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!

Narcisstic approach (i.e. self-portraits)

Oh, Brothers!

This is dedicated to our siblings, that may live in different provinces, countries or hemispheres. Cherish the great bond you share!

And you thought SURFING was easy....

Surfing is a LOT of fun, the challenge is to keep a recognizable facial expression as you try to get up on the board.

Tongariro Crossing, NZ (Mount of Doom)

One of the most challenging and most beautiful treks I've ever done - 17 km up and down in wind/rain/snow.

Random Shots in Urban and Rural Russia

The latter three are my favourite photographs because they are taken in Kamensk-Uralsky (my mom's birth place).

St.Petersburg - the Northern Venice

Leningrad was the sightseeing highlight of our trip. Gorgeous city with numerous channels, romantic cafes and relaxed pace of life (wrt Moscow). It is located on the shoreline by the Baltic Sea a few hours away from Finland. It is known for its White Nights in summers. If in the future I was offered to work there for half a year - I wouldn't think twice!

My BIg Fat Russian Wedding (#2) in Moscow, Russia

My parents did a great job of putting this event together: my mom - the organization brain, my dad- the RESOURCES!!! lol
Date: 27th of November, 2006
Place: Cathedral of Kazan's Virgin on Red Square; Metropol Hotel

Wedding Dress and Shoes : $260
Converting Chris to Orthodox: $ 275
Wedding Bands and Tickets to Russia: $ 4400
Reception at Metropol: ???
...being born in Ukraine, normally residing in Canada, currently living in New Zealand, getting married in Russia on Red Square - PRICELESS!!!

P.S: Please notice who has got a bigger piece of bread (=breadwinner)...my dad wasn't too happy about the size of mine! lol