Winter is Here
Monday November 12, 2018
I've finally got some downtime to do some blogging - I'm sick, presumably from the plague going around the office, and as the temperatures dip below zero this week, I'm expecting sickness to be a lot more common. Winter is definitely here, and although we've had a few flurries of snow, it hasn't quite stuck on the ground. Yet. That will happen very soon.
Three months have gone by since I last blogged. I've done so much... four of us went to Vancouver for a week in August, visiting Stanley Park, doing the Grouse Grind (My time was 1hr 20mins), rocking the suspension bridge at Lynn Valley, checking out Gastown, Chinatown, Granville Island and Kitsilano Beach, as well as the delightful neighbourhood at Hastings and Main. We took a day trip to Whistler and went up the mountain, which had stunning panoramic views, even in summer. We spent a day over in Victoria on Vancouver Island, where we visited the best botanic gardens I've ever seen, the Butchart Gardens, as well as the Craigdarroch Castle. There was a piano at the castle on the top floor, and a group from Hong Kong were fooling around on it... they were trying to play a song called Tong Hua, which happens to be the only Mandarin song I know how to sing, and coincidentally play on the piano. After they vacated the piano, I played the full song, to the amazement of the group, and everyone started to sing along - it was awesome. I managed to catch up with Caleb, Mary, Campbell and Linda, the four New Zealanders who migrated there last year, and it was great seeing what they thought of Canada and their experiences settling in to a new country.
There was the disappointing Toronto Burger Festival out in Vaughan, which was a sad attempt at filling the void that Wellington on a Plate left in my stomach. I had to wash it down with the Filipino Food Festival, where I tried balut for the first time... except, I don't think it was really balut, it just looked like a boiled egg without the duck foetus.
We went camping at the Elora Gorge near Guelph, which is famous for the tubing down the river, and I went for the Dovercourt Baptist Church retreat out in Muskoka, with its picturesque lakeside views. I went hiking around some magnificent parks in Ontario, like the Rockwood Conservation Area, the Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall in Hamilton (except there was no water because it hadn't rained in a while), and Dorset Tower and Algonquin Park with its brilliant fall colours.
I had few visitors; I caught up with Graeme, who was randomly in Toronto, Linh, who I hadn't seen since University, and Delwyn and Graham from my church in Wellington. Matt also visited me on Thanksgiving weekend from Cleveland, OH, which is a short five hour drive from here. We went to Allan Gardens, Scarborough Bluffs and Evergreen Brickworks, we went to a blind dining restaurant near the Village and we went for chimney cake twice.
Last week, we went to Tew's Waterfall, Dundas Peak and Webster's Waterfall in the Spencer Gorge Conservation Area, near Hamilton. It was quite the hike, what I thought was the route to the Webster's Waterfall parking lot was actually just a dead-end, but a magnificent view of the falls up close. Dundas Peak was pretty fantastic though, there's a couple of rocks jutting out over the cliff, making for some epic pictures overlooking the blanket of yellow trees in the gorge. We continued on to Niagara for a buffet dinner at the Fallsview Hotel Casino, where I ate too much, and then down to the Niagara Parkway to watch the fireworks over the falls. We walked to Dufferin Islands to see the light displays, then called it a night. The next day, we went wine tasting at the Konzelmann Estate Winery, where we had a four wine pairing with junk food! We also got to learn about the wine making process and the advantage the winery has from being by the lake, as well as how ice wine is made and why it's so expensive. We spent the afternoon walking around Niagara on the Lake before heading back to Toronto.
There's still lots of things to do around the city, but it's definitely time to bring out my winter jackets, gloves and thermals. I'm looking forward to going home to New Zealand for two weeks (where it's SUMMER) and seeing friends and family after a long absence from the country.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:04pm on Monday November 12, 2018 :: 0 comments :: 
A Year On
Thursday January 25, 2018
It's been just over a year since I left New Zealand on my amazing OE. I don't think about it as much these days, nor do I dwell on what my life was like when I was in Wellington. I guess travelling for a solid six months helped me forget about routine and responsibility, which I'm super grateful for actually.
I was in New York last week for the Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Distant Worlds concert. Still as magical as the one I saw in Montreal 2017, but more special because Nobuo Uematsu himself, the man behind all those amazing songs, was in attendance. The crowd went wild when he appeared on stage, everyone knew how big an impact he has made to the franchise, the industry and our lives. The set list was:
- Prelude
- Clash on the Big Bridge (FFV)
- Victory Theme
- Cosmo Canyon (FFVII)
- Not Alone (FFIX)
- The Oath (FFVIII)
- Flash of Steel (FFXII)
- Searching for Friends (FFVI)
- Fang's Theme (FFXIII)
- Theme of Love (FFIV)
- Apocalypsis Noctis (FFXV)
- Liberi Fatali (FFVIII)
- Opening Theme ~ Bombing Mission (FFVII)
- Somnus (FFXV)
- Heavensward (FFXIV)
- Chocobo Medley
- Hymn of the Fayth (FFX)
- To Zanarkand (FFX)
- Maria and Draco (FFVI)
- Credits
- Aeris's Theme (FFVII)
- One Winged Angel (FFVII)
The FFVI opera was epic, complete with narration of the story. The build up to that final note with all three singers resonating throughout the entire hall - absolutely fantastic. Nobuo himself joined the choir for One Winged Angel, as did the audience for the SEPHIROTH!. After the concert, I got to meet the man himself, as well as Arnie Roth, the conductor. I was so nervous. I saw there was a piano in the room and I would have loved to perform Zanarkand for the man responsible for inspiring so much of my piano playing, but I would have been mortified if I had ruined the song in front of the person who wrote it. Instead, I told him about what a beautiful piece it was, and how I learned to play it before playing Final Fantasy X. I thanked him and shook hands with him, and I will forever remember that moment I got to meet the world famous Nobuo Uematsu, composer of so many Final Fantasy songs.
Apart from the concert, I wandered around the city, admiring its busyness and charm. It's been five years since I was last in the Big Apple, and apart from all the regular touristy stuff - the Rockefeller Centre and the Nintendo store, Times Square, Central Park - I also visited the World Trade Centre Observatory, which wasn't finished in 2012, as well as the Highline. I sampled some amazing New York style cheesecake from Juniors, and some delicious pastries from Lady M at Bryant Park. I got to experience Pokemon Go in New York as well! I was actually staying in New Jersey, with an old friend from New Zealand, and to be honest, the one thing you won't get in New York is a magnificent view of Manhattan's skyline - there's a park on the east side of NJ with a beautiful view of the towers and lights of Manhattan.
Returning to Toronto was tiring, as we were delayed boarding by an hour, then sat on the tarmac for another hour as we waited for Pearson Airport to give us clearance to land. Snow had thrown the flight schedules into chaos, and it was around 11.30pm when we finally arrived back in Canada.
Posted by Jeremy at 3:52am on Thursday January 25, 2018 :: 0 comments ::
Four Months
Tuesday November 21, 2017
Oh, hi.
I've been here for almost four months now, getting back into routine and doing all those regular mundane things that I never really had the inspiration to write about. I'm pretty much settled in, I've recovered from an injury I sustained while playing badminton, and I've started going back to the gym. The gym in my condo is basic, but as I'm still trying to regain all the strength I've lost in the past ten months, it's good enough. Badminton is now a regular thing too! Also, I've found a church to go to, and I've already started playing piano for Sunday services.
Work is going well. We hit a milestone last week, so there was a mad rush to get a bunch of things in to the build before it was sent off to Paris for review. I'm becoming more familiar with things and I'm gaining confidence as I traverse the codebase. It's still massive, and I'll probably never fully understand its structure, but at least I'm making progress.
Winter is rolling in. It's getting colder and it even snowed last week, which was great for about five minutes, and then my face started hurting. I know, layers, etc. I'll be fine. My walk to work is only five minutes. Hopefully it doesn't get cold enough that I'll develop frostbite in the time it takes me to get from my condo to the office.
I do think about home a lot and the life I had in Wellington. I really miss Little Penang. It's sometimes lonely here, and when I'm by myself, I think a lot. It fluctuates between self-doubt and disbelief - it still amazes me that I actually migrated halfway around the world to a foreign country to live and work. I wonder how people back home are doing, and I wonder about my other friends who left New Zealand and how they're coping. I honestly thought I'd be doing better than this, but some of it is impatience too - I want things to be "the way they were", and I often forget it took me nine years to build up that lifestyle in Wellington, yet I've only been here for four months. I've always been - and probably always will be - an introvert. I find it hard to talk to people I don't know, or socialise at parties or bars or clubs. I find it hard to meet new people and strike up a random conversation without any context.
I guess it's a good time to learn, huh?
Posted by Jeremy at 5:39am on Tuesday November 21, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Amsterdam
Thursday June 8, 2017
Hoo boy.
I was so enthralled with Amsterdam when I first arrived. The canals and bridges are very Venetian and extremely picturesque; of course, Venice's bridges outnumber Amsterdam's 2 to 1, but that whole aesthetic made me so happy. I arrived in the evening on Sunday and naturally, went to the red light district for a quick look. I knew it was a public holiday the next day, so it was going to be super busy and sure enough, there were hundreds of people walking around, having a peek at the windows of various shops. Yep. Exactly what I imagined Amsterdam to be like.
On my first full day, I got to see some classic Dutch windmills, and I visited a clog factory and a cheese factory too. In the afternoon, I wandered around Amsterdam Centraal and the adjoining area - I even found a piano at the train station, and got some applause for playing Let it Go (it made me feel like a boss!) I spent the rest of the afternoon lazing about in the sun on the rooftop terrace of NEMO, the science museum. What a beautiful sunny day it was.
The next day, the rain and cold came. I went to the Van Gogh Museum and wandered around for a good three hours before meeting Lizzie very briefly at the I Amsterdam sign. I was super tired, so went back to my hostel for a nap. I decided to go for dinner since I didn't hear back from Lizzie; after dinner, I began to feel unwell, and sure enough, food poisoning had struck again.
So yeah, my time in Amsterdam has been half great and half awful. I'm very well acquainted with the bathroom at my hostel, and even at my average 5'11 height, my knees were touching the door of the toilet. I barely left my room and slept most of the day, but I did feel better in the afternoon, and went out to get some coconut water and some fruit. I finished all the food poisoning medication I brought along, and the side effect of that is a black tongue.
I felt like I could eat proper food this morning, so after checking out of my hostel, I went to the Pancake Bakery and ordered a massive Dutch pancake, strewn with stroopwaffels and covered in cream and cinnamon ice cream. It was a terrible choice but I didn't care. I actually made it through 3/4 of it before giving up - the waitress congratulated me on my effort, but deep down inside I was really sad I couldn't finish it. Afterwards, I settled into this little cafe for some mint tea to help soothe the stomach. I still had loads of time to kill before I had to be at the airport, so I wandered slowly around the city. I stopped by the piano at Amsterdam Centraal again and had a little play; I got some fries and truffle mayonnaise, which I couldn't finish; I sat in the square outside the Royal Palace and people watched.
I guess I'll have to come back. I didn't even get to try space cake. Or weed brownies. Or magic mushrooms. I mean, not that I was going to anyway. Nevermind.
It would be nice to come back during tulip season though.
Posted by Jeremy at 3:09pm on Thursday June 8, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Lyon
Monday May 15, 2017
Phew!
The French leg of my journey is almost over. I'm currently in Lyon, another beautiful city built at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone Rivers. Yesterday, I took the bus from Vallon Pont d'Arc to Valence and had a 15 minute layover before the train to Lyon. Though I needed to go to the toilet, the temptation to play on my final Piano en Gare was too great, and as it was a Sunday, there were quite a few families around who enjoyed my rendition of Let it Go.
I had ambitions to do some exploring after dinner in Lyon but it began to rain heavily, producing a whoa omg double rainbow in the sky. I left my explorations for today; I walked all the way to the confluence point of the two rivers, then took the metro into the town centre and walked around there. I can't help but think I should have stayed here a bit longer to enjoy all the Lyonnaise bouchons, traditional restaurants that serve typical Lyon foods like sausages, pâté and roast pork. I may have to come back in the future.
The last two weeks have been heaps of fun though. I thoroughly enjoyed the sights around the whole country, my favourites being Mont St Michel, the Machines on the Isle of Nantes, and the Ardeche River kayaking adventure. The food has been very enjoyable too, I didn't have a single bad meal. My rudimentary French has definitely helped, and I found people very polite. I couldn't hold a full conversation with anyone, but I managed to order food, ask for directions and get information. My ability to read is much better than my ability to speak, so I understood menus and signboards quite well.
I loved all the pianos in the train stations...wait a second. I can hear one playing now. I have to find it. This will be my actually final Piano en Gare. The guy playing is amazing but he keeps stopping midway through songs and playing something else. He better finish soon so I can have a turn.
Okay I cut it real close but I got two songs in - Let it Go and the Pokemon Theme song. A couple of keys were bung and I had to rush because my bus was leaving soon, but I made it. I didn't get a chance to get a photo of the piano though, this one will just remain a written memory.
Au revoir France, et merci beaucoup!
Posted by Jeremy at 2:40pm on Monday May 15, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Avignon
Friday May 12, 2017
Avignon is a quiet little city whose main centre is completely enclosed in medieval ramparts which remain standing today. The main feature in its skyline is the massive Palais des Papes, the Palace of the Popes, which housed six Roman Catholic popes for some time in the 14th century.
It has been quite wet during my time here, but I have enjoyed immensely. The streets are in various state of maintenance but that didn't stop me wandering all over town. There's the Pont d'Avignon, which stretches halfway over the Rhone River; Rue des Teinturiers, which has a little stream running along side it, and water wheels all along; and Rocher des Doms, a garden overlooking the Rhone and countryside beyond Avignon. I spent a few hours with an audio guide wandering around the Papal Palace too, because that seemed like the biggest attraction in town.
I was also incredibly amused to find a restaurant called Fou de Fafa, which I confirmed with the owner was named after the Flight of the Conchords song. I mentioned that I was from New Zealand and said that I would try to spread the word about the restaurant to see if it could get to Bret and Jermaine, just because everyone in New Zealand is separated by two degrees.
The weather is forecast to be stormy for the next few days as well, which is incredibly sad because I'm off to Vallon Pont d'Arc to do some kayaking. I found my Piano en Gare but it was in terrible condition and the pedal didn't work, so To Zanarkand sounded terrible on it. I didn't even bother playing Let it Go!
Posted by Jeremy at 9:21am on Friday May 12, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Toulouse
Wednesday May 10, 2017
Toulouse is France's fourth largest city, and sits on the Garonne River, which also runs through Bordeaux. The Canal du Midi runs through the city, linking the Garonne to the Mediterranean Sea. Though it's called the pink city from all its terracotta brick buildings, I found it quite green, with trees and gardens everywhere I went.
I dropped my bag off at the hotel yesterday and successfully claimed my replacement Visa card. I walked down the Canal du Midi until the Japanese Gardens and hung around there for a while, enjoying the magnificent sun and warmth. From there, I cut back through the city centre to check in at my hotel, then explored the other side of town, by the Jardin des Plantes.
It was then that I realised that the drawback of enjoying two summers is that I also enjoy hay fever twice.
I wandered in another direction this morning, towards to the northeast but found nothing of interest except a large cemetery and the observatory. I was at the train station and found the Piano en Gare, and played To Zanarkand when a man came up and said to me "Final Fantasy is the best music!" It made my day.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:47pm on Wednesday May 10, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Bordeaux
Tuesday May 9, 2017
I've been in Bordeaux, city of wine and delicious things like oysters and steak. By the time I arrived, it was late afternoon and I needed to do laundry, so that was pretty much all of Sunday night.
The city was quiet yesterday because it was a public holiday. I was up relatively early and got to the Mirror of Water by the riverside. It is the largest reflecting pool in the world and goes through three phases: the water fills up slowly and ripples across the surface, then the flow stops and the reflections shimmer into focus, finally a fine mist is sprayed over the pool. I got there so early that the water hadn't even filled up yet, it was completely dry. Thankfully it didn't take long for the pool to activate.
I continued down the river, walking through the flea market and around the public gardens. I had a winery tour to catch in the afternoon, so I had a quick lunch and then met the tour group outside the tourism centre. We visited two wineries, Chateau Marquis de Vauban and Chateau Cayac, sampling some of Bordeaux's finest red wines. The countryside is full of vineyards stretching for miles, it's no wonder that wine is such an important part of the Bordelaise lifestyle.
I went for dinner with two people I met on the tour. I was dying for a piece of steak so we settled on a small restaurant near the tourism office. Afterwards, I braved the cold and waited for the lights on the riverside to switch on to get some stunning photos with the Mirror of Water.
I'm now on the train to Toulouse. I found my Piano en Gare and got a little tinker of that, and some elderly man complimented me on my playing, but I didn't really understand him because it was all in French. Oh well! Glad to bring a bit of joy to someone, in any case.
It hasn't been completely smooth sailing these past few days. I discovered some unknown charges from Uber on my credit card in Australian dollars. I spent a while trying to contact my bank in New Zealand to get it cancelled, as well as Visa International to get an emergency replacement card. I also heard from Uber, who confirmed that my credit card was listed in two different accounts. Though the cards weren't too much, I still had to go through all this hassle for safety, and being on the other side of the world hasn't made it easy. Thankfully both ASB and Visa were incredibly helpful, and my replacement card should hopefully be waiting for me at my next hotel.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:51am on Tuesday May 9, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Nantes
Sunday May 7, 2017
Nantes is a cute little town in the west side of France. It's got a very relaxed vibe, and a great cafe culture. As I often do, I wander around with Pokemon Go active and the Pokestops point me to things I wouldn't normally see; in Nantes, many of the Pokestops are video game street mosaics like Mario, Luigi, Kirby, Pacman and Space Invaders. I love it.
The most famous attraction in Nantes is the Isle of Machines. What started as an ambitious project of art and culture is now a hub of mechanical marvels exploring movement and wonder. I think it's fitting, given Nantes is where Jules Verne was born in 1828. There are three aspects to the Isle of Machines; the marine merry-go-round, full of boats and sea creatures with movable parts on a carousel, the giant elephant, capable of transporting a few dozen people and shooting water from its trunk, and finally the gallery, where exhibits are showcased before being added to the current project.
These aren't sculptures or models; they are machines that move and come to life. Inside the gallery, we were treated to movement demonstrations of the spider, caterpillar and heron, each capable of carrying people. They are destined for the Heron Tree, a project set to finish in 2021. The Heron Tree is a massive structure with branches spanning up to 20m from the central trunk and 35m into the sky. There is a prototype branch sitting above the cafe at the entrance, filled with plants and reinforced with steel - the perfect intersection of man-made and nature.
I only stayed in Nantes for a night; there wasn't much of interest to me apart from the Isle of Machines. I managed to finally find a piano not being hogged by anyone at the Gare de Nantes, and my little spiel earned me a bit of applause and a few "merci", so I'm happy!
Posted by Jeremy at 10:23am on Sunday May 7, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
The Next Adventure
Sunday April 30, 2017
It sits inconspicuously in many places. Wellington brings one out on a good day in Frank Kitts Park. There's one in the Melbourne Airport departure lounge. There's another in the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney. I saw them in three different train stations in Italy. Whenever I see one, it brings such a big smile to my face. I am of course talking about the humble public piano, its ebony and ivory melodies filling the atmosphere with glorious music. I make it a mission to play as many public pianos as I can, but am often constrained by time.
I rarely voice strong opinions on the Internet. But today has pushed me to the edge. It is the second time it has happened to me. I was in St Pancras International train station in London, waiting for my train to Gatwick Airport, when I chanced upon a public piano. I played Let it Go with gusto, attracting a few people who had pulled out their phones and others with kids who danced gleefully at the famous tune. With a smile on my face, I left to grab some food and head to the train.
As I walked to the platform, I found another piano. It blew my mind. I had to play this one too. But someone else was on there. And she remained on there, hammering the same two songs. She played a little while, then stumbled and mashed the keys in frustration. She repeated this for 20 minutes. It was painful to watch and hear. I get that we all have different levels of talent, and that it's difficult playing in public. But this is a piano available to all people and you shouldn't be monopolising this for more than 10 minutes; others have a right (and a want!) to play and if you're just repeating the same thing over and over again, then you should probably invest in your own piano to practice in your own time.
There. I said it.
I'm off on my next big adventure today, heading away for a total of 40 days, covering six countries in West Europe and even Africa! It's going to be wild and crazy but I'm going to love it.
Edit: I have arrived. The train station at the airport has a piano but someone has parked themselves on the seat with a massive book of sheet music. Screw you, selfish wench. Nobody got time to wait for that.
Posted by Jeremy at 11:47am on Sunday April 30, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Venice
Friday March 31, 2017
I can see why Venice can be quite a put off for some people. The confusing maze of streets, the stench of the water, the blistering heat, the overpriced...well, everything, the thousands of people cramming all the alleyways - except, for me, I'm here at just the right time when tourist season is no where near in full force and the weather is absolutely beautiful.
I arrived by train to St Lucia station and was stunned at how pretty Venice is. I love the cute little canals and bridges over them. I love the architecture of the dozens of churches and monuments. The water is especially beautiful in the sun and it is so pleasant to walk around. After checking into my hostel, I walked down to Zattere on the south side and caught the magnificent sunset.
The next day, I visited all the major sights around the city: Rialto Market, St Mark's Square, St Mark's Basilica and the accompanying bell tower (pro tip: try not to be in the tower at noon because it gets very loud), Doge's Palace and St Mary's Basilica. Venice is quite small so it's easy to walk around, but I would have probably died without Google Maps to point me in the right direction. I went back to the hostel for a nap then decided to head out again. I took a water bus to the gardens at the far end of town and walked back towards Compo Santa Margherita for dinner.
Dinner was fantastic. I was served a free glass of prosecco to start with and a free shot of limoncello to finish, and honestly that made me so happy.
Today I'm just killing time before my train to Bologna. I walked around Piazzale Roma for a bit but there wasn't too much there, and I explored the train station too. As I was walking around, I heard the unmistakable sound of a live piano and I got so excited when I saw it was open to the public for playing. Of course I played Let it Go, like a boss, and then To Zanarkand, which got me a little clap from someone passing by, but I was mostly just glad that I still had that in me after not playing for two months.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:50am on Friday March 31, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Seven Days Remaining: The Final Countdown
Sunday January 15, 2017
I had my farewell party at Southern Cross last Friday, and then a mega Final Karaoke at K Zone afterwards. So many people turned up, it was quite overwhelming! It was great to see everyone, especially those who I hadn't seen in a while. After karaoke, a small group of us went to Sassy Loves Cash for a bit, and it was around 3am that I finally got home. It was amazing. I had so much fun on Friday, and I'm going to miss these people who have been such an important part of my life for the past nine years.
In spite of my lack of sleep, I had my Final Badminton on Saturday morning, then yum cha at Regal. I was off to Wadestown for Andrew and Claire's farewell/engagement party too, and then back home to continue the big decluttering. I managed to fob off a lot of miscellaneous stuff to various people, so thanks for helping me out in that respect!
This morning was my Final Service at Central Baptist, and I had specifically requested to be on the piano to pay tribute to an amazing church that was so warm and welcoming to me those eight years ago. I love that the church continues to be so inviting to people across different life journeys, and that they encourage people to worship in a way that has integrity for themselves. It has been a blast serving on the music team, and I'm so happy I was able to bring a smile to people's faces with my cheeky playing style.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:30am on Sunday January 15, 2017 :: 0 comments ::
Serenity
Monday November 21, 2016
It was nice to get back into routine, especially after the earthquakes. Work was only out for a day and the gym was out for two days, but things have pretty much resumed normality. I'm lucky I'm not near any of the condemned or cordoned areas, but the disruption never really hit me until karaoke was in jeopardy. We ended up at New Kor for some soju-riffic fun, singing a lot of old, classic songs from their slightly antiquated song list.
Badminton was also back on, thankfully, or I would have been truly sad. The weather was gloriously sunny on Saturday but I ended up just sleeping in the afternoon and gymming quite late as a result. I spent the evening at Phil and Will's for a bit. On Sunday, I was at church for music, where I played Hallelujah in tribute to Leonard Cohen, who passed away two weeks ago. This did not go unnoticed by the congregation, and lots of people were quick to mention their appreciation after the service - and I'm so glad that I can make people smile like that.
The weather continued to be fine, so Dana, Loic and I went out to Owhiro Bay to see if we could catch the tail end of the Leonids meteor shower. At 10pm, there was still a bit of twilight to the west, but this darkened quickly, bringing out the Milky Way sitting on the horizon. Venus was so bright that you could see its reflection on the water. Overhead, I saw seven meteors streaking across the night sky over the course of the hour we were there. Truly beautiful.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:59am on Monday November 21, 2016 :: 0 comments ::
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 ::
Easter
Wednesday March 30, 2016
I cleverly took the four days after Easter off so I could enjoy ten days away from work. Last Thursday, we released an incremental called Doomsday Clicker for iOS and Android. It's been a pretty short burn project, starting on the first week of January and taking two months to soft launch, and another month to hard launch, but the team and I are very proud of what we achieved.
March rolled in pretty quietly, save for a surreptitious boozy karaoke the weekend before, as well as an historical barbeque at Rob's house and Sam and Hannah's engagement party at SFBH. There were some glorious days too, and we took advantage of the brilliant weather one afternoon by cycling around Oriental Bay and the waterfront in a Crocodile Bike. There was Newtown Fair, Cuba Dupa, Tim's stag do, Bobby's leaving and the Dreamworks Exhibition at Te Papa. It's been action-packed.
Over Easter, I was in Auckland where I caught up with Mat, Will and Tom at Circus Circus for lunch on Friday, then joined by Graeme for some board games at Will's later that night. I got a sharp-looking haircut at Hairport on Dominion Road before meeting Charlotte in Newmarket for lunch, and then rushing off to the real reason I was in Auckland - Amy and Vincent's wedding at Nathan Homestead in Manurewa, where I played Lana del Ray's Young and Beautiful as Amy walked down the aisle. It was a beautiful sunny day with a mild breeze, so cue panic when one of my piano sheets fell off the stand. Thankfully I recovered and improvised for a set of four bars before someone very kindly put the music back. Cue more panic when I realised I couldn't see Amy walking down the aisle as everyone was standing in the way, so when she suddenly appeared at the front, I had 15 seconds to wrap up the song - and again, thankfully I nailed the transition to the coda and ended gracefully. The bride and groom were both happy with how things turned out and apparently no one noticed that I had two panic moments, so job well done!
We were at the Heritage Hotel's Tearoom for the reception - a marvelous dining hall with a spectacular view over the harbour. The food was good and the company was great, but even as the reception drew to a close, people were still amped to head out for more festivities. I had to decline, because I had a flight back to Wellington the next day... for another wedding!
My bro Phil took me to the airport early on Sunday morning to catch a surprisingly on-time Jetstar flight to Wellington. Once off the plane, I was home immediately to shower, and off to Timothy and Andrea's wedding at the Island Bay Presbyterian Church. As a groomsman, my task is simple: make sure the groom gets married. As a side though, I was also helping to set up the church and pack down the reception areas, as well as smile pleasantly for the photographs. Again, the ceremony and reception were heaps of fun, and I got to catch up with heaps of people and meet new people too.
It was a tiring two days and I was exhausted come Easter Monday. I took it easy and rolled out of bed after 11am, getting KFC for lunch and doing my grocery shopping for the week. I managed to fit in some squash too, just to make sure I wasn't a complete vegetable the whole day. Yesterday I even made it to the gym, and made chizza - a pizza where the base is chicken. Today was even more productive: I went for physio, returned my suit, practiced piano for this Sunday and did leg day at the gym. And I have so much time leftover today that I even wrote a blog post.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:30am on Wednesday March 30, 2016 :: 0 comments ::
The End of an Era
Wednesday July 15, 2015
The weekend turned out to be busier than usual; we had a big party at Mexico to celebrate the "end" of our project - though we haven't officially finished, we decided it was a good way to get the team together for some sangria, margaritas and fried chicken. We ended up at Goldings for a bit, then to Pineapples for the rest of the night.
On Saturday, there was badminton in the morning, and then I met Jono and Karlyn and others at Strawberry Fare. I tried their black doris plum pie - the only item on the menu I hadn't tried before. It was a warm, hearty pie on a cold winter's day, without being too sickly sweet or overly rich. Yum! We had walked by the waterfront to the TSB Arena and had a squizz at the bookfair, but I was tired so I went home and napped for a bit. That evening, I was at Joe's house playing board games and party games like Quiplash over Steam. I had music on Sunday at Central, then went for yum cha at Big Thumb, then back home for a quick nap before heading to Beth's new place out in Newtown.
The big news in the gaming industry at the moment is the tragic passing of Nintendo's President, Satoru Iwata. One of his best quotes is "On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer". You can see in his work the passion he had for creating entertainment. He was a huge contributor to the industry and he will be sorely missed.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:26am on Wednesday July 15, 2015 :: 0 comments ::
The Moment When You Get Internet at a New Place
Sunday May 31, 2015
Blogging has been quiet since my move because I've been lacking a proper Internet connection. Unlike several of my friends who have been waiting for fibre to be installed in their building, this failure of connectivity was completely my own fault. I bought two modems off TradeMe, unfortunately neither of them supported PPPoE/VC-MUX which was required by my ISP for their service. ANYWAY, now that I have a working modem, I can sell the other two off on TradeMe; it's still cheaper than buying a new modem. And most importantly, I'm back on the net.
The past two weeks have been pretty busy. The move went as well as it could have. We had arranged for the Salvation Army to swing by and pick up our beds, cabinets, shelves and what not. They only did weekday visits, so I had to move my bed down from the first floor on Thursday night, which meant I was on an airbed kindly loaned from Vincent for two nights. However, on Friday morning, they called us to say that the torrential rain and subsequent flooding of Wellington's northern suburbs meant they were unable to make it. Instead, we had to hire a van and drive all of that to the store in Newtown. Thankfully, the weather had cleared by Saturday, so moving was not a problem. Thanks to Phil, Will and Vincent for their help!
Since moving into my new place, I've had a solid worship session on the piano at Central Baptist, karaoke, dinner at Dragons for Wei's birthday, steamboat at Campbell and Linda's and also managed to catch the Eurovision song contest. We said goodbye to Charles and Pete on Friday with some drinks at Fork and Brewer with the programmers, then karaoke at New Kor with all the artists - so good to see so many people out having a great time. Yesterday was weekly badminton in the morning, gym in the afternoon, and drinks for Charlie and Donnie's birthdays at Goldings, Hashi's and Southern Cross. I really enjoy how the long weekend just seems to populate itself with events and social gatherings.
Posted by Jeremy at 2:43am on Sunday May 31, 2015 :: 0 comments ::
Easter
Sunday April 5, 2015
Easter has been pretty quiet; I opted to stay in Wellington instead of flying up to Auckland for the first time in seven years. This was partially due to the fact that my schoolmates were supposed to organise a trip somewhere but nothing eventuated. Nevertheless, Jordan, Christine, Josh and I ended up day-tripping up to Martinborough to visit Damon on Saturday. We went for a wine tasting at Haythornthwaite Wines - for only $5, this was a bargain. Most of the ones we had were quite dry and tart, but I was partial to the Gewürztraminer dessert wine. Full of lychee aromas and delightfully sweet!
Afterwards, we headed to Poppies for some food platters - there was a delay in getting our table ready so it wasn't until quite late that we were seated, and when the food arrived, we ravenously devoured the olives, salmon, capsicum, beef, roast pork, tomatoes and cheese on the plate. So goooood. We had a bit of time to kill before heading back to Wellington, so we played a few games of werewolf, and by 6.30pm we were on our way back to the city.
The sky had begun to cloud over around 3pm, and by the time we hit the Rimutakas, it was already raining. Not good news for the total lunar eclipse that night. However, when we reached Wellington around 8pm, the skies were pretty clear and the moon was definitely visible. I dropped everyone home, got changed, and picked up Jimmy, Charlie, Phil and Joe, and headed out to Lyall Bay for Fleur's birthday party. There was a perfect view of the full moon from her balcony with no clouds around, and sure enough, around 11pm, the face of the moon began to enter the penumbra of the Earth's shadow. As time progressed, we saw the first glimpses of red as the moon slipped into the main shadow, and finally at 1am, we had totality. Awesome! We set off some fireworks down by the beach, but I was tired and had to head home because I was on music at Central Baptist the next day. Thankfully, I got an extra hour's sleep from daylight savings, so I wasn't too out of it for the Easter service.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:04pm on Sunday April 5, 2015 :: 0 comments ::
Chinese New Year
Wednesday February 25, 2015
So much food.
I've been up in Auckland with family celebrating Chinese New Year. 2015 is the year of the sheep! I drove to the airport last Thursday with Phil and was surprised to see Dana and Angeline taking the same flight to Auckland; Dana for the Foo Fighters concert and Angeline to get back to University. Angeline is taking CompSci and was keen to chat to me about courses and careers and things like that, and it was kinda interesting to hear that not much had changed with CompSci101.
I followed dad into town on Friday and saw Andy at Wedge Juice Bar, and met up with Bobby and Raymond for lunch at Nol Bu Ne, then dessert at Meet Fresh. We went home early because they had cooked a rich abalone stew on Wednesday night and needed to finish the leftovers before the weekend, so we gorged ourselves with this amazing dish, before heading out to Musashi for dinner - soft-shelled crab!!! Still in the mood for more, we went to Chiko's for their summer special dessert - halo halo, which is like a Filipino ice kacang. This one had taro ice cream, red beans, green beans, French pastries and some miscellaneous jellies and fruit strewn throughout the shaved ice. Yum!
On Saturday, we had music practice at KCC and yum cha at Wing Wah, before I headed home to help cook for our belated reunion dinner. I did my lettuce wrap, dad made a stir-fried prawns dish, Khim made dumplings and Anita brought some roast pork and barbeque pork. What a feed! Still, it didn't compare to the feasts happening back in Malaysia. Plenty of updates coming through from WhatsApp showing us all the delicious things we're missing out on! One day I will go back to Malaysia for Chinese New Year.
Music went well on Sunday morning at KCC, and I was back at Wing Wah for yum cha again. On Sunday night however, we went to KK in Greenlane for a special Chinese New Year banquet menu for invited guests only! It was a nine course dinner with dishes they don't normally serve on the a la carte menu. On Monday, I was in town again meeting up with my school mates for lunch at Mezze. I caught up with Will, who I hadn't seen in over four years, and we wandered around town via Giapo and Moustache. Good times.
Last week was the inaugural PikPok Plunge, a company challenge to jump off the wooden plank down by the waterfront. Brett organised a barbeque and Juliann, Mana and I sorted out the food for several hungry colleagues who had turned up to Frank Kitts Park to watch a team of thirteen sport their best costumes, dives and splashes into the harbour. The weather was absolutely stunning for the event, and it really is true that you can't beat Wellington on a good day.
We also farewelled Prashant, the animator on my project, and Jimmy, who has been my designer for every project except one, for the last five years. We celebrated their time with us with a meal at Thunderbird Cafe and some French delectables from Louis Sergeant afterwards. This one I got was a violet dome of white chocolate and blackcurrant mousse. Furthermore, I brought a black forest cake, pandan cake, pineapple, melon, lychee and mango biscuits, some sesame balls and some mango and lychee jellies to celebrate Chinese New Year, my work anniversary and my birthday at all once.
This weekend, we'll be at the PikPok Family Day and a Chinese New Year dinner that coincides with the beginning of autumn. There has been so much food, but there's no other way I'd celebrate Chinese New Year. Family and food are the best.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:18am on Wednesday February 25, 2015 :: 0 comments ::
Sixty Years
Monday January 26, 2015
I've been up in Auckland to celebrate my father's 60th birthday. What a milestone! Of course, food was involved; we went to Sun World in Newmarket for Peking duck, prawn balls, long-life noodles, steamed orange roughy, deep-fried tofu and some seasonal vegetables. Always a good time there. We topped the night with a deliciously rich and moist chocolate cake, though dad was adamant that there was to be no public singing.
The weekend didn't start well though. I was in the concept art room at work saying my goodbyes to Joel on Friday night when a dried ghost pepper chili was being handed around. After everyone had taken their bite, I took mine (after scooping out about twenty seeds) but oh boy I was full of regret. I immediately began hiccuping, and had to rush for some ice cream and milk. Still having troubles, I took some antacids and managed to calm down for a while, but had troubles walking for more than 50 metres at a time. I eventually made it to St Johns for a bit, then we headed to the night markets once I was feeling much better, but I lost track of time and had to run off to catch my flight. Unfortunately, since I had booked with Jetstar, they were super unforgiving about check-in and I ended up missing my flight by ten minutes.
Sulking, I left the airport and watched as the stupid plane took off from the runway. Jerks.
I took the next flight to Auckland in the morning, for only a $50 penalty, but once I was at home, everything was pretty much back to normal. I grabbed some Wendy's, did some shopping at West City and dozed off in the afternoon before dinner at Sun World. All's well that ends well.
On Sunday, I was at KCC early to join the music team for the first time in many, many years. So good playing with the guys again, plenty of dynamics and passion in the music. The sermon was pretty ace as well, we had a guest speaker who did a spectacular live painting on stage after the message. After church, we were at Musashi in New Lynn for some soft-shelled crab and then I was back home to help with dinner preparations for that night.
Today was pretty cruisy, we were supposed to meet for some Smash Bros but those plans fell through and I ended up just sitting at home playing Pokemon on my 3DS. We went over to my sister's house to celebrate my nephew's fourth birthday with a family afternoon tea before heading to the airport (early) for my flight back to Wellington. Good times.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:06am on Monday January 26, 2015 :: 0 comments ::
Melbourne
Monday January 5, 2015
I'm finally back at home in Wellington after a 10 hour journey with Mike and Phil down State Highway 1 from Auckland yesterday. The past week has been amazing, having spent most of it exploring Melbourne and sampling some of the delicious things the city had to offer.
Last Monday, we took the train from Wallan to the Southern Cross Station, then took a tram to Southbank where we dumped all our belongings in our apartment just across from the Crown Casino Complex. We met up with the others from KCC at a Vietnamese restaurant called Rice Paper on Swanston Street, then walked around the expensive Emporium before heading back for a break. We struggled to find a suitable place for dinner that night - several popular places were booked out or unavailable over Christmas and New Years, but eventually we settled for a place called Gingerboy, which served contemporary South-East Asian cuisine. On our way back home, I got some Nitrogen-frozen gelato from this place called The Lab, but it wasn't really anything special.
On Tuesday, I said my goodbyes to the KCC gang and went to Ants and Jo's place in the center of town. I rushed to meet Dave and we set off on a foodie tour of Melbourne! Dave showed me a few places that had his art on display, which was super cool. I don't remember where half of these places were as I was still trying to get my bearings, but we did end up at the Queen Victoria markets. Rows and rows of fresh fruit and vegetables on display, bustling with people seeking the best bargains and shop keepers yelling (aggressively?) about their produce. Awesome stuff! We got some fresh fruit juice and some American style donuts, and continued on to the deli meats and cheese section before heading down to QV for some lunch at a Japanese place called Don Don. The tour continued to the Old Melbourne Gaol, Melbourne Museum and the Carlton Gardens, Lygon Street (for some pretty good gelato and an amazing dessert shop called Brunetti) and Federation Square and ACMI. Great to catch up with you Dave, and thanks for the awesome guided tour! I went out with Ants, Jo, Ben and Jill for dinner at Red Spice QV before having a quick tipple at Cookie Beer Hall. Big day!
I decided I needed a bit of time to myself, so on Wednesday, New Year's Eve, I went solo around the city, visiting the Lindt Cafe, Melbourne Central, Chinatown, Christmas Square (appropriately decked out for the season), Hosier Lane (with all the street art), Birrarung Marr Park on the way to Rod Laver, MCG and the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Shrine of Remembrance and back up to Southbank. There was a lot of walking but the sun was brilliant and pleasant. Being solo meant I could easily get a seat at some of the more popular establishments, namely the two big ones on my list - Chin Chin, a famous South-East Asian eatery on Flinders Lane, and Om Nom, a dessert restaurant in the Adelphi Hotel. Fantastic experiences there, be sure to see the write ups on my Food Blog! I ended the day back at Ants and Jo's with a good old Australian barbeque, but the night's festivities had just begun.
The five of us made our way to Federation Square, where hundreds and thousands of people had packed the area, hoping to usher in the New Year with a bang. The atmosphere was awesome, and despite it being totally crammed (people had brought along prams and babies - what the hell?), it was pretty great to be in such an exciting place. When the countdown hit zero, fireworks from all around the city's buildings shot into the sky, synchronised with each other. Fantastic stuff! So much better than those Auckland fireworks. We ended the New Year celebrations clubbing at the Irish Times Pub, right around the corner from home.
New Year's Day was a slow start, with a delicious champagne brunch in the late morning as we slowly roused from a night of lights and sound. I followed Ben and Jill for a walk around town but ended up splitting from them at Melbourne Central. As I walked down to Southbank, I casually strolled by Rice Paper, the restaurant from the first day in town. When I looked inside, who should I see but my KCC crew, having a late lunch there. I followed them back home for a bit, and headed out again to the game arcades to watch them claim their 2000 tokens. I said my goodbyes and trekked to the Eureka Tower for some stunning 360 degree views of the city. Melbourne's pretty cool like that - almost all the tall buildings are localised to the inner city, leaving the urban sprawl visible for miles. The weather was stunning and it was such an awesome view of the whole area.
I rushed over to the Queen Victoria Market area to meet up with Andy at Coconut House, a Malaysian place famous for their laksa. Good stuff - Melbourne's definitely got standard in this respect, with some of my family members back in Malaysia commenting on how good the laksa looked. We continued on to Dessert Story, where I got a mango pomelo sago pudding for myself and Andy proceeded to order a two-person mango shaved ice dessert for himself. We went back to his place to play some Smash Bros for a bit, then I left to see the Gas Brigade Fireballs shooting out on the riverbank by the Crown Casino.
On the day I left Melbourne, the forecast said it would be a whopping 38C - apparently this is like a hairdryer continuously in your face. I would have liked to experience this phenomenal heat just once, but unfortunately I had a plane to catch at 9.30am. I was walking around the airport hungrily when I spotted my last chance to have a chicken parma - so I took it. It was okay. Would have probably been better at a proper place that wasn't the airport, but at least it's another checkbox I can check. I met up with John, who was also on the same flight and we headed to the departure gate. However, on the way, I spotted a piano in the middle of the shopping area, and after checking to see there were no restrictions, I sat on the stool and started my rendition of Let it Go on a baby grand piano in the middle of Melbourne Airport. And that was awesome. I began to build confidence as the momentum of the song followed through to its climax, and a small family sitting nearby burst into applause at the end of the song. What a wonderful way to finish my time in Melbourne!
Posted by Jeremy at 10:34am on Monday January 5, 2015 :: 0 comments ::
The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway
Thursday March 27, 2014
Last Friday, I played "Let it Go" (because I really can't get enough of that song) live, at work, on a keyboard, with one of my colleagues who had had some opera training. It went down pretty well I thought, certainly the live element and atmosphere made it so special. Would probably not do that again.
I was at yum cha with Wei on Saturday and music at church on Sunday (where I played Let it Go, again, during the offering, and it totally went down well with everyone who knew the song!) On Monday we were at Crazy Horse for some amazing steaks and finally on Tuesday it was time to head to Queenstown.
I saw the GDC contingent at Wellington Airport on my way out and had a quick chat to them before scampering off to the gate. It was a fine sunny day as I left Wellington, and all was fine until the pilot announced that the winds were too strong to land in Queenstown, and instead we had to land in Invercargill and take a bus for two hours.
Whee.
It was a mildly pleasant drive, apart from the lady and two babies behind me, but it was around 2pm when I finally reached Queenstown Airport and met up with my auntie and cousin. We spent the rest of the day wandering around town, getting some Ferg Burgers and Movenpick and checking out the lake. We had a pretty big day the next day...
We took a day trip to Milford Sound as part of this Jucy Cruise company. After a long wait for the coach to arrive, we went on our way to Te Anau, then Milford via some spectacular sights and fantastic scenery along the way. The cruise itself was amazing, just being able to appreciate the beauty of the Sounds as you're floating by. We were on the foredeck as the captain pulled right up against a waterfall - exhilarating! The gush of cold spray and the force of the water soon dissipated as the sun blazed down on the boat. It's true - every picture you take is a postcard picture. It was 9pm when we finally got back to Queenstown, but what a day.
While yesterday was more laid back and scenic, today was more adrenaline pumping, as I took my first bungy jump at the original bungy at the Kawarau Suspension Bridge. It was a bit windy and chilly as I stood on the edge of the platform, nervous as hell as I gawked at my surroundings. I didn't have my glasses on so it was kinda good that I couldn't focus on exactly how far down it was. The guys manning the equipment there were awesome though, I spoke to them about my job and tried to sell Robot Unicorn Attack 2 to them. Eventually I waddled my way to the edge and they counted down...but I hesitated when he reached zero! I took a deep breath and gracefully fell forward, arms wide open like a majestic eagle.
The jump is over so quickly. You don't really have the time to process what's going on. As I lay on the catchment boat, I replayed the last minute in my head and tried to remember what had just happened. It was awesome though, the slight free fall you get and the adrenaline rush of it all - I'd probably do it again. My bravery spurred my cousin on to go or her first bungy jump, so congrats to her as well for having the guts!
We spent the rest of the day enjoying the wine and cheese of the Gibbston Valley before heading up to Wanaka. We went to Puzzling World and conquered the maze, had a walk by the lake and finally headed back to Queenstown for some dinner.
It's been a long day but tomorrow will be even longer!
Posted by Jeremy at 11:22am on Thursday March 27, 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 ::
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 ::
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 ::
A Weekend of Sport
Monday August 6, 2012
I think the last time I crammed so much sport into one weekend was the Rugby World Cup. Though I missed the start of New Zealand's golden run in the rowing on Thursday night with Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan, I caught our two-golds-one-hour on Friday night over at the Treehouse. And what an amazing hour - the excitement of seeing Hamish Bond and Eric Murray completely obliterate their opponents, then Mahe Drysdale finally obtaining his elusive gold after the bronze four years earlier in Beijing was totally exhilarating; congratulations to them all!
On Saturday we caught the Chiefs vs Sharks game at Four Kings, while simultaneously watching the women's triathlon and further rowing events. The atmosphere there was great, with so much joviality and passion for the rugby. So much fun! I caught the rest of the rowing including Storm Uru and Peter Taylor taking bronze for the lightweight double sculls over at LBQ, who were celebrating their birthday with free drinks and delicious cake. It was a relatively early night for me though because I was rostered on music for church on Sunday. Music went very well, including an epic finale to Great is the Lord, He is Holy and Just - we don't sing the coda because it's very difficult, but on Sunday we decided we'd play it anyway, and it was such an awesome crescendo and build up to the end that we surprised the congregation and earned a round of applause!
After a delicious yum cha at Big Thumb (despite it being in receivership...), it was a quiet afternoon and dinner, before heading to the Treehouse to catch a bit of the men's hockey and the cycling omnium with some scrumptious lemon meringue and gingernut. What a weekend.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:27am on Monday August 6, 2012 :: 0 comments ::
Dominionated
Wednesday December 29, 2010
Wanted to play badminton after church on Sunday but I guess because it's a public holiday, the courts were locked up so we ended up going to Matt's house nearby and playing Rock Band, Raiden 3, and even Boggle.
I went over to Richard's house on Monday to try out his new board game - Agricola. The silly game took us four hours to complete, but it was kinda fun nevertheless. Maybe we'll be faster when we get better. I also snuck in some table tennis with Hsin Yao and of course the family pool and also the piano were well used that day. I led everyone in a rousing chorus of "The Tide is High"...
The next day, the rain came.
Despite the wet conditions, I met up with my workmates at Sun World in Newmarket for a delicious yum char. The place was absolutely packed and for good reason too; the food was tasty and the variety was fantastic, and all for a very reasonable $19. Jono and Charlotte went their separate ways but the Sidhe crew met up again at Bryce's house where we played Dominion and Cranium! Fun times.
Posted by Jeremy at 5:42am on Wednesday December 29, 2010 :: 0 comments ::
Easter: PANIC! PANIC! PANIC!
Wednesday April 15, 2009
Quite the drama for me this Easter trip, although I didn't lose my glasses like the last time I went away for Easter.
Firstly, I was working overtime on Wednesday night and we got curry from Dawaat, which lead to a rather bad case of indigestion. I was still up at 3am on Thursday morning, lying in the foetal position in bed when I remember my parents had given me this miracle Chinese medicine for general stomach aches. It worked so well I even went to work on Thursday and made it to Auckland safe and sound.
Secondly, on Monday night, I got a text message saying the flight had been delayed by an hour; Juliann and Surya were already at the airport so had to wait out the hour. They decided to check in and asked for my booking reference so we could all sit together, but to no success - they kept getting some errors and couldn't do it. So I decided I'd get to the airport early-ish to get a good seat, so I got to the kiosk and swiped my card; it said it couldn't find my e-ticket so I went to the counter. The lady there took my ID and put in all the details, then looked at me quizzically and said I didn't have a ticket. With fears growing, she took me to the ticketing counter and the lady there put in all my details, looked at me, looked back at the screen, looked back at me and said... "You've booked Wellington to Auckland."
Oh man, I have never been so mortified in my life.
But the end result is that they changed me to Auckland to Wellington, free of charge, and they still fed me apple pie and chocolate ice cream. So huge props to Qantas for doing that for me T_T
Anyway, the weekend was great, I got to catch up with everyone and ate some great food (Photos of the food to come soon). It was hard to do stuff because places were closed on the two public holidays, but I still managed to play some pool, some handball, some Trivial Pursuit and of course some piano. It was really relaxing and a much needed break from all the overtime I had been doing.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:06am on Wednesday April 15, 2009 :: 0 comments ::
Back to Work
Monday January 5, 2009
So yeah, went back to work today. It was SO boring, I fell asleep in our three hour sprint planning session. What a great start to the New Year!
I've had an awesome holiday up in Auckland, just catching up with everyone. I went to Momo's, the driving range, Rotovegas, Goat Island and the airport five times. I played DotA, table tennis, table tennis extreme, pool, handball, lots of piano, Rock Band, Singstar, Buzz and Photo Hunt. I went on the famous Rotorua luge, the Agrodome's Big Swoop, I saw the Lady Knox Geyser erupt as well as several geothermal park attractions, I hung out with friends and family and I ate and ate and ate and ate. See my gallery for all the pictures. I have some YouTube videos to upload later as well.
Satisfied Jeremy is satisfied.
Posted by Jeremy at 7:52am on Monday January 5, 2009 :: 2 comments ::
Labour Weekend
Wednesday October 29, 2008
I had a fantastic Labour Weekend. So good catching up with all my friends. As a result of the excessive fun, I have caught a cold and am suffering at work. Today was terrible, I couldn't concentrate and I kept sneezing and after drinking that disgusting Lemsip crap I felt like throwing up.
Anyway.
I finished up at work on Friday and met Laura and Raymond at Cha for dinner. It was still relatively early, so Raymond and I went back to his apartment and Laura went back to hers at around 7.40pm. Then Raymond wanted to have a shower and by the time he finished...it was 8.05pm.
Picked up Laura at 8.10pm
Got to the flat at 8.15pm
Picked up Jono at 8.25pm
Arrived at the airport at 8.30pm
Boarded the plane at 8.40pm
Took off for Auckland at 8.50pm
Yeah, rushed, much. In the chaos I left my keys at the flat, but that wasn't too big an issue. I got picked up by Casey at the other end and met Bob, Ted, Amber and Han at Momo's, where I proceeded to knock my glass over and cut my hand in the process. After bleeding profusely, they decided to give me a free drink (YAY).
I turned up at church on Saturday morning, much to the surprise of the music team (apparently Jin hadn't told them I was on). So yeah, I got to play piano, and that was great jamming with the boys again. So much fun, far more fun than at Central Baptist. Afterwards, we distributed some flyers for the Light Party before I headed over to St Heliers to meet the Grammar Gang for lunch at La Vista. Great food there, so good to catch up with everyone. I was free for the rest of the afternoon and it was still early, so we went down the road to play Mini Golf. There were so many fails there, it was awesome. Props to Amnon for beating Richard!
It was still early in the day so we went back to Mat's flat and just hung around for a while, watching Family Guy and playing some Smash Bros Brawl. I really can't stand the Wii control scheme (and that's not because I've been working with it for the past week). The Wiimote has so few controller buttons that they could not possibly encapsulate all the techniques into a user-friendly scheme. Once I started with the Gamecube controller, it felt so much better. MetaKnight and Dedede are awesome! :3
Left the flat and went to Cinta's place for dinner with her, Alice, Jo and Reuben. We had apricot chicken, some cheese and cauliflower, boiled vegetables and roast potato, and Oreo cheesecake for dessert. Awesome stuff. We spent the rest of the night solving those stupid take-apart-shape-and-put-them-together-again puzzles.
Sunday morning was church, had heaps of fun on the piano but it wasn't my best day (I screwed up the offering piece) but I think people just appreciated me being back on the piano, which was really nice. We had testimonies from our group heading to Cambodia for a short term mission, as well as a delicious curry lunch for fundraising. I hung around for a few hours for BASIC and then the guys went to play pool. All I can say is... black ball fail.
I went out with Dad and Uncle Tony and family to this teppanyaki place in Ponsonby called Fuji. Entertainment was fantastic, food was delicious, but unfortunately not as filling as I would have liked. Really had to work for our food as well! I caught a piece of egg in my mouth, and two bowls of rice flung in my general direction.
Met up with the youth group guys at Momo's (haha, again). I didn't cut my hand this time, which was great. I had a taro milkshake with mango pudding, but didn't feel like eating much more. We were keen on going out after that, but nothing happened and we just went to bed.
But Matt, Sam and I ventured out the next day in the blazing sun to Mission Bay, where we enjoyed some unhealthy breakfasts in the form of ice cream, waffles and pancakes. We hung around Bastion Point before heading into town. We took at stop at Yifans where Matt played the new Street Fighter - I really like the art style, with the black paint strokes. I had to rush off soon after to meet Casey, Bob, Laura and Raymond for yum char at China. Good food, again, but unfortunately I was still a bit stuffed from breakfast. However, I did manage to cram a durian puff and a mango puff, so all is well.
Spent the rest of the afternoon fixing dad's computer, then met up with my sister for a chit chat. Her cat is adorable <3 and very vocal too. Being the awesome sister that she is, she managed to get me this:
It was a quick dinner at Uncle Tony's before heading to the airport. What a weekend. Catch all the action in the gallery.
Posted by Jeremy at 7:07am on Wednesday October 29, 2008 :: 1 comment ::
Rocking It Out
Monday October 6, 2008
As I said earlier, I was on music again at Central Baptist yesterday. I arrived at 9am, as usual, and practiced the songs. All good, all well, seems the dynamics and the timing were all in shape.
We were stuck for an offering song, so I decided to play a song I'd never played at Central before.
It was quite possibly the most inappropriate song to play during an offertory.
It was certainly a song that smashed the boundaries of Central's realm of hymns and contemplative music.
Just as the offering was announced, I broke out the hugest grin ever. This is the most mischief you can have during a church service. When all was quiet, I took a quick breath... and started off with a piano slide into the jazzy Em7 and Amaj7 chords of My Redeemer Lives.
It was awesome. I had so much fun.
Anyway, after the service, we had lunch at Nando's, dessert at Kaffee Eis, and then I met Ray who had just arrived in Wellington for a three week work spell. We met Peter at Butlers on Willis for a quick drink, and made some dinner plans.
Raymond hadn't eaten anything all day, so he got a curry from Reading Cinemas, and I wasn't feeling that hungry so I got a banana-kiwifruit-orange-apple thing from the juice bar. But of course I felt hungry afterwards, so we skipped straight to dessert.
So good.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:14am on Monday October 6, 2008 :: 5 comments ::
Music
Thursday October 2, 2008
I'd been speaking to my parents on Tuesday night (as I always do) and one of the topics I brought up was the music at Central Baptist. I mentioned that the music was very conservative and not as lively or modern as Kelston, and that's something I lament. Songs like Be Unto Your Name, Majesty (Here I Am), Amazing Love, Complete, All the Earth, Who Am I... they're awesome songs and incredibly rich in both their message and their musical structure.
I felt a bit empty after playing on Sunday, because I wasn't enjoying myself as much as I did at Kelston. I was off beat and not enthusiastic. I miss being able to jam with Reuben, Matt, Cinta, Mary Ann, Sam, Ben (when he used to play), Steven and Andrew. Now that I think about it, I think it's because I felt restricted in what I can do because the lead singing isn't as strong as it could be, and as a result, I have to lead with precision in the melody.
Well, today was different.
I got a call on Tuesday night from one of the ladies at Central, asking if I could be the pianist for this Sunday as well. I said sure, why not. Practice was today at 6pm.
And what a practice it was. It was a joy being able to play some familiar songs like Jesus God's Righteousness Revealed, I Will Give Thanks to Thee, Great is Thy Faithfulness and Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart. It was awesome being able to play how I wanted to play...to wander with the notes and play different beats. The two lead singers have fantastic, powerful voices and they harmonise so well. It was really uplifting.
Church music for the win.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:10am on Thursday October 2, 2008 :: 1 comment ::
Photo Dump!
Sunday September 28, 2008
Time to clear out some photos from my phone. As I said on Monday, we celebrated the announcement of Rugby League 2: World Cup Edition, my first game at Sidhe Interactive. The company took us out for some nibbles and drinks. Meet the team!
Those Wellingtonians seemed pretty happy that they beat Auckland for that Ranfurly Shield, so they held a parade for the players.
I was owned by the bus strikes on Wednesday and arrived at work 30mins late, so that night, I planned to stay at the Hub and walked to work the next morning. Good weather for it as well! On Friday night, I met with Jono and Dave at this Malaysian restaurant where we had the awesomest grilled prawns. A bit pricey, and not very big portions, but delicious.
Today, music at church - daylight savings meant I had to get up at what was really 7am. Then I met Laura for yum char at Majestic. I need to stay awake and not nap to keep this sleep schedule intact.
Posted by Jeremy at 3:19am on Sunday September 28, 2008 :: 0 comments ::
Epic Olympics
Sunday August 17, 2008
I was up until 2.30am last night, watching Valarie Vili shotput her way to New Zealand's second gold medal at the Beijing Olympics with a mammoth 20.56m throw. I also watched as the Evers-Swindell twins beat out their competitors by 1/100th of a second to grab New Zealand's first gold of the games. The tension waiting for the final result after the photo finish - just epic.
We also watched Mahe Drysdale, Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater achieve their bronzes, as well as Hayden Roulston's silver medal race. Awesome effort from all four guys.
Congratulations to all our medal winners on day eight at the 2008 Beijing Olympics - you've done the country proud.
And if that wasn't enough, I woke up to the news of the All Blacks owning South Africa 19 - 0 in the rugby - huge congratulations to them as well.
Pretty eventful Sunday as well - piano at church this morning, yum char with Laura and her friends at Grand Century and swimming at the Aquatics Center in Hataitai. Wooooo, physical exercise. Yay me.
Posted by Jeremy at 7:26am on Sunday August 17, 2008 :: 0 comments ::
Sleep Habits: Screwed
Saturday August 9, 2008
I was up until 4.30am last night watching the Opening Ceremony. Gah. The performances and the choreography and the fireworks were fantastic though, really awesome and vibrant. My favourite parts were the fireworks making footprints, the introduction to the scroll, the blocks that moved up and down and the tai chi display, and the lighting of the Olympic Torch was definitely spectacular too. Pyrotechnics were top-notch throughout the ceremony.
We had a farewell dinner for Bjorn on Tuesday night at Two Souls, where the food was fantastic. On Wednesday, Mel and I ate at Rasa on Cuba St before going to Central Baptist where we played on the piano for a good two hours or so. Friday night I met up with Laura and her friends at Lonestar (I had the ribs - they were awesome) before heading home to watch the Opening Ceremony streaming live from the TVNZ website.
Today - I am being very Asian and I'm boiling some barley water \o/ Thanks to my parents for providing the oversized pot. I had been thinking of boiling barley water for ages, and it wasn't until I got the opportunity to grab some barley from the Asian grocery store near Pak'n'Save that everything started falling into place. I couldn't find any rock sugar, so I tried the Asian supermarket on the corner of Dixon and Cuba, and I managed to get a packet of rock sugar crystals. Hopefully this won't be an epic disaster.
Speaking of epic, apparently it's now a verb at work. You just got epicked.
Posted by Jeremy at 3:12am on Saturday August 9, 2008 :: 2 comments ::
All That Jazz
Sunday July 20, 2008
So yeah, last Sunday, when I posted that Facebook message, we were having some friends around for a Sunday roast, which was delicious by the way.
This past week has been busy; we had an internal conference at work where we listened to some of the seniors talk about various topics - it felt like being back at Uni, except I couldn't fall asleep. It was, however, very informative, and entertaining at some places as well.
Nats was down for the weekend for a med conference too, so we caught up with her. Matt Andrews was down as well (in b4 joke about stealing bags) so he joined us; Tom Bye was around and I yelled out "Tooommm, Hiiiiii" before we had to drove off, so I don't know if he recognised me or whatever.
I was on music again this morning; I didn't know half the songs, but I still managed, which was great. I also arranged to get access to the piano during the week which is FANTASTIC, I've been eagerly waiting to try out Still Alive on the piano (Thanks Stephen :3) but also it gives me an opportunity to practice during the week so I don't freak out on Sunday morning. Met with Mel and Raewyn after church for lunch at Nando's, where Mel and I shared a whole chicken.
We met up again in the evening with the intention of enjoying some jazz at Lido, but it was pretty full so we walked to D4, but that was dead, so we headed to this place on Majoribanks which was closed. With hunger pains rapidly rising, we resolved to go to Strawberry Fare, where I had a salad and some chocolate brownies. I think I scared Mel, Paul and Raewyn with my I-am-eating-but-it-looks-like-I-am-having-an-orgasm face. I think my CompSci friends know which one I'm talking about.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:38am on Sunday July 20, 2008 :: 1 comment ::
Weekend Photos
Monday June 23, 2008
Well, not photos strictly from the weekend, but whatever.
Wellington at Night
Show and Tell Prize from Sidhe
My First Music Practice at Central Baptist
Yum Char with Laura and Peter at Dragon
So yeah, I had my first music practice at Central Baptist. It's quite different from KCC - we start at 9am on Sunday morning and finish just before 10am O_o which really puts on the pressure. I knew some of the songs and picked up others, and I was accompanied by a saxophone, an organ and a flute, so there was plenty to mask my mistakes. But it's a really nice piano, as you can see, and it's really great to be playing for church again.
Yum Char was pretty average. Yeah, what can I say? It was a bit more expensive, not very good variety (too much fried food), and the mango pudding tasted very artificial. We'll be sticking with Majestic...although Peter wants to go to Grand Century some time.
Posted by Jeremy at 7:16am on Monday June 23, 2008 :: 0 comments ::
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
Saturday April 12, 2008
IT REOPENED HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
So yeah, I went into town with John to grab a few things, such as Burgerfuel, a clothes rack, and a sympathy card. I wanted to get a haircut too, but I didn't find anywhere suitable.
Anyway, that night, we had a potluck dinner with the other two flats. Man, it dragged on for a whle *_* But the food was really good: I contributed some prawn-cuttlefish ball-onion and capsicum kebabs, we also had roast pork, roast chicken, roast vegetables, salad, garlic bread, chips and dips...and ice cream and fruit salad to finish.
In other news, I got to play on the keyboard \o/ and we also watched Dirty Dancing /o\
Posted by Jeremy at 1:51pm on Saturday April 12, 2008 :: 1 comment ::
Balloooons
Sunday April 6, 2008
Someone on my project team left the company on Friday, so we had a thing for him to celebrate his time at Sidhe. As usual, we had our obligatory company trivia quiz, and since he was from Norway, the inevitable question was "Who created the fjords in Norway?". No, my team didn't get it right. Yes, I'm sorry.
Anyway, here's a photo of some of the events that transpired that night. It was a balloon popping game.
On Saturday, I binged on a $6 bag of sour gummi lollies, including sour apple rings, sour watermelon rings, sour peach rings and sour coke bottles. And two mega snakes. Insert diabetes here.
On Saturday night we went to the other flat for a cultured wine and cheese night. To some people's dismay, there was more cheese than wine, but Bjorn didn't seem to mind. It was a really good night, despite the cacophony that was John and Matt talking in French.
Today I went with Jono to Central Baptist for a proper service, and yeah it was really good. I think I'll stay. I even managed to slip in that I was interested in the piano ¬_¬ And we're looking to join a home group as well. I guess we'll see how that goes.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:12am on Sunday April 6, 2008 :: 0 comments ::
Distraction
Thursday February 28, 2008
I've been a little late in blogging, and I blame this entirely on Apollo Justice. It's not as captivating as Phoenix Wright, I must say, but it is still captivating and I have been playing it every night.
Anyway, on Sunday I went for yum char with Laura (again) and her friend from Uni. At the same place. With the awesome durian tarts :3 We got to have a lot more variety this time, including an awesome mango pudding, that tastes like REAL MANGO!!
Today I met up with Ritu for lunch, and we went to this place on Courtenay Place called R&S Malaysian restaurant. I wasn't sure what to have, so I ordered nasi lemak.
It was nice..until I found a hair in the rice. So I'm not going back there again ^^
Debs and Denise arrived from Auckland today as well, so I took them around to the Civic Centre and to Reading Cinemas for dinner. Then we went back to their hostel, where I played piano! Yay! It was such a calming and relieving experience, to be able to play the piano and to feel the music fill the air. Ahhhhh. I'm satisfied.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:25am on Thursday February 28, 2008 :: 0 comments ::