Australia

Yesterday i got back from my short visit to Australia. The weather was great-hot and sunny!

We spent most of the time looking around the shops and i ended up getting some smart dress pants and a well cut shirt. To top it all i got a pair of shoes as well. The shops are pretty different to the ones here in New Zealand. For a start you have much more choice of clothing and some of the bigger brands are available over there. There were lots of great places to eat. We chose to go mainly to the South Bank where we could eat in the open air at 9pm wearing just shorts and a t-shirt. We also went to China town which was smaller than i expected and had a meal in a Thai restaurant called Thai-Wi-Rat. A very interesting name i thought!!

The flights to and from Brisbane were great. We went on a no-frills airline which meant you had to buy food and drink if you wanted it but that was ok. We prepared our own food and we treated the flight like a picnic. It was easy to get around the city and we could have taken a trip to the Gold Coast on the train too but decided to just locate ourselves no further than an hour away from the city. We hopped on the train a few times and went out to a few malls outside the city. I think i am turning into a shopping freak!

I have been unpacking today and am considering a move over to Australia! I will see how things are in a few months and if i still feel l ike i do now then i may be relocating.

Back Home

I got home from Brisbane, Australia very early this morning. The weather was great. I am now so tired that i have to head off for bed.

If anyone is thinking of visiting Australia, it is worth the effort!

McDonalds.

It is official, today in the newspaper McDonalds New Zealand is going to get healthy by contributing towards the reduction in diabetes!

McDonalds is going to withdraw Sprite and replace it with Sprite Zero! Now im just not sure that that is going to work. For a start is is the least sold soft drink in McDonalds NZ and secondly people im sure will just buy coke instead.

Good attempt though.

Travel Insurance

Today i have been out and about shopping for travel insurance. On Wednesday i am going over to Brisbane in Australia for a few days. I have also checked the internet for travel insurance deals. I was pretty surprised to how drastically the policies varied and all looked more or less similar once the small print was read. I eventually settled for a policy by The Warehouse which has only a $70 excess. All in all i came up with a generalisation:

Banks Travel Insurance=Most expensive.
Shops/Dept Store Insurance=Not so expensive.
Internet Travel Insurance=Least expensive.

I guess the wisdom of the day is 'It pays to shop around'

Slightly Darker

I hope everyone had a great Valentines Day. Tonight I am watching Trading Spouses-The American version. It is so funny to watch but again so tragic. I find it so hard to believe that some families can be so disfunctional yet believe wholeheartedly that they are functional. I agree that no one is perfect but some are so far from perfect that they are off the scale!

The nights are starting to get slightly darker now. I have noticed it tonight. It is now getting dark at 9pm so it is suggesting that Autumn is just around the corner. In a months time the clocks will go back.

Happy Valentines Day

It's the day all lovers have been waiting for 'Valentines Day'. Is it blatant commercialism where companys can get to sell their products like roses, chocolates and cards for inflated prices? Or is it a true day where lovers can show their love for each other.

In my opinion, if it takes one Valentines day for you to show your love to someone then i doubt that people should be in a relationship at all. We should show love to each other EVERY DAY. Whether that be with a hug or a kiss or a pat on the butt, it should be done.

Of course Valentines Day should be celebrated if you want to add an additional loving touch but only as an addition to that hug you get everyday!

Now i want to wish all my blogger friends a VERY HAPPY VALENTINES DAY. I wanna give you all a special hug but due to the distance i cant, so Tim, Graham,Shaney,Michael,Ric,cb,Rian,Brian,spider,Kelly,Kevin,Doug,Doug,and especially Lemuel, i send you all a gigantic humongous HUG. I plan to secretly send you a hug everyday not just on Valentines Day.

Oh, by the way i havent mentioned a few people purely because i have gone mind blank so i send everyone that comments a HUG too.

Love you all!

Fish and Chips

Last night we had fish n chips for the first time in ages. I forgot how good they taste. A good dollop of tomato sauce from heinz on the side of the plate made the experience so special. I now am sure i have a raised cholesterol level! The problem here is that it is far far cheaper to have fish and chips rather than a salad! A small punnet of salad (extra small if you compare it to American sizes) costs $5.95 compared to $1.80 for fish and chips. Plus there are fish and chip shops everywhere here compared to salads mainly being sold in supermarkets or Subway (Eat Fresh!)

It amazes me that the government is trying to get people to eat healthy but how can we when healthy food costs so much more. Plus we dont have that good assortment of salads. Unlike some countries that have a good selection in 'wholefoods warehouse' we dont get that great luxury. I want a 'wholefoods Warehouse' over here, it will just rake the money in.

It was the British that have given us our Fish and Chips tradition but do Americans and Canadians have fish and chip shops?

Dr Phil

The past few days have been so busy for me at work that i havent had time to stop and blog! Now though i think ive got a bit more time. Dont you just hate those overly busy times.

I was watching Dr Phil the other day. It comes on at lunch time here for an hour. I am not totally sure if this guy is for real. I mean who for starters gets people to come onto a TV show to talk about their personal problems to a live audience and then to have it broadcast around the world. Now i know he is a rich guy but im not convinced that using people in this way is that ethical. People are being entertained by peoples horrendous problems. Am i the only one thinking in this way?

I know he ploughs a lot of money into helping people with problems but i do just wonder.

Also last night on SKY i watched Jerry Springer. Are Americans really like that? A group of women were on stage to tell their male partners that they were actually hookers! Then the obligatory stage fight broke out that looked so rehearsed that it was unbelievable. Then to top it all, a couple of hookers done the 'tit' show which American TV constructively covered up!!!

Go Jerry, Go Jerry!
kev.in.real.time

Waitangi Day 2007

Today is Waitangi Day. The weather outside is sunny and a temperature of 21c. The shops have had a few sales and we have hit McDonalds McCafe for a coffee.

I havent checked the TV news yet but Waitangi Day is known for fierce protests by our indiginous Maori people. Every year, we are told how bad we white people are and that we should either leave the country or give our wealth to the indiginous people. The place where the treaty of Waitangi was signed is not open to the white European population. Lots of people often talk about us having a separate day called New Zealand Day. It's an option i guess.

Last nights firework display and concert in the park was awesome. The proceeding went over the 3 hours that it was scheduled for but it was mild ouside so everyone had fun.

Tonight im off to a BBQ. Lots of sausages and bacon so i should wake up as a fat kiwi by morning!
kev.in.real.time

Tomorrows a holiday!

Many people have taken the day off work today as i have done because tomorrow is a national holiday and people have had the weekend off so a lot of people are having a very long weekend.

Tomorrow is Waitangi Day (The national day of New Zealand). Tonight there is a concert in the city park followed by a huge fireworks finale. It all starts at 7.30 pm with the concert and then the fireworks follow at 10pm. The weather has been really nice today and it is looking to be a mildish evening. We will be having a beer in a minute and then we will head down to the park.

I might go shopping tomorrow as the Waitangi Day sales are on but we will see what's on offer.

Today has been quite productive for me around the house getting my clothes washed and e-mails written etc. It's been a great day.
kev.in.real.time

Bank Robbery

Today has been very entertaining in our city. Apparently the bank down the road has had an armed robbery. He went into the bank this afternoon with a knife and a hammer and demanded money. Nothing unusual with this i hear you say!

Well he got the money (two supermarket bags full) ran outside and got into his getaway car that he parked in the bank car park just outside. He went to drive off. He got to the car park exit sign and HE RAN OUT OF PETROL!!

He therefore took off on foot thus getting away. The police have been swarming the bank today cordoning off the area and examining the car for evidence.

I just wonder if it was registered to the robber or if he left any personal identification in the car?

I think that criminals here in New Zealand are much less intelligent than elsewhere. I mean who the hell forgets to fill up their car with petrol before they do a bank robbery!?

I will keep you informed about how the investigation develops!
kev.in.real.time

Darn blogger has lost my post!!!!

Ok im going to do a very short post.

Thanks for your views on whether Paris or London is the place to visit. London won, just!

Now, Which is the best city in America? New York or Los Angeles?

Ive never been to LA but my view is that New York is best.

What's your opinion?