C'est LA viE

It is a lovely sunny day today, oh no, it is a very hot and sunny day. But given that we already being by an unusual summer weather this year, with many cloudy and rainy days in past few weeks, I have no complaints for such a brilliant weather today.

So I went to Himatangi Beach today with Ping, Antony and Johnny. Again, weather was good, blue sky and blue sea~ I spent almost half day there, from around 2pm to half pass 5. Even though I had applied sun screen, but I think I still got tanned a bit. =S Well, I still quite enjoyed being on the beach, I dint really swim (cz I cant TT), but did get into the sea for a short while (just soaked my leg basically). The rest of time I was sitting under the sun, on the beach mat Ping brought, and viewing the fun other ppl having. Did chat a bit with Johnny. We also played a while of the Frisbee, I was really sucks with it. Haha. Alright, that’s my Sunday, so 4 more days to work on, and then HOLIDAYS!!! Cant wait for my family trip, yes they are coming on 22th DEC!!! I am super excited now!!

Finally, <the Hobbit> movie released!!! I had been waiting since the first trailer released last year, so looking forward for it! I am truly a big, huge LOTR fan, also admire with Peter Jackson’s production since I watched the trilogy of LOTR. I was so anxious to watch the hobbit especially sawing some news reporting about the world premier at Wellington 2 wks ago. But it actually only started screening from 13^{th Dec.} So I just couldn’t border there weren’t anyone joining me for this journey to the middle of the earth, I went to the cinema by myself. =P It was also my first time watching movie at the cinema alone. =) but I am very happy with my decision. The movie was awesome! Fantastic! Bravo, Peter Jackson, Bravo, Martin Freeman! And to the rest of the movie crews and actor/ess, and staffs or so on, u guys done a good job! I felt so grateful to be able to view the good film which was largely local produced in this land of Hobbiton! This time, I could even (not 100%) recognize the place in the film where it could be in real life. I recalled the time while I watch the LOTR, before I come to NZ, I was so amazed by the scenery and so excited I was coming to NZ for further study. And few years later, I am in NZ and able to watch <the hobbit>, this is just so cool! Well I am not a reader, so I am not comparing the book and the film. As a visual person, I ranked A for this movie. I love fantasy, mysterious movies, so I am definitely biased for Hobbit, especially I am LOTR fan. The movie flow very smoothly, and the story is very understandable, and Martin played the hobbit very well. I really enjoyed watching his facial expression and emotion in this film.  I am not going to compare the hobbit with the famous LOTR, because I think they are different. I personally think that the Hobbit was produced just because the popularity of LOTR. Thus, most of the favourite characters from LOTR are gone in the Hobbit film, so they are different. I would say the Hobbit has less action, adventure scene as compared to LOTR, it’s more telling a story, giving a basic platform for the happening of LOTR. But, it was a very good visual story teller, and the movie itself actually was very funny. I laughed so much this time, especially when Gollum appeared. He is real funny, and evil of cause.  the new characters - the trolls also very funny! They also was standing at the Te Papa museum right now! (just statue) I saw some critics reviews online, and some ‘experts’ were commenting that the film advanced technology for shooting killed the production and letting some ppl down. Some said it just like watching video games. Well, I actually also noticed the Hobbit film somehow was higher definition than LOTR, but I am still very happy with that. I don’t think the effect was like video games because there were not many action scenes, and I hate watching video games man! Anyways, different people likes different cup of tea. I am very happy with the Hobbit, u got my biggest support and respect!

I guess most people are having holiday mood now, so do I!

Xmas will be here in 11 days!! Today is a big day for all of us at FRDC, we had christmas performance at the foreyard in lunch time and xmas party for dinner!!

Plus today is Friday, everyone was so high up now.

This is the foreyard?? Hmmm, well, I guess is the best location, as it just right opposite the cafe!

Basically, just some talented staffs were presenting their artistic skills, some really have a good vocal, and know how to play good music!

Alright, here come the night function!! Christmas party!!

I think the social commitee really put on a big effort this yr since what they learned from last yr lesson (raining and ran out of food),

we were welcomed by home made cocktails! We didnt have these last yr.

The blue cocktails were called bikini martini, haha nice name, very matched with this year xmas party theme - in the beach!

The party venue same as last year  - Wharerata, but this year we got not bad weather, not sunny enough, but at least was not raining!

The location really well decorated!!

while waiting for our meal, a photographer aproached us and captured this awesome photo!

Food served this year was definitely more than enough, and we got plenty of left over, mainly was BBQ, with lamb, beef patties and pork.

Look at this huge pork!! OMG!! I really love this, always a fan of pork, especially love the crispy skin! Then these meat were accompanied by self-serving salads and cheese, and various sauces.

So I was sitting at where the arrow and circle pointed. We got quite many attendies this year~

Tali and I~

Here come desserts....

I must admitted last year desserts were better....

It was a good night, though some bad news happened. My close colleague, Ping's bag actually got stolen! I felt really sorry for her, well but luckily she was still enjoying the night, really like her optimistic mind.

I also had a good night, never thought that I would stay until that late, I got home around 10pm! (The party started around 6pm....)

So after the meals, I actually dint join the drinking game with Halie and Ping, ok, I admit I am chicken, cz I dont really wanna get myself drunk, thank you very much.

I just played the beach balls with some little kids (employee's kids) and some of my colleagues. Well, not lame, I did have a lot of fun tho!

I am not a local, but had been staying Palmy for nearly 1 and a half year, I guess is time for me to tramp the Manawatu gorge.

Well luckily the social comittee from my company organized this tramping event, and is totally free!!!

The last time I went for tramping had been a while ago, it was last summer, omg, means I ald missed tramping for nearly a year, wow.

I used to love tramping a lot, but somehow my lazy bugs in my body really annoyed from long distance walking, lol.

But today, is time!!

So there are like nearly 40 of us, all from the company, a small number are the employee's partner.

We splited into 2 groups, one started from the Ashurst end, another group started from the Woodville end.

My team started from the Woodville end, we started around 8am.

The weather was brilliant!

these kind of cage with an egg inside are found many times along the side of the track, it was used to catch posseums.

The track actually really easy, and it dint take much time to finish the half way....

why half way? haha bcz the 2 teams supposed to meet during lunch time to exchange car keys, well bcz it a long track but not a route.

So we eventually will arrive the end which the other team departed from....And this is the meeting point! The windmill farm!

but the other group was so slow, we waited for nearly an hour at the meeting point, eventually we rang them, and decided to continue our track.

Finally, all of us also met each other!  

after exchanged keys, we continued the track~

Actually we could see many native bushes and plants along the track....but too bad I dint able to see any native unique birds...

mushrooms~

huge fern leaf!

This is the gorge!

even got this, hole in a big tree! I went in, and actually used my torch on my phone to look what's inside.

Spider webs!!! Very dark and scary~

the track really well maintained, and very safe.

But never knows that the track ended via highway! woo....

So is the event going once a year again, here come our team’s Xmas function since Christmas will be in 2 wks time!!

This year, time really teleports! Yes I used the word ‘teleport’ instead of ‘flies’ cz I really think this year gone super fast! The image of I went back Malaysia during CNY in Feb, and I went to Aussie for Mayday concert was still very clear in my mind. The time past so fast which I thought many things happened on me was a last year event, but they were just happened in 2012!

Back to the event today, it was lot of differences this year, was a Category function rather than a team function. Well, things changed since my company had a big restructure, so my previous team – nutrition and bioactives had gone, and I’ve been transferred into a new team, along with my lovely supervisors of cause. As long as I am still working for the same 2 ‘insane’ supervisors, for me, things still remain the same. Perhaps just come a bit different with the big boss of my team, but who cares?

We don’t have event this time, thus the lunch was actually not budgeted by the company due to cost saving, which sounds real cruel for such big Christmas in a western country. I felt grateful at least I was here last year, and able to celebrate the ‘real’ team Xmas function, see here.

Anyways, today’s lunch was not too bad. Basically is a potluck dinner, at first I was told it was a BBQ, and most ppl said they will bring bread or salads, or desserts. Then I just thought I would just brought a layered jelly dessert (which my mum used to make) as I still have the jelly mix from Malaysia with me. However, my insane supervisor said jelly is boring…then they demanded for a traditional Malaysian food. So eventually, beside the jelly dessert, I cooked curry as well.

Luckily I did, because my chicken curry was soooooo popular, it gone in 15mins!!! I cooked a big pot of chicken curry with so many different ingredients, and I am really proud of myself, haha! Moreover, BBQ was not presented by the way, and reason was not given ==. We had a big chunk of Ham instead, but they wasn’t filling, so I think my curry chicken save the day! Hehe =P

Well I dint take photo today, as I thought it might not be a good idea as we were having this lunch function in my boss’s boss house. The house is very lovely, obviously owned by ppl from management level. Lol. But I still able to capture this

We had so many desserts today! The one at the bottom with the strawberries on top is my jelly dessert. The top layer was a coconut milk jelly, followed by milo jelly (second layer) and coffee jelly at the bottom. I should have captured my individual jelly ‘cake’ after I successfully made it. But I think my mum make better job than me, my jelly cake was not that great in term of taste. Sigh, need to make extra effort next time.