

rainy

started work at 11.30am. handled the whole lunch crowd with Wendy. god went out and never came back. dinner crowd i had to handle by myself. so crazy!
finished work at 1.30am. very tired now.

Day 520

rainy.

went to studio to learn how to shoot with the Hasselblad. AMAZING!!!! can't wait to shoot my assignment with it.

finish work at 1am.

Day 519

raining all day.

got to touch hasselblad medium format camera today! awesome ... can't wait to shoot with it!!! finished class early. went to post office to post my application to shoot Khalil Fong's concert. hope i can get it :P

finished work at 11pm.

Day 517-518

Day 518 - fine and cold.

touched medium format camera today. learned how to handle the camera and the digital back.
finished work at 10.45pm


Day 517 - rainy

monday again! leanne lectured the class. continue to do research for assignment.
finished work at 11pm

Day 514 - 516

Day 516 - not too cold

with Masao, Nigel & Wendy, we went lunch and bought a birthday cake for Seiko san. started chanting at 12.45pm and do all warm ups. made a surprise for Seiko san before the meeting started. its Youth Meeting today and VMB performed 'Youth Climb The Mountain'. the theme for the mtg was 'Courage'. it was so high at the end of the meeting when 'Wet Tissues' (SGI NZ rock band) performed. it was my 1st time taking the group photo. thanks to Koji san for giving me the opportunity. met a group of SGM members who were on working holiday.

went to work from 5-11pm. tired.

Day 515 - rainy day.

went for rehearsal in the morning. helped Wendy to buy some PC stuff. went to Victor's house to get some stuff and watched TV. had dinner at Wendy's house while working on some banner deco for tomorrow's meeting. then to Nigel's house to play 'Werewolf' again. but no drinking this round as we need to perform the next day.

Day 514 - sunny and cold.

it was the most relaxed working night. not much customers. we went home at 11pm! great!

Day 512 (14.7.10) - 513(15.7.10)

Day 513 - fine day. cold.
Called M'sian Embassy to ask some questions. email-ed Immigration PIC and he told me he'll give me 3 months of permit in order to give me time to get my Police Cert. very prompt and kind service. you definately won't get this kind of service in M'sia! all you see in long black faces.
finished class at 12pm.went to buy internet credit. went to get a letter from my apartment & faxed to Immigration. Nigel's parents came to say hi in the evening.
finished work at 10.30pm. asked to leave early as i need to meet Nigel's family.


Day 512 fine day. cold.

still sorting out how to get 'Letter of Good Conduct' frm M'sia. headache. took 1 hour time off to go Immigration office to submit my Attendance & Performance record from my previous level. the PIC of my case is very helpful.
Seiko san came to pass me a gift from Ikeda Sensei. i though it was for all YWD or something. but to my surprise, it was from Sensei to ME! i always hear people getting direct guidance from Sensei, and can't believe i can get it too! sensei responded to my letter and determination which i sent to him (wrote a thank you letter to him for the photo he choose printed out in Seikyo Shimbun). i am so touched, happy and speechless! i will need to fight more in order to repay gratitude to Sensei. i must win!

finished work at 12.15am. tired

Day 511

fine day. super cold. 5 degree in the morning when i went to school ..... 1 degree at night.
worked from 1pm - 11pm

Day 508 - 510

Day 510 - 12.7.2010 fine day. cold.
its 1st day of class.can't believe i can actually continue my Diploma level. guess nothing is really impossible after all. as long as u continue striving and challenge yourself beyond your own limit. life is going to be tougher from today onwards. have to cope with studies, assignment, work and gakkai activities. can't afford to not work a day as i still need to earn for my daily life and for future use. finish class at 12.30pm and had to rush to work. monday to friday ....... same thing.
1st assignment-----intermedia! have to create shots for a ad using 'large format' camera! 3 choices~Cola?Nike?Chanel? i think im going to choose CocaCola since im a big fan of it. for those who have been to my house, im sure you're aware of my worldwide collections. got 10 weeks to complete this project. i can still go to work till night for the next 2 weeks i guess. then have to start shooting.
finished work at 11.30pm

Day 509 - fine day.
went to practice then to work. had steamboat for dinner. shiok! 1st time having steamboat in winter. sooooooo nice! finish work at 12.30am. did laundry till 2.30am. tomorrow wake up at 7.30am.

Day 508 - fine day. cold cold cold. 1-2 degree only!!!!
today got no practice so slept happily till 2pm. went shopping for stationery with Wendy. Justin invited us for pasta. i guess he is too lonely without Nigel being around. reached his house 6.30pm. after dinner, more than 10 of his friends came to play 'Werewolf' card game. those who were killed by the werewolf or die in any situation must take a 'shot'. so many hard liquer in the middle, u choose whichever you want. girls have to the option to mix with sprite. my alchohol tolerence is getting better, thanks to Angie who always ask me to drink in order to keep me warm. yes, it really keeps you warm in winter. went back home at 2.30am.

Day 507 9.7.2010

fine and cold! max 16 deg min 2 deg

full house for tonight. a group of Malaysians came to eat. later found out that one of them is a 'Yang Berhormat' from Terengganu. 15 of them came to do research for a bridging program with M'sian Uni. so, its their 'official' visit i guess. they covered the bills of other 'Malay'sian students who were eating at that time. lucky night for them. when the students were about to leave, they were given $100 each! omg ..... look at that! this is where tax payers $$$ go.
i hope my blog will be discovered by the Govt. other wise, i'll b sent to jail :P

finished work at 1.30am.

Day 506 8.7.2010

fine day

finished work at 11.30pm. mendy told me over facebook that i owe U-Mobile RM500!!!
what the hack!!!! 2 years ago i sign up 2 accounts at their promo counter. the salesman said that the SIM card is free because U-Mobile has just started. he said that if 3 months time i do not use the service, they will automatically cut off the service so that we don't have commitment. damn! 2 months before i was about to leave to NZ,i asked my auntie to help cancel the account because they keep on charging me monthly fee. damn ..... now mendy told me they sent a letter 2 me asking me 2 pay balance RM500 and notify that the account has been succesfully terminated. stupid idiot company. lesson: never sign up anything from any promo booth!!!!!

Day 505 7.7.2010

fine and windy.

yeehh......finished work so early today!11pm sharp!

my student permit still pending! arrrggg.... but d school sent email saying that i can start my class as usual. lucky .... if not have to wait next year and everything will b jammed!

tonight can rest early! great!!!!

Day 504 6.7.2010

fine day.

was expecting big crowds today but unfortunately it didn't happened. heard that they were having a closing ceremony dinner so i guess thats the reason why.
finished work early at 12.15am.
yes!!!!my apartment lift is back to normal! after 3 horrible weeks of climbing 10 floors!!!!will pay my rent now. hehehe ....

Day 503 5.7.2010

cold and windy.

happy birthday to Nigel & Yong Kean.

BERSATU Games is still going on, so AK is still flocked with heaps of M'sians. so busy and tired. had Prawn Noodle Soup for supper. worked from 12pm to 2am.

Day 502 4.07.2010

Rainy day. tired

woke up 7.30am. gotta b at kaikan by 8.30am. Masao san came and pick me and Wendy. we did D&G together and shared our determinations. had a short warm up and get ready. got a message that Koji san's car broke down and i had to cover the event first. luckily i decided to bring my camera and flash. but i forgot to charge my battery, smart rite? i chanted in my hear that my battery will last till the end of the meeting. yes ..... i really managed to pulled through. so lucky. managed to get a few shots and rush back to my position. we played 'World Kosen Rufu' & 'Human Revolution'. then, i went back to my photographer job again. like a crazy woman. hahaha .......
watched Sensei's video on his receiving award from QingHwa University, China. its was touching as always. The President of the Uni even said that Sensei has always been his idol. wow ...... nowadays, many Chinese still hate Japanese because of World War. but through Sensei's sincere dialogue & actions, he has broke the ice! Sensei encouraged us to learn from China. China has influence many cultural factors in other Asian countries. Why is China so rapidly growing? its because they are unity, they work as one. 'itai doshin' as we always hear in Gakkai. i was awaken by some of Sensei's guidance. 今から始める! Start Now! Courage leads to Wisdom. We must have courage.

finished by 11.30am. went home at 12 something. had a short nap and went to work. so busy today, just like Friday night's situation. finished work at 2am.

Day 501 3.7.2010

Saturday. fine day.
slept at 4.30am last nite after studying human revolution for sharing today.
woke up at 8am. went to our final rehersal. finished at 1pm, went to Foodtown to get some stuff for Nigel's surprise birthday party. went back to sleep for 1 hour before going to Wendy's house to cook. did my laundry at her apartment too. Nigel didn't know that we invited his friends as well. thx to Justin, Julie & Alan for coming. we had a great mini party. came home at 1am.

Day 500 2.7.2010

cold but nice weather.

omg so tired. so tired. so tired.

the BERSATU Games has started. its an annual sport competition where all M'sian students participate in all sorts of games. imagine all Malaysian students from all parts of NZ come packing in a small restaurant?!!!
usually we have 2 rounds of full house during lunch hour. today is 4-5 rounds!!!! and dinner croud was as crazy. got some cash insentive from boss for today's hardwork. hehe......

had roast duck for lunch@dinner@supper at 10.30pm. finished work at 2am. tomorrow have to wake up at 8am for rehersal. gonna perform on this Sunday. now still reading NHR to share the significance of 'Song of Human Revolution' that we're gonna play.

Day 499 1.7.2010

not too cold and not too hot today. quite good weather.
had to go to work at 11.30am instead of 12pm. boss need to do some urgent grocceries. it was so so so busy today. boss was not around during the peak hours. i handled the whole front house alone. walau eh ..... very very tired. leg sore now. no time for lunch. just had a piece of frozen pizza and a cup of milk for breakfast (that was 4pm). about 9pm only boss came with our 'lunch'. somore no time to eat properly, had to stand inside the kitchen to eat my fish n chips while boss take care for me. swollowed everything in 5-10 min. the dishwashing auntie also nearly fainted because of hunger & tired.
well, at least we finished early today about 12.30am.

Day 498 30.6.2010

not so cold today.

finished work at 1am. tired.

Day 497 - 29.06.2010

too tired that i woke up late today. skipped gongyo ..... darn! nearly late for work. today was not so busy at work as the students are all having break. had 'pei dan jok' *century egg porridge* for supper. so full! finished work at 12.30am

finally the management of my apartment has given response to our complaints. after 3 weeks of no lift, they finally put up a notice stating that the technician will come & fix it tomorrow. gosh .... can u imagine climbing up 10 floors everyday? after standing for 12-13 hours at work. im gonna need a wheelchair very soon.

Day 496 - 28.6.2010

its not as cold as yesterday. report says min 9 degree. still haven't got any news on my student permit. very anxious now as class is gonna start on 12 July. my college has sent me email today stating tht i need 2 show my permit before i can join d class.

worked from 12pm to 1am. tired.

Day 495 27.6.2010

ooppss ..... i keep on dragging n dragging my posts. now i have to skip so many weeks of report. today is a must to blog because i received such a great news that will effect my life for ever.
i had a dialogue session with my YWD chief Seiko san in the morning at Starbucks. she then placed a piece of newspaper cutting in front of me. it was the group photo of Ikeda Kayokai meeting that i took the other day. out of 192 countries, Sensei has chosen 3 to be published in Seikyo Shimbun. it was New Zealand, Ireland & Russia. OMG! my debut photo in Seikyo Shimbun! 5.5 million readers daily! i really can't imagine that happened. my dream has finally came true. i must thank Koji san(my photo team leader) coz he was the one who insisted us to send the photo & report to Sensei. we were reluctant coz its only a small meeting. it was so out of expectation Sensei chose NZ. i can't describe how happy i was when i look at d newspaper. tears were just gleaming in my eyes. then, Seiko san asked me to close my eyes as she wants to give me present as a token of appreciation. it is the Ikeda Kayokai Guidelines Book. its originally in japanese written by Sensei himself, NZ has translated it to English. i have contributed some photos there. wow ...... just so happy to see my photos published in a gakkai book. they are going to send a copy to Sensei of course. i've always wanted to send photos to Sensei & ........ see .......... I DID IT. when we reached kaikan for band practice, Seiko passed me a sheet of paper where u can write to Sensei directly. i wrote a thank you message to Sensei & again mentioning my determinations. then, went to the office and personally faxed it to SGI Japan. pressing the SEND button was so suspence. LOL. its like sending a love letter and hoping Sensei will receive it.
last week, i wrote a letter to Sensei on my situation & determination. i've attached 2 photos in there too. i hope Sensei will like it. i've also gave him a group photo of Penang FY (my last performance before i came here). behind the photo i wrote a short message tht this is the band where i grew up & strived together all my life. they will be having a concert soon. I really wanted Sensei to know what PFY is doing and im praying everyday that our 2010 targets will be fulfilled. all the best to PFY. please do your best and send a victory report to Sensei. its the best gift to Sensei as he has always rely on us music corps on world kosen. its the best way to pay gratitude to him & Gakkai.

Day 453 - 477

Day 477 - work from 12pm - 1am

Day 476 - work from 12pm - 12.30am. Sensei has received our victory report and sent us a message. another great news is that Seikyo Shimbun will publish our report & photos in few days time!

Day 475 - today is a public holiday (Queens B'day) so i don't have to work. very nice weather after few days of rain. today, the band is having a celebration party for our successful concert at Takuya san house. woke up early to go shopping with Wendy. we bought some crab balls for the party. we were quite early to reach the venue. so, we helped in making breads(ham&cheese and sweetcorn rolls). ooo ... my 1st time rolling doughs ..... some looked like socks, roti canai etc. so many funny outcome but it was really fun. heaps of things to eat eg. sausages, crab balls, sushi, kimchi, dal curry rice, pasta, home made rolls, chips, wine, beers, sodas etc! after eating, we watched our performance video before going home. hitched a ride from Masao san, Yuki & I got down at downtown. was thinking to walk home but since the weather is good, i decided to walk to the habour and enjoy my evening. sat on the bench and listening to my Ipod made my day off so relaxing. then, took the free bus to Borders to read some magazines. it was raining when i walked back home. no umbrella ... luckilly it wasn't that heavy. slept at 9pm. too tired.

Day 474 - attended World Peace Chanting meet. its my 1st day of duty as a member of Senko kai (photographers team). so proud & very determined to do my best to shoot for kosen rufu & Sensei. was again in tears while watching Sensei's video. saw the M'sian troupe in d video too shouting 'Malaysia Boleh' in front of Sensei. Sensei again touched on the mission of brass band, chorus group & Kotekitai. more in tears.

Day 473 - 10am went to Kayokai meeting at Seiko san's house. was asked to take photos of the meeting to be sent to Sensei. it was a great session, heard many experiences & hardship of others. i will never give up as i have gakkai & faith. my dream will surely come true if i just continue fighting. STRIVE ALL OUT Angie!!! together with Seiko san, we went to have coffee with Koji san which is the chief photographer of SGINZ. he related his experience to us which is so inspiring. im very honoured to shoot & learn along with him. went home bout 5pm, clear and empty my room & bomb it. stupid fleas made my legs so itchy & painful. will kill them once & for all. after kao tim everything, i returned the vacuum cleaner to Wendy and then walked to Nigel's house to pass him some Gyoza Seiko san made for us. came home and slept till the next day. it was so so tiring after a long day.

Day 472 - work from 12pm - 12am.

Day 471 - work from 12pm - 1am.

Day 470 - work from 12pm - 12.30am.

Day 469 - work from 12pm - 12.30am.

Day 468 - work from 12pm - 12.30am. Nigel managed to borrow a card reader for his friend. he came to my house to transfer photos so that i can give Masao san the photos to be sent to Japan's Seikyo newspaper. thanx a lot Nigel. poor Nigel .... slept while waiting for the transfer to complete.

Day 467 - THIS IS THE DAY! its 30.5.2010! its Victorious March Band 10th Anniversary & 8th Joint Concert with Manukau City Concert Band. can't believe im able to play for the 2nd time. i still remember when we were sharing our resolutions last year before the performance started. i said it will be my 1st and may be the last time to play with VMB. everyone especially the leaders encouraged me to chant for the fortune to stay in NZ and they are sending daimoku for me to stay on. true enough ... here i am again! i have made resolution to be able to participate in the 2011 concert & fingers crossed, i will make it happen!
this year, Koji san went to Japan & couldn't come back in time to photograph our concert. so i asked Tiffany's help to do so. thx Tiff for her effort. after the concert, we helped the 'behind d scene' team to clean the centre. after that we had ramen dinner with Masao san, Nigel & Wendy.

... to be continued

Day 434 - 452

Day 452 - went to practice with Nigel & Wendy. thx to Angie & godpa for driving us there. it was raining like cats & dogs. like end of the world is coming. but once we started chanting, the rain stopped and d sky was so blue with beautiful clouds. practice was ok, still lots of polishing 2 do! then, we went dinner with Angie & family. we gave Wendy a surprise b'day cake during d dinner.

Day 451 - work from 12pm to 1.30am

Day 450 - work from 12pm to 2.00am

Day 449 - went to school to register for my Diploma course. then went to work from 12pm to 1.30am

Day 448 -work from 12pm to 12.00am

Day 447 - work from 12pm to 1.30am

Day 446 - went to practice from 1-4pm. work from 5pm to 2.30am

Day 445 - went to practice from 1-4pm. went dinner with Wendy & Angie. then went drink coffee with Wendy to help here do slideshow for mothers day.

Day 444 - work from 12pm to 1.00am

Day 443 - work from 12pm to 2.00am

Day 442 - work from 12pm to 12.30am

Day 441 - work from 12pm to 1.30am

Day 440 - work from 12pm to 12.30am. went to Nigel's house to shoot a short video clip for Mendy's birthday.

Day 439 - we are celebrating 5.3 Day today. d brass played 'Youth Climb The Mountain' & 'Forever Sensei'. so shock to see full house today in the centre. so many new chanters & Gohonzon enshriners. after the meeting, i went to Bridal Expo with Tiffany. we managed to get exhibitor pass so we didn't have to pay to enter. there were gown fashion show, booths of gown designers, photographers & misc. after that, went to work from 5pm to 2am. i am so so so tired!!!!

Day 438 - went to practice from 1-4pm. had lunch with Masao san, Yuki & Nigel. Masao san treated us japanese meal. thx :) then i went window shopping with Nigel. then, i stayed at Nigel's house while he went out with his friends. after he came back about 9.30pm, we went for Korean food as dinner. thx Nigel for d treat. we then walked to Foodtown to shop for grocerries at 12am with some other 5-6 Malaysian students. finished shopping at 2.30am. weird? faster went to sleep as tomorrow need to wake up at 8am for performance.

Day 437 - work from 12pm to 2.00am

Day 436 - work from 12pm to 2.00am

Day 435 - work from 12pm to 2.00am

Day 434 - work from 12pm to 11.00pm

Happy Birthday Mendy!!!

Hey Mendy!!!
Happy Birthday!!!
We made a video specially for you for your birthday!!
Live here at 1.30 in the morning in NZ!!!
Hope you enjoy it!!

above article is by author Nigel. thx Nigel for helping me to upload & write a few words.

mei mei ..... its such a wonderful & fortunate thing that you are born on 3rd May. of course you would know its a historic day for Soka Gakkai & 2 of our Sensei. so, please don't give up and let's fight for kosen rufu with Ikeda Sensei. refresh your determination & dedicate your victories to Sensei. i know you can do it. many great future is awaiting you. all the best!ENJOY your student life!

Day 425 - 433

Day 433 - work from 12pm to 12.30am

Day 432 - went to practice at kaikan. everyone attended except for Nigel. he got food poisoning due to expired instant noodles. apalah Nigel!!!! LOL!!!! went to work from 5pm to 12am.

Day 431 - woke up at 11am. went to AK to do stock check. 1.30pm i drove Angie's car to a YWD's house to do 5.3 Day gift. fetched Wendy & another YWD. had Burger King for my brea+lun+ner at 7pm. in 7 hours we managed to do 200++ bookmarks with different kinds of designs. wow!!!! then me & Wendy took a bus to downtown to meet Nigel & friends. so funny feeling coz there's whole bunch of Malaysians go midnight shopping together. felt like we were at Tesco. hahaahaah ........ finished shopping by 11.30pm. online for awhile before going to bed.

Day 430 - work from 12pm to 12am

Day 429 - work from 12pm to 12am

Day 428 - work from 12pm to 12am

Day 427 - work from 12pm to 12am

Day 426 - work from 12pm to 11.30pm

Day 425 - went to practice at kaikan. went to work from 5pm to 12am.

Day 412 - 424

Day 424 - went breakfast with Angie & family then go Fo Guang Shan at Botany.went home to wait my client to come pick up her wedding cd but she didn't make it. went to Wendy's house to eat dinner & watch TV - Chipmunks & Ladder 49. went back home to do laundry and watched All Well Ends Well Too 2010 while waiting. slept at 2am.

Day 423 - work from 12pm to 12am

Day 422 - work from 12pm to 12am

supper - braised tofu & mushroom

bailey irish cream (liquor)Day 421 - work from 12pm to 12am

Day 420 - work from 12pm to 12am

Day 419 - work from 12pm to 12am

Day 418 - go practice from 1pm - 4pm. work from 5pm to 12am

Day 417 - go Lim Choor with Wendy to shop for dinner. cooking bah kut teh tonight. went to Albert Park to practice music. went back to Wendy's apt to get the cooked bah kut teh & went to Nigel's house. so coincidently Nigel also cooking bah kut teh. so there were 6 of us having bah kut teh fiesta. watched Night In The Museum while eating. played Tekken, scribble, UNO before heading home.

Day 416 - work from 12pm to 12am

Day 415 - work from 12pm to 11.30pm

supper - seafood laksa Day 414 - work from 12pm to 10.30pm

Day 413 - work from 12pm to 10.30pm

Day 412 - go yumchar with angie, godpa ,their aunt & wendy. went to Rose Garden, Kelly Tarlton Underwater World & Winter Garden. had dinner at a vegetarian restaurant because Angie's friend(a MAS crew) who came to Auckland is a vegetarian. tasted good anyway. went back to their house to eat ice cream before heading home by 9.30pm.
*photos at my facebook*

Day 400 - 411

Day 411 - the daylight saving is over. had to turn back my clock 1 hour. woke up at 3pm. vacuum my room and went to work at 5pm. not much customers today so we finished by 11.30pm. we had vegetarian dinner coz they have visiting friend who is vegetarian.

feijoa fruitgiant lemonreally looked like a fish the chefdinner time
Day 410 - woke up 10.30am. Shunhan came to pick me at 12pm. head to Formosa Golf Resort for wedding shoot,it takes 45 min drive. thx Shunhan for your help. reached there too early so we went for lunch nearby & went back by 2.30pm. ceremony was suppose to start at 3pm but the bride was not ready. it was quite relaxed shoot as the couple just need to document the event as they have already gone through the 'real' ceremony & dinner in Taiwan. so this was a casual one. Thank you Nelson & Janice for entrusting me to shoot your wonderful wedding.
finished by 8.30pm then went to Nigel's house at 9.30pm to help him design something. he made me a vodka + dono wat juice. NICE!i really like it but the vodka was not enough dear!LOL thx Nigel ... :) stayed there till about 2am & went home. after shower, slept on my bed while watching my TVB drama till 4.30am. what a day! hahaha ...... Day 409 - woke up at 4pm. YES! its Easter Day, its my day off! had the longest & soundest sleep ever. so so so tired of working long hours everyday. so, i spent my easter alone in my room. do laundry, clean my room, watch drama, eat instant noodle as break@lunc@dinner. about 10.30pm, Nigel came to my room to have supper together and watched a funny but stupid cartoon. he left about 3am and i slept after doing gongyo. need to wake up early for a wedding shoot. Tiffany has went back to China so she hand over this shoot to me.

Day 408 - worked from 12pm to 2.30am. went to Post Office to return my passport to embassy. wasted my money only. celaka betul .... how can they make mistake on someone's passport?such an important document yet made a stupid mistake. terrible working attitude.

Day 407 - worked from 12pm to 1.30am

Day 406 - worked from 12pm to 1am

Day 405 - worked from 12pm to 1am

Day 404 - went to practice from 1pm to 4pm. worked from 5pm to 12am

Day 403 - went for a haircut again with Angie. then went to Dressmart to get some pairs of socks. went for dinner before heading home. at 8pm, me, Wendy, Naomi, Satomi san & Nigel went to Albert Park to have picnic to support Earth Hour. stayed there till the end of Earth Hour before going to Nigel's house to play poker.

Day 402 - worked from 12pm to 1am

Day 401 - worked from 12pm to 12am

Day 400 - worked from 12pm to 12am

Day 391 - 399

Day 399 - went to post office to send my passport to Malaysia Embassy.then, work from 12pm till 12.30am. went to Nigel's hse to do something till 2.30am.

Day 398 - went to city library to get my IC certified by Justice of Peace. celaka ....not open yet. rush back to work. then, went again at opening hour, shit!too long Q, the secretary asked me to come back again on Thursday. damn .... walk back to AK again, then call another JP. YES, he's available. so i quickly drove to Grafton and get it done. then rush back to work again till 12.30am.

Day 397 - went practice from 1-4pm. work from 5pm till 1.00am

Day 396 - went to Miruwai Beach for shooting. the daughter will be leaving to UK for studies soon. so we were requested to take photos of her daughter and her horse. fantastic view! 1st time riding a quad bike and a horse. the horse is far taller than me, had a scary but fun ride. Tiffany's husband attached a trailer on his quad bike and drove us to chase and shoot(photos) the horse. real good experience. then went dinner at 9pm. went back home and bath and do laundry before going to Wendy's house for supper at 1am.

Day 395 - work from 12pm till 1am.

Day 394 - work from 12pm till 2am.

Day 393 - work from 12pm till 1am.

Day 392 - work from 12pm till 12.30am.

Day 391 - work from 12pm till 1am.

Day 384 - 390

Day 390 - woke up at 8.45am. get ready to go kaikan for 3.16 Celebration. there were 6 of us waiting for transport. thx so much YMDs who drove us to the centre. once again i shed tears while watching Sensei's video. tears of regret & shame that im still not doing good enough as a youth. i still can't catch up with Sensei's path. but i'll never give up. i'll continue to strive no matter what. I love you, Sensei. After the meeting, me, Nigel & Wendy walked to buy brunch before going to band.we finished early today coz everyone was tired. went back home to take few minutes rest before going to work. as usual, its busy night. had Burger King for supper, boss bought it when driving him home. finished work at 12.45am. so tired .... sleep ..........

Day 389 - went to Whangaparaoa for a wedding shoot from 1-10-ish pm. very simple & nice wedding party. the house is so beautiful!!!once you walk to the back of the house, ..... ttaadddaaaaa......its a bay lah! beautiful & super clean beach.how i wish i could stay at that area. this is the most relax wedding shoot i ever had. partly because they are Tiffany's friend & so it was not that tense & formal. i joined their dinner as well.their tent looking over the sunset .... sipping wine & beer ..... what a romantic wedding party. reached home by 11-ish & went out for a drink with Wendy & Vikki, my chapter leader. the leaders are very passionate & warm. they try to keep in touch with you every now & then. homevisit during midnite & in a bar? my 1st time. LOL ... Vikki asked me about promotion as a group leader. i didn't give her answer yet, will think about it. went home by 2am.

Day 388 - its my GRADUATION NITE! worked till 4pm only coz i need 2 reach the hall by 5pm. shit! the lift was out of order! how lucky was i. so this aunty here ran up 10 floors, shower, then ran down 10 floors again! yyeehhhh ......... reached Aotea Centre by 4.45pm, get my gown & ready for the nite. Charlie was flipping the handouts and i saw something that was unbelievable! my name was printed on The Excellence Award category. OMG!!!! i couldn't believe it! am i dreaming?no i was not! Nigel asked me why i didn't get the Perfect Attendance Award? gee...after thinking & thinking its impossible coz i never skip my classes even once. aahhhh.....i know!i was still in Penang for 2 weeks when the class started. thats why! but never mind .... its my fault. so the ceremony went smoothly starting of with the possession, speeches, special award giving, qualification giving & photo session. was happy that it was witnessed by my 2 good friends Nigel & Wendy. it would be better if my parents could attend. its ok. next time! thx Nigel for the video recording! thx Nigel, Wendy & Naomi for the lovely bouquet of flowers. thx ShunHan for photography. after returning back the gown, we rushed to Angie's Kitchen to take photos with colleagues. then, we went for a simple celebration dinner. went to visit Nigel's new apartment & watched some videos he took for me on FeiYang band. good job my lovely band members!i was shocked to see so many members. really big & sound good! went back home bout 1am.

Day 387 - work from 12pm - 1am

Day 386 - work from 12pm - 1am

Day 385 - work from 12pm - 12.30am

Day 384 - work from 12pm - 12.30am

Day 376 - 383

Day 383 - woke up at 8am. went to World Peace Chanting with new M'sian YMD member. went brunch with Wendy before band practice. then , went to work by 5pm. finished work at 1am.

Day 382 - woke up at 2pm. brought Daniel, a new student from Sarawak, to city for a tour. then, went to Borders to read some books & magazines while waiting to meet Wendy for dinner.

Day 381 - work from 12pm to 1am

Day 380 - work from 12pm to 2am

Day 379 - work from 12pm to 1am

Day 378 - work from 12pm to 1am

Day 377 - work from 12pm to 2am

Day 376 - woke up at 10am. received text from Masao that practice has been cancelled. so went to fetch Nigel from the airport. we met with a small accident along the way back home. the AA service was fast & efficient. thumbs up! after lunch, went to work till 1am.

Day 367 - 375

Day 375 - its Chap Goh Meh, final day of CNY, also Chinese Valentine Day. so fast its over! woke up at 3pm then had dinner at Burger King before heading to Lantern Festival at Albert Park.

taiwan dance

Hangzou dance troupe - they performed at 2008 Beijing Olympic opening ceremony Day 374 - woke up at 7.30am. went to school to discuss about exhibition. then went to immigration to submit my visitor permit. rushed to work by 11.30am. had crayfish & white wine for supper. i drank until abit drunk, couldn't stand still, my colleagues teased at me for being lousy. finished work at 3am.

yum ...drink till face redDay 373 - work from 12pm to 12.30am

Day 372 - work from 12pm to 1.00am

lunch ~ braised tofuDay 371 - work from 12pm to 1.00am

lunch ~ sesame seed bun

chicken porridgeDay 370 - work from 12pm to 11.30pm
lunch ~ cabbagefish currytofu soupDay 369 - went to practice from 1pm to 4pm. work from 5pm to 11.30pm
Angie's son bought a LV bag for her

supper ~ long bean with olivesfish curryDay 368 - went to Tiffany's house to meet bride & bridegroom to discuss about April's wedding. then went dinner at a Japanese restaurant. then, went to Angie's house for awhile before going home.

Day 367 - work from 12pm to 12.30pm lobster porridge

Day 359 - 366

Day 366 - its 18.2.2010!!!!! it means i am here in NZ for 1 year already!!!!! wow wow wow ..... tough but interesting year! 1 year gone means another new year coming. i will strive hard to go through 2010 with victory! gambatte!!!!!

work from 12pm to 12am

Day 365 - work from 12pm to 12am

Day 364 - work from 12pm to 12am. got a parcel from dad. yyeehhhh .... my new phone has arrived from UK! thanx dad! its Samsung Taccolite, full touch screen with 3.2 MP camera. i asked dad to buy me a phone coz my old one's joystick is not functioning & too much dust on the screen tht its kinda blocking my view.

our lunch

ladyfinger with squidfried eggs

our dinner

auntie Heng's Koay Teow Th'ng

Angie's Wat Tan Hor

mine - my 2nd attempt on frying mamak mee gorengDay 363 - work from 12pm to 11.30pm

Day 362 - HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!! so sad being away from home for CNY. its my 1st time not attending family reunion dinner, can't party with my fella band family! :(

went to kaikan at 9am for CNY meeting. thx to Naomi for giving us a ride! so ... in the meeting, they had a few performances and yummy yummy CNY food. feel just like in heaven! never though can get to eat 'ang ku', 'ribbon pia' etc in NZ. kekeke ..... so CNY mood. after that, went to work from 12pm to 12am. tht's it! how boring is my CNY.

my lunch - fish head beehoon soup

Day 361 - woke up at 11am. quickly do my laundry. then, 2pm i went to Tiffany's house to discuss some upcoming photography jobs & get my salary from the last wedding. by 7pm, went to aunty Heng's house for CNY eve reunion dinner.

buddha jump wall佛跳墙

french bean with squid

yong taufu

fresh salmon

roast pork & duck

lobster/crayfish

yong chilli

tao pei kang

Day 360 - work from 12pm to 12am

my supper - 1st attempt of me frying mamak mee goreng. total failure ...

Day 359 - work from 12pm to 12am