When my daughter got her scholarship to pursue a twinning programme with New Zealand, I was a bit disappointed that she would not be going to Auckland considering that my brother is there (I did not know my very dear NZ friend at the time)…or Christchurch as I know a lot of people there (Boy! Am I glad now that she did not go there!) so I started to try and get acquainted with people there…or people who knew people there.
Through an ex-student of mine in Christchurch, I managed to make friends with his friend, Min Liao, originally from China and now residing in Wellington. When Melissa went over, she did offer to help and if I remember correctly, she even invited Melissa over to her place for a steamboat party or something with karaoke and all. Melissa had a great time that night.
Well, more recently, they met up for tea and Melissa had tiramisu…
…while Min Liao had the green tea cake…
Both look absolutely gorgeous, don’t you think? I mean the cakes… Ah well, the girls too…except that I’m not posting Min Liao’s photo here just in case she may not like it very much. She’s very pretty, petite…and certainly looks like a sweet friend to have.
Anyway, the two of them went to a movie after that – Kung Fu Panda 2…and then they went for dinner/supper. Min Liao had the so-called Asian hot Singapore fried mihun…
…and Melissa had the Trengganu honey chicken…
Of course, Melissa has all her friends doing the same course with her…but I would think it is nice to make some friends outside the usual circle or comfort zone when in a place away from home.
To be continued…
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
I think it’s important to have as many good friends as you can make especially when you’re away from home. The support system from friends is much needed when you don’t have family around. Yes, they’re all gorgeous – girl, cakes and food. Have a good eating week ahead!
Yes, what the world needs now is love…and there’s nothing like love and support from real good friends through bad times…and even good times. We used to write in autographs during our younger days: “Make new friends, keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold.”
However said, we need good friends but we still must be careful in making friends, kan, i am not being cynical about it but it is sometimes very scary now, call me a paranoid, you may but just pray that God will send good friends to our way and the ward off bad elements, so just like you say, pray and pray more
As we sow…so shall we reap. Be nice and sincere…and people will be the same to you. Well, Jesus had 12 apostles only…and out of the small number, one denied him and one betrayed him. Unfortunately, that’s the reality in life – “…but let this not blind you to what virtue there is…Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection, neither be critical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass…” (Desiderata: http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~gongsu/desiderata_textonly.html )
lol i thought i was reading melissa’s blog muahahah! a dad blogging on behalf of his doter. now that’s the first. :p
ya thank god ur doter din go to christchurch! that part of the world is so full of dangers and surprises now. :X
and this thing about malaysian students when overseas is that they tend to mix around with their own malaysian frens only, which to me is a big waste of opportunity.
I agree. If they want to stick to their own kind, they might as well stay home…and worse still, even among their own kind, they will stick to their own race. Real sad! I always encourage my daughter to be open-minded, mix and mingle around with everybody…and widen her horizon. Nah!!! I’m a daddy-blogger mah…just like those mummy bloggers always blogging about their kids, so what’s wrong with me blogging about my daughter? I’m sure there are some friends who would want to hear news about her and see how she’s doing over there…
Indeed great to have circles of good friends around x’pecially when one is far away from home but still need to be careful in choosing friends.
The cakes and Trengganu honey chicken makes me salivating….and opps!!!…the fried mihun looks dull and not appealing.
Have a great weekend, STP
I also thought the same about the mihun…but never judge a book by its cover. I used to buy RM1.00-2.00 fried mihun from one Malay roadside stall – so much…enough for 2 or 3, no ingredients…didn’t look like it was great…but oooooo…it was delicious. Dunno if they are still selling, haven’t been to that part of town for a while now…
Friends, all the same lah! The Chinese have a saying – you know his face but you do not know his heart. Even one who is so close and so nice to you may turn around one fine day and stab you in the back when you least expect it. I’ve known more than one like that.
It is good to venture out and make new friends regardless where we are, esp the young people nowadays but we also pray that they will have the wisdom to mix with the right company…
Why disappointed? If my kids were given a chance to get a scholarship studying in NZ, I will shout “Praise The Lord!” .. LOL…
We parents never stop worrying I guess…. till we close our eyes…
I was hoping she would go to Auckland or Christchurch as I knew people in those places mah. But she was not going alone so I was not worried…and I’m not worried about who she mingles with. I think if we’ve brought them up and guided them well, they would know what’s right and what’s wrong…and will be able to take care of themselves. But as parents, it is normal that we will still keep one eye open… LOL!!! 😀
If my anak get scholarship, i will say, cepat cepat go, if can, stay there, marry angmoh and dun come back. Syok leh, can get blond hair and blue eyes cucu!
These days, they’re wiser… You will have to come back to complete your studies…and the unis there will not allow you to pay off your bond and stay back to finish there…and go on to do your Masters. They have some kind of agreement – too many went and never came back. In a way, I think it is very selfish and ungrateful…and deprives others of the opportunities. If you want to stay there for good, pay your own way…and no money, no talk! Don’t abuse these special privileges for your own private agenda. 😦
Ohhhhh… Melissa looks so radiant. 😀 Much better than when she was in Malaysia….
Of course lah! In a single studio with bathroom/toilet attached…and gas cooker, microwave oven and cooker provided. Over in SP, you see the room you want to pengsan already…much less hope for anything else. Poor incompetent admin – I’ve seen students’ hostels in schools that are a lot nicer. I hear the UPM hostels are very well-managed. Dunno how true – never been there.
hello from christchurch.
What are you doing there? Sit down..sit down, don’t walk around…and whatever you do, don’t jump! LOL!!! Stopping by Wellington?
ya it’s nice to have someone outside apart from coursemates.
Yes, when I was in the UK…even though it was only for 3 months, I met friends with people at the church – international students from the universities in the city…and the nice people at the pub! ;).
Hi Arthur,
I’m backkkk!!! Hihihi…your pest control does not work that well,ey? Hmmm…first time I’ve heard of Trengganu honey chicken. I wonder what it is…taste especially. Where did you say she had it?…will get hub to tah-pau for me when and if he’s there ( terukkan this type of bini…super kiasu). Hub say that although Mel is a little quiet, she got a very good head on her shoulders and her easy and sweet nature make ppl easy to like her and you’ll just want to protect her.
Now just where did you go gallivanting? No sound from you? Ya…dunno what Trengganu honey chicken is – maybe nama glamor, tipu the mat salleh there… LOL!!! Dunno where…you have to ask Mel…maybe at this Malaysian restaurant named Chinta. Ya…she’s a nice and sweet girl – my anak mah! She has grown over the years since she left home in 2007, can get by pretty well on her own now…so I’m not so worried anymore. Let her handle things on her own.
We went to Mt.Ruapehu…at the base saja to main snow…got a good dump of snow this week and we just drive to the kampungs on the way and out of the way to look see.
Very true…you can just sit back and enjoy your twilight (kahkahkah) years. Your girl is established now and there’s not much need for you to hover over her shoulders anymore…but she will always be your baby…like my son. So difficult to let him go and let him make his own mistakes. I should have bred like rabbits, hor…then I won’t be so worried and stressed…to want the best for him!!!
Ya…as they say, there’s safety in numbers…and when there are more to fight and bash one another up, they end up tougher…and stronger – like my brother and me. All the time, makan my mum’s rotan…as we were always fighting and getting into all kinds of trouble. LOL!!! Ruapehu…ya, I read about the thick snow and the skiing there… So many years there and everywhere else in the world, I’m sure you’ve seen snow before! LOL!!! Just a good excuse to get away…and close the kitchen for a few days, I’m sure. 😉
You so goody-goody and very kuai, got kena rotan,meh? See your face also know that even when you were young, you budak baik. Ya lor, orang tua-tua say beranak banyak-banyak…satu rosak, ada spare lagi…hahhaha…but then, even if you got anak berbelas-belas pun, if one rosak, you will still heartsick,right?I just don’t get that logic, you know. They thought anak kucing, ah…satu rosak pun okay.
It’s our yearly ritual lar to go to Ruapehu…even when we were living in Malaysia. Eversince we pindah NZ, we even bring our 4 legged anaks along. True also…can close kitchen a few days…kasi Mam rehat…lol.
Like in the case of food, never judge a book by its cover – looked like an angel but actually, macam hantu! LOL!!! Ya…I’ll have a post in a few days on my friend’s grandparent’s birthday – the children and grandchildren’s names pages and pages in the invitation but the old couple are actually living in a house on their own…but perhaps, it is by choice. Many old people prefer it this way instead of uprooting themselves to follow their children. So, makes no difference whether you have one or many – in the end, it will be the same – the empty nest syndrome. So untung your4-legged anaks… Me, never had the chance to go to Ruapehu… Hahahahaha!!!!!
Very smart girl indeed this Melissa. Smart and sweet.. just like the father. 🙂
Trengganu honey chicken…looks really tasty. Reminds me of honey grilled chicken. Wouldn’t mind some myself! XD
Smart, yes…but sweet? Me? Hmmmm…you ask my students – bet they didn’t like me when I was angry. Muahahahaha!!! 😀 Honey chicken…can lah, just marinate with honey, pop in the oven and bake – siap! You come to Sibu, got nice place here…popular for honey chicken, honey prawn balls…
Got honey chicks ar? 😛 lol!! Hmm, to me you’re sweet, coz maybe I wasn’t your student to begin with
Got! Many… You want? Come on over! Fresh and sweet… Just make sure Janice does not find out! LOL!!! I’m very nice, very very nice – just don’t make me angry. 😉
It’s nice to make new friends esp in a new place. It makes the feeling of missing home that much easier to bear. I am sure your daughter, Melissa, is enjoying her studies and time in Wellington. It’s important to get out there and experience the country, the culture, the people. I can never understand kids who jump on a plane and head home to their home country as soon as the holidays begin. They seem to miss home and the maids at home more than seizing the opportunity to travel and experience other places.
It depends. Some really miss home…and the food…and everything so they will come home once a year…but some will come home even when there’s a short two-week break. I guess they will have to be quite rich to be able to do that.
Not everybody likes travelling, sight-seeing, adventure… I wouldn’t enjoy that…but I would want to go places, try the food…meet the people, mingle with them and get to know them though I don’t really fancy those pseudo-authentic ones which they arrange on purpose for tourists. My daughter’s more like me…and she’s into culture and stuff so she loves museums and any cultural festival in the city, she would want to go.
Let me guess… They went to Cha?
Dunno. I didn’t ask… Let’s see if she sees your comment, maybe she’ll reply… 😉
Green tea cake looks awesome!! 🙂 Love anything that has to do with green tea. hahaha
Eyewwwww….don’t like the green smell but they say it’s good for health. By the way, this is your first time here, eh? Welcome…and do come again. Will link you in my blogroll.
OMG, her Tiramisu cetainly amazing! I really must work really hard to achieve tht standard!
You or your girl? LOL!!! I’m sure you two can come out with something just as nice…if not nicer. 😉
The cakes really look yummy! And I like the green tea cake – double yummy! But the portion is a bit too big for me, though.
Ang moh portions are always HUGE! Double Secret Recipe’s tall cake slices, I think…
Am trying to keep still lol. here till friday for some work stuff. then to auckland from fri night, and going back melbourne wed morning.
experienced my first quake last night lol
Ya…I saw on Facebook. You can’t use your Oz number there? I sent you an sms but I did not get any reply.
i love the pitcher-sized iced drink of melissa…it reminds me of the fishbowl iced tea at jack’s loft in a mall here…wow!
We have giant-mugs here too… I love those as well…for ice-cold water! LOL!!!