Busy May Leading to a Busy June
Saturday June 7, 2014
The weekends have been socially busy while the weekdays have been focused on finishing the v1.3 International Cup update for Flick Kick Football Legends, on both iOS and Android. There's an sense of doom and gloom around work at the moment, with a few people losing hope or feeling discontent about the current state of affairs. It's tough and it certainly carries an air of unease.
A few Saturdays ago, I juggled brunch at Prefab and Charles and Megan's engagement party with Wei's Star Wars marathon birthday party, then music at Central Baptist and the latest XMen movie - XMen: Days of Future Past - on the Sunday. We went to Veni Vidi Vici for Charlie's birthday on the Monday and then we celebrated PikPok's 17th Birthday at the San Francisco Bath House on the Thursday with a quiz night and much alcohol (I think my final count was a martini, three tequila and lemonades, two tequila shots and a pickleback)
Last weekend was Queen's Birthday weekend and we started off festivities with a delightful bistro dinner at Logan Brown, courtesy of some GrabOne vouchers, followed by some after-dinner drinks at Matterhorn. Having opted for the half wine match, I was in no state to continue drinking of any sort of alcohol at Matterhorn, but the dinner itself was fantastic and nothing short of the quality that Logan Brown always delivers.
On Sunday, I was at Cami's house for board games and party games (and waffles!), including some great games of Giant Jenga, Dominion and Werewolf/Mafia. Monday was pretty relaxed, but we went for dinner at Noah's Ark before watching Maleficent (it was meh.)
Wellington on a Plate's menu and event list for 2014 has been released so you can be sure there will be some epic posts around August. Yummo!
Posted by Jeremy at 3:24am on Saturday June 7, 2014 :: 0 comments :: 
Busy Month
Monday March 17, 2014
The month has been busy so far, with several social occasions peppering my week and plenty at work to keep me occupied. We had a sumptuous feast at Tiger, all you can eat ribs at Gasworks and a small but delightful dinner at my previous project manager's house. There's been nightmarketing and bubble tea and just general indulgence with food.
I went to the Power Plant display at the Botanic Gardens last Saturday, as part of the New Zealand Festival. It was a show of light and sound within the flora of the gardens. Ex-tropical cyclone Lusi was bearing down on the city and it caused a few showers during the night, but this only added to the mystery and eeriness.
On Sunday, the whole church was away at the annual church camp, so I took the opportunity to hold my own service - just jamming around on the piano with Wei and Andrew with no interruptions. Possibly the best church service I've been to! I've finally gotten my playing of "Let it Go" from Disney's Frozen to an acceptable level, and posted a video of me playing it on Facebook. Lots of great feedback and comments, thanks to all who listened! Still looking to finesse various parts of the piece to add volume and depth to the emotion and richness of the song. So good.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:58am on Monday March 17, 2014 :: 0 comments ::
2014
Saturday January 4, 2014
Home (in Wellington) at last. The weather sucks.
Firstly, Happy New Year! I drove up with three friends on New Year's Eve to Northland, stopping by Wellsford, Ruakaka and Whangerei before settling in Kerikeri at a motel. Before midnight, we drove to Paihia to join all the partygoers for the amazing fireworks display over Russell. Great atmosphere and awesome way to welcome in 2014! The next day, we hit Mangonui for the Fish and Chips, Te Puki for the giant sand dunes and Cape Reinga for the stunning views before driving back to Kaitaia for the night. The final day we drove to Kai Iwi Lakes for a swim in the warm relaxing water, before returning to Auckland via SH16 as SH1 was totally blocked from Wellsford to Warkworth.
I've also been strawberry picking, saw Anchorman 2, held my new nephew, went to Eight at the Langham and got some milk tea. Holiday has been great and it's almost time to go back to work. Whee >_>
Posted by Jeremy at 9:11am on Saturday January 4, 2014 :: 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 ::
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 ::
Twenty Five Inches of Liquid Crystal Goodness
Wednesday January 13, 2010
I am the proud owner of one of these delicious babies, which I bought at a BARGAIN (under $450 NZD), AND it kills two birds with one stone (I needed new speakers...). So the hard part is finding out how to take one of these back to New Zealand...
Summary of the past few days: went for tom yum, met up with Sunni, ate some good old Malaysian kueh, walked pasar malam, had roadside durian, tried cold longan tau foo fah, had mango milk tea, played badminton and bought dinner for my extended family.
I have to go home soon! T_T
Posted by Jeremy at 2:34pm on Wednesday January 13, 2010 :: 0 comments ::
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Thursday October 23, 2008
IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED
Posted by Jeremy at 6:03am on Thursday October 23, 2008 :: 3 comments ::
Armageddon
Tuesday April 22, 2008
Last weekend was the Armageddon Pulp Expo at Wellington's TSB Bank Arena. While I'm not a big fan of comics, sci-fi, anime and wrestling, Armageddon still has a decent gaming presence and I was there to catch Super Smash Bros Brawl and, of course, the best racing game ever, Speed Racer.
Bumped into Peter today. He just arrived to start work on Tuesday. He's probably reading this. I met John for Burgerfuel and the three of us went to HK BBQ for milk tea.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:54am on Tuesday April 22, 2008 :: 0 comments ::
Misconduct
Wednesday April 16, 2008
I slept at work today :O Legitimately, you could say. Basically, we're shifting the place around so that people in project teams are closer to each other, and it's easier to communicate or whatever. Anyway, shifting means unplugging computer; unplugging computer means I can't do work; if I have no work to do... I sleep :O
After work, I met up with the others at Char Bar for the pub quiz. We didn't do too badly this time round: our name was In Soviet Russia, Quiz Answers You!. And we weren't DFL either, so that was great.
We decided to end the night by having rock melon milk tea with pearls at HK BBQ.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:56am on Wednesday April 16, 2008 :: 2 comments ::
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
Friday April 11, 2008
IT REOPENED HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
So yeah, I was a bit late home last night because I went out with Jono, Sunita, Jane and Paul. We went to Calzone, this cafe on the corner of Courtenay Street and Cambridge Terrace and just hung out. I had a honey-roasted chicken fettucine. Then we migrated to HK BBQ across the road for some taro milk tea:
By the time I got home, it was midnight and I called my parents (timezones, you know) and spoke to them for an hour or so. I swear, everytime I call them, there is ALWAYS a mention of "this absolutely delicious thing we had the other day. It was so good. If only you were here." -.-
Posted by Jeremy at 9:41pm on Friday April 11, 2008 :: 1 comment ::
Meat
Sunday February 17, 2008
Yesterday we had a flat barbeque. I suppose it's kind of a flat warming, since it's the first big party since the four of us moved in together. Despite the cold weather, the food and alcohol proved a big hit, and people were having a good time. So good in fact, that they started cranking out the Ceroc moves on the lounge floor. Yes. Quite.
At 10pm, we whizzed off to Te Papa to see the fireworks, as part of their 10th anniversary. Check the Gallery for the pictures I took.
Today I went back to the Streets for the morning service, with Andrew and Bjorn. I have to say, the morning service was a lot more welcoming and familiar than the night service, even if I didn't know any of the songs. It's a similar structure to KCC and we also had communion, which was good. Yeah, much better atmosphere in the morning...but it's still a little big and intimidating, haha.
After that, we met up with some others and had a barbeque/roast meat lunch. Roast duck, roast pork, barbeque pork and spicy chicken wings! :3
I also took the opportunity to try a honey milk tea, which was very average. Although it was better than the one from Cha (See my post a few days ago), it still doesn't compare to Momo's. Sigh.
Finally, I forgot to post this a few days ago, but here is the Wat Tan Hor I had from K.K. Malaysian Restaurant.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:10am on Sunday February 17, 2008 :: 1 comment ::
Fail Milk Tea
Monday February 11, 2008
So yeah, I went to find this pearl milk tea place and I ordered a small papaya milk tea to go. Small, so that I wouldn't have to drink so much if it was crap.
Sure enough, it was crap.
Maybe their shaved ice will be better. They have Champagne and Grape :3
Posted by Jeremy at 5:35am on Monday February 11, 2008 :: 0 comments ::
Yum Char
Sunday February 10, 2008
Laura and I went for yum char today at this place on Courtenay Place, in Wellington. It was called Majestic Cuisine. Seems to be very popular with the locals - the restaurant was really busy and almost all the seats were filled.
Anyway, it felt so good having things that I had taken for granted in Auckland. One, chopsticks. My flat doesn't have chopsticks and I really miss the use of them, especially for cooking (like grabbing stuff out of the oven) and eating (instant noodles, not that I have had lots of those). Two, Chinese tea. Chinese tea is awesome, especially on cold days. I have it practically every day at home, but it just felt so good being able to drink Chinese tea.
I said I'd take some pictures for Casey, so here they are.
Cheong Fun, Tofu Fa, Chicken Feet
Durian Tarts!! OMG!!
Apart from the things listed above, we also had Siew Mai and fried taro pork dumplings. All in all, it was a really nice yum char.
Laura also showed me a place where I could get milk tea, but she didn't recommend it and said it wasn't as good as Momo's. OH WELL. I'll still try it out and get back to you later on this :O
Posted by Jeremy at 10:49am on Sunday February 10, 2008 :: 0 comments ::