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I'm now in Auckland...got the train up yesterday from Wellington, bit of a rush so I didn't have time to make myself any food. Damn. Should have known that train food would be similar to UK standard. And strangely, for a country with about 4 trains, there were all sorts of delays, broken down freight trains, work on the tracks etc. So now I feel a bit like I am back where I started, minus Liz, car and a lot of money. I fed the hostel cat for the last time yesterday morning, Glenn gave me some mints and liquorice (got so hungry I developed a liking for the liquorice). Got a leaving present from work and we had lunchtime pizza as well, so, pretty good last day! Friday night got a bit messy, I knew I should have gone home before 4.30am. Completely wasted a beautiful sunny Saturday lying in bed. Am booked on an Awesome Adventures trip in Fiji....in for a busy time, lying on beaches and then getting a boat to the next beach. Maybe a little snorkel....

posted by Katie @ 9/27/2004 12:46:00 am 0 comments

Only a week now till I leave. Got Fiji booked this afternoon, I'm joining in one of the Awesome Adventures trips to save myself hassle booking places and finding boats....plus I won't have to cook. Imagaine the joy....no cooking and no washing up! Crossing my fingers for beautiful but non-burning weather.
Went out last Friday after work, with people from work, but not being accustomed to the drinking thing any more, I was having a kebab and going home at 1am. After falling asleep on someone's sofa. Spent Saturday in awe of the wild weather bashingthe trees around in the Botanic Gardens, was trying to read my book but was frightened for the pages in the face of gale force winds. Didn't want to run around after the parts of book. Saturday night watched vids, The Butterfly Effect and Point of Origin and ate pizza. Sunday...went for walks and coffees and museum wanderings with Dutch boy from work. Monday night...am trying to use up my food so inventing weird combinations of stuff so I don't spend any more money. Getting Sally to cook is also a good trick....she did good tea last night.

posted by Katie @ 9/22/2004 05:06:00 am 0 comments

I just sold Jeremy to a man with a tattooed head.

posted by Katie @ 9/16/2004 02:55:00 am 1 comments

Cinema addict on the loose. I only go for the trailers really, I love them - Bridget Jones 2 coming up soon. Made A French boy sit through Bridget Jones 1 the other night. Took about 3 hours to watch because NZ TV channels like to put 3 advert breaks in every 30 minutes. Grrrr. Went to see the Terminal last night and laughed a lot, man that film has everything. It's sad, funny, romantic...and just when you think it can't get any better, it also has an old Indian janitor positioning wet patches on the floor and laughing as people fall over. And he juggles.

posted by Katie @ 9/15/2004 02:41:00 am 0 comments

There is a product you can buy here in New Zealand...it's like a disposable toilet brush / cleaner thing, where after you've done your cleaning, the dirty bit "can simply be detached and flushed away". Me and Sylvestre the French boy object to this. A lot. Me on the grounds of "way to spoil a dive site" and "bloody hell, not good as fish food". And him on the grounds of being a water / ecology specialist.
The only things that should go down the toilet, (lessening the chances of annoying a fish who thinks its caught a good size dinner, and improving the view for divers), is poo, wee & some toilet paper. Everything else can go in the bin thank you. Rant over.

posted by Katie @ 9/15/2004 02:08:00 am 0 comments

Just had great weekend. Except I am already struggling to think of what I did on Friday night. Aha...I cooked pasta, checked out the bars on Cuba St with Sally, Justin & Justin's sister Jade, suddenly it was 2.45am and went home. Even the places that wouldn't accept the Isle of Man drivers licence were fine with it this weekend, but then I was a great deal more sober than the other weekend and i have a feeling they were using my id as an excuse to keep me out. Saturday, went and got a free paper from Te Papa, and the man behind the desk hinted at us being cheapskates, taking the free paper and not buying a $2 map. Specially if "you've earned your money overseas, then it's really cheap". Unfortunately, the money I have at present has all been earned in NZD . Cheeky museum man.
And Jez failed his WOF. I still love him obviously, but now I'm not allowed to drive him.
Saturday, Sally and I spent the day after Te Papa reading our free newspapers to death, testing different cafes, drinking Spirulina (a yum drink that is apparently made of seaweed) and window shopping. Went to the rugby Saturday night for Wellington v Auckland, almost made it onto the big screen, but got bypassed, I think because I don't yell, wear team colours or paint my face. Damn boring rugby supporter I am. And just watching it was a whole lot better than serving drinks at it. Sunday....I went to the library. Yup. I like libraries. Watche Johnny English on Sun night and Bridget Jones last night. Probably going to the cinema tonight and then I think I shall go and get myself my own life instead of watching other peoples on tv. Amen.
Have been photographed today at work..pretending to be laughing in a board meeting upstairs, for someone's company power point presentation.

posted by Katie @ 9/13/2004 06:00:00 pm 0 comments

There was me, cooking myself and Sally a lovely dinner last night, when I was almost completely put off food forever by one of the worst BO smells I have ever had the misfortune to endure, well at least since the Pickwicks days. There would always be a bit of a jostle behind the counter as a certain lady walked in (probably a few but one stands out in my memory) as everyone tried to get out the back before the smell hit, and the last one standing would have to serve her. I was pretty good at this game I think, although she was a regular customer, so we all suffered pretty often. I'm hoping the offender has left the backpackers by the time I get home.
Jeremy has gone in for a check-up.....the mechanic should be examining him right now......and I have not heard anything, so assume no news is good news, especially in the case of a 19 year old car. Also hoping this is the case with errant little sister.....anyone heard from Liz since she got to Oz? I haven't, so I'm thinking she's having a good time.

posted by Katie @ 9/09/2004 04:06:00 am 4 comments

I think that Cat might be a girl. The complete lack of name doesn't help in deciding whether my little feline friend is a girl or a boy. Somebody, at some point, did try and explain to me how to figure out the sex of a neutered moggy, but I got kind of disturbed and tuned out. It's not something I really need to know in life is it? Back to my point, I think it's a girl. It's moody, unpredictable and eats a lot whilst pretending it isn't. It also likes to claw strangers when they're getting a bit over-familiar. It has been displaying some boy characteristics though, sitting on top of the fridge for no apparent reason, enjoying fast food, and getting noisy when it's being ignored. Like at 5am this morning! I decided the other day (post rugby night working) that I should try and be nicer to people. As this even includes people who think I am horribly sarcastic to them on emails, I thought I'd include animals too....and let Cat sleep on my bed. (I think it will miss me and the illegal feeding sessions when I'm gone). So I woke up at 5am to find it sitting by the door staring at me, (freaky how that works) and let it out. 5 minutes later it was scratching my door to come back in, whereupon it proceeded to sit under the pillow end of my bed and purr really loudly. I do not feel like I have had the best nights sleep ever, and will have to revert to being less accommodating to Cat. I think it is taking advantage.

posted by Katie @ 9/07/2004 02:16:00 am 0 comments

rotate head for this one. I can't figure out how to rotate picture!

posted by Katie @ 9/05/2004 07:41:00 am 0 comments

Liz. Bay of Islands

posted by Katie @ 9/05/2004 07:39:00 am 0 comments

last years Vagas booze cruise to Laxey 

posted by Katie @ 9/05/2004 07:32:00 am 0 comments

yay the photo upload thing worked....

posted by Katie @ 9/05/2004 07:30:00 am 0 comments

attempt at photo upload 

posted by Katie @ 9/05/2004 07:25:00 am 0 comments

So Liz has gone to Australia, we had a drive over to Eastbourne last Saturday and had amazing coffes in a really nice cafe called the Chocolate Dayz cafe. Also went out Porirua way and stopped in a nice park to take photos of the lovely Jeremy. So you can all see what I have been driving for the last few months. Also went to the lovely looking fish and chip shop for the first time that we've been meaning to go for ages.
I've spent this afternoon wandering round Te Papa and wandering round the shops...not buying obviously, I'm saving hard for the next leg of the trip.
Friday night I worked in one of the corporate boxes for the rugby which was a good night, Saturday I spent doing a creative writing workshop (although you'd never know it from the complete lack of good writing coming out of me today) and last night I watched telly and had an early night in on my own. Yep, Saturday night......

posted by Katie @ 9/04/2004 07:23:00 am 0 comments