Opera House

Australia is beautiful. To be more specific, Sydney is awesomely stunning. Today, we headed to the Opera House and it was as beautiful as they mention in the pamphlets. Heaps of photos were taken, and yet we weren't able to make ourselves leave. It was that cool.

We also went to the Sydney Aquarium, then to Paddy's Market, Chinatown, all the while enjoying ourselves in the beautiful blue sky weather.

Oh and the trains are double decker so it was good, compared to the ones we got in Akld.

Depositing $100 for the Rent

I had a terrible day beginning to the day. I was going through the usual stunts when the car parked near the kerb on the road. My sister had then left for work, whereas my lazy ass was staying put reading the magazines I had borrowed from the library last night. Then I was too tired and went to sleep.

THen it was the morning had gone that I reaslised I just wasted my morning for this mundane and generic routine. I should've done something to be more productive but there is the thing with me going to aus that prevented me to look serious into work. I should've done something nonetheless.

My sister would then come back to get me to have lunch. I felt pathetic that she had to do this. I was more pathetic when I got to the shop and realised that my presence there was just a mere waste of space. I didn't want to feel this way, but that was the only way to feel anything at all. I was that waste of space, because there was no other place for me to occupy for the time that my sister was at work. Now that is pathetic.

I did consume lunch with sis and my uncle and his wife. They were mad at each other for she was doing something not to the standard of his liking. That was the reason I wanted out as soon as I had lunch. Which I did do.

That was the worst part of the day- feeling most useless.

So after work my sister and I went to see the landlord for the room lease that we wanted to move into tomorrow. We paid them $100 deposit and then two weeks of rent bond because that is what they wanted. We would have the money returned to us when we move out from them.

I am feeling weak in the stomach. Upon coming back to this house, we were supposed to tell the douchey couple about our leaving. Apparently I was not in the mood to do so. So we planned on telling them tomorrow once we had moved our stuff. IT's going to look bad, I know. But we have been this way to them anyway, so it doesn't matter if we pulled this once more time.

Casino

Last night was really fun. Most fun I have had in a while. It was the night that we went out to the casino. My first, my sister's first, for my two cousins, it was their second, as well as my sister's friend SL. It was my sister's idea to invite them to go out and it was a success in my opinion.

At seven in the evening, we got out of the house, leaving Jord and Jude having dinner with their family. On my way out, I learned that the O had cooked little rice for the whole so Jude was trying to scoop alot for her dad, leaving little for the rest. I thought she was being funny, and it was adorable of her doing this scooping thing. We headed for my cousins' house. From this day forth, my cousins' names will be abbreviated to UL and Kem.

We got to their houses, and we eventually left the house within the next few minutes. Once out, we drove to the city to pick another person, SL. K was the driver. She talked the most, asking so many questions, including one that was about going to skiing in the coming winter months. We all agreed to go when we got free time. We reached there in about twenty minutes, called SL to come out and then finally drove to the restaurant where all of us were hungry.

The restaurant was Italian, and K and I had been on many occasions. We ordered tow pizzas, of which both were halved by different toppings. For the main, we got either pastas or lasagnas. It was good, for me, but I thought the others weren't so keen.

The restaurant was chosen because my sister and I had been there and loved their food. For more, it was close to the Sky Tower, where we would eventually settle after the meal.

We got inside the casino. My first impression was that it looked chaotic with many people just comcentrating on the tables they were at. It was not my ideal place to be. But we got the initial nerve calmed down when my sister tried to exchange the cash she got into chips. We went to the cashier, and were given small change instead of the chips. K talked to this dealer and got the information that you can just change the money at any table.

In the midst of the chaos, we managed to get our heads to playing the games. I played the bacarrat, and lost twenty, whereas my sis lost thirty. SL lost $27, seven dollars were spent on the slot machine. UL lost a hundred, the most lost out of all of us. Kem on the other hand, had won $100, so he canceled out UL's losings.

WE saw UL's parents there playing blackjack with this uncle. It was funny seeing them there. They looked like little kids being there. TO me anyway.

We walked about after the casino. We headed to this night club, but no we didn't go in. Kem didn't have his ID.

WE went to have ice cream. Then headed home. By then, the time was 12.20!!!

Excuse the abrupt ending of the post. I have to go have dinner!! hehe

Time to Work On Work

the time is 10.04pm. Still waiting. I have done some research for the remote control device. It is interesting to note that the earlier remote controls had only a few buttons, and they were without the numbers.

Anyway, I want to develop a remote control that beeps when you want to look for it. Better yet, I want to create a mechanism for the remote to sound when it hears the word find remote. I think it would be cool. Well, it is only cool if like myself am clumsy. To make money off something you also need is pretty awesome.

Another thing that I wanted to do is have my own t-shirt company. Like I had mentioned in earlier regarding my own business, I want it to be a part time job, meaning that i would only tend to it after hours of my real job/schooling time. Also, I only want it to be an online business because for the time being I don't have the money to rent out a physical space. I don't think i could do that when there are so many things i haven't acquired in order to have the business running. So it would be interesting to see where I am going to go with this venture.

For some time I have been delaying the opening up my own online site for the t-shirt business. This is due to my indecisiveness over the name of it. I know, this sounds really bad being that it is the first and probably the most crucial task, and I am doing the best imitation of a failing business. So all I know is that I want the name to have personal meaning and must include my sister's personality in it. She must be included in the thought process, and must agree. I want her to be part of some my mini empire and she be the queen.

One more thing that i want to do is to get into the study of gerontology. Part of the reason going into this is my own fair. I know it is natural for all of us, as it naturally occurs in the quiet sense, but I don't accept that it should be the ultimate course everyone must take. It's crazy but crazy is what makes the world spin.

Waiting for The Cleaner, Passed For Learners

I have not blogged for awhile now. This is due to me working in a faraway land. I don't absolute hate it, but I do find hatred in the work that I am doing. Ok I am not making any sense. I'm just too tire to care.

For the last few weeks, I witnessed so many anger in just a short amount of time. Since I came here three weeks ago, there had been at least one or near one confrontation between the couple that I am working for. They just don't get that their actions are just a shameful thing for anybody to see, yet they do this on the wide open space. Well, actually it's mainly the car and the apartment, where I would probably be nearby.

Last Friday I went back to Auckland an overnight stay. The main reason was to see my little kids, my sister, and then there is Bridge. I canceled her three times before, so when I made the Friday appointment, I must keep this one. Coincidentally, I also had another appointment with Andy, who by the way, was more forthcoming with me this time. He said he had been to a seminar, and he wanted to have a new approach to our meetings. We would now have goals to achieve on each appointment.

As for Bridge, we talked about stuff particular on the my concerns. Aging. That's all I am going to cover on that topic.

I was elated to see the kids again after a long absence. They are as cute and as annoying as ever. I still love them. So MUCH. Jord gave me a rocket ship made from containers. It was just great.

Oh I almost forgot. I got my learners last Friday. As soon as I got off the bus, I immediately went to the bank to ask for my bank statement. I needed it for the application. I headed to AA, and then sat the test. It was quite simple. There were a few heck ups with the questions but ultimately I passed with only two questions being incorrect. So now my sister said she would let me drive her car, only she is present as well. DOH.

So right now I am sitting here waiting for ,my brother to return. He went to drop his wife off at the apartment so she could cook while I am waiting for this cleaner to do his job. I don't know why we have to be here when the cleaning is being done, I mean the guy seems trustworthy. My brother is cynical, yeah.

Japan

To the people involved in the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, I hope all of you the best. My condolences are with you all. It's devastating but I am sure you will overcome the obstacle in the end.

I remember the first time I encountered japanese culture, it was actually through tv shows when i was a kid. I watched a lot of cartoons when my parents were away to work. They would leave me and my sister at home with the babysitters, and we would watch tv. We watched much cartoons, in particular the ones from Japan. My sister loved doraemon, and so was I. I also loved to watch this anime, it used to come on on Saturday afternoons. We sat there enjoying it.

As I grew older, the Japanese cuisine became part of life. My mum loved making sushi. She took me and my sister to this Korean supermarket near our house and we would ask the lady at the counter about what ingredients to put in the sushi. She would tell us all the details. My mum would emulate what she said. It created good memories from that on.

Now I am studying Japanese. I wanted to visit Japan someday, so my heart will go out to those affected by this. I hope everyone there the best. Only a matter time they will overcome the tragedy.

Blogging From The New Apartment

This morning was a momentous occasion. It was finally the day that I moved out of the house. Well, technically, I haven't moved out because I will back and forth as I go there to see my sister, who still resides there. My brother was going to bring me here yesterday, but yesterday we were busy and were kinda late to drive an hour to this apartment. So we delayed the trip to this morning.

I just unpacked my stuff, and it looks alright. Not much to unpack by the way, the things I did pack were because of my sister. She insisted that I should have my own washings so I bought the body and hair wash, perfume, etc. The funny thing is that I am not staying here permanently, only remaining here to help out my brother and his wife. I would be returning to AKLD when the school begin, which is in July.

My sister is currently looking for work. She called me this morning to inform me that she had found one vacancy at the winery. The work involves shelving, packing, etc. I don't want her to work in such place as I see it being boring, and not suitable to her liking. The pay my sister said, is reasonable. So I don't know aye.

Then she called again saying that she had applied for this work in Ponson. It is copying job for Fuji. So yea.

Right now I am feeling a bit sad. Actually a lot sad. I miss my sister already. When she called for the second time, I hadn't seen her in about 3-4 hours. I was happy to hear from her again. Am i that sensitive?

She said she would be coming when she gets accepted for a job. She would be visiting, maybe with the children for one weekend. So I think it would be interesting to see her again.

Moving To the New Apartment

Today is the moving day. My brother and his wife are officially moving to hamilton today. We helped them shift when we also tagged along. It was a productive in that we did some cleaning in the new apartment.

The apartment is located at CBD, right over the main shops. There are two bedrooms, with a sizable kitchen and quite large living area. It was good.

We arrived at the place where there was a gate blocking the entrance to the garage of the apartment. L and ken were figuring out how to get in. Then, they called the real estate people, to which they learned that they have to dial to the security number and the gate would automatically open. They did just that. Next we were trying to suss out about the keys and stuff to get to the third floor, thus the apartment itself. Eventually the sussing out was done and we carried on with moving in the things.

We cleaned for one or two hours. The cleaning was done predominantly in the kitchen because that was the area that wasn't properly cleaned by the people. We did it to ensure the cleanliness in the place where we cook. It did quite awhile but in the end you could feel secure.

We had to go shopping for some things for the new apartment that include dish drainer. We did the shopping for quite some time. Actually it had taken us longer than expected. The shopping mall that we went to looked similar to any one of the malls we have in Auckland. I don't mean to snarl it, but it looked similar and there wasn't much to do over there. It was quite boring and generic shopping mall.

The only thing I thought was good was the ceiling. It was a high skyline ceiling which made the place very spacious. It made you feel engulfed by the size of it, but at the same time it looked different. So that is a plus.

We returned to the apartment to drop off the goods. We then returned home to have KFC with L's brother and sister. Her parents were at a wedding. The dinner was awkward. There was this dead silence which could actually murder you. Ok, it wasn't that bad, but it was close to.

Eventually we returned to the house. During the ride home, my brother asked for our final choice on whether to remain in the house or to go live with him. My choice is undecided, being that the children is my primary reason to stay. But I do realise that I want to have my freedom. So it was not a good thing either way, whether to stay or go. In the end, I think I would have to go, despite my concern for the children. My brother shared his view on this, and he said that he would like me to help him out at the butchery. I have to concern about myself, not the kids. They have their parents for that. I know that, but I don't believe the parents have the best of interest for their very own little kiddies. So that is also a concern for me.

We have made it to the house. We called it a night and tomorrow we don't have to go with him as he will be driving his father in law's fish van. I am glad to not go because I wanted to spend the day with kids.

I Got My Number

I got my IRD number today. I didn't expect it today as the person who submitted my case said it would take at least four days due to the larger than expected number of applications these days. So when they called my sister, we were at the Warehouse looking for furniture. I wasn't in the know when it happened. My sister spoke with the IRD people who asked her for the personal details to confirm who she was. Then the person revealed to my sister that she called because she has completed our application which now she could tell of the number. So my sister excitedly took down the number. She then asked about my case, which the person said she hadn't done it yet. Once she has, she would call back on her phone number.

In about one hour later, I received a phone call from the person. I was on my way to Ken's place. The call was similar to what my sister encountered. The person asked for my personal information, something I gave, then she told me about my number. I took it down, writing it on a newspaper nearby. It was quick. We were done in less than two minutes.

So now what? The question begs so much action. I want to begin schooling first of all. Above everything I want to start my education. I haven't been at it for some time, so it is definitely on the top of the list of things to do once I got my number. After that, I will slowly figure things out from there. Whether to remain in the house with my aunt and uncle, or move to Hamilton with my brother. If they let me stay there to work for them, then I got to go there. But school could be the problem then. We'll see how my school application went to truly know my fate for the next few months.

For now, I am going to bed.

Current Events

• K, I and my brother with his wife have been looking for a car for my sister. We have been at it since Tuesday, going to auction houses to get a bargain. It is all complicated since we have a small budget to begin with. My sister apparently likes a small typed car, which looks similar to a beetle. The ones we looked at, I think her fav is the VW Polo. The price though doesn't match the budget, infact more so than not.
• I am trying to get my japanese studies up to intermediate level. I have been trying to get contacts with people who can teach me the subject on Facebook.
• My brother and his wife are almost done with purchasing the butchery in Hamilton. They are in the process of change of ownership after having done the negotiating. If things are going according to plan, we will move in on the 7th next month.
• My brother had asked me to help him out for the first week. They acquired rent on this apartment in the Hamilton CBD, with two rooms, apparently one for themselves while the other is for moi if I decided to stay there over weekend, or in the while I go help them. My feeling is neutral. I don't think I want to stay there long term, being that I don't feel comfortable and the fact that I hate doing butchery.
• The earthquake that happened in Chch earlier this week in the time I was sitting in the car waiting for my brother and his wife while in the lawyer's office. We stayed there after we had just been to the auction. We heard of the news over the radio. It's sad and I hope the families involved in the quake will find good news.

Just arrived home from another night spent at the Lantern Festival. This time though we were going there with my brother and his wife. We had dinner at the pizza place called La Porchetta in the city. Good food and great service. We remained at the festival until the fireworks. It was really awesome. Enjoyed the night very much. Here are the pictures from yesterday night with the kids and tonight's pix;

The firework at the end. It was really good. My cam didn't it justice.
There was a lion and dragon dance in the middle of the food area. I expected more from this really, but it was cool nonetheless.

Lanterns. Many shapes and sizes were present.

Ice cream on waffle with fruits. Jude was enjoying the dessert all by herself.

Lantern Festival

Tonight's lantern festival was fun. It was really crowded but was really fun. I enjoyed it alot along with the food. Definitely the foods were great. The children enjoyed themselves as well. We couldn't find K's friend SL. Oh well. The parents didn't come. Thought they were going to tag along, but no. So it was just the four of us there. Uncle K didn't come along as well. Tried to contact him on his cell, but he didn't answer it. It was a good night nonetheless. I am going to sleep now.

I will post pictures tomorrow.

Learning About The Outcome

It is good news afterall. I don't know what is the true outcome yet as my sister is hoarding the information to herself. She went in this morning without me, as I was more emotionally connected to it and she not wanting me to feel any more worse. So when she came out, she did not tell me about what the people had told her. She, however, warranteed me that it is good.

I trust my sister. She is afterall the only person I've lived with all my life. So when she decides not she doesn't feel right in sharing with me some information, I believe she has the best interest for me. I will find out eventually.

When will the outcome be finalised? My sister says the people don't know yet. It is thought to be by Christmas, because what they are doing is formalising all the documents, which they say, won't be long. Hopefully it will be true.

Renovating

I guess they are serious. Last Sunday he instructed my sister to look around for the gas cooktop and the wall canopy to go with it. The old ones apparently are explosive according to him. The decision to purchase these items lie parallel to what he had informed K, which was that he's wanting to rent this house and shop for a new house in the coming months. They (the family) will relocate to the novel property. I thought they weren't serious as numerous times before they had formulated similar which never led to anywhere. The purchase of the cooktop and the fan was indeed physical proof to their decision.

It all began last Sunday when K received a telephone call from the Douche about problems with the current gas stove. He asserted my sister that it is unsafe and he was hoping she would help him out by searching a replacement. The fan was dead obvious as it was causing so much noise pollution with its ever loud engine sound when the product is turned on. A new substitute must be replaced, he told her. K, my brother and I went to this electronic store to look for it. The location didn't have much range. But despite this lack of options, K proceeded to take an interest in a certain item. She concluded that the interested product had the similar mesurements as the old one, which later it was proven false. She informed the Douche that evening of her finding.

The next morning came, and we eventually headed to mega hardware store, located within our house zone. It was not a solid find and we eventually got back to yesterday's store. My sister really wanted to order the item since tomorrow (which is now today) the prices will increase. I wasn't sure of this revelation, whether the man was lying to us so that he could make us rush into purchasing or it was the truth. Anyway,the man asked K, who further asked me, what sort of finish we want on the them. I wasn't aware that there are many different surfaces. The main two we had to use from were stainless steel and alothium. Each had their own pros and cons. We were really tossed up between the two, so ultimately I asked K to give a call to the douche since this is his kitchen afterall. Good call that was.

The douche decided he'd come down and see for himself. When he reached the location, he looked and looked. And inspected some more which I felt a little unease, and I am sure the seller was having similar sentiment. In the end, the d didn't want it and we left, K especially felt guilty for taking so much time from the seller and left empty.

The douche then suggested we looked elsewhere, like the place opposite the hardware store. I won't name the shop name but they are specialising in kitchen appliances. We headed there while the d had gone back to his work. Once there, we saw many cool things, and one cooktop that was matching the measurement as well as the look and feel of it was top notch. K and I talked to the seller about it (actually K did most of the talking and I was just wandering around the store, looking like some idiot friend of hers). The discussion went on for some time and we eventually had to retrieve back to home, where later K retold the d about what we had found. He said he would come and have a look at it.

I think I am going too long on this shopping for the stove and the fan. Cutting the story short, we went on a few journeys before finding the right fits and now the purchases have been made in two separate stores. A five gas cooktop was bought in the place opposite the hardware store, while the wall canopy was compensated for in a cheaper appliance shed.

The canopy is being installed in the while I am writing this. It seemed easy to install since from the beginning the requirements were some anchors and screws to place the canopy onto the wall. This however was proven falsified when the installation is still in the proceeding. The d, earlier on, had made a crucial mistake when he marked a wrong marking on the wall before he drilled it. Realising this mistake, he then broke off the anchor from the wall, which now created a big hole. To solve this, he further drilled in two more anchor sleeves which gave birth to two more disimilar sized holes. Crazy as that sound, he even tried to sandpaper the hoops on the back of the canopy that are used to hang onto the screws which cling to the wall. It was definitely not his brightest day since even THAT didn't work. All night now he is going at it, attempting to remedy all his earlier mistakes. Hopefully it'll be done soon.

As for the stove, we will receive it tomorrow when it get delivered here. Luckily, the installation for this is one that needs a professional to do. The wiring and gas involvement are such things only a certified doer can deal with. The charge is $200-$350 from what I have heard. Despite that much payment, one cannot be stupid enough to not let the professional install it.

BTW, the costs for both items amount to around $1600.

Back to the main topic. The d and his family, it seems, are really moving. After seven years living in this very house, they have decided to relocate, though not entirely gone for good since it will still be their house. I think it will be an interesting new dynamic for Jord and Jude. I hope their new house won't be far away from their school, I just don't think they needed a change of school when they are perfectly happy with their friends and teachers there. Who knows? The douche gets this name from somewhere, and if he is really a douche, then he will probably do things to only benefit himself, and himself only.

14 Houses in 10 Years

This current residence of mine is the fourteenth stop in a race to the future and imminent destination of sanctuary. It was ten years ago when my mum made that decision to leave her home to come out in the world where she didn't know anything about. She made the choice because she had no choice. Back where she was from, there were many limitations to her living the fullest life. Ostensibly, this decision was not a wise one, as evident by my and K's current situation.

Anyway, the journey was sprung by the choices that my mum had made. In the beginning, as I was very young, and very naive about the world, the decision seemed sound. I laid my full trust onto her, in which she had abused it. The first house when we got here was a flat shared by many people. They were also in the same situation as us. Forward a few months ahead, my mum and aunt met a person who helped us rent his place in what is now considered the first reststop to the troubles.

Subsequent moves were made in parallel to our economic status. We were doing from poor to ok in the next few years. We moved three times in that short period of time from our little rented house to another one nearby to one that was in a better suburb to end in the current house, which sits in a good neighbourhood.

The happy ending didn't end from there. When my aunt got married to this douche bag, who was and is influential to her decision making, he took her away from us. He would usually treat my mum rudely, he would often neglect his duties in favour of his selfishness. In the coming months amongst the many that were prior to their marriage had led my mum to implode her anger on the couple. She bashed them verbally to release the anger that was cumulated for some time. The pair sent us packing in retaliation. As a result of this war, we had to move to other places, the number of moving houses added up to 13 eventually. Sometimes the moves were often back and forth between houses.

The last move was three years ago. K was the first person to move here in due to the douche bag and the oppressed was in need of a child carer. Their previous caretaker had to leave quickly, so there wasn't a proper gradual change. THe children, then, were very young. The douche bag and the oppressed by that time had reconciled with my mum. So they asked K to come help out for a few months until they found a replacement. This didnot, however, happen. They didn't find a replacement and wanted K to permanently remain as their helper. The sad thing was they made the replacement claim under false pretense when they didn't follow up with their words. K, until this day, is still angry about their lie.

Anyway, the move to here was made by my mum after the shop that she and my older brother co-owned was bought by the douche bag couple. As we weren't getting real income, we had to relocate to their house. The move proved to be a mistake, because in the ensuing three or four years, there was so much animosity within the confines of this house. After my mum had left us to another country, we had to endure the abuse by the couple. It is not done, of course, in the physical manner, but the emotional breakdowns were hard to bear. I had, for many years, enough of this farking prison cell, but yet here we still are. K was in the same boat from the beginning. She warned me prior to my relocation to here that we shouldn't come at all. I didn't know the consequences back then, told K that her worries would diminish once we came and shared some of the burdens. Apparently, this was one crucial mistake. We are made stuck here for some times more.

So what is the one thing that can save us? A piece of paper that tells us we are free. It is one crucial piece of parchment to free my and K's lives. It is this that we couldn't do anything to alleviate our situation to a new ground. It sucks, because waiting for this piece of papar is doing grave damages to my mindset. The sheer frustration is eating me alive, one tiny bite a day to prolong my slow death. That is the reason why my rants were often seen as monotonic in that I complain so much about the same farking damn thing. I don't have anything going on for me. The trouble which was caused by the person I once loved, is the basement source to all of my rants which branches to my other frustrations inside the house. Writing them down on here is one way to release some stress.

If I receive the "paper" in the immediate future, I will have to move again. This will be my fifteenth move. It will be that of a happy journey away from hell, and the one move that will define me for the next few years. I know for a fact that it won't be the last one, being that I still want to move to other countries. That will be the days I will be happy. Until then, I am still waiting.

Work or Study

I've been thinking lately (not a novelty!). If I receive the news that is favourable, do I want to go back to study or should I just find work? Study is always what I wanted to do when I was still in high school. I would be so studious (well, not all the time) in class and loved to do assignments. As of late, however, as I am going through a deep depression and on anxious grounds with everyone in the house, I don't think I want to go back to being a good boy. It could be better that I begin work to get a real grasp of what life can offer. See the real world that way.

Then again, I said to myself that if I could get the news sooner and it was good, then I would head for Japan for a year. It would be considered a holiday and also a life lesson. Going to a different environment, especially to a place you don't speak the language, it would teach something about my life. I want to find adventure there. It would be a metaphor for life.

I was really excited at the prospoect of living in Japan, but of course there are obstructions. First of all, the matter of my life's future is uncertain, still waiting for the news to get back. Secondly, I see some trouble in speaking to strangers. It is a condition, I would say, a derivative of my depression. Anyway, I was shut in a jail (figure of speech of course) for four years that it was bound to get a hold of me. This condition, therefore, will have a big impact, whether I will see myself rise to the surface or sink even deep into an abyss. Thridly, the language barrier will be immense within the first few months of living there. Will I cope with isolation?

On the other hand, I can always go back to school, and then head to Japan anytime agter graduating from school. It is more of a subtle to experience adventure, but deep within me, I want the adventure now. I want it to shake off the horrendous menmories I had dealt in my short years of living.

Either way, the decision is uncertain in the immediate future as I am still waiting for the news.

Shanghai Garden

I want to visit Shanghai someday. This picture only reinforces that. Beautiful garden.