a peek into the capital

- picton to wellington ferry -

- goodbye south island -

- hello north island -

- cook strait -

- welcome to wellington -

- igualita a mi Puns -

- cbd -

- cbd -

- cuba street -

- westpac stadium -

- all blacks vs. springboks -

- my room -

- my wall on the floor -

- my wall on the floor -

- let it snow -

- view from my deck -

that's my life in Wellington in a nutshell.

Dunedin coming soon...

cheers!

time to move on

It's time to pack again. After two months of "settled" life in Wellington, it's time to move on. I'll miss this city. but I'm happy for something new...I'm always happy for something new.

Wellington has chosen to say goodbye with lots of snow. For the first time in decades, we're having proper snow right in the CBD. I'm not a fan of snow, but I have to admit it looks super pretty.

Tonight's my last shift at work and I'll definitely miss it. I feel comfortable here. I finally know my way around our venues and our kitchens. I know people's names and I know what they do. I know that our plates live in one place and our cutlery in another. I know which elevators get me to where I need to go, and which stairs don't. I know which water coolers to drink from and which to avoid. I now know how to sign my hours so I get paid properly. I finally learned which radio channel to use for catering, and which one for operations...but regardless of all that, it's time to go. I'm heading to Dunedin, where I won't know our venues nor our kitchens. I won't know who people are or what their purpose is. I won't be able to find our plates, forks or knifes. I'll get lost constantly and I'll be all sorts of confused. But I'm sure I'll have a sweet as time figuring it all out, and learning everything over again.

Tomorrow I'll be flying down south (hopefully the weather calms down and the Dunedin airport reopens in time for this to happen). I'm all sorted with a sweet place to live, close to the CBD and the new stadium. Most important of all, this place I'll be moving into is warm...or sounds warm anyway. It has HRV...and it's insulated...and double glazed...and has a heat pump, and all the good stuff that is needed when the city is under a polar blast that is a "one in a 50-year event" as the Otago Daily Times puts it.

I promise my next post will have pictures. It's long overdue. Once I settle down in Dunedin I'll be able to update everyone on my new job, weather and the likes. For now, this is it.

Peace.

forest pete

I have mentioned before that I'm slightly anti-social, but I guess that's not entirely true. I have my moments. I actually love people. This does not mean I always love to be around them. In fact, most of the time, I rather not be. I'm not a fan of talking to strangers, but for some reason, strangers are big fans of talking to me. Guys on buses, old ladies standing in cues, I've heard more unsolicited life stories than I can remember. I'm guessing it's the world's twisted sense of humor. This is nothing new though, I've always been somewhat anti-social; selective my mother calls it...mothers always have euphemisms for their children's behavior.

The most recent of stories came from Forest Pete. Now, I'm rarely aware of what's going on around me when I walk to work. I'm usually listening to music and day-dreaming about a thousand different things. This is the reason why I run into posts (and people) on a daily basis. But when a man pulls up on a tattered bicycle and adjusts to your speed, it's hard not to take notice. I don't know what prompts humans to strike up conversations with someone so obviously not interested, but my lack of understanding doesn't stop it from happening regularly. I reluctantly pulled out my earphones expecting to be asked for the time or directions (neither of which I can provide because I lost my watch and my way a while ago), instead I got a "Hello there! How are you?" In general, I'm a pretty trusting person, but there's something about growing up in a large, somewhat dangerous city, that makes you, even if just for a second, slightly paranoid about random strangers approaching. Yet, after talking to this fascinating character for half an hour, I learned a few things:

I learned that Pete is from Holland. I learned that Pete's bike is missing a few screws (I learned that he probably is as well). I learned that Pete lives in the forest. I learned that Pete gets free bread on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays...who from, I don't know. Forest Pete kindly offered me some. I thanked him but told him I'd get fed at work. I find it beautiful that people that have the least are usually the most generous. I learned that Pete knows a bit of Spanish. I learned that he knows a bit of several other languages as well. I learned that Pete was in Holland the night before. I learned that Pete travels in his dreams. I learned that Pete is in the process of building an "abode" in the forest. I hope he finds a way to stay warm every night. I learned that I should be nicer to people. I learned that I should be more generous as well. I learned that I should pay more attention. I learned that I have a lot to learn.

feeling artsy

I thought I'd share some doodles from my sketchbook...This is what I'm doing when you think I'm not listening :)

- new york skyline -

- road to nowhere -

- one love -

- wanaka -

- follow your dots -
Check out more on here

Cheers!

windy welly

(written on Monday July 18, 2011)

I can see my breath. That's how cold it is in my flat. The cute little thermometer on the wall informs me that it's a cozy 7 degrees Celsius. Oh! New Zealand, as much as I love you, I don't know how I feel about your lack of insulation and central heating.

The news has reported Wellington's coldest day ever: A fantastic 2.7 degrees Celsius. Even snow fell...snow never falls. Not here anyway. I guess it's the world's present to me.

Wind is the downfall of this city. We don't get heaps of snow like the south island, we just get blown away with 70kph winds. Trees are dancing outside my window and rain has been falling for the last 24 hours. With weather like this I find no motivation to go outside. I have three days off from work and I can predict that I'll spend them lazily on my couch, drinking hot tea, reading and drawing.

My lips are raw they are so wind-burnt, and my fingers are so cold they feel like I dip them regularly in an ice bucket. I'm cold on any given second of any given day, but I'm reluctant to buy more clothes because, in general, I hate having things. I dislike owning stuff, especially when I know said stuff will be carried on my back once I resume my nomadic existence. I did give in and bought a fleece the other day. Good call on my part. That just means I'll probably get rid of something I already own...you know, to balance things out.

Peace.

the simple life

Committing to writing more has been a very good thing for me. No computer means back to basics: hand-writing. I like writing, I miss writing. Technology is a wonderful thing, but it has made me lazy. I still have a Kindle, and I love my iPod, but I like that I don't have a laptop or a phone. I like that I don't depend on either of those. It also feeds my slightly anti-social tendencies.

I like living a simple life. I like having that feeling of being able to pick up and go in a matter of hours. My room has absolutely no furniture. It's a 3mx4m space where I lay my head down after a long day at work. I don't have a bed; partly because I can't be bothered to get one, and partly because I don't feel I need one. I have two good blankets and a sleeping bag, and that is enough for a good night's sleep. My traveling zoo hangs out right next to me, and my world map is on the floor at my feet. It should be on the wall next to my climbing gear, but the tape I bought won't stick...so that's that. My scarves are hanging on the window, and my necklaces are on the door. Most of my clothes are in the closet, and the rest are on the floor.

I know I have a unique outlook on life, and I was pleasantly reminded of this while talking to a co-worker last week. He was looking into buying a new televison; partly because he wanted one, and partly because he felt he needed something large and expensive. "I'm almost thirty and have nothing to show for it" were his exact words. I smiled. We really are all very different. Whereas I pride myself in having no posessions, he saw it as a negative thing. Now, I try not to judge...to each his own, right? I really believe that. It isn't about fitting into someone elses idea of happiness, it's about doing what you think is right for you. That little conversation reminded me of how happy I am with the decisions I've made, and how much I like the person I've become.

it's like living with your grandma

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. It is also the city I've called home for the past month and for the month to come. I was here for a couple of days back in May and I wasn't too impressed, but after living here, I've fallen for it. The wind makes it a bit cold, but it's winter, so it's cold anywhere you go.

I work as front of house for a catering company and I'm having a lot of fun. I don't really know how I manage to get the random jobs that I get, but I'm always glad to do something different and learn new things. My job requires me to be on my feet all day, so it can be pretty tiring. The good thing is it's usually pretty fast-paced, so time goes by quite quickly.

I live in a flat in a sweet part of town. This sweet part of town has an awesome view of the city. To get an awesome view of the city you have to be on a hill somewhere. Getting up this hill after work kind of sucks, but I really like my flat, so I try not to complain. I live with a girl from NZ and a guy from England. They're both students and we rarely cross paths. Sarah studies biology (I think) and spends her spare time baking and knitting...it's like living with your grandma. Andrew studies rhinos and spends his spare time watching absurd amounts of House and playing guitar. Andrew is heading to South Africa to live with rhinos next week, so it'll be just me and grandma until I leave in August.

Ohh yeah, I'm leaving in August. I'm heading back to Dunedin, where I'll be working for the same catering company during various events including the Rugby World Cup. I know nothing of rugby but I'm pretty stoked to watch the games and be involved in the whole thing.

Last post I acknowledged that I suck at updating this. This post I'm committing to writing at least once a week. Let the challenge begin...it really shouldn't be that challenging.

Peace.