Sigh...

I wish I dont have to go back to work tomorrow. Its really a torture to think about it. I havent been at work for more than 3 weeks and I am used to not working, its such a wonderful feeling. But there is no excuse, I have to go to work. So tomorrow is the day. So not looking forward to it, but as the saying goes, good things dont last forever. The holiday is over and its time to be back to normal life.

By the way, happy birthday to my beloved mom, she is 64 yesterday and we all had a wonderful time celebrating her birthday at home. Wish you panjang umur, murah rezeki and happy and healthy always. May Allah bless you with abundance of good health and happiness.

The passing of a great star.

The world is shocked today byt the news of MJ death. I came to know about it when hubby texted me at 6.30am and informed me that he has passed. Then I logged into the internet and read all about it. The tv ran its tributes for the King of Pop all day today. What a shame that he was gone, such a talent. I think he was one of the greatest entertainer of all time. Its so sad. I am not a big fan, but I do love his songs. But he was just like any another, a mortal, when its time to go, you would go.

I watched CNN today and saw his body being flown to the Coroner's office for an autopsy, couldnt help but noticed that his body was shrouded with a white cloth like a muslim. And when his brother held a news conference at the UCLA Medical Centre, he said may Allah be with you always, Michael. So I was just wondering about it. Anyway thats not for us to judge or speculate, its between him and Allah.

Another celebrity died on the same day, although not as famous but she was still very much an icon. Didnt know about Farah Fawcett that much but she was on and off the news in recent time, and being a news freak that I am, I knew whats going on with her.

Anyway, thats life. You just cant live forever. Life is just temporary, so you guys make the most of your life. News like this can have an impact on you, I kind of feel sad today. Very strange. Also reminded me of my recent predicament.

Back home

Arrived safely in Brunei yesterday at about 9.30am. Still tired and groggy but all are well. We enjoyed the trip tremendously. New Zealand was such a beautiful country, amid the fear of H1N1 flu which kept on rising rapidly over there, we managed to have a wonderful time. We couldnt get enough of the place, they were breathtakingly pretty, no words could describe it, you just have to see it yourself. Loved the cold weather too, not a problem for us even when it reached -2 degrees in Queenstown, it was still ok. The ski trip and sailing were amazing, our first hand experience, and it was awesome. For the first time too, I experienced snow falling from the sky. Thats something to remember definitely. Pictures will be uploaded on my holiday blog.

For now, life is back to normalcy, not what I am hoping for sooner or later, I must face the fact of life. Back to the old routine, whether I like it or not. Luckily I am still on leave until next time, so its time for me to catch up on my sleep and get plenty of rest.

Nights will be quiet too for the next three weeks and I am hoping time will fly by quickly so we could be together again. Thinking of you and loving you right this minute, as always.

2nd week in NZ

We are into our 2nd week in NZ. So far the weather flactuates alot. Today the weather is in the 15, not so cold but not too hot either. Auckland is warmer than Christchurch so its better here in terms of weather. Its been raining alot too. But not as heavy as we have in Brunei. Its kind of drizzling a bit but it didnt come down to heavy hardcore rain like what we had in Brunei.

No sunlight today yet, the day is kind of dull. We are planning to visit the museum today which is not too far from here. We went to Victoria Park and the market yesterday. The market receives lots of huha huha but it is really not that great. Anyway, its still a good place to visit.

After more than a week here, we came to realise how expensive the city is. Food is so dear, the taxi charges a lot so we use the buses. There is one bus company which charges NZD1.60 to go anywhere around the Auckland city, thats not too bad. So we use that alot. The buses are comfortable too. And one thing that struck me is how polite the people are. They always say hi and thank you to the bus drivers. The shop assistants are polite, with smile and ready to help us. Soooooooooooooo much different from the shop assistants in Brunei where they always have a sour face to greet the customers.

Its easy to find halal food in Auckland too. There are so many halal kebab restaurants, Indian & Thai restaurant and we also came across one Malaysian restaurants although we havent tried that one yet. But we will. So far no problem with food. At the apartment we have our own kitchen and its near a big supermarket called "Foodtown" which caters for every need you have. So its easy in terms of finding what to eat.

The Auckland city is definitely busy especially along the Queen Street. It equivalent to Orchird Road in Singapore. So many people and too much crowd. They have good rows of shops here with branded items and abundance of other expensive stuff like cameras, mobile phones, hi tech audios and videos, so on and so forth. So for those people who said there is not much to shop in Auckland is just so not true! We definitely can find anything here. Just show them your money.

Anyway, will write more later. My parents went for umrah last night, such a pity we were not there to bid them farewell. Its just a phone call to say von vogage and to ask them to text us when they reach Jeddah. Hope all is well and they will have a safe trip.

So much to update and I dont have the time!

We've been in New Zealand for 6 days already and only now I have the time to update the blog. So far the holiday has been awesome! Unbelievable! This place is just amazing. Full of surprises and we are not dissapointment yet, well, maybe a little. The taxi fare is out of this world. Too expensive, so we will try to hire a car instead.

Just got back this afternoon from Christchurch. Its the best place! It really was. Hubby and I even thought of moving there. Its very beautiful, close knit and very warm and friendly. Well, except for the weather of course, its so cold. But since we came prepared we are well wrapped up and all. So no problem there. The trip to Mt Cook yesterday was amazing. Although its a long journey of 5 hrs but the scenery was really pretty. You all should see the snow-capped mountain. Its so picturaque, you wont believe your eyes!

I am not going to post the pictures here. This trip has a special place in my other blog. There going to be lots of pretty and beautiful pictures there, in time. Will post more pictures when we are back in Brunei end of the month.

For now, we are going to enjoy ourselves immensely.