clean linen

I see my handsome General waiting for me at the door when I come down to the dining room, and I know it's good to be back! I'm ready!:)

- 11 September, Tuesday - I took the 9:45am flight from Napier to Auckland. At Auckland, I collected my luggage, then brisk walked over to the International Terminal at Auckland, checking in my luggage at 11:10am, boarding time. I met uncle Mike and Sarah at the boarding gate, and we boarded the plane together. I was just 2 rows behind them, along the same aisle. On the 10-hour flight from Auckland to Singapore, I watched many Asian shows. First there was the Japanese movie that was a continuation of the drama serial "Hotaru no hikari" (hope I got the name correct). Then I watched the Korean movie "Architecture 101", and 1 episode of Korean drama serial "The Greatest Love". The last movie I watched was the animated movie "Brave". With about 1.5 hours left, I didn't want to start another movie because I knew I wouldn't be able to finish it, so I watched all 3 episodes available of the US Comedy "The Big Bang Theory"....

- 10 September, Monday - Photo of the day - The beautiful blue sky and glistening water in the quiet surroundings of the city of Napier - God is such an amazing and creative creator: Monday morning, aunty Joy dropped me off at Pastor Lyn's house for a counseling session. At my 2nd Sunday, uncle Mike had prayed for me in church, and pastor Lyn saw some things and wanted to pray with/for me. Of course, I was more than willing to do so because there were issues I was still struggling with throughout the trip and I knew this would be a good time to ask and/or get it settled/out there.  The session was probably only an hour or slightly more than that. But in that time, the things I was struggling with, pastor Lyn just touched on all of them even though I had not told anyone there in NZ, and I had a good time of ministry as she prayed with and for me. On the spiritual front, it was a great conclusion to the trip. We had a simple homecooked lunch by aunty Joy, then I ...

- 9 September, Sunday - Photo of the day - The cute grandchildren who had their own separate table at the family birthday lunch for Andrew - it's a pity Maddie wasn't looking at the camera when I took this shot; absolutely love Indie's smile here though! On my last Sunday morning in NZ, I went to the Farmer's Market and this time I remembered to take a photo of what it looks like inside. In winter, it's indoors, and the Market is spread out over 2 buildings like this. But I hear that in summer it's outdoors.  I was with Mabel, Graham, and a new friend called Rika. She is Indonesian Chinese studying and working in Hastings for about 6 months now. Aunty Joy and I met her when we had lunch at the thai restaurant, where Rika was serving as a waitress. So I invited her to join us at the Farmer's Market so that she could link up with Mabel and Graham.  Then we went to church together. And I took a photo of the church sign at its entra...

- 8 September, Saturday - Photo of the day: If you look closely in the reflection of the glass, can you spot the figures of Mabel, myself and Graham (from left to right)? We did not know where to have lunch so Mabel said we should just sit down and think about it for awhile:) This day was a day full of shopping - the day I spent the most money I think, because throughout the trip, uncle Mike and aunty Joy have been blessing me immensely by getting the bill for everything! So now that I was out shopping with Mabel and Graham, I could spend my own money:D At about 11ish or 12, the Stewarts picked me up from home. First stop of the day was the Silky Oak Chocolate Company. They had a small museum that had exhibits of how chocolate was discovered and the course of 'chocolate development' over the years. Then there was a small shop full of chocolates where we ooh-ed and aah-ed over the delicious looking chocolate. We went into a stationary shop for me to buy card...

- 7 September, Friday - Photo of the day: First ever escalators in Hastings in the recently relocated Farmer's. It was quite a big deal to the children and they were just going up and down the escalators. When I first stepped on the escalator going up, I just said, "WOOHOO I'M ON AN ESCALATOR." In the morning, aunty Joy drove me to Waimarama and Ocean Beach. They are in the same area. We went to Waimarama Beach first, and at that point in time, the wind was strong and the clouds were a little grey. This is Waimarama Beach: We then drove to Ocean Beach. When we got there, the sun was just starting to shine through the clouds a bit more and it didn't seem that grey anymore. As we walked down Ocean Beach, we came across a wild baby seal! It was just lying there, and I approached it very carefully to try and get a photo next to it. When we got home, we found Sarah and John in the backyard, with John bouncing around on the trampoline. The fir...

It's my second last night here in Hastings. Day 18 is at an end. This morning I woke up feeling a bit like the holiday blues was just starting to set in. The return back to reality was fast approaching, and for a moment it made me feel so unsteady and uncertain. But it was just for a moment. Tonight was a night spent by myself, just finishing up the book 'How to Stop the Pain', reflecting on the trip and looking ahead to what was waiting for me back in Singapore, in reality. Blogging for the past few days of my holiday will and have to wait! Tomorrow is my last day in Hastings. God, I want to let it count and let it be the best day of the holiday where I have my greatest encounter yet with You!

-6 September, Thursday- Photo of the day - Sarah and I on the chair lift back up to the starting point of the luge tracks: She was a really cool travel companion for the day! I'm so thankful to her for taking time out with me, especially when she should be spending more time with John and Andrew before she leaves for her 10-day trip to Taiwan with uncle Mike  The day began at 7am, when Sarah and I left the house and started our drive to Rotorua. We reached our first destination around 9:45am - Waimangu Volcanic Valley: Waimangu Volcanic Valley was formed when, during the night of 10 June 1886, a line of craters from the northern end of Tarawera all the way to the Waimangu Valley was formed by violent eruption. (By the way, all detailed information you read about Waimangu Volcanic Valley is copied directly from the brochure they gave us before we started the walk that took us about 1.5 hours) It is the only hydrothermal system in the world the commencement of wh...