Auckland: Day #1-3

So I'm here in Kiwiland. Yes, I arrived safe and sound, sorry for not blogging about it. I was more excited about talking to people on Skype on my first night, that before I knew it, it was 4 in the morning Auckland time. and i had been awake for exactly 24 hours. =)

Anyway, i'm loving it here. Everything's given me reason to love this place..

1. The Apartment

My place rocks. like for real. It's brand spankin' new. Nobody has lived here before so everything is 100% virgin. And its really modern. The kitchen has all these modern hi-tech stuff like those flat stoves? u know those electrical ones, without fire? yea, it's a gazillion times cleaner and less dangerous. And it comes complete with microwave oven, baking oven, fridge, everything la. Sherymayne's parents are kind enough to supply some stuff like cooking oil, rice, sauce, salt, sugar, meehoon, and lots of stuff. There are also enough plates, bowls, cutleries, everything. The sink has that grinder thing which just grinds away all the bits and pieces of food from the plates. I've seen this in Heroes, where Claire sticks her fingers into it and comes out all bloody and crooked. so yea, i'm quite afraid of it actually. But it's soooo cool! But the best part is, my kitchen has a dish washing machine!!! like omg, am i spoilt or am i spoilt!

My room has a double bed. I dont even sleep on a double bed at home! and i have one of those sliding door closets which i've always wanted! Man i LOVE my room. of course, those and a small study table and that pretty much sums up my room, but i still love it! =)

Even my bathroom is worth shouting about because the shower is strong! I love strong showers. And its got this electrical metal towel rack which you can switch on to keep the towel warm and toasty. cool huh? So you'd better come visit me!

p.s.: sorry photos later, I haven't taken any of the apartment, strangely. haha...

2. The place

My apartment. Below are office blocks, above each one is a 2 bedroom apartment.

I live right next to a huge ass shopping centre called Sylvia Park. For those who knows Harbourtown in Perth, yea it looks something like that. But not the factory outlet prices la. Its on mega sale now though. Every shop has a sale. And there are 3 or 4 outdoor equipment shops in it! At home i can only find like 2. and that also so far away. Pak'nSave is a huge supermarket right next to the shopping centre and it's cheap coz they don't give plastic bags. so Joey, i'm afraid the bag you got me has been turned into my shopping bag. =)

Sylvia Park Shopping Center

i live 5 km away form my campus, which is not the main campus. main campus is in the city. ive thought of running there on days i feel like i want to save a little cash. there's also a nice big mountain nearby which Shermayne's dad says i can run up. Cool, can't wait to do that.

To get to the city and to campus, there's a train station which is right behind Sylvia Park. So i simply cut across the mall, board the train to get to the city. very convenient =)

3. The weather

Weather here isn't harshly cold, but it annoys me that it rains, like the whole day. People here don't seem to mind it though, they simply walk in the small pitter-patter and puddles don't seem to faze them. Today is actually the first time i see bright sunshine since i got here. I hope there'll be more sunny days, coz it makes Auckland so much more like how i imagined it to be. I can walk around fine with a long sleeve shirt and a jacket outside. So it's really not that bad. and my sinus has surprisingly not acted up. =)

Sitting on the toilet bowl appears to be quite an eye openner especially in the mornings or in the middle of the nights. So yea, I so get you now, Mellyboo.

4. The company
Ben spotting a beard
Ben who came to pick me from the airport and entertained me for dinner on the first day has been very welcoming. Now, Sher Mayne is the girl i live with, and I have her to thank for a lot of things. Her parents are extremely nice and generous. Which reminds me, I better pay her rent soon. Her parents own the place i live in, and Sher Mayne stays with me simply because its much nearer to our campus than her own home in the suburbs. Below our apartment is an office space which her parents work in. So yea, it's a pretty cool living arrangement.
Sher Mayne was fast on the court! All smiles after the victory
Today I met up with Sher Mayne's netball team and I met some pretty cool people. Netball here is played indoors and men play it too. It's pretty interesting, perhaps because Sher Mayne's team came out champs at today's league.The trophy which strangely doesn't have a netball on it
There are a lot of other people I've yet to meet up with. I will soon enough I guess. :)

5. The Lifestyle
I cooked dinner today together with Sher Mayne. We made fried rice, with chicken and carrots and cabbage. Then with the drumstick bones Sher Mayne made chicken soup. And I fried beans omelet. Not too shabby =)

Havent started running yet, will start tomorrow I guess. =)

So yea, that's Auckland in the past 3 days. It's been interesting, I feel like i'm on homestay coz SherMayne's parents take such good care of me. I miss Dennis quite a bit and i now that I'm away I feel like I want to talk to my family more. But it's been great!

Love it. :)