Moment of surrender

On to the 2nd half of the story. Let me start with myself taking a picture of someone taking a picture of Jay-Z.



at this point of time we were trying to get as close to the stage as possible. I kinda feel bad for the vertically challenged individuals in the crowd - some of them were stuck staring at sweaty backs throughout the concert. At times I had to stretch my neck but eventually I figured that jumping around crazy would get me the elevation I needed to holla at Bono.

General admission

First, let me tell you about airports. I love airports. Everything from the colourful establishments to the temperate surroundings gets me giddy with excitement. Or perhaps that kind of feeling is triggered by the anticipation of my journey. It has come to the point where I even adore the smell of the stale air mixed with carbon fumes - you'd know what I'm talking about as you're just about to board a plane.

I happened to be the first to board my flight (after the elderly + disabled), which was a first for me. It was just coincidence that they started the line where I stood, which was at the furthest point from the boarding counter.

But enough of my flight tales, here's what happened last weekend:

We had to take a train ride to the Penrose station where Mt Smart stadium is. The train ride was slow and steady (and won the race compared to the day before when someone yanked the emergency stop).
This was how the queue looked like the moment we got off the train.

Ikigai

One of the few websites that caught my interest before my NZ travels: http://www.bravenewtraveler.com

It really captures a reader’s attention with topics such as “9 ways to customize your backpack” & “10 reasons you know it’s time to go travelling”.

I especially like the latter’s explanation of their number one reason: “Maybe along the way you’ll discover the secret of immortality and eternal youth.”

Maybe I am! It’s pretty close in meaning to "discovering my ikigai".

Which is No. 48 on my to do list.

The weather gauge

New Zealand seasons:
Autumn: March-May, 10 – 24 deg C
Winter: June-Aug, 8 – 20 deg C
Spring: September to November, 12 – 22 deg C <--- here's where we're at :)
Summer: December to February, 14 – 28 deg C

Kiwi Kults

Here's some photographic evidence of cult presence in quirky wellington:





By the way, the weather switch that I've been waiting for has been flipped :) Remember the date: 11th Nov 2010. Dare I say No more jackets? In any case, Summer is just around the corner...

Springtime

Daylight lingering at 8pm.




(The fog on the window was due to my cooking, not so much the weather)

The Colossal...

My blogging frequency is directly related to my adventure exploits, so I'm quite guilty of being a bore nowadays :P

Most of my time is spent in the office, either:

1. Working on my foosball and pool skills
2. Gatecrashing farewell parties for people I have not met (today's rewards are Mr. Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and finger food)
3. And of course, work.

While browsing through some pictures, I was reminded of some recent pictures I took, so why not share em

'twas a bright clear sunny weekend, the whole lot of us bumped into this street performer.

Kiwispeak

Haven't had much to blog about lately so I'll have to continue searching for the next adventure out here in Kiwiland :)

Spent a reasonable amount of time last week planning and consequently finalising the year-end holiday plans - encompassing Auckland, Queenstown and (almost) everything in between. Pretty excited about it so will have loads of stuff to talk about then :)

In the meantime, let me feed you with some Kiwi speak that I learnt so far during my stay in this very interesting country:

Tangi Te Keo

Kia Ora folks,

If you're looking for great views of Wellington city, this post features my best (and first-time) takes of the windy township and everything around it.

We must first of all address that triangularish shiny prism-like unidentified immobile object.


I knew what it was a few weeks back when I visited it, but I porgot (Mom: aiyo! Leon must eat more fish or gingko for your memory!). Anyway, I believe it's some commemorative ...thingy.

Where we left off...

... more of my short hike to Mt. Victoria. Headed past the park entrance and straight into the deep end.


Yes, bad photography on my part, was playing around with the exposure. Blame the weather, one minute it gets cloudy and dark, the next minute it becomes all sunshiny and bright. So on we go...

Hello city!

Mount Victoria Lookout Point

Remember that great view of the city that I got from the botanical gardens? It actually gets better from the other side of the city. Let me introduce you to the Mount Victoria Lookout Point, a pictorial tour guide below.

Flashback - the view from the Botanical Gardens. Destination's at the opposite side of town.


First, head all the way to the end of Courtenay, the Embassy Theatre is your landmark. Take the Hill to the left. Forgot the name of the road. Was is Marjoram?

The business of buskers

Wellington has quite a numb3r of street performers plying their trade around the city, mainly at Cuba Street.

I frequent this street almost every day. I've used the word "almost" because it has become one of the two paths that I take for my daily commute to and from work - a <1km walk. The example itinerary is as follows:

Home -> Bargain Rental Car junction -> Start of Cuba Street: Wellington Fish Market -> Peaches Sex Shop -> Traffic light crossing -> Floriditas -> Amcal Pharmacy Construction -> Bucket Fountain (the one that Mr. Frodo peed in) -> Another traffic crossing and the end of Cuba Street -> Mr Bun Bakery -> Work

Back to the topic of buskers.

Office Space

Here are some pictures of my present work place, including some bonus pictures of a Friday Project Eat 'n Drink session.

I'll start with the first thing I stare at the moment I get to the office:


A decent setup, nothing really to shout about here. It's pretty much a regular Corporate Jungle over these parts.

Right hand rule

Guess who I met again today.

Michael the taxi driver.

Maybe it's no coincidence as he has a few favourite waiting spots that I visit often, one of which is at the front of my office, the corner of Manners and Taranaki Street.

I spared a few minutes chatting with him (was on the way to a lunchtime haircut), and the conversation somehow arrived to the topic of driving in NZ. Mike then tells me about the Right hand rule.

Right hand rule? Use your right hand while driving?

Nope. Lemme try to explain based on my understanding and without using any diagram whatsover:

Right hand rule is a traffic law practiced in a situation where two cars from opposite directions approach a common turning. The driver of the car which is making a right turn gets the right of way, ahead of the other person who is making the left turn (and therefore closer to the turning). This rule was enacted 20 years ago according to Mike.

NZ happens to be the only country using this baffling rule. So if you don't understand what I was blabbering about upstairs, here's an explanation from the NZ AA website.

Clearly, the website does a better job (and includes any interesting discussion of the dilemma faced by NZ drivers)

Just so you know :)

Wellington Weekends 101

First of all, Wellington in my opinion has got to be one of the safest capital cities in the world. I've not been to a lot of big cities around the world, but from the looks of it, Welly has not shown any signs of being dangerous. Maybe that's why a lot of people call this country boring - I've not had my pulse racing except when I'm hitting my stride at the gym. A night stroll at a dark alley is not so intimidating (not that I encourage it).

Maybe that's why drama and controversy thrives in this world we live in, whether in real-life, reality shows, work-life, family gatherings, etc. So is boring a good thing? In this particular situation I think so haha :)

No drama or controversy at my end but perhaps a little too much rambling :P

Barclays Premier League 2010/2011!!

Ooooow yeah! The Premier League is finally back and I'm sure it's just gonna get better than last season. After that horrendous World Cup and subsequent post-World Cup hangover, I have been eagerly anticipating the return of fast-flowing football littered with end-to-end stuff.

I'm pretty glad that the apartment that I'm staying at has Sky TV which includes the Sky sports channels, unfortunately the timings are insomnia inducing in New Zealand.

Just to give you an idea of the schedule:

Saturday night crossing over to Sunday morning:
11.45pm - 1.30am Tottenham vs Man City (live)
2.00am - 3.45am Aston Villa vs West Ham (live)
4.30am - 6.15am Chelsea vs West Brom (live)
6.00am - 8.00am Blackburn vs Everton (delayed)
8.00am - 10am Wigan vs Blackpool (delayed)

Monday morning:
3.00am - 4.45am Liverpool vs Arsenal (live)

Tuesday morning:
7.00am - 8.45am Manchester United vs Newcastle United (live)

The Big Pluses are that most of the games are shown (may improve my fantasy football scouting skills) and that I won't lose sleep watching Man Utd's first game of the season. And it's just in time before I leave for work (8.55am)

Looking forward to it!!

Sighting at the Coffee Club

Just so you know.


It's One-up for Moms out there, but I'm highly indifferent about it. Just haven't had many picture-taking opportunities of late...

Two sides of a coin

Initially fascinated by the shapes, sizes and designs of New Zealand currency, I took photos of some of them and then kept it away in the dark recesses of my netbook. So I dug it up and posted it with the purpose of educating the fascinated:

A new chapter in Windy Welly

Note to all and to self:

I have certainly been busy settling into my new home and in the midst of it all, have concluded that one must have youth (or the spirit of youth) and a reasonable amount of physical & mental strength to go through relocating to a new country. Now I can understand why the older generation would choose to settle down and be less ambitious, for the sake of peace and stability. By peace I mean comfort & routine, and by stability, the absence of uncertainty.

I’d really hate to be a pessimist, but it’s just human nature to spot the defects (that’s why we have games like “Spot the difference” and not “What are the similarities between A and B?”). So let me present to you - the negative experiences of my new chapter so far:

1. Wellington showed its intolerable side today – torrential rain (light relentless jabs compared to the heavy flooding blows in Malaysia) and fierce winds that beat you around in whatever direction it pleases. Umbrellas are useless here. Leaning was a necessary tactic to combat the winds here!

2. Meanwhile, the drivers here are pretty unforgiving and can be quite aggressive. This caught me by surprise – they’ll try to run you down when the pedestrian lights stop flashing and you’re almost done crossing the walk. Still, they would lose to a fistfight with Msian drivers by a knockout.


I’d have to say however, that overall, it’s been fantastic experience living in this city so far! Plenty of new things to see and my senses are being invigorated by the fresh air of a foreign land. More travelling will come in the coming weeks and months, nevertheless I’m glad to be able to settle down and take a breather at least for the next 3-4 months.

Good night!

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.

Skytower again...

I inadvertently chanced upon a better view of the Skytower - I'd probably get some pretty darn good pictures if I tried harder. Enjoy!



woweee

No. 43 part 4: hossie, doggie, Will and Emma

Just to pick up where I left off, I'll summarize:

1. I drove 200+ km to another hostel by the bay
2. Shared a room with female potheads and an Israeli (Dolon, he let me use some of his ketchup)
3. Continued my streak of adventure & seagull stalking

After visiting that nice spot up the mini-mountain, I drove on to an unknown destination.

Haruru Falls as an obvious choice, yes?

No. 43 part 3: Exploration

It was still a little grey on Day 2 at Paihia.

By now you must be wondering, what's that No. 43 all about?

Just one of those things on my list - to go swimming with dolphins.

The organizers had already called the day before, telling me that the dolphin trip was cancelled due to the bad weather, therefore rescheduling for the next day. I was pretty hopeful for this, so I reserved Day 2 for some exploring...

I would've prolly gotten a fantastic view here during the summertime. Still, the plains do really go on for miles and miles.

The other island from a distance (perhaps it was Russell):

No. 43 part 2: Peppertree

Where was I?



Oh yeah, Paihia. I had just arrived and was greeted by these whatchamacalit structures or statues or carvings. For a while I thought this was the famed Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but that was further down on the same road.

No. 43 part 1: Introduction

Decided to take a roadtrip to the Bay of Islands during the long weekend, one of the places of interests I aimed to cover during my stay in NZ. I was looking forward to one or two activities during my stay up north, but there were already some warning signs when the weather forecast hinted a "strong gale" coming along.

Still, that did not hinder me as I was looking for some adventure (I've ruled out Queenstown and Taupo for the time being - save some action for Spring or as Summer approaches).

The Bay of Islands is on the north-east coast of Northland, which according to my interpretation is the land to the north of Auckland. I'm not joking around. It's that simple :P

There seems to be quite a lot to do if you know where to go. Let's just say I had an inkling of how to make my way around - got myself plenty of maps (even one to get out of the city and on to the highway), no accommodations booked, some food on the go, and a full tank of gas. Traits of a typical roadtrip I guess!

K-inda K-inky K-road

I thought I'd share a little bit about a road that I'm quite fond of.

My hostel is located at the corner or Mercury Lane and Karangahape Road (referred to as K-road by the locals), and while there's not much to talk about Mercury Lane (well, it is after all just a lane), I can maybe string a paragraph or two about the latter.

Well, here goes.

It used to be a red-light district.

Or rather, just a red-light road.

I could look up all the fabulously explicit details on the internet, but that wouldn't be as fun as being totally clueless and walking right into a strip club without knowing you're stepping into one.

Skytower

If there's one thing that sticks out like a pretty finger in Auckland, it's the Skytower. So here's my free contribution of Skytower pictures to Googleland...

This is from a distance away as I approach Queen street:

Harbour

Here are some pictures I took as I was walking along Quay Street, treading the borders of Waitemata & Viaduct harbours.

Here's my version of the Ferry Building.

The nearby wharf

Blue skies with fluffy clouds

Here's a 3-picture summary of my arrival to New Zealand.





The guy in the middle pic is Edwin, a Maorian. He and I took turns sleeping stretched across a 5-seater. Mighty nice fellow.

Signing out.

A-livebrary

I’ve explored most of the Auckland city center and I like what I see so far. The air is refreshing. In terms of the weather, I think I’ve adapted pretty well to it. In fact I feel like it has gotten warmer in these first few days of June and I just need to suit up with my 2 layers and a jacket.

I haven’t ventured much off the beaten track (in my case, it’s K-Road & Queen Street). It’s not because I’m not adventurous or that I’ve exhausted all my options, rather it’s because I’ve been busy settling some business. One of my hot spots happens to be the Auckland City Library.

Yeah you heard me – the LIBRARY. No, it’s not one of those bars with a fashionable unique name. It’s an actual library. It’s quite different than most libraries I’ve been to (but then again, I’m sure a lot has changed in libraries since my last visit to one).

More free Internet!

I’m consuming New Zealand a 100 meters at a time. I’m trying not to be greedy, but I ended up gobbling most of Queen St on one fine Friday - a 3km stretch (or more) near my hostel all the way up to the harbour.

I'll share more of the harbour once I get more good pics other than the below:



Oh yeah, where were we? Oh yes. my journey towards the eventual discovery of free cyberspace visitations.

Hostel part 2 and "friendly" cops

Ahh yes. It feels like being in a college dormitory again - as I mentioned before, there are a lot of germans, then there are the americans, a few japanese, south americans, a pretty good mix. My landlady's name is Mei and she's Korean and friendly.

Recently I've been petting their doggies, very cute but with bloodshot eyes. I'll upload pics when I have the chance. The hostel have internet for about 3 bucks, so I'll probably log in at the hostel when I'm not at the cafe. People here are quite friendly and I get a lot of help around!

My roommate Daniel is from UCLA. He's an okay roommate, not really anything to complain about. He teaches music to maori students and taught English to Koreans back when he was at S. Korea (he's half Korean). Here's a snapshot of the dude with his trumpet (20+ years of playing have made him mighty impressive!):

No. 32

Took the time today to mark no.32 off my To-Do List – to visit New Zealand!

I had initially planned to log on at Starbucks with a nice cup of café latte, but they’re setup over here to charge for internet access @ $3 an hour.

Eventually I made my way to Columbus café after a nice tip from the man whom I bought my prepaid sim from. Was so pre-occupied with the internet (mail, facebook, soccernet, news) that I burned the rest of the day that was intended for bank work. Oh well :/

My highlight of the day was Myers Park. Just because I found the playground (in case you want to know what’s the fuss, it’s because of the make-do chin-up bars AND NOT the swings)!

BK Hostel

I chose to make my residence at BK Hostel, a smart and clean-looking place. It has the look of a college dormitory & has an international feel to it - just because of the people you meet around these parts.

Here's the front of the hostel:



The living room - my room's right behind that curtain. And I have to walk past this area and the hostel manager's desk every morning to take a shower. Yeah, take a good look at my morning hair :P

San Francisco turned into a college town

First day in AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND! Yeah, I’m saying that out loud :)

What a journey but I’m finally here after all the waiting. It was a rocky 10-hour flight but I made it without a fuss. Well, almost. The MAS agent disallowed me from flying without a return ticket to NZ, but fortunately I was able to proceed with an advanced booking without payment.

First impressions of Auckland? Well, it’s kinda like San Francisco turned into a college town. The cool weather is refreshing but the frequent and intermittent rain can be a bother. Mother Nature is playing weather-swap during the winter period – it’s sunshine bright in one minute and raining the next.

There are quite a number of convenience stores on Karangahape Road where my hostel’s located. Now imagine the fact that almost all of them have Asians tending the cashier. In addition to that, they’re at all the bank branches. Yup, lotta Asians here.

Here's a picture that I took during the descent into Auckland. 'twas a cloudy day so didn't have much luck with the camera. Enjoy!

First notes!

Howdy people...I've finally decided to start a blog to document my travels, mainly for the following reasons:

1. To help fellow travellers to find their way - where to find good food or internet access, or both at the same time
2. Saves me the trouble of telling the same story via 10 different emails to 10 different people (plus I'd feel really guilty doing the copy-paste thing)
3. Keeping in touch with friends & family (my brother did remind me that my retired parents would be cyber-stalking me everyday from now on)

Yeah, I've plenty more other reasons but let's start with these :)

*note that some of the next few posts will be backdated, mainly because I'm copying from my real-time private journal entries...