Rarotonga, Cook Islands - Honeymooners (November, 2007)

Rarotonga, Cook Islands - Random (November, 2007)

Rarotonga, Cook Islands - Water (November, 2007)

Rarotonga, Cook Islands - Abstract (November, 2007)

Rarotonga, Cook Islands - Flora (November, 2007)

Nikita Tarasyuta (1988- 2007) - Fly everytime you jump!

In Memory of Christine's Father (June 28, 2007)

It was an overwhelming moment of hearing the news, feeling the time lapsing and powerlessness. The rain has stopped and the sun rays were piercing the sky onto the cold ground. I felt the warmth on my face and nothing was as important to me as the stillness of the moment. I noticed the half-naked tree in front of me, covered by a yellow shawl, the leaves that are stubborn to let it go and let the winter set in...and it made me think of the cyclicity of nature. People come and go and, hopefully, we are as stubborn as these leaves to cherish our existence hold on for the "dear life"!

Botanical Gardens in Domain Park, Auckland

Surfing at 7:30 am at Waikato Port, NZ ( July 7, 2007)

The water must have been +10 Celsius, despite the russian and canadian backgrounds, it was COLD!!!

Testing the Ski Scene at Whakapapa, NZ (July 2-4, 2007)

It was good to be on the skiis again but it was so wet!!!

Caving again!

Coming out dry and clean is not always an option with caving, as you can see! But smiling at seeing daylight again - is guaranteed!
The sites conquered so far: 3 caves in Waitomo and WWII tunnels on Waiheke Island.
The latter one shows that you can shuffle pizza into your mouth and still pose for a picture.
P.S. Stoney Batter photo was taken by Phil Round, caver enthusiast, photographer and lab scale assessor (he makes sure that scales tell you the truth to the 6th decimal!!!) - how can you take this kind of job lightly?

South Korea - unPREDICTABLE!

It was interesting, overwhelming and short. As I learned, Koreans are obsessed about their appearances. There are lots of make-up brands, most are with bleaching ingredients. Many young women are pressured into undergoing eyelid surgery (which costs $2,500- 4,000 USD) to look more european. Seniors are very active folk in Korea, trotting up and down the mountains at 6 am and lifting weights and meditating in the bushes. I took a busride 6 hours-long from Seoul to meet my very close friend, Crystal Davie from London/ON, and other canadians there teaching English. One of the girls with last name Kelly (i.e. same last name as me) knew one of Chris' uncles in Northern Ontario - how small is the world? - Small!