An Englishman heads to New Zealand

Currently staying with friends who live in the Waikato region about 45 minutes drive South of Auckland. Lovely area, weather still good. Thinking about popping down to Hamilton to do a bit of shopping in a bit. Then back to relax, and look forward to a very early morning (4am… ouch) to watch Spurs v Stoke live, followed by England v France in the rugger. Sucker for punishment or what? …

That’s if I don’t get done in by a gang drive-by dirtbike shooting before then! I’m sitting out on the patio typing this, looking every inch the English colonial landowner, while maori lads on dirtbikes put-put by!

Thought the following clip was apt, seeing as the Waikato region has a large population of cows, and the jingle-jangling of cowbells is part and parcel of the fan of the Waikato Chiefs ensemble at Rugby matches down here! [check out the full clip if you can find it. Will Ferrell tw*tting a cowbell during a band rehearsal. Very funny!]

Thought I needed to post a fairly rapid update after my dark one the other day. Just so any of you who amazingly happen to be concerned about muggins here, are reassured that I haven’t been found swinging from Auckland harbour bridge like ‘ol Captain Kidd.

This week has progressed well. Starting to get to grips with all the quirks of Auckland life… of which there are many.

Bad drivers, 24×7 drunk-infested joints blaring out Abba and other such Karaoke nightmare hits, Food-halls (om nom nom), pretty damn amazing fast-food joints, rowdy pacific islanders & maori’s who are built like brick sh*thouses and are barely out of their teens! Hustle and bustle on one street, then an oasis of calm on another wooden villa-lined street.

Underlying all of this is the fact that I have never once felt threatened or in danger, unlike walking around any city back in the UK. For all these weird and wonderful quirks and differences from life back in the UK, Auckland life is pretty damn good. It just takes a bit of getting used to, which is something muggins here, as a straight-laced, stiff-upper lip kinda English fella just needs to work on! ‘Relax’ is the operative word.

Also bagged my first job interview next week! So things are definitely looking up, and I have some sort of roadmap planned going forward from here. Went to buy a suit today in readiness for next week, and got a bit freaked when the ever so ‘nice’ gentlemans outfitter told me to “… take your thongs off!” Me ‘ol dicky-ticker skipped a few beats until I remembered that over here, ‘thongs’ mean ‘flip-flops’! “I’m free!”

Now… did I mention the food here?! Living in central Auckland, you can pretty much eat out every night, or at the very least go out and grab yourself some tuck to bring back to the flat. One thing that is not lacking here, are the vast swathes of food emporiums! I feel the need, the need to post individually on some of the little gems I’ve been introduced to already. So for now, I will just briefly provide a run-down on the top 3:

1. Murder Burger. Gotta love the name… and gotta love the grub even more! Had a gorgeous ‘Ostrich Burger’ with plum sauce and fries the other night. The brand rocks… and I have a feeling I will acquaint myself with more of their cheeky little numbers in due course! Oh yeah… and their website is worth a look if you want a giggle too!
2. Burger Fuel. Yet another burger joint. Starting to see a trend here?! Great burgers, and ever-so sexy ‘Kumara Fries’. I experienced the wonderfully named ‘Bastard’ burger. I kid you not! Check out their menu.
3. Hell Pizza. The Kiwis name these places well ‘ey? Fantastic pizza, sharp delivery service, with a great, great list of pizza toppings.

Tomorrow I’m off down South. Hiring a car and escaping the city for a few days. Back to Auckland on Monday in preparation for my interview on Tuesday.

I have only posted once while I’ve been in New Zealand. Not sure why that is really. Other online avenues of communication have been hit hard by yours truly, especially facebook. I ’spose it’s just easy to leave random status updates rather than sit down and splurge your thoughts out in digital ink on this ‘ere bloggy-blog.

Not entirely sure if anyone is reading this, and not that worried to be honest. What I am about to ramble on about is just a little bit serious for me… sorry, if anyone is indeed reading! I’m posting this as a bit of therapy. You see, I’m not feeling hunky-dory right now. A few things are irking me. A better man would probably read the following and think: “Oi, pull yourself together. Front-up to it. Confront it head-on and battle on through!” I agree with that better mans sentiment… but am finding it difficult to see through.

Warning… Very honest admission about to be published! — Over the last year or two, I’ve struggled with a form of depression. Mostly brought about through my entirely unrewarding, unsatisfying and maddening job, which severely impacted pretty much every facet of my existence. Hmmm… chirpy stuff I’m writing hey?! Hence I’ve made my pretty little way over to NZ, and am writing this in a darkened room in Auckland. The dark is very much matching my mood as we speak!

I’m now into my 3rd week in NZ. Today has been my hardest. Don’t get me wrong, I love the country and have had some fun. However, I’m starting to feel very uncomfortable in my surroundings and beginning to pine for the boredom of my old routine back in Blighty. Feeling a little scared and emotional if I’m completely frank. Fear not, I will do as that better man advised, and battle on through.

The reason for this feeling is that I’m very much in limbo right now. Technically, I’m visiting NZ and have no job. The strange thing is, I’m neither holidaying in the traditional sense, or permanently settled here. The good people I’m staying with have been very kind to help me out and provide shelter for me, but you see… they both work, and it’s their home sweet home… not mine. No matter what anyone says. I just suppose I’m feeling rather redundant and useless, and to make matters worse, I just can’t relax as I fear I’m getting in the way. I’m just so accustomed to my life, my possessions, my space. I’m finding it so difficult to adjust. So, that’s why I’ve shut myself in a darkened room and reached for my laptop. Splurging my heart out as we speak!

Ouch! The dark has just been banished. Someone has brazenly entered the room and turned the light on. The light, the light. It hurts my eyes. I feel naked, baring my body and soul to the outside world. Please release me! – That’s better. Alone again. Darkness prevails!

When I feel so unsure of myself and my surroundings, I tend to burrow myself away. Shut myself off from people, and ‘go dark’. I think I’ve always been a little like that, but the depression has definitely made it worse.

I know NZ is where I want to be. I spent a lovely night outside of Auckland last night with a great family who emigrated a couple of years ago. That family life is what I aspire towards… and I just know it was never going to happen in the UK. NZ without a doubt still enables the dream to be obtained. I just need to get over this feeling of being in ‘limbo’. I’m 32… been working ever since I left education. Never been much of a traveller, and I know I’m not the kind who can happily back-pack around the world. I need foundations and stability in my life in order to feel 100% tip-top with myself. I seriously NEED to bag myself a job here. Once that’s obtained, I can start building a good foundation… then the building-blocks start to get erected… and I can go get that dream of mine!

Things will get better. I know it. Just having a dark day that’s all. What I’ve done is a big move. Brave for most people, especially little old me who has never been the most confident bean in the bag!

Cheerio.

I know, I know. I haven’t updated this blog for nearly a month! Lots of things to do, things to sell, people to say goodbye to, tickets to buy etc etc.

Well, I’m writing this from sunny, sunny Auckland. Finally made it here! On a visitors visa I may add… so can’t work here legally yet, and am currently enjoying myself on holiday staying at ‘chez-sam&darren’.

Loving EVERYTHING about Auckland so far. Great weather, great people, great, great food! Life is definitely good here. So good in fact, that as a birthday treat for myself today I purchased a sh*t-hot bed! On holiday? A bed? Well… it’s another spur to get me to sort out a job and my working permit.

Cheerio for now.
Simon – Aged 32 and a few hours…

… and it was all of my choice. I’m a blooming statistic, but not for long. I leave the UK at 11am on 24th February. Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow to San Francisco, then hopping onto Air New Zealand for the 2nd leg to Auckland. Yee-haaa.

Ooops. Just realised I’ve let you all on to my travel itinerary. My MI6 security detail will have stern words with me now.

If everything else fails, the one good thing that comes out of this crazy plan to leg it the other side of the world, will be that I have started to focus on my physical (and emotional) wellbeing.

It’s so easy to keep living your same old life, routines and habits. I’m aiming to kick-start my life… hey… aint your ’30s when it all happens baby? I spose I’m lucky that I don’t have any tricky ties stopping me from my adventure, but it still aint half nerve-wracking and exciting!

In my ‘old life’, the life I don’t like to think back to in case it turns me into a gibbering wreck again… my daily/weekly/monthly cycle of doom and gloom caused me to neglect my physical wellbeing. So… this slightly shabby piece of work has decided to give himself an MOT before departing to New Zealand. I want to get back my sleek racing lines and British old-school positivity. There is life in this little sports car still, my dear friends.

First stop today was getting a check-up at the dentists. Forgive me father for I have sinned… it’s been a while since my last conf.. checkup. Well blow me… what a surprise, all those gin & tonics have had a detrimental effect on my pearly whites. Outcome: 4 teeth requiring 4 fillings. Bill: £400. Ouch! It’s gotta be done… next week it’s fillings time. I need to be feeling good to play.

Right… last 2 weeks with SKY HD. ‘Come on You Spurs!‘

And that’s the problem!

I needed the first week of 2010 out of the way. I think the reality of everything just sunk in last week. I got back to my flat after spending a great Christmas and New Year with my family. With no job to get up for in the mornings, it was difficult to motivate myself to crawl out of that warm bed, especially when the UK is in the grips of an arctic front.

After a few days of lazing around and ‘going dark’ on some of my good friends (sorry!), I had an epiphany and decided to concentrate on my goals. Unclutter the flat, sell the remainder of my furniture on ebay, save the cheerleader, save the world. It is a simple philosophy, and one I’m keen to adhere to dear friends.

Ever the casual ‘play-it-by-ear’ mo-fo, much to the annoyance of my list-making mother – I have some semi-sketched rough dates to aim towards. Well… one date is firmly etched. The end of this month, the 31st January is when I have to pull the rip-cord and jettison out of my flat. That is written in stone. Yes indeedy. So, jobless and homeless! Spare some change guv’nor?

After that? Well – heading back to dear old mama and papa. Hopefully journey up North to check in with some friends, then back down to my folks again. The plan (etched with chalk on an easily cleaned old-school blackboard [hmmm... not allowed to say BLACKboard anymore? Weird! Cuff me. It's a fair cop. Must be deemed racist in todays society. Aren't we all sensitive souls nowadays?]), is to fly out to New Zealand late February on a return flight, coming back late April for my sisters wedding. While I’m in NZ I’ll be looking for a job, and having some fun hopefully. More on that later.

Enough for now? I think so. I’m off to have a walk around icy Henley-On-Thames, and to deposit some more bulging bin-bags in the waste.

xx

You are the blooming sweetest, that I’ve ever seen.

Just a quicky (ooo-err) before the battery on my macbook dies a quick death. Can’t be arsed to fetch the mains lead as I’m quite comfy in bed thankyou very much.

I haven’t been writing anything NZ-wise on this blog for the past couple of weeks, what with all the festivities going on. Now they are over, I really need to jot down a few things I’ve pretty much decided in my head. Firstly… gotta explain why the permanent residency thing is on the back-burner for now, and secondly… need to let you know, (if indeed there is anyone out there reading this) what my plans are.

Before the juice on my little lovely drips away, all I will say is… February is the month. Oh Yes my friends. February is the month. “Of what?” I hear you cry! “Turning your undercrackers inside-out month? What? Tell us!”

You will have to wait. Battery is going, going, go…

Well here we are. We made it. 2010. Still sounds like a sci-fi wonderland!

Now all the Christmas and New Years kerfuffle has passed, I’m free to focus fully on my plans. Still only just sinking in that I’m starting the new decade with no job! Unlike previous New Years, I’m starting this one with a much more positive feeling. Looking forward rather than looking back.

Cheers! And Happy New Year!

Seasons Greetings!!

Christmas Day has come and almost gone. As it does every year. It creeps up, and then… BANG! It’s over in the blink of the eye, leaving one with a hazy memory of unwrapped socks, smoked salmon, champagne, turkey… more turkey, and Poirot strutting his stuff during another long-winded murder investigation.

The next stop is New Year. And my thoughts are naturally starting to wander onto my future life and plans, with my journey to New Zealand at the forefront. I am trying to make as much money as I can from selling possessions and my car, while at the same time ensuring I don’t eat too much into my fund while still in the UK.

Upon opening my wallet right now, you would be forgiven for thinking I’ve been dabbling in the sale of those naughty narcotics, as it’s full to busting with crisp purple-tinged £20 notes with HRH’s pretty little head on them. What with cash-in-hand for numerous item sales and Christmas treats from family, I’m awash with the crinkly stuff. I’m trying to nurse my way through to 2010 on this cash and conserve other resources in the ‘ether’.

My plans are still on-course, but it’s now starting to feel a ‘lil bit more real, what with the New Year fast approaching and no job anymore!

Merry Christmas to one and all. Hope you are all enjoying yourselves.