Bungy Jump

Nope, I haven't done the bungee/bungy/banjee jump. Yet. Instead, I've been on the sidelines to witness one of the more commercial (and less exciting) options available when it comes to this popular activity. It's simply called The Bungy Jump - I watched this contraption on duty in Auckland (and another one is parked right beside my workplace)

Should I just let the pictures speak for itself?

Man's best friend - NZ edition

Presenting...an entire post dedicated to our fluffy friends.

Here's the first one I met in Auckland. He/she is owned by the hostel manager. I have a love-hate relation with this doggie.


Love: when I'm cooking a fabulous omelette and it wants some.
Love: when I offer it food.
Hate: when it tries to jump my food, I stomp my feet and it barks ferociously in return.

Remnants from the weekend

Here are some remnants from a gorgeous weekend at the Wellington harbourside. You usually get this or light showers. Enjoy!

The seagulls here are friendly but not over-friendly. Which is a good thing when you have a hotdog on your hand while walking near a seagull food frenzy. They may sniff out your crumbs but if you try to be friendly back at them, they'll coolly walk away.

I can't believe I'm talking so much about seagulls. I caught one perched on top of a guy's head...

Food entry for Auckland

I figured that at some point, food should be a topic for one of my blog entries. For the sake of interest & indulgence. :) I eat to live, but hey, what can I say - might as well love it while you're at it (eating, that is).

I've compiled a list of top eats during my brief stay at Auckland. Here goes:

5. Fish & Chips (el cheapo and big serving sizes. You can't go wrong when ordering at most Chinese takeaways. Standard price = $5)

Harbourside Market

I had my first taste of the Harbourside Market this past Sunday, thanks to a tip from a taxi driver that helped me haul my luggage from one end of the city to the other.

I was headed towards New World when I bumped into him - and he suggested I visit the weekend markets for some affordable grocery shopping.

So the very next day I made sure to wakeup/getout of the apartment before noon to visit the market (and see what the fuss was all about - they even have a website!)

I took the harbour route directly from Taranaki Street, near the Te Papa museum landmark that Michael (the taxi driver) mentioned.

Bic Runga

Being in New Zealand, there's a lot of airplay for local music talent. I've heard my share of Crowded House on the radio, but it was only when I boarded the airplane to Welly that I caught up with a familiar voice - the soulful Bic Runga.

(I've followed this gal since 1997 when her breakthrough single "Sway" featured in American Pie).


She's almost unheard of in Malaysia. Little bit of trivia about Bic: her Mom is Malaysian Chinese :)

Hello Wellington!

Finally got my chance to check out the popular Air NewZealand flight safety video, first-hand. If you haven't seen it yet, there's always Youtube:

Goodbye Auckland

So fast, so soon. By this time I would have already arrived at Wellington. There was really quite a lot to blog about when it comes to Auckland, whether it may be the simple things like chess pieces at a shopping mall,

Cougar town and FlashForward

I must admit that this post is but vaguely related to NZ, the only relation being that their basic channels are showing these latest shows fresh off the US entertainment factory.

TVNZ shows all the latest episodes of the most current sitcoms and family favourites (Two and a half men, curb your enthusiasm, The Simpsons, etc), but I don't really watch these shows all that much (yay to football).

Two shows did catch my eye (before I was whisked away by the World Cup action):

1. Cougar town - pure sexploitation of a middle-aged mommy in Courtney Cox. This show may actually revive her career. Haha
2. Flash Forward - John Cho has come a long way from Guantanamo Bay. I just can't get my mind off that movie when I'm watching him in Flash Forward. He's so serious, just look at him!



So there are three main reasons why I had to write this post, no matter how unnecessary it may seem to be:

- The fact that I can't take John Cho seriously.
- His name in the show is "Demetri". No, he can't pull off a Demetri.
- Gabrielle Union is his love buddy. No, he can't pull this off either.

So that's my one-post summary of New Zealand television!

No. 43 part 5: Goodbye!

Watch Papillon IF you have the time. Not a bad movie, but can be quite tedious.

That DVD was recommended by the hostel guy, so that's how I spent my 2nd night at Peppertree.

So here's what happened on Day 3. I woke up feeling mighty pleased because the weather held up. The guy walking towards the sunrise is a Korean named Sun, another hostelite.