Month: November 2007

As the eldest child, I was constantly worried of overshadowing my younger siblings, setting the bar to high as it were. I was very culturally and academically active in high school and so set a pretty high bar. Was my shadow too large or deep?

Some time ago I rather ruefully noted that my sister surpassed me academically. She studied far harder and far longer than I would have dared and as a result is now a doctor for whom I have so much respect and admiration for.

This post and its title, however, pertain specifically to my younger brother: Scot. On Tuesday I was fortunate enough to drive down to Hamilton to visit with my parents and see Scot’s high school prize giving. It didn’t take long to determine who the star of the show was.

Continue reading Boundless Potential

I awoke at 7am on Saturday to the sound of my phone’s alarm. It was precisely two weeks and a day since I touched down in Auckland. I rolled over on the couch. I was sleeping on Sarah’s couch since my tenure at the Quest Hotel in Auckland had expired the previous day. I forced myself up and dressed, turned on the computer and drew up the list of places to view today. I had to find a place, and find one soon.

It’s not that finding an apartment in the city is particularly difficult at the moment, just that I have very particular requirements. I reviewed them as I worked: car park, semi furnished (white-wear only), city centre, under $300/week. This had been my goal, though I’d progressively widened the net as I worked. I was willing to take any place within a long walk of the city and I decided, after much consternation, that I would take a fully furnished place and just leave my New Zealand belongings in storage if I had to.

Continue reading New Home

Hi all, this is just a brief update to let everyone know how I am doing, because I know many people have asked.

The flight from Dallas to Los Angeles was only remarkable in that, although the TSA managed to prevent me from boarding the plane with a weapon of mass destruction cleverly disguised as my toothpaste, they failed to catch the fact that I had a box cutter in my jacket pocket.

This caused some stir among the TSA staff in Los Angeles, I can assure you. No cavity searches for me, though.

I did get a chance to see the fires over California, which was quite a chilling sight indeed.

The 13 hour flight to New Zealand was uneventful. I was sandwiched between two old ladies and miraculously slept most of the way. I woke up on Friday, having skipped Tuesday due to time zones.

To my joy I had very little jet lag. To my horror I discovered that my rental car was a manual and so I bunny-hopped half-way down the motorway till I swapped with Sarah and she drove for me. Once I had an automatic car I drove down to visit my parents (yes, the same day I arrived in the country). The next week, on Tuesday, I was back to work.

I have since been living in a hotel, working during the day and trying to find a place to live at night. So far I have been unsuccessful and my time here at the hotel ends on Friday, so I will be sleeping on Sarah’s couch for a while till I am able to find a place to live.

I promise to write more once I am settled.