The visit to Queenstown is just the beginning of our trip to the South Island and already I love it. It gives me a different viewing perspective – not like those of the North Island, a total new experience!
A short drive from the township of Queenstown takes us to another great scenic spot – the Glenorchy. We stop at lookouts and have breath taking views of the coast line. The blue, blue sea, gentle wind, sunny sky, paints a beautiful picture and paints a wonderful mood of mine. We stop by a place where I’m told has the best beef burger but we don’t come for the burger, we come to see the artwork – very interesting artwork. There are quite a few ionized ones and a big piece of tree trunk without the top. They all lie outside on the grass, free for any visitors to see and take photos, which I take advantage of.
The visit to Queenstown is just the beginning of our trip to the South Island and already I love it. It gives me a different viewing perspective – not like those of the North Island, a total new experience!
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This is my first trip to Queenstown, brought on by my daughter’s wedding. Relatives from Hong Kong, Canada came to the wedding. After the event my husband’s side of the family and us took a trip to South Island – the first stop: Queenstown.
On arrival the waterfront is so picturesque; I am taken in at once. The mountain ridges show themselves like outstretched fingers dipped into the ocean. The water in its clear turquoise colour looks refreshing. I thought North Island is beautiful but Queenstown, stunning. A stroll along the water’s edge I see a lot of tourists. There are roadside musicians playing guitars. A group of Asian lady tourists are dancing to a young musician’s guitar music and his singing while his companion, a young lady, join in the dancing. We go up in the gondola and have a most shockingly beautiful view of Queenstown from above. I can see the two headlands (one a golf course), all covered in green – tall fir trees, patches of grass and surrounded by blue water. It has a visual effect of vastness, spaciousness. There are some settlements outside these two headlands and yet they do not enforce a busy environment but rather a decoration. Am I a guinea pig of some scientific project or some kind of political victim? I cannot figure it out. But all the transformations in me – physical, mental – I can’t say I’m not scared. Should I face them with fear or bravery or anger? Is there a purpose behind all these happenings? I’m confused! I want life to be simple. I’ll earn my living with what I’m good at. Why is my life suddenly turned complicated after my breakdown. Yes, I’m happy with what I can and am doing. But I believe I earn them – all the effort, all the hard work. Don’t give me the shit about if I’m not given the chance how I can achieve what I have. Haven’t I been through all these? I haven’t complained for a long time so why should I do it now? I want the truth.
I’m struggling with my health – the unbalancing, the funny and absurd feeling in most nights when I tried to sleep. Definitely I’m under some sort of control. Oh why start all these again?! Shouldn’t I be satisfied with what I’m able to do now?! Let it be or should find out why, may be the truth is too frightening. Pieces of the puzzle have rained down on me these several decades and yet I cannot or I did not want to put them together. First I should deal with myself first, why the talking of love, of peace or any worldwide issues. If people want to destroy this earth because of greed, of hatred, of revenge – let it be. I’m just a piece of sand in the beach – my destiny lies together with billions of sand. Sometimes I just won’t give up and won’t let go. For example, the other day I was trying to upload a video with a song of my own creation onto Youtube, I've done that before and I could do it; but this time when I searched on internet to show me how to do it I found my age old computer is lacking one function which made it impossible for me to just follow the instructions and had it done. So I attempted other ways, I racked my mind and I believed I was so close to having it done. I refused to give up. I worked for hours in the morning and started again in the evening until 3:30 am, until I was so tired and I had to give up, I had to let go. I would ask for help and do it another day. This is real madness that I should not repeat, but this was not the first time, so I need to learn to let go when necessary.
Today is the eighth day since the flu and I’m still coughing like mad. A friend has used ‘flu’ to compare to mental illness. I, too, want to compare it to depression although depression is a more serious matter and takes longer to come out of. The uncomfortable feeling, the unwelcome by others – because it is contagious – the despair when day after day it still won’t go; all these cause depression. But fortunately when you get well, like getting past a depression, all will be rosy again. So hang in there all you who have flu and be prepared to find paradise once it’s over.
On October 1, the new mall, North West – which will be the largest in Auckland – is partly open. To celebrate, shops try all sorts of gimmicks to attract customers. As we live close by we went to share the enthusiasm.
We have nothing in mind that we wanted to buy and before we left we walked into the new supermarket to see if there is anything worth buying. Wow the first thing caught my eyes: $1/Kg kumara, so we picked two pieces. We thought of a menu for dinner, so went to the delicatessen and bought several pieces of Continental Frankfurters and streaky bacon. We left very happy because we’d bought some very cheap kumara. My husband baked the kumara, grilled the Frankfurters and bacon. Instead of as highly expected of a good, tasty meal, we found the kumara were not like kumara; the Frankfurters were not like Continental Frankfurters and the streaky bacon were not crispy no matter how long we grilled them for. The answer: we bought cheap food at an unreasonable price and still thought we got a good deal. After living here in Auckland for more than twenty years, love this place mainly because of the honesty shown by the people here and now for the first time have encountered sly, cunning business tricks – Auckland is being polluted! 我來了新西蘭已二十多年,這一次還是親身經歷大超市將貨就價來吸引顧客。十月一号North West Mall-將會是全奥克蘭市最大的Mall-開始部分營業;我們也趁高興往看看。因沒什麽需要買便進新超市內看看。哎喲,蕃薯一塊錢一公斤?很抵啊,挑了兩個。再買了四條Frankfurters, 四條streaky bacon-這就是晚餐。
把蕃薯焗熟,燒了香腸及bacon,應該非常味美。但香腸不像Frankfurters的質及味,bacon 的厚度怎麽燒也不脆。蕃薯也不是一般的好味。這不是騙人嗎?!新西蘭變了什麽地方啊?她的可愛處、以誠實見稱處已被蠶食了! She woke up to a day of incessant vomiting. It could only be prevented by lying down. A fear dawned on her. Was it the return of something she experienced in her teens when after a month of overdose of Streptomycin causing the vomit? But why now again? Yes, she does suffer from Benign Positional Vertigo once in a while but does that make her vomit?
She lost all appetite for the day and slept almost all day and throughout the night just to avoid the nausea. The next day the vomiting eased but her appetite did not return. She forced herself to some rice at dinner. Went to bed early. Waking up she felt hungry – a good sign. Her throat was cracking like burning log. She got up, made an appointment to see a doctor. Then ate a piece of bread. She drank heaps of water. Now she was much relieved as the nausea was gone. It was more flu than what she was afraid to have happened. She went into the doctor’s room. Told her all the history. Surprisingly she did not need antibiotics or any medication. ‘The fever can be dealt with by taking Panadol.’ Her appetite did not improve and yet she felt hungry. She found lunch and dinner unattractive. Again she went to bed early as it was a way to escape from feeling unwell. She was hungry in the middle of the night and she went up to the pantry and had two soladas. In the morning her bowels moved, and for the first time since four days now she had big business. But she still did not feel like eating. She forced some food into her. Her husband was still in bed. She felt lonely – a feeling she did not have for a long time. She needed tasty food and company. She tried to sing but was not in the mood. She tried painting and could not finish painting her lost cat. She tried to read but could not concentrate. But one thing for sure she would be all right as all signs pointed to her getting well soon. Her husband woke up. Things already becoming better… 老公病了!我這還是第一趟在飲食方面服侍了他一天。但很失敗,不知是我煮的東西難吃還是他因感冒沒胃口;我想两樣都有一點吧。
午餐的雞蛋蕃茄三文治的確做得不大好;決定晚餐下點心機弄點好吃的。餐單是瑤柱白粥、鹵水豆乾、蕃茄煮肉碎。我落了好一點功夫、好一點心思、加一點創作、預備了多一點時間;自已都頗滿意。但換來的是:〝為什麼粥這麽冷?吃了我胃不舒服。〞 我本來很不開心,但算吧,想起我那時在做肝炎丙狀治療的時期他怎樣照顧我 - 當我完全沒胃口的時候,他試了很多不同的食療但我也吃之無味,還恐嚇他若再煮魚肚湯我將不吃。 剛放下筆替他把剩下的粥熱了。他又左挑剔右挑剔,我只有忍。我在想可能我長大了,不計較了;但他又發脾氣。哈!可能他以為一個多年不大做家務的老婆要懺悔而突然對他那麽體貼,他便可來個大男人的姿態把我對待?!啊!我可不是個小女人呀!!! |
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July 2019
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