Christmas and Boxing Day
Thursday December 26, 2013
Whew.
Just been catching up with a bunch of my old schoolmates from Grammar. Good to see them and find out what they'd been doing for the past wee while, and also playing some good old fashioned Mafia for nostalgia. Boxing Day was otherwise pretty uneventful, but (excuse the geekout) I've managed to obtain yet more Pokemon for my Pokedex so that should keep me occupied for a bit while I try to catch them all.
Christmas was good too, a great feed at my sister's house and playing with my very excited and active nephew. I had a solid nap in the afternoon before heading out for some night badminton at the Massey courts. Not bad at all! I managed to hold my own against the hardouts! Quite impressed with myself on that one. It was exhilarating to get out on the court and push myself for a good couple of hours and sweat out all the delicious food I'd been stuffing my face with.
Not too many plans over the next few days, but am looking to go for a road trip over New Years. My Christmas has been great. Hope you've had a Merry Christmas too.
Posted by Jeremy at 1:35pm on Thursday December 26, 2013 :: 0 comments :: 
All Quiet on Christmas Eve
Tuesday December 24, 2013
I was mentally checked out from work probably a week before we actually finished. The final week we spent doing a Game Jam of sorts - management presented a series of questions they wanted answered and we were to spend a week trying to see if we could answer these questions. It was okay; I felt like last year's Game Jam was way more enjoyable. I was lucky I had a great team this year and though things were a bit rocky and indecisive at the start, we pulled together and made a pretty neat toy. We celebrated the end of the year with karaoke at New Kor.
I drove up to Auckland on the Saturday after work had finished with two colleagues. We made good time; we left Wellington around 9.30am and stopped in Waiouru for lunch, Taupo for ice cream, Huka Falls for some sightseeing and Tokoroa for a quick nap, and still made it to Auckland at 6.30pm-ish. As usual, the drive was straightforward and easy, though I was a bit miserable and tired at the end of it.
I got to see the new KCC building for the first time at the Sunday Christmas service. It's very spacious and looks great, and it was great to catch up with so many people. We spent the rest of the day playing games like Buzz, Dominion, 7 Wonders and Up and Down the River before heading home around 1am. Whee.
On Monday I did some last minute Christmas shopping at West City Westfield. Not as busy as I thought it would be, but I wasn't there for too long. I picked up some food supplies as well, and I caught up with my sister and her family. My nephew sure has grown! So cute. I played soccer with him for a bit. Adorable that he's so excited to see me. Will be looking forward to seeing them again tomorrow for Christmas lunch.
After a quick nap, I was off to Newmarket to catch up with the Wellington/ex-Wellington crew for our traditional Christmas dinner at Sun World. Sumptuous plates of Peking duck, prawn balls, lamb cutlets, fried tofu, fried squid and chicken filled the table. It was an excellent meal with excellent company.
And finally today, I caught up with Amy in Ponsonby at the Foxtrot Parlour, before heading to Reuben and Shereen's to catch up with the other guys from youth group for a Christmas potluck lunch. We did a last minute Secret Santa that worked out pretty well. Everyone was told to bring one dud gift and one nice gift. I scored myself a Gucci pocket air-freshener thing (the "dud" but not really!), as well as a microfibre cleaning cloth. We played some Time's Up, although looking at Board Game Geek's description of it, we played it horribly wrong. Still, we had a fun time and everyone was satisfied and tired by the time we parted ways.
It's been almost non-stop social events since arriving in Auckland. I'm always surprised by just how busy I am over this period despite making very vague plans prior to coming up. It's not really my style to do that, but apparently it works well and it's a lot of fun (sometimes very tiring!) seeing people and catching up.
Holidays are great.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:47am on Tuesday December 24, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
December
Monday December 9, 2013
Man... it's almost the end of the year. Things have been so busy in the last few months that I've once again neglected my blog. Why do I blog anyway? I guess it's a kind of historical document that I can look at in 50 years time when I have Alzheimer's and think of all the great memories I had at the time. Even looking back at how I write and what I blog about makes me cringe!
So since my last piece about flights to Malaysia, I've managed to secure tickets back home but unfortunately not for Christmas or Chinese New Year due to full flights during this peak season. I spent a lot of time negotiating with Malaysia Airlines, but to no avail. It's understandable though, just a bit disappointing. It would have been nice to go back for my cousin's wedding and see everyone again, but no matter, I'll still have a good time when I go back in Easter next year.
The game I've been working on has finally been released - it's Flick Kick Football Legends for both iOS and Android. We're looking at churning out a few more updates so stay tuned for extra content and more amazing user interfaces. It's been a tough project but the team have worked extremely hard on it and I think that we should be proud of what we've achieved and how polished the product is.
I've been deep in the Pokemon as well. Pokemon X has been a great game - I've clocked over 150 hours on it already. I've caught almost all the Pokemon available without the Pokemon Bank service to transfer Pokemon from previous versions. I'm thinking of moving onto Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies soon - looking forward to more [OBJECTIONS]!
In short... I've found a replacement flatmate, we had the work Christmas party, went out to Makara by myself to watch the sunset and the stars, saw the fireworks on Guy Fawkes Day, tried to bread Smudge, had the degustation at the Whitehouse on Oriental Parade and had an amazing meal at the new Little Penang, which has expanded to the place next door! We have affectionately called it "Medium Penang", and the food is still as delicious as it ever has been.
Life in the past two months has had its ups and downs. Sometimes I've felt lonely or frustrated about life - one time it was so bad, I was awake at 3am in the morning having an existential crisis. Other times I've felt a lot more anti-social than normal, or distant from my friends, like I need solitude to clear my head. In those times, I usually retreat to church to play piano, and I've found music to be so calming and therapeutic. It's probably just a phase though, so don't worry about me. People come and go; so do friendships. They say the only constants in life are taxes and change... and I should learn to be more adaptable and flexible in life instead of dwelling in the past all the time.
Dear future Jeremy. Count your blessings and be thankful for them. Cherish the friendships you have and be good to the people around you. Don't worry so much and don't let life get you down all the time. Never forget who you are and maintain a strong sense of integrity.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:16am on Monday December 9, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Thirteen is an unlucky number?
Friday September 13, 2013
I was rather tired on Monday morning, having had an action packed weekend celebrating birthdays at Dragonfly and the Larder, and watching an improvisation show. As usual, my radio alarm clock went off at 7.50am to More FM's Breakfast Show with Marc Ellis, Hayley Holt and Stu Tolan. I was drifting in and out of consciousness when suddenly a mention of "Malaysia" snapped me awake - it turned out that they were running a competition to give away free flights to Malaysia. The idea is that each day, a question about Malaysia is asked and one person who correctly answers the question goes into a draw at the end of the week to win free flights, making the odds 1 in 5 if you manage to get said answer. Furthermore, the winner must be able to provide the answers for all five questions of that week if they get drawn on the Friday. Fortunately the answers are posted on the More FM website and on their Facebook page, so it boils down to mostly luck, and it would so happen that my answer to "Which reptile has a temple dedicated to it in Penang" of "Snake" enabled me to get this 1 in 5 chance of winning flights to Malaysia.
Throughout the week, I was meticulously noting down each answer, and last night I was so excited I had trouble sleeping. I got into work at 8.15am and immediately tuned into the More FM live streaming on their website, getting increasingly agitated and nervous and excited as time ticked down to 8.45am.
Then, my phone rang.
A garbled mess of words blurted out of my mouth as I leapt out of my chair. I answered but they hung up. Dejected, I returned to my chair, only to have the phone ring again. Even more nonsense spouted from my mouth. My workmates began gathering around my computer, listening to the radio broadcast through my speakers as I systematically chanted through the five magic answers. As the radio hosts let out the final confirmation of the win, I fist pumped and victoriously pointed at nothing in particular. The guys listening to the radio cheered as I babbled nervously on air, in complete disbelief at what was going on. I was so stoked, the biggest grin erupting from my face as I thanked Marc, Hayley and Stu and began spreading the news.
I went to sit down and everyone on the floor clapped and congratulated me. It was quite the moment. I was completely jittery and every time I tried to calm down, I'd get a Facebook notification and I'd get all excited again. It was a magical day, and no one could wipe the smile off my face. To top it off, the announcement of my promotion went public today, so there was cause for much celebration - four tequila shots later and I am feeling like this:
Posted by Jeremy at 11:00am on Friday September 13, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Wellington on a Plate 2013 Wrap-up
Sunday September 8, 2013
Yes, I realise that Wellington on a Plate finished two weeks ago, but I've been busy and/or tired and lazy! So to recap, Wellington on a Plate runs for 17 days in August, and is a celebration of Wellington's finest food establishments and the amazing produce and ingredients that they source from around the region. Restaurants and cafes join in by offering a special set meal or degustation during this festival, or they may opt to enter the burger competition with an exquisite burger of their creation, and a Garage Project beer to match. I have been to a few Wellington on a Plate meals in previous years, but this year I decided to hit it hard. Here are some quick fire stats:
Number of Burgers Consumed: 11
Number of Oysters Consumed: 18
Dined with: 19 different people in total
Best Burger: Hummingbird's Craydaddy Crayfish Burger
Best Meal: Logan Brown
Worst Burger: Crazy Horse's Kimchi Burger
Worst Meal: Martin Bosley
Total Money Spent: $635.60
Level of Happiness: Highest it's ever been
A full set of photographic documentation and verdicts on each dish can be found on my Wellington on a Plate album on Facebook. Many thanks to each of my friends who shared these delicious experiences with me; good food must always be matched with good company!
I was impressed by the dinners I had at Ortega and Logan Brown. It was my second time at Ortega and first time at Logan Brown, and though several people had extolled the quality of the food at Logan Brown, my own dining experience there exceeded my expectations. Definitely the most outstanding meal I've had this year - on par with the amazing degustation I had at Tatsumi in Newmarket, Auckland last Labour Weekend. I knew what to expect from Ortega so there were no surprises that the quality of the meal and the freshness of the seafood were top notch. The biggest disappointment was Martin Bosley's - small portions, average quality, and unreasonably expensive - everything I find frustrating about fine dining. For such a celebrated chef, I think he could do much, much better.
Burger Rating List (Mouseover for burger descriptions!):
- Hummingbird's Craydaddy Burger: 10/10
- Duke Carvell's Flocking to the Duke's Harem Burger: 9.5/10
- The Grill at the Amora's Classic Sunday Roast Lamb Burger: 9/10
- Ti Kouka's All About Longbush Pork Burger: 8.5/10
- The Larder's Dough and Deer Burger: 8.5/10
- El Matador's Che's Chevito Burger: 8/10
- Little Beer Quarter's Burg-As Bro Burger: 8/10
- Vivant!'s Elementary, My Deer Watson Burger: 8/10
- Atlanta's Ring of Fire Burger: 6.5/10
- Crazy Horse's Kimchi Burger: 2/10
Apart from the meals and burgers, there was also the Oyster Saloon, a caravan in the carpark right by Duke Carvell's on Cuba Street and Swan Lane, where they served freshly shucked oysters on a quaint egg carton - au naturel or beer battered to your liking. I love oysters so much, and hands down the winner of the five varieties I got to try were the sumptuous Stewart Island variety - gorgeously large and creamy, and all the characteristic sweet and salty flavours of the sea that every fresh oyster should have. Also, there was the Moore Wilson's Taste Street Night Market, filled with stalls selling bisques, chowders, sliders, sandwiches, grilled meats, ice cream, chocolates and more. It was fantastically busy, with thousands of people crammed into the upper level carpark at Moore Wilson's. Winner on the night was the Zany Zeus Grilled Haloumi Sandwich, hot off the barbeque and drizzled with fresh lemon juice - yummo!
A thoroughly enjoyable 17 days of decadence.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:42am on Sunday September 8, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
More Earthquakes
Saturday August 17, 2013
We were hit by a massive 6.6 magnitude earthquake yesterday around 2.30pm. I was at work and we all felt a small jolt, prompting an instinctual move the chair back from the desk and stare at the others in the room. It went quiet for a split second and then suddenly a huge force hit the building and we dived under our desks. The tables rattled and a few things fell off the wall but the shaking diminished and we crawled out. The building continued to shake, taking the brunt of at least seven aftershocks over 4.0 magnitude within the next 30 minutes.
Senior management decided we were done for the day, so I wrapped up the final builds with my project manager and headed home. Geonet says that 11 more aftershocks over 4.0 magnitude occurred between 3pm and 4pm. As I was walking home, the streets were packed with people waiting for buses and cars scrambling to get out of the city. It was chaos, the roads all gridlocked as the entire CBD began an exodus out to the suburbs. My workmates living in Miramar said they took two hours to get home... I'm so thankful I'm only 15 minutes walk away.
It's been quiet overnight, thankfully. Things have settled down but once again we're on edge and anxious about the weeks ahead.
I do however have Wellington on a Plate to look forward to! Tonight I'm going to try the crayfish burger from Hummingbird - yummo!
Posted by Jeremy at 2:26am on Saturday August 17, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Post Earthquake
Sunday August 4, 2013
Things seem to have settled down. We've had a few big aftershocks but things are more or less back to normal. Cordons have been lifted and there might still be a few carpark closures, but business is running as per usual and things are starting to feel routine again. The Geonet Website has provided heaps of information on the quake series, including a tally of aftershocks grouped by magnitude, probability tables for future aftershocks and the ten largest quakes since the 6.5 last month.
Work has been alright. We released version 1.2.1 of Robot Unicorn Attack 2 on iOS and are continuing to work on updates. There's a lot of bugs to fix and features that AdultSwim keep asking us for, and there's heaps of work to do on the horizon. We've had a change of Technical Manager and Technical Director, and the plans for the future look interesting and exciting, and hopefully we'll continue to improve and grow as a department.
Today has been messy. I didn't get much sleep last night and had to get up early for music at church this morning. I was super tired and it reflected in my playing. I hit the wrong chords and couldn't concentrate, I was flustered over timing and had to abruptly end the offering song awkwardly. I was not having a good time. I managed to get some shut eye this afternoon after some delicious steak from the Chocolate Frog Cafe in Miramar, but it was soon up and go time for Dale's stag do. We had some thrilling games of paintball at the new place on Willis St, with my workmates sporting some impressive welts and injuries. I escaped major injury, with maybe two or three big ones to my leg and arms. We had dinner at the Tap Haus and then back home for a couple of grim games of Dota.
Sigh, Dota.
I am out of practice and fed too much. Once things get like that though, I just feel like it's too much effort to practice and get better; it's such a huge time investment. One game can be horribly demoralising; the next exhilarating and adrenaline pumping. The same goes for a lot of online games I guess, and the unpredictability of your opponents means no two games are ever the same.
I'm looking forward to Wellington on a Plate this month, with deliciousness starting this Friday. It's going to be an expensive food month, but I'm sure it'll be totally worth it - last year I only managed Boulcott St Bistro, but this year I'm hoping to try El Matador, Logan Brown, Ortega, Hummingbird, Crazy Horse, Martin Bosley's and the Grill. Truly there is no sincerer love than that of food!
Posted by Jeremy at 12:17pm on Sunday August 4, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Earthquakes
Sunday July 21, 2013
Wellington was hit by a large earthquake on Friday morning, just after 9am. I had just arrived at work and began my morning routine when the jolt hit. We looked at each other nervously, the quake increasing in intensity but tapered off soon after; we were ready to bolt under our desks should the severity have intensified. Geonet placed the magnitude at 5.7. There were some minor aftershocks throughout the day but the remainder of Friday and all of Saturday was pretty docile.
Sunday morning after 7.15am, the city shook again from another severe 5.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by at least three major aftershocks registering more than 4.0 within the next three hours. The final major strike of the weekend though came just after 5pm when a massive 6.5 earthquake struck the city. Reports of fallen bookshelves and broken crockery filled my Facebook news feed. Pictures and videos from around the CBD started popping up, showing shards of glass scattered across the road, burst waterpipes spewing water everywhere, people standing outside their apartment buildings wondering if we were going to suffer the same fate as Christchurch. I was having dinner with Mitchell, Amy, Jono and Charlotte and throughout the evening we were increasingly becoming edgier after feeling some aftershocks.
The 6.5 was really grim. I was mortified because I was in the shower at the time and I have long feared the day that an earthquake would hit while I was bathing. There was nothing to hold onto, all I could do was crouch down and hold on to the side of the bathtub. The quake almost knocked me off balance, but subsided soon after. I'm okay; uninjured but nervous. No damage to my flat, but the Mercure Hotel just down the road has sunk 5cm into the ground, and that area has been cordoned off.
We've been advised to stay out of the CBD until at least noon tomorrow so that engineers can inspect the buildings for damage. Seismologists have said that "in the coming week there could be up to nine magnitude 5.0 or greater events, with an approximately 30% probability (a 1 in 3 chance) of a magnitude 6.0 or greater. The most likely period for this to occur is the next 24 hours, when the probability is approximately 20% (a 1 in 5 chance).". This series of earthquakes has been the most severe I've ever felt since moving to Wellington five and a half years ago. While I'm thankful that we still have our basic utilities and have escaped relatively unscathed this round, I can't help but feel uncertain for the coming months.
Posted by Jeremy at 12:24pm on Sunday July 21, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Cold. Sick.
Monday July 15, 2013
It's been a tough few weeks at work, but the Robot Unicorn Attack 2 Android version is finally out on the Google Play store, and had over 10,000 downloads in the first 24 hours of release. We're continually working on updates and ever-changing requirements means a shift in focus and priorities for particular features, but hey, that's game development for you. Two of the team are away on holiday and one resigned to travel the country, so there's two programmers and one artist holding the fort. Stay tuned for more unicorn fabulousness in the future.
Andrew and Shuren are down in Wellington for a research project during one of the worst weeks ever, weather-wise. I took them around to the regular touristy places like Te Papa, the Weta Cave, Mt Victoria Lookout and the Brooklyn Wind Turbine - it occurred to me that there aren't a lot of things for people to do in Wellington when the weather is so bad. Of course, food was an important item and we were at Chocolate Frog on Saturday afternoon after badminton, and Restaurant 88 for dinner - and needless to say, we went to Strawberry Fare, twice!
After church on Sunday, we went cronut hunting at Moore Wilsons and brunching at Cafe L'affare. With reports of snow at 300m, we decided to go for a drive to the Rimutaka's to see what we could find. Driving conditions weren't as treacherous as I thought they would be; it wasn't too windy but the rain was heavy. As we reached the site of the old cafe, the wind picked up and deliver some sleet and snow flurries that danced around the car. With temperatures rapidly dropping, we headed home and played some Super Smash Bros Melee before dinner at Cosa Nostra and dessert at Strawberry Fare.
Unfortunately with all this adventuring, I've come down with a mild cold and had to stay at home today. Metservice reported 5.3C this morning, feeling like -1C with the windchill factor. My room is quite toasty thanks to the heater, but at some stage I will have to venture out into the kitchen and make dinner :(
Posted by Jeremy at 6:05am on Monday July 15, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Weddings
Saturday June 8, 2013
Since being back in Auckland, I've been scurrying around the place meeting various people and helping to organise decorations for Jono and Charlotte's wedding. I arrived safely on Thursday morning at Auckland Intetnational Airport where Jono picked me up and took me to my parents' shop in the city; conveniently this meant he could pick up his suits for his wedding. Later that day, I met Mat at Sean Connolly's Grill for one of the most tantalising steaks I've ever had - wagyu rump with miso hollandaise sauce and garlic and herb butter, with a side salad and the famous duck fat chips. Absolutely delicious! If I had infinite money, I would definitely be back to try everything else on the menu.
Friday I was helping to set up the French Bay Yacht Club for the wedding reception, and then off to Howick for the rehearsal, via Greenlane McDonald's for some Georgie Pie! The pie tasted like childhood - that familiar crispy pastry with the hearty filling of mince, steak and cheese. Great job on replicating the pies of yore, would eat again.
And finally today, a special day for two dear friends who are now husband and wife; today was a lovely day and many of us there were privileged to share the occasion with you. The ceremony was touching and the reception was fun and delicious. It was good catching up with friends and talking about my overseas travels, and it was good getting to know acquaintances better. I was humbled by the great feedback I got for my speech and I'm glad that my anecdotes resonated well with people.
The reception ended early so we squeezed a little bit more out of the day by grabbing some milk tea from Jay's Tea on Dominion Road. I'm exhausted but today has been incredibly fun.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:23am on Saturday June 8, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Back at Changi
Wednesday June 5, 2013
I'm sitting spitefully outside the Changi Qantas Airport Lounge because they denied me entrance since I'm only "business class", not "business max". What the hell.
The Thai food last night was delicious, especially the tom yum soup and the mango salad. Thankfully I didn't overeat on this one, because one of my cousins called me up to go for a second round of badminton. After a quick rest from food, I headed off to the courts.
And boy did I get sassed :( I'm just not used to playing in the heat like that, I was sweating buckets and my serve was bad and I lost all three games that I played. Two were close, and though it was disappointing, it was fun and a good learning experience. The players there are super hard-out, as you can imagine, and their precision and judgement is amazing. With talent like that, it's no wonder Malaysia is the best at badminton.
Another two hours to wait before the departure gate opens. I haven't found anything worthwhile at duty free and I need to charge my electronic devices for the 11 hour flight ahead. I might grab some food around 5pm so I don't have to eat too much of Jetstar's crappy meals.
Home soon!
Posted by Jeremy at 8:05am on Wednesday June 5, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
My Last Night Here With You
Tuesday June 4, 2013
I was wondering around Mid Valley Mega Mall on Monday in an effort to burn off all those delicious things I had eaten in the morning. I had curry laksa and some home made glutinous rice, as well as some red bean sesame balls and an egg custard tart. My main purpose for being at Mid Valley was to pick up my overpriced glasses, which I found out were made from the same materials they use for aeroplanes and it's super strong and amazing and yadadada. Despite the price, I really like the lightness and look of these glasses, and given its durability I think I can justify paying that much for them.
On the way home, we stopped by a fruit stall and bought some local produce. We continued home when I spotted a roadside durian stall and we quickly pulled over. The durian was expensive but so deliciously creamy and rich in flavour! The best kind of durian. So good. And if that wasn't enough, I continued stuffing my face with cendol and rojak, also from a roadside vendor. Yummo!
Today I went to my uncle's country club where I played badminton with my 16 year old cousin, who prompted beat my ass down. It's very difficult to play in the heat here, and it was made worse by the fact I've been lazy for the past two weeks and I'm so fat now. I cooled down in the pool for a bit and we went for lunch soon after.
We're heading out for Thai food soon. It's my last night in Malaysia and I've had an amazing holiday, seeing so many of my aunties and uncles and cousins, and eating all these awesome things and getting fat etc. It'll be somewhat refreshing to come back to the cold, but I doubt I will be enjoying it for very long. I'm looking forward to coming back home, and though I will miss all the things I've enjoyed, I know that I can always come back to family in Malaysia.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:40am on Tuesday June 4, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Back in KL
Monday June 3, 2013
I spent my last full day in Singapore just wandering aimlessly around various touristy spots like Little India, Chinatown, Suntec City (which was under renovation and completely boring) and Raffles City. There was a lot to see, especially around Chinatown, and despite the heat, the walk was pleasant and relaxing. I didn't end up buying anything except food and drinks during the day; given the Singapore dollar is one-to-one with the New Zealand dollar, the better bargains are in Malaysia where our dollar is worth 2.45 Malaysian ringgit.
I made my way back to Orchard Road and went around a few of the shopping malls I had missed on my first visit. It had begun to rain but these smart (yet still crazy) Singaporeans have linked all their shopping malls with underground passageways so you can stay dry and air conditioned. I ended up at 313@Somerset where I had dinner with my cousin who I had been staying with.
After dinner we went to Gardens in the Bay, a large park on the south side of town by the Marina Bay Sands hotel. At night, the canopy is lit up with some amazing light structures and every so often there's a musical show accompanied by some synchronised light choreography. The night view was pretty interesting and much more tolerable in a cooler temperature, but most of the attractions there had closed. Maybe next time I should visit early in the morning.
After a brief flight the next day, we were back in KL just in time for lunch and my auntie and uncle took me to eat some delicious char kuay teow. I didn't want to stuff my face too much because there were some big dinner plans!
Last night for dinner, we were treated to a fantastic dinner at Jaya Palace. Five of dad's six siblings were there, along with various children (my cousins - I counted 10 present from 16 possible). The food was amazing, especially the deep fried duck egg prawns and of course, the abalone, which I love. My uncle had also brought some French wines and some Japanese whiskey for some added joviality, and once dinner had started to wrap up, we busted out the karaoke machine!
I'm hungry now. I think I'll be doing some shopping today and catching up with another one of my cousins who I missed last night. Only a few more nights to go before I return to New Zealand so I guess I should be making the most of it. Eat all the things!
Posted by Jeremy at 12:51am on Monday June 3, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Sentosa
Friday May 31, 2013
Obelix (of Asterix and Obelix fame) has a penchant for visiting foreign countries and exclaiming that the locals are crazy. Well, here I am in Singapore and yes, these Singaporeans are crazy. They work too hard. They rush everywhere. It's a high stress environment and it's not healthy. They have signs on the bus and trains explaining the correct way to board and alight (give way to people alighting!) because there's always such a mad rush to get on.
I met up with Ted and Amber last night for dinner at the Ion Food Court on Orchard Road. Still wasn't feeling 100% due to the food poisoning, but I tried to eat as much as I could stomach. It helped that it was close to 9pm as Ted had only finished work about 30 minutes prior. It's silly. He works 12 hour days for pittance. Dinner was great, and I enjoyed the mango salad the most. There was plenty to catch up on and it was interesting, yet a bit sad, to hear how they were finding Singaporean life. We left the food court close to 10.30pm and went for dessert at Somerset, before saying our goodbyes. It was close to midnight when I got home and was shocked to hear my cousin was in his bedroom on a conference call to his work.
These Singaporeans are crazy.
Today we spent at Sentosa Island, visiting the Merlion, exploring the SEA Aquarium, riding the luge (the Rotorua one is way better!) and watching the water and lights show. It has been an exhausting day. We got caught out by the thunderstorm a few times but overall the day was filled with fun. The SEA Aquarium boasts the world's largest oceanarium, and it was certainly impressive to witness thousands of fish coexisting in this gigantic tank. Though much of the aquatic life was similar to what Chicago's Shedd Aquarium has, there was plenty more to distinguish the SEA Aquarium from the aquariums I did visit in the US.
Tiiiired.
Posted by Jeremy at 3:19pm on Friday May 31, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Singapore
Thursday May 30, 2013
Just arrived in Singapore and the weather is predictably hot and muggy at 30 degrees, with thunderstorms on the forecast. I'm feeling much better than yesterday but still not 100% unfortunately. It was pretty grim.
Looking forward to hitting Orchard Road later today and hoping to meet up with the ever elusive Ted, who never even told me he had left New Zealand to go overseas!
Posted by Jeremy at 5:20am on Thursday May 30, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Blerg
Wednesday May 29, 2013
Yesterday: went swimming. Got out. Lazed about on the deck chair. Fell asleep. Majorly sunburnt. Went snorkelling. Saw heaps of fish and corals. Had a great time. Had to tow my cousin to the boat because she was being swept out by the current. Went to bed at 6pm with no dinner. Was suffering from exhaustion.
Today: woke up with food poisoning. Having a bad time. Tired and lethargic. No appetite. Saw the doctor. Pumped up on drugs. Feeling better. Went for reflexology. Sore.
Tomorrow: leaving for Singapore. Back to civilisation.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:36am on Wednesday May 29, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Stars and Lights
Monday May 27, 2013
I had yet another buffet dinner today, but thankfully I didn't feel too obliged to stuff my mouth silly on this one since it's part of the Tioman vacation package. I am however, pretty full, but at least I didn't over eat.
It's nighttime now and being in the middle of the South China Sea, light pollution is low and I was interested in what the constellations would be like here. On one side of the sky I can clearly see the Southern Cross and its pointers, and it reminds me of home. On the opposite side of the sky sits Ursa Major, the "Big Dipper", but unfortunately Malaysia is still too far south to spot Polaris, the North Star. The night sky here is interesting because the constellations are different, but it's definitely not as clear as what you'd get in Wellington. I can't see the Milky Way at all and the chances of seeing shooting stars is slim.
There's something else on the horizon that's catching my eye, though. There's a tropical storm all the way west, over the mainland. I can see the thick thunderclouds illuminated against the pitch black night sky from continual lightning strikes - we're looking at close to three or four strikes per second. The brilliant flashes of electricity pierce the darkness and reflect off the water, yet unfortunately my iPhone camera isn't good enough to capture any of the action.
Stunning.
Posted by Jeremy at 2:04pm on Monday May 27, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Pulau Tioman
Monday May 27, 2013
I slept three hours last night. I would like to blame the delicious Japanese buffet from Midori at the Marriott Putrajaya. I've been there three times in total (that's twice on previous trips back to Malaysia) and have always overeaten to the point where it's hard to breathe and move.
Anyway, we took a plane from Subang to Pulau Tioman and arrived just before noon. The island has some fantastic beaches and the water is invitingly warm. Temperatures are still hanging around the mid thirties. We're overlooking the west side of the island so tonight when it starts to cool down, we'll watch the sunset and have an explore. I've got a snorkelling excursion planned for one of these days too!
I am not missing the weather in New Zealand right now.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:44am on Monday May 27, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Eat, Sleep, Eat
Sunday May 26, 2013
The title pretty much exactly sums up what I did yesterday. We went to the market in the morning for a quick browse at the local produce and brought back some fresh mango, jackfruit and lychee, as well as some beef and sotong nasi lemak and some tofu fah (everything was sooo goood). I took a brief nap in the afternoon to prepare myself for the night's dinner.
Last night we were at Five Sen5es at the Westin Hotel to celebrate my cousin's wedding. I had not seen her in 15 years and it was amazing to be there with my extended family to enjoy a wonderful meal in honour of the bride and groom. Like a typical Chinese wedding dinner, there were eight courses of decadent and exquisite food, including abalone, pork belly and Peking duck. It was a night to remember and it was made even more special because of my family.
The dinner was quite late so I had a few hours to kill beforehand. I walked around Pavillion Mall with my cousin's husband for a bit, and he showed me Tokyo Street, a collection of Japanese shops on the top floor of the mall, as well as a multinational alfresco dining alley with restaurants from Ireland, Italy, Spain, Turkey and more, lining a whole walkway. We wandered down to Starhill as well - the sheer opulence of the products on display were matched only by the ridiculousness of the male toilets. It seems fitting that a shopping complex that sells necklaces and earrings for over a million dollars should have two employees in the bathroom who operate a large bamboo lever system to deliver water to the hand basin.
So unnecessary.
Also, I love being five inches taller than everyone else. Malaysia should totally be a heightocracy.
Posted by Jeremy at 12:52am on Sunday May 26, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Thunderstorms
Friday May 24, 2013
We rarely get thunderstorms in Wellington. I'm not a meteorologist but I'll say it's probably because of our geography and the wind that disrupts any huge thunderclouds from forming. We did have that one thunderstorm at the beginning of the month but it wasn't until driving back from Mid Valley Mega Mall today that I remembered just how powerful and thrilling tropical thunderstorms are. The lightning just keeps on coming, several air to ground strikes that produce continuous explosions of thunder. It's amazing, to say the least, but it is sadly disrupting my afternoon nap.
As I mentioned, I was at Mid Valley Mega Mall today, snapping up some amazing bargains. I got two pairs of jeans for NZ$40! There were heaps of other sales on, ranging from 10% to 70% off various items of clothing. I may have to return at a later date once I figure out what I want. There's a really nice batik shirt I was eyeing too, for only NZ$30...
And of course I was spoilt for food today. We had nyonya kuih and Penang prawn mee. I also got a drink named "Passionfruit QQ" from a place called Chatime. The size of the food courts here continue to surprise me. I swear there are more people in this mall than there are people in Wellington.
Time to get some shut eye. Big dinner on tonight!
Posted by Jeremy at 8:41am on Friday May 24, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Change at Changi
Thursday May 23, 2013
The last time I was at Changi airport would have been more than ten years ago when I was here with my father. I've been here for just under two hours, just waiting at the gate to board my flight to Kuala Lumpur. Changi Airport is as flash as they say; there's some fantastic shopping options and an even more impressive array of food stores. I opted for a mango and pomelo sago pudding to see me through to KL where I will undoubtedly begin my epic food journey.
The flight was okay - surprising, especially since I was flying Jetstar. I highly recommend bringing your own food because theirs is rubbish. Seats were pretty comfortable and I was playing games on my iPhone and Nintendo DS to pass the time.
Oops, gotta run, boarding call!
Posted by Jeremy at 11:14am on Thursday May 23, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Checking Out and Checking In
Wednesday May 22, 2013
I forgot how hard it is to blog with my phone. Maybe the webmaster (i.e. me) should look into enabling some kind of mobile-friendly interface.
After wrapping up some rather hairy issues at work, I had begun to mentally check out around 4pm. The euphoria of going on holiday didn't actually hit until I was out of the building and walking home in that familiar Wellington damp and darkness. I find travel exciting, even by myself, and I'm looking forward to all the delicious Malaysian food and of course, seeing family and friends whom I haven't seen in three years.
Oh food. The holiday has already started out well on the food front. I got a Zinger Double Down from KFC last night. I should get some KFC from Malaysia too, they have hot and spicy all year round and the chickens are much bigger and more succulent than what you can find here. Of course I will be wanting my laksas and cendols and kuihs too!
Sitting here in the middle of the check in plaza surrounded by all the duty free shops is somehow surprisingly serene. Some sound speaker is emitting native bird chirps every ten seconds or so. Unlike the last time I was here for my US trip, my flight plan is pretty straightforward and documentation is minimal. I've got people to take care of me at the other end so I'm not really worried about anything going wrong.
Unless there's some of those waterspouts that were over the harbour yesterday.
Okay I just checked, the weather is looking pretty good at the moment.
I'll try to blog a bit and I'll post some highlights on Facebook. Stay tuned for more!
Posted by Jeremy at 9:26pm on Wednesday May 22, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Not Long To Go
Sunday May 19, 2013
The word "home" in English commonly means one's place of residence or a geographical area that one identifies with as their place of belonging. When I talk about home, my home is in Wellington, where I work and live. When I talk about home, my home is in Auckland, where I grew up and lived for 20 years of my life. When I talk about home, it's odd because I'm using the word in a way that many Malaysian expats will use it - our "home" is Malaysia. When we go back "home", we're returning to the motherland; and though I am officially a New Zealand citizen, Malaysia will always affectionately be "home", because it's where I was born.
The last time I was back in Malaysia was Christmas 2009/New Years 2010. It was full of fond memories... much of it spent enjoying the fantastic food, but also a great excursion to China and Hong Kong, and of course, seeing family that I had not seen in over 7 years. I'm always looking forward to long haul trips, and I can't wait to catch up with everyone and eat everything. People often have a list of things to buy or things to see when they go overseas - when you go to Malaysia, you have a list of things to eat. Whether it be the aroma of durian from pasar malam, or the anticipation as your favourite roadside cendol is prepared, or cooling off with some barley water as you wait for the bak kut teh or yong tau foo to arrive, or playing mahjong while your auntie prepares her famous nasi lemak - my favourite memories about Malaysia are often associated with food. It is such an important part of our culture and who we are.
It's been a while since I last blogged... Robot Unicorn Attack 2 has been out for almost a month now and is doing very well, with over three million downloads the last time I checked. We also released Turbo Racing League, a snail racer based off the DreamWorks Animation movie due out in July. Work has continued to be busy as I wrap up my duties before I leave for holiday.
At the start of the month I was in Auckland for Reuben and Shereen's wedding. Though the rain was torrential, the ceremony and reception were fantastic and it was great to catch up with people and celebrate the marriage of two of my good friends. I got to play piano at KCC's Sunday service and had a great time, and I got to see my nephew as well. It was a rushed weekend, but thoroughly enjoyable. The following weekend, Surya had made his way down to Wellington after graduating in a Masters of Science, so we went out for dinner at Ozeki and milk tea at Noah's Ark.
Finally, a decent milk tea place!
I went ice skating last night with Amy, Mitchell and Chloe. I was surprised at how good they were - it never really occurred to me that they had such hidden talents! The last time I had been ice skating was probably 10 years ago, at Sunway Pyramid in Malaysia, so it was a very awkward start to getting back on the ice. I've never really been one to ice skate or rollerblade or do anything graceful like that, so for most of the hour I was clumsily flailing like a moron around the rink. Despite my frantic yelling and panicked expressions, I had a good time and was proud that I bailed only once during the time I was there, and furthermore, only Mitchell was around to witness my elegant barrel roll, from which I recovered quickly and nonchalantly resumed skating.
It's now only four more sleeps until my flight back "home". Still many things to sort out and people to catch up with before I leave - exciting times ahead!
Posted by Jeremy at 11:42am on Sunday May 19, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Barfing Rainbows
Saturday April 27, 2013
It's finally here.
Early last year, after finishing Extinction Squad, we began development of Robot Unicorn Attack 2. I did a few bits and pieces on our store tech before jetting off to the US for a month holiday. Upon my return, I had found out that I'd been put onto Rise of the Guardians Dash n Drop instead, and there I stayed for five months. It wasn't until the start of this year that I was put back on RUA2 to take over as lead programmer while Thomas shifted onto another project. The past four months have been challenging but I know the team, myself included, are extremely proud to have the game finally out on the App Store. We've hit #1 on the Canadian store, #2 in the US, #3 in Finland and #4 in the New Zealand and Poland stores, and have had several glowing reviews and Apple features to boost our rankings and downloads.
I saw Iron Man 3 last Wednesday. I felt it was better than Iron Man 2 (which I saw for the first time the previous day), but it was pretty much still the same old cheesy action movie. Nevertheless, it was fun and enjoyable, and there was a good Avengers tie-in at the end of the credits, so make sure you sit and wait for that. Congratulations to my friends at Weta who worked on the movie!
Following that, we convened at CGR Merchant & Co for a few drinks to count down the time until RUA2's release at midnight on the New Zealand store, and then to Hadley's house since all the bars closed at midnight for ANZAC day. I had a big day ahead so I didn't stay too long after midnight.
Though Thursday began quite overcast and showery at times, the sunlight slowly broke through and produced some great summery weather. We were out at Eastbourne for an explore around Pencarrow Lighthouse and Lake Kohangapiripiri. The trail is about 8km one way, so the trek there and back took us the whole afternoon. There are some magnificent views of the Wellington region and the South Island from Pencarrow Head, and the deep blue seas reflecting the brilliance of the skies above only made the scenery better. There are numerous goats and sheep around the hills as well, and because the area is so exposed from the south, the winds were excitingly blustery. A day well spent, but I was so tired from the exercise that I was asleep by 9.30pm.
Work will continue being busy for the next month or so, and then I'll be off to Malaysia for two weeks for my cousin's wedding. Woohoo!
Posted by Jeremy at 11:38am on Saturday April 27, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
The Past Month
Sunday April 14, 2013
...has been absolutely manic. Following on from February's packed schedule, I had events on each weekend in March. After our failed comet viewing attempts at Makara, we decided we'd keep going back for the fantastic night sky and the shooting stars. As winter settles in, the sunsets become earlier and the skies become cloudier still, so we're taking each opportunity as it comes, and we've never been disappointed.
Well maybe that one time when Chloe and I saw all the shooting stars and Mitchell missed like, seven of them. Zing!
Apart from our frequent trips out to the west coast, I've been at Tom and Astrid's pirate-themed engagement and housewarming celebration, as well as Dale and Bec's engagement party. I went bowling at Bowlarama for Jono and Karlyn's farewell, checked out Pete and Bronwyn's new house, saw some dragonboating and did some Shufflin' and Gangnam Style at Luba's D-themed birthday party.
I spent Easter up in Auckland, catching up with the old KCC gang and getting some good old milk tea from Momo's with Sam and Jo, who have now relocated to Melbourne. I played Dominion, 7 Wonders, Citadels and Dixit. I spent a day at Auckland Zoo with my nephew, checking out all that has changed since I was last there 15 years ago. There was curry and steak and seafood... and more steak, and more seafood. Easter was full of great people and delicious food.
The following weekend, we made our way down to the South Island for Matt and Clare's wedding at Peel Forest. Having never been to the South Island before (gasp!), we went for an epic road trip that spanned 1,500km over three days.
First leg of our journey was Wellington to Picton on the 2.30am Bluebridge Ferry. We secured a private cabin for ourselves so we could get some sleep for the long drive ahead. We were expected to land at Picton at 6.30am but they lost power to the main engine and that delayed us until 8am - a blessing in disguise as we managed to get that little bit extra sleep.
We hit Picton just as the sun began to rise over the islands of Queen Charlotte Sound and started the drive to Nelson. The sounds were misty from the early morning, and the water totally still and glass-like. We picked up some breakfast at Havelock - a bacon and egg pie for me - and reached sunny Nelson around 10am. We continued on to Murchison where we had lunch, then crossed over to the east coast via Lewis Pass. The scenery through Lewis Pass is so diverse, with forests, rivers, mountains, snow and barren desert all visible in the space of a two hour drive. We had a quick squizz around Hanmer Springs (not enough time to relax at the pools unfortunately) and made our way to Christchurch for dinner. With sunset rapidly approaching, we picked up the pace and headed out to Peel Forest.
Peel Forest is in the middle of nowhere. It was only on Friday morning that we realised that our accommodation was called "Peel Forest Ecolodge". It was so "eco". No flushing toilets (ugh compost), wasp infestation in the main room, five minute walk through moderate bush from the carpark and cold bunk beds. Even the beds on the ferry were better. I mean, it would have been fine if we were there for a camping trip but we weren't - we were there for a wedding and we needed modern amenities. We arrived around 11pm, after many difficulties finding the place, and passed out.
We were up around 8am and headed out to Lake Tekapo, only 90 minutes drive away. The day was overcast and the usually azure lake reflected the greys of the sky. We stopped by the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd and admired the grandeur of the Southern Alps in the distance, with its sprinkling of snow clearly visible. We hurried back to Peel Forest for the wedding.
The church was tiny, fitting maybe 80 people at full capacity, but nevertheless the ceremony was lovely; both the bride and groom tearing up at various points in the service. The reception was in a marquee at Peel Forest Lodge, where we had quite possibly the best rare steak ever. Juicy, succulent and tasty - everything that meat should be. After hitting the dance floor (yet more Shufflin' and Gangnam Stylin'), we adjourned to the lodge in anticipation of another long drive the next day. I could not help but admire the crystal clear skies from the Ecolodge (we were in the middle of nowhere, afterall) and spent about 30 minutes staring up at the heavens. The Milky Way was quite visible, as were many familiar southern hemisphere constellations. And in a moment of pure magic, there was a shooting star across the sky!
We were grateful for the extra hour of sleep from Daylight Savings, and we left the Ecolodge for Christchurch. We let Google navigate us to Cathedral Square, but the effects of the devastating earthquake have rendered many of the city center's roads off-limits. We parked near the closed Rydges hotel and wandered around a bit, looking at all the grim sites of rubble and destruction. We followed the Avon River down to the new shipping container mall, which had a nice vibrant atmosphere and was bustling with buskers and filled with Sunday morning coffee aromas. We had a quick brunch in Upper Riccarton before taking State Highway 1 to Kaikoura.
Kaikoura's awesome. The peninsula boasts some fantastic views of the mountains to the west and Pacific Ocean to the east, and right down by the coast, one can enjoy some delectable seafood from the world famous Original Kaikoura Seafood Barbeque shack. I had a seafood chowder and whitebait fritter, but people on other tables had splashed out for some grilled crayfish. Yum! A few minutes driving north, we stopped at Ohau Point to take a look at the adorable seal pups swimming upstream under State Highway 1 towards the local waterfall, before continuing the journey to Blenheim and Picton to take the return ferry.
We arrived in Picton with plenty of time to spare and had some takeaways before boarding the ferry. The boat ride to Wellington was as smooth as the trip over, and in three hours we were back on the North Island.
Whew!
Posted by Jeremy at 12:22pm on Sunday April 14, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Return to Makara
Monday March 11, 2013
It feels like summer\'s definitely on its last legs. While today is cold from the southerlies and dull, grey and overcast like only a Monday could be, yesterday was magnificently warm and sunny.
I took a chance. Yesterday was the southern hemisphere\'s last chance at seeing Comet Panstarrs in the sky. I knew it would be very low in the horizon and we still might not be able to see it through the twilight brilliance, but I recruited a crew and we bundled a picnic dinner in my car and headed back to Makara.
We went up Opau Bay Road to check out the wind turbine farm first. The area boasts some fantastic westward views of the South Island and the vast sea beyond. If you head out on the Short Turbine Walk, you\'ll walk past a lone turbine standing guard over the ridge between Opau Bay and Makara Beach. From here, you can look back at the turbine farm and get a sense of their majesty; a true representation of how technology and nature can be harmonious. There\'s not much else to do at that side and the gates close at 6pm during summer, so we headed off. One day we might return when it\'s really windy to see what it\'s like...
Down at Makara, there were plenty of other beachgoers taking advantage of the great weather. We unloaded our food and began our walk on the track to embattlements. We arrived with good time, and after dinner, Jordan guarded base camp and read his book while Mitchell, Chloe and I went for a quick explore around the hill. We found a lot of sheep poop.
Sunset was at 7.50pm yesterday, and in amongst the self-photographs, we watched as the sun dipped behind the mountains of the South Island. The glow of dusk began to illuminate the hills around us, but this soon gave way as the first star of the night, Sirius, became visible. Looking to the west, the horizon was still too bright to see any signs of Panstarrs. By now, several more stars were appearing in the night sky - Orion and Taurus in the north with Jupiter, the Southern Cross out to the east above the aura of Wellington\'s light pollution, and the dim fuzziness of the Milky Way becoming more prominent as time passed.
And then came...our first shooting star of the night!
Oh the magic of shooting stars.
We saw another two during our time there. It would have been around 9.30pm when we decided to call it a night and we began the drive back to Wellington. Much to Jordan\'s bemusement, a wild possum appeared in the middle of the road and I stopped the car so he could try and photograph it. It looked him timidly, and then scurried off along the ditch by the road. He tried to follow it, but it eventually clambered up the hill to safety, away from the intrusive paparazzi lens.
What a nice way to spend a Sunday.
Posted by Jeremy at 12:34am on Monday March 11, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
March Misadventures
Wednesday March 6, 2013
A year older, a year wiser?
The days are shortening and the southerlies are definitely more noticeable. Summer has paved the way for autumn, though we may still see some more of that warm sunshine that we were blessed with this year.
Comet Pan-STARRS has been supposedly visible in southern hemisphere skies for the past week or so. Always in search for an adventure, I recruited Mitchell, Chloe and Hayden (while he was down here) and we went out to Owhiro Bay to see if we could spot the comet. No such luck, as we presume the southwestern hills around Red Rocks were in the way. We headed out to Titahi Bay, but still no luck. Today, we drove to Makara but there were still hills in the way; we decided we weren\'t going to leave without a quick exploration of the area, so we followed the track to Opau Bay and the wind turbine farm for about 15 minutes, putting us just over the western ridge of Makara beach and giving us splendid views of the Tasman Sea. As night fell, we gazed aimlessly at the stars, watching the brilliance of Jupiter in the north and seeing the Milky Way arching overhead. Then, in a moment of sheer magic, we caught two shooting stars streaking across the northern sky!
But no comet. Oh well.
Last weekend was pretty busy for me. Mark\'s last day with us was on Friday, and we had a \"final\" game of Battlestar Galactica. With Rob\'s horrendous dice rolling putting the humans dangerously low on population count, it looked like Team Cylon - Mark and myself, and Mitchell, kinda - might have clinched victory, but some sweet blind jumping from Jordan netted a destination 3 card which put them on the home stretch. Not about to be outdone, I shot Rob in the face and caused Tim to die in the same turn, but sadly that wasn\'t enough to pull morale down to 0. It all rested on a final dice roll, and Team Human took away the victory with a strong 8 roll. Epic!
After our regular Saturday morning badminton, I met Damon, Joe, Chloe and Mitchell for some hot drinks at Milk Crate, and we relocated to Caffe L\'affare for brunch. Afterwards, the group minus Damon visited Jos and Ian at Garage Project headquarters, before heading home to find Smudge - with little success. We trekked over to Central Park to play on the swings and flying fox, but there was some kid\'s birthday party going on and it felt awkward just shoving them off the playground, so we went our separate ways. I met up with Damon, Joe and Mitchell again for dinner at Oriental Thai, and we joined Alan and Aaron at their place by Chaffers Docks, right where Homegrown was on. Rocking times!
We had an \"autumnal celebration\" barbeque at the Treehouse, full of fantastic meats everywhere - my kilogram of roast pork that I had purchased from Yan\'s was very popular. There were sausages and skewers and steaks to be had, and for dessert, Charlotte\'s scheming resulted in a deliciously moist and rich chocolate cake with fancy sparkly candles, decorated as if it was someone\'s birthday celebration.
It\'s going to be a busy month, with both my work and social calendars full of events and deadlines to meet. Looking forward to time off over Easter, then the South Island trip early next month!
Posted by Jeremy at 10:33am on Wednesday March 6, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Social Butterfly
Sunday February 24, 2013
I have been doing too many things with my life.
That\'s okay though, I have thoroughly enjoyed the fun times and the awesome people I\'ve been hanging out with over the past two weekends. Now is the time to make the most of the sun before it fades away behind the abysmal weather so typical of Wellington for ten months of the year. Summer has been great and it\'s sad (if not alarming) that it is March very, very soon.
Last weekend, we went out to Harcourt Park in Upper Hutt to watch some jousting after badminton. It\'s not particularly like what you would imagine (or what Hollywood would have you imagine). The tips of the jousting lances are fragile and break easily, and are colour-coded for each person. The idea is to land a hit against your opponent (with rules around where you can and can\'t hit - no hitting the horse!) and points are given based off aforementioned criteria. As the lances break, the resulting fragments are clearly identified by their colour to assist in the judging. There were also longbow displays and sword fighting re-enactments, but none as exciting as the jousting.
The next day, we were out at Adrenaline Forest in Porirua for part one of Ben\'s birthday celebration. Swinging, climbing, gliding and shuffling (often struggling) our way through the treetops proved quite the physical challenge at times; not so much the mental challenge I was expecting since I was so focused on the obstacles, I barely had time to look down at the ground. Unlike previous ropes courses I\'d been on, this one is more individually managed so you clip yourself onto safety ropes to traverse the trees instead of being belayed by a group of people on the ground. Additionally, you\'re equipped with your own pulley and hook system so you can clip yourself onto the wire and ride the gradient to the other side with some gravitational help. There\'s some great Indiana Jones-type swings, including one into a large spider web of ropes on course six!
Part two was competitive go-karting - teams of two doing 30 laps each. Jordan and I paired up to deliver a relatively unrisky and consistent display that landed us fourth place out of eight (not last, yay!). The karts supposedly reach 50kph and handle pretty well, though my skidding and sliding were not as masterful as I would have liked. I kept feeling like I was going to topple the kart over. There were fortunately no coloured turtle shells on the track.
I went for an improv show at the Gryphon Theatre on Ghuznee St, then to dinner at the Matterhorn on Friday night. I was last at the Matterhorn in 2009 and they have changed the menu and the style of eating since. The intention is that you order a selection of plates to share instead of having individual meals. Essentially it is like yum cha, except ten times the price. We found the concept complicated and were a bit nervous when the waitress asked us if she could have the authority to place food on our tab without our explicit permission. We shared some oysters with champagne sorbet, crispy pig tails, deer fillet with blackberry, potatoes with roast almonds and various other plates that I can\'t recall off the top of my head. The company was great and the food was good, but the messy logistics put me off and wouldn\'t recommend it - would have been much better if we had just had individual meals and maybe some sides to share.
Yesterday after badminton, we had the PikPok Barbeque at the Mt Victoria Lawn Bowls club. It was a family-friendly event, with a kids-only bouncy castle (much to the disappointment of many of my workmates), face painting and board games available. There was of course the lawn bowls outside, and in defiance of the Wellington wind, beer pong on a table decked out with some fantastic Flick Kick Football artwork. Time passed quickly and it got a bit chilly around 6pm so I left for another barbeque out in Island Bay with my church\'s family group. Though it was a brief event, it was good to catch up with various people and I was absolutely smitten with the two guinea pigs called Pip and Squeak. I ended the day over at Andrew\'s flat in Roseneath, taking one hour to set up a new board game called CO2 and three hours to play. Would not recommend.
Finally, to finish it off, I celebrated Chap Goh Mei, the last day of Chinese New Year, at Big Thumb in style, with plates of chicken, pork and seafood in dumplings, buns, rice noodles and deep fried!
Though we don\'t have the fireworks and fantastic lion and dragon dance displays that the Auckland Lantern Festival provides, I\'ve had fun celebrating Chinese New Year in my own way. This will be memorable for years to come.
<<edit>> Okay we just got fireworks. Yay!
![jousting](\"/gallery/pictures/chinesenewyear-feb2013/IMG_3510.jpg\"){kind=link}
![Adrenaline Forest](\"/gallery/pictures/chinesenewyear-feb2013/IMG_3546.jpg\"){kind=link}
Posted by Jeremy at 7:33am on Sunday February 24, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
The Year of the Snake
Sunday February 10, 2013
Though I've just had a five day weekend, I feel exhausted from all the people I've caught up with over the past few days. It's been an enjoyable Chinese New Year celebration, seeing both family and friends over my time up in Auckland.
It is tradition to have Reunion Dinner on Chinese New Year. This is when all members of the family gather for a meal to bring in the new year; though the rules are a bit more relaxed as family members tend to be more dispersed around the world these days, the reason and meaning remains the same. My parents cooked some delicious food on Wednesday (we didn't even celebrate it on the real New Years Eve!), each dish symbolising various aspects of well-wishing that are common at the New Year - prosperity, abundance, wealth and happiness.
I caught up with Melbourne Dave on Thursday in town. We walked around the waterfront and Wynyard Quarter, we visited Moustache and for old times' sake, trudged up the hill to Albert Park and the University of Auckland. Seems like not much has changed, though there's some heavy construction around the Maths/Physics and CompSci buildings. Dave is doing well and it was great to catch up and see him, and hopefully one of these days I will make it over to Melbourne to visit him and the other people I know there!
I had lunch at the ever-delectable Tatsumi in Newmarket on Friday with my step-mum and grandmother. Never failing to disappoint, the "deluxe lunch" option with three main dishes, appetisers and a petite dessert was delightfully satisfying. Friday night went until 3am, visiting Jay's Tea on Dominion Road and playing 7 Wonders with the guys.
Saturday was relaxing, doing absolutely nothing all day except mowing the lawns in the early evening. I tried to organise something at night since my parents were out at a party, but unfortunately most of my friends were having their own reunion dinners and nothing eventuated.
After church at KCC and lunch at My Kitchen on Dominion Road, I spent the rest of Sunday playing more 7 Wonders. Some pretty grim low-resource games at the end, but fun nonetheless. Okay not really fun, but it was good to catch up with people, and next time I'll teach them about the Leaders expansion.
Did you know it's been five years since I moved to Wellington? I've been at my job for longer than I was at University. Time has gone by so quickly, with people coming and going in and out of my life. I remember this hilarious and thoughtful but a bit disturbing music video that the guys had made for me before I left for Wellington. It was to the Spice Girls' Goodbye, which has the lyrics "Goodbye my friend....it's not the end...so glad we made it, time will never change it". The weekend reminded me of how strong our friendships have remained in spite of the distance between us.
It was poignant then, that the song came up as Matt drove me to the airport, since it was the last time I would see him before he moves to Taiwan. The weekend was a time to reflect on how things used to be, and on what I cherish each time I come back to Auckland for a visit. Thanks to all of you for making my weekend what it was, and blessings in the year of the snake to all of you.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:54am on Sunday February 10, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
The Definition of Wellington's Summer
Sunday January 27, 2013
The Metservice says that we're supposed to have a sunny spell for a whopping ten days in a row. Not sure if this is unprecedented for Wellington, but it certainly seems like something novel since I've been here. Plenty of things have been happening to take advantage of the summer weather!
After badminton yesterday, I celebrated Australia Day with a few of my workmates with a low-key barbeque. There was plenty of fine meats to be had, and lots of good old fashioned Australian racism too (JOKE). I was sad I couldn't stay for longer as I had to rush to the Sprig and Fern for Matt and Claire's engagement party. Good to catch up with people and form some sort of plan for the trip down south in April. Looking forward to it!
Last weekend was Wellington anniversary, and I went to the Game Master exhibition at Te Papa with Jordan and Loic. Highly recommend it and had heaps of fun there - there's an impressive collection of video games there dating back to the old arcade-style games to the newest consoles - Wii, PS3 and Xbox360 - and with the advent of mobile gaming in the past few years, some iOS and Android games as well. I was blown away by how well some of the arcade games had aged; while some were very difficult to play, they're still incredibly fun and it was interesting to play them with their original control schemes - joysticks and track balls galore.
The exhibition really brought back the nostalgia, with Sonic 1, Sonic 2 and Super Mario Brothers showcasing the pinnacle of platformers in the 1990s, and in comparison how these IPs have evolved and branched out to Sonic Generations in 3D on the Playstation 3 (though I was having a bad time with this) and New Super Mario Bros on the Nintendo DS. Moving on from the Sega and the Nintendo sections, there was Blizzard (Starcraft 2 and Warcraft III), Will Wright (Sim City... and then his later games like Spore and The Sims which I didn't care about), Tim Schafer (Day of the Tentacle and Monkey Island), a large open area for Dance Central, Singstar and Rockband, then a section for Indie games and mobile games, including Castle Crashers, Braid, Flower, Flow, Journey, Minecraft, Fruit Ninja Kinect, Jetpack Joyride, Chopper 2 and of course, Sidhe's own brick-breaking phenomenon, Shatter!
There was some kid playing Shatter when I arrived and he was playing it wrong. I suggested he hit the Right Ctrl button to unleash Shard Storm against the first boss, but he ignored me and continued being wrong. Jerk.
I have been playing Sonic 4 for a while, which I bought on Steam over Christmas, and like Sonic Generations at Game Masters, I was having a bad time with it. The physics are all wrong and there's no sense of momentum in the game. The trajectory of Sonic as he runs and jumps feels difficult and nothing like what his good old 16-bit days felt like. Though the game is pretty, it simply doesn't compare to Sonic 2 or Sonic 3 on the Genesis, and it's a pity that the series has devolved to this state. Frustrated from this experience, I turned to Lego Lord of the Rings. The game has some great humour and lots of content, but is quite easy and the first few stories can feel tedious and grindy. I've progressed to the point where I have lots of abilities, so it's much more interesting and fun now.
Works has been going well. Before I left for the US, I was supposed to be on a particular "barfing rainbows" project; I was reassigned onto Rise of the Guardians on my return and since its completion in November, I have been maintaining the company's core code base - as well as the fantastic Game Jam week we had to finish the year. Though the barfing rainbows project was also supposed to finish in November, it's been extended until March and I'm fortunate enough to be put back on that project. Most of the game is there and functioning, but it's a very valuable IP so we want to make sure that the metagame and the UI system are high quality and well polished. Looking forward to seeing this out on the App Store!
Posted by Jeremy at 10:17am on Sunday January 27, 2013 :: 0 comments ::
Back in Wellington
Monday January 7, 2013
First post of the new year. Not quite back at work yet - my past self was wise enough to apply for these first three days off as time in lieu. My sleep schedule is all wrong and I'm still quite tired.
New Year's Eve was really nice. I had some friends over for a potluck dinner which turned out to be a feast of meats and deliciousness. There was ample food to go around and plenty of leftovers for the next day. We played a few games of Spaceteam and Taboo before heading out to the peninsula to watch the Sky Tower's annual "worst New Years fireworks I've ever seen". We ended the night in style with a glass of strawberries in Lindauer.
It was such a fine day the next day that we met at Wing Wah for an impromptu yum cha, then went to Cornwall Park to spend the afternoon. We talked a lot about goals and resolutions for 2013 and decided that to start off the new year, it would be a great idea for Alice to go pet a sheep in the paddock. Sadly this mission failed. Nevertheless, after giving up, Alice randomly blurted out that she wanted Steamboat, and so plans were set in motion for Steamboat at mine. Awesome!
Equally as random was our decision to head out to the Pinnacles in Coromandel for a day trip trek. Planning for this took approximately 20 minutes. We met at mine at 7am and began the two hour drive to Thames, via Greenlane Countdown for some supplies and McDonalds for some breakfast. After some dusty gravel roading, we reached the base of the track around 10am. It was another brilliant day, with ample sunshine and a light breeze to keep the temperatures down. The trail led us through some classic New Zealand bush, full of beautiful greenery. We reached the Pinnacles Hut around 1pm for lunch, and then the glorious peak around 2pm for some fantastic 360 degree views of the Coromandel Peninsula. And of course the first thing people do is check their phones for 3G reception and post to Facebook. We returned to the carpark in just under 3.5 hours to start the drive home at 6pm. Despite some traffic woes along State Highway 2, we were back at mine at 9pm. Day was seized!
I spent Thursday cleaning the house in anticipation of my parents' return from Malaysia, but enjoyed yet another round of Peking Duck from Sun World with some ex-colleagues and current colleagues. Mitchell and David were feeling a bit adventurous, so we made our way into town and got some milk tea from Hulucat. Asian things that you can't get easily in Wellington :( Their taro milk tea with mango pudding is still as good as I remember.
On Friday, I was at Charlotte's house for hers and Jono's engagement party. Though it was a bit windy, the barbeque was stacked full and grilling a multitude of steaks and sausages. We did run out of gas though, so we resumed cooking on the frying pan. There was plenty of food to be had and it was great to meet the rest of the bridal party, with plans in motion for the stag do as well! Exciting times... Jono and Charlotte's wedding will be only one of three weddings I'm going to this year!
I had dinner with my parents and grandmother at Star Cafe on Manukau Road on Saturday, then went to Ben's for some games afterwards. I got to play Mafia as a real player for the first time in forever, and dominated as a civilian (bahahah). Some interesting rules in this game, I didn't quite like the voting and trial system, but thought that it was interesting that the sniper dies from guilt if he doesn't shoot a Mafia. Might just steal this for my own games ^_^
Sunday was church in the morning, Mexicali Fresh in Newmarket for lunch, DotA in the afternoon (it was grim...), a quick catch up to see my nephew before leaving, then a BBQ with the CSC at Sarah's. Good to see them, even if it only happens once, at approximately the same time each year. I felt a bit bad for turning up (almost uninvited too, trololol), eating, then rushing off to catch my flight.
And so today is Monday and even today is drawing to a close quickly (I've had two naps today). I've had a great Christmas and New Years but it's time to head back to work... soon.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:28am on Monday January 7, 2013 :: 0 comments ::