I'm officially off the market!

After 3 years and 10 months, I finally 'popped the question' to the girl of my dreams.

And everything was perfect. 

One year later

Today officially marks my one year of working at Madant Productions. And boy, oh boy, has it been a whirlwind of endless work. It has been a challenging one year experience for me especially coming fresh out of uni and having only so much knowledge of what this industry is like. And within this one year, I did learn a lot on what the media and event industry is like here in New Zealand.

Truthfully though, I've been feeling exhausted. Like really exhausted. I'm not sure if it's due to the nature of this industry that I'm in or if it's because I feel like the company I'm working in is extremely  under resourced. While it was fun for me to try out different roles within this company, it does get overwhelming when some days, I feel like I have to juggle a million things at once. And me being me, I'm the type that needs to finish a task given to me before the day ends otherwise, my mind will continue to work on it even while I try to sleep. It's nights like these I'm glad that I have my bottle of precious melatonin to force me to sleep.

I'm not gonna lie that work is also starting to affect my personal life. On weekends, I get a little anxious whenever my email notification goes off. And on weeks when we have projects due, I get work related phone calls. On average, I leave work between 6pm or 7pm which doesn't sound like much but if you compile those hours in a week, I'd say I'm clocking in an additional of 10 - 15 extra hours each week? And no, I don't get overtime pay or time in lieu unless it's on a non working day. Sure, I might get the 'valuable' experience being exposed to various aspect of work but in reality, it's not really paying off my bills. I'm still getting the same pay check every fortnightly. I find myself coming home after work each day mentally drained and feeling pretty depressed. I even spent more hours being at work than celebrating my 26th birthday.

Calla say I might be having a burnout. Maybe I am. I mean it has been a full year for me without any breaks (besides Christmas). I wake up each day thinking about my finances, wondering if my family back home are doing okay, worrying about what my future holds, unsure of what my career path is. I question myself daily if it was worth spending a chunk of my family finances getting this degree only to get this far, though I keep reminding myself that it has just only been a year so far too.

I definitely feel like I've lost that spark for life that I once had. Is this what it's like to be a working man? Or do I need to 'man up' as some would say? Is this all part of growing up?

Or maybe, I need a new change. 

Reflection...

I get delighted whenever my friends make comments about still reading my blog. Especially friends whom I've grown up with and haven't seen for a long long time. It's days like today that makes me feel slightly overwhelmed with how far we've gone through life. Friends whom I grew up with, went to school with are now either engaged, married and some being first time parents. I wish you well, my friends!

My brother is officially engaged!

Bro and Minn! Yay!! 

I'm newsworthy! Kind of.

My working face look.

Something worth saving on this blog. Local news NZHerald took a picture of the press working at a high profile event which my company organised. Back home in Brunei, family and friends would text or even give you a call to let you know that your face made it to the newspaper. :)

Old men singing at Tim Hortons

When I'm old, I wanna hang out at Tim Hortons and randomly burst into a musical song with a group of people my age. Just cause.

Happy New Year 2013!

On New Year's eve, I had a few friends over for a quiet New Year's celebration. Nothing big or fancy just a simple dinner with lots of drinks and chats. We also spent some time reflecting on how 2012 has been to us and all of us agreed that it was a good year. Here are my highlights for 2012.

In January, I left my very first job in New Zealand as a part time retail assistant after working there for over a year. Sure, it was just a shoe store but it was also my first working experience overseas so in some ways, it meant quite a lot to me.

Team Rockport

Despite working there only as a part timer, I also managed to save up a little bit of money which I was able to buy a return flight ticket back home for both Calla & I. No idea how I did it but I did so it was really an accomplishment.

Calla finally meeting my family and spending her first Chinese New Year. 

And then there was the Jakarta/Bali trip for one of my friend's wedding which was one of the highlights of my 2012. Ironically, despite being born and raised in Brunei, this was also my first trip to Jakarta and Bali. And it's only 2 hours flight away! After this trip, I've concluded that shopping in Malaysia is definitely overrated. Haha!

Bali 2012.

Catching the sunset at Rock Bar Bali, Ayana Resort & Spa.

After a great start to 2012, it was then down to serious business. I was an unemployed graduate with only a part time working experience. I would spend hours and hours on the computer just looking for jobs online and applying for whatever positions I felt was suitable. Sure, it was quite fun for the first few days thinking your next job could possibly be your next dream job but after a few rejection letters and no interviews, the whole process can really dampen your spirit.

It took me approximately about a month of job hunting that I finally managed to secure an interview with a local events/video production company. I can still remember the moment where I read the email from my current employer with a reply saying to 'come in for a quick chat'. After two interviews, I finally secured my first full time job as a video production assistant at Madant Productions. 

It was quite a hard transition for me as I came in during a busy period for the company. Everyone was busy doing something while I, the newbie was trying to be as helpful as I could. And just as everyone agrees, once you start working as a full timer, time definitely flies. It's been a little over 8 months with the company and work has taken me to a few places around New Zealand. I've also had the privilege to meet a few local and international celebrities. 

With Australia's celebrity chef, Tobie Puttock in Queenstown. 

Local artist, Dane Rumble. 

With US X-Factor (1st season) third place winner, Chris Rene. 

Working on the set of Hobbiton where I was filming an international press junket for The Hobbit premiere.
I had James Nesbitt and Graham McTavish on my pod!

There were definitely more stuffs happening at work but those were just the main ones off the top of my head. Another highlight of 2012 is seeing Calla do her first Adidas 10k race here. This was definitely a big milestone for her as she accomplished her fitness goal. As for me, I'm just glad I was there for moral support.

Calla finishing her first Adidas 10k race in Auckland. 

And then just only last month, both Calla & I visited Queenstown for the first time and spent an amazing 3 nights in one of the most beautiful places in the world. And not too long after that, she went back home to Michigan to surprise her family for Thanksgiving and spent her Christmas and New Year's there while I'm left behind in New Zealand all by my lonesome. Although 2012 did not end with a bang (no pun intended), I personally felt that a quiet celebration to welcome 2013 was more appropriate rather than the usual partying and dancing celebration.

So what's next? What's 2013 going to bring? As of now, I haven't made any big resolutions for the year yet but I can foresee that it will definitely be another exciting year. Here's to a brand new year. May 2013 bring everybody great health, happiness and success in everything. 

Merry Christmas with love!

A very merry Christmas to all who still has this blog on your bookmark! May 2013 be an amazing and excited year for all of you. And also for this blog too. Haha!

I'm a Christmas tree!

In case you've missed me...

#GPOY

My first trip to Queenstown, New Zealand!

I've heard a lot about how beautiful this little town is but nothing could ever prepared my eyes for what I'm about to see. I've spent three years in New Zealand and this was my first trip ever heading down to the south island of New Zealand. Okay, my second one actually. I did make a trip down to Queenstown two months ago but it was solely for work purposes so I did not really get to enjoy what this beautiful town had to offer. I would say one of the most spectacular moment is when you're flying in to Queenstown on the plane. One glimpse outside the plane's window and the view itself is absolutely breathtaking.

This picture always reminds me of the famous quote from Game of Thrones.
"Winter's coming"

For this trip, I managed to score a reasonable accommodation deal via Travelbug. They had a "secret deal" where the the hotel was not revealed but claimed it as a 4.5 star rated hotel for $130 a night. Since I had no luck on most of the one day deal travel websites, I went with it and ended up with two nights at The Millenium Queenstown. Location wise, it wasn't too bad as it's only about 10 minutes walk to the town centre. Plus, they offer a free shuttle service into the town centre by the hour and honestly, I have never been so impressed with a shuttle service's timing.

Since this is just a short trip for Calla and I, we decided to spend the whole trip exploring just the town itself. And honestly, it was worth every minute. The people, the view, the environment. Everything about Queenstown is just amazing.

Calla says hi!

And of course just like all new places, there's definitely a few must do things for first timers. Prior to this trip, most people whom I've met that have been to Queenstown before constantly talked about the famous Fergburger. This burger is so amazing that it's only found in Queenstown. Having heard that, it definitely shot up to the top of my to-do list.

This place is so popular that it's always busy everyday. 

I normally get really turned off when I see a crowd. Don't ask me why but I just don't do well with crowded places. My initial reaction was to go somewhere else and eat and come back the next day but for once, I decided to join the crowd. And much to my surprise, the line was actually not for people queuing for order but people waiting for their food. And also tourists waiting inside the restaurant, snapping pictures away while watching other diners eating their burgers. This place is so busy that they only close at 4am and re-open at 7am! That's how busy they are.

The burger is almost as big as my face. I kid you not. 

Being the tourist that I am, I wasn't sure what to order so I just asked the cashier to recommend me their most popular burger. She recommended the 'Southern Swine'. I was not disappointed at all. Since the weather was really nice that afternoon, Calla and I decided to take our lunch outside and enjoyed our first Fergburgers by the park nearby. After our meal, it's more town exploring time for us! We stopped by a really cute candy store, The Remarkable Sweet Shop, that has candies from all over the world. I'm not the biggest fan of sweets (give me chocolates anytime!) but Calla did have her fun time reminiscing some good ol' American candies she used to eat when she was younger. And it was there I found another thing to add to my collection.

A Coca-Cola bottle from Mexico!

Yes, I started collecting Coca-Cola few years back. Normally only the limited edition can/bottle or a foreign looking one. I ended up buying two bottles, one to drink and one to collect and I must say, Mexicans definitely know how to make the perfect Coke! This one has so much fizz in it which I absolutely love!

Nothing like sippin' a good fizzy bottle of Coca Cola in Queenstown!

Another place to stop by for good desserts in Queenstown (especially for all the chocoholics out there!) which you wouldn't wanna miss out on is Patagonia Chocolates. Their dark chocolate ice cream is arguably one of the best chocolate ice cream I had in New Zealand. I was also told that they're famous for their spicy Mexican hot chocolate drink. It sounds really weird and tastes really bizarre when you have your first sip but after you get over the kick of the chili, it's actually pretty yummy!

All smile after getting over the weird spicy taste in her hot chocolate!

The second day, we started our morning with a good hearty breakfast place in town. It was highly recommended by Calla's boss when he made his trip here so we thought instead of failing our tastebuds, we'll just give Joe's Garage a go. Again, no disappointment with our first breakfast in Queenstown!

Always start your morning with a fantastic cup of trim flat white!

My 'Joker' breakfast consists of a spicy bratwurst, bacon, free range egg and a warm roll. The sauce on this is AMAZING!

After breakfast, we went up to the Skyline. Again, I was hesitant as usual before the trip since I've been to the one in Rotorua numerous times. I kept telling myself there's no difference riding on the Gondola but my common sense slapped me hard and told me it's not about the ride. It's about the view. And this definitely was the highlight of our Queenstown trip for both Calla and I. We spent a good 3 hours just walking around, having a cup of coffee and soaking up the view. The coffee from the cafe up in the Skyline was unfortunately disappointing though.

View from the top of Skyline Queenstown! 

My favorite panorama picture taken using my Lumix LX5. Took 4 different shots and merged into one.
I guess this is why they name this 'The Remarkables'. 

By the time we got down, we were hungry again. My logic to our constant hunger pangs was because our brains had to work extra hard to take in the amazing view. But really, we were just pigging out on this trip. So for dinner that night, we tried this place called Cranky Franky. The ambience of the restaurant was based on a typical classic American diner. I was secretly hoping it could be Queenstown's version of Ed Debevics due to the name but unfortunately it was not.

I haven't seen this in a while. 

Overall, I quite enjoy the feel and ambience of this restaurant but food wise it was just average. Plus, the food prices are slightly pricey. Portion of the food however does make up for it.

My super huge 'Rock & Roll' ribs.

Singing a duet with the King!

On the last day, we just decided to spend our remaining time in town. And yes, with another session of Fergburger except this time, instead of doing burgers, I went next door to their bakery and tried their pies. I've always been on a lookout for good savory pies ever since I've been in New Zealand so the challenge for Fergbaker's pie was ON!

Conveniently located right next door to Fergburger!

This, my friend, is THE BEST PIE I have ever had in New Zealand. Pork belly and apple pie!

Oh, and I must also mention that Fergbaker does the best coffee ever. I had two cups of flat whites that day. Arguably the smoothest coffee I've ever had as compared to some of the terrible coffees I've had in Auckland.

Fergbaker's trim flat white is so smooth like this man's mo! 

My friends also suggested going on the famous 100 year old steamship but we decided to give it a miss this time around. Mainly due to our tight budget after spending so much on food. And also, for a person who can't swim at all, any water related activities is probably last on my to-do list. But we did get a good view of the steamship when it was returning from a tour.

The TSS Earnslaw Steamship. An iconic ship in Queenstown.

Looking mighty fine for a 100 year old vintage steamship. 

There's also the famous shotover jetboat rides for those adrenaline junkies. I personally don't think it's worth spending over $100 for a 15 to 30 minutes crazy boat ride but if you're one of those adrenaline junkies who's willing to spend a fortune to potentially die, then sure.

Notice how they try to convince you it's safe that even your grandmas and grandpas can ride on this? No, thank you. 

A kind stranger offered to help us take a picture after we awkwardly tried to take it ourselves. 

And that was our 2 nights stay in Queenstown. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in my life. Actually, it's THE most beautiful place I've been to so far. Both Calla and I were also joking about moving here but I'm sure for a beautiful place like this, we can probably only afford to live in a shed. If you are planning to make a trip to New Zealand, forget about Auckland. Go to Queenstown!

Actually no, don't forget about Auckland. Come by and visit me first and THEN go to Queenstown.