the best Chinese New Year ever!!!!

firstly Gong Xi Fa Chai, Gong Xi Fatt Choy to any readers of Chinese origin, including Sam Benton if he's reading this..

anyway it has been one of the best Chinese New Years ever.. i can't really put it as the best coz Chinese New Year is meant to be about food, visiting relatives and getting lots of money in red packets we call ang pows - or giving them if ya married.. having said that, when ya not in Malaysia and near relatives, that's a bit hard to do.. i don't really miss it too much apart from the red packets but i guess i've grown up to an extent that not getting Christmas presents or red packets is not the end of the world as the Grinch tries to have ya believe.. in fact, doesn't bother me too much..

i did have char keoy teow though from the local satay house, if that counts.. i got that after i decided to treat myself after..

New Zealand beat Australia by 5 wickets!!!!!!

and what a way too! chasing 337 to win, they got there with an over and a few balls to spare, all thanks to a brilliant 100 by young Ross Taylor along with bludging 50s by Peter Fulton and Craig McMillan.. to cap it off, it was the series decider, and it also meant that the Australians are no longer the best cricket team of the world - that's South Africa's now after beating India and Pakistan over the summer..

ah that really capped off a superb Chinese New Year which also included a great Sunday morning service that was packed to the rafters with a lot of students back from last year.. oh yeah did i mention Sunday lunch was the biggest i've prob ever seen? it was so big that we had to play 3 different games of touch and football on the field across the road from the Botanical Gardens.. i think there might have been 50 ppl there.. it was freakin huge!!

and then went to the beach with Mike, Chris and Jacqui at Westwood Beach who were back at last in Dunedin..

and then the cricket... ahh...

yeah 18 Feb 2007.. the perfect day.. may there be at least one or two more this year.. hint hint World Cup..