Chaos
Monday November 14, 2016
It's been a strange week.
Last Wednesday, we watched the US elect Donald Trump into presidency, a move that stunned the whole office - the whole nation - into disbelief and horror. I'm not one to spout my opinions on politics on my blog, but I will say that I hope the minorities and vulnerable people he has consistently attacked throughout his campaign will find peace among such a tumultuous time, especially with reports of Trump supporters actively harassing such people.
On Thursday, things were much better for me as I jetsetted to Sydney for a holiday, that just happened to include capturing the Australian regional Pokemon, Kangaskhan. After landing on Thursday afternoon, I walked from my hotel in Hyde Park to Chinatown and Darling Harbour to grab a feed, and it was barely 200m down Liverpool Road that Kangaskhan appeared - and caught successfully! Over the course of the four days I was in Australia, I captured another eleven more, so I can trade them off when that feature is ever introduced.
On Friday, Mat and I covered all the major landmarks. We wandered through Hyde Park, past St Mary's Cathedral to the Royal Botanical Gardens and Mrs Macquarie's Chair, where there were some stunning views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. We continued through the gardens to the Opera House, where we sat in the Pokemon Gym at Opera House for a good 10 minutes. Continuing down past the Rocks, we watched a traditional Aborigine dance being performed at the Museum of Contemporary Art for their 25th anniversary, then headed to the Bridge Climb office and decided $300 was way too much for what it was. We ended up walking the length of the bridge, stopping at one of the concrete pillars for some great views of the city. We had a quick look around Luna Park, then trained back to the CBD and did some shopping before going up the Sydney Tower. We ended the day at Criniti's at Darling Harbour, and rested at the hotel for a little bit before heading back to the Opera House, where they had lit up the sails with some beautiful red poppies in a light show, in commemoration of Armistice Day.
After some overnight rain and thunderstorms, the weather had cooled down quite dramatically. We visited the Chinese Garden of Friendship in the morning, and wandered through Paddy's Market and Chinatown. The clouds had disappeared bringing through some intense sunshine, to the tune of 30C, so we bundled some towels and headed out to Bondi Beach. It wasn't as packed as I thought it would be, but it was still incredibly busy. The water was amazingly refreshing and loads of fun with the waves breaking on the shore. We headed back to town and I met up with Joel, who took me for dinner at Mekong, then dessert at Koi, and drinks at the Palace Hotel.
Sunday was pretty relaxed, just finishing off our shopping at various spots around the city. I found a piano at the Queen Victoria Building near the Town Hall, and played Let It Go from Disney's Frozen, and the Pokemon theme song, both of which had drawn a sizeable crowd of passers-by to the piano area. Despite ruining the last note in Let It Go, I was pretty happy with how I played, and was beaming from ear to ear as I left, happy that I had at least brought a smile to some people that day. Unfortunately Mat never took a picture or video for me, so I have no proof. I went back to get a picture of the piano there, and someone was playing the most amazing classical tunes on there...but no one was applauding! Poor guy.
I met up with Chris and Sharon, and they took me for dinner at Ms G's in King's Cross, and a quick tipple at the Glenmore Hotel's rooftop bar before heading home. As I was settling down to bed for the night, Geonet started buzzing frantically, with a 7.5 earthquake hitting the South Island near Kaikoura. Facebook started filling up with worried posts from my Wellington friends, all exclaiming how intense the shaking was. Hundreds of aftershocks followed in varying magnitudes, dozens over 5 and 6. I'm lucky to have missed it - I would have been hysterical. There were tsunami warnings and damage to some of the buildings in CBD, but my friends seem to have escaped injury, and for that I'm thankful.
I arrived back in Wellington today, and was relieved to see my apartment had escaped damage too, save for a few bottles and trinkets that had fallen over. I'm still experiencing aftershocks and am unsure how the night will fare, especially as strong wind and rain buffets the city. Of course, the inclement weather has also meant we missed out on seeing the greatest supermoon in almost 70 odd years. Classic Wellington.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:18am on Monday November 14, 2016 :: 0 comments :: 
World Famous in New Zealand
Monday September 19, 2016
A lot of things have been happening in the last couple of months. It's been hectic, chaotic, exhilarating and draining all at once. I'm finally able to sit down and write in my blog because... well, I don't need to go out and catch Pokemon anymore - I've caught them all!
As a fan of the games, it's been interesting to see how Pokemon Go has represented the franchise, and especially its ubiquitous motto - Gotta Catch 'em All. Though the game lacks polish and usability in many places, what they have managed to do very well is - and excuse the pun - capture the core of the Pokemon games: collection. From a developer's perspective, it's been interesting looking at how particular features were implemented and how I could use that to my advantage - density and distribution, spawn points and timers, known locations and nests of particular Pokemon, and so on.
My last Pokemon was a Lapras, which I caught down by Oriental Parade at 7.59pm on Sunday 11 September 2016. It was pretty surreal, I was incredibly excited and sat in my car screaming for five minutes. The NZ Herald got wind of my story and published an article about my achievement, but incorrectly assumed that I was the first in the country to do so. Nevertheless, there were a few other media appearances - I was interviewed on Flava the radio station, and Jeremy Corbett briefly mentioned me during TV3's 7 Days show. It's been funny because I've never had this much attention in my life, and though I'm not a household name nor have I been stopped on the street, friends of friends have noticed my achievements and those friends have then told me about it, and that's awesome.
I think my friends would agree that it's no surprise that I would get this far. Pokemon has been a major part of my life, especially with the management of Psypoke, and it's no secret that all through high school, University and now at work, it's one of my favourite video game franchises. At the same time, I've still held my job, socialised with people, been to the gym (the actual lifting weights gym) and played badminton all in my regular routine, I've just squeezed a bit more Pokemon in every day so I can catch them all.
What now, then? There's four region exclusive Pokemon to catch - Kangaskhan in Australia, Farfetch'd in Asia, Mr. Mime in Europe and Tauros in North America. Generation two must surely be on the cards soon as well. I can prepare for that in advance by making sure the new evolutions are ready to go once the update drops. There's the buddy system too and I can continue levelling everything up. The opportunity to travel is exciting and a good excuse to get out of the country.
In other news, Wellington on a Plate was a blast, as usual. That will be a completely different write-up on my food blog - so much to talk about. On the whole, I thought the burgers last year were of a higher standard, but many this year were still very enjoyable. Mid-autumn festival was last Thursday and on Saturday I cooked a vegan dinner in celebration, and on Sunday I cooked a non-vegan dinner in celebration. Both turned out very well and people were well fed.
In short: there were a few very strong earthquakes centered east of New Zealand that were widely felt in Wellington on September 2; I went with Mana, Mike and Tim to Red Rocks to see the seals; I saw FFXV Kingsglaive and thought it was okay; work has been tough and I've had to put in a few more hours to get things done but the end is in sight.
We're only three months away from Christmas. The year has gone by so quickly >_<
Posted by Jeremy at 10:28am on Monday September 19, 2016 :: 0 comments ::
May
Monday May 11, 2015
May has been pretty damn busy for me, and it's only going to get busier. There were heaps of social things to keep me occupied, but more than anything, the big house move is on Saturday and that's been the cause of most of my stress.
We started off the month with Laser Strike at the complex on Tory St for Dianne's birthday, after some sushi train and a sneaky cocktail from CGR Merchant and Co. On Saturday, I saw the final night of Definitely Not The Babysitter's Club, an improv show presented by the cast of Definitely Not Witches. Today's topic was a rival babysitter's club, so cue awesomeness and chaos as each of the six actors on stage juggled three or four characters each. It was amazing. We chilled at BATS for a bit and then helped Joe pack down the stage before retiring to his house for a few drinks.
Then, on Sunday, we said our farewells to Josh and Christine at the Southern Cross, while following the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight on a live blog. Finally, early on Monday morning, Vincent flew in from Nepal via Australia, safe and sound after the devastating 7.8 earthquake that had hit the region. I caught up with Ben at Fork and Brewer on Tuesday. He'd been in town over the weekend, filming for the 48 Hour film festival. It was good to chit chat and see that him and Jill had settled in Melbourne alright, and said that I would someday be back for more food. And of course, one of those chicken parmas he keeps going on about.
We had some torrential rain hit the city on Thursday. The full force of northerly winds blew all the rain straight into my face, soaking the entire front portion of my jeans. I found out that several others had arrived quite soggy and miserable. I managed to secure a fan heater for myself to start drying all my wet clothes, but unfortunately it overloaded the circuit and shut down a few computers on my side of the office.
We celebrated Vincent's birthday at the Boat Cafe on Oriental Parade. One of his friends is part of the waiting staff there, and was telling me about their entry for the burger competition for Wellington on a Plate 2015 - a mussel and kumara burger - that was currently available for patrons to try. So, unable to resist the chance to start the WOAP journey early, I agreed to give it a go and provide feedback. The burger had good texture, perhaps a bit too much bun on the bottom, but a lovely crunch from the pickles, green salad and lightly toasted bread. The patty was interesting and I do like that they chose some adventurous ingredients, but I couldn't taste the kumara at all, and wouldn't have been able to tell there was any if I hadn't been told. Several others on the table agreed, and I suggested that maybe they could enhance the flavour with more kumara, maybe making it a bit more chunky, or adding something with a bit of kick like a chilli salsa. We shall see what the Boat Cafe offers in August!
On Saturday after badminton (and a nap), I joined Sam and Sarah (and 2000 others) at the War Memorial to see if we could spot Prince Harry doing his rounds around Wellington. Sure enough, at 4.30pm, he arrived at Pukeahu and went inside the memorial for a bit, before walking around greeting the crowd and shaking hands. A very personable, down to earth guy, I must admit! I got some good, close pictures of him and tried to get him to fistbump me, but alas it just wasn't my day. Sam and Sarah were much more successful and managed to grab a handshake! I was so tired after gym that day that I gatecrashed the kids' apartment and chilled for a bit before heading out to Grill Meats Beer with Will and Phil. We texted Mana and Mike as well, but they were pretty cosy at home, so we headed there after dinner for a while. They got Josh and Christine's couches, so it's finally feeling a bit more homely in their flat.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:24am on Monday May 11, 2015 :: 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 ::
When Will It Stop?
Tuesday February 22, 2011
It just doesn't end, does it? Christchurch was hit by a 6.3 earthquake just before 1pm today. The city, still reeling from a 7.1 quake only in September of last year, could not withstand another as buildings came crashing down. This earthquake was centered a mere 10km from the city center, and worse at a depth of only 5km, making devastation much worse.
It's horrible to sit here and watch the news with reports of injury and death; as it stands the death toll is currently 65 but is slated to dramatically increase as people are pulled from rubble and debris. I can only hope and pray for the safety of Christchurch and its people as they come to terms with their losses.
The country mourns with you and we are thinking of you all in this terrible time.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:09am on Tuesday February 22, 2011 :: 0 comments ::