Archives: 18 July-2 August 2007

Waffle, Waffle, Waffle Waffle, waffle, waffle is the sound a politician makes when they give a speech to the Foreign Correspondents Association – of which I am a distinguished member. I went to hear the Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister speak today about Australia’s relationship with America, but all I heard was a lot of noise. [...]

Archives: 29 June-11 July 2007

Seriously! I had to go into my office (hehe) yesterday to sign some papers and apply for my national visits media card. It mostly went well apart from the horrible photo the grumpy man in the photo shop took of me (seriously, two tries is not enough!) and the fact that I have nothing to [...]

Archives: 7-24 June 2007

Life in Wellington I’ve now been back in Wellington for just over a week. Apart from a few new shops and clubs opening up, the place is pretty much the same. Catching up with mates has been a blast. On Friday, I met my friend Kat after her final exam for the semester to celebrate/commiserate [...]

Archives: 24 May-2 June 2007

Chillaxin’… or trying to I made it to Thailand!!!! Bangkok Airport was a bit of a trip. I inadvertently walked out the exit on the wrong level and was accosted by swindlers trying to charge me and arm and a leg to get to my hotel (five minutes away). Eventually I figured out that by [...]

Archives: 1-22 May 2007

Minoh Minoh is a city to the north of Osaka. I went there today with my friend Bryce, it was one of the final places I wanted to see before I leave Japan next week. Minoh is the sister city to my own city, Lower Hutt, in New Zealand. Each year around 20 Minoh Senior [...]

Archives: 17-30 April 2007

A little less conversation Today was a good day at work. Word must have got out about how little I enjoy teaching the English these days, so only 50% of students showed up for my lessons. It could also be that combined with Nova’s bad reputation (legal problems, teachers caught with drugs) and the good [...]

Archives: 29 March-13 April 2007

The trip continues…. My parents are still here. We got back from Hiroshima today after two nights spent in a shared room. I guess I should’ve remembered how loud my Dad snores, and I wish I knew my Mum did – dear god, it was like sleeping in a munitions factory (not that I know [...]

Archives: 17-28 March 2007

Safe country? Briton’s body found in Japan bath Miss Hawker started her job in Japan last October A woman found buried in sand in a bathtub in Japan has been named by police as 22-year-old missing Briton Lindsay Ann Hawker.Colleagues identified the body of the English teacher, from Brandon near Coventry, found on a fourth-floor [...]

Archives: 5-15 March 2007

Easy, Peasy, Japaneasy? Miki-sensei and Julie-chan (two days till Honkers Jules!) Friday is my last day of Japanese lessons with Miki-sensei. I really should have given up long ago because I honestly NEVER study, but, it was so much fun! The best part about the class was making fun of Fabian, or as Jules and [...]

Archives: 20 February-1 March 2007

DIY check-out aisle I’m not sure how interesting this is but I made this video at MaxValu the other night/morning after a drinking sesh at the 280. Let’s call this your typical Gaijin in it’s natural habitat…. or, a trip to the supermarket using the DIY check-out aisle. Also, please note, that while I am [...]