Disconnected
Saturday March 24, 2012
So my phone died about a week ago, leaving me semi-disconnected from the world and suddenly realising that hey, cellphones have become such a necessity in our lives. It's not that I'm addicted to one, it's just that I'm so reliant on it being there that when it isn't, it feels like I have been majorly inconvenienced. In any case, I borrowed my flatmate's phone so I can still receive texts and calls, I just don't have everyone's number (because most of it is stored on the memory card, not the SIM card) and the phone is really difficult to use so I'm trying not to use it as much.
I've also been feeling a bit disconnected in general, which is probably from the copious amounts of overtime I've been doing at work, trying to get this project product out the door (see what I did there, Sidhe guys?). And I've got a lot of faith in this game, it's just that it's needed a lot of reworking to get it feeling good and playing well. We're almost there.
It often happens that I forget what it's like to have free time while/after I've been doing a lot of overtime. My personal projects have been progressing in tiny increments. I have something ready for Psypoke's April Fools too! Haven't been playing many games recently - still need to play Limbo and Bastion that I bought from the Steam Holiday Sales - I have been playing an old, old, old favourite called Marble Drop, made by Maxis in 1997. I really need to finish all those PS2 games that I borrowed too... sigh. Oh, does Draw Something count as a game? ¬_¬
Random ranting and first world problems list:
- This weather is depressing and the days are getting shorter.
- The new give way rules are coming into effect tomorrow and there is going to be carnage on the roads because people are stupid. Also, this is amusing.
- I went aurora spotting a few weeks ago and saw nothing. Stupid Wellington clouds.
- My credit card bill is too damn high. Probably because of those airplane tickets I bought to the US. Giggity.
Posted by Jeremy at 4:01am on Saturday March 24, 2012 :: 0 comments :: 
Hamilton - More of a Shallow Pit than a Hole
Wednesday February 15, 2012
I was in Hamilton over the weekend for a friend's wedding. We drove up on the Friday and back down again on the Sunday - a surprisingly large number of roadworks being done on State Highway 1 meant the drive took longer than expected. We had some delicious woodfire pizza in Tokoroa before reaching our destination, a holiday home on the east side of Hamilton, around 9pm. I swear it was raining moths at one point, with the stupid insects committing suicide all over the bonnet of my car. Disgusting.
Saturday was the day of the wedding. Since the ceremony was not until after lunch, we decided to check out the city center and found some nice cafes along the main road. One could have easily mistaken the scene for Cuba Street really, the food was nice, with an the atmosphere to match. I guess if you go to Hamilton with the expectation it's a horrible void of swirling toilet waste, and it turns out that, hey, there's some nice places, then you'll come away with an improved opinion of the city. The weather was nice and sunny and certainly this was a nice change from the overcast gloom of Wellington - though I suspect the weather was equally nice and sunny in our absence.
Anyway, Jono and I performed our usheral duties admirably and the ceremony went off without a hitch. The reception also went well and the food was delectable - although my only complaint is that the ham was a bit too salty! The cheesecake however, was divine, as was the pavlova, and the wedding cake, which was masterfully decorated with 6kg of white chocolate planks, was also delicious.
We stopped in Tirau for lunch at the Cabbage Tree Cafe on the way back to Wellington on Sunday. Tirau, despite its size, has some excellent cafes and certainly ranks above Hamilton in terms of character and likeability. We were home by 6pm and that gave me enough time to clean the stupid suicidal bugs off my car.
What a weekend. Congratulations to the married couple, Jono and Karlyn Dixon! Photographs are in the gallery.
Posted by Jeremy at 7:57am on Wednesday February 15, 2012 :: 0 comments ::
Reunion Dinner
Sunday January 22, 2012
I always find myself being sentimental around Chinese New Year, mainly because I'm away from home and I'm missing all the great food you get, like yee sang and Peking duck. I try to go back to Auckland for Chinese New Year at some point during the 15 day celebration - even if I do miss the actual day of Reunion Dinner, we usually do have one and its meaning isn't diminished in any way.
This year, though, my parents are back in Malaysia and I was feeling a bit lonely when my flatmate suggested I do something special for myself. And that snowballed into making my own Reunion Dinner. I've never cooked for that many people before but it turned out well!
Spring Rolls (to appease the masses), Lettuce Wrap, Stir Fry Bok Choi and Cheese and Bacon Mussels
Roast Duck. Thank you Yans!
I know these may not necessarily usually be associated with Chinese New Year foods but I'm not that great a cook :(
To top it off for dessert, we had vanilla ice cream with Alphonso mango puree, and Jono's chocolate birthday cake.
In any case, wishing you all Gung Hei Fatt Choi in the year of the Dragon!
Posted by Jeremy at 9:44pm on Sunday January 22, 2012 :: 1 comment ::
My Year in a Nutshell
Friday December 30, 2011
Another one of my end of year summaries.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:52pm on Friday December 30, 2011 :: 1 comment ::
Missing Auckland
Monday December 5, 2011
I often get asked if I would move back (or when I'm moving back) to Auckland for work. A few months ago, I thought about how hard it would be to leave what I have now - a good job, great friends, a good flat and flatmate, 15 minutes to anywhere in town, badminton on Saturdays, Strawberry Fare - and many other things. I thought about how awkward it would be if I went back to Auckland, but only because I hadn't been back since Easter and it felt like I'd drifted apart from people. I know I complain a lot about Wellington, especially about the weather and the lack of good Asian food, but the city is neat and compact, it has character and most importantly, after 4 years, it's finally feeling more like home.
I was in Auckland last weekend for a friend's wedding (I missed that big 5.7 earthquake too). Two of my other friends at the wedding were in a similar situation to me - they felt like they'd drifted apart from various people there and were wondering if it was going to be awkward seeing them again after so long. But it wasn't. We just slotted back in naturally and it felt like nothing had changed. It felt good. It was good to be reminded that strong friendships endure time and distance, and for that I'm thankful.
The wedding was amazing. The bride was an hour late - I know it's the norm for brides to be late to a wedding but Jo has never been known for her punctuality anyway, so it was a compounding effect. The ceremony was nice and the food was delicious. Jo had set up a candy bar for people to take away a sweet reminder of the day - such a great idea! I want a candy bar at my wedding. After cleaning up the church, we went to the reception restaurant to begin preparations for the night's dinner.
And what a dinner. Buffet style, unlimited oysters. I had 10! No regrets. The seafood was fresh and juicy, the roast pork, chicken and beef were sumptuous and the salads were light and refreshing. There was two different kinds of cheesecake for dessert - one was lemon, the other was some kind of chocolate concotion, I think. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it tasted like there was some kind of berry flavour. In any case, I was lucky I didn't overeat because it was time to break it out on the dance floor. Party rock - whoo!
I caught up with my school mates at Sun World for yum cha. And again, there was no awkwardness (apart from the natural awkward aura that Tom provides) - we just chatted like old times. Food was top notch as usual. We went our separate ways and I went to catch up with my sister. I haven't seen my nephew in so long - he's grown so much and he is still absolutely adorable. He's a bouncy baby and smiles back at you when you smile at him. It was so cute when he tried to grab the cat - I feel sorry for the poor cat, as my nephew is just clutching whatever his little hands can grip: whiskers, ears, fur, tail!
My flight was quite late so my parents and I went out for dinner at KK with some relatives who were visiting from Brisbane. I hadn't seen them in around 10 years and I was shocked to see how much the three girls had grown. I wouldn't have been able to recognise them in the street. It was good to see them again and of course, the food really hit the spot. Why can't we get nice things like that in Wellington!?
Photos from this brief but very enjoyable trip to Auckland in the gallery.
Posted by Jeremy at 8:47am on Monday December 5, 2011 :: 4 comments ::